this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall. the headlines at seven: geraint thomas crosses the finish line in paris to become the first welshman to win the tour de france. he was a really good kid, he enjoyed riding a bike, and it wasjust good fun to be around him. it is incredible what he has done and he deserves everything he gets now. five people die, hundreds of buildings are destroyed and tens of thousands flee their homes as wildfires rage across northern california seven or so majorfires are now burning here in california, and some 90 that are burning across the western united states and in fact as far across as colorado and new mexico. tourists are led to safety as a powerful earthquake hits the indonesian island of lombok. at least 1a people have died and more than 100 are injured.

also coming up... the growing threat of fake news. the government promises action over misinformation on facebook, and other social media, to regulate political ads and abusive posts. and britain's lewis hamilton wins the hungarian grand prix, heading in to formula 1's summer break with a 21—point a 21—point championship lead. 11 years ago, he was the youngest rider competing in the tour de france. well, in the last hour, geraint thomas has crossed the finish line in paris, becoming the first welshman to take the title. he joins sir bradley wiggins and chris froome as british winners, and together the trio have won six of the last seven titles. olly foster is in paris with all the details.

tell us how it pans out. good evening to you. in the last 20 minutes, geraint thomas just about held it together on the top step of the podium after this final stage, the podium after this final stage, the final stage which is always a formality for the man in the yellow jersey, a time to look back and reflect on all those hard stages over the last three weeks across france up and down mountains, but also a time to soak up and enjoy the adulation herejust on also a time to soak up and enjoy the adulation here just on the champs elysees. the fans mingling here in waiting to get a glimpse of the heroes, there are a smattering of welsh fans here, a historic day for them, geraint thomas, a brilliant day for him, and he has loved every single second. the champagne reception the reward

not just for the 20 odd stages but over 20 yea rs for the 20 odd stages but over 20 years in the saddle and just what this race needed. he has always been working for somebody else. nobody has got a bad word to say about geraint thomas. he is a very popular quy: geraint thomas. he is a very popular guy, both with the riders in the public. remember, chris froome was supposed to win this race. the winner of the last three grand tours. but as he faded, team sky turned to plan g. when thomas conquered the alps at the halfway mark with back—to—back stage victories, the overall it was him and the team dynamic changed. the tea m and the team dynamic changed. the team player was on his way to becoming tour champion, the first

welshman to wear that yellow jersey down the champs elysees. as a proud northway lane, i think it is absolutely wonderful. i have always supported g and i'm really proud of him. ithink supported g and i'm really proud of him. i think there will be a few tea rs him. i think there will be a few tears at the end. it is brilliant. last year, as the geraint thomas should win it one year, and this year he has. being half welsh, i'm here with the english and welsh flag, supporting two people on the podium. thomas' team are not as popular as he is. domination breeds jealousy but, coupled with doping investigations, that has made the hostile atmosphere at times. they say it has made them stronger. the tour is about the survival of the fittest. and only one rider stands apart. geraint thomas system just around the corner on the champs elysees. he has been absolutely swamped by thousands and thousands of congratulations messages, a lot

of congratulations messages, a lot of them from back home in wales. and sian lloyd joined the party at one of his former cycling clubs. the party was in full swing by the time that geraint thomas finished the tour in paris. back home, friends and fans had gathered to celebrate their champion. some have known g, as they call him, since hisjourney into cycling began aged nine. i'm just bursting with pride, it's amazing, but also unbelievable, in a way, that that little boy next door sort of thing is now winning the biggest sporting event in the world, ijust can't believe it. for the young members of his former club, this was a huge day — excited and proud of his connection with the local club. i'm really happy and excited because he has won the tour de france, and it proves that, because he came to the same club us,

that we could get to the same standard, and i wish there was a tour de france for women. he has helped chris froome, now he has got a chance to shine. he is a hero, the first welshman ever to win the tour de france, just amazing. he has long had his place in the hall of fame at his local school. steve williams coached him alongside two other pupils who made it to the top — former wales rugby international sam warburton and footballer gareth bale. cool character, i would say, for his own sport, most probably the same as sam and gareth, a breath of fresh air in his own sport. in tribute to his greatest achievement, landmark buildings were bathed in yellow last night and will be lit up again this evening. some of these young riders willjoin members of the public in a celebratory bike ride across the welsh capital later. in this city and across wales,

the partying isn't over yet. geraint thomas has promised an almighty party somewhere here in paris this evening. let's stay in cardiff because thomas morgan was with some of those fans watching the moment when he crossed the finish line here on the champs elysees. and here he is, crossing the finish line! 0ne one of wales' living legends crossing the finish line, and cardiff going absolutely wild! this moment will go down in history as one of the greatest sporting

achievements of welsh sport, no doubt at all. the first welshman to win the tour de france, only the third briton to win the tour as well. gareth, ifi third briton to win the tour as well. gareth, if i could just come to you quickly. i have been really stressed all week about this. i worry about him. before every time i message on twitter before a race and he always crashes, this year i said i will not message you any more. so i have not message tim. then he won the big race and i said, c? it is down to me not message and you! i message tim a bit during the race, it isjust message tim a bit during the race, it is just amazing. message tim a bit during the race, it isjust amazing. a bit of pride that you were one of the first to ta ke that you were one of the first to take out on road? yes, it is incredible. you never think about that at the time. you would never

think he is good, you could win the tour de france one day. he did not do it for those reasons. he was a really good kid, he enjoyed riding a bike, and it was good fun to be around him. it isjust incredible what he has done and he deserves everything he gets now. when he comes down to the club, to have a chat with the youngsters, i understand he has always been very good, they will look at him in a new light now, i am sure. the kids are not involved in cycling understand that he's special. now anybody who comes to the club will know his name. it is incredible, and the inspiration he will now be for these youngsters behind me, for the club and hopefully the hundreds of kids out there who at the moment are not oi'i out there who at the moment are not ona bike, out there who at the moment are not on a bike, who fancy coming along and giving it a go. what are your plans to celebrate the night?m

and giving it a go. what are your plans to celebrate the night? it is a quiet night because the media want is that the track at 6am tomorrow! that is my fault, sorry about that. are you out celebrating? that is my fault, sorry about that. are you out celebrating ?|j that is my fault, sorry about that. are you out celebrating? i have got beerin are you out celebrating? i have got beer in the fridge so i will be having that. celibate train ride maybe later? this morning in the rain, idid maybe later? this morning in the rain, i did the writer used to take geraint thomas out on amber road back past his house. i was thinking about all those years ago, i used to do that, and now he has crossed the line and won the race. thank you both so much. as you can see, this place has gone absolutely wild and wales remember this victory for some time to come, i am sure. the debate now begins as to whether this achievement wax in the history of welsh sport. some of those fans who we re welsh sport. some of those fans who were enjoying the moment from afar

when geraint thomas crossed the finish line. you can see behind me some of those flags, he won the sprinters' green jersey. some of those flags, he won the sprinters' greenjersey. we have also had a frenchman when the king of the mountains and we are hoping to see the man in the yellowjersey in the next couple of minutes, we hope. we may go over to see some of the welsh fans who've been camped out for hours before the finish of this 105th tour de france won by a welshman for the first time, a historic climax to this race. with me now is tony doyle, a former british cyclist who was the world pursuit champion in 1980 and 1986. welcome to you. geraint thomas tweeted, unreal, i have no words! so you provide us with words. what relation will he be feeling the night? it is the highest achievement you can get in cycling. the tour de france is bigger than anything else and for him to win and

win and the star that he did, and the win with such a strong team performance, he is a lovely guy, i was there when he won his first in france back in 2007, and he started in london, and i was there and followed through race through to paris, he really struggled and found it tough, but never complained or moaned, just got on with it. that was the real start of his career. and then to go on and win the two 0lympic golds that he has, and then to go on to be such a loyal servant of the team and for the team to have had the success they have had but then the geraint thomas to come through and shine and win the way he did, that is beyond his wildest dreams. no one will take anything away from him because he's so admired and respected, he does not have a stain on his character, and

it is just what british cycling and welsh sport needed to put wales back on the top of the map. back in 2007 where you saw him struggle, what promise did he show and what hardships and structures has he had to put himself through to get to this point? he showed huge talent from a young age. he is a world junior track champion, then went on to write and become senior track champion in 2005 in los angeles, i was there and saw him win his first world title, he has always shown tremendous talent, but it is his attitude and determination, he has had a number of serious crashes but has just had a number of serious crashes but hasjust gone back, showing dedication and shown the right attitude to come back against the odds, and for him to come through now after a couple of tough years, i think winning the time trial in the tour de france last year and the start in dusseldorf, that is what

gave him a realflavour. he wore start in dusseldorf, that is what gave him a real flavour. he wore the yellow jersey for the first time last year, and that set him up to win and maintain the yellowjersey and to finally win in paris today. he liked the feel of it, i am sean wa nted he liked the feel of it, i am sean wanted to repeat it. you mentioned teamwork several times in those a nswe i’s. teamwork several times in those answers. to an uninformed onlooker, it often looks like these are individual cyclists doing their own thing but that is absolutely not the case, is it? as we have seen with the support from chris froome, team sky are all about the team winning. for a team to excel in cycling and foran for a team to excel in cycling and for an individual to get that number one spot, it is the back—up you have got not just from one spot, it is the back—up you have got notjust from the riders on the road but from the support group, the staff doing the planning and organising in the background. but the riders on the road are there to protect you and make your life as easy as possible. the show to you from the wind, they had two bottles,

give you food, they cajole and encourage you, they are there to help you seek you can get the maximum performance out of yourself. you have to have a strong reliable team—mates around to the pull of a win such as the tour de france. you mentioned that geraint thomas does not have a stain on his character and it is really good for the sport. does it need to be there because of the problems that cycling has had over the years with the terrible doping allegations? with the problems we have had recently, particularly with british cycling and questions about chris froome, thatis and questions about chris froome, that is not completely resolved, then with the problems the bradley wiggins has had himself, it is nice for geraint thomas to come through with no baggage and the sporting world is delighted and it could not have gone to a more worthy winner. thank you, always good to see you. the headlines on bbc news...

geraint thomas crosses the finish line in paris to become the first welshman to win the tour de france five people die, hundreds of buildings are destroyed and tens of thousands flee their homes as wildfires rage across northern california. at least fourteen people have been killed in an earthquake which struck the popular indonesian tourist island of lombok. also coming up... in the biggest shakeup to the blue badge parking scheme, permits in england will be made available to those living with mental health issues and conditions such as autism. now, thousands of emergency crews are tackling around 130 separate wildfires, all along the west coast of north america from canada down to new mexico. 40,000 people had to abandon their homes in the town of redding in northern california. james cook reports. the devastation wrought by the wildfire which roared into redding is becoming clear. survivors described an apocalyptic scene as they fled, with swirling tornadoes of flame.

some feared they would not make it. homes were exploding, cars were exploding, i have a wife and kids, and i said, i had better facetime my wife, just in case. i didn't let her know why, i just wanted to see her face one more time. the inferno left hundreds of homes in ruins, and a boy, his sister and their great—grandmother are dead. two firefighters were killed too, one had been cutting vegetation with a bulldozer, 81 years old. and everyone here will tell you they've never seen anything like this. every single person that i've talked to so far has maybe mention that, i don't know why it's doing what it's doing, it's burning differently, it's burning more aggressive than it has in years past, and i know we say that every year, but it is unprecedented. the firefighters of the american west are now stretched to the limit. more than 10,000 have been deployed in california alone. 130 major fires blazing

across the continent from new mexico to alaska. canada has more than a0 major wildfires. this has become normal for california, fires are now burning year—round rather than just in the summer. and scientists say the reasons for that are human activity, natural weather patterns, and a warming climate. at least 1a people have died and more than 100 others have been injured after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck a popular tourist destination in central indonesia. residents and tourists poured onto the streets and into open fields to escape damaged buildings on the island of lombok. the tremour was felt in bali 60 miles away. 0ur correspondent katharine da costa reports. buildings and lives shaken to the core. this was the scene dozens woke up to in northern lombok,

the distress clear to hear. the quake, measuring 6.4 on the richter scale, was quickly followed by over 100 after—shocks. the jolt was felt 60 miles away on the holiday island of bali. people in lombok now are still staying in their backyards, just waiting for the after—shock because now 85 after—shocks happened. so they are still waiting for calm conditions. many buildings have been damaged. it's thought at least a0 people are injured. many are still being treated after being hit by falling debris. a malaysian tourist who was on a hiking trip is reportedly among those killed. the epicentre of the earthquake struck 30 miles north—east

of the city of mataram in the north of the island. indonesia is prone to earthquakes. it lies on what's called the ring of fire, the line of quakes and volcanic eruptions that circle virtually the entire pacific rim. the region is on constant alert for tremors that might trigger tsunamis. this time, no alert was issued. the country's disaster agency says the main focus now is evacuation and rescue. at least 60 people have died in northern india after floods were triggered by heavy rains. thousands have been affected by flooding in the state of uttar pradesh which has caused severe water logging. many people have been injured since heavy rains and lightning began on thursday, with one city building collapsing. after suffering an unprecidented heatwave which killed at least 300 people, japan has now been battered by a powerful storm moving across the country. the storm has injured

at least 21 people, disrupted flights, road and rail transport, and cut power to thousands of homes. residents in the south of the country have been warned to evacuate their homes, with up to 200 mm of rainfall forecast over the next 2a hours. the government says it's looking into ways of increasing transparency around online political advertising. ministers also want to crack down on cyber abuse against candidates in elections. the plans follow a report into the extent of fake news on social media and its impact on the democratic process. here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. every day, we're subject to a barrage of data. more and more, we rely on social media to find out what's happening in the world around us. that's according to mps, who say there is too much disinformation, particularly around elections, and that could threaten democracy. this is something you see in the palm of your hand every time you pick up your smartphone or go on to your facebook app.

so it's much more intrusive than before. but secondly, it's not always clear who is advertising to you. the reason the russians could abuse facebook to run ads to target people in elections was because you didn't know that is who was doing it. 0nline advertising has become a major part of political campaigning. mps looked at techniques used by leave campaigners in the brexit referendum to target certain voters. they concluded there needed to be more transparency about where adverts come from and who exactly is putting them out. this report describes the internet as a wild west where private companies, political campaigns and even foreign countries can manipulate our data for their own ends. it says internet firms must take more responsibility for what's on their platforms, and it calls for reform of electoral law. so how much of what is served up online really cuts through? how discerning are these diners in north yorkshire about what is fed to them? i tend to ignore the news other

than what i see on facebook or on the internet, really. then i get a bit sucked in by it. there is a headline and think, oh, i willjust see what there is. i am not very good at having my own opinions, so everything i read will make me believe that, yes. i do find it helpful, but sometimes you don't know if it's true or not. facebook is already highlighting fake news and says it is working on ways to authenticate and label political adverts. meanwhile, ministers are looking at new rules to ensure the source of election material is identified. what we're doing is a couple of measures that we hope will really help to get voters to be well—informed about digital campaigning, but also to be able to be protected from intimidate behaviour during elections. the digital world has undoubtedly thrown up new challenges for democratic systems. this report says urgent action

is needed to make sure fake news doesn't crowd out the real thing. a five—year—old british boy has drowned at a resort in portugal's algarve region. according to police, the five—year—old had been playing with his two siblings in a swimming pool at the resort near silves on saturday. the foreign office has said officials are providing support for the family. a six—year—old girl has died after getting into difficulty in the sea in margate. kent police say they were called to the harbour yesterday afternoon after concerns were raised about a child in the sea. the girl, who was from erith in south—east london, was taken to hospital where she later died. a labour mp who is being investigated over his behaviour during a row about the party's anti—semitism code has denied "screaming" abuse. ian austin is facing possible suspension after the argument with the party's chairman, ian lavery. speaking on bbc radio 4's the world this weekend, he says he was upset by the decision not to adopt the standard definition

of anti—semitism in its entirety in labour's new code of conduct, and was ashamed of the labour party. i said that i thought the labour party's failure to adopt the... i said i thought the nec‘s decision was a disgrace. look, am i upset about anti—semitism? yes, iam. i'm upset about that and i'm upset as well about the leadership's failure. i think the refusal, really, you know, to deal with this properly. i grew up listening to my dad tell me how he'd escaped from the holocaust, and how his mum and sisters were murdered in treblinka, and that led to me joining the labour party as a teenager, determined to fight racism, and the first thing i did when i became an mp 13 years ago was to organise and lead a campaign to drive out the bnp here in dudley, and i'm really shocked, you know, that a party that has a proud tradition throughout its entire existence of fighting racism has ended up causing such huge offence and distress to thejewish community in britain, and i think this could never have happened before. i'm appalled it has happened, i'm ashamed of the labour party. i really am.

and i think, if i'm honest, i think we're becoming a different political party. this could never have happened in the past. a palestinian teenager who slapped an israeli soldier in the occupied west bank has been freed after eight months in jail. ahed tamimi had an emotional reunion with family and friends today after becoming a symbol of resistance against israel when the footage of her slap went viral. tom bateman reports. a palestinian teenager reunited with her family after eight months in israeli jails. ahed tamimi's case brought a new spotlight to the decades—old conflict. translation: from the house of the martyr, i say resistance is continuing until the occupation is removed. all female prisoners injail are strong, and i thank everyone who stood by me in prison. aged 16, ahed tamimi slapped and kicked an israeli soldier outside her home,

demanding the troops leave. her family live—streamed the footage on facebook. there had been clashes in her village, a frequent site of palestinian protest in the israeli—occupied west bank. so much of the debate in this case stemmed from ahed tamimi's age. where israel saw a teenage assault against a soldier, palestinians saw an act of dignity. for them, she has become a 16—year—old symbol of resistance against an occupation entering its 52nd year. human—rights groups criticised her military trial and detention. but israel says the family's activism exploits its children — ahed was filmed aged 11 confronting a soldier — and israelis condemned comments in last year's video where ahed blamed us policies for any palestinian violence. i don't think that you can ever call requests or cause for the commission of suicide bombings as peaceful resistance.

ahed tamimi is a new icon for palestinians. she may suffer from a weight of expectations, with both sides watching. qatar's succesful world cup bidding team has flatly denied that it ran a covert black ops public relations campaign to discredit rivals for the 2022 football finals. it follows allegations made by the sunday times that the qataris employed a pr agency and former cia operatives to try and undermine bids by the us and australia, in breach of fifa rules. our sports news correspondent richard conway reports. qatar! it was a moment that stunned the sport and the watching world. ever since that day in 2010, the qatari world cup has been embroiled in controversy, and today the sunday times has further allegations of wrongdoing. the paper claims to have seen leaked documents that show the qatari bid team employed a us pr team and ex—cia agents to smear its rivals, mainly the united states and australia.

some of the alleged aspects of the smear campaign include a group of american pe teachers being recruited to ask their us congressmen to oppose an american world cup on the grounds that the money would be better used on high—school sports. grassroots protests were organised at rugby games across australia, opposing the country's bid. journalists, bloggers and high—profile figures were recruited in each country to hype up negative aspects of their respective bids. there are now calls for fifa, football's world governing body, to hold an independent inquiry. if the qatari bid team were involved in a campaign like that, then that means they would have broken the rules of the bidding process, so it's a really serious matter. i think it requires proper investigation and fifa to be involved in investigating that as well. in a statement, qatar's supreme committee for delivery and legacy said it rejects each and every allegation put forward. fifa says a thorough investigation into corruption claims was conducted in 2014 with michael garcia, a us attorney, clearing

qatar of any wrongdoing. qatar is locked in a fierce political feud with neighbouring countries saudi arabia and the united arab emirates. these claims will therefore be seized upon by its critics as further reason to strip them of the tournament despite the fact there appears little appetite from fifa to act. blue badge parking permits are to be made available for people in england with "hidden disabilities," such as autism or mental health problems. the change will come into effect next year, and is the biggest shakeup of the scheme since it was launched in the 1970s. wales and scotland have already changed their rules, as alexandra mckenzie explains. morag davidson has six children. they all have autism. getting out and about can be daunting. two of her children have blue badges under the scheme in scotland.