tonight at ten, cycling has a new superstar. geraint thomas has won the tour de france. he retained the yellowjersey going into the final stage to become the first welshman to ever take the title. it's mental whenever anyone says it, i'vejust got to pinch myself, it's going to take a while to sink in. we'll be live in paris and report on how the victory, went down in wales. also tonight... in america, devastating wildfires burn a million acres of land across 1a states. five people have died. robert mugabe intervenes in the zimbabwean elections, saying he won't vote for the man from his own party, who ousted him as president. we report from stockton on tees on the growing crisis of lower income families, living shorter lives, than the rich. and lewis hamilton extends his lead at the top of formula 1 with a commanding vistory in hungary. good evening.

three weeks ago at the start of the tour de france he was a 14—1 long shot. now geraint thomas is the winner of the world's most prestigious cycling road race. he crossed the finish line in paris to become the first welshman to take the trophy and joins sir bradley wiggins and chris froome as british champions. together the trio have won six of the last seven tour de france titles. well, olly foster is in paris for us tonight with all the details. good evening. the champs—elysees has been written into welsh sporting folklore. somewhere in paris tonight geraint thomas is having an enormous party after soaking up the adulation

on the most famous finish line in cycling. cheers from the reigning champion to the new one. geraint thomas has won olympic, world and commonwealth gold medals, but over three weeks and 3000 kilometres conquering the alps and pyrenees, he has now reached cycling's summit. conquering the alps and pyrenees, he has now reached cycling's summitli never has now reached cycling's summit.” never thought about the outcome, it was all about the process and doing all the small things right in thinking about the next day and the plan and not getting carried away. staying calm and collected. so, to suddenly then realised i had one, i just didn't know how to react and it all came pouring out. there can be no greater honour than leading the procession into paris wearing yellow. this was thomas‘ reward not just for the last 20 odd stages, but for over 20 years in the saddle and just what this race needed. nobody has got a bad word to say about him

in the peloton, he is a popular guy with the riders and the public. chris froome was supposed to win this race, the four times champion, the winner of the last three grand tours, but as he faded team sky turned to plan geraint. when he got back to back stage victories to take the overall lead, the team player was on his way to becoming tory champion and the first welshman to cycle down the champs—elysees in the yellow jersey. i cycle down the champs—elysees in the yellowjersey. i am very proud and it is wonderful and i have always supported him and i am really proud for him. i think there will be a few tea rs for him. i think there will be a few tears at the end. it is brilliant. i said last year when i watched it la st said last year when i watched it last year that he should win it one year and this year he has. good on you. being half welsh i am here supporting the english and welsh flag and i am supporting two people oi'i flag and i am supporting two people on the podium. the controversies away from the road saw them get hostile reception from the french

fa ns hostile reception from the french fans and that was nowhere to be seen today. two champions crossing the line together. they say the doubters have made them stronger. the tour is about the survival of the fittest and of 156 who started out, only one stands apart. as you can imagine, thomas has been swamped by messages of congratulations, especially from wales. his former club say he has inspired the next generation after his victory in paris. cheering. 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. it‘s amazing, but also unbelievable in a way that that little boy, the boy next door sort of thing, is now winning the biggest sporting event in the world. for the younger members

of his former club, this was a huge day — excited and proud of his connection with the maindy flyers. 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 as us, that we can get to his standard, and i wish there was also a tour de france for women. he's helped chris froome in the past four grand tours and he's never had any recognition, but now he gets a chance to shine. i definitely look up to him as a hero and he is the first welshman ever to win the tour de france — it's amazing. he‘s long had his place in the hall of fame at his former school in cardiff. steve williams coached him alongside two other pupils who also made it to the top — former wales rugby international sam warburton, and footballer gareth bale. cool character, and, you know, i would say for his own sport, most probably the same as sam,

same as gareth. you know, breath of fresh air in his own sport. tonight, hundreds of cyclists decided to pay their tribute with a celebratory bike ride. couldn‘t miss this, take the opportunity tonight to come and celebrate with everybody else. to watch geraint thomas' career has been truly remarkable and he's such a great ambassador for wales. experienced cyclists and those new to the sport set off, and the party is likely to continue here for some time. sian lloyd, bbc news, cardiff bay. thomas is 32 years old and he has career decisions to make. apparently tea m career decisions to make. apparently team sky have got a multi—million pound deal on the table for him to stay with them for the next couple of years. but that decision is for another day and now is to enjoy his greatest day and certainly one of the greatest days in welsh sport.

ollie foster live in the champs—elysees in paris. on to other news and fire crews in america say 90 huge wildfires have now burned a million acres of land in 1a states. the deadliest is in northern california, where five people including two children have died and president trump has declared a state of emergency. there are also around a0 major wildfires in canada. our correspondent, james cook, reports from the city of redding, in california. the devastation wrought by the wildfire which roared into reading is becoming clear. survivors describe an apocalyptic scheme as they fled with the 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 better face time my wife just in case. i wanted to see her face one more time. the inferno left hundreds of homes in ruins. inside one the

bodies of five—year—old james roberts and his four—year—old sister emily and their great—grandmother, melody. i was talking to my grandson on the phone and he was saying, grandpa, you have to help us, the fire is at the back door, come and get us. i said i am close by and i am planning to get in there. i am right by you. two firefighters were killed as well. one had been cutting vegetation with a bulldozer and was 81 yea rs old vegetation with a bulldozer and was 81 years old and everyone here will tell you they have never seen anything like this. every single person i have talked to so far has saidi person i have talked to so far has said i don‘t know why it is doing what is doing. it is burning differently, more aggressive than it has in years past. 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 are been deployed in california alone. 130 majorfires are blazing been deployed in california alone. 130 major fires are blazing across the continent from new mexico to alaska. canada has more than a0 major wildfires. this has become normalfor major wildfires. this has become normal for california, fires are major wildfires. this has become normalfor california, fires are now burning year—round rather than just in the summer, and scientists say the reasons for that our human activity, natural weather patterns and a warming climate. james cook, bbc news, in northern california. 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 are 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 and 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 was who was doing it. online 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 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, and then i get a bit sucked in by it. there‘s a headline and you think i‘lljust have a little scroll down and see what that is. i'm not very good at having my own opinion so everything i read can kind of make me believe that, yes. i do find it helpful, but sometimes it can be worrying because 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 are doing is a couple of measures that we hope will really help to get voters to be informed, well informed, about digital campaigning, but also to be able to be protected from intimidatory behaviour during elections. the digital world has undoubtedly

thrown up new challenges for democratic systems. this report says urgent action is needed to ensure fake news doesn‘t crowd out the real thing. alex forsyth, bbc news. the labour mp, ian austin, says he‘s "ashamed" of his party for "causing huge offence and distress to thejewish community in britain". he‘s facing possible suspension after clashing with the labour party chairman, over the national executive committee‘s failure to fully adopt an internationally—recognised definition of what constitutes anti—semitism. at least 1a people have died and hundreds have been injured, after a 6.a magnitude earthquake struck the indonesian island of lombok. officials say the number of casualties is expected to rise. the quake hit early in the morning while people were asleep, and tremors were felt up to 60 miles away, in bali. on the eve of zimbabwe‘s presidential election, the former leader robert mugabe has

made a surprise intervention, saying he won‘t vote for the man leading the ruling party he created. instead, he appeared to back the opposition leader, nelson chamisa, snubbing emerson mnangagwa, the man who replaced him, as president. our africa editor fergal keane reports from the zimbabwean capital harare. enter the ghost of elections past to make mischief and seek pity. he is 9a and for the first time in the history of independence in zimbabwe, robert mugabe‘s name is not on the ballot. he is bitter. what have we seen? i was sacked from the party i found it. four days there have been

rumours that grace and robert mugabe would declare support for the opposition leader, nelson chamisa, as an act of revenge against president mnangagwa. fergal keane, bbc news. would you prefer to see the opposition when tomorrow rather than to seek mnangagwa returned to power? i cannot vote for the party 01’ power? i cannot vote for the party orfor power? i cannot vote for the party or for those power? i cannot vote for the party orfor those in power power? i cannot vote for the party or for those in power that have brought me into this state. i cannot vote for them. so what is there? i think it isjust vote for them. so what is there? i think it is just chamisa. vote for them. so what is there? i think it isjust chamisa. the press conference has ended with an endorsement of sorts for nelson chamisa. will that help or hinder him ina chamisa. will that help or hinder him in a country that has such a long memory of brutality under the maghaberrys. this is what robert mugabe‘s thugs once did to nelson

chamisa. it might explain his cautious response to the endorsement. mr mugabe's wishes are his wishes and they have to be respected. but i am going to accept any respected. but i am going to accept a ny voter respected. but i am going to accept any voter with open hand and an open heart. the violence of the past has haunted this election. down here, any alliance with robert mugabe is toxic for the opposition. these are the mass graves of some of the thousands killed when maghaberry unleashed terror soon after independence. this woman‘s father disappeared during the terror.” just wish we could find the remains of those killed so we could bury them respectfully. but everything else is in the past now. nothing that happens now will bring them back. but the night in harare, president zadawi gashed president

mnangagwa spoke. today robert mugabe‘s limousine seem to be bogged down in the grounds of his grand mansion, where he and his wife grace are in enforced retirement. the foreign despot is hungry to justify himself. he is out of power and his malign legacy looms over this election. a palestinian teenager who slapped an israeli solider in the occupied west bank, has been freed after eight months in jail. ahed tamimi had an emotional reunion with family and friends today. for palestinians she became a symbol of resistance against israel when footage of the 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 while i was still 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 has stemmed from ahed tamimi‘s age. where israel saw a teenager assault 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 that the tamimi family‘s activism

exploits is children. ahed was filmed aged 11 confronting a soldier. and israelis condemned comments in last year‘s video where ahed blamed us policies for the palestinian violence. i don‘t think that you can ever call requests or calls 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. tom bateman, bbc news. the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor has been widening for nearly two decades. the rich tend to stay healthier longer, while the poor die younger. that bleak assessment is based on national statistics, but tomorrow‘s panorama programme looks at the families behind the figures. richard bilton reports now from stockton—on—tees, the town with britain s biggest health gap. dad, look at this! rob hill is only a6 but his

life is nearly over. he was given six months to live two years ago. smoking and a poor diet have left him with a series of conditions — he‘s living on borrowed time. it‘s too hard anyway, seeing my kids cry. but it‘s horrible, it‘s not nice seeing them sitting there and crying and listening to my children turn round and say, "my dad‘s going to die soon and i‘m not going to have him any more, and i‘m not going to have anybody any more." this doctors‘ surgery is in stockton town centre. life expectancy for men here is 6a — the same as ethiopia. it's a disgrace. we need to be fixing this. people have the right to get to retirement age healthy. i will accept chronic illnesses starting in your 60s. i don't accept a society that should

be expecting people to be unwell in their 40s. so, rob, what do you want, regarding a funeral? i want a cremation. rob is now getting ready for his death. this is the reality of low life expectancy. and it‘s hard on his family. do you want me to show you? daddy's very close to... well, not very, very... you don't know when. yeah, i know, but... you've no idea. you know, he... i don't know... i don't know. like, no—one ever knows when he's going to be gone. stockton‘s problem is shared by the nation — too many continue to die too young. richard bilton, bbc news. and richard‘s full report get rich or die young will be on panorama tomorrow night, on bbc one, at 8.30. lewis hamilton has been

triumphant again, this time at the hungarian grand prix. he‘s now opened up a 2a—point lead at the top of the drivers‘ championship. here‘s joe lynskey. so often lewis hamilton emerges from trouble and turns it to glory. on friday his practice laps were too slow to even make the podium. by the finish line no one else was in sight. hamilton had done the hard work in qualifying, on pole and poised for hungary‘s tight corners. the grid was the closest the rest got to him and max verstappen‘s chance to challenge was taken away by his engine. powerfailure, breakdown. daniel ricciardo started from 12 on the grid, but his race was a series of moves through the field. he finished in fourth, but thinking what might have been. hamilton‘s main rival now is sebastian vettel, but with races running out he has been forced to take risks. vettel‘s contact with valterri bottas could have ended his race. in the end it got him into second.

an overtake that meant hamilton‘s championship lead would be 2a points. significant but not conclusive. but this kind of dominance tells the rest of the field that hamilton is hard to stop. joe lynskey,bbc news. that‘s it. there‘s more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now, on bbc one, it‘s time for the news where you are. hello. this is bbc news. thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes as raging wildfires continue in parts of california. i spoke tojenn piro — a resident of redding — who told us about her experience. a resident of redding — the fire originally started 16 miles away and the wind drove it and what happened in my neighbourhood was a spot fire directly behind my house, a green belt behind it, we are in a very wooded area. i was at work, being evacuated from there, and i got a call from someone saying my neighbourhood was being evacuated,

so i called home, my daughter was there because she had been evacuated from her house and came and stayed with me. i got home probably five minutes before they closed off my neighbourhood, packed what i could and thankfully i have a wonderful employer in my town and they reserved hotel rooms for all displaced employees, i‘m staying in a hotel in town waiting to be told i can go back to my neighbourhood. right now i have heard they are checking the neighbourhoods for possible gas leaks, or electrical problems, once they have a clear they will start repopulating all the evacuated areas but they have to do a lot of safety checks before they will let families back into their homes. how do the wildfires of this summer compare with previous years in terms of their intensity and scale? i have lived here, i am originally from the midwest, i moved here about 29 years ago. we normally have fires every season

and it isjust a given in our area, but the past three weeks we have had temperatures over 100 degrees, the day the fire broke out it was 112. a lot of wind. i have never seen a fire like this, our town has 90,000 people and over 30,000 have already been evacuated from their homes. then they had to evacuate the animal shelter which took in everyone‘s animals, but this community has come together, many businesses are paying for hotel rooms for their employees, some of them have had to turn away donations because they have so many but this community is great and everyone is for each other. we have had some fatalities, there was a family that was unable to get out of their home by the time the fire came through. a grandmother and her two great—grandchildren. and we lost two firemen. we have been reporting on those deaths. itjust shows you i suppose,

the risks that firefighters are taking for you and the people who live in shasta county. they are. every time we have had a fire, it is just amazing how our town will come together and rally round everyone and help support people. i have some friends that have lost their homes and i have got friends where their entire neighbourhood burned down but their house was spared. it is most like when a tornado goes through, all houses get demolished but one, and it is kind of like that here, the fire chose what it was going to do and it was just really scary. can you think about what might happen when these fires finally are put out and how you as a community recover and rehouse yourselves? our town, we are in a very heated recreation area, and some of the resorts have

completely burnt down, one of the lakes, boats caught on fire, you would never think a boat being on the water would catch on fire but the fire just blew through. it will be a lot of rebuilding. there are some subdivisions, i think the count right now is 536 homes have been lost. our town is great and everyone is going to help each other. it‘s time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. good evening. at last, a good spell of steady rain across most parts of the country. shame it coincided with the holiday weekend and some blustery conditions. the seas whipped up here in stornoway earlier but it wasn‘t grey skies all the way. plenty of sunshine in orkney and more of you finished the day with sunshine as the weather front that brought the rain pushed east. we still have an area of low pressure to the south of iceland, circulating cooler air into north

and west of the uk but the story this week shows that that circulation weakens. southerly winds develop and it will bring a bit more warmth to southern and eastern areas later. it will be a week in which, after a weekend of rain and strong winds, it turns less windy, some showers to the north and west and things gradually turning warmer. even tonight not desperately chilly, in southern and eastern areas in particular we still have some cloud, some showers too. a few showers push into wales, the midlands, part of south—west scotland, maybe clipping northern ireland. clear skies in between. temperatures in scotland into single digits. most, though, double figures. staying mild and muggy towards the south—east corner. rush hour on monday could bring bursts of heavy rain in east anglia and the south—east. showers in the midlands, towards yorkshire, and more showers across scotland. drier weather in between. more sunshine tomorrow afternoon than this afternoon. the winds lighter than today and temperatures up, especially to the south and east,

25 degrees the high here. 19 to 21 the maximum in scotland and northern ireland. a fresher night taking us into tuesday. a bright start for most but cloud increasing through the day, bringing the odd shower here and there. the focus on the wet weather will be the highlands and ireland as the breeze picks up but temperatures widely high teens, low to mid 20s. into wednesday, another fine start. with the wind still in the south westerly direction, we keep temperatures in roughly around the low to mid 20s across many areas. warmer in scotland and northern ireland. here we finish the day with more cloud and a scattering of showers. longer spells of rain on wednesday night into thursday. not much of an impact in the south and east due to an area of high pressure. the likes of london get warmer as we go through the week, but even further north the showers will gradually fade.