this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm. police in zimbabwe say three people have died in violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters in harare, following monday's contested elections. there is no justification whatsoever for the brutality we experienced today. protests outside england's most cash—strapped council as it holds crisis talks over proposed cuts to services. jeremy corbyn says he apologises for the concerns and anxiety caused after he attended a meeting where the israeli government was compared to the nazis. the former leader of the english defence league is freed on bail after winning his appeal. house of fraser's future is thrown into uncertainty with the announcement that a chinese firm has pulled out of a hoped—for takeover. farmers hold an emergency drought summit following the summer's extreme weather conditions.

their union tells ministers the prolonged hot weather is affecting food production. new figures show the number of grammar school pupils in england has grown sharply. welcome to bbc news. violence has erupted in zimbabwe's capital, harare, as the ruling zanu pf party has won the parliamentary vote following monday's general election. the result of the vote for the next president has not yet been announced. what had been an historic opportunity to welcome a new political era after nearly a0 years of rule by robert mugabe has turned ugly. supporters of the opposition mdc party are claiming the vote has been

rigged and the police are on the streets using water cannon and live ammunition rounds. police in zimbabwe say three people have been killed in the protests. our africa editor fergal keane reports from harare. singing. from early, there was something different in the air. reports emerged that a presidential winner would be declared by the afternoon. and at opposition headquarters, supporters were gathering in anticipation. an hour to go until the declaration of the result. we've got police water cannon stationed right outside. compared to the celebrations yesterday, it feels more tense. in the absence of an official result, the crowds believe the claims of their leader, however premature. chamisa is the winner.

chamisa has got victory in his hands and we aren't going to listen to whatever result they are announcing. over at the results centre, hopes of an announcement faded. as the declaration of parliamentary results dragged on. it appeared not all the legal representatives of the candidates had turned up. we will announce the result as soon as the legal process has been taken care off. the delay convinces the opposition there is a fix. as the day wore on, foreign observers appealed for a swift declaration. the results of the election were counted first in the polling stations, and therefore i have still to learn why it will be published last. just outside, the riot police had locked the gates against hundreds of protesting opposition supporters.

they burnt posters of the president and ruling party. we heard shots and tear gas, and then the afternoon descended into chaos. at the other end of the city, police came under attack. a ruling party office was targeted. gunfire echoed around the city. there was injury and death. there are soldiers just beyond this group of running people. it's changed dramatically, the atmosphere, in the last 2a hours. really volatile. we've had tear gas and shots fired. i think we've got to go. we saw a bayonet—wielding soldier strike a protester. opposition supporters tried to blockade a large swathe of the city centre.

and witness scenes more reminiscent of a war zone than a country in the middle of a democratic election. in the past hour, the mdc has held a news conference in harare. this is what they had to say. we condemn in the strongest sense the action that was taken today. there is no justification whatsoever for the brutality we experienced today. let us all maintain peace in the country whilst respecting the rights of citizens. the idea that protesters are violent is a false narrative that cannot be justified. our correspondent shingai nyoka is in the zimbabwean capital harare. let's speak to edmund kudzayi, an investigative journalist in zimbabwe.

thank you for being with us. what is your view of what happened today, and who is responsible for these steps that we've heard about? well, i think what we had was an otherwise benign and seemingly spontaneous protest. because people are quite angry, and what we then had was an overreaction... because both parties the past few weeks, we've had detail after detail about the zimbabwe electoral commission showing that they are colluding, the ballot paper was designed as bogus to favour the incumbent president. we have discovered it was not denied in a story about a week ago about the head of the zimbabwe electoral commission having an affair with zanu pf. they are nervous, and i

suspect that their reaction was based more on nervousness than practicality, this is something that the police are well trained to handle. the police are trained it contained crowd, the military is trained to kill. and when you have a woman, a mother in her 40s shot in the back, you cannot blame the opposition for that. the question is who pulled the trigger? mugabe the instructions to shoot her in the back? did she present a threat when... there is a picture of a foreignjournalist when... there is a picture of a foreign journalist being beaten up bya foreign journalist being beaten up by a soldier. how do you blame the opposition for that? that clearly was a miscalculation on the part of the government. there is a suspicion that the government is worried that the opposition could mount significant protest, so this might have actually been a deliberate and disproportionate show of force to discourage any protests, particularly because... 79% of the

via levens. .. 2i% particularly because... 79% of the via levens... 21% have disappeared. and when you do the modelling that's being done by data centres and scientists, you can see that he was polling at 40% at the beginning of july, and he was surging. now you find some bogus ones that have been created by the military showing that he ten votes out of 659 in some polling stations. so something is clear clearly up, authorities are nervous and it is important to note the background of the government we are dealing with. the vice president was the announcer of the coup, the foreign minister was a general in the ministry. doctor military. so we're not dealing with a civilian

government, and the kind of reaction we saw today was brutal, it was vicious, it was completely unnecessary, and it shows that these the men who were behind the cabinet. in 2008, we had a very violent election year with over 200,000 opposition —— 200 opposition members we re opposition —— 200 opposition members were killed. and they said that 2008 was a free and fair election. it shows you the kind of people you are dealing with. i think that the international community needs to look closely at what is happening in zimbabwe, there are reports earlier this evening that there are plans to arrest one of the leading opposition members, as well as the opposition candidate. and the narrative a few hours ago, the president appeared on television and said he blames the opposition for this happening, which is complete nonsense because the

opposition did not shoot a woman in the back, these were completely unarmed protesters. there is no allegation that there were guns involved. this is something that could've been contained by our well—trained police. this footage going around of the police allowing people to protest because apparently they were not presenting any threats to life. so when these people are shotin to life. so when these people are shot in the back, and you see a foreignjournalist shot in the back, and you see a foreign journalist being beaten up bya foreign journalist being beaten up by a soldier, and the president comes on tv and says that he blames the opposition, perhaps the world needs to take another look at who he really is as white very good to hear from you, sorry about a few problems on the line. thank you. what is your impression of what is happening today? which is heard from that journalist there who happening today? which is heard from thatjournalist there who claims thatjournalist there who claims that these were all unarmed

protesters, and that this was a case of brutality by the army? there might have been unarmed innocents that they were not carrying guns, but we did see them. i personally witnessed them outside the national election result centre, which was set up at a hoteljust about election result centre, which was set up at a hotel just about a kilometre from here. we saw them setting up barricades, burning posters, and some of them also marched to the zanu pf local offices, 100 metres from here, and stone that building. police said that there was damage done to property, a zanu pf vehicle was set alight, and the police are saying they blame the opposition, calling some of those leaders to report to the police station. butjust a short

while ago, the movement for democratic change spokesperson said that they were shocked and saddened by what had happened, but they also said it could've been avoided. so it is hugely damaging for zimbabwe way. justin in prague with this broader terms, what does this mean for the country? there were such high hopes after the fall of robert moog abe a few months ago that zimbabwe was set ona few months ago that zimbabwe was set on a calls for new future, a democratic free future. all that in tatters, or will this election in some ways still have proved to be a turning point for zimbabwe? those are very good questions, and a few months ago, as you mentioned, it appeared as if zimbabwe had turned the corner. we saw some extraordinary scenes of the military moving through the streets in their carriers and vehicles, being

welcomed by the ordinary protesters. but today we saw very different scenes, and quite ironic because they were observing missions from they were observing missions from the african union and regional bodies, they had given this election a preliminary thumbs—up, saying it had complied with original laws and guidelines. the european union of the americans had said there was progress from previous elections, but they did have some concerns about the pre—election environment, in terms of voter intimidation. but they made one very important statement that they would wait until the process has ended before giving a verdict. so in light of what has happened now, it is unclear whether they will be able to get a free and fairthumbs—up to they will be able to get a free and fair thumbs—up to this electoral process. and so much hangs on that that the international community of financiers is waiting to hear and see where that —— whether zimbabwe

can return to stability, and whether zimbabwe can transition to a democratic state. so all of that hangs in the balance in light of what happened today. many thanks for that update. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:45pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are polly mackenzie, who's director of the cross party think—tank, demos, and steven swinford, the deputy political editor at the daily telegraph. it's been described as a "truly perilous" financial situation. tonight, northamptonshire county council has been holding crisis talks to discuss which services it must cut to the "bare minimum" in order to save money. the council needs to save up to £70 million. by next march amid concerns it may no longer be able to afford services for vulnerable children and adults. 0ur correspondentjo black is at county hall in northampton,

where a council meeting to discuss the cuts is taking place. she sent us this update earlier. a meeting here at county hall, where counsellors will sit around and discuss where they can save money, has started at around 5:30pm earlier on this evening. there were people coming here to protest to the counsellors who were going into that meeting, some of their placards arejust here behind me. members of those protest groups went into the meeting, and various campaigners stood up and spoke to the counsellors for the first half—hour of that meeting. a local nurse also asked for a minute's silents to be observed for people affected by cuts, so campaigners stood up for a moment's silent there, which was observed. we are told that no decisions will be made tonight, there will be further meetings to come, and i'm sure decisions will be made later on down the line.

i've got nick golding with me here, editor of the local government chronicle. thank you forjoining us. what has gone wrong in northamptonshire? it's a very difficult situation there. the council stands accused of dithering for many years, austerity has bitten, lots of councils being... that was not the case for northamptonshire. as a result, they have not made some difficult decisions they —— they need to close some libraries. these are the things no council wants to do. so they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough? they haven't been tough enough this decade, lots of other councils have faced up to the really difficult challenging circumstances. the overall funding level of support from the government this decade has been halved, it's been devastating for councils, but they must live within their reduced means. they

must balance their books every year, it is their legal obligation to do so. it is their legal obligation to do so. do you think there are other councils that may end up in a similar position, or is northamptonshire a one—off? similar position, or is northamptonshire a one—offlm certainly is not, although there is no other councils, that this will happen to there are others where it might happen. somerset has some worrying signs of a the level... similar thing worrying signs of a the level... similarthing can be worrying signs of a the level... similar thing can be said about surrey and lancashire, also birmingham, which is used up its reserve by £63 million last year. there are real concerns that councils are not living within their means. the national research audit office suggests that 15 councils with social care responsibilities are using up their reserves of such reprieve —— degree they will become unviable for the next three years. it's a huge talent. what happens in

northamptonshire in the short term? what will it mean for people there? i spoke with the commissioner who is the person leading the response drafted by the governments, i spoke with him last week. he was clear that the council has legal obligations to provide certain services, and it also has legal obligations to balance its books. he slightly concerning lee was unable to give a timescale by when the budget can be balanced, which is a sign ofjust budget can be balanced, which is a sign of just how budget can be balanced, which is a sign ofjust how bad things are there. but i would expect lots of services to not be provided any more, and the council's talking about the services it will provide. my about the services it will provide. my only expectation is that if you have the most severe social care needs, for instance, the council will likely still provide those services. but if you have lesser needs,is services. but if you have lesser needs, is likely they no longer be provided, and you will have to pay for them yourself. thank you very

much for being with us. the headlines on bbc news. police in zimbabwe say three people have died in violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters in harare, following monday's contested elections protests outside england's most cash—strapped council as it holds crisis talks over proposed cuts to services. jeremy corbyn says he apologises for the concerns and anxiety caused after he attended a meeting where the israeli government was compared to the nazis. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's tim. let's start with cricket because india has the upper hand to date with the first test against england.

the hosts were 285—9, having total control. joe root and jaya bairstow both having passed 50, and that's where things started to go wrong for him. and english drama in a thousand parts, flickering victorian beginnings their history, haircuts, and her roads. test cricket still relies on the same familiar routines. this time, england won the toss. this queue shows there is still interest in this form of the game, but they have struggled to sell all the tickets for this first day, a reminder that test cricket needs a captivating series now more than ever. england's batsmen did not wa nt than ever. england's batsmen did not want things to interesting, keaton jennings gave the chance, not only did ronnie drop the chance, he did in front of his boss. ramy ashour and responded, alastair cook county cork. so many times in england's

history, such moments have led the dizzy spells. keaton jennings accompanied him to lunch and beyond until he was bald almost in slow motion. fast forward around 25 minutes, and that milan was also ejected. in came johnny minutes, and that milan was also ejected. in camejohnny bairstow, steering the match england's way. he passed 50 alongsidejoe root, to yorkshireman on yorkshire day. but the lesson of the past 999 england testis the lesson of the past 999 england test is that where there is peace, trouble may lurk. when kept in seeing off another. bairstow at the other end could only watch, and was almost as helpless here. he now had almost as helpless here. he now had a different game, jos buttler followed him indoors. so often is contagious, so much rested on ben stokes who laid the shot that even confuse the camera operator. in the thousandth test, perhaps a mac patrick geary, bbc news. they are in

norway taking on rosenberg. a 3—1 lead from the first leg at glasgow. there was a week ago, and so far the advantage is intact because it remained goalless just over half an hour played, 0—0 the store. the football association is considering a bid to host the world cup in 2013, the last major german played in england was the 1996 european championships, 30 years after the country's only world cup. wembley is already hosting seven games during euro 2020, and dfa has been to host the women's chairmanship in 2021. greg clark says they will decide whether to put —— pursue a bid for the world cup at some point next year, england failed with a bid to host the it —— the 2018th year, england failed with a bid to host the it —— the 20 18th games hosted in russia. dylan hartley will return to the camp this week as he

returns from having a concussion. he received a blow to the head in the final match against ireland in march. a three—day camp after training with northampton over the summer, and be monitored by the england medical team, the campaign features a rematch with summer approach —— opponents on november 3-4 approach —— opponents on november 3—4 games with new zealand, japan and australia consecutive weekends at twickenham. it's disappointing news for becky downie, the british gymnast has had to pull out of the european championships after injuring herself while training. downey won two gold medals at the commonwealth in 2014, and is a two—time european champion as well. she will be replaced by designjames who will team up with them in glasgow on wednesday. that event begins on thursday. that's all the sport, i'll have more for you at 10:30pm. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has apologised, in his words, for "causing anxiety" by appearing

at an event where a holocaust survivor likened the actions of the israeli government to the nazis. the event took place on holocaust memorial day in 2010. the party has faced continuing criticism over its new code of conduct on anti—semitism. 0ur political correspondent vicki young has more. reporter: morning, mr corbyn. for more than two years jeremy corbyn's faced accusations that he's turned a blind eye to anti—semitism in the labour party. good morning, nice to see you... and today those questions are still coming. could you close the window, please? this row is about an event jeremy corbyn hosted in 2010, where speakers including a jewish holocaust survivor compared the actions of the israeli government to the nazis. in a statement mr corbyn said... but one senior colleague went further, openly acknowledging

the damage being inflicted on the labour party. this has really shaken us to the core, really. but we have got to resolve the issue within our party, and then get out there to assist the jewish community campaigning against anti—semitism within our society overall. but some campaigners against anti—semitism have no confidence in mr corbyn. because he has still failed to issue a real proper apology, it's too late. we don't think there's anything that mr corbyn can do, and apart from anything else it's more than just jeremy corbyn now. the rot that jeremy corbyn brought in has gripped the party. for more than 30 years, jeremy corbyn's been one of parliament's most vociferous pro—palestinian campaigners, sometimes appearing alongside people with controversial views about israel. but today the scrutiny is far greater, because he wants to be the next prime minister. and the anger in his party isn't just about his past. it's about decisions being made now, about a code of conduct.

the party has adopted a widely accepted international definition of anti—semitism, but hasn't included all of the examples that come with it spelling out anti—semitic behaviour. the international code says, for example, it's anti—semitic to draw comparisons between israeli policy and the nazis. labour's version says party members should resist using nazi metaphors, but adds it is not anti—semitic to criticise policies of the israeli state in this way unless there is evidence of anti—semitic intent. critics say that's much harder to prove and it's time to accept the original international definition must be adopted. we need leadership from the top, to turn round the situation, and that can be done byjeremy saying to the people out there who are creating the offence, "don't do it," and leading from the front, let's get this definition agreed straightaway.

# 0h, jeremy corbyn...#. but so far, despite the anger and the protests, jeremy corbyn hasn't changed his mind. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. well we can speak now to our political correspondent, jonathan blake, who's following developments in the story from westminster for us tonight. bring us right up to date, it's a story that won't go away for labour party. there has been a development in the last hour. peters what does peter willman is a member of labour‘s ruling body, and he was recorded at a meeting of a group last month criticising members of the jewish community as last month criticising members of thejewish community as trump for matt -- thejewish community as trump for matt —— fanatics and calling on rabbis who claim that there was widespread anti—semitism within the labour party to provide evidence for that. he has subsequently

apologised, a complaint was made against him, and a labour has said it will take no further action. but he was until this evening at least being supported by an momentum, the left—wing grassroots campaign group which grew up as a support mechanism forjeremy corbyn's leadership campaign when he was running for leader of the labour party and democrat and has continued as a jeremy corbyn support vehicle since then. and until tonight, momentum was supporting peter wilson for his reelection to labour‘s ruling party, the national executive committee. but ina the national executive committee. but in a statement in the last hour, they said they were withdrawing his support, describing his comments as deeply insensitive and inappropriate. they've welcomed his apology but say that members of momentum should be held to a higher standard than those in the ordinary labour party. they also acknowledged the anger and upset filled by members of the jewish the anger and upset filled by members of thejewish community and commit themselves to rooting out anti—semitism within the labour

party and more widely in society. so i think that is an acknowledgement from momentum, who are very supportive of jeremy corbyn from momentum, who are very supportive ofjeremy corbyn at every turn, and what they see is his effo rts turn, and what they see is his efforts to both criticise anti—semitism, acknowledge that it exists, and attempt to root out of the party. but in this case, clearly they believe that peter wilson has gone too far and they cannot be seen to associate with him. he is still standing for reelection to labour‘s ruling body, just without the backing. that election is ongoing through postal ballots and closes at the end of august. thank you very much for bringing us up—to—date on that breaking news from westminster. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. it's set to turn very hot across the south—east quadrant of the country towards the end of the week. further north and west, more cloud around and temperatures closer to the seasonal average. in fact still quite warm, though. northern and western areas will see most of the cloud and outbreaks of rain tonight, it will be quite breezy as well and turning more humid.

here across the south—east, a dry clear night. a fresher night to sleep. but on into thursday it looks like it remains pretty cloudy across northern and western areas, further spots of rain at times. good sunny spells developing for england and wales and eastern scotland. it is going to feel warmer across—the—boa rd with highs potentially of 28—30 degrees across the south—east. on friday weather fronts will be across central parts of the country so it could bring a bit of patchy rain here. some good sunny spells to the north and to the south of it and again very hot, add 30, 32, maybe even 32 degrees, close to the low 20s in the north. high pressure still with us into the weekend and it's going to be warm or hot across the south. hello, this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines: police in zimbabwe say three people have been killed after soldiers opened fire to disperse opposition supporters alleging fraud in monday's elections.

a spokesman for the opposition leader said there had been a brutal murder of citizens. we condemn in the strongest sense the action that was taken today. there is no justification whatsoever for the brutality we have experienced today. let us all maintain peace in the country. angry residents have gathered outside northamptonshire county council to protest about cuts to services. an emergency meeting is currently under way at the cash—strapped authority which needs to save £70 million by next march. the former leader of the english defence league, tommy robinson, has been freed on bail after winning an appeal against a finding of contempt of court. the far—right activist received a 13—month jail term in may after he filmed outside leeds crown court during a trial. campaigners against anti—semitism have accused the labour leader jeremy corbyn of failing to apologise properly,

after it emerged he'd shared a platform with speakers who compared israel to the nazis. he said he was sorry for the anxiety and concern he'd caused. bbc analysis of government figures shows the number of grammar school pupils in england has grown by 11,000 since 2010. the data suggests the equivalent of 24 new selective schools will have been created by 2021. the future of the department store chain house of fraser has been thrown into uncertainty with the announcement that a chinese firm has pulled out of a rescue deal. c banner said it was scrapping its investment plans because its own share price had fallen steeply. more now on one of those stories. the far—right activist tommy robinson has been freed on bail after winning a challenge against a ruling

of contempt of court. the former leader of the english defence league had been given a 13—month jail term. thejudgement said he had livestreamed a video of himself talking about a grooming trial at leeds crown court involving asian men, which is subject to reporting restrictions. lucy manning has more. a free speech hero to some, a dangerous far—right leader to others. tommy robinson left the prison this afternoon, a free man for the moment at least. his only reaction — to criticise the media. all the mainstream media do is lie. the british public no longer believe you. reporter: what would you like to say? i have got a lot to say. nothing to you. to the british public. outside the high court in london this morning, police... # 0h, tommy, tommy... ..tommy robinson's supporters, and his opponents. nazi scum! off our streets! the former english defence league leader had beenjailed for 13 months for contempt of court after confronting defendants outside

leeds crown court and broadcasting it live on to facebook. the pictures were watched a quarter of a million times. the judgement today revealing it was a trial involving asian men accused of grooming. but today, the high court overturned that decision. in respect of the finding of contempt in leeds crown court, and allow the appeal against that finding that the detailed reasons set out in the judgment, essentially because the process was flawed. # he's coming home, he's coming, tommy's coming home... so tommy robinson will be released from jail, but he will be back in a courtroom soon. he has been released on bail, but he will be back in the old bailey to face that allegation of contempt of court once more. most of us thought that the system was so rigged against him that we had no chance.

we believed that the establishment would gang up, but it does appear that we have got at least some independent minds working here. great day for tommy, it's a great day for britain. so he should be, he's a working—class hero. the high court finding the original decision to jail tommy robinson, whose real name is stephen yaxley lennon, was made to quickly and was unfair. tommy robinson is not a working—class hero... it's up to the judges whether they release him for contempt, but i believe that tommy robinson has got contempt for our democracy and for justice. he has been a lifelong racist. but his imprisonment has gained him even more support, especially in america. he's not perfect, he makes mistakes, but by and large, his approach is one that i would endorse. he's not fighting islam, he's not fighting muslims, he's fighting a radical interpretation of islam. there are many who disagree with that, and this isn't over yet. and tommy robinson could still end up back injail. lucy manning, bbc news.

new grammar school places are fast outstripping the number of new secondary school places in some parts of england — that's according to figures compiled by the bbc. there are 11,000 more grammar school pupils than in 2010. and by 2021, if the expansion continues at the same pace, that would be the equivalent of 24 new schools. here's our education editor bra nwen jeffreys. the school is bidding for the

government's matic wrote. it's been making admissions more inclusive, despite legal challenges from some better off parents. next year, poor children get places first. local pupils. we have been on a long journey, we have been on thejourney because we have a moral purpose to serve every able child, most particularly those that are from disadvantaged backgrounds. letting in more poor pupils is a condition of getting any cash. but there isn't a target for of getting any cash. but there isn't a targetforgrammar of getting any cash. but there isn't a target for grammar schools to reach. the government hasn't said exactly what it expects to democrat schools to do in return for the money, nor has it spelled out how it will hold grammar schools to account. because some have changed their rules, but still let in a relatively few kids from poor families. if grammar schools are

going —— growing already, what difference does it make? when you get to a point that there are around 70% of places for high attaining pupils in an area, that is where we start to see a negative affect on the pupils that don't get into the grammar schools. and that negative effect is even greater for poor pupils. at this comprehensive, they are losing money. nearby, grammars are losing money. nearby, grammars are taking a bigger share of peoples and the funding that goes with them. ground here we have fantastic copperheads of schools. there are three —— the three local ones outperform the grammar schools around us. it is important for parents to understand that what they're doing is removing their child from society in some ways, they are removing their child from they are removing their child from the four social mix. all good schools can grow, says the government, and grammar schools are just one small part of that. bronwyn

jeffreys, bbc news. universal credit is leaving victims of domestic abuse at the mercy of their abusers. that's the warning from a group of mps. under the system, benefits are paid into one bank account per household, which the work and pensions select committee says allows abusers to take control of family finances. the government insists split payments are available for those who need them. a 21—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering another man in nottingham on sunday night. stephen walsh's body was discovered at his home in mapperley. he had suffered serious head injuries. the 37—year—old had been involved in a car crash in the area hours earlier. the site of grenfell tower is to be handed over to the government from this autumn. it comes after residents reacted angrily to the original plan to give responsibility back to kensington and chelsea council. the metropolitan police are now preparing to release the site of the disaster in west london, in which 71 people died, as their work

at the tower comes to a close. farmers at a meeting with the government have demanded "emergency measures" to safeguard food production from the current drought. they're warning milk, meat and harvests will be reduced by the heatwave. the shortage of grass has led to the price of hay for livestock doubling in some areas. and some farmers are sending their animals to slaughter early as the cost of feeding them has become too high. sima kotecha reports. relentless heat and a shortage of rain, causing farmers across the country to worry. in many cases, it has led to dry ground, an early harvest, and a lighter crop. this is the cereal from last year, and as you can see, it's a much fatter, fuller grain. here in staffordshire, cereal production is down 25%. we finished harvest of cereals, we've got the potatoes to do, but we've now got to start establishing next year's crops. and if it's dry, we can't

get them in the ground or they won't germinate and it's affecting next year as well. so it is not only affecting this harvest, it is affecting the establishment of the following crop. the potatoes grown here are sold to frozen food manufacturers mccain. but again, the crop has suffered. well, they produce around 1000 tonnes of potatoes here on this farm. 80% of them have been irrigated, you can see those potatoes are a lot larger and look healthier. the ones that haven't, around 20%, look a lot smaller and don't have any colour at all. have you got any words for farmers today? i'm here to talk to the nfu. all this volatile weather led to an emergency meeting. today, the government, experts and charities, came together to try and come up with a plan to help farmers. the impact is huge. i've had case studies sent to me from dairy farmers in particular who are in many cases looking at £60,000 worth of extra cost.

that is unheard of at this time of year. with temperatures expected to go up again, the problem—solving continues. for beef farmer richard, he's a calf down and that means a loss of £500. because the grass is so short, we are finding there's more worms in the animals because they are picking up worms off the ground. so we've had to vaccinate against the worms as well. how worried are you about this? i think we need to be concerned, i think we need our eyes wide open about what is going on and where our food comes from. it's been a tumultuous time. it's hoped today's meeting will help farmers plough an easier furrow through the hot summer and survive the coming winter. but if weather like this becomes the norm, many will want a long—term strategic solution. sima kotecha, bbc news, staffordshire. the future of house of fraser has been thrown into fresh doubt,

after a chinese investor pulled out of a proposed rescue deal. c banner, which owns hamleys, had been planning to buy a 51% stake in the struggling department store chain, but said it was no longer interested because of a fall in its own share price. house of fraser employs more than 17,000 people in its shops, including staff who work in its concessions. our business correspondent emma simpson explains. chinese company c banner, the owner of hamleys, was supposedly coming to the rescue, taking a 51% stake and crucially, injecting £70 million of much—needed cash. now, this was on the condition that house of fraser shut most of its shops in a controversial restructuring deal. creditors approved that through gritted teeth. there has been a legal challenge, but all that has been overtaken by events because this afternoon c banner made an announcement on the hong kong stock exchange saying that because of a sharp drop in its share price, it was no longer

able to raise the necessary funds to invest in house of fraser. it is a real blow. now, house of fraser said tonight it was in discussions with alternative investors, exploring all options. the founder of sports direct, mike ashley, has made an approach saying he could offer something better than c banner. what that might mean or add up to, who knows. but with the quarterly rent bill looming, christmas stock to be paid for, this is a business in serious financial trouble and it needs a solution fast. let's get more on those crisis talks at northamptonshire county council about which services it must cut in order to save up to £70 million. our reporter sam reid is with the leader of the county council, matthew golby, who has just left the

extraordinary meeting. yes, this meeting has had to take place for counsel to set its priorities because as you say, it says it needs to save up to £70 million by march after government reports that there have been years of mismanagement by senior counsellors and officers. would you —— with me is the conservative leader of this authority. these cuts, they must have a huge impact on residents here. first of all, it is massive. we have to be clear that if we cannot take all that out this year, it is going to have to roll over to next year perhaps. what i can guarantee is we are over to next year perhaps. what i can guarantee is we are very over to next year perhaps. what i can guarantee is we are very much focused on doing our best in terms of getting to grips with finances in northampton county council. we have a new chief executive in post. we have commissioners here we are working very closely with. we are developing mature relationships with

our partners who have been criticised in the past. it is a massive amount, but we are trying to work really hard to deliver some of those savings on the half of the residents of northamptonshire. we be even able to meet your legal obligations? even those areas you have to cut. that was part of the meeting he referred to tonight, talking about what our priorities are navigated maps pinned through the directorate. the two big drivers, the two big spending areas that we deal with our social care and the children's services. we know there are massive pressures on the services everywhere in the country and we are no different. one of the things we been criticised for is coming in over budget each year and not being able to grip the finances. the focus of me and my team is certainly how we can look to get to grips of those finances and deliver the best level of services we can do while taking account of my responsibilities to those of normal

children and vulnerable adults. several reports that it is as management and not central government funding issues that have caused all the problems you are dealing with. is there any chance of them would give us sitting in helping you out here?|j them would give us sitting in helping you out here? i think that your added quite clear that there is not any more money. one of the things we normally work with its images changed government intervention or to go from eight to perhaps to local authorities. we have to make sure that the services we leave and bequeath are in the best possible shape, and we have certainly heard government there is not any more money. the water view from the government sector is this northamptonshire it has said we are harder done to that a lot of our partners. we have put that behind us if you like now. we can add our voice to the rest of the government to say that we are doing our best with the resources we have got. we did get to try our very best to come in on budget year. you can say to

the people that they will get some kind of service, said he would be paramount for children and adult?m course they will. that is our priority. we prioritise the most vulnerable children and adults in our society in terms of services they are going to get. i can guarantee that we are not just going to pull the plug and everything disappear. we arm is measured as we can given timescales and given the push of finances and constraints. we are very focused, very committed to working with our commissioners, working with our commissioners, working with our partners to do the very best we can give the circumstances for people of northamptonshire. thank you very much for speaking to us. today, it was just about setting the broad priorities for how this massive amount of money is going to be saved, saving almost £15 for every £100 this council spends is a very, very ambitious by march next year. we have to wait and see how they plan to do and whether they achieve it. all right, sam, many thanks.

the father of the great britain snowboarder ellie soutter, who died on her 18th birthday, has called for more support for young athletes coping with the pressure of top—level sport. ellie won britain's only medal at the youth winter olympics last year. in his first interview since his daughter's death last week, tony soutter spoke to bbc south east sports reporterjuliette parkin in france. this was ellie soutter at her very best. she took bronze last year at the youth olympics... and was hotly tipped for a place at the 2022 winter games. standing on the podium was really good. it's been my first multi—sport competition, and it was amazing to have so many people watching us. i hope it prepares me for the beijing olympic games. but it was not meant to be. ellie's body was found in a remote part of the area late at night on her 18th birthday.

she had been upbeat the day before, but her father believed her past history of mental health issues, coupled with the pressure of elite performance, may have been the catalysts to ending her life. unfortunately, it all kind of... it all came about from missing a flight. which then meant she didn't go training with the gb squad. she felt she'd let them down, let me down, and tragically itjust takes one silly little thing like that to tip somebody over the edge. ellie soutter had spent the last season competing on the free ride junior tour, and just this month was named in the senior gb squad for the snowboard cross europa cup circuit. but training and accommodation at that level comes at a price, over £30,000 a year. as a family and friends, we all thought ellie had come out of the other side of a particularly dark time of her life. that was a lot to do with the fact that she was unable to compete last season and do what she would have

loved to have done through total lack of funding. and that's why this foundation is so important to me and the rest of her family, and her mother. it was here in the french alps where her heart lay. she was made ambassador for les gets, very unusual for a british athlete. translation: she was like an english ambassador for the town whose snowboarded for the english team and was here for quite some time. she was an ambassador for the town because she was an excellent snowboarder. you don't get that here every day of the week. it didn't make a difference to us whether she snowboarded for the english team or for france. ellie love these mountains, it was where she felt most at home. but the pressure of competing at such a high level took its toll. now her family hopes that a foundation set up in her name will help others achieve their goals.

i've lost my best friend, my total buddy. she was my rock and everything. i've done nothing but live for her for the last 18 years, and now i have to start again, really. and if i didn't, she would be mortified. the foundation page has just been set up and already donations have come flooding in. ellie's funeral will be attended by hundreds here on thursday, a life sorely missed. a bright sporting future sadly lost. juliette parkin, bbc south east today, les gets. police in sweden have launched a manhunt after thieves stole some of the country's crown jewels from a cathedral in broad daylight before escaping by speedboat. two gold—plated and jewel—encrusted crowns and an orb dating from the 17th century, were ta ken yesterday

from a cathedral near stockholm. the jewels have been described as invaluable items of national interest. one eyewitness described the moment the men fled the scene onto the boat. one of my friends, she saw two people running, a man from this direction and a man from that direction, and we could see... i saw the boat was there, a white little boat, with a motor on the back. the two men hurriedlyjumped on board, and it sped off in that direction of that way. i knew immediately that they were burglars because of the way they were behaving, and i told the girls to call the police, because i don't know how to do that in sweden. but they just said, "why are they behaving like that? this is odd, in a small, quiet town." but the fact that they met like that and the boat was waiting, and the way that it moved away, it obvious to me that they were burglars, and that's why i said, "call the police." we all know that oily fish is good for us, but the levels of omega—3 in farmed

salmon are falling. now researchers in the highlands are giving salmon food made with genetically modified crops in an attempt to increase the fish's nutritional value. but critics say gm technology is propping up an unsustainable system of industrial food production. our science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. two different types of salmon here, we've got wild and we've got the farmed here. chefs will tell you that salmon is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, but it's not as good for you as it once was. tests have shown that levels of an oil called omega—3 have halved in farmed salmon in recent years. there's still enough to be beneficial, but levels are continuing to drop. to reverse the trend, these fish are being given a feed high in omega—3 oil produced by gm crops. the feed has worked in the lab, but the big question is whether it will do just as well on a real fish farm. like this one in the highlands of scotland.

if it does, it will be commercially produced and make salmon more nutritious in farms all across the world. we have also trialled this with sea bass and sea bream, which are the two main species farmed elsewhere in europe. but it can also be used in all farmed fish. and not only that, it can be added to feeds for other animals like pigs and poultry. because not everyone likes eating fish, like my wife! this is quite an efficient little production factory for making oil. researchers believe that these genetically modified plants are the solution. their seeds contain omega—3 oil. consumers in many parts of the world would be happy to eat the salmon fed on the oil that's crushed out of them, but there is consumer resistance in europe. i think the technology has got a great deal to offer. it's not necessarily a silver bullet, but i think we should use that along with all the other approaches that we could adopt. especially now that we're going be leaving the eu, maybe there is an opportunity for us to consider how we regulate gm. we're going to cook them in the same

pan, and then we're going to taste, because they taste completely different. aldo zilli is one of the country's foremost chefs. so he knows a thing or two about fish. the scientists are saying that it's healthier, it's got more omega—3 in it. do we believe that? oh, i believe them. i personally don't agree with it, but if they think that there is going to be more omega—3, is it natural, is it good for us? you know, all those things are worrying when you start messing around with force—feeding animals. aldo is not alone in having his doubts. he's sticking to wild salmon, while i try the farmed. it's a stronger flavour. it's a completely different fish. but this isn't bad. it's not bad, but this is a different fish. pallab ghosh, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. we can cross the newsroom to stav. how is it looking. it is getting

hotter but not for all. temperatures cooler close to the seasonal average in some areas. cloud in the northern half of the country that is bringing outbreaks that are quite hey rick ross western scotland and to the far northwest of england. it will tend to ease down that later in the night and more patchy across the corners with clear spells developing across eastern scotland. wealth is another largely dry and clear night. but a few fresh spots in the southeast but in the north and west, we seek unity building up so it could be quite murky with some health blog. a rather great starboard scotland and western areas. but i think a dry day on the whole across eastern scotland was some sunshine and quite warm to 2425 degrees but across england and

wales, 27—30dc in the southeast. when moving a bit further south and will move to central parts of the uk for friday with some showers for northern england and the midlands to north wales. but to the north and south of it, should be largely dry with good spells of sunshine and temperatures around the seasonal average across the north, maybe a bit above, 30—32dc across the southeast some really hot and humid. as we head on into the weekend, it is high where there will be larger dry spells and sun shone across the board. best for england and wales on saturday with a bit more cloud for scotla nd saturday with a bit more cloud for scotland and northern ireland the least risk election season good sunny spells. breezy in the northwest corner around the northern islands, so fairly fresh and breezy. further south, light winds and high temperatures with the low 30s perhaps in the southeast, closed to the high teens and low 20s further

north. on into sunday, cooler air moves southwards during saturday night. still a lovely day i think for most on sunday, dried lengthy spells of sunshine and more cloud across northern and western scotland, similar temperatures but for england and wales, not quite as hot as saturday's values. as we head into next week, it will be continuing to be warm across the south with more cloud interpreters in the low 20s celsius. hello, i'm karin giannone, this is outside source. violence erupts in zimbabwe's capital harare over monday's election. opposition supporters take to the streets, claiming the vote was rigged. chamisa is the winner! chamisa has got victory in his hands, and we aren't going to listen to whatever result they are announcing! president trump makes his most forceful intervention yet in the investigation into russian interference in the us presidential elections. a passenger plane with more than 100 people on board crashes in mexico, 97 are injured but no one dies.

people on board crashes in mexico, we go to mexico to hear about their miraculous escape. and thieves make off with sweden's crown jewels, but what exactly are they going to do with them?