they were risking lives for profit. six men have been found guilty of attempted people smuggling into britain. one boat was so overcrowded, it started to sink, and those on board had to be rescued. it sends a clear message to other crime groups who are thinking about facilitating people over the english channel by this dangerous method, that we will look to identify you and look to prosecute you. the criminals were caught after making several blunders, we'll have the details. also on the programme. calls for boris johnson to apologise, after writing that muslim women wearing face veils "look like letter boxes". the death of a seven—year—old boy is being treated as murder, after a house fire in south east london. the increase in uk life expectancy has stalled, and the slowdown is one of the worst of any of the world's top economies. and jack laugher dives for gold for great britain, in the1m springboard, at the european championships. later on bbc london, noise levels as

big as a motorway. coming up on sportsday and bbc news, stan kroenke looks to take sole control of arsenal with a £600 million offer to buy the remaining shares in the club. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. six men have been found guilty of trying to smuggle albanian migrants across the english channel. the old bailey heard that one vessel was so overcrowded, it started to sink and those on board had to be rescued. the national crime agency described the plot as "staggeringly reckless," and said the men had been risking lives for profit. two other defendants were found not guilty. frankie mccamley has the story. around a mile and a half off the coast of kent in the pitch black, a

boat designed for six people carrying 20 and taking on water quickly. 18 albanian migrants on board. each had paid £5,500 for the crossing. all desperate to be rescued. the only two on board with life jackets were robert stewart and mark stribling both pleading guilty and being convicted of people smuggling two years ago. today these six men from the same gang found guilty of conspiring to smuggle people across the channel. this is an excellent result for national crime agency. we're very pleased with the result. it sends a clear message to other crime groups who are thinking about facilitating people of the english channel by this dangerous method that we will look to identify you and look to prosecute you. it was what officers found next to this slipway in dymchurch, kent, that launched the whole investigation. 0ne abandoned boat and after making initial enquiries they realised that that

was part of a much bigger operation. another gang member, albert letchford was covertly filmed on a different boat with francis wade who was found not guilty. they are in ramsgate, preparing another trip to france. but, after nearly tipping the boat over, francis wade calls leonard powell to tell him the water is too dangerous. it was that choppy out there, it nearly tipped the thing over. the pair then struggled to get the gps system to work. we are trying. we are both trying. we have got the book in front of us and we still cannot do it. francis wade set off the following day but had to be rescued after he said he deliberately ran out of fuel after getting suspicious about the reason for the journey. he also nearly collides with a shipping container. yet another failed trip for the gang meant they had to be even more creative. george and leonard powell made sabah dulaj buy a jet ski to do the job instead. it was a reckless operation.

sentencing will take place next week. frankie mccamley, bbc news. the conservative party chairman, brandon lewis, has called for borisjohnson to apologise, for the comments he made yesterday, about muslim women wearing the full face veil. the former foreign secretary has been accused of islamophobia, after writing in a newspaper column that the women "look like letter boxes". a source close to boris johnson said "he won t be apologising" for his comments. 0ur political correspondent vicki young has more. crime figures suggest islamophobia is on the rise in britain and the conservative party has faced accusations that it has not done enough to deal with incidents in its own party. another tory party chairman has told borisjohnson to apologise for comments he made about muslim face veils. writing in the telegraph, the former foreign secretary said, a total ban is not the answer but schools should be able to tell students to remove a

burqa if they turn up looking like a bank robber. he went further saying, it is ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letterboxes. baroness warsi was britain's first muslim cabinet minister. for years she has been calling for an inquiry into islamophobia in the party. she says borisjohnson is islamophobia in the party. she says boris johnson is using islamophobia in the party. she says borisjohnson is using bigotry to further his career. to use language like letterboxes and armed robbers and colourful language to further this debate is not about having a serious debate on a serious issue, it is about trying to get airtime and attention on an issue that he knows will resonate with a certain pa rt knows will resonate with a certain part of the tory party. but friends of mrjohnson say it is ridiculous that his views are being attacked and that difficult issues had to be debated. it was an erudite column with a bit of humour about the pertinent issue, that denmark have banned the burqa but boris does not think that is the answer to the

issue in our country. and he made his comments, nothing to apologise for. it has all been blown out of all proportion by those who wish to call political damage. senior tories have criticised mrjohnson using offensive language. what concerns some is that it will be seized upon and used to justify anti—muslim action. but a source close to boris johnson says he was actually speaking up for liberal values and would not be apologising. vicki young, westminster. the prime minister is in edinburgh this evening, where's she's holding talks with scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon, on the uk's brexit plans. 0ur correspondent glenn campbell is in edinburgh. glenn, what assurances are the scottish government seeking, and are they likely to get them? no word on theresa may on brexit as she arrived at these talks with nicola sturgeon near the scottish parliament in edinburgh but in advance of the meeting the first minister said she

wa nted meeting the first minister said she wanted the prime minister to roll out a no—deal brexit which she thinks would be catastrophic economically. i don't think theresa may is in a position to give that sort of guarantee because the eu has already criticised her current brexit proposals. it was agreed by the cabinet at chequers and it is not yet clear if her overtures to leaders like the president of france will lead to a breakthrough. so she has a dilemma, if she compromises further with the eu she risks backlash from brexiteers, and if she stands firm she risks that no deal outcome that both sides in the negotiations say they want to avoid. glenn, thank you. glenn campbell in edinburgh there. a seven—year—old boy has died in a house fire in south east london, which police are now treating as a murder investigation. the body ofjoel urhie was found after the blaze in deptford in the early hours this morning. his mother and sister escaped by jumping out of a first floor window, and are being treated in hospital. jenny kumah reports.

the charred remains of a family home which was engulfed by flames in the early hours of the morning. it took the life of seven—year—old joel urhie. his family say he dreamed of becoming a fireman. today, investigators are picking their way through the evidence of what police believe is a suspected arson attack. i would directly appeal to anybody who was in the area or saw anything suspicious at around 3:30am, or who has any information about who was responsible for starting the fire to contact the police immediately. his father, who moved out of the family home five years ago, visited the scene earlier. the alarm was raised at around three in the morning, neighbours were woken by the unfolding horror. initially, i got woken up to the screaming of, i think, the mum or one of the women. my flatmates are safe, ijust don't... i can't even imagine what they are

going to go through now. around 35 firefighters tackled the blaze. before they had arrived, joel's mother and sister jumped from the first floor. they were taken to hospital, their injuries are said to be non—life—threatening. police described joel as an innocent boy who lost his life in what should have been the safest place for him. jenny kumah, bbc news. a court has heard claims that the england cricketer ben stokes mocked and exaggerated the mannerisms of a gay man, and became abusive towards a bouncer, shortly before allegedly getting involved in a fight at a nightclub. he and two other men deny a charge of affray in bristol last september. our sports editor dan roan reports. he should have been training with his england team—mates today for this week's test match at lord's, instead, ben stokes was back in court. also here, bristol bouncer

andrew cunningham, a witness to the events leading up to the brawl at the centre of the case. stokes is accused of losing control and attacking two local men, ryan hale and ryan ali, in the early hours of september 25 last year, all three denying a charge of affray. head doorman at the mbargo nightclub, cunningham said that earlier, ben stokes had been spiteful, angry and a bully, after he refused the cricketer and his england team—mate, alex hales, re—entry to the venue. the court was shown this cctv footage. cunningham claimed ben stokes, who he described as the ginger one, insulted his teeth and prominent tattoos, and then mocked two gay men, making camp gestures and throwing a cigarette butt at one of them. defence barrister gordon cole qc suggested that cunningham, who said he did not like cricket, had been aggressive towards ben stokes and alex hales. definitely not, said the doorman.

cole said the cricketers had been laughing with the two gay men about stokes's gold encrusted shoes, suggesting it was just playful banter. the players were laughing at them, not with them, insisted cunningham. the court heard from then local resident, max wilson, who filmed the fight on his mobile phone. the men, he said, were clearly drunk and sounded like football hooligans. one of the investigating police officers then told the court the footage showed both hale and ryan ali holding bottles and cricketer alex hales, who was interviewed under caution, but not arrested, deliberately stamping on ryan ali, before kicking him in the head. stokes is one of world cricket's highest profile talents, helping england beat india last week. but his team will have to make do without him in the second test. the trial continues. dan roan, bbc news, bristol. more than 105 people have now died, following sunday's powerful earthquake that hit an indonesian island, and two days on,

survivors are still being found. the 6.9—magnitude quake was the second to hit the area injust over a week. mehulika sitepu reports from lombok. it's 48 hours after the earthquake hit lombok. a man is pulled out the collapsed mosque. and a search for survivors continues. nearby, a 23—year—old woman is rescued after being trapped beneath a flattened convenience store. translation: they thought they smelt dead bodies, but when we opened up an access point, it was just rotten eggs. then we heard a voice. the ones that survived have been taken to the nearest hospital which has also been damaged by the earthquake. patients are being treated in tents outdoors, mostly

suffering from broken bones. translation: there are too many patients. we have to prioritise who among them need the most help. so, for patients that can bear the pain, we put them on hold. we handle those who are in emergencies first. on the gili islands, many continue to wait to be ta ken to safety, but now thousands have been able to leave. it was really scary. there were so many people injured, but nobody came to the island. so maybe we were there for, like, 12 hours before a boat came or anybody came. since sunday's earthquake, hundreds of after—shocks have been felt in the area, with more expected. for the rescue crews it means treacherous conditions, as they continue their search for survivors. mehulika sitepu, bbc news, lombok. the time is 6.14.

our top story this evening. six men have been found guilty of attempted people smuggling into britain, across the channel. still to come i will be reporting from cornwall as the rnli reveals that 92% of those who drowned at the seaside last year were men. coming up on sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news — serena williams reveals how the pressures of being a professional sportswoman and a motherforced her to miss the latest tournament. the increase in life expectancy in the uk has stalled in recent years, and the slowdown is one of the worst of the world's leading economies. the office for national statistics says women have been particularly badly hit. between 2005 and 2010, the increase in life expectancy per year was 12.9 weeks for women, and 17.3 weeks for men. but the next six years

saw the figures fall to 1.2 weeks for women, and 11.2 weeks for men. our health editor, hugh pym, has been looking at the data. we are living longer, but the speed at which life spans increase in each generation is slowing. that's the main message of a new report that looks at life expectancy across a range of wealthy nations. medical advances have helped more people to live longer with healthier lives and enjoy their retirement years. but one of the biggest slowdowns in the rate of increase has been in the uk. i think there's too many fast foods that people eat now. we always had plain meat and vegetables. diabetes isa plain meat and vegetables. diabetes is a big problem in this country at the moment. possibly lack of exercise. i'm very surprised, yes. i

thought in this generation people we re thought in this generation people were starting to live longer. what are the figures actually show? male and female life expectancy at birth rose consistently in the uk from the early 1980s until 2011, but from then the rate of increase slowed right down. in effect, stalling at just over 79 for men and just under 83 for women. how does that compare with other countries? here is the trend for female life expectancy at birth. first for the uk, which started in the middle of the pack. here's the czech republic, which have nearly caught up from a lower start. japan and spain are among those pulling away from the uk. is there a uk factor which might explain it? some argue it is partly down to austerity policies including cuts in social care in england. when you cut services, when you cut adult

social workers coming and checking on old people, when you cut meals on wheels, bus services, the nhs, then it has an effect on health. others argue more research is needed on people's lifestyles and general health issues. it's far too simplistic to blame austerities for these changes. we have to look more widely, we have to look at our life style, widely, we have to look at our lifestyle, the way we become more babies, the way we eat unhealthy food —— become more obese. we need to look at housing, public health, immunisation. there are different views on what's happening with life expectancy, but most would agree a deeper debate is needed on why the uk seems to be running against the tide. there's a warning from the rnli this summer, aimed at young men enjoying themselves at the beach. ten times more men died on the uk coast than women last year, with many described as "risk takers", who end up getting into difficulty on the water.

the rnli says young men need to be more safety conscious. jon kayjoins us now live from newquay. we are surrounded by the sea but it seems many of us don't understand the dangers and don't know enough about what we can do to protect ourselves. the figures tonight are startling. last year in uk waters, 109 people drowned and 99 of them we re 109 people drowned and 99 of them were men. especially young men. when the sun is out and you are having fun, it is easy to forget the dangers. he was such a fun boy. he was loving, he was a friend to everyone. tracy's son anthony grew up here in cornwall, but he still underestimated the power of the sea. he drowned at the age of 23. it is still happening and ijust do not want another mother to go

through or feel what i feel everyday and not having my son with me. today's figures from the rnli reveal that 90% of the people in seaside accidents are male. with men in their 20s the most vulnerable group. so this new social media campaign is directed at them, urging them to stay calm and to try and float on their backs if they get into trouble. they take more risks, sometimes there is a case, you know, of underestimating risk and eventually overestimating their abilities and, you know, there is a lot of peer pressure and bravado in that demographic, so all those things are, you know, weighted against you and i think it is why those figures are so high. on newquay‘s beach this afternoon, many acknowledged that awareness of sea safety can be poor, especially among holiday—makers. ijust feel like some people

underestimate how strong and powerful the ocean is. i don't know how easy it is to get lost. there is a rip current out there and without knowing it, you can easily end up down the other end, on the rocks. the timing of this campaign is deliberate, there are more seaside fatalities in august than in any other month of the year. jon kay, bbc news, cornwall. two wildfires in northern california have merged into one mega blaze. it's now been declared the largest fire in the state's history, and firefighters warn it could take another week to contain. at least 7 people have died. tens of thousands of pupils in scotland have been receiving crucial exam results today. more than 135,000 pupils have been finding out how well they did in their national 4 and 5s, highers and advanced highers. across the country, almost 77%

of those taking highers passed at grade a to c — a slight fall from last year's results, as our scotland correspondent catriona renton reports. the anticipation and trepidation. the envelopes under the headteacher‘s arm, as pupils wait nervously in the library for the moment of truth. ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived. they laugh. i got my five as, so i'm really... unbelievable. . . i'm just. .. i actually can't say how happy i am. i hardly left the house during study leave, just so much work goes into five highers, it's really good to see. it wasn't just by traditional envelope. douglas got his results by text. that's not bad at all. that's all right, yeah. yeah? yeah! he laughs. the students here have sat a range of exams including highers that are often used for university entry and national 5 qualifications,

usually sat the year before. but whatever the outcome, it's not just these results that count. there's a huge focus now in terms of the soft skills that young people possess for leaving school and moving into society. that's much more important to us than the grades that come on a certificate. yes, they are important, yes they count, but there are lots of other opportunities there that matterjust as much. the pass rate for highers in this school this year is 83.8%. the national pass rate has worked out at 76.8%, that's down slightly on 77% from the year before. that slight fall has led opposition parties to accuse the scottish government of complacency. some will have got excellent results, others maybe have not done quite so well. but for anyone who needs help, there's plenty out there. the one thing i would say to young people is if they didn't get the results they were hoping for, there are plenty of opportunities, different routes to follow,

and to make sure they take that advice and take their time to think how best to advance with those different opportunities. an emotional day for everyone here, but now it's time to go home and look to the future. catriona renton, bbc news, cumbernauld. an american billionaire is set to take full control of arsenal football club. stan kroenke currently owns 67% of the north london side and the club's other major shareholder — alisher usmanov — has now agreed to sell his 30% stake to him. the deal values arsenal at £1.8 billion — but fans have strongly criticised the move. it's been another successful today at the european championships, which are taking place in glasgow and berlin. in scotland, britain won gold medals in the pool and the velodrome. now, attention turns to the athletics track — the 100 metres for men and women. our correspondent natalie pirks has more. remember their names.

at 15, eden cheng has onlyjust made the step up from junior level. lois toulson is only three years older. talk about teenage kicks. britain's first diving gold of these championships was closely followed by another, this one more expected. jack laugher is britain's most successful diver and he added his first individual european title to his ever—growing trophy cabinet. in the one metre springboard, james heatly claimed the bronze. the diving isjust getting going, but the track cycling was drawing to a close. in the elimination race, 19 start, but only one can win. britain's mat walls took the first major gold of his career. tipped as a future star, jack carlin needed a photo finish in the men's keirin. a final sneaky push on the line was just enough for european bronze behind germany and france. the velodrome can be a confusing

place and there is nowhere more chaotic than the madison. amidst the mayhem of the 120 lap relay, sprints mean points and points of course make prizes. just not for britain's laura kenny and katie archibald. so used to silverware, they finished six points off the podium. plenty to work on before tokyo. and in the last hour, a flurry of british medals in the pool ended with gold for scotland's commonwealth games hero duncan scott. he powered through from lane eight to claim the 200m freestyle title. there is that glasgow roar. tonight, focus turns away from glasgow the athletics in berlin where britain have sent their biggest team to a major championships in the modern era. tonight it's both the men and women's100 metre final. dina asher—smith is an cracking form and

will renew her rivalry with the defending champion. in the men's event, britain's best chance of gold come in the form of rees prescott or janelle hughes. hughes is the fastest man in europe this year and this week should give us a good idea of where britain's athletes are with two years to go to the olympics. studio: thank you. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. it is getting cooler and there's a lot going on over the next few days. the most dramatic weather is across southern and south—eastern parts of the uk. the storm clouds have been gathering, this is guernsey earlier on. showers and storms have been pushing up from the near continent, spreading in across the southern counties. as we go through the evening they are going to move north and east. from hampshire, berkshire towards kent and up into east anglia, some hit and miss downpours and thunderstorms could give a lot of rain in a short space of time.

hailand of rain in a short space of time. hail and gusty winds but some places will stay dry. further north and west a quieter night to come, some clear spells with a scattering of showers and cooler fresher field clear spells with a scattering of showers and coolerfresherfield in the. towards the south—east still some residual warmth and humidity. into tomorrow, all of us feeling the change. this cooler, fresher air sweeping its way across the country. there will still be spells of sunshine with cloud floating around. showers most likely across western and northern areas. one or two heavy showers. look at these temperatures. no more 30s in the south—east. another fresh day on thursday with sunshine and showers for most. there isa sunshine and showers for most. there is a chance we will get this heavy rain in south—eastern areas. much—needed rain at that. 17—21d will be the top temperatures by this

stage. then we head towards the weekend and it's all about this. low pressure which wouldn't look out of place in the autumn ringing windy weather and wet weather for some. big changes through the next two days. by the weekend, blustery winds and rain at times. a reminder of our top story. six men have been found guilty of attempted people smuggling into britian, across the channel. that's it, so goodbye from me. now on bbc one let's join our news teams where you are. have a very good evening. hello this is bbc news.

the headlines. six men are found guilty of trying to smuggle albanian migrants in speed boats across the english channel — they were caught after one overcrowded boat carrying at least 18 people ran out of fuel. the conservative party chairman calls for boris johnson to apologise for his comments about women who wear burkhas — but mrjohnson refuses to back down. police say they're treating the death of a seven—year—old boy who died in a fire at his home in south london as murder. a court hears that england cricketer ben stokes — on trial for affray — was not acting in self—defence — but with revenge, retaliation, or punishment in mind. washington has come in for international criticism after renewed american sanctions on iran entered into force.