today at five — boris johnson faces growing criticism of his comments about muslim women who wear the burqa. senior tories have urged him to apologise but he's stood by his newspaper article despite warnings about encouraging islamophobia. what this is doing, what bigotry like this is doing, what you do not understand it's doing — it's making people politicise religion. i'll talking to two muslim women who have different views about the former foreign secretary's comments. the other main stories on bbc news at five... 100 years on — remembering the battle of amiens. a ceremony is held to commemorate the centenary of the campaign which helped bring about the end of the first world war. to honour the fallen of all nations, to commemorate all those who participated in this great endeavour. the jury in the trial of ben stokes are shown bodycam footage

from the police officer who arrested the england cricketer outside a bristol nightclub last year. and, aftera long, dry winter in australia, the whole of the state of new south wales has been declared a drought zone. good evening, welcome to the bbc news at five. our main story: pressure continues to mount on the former foreign secretary borisjohnson to apologise for the newspaper column in which he wrote that muslim women who wear a full—face veil look like letterboxes or bank robbers. some colleagues say he should have the tory whip removed, although sources close to mrjohnson say it's important difficult

issues are debated. in a moment i'll be discussing his comments with two muslim women, but first this report from our political correspondent jonathan blake. what muslim women choose to wear in public can be a sensitive subject — guaranteed to provoke debate, and one on which borisjohnson has made his views clear. but his language has prompted criticism, from his opponents, the prime minister, and other senior conservatives who say he went too far and should apologise. it seems to me that what boris might want to do now is consider whether some of the language that he used was inappropriate, and if he chooses to apologise no doubt that will be welcomed. but i don't think we should take from this incident that people are prohibited from discussing this subject — it is a perfectly legitimate subject for debate — but it is one of those subjects, and there are many of them in politics, where politicians should be careful about the language that they use. writing in the daily telegraph on monday, borisjohnson said a total ban on full face coverings

was not the answer, but he said that schools should be able to tell students to remove burqas if they turn up "looking like a bank robber." he added it was "absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes." for this muslim former conservative parliamentary candidate, his words were inflammatory. what bigotry like this is doing, what you do not understand, it is making people politicise religion, it's making people want to be seen as visibly muslim, because the politics is becoming so sort of against muslim people in this country. there are 3 million british muslims in this country, and we are being ostracised at this point. the conservative party really should know better. a source close to the former foreign secretary said he stood by his comments, and failing to speak up for liberal values gave ground to extremists. mrjohnson‘s supporters say he should not and will not say sorry. we've gone down a route — a sort of pc route — that if political figures say anything that causes

offence to anyone it's considered to be an outrage. we have finished up with a political class where joe public cannot even recognise, because none of them ever say anything memorable at all. in greater manchester there was support and some concern. i understand probably what he is trying to say because it can feel threatening and things like that, but, no, the language isn't the right thing. he is a bit controversial and what he says doesn't really resonate with anything i believe in. i pretty much ignore him. everyone's got their own rights to what they want to wear. we don't pull anybody else up for what they're wearing. in the context of an increase in islamophobia, and claims tories haven't done enough to tackle anti—muslim prejudice internally, boris johnson's comments were guaranteed to make an impact. in a moment i'll speak to a muslim woman who chooses not to wear a veil. first let's talk to sahar al—faifi. she is a geneticist by training,

who campaigns against islamophobia. shejoins me from cardiff. good evening. thank you for having me. what did you think when he first heard these comments from boris johnson? heard these comments from boris johnson? i think his comments are islamophobic and racist, offensive and insulting also because he is dehumanising muslim bailed women and criminalising them, creating an environment of suspicion was we already face triple distillation against faith, race and our gender and now we have a high profile politician using abusive language —— triple discrimination. without a doubt it will make our lives more difficult and it will lead to a rise in islamophobic abuse. if that something you supper ordinarily anyway, before this particular

article was written? definitely, i have lost count of how many islamophobic views i have faced and it has increased already after brexit and now with borisjohnson, i am not expecting this abuse to be reduced. one of the incidents i have faced was in the hospital where i used to work and someone tried to steal a bike from the hospital and i attempted to stop them. straightaway, they said you are a terrorist, go back to your country. it is very painful. when someone says to go back to your country, where do i go? luckily one of my collea g u es where do i go? luckily one of my colleagues passed by and supported me. this is what britain is all about. even if you disagree with my choice, you cannot superimpose your views on me or choice, you cannot superimpose your views on me oi’ anyone choice, you cannot superimpose your views on me or anyone else and we celebrate our diversity and multiculturalism. there are elements

of what he wrote in the article that have been widely criticised and a lot of people in his party has said he must apologise and we all know what those sentences were. i am curious whether you think there are any elements in the whole article that carried any validity. he was saying, for example, it is bullying to expect a woman to have to cover herface and to expect a woman to have to cover her face and that there is no scriptural basis in the koran for doing so, for covering yourface. do you mind if i ask you buried bluntly why you like to wear what you do on a daily basis —— very bluntly. why you like to wear what you do on a daily basis —— very bluntlylj think a daily basis —— very bluntly.” think it is bullying for a white middle—aged man to speak on my behalf and say it is an oppressive symbol without talking to me. in the koran it says to lower down the garments and that has different interpretation also that is why do

you see women like me wearing the face veil, others wearing a headscarf and others not at all so there is a diversity of views within there is a diversity of views within the text which enables women to express their faith as they want to pulse of my main reason for wearing it is definitely an act of worship, an act of devotion and it is also pa rt an act of devotion and it is also part of my identity. i am proudly welsh and unapologetically muslim. and as i understand you have been wearing it for a long time? yes, indeed. since i was 14 years old. i was not politicised or anything, as was not politicised or anything, as was suggested that it is just my practice of faith. of course. i don't know if you have children but would you want your daughters to follow your example? your nieces or cousins? i want my children to be proud within their identity, whatever journey or proud within their identity, whateverjourney or route they take. if borisjohnson was sitting next to

you now, you would say, i choose to wear this of my own volition?” chose to wear this out of my own choice. and if he does not apologise, as a lot of people in his party are asking him to do, what will be the impact of that finally you think? i am really hoping boris johnson apologises for his comments. jack straw made similar comments in 2006 and he apologised for it. i think borisjohnson 2006 and he apologised for it. i think boris johnson is 2006 and he apologised for it. i think borisjohnson is trying to seek attention and increased his political scoring in the expenses of muslim veiled women and he had to apologise otherwise women in the street will not feel safe any more in britain. it is so interesting to talk to you, i wish we could talk longer but thank you for going into a studio. we can go to new york and talk to someone who is eight goodish

american muslim. you were born in the uk but now live in the us and you work at the doctor and are a member of the towns of foreign relations. thank you for your time andi relations. thank you for your time and i will start in the same place, what did you think when you heard what did you think when you heard what boris johnson had what did you think when you heard what borisjohnson had written? certainly the comments were intriguing and some could interpret it as insensitive. i was surprised he was opposed to the niqab and in the uk. at a practising muslim, a partially agree with the geneticist. the koran says not lower your garments but your gaze, that is what they link is about for some it is applicable to men and women. there is no mandate about covering the face. and in fact this rise in facial covering is something we are seeing increasingly in the west while women in other parts of the muslim world are decreasing that

observation, is leading the emphatically in saudi arabia. why is that? because this is a restrictive practice on many women who do not have the choice that the former guest had come to a imposed in these garments before they reach puberty. failing does not even apply to the muslim until the age of sexual maturity —— veiling. the boris firstly should not apologise. secondly, i would love the chance to talk to him about why the niqab is not appropriate for a democratic secular liberal democracy. one of the duties of muslims rarely speak about it we not only have rights to god but rights do our duty to society and when we lived in western societies we are compelled to bring unity, not division. notice that

muslim countries themselves that remark about the antrobus auch life, muslim countries and outlawed the factories that produce the niqab and the birkirkara is in morocco. the muslim countries are fighting terrorists that come disguised in veiled as women. it is not a benign issue and my concern is a british and american muslim with islam in the post 9/11 era is we do as much to communicate about the principles of our faith and not to divide and alienate. for someone to claim that there is islamophobia and marginalisation and victimisation of british muslim women or american muslim women, ifind british muslim women or american muslim women, i find this abhorrent because the united states and united give muslim women greater civil liberties, greater public space, great opportunities, fiscal independence, sexual and reproductive independence, write

that muslim majority countries deny muslim women even though islam gives us muslim women even though islam gives us these rights from 1a or 1500 yea rs us these rights from 1a or 1500 years ago. there is an enormous amount in what you're saying, but to ta ke amount in what you're saying, but to take it to the personal, what about oui’ take it to the personal, what about our previous guest, for example? she said she was genuinely concerned it would lead to an increase in hate crime, that things have been bad since the referendum and this could make it worse. let me respond. i have concerns about that as well as i condemn it in my writing but i do not see that as islamophobia, i see it as xenophobia. the entire concept islamophobia is one that is new and it really hasn't been around since it really hasn't been around since it became popularised in 1979 post revolutionary iran and it is used to screen is listen, political islam, from scrutiny. when the members of boris johnson's party are asking from scrutiny. when the members of borisjohnson's party are asking him to apologise and this is dehumanising or object divide muslim

women, they are being dehumanised and objectified by distorted interpretations of islam that islam never mandated upon womanhood. this is the kernel of the debate, not whether you call somebody eight letterbox or a bank robber which are crass terms, that is not the scandal. the scandal is the niqab is being defended by those who believe they are liberal intellectuals and thatis they are liberal intellectuals and that is preferring and allowing islamist garments and ideologies to become the dominant discourse of islam, silencing civil and pluralistic islam in the process also islam is much more than what one wears, is about your conduct for some in the west, muslims are under more scrutiny indeed but we have greater responsibility. we want to build united, peaceful, successful societies where we can have reviewed. wearing a niqab does not promote social integration and the integration of a unified society. ebner objection against the hijab ——

i have no objection. ifound appalling when transport in their laws, but we need to reason. —— when france brought in their laws. i hope mrjohnson does not capitulated to the hysterical demands an apology. so interesting to hear your perspective, thank you to both my guests. there is so much more we could discuss and i'm conscious people watching may feel there is more to be asked but interesting to hear those perspectives but we must move on to the rest of the news. we turn our attentions to the commemorations in the north of france. the duke of cambridge has been paying tribute to the allied forces who fought at the battle of amiens, 100 years ago. he was speaking at a service at the city's cathedral to mark the centenary of the battle. the fighting heralded a string of allied victories that led to the end of the first world war. this report from kathryn stanczyszyn. the beginning of the end. on august

eight, 1980 at first light, forces from britain, australia, france, canada and the us took the germans by surprise also the battle of amiens started a chain of victories that led to german surrender and armistice. they were young as we are young, they served giving freely of themselves. today, two dozen people including the duke of cambridge and the prime minister gathered in the stunning setting of amiens cathedral to commemorate what was to be the great war‘s turning point. to commemorate what was to be the great war's turning point. to date we return to learn more about the experience of those involved during the historic summer of 1918. to honour the fallen of all nations, to commemorate all those who participated in this great endeavour. and to celebrate the bonds of friendship which unite our

nations. the story of amiens was told with music and with first—hand testimony from letters and diaries. the morning of 8th of august started very foggy indeed. as our barrage opened, a tremendous barrage, we we re opened, a tremendous barrage, we were wondering how we were going to get on. the americans swept everything before them and the german resistance collapsed. so precipitous was the retreat of the enemy that a german battalion commander fled from his dugout, abandoning his orders, map and telephone switchboard. the tanks, which were faster than hitherto, had surprised division staff in the headquarters and poured up the telephone lines which communicated

with the battlefront —— torn up. more than 1000 people gathered outside, some clutching letters and photos, each telling its own story. the four day battle was the start of what became known as the hundred days offensive in which german commanders seeded many miles and many men and realised it was a war they did not win. today theresa may recalled the words of the prime minister at the time, lloyd george. more finally even banned by the french counteroffensive of july more finally even banned by the french counteroffensive ofjuly the 18th worth the germans driven by the british stroke of august the 8th to realise that all hope of victory had passed. the battle of amiens is edited with shortening the first world war. tributes were left in this cathedral a century ago. today it was a place to get on a crucial moment on the path to peace. we can

go now to amiens cathedral to talk to helen patton. thank you for speaking to us. your thoughts at the end of a beautiful service and about today? i think your narrator gave the perfect segue. we were all on a path to peace today. this path began a long time ago to 100 years in the story we are communicating today, but the feeling i had was that this path was ours now. you're amazing prince truly was all of ours today as he stepped onto this path

himself, this stage, and really brought us right where we needed to be in brought us right where we needed to beina brought us right where we needed to be in a kind of state of mind to be able to hear incredible stories, letters read out and songs, overwhelming accounts of the war with images on these screens around us with images on these screens around us and of course we will all surrounded by these big heads of state. and we felt so glad to be together and whoever was there was supposed to be there. but i really wa nt to supposed to be there. but i really want to applaud the duke of cambridge very much for his personal words. prince william of course you are talking about. were you able to speak to him? why do you clearly feel so passionately that his involvement is so important?” feel so passionately that his involvement is so important? i felt that everyone was waiting, we were all waiting for him and others, but, i don't know, ijust felt that

all waiting for him and others, but, i don't know, i just felt that when he arrived we became focused. and i was very appreciative of your own prime minister and her concluding quotes from lloyd george to say we must end this war. it was it a nice framework and i appreciated that. my grandfather was not a part of this particular campaign although he was a tanker, the tank commander for america, and obviously he would have been tactically involved and later on of course with offensives, but i just wanted to say that our is positioned to date was really wonderfully given to us by the whole ceremony. and an awful lot of the work you do i know it's about reminding people and reminding the next generation of the importance of military history, giving thanks for those who gave so much. and i'm curious why you think this particular battle is perhaps not as

well—known as it should be. particular battle is perhaps not as well-known as it should be. no, even to me. i have to be honest, to getting here, iwas to me. i have to be honest, to getting here, i was stopping, to me. i have to be honest, to getting here, iwas stopping, ifelt bad for the cars behind me because i took a picture of yet another armorial. going from town to town to get to amiens is a testament to how much bloodshed there was —— yet another memorial. i think the more we get into this war and we understand it, we just we get into this war and we understand it, wejust can't we get into this war and we understand it, we just can't get any worse and i hope we never do. killing is killing and death is death but, gosh, it is one war. it started with the bullets in sarajevo and it hasn't stopped. we really appreciate your time this evening, thank you for talking to us on bbc news. it is coming up to 23 minutes past

five. jurors have been shown footage from the camera a policewoman was wearing when she attended the fight outside a nightclub where england cricketer ben stokes was arrested. stokes is one of three men accused of being involved in a violent confrontation in bristol last september. all three deny a charge of affray. our correspondentjon kay is at bristol crown court. explain more what has been heard today. we have seen a lot of cctv from the scene, around the corner and on the street and outside the nightclub where the incident took place last september but also up close footage taken on a body camera that was worn by one of the first officers on the scene, she was the officers on the scene, she was the officer who arrested ben stokes. you can see the moment of his arrest,

you can can see the moment of his arrest, you can see can see the moment of his arrest, you can see him handcuffed, he's wearing a green t—shirt and jeans and had been out with friends in a clu b and had been out with friends in a club and you see in being put into the police car and interacting with her as his details are given, she ta kes her as his details are given, she takes his name from a driving licence and makes a note of who he is and he goes off to the police station. she described him as being calm and compliant at the time and she asked him what he —— what had been going on, the was a man covered in blood he said you punched and ben stokes replied and said he had been defending two who he said were gay and they have been suffering from homophobic abuse. ben stokes gave a statement to police a couple of weeks after the incident in which he gave more detail about his account of what happened that night. in that account, which has been read to the jury, he described how he been acting he said in self defence. he said he heard two men using

homophobic, nasty language for the pei believed they were armed with glass bottles, he felt he had no option —— he believed. other than to do what he did. he said he was afraid. we have also heard from an off—duty police committee support officer who happen to be on the scene first and he said he regarded the man in the green t—shirt, seemingly ben stokes, as the main aggressor and said that one of the other men seem to be getting away from him but described stokes is the main aggressor. all free men, ben stokes, main aggressor. all free men, ben sto kes, rya n main aggressor. all free men, ben stokes, ryan ali and ryan hale, all deny this charge of affray and the trial will continue tomorrow. thank you. now look at a couple of other stories. about three and a half million british gas customers are facing an increase in their bills for the second time this year. the energy supplier is putting up its standard variable tariff by 3.8%.

centrica, which owns british gas, said the rise was due to the increasing cost of energy on the wholesale market. a man has appeared at stafford crown court via videolink, charged with murdering the midwife samantha eastwood. michael stirling, who's the brother—in—law of her former finance, spoke only to confirm his name. he'll return to court for a plea hearing in october. the body of samantha eastwood was found in a rural area of staffordshire eight days after she went missing. self—testing hiv kits are to become available on the high street for the first time. the retailer, superdrug, says the kits will be sold in its 200 pharmacy stores across the uk. the self—testing product, which manufacturers claim has a 99.7% accuracy rate, was previously only available to buy online. it was legally approved back in 2015. a scientist in the united states got more than he bargained for when he went looking for sharks recently.

this is biologist greg skomal, who was searching for great white sharks off the coast of cape cod, massachusetts. but the shark expert was taken by surprise byjust how close up he got to one of them. as you can see, one breached just below his feet, catching him completely off guard. nobody was hurt, i am assuming and hoping! the heatwave may be over in the uk, with many of us expecting rain over the coming days. but in australia — where it's winter — there's no let—up in a prolonged dry spell. officials in the country's most populated state, new south wales, say that is now entirely in drought. from sydney, phil mercer reports. australia is a land well used to nature's extremes. it's the world's driest inhabited continent, but the resilience of its farming communities is being severely tested.

south—eastern australia is in the grip of a drought worse than many can remember. it's had one of its driest autumns on record. winter hasn't been kind either. last month was the second hottest july ever documented. new south wales is australia's food bowl, but in many parts the land is cracked and parched. official figures show that the entire state is in drought. two years ago there were floods on gary sunderland's farm near the town of condobolin. how quickly things can change. now it's just the opposite story, the dams have run dry, no feed. the cost of feeding livestock has soared. many cattle are desperate for water. government aid will ease the financial burden and the prime minister is promising more help. i do understand these water challenges and clearly we will work with state and local governments

to ensure that water is provided. while government assistance is welcome, it's ultimately a change in fortune from the weather that the farming community is hoping for. they've had a dominance of high—pressure, at bit like we've had here in the uk. the jet stream has been weaker and it's been pushed down towards the south pole. you normally have severe droughts linked to el nino, but it'sjust a neutral phase at the moment. however, in the longer term, we could well move into an el nino pattern which is why the long—range forecast for the spring in new south wales is still dry. half of the state of queensland is also in drought, as are parts of victoria and south australia. crops have withered and for farmers there is a mounting psychological cost. light rain has fallen in some eastern areas of the country, but it's nowhere near enough and the outlook isn't good. the fear is that a dry spring

will be followed by another hot and punishing summer for australia's farmers. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. just before we go to the weather, let's show you some images from the international space station. german astronaut alexander gerst took this pictures, showing the devastating impact of weeks of record temperatures on the planet. on twitter he says, "after several weeks of night flying, i was able to take the first day pictures of central europe and germany. the sight is shocking. everything that should be green is parched and brown". here's ben rich with the forecast. it is quite something seen pictures from the international space station. an incredible new

perspective. you go outside and see how parched grass is booked to see it on that scale and to see how shocked they are, incredible. and there is still some dry weather in there is still some dry weather in the forecast for the next few days but some rain as well. we have brought in something a little bit cooler. we will stick with that cooler. we will stick with that cooler feel, dry weather with some sunshine but some showers as well. we have had showers today which will continue for a time. overnight, clear and starry skies. still some showers in parts. outbreaks of rain pushing in by the end of the night. fairly warm in the south—eastern corner but cooler in the north. tomorrow, a sunshine and showers day for most. they could be heavy and thundery. down towards the south—east, this brain imported from

the new continent is just clipping its way in. some of that rain could be quite heavy. the end of the week is still pretty cool. the weekend is wet and windy in the north and west but it is mostly dry to the south. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: boris johnson faces growing criticism of his comments about muslim women who wear the burka. the duke of cambridge and the prime minister have attended commemorations in northern france to mark the centenary of the battle of amiens — the beginning of the end of world war one. the jury in the trial of ben stokes are shown bodycam footage from the police officer who arrested the england cricketer outside a bristol nightclub last year. we are going to be live in northern

france in the next few minutes, but first we will catch up with all the sport news. here isjohn watson. many thanks indeed. adam peaty‘s dominance in the pool continues, the british swimmer won his third gold medal of the european championships with victory in the final of the 50 metres breastroke. having already taken gold in the 100m breastroke and the mixed four by 100m medley, it was gold again, winning in a new championship record time. it was in this event he was beaten in the commonwealth games, his first defeat in four years. but no repeat of that blip in the pool today. another gold for adam peaty. chill out, have a rest, get a mass large. iam going out, have a rest, get a mass large. i am going to enjoy all of this when i have finished but i have still got a job to do tomorrow. my emotional levels will have to come down to neutral. it is good. good indeed. it is of course a new look european championships, seven sports all running alongside each other, and that includes golf

which started today at gleneagles. it's a team matchplay format and the new british open champion georgia hall who is 22, is paired with with the four—time major winner and legend of the game dame laura davies, who is 5a. they won their first group match five & four against spain. the pair clearly pleased to see golf included in these championships. all the other sports, for golf to be involved in that, it is like a mini olympics. this is a huge event and it would be nice if over the next few years, this gross and golf becomes a major part of this. and also nice to be playing in the same place as the men. what was it like for you to be introduced as the champion? it was special. it is the first time i have heard that. it is great. i had fun today and hopefully

i will do well over the next few days. it was a comfortable win for them. nothing comfortable about qualification in the triple jump for naomi ogbeta. she needed something special with her final attempt to reach the final, which will be staged on friday. . .and she came up with a personal best. iamso i am so shocked. when i saw the distance of the lastjump, i don't normally celebrate, but i had to.” was so normally celebrate, but i had to.” was so happy. to see my coat and my pa rents was so happy. to see my coat and my parents so happy, it was wonderful. i was so nervous. the premier league transfer window shuts tomorrow and chelsea look set to break the world record fee for a goalkeeper. 23—year—old spaniard kepa arrizabalega, has bought himself out of his athletic bilbao contract ahead of a potential 71 million pound move. the blues made kepa their number one target to replace thibaut courtois with the belgian failing to report for training for the past two days as he pushes for a move to real madrid. england drew 1—1 all with brazil

in their second group game at the under—20 women's world cup in france. manchester city's georgia sta nway put england ahead in just the 11th minute after chloe peplow had been fouled. but substitute ariadina struck in injury—time to snatch a point for the south americans. england top group b and need just a point against mexico on sunday to reach the quarterfinals. and after the drama of the first test which england, and after the drama of the first test which england won what a time to make your debut, surrey batsman ollie pope coming in for the second test against india at lords in place of the dropped dawid malan. he is going to bat at numberfour. he is going to bat at numberfour. he used used are batting at number six but i think he will be successful at number four. he six but i think he will be successful at numberfour. he has done exceptionally well this summer for surrey and really excited to see

him go out there and be himself, really, than anything else. go out and play as he has done. that will be another exciting day at lord's tomorrow. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. the latest from the european championships. that is all from me. thank you very much indeed. now, as promised, we will talk more about the commemorations taking place. for the 100th anniversary of the battle of amiens. during the late summer and early autumn of 1918 german troops were pushed back across northern france and belgium, and the course of world war one was changed. the historian dan snow explains the significance of the battle of amiens. one of the largest military conflicts the world had yet seen was dragging on. millions had died on both sides and neither had the upper hand. for nearly four years, the fighting on the western

front had been mired in a bloody stalemate. in the autumn of 1914, german forces had crashed into france and belgium, but the allies had just managed to fight them to a standstill. the allies launched a series of mighty offences up and down the western front, like the one that took place here on the banks of the river somme in the summer of 1916. that one and others such as passchendaele were bloody failures as the british and french were unable to decisively penetrate german lines. but everything changed in the new year of 1918. germany had managed to defeat the russians over in the east and move1 million hardened veterans to the western front. these veterans attacked in spring 1918. the allies retreated but just held on. by summer, the allies were ready to counter attack, and the place they chose was the strategically important city

of amiens. at amiens, the british would unleash a new kind of warfare, revolutionary new tactics that still shape the battlefield today. the inventory would move forward with unprecedented protection. it was like a curtain of fire which kept the enemy from manning their machine guns. and then there were these — tanks. cutting—edge technology only been in existence on the battlefield for less than two years. these steel monsters were able to rumble across the shattered moonscape of the battlefield, crushing enemy barbed wire and suppressing their machine gun posts. plus, they were armour plated, so machine gun bullets bounced off them, and the infantry could advance under cover behind them. the skies above were filled with aircraft. they could fire on the enemy, bomb them, drop supplies, and deliver accurate progress reports to h0. altogether, this meant the allied attack at amiens was a decisive blow to germany and one

that would ultimately point europe towards an armistice and eventually peace. let's go to amiens now and talk to laura clouting, senior curator at the imperial war museum. good afternoon to you. it is fascinating listening to that brief history even though, why this particular battle really isn't better known. i think that is a really good point. when we think about the battles of 1918, we have got to remember that there is not just one dramatic day where the war is decided, it is a convergence of military action in 1918. the battle of amiens is a pivot point for that, it isa of amiens is a pivot point for that, it is a turning point, but in itself, it is not the moment the war

was won. there were still 100 long days to go before the armistice was declared. it is a really important battle and that is primarily through the devastating effect that it had on german morale. the numbers of prisoners who gave themselves up during this battle are staggering and that came from indecisive leadership from poor supply lines which are so critical during the first world war, and ultimately filtered down through the ranks. but i don't think that we have the same imagery with the battles of 1918 because they were victories for the allies, to some extent, the defeats, if you like, or the failure to progress the war on passchendaele, these are far more memorable encounters for us, primarily because of the vision of mode at passchendaele and the tragic first day of the battle of the somme in 1916 when 20,000 british soldiers died on his first day. yes. you have

put that figure on it and this is why commemorations are important but again this reminds us of the sheer scale of the loss. the figures are terrifying to modern sensibilities on both sides. absolutely. for britain, the first world war‘s casualties, the death toll, remains unsurpassed and that really did feed into what happened after the war had come to a conclusion. when you look at remembrance of the first world war, the fact that britain went on to remember as it did with things like the two minute silence, all of that links to the fact that casualty rates remain... they were never worse for britain. the second world war, as dreadful as it was, it's never saw casualty numbers like the first world war. what you think the role of the first world war —— what do you think events of today, why is

it so important to have a ceremony and a period of remembrance as the one we have watched from the cathedral today? today's ceremony was really interesting because it drew so heavily upon eyewitness accou nts drew so heavily upon eyewitness accounts from the battle. you have got such a sense of what the battle was like before it, during it and the aftermath. if you had not known a lot about the battle of amiens, coming along to the service today and listening to that first—hand testimony, it was incredibly revealing and a very human level both from the ordinary ranks all the way through to the highest leadership across all of the allied and enemy experiences. it has been a really interesting day from that regard, as well as to remind us that the allies really did fight as a team, as it were, with all of the different nations which were involved. really good to talk to you

from the imperial war museum. thank you very much for your time. regulators have found that the food giants kelloggs and kfc broke the rules about advertising to children. new regulations came into force last year, banning adverts of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to people under the age of 16. but health campaigners say there needs to be even stronger protection for children, as chi chi izundu reports. these complaints involve some of the biggest names in the food industry. coco pops granola! the watchdog upheld two complaints. this kellogg's cereal advert which was shown during a mr bean cartoon, and this kfc ad which was on a phone box close to a primary school. the advertising standards authority found the companies had broken rules over advertising food high in fat, sugar or salt, to children under 16. there are two upheld rulings against kfc and coco pops granola which is owned by kellogg's. and we are telling those companies that they can't repeat those ads. in terms of the kfc ad, they've got to take down the poster

which was next to a school gate. and there will be a message also which goes out to the media placement companies as well to remind them that they've got to take care when they're placing these sorts of ads. the asa dismissed two complaints against the fast—food giants mcdonald's. in a statement, kfc apologised saying their advert outside the school was a total mistake. while kellogg's say it can now advertise on children's tv because it's taken steps to reduce sugar in its products. children know about it anyway, so they don't need lots of adverts to tell them about it. they already know about those products. i don't think there should be a ban on it. no, i don't. i think us as parents have the right to decide what we give our children or how much amount they're taking. i treat my kids to mcdonald's maybe twice a week, sorry, twice a month. and i don't perceive that as junk food, i perceive that as a treat for them behaving well. health campaigners say one in three children is now overweight

or obese by the age of 11. and the banning ofjunk food ads is a start, but much more needs to be done. chi chi izundu, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: borisjohnson faces growing criticism of his comments about muslim women who wear the burqa. the duke of cambridge and the prime minister have attended commemorations in northern france to mark the centenary of the battle of amiens — the beginning of the end of world war i. the jury in the trial of ben stokes are shown bodycam footage from the police officer who arrested the england cricketer outside a bristol nightclub last year. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow

and the nasdaq are getting on. and let's talk about money. there's been some turbulence in the currency markets with the pound falling below $1.29 for the first time in almost a year on continuing worries britain will leave the eu without a trade deal. sterling also hit a nine—month low against the euro, and was down against the yen and swiss franc. so, what does it all mean? particularly in terms of holidays and tourism. with me to unpack this is sally francis—miles from moneysupermarket.com. hello. goodness, what does it mean if you are about to go on holiday? maybe you haven't got your foreign currency debt, what should you be thinking? they should not be thinking? they should not be thinking that it is fine and they can get it at the airport or ferry terminal. if you walk up to a euro and you go to get your rates there, you are and you go to get your rates there, you are a

and you go to get your rates there, you are a captive customer. they know they have got you so the rates are going to be worse. they will be worse than they are anywhere else. if you haven't got time to get it anywhere else, on your way to the airport, you can order it online, and you will get a better rate than you would just walking up. quite quick to do and you can still have the convenience of that. so you can order it. the key is, do it in advance and you can still collected at the airport if you want to. yes. advance is the key. one thing you can do to protect yourself from future currency rises... you will never be able to predict the market, but there are specialist credit cards that do not charge the usual 396 cards that do not charge the usual 3% fees when spending a different currency. you 3% fees when spending a different currency. you can 3% fees when spending a different currency. you can get one of those, it takes a couple of weeks to come so it takes a couple of weeks to come so if you are going in the next week, it won't be ideal. but if you are going skiing in winter, that

could be a way to get the best rate. sta rt could be a way to get the best rate. start thinking about it now. i have been reading so many articles that tourism to this country is on the up this year, i guess one of the reasons being for an awful lot of other nationalities, because an expensive city like london might be a bit more affordable. exactly. while it is more expensive for brits going abroad, it is cheaperfor people coming here. i guess it is a benefit to uk tourism. but, of course, this has been going on for some time now, none of us have a crystal ball, if you are planning a foreign holiday for next year, is this likely continue? is it worth thinking that far ahead? there is so much uncertainty over brexit and markets do not like uncertainty so they have been so volatile since the vote to leave the eu. until a

decision is made on the future, until a decision is made to make things more certain, we are going to cds currency fluctuations. unless you have have a accurate crystal ball, you cannot say for certain. planning in advance to get the best rate to get your currency at the time. good advice. thank you very much. they're an essential aid to help anyone who's in cardiac arrest, increasing their chances of survival. but would you know where your nearest public defibrillator is? there are now tens of thousands of them stations, shops and offices — so now a project is beginning to find, and map, all the public defibrillators across england and scotland. ben ando reports. public defibrillators are in thousands of locations, are easy to use, and save lives. apply pads to patient‘s bare chest as shown in picture. press pads firmly to patient‘s bare skin... they'll tell you exactly what to do, so even with no medical training, anyone can make

the difference between life and death. people are scared to use these devices we think. they see lots of things on the television, it's very dramatic and all the rest of it. they worry that they could do harm to the patient. they are really, really simple to use. things can't get any worse for the person at this time. we really actively encourage people to get a defib, grab it off the wall, get it to the patient and stick the pads on and follow the instructions. there are tens of thousands of them in stations, public buildings, offices or department stores. so why does the uk have far worse cardiac arrest survival rates than countries in scandinavia or parts of the united states that have similar coverage? if you're out and about and your heart suddenly stops, the british heart foundation says your chances of living are barely one in ten. that's partly because not enough of us know cpr but also although there are plenty of defibrillators around, in an emergency, how do you find one? defibrillators locations are usually held by ambulance crews

but the british heart foundation says knowledge can be patchy and even 999 operators don't always know where the nearest one is. and that means that potentially life—saving public defibrillators are currently used in just 3% of cases. so working with nhs england, nhs scotland and microsoft, it's launching a year—long scheme to map their locations, create a national database, and ensure they are regularly checked and repaired. it's hoped that this simple measure could drastically improve survival rates and save lives. ben ando, bbc news. now, to end the programme, let's take a look back at the commemoration that took place in amiens today to mark the centenary of the start of the battle which is credited with bringing the first world war to an end. band plays what began here on the 8th of august

was truly a coalition, a battle in which the forces of many nations came together to fight, in which aerial, mechanical and human courage and ingenuity combined with devastating results. # so prepare, say a prayer # send the word, send the word to beware # we'll be over, we're coming over # and we won't come back till it's over # 0verthere.# an extract

from the war memoirs of prime minister david lloyd george, 1918. the 8th of august demonstrated the collapse of our fighting strength, and in the light of our recruiting situation, it took from me any hope of discovering some strategic measure which would re—establish the position in our favour. an end must be put to the war. music: the last post good evening to you. we are seeing quite a change. what a difference a day makes. temperature is no longer in the 30s. we have been around the mid 20s at best because we have replaced the heat with this cooler and fresh air pushing him from the atla ntic and fresh air pushing him from the atlantic across all parts of the uk.

with that, we have had hefty showers. some of those showers will continue for a time as we head into the first part of the evening. this shows where we have had the clouds drifting eastwards. good spells of sunshine in between but with a cooler and fresher feel. showers will tend to fade away overnight. clear and starry skies overnight. quite a cool and fresh night particularly over scotland. temperatures down to seven or 8 degrees and lower than that in the countryside. not as cold in the south—eastern corner because things will be clouding over of some patchy rain. tomorrow, there is some uncertainty about how far west of this rain will get but some of it could be heavy across parts of kent and east anglia. elsewhere, another day of sunshine and showers. perhaps more than a few showers over northern parts and western scotland.

look at those temperatures. 17 to 21 celsius at best. some really nasty weather across parts of the near continent. thursday night, we clear that area of low pressure away towards scandinavia and high—pressure tries to reassert itself but still quite a long way away so not able to kill off all those showers. there will still be some downpours around on friday. some heavy and thundery. particularly in scotland and northern england. temperature is 17 to 22 celsius. what about the weekend? to 22 celsius. what about the weekend ? low—pressure trying to 22 celsius. what about the weekend? low—pressure trying to work its way in from the atlantic. it looks most likely that wind and rain will affect western and northern parts of the uk through the weekend. further south and east, a better chance of dry weather. some rain at

times across glasgow and aberdeen. temperatures high teens or low 20s. further south, lots of dry weather and feeling relatively warm. although, not as warm as it has been. that is all from me. goodbye for now. millions of british gas customers prepare for another price hike, from october. your standard variable tariff will go up by 3.8%, an extra £44, on dual—fuel bills. it makes me angry that they will take no notice of any watchdog, committees from parliament, the government, and they willjust go ahead with it, knowing it will hurt millions of customers. it's the second price rise from british gas this year. the regulator says if you're unhappy, switch. also on the programme: after boris johnson's comments on muslim face veils, a former attorney general says he'd leave the conservative party, if mrjohnson ever became leader. it's the worst dry spell in decades and now the whole

of new south wales in australia is experiencing drought. last post.