this is bbc news. ben stokes says he stepped in after homophobic abuse was shouted at two and. —— two men. to looting private catholic schools are accused of covering up sexual abuse against pupils for more than two decade. strike on a rebel school bus in northern yemen, killing dozens bus in northern yemen, killing d oze ns of bus in northern yemen, killing dozens of children. more trouble for borisjohnson dozens of children. more trouble for boris johnson following his comments about muslim women wearing fullface they will. he could be investigated, whether he has breached the party's code of conduct. —— conservative pa rty‘s. dozens of code of conduct. —— conservative party's. dozens of complaints had been made against him. and there is a whole country awaiting the return

of its hero, itjoan thomas. —— geraint thomas. and will be taking a look at the papers. stay with us for that. —— we will be. hello, welcome to bbc news. the england cricket ben stokes says he was defending himself and others during a fight outside a nightclub in bristol last year. he was giving evidence for the first time in his trial on the charge of a free. he claimed to havejoined trial on the charge of a free. he claimed to have joined the fray after hearing, phobic abuse being at screens at two men. ben stokes and a

fellow defendant and affray. charges against the third man were denied today. sorry. do you mind just loosening the right one on my wrist? handcuffed in the back of a police car. this was the moment ben stokes was arrested in september last year. it was shot on a police body camera, following the alleged incident in the clifton area of bristol. just yards from the vehicle, where the england cricketer was being detained, another man lay injured on the ground. right. the reason... i'll explain to you why you've been arrested as well. yeah. it's because there's a guy over there, who's covered in blood, and i've been told that you punched him. because he was... he was abusing my two friends for being gay. that's what i've been told at the moment. that's why i arrested you on suspicion of assault. the footage was shown to the jury yesterday, as part of the prosecution case. today, ben stokes came to court to give his account of what happened.

he denies the charge of affray. standing in the witness box, he was played video footage, shot by a witness on the night of the alleged incident. the 27—year—old cricketer said he had stepped in to defend two gay men. he denied mimicking them or making any homophobic comments himself. he insisted he was not drunk or enraged, and acted entirely in self defence. ben stokes held up his hand and showed it to the jury. he said photographs they'd already seen of swollen joints were the result of cricketing injuries from years ago, and nothing to do with the night in question. the jury has also been shown this footage of injuries suffered by 28—year—old ryan ali. he's also charged with affray and denies the count. ryan... this afternoon, a third man, ryan hale, was cleared. the court was told the former soldier felt he was an innocent bystander, who'd feared he was going to be killed. the judge said there was no case for him to answer and he was found

not guilty of affray. i'm happy. that's all. i'm happy for myself. just got to see what happens now with the rest of the case, so, i won't comment until then. after giving evidence for three hours, the england all—rounder left court with his wife this evening. ben stokes is due to return tomorrow for a fifth day, as this trial continues. jon kay, bbc news, bristol crown court. the county council facing a funding shortfall of around £50 billion has held a crisis meeting where they voted for cuts. critics say they will affect services for vulnerable children and adults. it's people like roxanne who relies on 24—hour a day care, paid for by northamptonshire county

council, and families like the bakers who will feel the pain of the action plan approved by councillors today. the baker children have a range of learning and physical disabilities. their mum fears the £70 million of council cuts will mean important help won't be there when needed. these children didn't ask to be born with these difficulties, these families didn't ask for these battles and yet that's what they face, day in and day out. and they have enough difficulties managing behaviours and managing medical routines, day to day, that to add a lack of service on top of that, it's just pushing families over the edge. and it's the uncertainty that really worries 34—year—old roxanne and her mum. roxanne has a neurological condition and feels she needs more support, not less. my fear is that the county council is... just going to tell me that...

they're sorry, but they don't have the money. the county council cannot continue to spend money it does not have... but today's meeting started with another warning for the conservative—run authority from its financial officer. councillors promised to protect the most vulnerable, but voted through the plans for a radical reduction in services, despite some opposition. but northamptonshire is not alone in having problems. many county councils say they're facing financial difficulties and warn that reducing services to a minimum could soon become the norm. 0ther tory—run councils, like surrey and east sussex, have also said they face tough financial decisions. they blame significant cuts to the grant they get from central government. you're looking forward to getting home if possible?

the leader of kent county council leads the organisation representing county authorities that provide services like this care centre. there are a number of other local authorities, four or five that i know of, that are teetering very near the cliff edge and all of us are struggling to balance our budgets next year, without making draconian cuts in frontline services. the government has promised to reform council funding, but many authorities say more money is needed now. alison holt, bbc news, northampton. the former foreign secretary boris johnson has been criticised for comments he made about muslim women.

there was a storm of protests after mrjohnson described women who wear the burka and the nigab is looking ridiculous, like letterboxes and burglars, and those complaints have automatically triggered a process that will try to find out whether mr johnson might have broken that conservative code of conduct. 0ne that representative talks about how mps should lead by example to foster respect and tolerance, now this process is at a very early stage process. there is a broad spectrum of what might happen next. it might never be investigated further, on the other hand mrjohnson could be kicked out of the conservative party. mrjohnson‘s friends say that some of those criticising him are simply trying to hurt his chances of ever becoming leader of the party. 0thers ever becoming leader of the party. others of course say he is managing to do that all on his own. an independent report

into sexual abuse spanning four decades at two leading private catholic schools, says the attacks on children, were likely to be more widespread than previously thought. it found "appalling" abuse at ampleforth in north yorkshire, and at downside in somerset, and says both institutions tried to cover up numerous allegations. the children, as young as seven, were sexually abused by a number of monks, who were described as being "secretive, evasive and suspicious of anyone outside their benedictine order." in all, ten people have been either convicted or cautioned for their role in sexual abuse. 0ur religion editor, martin bashir, reports. they decorate some of england's most attractive landscapes. downside school, here in somerset, and ampleforth in yorkshire — described as resembling a harry potter world of beguiling charm. but within these golden monastic buildings from the 1960s onwards, some teachers sexually abused children as young as seven. piers grant—ferris was described as a sadistic and violent abuser

at ampleforth's prep school, where he taught for ten years from 1965. seen here on the right in 2006, he was found guilty on 20 counts of indecent assault, and was one of ten staff at the schools to have been convicted or cautioned in the last 50 years. but today's report said the true scale of abuse at ampleforth and downside is likely to have been much higher. this is a very hard—hitting, very serious report. as i say, over many years, it showed that the reputation of individuals and the reputation of the institution itself was far more important to people than the safety and protection of the children. former students described their experience. one said the abuse caused him to shut down emotionally. another victim at downside begged to be rescued. "those i turned to for help silenced me with guilt and shame,

making me believe that i was a sinner." this charity is working with ampleforth on improving its safeguarding. the only natural step for them is for outside regulation. that's the only thing that's really going to solve this issue. so, the safeguarding, and their organisations need to be externally regulated. the catholic church, back in 2001, published its own review of safeguarding, which contained 83 recommendations. but according to today's report, ampleforth and downside paid no more than lip service to them. the report points out that other than in the context of this inquiry, no public apology has ever been made to the victims. today, both schools issued statements, saying they acknowledged serious failings in the past and were trying to improve. martin bashir, bbc news. the red cross says one of its hospitals has received the bodies of 29 children,

killed after an airstrike on a school bus, in a rebel—held area of northern yemen. 30 other children were among the many people injured. the saudi—led coalition defended the attack in saada, saying it was a "legitimate military action" aimed at a missile launcher. for more than three years, yemen has been divided by a fierce civil war. the united nations says the conflict has caused terrible suffering. —— for more than three years, yemen has been divided by a fierce civil war. on one side is the internationally recognised government led by president mansour hadi, and backed by a saudi—led coalition, supported by the us, the uk and france. 0n the other side are houthi rebels, allied with iran. the united nations says the conflict has already caused terrible suffering. 8 million yemenis face famine, three—quarters of the population

is in need of humanitarian aid. the new un special envoy to yemen has told the bbc in his first interview, that the country faces "collapse", unless a political solution can be found. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet. some of the pictures you may find distressing. school bags on their backs, shock in their eyes. children who'd been heading for a day out. a yemeni child's day ends like this all too often. many in hospital beds. today, three to a bed, and many more dead. this man says an air strike in the market targeted the children's bus. "0ur shops were open", he says, "shoppers were just walking around." this was the school bus

in a rebel controlled town. but the saudi—led coalition says it targeted missile launchers, taking aim at saudi cities, accusing the houthis of using children as human shields. an ugly proxy war, in a country teetering on the brink of collapse. i asked the un's envoy, what if this war doesn't stop? collapse, and massive, massive humanitarian suffering in yemen. and the effect of that on the region — a possible increase in terrorist activities in yemen. al-qaeda, islamic state? so a failed state in yemen has extraordinary consequences for the region, and the wider region and beyond. for that reason, we need to act now. yemen is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis. more of its people rely on food aid like this than anywhere else in the world.

millions on the verge of starving. a people desperate for peace, but many doubtful. translation: the warring sides do not want stability for yemenis or the yemeni people to be masters of their own state. we have had countless rounds of talks. they all failed. but the situation in yemen is now so bad, maybe there is a glimmer of hope that this conflict can be resolved. mr griffiths believes all sides are now ready for a political solution. the attacks are continuing, and the saudi—led coalition was backed by the united states, britain, france, providing weapons and support.

that's something we will be discussing in geneva. myjob is to provide the opportunity for the people of yemen to sit down and talk peace. that is what we are here for. we're here to do that in a way that is consistent with security council resolutions, which include the requirement for disarmament and withdrawal of forces. that's the best answer, in my view, to the question about armaments on both sides. houthi rebels armed and trained by iran are still fighting too. both sides say they're ready to attend talks in geneva next month. the first in two years after two failed rounds. if they keep failing, yemen itself will fail. the headlines on bbc news: a court hears evidence from the england cricketer ben stokes at his trial for affray. he says he stepped in after homophobic abuse was shouted at two men. a damning report says appalling sexual abuse took place for decades at two elite catholic boarding schools,

on boys as young as seven. an airstrike has hit a school bus in rebel—controlled northern yemen, killing and wounding dozens of children. the number of people waiting more than a year for non—urgent surgery in england, has risen sharply, to more than three and half thousand, the highest level in more than six years. that's despite a pledge in 2014 by the previous health secretary to end "unacceptable" waiting times. the latest figures also show that the number of people, who used a&e departments in england, reached a record high injuly. our health editor hugh pym has more. richard has learned to live with parkinson's, but it is the constant pain in his knee which he finds the most difficult to cope with. he has waited well over a year

for a knee replacement, or what should be routine surgery, but there have been four cancellations. he says if he had had it done one year ago, it would have made a big difference. hopefully, i would have been able to walk without having to use a walking frame, or walking sticks. i would have been able to get out more. but, ifeel like i am a prisoner in a room, because i cannot get out, no matter how hard i try. richard is one of a growing number in england who have been waiting more than 12 months for operations. four years ago, the then health secretaryjeremy hunt said such waits were unacceptable and called for them to be eliminated. then there were about 570 waiting that time, now it is more than 3500. we know every winter this year, unfortunately the pressures on the nhs were such that we had to cancel routine operations for a couple of months.

what that meant is not that patients did not need those operations, it meant that they had to wait longerfor them and i think that is reflected in the increase in waiting times we are seeing today. with emergency care, there is continuing pressure on the nhs. last month saw a record number of people going into a&e units in england, underlining the point that with the nhs, there is no letup, whether it is winter or summer. nhs england said that in soaring temperatures, there had been an unprecedented summer surge, but others in the health service argued it was part of a long—running trend. generally, demand for nhs services is going up and up and up and we are trying to grapple with that extra demand at a point where we have got real workforce shortages and, to be frank, we have been in the middle of a very long and prolonged financial squeeze on the nhs and trusts are finding it really difficult to cope with that extra demand. i fear being left behind. i feel very disgruntled that they have not put me on a priority list. richard has now been

given a new date for his operation later this month. his local hospital said they were very sorry, but they had a significant backlog of cases. richard's hope is it will not be too late to ease the pain and make a difference to his life. hugh pym, bbc news. russia has condemned what it's calling "unacceptable us sanctions,‘ imposed in response to the nerve agent attack in salisbury. the kremlin says it's now working on retaliatory measures. the us sanctions from the state department, have been welcomed by downing street, but the white house and president trump have yet to comment. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. in russia, there is one word that you hear and you see with increasing frequency. state television announces that america has launched yet another round of sanctions against moscow. this time, washington is limiting exports to russia of sensitive technologies, some electronics, oil and gas production equipment.

a response to the nerve agent attack on sergei and yulia skripal, an attack america says violated international law. today, moscow dismissed the allegations. this down at the russian foreign ministry, they denounced the sanctions, and threatened retaliation. translation: whatever sanctions are taken against russia, reprisal measures will be identical. and this, less than a month after the helsinki summit, when donald trump told vladimir putin america and russia were destined for an extraordinary relationship. the kremlin doesn't blame donald trump personally for the sanctions. it knows he's under pressure back home. it knows, too, that russia has few friends right now in washington, but there was a deep sense of disappointment here that the us president who says he wants better relations with russia simply hasn't delivered.

russians are nervous. america is already threatening more sanctions in three months' time. the ruble has tumbled. people are starting to feel economic pain. in general, the quality of life becomes lower and lower, and this of course is worrying. russians seem resigned to more sanctions. they are expecting a very bumpy journey. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. here he is in the yellow shirt. geraint thomas has received a welcome fit for a champion on the streets of cardiff, after his triumphant victory in the tour de france. the team sky rider stepped out of chris froome's shadow last month to achieve a sixth win in seven years for british cyclists. 0ur correspondent tomos morgan is in cardiff. never before has the welsh capital celebrated a cycling

victory like this. thousands gathered across cardiff as the country celebrates the first welshman to win the tour de france. as he rides through the city centre, he's accompanied by youngsters from cycling clubs across the whole of wales and the hope is that his success will inspire the next generation. journey's end at cardiff's iconic castle. thomas thanking the crowd for their overwhelming support. it is incredible. i want to thank everyone for coming out. the support has been insane, so, thanks a lot. his win on alpe d'huez was where the march to victory began. he and his team—mate chris froome battled throughout, thomas thanking him from the podium. triumphant thomas, the winner of cycling's most prestigious race. proud to say he's a cardiff boy and i cried for... because... you know, amazing, isn't it, all the sort of children, the aspiring cyclists out there and hopefully a bit

of road safety awareness. it means a lot. it brings a lot to wales and cardiff. after following the tour de france the least we can do is show up for him. the debate has begun as to whether thomas' victory is the greatest achievement in welsh sporting history — nevertheless, today is a day to remember, not only for wales but also for thomas himself. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers, with our reviewers baroness joa n ba kewell and john stapleton. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30. now it's time for the weather with helen willetts.

. thursday, eastern england had some rainfall. at least the gardens and the farmers were breeding relief. we have about an inch in east anglia, half an inch in london. there is more rain on the way as well. the rain we had through thursday was with that hot air across the continent and we have got lots of lumpy cloud will it growing in the atlantic. berries some tropical arya n atlantic. berries some tropical aryan that coming through the weekend. really throwing a spanner in the works. before we get the weekend, we have this cooler atlantic, north—westerly airflow that will bring quite a number of showers during the course of friday. this will whisk through fairly quickly, some sunshine in between and at this time of year the sun is quite strong so it will feel pleasant. some of those showers like heavy, some downpours and pale and fund. some lengthy spells of rain heading across southern areas. 18— 21 feeling quite pleasant, more

sunshine on offer by the evening. a little rich of high pressure will kill those showers off for many. starry skies with light winds into saturday morning, it looks a cold start. then we get to the weekend and the tropical air is mixed in with this area of low pressure and it is causing the computer models a little bit of a headache. where is that rain going to fall? it looks like a decent start to saturday, lots of sunshine, the cloud comes in and it looks as if the rain will make its way into western areas. best of the sunshine further east. a little warmer, 20— 22. tropical air tied in with this area of low pressure. come sunday, this is where there has been a lot of difference, it looks as if western and central areas and northern areas will have the rain this topic many places seeing warm rain, but it could be that the south and east are mostly dry and whizzy temperatures into the

mid— 20s. as we get into the early pa rt mid— 20s. as we get into the early part of next week that moves out of the way, but it is allowing a series of low pressure to bring us more rain but as the week progresses it looks as if they will be further north. monday it dawned still has the remnants of that rain, not a bad day, not a washout and between the showers we will see the 20s in northern ireland, fairly warm, strong sunshine. tuesday, the showers have diminished and we have a dry start to the day, a little bridge of high pressure. pattern continues ahead of this low pressure system bringing the next end of rain into the north—west and the strong wind and it looks as though this one will be further north. the pressure higherfurther will be further north. the pressure higher further south and east, will be further north. the pressure higherfurther south and east, it should be drier. but thatjetstream does dip southwards, the call site temporarily as yet to the middle pa rt temporarily as yet to the middle part of the week. it won'tjust be rainfor part of the week. it won'tjust be rain for the north—west, there will

be potentially a spell of rain pushing southwards as a get to the middle part of the week. the low pressures it seems centred further north, where the windiest and wettest weather will be. the south and the east are likely to be the price and the warmest weather, but for many it will be pretty breezy and it looks as though we have had some rain continuing notjust into this weekend but beyond into the end of next week as well. we will keep you posted on the details. hello, this is bbc news. we're going to be taking a look at the papers in just a few moments, at first though the sour. in his trial for affray, ben stokes says he stepped in after homophobic abuse was shouted at two men. private schools in england have been accused of covering up sexual abuse against pupils for more than 40 abuse against pupils for more than a0 yea rs. abuse against pupils for more than a0 years. an air strike on a bus in yemen killing dozens of children. dozens of complaints are being

examined about borisjohnson's comments on muslim women who wear face fables. and wales celebrates the return of its hero from the tour de france. geraint thomas returns home, writing to the streets of cardiff in that yellow jersey. home, writing to the streets of cardiff in that yellowjersey. —— face veils. hello and welcome back to our lookahead at what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow morning. wheaterjoan bringing us tomorrow morning. wheater joan ba kewell, bringing us tomorrow morning. wheaterjoan bakewell, the late pm broadcast, and john stapleton. welcome back. we will give you an update on the papers. the row over boris johnson's burka comments update on the papers. the row over borisjohnson's burka comments make the front page of the guardian, the former foreign secretary facing an investigation.