tonight at ten, the government is urged to relax the rules on vaping, allowing e—cigarettes in more public places. mps say they're the best way to quit smoking, but some argue e—cigarettes, may still be harmful people also have to be careful about their long—term use. so they are safer than cigarettes but we can't absolutely say that they are safe. mps have recommended e—cigarettes should be made available on prescription. we'll have the latest. also tonight... monsoon floods devastate parts of india. more than 300 are dead, close to a quarter of a million are homeless. i'll quit myjob, says the prisons minister, if violence in some jails isn't cut, in 12 months. five people are still missing after the genoa bridge collapse, as italy prepares for state funerals. and the art helping former soldiers cope with the trauma of war. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, england's ben stokes will make his return to the side tomorrow for the third test with india,

just four days after being cleared in court. good evening. the debate over the safety of e—cigarettes has been brought into sharp focus, by the recommenation of a group of mps that the rules governing vaping should be relaxed. the commons science and technology committee says the government should make it easier for people to use e—cigarettes in public places. around 2.9 million people use them in the uk, with almost half a million who are trying stop smoking. the report suggests tens of thousands of people have already quit normal cigarettes because of vaping. it's estimated they're 95% less harmful

than conventional tobacco, but some say it still isn't clear, that they're completely safe, and more research is needed. the government says it will consider the mps' recommendations. here's our health editor, hugh pym. the debate on e—cigarettes is heating up. a committee of mps has come down strongly in favour of vaping and the benefits that can bring, and it wants official backing for that view. vaping is one route to help problem smokers give up and we should be doing far more to encourage it. the mps want to see more of this, nhs endorsement of vaping. e—cigarettes are on sale at this mental health unit in leicester. smoking is not allowed on trust property but vaping is. it is helpful when they bring the vapes in the flavours because you can buy different flavours. two users of the service told me how it helps them. since my mental health deteriorated, i smoked more, but as soon as i was getting the help, i went on my vape again. like, ijust started

vaping and i don't really touch fags much any more. it helped me cut down quite a lot. i used to smoke about 20—30 a day and now i'm probably on about four or five. there is evidence that those with mental health conditions tend to smoke more than others, so the trust says there is every reason to offer help. vaping has less harmful effects, as far as we know, from the data and research we know. therefore, the trust is of the view that we should be exploring that option for our patients and also promoting it for our staff as well. and you stopped with an e—cigarette, using an e—cigarette, didn't you? yes. elsewhere in leicester, a stop smoking clinic is run by the city council and e—cigarettes are recommended for those who would like to try them. another example of official backing for vaping. so you're reading now is zero. the mps' report calls for moves to allow e—cigs in more public

places like bus and train stations and to encourage nhs use of e—cigarettes. it also want the authorities to loosen regulation of devices and liquids. the mps argue that e—cigarettes bring clear public health benefits in terms of helping smokers quit the habit. but can we be certain that there are no side effects? the answer is, not yet. we know that they do help people stop smoking but we also have to be careful about their long—term use. so they are safer than cigarettes but we can't absolutely say that they are safe. so do people mind the vapour? opinions we heard were divided. we wear contact lenses and that smoke comes into your eyes and it feels uncomfortable. it's not like cigarettes. it doesn't have that stinky smell that bothers anyone. for us as nonsmokers and generally, i think the fumes are very bad. it is a sensitive area and health authorities and leaders are likely to continue treading carefully before deciding what to do next.

it interesting, isn't it? where does this intervention leave the debate? the mps said they wanted to generate a debate. they have certainly done that judging a debate. they have certainly done thatjudging by the amount of social media comment we have seen today. lots of opinions being expressed. some people say they wouldn't have given up smoking if it had not been for a very pink. one individual said they were on a railway platform this morning. a real official asked them to move on when they were fading because it was against the rules. e—cigarettes users should not be treated in the same way as smugglers. mps want the nhs to be clearer. some bits of the nhs are recommending e—cigarettes, others are not. on the other hand you have got people saying they do not want to be near people smuggling e—cigarettes. they are worried about the vapour. they don't like the

aroma. it is unpleasant. we have no clear evidence that there will not be long—term health effects. a lot more research is needed in the coming years. westminster and the devolved administrations have issued a cautious response. mps say they do wa nt to a cautious response. mps say they do want to see more clearly the ship on what is a very important issue. you, thank you. hugh pym. at least 324 people have died in monsoon floods in india's southern state of kerala, described as the worst monsoon season to hit the area in almost a century. hundreds of troops have been deployed and close to 250,000 people have been left homeless. the government has put a red alert in place and more rains are predicted. from kerala, yogita limaye reports. forced out of their homes by the floods, people are walking miles to safety. escaping surging water that has swallowed everything in its path. for many, this is the only way out.

this pregnant woman was among several airlifted in kerala. she delivered just a short while later. dozens of helicopters are pulling out as many as they can. but tens of thousands are still stuck. the monsoon always brings heavy rainfall to kerala, but this year is different. translation: after 36 years, it is the first time that such flooding is happening here. it is a disaster for the whole population. shelters have been set up wherever possible. locals are volunteering, cooking food and distributing supplies to people who have been left homeless. this is a public school which has been converted into a shelter. there are about 200 people here.

the men are asleep in this room behind me. and the women are across on the other side. butjust behind this school is a river that is already quite close to breaching its banks. so, if it continues raining here, no one quite knows for how long even this place will remain safe. cochin airport, the busiest in kerala, is unrecognisable. its runway resembles a river. the government has been forced to open dam gates. and people are bracing themselves for worse. there is more rainfall expected. there are lots of teams from the national disaster response force sent to kerala to aid in the

operations. hundreds of troops are already here. but just operations. hundreds of troops are already here. butjust speaking to people here, there is a real sense of fear because of what we are seeing circulating on social media. there are televised press conferences to reach out to people. the government say this is the worst flooding kerala has ever seen. there isa flooding kerala has ever seen. there is a red alert for the next few days. people are bracing themselves and trying to be in safe places, stocking up. seeing how they can get through the next few days. thank you. the prisons minister, rory stewart, says he'll resign, if his campaign to tackle violence and drugs injails isn't successful within 12 months. some of england's toughest prisons are to get £10 million to bolster security, improve living conditions and raise standards of leadership.

labour says the government needs to do much more. our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw, reports. how to stop drugs getting into prisons? here's one way. hmp leeds is one of ten prisons where sniffer dogs are being brought in and new technology is being used to detect synthetic substances, like the former legal high spice. it's led to record levels of violence in prisons — volatile places, say inmates, even at the best of times. the atmosphere is good. but like anything and everything, things can change. the dynamics of a jail, the dynamics of a wing can change overnight. security around cell windows and perimeter walls will be strengthened to stop drugs being flown in by drones or thrown over fencing, and the government minister overseeing the improvement plan has promised that, if it doesn't work, he'll walk. i will quit if i haven't succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level

of drugs and violence in those prisons. i want to make a measurable difference. that's what this investment is around. but prison conditions have been severely affected by a programme of cutbacks. that's the view of campaigners, who question if the new funding will make much difference. we have record levels of violence and self— harm in our prisons at the moment. too many prisons are failing to deliver even the basics for prisoners. whilst this £10 million across ten prisons is welcome, it will only go so far. but at britain's biggest prison, holding 2,000 offenders, they‘ re bringing stability to the wings by giving inmates more say. oakwood prison has its own approach to dealing with conflict and violence. it involves prisoners themselves taking the lead in providing support and mentoring. a lot of it has to be empathy, shared experiences, reliving your own experiences to the individual.

it's about connecting with the individual and not making any judgment. ben is showing there can be hope behind bars. the political career of a government minister rests on prisoners like him steering clear of drugs and violence. danny shaw, bbc news, at oakwood prison. the former cricketer, imran khan, will be sworn in as pakistan's new prime minister tomorrow, after a vote today in the national assembly, electing him as leader. his party won the most seats in last month's elections, and he'll form a coalition government. he was elected on a pledge to fight corruption and to lift millions out of poverty. but as our correspondent secunder kermani reports, some doubt whether the country has the money, to deliver on his promises. imran... cheers for pakistan's next prime minister. but alongside them, angry chants from his rivals.

they continued as he gave a fiery speech, promising action against corrupt politicians. translation: those who stole the future of our children while in power, those who stole money and took it abroad, i will hold them all accountable. imran khan has promised to create a new pakistan, improving education and health care for ordinary people. the country faces real challenges, amongst them, the highest rate of newborn infant mortality in the world. a lack of facilities and trained staff are amongst the main causes. this government hospital in islamabad is better resourced the most but they struggle to keep up with demand, with patients travelling from more remote regions. many times, we are short of beds in neonatal intensive care, we are short of beds in the paediatric intensive care.

at the level of intensive care facilities, we need a lot of additional resources. does that mean sometimes you have to turn people away? yes, obviously. health—care spending in pakistan has been below international guidelines. if imran khan's new government wants to give these children a better chance in life, it will take both investment and reform. but the country's poor economic situation means he will only have limited funds available. manufacturing has been one of pakistan's main sources of income. this company produces 600 million pairs of socks every year for some of the world's best—known brands. but at the moment, imports are vastly outstripping exports and the country needs a loan of around $12 billion, making plans to increase spending difficult. for mr khan to sort of expand his budget for social protection or social safety nets, at least, it will be difficult to do it,

in the first two years at least. there has to be some belt tightening, some fiscal discipline that has to go there. outside parliament, even the policemen ate the celebratory sweets. imran khan's supporters have high expectations of what he can deliver. with only a slim majority in parliament, he will have to do his best to live up to them. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. the department store chain house of fraser is cancelling all online orders and refunding customers. it follows a payment dispute with the firm that handles its warehouse operations. xpo logistics is owed £30 million by house of fraser, which was taken over by sports direct last week, and hundreds of suppliers say they're owed money, too. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. it's the last thing this business needs — a stream of angry customers. the website is down and orders cancelled, thousands of them. house of fraser says it's sorry,

and refunds will be given. nearly a fifth of its sales are now online. business this chain can ill afford to lose. one of house of fraser's failings over the last few years has been that its online offer has not been good enough. that's something that mike ashley's team will be wanting to remedy pretty quickly. but it demonstrates how suddenly, if your online offer can't be delivered, how it impacts your customers and their ability to spend money with you straightaway. here is the problem. its warehouse operator, xpo logistics, has stopped processing orders, including at this site in milton keynes, in a dispute over payment. this time last week, mike ashley came riding to the rescue. he did so by buying this chain through what's known as a prepack administration, a much—used process that is controversial. it means mr ashley's sports direct has no legal obligation to pay any of house

of fraser's debts owed to suppliers. the fallout was laid bare today. some £1184 million is owed to unsecured creditors like landlords and suppliers. xpo logistics alone is out of pocket by more than £30 million. jigsaw, the fashion retailer, is owed much less. it has now removed stock from 20 house of fraser stores. this small nottingham business does clothing alterations — one of hundreds who will get next to nothing back. house of fraser at the moment owe us about £270. that'sjust one month's invoice. a lot of companies have gone in the past, austin reed to name just one, but in the past ten years, probably £12,000, £15,000. we may not know mike ashley's plans for these big stores. but one things for sure — he will need plenty of good will to turn things around

for customers and suppliers. emma simpson, bbc news. tomorrow sees the first state funerals for victims of the genoa bridge disaster in northern italy. but the majority of victims' families have opted for private ceremonies, amid growing anger towards the authorities. there have been numerous claims that successive italian governments have neglected to ensure proper maintenance of much of the country's transport network. james reynolds reports from genoa. amid the heavy machinery and the tonnes of rubble, the search for survivors sometimes comes down to a single voice. "anybody there?" shouts a rescuer. there's no reply. but they will keep going for a while longer. it is difficult to say we will finish tomorrow but i can tell you that probably in a couple of days, we should finish. but it is really depending on how we can remove all the debris.

parts of the operation are extremely delicate. here, firefighters reverse a truck abandoned right next to the edge of the collapse. professor antonio brencic is on the official investigation commission. before he was appointed, he told me that the original engineer's bridge design was flawed. he made some decisions that produced a bridge, a new bridge, different from the others. the attempt to find a new way, a new structure of form failed. it failed? it failed, si. this is the result of that collapse. this afternoon, the families of the dead gathered around their coffins. in the morning, the victims will be given a state funeral. some families have

chosen not to take part in the official ceremonies. instead, they are holding private burials elsewhere in italy. and once all the ceremonies are over, the bitter arguments about the collapse of this bridge may re—intensify. james reynolds, bbc news, genoa. a teenage boy is in a critical condition in hospital, afterfour people were stabbed in south london. the victims, all aged between 15 and 16, were attacked on the elmington estate in camberwell yesterday evening. six boys of the same age have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and grievous bodily harm. a teenager who was sold into slavery by the islamic state group in northern iraq has described her horror after escaping to germany, only to come face—to—face with her former captor. ashwaq ali, who's 19, is part of the yazidi religious group, which was persecuted by is. she now says she can't live in germany, and has returned to iraq.

our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has the story. this is home now for ashwaq ali, a yazidi, a far cry from the german a yazidi camp, a far cry from the german city which once gave her refuge, where she says she came face—to—face with the islamic state fighter who enslaved her. translation: i went to the supermarket for lunch and on the way back to school, a car pulled up next to me. he was sitting in the front seat. he talked to me in german and asked, "are you ashwaq?" i was so scared, i was shaking. i said, "no, who are you?" "i know you are ashwaq and i am abu humam," he replied. then he started to talk to me in arabic and told me not to lie to him. "i know you," he said, "and where you live and who you live with". he knew everything about my life in germany. were you scared? translation: of course i was scared.

it's impossible for anyone to understand who hasn't lived through it. i'm telling the truth and i'm not the only one. i've heard about lots of other yazidi girls who have been confronted by their former is captors, even in stuttgart. ashwaq's photos from more carefree days in germany. police there told us she did come to them with a detailed description of the man. they still haven't been able to confirm his identity with certainty. what convinces you it was your captor? translation: i recognised his voice very well. even if a thousand years had gone by, i would have recognised that voice and that face. i would have recognised him anywhere. he was with us 2a hours a day, beating us and watching us. that's why i know it was him. ashwaq's entire family

is still haunted by islamic state. her father tells us of dozens of relatives still missing, all captured by is. so many, their pictures couldn't fit on this board. translation: our hearts will stay heavy. we don't want to return home to sinjar until we know what has happened to them. we can't face living in iraq any more. we are broken. we have been sold and raped. lyse doucet, bbc news, northern iraq. dozens of injured british veterans, who are using art to help them cope with their experiences of war, are having their works displayed at a special exhibition in london. the charity help for heroes is mounting the event to showcase how personal battles against post—traumatic stress, depression and the anxiety of combat are being won.

colleen harris has the story. i couldn't walk very well. i was in a wheelchair at the time. i was emotionally numb back then in 2014. i went into the art room and we sat down and we were asked to have a go at drawing. i'm sure, if you spoke to my wife, she'd tell you it's calmed me down quite a bit. the scars of war, immortalised in the art of soldiers. this is a road to recovery of an artistic kind. my name's tom stimpson. i served 26 years in the royal air force and i am now an artist. that release of being able to put down on paper something that may be traumatic to talk about, i mean, it still causes emotion now, but it's being able to recognise it. i think, back then, i couldn't even recognise it. i was so numb from coming back. once discharged from the military and back to their families, isolation can kick in, so channelling trauma through talent is helping some veterans to adjust.

i'm kevin preston. i served with the 1st battalion coldstream guards. i found it very difficult when i left. i couldn't handle civilian life at the time, and i hit the drink really hard. i'm in constant pain, because i've had four spinal operations on my back and one on my neck, and i also suffered a stroke. but when i'm painting, sometimes it takes my mind off it and i tend to forget about it. it's notjust visual art. it's poetry as well. one brief moment in history is where this began. for corporal mark beckham, it's healing through words, but the memories linger. you are precious to me, like a bright, shining pearl. i'll neverforget you, my little kosovo girl. colleen harris, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm chris mitchell. walking back into the side —

ben stokes is back. he's in england's side for tomorrow's third test against india. no problem with pogba — mourinho denies there's rift between him and his star man. and there's fury at the weigh—in as wilder tees up a bout with tyson. good evening. ben stokes is back in the england team. having been found not guilty of affray on tuesday, the all—rounder has been included in the england side to face india. the third test match begins at trent bridge tomorrow. andy swiss has more. from the courtroom to the cricket field, ben stokes, back in the england team at the end of a dramatic week.

it was only on tuesday stokes was cleared of affray, and just four days later, he will once again represent his country. the unlucky player to make way is sam curran, with five wickets and a half century, being man of the match in the first test. his captain says dropping him was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make, but that stokes is ready to return. i had two day's practise to gauge that on in terms of practise and making sure he was right to play physically. we had two days of practise. i sat down with him last night and ask him quite readily and honestly, "are you in the right place to go out and play for england?" he assured me that he is absolutely ready to go and perform at his best level. i have no worries or doubts that he will be able to go and deliverjust like he has done on so many times before. as for india, well, lose here and they will lose the series,

so the return of england's star all—rounder is surely all they need, but they say they are looking forward to facing stokes once again. he is a terrific cricketer. we like to play against top cricketers, it's as simple as that. if he was cleared by the courts, what is the reason for him not to play? if i was in england's position, i would have wanted him to play. once again today, stokes looked relaxed, posing for photos with the fans, but he knows come tomorrow, all eyes will be on his cricketing comeback. andy swiss, bbc news. durham have signed cameron bancroft, the australia opener who was banned for nine months after admitting to ball—tampering during a test match. just to warn you, there's some flash photography coming up. he was part of the scandal that shook the sport, with australia captain steve smith and vice—captain david warner also suspended. bancroft admitted to using sandpaper on the ball in a game against south africa in march and his deal with somerset was cancelled. he'lljoin durham next year. gloucester say they're "surprised

and extremely disappointed" after their fly half danny cipriani was summoned to appear before an rfu disciplinary panel. it follows the england international‘s conviction for assault earlier this week. cipriani has now been charged with "conduct pre—judicial to the interests of the game" by the rfu after the incident outside a jersey nightclub. however, gloucester have released a statment criticising the decision and the timing of the announcement. manchester united bossjose mourinho says he "couldn't be happier" with paul pogba after the france midfielder suggested he was dissatisfied with life at old trafford. the world cup winner fell out of favour last season, and this summer has been linked with a move to barcelona. but mourinho has denied reports of a rift between the two of them. we are together for two years and a couple of weeks. and i have never been so happy with him as i am now.