this is bbc news. the headlines: prime minister borisjohnson pledges to fund a new high—speed rail route between manchester and leeds. us president donald trump praises borisjohnson and says talks on what he calls a very substantial uk—us trade deal are underway. i think we can do three or five times what we do. the uk's biggest charitable funder of scientific research, the wellcome trust, says a no—deal brexit threatens the uk science industry. tens of thousands of protesters in hong kong march through the town where gangs attacked pro—democracy activists last weekend. gareth bale looks set to leave real madrid to join chinese

club jiangsu suning, reportedly earning him 1 millon pounds a week. the prime minister will announce plans this morning for a new high—speed rail link between manchester and leeds as part of what he describes as efforts to "rebalance power, growth and productivity across the uk". borisjohnson will also promise to improve what he calls "the unglamorous local services which people use every day". the plan has been welcomed by business groups but labour says it doesn't go far enough. our correspondent tom bartonjoins me now.

we've heard a lot about the northern powerhouse and increased transport links but it hasn't happened, what is borisjohnson links but it hasn't happened, what is boris johnson gamy links but it hasn't happened, what is borisjohnson gamy he is going to do? this is boris johnson keen to say that obviously brexit is a big issue but he has other priorities as well. he says sorting out the infrastructure which has had many problems in the north of england, is one of his big priorities. the speech he will give in the next hour or $0 speech he will give in the next hour orso in speech he will give in the next hour or so in manchester is promising to build your real links between manchester and leeds, a first real way that will connect the two cities much better than the trundling trans—pennine service at the moment. he says that should all be at a point where it can be built by the autumn. he also has some shorter term parities, saying that

unglamorous local services like buses also need to be sorted out. that is being welcomed obviously but labour says not only does it not go far enough but they say this has all been promised before and promised in a much bigger way, been promised before and promised in a much biggerway, linking been promised before and promised in a much bigger way, linking notjust manchester and leeds are putting in a fast link from liverpool through to hull. the mayor of manchester this morning did give the plans a cautious welcome but he said it also shows there is now a politicalfight for the votes of those people who live in the end. the best thing about this visit today and indeed jeremy corbyn's visit yesterday is that it confirms the north of england is higher up the north of england is higher up the political agenda now than ever before. to be honest, not before time because people here have waited a long time for that. it is clear that the campaign by northern newspapers to power up the north has rattled a few cages in westminster.

i get the feeling now that when the general election comes, the two main parties will be trying to outdo each other on what they can do for the north and it is myjob to get a bidding war going. andy burnham was saying earlier that for example, a train or bus to get can be four lead up train or bus to get can be four lead up north and only £150 in london and that is because central government subsidises london more. given the conservatives have said they will invest in the north for all these years, why has it not happened and why should people believe boris johnson happened and why should people believe borisjohnson can deliver? george osborne today, the former chancellor, the man who was the architect of this idea of the northern powerhouse ideas ago launched all of these projects. he this morning said on twitter that after three wasted years that he is pleased that there is now a promise

to progress but it is notable that it is five years since they started talking about the northern powerhouse and if you speak to people, whether in business orjust ordinary voters in the north of england, they say the northern powerhouse is broadly irrelevant and has done nothing yet. it is a big question for boris johnson has done nothing yet. it is a big question for borisjohnson whether he can be the person to make things happen in the north of england lots of people saying that does smack of electioneering potentially but another key post brexit question is trade deals and donald trump says the uk and united states are on what he calls a substantial post brexit trading. the president and new prime minister borisjohnson spoke on the phone yesterday. mr trump claimed trade with the us after brexit could be worth up to five times what it is now for the uk. boris and i just spoke. i congratulated him and he's all set to go. he's gonna be — i think he'll be — do a greatjob.

we're working already on a trade agreement. and i think it will be a very substantial trade agreement. you know, we can do with the uk — we can do three to four times — we were actually impeded by their relationship with the european union. we were very much impeded on trade. again, this question how long such a trade deal would happen, how realistic is it and what other hurdles? big promises from donald trump last night in that interview. of course there was this phone call between boris johnson of course there was this phone call between borisjohnson and resident trump last night. the first official uncle between the two of them as world leaders. we have heard a lot from president trump about boris johnson. just after his election as party leader, calling him britton

trump and really, that call last night as the start of building relationship between the two of them which both men hope is going to lead toa which both men hope is going to lead to a successful trade deal, not least for boris johnson because to a successful trade deal, not least for borisjohnson because a better trade deal with the united states is one of the benefits that brexit supporters see as leaving the european union. it isn't necessarily going to be an easy thing. negotiations have not started yet, they cannot start until we leave the eu and already there are big controversies around access for american companies to the nhs, whether british consumers want to be given the opportunity to eat american meat with very different standards of quality and ethics. there were lots of positive noises as we heard last night after that call. an agreement to start those negotiations at the earliest possible opportunity but it is going to bea possible opportunity but it is going

to be a difficult thing and in the end, these things come down not to relationships between leaders but to little technical details and those are the things which could bog down any negotiation possibly long beyond either men's rain as leader of their respective countries. of course, there are less than 100 days to go before the end of october. boris johnson has a long time to think about what he wants to do. this feels very choreographed in terms of him getting out there and trying to sell positive vision for how he is going to boost the economy? there is a grid. politicians always have grids, they are often at their most defined in the early days of the premiership. this is very much the grid that boris johnson premiership. this is very much the grid that borisjohnson and his team have designed to sell him and his vision for a post brexit britton,

for the brexit negotiations to the british public and the rest of the world. lots of speculation that an election is going to happen in the autumn, either before or after that end of october date and that all the parties are gearing up for it. everybody is on election footing. nobody in boris johnson's everybody is on election footing. nobody in borisjohnson‘s team will say that there is a plan for an election but it may not be in their grid, it is perfectly conceivable that parliament could choose to force an election if there is a new deal scenario on the table. it could be that borisjohnson and his team are hoping for a post brexit election, but yes, nevertrust are hoping for a post brexit election, but yes, never trust the received wisdom, it is the received wisdom that there is unlike likely to be an election by the end of the ship. we don't know. leaving the eu without a deal is a threat to the science sector, according to the head of the uk's biggest charitable funder

of scientific research. in a letter to borisjohnson, the chair of the wellcome trust, baroness eliza manningham—buller, says immigration policy needs to be "more welcoming" to attract top scientists. downing street officials told the bbc the pm is committed to supporting the uk's science sector. katy austin has more. yasmin isa yasmin is a scientist from germany, researching sex chromosomes in london. she is not sure whether to stay in the uk because the country is leaving the eu. my feeling is that of the next ten or 20 years, if brexit happens, especially if it happens without a deal, which seems likely now, that uk science is on the decline with regards to funding opportunities and positions that are available, attractiveness of living here. you could see this place as a symbol of britain's status as a

superpower. europe's largest biomedical research facility under one roof with 1,200 researchers working here from across the globe. the director here warns continued success the director here warns continued success relies on collaboration that he says is incompatible with a new deal brexit and notjust because is of pounds in funding would be at risk. it's our reputation, being able to attract people, it's making them feel comfortable here. all of this is injeopardy if we them feel comfortable here. all of this is in jeopardy if we are turning our back on europe. what it would mean is, we have to follow the rules and regulations that we have had no role or impact on setting up ourselves so we lose power, we lose freedom rather than gayness. now charity has written to the prime minister describing no deal as a threat. we are already a science superpower but there are some clouds on the horizon which, if we don't banish them, could erode the

position. what we are anxious about is that a science that is done here goes on being excellent and to do that, it requires both more investment and support from the government. it also requires an immigration policy that welcomes to this country, the best researchers in the world, and their families. borisjohnson has insisted he would prefer leaving the eu with a deal but that the must plan for a new deal scenario. scientific institutions are helping the health of their sector and be protected. sports direct says it regrets rescuing house of fraser and has warned that there will be more store closures. sports direct boss mike ashley said the problems at the department store were "nothing short of terminal." andy moore reports. for house of fraser staff worried about their future, there's little reason for optimism in this set of results. the chain of stores employed around

17,000 people when mike ashley rescued it last year, and saved 31 of its 59 stores from closure. a handful of shutdowns since, but now, there's the prospect of more closures to come. the smaller stores are especially at risk. mike ashley said about the house of fraser buyout: mr ashley said some stores were still losing money, even though their rent had been cut to nothing. sports direct results were due to be published 11 days ago, but they were delayed time and time again. the reason for that now appears to be this huge £605 million tax bill demanded by the belgian authorities. the company believes it's unlikely it will actually have to pay that full amount. and there's also been a loss of £55 million at house of fraser since that company was taken over.

mike ashley said with the gift of hindsight, he might‘ve made a different decision about stepping to rescue the chain. andy moore, bbc news. a charity says it has "serious concerns" over loopholes in the direct debit system. action on elder abuse says direct debit bank transfers are open to abuse by fraudsters — with the elderly and vulnerable most at risk. radio four‘s money box programme has been investigating the issue — here's their presenter paul lewis. it was discovered through a lady who came to as an said after her mother died, couple of years ago, she looked at her bank statements and discovered she was paying very large amounts of money, £600 a month in some cases, to a mobile phone and penny, vodafone. obviously this was not her phone. the total paid was around £14,000 over a space of four yea rs. around £14,000 over a space of four years. when she complained about this to her bank, lloyds, they said

they thought the direct debit had been legitimately set up. lloyd did not know about the ladies dementia which she had before that but they rejected her claim and when we enquired into it, it turns out when a direct debit is initially set up, a direct debit is initially set up, a lot of checks are done, who you are and what your income is and so on but after that, you can say to the supplier, vodafone in this case, by the way, can you now send that bill to another bank account? at that stage, it seems no further checks are made exceptjust to confirm the bank account exists. so this is the loophole that this case has identified and action on elderly abuse is now concerned about. and you can hear more on that story on today's money box programme on bbc radio four. that's on just after 12 noon. or you can listen anytime on the bbc

sounds app or online. prime minister boris johnson pledges to fund a new high—speed rail route between manchester and leeds. president trump praises boris johnson — and says talks on what he calls a very substantial us—uk trade deal are underway. the uk's biggest charitable funder of scientific research, the wellcome trust, says a no—deal brexit threatens the science industry. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin ra mjaun. gareth bale's future has been in question and he has found a way out, he is set to leave spain and join the chinese super league side. a move that will apparently see him

earn £1 million a week. it is all yet to be confirmed but sources close to him say the move is very close. sir bradley wiggins says he has never seen a sir bradley wiggins says he has never seen a two difference as open as this years and he has never seen whether as crazy as it was yesterday. this was the scene at stage 19 which had to be abandoned because of a hill storm. today's penultimate stage will be significantly shortened because of ace warning and the threat of landslides. all effort to date will be put behind him because he is in a position of strength and thomas may well be competing to finish on the podium alongside him. but he is the clear favourite to step onto the podium tomorrow and put on that mythical yellow jersey. podium tomorrow and put on that mythical yellowjersey. it is ironic

in cycling that individuals are crowned yet they win thanks to the help of others and to date geraint thomas will work alongside him. perhaps if both are right there together, come the end of the stage, maybe he will turn to geraint thomas the possibility of winning a stage but for this year, it seems that thomas may have to be the bridesmaid. joe root criticised the pitch at lord's after his england side skittled out ireland for the lowest ever test score at the famous old ground. he said the wicket was too much in favour of the bowlers is a to psy—tu rvy test much in favour of the bowlers is a topsy—turvy test ended badly for ireland. it is the hope, that is the problem.

ireland were here to gatecrash cricket's establishment to win at lord's. 182 runs — that's all they needed. and every one of them would be cheered and celebrated in a way trouble was, there were only 38 of them — runs, that is. oh, what a catch! england recovered their intensity. while stuart broad has swept through teams before, here, chris woakes was his arch companion in accuracy. the english fielders caught everything and ireland suddenly looked like a team playing their third test match ever. 0h! defend it, hit it, anything! well, it is easy from the seats. batting sometimes seems impossible when you are actually doing it. decades of development and dedication and... ..38 all out. england's world cup spirit endured. well, this test match will serve as a preparation of sorts for england as they look ahead to the ashes — that's next week. as for ireland, the chance to play on a stage like this, well, who knows when that will come again. i guess they must try to remember the hope, rather than the missed opportunity of today.

joe wilson, bbc news, at lord's. whilst the men were humbling aaron, the women were on the receiving end again, thrashed by australia stop australia captain was unbeaten on 133, that is the highest international t20 in the women's game. they posted their highest ever total in format at 226—3. it means australia when the ashes outright. it's also a big taper rugby lake, the women's challenge cup final between leeds and castleford is live on the bbc sport website from 11:15. then it is the women's —— men's final. both on bbc tv this afternoon. in hong kong, tens of thousands of protesters are expected to travel shortly to a town where a gang of men

attacked pro—democracy activists last weekend. the police have said that some of the attackers — in the town of yuen long — were members of triad gangs video hasjust emerged of a central government official, li jiyi, giving a speech at a banquet two weeks ago in which he urged residents of yuen long to organise resistance against the activists. a lot of protests including at the airport and on the streets and tear gas has reportedly been fired at the police —— by the police.

we now have a very large crowd of protesters dressed in black, defying the police, having an illegal march here. this is one side of it. our cameraman moves over to the other side, you can see them there. you can see them all approaching. this is the march calling for an inquiry into the violence here last week. they are saying that this mafia violence, these triad gang attacks on pro—democracy activists was an organised thing and they want to know why it took the police along to get here and even an apology from the number two figure in the hong kong government has not been at enough for people here, they want to know why that happened and some here are even accusing certain officers

at least of colluding with those triad gangs. these are the live pictures coming into us, huge numbers of people on the streets and we have been getting reports of tear gas being fired by police towards some the pro—democracy protesters. just to remind you, this is fundamentally all about law that beijing wanted to oppose on hong kong to allow those convicted of crimes to be extradited to the mainland but many people have been very worried about that, saying it threatens the whole status quo in hong kong. tensions are still very high on the territory. it's been a big week in politics, with borisjohnson and his new cabinet setting out their promises on brexit and policing. today the new prime minister will pledge a new high—speed rail line between manchester and leeds. it comes a day after the labour leaderjeremy corbyn announced he would make a multi—billion pound

investment in tidal power on the river mersey if he was elected. ben thompson caught up with him during his visit to the region yesterday, and started by asking him about his investment plans. the river out here, the mersey, has a huge flu anyway but it's also got a huge flu anyway but it's also got a massive tidal rise and full to the possibilities of a barrage across the mersey would generate a very large amount of electricity. it would also create jobs in its construction and its management but also create a whole technology centre and it is part of the green industrial revolution, we cannot go on pumping carbon dioxide into the air without expecting consequences. it will create jobs but the thing that will make a difference to people here is a spending on ra i lwa ys people here is a spending on railways and roads, those are the things which will change peoples lives every day, why not i taught eyes those? it is not either or. this will oversee take some time to

develop and construct, it will not happen in the next years. studies have to be done, commitment have to be made, we are here to make those commitments to support the building but at the same time, we need to have the real lines from holly to liverpool and manchester and so on, we need much better interconnectivity across the north and we have already said that we will invest in a crossrail for the north. you will appreciate the scepticism about this, we heard about the northern powerhouse and it didn't happen, why should people believe you? because we are actually committed to it and our transformation plans, they will be regionally based, not all based in whitehall. when the government set up whitehall. when the government set up its power horse in the north, they had a whitehall administration. we wa nt they had a whitehall administration. we want to ensure that fairness of national investment begins to be a reality. i wanted to buy brexit because boris johnson reality. i wanted to buy brexit because borisjohnson said yesterday, i have a clear plan for

brexit. he says you have turned into a remain, are you? all he has offered in his leadership campaign and since is a cliff edge brexit and behind that, a trade deal with the united states which will mean the loss of regulations, loss of our rights and indeed, the danger to the national health service with american health firm coming in. they are saying if he comes back to parliament with a new deal brexit, we will do our best to block that. it is not clear where you stand on this issue, you are not coming out clearly for remain or leave. boris johnson comes out for that, it is dangerous forjobs, johnson comes out for that, it is dangerous for jobs, for johnson comes out for that, it is dangerous forjobs, for industry, really industry for all our recognitions and rights. that would bea recognitions and rights. that would be a disaster and in those circumstances, we would vote against that and ask that a referendum be held and in those circumstances, we would campaign for a remain. there

is speculation that we are getting into the territory of calling for an election. i wonder whether it is better for you to fight a general election in or out of the european union? i want a general election as soon union? i want a general election as soon as we can so we can union? i want a general election as soon as we can so we can guide our own future in this moment we are due to come out of the european union at the end of october. if there is an election before that, fine, then we can determine our own future and negotiate accordingly. i want us to have an election soon. this is a government, a very right wing, aggressive government with free—market economic ideas to tart andi free—market economic ideas to tart and i think they should have a general election so the people in this country can have a decision, did they want to go down the road of investment with neighbour down the road of tax cuts for the rich under the tories? our correspondent stephen mcdonell is in hong kong the situation has slated very quickly here. right place, i have

moved away because there are projectiles being thrown. in others they have their gas masks on, i have not seen that here before. that means they are serious, they are going to try and clear this protester bryson. we will swing around to give you a look at the other side. these are the black clad pro—democracy protesters. it is the more hardcore element of this movement and they got their umbrellas in line to repel tear gas and pepper spray when it comes through. at least some people in their ranks have been throwing bricks and things. something has just come through then and we have seen just come through then and we have seen it coming. we have seen tear gas fired. police have had a sign held up warning of more tear gas. there's the situation as it is right now. we are very close to a cluster of houses where there was triad gang members live, or at least some of

them. protesters here have been taunting those triads, calling out towards the houses where the gang members live. then we had the police move in. right on the other side of the street, protesters have forced back the riot police, they have had to retreat, throwing metal poles at the police. they are being pushed back but it cannot be long until they come in here, come in hard with their shields, buttons and more tear gas in an attempt to clear this very large crowd away, to cure this illegal demonstration. in the protesters, who either made up in the protesters, who either made up of? many of those here today on the front line who are challenging the front line who are challenging the police will be students,

university students, a lot of young people and jihad can tell they'd come their own prepared, they have their own helmets, gas masks. you can see the home—made shields to repel tear gas and the like. they knew this was going to come today. it is kind of inevitable, it is the way the pattern has been in recent weeks, given that this whole marches are illegal, that tens of thousands of people had ignored police requests not to come to this area today, to return to the site of those clashes and yet, here they are stop i am just looking around to see but yes, police had moved back a bit and yet i cannot imagine that they will restrain themselves very much longer here. you're obviously having to be very careful and obviously pa rt to be very careful and obviously part of the press pack there, surely beijing doesn't want to see entries

to normal students are carried