picture hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm chetan pathak. just two days until the ashes and england confirm that captain joe root will bat at number three for the first test against australia at edgbaston. tonight at ten, borisjohnson has banned for life. been in wales, assuring farmers there will be help, chelsea take action against a fan who racially abused if there's a "no deal" brexit. manchester city's raheem sterling with agriculture dependent on exports to the eu, some fear businesses could go during a match at stamford bridge. to the well, if the government doesn't step in. we will make sure that they have the support that they need, that if there are markets that are going to be tricky postponing the fixture at the league that we help them. 1 season. we need to know now what he is going to do if there is no deal, because it's too late on slst october. and borisjohnson and the irish prime minister spoke for the first time by phone today, hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm chetan pathak. but was there any common the first ashes test is just two ground over brexit? days away as england look also tonight... is to regain the urn from australia. the first match is at edgbaston on thursday.

the news coming out of the england camp today is that captainjoe root the epidemic of alcohol will bat at number three for that first test with joe denly dropping abuse in england. researchers say the government isn't down to four in the batting order. doing enough beat the problem. henry morean's in birmingham the haunting image of a child for us as england go clinging on for life through their final preparations. in war ravaged syria and her remarkable escape. so does make dates to go until it video assistant referees come to the premier league this season, but not everyone's a fan. all begins, five matches to when you score a goal, you don't determine the winner. the know whether to celebrate or not, because you know the goal‘s getting frustrations for both sides is the reviewed and you don't know english weather. both teams looking if something's gone wrong with it. to get time batting in the middle. and coming up on sportsday on bbc it has just been raining too news, the ashes is just two days to get time batting in the middle. it hasjust been raining too much, england, there would be facing one away and we now know the england of the best line—ups in the world captainjoe root will bat at number and they have a top order that has three for the first test. not been firing and rebel cricket, the test match in ireland going much further than that. speaking to the england camp today, we know they'll be up to number three. england camp today, we know they'll be up to number threelj england camp today, we know they'll be up to number three. i will be betting a four. i am very excited about that. it wasn't too fast the

good evening. borisjohnson has made his first visit to wales as prime minister, way i was batting, but i have batted outlining his proposals for britain's exit from the eu. at four before and throughout my but there's been fierce criticism from welsh farming groups, career. for me, it was not really a who say leaving the european union big issue. it'sjust i'm happy to be without a deal, would be "catastrophic" and could lead to civil unrest. wales, which voted for brexit playing. the weather forecast is much better than we have seen on in the 2016 referendum, is heavily dependent on agriculture. monday and tuesday, a fortress for more than a third of all welsh lamb english cricket, is sold abroad, and 92%of that, goes to eu countries. but if there is a no deal, welsh lamb could face eu tariffs of around a0%. currently no tariffs are paid. tonight the prime minister held talks with wales' first minister, mark drakeford, and promised support for farmers in the event of no deal. sian lloyd's report has some flash photography from the start. a prime minister with the future of farming in his hands. and one who

wa nted farming in his hands. and one who wanted to tell those working in the agricultural sector that it can continue to thrive post brexit. as borisjohnson continue to thrive post brexit. as boris johnson makes his continue to thrive post brexit. as borisjohnson makes his first continue to thrive post brexit. as boris johnson makes his first visit to wales as prime minister, a country which voted overall to leave the european union, today farmers' leaders are warning of potential civil unrest in the event of a no—deal brexit. wales exports more to europe than any other uk country and there are fears living without a deal could have a catastrophic impact on people's livelihoods. we will make sure they have the support they need, that if there are markets that are going to be tricky that we help them to find new markets, that we have interventions that are aimed to support them and their income. but this farming family wants to know the details of his plans. the hunt lees have been rearing sheep in the hills above pontypridd for generations. jonathan huntley voted

to remain in europe. he is concerned about where and how quickly new markets can be found. it has taken 40 markets can be found. it has taken a0 yea rs markets can be found. it has taken a0 years to develop and create the market we have in europe. if we lose that overnight, there is no market available elsewhere in the world that we will find to take up the excess that we will find to take up the excess la m bs. that we will find to take up the excess lambs. welsh farmers receive £300 million in subsidies from the common agricultural policy. the national farmers union of wales which represents members who voted both leave and remain says there are questions about how that money can be replaced and concerns about the impact of lots of free trade with europe. we could see 4896 tariffs on lan, 8% tariffs on beef and it would make it unviable for us to export to oui’ make it unviable for us to export to our biggest market, the european union. a number of protesters gathered in cardiff as the prime

minister arrived this evening. 52.5% of welsh voters wanted to leave the european union. the welsh first minister believes exiting without a deal would be devastating for the economy here. there was nothing that persuaded me that behind the headline there was anything to back up headline there was anything to back up that sense of optimism that he says he wants to exude. without it the optimism is vacuous. the prime minister repeated he is not aiming to deliver a no—deal brexit, but warned that if compromise cannot be found, preparations will have to be made. the prime minister is in northern ireland tonight on the latest leg of his tour. the prime minister and his irish counterpart leo varadkar have discussed brexit in their first phone call since boris johnson took office. reports from both sides suggest there was little agreement over the terms upon which britain might leave the eu. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy is in belfast.

the uk and ireland relationship is critical to brexit. what state is at the moment? the relationship between the moment? the relationship between the uk and ireland has become extremely strained over brexit, so that phone call between boris johnson today and irish prime minister leo varadkar has no set in motion what is likely to be a further tense few months between the two governments. how did we get to this? the island of ireland is two different countries, but it is interlinked as one when it comes to trade. ireland depends very heavily on having zero barriers to do business with northern ireland and the rest of the uk, with warnings that ireland could suffer thousands ofjob that ireland could suffer thousands of job losses if that ireland could suffer thousands ofjob losses if the uk were to leave without a deal. with boris johnson as prime minister of the uk it now looks like ireland's worst case scenario is becoming more likely. in the phone call today the two prime ministers restated their

positions which looked deeply incompatible. boris johnson will positions which looked deeply incompatible. borisjohnson will not agree to the irish backstop, leo varadkar stating that the uk cannot have a deal without it. boris johnson is here in northern ireland tonight and is having dinner with senior members of the democratic unionist party and discussing and renewing their alliance and government. tomorrow he will be meeting the main parties at stormont in his first visit to northern ireland since becoming the prime minister. the value of the pound has continued to fall as the government insists it is prepared to take the uk out of the european union without a deal. today it reached a new two—and—a—half year low against the dollar hitting i dollar 21 cents before recovering slightly. sterling also fell against the euro, which is bad news for holidaymakers going abroad as well as some businesses. here's simonjack. holiday time. it's when people really notice the value of the pound, and for brits in paris today, the recent slump has

come into sharp focus. everything is so much more expensive than what we thought it was, we have done europe trips before and it hasn't been this expensive. it is significantly more expensive for this trip than when i was here last year for business. maybe you can't enjoy yourself as much as you'd like to because you are penny—pinching. for businesses like this popcorn maker, the pounds value is important all year round. the recent fall has come just as it is launching new products in america, which is good, but it is not that simple. there are two sides to the coin. 0n the positive we are able to sell a lot more products overseas because people are able to buy it at a lower price, but on the other side it is more expensive for us to buy ingredients from overseas. those that need to come from belgium, chocolate, for example. at the same time we don't tend to pass on any cost

increases to customers so we are seeing our margins being squeezed as well. a lot of companies are like this, they export a bit and those exports will be cheaper overseas, they import ingredients and they will be a bit more expensive. so it's a bit of a trade—off. as a country, the uk imports much more than it exports so on balance it is worse off. since a very sharp fall after the referendum, the value of the pound has largely risen on hopes of a deal and fallen on talk of no deal. recently, the government has flip—flopped between saying no deal is one in a million to being called the government's working assumption. it is that message that has seen it slide to its lowest level in two and a half years. so how low could it go? markets are clearly worried about no deal but if it becomes clear that we are indeed on the road to no deal, then it is likely the pound would fall a lot further, down to 1.10 against the dollar, or below. that would mean more expensive imports and higher costs for consumers. a cheaper pound could over time help us export more and import less, but in the short—term, home or abroad, a falling

pound makes uk consumers and tourists poorer. in some ways a currency is like the share price of a country. it is a sign of confidence in its economic prospects. the financial markets at least seem to believe that a no—deal brexit could dent both of those. reseachers say alcohol abuse in england has become a national epidemic, with cuts to services meaning many are not getting the help they need. experts from kings college london, say the government must do more to tackle the problem. while scotland and wales have invested in their alcohol services, more than £100 million has been cut in england, since services were re organised in 2012. the researchers say cuts to community care are putting increasing strain on hospitals, which have seen admissions for alcohol related conditions rise by 15% in the last decade. 0ur social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan, reports on the pressures on one hospital in liverpool. alcohol is britain's deadliest drug.

they've more or less said, "if you don't pack in, you're going to die." 10% of all patients admitted to hospital are alcohol—dependent. i was drinking a three litre bottle of cider over 24 hours. at the royal liverpool hospital, they get the best care the nhs has to offer. we're all part of the alcohol care team. good morning, marion, how are you? i haven't been too good at all. nurse consultant lynne 0wens knows marion well. so, you last had your tablets first thing this morning. the 66—year—old is on the second day of her latest detox and needs help. we'll get you better. i know you will, we'll do it together. it is the most horrendous feeling to be like this and you feel as if you're going to go insane, you know i even thought to myself, "i can't cope, i can't carry on like this,

i'll kill myself, i'll kill myself first. " and then you think to yourself, "why the hell did you get yourself into that situation?" but you don't realise. her recovery begins with some tablets to help her withdrawal from alcohol. but her symptoms are severe. she's struggling. you take them two with some water. being an alcoholic you cannot have one, there is no such thing on this earth as one drink. and it's a terrible affliction. absolutely terrible. last year, lynne and her colleagues treated more than 2,500 people with alcohol problems, one of the few specialist teams in england. treatment for alcohol—related problems in this country is poor. the amount of treatment available is certainly not enough. in liverpool, though, they're doing their best. this man needs fluid

drained from his stomach, as alcohol has damaged his liver — a common problem. eight litres are removed but he continues to drink. for lynne, a 20 year—veteran of treating alcohol addiction, that's irrelevant to his care. some people even think they that they don't deserve treatment, and that's a dreadful place for any person to be. the more respect you show to patients and the more dignity you afford them, the more likely you are to increase their motivation to change. two thirds of patients with alcohol problems are aged over a5 across the nhs, with most attending hospital repeatedly. this time last week i couldn't walk, i was using a zimmer frame. meet tricia graham. she's a6, a mum of five. i have had pneumonia eight times in the last year. double pneumonia. i don't know how i'm still alive, i've had a couple of cardiac arrests. and it's all down to drinking.

a lifelong need for alcohol has weakened her lungs, liver and pancreas. but she's recently been given her own flat and is determined to stay sober to repair the damage she's caused to herself and her family. i'm sorry, kids. i'm sorry, everyone i've hurt. but there just didn't seem no other way out, you know? in the bed next to tricia is catherine maxwell, who is having a liver scan. she stopped drinking last year after decades of abuse. incredibly, her body's recovering. normal. this is the point of the alcohol care team — supporting patients to stop drinking and start living. i was indifferent to life in the past, i wasn't enjoying it.

and i haven't enjoyed life in this way for decades. with community services being cut, nhs england intends to create alcohol care teams in 50 other hospitals, while more admissions than ever are linked to problem drinking. malcolm buchanan, bbc news, at the royal liverpool hospital. and if you've been affected by any issues in michael buchanan's report, there is information on the bbc‘s action line. a former high courtjudge says the police officers involved in the inquiry into an alleged vip paedophile ring should themselves be investigated. sir richard henriques, who led a review of the police operation, says carl beech's bogus allegations weren't consistent, but this wasn't made clear to the court by police when they applied for search warrants. beech has just begun a lengthy prison sentence for inventing false allegations of murder and child sexual abuse. here's june kelly.

last week, carl beech was given an 18—year sentence for the lies he told in police interviews. i had poppies pinned to my chest whilst they did whatever they wanted to do. he duped officers with his deceit. lord bramall, a former army chief, was among those beech accused, along with the former home secretary lord brittan who died during the police investigation, and the ex—tory mp harvey proctor. i was effectively ruined by what happened, i lost my job, i lost my home. i have a civil action against the metropolitan police which they are resisting. but did police break the law themselves by searching the homes of those accused? this is the question which is now being asked. in february 2015, the met police applied for three search warrants as part of their controversial investigation.

it was in march the following year that the enquiry, 0peration midland, was finally closed with no one arrested or charged. in october 2016, a judge's highly critical review of the enquiry was published in part. it was the work of the former high courtjudge sir richard henriques. now in a newspaper article he attacks the police further, claiming the three search warrants were obtained unlawfully because because police didn't reveal there were inconsistencies in beech's story. he believes the police watchdog should have investigated whether a criminal act had been committed by the police. lord bramall has described how officers descended on his home in hampshire. his wife was suffering from alzheimer's. they were all over the house and my wife was seriously ill and she was downstairs on a walker and i had to move herfrom room to room and she kept on saying,

"what are they all doing here?" the beech case has been extremely damaging for scotland yard, but today the police watchdog stressed it had found no suspicion of criminality involving officers who investigated beech. june kelly, bbc news. a former police constable who accused a teenager of wasting police time five months before she was murdered by her ex—boyfriend has been found to have committed misconduct. shana grice was killed in brighton in 2016 by michael lane. she'd reported him five times to police. former pc trevor godfrey was told his actions were serious but they would not have been a sackable offence. heavy rain in north yorkshire, has caused severe flash flooding. the torrential downpours in the market town of leyburn washed away parts of the road and flooded homes and businesses. some roads near towns in the yorkshire dales were impassable.

river levels are expected to rise significantly overnight. last week, the image of a young girl clinging onto her baby sister as they teetered several storeys high in a damaged building in syria following an air strike, refocused global attention on the conflict. it happened in idlib province, the last remaining rebel stronghold, of forces opposed to president bashar al assad. but in the last few months government forces, backed by their russian allies, have stepped up their attacks on the territory, and today the un's humanitarian chief accused damascus and moscow of carrying out a "scorched earth policy." today the uncle of the girls has been speaking about what happened. 0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has the story. 0ne one small frame, a symbol of syria's pain. five—year—old riham clutches baby sister tu ka by pain. five—year—old riham clutches baby sister tuka by her t—shirt as she dangles on a nail. her uncle,

screaming for help in the rubble of a devastating air raid. and now, a you day zone, speaking for the first time. —— a few days own. translation: we could hear the jet above us. suddenly, the glass shattered. i immediately leapt towards the door in the thick black smoke. ifound towards the door in the thick black smoke. i found the girl right there, where the rubble is. i heard riham shouting, uncle, but she fell as the rubble collapsed. both girls fell to the ground that day, ending riham's little life. seven—month—old tuka miraculously survived. it wasn't just their house. these are the streets of their town in north—west syria. an streets like this across idlib, this last province in rebel hands. three months of ferocious bombardment by syrian and russian warplanes, condemned today at the

un. what you see is a level of destruction consistent with a bombing campaign aimed at a scorched earth policy. almost every building destroyed in a three month period. such satellite imagery has shown 17 entire villages almost completely destroyed and emptied. of the un's top table, russia's ambassador defended what he called a battle against terrorism. thejihadi fighters in idlib. translation: its noble so—called fighters, good, kind fighters in idlib are terrifying local civilians and using them under medical infrastructure for their purposes. they are using civilians as human shields. for everyjihadi fighter there are 100 civilians, the un says. three million idlib, many

displaced from other bottles. the story of riham and tuka is the story of so many syrians. journalists and activists took last week's heart stopping photos. but they won't stop this war. translation: no words can describe this feeling. in a few seconds, little girls fell from above. how many rihams does the international community need to move? baby tuka was born into this war. it almost took her life, too. her mother is dead, two of her sisters. 11—year—old amina hold her close in a war never far away. attempts to close the gap in performance between poorer students and their classmates in secondary schools in england, have stalled for the first time in eight years. the think tank the education policy

institute has found that underprivileged children are, on average, a year—and—a—half behind other pupils by the time they take their gcses, with the north of england in particular experiencing problems. 0ur education correspondent, frankie mccamley, reports now from rotherham. tackling inequality is at the heart of this summer club, helping to ensure children from all backgrounds reach their goals. coach will had free school meals, he understands the struggles others can face. i tell them don't think people are better than you because nobody is better than nobody. even if you are from a rich part or a poor part, you are the same, nobody is going to change that. analysis of government gcse attainment figures has found in recent years the progress in closing the gap between poorer pupils and their peers has been slowing. it is now at a standstill. it doesn't surprise me that these pupils have fallen behind.

they have not had their breakfast, which means they are not concentrating. they have not got the parents behind them because the parents are just trying to get through the day and put food on the table. in some parts of the north there are high levels of deprivation and that is where researchers have found that disadvantaged pupils can fall even further behind their peers. here in rotherham the gap can go up to two years. but it's in blackpool where it is at its widest, closely followed by other northern towns. and in parts of the south the gap isn't that different. in some of the most deprived areas in london, though, there is a much smaller division which could be down to more investment in the capital which hasn't gone unnoticed in rotherham. we've always felt that, that there's been a north—south divide. the advantages that people in the south get is with education, with health care, everything. the government maintains gaps have narrowed overall but teaching unions

say more money is needed to ensure children don't miss out. frankie mccamley, bbc news, rotherham. in ten days' time the new premier league football season kicks off, and var, orvideo assistant refereeing, will be used for the first time. but in recent world cups it's proved a controversial addition and wayne rooney, playing in america where var is already a fixture, has told the bbc it's frustrating for players. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks reports now from orlando. bonsegundo. it's saved! var was supposed to help the referee and reduce controversy. oh, it's going to be reta ken, isn't it? the reality has been anything but. bonsegundo, no mistake this time. and the ball hits the back of the net, engage the referee, check complete. when the premier league returns next week, this room in west london will become a hive of activity. every game, scrutinised by video assistants, communicating with each referee.

but will the world's fastest league be slowed down by technology? the premier league product is based on intensively paced tempo. and the last thing we want to do is detract from that. we want to take as much time out of that as possible. so we are looking for minimum stoppages, and giving the right outcome as well. var was in the fa cup last season, but it was first used in america. former england captain wayne rooney now plies his trade at dc united in major league soccer. he told me players are still in two minds about it. when you score a goal, you don't know whether to celebrate or not. because you know the goal‘s getting reviewed, and you don't know if something's gone wrong with it. so, i think it gets decisions right, but on the other hand it can be frustrating as well. well, var is now into its third season here in the states, and the former world cup referee behind the roll—out believes premier league players have no reason to worry. the perception that you can't celebrate a goal

is really a false one. in 2018, in mls, we played over a00 games. and in those a00 games there was almost 1300 goals. and of those 1300, we only ruled out just over 30. so go off and celebrate. and if it's going to get ruled out, it's because it needs to be ruled out because it wasn't a valid goal anyway. here's a chance for england, ellen white! yes! the biggest gripes from fans are that decisions take too long and suck the joy out of the game. it's going to var, and i have my doubts. oh, no. but the premier league says it will only review obvious errors, around once in every five games, far less than we've seen in recent world cups. poetry or pedantry? this coming season could divide fans more than ever. natalie pirks, bbc news, 0rlando. that's it. newsnight is on bbc two in a few minutes, but here on bbc one, 00:27:55,143 --> 2147483051:50:42,286 it's time for the news 2147483051:50:42,286 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 where you are.