this is bbc news. the headlines... results stay as top a—level grades fall in the first exam is covered. it feels amazing. because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni that i can do this, i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike again in their dispute about pain. there is lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas o'halloran while he was out on his mobility scooter west london. the un secretary general is in tel aviv for talks

with ukraine's president zelensky and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan. leeds university has expressed dismay after one of its phd students was jailed for 3h years after tweets criticising the regime. hundreds of thousands of students across england, wales and northern ireland have been receiving their exam results today. a—level, t—level and btec students have all been marked based on exams for the first time since two years of covid disruption. compared with 2019, when exams were last sat in—person, there's been a i9% increase in students gaining a place at their firm

or insurance choice university. the proportion of students in england, wales and northern ireland getting top a—level grades has fallen since the record high of last year, but is higher than 2019. around 36.4% of pupils have achieved a star and a grades. and for the new t—level exams — where students split time between classroom learning and industry placements — the overall pass rate is 92%. our education correspondent sean dilley reports. this... ..is what success looks like. the profound relief and celebration clear for all to see. many here are among just over 36% achieving top grades in their a—levels in england, wales and northern ireland. and a good yearfor many

btec students, too. and for those taking t—levels — a new technical qualification in england that is equivalent to three a—levels, where students split their time between the classroom and on placement within industry. for others, angst. disappointed not to have got the grades they wanted. we always had a plan. we wanted to get the grades back towards the levels that we saw pre—pandemic, and we have taken a big step back in the right direction. they are still a little bit higher than they were in 2019, but they are down on last year. that is right and proper. it is all part of a plan, they say, to return to pre—pandemic testing. in 2020 and 2021, a—level and gcse students were awarded grades based on assessments by teachers. not so this year. some concessions have been made, with advanced revision information being made available in some subjects, and more lenient grade boundaries introduced. for those who may not have hit the marks they planned for for their future education and employment,

plenty of reassurance. there is a lot of help and support out there. all colleges have got careers advisers, councillors that can help you. also, talk to the universities, look at clearing. look at different universities, look at additional courses, apprenticeships — there are paths there to get you where you want to be. 71% of t—level students who applied for higher education have been successful. a bit nervous about what it would be like, obviously, being the first year. but it's amazing. i'm thrilled. university clearing, how can i help? aside from the traditional university clearance services, ucas is advertising 3700 apprenticeships and jobs. employers are also capitalising on the reality that many will be looking to start work now. the key message, though, is that this year's exams were designed to result in fewer students achieving top marks.

it's an important first step, the government says, to return the education system to normal. sean dilley, bbc news. it's been a nervous wait for many students hoping to get the exam results they've worked for. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has been speaking to four students at a college in west bromwich who hope today's grades will help them achieve their dreams, despite the challenges of studying during the pandemic. wait, wait. 0h! the right result. joy, after years of disruption. emmanuela wants to study business and finance at york university. today, she's secured her place. i got distinction, distinction, distinction. yeah, i'm really passionate about business. so i'm just happy i got into the course. over the summer, emmanuela has been for a look around the city and the campus. when i saw students graduating,

i was thinking, that's oing to be me, hopefully. because i've got into uni, i've got to go through the years, and i can hopefully graduate. i'm looking forward to just experiencing uni, being independent, student life. two as and a b. well done! thank you. going to university isn't the only option. abigail wants to combine marketing with her love of motorsport. she is pleased with her grades, but is still on the lookout for an apprenticeship. at the moment, i've been shortlisted for two apprenticeships, but that doesn't mean it's confirmed. it is really competitive for degree level apprenticeships, because it isjust one place per company. so, it is quite competitive. so i'm definitely still looking and just putting my cv out there. for many young people, there are big decisions ahead. that's not really heavy. praise is going to defer going to university. she wants to be a nurse in the raf. the stretcher will i come onto the back. the pandemic has taken its toll, but it hasn't taken away childhood dreams. being at home in front of the computer and just not having that kind of engagement

really affected me. because ijust didn't feel a lot of motivation. i got two bs and a d�*. getting my results today has changed everything, i've proven that i can do this. sion has got a place to study art at university in birmingham and says today isn'tjust about results, but knowing there is hope, whatever the outcome. sometimes i can't put into words how i felt. so i created art to feel those emotions for me. focus on the dreams that you want to do, because it's your passion, people who inspire you who'll get you there. oh, my god, i'm shaking. elaine dunkley, bbc news. joining me now is ian pretty, ceo of the collab group — —— let's go to ucas headquarters and our reporter, navteonhal.

and a busy day at ucas? the busiest da of the and a busy day at ucas? the busiest day of the year _ and a busy day at ucas? the busiest day of the year for _ and a busy day at ucas? the busiest day of the year for these _ and a busy day at ucas? the busiest day of the year for these guys, - and a busy day at ucas? the busiest day of the year for these guys, a - day of the year for these guys, a think about here is almost christmas day, the one they look forward to in the one they train for throughout the one they train for throughout the year. there are 270 members of staff you're dealing with inquiries on the phone and social media, speaking to students, often who may not have got the results they were hoping for, dealing with those emotions, the highs and lows, that is a job for these guys today. there are 20,000 people expected to call or send inquiries about social media. across the board there are 27,000 courses available for those people who need to go through clearing, so lots of options out there and the key message today, stay optimistic and stay flexible. let's find out more about how today is working and this will process by speaking to courtney shepard from ucas. tell me, how many calls and inquiries have you had today and what has been the most common you

have had? , . ., , . have had? very exciting for us. we have had? very exciting for us. we have had? very exciting for us. we have had just _ have had? very exciting for us. we have had just over— have had? very exciting for us. we have had just over 7000 _ have had? very exciting for us. we have had just over 7000 queries, | have had just over 7000 queries, which _ have had just over 7000 queries, which is _ have had just over 7000 queries, which is a — have had just over 7000 queries, which is a good number, lots of people — which is a good number, lots of people getting in touch need help and we _ people getting in touch need help and we have been supporting them with their— and we have been supporting them with their options. the most common thin- with their options. the most common thing is _ with their options. the most common thing is about students wanting to understand what the university decisions — understand what the university decisions mean, particularly those who may— decisions mean, particularly those who may be did not get the grades or are still— who may be did not get the grades or are still waiting for their university to confirm a place. this ones _ university to confirm a place. this ones need — university to confirm a place. this ones need the most helpful step in helping _ ones need the most helpful step in helping the students navigate the suite of _ helping the students navigate the suite of choices and options they have _ suite of choices and options they have |s— suite of choices and options they have. , ., , ., suite of choices and options they have. , . y., . have. is it true that you have students _ have. is it true that you have students calling _ have. is it true that you have students calling every - have. is it true that you have students calling every year i have. is it true that you have i students calling every year who have. is it true that you have - students calling every year who have got the results i need but almost want confirmation from you, saying, look, or my results correct? have i got that place?— got that place? absolutely. on occasion you — got that place? absolutely. on occasion you have _ got that place? absolutely. on occasion you have people - got that place? absolutely. on occasion you have people in i got that place? absolutely. on| occasion you have people in the background with champagne popping and cheering! it happens. and you go with that, a wonderful call to have, the system does tell students that you have got in but sometimes people

just want a human being, reassuring voice on the end of the phone, and you can share that excitement. used to be a call— you can share that excitement. used to be a call handler— you can share that excitement. used to be a call handler here, _ you can share that excitement. used to be a call handler here, what is it like for these guys deal these calls? the high emotions and the low emotions, what is it like speaking to students who may be not feeling very happy and are feeling quite disappointed? it is very happy and are feeling quite disappointed?— disappointed? it is a massive rivileue disappointed? it is a massive privilege and _ disappointed? it is a massive privilege and i _ disappointed? it is a massive privilege and i always - disappointed? it is a massive privilege and i always talk . disappointed? it is a massive privilege and i always talk to | disappointed? it is a massive i privilege and i always talk to the staff before today and say that the opportunity to help so many students on their next step is a real privilege for us at ucas. what is it like? it is a plethora of emotions you go through, from somebody with champagne and the background and the next call might be somebody who is really upset and anxious about what it is they need to do. you have to regulate your own emotions, keep hydrated and look after yourself and your colleagues to make sure that your colleagues to make sure that you are on your best form to support those calling. you are on your best form to support those calling-— those calling. they have been at the since around — those calling. they have been at the since around eight _ those calling. they have been at the since around eight o'clock— those calling. they have been at the since around eight o'clock this - since around eight o'clock this morning, when results dropped for

many students, so what is your advice? what should students who maybe have not got the results they were hoping for, what should they do? how should they go about today? for those students were things have not gone according to plan, they want to go through clearing or they have changed their mind, you have time. that is the important message to give right now. the decisions you make over the next 20 minutes or one hour, it will not influence the rest of your life. consider what you are doing, do research, get all of the facts and make an informed decision and speak to the universities you are interested in and have all of the information to hand and once you have spoken to a few and settled on your choice, that is when you add that clearing choice to ucas. that that clearing choice to ucas. at three o'clock today, after having maybe gone through the process of speaking to an alternative university and looking at alternative courses, you will have the chance to submit that new choice after having had a verbal offer through clearing. that is the

option. very busy day in store for these guys, 7000 inquiries already and many more to come. it will be very busy day here. thank you. navtej johal. very busy day here. thank you. navtejjohal. we very busy day here. thank you. navtej johal. we can stay with that theme and speak to ian pretty. the ceo of the collab group, an organisation which represents further education college as and groups across the uk. good afternoon. a very busy day for you as well. this is a question, for anyone who has got that result, perhaps they are not necessarily going straight to their first choice. what do you say to those students who are wondering and pondering and thinking, what happens next? ! pondering and thinking, what happens next? ~ . pondering and thinking, what happens next? ~' ., , , pondering and thinking, what happens next? ~ ., , , ., next? i think the main issue we have to think about _ next? i think the main issue we have to think about is _ next? i think the main issue we have to think about is there _ next? i think the main issue we have to think about is there has _ next? i think the main issue we have to think about is there has been - to think about is there has been historically collective bias around going to university and there are alternatives, as a lot of the previous people have said.

apprenticeships and higher technical education, things like foundation degrees. the important thing is there are other options available than just university, there are other options available thanjust university, further than just university, further education thanjust university, further education college is and they are really the home and it gives you the strength and ability to get strong technical skills in key sectors of the economy and it makes you work ready and do some research shows, students go through this route at 26 they are likely to be earning up to 39% more than somebody coming out of university. it is about looking at the various options, which is not just simply getting a degree. 50 it just simply getting a degree. so it is considering _ just simply getting a degree. so it is considering something that is, in essence, more practical? yes. is considering something that is, in essence, more practical?— essence, more practical? yes, it is lookin: at essence, more practical? yes, it is looking at strong _ essence, more practical? yes, it is looking at strong technical- looking at strong technical education, if you look at some of the colleges, they move from professional qualifications like accountancy into creative industries and manufacturing and engineering so

marine engineering, nuclear energy, gaming, virtual reality. hospitality and things like health care. there is very strong technical skills that are required in the economy. the government talks a lot about the need to raise productivity in the uk and the need for higher skills and higher wages, and the need for higher skills and higherwages, it and the need for higher skills and higher wages, it is getting those practical technical qualifications and those are not necessarily degree qualifications. the important thing is looking at those alternatives and you get the technical skills, job ready and you're almost guaranteed a job as you walk out the door. manic! job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate _ job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate to _ job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate to say _ job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate to say that _ job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate to say that for - job as you walk out the door. would it be accurate to say that for the - it be accurate to say that for the students, they would come out with less student debt as well? this is perhaps, affordable as the word, but not as costly as we know a degree has become at a classic university? yes, further education college is and degrees, the average cost in one of our colleges is annually about

£6,700. fora of our colleges is annually about £6,700. for a university you pay around £9,000. if you look at the education experience as well, you are looking at class sizes of about 11 people compared to universities with 20 or 30. you are getting a lower cost but a higher quality of education linked to the ability to get into thejob education linked to the ability to get into the job market rapidly and with earnings at 26 to around 39% higher than three university. interesting to talk to you. thank you. ian pretty, the ceo of the collab group. the headlines on bbc news... result stay in england, wales and northern ireland and is top a—level grades fall in the first exams held since covered. rail workers on strike again in their dispute about p37- strike again in their dispute about pay. lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. 44—year—old man has been arrested

suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran while he was out on his mobility scooter in west london. train passengers are suffering more disruption today with only 20% of rail services running because of strike action. workers have walked out in a dispute over pay, job cuts and changes to terms and conditions. today's action means half of britain's railway lines have closed with the strike by more than 40,000 staff. there's similar action on saturday, with disruption likely to spill over into sunday morning. and tomorrow, a separate strike over pay and pensions will hit the london underground and 0verground. 0ur correspondent carrie davies reports. another day, another strike. this is the fifth day of national rail strikes this summer, causing

disruption around the country. this was a rather quiet leeds station. due to the strikes it is extremely unreliable these days. i'm finding i'm having to drive and park, and pay a lot more. i am 100% behind the strikers, completely. i used to work in retail, i have worked in bad jobs with low pay, and i'm very much in favour of them. they need higher wages. less than a quarter of train services were running today, like this packed london 0verground train, as members of the rmt, tssa and a small number from unite walked out. the rmt are blaming the government for the stalemate. there is a deal to be done. i spoke to a senior negotiator for network rail this morning, on this picket line. he came along and said hello. we have got a decent relationship with them. we could build a solution if we were allowed to. but at the moment, the politics of the conservative party leadership election, i fear, is stopping this dispute being resolved. the transport secretary has

criticised the strikes and urged the unions to get off the picket line and back to the negotiating table. unions say they have been negotiating, but they won't back down without a pay deal that reflects the higher cost of living and protects conditions. network rail say that politicising situation is making it worse. i think the problem is that we have a very good deal on the table, that gives a guarantee ofjobs for everyone that wants it, that deals with a lot of the long—standing issues and is an 8% pay rise over two years. but that hasn't been put to my staff. the rmt have refused to put that to a referendum. that's the problem, if they had a chance to vote on that, we believe they would accept it. the dispute continues — another strike is planned for saturday. katy austin is at great yarmouth station. ,, ., , .,

station. she told us the extent of the disruption. _ station. she told us the extent of the disruption. this _ station. she told us the extent of the disruption. this is _ station. she told us the extent of the disruption. this is one - station. she told us the extent of the disruption. this is one of- station. she told us the extent of the disruption. this is one of the| the disruption. this is one of the place is there are no trains at all on the station behind me is completely closed. a few more routes are running in scotland today than the last time there was a national scale strike like this but the overall picture is still at about 20% of the usual services are able to run today and they will finish a lot earlier. the last train on some long—distance routes will actually depart mid afternoon. some people can work from home we would normally commute but it is not an option for everybody and a lot of leisure plans are being disrupted as well. by this latest in a series of walk—outs we have seen on the railways this summer. are we any closer to a resolution in these ongoing disputes? the tone of interviews by key players this morning was very much one of frustration in the sense that not very much progress has been made towards agreements recently and network rail does want the rmt union to put an offer that it rejected last month to members to have their

say. generally, union leaders are still saying that they will push for a pay rise that reflects the increased cost of living and that they say job security and conditions need protecting. kata; they say job security and conditions need protecting-— they say job security and conditions need protecting. katy austin there, our transport _ need protecting. katy austin there, our transport correspondent - need protecting. katy austin there, our transport correspondent at - need protecting. katy austin there, | our transport correspondent at great yarmouth railway station. we will keep you up to date with everything around that issue. a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the stabbing of a pensioner on a mobility scooter in west london. thomas 0'halloran, who was 87, died at the scene in greenford after being attacked on tuesday afternoon. police are questioning a 44—year—old man. greg mackenzie reports. forensic teams searching for evidence. in the distance, a blue crime scene tent, which marks the exact spot where 87—year—old thomas 0'halloran succumbed to his stab injuries. locals say he was a well—known and friendly face in the community.

i've seen him going through here, you know, lots of times. this is a great tragedy for the family and for us, also. very, very sad. he was a really nice, friendly guy. ijust don't know who could ever do something like this. it's absolutely horrendous, and sickening. police say they arrested a 44—year—old man this morning, following an appeal yesterday and the release of cctv images. he was detained in southall, not too far from this location, in the early hours of this morning. the family of the 87—year—old, who was originally from county clare in the west of ireland, is being supported by specially trained officers. it is heartbreaking, and it is a shock. an 87—year—old grandfather, thomas 0'halloran, has been killed the way that he was yesterday.

he was an elderly man in a mobility scooter, stabbed to death in daylight. a public meeting will be held this evening, at a local community centre, organised by the metropolitan police, in a bid to reassure the community over safety fears. greg mckenzie, bbc news. the head of the united nations is meeting ukraine's president and other leaders in the city of lviv later to try to find ways to end the war. it comes as ukraine's armed forces have been talking of launching a counter—offensive in the south, and now a senior military officer has told the bbc they aim to recapture the city of kherson within weeks. the bbc�*s abdujalil abdurasulov joined one drone unit on the front line. shouting. gunfire. the war in ukraine is

the war of artillery. in the south, ukrainian forces intensify shelling of the russian positions, ahead of their counteroffensive. and groups like these help them to direct fire. they are a part of ukrainian special forces. theirjob is to identify targets, with the help of drones, and pass their coordinates to artillery. this is the target they have chosen. the russians are trying to hide it in the trenches with a net. "fire when you're ready", he tells the artillery unit. the first shot misses the target. they keep trying. this one is closer, but still a few metres off target. then the russians respond. loud boom. that's the sound of russian

artillery firing nearby. it's not clear what they are trying to target, but they are hitting the forest that is behind us. moments later, it's clear we are the target. loud bangs. the unit is under attack. the russians may have realised a drone team was directing the artillery fire. shells and rockets rain down around us. senior officers believe that, in the very near future, perhaps within weeks, kherson will be taken back. translation: over the past ten days, in the kherson area alone, _ we have destroyed more than 20 ammunition depots, lots of command and control centres and strategic targets, including bridges.

the pilots lose the signal to one of the drones. they suspect the russians are jamming it. it doesn't make it back to base, but they are happy that no one is injured. these soldiers are ready to risk not just theirjobs but even their lives in order to win the war. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, mykolaiv region in southern ukraine. im joined by vitaly shevchenko from the bbc�*s ukraine service. let's talk about the presence of the un secretary general. talks including turkey, we should say, who are a blogger in this area. what is this about? what could this achieve? the turkish president and the head

of the un are emerging as key intermediaries in this war between russia and ukraine. last month, they succeeded in brokering a landmark deal that allowed ukraine to start exporting grain again, thus alleviating fears of hunger in countries that rely on ukrainian grain. less than two weeks ago the turkish president met president putin in russia, so he seems to be the only world leader who is able to meet both zelensky and putin. what are they going to talk about today? there is a lot. there have been reports that efforts are under way to relaunch talks between russia and ukraine. also, tensions persist

around the zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, around the zaporizhzhia nuclear powerstation, europe's around the zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, europe's largest, which has been underfire for weeks. speaking about grain, that is also going to be the focus of the talks and after the meeting in lviv, the head of the un is heading to 0desa, the southern ukrainian port city, from which most of ukrainian grain is exported. find from which most of ukrainian grain is “ported-— is exported. and the grain issue is im ortant is exported. and the grain issue is important for _ is exported. and the grain issue is important for the _ is exported. and the grain issue is important for the very _ is exported. and the grain issue is important for the very reasons - is exported. and the grain issue is| important for the very reasons you outlined, but is it fair to say that what has been happening at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is of utmost importance? huge concern still about the situation there. absolutely, six nuclear reactors and the facility is being shelled all the facility is being shelled all the time. in this morning, the russian military issued a warning of what they describe as an eminent

false flag attack by ukraine, the russians say the ukrainians will attack the power station tomorrow, and then blame russia. let's not forget that the last time the head of the un was in ukraine, in april, when he was visiting kyiv, it came under russian artillery fire. so when he is in ukraine, it is a dangerous and tips —— tense situation and everyone is waiting to see what will happen tomorrow. as]!!! see what will happen tomorrow. all right, thank you so much. many thanks and good to see you and we will be talking more specifically about that nuclear plant after four o'clock here this afternoon. we will talk more about that a little later in the afternoon. in afghanistan there's been an explosion at a mosque packed with worshippers. at least 21 people have been killed and more than 30 injured.

it happened in kabul, during evening prayers. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet sent this update from kabul. just two days after the taliban marked their one year in power, celebrating what they called their independence day, and what they see as bringing an end to the war and the arrival of peace, afghans were yet again reminded that while the last chapter of war ended against the us led forces, a begun. there has been a pattern of attacks by the islamic state group and an even more extremist group than the taliban, but they have not said they carried out this attack last night, just after night fell, when the mosques were packed and a mosque in the north—west, at a time not only was it packed but there was a lot of children at that also and the figures for the dead and injured have kept rising all day. it means

that this has been the third attack on a prominent cleric, in a prominent mosque or religious school in the past month alone. the islamic state group is known to be targeting prominent supporters of the taliban, known to be targeting in particular members of the shia minority, and it has turned into the most powerful enemy of the taliban since the taliban took control of afghanistan. two islamist groups divided ideologically, politically and religiously, and now fighting each other. an mp has pleaded guilty to breaching covid rules in september 2020. margaret ferrier — who was elected to represent the snp in rutherglen and hamilton west and now sits as an independent — admitted that she exposed the public to coronavirus by travelling around glasgow and the surrounding area and by taking the train to london when she had been

told to self—isolate. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear. more cloud today and some patchy rain in the west. we have lost the risk of short on the radio and voice. a few are a sort run across eastern england, and you can see really fun to rain is sitting through scotland. we will see it pipping up to north wales and england this afternoon. some sunshine coming through, highs of 26 degrees, a little fresherfurther north and west and a few scatter to a wrestling ring along the far north—west of scotland. as the relevant continues to sink south and east it will weaken off considerably, a band of cloud and light rain across south—east england. that will act like a blanket, prevent the temperatures falling far, overnight lows of 17-18 , a falling far, overnight lows of 17—18 , a much fresher and comfortable night for sleeping

further north and west. into friday, we will see a return to more in the way of sunshine and just a return to more in the way of sunshine and just a few isolated, but well scattered showers to come. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... results days in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid. it feels amazing. because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni that i can do this, i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london.

the un secretary general is in lviv for talks with president zelensky and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan. leeds university has expressed its dismay after one of its phd students, salma al—shehab, was jailed for 3h years for tweets critcising the saudi regime. sport now. good afternoon. south africa are firmly in control on day two of the first test against england at lord's. after resuming on 116 for six, england were dismissed for 165 this morning. 0llie pope — who resumed on 61 after a gutsy innings — went earlierfor 73. stuart broad followed — gone for 15, before england's final

wicket ao—year old jimmy anderson fell first ball. south africa trailing by 138 runs with ten wickets left, at lunch. plenty of strong performances today on the track at the european championships in munich. great britain's jake wightman won his men's 800 metre heat to secure his place in sunday's final. it's been a brilliant summer for wightman after winning gold at the world championships in oregon, and bronze at the commonwealth games earlier htis month. i haven't run one since may, you know, so i was nervous i hadn't done enough work for it but it woke me up and was a very early start but i'm just glad i got through. i wanted to make sure i was in contention. if i needed to push on a little bit to guarantee to keep it safe then that's what i did. meanwhile in the women's 800 metres, commonwealth silver medalist

keely hodgkinson has booked her place in the semi final after taking the top spot in her heat. i feel like the heat is always a little bit uncomfortable, you don't know what pace people will go but i ended of the race and got the job done. happy days. it's been a very long season, my body is feeling it but the semis tomorrow and hopefully the final we'll give it all we've got. the final we'll give it all we've not. ., , ., the final we'll give it all we've not. ., , ., ., the final we'll give it all we've got. out of you be managing your bod ? got. out of you be managing your body? just _ got. out of you be managing your body? just trying _ got. out of you be managing your body? just trying to _ got. out of you be managing your body? just trying to sleep, - got. out of you be managing your body? just trying to sleep, to - got. out of you be managing your body? just trying to sleep, to be l body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. body? just trying to sleep, to be honest- we _ body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. we are _ body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. we are doing _ body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. we are doing the - body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. we are doing the best . body? just trying to sleep, to be l honest. we are doing the best we can. we will see what happens. joining keely hodgkinson in the semi finals will be her team—mate jemma reekie who qualified fastest in her heat. reekie, who didn't make either final at the world championships or commonwealth's, looked pretty comfortable. great britain's alex bell is also through. over to rome where the european aquatics championships are taking place.

and the defending champion jack laugher is safely through to the final of the men's 1m springboard. he qualified in second place below italy's lorenzo marsaglia. great britian'sjordan houlden will also be in the final which takes place injust over an hour. you can, of course, stay across that on the bbc sport website. british businessmanjim ratcliffe is interested in buying premier league side manchester united. news of his interest follows a bloomberg report that the glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club. ratcliffe — here on the left — whose company sponsors the ineos grenadiers cycling team — is one of the uk's wealthiest people. he also owns the french ligue un side nice, and the swiss club lausanne—sport. in response to this, manchester united supporters' trust cautiously welcomed the interest from ratcliffe but said a takeover would need the support of fans. a spokesperson told bbc sport...

they've said they want investment, new money spent on the playing side and the stadium. and ownership structure must embed supporters, including a degree of fan share ownership, in their operating model." manchester city have been charged by the football association after fans invaded the pitch following last season's premier league title win. thousands of city fans poured on to the etihad stadium pitch as the club won its fourth title in five seasons by beating aston villa 3—2. villa keeper robin 0lsen was attacked, while a crossbar was also broken. that's all the sport for now. leeds university has expressed deep concern for one of its phd students who has been jailed for 3h years in saudi arabia over social media tweets.

salma al—shehab, a saudi citizen and mother of two, was arrested in 2021 while on holiday in the kingdom. before the trip she had called for reforms and the release of activists. lina al—hathloul, is from alqst, an independent organization that supports human rights in saudi arabia. she's also the sister of loujain al—hathlou, a saudi women's rights activist and political prisoner.

thank you for talking to us here on the bbc. first, in terms of the leeds university student who has been jailed following social media activity, just your thoughts on what has happened here... a 3a year sentence. has happened here... a 34 year sentence-— sentence. absolutely. it is outrageous. _ sentence. absolutely. it is outrageous. it _ sentence. absolutely. it is outrageous. it is - sentence. absolutely. it is - outrageous. it is unprecedented. sentence. absolutely. it is _ outrageous. it is unprecedented. we have seen that the saudi government has been selling the narrative of empowering women and improving women's rights, and the sentence, after my sister's senses, is an illustration of it only being words. we were warned at the beginning that the rehabilitating crown prince in the rehabilitating crown prince in the international community would pave the way for more progression, and after borisjohnson's visit to saudi arabia and a visit to france, we clearly see they are doubling

down on repression and still imprisoning anyone criticising the regime. imprisoning anyone criticising the reaime. �* .., , imprisoning anyone criticising the reaime. �* ., imprisoning anyone criticising the reaime. ., ., regime. and in the case of salma al-shehab, _ regime. and in the case of salma al-shehab, in — regime. and in the case of salma al-shehab, in your— regime. and in the case of salma al-shehab, in your opinion, - regime. and in the case of salma al-shehab, in your opinion, howl regime. and in the case of salma - al-shehab, in your opinion, how much al—shehab, in your opinion, how much of this extremely long sentence is simply because she is female, how much is because she is from the shi'ite minority, what else is at play here?— shi'ite minority, what else is at -la here? ., ., , , ., , play here? unfortunately she gathers all the criteria _ play here? unfortunately she gathers all the criteria that _ play here? unfortunately she gathers all the criteria that really _ all the criteria that really frustrates the saudi regime, someone that expresses her opinion, someone who has been expressing solidarity and part of the shi'ite minority. this is why it has been unprecedented and very harsh. for those who don't know huge amounts about your sister, forgive me, she has been arrested, and rated saying multiple times for things like defying the ban on women driving a

car? �* , ,., , ,, defying the ban on women driving a car? absolutely. she has been imprisoned — car? absolutely. she has been imprisoned on _ car? absolutely. she has been imprisoned on many _ car? absolutely. she has been| imprisoned on many occasions, car? absolutely. she has been - imprisoned on many occasions, but the last time she was in prison was in 2018, and she stayed in prison for 1001 days. our charges included defending women, being in contact with —— contact with amnesty and human rights watch. saudi arabia is clear now, they consider activism as terrorism. �* , ., , , , clear now, they consider activism as terrorism. �* , , , ., clear now, they consider activism as terrorism. �* ,, ., terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban. _ terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am _ terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i _ terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i right? _ terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i right? so - terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i right? so she i terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i right? so she is| travel ban, am i right? so she is not allowed to leave the country? yes, my sister is on a travel ban and i must add my whole family is on and i must add my whole family is on a travel ban, there are collective punishments in saudi arabia, and this also means you are just any bigot present. my sister still monitored, she was hacked, with pegasus, the hacking tool of nso, so she knows they're following her and

anything she says could leave her to prison again. anything she says could leave her to prison again-— prison again. andy told that that must take physically, _ prison again. andy told that that| must take physically, mentally... how does she cope with that? how freely can you have conversations with her about that? it’s freely can you have conversations with her about that?— with her about that? it's very difficult. as— with her about that? it's very difficult. as you _ with her about that? it's very difficult. as you see - with her about that? it's very difficult. as you see people l with her about that? it's very l difficult. as you see people get arrested over tweets, so of course, it is simple and brief, we do not speak about anything that is truly important or serious. saudi arabia has become a police state. everyone is afraid to speak or express their opinions, and my sister is no exception. ads, opinions, and my sister is no exception-— opinions, and my sister is no excetion. �* ., ., ., exception. a final thought about the international _ exception. a final thought about the international community, _ exception. a final thought about the international community, you've - international community, you've touched on it, but what do you want touched on it, but what do you want to see done? what do you want to see said in support of all the young women we are talking about here today? including your sister? absolutely. we have seen when the

spotlight fades, repression mounts. we've seen it thousands of times. it's important to understand whenever the crown prince has rehabilitated, that he can walk in all impunity without being held accountable for his crimes, then the regression mounts. not only inside the country but we see it with the transnational repression, people being targeted abroad as well. it is very important to put pressure on saudi arabia now, to ask for the release of salma al—shehab and all the prisoners of conscience and to lift the travel bans. i think the west has leveraged over saudi arabia, and saudi arabia is only empowered because the west is being silent about these cases. i urge the international community now to act before... there is actually the appeal to the supreme court, so salma al—shehab's case can be reversed. i urge the international

community to press for her release before the trial in the supreme court. ~ . , before the trial in the supreme court. ~ ., , ., ., court. we are very grateful for your time. court. we are very grateful for your time- thank— court. we are very grateful for your time. thank you _ court. we are very grateful for your time. thank you so _ court. we are very grateful for your time. thank you so much. - court. we are very grateful for your time. thank you so much. all - court. we are very grateful for your time. thank you so much. all the i time. thank you so much. all the best to you. talking a lot about the international community, worth saying there has been a brief comment from the us state department about salma al—shehab's case, the 34—year—olds doing a phd in leeds. the us state department saying it is looking, studying her case, and the exercising freedom of expression to advocate for the rights of women should not be criminalised. the saudi government so far the bbc understands, not commenting on any of this. ambulance services across england and wales are booking taxis to take tens of thousands of patients who call 999 to hospital. figures obtained by the bbc, show the practice is increasing as trusts struggle with rising call

volumes and handover delays. nhs trusts says the most life threatening cases are prioritised and the proportion of patients affected is small, but some argue there should be enough ambulances to help all urgent cases. nikki fox reports. ambulances queueing outside busy hospitals to off—load patients. an increase in demand and lack of social care means scenes like this are becoming more common, and the consequence, fewer are on the road to respond to other urgent calls. when andrew weeds developed excruciating stomach pain, his wife dialled 999. i wanted help. i was in so much pain, wracked in pain, vomiting too. i vomited several times during the evening. i didn't know if it was appendicitis, i didn't know what it was. i felt terrible, thought i was dying. the 73—year—old from norwich was told it could be 15 hours until an ambulance arrived.

the trust says it was classed as a less urgent call, but andrew says the clinician on the phone told him he needed to be seen and booked him a taxi. he said to me, you need to get to hospital. he said the ambulance service is in so much disarray, it's unbelievable. but he said, what i'm going to do for you, he said, i'm going to get a taxi for you. and this situation is not unique. in the year up to the end ofjanuary, more than 23,000 patients in england and wales whose cases were classed as urgent were booked taxis in place of ambulances. a small proportion of nearly seven million calls received, but includes a three—day—old baby and a 103—year—old. we were contacted by one manager at a taxi firm used in the east of england. his name is being withheld to protect him. it's very unfair on the customer who needs to get to the hospital. it's also extremely unfair on the driver, because he has no training to deal with that

sort of situation. he's a self—employed taxi driver whose only training is to drive a car. he's got no first aid training, no emergency medical treatment training. he's probably not even aware of what he was getting involved in at that particular time. he also told us he had been asked to pick up covid—positive patients but refused. however, a separate taxi company in great yarmouth has a different view. if they phone up for a taxi to take somebody from home to an a&e department, nine times out of ten, that's a quicker option than an ambulance, so we are more than happy to help out. nhs england told us these figures account forjust 0.3% of ambulance call—outs. emergency ambulances are sent to life—threatening calls, and taxis are only used to transport other patients when it is clinically appropriate. while the welsh ambulance service added, a taxi is only used for red calls after an ambulance resource has arrived at the scene and clinically assessed the patient. i was gobsmacked, really, to think,

in this day and age, they are using taxis to transport emergency cases to hospital like that. if that's the only resource that they have got now, yeah, it's not great at all, is it? as services are stretched, prioritising ambulances for the most life—threatening patients is important, but those like andrew are worried that even if it is assessed as being safe, there should be enough resources to send to any case that is classed as urgent. nikki fox, bbc news. the government has started a new scheme to provide extra support forjob—seekers with autism and learning disabilities. it will support more than 2,000 adults across england and wales, helping them to move into and progress in work. the plans will cost 7.6 million pounds and follows a series of pilots held across england.

tom purser is head of guidance, volonteering and campaigns at the national autistic society. good afternoon. well, will it help? it is such an important area. how optimistic are you that this will provide benefit? we optimistic are you that this will provide benefit?— optimistic are you that this will rovide benefit? ~ ., , . ., provide benefit? we really welcome the initiative _ provide benefit? we really welcome the initiative in _ provide benefit? we really welcome the initiative in today's _ the initiative in today's announcement and any additional support forfinding and announcement and any additional support for finding and sustaining work, it's usually important. but the scheme is only going to help around 2000 people. there are 700,000 autistic people, children and adults in the uk, and what we need to see is much more tailored, personalised employment support for those people who want to work, are struggling to find work at the moment, because only 29% of autistic people are in any kind of paid employment, and that is not good

enough. employment, and that is not good enou:h. �* , , ., enough. i'm sure the reasons for that are many — enough. i'm sure the reasons for that are many and _ enough. i'm sure the reasons for that are many and varied, - enough. i'm sure the reasons for that are many and varied, but. enough. i'm sure the reasons for| that are many and varied, but are there some instances of pure discrimination, ora there some instances of pure discrimination, or a lack of knowledge, understanding, what are the areas that you have always argued need addressing? it is the areas that you have always argued need addressing? it is all of those things- _ argued need addressing? it is all of those things. public— argued need addressing? it is all of those things. public understanding | those things. public understanding and particularly employer understanding of autism is not high enough. employers are often concerned about getting things wrong and don't know where to go to for help, but they can come to us, the national autistic society, for information. some autistic people are just finding the workplace, that can be from recruitment to the physical workplace, completely inaccessible to them. it doesn't account for their needs, they are not getting the support they need and we need to see more schemes like this, and the government can do that by fairly funding their own autism strategy which sets out initiatives around employment, but it needs the money and the resource put behind them to make that happen. some of

what you're — them to make that happen. some of what you're describing _ them to make that happen. some of what you're describing there, - them to make that happen. some of what you're describing there, accessj what you're describing there, access to the workplace, that sort of thing, is that not covered by the equality act? are the not rules about this? it equality act? are the not rules about this?— equality act? are the not rules about this? , ., , , ., about this? it is in theory, but of course, about this? it is in theory, but of course. that _ about this? it is in theory, but of course, that is _ about this? it is in theory, but of course, that is around _ about this? it is in theory, but of| course, that is around sometimes what the individual needs, making reasonable adjustments for the individual. what autistic people might need could be really small to enable them to access the workplace, things like small changes to the recruitment process, providing information in advance, structuring them differently, not insisting on eye contact through the interview, for example, as a way of gauging whether someone is giving a good response to your question. but it can also mean environmental changes to the workplace. like the lighting, not setting someone in a noisy part of the office. there is lots of simple things that can be done, but personalised support is also a crucial part of it. that can be covered by the equality act, and can be supported by things like access to work as well. too often autistic

people don't know where to go, employers are worried about getting wrong or don't understand this is enough to put these things into place. so you have a whole range of barriers and complex issues which prevent autistic people from accessing the workplace. thank you for our accessing the workplace. thank you for your time. _ accessing the workplace. thank you for your time, very _ accessing the workplace. thank you for your time, very interesting - accessing the workplace. thank you for your time, very interesting to i for your time, very interesting to talk to you. time to talk about something different. you may be aware of this... farmers and scientists are telling us we can all expect one care of vegetables in the supermarket this winter. —— farmers and scientists say we can expect wonkier vegetables on the supermarket shelves this winter. the hot weather and lack of rainfall in parts of england has stressed crops which may affect the look of some produce. but the national farmers union says they'll still taste the same and is urging supermarkets to sell more wonky veg.

with me now isjimmy doherty — television presenter and farmer — known for the showjimmy�*s farm he really is right on the farm in suffolk. thank you so much for talking to us. it looks lovely there. i've never understood why wonky should be a problem at all, but it shouldn't be, should it? h0. but it shouldn't be, should it? no, not at all. it's _ but it shouldn't be, should it? no, not at all. it's quite _ but it shouldn't be, should it? iifr, not at all. it's quite interesting, when you go to the supermarket and you walk down the aisles, its row after row of perfect fruit and veg, nature isn't really like that. what we are seeing an edited edition of herfruit and veg, we are seeing an edited edition of her fruit and veg, because when it comes to the supermarkets, when they buy the fruit and veg from the farmers, they require certain specific remits that they have to be a certain size, shape, and unfortunately a lot of food gets wasted because of that.- unfortunately a lot of food gets wasted because of that. yes, have ou come wasted because of that. yes, have you come up _ wasted because of that. yes, have you come up against _ wasted because of that. yes, have you come up against that - wasted because of that. yes, have you come up against that over- wasted because of that. yes, have you come up against that over the | you come up against that over the years you've been forming? that you have to discard something perfectly edible, probably tastes fantastic?

absolutely. i've travelled round the country and around the world visiting farms and when you see a crop like wannabes and asked the former why they haven't picked the bottom ones, because they are curling, and it's not worth picking them because the supermarkets won't buy them, so i fear it's a bit of a crime and a luxury we cannot afford any more. crime and a luxury we cannot afford an more. . �* , , crime and a luxury we cannot afford an more. ., h , i. any more. that's interesting, you mention travelling _ any more. that's interesting, you mention travelling around - any more. that's interesting, you mention travelling around the - any more. that's interesting, you . mention travelling around the world. is this country one of the worst offenders or is this something that i'm not saying is right, but has gone on in developed countries where we all shop a law in supermarkets? i we all shop a law in supermarkets? i think you find in a lot of countries. in the states, for example, not so much in france, they've been really good at saying actually we should be all the veg. it's fantastic in all shapes and forms. the irony is, if you've got a carrot that is slightly wonky, i think more interesting, the first thing we do when we get home and chopit thing we do when we get home and chop it up, so it doesn't really matter what it looks like. you will

chop up and boil it. it doesn't matter. when it comes to growing fruit, the resources, the fertiliser into the field and all the labour that goes into it, we are wasting all those resources and shouldn't do that. critically when looking at the environment issues we face. and that. critically when looking at the environment issues we face. and we have spoken — environment issues we face. and we have spoken about _ environment issues we face. and we have spoken about that _ environment issues we face. and we have spoken about that a _ environment issues we face. and we have spoken about that a lot - environment issues we face. and we have spoken about that a lot in - have spoken about that a lot in recent weeks with the drought and hosepipe bans. do you get frustrated by this? the fact you have to keep talking about this and keep making this point? talking about this and keep making this oint? ~ , , .,, talking about this and keep making this oint? ~ , , ., this point? absolutely. last year i want on a large — this point? absolutely. last year i want on a large project _ this point? absolutely. last year i want on a large project at - this point? absolutely. last year i l want on a large project at dumfries house and working with them to encourage schools to get involved, to try stock we cannot waste this fruit and veg, a lot of it goes to processing, that's for sure, but a lot of it is left and it is not economically viable... i like a wonky card and i like fruit and veg that makes you smile, and often apples that are misshapen, sometimes

they taste a bit better. there is no straight lines with nature. there is always differences and we should celebrate that diversity. yes. always differences and we should celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue _ celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue of— celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue of it. _ celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue of it. we _ celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue of it. we will- celebrate that diversity. yes, let's make a virtue of it. we will let - celebrate that diversity. yes, let's| make a virtue of it. we will let you get back to work.— make a virtue of it. we will let you get back to work._ very l get back to work. pleasure. very much out on _ get back to work. pleasure. very much out on the _ get back to work. pleasure. very much out on the farm _ get back to work. pleasure. very much out on the farm there - get back to work. pleasure. very much out on the farm there in i much out on the farm there in suffolk and dennett look beautiful. 0ur weather is dominated by an area of low pressure sitting to the south of low pressure sitting to the south of iceland, and these fronted systems are producing rain, fairly light and patch at the moment, a lot more in a way of cloud spilling and across the country. a few scatter shows a header across eastern england but nowhere near as heavy or widespread as we have seen. you can see the amount of cloud across the country today, well broken for some sunny spells across central and eastern england, the rain at the moment light and patchy. we are expecting it to pep up across north—west england and parts of wales as we go into the afternoon.

breezy with it. tickly on kos, gusting in excess of 35 mills in error. still quite warm and humid in the south—east corner with highs of 25 celsius. is that whether france sweeps south, the rain will be lion —— light and patchy. the temperatures will be quite high to deny, 17—18 . temperatures will be quite high to deny, 17—18. notably fresher, more comfortable for sleeping. early morning cloud and drizzle to ease away from the south—east and bind it, brighter conditions follow on. as the isobars lighting up, some of the showers could be there for some time across scotland and into northern ireland. sunny spells elsewhere and quite warm, we could see two highs of 25 degrees. that is 77 fahrenheit, not quite as warm

further north, 15—28 again. as we move into saturday, another area of low pressure will bring some rain, wet weather pushing into the far north and west, the rain lives somewhat erratically south and east somewhat erratically south and east so that is really best of the drier weather will be through the second half of saturday. highs of 24—26 . solely brightening in the far north—west, temperatures are very similar to the last few days into the high teens, low 20s. into sunday, anotherfrontal the high teens, low 20s. into sunday, another frontal system moving through, a little slower than initially thought, on the whole many of those starting off dry, a lot of cloud rent on sunday and the rain will take most of the day before it arrives. 0ut will take most of the day before it arrives. out to the west, some wetter weather for the second half of the weekend.

this is bbc news. the headlines... results days in england, wales and northern ireland as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near record high. it feels amazing. because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni that i can do this, i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. the un secretary general is in lviv for talks with president zelensky

and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan. and �*wonky vegetables' could soon be on the menu as farmers warn the drought and hot weather have affected how their crops grow. i like ilikea i like a wonky carrot, and i like fruit and veg that makes you smile. 0ften apples that are slightly misshapen... the plant has been under stress and sometimes they taste a little bit better. hundreds of thousands of students across england, wales and northern ireland have been receiving their exam results today. a—level, t—level and btec students have all been marked based on exams for the first time since two years

of covid disruption. compared with 2019, when exams were last sat in person, there's been a 19% increase in students gaining a place at their firm or insurance choice university. the proportion of students in england, wales and northern ireland getting top a—level grades has fallen since the record high of last year, but is higher than 2019. around 36.4% of pupils have achieved a star and a grades. and for the new t—level exams — where students split time between classroom learning and industry placements — the overall pass rate is 92%. 0ur education correspondent sean dilley reports. this... ..is what success looks like. the profound relief and celebration clear for all to see. many here are among just over 36% achieving top grades

in their a—levels in england, wales and northern ireland. and a good yearfor many btec students, too. and for those taking t—levels — a new technical qualification in england that is equivalent to three a—levels, where students split their time between the classroom and on placement within industry. for others, angst. disappointed not to have got the grades they wanted. we always had a plan. we wanted to get the grades back towards the levels that we saw pre—pandemic, and we have taken a big step in the right direction. they are still a little bit higher than they were in 2019, but they are down on last year. that is right and proper. it is all part of a plan, they say, to return to pre—pandemic testing. in 2020 and 2021, a—level and as students were awarded grades based on assessments by teachers. not so this year. some concessions have been made, with advanced revision information being made available in some subjects, and more lenient grade boundaries introduced.

for those who may not have hit the marks they planned for for their future education and employment, plenty of reassurance. there is a lot of help and support out there. all colleges have got careers advisers, councillors that can help you. also, talk to the universities, look at clearing. look at different universities, look at additional courses, apprenticeships — there are paths there to get you where you want to be. 71% of t—level students who applied for higher education have been successful. a bit nervous about what it would be like, obviously, being the first year. but it's amazing. i'm thrilled. university clearing, how can i help? aside from the traditional university clearance services, ucas is advertising 3700 apprenticeships and jobs. employers are also capitalising on the reality that many will be looking to start work now.

the key message, though, is that this year's exams were designed to result in fewer students achieving top marks. it's an important first step, the government says, to return the education system to normal. sean dilley, bbc news. it's been a nervous wait for many students hoping to get the exam results they've worked for. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has been speaking to four students at a college in west bromwich who hope today's grades will help them achieve their dreams, despite the challenges of studying during the pandemic. wait, wait. oh! the right result. joy, after years of disruption. emmanuela wants to study business and finance at york university. today, she's secured her place. i got distinction, distinction, distinction. yeah, i'm really passionate about business. so i'm just happy i got into the course. over the summer, emmanuela has been for a look around the city and the campus.

when i saw students graduating, i was thinking, that's going to be me, hopefully. because i've got into uni, i've got to go through the years, and i can hopefully graduate. i'm looking forward to just experiencing uni, being independent, student life. two as and a b. well done! thank you. going to university isn't the only option. abigail wants to combine marketing with her love of motorsport. she is pleased with her grades, but is still on the lookout for an apprenticeship. at the moment, i've been shortlisted for two apprenticeships, but that doesn't mean it's confirmed. it is really competitive for degree level apprenticeships, because it isjust one place per company. so, it is quite competitive. so i'm definitely still looking and just putting my cv out there. for many young people, there are big decisions ahead. that's not really heavy. praise is going to defer going to university. she wants to be a nurse in the raf. the stretcher will i come onto the back. the pandemic has taken its toll, but it hasn't taken away childhood dreams.

being at home in front of the computer and just not having that kind of engagement really affected me. because ijust didn't feel a lot of motivation. i got two bs and a d�*. getting my results today has changed everything, i've proven that i can do this. because it was a huge stepping stone for me. sion has got a place to study art at university in birmingham and says today isn'tjust about results, but knowing there is hope, whatever the outcome. sometimes i can't put into words how i felt. so i created art to feel those emotions for me. focus on the dreams that you want to do, because it's your passion, people who inspire you who'll get you there. oh, my god, i'm shaking. elaine dunkley, bbc news. let's talk to tyrone myton, principal of shirley high school in croydon.

good afternoon. thanks for talking to us in such a busy day! let's pick up to us in such a busy day! let's pick up on some of that, just the difficulties of dealing with the pandemic, of students sitting down to the exams who have not had to do anything like that for some time, for obvious reasons. i'm glad you're smiling! how has it been for you and them? i smiling! how has it been for you and them? ., ., , ., _ them? i want to start by congratulating _ them? i want to start by congratulating all- them? i want to start by congratulating all the i them? i want to start by - congratulating all the students in the country for showing resilience to get to their examinations, a—levels. the last two years has been really challenging and as a school we have tried to put as much support at home and in school to make sure they are as prepared as possible for these important exams. exams are always stressful, but did you have a sense that you are trying to guide students through something particularly tricky? something

really unusual that none of us had envisaged and the last two years have not been what anyone would have wished for students? it have not been what anyone would have wished for students?— wished for students? it has been tremendously — wished for students? it has been tremendously challenging - wished for students? it has been tremendously challenging for- tremendously challenging for everybody. forthe tremendously challenging for everybody. for the students, it is just recognising their resilience to get to the point of setting these exams. they have had to go through a lot and it has been unprecedented in most schools have had to deal with the recovered and that continues today. students, teachers are still catching covid and having time off, having time off work and it is a situation that is ongoing and schools are trying to make sure the students are prepared for whatever is happening. haifa students are prepared for whatever is happening-— students are prepared for whatever is happening. how has today been? have ou is happening. how has today been? have you a — is happening. how has today been? have you a lot _ is happening. how has today been? have you a lot of _ is happening. how has today been? have you a lot of students - is happening. how has today been? have you a lot of students that - is happening. how has today been? | have you a lot of students that have got what they wanted, whether it is university or an apprenticeship? i think today is feeling like it was back to normal, the students are really happy with the results. some wanted a bit more for themselves but

we have got students heading to university and what we have found todayis university and what we have found today is a process of getting them into university, there seems to be a lot more places, which is right and proper because what we need to recognise as we do not know how to measure the impact of covid—19 on student, from one student to the next. it is important to have the opportunity to continue with their educational journey opportunity to continue with their educationaljourney and opportunity to continue with their educational journey and focus opportunity to continue with their educationaljourney and focus on not necessarily the grades but the destination and what they can do and where can they go next? that destination and what they can do and where can they go next?— where can they go next? that is interesting- _ where can they go next? that is interesting. i— where can they go next? that is interesting. i know _ where can they go next? that is interesting. i know your - where can they go next? that is interesting. i know your schooll where can they go next? that is i interesting. i know your school has a particularly high percentage of pupil premium is so if you are looking at 18—year—olds going on to do more study of any kind, would it be fair to say that some of them or a lot of them are the first in their family to do that? that is a big dealfor them? family to do that? that is a big deal for them?— family to do that? that is a big deal for them?

family to do that? that is a big dealforthem? ~ , ., ::f deal for them? absolutely, over 5096 of students. — deal for them? absolutely, over 5096 of students, many _ deal for them? absolutely, over 5096 of students, many of _ deal for them? absolutely, over 5096 of students, many of our _ deal for them? absolutely, over 5096 of students, many of our students i of students, many of our students who go on to university, they were the first in their family to do so and we have to recognise the impact of lockdowns of students having to work from home and our students, in their bedroom or their own garden with a place to work, that experience is different to somebody sharing a bedroom with three other siblings and limited access to technology. as a school, we make sure they have laptops and dongles but you cannot change their home environment. but you cannot change their home environment-— but you cannot change their home environment. ~ , , ., ,, , ., environment. absolutely. thank you so much. environment. absolutely. thank you so much- i— environment. absolutely. thank you so much. iwill_ environment. absolutely. thank you so much. i will let _ environment. absolutely. thank you so much. i will let you _ environment. absolutely. thank you so much. i will let you get _ environment. absolutely. thank you so much. i will let you get back - environment. absolutely. thank you so much. i will let you get back to i so much. i will let you get back to all of the students and teachers. thanks, indeed. all the best. the principle of surely high school in south london. and a student... ben wolverson, we try to talk to you much earlier and there were some technical gremlins. thank you for

bearing with us. a huge day for you, talk us through... toy is your day going?! talk us through... toy is your day ..oin?! �* , talk us through... toy is your day anoin?! ~ ,~ ., g , going?! absolutely amazing. just wakinu going?! absolutely amazing. just wakin: u- going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at _ going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at 530 _ going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at 530 m, _ going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at 530 m, i _ going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at 530 m, i barely - going?! absolutely amazing. just waking up at 530 m, i barely got| going?! absolutely amazing. just. waking up at 530 m, i barely got any sleep last night. and going into college, picking up my results and finding out i got a place at my firm university, it has been a dream come true. �* ,, ., university, it has been a dream come true. �* ., , ., , true. don't, you are bringing tears to my eyes! _ true. don't, you are bringing tears to my eyes! it _ true. don't, you are bringing tears to my eyes! it was _ true. don't, you are bringing tears to my eyes! it was donkey's - true. don't, you are bringing tears to my eyes! it was donkey's years| to my eyes! it was donkey's years ago for me! i wanted to say, how has it been working over the last two years given the pandemic but you don't know any differently. nonetheless, talk us through some of the challenges and it has been a weird time, what a tricky time to study for an exam. how did you deal with all of that?— with all of that? well, the first ear, with all of that? well, the first year. the _ with all of that? well, the first year, the majority _ with all of that? well, the first year, the majority of _ with all of that? well, the first year, the majority of my - with all of that? well, the first year, the majority of my year i with all of that? well, the first i year, the majority of my year was

online and i were struggling, i had a lot of distractions at home. in comparison to the second year, it was completely different, it was amazing to be taught in person in comparison to the first year, when it was online and we were given resources but itjust did not match up resources but itjust did not match up to in—person teaching. so i had to look at revising for your one content a lot more than year two because i felt more confident with year two. because i felt more confident with yeartwo. but because i felt more confident with year two. but it has been really hard for the first year but the second year was great and back to normal. i second year was great and back to normal. . . second year was great and back to normal. ., ., ., , , ., normal. i am glad there was some improvement _ normal. i am glad there was some improvement but _ normal. i am glad there was some improvement but that _ normal. i am glad there was some improvement but that sounds - normal. i am glad there was some improvement but that sounds very tough. i know you have even more on your plate, you don't mind us talking about the fact that you also essentially act as a carer for your mother so you are trying to look after her at home in derby and study and study for your a—levels and you

have done brilliantly. but you have more than your plate than a lot of other 17 and 18—year—olds should have? other 17 and 18-year-olds should have? ., ., , other 17 and 18-year-olds should have? ., , ., have? yeah, it has been tough between me — have? yeah, it has been tough between me and _ have? yeah, it has been tough between me and my _ have? yeah, it has been tough between me and my mum. - have? yeah, it has been tough between me and my mum. it | have? yeah, it has been tough i between me and my mum. it has have? yeah, it has been tough - between me and my mum. it has always been us two and i could not be thankful enough for her, she has always been supporting me and i have tried to support her and we have had a few crashes, like always, but it has been great. we have got through it all and my mum is really proud of me and i am feeling great. and so is my mum. me and i am feeling great. and so is m mum. ~ . . me and i am feeling great. and so is m mum. ., ., ., ., my mum. what are you doing at lancaster _ my mum. what are you doing at lancaster city — my mum. what are you doing at lancaster city university? - my mum. what are you doing at lancaster city university? whatl my mum. what are you doing at. lancaster city university? what is your dream?— lancaster city university? what is your dream? so, i am planning on doint your dream? so, i am planning on doing human _ your dream? so, i am planning on doing human geography _ your dream? so, i am planning on doing human geography at - your dream? so, i am planning on i doing human geography at lancaster. it is a bit far—fetched, but i would love to get into something like the united nations or something related to government, at least. that

united nations or something related to government, at least.— to government, at least. that is not far-fetched! — to government, at least. that is not far-fetched! aim _ to government, at least. that is not far-fetched! aim high! _ to government, at least. that is not far-fetched! aim high! you - to government, at least. that is not far-fetched! aim high! you have - far—fetched! aim high! you have worked so hard and you deserve it. thank you so much, ben. we are really delighted for you and that is a massive achievement or someone who has a lot on their plate. how do you celebrate tonight? i hope you get a bit of time away and you can celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going _ celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for— celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for a _ celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for a night - celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for a night out - celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for a night out in i celebrate with friends? yeah, i'm actually going for a night out in a| actually going for a night out in a minute! we actually going for a night out in a minute! ~ ., ., ., ., ., minute! we are going out for a drink. brilliant. _ minute! we are going out for a drink. brilliant. in _ minute! we are going out for a drink. brilliant. in a _ minute! we are going out for a drink. brilliant. in a minute! i minute! we are going out for a i drink. brilliant. in a minute! start right now, 3:15pm! go for it! you will be out for 48 hours, probably! until three in the morning! congratulations. have a brilliant time and a fantastic night out. and all the best of you and i hope you enjoy your degree. it brings it all back! it was about 300 years ago, but still! well done

to everybody who has achieved and go through their a—levels. the headlines on bbc news... results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near record high. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. train passengers are suffering more disruption today, with only 20% of rail services running because of strike action. workers have walked out in a dispute over pay, job cuts and changes

to terms and conditions. today's action means half of britain's railway lines have closed with a strike by more than 40,000 staff. there's similar action on saturday, with disruption likely to spill over into sunday morning. and tomorrow, a separate strike over pay and pensions will hit the london underground and 0verground. 0ur correspondent carrie davies reports another day, another strike. this is the fifth day of national rail strikes this summer, causing disruption around the country. this was a rather quiet leeds station. due to the strikes it is extremely unreliable these days. i'm finding i'm having to drive and park, and pay a lot more. i am 100% behind the strikers, completely. i used to work in retail, i have worked in bad jobs with low pay, and i'm very much in favour of them. they need higher wages.

less than a quarter of train services were running today, like this packed london 0verground train, as members of the rmt, tssa and a small number from unite walked out. the rmt are blaming the government for the stalemate. there is a deal to be done. i spoke to a senior negotiator for network rail this morning, on this picket line. he came along and said hello. we have got a decent relationship with them. we could build a solution if we were allowed to. but at the moment, the politics of the conservative party leadership election, i fear, is stopping this dispute being resolved. the transport secretary has criticised the strikes and urged the unions to get off the picket line and back to the negotiating table. unions say they have been negotiating, but they won't back down without a pay deal that reflects the higher cost of living and protects conditions. network rail say that politicising situation is making it worse. i think the problem is that we have a very good deal on the table, that gives a guarantee ofjobs for everyone that wants it, that deals with a lot

of the long—standing issues and is an 8% pay rise over two years. but that hasn't been put to my staff. the rmt have refused to put that to a referendum. that's the problem, if they had a chance to vote on that, we believe they would accept it. the dispute continues — another strike is planned for saturday. from great yarmouth station, our transport correspondent katy austin told us what the extent of disruption has been so far. this is one of the places there are no trains at all and the station behind me is completely closed. a few more routes are running in scotland today than the last time there was a national scale strike like this, but the overall picture is still at about 20% of the usual services able to run today — and they will finish a lot earlier. the last trains on some long—distance routes will actually depart mid—afternoon. some people can work from home who would normally commute, but it is not an option for everybody, and a lot of leisure plans are being disrupted as well by this latest in a series

of walk—outs we have seen on the railways this summer. are we any closer to a resolution in these ongoing disputes? the tone of interviews by key players this morning was very much one of frustration in the sense that not very much progress has been made towards agreements recently, and network rail does want the rmt union to put an offer that it rejected last month to members to have their say. generally, union leaders are still saying that they will push for a pay rise that reflects the increased cost of living, and they sayjob security and conditions need protecting. a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the stabbing of a pensioner on a mobility scooter in west london. thomas 0'halloran, who was 87, died at the scene in greenford after being attacked on tuesday afternoon. police are questioning a 44—year—old man. greg mackenzie reports.

forensic teams searching for evidence. in the distance, a blue crime scene tent, which marks the exact spot where 87—year—old thomas 0'halloran succumbed to his stab injuries. locals say he was a well—known and friendly face in the community. i've seen him going through here, you know, lots of times. this is a great tragedy for the family and for us, also. very, very sad. he was a really nice, friendly guy. ijust don't know who could ever do something like this. it's absolutely horrendous, and sickening. police say they arrested a 44—year—old man this morning, following an appeal yesterday and the release of cctv images. he was detained in southall, not too far from this location, in the early hours of this morning. the family of the 87—year—old,

who was originally from county clare in the west of ireland, is being supported by specially trained officers. it is heartbreaking, and it is a shock. an 87—year—old grandfather, mr 0'halloran, has been killed the way that he was yesterday. he was an elderly man in a mobility scooter, stabbed to death in daylight. a public meeting will be held this evening at a local community centre, organised by the metropolitan police, in a bid to reassure the community over safety fears. greg mackenzie, bbc news. a woman who says she was raped by benjamin mendy, has told a court she repeatedly told the manchester city footballer to stop as he tried to have sex with her. mr mendy faces multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault but denies all

the charges against him. for more on this, our reporter, nick garnett is at chester crown court. tell us more about what the jury has heard. b. tell us more about what the “my has heard. �* , ., ., tell us more about what the “my has heard. �* , ., , ., heard. a 'ury today has been hearing from a heard. ajury today has been hearing from a police — heard. ajury today has been hearing from a police interview— heard. ajury today has been hearing from a police interview that - heard. ajury today has been hearing from a police interview that a - heard. ajury today has been hearing j from a police interview that a woman gave to the police in macclesfield police station in 2020 and she claimed that the attack that she claimed that the attack that she claimed happened was the longest day of her life. the interview was recorded in november 2020 and in it she explained how she had gone to a nightclub, a bar in cheshire, which is a fairly well—to—do part of the county, and a number of bars and nightclubs are in that area. on another table was the footballer jess lingard and she was on a table with mr mendy and some of his friends and they got invited back by

mr mendy to his house in mottram st andrew and when she got there she said that she had her mobile phone taken from her and mr mendy said she could not take any photographs inside the house because if the managerfound out inside the house because if the manager found out he would be heavily fined for being on social media and having a party. she tried to get the phone back and was taken upstairs. she walked upstairs with mr mendy to a bedroom and was then attacked on the bed, she was raped in three different ways, she said. she said that mr mendy then tried to say to her, not to worry about it, that things would be ok, he had slept with 10,000 women and would be invited back any day that she wanted as long as she did not say anything. she then left the property and the next day went to a hospital and shortly after reported the attack to the police, which is one of the reasons that we are at this stage we

are today. she said that the hardest thing and what makes me most upset is how many times i said no, i said idid not want to is how many times i said no, i said i did not want to have sex with you, i did not want to have sex with you, i was very clear and was not listened to. she said that has been hard to get my head around, it could not be misinterpreted in any way. she went on to say that when she wanted to get out of the house she said i don't know where i am, i don't know if he has a knife at a gun, i told don't know if he has a knife at a gun, itold him i did not want to have sex with them and ijust thought, get dressed and he would let me go. he was very strong, really calm, not swirling and he kept saying it's fine. it feels like the longest day of my life. this afternoon the woman was cross examined by the legal team of mr mendy, going through it minute by minute the events that she says happened in the house that night. the lawyers for the footballer revealed in court that this was not the first time mr mendy had held a party during lockdown and there were restrictions only allowing six people to be allowed in a property at a time and in fact, he had already been fined by his club, man

city. his team have been questioning the woman as to whether or not she had been taking pictures which he had been taking pictures which he had asked her not to and that part of the proceedings are still going on behind me. mr mendy and another man, louis saha maturity, both deny all of the charges against them and the case continues.— all of the charges against them and the case continues. thank you. nick garnett. the case continues. thank you. nick garnett- with _ the case continues. thank you. nick garnett. with the _ the case continues. thank you. nick garnett. with the latest _ the case continues. thank you. nick garnett. with the latest from - garnett. with the latest from chester crown court. let's turn to ukraine... the head of the united nations is meeting ukraine's president this afternoon in the city of lviv later to discuss ways to try to end the war. it comes as ukraine's armed forces have been talking of launching a counter—offensive in the south, and now a senior military officer has told the bbc they aim to recapture the city of kherson within weeks. the bbc�*s abdujalil abdurasulov joined one drone unit on the front line.

shouting. gunfire. the war in ukraine is the war of artillery. in the south, ukrainian forces intensify shelling of the russian positions, ahead of their counteroffensive. and groups like these help them to direct fire. they are a part of ukrainian special forces. theirjob is to identify targets, with the help of drones, and pass their coordinates to artillery. this is the target they have chosen. the russians are trying to hide it in the trenches with a net. "fire when you're ready", he tells the artillery unit. the first shot misses the target. they keep trying. this one is closer, but still a few metres off target.

then the russians respond. loud boom. that's the sound of russian artillery firing nearby. it's not clear what they are trying to target, but they are hitting the forest that is behind us. moments later, it's clear we are the target. loud bangs. the unit is under attack. the russians may have realised a drone team was directing the artillery fire. shells and rockets rain down around us. senior officers believe that, in the very near future, perhaps within weeks, kherson will be taken back. translation: over the past ten days, in the kherson area alone, _ we have destroyed more than 20

ammunition depots, lots of command and control centres and strategic targets, including bridges. the pilots lose the signal to one of the drones. they suspect the russians are jamming it. it doesn't make it back to base, but they are happy that no one is injured. these soldiers are ready to risk not just theirjobs but even their lives in order to win the war. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, mykolaiv region in southern ukraine. in afghanistan there's been an explosion at a mosque packed with worshippers. at least 21 people have been killed and more than 30 injured. it happened in kabul, during evening prayers. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet sent this update from kabul. just two days after the taliban marked their one year in power,

celebrating what they called their independence day, and what they see as bringing an end to the war and the arrival of peace, afghans were yet again reminded that while the last chapter of war ended against the us—led forces, a new chapter has begun. there has been a pattern of attacks by the islamic state group — an even more extremist group than the taliban — but they have not said they carried out this attack last night, just after night fell, when the mosques were packed, at a mosque in the north—west, at a time not only when it was packed but there was a lot of children in it also. the figures for the dead and injured have kept rising all day. it means that this has been the third attack on a prominent cleric in a prominent mosque or religious school in the past month alone. the islamic state group is known to be targeting prominent supporters of the taliban,

known to be targeting in particular members of the shia minority, and it has turned into the most powerful enemy of the taliban since the taliban took control of afghanistan. two islamist groups divided ideologically, politically and religiously — and now fighting each other. an mp has pleaded guilty to breaching covid rules in september 2020. margaret ferrier — who was elected to represent the snp in rutherglen and hamilton west and now sits as an independent — admitted that she exposed the public to coronavirus by travelling around glasgow and the surrounding area and by taking the train to london when she had been told to self—isolate. now it's time for a look at the weather. more cloud today and some

patchy rain in the west. we have lost the risk of sharp downpours. a few isolate chairs around you can see where the frontal rain are sitting through scotland. and you can see really fun to rain is sitting through scotland. we will see it pipping up to north wales and england this afternoon. some sunshine coming through, highs of 26 degrees, a little fresher further north and west and a few scattered showers along the far north—west of scotland. as the front continues to sink south and east it will weaken off considerably, a band of cloud and light rain across south—east england. that will act like a blanket, prevent the temperatures falling too far, overnight lows of 17—18 , a much fresher and comfortable night for sleeping further north and west. into friday, we will see a return to more in the way of sunshine and just a few isolated, but well scattered showers to come. hello. this is bbc news.

the headlines: results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near record high. it feels amazing. because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni that i can do this, i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. the un secretary general is in lviv for talks with president zelensky and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan.

and �*wonky vegetables' could soon be on the menu as farmers warn the drought and hot weather have affected how their crops grow. sport now. good afternoon. south africa are firmly in control on day two of the first test against england at lord's. after resuming on 116—6, england were dismissed for 165 in the morning session. 0llie pope bowled out by kagiso rabada for 73. with the south african dismissing stuart broad and jimmy anderson for his first five wicket haul at lord's. in response the visitors are on 136—1. england have had a break through, james anderson bowling captain dean elgar — so south africa trailing by 29. despite that poor start against south africa, england have been on a great run of form since the appointment of new zealander brendan mccullum as test head coach. former england captain andrew strauss has been telling us what he thinks

of england's new leadership. it has been transformational. both him and ben stokes, new leadership, a very clear message, really a message of go out there and express yourself and try and entertain the cloud. don't worry so much about winning or losing. that will take care of itself a few go out and play the cricket you are capable of. i think we've seen a great sigh of relief from a lot of the players in a lot of ways, to go out and not have that fearful kind of what might go wrong attitudes, and start thinking a bit more positively about what might go right. it has been a mindset change more than anything. by mindset change more than anything. by and large, the same players that were playing during that core run of cricket, but itjust shows a change of confidence, change of message, what an effect that can have. plenty of strong performances today on the track at the european championships in munich. britain's 1500 metre world champion jake wightman qualified fastest for the 800 metre semi—finals

with a commanding run and a season's best. wightman will be aiming to add to his world championship gold and commonwealth bronze medals. great britain's ben pattison and daniel rowden willjoin wightman in the semi—finals. i haven't run one since may, you know, so i was nervous i hadn't done enough work for it, but it woke me up, and was a very early start, but i'm just glad i got through. i wanted to make sure i was in contention. if i needed to push on a little bit to guarantee being safe, then that's what i made happen. fellow briton keely hodgkinson, one of the favourites for the women's 800m title, also advanced with ease in her heat. hodgkinson is attempting to land a first senior gold after 0lympic, world and commonwealth silver medals. i feel like heats are always

a little bit uncomfortable, you don't know what pace people will go but i ended up taking control of the race and got thejob done. happy days. it's been a very long season, my body is feeling it but the semis tomorrow and hopefully the final we'll give it all we've got. how have you be managing your body? just trying to sleep, to be honest. we are doing the best we can. we will see what happens. british businessmanjim ratcliffe has emerged as a contender to buy english premier league side manchester united. the news comes following a bloomberg report that the glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club. ratcliffe — here on the left — is the majority shareholder of chemical group ineos and a boyhood fan of manchester united. he's one of the uk's wealthiest people, owning the french ligue1 side nice and the swiss club lausanne—sport. it would appear that ratcliffe's intervention might be well—timed. what i see now is some kind of deal

with someone, be it private equity oran with someone, be it private equity or an individual, to raise more capitalfor or an individual, to raise more capital for the or an individual, to raise more capitalfor the club. or an individual, to raise more capital for the club. because the club needs money to be able to pay for substantial renovations to the stadium, and also, the training ground, which are the lasers are not going to fund themselves, and i've been informed is unlikely to come through further loans because the debt is already around £500 million —— glazers. i expect in the short time the key question is whether the family would like to get red altogether. that's all the sport for now. i'll be back with another update shortly, jane. the government has started a new scheme to provide extra support forjob—seekers with autism and learning disabilities. it will support more than 2,000 adults across england and wales, helping them to move into and progress in work. the plans will cost 7.6 million pounds and follows a series of pilots held across england. dan scorer is head of policy

at mencap, a charity for people with a learning disability. good afternoon to you. what are your thoughts on this scheme? do you have hopes it can help?— hopes it can help? well, it is welcome _ hopes it can help? well, it is welcome that _ hopes it can help? well, it is welcome that the _ hopes it can help? well, it is. welcome that the government hopes it can help? well, it is- welcome that the government has recognised that a lot more needs to be done to support people with a learning disability and autistic people into work. unfortunately the funding and the scale of the programme is a drop in the ocean. we are talking about 2000 people, when actually there are tens, even hundreds of thousands of people with learning disabilities, to see people who given the chance and support, would dearly love to work. at a time like now when we have a labour force crisis, with many sectors like hospitality, retailand crisis, with many sectors like hospitality, retail and logistics crying out for more staff, it really is a mist opportunity that we need to scale up this programme to make it national, and ensure we can actually meet the aspirations of autistic people and people with a

learning disability to move into work. , ,., ., , work. given some of the figures about lying _ work. given some of the figures about lying there, _ work. given some of the figures about lying there, what - work. given some of the figures about lying there, what is - work. given some of the figures about lying there, what is your. about lying there, what is your understanding of why this is the scale that it is. white it is only a small percentage. —— why it is. the element that is something we need to speak to government about. as you mention, there has already been a pilot, and the effectiveness of this has been shown.— pilot, and the effectiveness of this has been shown. where those with autism are — has been shown. where those with autism are learning _ has been shown. where those with autism are learning to _ has been shown. where those with autism are learning to for - autism are learning to for disability are given support to find work and we have seen amazing outcomes it can create. we have to remember that for people with a learning disability, on the 25% are in work, compared to just over 50% of disabled people, and indeed 76% of disabled people, and indeed 76% of the general population, so a lot more needs to be done, and unfortunately today's programme will not meet that challenge of addressing that historic exclusion that people with learning

disabilities and autistic people have faced from the workplace. who; have faced from the workplace. why are the figures _ have faced from the workplace. why are the figures still so start? what is it about the job, the job interview process, the workplace environment, what is it that that figure is still so low, then? historically the government programmes to support people into work have not met the needs of people with learning disability or to see people in general, who need a longer amount of support generally to gain skills and to secure work. they have not put in the financial model in place to enable it over the period of time needed, and to build relationships with employers, to sometimes break down misconceptions about artistic and learning disabled people can achieve, to make them aware of the support that is available to the government access to work scheme that pays for the extra costs of employing a disabled

employee, additional computer technology, travel to work or a job coach that may be needed. in many cases, employers have updated ideas of what disabled people can sheep and don't know about the government support that is there. certainly in relation to the scheme, whilst this very well, see star, needs to be scaled up dramatically to make sure we can then end the exclusion of disabled and autistic people from the workplace. itruiiiiii disabled and autistic people from the workplace-— the workplace. will it be fair to sa there the workplace. will it be fair to say there are _ the workplace. will it be fair to say there are thousands - the workplace. will it be fair to say there are thousands of - the workplace. will it be fair to i say there are thousands of people across the country who want to be in work, are keen to work but are having to live on state benefits when they feel that they could be working and they want to be? element that's right, tens of hundreds of thousands of people, autistic people and learning disabled people, who given the chance to develop their skills and to get into work with the right support would absolutely relish the opportunity. but they need the right support to do that. and they need employers to be ready

to make some of the adjustments that are needed to support them, to seize those opportunities and be successful, and once they in work, proved to be the outstanding employees they are. leeds university has expressed deep concern for one of its phd students who has been jailed for 34 years in saudi arabia over social media tweets. salma al—shehab, a saudi citizen and mother of two, was arrested in 2021 while on holiday in the kingdom. before the trip she had called for reforms and the release of activists. lina al—hathloul, is from alqst, an independent organization that supports human rights in saudi arabia. she's also the sister of loujain al—hathlou, a saudi women's rights activist and political prisoner.

it is outrageous. it is unprecedented. we have seen that the saudi government has been selling the narrative of empowering women and improving women's rights, and this sentence, after my sister's, is an illustration of it only being words. we had warned at the beginning that rehabilitating the crown prince in the international community would pave the way for more repression, and after borisjohnson's visit to saudi arabia and a visit to france, we clearly see they are doubling down on repression and still imprisoning anyone criticising the regime. and in the case of salma al—shehab, in your opinion, how much of this extremely long sentence is simply because she is female, how

much is because she is from the shia minority, what else is at play here? unfortunately she gathers all the criteria that really frustrates the saudi regime, someone that expresses her opinion, someone who has been expressing solidarity and part of the shi'ite minority. this is why it has been unprecedented and very harsh. for those who don't know huge amounts about your sister, forgive me, she has been arrested, multiple times, for things like defying the ban on women driving a car? absolutely. she has been imprisoned on many occasions, but the last time she was in prison was in 2018, and she stayed in prison for 1001 days. her charges included defending women, being in contact

with amnesty and human rights watch. saudi arabia is clear now, they consider activism as terrorism. and your sister is on a travel ban, am i right? so she is not allowed to leave the country? yes, my sister is on a travel ban, and i must add my whole family is on a travel ban, there are collective punishments in saudi arabia, and this also means you are just in a bigger prison. my sister is still monitored, she was hacked, with pegasus, the hacking tool of nso, so she knows they're following her and anything she says could lead her to prison again. and the toll that that must take physically, mentally... how does she cope with that? how freely can you have conversations with her about that? it's very difficult.

as you see people get arrested over tweets, so of course, it is simple and brief, we do not speak about anything that is truly important or serious. saudi arabia has become a police state. everyone is afraid to speak or express their opinions, and my sister is no exception. a final thought about the international community, you've touched on it, but what do you want to see done? what do you want to see said in support of all the young women we are talking about here today? including your sister? absolutely. we have seen that when the spotlight fades, repression mounts. we've seen it thousands of times. it's important to understand whenever the crown prince is rehabilitated, he views that he can walk in all

impunity without being held accountable for his crimes, then the regression mounts. not only inside the country but we see it with the transnational repression, people being targeted abroad as well. it is very important to put pressure on saudi arabia now, to ask for the release of salma al—shehab and all the prisoners of conscience and to lift the travel bans. i think the west has leverage over saudi arabia, and saudi arabia is only empowered because the west is being silent about these cases. i urge the international community now to act before... there is actually the appeal to the supreme court, so salma al—shehab's case can be reversed. i urge the international community to press for her release before the trial in the supreme court. ambulance services across england and wales are booking taxis to take tens of thousands of patients who call 999 to hospital. figures obtained by the bbc, show the practice is increasing as trusts struggle with rising call

volumes and handover delays. nhs trusts says the most life threatening cases are prioritised and the proportion of patients affected is small, but some argue there should be enough ambulances to help all urgent cases. nikki fox reports. ambulances queueing outside busy hospitals to off—load patients. an increase in demand and lack of social care means scenes like this are becoming more common, and the consequence, fewer are on the road to respond to other urgent calls. when andrew weeds developed excruciating stomach pain, his wife dialled 999. i wanted help. i was in so much pain, wracked in pain, vomiting too. i vomited several times during the evening. i didn't know if it was appendicitis, i didn't know what it was. i felt terrible, thought i was dying. the 73—year—old from norwich was told it could be 15 hours

until an ambulance arrived. the trust says it was classed as a less urgent call, but andrew says the clinician on the phone told him he needed to be seen and booked him a taxi. he said to me, you need to get to hospital. he said the ambulance service is in so much disarray, it's unbelievable. but he said, what i'm going to do for you, he said, i'm going to get a taxi for you. and this situation is not unique. in the year up to the end ofjanuary, more than 23,000 patients in england and wales whose cases were classed as urgent were booked taxis in place of ambulances. a small proportion of nearly seven million calls received, but includes a three—day—old baby and a 103—year—old. we were contacted by one manager at a taxi firm used in the east of england. his name is being withheld to protect him. it's very unfair on the customer who needs to get to the hospital.

it's also extremely unfair on the driver, because he has no training to deal with that sort of situation. he's a self—employed taxi driver whose only training is to drive a car. he's got no first aid training, no emergency medical treatment training. he's probably not even aware of what he was getting involved in at that particular time. he also told us he had been asked to pick up covid—positive patients but refused. however, a separate taxi company in great yarmouth has a different view. if they phone up for a taxi to take somebody from home to an a&e department, nine times out of ten, that's a quicker option than an ambulance, so we are more than happy to help out. nhs england told us these figures account forjust 0.3% of ambulance call—outs. emergency ambulances are sent to life—threatening calls, and taxis are only used to transport other patients when it is clinically appropriate. while the welsh ambulance service added, a taxi is only used for red calls after an ambulance resource has arrived at the scene and clinically assessed the patient.

i was gobsmacked, really, to think, in this day and age, they are using taxis to transport emergency cases to hospital like that. if that's the only resource that they have got now, yeah, it's not great at all, is it? as services are stretched, prioritising ambulances for the most life—threatening patients is important, but those like andrew are worried that even if it is assessed as being safe, there should be enough resources to send to any case that is classed as urgent. nikki fox, bbc news. farmers and scientists say we can expect wonkier vegetables on the supermarket shelves this winter. the hot weather and lack of rainfall in parts of england has stressed crops which may affect the look of some produce. but the national farmers' union says they'll still taste the same and is urging supermarkets to sell more wonky veg.

earlier, presenter and farmer jimmy doherty told us why so much fruit and veg never makes it onto supermarket shelves seeing an edited version of fruit and veg. when they buy these from the supermarket, they require a certain remit, a certain size and shape. unfortunately a lot of forgets gets wasted because of it. ids, forgets gets wasted because of it. a few come up against that over the years you've been forming? that you have to discard something that is perfectly edible and probably taste fantastic? ~ , ,., , �* fantastic? absolutely. i've travelled _ fantastic? absolutely. i've travelled around - fantastic? absolutely. i've travelled around the - fantastic? absolutely. i've l travelled around the country visiting farms, and when you see a crop like runner beans and asked the former why you

haven't picked the bottom once, because they are curly, and it's not worth picking them because supermarkets won't buy them. i see it as a bit of a crime and a rock luxury we cannot afford. is this country one — luxury we cannot afford. is this country one of— luxury we cannot afford. is this country one of the _ luxury we cannot afford. is this country one of the worst - luxury we cannot afford. is this - country one of the worst offenders are is this something that i'm not saying it's right but something that has gone on in developed countries where we all shop a lot in supermarkets? you find in a lot of countries, in the states for example. in a lot of countries, in the states for example-— in a lot of countries, in the states for examle. ., ,., . ., . for example. not so much in france, the 've for example. not so much in france, they've been — for example. not so much in france, they've been good _ for example. not so much in france, they've been good at _ for example. not so much in france, they've been good at saying - for example. not so much in france, they've been good at saying we - they've been good at saying we should be all the better. it is fantastic in all its shapes and forms. the irony is if you've got to katic that is slightly wonky, i think it is more interesting, and the first thing we do and we gomis chop up, so it doesn't really matter what it looks like. you're going to chop up and boil it. i think when it comes to growing food, the resources that go into growing a crop, the fertiliser into the field, all the work and labour and everything that

goes into it, if we are wasting it we are wasting all the resources and we are wasting all the resources and we shouldn't do that. vertically when we are looking at the environmental issues we face. yes, we soke environmental issues we face. yes, we spoke about _ environmental issues we face. yes, we spoke about that _ environmental issues we face. yes, we spoke about that so _ environmental issues we face. yes, we spoke about that so much in recent weeks with trout and hosepipe bans. do you get frustrated by this? the fact you have to keep talking about this and keep making this point? about this and keep making this oint? ~ , ,., , about this and keep making this oint? ~ , , ., point? absolutely. last year i will turn a large _ point? absolutely. last year i will turn a large project _ point? absolutely. last year i will turn a large project at _ point? absolutely. last year i will turn a large project at dumfries . turn a large project at dumfries house, working with them to encourage schools to get involved, to try and stop food waste. we cannot waste this fruit and veg, a lot of it was the coastal processes, that's for sure, but a lot of it is left because it is not economically viable to pick them. i like it wonky character fruit viable to pick them. i like it wonky characterfruit and viable to pick them. i like it wonky character fruit and veg that makes you smile or apples that have been slightly misshapen, if the plant has been under stress, sometimes they taste a bit better. there is no straight lines with nature. there is always differences and we should celebrate that diversity.

the bbcjournalist amol rajan has been announced as the new host of the quiz show university challenge. he'll be taking over from jeremy paxman, whose last episode is due to be broadcast next summer. he said it was a dream come true to present his favourite television programme. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. 0ur weather story today dominated by an area of low pressure sitting to the south of iceland, these frontal systems are certainly producing some rain. fairly light and patrick the moment, but a lot in the way of cloud spilling and across the country. scattered showers ahead of a eastern england but nowhere near as heavy are as widespread as we've seen. you

can see the amount of cloud across the country today, well broken for some sunny spells across central and eastern england. the rain at the moment light and patchy. we are expecting it to perk up across north—west england and parts of wales as we go into the afternoon. breezy, particularly unexposed north—west coast, and gusts in excess of 35 mph. a fresh appeal, 16-21 . excess of 35 mph. a fresh appeal, 16—21 . quite warm and humid in the south—east corner with highs of 25 celsius. as the weather front sweeps its way steadily south, the rain will be fairly light and patchy by the time it pushes to south—east england. cloudy and rainy here and that keeps temperatures up high through the night, 17—18 , noticeably fresher and more comfortable for slipping further north and west. some early morning cloud and drizzle to ease away from the south—east, and behind it, but your conditions is follow—on. as the isobars start to open up and the wind is follow—on. as the isobars start to open up and the winds for

quite some time across western scotland and into northern ireland. sunny spells elsewhere, quite warm with it with the sunshine, once again we can see two highs of 25 degrees. 77 fahrenheit. not quite as warm further north, 15—20 yet again. saturday, another area of low pressure brings some rain, wet weather pushing into the far north and west, the rain move somewhat erratically south and east. the best of the dry weather will be there during the second half of saturday. highs of 24—26. slowly brightening in the far north—west, temperatures fairly similarto in the far north—west, temperatures fairly similar to the last few days, into the high teens and low 20s. into sunday, another frontal system moving through, a little slower than initially thought. 0n the whole, many of us will start up dry, a lot of cloud around on sunday, and the rain will take most of the day before it arrives. 0ut rain will take most of the day before it arrives. out to the west, there will be wetter weather for the second half of the weekend.

this is bbc news. i'm jane hill. the headlines: results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid, but university admissions are at a near record high. it was amazing, because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni i can do this, but i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder — after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. the un secretary general is in lviv for talks with president zelensky and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan.

and, wonky vegetables could soon be on the menu — as farmers warn the drought and hot weather have affected how their crops grow. i like a wonky carrot — don't we all? also, i like fruit and veg that makes you smile. and often apples that are slightly misshapen, you know, if the plant has been under stress, sometimes they taste a bit better. good afternoon. hundreds of thousands of students across england, wales and northern ireland have been receiving their exam results today. a—level, t—level, and btec students have all been marked based on exams for the first time since two years of covid disruption.

compared with 2019, when exams were last sat in—person, there's been a 19% increase in students gaining a place at their firm or insurance choice university. the proportion of students in england, wales and northern ireland getting top a—level grades has fallen since the record—high of last year, but is higher than 2019. around 36.4% of pupils have achieved a* and a grades, and for the new t—level exams — where students split time between classroom learning and industry placements — the overall pass rate is 92%. 0ur education correspondent, sean dilley, reports. this... ..is what success looks like. the profound relief and celebration clear for all to see. many here are among just over 36% achieving top grades in their a—levels in england,

wales and northern ireland. and a good yearfor many btec students, too. and for those taking t—levels — a new technical qualification in england that is equivalent to three a—levels. students split their time between the classroom and on placement within industry. for others, angst. disappointed not to have got the grades they wanted. we always had a plan. we wanted to get the grades back towards the levels that we saw pre—pandemic, and we have taken a big step in the right direction. they are still a little bit higher than they were in 2019, but they are down on last year. that is right and proper. it is all part of a plan, they say, to return to pre—pandemic testing. in 2020 and 2021, a—level and as students were awarded grades based on assessments by teachers. not so this year. some concessions have been made, with advanced revision information being made available in some subjects, and more lenient grade boundaries introduced.

for those who may not have hit the marks they planned for for their future education and employment, plenty of reassurance. there is a lot of help and support out there. all colleges have got careers advisers, councillors that can help you. also, talk to the universities, look at clearing. look at different universities, look at additional courses, apprenticeships — there are paths there to get you where you want to be. 71% of t—level students who applied for higher education have been successful. a bit nervous about what it would be like, obviously, being the first year. but it's amazing. i'm thrilled. university clearing, how can i help? aside from its traditional university clearance services, ucas is advertising 3700 apprenticeships and jobs. employers are also capitalising on the reality that many will be looking to start work now. the key message, though,

is that this year's exams were designed to result in fewer students achieving top marks. it's an important first step, the government says, to return the education system to normal. sean dilley, bbc news. it's been a nervous wait for many students hoping to get the exam results they've worked for. 0ur education correspondent, elaine dunkley, has been speaking to four students at a college in west bromwich who hope today's grades will help them achieve their dreams, despite the challenges of studying during the pandemic. wait, wait. oh! the right result. joy, after years of disruption. emmanuela wants to study business and finance at york university. today, she's secured her place. i got distinction, distinction, distinction. yeah, i'm really passionate about business. so i'm just happy i got into the course. over the summer, emmanuela has been for a look around the city and the campus. when i saw students graduating,

i was thinking, that's going to be me, hopefully. because i've got into uni, i've got to go through the years, and i can hopefully graduate. i'm looking forward to just experiencing uni, being independent, student life. two as and a b. well done! thank you. going to university isn't the only option. abigail wants to combine marketing with her love of motorsport. she is pleased with her grades, but is still on the lookout for an apprenticeship. at the moment, i've been shortlisted for two apprenticeships, but that doesn't mean it's confirmed. it is really competitive for degree level apprenticeships, because it isjust one place per company. so, it is quite competitive. so i'm definitely still looking and just putting my cv out there. for many young people, there are big decisions ahead. that's not really heavy. praise is going to defer going to university. she wants to be a nurse in the raf. the stretcher will i come onto the back. the pandemic has taken its toll, but it hasn't taken away childhood dreams. being at home in front of the computer and just not having

that kind of engagement really affected me. because ijust didn't feel a lot of motivation. i got two bs and a d�*. getting my results today has changed everything, i've proven that i can do this. sion has got a place to study art at university in birmingham and says today isn'tjust about results, but knowing there is hope, whatever the outcome. sometimes i can't put into words how i felt. so i created art to feel those emotions for me. focus on the dreams that you want to do, because it's your passion, people who inspire you will get you there. oh, my god, i'm shaking. elaine dunkley, bbc news. navtej johal has been at the ucas headquarters throughout the day. busiest day of the year for these guys. they think about it here as almost their christmas day,

the one that they look forward to, the one that they train for throughout the course of the year. there are 270 members of staff here dealing with inquiries on the phone, on social media, speaking to students, often students who may not have got the results that they were hoping for. dealing with those emotions — the highs and the lows — that's the job of these guys today. and there are 20,000 people who are expected to call or send inquiries via social media to these folks. and across the board, there are 27,000 courses available for those people who will need to go through clearing. so, lots of options out there, and the key message has been today, time and time again, look, stay optimistic and stay flexible. let's find out a little bit more about how today's working and also this whole process by speaking to courtney shephard from ucas. thank you forjoining us. tell me, first of all, how many calls, how many inquiries have you had today? and what has been the most common inquiry that you've had from students? very exciting day for us here, as you said. we've had just over 7000 queries, which is a good number. you know, lots and lots of people

who are getting in touch, who need that help, and we've been supporting them with their options. the most common thing is, predictably, it's about students wanting to understand what their university decisions mean, particularly those who maybe didn't get the grades or still waiting for the university to confirm their place. so, those are the ones who need the most help, and helping those students navigate the whole suite of choice and options they have. is it really true that you do have students calling in every year who have got the results they need, but almost want confirmation from you saying that, look, are my results correct? have i actually got that place at university i've always wanted ? yeah, you absolutely do. and on occasion, you have people in the background with champagne popping and cheering and all sorts. you hear champagne corks popping? yeah, it happens. and you go from that, where it's an absolutely wonderful call to have. i mean, the system does tell students that you've gotten in and it is correct. but sometimes people just want a human being, a reassuring voice on the end of the phone, and it's great you can share that excitement with them. you used to be a call handler yourself here. what's it like for these guys behind

us who deal with these calls, the high emotions and the low emotions? what's it like for them speaking to students on the other end of the line who maybe aren't feeling very happy or feeling, to be honest, quite disappointed by what's happened? well, firstly, it is a massive privilege and i always talk to the staff before today and say that the opportunity to help so many students on their next step is a real privilege for us at ucas to help. so, what's it like? it's a whole plethora of emotions that you go through, from somebody with champagne in the background, and the very next call might be somebody who's really, really upset and anxious about what it is that they need to do. so you've got to regulate your own emotions, keep hydrated, look after yourself and look after your colleagues to make sure that you're there on your best form to support those people who are calling through. we will talk more about all the exam results after half we will talk more about all the exam results after half past. train passengers are suffering more disruption today with only 20% of rail services running

because of strike action. workers have walked out in a dispute over pay, job cuts and changes to terms and conditions. today's action means half of britain's railway lines have closed with a strike by more than 40,000 staff. there's similar action on saturday, with disruption likely to spill over into sunday morning. and tomorrow, a separate strike over pay and pensions will hit the london underground and overground. 0ur correspondent, carrie davies, reports. another day, another strike.

iam100% i am 100% behind the strikers, absolutely. i used to work in retail, badjobs absolutely. i used to work in retail, bad jobs with bad pride. they need higher wages. less retail, bad jobs with bad pride. they need higher wages. less than a tuarter of they need higher wages. less than a quarter of train _ they need higher wages. less than a quarter of train services _ they need higher wages. less than a quarter of train services were - quarter of train services were running today, light has packed london 0verground train. they are into you are planing the government for the stalemate. that into you are planing the government for the stalemate.— for the stalemate. that is due to be done. i for the stalemate. that is due to be done- i spoke _ for the stalemate. that is due to be done. i spoke to _ for the stalemate. that is due to be done. i spoke to a _ for the stalemate. that is due to be done. i spoke to a senior— for the stalemate. that is due to bej done. i spoke to a senior negotiator from network rail this morning on this picket line. we have got a decent relationship with them, we can build a solution if we want to. but the minute the politics of the conservative party leadership election i fear stopping the set was being resolved. ideas election i fear stopping the set was being resolved.— being resolved. new transport secretary has _ being resolved. new transport secretary has criticised - being resolved. new transport secretary has criticised these i secretary has criticised these strikes and urged the union to get off the picket line and back around the negotiating table. union say they won't back down without a pay deal that reflects the higher cost of living and protects conditions. network rail says that politicising

the situation is making it worse. i think the problem is that we have put a _ think the problem is that we have put a very— think the problem is that we have put a very good deal on the table that gives — put a very good deal on the table that gives guarantee ofjob is to everyone — that gives guarantee ofjob is to everyone who wants it, that deals with a _ everyone who wants it, that deals with a lot — everyone who wants it, that deals with a lot of the long—standing issues, — with a lot of the long—standing issues, and is 8% pay rise over two years _ issues, and is 8% pay rise over two years but — issues, and is 8% pay rise over two years. but the rmt have refused to put that _ years. but the rmt have refused to put that to — years. but the rmt have refused to put that to a referendum. if they had a _ put that to a referendum. if they had a chance to vote on that, we believe _ had a chance to vote on that, we believe they would accept it. the dis - ute believe they would accept it. tie dispute continues, another strike is planned for saturday. from great yarmouth station, our transport correspondent, katy austin, told us what the extent of disruption has been so far. this is one of the places around the country where there trains at all today. the station behind me is completely closed. a few more routes are running in scotland today than the last time there was a national scale strike like this. but the overall picture is still that about 20% of usual services are able to run today and they will finish a lot

earlier than normal. the last train on some long distance routes will actually depart mid—afternoon. some people can now work from home who would normally commute, but it's not an option for everybody. and a lot of leisure plans are being disrupted as well by this latest in the series of walk—outs we've now seen on the railways this summer. so, are we any closer to resolution in these ongoing disputes? the tone of interviews by key players this morning was very much one of frustration, in the sense that not very much progress has been made towards agreements. recently, network rail does want the rmt union to put an offer that it rejected last month to its members to have their say. but generally union leaders are still saying that they will push for a pay rise that reflects the increased cost of living and that they say job security and conditions need protecting. a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the stabbing of a pensioner on a mobility scooter in west london. thomas 0'halloran, who was 87, died at the scene in greenford after being attacked on tuesday afternoon.

police are questioning a 44—year—old man. greg mackenzie reports. forensic teams searching for evidence. in the distance, a blue crime scene tent, which marks the exact spot where 87—year—old thomas 0'halloran succumbed to his stab injuries. locals say he was a well—known and friendly face in the community. i've seen him going through here, you know, lots of times. this is a great tragedy for the family and for us, also. very, very sad. he was a really nice, friendly guy. ijust don't know who could ever do something like this. it's absolutely horrendous, and sickening. police say they arrested a 44—year—old man this morning, following an appeal yesterday and the release of cctv images. he was detained in southall, not too far from this location,

in the early hours of this morning. the family of the 87—year—old, who was originally from county clare in the west of ireland, is being supported by specially trained officers. it is heartbreaking, and it is a shock. that an 87—year—old grandfather, mr 0'halloran, has been killed the way that he was yesterday. here was an elderly man in a mobility scooter, stabbed to death in daylight. a public meeting will be held this evening at a local community centre, organised by the metropolitan police, in a bid to reassure the community over safety fears. greg mackenzie, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near record high. rail workers are on strike once

again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. the head of the united nations is meeting ukraine's president this 0ne one of donald trump's close his eyes and a cfo of his family business has pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges. let's get the very latest from our correspondent following all of in new york. ., , , ., ., correspondent following all of in newyork. ., , ., ., ., correspondent following all of in newyork. ., ., ., ., new york. probably not a man anyone in this country — new york. probably not a man anyone in this country has _ new york. probably not a man anyone in this country has heard _ new york. probably not a man anyone in this country has heard of. _ in this country has heard of. explain what has happened here.

today we had the former chief financial officer of the trump organisation pleading guilty to what prosecutors say was a years long tax fraud scheme. essentially, the trump organisation paid him in off the big perks, paying for his reign in his manhattan apartment, leases on expensive cars. private school tuition for his grandchildren. instead, they consumed our income so he didn't have to pay $1.7 million in taxes. as part of this plea agreement, pleading guilty to these charges, allen weisselberg said that the trump organisation was able to avoid paying payroll taxes itself. it's really important to remember that this all stems from a much larger criminal investigation that has been going on since 2018. the

manhattan district attorney has been looking into whether president trump and his company inflated the value of their assets in order to get favourable loans from banks. many thought allen weisselberg, who has been of the company for 50 years, would be a very important witness, someone they could interview and talk to. but he has refused, even now pleading guilty to these other charges, to talk about anybody in the trump family and to speak to prosecutors in their investigation. so this really end that chapter. certainly, the trump organisation is going to go to trial on these charges and allen weisselberg will be a witness there. but president trump himself is in no way implicated in that and this doesn't bring prosecutors any closer to the southern investigation they have against mr trump. i southern investigation they have against mr trump.— southern investigation they have against mr trump. i am assuming there will be _ against mr trump. i am assuming there will be a _ against mr trump. i am assuming there will be a chill— against mr trump. i am assuming there will be a chill term - against mr trump. i am assuming there will be a chill term for - against mr trump. i am assuming

there will be a chill term for this? allen weisselberg's attorney in a statement said the reason he pleaded guilty was to avoid a 15 years in prison. instead he will serve five months when you take into account time off for good behaviour. he will also have to pay a $2 billion fine to pay back those taxes in the past. " $18 to pay back those taxes in the past. —— $18 million fine. to pay back those taxes in the past. -- $18 million fine. if to pay back those taxes in the past. —— $18 million fine. if you do is incorporate in the upcoming trump investigation, thejudge incorporate in the upcoming trump investigation, the judge said this plea deal could be without. the head of the united nations is meeting ukraine's president this afternoon in the city of lviv later, to discuss ways to try to end the war. it comes as ukraine's armed forces have been talking of launching a counter—offensive in the south, and now a senior military officer has told the bbc they aim to recapture the city of kherson within weeks.

the bbc�*s abdujalil abdu—rasulov joined one drone unit on the front line. shouting. gunfire. the war in ukraine is the war of artillery. in the south, ukrainian forces intensify shelling of the russian positions, ahead of their counteroffensive. and groups like these help them to direct fire. they are a part of ukrainian special forces. theirjob is to identify targets, with the help of drones, and pass their coordinates to artillery. this is the target they have chosen. the russians are trying to hide it in the trenches with a net. "fire when you're ready", he tells the artillery unit. the first shot misses the target. they keep trying. this one is closer,

but still a few metres off target. then the russians respond. loud boom. that's the sound of russian artillery firing nearby. it's not clear what they are trying to target, but they are hitting the forest that is behind us. moments later, it's clear we are the target. loud bangs. the unit is under attack. the russians may have realised a drone team was directing the artillery fire. shells and rockets rain down around us. senior officers believe that, in the very near future, perhaps within weeks, kherson will be taken back. translation: over the past ten days, in the kherson area alone, _ we have destroyed more than 20 ammunition depots, lots of command

and control centres and strategic targets, including bridges. the pilots lose the signal to one of the drones. they suspect the russians are jamming it. it doesn't make it back to base, but they are happy that no one is injured. these soldiers are ready to risk not just their drones but even their lives in order to win the war. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, mykolaiv region in southern ukraine. we have been talking today about that meeting between president zelensky and the secretary general of the united nations. president

zelensky urging antonio guterres to ensure the security and demilitarisation of the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is under russian occupation. there is increasing international anxiety about the situation at that nuclear plant. the zaporizhzhia plant has been consistently in the news and there have been consistent concerns about the situation there. let's discuss all of that with professor michael fitzpatrick, he has done lots of research into the nuclear industry world and is from the university of commentary. it's hard to imagine anything more concerning than military activity near a nuclear plant.— than military activity near a nuclear plant. than military activity near a nuclear lant. ~ , ,, nuclear plant. absolutely. i think it's worth stressing _ nuclear plant. absolutely. i think it's worth stressing that - nuclear plant. absolutely. i think it's worth stressing that as - nuclear plant. absolutely. i think it's worth stressing that as of - nuclear plant. absolutely. i think. it's worth stressing that as of now, the plant is operating as safely as possible under the circumstances. secondly, nuclear plants are

designed to be very robust, with multiple layers of physical security and safety systems, everything from and safety systems, everything from a strike by a small aircraft, up to earthquakes. but of course when you have military activity, you have shelling, you have questions over whether or not explosives are being stored on the site and possibly in buildings where they shouldn't be, that there is a possible chain of events that takes us today, from when we are talking about a radioactive release in a very short space of time. for radioactive release in a very short space of time-— radioactive release in a very short space of time. for those staff who are still working _ space of time. for those staff who are still working there _ space of time. for those staff who are still working there under- are still working there under extraordinarily difficult conditions, we now under great stress, is that something may well have had the head space to think about? is there anything at all they can do within that plant to try to factor that end? i'm thinking about

whether, you know, the killing. is there anything that can be done given that they know they are operating in a war situation? the state of mind _ operating in a war situation? the state of mind of— operating in a war situation? tie state of mind of the operators is one of the key parts of operation of the system safely. if you look at what the iaea has been saying, it seems that there are seven pillars for safe operation of the plant, and the well—being of the staff is one of them. 0bviously, the well—being of the staff is one of them. obviously, if you have staff who are under severe pressure, they are effectively under military control by the russian forces, then that can lead to poor decision—making. now, the staff are not the only safety system there, but they are part of the overall safety system, and there well—being does need to be paramount. in safety system, and there well-being does need to be paramount. in terms of any direct — does need to be paramount. in terms of any direct attack, _ does need to be paramount. in terms of any direct attack, we _ does need to be paramount. in terms of any direct attack, we have - does need to be paramount. in terms of any direct attack, we have to - of any direct attack, we have to assume that russia would be impacted

too. if it hit a nuclear plant, its nation would be affected too, so one would hope it would not want to go down that route to stop it would definitely not be in the interests of russia for there to be a reductive release.- of russia for there to be a reductive release. ., , reductive release. the wind would be 'ust as reductive release. the wind would be just as likely. — reductive release. the wind would be just as likely. if— reductive release. the wind would be just as likely, if not _ reductive release. the wind would be just as likely, if not more _ reductive release. the wind would be just as likely, if not more likely, - just as likely, if not more likely, to carry any radiation release into russia as much as anywhere else in europe. it is definitely not in the interest of russia and ukraine. i would be relatively confident that those sites do not want to see any escalation on the site. but what happens in conflict situations, things can get out of hand, people can make inappropriate decisions, accidents can happen. this is why the iaea has been asking whether or not it would be possible for them to sendin not it would be possible for them to send in observers and maybe even take control of the site, just to provide an additional layer of

safety and assurance.- provide an additional layer of safety and assurance. could it be that russia _ safety and assurance. could it be that russia wants _ safety and assurance. could it be that russia wants the _ safety and assurance. could it be that russia wants the plant - safety and assurance. could it be that russia wants the plant for i safety and assurance. could it be | that russia wants the plant for its own ends, for the purpose for which it was built? it is own ends, for the purpose for which it was built?— it was built? it is entirely plausible. _ it was built? it is entirely plausible, given - it was built? it is entirely plausible, given that - it was built? it is entirely plausible, given that the | it was built? it is entirely - plausible, given that the plant is reasonably close to the russian border. but i think if russia were to try to do that, that would then lead to a continuation of the conflict around the plant. although two of the reactors on site are still operating and producing power, one of the reactors, it seems, did shut down at some point earlier in the conflict because some of the shelling triggered one of the seismic sensors and that caused the plant to shut down. the plant will not continue to operate indefinitely if the conflict were to continue. thank you for your time and expertise, professor michael fitzpatrick, from coventry

university. let's get the latest weathered details from louise lear. good afternoon, everybody. what a contrast we have across the country, we have got some sunshine, but fairly limited. stunning picture in cumbria, but quite a lot of cold around. a frontal system has been generally producing quite a lot of cloud across the country today. a little bit of patchy rain as well, some pushing into wales at the moment. this frontal system will continue to sink its way south and east, bringing some light, showery rain through the night. not that much across south—east england. i will prevent temperatures falling to 4, so another quite uncomfortable might for trying to get a good night sleep area. tomorrow morning on that

front will lingerfor sleep area. tomorrow morning on that front will linger for swing in the morning, more sunshine comes through, a scattering of showers for northern ireland and scotland as you go through the afternoon, some pretty slow—moving. that hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near record high. it feels amazing, because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni that i can do this, but i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. rail workers are on strike again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network across england and wales. a 44—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder

after the fatal stabbing of thomas 0'halloran on a mobility scooter in west london. the un secretary general is in lviv for talks with president zelensky and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan. and later, 'wonky vegetables' could soon be on the menu as farmers warn the drought and hot weather have affected how their crops grow. exam results soon, but sport now. good afternoon. england's cricketers have plenty to do if they're going to produce a fightback in the first test against south africa. after being bowled out for165, england have struggled with the ball. james anderson with

their first wicket — removing captain dean elgar. fellow opener sarel ervee has remained defiant though — he's moved past his 50. england did remove keegan peterson in the afternoon session — leaving south africa 158—2 at tea — just 7 bruns behind. well, it hasn't been the greatest start against south africa, but prior to this test, england had been on a great run of form since the appointment of new zealander brendan mccullum as test head coach. former england captain andrew strauss has been telling us what he thinks of england's new leadership. it has been transformational. both him and ben stokes, new leadership, a very clear message, really a message of go out there and express yourself and try and entertain the cloud. don't worry so much about winning or losing. that will take care of itself a few go out and play the cricket you are capable of. i think we've seen a great sigh of relief from a lot

of the players in a lot of ways, to go out and not have that fearful kind of what might go wrong attitudes, and start thinking a bit more positively about what might go right. it has been a mindset change more than anything. by and large, the same players that were playing during that core run of cricket, but itjust shows a change of confidence, change of message, what an effect that can have. british diverjack laugher is currently in action at the european aquatics championships in italy. the world silver medallist and commonwealth games champion is aiming to retain his one metre springboard title in rome. at the halfway point he's in first place. fellow briton and commonwealth games bronze medallistjordan houlden is currently third. alongside the aquatics championships, the european championships are being held concurrently in munich. and plenty of strong performances on the track today. britain's fifteen hundred metre world champion jake wightman qualified fastest for the 800 metre semi—finals with a commanding run

and a season's best. wightman will be aiming to add to his world championship gold and commonwealth bronze medals. great britain's ben pattison and daniel rowden willjoin wightman in the semi—finals. fellow briton keely hodgkinson, one of the favourites for the women's 800 metre title, also advanced with ease in her heat. hodgkinson is attempting to land a first senior gold after 0lympic, world and commonwealth silver medals. british businessmanjim ratcliffe has emerged as a contender to buy english premier league side manchester united. the news follows a bloomberg report that the glazer family are willing to sell a minority stake in the club. ratcliffe — on the left here — is the majority shareholder of chemical group ineos and a boyhood fan of manchester united. he's one of the uk's wealthiest people owning the french ligue un side nice, and the swiss club lausanne—sport. and it would appear that ratcliffe's intervention might be well—timed.

what i see now is some kind of deal with someone, be it private equity or an individual, to raise more capital for the club. because the club needs money to be able to pay for substantial renovations to the stadium, and also, the training ground, which are the lasers are not going to fund themselves, and i've been informed is unlikely to come through further loans because the debt is already around £500 million —— glazers. i expect in the short time the key question is whether the family would look to get rid altogether. that's all the sport for now. as we've been hearing, the proportion of top a—level grades in england, wales and northern ireland is down on last year —— but remains higher than before the pandemic. despite this, most students applying to university have had their places confirmed.

you've been sending in some of your questions on exam results. with me to answer some of them is professorjane harrington, deputy chair of universities alliance —they represent a group of professional and technical universities. she's also vice chancellor at university of greenwich and went through clearing herself. a busy day for you. can i start with the sort of broad point? 0bviously the sort of broad point? obviously it's a lovely day for those who have worked hard and got the results they wanted, it's all sorted and they know where they are going in september, and i'm sure loads of people have equally worked hard but slightly mist out, what would you say to those people who are in that situation, that had all their plans and are really anxious today that things... their plans are falling down around them? things. .. their plans are falling down around them?—

things... their plans are falling down around them? thanks ever so much for inviting _ down around them? thanks ever so much for inviting me _ down around them? thanks ever so much for inviting me on _ down around them? thanks ever so much for inviting me on and - much for inviting me on and congratulations to all the young people today, actually, who have had a really difficult two years and i think it's amazing we have got to where they are. but my absolute core message to those students who have just mist out is don't panic, the first thing to do is ring the university where you had a place, because many of us have actually been able to offer places to students who just dropped the few grades, so for example, where that has happened, we can look at the applications the student has put in, their personal statement, the references, and every university in this country recognises the difficulty that those students have had over the last three years, wherever possible, they are making sure they are being as flexible as they can be, so the first thing i would say is, don't panic, ring the university, if they can't offer you, go and talk to either your school or couege go and talk to either your school or

college and get some advice, and a few can't get advice there or you don't like the advice you're getting, ring up the university that you had applied to and asked them and you will get some advice on the line. a few were to ring greenwich, for example, i could put you in touch with the student ambassador who has been through this over the last two years and they would be able to give you some really valuable advice and help you through, because there are places in clearing so a few want to go to university this year, the new likelihood is you will be able to. is there an element of flexibility about clearing? a few have your heart set on a particular subject any good university offers you something to study in a different subject, that is a tough call for someone, who is sort of emotionally and mentally prepared to study something else?— and mentally prepared to study something else? absolutely, and i think that is _ something else? absolutely, and i think that is the _ something else? absolutely, and i think that is the decision _ something else? absolutely, and i think that is the decision you - something else? absolutely, and i think that is the decision you need j think that is the decision you need to sit down and really look at. most students will get the subject they want to study, that is the sort of

starting point. if you're somebody who is being offered a different course, then there are a number of options for you. you could say, ok, i will take that course. secondly you might say i will release myself from that university and go into clearing to get onto the course i want to. 0r clearing to get onto the course i want to. or if, there are a few courses, i do think it's any secret nursing is difficult to get into now because it's pretty much full, and that's mainly because of the placements, but a student who really has their heart set on that could actually ring up greenwich for example and start the course in january. there are a whole range of options, and what i would say is, just do it calmly, think through what you really want to do, and a few don't want to do that different course, then don't do it. ii few don't want to do that different course, then don't do it.— course, then don't do it. if few questions _ course, then don't do it. if few questions that _ course, then don't do it. if few questions that have _ course, then don't do it. if few questions that have come - course, then don't do it. if few questions that have come in. l course, then don't do it. if few. questions that have come in. not course, then don't do it. if few- questions that have come in. not all of a—levels, many other types of

exam results. there's been concern about some btec results, and we have had a question. lewis said... i still haven't gotten my btec results yet and my college said that pearsons are yet to release them to the college. yes, that must be really stressful position for you, so i have a lot of sympathy actually and what we've been told, and we have been alerted by ucas as there are certainly some btec results that have not been able to be released today. the thing i would say is, a few had in place already at university, that place will be held for you until the end of august. so you don't need to panic. as awful as it must be to not have your results alongside others that have got them, and i would hate to be in that position myself, so i do understand that, by i would just reassure you that we do hold those places. i did talk to my admissions team as well when we found out this problem earlier today about... we

can offer places for students who aren't already in the main cycle, if they haven't already applied and the only want to apply through clearing, but what their advices, and i think it's really important, a few are a student in that position and your results haven't been released today, then ring up the university where you were hoping to apply, because they will be able to talk to you, they will be able to talk to you, they will be able to talk to you, they will be able to talk you through your options and they will be able to keep in touch with you, so the results come in tomorrow, for example, they will be able to ring you back. so that is a really tough thing, but my understanding is that it has been resolved quickly, so i do believe we will get those results in the next day or so. its, do believe we will get those results in the next day or so.— in the next day or so. a small number of — in the next day or so. a small number of people _ in the next day or so. a small number of people but - in the next day or so. a small number of people but very i in the next day or so. a small i number of people but very difficult for those it's happened to it. another question, about clearing, john wants to know whether overseas students are coming to your knowledge, getting priority in clearing? he says places are constrained because of the high

number of students defending from last year, and he says, is this putting this year's cohort at a disadvantage?— putting this year's cohort at a disadvantage? putting this year's cohort at a disadvanta . e? ., ., putting this year's cohort at a disadvanta . e? . ., , disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there _ disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there is _ disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there is a _ disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there is a record _ disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there is a record number i disadvantage? yeah, i mean, there is no doubt there is a record number of| no doubt there is a record number of applicants this year. but in terms of international students, clearing as a separate, completely separate to international applications. so every single shouldn in our clearing process, certainly at the university of greenwich and as far as i understand it, across the whole of the university alliance, our uk students today. so that isn't the case, and i'd be amazed if it was, i'm not sure where that's coming from. i think it is probably a broader concern where people are worrying about numbers and about whether that balance has shifted, but there is no evidence of that, certainly as far as i can see from the evidence we've looked at. what i would say is, where i work at the

university of greenwich, we absolutely have not done that. we would not do that. we are looking applications from uk students today. that is the specifics in terms of clearing, isn't it? i wonder whether thatis clearing, isn't it? i wonder whether that is somehow mixed up with the broader point, because there are debates about whether some universities are actively encouraging more overseas students, because we all know, it's been the case for many years, an overseas student will pay higher fees than someone who is from the uk. yes. student will pay higher fees than someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean... someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean- -- i — someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean--- i mean. _ someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean--- i mean. i— someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean... i mean, i keep— someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean... i mean, i keep being - someone who is from the uk. yes, i mean... i mean, i keep being askedj mean... i mean, i keep being asked this question actually, and what i would say is, first of all, i think we have to remember that international students have been recruited into the uk for many years, and certainly over the last 20 years. and for most sectors we've got a real global community, could actually be celebrating that. and i wouldn't want to lose that, because i think... those students bringing a

huge interbank and notjust to universities, but to the whole of the economy, they bring any huge amount of soft powers to the uk. they enable us to do some of the things we need to do the world. in terms of numbers, if i was looking at the university of greenwich, we have approximately 18% of our undergraduates are international students. that has been the case for the last five years and has not changed. i think we need to be a bit careful about actually whether that actually is completely accurate. that is interesting. that's interesting. and certainly as you are making the point, not in relation to clearing at all, that is a separate process. that is good that clarity. thank you so much for your time, that clarity. thank you so much for yourtime, professor. many thanks for you and a reminder that there is much more about today's exam results, including advice, a few did not perhaps get the grades you wanted. and what you might be able to do next. go to the

website, bbc decorah uk forest news, and there is background information on the bbc news app as well. a woman who says she was raped by benjamin mendy, has told a court she repeatedly told the manchester city footballer to stop as he tried to have sex with her. mr mendy faces multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault — he denies all the charges against him. 0ur correspondent nick garnett has been following the case at chester crown court — and you may find some of the detail in his report distressing. a jury today has been hearing from a police interview that a woman gave to the police in macclesfield police station in 2020

and she claimed that the attack that she claimed happened was the longest day of her life. the interview was recorded in november 2020 and in it she explained how she had gone to a nightclub, a bar in cheshire, which is a fairly well—to—do part of the county, and a number of bars and nightclubs are in that area. on another table was the footballer jess lingard and she was on a table with mr mendy and some of his friends and they got invited back by mr mendy to his house in mottram st andrew and when she got there she said that she had her mobile phone taken from her and mr mendy said she could not take any photographs inside the house because if the managerfound out he would be heavily fined for being on social media and having a party. she tried to get the phone back and was taken upstairs. she walked upstairs with mr mendy

to a bedroom and was then attacked on the bed, she was raped in three different ways, she said. she said that mr mendy then tried to say to her, not to worry about it, that things would be ok, he had slept with 10,000 women and would be invited back any day that she wanted as long as she did not say anything. she then left the property and the next day went to a hospital and shortly after reported the attack to the police, which is one of the reasons that we are at this stage we are today. she said that the hardest thing and what makes me most upset is how many times i said no, i said i did not want to have sex with you, i was very clear and was not listened to. she said that has been hard to get my head around, it could not be misinterpreted in any way. she went on to say that when she wanted to get out of the house she said i don't know where i am, i don't know if he has a knife or a gun,

i told him i did not want to have sex with them and ijust thought, get dressed and he would let me go. sex with them and ijust thought, get undressed and he would let me go. he was very strong, really calm, not swearing and he kept saying it's fine. it feels like the longest day of my life. this afternoon the woman was cross examined by the legal team of mr mendy, going through minute by minute the events that she says happened in the house that night. the lawyers for the footballer revealed in court that this was not the first time mr mendy had held a party during lockdown and there were restrictions only allowing six people to be allowed in a property at a time and in fact, he had already been fined by his club, man city. his team have been questioning the woman as to whether or not she had been taking pictures which he had asked her not to and that part of the proceedings are still going on behind me. mr mendy and another man both deny all of the charges against them and the case continues.

the government has started a new scheme to provide extra support forjob—seekers with autism and learning disabilities. it will support more than 2,000 adults across england and wales, helping them to move into and progress in work. the plans will cost 7.6 million pounds and follows a series of pilots held across england. dan scorer is from mencap —— a uk charity for people with a learning disability. well, it is welcome that the government has recognised that a lot more needs to be done to support people with a learning disability and autistic people into work. unfortunately the funding and the scale of the programme is a drop in the ocean. we are talking about 2000 people, when actually there are tens, even hundreds of thousands of people with learning disabilities, autistic people, who given the chance and support, would dearly love to work. at a time like now when we have

a labour force crisis, with many sectors like hospitality, retail and logistics crying out for more staff, it really is a missed opportunity that we need to scale up this programme to make it national, and ensure we can actually meet the aspirations of autistic people and people with a learning disability to move into work. given some of the figures outlined there, what is your understanding of why this is the scale that it is. why it is only a small percentage? thatg is something we need to speak to government about. as you mention, there has already been a pilot, and the effectiveness of this has been shown. where those with autism and those ith a learning disability are given support to find work and supported in to a job and we have seen amazing outcomes it can create. we have to remember that for people with a learning disability, onlyy 25% are in work,

compared tojust over 50% of disabled people, and indeed 76% of the general population, so a lot more needs to be done, and unfortunately today's programme will not meet that challenge of addressing that historic exclusion that people with learning disabilities and autistic people have faced from the workplace. why are the figures still so stark? what is it? it is it about the job interview process, the workplace environment, what is it that that figure is still so low, then? historically the government programmes to support people into work have not met the needs of people with learning disability or autistic people, who in general, need a longer amount of support to gain skills and to secure work. programmes have not put in the financial model in place to enable it over the period of time needed, and to build relationships

with employers, to sometimes break down misconceptions about what autistic and learning disabled people can achieve, to make them aware of the support that is available from the government, work schemes that pays for the extra costs of employing a disabled employee, additional computer technology, travel to work or a job coach that may be needed. in many cases, employers have outdated ideas of what disabled people can achieve and don't know about the government support that is there. certainly in relation to the scheme, whilst this very well is a start, it needs to be scaled up dramatically to make sure we can then end the exclusion of disabled and autistic people from the workplace. farmers and scientists say we can expect wonkier vegetables on the supermarket shelves this winter. the hot weather and lack of rainfall in parts of england has stressed crops which may affect the look of some produce. but the national farmers' union says they'll still taste the same and is urging supermarkets to sell

more wonky veg. earlier, presenter and farmer jimmy doherty told us why so much fruit and veg never makes it onto supermarket shelves. it's quite interesting, when you go to the supermarket and you walk down the aisles, its row after row of perfect fruit and veg, and nature isn't really like that. what we are seeing is an edited edition of her our fruit and veg, because when it comes to the supermarkets, when they buy the fruit and veg from the farmers, they require certain specific remits that they have to be a certain size, shape, and unfortunately a lot of food gets wasted because of that. yes, have you come up against that over the years you've been farming? that you have to discard something perfectly edible, probably tastes fantastic? absolutely. i've travelled round the country and around the world visiting farms and when you see a crop

like wannabes and asked ——runnerbeans —— and you ask the farmer why they haven't picked the bottom ones, because they are curling, and it's not worth picking them because the supermarkets won't buy them, so i fear it's a bit of a crime and a luxury we cannot afford any more. that's interesting, you mention travelling around the world. is this country one of the worst offenders or is this something that i'm not saying is right, but has gone on in developed countries where we all shop a lot in supermarkets? i think you find it in a lot of countries. in the states, for example, not so much in france, they've been really good at saying actually we should eat all the veg. it's fantastic in all shapes and forms. the irony is, if you've got a carrot that is slightly wonky, i think that is more interesting, the first thing we do when we get home is chop it up, so it doesn't really matter what it looks like. you will chop it up and boil it. it doesn't matter.

when it comes to growing food, the resources, the fertiliser into the field and all the labour that goes into it, we are wasting all those resources and we shouldn't do that. critically when looking at the environmental issues we face. and we have spoken about that a lot in recent weeks with the drought and hosepipe bans. do you get frustrated by this? the fact you have to keep talking about this and keep making this point? absolutely. last year i want on a large project at dumfries house and working with them to encourage schools to get involved, to try stock we cannot waste this fruit and veg, a lot of it goes to processing, that's for sure, but a lot of it is left and it is not economically viable... i like a wonky carrot and i like fruit and veg that makes you smile, and often apples that are misshapen, sometimes they taste a bit better. there is no straight lines with nature. there is always differences and we

should celebrate that diversity. ben brown will have the news at five coming up injust a few minute's time, first it's time for a look at the weather prospects with louise lear. blue skies sussex at the moment but not the same for all of us. quite a lot of cloud around at the moment is where the moment is whether france push on. some rain, nothing particularly significant. that cloud and the showery rain is starting to spill its way east, the heaviest purse across wales and north—west england over the last hour or so. you see where the best of the sun trainers. that frontal system will continue to make its way to the south—east corner. by then just a band of cloud and a few isolated showers. it will prevent the temperatures falling to four, 17 or

18 overnight. some clear skies for their art and 18 overnight. some clear skies for theirartand a 18 overnight. some clear skies for their art and a bit fresher here. the front yet declared tomorrow. if few scatter showers across parts of the kent coast but behind it, the wind will fall lightly, isobars open up wind will fall lightly, isobars open up and we will have something coming through. a breeze the further north and west, driving showers across scotland and into northern ireland as we go through the day. not quite as we go through the day. not quite as warm here. temperatures ranging from 15—20 c. further south potentially the mid 20s. that is the mid to high 70s. through saturday, another front mid to high 70s. through saturday, anotherfront bringing rain into scotland, northern ireland, gradually bringing a few showers into west wales. 0nce gradually bringing a few showers into west wales. once again it weakens as it pushes its way further south and on saturday they will be a good deal of dry and sometimes sunny weather across eastern and south—east england. 26 degrees not out of question, just shy of 80

fahrenheit. the potential on sunday of seeing more heavy and persistent rain from this low pressure, but it's starting to slow down with each weather model run, which basically means that perhaps out of the beast on sunday it will stay dry, settled and sunny once again, but further west we will start to see the cloud building up, so there will be a change and there will be outbreaks of rain towards the end of the day, potentially turning quite heavy through sunday night. that rain hopefully is going to push its way further east. just before i want to 90, further east. just before i want to go, i want to point out those clear skies i was talking about overnight tonight in the north, just before you go to bed, just have a look out across the skies above you, because you might get a chance of seeing the aurora through the night tonight across scotland and northern england. the sun has been pretty active just recently and so there is active just recently and so there is a strong indication we could see good aurora pictures. send them in! we will show them tomorrow, no

doubt. that's it from me, take care.

this is bbc news, i'm ben brown. the headlines... results day in england, wales and northern ireland — as top a—level grades fall in the first exams since covid — but university admissions are at a near—record high. it was amazing, because not only did i prove to, like, my future uni i can do this, but i've also proven to myself that i can do this. so i'm happy about that. leeds university expresses deep concern for one of its students who faces 34 years of jail in saudi arabia over social media tweets. we'll talk live to a human rights group who's taking up the case. rail workers are on strike once again in their dispute over pay — lots of disruption on the network

across england and wales.