Getting their results, opening their envelopes, and tensions are going to be high. Tens of thousands of ryanair passengers could face disruption today as uk based pilots strike. Our focus on farming continues today with a look at the growing threat from criminals who kill and butcher sheep in fields in order to sell the meat. Researchers can now see processes deep inside the body thanks to a new type of microscope which captures images at unseen levels of detail. And in Sport England begin the third ashes test against australia at headingley this morning. This good morning and welcome to the bbc news at nine. Borisjohnson is in paris today to meet the french president , Emmanuel Macron, for brexit talks as the clock ticks towards britains leaving date of october 31st. Mrjohnson has insisted the backstop which aims to prevent a hard irish border after brexit must be ditched if a no deal exit from the eu is to be avoided. But ahead of the meeting, mr macron warned that reopening negotiations on the backstop was not an option. Yesterday mrjohnson met the german chancellor, Angela Merkel, in berlin. She challenged mrjohnson to find a workable alternative to the backstop in the next 30 days. The Prime Minister said he was more than happy he was more than happy with what he called that blistering timetable. In a moment we will talk to iain watson in westminster, but first to our europe correspondent Damian Grammaticas in paris. Just tell us a bit more about what sort of reception he is going to get from Emmanuel Macron, because the comments he has been making head of the visits dont exactly sound promising. Mr macron has been sticking to his guns, and he has done for two years now. Just around the corner here at the elysee palace, they are preparing for the arrival and police have closed off all the streets and mrjohnson will be greeted by mr macron in the courtyard there. There will be a formal ceremony, much like he had in berlin yesterday. But as you say, mr macron delivering a very simple message. Renegotiation is not possible. Removing the backstop is not workable. The reason mr macron said the eu would not have a sieve in its border, holes in its border just because borisjohnson does not like the backstop. He added that the backstop is there to protect piece on the island of ireland and the eu would not do anything to jeopardise peace in ireland because that was also peace in europe. He said those who play with that are forgetting their history, implying that is a dangerous thing to do. Mrjohnson, if he wants changes, has got to come up if he wants changes, has got to come up with some kind of workable alternative, and that is pretty much what Angela Merkel said yesterday. She didnt promise anything new. 30 days, work at it and try to come up with something. Mrjohnson seemed to accept that, saying the onus was on the uk to come up with ideas and thatis the uk to come up with ideas and that is what we want to do, which is what the european side want to hear. Lets just go to iain watson at westminster for more lets just go to iain watson at westminsterfor more on lets just go to iain watson at westminster for more on this. We are hearing that Emmanuel Macron very much adopting a pretty hard line approach, suggesting there is no way the backstop can be removed or their Withdrawal Agreement to be negotiated. But what about the reaction to that offer from Angela Merkel, coming up with an alternative solution in 30 days . That is right. There are a couple of things to say about that. The first is that although she mentioned 30 days and Boris Johnson is that although she mentioned 30 days and borisjohnson has accepted that blistering timetable, in fact downing street are playing down the a cce pta nce downing street are playing down the acceptance of that blistering timetable. They say the real deadline is mid 0ctober, 0ctober timetable. They say the real deadline is mid 0ctober, october the 17th, when european leaders meet at a european summit, and that is a real deadline for a deal. The other thing is quite simply this. Although the mood music seems to be more upbeat from Angela Merkel than from Emmanuel Macron, we are not sure that you and has really changed. If they do come up with these alternatives to the backstop in the next 30 or a0 days, whichever it happens to be, they are not convinced necessarily that you will advocate reopening their Withdrawal Agreement, which is borisjohnsons bottom line, reopening that dealfor negotiation. Her comments yesterday seems to underline this point. Instead you might talk about the future relationship between the uk and the eu. In other words she will wa nt to and the eu. In other words she will want to amend a much smaller document, the political declaration, which is non binding in legal terms. That would not be acceptable to borisjohnson. In that sense we would still be on course were leaving the European Union without a deal. The other thing which i think its concentrating minds in downing street is whether macron and Angela Merkel are waiting to see what happens in westminster in the next few weeks. Parliament resumes at the beginning of september. Jeremy corbyn is convening a meeting of most opposition leaders and some conservative dissidents next tuesday. They are going to discuss tactics for trying to prevent an ideal outcome and certainly people in downing street are concerned that if there will be any compromises from the European Union then they might be putting that on hold to see how things play out at westminster. No deal outcome. And whatever parliamentarians are trying to do and whatever the opposition is trying to do, he says he will leave on the 31st of october come what may, and it is up to you to see if you can compromise and get a deal over the line. Many thanks for the latest. More than 700,000 teenagers are receiving their gcse results in england, wales and Northern Ireland, amid claims some exams were too hard. Gcses in england have been overhauled in recent years to make them tougher, and a new numerical nine to one grading system has been introduced in some parts of the uk. Headteachers say the new tests have been demoralising for some students. Englands exams regulator insists it is keeping standards the same over time. Lets talk now to our news, education and family correspondent, frankie mccamley, who is at a school in shropshire for us. No doubt they will be waiting anxiously for those results in less then half an hour. Yes, absolutely. I would like to say there is a queue outside the front door but actually there isnt. Peoples will be arriving in the next half an hour. They will be coming to this desk to get there is envelopes that everybody will remember when they came to get their gcse results. They will be opening those and it will be extremely emotional. As you say, we have had big reforms for gcses and we dont have those grades from a star to gee, it is now 129 in england. In wales we have had reforms and new gcses but peoples will still be getting grades a star to g. Will still be getting grades a star to g. It will still be getting grades a star to g. It is now one to nine in england. Some headteachers have come out to say that this disadvantages pupils who are not good at exams and do not do well when it comes to written tests. There is a lot more on exams 110w written tests. There is a lot more on exams now and written tests. There is a lot more on exams 110w and a written tests. There is a lot more on exams now and a lot less on coursework. Talking to me now is sophie, the headteacher of lakelands academy. Thank you forjoining us. What do you think of the criticism of the gcse reforms . Do you think that less advantaged pupils are being put at a disadvantage . that less advantaged pupils are being put at a disadvantage . I think it is absolutely the case that for some of our youngsters, i would say about one third, it has been very difficult to get them through the gcse years. It is hugely challenging and daunting, and frankly for some of theml and daunting, and frankly for some of them i worry that their love of learning is extinguished, not ignited. And i think that is a great tragedy. In schools we will do everything that we can do to try and adapt so that our youngsters can access these reforms which are no doubt more challenging. Thank you very much. Sophie, the headteacher here. As i mentioned, we will be live with some pupils opening their gcse results later on this morning. Frankie mccamley, thank you for joining us. Bbc brea kfasts Jayne Mccubbin is in dorchester. Presumably more anxious pupils there. Are there the same concerns about the new tougher exams . there. Are there the same concerns about the new tougher exams . I mean, there are, arent there . Especially because this morning we are with ryan and tom, and their envelopes are already open. You have done really well and we will chat about that in a minute. We will talk about what this journey is like for children with special Educational Needs and abilities. These new style exams, no coursework and all exams, the pressure was on. Let me summarise for you. You smashed it in english. How do you feel . Well, i wasnt expecting a result so high, so wasnt expecting a result so high, solam wasnt expecting a result so high, so i am very pleased. You got there seven. Well done. And tom . In english language i got a three and when i look back at my practice exams, through year 11 and march, i looked and i was predicted three, and whenl looked and i was predicted three, and when i opened my results this morning i was happy to get three. Very happy . Very, very happy. Lets chat to the mothers now. Toms mum, the new exams, all on paper. As the pressure been on . Absolutely but he has been brilliant and he has taken one exam at a time. A lot of work in a short space of time so the pressure was on. A short space of time so the pressure was 011. You can a short space of time so the pressure was on. You can breathe a sigh of relief today. Maria, ryans mum. What were your expectations at the start of this journey and had he exceeded them . I never thought he would get grade seven and it is phenomenal. He has worked incredibly ha rd phenomenal. He has worked incredibly hard and he thoroughly deserves it, he really does. You wanted to Say Something to mum. Thank you. I could never do it without you. Heartfelt stuff you have your hug. Mel is senco here. Exams are hard for everybody but for kids with Additional Needs it is even harder. It is so hard. There is so much more emphasis on a memory now and all of our children with special Education Needs struggle with their memory. To rememberfor needs struggle with their memory. To remember for merely and quotes is really challenging for them, and the time constraints i really hard. And although they have extra time, it is really difficult for them to be able to perform over that longer period of time. It is notjust about the number on that sheet. It is bad everything else, the life skills. Absolutely and we are really proud of all the skills our students have achieved over the last three years here. They have friends and they meet up with them at the weekends which they have not done before. They have done duke of edinburgh, volunteering and work experience, and they are ready for college. Brilliant. Thank you for your time and we will end with a quick high five and hand back to carole well done to everybody. People who have done to everybody. People who have done pretty well despite the new tougher exams. Well done. Ryanair pilots in the uk have started their a8 hour strike this morning, in a dispute over pay and conditions. It comes after the airline failed in its legal attempt to block the action. Ryanair says passengers will not be disrupted and it plans to run its full schedule of flights. The bbcs mike cowan is at Stansted Airport north of london. That is where many Ryanair Flights are based. 0ur ryanair living up to the promise to run flights as usual . They absolutely seem to be living up to that promise this morning. Inside it is pretty relaxed considering it is the middle of the Summer Holidays and there is a strike action. This is ryanairs and there is a strike action. This is rya nairs busy and there is a strike action. This is ryanairs busy period, the morning time, remember, and it is all going smoothly so far. That was the vow of michael 0leary at ryanair yesterday. That todays schedule would run in full. That is largely because they have brought in ca pta i ns largely because they have brought in captains from different bases around europe. That is because ryanair operates over a50 planes. Every single one of those aircraft is the same model, which means that all those pilots are able to fly the same model, so they have relied on the goodwill of pilots across europe and they thank them for that. They have all come into bases around the uk and they have been able to operate to ryanairs schedule so far today. The real test for michael 0leary and ryanair will come a little bit later today, when schedules might get tighter and delays will kick in, that kind of thing. And also tomorrow. 0ne delays will kick in, that kind of thing. And also tomorrow. One other big question for one of the airline industrys most colourful buses is whether the goodwill of pilots across europe will extend to the second race of pilot walk outs scheduled for later in the year. This was a dispute over pay. Ryanair hit back at those pilots and the balfour union, saying some of the pilots are earning up to £180,000 a year, a huge salary, so why are they walking out over pay . It was important for ryanair, who lost the battle in court yesterday, for the uk, but not for ireland, because flights are working out of ireland, they lost that battle in the uk. It was very important for the airline to save face, and make sure all those flights were operating as scheduled today. So far, at least here at stansted and in other places across the country, liverpool, bristol, glasgow, all the flights seem to be running to schedule, which is remarkable considering 180 pilots have walked out. And a relief for someone like myself who is hoping to catch a Ryanair Flight later mike, thank you for the latest from sta nsted. The headlines on bbc news ahead of talks in paris, the french president , Emmanuel Macron, warns Boris Johnson that reopening the brexit deal is not an option. The waits over for 700,000 students as they get their gcse results this morning. Tens of thousands of ryanair passengers could face disruption today as uk based pilots strike. England will be looking tojofra archer in the test match they cant afford to lose. Processing continues at bury with less than a day to save the League One Club from being kicked out of the football league. Steve dale had turned down an offer to buy the club believing he can secure a better deal before tomorrows deadline. An england face the welsh champions the netherlands in the semifinal of the world hockey championships after beating belarus yesterday. More to come on all of those stories later in the hour. Back to brexit and borisjohnson will seek to persuade the french president of the need to renegotiate the brexit deal when they meet in paris this lunchtime. Joining me now from westminster is mp chris phillip, who sits on the alternative Arrangements Commission, which was set up to explore possible replacements to the backstop. Thank you forjoining us. Angela merkel has said to borisjohnson, 0k, merkel has said to borisjohnson, ok, if you dont want the backstop then you have 30 days to come up with an alternative. You have been looking at this issue. Is that feasible . The alternative Arrangements Commission published its report just Arrangements Commission published its reportjust a few Arrangements Commission published its report just a few weeks Arrangements Commission published its reportjust a few weeks ago and its reportjust a few weeks ago and it is 268 pages long and incredibly detailed and it even includes a d raft protocol detailed and it even includes a draft protocol that you could drop into the Withdrawal Agreement to replace the backstop. What i would suggest is that Angela Merkel urgently read that report and she will see that the alternative arrangements she has called for a laid out in that report in full detail and she does not have to wait 30 days because it is available today. Many people have been saying that the alternative arrangements just dont exist and it all relies on technology which is not yet ready to go. Just explain to us what your plan is to avoid a hard border, given that this will be the new frontier between the eu and the uk if and when we leave the eu. Frontier between the eu and the uk if and when we leave the sum frontier between the eu and the uk if and when we leave the eu. It is not true to say that the alternative arrangements proposed dont exist anywhere else and they are all futuristic. But the report does is it draws on ideas that are in use already in different places around the world. There is no one solution that you can copy and paste because the irish border is unique that it draws on elements of thing is used elsewhere to make that border work. Something can be done immediately but others would take a couple of yea rs but others would take a couple of years to implement. Everything needed is being used somewhere in the world already. If you put that together, it can be made to work. If you put that together on customs declarations, there are already trusted trader programmes and operating around the world, where for Larger Companies they are trusted to fill in declarations for customs purposes at the point of dispatch, which obviously are subject to audit and to checks. That means you dont have to have somebody checking the consignments as they physically cross the border. Similarly when it comes to checking rules of origin, there is a registered exported system where declarations can be made about the origin of components that go into manufactured goods. Some of these technologies are used on the american Canadian Border for larger traders. There are examples you can find around the world which we can use to make that border in Northern Ireland work in a pretty seamless way, even if. One of the biggest issues in ireland is the issue of food and live animals. Dont you still need to have some kind of common arrangement, rules and regulations, across either side of the borderfor that . Regulations, across either side of the border for that . One of the possibilities is you could actually agree to maintain the same Animal Welfare standards in the uk that they have in the European Union. That would clearly deal with the issue. If we didnt want to do that, if we chose to diverge and have different Animal Welfare standards, then you could have the checks done, and you would need to have checks done on the animals going into southern ireland to make sure they complied with european animal safety standards. You can do that away from the border. You can do it in checking centres, and on farms themselves. Under the European Unions existing customs code, it allows for those checks to be done away from the border. For example, when new zealand lamb gets transported into the European Union, into holland for example, the checks on that are not done at the port where it arrives, they are done many miles away from the border, so you can have the checks done away from the border to avoid having any infrastructure on the board itself. But to be honest on arable safety, i would said kingdom has world leading animal safety and that we dont plan to change those. But if you have all those arrangements up and ready to 90, those arrangements up and ready to go, why doesnt the eu simply accept all of this and say that is fine . The problem is that they are not convinced that any of this, all of this, could ensure no hard border. How can that possibly work . The truth is that the last government sadly didnt really push these alternative arrangements. And the European Union, for their part, didnt really want to talk about them. They spent the last three yea rs them. They spent the last three years making all the demands on the backstop and the £39 billion, and they essentially refused to discuss they essentially refused to discuss the detail of alternative arrangements, certainly in the context of the Withdrawal Agreement, which doesnt have any of these things properly considered. It was all kicked into the political declaration to think about in the future. The European Union pretty much refused to talk about these things. Angela merkels, yesterday was especially welcome when she said actually we are now ready to talk about it. I heard from your reporter second ago that french president , Emmanuel Macron, unlike Angela Merkel, didnt want to talk about it but i hope he changes his mind and follows Angela Merkels example and behaved reasonably and discusses the alternative arrangements because they are there. The full report was published a few weeks ago and i would urge Emmanuel Macron to read it as would urge Emmanuel Macron to read itasa would urge Emmanuel Macron to read it as a of urgency. Thank you very much for talking to us from westminster. 0urfocus on farming continues today with a look at a growing problem, livestock slaughtering, where criminals kill and butcher sheep in fields in order to sell the meat. 0ur reporter sam fenwick is on a farm in coalville in leicestershire withjohn stanley, whos been a farmer for as long as he can remember, and his sonjoe, whos also a farmer. Tell us more about what is going on there. Good morning. Welcome to the sta nley there. Good morning. Welcome to the stanley farm, where we have been all week looking at the issues that affect the rural community. Today we are looking at crime. We have talked about the impact of crime on farmers. What impact does it have on you . It is something we are always aware of. We had a break and last week where robbers tried to get in and it is a constant worry. Security is tight on the farm but we live in fear of problems all the time. Is tight on the farm but we live in fear of problems all the timelj believe a farm up the road had cattle stolen recently as well. That is right. Unfortunately farmers are almost uniquely vulnerable to this kind of thing. 0ur businesses are also our homes. Most people might go theirentire also our homes. Most people might go their entire lives without being a victim of crime, unfortunately for farmers it will happen every year. Perhaps every month. It is a fact of life. We have also found some startling facts that show in the last six months alone in three counties in england 735 sheep have been killed and slaughtered in fields like this and the food is getting into the food chain. It has a massive impact on peoples lives. Weve got 500 breeding ewes. 60 breeding cattle. Then we have just over 1000 acres of arable. It keeps us nice and busy. Last month the family that run this farm were devastated when one ewe and 13 lambs were butchered in this field. Theyd been killed in here. There was just blood stains all over the paddock. There was drag marks through the pens, up to the trees, where they had then hung them up and skinned them and done everything there and left the remains for us to find over there. All the other sheep would have seen the lambs being slaughtered and for us that was distressing. We knew it would have been stressful for them and its something well never forget. We were distraught. It was not very nice. A generation ago, sheep rustling was a local crime involving one sheep and a few geese being taken but today its organised crime with sometimes hundreds of sheep being taken in one single raid. Thieves are using working dogs, some of which have been stolen, to round up sheep late at night. Jimmy and esther pritt have 350 dairy cows. They use highly trained dogs to herd the cows when its time for milking, but 12 months ago their beloved dog rabbit was stolen. Shes a very valuable dog. She can work with sheep and cattle to a high standard. Anyone can work her, male or female, which is quite unusual. She will work in the dark, shell work whenever. She was a brilliant dog and your best friend really. You know. Sorry. But, you know, its been very tough. Last year, £2. 5 million worth of animals were stolen from farms across the uk. The police say they take the crime very seriously and theyre investigating where the meat is being sold. We believe its going into the food market somewhere because of the absolute skill of butchery thats happening in the field. Its not ritualistic or anything like that. Its meat thats being slaughtered in an awful way and then being put into the food chain. Have you any idea where the meat that is butchered in fields like this is going . Were following a lot of leaves the public have told us about and that led to executing warrants in the West Midlands areas. Ifi iflam if i am totally honest, while we have a lot of thoughts, there are no ha rd have a lot of thoughts, there are no hard evidence as to where it is going. Butchers and restaurants are being urged to check records carefully to make sure theyre not buying black market meat. 735 sheep slaughtered in the last six months around. Sam is here from the nfu. The police dont seem to know where that food is worrying. Ending up. How worrying is that . Know where that food is worrying. Ending up. How worrying is that7m is extremely concerning. Meat usually has very high quality standards in this country so that it is very concerning for us to know where it is going and we want the police to investigate fully to make sure that we do know those facts. What do you think police can do . You are calling for a national strategy. We would Like Police Officers across the country to Work Together on rural crime. We have found, talking to members across the country, that lots of Police Forces dont Work Together. There are good examples and we would like to see that replicated across the country. Standing next to you is rob taylor from north wales police, where you do have a strategic policing system across the whole of wales. That is right. We have a dedicated Rural Crime Team in north wales and i also know that powys have a dedicated Rural Crime Team, so we have about 80 of wales cupboard, with gwent as well, which works very well and allows us to proactively target criminals. How has this been working . North wales has had a dedicated team for six years and powys just over a dedicated team for six years and powysjust over a year, dedicated team for six years and powys just over a year, and we are sharing the experience that we have got, which is making them come on in leaps and bounds and become a very effective team. And how close are we to having Something Like that operating across the uk . When we started we were one of the only teams in the uk and i believe it is in the 205 now, dedicated Rural Crime Team5. It is up to chief con5table5 to decide what the prioritie5 con5table5 to decide what the priorities are for their force area, especially in rural areas, and north wale5 especially in rural areas, and north wales is extremely rural and it is something we take great pride in policing. The police say if anyone sees something unusual or suspicious, they should get in contact with crimestoppers immediately and that might help to prevent a crime. Many thanks for the latest on a very worrying trend in leicestershire. Now what about the weather . There is a bank holiday looming and it is looking quite positive. Carol kirkwood, tell us all the details. To the north of that rain, blessed with some showers and sunshine. To the south, we have seen some showers, may be replaced by sunshine through the course of the afternoon. Temperatures up to 25 in the south east in the sun but cooler under the rain south east in the sun but cooler underthe rain and south east in the sun but cooler under the rain and wind in the north. As we go through this evening and overnight we will have this rain in parts of scotland and Northern England, moving out of Northern Ireland. Some showers coming out of the thick cloud in the west but under clear skies and temperatures will not fall away that much. Most of us staying in double figures. That leads us into tomorrow and the weekend. We lose the rain eventually from the north of scotland tomorrow leaving us all with a dry day. Really starting to warm up. Heading into saturday and sunday, we see highs in the south east particular up highs in the south east particular up to about 30 celsius. For much of the uk we are looking at the low 20s to the mid 20s. Time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. The anxious wait for gcse exam reults is over this morning for more than 700,000 teenagers in england, wales and Northern Ireland, amid claims some exams were too hard. There has been a slight increase in the pass rate and the numbers getting top grades, though. Lets talk now to our education correspondent, frankie mccamley, who is at a school in shropshire. We keep hearing that the new gcses are much tougher. And yet it seems pupils are doing better than ever. Absolutely. Yes. We had these reforms being brought in to make these gcses tougher but these are still bedding in. We are starting to see the outcomes of these. And weve got the figures from england, wales and Northern Ireland as to how pupils across the country have been doing across the country, with a slight increase in the gcse pass rate. It went up 0. A , 67. 3 . And the percentage of papers getting top grades, it is now seven and above, theres pupils getting top grades has risen by 0. 3 , up to 28. 6 compared to last year. Maths, one of the few subjects that boys are doing better than girls, but that gap is closing slightly. We have got some extra, some pupils to open their exa m extra, some pupils to open their exam results live on air. So, no pressure we will find out how these pupils at la keland pressure we will find out how these pupils at Lakeland Academy have done. Thank you forjoining us, do you want to get your exam results . Sorry to pile on the pressure. Here we go. Many people will remember opening those envelopes years and yea rs opening those envelopes years and years ago. So, what have you got . I got 8 7 combined signs, seven in history, eight in maths, eight nre, five in technology, seven in english language, six in english literature. How your feeling about that . Very happy. Surprise . I didnt expect most of those, mainly english language. Celebrating tonight, then . Yes. Brilliant, one happy pupil. Lets go over to callum. |j yes. Brilliant, one happy pupil. Lets go over to callum. I got six geography, nine math5, 5even biology, eight in physics and chemistry, 5even, computer science, chemistry, seven, computer science, four in english language and literature and and a star, in further maths. How do you feel about that . Very happy surprise . English, i wasnt expecting to pass english these tests were meant to be harder than previous years, how did you find them . I dont really know its not a great answer, but i can do maths, but with english i was always struggling. But you did well in english. I passed which means i can do what i want to do. I want to go on to do a levels. Do what i want to do. I want to go on to do alevels. How are you feeling . I think i am more stressed than he is, it has been a massive struggle for callum, the english. Hes very good at maths, less good at english, so now, he can go and do the four a levels he wanted to, which is brilliant news. Head teacher sophie, how are you feeling . My heart is bursting with pride for both of them and all of them as they are coming in for their results. Behind every step of gcse results is the story of a journey and for callu m the story of a journey and for callum particularly, this is such a happy ending to his story. I could not be more thrilled for both of them, for all of them. Some very happy and brave students opening their gcse results live on television. All very happy with the grades that they have got. Frankly, thank you forjoining us. Delighted to see such happy pupils, after all that we have been seeing. Its great, thank god brexit and the backstop issue is one of the most read stories on the bbc website this morning. And conservative mp, david davis a former brexit secretary has been telling the today programme the thinking behind mrs merkels comments giving borisjohnson 30 days to find an alternative solution to the backstop. It is an indication of her attitude. There have been stories around for some time that she think she made a mistake the december before last, when the irish issue, if you like, the irish block, the backstop, really first surfaced, and she was distracted by her own elections and the aftermath of them. So she didnt, she says pay enough attention. So what you are seeing is attention. So what you are seeing is a constructive german approach. Probably the best outcomes you could have expected from that meeting. Because i expected him to come away with a flea in his ear, because of timing issues. 30 days to do something that we have been unable to do in the last couple of years. Whether it is doable is more down to the European Union than to us. Let me give you an example. At the beginning of this process when i was brexit secretary the irish customs authorities and ours were talking on authorities and ours were talking on a weekly basis, with weekly meetings and so on to sort out what we were due to ensure there would be no border, no new establishments on the Northern Irish border. Then that stop. Round about the time that mr varadkar took over, maybe just after. In the republic of ireland. Absolutely. And it stopped. And if they mean this, they really want to get something done in 30 days, then they should start looking at the very detailed proposals, they have been a number of them around, which they have dismissed. Magical thinking, remember that phrase . They have dismissed. Magical thinking, remember that phrase . |j do, but also i remember that we have been told, ive lost count of the number of times, that, at the last minute, if we hold firm, they will give way. They havent given way and there is no reason to suspect that Emmanuel Macron will today give way. I think it was on this programme i said, it is not the first few years that matter, it is the last few weeks. You did say that. We are not there, yet. You really think that at this stage, after a couple of years of this, of them saying, and every of this, of them saying, and every of them, seeing time and time again, we will not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement under any conditions whatsoever, that they will give way . Is certainly possible. Ever wondered about the etiquette of how to eat a water melon . Heres a clip thats going viral on social media this morning. St augustine alligator farm Zoological Park in florida posted a video on their Facebook Page capturing bomber the alligator showing the power of its jaw. Is if we needed reminding lets look at some of the most watched and read stories on the bbc website. The most red, after the brexit story, we have this question about the swearingen, a texas man executed for a murder, some time ago. Interesting to see another popular story. Us secretary of state mike pompeo praising denmark i made this public dispute over greenland, because if you remember donald trump wanted to buy greenland. He was rebuffed and called off his state visit. So things have not been going well between these two countries. Mike pompeo praising denmark, there. If we move on past some of the gcse stories, some of the most watched stories, some of the most watched stories, an interesting one on the amazon files, the brazilian president , bolsonaro suggesting that some of the ngos themselves are to blame. They have it back with a spokesman from greenpeace saying that the increased deforestation and burning area that the increased deforestation and burning are a result of president bolsonaros environmental policies. 0ne bolsonaros environmental policies. One other, lighter story that is being watched a great deal. This is about nottinghamshire bus driver shaving off half of their hair. This is the key point. The man who has shaved off half of his hair, several of them have done it. The idea is to raise money for charity. Lots of people sharing this. Some passengers somewhat bemused. But it has raised a smile and raised a great deal of money for local hospices. We have some breaking news. Wevejust had some breaking news. Wevejust had some new immigration figures, saying the emigration of eu citizens that the emigration of eu citizens that the uk is at its lowest level since 2013. The other stats we have just got in say that net migration to the uk is 226,000 in the year up to march, and non eu immigration has stabilised over that last year, and it comes after the office for National Statistics said that the level of migration from the eu to the uk had been underestimated and it may have overstated migration from non eu countries, and it says those statistics now should be approached as experimental. So, Big Questions over those new figures and we will bring you more on that as we get it. The weather is coming up but first, lets hear from get it. The weather is coming up but first, lets hearfrom khloe about what is coming up on the Victoria Derbyshire programme. We are investigating facebook groups being used by women to name and shame men who they say have abused them. The intention is that women can warn other women about other negative behaviours are by men from cheating through violence, rape and even child abuse. It is a woman looking out for each other all across the country. Some of the women out there that could be at risk, that could have been wronged. Some men say they have been wronged. Some men say they have been wronged. Some men say they have been falsely accused. There are concerns that privacy and libel laws are being breached. Join us at ten on the bbc news channel, bbc and online. Now the latest from the bbc sports centre. All eyes on headingley today, for the third ashes test. Its not quite a must win for england but its certainly a must not lose. Australia leading 1 0, many seeing this as the key match in the series in teh absence of steve smith. Thats reflected on the back page of the papers. In the times today it says that archer can swing it for us says that archer can swing it for us says joe root. Says that archer can swing it for us sastoe root. In the mirror, another picture ofjoffre archer. Born to be king. Ben stokes featured alongside him. Saying how integral he is to this england team now. And in the sun, an interesting one. Heres jofra, slightly terrifying, like the film, the shining. He has certainly terrify the life out of australia at certain points in that test, and i guess that england will wa nt test, and i guess that england will want more of the same from jofra archer, some impressive bowling which could swing things in englands favour. It is not often you see a player may quite such an Immediate Impact on international cricket. Just a few months ago he had never played for england. But he was a key part of the team that won the world cup. And what an impact he made on his test debut at lords. Five wickets. But it was the manner in which he took those wickets that was so impressive, with that voracious, aggressive pace bowling. That 92 mph bouncer of his that left steve smith concussed, and he, it means that the key australian batsman will miss this match. England will look for more about aggressive pace from jofra archer. England have had concerns about concussion with batsmanjason roy being struck, in the nets on tuesday. He passed concussion test yesterday but he will be assessed again this morning before play starts. England expects that he will be ok to play. But the surrey batsmen 0li pope is here to cover in case he doesnt pass. Steve smith is a major absence for australia, but we anticipate they might make another change to their side. Does that have anything to do with the absence of smith . It will be very interesting. You mention steve smith. Hes obviously out of this match. He will be replaced by manus laubuchane you will be replacing steve smith. We expect that the australian opening batsman Cameron Bancroft will be dropped. He has really struggled in this series. Just aa runs in his four innings. We expect that he will be replaced by marcus harris. Also a suggestion that australia might make a change in their bowling line up as well, possibly a recall forjames pattinson in place of peter siddle. Australia looking to ring the changes. They struggled for large parts of that test at lords. Clearly they feel that they have to make some changes. We had a little bit of drizzle in the air so far this morning. Fingers crossed it is dry at the moment, and play should get under way at 11. It will be great to see a great days play. Thank you, andy smith at headingley. You can listen to ball by ball coverage on test match special from 10 25am. Play getting under way at 11. And in play video highlights alongside the commentary on the bbc sport website. One more win, that is all australia need to retain the ashes. We will have more from andy a little bit later on. Join us for sportsday news channel at 6 30pm. Not a particularly good feel good factor at bury, the day remaining for the club to prove that it can carry on and that it has the finances to do so. They face being kicked out of the football league. Supporters have been pleading for help outside the ground. Hoping that a buyer can be found. 0ne former director handcuffing herself to the stadium in protest. Time is ticking. I need, we need, people, clubs especially, that have the millions, to come forward and save us. Please. Think of the broader picture. Please help us. Emotional scenes. We will be keeping an eye on those developments at bury as we edge towards that deadline. Back to you, carol. The headlines on bbc news. Ahead of talks in paris, the french president , Emmanuel Macron, warns Boris Johnson that reopening the brexit deal is not an option. The waits over for 700,000 students as they get their gcse results this morning. There has been a slight increase in the pass rate despite concerns over harder exams. Tens of thousands of rya nair passengers could face disruption today as uk based pilots strike. Lets get some more on those gcse results. We have been seeing some generally happy pupils picking up those long awaited results this morning. And we have heard in the last half an hour, that the overall pass rate is up despite the fact that they are supposed to be harder. Nick gibbs, the schools minister, joins us from westminster. Thank you for joining joins us from westminster. Thank you forjoining us. Why has the pass rate going up . Up at the idea of these exams was that they were more difficult. It has only gone up 0. A , so it is a small rise. Last week we had the a level pass rate down slightly, the top grades. These small variations will happen from year to year. The key thing is that their stability and we have eliminated grade inflation from the system. That has been achieved. We should congratulate the hundreds of thousands of young people picking up results today. This is the culmination of more than two years of ha rd culmination of more than two years of hard work. They deserve our congratulations. We wish them all the very best. There is a higher percentage getting the top grades. Just explain why this is still happening, despite all we have been hearing about how much harder these exams are. This is a very small rise we are talking about. They vary, from year to year. But they are broadly stable. You could see a small dip next year. This will a lwa ys small dip next year. This will always happen in any particular year. We need to make sure that, when we introduce a new qualification, that the year group taking it for the first time isnt treated unfairly because the schools are not used to it. We have this system called comparative outcomes, which makes sure that broadly speaking the same proportions are achieving the grades as under the old gcses. Thats really what we are seeing, as well. This new system, with all of the focus on the exams at the end of the year, head teachers are saying that this is incredibly stressful for some pupils. And it could lead to some, especially those who are struggling, being disillusioned. Is a much better preparation for the next stage of education. There are teacher surveys that show that teachers like this new qualification, this new gcse. It varies according to subject but they broglie like it. They think it is a better preparation for a level and book the world of work or training or technical qualifications. It also removes the multiple retakes that we we re removes the multiple retakes that we were seeing in the old system, where stu d e nts were seeing in the old system, where students who had taken these exams time and time again, were spending a lot of their year 11 and year ten taking exams, engaged in controlled assessments. All of this was stressful a nd assessments. All of this was stressful and has absorbed a huge amount of teaching time. Now stu d e nts amount of teaching time. Now students can spend the full two yea rs students can spend the full two years studying without exams, then they take the exams at the end of that two year period. This is a much better preparation. But it does put a huge amount of stress and focus on that one day on that one exam, and pupils will know that a huge amount of their future prospects all depend on back. Do you not accept thats going to put a huge amount of mental stress on some pupils . Tests and exams are part of any education system. There is always an element of stress. We dont want young people to be unduly stressed and we trust schools to provide support. And provided they are well prepared and well taught, they shouldnt be suffering any undue stress when they ta ke suffering any undue stress when they take these exams. These exams are designed for the full range of ability. They are also designed, and we consulted carefully, to ensure that they are suitable for children with special Educational Needs. Exam boards have special arrangements put in place for children with particular needs, as well, to make sure that they are accessible for every child and every ability range. What we are seeing on the results todayis what we are seeing on the results today is a significant increase, 3. 7 , in the core academic subjects. We are seeing a 7 increase in entries into computer science, and 8 increase in entries into spanish. These are very good results. They show that our young people are increasingly taking those qualifications that really will provide the best opportunities for them in the future. Nick gibbs, thank you very much indeed for joining us from westminster. Researchers have developed a new type of microscope that is able to take pictures of living organisms in unprecedented detail. Researchers can now see processes inside the body that were previously invisible such as how the flu virus infects us and how blood cells detect cuts and begin the clotting process. 0ur science correspondent, pallab ghosh has this exclusive report. These cells are the Building Blocks of human life. It is where all of our bodys basic processes happening, and it is here that waging wars against the disease is caught. Researchers have developed ways of taking pictures of these processes. Ways of taking pictures of these processes. This gigantic two tonne microscope is transforming our understanding of living processes. It takes something so big to see the tiny atom sized cogs and wheels inside us, in action. Here they are, freezing a flu virus and putting it into the microscope. Thousands of images are taken from different angles, to build up this picture. It is the spikes around the viruses that have not been seen before. These are the bits that puncture the bodys cells in order to infect them with blue. A close up helps researchers target the vulnerable parts of the virus. It is a huge step forward in being able to really see what is going on within structures, therefore you have to either cut them into slices, orjust see the outside. Now we can see the whole object. We use xrays to study the structure of a molecule. Until recently relied on a technique developed 100 years ago, and used throughout the 20th century, to get pictures of biological molecules. It involved blasting them with x rays. The new method enables researchers to see what these important molecules actually do in the body. This is the inside of a blood vessel. The long, wormlike structures burst open when you bleed. It has been described as a rebel resolution revolution. It is clear now that turning this technique on almost any biological problem is providing new information. Researchers have now got a view of biology and action that they have never had before. Back to brexit and borisjohnson will seek to persuade the french president of the need to renegotiate the brexit deal when they meet in paris this lunchtime. Joining me now from westminster is lord ricketts, the former British Ambassador to france. Thank you for talking to us. The comments from Emmanuel Macron ahead of this visit are not exactly encouraging. No, they are not. Yesterday Angela Merkel was very polite and courteous as she always is with borisjohnson. It has been over interpreted, these comments about having 30 days to come up with about having 30 days to come up with a solution. She was saying if you have found an alternative that makes the backstop are necessary, all well and good. You will get the other side of the coin from Emmanuel Macron, who is saying we are not about to open the Withdrawal Agreement. That is done and dusted. If you can come up with a proposal fine, if not, you will have to leave without a deal, and he will make a more direct way of putting his point than Angela Merkel did. Angela merkels offer, clearly that is something which poses a huge challenge. But is there any realistic possibility of the government coming up with something perhaps on the alternative Arrangements Committee that we were hearing about earlier, that produce the big report, with a variety of Different Solutions that could avoid a hardboard . It is good that we should spend a hard border. As a diplomat i welcome the idea of negotiation rather than not. But what she is saying is im not going to ta ke what she is saying is im not going to take the backstop out of the Withdrawal Agreement, but if you can find an alternative that meets our requirements, to keep our single market, its integrity, iwill look at that. That is the holy grail that people have been looking out for the past three years. The likelihood of finding that in the next 30 days in my view is not very high. Unless the tea m my view is not very high. Unless the team have got some new wheeze that none of us know about that they can produce, but at least explore that with the french, germans and others and, if we can find that, then Emmanuel Macron would be happy. He doesnt want to see a no deal brexit either, but i suspect he doesnt believe there any strong likelihood at all that we are going to come up with something that has been searched for and never found. Lord ricketts, thank you for talking to us this morning. Coming up as the Victoria Derbyshire programme, but now, it is time for a look at the weather for the Bank Holiday Weekend with simon king. You will have heard that it with simon king. You will have heard thatitis with simon king. You will have heard that it is warming up over the weekend. For some of us it will be pretty hot, in the south east of england, over the weekend. We have some rain in the forecast. Mainly affecting northern parts of the uk today. Further south, affecting northern parts of the uk today. Furthersouth, drier affecting northern parts of the uk today. Further south, drier and brighter and warmer than yesterday. Me is that rain across Northern England into Northern Ireland. Edging northwards. Here is that rain. It could stay cloudy with little in Northern Ireland with the heaviest rain spreading into the rest of scotland. For the south east, dry and bright and sunny spells and a touch warmer than yesterday to stop for many parts of england and wales, temperatures around 25 celsius. Tonight, rain continues to move northwards with lots of rain to come in the west and north west of scotland. Elsewhere, staying largely driver clear spells. And really quite warm, into friday morning with temperatures into double figures, 12 15d. Friday, still some rain in the far north of scotland. That will clear. For many of us, a dry day on friday with lots of us, a dry day on friday with lots of sunshine, and turning even warmer. Goodbye for now. Hello. Its thursday. Its ten oclock. Im chloe tilley. Today we reveal that thousands of women are posting allegations about abusive behaviour in a series of Facebook Pages known as prick advisor. The main group has more than 100,000 members. Its like a little army of women looking out for each other all across the country. Some other woman out there that could be at risk could be warned. They say they want to protect others but experts say they risk their own safety and that the sites are encouraging false allegations. Another small rise in the numbers awarded top grades at gcse. I got a seven in english language, which i wasnt expecting