Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20240714

Where pupils have been getting their exa m where pupils have been getting their exam results all morning. Ill be speaking to a careers adviser to find out what to do if you didnt get what you expected. Tens of thousands of ryanair passengers could face disruption today as uk based pilots strike. Our focus on farming continues with a look at the growing threat from criminals, who kill and butcher sheep in fields, in order to sell the meat. And 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. Good morning. Welcome to bbc newsroom live. Im carol walker. 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 with what he called that blistering timetable. Our europe correpsondent Damian Grammaticus is in paris ahead of the talks. Around the corner in the alleviate they are preparing for the arrival. Mrjohnson will be greeted by mr macron, there will be a formal ceremony like they had in berlin yesterday but mr macron delivering a simple message, renegotiation not possible, removing the backstop not workable, he said the eu would not have holes in its borderjust because mrjohnson doesnt like the backstop and he added that the backstop and he added that the backstop is there to protect peace in ireland and at the eu would not jeopardise peace in ireland because that was also peace in europe. He said those who play with that art forgetting their history, implying that was dangerous, so he is saying that was dangerous, so he is saying that mrjohnson, if he wants changes, it has to come up with a workable alternative and that is pretty much what Angela Merkel said yesterday, she said there are 30 days, we will work at it, mrjohnson appeared to accept that saying he understood the onus was on the uk to come up with new ideas and he said thatis come up with new ideas and he said that is what we want to do and its what the european side want to hear. 0ur Political Correspondent Helena Wilkinson is in westminsterfor us. The mood music from Emmanuel Macron are not encouraging but what about that offer from Angela Merkel . Is there any sense that she caught the uk side of their god with that offered to Boris Johnson . uk side of their god with that offered to Boris Johnson . I think the expectation before that meeting was that mrjohnson would be going to meet the german chancellor yesterday and he would be putting his case forward, which we know that he wants that Withdrawal Agreement reopened, thats the deal that was agreed between theresa may and the European Union. He wants that it reopened and renegotiated and in particular mrjohnson once the backstop removed, so i think the feeling was that before he went there, the german chancellor would, like mr macron, stick to her guns and say absolutely no further renegotiation over the backstop, the issue with Northern Ireland, but it was a bit more upbeat and a german chancellor said to mrjohnson, if you do have alternatives to the backstop then provide them to us, put them forward, give us the detail of what those alternatives would be and you mentioned she talked about whether that could be done within the next 30 days or so, but you have to ask, has borisjohnson made things trickierfor to ask, has borisjohnson made things trickier for himself, given that 30 day deadline . Downing street says thats not a deadline that has been set by the german chancellor but he is willing to go forward and put forward those alternatives to the backstop but he called it a blistering deadline and said he was willing to go back to them but we have that meeting in the next hour oi have that meeting in the next hour or 0 have that meeting in the next hour or so between mrjohnson and the french president , they will have a working lunch, we expect to hear a few words from them before they go into that working lunch and one can assume given what mr macron said yesterday, setting the tone of how we expect that meeting to go between the two leaders, mr macron sticking to his guns, saying there is no room for renegotiation at all and that the backstop is to remain, so you can expect a trickier conversation between the two men. Helena for now, thank you very much. The anxious wait for gcse exam results is over this morning for more than 700,000 teenagers in england, wales and Northern Ireland. There has been a slight increase in the gcse pass rate and the percentage of top grades this year, despite concerns about the difficulty of exams. The pass rate edged up to 67. 3 in england, wales and Northern Ireland up 0. 4 Percentage Points on last year. The percentage of papers given a top grade seven or a and above rose 0. 3 Percentage Points to 20. 8 on 2018. A new numerical grading system and tougher exams have been introduced in england. In wales many gcses are still graded a to g. And in Northern Ireland, pupils there receive grades in both formats a mix of numbers and letters depending on the exam board. Frankie mccamley is at a school in shropshire for us. Despiteful we have been hearing about these harder exams, it seems pupils are doing better than ever. We do seem to have an increase in some of those top grades which some pupils have been pleased about but the exam boards are moderating the exams the exam boards are moderating the exa ms every year the exam boards are moderating the exams every year to make sure we dont see these big dips or huge amounts of a star or nine grades. I amounts of a star or nine grades. I ama amounts of a star or nine grades. I am a public lands academy in shropshire where we have had some nervous pupils come through the doors after waiting months for their gcse results and there have only been tears of happiness here this morning. Katie and ali, thank you for joining morning. Katie and ali, thank you forjoining us, you just got your gcse results, how did you do . Im really pleased with how ive done, all the hard work has definitely paid off. Can you talk us through some of your results . Ive got 87, which is a a in English Literature, science and maths, and a b in everything else. Do you know what you want to do next . No, im Still Deciding between two colleges but i have the grades to get into both. Lot of this year was based on exam said there was less coursework. Did you prefer the new system . Its much harder because no amount of exams can prep are you, we do mock exams based on the first year so you are never prepared for the amount of exams you do, which is hard but at the same time i did design and technology so we also had coursework which wasjust as technology so we also had coursework which was just as difficult. Technology so we also had coursework which wasjust as difficult. But you have come out with flying colours. And katie, how have you done . |j passed maths, im really happy that i have passed and i can go on to college. How did you find the exams . Was it tough this year, with a lot of weight on those, or did you prefer that . No, i prefer coursework so prefer that . No, i prefer coursework so next year im doing a vocational course in photography. I found the exams hard, i hate them but i passed. So all smiles here. Thank you forjoining us. There was art to pupils who got the results they wa nted pupils who got the results they wanted and are both going on to couege wanted and are both going on to college but what if you dont get the exam results you wanted . Claire is the careers adviser here at lakelands. Is the careers adviser here at la kelands. If a is the careers adviser here at lakelands. If a pupil does better than expected, what would you tell them to do . We would say to contact them to do . We would say to contact the college they applied to and chat to admissions and there may be a course at a higher level they could go on to so it depends on the entry requirements but there is that possibility if someone has done better that they might fit in a higher level course. You have had some pupils come to you with that this morning. We have, and its good to be able to support the students in their next choice of what they will do. What are peoples dont get the grades they want and they might not be able to go into the college oi not be able to go into the college or course they wanted . Not be able to go into the college or course they wanted . The advice is similar, people can either contact the college and explained the results and there may be a lower level course they can do for a year and then go up onto the course level they expect in the first place, or they expect in the first place, or they can go to the enrolment day which is usually to or in a few days, go along with their gcse results, explain their situation and the college will advise what other course is available at a level suits them. Nowadays they are pushing different types of courses, apprenticeships, lots of different avenues at the age of 16. What are the avenues available . Options available to School Leavers now or sixth forms, further education coueges sixth forms, further education colleges which offer more vocational courses along with sometimes a levels, training providers which get People College ready for work ready, so People College ready for work ready, so people can retake their english or maths, brush up on skills, build confidence and then move on to an apprenticeship the following year once they have built those skills up, and equally liver apprenticeships, if people feel they wa nt apprenticeships, if people feel they want to get out there and start earning a living and get their independence, they can go straight into apprenticeships. Thank you, claire, with different options for those pupils who have got their results today and looking at what to do in the future. Frankly, thanks. The education minister, nick gibb has been telling us why the overall pass rate has gone up, despite the fact that the exams are supposed to be harder. Its only gone up by about 0. 4 so its a very small rise. Last week we had the a level pass rate and that was down slightly, the top grade, so the small variations will happen from year to year, the key thing is that there is stability in the system, that we have eliminated grade inflation from the system and that has been achieved but we should congratulate the hundreds of thousands of young people who are picking up their results today, this is the culmination of two years of hard work and they deserve our congratulations and we wish them the very best. And there is a higher percentage getting that top grades. Explain to us why this is still happening despite all we have been hearing about how much harder these exams are. This is a very small rise youre talking about, they vary from year to year but they are broadly stable. You could see a small dip next year. This will always happen in a particular year but what we make sure happens is that when you introduce a new qualification, the year group taking that qualification for the first time isnt treated unfairly because the schools arent as used to it, so we have this system called comparative outcomes that make sure that broadly speaking the same proportions are achieving the grades as under the old gcses, and thats really what we are seeing as well. This new system, and with most of the focus, all the focus on the exams at the end of the year, head teachers say this is very stressful for some pupils and could lead to some, especially those who are struggling, being disillusioned. Its a much better preparation for the next stage of education and there are teachers surveys that show teachers like this new qualification, new gcse, it varies according to subject but they broadly like the new gcse and think it is a better preparation for a level and for the world of work with training or technical qualifications. It also removes the multiple retakes we were seeing in the old system where students were taking these exams time and time again, spending a lot of their year ii and year 10 taking exams, engaged in whats called controlled assessment. All this was stressful and absorbed a huge amount of teaching time. Now students can spend the full two years studying without exams and then they take exams at the end of that two year period. This is a much better preparation. If youre looking for help or advice, whether youre a student or a parent or carer the bbcs chatbot is here to help. You can find it on the bbc news website. The hadlines 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. Theres been a slight increase in the pass rate, despite concerns over exams being harder. And tens of thousands of ryanair passengers could face disruption today as its pilots based in the uk go on strike. And in sport, the start has been delayed for the third ashes test. The covers have been on and off and on again at headingley. England did winded toss and were due to bill but it is still raining. England at the same team who played at lords last weekend. Australia made three changes. Cameron bancroft is dropped and james panton Cameron Bancroft is dropped and james pa nton returns Cameron Bancroft is dropped and james panton returns for the bowling attack instead of peter siddle. And wayne rooney was sent off for dc united last night after clashing with red bull player in the penalty area. They went on to lose 2 1. I will be back with more at 11 30am. A 48 hour strike by ryanair pilots in the uk is under way, in a dispute over pay and conditions. It comes after the airline failed in its legal attempt to stop the action. Ryanair says passengers will not be disrupted and it plans to run its full schedule of flights. 0ur reporter Michael Cowan has been spending the morning at Stansted Airport. So far it is pretty relaxed, this is normally ryanairs so far it is pretty relaxed, this is normally rya nairs busy so far it is pretty relaxed, this is normally ryanairs busy period and this was the plant that todays schedule would run in full. Largely thats because they have brought ca pta i ns thats because they have brought captains in from around europe, ryanair operate over a50 captains in from around europe, rya nair operate over a50 planes captains in from around europe, ryanair operate over a50 planes and every one of those aircraft is the same model so all those pilots can fly the same model so they have relied on the goodwill of pilots across europe, they thank them for that and they have all come into bases around the uk and have been able to operate ryanairs schedule and it seems the real test for michael 0leary and ryanair will come later today when schedules might get tighter when delays kick in and also tomorrow, but other Big Questions for one of the airline industrys most colourful bosses is will the goodwill of those pilots extend to the second wave of plant walk outs scheduled for Early September . This is all in a dispute over pay, they decided to walk out. Ryanair hit back at those islets and the union sent some of them are earning up to £180,000 a year, a huge salary, why are they walking out . So it was important for ryanair, who out . So it was important for rya nair, who lost out . So it was important for ryanair, who lost this battle in court yesterday for the uk but not for ireland, they lost that battle in the uk so it was important for the airline to save face and make sure all those flights were operating as scheduled today and so far, at least here at stansted, liverpool, bristol, glasgow, all theirflight seem liverpool, bristol, glasgow, all their flight seem to be liverpool, bristol, glasgow, all theirflight seem to be running to schedule which is remarkable considering 180 pilots have walked out. The number of eu citizens coming to the uk is at its lowest level for six years, according to figures from the office for national stastistics. The net figure of eu nationals arriving in the uk has fallen to 59,000 a year. Its the lowest level of eu migration to the uk since 2013 overall net migration, which also counts people migration, which also counts people from the rest of the world and returning british nationals, stands at 226,000 a year that figure is more than 100,000 lower than the records set in the year before the referendum. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Dominic Casciani is here with me now. Lots to talk about, just explain the key figures here. Migration figures can be complicated so lets go through these. The major headline is immigration to the uk is at its lowest level since 2013 so that shows how quickly migration can change and if we look at two of the key figures here, the number of people who have come into the uk in the year to march 2019, people arrived during that year but then 385,000 people left and thats where you get the net migration figure which adds 226,000 people to the population if your maths is quick enough. Thats considerably lower, 100,000 lower than we were the year before the referendum went migration was such a big deal in political debates. The interesting thing in these figures is whats happening with Eastern European workers. We know a lot of the referendum was driven by concerns over the number of Eastern Europeans in the uk, businesses said they had been a good thing, there are now more Eastern Europeans leaving in any given year than arriving to work, about 7000 110w. Than arriving to work, about 7000 now. Thats not just than arriving to work, about 7000 now. Thats notjust because of concerns over brexit, it is also indicative of the strength of the polish economy and the weakness of the pound so Young Workers are going for the opportunities are and lots of these workers are going home. But there is a lot of concern that these figures might not be accurate. Because yesterday the office of National Statistics which put these figures together had to concede in a Public Statement that these figures would be branded as experimental and no longer officially known as national districts, the figures that policymakers rely upon to come up with polities which drive the nation, because there has been analysis going on for a few years, greatly influenced by a number of experts outside government who say there are problems with the figures around you migration and yesterday the ons around you migration and yesterday the 0ns conceded it had been underestimating you migration for a good part of the last decade, over estimating non eu migration so its difficult to know for sure exactly whats going on and that will play a big role for ministers because if they dont know what the figures are, its difficult to draw up a policy which makes sense in relation to the wider needs of the economy. It seems extraordinary given all the focus on this, that controversial target to get net migration below 100,000, the other striking thing we see here is what a small and diminishing proportion of net migration is actually from the eu. They are a small component because migration from the rest of the world has gone up, partly because of the number of students coming to study in the uk, thats big money for universities and brings talented people here, its been an interesting reaction from a group called Migration Office at oxford university, internationally recognised experts and they have called out the home secretary saying they do not believe that priti patel cant introduce any meaningful restrictions on brexit day on freedom of movement. This was announced as a policy in the past week, that freedom of movement would end on the 31st of october assuming we are leaving, what the Migration Office team have said is that given what we now know about the figures and a lack of any coherent government scheme for counting people in or out, employers wont be able to distinguish between eu nationals who were already in the uk and those who arrive afterwards until the big settlement scheme the home office is rolling out is completed and that will not be until 2020 so they are raising concerns at the idea of ending freedom of movement is not doable. Dominic, thank you. Staff at Hong Kong Based Airline Cathay pacific have told bbc news they fear their workmates will report them if they express support for hong kongs pro democracy protestors. Earlier this month the airline warned staff they could be fired if they supported or participated in the protests, which they class as illegal. Several workers suspected of getting involved in the rallies have already been sacked. Small pieces of plastic debris found in Drinking Water do not appear to pose a health risk at current levels. Thats according to the World Health Organizations first ever report into microplastics, which have been found in rivers, lakes, Drinking Water supplies, and bottled water. The organisation says the findings are based on limited information and called for Greater Research on the issue. The uk government has to do more to tackle Climate Change if it is to meet its legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050 according to a report by mps. The commons science and Technology Committee is criticising moves like cuts to grants for low emissions cars and the freezing of fuel duty while train and bus fares rise. The government says it is working to put in place the right measures to help tackle Global Warming and will consider the committees findings. Joining me now from norwich is the liberal democrat mp and chair of the science and Technology Committee, sir norman lamb. Thank you for talking to us. One of the key findings of this report is that people should do more to travel less by ca r. That people should do more to travel less by car. How realistic is that . You represent a rural could adjoin sake and many people in areas like that will say its all very well but in rural areas there is no alternative. We are looking at the longer term when we make the point that we have to start thinking about transport systems of the future where we rely less on cars. Its absolutely vital and as a representative of a rural area, we must not disadvantage People Living outside towns and cities, but there is so much more we can do, especially in towns and cities, as you indicated, the government has frozen fuel duty for nine years but a bus and train fares to go up every year throughout that period and indeed cut the funding for Rural Bus Services so we need to get the balance right, we need to be doing more to incentivise people to use public transport, more to incentivise people to buy electric vehicles, im taking delivery of one next month but its way out of the price range for many people so we need to make it more accessible if we are to confront this existential challenge, we all need to remember why we are doing this and that is that if we dont achieve the net zero target that the government has led had four by 2050, there are potentially catastrophic consequences. The government says it is doing all it can to tackle Climate Change and is going further and faster than many other economies but if we look at Something Like fuel duty, at a time when many citizens are under pressure, a hike in fuel duties would be hugely unpopular. But they have height, to use your word, bus and rail fares, and that is stupid if we are trying to encourage people to use public transport more often, and they have cut other financial incentives, for example we could be doing more through stamp duty when people buy and sell homes to improve the Energy Efficiency of our homes. They ended the feed in tariff, the mechanism to pay people for generating electricity through solar panels, so the rate of installation of new solar panels has fallen off a cliff. This is ridiculous when the government says it is doing all it can, the evidence is against them, they have done the right thing in legislating for a net zero target by 2050 but you have to have the means as well as the end. As part of the problem is not just as well as the end. As part of the problem is notjust Central Government but local councils, they are strapped for cash and many have reduced the funding they are providing to help local rural transport . Thats right but the money they use to help fund rural transport, much of it ultimately comes from the government and the government grants to local authorities have reduced in real value significantly over the years, so it comes back to their responsibility on Central Government to get all the policies in place to deliver the target they themselves have set but also to do more to put pressure on local authorities, we say every local authority should be under a statutory duty to set out a plan for how they can contribute to decarbonising the economy in their areas. I feel decarbonising the economy in their areas. Ifeel in norfolk we have decarbonising the economy in their areas. I feel in norfolk we have a low lying county, many communities are at or below sea level, the consequences of rising sea level puts them at threat, so for the future of our planet and for the future of our planet and for the future of our communities, we have to ta ke future of our communities, we have to take action. Certain norman lamb, thank you forjoining us. Now its time for a look at the weather with simon king. Many of us would enjoy the fact this weekend is dry and bright and pretty one, temperatures into the high 20s, maybe 30. For today sunshine across southern areas, northern parts of the uk with outbreaks of rain, quite drizzly and Northern England, the rain edging north and heavy downpours and the west of scotland, maximum to purchase 18 or 19 any north but one in the south than yesterday, highs of 25 in the sunshine. Rain continues across the west overnight, moving north and eventually cleaning during friday but overnight quite a one night, temperatures in double figures but, between 12 and 15. One of on friday, the rain cleaning and dry for most, lots of sunshine particularly from the south and temperatures up to 26 celsius. Hello this is bbc newsroom live. The headlines. Ahead of talks in paris, the french president , Emmanuel Macron, warns Boris Johnson that reopening the brexit deal is not an option. Gcse students celebrate a slight increase in the pass rate and the percentage of papers getting top grades despite concerns about the exam getting harder. Tens of thousands of ryanair passengers could face disruption today as uk based pilots strike. 0urfocus on farming continues with a look at the growing threat from criminals, who kill and butcher sheep in fields, in order to sell the meat. And researchers can now see processes deep inside the body thanks to a new type of microscope which captures images at unseen levels of detail. Sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. Good morning. The start has been delayed. The starts delayed for the third ashes test the covers have been on and off and on again at headingley, england won the toss and will bowl. Play was due to get under way in the next few minutes but it is raining. The starts delayed for the third ashes test the covers have been on and off and on again at headingley, england won the toss and will bowl. Play was due to get under way in the next few minutes but it is raining. Better weather is forecast for this afternoon. England are the same team that played at lords last weekend. gfx but australia have three changes. Weekend. But australia have three changes. 0pener Cameron Bancroft is dropped for marcus harris. And James Pattinson returns to the bowling attack instead of peter siddle. Marnus labuschagne is in for the injured steve smith. And you can listen to full match commentary with on test match special on five live sports extra. They are on air right now and there will be in play video highlights alongside the commentary on the bbc sport website. Wayne rooney was shown a straight red card after elbowing the face of an opponant in d. C uniteds 2 1 loss to new york red bulls. The referee missed the incident where englands all time top scorer hit red bull defender Christian Casseres with his forearm during a corner. It was reviewed by var and rooney was sent off in the 2ath minute. Its the second red card of his mls career. Rooney will leave d. C united this year after agreeing to join derby county injanuary. 12 Million Pounds for four days work. Thats what the winner of golfs tour championship will pocket this week the final event of the pga tour. Rory mcilroy is in contention for it too. Thursdays thought of the day from rory mcilroy coming up saying money cant buy you happiness. I was listening to music on the way here and it was a song called middle child and it topped about the medics about him having money but what does about him having money but what does a mean if you cannot have the people you want with you living the same way. That is one of the luxuries of having money is you can help others that you love and share it around and it doesnt all have to be about you. That is the cool thing. Welljustin thomas leads the standings after his victory at medinah last week. That win means thomas will start the championship with a score of 10 under par, two shots ahead of Patrick Cantlay whos second in the standings and three ahead of world number one brooks keopka. Rory mcilroy, whos fifth, will start five shots behind thomas before a ball is even hit, and hes not sure if the new format is as good as the previous points based system. Everybody knows what they have to do to get here, it is not like it is hidden. And 17 i won five times one of them a major and one was a play off event and i still must end when the fedex cup so it is not like it is handed to you, you have to earnit it is handed to you, you have to earn it and play well when the time is right, just like the majors, you know at the start of the season have to play well in the play offs and the fact that is known nobody should feel sorry for anybody. Thats all the sport for now. Ill have more for you in the next hour. Back to brexit and Boris Johnson is in paris today where hell try to persuade Emmanuel Macron to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement. The Prime Minister has insisted the backstop which aims to prevent a hard irish border after brexit must be ditched if a no deal exit is to be avoided. But the french president has insisted that the brexit deal cannot be reopened. Earlier i got the view of sir Peter Ricketts the former uk ambassador to france on the Prime Ministers second foreign visit in as many days yesterday Angela Merkel was very polite and courteous as she always is with borisjohnson. It has been all but interpreted these comments about having 30 days to come up with about having 30 days to come up with a solution, i think she was saying to him if you can find an alternative that makes this backstop are alternative that makes this backstop a re necessary alternative that makes this backstop are necessary then all well and good. I think he will get the other side of the coin from emanuel macron who will be saying were not going to reopen the agreement, that is with dunn and dusted and if you cannot come up with proposals you will have to leave without a deal and he will make it more direct. Angela merkel was my offer is something which poses a huge challenge but as there any realistic possibility of the government coming up possibility of the government coming up with something from the alternative Management Committee we we re alternative Management Committee we were hearing about the produced a big report with a whole variety of Different Solutions that could avoid a hardboard. It is good we should spend 30 days negotiating, i welcome the idea as a diplomat of the cheating but what she was saying as iam not cheating but what she was saying as i am 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 then i will look at them. That is a holy grail people have been looking at for three years so the likelihood of finding that ending next 30 days in my is not very high unless the team have some new plan none of us know about but at least lets explore that with the french and germans and others and if we can find that then macron will be happy as well, he does not want a no deal brexit either but i suspect he doesnt believe there is a strong likelihood to be will come up with something that has been a search for and never found. 0urfocus on farming continues today with a look at a growing problem livestock slaughtering which is where criminals kill and butcher sheep in fields in order to sell the meat. Earlier i wasjoined by our reporter sam fenwick whos been on a farm in coalville, in leicestershire. Welcome to the stanleys farm where as you say weve been all week looking at the issues that affect the Rural Community and today were looking at crime and weve talked about you know the impact of crime on farmers. What impact does it have on you . Its something were always aware of. We had a break in last week where robbers tried to get in and its a constant worry and security is tight on the farm. But we live in fear of problems all the time. And joe i believe a farm up the road had some cattle stolen fairly recently as well. Yeah thats right. I mean unfortunately farmers are almost uniquely vulnerable to this sort of thing. You know our businesses are also our homes. And whereas some people you know most people perhaps might go their entire lives without being a victim of crime. Unfortunate for farmers. It will happen every year. Perhaps it will happen every month. Its a fact of life. Weve also found some startling facts that show that 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 and then we have a thousand acres of arable so 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 bloodstains. All over the paddock. There was drag marks through the pens up to the trees. Where theyd then hung them up and skinned them and done everything there and left the remains to find over there. All the other sheep would have seen the lambs being slaughtered and that for us was stressing we knew that it had been stressful for them. Its something that well never forget. It was it was just 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. Shes she can work with sheep and cattle to a high standard. Anyone can work her male or female which again is quite unusual. And in the dark. Shell work whenever she is. She was a brilliant dog and and your best friend really. You know its so 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 they re 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 put into the food chain. Have you any idea where the meat that is butchered in fields like this is going . Weve followed up quite a lot of leads that the public are now telling us and that leads us to some executing some warrants in the West Midlands area but if im totally honest whilst weve got lots of thoughts theres no hard evidence as to where its going. Butchers and restaurants are being urged to check records carefully to make sure theyre not buying black market meat. So 735 sheep slaughtered in the last six months alone. Sam is here from the nfu. Sam the police dont seem to know where that food is ending up, how worrying is that . Its extremely concerning because that meat will be being consumed by people somewhere. And usually meat has really high quality standards standards in this country. So its really concerning for us to know where that meat is going and we want the police to investigate fully to make sure we do know those facts. What do you think the police can do . I mean youre calling for a kind of national strategy. We do. We would Like Police Officers across the country to Work Together on rural crime because we found talking to our members across the country that lots of Police Forces dont Work Together. There are good examples and wed like to see that replicated across the country. Standing next to you is Robert Taylor from north wales police. Where you do actually have a kind of strategic policing system across the whole of wales. Yeah thats right weve got a dedicated Rural Crime Team in north wales and also i manage a parish also have a dedicated Rural Crime Team. So weve got about 80 of wales covered with gwent as well covering rural aspects. And it works extremely well and allows us to gather informations which share intelligence and actively proactively target criminals. And how long has this been operating in north wales had a dedicated team and how long has this been operating . North wales had a dedicated team now for six years under your powers its just over a year but the close working partnership weve had in sort of share an experience that weve had this has made them come on leaps and bounds and and theyre fully up and running now and a very, very effective team. And how close are we then to having Something Like that operating right across the uk . I think when we started we were one of the only teams in the uk at that time and i believe its in the 205 now where dedicated Rural Crime Teams of course its up to individual chief constables to decide what their priorities are for their force area and how rural their force areas of course north wales and gwent extremely rural. So its something that we take great pride in policing. Thank you both very much forjoining us. Now the police say that if anyone sees anything unusual or suspicious they should get in contact with crimestoppers immediately and that might help prevent a crime. In a moment well have all the business news, but first 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. This is the scene outside the elysee palace in paris where the two leaders will be speaking the waits over for 700,000 students as they get their gcse results this morning. Theres been a slight increase in the pass rate, despite concerns over harder exams. And ourfocus on farming continues with a look at the growing threat from criminals, who kill and butcher sheep in fields, in order to sell the meat. In the business news. Ryanairflights in and out of uk airports took off as normal this morning despite strikes by pilots. Thousands of passengers were braced for disruption ahead of a a8 hour walkout over pay and conditions. Fracking at the uks only active site has been halted after the largest tremor yet recorded. Seismic activity with a magnitude of 1. 55 was detected at the preston new road site near blackpool on wednesday night, according to energy firm cuadrilla. Disappointing news for laura ashley the fashion and Furniture Store fell into a full year loss following a sharp fall in sales across its furniture and decorating lines. Like for like sales of beds, sofas, mirrors and cabinets dropped by 9 in the year to the end ofjune. Immigration to the uk from the European Union has remained at its lowest level since 2013, according to the latest estimates from the office for National Statistics. Its thoughts to be mainly because of a drop in the number of eu citizens coming to the uk for work. The latest figures also reveal that more Eastern European nationals are emigrating than arriving in the uk. 0verall net migration which counts people from the rest of the world and returning british nationals stands at 226,000 a year. Joanne hennessy is legal director for Pinsent Masons wonder you make of these figures . They are interesting, they show that migration figures have remained relatively stable but it chats a fairly steady decline in migration to the uk from the eu and it is the lowest level since 2013. That is quite interesting, they show that the hardest reason the greatest drawer to the uk remains a work in the uk with as for non european nationals study remains the key driverfor nationals study remains the key driver for coming nationals study remains the key driverfor coming here. It is hard to read into that in terms of the actual reasons but with a backdrop of real ongoing uncertainty around brexit going for what it is reasonable to suggest that could be a driver and changing decisions. How liable are these figures . Yesterday we had figures in the past you years until 2013 have been understated. They announced figures have been reclassified as experimental and thatis reclassified as experimental and that is worrying. This has been a key focus for the formulation of immigration policy in the uk, it is an area we have all been watching closely in the context of brexit. They suggest that although the figures are slightly skewed overall the difference is probably balance things out but it is a concern that thatis things out but it is a concern that that is what we are looking to when we are formulating. There are various sources used to formulate the statistics and they diverted various points and one of the key aspects looked at as questioning people when they come into the uk about their intentions and how the wrong they intend to stay and the reality is people change their minds so that is not really inaccurate measure for a gathering of that data and it has become clear we have not been looking at this sadly accurate figures. Lane necessarily accurate figures. Lane necessarily accurate figures. Thank you. A look at the days other big biz stories and qantas will run Test Services of its planned 19 hour flights to determine whether passengers and crew can withstand the marathon journeys. The airline wants to operate Non Stop Services from sydney to london and new york by as soon as 2022. If launched, the services would be the worlds longest direct flights. The uk will sign a continuity trade agreement with south korea on thursday, allowing businesses to keep trading freely after brexit. International trade secretary liz truss will sign the agreement with her south korean counterpart in london. The two countries agreed to a preliminary deal injune, marking the first post brexit deal secured in asia. Holiday Home Rental Company hoseasons has announced moves to ban homophobic and racist clients. The group, which arranged holidays for 1. 7 Million People at 660 destinations in britain and across europe last year, said that it was modernising its brand. Simon altham, the chief portfolio officer of its Parent Company awaze uk has been quoted as saying if u are homophobic or racist hoseasons isnt the brand for you londons ftse 100 fell on thursday as minutes of the latest Us Federal Reserve meeting dampened hopes of a hefty cut in Interest Rates in september, though nmc health soared on a report that two firms had offered to buy a stake in the company. Thats all the business news. 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 are happening, and it is here that waging wars against disease is fought. Researchers have developed 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. In order to infect them with flu. 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 x rays 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 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 of biology in action that they have never had before. The Prime Minister is meeting the french president for lunch in paris, lets look at the scene live. Poised and ready, we are expecting a dancing to arrive for that lunch shortly expecting the he is coming from berlin and talked with Angela Merkel who wants to see alternative management to the irish backstop in the next 30 days. President macron has been rather less upbeat about the prospects of change saying that any kind of renegotiation for the Withdrawal Agreement is simply not an option. They are certainly laying on the ceremonial at the palace, the elite due to have lunch and speaking to the media afterwards and we will bring that to you. The truly does it due to have now its time for a look at the weather. Drier and warmer weather on the way for the bank holiday, over the next days High Pressure moving west, blocking the weather fronts from coming to far into the uk but you can see on the satellite struggled across northern parts of england giving outbreaks of rain at the moment. Rain edging north across Northern Ireland into the west of scotland, turning heavy later but for the south and east there is drier and brighter weather, sunshine and feeling warmer than yesterday, tem ptress and feeling warmer than yesterday, temptress up to 25 and the further north and west up into the high teens. Through the night main edges north, heavy outbreaks across the west of scotland, elsewhere clear skies into friday morning, quite a warm night, temperatures not falling into single figures so up at about 12 to 15. Through friday the rain edges north, becoming confined to the Northern Isles later so dry for most and some sunshine particularly across the southern half of the uk. Temperatures in the low to mid 20s, up temperatures in the low to mid 20s, up to 26 or 27 and london, further north and west rising at about between 19 and 21. Into the weekend the weather systems around Western Areas but High Pressure establishing, meaning the features are quite weak but with the south easterly wind is going to one up south easterly wind is going to one up at temperatures will be up to 30 celsius in the south east over the weekend, we havent been above 30 degrees since the record breaking day on the 25th ofjuly. Saturday the weather front as to the west, drier most and bright with sunshine for england and wales, sparkling with temperatures in the mid to high 20s, with temperatures in the mid to high 205, 3a with temperatures in the mid to high 20s, 3a the south east and Northern Ireland it is going to be pretty warm. To sunday, very similar, lots of sunshine for many and for a Bank Holiday Monday temperatures coming down a little but still a very warm or hot day for most, even across scotla nd or hot day for most, even across scotland and Northern Ireland with temperatures into the 20s. Youre watching bbc newsroom live. Its midday and these are the main stories this morning Boris Johnson is preparing for talks with the french president , Emmanuel Macron. This is the scene in paris where the two leaders are expected to meet in the next few minutes. Well bring you that live. Gcse students celebrate a slight increase in the pass rate despite concerns about the exams getting harder. Ryanair says nearly all its flights to and from british and irish airports went ahead without disruption this morning despite its uk based pilots being on strike. 0urfocus on farming continues with a look at the growing threat from criminals, who kill and butcher sheep in fields in order to sell the meat. And researchers can now see processes deep inside the body thanks to a new type of microscope which captures images at unseen levels of detail. Good afternoon. Welcome to bbc newsroom live. Im carol walker. Borisjohnson is in paris to meet the french president , Emmanuel Macron, for brexit talks, as the clock ticks towards britains leaving date of october 31st. Mrjohnson has insisted that the irish backstop which aims to prevent a hard border after brexit must be ditched if a no deal exit from the eu is to be avoided. But ahead of the meeting, which were expecting to see in the next few moments, mr macron warned that reopening negotiations on the backstop was not an option. Lets go live to paris now, where borisjohnson is meeting Emmanuel Macron. This is the scene on the steps of the elysee palace, plenty of pomp and ceremony as you would expect in the french capital but certainly a pretty ha rd the french capital but certainly a pretty hard line ahead of those talks from Emmanuel Macron and we will be going to that life when the two lea d e rs will be going to that life when the two leaders appear. They are due to speak to the media a little later after their lunch but earlier damian grammaticas, in paris, told me what to expect. Mr macron has been sticking to his guns, as he has fought two years now. Around the corner in the elysee they are preparing for the arrival. They have closed off all the streets. Mrjohnson will be greeted by mr macron, there will be a formal ceremony like they had in berlin yesterday but mr macron delivering a simple message renegotiation not possible, removing the backstop not workable, he said the eu would not have a sieve, holes in its border just because mrjohnson doesnt like the backstop and he added that the backstop is there to protect peace in ireland and that the eu would not jeopardise peace in ireland because that was also peace in europe. He said those who play with that are forgetting their history, implying that was dangerous, so he is saying that mrjohnson, if he wants changes, it has to come up with a workable alternative and that is pretty much what Angela Merkel said yesterday, she said there are 30 days, we will work at it, mrjohnson appeared to accept that, saying he understood the onus was on the uk to come up with new ideas and he said that is what we want to do and its what the european side want to hear. While we wait for borisjohnson to arrive for those talks, Helena Wilkinson is at westminster for us and we expect to see borisjohnson and we expect to see borisjohnson and Emmanuel Macron shortly but the expectations from Boris Johnsons tea m expectations from Boris Johnsons team ahead of this meeting clearly not very high after what we been hearing from Emmanuel Macron in the last few and hours. Yes, the french president was Briefing Journalists about his position in terms of what borisjohnson was suggesting. Mr macron is saying the Withdrawal Agreement, thats the deal agreed between theresa may and the eu, that will not be reopened, the backstop will not be reopened, the backstop will not be reopened, the backstop will not come out of that deal and to put it simply, mr macron is saying there is no room for renegotiation. Borisjohnson is going to meet him, we think in the next couple of minutes he should be arriving there, he is under no illusion as to what the french president is thinking that what we can expect when he arrives, his car will arrive. I will stop you for a moment because we are looking at live pictures from paris and there we have the french president , Emmanuel Macron, has just emerged, there we are, pretty warm handshake. The two of them smiling and shaking hands. Body language is pretty warm, although the signals we had been hearing from the french president ahead of this meeting have been pretty ha rd ahead of this meeting have been pretty hard line. Suggesting there is no question of reopening the Withdrawal Agreement. They are coming overfor a quick word so lets have a listen. Translation ladies and gentlemen, im pleased to receive Prime Minister borisjohnson here in paris. His first visit to france since he took office. We had opportunities to talk on the telephone couple of hours after you took office as Prime Minister and im pleased that today we have a chance to discuss more. Please allow me to see first and foremost that the relationship between our two countries is essential and immutable no matter the circumstances. If it comes to foreign policy, defence and your decision to come to paris embodies the necessity for us in this privileged relationship, with a long history treaties between our two countries which go beyond the European Union and there are some commitments and engagements in ongoing crises we will have to deal with together like iran and the fight against Climate Change, girls education. The engagement of both our countries together has always been confident and remains essential. At the g7 discussions we will also be able to coordinate on these matters. We will also inevitably talk about brexit and you know my position in this respect, i am were laces on your mind day in day out. First, my position has a lwa ys day out. First, my position has always been to respect the sovereign choice made by the british people leave the European Union, had i been out british voter i would have made a different choice but i respect democracy and the wishes of people and therefore i believe we have to implement this choice. My position consists in strengthening european project, the civil market, or ability to build a stronger and more sovereign European Union, this is why i have always worked so we would never weaken this project in our negotiations. It is about preserving and deepening the bilateral relationship which is anchored in history and forward looking. It is against this period that the eu has negotiated an agreement with the uk. We will not get into the details of this agreement and it does not belong to any eu member to renegotiate a disagreement but i would like to see that the key elements of this agreement are not just technical constraints or legal quibbling but genuine guarantees to preserve the in ireland, the integrity of the Single Market which is the foundation of the european project and this is fully part of this accord negotiated by the uk and the eu. The eu has always said it was available to discuss, depending on the wishes of the uk, the relationship which in the end is essential as it is about building our joint essential as it is about building ourjoint future. We will discuss all of that together in a minute but i would like to say, as a friend and ally of the uk, it belongs to the uk alone to decide its destiny, to decide the weight you will leave the eu and the basis of the future relationship. We are actively preparing for all the possibilities including that of an exit without an agreement. It is not the choice of the eu but it is ourjoint responsibility to our citizens and we have prepared for that but i know no matter what the future of the uk, it cannot but but european. Our geography speaks for our self and i can say with confidence that the future will confirm it belong the uncertainties that can be those of the present. Such are the few words i wanted to share with you, im very pleased to host borisjohnson and the Prime Minister, pleased to have you. Its great to be here in paris andl you. Its great to be here in paris and i thank you for a wonderful welcome, in view of what youve just said and your remarks overnight about brexit, i will come straight to that point and i want to make it clear to you to the french people that i want a deal and i think we can geta that i want a deal and i think we can get a deal and a good deal, i was powerfully encouraged by our conversations last night in berlin with our mutual friends and i know with our mutual friends and i know with energy and creativity and application we can find a way forward for all our businesses and our citizens but as you yourself have just pointed out, emanuel, it is vital for trust in politics that if you have a referendum, then you should act on the instructions of the voters, and that is why we must come out of the eu on october the 315t, deal or no deal, and then of course we can take our relationship forward , course we can take our relationship forward, and i agree with you wholeheartedly that it is a quite extraordinary friendship, at this moment in mali french troops are being conveyed in british helicopters as we Work Together to fight terrorism in the sohail. As we stand side by side at the elysee, british and french troops are side by side in estonia protecting the eastern borders of nato, and when assads regime used chemical weapons against his own people, it was britain and france with our american friends who showed that collective revulsion of the west in taking out those chemical weapons facilities. Together we built the worlds first supersonic passenger aircraft, a tunnel under the channel, to date we are collaborating on genomics that hold out the hope of curing the worlds most intractable diseases. At the g7 in biarritz that you are cheering, which im sure will a great success, the uk and france will work hand in glove to tackle Climate Change, to tackle the tragic loss of species and biodiversity and to ensure that every girl in the world gets 12 years of quality education. I think whatever happens with brexit, it is ourjoint ambition, uk and france, that we should deepen and intensify our economic interpenetration and just as french bosses, im proud to say, ply the streets of london thanks to the openness of the uk economy, it is also a fact that your beautiful tgv is run on steel in scunthorpe. By tgv is run on steel in scunthorpe. By british steel. Not a lot of people know that. The British Ambassador didnt know that until i told him but there can be no more powerful metaphor for the cultural, economic and Political Partnership between our countries and im proud to say that in spite of some of the negative predictions over the last three years, our capital city in london remains one of the biggest french cities on earth. And long may it so remain, and i know that of course you will want to treasure and support the hundreds of thousands of british citizens living here in france, as much as we in the uk will treasure and support the 3. 2 million eu nationals, including french citizens come in our country, so lets get brexit done sensibly and pragmatically and in the interests of both sides and lets not wait until october at the 315t, lets get on now in deepening and intensifying the french and a partnership between us over lunch. The friendship. What does leaving without a deal actually mean . Trading on wto rules for the long term or is it effectively back to square one with more negotiations and in that sense isnt no deal a bit of a con . Mr president , Angela Merkel showed some flexibility in berlin last night over the question of changing the irish backstop. Dont you think you should cut the new british Prime Ministera should cut the new british Prime Minister a bit of slack as well . Thank you, libby. As you know a great deal of work has already been done to ensure that the transition in october at the 315t is as smooth as it possibly can be and so there are already agreements on aviation, Financial Services and many other sectors and what we now want to do in the next 71 days or whatever is left, to make sure we do all the necessary work on both sides of the channel to make sure that whether we get an agreement or not, our exit is as smooth and as pain free as possible for citizens and businesses on both sides. Translation regarding your question, i said in my introduction that the irish backstop, as we call it, is a point which has been negotiated in the context of the negotiation, given the geography and politics of ireland, it is an important element which allows us to guarantee stability and also the integrity of the Single Market, these are our two girls. When you talk about flexibility, these two girls have to be met and we therefore have to find a solution that guarantees the integrity of the Single Market. We have to guarantee to the citizens and consumers in europe that we comply with the rules of the eu and whatever comes in onto the market comes from a market not in the eu, that this is controlled, then there are previous agreements, the good friday agreement and the historical situation and relationship between your country and ireland, and we have to respect what was negotiated in this respect and within the context of the past negotiations, we should be able to do some work. We talk about the Withdrawal Agreement but no matter what there will be negotiation as to the future relationship, we always handle things in the right order. Under no circumstances when you look at the border with Northern Ireland, to repeat a point that there is repeat income under no circumstances will the uk government be instituting, imposing checks or controls of any kind at that border and we think, andl kind at that border and we think, and i understand your desire to protect the integrity of the Single Market, of course we understand that but we think there are ways of protecting the integrity of the Single Market and allowing the uk to exit from the eu whole and intact and perfect, as it were, and that was interesting to hear some of the positive noises that we are now hearing about the ways that can be done, we look forward to developing those thoughts in the next few weeks. Translation mr president , do you share the chancellors position not to find an alternative to the backstop in the next 30 days, and Prime Minister, what is your alternative to the backstop . Translation what Angela Merkel said yesterday and what is in discussions we have had from the beginning, we need visibility in 30 days, so i just answered as to the reality of the backstop and i believe this also matches the goal Prime Minister johnson. No one will wait until the 3ist johnson. No one will wait until the 31st of october to find the right solution but if we failed to find right solution, we could not do whatever it takes at the last minute so we will do make the most of this time and Michel Barnier will be part of that to find solutions without totally reshuffling the Withdrawal Agreement because there has been a lot of work and its been approved by the 27. Just like chancellor merkel, i am confident that collective joint intelligence and we should all be able to find something smart within 30 days if there is goodwill on both sides and i believe there is. I am always being presented as the hard boy in the band, but its just that i have a lwa ys band, but its just that i have always been clear, a choice has been made and we cannotjust ignore it. We will have to implement a decision taken by the british people and cannot walk around it and i want to be efficient and so this is what i said last spring and in the past i very much want all of us to find a solution, but i had been clear we will not find any Withdrawal Agreement within 30 days which will be very different from the existing one. It is what Michel Barnier has negotiated can be amended while complying with the integrity of the Single Market and the two girls i mentioned, then we can find a solution, if not it is a political decision to be taken by the Prime Minister, it will not be ours. |j understand, what Angela Merkel was saying last night if i got it correctly, if we can do this in two years we can do this in 30 days and iadmire that years we can do this in 30 days and i admire that can do spirit and shes right, the Technical Solutions are readily available and they have been discussed at length, you can have trusted trader schemes, electronic pre clearing for goods moving across the border, i want to repeat one crucial thing, under no circumstances will the uk checks at the frontier and we dont think its necessary from the point of view of the eu to do that to protect the integrity of the Single Market, there are other ways of doing that. We have adequate time to do it so lets get on and do it. As i say, there are all sorts of proposals that have already been. I might direct you to an excellent paper that has been done by greg hands and other mp5 that has been done by greg hands and othermps in that has been done by greg hands and other mps in westminster from all parties that goes through some of the ways in which you can check for contraband, the ways in which you can check for contra band, check the ways in which you can check for contraband, check for rules of origin, check for. Stop smuggling but not have checks at the frontier. That is the solution and where there isa that is the solution and where there is a welcome there is a way. Network lets work Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron, quite a lot of detail as they go into their talks, lots of warm body language and talk about the importance of the enduring relationship between the uk and france can Emmanuel Macron acknowledging that he was seen as the hard boy of this process but saying he felt it was important to face up to realities. Borisjohnson interestingly saying he wants a deal, he thinks it is possible and fascinating to hear from deal, he thinks it is possible and fascinating to hearfrom Emmanuel Macron saying there wasnt going to bea macron saying there wasnt going to be a new Withdrawal Agreement in 30 days but mentioning what Michel Barnier had been talking about could be amended. Lets bring in helen wilkinson, who was at westminster. Some differences there but the two sides clearly wanting to appear positive, wanting to appear as though there were the grounds for some sort of a deal. The words we heard from the french president yesterday was that there was no room for renegotiation, the Withdrawal Agreement with not be reopened, the backstop would stay put. What we just heard from him there when he first spoke, he talked about the close relationship between france and the uk but he went on to say that it had been negotiated, the Withdrawal Agreement, thats what happens when the uk leaves the eu, that had been negotiated at length, there were key elements to that including the backstop issue and he went on to say that it was all to do with the geography of ireland, that they wanted to preserve the integrity of the Single Market, but it seemed when he was answering some questions, he pointed out we are not going to find a new Withdrawal Agreement in 30 days thats different from the current one but that Michel Barnier would be possibly involved in various discussions in the future. In terms of borisjohnson discussions in the future. In terms of Boris Johnson he discussions in the future. In terms of borisjohnson he again said clearly that he wanted a deal, he wa nted clearly that he wanted a deal, he wanted a good deal but he also reiterated that the uk was coming out of the eu on the 31st of october, deal or no deal, but going back to what president macron said, you got the sense he was once again putting this back on borisjohnson as Angela Merkel did yesterday to mr johnson, he talked about how the uk and france were friends and allies but it was up to the uk to decide its destiny and the way it will leave the eu, so the two men now going in to have whats known as a working lunch, they will have lunch and discuss various issues and they also spoke about various International Issues they have to talk about aside from brexit, so perhaps turkey discussions are still in there, it will be testing for both sides, they are clearly both aware of how each of them feel about this issue, can they come to a compromise . Difficult to see at this stage but they will have discussions over lunch and also we understand they will have coffee after that before Boris Johnson they will have coffee after that before borisjohnson heads back. Helena wilkinson, thank you for the latest from westminster. With me now is sam lowe, a Senior Research fellow at the centre for european reform. Thank you for talking to us. I believe you were able to hear what borisjohnson believe you were able to hear what Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron we re Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron were saying. What did you make of it . Its interesting they were slightly talking past each other and ifear slightly talking past each other and i fear throughout this debate we brits hear what we want to hear in thatjohnson was responding to mark onoptimism with the idea that maybe we can renegotiate whereas macron was just reiterating what the eu has been saying that the Withdrawal Agreement remains, the backstop remains, they are happy to write around it and make clarifications, they did that wish theresa may not ultimately its on the uk to decide whether to accept the terms on the table or not. We heard from Emmanuel Macron, at one stage he talked about the backstop being a genuine and indispensable guarantee of peace in Northern Ireland and to protect the Single Market but he then appeared to suggest later that there could be some scope for amending the Withdrawal Agreement. My reading of that was he was suggesting there are clarifications that could be made, so could there be a supplementary document that sets alongside the Withdrawal Agreement and outlines the means by which alternative arrangements are assessed , the means by which alternative arrangements are assessed, who determines whether they meet the criteria and how they are signed off by the uk and eu . This has been mentioned before but i didnt get the idea that the backstop could be stripped out. We heard Boris Johnson say he wants a deal and thinks it is possible, how would you rate his chances . I think at the moment it will be difficult and a lot of that is to do with parliament, it is difficult to see where there is a majority for any deal and a lot of what he was saying seem to be pitched to the uk audience to make it clear he is trying to get a deal and if it doesnt work out, it is the eus fort and ifeel he is setting himself up for a general election to win back some brexit party votes but it was interesting he referenced that greg hands report and the thing i would mention is that to accept that report you have to redefine the early december commitment which was to no physical infrastructure or cheques, you have to strip out the because the report is full of checks but they are not done literally at the border and i wonder if checks done ten minutes from the border will be any less disruptive than them being done on the red line. Boris johnson said we have these alternative arrangements, there are all different kinds of things you can do, trusted trader arrangements, tracking of goods and so on, does it not then come down to a political decision as to whether the eu are prepared to accept that those sorts of arrangements could be put in place and that they are then prepared to rethink that backstop . I dont believe the eu will rethink the backstop but in terms of the provisions, trusted trader schemes, if you are interested trader you can pray notify your intent to export there will potentially be a check en route to perform or not if there is nothing wrong but what about people who do not sign up for it . They fundamentally are opposed to any idea of a can economic border on the island of ireland. How do you in force the border on them and the a nswer force the border on them and the answer is you would increase the number of police and used that to perform rides and what people up and find them and my issue here is just trying to find the technical solution for this border issue that somehow takes a box but actually it is as destructive as having physical infrastructure and how we trying to do with the fundamental issues. At the moment does not seem to me and i know it doesnt seem to the irish that the british are treating this seriously. Its catch up with the weather. Set to get quite a bit hotter for this weekend, rain turning lighter in wales but this waning weather front across Northern England and Northern Ireland bringing rain, they could stay quite white across north west england and the rain may be slow to arrive across these north Western Areas of scotland although there will still be showers around. Temperatures at their highest across south eastern, 25 towards london saw a warm monday than of late. Overnight the rain could northwards across scotland so wet weather here otherwise largely dry with clear spells and temperatures between 12 and 15, in milder night. In milder stats to friday, cloud breaking up with sunshine developing, rain through scruff and can be quite wet and in shetland one weather on the way, temperatures could hit 28 in the sun. Hello this is bbc newsroom live. Borisjohnson is holding talks with french president , Emmanuel Macron in paris. Speaking beforehand, mr macron said that the eu needed to see any solutions on the issue of the so called backstop in the next 30 days. We will not find a new Withdrawal Agreement which will in very different from the existing one. We can do this in 30 days and i admire the can do spirit anything that is correct. Stomach gcse students celebrate a slight increase in the pass rate despite concerns about the exams getting harder. Ryanair says nearly all its flights to and from british and irish airports went ahead without disruption this morning despite its uk based pilots being on strike. A Record Number of fires in the amazon this year conservationists blame the brazilian president jair bolsanaro, but the president blames environmental organisations. 0urfocus on farming continues with a look at the growing threat from criminals, who kill and butcher sheep in fields, in order to sell the meat. And researchers can now see processes deep inside the body thanks to a new type of microscope which captures images at unseen levels of detail. The anxious wait for gcse exam results is over this morning for more than 700,000 teenagers in england, wales and Northern Ireland. There has been a slight increase in the gcse pass rate and the percentage of pupils getting top grades, despite concerns about the difficulty of exams. The pass rate edged up to 67. 3 in england, wales and Northern Ireland up 0. A Percentage Points on last year. The percentage of papers given a top grade and above thats 7 according to the new system or a according to the old rose 0. 3 Percentage Points to 20. 8 . In england, a numerical grading system has been phased in, and tougher exams have been introduced. In wales many gcses are still graded a to g. And in Northern Ireland, pupils there receive grades in both formats a mix of numbers and letters depending on the exam board. Robbie meredith, our Northern Ireland education correspondent, has been to school there, to gauge reaction from some of the students who received their results today. Lam iamat i am at newbridge integrated college, around 100 students here packed up their gcse results. We still have the a to g system not the numbers and amongst students are packed up results were sean and katie and lucy. How did you do . |j katie and lucy. How did you do . got to c, two t. Hat has been a nervous 20 . It has. What was it like opening the envelope . Never writing. Nerve racking. Opening the envelope . Never writing. Nerveracking. What are the plans . Trying to do a levels, engineering and chemistry. It has been a good day. Tell us how you got on. and chemistry. It has been a good day. Tell us how you got on. I got eight gcses at a c grade sol day. Tell us how you got on. I got eight gcses at a c grade so i am really pleased. That let you do next year . Im hoping to do health and social care into nursing. At any particularly difficult . social care into nursing. At any particularly difficult . I could do more coursework than exam works so more coursework than exam works so more coursework than exam works so more coursework for classes than exams which do not have a lot of pressure and was easier than having to do the exams as i knew i was better at coursework but it was stressful but it is all paid off. It has been a good morning. How have you got on . I did really well, to a, three b and i start. I you got on . I did really well, to a, three b and i start. Lam you got on . I did really well, to a, three b and i start. I am very pleased. Has it been a nervous wait to pick up results pretty much it a big day. It has been very nerve racking, i big day. It has been very nerve racking, i have big day. It has been very nerve racking, i have not really slept on it in but it is all part of the results i would like to become a Graphic Designer sol the results i would like to become a Graphic Designer so i have chosen English Literature and drama and im hoping to come back to do a levels. What has it been like with the twins witty result, better or worse . What has it been like with the twins witty result, better or worse . M has made it better because that is someone there with you but if someone there with you but if someone feels and someone passes it is difficult to be happy or sad for the other person but we both past and are both really happy. It has worked out well. Thank you for talking to us. In Northern Ireland there are plenty of people speaking up there are plenty of people speaking up gcse results this morning, and behind me in the schoolhouse, getting advice about what do next. Stomach jon andrews is deputy head of research at the education policy institute, a research institute. We hear how these new exams are much harder but the pass rate has gone up. It has gone up ever so slightly, around 0. 5 increase but we know actually the exams regulator ofcom are responsible for ensuring comparable outcomes over time so even after the exam itself is harder with tougher content you should get similar numbers of pupils each year achieving particular grades and that is to ensure that pupils are not u nfa i rly is to ensure that pupils are not unfairly penalised by being in a particular cohort particularly in these exams but it is the first time these exams but it is the first time these qualifications have been used and it is quite difficult for temperatures to take pupils through those courses for the first time. you have that kind of adjustment you have to wonder what the point is making the exams tougher because those that do do do amazingly well and the difference how much the exams isnt recognised. There is an additional thing which is to look at the general ability standards in the cohort as a host of the look at the attainment of those pupils at the end of key stage two Primary School and also through you tests that a sample of students do earlier in the academic year. If they are confident that standards have risen they will enable grades to increase, they will instruct the exam boards to set the threshold is any particularly swift are genuine increases in the underlying performance that can be shown. We are seeing improvements in the top grades but there are concerns from head temperatures that the simple fact of these exams being much tougher and so much of the results depending on that one exam that that is a really daunting prospect particularly the struggling pupils and some of them may simply not want to even do the exam. pupils and some of them may simply not want to even do the exam. It has certainly been talk pupils are being put off from taking some of these courses and if you look at some of the entry rates by the characteristics of those pupils whether they have special Educational Needs are from disadvantaged backgrounds, iam looking at some of the data and if you see pupils entering the full range of subjects, the set of academic gcses government say people should be taken, pupils the Interest Rates to the subject as a0 but the disadvantage pupils from low income background that fall to around 25 and if you are a people that has identify special Educational Needs that. To a percent, around one in eight pupils taking those. Provocations. What we need to see over the next years is what is happening in those patterns are not just the Overall Results but who is actually accessing this complications. The governor was simon people doing these core important academic subjects, is that a danger that these exams tougher exams will have the perverse effect of putting people off. The government has an omission that 90 of pupils will be taking it by 2025 so we are still some way off that but we have seen in some of the results today and the last few years that ambition is really affecting the courses that schools are offering and pupils are taking and in particular disadvantaged pupils with special Educational Needs and the ones that are not taking we need to address that the government is to meet that ambition. Thank you. If youre looking for help or advice, whether youre a student or a parent or carer the bbcs chatbot is here to help. You can find it on the bbc news website at bbc dot co dot uk slash news slash education. Ryanair says that its flights in and out of uk airports have been taking off as normal this morning despite strikes by pilots. Its uk based pilots have started a a8 hour strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. The airline failed in its legal attempt to block the action. It said 97 of flights took off on time, blaming the few delays on air traffic control. The bbcs mike cowan is at Stansted Airport north of london. Is that picture Still Holding good, are most flights getting off pretty smoothly . Absolutely. If you were expecting a picket line of pilots and a terminal of angry passengers you will be bitterly disappointed. Ryanair as they promised to passengers yesterday have absolutely fulfilled the commitment that their schedule would run in full today and on time. That has been one cancellation here at stansted to portugal and the subsequent flight back has also been cancelled but thatisit back has also been cancelled but that is it and what is really interesting as rya nair are that is it and what is really interesting as ryanair are operating with an on time rate of 97. 9 today. Around the high 80s for context is considered very good for an airline so they are actually doing better today than they would on a normal day. That is larger because they have thrown a huge amount of resources into this so they only operate one type of aircraft, a boeing 737 which means every pilot on their roster can fly that planes are what they have done is pilots who are off they have for the and from bases across europe to cover this uk schedule and make it work. Replacing those 180 pilots who are striking today. This was obviously a bitter dispute between rya nair striking today. This was obviously a bitter dispute between ryanair and the union about high, ryanair hit back and took them to court but in the uk there was that court battle with in ireland they won it so flights in ireland are operating normally today. Here ryanair appear to be operating better than normal which is quite extraordinary considering 180 pilots are on strike. The real test for ryanair will be the next strike, there is a strike date tomorrow but also in the two weeks at the beginning of september and whether the goodwill of those pilots from across europe will extend to another three days of strikes, that remains to be seen. Here at stansted passengers are happy and getting off on their summer holidays. As someone who is due to be getting on one later, i am keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you. Brazils environment minister has been heckled at a meeting on Climate Change over the Record Number of fires in the amazon. Conservationists say brazils far right president , jair bolsonaro, has encouraged the clearing of land by loggers and farmers thereby speeding up the deforestation of the rainforest. Now mr bolsonaro has blamed environmental organisations for creating the fires after theirfunding was cut. Nathalia passarinho is from the bbcs brazilian servicewhat what lies behind these devastating fires . As much as the government has tried to minimise the files blaming them on the weather and resort the president suggesting they were behind the files, as i was also seen a strong increase in the deforestation in the amazon region. Data from the National Space agency showed that there was an increase in six to 6 deforestation in the amazon injuly six to 6 deforestation in the amazon in july compared six to 6 deforestation in the amazon injuly compared with last year. Researchers from the space agency say much of this fire has been caused by illegal loggers and farmers that want to clear the land in order to perform illegal cattle ranging. And the president president has been defiant about suggestions he should be doing more to protect these vital for this. The fact is brazil so i strongly shift in its environmental policy since bolsa nsa ro environmental policy since bolsansaro took office injanuary. For many years it is important to point out was always capable of reducing deforestation up to 70 up to 2015 but since then the numbers have worsened and since january the situation has escalated a lot. Since bolsa nsa ro situation has escalated a lot. Since bolsansaro took office he has been very clear and saying in his opinion there has necessary to expend Economic Activities in the amazon, he has defended mining including Indigenous Lands and has also defended legalising properties that have been used for illegal activities and logging. What environmentalists say is this discourse and you policy is encouraging people to engage in illegal activities because they now think they might not be punished. We have been seeing some dramatic pictures of those fires burning, how serious is the damage being caused here . The firefighters are still struggling to control the fire site is not thereby now how much what is the extent of the damage, how many endangered species act where affected by the population is already suffering with the fires. We spoke with doctors and Public Hospitals who said they have been attending several dozen children and other people having breast bitterly problems it isa it is a very serious situation especially in the north of brazil. 0urfocus on farming continues today with a look at a growing problem livestock slaughtering which is where criminals kill and butcher sheep in fields in order to sell the meat. Earlier i wasjoined by our reporter sam fenwick whos been on a farm in coalville, in leicestershire. Welcome to the stanleys farm where as you say weve been all week looking at the issues that affect the Rural Community and today were looking at crime and weve talked about you know the impact of crime on farmers. What impact does it have on you . Its something were always aware of. We had a break in last week where robbers tried to get in and its a constant worry and security is tight on the farm. But we live in fear of problems all the time. And joe i believe a farm up the road had some cattle stolen fairly recently as well. Yeah thats right. I mean unfortunately farmers are almost uniquely vulnerable to this sort of thing. You know our businesses are also our homes. And whereas some people you know most people perhaps might go their entire lives without being a victim of crime. Unfortunate for farmers. It will happen every year. Perhaps it will happen every month. Its a fact of life. Weve also found some startling facts that show that 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 and then we have a thousand acres of arable so 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 bloodstains all over the paddock. There was drag marks through the pens up to the trees. Where theyd then hung them up and skinned them and done everything there and left the remains to find over there. All the other sheep would have seen the lambs being slaughtered and that for us was stressing we knew that it had been stressful for them. Its something that well never forget. It was it was just 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. Shes she can work with sheep and cattle to a high standard. Anyone can work her male or female which again is quite unusual. And in the dark. Shell work whenever she is. She was a brilliant dog and and your best friend really. You know its so 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 they re 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 put into the food chain. Have you any idea where the meat that is butchered in fields like this is going . Weve followed up quite a lot of leads that the public are now telling us and that leads us to some executing some warrants in the West Midlands area but if im totally honest whilst weve got lots of thoughts theres no hard evidence as to where its going. Butchers and restaurants are being urged to check records carefully to make sure theyre not buying black market meat. So 735 sheep slaughtered in the last six months alone. Sam is here from the nfu. Sam the police dont seem to know where that food is ending up, how worrying is that . Its extremely concerning because that meat will be being consumed by people somewhere. And usually meat has really high quality standards standards in this country. So its really concerning for us to know where that meat is going and we want the police to investigate fully to make sure we do know those facts. What do you think the police can do . I mean youre calling for a kind of national strategy. We do. We would Like Police Officers across the country to Work Together on rural crime because we found talking to our members across the country that lots of Police Forces dont Work Together. There are good examples and wed like to see that replicated across the country. Standing next to you is Robert Taylor from north wales police. Where you do actually have a kind of strategic policing system across the whole of wales. Yeah thats right weve got a dedicated Rural Crime Team in north wales and also i manage a dedicated Rural Crime Team. So weve got about 80 of wales covered with gwent as well covering rural aspects. And it works extremely well and allows us to gather informations which share intelligence and actively proactively target criminals. And how long has this been operating . North wales has had a dedicated team now for six years and its just over a year but the close working partnership weve had in sort of share an experience that weve had this has made them come on leaps and bounds and and theyre fully up and running now and a very, very effective team. And how close are we then to having Something Like that operating right across the uk . I think when we started we were one of the only teams in the uk at that time and i believe its in the 205 now where dedicated Rural Crime Teams of course its up to individual chief constables to decide what their priorities are for their force area and how rural their force areas of course north wales and gwent extremely rural. So its something that we take great pride in policing. Thank you both very much forjoining us. Now the police say that if anyone sees anything unusual or suspicious they should get in contact with crimestoppers immediately and that might help prevent a crime. And researchers can now see processes deep inside the body thanks to a new type of microscope which captures images at unseen levels of detail. These cells are the Building Blocks of human life. It is where all of our bodys basic processes are happening, and it is here that waging wars against disease is fought. Researchers have developed 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 flu. 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 x rays 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 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 in action that they have never had before. Now its time for a look at the weather. Some very warm weather around the corner but for today some of us will see rain. Patchy rain across wales will ease with time and another weather front moves around Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland, the weather staying wet for the next few hours across much of Northern Ireland, north west england with some of the rain across the pennines and we could see a bit of patchy rain from time to time in the headingley. Slower to move back in scotla nd headingley. Slower to move back in scotland but rioted across the south, sunniest and warmest as well, temperatures up to 25. The rain overnight moves more convincingly north across scotland with the weather becoming drier further south, temperatures between 12 and 15, a milder night. Rain moves north on friday across scotland, cleaning and then lightening with sunshine through elsewhere and starting get very one to one south east england, temperatures reaching a height of 28 degrees. Borisjohnson is meeting Emmanuel Macron in paris to try to convince him to reopen brexit negotiations. The french president said it was up to the uk to decide its destiny. The Prime Minister repeated his insistence that the backstop must go the president again says no. I want to make it absolutely clear to you, emmanuel, to the french people, that of course i want a deal. And i think we can get a deal. Well be live with our correspondents in paris and westminster. Also this lunchtime. The wait is over for 700,000 students as they get their gcse results with top grades nudging up slightly despite concerns about the difficulty of exams. Ryanair pilots go on a a8 hour strike but so far theres been