also coming up, most of the historic world war ii aircraft making up the battle of britain memorial flight have been grounded. one display has already been cancelled. and production was halted on the 6th of march mission impossible film, because its star tom cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt while filming in london. this is bbc news — and these are the top good morning. it's thursday 17th august. i'm rebecca jones. welcome to bbc newsroom live. thousands of teenagers across england, wales and northern ireland have received their a—level results this morning. in england, the results marked a major reform to the exams introduced by the government, including a move away from coursework and modular exams in 13 subjects — and a decision to separate as—levels to form stand—alone qualifications. there was a fall of 0.2% in the overall pass rate — which was down to 97.9%. but there was an increase in the number of students awarded the top grades — with 26.3% of entries receiving either an a* or a. and the proportion of entries awarded the highest result of a* rose to 8.3%. but in the 13 a—level subjects decided solely by final exams with no link to coursework or as—levels — there was a drop of the number of a* grades awarded, down half a percent to 7.2%. over 200,000 18—year—olds across the uk have gained a place at university today — which is the highest in a moment, we will talk to our correspondent phil mackie, who's in the ucas clearing centre in cheltenham, and our reporter lara rostron, who's at birmingham university. first, to our correspondent chi chi izundu who's at a school in walthamstow in east london. how have students stand there? the stu d e nts how have students stand there? the students have actually done better than what was expected. so we had a number of students who have been ringing clearing and get in contact with universities that were not their first with universities that were not theirfirst choice, to with universities that were not their first choice, to see if they can change courses, but better courses, or even can change courses, but better courses, oi’ even change can change courses, but better courses, or even change universities for better universities. i spoke to two stu d e nts for better universities. i spoke to two students earlier today. for better universities. i spoke to two students earlier todaylj for better universities. i spoke to two students earlier today. i did really well, i got triple a in maths, statistics and psychology. as fantastic. what you plan to do now? study financial maths at loughborough university. fantastic. you did two years of studying before you did yourfinal you did two years of studying before you did your final exam. you did two years of studying before you did yourfinal exam. had you find that process? it was hard, i put ina find that process? it was hard, i put in a lot of work, but it was worth it. fantastic. congratulations to you also. how did you do? i got into university. did you get the course you wanted to do? yes, i got into architecture, so i'm really happy. as fantastic news. they also studied for two years and then digit exa m studied for two years and then digit exam at the end. how do you feel the process was? it was stressful, i'm not going to lie. bill go through a lot to make sure we get what we want. they put a lot of pressure on you and then you go into the exam and you don't know what to expect. i doa and you don't know what to expect. i do a fool like they put a lot of pressure on us. the exams are not easy. it would help of thing went a bit lighter. there must wish they had the module is back on them? sort of, yes. ithink had the module is back on them? sort of, yes. i think they are due to get harder for others and it will be more stressful. i have a little brother and it will be more stressful for him. i feel for him. but it is what it is. if you could give advice to other students who are going through the process, what would it be? i would say start revising earlier. i know people tell you that, but the earlier you start, the less stressed you get. just go through it. if you could give advice? make sure you work hard and revising from the start. don't give up. the students here are exceptionally happy. we've even had one student who was one murk of an a*in his one student who was one murk of an a* in his biology grade, so he's going to try and get that dream marked a cv can get into an even better university. he will have to do that through clearing. let's hear from our reporter phil hughes at earth clearing centre. for those stu d e nts earth clearing centre. for those students in walthamstow and elsewhere who have not got the grades or some of them got even better grades, some of them will be on the phone to ucas. you can see how busy it is and you can possibly just make out at the university ‘s minster who is in the background. i have the chief executive here. first of all, big congratulations. 400,000 stu d e nts of all, big congratulations. 400,000 students have got the places they wanted. for those of them who didn't get their grades and their thinking, oh dear, don't panic. there is loads of advice. you can see the advisers behind me. you have got time to bring universities, ring colleges, just think through some of your options. from three o'clock, you can add a grieving choice and you may find the destination that's right choice for you. at the moment, this is an advisory centre, but from three o'clock, cleaving gets under way. that's right. we have had people from 8am asking about logins on simple things like that, but now we're getting into more complex things like, i didn't get the grades. sometimes, we get students who got better than expected. but mickey considered choice, doctor family and friends and teachers. and don't necessarily do it now hurry, because you might take the first place available and it may not be the right choice. you do a good position if you go through clearing this year. there are over 40,000 courses available in cleaving this year. take your time, you have time to choose. you have got weeks and months, but you can take hours and days. talk to people and find out a little more before you rush into a decision. why are there more places in cleaving this year? one of the reasons is we have a record number of 18—year—olds going into university, but that is a dip in mature students. that might be a couple of reasons, one of them might be people have already been, but they're also morejobs in be people have already been, but they're also more jobs in the economy, so they decided to stay in employment are to employment. do you think the cost is a factor? it is a big financial cost. do you consider that. you also have to consider whether you live at home, the place you go to. is a complex decision, so step back from it is about and remember, in terms of financial stuff, you don't pay back into egypt toa stuff, you don't pay back into egypt to a certain salary point, so just look that as well. from personal experience, my middle daughter didn't get the grades she wanted this time last year, but by ten o'clock in the morning, she had rung round and got a place at newcastle university. there are people at birmingham city university waiting to find out and our there. thank you and welcome to birmingham city university. we have in the nerve centre at the moment. this is an clearing operation. one of two rooms opens and six o'clock, taking calls. this young lady was taking calls with the chancellor of the university, who happens to be lenny henry. i was that? it was really nice to have him here. henry. i was that? it was really nice to have him herelj henry. i was that? it was really nice to have him here. i have the students been? they've been really positive and keen to come to university. thank you very much. a lot lies and today, getting your results, choosing the right university. if you didn't quite get those grades, then you come through the clearing operation. that's what's happening here. i'm joined by the vice chancellor of the university. it happens to be your fourth day in the job. yes. it's very exciting. can you briefly explain exactly what clearing is to those who don't know. historically, it is exactly what you said, for the people who didn't get the grades they wanted. but we're getting calls from people who have done much better than they thought they would and are now thinking about university for the first time. they wa nt to university for the first time. they want to find out more. it is bedlam here, because that are so many people who are interested. and the heatin people who are interested. and the heat in the stream is rising as well. these guys have been here since six o'clock this morning. asked you, you took about 5000 calls on this day. yes, i think it was probably more the man. it will be more than that this year. we are a university for a region. birmingham is diverse and you can see some of that passion and energy coming through. clearing is different this year, because you can access it even if you haven't entered ucas. yes, many more people are accessing university. lenny henry was talking about how he came into university in his 40s. people are realising university offers so much more than just an extension of your school life. it's also the modern face of clearing as well, because you're using social media. yes, we need to use social media, because we need to be whether students need is to be. clearing is about getting the right course and the right person. it's enormous relationship of trust for every student. thank you for your time, i'm sure you've got lots to do. clearing will be open right through the night. these lines will be open and the bush up tomorrow at eight o'clock. it's going to be a long, hard night for these guys. thanks to all of you. two months ago, the morning after more than 80 people had died in the grenfell tower fire and hundreds were made homeless, pupils from the nearby kensington and aldridge academy had to sit a level exams — amazingly some of them had fled the fire only hours earlier. the school lost four pupils and one former pupil that night — and 50 more were made homeless. in his first tv interview since the fire and on the day pupils get their results — the headteacher of the school — david benson — has been speaking to our correspondent gillian hargreaves. he started off by reflecting on the incredible achievement of the school and its pupils. we are extremely proud today. this would've been an important day under any circumstances, because as a new school, this is ourfirst any circumstances, because as a new school, this is our first ever said of a—levels. but particularly given what the school has been through, to see the pupils receive such results. 62% of results are a to c. the results indicate when the top 10% of schools nationally, in terms of the value added. it really underlines all the standards and the excellent education we've been delivering throughout the year. we tried to bring as much order and discipline to the situation as we could. i'm not going to lie to you and say it was smooth. it was very, very difficult and very, very challenging. the emotional situation was a deep concern for members of school community. there was also a lot of practical challenges in place. children have one chance in life at an education. these are important exams, we to keep going. it was so difficult, that have term after the fire and so sad in so many ways, but there were moments when we we re ways, but there were moments when we were inspired. georgina smith is a student who lived in grenfell tower and she was able to get out. she was injured and in hospital, and her concern was not to miss out on her work. she was e—mailing us for homework and teachers were e—mailing back. but you're right, children are resilient, they are programmed to learn. the overwhelming majority of stu d e nts learn. the overwhelming majority of students in the aftermath of the firework eager to come to school, the brit you get to see their friends, they were to carry on with their learning. they deeply held academic ambitions for the future could not be put on pause by this. pupils to die from time to time, children are involved in road accidents or serious illnesses, but to lose five pupils, for all at once, two in one year group. that is immense for a school. yes. and it is very sad. i don't know if there's a precedent that happening. we took a lot of advice from people who have perhaps been in dramatic situations before. and they helped us to script the messaging, how to support staff and students. and we have a good leadership team here, we were able, as best as we could, to navigate through that. and after a period of time, we were unable to start to talk about the students we had lost, remember them, celebrate their lives, and that will continue into next year. and one student who will be pleased this morning is the nobel peace prize winner malala yousafzai. the activist — who was shot by the taliban for attempting to go to school in pakistan — has tweeted that she has a place at the university of oxford to study politics, philosophy and economics. later today, you will have your chance to put your questions to ucas about your higher education choices. whether you got better results than expected or you disappointed. you can find out more about how the clearing process works and what options are open to you. you can text us or tweet. the headlines on bbc newsroom live. the number of people receiving top grades at a—level has risen slightly. but the number of university places allocated so far has fallen. the bbc understands britain will look to keep these are free travel for european visitors after brexit, but they will need a permit to work, study or settle here. dozens of firefighters are tackling a huge blaze in the east end of glasgow. there are no reports of any injuries. and in sport, celtic are pretty much but themselves a place in the champions league. they won 5—0 in the first leg of their play—off time. england captainjoe leg of their play—off time. england captain joe root says ashes leg of their play—off time. england captainjoe root says ashes places will be on the line for some of his team—mates ahead of their first daylight test match against the west indies at edgbaston later. and england women's head coach mark sampson was accused of making racial remarks last year. details of a bullying and harassment claim were not made public to avoid disrupting preparations for a usual 2017. he was cleared of any wrongdoing. i'll be back with more on those stories just after half past. the bbc understands the government wants to allow eu citizens to visit the uk without a visa after brexit. they would need only to seek permission to work, study or settle here. eu citizens are currently free to live and work in the uk without a permit. the home office says managing migration is about access to work and benefits as much as the ability to control entry at a physical border. our political correspondentjoins us from westminster. how will the system work? the details will be published in the autumn, so we had a few weeks away from the nitty—gritty of this. the idea of visa free travel is on the table. people from the eu would be able to come here or a short visit and would need a visa. but if they want to come and work or study or settle for a longer time, they would be to apply for permission. we don't have many of the details, but lots of questions are already being thrown up, like it would be able to do this, how would it be enforced ? would be able to do this, how would it be enforced? perhaps this kind of system might leave it open for people to come here looking for work without already having applied for a visa. and it also raises the question of how much onus will be on the employer to check employees' immigration status. the idea of visa free travel is not a new concept. there are a number of countries around the world, places like australia and america, where tourists can come here for six months without needing a visa. so the idea of visa free travel is one thing, but if you want to come here and study, work or settle here for a longer time, what the government is pointing out is those people would still be subject to whatever new uk immigration rules are put in place. if we look at the bigger debate on immigration and how the government thinks it can control the number of people coming here, we talked about this yesterday, when we were discussing the border in ireland. the government really stressing that it doesn't think you need physical barriers that borders to control the numbers. it says, we can control people coming here by excessive labour market and access to the welfare system. one final thing the home office is pointing out is remember what the home secretary said previously, they are insistent that freedom of movement will end when the uk believes the european union. thank you. the chief executive of apple has beenin the chief executive of apple has been in the latest person to criticise donald trump for his reaction to the white supremacists. earlier, the white house chief strategist steve bannon attacked white nationalists. at the top of our agenda is the creation of great high—paying jobs. set up to help the president deliver on his promise to help "make america great again," the business advisory councils brought together the heads of some of the biggest companies in the us. who'd have thought, then, that the racial clashes in charlottesville on saturday, in which one person died, would have proved their undoing? the president's response to this violence shocked members of his own party and unnerved many corporate executives. once the country's most prominent african—american businessman, pharmaceutical ceo ken frazier, announced that he was leaving, others swiftly followed. we believed the symbolism of being associated with that spirited defence of racism and bigotry was just unacceptable. as a trickle of resignations turned into a flood, a close ally of the president, blackstone ceo steve schwarzman, rang to tell him that members were threatening to quit en masse, at which point the president took to twitter to pull the plug: a large crowd took to the streets of charlottesville once again last night. a peaceful protest this time in memory of the 32—year—old woman, heather heyer, who died in saturday's clashes. but with racial tension simmering once more in the united states, few believe the debate will end here. south korea's president moonjae—in says there will not be a second war on the korean peninsula. he was trying to reassure people after the recent threats between the us and north korea. as he marked his first 100 days in office, mr moon also said nobody else could make a decision on military action without south korea's agreement. there cannot be a second war on the korean peninsula, i can guarantee that. after the korean war, all the people of the nation worked very hard to build the nation and war cannot happen on the korean peninsula. an nhs chief executive has been sacked for gross misconduct following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour. sir leonard fenwick, who has been at newcastle—upon—tyne hospitals nhs foundation trust for 40 years, had been on gardening leave since january as the investigation was carried out. a statement from the trust said "allegations relating to inappropriate behaviour, use of resources and a range of governance issues" had been proven against him. our health correspondent is in salford and joins us now. sir leonard penick was the nhs's longest serving chief executive. for more than 40 years, he has run bailey's hospital trusts in the centre of newcastle. this investigation started in january and newcastle. this investigation started injanuary and caught eve ryo ne started injanuary and caught everyone flat—footed. he was put on gardening leave while these allegations of inappropriate behaviour, use of resources and a range of governors issues, which is as deep and says were investigated after a long investigation by an independent human resources specialist. they were put to a panel, a two—day hearing heard that the allegations were found proven. so leonard then given the opportunity to respond. at the end of that, the decision was taken to dismiss him for gross misconduct. a second panel was then convened when sir leonard then appealed against that decision and again, after a lengthy hearing, a statement from the trust today says that decision was upheld. in a statement issued by the trust today, they say that due to the serious nature of the issues, the trust was required to report a number of issues to nhs protect. as a result of that, they are not saying any more. these allegations are now being investigated by counter fraud investigators at the nhs. the number of front—line prison officers in england and wales is on the increase — up by 665 — nearly a 4% rise compared to summer last year. that's according to the latest figures released by the ministry ofjustice this morning. among the new recruits is a group of graduates on a programme modelled on the teach first scheme for schools. the justice secretary, david lidington, says they'll bring fresh ideas to a service that's too much of a ‘closed world'. joining me now to discuss the figures is frances crook, the chief executive of the howard league for penal reform, a charity which campaigns to improve the prison system. the government previously cut the number of staff by about 40%, so a 496 number of staff by about 40%, so a 4% increase is a start. the trouble is that the loss of staff is worrying. about two and 3000 staff left last year. so what you've got izzy chernin of staff. you have new stuff coming in, very young and inexperienced. this is a places, you have a lot of difficult, challenging people. if you have new young staff, if you need experienced staff to support them. we didn'tjust lose prison officers, but the number of governors and managers was cut. there is still a real problem. why do you think it's such a problem with retention? it's a grim place to work. there is violence and drugs, people with mental health problems, some addicts alive every two or three days. this self injury rate is very high, you don't know they are going to open a door and find somebody covered in blood. we're not paying well, they are not properly educated and qualified. in scotland, they are looking at every single prison officer, they will be helped to qualify for a degree level. this isa to qualify for a degree level. this is a profession as well as a vocation. do i take it you think the introduction of graduates into the system is a good thing?|j introduction of graduates into the system is a good thing? i think it's a good thing. i think it's quite small, but very welcome. what numbers are talking about? we don't know yet. it was started by this trust, and she said there should be no limit on it. i hope her successor, david liddington, who has been extremely quiet since he was appointed, will see there is no limit on the number of graduates. what about the experienced staff? we have to support them. the problem at the bottom of this as there are too many prisoners and not enough staff. you can never recruit enough staff, because the money is not there. they are not been supported enough and trained enough? is david liddington right when he says it is too much of a closed world ? right when he says it is too much of a closed world? we seen a lot of publicity recently, newspapers have been covering what goes on in prisons, partly because they are so awful. today an inspection report on awful. today an inspection report on a prison in david liddington's and six in saying says that young men are not safe, most of them cannot get a shower once every four days. it's really grim, it's violent. yet, these young men will go through the prison system and, at the other side and they will be so damaged by that experience, they are more likely to commit more crimes. that is in the justice secretary's constituency. i haven't heard from him about it, i am waiting with baited breath to hear what he's going do about it. thank you, good to talk to you. let's catch up with the weather news now. a wet start to the day. the rate is beginning to clear away. for many, it is looking quite sunny at the moment. some spells of sunshine in scotla nd moment. some spells of sunshine in scotland and northern ireland. that is where the sun will remain. the cloud will be chased away in the south—east. one or two showers in scotla nd south—east. one or two showers in scotland this afternoon. perhaps midlands, wales. in the sunshine, feeling pleasant. temperatures around 20—24. showers fading away in the evening and becoming more and settled into friday morning across northern ireland and into scotland. heavy rain is expected to. this will last for half of the day. and settled under showers across northern ireland and into northern parts of england, wales. temperatures down by a a few degrees. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines at: the number of top a—level grades has increased for the first time in six years as teenagers across england and wales collect their results. new changes introduced by the government have seen a number of results solely based on final exams. the number of university places allocated so far has fallen down 2% on admissions last year. and the nobel peace prize winner malala yousafzai is on her way to oxford university after receiving her a level results. the government is planning to maintain visa—free travel for eu visitors post brexit. however, a visa will be needed for migrants wanting to work, study or settle in the uk. there has been a 4% rise in the number of front—line prison officers and england and wales. one of the longest serving nhs chief executives has been sacked following an independent enquiry. time for the sports news. hello. hello, i'm steven wyeth and live from the bbc sport centre, this is sport today. a fantastic win for celtic last night. 5—0 win. celtic were profitable throughout. having gone last yea r‘s profitable throughout. having gone last year's domestic season unbeaten. , football was outstanding. it was a brilliant performance. very complete and many aspects of how we were. we need to get thejob done aspects of how we were. we need to get the job done over there for the second game. the football association put paid a settlement. details have emerged from the report that claimed samson made a derogatory racial and prejudicial comment about another player. this was put to the... the fa said that yesterday the detailed report did not uphold any of eni any other call‘s complaint. the first test between england and west indies should have begun but today they are starting and finishing much later. the match is the first day— i detest to be played in england and is only the fifth of its kind in the world. —— the test is to be played. the timing is designed to attract new audiences. a a few things unknown but that's a good challenge for us as. to see how the ball performs. it ultimately still the same game and you have to add that to conditions and if we manage to do that well, we will be ina good manage to do that well, we will be in a good position. it's something that the game needs. many territories around the world, the fans are slowly but surely to be seen. it's something that adds a bit to test cricket. england and ireland can read the semifinals of the rugby world cup later. england have defended. victory would guarantee them a place in the last format. the court has made six changes, policies that are given the number eight shirt after her two tries against japan. the first match of the day sees canada play new zealand. the winners will finish at the top for a place in the semifinals. the golf, the captain of europe will be implementing b. the injured player has been replaced and europe are taking on united states. matthew has played in nine solheim cups. mixed martial arts champion conor mcgregor police foiled mcgregor will not last more than two rounds due to the use of a lighter weight loss. the lighter gloves have less parsing and are believed to favour at the heavier punch. we are prepared for every possible outcome. i don't believe he will make it out of the second round. part of me wants to show some skill and dismantle them that way but i did not see it. we are ready for absolutely everything, i'm ready to go to war for the full tilt front and i'm ready to put him away. that's all the sport, back at 1215 ppm. 90% of the food market in glasgow is ablaze. hundreds of traders work at the market supplying fresh food to shops and restaurants in the west of scotland. there are no reports of injuries. james sharp is in glasgow, we can see the heavy smoke behind you. is the fire under control? as far as he you. is the fire under control? as faras he can you. is the fire under control? as far as he can tell, until recently we've seen one of the aerial platforms over the top of the building. there it is now. the smoke is still coming out. substantially, the fire has been put out. it was a huge place. great flames going into the air over the north—east of glasgow. this is quite an important pa rt glasgow. this is quite an important part of the east end, the fruit market supplies fruit and vegetables and fish to a lot of outlets across the west of scotland, including hospitals. there may be some disruption caused as a result of this fire. the fire service are still working, there is a lot of personnel here, there were 70 at li haotong the fire. they have done theirjob over the course of the last few hours and have dealt with the fire. as you can see, a huge amount of damage has been done to that building in the background. we believe it may have been wooden pallets left inside, meaning the blaze had intensity and spread quickly. there will be an investigation as to why the fire started and also the work of making the fridge market operational again as soon as possible. the scale you are describing, it seems miraculous there were no injuries. that may be true, it tends to be the case that people come to the market quite a bit. it starts in the morning. i'm told that when fire started there was only a small mob of people here, normally about 400 people work in this flick market, most of them were not you're at the time and we kept out by a police cordoned. —— this fruit market. the spanish authorities say there's been a surge in the number of illegal migrants crossing the sea from morocco. nearly 600 were rescued on wednesday during what coastguards described as their busiest day yet. some migrants have attempted the shortjourney using children's inflatable boats and even a jet ski. spain has dealt with nine—thousand arrivals by sea since january — three times as many as in the same period last year. far too many older people are suffering in silence when things go wrong with their nhs care, according to the parliamentary and health service ombudsman. it says it's often their relatives who have to step in to complain, but even when they do, many don't believe it makes a difference. simonjones reports. afraid to raise the alarm. there are far fewer complaints from older people then expected, given their high usage of the nhs, according to the ombudsman. elderly people are reluctant to complain because they think it is difficult, because they feel that their care may be compromised, and because they don't think that it will make a difference to their situation. so these are unfortunate circumstances. often theirfamilies have to intervene. the ombudsman and the social networking sites gra nsnet survey their uses. 35% revealed they were concerned about an older relative when they we re about an older relative when they were in hospital. 58% complained, but 67% of them did not believe it made a difference. the ombudsman says the nhs must make it clear how to complain, and those who do must be convinced that future care will not suffer. in response the department of health said that when things go wrong, it is incredibly important to listen to the concerns of patients and their families — by learning from mistakes, you can improve treatment. a week of national mourning has been called in sierra leone, in the wake of the flooding and mudslides that claimed hundreds of lives near the capital, freetown. officials say more than 100 children are among the 400 people who are known to have died when part of a mountain collapsed onto a settlement. at least 600 people are still missing. our correspondent martin patience reports. in freetown, the ambulances rushing not to the hospital but to the main mortuary. they're ferrying the dead, victims buried alive by a landslide. mournful singing bishi lost her sister. the grief and anger is tangible here. this is a nation mourning the loss of hundreds, and rescue workers say that the authorities are hampering rescue efforts. this gaping scar was once a neighbourhood. now, a landscape changed forever. it's the scene of a recovery operation on the hoof. diggers have been drafted in, but there are no sniffer dogs, not enough body bags. the fear is that disease could spread unless hundreds of corpses are found. a trickle of aid is getting through, but many, like adama, are now homeless. "i've lost everything," she tells me. the leader of australia's populist one nation party, pauline hanson, has worn a burqa in the senate in canberra. ms hanson's parliamentary opponents have criticised the stunt, which came ahead of a debate on her party's call for burqas to be banned. the attorney—general, george brandis, was given a standing ovation after he cautioned her not to offend the religious sensibilities of other australians. and to ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments is an appalling thing to do, and i would ask you to reflect on what you've done. most of the historic world war ii aircraft that make up the battle of britain memorial flight have been grounded because of engine issues. the hurricanes, spitfires and a lancaster bomber are all affected and one display has already been cancelled, with others under threat. the raf is unable to say when the planes will be back in the skies. the aircraft are more than 70 years old. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour but first the headlines on bbc newsroom live: the number of people receiving top grades in their a—levels has increased. the number of university places allocated so far has fallen, though. the bbc understands britain will look to keep visa—free travel to the uk for european visitors after brexit — they'll need a permit to work, study or settle here. dozens of firefighters are tackling a huge blaze in the east end of glasgow— there are no reports of any injuries. hello, these are the top business stories. retail sales growth slowed down injuly, as shoppers cut back on purchases of most things other than food. sales were up 1.3% compared to the same time last year, compared to a rise of 2.8% injune. clothing sales saw their biggest fall since december. the boss of apple, tim cook, has criticised president donald trump over his response to the white nationalist rallies in virginia. mr cook said he did not agree there was a moral equivalence between white supremacists and those who oppose them. mr trump was forced to scrap two business groups after a series of top bosses resigned in protest. thousands of low—paid workers are to receive more than £2 million in back pay as a result of tax investigations by the government. around 230 firms were found to have paid their workers less than the national minimum wage. retail, hairdressing and hospitality firms were among the worst offenders. we bought less in the shops last month, according to the latest official figures. they show that consumers cut back on buying most goods other than food, with clothes sales faring the worst, mainly because the warm weather earlier in the year meant we went out shopping then. sales were up just 0.3% in july compared to june. alastair lockhart, insight director at shopper and retail marketing agency savvy. the disease. let's talk through the numbers. there is a lot to discuss. —— it's good to see you. it's all down to the weather, just explain. that's absolutely right. what we've seen is a slight slowdown on last month but comparing it to last year we are spending a bit more in terms of volume and amount of items we have bought. although today's news isn't fantastic. in the context of expectations, we are slightly ahead of where most economists expected the numbers to be. we have to look at this in the context of the expectation after the brexit fold last year that consumer confidence would wobble more generally and that hasn't happened. generally, there is a bit ofa hasn't happened. generally, there is a bit of a story about resilience. what is interesting about the results today is the food retailers performing the best. we have to buy food. the performance hasn't been so goodin food. the performance hasn't been so good in discretionary purchases, the purchases we can put off, particularly big ticket items, where you can delay purchase for six months or a year. not as bad as things could be right retailers will be cost was going into the second pa rt be cost was going into the second part of the year. is there a danger that we look at these numbers and think that... that we look at these numbers and think that. .. it gives as an indication of what the reality is for many consumers. that's absolutely right. inflation is outstripping wages. the amount of money we have in purses and wallets is going down. how it manifests itself as were we look at retail sales. that's why economists are keen to keep an eye on how people are spending. that's why it's important to look at, while things aren't perfect, generally consumer spending has held up relatively well co nve rg e to spending has held up relatively well converge to where we thought it might be. thank you for explaining that. -- welk appeared to where we thought. now to the united states and pressure from the business community has become too much for president trump so that he's been forced to disband his manufacturing council. the announcement came via a tweet after several more business leaders quit the group, distancing themselves from the president's response to deadly protests in virginia this week. mr trump had condemned the white supremacist and neo—nazi groups in a statement but then on tuesday he appeared to defend the rally‘s organisers. samira hussain reports from new york. it was the tweet that said it all. on wednesday, mr trump disbanded two white house business councils created to bring jobs to america. but the move by the president to scrap the two groups was more about saving face than lessening the burden on business leaders. i especially want to thank ken frazier. ken frazier was the first to quit the president's manufacturing council. ceo of the pharmaceutical giant merck, in a statement mr frazier said he felt a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism. by monday evening, the ceos of under armour and intel, presidents of the alliance for america manufacturing and the afl—cio all all left the council. they are not taking their jobs seriously as it pertains to this country. after commenting on the corporate resignations at a press conference tuesday, the president then blamed both sides for the deadly violence in charlottesville. you had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. and nobody wants to say that but i'll say it right now. after those comments, the exodus from the president's business councils was fast and furious. it is rare for corporate america to publicly distance themselves from a president of the united states. but this is a different kind of administration and many believe mr trump crossed the line. these defections really show that corporate america is no longer waiting for mr trump to deliver on any of his pro—business policies. the big question now is whether he can rebuild bridges with the business community. this is what the markets have been keeping an eye on. some suggestions that they are becoming numb to that. the ftse100 is done. it's interesting, you will see the pound weakening against the dollar. normally, the door that would be strengthening, given everything we've seen with the rising interest rates in the us but it isn't happening. there is some fear about what president trump means for the business community. it's not with the market in any meaningful way as yet. that's all the business news. for some living on a canal boat is an opportunity to live life at a slower pace, but for others it's a way to escape rising property prices. with more and more houseboats on our waterways, the canal and river trust is asking anyone thinking of swapping bricks for boating to think carefully before considering a life on the river. tim muffett reports. the trent and mersey canal in staffordshire, where kerry and pete have a lot of work. when it comes to boats sinking, we're definitely getting busier. they run river canal rescue, helping boat owners in trouble, teaching canal users basic rules, which, to their exasperation, many are unaware of. you drive on the right—hand side when you're passing another boat. so, it's port—to—port, left—to—left. these are metal boats. they rust in the water. if you don't take it out of the water and treat it, it will rot away to nothing until the boat sinks. after years of neglect, many canals are busy once more, and those who look after them say that canal users, especially those new to all this, need to ensure they know what they're doing. well, one of the issues that we have is the sheer popularity of canals means they're used by more and more people. the canal and river trust manages 2,000 miles of waterways in england. from the dangerous misuse of locks to the dumping of human waste, the boom in canal use has many downsides. what you have here is two widebeam boats moored next to each other, which is effectively quadruple mooring, narrowing the channel and causing obstruction for other craft trying to get through. the trust records incidents when it can. but in london, where the problems are the most severe, it's a huge task. boat numbers here have risen by 72% since 2012, to more than 4000. the majority of boat—owners in london have what are known as continuous cruiser licenses, and don't need to pay for a permanent mooring, but the boats can't stay in the same place for more than 14 days. just moved out of a flat in brixton because i can't afford to live there any more and here there's a boat. nick is typical of many that are new to the canals, attracted by a lower cost of living. it's not particularly comfortable. we don't have a toilet on—board. we don't have a shower. at the moment the motor‘s broken, so we don't have any electricity. there's no power. you prefer it to paying a lot of money on a flat? for the moment, yeah. nick and his friends stress they're responsible canal users, though they will have to soon move on from the spot and find another, which won't be easy. sarah emmings manages a private mooring site and believes many canal newcomers haven't thought things through. it's not their fault. there's nothing in place to say, right, you need to know this before you put a boat on the water. you only learn it as you go along. it's baptism by fire. three quarters of the boats moored in the capital are now being lived in, according to the canal and river trust. a transport system built to carry goods buckling under pressure from people. tom cruise has broken his ankle whilst undertaking a stunt during filming in london at the weekend. cruise attempted to leap between the roofs of two buildings, but he fell short of the mark and hit the building. filming for the latest installment of mission impossible has now been suspended. a canadian woman has been reunited with her diamond ring 13 years after she lost it while weeding in her garden. mary grams' daughter—in—law picked a carrot out of the vegetable patch and found its growth had been restricted by the ring. mrs grams had been too embarrassed to tell her husband she'd lost it and bought a cheap replacement. let's catch up with the weather. good morning. we've had a bit of rain through the night last night and is lasted through this morning. it is clearing away now. you can see isa rain it is clearing away now. you can see is a rain cloud across the east midlands and to the north sea. for most, plenty of dry spells and sunshine. some lovely cumulus clouds. through the afternoon, any clouds. through the afternoon, any cloud across the south—east breaking up. sunny spells developing. one or two showers up. sunny spells developing. one or two s howe rs a cross up. sunny spells developing. one or two showers across the west country. they will be hit and miss. for many this afternoon is try and break, sunshine, feeling warm. —— cry and bright. the odd shower across northern ireland and scotland. with some good scores of soldiers. temperatures getting up into 20 celsius. lots of the shah was today will fade away but then some more rain through northern ireland and scotland, the far north of them. —— lots of the showers today will fade away. during friday, north—east of scotla nd away. during friday, north—east of scotland will be rainy. localised flooding, potentially. elsewhere, some showers. more than today. largely dry in central, southern and eastern areas. temperatures down compared with today. the wind direction changing so that it will be north—westerly, a bit fresher. saturday looking largely five and dry. some good spells of sunshine. for sunday, a bit more uncertain. looking at what is happening on the atlantic, this hammer came at nova scotia, category two hurricane. as it moves its way across the atlantic it moves its way across the atlantic it is weakening and becoming entwined with other weather systems. it'll be a hurricane every more but some moisture and tropical air. it might be hot, humid across the south—east. probably staying dry through the east of scotland and north—east of england. but that forecast because of change. more details on the website. —— forecast could change. this is bbc news — and these are the top stories developing at midday. the number of a—level exams receiving the top grades has risen slightly, the first increase in six years, but the number of university places allocated so far has fallen. i got a* in economics, a* in maths and a in biology. how's that made you feel? i'm over the moon. the bbc understands britain will look to keep visa—free travel to the uk for european visitors after brexit — they'll need a permit to work, study or settle here. one of the longest serving nhs chief executives, sir len fenwick, has been sacked following an independent inquiry. dozens of firefighters are tackling a huge blaze in the east end of glasgow — there are no reports of any injuries. a court has been hearing from a cyclist accused of killing a woman by crashing into her in a london street. also coming up — most of the historic world war two aircraft making up the battle of britain memorial flight have been grounded. the hurricanes, spitfires and a lancaster bomber are all affected and one display has already been cancelled. and a woman has been reunited with her diamond ring ring after 13 years — after finding it wrapped round a carrot in her garden. good afternoon. it's thursday 17th august. i'm rebecca jones. welcome to bbc newsroom live. thousands of teenagers across england, wales and northern ireland have received their a—level results this morning. in england, the results marked a major reform to the exams introduced by the government, including a move away from coursework and modular exams in 13 subjects — and a decision to separate as—levels to form stand—alone qualifications. there was a fall of 0.2% in the overall pass rate — which was down to 97.9%. but there was an increase in the number of students awarded the top grades — with 26.3% of entries receiving either an a* or a. and the proportion of entries awarded the highest result of a* rose to 8.3%. but in the 13 a—level subjects decided solely by final exams with no link to coursework or as—levels — there was a drop of the number of a* grades awarded, down half a percent to 7.2%. over 200,000 18—year—olds across the uk have gained a place at university today — which is the highest number ever recorded on a—level results day. earlier, we spoke to our correspondent phil, here is that the ucas clearing centre and laura who was in birmingham city. but first of all, to east london. the students have fared better than what was expected. so we have had a number of stu d e nts expected. so we have had a number of students who have been ringing clearing and getting into contact with universities that were your first choice, to see if they can change courses for better courses or change courses for better courses or change universities were better universities. i spoke to two students earlier today. i did really well, i got triple a in maths, statistics and psychology. what you plan to do? i plan to study financial maths at loughborough university. ijust like maths and finance. fantastic. ceded the two yea rs of finance. fantastic. ceded the two years of studying before you had to sit yourfinal exam. years of studying before you had to sit your final exam. how did you find the process? it was hard. i had written a lot of work, but it was worth it at the end. fantastic. quickly, how did you do?” worth it at the end. fantastic. quickly, how did you do? i did well, everything worked out. you got into university, did you get your course? yes, i got into do architecture, which is what i was wanted to do, so i'm really happy. fantastic news. he also studied were two years and then did yourexam at also studied were two years and then did your exam at the end. how was it? it was stressful. they put a lot of pressure on us and then you go into the exam. obviously, you don't know what to expect, but i do feel like they put a lot of pressure on us. the exams are not easy. it would help as they went a little bit lighter. there must wish they had the modules back in them, to make it easier? sort of, yes. i don't know. they are due to get harder for others and i know it'll be more stressful, it will be stressful for my little brother. i feel for stressful, it will be stressful for my little brother. i feelfor him. if you could give advice to other stu d e nts if you could give advice to other students who will go through this process , students who will go through this process, what would it be?” students who will go through this process, what would it be? i would say, start revising earlier. people tell you that, but listen to them. the earlier you start, the less stressed ukip. just go through it. if you could give advice? make sure you work hard, revise the start, don't give up. the students here are exceptionally happy. we've even had one student who was one mark of an a*in his one student who was one mark of an a* in his biology grade, so he's going to try and get it be marked deceive even get into an even better university, which they will have to go into it through clearing, which will hear more about from phil, who is that the clearing centre in cheltenham. for those students in waltha mstow cheltenham. for those students in walthamstow and elsewhere across the country, having perhaps not got the group they wanted or got better grades, some of them will be on the phone here to ucas. you can see how busyit phone here to ucas. you can see how busy it is. you can just make out joeljohnson, the universities minister, who is doing a tour of the building in the background. i have the chief executive here. what are the chief executive here. what are the headlines are you today? first of all, congratulations. we have 400,000 students have got the places at university. for those of them who didn't get the grades and who are thinking, oh dear, don't panic. that is loads of advice. there are loads of advisers here, either on social media or on the phones, they will be there to support you. you do have time to bring universities and colleges. think is very good options, you might want to visit one of them this weekend. from three o'clock, you will have a clearer choice. at the moment, this is an advisory centre, from three o'clock, clearing stance. that's right. we have had people forwarding from eight o'clock this morning, asking about logins and simple things like that, but now we're getting into complex things, like they didn't get the grades. sometimes, they have better grades they want to trade up. but again, make a considered choice, talk to family and friends and teachers. ando decides in a hurry. the danger is you can make rash decisions because you didn't get the grades. yes, you're in a good position if you're going clearing this year. there are over 40,000 courses available in clearing this year. take your time. take some time, you have hours and days to decide. there are more places available and fewer people, why is that? the data says we are 296 down. a couple of reasons for that, one of them is that, although we have a record number of 18—year—olds going to university,, record number of 18—year—olds going to university, , that record number of 18—year—olds going to university,, that is a dip in mature students. one of the reasons might be that people have already been, so they're not going at that age. it could be that there are more jobs in the economy, so the deciding to stay in employment or go into employment. to you think the cost of courses has an effect? it is a big financial commitment and a big time commitment. do you consider that, but also consider whether you live at home, the play should go to. there is a lot to consider, complex set of decisions. step back from it a little bit, but remember, in terms of financial stuff, you don't pay back until you get a certain salary point, so think about that as well. a busy day here. from personal experience, my middle daughter did not get the grades this time last year, but i ten a:m., she had rung around and got a place and she's just finished first year at newcastle university. hopefully there are people at birmingham city university finding that they have got in, and lara is there to us the situation. welcome to birmingham city university. here we are in the nerve centre of the university at the moment. this is the clearing operation, one of two rivers that has been open since six o'clock, taking calls. this young lady was taking calls. this young lady was taking calls. this young lady was taking calls with the chancellor of the university, who happens to be so lonely henry. i was that? it was a great experience. it was nice to have them. i have the students been? they've been really positive and keen to come to university. of course, a lot of lives on today, getting the right university. if you didn't get the grades, you come through the clearing operation and that's what's happening here. i'm joined by the vice chancellor of the university. it happens to be your fourth day in the job. yes, baptism by fire, but very exciting. can you explain clearing? historically, it used to be for people who haven't quite got the grades they needed, but as sir lenny was saying earlier, we're getting calls from all sorts of people, people have done much better than they thought, and are now thinking about university for the first time. people getting caught up in the idea of university, they want to find out more. it is bedlam here, because there are so many people interested. the heat in this room is rising as well. people are working very hard. last year, you took about 5000 calls a mistake. i think it is probably more, but this year, it will be many more. it's great, because we are university for our region, birmingham is such a vibrant city and you can see some of that energy and you can see some of that energy and passion coming through to date. the clearing operation is different this year, because you can access it evenif this year, because you can access it even if you haven't entered to ucas. yes. what we're seeing is many more people are looking at university as something that is important. sir lenny henry was talking about the fa ct lenny henry was talking about the fact that he came to university in his 40s. he came to realise university offers so much more than just an extension of your school life. it's also the modern face of clearing, because you use social media. he started doing that from midnight. we do use social media, because we need to be reverent our students need to be reverent our students need us to be. what clearing is is just a conversation about do we have the right course and are you the right person to fill that programme. it is an enormous relationship of trust for every student. thank you very much. i'll leave you to get on with your work. these lines will be open all night and they will shut at eight o'clock. it will be a long, ha rd eight o'clock. it will be a long, hard night. with me now is alistairjarvis — chief executive of universities uk. thanks for coming into to talk to us. why are there fewer applicants for university this year? there are slightly fewer applicants. last year was a wreck a due, so this uses the second best year on record. of course, this is only partly through the cycle. we expect that by the autumn, by the time universities open their doors to students, we are likely to have similar numbers to last year. and you don't think there are students out there saying, i don't want to saddle myself with a lot of debt and i don't want to go? there is little evidence to show that. if you look at the students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, there higher numbers of applicants than before. is it fair to say that if you do miss you grades this year, be slightly easier to find a place at university? there are plenty of places available. if you're a student that is capable of going to university and will benefit from a university degree, there are great options available through clearing. we should remember that most students will have got the got the crews they wanted today and will be going to the places we wanted. for those students who haven't got the grades they wanted, they should not panic. there are lots of opportunities there they should go to the clearing website or contact the university directly. will universities be dropping the standards to try and get more stu d e nts standards to try and get more students through the door and therefore more money in their offers ? therefore more money in their offers? universities are very careful about the decisions they make about students who are capable of doing the courses. it will be an academic decision, looking at the students' grades, but also looking at other treatments. it makes no sense to take on students who aren't capable of doing the career and wouldn't benefit from it. we have seen this year the decoupling of the as—level from the a—level. do you think that will have any impact on the gender of people in —— applying to universities? bubble boys apply now? i think it might close the gap. at the moment, more girls apply for university than boys. it would be great to see the boys catching up with the girls in that sense. universities are working hard to see where actors and deceive the ways we can close the gap. pupils at the kensington and aldridge academy — the school which sits in the shadow of the grenfell tower — will get their a level results today. some students even escaped the fire and then sat exams the very next day. four pupils and one former pupil died in the fire that night. now in his first tv interview the headteacher of the school —— the headteacher of the school — david benson — has been speaking to our education correspondent gillian hargreaves — about the incredible achievements of his pupils. we are extremely proud today. this would have been an important day under any circumstances, because, as a new school — we opened in 2014 —