:00:00. > :00:11.Sir Cliff Richard's home is searched by police investigating a historical
:00:12. > :00:12.allegation of sexual assault. The allegation against the pop
:00:13. > :00:24.star dates back to the 1980s. A search warrant has been granted
:00:25. > :00:30.after the police have received allegation relating to a sexual
:00:31. > :00:36.incident. The allegation relates to a young boy under the age of 16
:00:37. > :00:40.years. Police spent six hours at the home of Sir Cliff Richard in
:00:41. > :00:43.Berkshire. Sir Cliff who was abroad said the allegation was completely
:00:44. > :00:47.false but he would cooperate fully with the police.
:00:48. > :00:49.star dates back to the 1980s. Also tonight.
:00:50. > :00:51.Britain drops further aid supplies in northern Iraq - but America now
:00:52. > :00:57.says a rescue mission is unlikely. I got three C grades. Are you
:00:58. > :01:05.serious! ? says a rescue mission is unlikely.
:01:06. > :01:08.Results day for A-Level students - there are more A*s
:01:09. > :01:10.and more places at university. A convoy of lorries going
:01:11. > :01:14.from Russia to Ukraine causes more tension between the two countries.
:01:15. > :01:15.And the new faces that helped turn around the fortunes of the English
:01:16. > :01:20.cricket team. Tonight on BBC London -
:01:21. > :01:23.Signs of a housing market decline - demand for London homes falls
:01:24. > :01:26.at its fastest rate for six years. And the picture reportedly showing
:01:27. > :01:44.a Londoner holding a severed head whilst fighting in Syria.
:01:45. > :01:53.Good evening. The pop star Sir Cliff Richard has
:01:54. > :01:57.had his home in Berkshire searched by South Yorkshire Police,
:01:58. > :02:01.in connection with an allegation of sexual assault involving
:02:02. > :02:03.a boy who was under 16 at the time. The allegation was made recently
:02:04. > :02:07.but dates back to the 1980s. The BBC understands the alleged
:02:08. > :02:09.sexual assault is claimed to have taken place at a rally by the
:02:10. > :02:14.Christian evangelist Billy Graham at a football stadium in Sheffield.
:02:15. > :02:18.Sir Cliff, who hasn't been arrested, strongly denies the allegation.
:02:19. > :02:19.Our correspondent David Sillito is outside Sir Cliff Richard's home
:02:20. > :02:29.in Sunningdale. David.
:02:30. > :02:33.From here on the roadside you would have barely been where anything was
:02:34. > :02:37.amiss today but beyond these high fences and security gates there is
:02:38. > :02:40.an apartment building. At the very top there is a penthouse owned by
:02:41. > :02:46.Sir Cliff Richard. He is not there at the moment but throughout the day
:02:47. > :02:52.today there have been people in it. Police, going through his
:02:53. > :02:56.possessions. A small convoy of unmarked police cars arrived quite
:02:57. > :03:01.quietly this morning at this gated complex of apartments near
:03:02. > :03:05.Sunningdale. From the air we saw eight officers headed towards Cliff
:03:06. > :03:10.Richard's empty penthouse flat. Inside a glimpse of the search. The
:03:11. > :03:14.trigger for this: An allegation that Cliff Richard carried out a sexual
:03:15. > :03:21.assault on a boy under the age of 16. During a rally by the Evangelist
:03:22. > :03:24.Billy Graham in Sheffield in 1985. Today I can confirm that South
:03:25. > :03:28.Yorkshire Police have gained entry into a property in this Sunningdale
:03:29. > :03:32.area of Berkshire. Officers are currently searching the property. A
:03:33. > :03:36.search warrant has been granted after the police received an
:03:37. > :03:41.allegation relating to a sexual nature. The allegation relates to a
:03:42. > :03:47.young boy under the age of 16 years. The owner of the property is not
:03:48. > :03:50.present. Sir Cliff Richard, one of Britain's most successful and
:03:51. > :03:54.popular performers, a committed Christian. There was a hint of rock
:03:55. > :03:59.'n' roll rebellion when he started out, but since then he has been a
:04:00. > :04:07.byword for clean cut, wholesome, family friendly pop music. He is a
:04:08. > :04:12.regular in the crowds at Wimbledon. And he has an undimmed enthusiasm
:04:13. > :04:15.for performing. It was only recently he was plugging his latest
:04:16. > :04:20.recordings. It is going back to grass roots, the album is full of
:04:21. > :04:21.iconic rock 'n' roll songs. His response today: A statement in which
:04:22. > :04:49.he said: It is understood Sir Cliff is at the
:04:50. > :04:53.moment in Portugal. He was interviewed there earlier this week.
:04:54. > :04:58.However, there was no sign of him today at this address where he has
:04:59. > :05:03.been staying. Meanwhile, back at his Berkshire home we watched as the
:05:04. > :05:08.police began to leave the apartment. This venture is a joint operation
:05:09. > :05:12.between South Yorkshire Police and Thames Valley Police. As you can
:05:13. > :05:16.see, the first of the vehicles are now leaving. They have been in there
:05:17. > :05:20.for more than five hours. We have already seen a number of items taken
:05:21. > :05:27.from that penthouse flat packed up in metal boxes and now taken away
:05:28. > :05:32.for examination. It is, though, just a search. No arrest, no charge, one
:05:33. > :05:48.allegation that he has strenuously denied.
:05:49. > :05:55.David Cameron says Britain must remain flexible in its approach to
:05:56. > :05:58.refugees. He was responding to an assessment by US special forces that
:05:59. > :05:59.fewer people than thought remain trapped on a mountain in northern
:06:00. > :06:09.Iraq. America says a rescue mission
:06:10. > :06:15.for those who fled to Mount Sinjar is now unlikely.
:06:16. > :06:16.Our world affairs correspondent Paul Wood has been to the mountain,
:06:17. > :06:20.and he sent this exclusive report. This is the one road from Mount
:06:21. > :06:25.Sinjar not controlled by the Islamic state. This harsh and barren terrain
:06:26. > :06:31.is the only way of escape for tens of thousands of Yazidis. A few are
:06:32. > :06:39.still making their way out on foot. This family hid the day is silent
:06:40. > :06:46.and terrified before sneaking away. There were bodies in the streets of
:06:47. > :06:50.the town of Sinjar, he says. A few people remain scattered across the
:06:51. > :06:55.mountain. They have cobbled together a camp with supplies dropped by the
:06:56. > :07:02.RAF. It is brutally hot. They have next to nothing but they say they
:07:03. > :07:08.have no choice but to flee. One man tells me the jihadis put a gun to
:07:09. > :07:15.his head and told him "convert or die. " Like everyone here, he says
:07:16. > :07:18.he will never abandon his faith. Sheltered, courtesy of the British
:07:19. > :07:22.taxpayer, they are profoundly grateful for the aid they have
:07:23. > :07:28.received, but are also desperate for more military help. They face
:07:29. > :07:34.genocide, they say. First, they came for the Christians and then ask, the
:07:35. > :07:37.Yazidis, he says. They are striking all of the minorities. If the
:07:38. > :07:42.international community will not step in all of us will be destroyed.
:07:43. > :07:48.The only soldiers confronting the Islamic state in this part of Iraq
:07:49. > :07:51.are the Kurds. The US and Britain are determined not to send troops.
:07:52. > :07:58.But even with US air support there is not much these lightly armed
:07:59. > :08:04.Kurds can do, they are stuck here with those who fled. By one count
:08:05. > :08:09.more than 100,000 terrified Yazidis fled over this mountain, many of
:08:10. > :08:13.them at risk of dying from the heat off from thirst. A humanitarian
:08:14. > :08:18.catastrophe has been averted. Most people have moved on. There are just
:08:19. > :08:23.a few stragglers left behind. But the question remains, how are these
:08:24. > :08:27.people and millions of other displaced Iraqis going to get home
:08:28. > :08:31.when the Islamic State controls so much of the country? That report was
:08:32. > :08:38.just in from Paul Wood on Sinjar mountains. The UN has declared its
:08:39. > :08:43.highest level of an emergency because of the crisis triggered in
:08:44. > :08:49.the Islamic State in the North. The city of Dohuk situation is now
:08:50. > :08:52.critical after 150,000 displaced people arrived there. Our world
:08:53. > :08:55.affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt spent the day at a hospital where
:08:56. > :09:00.the doctors have been treating Yazidi refugees. Volunteer Kurdish
:09:01. > :09:05.medical teams have been risking their lives to reach Mount Sinjar to
:09:06. > :09:09.treat the injured and the sick. These are the images they brought
:09:10. > :09:13.back. But over the past few days the numbers still stranded there have
:09:14. > :09:20.diminished. Now several hundred, but no longer thousands. But many of the
:09:21. > :09:25.most vulnerable survivors are still arriving in Iraqi Kurdistan in
:09:26. > :09:32.urgent need of treatment. In one day alone hospitals in. Hook treated up
:09:33. > :09:39.to 800 casualties -- Dohuk. This man is 80. In the exodus even the old
:09:40. > :09:49.had to walk to survive. He told me he had to go on foot down the
:09:50. > :09:59.mountain. For over 50 kilometres. His journey took days. In Dohuk now
:10:00. > :10:02.the real question is how to look after the survivors and the sick and
:10:03. > :10:06.injured who have come down from the mountains, and how to prevent any
:10:07. > :10:10.outbreak of disease thanks to the conditions that many refugees are
:10:11. > :10:16.now living in. The Yazidi families who have made it to safety remain in
:10:17. > :10:24.these abandoned buildings, or in schools, in their tens of thousands.
:10:25. > :10:28.Maybe in a few days we may face some endemic diseases. We don't know yet.
:10:29. > :10:33.We may have an epidemic of cholera, polio or measles, because the places
:10:34. > :10:40.where they live now they just have public buildings in public parts.
:10:41. > :10:44.Existing refugee camps are already full. Dohuk provinces already home
:10:45. > :10:49.to 400,000 people fleeing Islamic State fighters doubling the
:10:50. > :10:54.population here. Support from outside is what they need here, and
:10:55. > :10:58.some of that was visible last night in the form of another RAF airdrop
:10:59. > :11:03.of aid to Mount Sinjar. Although it seems there will be no US rescue
:11:04. > :11:06.after American special forces landed on the mountain to assess what
:11:07. > :11:12.needed to be done. There will, though, the other forms of help. The
:11:13. > :11:16.British Prime Minister David Cameron was in Wiltshire today to see how
:11:17. > :11:20.many millions of pounds in British aid is being spent. He visited a
:11:21. > :11:23.distribution centre preparing supplies for northern Iraq, while
:11:24. > :11:27.deciding what military assets should be used to support the humanitarian
:11:28. > :11:31.mission there. What our plans need to do is make sure we have the
:11:32. > :11:35.assets in place to help out in the right way. That's why last night one
:11:36. > :11:41.of our tornadoes was gathering information about the situation,
:11:42. > :11:45.which is why it is important our generics are in place and if plans
:11:46. > :11:52.are flexible enough to enough to respond to this situation. Last
:11:53. > :11:54.night those generic's were ready and waiting to play their part in
:11:55. > :12:07.bringing help to Iraq -- The waiting is over for A-Level
:12:08. > :12:10.students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland - with this year's
:12:11. > :12:13.results showing a slight rise in the numbers getting the top A* grade.
:12:14. > :12:16.The overall pass rate has dropped slightly for the first time
:12:17. > :12:21.in more than 30 years to 98%, that's down by just 0.1 percentage
:12:22. > :12:24.points - equivalent to 800 pupils. The number of university places
:12:25. > :12:27.available is now estimated to have reached 500,000, partly due to
:12:28. > :12:29.an extra 30,000 places which have been funded by the government.
:12:30. > :12:36.Our education correspondent Alex Forsyth reports.
:12:37. > :12:48.a quick rip and results revealed. For some delight and four others
:12:49. > :12:52.despair. Yes, checkmate, we are in. Christine and's hard work had paid
:12:53. > :12:55.off. Earlier this morning he learned online he had got the university
:12:56. > :13:00.place he wanted. How are you feeling? It was a bit of a relief
:13:01. > :13:05.and it was fairly stressful waiting to see whether they would accept it
:13:06. > :13:10.or not but the offer was decent. For others the news wasn't as good as
:13:11. > :13:13.hoped. I'm quite gutted. I didn't get into my first place so I will
:13:14. > :13:17.have to see if I can reapply to them through clearing and see if they
:13:18. > :13:20.will have me. Whether students have done better or worse than they
:13:21. > :13:25.expected there is still plenty of choice, because this year there is a
:13:26. > :13:30.record number of university places on offer. It is a buyer's market.
:13:31. > :13:33.Despite there being fewer 18-year-olds in the population more
:13:34. > :13:37.took exams and the number of university applications has risen.
:13:38. > :13:42.But there is no limit on places for those with the highest grades, A,
:13:43. > :13:45.B, B and above and with students playing up to ?9,000 a year in fees
:13:46. > :13:47.universities are competing even playing up to ?9,000 a year in fees
:13:48. > :13:50.universities are competing more to attract them. Queens University in
:13:51. > :13:55.Belfast is offering free flights home to students from mainland
:13:56. > :14:00.Britain. Others have scholarships with cash awards, sports club
:14:01. > :14:03.memberships, even free laptops. Universities should be scouring the
:14:04. > :14:09.country like talent scouts looking for the best young people, who can
:14:10. > :14:12.make a big difference to their own prospects and the prospects of the
:14:13. > :14:15.University and the country. That's why we have taken away this limit on
:14:16. > :14:19.student numbers so there is a place for everyone who is capable of
:14:20. > :14:22.benefiting from higher education. The extra places meant more options
:14:23. > :14:28.in clearing where those who did worse or better than the expected
:14:29. > :14:31.can trade their place. Even some top universities offered some slots this
:14:32. > :14:36.way. But for those who narrowly missed out it was a difficult day.
:14:37. > :14:42.Rubin was just too grades and five marks from his dream course studying
:14:43. > :14:46.archaeology in Manchester. I'm left a bit stranded now so I have to sort
:14:47. > :14:52.it out. It is just a bit getting I was so close but so far. But
:14:53. > :14:56.Rubin's story had a happy ending. In the past hour Manchester has offered
:14:57. > :14:59.him a place despite not getting the grades. So, while not everyone is on
:15:00. > :15:07.the course they wanted, for many students it has been a good year.
:15:08. > :15:10.This is one of those busy clearing centres. Here at the University of
:15:11. > :15:16.the West of England people have been on the phone all day, more than 4500
:15:17. > :15:20.calls from students, as they try and fill those final few places. Scenes
:15:21. > :15:24.like this would have been replicated across the country as students in
:15:25. > :15:28.England, Wales and Northern Ireland get their results and then try and
:15:29. > :15:32.find a place. This year the pass rate has fallen overall. That
:15:33. > :15:35.follows years of concern over grade inflation. But the number of
:15:36. > :15:39.students expected to get a place at university was likely to be higher
:15:40. > :15:44.than ever. More than 500,000 people going off to study for the first
:15:45. > :15:49.time. The government says it has introduced policies to lift the cap
:15:50. > :15:52.on aspiration. But now more than ever it is important for
:15:53. > :15:54.universities to make sure they fill those places so that they can
:15:55. > :15:58.balance their books. A fresh five-day ceasefire between
:15:59. > :16:01.Israel and the Palestinians appears The truce is intended to allow time
:16:02. > :16:07.for more substantial talks in Egypt In Ukraine, heavy shelling has been
:16:08. > :16:13.heard in Donetsk, which is held The city has been surrounded for
:16:14. > :16:19.several weeks by Ukrainian forces. The latest violence comes
:16:20. > :16:22.as a Russian convoy, said by Moscow to be carrying aid,
:16:23. > :16:25.makes its way towards a rebel-held The government in Kiev says
:16:26. > :16:48.the convoy is a cover to send Those who saw it today could only
:16:49. > :16:52.stop and stare. It is one of the largest humanitarian convoys Russia
:16:53. > :16:58.has ever organised, nearly 300 lorries, packed, Moscow says, with
:16:59. > :17:02.aid for eastern Ukraine. All day, it snaked its way through southern
:17:03. > :17:07.Russia before stopping in a field, 20 miles from the border. But
:17:08. > :17:11.Ukraine is reluctant to let the lorries in. It fears it may be a
:17:12. > :17:13.cover for a Russian military operation. The border with Ukraine
:17:14. > :17:18.is just a short drive away from here, and if Russia decides to take
:17:19. > :17:23.this convoy across that border without the permission of Kiev, then
:17:24. > :17:28.the Ukrainian government will view that is a major provocation. We ask
:17:29. > :17:32.to see what was in the lorries, so they opened one of them up. No
:17:33. > :17:39.secret weapon shipments here, just sleeping bags. One of the drivers
:17:40. > :17:46.told me that Russia was trying to help Ukrainians, and that it was the
:17:47. > :17:53.West that was the aggressor. America, he says, wants to grab
:17:54. > :17:55.Ukraine for itself. Today, Ukraine dispatched a rival humanitarian
:17:56. > :18:03.combo to the east of the country, the message to Russia, we don't need
:18:04. > :18:06.your help. But the Red Cross is warning that the humanitarian
:18:07. > :18:10.situation in eastern Ukraine is critical now, with thousands lacking
:18:11. > :18:16.water and medicine, and with no sign of an end to the fighting. In
:18:17. > :18:17.Donetsk today, they were sifting through the rubble of homes torn
:18:18. > :18:29.apart by shelling. I don't know what to do, Valentina
:18:30. > :18:36.says, I don't have anywhere else to run to. Ukraine accuses Russia of
:18:37. > :18:42.starting this walk and of arming the separatist rebels. That is why when
:18:43. > :18:44.Russia says it wants to help, by distributing aid, Kiev is so
:18:45. > :18:50.reluctant to accept it. The time is just after a quarter
:18:51. > :18:54.past six. Sir Cliff Richard's home has been
:18:55. > :18:57.searched by police investigating a historical
:18:58. > :19:06.allegation of sexual assault. Sir Cliff, who hasn't been arrested,
:19:07. > :19:12.said the allegation was completely false, and he promised to cooperate
:19:13. > :19:15.with the police. And, still to come, bruised but ready for battle,
:19:16. > :19:20.England prepare for the final test against India. Coming up later on
:19:21. > :19:25.BBC London, first A-level students to study at a Free School in new
:19:26. > :19:29.celebrate their results. And back with a cold, we will hear from Mo
:19:30. > :19:31.Farah rah on his medal success in the European Championships. Join us
:19:32. > :19:38.at 6:30pm. GP practices in England
:19:39. > :19:40.which are failing could be closed The watchdog, the Care Quality
:19:41. > :19:46.Commission, has unveiled a new inspection programme that will
:19:47. > :19:50.scrutinise around 8,000 practices. A rating of "outstanding"
:19:51. > :19:53.will be given to the best surgeries, while those with the lowest rating,
:19:54. > :19:56."inadequate", will get six months to resolve any problems, and could then
:19:57. > :20:00.face outside intervention through But doctors' leaders say closing
:20:01. > :20:06.practices won't be Our Health Correspondent Branwen
:20:07. > :20:21.Jeffreys reports. One of the first surgeries to get a
:20:22. > :20:25.visit from the inspectors. Their report said it was cluttered,
:20:26. > :20:30.disorganised, with poor records, badly stained chairs in the waiting
:20:31. > :20:34.room. The practice has since closed. Jennifer had already left as a
:20:35. > :20:40.patient, after losing confidence. She says the problems were
:20:41. > :20:43.well-known locally. I did not think he was particularly interested in
:20:44. > :20:48.you is the person. He would more often than not be on the phone,
:20:49. > :20:55.talking to somebody else, and again maybe being called away.
:20:56. > :20:58.Unexpectedly. Now all GP practices in England face similar
:20:59. > :21:04.inspections. If they fail badly they could get six months to change, or
:21:05. > :21:09.lose their contract with the NHS. So what happens when a GP practice
:21:10. > :21:14.closes? The patients from here are having to travel to other practices
:21:15. > :21:17.until new doctors can be found. Similar kinds of arrangements will
:21:18. > :21:22.be put in place around the country if other practices are found to be
:21:23. > :21:28.failing in their standard of care. Helen could I just speak to you
:21:29. > :21:31.minute about the inspection? GPs are getting ready for inspection. They
:21:32. > :21:37.are worried about how fair the system will be, and say they are
:21:38. > :21:40.already overworked. The paperwork is piling up, often it is breaking down
:21:41. > :21:44.protocols about things you do already. We have tested the fire
:21:45. > :21:48.alarm every week for years, now we have to have a protocol to say that
:21:49. > :21:53.is how we tested. All of this does detract from providing patient care.
:21:54. > :21:56.But it will mean patients can compare GP practices for the first
:21:57. > :22:03.time, allowing them to choose who they want to be their family doctor.
:22:04. > :22:06.The Eurozone's economy ground to a halt in the second quarter
:22:07. > :22:08.of this year, with the latest figures showing no overall growth.
:22:09. > :22:11.Europe's biggest economy, Germany, shrank by 0.2%,
:22:12. > :22:16.The figures suggest the Eurozone's recovery from its longest-ever
:22:17. > :22:25.With me now is our Economics Correspondent Simon Jack.
:22:26. > :22:32.Simon, this is worrying news for the Eurozone, and for us to full stop
:22:33. > :22:35.yes, it is. If you look around the Eurozone, the report card looks
:22:36. > :22:39.pretty grim. The eye catching one is Germany, powerhouse of Europe, now
:22:40. > :22:45.stuttering. There are reasons to think it might come back a bit,
:22:46. > :22:48.there are seasonal factors there. France has not budged an inch and
:22:49. > :22:53.economic before a year. If you add that to Italy, which is now back
:22:54. > :22:56.into a recession, and the three big hitters, if you like, are not doing
:22:57. > :23:01.well at all. Some bright spots, Spain and Portugal doing OK, but
:23:02. > :23:04.generally, overall, it is a pretty grim picture, and that is bad for us
:23:05. > :23:08.because it is our biggest trading partner. What is bad to them is bad
:23:09. > :23:13.to our economy, it makes up almost 50% of our exports. All of this will
:23:14. > :23:16.add pressure on the European Central Bank to do something, like we have
:23:17. > :23:23.done in the UK and the US, to start printing money to boost the Eurozone
:23:24. > :23:26.out of this sort of malaise. Up to now, Germany has resisted these
:23:27. > :23:30.attempts, but given the fact that its economy is now contracting, they
:23:31. > :23:34.may be more willing now to accept it is time to start printing money,
:23:35. > :23:38.like we have done in the UK and the US. The European Central Bank
:23:39. > :23:41.president will be under pressure. Simon, thank you very much.
:23:42. > :23:43.A four-month ban against the footballer Luis Suarez
:23:44. > :23:46.has been upheld, but he has been cleared for training.
:23:47. > :23:48.The striker, who was suspended after biting an
:23:49. > :23:51.Italian defender during the World Cup, is also now eligible to play in
:23:52. > :23:55.friendly games for both his club, Barcelona, and for his country.
:23:56. > :23:58.The Uruguayan is likely to make his debut for Barca at Real Madrid
:23:59. > :24:07.A year ago today, England's cricketers were on a high, after
:24:08. > :24:13.What came next was one of the worst periods in the team's history:
:24:14. > :24:16.defeated 5-0 in Australia, and then beaten at home by Sri Lanka.
:24:17. > :24:20.But now, with back to back wins under their belts, they go
:24:21. > :24:23.into tomorrow's final Test against India on course for a series win.
:24:24. > :24:36.The Oval is the traditional finishing line for a cricket series
:24:37. > :24:42.last year here, England were holding the ashes and then all crumbled. A
:24:43. > :24:45.year of turmoil has witnessed unprecedented restructuring. Just
:24:46. > :24:51.this summer we had met Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Sam Robson, all new
:24:52. > :24:54.players but this man has really represented the new arrivals. Moeen
:24:55. > :24:59.Ali will always stand up. I have enjoyed several conversations with
:25:00. > :25:04.him this summer about his Muslim faith, which she expresses most
:25:05. > :25:08.visibly in that beard. It has always been really important, I just do
:25:09. > :25:15.what I have to do. 19 wickets against India, have I lost count of
:25:16. > :25:21.a feud? I am doing all right. While he concentrates on his bowling,
:25:22. > :25:29.which has flummoxed India, his status has become appreciated.
:25:30. > :25:39.I met this actor from Citizen Khan. Through humour, Baddiel six to
:25:40. > :25:50.normalise British Muslim identity. Cricket can do the same. Is a
:25:51. > :25:54.British Brummie, we don't want to be superior or different, we want to be
:25:55. > :25:56.on a level playing field. There is no more of a level playing field
:25:57. > :26:02.than playing cricket for your country. So for someone like Moeen
:26:03. > :26:07.Ali to be chosen purely because he is one of the best 11 people in this
:26:08. > :26:13.country at playing cricket is absolutely superb. Of course, there
:26:14. > :26:16.are still old faces. This is Stuart Broad, carrying a reminder of the
:26:17. > :26:20.ball which hit him in the last test. He is ready to play again, behind a
:26:21. > :26:25.redesigned metal grill. Understandable.
:26:26. > :26:32.Let's take a look at the weather now.
:26:33. > :26:36.Watching the weather today has quite literally been electrifying. A
:26:37. > :26:40.cluster of thunderstorm starting up across parts of Wales and the
:26:41. > :26:43.south-west, and they really gathered in momentum and pace across the
:26:44. > :26:47.south-east and parts of the East Midlands. It has brought around an
:26:48. > :26:51.inch or two of rain in some of those sharp showers, some hail, even
:26:52. > :26:56.reports of final clouds across the East Midlands. These showers will
:26:57. > :27:03.ease away slowly but surely through the evening. Overnight, most of the
:27:04. > :27:06.showers dying away towards the coast. Tomorrow a little more
:27:07. > :27:13.optimistic, fewer showers around and more in the way of sunshine, we
:27:14. > :27:19.start off quite promising. Lots of sunny spells coming through, by the
:27:20. > :27:24.middle of the balloon, one or two -- middle of the afternoon, one or two
:27:25. > :27:28.isolated showers cropping up. Highs of 19 to 20 degrees quite possible
:27:29. > :27:32.in one or two places, maybe as high as 21 or 22 in the south-east. One
:27:33. > :27:36.or two showers perhaps close to the Welsh border stretching up to the
:27:37. > :27:43.Midlands, across the peak district. Some of them could be heavy and
:27:44. > :27:49.thundery. Still a coolish feel come at disappointing for the middle of
:27:50. > :27:54.August. As we move to the weekend, quite a blustery wind returns to the
:27:55. > :27:57.north-west, some rain around as well but the best of the drier brighter
:27:58. > :28:01.weather likely to be on Saturday across England and Wales. The wind
:28:02. > :28:05.strengthening the gale forced gusts, some persistent showers
:28:06. > :28:09.across Scotland, it still feels quite cool here. That area of low
:28:10. > :28:11.pressure, it sits down into the North Sea. We continue to introduce
:28:12. > :28:16.this north-westerly wind. Plenty of showers around on Sunday as well,
:28:17. > :28:23.and the cool feel continues into the early half of next week.
:28:24. > :28:29.A reminder of the main story. Sir Cliff Richard's home in Berkshire
:28:30. > :28:33.has been searched by police investigating an historical
:28:34. > :28:36.allegation of sexual assault. Sir Cliff, who has not been arrested,
:28:37. > :28:42.said the allegation was completely false, and runners to cooperate with
:28:43. > :28:48.the police. More on that and all the other news on the BBC News Channel,
:28:49. > :28:50.and on our website, but that is all for now. It is