government and devolved nations, who didn't plan properly for the coronavirus pandemic. the first report from the covid inquiry says the virus caused more deaths and greater damage than it should have done. there damage than it should have done. were serious err pa rt there were serious errors on the part of the state, and serious flaws in our civil emergency systems. this cannot be allowed to happen again. also on the programme... joe biden tests positive for covid and pauses a campaign trip, as pressure grows for him to drop out of the presidential election race schools in england report a record number of pupils being suspended or permanently excluded. a new report says wrongly—jailed andrew malkinson could have been freed far earlier, and other miscarriges ofjustice may have been missed. and coming up on bbc news: the post—jimmy anderson era is underway for england cricket. they're taking on west indies in the second test match at trent bridge.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the first report from the covid inquiry says the uk government and devolved nations failed their citizens, and didn't plan well enough for a potential pandemic. it heard from hundreds of witnesses, and concludes that major flaws in the uk's preparations meant that the virus caused more deaths and greater economic damage than it should have. it's calling for a radical reform of the systems put in place. our health editor hugh pym joins us from central london. hugh, this is a damning report, tell us more about what it contains?

a damning report, more than 200 pages! just the first report of several that the inquiry will produce in a process that will last until 2027. it's a highly significant moment because it is the first report from the inquiry chair, baroness hallett, and her colleagues here at the inquiry base. and it really could hardly be more damning. it doesn't find specific failings by individuals, i think that is not the point. it's the fact that there were systemic weaknesses, and people being let down. as baroness hallett said, a failure of the state to prepare and plan for the sort of disaster which hit the uk early in 2020. dominic hughes has this report. shall be the truth... the whole truth...

and nothing but the truth. nearly 70 witnesses and six weeks of evidence. the first phase of the uk covid inquiry focused on how prepared the country was as covid hit. and the chair of the inquiry says it's crucial her report's findings are now acted on. unless the lessons are learned and fundamental changes implemented, the human and financial cost on sacrifice of the covid—i9 pandemic will have been in vain. the harrowing accounts of loss and grief given by the bereaved witnesses and others who suffered during the pandemic serve to remind us why there must be radical reform. the report has exposed just how poorly the uk was prepared for covid. it says that never again can a disease to be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering. this report concludes that, in reality, the uk was ill—prepared for dealing with a catastrophic emergency, let alone the pandemic

that actually struck. in the years leading up to the pandemic, there was a lack of adequate leadership, coordination and oversight. and the inquiry concludes the processes, planning and policy of the uk government, devolved administrations and civil services failed their citizens. for those who lost loved ones during the pandemic and who pushed hard for the inquiry to be established, this is an important moment. i'm feeling nervous, but excited because it's been a long journey, four years that we've been waiting for this. this report will be the proof of the pudding, as it were. how seriously are they taking issues that we believe are important? i am concerned whether or not the inquiry and lady hallett i will take the opportunity to speak truth to power and to make bold i recommendations that need to be made to ensure that we're prepared _ for the next pandemic. the hearing's covered all aspects of how the uk authorities had planned and prepared for a pandemic.

stockpiles of ppe, the impact of brexit, whether lessons were learned from how other countries handled similar viruses and the state of health care system itself. we were at the bottom of the table on number of doctors, number of nurses, number of beds, number of icus. dr saleyha ahsan is a documentary maker and trained army medic. she filmed this while working during covid. but the pandemic also claimed the life of her dad in 2020. it is so, so important for those of us who worked through it, who lost through it or who have suffered ill health because of it. to really appreciate where things went wrong. scientists warn that it's not a question of if, but when the next pandemic strikes. that's why it's vital the findings of this first report from the covid inquiry are taken seriously.

and hugh is still with us. will anything change as the result of this report?— of this report? baroness hallett, the inquiry _ of this report? baroness hallett, the inquiry chair, _ of this report? baroness hallett, the inquiry chair, certainly - of this report? baroness hallett, the inquiry chair, certainly hopes so. not only that, she expects it to happen. because one reason that this first report, just dealing with events leading up to early 2020, was published now, even as the inquiry is ongoing, is because she wanted to get out there warnings about the need to prepare for the next pandemic, which she says is going to be likely at some stage, and clearly from her report it is very obvious that the inquiry feels that not enough has been done, even since covid. so, she says she will be monitoring over the next 12 months the extent to which ministers and officials implement her recommendations, both at westminster and for the devolved administrations as well. she will keep on the case over that time. and in six months

she expects to see some action. so the ball is very much in the courts of government. they will have to come up with something that the inquiry chair here feels is adequate or she will call them out, i suspect. president biden has insisted he "feels good" after testing positive for covid. the virus — which he's had twice before — forced him to cancel a campaign speech in las vegas. before the diagnosis, mr biden said for the first time he would consider dropping out of the election, if any of his doctors said he had a medical condition. 0ur north america correspondent david willis has the latest. good afternoon. delegates were still taking their seats at an hispanic civil rights conference when word came that the keynote speaker had had to cancel. regrettably. .. he just tested positive for covid. minutes later came confirmation from the white house — a statement saying president biden was experiencing mild upper respiratory symptoms, combined with what was referred

to as general malaise. he'd fallen sick after this appearance earlier in the day at a mexican restaurant in the swing state of nevada. we're just getting down to game time now. questions about his health have dominated the campaign since his faltering debate performance three weeks ago. but speaking before the diagnosis, he suggested it would take something more serious than covid to make him drop out of the race. if i had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody... if the doctors came to me and said, you got this problem, that problem, but i made a serious mistake in the whole debate. and, uh, and look, when i originally ran, you may remember it. i said i was going to be a transitional candidate. and i thought that i'd be able to move from this to pass it on to someone else. but i didn't anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. and, quite frankly, i think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom. but calls from members of his own party for the president

to step aside are fast becoming a clamour. the influential californian congressman adam schiff said it was time for a passing of the torch, and it's emerged that the leading democrat in the senate, chuck schumer, met mr biden on saturday in an attempt to persuade him to call it quits. leaving las vegas for a spell of self—imposed isolation, the president was asked how he was feeling. how do you feel? i feel good. but the thumbs up will do little to assuage many people's concerns that, at 81 years of age, joe biden is lacking the physical and mental capacity to do the job. donald trump has chosen 0hio senatorjd vance as his vice—presidential pick. mr vance formally accepted the republican nomination, telling the crowd at the party's convention in milwaukee he would never forget the small town he came from. i grew up in middletown, 0hio.

applause a small town where people spoke their minds, built with their hands and loved their god, theirfamily, their community and their country with their whole hearts. but it was also a place that had been cast aside and forgotten by america's ruling class in washington. i promise you this. i will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik is in milwaukee. nada, how will those messages chime with what donald trump himself will say in his big speech later? yes, well, of course, this entire week has been building up to today, when donald trump will formally accept the republican nomination for president and will give his first public remarks since that narrow survival of that assassination attempt. now, we expect donald trump

to call for national unity, so expect a softer tone from donald trump. many have noted this week that he has appeared more subdued. butjust likejd vance, also expect him to focus on his messaging, that he alone can save this country, that he alone can save this country, that he alone can help the working people of america. let's not forget, we are in the middle of one of the most consequential elections in this nation. so it's unlikely he will pivot much from his core messaging. in fact, republicans have doubled down on the america first agenda all week. but he will also pay tribute to the firefighter who died. his funeral is on friday and locals say they do expect a member of the trump family to attend. for more insight and analysis on the us election, listen to our podcast americast. this week the team are publishing episodes on donald trump and joe biden every day, all available on bbc sounds —

or wherever you get your podcasts from. the justice secretary is calling for the chair of the criminal cases review commission to step down after an independent review into the case of andrew malkinson, who was wrongly convicted of rape and spent 17 years injail found an appalling miscarriage of justice which took an unconscionable amount of time to put right. he repeatedly asked the criminal cases review commission to consider new evidence that would have proved his innocence, but it didn't. 0ur legal correspondent dominic casciani reports. this was the scene when andrew malkinson won his campaign to be exonerated. jailed in 2004 for a rate he never committed, his case was quashed after compelling evidence that the case was untenable from top to bottom. his innocence proven, but his battle for the full

truth has continued. today, an independent report has revealed major failings independent report has revealed majorfailings by independent report has revealed major failings by the criminal cases review commission, the body that investigates wrongful convictions. in 2007, forensic scientists found dna on the victim's vest top that had to be from the true attacker. by 2009, greater manchester police prosecutors and the ccr see all new of its importance. but the miscarriages body rejected the first of three appeals by andrew malkinson for help. fizre of three appeals by andrew malkinson for hel. , ., , ., of three appeals by andrew malkinson forhel. , ., , ., , for help. five years into my imprisonment _ for help. five years into my imprisonment they - for help. five years into my imprisonment they knew i for help. five years into my . imprisonment they knew about for help. five years into my _ imprisonment they knew about another man's dna, they knew. the cps new and greater manchester police new. and ccr see new.— and ccr see new. today, the report author said — and ccr see new. today, the report author said that _ and ccr see new. today, the report author said that his _ and ccr see new. today, the report author said that his plight _ and ccr see new. today, the report author said that his plight exposed l author said that his plight exposed failings throughout criminal justice failings throughout criminaljustice and failings throughout criminal justice and specifically by the miscarriages body. and specifically by the miscarriages bod . ., , and specifically by the miscarriages bod . . and specifically by the miscarriages bod. , and specifically by the miscarriages bod. ., , ., body. there was a complete failure to understand _ body. there was a complete failure to understand the _ body. there was a complete failure to understand the evidence - body. there was a complete failure to understand the evidence at - body. there was a complete failure to understand the evidence at the i to understand the evidence at the time of the first application, and

the significance of the new dna evidence was completely missed. the second application, the approach to that was too rigid. even at the time of the third application, when everything had been made clear, the heavy lifting had been done by the charity representing mr malkinson. in a statement, the chair apologised to mr malkinson, but he says it's too little, too late. get to mr malkinson, but he says it's too little, too late.— too little, too late. get rid of the decision-makers _ too little, too late. get rid of the decision-makers at _ too little, too late. get rid of the decision-makers at the - too little, too late. get rid of the decision-makers at the ccrc, . too little, too late. get rid of the | decision-makers at the ccrc, get too little, too late. get rid of the i decision-makers at the ccrc, get a decision—makers at the ccrc, get a whole new bunch and retrain them in a way that is not sycophantic to the appeal courtjudges. you know? because i think that is what is going on as well. they are too afraid, too timid and fearful of upsetting high courtjudges. and they shouldn't be. they should be absolutely fearless. aha, they shouldn't be. they should be absolutely fearless.— they shouldn't be. they should be absolutely fearless. a wider review into alleged _ absolutely fearless. a wider review into alleged failings _ absolutely fearless. a wider review into alleged failings by _ absolutely fearless. a wider review into alleged failings by greater - into alleged failings by greater manchester police is still under

way. today, andy malkinson begins his fight for compensation, but that could take years. a significant report, what is the reaction to it been?— reaction to it been? well, this re ort is reaction to it been? well, this report is absolutely _ reaction to it been? well, this report is absolutely huge, - reaction to it been? well, this - report is absolutely huge, because it sets out an absolute litany of failures over many, many years which the author in that clip said could have been avoided, missed opportunities. so seriously has this report been taken within government, i havejust been report been taken within government, i have just been told by the ministry ofjustice that the justice secretary and lord chancellor shabana mehmood has begun the process to sack helen pitcher as the chair of the three match, that has literallyjust happened in the last few minutes while we have been preparing to go on air. the statement from the lord chancellor says it was sobering to read the findings. my thoughts are with both andrew malkinson and the victim of this horrific crime. having studied

the report closely, it is my firm view that helen picture is unfettered to fulfil her duties as chair of the ccrc. i have begun the process to seek her removal from that position. that is effectively a bit of a bureaucratic exercise, there has to be a panel and formal finding, but basically she has lost the confidence of government and she almost certainly will be out of office pretty soon. that is a real result for andy malkinson, and the lawyers who support him. they say that under the leadership of the ccrc at the moment, he is not the only one, there are other cases out there and they want a full root and branch review of many other cases because they say the ccrc simply hasn't been doing itsjob, notjust for andy, hasn't been doing itsjob, notjust forandy, but hasn't been doing itsjob, notjust for andy, but what people like him. the time is 13.16. our top story this afternoon. the first report fom the covid inquiry says the virus caused more deaths and greater damage than it should have done.

and a dinosaur skeleton sells at auction in new york for £34 million — making it the most expensive fossil ever. coming up on bbc news: the 152nd open championship is underway at royal troon. the reigning champion, brian harman, is among the big names out on the course. the prime minister is meeting leaders from across europe at a special summit at blenheim palace in 0xfordshire. sir keir starmer says he wants to rebuild relationships with some of the uk's key allies at the european political community meeting, and they'll discuss shared topics like the war in ukraine, and tackling illegal migration. 0ur chief political correspondent henry zeffman is there. henry, will what's talked about here have a lasting impact? there is almost 50 leaders here at blenheim palace today, many of them

eu members, many of them not and there's all sorts of topics on the agenda. there's all sorts of topics on the arenda. , ., , agenda. they all bring their particular— agenda. they all bring their particular national - agenda. they all bring their particular national interests agenda. they all bring their- particular national interests but there are issues which transcend them, ukraine, immigration, democracy. immigration is what sir keir starmer will focus on and he joins talks with leaders of italy and albania. take a step back, the real significance of this event for our new prime minister is this, two weeks ago he was still sweating over the result of the exit poll, now he's prime minister at the centre of european diplomacy. navigating how european diplomacy. navigating how europe responds to those challenges whether it's ukraine or immigration but also the real personal opportunity to meet leaders who he has not met before as our political correspondent nick eardley reports. a new government, a new relationship with europe, sir keir starmer hope so and this morning posting his

first major summit, european leaders in the grandeur of blenheim palace in the grandeur of blenheim palace in 0xfordshire. we in the grandeur of blenheim palace in 0xfordshire.— in 0xfordshire. we will strengthen our existing _ in 0xfordshire. we will strengthen our existing relationships - in 0xfordshire. we will strengthen our existing relationships and - in 0xfordshire. we will strengthen our existing relationships and we i our existing relationships and we will build — our existing relationships and we will build new ones. this includes reselling — will build new ones. this includes resetting our relationship with the eu. because i believe that the uk and the _ eu. because i believe that the uk and the eu working together as sovereign partners, or a powerful force _ sovereign partners, or a powerful force for— sovereign partners, or a powerful force for good across our continent. but after _ force for good across our continent. but after some of the fractious relationships in recent years, does europe agree? as leaders arrived this morning we ask them. are you expecting a closer relationship with the uk? we expecting a closer relationship with the uk? ~ ., the uk? we will have good relationship _ the uk? we will have good relationship with _ the uk? we will have good relationship with the - the uk? we will have good relationship with the uk, l the uk? we will have good. relationship with the uk, we the uk? we will have good - relationship with the uk, we already have and _ relationship with the uk, we already have and keir starmer is an excellent _ have and keir starmer is an excellent prime minister and i look forward _ excellent prime minister and i look forward to— excellent prime minister and i look forward to working with him and developing relationships. are you lookinu developing relationships. are you looking forward _ developing relationships. are you looking forward to _ developing relationships. are you looking forward to a _ developing relationships. are you looking forward to a new- looking forward to a new relationship with the uk? i think with a lotta _ relationship with the uk? i think with a lotta perspective - relationship with the uk? i think with a lotta perspective i will. relationship with the uk? i think i with a lotta perspective i will have the opportunity at the end of the

day to— the opportunity at the end of the day to have a bilateral conversation with the _ day to have a bilateral conversation with the prime minister so i am very happy— with the prime minister so i am very happy and _ with the prime minister so i am very happy and this is an incredible opportunity to reset. fire happy and this is an incredible opportunity to reset.— opportunity to reset. are you ho eful opportunity to reset. are you hopeful for — opportunity to reset. are you hopeful for a _ opportunity to reset. are you hopeful for a closer - opportunity to reset. are you i hopeful for a closer relationship with the uk?— hopeful for a closer relationship with the uk? absolutely. we are lookin: with the uk? absolutely. we are looking forward _ with the uk? absolutely. we are looking forward and _ with the uk? absolutely. we are looking forward and we - with the uk? absolutely. we are looking forward and we have - with the uk? absolutely. we are looking forward and we have the | looking forward and we have the greatest — looking forward and we have the greatest and high expectations with the new— greatest and high expectations with the new prime minister. sir greatest and high expectations with the new prime minister.— the new prime minister. sir keir starmer has _ the new prime minister. sir keir starmer has been _ the new prime minister. sir keir starmer has been prime - the new prime minister. sir keir| starmer has been prime minister the new prime minister. sir keir - starmer has been prime minister for starmer has been prime ministerfor less than a fortnight so the chance to meet european leaders so soon as one he will relish that many of them were on message talking about resetting relationships with the uk but sir keir starmer knows in the post—brexit world, getting everything that he wants will not be easy. back inside the summit a key issue today will be support for ukraine. 0n flinching says the prime minister, flanked by the president of ukraine. ~ ., , , of ukraine. when the oppressor loses, of ukraine. when the oppressor loses. the _ of ukraine. when the oppressor loses, the world _ of ukraine. when the oppressor loses, the world wins _ of ukraine. when the oppressor loses, the world wins and - of ukraine. when the oppressor loses, the world wins and this i of ukraine. when the oppressor. loses, the world wins and this has happened — loses, the world wins and this has happened in human history. it must happen— happened in human history. it must happen this — happened in human history. it must happen this time to to the russian

aggression, thank you very much. thank— aggression, thank you very much. thank you — aggression, thank you very much. thank you for every life saved. for your— thank you for every life saved. for your support. thank you for the invitation, prime minister. a key ro -e in invitation, prime minister. a key rape in the _ invitation, prime minister. a key rope in the european _ invitation, prime minister. a key rope in the european stage - invitation, prime minister. a key rope in the european stage for i invitation, prime minister. - rope in the european stage for the government but many familiar challengers, none of which will be easy to solve. nick eardley, bbc news, at the european political community summit. the number of pupils being suspended or permanently excluded from schools in england has reached a record high. last year, there were nearly 787,000 suspensions in state schools in england. that's up by 36% and the highest number on record. more than 84,000 of those were of primary school pupils. the new figures also show a record number of permanent exclusions — more than 9,000. that's 44% more than last year. the most common reason for both was persistent disruptive behaviour. it accounted for nearly half

of all reasons given for suspension and around 40% for permanent exclusions. reacting to the figures, the school leaders' union naht, said the record number showed a desparate need for change and better support for children who need it. i think some of the challenges we have in school is around access to other services. we know special needsis other services. we know special needs is a breaking point and access to special school provision is difficult and we know that some of the wider issues around family issues are challenging, access to children's social care, behaviour support, and children's mental health are all some of the barriers towards good behaviour in school. we're joined now by our education correspondent, elaine dunkley. elaine, what can we take away from these figures? these figures are shocking but probably not to teachers. for many in education these statistics are the soundtrack to many issues they have been dealing with and the

pandemic certainly made things worse but when i go to schools and i speak to head teachers and teaching assistants and teachers they say to me some of the drivers behind this behaviour are things like bad mental health, deprivation, one of the big things they talk about is children with special educational needs and disabilities that are getting the right support especially those who do not have an education plan which is a package outlining support that they need and those pupils are seven times more likely to be suspended or excluded. another issue is teachers tell me about as increasing numbers of pupils who do not want to be in school and we heard about attendance problems and those pupils will deliberately cause disruption because they want to be suspended and they don't want to be in school. teaching unions have raised another concern around parental behaviour, earlier this year the national association of head teachers could posters in some schools and reception about warning parents over

abusing staff and this is a really big issue that the labour party needs to tackle. they want to recruit 6500 teachers but in order to do that they will have to tackle disruptive behaviour stop labour says it is committed to helping mental health permission done by professionals in all secondary schools, universalfree breakfast schools, universal free breakfast clubs schools, universalfree breakfast clubs in primary schools and early intervention for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. and there is another big education announcement today on the application forms that students fill in for university?— in for university? ucas has said the will in for university? ucas has said they will scrap _ in for university? ucas has said they will scrap the _ in for university? ucas has said they will scrap the 4000 - in for university? ucas has said they will scrap the 4000 word i they will scrap the 4000 word character statement that students need to fill out to go to university and its to help students from more deprived background so they do not have wealthy parents who can afford to pay for work placements are a gap year. ucas last year waved the fee for those on free school meals so instead of having a character statement ucas put on three

questions that students must answer, why do you want to study the course, how have your qualifications help you to prepare for this and what else have you done to prepare outside of education and why are these experiences helpful so let's hope this will remove some barriers and this will come into force for those students applying to university next year. two senior politicians are appearing before the post office inquiry today, to answer questions about what they did to address the horizon it scandal during their time as post office ministers. the now cabinet office minister pat mcfadden and the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey are both giving evidence. our correspondent zoe conway is at the inquiry. zoe, what have we heard so far? pat mcfadden is a senior government minister. the last time the labour party was in office he was a postal affairs minister and he served in that role between 2007—2009 and he was asked this morning, couldn't he

have done more to help the supposed masters, couldn't he have done more to challenge what the post office was telling him about the robustness of the horizon it system? he gave this view on what he thought the post office was insisting that there was not a problem.— was not a problem. what i am not clear of is — was not a problem. what i am not clear of is at _ was not a problem. what i am not clear of is at what _ was not a problem. what i am not clear of is at what point _ was not a problem. what i am not clear of is at what point in - was not a problem. what i am not clear of is at what point in this - clear of is at what point in this story— clear of is at what point in this story does— clear of is at what point in this story does blind faith from the post office _ story does blind faith from the post office in _ story does blind faith from the post office in their it system turn to something more sinister, people are not telling _ something more sinister, people are not telling the truth? when i look back on— not telling the truth? when i look back on this, and i think of the terrible — back on this, and i think of the terrible human consequences for the supposed _ terrible human consequences for the supposed masters who were prosecuted, even the ones who were not prosecuted but lost large sums of money _ not prosecuted but lost large sums of money or suffered damage in other ways, _ of money or suffered damage in other ways, of— of money or suffered damage in other ways, of course i wish i had asked more _ ways, of course i wish i had asked

more about— ways, of course i wish i had asked more about this. sir ways, of course i wish i had asked more about this.— ways, of course i wish i had asked more about this. sir ed davey, the leader of the _ more about this. sir ed davey, the leader of the liberal _ more about this. sir ed davey, the leader of the liberal democrats i more about this. sir ed davey, the| leader of the liberal democrats has just started giving evidence to the inquiry. he was also a postal affairs minister between 2010—2012 and i think we can expect him also to say that he was misled by the post office and i think we can also expect him to say that with hindsight, he also wishes that he had asked more questions. zoe, thank you. the skeleton of a stegosaurus has been bought at auction in new york for £34 million — making it the most expensive fossil ever sold. nicknamed apex, its 8.5 metres long and was discovered two years ago near the appropriately—named town of dinosaur in the us state of colorado! thomas magill reports. the largest stegosaurus ever found and now the most expensive ever sold after it fetched more than ten times its guide price at auction —

a whopping £34 million. nicknamed apex, it's only one of a handful ever unearthed. we've only found about eight or nine stegosauruses. there are only that number of them in museums in the world, so it's a very, very rare animal. and to find one of this size and this completeness is phenomenal. the plant—eating dinosaur was discovered two years ago in colorado in the usa. a chance finding that was almost missed. so we started walking around. we walked for about an hour—and—a—half. we went down off a road and into a ravine, and my friend was walking in front of me and when he stopped to turn around, isaid, hey. i was like, there's a femur sticking out of the wall down there. and he was standing right on top of it, and he looked down and he said, he said, where? below the lichen? and i said, no, it is the lichen. since then, experts have been painstakingly putting it back

together, every bone revealing more and more about its life on earth 150 million years ago. the sacral bones are fused, which tells us that it had arthritis. there are no bite marks or any other signs of a battle. it was around other stegosauruses. it had a good relationship with other stegosauruses! it lived a long life and likely died of old age. at 40 million then... in recent years, similar fossils have been bought by private collectors. sold...! for now, the buyer here is unknown. unlike stan the tyrannosaurus rex, which sold in 2020 for £29 million to the natural history museum in abu dhabi. everyone will be hoping for a similar fate for apex. thomas magill, bbc news. it's the opening day of golf's open championship with englishmanjustin rose amongst

the early leaders at royal troon. rory mcilroy is already out on the course, and tiger woods tees off this afternoon for his 23rd 0pen. 0ur sports correspondent ben croucher is there. and a steady and maintain focus, golf is all about the perfect shot but here at royal troon that can be easier said than done especially when mother nature provides a very scottish welcome. yes, it's wet and windy and wild, some came prepared, some braving the elements. but there's always one way to keep your seat warm and dry. taste there's always one way to keep your seat warm and dry.— seat warm and dry. we have come reared seat warm and dry. we have come prepared with _ seat warm and dry. we have come prepared with an _ seat warm and dry. we have come prepared with an umbrella, - seat warm and dry. we have come prepared with an umbrella, we - seat warm and dry. we have come| prepared with an umbrella, we will be ok, we will hunker down. it is scotland, — be ok, we will hunker down. it is scotland, it _ be ok, we will hunker down. it is scotland, it is — be ok, we will hunker down. it is scotland, it is what _ be ok, we will hunker down. it is scotland, it is what we are used to but that's— scotland, it is what we are used to but that's fine, get on with it. it's exciting. but that's fine, get on with it. it's exciting-— but that's fine, get on with it. it's exciting. but that's fine, get on with it. it's excitina. ,, ~ . , it's exciting. quite mcintire? he is scottish, home _

it's exciting. quite mcintire? he is scottish, home player, _ it's exciting. quite mcintire? he is scottish, home player, after- it's exciting. quite mcintire? he is scottish, home player, after his i scottish, home player, after his form last week i think he has a good chance. it’s form last week i think he has a good chance. �* . . form last week i think he has a good chance. �*, , , ., , form last week i think he has a good chance. i, , ., ,, . form last week i think he has a good chance. , ., ,, . ., chance. it's been 25 years since a scot last won _ chance. it's been 25 years since a scot last won the _ chance. it's been 25 years since a scot last won the open _ chance. it's been 25 years since a scot last won the open and - chance. it's been 25 years since a scot last won the open and the i scot last won the open and the grandstands are filling up but when mcintire is in town there is standing room only. whatever your vantage point there is a tell—tale sign of a birdie. it echoes all around royal troon. rory mcilroy has not won a major for a decade around royal troon. rory mcilroy has not won a majorfor a decade but could this be his year? he missed out on the us open and he is getting closer. conditions are enough to blow anybody off course and so experience is required, justin rose, well watered but growing into his first round nicely. received wisdom suggests avoiding the bunkers around this place is best but nobody it seems told adam scott that the open attracts the finest in the world. but even if you are leading, you are only ever one shot away from peril. and here at royal troon, success can be about thriving notjust

surviving. justin thomas was up and down, he is up again, the clubhouse leader at three under after a birdie, birdie finish, rory mcilroy struggling, not too many low scores here as the course bares its teeth, perhaps tiger woods teeing off in about an hour. the wind will continue to howl, taming royal troon will not be easy! ben, thank you. a reminder of our top headline this afternoon. the first report fom the covid inquiry says the virus caused more deaths and greater damage than it should have done. the uk is in danger of missing its 2030 target to cut carbon emissions according to the governments independent advisers on climate change. we'll have a full forecast in the next half hour, but it's time now for a quick look at the weather. here's ben. thank you. we saw rain for the golf

but further south and east in the uk there is some sunshine on some real summer weather. these are the temperatures at the moment, surrey is the hotspot, close to 27 degrees, you can see the cooler conditions further north and west with more in the way of cloud and some splashes of rain across northern ireland, western scotland, into north—west england and parts of wales through the afternoon. the best of the sunshine in the south and east, it could reach 28 degrees. tomorrow is likely to be warmer still for some, but will at last into the weekend? i will tell you later. then, thank you. as leaders from across europe meet at blenheim palace this lunchtime, one of the key topics they'll be talking about is illegal migration — a challenge which brings many of them together. sir keir starmer has talked about coming up with a common european approach to tackling it. but what might that mean? ben chu from bbc verify has been looking into it. one of the key objectives for today's meeting of european leaders is to discuss closer

collaboration to tackle illegal migration. so what might that closer co—operation look like? first, let's look at the scale of the joint challenge. small boat channel crossings so far in 2024 are around 15,000. the annual peak of crossings was in 2022, nearly 46,000 for the whole year. the eu has been facing its own problems with this form of migration, which it calls irregular. much of that has been crossings of boats across the mediterranean, and crossings so far in 2024 are around 80,000. the peak was last year with 263,000 people crossing. so as you can see, the uk's experience is part of a much bigger picture on boat crossings facing the continent. most people arriving irregularly by boat into the eu or the uk make asylum claims, and in 2023 around 84,000 people applied for asylum in the uk, close to the highest levels in 20 years.

that equates to around 1.2 per thousand people. how does that compare to europe? well, in 2023, just over1 million people sought asylum across the eu, the highest since 2016. that's equivalent to 2.3 people per 1000 people and on a national proportionate basis, the uk's figure is lower than the likes of italy, france and germany, and much lower than cyprus at 13 per 1000 people. so what about closer cooperation? well, in april, the eu agreed a new asylum and migration pact to require eu member states to share responsibility for asylum seekers. could the uk potentiallyjoin this scheme or something similar? well, labour did say before the election in its border plan that it wants new agreements with france and other countries on returns and family reunion, though it added it could not sign up to an eu quota scheme because the uk is not a member state, so any agreement would have to be outside of that. and here's some historical context. the eu's old dublin system enabled

the uk to return some asylum seekers to eu member states without considering their asylum claims. the uk left that system in 2021, but in the latter stages of the uk's membership, as you can see here, transfers of asylum seekers into the uk shown in blue were higher than transfers out shown in red. so what this underlines is that while pan european agreements can potentially help manage such common migration challenges when it comes to the impact on flows of people, they can work in both directions. still to come on today's programme... a retired pianist who spent his career playing in hotel bars has found online fame at the age of 92! now it's time to join our colleagues with the news where you are. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm tanya arnold.

the 152nd open championship is under way at royal troon. having had to qualify, justin rose is up amongst the leaders. ben duckett scores the fastest 50 by an england opener on day one of the second test against west indies. and great britain cyclist, katy marchant, is getting ready for her third olympics with her biggest fan, her son arthur. the 152nd open championship — the final men's major of the season — is under way at royal troon on the west coast of scotland. around a quarter of a million fans are expected on the course in the coming days, with many there to cheer on home favourite robert macintyre after his scottish open win at the weekend. for the very latest, we can go live there now

and join our reporter ben croucher. how are the conditions treating the golfers up there? when you think about the open chairmanship in scotland, what weather do you think of? i suspect yesterday bathed in sunshine is distant memory because it has been wet and windy this morning. the rain makes the rough really heavy. the already brutal, even harder to get out of. we saw jon rahm having to chip out sideways out of a bunker. all in all, it makes a quintessential 0pen makes a quintessential open championship, a quintessential links test for these golfers and the wind, 20 miles an hour, whipping in, difficult for the golfers to control the ball. you need a bit of

experience in these conditions. justin rose has paid on 21 open chairmanship now and he has weathered those conditions rather brilliantly. he made team birdies on his front nine. fellow englishman, matt wallace, was leading for a time as well. he is out on four under par, thanks to a whole out eagle on the par—5. he threw it all well with a seven at the ninth of the p is now in the clubhouse and one under par. even when you think you've got the knack of this place, it can come back to bite you.— knack of this place, it can come back to bite you. knack of this place, it can come back to bite ou. ~ ., , , ., back to bite you. who else should we be lookin: back to bite you. who else should we be looking out _ back to bite you. who else should we be looking out for _ back to bite you. who else should we be looking out for is _ back to bite you. who else should we be looking out for is the _ back to bite you. who else should we be looking out for is the day - back to bite you. who else should we be looking out for is the day goes - be looking out for is the day goes on? �* . , ., be looking out for is the day goes on? �* ., , ., ., be looking out for is the day goes on? ., ., , on? already out on the course, rory mcilro , on? already out on the course, rory mcilroy. one — on? already out on the course, rory mcilroy. one of _ on? already out on the course, rory mcilroy, one of the _ on? already out on the course, rory mcilroy, one of the fans _ on? already out on the course, rory mcilroy, one of the fans favourites l mcilroy, one of the fans favourites here, that is for certain. everyone we have spoken to desperate enter and that decade—long drought. he has been struggling so far, made a bogey

on the very first hole and when it came to the most famous hole here at royal troon. came to the most famous hole here at royaltroon. his came to the most famous hole here at royal troon. his tee shot found the bunker, his ball had other ideas and he made a double bogey. he is now on two over par is not the day that mcilroy would have wanted. the clubhouse leader is a major champion, justin thomas sits on three under par. he had a topsy—turvy round but made a birdie birdie finish to close things out. also in the clubhouse, we can see alex noren and nikolai hauge are doing very well. adam scott, who came very close to winning this tournament about a decade ago, he is sitting on one under par. if you are getting into the open fever, you can watch highlights on bbc two at eight o'clock this morning.— o'clock this morning. thank you very much, stay — o'clock this morning. thank you very much, stay warm. _ next to trent bridge where the second test between england

and west indies is underway. earlier the tourists won the toss and put england into bat. it was an awful start for england who lost zac crawley to just the 3rd ball of the day when he edged it to the slips. but since then they've dominated. ben duckett has been hitting boundaries for fun. he reached 50 offjust 32 balls — the fastest 50 by an england opener. but he couldn't turn that into a century, eventually falling for 71 — jason holder taking a sharp catch off the bowling of shamarjoseph. 0llie pope has kept the scoreboard ticking over though. he's still there just short of his half century. so this is how it looks after the morning session at trent bridge — england on 134 for 2, 0llie pope is 47 not out at the lunch break. he'll resume after lunch alongsidejoe root on 13. another line of cricket for you, involving englands another line of cricket for you, involving england's captain ben stokes. he will play in this year's hundred competition following the current test series against the west indies. he missed last year's competition, but will now be available for four games for andrew flintoff�*s northern superchargers team.

in formula one, the haas team has announced that kevin magnussen will leave at the end of the season. no replacement has been announced yet, but bbc sport understands that alpine's esteban 0con will take his seat in 2025. the decision means haas will have an all—new driver line—up next year, with britain's 0llie bearman replacing nico hulkenberg, who moves to sauber. there is little over a week to go until the olympic opening ceremony in paris. this is the third games for track cyclist katy marchant, who has returned to the sport after maternity leave, feeling stronger than ever. in tokyo, she was heartbroken afterfailing to bring home a medal. but she's ready to put that disappointment behind her, as she enjoys what's she calling her "career 2.0". she's been talking to sally hurst. when you're an olympic track sprint cyclist, you spend more time lifting weights than riding your bike.

the power required to get up to speeds of 70km an hour puts an incredible force through the bike, so much so that katy�*s is getting fixed after breaking on the turbo. we put in, like, 1,500 watts out on the turbo, but it's repetitive, you know, we're doing it a lot and the bikes are taking a lot of stick and there's a lot of movement and yeah, it's a lot for them to take, i think. paris will be katy�*s third olympic games. can marchant get it on the line? i think she can. in rio, as a relative novice, she came home with an unexpected bronze, a huge boost to the confidence. tokyo, though, was a different story. her medal hopes ended after a dramatic crash in the keirin. i carried a lot of pressure and weight going into tokyo, being the only female sprinter qualified for the olympics, and i think that played heavy on me and i learned a lot from that. and coming away now and then, stepping away to have arthur and getting back into the sport. and i've said it before that it feels like career 2.0, but this really does feel

like something different, and yeah, something that's extra special. go, go, go! keep going, arthur! arthur is katy�*s two—year—old son. born in the wake of that disappointment in tokyo, he's given her a new perspective on sport. cycling still means absolutely everything to me, but i have this little person now that is, like, my priority, and he's my absolute number one. so yeah, i think... i just feel very content and things are going really well and yeah, life's good. and she is no longer the only female sprinter on the squad, with gb qualifying for the women's team sprint for the first time since london 2012. what's it like to have that team around you now? yeah, its huge, you know, and i think something i craved more than i thought i craved during my time of being on my own. and yeah, just the in—house competition and having the support from the girls. and yeah, we're a team, but we're also against each other. and just for me to get back into the team, i had to be producing world best times. and i think that was just that extra drive that i maybe needed to be like,

to prove to myself that i was capable, and yeah, i am good enough to be in that team. with just a few days to go until the olympic opening ceremony in paris, katy marchant is ready to put everything on the line. sally hurst, bbc news, leeds. i wish her luck. i wonder if young arthur might be following mum to the olympics in a few years' time. and finally, what were you doing at the age of 14? if you're cavan sullivan of the philadelphia union, you're making a professional debut. sullivan became the youngest player in major league soccer history atjust 14 years and 293 days, when he came on for the union in their 5—1 win over new england revolution. and he could be premier league—bound one day. it's believed manchester city have an agreement in place to sign the midfielder when he turns 18.

there's coverage of the 0penbbc radio 5live, while test match special is on 5 sports extra — but if you can't listen, head to the bbc sport website and app, where there's text commentary on both, as well as all of the rest of your sports news. the transfer news and the build—up to the olympics. it is a busy summer. that is way get all of the news on the gulf and the cricket. but from all the team here at the bbc sport centre, goodbye for now.

greater manchester police has apologised after an inquiry found that women who had experienced sexual and domestic abuse were arrested and strip—searched by officers and staff. the report has made a number of recommendations which the force has accepted. 0ur correspondent lauren moss has been listening to a senior officer responding to the inquiry. lauren — what have they said? 0fficials here this afternoon say this report makes for pretty shocking reading, the accounts of how some women, many of them vulnerable victims of sexual and domestic abuse were treated by officers and staff at greater manchester police. some of them put through degrading strip searches, left four hours without sanitary products and one woman who was abused by her own partner was arrested and strip—searched herself after she was accused of kicking the

wing mirror of her partner scott. greater manchester police has apologised and says it accepts all of the recommendations that were made in the report and many changes have already been made but it says that much of this happened when the force was in special measures which it no longer is. but force was in special measures which it no longer is— it no longer is. but let me be very clear. i it no longer is. but let me be very clear- i take _ it no longer is. but let me be very clear. i take all— it no longer is. but let me be very clear. i take all cases _ it no longer is. but let me be very clear. i take all cases where - clear. i take all cases where criminal— clear. i take all cases where criminal conduct is alleged, extremely seriously. any instances of criminal— extremely seriously. any instances of criminal wrongdoing and greater manchester police will be relentlessly pursued and my track record _ relentlessly pursued and my track record in— relentlessly pursued and my track record in exiting people unfit to wear— record in exiting people unfit to wear the — record in exiting people unfit to wear the uniform speaks for itself. among _ wear the uniform speaks for itself. among the — wear the uniform speaks for itself. among the recommendations made here for more training, better treatment of detainees, better record keeping a more female welfare officers switch the force has accepted, there

are nationwide implications. it calls for strip searching to be severely restricted and for looking at a review of how women and girls are treated in custody and white victims of crimes often become criminalised themselves but that will take some time to come. thank ou. the uk is in danger of missing its 2030 target to cut carbon emissions, according to the government's independent advisers on climate change. the climate change committee says only one third of the actions that need to be taken to hit that goal are backed up by credible plans to achieve them. 0ur environment correspondent matt mcgrath has more. from renewable energy to electric cars to home heating, the uk needs to rapidly speed up the energy transition, says the government's independent climate advisers. they're particularly concerned about how we keep households warm. we'll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump. last autumn, former prime minister rishi sunak announced a rollback of plans to replace gas

boilers from 2035. but the climate committee says this move was ill advised. so we really need to get to these new technologies. they're more efficient, they'll lower costs for households, and they will remove some of this vulnerability to these very volatile fossil fuel markets that we've seen over the last few years. it's caused so much hardship for so many households. to boost the uptake of heat pumps, the climate change committee says we need lower electricity prices, which means a big ramp up in renewables, including onshore wind. locals on the lawrence weston estate in bristol are very proud of their community turbine, the tallest in england. projects like this could bring down bills, but red tape means the financial benefits can be slow to come through. i mean, i know we're feeding the grid at the moment, but of course i don't think we get much benefit ourselves yet. but we will, we will, be patient. to help more people across the uk switch to low carbon lifestyles,

such as getting heat pumps or more insulation, the government's advisers say that words alone aren't enough. they want to see strong policies from the new labour administration that will make that switch to a greener lifestyle attractive, affordable and easy. nature also needs a new approach, the committee says. current uk plans for new forests and peat restoration are advancing far too slowly. there needs to be a significant uptick in planting in the next 12 months, experts say, or there won't be enough trees to soak up excess carbon by 2030. matt mcgrath, bbc news. a young track cyclist, who will represent team gb at the olympics in paris this summer, says the news has still hasn't sunk in. 20—year—old ed lowe — who rode in a velodrome for the first time just six years ago — has been selected for the men's sprint team. he described how it all happened. hi, my name is ed lowe. i'm 20 years old and i'm going to the olympics to do team sprint in the track cycling. i do the opening lap

of the team sprint, which is, for me, about 17 seconds from a standing start. 0ur event in total is roughly around 42 seconds, three laps, 750m. so, yeah, it's over quite quickly and you have to be on your toes. i started cycling when i was seven years old after watching the tour de france. my dad always cycled, so he sort of encouraged me to get involved on my bike. this time a year ago, if you'd have told me i was going to my first olympic games, i wouldn't quite have believed you. this is everything i've sort of wanted for and trained for since i was, you know, like, a tiny kid. it's a bit weird. like, it doesn't sort of process, and i still don't think it will process until i'm there and i've done it. just so excited for him. and, you know... just very emotional. it is unexpected.

we thought maybe there was a chance he could go to the 2028 olympics in los angeles. so it was a big surprise for us that he can go four years earlier. my parents have played a huge part. i'd say especially my dad. he took me to all of my races when i was younger. we're constantly been buying and selling bicycles for years and years. and, yeah, the money side and the time side has been quite extensive, really. to end up on that 0lympic podium would be everything to me. it's everything i've ever dreamed of and i'd do anything to get that. a retired pianist who spent his career playing in hotel bars has found online fame — at the age of 92. richard cameron thought his days of performing to an audience were behind him, but now he has fans around the world after a friend posted videos of him playing on social media. phil connell has the story. classical music plays. richard cameron has played the piano for most of his 92 years. his talented fingers still as quick

and as nimble as ever. the joy i like is what you can do with, say, for example, summertime. so simple. and are your fingers still as nimble today as they were 30, 40 years ago? that's about the only part of me that is! but they're still going strong? yeah, yeah. for 30 years, richard was a professional pianist, playing to guests in some of the best hotels in york and london. now, though, thanks to karl mullen, a friend and fellow musician, richard has found newfound fame, with karl posting videos of richard on his youtube channel. they've been viewed thousands of times with richard thrilling music lovers around the world. i'll be amazed if i'm

still able to play like that, if i'm still breathing at that age, but i'm able to play or able to play anything like at the level that richard can. yeah, it's... ..it's amazing. loads of nice comments. people saying, "wish he was my neighbour so i could listen "to the sounds all day". "splendid, richard." " bravo! " for richard though, who still plays the piano every day, fame in his twilight years has all been a bit bemusing. tried it for 13 years and nothing ever happened before that. and to find all of a sudden at 92 that, er... it's unbelievable. all my girlfriends seem to have gone absolutely mad. there's one in hungary, sends everything over to hungary, and there's a... i've got quite a following out there. a whole new fan base! yeah. with help from karl, richard's planning to post more videos in the coming weeks and months,

proving it's never too late to show the world what you can do. phil connell, bbc news, york. what a star! now the weather with ben. summer is here for many of us at least, a beautiful summer scene for this weather watcher in norfolk and as we head into tomorrow it may turn hotter for some of us. we could see highs of 31 degrees in the south—east tomorrow, feeling humid for all of us. because of the jet stream, it steers the weather system around the world, bending to the north of the uk allowing us to draw humid airfrom the north of the uk allowing us to draw humid air from the south but closest to the core of the jet stream we have a frontal system in play this afternoon. you can see more plant across northern ireland, western scotland, splashes of rain, a bit of

that into north—west england and north wales. north east scotland holding on to some sunshine through the day, for mid and the swales, a good part of england, lengthy spells of sunshine, reaching 27 degrees. we may add another degree or two onto those numbers before the afternoon is done. this evening and overnight it will be warm and humid. with that we see lots of low cloud, mr and mark for some out towards the west. some clear spells, overnight temperatures no lower than 13—17 so it means a warm start tomorrow morning. we see sunshine tomorrow, temperatures will respond across many parts of and wales. mr and mark in the west, more cloud for northern ireland and scotland, some sunny spells but some rain into the far west with a strengthening breeze and look at these temperatures. in the south—east corner, 30 possibly 31 degrees. will at last into the

weekend? probably not! this frontal system from the west will bring outbreaks of rain for some of us on saturday, depending on how quickly it moves, if it hangs back a little for a time on saturday we may still draw some warm air into eastern england so on saturday in eastern england so on saturday in eastern england with sunshine it could be another one day but that could cause some thunderstorms. further west a band of heavy rain moving slowly will cool things but in eastern england it could still reach possibly high 20s however through saturday night, the band of rain will sweep its way north and east and will sweep the heat and humidity away. coolerfeel for all and will sweep the heat and humidity away. cooler feel for all of us on sunday. not a bad day in terms of weather but the temperature is lower, 15—22 . back you. that's all from today's bbc news at one. enjoy your afternoon. goodbye.

live from london.

this is bbc news. the uk covid inquiry delivers a damning first report, saying the last government failed its citizens. in reality, the uk was ill—prepared for dealing with the whole system civil emergency of a pandemic, let alone the coronavirus pandemic that actually struck. the alone the coronavirus pandemic that actually struck.— actually struck. the other main headlines... _ the british prime minister promises to reset relations with the eu as he welcomes dozens of leaders to a major summit at the palace where sir winston churchill was born. we will strengthen our existing relationships and we will build new ones. this includes resetting a relationship with the eu. bravery made winston _ relationship with the eu. bravery made winston churchill - relationship with the eu. bravery made winston churchill churchill| relationship with the eu. bravery - made winston churchill churchill and bravery _ made winston churchill churchill and bravery won the greatest battle of his life. _ bravery won the greatest battle of his life. it — bravery won the greatest battle of his life, it was the battle for

britain — his life, it was the battle for britain and of course for