unsettled weather for the end of the week. this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 7... widespread anger again today from students, who say the whole process, has been unfair. most people i know have been affected by this. i am more than happy to speak up because these are oui’ happy to speak up because these are our futures. lancashire police say 2 bodies have been found by the coastguard and the rnli, during the search for 2 teenagers. the department of health and social care neither confirms nor denies reports that there's to be a shake—up of public health england. in belarus, the biggest anti government protests yet against president lukashenko, who says, he won't resign.

and coming up at 7.30, it's the film review with anna smith. good evening. there's more uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of a—level students, and those waiting for gcse results in a few days' time. the exams regulator, quual, has withdrawn its advice on how pupils can appeal their allocated grades, just hours after making the advice public. the government has been under fire since thursday, when a—level results were awarded and nearly 40% of teacher assessments were downgraded. now, a former conservative education secretary, says the government should stop "digging itself a hole" and postpone this week's gcse results.

with the latest, here's ‘s our education editor, branwen jeffreys. outraged, disappointed by their a—levels. the common theme is anger. a lot of people are really sad and stressed. it is a very stressful time. your future is uncertain. students brought their protest to westminster today. i was predicted aaa, and i got given bcc. and ijust think it's unfair that we got given these grades even though we didn't actually sit the exams in the first place. afraid their future is at stake. i don't really know what to do. the only thing i have left to do is wait for the government to reveal a fair appeals process. some did get the grades they needed, but 40% of a—level grades were adjusted down. next week, with gcses, it could be worse. half a million pupils will get their grades. in england, only a i% rise overall is allowed. i senior tories

calling for a rethink. there will be a massive number of downgrades this thursday, a really great, massive number. you mustn't forget, half a million people take maths gcse, so you are into numbers of hundreds of thousands complaining that they've been hit. you know, when you are in a hole, stop digging. goodness knows what is going on at quual. it's sows confusion amongst pupils, head teachers, school teachers, and it is the last thing we need at this time. we need a "ronseal" appeal system that is simple, people understand it. the politics of grades never so heated. the pressure on ministers building. i care about these young people, to be honest, and the hundreds of thousands of students who are affected by this disaster. so that's why i'm calling

on the prime minister to step in, quite frankly. he needs to right this wrong in the next 2a hours. that is why he is the prime minister of the country. he needs to get up off his backside and help and support these young people. when schools shut, exams had to be cancelled. but now support for the alternative is falling apart. it's really not good enough for us to be finding out information last night which our members are going to have to implement. you know, one head teacher said they are going to have 900 appeals across the school, at a time when they are trying to do the logistics of this pandemic. there has to be a sense of government, the regulator, working with the very people who are responsible for young people and who have to implement these ideas. and still it is not clear how many will appeal, as rules for that have been rewritten. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers.

our guests joining me tonight are the journalist and author yasmin alibhai—brown and andy silvester of city am. emergency teams who had been searching for two teenagers missing off the lancashire coast since last night, have found two bodies. the teenagers from west yorkshire got into difficulties in the water at lytham st annes last night. a third person, their cousin, is recovering after managing to swim to shore. 0ur correspondent fiona trott is in lytham st annes. this is the coast guard office at lytha m this is the coast guard office at lytham st annes and the family of 18—year—old muhammad azhar shabbir and his 16—year—old brother arrived here about an hour ago. they came just minutes after lancashire police confirmed two bodies had been found. it's hard to imagine what the past 24 it's hard to imagine what the past 2a hours have been like for them, since that initial call came in.

the start of an 18 hour search. and this was just one part of it. one of these rnli lifeboats was out for 15 hours and was laterjoined by another from blackpool. the coastguard helicopter and ground patrols were also on alert. news of what happened at this busy beach quickly spread. the teenagers' 15—year—old cousin managed to swim ashore. we saw the young lad come back in, he had just trousers on, no top and he was shaking. they took him out of the coastal than with, we think it was his sister, and put him straight in an ambulance. this vast beach is popular at this time of year, but people who know it well say visitors can get into difficulty. the beach, although it looks flat, is not. if you are on higher ground and looking out to sea, not paying attention to what happens behind you, the water can come in behind you and next minute you know, you've got to at least wade ashore or, if it gets

too deep, swim ashore. at lunchtime today, is a difficult decision was made. despite all their efforts, the coast guard suspended the search. and tonight another development. lancashire police say two bodies have been found. they are yet to be formally identified, but are believed to be muhammad and ali shabbir. the department of health and social care has neither confirmed nor denied reports that there's to be a shake—up of public health england. the sunday telegraph reports today that the organisation's pandemic response work was to be merged with nhs test and trace, into a new body called the institute for health protection. the department of health says it's important to "learn the right lessons" from coronavirus for the future. 0ur health editor, hugh pym has more.

public health england were strongly criticised for its involvement in a very controversial decision back in march to suspend community testing and tracing and focus capacityjust on hospitals. not long after that, ministers realised they really did need to build up a big testing network which then arguably happened too little too late. it is understood that in the next couple of days the government will announce a big shake—up, moving responsibilities from public health england for the pandemic, surveillance and testing and so on, over to the test and trace team that is there. pag will hang on to for a little longer some of its responsibilities on prevention, like obesity strategies and so on. criticism is that this is response to mistakes made, but we should bear in mind phe is an executive agency, it is not autonomous and it is not independent. some of these big and important decisions back in those fateful weeks in march would have involved

the chief scientific, chief medical advisers and ministers as well as phe. when it comes responsibility and culpability for some of the decisions made, we will have to wait for an independent enquiry, whenever that happens. the daily update on the uk's coronavirus figures show there were 1,040 new confirmed cases of covid—19 in the latest 2a hour period. the seven—day rolling average for daily cases is 1085, you can see from the chart that the average is slowly rising. 5 deaths were also recorded in that same 24—hour period. that takes the total number of deaths in the uk to 41,366. the number of reported deaths is generally lower at the weekend. on average in the past week, 13 people have died every day from coronavirus. 13 people have died every

in belarus, the largest anti government protests since last week's disputed elections, have been taking place, with further calls for alexander lukashenko to step down. but he's vowing to stay in power, claiming belarus is under threat from foreign forces. mr lukashenko is accused of rigging the vote and unleashing a violent crackdown against demonstrators. earlier today, for the first time, there was a pro—government rally in the centre of minsk, from where our correspondent, jonah fisher now reports. chanting a week after the disputed election, belarus is voting with its feet. the centre of the capital, minsk, taken over by hundreds of thousands of people. united in their demand that alexander lu kashenko, the only president this country has ever known, stepped down. do you think the president is going to go peacefully? i'm not sure about it

but we will not go away today, tomorrow, next week, we will stay here on the streets. i spent all my life with president lukashenko and i don't want it any more. do you think this sort of demonstration is going to convince the president to go? yes, we believe, and that is why we are all here. belarus has never seen scenes like this before. a couple of weeks ago demonstrations were extremely rare and they were usually brutally snuffed out by the government. now there are people much and as far as the eye can see through the centre of the capital, minsk. there is a real sense of change in the air. but this isn't over. earlier in the day, president lukashenko held his own rally. the mood, was rather different. just a few thousand showed up.

a disappointing turnout for a man who claims to have one 80% of the vote. won 80% of the vote. translation: we don't need overseas governments. we need our government, our leadership. the fate of the president is likely to rest not on the streets but in moscow. russia sees belarus as its own back yard, and military intervention remains a real possibility. a record number of people have crossed the english channel to reach the uk in the month of august. it's confirmed that 65 people reached the uk yesterday in 5 boats crossing the channel. it brings the total number of migrants reaching the uk this month to 1,120. channel authorities say the crossings are illegally facilitated by criminals who are making money exploiting people desperate to come to the uk. they say they're working as a matter of urgency to resolve it.

four young men have died after a car they were travelling in, left the road, and crashed into a house in wiltshire. the car caught fire and the police say all four died at the scene. andy howard reports. police have described the scene they, and the other emergency services, were met with this morning is horrific, devastating and tragic. a vehicle carrying four young men crashed and caught on fire killing all of them at the scene. this is the all, south—east of chippenham. the car involved was coming from that direction so it would have been going along here. some of the reports we have heard suggest it hit the bank on the left—hand side of the road and it has gone across the carriageway, over the barrier there, into the house behind the tree and the bushes. now we can see the police

investigation on the road, those yellow markers trying to map out exactly what happened at 3am. the house that the car hit had to be evacuated while firefighters worked on the blaze. no one inside the property was injured. the small neighbourhood along national tourist stretch of road is in shock. we are still waiting for the police and the accident investigation team to work out precisely what has happened. it has been a very disturbing time for all concerned and right now i think we have to give the police time to work out what is going on, they are doing measurements now and once we know more, then there will be more to understand and more to think about for the future. the a4 and the a342 will stay closed while investigations continue. at least five people have reportedly been killed after a gun and bomb attack on a hotel in the somali capital mogadishu.

local reports say the gunmen attacked one of the biggest hotels in the capital, frequented by government officials, in the lido beach area. government forces are at the scene fighting the attackers. no group has yet said it carried out the attack, but the al—shabab militant group has targeted at least half a dozen hotels in the city in the past few years. the headlines on bbc news... anger and confusion for thousands of a—level and gcse students in england, as the exam regulator withdraws its guidance on appealing against grades, hours after publishing it. lancashire police say 2 bodies have been found by the coastguard and the rnli, during the search for 2 teenagers. the department of health and social care neither confirms nor denies reports that there's to be a shake—up of public health england.

a japanese—owned tanker stranded on a coral reef off mauritius has split in two. the mv wakashio was carrying nearly 4,000 tonnes of fuel when it ran aground last month, causing a huge oil spill. gail maclellan reports. already the oil has poisoned fish, birds and coral reef in the pristine water. since the end ofjuly, thousands of tonnes of thick, black, toxic liquid have spilled from the japanese—owned tanker, mv wakashio, into the sea and onto the beaches of mauritius. can't believe it. now a new leak threatens more damage to the environment and to the livelihoods that depend on it, as the ship breaks in half. there is much anger. the government has been criticised for doing too little in the week after the ship ran aground.

environment agencies have demanded to know from the ship's owners why the vessel was allowed to come so close to the shore. the condition of the tanker is expected to deteriorate as the weather worsens, with waves of up to 11.5 metres expected. in recent months, the coronavirus has devastated the tourism on which mauritius relies. the oil spill is a further bitter blow which it's believed will affect the island's economy for decades. gail maclellan, bbc news. sources in the afghan government say the release of some of the most controversial taliban prisoners is being delayed because of objections from foreign governments and from within kabul. last weekend, a grand council approved the release of 400 remaining detainees, demanded by the taliban as a pre—condition to the start of peace talks. further doubt was cast of the negotiations process earlier after an attack by gunman on a negotiator and prominent

afghan women's rights advocate fawzia koofi. she was wounded in the arm, but the injury is not life—threatening. the taliban has denied involvment in the attack. robert trump, the younger brother of the us president, has died in hospital in new york. he was 71. donald trump said he mourned the death with a heavy heart, calling his brother, his best friend. robert trump died, after reportedly suffering bleeding on the brain following a fall. president trump has warned the united states is not ready for a postal ballot in the november elections, even though many americans are calling for postal voting in the midst of the pandemic. speaking at a press briefing in newjersey, mr trump said that universal mail—in voting would be catastrophic — without offering an explanation. his critics say he's trying to suppress voters. alanna petroff has the story.

the us postal service has a motto. "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." but apparently they may not be so swift for the us election. president trump reiterated this weekend his claims that universal mail—in voting just won't work after saying on thursday he was blocking additional funding for the service to help with the election. you are going to have a catastrophic situation with universal mail—in votes. he is predicting catastrophe, yet he just appointed a new postmaster general, who is a big trump donor. he is a fantastic man. he wants to make the post 0ffice great again. did you ever hear the expression? he wants to make the post 0ffice great again. critics have blamed trump's

new postmaster general louis dejoy for a slowdown in deliveries. and as the election approaches, protesters took to the street outside dejoy‘s home. there is no safer way for people to vote than to vote by mail. and this administration is actively trying to dismantle that system so that people cannot vote. and that flies in the face of democracy. in addition to these protesters out on the street, people inside of the postal service say they are concerned. he wants to suppress the vote so that people he doesn't think are going to vote for him, he doesn't want them to have the ability to vote. former president barack 0bama echoed this sentiment in a tweet this week, saying the trump administration is more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing the virus. he would have that the underfunded, politically unloved mail service could become so controversial

in the year 2020? a woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 10—year—old boy in west london after walking into a police station this morning. officers visited a home in acton where they found the boy's body. scotland yard say he was known to the woman. no—one else is being sought in connection with the boy's death. two of the uk's biggest fitness chains say opening pubs before gyms in scotland was unfair, unscientific and bad for the nation's health. the scottish government says fitness centres may be able to reopen on september 14th but the big firms say there's no reason to wait so long and many small gym owners are struggling to keep their businesses alive. our correspondent james cook reports.

2020 has been a year of trauma and turbulence. it has forced us to find new ways to keep fit and stay sane, to leave the stress of the pandemic behind. i had to find a way to combat the lockdown eating. and i was quite determined that i wasn't going to go backwards having done quite well at the beginning of the year. so this was a great way to be able to do it. i did used to go to the gym before lockdown and you're kind of looking for different things to do. when someone suggested swimming in the loch, first of all, you think that is a bit of a mad idea, but then you give it a go and it is fantastic. but not everyone has the luxury of swimming in the great outdoors. this gym in north glasgow specialises in mixed martial arts. they have been shut since spring. we have taken away all the lockers... and they are working hard to make it safe to open up again. it is heartbreaking.

my wife and i, who are business partners, we are devastated. and everyone in our community is devastated. we feel like we have been overlooked in comparison to other sectors. what effect has it had on the community? physical and mental health go hand in hand and it is such a crucial thing, particularly for deprived areas, like maryhill for example, who have crime rate, high mental health issues and it is a really impoverished area. to have that part of the community ripped out here is a difficult thing. for now, david is holding small training sessions in a park. he wonders why bar staff can go to work but not fitness instructors. and he's not the only one. our swiss business reopened in the middle of may and our danish business in earlyjune. we have had four million visits to our gyms across those two businesses without a single incident of a transmission or infection taking place. so it is surprising that scotland is leaving gyms so long, two months

after pubs and restaurants. at the david lloyd chain, they are also raring to go. the firm runs 123 fitness clubs in the uk and abroad. all are open, apart from the eight scotland. are you disappointed that it is taking so long to reopen in scotland? absolutely. we are devastated, to be honest, and i think what is more frustrating for myself is i have seen it be so successful in seven other countries that we operate in and we are doing it safely, the members are exercising, they are loving it. and yet we are still sitting here in scotland just waiting to be part of the solution. here they are aiming to reopen as soon as they are allowed, probably on september 14th. but other gyms have closed, jobs have gone and the battle against obesity has been set back. in more ways than one, the virus has hit the nation's health hard.

more than a hundred thousand people in wales — considered the most at risk from coronavirus — can stop shielding from today. vulnerable patients had been advised to stay indoors when the pandemic took hold in march. the welsh government says the situation could change if cases begin to rise again. ashling mcveigh reports. just over two weeks after the rest of the uk, people who are shielding in wales will no longer have to stay indoors. around 130,000 people with underlying health conditions had been advised not to leave their homes after lockdown measures were announced. the welsh government now believes that risk is much lower. at the moment, we are seeing very new few cases in wales and that means we have scope now to say to those people who have been in the most vulnerable group and who have been shielding, that they can now come out of shielding, that they can start to re—engage with society, get back, start to get back to their normal lives. as with the rest of the uk,

support has been available to those who have not been able to venture out but some of it, like the direct food delivery service, will come to an end. despite that, some charities are advising patients to continue to shield. people who continue to be clinically extremely vulnerable deserve to have all the protection they can get from the government and people who've been lucky enough to have a transplant, for the first three months afterwards, they need to continue to shield, they need to completely self—isolate, to look after that precious kidney and the chance they've been given. the welsh government acknowledges that the relaxation will be an anxious time for some people but it has reiterated this is just a pause and there may be some form of shielding in the future, if the virus increases. aisling mcveigh, bbc news. an australian endurance swimmer has completed 4 channel swims in 16 days. chloe mccardel is now the second on the list of the most channel swims and broke the men's record in the process. john mcmanus reports.

this was a midnight swim with a difference. chloe mccardel stepped into the water near folkestone in kent at 8pm last night to start her fourth crossing of the channel in 16 days. it took her ten hours and 40 minutes, swimming through the dark and the busiest shipping lane in the world. her safe arrival at calais just before seven this morning means miss mccardel moves to second on the list of those who have achieved the most channel swims but she's surpassed the male record holder, leaving her one place behind briton alison streeter. the australian's already been renowned for endurance swimming but this triumph was also a different kind of challenge for her. as a survivor of domestic abuse, mccardel wanted to raise awareness of those who may have suffered under lockdown. now, back on british soil, she says she's been reassured that, unlike other arrivals from across the channel, she won't have to quarantine for two weeks. john mcmanus, bbc news.

popstar, taylor swift has been on 5 sell—out world tours. but it seems of all the places she's visited , she was particularly taken by one of britain's tourist hotspots — the lake district. her new album, ‘folklore' , features a song dedicated to the area. ian haslam has been to find out why. # now take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die. # i don't belong. it is an unexpected tribute to an area taylor swift has apparently visited. among those to get a mention, one of the lakes' famous 19th century poets. # tell me what are my words worth. and this is william wordsworth‘s former home. i think we can make a connection between wordsworth and taylor. taylor is only 30, you can imagine wordsworth at the same age as taylor. she is trying out new things, she is finding a new style in her new album and she has been inspired by the lake poets as well.

a lot of people will see this as quite a nice place and she was writing about it as a place where poets came to die, as a place to come and cry, which isjust a different interpretation, i guess. well, it's not true, is it? no, i don't think so. it's a tourist area. # i knew you were trouble when you walked in. # shame on me. we know all about wordsworth, here is some of taylor swift's lyrical work. "heartbreakers gonna break, break, break and the fakers "gonna fake, fake, fake. "baby, i'm just gonna shake shake, shake, shake, shake. "shake it off." what do you think? it's got some good rhymes in it. one of wordsworth's big things was that he wanted to speak in the language used by the everyday people. so he might admire taylor swift in her ability to write in the language used by everyday people nowadays. you can't expect to wander lonely as a cloud in the lakes on days like this, though you might get asked about taylor swift's

musical tributes. they are quite opposite things, aren't they? yeah, i wouldn't expect it. perhaps she is tapping into the whole staycation thing that's going on at the moment. we're from london. this is the first time we have been here because it's difficult to travel abroad at the moment. i thought you were going to say purely because of taylor swift's song. well, that too. big fan. she is inspired, we are all inspired when we visit the lake district and cumbria and it's great that she's an american artist and she is selling the lake district and cumbria to the american audience. i could be wrong, but it's my guess that taylor swift probably watches this very programme. if she is watching, what is your message to her? taylor, you will be really welcome to come back, you can help us create some fantastic content that we can get out there to the us audience and invite lots of your fellow country people to come and enjoy the lake district as well. chuck in a couple of i heart lake district t—shirts, she'll be down here in a flash. let's hope so. ian haslam, bbc news, grasmere in the lake district.