tv BBC News at One BBC News April 6, 2021 1:00pm-1:31pm BST
1:00 pm
the prime minister confirms he's looking at the idea of covid certificates for foreign travel and access to some events and venues in england. it comes as some conservative mps warn that so—called covid passports could could create a two—tier society. what, of course, we are looking at is what several other countries are looking at, and that's the role of vaccination passports for overseas travel. i think that is going to be a fact of life. i think we are also going to look at the role of a number of signals that you can give that you are not contagious. we'll have the latest from westminster. also this lunchtime... the low cost airline easyjet criticises government plans
1:01 pm
on foreign travel, saying testing should not be needed for flights to low—risk destinations. scientists say we may need social distancing for some time to come — with warnings of a third wave as restrictions are lifted. hunter got thrown out of the military, the discharged. that is not true. his behaviour was a key election issue in the race for the white house, butjoe biden�*s son tells the bbc he denies allegations of corruption. i created a perception and a perception that was wielded against us in an incredibly wild and conspiratorial way and the biden name is synonymous with democracy and transparency and that is why i said that it was gold to them. and star light, star bright — why the pandemic means less light pollution and a better chance to see the night sky. coming up in the sport, later in the hour on the bbc news channel, it is a big night in europe for manchester city. they host borussia dortmund in the first leg of their champions league quarterfinal.
1:02 pm
good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister has confirmed that the government is looking at the idea of covid certificates for foreign travel and also for access to some venues and events in england. he also said so—called covid passports wouldn't be needed when many businesses re—open next week, but he didn't rule it out for the summer. some of his own mps are warning that the certificates — for people who've been vaccinated, tested negative or who have immunity — could create a two—tier society. our political correspondent helen catt reports. the helen catt reports. next steps on the road out of lockdown the next steps on the road out of lockdown in england start in less than a week. you can go back to the gym, visit the hairdresser or pop to
1:03 pm
a nonessential shop. pubs can serve again also although only outdoors. it is a welcome return of some basic freedoms, but there is a row brewing over what may come later in the year. over what may come later in the ear. ~ ., ., over what may come later in the ear, ~ ., ., . ., , over what may come later in the ear, ~ ., ., _, , ., over what may come later in the ear. ~ ., ., , ., year. what of course we are looking at is what several _ year. what of course we are looking at is what several other _ year. what of course we are looking at is what several other countries i at is what several other countries are looking at, and that is the role of vaccination passports for overseas travel. i think that is going to be a factor of life probably. a lot of other countries have that. we are also going to look at the role of a number of signals that you can give that you are not contagious. mil that you can give that you are not contagion-— contagious. all adults in england are due to be — contagious. all adults in england are due to be offered _ contagious. all adults in england are due to be offered a - contagious. all adults in england are due to be offered a vaccine l contagious. all adults in england| are due to be offered a vaccine by the end ofjuly. even once that has happened, the government says that doesn't mean absolutely everyone will be protected. so some measures may still be needed for a while. it is exploring the idea of using covid status certification, or vaccine passports. to gain entry to some
1:04 pm
venues you would have to prove you have been vaccinated, or that you had a recent negative test, or have some immunity because you have had the virus in the past six months. the government says they could be important for large events like sports matches on music festivals. you would never have to show want to go to the supermarket or use public transport, but they are being considered for pubs and nonessential shops in the longer term. i’m considered for pubs and nonessential shops in the longer term.— shops in the longer term. i'm not auoin to shops in the longer term. i'm not going to support _ shops in the longer term. i'm not going to support a _ shops in the longer term. i'm not going to support a policy - shops in the longer term. i'm not going to support a policy that - shops in the longer term. i'm not | going to support a policy that here in my leicester constituency, if somebody wants to go into a shop like next, they have to produce a vaccination certificate on their phone, in an app, i think that is discriminatory. fist phone, in an app, i think that is discriminatory.— discriminatory. at the idea still beinu discriminatory. at the idea still being reviewed _ discriminatory. at the idea still being reviewed all _ discriminatory. at the idea still being reviewed all that - discriminatory. at the idea still being reviewed all that looks i being reviewed all that looks certain that we will see some kind of vaccine passports for international travel at least. the government has said mps would be consulted on any scheme. and that is where plans to use them in places like shops or pubs could come into trouble. it is notjust labour are
1:05 pm
not convinced. at least a0 conservative mps have criticised the plans. the scottish government has said it is considering digital certificates for people who have had the covid—i9 vaccine. certificates for people who have had the covid-19 vaccine.— the covid-19 vaccine. anything that -la s a the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part — the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part in _ the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part in getting _ the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part in getting us _ the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part in getting us back - the covid-19 vaccine. anything that plays a part in getting us back to i plays a part in getting us back to normal is something we should think about carefully. but, norshould normal is something we should think about carefully. but, nor should we just gloss over the practical and ethical issues that we have to think through properly. in ethical issues that we have to think through properly-— through properly. in northern ireland, through properly. in northern ireiand. the _ through properly. in northern ireland, the health _ through properly. in northern ireland, the health minister. through properly. in northern - ireland, the health minister robin swann says he does not support them domestically. the welsh boss mr mark drakeford said there were prizes to be one for such a scheme but there are ethical issues, also. the possibility of having to prove your covid status is still some way off yet. for now, easing restrictions will continue in england, without. and helen is at westminster. borisjohnson keeping boris johnson keeping his borisjohnson keeping his options open on this pretty controversial idea of covid passports. it is certainly _ idea of covid passports. it is certainly being _ idea of covid passports. it 3 certainly being considered, this review is being happening, it is
1:06 pm
looking at the options in the ways that have been set out. it is looking at the context of things like pubs or nonessential shops, also the context of could you then change social distancing rules. the one thing the government has been keen to stress is that this is not imminent. so this is not the sort of thing that is going to be brought in ahead of the changes on monday ahead of the changes that may happen in step three, due to start on may the 17th. again there is no sense that there will be a covid certificate in time for that. what else is looking at is the longer term, perhaps beyond june 21, step four of the road map, when the government hopes they have lifted legal restrictions on social contact. this is one of the ways they are looking at them. this is a lot further down the track. there are a lot of political hurdles that would need to be crossed, even if the government decides that it does want to go for these. labour pretty clearly opposing this idea of using vaccine
1:07 pm
passports in a domestic way like this. there are at least a0 conservative mps who have also said that they would oppose these. so there is a lot of political opposition, even if the government decides this is the route they are going to go down. the one exception to that is international travel. that seems to be a reasonably uncontroversial use of the vaccine passport. so that is definitely something we are likely to see. the chief executive of easyjet has criticised some of the government's plans on international travel, saying covid tests should not be required for passengers flying to low—risk destinations, and would be too expensive. the chief executive of british airways says he is optimistic that overseas travel can resume from 17th may thought the government insists it's too early to confirm that date. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies reports. place your own bags in the lockers, and close them once they are full. the familiar sound to the start of a trip, but international travel is still firmly grounded for now.
1:08 pm
training cabin crew continues as the industry wait to hear when they can take off. yesterday it was confirmed that when international travel is allowed to restart, it will use a traffic light system. anyone travelling to england from designated green countries will not need to quarantine, although they will still need to take a test before they travel back and more once they arrive in the uk. those travelling from amber countries need all of these tests and will be required to quarantine at home on arrival for ten days, although if they pay for an extra test on day five and it is negative, they can't leave quarantine early. only uk residents will be allowed in from red countries and they will need to pay for quarantine at a hotel, as well as taking these tests. scotland, wales and northern ireland haven't committed to a date for when international travel might restart. testing centres like this one in luton airport will help passengers prepare for travel, but there are questions about what type of test will be used — cheaper, faster lateral flow tests or more expensive pcr tests?
1:09 pm
even in those green countries, those green category of destinations, you would still then need to have and take on additional costs to do so, and if the government was choosing to take one of those pcr tests, which is to cost way over and above what the cost is of an average easyjet fare, as an example, you wouldn't open up international travel for everyone, you would open up international travel for people who can afford it. when asked today, the prime minister said that government was looking at types of testing. we want to make things as easy as we possibly can. i think the boss of easyjet is right to focus on this issue. we are going to see what we can do to make things as flexible quite and as affordable as possible. there will be more details on how the traffic light system will work later this week. the industry is looking out for more information
1:10 pm
on how countries would fall into different categories. consumers want to buy tickets, and they can only buy tickets if they have a good sense of where things are moving. so a bit of advanced warning, but also knowing that there is a clear criteria that is based on the scientific knowledge that we have, the data, gives us further certainty to offer those services to those destinations if consumers come back. with the summer coming, there is still no guarantee of where or when anyone will be jetting off from the uk. caroline davies, bbc news. government scientists are warning that some social distancing measures will need to remain in place for much longer, amid warnings there could be a third wave of the virus in the summer, despite the success of the vaccine roll—out programme. 0ur health correspondent jim reed reports. the long bank holiday weekend saw hundreds of thousands more receive their vaccines. have you had a covid vaccine at all? no. the fast roll—out, plus the impact of
1:11 pm
lockdown, has seen virus case fall to levels not seen since last september. i think it is the right thing to do to be careful, so that we don't have to reverse on this, and i think i am confident to say, if you look at where we have got to now and you look at the efficacy of the vaccines we will in a good place when we get to, obviously, may and then june. next week, pub gardens, shops and hairdressers will reopen across england. the government's scientific advisers have been poring over the data. they say relaxing those rules should not lead to another spike in hospital admissions, but later steps, like mixing indoors, are highly likely to cause another wave of cases at some point. well, i don't think it's being pessimistic, it's being realistic. this is a period of genuine uncertainty. yes, the vaccine roll—out has been fantastic, but we still don't know exactly how good they are at preventing infection. so we have hardly seen any real—world experience. despite a recent slowdown
1:12 pm
in vaccine supply, the government is sticking to its target to offer all adults in england a jab by the end ofjuly. new vaccines made by three american firms are expected to be introduced in the next few months. the vaccine roll—out is going incredibly well, nearly 32 million people have had their first dose, and we had seen deaths fall fairly precipitously, so down to an average of 35 a day. all very good news. but we have only got to look across the channel and see that france currently has over 39,000 new cases a day. it comes as regulators are still looking into a possible link between the astrazeneca jab and rare blood clots. in an italian newspaper, a top official at the european medicines agency said that he believed there was some connection, though more work is needed to understand why that might be. in the uk, the regulator has said the benefits of the vaccine and preventing coronavirus outweigh
1:13 pm
any risks and has urged the public to continue to come forward for the jab. jim reed, bbc news. police searching for missing student richard 0korogheye say they've found a body in epping forest in essex. the 19—year—old, who has sickle cell disease, was last seen leaving his home in west london two weeks ago. the body has yet to be formally identified. richard galpin reports. a 19—year—old richard 0korogheye, a business and technology student at oxford brookes university went missing from his home in west london in the evening of march 22. he missing from his home in west london in the evening of march 22.— in the evening of march 22. he told his mother — in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he _ in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he was _ in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he was going _ in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he was going to - in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he was going to meet i in the evening of march 22. he told his mother he was going to meet a | his mother he was going to meet a friend. she was concerned he had gone out without his medication for sickle cell disease, and without a jacket. this is the last known sighting of him on cctv, getting out of a taxi in epping forest in essex in the early hours of march 23.
1:14 pm
after searching this area for the past five days, police say they have now found a body in a pond in this forest. but, so far, the body has not been identified. richard 0korogheye's mother said the police did not act quickly enough to find him after he was reported missing. i was told that richard was an adult, he can make his decisions, he can go out and come back whenever he feels like. i needed help, i needed them to look for him for me. their response was, sorry.- to look for him for me. their response was, sorry. police say they have been working _ response was, sorry. police say they have been working around _ response was, sorry. police say they have been working around the - response was, sorry. police say they have been working around the clock| have been working around the clock to find him. his mother says he has been struggling to cope with shielding during the coronavirus pandemic, and with pressures at university. she describes him as civilised, focused, intelligent and loved by his family. richard galpin, bbc news, epping forest.
1:15 pm
our top story this lunchtime... the prime minister confirms he's looking at the idea of covid certificates for foreign travel and access to some events and venues in england. and coming up, withjust one week to go, how are pubs and restaurants preparing to reopen? coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel, two years after she retired from professional cricket, three—time world cup winner sarah taylor says it was a no—brainer to play for welsh fire in the hundred this summer. the son of the new us presidentjoe biden has been defending himself against allegations of corruption dating back to when his father was barack 0bama's vice president. hunter biden told the bbc he failed to see that his involvement in a ukrainian gas company could be percieved in the wrong way. three months on from his father's inauguration, hunter biden has published a memoir that also deals with his addictions
1:16 pm
to alcohol and crack cocaine. mishal husain has been talking to him hunter got thrown out of the military. thrown out, dishonourably discharged... that's not true. he wasn't dishonourably discharged. ..for cocaine use. and he didn't have a job until you became vice president. none of that is true. once you became vice president he made a fortune in ukraine and china and moscow. that is simply not true. 2020, and hunter biden's name resounded on the campaign trail. for donald trump, his lobbying work and personal life were a way to attack his fatherjoe. the elder biden's senate career began in the aftermath of tragedy. he was sworn in at the hospital bedside of hunter and his older brother beau, both injured in the 1972 car crash that killed their mother and baby sister. in 2015, beau biden died of a brain tumour. by that time, hunter was already on the board of the ukrainian
1:17 pm
gas company burisma, a role for which he was paid a reported $50,000 a month while his father was the vice president and involved in us policy on ukraine. i created a perception, a perception that was wielded against us in an incredibly wild and conspiratorial way. and the biden name is synonymous with democracy and transparency, and that's why i said that it was gold to them. after his brother's death, his life spiralled out of control. his marriage ended, and his addiction saw him buying drugs on the streets of washington, dc. at one point, his dealer moved into his apartment. an amazing woman, much older than me, had lived on the streets for a very long time, who i developed a friendship with but, you know, a friendship based off our mutual addiction to crack cocaine.
1:18 pm
and he didn't have a job. my son, like a lot of people, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem. he has overtaken it. he has fixed it. he has worked on it. and i'm proud of him. hunter biden credits the love of his family and his new wife, melissa, with making it possible for him to get clean. but he still has debts to pay off, and while his father is in the white house he'll continue to say scrutiny about what work he can or should do. mishal husain, bbc news. the liberal democrats have launched their local election campaign — calling on voters to choose �*a new direction' to help communities recover and rebuild from the pandemic. launching his party's campaign, the leader of the lib dems, sir ed davey, said his priorities are about "giving power back" to local people. when people cast their vote on may 6th, i say this — the future of your community is on the ballot. the future of your environment
1:19 pm
is on the ballot. if you vote conservative, you are voting against your community and against a healthy local environment. if you vote labour, you are voting for a party that rarely listens to the community, isn't standing up to this conservative government. but if you vote liberal democrat, you are voting for your community, for your environment, for a party with a real vision for a fairer, greener, more caring country. the jailed russian opposition activist alexei navalny is reported to be suffering the symptoms of repiratory illness and fever in the penal colony where he's imprisoned. media reports in russia suggest he has been tested for coronavirus, but no result has yet been made public. mr navalny has been on a hunger strike while serving a two and a half year sentence. israel's president has asked prime minister benjamin netanyahu to try to form a new government after last month's
1:20 pm
inconclusive election. mr netanyahu's likud party won the largest share of the vote, but so far it's been impossible for any grouping to secure a parliamentary majority. israel has held four elections in the past two years. north korea says it won't be participating in this summer's tokyo 0lympics — to protect its athletes from coronavirus. the country, which has taken part in every summer games since 1992, is the first major nation to pull out over covid fears. south korea had hoped to field a combined team with their neighbours, to help rebuild peace talks. 26 centres to help new, expecting and bereaved mothers with their mental health are being set up across england. health officials say it's part of the biggest transformation of maternal mental health services in the world. 0ur health correspondent laura foster reports. one, two, three, whoa! for many people, having a baby
1:21 pm
is the most wonderful moment of their life. but around a quarter of women have trouble with their mental well—being during pregnancy, and in the two years after giving birth. lizzie suffered from post—traumatic stress disorder while she was pregnant after she previously had a miscarriage. i panicked about everything, and everything was going to cause a miscarriage, to the point where i couldn't drive. so my husband at that point told me i needed to speak to my midwife and sort of pushed me to be a bit more open about it. and she referred me to the mental health team. this chair? yes. at this hub in plymouth, they offer both maternity services and highly specialist psychological treatments as well as bereavement counselling. the idea is by having everything under one roof, it's easier to get help, meaning they will be able to help thousands more people every year. it's very important
1:22 pm
for them to access mental health support quickly. because baby and children can't wait, so when you have a woman in the perinatal period, she needs to nurse a dependent child. and actually if her mental health is not great, then that can impact on her ability to nurse her child. work on these hubs began before the coronavirus pandemic but nhs england says the last year could mean even more demand for their mental health services. a lot will depend on how society unlocks, as it were, over the spring and the summer now. what happens in the year ahead. because women who are struggling don'tjust need services or benefit from services, they often benefit from the support of their friends, or their mother and toddler groups. ten sites will be ready in the next few months. the remaining 16 are set to have opened their doors by this time next year. laura foster, bbc news.
1:23 pm
scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has confirmed that she expects all schools in scotland to be fully open after the easter holidays. let's speak to james shaw in glasgow. no doubt release for parents that this has now been confirmed? —— relief for parents. this has now been confirmed? -- relief for parents.— relief for parents. yes, all secondary _ relief for parents. yes, all secondary schools - relief for parents. yes, all secondary schools will - relief for parents. yes, all. secondary schools will come relief for parents. yes, all- secondary schools will come back at the end of the easter holidays, all primary schools are already back. holidays vary locally, it will either be monday the 12th or the 19th when they are back. the exception is children in shielding groups, sar on the shielding list that they will not go back to face—to—face learning until the 26th of this month. 0ne face—to—face learning until the 26th of this month. one other issue that came up in nicola sturgeon's briefing was the issue of so—called
1:24 pm
vaccine passports all certificates. she said she was open—minded about it, they will be watching the trial taking place out of the border, but she said there were ethical and practical issues and there should be an open public debate about these issues, for example the fact that young people may not be able to get vaccinations, therefore would not be able to get a certificate, and that would discriminate against those young people. we are in the middle of an election campaign in scotland, the opposition parties have expressed views, labour, the liberal democrats, the scottish conservatives that the scottish greens, they also express those reservations and said there might be a difference between international vaccine certificates which might need to be brought in under certain circumstances, and domestic certification about which there might be more difficult question to
1:25 pm
answer. . ~' might be more difficult question to answer. ., ~ , ., g ., , paul ritter, star of friday night dinner, has died of a brain tumour at the age of 5a. paul ritter played dad martin goodman in the popular channel a comedy friday night dinner. he also appeared in the drama, chernobyl, playing the deputy chief engineer who supervised the safety test which caused the disaster. he also appeared in the films harry potter and the half blood print and quantum of solace. as we've been hearing, there's just under a week to go until we can have a drink and a meal at a pub or restaurant in england — as long as we sit outside. nina warhurst has been finding out what preparations are taking place to re—open. will you be ready here for the 12th? yeah, should be done by thursday. the pressure's on. these stones will become new walls for a new beer garden and a new alfresco way of drinking. we can't wait. the team are all raring to go. i can't wait to get back to work. we start back next week and i think itjust going to be amazing to get back in the pub, cleaning it back up. i think when the beer truck arrives, the regulars in the village
1:26 pm
will all be out cheering. i just can't wait. let's face it, april on the lancashire—greater manchester border, you are not guaranteed sunshine. what do you do if it rains, how do you ride that storm financially? we just keep an eye on the weather. the team are on flexible furlough so they are still looked afterfinancially, luckily, so they will earn at least what they are earning now or more throughout april, which is brilliant, from the government. and to be honest, i know at least a0 people around here that, whether it's rain or shine, they will want to sit under that brolly over there having a pint anyway. so we are probably one of the pubs that will still manage to open even when it's absolutely wet through. you're excited, aren't you? very! but maximising outdoor space isn't an option at the hungry duck, because, well, there isn't any. joe knows why safety must come first. his dad ended up in icu with covid. he is happy to wait until may to reopen but needs to know how. how we'll be interacting with guests, social distancing, other mitigating factors like screens, masks, sanitiser, music levels, can people sing karaoke?
1:27 pm
takeaway boxes have generated some revenue, but nowhere near enough. how bad have things been? we owe people money, some people have been fantastic, some people less so. every time we catch up, and then we get reeled back again. what are your big concerns long term? if we see some sort of recession within the entire economy, whereby spending contracts, that could be the deathknell for quite a lot of independent businesses and some larger businesses alike. and despite the enormous challenges of the past year, are you still excited about doing this again? what our industry is, on balance, is a vocation. i'm very fortunate that i've found my calling if you will, in life, and that's to be in hospitality. nina warhurst, bbc news, bury, greater manchester.
1:28 pm
darker night skies like this have become one of the few positives to emerge from the pandemic and the vastly reduced human activity. 0ne survey has found there was 10% less light pollution last year. more darkness means more opportunity to look up and enjoy the night skies — as our chief environment correspondentjustin rowlatt has been finding out. this is what a truly dark sky looks like. billions of stars wheel above the kielder 0bservatory in northumberland. set deep in a forest, the observatory enjoys the darkest skies in england. and, throughout lockdown, senior astronomer dan monk has been filming the incredible views. people often do get emotional when they sit underneath this amazing dark sky and they realise how small they are in the universe. it can actually make
1:29 pm
people cry, at times. it's estimated 85% of us have never seen a truly dark sky. it means we are missing out because — it gives us a sense of our place in the universe, the awesome vastness of space. but look at this. even a tiny light is enough to extinguish the stars and bring us right back down to earth. the reduction in light pollution this year is an exception. satellite images show the night sky has been getting steadily lighter across the world. changes in light have been linked with obesity, heart disease, depression and even cancer. you see, she's shaking? and some animals suffer even more profoundly. there are such a range of animals which are negatively impacted from this. when you think of our migrating birds, for instance, which are drawn off course by lights.
1:30 pm
insects, vast numbers of moths drawn into those lights, where they batter themselves to death or where they are predated by bats which change their behaviour to visit those lights, perhaps to their advantage, but to the deficit of other species of bats. so all of this is happening out there in our night. so what can be done? the good news is we can tackle light pollution relatively easily. ssmall measures like businesses making sure they are turning their lights off at night time when the buildings aren't in use. also, local government making sure that street lamps are properly shaded and the lights targeted, so it is not spilling out there and creating unnecessary light blight. that will mean more of us can see sights like this. justin rowlatt, bbc news, northumberland. time for a look at the weather. here is helen willetts. will it be a
51 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
BBC News Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on