race but i'm all, it's not about the race but i'm not sure jeff bezos would have all, it's not about the race but i'm not surejeff bezos would have been particularly pleased. they have launched 15 successful launches from the spaceport behind me. lots of things go into this. people were voicing concerns that people are putting speed above safety. both men will offer reassurances that that is not the case. sir richard branson is said to me it wasjust in incredible coincidence, a delightful coincidence, a delightful coincidence, that both men were travelling on their own company's rocket into space in the same month. however you look at it, everyone in the space community will tell you this is a hugely important month for space travel. fine this is a hugely important month for space travel-— space travel. one of the really interesting — space travel. one of the really interesting things _ space travel. one of the really interesting things about - space travel. one of the really interesting things about this i interesting things about this particular launch is there will be no test pilots on board, no flight

engineers, making it the first fully automated space tourism mission. yes, nine days ago we thought sir richard branson, he went with three other passengers. —— we saw sir richard branson. this time, you will see when the new shepherd launches, they will just be four people see when the new shepherd launches, they willjust be four people on board, all civilians was not a fully autonomous flight. it is quite something, when you think about it, there will be travelling 62 miles above the earth's surface, no pilot on board. there will be a huge number of personal emission control, they will rocket up to 62 miles above the earth's surface, that internationally recognised boundary of space and they will have just eight fewer minutes up there where they will be able to float weightless and experience that few of us before they descend firstly in a freefall, so going out without a human pilot, fully autonomous, and a

freefall back to earth before parachutes are released and when they get close to the earth's surface, thrusters will be used to soften the impact. even then, they will not be able to just get out of the capsule. cars that will go out to them in the desert and release them from the capsule. i don't know, chafe bathos said yesterday morning he was not feeling nervous at all, just excited. —— jeff bathos. there must be anticipation in that at the moment. the oldest woman travelling to space, she has been wanting to do this for 60 years. then you have jeff bezos, a life dream for him and quite a day however you look at it, but there are critics who say the billions that have been pressed into these projects could have been better spent on planet earth. eta? better spent on planet earth. stay with us if you _ better spent on planet earth. stay with us if you can, _ better spent on planet earth. 5t: with us if you can, keep better spent on planet earth. 5t

imminent, give us a shout and we will come straight back to you. we are hearing that there is probably about another nine minutes or so to go. the launch of slightly delayed, it was due to be at 11100 bst, which was about three minutes ago. slight delay, but we are expecting it to launch about nine minutes. 0ne spring in the president of uk space, former president of virgin galactic as well. is also looking at some of the facts and figures around this and the capsule will have apparently the biggest windows ever flown into space, so they will certainly get a good view of us down here on earth, but had as a flight like this benefit us?— but had as a flight like this benefit us? , , ., ., , benefit us? this is one of these occasions _ benefit us? this is one of these occasions where _ benefit us? this is one of these occasions where social - benefit us? this is one of these occasions where social media . benefit us? this is one of these i occasions where social media puts benefit us? this is one of these - occasions where social media puts it as occasions where social media puts it asiust _ occasions where social media puts it asjust wrong. people have not thought— asjust wrong. people have not thought through the momentous moments that are unfolding. development under elon musk and the other verge _ development under elon musk and the other verge on orbit systems are

revolutionising access to space and without _ revolutionising access to space and without space, you simple cannot survive _ without space, you simple cannot survive on — without space, you simple cannot survive on this planet as the population moves through the 10 billion_ population moves through the 10 billion mark. we already only feed ourseives— billion mark. we already only feed ourselves because of the gps system marking _ ourselves because of the gps system marking att— ourselves because of the gps system marking all those containers of food and making sure they do not spoil like they— and making sure they do not spoil like they used to and helping fanning _ like they used to and helping farming to get it right rather than -et farming to get it right rather than get it— farming to get it right rather than get it wrong using agricultural weather— get it wrong using agricultural weather satellites and monitoring the climate. we only know what is going _ the climate. we only know what is going on— the climate. we only know what is going on over the last 50 years because — going on over the last 50 years because of the space and space is part of— because of the space and space is part of the — because of the space and space is part of the solution, not the problem _ part of the solution, not the problem. we will be able to put solar _ problem. we will be able to put solar power in space very soon. we will he _ solar power in space very soon. we will be able — solar power in space very soon. we will be able to put all those horrible _ will be able to put all those horrible data centres, all those at social— horrible data centres, all those at social media critics talking to each other— social media critics talking to each other online are contributing it 'ust other online are contributing it just as — other online are contributing it just as much to climate change now, moving _ just as much to climate change now, moving all— just as much to climate change now, moving all those trillions of electrons around the world and using all that— electrons around the world and using all that power to run the data centres — all that power to run the data centres and mine for bitcoin at all those _ centres and mine for bitcoin at all those sorts— centres and mine for bitcoin at all those sorts of things. so it is really— those sorts of things. so it is really important we can get industrialisation in space to save

ourselves— industrialisation in space to save ourselves and the fact is, these billionaires invest in the cheaper, more _ billionaires invest in the cheaper, more friendly technologies which are --oin more friendly technologies which are going to _ more friendly technologies which are going to achieve that and there is a bit going to achieve that and there is a hit of— going to achieve that and there is a hit of space — going to achieve that and there is a bit of space tourism on the way, we will take _ bit of space tourism on the way, we will take that as well. they are lowering — will take that as well. they are lowering the cost of access space with the — lowering the cost of access space with the very technologies that we will rely— with the very technologies that we will rely on to survive. what with the very technologies that we will rely on to survive.— will rely on to survive. what is uuite will rely on to survive. what is quite interesting _ will rely on to survive. what is quite interesting with - will rely on to survive. what is quite interesting with the - quite interesting with the development of these private space missions as they seem to be filling a void that has been left by governments which have, over the years, cut funding for space missions, these entrepreneurs, these billionaires, stepping in to take that on instead.— billionaires, stepping in to take that on instead. yes, and look at the technologies _ that on instead. yes, and look at the technologies they _ that on instead. yes, and look at the technologies they are - that on instead. yes, and look at the technologies they are all- the technologies they are all developing. i know it from the work i am developing. i know it from the work i am doing. — developing. i know it from the work i am doing, we are investing developing. i know it from the work lam doing, we are investing in developing. i know it from the work i am doing, we are investing in the new companies of the future, investing _ new companies of the future, investing in companies that will clean _ investing in companies that will clean up — investing in companies that will clean up the space. the mess left by governments actually, not by the private _ governments actually, not by the private sector. we will be developing businesses to make satellites reusable in a way they have _ satellites reusable in a way they have never been before and

satellites are to do the things in space _ satellites are to do the things in space that we should not be doing so the earth's _ space that we should not be doing so the earth's precious atmosphere. gk, the earth's precious atmosphere. ok, sta with the earth's precious atmosphere. ok, stay with us- — the earth's precious atmosphere. ok, stay with us- l — the earth's precious atmosphere. oil, stay with us. ijust want to cross stay with us. i just want to cross over to keith who is a former nasa employee and joins us from washington, dc. we are probablyjust a fewer minutes before lunch, so based on your experience, give us a sense of what will be happening at this moment? —— just eight fewer before launch. i this moment? -- 'ust eight fewer before launch.— before launch. i will break this -- basis on the _ before launch. i will break this -- basis on the fact _ before launch. i will break this -- basis on the fact i _ before launch. i will break this -- basis on the fact i have _ before launch. i will break this -- basis on the fact i have had - basis on the fact i have had training and that is to get you ready for it the weightless stuff, thatis ready for it the weightless stuff, that is what they are doing now and they are pretty much lying there waiting for stuff to happen and use your imagination, it is like if you're going to be british museum, you're going to be british museum, you have 30 seconds to walk through, you're getting ready for that and you're getting ready for that and you're about to go do that and suddenly it will be over. that is what is going through your right now. 50

what is going through your right now. ,, ., what is going through your right now. ~' what is going through your right now. ~ ., . , now. so we think now at five minutes until they launch. _ now. so we think now at five minutes until they launch. when _ now. so we think now at five minutes until they launch. when you - now. so we think now at five minutes until they launch. when you look- now. so we think now at five minutes until they launch. when you look at l until they launch. when you look at the technology that has been developed in order to make this happen, this particular launch, and the grant writing technology that is involved, how far have things come on? are we seeing an exponential improvement in the sort of technology that is being used for this? in technology that is being used for this? ,., ._ , technology that is being used for this? , , ~ ., this? in some ways it is kind of interesting. — this? in some ways it is kind of interesting, having _ this? in some ways it is kind of interesting, having worked - this? in some ways it is kind of interesting, having worked at l this? in some ways it is kind of - interesting, having worked at nasa, you watch this, something old, something new, something bright, something new, something bright, something true. technology is not especially advanced per se, it is the application of the rocket engine, the vehicle that is light enough to designed to be used and unlike a lot of nasa spacecraft, except for the shuttle, which although it was reusable, they had to build it every time, they picked the best part of nasa, brought a few things of their own, added consumer flair and made it look like a science fiction space ship. that is

what you are looking at right now. thank you for the moment, stay with us. i want to cross live to the scene in texas. we are looking at the capsule of blue 0rigin. it is the capsule of blue 0rigin. it is the launch rockets that will take jeff bezos and three others into space. sophie is there for us. we now thinkjust a space. sophie is there for us. we now think just a fewer space. sophie is there for us. we now thinkjust a fewer minutes until they take off?— they take off? yes, three minutes and 41 seconds, _ they take off? yes, three minutes and 41 seconds, looking _ they take off? yes, three minutes and 41 seconds, looking at - they take off? yes, three minutes and 41 seconds, looking at the - they take off? yes, three minutes i and 41 seconds, looking at the time out that i am looking out at the moment. we can only begin to imagine how the people on board are feeling. there are people here in the west texas desert with their cameras, deckchairs, waiting for this rocket launch. a historic day, blue 0rigin's first flight carrying human passengers and its first paying customer. when we watch new shepard blastoff, will also be watching the liftoff of space tourism which is a

pretty important day, but you can only imagine how they are feeling now and jeff bezos has been giving interviews in the days running up to it and saying he is not nervous, his excited. i cannot begin to imagine how he must be feeling sitting on a rocket now, can you?— how he must be feeling sitting on a rocket now, can you? indeed. we saw them climbing — rocket now, can you? indeed. we saw them climbing the _ rocket now, can you? indeed. we saw them climbing the stairs _ rocket now, can you? indeed. we saw them climbing the stairs to _ rocket now, can you? indeed. we saw them climbing the stairs to the - them climbing the stairs to the capsule about half—an—hour or so ago, so they would have been getting into place and an interesting phrase from keith, the hurry up and wait moment, where all they can do now is wait for the final checks to be done and it is worth reiterating for viewers at just and it is worth reiterating for viewers atjustjoining us at the sing of cans of this. there are no pilots on board, no engineers and thatisit pilots on board, no engineers and that is it an extraordinary and historic thing. —— the significance of this. historic thing. -- the significance of this. . , f historic thing. -- the significance of this. . , j ., of this. certainly, they're gone throu~h of this. certainly, they're gone through training, _ of this. certainly, they're gone through training, they - of this. certainly, they're gone through training, they are - of this. certainly, they're gone|

through training, they are used of this. certainly, they're gone i through training, they are used to this, but when you first hear about it, four civilians will be in a rocket, propelled into space to the edge of space, with no human pilot on board, four civilians, one woman who went through training in the 60s but never made it into space on account of the fact she was a woman. she had been waiting for this for more than 60 years. jeff bezos, a lifelong dream for him. i think you can hear some of the audio feed there, we arejust can hear some of the audio feed there, we are just approaching now a minute and a half till blastoff. many thanks indeed. sophie, i won't correspond at the launch site in a texas. just remind you of what you're seeing now is the scene in texas, the private launch site of

jeff bezos where the new shepard rocket ship will take him and three others with him into space. at the top right of your screen you can see the countdown clock, if you want to count down along at home. they have been sitting in that rocket forjust over half an hour. they boarded and the final checks were being done. nowjust the final checks were being done. now just 40 seconds the final checks were being done. nowjust 40 seconds until there is historic launch. a fully automated launch happening just a week after jeff bezos's rival, richard branson, blasted on his stiffs —— space tourism rocket. we will follow the whole thing here live on a bbc news. let's just listen in and soak up some of the atmosphere before the launch. ., ., .,

30,000 feet, mark one. there we have it, the new shepard _ 30,000 feet, mark one. there we have it, the new shepard rocket _ 30,000 feet, mark one. there we have it, the new shepard rocket from - 30,000 feet, mark one. there we have it, the new shepard rocket from blue i it, the new shepard rocket from blue 0rigin launching into space with jeff bezos on board, his brother and the oldest person to go to space and the oldest person to go to space and the youngest person to fly to space. you're watching bbc news. there it is, jeff bezos, the world's richest man and three crew mates on board his company blue 0rigin's new

shepard launch and a day of history really in a space expiration and space tourism. —— space exploration. you are watching bbc news. here on planet earth... downing street has tried to clear up confusion about whether people should self—isolate when pinged by the nhs covid app. the business minister, paul scully, suggested that self—isolation when pinged should be a matter for individuals and employers to decide. but number 10 has since said it is crucial to isolate when contacted, and businesses should be supporting their employees to do so. they've also said there will be no list of critical workers who are exempt from isolation, and instead individual businesses will have to contact their relevant government department to apply for an exemption. labour has accused the government of "making it up as they go along". theo leggett reports. it is being called the pingdemic.

from cafes to car factories, from hairdressers to hospitals, staff shortages across the country are reaching critical levels. hundreds of thousands of workers are in isolation because they have either been pinged by the app or contacted by nhs test and trace. ben porter runs the harbour house, a bar and restaurant on the dockside in bristol. it has been shut for the past week after 18 staff were contacted by test and trace. we had to cancel 700, 800 guests, loss of revenue about 40 k, which is not ideal obviously in this heat wave. we have an amazing balcony, amazing outside space, which seats about 100, 150 covers, so that would have been absolutely chock—a—block this week so it's a massive missed week for us, really. with the number of people in isolation rising sharply, there have been stark warnings that transport networks and production lines could grind to a halt.

and food supplies could bejeopardised. the government says some fully—vaccinated nhs workers will be exempt from isolation in exceptional circumstances. as will a small number of designated people in critical areas such as transport and the supply of food, water and electricity. further details are expected today. meanwhile, ministers have pointed out that while people who are contacted by test and trace are legally obliged to isolate, those pinged by the app are not. we are encouraging people to stick with the app, to isolate, but they need to make their informed decisions. the legal position hasn't changed, you have to isolate if you are contacted by the nhs test and trace, or if you are collecting isolation payments, but not everyone has the app, for example, and so it is not mandated. but downing street insisted it was crucial for people to isolate when asked to do so. it said...

we are getting into the realms of force, dangerous force, where we have had clear and consistent messaging about the need to self—isolate which has suddenly been completely undermined by the minister this morning. the rules are due to change significantly in mid—august, with fully vaccinated people being allowed to take daily tests rather than going into isolation. calls for the change to be brought forward are growing ever louder. but so far the government seems determined to stick to its plans. theo leggett, bbc news. number ten has rejected the latest criticism of borisjohnson's handling of the pandemic by his former chief adviser dominic cummings. in an exclusive bbc interview, mr cummings produced a message in which the prime minister argued against a national lockdown, because he said everyone who was dying was over

the age of 80. 0ur political correspondent ben wright's report contains flash photography. he was borisjohnson's closest adviser in government. at the prime minister's side through much of the covid crisis, but since quitting hisjob last november, dominic cummings has been scornful of his former friend. speaking to the bbc, he claimed the prime minister had resisted a second lockdown, as covid crept back last autumn. his attitude at that point was a weird mix of partly, it is all nonsense, lockdowns don't work anyway, and partly, well, this is terrible, but the people who are dying are essentially over 80, and we can't kill the economyjust because of people dying over 80. that's a very serious claim to make, what evidence do you have of that? lots of people heard the prime minister say that, the prime minister texted that

to me and other people. in a series of whatsapps to aides shared with the bbc from the 15th october, borisjohnson appears to say... going on to say... mr cummings also claimed at the start of march last year the prime minister was slow to take the virus seriously and considered visiting the queen. ijust said, "if you go and you give her coronavirus and she dies, "what are you going to... "you can't do that, you cannot risk that, "that is completely insane." downing street denied that incident took place and at the end of october, a second national lockdown was announced. downing street said...

and today ministers have been giving their reaction to mrcummings' claims. mr cummings clearly has his own rather personal agenda to pursue. i think the facts speak for themselves, we have the uk vaccination programme which is the world's leading, a fact about which i think everybody in the whole united kingdom can be extremely proud. dominic cummings said this wasn't all about revenge, a claim dismissed by one former colleague. in the case of dominic cummings, i think you're going to get a lot more of this from him, he is clearly obviously a very bitter man. i know, i employed him, i sacked him, i know how he works, this will go on for some time. many other tories see this as a vendetta. he denies revenge. but labour says he is an important witness to what happened. every time the prime minister has dithered and delayed

in taking critical decisions, i think what dominic cummings said feeds into the feeling he hasn't taken it as seriously as he should have. controversial, divisive, dominic cummings was by borisjohnson's side through covid and brexit, and he still has more to say. we will talk more about that in just a moment, but let mejust show we will talk more about that in just a moment, but let me just show you live pictures right now ofjeff bezos and his friends coming back down to earth, the world's richest person, jeff bezos, the amazon founder and owner with three crew mates on board blue 0rigin's new shepard. it has been an 11 minute voyage to the edge of space, nine days after richard branson was aboard his competing space tourism company virgin galactic is in the

suborbital flight. company virgin galactic is in the suborbitalflight. it really company virgin galactic is in the suborbital flight. it really is a space race of the billionaires and this is the latest episode of it. jeff bezos, who was wearing a blue flight suit and a cowboy hat when he got into the vehicle to the launch pad returning on out to earth after a flight of a lifetime and also the fulfilment really of his dreams ever since he was a boy of going into space and there he is, firmly back on earth in the west texas desert after that suborbital journey. a milestone flight which will help to usherin milestone flight which will help to usher in a whole new era of private space travel, not without its critics of course. many who say what is the point? is this just a rich game for rich people? and is it at the cost of climate change, really?

because it is unnecessary use of energy and emissions. 0thers because it is unnecessary use of energy and emissions. others are saying it is all part of the continuing need for space exploration which brings many, many benefits here on earth, including more information about climate change. butjeff bezos and his three crewmates back on earth in texas. i promised you more on that dominic cummings interview with laura kuenssberg. lauren mcevatt is a former conservative adviser, who was a colleague of dominic cummings under the former prime minister david cameron. it was a pretty devastating interview with laura kuenssberg, how much damage do you think that would eat a borisjohnson and downing street? i eat a boris johnson and downing street? ., ., , , . street? i do not believe it is much more than — street? i do not believe it is much more than what _ street? i do not believe it is much more than what dominic— street? i do not believe it is much l more than what dominic cummings street? i do not believe it is much - more than what dominic cummings has indicated previously. —— how much

damage do you think that would do to borisjohnson? he is a man who any time he has been fired from a job behaves worse than any teenager who has just been dumped. the last polling i saw had trustworthy figures at about 14%, which is essentially in the political sphere at rock bottom. i do not believe that anything he said comes at a galloping surprise, i do not believe it is anything more than an invitation to number ten and the government at this point, but he will keep doing it as long as people keep giving him a time.— keep giving him a time. you're -auttin keep giving him a time. you're putting the _ keep giving him a time. you're putting the focus _ keep giving him a time. you're putting the focus on _ keep giving him a time. you're putting the focus on a - keep giving him a time. you're putting the focus on a dominic| putting the focus on a dominic cummings. whatever you think about him, maybe ijust shooting the messenger, but this is pretty embarrassing stuff. if we just quote some of what mrjohnson's whatsapp messages from the october at the 15th said, he was talking about the median age of covid fatalities being 82 to 81 for men, 85 for women, that

is above life expect and say, so almost as a joke he is saying get covid and live longer, is that the sort of thing we expect from our prime minister? i sort of thing we expect from our prime minister?— prime minister? i think boris johnson as — prime minister? i think boris johnson as a _ prime minister? i think boris johnson as a prime - prime minister? i think boris johnson as a prime ministerl prime minister? i think boris. johnson as a prime minister is perhaps more flippant than leaders we are used to, but there is a saying that you do not want to see how sausages are made and many leaders will have been making process be publicised. there is a lot of flippancy in most places where you work and particularly in eras of high stress and no one can argue this is not an era of high stress. the fundamental point that underlines that is it is aptly right for a government balance and economic situation versus a public health one. the government cannot keep the country under lock and key. there are differing opinions late

last year whether or not a full lockdown should come, whether it was something that could be done as a circuit breaker and i can imagine that the prime minister was frustrated at the point of which he sent that message. 0bviously, he then did make the decision to lockdown in november and again in january, with the decisions over the christmas holidays as well. all of those decisions were taken on the basis of scientific advice was not over and above the frustrations of the political entities and that is the political entities and that is the right way to do things. you think ou the right way to do things. you think you do — the right way to do things. you think you do not _ the right way to do things. you think you do not want to know how the sausages are made, but in a way we do and it is very important in a democracy, surely? may be at expose why we have seen a lot of inconsistencies over the pandemic. and a lot of u—turns. we had won it just this weekend when the prime minister said he was part of a pilot scheme so he would not suffice late and then he said he would. —— would not self—isolate. whatever you think

of dominic cummings, when big things happen he was in the room, so he is providing some pretty crucial evidence. . providing some pretty crucial evidence-— providing some pretty crucial evidence. . , . , ., evidence. that is true and he should be providing — evidence. that is true and he should be providing it _ evidence. that is true and he should be providing it to _ evidence. that is true and he should be providing it to an _ evidence. that is true and he should be providing it to an enquiry - evidence. that is true and he should be providing it to an enquiry when i be providing it to an enquiry when it comes along and as we know from enquiries of the past, enquiries can happen when they are alive issue such as one from 1916 to 1919, or they can happen after the fact which happened with chilcott. issues that require enquiries do not necessarily happen alongside the enquiry is the issueis happen alongside the enquiry is the issue is ongoing. there is some debate as to whether or not that is the right thing to do. what i mean by no one likes to see how the law is made, it is messy and it is right that formal structures such like an enquiry and mechanisms by which these things arejudged enquiry and mechanisms by which these things are judged and mechanisms of the house of commons, which is of course work dominic cummings had given evidence previously, the way these things are judged is not formulate through an interview with the bbc, no offence,

but through a formal enquiry and dominic choosing to go before laura kuenssberg for a long interview is an indication of the seriousness with which he is taking this which is to say i'm going to shoot my mouth off at every available opportunity to any outlet that will have me, which is spiteful and the mark of someone who has been burned rather than someone who has something constructive to say. to be fair to him, — something constructive to say. to be fair to him. he _ something constructive to say. to be fair to him, he has— something constructive to say. to be fair to him, he has appeared - something constructive to say. to be fair to him, he has appeared before mps and this is his first book is interview, so he is hardly shooting his mouth off to any outlet that will have him. but his mouth off to any outlet that will have him.— his mouth off to any outlet that will have him. but his briefing the ress will have him. but his briefing the press which _ will have him. but his briefing the press which is _ will have him. but his briefing the press which is his _ will have him. but his briefing the press which is his style. _ will have him. but his briefing the press which is his style. he - press which is his style. he provided — press which is his style. he provided this whatsapp message saying i no longer buy all this and it has overwhelmed stuff, but that is exactly the message we have had from him and the government throughout this pandemic, that the nhs is about to be overwhelmed and therefore we need restrictions or

lockdowns, so it is utterly contradictory, isn't it? hot contradictory, isn't it? not necessarily. _ contradictory, isn't it? not necessarily. if— contradictory, isn't it? not necessarily. if you - contradictory, isn't it? not necessarily. if you are - contradictory, isn't it? not necessarily. if you are a i contradictory, isn't it? iifrt necessarily. if you are a member of the government you will want to question whether or not the mantra you are using, whether or not the policy is that you are putting out, still hold weight, whether they still hold weight, whether they still hold weight, whether they still hold water. i would prefer a prime minister who questions that actively, admittedly may not one with such flippant language, but i would prefer a prime minister who questions that actively throughout a process rather than continuing down the line at the never questioning further. mi the line at the never questioning further. �* . ~ , ., , further. all right, thank you very much indeed _ further. all right, thank you very much indeed for _ further. all right, thank you very much indeed for your _ further. all right, thank you very much indeed for your on - further. all right, thank you very much indeed for your on that. much indeed for your on that interview and just to say that you can't see that full interview, whatever you think of dominic cummings. dominic cummings: the interview will be broadcast tonight on bbc two at 7pm and will be available on bbc iplayer and bbc sounds as a podcast. almost one in three children in the uk are living in poverty. that's the key finding of a report from the social mobility commission. it's calling on the government to put children at the heart of its post—pandemic recovery with a a shake—up of the welfare

system to help the poorest families affected by covid. and we can speak to the co—chair of the social mobility commission, steven cooper. talk to us more about these findings and put them into historical context. the uk has had social mobility for a number of years. there have been some elements of progress, the attainment gap in education had improved. covid—19 is put that back. every measure on social mobility has started to get worse particularly for younger and disadvantaged children. child poverty, inequality, access, gaps in attainment, etc. that needs to be the central points

of the levelling up. one in three children in the uk lives in relative poverty. that means if you take that median salary or income in the uk, take that by 60%, one in three children live in a household after housing costs of £280 per week or less. that is hard to run a family owned. 0ne less. that is hard to run a family owned. one of the reasons why so many children from disadvantaged backgrounds did not have access to devices for education during lockdown. devices for education during lockdown-— devices for education during lockdown. , , . . ., . devices for education during lockdown. , . ., ., ., lockdown. give us advice on what all these figures — lockdown. give us advice on what all these figures mean. _ lockdown. give us advice on what all these figures mean. how— lockdown. give us advice on what all these figures mean. how do - lockdown. give us advice on what all these figures mean. how do we - these figures mean. how do we compare to other similar countries in europe, other leading economies around the world? around the world ? we around the world? we are one of the lowest for social mobility. in the uk it is much harder to have a better outcome in your life than the circumstances of your life than the circumstances of your birth. progress has been made, much more needs to be done.

what other solutions. you have outlined the problem and the context, what is the way out? there is no one size _ context, what is the way out? there is no one size fits _ context, what is the way out? there is no one size fits all. _ context, what is the way out? there is no one size fits all. it _ context, what is the way out? there is no one size fits all. it is _ context, what is the way out? there is no one size fits all. it is a - is no one size fits all. it is a range of things. there should be more support in welfare. we do not believe there should be a cap on number of children who receive child benefit. there should be more paid per child as well by £10. it is not just putting money into it, it is also creating opportunity, for example, apprenticeships. a lot of people from disadvantaged backgrounds get into apprenticeships, the struggle to get on in these organisations, more needs to be done with employers to progress people within their organisations from lower social and economic backgrounds. more social housing. that should be built as a matter of course. a range of things including early years education, making more of that available to more people. making more of that available to more people-— making more of that available to more people. good to talk to you. thank you- _

more people. good to talk to you. thank you. co-chair _ more people. good to talk to you. thank you. co-chair of _ more people. good to talk to you. thank you. co-chair of that - more people. good to talk to you. thank you. co-chair of that social| thank you. co—chair of that social mobility commission. back to texas, jeff bezos has continued —— completed that flight into space. he is getting out of the capsule there and landed after a very briefjourney. richard branson went in to space the other day. jeff bezos has flown a little bit higher. 62 miles for blue 0rigin, compared to 63 miles. and some cheers there. jeff bezos, founder of amazon, one of four people on that voyage to the edge of space nine days after richard branson. lots of high fives and cheering and some champagne going up in the air to celebrate. it is a lifetime dream forjeff bezos, who has always been obsessed with

space, and a successful suborbital flight, a voyage to the edge of space, nine days after his competitor richard branson was aboard his space to company virgin galactic successful launch as well. it is space race of the billionaires. congratulations to jeff billionaires. congratulations tojeff bezos. after a year—long delay, the olympics are almost here. the action starts tomorrow and the opening ceremony�*s on friday, but the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise — with 71 people involved in the games testing positive. the bbc�*s lucy hockings is in tokyo for us with more on the mood in the japanese capital,

with just three days to go. it's odd here in tokyo because opinion polls show many japanese people don't want these to go ahead. and there is resignation because they are in fact going ahead and growing anxiety about the rising number of covid cases here in tokyo in particular and what that could mean. a sense of anxiety, a sense of fear about what the next next few days holds. and you speak to other people who are proud ofjapan for going ahead with those games and are certainly are enthusiastic. i think what the japanese government are hoping is once the games and the action starts that's where our attention will be rather than focusing on the pandemic. of course, the preparations to the games have been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, over the last year and a half. and thomas bach, the president of the international olympic committee,

says rescheduling the games gives people hope for the future. in the past 15 months we had to take daily decisions on uncertain grounds. we deliberated and we discussed. there were sleepless nights. like everyone else in the world, we did not know, i did not know, what the future would hold. south africa have named their team for saturday's first test match against the british and irish lions. and captain siya kolisi is back, after recovering from covid—19. the 2019 world cup winning captain, only rejoined the squad yesterday after ten days in isolation. the side includes 11 players

who started the world cup final with fly—half handre pollard set to win his 50th cap. elswhere. .. a premier league footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. the 31—year—old man, who has not been named for legal reasons, was detained on friday by greater manchester police. in a statement, the player's club confirmed he had been suspended and added it would "continue supporting the authorities "with inquiries and would not be commenting further". the footballer has since been bailed pending further inquiries. meanwhile, it could be a big night for the milwaukee bucks tonight in basketball�*s nba. the bucks are just one win away from their first nba title since 1971. they currently lead the phoenix suns 3—2, in their best of seven series. and having been 2—0 down early on it's no surprise their turnaround in form has been led by the league's two—time,

most valuable player, giannis antetokounmpo. you work so hard to be in that moment which is tomorrow. this is the point you have to be the most disciplined. i want to be as disciplined as possible, don't get too excited and get too pumped up for the game. i can't play the game right now, the game is tomorrow. i don't know, at six or nine, whatever the time is, now there is nothing i can do. it could be an historic night in milwaukee. that's all the sport for now. 430 migrants tried to cross the english channel in small boats yesterday to reach the uk — the home office says that is a record for a single day. so far this year, more than 7,000 people have been intercepted on small boats.

the latest crossings come as the government's nationality and borders bill receives its second reading in parliament. 0ur correspondent, jon donnison, has spent the last few days out on the channel. rolling out of dover at dawn. eyes on the horizon as we head south. 0ur skipper has told us it's the most likely time to spot migrants risking the crossing from france. and it doesn't take long. coastguard, this is city of westminster, we have spotted another small boat, which appears to be a migrant boat. amid one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, a tiny dinghy, bobbing on the waves. desperate people do desperate things.

they've no motor, just paddles. where are you from, guys? sudan. from sudan? are you 0k? help will be coming soon, they will come and pick you up. 0k. would you like some water? yeah. how long have you been at sea, this morning? two o'clock, we started. why do you want to go to england? it's a safe place. and tell me about your journey from sudan. come from libya, libya to italia. libya to italy? and then through europe? and why did you leave sudan? because we need a safe place. safe place? yeah. here is some fruit, some biscuits, somejuice. after that, we shadowed them and called the coastguard, who organised their rescue. it's getting busier all the time. when we first sort of started seeing these migrants come across three or four years ago,

there were just a few come across in dribs and drabs but now it seems like a very well organised people smuggling route. and not far away, we find another migrant boat. we're about eight miles off the coast of dover now and we've just come across this small dinghy, probably three or four metres long. we think there's maybe 12 or 13 on board, couple of small children at the front and a couple of women. i've asked them how long they've been at sea this morning and they said a couple of hours. they must have set off before dawn. we've now called in the uk border force, the uk coastguard who are going to pick them up. rescued migrants are then brought to dover and ferried ashore for processing. the government says its new nationality and borders bill currently passing through parliament targets people smugglers, but it also includes a new law, meaning migrants arriving without permission could be jailed for up to four years. critics say it amounts to cruelty.

it's a really callous, cold—hearted brutal response by a government that's trying to arrest and prosecute its way out of a problem. it won't succeed. putting people injail who have come here because of the terrible things that have happened to them in their lives is really draconian and punitive and all that it will do is fill up ourjails without resolving the issue. the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats has risen sharply in the last few years. more than 2,000 — a record — made thejourney injune. but overall, the number of people claiming asylum in the uk actually fell last year to just below 30,000 and that's way down on the peak, back in 2002, of more than 80,000. and britain accepts far fewer asylum applications than many of its european neighbours. behind the migrant numbers, though,

are the human stories. the government is pushing back. but for those making these dangerous journeys, the pull of a better life is strong. jon donnison, bbc news, in the english channel. a premier league footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual offences. the 31—year—old man, who hasn't been named for legal reasons, was detained on friday by greater manchester police. in a statement, the player's club confirmed he'd been suspended and said it would continue to support the authorities with inquiries. the footballer has been bailed pending further inquiries. more than 2000 firefighters are battling to control a massive wildfire in the us state of oregon. the fire, which has been raging for two weeks, has displaced thousands of people from their homes and destroyed 160 buildings. it's now the largest of more than 80 wildfires which are burning throughout the united states.

the parliamentary 0mbudsman has ruled government officials were too slow to tell many women they would be affected by the rising state pension age. the finding brings the prospect of compensation closer for thousands of women born in the 19505. it marks a significant victory for the campaign. the us—based ice cream company, ben and jerry's says it will no longer market its products in palestinian territories occupied by israel — including the west bank. the firm said selling there was inconsistent with its values. pro—palestinian groups have been pressing the company to make that decision. meanwhile, israeli politicians have reacted angrily to the announcement. the headlines on bbc news... the world's richest man — amazon founderjeff bezos — has completed the first crewed flight of his shepard space rocket. confusion over advice on what you should do if 'pinged' by the nhs covid app.

for people to self—isolate. in an exclusive bbc interview, the prime minister's former chief adviser dominic cummings says borisjohnson put politics ahead of people's lives during the pandemic. plenty of us will be heading to the uk's coastal towns for a holiday this summer, but many of those communities would like people to stay longer than just a few days. scarborough is a town needing more professionals, like teachers and health care workers, to live and work there. 0ur correspondent david sillito grew up in scarborough, and has been back to find out more.

we're in scarborough and as lockdown lifts, the town's bustling, but at 5 o'clock in the morning, it's still gloriously peaceful. if you're going to come to scarborough, there's only one way to start the day. here, you go in there, you can be feeling a bit rubbish, you come out, you feel like superwoman. there are dolphins in the bay, there is porpoises, it isjust astonishingly lovely. but it's notjust a love of the open water that this group has in common, they're all relatively new arrivals. if you can work from home, why not work with a view like this? i came to scarborough about two and a half years ago. _ it was literally a whim! my mum now lives in scarborough, moved up from northamptonshire. and the holiday business is also having a bit of a post lockdown moment. so how's business been over the last few weeks? very good. it means that we're full and people are staying for a bit longer. - and obviously they're - missing their breaks abroad, so in stead of two or three nights, we are getting three and four- nights some weeks,

so that's very good. | it feels much the same as it was when i was a teenager, some 40 years ago. but one thing has changed, someone like me on free school meals at the local comp, the chance of success these days is much lower. goodness me, it's exactly the same. i went back to my old comprehensive and it's still doing well, but even here there have been ups and downs. like many coastal towns, the perception of decline can be offputing for people deciding where to work. i think schools have struggled in the area for recruitment. there is a real problem about getting working age professional people to come to scarborough then? definitely. the journey down the a64? yeah, and it's a fantastic place. did anyone say to you, "what are you doing going "to scarborough? " they did, but we've got the north york moors on our doorstep, we have got dalby forest up the road and an hour that way takes you to the yorkshire dales and you couldn't really want for more actually

and absolutely no regrets. the hope is this little post lockdown boom may leave a legacy, encouraging more people to rediscover the unique pleasures of a life by the sea. across the world muslims are marking eid al—adha, one of the most important festivals in the islamic calendar. in england it's the first time since the pandemic that many people have felt able to celebrate together. shabnam mahmood reports from a mosque in south london, where celebrations are in full swing. ? praying together — after nearly 18 months of lockdown restrictions the al—nagashi mosque in london has opened to a large congregation of muslims. i think it is the first time i am praying next to someone,

whereas before we would have this big gap. so it is just really weird. like, oh, my god, this is what it used to feel like to be next to someone. you want to connect with your lord, and you want that security and you want the assurance that you are still a believer, and this is the best way to do it. it is actually really nice to seel a lot of people come together, like just in the community. i haven't seen this in a while. eid—al—adha is the second most important festival in the islamic calendar. it follows the hajj, the annual muslim pilgrimage which takes place in saudi arabia. one of the most important things is realising that our neighbours are here next to each other in times of need. from food banks, from looking after elders. i think bringing people together is what it is all about for the community, and for the mosque in particular. and i think the pandemic has demonstrated that we can do it, and this now, really marking that celebration of continuing to even grow together as a community.

but it is not all about worship, it is also a time to celebrate with family and friends. like christmas, there is a lot of present—giving and lots of great food. eid is a big celebration for us, so we've done this, we've cooked food, we hired a bouncy castle and hired a venue that is connected to the park. we've got lovely people here around us, family and children, and having a good time. this community, like so many communities across the country, has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. making these celebrations all the more special. eid mubarak! that report by shabnam mahmood. andrew lloyd webber has said he is "heartbroken" after being forced to cancel the opening nights of his musical, cinderella — because a member of the cast tested positive for covid. he warned that the theatre industry is "on its knees" and said the current system of self—isolation is untenable. leigh milner reports from london's west end.

it was meant to be england's so—called freedom day, but for andrew lloyd webber and the cast at this west end theatre, it was closure day. last night's opening performance of cinderella was cancelled after a member of the cast tested positive for covid—19. those who were in close contact were given pcr tests. they all came back negative, but under government guidance, anybody who comes into close contact with someone who tests positive must self—isolate for ten days, guidance which andrew lloyd webber wants the government to change. what i can't get to grips with is that this government does not seem to understand that theatre is the lifeblood of our cities. every other country in the world seems to have done so. america has completely grasped this. we can't go on like this. theatre is now on its knees. there is no way forward. more than 1,200 guests were expected

in the theatre tonight in the first full capacity performance of cinderella. 50% of the proceeds were also due to be donated to the nhs and stjohn's ambulance. please, please will this government for once listen to us, listen, we do know what we are doing, we do. just listen, and not all these platitudes and endless, endless blunt instruments that don't apply across the board. 0liver dowden, secretary of state for digital culture media and sport, said he was deeply disappointed to hear about the cancellation of cinderella, tweeting, whilst the need to self—isolate is an economy—wide issue, i recognise the particular challenges it presents to the arts, and i am strongly making the case for that in government. it is not yet clear when cinderella will return to the stage, but one thing is for sure — for theatres like this to survive, the show must go on.

leigh milner, bbc news. we can discuss this with claire appleby from the theatres trust, a desperate appeal from andrew lloyd webber saying, we cannot go on like this. distancing restrictions in theatres. theatre is in a fragile situation at the moment as we heard from andrew lloyd webber with shows being forced to cancel and no insurance scheme to help those theatre operators in that situation. what does the future of the theatres

look like now? we all know how difficult it has been throughout the pandemic. i suppose there was a hope that you were through the worst of it. but it is still very precarious? it still is precarious. what we do know is that theatres are very good at connecting with their audiences, listening to their audiences. and the risk mitigation measures that they put in place during the pandemic when they were previously open and when it opened earlier this year, have helped reassure audiences. thousands of audience members have gone back to theatres. whilst theatres are able to open at capacity it does not mean that they are going to stop putting in place other risk mitigation measures. measures such as hand sanitiser one way flow is, deep clean of auditoria, and strongly encouraging audience members to wear facemasks. as andrew lloyd webber wright when

he says the government, maybe all of us in this country, do not appreciate how theatres are the lifeblood of our towns and cities? it is very true. everything that andrew lloyd webber is saying. we do know from industry figures that's more than 34 million people attend the theatre every year. if you look at the figures behind that, uk theatres generate £1.3 billion annually to the economy. add to that, additional 7.9 billion generated to the wider economy. that is ancillary spending in bars and restaurants. people when they go to the theatre, it is a night out, they are going to have a drink, e—mail, they might even go shopping. it is really important to the economy. it is a great opportunity for people who want to go to the theatre this summer because there are not that many tourists going to be in this country, especially in london, so you can go and exploit that, and get a seat where maybe you would not have been able to before? it is

a seat where maybe you would not have been able to before?- have been able to before? it is a wonderful— have been able to before? it is a wonderful opportunity _ have been able to before? it is a wonderful opportunity for - have been able to before? it is a wonderful opportunity for us - have been able to before? it is a wonderful opportunity for us to i have been able to before? it is a i wonderful opportunity for us to go and see these big shows that maybe we have not been to see before. and to go and support all of these local theatres, whether in the west end, regionally, oryou're theatres, whether in the west end, regionally, or you're a smaller local theatres in local towns. thank you for being with us. thank ou. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. for many this story is about the heat. that met office amber warning for extreme heat. it is in these areas, a combination of warm days and nights.

these areas we have low cloud which could land on shore every now and again leaving temperature is somewhat suppressed. we have seen a few thunderstorms, more could develop in the midlands, eastern part of england. it stays humid into the night. these are the temperatures at midnight. they will only slowly ebbed away towards dawn. showers will fade. temperatures for most in the mid teens, if not high teens as we start wednesday morning. wednesday morning, more cloud across north and east of the country. just a gentle breeze. high pressure is still with us. more of the south—westerly breeze clearing away cloud in northern ireland and parts of western scotland. more in the way of western scotland. more in the way of low cloud for other eastern areas. temperatures will climb. 30 celsius towards the south—west and

wales, climbing in northern ireland. possibly 30 celsius. 0ne wales, climbing in northern ireland. possibly 30 celsius. one or two showers across central and western areas on thursday. for most, another sunny and hot day. peak temperatures could be in northern ireland. temperatures will slowly ebb away as we go through friday. more of a breeze which will be welcome news for some of you, that will bring down temperatures. if it has been too hot for you, this is the change on saturday, showers and thunderstorms more widely across england and wales. dreyer for scotland and northern ireland. more of a breeze. temperatures closer to what they should be for this time of the year.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 3pm: confusion over advice on what you should do if "pinged" by the nhs covid app. downing street now says it is "crucial" for people to self—isolate. starts, two, one... the world's richest man, amazon founderjeff bezos, has completed the first crewed space flight of his rocket ship. the crew parachuted back down to the west texas desert after an 11—minute flight. at least 430 migrants made the journey across the english channel to the uk yesterday, a new record for a single day.

in an exclusive bbc interview, the prime minister's former chief adviser dominic cummings says borisjohnson put politics ahead of people's lives during the pandemic. the met office issues its first—ever amber weather warning for heat, with a forecast of 33 degrees celsius in some parts of the country. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. downing street has tried to clear up confusion about whether people should self—isolate when pinged by the nhs covid app. the business minister, paul scully, suggested that self—isolation when pinged should be a matter for individuals and employers to decide.

but number 10 has since said it is crucial to isolate when contacted, and businesses should be supporting their employees to do so. they've also said there will be no list of critical workers who are exempt from isolation, and instead individual businesses will have to contact their relevant government department to apply for an exemption. labour has accused the government of "making it up as they go along". theo leggett reports. it is being called the pingdemic. from cafes to car factories, from hairdressers to hospitals, staff shortages across the country are reaching critical levels. hundreds of thousands of workers are in isolation because they have either been pinged by the app or contacted by nhs test and trace. ben porter runs the harbour house, a bar and restaurant on the dockside in bristol. it has been shut for the past week after 18 staff were contacted by test and trace. we had to cancel 700, 800 guests,

loss of revenue about 40 k, which is not ideal obviously in this heat wave. we have an amazing balcony, amazing outside space, which seats about 100, 150 covers, so that would have been absolutely chock—a—block this week so it's a massive missed week for us, really. with the number of people in isolation rising sharply, there have been stark warnings that transport networks and production lines could grind to a halt. and food supplies could bejeopardised. the government says some fully—vaccinated nhs workers will be exempt from isolation in exceptional circumstances. as will a small number of designated people in critical areas such as transport and the supply of food, water and electricity. further details are expected today. meanwhile, ministers have pointed out that while people who are contacted by test and trace are legally obliged to isolate, those pinged by the app are not.

we are encouraging people to stick with the app, to isolate, but they need to make their informed decisions. the legal position hasn't changed, you have to isolate if you are contacted by the nhs test and trace, or if you are collecting isolation payments, but not everyone has the app, for example, and so it is not mandated. but downing street insisted it was crucial for people to isolate when asked to do so. it said... we are getting into the realms of force, dangerous force, where we have had clear and consistent messaging about the need to self—isolate which has suddenly been completely undermined by the minister this morning. the rules are due to change significantly in mid—august, with fully vaccinated people being allowed to take daily tests

rather than going into isolation. calls for the change to be brought forward are growing ever louder. but so far the government seems determined to stick to its plans. theo leggett, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blakejoins us. the business minister said you can make an informed decision about whether you obey the paying, then at downing street says it is crucial you obey at. is that semantics or downing street slapping the business minister down? think downing street slapping the business minister down?— minister down? think it is certainly a swift clarification _ minister down? think it is certainly a swift clarification of _ minister down? think it is certainly a swift clarification of the - a swift clarification of the government's position as at downing street went to see it that if people do get a notification on the app because they have come in contact with some he tested positive for coronavirus, they should do so, but the fact remains that it is advisory if you are notified by the app. it is a legal requirement to isolate if

you're contacted by directly by test and trace, but by the app it is not and trace, but by the app it is not a legal requirement. it is because the app works on an anonymous basis so impossible to enforce whether people are notified by it or not and follow up on their isolation after that. the overriding message from the gamut from the start, and the expectation i think it is fair to say, has been if you have the app and are notified by it and are told to isolate, you should do so. as i say, the fact remains, it is not legally enforceable. that is perhaps one reason why we are seeing slight inconsistencies in the government's message emerging. as you say, the business minister paul scully this morning saying if they were eight notified by the app they can make an informed decision, downing street saying it was crucial people isolate if they were told to do so and businesses furthermore should be encouraging people to do that and thatis encouraging people to do that and that is in response to some

suggestion that businesses have been giving leeway here and employers, some of which are perhaps acting unscrupulously and making it clear that they expect staff to come in evenif that they expect staff to come in even if they are told to isolate. if there is confusion here, there is even more over the idea of exemptions. even more over the idea of exemptions-— even more over the idea of exem tions. , ., exemptions. yes, the government said esterda exemptions. yes, the government said yesterday there — exemptions. yes, the government said yesterday there would _ exemptions. yes, the government said yesterday there would be _ exemptions. yes, the government said yesterday there would be further - yesterday there would be further details coming forward about exemptions to the need to isolate if you are told to by test and trace or contacted or pinged by the app. nhs staff are already exempt in exceptional circumstances. we know there is a change in the law coming in august which means adults who are double vaccinated will no longer need to isolate, but in the meantime, businesses are calling for clarity really. various sectors of the economy saying they are essential, their workers are critical, whether it is the transport food industry met energy companies or others, but it seems there is not going to be a black and

white hard and fast list of sectors whose staff are deemed critical. more this will be done, the government are saying, on a case—by—case basis. employers can make a request to the relevant government department if they are seeing too many staff having to isolate some to be exempt from that and as i say, downing street saying those requests will be considered on a case—by—case basis. a difficult few weeks ahead before that change in the law comes in mid august. bil in the law comes in mid august. all right, thank you very much indeed. i can now speak to sir jonathan montgomery, former chairman of the ethics advisory board for the nhs?test and trace?app. thank you very much for being with us. can ijust ask, when you had the business minister saying people should make an informed decision about doing what the app says, was he right? about doing what the app says, was he riuht? ~ . , about doing what the app says, was he riaht? , he right? when it was first designed. _ he right? when it was first designed, the _ he right? when it was first designed, the advice - he right? when it was first designed, the advice we i he right? when it was first i designed, the advice we were he right? when it was first - designed, the advice we were given was pretty straight forward, everyone was essentially in the same

boatin everyone was essentially in the same boat in terms of the risk they faced getting and passing it on, no one had been vaccinated and it was quite simple, it was to self—isolate. i do not think it is really acceptable for the government to say make an informed choice without also giving us this information we need to use when we make these choices. what you would be expecting is some advice on what difference does it make if people have been double vaccinated? it reduces the risk they will catch the virus, it does not eliminate it but it reduces it. if they have not caught it, of course they cannot pass it on a. so it seems there will be some people who have been double vaccinated where the risk of transmission is much lower and i would also expect to see advice on thinking about whether or not self isolation is always needed or whether there might be some gradation of things that you could do, so it might well be that for people who have been double vaccinated, who have been things, it would be ok to work outside as long as they keep away from people, but

certainly unwise to have close contact with people who are at risk if they get infected, someone who has had cancer treatment or an elderly relative who has an vaccinated. that is the information we need. 50 vaccinated. that is the information we need. ., ., , vaccinated. that is the information weneed. ., ., , , vaccinated. that is the information we need. ., ., , we need. so in other words it is all a bit more — we need. so in other words it is all a bit more nuanced _ we need. so in other words it is all a bit more nuanced because - we need. so in other words it is all a bit more nuanced because of - we need. so in other words it is all a bit more nuanced because of the j a bit more nuanced because of the success of the vaccine roll—out? absolutely, that is how it should be, that is why we went so hard for the vaccines, it will enable us to a little more sophisticated about the way we look after each other in a society, but we do need help in doing that. we need the government to give us some clues on how to make those informed choices. [10 to give us some clues on how to make those informed choices.— those informed choices. do you think --eole are those informed choices. do you think people are starting _ those informed choices. do you think people are starting to _ those informed choices. do you think people are starting to perhaps - those informed choices. do you think people are starting to perhaps lose i people are starting to perhaps lose faith in the app? because it so many people have been pinged and there is a lot of evidence a lot of people have been deleting it. i do a lot of evidence a lot of people have been deleting it.— have been deleting it. i do not think we should _ have been deleting it. i do not think we should lose - have been deleting it. i do not think we should lose faith - have been deleting it. i do not think we should lose faith in i have been deleting it. i do not. think we should lose faith in the 3pp think we should lose faith in the app because a lot of people have been pinged, because it shows it is working. we would expect that at the

rates of infection are increasing. but if you want people to use the 3pp but if you want people to use the app to make informed choices, you have to support them to do that and i think people will lose confidence in it if they are not given a sensible advice on how to balance the risks and that is what we will need to see it now. it would be wrong to delete the app because it is useful information for you, but you need to know how to use it. reading between the lines of what you are saying, it sound like you are saying the government do need to give a clear advice to people, more direct advice, more nuanced advice if you like, and what we have at the moment is a little bit of confusion because as i say, the business minister was at saint make an informed decision and then downing street said it is crucial you obey, so it is it? i street said it is crucial you obey, so it is it?— so it is it? i think we should take seriously the _ so it is it? i think we should take seriously the risk _ so it is it? i think we should take seriously the risk we _ so it is it? i think we should take seriously the risk we might - so it is it? i think we should take seriously the risk we might pass| so it is it? i think we should take i seriously the risk we might pass it on to others, so with that downing street is saying you should take it there the instructions they have given you, but with the business

minister, those instructions need to be much more sophisticated and nuanced and nuanced and they need to reassure you what difference it makes your particular status. does it make a difference you double vaccinated? it seems it should do. what if you have recently had a negative test? it does reduce risk, does not eliminate it. if i need to does not eliminate it. if i need to do something really important, i need to know how i manage that risk and can whether i have two not to do things, for example if i was visiting and unvaccinated elderly relative, or if i have something important to do and go to work, then it is important to stay safe at. on how to balance those risks. looking back on this — how to balance those risks. looking back on this pandemic, _ how to balance those risks. looking back on this pandemic, do - how to balance those risks. looking back on this pandemic, do you - how to balance those risks. looking| back on this pandemic, do you think it has been a success story? how much has it helped? tsine it has been a success story? how much has it helped?— much has it helped? one of the consequences _ much has it helped? one of the consequences of _ much has it helped? one of the consequences of deciding - much has it helped? one of the consequences of deciding to i much has it helped? one of the. consequences of deciding to give much has it helped? one of the - consequences of deciding to give the anonymised version of the app is we

cannot really be sure. we can be sure that a number of people have self isolated after being pinged. we do not know for certain that that has reduced infection rates, but there is evidence that in parts of there is evidence that in parts of the country where the app has been deluded to limo downloaded a lot of times, infections have spread more slowly, said there is evidence of that bit it would be good to have more. . ~' that bit it would be good to have more. . ~ i. that bit it would be good to have more. . ~ ,, y that bit it would be good to have more. . ~ i. , . in the last hour the richest person on earth, jeff bezos, has finally achieved his childhood ambition to blast into space. in a flight lasting barely ten minutes, the amazon founder lifted off on board a rocket developed by his firm, blue 0rigin, from the texan desert. the craft, carrying three other crew members, including the oldest and youngest people in space, travelled at nearly three times the speed of sound, reaching a height of nearly a hundred kilometres

above the planet's surface. mr bezos's brother, mark, was also part of the mission. cheering and this was the moment four new astronauts emerged from the space capsule in new horn, texas. the capsule landed safely back on earth using parachutes. there they were greeted by loved ones and amazon staff. we can see wally funk, now the oldest person to travel to space, evidently delighted. she had been waiting for this moment for six decades, after initial training in the 1960s. she was not allowed to go into space because she was a woman. we'll hear from the astronauts in the next hour or so. it will be very interesting to hear their accounts of what it was like

and i to hearfrom jeff their accounts of what it was like and i to hear from jeff bezos himself. our correspondent, sophie long, watched the capsule as it landed in the desert in west texas. a huge amount of relief, jeff bezos was saying he was not nervous, he was saying he was not nervous, he was excited. a hugely exciting day. it has all gone according to plan, the take—off was delayed but only by a a few minutes and it all happened as it should. they rocketed up to the boundary of space, successfully landed in the west texas desert. there has been some criticism on social media. you watched the pictures there ofjeff bezos having returned to earth as an astronaut with wally funk, 82 years old, who has been dreaming of doing this for some 60 years. a young man, 18—year—old 0liver daemen, jeff bezos's brother as well. none of them will be paying much attention to social media at the moment. respect spoke to richard branson last week immediately after he returned to earth and he said it was

indescribable, the beauty of looking at planet earth from space. this capsule you are seeing there on the ground in the west texas desert, it has the biggest windows that have ever gone into space, so yes, we are looking forward to hearing from those astronauts on board in an hour or so's time. those astronauts on board in an hour or so's time-— or so's time. sophie there in the texan desert — or so's time. sophie there in the texan desert and _ or so's time. sophie there in the texan desert and we _ or so's time. sophie there in the texan desert and we will - or so's time. sophie there in the texan desert and we will bring i or so's time. sophie there in the i texan desert and we will bring you those interviews as soon as we get them. the headlines on bbc news: confusion over advice on what to do if you're "pinged" by the nhs covid app. downing street now says it is "crucial" for people to self—isolate. the world's richest man, amazon founderjeff bezos, has completed the first crewed flight of his space rocket. in an exclusive bbc interview, the prime minister's former chief adviser dominic cummings says borisjohnson put politics ahead of people's lives during the pandemic.

a report commissioned by the government has said almost 4.5 million children in the uk are now living in poverty. the social mobility commission said the figure was up by 700,000 from 2012. the document suggests the government should scrap its two—child limit benefits policy, and offer £10 more per week for every child. ministers say the cap is to ensure welfare spending is fair and sustainable. let's get more on this with saeed atcha who's a social mobility commissioner for the government and chief executive of the charity youth leads uk. thank you very much for being with us. these are pretty grim figures, social mobility is a disaster in this country, isn't it?- this country, isn't it? social mobility. —

this country, isn't it? social mobility, before _ this country, isn't it? social mobility, before the - this country, isn't it? social- mobility, before the pandemic, was a problem. since the pandemic, it has just got worse and that is what i want report, the state of the nation, is it showing today. we are seeing 700,000 more children in poverty, that is in four and a half million, which isjust far too much for one of the richest countries in the world. it is right now to start to make the recommendations we have in this report, as the government talks about levelling up as frequently as it does, that actually we can really get a shift on without really making the united kingdom a much better place for children to grow up. much better place for children to crow u -. , , much better place for children to i row u . _ . , , , much better place for children to u-rowu. , , , . , grow up. just surmise that there is a recommendations _ grow up. just surmise that there is a recommendations for _ grow up. just surmise that there is a recommendations for us - grow up. just surmise that there is a recommendations for us and - grow up. just surmise that there isj a recommendations for us and why grow up. just surmise that there is - a recommendations for us and why you think they will make a difference. social mobility is quite complex, quite wide—ranging. there are loads of recommendations in this report, right from building more social housing to actually scrapping this two child benefit limits, but also investing more in education, investing more in education, investing more in skills. if you

think about the last learning as a result of the pandemic, as a result of, wejust had it in the headlines there, how many people are isolating, including children, we really have to get a move on and to place children and young people at the heart of whatever the levelling up the heart of whatever the levelling up agenda is and just really put them at the forefront of the recovery from this pandemic. you talk about benefit changes and that is fine, but there are much deeper, more long lasting, long—standing reasons for this. the demographics, geography, all sorts of problems that are almost endemic in this country seem to be worse in this country seem to be worse in this country than in other comparable european nations for example, rich nations like the uk does not seem to have the social mobility problem is that we do. . , have the social mobility problem is that we do-— that we do. that is right and that is wh we that we do. that is right and that is why we really _ that we do. that is right and that is why we really have _ that we do. that is right and that is why we really have to look at i that we do. that is right and that i is why we really have to look at the recommendations in this report and ministers have to make that decision whether or not... and we are pushing

for them to do that. if we think about the pandemic, pre—pandemic the attainment gap for schoolchildren was about seven months from less advantaged compared to more advantaged compared to more advantaged backgrounds. that has now grown. disadvantaged young people have been the most likely group to lose paid work, particularly working class men aged between 16 and 24 and thatis class men aged between 16 and 24 and that is why i think we are putting the pressure on now as we had the prime minister's speech about levelling up last week which was very light on detail, so it is a good start that they are talking about levelling up, but actually we need to see a proper plan and we need to see a proper plan and we need to see some of the things that this report has recommended in those plans. as a country, we were able to dig deep enough with the very generous support that we have all had from the pandemic with furlough

and business grants and all the rest of it, it is time now to invest in children and young people to make sure we do not face these issues again in the future. in sure we do not face these issues again in the future.— sure we do not face these issues again in the future. in other words, ou are again in the future. in other words, you are you — again in the future. in other words, you are you want — again in the future. in other words, you are you want more _ again in the future. in other words, you are you want more flesh - again in the future. in other words, you are you want more flesh on - again in the future. in other words, you are you want more flesh on the bones of what the prime minister means by levelling up? but for the half million children in the uk living in poverty, are you saying the pandemic hasn't made that worse, it has exacerbated what was already a pretty serious trend? —— has made that worse. a pretty serious trend? -- has made that worse-— a pretty serious trend? -- has made that worse. absolutely and covid has ravaaed all that worse. absolutely and covid has ravaged all corners _ that worse. absolutely and covid has ravaged all corners of _ that worse. absolutely and covid has ravaged all corners of the _ that worse. absolutely and covid has ravaged all corners of the united - ravaged all corners of the united kingdom and has held back the social mobility prospect of millions of our citizens, so as we come out and as a freedom date was yesterday, we really have tear focus now. the past couple of years the government was focused on the pandemic, prior to that it was eu exit, so we have not had the time in the past six years, they have not had the bandwidth to think about domestic issues, so it is time now that they build upon

that levelling up commitment which is very clear, they have a commitment to level up. it is about what that actually means and we hope these recommendations do help. titer? these recommendations do help. very aood to talk these recommendations do help. very good to talk to — these recommendations do help. very good to talk to you, _ these recommendations do help. very good to talk to you, thank you. 430 migrants tried to cross the english channel in small boats yesterday to reach the uk — the home office says that is a record for a single day. so far this year, more than 8,000 people have been intercepted on small boats. the latest crossings come as the government's nationality and borders bill receives its second reading in parliament. 0ur correspondentjon donnison has spent the last few days out on the channel. rolling out of dover at dawn. eyes on the horizon as we head south. 0ur skipper has told us it's the most likely time to spot migrants risking the crossing from france. and it doesn't take long.

coastguard, this is city of westminster, we have spotted another small boat, which appears to be another migrant boat. amid one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, a tiny dinghy, bobbing on the waves. desperate people do desperate things. they've no motor, just paddles. where are you from, guys? sudan. from sudan? are you 0k? help will be coming soon, they will come and pick you up. 0k. would you like some water? yeah. how long have you been at sea this morning? two o'clock, we started. why do you want to go to england? it's a safe place. and tell me about your journey from sudan. come from libya, libya to italia. libya to italy?

and then through europe? and why did you leave sudan? because we need a safe place. safe pla ce ? yeah. here is some fruit, some biscuits, somejuice. after that, we shadowed them and called the coastguard, who organised their rescue. it's getting busier all the time. when we first sort of started seeing these migrants come across three or four years ago, there were just a few come across in dribs and drabs but now it seems like a very well organised people—smuggling route. and not far away, we find another migrant boat. we're about eight miles off the coast of dover now and we've just come across this small dinghy, probably three or four metres long. we think there's maybe 12 or 13 on board, couple of small children at the front and a couple of women. i've asked them how long they've been at sea this morning and they said a couple of hours. they must have set off before dawn. we've now called in the uk border force, the uk coastguard

who are going to come and pick them up. rescued migrants are then brought to dover and ferried ashore for processing. the government says its new nationality and borders bill currently passing through parliament targets people smugglers, but it also includes a new law, meaning migrants arriving without permission could be jailed for up to four years. critics say it amounts to cruelty. it's a really callous, cold—hearted brutal response by a government that's trying to arrest and prosecute its way out of a problem. it won't succeed. putting people injail who have come here because of the terrible things that have happened to them in their lives is really draconian and punitive and all that it will do is fill up ourjails without resolving the issue. the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats has risen sharply in the last few years. more than 2,000 — a record — made thejourney injune.

but overall, the number of people claiming asylum in the uk actually fell last year to just below 30,000 and that's way down on the peak, back in 2002, of more than 80,000. and britain accepts far fewer asylum applications than many of its european neighbours. behind the migrant numbers, though, are the human stories. the government is pushing back. but for those making these dangerous journeys, the pull of a better life is strong. jon donnison, bbc news, in the english channel. let's just update you of what we heard yesterday that the government plans to make full vaccination condition of entry to and quote venues where large crowds gather from the end of september. we

are also hearing from bbc sport that fans attending sports venues with the crowds of 20,000 or more could have to show a vaccine passport under plans that the government are considering, so it looks like those at potential proposals on vaccine passport is already outlined by the prime minister in terms of nightclubs could be expanded to sporting venues with crowds of more than 20,000, so football matches, premier league games, that sort of thing, that would include. we will bring you more details on that with bbc sport in our sports bulletin in just a a few minutes. the met office has issued its first ever amber warning for extreme heat. it will remain in force until late thursday, as parts of the uk are forecast to reach 33 degrees celsius. public health england is warning people to look out for anyone who may be vulnerable. phil mackie reports.

this is about as far as you can get from the sea. but on days like this, here is where you want to be. in landlocked worcestershire, this is the fifth day in a row that temperatures have hit 30 degrees or higher — no wonder it is part of the area where there is an amber warning for extreme heat. but at least it is good for business too. it is excellent for business. we have seen restricted numbers but we are fully booked all the way through to the end of the month. the important point here, this is supervised so it is safe? yes, so i have lifeguards on duty all the time, when we're doing boat hire, i have rescue cover with safety boats. there are always people watching the water and keeping an eye and all participants wear buoyancy aids. that is a really important point because here you have lifeguards like liv who are keeping an eye on things, and what we have seen over the last few days is people have been going to open water, especially if they are in a landlocked area like this. and there is no supervision, it is just not safe enough and sadly

people have lost their lives. there are other risks as well, with health problems caused by too much exposure to the sun and heat both by day and night. at night time, normally, that is when our bodies will rest and get a bit of recuperation but when it is so warm and sticky, our bodies are working really hard to keep us cool. you will have noticed that over the last couple of nights, it is hard to sleep. no—one is able to keep an eye on you and get help when you are having heat exhaustion — within 30 minutes you can then get heat stroke which is a medical emergency. that is when you have to call an ambulance and get aid straightaway. because unfortunately, people can die of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. this is why keeping cool is so important in this hot weather. if you have any problems today, please raise your hand. - keep it in the air. the heatwave is expected to last until the end of the week. here they are trying to have as much fun as possible whilst staying cool. given the freedom we have got now with the restrictions leaving and everything it is nice to actually get out without facemasks and social distancing and stuff like that, do something normal again, which is nice, actually. this is so nice, really, to get that

bit of normality back again, really. and with the heat as well? yes, absolutely. and it is possible to stay cool and safe on a perfect summer's day. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. as you are probably already aware, a met office amber warning for extreme heat remains in place all the way through to the end of thursday across parts of wales, the midlands, south west england. it is here with a combination of warm nights and pretty hot days — could have an impact on health, infrastructure and also travel. 30, 31 degrees possible in some of these areas today, but warm, if not hot widely across the country. a little bit cooler around some of the coasts in the north and east and with the heat inland, we will see some thunderstorms, severe with some hail, thunder, gusty winds across parts of central eastern england in particular. most though dry, most dry into the night and temperatures only

slowly dropping away from those high 20s, low 30s, through the day to the mid to high teens as we start tomorrow morning. so another uncomfortable night for many. a bit more cloud towards the far north of scotland and through some eastern parts of england compared to what we have seen through today, but the heat is transferring a bit further westwards with more sunshine, maybe it will turn 30 degrees in parts of northern ireland where we could get even higher as we go through the next few days before cooling off later in the week. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. downing street says it is crucial for people to self—isolate if alerted by the nhs covid app. and the government is also considering plans for a vaccine passport for entry to sports venues with crowds of 20,000 or more. the world's richest man — amazon founderjeff bezos — has achieved his childhood ambition of blasting into space.

the trip lasted around ten—and—a—half minutes. at least 430 migrants made the journey across the english channel to the uk yesterday — a new record for a single day. in an exclusive bbc interview, the prime minister's former chief adviser dominic cummings says borisjohnson put politics ahead of people's lives during the pandemic. the met office issues its first—ever amber weather warning for heat — with a forecast of 33 celsius in some parts of the country. sport and a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. just three days out from the start of the olympics, the head of the tokyo 2020 organising committee, hasn't ruled out cancelling the games. toshiro muto says he will keep

an eye on infection numbers and hold discussions with organisers if necessary. however thomas bach says cancelling was never an option, despite admitting to having "sleepless nights" delaying the games by 12 months. the president of the international olympic committee says they must go ahead to give people hope. it was either cancelling the games or postponing the games. cancellation would have been the easy way for us. we could have drawn on the insurance that we had at the time and moved on to paris 2024. but in fact, cancellation was never an option for us. the ioc never abandons the athletes.

well, spokesman mark adams from the international olympic committee, says the ioc have done all that they can to make the games as safe as possible. we have done 30,000 tests at the airport, and they have also been tested twice before they arrived. we need to make sure that these games are safe and secure. south africa have named their team for saturday's first test match against the british and irish lions. and captain siya kolisi is back, after recovering from covid—19. the 2019 world cup winning captain only rejoined the squad yesterday after ten days in isolation. the side includes 11 players who started the world cup final

in 2019 with fly—half handre pollard set to win his 50th cap. elswhere, a premier league footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences. the 31—year—old man, who has not been named for legal reasons, was detained on friday by greater manchester police. in a statement, the player's club confirmed he had been suspended and added it would "continue supporting the authorities "with inquiries and would not be commenting further". the footballer has since been bailed pending further inquiries. a capacity crowd is expected at emirates old trafford tonight for england's decisive third t20 international against pakistan. full crowds are now allowed back at sporting events after restrictions were lifted in england yesterday. and the chief executive of lancashire cricket club, daniel gidney told me how they've been getting ready, for a full house. we've have had a very difficult time as the society has during 2020 and the early part of 2021 and that is why in many ways it's

not just about revenue, it's symbolic, a realfeel—good factor to get the ground buzzing and full again and be the world—class venue we know we are. we have put a number of things in place and we are looking forward to people having a really safe, really fun day out. and the england—pakistan t20 is one of the noisiest events you will ever go to. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. number ten has rejected the latest criticism of borisjohnson's handling of the pandemic by his former chief adviser dominic cummings. in an exclusive bbc interview, mr cummings produced a message in which the prime minister argued against a national lockdown, because he said everyone who was dying was over the age of 80. 0ur political correspondent ben wright's report contains flash photography.

he was borisjohnson's closest adviser in government. at the prime minister's side through much of the covid crisis, but since quitting his job last november, dominic cummings has been scornful of his former friend. speaking to the bbc, he claimed the prime minister had resisted a second lockdown, as covid crept back last autumn. his attitude at that point was a weird mix of partly, "it is all nonsense, lockdowns don't work "anyway, " and partly, "well, this is terrible, but the people who are dying "are essentially all over 80, and we can't kill the economyjust "because of people dying over 80." that's a very serious claim to make, what evidence do you have of that? lots of people heard the prime minister say that, the prime minister texted that to me and other people. in a series of whatsapps to aides shared with the bbc from the 15th october,

borisjohnson appears to say... going on to say... mr cummings also claimed at the start of march last year the prime minister was slow to take the virus seriously and considered visiting the queen. ijust said, "if you go and you give her coronavirus and she dies, "what are you going to...? "you can't do that, you cannot risk that, "that is completely insane." downing street denied that incident took place and at the end of october, a second national lockdown was announced. downing street said... and today ministers have been giving their reaction to mrcummings' claims.

mr cummings clearly has his own rather personal agenda to pursue. i think the facts speak for themselves, we have the uk vaccination programme which is the world's leading, a fact about which i think everybody in the whole united kingdom can be extremely proud. dominic cummings said this wasn't all about revenge, a claim dismissed by one former colleague. in the case of dominic cummings, i think you're going to get a lot more of this from him, he is clearly obviously a very bitter man. i know, i employed him, isacked him, i know exactly how he works, this will go on for some time. many other tories see this as a vendetta. he denies revenge. but labour says dominic cummings is an important witness to what happened. every time the prime minister has dithered and delayed in taking these critical decisions, i think what dominic cummings said feeds into that feeling he hasn't taken it as seriously as he should have done. controversial, divisive, dominic cummings was by borisjohnson's side through covid and brexit, and he still has more to say.

ben wright, bbc news, westminster. dominic cummings: the interview will be broadcast tonight on bbc two at 7pm and will be available on bbc iplayer and bbc sounds as a podcast. 170 people are still missing in germany after floods devastated parts of the country last week. at least 160 people are known to have died. the german government has rejected accusations that its flood warning systems were inadequate. anna holligan sent this update. this is the village of schulz, and so many of the homes here that were not washed away by the flood water were made completely uninhabitable and unsafe by it. many people, politicians, weather experts, have blamed

a monumental failure in the system, because flood alerts were given 24 hours in advance, and yet, this is the distruction, —— destruction, and remarkably, in this village, everyone managed to get out alive, but, if you look through some of these windows, you can see they're entirely gutted, inside these homes. and the receding flood waters have revealed not only the extensive damage, but the politicians have to answer three questions. the first, from the people here — when will the proposed aid package of 300 million euros reach the people who need it most? so many of these people clearly evacuated from their homes. will it change anything?

that the politicians are saying, on policies on climate change, and should they have acted earlier? how can this have happened in one of the world's richest and most well—developed countries, in 2021? a premier league footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual offences. the 31 year old man, who hasn't been named for legal reasons, was detained on friday by greater manchester police. in a statement, the player's club confirmed he'd been suspended and said it would continue to support the authorities with inquiries. the footballer has been bailed pending further inquiries. more than 2,000 firefighters are struggling to control a massive wildfire in the us state of oregon. the fire, which has been raging for two weeks, has displaced thousands of people from their homes and destroyed 160 buildings. it's now the largest of more than 80

wildfires which are burning throughout the united states. andrew lloyd webber has said he is "heartbroken" after being forced to cancel the opening nights of his musical, cinderella — because a member of the cast tested positive for covid. he warned that the theatre industry is "on its knees" and said the current system of self—isolation is untenable. leigh milner reports from london's west end. it was meant to be england's so—called freedom day, but for andrew lloyd webber and the cast at this west end theatre, it was closure day. last night's opening performance of cinderella was cancelled after a member of the cast tested positive for covid—19. those who were in close contact were given pcr tests. they all came back negative, but under government guidance, anybody who comes into close contact with someone who tests positive must self—isolate for ten days, guidance which andrew lloyd webber wants the government to change.

what i can't get to grips with is that this government does not seem to understand that theatre is the lifeblood of our cities. every other country in the world seems to have done so. america has completely grasped this. we can't go on like this. theatre is now on its knees. there is no way forward. more than 1,200 guests were expected in the theatre tonight in the first full capacity performance of cinderella. 50% of the proceeds were also due to be donated to the nhs and stjohn ambulance. please, please will this government for once listen to us, listen, we do know what we are doing, we do. just listen, and not all these platitudes and endless, endless blunt instruments that don't apply across the board. 0liver dowden, secretary of state for digital culture media and sport, said he was deeply disappointed

to hear about the cancellation of cinderella, tweeting... it is not yet clear when cinderella will return to the stage, but one thing is for sure — for theatres like this to survive, the show must go on. leigh milner, bbc news. the us—based ice cream company, ben and jerry's says it will no longer market its products in palestinian territories occupied by israel — including the west bank. the firm said selling there was inconsistent with its values. pro—palestinian groups have been pressing the company to make the decision. meanwhile, israeli politicians have reacted angrily to the announcement. the headlines on bbc news...

downing street says it is 'crucial�* for people to self—isolate if alerted by the covid app. the government is also considering a vaccine passport for sports fans to venues with crowds of 20,000 or more. the world's richest man — amazon founderjeff bezos — has completed the first space flight with crew of his rocket ship. in a speech in london the us climate envoyjohn kerry says the world cannot wait for the coronavirus pandemic to end before dealing with climate change. in the run up to the olympics, the duke of cambridge has met team gb's boxing medal hope lauren price at kensington palace. price, who made more than 50 appearances for wales's women's national football team, has been telling prince william about her remarkable change of sport, and her preparations for the games in tokyo. i qualified a couple

of weeks ago in paris. going back, in 2019, i'djust won european games and winning the european championships the following year. with the covid pandemic they got postponed. it was mentally tough and challenging at times. how did you keep your mind and body busy and active? to be fair to gb boxing, they help me out massively. they sent me equipment, i was doing squats with wheelie bins. a lot of question marks in my head. 18 months out of the ring, am i as good as i used to be? one of the most amazing years in your career yet the doubt creeps in. it was mentally challenging, notjust physical, more mentally than anything. well, that interview took place a few weeks ago on lauren's 27th birthday — and the duke had a surprise for her. we've got something for you, lauren. oh, thank you. you've got to stay there.

i'll bring it to you. that's mad. we've got a lot of cake for you. oh, thank you very much. that's lovely. i hope it tastes all right. you can take it home with you. you don't have to eat it now. can't eat it now, no. happy birthday for today and i hope you have a good day. thank you. we'll all be wishing you well, lauren, and cheering you on. thank you. you'll do us very proud i'm sure in the olympics. you'll do everyone proud in your hometown and your grandparents as well, so, best of luck. thank you very much. and you can see more of that conversation between the duke of cambridge and lauren price on the bbc sport website.

the duke of sussex has announced plans to publish a memoir next year, in which he will share "mistakes and lessons learned". prince harry said he would reflect "the highs "and lows" of his life, and be "accurate and wholly truthful". proceeds will be donated to charity. the bbc has been told the duke has recently spoken privately with his family about writing the book. the government wants to overhaul the power of attorney system, the legal process for people to nominate someone to take financial and health decisions on their behalf if they lose the ability to act for themselves. there are more than five million registered lasting powers of attorney — or lpas — in england and wales, but there are concerns the current system is too slow and difficult. the proposals would see the service become mostly digital, with alternatives remaining for those unable to use the internet. joining me now is caroline bielanska who is a solicitor and member of the mental health and disability committee at the law society. tell us more about the power of

attorney system and why people —— some people think it needs changing? the current system is heavily paper based. it requires you to read a lot of information, about 25 pages. you can do a lot of it through an online tool but there is a lot of terminology but people are not familiar with, a lot of choices that need to be made, and there are safeguards already in the system, but they probably do not work quite as well as we would like them to work. in a sense you are saying you would like it to be simplified? we would prefer it to be slightly easier, but not at the cost of removing family safeguards. i am personally concerned about moving to predominantly digital service. although the ministry ofjustice has said that they will keep a paper

version of power of attorney, it is debatable as to how many people are desperate to have a digital service. 76% of people, according to research, they make lasting powers when they want to have people make decisions for them, when they want to have people make decisions forthem, immediately, decisions for them, immediately, thatis decisions forthem, immediately, that is because usually they have had eight life events such as a dementia diagnosis. the ability for someone to engage the process through a digitalformat someone to engage the process through a digital format is someone to engage the process through a digitalformat is not likely to achieve without support from others, and against that, we have still got 5 million people over the age of 55 who have no internet access at all. it may exclude a very large group of people who need the service. as the other problem with power of attorney system, in many cases it is

not clear—cut? there grey areas. people who may appear to be capable of making rational decisions but they are not. this applies often to people with elderly parents, for example, who may have dementia or impending dementia, but it does not always easy to delineate exactly who needs power of attorney.— needs power of attorney. everyone needs power of attorney. everyone needs power _ needs power of attorney. everyone needs power of _ needs power of attorney. everyone needs power of attorney. - needs power of attorney. everyone | needs power of attorney. however, people are generally driven by events such as diagnosis to make a power of attorney. there are safeguards. the most important safeguard, which has not been covered at all within this new consultation to reform and modernise, is the role of the independent person, who currently decides that the maker of that power understands what they are doing, and that they are not being pressured

into making that power. it is really important to them that that role is enhanced. if we have got any safeguard, that is the most important safeguard that we have in the system. this does not address it at all. good to talk to you. thank you for your time. as you know, big changes to covid restrictions have been made in england, which mean there are now no limits to the number of guests at weddings and funerals. yesterday, reporter fiona lamdin spoke to a very excited bride — lynn — as she prepared for a long—awaited wedding without covid rules. lynn then invited fiona to the wedding — have a look. # wise men say...# postponed over a year ago, lynn and sean have been waiting

a very long time for this moment. it is with great delight that i- pronounce that you are now husband and wife. can't stop smiling. we did it! we looked at different dates. how we came to manage july 19th and being freedom day is complete luck. but i think we deserve it after the year we've had. yes, yes. we would have had to have sat down last week. you aren't even allowed to stand up with a drink in your hand. and now look at us, we're all stood up, drinks in hand, laughing, joking. it'sjust a party. incredible, isn't it? it's a party. no masks. and for most of the family, it was their first reunion since lockdown. what's it like? brilliant, that's what it's like. it seems like forever since we last saw each other, so it's really nice for us all to be here together, and actually to meet all the nephews and nieces, cos last time we saw them, they were children. now they are young men and young women. it's just absolutely beautiful to be here. both lynn and her maid

of honour katie are midwives. with infection rates rising and many isolating, they were desperately hoping today would actually happen. my daughter became positive, and i've just never cleaned so much in my life, but because of being a midwife, i knew how to, you know, put on the mask and gloves, and ijust made sure that i stayed safe the whole two weeks and cleaned. over and over and over. she would have killed me if i wasn't here today, and we're very close. i'm 0k at the moment, and i will be showing her my lateral flow saying it was negative. because she had caught it from her daughter, she wouldn't have been able to come. and what would that have done to your wedding? 0h! it would have broken my heart a little bit. yeah. we have been best friends for a very long time. gone through a lot together, haven't we? yeah. with no restriction on numbers, lynn and sean could invite everyone, all 125 on the list. guests were encouraged to do lateral

flow tests before coming today, and ten had to pull out this morning, testing positive for covid or having to isolate after being pinged by track and trace. others who are shielding decided not to come. the groom's mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, and has hardly left her home in two years. i have been anxious, a bit worried about mixing, because this is the first time i've mixed with more than six people in two years. and particularly staying at a hotel and travelling in taxis. fortunately, most of it is outside, but we are going to go inside in a minute for the meal. but i've brought a special sparkly mask for the occasion, so i'm just to wear that indoors. this is such a special day, so what better day to take a risk? and then the moment everyone's been waiting for.

this dance floor is once again legal. music plays we've spent two years ofjust working and going home and not having fun, really, and i think this special celebration of a childhood friend today, to be able to have a few drinks, putting music on and just dance with her, isjust... it's like best wedding present ever for her and for us. feels good to be finally dancing again. freedom day, woo—hoo! they've all had to wait a while for this wedding, but this celebration and this party is certainly one that these guests and this couple will always remember. fiona lamdin, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor.

hello. as you are probably already aware, a met office amber warning for extreme heat remains in place all the way through to the end of thursday across parts of wales, the midlands, south west england. it is here with a combination of warm nights and pretty hot days — could have an impact on health, infrastructure and also travel. 30, 31 degrees possible in some of these areas today, but warm, if not hot widely across the country. a little bit cooler around some of the coasts in the north and east and with the heat inland, we will see some thunderstorms, severe with some hail, thunder, gusty winds across parts of central eastern england in particular. most though dry, most dry into the night and temperatures only slowly dropping away from those high 20s, low 30s, through the day to the mid to high teens as we start tomorrow morning. so another uncomfortable night for many. a bit more cloud towards the far north of scotland and through some eastern parts of england compared to what we have seen through today, but the heat is transferring a bit further westwards with more sunshine, maybe it will turn 30 degrees in parts of northern ireland where we could get even higher as we go through the next few days before cooling off later in the week.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines: the world's richest man, amazon founderjeff bezos, has achieved his childhood ambition of blasting into space. we're expecting to hear from him live very shortly. downing street says it is crucial for people to self—isolate if alerted by the nhs covid app. and the government is also considering plans for a vaccine passport for entry to sports venues with crowds of 20,000 or more. in a speech in london, the us climate envoy john kerry says the world cannot wait for the coronavirus pandemic to end before dealing with climate change. the met office issues its first—ever amber weather warning for heat,

with temperatures expected to break records in some parts of the country. there have now been more than 70 covid cases linked to the tokyo 0lympics, just days before the games are due to get under way. hello, good afternoon. the richest person on earth, jeff bezos, has finally achieved his childhood ambition to blast into space. in a flight lasting barely ten minutes, the amazon founder lifted off on board a rocket developed by his firm, blue 0rigin, from the texan desert. the craft, carrying three other crew members including the oldest and youngest people in space, travelled at nearly three times the speed of sound, reaching a height of nearly a hundred kilometres above the planet's surface.

and this was the moment the four new astronauts emerged from the space capsule in new horn, texas. the capsule landed safely back on earth using parachutes. there they were greeted by loved ones and staff. among them, wally funk, now the oldest person to travel to space. she had been waiting for this moment for six decades, after initial training in the 1960s. she was not able to go into space because of the fact that she was a woman. we will hear from the astronaut in the next few minutes we are hoping and we will bring that live as soon as we hear from jeff bezos and his friends who have just come back from its base into the texan desert. —— just come back from

space. 0ur correspondent sophie long watched the capsule as it landed in the desert in west texas. a huge amount of relief, and jeff bezos was saying yesterday he was not nervous at all, he was excited. a hugely exciting day. it has all gone according to plan, the take—off was delayed but only by a few minutes and it all happened as it should. they rocketed up to the boundary of space, and successfully landed in the west texas desert. there has been some criticism on social media. you watched the pictures there ofjeff bezos having returned to earth as an astronaut with wally funk, 82 years old, who has been dreaming about doing this for some 60 years. a young man, 18—year—old 0liver daemen, mark bezos, his brother, as well. i am going to say that none of them will be paying much attention to what people are saying on social media at the moment. i spoke to richard branson last week immediately after he returned to earth and he just said it was indescribable, the beauty of looking at planet earth from space. this capsule you are seeing there on the ground in the west texas desert, it has the biggest windows that have ever gone into space, so yes, we are looking forward to hearing

from those astronauts on board in an hour or so's time. sophie therefore is. we are hoping to get that news conference quite shortly in practice we will bring that to you live on bbc news. meanwhile, here on earth... downing street has tried to clear up confusion about whether people should self—isolate when pinged by the nhs covid app. the business minister, paul scully, suggested that self—isolation when pinged should be a matter for individuals and employers to decide. but number 10 has since said it is crucial to isolate when contacted, and businesses should be supporting their employees to do so. they've also said there will be no list of critical workers who are exempt from isolation, and instead individual businesses will have to contact their relevant government department to apply for an exemption. labour has accused the government of "making it up as they go along". theo leggett reports. it is being called the pingdemic.

from cafes to car factories, from hairdressers to hospitals, staff shortages across the country are reaching critical levels. hundreds of thousands of workers are in isolation because they have either been pinged by the app or contacted by nhs test and trace. ben porter runs the harbour house, a bar and restaurant on the dockside in bristol. it has been shut for the past week after 18 staff were contacted by test and trace. we had to cancel 700, 800 guests, loss of revenue about 40 k, which is not ideal obviously in this heat wave. we have an amazing balcony, amazing outside space, which seats about 100, 150 covers, so that would have been absolutely chock—a—block this week so it's a massive missed week for us, really. with the number of people in isolation rising sharply, there have been stark warnings that transport networks and production lines could grind to a halt.

and food supplies could bejeopardised. the government says some fully—vaccinated nhs workers will be exempt from isolation in exceptional circumstances. as will a small number of designated people in critical areas such as transport and the supply of food, water and electricity. individual companies will have it to apply those exemptions. meanwhile, ministers have pointed out that while people who are contacted by a test and trace are legally obliged to isolate, those painted by the apps are not. we are encouraging people to stick with the app, to isolate, but they need to make their informed decisions. the legal position hasn't changed, you have to isolate if you are contacted by the nhs test and trace, or if you are collecting isolation payments, but not everyone has the app, for example, and so it is not mandated. but downing street insisted it was crucial for people to isolate when asked to do so. it said...

we are getting into the realms of farce, dangerous farce, where we have had clear and consistent messaging about the need to self—isolate which has suddenly been completely undermined by the minister this morning. the rules are due to change significantly in mid—august, with fully vaccinated people being allowed to take daily tests rather than going into isolation. calls for the change to be brought forward are growing ever louder. but so far, the government seems determined to stick to its plans. theo leggett, bbc news. after yesterday announcing that vaccine passports would be brought in for nightclubs from the autumn, the government is also said to be considering plans that would see fans attending sports venues with crowds of 20,000 or more have

to prove their vaccine status. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake has more on this. a bit more flesh on the bones it now of these proposals that were unveiled by the prime minister yesterday, taking a lot of people by surprise about using vaccine passport this autumn.- surprise about using vaccine passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and _ passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and l _ passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and i think— passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and i think what - passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and i think what we - passport this autumn. yes, a little bit more and i think what we are i bit more and i think what we are seeing is a various scenarios where large crowds gather being considered as possible areas where covid—19 certification or vaccine passport, by another name, could be required to gain entry. as he said there, the prime minister announced in a surprise move last night that the government would move towards that being compulsory by september in nightclubs. he said it may also be the case in other venues where large crowds gather. so, sporting venues is a sort of a natural extension of that if you like and we learnt this afternoon that it is being

considered that large sporting venues could well be subject to this rule where people have to show covid certification, prove that they are fully vaccinated, before gaining entry and this is something that various sporting bodies are trying to get some clarity on this afternoon. it seems that outdoor venues will be treated differently to indoor venues which would make sense, given what we know about how coronavirus is transmitted. never the less, it does seem that there is going to be a shift at the very least the nightclubs, possibly for other venues as well in the next few months were proof of full vaccination may well be required. the prime minister was asked yesterday directly if that would extend to pubs in his news conference that he was appearing at remotely via checkers because he is isolating of course. he said he did not want that to be the case, but never the less there is a possibility for various different settings to fall under this requirement by september. speaking of self isolation, _ requirement by september. speaking of self isolation, something - requirement by september. speaking of self isolation, something else - of self isolation, something else where we are looking for a bit more

clarity from the government is on how you respond when you get pinged by the nhs covid app, because the business minister wasn't saying that today you just make an informed decision about whether you are bay and then downing street subsequently said actually, it is crucial you obey. slightly different. slightly different on _ obey. slightly different. slightly different on how _ obey. slightly different. slightly different on how the _ obey. slightly different. slightly different on how the message i obey. slightly different. slightly i different on how the message was conveyed and that is crucial because while it has never been a legal requirement to isolate if you are told to do so by the test and trace app, told to do so by the test and trace app, only if you are contacted directly by a member of staff, the overriding message and the expectation i think it's fair to say is people should isolate if told to do so the app. while ministers cannot deny it is not a legal requirement to people can ignore it if they choose to, there has been a consistent message throughout that

people should abate. after paul scully said people could make an informed decision, downing street describing it as crucial that people do that. —— message throughout that people should obey. and employers should help their employees and members of staff to do so. thank you ve much members of staff to do so. thank you very much indeed, _ members of staff to do so. thank you very much indeed, jonathan - members of staff to do so. thank you very much indeed, jonathan blake, i very much indeed, jonathan blake, our political correspondent. number ten has rejected the latest criticism of borisjohnson's handling of the pandemic by his former chief adviser dominic cummings. in an exclusive bbc interview, mr cummings produced a message in which the prime minister argued against a national lockdown, because he said everyone who was dying was over the age of 80. 0ur political correspondent ben wright's report contains flash photography. he was borisjohnson's closest adviser in government. at the prime minister's side through much of the covid crisis, but since quitting his job last november, dominic cummings has been scornful of his former friend. speaking to the bbc,

he claimed the prime minister had resisted a second lockdown, as covid crept back last autumn. his attitude at that point was a weird mix of partly, "it is all nonsense, lockdowns don't work anyway, " and partly, "well, this is terrible, but the people who are dying "are essentially all over 80, and we can't kill the economyjust "because of people dying over 80." that's a very serious claim to make, what evidence do you have of that? lots of people heard the prime minister say that, the prime minister texted that to me and other people. in a series of whatsapps to aides shared with the bbc from the 15th october, borisjohnson appears to say... going on to say...

mr cummings also claimed at the start of march last year the prime minister was slow to take the virus seriously and considered visiting the queen. ijust said, "if you go and you give her coronavirus and she dies, "what are you going to... "you can't do that, you cannot risk that, "that is completely insane." downing street denied that incident took place and at the end of october, a second national lockdown was announced. downing street said... and today ministers have been giving their reaction to mrcummings' claims. mr cummings clearly has his own rather personal agenda to pursue. i think the facts speak for themselves, we have the uk vaccination programme which is the world's leading, a fact about which i think everybody in the whole united kingdom

can be extremely proud. dominic cummings said this wasn't all about revenge, a claim dismissed by one former colleague. in the case of dominic cummings, i think you're going to get a lot more of this from him, he is clearly obviously a very bitter man. i know, i employed him, isacked him, i know exactly how he works, this will go on for some time. many other tories see this as a vendetta. he denies revenge. but labour says dominic cummings is an important witness to what happened. every time the prime minister has dithered and delayed in taking these critical decisions, i think what dominic cummings said feeds into that feeling he hasn't taken it as seriously as he should have done. controversial, divisive, dominic cummings was by borisjohnson's side through covid and brexit, and he still has more to say. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. you can hear more of what he has to

say tonight. dominic cummings: the interview will be broadcast tonight on bbc two at 7pm and will be available on bbc iplayer and bbc sounds as a podcast. the headlines on bbc news: the world's richest man — amazon founderjeff bezos — has achieved his childhood ambition of blasting into space. downing street says it's crucial for people to self—isolate if alerted by the nhs covid app. and the government is also considering plans for a vaccine passport for entry to sports venues with crowds of 20,000 or more. in a speech in london, the us climate envoyjohn kerry says the world cannot wait for the coronavirus pandemic to end before dealing with climate change. 430 migrants tried to cross the english channel in small boats yesterday to reach the uk — the home office says that is a record for a single day. so far this year, more

than 7,000 people have been intercepted on small boats. n more —— more than 8000 people. the latest crossings come as the government's nationality and borders bill receives its second reading in parliament. 0ur correspondentjon donnison has spent the last few days out on the channel. rolling out of dover at dawn. eyes on the horizon as we head south. 0ur skipper has told us it's the most likely time to spot migrants risking the crossing from france. and it doesn't take long. coastguard, this is city of westminster, we have spotted another small boat, which appears to be another migrant boat. amid one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, a tiny dinghy, bobbing on the waves. desperate people do desperate things.

they've no motor, just paddles. where are you from, guys? sudan. from sudan? are you 0k? help will be coming soon, they will come and pick you up. 0k. would you like some water? yeah. how long have you been at sea this morning? two o'clock, we started. why do you want to go to england? it's a safe place. and tell me about your journey from sudan. come from libya, libya to italia. libya to italy? and then through europe? and why did you leave sudan? because we need a safe place. safe pla ce ? yeah. here is some fruit, some biscuits, somejuice. after that, we shadowed them and called the coastguard, who organised their rescue.

it's getting busier all the time. when we first sort of started seeing these migrants come across three or four years ago, there were just a few come across in dribs and drabs but now it seems like a very well organised people—smuggling route. and not far away, we find another migrant boat. we're about eight miles off the coast of dover now and we've just come across this small dinghy, probably three or four metres long. we think there's maybe 12 or 13 on board, couple of small children at the front and a couple of women. i've asked them how long they've been at sea this morning and they said a couple of hours. they must have set off before dawn.

we've now called in the uk border force, the uk coastguard who are going to come and pick them up. rescued migrants are then brought to dover and ferried ashore for processing. the government says its new nationality and borders bill currently passing through parliament targets people smugglers, but it also includes a new law, meaning migrants arriving without permission could be jailed for up to four years. critics say it amounts to cruelty. it's a really callous, cold—hearted brutal response by a government that's trying to arrest and prosecute its way out of a problem. it won't succeed. putting people injail who have come here because of the terrible things that have happened to them in their lives is really draconian and punitive and all that it will do is fill up ourjails without resolving the issue. the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats has risen sharply in the last few years. more than 2,000 — a record —

made thejourney injune. but overall, the number of people claiming asylum in the uk actually fell last year to just below 30,000 and that's way down on the peak, back in 2002, of more than 80,000. and britain accepts far fewer asylum applications than many of its european neighbours. behind the migrant numbers, though, are the human stories. the government is pushing back. but for those making these dangerous journeys, the pull of a better life is strong. jon donnison, bbc news, in the english channel. we have just had we havejust had in we have just had in the latest government coronavirus figures for the united kingdom. let'sjust show you the government details are not. in terms of deaths, quite a sharp

rise in the number of deaths, daily within 28 days of a positive test, 96 deaths. the number of daily cases, 46,558 and vaccinations, first dose, again quite a low figure, i think it was only about 18,000 yesterday, first dose 35,002nd dose of, so quite a slowdown in the rate of the vaccination roll—out. —— 35,000 of the second dose. that is the latest we have had in from the government. it's just three days until the delayed 2020 0lympics begins in tokyo — so let's go now to lucy hockings

who's there for us. hi, lucy. hi, everyone. welcome to tokyo, where the most talked about olympic games for a generation are due to start in three days. a games delayed by a year and now proceeding in a global pandemic. a games that will take place with no spectators at the main tokyo venues to restrict the spread of coronavirus in a city in a state of emergency. a games in a city where many people would much rather they weren't happening. a very odd atmosphere in tokyo at the moment. there is a real sense of anxiety and uncertainty as the daily covid infection rates are also going up. let's take a look at the latest developments coming out of the games today. today, two members of the mexican baseball

team have tested positive before arriving injapan. there have now been 71 cases among those linked to the games since the start of the month. the international olympic committee insists that these infections do not pose a wider threat to the population. there have been security problems. the ugandan team, a team that has been affected by covid, has had a member go missing, raising questions about the oversight of olympic participants. it is now being reported that he's been found. well, earlier i spoke to my colleague mariko 0i who has been following all the developments for us from shimbashi in tokyo. she for us from shimbashi in tokyo. is out of quarantin quarantine she is out of quarantine, she was in quarantine for it two weeks with her parents. she was just talking to

people about how they are feeling about the olympics and i asked her about the olympics and i asked her about the olympics and i asked her about the current infection rates. we keep hearing about those new confirmed cases of covid 19. the latest was that there were nine new cases among 0lympic officials, including one athlete, bringing the total to 71. this is the olympic bubble, so—called, which is supposed to be safe and secure, so now medical experts are warning that that bubble is already broken. the ifc argues that it is not and does not pose a threat to the rest of the japanese population, but if you ask anyone here, not many are convinced by that ioc�*s argument. were generally speaking as well, the city of tokyo has seen latest infection at rising almost 1400 today, which is lot higher compared to last week. if you compare it to get the uk or the us, the number it may not seem

that high, but it is a different mentality here injapan, a lot of people do not want to risk any new infections because of the olympics and a lot are calling for the games to be cancelled or postponed. now they are about to start, people are reluctantly accepting that they are going to go ahead. also earlier, i spoke with dame katherine grainger, former team gb rower and britain's most decorated female 0lympian, and asked about her feelings towards the athletes that are about to compete in such difficult circumstances. i think ithinki i think i have been a feeling for the athletes for well over a year. 0bviously the athletes for well over a year. obviously we knew in march 2020 that the games due to be in the summer of 2020 were going to be postponed and it has been over a year wait, an extra year of training and the athletes have a spirit what we have all experienced, a strange new world, concerns about themselves, their loved ones, health and well—being. the fact it is now

starting and they have actually managed to get there and compete, i think as you have mentioned, without the crowd and expectation of an environment we would normally look forward to, i think the most important thing is they can still compete as they want to. absolutely, a bi role compete as they want to. absolutely, a big role to — compete as they want to. absolutely, a big role to play _ compete as they want to. absolutely, a big role to play for _ compete as they want to. absolutely, a big role to play for the _ compete as they want to. absolutely, a big role to play for the sports - a big role to play for the sports psychologists who are here with many other teams of course. what sort of advice will they be giving at the moment? , . , ., . ._ , moment? there is a thing you always hear athletes — moment? there is a thing you always hear athletes repeating, _ moment? there is a thing you always hear athletes repeating, the - moment? there is a thing you always hear athletes repeating, the phrase i hear athletes repeating, the phrase about controlling the controllables and it is about this is an extreme version, but every time they go out to compete, it is what you can focus on and what is in your control and what is the most important thing you put your energy towards. this is a bigger challenge than probably most have seen, but how much can you shut out noise and distractions? the wider concerns that are everywhere now and being talked about, as an athlete it is simply how do you focus on your performance? that is

why there will be people helping them focus on what they need to do for the next two weeks. what them focus on what they need to do for the next two weeks.— them focus on what they need to do for the next two weeks. what the ioc and the japanese _ for the next two weeks. what the ioc and the japanese government - for the next two weeks. what the ioc and the japanese government would l and the japanese government would like people to focus on is the importance of the athletes when things get under way. we have some senior dignitaries are saying they will not attend the opening ceremony, some major sponsors also saying they will not attend the opening ceremony, so a lot of focus on those issues at the moment, but it is hoped that once the games get under way, everyone's tension will be turned to some of the magnificent performances that we are expecting to see. that will be nice, all right, lucy, thank you very much indeed.

the met office has issued a new extreme heat weather warning for the first time. the amber warning covers large parts of wales and southern and central england, and will be in place until thursday, when temperatures are expected to peak. however there are also thunderstorms due to develop bringing torrential rain and frequent lightning to some parts of england — there are warnings that these may cause disruption to travel associate director of the environmental change institute at the university of oxford. how dangerous can this be? if there is one extreme _ how dangerous can this be? if there is one extreme event _ how dangerous can this be? if there is one extreme event that _ how dangerous can this be? if there is one extreme event that you - how dangerous can this be? if there l is one extreme event that you should really worry about, it is heatwaves and especially of course for the more vulnerable parts of the population. {111 more vulnerable parts of the population-— more vulnerable parts of the population. more vulnerable parts of the --oulation. , , population. of course people will sa this is population. of course people will say this is a _ population. of course people will say this is a heatwave _ population. of course people will say this is a heatwave linked - population. of course people will say this is a heatwave linked to i say this is a heatwave linked to climate change. what is the evidence on that? what can we say specifically about that? that is the

one extreme _ specifically about that? that is the one extreme event _ specifically about that? that is the one extreme event by _ one extreme event by climate change are all over it. we see across the world more heatwaves than we have ever seen before. some recent heatwaves would have been a basically impossible to occur without climate change, so one thing we know for an absolute fact, with warmer climate, and we already have 1.2 degrees of global warming, so not that farfrom 1.2 degrees of global warming, so not that far from 1.5 at all, hotter summers is what we will have here in the uk and in europe overall. 50. the uk and in europe overall. so, hotter frequent _ the uk and in europe overall. so, hotter frequent heatwaves and is it possible to predict in the next five, ten years, how much more frequent, how much heartache they are going to become? == frequent, how much heartache they are going to become?— frequent, how much heartache they are going to become? -- how much hotter? that _ are going to become? -- how much hotter? that depends _ are going to become? -- how much hotter? that depends on _ are going to become? -- how much hotter? that depends on how - are going to become? -- how much hotter? that depends on how you i hotter? that depends on how you define a heatwave, because of course you can look atjust

define a heatwave, because of course you can look at just the define a heatwave, because of course you can look atjust the records being broken at a particular town or country and then you can say ok, we expect temperatures that would break this record to happen now every two years on average, so that is a kind of predictions you can make, but they will be different depending on what aspects of heat you look at, so if it is just the one day temperature or if you look at the average temperature day and night, which might be more relevant for human health, but what we know for a fact is they will become more frequent and that they will become more intense. find frequent and that they will become more intense.— frequent and that they will become more intense. and it is not 'ust the heat, more intense. and it is not 'ust the heat. because i more intense. and it is not 'ust the heat, because as h more intense. and it is not 'ust the heat, because as i t more intense. and it is not 'ust the heat, because as ijust _ more intense. and it is notjust the heat, because as ijust mentioned l heat, because as ijust mentioned there, they are often followed by torrential rain and quite dangerous lightning storms as well. yes. lightning storms as well. yes, althou . h lightning storms as well. yes, although the _ lightning storms as well. yes, although the change - lightning storms as well. yes, although the change in - lightning storms as well. yes, although the change in heat i lightning storms as well. 1&3, although the change in heat is much stronger than the change in heavy rainfall for example. heavy rainfall

is also one of the extremes where just because we have a warm atmosphere that can hold more water vapour, which it needs to get out of the atmosphere as rainfall, we also do see an increase, but for extreme rain, we seek may be a doubling in the likelihood of these events to occur whereas heatwaves become a 10005 occur whereas heatwaves become a 1000s or sometimes even thousands times more likely because of climate change. times more likely because of climate chance. . ~ i. times more likely because of climate chance. . ~' ,, , times more likely because of climate chance. . ~ , . change. ok, thank you very much indeed that _ change. ok, thank you very much indeed that and _ change. ok, thank you very much indeed that and quite _ change. ok, thank you very much indeed that and quite an - change. ok, thank you very much indeed that and quite an ominousj indeed that and quite an ominous warning there. and let's talk to matt taylor with the latest forecast. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. how much longer will this heatwave go on for? it looks like it will last until the end of the week. there are health impacts, high temperatures by day and by night.

extreme heat warnings across some parts of the uk at the moment but so far today we have seen temperatures topped 32 celsius at london heathrow, making it the warmest day of the year so far. that heat has set off some big storms across parts of eastern england. from the last hour you can see how those showers and thunderstorms have been brewing, it is across southern east anglia, towards kent, there is a met office amber warning, risk of flash flooding, heel, gusty winds. all set off by the extreme heat we are seeing at the moment. still continues to rumble on into the evening, slowly fading away overnight. 0ther evening, slowly fading away overnight. other areas it will be dry. they could be the odd shower elsewhere. tonight, mist and low cloud will push into eastern and northern scotland, eastern england. it will take a long time through the night for temperatures to drop away. tomorrow, similar. clouds in

southern england. isolated showers in the west. temperatures climbing in the west. temperatures climbing in northern ireland. extreme heat warning for northern ireland through wednesday, thursday and friday. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the world's richest man — amazon founderjeff bezos — has achieved his childhood ambition of blasting into space. we're expecting to hear from him very shortly. downing street says it is crucial for people to self—isolate if alerted by the nhs covid app. and the government is also considering plans for a vaccine passport for entry to sports venues with crowds of 20,000 or more. in a speech in london the us climate envoyjohn kerry says the world cannot wait for the pandemic to end before dealing with climate change. the met office issues its first—ever amber

weather warning for heat — with temperatures expected to break records in some parts of the country. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's austin. hi ben, good afternoon... we're going to start with some breaking news within the last quarter of an hour... heavyweight world champion anthonyjoshua will fight 0leksandr usyk on the 28th of september, at the tottenham hotspur stadium. usyk has never fought for a heavyweight title, but has held all four belts in the cruserweight division. he'll risk his ibf, wba and wbo belts against the ukrainian, who is his mandatory challenger. joshua was set to fight tyson fury, but that fight was cancelled after fury had to honour a contract to face deontay wilder

for the third time. within the last half hour south african rugby have announced that all three tests against the british and irish lions will now take place in cape town. only the first test of the series was due to be in the city, with the next two taking place injohannesburg. however, after significant covid—related interu ptions throughout the tour, the ceo of south african rugby — jurie roux — said leaving the current bio—secure environments, would expose the series to renewed risk. meanwhile, south africa have named their team for saturday's first test and captain siya kolisi is back, after recovering from covid—19. the 2019 world cup winning captain, only rejoined the squad yesterday after ten days in isolation. the side includes 11 players who started the world cup final. just three days out from the start of the olympics, the head of the tokyo 2020 organising committee, hasn't ruled out cancelling the games.

toshiro muto says he will keep an eye on infection numbers and hold discussions with organisers if necessary. however, the president of the international olympic committee, thomas bach, says cancelling has never been an option. it was either cancelling the games or postponing the games. cancellation would have been the easy way for us. we could have drawn on the insurance that we had at the time and moved on to paris 2024. but in fact, cancellation was never an option for us. the ioc never abandons the athletes. well, spokesman mark adams — who's also from the international olympic committee — says the ioc have done all that they can to make the games

as safe as possible. we are at nearly 30,000 tests at the airport, 30,000 people who have also been tested twice before they arrived. then there are very strict playbooks for each client group which they have two follow. there are consequences if they are not followed even if it is not the fault of the person involved and for that we can only apologise but we need to make sure that these games are safe and secure. that's all the sport for now. don't forget though the third and deciding t20 between england and pakistan gets under way at old trafford at 6.30 this evening. there's commentary on 5live sports extra and highlights on bbc two at 11.15 this evening, plus all the build up on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport.

more on that news that geoff brazel is has gone into space. ——jeff bezos. we can speak now to dr maggie lieu — research fellow at nottingham university who worked at the european space agency on the mars orbiter programme. a lot of people will be asking what is the point of it? is this just a space race of mega— billionaires with big egos? space race of mega- billionaires with big egos?— space race of mega- billionaires with big egos? that is how a lot of --eole with big egos? that is how a lot of people see — with big egos? that is how a lot of people see it- _ with big egos? that is how a lot of people see it. they _ with big egos? that is how a lot of people see it. they may _ with big egos? that is how a lot of people see it. they may think - with big egos? that is how a lot of people see it. they may think that instead of spending that money going into space they could fade their one and end world hunger, but there is more to going into space and

throwing money around. —— fade poor. there is more to going into space. at first it seems like a lot of money to go. the fact they are spending time and money to invest in this technology, it will drive space travel to become lower cost and to have more frequent flights. this means that scientific payloads in the future can become a lot cheaper. for example, microgravity research, which relies on microgravity conditions, these are essential for things like vaccine development,

synthesis of new materials, even development of medical equipment. these can only be done in these microgravity conditions. if we can get space flight to become more accessible and cheaper then we can drive down the cost of this research also. then there is the environmental concern. goodness knows what the carbon footprint of that jaunt at two space was forjeff bezos. this is another huge misconception. because space flight is so infrequent, it contributes to less than 1% of the carbon footprint of the world. the aeroplanes and the cars that we use all contribute much more significant amounts. a lot of people do not know this about this particular flight, people do not know this about this particularflight, with people do not know this about this particular flight, with the people do not know this about this particularflight, with the new shepard rockets, it runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen exhaust system, therefore all the exhaust is

water, it has minimal impact on the environment. let as compare billionaires. jeff bezos went further into space than richard branson, who did it the other day, although there is richard branson technically get into space? that seems to be in some doubt according to the experts. the officially recognised space boundary, as you call it, this is 100 kilometres in altitude. today's flight with jeff bezos, the 100 kilometres in altitude. today's flight withjeff bezos, the once beyond the 100 kilometres. they were planning to go to 106 kilometres. last week when we saw virgin galactic and richard branson go up, they only went 80 or so kilometres, but high enough to feel the microgravity conditions and float around, and a high enough to see the darkness of space and the curvature

of the earth. that all sounds lovely and very exciting. thank you so much for being with us. thank you so much for being with us. thank you. a fully vaccinated white house official has tested positive for covid offsites, not found to have contact with white house principals or staff. an official remains of white house grounds pending additional testing and confirmation. that is the latest on the white house. more now on one of our top stories and downing street has said there won't be list of critical workers who are exempt from self—isolation if pinged by the nhs app. businesses who think their employees should be allowed to carry on working have been told to apply to the relevant government department. the former chair of the nhs test and trace advisory board, sirjonathan montgomery — who's now professor of health care law at university college london,

says workers need clear advice. ido i do not think it is acceptable for the government to say make an informed choice without also giving as the information that we need to use to formulate these choices. what you would be expecting is some advice on what difference does it make if people have been double vaccinated. it reduces the risk that they will catch the virus, it does not eliminate it but it does reduce it. if they have not caught it then they cannot pass it on. it seems there will be some people who have been double vaccinated where they're at risk of transmission is much lower. i also expect to see advice on thinking about whether or not self isolation is always needed or whether there might be some gradation to things you can do. it might be for people who have been double vaccinated and have been contacted, might be ok to walk outside, as long as they keep away from people, but it is certainly an wise to have close contact with

someone who is at risk if they get infected, maybe someone who has had cancer treatment or an elderly relative who is not vaccinated. that is the sort of advice we need if we are to meet those important choices. in other words it is more nuanced because of the success of the vaccine relates?— because of the success of the vaccine relates? ~ , , . , vaccine relates? absolutely. that is wh we vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have _ vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have gone _ vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have gone so _ vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have gone so hard - vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have gone so hard for - vaccine relates? absolutely. that is why we have gone so hard for the i why we have gone so hard for the vaccines because it would enable us to be a little more sophisticated about the way we make sure we look after each other and society but we do need help in doing that, we need the government to give us some clues on how to make informed choices. do you think people are starting to perhaps lose faith in the app? so many people have been pinged. haste many people have been pinged. - should not lose faith in the app. we would expect more people being

pinged because cases are rising. if you want people to make informed choices you have to support them. people will lose confidence if they are not given sensible advice how to balance the risks. that is what we need to see it now. it would be wrong to delete the app, because it has useful information, but you need to know how to use it. it sounds like you are saying the government needs to give clear advice to people, more direct advice, more nuanced advice? what we have got at the moment is a little bit of confusion because the business minister was saying, make an informed decision, then downing street said, it is crucial you obey. which is it? it is crucial that we take seriously the risk that we must —— that we might pacify this on to others. you should take seriously and obey the instructions. also, the business minister, those instructions need to be more

sophisticated and nuanced and they need to reassure you what difference it needs to be make depending on your particular covid status. does it make a difference if you are double vaccinated? it should do. recent negative test? that does reduce risk, does not eliminate it. i need to understand how i can manage that risk or whether the risk is so great that i have two not not do things. that is what i would say if i was visiting and and vaccinated elderly relative, or if i have got something important to do like looking after patiently mac on a ward, that it is possible to go to work but keep testing and stay safe. that is what exemptions for nhs staff seem to be all about that we all need to help in helping to balance these risks. that was professor of law in health care from london.

jeff bezos, his trip to space lasted about ten minutes. there is a news conference set to get under way with the astronauts. jeff bezos and his colleagues. let as listen in. they successfully launched from blue 0rigins, jeff bezos is the world's richest man, and he and his three crewmates soared high above the texas desert in new shepard. ten minutes and 20 seconds. he went a little bit higher than richard branson did nine days ago. he went nine days after richard branson completed his virgin galactic trip. new shepard designed to travel at speeds of upwards of 2200 mph. travelling about 100 kilometres,

just on the verge of space. let as listen in. iam not i am not quite sure what they are being given. some sort of medal. jeff bezos, for him this is the fulfilment of a childhood dream, a childhood ambition. he and his brother were accompanied by two other people, the pioneering female aviator, who is 82, and who wanted

to go into space in the 19605 but could not because she is a woman, and also a high school graduate, only 18, who has become the youngest person to go into space. they are being given an ensign. after that brief trip into space. this venture has been criticised by some who say it is only a space race amongst billionaires with big egos. jeff bezos, richard branson. 0thers billionaires with big egos. jeff bezos, richard branson. others are worried about the environmental impact of this, the carbon footprint of a trip like this. other people saying it is important to keep exploring space, explore new options, developed the entire idea of space tourism of course. that has been one of the motivating factors forjeff bezos. there he is in

cowboy hat, getting his space wings. j bezos it says on his astronaut suit there. we will be getting comment hopefully from all four of them about what it is like to experience weightlessness. you can see how excited jeff bezos is there. what a moment for him, it has been his lifelong ambition to go into space, finally achieving it, if only for a few minutes. big cheer there for a real trailblazer, 82, currently ——

finally getting her opportunity to go into space, after decades. thank ou for go into space, after decades. thank you for doing _ go into space, after decades. thank you for doing that. _ go into space, after decades. thank you for doing that. god _ go into space, after decades. thank you for doing that. god bless - go into space, after decades. thank you for doing that. god bless you. i you for doing that. god bless you. congratulations. _ you for doing that. god bless you. congratulations. more _ you for doing that. god bless you. congratulations. more to - you for doing that. god bless you. congratulations. more to come. i you for doing that. god bless you. - congratulations. more to come. more to come, congratulations. more to come. more to come. she — congratulations. more to come. more to come, she says. _ to come, she says. looks like she has got more energy than the rest of them put together, i have to say. the first four of millions to follow. the newest international astronauts, the crew _ the newest international astronauts, the crew of _ the newest international astronauts, the crew of new shepard, congratulations, all four of you. without — congratulations, all four of you. without further ado, how was it?

what _ without further ado, how was it? what was — without further ado, how was it? what was it like, everything you imagined — what was it like, everything you imagined richard mark real quick. i want imagined richard mark real quick. want to imagined richard mark real quick. i want to thank a few people. first of all, all of the engineers at blue 0rigin who have toiled hard to get this done, people who have built the vehicle. it is a big team, they have been working at it for many years, they have done an extraordinaryjob of building the most reliable, most beautiful, most fun... will get to that in the second. vehicle. i owe them deep gratitude. people who kept us safe today, who operated the vehicle, ourtrainers, everybody. i also want to thank the town. this is also want to thank the town. this is a small and amazing little town. we are making a dent in it. we

appreciate you for allowing us to be part of your town. i also want to thank every amazon employee because you guys paid for all this. and seriously, for every amazon employee and customer, thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is appreciated. now, how it felt. my god. my expectations were high and they were dramatically exceeded. we were talking about this in the cart ride on their way back. i do not know,

it's felt so normal, that was a surprise, almost as humans to be involved in that environment, it felt serene and peaceful, much nicer than being in full gravity. a pleasurable experience, just the way it feels. the most profound piece of its for me was looking out at the earth and looking at the earth's atmosphere. every astronaut, everybody who has been into space, they say this, that it changes them, and they look at it amazed and awestruck by the earth and its beauty, but also by its fragility. i can vouch for that. when we were driving around on the planet in normal ways, atmosphere is so gigantic. we are tiny things and the planet atmosphere is so big but when

you get at the bar that you see it is incredibly thin. it is this tiny little fragile thing. as we move about the planets we are damaging it. that is very profound. it is one thing to recognise that intellectually, it is another thing to see with your own eyes how fragile it really is. that was amazing. fragile it really is. that was amazing-— fragile it really is. that was amazinu. ., . , .,. amazing. who wants to add? oliver, our first paying _ amazing. who wants to add? oliver, our first paying customer, _ amazing. who wants to add? oliver, our first paying customer, tell- amazing. who wants to add? oliver, our first paying customer, tell us - our first paying customer, tell us how it _ our first paying customer, tell us how it was — our first paying customer, tell us how it was. did you get your monies worth? _ how it was. did you get your monies worth? lt— how it was. did you get your monies worth? . , how it was. did you get your monies worth? ., , ., ., how it was. did you get your monies worth? . , . . . , how it was. did you get your monies worth? .,, ., ., . ' �* worth? it was amazing. jeff bezos the are worth? it was amazing. jeff bezos they are talking _ worth? it was amazing. jeff bezos they are talking about _ worth? it was amazing. jeff bezos they are talking about his - worth? it was amazing. jeff bezos they are talking about his very - they are talking about his very brief trip to space. ten minutes and 26 seconds on new shepard craft. asked about his reaction to being in space he said, it had exceeded his expectations, it was so serene and peaceful and pleasurable. and he thanked all amazon customers out

there who he said had paid for it. much more on that in the news at five. first, here is the weather on planet earth. a met office amber warning for extreme heat remains in place all the way through to the end of thursday across parts of wales, the midlands, south west england. 3031 degrees widely across these areas. elsewhere, temperatures still into the high 205. even into the far south—west of scotland. north and eastern scotland, parts of north—east england, indication things are a little cooler, low cloud coming onshore. the heat across england could spark severe thunderstorms. 0ne across england could spark severe thunderstorms. one or two already,

more to come this afternoon and evening. trying to get to sleep, by midnight temperatures still in low 205 for some. the night, mist and fog will develop and eastern parts, but temperatures are still in the high teens in some parts of the country. with a warm start to tomorrow, northern ireland now has an amberwarning for tomorrow, northern ireland now has an amber warning for extreme heat from the met office through wednesday, thursday and friday. more sunshine developing here, more in south—west scotland also, more cloud in north—east england, that's will limits temperature rise a little bit. a a few showers. temperatures still into low 305 in south—east wales, south—west england, and south—west of northern ireland. that heat could build further across northern ireland into thursday, potentially record—breaking once again. national records broken on saturday. temperatures could be

close to 31 celsius. for most other warm and sunny day, starting to turn less hot across parts of central and southern england, that continues across friday. still warm across most parts of the country, as it will be to some parts of western scotland, northern ireland over the weekend. 0verall temperatures dropping. the return of showers and thunderstorms on saturday across england and wales bring temperatures closer to where they should be for this time of year.

this is bbc news i'mjane hill. the headlines at 5 dominic cummings tells the bbc he held discussions about trying to replace borisjohnson as prime minister within days of the conservatives winning the last election. at that point we were already saying that by this summer we will be gone from here where we will be in the

process of trying to get rid of it and getting someone else as prime minister. downing street says it is crucial for people to self—isolate if alerted by the nhs covid app — contradicting a minister who said people could make an "informed decision". in a speech in london the us climate envoyjohn kerry says the world cannot wait for the coronavirus pandemic to end before dealing with climate change the met office issues its first—ever amber weather warning for heat — with temperatures expected to break records in some parts of the country