good morning, it's friday, welcome to bbc news, lam i am victoria derbyshire, here are your headlines. thousands of workers in the food supply chain won't need to isolate if they're �*pinged' by the nhs covid app. we are going to keep this under review but we think this is a sensible first step that we should do quickly, and so we have acted quickly and we are rolling it out from today. do you work in a critical industry? do you work in a critical industry? do you work in a critical industry? do you consider yourself to be a critical worker? are you exempt from isolation? maybe you are not and think you should be. let me know this morning on twitter or via e—mail. a new study suggests that daily lateral flow testing for pupils could be equally as effective as closing class bubbles to control transmission in schools.

after months of uncertainty and last—minute controversy, the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics takes place later today. campaigners call for new safety rules on e—scooters after a teenager was killed on one and a toddler was seriously injured. a man who was stalked and attacked by a grizzly bear in the uinted states for a week is recovering after being rescued by the coast guard. good morning. people working in critical parts of the food industry in england will be able to do a daily covid test instead of having to self—isolate from today. it comes as record numbers of staff are pinged by the covid app and kept away from work.

the government said daily testing would be implemented at key sites including supermarket depots and food manufacturers. close to 10,000 staff at 500 sites in the uk will be affected — but it won't apply to staff who actually work in supermarkets. the move came after supermarkets said the supply of some products was being affected by the �*pingdemic�*. a record 618,903 people were told to self—isolate by the app in england and wales last week. in a separate development, other key industries in england including transport, emergency services, border control and energy will be allowed to deploy daily testing instead of self—isolation for a limited number of workers, providing they're fully vaccinated. and in scotland the government is expected to announce critical workers in fields like health and social care will also be exempt from self—isolation under a new scheme. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. empty supermarket shelves.

pictures like these revive memories of panic buying and shortages seen at the start of the pandemic and prompted the government to take action. the food industry, like other parts of the economy, has been suffering from a lack of staff because too many workers are isolating at home. phone beeps here's the problem. if you are contacted by test and trace or pinged by the app, you're meant to self—isolate for ten days. but as infection rates rise, too many people are absent from work. so starting today, the government says it will allow workers at some 500 key sites to avoid isolation if they get pinged, provided they take covid tests for seven days. we're talking principally here, supermarket depots, distribution centres, where all of the work happens to get food out to those supermarkets. it doesn't include stores itself, because that would be a big departure from the approach we have now but certainly this is going to go a very long way to getting the food supply chain working properly. the response from food retailers so far has been positive but others within the sector say

there are still many questions to answer. any intervention is welcome. i think we are all feeling in the food industry in particular something needed to happen, something needed to change. so any change, any improvement is welcome. we've got to see the devil in the detail here. it's been highlighted only certain companies are on the list. who's on the list? who's been identified there? what are the key workers they're talking about? what are the roles? what is the process? i hope government has put sufficient communication in place to be able to cope with the number of enquiries they get. the new programme only applies to the food business. the government is also offering limited exemptions to the isolation rules in other sectors, such as energy, the nuclear industry, medicines and water supply. but these will only be available for a small number of specific employees, whose absence from work would have a major impact on essential services or national security. theo leggett, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent

jonathan blake is in westminster. the debate today seems to be, are enough workers exempted by the government?— enough workers exempted by the covernment? , ., , ., ., ., government? yes, does far as a lot ofthe government? yes, does far as a lot of the food — government? yes, does far as a lot of the food industry _ government? yes, does far as a lot of the food industry and _ government? yes, does far as a lot of the food industry and other- of the food industry and other sectors of the economy are concerned, the answer to that is no. but the government seems to be adamant that the test and trace app is doing itsjob and adamant that the test and trace app is doing its job and they need to keep that system in place for the most part in order to keep cases of coronavirus down to an acceptable level while more people, they hope, come forward for their vaccinations. the environment secretary george eustice has been out and about this morning talking about these two schemes the government now has in place to exempt people from isolation. firstly where the food industry is concerned, there is a blanket exemption for 10,000 staff at 500 sites in england, the first of those will start testing daily today. this is for people who, whether they are fully vaccinated or

not, and the rest it seems will start to do that early next week. and all those sites, from what george eustice has said this morning, seem to have been identified, but some in the industry still calling for more detail. he accepted that even with these exemptions in place, the critical infrastructure, if you like, of the food industry will be able to function, but there will be still some staff shortages and are still some staff shortages and are still some issues in supermarkets and elsewhere. so it's not going to solve all the problems overnight at all. george eustice was asked this morning what would happen if things got worse. we are going to keep this under review but we think this is a sensible first step that we should do quickly, and so we have acted quickly and we are rolling it out from today, as i say. we will keep it under review when it comes to others, but for now we believe this is the proportionate approach. because, we do want to make sure

that we continue to run the test and trace and isolate system because it is vitally important to try to dampen the spread of the virus and remove that peak in hospitalisations that we are likely to see in the next few weeks. aside from the food industry, there will also be exemptions from isolation but on a much narrower scale in certain, what the government is calling, critical industries. that's everything from defence to border control, to energy, to digital infrastructure. but there it will only apply to people who are fully vaccinated and their employer will have to request them individually by name to be exempt from isolation. so in the words of the guidance i think it is worth stressing that the government has put out in conjunction with this change in the rules, it means that that person not doing theirjob would result in either significant loss of life or casualties, or a significant impact on national security, defence or the functioning of the state, so the bar is very high and for most people in most jobs they will still need to isolate for the next three weeks until the

rules change to exempt all fully vaccinated adults from isolation. thank you very much, jonathan. if you are affected, let me know in what way you are exempt from self—isolation. are you not exempt and think you should be because you are a critical worker? let me know, you can send me an e—mail victoria at the sign bbc.co.uk.? daily lateral flow testing for pupils may be equally as effective as class bubbles to control transmission in schools — that's according to a study by oxford university. one of the government's scientific advisers, susan hopkins, welcomed the study staying it was evidence of a "safe alternative" to the policy of isolation. our health correspondent, naomi grimley has more. the isolating of bubbles in schools has caused no end of frustration in households during this pandemic. take last week, for example, the department for education says on 15thjuly, over a million state school pupils in england did not attend class for covid—19 related reasons.

of those, more than 930,000 were self isolating, due to a possible contact with a covid case. but a new study by oxford university suggests daily testing is a safe alternative to isolating contacts. researchers followed pupils and staff in more than 200 schools. in half, the close contacts of positive cases had to isolate for ten days. in the other half, however, close contacts of positive cases were offered supervised daily tests at school over seven days and allowed to carry on as normal if they were negative. i think the results of this study are really reassuring for parents, as well as for students and for teachers. what we see here is that for people in schools and colleges, the chance of getting infected with covid—19, when there has been a case in school or college is low, it's less than 2%, one in 50.

what we also see is dct is able to pick up those people who are most infectious, even when they don't have symptoms. i am really confident that what this study shows us is daily testing of contacts is a safe thing to do in schools and colleges. the researchers said their findings would make encouraging reading for parents and teachers, especially as they believe daily contact testing could reduce covid—related absences by as much as 39%. naomi grimley, bbc news. bernardette young is one of the investigators from the study. the top line is essentially children self—isolating and sending whole bubbles of kids home is needless. i think i want to be really careful about retrospectively calling policies needless because for 18 months we have been working under such uncertainty but we are really pleased to bring forward evidence that says we can safely make changes to that policy now. in that says we can safely make changes to that policy now.— to that policy now. in the future it is needless- _

to that policy now. in the future it is needless. yes, _ to that policy now. in the future it is needless. yes, we _ to that policy now. in the future it is needless. yes, we can - to that policy now. in the future it is needless. yes, we can go - to that policy now. in the future it l is needless. yes, we can go forward and say there _ is needless. yes, we can go forward and say there are _ is needless. yes, we can go forward and say there are safe _ is needless. yes, we can go forward and say there are safe alternatives i and say there are safe alternatives here and young people have had such a burden in this pandemic on their well—being and their education and well—being and their education and we can start to change that and feel safe about doing so.— safe about doing so. using the lateral flow — safe about doing so. using the lateral flow tests _ safe about doing so. using the lateral flow tests daily, - safe about doing so. using the lateral flow tests daily, which l safe about doing so. using the i lateral flow tests daily, which are like a pregnancy test really, does using those reduced symptomatic infections in schools? we using those reduced symptomatic infections in schools?— infections in schools? we found exactly the _ infections in schools? we found exactly the same _ infections in schools? we found exactly the same number, - infections in schools? we found exactly the same number, we l infections in schools? we found - exactly the same number, we found no difference in the rate of symptomatic infections in the two schools when we compared all of those who had the policy of isolating and all of those who had a policy of daily contact testing. 0k. policy of daily contact testing. ok. we know over _ policy of daily contact testing. ok. we know over a _ policy of daily contact testing. ok. we know over a million schoolchildren had to self—isolate last week. daily testing is the way now to stop that happening, isn't it? so now to stop that happening, isn't it? 4' now to stop that happening, isn't it? ~ ., ., , ., , it? so i think what we have shown is that for all of _ it? so i think what we have shown is that for all of those _ it? so i think what we have shown is that for all of those students - it? so i think what we have shown is that for all of those students who i that for all of those students who have contact in schools and college, the chance of becoming infected is really low so you can safely say, i can come to school, i can do my test, and if i'm not tested positive, then it is safe for me to

be here. yes. {iii positive, then it is safe for me to be here- yea— be here. yes. of this type of testin: be here. yes. of this type of testing be — be here. yes. of this type of testing be rolled _ be here. yes. of this type of testing be rolled out - be here. yes. of this type of testing be rolled out across| be here. yes. of this type of. testing be rolled out across the board? . �* , "~ ~ testing be rolled out across the board? ., �* , "~ ~ ., board? that's the $64 million question, _ board? that's the $64 million question, isn't _ board? that's the $64 million question, isn't it? _ board? that's the $64 million question, isn't it? we - board? that's the $64 million question, isn't it? we are - board? that's the $64 million question, isn't it? we are alll question, isn't it? we are all looking for safe ways to manage the next stage of the pandemic. there is going to be really important scientific data on this coming out from under the large study looking at these daily tests and how they perform in adults. when we went into the study and designed it we had observations which suggested particularly for young people who had contact in education the absolute chance of becoming infected was probably one of the lowest. so they felt like a safe group to do this first study in. but there is going to be information coming to help us make decisions about how it might affect adults as well. thank ou for might affect adults as well. thank you for talking — might affect adults as well. thank you for talking to _ might affect adults as well. thank you for talking to us, _ might affect adults as well. thank you for talking to us, bernadette l you for talking to us, bernadette jung, clinical lecturer in infectious disease at oxford and one of the investigators in this study. —— jung. tokyo has recorded its highest number of new daily covid

cases for six months — ahead of the olympics opening ceremony in just a few hours. almost 2,000 infections have been reported, as the host city remains under a state of emergency. the official opening of the games later will be subdued, withjust 1,000 guests due to attend. 0ur tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes has been looking at how the city has been preparing. finding 0lympic fans in tokyo these days isn't so easy, but on this rooftop at least, it's a different story. skateboarding is in the olympics for the first time in the hope of attracting young new fans. and it seems to be working. translation: it will be cool to watch great skateboarders at the olympics. translation: i love snowboarding, so skateboarding is good practice for me and it's fun. tokyo! cheering at one time, everyone here was an olympic fan. on the day tokyo won the bid back in 2013, people were delirious with joy. today, the atmosphere couldn't be more different. the stadium where the opening

ceremony will happen is surrounded by high fences, spectators kept far away. first, there was the enormous cost of the main stadium. then there were problems with the olympic logo. then there were allegations of corruption. and then covid hit and the whole games had to be moved by a year. and then this year, japan's olympic chief had to step down over a sexism row. then the composer of music for the opening ceremony was forced out because of bullying allegations. and finally, one day before the games were due to open, the director of the whole opening ceremony has been fired because it turns out he made jokes about the holocaust. it's no wonder some people here think these games are cursed. newsreel: the world's biggest city, more than ten million population - and still growing talking, tokyo... it was all so different the last time tokyo held the games back in 1964. author robert whiting had arrived injapan two years earlier. it's too bad. one of the really nice things about the '64 olympics was for two

weeks, or two and a half weeks, the city was just filled with tourists and athletes mingling with each other. the nice thing about the olympics is that they're a global festival — it really was this festival atmosphere. it was quite nice. and, you know, now it's like the city is like a ghost town. not quite a ghost town. tokyo is supposed to be under a state of emergency, but you wouldn't know it from the famous nightlife districts of shinjuku. like many others, the owner of this restaurant is now refusing to close early or stop serving alcohol. he says he lost $250,000 during the last shutdown. translation: i am struggling. i've had friends who have had to close their restaurants. i was short of cash and had a problem paying bills. that's why i decided to reopen. the government is not helping us, so i have to protect my own living.

there are certainly those who are looking forward to tonight's opening ceremony. many of them are already lining up to take photos close to the main stadium. but overall, the mood in tokyo is more weary acceptance than eager anticipation. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news in tokyo. and rupert wingfield hayes has been to one event, associated with the games, where lots of tokyoites gathered to watch. we have been saying for weeks that there is a lot of opposition to the olympics here injapan, and that's still true. but take a look at this in the middle of tokyo today. in shinjuku gyoen, thousands and thousands of people have come in here and have taken over the park because this is the only chance many people are going to get to take part in the festivities today. in a few minutes' time we are expecting the arrival of the japanese air force acrobatic team blue impulse and that's what everybody is waiting to see. we are right in the right place, fantastic.

so you can feel the excitement here. these are the people who have paid for this olympics. they are not supposed to be doing this. all the fan zones have been closed down, they are not allowed to go into the stadiums. but people want to have a bit of this celebration today and so they are taking over these parks and enjoying themselves, seeing this spectacle. do you feel a sense of sadness that you can't go to the stadiums and you can't go to fanzones because of the state of emergency. of emergency? yeah, i mean, olympics is very unique. it's a once—in—a—lifetime kind of event, right, so ijust wanted to have my kid to have the experience to see those athletes at least. but, i mean, due to this covid—19, i guess things have got to be the way it is.

we'll be talking to the former olympian mark foster who's one of the bbc�*s olympic pundits in the next half an hour. and you can watch live coverage of the opening ceremony on bbc one from 11:20 this morning. the headlines on bbc news. thousands of workers in the food supply chain won't need to isolate if they're �*pinged' by the nhs covid app. a new study suggests that daily lateral flow testing for pupils could be equally as effective as closing class bubbles to control transmission in schools. after months of uncertainty and last minute controversy, the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics takes place later today. retail sales in the uk rose by 0.5% between may and june according to official figures. sales were helped by a boost in demand forfood and drink, as millions of people watched the euros. our business correspondent

katy austin is here to give us a bit more detail on those figures. a p pa re ntly apparently the euro 2020 football championship helped along the sales of food and drink at the end of june. it of food and drink at the end of june. ., ., ~ . ~ of food and drink at the end of june. . ~ , june. if we look back it is interesting _ june. if we look back it is interesting to _ june. if we look back it is interesting to have - june. if we look back it is i interesting to have context. june. if we look back it is - interesting to have context. in april when physical shops reopened, there was quite understandably a huge spike in retail sales, people went out to the shop for the first time in a long time and bought things. there was a bit of a drop—off in may which you might expect once the pent—up demand was released. what we were expecting in june was something not so dramatic, not such a dramatic change and that's what happened, there was a 0.5% overall increase in retail sales but much of that was driven by food and drink which was up much more over 4% increase in and drink sales. the office for national statistics think anecdotally the football will have helped that along. but if you look at non—food, clothes, furniture items, that was down a bit, down 1.7% compared to may, so people have reined back in in that way but splashed out on food and drink. . . ,

in that way but splashed out on food and drink. ., ., , ., ., , and drink. pizza and beer, that was it, to be honest. _ and drink. pizza and beer, that was it, to be honest. can't _ and drink. pizza and beer, that was it, to be honest. can't speak- and drink. pizza and beer, that was it, to be honest. can't speak for. it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone _ it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone but — it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone but for— it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone but for some - it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone but for some of - it, to be honest. can't speak for everyone but for some of us - it, to be honest. can't speak for| everyone but for some of us that might have been the case. you can also see some of the other patterns as the economy reopened a bit, fuel sales also went up 2.3%, i think i have the right number, yes, 2.3% in june compared to may was the rise there. you could tell the effect as people started travelling a little bit more. not a massive rise and still not quite at the level of before the pandemic.- still not quite at the level of before the pandemic. thank you, katie. six people have been taken to hospital after a car crashed into a pub in south wales last night. one person suffered "life—changing" injuries. it's thought the 79 year—old driver was taken ill at the wheel. he's in a critical condition. the government has said it will not search the private email account of former health secretary matt hancock for discussions on official business. downing street has admitted mr hancock, who quit last month, used his personal address for this reason. the campaign group good law project

argued his inbox should be checked for the sake of transparency. but the government rejected this, saying a sweep of emails was "neither necessary nor proportionate". the government's plans to end the extra universal credit payment of £20 a week would be the biggest overnight reduction in the basic rate of social security since the creation of the welfare state — that's according to thejoseph rowntree foundation. the government introduced that £20 a week uplift to the basic entitlement at the start of the pandemic, but that's due to come to an end in october. our political correspondent nick eardley has this report. for many families, the pandemic has been a time of unprecedented challenges. the government added £20 a week to universal credit payments last march. it was a big increase, but it was temporary. and the uplift is due to come to an end in october. i'm anthony. i'm a father of two. i became redundantjust before the lockdown due to ill health.

anthony says the end of the extra money will mean some tough choices. for us as a household, we are going to be left with the question of food versus fuel, or fuel versus clothes, you know, just the basic necessities. there are many households which have grown to rely on the uplift money as a source ofjust functioning. the number of universal credit claimants has almost doubled during the pandemic, and some are worried that taking away the extra money could have a big impact. at the end of a year that's probably the worst many people will have seen since the war, we're going to be hitting families right as we go into the winter. what we're going to find is that there are millions of families who are going to go hungry this winter, who are not going to be able to put the heating on. the uplift costs a lot though — £6 billion a year. in here, the treasury, the government is trying

to bring spending down after the unprecedented emergency measures of the pandemic. ministers say the £20 a week extra was always due to come to an end. a government spokesperson said, some mps are worried, though, including many conservatives, and they intend to put pressure on the government for a rethink. nick eardley, bbc news. a man who was stalked and repeatedly attacked by a grizzly bear in the us state of alaska for an entire week is recovering from his injuries after being rescued by the coast guard. he was alone in a remote mining camp when the bear first attacked, dragging him down to a river. he escaped but then had to fend off the animal as it returned to his shack every night. he had scrawled an sos sign on the top of his shack and it was spotted

ljy top of his shack and it was spotted by a routine helicopterflight last week. the man is suffering from a leg injury and bruised torso. none of his injuries are life—threatening. the debate over the safety of e—scooters has been in the headlines once again this week following two incidents involving children. a 16—year—old boy was killed on sunday after his e—scooter collided with a car, and a three—year—old girl has been left with life—changing injuries after being hit by one in a park. now some campaigners are calling for them to be banned in public places. adam mcclean reports. a scheme to rent e—scooters where riders have to be over 18 and hold a provisional or full licence is being tested in 32 areas across england. they can only be bidden in places where people can use bikes including roads and cycle lanes. the government say it will help them understand the benefits and impact e—scooters have. i do not ride or cycle on the pavement. because you are responsible if you hit anybody. i appreciate these scooters,

they are lovely scooters. and the hired bikes as well. and i don't want to lose the opportunity of having these for the public. the law says an e—scooter is as much a motor vehicle as a car or motorbike, so riding them illegally can attract six points and a £300 fine, plus the scooter being seized. some e—scooters can go 20—30mph or even quicker. _ there is no protection at all to the rider, they are completely exposed. if they are involved in a collision with a car, a van or a bus or another motor vehicle, it is likely that the e—scooter rider will come off a lot worse than the other person in the other vehicle. while there are risks to those who ride them unsafely, like this scooter on a motorway near bradford, pedestrians and other road users are at risk. philjones was on a mobility scooter when he found his route blocked by an abandoned scooter. phil being phil, got off his mobility scooter to move it, the scooter was too heavy,

forced him back down on the road and it fell on top of him and broke his hip. the resulting effect was he had to go into hospital and he never came out, he died 12 days later. dennis has delivered a petition to number 10, calling on the government to stop the hire schemes. these are some of the scooters he has found abandoned nearby. to rub salt into the wound, when we were doing my brother's funeral arrangements there was one parked right outside the doorway to get into the funeral director's. i was beside myself. i was so angry, ijust didn't know really. the response from inside me was horrendous, you know? in a statement the department for transport said we continue for transport said, "we continue to engage with vulnerable road user

groups to help shape rules on top of existing safety features like compulsory haunts and bells and ensuring trial areas have sufficient parking to avoid street clutter." adam mclean, bbc news. coming up to 9:30am, friday morning. here is a full weather forecast with all the detail about the sun and rain. a bit of both. thank you, victoria. the heatwave is coming to an end, if you hated the heat this will be music to your ears, it will come to an end in the next few days, and with it some thundery downpours. at the moment will still have the and met office extreme heat warning in northern ireland, across western areas the best of the sunshine, low cloud across eastern parts of scotland and eastern england, more of a breeze in the south, temperature not as high as it has been, but north—west england, western parts of scotland and northern ireland, 28, 29, may 30 celsius. this evening and overnight thundery rain arrives in the channel islands and south—west england first of all and tomorrow morning across

the southern counties of england, south wales, may be as far north as mid—wales and midlands, thundery showers are hit and miss during the day tomorrow, where you see them they will be torrential but many further north and west will stay dry and stay hot in the west of scotland and stay hot in the west of scotland and northern ireland, if not as hot as today.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: thousands of workers in the food supply chain won't need to isolate if they're �*pinged' by the nhs covid app. a new study suggests that daily lateral flow testing for pupils could be equally as effective as closing class bubbles to control transmission in schools after months of uncertainty and last minute controversy, the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics takes place later today. campaigners call for new safety rules on e—scooters after a teenager was killed on one and a toddler was seriously injured a man who was stalked and attacked by a grizzly bear in the us for a week is recovering after being rescued by the coast guard.

sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre: good morning... after the longest and most diffcult build up to any olympic games, it's a moment, many thought wouldn't happen, but at midday our time today, the opening ceremony, for the tokyo olympics, will get under way. its live on bbc one.... sailor hannah mills, and rower mo sibi—hee, will be team gb�*s flag bearers in the olympic stadium...lets have a look at our live pictures of tokyo right now, this is an the marine park in tokyo bay where the canoeing and rowing will take place. there is a plate of oysters. the stadium, it is 32 degrees and it will be cooler at apm japanese time. covid—19 restrictions, the stadium will be

empty, no fans and selected athletes from the 200 countries taking part. there is a great overview of the stadium and the surrounding olympic venues as well. so the countdown begins for great britain too . british success will be measured by different criteria in tokyo. back in 1996, britain managed only one gold and finished 36th in the rankings, as hosts in 2012, britain rose to finish third, in the london games medal table of 2012, on the back of a huge injection of lottery funding. four years later in rio, britain finished an extraordinary second, behind the united states. expectations are lower this time, despite britain sending their biggest team to an overseas games. the welfare and well—being of the athletes is at the heart of what we are doing. if you want to be the best in the world, what athletes are aspiring to be, it takes a special type of person and a huge amount of

dedication and hard work. what we want is our athletes to have positive experiences in the programme is that they are an that when they get here they feel as best prepared as they can for the games and the competitions they have ahead of them. now cricket's new competition, the hundred seems to be capturing the imagination. the oval invincibles competed the double over, manchester originals because after the women's side beat their counterparts in the inaugural match the men followed suit beating originals by 9 runs, in the first men's game of the new format. the invincibles captain sam billings starred with 49. it's the first double header today as birmingham phoenix take on london spirit at edgbaston. the women's sides play first from 3, with the men following at half past six. legendary aussie bowler shane warne is head coach, of spirit's men. when there is not much between teams, it can come down to the way you think, it can come down to the right feel, the right time. obviously, skill and all those sorts of things and execution, you know, if you bowl rubbish you're going to get whacked

and you're probably going to lose, but if you take it that everyone is going to bowl all right and bat pretty well, then what's the point of difference between every team? it will come down to fielding, little things, the wides, no balls. but overall, it will come down to the strategy that you have and the tactical side of things and as i said, i think we've got the best captain in world cricket in eoin morgan. australia and new zealand's decision to pull out of the rugby league world cup was "premature", according to australia's players�* union, who have claimed a number of its members wanted to travel to england for the tournament this autumn.australia and new zealand withdrew on thursday it was called a selfish and cowardly decision. our paramount concern is the safety of our people. the keen focus is the stark difference what is acceptable in the

uk and the management of the pandemic in the uk compared to new zealand and closely behind, australia,. upwards of 50,000 cases potentially in the uk. we will close our borders with a handful of cases. the safety of our people is paramount. it was vintage stuff from a rugby league legend last night. the former england and great britain international, jermaine mcgillvary, scored 4 tries, as huddersfield giants, beat 4th placed hull fc in the super league, 40—26, a first win for the giants, since may, but they still sit second bottom of the table. england's georgia hall is the best placed brit going into today's second round of the evian championship. hall shot a 2 under par round of 69 which included four birdies on a sultry day by the banks of lake geneva in france. she's 4 shots off the lead... that's all the sport for now.

we can speak now to mark foster, who has competed in 5 olympic games and in 2008 was the team gb flag bearer at the opening ceremony in beijing. he is also forming part of the bbc�*s punditary team. how are you commentating? it is auoin to how are you commentating? it is going to start _ how are you commentating? it 3 going to start tomorrow, the swimming, but i am staying in a hotel away from the bbc centre in salford. the final is in tokyo in the morning because america wants swimming in the morning because it is prime time. i will be on from 2:30am until 4:30am every morning. you are watching it on television and commentating? that you are watching it on television and commentating?— you are watching it on television and commentating? that is how i will be doinu and commentating? that is how i will be doin: it. and commentating? that is how i will be doing it- they _ and commentating? that is how i will be doing it. they have _ and commentating? that is how i will

be doing it. they have not _ and commentating? that is how i will be doing it. they have not invented i be doing it. they have not invented a time machine.— a time machine. that was a stupid question, wasn't it? _ a time machine. that was a stupid question, wasn't it? the - a time machine. that was a stupid question, wasn't it? the build-up| a time machine. that was a stupid l question, wasn't it? the build-up to question, wasn't it? the build—up to this has been negative but i was looking at covid—19 cases injapan for yesterday, 5000 cases across the whole of japan. for yesterday, 5000 cases across the whole ofjapan. in for yesterday, 5000 cases across the whole of japan. in the for yesterday, 5000 cases across the whole ofjapan. in the uk, 38,000 cases. an interesting comparison. in rio dejaneiro they wondered if everything would be built on time, in london, would we face terrorist attacks? in china, was everything going to be covered in smoke? when the sport begins and we see these remarkable human achievements, the focus turns to the action. yes. focus turns to the action. yes, this has been going _ focus turns to the action. yes, this has been going on _ focus turns to the action. yes, this has been going on for— focus turns to the action. yes, this has been going on for 18 _ focus turns to the action. yes, this has been going on for 18 months. l focus turns to the action. yes, this i has been going on for 18 months. at one point, the olympic games were not going to happen. it was meant to be last year and push to this year. we saw it with the football, we saw it with wimbledon, these things can

take place and they can take place as safely as possible. it will never be 100% safe. from my point of view, for the athletes, potentially nearly missed out on olympic games, four years since the last one, i am happy it is happening because most of the sports in the olympic games are minority sports and there it is their chance to shine, it is their moment. i am their chance to shine, it is their moment. iam happy. there will their chance to shine, it is their moment. i am happy. there will be amazing performances.— amazing performances. there are three team _ amazing performances. there are three team gb _ amazing performances. there are three team gb athletes - amazing performances. there are three team gb athletes who - amazing performances. there are i three team gb athletes who did not travel because they tested positive, you have spent four years and another year building up to this moment. ., ., , moment. you would be gutted. the athletes themselves, _ moment. you would be gutted. the athletes themselves, of _ moment. you would be gutted. the athletes themselves, of course, - athletes themselves, of course, sometimes it is unfortunate and unlock it but if you keep yourself away from other people and wear a facemask and do what you should, you should not pick up the virus. i feel

sorry for them. as i know at the moment, all of the swimming team are there and are healthy. when you are committing, when you are in the swimming pool, can you hear the spectators or not? what difference will it make there being no spectators?— difference will it make there being no spectators? when i first started swimmin: no spectators? when i first started swimming when — no spectators? when i first started swimming when i _ no spectators? when i first started swimming when i was _ no spectators? when i first started swimming when i was a _ no spectators? when i first started swimming when i was a small- no spectators? when i first startedl swimming when i was a small child, any parent will know this, in the swimming pool, there are not many people watching, your team—mates and your friends and family. you are accustomed to it. you swim alone when you train, in competitions, ultimately, whoever it is, whatever level, it is the same for everybody and that might help some people and for other people, they are not good with the pressure, and it might

hinder others. some swimmers are show men, they get a buzz of the atmosphere. it will be good for some people and it will hinder other people. people and it will hinder other --eole. ~ ., people and it will hinder other --eole. ., , people and it will hinder other --eole.~ .,, ., , people and it will hinder other --eole.~ ., , ., people. who should be looking out for? i people. who should be looking out for? l swam _ people. who should be looking out for? i swam for _ people. who should be looking out for? i swam for great _ people. who should be looking out for? i swam for great britain - people. who should be looking out for? i swam for great britain for i people. who should be looking out for? i swam for great britain for 23 ears and for? i swam for great britain for 23 years and had _ for? i swam for great britain for 23 years and had been _ for? i swam for great britain for 23 years and had been involved - for? i swam for great britain for 23 years and had been involved in - for? i swam for great britain for 23 years and had been involved in the j years and had been involved in the sport for decades, the best i have ever seen the team, duncan scott comeback number two in the number one in the world freestyle, tom dean, numbertwo in one in the world freestyle, tom dean, number two in the world for freestyle, number three in the world, abbie wood is numberfour in the world, individual medley, we have number two in the world for 200 metre breaststroke, we have got more but i am talking about so many

swimmers, the strength and depth in our team is from the relays. the 400 metre medley could win and could beat america, the men's freestyle, we could win that race and the mixed medley relay. we have many things to shout about every day. in 2008i in 2008 i remember rebecca adlington. in 2012, british swimming underperformed. what has happened in the last eight years? it underperformed. what has happened in the last eight years?— the last eight years? it goes in waves, we are _ the last eight years? it goes in waves, we are seeing - the last eight years? it goes in waves, we are seeing it - the last eight years? it goes in waves, we are seeing it with i waves, we are seeing it with football at the moment, the right players and the right ingredient, every decade, it comes down to having a lot of swimmers in

swimming, the ones out of the pool who are talented and have on the identification programme and fast—track them to a national squad, we have a very good infrastructure from the high performance centre is down to the original performance centres, good coaches, good swimmers, good facilities and that is who we are getting the best out of them at the moment. in the main's team, it was all about the main's team, it was all about the main's team, but now the women are getting stronger. numberthree team, but now the women are getting stronger. number three in the world in backstroke. rebecca adlington would have been one of those names. we have the role models and we put them in the right place with the right coaches and the right people and thank you very much. early hours of the morning for the next two weeks.

the opening ceremony is on bbc one at 11 dot 20 this morning. the australian state of new south wales is asking the federal government to urgently send more vaccines and other resources, describing the delta variant outbreak in sydney as a "national crisis". only 12% of australians have been vaccinated so far. the state premier has warned sydney's five million residents that the lockdown there almost certainly won't be lifted next week— as planned. it comes as the city records its biggest daily rise in covid cases this year. new zealand has now suspended its quarantine—free travel bubble with australia for at least eight weeks. the sydney outbreak has also led to an extended lockdown in the neighbouring state of victoria. the premier there has described the city as "on fire" with the virus: i want to just make this point, though, if there is a national emergency and i'm not doubting that for a moment in sydney, then it is a national responsibility, the sydneysiders are locked into sydney. we need a ring of steel around sydney so that this virus is not spreading into other

parts of our nation. let's focus on fixing what is going on in sydney, let's focus on not spreading what is going on in sydney across the rest of our country. we will finish up with the whole country in lockdown if we don't do this properly. our correspondent phil mercer has more from sydney. what we've seen since the pandemic began in many ways is australia like a distressed submarine, those compartments of a submarine being closed off like states and territories around australia. western australia has put up a hard order with covid affected regions. the state of queensland is doing the same as well. what we are hearing from dan andrews, the victoria state premier, is wanting more of those restrictions around the greater sydney region to keep the people in and to keep the virus out of other parts of australia. so we know today new south wales, of which sydney is the state capital, has recorded 136

new covid—19 infections. this is a new daily record for this latest outbreak. now, 136 infections might not sound much to people in other countries, but in the australian context it is extremely significant. and you have to remember that australia has been pursuing a national policy of elimination, and that's why we are hearing those tough words from political leaders like dan andrews, who wants to lock sydney down until the delta variant here is crushed. we're expected to spent nearly nine billion pounds on domestic holidays this year — that's a ten—year—high. new statistics from mintel say over three in five british peole plan to holiday in the uk this year compared with just two in five before the pandemic. victoria fritz has been following the story and reports for us from north wales.

it is places like these which will be a boost to domestic tourism this year. new figures show that we are due to spend £9 billion this summer alone on domestic holidays, that figure is a ten year high. 62% of us are going to spend our summer holiday in the uk and plan to spend some time elsewhere, not all our time in our homes. we are coming to places like best, north wales and cumbria as the most popular places. not devon or dorset or cornwall. many places are fully booked, presumably these holiday parks. how do you prepare for a season like this? ., , , , , . this? it has been very difficult, especially _ this? it has been very difficult, especially in — this? it has been very difficult, especially in the _ this? it has been very difficult, especially in the domestic- this? it has been very difficult, i especially in the domestic tourism market where we have seen a massive demand coming through, people have

had enough, trying to book abroad and it is a waste of time. it is unfairfor and it is a waste of time. it is unfair for that individual and and it is a waste of time. it is unfairfor that individual and now unfair for that individual and now we unfairfor that individual and now we are getting that footfall and we are hoping we can continue with that where people have had a nice time, they enjoy this type of weather, and they enjoy this type of weather, and they are going to keep coming back year after year. how are you managing the demand? lots of people are being sent home. pingdemic is a problem. some of our staff have been told to go into self isolation, the sooner they can get a test and return to work, altering the legalities on this, getting them back into work as soon as they get a negative test, that would be great for us. , ., ., .,

for us. there is more of a mixture in terms of _ for us. there is more of a mixture in terms of the _ for us. there is more of a mixture in terms of the people _ for us. there is more of a mixture in terms of the people who - for us. there is more of a mixture in terms of the people who are i in terms of the people who are coming to holiday resorts who would otherwise go to the european continent, they are coming here as well, is it putting extra pressure on people and the older holiday—makers, are they feeling a little bit uncomfortable about the excess millions of people? thea;r little bit uncomfortable about the excess millions of people? they will not be accustomed _ excess millions of people? they will not be accustomed to _ excess millions of people? they will not be accustomed to the _ excess millions of people? they will not be accustomed to the amount i excess millions of people? they willj not be accustomed to the amount of volume, but i think they understand. the individuals who normally go to europe or america, they are here on holiday and it is... everybody understands the situation and you have to enjoy the best of a bad situation and i think they are to enjoy it. situation and i think they are to en'o it. ~ .., ,., ., enjoy it. we can report that there have been cases _ enjoy it. we can report that there have been cases of verbal- enjoy it. we can report that there have been cases of verbal abuse | enjoy it. we can report that there i have been cases of verbal abuse for staff and restaurants and people here because there is confusion about restrictions because they are

different in wales compared to england. as a result, there can be a little bit of trouble. there have been problems locally in this area. overall, the seaside, the great british holiday is doing incredibly well and numbers are very high. the headlines on bbc news... thousands of workers in the food supply chain won't need to isolate if they're �*pinged' by the nhs covid app. a new study suggests that daily lateral flow testing for pupils could be equally as effective as closing class bubbles to control transmission in schools. after months of uncertainty and last minute controversy, the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics takes place later today. nobel laureates, politicians, humanitarians and business leaders are gathering for this year's one young world summit in munich. the event is bringing together delegates from more than 190 countries, who work alongside public

figures like sir lewis hamilton, sir bob geldof and cher, to try secure more responsible leadership on global challenges. on this year's agenda: the climate crisis, future economies, education, covid—19 recovery and humanitarian issues. we can speak now to alexandra palt, chief corporate responsibility officer of l'oreal who will be speaking at the summit later today. can you explain to our audience what you hope will be achieved? thank you ve much you hope will be achieved? thank you very much for having _ you hope will be achieved? thank you very much for having me. _ you hope will be achieved? thank you very much for having me. what - you hope will be achieved? thank you very much for having me. what we i very much for having me. what we hope about one young world has existed for many years, the interesting thing is bringing young people together from all over the world, connecting on issues, the most important issues in the future as societies, make them connect and make them aware, show them there are

solutions, engagement as possible and to make them become actors of change for the future. the hope is they will become committed and engaged and empowered with new solutions. one call from your own expertise, what do you hope to pass on to these young people? i hope to pass on that we live in a time where we have challenges that are so important that we do not have the luxury of easyjudgment, we have to understand the complexities. you know, companies are considered to be the bad guys, on the other side, the good guys. now what is necessary to judge each company, each actor, each city, each nation on its commitments and to work with those who want to fight climate change, biodiversity,

for an inclusive society, we need all energies from wherever they come because the second message is that we have to accelerate. we are all aware that this is serious, climate change is happening, biodiversity loss is having huge consequences, and we had to have inclusive societies. we have to work together but we will have to accelerate because it is going fast. a lot of us have commitments, companies, states, governments will have to go faster and do more. all these young people will be empowered to put pressure on us to do it faster and better. fir pressure on us to do it faster and better. , ., better. or they will not give you l their custom. young people had a rubbish year. the anxiety of covid—19, the school taken away,

social life taken away, not knowing about exam results, potentially losing family members through the pandemic. you would not blame them for feeling overwhelmed at the moment. j for feeling overwhelmed at the moment. ., ., ~' moment. i do not think... ifeel that young _ moment. i do not think... ifeel that young people _ moment. i do not think... ifeel that young people are - moment. i do not think... ifeel that young people are resilientl moment. i do not think... ifeel. that young people are resilient and we have to be aware that this does not touch everybody in the same way. people who are suffering from inequality are hit by the consequences for a longer time. we had to put energy there where it's needed. young people want to party and they want to have a good time and they want to have a good time and that is ok but i do not have the impression that they are not aware of what is ahead of us and it will need commitment. we have a great generation of young people who want to engage and are very committed and that does not mean that the cannot

enjoy themselves know that life is getting a little bit easier. eric clapton says he will not perform at venues that require concertgoers to be fully vaccinated against covid—19. he himself had a severe reaction to the astrazeneca vaccine. he says he objects to having a "discriminated audience present". borisjohnson has said proof of vaccination must be shown at clubs and venues from september. and experts insist the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks for most people. mark lobel reports. eric clapton spoke out in may, he feared he would be unable to play music again. this week he had a bad reaction to this. we music again. this week he had a bad reaction to this.— reaction to this. we are planning to make full vaccination _ reaction to this. we are planning to make full vaccination the _ make full vaccination the condition to enter_ make full vaccination the condition to enter nightclubs where there are

loud -- _ to enter nightclubs where there are loud —— large crowds. eric clapton's concerts hit america in september where vaccine proof is only required in a few venues and there is a european tour next year including london's royal albert hall in may. i am a huge fan of eric clapton and i'm shocked. you've got to be fair. think of the audience, think of the 5,000 people or 30,000 people they are all crammed together. you do not want to become a super spreader. are you worried this will put off people getting vaccinated? i am 100% worried it is going to slow down the vaccination rate and it has. but in the uk, these protesters met outside parliament to demonstrate their objections

to vaccinations. elsewhere, the lead singer of the british group right said fred has warned anyone getting vaccinated that they are little more than lab rats. but not everyone in the music industry sees it that way. so many other rock stars are going on the other side, for example, dave grohl and the foo fighters, they will not play a concert unless the people there can show proof of vaccination. i wish more artists were like them and would say get the vaccine, we need to stop this virus now while we can. concerns about side effects and testing contribute to vaccine hesitancy, but medical experts stress that even though some people experience mild to moderate symptoms after being vaccinated, the benefit of vaccination outweighs the risks for the vast majority of people. mark lobel, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor

hello. for those of you finding this current hot spell a little bit too much, there are some words which may please you. in the next few days we are going to see temperatures gradually starting to fall away a little bit, so turning cooler. there will be a few thunderstorms around but many, particularly north and west, will be dry, and it's here where the heat continues, certainly today. met office and extreme heat warning across northern ireland continues for one more day. lots of sunshine to come here today and temperatures up to around 29, maybe 30 degrees. if we get above 30 degrees it will be the seventh consecutive day we have done so. notice there is a bit of an east— west split. a bit cooler in eastern areas with some mist and low late in the day signs of proper change. breezy across the south, thunderstorms are starting to roll into the south—west, other parts of southern england, may be south wales as we go into tomorrow morning. temperatures for the most part stay in the mid teens, upper teens for some as we start tomorrow morning. this weekend the changes begin a bit more widely. the thundery downpours are still going to be mainly across parts of england and south wales,

all due to this area of low pressure pushing its way northwards, but high pressure still holds on across many northern and western areas, so it's going to stay dry, the best sunshine in northern ireland, western scotland, north—west england, bit more cloud, which could linger in eastern scotland and eastern parts of england. a lot more cloud generally across england and where is, thundery showers coming or going, some torrential downpours in places, across some southern parts, but equally here there will be some drier moments too. notice the temperatures, though, 21, 20 2 degrees. drop down on what we have seen today in northern ireland and western scotland, 26, but still pretty warm out there. as we go into the evening, showers and thunderstorms continue across parts of central and southern england and wales, and it is here where we will see them again on sunday, particularly towards the south—east and quarter. further north and west, still another day of sunny spells, may be the odd isolated shower. temperature starting to fall away, may be up to around 25, 26 in the north—west of scotland. most places, though, closer to where we should be.

and as we go into next week, as that area of low pressure pulls away we start to drag our winds more in from a northerly direction, so temperatures will drop even further. this is how monday looks, for instance. a greater chance of some downpours in scotland come across and eastern parts of england, the odd shower elsewhere. still largely dry in northern ireland but by this stage temperatures closer to where they should be for this time of the year. bye for now.

this is bbc news — with lucy hockings in tokyo and victoria derbyshire in london — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. after months of uncertainty and last—minute controversy, the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics takes place later today. i'm lucy hockings in tokyo — despite rising infection rates despite rising infection rates and protests on the streets, the opening ceremony is just two hours away. it's been a long road to get here for the organisers and of course for the athletes. we'll bring you all the coverage of a games like no other. here in the uk, thousands of workers in the food supply chain won't need to isolate if they're "pinged" by the nhs covid app. are you trying to run a service? do you consider yourself

to be a critical worker? are you