this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. fireworks light up the night sky in tokyo as the 2020 olympics finally get under way. it was a pared—back, covid—safe ceremony, but did it still manage to impress? i'll be talking live to a media analyst and sports agent. in the uk, there's confusion over government plans to exempt some key workers, like those in food depots, from covid self—isolation. and more than 100 people have died in western india in landslides and flooding triggered by torrential monsoon rains.

hello, welcome to bbc news in the uk and around the world. it is good to have your company. the delayed 2020 tokyo olympics are finally under way. it follows months of uncertainty and a build—up marred by protests and the resignations of seniorjapanese officials. the opening ceremony took place despite the japanese capital being under a state of emergency because of covid pandemic. the ceremony itself was watched by millions of people around the world on television. on saturday, 11 gold medals will be up for grabs in sports as diverse as archery and the prestigious men's road race in cycling, and the us women's football team face a crunch match after losing their first game. team gb are also in action. my colleague lucy hockings is in tokyo.

there wasn't exactly a party—like atmosphere in tokyo today. still a lot of fear and anxiety around the rising covid infection rates. and, of course, this is still a city in a state of emergency, with bars and restaurants shutting at 8pm and people being told to stay home and stay safe because of the pandemic. and the cost of these olympic games and the pandemic mean there have been a lot of protests. recent opinion polls still saying that over 55% of the japanese public didn't want these olympics to happen. and even as the olympic ceremony got under way, we could hear a small crowd of very vocal protesters outside the stadium chanting, saying, "stop the olympics. how can you call this a festival of peace?" so, you can see different emotions here in the japanese capital today. but nonetheless the ceremony happened. it started with fireworks. it was very stripped—down and simple in terms of the ceremony. there were less than 1000

foreign dignitaries there, not nearly the number of athletes that we would normally see in this stadium, but a message of hope that the olympics can be the light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic. a very sombre moment when they paid tribute to those that have died from covid—19 and those that have cared for people around the world during the pandemic. so, very much a nod throughout the ceremony to what the world is facing right now, the fragile place that the world is in. and as the games finally do kick off, the organisers will be hoping that our attention turns to what happens in the field of play and the sport, and they're still, of course, facing that massive challenge of keeping everyone connected to these games safe. these games have been a long time in the making. our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes is in tokyo

and has sent this report. for the uno family, it has been a long, anxious wait to get to this moment. the unos serious olympic fans. dad has spent over £3000 on olympic tickets, so you can imagine the mixed emotions they are feeling tonight. yes, we think about, you know, the kids. it's the very first time to hold their olympics injapan, so we were excited. "i am very disappointed," masato uno says. "if they were not going to have spectators, they should have postponed again until next year, then we could have welcomed people from abroad properly. chanting. those who think the whole show should've been scrapped long ago were out on the streets again this evening. cheering. but they were vastly outnumbered by the crowds that have turned out

to try and get a glimpse of the action. this was shinjuku park at lunchtime as japan's air force display team painted the olympic rings across the sky. the olympics is very... it's a once—in—a—lifetime kind of event, right? so, ijust wanted to have my kids have 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. for months, we've heard that japan doesn't want the games, that people are afraid. it didn't look like it tonight. the contrast between what's going on inside the olympic stadium tonight and what's going on outside in tokyo could not be more stark. because of covid, because of the state of emergency, the stadium seats are empty, and yet here we are right outside, tens of thousands of people gathered in public squares and public parks to try and glimpse a bit of the action. and if you go in the streets round

here, the restaurants are all full, life is going on as normal. there's some pretty strange logic going on here. translation: | am sure _ the government is taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus by separating the athletes - from the public, so i'm not worried. for some, these scenes show the ban on olympic spectators is unnecessary, but with covid cases in tokyo climbing rapidly, others will say this demonstrates exactly why the spectator ban is needed. so, was the opening ceremony an impressive spectacle or not? let's speak to the media analyst and sports agent with life—flip—media eric mitchell. it is so good having with us, not least because you have been watching ceremonies since los angeles in 1984. what did you make a friday's effort? it’s 1984. what did you make a friday's effort? �* , , , . , effort? it's true. the olympics are fun to watch _ effort? it's true. the olympics are fun to watch and _ effort? it's true. the olympics are fun to watch and we _ effort? it's true. the olympics are fun to watch and we always - effort? it's true. the olympics are fun to watch and we always look i fun to watch and we always look forward to the opening ceremonies and closing ceremonies. i think we

are all excited to finally see the olympics of 20/20 start with so much drama and politicking going behind it. it was good to see all of the countries come together and celebrate. i think one of the things it touched me the most was taking a moment to think of all of those globally that we lost due to covid—19 and we are still losing and the first responders. that was a very touching moment because i think everyone around the globe, we all focus on our country singularly and just see it as a worldwide stage, all of these athletes and all of us take a moment and we are notjust americans, notjust brits and what we are humans on earth, it was good to see. and i really loved the olympics and it's great to see everything get started. it olympics and it's great to see everything get started.- olympics and it's great to see everything get started. if you are humans then _ everything get started. if you are humans then perhaps _ everything get started. if you are humans then perhaps normally i everything get started. if you are| humans then perhaps normally at everything get started. if you are - humans then perhaps normally at an event of this kind but pretty sedately or that kind of made up for it with some of the innovations. it it with some of the innovations. it was amazing to see the drones at the end. it wasjust mind blowing. japan had a long time to prep, had an

extra year, and they knocked it out of the ballpark. i was very impressed. it was great to see, and it is not the outfits but i believe it is not the outfits but i believe it is not the outfits but i believe it is the kingdom of tonga and the flag bearer who came out wearing more oil than it is in saudi arabia today. he has been trending all over twitter and it has been fun and took a lot of the distraction of the bad news out of today will be looking at the athletes. i know team usa, the team from the uk, everybody is ready to get going in with a big race to margaret after the tour de france got finished, i'm sure there are so excited to get back on their bikes. i think they are. i said earlier during a domestic sequence on this network that i think 350 of the 376 team gb athletes chose not to be there and i'm think that was true of the other nationalities as well because of their concerns about covid—19 and he just cannot get away from it, can you? at least a ceremony acknowledged that. find from it, can you? at least a ceremony acknowledged that. and that is wh it was ceremony acknowledged that. and that

is why it was important _ ceremony acknowledged that. and that is why it was important to _ is why it was important to acknowledge. you do see some countries that have started to recover or claiming to recover. it is good to see that we still have that and remember i do the protesters outside have their opinions, but these athletes are going to go back to their countries when they are done. so these safety standards are to protect all of us because we want to be able to move ahead from this, not continue to have the cycle that seems to be going on. so it was good to see those protocols into the countries still having fun, still coming out, going to the ceremonies and we are getting used to it. i know a lot of us say we just watch euros 2020 if few tour weeks ago and it was really great to see crowds and fans in the stands. you guys never want to talking about exec because you guys were rocking willie stadium, but it is a little different but we are going to get it and have a competition and remember this is about the athletes. we are just as spectators. these folks a transfer may be a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity to win a gold medal for the country. eric opportunity to win a gold medal for the country-— the country. eric mitchell, now becomes all— the country. eric mitchell, now becomes all about _ the country. eric mitchell, now becomes all about them - the country. eric mitchell, now becomes all about them and l the country. eric mitchell, now| becomes all about them and no the country. eric mitchell, now - becomes all about them and no longer about the opening ceremony. eric

mitchell, for your organisation there, thank you so much forjoining us today from portland in the us. good to talk to you. with supporters from around the world not allowed to attend these games, many have had to settle for watching from fanzones in their countries. in the indian capital, delhi, the indian sports minister and his deputy invited former athletes and children from several of the city's sports clubs to watch the live event and cheer for their country's team. in the french capital, paris, people gathered in the trocadero gardens to watch the opening ceremony. the square has been turned into an open—air fanzone with a large screen that will show the competition for the next four weeks, olympics followed by paralympics. across the channel in sunny london, which hosted the games in 2012, a zone near the olympic stadium has been set up complete with deck chairs and entertainment for spectators, including one former two—time olympic medallist fatima whitbread.

and in the us capital, washington, in spite of the 13—hour difference with japan, bars opened in the early morning for eager fans to watch the games kick off before some headed off to work. hopefully not too bleary—eyed. there's confusion and growing criticism over the uk government's plans to allow some key workers in england, from transport workers and police to those controlling the power network, to take daily covid tests instead of self—isolating. business leaders says the scheme needs to be significantly expanded within days to tackle staff shortages, but there's still uncertainty about how that mass testing will be carried out. our economics correspondent dharshini david reports. from the outside, not much to tempt the taste buds, but supermarket depots keep us all fed. they're taking on a new order, acting as testing centres to allow

staff at risk of infection to keep working. it comes as over a million people across the country isolate, meaning some gaps on shop shelves and even closures. it's great that depot workers and food manufacturers will be exempt from government rules, but it is borderline pointless if you're not going to make all of the chain exempt. we need food store workers to be omitted from the list immediately. and tonight, it's emerged that those first testing sites won't be ready until monday despite earlier government assurances, raising questions about plans for expansion. supermarkets see this as a step forward, but not the solution. the 10,000 workers involved in manufacturing and distribution who could be exempt are just a fraction of the 4 million involved in bringing ourfood from farm to plate. the government argues that you relax restrictions too much, you could see infection rates

soaring, but some businesses are concerned they could be overlooked. this wholesaler in burnley is already pulling out all the stops to supply care homes and schools. they don't know if or how the scheme can help them. something is happening, but is it going to be apparent for us? we're not sure. and if it does become apparent, we have to e—mail defra with every individual case. how long is that going to take? is that a 24—hour turnaround? is it a two—day turnaround? we've already lost a couple of days for that person getting the pcr test. so, we just don't know. over at the ports, they're getting to grips with an alternative scheme designed for a few other critical industries, similar to one unveiled in scotland today, where they have to apply for exemption for selected named vaccinated staff. we have to go through this highly | bureaucratic process of supplyingj lists of individual names as well as functions, - whereas the supermarket supply sectorjust seemsl

to have a blanket exemption. for us, it seems unfair that there's one rule for one sector— and another rule for another. railway signalling staff will be exempt, but drivers may not be, so there could be more train cancellations to come. increasingly, businesses are asking why the date for scrapping isolation rules, just three weeks away, can't be brought forward? once again, this pandemic means balancing public health with our social and economic well—being, and everything has a cost. dharshini david, bbc news. there's been a fall in the number of new covid cases in the uk for the third day in a row. the latest government figures show 36,389 new infections in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average of 44,249 new cases per day in the last week.

just over 5000 people are now in hospital with coronavirus, figures not seen since the end of march. and 64 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. nearly 46.5 million people have now had theirfirstjab. that's 88.2% of the adult population. and more than 36.7 million people are now fully vaccinated, almost 70% of all uk adults. the british medical association has criticised changes to the self—isolation rules and warned that exempting health care staff is potentially unsafe. the head of the newly—formed uk health security agency, jenny harries, said the nhs covid app was essential and it was inevitable that a large number of people would be asked to isolate, given the steep rise in cases. here's our health editor hugh pym. covid case surges in some communities are now putting increasing strain on local hospitals.

in liverpool, patient numbers have increased sharply. some non—urgent operations are being cancelled to free up beds, with staff moved to support colleagues in critical care. this wave is different. the people we're seeing are younger, and that's really very distressing for our staff. i think sometimes, people think because they're young, that covid can't affect them, it can't damage them. that's absolutely not the case. it can affect everybody. health leaders argue that with the risk of a further spread of infections, self—isolation is essential when required, and they've defended the nhs covid app. the pinging, the ping—demic, is because we have a pandemic. we know that you're five times more likely to become a case yourself if you've been a close contact, and this is the way that we can stop transmission occurring through the country. so, this is not an inconvenience — it is actually an essential intervention for all of us. the office for national statistics' infection survey suggests there were just over 830,000 people

in the uk who had the virus last week — up 27.5%, though a slower rate of increase than in the previous two weeks. in england, it was one in 75 with the virus. in wales, one in 210. and northern ireland, one in 170 people. in all three of which, there were increases. but in scotland, with one in 180, the trend was said to be "uncertain". if ijust take your temperature... luke had opted not to have the vaccine. he tested positive for covid and needed hospital treatment. he thinks he caught the virus when watching euros football in the pub with friends. a lot of people in there had to self—isolate, but i'm the only one that i know of that's got it and got it quite bad. so, i'm the unlucky, one of the unlucky few, but you've got to sort of re—evaluate, you know, your options and, you know, get the jab. health officials confirm

the gathering of fans for the euros in england could well have fuelled higher case rates, with more men than women testing positive and behaviour away from the matches being a key factor. for example, long—distance travelling in a coach, or the socialising, you know, drinks and close social contact around the event. but, yes, we have seen a little bit of a spike in cases, which would fit with the timeframe from some of those events. as to what happens next, a lot will depend on how much people mix with others, following the lifting of legal restrictions in england. quarantine—free travel between australia and new zealand will be paused for at least eight weeks from today. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, called off the arrangement, which began in april, as the number of australian infections continues to rise. half of australia's population is now living in lockdown. fewer than 12% of adults are fully vaccinated.

stay with us on bbc news. still to come, we'll meet one of the oldest debutants debutants in the new olympic sport of skateboarding. coming down the ladder now. that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in| sperm quantity, and an increase in malfunctioning sperm unable to swim pmperly. _

thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc news. the latest headlines — the opening ceremony of the tokyo olympics has taken place in a largely empty stadium, but the man in charge has described this as a day of hope. in the uk, there's confusion over government plans to exempt some key workers, like those in food depots, from covid self—isolation. in western india, more than 100 people have been killed after torrential monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding in the state of maharashtra. officials say dozens of bodies have been recovered from a landslide in the district of raigad, with more feared trapped.

hundreds of villages and towns are without electricity and drinking water. our correspondent sarah campbell reports. whole areas of the state of maharashtra are underwater, the result of torrential rain triggering devastating landslides. battling fast—flowing currents and submerged dangers, the country's national disaster response force. 32 houses have collapsed in the landslide because of the rain, and the rescue operation is there going on and relief is there. as per their latest report, we have recovered 32 bodies, and some more are said to be trapped there. residents are now counting the cost of their losses. their homes and possessions lost or destroyed. translation: i had three vehicles. all of them got submerged in the floodwater. they are all damaged. the furniture in my house and outside also got damaged. this is monsoon season, but the rain has been too much for many areas to cope with.

it's thought more than half a metre of rain fell in parts of india's west coast in just 24 hours. the authorities were forced to evacuate people from low—lying areas as water was released from dams which were threatening to overflow. translation: if the water'sj released from the dam today and the rainfall continue, - floodwater could enter our homes. and the situation is set to worsen. india's meteorological department has issued red alerts, indicating the torrential rainfall is expected to continue. sarah campbell, bbc news. the funeral has taken place in haiti of the late presidentjovenel moise, who was assassinated two weeks ago, at one point, protesters could be heard outside as mourners and foreign dignatories gathered at the moise family compound. an advisor to president biden

was among those who gathered amidst heavy security at cap—haitien. the assassination has plunged haiti into political turmoil. it is not known who ordered the killing, but the united states has offered help with the investigation. a new prime minister was sworn in on tuesday. he's expected to oversee elections for a new president in september. the major league baseball team in cleveland, ohio is changing its name from the indians to the guardians after criticism that the old term was disparaging towards native americans. the new name is a reference to the famous statues that "guard traffic" on one of the city's bridges. several local indigenous leaders have praised the move. back now to our top story, as the olympics begins its first full day in tokyo. one new sport for this games is skateboarding. there are two disciplines, park and street, and one of the oldest debutantes will be the american alexis sablone. at 34 years old, this street skater is a role model for many of the younger competitors. she's been talking to the bbc. music.

when i started skating, i felt like it wasn't cool, you know? it was, like, punks and kids that didn't fit in. and the olympics does feel like this point of no return. and maybe it's already reached that, but skateboarding will dramatically different. it gives it this different kind of status. you know, when i was ten in, like, the mid—�*90s in a small town in connecticut, i was only one in my town that even skateboarded. if you saw someone with certain shoes on, you knew for a fact that was a skateboarder. and it was exciting to see another one because it felt, like, rare. i think it's kind of fitting. i get one shot. it's going to be the first time for skateboarding, and i've seen it change so much and it doesn't get much bigger than this, you know? i make sculptures, and i have a studio space. and i made, like, a large—scale skateable sculpture in malmo in sweden. it's in a public square, and it's open to the skaters for them to use, but it can be shared by, you know, all different user groups. skateboarding's always going to be a part of my life in one way or another.

even when you're old, it makes you feel young. it's just so nostalgic. it's, like, this is the same thing i've been doing since i was ten years old. i can't imagine my life without it because it's just so woven in there. for women in skateboarding, i think it's been, like, a really positive thing. i think it's given way more visibility. there's going to be a world stage, and there's going be men and women on it with skateboards. suddenly everyone started to care more. we can't be ignored now. music. competition — it's, like, when i win, ifeel great, and when i lose, i don't, you know? and i say, "why am i doing this to myself?" but you know, i do it all over again because there must be some part of me that really wants that. and let's leave you with some of these pictures from tokyo, where fireworks lit up the night sky as the olympics finally got underway.

you are watching bbc world news. hello. after another fairly warm and mostly dry day on friday, things are now changing with the weather. we've got some heavy showers and some thunderstorms moving their way in from the south—west, and through the course of the weekend, it's going to turn cooler and fresher with some downpours for some places, particularly towards the south. that's down to the fact that this area of low pressure is pushing its way in, and that's going to generate some really heavy downpours at times, some showers, some thunderstorms as well. and if you do catch some of those thunderstorms, they could bring some disruption to travel, particularly across parts of southern england and south wales. there is a risk of some localised flooding. so, as we head through saturday morning, then, initially the heaviest of the downpours will be close to the south coast, and they'll slowly work their way northwards across the southern half of england and wales as we head through the day. some of them bringing some

thunderstorms, some hail and some gusty winds mixed in with some of those heavy showers. further north across the uk, most places staying dry with some warm sunshine. temperatures around 26, possibly 27 degrees in the warmest spots towards the north west. we've got more cloud just looking around those eastern coasts of scotland and north east england as well. into saturday evening, we keep that threat of heavy showers and thunderstorms going on across some southern and south—eastern parts of england. they should ease a little bit overnight. many places starting sunday morning on a dry note, and temperatures a little bit fresher overnight than they've been recently, between about 12 to perhaps 16 degrees or so. now, through the second half of the weekend, then, low pressure still not far away. it's just starting to drift its way a little bit further eastwards, so that's going to bring another day of fairly heavy showers and thunderstorms. but i think the focus of most of them during sunday will be across southern and south—eastern parts of england, perhaps one or two into south wales, too. but for the rest of the uk, once again some dry and some warm weather with fairly light winds and long spells of sunshine. temperatures down a notch on recent days, so by the time we get to sunday, highs typically around

20—24 degrees for most of us. again, watch out for localised flooding with the torrential hit—and—miss heavy showers. into monday, and another day of a few showers around across southern parts of england and wales, and if you do catch one, it could be heavy and thundery as well. but i think much of the uk seeing again some spells of sunshine and largely dry conditions, with temperatures about 22—24 degrees on monday. into the working week, it does remain pretty unsettled. more showers in the outlook, as you can see, but turning a little bit drier further south across the uk. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the delayed 2020 tokyo olympics have got under way with a modest opening ceremony, reflecting the impact of the pandemic. the stadium was almost empty and the show included a moment of silence to honour covid victims. japanese tennis star naomi osaka lit the olympic cauldron — marking the official start of the 32nd olympiad. the head of the international olympic committee thanked the japanese people and described the occasion as a day of hope. more than a hundred people have died in western india, after monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding. many low—lying areas in india's maha—rashtra state have been completely submerged. there's confusion and growing criticism over the uk government's plans to allow some key workers in england to take daily covid tests instead of self—isolating.