tonight at ten: after months of travel restrictions, many families and friends have finally been reunited today. sobbing from now on, people fully vaccinated in the us or in most of the eu no longer have to self—isolate. i really didn't think it was possible to come home until i actually set foot off the plane. you know, i just... i didn't think it was going to happen. today the nhs covid app in england and wales was tweaked so that fewer contacts will be told to self—isolate. we'll have more on that and the change in rules for entry to the uk, which happened in the early hours of this morning. also tonight... the olympic sprinter from belarus, who took refuge at the polish embassy in tokyo,

is granted a humanitarian visa. bring it home for us, oliver. yes! at the games, the first gold medal in team eventing for great britain since 1972. and, a special welcome for team gb�*s swimmers — they return home after their most successful games ever. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel: history made as emily campbell becomes the first british woman to win an olympic medal in weightlifting. good evening. after months of being separated by the covid restrictions on international travel, many families and friends have finally been able to meet and embrace today after the rules for entry to the uk changed in the early hours of this morning.

the change means that people who've been fully vaccinated in the united states or in the european union no longer have to quarantine for ten days if they arrive from a country on the amber list. but stricter rules still apply for those travelling from france. but people still have to take a covid test before setting off for the uk and then a pcr test within two days of arrival. there were fears in some quarters of a so—called "amber watchlist", identifying those countries at risk of being moved to a stricter list, but those plans have now been abandoned by the uk government. many conservative mps and travel industry leaders had been warning it could cause even more damage. our transport correspondent caroline davis has the latest. through the dark and the difficulty of the last few months, they've waited for this. as soon as we got off the aeroplane we got so excited. even the little ones were shouting, "london, london."

we've onlyjust literally walked in a few minutes ago but when we get home and see everybody, yeah, it will sink in. as soon as the quarantine rules changed last week, naomi booked herflights from california to see her parents. taking a message from her children... we love you. mwah. we love you. i really miss you guys. ..on one of the first flights to land in the uk since the rules changed, while her parents wait nervously. i couldn't sleep, - i think i saw every hour. i think i did get sleep - in between but it wasjust... yeah, i'm too excited. they've not seen each other since december 2019. i really didn't think it was possible to come home until i actually set foot off the plane. oh, my god. i've left my husband and two kids at home and it pains me to have left them behind, but grateful that they gave me the opportunity to come.

it's all very emotional. i love you, dad, i love you. love you, mate. there are a lot of excited and quite frankly, relieved reunions at the airport today. but for many people who have loved ones not in the us or in europe, there's still some disappointment that they're not included. gopi krishnan hasn't seen his 13—year—old daughter in the uk since last october. he's double jabbed but with the vaccine the uk hasn't approved and lives in the uae, which is currently on the uk's red list. you were given this vaccine at that time, there was no choice at all, so you take whatever is given to you. yes, it's unfair, it's pretty stressful, to be honest. i'm just wondering if there is a new way, you know, that i can meet her in the next six months, nine months or a year. the travel industry want the government to go further. we'd like to see other amber countries opened up for people who have been doubly vaccinated. we'd also like to see the cost of testing brought down.

a simple way to do that would be to replace the pcr test that everyone has to take post—arrival with a simple lamp or lateral flow test, which is much cheaper. the list of countries that are rated green, amber and red is due to be updated this week. this evening in a move welcomed by the travel industry, government sources confirmed that the idea of an amber watch list containing countries that were considered to be at risk of turning from amber to red had been scrapped. earlier, the prime minister said travel rules must be clear and manage the risk to public health. we've had to balance it because of the anxiety a lot of people have, that i have about importing new variants, bringing back the disease. but we also have to recognise that people want badly to go on their summer holidays, we have to get the travel industry moving again, we need to get our city centres open again and so we want an approach that is as simple as we can possibly make it. there are still many families waiting to meet again around the world. but for some, today,

for the first time in a long time, they felt in arm's reach. caroline davies, bbc news. the number of new coronavirus cases has fallen slightly. the latest government figures show there were 21,952 new cases, in the latest 24—hour period — last monday there were almost 25,000. there have been an average of 26,364 new cases per day in the past seven days. 2a deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours, that's an average of 76 deaths a day in the past week. the number of people in hospital with covid has levelled off atjust under 6,000. more than 88% of uk adults have now had their firstjab and nearly 73% are now fully vaccinated. our health correspondent jim reed is here. can jim reed is here. we talk about reliability of statistics can we talk about reliability of statistics and given the latest ones

we have had, which have piqued your interest, what should we read into them? a, .., ., , them? more encouraging news about them? more encouraging news about the direction — them? more encouraging news about the direction of _ them? more encouraging news about the direction of this _ them? more encouraging news about the direction of this pandemic. - them? more encouraging news about the direction of this pandemic. a - the direction of this pandemic. a couple of weeks ago, july the 19th, there was a significant relaxation of the rules and england, it included things like allowing nightclubs to reopen again. in some other countries, that kind of action led to a spike in the infection rate. in england, two weeks on, we're not seeing it here in those daily figures. a reduction in infections compared with last week. one scientist spoke to earlier set if we were going to see a problem linked to that reopening, we would begin to see it now. the fact we are not, is quite important. we are seeing hospital admissions plateauing and they are falling in england. still early to say, behaviour can change, but all the data is pointing in a positive

direction. i data is pointing in a positive direction-— data is pointing in a positive direction. ., ., ., ., direction. i want to ask about the covid app. _ direction. i want to ask about the covid app. it _ direction. i want to ask about the covid app, it being _ direction. i want to ask about the covid app, it being tweaked to i direction. i want to ask about the i covid app, it being tweaked to make it less sensitive? this covid app, it being tweaked to make it less sensitive?— it less sensitive? this is a specific — it less sensitive? this is a specific group _ it less sensitive? this is a specific group of - it less sensitive? this is a specific group of users, . specific group of users, not everyone. those people who test positive and then go on to say they don't have any symptoms, no fever or cough, for example. it is a technical change and it cuts the number of days that app calculates that person might be infectious. the government says as a result fewer contacts might have to self—isolate. it does apply to england and wales, there is a different app for northern ireland and scotland. thank ou. news northern ireland and scotland. thank yom news from _ northern ireland and scotland. thank you. news from the _ northern ireland and scotland. thank you. news from the olympics. - krystsina tsimanouskaya, a 24—year—old spinter from belarus, has refused to fly home early from the olympics injapan and she's now been granted a humanitarian visa by poland.

she had sought refuge in the polish embassy in tokyo after reports that she'd been ordered to return home. her apparent offence was criticising her coaches on social media after they'd entered herfor a race she had not been expecting to run. our correspondent rupert wingfield hayes reports. this was the moment earlier this evening when krystsina tsimanouskaya stepped onto polish soil. safe from the belarusian officials she says were forcing her to leave tokyo against her will. ms tsimanouskaya was spotted at tokyo's hamada airport, about to board a flight to istanbul. but it's very clear she didn't want to go. the belarusian team says that claim is nonsense, that she was being sent home because of her emotional and psychological state. but the polish government has

decided to believe her story and to offer refuge. what's going on here in tokyo has very much the whiff of history about it because back in the days of the cold war, olympic defections were a regular event. the last one i could find was in los angeles in 1984. now we have someone defecting from belarus, a country that's been described as the last dictatorship in europe and she's going to poland, a country that was once part of the soviet bloc and is now very much the opposite. last year, belarus was rocked by huge protests demanding an end to the 27—year rule of alexander lukashenko. poland was a vocal supporter of these protests and it's clear today's offer of refuge to ms tsimanouskaya fits in with warsaw's support for the opposition. every person who cannot return to belarus for political reasons and wants to come to poland can count on our support, the deputy foreign minister says. ms tsimanouskaya is under the care of the polish state.

she wants to come to poland. we will grant her all support. back injapan and there is relief this drama has been resolved so quickly. but with six more days till the olympics close, tokyo must be a little worried that other athletes could be tempted to follow ms tsimanouskaya's lead. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news in tokyo. team gb have won their eleventh gold medal of the games, with victory in the team eventing at the tokyo equestrian centre. all three british riders were making their olympic debuts and it's the first british team victory in eventing since 1972. our sports correspondent natalie pirks has more details. for decades, britain has been the team eventing bridesmaid, with a succession of silver and bronze. in tokyo, they finally struck gold. it's the most comprehensive test of horse and rider. good positioning.

these equine triathletes demonstrated finesse in the dressage... picture—perfect so far. ..proved their endurance in the cross country... and through the finish, he comes. ..and, with a commanding lead built, were now looking to be faultless in the showjumping. just one to jump. tom mcewen with a clear round to get the party started. not a foot wrong. eight years ago, laura collett suffered an horrific fall and was in an induced coma, losing sight in one eye. she was giving it everything to become the olympic champion here. and with only one fence down, it left the best event rider in the world, oliver townend, with thejob... now bring it home for us, oliver. ..ofjust getting round without drama. yes! 49 years, great britain have waited for their eventing gold medal! - unreal! it's still not sunk in, but there'll be a big celebration, and i don't think it'll be with a cup of tea and a biscuit! laughter. that's it, then, a gold for great britain — the first time in this

event since 1972. but there's no rest for these riders, they've got to go again in the individual event now, and there could be more medals. eventing was originally a cavalry test for officers' charges. with military precision, tom mcewen and horse toledo de kerserjumped all obstacles to perfection. it's oliver townend. only two riders could now deny him gold. one was his team—mate. but oliver townend's individual hopes were dashed by fence two. 0h! a majestic final round from julia krajewski, of germany, saw her become the first woman to ever win eventing individual gold, but mcewen's silver capped an eventful night for britain. i think it's the same with all of us, sort of, we've put in many, many hours from children to where we are now and, actually, it's all paying off, all the work we've put in. gold and silver tonight, then. that's four medals already for britain's riders. how's that for horse power? natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo.

history has been made at the games as 43 year—old laurel hubbard, who was born biologically male and came out as a trans woman in her 30s, represented new zealand in the women's super—heavyweight weightlifting competition. hubbard's participation is viewed by some as a landmark moment for inclusivity, but others argue she has an unfair physical advantage, as our sports editor dan roan reports. it was an appearance that made olympic history — laurel hubbard today becoming the first openly transgender athlete at the games to compete in a different gender category to that which they were born. having lived as a man for more than three decades, and being a promising junior weightlifter, the new zealander transitioned eight years ago. her selection for tokyo was hugely controversial, but she also had backing. when a person is selected into the team, from our point of view, our culture and our team culture is very much about respecting, about making sure that people are treated well,

that they're safe and that they're able to perform to the very best of their ability. but hubbard's much—anticipated appearance was short—lived. .. that's a shame. a disappointing opening attempt. ..failing to record a successful lift in the women's super heavyweight category. i think i was just overwhelmed by the excitement of being on the olympic platform. it's such a truly special place, i think i might have just overcooked it slightly tonight. i'm not sure it's possible for any person to really block out everything that's happening in the world, but you just do what you can and get on with it _ laurel hubbard may not have won a medal here today, but this was still a major milestone for trans athletes, and regardless of her performance, she will remain at the very centre of one of the most divisive issues in sport — one that is forcing it to confront the tension between inclusivity and fairness. hubbard qualified after the ioc changed its rules to allow women to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain

threshold, but critics claim that's unfair and say today sets a precedent that could harm women's sport. i'm not seeking to demonise hubbard. she is there within the rules. however, the science available now shows that male—born athletes, despite transition treatment, retain significant amounts of the male physical advantage which male puberty gives you. the science is fiercely debated, however, and one of those who helped shape the ioc�*s current transgender policy believes the threat to women's sport has been overstated. trans people are only one sixth as likely as cisgender people to go up for organised sports. the idea that this very repressed minority of less than 1% is going to take over women's sports is ludicrous. meanwhile, as the competition continued without hubbard in tokyo, emily campbell became the first female weightlifter to win

an olympic medalfor britain, lifting a total of 283 kilograms to claim silver. i'm just very grateful, i'm very thankful right now, you know. ijust wanted to prove to everybody that, you know, if you work hard and, you know, you work hard for what you want, that you can achieve it. and i hope every little boy and girl is watching me today and wants to, you know, go out and achieve their dream. emily campbell! rarely has weightlifting received such attention. this a historic day for the sport, in more ways than one. dan roan, bbc news, tokyo. let's take a look at the medal table after ten days of competiton in tokyo. china are top with 29 gold medals, the us is second, with japan, the host nation, third. team gb are currently in sixth place with 11 gold medals, 12 silver and 12 bronze, making a total of 35 medals so far. south wales police have named a five—year—old boy found dead in the river ogmore on saturday as logan mwangi from bridgend.

he was also known as logan williamson. a man and a woman in their 30s and a 13—year—old boy are being questioned on suspicion of murder. the police said they were "not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident". the latest research from the university of glasgow on the risks of football players developing dementia has found that those who play in defence and tend to head the ball most often are five times more likely than the general population to develop a neuro—degenerative disease. leading scientists say footballs should carry health warnings when they are sold, as our health editor hugh pym reports. how safe is heading? questions and concerns are growing. a new study funded by the football authorities in england has highlighted risks linked to head injuries. the research team was led by professor willie stewart, a brain expert interviewed in a bbc documentary by alan shearer.

three recent cases of dementia... he argues that the game has to change. football has to consider can the game of football be played without head impact, without heading? even in some level, may be at amateur and youth level, can we think of a game without heading? he even argues that footballs on sale should carry a health warning about the risks of repeated heading. so what are the main findings the research? well the studies suggest that former professional footballers have a 3.5 times greater risk of developing brain disorders like dementia than the population as a whole. for defenders, who tend to head the ball most often, it's a five times greater risk. but for goalkeepers, who rarely head the ball, the risk is broadly similar to the general population. jeff astle, who played for west brom and england died nearly 20 years ago. a coroner ruled he had a brain condition linked to heading. his daughter dawn has campaigned

for greater recognition of the dangers and she welcomed the new study. football, you know, to millions and millions of people around the world, including me, is a much loved sport. but for my dad and all these other professionals, it wasjust theirjob and they should be afforded the same protection from known risks as anybody else in any otherjob. the football association said new guidelines limiting heading in training in england would take effect soon. heading for youth teams has already been restricted in each of the uk's nations. but the new report may well fuel demands for further action. hugh pym, bbc news. as parliament at westminster starts its summer break, it's a chance for mps of all parties to take the temperature in their constituencies. for the conservatives, who've focused so much on their gains in the north of england and parts of the midlands, there are questions about the impact it's had on their traditional

strongholds in the south. with big policy decisions looming as the country looks beyond the pandemic, our correspondent alex forsyth considers whether the party can keep its promise to deliver an economic recovery that works for all. the landscape may be green but politically this area is mostly blue. surrey is the heart of the home counties, traditional tory turf, though some have turned away from the party. lifelong conservative voter liz recentlyjoined the lib dems. she had wanted to stay in the eu but says she did accept brexit, just not the way borisjohnson handled it. i appreciated the fact that he had to get brexit done, but it's the way he went about it, the proroguing of parliament and i think he just sledgehammered it through at all costs. brexit caused ripples across the political system, creating new dividing lines and shifting allegiances.

this former chancellor, who was once ousted from his party for his views on brexit, says the government's approach would have attracted some but alienated others. once a surrey mp, he thinks it's part of a wider challenge for tories in the south. when you couple that with some of the issues that there are around planning reforms, the narrative of the government around supporting the north, the levelling up agenda, which is making some people in the south quite nervous about what that means for them, i do think there is a confluence of issues here which could be quite dangerous for the party. it needs to tread carefully. borisjohnson's party has had an undeniable success at the ballot box, but there have been some losses — in local elections here and a by—election in buckinghamshire. some do blame controversial changes expected for planning and development rules. for others there are nerves about the political focus on the midlands and north, even though borisjohnson has recently promised the south won't miss out.

at this farmer's market in guildford though, that didn't seem an issue. i have been conservative for a long time and i think they've done a wonderfuljob actually. there has been a big north—south divide and i think if we can even that up a bit, it's all for the good. with the economy opening after the hit of the pandemic, the government has promised to help the whole country recover. paul, an events organiser who recentlyjoined the tories, thinks nerves about support in the south are overblown. he is confident about the party's future. i actually support boris as a character and we need someone who is prepared to get on with it, make decisions, not worry too much about upsetting the odd person but stick to their guns. yes, people might vote for other parties in local elections but when it comes to national election time, they will vote for the party that they are with, which i don't think will affect the conservative majority to any great extent. it is too early to say whether there is a meaningful shift in this political landscape.

julie, once a surrey county councillor who lost her seat in elections in may, has already felt the consequences. she blames local development plans but has a wider warning for her party. you have to balance across the piece for everybody and not be complacent and take your core voter for granted, which i think is what people are feeling down here. the tory pitch to the public has so far proved a recipe for electoral success. with big policy choices looming after the summer, the message from some here is simply tread carefully. alex forsyth, bbc news, surrey. more on the olympics, and team gb�*s swimming squad have returned home after their most successful games ever. they've brought back a record haul of eight medals and were reunited with their families at heathrow airport this evening, as eleanor roper reports. this is the most successful swimming

team in british olympic history. today returning to london heathrow, their bags a little heavier than when they left. adam peaty reunited with his son george as he looks to take a well—earned break from the pool. probably three months, three months at least, which is a very, very long time in terms of sport and and swimming especially, because you lose a feel for the water after, like, three days. so, sport is one of those ones where it's a 365—24—7, so the amount of pressure firstly, but also the amount ofjust... ..the kind of self—talk, you know? if you do one thing wrong, is that going to affect your whole day? so, the mental kind of well—being is more important than ever. adam peaty is the double olympic champion! fantastic... belief — that's what peaty credits for this british brilliance in the pool. their eight medals a long way from the disappointment of london 2012. the home games saw the team missed its medal target, its funding then slashed. tom dean wasn't around for that, though. tokyo his first games,

and he leaves with two gold medals around his neck. it's amazing. to see them all here finally, to be able to hug everyone, | and it was so tough not having them there. - i mean, when i was on the podium, i got really emotional cos _ l i couldn't look up into the crowd . and see my mum like i normally do. so, having this homecoming isjust so, so special. - elsewhere, and duncan scott became the first briton to win four medals at one olympics. there were golds for the mixed medley relay and the men's freestyle relay. with the stresses of travel and quarantine now behind them, they're all off for a well—earned rest, or, from what we've seen of tom dean's family, probably a big party. eleanor roper, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. fairly quiet on the weather front out there right now, and tuesday is going to bring more of the same, sunny spells and scattered showers. we can see some scattered showers in

one or two spots across the country early in the morning. it's also going to be quite fresh underneath the clearing skies. in fact, in some spots in britain, it could be as low as 5 degrees in the countryside, but for most of us, it's a ramp 10—12. so, lots and you can see some scattered showers in one or two spots across the country early in the morning. it's also going to be quite fresh underneath the clearing skies. in fact, in some spots in northern britain, it could be as low as five degrees in the countryside, but for most of us, it's around 10—12. so, lots of sunshine right from the word go, but watch the showers form across the south, parts of the midlands, lincolnshire, there could be one or two also across scotland. but generally speaking, there is going to be a lot of fine weather. however, if you do catch the shower, it will be very heavy and possibly thundery. i think the heavier ones will be a little bit further south across the uk. temperatures up to 21 degrees, and the following few days won't bring much change. in fact, if anything, wednesday into thursday, the weather's going to turn even more unsettled.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the requirement for people to quarantine if they are arriving in the uk from the us and most of the european union has been lifted. but strict rules will still apply for those who've been in france and several other countries. the belarusian olympic athlete kristina tsimanouskaya has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland. she sought help from police at tokyo airport on saturday as belarusian officials tried to force her onto a plane home, after she criticised the team's coaches on social media. wildfires in turkey have killed eight people and destroyed large swathes of forest in the southwest. the european union has sent assistance and several other countries have sent fire—fighting aircraft to help. the afghan president has blamed the abrupt withdrawal of us troops for the deteriorating security situation. it's as a taliban offensive threatens three cities.