today at six, it's been another rewarding day for team gb at the olympic games injapan. right on the line. great britain win the medal race and with it the gold medal. there were two golds and a silver in sailing. britain is sixth overall in the medal table. and in cycling, jason kenny won his eighth medal, to match the all—time record for british olympians. you do your first olympics, and i think you just catch up in the momentum, and to repeat it and then

having to do it again and again, itjust gets... and again, itjust gets harder, to be fair. and a remarkable comeback for the best us gymnast of all time. simone biles takes bronze, despite her struggle with mental health. we'll have all the day's news from tokyo, with just five days of competition left. also today. in scotland, the first minister confirms that almost all remaining covid restrictions willl end from next monday. the olympic sprinter from belarus tells the bbc why she's scared to return home, and the fears for her family's safety. and we talk to britain's youngest—ever summer olympian, on the eve of her quest for gold. and coming up on the bbc news channel, a stunning silver for keely hogkinson. the 800 metre runner breaks a long—standing british record in team gb�*s first medal on the track.

good evening. we start with yet another outstanding day for team gb, at the olympic games injapan. sailing brought in two gold medals and a silver, the cyclists settled for silver in both the women's team pursuit and the men's team sprint, but that outcome means that jason kenny has now matched the record of the great sir bradley wiggins, as the most decorated british olympian of all time. there were other medal—winning performances during the day, as our correspondent natalie pirks reports from tokyo. nautical perfection, sailing dominance. britain were riding the crest of a wave. dylan fletcher and stuart bithell were in a great place in the men's 49er and just needed to beat the germans in their final race. they literally put it all on the line.

right on the line, great britain. with it, the gold medal in tokyo 2020. but not to be outdone, giles scott was doing in the finn class where britain is superb. they have won gold at the last five games. but with just seconds remaining, scott was cutting it fine. and giles scott holds on to the gold medal, in the dying moments of that race. talk about skin of your teeth! a quick plunge to celebrate, as back home there was delight. cheering. she never ever watches his racing, and so for her to put herself through that is awesome. so we can onlyjust say "thank you, giles" for delivering in the end. although as he said to us, at least she didn't have a heart attack. and silver in the nacra 17 topped off a wonderful day for britain's sailors. three britons in this final. it had been 41 years since that last happened, but here werejemma reekie, alex bell and keely hodgkinson

right in the mix. and it's great britain, second and third, hodgkinson now striding towards silver, athing mu away and clear to the gold medal. she's going to take it, and hodgkinson — reekie�*s under pressure for the bronze. hodgkinson, the silver. atjust19, hodgkinson�*s potent kick finish had propelled her on to the podium. well, that's britain off the mark with their first medal in the athletics stadium, and that silver is britain's first medal in this event since 200a. and once the flag was round her shoulders, thoughts turned to those watching back home. they've put so much belief in me, because i did it. what does this silver medal mean to you, keely? this, because i don't cry. my friends will be like "what's she crying for?" dame kelly holmes was the last briton to know success in this race. her national record had stood for 26 years. till now. i think there'll be young girls

looking up at them now, and you know, in years to come we'll see their legacy, but i'm just pleased to have played a part in the fact that i hope that i've inspired these three in particular, but anyone else, to do what i feel they can do, and you know, records are there to be broken. from one track to another. britain had won gold in the men's team sprint at the last three games, but forjason kenny, jack carlin and ryan owens, today it wasn't meant to be. gold for the netherlands. that silver though, kenny's eighth olympic medal still saw him enter the record books, tied with sir bradley wiggins as britain's most decorated olympian. not to be outdone, wife laura took silver behind a dominant germany in the team pursuit, alongside katie archibald, mia evans and josie knight, her fifth olympic honour. that family trophiy cabinet must be groaning under the weight of those medals — and there could be yet be more. natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo.

simone biles, the most decorated us gymnast of all time, says she is proud of herself, after winning bronze in the beam final. it's seen as a hugely impressive comeback for the 2a—year—old, who's not taken part in many events during the tokyo games because she was dealing with mental health issues. our sports editor dan roan reports from tokyo. here she is, simone biles. it was the welcome back tokyo had been waiting for. simone biles, returning to competition earlier, a week after the world's greatest gymnast stunned the sport by pulling out of the team finals to focus on her mental health. she has broken boundaries in every level. having sat out four other events, her olympics looked to be over, but today, on the balance beam, a final chance to remind these games what they have been missing. beautiful, triple spin. she moves with such speed. biles said she had suffered from what gymnasts called the twisties, a mental block in which they lose their sense of orientation, but having amended her routine,

the us superstar held her nerve. needs now this great dismount. so here, flip to one, flip to two, double pike. and so simone biles is back. her series of withdrawals, and now subsequent return here this evening, is arguably the story of these games. one that has been a landmark moment when it comes to raising awareness of the pressures that athletes are under, even the greatest athletes, regardless of whether or not she wins a medal tonight. the smile had said it all. the sense of relief obvious. it had been enough to put her into silver position. going for gold. chinese sensation 16—year—old guan chenchen top scored, pushing biles back into bronze. but this felt like a victory, after one of the toughest weeks of her career. i was so nervous, but itjust means the world i can come out _ here and compete one more time before this games is overs.

on the other ones, i physically couldn't twist in the air. i would keep crashing. i wasn't cleared safely to do those things, mind's not there. as well as praise, biles had been faced some criticism as well as praise, biles had faced some criticism for deciding not to compete, after losing her bearings during this vault last week. but one of her former team—mates says her impact goes well beyond her seventh olympic medal. she is someone that has transcended gymnastics, made it mainstream. she has allowed people to engage and follow it, and i think her legacy will live beyond sports with what she has done this weekend. so, i mean it has made a bigger impact than if she had won all five medals. these games, perhaps her last, did not turn out as biles had expected, but her seventh olympic medal may prove to be the one she is most proud of of. dan roan, bbc news, tokyo. the athlete karsten warholm of norway had has a stunning day. he won gold in the 400 metre hurdles, and in the process

destroyed his previous world record. he said after the race that it hadn't sunk in yet, but he still felt rather ecstatic. with more on that and some of the day's other achievements, here's our correspondent andy swiss. commentator: i cannot believe what we've just seen. not so much rewriting the record books, as ripping them to pieces. the olympics have seen some remarkable feats over the years, but nothing like karsten warholm. the norwegian was favourite to win the 400 metres hurdles, but something extraordinary was happening. world records are supposed to get beaten by fractions. this was on a different planet. commentator: warholm is going to go away to take the win! it's gold for norway. 45.94! a shirt—shredding, jaw—dropping moment. he had smashed his old records by the best part of a second. if the world was in wonder, well, so was he. i can't believe the time. a lot of times i've been asked about the perfect race, i said it didn't exist. but this is the closest

thing i've ever come. commentators, meanwhile, were left reaching for the superlatives. that performance by karsten warholm is possibly the best i've ever seen. for many, usain bolt�*s blistering 100 metres record of 9.58 had been the pinnacle of athletics but now that famous landmark has our a rival. we always felt there was a potential opportunity for usain to go a bit quicker. this world record i think has been taken so far out of the norm, the normal realms, and that is why i think it is so incredible. he was not the only history maker, as the women's 100 metres champion elaine thompson—herah took the 200 metres. commentator: she is beginning to come away! she is going to make it a double. it is the second games in a row she has won both sprints. the jamaican becoming the first woman to clinch the so—called double double.

and there was more success for britain. in the boxing, pat mccormack had to settle for silver after losing his welterweight final. while in the diving there was a bronze for jack law. law later revealed he had considered retiring earlier this year because of mental health issues. this, he said, was redemption. let's take a look at the medal table after 11 days of competiton. after all those medals today, in the sailing, cycling, boxing, diving and on the track, team gb are currently in sixth place, with a total of 43 medals. let's turn to the day's other main news, and the latest on the pandemic. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has confirmed that most of the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted from next monday. our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie joins us from glasgow. alexandra, what was the detail of the announcements?

well, from monday, scotland is going to move beyond the level system and there is going to be a further easing of restrictions, social distancing is going to pretty much 90, distancing is going to pretty much go, that will be in places like pubs, and restaurants and here in scotland, nightclubs are going to open for the first time since before the pandemic. also, if you need to self—isolate because you have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, you only need do that until you gets a negative pcr test, so long as you have been double vaccinated. but if you are aimed between five and i7, vaccinated. but if you are aimed between five and 17, you still need that negative pcr test before you come out of isolation but you don't need to have been vaccinated. face coverings will be with us for some time to come, they are still going to remain mandatory in indoor public place, that is places like shops and

also on public transport. schools in scotland go back in the next couple of weeks, if there is one fern the classroom has coronavirus, the whole classroom has coronavirus, the whole class no longer needs to self—isolate, just close contacts but some regulations will stay in place, that is social distancing between teachers and pupils, place, that is social distancing between teachers and pupils, and also older pupils will still have to wear face coverings, for at least the first six weeks of term. now, jayne nisbet has said —— nichola sturgeoning has said there won't be a guarantee there won't be more restrictions in place in the future. so as scotland confirms the lifting of most restrictions on august 9th, the latest uk government data on the pandemic show there were 21,691 new cases of coronavirus in the latest 24—hour period. that's the fifth day in a row the numbers have fallen. hospitalisations have also decreased. does this mean the trend is now firmly downwards and that more optimism is justified? our health editor hugh pym has been taking a look at the figures and what they mean.

has said there won't be a guarantee there won't be more restrictions in place in the future. there is some flash photography coming up remember this? nightclubs opening up in england onjuly 19th, along with the ending of remaining legal restrictions. scientists have predicted this would fuel the spread of the virus with more cases, but it hasn't happened. in fact, they have gone the other way. now one of the experts who expected case increases says it has come as a surprise. all the indications now are that there were a real reduction in cases, particularly in adults between 20—40 years old. covid's had a habit of surprising us and this is a good surprise, for a change. i'd like to understand it better, that's for sure. daily reported cases did go above 50,000 in mid july, though not as high as the january

peak, and have fallen back to 26,000 on the seven day rolling average. the decline in cases actually started soon after the opening up in england onjuly 19th. health officials acknowledge gatherings of people to watch the euros football caused some spikes in infection, which might have pushed up case rates more than expected before july 19th. since then, it seems even with new freedoms people remained cautious, for example with mask wearing, and that was a factor in curbing the spread of the virus. we have had assumed that people would go slightly more back to normal than they actually have. i think probably what's happening is a lot of people are being a little more cautious in terms of returning to normal, which is why what we are seeing it slightly on the lower end of some of the modelling forecasts. slightly on the lower end of some so what does all this mean for the nhs? there were fears that hospitals would come under intensifying pressure this month,

as infections continued rising. here's what has been happening with daily covid hospital admissions, they started rising sharply in late june, and right throuthuly, though they do appear recently to have levelled off a bit, and are not accelerating at the rate which some experts had predicted. the vaccination roll out has played a major part. nearly 9% of adults have had a first dose and 73% have had both jabs. there was a reminder of the tragic covid toll today, identified a few weeks ago. but there is a growing consensus that there won't be another surge as a result of the result of the opening up in england last month. hugh pym, bbc news. our main story this evening. there has been another rewarding day for team gb with two gold medals in

sailing with a britain now sixth in the olympic medal table. we will be live in felixstowe were the container that blocked the suez canal has finally reached port today. coming up in sportsday on bbc news channel: high drama on the waves. britain win two golds in sailing, and it's celebrations all around as it goes right down to the wire in the men's 49er class. the number of drug—related deaths in england and wales has reached the highest level since records began, nearly 30 years ago. there were over 4,500 deaths linked to drug abuse registered in 2020, according to the office for national statistics. but delays in registration caused by the pandemic mean that around half the deaths happened in 2019. record figures for scotland were published last week. the latest figures for england

and wales represent a 3.8% increase on the previous year. the trade in illegal drugs has increasingly been blamed for rising levels of violence in towns and cities across britain. in the seaside community of rhyl in north wales, research by bbc news shows that violent crime increased for four years before the pandemic, with drug gangs playing a significant part, as our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. they caught three people injecting there the other day. weekend patrol in the most violent neighbourhood in wales. shouting. i did not step forward! as covid restrictions ease, there is fear here, as elsewhere, that serious crime will increase. violent crime, for a long time in rhyl, was linked to the night—time economy.

assaults and beatings and stabbings a consequence of drinking too much, often at the weekend. but in recent years, the nature of violence here has changed dramatically. the town is plagued by so—called county lines, gangs from big cities importing violence as they battle for control of the drugs market. when we get rid of one county line, another will pop up. this car chase ended with feuding criminals murdering a local man. the drugs trade killing both users and dealers. these are vulnerable people, they exploit them, they look to get them hooked on drugs, and when they can't pay for them they look to encourage them to commit violence themselves, or deal on their behalf. i hear it all the time around rhyl. drug selling, sometimes stabbings. in rhyl�*s poorest neighbourhood, this club offers an alternative. self defence, discipline and perhaps,

most importantly, resilience. we try and get the youngsters off the streets. we stop them having peer pressure. we give them confidence so they can say no to drugs and things like that. and we try and teach them to be respectful and disciplined. the impact of addiction exacerbates other toxic behaviours, too. # you are not alone. # we are here to guide you out of the dark #. betty harper felt compelled to write this song about the domestic abuse she witnessed. # you are not alone. # blood is thicker than alcohol #. her mother natasha had a violent relationship with a former partner. there was beatings, theft of jewellery to self or drink. lots of emotional abuse. jewellery to self or drink. lots of emotionalabuse. broken jewellery to self or drink. lots of emotional abuse. broken bones,

jewellery to self or drink. lots of emotionalabuse. broken bones, cuts. he was standing over me with a chair and i knew that if i couldn't get away he would have killed me. # you've wiped tears from your cheeks #. local charities say referrals for domestic abuse have increased by 40% during the pandemic. it is a major driver of violence in rhyl. i would do anything to look after my family, and so i kind of took on the role of protector. when i see something like that, and that's something that i cannot control, the next best thing is to turn to music. to write a song to help. the song helped betty harper win a recording contract. as ministers turn to tackling crime as part of their efforts to regenerate towns like rhyl they, too, will have to turn negative experiences into positive outcomes. michael buchanan, bbc news, rhyl. still in north wales, a man has appeared at llandudno magistrates' court, accused of murdering his teenage sister.

matthew selby, who's i9 and from ashton—under—lyne, is accused of killing 15—year—old amanda selby, at the ty mawr caravan park in towyn on saturday. he was remanded in custody and will appear at mold crown court tomorrow. krystina timanovskaya, the sprinter from belarus, has told the bbc that her country is not safe, and she may not be able to go home for many years. she has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland, after officials from belarus tried to send her home early from the olympics against her will. there's growing international condemnation of the regime of president alexander lukashenko, who has ruled belarus since 1994, and who stands accused of widespread human rights abuses. our correspondent sarah rainsford sent this report from minsk, the capital of belarus. she is a young athlete thrust into a political row she never sought. when sprinter krystina timanovskaya

publicly criticised her coaches at the olympics, they tried to force her back to belarus. she refused. speaking to the bbc from tokyo, she said she was now scared for herself and for her family. translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. - it is definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five or ten years. and today came another reminder of the danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park. but his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he had been helping a flood of other opposition supporters who followed. the opposition leader sviatlana tsikhanouskaya is in forced exile herself. she was in london today, part of a tour seeking international support. she wants more pressure,

more sanctions against alexander lu kashenko. the man she tried to topple as president. since then, the mood in minsk has changed dramatically. alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control. a year ago this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he had never seen before. but now there is no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protest. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow she goes on trial for attempting to overthrow the authorities. her father hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest. translation: she told me "whatever sentence i get, i i'm ready for that."

she writes to me all the time, that we'll meet against soon. everything will be ok. but belarus today feels anything but ok — even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the un says at least 40 afghan civilians have been killed in intense fighting in the past 24 hours, as the taliban and government forces battle for control of helmand's provincial capital. it said thousands of people in lashkar gah have been displaced. the un also highlighted concerns about peoples' homes being occupied by fighters. wildfires raging in southern parts of turkey are continuing to burn out of control. firefighters are struggling to deal with several blazes in coastal resorts like marmaris, where helicopters have been used to drop water on flames burning through trees and undergrowth. the huge container ship that disrupted global trade, when it got

stuck across the suez canal in march, has now arrived at the port of felixstowe in suffolk. the ever given, owned by the evergreen corporation, finally set sail last month, after egypt signed a compensation deal with its owners and insurers. our correspondent theo leggett is in felixstowe. we know all about the headlines, but what lessons do you think have been learned? i what lessons do you think have been learned? ~ . �* what lessons do you think have been learned? ~ ., �* ., learned? i think what we've learnt from this is _ learned? i think what we've learnt from this is just _ learned? i think what we've learnt from this isjust how— learned? i think what we've learnt from this is just how vulnerable i learned? i think what we've learnt l from this isjust how vulnerable the from this is just how vulnerable the complex global supply chains that businesses and consumers rely upon for the products we use every day really are. vulnerable to sudden and unexpected disruptions. this was just one ship, even a big one but one ship that became stranded across one ship that became stranded across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and delayed hundreds of vessels, the knock—on effects lasted for weeks if not months. the amount that businesses pay to bring goods in from china shot up and they have

not gone down since because of other problems like covid outbreaks in china and that means at the moment businesses are trying to stock up for the busy christmas period. they are wondering what rates they will pay and whether they can get the goods at all. what that means for you and me is a crop —— christmas shopping may cost a lot more and we may have less choice in this vessel is a very powerful symbol of all that disruption.— is a very powerful symbol of all that disrution. , ., ., ., before we go, some more olympic news, because tomorrow morning team gb�*s youngest—ever summer olympian will be competing. skateboarder sky brown turned 13 just last month, she divides her time betweenjapan and the us, with her japanese mum and her british dad. last year she suffered skull fractures and broken limbs in a skateboarding accident. but she's made a remarkable recovery, as natalie pirks reports. we first met a long time ago

and we talked about this dream, now you're here. what does it feel like? it's insane. it's unbelievable. it's so cool to be here, at the village, there is all different kinds of people, like, super tall people and super strong people. was there a moment where you thought, the olympics isn't going to happen? i thought maybe it wouldn't happen and i was a little bummed, but people's lives are more important, so i thought about that and got through it. you and i last spoke after a really serious accident that you had had. yeah, that was definitely a heavy time for my parents, my family. it was bad, but i really think the accident made me want to go harder and, you know, yeah, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. how important is it for you to have dad here with you?

it's really nice, you know? i'm still pretty young, and it's nice to have someone here to, like, look after me, and it would be hard without my dad. you are going to make history for britain. has that sunk in? what does that mean to you? it was my dream to be one of the youngest in there, and show girls that it doesn't matter how old or young you are, you can do anything, you know? we've seen you in some big events in the last year, since we last saw you. how much confidence has that given you? i'm feeling good, and i can't wait. i'm going to really try to get on the podium, get a medal, get a gold, hopefully! but, no matter what happens, i just want to inspire girls around the world, and hopefully they will see this little girl here and, like, oh, if she can do it, i can do it, too. that's my goal. that's why i wanted to be in the olympics. good luck to sky tomorrow.

time for a look at the weather. it has been rather pleasant in many places across the country but yet again that have been some heavy downpours, this was photographed in kent, some of the heaviest in east yorkshire, lincolnshire, east midlands, a scattering of showers in scotland. they will slowly fade into tonight but north—west scotland keeping some rain in this part of the uk has been a very dry so far this summer. away from the town and city centres temperatures into single figures and a few mist and fog patches around and for many it will be a sunny start tomorrow. showers for north—west scotland and if you elsewhere in scotland main north of the central belt, drifting eastwards across northern ireland and flailing up across england and wales, heavy and thundery downpours

are possible but many will stay