this is bbc news — i'm ben brown with the latest headlines. experts are set to recommend all 16 and 17—year—olds in the uk should be offered a covid vaccine. it comes as new research shows children who become ill with coronavirus are unlikely to suffer long term effects. and if you want to get in touch with your views on any of today's stories — including the idea of giving vaccines to children. 13—year—old sky brown becomes britain's youngest medallist of all time, after winning bronze in the women's park skateboarding final. and a gold medalfor team gb�*s hannah mills and eilidh mcintyre in the women's a70 sailing class, making hannah mills the most

successful female sailing olympian of all time. the belarusian olympic sprinter who sought sanctuary in a foreign embassy in tokyo has now left japan, boarding a flight to vienna this morning and coming up this hour, professor barbie, the scientist who designed the oxford coronavirus vaccine has been honoured with her very own doll. good morning. the uk government's vaccination committee is expected to recommend that all 16 and 17—year—olds should be given a covid jab. thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation stopped short of making the move last month because it said it was still

assessing the benefits and risks for that age group. about 1.4 milliom teenagers would be included in the new roll—out. some countries — including the united states, canada and france, are already routinely vaccinating those aged 12 and over. tim muffett reports. it began with the elderly and most vulnerable. since last december, the ages of those receiving covid jabs in the uk has got lower and lower. but generally, it hasn't included those under 18. in some countries, including france, israel and america, many teenagers are already receiving covid vaccinations. covid is a tonne worse than getting the vaccine. in the uk, the official guidance until now has been thatjabs should only be given to those children aged 12 and above with serious underlying health conditions, or who live with someone

at a greater risk from covid. thejoint committee on vaccinations and immunisation says it has been assessing potential risks, including reports of very rare adverse effects, such as the inflammation of heart muscles amongst young adults. today though the committee is expected to recommend 16 and 17—year—olds in the uk are vaccinated against covid, which would affect around 1.5 million teenagers. yesterday, scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, said she would welcome such a move by the vaccine committee. i am hoping it will recommend going further with the vaccination of young people. i am particularly concerned, if possible, to get vaccination to 16 and 17—year—olds, which is important for those going to college and university. the only covid jab currently authorised in the uk for under 18s is the pfizer vaccine.

whitehall sources say ministers in england are expected to accept the new recommendations, though it's not yet clear when the expansion of the vaccination programme would start. tim muffett, bbc news. adam fleming is our chief political correspondent. adam, other countries are vaccinating younger people, and children. is there a lot of pressure on the government to do this and follow suit?— follow suit? well, the 1c vi had already broached _ follow suit? well, the 1c vi had already broached the _ follow suit? well, the 1c vi had already broached the idea - follow suit? well, the 1c vi had already broached the idea of. already broached the idea of children receiving the vaccination when the day of the latest guidance when the day of the latest guidance when people who are medically vulnerable or living in the same house as someone vulnerable should receive a pfizer vaccine, so that has been crossed as you'll —— and they have been looking at the equation and the risk to under 18 is and the general population from

covid. the latest medical advice about the very rare side effects that can affect young people when they have had the vaccine and it looks like they have reached the conclusion that it is safe and a good thing to do for 16 and 17—year—olds. what has happened in the past is that the government has been scrupulous in following the advice of the jc vi, irrespective of any potential political controversy. in the process set out by the universities minister. the in the process set out by the universities minister.- in the process set out by the universities minister. the jc vi will be updating _ universities minister. the jc vi will be updating on _ universities minister. the jc vi will be updating on the - will be updating on the recommendations imminently and in the government will respond, we have adopted _ the government will respond, we have adopted the recommendations because they are _ adopted the recommendations because they are the experts. all i can say at this_ they are the experts. all i can say at this stage is that it is immanent that people will get clarity very soon — that people will get clarity very soon. �* . that people will get clarity very soon. ~ . . ., , that people will get clarity very soon. ~ . that people will get clarity very soon. . soon. and that clarity could come as soon. and that clarity could come as soon as today- _ soon. and that clarity could come as soon as today. interestingly, - soon. and that clarity could come as soon as today. interestingly, the - soon as today. interestingly, the government has dropped plans, are not going to pursue plans that were mooted that may be students arriving

at university in september or october would have to show certificates to prove that they have been vaccinated. and just a little hint of the controversy around this area. one of the teaching unions has welcomed the idea of children being better protected, but they do not want teachers to have any role in promoting, administering orforcing promoting, administering or forcing promoting, administering orforcing —— in forcing take—up or the vaccine. just an idea of how controversial this idea is. adam, thank yom _ controversial this idea is. adam, thank you. there _ controversial this idea is. adam, thank you. there is _ controversial this idea is. adam, thank you. there is new - controversialthis idea is. adam, | thank you. there is new research today the children are unlikely to suffer long—term effects. scientists at king's college london, found illness from covid lasted, on average, no more than a week in people aged between five and 17. they describe the findings as reassuring. can children have prolonged illness after covid—19? yes, they can, but is not common, and most of these children get better with time. i think our study is reassuring because it gives people hope. it validates the experience of those

children who have had symptomatic covid—19 and have had prolonged illness duration, but it also encourages about the children and their parents, and for that —— both the children and their parents... matter, doctors and teachers as well, that most children will get better as time goes on. and paul elliot, professor of epidemiology and public health medicine at imperial college london, who we saw in that report, joins me now, he's also the director of the react programme. paul, good to have you with us. what do you think of the idea of vaccinating 16 and 17—year—old? we vaccinating 16 and 17-year-old? we have vaccinating 16 and 17—year—old? - have just completed the 13th round of our reactor survey will be go to large numbers of the population and “p large numbers of the population and up to mid—july... react survey. we were finding high levels of infection under the age of 2a and really evidence that the epidemic at that time was being driven by

younger people, unvaccinated younger people. so anything we can do to improve vaccination rates, including going to below the age of 18, clearly will be a good thing. to get as many people vaccinated as possible, with both doses of the vaccine, so when we going into the autumn and winter period, we have as much protection as possible. this would be, assuming this goes ahead, vaccinating 16 and 17—year—olds, about reducing immunity transmission and the benefits that would bring, rather than necessarily protecting the health of those 16 and 17—year—olds, because as we have just seen from that latest research, younger people not really suffering significant effects from coronavirus. i significant effects from coronavirus.— significant effects from coronavirus. ~ �* , . coronavirus. i think it's quite a comlex coronavirus. i think it's quite a complex equation. _ coronavirus. i think it's quite a complex equation. definitely l coronavirus. i think it's quite a i complex equation. definitely the idea that we can protect as many people as possible and reduce the pressure on transmission is a very importantand, yes, only

pressure on transmission is a very important and, yes, only a small proportion of children who contract covid—19 maybe we'll go on to have long covered —— long covid. and the other thing of course is that we want to keep children in education. if we have a lot of infection in schools, then there is still the problem of how you deal with that and how to keep schools open as much as possible and as many children in school as possible. it is that complex equation. the population aspect is very important for this, but it is not the whole point of the issue. ~ ., ., i. but it is not the whole point of the issue. ~ ., ., ., , issue. what would you say to parents watchin: issue. what would you say to parents watching you — issue. what would you say to parents watching you now. — issue. what would you say to parents watching you now, or _ issue. what would you say to parents watching you now, or indeed - watching you now, or indeed teenagers watching you now who say is it worth the risk, it might be tiny from having a vaccine, but actually, is the reward worth it from my point of view if i am 16 or 17? ~ ., from my point of view if i am 16 or 17? . ., 4' ., from my point of view if i am 16 or 17? ~ ., ~ ., ., from my point of view if i am 16 or 171 ., ~ ., ., ., from my point of view if i am 16 or 17?. ., ~ ., ., ., ., 17? we do know that if you have two doses of the —

17? we do know that if you have two doses of the vaccine, _ 17? we do know that if you have two doses of the vaccine, there - 17? we do know that if you have two doses of the vaccine, there is - doses of the vaccine, there is very high protection, particularly against serious illness or hospitalisation, but also against infection in our own data, people who are double vaccinated have something like 50% protection against being infected, but if they were infected, a lower dose of the virus will be less infectious. not only you are protecting yourself, you are protecting people around you, as i say within schools, so that people can stay within schools, but also other people in your family, in your household that you come into contact with. i would urge everyone who is offered the vaccine, to not only of the first, but to get the second dose as well because it is the double dose that offers the real protection.— is the double dose that offers the real protection. should we then go further, real protection. should we then go further. as — real protection. should we then go further, as other _ real protection. should we then go further, as other countries - real protection. should we then go further, as other countries have i further, as other countries have done, to vaccinate everybody over the age of 12?— the age of 12? again, in our data, we had a very _ the age of 12? again, in our data, we had a very high _ the age of 12? again, in our data, we had a very high rates - the age of 12? again, in our data, we had a very high rates of- we had a very high rates of infection in the teenage groups below the age of 16. this is something i am sure that thejc vi

will keep a beady ion. there is experience in other countries, the usa, canada, france and so forth. i'm sure they will be keeping a watching brief as more data becomes available in the roll—out of the vaccines to younger ages. the trouble is _ vaccines to younger ages. the trouble is that _ vaccines to younger ages. the trouble is that even if it is rolled out to younger ages, how many will take it up? we are seeing that amongst people in the 20—30 age group but not necessarily a great take—up on the vaccine. i group but not necessarily a great take-up on the vaccine.- take-up on the vaccine. i think that's a real — take-up on the vaccine. i think that's a real issue, _ take-up on the vaccine. i think that's a real issue, and - take-up on the vaccine. i think| that's a real issue, and clearly, people are thinking how you can improve uptake and it is something thatis improve uptake and it is something that is very important because as i say, the protection comes from as many people as possible taking up the offer when it is offered to them. so i think this is something that will, you know, people need to

look out. how do we get people to accept the vaccine when offered to them. . ., accept the vaccine when offered to them. ., ~ i. ,., accept the vaccine when offered to them. ., ~ i. . ., them. thank you so much, paul. professor _ them. thank you so much, paul. professor of _ them. thank you so much, paul. professor of epidemiology - them. thank you so much, paul. professor of epidemiology and l them. thank you so much, paul. - professor of epidemiology and public health medicine at imperial college. were going to bring you up—to—date with the latest action from tokyo. in the last our team gb sailors have a claim to another gold medal at the olympics. that is hannah mills and eilidh mcintire. and that the victory takes the overall gold tally for great britain so far to 1a. britain has also impressed in the boxing and there's been

eilidh -- sky eilidh —— sky brown has won a gold. and a 12—year—old won the silver medal. the average age on that podium was 15 years of age. it makes you feel quite old. let's get the very latest from the bbc sport centre. jane is there with a full round—up. hannah mills is the most successful british sailor. britain has also impressed in the boxing and the youngest ever british medallist in the skateboarding in sky brown. kick flipping history on its head.

that was an in sane, so so good. sky brown, the 13—year—old with the coolest piece of what the kids might call playing. herjourney to becoming great britain's youngest olympic medallist wasn't playing skating. she impressed in qualification, but had to pull out all the tricks for the final. in herfirst two runs, she couldn't land the kick flip indie, meaning it was all or nothing for the final effort. third time is a charm. there is the kick flip. that's what we needed. the world number three backed it up in the minute packed with difficulty, she came of age. yes, sky. brown wasn't even the youngest on the podium, the girl who won silver is 12, the gold medallist a comparative veteran of 19. it's incredible. i mean, it feels unreal. i'm so happy to be here with my competitors, i'm really blessed. brown was just five when hannah mills won a first olympic medal. she is now the most successful female sailor in games history. her and eilidh mcintyre needed to finish seventh in the a70 medal race.

they had to fight hard in that race, but it is gold for great britain. fifth was enough. for mcintyre, she emulates dad mike, who won gold in seoul in 1988. if britain rules the waves, cuba are kings of the ring, which meant bad news for ben whitaker. he was guaranteed a boxing medal, but had a punchers chance against lopez, and already an olympic champion from 2016. in the end, the harvest of hits were delivered by the cuban, —— hardest of hits... leaving a gutted whitaker with a silver. ben croucher, bbc news. well, earlier, frazer clarke added another medal in the boxing with bronze in the super heavyweight category. he lost his semifinal match after the referee stopped the fight because a deep cut above frazer's eye opened up again. but the loss does mean he walks away with a bronze medal. afterwards he said "it was not the fairy—tale i wanted but i'm proud of myself".

it's day two in the velodrome, and after winning silver in the mens team sprint, it's so far so good forjason kenny and jack carlin in the individual men's sprint. carlin had broken the olympic record this morning to qualify, although it was then broken again a few minutes later... but then he had no problem beating nathan hart of australia to reach the last 16. and in the last couple of minutes, jason kenny, who's the defending champion, has also made it through safely. what a run for the usa's sydney mclaughlin — she broke her own world record in the women's aoom hurdles — taking gold in the process. the defending champion, fellow american dalilah muhammad got away fastest but mclaughlin powered down the home straight to win gold in 51.46 seconds, and take almost half a second off the world record, muhamed getting silver. the new women's best follows norway's karsten warholm breaking his own world record in the men's aoom hurdles on tuesday.

more details of those stories on the bbc sport website. lets talk more about the skateboarding. what a performance in tokyo. the question is how much that is going to inspire the sport of skateboarding. nesta mcgregor is at the xc skateboarding park in hemel hempstead. with some young aspiring olympic skateboard. ~ , ,., , , skateboard. absolutely. these ol m - ics skateboard. absolutely. these olympics are _ skateboard. absolutely. these olympics are not _ skateboard. absolutely. these olympics are not over- skateboard. absolutely. these olympics are not over yet - skateboard. absolutely. these olympics are not over yet but| skateboard. absolutely. these l olympics are not over yet but all eyes are on paris for 2024 and sky brown is the youngest ever medallist for britain as 30 years of age —— my 13 years of age and hoping to follow

in her footsteps are 213—year—olds who are highly rated. they finished second and third in the uk nationals and there will be looking to make it to paris in a few years. miriam, you stayed up all night to watch her performance. how tired are you and what did you make the performance? i'm a little tired, but the performance was amazing and so exciting — performance was amazing and so exciting. watching sky fail her first two — exciting. watching sky fail her first two runs was very scary, but in the _ first two runs was very scary, but in the end — first two runs was very scary, but in the end she landed perfectly. what _ in the end she landed perfectly. what is — in the end she landed perfectly. what is it— in the end she landed perfectly. what is it about skateboarding that you love so much? it’s what is it about skateboarding that you love so much?— what is it about skateboarding that you love so much? it's 'ust freedom and it's you love so much? it's 'ust freedom and its so — you love so much? it's 'ust freedom and it's so fun. h you love so much? it's 'ust freedom and it's so fun. and _ you love so much? it's 'ust freedom and it's so fun. and its— you love so much? it'sjust freedom and it's so fun. and its creativity - and it's so fun. and its creativity in the _ and it's so fun. and its creativity in the community is amazing. lola, ou came in the community is amazing. lola, you came second — in the community is amazing. lola, you came second at _ in the community is amazing. lola, you came second at the _ in the community is amazing. lola, you came second at the national championships. seeing sky brown when the medal does it make your dream

more realistic?— more realistic? yes, definitely. it makes me _ more realistic? yes, definitely. it makes me want _ more realistic? yes, definitely. it makes me want to _ more realistic? yes, definitely. it makes me want to do _ more realistic? yes, definitely. it makes me want to do the - more realistic? yes, definitely. it. makes me want to do the olympics watching _ makes me want to do the olympics watching her~ — makes me want to do the olympics watching her. we _ makes me want to do the olympics watching her-— watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe — watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe it _ watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe it was _ watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe it was a _ watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe it was a position - watching her. we saw her fall over and maybe it was a position that i watching her. we saw her fall over l and maybe it was a position that you would be in. how difficult it is knowing that you fall in and you have one more shot. it’s knowing that you fall in and you have one more shot.— knowing that you fall in and you have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure. _ have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure, and _ have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure, and i _ have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure, and i know— have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure, and i know how - have one more shot. it's quite a lot of pressure, and i know how she i of pressure, and i know how she feels, _ of pressure, and i know how she feels, it's— of pressure, and i know how she feels, it's quite _ of pressure, and i know how she feels, it's quite scary. _ of pressure, and i know how she feels, it's quite scary. but - of pressure, and i know how she feels, it's quite scary. but she . feels, it's quite scary. but she managed _ feels, it's quite scary. but she managed to— feels, it's quite scary. but she managed to put— feels, it's quite scary. but she managed to put it _ feels, it's quite scary. but she managed to put it all- feels, it's quite scary. but she managed to put it all together feels, it's quite scary. but she - managed to put it all together and landed _ managed to put it all together and landed and — managed to put it all together and landed and it— managed to put it all together and landed and it was _ managed to put it all together and landed and it was really— managed to put it all together and landed and it was really cool- managed to put it all together and landed and it was really cool and l managed to put it all together and i landed and it was really cool and we were all— landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering _ landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering for— landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering for her— landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering for her and - landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering for her and it - landed and it was really cool and we were all cheering for her and it wasl were all cheering for her and it was such a _ were all cheering for her and it was such a relief — were all cheering for her and it was such a relief. find _ were all cheering for her and it was such a relief-— such a relief. and you are watching sky brown. — such a relief. and you are watching sky brown. and — such a relief. and you are watching sky brown, and you _ such a relief. and you are watching sky brown, and you want _ such a relief. and you are watching sky brown, and you want to - such a relief. and you are watching sky brown, and you want to be - sky brown, and you want to be computer in in paris?— computer in in paris? yes, hopefully- _ computer in in paris? yes, hopefully. also _ computer in in paris? yes, hopefully. also with - computer in in paris? yes, hopefully. also with us - computer in in paris? yes, hopefully. also with us is i computer in in paris? yes, - hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part _ hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part of _ hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part of team _ hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part of team gb - hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part of team gb and . hopefully. also with us is alex. alex is part of team gb and he j alex is part of team gb and he narrowly missed out on qualifying for the olympics. how hard is a standard in the uk?— for the olympics. how hard is a standard in the uk? very high. and it's caettin standard in the uk? very high. and it's getting better— standard in the uk? very high. and it's getting better and _ standard in the uk? very high. and it's getting better and keeps - standard in the uk? very high. and it's getting better and keeps going | it's getting better and keeps going

up it's getting better and keeps going up and up and so hopefully, for the next olympics will see more uk skaters in there.— next olympics will see more uk skaters in there. there was a lot of controversy — skaters in there. there was a lot of controversy about _ skaters in there. there was a lot of controversy about skateboarding i controversy about skateboarding becoming an olympics board, and the purists didn't want it to happen because it might lose its sense of community but it's not about competition. do you think that might have changed now? yes. competition. do you think that might have changed now?— competition. do you think that might have changed now? yes, i mean, yes, it has definitely _ have changed now? yes, i mean, yes, it has definitely changed _ have changed now? yes, i mean, yes, it has definitely changed a _ have changed now? yes, i mean, yes, it has definitely changed a little - it has definitely changed a little bit, it's getting more accepted and, you know, at first, change is always a bit scary and, yes, skateboarding isn't about medals, like you say, but if it brings more awareness of the sport, betterfacilities but if it brings more awareness of the sport, better facilities and more acceptance of skateboarding, and the wider public, and is a positive thing. we and the wider public, and is a positive thing.— and the wider public, and is a ositive thin. ~ . , ,., positive thing. we have seen some really young _ positive thing. we have seen some really young people _ positive thing. we have seen some really young people in _ positive thing. we have seen some really young people in the - really young people in the competition. does it mean if urology can skateboard? trio. competition. does it mean if urology can skateboard?— can skateboard? no, but as you get bi aer 'ust can skateboard? no, but as you get biggerjust gets _ can skateboard? no, but as you get biggerjust gets further _ can skateboard? no, but as you get biggerjust gets further to _ can skateboard? no, but as you get biggerjust gets further to fall, - can skateboard? no, but as you get biggerjust gets further to fall, it i biggerjust gets further to fall, it were, but yes, young people do have

an advantage in size —wise, i guess, are not as easy to hurt yourself and you heal quicker, but you know, you still see people, there is a man in his 40s this evening, and he is on top of his game, and is notjust the children who were winning all the men's games and stuff so it's going to be exciting to watch tonight. ska; to be exciting to watch tonight. sky brown, the next superstar, who can take it to the next level? yes. take it to the next level? yes, she's doing — take it to the next level? yes, she's doing anything - take it to the next level? yes, she's doing anything and i take it to the next level? yes, j she's doing anything and she's take it to the next level? ye: she's doing anything and she's very talented. and hopefully she can keep improving and get there and she is so young, and there is a lot of time for her which is awesome. brute so young, and there is a lot of time for her which is awesome.- for her which is awesome. we have soken to for her which is awesome. we have spoken to lola _ for her which is awesome. we have spoken to lola and _ for her which is awesome. we have spoken to lola and miriam - for her which is awesome. we have spoken to lola and miriam about i spoken to lola and miriam about paris 2024. is spoken to lola and miriam about paris 2024-— spoken to lola and miriam about paris 2024. , . ., , paris 2024. is that dream? yes, it would be nice. _ paris 2024. is that dream? yes, it would be nice. i _ paris 2024. is that dream? yes, it would be nice. i ma _ paris 2024. is that dream? yes, it would be nice. i ma -- _ paris 2024. is that dream? yes, it would be nice. i ma -- narrowly i would be nice. i ma —— narrowly missed it this time, which was disappointing, but the next one is only three years away, so if i'm

still on top of my game down, hopefully i will get another chance. good luck, alex, but i don't know about you, ben, but any sport we use jeans and trainers is my type of thing. thank you so much, nestor. run footwear. borisjohnson is setting off on a two—day visit to scotland today. but borisjohnson has declined an invitation to meet the first minister, nicola sturgeon, for talks. she had invited the prime minister to her official residence to discuss recovery after the pandemic. mrjohnson has suggested a meeting with the first ministers of other devolved nations at a later date instead. well, as the prime minister and labour leaders begin their two—day visit to the city, the world is looking ahead to november, when countries' representatives will gather in glasgow for the 2021 un climate change conference.

luke pollard is the shadow environment secretary. we can speak to him now. thank you for being with us here on bbc news. what is keir starmer hoping to achieve with his visit to scotland? what he is hoping to do is make the case for a strong and bold and radical action to decarbonise our economy, protect nature, but also create green jobs alongside that to make sure we are having a fair transition to implement a new green deal, but is also be that everybody can participate in. but is also using it to call out the prime minister to say that if you we all do, and as a co—host of it you have set leading by example, you have to stop being missing in action in this debate when it comes to cop 26 in november you have to say that

we are doing it and it can be done and so you mustjoin us on our journey. and that is the only way we can get to keeping global temperatures to an increase of only 0.5 degrees, which is what the scientists say is the minimum we need to avert much of the extraordinarily catastrophic climate crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would _ crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would say _ crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would say he _ crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would say he is - crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would say he is not i crisis we are in the future. boris johnson would say he is not missing in action, but in fact he is setting an example and leading the world and that britain is setting ambitious targets, this is what he will say, and in fact, targets, this is what he will say, and infact, in targets, this is what he will say, and in fact, in the g7 summit in cornwall, he was saying that after the pandemic, britain and the world need to build back, not only better, but build back greener. that was his thrust. he but build back greener. that was his thrust. , but build back greener. that was his thrust. _ ., but build back greener. that was his thrust. ,, ., , but build back greener. that was his thrust. ., , ., thrust. he did say that, but are still taking _ thrust. he did say that, but are still taking the _ thrust. he did say that, but are still taking the train _ thrust. he did say that, but are still taking the train from i thrust. he did say that, but are i still taking the train from london to cornwall, he drove. if he wants to cornwall, he drove. if he wants to lead by example, he should be taking the train. it to lead by example, he should be taking the train.— taking the train. it keir starmer takin: the

taking the train. it keir starmer taking the train _ taking the train. it keir starmer taking the train to _ taking the train. it keir starmer taking the train to scotland? i l taking the train. it keir starmer i taking the train to scotland? i hope eve bod taking the train to scotland? i hope everybody is _ taking the train to scotland? i hope everybody is taking _ taking the train to scotland? i hope everybody is taking the _ taking the train to scotland? i hope everybody is taking the train. i taking the train to scotland? i hope everybody is taking the train. we i everybody is taking the train. we need to take steps to change our travel ways, but everybody needs to lead by example, the government loosely by example so that everybody can transition to use less carbon and to protect biodiversity more and and to protect biodiversity more and a good example of that is making sure that people can afford to buy electric vehicles, can get an electric vehicles, can get an electric vehicles, can get an electric vehicle charging point near to their home and to make sure that there is a plan to reduce their fuel bills by retrofitting homes to make sure that everyone lives in a warm, safe and affordable home. these are the kind of thing that labour has been calling of government to publish. publisher strategies, been calling of government to publish. publisherstrategies, help publish. publisher strategies, help people publish. publisherstrategies, help people understand the journey that they need to go on. you people understand the 'ourney that they need to go on.— they need to go on. you are criticising — they need to go on. you are criticising the _ they need to go on. you are criticising the conservative i criticising the conservative government, but climate change is not something that has suddenly sprung up on us. this has been going on for decades and in many of those decades labour was in power but frankly did not do much about

climate change.— frankly did not do much about climate change. does not quite riaht, we climate change. does not quite right, we introduced _ climate change. does not quite right, we introduced a - climate change. does not quite right, we introduced a world i climate change. does not quite i right, we introduced a world leading climate change act, the first one of the world, but we also do the heavy lifting on carbon reduction, so the majority of our carbon emissions we have reduced as a country over the last 20 years have come from a decision taken by the last labour government to close coal—fired carbon stations. —— power stations. it had a major effect on emissions, but we haven't seen any big policy change on the big polluters that we have at the moment, which are travel, our buildings and food production and that is where labour is calling on the government to step up. i think we have a much more convincing at cop 26 to convince other nations, including those which are not as enthusiastic as environment issues is where, to do so by saying we are leading by example, showing how it can be done and importantly cutting emissions, protecting nature and creating jobs. if we do that, we sent a much better

chance of the cop 26, the climate conference being a success, and if we don't we stand a much better chance of being a failure and i don't think we can afford that. luke, thank you. the belarusian sprinter who refused her team's orders to fly home from the olympic games, is now on her way to vienna. krystina timanovskaya is expected to travel on to poland where she's been granted a humanitarian visa. she had been given refuge at the polish embassy in tokyo after belarusian team officials had tried to get her to board a flight home against her will because she criticised her coaches on social media. the change of destination for krystina timanovskaya is just the latest twist in the troubled last 12 months for belarus and the president alexander lukashenko. his regime has drawn worldwide criticism for its human rights abuses. sarah rainsford has this report

from the belarusian capital minsk. she's a young athlete thrust into a political row she never sought. when krystsina tsimanouskaya 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. i it's definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back, it may be five or ten years. and came another reminder of danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park. his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he'd been helping flood of other opposition supporters, who followed. the opposition leader, sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, is

in forced exile herself. she's been in london, part of a tour seeking international support. she wants tougher measures, more sanctions against alexander lukashenko, the man she tried to topple as president. this is our pain, belarusian pain. we think that much more can be done. much more pressure, much more assistance. braver decisions and stronger actions. since the disputed elections, 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'd never seen before. now there is no public site battle of that challenge because so many people have been arrested

since and that the others have been scared into silence. —— sign at all. maria kalesnikava was one of the faces of the protests. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. she goes on trial accused of trying to overthrow the authorities. i met maria's father outside her old flat. alexander hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest last september. maria writes from her cell every day, to reassure him. translation: i know my daughter is not guilty and she's _ so brave that i can't be anything but positive. she told me, whatever sentence i get, i am ready for that. she writes to me all the time that we'll meet again soon, that everything will be ok. belarus feels anything but ok. even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows.

sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. we are looking at a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers today. some of the showers, like in recent days, will be heavy and thundery and slow—moving. we also have this line of rain moving across western and northern scotland and also northern ireland, but showers developing more widely through the afternoon. but, having said that, there will still be a lot of dry weather and some decent sunny spells. and temperatures up to about 22—23. as we head through the evening and overnight, some of the showers will fade. they remain across northern ireland and scotland, moving eastward, and by the end of the night we've got another band of rain and strengthening winds coming in from the west. overnight lows ranging between 10—14, so not as cool a start to the day tomorrow as it was this morning. we start off, though, on a brighter note in eastern areas but it won't last, as the cloud advances ahead of this rain moving northwards and also eastwards, and behind that we see

a return to some heavy and potentially thundery showers. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... experts are set to recommend all 16 and 17—year—olds in the uk should be offered a covid vaccine, with the aim of driving down infections. 13—year—old sky brown becomes britain's youngest medallist of all time after winning bronze in the women's park skateboarding final. and a gold medalfor team gb's hannah mills and eilidh mcintyre in the women's 470 sailing class, making hannah mills the most successful female sailing olympian of all time. belarusian olympic sprinter who sought sanctuary in a foreign embassy in tokyo has now left japan, boarding a flight to vienna this morning.

and coming up this hour... professor barbie — the scientist who designed the oxford coronavirus vaccine has been honoured with her very own doll. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's jane dougal. good morning. history continues to be made in tokyo for team gb, we have the most successful female sailor after hannah mills took gold in the 470, along with eildgh mcintyre. britain has also impressed in the boxing and there's been the youngest ever british medalist in the skateboarding as ben croucher reports. kick flipping history on its head. that was insane. so, so good. sky brown, the 13—year—old with the coolest piece of what the kids might call bling.

herjourney to becoming britain's youngest olympic medallist wasn't plain skating. she impressed in qualification but had to pull out all the tricks for the final. in herfirst two runs, she couldn't land the kick flip indie, meaning it was all or nothing for the final effort. third time's the charm. there is the kick flip indie. that's what we needed. the world number three backed it up in the minute packed with difficulty. she came of age. hands in the air, yes, sky! brown wasn't even the youngest on the podium. kokona hiraki, who won silver, is 12. gold medallist sakura yosozumi a comparative veteran at 19. it's incredible. i mean, it feels unreal. i'm so happy to be here. with sakura, with kokona. it's really... i'm blessed. brown was just five when hannah mills first won an olympic medal.

she is now the most successful female sailor in games history. her and eilidh mcintyre only needed to finish seventh in the 470 medal race. they had to fight hard in that race but it is gold for great britain. fifth was enough. for mcintyre, she emulates dad mike, who won gold in seoul in 1988. if britain rules the waves, cuba are kings of the ring, which meant bad news for ben whittaker. he was guaranteed a medal but had a puncher�*s chance against arlen lopez, already an olympic champion from 2016. in the end, the hardest of hits were delivered by the cuban, leaving a gutted whittaker with silver. well earlier frazer clarke added another medal in the boxing with bronze in the super heavyweight. he lost his semifinal match after the referee stopped the fight because a deep cut above frazer's eye opened up again by his opponent, the uzbekistan six foot eight giant.

but the loss does mean clarke walks away with a bronze medal. afterwards he said "it was not the fairy tale i wanted but i'm proud of myself". after winning silver in the mens team sprint, jason kenny and jack carlin are back in action in the individual sprint and it's so far, so good, for both riders. carlin had broken the olympic record this morning to qualify, although it was then beaten a few minutes later... but then he had no problem beating australia's nathan hart to reach the last 16. then, jason kenny, who's the defending champion, also made it through safely, against the former world champion aziz awang of malaysia. and in the last few minutes, katy marchant has also qualified for the quarterfinals of the women's keirin. what a run for the usa's sydney mclaughlin — she broke her own world record in the women's 400m hurdles — taking gold in the process. the defending champion, fellow american dalilah muhammad got away fastest but mclaughlin powered down the home straight to win gold in 51.46 seconds, and take almost

half a second off the world record. muhammad getting silver. the new women's best follows norway's karsten warholm breaking his own world record in the men's 400m hurdles on tuesday. away from the olympics now — and players from all 20 premier league clubs say they'll continue to take the knee next season as a symbol of their "unity against all forms of racism". a �*no room for racism' sleeve badge will also be worn by players and match officials. the premier league say they "wholeheartedly support" the decision. the opening game of the new season takes place next friday, with newly promoted brentford hosting arsenal. disappointment for rangers last night, they lost 2—1 to malmo in sweden in the first leg of their champions league third qualifying third tie. they were 2—0 down when stephen davis scored deep into injury time. the away goals rule is no longer applied, but stephen gerrard's side will be pleased to have halved the defecit ahead of

the return game at ibrox. the first test between england and india gets under way this morning at trent bridge. england will be without ben stokes. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's all the sport for now. let's get more now on one of our stories from earlier this hour, as new research shows that children who become ill with coronavirus are unlikely to suffer with long—term effects. scientists at king's college london found illness from covid lasted, on average, no more than a week in people aged between five and 17. they describe the findings as reassuring. with me now is emma duncan, professor of clinical endocrinology at king's college london who worked on the research.

tell us about the research. what have you discovered and what does it mean for people out there watching, may be with children or who are children? if they are worried about the effects of having covid. iloathed children? if they are worried about the effects of having covid. what we were able to — the effects of having covid. what we were able to do _ the effects of having covid. what we were able to do through _ the effects of having covid. what we were able to do through the - the effects of having covid. what we were able to do through the king's l were able to do through the king's couege were able to do through the king's college london covid symptom study in collaboration with zoe is look at the quarter of a million children who reported through the app. about 75,000 of them were tested for sars—cov—2. we could look at those children's symptoms related to the time of when they had those tests,

so we could see how long symptoms lasted for. we could also look at a control group of children who tested negative. we found on average children who had symptoms were only ill for six days. slightly longer in older children between 12 and 17, seven days, and slightly younger primary school children, 5—11, five days. only 4% of children had symptoms by the time they got today 28 and reassuringly the burden of symptoms did not get worse over time, in fact by day 28 on average these children only had two symptoms and fewer than 2% had symptoms by the time we got to eight weeks. we also looked at children who tested negative for sars—cov—2 to see how the tract. only a handful of them still had symptoms at day 28 however

they had quite burdensome disease at that point and i think one of the things our study says is that it is reassuring firstly but children can get prolonged symptoms but it is uncommon and most children get better over time, however other children can have illnesses which can also have a protracted course. in terms of health planning we have to look after all children with burdensome and protracted illness during the pandemic, whether it is due to covid or not. the during the pandemic, whether it is due to covid or not.— due to covid or not. the fear for ounu due to covid or not. the fear for young people _ due to covid or not. the fear for young people that _ due to covid or not. the fear for young people that they - due to covid or not. the fear for young people that they could i due to covid or not. the fear for| young people that they could get long covid, that is pretty unlikely in children? i long covid, that is pretty unlikely in children?— in children? i think that is a fair comment- _ in children? i think that is a fair comment. what _ in children? i think that is a fair comment. what are _ in children? i think that is a fair comment. what are the - in children? i think that is a fair- comment. what are the implications for the idea — comment. what are the implications for the idea of— comment. what are the implications for the idea of vaccinating _ comment. what are the implications for the idea of vaccinating younger i for the idea of vaccinating younger people? it is in the news today, we are likely to have a recommendation on vaccinating 16 and 17—year—olds

but also other countries are vaccinating children over the age of 12. some people are worried about the risk reward benefit, if the concerns about covid in young people are as you have just indicated not that great. are as you have 'ust indicated not that areat. , , are as you have 'ust indicated not that great.— are as you have 'ust indicated not that great. our study did not look directl at that great. our study did not look directly at vaccination _ that great. our study did not look directly at vaccination but - that great. our study did not look directly at vaccination but our i that great. our study did not look| directly at vaccination but our data has been looked at by those who are considering vaccination in children and they are using it to help inform decision—making and recommendations. i have spoken to parents, and there is a group of parents lobbying, because they say children do suffer the effects of long covid and it has been underestimated. but this is a pretty sizeable trial. you have looked at a lot of cases, a lot of data, and you're pretty clear that the evidence is conclusive. brute data, and you're pretty clear that the evidence is conclusive. we are clear that the _ the evidence is conclusive. we are clear that the people _ the evidence is conclusive. we are clear that the people participating | clear that the people participating in our study gave us excellent

information. we know that parents were lobbying. we feel comfortable that within the confines i describe to you about the test results and timing of symptoms, we are confident about this. i think our study validates parents�* complaints, some children do experience a long symptom duration but it says overall for symptomatic children this is not occurring very often and most of those children do get better with time. ~ . , ., time. when the children in your stud , time. when the children in your study. say _ time. when the children in your study. say they _ time. when the children in your study, say they have _ time. when the children in your study, say they have covid i time. when the children in your study, say they have covid for i time. when the children in yourj study, say they have covid for a time. when the children in your- study, say they have covid for a few days and they suffer symptoms but are they proportionately much less serious than an adult suffering from covid? what are the average symptoms that a child would suffer from? in our study it was headache and fatigue which came out as the most common symptoms overall and after that in younger children, fever,

sore throat, abdominal pain and persistent cough. in older children, sore throat, loss of smell, fever and persistent cough. after 28 days, the number one symptom was fatigue, and that was experienced by five out of six children who were still complaining of symptoms after 28 days. complaining of symptoms after 28 da s. ., ., complaining of symptoms after 28 da s. . ,, , ., complaining of symptoms after 28 das. . ., ., days. thank you, professor of endocrinology. _ fierce fighting between afghan government forces and the taliban is continuing in the southern city of lashkar gah, the capital of helmand province. there are reports of an intense battle close to police headquarters. meanwhile, the taliban have now claimed responsibility for a car bomb and gun attack in a high—security district in kabul. militants were apparently targeting the home of

the acting defence minister who wasn't there at the time of the attack. at least eight people were killed and more than 20 injured. our correspondent, secunder kermani, is in kabul. he told us more about this latest bombing. yes, this was an attack that happened last night in a central area of the city. it began with a car bomb that exploded outside the gates of the defence minister's home. four attackers, four gunmen fought their way inside the home, engaged in an hours—long battle with security forces. the defence minister was not there at the time. his family were safely evacuated. of course, this is raising concerns about the militants' ability to strike really at the centre of the government. kabul, whilst over the years it's seen unfortunately huge numbers of suicide bombings, in recent months, really for the last year, it's seen less of these big,

complex attacks, suspected to be carried out by the taliban. many fear this is yet another escalation in the violence. first we saw the taliban taking over more rural areas, then we saw them launching assaults on provincial capitals. now we've had this attack at the centre of government. one thing to note that is more positive for afghan security forces, last night also saw ordinary residents in kabul and other cities across the country coming onto rooftops the balconies, chanting, "god is great," in support of the security forces, in defiance of the taliban, celebrating the resistance the afghan security forces have been putting up against the taliban. that's going to be a key boost to the morale of the security forces, who are fighting the taliban on a number of fronts at the moment. the crew of an oil tanker that was targeted in an suspected hijacking in the gulf of oman

is believed to be safe. the uk's maritime organisation says armed men who boarded the panama—flagged mv asphalt princess have now left the ship. iran has denied it was behind the seizure. meanwhile, a british security guard who was killed in a separate oil tanker attack has been named as adrian underwood. mr underwood was one of two guards killed in a drone attack on the mv mercer street, operated by an israeli—owned company, off oman six days ago. president biden has said the democratic governor of the state of new york, andrew cuomo, should resign. it's after an investigation found he had sexually harassed women while in office. the five—month inquiry described a "toxic" workplace where people were too scared to complain. barbara plett usher reports. new york's ambitious, combative governor had been banking on a run for a fourth term in office and now he is plotting furiously to salvage his job.

just a year ago, he was arguably the most popular governor in the us, leading the fight against covid, a darling of the democrats. more like a pariah now, deserted at the party's highest level after the damning results of an investigation found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen employees. i think he should resign. what i said was if the investigation of the attorney general concluded that the allegations were correct, that, back in march, i would recommend he resigned. that is what i'm doing today. the report was five months in the making. investigators revealed a disturbing pattern of abusive behaviour that they said violated state and federal law. the investigation found that governor andrew cuomo sexually harassed current and former new york state employees by engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature. they described a climate of fear

that long prevented women from coming forward with complaints. the most serious was the governor's unwelcome physical contact with women, including touching intimate body parts. mr cuomo has remained defiant. he called the report politically biased and defended his hands—on style as a harmless tradition of showing warmth through touch. i never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. that isjust not who i am. and that is not who i have ever been. even so, the governor could face civil and criminal prosecution and his political career is imperilled. there is talk of impeachment. i thought he should have resigned a long time ago. i hope he has the decency to resign today. the #metoo movement has been slow to come for new york's irrepressible political survivor but now he stands on very shaky ground. barbara plett usher,

bbc news, los angeles. more than 40,000 uk students will be able to study and work abroad from this september as part of the government's post—brexit replacement of the erasmus exchange programme. more than 120 universities, as well as over 200 schools and further education colleges across the uk, will be awarded grants from the £110 million turing scheme. but labour says it doesn't do enough to target disadvantaged students. michelle donelan is the minister of state for universities. it replaces the eu scheme, erasmus, and it is going to be global in nature so those placements you just reference across 150 different countries across the globe, not confined to the eu, and almost 50% of the students participating are

from disadvantaged backgrounds. worlds apart from erasmus, this will be open and inclusive to those from deprived backgrounds from all parts of the uk, parts which didn't tend to engage with erasmus and send students abroad, they will now be doing that. when the ever given ran aground and blocked the suez for a week in march, it halted roughly 15% of global trade in the process — it was the culmination of a perfect storm for global supply chains. the ship finally made it into port in felixstowe yesterday to the relief of businesses whose precious cargo has been trapped for four months. the ever given saga highlighted our reliance on global supply chains for just about everything and exposed the weaknesses in seaborne transport. here's our business correspondent theo leggett. four months late, and still bearing the scars of her encounter with the sandy banks of the suez canal, the ever given finally limped into felixstowe,

her last port of call. this giant of the seas became stranded after negotiating one of the narrowest parts of the canal. she was stuck fast and the waterway was blocked for six days. hundreds of ships were unable to pass through, causing havoc in a global container industry already under pressure because of the covid outbreak. the saga of the ever given itself may be over but what it has shown is how much impact a single event involving one giant vessel can have on the entire global supply chain and just how vulnerable the systems we rely on for imports every day really are. and those supply chains are still under strain, thanks to other factors, such as covid outbreaks in key chinese ports and severe weather. it means freight rates are continuing to soar. this has won awards for us all over the world.... gavin ucko runs the happy puzzle company, which imports toys and games from china to be

sold in britain. he's ordering supplies for the busy christmas period but he says the costs are becoming insurmountable. prior to this year, we'd never paid more than £2,700 for a 40—foot container coming to us from china. this morning i was quoted over £15,000 for a similar container. prices have gone through the roof and it is becoming unworkable. and it is notjust prices that are the problem. some traders are simply struggling to find space on vessels coming from east asia at any price, such is the level of demand. if you manage to get a container loaded at the suppliers and book it on a vessel sailing next week, the line may not load it on that vessel and they may not load on the next vessel, and the next vessel after that. in other words, your container is stuck in shanghai port for three additional weeks before it is actually shipped on the vessel. some businesses are happy.

with space on their services so scare and cargo rates so high, the shipping lines themselves are making record profits although they argue this is simply compensation for the many lean years they have suffered in the past, but they are the only happy ones. for importers, retailers and consumers in europe and north america as well as suppliers in east asia, this is a crisis they could certainly do without and the ever given remains a potent symbol of a troubled year they would like to forget. theo leggett, bbc news. some coronavirus data from the office of national statistics, more than nine in ten adults in the uk now have antibodies to coronavirus, roughly 93% of adults tested by the ons during the week ending the 18th ofjuly had covid antibodies, up

slightly from 92% a fortnight before. antibodies are evidence of a past infection or having received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is clearly the vast majority of people. in england, 94% of people tested by the ons during the week ending the 18th ofjuly had antibodies to covid, compared to 92% the fortnight before. in wales, 93%, the fortnight before. in wales, 93%, the same as a fortnight before. in northern the oxford coronavirus vaccine co—creator professor dame sarah gilbert has been honoured with a barbie doll, from the toy company mattel. the oxford astra zeneca vaccine is now the most widely used around the world, with doses sent to more than 170 countries. ramzan karmali has the details.

a barbie doll with a difference. this one is modelled on the scientist professor dame sarah gilbert. she's the co—designer of the oxford coronavirus vaccine. although she finds the concept of a barbie doll created in her likeness strange, she hopes it will inspire girls to think about a career in science. i hope that my barbie doll, as well as others of women who work in science and medicine willjust keep reminding them there are many careers open to them, so when they are playing they're also thinking about what they might like to do in the future. in total, mattel has created six new models based on women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. mattel said the aim of creating these dolls was to help shine a light on the efforts of all front line workers during the pandemic. dame sarah joins the likes of beyonce and marilyn monroe with this new honour. where will she keep the doll? probably in my office at work, along with other trophies from 2020 and 2021. mattel also agreed with dame sarah

to make a financial donation to a non—profit organisation dedicated to inspire young girls considering a career in science. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. the unsettled weather that we've been seeing recently is set to continue for another few days yet. today we are looking at that mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers, like yesterday. some of the showers will be heavy and thundery and slow—moving but they are showers so we won't all catch one. you can see where we have got clear skies across the uk, we have also got a line of cloud coming in across scotland and northern ireland. that's a weather front and it's already been producing some rain and will continue to do so as we go through the rest of the day. some of the rain will be heavy. elsewhere a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine,

but seeing more showers develop, especially through the afternoon, and those could be heavy and thundery and slow—moving. but there is a lot of dry weather around them and temperatures could get up to 22—23 today and that will feel quite pleasant in the sunshine. tonight there will be a few showers around, moving out of northern ireland across scotland, and then another system comes in from the atlantic, bringing some more rain into some western areas, accompanied by gusty winds, especially for northern ireland and the south—west. so it's not going to be a cold night tonight. this is why. we've got low pressure and its attendant fronts coming in from the south—west. this is today's front across scotland, moving eastwards. a look at the isobars tells you that it's going to be windy in western areas. as this system pushes eastwards through the day, with the cloud building ahead of it, you'll notice the wind picking up elsewhere as well. behind the rain we see a return to some showers. again, those could be heavy and thundery but temperatures are still potentially getting up to 23. as we head through friday,

our low pressure drifts further north so it is centred right across the uk. we have weather fronts rotating around it with rain or showers, and you can see there are more isobars on the charts so it is going to be a wetter and windier day for most. the met office actually has a yellow weather warning out for northern ireland, north wales, northern england and scotland because we could see some torrential downpours in a small amount of time, which could lead to some issues with flooding. temperatures about 16—21. then the outlook beyond that remains unsettled but, as we head through saturday, but more especially sunday, one thing you will notice is that the wind at least is going to ease.

i'm lucy hockings in tokyo — today's headlines from the olympics. team usa's sydney mclaughlin smashes her own world record and gets gold in the 400 metre hurdles. and a gold medalfor team gb's hannah mills and eilidh mcintyre in the women's 470 sailing class, making hannah mills the most successful female sailing olympian of all time. japan's kokona hiraki and great britain's sky brown become their countries youngest ever medallists — taking gold and bronze in the skateboarding experts are set to recommend all 16 and 17—year—olds in the uk should be offered a covid vaccine — with the aim of driving

down infections.