this is bbc news. the headlines: scientists advising the government say all 16 and 17—year—olds should be offered the pfizer covid vaccine. we'd like to advise that the first vaccine dose is offered now for 16 and 17—year—olds who are otherwise healthy with the aim of a second vaccine dose to be offered sometime later. success for team gb in tokyo — 13—year—old sky brown becomes britain's youngest ever olympic medallist winning bronze in skateboarding, and ben maher takes top spot in the individual showjumping. katarina johnson—thompson pulls out of the heptathlon after suffering a calf injury during the 200m. the british security guard killed in last thursday's drone attack

on a tanker off oman is named as adrian underwood. a minute's silence and the reading of victims names — of victims�* names — to commemorate exactly one year — since the catastrophic explosion in the port city of beirut. new research shows the amount of people worldwide who are exposed to flooding has risen by 24% since the turn of the century — ten times higher than scientists previously thought. calls to boost the uk's forestry industry as the price of timber and pressure on supplies rise sharply. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. scientists advising the government have given the go—ahead for 16 and 17—year—olds to be given the pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation held a briefing. let's take a look at the key points. as mentioned, thejcvi says it is advising all 16 to 17—year—olds to receive their first dose. they said there have been large changes in the way covid—19 is spreading in recent weeks, particularly in younger age groups. and as the adult vaccine roll—out has progressed successful, more safety data has come available, so it was important to review the advice for the vaccination of young people. in response, the health secretary sajid javid says the government is accepting the advice and has asked the nhs to prepare to vaccinate those eligible as soon as possible. the devolved administrations of wales and northern ireland have confirmed 16 and 17—year—olds will also be able to receive a vaccine. the scottish government has already previously endorsed the idea.

earlier, professor wei shen lim from thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation, set out more background to why the recommendation was made. a particular point to remember throughout all of this, is that there is a very strong influence of age on the risk associated with covid. we know this for adults, we know that older adults are at a higher risk than younger adults, and it is also true for children and young people. therefore, a 16—year—old child would be at higher risk than a 13—year—old child, for instance. that means in general terms, the benefits of vaccination are typically greater for older children compared to younger children. that point needs to be borne in mind. the deputy chief medical officer, professorjonathan van tam, said he wanted 16 and 17—year—olds to be able to get their firstjabs within the next few weeks.

obviously, children are going to start going back to colleges and sixth forms from september and in scotland that will be actually i think slightly earlier in some cases, so there is no time to waste in getting on with this. we have the jcvi advice on starting that initial first dose in 16 and 17—year—olds, and then i want to proceed as fast as is practically possible, which is not going to be tomorrow. i don't think it's likely to be early next week but i can tell you that the nhs has been kept informed of what has been deliberated byjcvi, and it has been preparing for multiple permutations and options for very many weeks now. i would expect that this programme will start in a very short number of weeks, as opposed to any longer than that.

we had already been preparing for something like this possibly the health secretary confirmed earlier, that the jabs will be offered to 16 and 17 year olds this month. we had already been preparing for something — we had already been preparing for something like _ we had already been preparing for something like this _ we had already been preparing for something like this possibly- something like this possibly happening _ something like this possibly happening 0f— something like this possibly happening. of course, - something like this possibly happening. of course, we . something like this possibly- happening. of course, we won't know until there _ happening. of course, we won't know until there is — happening. of course, we won't know until there is a — happening. of course, we won't know until there is a decision _ happening. of course, we won't know until there is a decision by— happening. of course, we won't know until there is a decision by the - until there is a decision by the experts, — until there is a decision by the exrrerts, but _ until there is a decision by the experts, but now— until there is a decision by the experts, but now that - until there is a decision by the experts, but now that they've| until there is a decision by the - experts, but now that they've made that decision — experts, but now that they've made that decision on _ experts, but now that they've made that decision on 16 _ experts, but now that they've made that decision on 16 and _ that decision on 16 and 17—year—olds, - that decision on 16 and 17—year—olds, we - that decision on 16 and 17—year—olds, we can i that decision on 16 and . 17—year—olds, we can put that decision on 16 and - 17—year—olds, we can put that that decision on 16 and _ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action _ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action i_ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action i hope _ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action. i hope we _ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action. i hope we can— 17—year—olds, we can put that into action. i hope we can be _ 17—year—olds, we can put that into action. i hope we can be offering i action. i hope we can be offering this very— action. i hope we can be offering this very soon. _ action. i hope we can be offering this very soon, certainly - action. i hope we can be offering this very soon, certainly this - this very soon, certainly this month _ our health correspondent jim reed is here. two weeks ago, this wasn't the recommendation. what's changed? thea;r recommendation. what's changed? they sa the data recommendation. what's changed? tie: say the data has changed. recommendation. what's changed? ti9:1 say the data has changed. especially around potential side effects on that younger group of men in particular. perigueux code i say this is an inflammation of the heart muscle. they wanted to see more data

the if that could be confirmed. they said they think the rates are pretty low, so one in every hundred thousand. as a result, they went forward with this recommendation. they say they need more time to consider whether younger children, so 12 to 15, are going to get the vaccine or not. it was interesting hearing from the health secretary for england in the last half an hour, in northern ireland, they said they will give jabs to 16 and 17—year—olds starting this friday. on a wider level, how much of a priority is it that 16 and 17—year—olds, where we have new research out today, suggesting that the problems that younger people might experience from covid—19 don't last very long. why is this such a priority now �*s? last very long. why is this such a priority now "5?— priority now 's? even though the

numbers that — priority now 's? even though the numbers that suffer _ priority now 's? even though the numbers that suffer from - priority now 's? even though thei numbers that suffer from severe covid infection and the young are very small as a percentage, if you have high levels of infection, you can still have small percentage of a big number. since the beginning of the pandemic, we've had roughly 6000 hospitalisations in children. that's not a high rate compared with other age groups, but it is still a significant number. the other thing they're looking at is infections, how infections and that a group can spread to the population —— age group. what they hope to do is reduce the rate in that age group and reduce people going home, teenagers going home, giving it to mum and dad and more elderly relatives who might be more vulnerable. it's about reducing the infection rate more generally, not just in that age group. jinn. infection rate more generally, not just in that age group.— just in that age group. jim, thank ou. let's talk to linda bauld, professor of public health at the university of edinburgh. hello, professor. i'll pick up on

the point that ijust hello, professor. i'll pick up on the point that i just went through with jim reed. the point that i just went through withjim reed. how much of a priority is this? with jim reed. how much of a priority is this?— priority is this? this is an age u-rou priority is this? this is an age groun with — priority is this? this is an age groun with the _ priority is this? this is an age group with the 1820s, - priority is this? this is an age group with the 1820s, they i priority is this? this is an age i group with the 1820s, they have priority is this? this is an age - group with the 1820s, they have a lot of social contacts —— 18 and 20s. these groups are in employment and education, so we know the virus moves between people. i think there are two main reasons. we heard in the press conference earlier that although the risk for this group is very small, there is not zero. there will be health benefits. those outweigh the disadvantages based on the safety data. also, there is this population immunity issue that we're looking at. younger countries demographically like israel were very quick to vaccinate teenagers. i think that is a key component of this and why so many people have

been calling for it.— been calling for it. let's be clear, this is primarily _ been calling for it. let's be clear, this is primarily about _ been calling for it. let's be clear, this is primarily about 16 - been calling for it. let's be clear, this is primarily about 16 or - this is primarily about 16 or 17—year—olds giving it to other people? mil 17-year-olds giving it to other --eole? : :, , people? all the way through this vaccination _ people? all the way through this vaccination programme, - people? all the way through this vaccination programme, we've . people? all the way through this - vaccination programme, we've heard even for someone in midlife like me, i'm not only doing it for myself, i'm doing it to protect older and more honourable relatives. that is even more the case with younger relatives. if you look at the benefit across the country as a whole, the main benefit is probably not to every 16 and 17—year—old, but to others. keeping in mind things like long covid it to add to that equation. we're seeing some evidence are emerging with the vaccines that people may be less likely to develop long covid. these are all important measures. i think you will struggle to find many of my colleagues unhappy about this decision. i think it's a step in the right direction. what about 12 to 15—year—olds? the news conference we heard suggested

the evidence is pretty good, and getting clearer, much clearer. we know the first minister of scotland would actually like to see 12 to 15—year—olds get the job back as well. we've got the autumn term starting, so kids are going to be mixing. how do you feel about that? why not give them the jab? hater? mixing. how do you feel about that? why not give them the jab? why not give them the 'ab? very good cuestion. i why not give them the 'ab? very good question. i think_ why not give them the 'ab? very good question. i think if— why not give them the 'ab? very good question. i think if you — why not give them the jab? very good question. i think if you look _ why not give them the jab? very good question. i think if you look at - why not give them the jab? very good question. i think if you look at it - question. i think if you look at it from a let's avoid disruption, it it would have been betterfor 12 to 15—year—olds. i think there are two types of data. there the original trial, and that's where it made shari were looking at, and the safety data growing in thejcb i were saying in confidence, the more millions of people vaccinated, the more confident we can be —— jcvi.

millions of people vaccinated, the more confident we can be ——jcvi. i think this is very precautionary for the uk not to recommend it for younger teens as well. a final signalfrom younger teens as well. a final signal from that conference was they were leaving the door open for that, and i would anticipate that will probably be recommended in the future. is probably be recommended in the future. , w' probably be recommended in the future. , w :, future. is it trickier with that cohort because _ future. is it trickier with that cohort because of _ future. is it trickier with that cohort because of consent? | future. is it trickier with that i cohort because of consent? its consent, particularly one of the biggest stuff about 16 consent, particularly one of the biggest stuff abou— biggest stuff about 16 and 17-year-olds _ biggest stuff about 16 and 17-year-olds can - biggest stuff about 16 and 17-year-olds can engage, | biggest stuff about 16 and - 17-year-olds can engage, decipher 17—year—olds can engage, decipher themselves, brilliant. —— decipher themselves. parents will be asking lots of questions and we'll also have a small proportion who are just not in favour of vaccines. we see that with every programme, which is highly unfortunate, from my perspective. i think there is a risk you might have a 15 or 14—year—old keen on coming forward, and mum and dad not so. again, as we already

are, but i hope everybody will recognise that the information will be published, and people can scrutinise it for themselves. i hope parents will make informed decisions for their children.— for their children. professor, it's aood to for their children. professor, it's good to see _ for their children. professor, it's good to see you. _ for their children. professor, it's good to see you. ask _ for their children. professor, it's good to see you. ask for - for their children. professor, it's good to see you. ask forjoining| for their children. professor, it's i good to see you. ask forjoining us. the daily coronavirus figures released by the government said a further 119 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for covid—19. there were also 29,312 new cases recorded. there were almost 30,000 first doses of the vaccines administered and 143 thousand second doses. 73.2% of the adult population have now received their second dose. new figures from the office for national statistics show more than nine in ten adults in the uk now have antibodies against coronavirus. roughly 93% of adults tested by the ons during the week to the 18th ofjuly

had covid antibodies, up slightly from 92% the previous fortnight. antibodies are evidence of a past infection with covid or of having received at least one dose of vaccine. team gb are racking up the medals in tokyo at the olympics, and the success is across a wide range of sports. history was made in the skate park with sky brown, who'sjust 13, taking britain's first skateboarding medal, and securing her place as the country's youngest ever olympic medallist. ben meher has secured individual showjumping gold on his horse, ben maher has secured individual showjumping gold on his horse, explosion w. and there was a gold in sailing for hannah mills and aylie mcintyre, winning the 4—70 class, making mills the most successful female olympic sailor of all time after her gold in rio, and a silver at london 2012. there were two more boxing medals, with ben whittaker taking silver in the light—heavyweight

category and frazer clarke claiming bronze in the men's super—heavyweight division. but there's also disappointing news this afternoon, as the reigning world champion, katarina johnson—thompson, is out of the heptathlon after a calf injury in the 200 metres. with full round—up of the day's olympic action, here's austin. as you say, it's been another successful day for team gb. the 12th day of the games has come to an end in tokyo and team gb have five more medallists, and skateboarder sky brown has become britain's youngest in olympic history, at the age ofjust 13 years and 28 days. she produced a composed final run to finish third in the women's park skateboarding final and claim bronze. hosts japan got the gold and silver as the sport made its olympic debut. it's incredible. i mean, it feels unreal! i'm so happy to be here

with sakura and kokona. all the girls were ripping it, it was insane. it was a super sick final and qualifier, semifinals. it was insane. so, great britain take their tally to 48 medals after day 12, 15 of which are gold. so, they move up to fourth in the medal table and go above australia. plenty of those medals in tokyo have come in the sailing, and there was another gold from the regatta today, as hannah mills became the most successful female sailor in olympic history. andy swiss has more. sailing to glory, and jumping for joy- a golden day for hannah mills and eilidh mcintyre. and for mills, it was also an historic one. they had begun their final race with a title in their sights. all they had to do was finish the top seven and they were soon up into second place. by the final buoy, they had dropped back to fifth, but they held their nerve,

and held on for victory. hannah mills and eilidh mcintyre, it is gold for great britain. delight for the duo and as their achievement started sinking in, so did they. mcintyre had emulated herfather mike who won sailing gold in 1988, while for mills, there was a place in the record place with two golds and a silver, now the most successful female sailor the olympics has ever seen. it's mad. it's absolutely mad. growing up, you know, i obviously like, a lot of olympians dreamed of being here one day and standing on the podium and to do it twice, with saskia before and eilidh this time, i've had two incredible crews to sail with, and ijust feel really lucky. and thousands of miles away at cardiff bay yacht club, the celebrations could also begin. for hannah mills' family, particularly her parents, it was just as special. i was so relieved for them both, they have worked so hard,

they 've tried every different approach to tactics, communication and anything else they possibly could to give them that extra little edge, it wasjust... just amazing, absolutely amazing. but elsewhere, gold proved agonisingly out of reach. in the boxing, ben whittaker had to settle for silver after losing his light heavyweight final and his disappointment was all too clear. at the presentation, he couldn't even face putting his medal on. coming second, it seems, was precious little consolation. ijust want to say to everyone, i i don't want to look like a baby, or a spoilt brat, but, - ijust am so upset i didn't win the gold, to me i feel. like i have lost the gold, i can't celebrate a silverjust yet. meanwhile in the superheavyweight category, frazer clarke's hopes of gold were ended by a nasty cut in his semifinal. but for the man who just missed out on a place at the last two games, bronze was worth the wait.

and it's the best the women's hockey team can hope for, after their reign as olympic champions came to an end, the netherlands beating them 5—1 in the semifinal. once again, though, the stand out performance came in the 400 metres hurdles after warholm smashed the men's world record yet, america's sydney mcloughlin did the same to the women's. it's mcloughlin's title, and a new world record! two new records in just 2a hours, the hurdles, it seems, are proving no barrier to brilliance. andy swiss, bbc news. five of team gb�*s medals have been won in equestrian, equalling their record haul achieve in london. today, ben maher won gold in the individual showjumping event, on his horse 'explosion w�* after a dramatic six—horsejump—off. maher completed his run in 37.85 seconds to pip sweden's peder fredricson

by 17 hundredths of a second and claim the gold. it's a second olympic title for maher after winning gold in the team jumping event at london nine years ago. but there was heartbreak for katarina johnson—thompson — her hopes of an olympic medal are over. she's withdrawn from the heptathlon after pulling up injured in the 200 metres. johnson—thompson was fifth overall, going into the fourth event, but she'd come to tokyo with concerns over an achilles problem. she'd had a good start to the race, but an injury to her right calf ended her chances. she refused the offer of a wheelchair, getting up to hobble across the line — but was later disqualified for having left her lane. disappointment forjohnson thompson, but on the whole, another impressive day for team db.

but on the whole, another impressive day forteam db. —— but on the whole, another impressive day for team db. —— team gb. the headlines on bbc news: scientists say all 16 and 17—year—olds should be offered the pfizer covid vaccine. success for team gb. sky brown becomes written's youngest ever olympus medalists. katerina johnson thompson pulls out after suffering a calf injury during the 200 metres. borisjohnson has set off on a two—day visit to scotland today, but he's 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. tony bonsignore is our political correspondent. was it a snub, tony?

it depends which way you want to look at this. let's start from nicola sturgeon's point of view. the government will boris johnson arrange government will borisjohnson arrange this and didn't approach nicola sturgeon for a meeting. sturgeon very publicly wrote to the prime minister and said come to the official residence and let's talk about covid recovery. as you mentioned, the response was essentially declining that meeting. this is what nicola sturgeon has to say about that when she was asked about it shortly. i don't feel snubbed. i think most people think it's a bit odd and a bit strange that we have got a prime minister visiting scotland, who talks a lot rightly about the need, despite our political differences, for us to work together where we can on getting through covid—19

and getting into covid recovery, but doesn't take the opportunity when in scotland to come and talk to me directly about how we might cooperate and work together. i think people willjust find that strange and it is for boris johnson to explain why. this is the first opportunity given covid is to sit down socially distance and have a face—to—face chat, and i think it would have been a good opportunity. i was getting ready to welcome him to bute house today. there is a lot that borisjohnson and i fundamentally disagree on but we both lead governments that are trying to get the country through covid, and so there's a lot for us to cooperate on. a missed opportunity but that's on him. i stand ready to work with whoever i can, however i can to get scotland through covid and into recovery. the explanation borisjohnson gave in his response was there will be

opportunities to meet in a more structured way, and with the other leaders of the devolved nations as well. i think privately, there might be something in —— some in downing street to say this isn't a foreign trip, this is going to another part of the uk, and that's also what might be partly happening. some fears from borisjohnson and his team, and there is a position where cameras and pictures of boris johnson being received by nicola sturgeon as if he's a visiting foreign unitary. he was asked about the shortly after those comments from nicola sturgeon. here's what he had to say. we work together. the scottish government, _ we work together. the scottish government, the _ we work together. the scottish government, the uk— we work together. the scottish i government, the uk government, we work together. the scottish - government, the uk government, at all levels — government, the uk government, at all levels work — government, the uk government, at all levels work together— government, the uk government, at all levels work together on _ government, the uk government, at all levels work together on the - all levels work together on the things— all levels work together on the things that _ all levels work together on the things that matter— all levels work together on the things that matter to - all levels work together on the things that matter to the - all levels work together on the i things that matter to the people all levels work together on the - things that matter to the people of our country. — things that matter to the people of our country, particularly— things that matter to the people of our country, particularly rolling - our country, particularly rolling out vaccinations _ our country, particularly rolling out vaccinations and _ our country, particularly rolling out vaccinations and generallyl out vaccinations and generally making — out vaccinations and generally making sure _ out vaccinations and generally making sure that _ out vaccinations and generally making sure that we - out vaccinations and generally making sure that we bounce l out vaccinations and generally i making sure that we bounce back out vaccinations and generally - making sure that we bounce back and build track— making sure that we bounce back and build back better _ making sure that we bounce back and build back better from _ making sure that we bounce back and

build back better from the _ making sure that we bounce back and build back better from the pandemic. j build back better from the pandemic. have you _ build back better from the pandemic. have you snubbed _ build back better from the pandemic. have you snubbed her— build back better from the pandemic. have you snubbed her by _ build back better from the pandemic. have you snubbed her by not - build back better from the pandemic. have you snubbed her by not taking i have you snubbed her by not taking up have you snubbed her by not taking up this offer? i’m have you snubbed her by not taking no this offer?— up this offer? i'm looking forward to continuing _ up this offer? i'm looking forward to continuing to _ up this offer? i'm looking forward to continuing to work _ up this offer? i'm looking forward to continuing to work with - up this offer? i'm looking forward to continuing to work with the - to continuing to work with the scottish— to continuing to work with the scottish government. - to continuing to work with the scottish government. we'll. to continuing to work with thel scottish government. we'll do to continuing to work with the - scottish government. we'll do so, getting _ scottish government. we'll do so, getting ready— scottish government. we'll do so, getting ready for— scottish government. we'll do so, getting ready for cop26, - scottish government. we'll do so, getting ready for cop26, but - scottish government. we'll do so, i getting ready for cop26, but above all, getting ready for cop26, but above all. completing _ getting ready for cop26, but above all, completing our— getting ready for cop26, but above all, completing our roll—out - getting ready for cop26, but above all, completing our roll—out of - getting ready for cop26, but above all, completing our roll—out of the i all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, — all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, which— all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, which has— all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, which has been- all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, which has been a - all, completing our roll—out of the vaccines, which has been a uk- all, completing our roll—out of the . vaccines, which has been a uk effort and a _ vaccines, which has been a uk effort and a fantastic — vaccines, which has been a uk effort and a fantastic effort _ vaccines, which has been a uk effort and a fantastic effort by _ vaccines, which has been a uk effort and a fantastic effort by our - and a fantastic effort by our nationai— and a fantastic effort by our national health _ and a fantastic effort by our national health service, - and a fantastic effort by our national health service, by| and a fantastic effort by our. national health service, by the armed — national health service, by the armed services, _ national health service, by the armed services, by— national health service, by the armed services, by the - national health service, by the - armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderfui— armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderful tribute _ armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderful tribute to _ armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderful tribute to the _ armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderful tribute to the efforts - armed services, by the volunteers. a wonderful tribute to the efforts of. wonderful tribute to the efforts of the whole — wonderful tribute to the efforts of the whole country, _ wonderful tribute to the efforts of the whole country, and _ wonderful tribute to the efforts of the whole country, and i- wonderful tribute to the efforts of the whole country, and i thank. wonderful tribute to the efforts ofi the whole country, and i thank the scottish— the whole country, and i thank the scottish government _ the whole country, and i thank the scottish government for _ the whole country, and i thank the scottish government for what - the whole country, and i thank the i scottish government for what they've been doing _ scottish government for what they've been doing reatiy— scottish government for what they've been doing. really high— scottish government for what they've been doing. really high rate - scottish government for what they've been doing. really high rate of- been doing. really high rate of vaccination _ been doing. really high rate of vaccination here _ been doing. really high rate of vaccination here in— been doing. really high rate of vaccination here in scotland. . vaccination here in scotland. fantastic— vaccination here in scotland. fantastic achievement - vaccination here in scotland. fantastic achievement by - vaccination here in scotland. | fantastic achievement by the vaccination here in scotland. - fantastic achievement by the people of scotland — keir starmer also in scotland today on an unrelated visit. he asked if they should have met, and he said yeah, the two leaders should have met. there shouldn't be any arguments, he said, overwhere met. there shouldn't be any arguments, he said, over where they meet and when they meet. obviously,

as you can gather, it does matter to both of them. as you can gather, it does matter to both of them-— new research has shown that the proportion of the population who are exposed to flooding has risen by 24% since the turn of the century — ten times higher than scientists previously thought. up to 86 million people are now thought to live in regions that are at risk of flooding. let's get more on this with our environment correspondent, matt mcgrath. sobering statistics. clearly, the scientists didn't think it would be this bad. trio scientists didn't think it would be this bad. :, , �* :, �* this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in _ this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in the _ this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in the last _ this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in the last few— this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in the last few weeks - this bad. no they didn't, and we've seen a lot in the last few weeks in | seen a lot in the last few weeks in china and europe, significant flooding events. in richer and poorer countries, and people angry about the lack of warning. governments make estimates on the wrist to people by using computer models, but those models are very fallible. they can't predict the

degrees of accuracy that people really need to. the scientists have looked at satellite images of about 900 floods over the first 15 years of the century, and they come up with a better idea of how many people and places have been impacted. when they look at the numbers, it's quite a stark difference between model predictions and the 86 million people they found to be at risk when they looked at the actual pictures as opposed to the actual pictures as opposed to the models. is the actual pictures as opposed to the models-— the models. is in it surely to policymakers. _ the models. is in it surely to policymakers, to _ the models. is in it surely to i policymakers, to governments, the models. is in it surely to - policymakers, to governments, to heads of state to sort this out? absolutely. i think the researchers are very clear that because we have this modelled picture of where in the world gets flooded the worst and how many people are at risk, it's been a big impediment to investing money in warning systems and helping people to cope with the impact of flooding. they're hoping that come cop26, when heads of government come to glasgow to talk about climate

change and the environment, they will use some of this information to say this country is exposed to huge amounts of flooding. it needs more money and it'll be an incentive to start all climate finance issues, which is one of the big roadblocks to progress. the which is one of the big roadblocks to progress-— to progress. the timing of this re ort to progress. the timing of this report clearly _ to progress. the timing of this report clearly linked _ to progress. the timing of this report clearly linked to - to progress. the timing of this report clearly linked to what . to progress. the timing of thisl report clearly linked to what we will see in glasgow in a few months. i think that's right. this is not just about climate change, it's also about the migration of people and people into poorer areas where the land is cheaper and more prone to flooding. the researchers say that over the next ten years, that may grow into more impacts of climate change, maybe another 50 million people at risk and 25 countries. coming up to glasgow, it's a key moment to discuss how the people of the world are protected and warned about the risks of flooding. matt. about the risks of flooding. matt, aood to about the risks of flooding. matt, good to see _ about the risks of flooding. matt, good to see you. _

now, the weather with stav. the end of the week is looking unsettled with low pressure. that's going to bring showers or longer spells of rain. it'll feel cooler and here it is, this new area of low pressure. as we head through the course of the night. bringing stronger winds, cloud and rain to northern ireland, perhaps western scotland. after those heavy showers fade away, it's going to be dry for most of us. temperatures lifting across southern and western areas, around 111—15 degrees, but a few colour spots further north and east. there is a start thought mina dry note —— cooler spots. —— we start

thursday on a dry note.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: scientists advising the government say all 16 and 17—year—olds should be offered the pfizer covid vaccine. success for team gb in tokyo. 13—year—old sky brown becomes britain's youngest ever olympic medallist, winning bronze in skateboarding. ben maher takes top spot in the individual showjumping. but katarina johnson—thompson pulls out of the heptathlon, after suffering a calf injury during the 200m. the british security guard killed in last thursday's drone attack new research shows those affected by flooding is at the peak of the

century. good afternoon. team gb have continued their impressive run of medals with another five on day 12 of the olympics. hannah mills has become the games�* most successful female sailor of all time, after she won gold alongside eilidh mcintyre in the a70 class. the pairfinished fifth in the medal race, but their earlier performances were enough to secures mills' third olympic medal and a second gold in three games. gb now have five sailing medals in tokyo, including three golds. it is mad, it's absolutely mad. growing up, obviously a lot of olympians dreamed of being here one day and standing on top of the podium and to do it twice with saskia before and eilidh this time, i have had two incredible crews to sail with and i feel really lucky. the support back home has been

unreal, so thank you, everyone. history unreal, so thank you, everyone. on the waves ther sky brown has made history of her own too, becoming team gb�*s youngest olympic medal winner at the age ofjust 13 and 28 days. afterfailing in herfirst two, brown produced a composed final run to finish third in the women's park skateboarding final and claim bronze. hosts japan got the gold and silver as the sport made its olympic debut. it's incredible. i mean, it feels unreal! i'm so happy to be here with sakura and kokona. all the girls were ripping it, it was insane. it was a super sick final and qualifier, semifinals. it was insane. boxer ben whittaker said he lost the gold medal, rather than won a silver, in the light—heavyweight division. the brit was beaten in the final by cuba's arlen lopez, who landed more punches than whittaker. the brit's from wolverhampton

and had said if he won gold he wanted to become the new mayor — but for now at least he says he'll be sticking to boxing! meanwhile, frazer clarke added another medal in the ring with bronze in the super heavyweight division. he lost his semifinal after the referee stopped the fight because of a deep cut above frazer's eye. but the loss does mean clarke walks away with a bronze medal. he said he was proud of his achievement, even though it wasnt the fairytale he wanted. katarina johnson—thompson's hopes of an olympic medal are over — she's withdrawn from the heptathlon after pulling up injured in the 200 metres. johnson—thompson was fifth overall, going into the heptathlon's fourth event, but she had come to tokyo with concerns over an achilles problem. she'd had a good start to the 200 metres, but an injury to her right calf ended her chances. she refused the offer of a wheelchair, getting up

to hobble across the line, but was later disqualified for having left her lane. i can't see past the devastation for kat. she's worked so hard to get to this position. if you look for a silver lining, it's great that the achilles has not sustained further damage. but it is not uncommon that you see, one leg gets injured, something else gets hurt eventually. and it could have beenjust brought on by the highjump. five of the team gb�*s medals have come from equestrian. today, ben maher won in showjumping. he completed his run in 37.85 seconds to pip the swede. he won gold in

london nine years ago. away from the olympics — the first test between england and india is underway at trent bridge. england are notably without ben stokes and they got off to a dreadful start batting first. opener rory burns went for a duck — bowled byjasprit bumrah in the first over. england then steadied the ship slightly through captain joe root and jonny bairstow, but they've lost two quick wickets — root�*s still there though on 64. india have just started their first innings, they are four without loss. manchester city are closing in on the signing of aston villa captain jack grealish. but he doesn't come cheap... the fee is believed to be around a hundred million pounds —

a record for an english club. a deal might even be done in time for the england star to play in the community shield against leicester city on saturday. the hundred million transferfee would surpass the £89 million manchester united paid tojuventus in the signing of paul pogba in 2016. we will have lots more from tokyo and the olympics in sports day but thatis and the olympics in sports day but that is all for now. fierce fighting between afghan government forces and the taliban are continuing in that the cattle of helmand province. meanwhile, the taliban have now claimed responsibility for a car bomb and gun attack in a high security district in cobble. militants were apparently targeting the home of the defence minister, he was not there at the time. eight people are killed

and more than 20 injured. hospitals are being killed at —— filled up. the un says it is deeply concerned about the safety and protection of tens of thousands of people is that many have been continuing to flee their homes. let's get more on the situation with the chief of field operations for unicef in afghanistan and joins us now. thank you forjoining us here. we know that kandahar is one of the cities that is also in the cross hairs of the taliban at the moment. just sum up how difficult it is for you and your team working on the ground in the middle of these battles. : :, , :, :, , battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place _ battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place to _ battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place to work— battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place to work in, _ battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place to work in, but - battles. afghanistan has always been a difficult place to work in, but in - a difficult place to work in, but in the last few months, the situation has become worse. the conflict has

escalated and we have over 18 million people now that are in need of humanitarian assistance. 4 million children are out of school right now and this is a situation, especially in the last few weeks, we have seen it closed at 400,000 people that have been posted on the road and half of them are children and because of the conflict and because it is widespread across the country, it is making our life and i work difficult to go and reach them in a timely manner and provide the necessary assistance. 50 it in a timely manner and provide the necessary assistance.— necessary assistance. so it is difficult to — necessary assistance. so it is difficult to get _ necessary assistance. so it is difficult to get to _ necessary assistance. so it is difficult to get to the - necessary assistance. so it is difficult to get to the people | necessary assistance. so it is - difficult to get to the people who need your help. have you made any kind of approach, the un in general i suppose, to the warring parties, to bring forward some kind of a ceasefire in orderfor to bring forward some kind of a ceasefire in order for you to help people? brute ceasefire in order for you to help --eole? ~ :, ceasefire in order for you to help neale? . ., :,

ceasefire in order for you to help --eole? ~ :, :, , :, , people? we have met over the years, for unicef we — people? we have met over the years, for unicef we have _ people? we have met over the years, for unicef we have been _ people? we have met over the years, for unicef we have been here - people? we have met over the years, for unicef we have been here over- for unicef we have been here over the last five years and we have 11 offices across the country and we built relation and trust in those areas and rebuild that trust and the relation with all the leadership on the ground, including some of the parties to the conflict and we are engaging with them on a regular basis and having the difficult discussion, especially when it comes to children, because it children are coming our way right now. since the beginning of the year we have recorded close to 470 children being killed because of the conflict and close to 1200 of them being maimed and injured. there are what we call in unicef the grave violation and thatis in unicef the grave violation and that is what we engage with all parties on a regular basis to try and prevent them from happening and to try to keep the children at school, where they need to be, and

not on the road, because the conflict has come to the houses. 1 conflict has come to the houses. i mean, are civilians being targeted? evenif mean, are civilians being targeted? even if they are not targeted, civilians are in the middle of the conflict. they have not asked for the conflict to happen in their village, at the front of their door. they have not asked to be pushed out of their houses because they need to save their life and the lives of their children, so the conflict is going to them and it is affecting them and it is costing lives the children and women of afghanistan want peace and from now, the warring parties are not hearing their calls and the conflict it needs to take into account the civilians and parties in the conflict needed to take all necessary measures to ensure civilians are not coming in harms way. in ensure civilians are not coming in harms way-— harms way. in the tragedy of all this of course _

harms way. in the tragedy of all this of course is _ harms way. in the tragedy of all this of course is that _ harms way. in the tragedy of all this of course is that while - harms way. in the tragedy of all this of course is that while the l this of course is that while the fighting has escalated in recent weeks, particularly after the announcement that us led foreign forces would be pulling out, this has been a slow burn tragedy for the civilians of afghanistan for the last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's — last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's point _ last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's point of— last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's point of view, - last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's point of view, is - last many, many years. afghanistan, from a child's point of view, is one i from a child's point of view, is one of the worst places to live in. i am a father of two and i worry about my daughters, but here, the worries of parents cannot compare with my own worry. the afghan population is facing a triple crisis, there is a conflict, covid—19 and there is a drought that was declared a few weeks back. only one of these crises brought down countries down to their knees in europe and elsewhere and now here we have to deal with the three of them stop what we have been preparing supplies are tight zonal

offices, i do not think that if the conflict does not stop, i do not think we have the capacity to respond to the need in a timely matter. we have been here for many years and we have no intention to leave the country. as long as there are children here we will stay and we do intend to stay and deliver those children. and there are no enemy children. the children are here and they are suffering because the conflict again is hitting schools, hitting hospitals, and hitting their own houses. there is nowhere for them to be safe if the conflict does not find a solution immediately. conflict does not find a solution immediately-— immediately. yes, what is your messa . e immediately. yes, what is your message to _ immediately. yes, what is your message to the _ immediately. yes, what is your message to the warring - immediately. yes, what is your. message to the warring parties? children need to be in school. pregnant mothers cannot be on the road and walking for kilometres and kilometres. they need to be close to our health facility so they can

deliver the next generation of our young people and i think the conflict is putting the future of the afghan children at risk and we want them to have a future. and we can't do it alone. we need the support of those who are fighting today to engage with us so we can find a constructive way to improve, simply improve the life of the children and the afghan women. brute children and the afghan women. we have heard a lot about the fighting thatis have heard a lot about the fighting that is taking place across afghanistan, not enough on the toll on civilians, particularly children. it is good to get your perspective on all this, thank you.— on all this, thank you. thank you for having _ on all this, thank you. thank you for having me. _ kristina timanovskaya, the belarusian sprinter who refused her team's orders to fly home from the olympic games in tokyo, has now landed

in vienna. here's the moment her flight touched down. travels plans were changed at the last minute because of security concerns. the 24—year—old and her husband have been granted humanitarian visas by poland. she's expected to travel to warsaw later. on sunday, the sprinter was taken to the airport, against her will, by belarus officials, because she had criticised her coaches on social media. capital beirut to mark the first anniversary of a deadly explosion huge crowds have gathered on the streets of the lebanese capital beirut to mark the first anniversary of a deadly explosion that devastated parts of the city. more than 200 people died and thousands were injured after a warehouse storing ammonium nitrate exploded at the port. it's believed to be one of the biggest non—nuclear explosions in history. a year on, the families of the victims are still looking for closure, and for those responsible to be held to account. the bbc�*s carine torbay is in beirut, she explained the level of anger there. the scars are really very fresh, still there. this is a day of

remembrance, but it is also a day for people to call forjustice and fair accountability. we have seen large crowds coming from different parts of the country, from all walks of life, converging into that port area. they marched four hours, they marched through the streets which were destroyed by that horrible last one year ago and now they are all gathering to pray, to remember, but also to call forjustice. the collapse of this system started way before this. lots of people taking to the streets calling that a change to the streets calling that a change to be made and that was in october 2019. after that, we saw a lot of anger in the streets and it has

faded. it has faded because the conditions kept are deteriorating, people saw their lifestyle of falling every day furthermore. people had so many reasons today to feel so angry. as they do, uranian drone strike on the vessel killed a british security guard who has been named as adrian underwood. general carter said the iranians have made a big mistake and britain should be calling out iran for its miraculous behaviour. iran has denied involvement. we need to be doing fundamentally is calling out iran there is very reckless behaviour.

i mean, they made a big mistake on the attack they did against the mercer street vessel last week, because, of course, that has very much internationalised the state of play in the gulf. and i think, you know, we will work out with our allies what is the best way of providing protection. and convoys may not necessarily be the right method. we have used other methods, and we will keep reviewing our way of keeping this happening. but, ultimately, we've got to restore deterrence. because it's behaviour like that which leads to escalation, that could very easily lead to miscalculation. and that would be very disastrous for all the peoples of the gulf and the international community. our security correspondent has more. an attack on a tanker with an explosive drone, a so—called suicide drone, and britain, us, israeland romania are in no doubt whatsoever that iran was behind that, because this is a very powerful weapon. it is not something that could be casually launched, it is a heavy weapon and it was a fatal attack on shipping.

iran has denied it, but they do not believe that. they are taking it to the un security council. separately, there was another attack on shipping in the last 24 hours where a merchant vessel, much smaller one, was hijacked and that was initially blamed, or maritime intelligence sources in the region blamed it on iran saying it was linked to them, but actually the ship never moved. it didn't... it was supposed to be steered towards iran, it didn't move and the people, the so—called eight or nine armed men who boarded it, left it alone at three o'clock this morning. so that is a kind of mysterious one and i think that one is more likely linked to the criminal underworld, the smuggling world that goes on in the gulf. there is an awful lot of nefarious activities there that happen below the radar, so to speak, but there are a number of moving factors going on here which are not immediately apparent. the first one is almost certainly an extension of the tit—for—tat shadow war between iran and israel, where israel is attacking iranian shipping that it believes is transporting smuggled oil

to syria, which then supplies hezbollah, which then attacks as well, or can do. —— which then attacks israel. that is that connection. and israel has also of course tried to sabotage iran's nuclear industry and there have been a number of mysterious assassinations and sabotage events inside iranian nuclear facilities. iran has been attacking shipping and there have been a number of incidents of this. all of this is making the gulf and the entrance to the strait of hormuz that much more tense, because it is this checkpoint through which around a fifth of the world's maritime oil supplies go through. borisjohnson is boris johnson is on borisjohnson is on a two—day visit to scotland and has been speaking to the bbc scotland political editor who began by asking the prime minister when he thinks the coronavirus pandemic is nearing its end. 1 coronavirus pandemic is nearing its end. :, , coronavirus pandemic is nearing its end. :,, :, ~' coronavirus pandemic is nearing its end. :, ,, , end. i hope so and i think there is a lot of reason _ end. i hope so and i think there is

a lot of reason for— end. i hope so and i think there is a lot of reason for thinking - end. i hope so and i think there is a lot of reason for thinking that i a lot of reason for thinking that could be the case, because if you look at the current wave, the third wave, it is obviously less severe than the previous two. plus we have this amazing fortification of the vaccine wall and in scotland everyone has done a fantasticjob, the vaccination rate is about 90%, a point higher even than the rest of the uk, and that is unquestionably helping us to deal with delta. what we have to be careful of is further waves and new variants coming in and so there are a couple of things we wanted to do. number one, as you will have seen to date from the jcvi, we are going to get some extra protection by encouraging 16 and 17—year—olds to come forwards and getting vaccination. do

17-year-olds to come forwards and getting vaccination.— getting vaccination. do you think that is a good — getting vaccination. do you think that is a good idea? _ getting vaccination. do you think that is a good idea? i _ getting vaccination. do you think that is a good idea? i do - getting vaccination. do you think that is a good idea? i do and - getting vaccination. do you think that is a good idea? i do and i i that is a good idea? i do and i auree that is a good idea? i do and i agree very — that is a good idea? i do and i agree very much _ that is a good idea? i do and i agree very much for _ that is a good idea? i do and i agree very much for the - that is a good idea? i do and i agree very much for the first | agree very much for the first minister of scotland about that. in minister of scotland about that. in time, could that be extended to 12, 13, 14, 15—year—old? i time, could that be extended to 12, 13, 14, 15-year-old?_ 13, 14, 15-year-old? i think it is very important _ 13, 14, 15-year-old? i think it is very important when _ 13, 14, 15-year-old? i think it is very important when you - 13, 14, 15-year-old? i think it is very important when you look l 13, 14, 15-year-old? | think it is| very important when you look at these issues, you are talking about these issues, you are talking about the vaccination of children where families will be thinking very carefully about it. it is very important to stress that whatever is done must be in the interests, medical, clinical interest of the individual child, individual young person. and so you have to listen to the medical advice to the clinicians, to thejcvi, that is what i will be doing. i'm glad it... if you want my view about 16, 17—year—olds, i am glad they have said what they said. i do think when you look at the way that covid progresses, there is no question that it gets ahead of steam up in

the younger groups, head office team up the younger groups, head office team up in the schools, adolescents, and its edges up into the old groups. so if we can protect those younger people, then i think we can do even more good. i people, then i think we can do even more good-— more good. i should add that in the last cou - le more good. i should add that in the last couple of— more good. i should add that in the last couple of seconds _ more good. i should add that in the last couple of seconds or _ more good. i should add that in the last couple of seconds or so, - more good. i should add that in the last couple of seconds or so, the i last couple of seconds or so, the first minister of scotland has confirmed that 16 and 17—year—olds will be getting the pfizer coronavirus vaccine. the authorities in northern ireland and wales have agreed they will be doing that at some point too. thejcvi has confirmed that the english authorities should be doing that and sajid javid, the health secretary, has made it clear that that will take place as soon as this month, but colin has now confirmed, three nicola sturgeon, that's 18 and 17 roles will be getting the pfizer qualifies vaccine. —— scotland has now confirmed. the price of timber has risen

sharply and the construction industry is struggling to get supplies. the huge boost in demand as more building projects are getting under way after the lockdown is the main cause of the shortage. at the same time, climate change is increasing the pressure on supplies, with wildfires damaging vast areas of woodland in parts of the world. the uk imports around 80% of its timber and many are calling for the uk's forestry industry to be encouraged and supported, so that more sustainable supplies of wood are possible in future. our environment and rural affairs correspondent claire marshall reports. in rural herefordshire, the architects of the future are at work. they are piecing together a timber frame house. they are students, learning to build in a sustainable way with a low carbon footprint. but there is a problem. this build, along with countless others across the country, has been badly hit by the worldwide shortage of wood supplies. in every sector of the timber supply market, prices have gone up, supply chains have been less

reliable, delivery drivers have been hard to get, so just everything has been difficult. on top of problems caused by the pandemics, forests around the world are ablaze. oh, my god, look at that! canada, one of the world's biggest timber supplies, has cut the amount it will sell, blaming it largely on climate change. fire, weather, drought and now things like bugs and beetles, meaning that a lot of the timber cannot be used, that the trees can get damaged and destroyed, that the timber will not be the right quality needed for construction and those forests have to be chopped down. that is what is happening on this estate in herefordshire. a stand of ashes being felled. the trees were infected with ash dieback. currently we import about 80% of our wood. this woodland is being managed sustainably, but with prices around the world for timber getting so high, the demand for illegally logged timber is sure to increase.

all this is feeding into calls for the uk to improve its own home—grown industry. forestry needs to change. many foresters believe it is about planting the right tree in the right place. we need to be looking at the lower grade land where forests have traditionally existed and deliver a blend of forests that can grow economically on that land. a big global shift is happening away from concrete, which is carbon intensive and bad for the environment. demand for timber is rising quickly. wood is beautiful. it is a very beautiful material. we have enough of it, but we just need to be able to take care of it at the same time. i think we are using and using it because it seems like there is a lot, but we need to also take care of the actual portion that we are using, because then we will not need to take so much. the uk has the lowest tree cover in europe. the government has set some ambitious tree—planting targets.

the question now is whether they will be met. claire marshall, bbc news, herefordshire. time for the weather. hello there. much of the country today had a fine one with plenty of sunshine. it felt quite warm, too, but there were some heavy, thundery showers across parts of the midlands and northern england. these will tend to fade away. many places turning drier tonight, but we start to see some rain pushing into western areas, courtesy of this new area of low pressure which is going to be with us for quite a few days. you can see ahead of it very light winds. it turns drier as we start the early hours of friday for many central, southern and eastern areas, but the cloud continues to build up across western scotland and certainly across northern ireland as this low pressure system moves in. by the end of the night, we'll start to see some rain, which could become more persistent and heavy at times and the breeze picking up, too. temperatures lifting across the south —12—15 degrees, one or two cooler spots further

north and east. so, for the end of the week, it's looking a lot more unsettled with low pressure pretty much slap bang on top of us. that's going to bring showers or longer spells of rain, and it's going to turn windier, too. it moves very slowly, affecting western areas through thursday morning, and then eventually starts to reach eastern areas through the second half of the day. so, it does mean it's going to start dry perhaps in some early sunshine for central and eastern england, eastern, northeastern scotland, where it could stay dry all day. but the rain will eventually push in towards the central and eastern some of it will be heavy, perhaps thundery and places. that'll be followed by heavy and blustery showers and some sunny spells across southern and western areas into the afternoon. so, high teens celsius across many areas, but we could just see 20 or 21, given that dry, bright, sunny start. into friday, low pressure very much dominating the weather scene. it's going to be a pretty unsettled day with that. showers or longer spells of rain, some of which could be very heavy and could give rise to some localised flooding through central and northern areas.

i think for the midlands southwards into wales, here it's going to be a mixture of sunny spells and some showers, which could be heavy and thundery. in the sunshine, despite the wind, we could see 20 or 21 degrees. otherwise, for most, i think the high teens celsius. into the start of the weekend, we've got low pressure still on top of us, this feature running across southern areas which could bring an area of more persistent rain at times, then followed by sunshine and showers again into sunday. it really is looking unsettled this weekend as well with temperatures below par for the time of year. however, there will be some sunshine in between the rain.

are set to be offered a covid vaccine. the new policy affects 1.4 million teenagers, and experts say the roll—out will start in a matter of weeks. vaccination of children and young people can bring benefits to people such as adults and including parents and grandparents, but at the forefront is the health and benefits to children and young people themselves. the only vaccine currently approved for those under 18 in the uk is the one made by pfizer—biontech. when i heard the news, i was, like, really excited. it's made me really happy. punching the air, we were in the car, so she wasjust like "yes". we'll have details of the new plan,

which has no detail yet,