our transport correspondent, caroline davies, reports.ports. come for the weather. dc international few come for the weather. do uk's international terrorists have mostly kept away with quarantine rules but perhaps there is some sunshine in the clouds. —— international tourists. i the clouds. -- international tourists-_ the clouds. -- international twiste— the clouds. -- international tourists. . ., ., ., ~ ., the clouds. -- international tourists. . ., ., ., «a, ., tourists. i have had no work at all. in common — tourists. i have had no work at all. in common with _ tourists. i have had no work at all. in common with pretty _ tourists. i have had no work at all. in common with pretty much - tourists. i have had no work at all. in common with pretty much all i tourists. i have had no work at all. in common with pretty much all ofi tourists. i have had no work at all. . in common with pretty much all of my colleagues. especially the language guides from europe. it hasjust collapsed. it is certainly a step in the right direction. i doubt wh

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies.e halls may soon be full of noise again. today's announcement is the most significant change to international travel seen this year. from 19july, anyone fully vaccinated doesn't need to quarantine when they travel from an amber list country to england. but they will still need to take a test before they travel and another pcr test on arrival. under—18s won't need to quarantine at all. under—fours won't need to take any tests. 5—to—11—year—olds will need to take a pcr test after they arrive and 11—to—17—year—olds will need to take a pre—departure test and a pcr test. for now, this is only open to those jabbed in the uk. northern ireland has said it will do the same from 26july, a week later. scotland and wales are yet to announce whether they will adopt the policy. at the moment, most countries in the world are on the amber list and it's the news many in the travel industry were desperate for. if we thinkjust a week ago we had less than ten destinations on the green list that we were ab

caroline davies, bbc news.e uk is soaring — it's the highest in europe. but as you can see here, cases are starting to rise again across the eu — particularly in popular holiday destinations like spain, portugal and greece. it all points to an uncertain summer ahead. let's talk to our political correspondent, chris mason. relaxing the rules is the boost the travel industry has been desperate for. there's still a lot of uncertainty, though. good evening to you, one of the defining characteristics of this pandemic is uncertainty and it's not going away. the challenge for societies and governments is how they manage risk, how they restore our liberties and how we juggle the practicalities of weighing up those two options. now, the government, when you speak to them and i've been speaking to people in government tonight, they say this is about balance, this is about weighing up those things on either side of the ledger, if you like. they point to the wall of protection offered by the wall of protection offered by t

our correspondent caroline davies is here.what the state of these sites is right now? that do we actually know what the state of these sites is right now?- of these sites is right now? that is the big question _ of these sites is right now? that is the big question because - of these sites is right now? that is the big question because the - of these sites is right now? that is i the big question because the sooner the big question because the sooner the sights are set up, the easier it is for industries to reduce the impact of the number of pings they have had. the government have announced 13 more industries that will be getting these testing sites, that includes prisons, defence, energy, water and taking it up to 2000 test sites, we haven't had any confirmation from the government about how many of these are currently up and running but are expecting about 500 by the end of the week. this is a big rise. industry have been bashing down the door saying we are exempt, we should be part of these essential services. the balance

caroline davies _ needed? all right, thanks for now, caroline. caroline davies art - caroline.d the provision of food supplies can apply for an exemption. they will only be granted for employees who agree not to self—isolate. they must be double—vaccinated and have had their second dose at least two weeks previously. a negative pcr test and daily lateral flow tests will also be required. the government has released the latest coronavirus figures for the uk. in the latest 24—hour period, there were 36,389 cases and 64 deaths, that's within 28 days of a positive test. 46.5 million people have had their first dose of the vaccine. that's 88% of the adult population. daily lateral flow tests for pupils may be just as effective as class bubbles to control transmission of covid in schools, according to a study by oxford university. more than a million children in england were forced to stay away from school last week for covid—related reasons. i'm joined now by dr lee elliot major, a professor of social mobility at the university of exeter. good afternoon to you. so this research from

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies.rture halls may soon be full of noise again. today's announcement is the most significant change to international travel seen this year. from 19july, anyone fully vaccinated doesn't need to quarantine when they travel from an amber list country to england. but they will still need to take a test before they travel and another pcr test on arrival. under—18s won't need to quarantine at all. under—fours won't need to take any tests. 5—to—11—year—olds will need to take a pcr test after they arrive and 11—to—17—year—olds will need to take a pre—departure test and a pcr test. for now, this is only open to those jabbed in the uk. northern ireland has said it will do the same from 26july, a week later. scotland and wales are yet to announce whether they will adopt the policy. at the moment, most countries in the world are on the amber list and it's the news many in the travel industry were desperate for. if we thinkjust a week ago we had less than ten destinations on the green list that we wer

our transport correspondent caroline davies has the details. few come for the weather.k's international tourists have mostly kept away with quarantine rules, but perhaps after months there is some sunshine behind the clouds. here we are in the middle of westminster. kate has led tours for most of a0 years, but her last was at the end of february 2020. i've had no work at all in common with pretty much all my colleagues, especially the language guides from europe. it has just collapsed. it is certainly a step in the right direction. i doubt whether it will make much difference now for this year. pre—pandemic 40% of the goring's guests where american, but city hotels aren't the only businesses dependent on international visitors. why is it necessary to have international travel, notjust do things online? the truth is that in business, as in life, the personal connections that we make around the meetings that we have are absolutely crucial at building goodwill, understanding, empathy, and all of these things are part of what makes businesses successful. there was news for

caroline davies, thank you. from the flood—hit region of henan in china as officials confirmed that at least 33 people have died, including a dozen commuters in zhengzhou caught in underground train carriages that filled with muddy water. the city experienced a year's worth of rain in just three days, and people are bracing themselves for more downpours. 0ur china correspondent robin brant spent the day travelling around zhengzhou. the rain has stopped for now, but some of the roads are still like rivers — evidence of how overwhelming the incessant rainfall was. above ground, they are starting to clear up though. but the true horror of this intersection is what happened underground at this metro station. as the rain came down at its heaviest, passengers stood in train carriages, trapped for hours as the tunnels flooded. at least 12 people died down there. the company in charge has blamed the unprecedented downpour. the government in beijing has ordered a national review of preparedness. the ill—fated metro syste

caroline davies, bbc news.e flood—hit region of henan in china, as officials confirmed that at least 33 people have died, including a dozen commuters in zhengzhou caught in underground train carriages that filled with muddy water. the city experienced a year's worth of rain in just three days, and people are bracing themselves for more downpours. 0ur china correspondent, robin brant, spent the day travelling around zhengzhou. the rain has stopped, for now. but some of the roads are still like rivers. evidence of how overwhelming the incessant rainfall was. above ground, they are starting to clear up, though, but the true horror of this intersection is what happened underground. at this metro station. as the rain came down at its heaviest, passengers stood in train carriages, trapped for hours as the tunnels flooded. at least 12 people died down there. the company in charge has blamed the unprecedented downpour. the government in beijing has ordered a national review of preparedness. the ill—fated metro system i

caroline davies, bbc news.rictions change. the transport secretary, grant shapps, has said the end of social distancing on 19th july may mean the app needs to change. there's been a huge rise in alerts as infections surge. 0ur health correspondent jim reed has more. it's the alert you really don't want to get. 350,000 pings like this were sent in the last week ofjune, telling smartphone users in england they have been near someone who later tested positive for covid. this climbing centre in surrey had to close this week after 13 of its staff were pinged and couldn't come into work. it really just escalated to the point where we ended up with probably only two staff members that were available, so we had to act very quickly obviously. so what's been the knock—on effect for the business as a whole? i don't even know what's going to happen for the future, but as an immediate impact on the basis we're losing income again. and it's going to hurt. the nhs covid app uses bluetooth technology, a data signal that can wo

caroline davies, bbc news.ues on its roadmap out of lockdown. the move to level zero means more people will be allowed to meet indoors and attend weddings and funerals. but some limits on outdoor meetings are to be maintained, and the mandatory use of face coverings in pubs, restaurants and on public transport is to remain in place for "some time". here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. after 16 months apart the chiefs are jumping withjoy to after 16 months apart the chiefs are jumping with joy to beat shooting buckets again as adult indo contact sport resumes today. scotland is now at level zero rules but that does not mean none. here are many restrictions to remain.- restrictions to remain. after so lona restrictions to remain. after so long when _ restrictions to remain. after so long when you _ restrictions to remain. after so long when you have _ restrictions to remain. after so long when you have not - restrictions to remain. after so long when you have not been l restrictions to remain. after so i long

let's speak to our transport correspondent caroline davies. are a casualty-— and now security staff are a casualty. yes, some people speculated _ casualty. yes, some people speculated that _ casualty. yes, some people speculated that the - casualty. yes, some people speculated that the security casualty. yes, some people - speculated that the security guards had not turned up due to the match last night but that is not correct according to heathrow, it is due to the test and trace out and that they were pinged. there were queues of up to an hour this morning at terminal five going through security, so these are staff at security as you go into the departure lounge, not borderforce go into the departure lounge, not border force control. this go into the departure lounge, not borderforce control. this isjust another element that we have seen of disruption that can happen with travel, not necessarily the ones we have been talking about over the last few weeks about how disruption might happen at the uk's borders as more paperwork is added in, but

caroline davies, bbc news.hat from mark hutchings in cardiff, what has he said?— has he said? well, we have 'ust had the announcement i has he said? well, we have 'ust had the announcement from i has he said? well, we have just had the announcement from the - has he said? well, we have just had the announcement from the welsh | the announcement from the welsh government, mark drakeford himself will be laying out the details of the latest easing of restrictions at the latest easing of restrictions at the senate this afternoon but quite a significant announcement has come through from the welsh government subject to heavy caveat. they say if covid roads —— covid rates are low, by august to seven, most restrictions would go, not all. they will be no legal limits on the number of people who can meet, night clubs will reopen, social distancing would be replaced by risk assessment but crucially, facemasks would still be compulsory in most indoor places accept hospitality, such as pubs, for instance. that is subject t

caroline davies, bbc news. waiting at the end of may, according to nhs england. accident and emergency departments are seeing as many patients as they did before the pandemic. 0ur health correspondent katharine da costa has been looking at the figures. in terms of routine treatment, and other high?— in terms of routine treatment, and other hiah? , , ., .,, ., ., , other high? yes, planned operations have been badly _ other high? yes, planned operations have been badly affected _ other high? yes, planned operations have been badly affected as - have been badly affected as hospitals have rapidly had to expand capacity to deal with surging covid patients, but there is some good news for waiting lists. the number of patients waiting more than a year fell by 50,000 for the second month in a row, but there are still more than 330,000 patients waiting more than 330,000 patients waiting more than 52 weeks. compare that to 1600 who were waiting that long before the start of the pandemic. now, nhs staff are working flat

caroline davies, bbc news. the time is 20 minutes past six.the first gb swimmer to retain an olympic title. coming up, the stained glass windows of canterbury cathedral could be the oldest in the world, say scientists. coming in the world, say scientists. up on bbc news chanr will coming up on bbc news channel, we will tell you about another action packed day from tokyo, where 13—year—old japanese girl took gold in the women's straight —— street skateboard. flash floods, wild fires, drought and landslides — just some of the extreme weather events in recent days across parts of the globe. now a group of some of the world's most prominent scientists, gathering to discuss climate change ahead of a landmark summit in glasgow in november, are warning global leaders that they are still not doing enough action to tackle climate change. our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt, reports. a fire truck drives through a wall of flame in california, and europe is burning, too. they have been struggling to contain vast fires in sardinia and north

caroline davies, bbc news.eople who can meet up indoors will be eased but not scrapped. facemasks will still be required in most indoor public places. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffiths has this report. after months of delays, this hockey team just want to get their skates on. from saturday, their local ice rink in cardiff can finally reopen, so no more training on wheels. for parents like sian, it is a relief. while it�*s been frustrating seeing other parts of the uk and unlock sooner, she�*s glad wales is going slower. yes, as much as i would love to get my life back on track, i�*d rather that everybody was able to survive to get their lives back on track, rather than, you know, being able to do everything socially and finding that people unfortunately lose their life because of that. facemasks will be one of the biggest differences in shops as well as on public transport and in health care, they will remain mandatory in wales. controls on meeting indoors stay for at least another three weeks. this is no

caroline davies, bbc news.prepare to take on italy in the euro 2020 final on sunday. it's the first time for 55 years that england's men will line up in a majorfinal and excitement is expected to reach frenzied levels over the next two days. harry kane says they know they have a tough game ahead but england believe they can win. 0ur sports editor dan roan looks at how preparations are going. he's proud, prolific and passionate. harry kane is just one win away from doing what no other england captain has achieved for more than half a century, today explaining just how it felt to be within touching distance of glory. to be playing and leading the boys out on our first european final is going to be extra special, so i mean, the excitement�*s there, i'm sure there will be a few nerves, butjust look forward to it, you've got to take these moments, enjoy these moments of history, and hopefully we can go one step further and win the whole thing. it's the biggest game in my career so far. doing something special with e

caroline davies, bbc news.e petherbridge, director of public affairs at the travel body abta. good evening. your thoughts about what has been announced today first? i think this is a very positive step for an industry that has a difficult 60 month and if you look at the current grimaced it's 7% of trade and being able to have the countries open to those who are fully vaccinated will be a very positive means to travel agents and operators and those dependent on those beings. and there is every sense that they demand is absolutely fair? yes. and there is every sense that they demand is absolutely fair?- demand is absolutely fair? yes. i think there _ demand is absolutely fair? yes. i think there are _ demand is absolutely fair? yes. i think there are huge _ demand is absolutely fair? yes. i think there are huge levels - demand is absolutely fair? yes. i think there are huge levels of. think there are huge levels of pent—up demand people have not been able to get away for a while. it's about visiting friends and r

caroline davies, bbc news.e just had the announcement from the welsh government. mark drakeford himself will be laying out the details of the latest easing of restrictions at the senned this afternoon. but quite a significant announcement has just come through from the welsh government, subject to a heavy caveat. they say if covid rates are low from august the 7th, then most restrictions will go, not all, but most. there would be no legal limits on the number of people who could meet, night clubs could reopen, social distancing would be replaced by risk assessments. crucially, though, facemasks would still be compulsory in most indoor public places, except hospitality such as pubs, for instance. that is subject to approval. from saturday, it has been approved that the rule of six would be allowed in private homes and accommodation. ice rinks could be reopened, and there is no need for social distancing outdoors. quite a significant announcement, certainly for august the 7th, but it is subject to plenty of ifs a

longer queues at ports and airports as travel restrictions are eased. 0ur transport correspondent caroline daviesessarily be easy? it is travel is opening up, but it won't necessarily be easy?— necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different _ necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different sum _ necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different sum of— necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different sum of this _ necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different sum of this year. - necessarily be easy? it is a bit of a different sum of this year. this j a different sum of this year. this is an important step for the travel industry and they are already ramping up their operations, but more passengers could potentially mean longer queues at the border. we know from immigration officials that it can take three times longer to process people because of the paperwork, and we did see queues of “p paperwork, and we did see queues of up to six hours earlier this year when there were far fewer passengers. things have got a lot faster since then and the government has said that the processes being automated,

caroline davies, bbc news.nderlust. we have heard from so many people in the travel industry, what has it been like for you? this the travel industry, what has it been like for you?— been like for you? as a travel magazine _ been like for you? as a travel magazine it — been like for you? as a travel magazine it has _ been like for you? as a travel magazine it has not _ been like for you? as a travel magazine it has not been - been like for you? as a travel| magazine it has not been easy because our fortunes are tied in with the industry. and for us, what we have had, we have had as many readers as ever, and our sales went up readers as ever, and our sales went up on our website traffic went up because people still wanted to dream, and read about travel and attend events about travel, virtual events, and so people have still felt this passion, there is a pent—up demand out there. it felt this passion, there is a pent-up demand out there. it has felt a bit like — pent-up demand out there. it has felt a bit like t

caroline davies, bbc news.l that the pandemic led to dramatic losses in the aviation industry. in 2019, the global airline sector generated $838 billion in revenue. compare that to 2020, where earnings dropped to $372 billion. and to talk more about the impact this has had on the travel industry, i'm joined now by the president of the us travel association, roger dow. hello there, good to have you on the programme. a, hello there, good to have you on the programme-— hello there, good to have you on the l programme-— 50 programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that — programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that the _ programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that the uk _ programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that the uk is _ programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that the uk is relaxing - programme. a pleasure, thank you. so it seems that the uk is relaxing its - it seems that the uk is relaxing its travel restrictions, but there's no reciprocal arrangement from the us. that must b

caroline davies, our transport corresondentjoins me now. is that enforceable?rstand what this is, it won't be against the law if you don't wear a mask but it means that you will be stopped from travelling by transport for london, and how easy it will be to enforce this is difficult to say and some unions are worried that this will lead to disputes with their staff on board. the government so you should be wearing masks in crowded settings and they have allowed transport operators to adopt this policy. transport for london is the first operator to choose to do this and although the mayor for magister said he had not ruled it out earlier today, it is really interesting to see that the london mayor has said notjust that he is doing this because you would like to see the virus repressed but also to give people confidence to travel on their services which is actually almost the exact opposite for the reason why the operators in other areas have decided not to do it. because they say they are worried that if people are told they have to wear masks they might begin to

rise in international travel, but there are still questions about how the policy will work, as caroline daviestwo jab no jabber. at the moment it doesn't make any difference to the rules you have to follow when you travel from another country to the uk. that depends on the traffic light system and whether the country you are coming from is green, amber or red. but things could be about to change. today the government is expected to make an announcement about when people who are fully vaccinated might be able to travel from amber list countries but not have to quarantine on arrival. at the moment most countries in the world are on the amber list including spain, greece and the usa. the travel industry are hoping the policy will be introduced soon to help their summer bookings. this introduced soon to help their summer bookings.— summer bookings. this is an industry that _ summer bookings. this is an industry that has _ summer bookings. this is an industry that has been - industry that has been absolutely believe by the regulations around travel that have gone on for the past nearly 18 months no

caroline davies, bbc news.g we are just going from heathrow airport in fact that a spokesman there has said they are going to continue to make it mandatory to wear a face covering at the airports after the 19th ofjuly. they say airports are unique environments with an international passenger profile. that's why face coverings were mandatory at heathrow before the government may them a legal requirement, they will continue to be mandatory at the airport after the 19th ofjuly as well. that's the latest from heathrow. let's also take a look for you at the latest coronavirus figures for the latest coronavirus figures for the uk. another 42,302 new infections have been recorded — that's the highest number of new cases since 15th january. 49 people have died in the latest 24—hour period. that's those who've died within 28 days of a positive covid test. on to vaccinations. just over 46 million people have received their first dose of a covid vaccine. and more than 35 million people have now received two doses — that m

caroline davies, bbc news.hat most coronavirus restrictions will be lifted, but not until august the 7th. from saturday, rules around the number of people who can meet up indoors will be eased, but not scrapped. facemasks will still be required in most indoor public places. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith has this report. after months of delays, this hockey team just want to get their skates on. from saturday, their local ice rink in cardiff can finally reopen, so no more training on wheels. for parents like sian, it is a relief. while it's been frustrating seeing other parts of the uk unlock sooner, she's glad wales is going slower. yes, as much as i would love to get my life back on track, i'd rather that everybody was able to survive to get their lives back on track, rather than, you know, being able to do everything socially and finding that people unfortunately lose their life because of that. facemasks will be one of the biggest differences, in shops as well as on public transport and in health car

here is caroline davies.an amber list country to england, but they will still need to take a test before they travel. for now, this is only open to those jabbed in the uk. northern ireland has said it will do the same from 26thjuly. scotland and wales are yet to announce whether they will adopt the policy. at the moment, most country is in the world on the amber list, and it is the news the travel industry was desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten destinations that we could sell, now we have 85 destinations. we believe that testing needs to be the next thing that needs to be removed and there should be restriction free travel, similar to how europe operates. the policy is just about what happens entering the uk. the outlook is sunnier, but travel this summer could still be rocky. caroline davies, bbc news. iam i am ross atkins here on the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead stories from washington, president biden says that us�*s mission in afghanistan will end in august. if you are a regular viewer, you will kno

warned that they could face longer queues at ports and airports. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies now go away, but it is not going to be a straightforward summer, is it?— going to be a straightforward summer, is it? ., , ., , summer, is it? no, it is not. this is a significant — summer, is it? no, it is not. this is a significant move _ summer, is it? no, it is not. this is a significant move for- summer, is it? no, it is not. this is a significant move for the - summer, is it? no, it is not. this| is a significant move for the travel industry, and of course of the industry, and of course of the industry are ramping up quite significantly, but more passengers could mean longer queues at the border as well. we do know from immigration officials it takes three times longer to process each person because of the additional paperwork. we do know that earlier this year there were queues of up to six hours at some of the borders, and that was with far fewer passengers. now, things have speeded up quite significantly since then, the government have said things are well on their way to bec

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies.t and quiet departure halls may soon be full of noise again. the announcement is the most significant change seen this year. from the 19thjuly, anyone vaccinated doesn't need to quarantine when they travel to an amber country. but they will need to take another test on arrival. under 18s won't need to quarantine. five to 11—year—olds need to take a pcr test after they arrive. for now, this is only open to those jabbed in the uk. northern ireland has said it will do the same from 26thjuly. scotland and wales are yet to announce whether they will adopt the policy. it is the news many were desperate for. fix, policy. it is the news many were desperate for.— policy. it is the news many were desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten _ desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten destinations - desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten destinations that. desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten destinations that we i less than ten destinations that we could sell, now we have

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies.iage, meaning that if passenger travel on any of its services, including the buses and tubes, they must wear a mask, even after monday. one of my responsibilites is public safety on the public transport, but also i'm quite clear from the conversation i have had with londoners, from businesses and others, that requiring people to continue to wear a face covering will give them greater confidence in using our incredibly safe transport system. tfl will be the first operator to do this, although manchester's mayor, andy burnham, has not ruled out doing the same on the city's tram network. the scottish government has also said it will continue to require facemasks on public transport. on the issue of mandating mitigations like face coverings, let me just say this, it is my view that if government believes measures like this matter, and this government does, we should say so, we should do what is necessary to ensure compliance, and we should be prepared to take any resulting flak from those

change travel restrictions have made lots of headlines this morning, our transport correspondent caroline daviesear about this even if you are on the trial and have been fully vaccinated coming from an humblest country you still need to quarantine and take the tests on that rule will not change unless the government decides it needs to change. the trial is about the airlines showing that they can check vaccination status before people even set foot on a flight and they help than that will convince they help than that will convince the government that this process could be a bit more free—flowing at the border if it happens before people even get there. right now regardless of whether you have been fully vaccinated or not you still have to follow the rules according to the colour of the country you've come from on the traffic light system so green, amber or red but the government are looking at whether to remove quarantine for people who have travelled from embolus countries if they have been fully vaccinated. they say that they will say more about that later this week and we still have plenty of

here's our transport correspondent caroline davies.monday, it is no longer the law to wear a mask in public transport in england. instead, it's about personal responsibility. but the government has said it still wants people to wear face coverings in crowded settings, such as busy trains and buses. london's mayor, sadiq khan, has asked transport for london to make it a condition of carriage, meaning if passengers travel on any of its services, including buses and tubes, they must wear a mask, even after monday. tfl will be the first operator to do this, although manchester's mayor, andy burnham, hasn't ruled out doing the same on the city's tram network. the scottish government has also said it will continue to require facemasks on public transport. on the issue of mandating mitigations like face coverings, let me just say this. it is my view that if government believes measures like this matter, and this government does, we should say so. we should do what is necessary to ensure compliance and we should be prepared to take any resulti

queues at the uk border as international travel continues to open up. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davisarts of england, into scotland as well. but a shower is possible just about anywhere. a lot of cloud in wales and south—west england, could see a bit of patchy rain out of that. fairly warm, fairly humid, of course, particularly where you get to see a few of those sunny spells. a few heavy, thundery downpours continuing to this evening before easing. another spell of rain pushing into south—west england, parts of wales as the night goes on. and as for temperatures tonight, they are holding up. it is a mild, muggy night to come. it could be a bit misty in places too. a lot of cloud around for tomorrow morning, some sunny spells developing. an area of rain pushing across south—east england to east anglia, gradually clearing during the afternoon. chance of a shower, and again, scattered about into the afternoon and evening will be some heavy and perhaps thundery downpours. because hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. metropolitan police officer wayne couzens pleads guilty to the murder

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies. from monday, it is no longer the law to wear a mask on public transport in england. instead, it's about personal responsibility. but the government has said it still wants people to wear face coverings in crowded settings, such as busy trains and buses. london's mayor, sadiq khan, has asked transport for london to make it a condition of carriage, meaning if passengers travel on any of its services, including buses and tubes, they must wear a mask, even after monday. tfl will be the first operator to do this, although manchester's mayor, andy burnham, hasn't ruled out doing the same on the city's tram network. the scottish government has also said it will continue to require facemasks on public transport. on the issue of mandating mitigations like face coverings, let me just say this. it is my view that if government believes measures like this matter, and this government does, we should say so. we should do what is necessary to ensure compliance and we should be prepared to take any r

caroline davis, bbc news.el—related. we'll be joined by simon calder, travel correspondent for the independent, and lisa minot, travel editor of the sun. that's at 2.30pm. we are well provided for. the coronavirus reproduction number, or r value, in england has increased slightly and is between 1.2 to 1.5, according to the latest government figures. last week, it was between 1.1 and 1.3. r represents the average number of people each covid—19 positive person goes on to infect. when the figure is above one, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below one, it means the epidemic is shrinking. the nhs covid contact tracing app used in england and wales may need to become less sensitive as restrictions change. the transport secretary grant shapps has said the end of social distancing on 19thjuly may mean the app needs to change. there's been a huge rise in alerts as infections surge. our health correspondent jim reed has more. it's the alert you really don't want to get. 350,000 pings like this were sen

the tram was travelling more than three times faster than a speed restriction caroline davies reportsginning. before it even started, it was a shambles. it is a disgusting... the way the whole thing is been run. i'm absolutely - disgusted, absolutely. seven people died on 9th november 2016 when the rush—hour service took a sharp corner, came off the tracks and tipped over. this reconstruction was shown at the inquest. investigators found there were no speed limit signs in the tunnel. the train was going at 45mph. the limit was 12mph. the inquest reported that the driver had become disorientated probably due to a lack of sleep. he did not brake in time. the jury found that the crash was an accident. transport for london and the tram operator were not called to give evidence, nor was the driver as he was too sick. outside court, there was anger. i don't believe that the jury could have ever come back| with a different decision. bearing in mind the evidence that they've heard. _ the evidence that has not been heard is, you know, it's crucial. _ drivers, other people that are part of thes

here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies. the 19thjuly, anyone vaccinated doesn't need to quarantine when they travel to an amber country. but they will need to take another test on arrival. under 18s won't need to quarantine. five to 11—year—olds need to take a pcr test after they arrive. for now, this is only open to those jabbed in the uk. northern ireland has said it will do the same from 26thjuly. scotland and wales are yet to announce whether they will adopt the policy. it is the news many were desperate for. a week ago we had less than ten destinations that we could sell, now we have 85 destinations. we believe that testing needs to be the next thing that needs to be removed and there should be restriction free travel, similar to how europe operates. some are delighted that they can get away, including shay and herfamily. it is really good in terms of the fact that we are not going to have to self—isolate on our way back, which is good, as that means we can go straight back into work after our holiday. but it is not gr

here's our transport correspondent caroline davies.back for me thank you do still need to quarantine and take the test. that rule will not change unless the government decides it needs to change. this trial is about the airlines showing that government can check someone's vaccination status before they even set foot on site. they're hoping do that because they help that will convince the government that the process can be a bit more free—flowing at the border if that happens before people you can get there. right now, regardless of whether you can fully vaccinated or not, you still have to follow the rules according to the colour of the country that you come from and the traffic light system green, amber, or read. green, amber, or red. unlike many people in donald trump's orbit his former attorney general bill barr was — on the face of it — quite different. you before he enterered the white house he was not tightly bound to trump politics. he had his own record. he had served in the cia, he served underformer president george h.w. bush

caroline davies, bbc news. i'm ross atkins with the outside source. our lead story...laboratory. here's the official response from beijing. translation: when i first saw the who's plan for second - stage investigation, i was extremely surprised. this plan takes the hypothesis that china violated laboratory procedures and caused leakage of the virus, as one of its research priorities. in this aspect, i feel the plan disrespects common sense and shows arrogance towards science. in the last hour, the white house press secretary was asked about china's actions and gave this frank response. we're deeply disappointed. their position is completely irresponsible and frankly dangerous. alongside other member states around the world, we continue to call for china to provide the needed access to data and samples. the who has said the second stage of its investigation in china should include audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases" that will mean here — the wuhan institute of technology. the first stage of the inve

caroline davies, bbc news.or the last 18 months. clearly you are hoping to benefit from a vaccination bounce from people who have been fully vaccinated. what are you hoping for today? we vaccinated. what are you hoping for toda ? ~ ., ., , vaccinated. what are you hoping for toda ? ~ ., ., vaccinated. what are you hoping for toda ?~ ., ., today? we are hoping for some ositive today? we are hoping for some positive news, _ today? we are hoping for some positive news, like _ today? we are hoping for some positive news, like you - today? we are hoping for some positive news, like you say, i today? we are hoping for some positive news, like you say, 18| positive news, like you say, 18 months of pretty torrid times. every industry has suffered in the last 18 months but particularly the travel industry. little or no revenue for so much of the time other than the little reprieve last summer. we are desperately hoping for some positive news. howeversmall, desperately hoping for some positive news. however small, we can

caroline davies, bbc news.k increase to universal credit will be "phased out" this autumn, the government has confirmed. the uplift was introduced last year to help deal with the economic impact of the pandemic. six former work and pension secretaries are among those calling for it to continue. 0ur chief political correspondent adam fleming joins us from westminster. just tell us a little more around this. it has attracted quite a bit of criticism, this decision. it of criticism, this decision. it attracted quite a lot of pride at the start of the pandemic —— praise at the start of the pandemic of the government increased the universal credit by £1000 per year and it benefited 6 million families and a lot of people were affected by this. at the start of this year it was due to run out, the increase, and there was a bit of a discussion at the top of government between the department for work and pensions, the treasury and number 10 about extending it. the decision was made to extend it but it was a one—off and i

let�*s get more from our transport correspondent caroline davies. ce the service because they don�*t have enough staff to be to keep the service is planned going. presumably this could get worse in the next two or three weeks? that is the next two or three weeks? that is the big concern. _ the next two or three weeks? that is the big concern, this _ the next two or three weeks? that is the big concern, this is _ the next two or three weeks? that is the big concern, this is about - the next two or three weeks? that is the big concern, this is about to - the big concern, this is about to get worse than batter and speaking to one senior rail source earlier, they called the government plan for applying these exemptions to be unmanageable and said it will take longer to apply for an exemption to be able to have someone come back to work state had been doublejump be able to have someone come back to work state had been double jump than it were to actually wait for them to finish the isolation of their own so they are not convinced the governments plan to c

let's get more on this from our transport correspondent, caroline davies.ail it seems _ system? we know from the stats from network rail it seems to _ system? we know from the stats from network rail it seems to have - network rail it seems to have dropped but bear in mind this is inside their larger stations, not on board mask wearing at the moment, this is inside big stations and network rail has said they have seen anecdotally the number of people waiting dropped from around 95% to 75% in the course of a week, in english stations. england now no longer requires masks to be won on public transport by law but they are keptin public transport by law but they are kept in scotland and wales. this seems relatively significant but whether or not we will see the same numbers on board some of these trains, we do not know. we know from transport for london at mask wearing on there is about 85% on their services. they have also said as of this week it's a condition of cabbage that you wear a mask if you are going to travel on their services. condition of carriage.