tomos morgan and chris page, thank you both. — can apply for a second, final, round of grants from today. more than 3 million people are eligible but many self—employed people are concerned that they will be left out again. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. meet amy storey, a self—employed actor and entertainer, who has fallen between the gaps of the government's support schemes. i qualify for absolutely no financial help. this is because my normaljob is as a self—employed person, working for the nhs, but, to make ends meet, i took on a paye part—timejob, singing in a department store to children. that took me slightly above my self—employed income. so the percentages they employed, don't add up, for me, to get help. like a lot of people, i've used up any scrap of savings that i have. that's nearly all gone now. there are nearly 3 million self—employed workers, like amy, still hoping for government help. the chancellor has already acknowledged that these schemes will not be able to help everybody, but that can be

let's go first to tomos morgan in wales.wales is that a higher proportion in wales have received between an a* and and a grade, the top grade for a level, but that's significantly less than what the teacher is assessed and estimated they should have. they estimated they should have. they estimated around 40% of pupils should receive top grade. now the watchdog here, qualifications wales, said that was to generous, so they revise that number which meant around 43% of pupils would get a lower grade than they were predicted by their teachers. following the outcry in scotland and england, the welsh education minister here, ki rsty welsh education minister here, kirsty williams, late yesterday made a pledge to all pupils in wales and said, because as levels, which are the exams ta ken said, because as levels, which are the exams taken in year 12, the year before a—levels, were taken earlier in the yearand before a—levels, were taken earlier in the year and were a reliable source of predicting grades in wales, she said no pupil in

tomos morgan, bbc news..ozens of people were injured, and hundreds arrested in a night of violent protests against what demonstrators believe was a rigged presidential election. state media has declared a landslide victory for the incumbent alexander lu kashenko. his closest challenger has called for calm. it's a situation being monitored closely in neighbouring russia. from moscow, our correspondent sarah rainsford reports — and a warning that her report contains flash photgraphy. chanting. after an election day, a long night of violence. belarus has never seen anything like this. explosions on the main streets of minsk as protesters refused to disperse. riot shields clank. all over the city and the country there were clashes with police. no coordination, no organisation, just anger at an election they are convinced was rigged. dozens were injured, a human rights group says one man was killed. chanting. "the police are with the people", this crowd chant. testing their loyalty. so far, it's still strong. tran

studio: thank you to tomos morgan and congratulations to all those students.ing in on gcse grades across the board. that's in english and maths, there have been steep grade rises apparently, in english, 80.2% gota grade rises apparently, in english, 80.2% got a grade four or pass grade, compared to 70.5% last year. almost a quarter, 23.5%, got a top grade of seven or higher compared with 17.4% last year. in maths, almost four in five past, is 72.2%, compared with 71.5 last year. and 24.3 got grade seven or higher, and that's compared with 20.4 last year. so there are some rises there. we can get more on that and indeed on everything else this morning regarding grades and exams. kate green is the shadow education secretary. thank you so much for your patience. 0n the point i was making about the grades shuffling up, that was a fear for government, that there would be some inflation if there was reliance on teacher assessment. it seems to have been the only thing really driving the government instead of what they should have been thinking about which is the best

tomos morgan, bbc news, ystradgynlais. lifeline. christopher bobyn has been looking at how foreign workers in scotland have been coping. i‘m from bolivia originally. i was born there. i decided to come here and work and find my life here. albina mendoza has been living in south queensferry for three years. her income as a latin dance teacher has been a lifeline to her mother living in rural bolivia. i was very busy before the lockdown. my work, it‘s stopped, and i‘m still trying to do my best. i‘m living on my savings, but i can‘t send something to my mum now. albina‘s teaching didn‘t meet criteria for self—employment support, in turn, leaving her mother reliant on farming her own food. albina is one of the 3.5 million non—uk nationals working in britain. in 2018, they contributed to 10 billion us dollars in remittances that were sent out from the uk to relatives around the world. danny has been fishing with scottish crews out of greenock for two years. his income pays for his entire family in indonesia. i have two childre

tomos morgan in wales. thank you. will be awarded the highest grade either predicted by their teacher or awarded officially last week. over now to belfast and our ireland correspondent chris page. chris this is hugely significant for students, isn't it? it is a significant most of all for students and also of course for teachers and the families of the pupils who have been having such a stressful time particularly over the last few days. the education minister in the devolved government here in belfast was the first to make an announcement of a change to the exam system this morning at half past seven, he announced that gcses which the results for which will be issued on thursday will be based solely on teachers predictions. so no rule at all for the exam board in standardising or putting any results through an algorithm or anything like that. that then pick the question which he was asked on morning radio programmes and that is will you make a similar decision for a—levels and he said if sag said he was not going to

tomos morgan, bbc news, ystradgynlais.e enjoyed discounted dining on mondays, tuesdays and wednesdays in august. with 50% off food and non—alcoholic drinks up to £10. one of the restaurateurs who has taken part is fash khalili, owner of borge restaurant in stockton—on—tees. as well as serving italian food, borge has been named home of the world s best parmo four times 7 that s the special teesside delicacy made from chicken and melted parmesan. fash joins us now from stockton. your picture is a bit blurry but maybe that is the weather. how successful has the game been for you? good. after being closed for so many months, it was good news. getting back together again and it has been fantastic. i am so happy about it and i have also managed to employ two more staff. you are breaking up. i‘m going to persevere. you have been able to employ two more staff. that is fantastic news. i have employed two more staff and got all my staff back as well. this scheme will end tomorrow, what will happen over the next few months? well, i h

northern ireland correspondent chris page in belfast, but first we go to our wales correspondent tomos morganlding in cardiff. the welsh government had already started to shift on this before the announcement by quual? yes, that's right, we had rumours s all morning about a change. following protests and that decision in northern ireland, the pressure on the welsh government had become intolerable. kirsty williams, the education minister, made that u—turn that all students in wales, a—level and as and gcse students would be graded by their teachers this year. 4296 graded by their teachers this year. 42% of a—level studented had their grades lowered and there was criticism from opposition parties. following that decision that 42% lowered, the welsh education minister made a pledge that no student would get a grade lower than last year. the welsh government said that was the correct decision and said that was a more credible decision that has been made by other devolved governments. but when they found out that the uk government would follow scotland and northern ireland, wales had to follow. a

from our northern ireland correspondent chris page in belfast, but first, our wales correspondent tomos morganardiff. we heard rumours all morning that a change may become again following protests a nd change may become again following protests and petitions, criticism by opposition parties in northern ireland decision. a few hours after this, the welsh education minister made the u—turn that all students and wells, a level and g csc stu d e nts and wells, a level and g csc students will be created by the created by them from now on. there was huge criticism by opposition parties and 42% lowered the welsh education, the minister said they made a pledge that no student would get a grade lower than what they received last year at a s level. that was a robust and credible decision that was made by other devolved governments across the uk. when they found that the uk government was going to follow in the footsteps of scotland and northern ireland, well set to follow suit and independent review has been promised after what is transpired here. this morning, the education minister in the devolved gov

welsh pupils are getting their a—level results. 0ur correspondent tomos morgan is in bridgend.bout the feeling is from students about whether the results they have got today are an accurate and fair reflection of the work they have done. yes, over the last 24 hours the welsh education minister said that no child in wales but was having a—level results would to get a grade lower than what they got in the es grade last year. i am at one of the schools that has opened its doors for people to come and get their results. i have some of the pupils alongside me. you have had your results. tell us what you achieved and how that compares to what you had in the as. three a* and two as. you have done very well. you have got your place. at warwick. tell us what it has been like for you. it has been nerve-racking but i am sure it is every year. when you saw what was happening across the other nations...? saw what was happening across the other nations. . . ? it was a bit worrying. i wasn't sure how things we re worrying. i wasn't sure how things were going to play out but the news from the

let's get more from our wales correspondent tomos morgan who's in cardiff. just bring us up to speed.vening that all pupils in wales would get results for all their a—levels that would be no less then what they received in the same subject in their as—level the year before. however today we have the decision that everyone in wales will now have the decision on whatever they the teachers had said they would get. anyone who got the higher grade last week they will maintain and keep that higher grade. this decision comes kirsty williams said and will also impact on those expecting their result this week in gcses, so a huge u—turn from the welsh government coming under huge pressure over the weekend with protests from students and teachers, and a petition online that had tens of thousands of people signing it, asking and calling on the welsh government to back the teachers and ask why they didn't back teachers when it came to these grades changes, following the decision last week from the qualifications watchdog when they downgraded 42% of pupils' grades. a huge outcry saying there wasn't

tomos morgan, bbc news, ystradgynlais.do not make for good reading at all, and they have been looking at the data and what we can learn from that. we have had various statements from different departments including those from the department of health and social care in england. they say, throughout the coronavirus response, we have worked with the care sector and public health experts to put in place measures to reduce transmission and save lives. we are testing residents and staff, we have provided millions of items of ppe, funded a care home support package worth 600 million and made a further 3.7 billion available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic. that includes adult social care. that includes adult social care. that is from england. scotland government said it is the greatest public health challenge we have faced in our lifetime, scottish ministers have also confirmed there will be a public inquiry into all aspects of the impact of the handling of covid—19, including in ca re handling of covid—19

our wales correspondent tomos morgan gave us an update from newport.ved between a star and an a grade, the top grades for a level but that is significantly less than what the teachers assessed and estimated that they should have. they estimated around 40% of pupils should be receiving that upgrade. now the watchdog here said that was too generous, so they revise that number which meant there are around 43% of pupils getting a lower grade than were predicted by their teachers. following the outcry is in scotla nd teachers. following the outcry is in scotland and england, the welsh education and is kirsty williams, late yesterday made a pledge to all the pupils in wales and said because as—level switch is the exam taken in year 12, were taken earlier in the year 12, were taken earlier in the year and were a reliable source of predicting grades here in wales, she said no pupil in wales would get a grade lower than what they got in there yes grades. anyone in wales that has a grade lower than the as grade would get it upgraded in due course. this situation

we now go over to wales and my colleague tomos morgan. —— all your classmates in the school hall.om all the devolved governments on monday meaning the gcse, and a—level pupils across the uk will be receiving grades predicted to them by their temperatures. one happy customer this morning is louie. how did you get on, louie?” customer this morning is louie. how did you get on, louie? i achieved as and bs and a, so i am really happy. —— set. i am happy with the results i got, and i think my temperatures have treated me fairly. georgia, what are your plans for the future? lam what are your plans for the future? i am looking at a career in medicine. how have you found the last couple of months? they have been weird, and it felt very strange. i feel like we are slowly coping. and i suppose it is the same for you, beatrice, you got what you wa nted for you, beatrice, you got what you wanted and what you feel you have worked for. but not is just not taking the exams, how has it been working from home and doing the coursework you needed to do from home? i have tried my best not to... to ma

the uk nations have now made u—turns over a level results — our correspondents chris page and tomos morganovernment was announcing its move, mrweir westminster government was announcing its move, mr weir gave a news co nfe re nce to announcing its move, mr weir gave a news conference to say that in northern ireland, teachers estimates, the predicted grades, will be awarded to pupils where they are higher than the grades which we re are higher than the grades which were awarded last week. whenever a level results were issued by the exams authority. 42% of level results were issued by the exams authority. 4296 of a-level students had their grade lowered by the watchdog here in wales. and there was huge criticism by opposition parties. following that decision that 42% are lowered, the welsh education minister had made a pledge that no student would get a grade lower than what they received an as—level master and the welsh government maintained that was the correct decision. they have told me that that was a robust and credible decision that was —— more credible decision that was —— more credi

first part of the uk to allow children to return to indoor soft play areas. 0ur correspondent tomos morgann? well, u nfortu nately are you having fun? well, unfortunately i'm not able to go on the slide because... welcome as much asi the slide because... welcome as much as i would like to as a parent myself, i'm being told i can't because adults will still need to socially distance in soft play as they reopen today, even though children won't have to do. the welsh gunmen who made the announcement that children under 11 no longer need to socially distance, but adults will need to do so. —— the welsh government. wales is the first of the uk nations to allow people to go back to soft play centres. it will look a little bit different. there will be a few less toys to play with, things that are difficult to clean like a ball pits. they will be open, although, as you can see, there will be different procedures in place, bubbles for the adults to set in. as a soft plays begin to open, there are a number of other areas of the economy also opening today in wales. obviously been a tough few months —

tomos morgan is with students in bridgend and emma vardy is at a school in east belfast. what they got last year for their nas grades. i'm going to take you around the car park, to show you the process in place for safety. there are five different car parking spaces, and five different zones that the pupils can go into the hole to find out their grades. many schools across the country have decided not to open today for safety reasons. but here, near bridgend, they have decided to open. with me is charlie and kai, too much of the best pupils of this year. charlie, tello is what results you got and how they compare to last year? this yearl how they compare to last year? this year i had a‘, aand bravo echo, basically the same as what i had la st basically the same as what i had last year. it has worked out well for you? absolutely. but you haven't heard from ucas about if you have got a place at swansea university? my parents are behind in the car and just gave me the thumbs up! congratulations. i will move on to you, kai. what grades did you get and how do they compare to wh

our correspondent tomos morgan is at a play centre in newport. opening today because soft play centres as you mention have been given the green light to open in wales. that is because the science from the welsh government shows that children under 11 will no longer have to socially distance. you can see that the tables here i spread out two metres apart and there is less than half of the tables that are usually here because adults will still need to socially distance when they are in these soft play centres. the welsh government has been fairly reserved and cautious when easing a number of the businesses and the economy and locking the economy after lockdown —— unlocking the economy after lockdown. they are trying to do one thing at a time to make sure they can categorise what creates a spread if they do unlock the economy. but with soft plays, the economy. but with soft plays, the decision came quite light in —— late in the day so many businesses haven't been ready. you also mention it is not only soft play that is reopening today. obviously bee

our correspondent tomos morgan is at a school in cardiff this morning. good mining, tomos. i was back in school today. we are in uncertain, different times. facemasks are out, the sanitiser is out. spots on the floor. to meet social distancing. the plan here at this high skill is that pupils will be coming in here, staying at a social distance. it will be walking through into the main hallway here. there is a one—way system. that is all the way through this huge hallway, making sure there is enough space for the pupils and students to receive their results. some skills are opening today, this is. some skills are giving results by e—mail but they will come back to the hall here, receiving their results. you are the head teacher, 160 odd pupils coming here today. yes, maybe a few output absolutely. it has been a difficult week. —— may be less. after a u—turn on monday, how has that been for you? it is a stressful time, no doubt it has been made more difficult for them. it has been an unusual year for all of our pupils but particularly for year 11 is. the la st but particularl

tomos morgan, bbc news.ealth 0rganisation says he expects the number of coronavirus cases worldwide to pass 20 million this week, and the number of deaths to exceed 750,000. dr tedros adhanom ghebreyesus urged countries to suppress, suppress, suppress in order to break chains of transmission and bring the pandemic under control. he urged governments to proceed with caution: countries like france, germany, the republic of korea, spain, italy and the united kingdom had major outbreaks of the virus but when they took action, they were able to suppress it. many countries globally are now using all the tools at their disposal to tackle any new spikes. 0ver disposal to tackle any new spikes. over the last few days, the uk prime minister borisjohnson over the last few days, the uk prime minister boris johnson put over the last few days, the uk prime minister borisjohnson put areas of northern england under state how much notifications as clusters of cases were identified. —— under stay at home notifications. we all

moment we'll hear from our correspondent chris page in carrickfergus, in county antrim, but first tomos morganiff this morning saying up until monday they were very stressed following what happened to the a—level students across the country last week, but there were some assurances on monday when they found out they would receive teacher—assessed grades. a2% of pupils were due to be downgraded on a—level so gcse pupils were fearing the worst. however today we found out 75% of pupils across wales have received between a star and a c, and 25% received that highest grade between a* and a. a huge increase on last year. when it comes to btec, the wjc has its equivalent, the entry pathway. the majority of students would have been doing that, however there is a proportion in wales that would have done the pearson btec. we don't know how many, but there will have been some that would have been affected. the wjc, the welsh exam board say that today's year without exams, they have warned there could be a grade inflation, that could potentially prove to be a problem for future years. however, the welsh e