Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News at Six 20240711

Could have here in the uk. Also tonight. The army is out on the streets of myanmar as the military stage a coup months after losing an election. The fake covid Test Certificates with a negative result being sold online. And taking on one of the uks toughest races despite an unexpected medical diagnosis. And coming up in sport on bbc news its transfer deadline day for clubs up and down the country well have the latest, including the man set to join champions liverpool. Good evening and welcome to the Bbc News At Six. Urgent testing is to start in parts of england as the south african strain of coronavirus has been detected in 11 of the cases there is no known link to the country. Its raised fears that the variant is now being transmitted within the community. Door to door testing will be carried out in the affected areas of london, the West Midlands, hertfordshire, kent, surrey and merseyside. Health officials are confident the vaccines will work against the South African Variant but probably not as well as they do against the existing strains in the uk. Meanwhile, the government has reached its target of offering a vaccination to all people in eligible care homes in england though not all care staff have yet had the jab. Our Health Editor hugh pym has the latest. New Mobile Testing Units have been moved to some communities in england, part of a drive to track the spread of the South African Variant of the virus. All this after a handful of cases were discovered which could not be linked to arrivals from south africa. The government message is that the existing vaccines should prove effective against this new strain. Around 80,000 people in eight areas mostly in the South East Of England and one in the West Midlands have been asked to take tests regardless of symptoms. If been asked to take tests regardless of symptom of symptoms. If you live in one of these postcodes of symptoms. If you live in one of these postcodes where of symptoms. If you live in one of these postcodes where we of symptoms. If you live in one of these postcodes where we are of symptoms. If you live in one of these postcodes where we are sending in enhanced testing then it is imperative that you stay at home and that you imperative that you stay at home and that you get a test, even if you dont that you get a test, even if you dont have that you get a test, even if you dont have symptoms. This dont have symptoms. This is dont have symptoms. 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These residents are incredibly vulnerable, week check ups. These residents are incredibly vulnerable, the week check ups. These residents are incredibly vulnerable, the most incredibly vulnerable, the most vulnerable members of our community or some vulnerable members of our community or some of vulnerable members of our community or some of the most vulnerable members. Or some of the most vulnerable members, and to be able to have vaccinated members, and to be able to have vaccinated a huge number of those patients vaccinated a huge number of those patients is vaccinated a huge number of those patients is a massive achievement for the patients is a massive achievement for the nhs. Patients is a massive achievement forthe nhs. In patients is a massive achievement for the nhs patients is a massive achievement for the nhs. ,. , j~ , for the nhs. In Northern Ireland 8096 of care home for the nhs. In Northern Ireland 8096 of care home residents for the nhs. In Northern Ireland 8096 of care home residents have for the nhs. In Northern Ireland 8096 of care home residents have had for the nhs. In Northern Ireland 8096 of care home residents have had a i of care home residents have had a first dose of the vaccine, and slightly less in wales, and more than 90 in scotland. There are differences in the numbers of those aged 80 and over to have received their first dose. The highest in england is the north east and yorkshire, followed by the south west, with more than 83 . The lowest in england is london, with around 65 . Theres variation around the uks nations as well. These are the latest figures which differ slightly by date. Derek, 85, who lives in essex, is how spent as he has parkinsons. So far he has not been given a date for his vaccination. His daughter catherine fears that he and others may have slipped through the net. Irate may have slipped through the net. We are may have slipped through the net. Are concerned as a family and we have heard that maybe some housebound vaccinations are happening in their local community but there is no sign of one for my father yet so we would be very keen for that to be set up as quickly as possible. And i think particularly we want to be reassured that housebound patients are not in some ways going to fall down the cracks. Nhs england said it was aware of the issue and that gps would be contacting those who are housebound and could not get to vaccination centres. Hugh pym, bbc news. The success of the Vaccination Drive in care homes doesnt mean that life can yet return to normal there visits by relatives are still restricted. 0ur social Affairs Correspondent alison holt has been hearing about the impact on families of not being able to see their loved ones. Hello. Hello, its me this is the only way that ruth coward can spend time with her mum, diane, in a specially built visiting lodge in the garden of her mums care home near loughborough. The screen that separates them keeps any risk of the virus at bay but its also a barrier to what ruth sees as meaningful contact. Its great that she has got staff who are happy to hold her hand but im the other side of a window and i want. I want to get that close. The vaccine roll out means residents are now better protected from covid, but for ruth the worry is about the impact on her mum of not having family with her. She has changed, she is a different woman, a different personality. Cant communicate as well. Looks completely different. Thats not due to any lockdown, necessarily, but ive lost that time with mum, and it was never part of the plan. Some homes have stopped almost all visits. At the willows, where diane lives, throughout they have tried to ensure families and residents have some sort of safe contact but their priority is clear. We do understand, but we have to look at what is best in this particular time for the residents, and it is to keep them safe. We have to make sure that we do not get the virus in the home. This is the most difficult of balancing acts. After so many deaths, care homes know the importance of protecting residents, but for many relatives time with the people they love is quite simply running out. What about your granddaughter . Here, elsie lamb is surrounded by the next three generations of her family. Covid separated the 97 year old care home resident from them and eventually it took her life. Her granddaughter is now campaigning for key relatives to be prioritised for vaccines, like care staff. We knew obviously she didnt have loads of years left, but i think she had longer, and to have taken away the opportunity in herfinal year, to have not been able to touch her, or hold her hand, as my mum, my sister and i always had, isjust barbaric. Blow her some kisses. Vaccines offer important hope in care homes but for many families spending a proper time together still feels a long way off. Alison holt, bbc news. The latest government figures show there were 18,607 new Coronavirus Infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period, which means that on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week, 23,732. The number of people in hospital has fallen slightly, down to 34,783. 406 deaths were reported thats of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid i9 test. That figure is always lower after a weekend. On average in the past week, there were 1,148 deaths announced every day, taking the total so far across the uk to 106,564. 0n the vaccine roll out, 319,038 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid 19 vaccines, in the latest 24 hour period. That means nearly 9. 3 Million People in the uk have had their first jab. 0ur Health Editor hugh pym is here. Lets go back to this new South African Variant. How worried should we be about it, particularly given there are just these few cases and it seems to be transmitted around the community . I it seems to be transmitted around the community . The community . I think first of all a lot of peeple the community . I think first of all a lot of people will the community . I think first of all a lot of people will be the community . I think first of all a lot of people will be asking the community . I think first of all a lot of people will be asking how| a lot of people will be asking how effective are the vaccine is going to be . The answerfrom Public Health england and their experts is that at least three of the vaccines in trials have shown that they are effective enough against the South African Variant and that the others they are confident will be equally effective in reducing the number of people who get seriously ill and go to hospital. And, as you suggested, there are only 105 cases which have been found in the uk, and only 11 of them did not appear to be linked directly to people coming in from outside the uk. However, as weve been hearing, with matt hancock the Health Secretary saying there is a need to hit this hard to stop it spreading more widely in communities, and that is why there is this intense effort to get out to households, to 80,000 people, to urge them to get tested as soon as people, and they of course is now more testing capability, home testing kits, which will be distributed because Health Officials want to know urgently in these communities whether it is spreading more widely. The stay at home message is basically two people in these areas, just stick to the rules and dont mix to prevent the risk of it spreading even further afield than that. It is, like the uk variant which was discovered in kent, more transmissible than the original strain of the virus, so there is a worry about that. But there is a worry about that. But there does seem to be confident that it doesnt make people more seriously ill resulting in them then needing to go to hospital. Needing to go to hospital. Hugh, thank yom the financial cost of the pandemic will be disproportionately felt by children, with a potential Knock On Effect on their future earnings. Thats the warning today from the leading Economic Research group the Institute For Fiscal Studies, who are calling on the government to do more to help fill the educational gap. 0ur Education Correspondent Elaine Dunkley has been to two schools on merseyside where Head Teachers and staff are working hard to help vulnerable pupils. Morning, you guys. You 0k . Egremont primary in wallasey. Morning, gorgeous, you 0k . A school at the heart of the community. Morning. This is an area which has high levels of deprivation. The pandemic has made worse many of the challenges children here face and there is concern that lockdown and lost learning will have a lasting legacy. Weve got children in school at a primary age that have missed key elements of their learning and we can try and help them catch up as best we can, but each year the curriculum builds on the foundations of the knowledge from the previous year. Ultimately, the children that come to our school are coming to school with an awful lot of barriers to learning already. This is going to have an impact on many of them for the rest of their lives. School life is very different now. Part of our Pe Curriculum is live lessons with the children. Here, the challenges have been met with resilience and imagination, but todays report by the Institute For Fiscal Studies paints a bleak picture. Its predicting that those in education now could, on average, be £40,000 worse off across their working lives because of the pandemic. I felt very, very flat and ijust thought, here we go, here is another thing telling the children how badly off they are, and how awful. They feel at the moment. At Birkenhead High School academy, the head teacher says there needs to be more focus on keeping up morale in schools. What we doing as a school and as educators, what we are always doing, is were trying to instill a lot of aspiration, so its motivating and keeping the children going, without loading ithat pressure on, saying everythingl is going to count towards your gcses or your a levels or your btecs. My hopes are to go to university. Beth and tegan are doing a levels. Their careers are at the forefront of their minds and so is trying to stay positive about the future. Its hard sometimes when youre trapped in your room, it feels like it isjust you going through it so that is why we wanted to come up with a video for our school, to show people that its not just them going through it and it is everyone. What i would say to people is, i just take every day as it comes. You know, take it as an opportunity and just try and live a happy and positive life and hopefully soon we will be back to normal. The government says it is investing over £1 billion in an education catch up fund. There will be Hard Times On The Horizon for a generation whose education has been disrupted by the pandemic. One of the Biggest Challenges is ensuring optimism for the future. Elaine dunkley, bbc news. Fake coronavirus Test Certificates with a negative result are being sold online, meaning people can travel without being tested. Thats the warning today from the eus Law Enforcement agency, which says criminals are exploiting the pandemic and putting lives at risk. And bbc news can reveal that counterfeit nhs certificates are also being sold online, as Angus Crawford reports. This is a covid test certificate. The holders negative and fit to fly. Except, they might not be, because it is a counterfeit. It is a user id. An Investigator Monitoring online forums used by criminal gangs. In some, Flight Tickets are bought and sold using stolen credit cards. And now they are also dealing in fake covid Test Certificates. It is these criminal organisations that have been previously providing Airline Tickets using stolen Credit Card Information that are providing a fuller service. So, they are now being able to give you a false nhs certificate saying that you are fit to fly, that you have a negative covid test result. So, this is like an Underground Travel Agency . Absolutely, yes, and these guys have been operating for some time. Not located just in the uk they operate on a global basis. Recently, a man was arrested outside Luton Airport on suspicion of selling fake fit to fly certificates. It is an issue the authorities right across europe are worried about. Our investigation found notjust Fake Nhs Certificates but also one sold abroad for people coming back to the uk. These look like they are from clinics in nigeria but they are also fakes. Crucially, if they are getting fake fit to fly certificates, they may be carrying the virus. There is a very real risk of that, absolutely. Travellers cutting corners, criminals making money. If fit to fly is easy to fake, can these certificates really keep britain safe . Angus crawford, bbc news. The time is 15 minutes past six. Our top story this evening. Urgent door to door testing is to be carried out after the new south Africa Coronavirus variant is discovered in parts of england. Still to come, topshop and topman are bought by Online Retailer asos, but all the 70 High Street shops will go. Coming up on sportsday on bbc news, social Media Companies in the firing line Marcus Rashfords among the latest to face racist abuse online. We ask what more can be done to stamp it out. The armed forces in myanmar have seized power and detained the countrys civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, along with members of her governing party. The takeover follows a Landslide Win by ms suu kyis party in an election last november which the army claims was fraudulent. Myanmar, also known as burma, was ruled by the military until 2011. After democratic reforms, Aung San Suu Kyi was in partial control with the military� s agreement. Previously shed spent 15 years under house arrest. Internationally, Aung San Suu Kyi was hailed as a beacon of democracy. She was awarded the nobel peace prize. Now her leadership and reputation has been tarnished by her backing of the armys brutal and deadly treatment of myanmar� s Muslim Rohingya minority. But she still enjoys great support throughout myanmar. Our special correspondent fergal keane reports. An army reverting to autocratic type, swiftly and ruthlessly deposing a democratically elected leader. Somewhere behind the guns, Aung San Suu Kyi is once more a prisoner of the generals. And even if people never trusted the military, theyre still shocked at whats happened. Translation the army assaulted i people as it carried out a coup i on the civilian government elected by our people. Our country is just a Bird Learning to fly. Now, the army has broken our wings. Government offices are still running but most of the telecommunications have been cut off completely. So, i fear in the next couple of hours, we might all be disconnected from the rest of the world, and this is my biggest fear right now. The crisis began when suu kyis party won a Landslide Victory in elections last november. That win may have convinced the military that their hold on key security ministries, the root of real power here, was threatened. This was their response relayed to the public on state television. Allegations of Election Fraud from an army notorious for its human rights abuses. There will be a State Of Emergency for a year with limitless powers to detain political enemies. This is the husband of one woman mp asking the soldiers what they want. His wife is taken away in one of the numerous dawn raids. Expect them to escalate. The coup has an air of dark familiarity. For decades, the military has tried to maintain a monopoly of power. This was in 1995 when Aung San Suu Kyi was released after her first six years of house arrest. The woman i met then was a Global Human Rights icon. I think i became more political when after i was put under house arrest than before because once i was under house arrest, i became totally a political animal. Because this was my whole existence. I was under house arrest because of my politics. So, politics became my whole life. But human rights would eventually come second to politics. Three years ago, by now sharing power with the military, Aung San Suu Kyi defended generals accused of genocide against the Rohingya Muslims even appearing for the defence at a War Crimes Trial in the hague. Do you ever worry that you will be remembered as the champion of human rights, the nobel laureate, who failed to stand up to Ethnic Cleansing in her own country . No, because i dont think theres Ethnic Cleansing going on. The armys supporters were on the streets today, but Aung San Suu Kyi and her party are hugely popular. And for foreign governments who may now try to isolate the military, its the principle of democracy not any personality that is at stake. Fergal keane, bbc news. Mps are debating the governments efforts to sort out the cladding crisis in parliament this evening. Three and a half years after the grenfell fire, hundreds of tower blocks still have dangerous cladding on them. The housing minister Christopher Pincher said he recognised flat owners didnt cause the cladding and Fire Safety Problems and said the government would come up with new proposals to help them. The debate was called by labour but almost half of the mps due to speak are conservatives concerned with the governments handling of the crisis. The duke of sussex has won an apology and substantial damages from the publishers of the Mail On Sunday and mail online. Prince harry had sued Associated Newspapers for libel after two articles claimed he had turned his back on the Royal Marines after stepping down as a senior royal. The duke will donate the damages to his Invictus Games foundation. The Mpjoanna Cherry has been dropped from the Scottish National partys frontbench team at westminster. The Edinburgh South west mp said she was sacked from the justice position despite what she said was hard work, results and a strong reputation. Ms cherry is a close ally of former party leader alex salmond. The Online Fashion giant asos has bought the topshop, topman and miss Selfridge Brands from sir philip greens arcadia group, which collapsed into Administration Last year. The company is also buying the stock but wont be taking on any of the 70 High Street stores, or the 2,500 staff who work in them. Our Business Correspondent emma simpson reports. Closed, and never to reopen. Topshop, topman and miss selfridge, the prized assets of sir philip greens once mighty Retail Empire are now going online only. I know i speak for a lot of people when i say it really does feel like the end of an era. It is kind of inconceivable to think that topshop wont be there any more, it was so much a part of my childhood. When sir philip green bought arcadia back in 2002, asos was just getting going, with annual sales of £4 million. By 2020, sales had leapt to more than £3 billion, having expanded all over the world. This pandemic has driven shoppers online. It was the final straw for arcadia, and asos swooped. We know these brands really well, we have traded them on our website for many years and we know this customer, we know this market. In fact, these brands grew over 40 with us during the Christmas Period so we see this as a really natural fit. Why dont you want the stores . It is. Asos was born digital native, it is e commerce only. We are really good at e commerce. Stores are just not our model. Its online rival boohoo doesnt want stores either. It is closing in on buying burton, Dorothy Perkins and wallace, the three remaining arcadia brands. British retail is being reshaped, at breakneck speed now, thanks to the pandemic, but the changes will also have big repercussions for our high streets, as well as heavyjob losses. Emma simpson, bbc news. Messages of support have been flooding in for captain sir tom moore, whos in hospital with coronavirus. The 100 year old Second World War veteran, who raised nearly £33 million for the nhs during the first lockdown, was admitted to Bedford Hospital yesterday because he needed help with his breathing. Taking on a marathon is a challenge in itself but what about an Ultra Marathon . Thats anything further than the traditional 26. 2 miles. A new bbc newsbeat documentary, � how not to run 55 miles, follows the Bbc Radio 1xtra presenter reece parkinson, who decided to take on one of the uks toughest races, despite an unexpected medical setback. 55 miles across remote hills in northumberland in the middle of winter. Its off road, freezing cold and mostly in the dark. To see how far i could push my body and my mind, i have signed up to my first ever ultramarathon. And this one, the montane cheviot goat, is one of the hardest. I dont actually like running so why am i putting myself through all of this . I have come to see doctorjudi smith, a psychologist, who you may know from tiktok, to try to figure this out. When i mentioned to one of my mates that i had booked the ultra, she was just, like, whats happened . Whenever i say im going on a long run, shes like, is everything 0k . Whats the matter . Isnt it interesting how someone who is close to you, friend, has picked up on a pattern there that when you are hurting, you put that into some sort of physical action or you push yourself to the limit . I think career wise, definitely my dad not being in my life made me feel like i had something to prove. Like i had to be someone. That same feeling carries me when im running, because i just wont stop. He said, i will get to the end, ill have to crawl. And so there is a lot riding on this in terms of how he feels about himself. Yeah, that would be something quite big to deal with i think, if he got injured and couldnt finish. Ive just got diagnosed with type one diabetes. Which flipping sucks all round. But, you know, my life is the main thing. But it puts the running into perspective. Its going to be a lot harder, having to take insulin shots, but, hey, if its a lot harder, its going to prove, its going to make it even more bigger of an accomplishment. It hasnt exactly turned out as we had planned, has it . I dont think any of us anticipated everything that has happened. We have to do it now, you know what im saying . I have to, ive got to prove that i can do it. And reeces documentary is available to watch on iplayer from tomorrow. Time for a look at the weather, heres helen willetts. Good evening, even in the sunshine the temperatures struggled. We had the temperatures struggled. We had the coldest january for ten years and that cold air is with us to start february. Mile there will try to get in through the next couple of days accompanied with Weather Fronts but it will be blocked so we will have further issues with ice and snow overnight and tomorrow. We have already seen a bit of snow in scotland already and we have another Weather Front rushing in off the atlantic, this one which will turn to snow temporarily over the hills of north wales but snow will fall at lower levels in the midlands, east anglia, Northern England and southern scotland, continuing to fall overnight with temperatures on the road close to freezing and some treacherous conditions if youre travelling. To the north, frosty but bright to start, the rain and hilts no easing in Northern Ireland but for parts of the central belt, we could see snow at low levels, several centimetres building up over the hills and into Northern England, blowing around in the strengthening wind. Brighterfurther blowing around in the strengthening wind. Brighter further south blowing around in the strengthening wind. Brighterfurther south but wind. Brighter further south but showers wind. Brighterfurther south but showers will rush in and on mile that south westerly winds so they will be pretty heavy with hail and thunder. A real tale of two halves tomorrow with a cold air, snow is still coming down and blowing around, quite a bleak day here. Some sunshine between those heavy showers further south. A similar story Tuesday Night and into wednesday, the next band of showers reinforcing the next band of showers reinforcing the risk of snow as it comes into the risk of snow as it comes into the colder air across Northern England and scotland again. Still a chilly night, a bit milderfurther south. Wednesday more rain for a time in southern areas which is not great news because there are still numerous Flood Warnings in force at the moment and you can find out all about those on the website including the weather warnings. A reminder of our top story. Coronavirus testing is stepped up in areas of england to try to stop the spread of the new south africa variant. Thats all from the Bbc News At Six so its goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc� s news teams where you are