Hello. There are new claims about the movements of the british Prime Ministers adviser Dominic Cummings during lockdown. Hes faced calls to resign for driving more than 400km from london to the north east of england after his wife developed coronavirus symptoms. Downing street has defended mr cummings trip to be nearfamily, saying it had been essential for him to ensure he had child care. Heres our Political Correspondent iain watson. Youre supposed to be more than two metres apart borisjohnsons Senior Advisor Dominic Cummings, lecturing reporters on social distancing, but his opponents accuse him of breaking the lockdown rules himself. When his wife became ill at the end of march, he, she and their four year old child didnt self isolate at their london home but travelled more than 250 miles to County Durham. Well, its a question of doing the right thing. Its not about what you guys think. The governments guidance on self isolation says. But in a statement, downing street set out to explain why borisjohnsons advisor didnt stay at home. Durham police were made aware he was there from march 31st and somebody spoke to his father the next day, at his fathers request. He confirmed Dominic Cummings had travelled from london and was self isolating at part of the property. The police deemed no further action was necessary, but did provide advice on security issues. So, where does this leave the governments stay at home guidance now . Is the advice now to parents that if you dont have your own extended family nearby, even when youre ill with covid symptoms, youre allowed to leave your home, travel many miles across the country and isolate closer to your extended family . Look, the important thing is that everyone remains in the same place while theyre locked down, which is exactly what happened, i think, in the case that you are referring to with mr cummings. So the Prime Minister will have known he was staying put and he didnt come out again until he was feeling better. But he did travel 250 miles from his london home, did he not . In the guidance, it says if you are living with children, keep following this advice to the best of your ability. However, we are aware that not all these measures will be possible depending, therefore, on circumstances im adding those last few words. Senior ministers have defended Dominic Cummings, but there have been calls for his resignation from some opponents. Dominic cummings should have resigned and done the right thing, but now that he hasnt, Boris Johnson must show leadership and remove him from office immediately. A lot of people have been struggling through this pandemic and sticking by the rules. We have care workers moving into care homes, hospital staff staying in hotels, and theyve struggled not seeing their families and have adhered by the rules, and hes broken them. Its just so irresponsible. Tonight, new allegations downing street denied reports Dominic Cummings had returned to downing street from london last month after he recovered. Dominic cummings had returned to durham from london last month after he recovered. And there is a claim on the observer Dominic Cummings was seen in a beauty spot about 30 miles from durham when he was apparently self isolating. This is notjust about Dominic Cummings, but about the guidelines that parents should follow if they have symptoms and whether the rules that apply in your street also apply to downing street. Iain watson there. Our correspondent nick beake has been examining the fresh allegations that appear in several sunday newspapers. The first claim is that on Easter Sunday if we cast our minds back to april 12 someone has told the newspaper that mr cummings and his family were, infact, 30 miles from the property in durham where he was apparently self isolating. So beforehand, the assumption was he had been there, but this particular location, barnard castle, 30 miles away, and robin lees, who is a retired chemistry teacher, has told the two newspapers that he was gobsmacked to see the top number 10 aide there on Easter Sunday. Now, i was able to talk to mr lees this evening and he said, yes, he stands by what he told the newspapers and he was able to, in his own mind, be sure that it was mr cummings because he took a note of the numberplate of the car that the cummings family, he thought were using, and he said he was able to find a photograph online and the first five characters of the numberplate matched, so to him, it was a vehicle he saw with his own eyes matching a vehicle in a photograph with mrcummings on it. So as far as he is concerned, he is confident the man he saw was mrcummings, not at the property that he said he was staying at, but 30 miles away. The second of the two new allegations denied the second of the two new allegations tonight that is that on the 19th of april, mr cummings was spotted again in the north east in durham. And this is crucial because it was days after he had been photographed in london, having apparently recovered from the virus. So of course, the lockdown measures were still in place. If that is the case, why was he back in the north east of england, having apparently recovered from coronavirus . The labour party are talking about potential inconsistencies in the reaction from downing street and, specifically, we were told that mr cummings and his family were at a property near where his family are. So they were staying at a house near his extended family and apparently his sister was providing them with supplies, which were left outside in accordance to the rules. However, Durham Police are now saying this is part of his fathers property. Now, we havent got an exact layout of what its like there but the update from the police in durham is that he was staying in a part of his fathers property, so thats something the labour party have seized upon, saying this shows another inconsistency in the official story. That was nick beake there. The taliban and Afghan Government forces are to observe a 3 day ceasefire to mark the eid al fitr holiday. The group has been increasing attacks against the Afghan Forces in recent weeks, despite hopes violence in the country would drop after the signing of an agreement between the insurgents and the us back in february. With me is our reporter sodaba haidare. So, a 3 day ceasefire what do we know about it . The taliban has said they will not attack any of the Afghan Forces in these three days of ceasefire which is during eid al fitr because they want afg ha n al fitr because they want Afghan People to have peace and security during this period. They also said that they wont be attacking Afghan Forces. They said they wont be attacking the enemy which they meant the Afghan Forces and it wont be crossing into any territory controlled by the Afghan Government, and they expect the same from the government. Nato and the us envoy has welcomed these ceasefire details and also the afghan president has welcomed it and has called for a ceasefire in these three days of eid and has also asked the afghan army to comply with the ceasefire and to only defend if they are being attacked. Take a look at my report. Three days of peace in a country marked by 19 years of violence. Three days of peace in a country marred by 19 years of violence. Sudden and last minute, but welcomed nevertheless, with the afghan president instructing Government Forces to defend only if attacked. The truce comes following an agreement between the us and taliban to end the war in afghanistan. Applause. Although temporary, its a relief for war ridden afghans after a wave of violence, with recent attacks on a Maternity Ward and another one on a funeral. Horns blare. Afghans hope to celebrate eid in peace this year, but for those used to the reality of war, this is most likely the calm before the storm with the taliban so often planning and carrying out attacks as warm weather approaches. To others, a flicker of hope that the ceasefire might lead to an everlasting peace. This is just this isjust a this is just a three day ceasefire between the taliban and the Government Forces so remind us what is going on with the agreement between the taliban and us officials . This ceasefire during eid is different to the agreement that the us and taliban reached in february which means that it paved the way so the Afghan Government and taliban can hold direct talks but it has been delayed because of the escalation in violence, with the recent attacks on maternity hospitals and another one on a funeral and of course also issues such as a prisoner exchanges with the taliban depending that the Afghan Government released 5000 prisoners on a list that they have provided to the Afghan Government which they did not agree to. And they only released a certain number of prisoners and so on. But there are also efforts under way to see if they could bring a us peace envoy, he is seeing if he can bring the taliban and the afg ha n can bring the taliban and the Afghan Government to sit at the negotiation table and talk about the peace talks in afghanistan. Thank you, sodaba haidare. If you want to find out more about afghanistan, just head to our website. Theres plenty of background on the taliban and the hopes for a longer term peace plan. Thats all at bbc. Com news, or you can download the bbc news app. Now to some of the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak in the uk and around the world. More than five Million People are now known to have contracted the coronavirus globally, and there have been more than 340,000 reported deaths. More than 97,000 of those are in the us, according to data from Johns Hopkins university. The New York Times has been reflecting on the devastating toll of the coronavirus with this front page, which bears the names of 1,000 people who have died thats only 1 of the total number of deaths recorded in america so far. A report from the Mexican Government has found a 25 reduction in drug Cartel Activity since the start of the coronavirus crisis. However, there has been an increase in the number of murders, mostly gang related this is thought to be because cartel members, with more time on their hands, have been settling scores. And one of the worlds major pilgrimage sites, the church of the holy sepulchre, is opening its doors again on sunday, two months after it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visitor numbers will be limited to 50 at a time. Spain will reopen to International Tourism from july. The country is moving towards the next phase of easing restrictions, with businesses able to open next week. The Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says new horizons were opening up and the government could guarantee that tourists would not run any risks. Spanish footballs top division la liga will resume from june 8th. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoe is in madrid. Its obviously an enormous relief to football fans here, and to the football industry, which is so enormous in spain, that things are going to resume. We dont know exactly under what conditions. Clearly, there will be a lot of restrictions. Things wont be back to normal as they were before the lockdown. But i thinkjust the fact that the league is going to resume with these 11 fixtures which are remaining is going to come as an enormous relief, both economically and emotionally, here in spain. There are certainly some regions which are much more used to receiving tourists for example, down the mediterranean coast on the east and the Costa Del Sol in the south, and then cities like madrid and barcelona. Madrid and barcelona have been regularly hard hit by the coronavirus. Particularly hard hit by the coronavirus. So clearly, there might be a concern there for people visiting. The government has said that the country will be open for business when it comes to tourism from the beginning ofjuly, and that the country as a whole will be safe. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said that the hallmarks of spanish tourism, going forward, will be environmental sustainability and safety when it comes to the coronavirus. Guy hedgecoe. The number of deaths due to coronavirus in new york state has fallen to 84 the first time the figure has been below 100 since lockdown began in march. New york has been the epicentre of the virus in the us. At the height of the outbreak last month, more than 800 people a day were dying. Much of new york state has now begun a phased reopening, with long island set to start reopening from wednesday. This is bbc news. The headlines the chief adviser to the british Prime Minister comes under pressure as hes accused of breaching lockdown rules, twice, but cabinet ministers defend his actions. After weeks of increasing attacks, taliban and Afghan Government forces agree a three day ceasefire to mark the eid holiday. Funerals have taken place in pakistan for some of the victims of fridays plane crash in karachi, in which 97 people died. Flight data and cockpit recorders have been recovered and an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. Umer nan giana sent this report from the scene. This is exactly the site where where this Pakistan International Airlines Plane crashed in karachi yesterday. As you can see, this is that street where this debris is all over the place. You can see one of the parts of the wings of the aircraft here, and there are parts of the engine and the body of the aircraft spread all over into the street. This is a very narrow street, about 20 feet wide or something. And we have been told by the eyewitnesses here that they were inside these houses when the plane crashed here. If we can show you a little bit of what happened to the house that was dragged right into the fireball. The owner of the house said that he was inside the house praying when he heard this boom and he rushed out. And then he realised that some of his relatives who were present at this were very close to the gate here were badly burned. This is the engine of the aircraft that you can see here. And this skeleton you can see here was actually cars like this one. The security agencies, when they first moved in, and the rescue workers, they had to make a place for themselves to pull the bodies out of the rubble. If we can show you the point of impact where the plane first crashed was that house which is, like, 3 4 houses from here. This is where the plane first hit. And then itjust crashed into the street. And on the impact, it went into a fireball and the whole place caught fire. To the us now. Areas of the state of california have started to move into the next phase of easing lockdown. Its been one of the states worst affected by coronavirus. Casinos are re opening this weekend and the state governor is set to offer more detail on easing restrictions, including allowing hollywood film and tv production to resume this monday. James gartland is san diegos chief lifeguard he told me how restrictions are set to be lifted. Restrictions are going well in san diego, we are getting pretty good compliance from most people out there. We have restricted it to running, swimming, walking, surfing and active paddling, so you still cant sit on the beaches but it is going well. We do have our hands full this is a crowded holiday weekend. Is that frustrating for people going to the beach but not being able to sit down and sunbathe . Well, when we started out, we saw a lot of smiling faces, people were very happyjust to get back on the beach and be able to be out there. Thats starting to wear off a little bit, but people are still complying. There are certainly some outliers out there that are a little frustrated, but people are complying and they re happy to be able to use the beach and they keep moving along, so theres not a tonne of sitting and laying down. The police and lifeguards have their hands full warning people and keeping people moving. This is the first phase, what happens in the second phase of restrictions being eased there . The next phase is we open it up to sitting but you must 6ft distance and wear a mask obviously, so that would be phase two of the lifeguard plan. The Southern California region lifeguards here got together and put a plan together, so the next phase would be allowing sitting, allowing some activities like shore fishing and opening up the parking lots a little bit to keep the capacity to where its manageable. And is there a rough timeline on that . There timeline on that . Is not. So the medical experts and the governors office, the county folks, theyre the ones that decide the timeline, and that is data driven. As so much, you have to be driven by the science in these situations, but youre dealing with people and emotions and wanting to get out and taste that freedom, and theyve had a bit of it, running and walking, they will want life to get back to normal as quickly as possible now . Absolutely, and businesses are starting to open up as well. People are starting to feel a little bit more of the norm. But this is a holiday weekend, and it is extremely hot here in Southern California. Its a Beautiful Day and beautiful weather, and its a great beach weekend, but its not a normal Holiday Beach weekend you have to keep moving. Its really open for you to come in, get your exercise, keep moving and then head back home and comply with that stay at home order. Beaches across cyprus have reopened as the mediterranean island nation gradually eases its lockdown. The countrys Health Ministry issued strict social distancing guidelines for beach goers. It comes days after a short heat wave in the region saw temperatures hit 43 degrees celsius. Cyprus partially sealed its borders ahead of most european nations, managing to keep the number of coronavirus related deaths to fewer than 20. Lockdown has presented real challenges for many peoples Mental Health. A new survey suggests young people are particularly affected, with 2 in 5 saying theyre experiencing increased levels of anxiety. The report is published as part of Mental Health awareness week, as Ashley John Baptiste reports. Its a lot of meals. Everyone has been impacted by the coronavirus lockdown. Its, like, 300 people. Yet despite challenges, many people are getting by through acts of kindness. Jonni is a chef in london whos been furloughed, and now. Im literally going to go home so happy today. He is using his time and talent for another purpose to help rough sleepers. According to the Mental Health foundation, almost two thirds of adults say that being kind to others has a positive impact on their Mental Health. Did you get extra waters . Something thatjonni knows all too well. Were doing, like, 250 meals every day. Its definitely warming, for sure. Its nice to see that what were doing is actually making an impact. Being kind to anyone is going to make you feel better about yourself. Yet while some are finding ways of coping, for many, the pressure of a National Lockdown is taking its toll, particularly when it comes to young people. According to the princes trust, 43 of young people say their anxiety levels have increased due to the pandemic, and nearly half say they dont feel in control of their lives. 16 year old 0wen harding, from brighton, was struggling with his Mental Health at the start of the lockdown. Soon after, he went missing from home. His mum, stella, has seen the impact. Its definitely important that we talk about it and we consider it. Its always important that we talk about mental and emotional health, lockdown or no lockdown. Young people perhaps havent developed into the calm adult human beings that weve become. Their hormones are all over the place. Sometimes, things seem really, really huge for them. They might make snap decisions. Their Mental Health might deteriorate more quickly than somebody whos older. Almost two thirds of people around the uk surveyed for the Mental Health foundation said that when people are kind to them, their Mental Health improves. For many, it has a vital role during the lockdown. We are calling for a much kinder society, one that really protects and really prioritises our Mental Health. And that would mean notjust tracking economic progress, but also measuring our health and well being. Ashleyjohn baptiste, bbc news. A large fire has engulfed parts of the popular Fishermans Wharf in san francisco. The area is closed due to the coronavirus lockdown, but there are fears for Homeless People who use the building for shelter. Freya cole reports. Overlooking the northern waterfront of Fishermans Wharf, the glow of flames and a thick plume of smoke. By the time fire crews arrived to the warehouse, the blaze was out of their control. It took a huge effort to get the upper hand. We have roughly 50 fire apparatus and 150 firefighters. Authorities say the warehouse is vacant at night, but admit there are fears for Homeless People who are known to use the building for a place to sleep. Docked next to the wharf is a world war ii liberty ship. Authorities needed resources from the ground and in the water to save the historic vessel. If were looking for one positive to come out of this tragic event, saving an historic world war ii vessel at the beginning of memorial day weekend is something we should all be proud of as a community. Authorities say their priority now is to check if anyone was inside and how the fire started. Freya cole, bbc news. And you can find more on all of our top stories, including analysis by our correspondents, on our website. Including this report showing which parts of the world have been hardest hit by coronavirus and where cases are still rising. Thats at the website or you can download the bbc news app. An alligator that survived World War Two in berlin and was rumoured wrongly to have belonged to adolf hitler, has died at the age of 8a. Saturn was gifted to berlin zoo by the us in 1936 and survived the bombing of 1943. But it remained a mystery where he had spent the next three years before arriving in moscow in 19116. His keepers say he loved being massaged with a brush and was able to crack steel and concrete with his teeth. I would say i am sad but they would be crocodile tears. You can reach me on twitter im lvaughanjones. Hello there. We saw Gale Force Winds across the north and the west of the uk today. Lots of showers rattling through across england and wales, though. Much of england and wales did stay dry, with plenty of sunshine. Most of the rain was in western scotland it was extremely wet, with over three inches falling on saturday. Sunday, less windy, a lot of cloud around in the morning thanks to this weather front bringing outbreaks of rain to the north west of the country. But High Pressure will continue to build in across the south, so that will turn things dry as we head through sunday afternoon. We start the day off, though, with temperatures in double figures for most. Thats because well start with quite a bit of cloud cover around, and still a fair old breeze out there. It will be quite wet, western scotland in towards north west england initially, and it looks like the cloud will tend to break up with increasing amounts of sunshine, especially across england and wales, and into the afternoon across northern ireland. These are the mean wind speeds, so you can see quite fresh out there but nothing as strong as what we had on saturday. With slightly lighter winds, more sunshine again in the south, temperatures will creep up to around 22, maybe 23 degrees in the south. High teens further north. On sunday night, the winds turn lighter still. As High Pressure builds in, itll turn drier with lengthy clear skies, a bit of cloud in the far north of scotland. Under those clear skies with very light winds, temperatures could drop into single figures for many northern and western areas. One or two spots in the east seeing 10 11 degrees. 0n into monday, then, a Bank Holiday Monday High Pressure with much of england and wales. Weve got these weather fronts just flirting with the north west corner of the country. That will tend to bring in thicker cloud. There will be a stronger breeze for western parts of northern ireland, western scotland and outbreaks of rain. Much of scotland, though, england and wales will be dry, plenty of sunshine. Light winds. Its going to feel much warmer for all, especially in the south east, where we could make 25 or even 26 degrees into the afternoon. As we move out of monday into tuesday, we start to these weather fronts move a little bit further south eastwards. A very weak feature, but it could introduce more cloud, i think, to parts of england and wales as we go through the day. Sunshine making a return to the north and west of the country, but there will still be some glimmers of brightness further south too, and thatll help push temperatures up to around the mid 20s celsius again, as it is a warmer air mass. Highs of around 16 or 17 in the north. We will see a bit more cloud at times and the odd spot of rain as we continue to move through the week for scotland and northern ireland. For england and wales, though, with the High Pressure dominating, its going to be warm and sunny. This is bbc news. The headlines the british Prime Ministers closest aide Dominic Cummings is facing further allegations that he breached lockdown rules. Earlier, he and the government insisted hed acted reasonably and legally by driving from london to County Durham in march while his wife had coronavirus so his family could help with child care. The taliban in afghanistan have declared a ceasefire for the three days of the muslim festival of eid. The militant group had stepped up its attacks in recent weeks but now says they will restrict themselves to defensive operations. The afghan president has ordered the army to respect the truce. Funerals have been taking place in pakistan for some of the victims of fridays plane crash in karachi, in which 97 people died. The government has launched an official inquiry, but the Pakistan Pilots Association says it has no faith in the official investigation. Now on bbc news, the week in parliament
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.