A scramble for university places after the governments u turn over a level and gcse grades. Pupils who were initially downgraded and missed out on their preferred university now face an anxious wait as they try to trade up. Im very pleased about the u turn the government has made, i feel more secure about my future, but its been a very stressful couple of days because i thought i hadnt got into university. As ministers say they will help universities who fear they dont have room for all potential students, well be asking whether the government has failed its own a level test. Also this evening. 7,000 jobs to go at marks and spencer, as the pandemic makes customers move from shopping in store to online. The widow of pc Andrew Harper tells the bbc of her heartbreak over the sentences handed out
to her husbands killers. Hes never coming back, were never going to have him back. But at the very least we wanted some kind ofjustice for him. How researchers have uncovered the unseen scale of plastic pollution clogging the Atlantic Ocean. And the empty cruise ships lining the south coast that have become an unlikely tourist attraction. Coming up on bbc news. Paris st germain look to book their place in the First Champions League final as they take on the rising stars of european football, rb leipzig. Good evening. Tens of thousands of students, whove now got higher a level grades after the governments u turn yesterday, are scrambling for university places. With many courses already full, some students remain unsure about their academic futures. The government has said it will help universities to find places for them. The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has sidestepped questions about whether he will resign, and the universities minister Michelle Donelan said the grading system devised by the exams regulator 0fqual was grossly unfair. The government was forced to abandon 0fquals computer modelling for a level and gcse results, after an outcry when 40 of entries were downgraded. Wales and Northern Ireland also reversed their policies. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys, has the latest natasha is still looking for a place to study medicine. Her hopes had beenin to study medicine. Her hopes had been in tatters and now results
downgraded by computer have been replaced by top grades from her teachers. Im very pleased about the u turn the government has made because i feel more secure my future but it has been a stressful couple of days because i thought i had got into university. Good afternoon, you are through to clearing. Because today to clearing the students checking their place is secure. The courses have been filling up at this university is honouring every offer. The legal situation i do not think is entirely clear but my understanding is that if you were made an offer and you met that offer then universities would be obliged to adhere to it. That is what were doing at manchester met. I think it is more challenging if you have not had an offer but want to apply to clearing on the basis of the teacher sat grades, i think that situation is less certain. He says that
stu d e nts is less certain. He says that students need to weigh up their options. Talk to a school or college, took to the universities but do we really want students to put their life on hold . Theyve been through a lot in the last few months. Today a promise from the universities minister. Students that have ta ken a universities minister. Students that have taken a different course from the one banner eligible for be that their primary offer or insurance are eligible to change their mind and reversed their decision. However i think the first port of call must be talk to your institutional university and think about what is right for you. Since results day a lot has happened and some students have already compromised. A warning to date to universities in england, stu d e nts to date to universities in england, students from poorer areas must not be the losers. This is a serious risk and i think all of us are determined to try to prevent these unprecedented circumstances from having the most impact on students who can least afford to navigate their way through it and the least
able to navigate their way through it. Campuses are deserted now but universities have to manage numbers like never before. Making them as safe as possible. Some of the universities that ask for the highest grades for students had by yesterday declared themselves close for business, although courses fill up. They were accepting no more student through clearing. Tonight many of them are asking how they can make extra space. How can i make sure that they look after the stu d e nts sure that they look after the students that they have accepted who are due to start in just a few weeks time and meet the government demands that they accommodate more to honour all their offers. For those still looking for a place there are places at many universities. Here at Manchester Metropolitan University they say that they will be able to meet all their promises and they are hoping
to be able to extend some of their courses. Im seen a letter that universities have sent to ministers and their asking for extra leeway on courses for a letter that universities have sent to ministers and their asking for extra leeway on courses where numbers are traditionally limited such as medicine. Here they would like to see more places to train teachers. They will go on with some tense negotiations between universities who want to help where they can and ministers trying to keep a grip on the situation. Branwenjeffreys, many thanks. 0ur chief Political Correspondent vicki young is in westminster. Is anyone in government taking responsibility for this situation . There have been a lot of apologies, im not sure if that will do anything to make those pupils feel better about the turmoil they are now in. But the education secretary has spent the day trying to explain why it went so wrong and it is pretty clear that he blames the exam regulator for coming pretty clear that he blames the exam regulatorfor coming up pretty clear that he blames the exam regulator for coming up with a system that he says was not fair. But the question is still being asked of him why he was not a cross there is a bit sooner. Should have realised that there was going to be a problem coming down the line. There was a committee of mps, the Education Committee several weeks ago they flagged up some of these problems. Of course this government are not governing in normal times, it isa are not governing in normal times, it is a bit like Fire Fighting and what theyve done is to deal with one problem, addressing concerns about grades but of course it is not about grades but of course it is not a perfect solution on the situation that we are now in also has its issues as we have been hearing about universities. As for Gavin Williamson himself he stays in his job and it is clear that the government likes to hang on to its ministers and advisers even when they are under enormous pressure. But there are some conservative mps are to think if there was a reshuffle to come in the autumn than Gavin Williamson could be in trouble. Many thanks. You can see more information on a levels and gcse results, including a your questions answered page on the bbc website, thats at bbc. Co. Uk news. Marks and spencer is planning to cut 7,000 staff by the end of the year, after a slump in sales during the coronavirus pandemic. The cuts on top of 950 already announced amount to about a tenth of the overall work force. The company is the latest to announce major losses, as our Business Correspondent emma simpson reports. You do not see this often, a new store just you do not see this often, a new storejust opening after you do not see this often, a new store just opening after lockdown. It is close to nottingham and pulling in the shoppers. It helps being out of town. Is a different in many city centres. This is 0xford street in london and much quieter thanit street in london and much quieter than it should be. Not good if you rely on footfall for sales. This was the first floor at marble arch this lunchtime, one of the key London Stores for Marks Spencer and today the company said there had been a material shift in trade and it had to act. These new figures show the
challenge. The two months since reopening clothing and home sales at its stores down 40 compared to last year but online sales up 39 . This pandemic has driven a rapid change in shopping habits. With more people buying online fewer workers are neededin buying online fewer workers are needed in stores. Marks spencers was already making big changes before the pandemic and they have been speeding up those changes now. 7000 jobs to go today, the biggest cuts this winter has ever made. Awful news for the people involved but im afraid rather inevitable as shops like this are expensive to run, the cost does not go down if fewer people turn up to shop and thatis fewer people turn up to shop and that is what is happening. Sooner or later you have to align your cost with revenue and that is what m s is doing today. Theyre not the only ones . Theyre doing today. Theyre not the only ones . They re not doing today. Theyre not the only ones . Theyre not and we will see im afraid a lot more. Just look at the last seven days, 2500 more job
losses at debenhams, a business on the brink. 350 to go at river island and new look trying to cut rent to survive. Excel could be cutting stores as well. Now m s is taking drastic action to cut costs, most job losses will be in its stores and it helps many will be through volu nta ry it helps many will be through voluntary redundancy or early retirement. There will also be new jobs as it invests in online, a retailer that wants to recover from this pandemic with a leaner and more sustainable business. Emma simpson, bbc news. The widow of pc Andrew Harper, who died when he was dragged behind a car while investigating a robbery, has told the bbc she doesnt feel the family has received justice. The teenagers responsible for his death were all acquitted of murder, and jailed for manslaughter. Lissie harper said she was campaigning for mandatory life sentences for those who kill emergency workers. Daniela relph has the story. This was the last photograph lissie harper hd taken with her husband. They were guests at a friends wedding. Andrew harper was killed four days later. In her First Television interview, lissie spoke about their relationship and heranguish at losing him. I think before andrews death it would have been impossible for me to do any kind of public speaking. I have never been great at that sort of thing. But i do rememberfeeling, in the lead up to andrews funeral, just a determination to speak and just to tell everyone about him. You know, we were constantly laughing and joking and just kind of best friends, to be honest. Just the normal things in life, we loved. We werent materialistic. You know, we didnt crave lots of money, we just liked being together and yeah,
my life is different in every single way that it could be. New photos released by lissie plot the couples years together. Here, just 17, on a trip to the river. They both shared a love of adventure. This was a skydiving trip. In their early 20s, they took time out to travel around the world. Each picture an intimate and happy image. All are a reminder of her loss but also of her frustration at the Legal Process and the behaviour in court of the teenagers who went on trial. It was just a battle getting there every day and sitting through it. And so to see them sort ofjoking around as if they could have been anywhere, really, was unbearable. We were just heartbroken. And all i could think of was how andrew hadnt got the justice that he needed and they had
taken his life. Henry long, with friends Albert Bowers and jesse cole, were convicted of the manslaughter of Andrew Harper but they were acquitted of his murder. Andrew was taken from us on that horrendous night. The family is now campaigning for change. Harpers law, supported by the police federation, would see those found guilty of killing emergency workers given life sentences. If somebodys life is taken because somebody has committed a crime then why should they be able to spend the rest of their lives free . Lissie harper has been contacted by both the Prime Minister and home secretary in recent weeks. She knows that changing the law will be an enormous challenge but feels it is one worth taking on in memory of her husband. Daniela relph, bbc news. A rapper who admitted giving his girlfriend drugs at a Music Festival has had his conviction for manslaughter overturned. Louella Fletcher Michie died after taking a hallucinogenic
substance during bestival, in dorset, nearly three years ago. Ceon broughton was originallyjailed for eight and a half years over her death. Nail bars, outdoor pools, and beauty salons in leicester can reopen from tomorrow. The partial relaxation of the local lockdown was confirmed by the Health Secretary matt hancock following a drop in coronavirus cases there. Current restrictions on gatherings will remain in place. Now, the latest government figures show there were 1089 new confirmed coronavirus cases across the uk, in the latest 2a hour period. That means the average number of new cases per day in the last week is 1,071. The deaths of 12 people were also reported in the latest 2a hour period thats those whove died within 28 days of a positive covid 19 test. That takes the total number reported across the uk to 41,381. It comes as the government announced its setting up a new Health Agency to focus
on infectious diseases. The National Institute for Health Protection will take over the role from Public Health england which has been criticised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Our Health Editor hugh pym reports. Protecting the public from Health Emergencies and helping people live healthier lifestyles, but was the role of Public Health england but 110w role of Public Health england but now it is being carved up. It was involved in the official response to covid 19 and things did not alter according to plan and now a chunk of its work will be combined with the test and Trace Network to form a new group to tackle the virus. We will have a new National Institute for protection who sell mission is to respond to the pandemic and spot for future risks and future pandemics and bring all that together under one roof. Peachey was involved in a controversial move to suspend virus
testing. Much the 11th nhs england with ph ea announced plans to boost testing from 2000 per day to 10,000 but the next day the government said that Community Testing and chasing was to be halted with capacity focused on hospitals. In much the 26 the deputy chief medical officer said that Community Testing was not an appropriate mechanism as we go forward. But in early april the government set a higher new target of 100,000 tests per day. Failing to have enough labs and fires Testing Facilities ready at the start of the crisis has been laid partly at the door of pag although supporters say it was never meant to have that role and is now being made a scapegoat. 0ne Health Analyst was sceptical about the new policy. 0ne Health Analyst was sceptical about the new policylj 0ne Health Analyst was sceptical about the new policy. I think the announcement today from the secretary of state is frankly astonishing, i think we are in the middle of a pandemic and what is being proposed is a structural reorganisation of the Public Health system. I think now is not the time
to do that. Public Health England has also been responsible for promoting good Health Including measures to tackle obesity. That will carry on for a short time but it is not clear where the work will eventually be moved to. We are very concerned it has been left hanging at this critical junction, concerned it has been left hanging at this criticaljunction, couple of weeks ago the government unveiled their obesity strategy and we know there are so many Public Health challenges and really it is not good enough that prevention has been left as the poor relation, the cinderella, to Health Protection. All this is relevant to everyday lives with responsibilities for preventing ill health needing to be worked out in the new agency starting from scratch with a brief to protect the population from a second surge in covid 19 for the hugh pym, bbc news. The time is 6 17pm. Our top story this evening. A scramble for university places after the governments u turn over a level and gcse grades. And still to come, i will be here in weymouth where the view on the horizon has changed. Cruise ships caught out by coronavirus have become major tourist attractions. Coming up on sportsday on bbc news. Mps urge the governemnet to permit fans back into watch Lower League Football when the season starts next month to safeguard the futures of non league clubs. The problem of plastic pollution in the seas is well known. But new research has suggested that there could be many more tiny particles of the waste floating just beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean than scientists had realised. The findings, based on an analysis of samples and on computer modelling, highlight the largely invisible scale of the pollution clogging the worlds second largest ocean. Victoria gill reports. A common sight on any beach walk. Plastic that weve thrown away littering the shore and in the decades that our discarded Plastic Waste has been finding its way into the environment, some of it has broken down into tiny pieces that wildlife can mistake for food, so scientists have set out to find all of that microplastic, particles smaller than the diameter of a human hair, floating in the atlantic. On an expedition from the uk to the falklands, researchers sieved the top 200 metres of the ocean at different locations and found that between 12 and 21 Million Tonnes of plastic is floating in the upper layers of the atlantic. By measuring the mass of very small microplastic particles in the top 200 metres of the Atlantic Ocean, we arrived at a new estimate of the load of plastic in the entire atlantic which is much larger than the previous estimate
of 17 Million Tonnes that we thought we had put in in the past 65 years. The team only search for the three most commonly used packaging plastics, so they say their estimate is likely to be conservative. But what all these microscopic fragments show is that decades of our plastic pollution has been washed out of rivers or even blown on the wind into the ocean. Some of that is Plastic Waste we buried years ago. This is an old legacy landfill site, so this hump of earth is a landfill site that is not in use any more but all of the rubbish that was buried here, you can see, a lot of it was plastic and itsjust coming out of the ground as the sea erodes this away. So even when this plastic is disposed of formally and put into landfill, its finding its way out of the ground and into the sea. Even through the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers
have continued to pick up plastic litter from beaches. Some environmental groups say the pandemic itself has reignited our addiction to single use plastics. The disposable mask is now more pervasive. We find more disposable masks than plastic bags on beaches. What we are really asking is is for people to reduce their use of single use plastic and if people can dispose of it carefully. Over the years, much of this pollution has become too small to see, but as this research reveals, it isnt going away. Victoria gill, bbc news. The number of adults in the uk who are experiencing some level of depression has doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to office for national statistics. Their survey, carried out over a 12 month period, found that one in five people appeared to have depressive symptoms. That compares to one in ten, before covid 19 hit. Amongst those most likely to suffer have been women, people under the age of 40, and those with a disability, as lauren moss reports. Meyer was first diagnosed with depression as a teenager and throughout locked and she shielded with her partner because lily is clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. She says while the pandemic gave her the opportunity to spend more time at home, that also came with consequences. For me, a big part of my anxiety is going round and being other people and having this fear of a virus and also of this impending current recession thatis of this impending current recession that is happening and the uncertainty of the job market and me being quite young and in that place where i have been on short contracts. Its a scary time and thats massively impacted my own Mental Health. More than 3500 adults we re Mental Health. More than 3500 adults were asked standard questions used to assess depression and they
a nswered to assess depression and they answered how often they experienced answered how often they experienced a range of symptoms including a change to their sleep patterns or appetite, loss of interest in daily activities or difficulty concentrating. During the height of the pandemic we saw increases in levels of anxiety in the population and that started to subside a little bit and it has shown us that the impacts of coronavirus can impact people in different ways. For others, lockdown has opened new doorways. Stephen has suffered with depression on and off since childhood and was working multiple jobs to fund his studies but says the change of pace has altered his life for the better. Just kind of that combination of improving my own health and not being able to see my friends made me really realise the importance of both of those, so from there when the restrictions began to ease off i took any advantage to spend more time with friends, de stress, and it was something that com pletely de stress, and it was something that completely changed my outlook on what is important to me. In may, is
lockdown began to ease, the department of health announced £5 million of funding for Mental Health community projects. May is now setting up her own charity but says there needs to be greater awareness of mental illness. There are thousands of people who have not been able to access therapy for half a year 01 so been able to access therapy for half a yearorso and been able to access therapy for half a year or so and the waiting list have got longer and some of them are already up to 18 months also, so the government really needs to put more money into supporting the welfare and Mental Health of the general population. Psychiatrists have warned that todays findings are the sign of another looming health crisis, and that is while we are still in the grip of a pandemic. If youve been affected by anything youve seen in that report and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, go online to bbc. Co. Uk actionline or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066. Scotland s top Civil Servant has apologised for the Scottish Governments handling of an investigation into claims of Sexual Misconduct by the former first minister, alex salmond. Leslie evans was giving evidence at an inquiry by msps into government policy and the investigation into mr salmond. Earlier this year, in a separate criminal case, alex salmond was acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault. 0ur scotland correspondent, lorna gordon reports. For two years, for two yea rs, alex for two years, alex salmond has been at the centre of what he claims is a political conspiracy against him. There was a botched Scottish Government enquiry into harassment complaints and a criminal trial in which the former first minister was acquitted of all charges of sexual assault. There are certain evidence that i would have liked to have seen led in this trial but for a variety of reasons we were not able to do so. At some point, that information,
those facts and evidence will see the light of day. Now scotlands most senior Civil Servant is thrust centre stage. Todays witness, leslie evans. Telling the committee was right to investigate internal complaints against alex salmond even if they got the procedure, which was accepted if they got the procedure, which was a cce pted to if they got the procedure, which was accepted to be unfair, wrong. |j apologise unreservedly to all concerned for this procedural failure. Some of the questions pointed towards the allegations that could be raised over the coming weeks. Was this targeted policy that only apply to harassment complaints against former ministers . Miss evans denied the harassment complaints had been engineered to pick out alex salmond. What it designed to get alex salmond . No, absolutely not. Alex salmond . No, absolutely not. Alex salmond . No, absolutely not. Alex salmond and his once close ally and successor Nicola Sturgeon are both expected to give evidence. She has said she welcomes the chance to give her side of events. There will be an element of relief for me and that because lots of things have
been said about me in the past couple of years that ive not been able to address because of other proceedings that are ongoing. Any testimony alex salmond gives to the enquiry may shed more light on the allegations of a plot against him, and could also lay bare tensions in the Independence Movement itself. Lorna gordon, bbc news, edinburgh. Theyre usually seen cruising through the mediterranean and the caribbean. But since the pandemic hit, and with staycations on the cards for many of us this summer, a growing number of luxury liners have moored off the south coast of england. The ships have themselves started to become an unlikely attraction. Duncan kennedy is in weymouth for us this evening. It isa it is a spectacular but somewhat of a sad sight. Spectacular because the ships are gleaming here in the sunshine of the evening, but sad because they are all laid up here because they are all laid up here because of covid 19 and are unlikely to be going anywhere for the rest of
the year. But it hasnt stopped them becoming a major tourist attraction. Weymouth bay has become a parking bay for britains cruise industry. We counted ten ships today, giant, gleaming and empty vessels. They are here so they dont have to pay the birthing fees in ports, but these mega ships have now become major attractions. Something else to come and see, isnt it . Something different. They should be out cruising, but what can you do with this going on . Its a bit of a risk for the passengers. Jon holland has been on 1a cruises in the past few yea rs been on 1a cruises in the past few years and cannot bear to see them idle. Most of them i have been on, most ones, its a tragedy, isnt it . It really is. It will be about two or three years before we get back on them. The ships have become so
popular special boat trips are taking people around them in what has become a kind of maritime museum. Each vessel still has about 100 crew members on board to keep them maintained and stop them drifting in rough weather. But whatever the weather, these ships are currently going nowhere. British people usually take around 2 million cruises every year but because of covid 19, these vessels are stuck. To see ships bobbing around Weymouth Harbour is quite unprecedented, so the focus moves on to how we find solutions. The cruise industry is a £10 billion industry for the uk so its vital it gets going. This line of liners are currently the pride of britains cruising fleet, but its currently a fleet, and industry, of course. Duncan kennedy, bbc news, weymouth. A little known mammal, called the elephant shrew, has been rediscovered in africa. Neither a real shrew, nor an elephant, the mouse sized creature has a distinctive trunk like nose, which it uses to feast on insects. It had been considered lost since the last recorded sighting in the 1970s, but it was recently found alive and well on a scientific expedition in djibouti. Time for a look at the weather. Heres phil avery. Thanks. The sun came out and for some it was a glorious day and every thing you could wish from a summers day, and then along came this sort of thing and certainly for some parts across england and wales, torrential downpours and opening the floodgates over there. The curl of cloud produce something a little more persistent and im already looking out into the atlantic and in fa ct, looking out into the atlantic and in fact, this area of cloud and rain which will be with you in the south west before the end of the night. Much of the activity weve seen today will gradually fade away into the wee, small hours and so too into the wee, small hours and so too into the wee, small hours and so too into the borders where it has been fairly unpleasant and also in Northern Ireland so it will be
essentially a mild night and then down into the south west quarter, that lump of