This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. The uk Prime Minister, boris johnson, sticks by his top aide over claims Dominic Cummings broke the lockdown rules by travelling across the country. I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and i do not mark him down for that. Mounting calls for mr cummings to resign will overshadow todays cabinet discussions on lifting coronavirus restrictions. A Top German Court rules volkswagen must pay compensation to motorists who purchased diesel cars that the Company Modified to appear less polluting. Japan prepares to lift its state of emergency in tokyo and surrounding areas after a fall in the rate of infections. And parents and teachers are told to prepare for the return of more pupils to schools in england from next monday as planned. Hello and welcome if youre watching in the uk or around the world, and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. Theres mounting pressure on the Prime Minister, borisjohnson, to fire his key adviser, Dominic Cummings, for travelling across the country during the coronavirus lockdown. Conservative backbenchers, the Opposition Labour Party and some scientists have condemned mr cummings apparent flouting of the government guidance, with many accusing him of seriously undermining Public Confidence in measures to halt the spread of covid 19. Borisjohnson says his adviser acted responsibly, legally and with integrity. The cabinet meets this afternoon to discuss the latest moves to ease the lockdown in england. Our correspondent, simonjones, reports. Reporter have you undermined the message, mr cummings . Leaving downing street with the backing of the Prime Minister, but there are growing calls for Dominic Cummings to quit or be fired. Hes accused of breaking lockdown rules by travelling to durham when his wife had coronavirus symptoms so they could be close to other family members in case they needed help caring for their young son. I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and i do not mark him down for that. I believe that, in every respect, he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity. The uk was placed into lockdown on the 23rd of march with strict limitations on travel. The government guidelines stated
you should not be visiting family members who do not live in your home. The last time Dominic Cummings was seen before developing coronavirus symptoms was in london on the 27th of march. Four days later, Durham Police said it was made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from london to durham. On the 12th of april, newspaper reports suggested mr cummings was spotted in the town of barnard castle, 30 miles from his parents home. Two days later, he was photographed back in downing street. But on the 19th of april, its alleged mr cummings again travelled to the north east. Number 10 says this is false. Labour wants an enquiry. This was a huge test of the Prime Minister and hes just failed that test. He hasnt sacked Dominic Cummings, he hasnt called for an investigation, and hes treating the British Public with contempt. The former conservative minister, paul maynard, tweeted. The concern is shared by one scientist whos been advising the government. If we undermine the unity between the population and the government, if People Lose Trust and lose adherence, if they stop complying with the measures which have contained the infection, then all of us will lose out because the infection will spike again and many more people will die. Hypocrite resign Dominic Cummings was heckled as he returned home, but as the cabinet meets today to discuss plans to further ease the lockdown, ministers are facing the accusation that its one rule for downing street and one for the rest of us. Simon jones, bbc news. Our chief political correspondent, vicki young, is outside the Prime Ministers office at downing street in london. Vicki, the Dominic Cummings row continuing to overshadow everything else. Yes and i think it will because i think people feel that there are still some unanswered
questions. Particularly about whether he made a trip to a castle on Easter Sunday when the guidelines clearly said that you should be staying at home, that the only travel if that journey staying at home, that the only travel if thatjourney is essential. Of course, i think people looking at this and people have listened to that over the last couple of days will think, yes, you can of course go through these pages and pages of guidelines like there is a lot of them mike and there is exemptions, you could do that, but in the end most people know what they were being asked to do in that time and it was to stay at home. The other interesting thing is that the fact that people are now talking about the Prime Ministers judgment that people are now talking about the Prime Ministersjudgment by standing up and defending his adviser, it is notjust now about what Dominic Cummings did, but what the Prime Minister knew, did he sanction this, did he know that at the time . And people think, actually, he has made a wrong judgment here in keeping his adviser. As you say, dominating everything, cabinet ministers who are giving interviews are sure to be asked about this time and time
again. Exec they what happened to the education secretary Gavin Williamson this morning. The guidance is incredibly extensive and at the heart of that guidance is always the issue of safeguarding children. And making sure that children are always absolutely protected. And my understanding is, from what the Prime Minister said yesterday, and you saw it as i did, is that at every stage Dominic Cummings and his family followed the guidance. At no stage did Dominic Cummings or his family break the law. Of course, the issue with the Prime Minister saying that Dominic Cummings followed his instinct as a parent, there are lots of parents around the country have been in a similar position. And they did not act in this way. That is the other point about this, it is not normal times, the coronavirus, the restrictions placed on everyone have affected absolutely everybody in the country. That is why i think there
is this anger. Conservative mps say they have been e mailed contacted by constituents. A lot of them now saying that they feel there needs to be an investigation into what happened in order to get the facts straight. Nicola sturgeon, who went through something similar with an advisor, you will remember in scotla nd advisor, you will remember in scotland her chief medical officer was found to have travelled to a second home during lock time, she resigned. This is what Nicola Sturgeon mix of what is going on here. During lockdown. I think hes come to the wrong judgment. The reason why i think that matters is that the consequences are potentially so serious. As we go into the next phases of dealing with this crisis, as we start to lift lockdown restrictions and rely less on the letter of the law and more on guidance and appeal to peoples good judgment, then trust in the advice we are giving and the reasons why we are giving that advice is really important. And people, if they get any sense that it is one rule for them and another rule for people in positions of authority, then that will become very difficult. The sacrifices people have made over
these past few weeks are immense. I think that is the point that some conservative mps are worried about, that this undermines those clear m essa 9 es that this undermines those clear messages from the government. At the moment, there are going to be announcements about unlocking and using those restrictions, but you know there could come a time when more restrictions need to be placed back on people and what they do not wa nt to back on people and what they do not want to that message undermined by things that officials here might have done. Thank you very much, vicky. Joining me now is Professor Robert west, professor of Health Psychology at University College london and a government scientific advisor. Welcome and thank you forjoining us. Welcome and thank you forjoining us. The Prime Minister said that Dominic Cummings followed the instincts of every parent, acted responsibly, legally, and with integrity. Do you agree . Responsibly, legally, and with integrity. Do you agree . |j responsibly, legally, and with integrity. Do you agree . I think that he did follow the instinct of a pa rent that he did follow the instinct of a parent and that is precisely the problem. The Prime Minister should have realised that, that the reason why these guidelines and rules were
put in place is because people will have a very difficult choices to make in their lives and i think as of the previous clips have shown, many, of the previous clips have shown, any of the previous clips have shown, many, many people, thousands of people in the country, have made thatjudgment people in the country, have made that judgment and have people in the country, have made thatjudgment and have stuck to the rules. At great cost to themselves and, in many cases, to their loved ones, and are continuing to do so and need to do so, so when they see some in any position of power and authority not doing that, then that is problematic, but when they see the Prime Minister of the country saying, well, actually, it is ok to follow your instinct as a father and somehow making a virtue of it, i think this is where a lot of people have really struggled to understand why he would do that. We will come onto how people might react Going Forward , onto how people might react Going Forward, but just onto how people might react Going Forward, butjust looking back to
what actually happened. Gavin williamson, the education secretary this morning was saying at every stage he followed the guidelines. He did not do anything illegal. In a very straightforward way, what was what he did following the guidelines . The guidelines have, at that stage, where very clear in the way that they said stay at home was a guidance. However, it was recognised that this cannot apply in every single situation so there were some exemptions put in place. These we re some exemptions put in place. These were things like if you find yourself in an abusive relationship and you need to seek refuge, then, of course, you must go out of the home and do that. Or, if you have a situation where you have got a very sick child and you need to leave the home in order to be able to address that situation. So the exceptions where there for a really very serious problematic situations. Now
ina serious problematic situations. Now in a situation like this, if you have senior government adviser or a government minister, the natural thing to do would be if you really have concerns, would be to seek advice from the cabinet secretary or someone advice from the cabinet secretary or someone high up in the. About what you should do. If they then say, i understand youre in a very difficult situation, ok, that should be fine, then that is ok. Whether he did that are not, i do not know. If he had done that, i would expect him to say so. And then i think people might have understood that, even though the judgment might have been wrong, at least it was made in good faith. Coming onto how people, the general public might take this Going Forward. We are in a different stage of this, been told he is a common sense, our ownjudgment, of this, been told he is a common sense, our own judgment, what of this, been told he is a common sense, our ownjudgment, what impact do you think it might have on the integrity of the lockdown and people doing the right thing to stop the spread of the disease . Obviously it
has put this at risk. I think the key thing that we need, that eve ryo ne key thing that we need, that Everyone Needs to remember is that the reason why we are dealing to these rules is not for Dominic Cummings early Prime Minister, it is for ourselves, for our loved ones, for ourselves, for our loved ones, for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our friends for ourselves, for our loved ones, for ourfriends and for ourselves, for our loved ones, for our friends and family not for our friends and family not for Dominic Cummings or the Prime Minister. And at those principles remain. That is why we are doing it. Even though there appears to have been quite a substantial failure of leadership, that does not necessarily mean we have to sort of ta ke necessarily mean we have to sort of take things into our own hands and somehow behave in a way that is going to cause harm to the community. So the guidance remains. And i think one of the things that we also need to do is to restore confidence in the system is that we are going to be using Going Forward for example, as we go from a
blanket lockdown type social distancing situation to something that has more nuance, we are going to be relying more on testing, contact tracing, and isolation. And that does require a high degree of trust and confidence in the system andi trust and confidence in the system and i think the government has got a really big job of work to do to restore that confidence and to get that system up and running in a way that system up and running in a way that people will say, yes, i am willing to go along with that. Professor robert matt, thank you very much. This robert west. In the past hour, germanys top court has ruled that volkswagen should pay compensation to motorists who bought cars fitted with emissions cheating software. The car maker has already paid billions of dollars in fines for installing Software Designed to artificially improve its emissions test results. Lets speak to our correspondent in berlin, jenny hill, for more on this. Just remind us about the details of this case because it was a one man
who took volkswagen to court saying that he basically wanted his money back having bought a car on a false premise. Yes, youre quite right. This was a pensioner who bought a vw car back in 2014 and he butted in good faith, he said, and once the emission scandal came to light, he went to volkswagen and said he wa nted went to volkswagen and said he wanted them to take the volkswagen back of him and refund his money. Germanys top civil court has by and large agreed with him. They say that vw must buy the car back. But the money that the men will get will be a little less than the vehicles original value, that is to compensate for wear and take wear and tear, depreciation and son. He will get around 25,000 euros now. That is quite a big moment here in germany because there are around 60,000 other vw owners out there who have launched similar complaints i in the courts and this could, in some respects, open the floodgates toa some respects, open the floodgates to a degree. When you look at the sums of money involved, this man is
getting 25,000 euros and at times that are a little bit less than that by 60,000 people and actually this is going to run into the millions. Compared to the 30 billion euros bill that this company has already paid out in fines and regulatory fees and compensation in other parts of the world so far. It is actually not a huge amount of money. Of the world so far. It is actually not a huge amount of moneym of the world so far. It is actually not a huge amount of money. It has been back and forth in the court with appeals, is this it . Or is there possibly going to be further appeals . Well, these tens of thousands of other complainants will now see this as a very positive moment for them so their cases are likely to continue and be heard. Vw had already settled out of court with several hundred thousand car owners here in germany, far less amounts and terms of payments to them. But that sort of collective action, as it is known here, has been dealt with. There are other ramifications, so five years after
vw actually finally admitted that it had been cheating as emissions tests and the ramifications are still coming and there are actions still outstanding, including actions being taken by shareholders, investors who say that they lost a lot of money when their share value plummeted after that admission so there are still a lot of court cases outstanding and a number of executives have been charged with various charges over the years too. Just last week we heard that the current chief executive and the current chief executive and the current chair of the financial Supervisory Board have now, after payment of 9 billion euros by vw, now no longerface payment of 9 billion euros by vw, now no longer face charges. Over what the courts were suggesting was their part in the scandal. But yet another executive still faces charges. So this is not over yet by a long stretch. And of course, what lasts even longer, and it is hard to imaginea lasts even longer, and it is hard to imagine a ceiling going away, is at the same left on the reputation of this huge german car maker. To
imagine eddie stein going away. To imagine the stain going away. The japanese Prime Minister, shinzo abe, has lifted the nationwide state of emergency imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Restrictions had already been eased in most of the country but had remained in force in tokyo and surrounding areas. Despite more relaxed lockdown rules than in most european countries, japan has so far avoided an explosive outbreak of the virus. Our correspondent in tokyo, rupet wingfield hayes, has more on the easing of restrictions, that comes into effect later today. After seven weeks, the state of emergency here in tokyo is about to be lifted. The panel of experts who have been advising Prime Minister shinzo abe met here in tokyo this afternoon and they decided that the infection rate is below the 0. 5 per 100,000 level, which is the rate at which they think it is safe to start reopening the city. As you can see, most people havent actually waited. Its a monday afternoon here. Well, if youd come here over the weekend, its been great weather here in tokyo for the last few days and this place was jammed. Like everywhere else in the world, people are bored. They want this to be over. Whats remarkable, though, is here injapan we never really had the sort of lockdowns that have happened in cities in europe and north america, and yet, at the same time, japan has managed to keep both the infection rate, but more importantly, the mortality rate from covid 19 very, very low. As of yesterday, the number of people who have died from the disease here injapan was just 830. Why that is is not clear. There are lots of theories. There are, for example, people talking about the fact that everybody here wears masks. This is not a new thing thats just happened in the last few weeks, for years and years decades here injapan, if you get a cold, if you get a cough, it is normal for you to wear a mask. There are many cultural customs injapan that may have contributed to stopping the spread of infection. People, for example, dont shake hands they bow. People take their shoes off when they go into buildings. Hygiene levels here are generally very, very high, and theres one
other thing that people have been mentioning as perhaps significant japan has, by far, the lowest level of obesity in the whole of the developed world. A number of church of england bishops have taken to twitter to accuse borisjohnson of treating people like mugs and having no respect after he backed his chief aide Dominic Cummings. The bishop of Bristol Vivienne Faull said living differently in a nation where the Prime Minister has no respect for the people. The bonds of peace and our common life have been dangerously undermined this evening. The bishop of Leeds Nick Baines said, the question is do we accept being lied to, patronised and treated by a pm as mugs . The moral question is not for cummings it is for the pm and ministers who find this behaviour acceptable. In sheffield, Bishop Pete Wilcox tweeted tonight i must say the pm and his cabinet are undermining the trust of the electorate and the risks to life a re real. The bishop of reading Olivia Graham said
i find myself deeply worried by the pms judgment call on this one. Not from a political perspective but a moral one. His response lacks both integrity and respect and he hasjust made his task of leading us through this crisis much, much harder. Joining us now dr david walker, the bishop of manchester. Thank you very much forjoining us. What is your view of all of this . |j what is your view of all of this . think i agree with what my collea g u es think i agree with what my colleagues are saying. I think i was stunned yesterday evening by the press co nfe re nce stunned yesterday evening by the press conference from downing street. Religions have had thousands of years of saying, actually, human instinct on it sony is not good enough. We need rules, we need virtues human instinct on its own is not good enough. In the Prime Minister basically says, actually, you can trust your instincts. If well do then we are not going to get out of this covid crisis. Are you comfortable that we know enough
for people to be piling in and saying these things as strongly as they are . I mean Dominic Cummings says that he has done nothing wrong and the Prime Minister says he is content that he has done nothing wrong. Do not trust either of them . I think there is a role in public life that when a story gets as big as this, what needs to happen is very, very quickly you get out there all the news, whether it is good, bad, whatever it is and then you have got a position you can defend. What we are struggling with at the moment is we are not being told. We are told that some of the things that are being said about mr cummings are palpable lies, but were not told which things are true, which things are false so it is very ha rd to which things are false so it is very hard to understand what is going on. It is that sense of deception there that we are being i do like to or, at the very least, things are being hidden from us that we need to know in order that we, the people of this country, can really understand that we are all in it together and that sense of being in it together is absolutely essential to our
cooperate coping of the crisis. If we feel it is one rule for somebody different role for others, we will all go our own way and the peaks of the disease will find other unacceptable the disease will find other u na cce pta ble levels the disease will find other unacceptable levels of death. What you think should happen next . Im that the Prime Minister, and he did not look well at all last night, im hoping that having had a nights sleep, perhaps the restful morning, his cabinet meeting, i am hoping that they may be able to come out and say, look, we got this wrong, we are sorry, we got it wrong and we let in the british people. I think that public does mean that mr cummings position is untenable at the heart of government. But i think if we can have that sense, look, we did that run, we misjudged the public mood, we have learned, we are sorry, that will enable us to rebuild the trust we need to get through this crisis. Look we were wrong. What about trust in the Prime Minister . Well, he does not look a bellman. We have now we know that
people who have he does not look a well man. I think i cut him some slack for that. Cabinet advisors and collea g u es slack for that. Cabinet advisors and colleagues around him need to say, boris, you got that wrong, just say you got it wrong and everybody can forgive. They got it wrong and we can move on. If he does that, i think we can put this behind us and get on with the realjob, the railtrack cut task of tracking and tracing the task of tracking and tracing the task of tracking and tracing this. Just got a statement through from the acting Durham Police commissioner. Im confident that Durham Police has responded appropriately to the visit of mr cummings to the county at the end of march was up there is a platter of Additional Information serving in
the Public Domain which deserves appropriate examination. I have written to the chief constable to establish the facts pertaining to any potential breach of the law and regulations in this matter at any juncture. It is vital that the first graduate has the interest of the people of County Durham and darlington at its heart. So that the model of policing by consent, independent of government, but a nswera ble to independent of government, but answerable to the law, is maintained. It will be to the chief co nsta ble to maintained. It will be to the chief constable to respond to this request and im confident with the resources at its disposal, the first can show proportionality and fairness in what has become a major issue a public interest. And trust. That statement just from the acting Durham Police crime and victims commissioner steve white. Greeks are once again able to travel freely to the countrys islands, as part of measures to ease lockdown restrictions. The return of Domestic Travel is an important step towards restarting the wider tourism industry, which makes up at least a fifth of the greek economy. Ferry services to the islands are operating with reduced capacity,
are operating with reduced capacity to ensure social distancing, and passengers are having their temperatures checked. Nikos voulgaridis is the owner of Kokkini Porta rossa hotel and joins me live from rhodes. Are you preparing to welcome your first guests . We certainly hope so. We are going to accept her first guests around the 1st ofjuly in the islands and we very much look forward to it. What impact has locked down hard on you . The lockdown had on your . We are blessed here because we are healthy and we live in a lovely place and we have been very little affected, other than financially, by the crisis. Businesses are another thing altogether. Being dependent on tourism, the islands are almost 100
dependent on it, we are going to be affected very severely. But we are going to make the best of it. We hope that people from abroad will be able to travel soon and visitors. The weather is lovely, the place is beautiful, and we are a very safe destination compared to other places. So we are going to have a very bad season, financially, but we are going to cope and we are all here. Have there been any cases of covid 19 on roads . On rhodes. Here. Have there been any cases of covid19 on roads . On rhodes. Two ladies flew from europe a couple of months ago and that was it. It is either two or three cases that have been hospitalised and then sent back home. So i am wondering whether youre worried about the prospect of an influx of tourism perhaps
bringing covid 19 . How can locals and guests be reassured that it is going to be safe . Well, we have all the bad been very well informed by the bad been very well informed by the entirety is have all been very well and for many authorities and the way that we are going to operate, all kinds of accommodation, it is going to be done in a way that heel is going to ensure that everything will be done very safely in a way that will ensure everything will be done very safely for ourselves and our guests. I think the way things are now in the way things are being done, the risk is going to be minimal because as we understand it, we are going to start accepting guests from countries that are rather safe now and then gradually it is going to be increased and progressed to other countries that are currently not as
safe as others are. So i think it is going to be fine. Obviously you describe the economically it has taken a big hit and how have you been so bad . If tourism does not pick up, are you worried about the viability of your business Going Forward . Viability of your business Going Forward . Not our business. Our business is going to be ok. We are not happy with the situation, but we are going to define. I am worried about other businesses. They are going to struggle a lot. And also individuals. The thing is that for the change, we appear to have a government that looks as if they know very well what they are doing and also, for a change, we the people have been behaving exactly the way that we should so it looks
as if we are already by the situation and know what we see, as far as finance goes, and business goes, the government is doing things the right way and we feel secure that we are going to be ok. They have convinced us, most of us, to open our hotels and restaurants, etc, they are going to help people be paid what they would otherwise be, that his employees, and they are helping us, the business people, with taxes and other ways to survive. To keep afloat. Thank you very much forjoining us. Wishing you all the very best. I hope the british will visit because they are a big chunk of the business that we have and it is traditionally a destination for the british and we
hope that soon you will be able to travel and we look very much forward to seeing you with us. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, youre welcome. Western australia has been battered by a huge storm, ripping roofs off houses, downing trees, and leaving more than 60,000 homes without power. Most were in the city of perth. The states south was particularly hard hit, with dust storms and torrential rain as well as huge waves along the coast. Officials said no injuries were reported. Authorities had warned residents to prepare for a once in a decade storm. New zealand has been rocked by a 5. 8 magnitude earthquake, while the countrys Prime Minister was in the middle of a Live Television interview. The earthquake struck 30 kilometres off the coast of the countrys north island and, although no damages were reported, it lasted for more than 30 seconds. Ms ardern, who was in the countrys Parliament Building known as the beehive when the quake hit, was remarkably calm under pressure. We arejust we are just having a bit of an earthquake here. Quite a decent shakier, but if you see things moving behind me. The beehive moves a little more than most. The uk Prime Minister. We are doing our headlines now. The uk Prime Minister borisjohnson sticks by his top aide over claims Dominic Cummings broke the lockdown rules by travelling across the country. But mounting calls for mrcummings to resign will overshadow todays cabinet discussions on lifting coronavirus restrictions. A Top German Court rules volkswagen must pay compensation to motorists who purchased diesel cars that the Company Modified to appear less polluting. Japan prepares to lift its state of emergency in tokyo and surrounding areas after a fall in the rate of infections. And parents and teachers are told to prepare for the return of more pupils to schools in england from next monday, as planned. The United States has suspended travel from brazil for non americans because of the high number of coronavirus cases there. The country now has more than 360,000 cases, and 22,000 people have died with the virus. The spike in numbers comes amid deep divisions in brazil, as Kathryn Armstrong reports. They chant. Flanked by security guards wearing masks, a barefaced president Jair Bolsonaro greets a crowd of adoring fans. A young girl is passed through for an embrace with the far right leader, who has repeatedly dismissed warnings about social distancing. They sing. This spontaneous gathering is one of several held over the last two months. The crowd represents those who support the president and his plan to keep brazil open instead of locking down. Siren wails. But the south American Country has the second highest rate
of coronavirus in the world. Field hospitals are inundated. These girls say their father is one of many in intensive care. Translation psychologically, hes very upset. One moment, one person dies and another is discharged. He gets very angry. Hes very afraid of dying, because a lot of people are dying. More than 22,000 people have now died of the virus and the numbers are on the rise. Lockdown measures vary from state to state, but the countrys leader is demanding restrictions ease in favour of the economy. Katheryn armstrong, bbc news. The United States is edging closer to the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths with coronavirus. Theres a growing divide in the country about when and how to ease lockdown restrictions. But after a sunny memorial day weekend, many people took matters into their own hands. Our reporter freya cole has the story. A packed pool party in ozarks, missouri. This video was shared on social media at the weekend and has now been viewed millions of times. It has triggered fears of a second virus wave. It was a sunny memorial day weekend across the United States and many people flocked to beaches which have officially reopened. But not everyone followed the advice to keep a safe distance. You walk around here and i mean with the crowds on the beach, you wouldnt think anything was different. Our travel ban was just lifted so i felt like i was safe to leave and i was following the rules. No ones really doing the social distancing, the masks. In new york, residents flocked to central park and took advantage of the sunshine to exercise. Professional sports teams have also been given the go ahead to resume training. I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena, do it. President trump marked his weekend with a round of golf, which triggered outrage from his critics. They say it wasnt the right sentiment when the countrys death toll nears 100,000 people. Freya cole, bbc news. Research shows that the effects of social isolation have increased the risk of Mental Health issues for many young people around the world. But for disabled people, isolation and loneliness have all too often been the norm. Joining us now to share his experience and tell us more is joey mander, a disability rights activist who is also a part of Coventry Youth activists. Also on the line for support is molly gillespie, a Community Organiser who works alongside joey at the Coventry Youth activists. Welcome both of you. Thank you for
joining us. Joey, one thing that i have heard other disabled people say is this is actually those who are not disabled are getting a bit of a taste of what it feels like to be isolated and stuck at home when you dont want to be. Tell us how you are feeling right now. Absolutely. Toa are feeling right now. Absolutely. To a lot of disabled people, this social isolation is quite a. There isa social isolation is quite a. There is a lot of correlation for their everyday life. It is a scenario that feels very familiar to us. Missing out on things that we want to enjoy. And i always try to describe it to people as very often with disabled people, it is not the so called handicap keeping them in, it is what other people take for granted. Things like not having the right support to go out or not being accessible in places, it is hard for
people to imagine, but if you imagine that you have a child and you are taking them to school at the moment or you cannot take them to school, that you might be out in the carand school, that you might be out in the car and you school, that you might be out in the carand you might school, that you might be out in the car and you might pass a football field, and they cannot go and play football, but the field still stays there, so that is how it feels. We miss an event and that event still goes on, we arejust miss an event and that event still goes on, we are just not there. So how have you felt during lockdown . It has been a difficult situation. I am an nhs worker as well, so i have been getting to go out to work, and work has been a difficult atmosphere. I think staff were quite down for a while. I work in a department that is very much underestimated and we are little known about, and to me it is really important that all key workers are
heard. When you say about that fear of missing out, knowing that Something Else is out there, and we have all been effectively in this situation together where we have all known we are not missing out because eve ryo ne known we are not missing out because everyone is in the same boat. Do you think you will feel differently when life returns to normal or whatever the new normality is for others . Melanie reid in the times at the weekend described very poignantly in an article how she has been feeling through this, and this is now a fury of missing out, the thought that others will go back and she cannot. Yes, i think that will be difficult. I think it will be very easy to forget their situation and be able to move on, and it would be really good if we could use this as a learning opportunity. I mean, a line i have been using to try and raise
awareness of it is that for most people, this is just awareness of it is that for most people, this isjust temporary, but for some of us, this is our ordinary, and how even when things go back to normal, we will still be struggling with a lot of isolation. Molly, what is your perspective on what might change as a result of this . I think what the coventry es activists are working towards with theircampaign, the activists are working towards with their campaign, the dragline that joeyjust said, their campaign, the dragline that joey just said, when their campaign, the dragline that joeyjust said, when we do return from lockdown and instructions are lifted, that ordinary that he is talking about, it will not return for disabled people, nothing is different. We want to work with other people to create a world that includes everyone and does not allow that normal to return. Includes everyone and does not allow that normalto return. Obviously there are laws in place, there is a lot that has to be done to raise awareness of trying to make sure
that everybody is as fully integrated into society as possible. What would you say is missing in that picture . Me orjoey, sorry . To you, molly. People often have lower expectations of what people with a disability can do. Groups like cove ntry disability can do. Groups like Coventry Youth activists completely smashed those stereotypes, but there isa smashed those stereotypes, but there is a lot more that needs doing. Part of theircampaign is is a lot more that needs doing. Part of their campaign is asking people to sit on their virtual sofa and share their experiences so that people can really relate and we do not allow that normal to return afterwards. Joey, what would you like to change Going Forward . We often talk about in Coventry Youth activists, how one in three young people with a disability spend less than one hour outside their house on a saturday, and that, through all of
the campaigns we have done, that is one thing that has kind of always liked everything we have done together. That is what we want to change, and we feel we can only do that by talking to people, notjust sharing our story, but giving them a chance to share their story because we know it is really hard to be heard. We fight to be heard, so when people work with us, we also want to help them so that their voices are heard for how their Life Experiences are. We hope our new campaign we will launch will be able to achieve that. Joey and molly, thank you very much forjoining us. Thank you for having us. Thank you. One of the key questions being asked by medical professionals right now is why some people have more severe coronavirus symptoms than others. Its hoped some of the answers may lie in research being carried out by a team of scientists in cambridge. Heres our science
correspondent richard westcott. Why does covid 19 put some people, like George Gilbert here, in hospital, yet others get no symptoms at all . How are you doing . Lovely. Oh, thats good. Well, hes helped volunteered to help find out. Because part of the answer might lie in his blood. You take all that lot . yeah, were like vultures, arent we . I shant have any left. No once its sealed up the bloods passed to volunteer ben. His medical research had to go on hold because of the virus, so hes set up a team that every day carries covid samples to be analysed. So, ben, its quite an odd way to interview someone. It is, yes. How did you get involved in this . So id normally be working in the lab on pulmonary hypertension, a rare lung disease. And its quite frustrating because i cant do that. So ijust e mailed my colleagues and asked how can i get involved, how can i help . And its been excellent, to be honest, because you do feel youre making a difference in these difficult times. Samples are taken to a brand new lab just around the corner on the cambridge biomedical campus. Your blood contains cells that play a key role in fighting off the coronavirus. Some of them make antibodies, others directly kill infected cells, but to analyse them first you have to separate them off. So at the very bottom we have the red blood cells, theyre the heaviest and go to the bottom of the tube. At the top, the yellow part, is the plasma, its kind of the solution that your blood floats in normally. And then were looking at this white small band here these are the white blood cells that are fighting off your infection. Then it gets more complex. There are lots of different types of white blood cells all playing different roles. So next door a machine uses lasers count how many of each key type. It could then separate millions of them off for more tests. Incredibly, each blob here is a droplet of salty water with one cell inside. I think well find that the pattern
of white blood cell numbers is going to give us an answer to why some people recover and some people dont. So basically the very ill people might have different cell structures or cells to the people who dont get very ill . Very ill people may start off with a different balance of white blood cells, or they may end up with a different pattern that doesnt help the recovery. 265 addenbrookes patients and staff are giving their blood for this research. Some got very sick, some didnt. The key question for scientists can you see the difference in their blood . Weve found a number of severe abnormalities in patients with advanced covid disease, and some of those point very clearly to the potential therapeutics that might impact on the disease. Were also finding that a lot of those abnormalities are visible early in disease, and perhaps much earlier than we expected. So thats interesting you might be able to tell much sooner
who is going to get very, very sick . Exactly. What were hoping is that when people develop symptoms that make them suspect they might have covid and get their very first test, when tests become more readily available, at that point we might be able to predict whos going to go on to get severe disease, which should allow us to intervene earlier. By understanding the science of the disease its easier to find drugs to fight it. Richard westcott, bbc news, cambridge. And, to comply with all virus distancing measures, the covid ward filming in that report was carried out safely, for the bbc, by on site doctors so that we didnt enter the ward or use personal protective equipment. The International Office of migration has warned that the Current Situation in the mediterranean could mean many people are disappearing at sea without a trace. The number of migrant boats leaving libya for europe has increased four times compared with last year, and there are also fewer search and rescue missions. The bbcs population reporter Stephanie Hegarty investigated
what happened to one boat that left libya in early february, when it called for help that never came. We were in carloss kitchen, i think it was about three oclock. Hello, can you hear me . We are calling from a boat. We are migrants. Please, we are in danger. We are in the middle of the sea. We are in the mediterranean sea. Right, tell me information, how many people are you in the boat . We are 90 people, 91 people. Usually they call us and the boat is still working and moving and in this case it wasnt. Carlos and jacinta volunteer for a helpline that answers calls from boats in distress in the mediterranean. The process is simple. They call in and then we ask where is their position, and then we will contact the coastguard. That is our role. We dont do anything else. But that night those that were supposed to coordinate the rescue were not answering. The boat was in libyan waters. They tried six different numbers for the libyan coast guard but there was no answer. Then they called the rescue Coordination Centre in rome. It just became more and more clear as the night went on that no one was coming. These people are going to die. There was no chance that they are going to be rescued because nobody is picking up. I did ask where they were from, and i asked that partly for that thing of being able to match up later, but also because i was really worried for them and i didnt want them to be anonymous people. I wanted to know a bit more about them. Wow. This man knew ten people on board. Muzammil was his 18 year old nephew. I remember saying to them, you are doing really well, because i just wanted to Say Something positive. Is there a lot of water inside the boat . Yeah, water, water. Its going to be full now, yes. Of course you cannot tell them everything is going to be fine because you know that everything may not be fine. And we were speaking to them, we were speaking to the man and he was shouting and he was saying there are people in the water. Then we couldnt hear him any more. We tried to contact the italian search and rescue centre to find out what happened to this boat but the only thing they could tell us is that the exchanged information with other rescue centres, as required by Current International legislation. Alarm phones say that the libyan coastguard told them that a boat was sent out seven hours after the initial call. We tried to get more information from libya but the coastguard didnt respond to any attempts to contact them. Stephanie hegarty, bbc news. The pandemic has left many teenagers missing their friends and school. Some have been using the time to capture snapshots of this moment in history as part of a photography project to show what lockdown has meant for young people. Our reporter Graham Satchell has been to meet some of them. It almost helps me to understand my feelings, by taking pictures of whats going on. Ithink, before, i kind of would just take pictures
a bit almost carelessly, just snap it, but now i actually look at the composition of it. I think, like, roads can be like metaphors for life almost. Its a long road, but theresjust no end to it almost, itjust seems so, like, isolated. I cant bear this waiting one minute, im so impatient ill start. An online class led by Award Winning photographer carolyn mendelsohn. These teenagers being encouraged to document their life in lockdown. Its a project funded by bradford council. What has life been like in lockdown . Incredibly boring most of the time. I miss my friends, i normally see my friends way more, obviously. I definitely prefer documentary photography. Sitting around, just sort of waiting for something to do, like waiting for lunchtime, then tea time and then bed. So im in year 11 and i wasjust about to take my gcses, obviously, some time around now, and due to the coronavirus, they were cancelled. Ive had a lot of down days over, obviously, the lockdown, and i think many other people have as well, especially teenagers because were so stressed about, obviously, education. I feel like times really strange right now and my mind has been going over what time means to me. The pocket watch is my grandfathers, who passed away a couple of years ago. Everybodys frozen right now. Everybodys wondering whats going to happen next, so, for me, that was a symbol of like frozen time and how we can try
and make the most out of it. Was everyone blown away by this picture that harry took . Because i certainly was. People always talk about a Work Life Balance and how you have to separate work and school from your life at home. But were in this strange position where those things have beenjoined together. I wanted to portray that stressful feeling of it being quite all encompassing, surrounding you. I think Everyone Wants life to go back to normal really, and even if it isjust a tiny, tiny glimmer of what we view as normal, ill take it. I think she is speaking for a lot of
people there. Coronavirus has seen concerts and Music Festivals cancelled around the world. But now theres a drive in revival as musicians find new, socially distant ways of performing live for music fans. Denmark is kicking of a season of 70 shows from various artists, performing to audiences as big as 2500 people. Adrienne murray went along to one of them. These cars are parking up at copenhagen airport, but no one here is taking a flight. They have come to watch a socially distanced live concert. Its the same principle as a drive in cinema. They simply tune into a radio frequency and then sit back and watch the show from the safety of your car. Singer songwriter mads langer is taking to the stage. His European Tour was cancelled when denmarks lockdown came in. Now hes playing a sell out drive in show to 600 cars and an audience of 2500 people. Vehicles park two metres apart. Windows can only be opened on the left hand side. Its a new experience for everyone. Now that the country is opening up, its a good reminder that it is still here and that you can do things on a distance. There is not that much going on for the moment and it isjust a Good Opportunity to be together. The coronavirus pandemic has seen concerts and Music Festivals cancelled around the world. Drive ins are one way live music is making a comeback. We knew we had to be creative and the drive in was, according to the government guidelines, and the restrictions. That was the only opportunity we had to gather a lot of people in one place to see their favourite artists. Video platform zoom is used for an extra human connection. So what is it like performing to this unusual crowd . It is kind of strange to play a drive in concert, honestly, but it feels great to be part of like a new thing. And i could tell from the atmosphere in the cars and everything that people are really excited to get out. Smaller driving concerts have taken place in the us and australia. We are likely to see the format in other countries, too. Sitting in the car might not replace the raw energy and excitement of being part of the big crowd. But, for now, it is one way music lovers can still come together and enjoy the unique atmosphere of a live concert. Coming up in the next half hour, we
will have the latest on the political pressure on borisjohnson over his senior adviser. Also speaking to the greek Deputy Foreign minister as greece reopens to international from july. Minister as greece reopens to internationalfrom july. You minister as greece reopens to international from july. You are watching bbc news. Now, its time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. Hello again. Some parts of the uk have not seen much rain at all during the course of may. And as we enter the last week of may, the situation isnt going to change too drastically either. Today, mostly warm and sunny is the forecast. We do have a couple of weather fronts out to the west and they are introducing thicker cloud, some patchy rain and drizzle across Northern Ireland and also western scotland. But with High Pressure in charge for most of england and wales, its going to be fine and settled. So a lot of sunshine as we go through the course of the afternoon. A bit more cloud coming in from the west across scotland through the afternoon, as this weather front bringing its rain approaches. Its going to be gusty this afternoon, not as gusty as the weekend, but the Western Isles could have gusts of 40 mph. Whereas further south, we are looking at Gentle Breezes and highs of 25 degrees. Through this evening and overnight here is our weather front continuing to move slowly southwards and eastwards, bumping into the High Pressure and weakening, so its more likely to be a band of cloud with some spots of rain, clear skies ahead of it and behind it and not a cold night. So, we picked that weather front up tomorrow, still moving into that High Pressure, continuing to weaken all the time. And although we might start with some spots of rain across parts of Northern England, possibly into the midlands, the south west, it wont last. It will dry up and as this cloud sinks south it will turn the sunshine hazy. But behind it we are back into sunny skies for Northern Ireland, Northern England and also scotland. Temperature wise, average temperatures more or less for scotland and Northern Ireland, but high temperatures in the south, up to 26. Tuesday into wednesday, the High Pressure establishes itself right the way across the land. A front coming in across Northern Ireland and western scotland,
once again introducing thicker cloud, patchy rain and drizzle, and we will have an onshore breeze coming in along the north sea. But that aside, there will be a lot of warm or very warm sunshine with highs of 25 or 26 in england and wales, 16, 17 and 18 in scotland and Northern Ireland. As we head towards the end of the week, though, the High Pressure moves further east allowing this flow of warm, or very warm air, across all of our shores. So, as we head through thursday and into friday the temperatures are going to continue to rise. And by saturday for some it will be into the high 20s. This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. The uk Prime Minister, boris johnson, sticks by his top aide over claims Dominic Cummings broke the lockdown rules by travelling across the country. I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and i do not mark him down for that. Durham police are asked to launch a fact finding inquiry to establish mr cummings movements. Mounting calls for mr cummings to resign could overshadow todays cabinet discussions on lifting coronavirus restrictions. A Top German Court rules volkswagen must pay compensation to motorists who purchased diesel cars that the Company Modified to appear less polluting. Japan prepares to lift its state
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