Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At One 20200804

Maths. Bp halves its shareholder dividend posting a record £5 billion loss more trouble for the high street as Pizza Express and Currys Pc World announce further plans forjob losses and closures. Stop resisting lockdown authorities in australia increase fines for repeated rule breaches stop resisting lockdown authorities in australia increase fines for repeated rule breaches as melbourne endures a deadly virus second wave. Newsreel you know what the red cross have done for you, and you know that it is far better. Celebrating 150 years the queen leads tributes to the British Red Cross. Coming up on bbc news, we will have the latest bre ntford brentford will face fulham in the championship play off final for a place in the premier league. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. Scientists are warning that the uks Contact Tracing programmes arent good enough to prevent a second, even bigger, wave of coronavirus, once all schools re open for the new term. A study published in medicaljournal the lancet says transmission would increase as parents return to work at the same time their children are back in the classroom. The government says plans are in place to ensure schools in england re open safely. Our correspondent laura foster has this report. To control coronavirus, testing and tracing must become a new way of life. Test and trace systems have beenin life. Test and trace systems have been in place in the uk for around two months. Do not leave home for any other reason. It is a way of identifying cases, tracking close contacts and asking them to self isolate, to stop coronavirus spreading. I have just put up the workings here. Some groups have been going to school over the past few months, but 98 of children in the uk have been learning from home. Scientists, teachers and politicians agree it is vital everyone gets back in the classroom. I think it is really important that students are backin really important that students are back in the classroom physically so that they have social contact with each other in their formative years, andi each other in their formative years, and i think it is really important that the education gap isnt further widened between students who are from privileged backgrounds and stu d e nts from privileged backgrounds and students from more deprived areas. More children at school means more pa rents more children at school means more pa re nts ca n more children at school means more parents can go back to work. The mathematical modelling by university couege mathematical modelling by University College london and the London School of hygiene and tropical medicine to and suggest that if this happens the current testing and tracing systems are not enough and that could lead toa are not enough and that could lead to a second wave of coronavirus this winter more than twice the size of the first. There is infection out there. That we can see that is symptomatic and that we cannot, that is symptomatic. It might be possible and needed that we have to do some trade offs, and our modelling, we looked at the reopening of schools and how we can avoid a second wave. If you are told that you have been exposed to an infected person you must self isolate for 14 days. Contact tracing systems and how effective they are vary between scotland, england, Northern Ireland and wales, and the uk government which oversees the system enabling disputes the research from the scientists. This is a system which is, undoubtedly, still maturing, but we are also confident that it is helping to take people who may have been exposed to coronavirus and to make sure that they are self isolating and every person that this system reaches and who follows the guidelines is helping to protect wider society. It has already been suggested that other aspects of society could be forced to close, in orderfor society could be forced to close, in order for schools to fully reopen. We are going to have surges of disease and even when we have got the numbers very low, we will have to be on the lookout for those, and thatis to be on the lookout for those, and that is why i believe that we have also got to be ready for the possibility, from time to time, that things will just possibility, from time to time, that things willjust get interrupted. Businesses may have to be closed for a period. Scottish schools return next week by pupils from across the uk will not be back until september. How they go back exactly, and for how long, will depend on what happens over the next few weeks. Laura foster, bbc news. Our Political Correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. This is quite a wake up call. Absolutely, more pressure on the government over the test and trace system. Are many here who have been questioning whether it reaches enough people, questioning the absence of the app that ministers used to like to talk so much about. There are many, quite frankly, i dont think it is the world beating system that borisjohnson once promised. Ministers say that we are building this up from scratch. This isa building this up from scratch. This is a system that has had to come out of nowhere, and although they admit that it of nowhere, and although they admit thatitis of nowhere, and although they admit that it is still maturing, as one minister put it this morning, they are adamant that it is working and they point to the massive increase in Testing Capacity that we have seen, over the last few months. Ive got to say, when it comes to schools, ministers havent left themselves much wriggle room. They have effectively made this a red line by promising time after time that schools will go back in september, so it is hard to see now how they could roll back from that promise. In england we have had similar promises in scotland, wales and Northern Ireland also. It points to the big dilemma is the government is going to face over the next few months. We know that the scientists think we are reaching the limit of where society can be reopened safely, and the question we are increasingly going to face is, should there be trade offs . Some scientist advise the government as you might have to force pubs, to close, for schools to open in september, not something ministers wa nt to september, not something ministers want to talk about at the moment but there are increasing levels of uncertainty, increasing caution also. Students in scotland the first students in the uk not to sit any summer exams because of the Coronavirus Crisis have been getting their grades today. Pass rates are up slightly for nationals, highers and advanced highers. The grades are based on a combination of teacher estimates and national moderation. Around a quarter were adjusted from initial estimates, most of them downwards. Our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. Tears of relief on a day full of more than just the usual nerves. These students didnt get a chance to prove themselves through exams. Instead, their results were based on a system newly designed for these exceptional times. Im going to uni, ive got a b, im so im going to uni, ive got a b, im so happy, im so glad. Im going to uni, ive got a b, im so happy, im so gladlj im going to uni, ive got a b, im so happy, im so glad. I was expecting to get lower grades because it is an estimate but i did way better than i expected and im proud of myself. I did not know what to expect because it was estimate so you dont know what is going to happen, it is out of your hands, sitting an exam to determine it, so youre just not sure, but i am happy now there was no opportunity this yearfor now there was no opportunity this year for last minute cramming in the library, no sitting in a desk and of all writing answers against the clock. The exams which were held in the midst of two world wars, were cancelled this year because of coronavirus. The results based on estimates provided by teachers instead. When we found out the news from the sqa that the exams were cancelled we had members of staff who were in tears. Teachers spend their lives trying to get it right for young people and they have never beenin for young people and they have never been ina for young people and they have never been in a situation before, where the decision over the young peoples results is based on exactly what they predict. The sqa accepted nearly 74 of the grades accepted by teachers whilst the rest were adjusted in a process they said was designed to ensure the integrity of the system. The huge majority of those were moderated downwards with pupils receiving a lower grade than originally put forward by their school. Scotlands education secretary said it had been a difficult few months for teaching staff, parents pack most of all for pupils. There will undoubtedly be young people disappointed by the results today but our exam results date every year that there are young people are disappointed and what the sqa has put in place is an open appeals process, where schools can consider the evidence that they think should be considered by the sqa to change a particularjudgment that has been made, so we are not at the end of the road today. These pupils are celebrating their success , pupils are celebrating their success, but critics claim that the results have been overly based on a schools historic performance and unfairto schools historic performance and unfair to pupils who focus their energy on the main exams. They warned that there may be a wave of appeals to come. Lets speak to our education correspondent elaine dunkley. This is just the start of a process we will be hearing a lot about in the rest of the uk in the coming months. On the 12th of august well hear about btec results, then it is the turn of a level students, then gcse results. This has been a year like no other for students sitting exams and assessments. Students will be anxious that the work they did before exams were cancelled was not a true reflection of their abilities as they were focusing and gearing up for the real exams in the summer and there is anxiety about the future, going to university, what will courses at University Life look like . There are fears about the jobs market and the economy. Will stu d e nts market and the economy. Will students be able to do the jobs they have trained and studied for . There isa have trained and studied for . There is a huge amount of strain on young people trying to sort out their lives, in terms of scotlands results, there was a rise in pass rates at national file, higher and advanced highers, and there has been advanced highers, and there has been a narrowing of the attainment gap between the most disadvantaged and leased disadvantaged young people at grades a c, and 133,000 individual grades a c, and 133,000 individual grade submitted by teachers were adjusted by the scottish qualifications authority, and of those 7 were adjusted up, was 93 we re those 7 were adjusted up, was 93 were adjusted down, so there is concern that some teachers may have overestimated grades. Bp has cut dividends for shareholders, including big Pension Funds for the First Time Since the Deepwater Horizon Oil disaster in 2010. The company has recorded a record £5 billion loss for the Second Quarter of the year. Lets speak to our Business Correspondent simon gompertz. Record figures and all eyes on the dividend . Yes, bp normally seen as a big playerfrom dividend . Yes, bp normally seen as a big player from the dividend . Yes, bp normally seen as a big playerfrom the uk dividend . Yes, bp normally seen as a big player from the uk stock market of reliable dividends. It has been hit, as you say, the first time it has cut the dividend for ten years, going back to the deepwater horizon disaster in the gulf of mexico that it had to pay out a lot of money for. This time coronavirus has cut the demand for fuel in economies across the world, the oil price has plummeted, it has recovered a little, and that has meant profits have disappeared, and projections of future profits have disappeared. It is not the only one. Lots of Companies Cut dividends because of the virus crisis, and that affects Pension Funds, who manage our savings for the future, and retirement incomes, and the good news is that bp probably accounts for less than 1 of most pension fund investments, so the influence there is relatively small. That is a worry for the future. Today, the share price has actually increased. 0ne share price has actually increased. One reason is people are relieved that the results are not even worse. I had more trouble for the high street . Yes, dixons car ferry, which owns cu rrys street . Yes, dixons car ferry, which owns Currys Pc World, they are talking about 800 job losses for store managers. It is the influence of online sales that is affecting them and even bigger, pizzaexpress, it looks like 1100 jobs will go there. They have 450 stores which closed during the lockdown. They have brought back more than 160 of those which have reopened. But they think 67 will not reopen. We dont know which ones yet because they are working out a plan to deal with their debts. Simon, thank you. Nobody is above the law. Thats the message from authorities in the australian state of victoria, whove announced tough new punishments for people who breach coronavirus rules. Repeat offenders could face fines of more than £10,500. Police say officers have been assaulted by people flouting the rules and theyve had enough. Phil mercer reports. More than half of australias 18,000 confirmed covid 19 cases have been recorded in the past month in the state of victoria. It is at the heart of a Public Health emergency. A Strict Lockdown is meant to save lives, but not everyone is compliant. The police have said theyve been taunted and assaulted by people flouting the regulations. It might only be a minority, but their actions have infuriated victorias most Senior Police officer. Thanks, minister. Shane patton said small groups had emerged who saw themselves as sovereign citizens who dont think the law applies to them. It does, and heavy fines could now be imposed. Weve seen them at checkpoints, baiting police, not providing a name and address. 0n at least three or four occasions in the past week, weve had to smash the windows of people in cars and pull them out of there so they could provide their details, because they werent telling us where they were going, they werent adhering to the chief Health Officer guidelines, they werent providing their name and their address. A state of disaster gives the authorities greater powers to enforce the rules. Life in melbourne has never been so restricted or uncertain. Australias second biggest city is mostly empty. Health officials are confident these unprecedented measures will help them contain the virus but, for now, millions of australians are preparing for six weeks under the nations toughest lockdown. A night time curfew is in place, along with strict stay at home orders. Face coverings are mandatory for those allowed outside on essential business. They are essentially in protective custody at home until the danger passes. Phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. President trump has claimed the United States has lower numbers of coronavirus deaths than any other nation during an interview which has now gone viral on social media. For reasons youre about to see. Nearly 160,000 people have died after contracting the virus in the us. The president was speaking to the journalist jonathan swann. We are lower than the world, we are lower than europe, take a look. Right here. These are case deaths. Oh, youre doing death as a proportion of cases. I am talking about death as a proportion of population. Thats where the us is really bad. Much worse than south korea, germany etc. You cant do that 0ur correspondent Barbara Plett usher is in washington. How has it been received over there . You know, we have heard this kind of thing before, President Trump has made these claims before and brandished this data before, and one of the responses, as you saw from that reporter, is to present the fa cts , that reporter, is to present the facts, which are that the total number of deaths in the United States are remember highest in the world, the rate of deaths, the percentage per population, is higher in some other countries including in europe, if you look over the course of the pandemic, but right now the relative number of cases and deaths in those countries is quite low, thatis in those countries is quite low, that is not the case here so the us would still rise higher in the banks. He has claimed regularly that the surge in cases here is due to a large amount of testing, and there isa large amount of testing, and there is a large magic testing, but the number of cases far outpace as the growth interesting. And there is a large amount of testing. Critics, especially democratic politicians, had said President Trump is delusional or deliberately spreading misinformation to distract from his failure to deal with the pandemic or to improve his chances in novembers election, the way the white house has responded to this is to push a positive message about all the things President Trump is doing to get a vaccine and therapeutics, we have seen that in recent weeks. I think this approach President Trump usesin think this approach President Trump uses in these interviews which go viral, he has had them before and they get the kind of attention they have been getting all along. The time is 13 20pm. Our top story this lunchtime a warning that the uks test and trace programmes need to be scaled up if schools are to reopen safely. And coming up stolen and used by criminals the big rise in Farm Machinery theft during lockdown. Coming up on bbc news, well have the latest from the snooker in sheffield, where 2005 World Champion shaun murphy has been knocked out by taiwans noppon saengkham. By thailands. Police have apologised to a senior Civil Servant who accused them of treating her like a criminal because of her ethnicity. Dr Andrea Charles fidelis was out jogging when she said she was followed by a man in a van. She claims that when she went to the police for help, they accused her of being a car thief, leaving herfeeling brutalised and dehumanised. Kent police have insisted this wasnt a case of racial profiling as simon jones reports. Horrific is how dr Andrea Charles fidelis described her experience with the police at swanley railway station. She had been outjogging when she says a man accused her of being too close to his car, on his driveway. He then followed her in a van, calling the police. Frightened, she sought refuge at the station, but when an officer arrived, it wasnt the response she expected. The station guard kind of leaned out and said, shes in here, shes in fear of her life, and he shouted, shes not in fear of her life, she tried to steal a car. Initially i felt humiliated but, after the event, i feel very much that i was dehumanised as a person, and it has left me questioning and very anxious about even going out, now. Dr Charles Fidelis works at the ministry ofjustice and sits on the Violent Crime prevention board at new scotland yard. But she feels that she has had no justice, and she would not have been treated that way if she were a middle aged professional white woman. I have been treated differently because of my race. In how the whole situation played out, i was presumed as being guilty. But an investigation by kent police into her treatment concluded. Here were no breaches of legislation or kent police policy, there was nothing that shows any discrimination, but the officer could have acted with greater compassion and courtesy. Chanting black lives matter recent black lives matter protests, this one in brighton, have shone a spotlight on the sometimes troubled relationship between the police and the black community. The chief constable of kent, alan pughsley, took the knee at an event, in his words, to show humility and solidarity for all communities. Can you get out of the car, and we dont need to do this . But last month, after this footage was widely shared, the met apologised to the sprinter Bianca Williams for the distress she experienced when she and her partner were pulled over in their car in a stop and search. There is a need for more work between Police Services and the communities they serve, to enhance confidence that the police can serve all its communities equally. Kent police says it takes all allegations of Racial Discrimination seriously but, having examined what happened here, it concluded the officer didnt act in a discriminatory manner towards dr Charles Fidelis. It accepted, though, that he did speak to her in an unsympathetic manner. The police have apologised for any upset caused, but she now has taken the case to the independent police watchdog. Simonjones, bbc news, swanley. The grandmother of three british children stranded in syria claims they have been abandoned by the uk government. Charleen jack henry wants them to return, along with their mother, who left london to join the Islamic State group in 2015. Bbc Asian Networks Poonam Taneja reports. Three sisters, all under 12 years old, trapped in syria, thousands of miles from their grandmother in london. Granny, i love you, i miss nyla, i miss makayla. I love you guys. Hello, granny hello, granny, how are you . All Charleen Jack Henry has of of her grandchildren are photographs and phone messages. She last saw them just before their parents took them secretly to syria five years ago. I was like, why are you crying . They say, we dont want to leave our granny. We dont want to go. We dont want to leave our granny. Not knowing that that would be the last thing that. I would remember of isaac. But it was. Three years ago, isaac was killed in a bombing. Just a year before, his father died in the same way. Charleens three granddaughters are now living in refugee camps with their mother, her daughter. I want them out of that place but it seems so hopeless. It seems that they have just been abandoned by the british government. Nicole jack and her husband slipped out of the country in 2015 to join Islamic State group, a regime which killed, raped and tortured thousands. Last year, after is was defeated, nicole jack or kida, as she is known by herfamily was back in touch. Hey, mum, its me. Love you guys. Forgive me for not messaging earlier, because. I just thought it would get you into problems. So, yeah, forgive me, bye. Nicole and her husband, hussain, they took their entire family, including children, to a war zone. As a grandmother, what do you think about that decision . I dont think kida would have made that decision to go there willingly. I would put my own head on a block and stick my life on it. But returning women and children are a major worry for the uk government. I just want forgiveness, really, from the uk. Shamima begum left london as a schoolgirl to travel to syria in the same year as nicole jack. The government has stripped her of her citizenship. But she has won a legal battle to return to the uk to challenge the decision, which the government will appeal. There are about 60 british children in syrian camps. The government says it will repatriate orphans and unaccompanied children. So far, only three have returned. Charleen hopes her grandchildren could also come home soon. Thats no place for them kids to grow up. My fear is that if you leave kids in a place where violence and that is normalised, then they couldnt have a normal life anywhere else. Even if we think we dont owe anything to the adults who went, dont we owe these children a duty of care . Poonam taneja reporting. Reports in the spanish media suggest the countrys former king, juan carlos, has travelled to the Dominican Republic after deciding to move out of spain. There has, however, been no official confirmation of his whereabouts. Juan carlos decided to leave spain yesterday after having been implicated in a corruption investigation. The 82 year old former monarch announced the move in a letter to his son, felipe, to whom he handed power six years ago. Theres new advice about the use of painkillers such as paracetemol and ibuprofen for chronic pain. The National Institute for health and care excellence says they shouldnt be used to treat it, and that there is little evidence they improved peoples quality of life. Reports of sheep rustling and theft of expensive Agricultural Machinery spiked during lockdown, and there are fears the economic downturn could see rural crime continue to grow. The farming insurer nfu mutal says the cost of countryside crime went up last year by 10 , to £53 million. Phil mackie reports. This is one of the reasons criminals want to steal agricultural equipment. This was taken from stables a few miles away and then used in a cash machine smash and grab in hampshire. The other reason is that they fetch big money in eastern europe. Some are recovered and brought back to this country. So a couple of machines weve had back from poland. This one here is a manitou telehandler, valued at around £28,000. It was stolen in leicestershire from a farm and very similar to the honda quad here, but about £4,000 worth of quad bike there. The value of vehicle theft went up by 20 last year to more than £9 million and lockdown made things worse. Easy to get away with. Weve been in a state of lockdown so stuff has been able to be moved and hidden without any police attention. People have been able to get stuff out of the country because the Border Police have been tied up with other issues. The other big problem highlighted in todays report is an increase in livestock theft, up 10 last year and more since lockdown. So as well as the financial impact, theres a huge impact on livestock farmers, particularly smaller farmers, because Something Like that can take many years to overcome. For the public, there are obviously big Health Concerns about meat that could be slaughtered or produced in makeshift abattoirs in very unhygienic conditions. Its virtually impossible to keep your livestock completely safe. Sheep are a really valuable commodity at the moment, and you can see just how easy it would be to drive up and take a few away. Ive come to meet liz monk at her farm in worcestershire. Theyve had sheep stolen and even killed and butchered by the thieves. You feel quite violated, really, that somebodys been and felt that they could just help themselves to something that was in your field. You know, even though we rear animals for meat, we want to know that its been done properly, and to think of whats happened to them when theyve left here, its really worrying. 0rganised crime is usually associated with towns and cities, but its moving into rural britain. Despite appearances, the gangs see this as easy pickings. Phil mackie, bbc news, worcestershire. The queen has paid tribute to the British Red Cross on its 150th anniversary, describing its work as valued and greatly appreciated. The charity was first founded to aid sick and Wounded Soldiers in the time of war. Heres kathryn stanczyszyn. Archive footage we know what the red cross what have done for you, and you know it far better. Providing help when it is most needed a red cross is familiar around the world as a symbol of care the meaning cemented during two world wars. 150 years ago today, at a public meeting, a group was formed to help sick and Wounded Soldiers, and so the British Red Cross was born. Since then, the charity has given assistance across the globe, offering relief to armed forces and civilians in the wake of war and disaster, as well as being an important presence following tragedies here in uk. On this special anniversary, members of the royal family have been paying tribute. The queen, its patron for 65 years, has thanked volunteers and staff. And Prince Charles has recorded a video to mark the opening of a new online exhibition featuring 150 objects from the charitys archives. He says it is still a much needed service. I need hardly remind you that the work of the British Red Cross is as essential today as it has ever been, helping those in need, strengthening our communities, and supporting people to face the challenges of an ever changing and unpredictable world. A new £5 coin will commemorate a century and a half of caring that shows, says the prince of wales, just how powerful kindness can be. Kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. Time