To do something drastic. It goes up and up every year and the service, i you know, overall, doesnt get any better. More Air Strikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Universities in the uk must introduce mandatory policies for dealing with Sexual Assault thats the demand from scores of women who say they are survivors of such abuse. And we report from japan, where politicians and the ioc insist the Tokyo Olympics will be safe, but public opposition is intensifying. Hello and welcome if youre watching in the uk or Around The World. A french court has ruled that more than 2,500 Women Hundreds of Them British should be compensated for faulty Breast Implants. The Pip Implants had been filled with cheap, industrial Grade Silicone which was not approved for human use. The court upheld an earlier Decision that a German Company which awarded safety certificates for the products was negligent. Heres our Health Correspondent anna collinson. The reason it emerged was because, in the years leading up to it, it emerged that these implants were filled with a cheap industrial Grade Silicon which was never intended for medical use. Over the past ten years, there has been a legal battle involving the company who certified those implants, who gave that certificate saying they were safe to use. That German Company is called Tuv Rheinland. The lawyers representing 2,700 women, including around 500 from britain, say that these women from france to venezuela were relying on that certificate, they trusted it, but instead ended up with bags of poison in their body. This morning, the Court Of Appeal ruled that Tuv Rheinland was negligent and they must compensate victims. As i say, this has been a legal battle lasting ten years, involving hundreds of thousands of women Around The World and just before i came on air, we saw two of the women from Britain Finding Out about the news. They burst into tears, they hugged Each Other, they were popping champagne at 8 40am in the morning. It was a really exciting, happy moment after years of pain. One of those women had her Pip Implants 20 years ago and she basically says she still is recovering now, it has stayed with her that long. That is why it is so significant. These implants, particularly when they ruptured, they absolutely wrecked womens lives and health. Absolutely, there is a really long list of symptoms, ranging from fatigue, depression, chronic pain, the list goes On AndOn AndOn And women talk about becoming shadows of themselves, not recognising themselves, not being able to do the things they were able to do before and these women, they got these implants for many reasons. It might be cosmetic, they might have Body Dysmorphia issues, they might have had Breast Cancer and wanted reconstruction, there are many reasons why, but, regardless of the reason, they paid for a product, they were told it was safe and then these implants ruptured in their bodies, or leaked in their bodies, and caused severe harm and it was really interesting, when you listen to the accounts, because there are sort of two stages of the progress for these women. There was before the Scandal Broke, these women were starting to experience these problems but they were told it is in your head, you know, oh, get over it, you are overreacting, they thought they were on their own. Then the Scandal Broke in 2010 and they realised they were not only not on their own, there were potentially hundreds of thousands of women in their positiOn And they were terrified, but they started forming groups on Social Media to support Each Other and it is something we have seen before with other Womens Health issues, for example pelvic mesh. I was just i wasjust going i was just going To Say, almost everything you are saying reminds me of what women have told us about having mesh, which is a totally separate medical issue but who knows if it will go along the same lines over the years. So it is 2,500 women according to this court that should receive compensation but as you said, Tens Of Thousands of women right across the world. What does this ruling mean for them potentially . This ruling mean for them potentially . Before i go any further, potentially . Before i go any further. I potentially . Before i go any further, i have potentially . Before i go any further, i have to potentially . Before i go any further, i have To Say potentially . Before i go any further, i have To Say tuv i potentially . Before i go any further, i have To SayTuv Rheinland would dispute the liability, they have declined to comment further but it is important to put that in. But you touch on it, this is the tip of the iceberg, if you well. There are three more cases like this due to happen this year involving around 20,000 women but the hope is that, by Todays Announcement coming forward and this happening, it will reach the hundreds of thousands of women who are still walking around with potentially dangerous implants in their bodies, so the hope is that will encourage women to get the implants removed, so there is that but there is also hope it will send a really strong message to the medical Devices Industry in general, to manufacturers and those responsible that, with any medical device, it needs to be properly monitored, it needs to be safe, patients need to be informed of the risks and if any issues occur, they need to be monitored closely. With me is gail coxon, who received the implant and is part of this group of women who brought this first claim. How do you feel about Todays Ruling . I how do you feel about Todays Rulin . U, � how do you feel about Todays Rulina . � ,. , how do you feel about Todays Rulin . U, � ,. ,. , ruling . I cant explain it, i have burst into ruling . I cant explain it, i have burst into tears ruling . I cant explain it, i have burst into tears i ruling . I cant explain it, i have burst into tears i dont ruling . I cant explain it, i have burst into tears i dont know. Ruling . I cant explain it, i have. Burst into tears i dont know how many times, it is a huge sense of relief. You finally feel we have been listened to and that is the biggest thing. Been listened to and that is the biggest thing been listened to and that is the biggest thing. How long have you been fighting biggest thing. How long have you been fighting this . Biggest thing. How long have you been fighting this . Ten biggest thing. How long have you been fighting this . Ten years. Biggest thing. How long have you been fighting this . Ten years. It| been fighting this . Ten years. It has affected been fighting this . Ten years. It has affected me been fighting this . Ten years. It has affected me for been fighting this . Ten years. It has affected me for 15 been fighting this . Ten years. It has affected me for 15 years, been fighting this . Ten years. It i has affected me for 15 years, since i had them in, but ten years the Court Case has been going on. So you had the implants Court Case has been going on. So you had the implants in Court Case has been going on. So you had the implants in 2006, Court Case has been going on. So you had the implants in 2006, i Court Case has been going on. So you had the implants in 2006, i think. I had the implants in 2006, i think. How soon after that did you start to feel unwell . Feel unwell . Probably about six months or feel unwell . Probably about six months or so. Feel unwell . Probably about six months or so. It feel unwell . Probably about six months or so. It was feel unwell . Probably about six months or so. It was gradual, i | months or so. It was gradual, i started to feel really tired, just generally unwell, i couldnt explain it. Then i started to get lots of aches and pains and whereas i had never been to the doctors before unless it was anything serious, all of a sudden i seemed to be there every other week and i was made to feel, and started to question myself, like a hypochondriac. They were testing before all sorts and the tests were coming back negative and you think what is going on . I had gone from being bright and vibrant and bubbly and full of energy, to feeling like i was an old woman and it was horrendous and it got progressively worse over the years until i had them removed. Idietitian years until i had them removed. When did Ou Years until i had them removed. When did you know years until i had them removed. When did you know it years until i had them removed. When did you know it was years until i had them removed. When did you know it was the years until i had them removed. When did you know it was the implants that were making you feel. Flat that were making you feel. Not until a good that were making you feel. Iyrrt until a good friend of mine called me and said have you heard about this . It was, i think it was 2011, just before christmas and as soon as she said it, ijust knew it was, Thatis She said it, ijust knew it was, that is what this is, it explains everything. Then i had to wait another month until we had confirmation from the Clinic But Thatis confirmation from the clinic but that is what it was. But, still, we were trying to get help from the doctors and they still didnt recognise it, so it has been a long battle. It was only when i was speaking to other women and knowing they had been through exactly the same thing that itjust confirmed all my suspicions. Same thing that it ust confirmed all my suspicions. All my suspicions. And, over this time, i all my suspicions. And, over this time. I know all my suspicions. And, over this time, i know your all my suspicions. And, over this time, i know your relationship i all my suspicions. And, over this time, i know your relationship broke down, you lost your business, didnt you, that you used to run. Was that related to the fact that you are feeling ill . Feeling ill . Completely. I ust couldnt run it i feeling ill . Completely. I ust couldnt run it any i feeling ill . Completely. I ust couldnt run it any more, b feeling ill . Completely. Ijust couldnt run it any more, i i feeling ill . Completely. Ijust. Couldnt run it any more, i would have run it into the ground, too many days off. I had hospital appointments all the time. The physical pain injoints, it was a very physicaljob, so it wasjust impossible to do and it got to the point where i had collapsed a few times. In fact, the night that i actually signed a contract, i collapsed and was taken to hospital in an ambulance, so that was quite scary. I honestly thought i was going to die, it really was terrifying to go through. Id going to die, it really was terrifying to go through. Id bet. You had them terrifying to go through. Id bet. You had them removed, terrifying to go through. Id bet. You had them removed, i terrifying to go through. Id bet. J you had them removed, i think, terrifying to go through. Id bet. I you had them removed, i think, in you had them removed, ithink, in 2012. What difference did that make you physically and mentally . Mentally, it was hard, it was very hard. But, physically, priorto that, i had been suffering from these horrendous Nose Bleeds and headaches and things. These nosebleeds would last half an hour each day, every day and completely wipe me out and the day that i had the implants out, the nosebleeds stopped, it was in stain. Within a week, the headaches had gone and, gradually, ijust week, the headaches had gone and, gradually, i just started week, the headaches had gone and, gradually, ijust started to week, the headaches had gone and, gradually, i just started to feel more and more like my old self. But the impact on how i felt about my body was quite drastic, it really did have a Knock On Effect and, gradually, i developed an Eating Disorder because of it which i have battled through for the past few years but it was a really tough time. ~. ,. ,. , ,. ,. , time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. I time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that i know time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. I know that time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. L know that l time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. L know that l think time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. I know that i think in time. Wow, i am really sorry to hear that. I know that i think in a that. I know that i think in a previous stage of the action, you have already been awarded just over £3000, i think it is. Yes. In the £3000, ithink it is. Yes. In the scheme of £3000, ithink it is. Yes. In the scheme of what £3000, ithink it is. Yes. In the scheme of what you £3000, ithink it is. Yes. In the scheme of what you have £3000, i think it is. Yes in the scheme of what you have experienced and gone through, it is a small sum of Money And Nothing will Make Up for what happened to you. Ida of Money And Nothing will Make Up for what happened to you. No amount of money can for what happened to you. No amount of money can replace for what happened to you. No amount of money can replace the for what happened to you. No amount of money can replace the years for what happened to you. No amount of money can replace the years i of money can replace the years i have lost and the things i have lost, it cant be compensated in any way. At the time, that some of my knee felt like an insult, almost, it wasnt even enough to cover removal that sum of money. I am glad i chose not to replace because the implants i was originally going to have them replaced with were then recalled again. Have them replaced with were then recalled again have them replaced with were then recalled again. So have them replaced with were then recalled again. So i have them replaced with were then recalled again. So i am | recalled again. Goodness. So i am relieved i made recalled again. Goodness. So i am relieved i made the recalled again. Goodness. So i am relieved i made the Decision recalled again. Goodness. So i am relieved i made the Decision to. Recalled again. Goodness. So i am| relieved i made the Decision to axe planned, it was the right Decision. 23. Planned, it was the right Decision. 23. So you had them removed and nothing in your place, so you were flat and that you think contributed to the Eating Disorder. I had flat and that you think contributed to the Eating Disorder. To the Eating Disorder. I had gone from a physical to the Eating Disorder. I had gone from a physicaljob to the Eating Disorder. I had gone from a physicaljob to to the Eating Disorder. I had gone from a physicaljob to doing to the Eating Disorder. I had gone | from a physicaljob to doing hardly anything and started to put on weight naturally, and i noticed i had gone from having the sort of empty pockets to gradually filling up, and ijust thought, iwill empty pockets to gradually filling up, and ijust thought, i will put a bit more weight On And i might feel a bit more womanly, feminine, and it just sort of spiralled out of control, unfortunately. Just sort of spiralled out of control, unfortunatel. ,. ,. , , control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now, this control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now. This ruling control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now, this ruling is control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now, this ruling is against control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now, this ruling is against the control, unfortunately. Goodness me. Now, this ruling is against the body i now, this ruling is against the body that gave the implants a safety certificate, essentially. It is not against the manufacturers. Is that action going on somewhere else or what . ~ ~. ,. , what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to jail what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to jail and what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to jail and i what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to jail and i believe what . Well, i think he was charged and sent to jail and i believe that l and sent to jail and i believe that he died injail, but of course, the company was shut down and then open again under his wife and sons name. But i am more concerned with the people who were supposed to be regulating these things. It is not just Breast Implants, it is medical devices in general. We need to make sure that anything put into our bodies is actually safe, the regulations need to be so much a stricture. �. Regulations need to be so much a stricture. � ,. , stricture. And it seems insane that we have to stricture. And it seems insane that we have To Say stricture. And it seems insane that we have To Say that stricture. And it seems insane that we have To Say that out stricture. And it seems insane that we have To Say that out loud. I stricture. And it seems insane that| we have To Say that out loud. So much stricter we have To Say that out loud. So much stricter. Thank we have To Say that out loud. So much stricter. Thank you we have To Say that out loud. So much stricter. Thank you so we have To Say that out loud. So much stricter. Thank you so much i we have To Say that out loud. So l much stricter. Thank you so much for talkin to much stricter. Thank you so much for talking to us much stricter. Thank you so much for talking to us. Claire much stricter. Thank you so much for talking to us. Claire has much stricter. Thank you so much for talking to us. Claire has emailed talking to us. Claire has e mailed To Say this victory seems bittersweet as there are significant loopholes in actually getting conversation. I had my implants at a private company in manchester in 2006. After the scandal emerged, they closed and reopened under a new name, which dissolved any liability they had towards me. I had my implants removed on the nhs in 2014. Basically, because the original company no longer existed, i am unable to obtain a serial number of my implants and any claim i make the compensation will apparently be inadmissible. Without the serial number of the implants, there is no way of proving that the German CompanyTuv Rheinland gave that batch their safety certificate. It is a shambles, says claire. If you want to get in touch, please do, it is victoria. Bbc. Co. Uk or you can message on instagram or twitter. The biggest Shake Up of britains railways in decades has been announced by the government. The Reform Plan will see the creation of the great British Railways body, which aims to improve train infrastructure, ticketing and timetables. 0ur ConsumerAffairs Correspondent, Colletta Smith, has this report. For years now, Rail Travel has been less associated with glamour and more with crowds, delays and expense. Quite diabolical. Just a disaster. I actually pay about £30 a day for my travel. And, as you can see, this isnt worth £30 a day. It is not worth 30p a day. You get on the train and then they will cancel it at wigan without telling you. Problems in recent years have seen Train Companies folding at a rate of knots. But, a quarter of a century after privatising the railways, this conservative government has a new plan. They are going to make a government owned company responsible for all timetable, prices and Ticket Sales called great British Railways. Bring in a new Flexiseason Ticket that doesnt have to be used five days a week as millions of people are facing a Hybrid Return to the office in the coming months. And scrap the Franchise System only pay companies if trains are on time and clean. The former boss of british airways, keith williams, came up with the ideas. There is an enormous opportunity here, not only to simplify the way that people buy tickets, but also to benefit from a Retail Environment that gives greater flexibility in the way that fares are operated in the future. This is the government acknowledging the real problems that have existed on the railways for decades that any passenger could have told you about. Problems with pricing, ticketing and problems with timetabling. And nobody knowing whos in charge. I do accept it is too complicated. We have seen the timetable debacle, the Secretary Of State, me, in other words, having to take railways back into public ownership and No One really knowing who is in charge when something goes wrong. These reforms, great British Railways, will sort that out once and for all. The plan will take a slightly different shape in scotland and wales, but the government say the new system across britain should look more like Transport For London multiple operators under one brand. But, in the midlands, campaigners worry it wont be nearly as straightforward to use. We want in the midlands What London has been benefiting from for decades. So that flexibility, integration between railways and trams and buses is going to be very important moving forward. After pumping billions of pounds into the railways during the pandemic, the new plans also mention efficiency. And whatever promises are made, that usually means cuts to services somewhere. Colletta smith, Bbc News, york. The headlines on Bbc News. A court in france has ruled that more than 2,500 women who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal should receive compensation. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. There have been more Air Strikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Its talk more about the violence overnight between israel and Palestinian Militants. Theres been another night of sustained israeli airstrikes on gaza, despite reports that the two sides are close to agreeing a ceasefire. Earlier, a senior Hamas Official said he was predicting a pause within days. President biden has called on israel for a serious De Escalation. The conflict has already cost more than 200 lives, including dozens of children. Mark lobel reports. More trauma and tears in a gaza hospital. Behind this crowd, a palestinian father killed alongside his pregnant Wife And Daughter after an israeli Air Strike hit their home as they cooked a family meal. Israel continues to shoot down rockets fired from gaza. A near miss here as an israeli family fled this house moments before a rocket struck. The us president Joe Biden has told Benjamin Netanyahu he expects a significant De Escalation. I do think that President Biden has been appropriate and actively engaged, although todays public statement may be the first time he is making it clear that he is applying some pressure. But the israeli Prime Minister says he is determined to carry on until Calm And Security are restored to israeli citizens, outlining his strategy for dealing with hamas to foreign ambassadors in tel aviv. There are only two ways that you can deal with them. You can either conquer them, and thats always an open possibility, or you can deter them, and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence. But i have To Say we do not rule out anything. For a watertight ceasefire to emerge soon, israel will want to prove it has deterred hamas from attacking israel for some time, especially after hamas launched Rockets Atjerusalem in solidarity with the wider palestinian cause. But for any endgame on the horizon, a political process will need to rise from the ashes. Translation our work is now focused on stopping the israeli aggression against our people injerusalem, the West Bank and gaza. Then entering a serious political process under clear international backing that leads to ending the israeli occupation of the lands in the state of palestine. As the conflict enters its 11th Day, its Notjust Arabs in occupied lands who need reassurance but those living within the state of israel. Unexpected violence between israelsjewish majority and arab minority is now an open wound that needs serious attention. Mark lobel, Bbc News. The bbc� s Rushdi Abualouf is in gaza and he told us how the night has been. A long and very busy night for most of the people in gaza, especially people in the northern part of Gaza City. It has been hit hard, according to locals and as i can hear from my house, the sound of Air Strikes has been terrifying in this area. Huge Black Smoke was rising up to the sky, knocking down buildings according to locals, some infrastructure, some military sites that belonged to the militant group hamas were targeted as well, as well as a main road linking Gaza City to the northern part of the city. That caused a major Power Cut to most parts of the city. Maybe you can see the black in the background as part of the Power Cut. This morning, the Health Ministry just released a statement five minutes ago saying that a 32 year old woman was killed in the latest strike in khan yunis, in the southern gaza strip, as the fighting continues for the 11th Day now. Yesterday, it was intense, about 150 rockets were fired from gaza, targeting cities and towns in the south of israel. Hamas senior leader last night said we are close to a ceasefire. He said it is a matter of a day or two until we reach this conclusiOn And have a ceasefire. We havent heard yet from israel about this, but the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said last night the operation would continue. Bbc Monitorings Analyst InjerusalemJoel Greenberg has more on what the situation has been like in israel overnight. Well, actually, while the Air Strikes had continued in gaza and israel, the media reported there was a lull in Rocket Fire for several hours, almost eight hours. There were again warning siren is a short time ago, but there was a lull for a significant period of time for the first time since the start of the conflict. Not clear what that means but clearly there are diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire. President Joe Biden, in a Phone Call with Prime Minister netanyahu, said he expected what he said would be a significant De Escalation, and so, perhaps, we are seeing some signs of that on the ground. It is really too early to tell, but that is the situation right now, the diplomacy is continuing. The fighting is continuing on a smaller scale than it was previously, clearly the strikes are not as Deep Inside Israel and the israeli strikes in gaza are not as intense, especially regarding large multi story buildings, for example, that the israelis had brought down last week. Surge testing will begin in six new areas across England Today to tackle the spread of the indian covid variant. Tests and vaccine doses will be rolled out to bedford, burnley, hounslow, kirklees, leicester, and North Tyneside after the government said they were areas of concern. It comes after almost 3,000 cases of the variant were identified in the uk. From today, if youre 34 and 35 and live in england ,you can and live in england, you can book your first vaccine dose. In Northern Ireland, the programme has been extended to those aged 25 to 29. Among those receiving their firstjab this week was prince william, whos 38 years old. Kensington palace tweeted out this photo a little earlier. Theres the obligatory picture you post on Social Media, i think im the only person in the world who hasnt done that. Prince william thanked all those working on the Roll Out of the vaccine programme. The Home Office says it has the capacity to carry out 10,000 checks a day to enforce the Home Quarantine Rule for arrivals from so called Amber List countries. Since monday, travel has been permitted from england to more than 170 countries and territories on the governments Amber List but borisjohnson says people should not be going on holidays to those countries. Travellers returning from Amber List countries must comply with a ten day Home Quarantine Rule. The russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, has said his first meeting with the us Secretary Of State, antony blinken, has been constructive. The two men spoke for almost two hours in iceland on the sidelines of a meeting of the arctic council. Us State Department officials said talks had been business like but there had been no breakthroughs. Will grant is in washington. Since the cold war, the arctic has been a sphere for potential confrontation between russia and the united states. In recent years, russia has redoubled its efforts to exert greater control over this strategically important regiOn And its natural resources. Partly through its vast Arctic Trefoil military base. The biden administration is keen to Stop Moscow from gaining the upper hand, either in the Arctic Tundra or anywhere else in the world. So when Secretary Of StateBlinken Met foreign Minister Lavrov on the sidelines of the arctic Council Meeting in iceland, both men billed it as a chance to reset their frosty ties. As President Biden shared with President Putin, we seek a predictable, stable relationship with russia. We think thats good for our people, good for the russian people if and indeed good for the world. Translation we will be ready | to plough through the rubble left over from the previous us administrations, when it comes to the functioning of the diplomatic missions of the us in russia, you and of the russian ones in the united states. There was much for them to discuss once the cameras, to discuss once the cameras left, from afghanistan to syria, from the Korean Peninsula to cyber security. A the two governments remain far apart on many, if not all, of those topics. Indeed, only a few months ago President Biden said he thought President Putin was a killer. Yet now it seems an olive branch. The Nord Stream 2 natural Gas Pipe Line has been a source of real friction between the us, russia and germany. The 11 Billion pipeline would supply germany with russian Natural Gas and, crucially for President Putin, it would bypass ukraine. Now the State Department has waived sanctions on the company leading the project and its ceo. The move should also help washington improve its ties with germany, which had deteriorated significantly under president trump. Nevertheless, it will not be without its critics in washington. And kyiv, Who Fear GivingMr Putin greater control over europes gas supply. For now, though, it seems the State Department has softened its stance, perhaps calculating it was a Price Worth paying in favour of improved ties with moscow. At the very least, this meeting will have laid the groundwork for the possibility of president ial talks at a later date. Will grant, Bbc News, washington. Here, Royal Mail has seen its Profits Boom during the pandemic as many shoppers switched to online orders. Pre tax profits for the year to march leapt from £180 Million to 726 million. An almost 40 increase in revenue from Parcel Deliveries provided much of that boost, off Setting A Fall in letters. Senior ministers are meeting today to discuss concerns about how a Trade Deal with australia would affect british farmers. The international trade secretary, liz truss, says negotiators are in a sprint to reach an agreement in principle with australia by early next month. Her department insists farmers here wont be undercut. The tokyo 2021 olympics are due to start in just over two months, and the international olympic Committee President has insisted the games can go ahead safely. But, despite this, Opposition Withinjapan is growing, as the country faces a increase of coronavirus cases and a slow moving Vaccination Programme. 0ur Tokyo CorrespondentRupert Wingfield hayes reports. Never before has a Summer Olympics faced such overwhelming opposition from the people of the host nation. As japans Covid Pandemic continues to get worse, the opposition is growing louder and more prominent. This double Page Spread has appeared in several newspapers. It is an old photo from World War ii ofjapanese Children Training to fight The Americans with Bamboo Spears. Except now, the enemy is covid. No vaccines, it reads, no drugs. Are we supposed to fight the virus with Bamboo Spears . The head ofjapanese online Retailer Rakuten is also making headlines. He described holding the olympics now as a suicide mission. Even those who have signed up as 0lympic volunteers are saying it is time to stop. Definitely so. I dont hear people saying we should have the event. I never hear about it. They are just hoping that they will cancel the event. I think thats the main public opinion. While the virus is now well into its fourth wave here, japan has barely begun vaccination. So far, just 3 have received a single shot. This is the city of nagoya, in centraljapan, and i have come here because this city has just been placed under a State Of Emergency because of rapidly rising covid infections. I have also come because medical workers here are up in arms that they are being requested to volunteer at the Olympic Village in tokyo when theyre desperately needed at hospitals here. This young nurse, who does not want to show her face, has watched the covid unit in her hospital fill to capacity. Translation we already dont have enough Staff And Hospital beds for Covid Patients. People are already dying at home because they cant get into hospital. They want 500 nurses to volunteer for the olympics. That means more Covid Patients will not get the care they need. Far to the north, amid the Rice Fields of niigata, this small town has been preparing to host the russian gymnastics team. Some of its young gymnasts are trying out the new equipment specially installed for the russians. This person tells me the town spent over half A Million us dollars on all of this. Because of covid, the russian team will now never use it. Long timeJapan Resident and Sports Promoter Robert maes thinks there is one very obvious solution to delay the olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge why would you not even consider 2022, there really is no answer. There is only direct and firm, we do not organise in 2022. It is now or never. I argue for the exact opposite because i think that everybody involved here is better off with organisation in 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It looks like the olympics will either go ahead or be cancelled. But, for these young gymnasts, the excitement they once had of welcoming the world to japan this summer is already a fading memory. Rupert wingfield hayes, Bbc News, niigata. The headlines on Bbc News a court in france has ruled that more than 2,550 women who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal should receive compensation. A new state owned body, great British Railways, will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. I cant imagine me ever wanting to use public transport over my car, so, yeah, i do think they will have to do something drastic. It goes up and up every year, and the service, you know, overall doesnt get any better. Surge testing and vaccinations begin in more areas of england to combat the spread of the indian covid variant. More airstrikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants, despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. More now on the biggest rail Shake Up in the uk since privatisation in the 1990s. Our Business CorrespondentSarah Corker is at Leeds Railway Station and has more details on what passengers can expect. We have been here throughout the Peak Rush Hour, but it has been really quiet and Passenger Numbers have plummeted during lockdown but there are big reforms on the way, described as the biggest Shake Up for the Rail Sector in a generation. There will be a new Public Body called great British Railways and what that body will do is manage the trains and the tracks and the fares and it marks The End of the franchise model. There is still a place for private sector companies, they will be brought in under a new concession model, so contracted to run the train services. What does this all mean for passengers . Well, there are going to be flexible Season Tickets brought in from the End Ofjune, so people will be able to use them two or three days a week, perhaps reflecting the changing world of work, and we also know there will be pay as You Go and contactless tickets similar to the Oyster System in london. We can get some reaction know from the business sector. First question, what is your experience of the Rail Sector . Pretty terrible, they are very expensive, very overcrowded and also highly unreliable. I only tend to use the trains if im having to go to london. Not good, then what about these reforms . There is obviously the flexible Season Ticket coming in, how can that help your employees, who will be working towards this hybrid model, a bit at the office, a bit at home . I think flexible tickets are a good idea and will help our workers. During the pandemic, we have been employing lots of remote teams, but we still need to bring them together on a regular basis and flexible tickets will help do that. And anyone who has travelled across the north of england on a train will know it can sometimes be a slow and painful experience. It takes a long time to get east to west, you can actually get to london quicker. What impact has all of that had on Investment And Growth for businesses here in the north . The problems with the Rail Network in the north are really inhibiting outgrowth and ourjobs. We need to be able to connect our cities and be able to live in one City And Work in another. We have talked about northern Powerhouse Rail for a long time, it is in yet another government review. We just want to see change and see that happen quite quickly. And the idea of great British Railways is it perhaps ends that Blame Game Problem, where you have got disruption on the railways, who is responsible . Is it the Track Operator, is it the railfirms . So this new body, the aim is a more joined up approach. Do you think that is a step in the right direction . It is a step in the right direction but there is no funding behind it and change only really happens when they put money behind it and that is what we really need to see happen. And i suppose, lastly, i am interested to know, for your business going forward, do you think you will ever be in a position where everyone is back in the office and do have to commute or things have changed forever . I think things have probably changed forever. People have seen the benefits of Working From Home. Personally, i have always done that, the last four or five years and i think there are real benefits, particularly from a Sustainability Point of view, about Working From Home but having a hybrid model. Amy, thank you very much forjoining us and i think The Big Question going forward is going to be when well Passenger Numbers, if ever, recover to pre pandemic levels . 0ne Forecast actually suggests that, for the next four years, Passenger Numbers will be 60 of normal levels, so i think the industry is going to have to adapt, its going to have to change and these reforms are seen as a stop to that. The boss of easyjet has insisted that travel to Amber List countries is absolutely legal after the government advised people not to go to those countries on holiday. Lets get more on this from our Business Presenter Ramzan karmali. What has the boss of easyjet been saying . It does seem that he has a point, and he has said this when he revealed his companys half year profits, they made losses of 645 Million to The End of march, and unsurprisingly he puts it squarely on the pandemic, not a shock, to be honest with you. But he is unimpressed with the government and the way they have handled their advice for travellers, and we can listen to him now. Its absolutely legal to travel to Amber List countries. It is absolutely legal, and this was introduced, there was no indication that you shouldnt travel to these countries, because thats what the restriction was supposed to do so it was there to make sure that you could do this in a safe way. So of course there are now people, and there are families who cant reunite because of the numerous costs and testing that is now being extremely frustrated. We have a huge amount of people who are contacting us To Say, look, can i go, cant i go . So its been very, very confusing, and i think that the government is almost dismantling the system that it set up themselves. Pretty unimpressed there. Im joined now by sally gethin, who is an aviation industry commentator. As victoria said, he has got a point, hasnt he . Iie as victoria said, he has got a point, hasnt he . He absolutely does, he point, hasnt he . He absolutely does. He has point, hasnt he . He absolutely does, he has found point, hasnt he . He absolutely does, he has found a point, hasnt he . He absolutely does, he has found a chink point, hasnt he . He absolutely does, he has found a chink in l point, hasnt he . He absolutely i does, he has found a chink in the armour and is does, he has found a chink in the armourand is plunging in his artillery to actually open up this debate. It started yesterday, and from the airlines perspective, they are on the front line, and they are being required to verify a Passengers Health data for travel, so they are on the front line, and it is very confusing. Iie so they are on the front line, and it is very confusing. So they are on the front line, and it is very confusing. He also called for vat to it is very confusing. He also called for vat to be it is very confusing. He also called for vat to be removed it is very confusing. He also called for vat to be removed from it is very confusing. He also called for vat to be removed from the l it is very confusing. He also called i for vat to be removed from the cost of Covid Testing and has also announced that the Pcr Test that they will provide will cost £60. I mean, these costs are ramping up for anyone who does want to go away, so at some stage it will become unaffordable for many people who want to go on holiday this summer. The volume has been right up on the topic of test as soon as the government announced it would be opening up for nonessential travel. The global travel taskforce, they also raised the issue of Pcr Tests, and really it is just the government on its own. A lot of mps, for example, on the transport committee, are also concerned about the cost of Pcr Tests, which are prohibitive and create an unlevel playing field, depending on how deep your pockets are as a traveller. The thing is, Pcr Tests range from about £45 right up Pcr Tests range from about £45 right up to £120, depending on where you 90, up to £120, depending on where You Go, and the eu is now going to add more pressure on to the uk, because it is going ahead with its own initiative, and they are trying to reduce the costs of Pcr Tests and Make Travel Affordable and open for everybody. Make Travel Affordable and open for eve bod. �. ,. , ~ Make Travel Affordable and open for eve bod. �. ,. , everybody. And, look at the Airline Industry as everybody. And, look at the Airline Industry as a everybody. And, look at the Airline Industry as a whole, everybody. And, look at the Airline Industry as a whole, Ryanairs Industry as a whole, ryanairs results were pretty dire, how much longer can airlines. Easyjet is a successful airline, longer can airlines. Easyjet is a successfulairline, how longer can airlines. Easyjet is a successful airline, how long can they take this kind of pain to their Balance Sheet . They take this kind of pain to their Balance Sheet . They are successful from the outside, Balance Sheet . They are successful from the outside, but Balance Sheet . They are successful from the outside, but they Balance Sheet . They are successful from the outside, but they did from the outside, but they did secure a government backed loan not long ago, so they are not in the best position. I mean, ryanair is probably in a much healthier financial position, but all airlines are haemorrhaging money, and if your are haemorrhaging money, and if your a short to medium haul airline, you might expect to have some traffic being able to be freed up going ahead, and i cant say that now. The government is sending out mixed messages, they cant actually plan ahead. So where is the Road Map actually going for travel . I think the government needs to come out and listen to airlines and aviatiOn And started to be a little bit more specific. And also, yeah, help on the Pcr Tests, because it is an extra layer of Red Tape for travellers, they have to organise booking those tests when they are already abroad for the Return Trip back to the uk, and yeah, all the responsibility is being placed on them, and the government has just left it wide open. Them, and the government has ust left it wide open. � left it wide open. Sally, thank you very much left it wide open. Sally, thank you very much for left it wide open. Sally, thank you very much for your left it wide open. Sally, thank you very much for your time. Left it wide open. Sally, thank you very much for your time. Victoria, hopefully we will be speaking to the boss of easyjet in the next hour as well. Cool well. Cool, thank you. A new Law Banning Abortion from as early as six weeks has been signed in the us state of texas. The texas heartbeat act, as its called, bans abortions after the detection of what anti abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat. But medical authorities say this term is misleading. And, unlike past anti abortion laws, this one gives individuals the right to sue doctors who perform abortions after six weeks. Meanwhile, of course, many women are unaware they are pregnant before six weeks. Heres carliss chatman, a constitutional lawyer at the Washington And LeeUniversity School of law in virginia on how this law is different to previous ones. Unlike previous bills, which allowed enforcement to happen through the attorney general, this bill allows enforcement by private citizens. What that means is that planned parenthood, whole Womans Health and other organisations that provide abortions cannot file for an immediate injunctiOn And sue ken paxton, the attorney general. Instead, they have to wait around to be sued by private citizens. What this also means is, with courts backed up by covid, there is potentialfor this to linger and cause a lot of backlog in the court system, and, in the meantime, you know, women are going to suffer if this bill is able to go into effect in september the 1st. What is interesting, is every six Week Abortion Ban has been stricken down, every single one of them is unconstitutional under the current precedent. And the people who are going to be really, really hurt by this are the women who cant afford to travel to another state. We are talking about the black and brown women, the low income women who are in texas and would be in need of the procedure and not able to get one. And a lot of these bills are claiming they are defending the personhood of foetuses, but, you know, my argument has been that we dont protect people who are born. The unborn seem to have superior rights to natural persons who are walking and talking. The unborn seem to have superior rights to even their mothers and i believe the current cases strike a balance, the proper balance, providing equal protection by protecting the constitutional rights of the mother until the foetus is viable, versusjust giving, you know, and equal protection to a foetus from the time of conception. The headlines on Bbc News a court in france has ruled that more than 2,500 women who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal should receive compensation. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. There have been more Air Strikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Its been almost two years since england cricketing Legend Bob willis died from Prostate Cancer, and today, a fund is being launched in his name to raise money for research into the disease. Its being backed by Sir Ian Botham and bob dylan. The charity has been set up by bobs wife, lauren clark. Graham satchell went to meet her at lords. You can be surrounded by people, but you still feel incredibly lonely. Because that person thats yours and looks at you in a way that No One else does and loves you more than anyone else does. Hes not there now. I mean, he is there, hes here all the time, hes here now, but hes not here in person, is he . Yes, i miss him a lot. Lauren has really struggled to cope with the loss of her husband, cricketing Legend Bob willis. Bob had Prostate Cancer and died in 2019. He was very funny. We laughed a lot. We had quite a naughty, rude sense of humour and liked the same things, so we made Each Other laugh. I think i kept upbeat for him, and he kept upbeat for me, and whether that was good or bad, ultimately, because we didnt really talk about him dying and how i would live without him and stuff, which i regret now, but it was about keeping upbeat and happy and not bringing Each Other down. Bob willis played 90 tests for england but will always be remembered for headingley, 1981. And hes caught it going into the match, he was angry. He was under a lot of pressure and probably if he hadnt performed, he probably wouldnt have ever played for england again. Coming in off his long run, Bob Willis tore the australians apart. Willis has taken his sixth wicket. It was one of englands greatest sporting moments. Bowled him its all over, and it is one of the most fantastic victories ever known. Bob willis, eight wickets. I think it affected his life forever more, because he did Carry On Playing Cricket for england. He then became england captain, and then was that the reason he got his job with sky for 30 years . I mean, possibly. So it was a very life changing day for him. Well, he isnt an international natural wicketkeeper, is he . Lets be honest about it. Bob willis became a gloriously waspish pundit. I mean, Standing Up, he looks like a Performing Seal at feeding time, doesnt he . Flapping away there. He perfected that persona. He came across very grumpy and opinionated. This series has been disgraceful. But in real life, he just wasnt like that. He was a very loving, gentle, listened to people, didnt talk about himself or show off about his Cricket Exploits or anything like that. He was a really special persOn And lots of people loved him. 0n the Honours Board at lords, Bob Willis sits proudly alongside the great names of cricket. It is a source of pride for lauren but not comfort. I am completely on my own. I have lots of lovely friends. It isnt the same. I have No One to do nothing with. That is a famous phrase that really resonates with me. We dontjust hang around, lying on the sofa together, watching netflix in silence. I come home to an empty flat. I dont really know how, i have no idea what my life is going to be in the future. Its really, really difficult. Lauren has decided to honour Bobs Name by setting up the Bob Willis fund. It launches today. It will raise money for Prostate Cancer better testing, screening and Treatment. 11,000 men die every year of Prostate Cancer, which is one man every 45 minutes, and there is still no national Screening Programme because the Psa Test is unreliable. So thats not perfect, and thats what were trying to raise Money And Awareness for through the Bob Willis fund, and helping Prostate Cancer uk. In lockdown, lauren painted this portrait of her husband at the crease, ready to deliver. He did have an iconic action, didnt he . I think the cubism gives it quite a lot of movement, so it feels like he is storming in, doesnt it . It does. Im quite pleased with the result. Lauren is planning to auction her painting. The money will go to the Bob Willis fund, to help the fight against Prostate Cancer. Graham satchell, Bbc News. The american actor billy porter, who stars in the hit show pose, has shared with the world that hes been living with hiv for the past 14 years. The star made his name on broadway, winning a Tony Award for his role in the musical Kinky Boots in 2013. Freya cole reports. Billy porter is one of the hottest names on the red carpet. Hes known for breaking barriers when it comes to fashiOn And his hit show pose. And that is how you do it Now Porter hopes to break down the stigma attached to hiv positive. The Emmy Award winning actor was diagnosed with the illness 14 years ago and, in an interview with hollywood reporter, he said he lived with that shame in silence. Billy porter is proof that you can have a career. He has been living with this disease for 14 years, looks great, has had some of the most important Film And Television roles in his life after he was diagnosed with hiv. Porter revealed he held off making his Diagnosis Public over fear of further discrimination in the Film And Television industry. But the time for speaking out is now, he said, because the truth is healing, and for him there is no longer any fear. Freya cole, Bbc News. Eurovision fans have had to wait two long years for their favourite contest, but this weekend sees the competition back on our screens. The singers and bands who were due to take part in last years cancelled event are being given another chance. 0ur Arts Correspondent David sillito sat down with the uks representative, singer songwriterjames newman, ahead of saturdays competition. Out of the embers. You and i are going to light up the room. Nervous . Just a little bit. Probably the biggest show i will ever perform at in my life. Its huge. I never worry when youre by my side. 0h, Feelings Change and seasons fade. I keep thinking, ive woken up some days, and im like, 180 Million people and then im like, whoa, 180 Million people. I just cant comprehend that amount of people. Ifeel the heat here. Theres still a chance for us. You had to write a new song. How did You Go about that . I waited as long as possible before i wrote it. And when i sat down to write it i thought, what do i want to sing on stage in front of 180 Million people, and what is the feeling going to be . And i thought, its going to be like a celebration, hopefully. Hopefully, we have got through this rubbish time, or are starting to get through, and colin, one of the writers, had a list of contacts, and he showed them to me and there was one called embers and i was like oh, sick. Lets do embers, because its like the glowing fire, kind of reigniting and everyone coming back together. How has the last 12 months been for you . Its been a bit of a roller coaster, really. When it got cancelled, shortly after that i got covid, which was not fun. And it hit me quite hard and for two months, and i got asthma, and then i got long covid, which was rubbish, so it was a year of trying to be healthy. Light up the room of course, the Uk Hasnt had a great deal of Eurovision Success in recent years. Was that in the back of his mind . I think its all aboutjust showing people who Love Eurovision that you love it as well, and you are putting in the effort and that you really care about it and everything you say, and the song you are singing you love, and its a part of you as well. And it is for me, so i feel like, you know, hopefully that will get picked up on by the voters. Are you looking forward to being kind of around lots of people having fun . Yes cant wait. Honestly, cant wait. Out of the embers you and i are going to light up the room. Out of the embers, theres a fire burning for you. A Giant Iceberg about the size of the island of majorca has broken off from antarctica. It is believed to now be the largest iceberg in the world, measuring 106 miles long by 15 miles wide. It was spotted in recent Satellite Images captured by the the European Space agency. Some icebergs in the Antarctic Peninsula have rapdily disintegrated in recent years, which scientists believe may be related to climate change. Environmentalists say the surface of lake titicaca, in the Andean Mountains between bolivia and peru, is being taken over by duck weed algae. The algae blocks sunlight from reaching other life in the lake, suffocating fish and natural vegetation. It feeds on high concentrations of phosphates and nitrates in the lake caused by pollution, Industrial Waste and organic erosion from nearby cities. A trailer for a reunion of one of the most watched sitcoms of the � 90s has been released. The episode is being called The One where they get back together and will see the cast of friends re united for an unscripted special. The much loved characters of chandler, rachel, monica, phoebe, Joey And Ross will be joined by celebrities, including Lada Gaga and justin bieber. Friends the reunion will be available to stream on hbo on May 27th after a lengthy Delay Due to the coronavirus pandemic. Youre watching Bbc News. Now its time for a look at the weather with carol. Hello. It looks like this unsettled weather we currently have is going to be with us until the middle of next week anyway, and thats when we think High Pressure will take over, because at the moment, low pressure is very much in charge, today bringing us some wet and windy conditions. Now, The Rains been coming in from the atlantic Pushing Northwards and eastwards through the course of this morning, and it will continue that way into the afternoon. And that Rain Heavy and persistent for many, but further south, it will be patchier in nature and light, and across the far north of scotland and shetland, its sunshine and showers. The other thing is the wind. The wind is going to strengthen with gales through the irish sea, wales, the south west of england. Inland, were looking at gusts about 40 mph and temperatures seven to 14 or 15 degrees. At this stage in may, they should be closer to 15 in the north and about 18 in the south. Now, through this evening and overnight, our rain continues its journey moving eastwards. The wind will still be strong and gusty winds across Southern England and also south wales. But look at those temperatures. Its going to be a mild night more or less across the board, with the exception of shetland. Now, into tomorrow, we still have low pressure dominating our weather. Its going to continue to slowly push over towards the east. You can see The Rain getting into the South East, but it will pull away from northWest Scotland and Northern Ireland. So brighten up for you. But as it does so, well see some further showers, with temperatures still below average for this time of year. Eventually on saturday, that low pressure pulls off into the north sea. You can see the trailing front. That clears the southeast, but then were in for a day of sunshine and showers. Some of the showers could be heavy and thundery with hail. Towards the west, some of us could miss them altogether. But temperatures still disappointing. Sunday starts off on a dry and bright note across central and eastern areas, then our next area of low pressure sweeps in from the atlantic, bringing its rain with it as it does so. It could be wintry across the very tops of the mountains in scotland, with temperatures about 10 14 degrees. So heres sundays system. You can see the track moving from west to east, attached to this area of low pressure. That will eventually move away, leaving us with the regime once again of sunshine and showers in the early part of the week. So not all of us will see the showers, of course. Temperatures will still be below par. But as High Pressure builds later on in the week, well see a return to temperatures closer to where they should be. This is Bbc News. Imjoanna im joanna gosling. The headlines at 11 a new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. I cant imagine me ever wanting to use public transport over my car, so, yeah, i do think they will have to do something drastic. It goes up and up every year, and the service, you know, overall, doesnt get any better. I have just received a message, i havejust received a message, and the message says, victory a court in france has ruled that more than 2,500 women who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal should receive compensation. More Air Strikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants, despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Surge testing and vaccinations begin in more areas of england to combat the spread of the indian covid variant. Universities must introduce mandatory policies for dealing with Sexual Assault, thats the demand from scores of women who say they are survivors of such abuse. And we report from japan where politicians and the 10c insist the Tokyo Olympics will be safe, but public opposition is intensifying. Good morning. More than a quarter of a century after britains railways began to be privatised, control of trains and tracks are going to be returned to the Public Sector. The government is creating a new body called great British Railways, which will set timetables and prices, sell tickets in england and manage rail infrastructure. But private operators will still be contracted to run most trains. 0ur ConsumerAffairs CorrespondentColletta Smith has this report. For years now, Rail Travel has been less associated with glamour and more with crowds, delays and expense. Quite diabolical. Just a disaster. I actually pay about £30 a day for my travel. And, as you can see, this isnt worth £30 a day. It is not worth 30p a day. You get on the train and then they will cancel it at wigan without telling you. Problems in recent years have seen Train Companies folding at a rate of knots. But, a quarter of a century after privatising the railways, this conservative government has a new plan. They are going to make a government owned company responsible for all timetable, prices and Ticket Sales called great British Railways. Bring in a new Flexiseason Ticket that doesnt have to be used five days a week as millions of people are facing a Hybrid Return to the office in the coming months. And scrap the Franchise System only pay companies if trains are on time and clean. The former boss of british airways, keith williams, came up with the ideas. There is an enormous opportunity here, not only to simplify the way that people buy tickets, but also to benefit from a Retail Environment that gives greater flexibility in the way that fares are operated in the future. This is the government acknowledging the real problems that have existed on the railways for decades that any passenger could have told you about. Problems with pricing, ticketing and problems with timetabling. And nobody knowing whos in charge. I do accept it is too complicated. We have seen the timetable debacle, the Secretary Of State, me, in other words, having to take railways back into public ownership and No One really knowing who is in charge when something goes wrong. These reforms, great British Railways, will sort that out once and for all. The plan will take a slightly different shape in scotland and wales, but the government say the new system across britain should look more like Transport For London multiple operators under one brand. But in the midlands, campaigners worry it wont be nearly as straightforward to use. We want in the midlands What London has been benefiting from for decades. So that flexibility, integration between railways and trams and buses is going to be very important moving forward. After pumping billions of pounds into the railways during the pandemic, the new plans also mention efficiency. And whatever promises are made, that usually means cuts to services somewhere. Colletta smith, Bbc News, york. Well, we can speak now to Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rmt Trade Union which represents 83,000 rail, maritime and transport workers. Welcome, thank you very much for joining us. The Passenger Watchdog Transport focus says passengers will welcome this move to more accountable and joined up railway. What is your view . It is accountable and joined up railway. What is your view . What is your view . It is a missed opportunity what is your view . It is a missed opportunity we what is your view . It is a missed opportunity. We could what is your view . It is a missed opportunity. We could have what is your view . It is a missed opportunity. We could have had. What is your view . It is a missed | opportunity. We could have had a publicly owned publicly controlled railway that runs in the interests of the people rather than what weve got now which is a patch up of a failed system where the private sectors operators who brought these problems on top of us and at the same time have pocketed tens of billions in profits since 1983, theyre still in place, and the irony is that Public Sector railways In Europe, holland, france, germany, will be Making Profit from the british Railway System, and those profits will be assured by Grant Shapps on the dft and the treasury. So we could have had great British Railways taken over Network Rail which they are going to do but also taking over the direct operation of the trains, which has been the most successful method on lner and others when things have failed. And we could have gone straight to the Ideal Position of a publicly owned and controlled railway that is accountable to the government and a stand alone chair that could run that company. So standalone chair that could run that company standalone chair that could run that company. So it doesnt go as far as you that company. So it doesnt go as far as you would that company. So it doesnt go as far as you would have that company. So it doesnt go as far as you would have liked, that company. So it doesnt go as far as you would have liked, but l that company. So it doesnt go as| far as you would have liked, but is it going to be better than what it has been . � ,. , , has been . Anything would be better than franchising. Has been . Anything would be better than franchising. The has been . Anything would be better than franchising. The government i than franchising. The government have commissioned reports in the past of said franchising is great when everyone else knows it is rubbish, so they have finally come to the conclusion that the degraded brand of Franchise Railways is gone. They are moving to a new Form Called Concessions, but those concessions will guarantee the profits of these companies. Lets not forget is the same people live through that have failed under the old system, and we think they will fail under the new system, but what they will get is the ability to Trouser Tens of millions of pounds from those concessions. Millions of pounds from those concessions. , concessions. The government did subsidise the concessions. The government did subsidise the rail concessions. The government did subsidise the Rail Industry concessions. The government did subsidise the Rail Industry hugely| subsidise the Rail Industry hugely as a result of covid, £10 billion invested in the Rail Industry. There is speculation that will be clawed back. Are you concerned about that . The government are using the covid crisis and the funding they had to put in, which they put into the rest of the economy as well, by the way, they are going to use that as an attack on our members, they will dilute safety standards, they have already told us that, maintenance will be pushed out, some things wont be maintained at all, they won thousands ofjob cuts, they want to attack pay and conditions and pensions. We wont tolerate out and our members are now in a disputed footing on the railway, and unless the railways change their plans in the railways change their plans in the government revises these plans to attack our members, we will be involved in Industrial Disputes quite quickly. Involved in Industrial Disputes quite quickly involved in Industrial Disputes quite quickly. Involved in Industrial Disputes uuite cuickl. , quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what we quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what we want quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what we want to quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what we want to see, j this is exactly what we want to see, because this is about making services more punctual, offering cheaper tickets. And they might not like the prospect of strike action, Industrial Action actually causing more problems going ahead. Im Industrial Action actually causing more problems going ahead. Im sure the will more problems going ahead. Im sure they will want more problems going ahead. Im sure they will want to more problems going ahead. Im sure they will want to save more problems going ahead. Im sure they will want to Save Railway more problems going ahead. Im sure they will want to Save Railway that they will want to Save Railway that is properly staffed. There are no price reductions, they are charging the same process but with fewer tickets. The flexible season is just a sensible commercial step which we have been calling for for a long time. It is the ability to buy eight tickets a month rather than 20, it is not going to change the cost of the ticket, it is just a different form of buying a ticket at the same price, so it is not that innovative. It is a straightforward commercial step. What we have got to ensure is that the railway is viable, safe and efficient, and delivers for the people of this country, and that means a Save Railway, not in the hands of subcontractors which is what Network Rail is largely doing, and cutting back on their own staff. We want skilled people that are doing the job properly and to know how to maintain the railway, high speed and suburban networks in the Country Network so that weve got boots on the ballast looking after the infrastructure. Network rail is prepared to take risks in order to cut costs, and we dont want that to cost lives in the future. We want to Save Railway. We also want to protect the jobs of our members which is the job of a trade union. Members which is the 0b of a trade union. ~. ~ members which is the 0b of a trade union. ~ w ,. Members which is the 0b of a trade union. ~ ,. , ~. , ~ union. Mick lynch of the rmt, thank ou ve union. Mick lynch of the rmt, thank you very much a Court In Paris has ruled thousands of women should receive compensation after they were given Breast Implants which were found to contain cheap industrial Grade Silicone. The women, including hundreds of british women, suffered long Term Health complications after many of the implants ruptured. The ruling found the german manufacturer Tuv Rheinland was negligent. Sophie hutchinson has the background to the case. Do you want to give me a kiss first . Yep. Alifiejones at home with her son where she has been recovering after having her faulty Pip Breast implants removed just last month. She was finally convinced by a friend to take them out after suffering years of exhaustiOn And debilitating pain. Not knowing what it was. The mysterious illnesses. Not being able to exercise. Not being vibrant. Having my life stolen from me, in a way. This abandoned factory in Southern France is where the sub standard implants were made. The french Manufacturer Pip was liquidated in 2010 and its founder was given a Prison Sentence after it emerged the implants were filled with cheap Silicone Gel that was not cleared for human use. I cant believe that these were allowed to be implanted in me. I dont know how they got through regulations, in me, but i feel guilty that i messed around with my body and that i put them in in the first place, but im angry that a Human Being can do that to another Human Being. For the past decade, this lawyer in paris has been seeking compensation for what are now more than 20,000 victims of pip, half of whom are british women. Its estimated up to 400,000 women worldwide have received the illegal implants. Latin american was worst hit, in particular colombia, where there are estimated to be 60,000 victims, followed by the uk, where it is thought 47,000 women are affected. Pip implants from 20 years ago are still impacting on my life and my health and my wellbeing, even today. Jan spivey was given Pip Implants after she had a Mastectomy Due to Breast Cancer. She developed sore and aching joints, chest and back pain, fatigue, severe headaches and anxiety. 0nce removed, it was clear her implants had been leaking silicone into her body. The important thing for me now is that all of this Suffering Hasnt been in vain, that there will be some important consequences and outcomes for a lot of women who have gone through precisely the same kind of trauma and have been impacted in a similar way. I have been angry for every single day for 20 years that i have been affected by pip. And it is possibly one of the things that i am looking forward to most is i really need to move away from those constant feelings of anger and despondency. Jan is one of 540 british women involved in this mornings Court Case in paris. But the ruling will have implications for hundreds of thousands of women worldwide who have fallen victim to the faulty Breast Implants. Sophie hutchinson, Bbc News. Earlier my colleague Victoria Derbyshire spoke to gail coxon, who is part of a group of women to have their claims decided by the court. She said doctors hadnt initially believed her symptoms were linked to the implants. A good friend of mine called me, and she said, have you heard about this . And i think it was 2011, just before christmas. And as soon as she said it, ijust knew that christmas. And as soon as she said it, i just knew that that was what this is, that explains everything. And then i had to wait another month before we had confirmation from the clinic that that was what it was. But still we were trying to get help from the doctors, and they still didnt recognise it, so it has been a long battle. It was only when i was speaking to other women into knowing they had been through exactly the same thing that itjust confirmed all my suspicions. Band confirmed all my suspicions. And over this time, confirmed all my suspicions. And over this time, your confirmed all my suspicions. And over this time, your relationship broke down, you lost your business that you used to run. Was that relevant . Was that related to the fact that you are feeling ill . Completely. Ijust fact that you are feeling ill . Completely. I just couldnt fact that you are feeling ill . Completely. Ijust couldnt run it any more. I would have run it into ground, i was having too many days off, hospitalappointments ground, i was having too many days off, hospital appointments all the time. The physical pain in my joints, it was a very physicaljob so it wasjust joints, it was a very physicaljob so it was just impossible to do. And it got to the point where i collapsed a few times. The night that i signed the contract, i collapsed and was taken to hospital in an ambulance, so that was quite scary. I honestly thought i was going to die at the time, it really was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet. You was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet you had was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet. You had them was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet. You had them removed was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet. You had them removed in i was terrifying to go through. I bet, i bet. You had them removed in 2012. What difference did that make to you physically and mentally . Physically and mentally . Mentally was hard, physically and mentally . Mentally was hard. It physically and mentally . Mentally was hard, it was physically and mentally . Mentally was hard, it was very physically and mentally . Mentally was hard, it was very hard. Physically and mentally . Mentally was hard, it was very hard. But i was hard, it was very hard. But physically, priorto was hard, it was very hard. But physically, prior to that i had been suffering from these horrendous and and things, nosebleeds that would last half an hour, every day, completely wiped me out. And the day that i had the implants out, the nosebleeds stopped. It was insane. Within a week, the headaches had gone, and gradually ijust started to feel more and more like my old self. But the impact on how i felt about my body was quite drastic, that it really did have a Knock On Effect, and gradually i developed an Eating Disorder because of it which i battled through for the past few years, but it was a really tough time. �. , years, but it was a really tough time. �. , ,. ,. ,. , time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that i time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that i think time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that i think in time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that i think in a time. Im really sorry to hear that. I know that i think in a previous i i know that i think in a previous stage of the action, you have already been awarded just over £3000 i think it is. Already been awarded ust over £3000 i think it is. , already been awarded just over £3000 i think it is. Yes. In the scheme of what ou i think it is. Yes. In the scheme of what you have i think it is. Jazz in the scheme of what you have experienced i think it is. 123 in the scheme of what you have experienced and gone through, that is still a small sum of money, nothing will wake up Make Up for what has happened to you, will it . Ida Make Up for what has happened to you. Will it . You, will it . No amount of money will replace you, will it . No amount of money will replace the you, will it . No amount of money will replace the years you, will it . No amount of money will replace the years i you, will it . No amount of money will replace the years i have i you, will it . No amount of money will replace the years i have lost, | will replace the years i have lost, and at the time that sum of Money Wasnt even enough to cover the removal and replacement. And i was very glad i didnt have them replaced, because what i would have had as a replacement was then recalled. ,. ,. , had as a replacement was then recalled. So had as a replacement was then i recalled. So although it recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a hard recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a hard journey, recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a hard journey, i recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a hard journey, i think. Recalled. Goodness. So although it has been a hard journey, i think it| has been a hard journey, i think it was the right Decision. We can now speak to 0liver thorne, a lawyer who is representing more than 500 women in the uk who are still waiting for legal Decisions to made on their cases. There are five different groups of women taking action, and the Result Today relates to the first group. Welcome. Does this ruling mean that every group now will continue to have to go through the legal process, or does it curtail that now for the others who are still fighting . For the others who are still fiuuhtin . , for the others who are still fiuuhtin . , fighting . The hope is it will curtail that, fighting . The hope is it will curtail that, although i fighting . The hope is it will curtail that, although we i fighting . The hope is it willl curtail that, although we are talking curtail that, although we are talking about the french courts here, talking about the french courts here, which is a completely differentjurisdiction here, which is a completely different jurisdiction to england, obviously. So how the rest of the case obviously. So how the rest of the case evolved and follows we will have case evolved and follows we will have to case evolved and follows we will have to wait and see. Tell case evolved and follows we will have to wait and see. Case evolved and follows we will have to wait and see. Tell us more about some have to wait and see. Tell us more about some of have to wait and see. Tell us more about some of the have to wait and see. Tell us more about some of the women have to wait and see. Tell us more about some of the women that i have to wait and see. Tell us more| about some of the women that you have to wait and see. Tell us more i about some of the women that you are representing and the impact that this has had on their lives. Like ou this has had on their lives. Like you have this has had on their lives. Like you have just this has had on their lives. Like you have just heard this has had on their lives. Like you have just heard from gail, her story you have just heard from gail, her story is you have just heard from gail, her story is very you have just heard from gail, her story is very similar to a lot of my Clients Story is very similar to a lot of my clients a story is very similar to a lot of my clients a Lot Story is very similar to a lot of my clients. A lot of my clients still have clients. A lot of my clients still have the clients. A lot of my clients still have the implants in situ. They havent have the implants in situ. They havent got the funds with which to Et Havent got the funds with which to get the havent got the funds with which to get the implants replaced, and the nhs will get the implants replaced, and the nhs will only remove the implants, they wont nhs will only remove the implants, they wont replace them. And so this compensation is needed for women to Et Compensation is needed for women to get their compensation is needed for women to get their replacements. Get their replacements. Beyond that, how important get their replacements. Beyond that, how important is get their replacements. Beyond that, how important is the get their replacements. Beyond that, how important is the compensation, l how important is the compensation, and what sort of level of compensation are you looking at . There are thousands of women obviously involved in this. I think it is still very obviously involved in this. I think it is still very early obviously involved in this. I think it is still very early days obviously involved in this. I think it is still very early days yet, i obviously involved in this. I think it is still very early days yet, and | it is still very early days yet, and there it is still very early days yet, and there have it is still very early days yet, and there have been some figures mooted, but there there have been some figures mooted, but there are such degrees of suffering, some women have the implants suffering, some women have the implants and they have not suffered any ruptures. Others have similar to what any ruptures. Others have similar to what we any ruptures. Others have similar to what we have just heard from gail, have what we have just heard from gail, have really what we have just heard from gail, have really been through the mill with it. Have really been through the mill with it, and have suffered extraordinarily. With it, and have suffered extraordinarily. With it, and have suffered extraordinaril. , extraordinarily. The company, Tuv Rhineland is extraordinarily. The company, Tuv Rhineland is a extraordinarily. The company, Tuv Rhineland is a private extraordinarily. The company, Tuv Rhineland is a private company. I extraordinarily. The company, Tuv I Rhineland is a private company. Does it have Deep Pockets for compensation . It is a costly legal battle already. We dont know whether they might appeal this judgment. But i am just thinking, is there any guarantee with a private company that actually in The End of the women would gEt Compensation . Brute the women would gEt Compensation . We are hoping they are, and we would hope are hoping they are, and we would hope by are hoping they are, and we would hope by now that we would know if they didnt hope by now that we would know if they didnt have those Deep Pockets. Ithink they didnt have those Deep Pockets. I think they they didnt have those Deep Pockets. I think they are the second largest certifier i think they are the second largest certifier in i think they are the second largest certifier In Europe may be, if not the world, certifier In Europe may be, if not the world, so we would hope that they have the world, so we would hope that they have adequate insurance to cover they have adequate insurance to cover this they have adequate insurance to cover this case. find they have adequate insurance to cover this case. They have adequate insurance to coverthis case. �. , ,. , cover this case. And obviously Money Wont take away cover this case. And obviously Money Wont take away what cover this case. And obviously Money Wont take away what these cover this case. And obviously Money Wont take away what these women i wont take away what these women have been through, the impact on their lives, the frustration of not knowing what was causing Health Problems and then having to go through a Legalfight Problems and then having to go through a legal fight to prove problems and then having to go through a legalfight to prove it. How do you quantify something like that . I how do you quantify something like that . , � , how do you quantify something like that . , � ~ ,. , how do you quantify something like that . , � ~ that . I dont think you can. The way these women that . I dont think you can. The way these women have that . I dont think you can. The way these women have been that . I dont think you can. The way these women have been treated, i that . I dont think you can. The way. These women have been treated, the way that these women have been treated, the way that the case has dragged on, no Amount Way that the case has dragged on, no amount of way that the case has dragged on, no amount of money for any of these Women Amount of money for any of these women is amount of money for any of these women is going to make life any easier~ women is going to make life any easier. However, hopefully it will be some easier. However, hopefully it will be some sort of indication, i suppose. Be some sort of indication, i suppose, for them, that their fate isjustified. Suppose, for them, that their fate isjustified, and the complaints they isjustified, and the complaints they have isjustified, and the complaints they have been making with their medical they have been making with their medical symptoms, it is all down to these medical symptoms, it is all down to these pip medical symptoms, it is all down to these Pip Implants. Medical symptoms, it is all down to these Pip Implants. Ndow are there wider questions these Pip Implants. Ndow are there wider questions about these Pip Implants. Ndow are there wider questions about the these Pip Implants. Ndow are there wider questions about the issuing i these Pip Implants. Ndow are there wider questions about the issuing of| wider questions about the issuing of safety certificates and the measures that are in place to ensure something like this cannot happen again . I something like this cannot happen auain . ~ something like this cannot happen auain . Of sustained israeli Air Strikes on gaza despite demands for a ceasefire. President biden has told israel he expects a � significant De Escalation of the violence. A senior Hamas Official said he expected a pause to fighting within days. The conflict has already cost more than 200 lives, including dozens of children. Mark lobel reports. More trauma and tears in a gaza hospital. Behind this crowd, a palestinian father killed alongside his pregnant Wife And Daughter after an israeli Air Strike hit their home as they cooked a family meal. Israel continues to shoot down rockets fired from gaza. A near miss here as an israeli family fled this house moments before a rocket struck. The us president Joe Biden has told Benjamin Netanyahu he expects a significant De Escalation. I do think that President Biden has been appropriate and actively engaged, although todays public statement may be the first time he is making it clear that he is applying some pressure. But the israeli Prime Minister says he is determined to carry on until Calm And Security are restored to israeli citizens, outlining his strategy for dealing with hamas to foreign ambassadors in tel aviv. There are only two ways that you can deal with them. You can either conquer them, and thats always an open possibility, or you can deter them, and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence. But i have To Say we do not rule out anything. For a watertight ceasefire to emerge soon, israel will want to prove it has deterred hamas from attacking israel for some time, especially after hamas launched Rockets Atjerusalem in solidarity with the wider palestinian cause. But for any endgame on the horizon, a political process will need to rise from the ashes. Translation our work is now focused on stopping the israeli aggression i against our people injerusalem, the West Bank and gaza. Then entering a serious political process under clear international backing that leads to ending the israeli occupation of the lands in the state of palestine. As the conflict enters its 11th Day, its Notjust Arabs in occupied lands who need reassurance but those living within the state of israel. Unexpected violence between israelsjewish majority and arab minority is now an open wound that needs serious attention. Mark lobel, Bbc News. The bbc� s Rushdi Abualouf is in gaza. A long and very busy night for most of the people in gaza, especially people in the northern part of Gaza City. It has been hit hard, according to locals and as i can hear from my house, the sound of Air Strikes has been terrifying in this area. Huge Black Smoke was rising up to the sky, knocking down buildings according to locals, some infrastructure, some military sites that belonged to the militant group hamas were targeted as well, as well as a main road linking Gaza City to the northern part of the city. That caused a major Power Cut to most parts of the city. Maybe you can see the black in the background as part of the Power Cut. This morning, the Health Ministry just released a statement five minutes ago saying that a 32 year old woman was killed in the latest strike in khan yunis, in the southern gaza strip, as the fighting continues for the 11th Day now. Yesterday, it was intense, about 150 rockets were fired from gaza, targeting cities and towns in the south of israel. Hamas senior leader last night said we are close to a ceasefire. He said it is a matter of a day or two until we reach this conclusiOn And have a ceasefire. We havent heard yet from israel about this, but the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said last night the operation would continue. Surge testing has begun in six new areas across england to try to stamp out the spread of the indian covid variant. More tests and vaccine doses are being rolled out in bedford, burnley, hounslow, kirklees, leicester and North Tyneside after the government said they were areas of concern. It comes after almost 3,000 cases of the variant were identified in the uk. The Home Office says it will be able to carry out 10,000 checks a day to ensure people who have been to so called Amber List countries are keeping to quarantine rules. Since monday, travel has been permitted from england to more than 170 countries and territories on the governments Amber List. Borisjohnson says people should not be going on holidays to those countries. Travellers returning from Amber List countries must comply with a ten day Home Quarantine Rule. From today, 34 and 35 year olds in england can book theirfirst Covid Jab, while in Northern Ireland, the programme has been extended to those aged 25 to 29. Among those receiving their first vaccination this week was the duke of cambridge, whos 38 years old. Prince william thanked all those working on the Roll Out of the vaccine programme. Schoolchildren have missed out on a lot over the course of the pandemic, residential trips have been off the cards. Charities say these days away from home are vital, especially for disadvantaged children. Ali price spent the morning with some children who havent left the city in more than a year. Brute who havent left the city in more than a year who havent left the city in more thana ear. ~. ,. , than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up at than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up at eight than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up at eight to than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up at eight to go than a year. We go to sleep at five and wake up at eight to go to i and wake up at eight to go to school, sometimes ijust miss the whole school there, it wasnt ideal. I can see my friends and go to school. And that is why these ounu go to school. And that is why these young people go to school. And that is why these young people are go to school. And that is why these young people are here, go to school. And that is why these young people are here, at go to school. And that is why these young people are here, at jamiesi young people are here, atjamies farm, for a week long trip. It is the first of its kind allowed in 14 months. The 12 students, aged between 11 and 14, go to the Compass School in the London Borough of southwark. The week starts with a warm welcome but some cold, hard truths. The week here is basically handing in your technology for a week and living on the farm as if you are here for a week. So youre not going to have any technology, so, in a minute, i after this, we are going to go in and were going to hand i in the phones and will keep them in the office. Right, do you want| to go and get one . And then a tour and an introduction to the other residents they will be sharing their week with. There we go. Go on, go on. I can do this. You can, youve got it. I felt kind of nervous, actually. I was afraid one of the animals was going to bite me, but i think ill get over that. And, just a few hours in, the change of scene is already doing some good. You are getting something out of it, it is not like we are just relaxing or chilling. I dont know how to describe it. It isjust like, basically like a getaway to just calm myself down, basically. Yeah, focus on your mental Health And Stuff like that. Yeah. Children have been very isolated or over exposed to Social Media. They havent had the breadth of experiences that childhood, a healthy childhood, requires. They have been overexposed to the dynamics, often, of families that have really struggled and they are going to discover that they can make friends again, how to socialise and what is and isnt appropriate. When they lick, it tickles. But it isnt business as usual for everyone. Over in portsmouth, the Challenger Yacht belonging to the tall Ships Youth Trust can now go out on day trips. That is the bit there, so if you pull that down, it will loosen. But, normally, the charity would run a week long voyage staying out at sea. Social distancing rules mean that still isnt allowed for the most in need. The guidelines are very clear, that we should be working within existing school groups. Unfortunately for us, and for many other providers for disadvantaged young people, these youngsters dont belong to groups like that. They come off the streets, they come from youth groups, so they dont conform to the standard School Bubble and these are the kids that have been hit the worst. That will hopefully happen by the End Ofjune, when the charity says the next issue will be capacity, dealing with a backlog of young people whose lives could be changed by a week away from it all. Ellie price, Bbc News. Now time for a look at the weather with carol. Hello again. The weather remains unsettled, notjust today but over the next few days. We got low pressure coming in from the atlantic today, bringing in all this rain, moving northwards and eastwards. Some of that heavy and persistent. Lighter rain across parts of the South East of England And Sunshine and showers across shetland, but the wind will also be strengthening through the day, with gales across the irish sea, parts of wales and the south west. Even inland, we could have gusts as much as 40 mph. Through this evening and overnight, our rain continues to move eastwards, the wind picking up across southern areas. We still could have gusts of 40 mph, 50 mph, more than that along the coast and its going to be a mild night, with temperatures more or less across the board between nine and 10 degrees. Now, tomorrow, we see that Rain Drift across southern areas. Here, too, very gusty winds across Southern England, the south west, into East Anglia and the South East. As The Rain pulls into the north sea, it will brighten up in parts of scotland and Northern Ireland, but, still, a few showers. Hello, this is Bbc News. The headlines. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. I cant imagine me ever wanting to use public transport over my car, so, yeah, i do think they will have to do something drastic. It goes up and up every year and the service, i you know, overall, i doesnt get any better. Ijust i just received a ijust received a message and the message says, victory. A court in france has ruled that more than two and a half thousand women, who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal, should receive compensation. Surge testing and vaccinations begin in more areas of england to combat the spread of the indian covid variant. More airstrikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. Good morning. Manchester City Defender Ruben dias has been named Mens Footballer of the year, by the football writers association. The portugal centre back receives the honour in his first season in the english game, after signing for city from benfica last summer and hes the first defender to win it since liverpools steve nicol 32 years ago. Dias beat his teammate kevin de bruyne and tottenhams harry kane in a poll of almost 700 writers. Kane looked very emotional at The End of last Nights Game against Aston Villa, as speculation grows that hell be moving on in the summer possibly to manchester city. And tottenhams last Home Match of the season didnt go well a calamatious own goal helping Aston Villa to a 2 1 victory. After the final whistle, kane did a solo lap of the pitch, applauding the crowd, and leaving the fans wondering if he was saying goodbye. We did Bid Farwell to two managers last night. Roy hodgson was given a guard of honour ahead of crystal palaces last home game, after he announced hell be leaving at The End of the campaign. The match didnt go his way, arsenal winning 3 1 but it was an emotional evening for hodgson, whos walking away from the club hes supported all his life. To start on the terraces at the age of five or six and then to finish here at 73, managing the team. That has something of a Fairy Tale and the royal the Rovers Element but it has been a privilege these four years. This is a very important and special club. This is a very important and special club. And west broms Sam Allardyce said he now thought of himself as a short term manager, after they lost 3 1 at home to west ham, who are now almost certain of playing In Europe next season. Allardyce told fans he was sorry he couldnt save them from relegation, during his five months in charge. Iam sadi i am sad i have not kept you up. I have really loved being here today, felt the atmosphere was fantastic. Somebody else will come in and hopefully get the team back into the premier league, where they belong. Liverpool Managerjurgen Klopp said he couldnt wait to play in front of 10,000 fans at anfield on sunday, when theyll aim to secure a place in the champions league. Theyll be at home to crystal palace, and theyre competing against Leicester And Chelsea for the two remaining spots. Liverpool moved back into the top four, for the first time in three months, with a 3 0 win at burnley, Roberto Firmino put away their Opener And AlexOxlade Chamberlain scored his first goal sincejuly. That takes them above leicester on goal difference, one point behind chelsea. Red bulls sergio perez was quickest in first practice for the monaco grand prix. It was a pretty lively session, with the lead constantly changing hands. Perez was just ahead of carlos sainz in the ferrari, followed by Max Verstappen in the other red bull. With lewis hamiltons mercedes down in fifth. Rory mcilroy has been teasing justin thomas in front of the media, ahead of the second golf major of the season the us, Pga Championship, at Kia Wah Island in south carolina. Mcilroy is among the favourites, after he ended a 19 Month Spell without a win, just two weeks ago and he took the Pga Title on this course back in 2012 that was his second of his four majors, with thomas on one. A lot of guys have won one major but it is a big hurdle to get to the second. So it was good to get that monkey off my back, especially here, playing so well. So yeah, it was a big deal. I definitely did not want to be stuck on one for a long time so happy to get that second. Well leave you with some good news. Cardiff City Defender Sol bamba has said on his Social Media in the last hour that he is cancer free. He was being treated for non hodgkin lymphoma. Thats all the sport for now. Thank you. More now on the reform of railways in britain. Our Business CorrespondentSarah Corker is at Leeds Station and has more details on what passengers can expect. Hour but it has been really, really quiet. Passenger numbers have plummeted during lockdown but as you say, there are big reforms on the way. Described as the biggest Shake Up of the Rail Sector in a generation. There will be a new Public Body called great British Railways. That will manage trains and the tracks and the fairs and of the franchise model. But there is still a place for private sector companies. They will be working under a new concession model, so contracted to run the train services. What does this mean for passengers . There are going to be flexible Season Tickets brought in from the End Ofjune so people will be able to use them two or three days of the week, perhaps reflecting the changing world of work. There will also be pay as You Go and contactless tickets, similar to the Oyster System in london. We can get some reaction now from the businesses community. Amy is with me and runs a Business Consultancy in leeds. First question, what is your experience of the Rail Sector . Pretty terrible. Theyre very expensive, very overcrowded and highly unreliable. Personally i only tend to use the train if i am going to london. So not good then . No. What about these reforms, obviously there is a flexible Season Ticket coming in. How could that help your employees who will be working towards this hybrid model, a bit in the office and at home . I think it is really good idea and will help our workers. During the pandemic we have been employing a lot of remote teams. But we still need to get together on a regular basis and the flexible ticket will allow us to do that. And anyone who travels across the north of england on a train will no it can be a slow and painful experience. It takes a long time to get east to west, doesnt it . You can actually get to london quicker. What impact does all that have on Investment And Growth for businesses here in the north . The problems with the Rail Network in the north are really inhibiting growth and jobs. We need to be able to connect our cities. We need to be able to connect our cities. To live in one City And Work in another. Weve talked about northern Powerhouse Railfor a long time. There is yet another government review. We just want to see change and see that happen quite quickly. The idea of great British Railways is that it perhaps ends that Blame Game Problem where you have disruption on the railways, who is responsible, is it the Track Operator or the Rail Firm . This new body has a more joined up approach. Do you think it is a step in the right direction . It is a step in the right direction but there is no funding behind it. Change only happens when you put money behind it. That is what we really need to see happen. Lastly, i am interested to know, for your business going forward, do you think you will ever be in a position where everyone is back in the office . They do have to commute or have things changed forever . I think things are probably changed for ever. People have seen the benefits of Working From Home. Personally, i have always done that for the last four or five years. I think there are real benefits, particularly for sustainability, of Working From Home but having a hybrid model. Amy, thank you very much forjoining us. I think The Big Question going forward is going to be when will Passenger Numbers if ever recover to pre pandemic levels . One forecast actually suggests that for the next four years, Passenger Numbers will be 60 of normal levels so i think the industry is going to have to adapt and change and these reforms have been seen as a start to that. Universities must introduce mandatory policies for dealing with Sexual Assault. Thats the demand of women from 15 Uk Universities who say they are survivors of such abuse. A letter, signed by 14 campaign groups and charities, also calls on governments in the four nations of the uk to create an independent body that has powers to penalise universities who mishandle allegations of Sexual Assault. Jared lawthom reports. It was just a really exciting time, went on like a mini gap year. I was really excited to go off to University And Sort of begin this new chapter of my life. But, in one night, kind of all of that was taken away from me. I remember Standing Up on the podium reading my speech after high school graduation, shaking, butjust looking forward to my new life. But pretty much immediately after arriving, i realised that i was not going to be having the positive experience i had been hoping for. Its said to be some of the best years of your life, but for many women at university, this is not the case. Samantha says she was sexually assaulted during Freshers Week by a student at the university of the west of england. That one night robbed me of, like, the next three years of my life at university. I dont really know what to do. I just dont think the universitys policies were very clear. It felt like they just werent listening. Samantha is now one of the women from almost 30 universities and campaign groups across the uk that have signed a letter. The women, many of whom say theyve had similar experiences, are calling on governments to create a mandatory Safeguarding Policy for universities when dealing with Sexual Assault allegations. The investigation made me feel worthless, genuinely made me question, like, why i was alive. Why try . Why bother . According to a recent study, a minimum of 50,000 Sexual Assaults happen at universities every year. Through foi requests from 102 universities in england and wales, the same study concluded that only nine had satisfactory safeguarding policies and procedures for dealing with Sexual Assaults, in the response to sidney� s allegations, the royal Welsh College of Music And Drama say that they investigate reports of Sexual Assaults thoroughly and take action where it is needed and that they encourage anyone with concerns to speak to them. Meanwhile, the university of the west of england say that they tackle unacceptable behaviour robustly and have said that theyd be happy to talk to samantha about her experience and any recommendations she may have. This is happening on such, like, a massive scale, and No Ones doing anything about it. I want our universities to be safe. Not safer, safe. Because right now they are unsafe, period. Universities say they do have policies in place and have policies for their universities to follow. Now it will be up to governments to decide whether regulation is the route forward. Jared lawthom, Bbc News, cardiff. The tokyo 2021 olympics are due to start in just over two months, and the international olympic Committee President has insisted the games can go ahead safely. But despite this, opposition to the Games Withinjapan is growing, as the country faces an increase of coronavirus cases and a slow moving Vaccination Programme. Our Tokyo CorrespondentRupert Wingfield hayes reports. Never before has a Summer Olympics faced such overwhelming opposition from the people of the host nation. As japans Covid Pandemic continues to get worse, the opposition is growing louder and more prominent. This double Page Spread has appeared in several newspapers. It is an old photo from World War ii ofjapanese Children Training to fight The Americans with Bamboo Spears. Except now, the enemy is covid. No vaccines, it reads, no drugs. Are we supposed to fight the virus with Bamboo Spears . The head ofjapanese online Retailer Rakuten is also making headlines. He described holding the olympics now as a suicide mission. Even those who have signed up as olympic volunteers are saying it is time to stop. Definitely so. I dont hear people saying we should have the event. I never hear about it. They are just hoping that they will cancel the event. I think thats the main public opinion. While the virus is now well into its fourth wave here, japan has barely begun vaccination. So far, just 3 have received a single shot. This is the city of nagoya, in centraljapan, and i have come here because this city has just been placed under a State Of Emergency because of rapidly rising covid infections. I have also come because medical workers here are up in arms that they are being requested to volunteer at the Olympic Village in tokyo when theyre desperately needed at hospitals here. This young nurse, who does not want to show her face, has watched the covid unit in her hospital fill to capacity. Translation we already dont have enough Staff And Hospital beds for Covid Patients. People are already dying at home because they cant get into hospital. They want 500 nurses to volunteer for the olympics. That means more Covid Patients will not get the care they need. Far to the north, amid the Rice Fields of niigata, this small town has been preparing to host the russian gymnastics team. Some of its young gymnasts are trying out the new equipment specially installed for the russians. This person tells me the town spent over half A Million us dollars on all of this. Because of covid, the russian team will now never use it. Long timeJapan Resident and Sports Promoter Robert maes thinks there is one very obvious solution to delay the olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge why would you not even consider 2022, there really is no answer. There is only direct and firm, we do not organise in 2022. It is now or never. I argue for the exact opposite because i think that everybody involved here is better off with organisation in 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It looks like the olympics will either go ahead or be cancelled. But for these young gymnasts, the excitement they once had of welcoming the world to japan this summer is already a fading memory. Rupert wingfield hayes, Bbc News, niigata. The boss of easyjet has said today that travel to Amber List countries is absolutely legal after the government advised people not to go to those countries on holiday. Lets get more on this from our Business Presenter Ramzan karmali. Yes, he has been speaking on their half year results and actually can speak to him now. Thank you for joining us today. What is your opinion on the Government Advice on travelling at the moment . First opinion on the Government Advice on travelling at the moment . Travelling at the moment . First of all, i think travelling at the moment . First of all, i think you travelling at the moment . First of all, i think you should travelling at the moment . First of all, i think you should recognise i travelling at the moment . First of. All, i think you should recognise we have been all, i think you should recognise we have been very supportive of this approach. Have been very supportive of this approach, of having different countries being in different buckets depending on the risk they represent and the depending on the risk they represent and the restrictions introduced to make and the restrictions introduced to make sure and the restrictions introduced to make sure travel can take place in a safe way make sure travel can take place in a safe way. We are all for that, all behind safe way. We are all for that, all behind that but what i do not see happening is the government using the latest happening is the government using the latest data available that would consist the latest data available that would consist of the latest data available that would consist of a number of countries now on the consist of a number of countries now on the Amber Listed could actually io on the Amber Listed could actually go on on the Amber Listed could actually go on the on the Amber Listed could actually go on the Green List. Whilst the government believes there are places on that government believes there are places on that Amber Listed people should not travel on that Amber Listed people should not travel to, it should go on the red list~ not travel to, it should go on the red list so not travel to, it should go on the red list. So you have a Traffic Light red list. So you have a Traffic Light system where green is not really Light System where green is not really green and also, depending on the purpose of where youre travelling to and the country, different travelling to and the country, different recommendations on that. And on different recommendations on that. And on top different recommendations on that. And on top of that you have the Fto Advice and on top of that you have the Fto Advice saying it is ok to travel to some advice saying it is ok to travel to some countries. So of course this is confusing some countries. So of course this is confusing. We know that travel can restart confusing. We know that travel can restart in confusing. We know that travel can restart in a confusing. We know that travel can restart in a safe way and we are urged restart in a safe way and we are urged the restart in a safe way and we are urged the government to look at the data which urged the government to look at the data which means a number of European Data which means a number of European Countries could go on the green European Countries could go on the Green List~ European Countries could go on the Green List. This is happening now at scale Green List. This is happening now at scale in Green List. This is happening now at scale In Europe to the point that if you are scale In Europe to the point that if you are vaccinated, there are no restrictions you are vaccinated, there are no restrictions at all to coming in because restrictions at all to coming in because it restrictions at all to coming in because it is safe to do so. That is what because it is safe to do so. That is what we because it is safe to do so. That is what we are because it is safe to do so. That is what we are looking for the government now to do. On what we are looking for the government now to do. What we are looking for the covernment now to do. ,. Government now to do. On tuesday the prime Minister Government now to do. On tuesday the Prime Minister said government now to do. On tuesday the Prime Minister said we government now to do. On tuesday the Prime Minister said we should government now to do. On tuesday the Prime Minister said we should avoid i Prime Minister said we should avoid going on holiday to Amber Listed countries, we should follow that advice, no . Ii countries, we should follow that advice. No . Countries, we should follow that advice, no . If you think about its the restrictions advice, no . If you think about its the restrictions which advice, no . If you think about its the restrictions which are the restrictions which are different, reflecting on different risk levels in these countries so you as risk levels in these countries so you as soon risk levels in these countries so you as soon this would not have to do with you as soon this would not have to do with the you as soon this would not have to do with the purpose of why people should do with the purpose of why people should go do with the purpose of why people should go to destinations. There are millions should go to destinations. There are millions of should go to destinations. There are millions of people here who have not been able millions of people here who have not been able to reunite with family members. Grandparents have not seen grandchildren, single parents havent grandchildren, single parents havent seen even children in some cases havent seen even children in some cases there havent seen even children in some cases. There is a lot of confusiOn And this cases. There is a lot of confusiOn And this has cases. There is a lot of confusiOn And this has to do with the purpose of why and this has to do with the purpose of why i and this has to do with the purpose of why i am and this has to do with the purpose of why i am going. Restrictions in place of why i am going. Restrictions in place should mean it is safe to do so and place should mean it is safe to do so and that place should mean it is safe to do so and that is the whole point about why this so and that is the whole point about why this approach was the right thing why this approach was the right thing to why this approach was the right thing to take in the beginning. Results. Thing to take in the beginning. Results, 645 Million loss up to march and you have less passengers on board, how long can this continue for a business like easyjet . For a business like easyjet . Easyjet has been privileged, for a business like easyjet . Easyjet has been privileged, we for a business like easyjet . Easyjet has been privileged, we came i for a business like easyjet . Easyjet has been privileged, we came into | has been privileged, we came into the situation is one of the strongest airlines In Europe. We took strongest airlines In Europe. We took quick strongest airlines In Europe. We took quick and decisive action to make took quick and decisive action to make sure took quick and decisive action to make sure we had liquidity, we raised make sure we had liquidity, we raised £5. 5 billiOn And we raised another raised £5. 5 billiOn And we raised another 9 raised £5. 5 billiOn And we raised another 9 Billion on liquidity. We look forward now for the recovery so were look forward now for the recovery so were well look forward now for the recovery so were well set up for that. This is more were well set up for that. This is more about were well set up for that. This is more about the rights for people to start travelling and take advantages of the start travelling and take advantages of the amazing success of the Vaccination Programme in the uk. One has to Vaccination Programme in the uk. One has to remember from an easyjet perspective, whilst we are the largest perspective, whilst we are the largest airline in the uk, 50 of our business does not touch uk soil. But we our business does not touch uk soil. But we are our business does not touch uk soil. But we are going to manage through this situatiOn And it is something that is this situatiOn And it is something that is happening in their short term before we start seeing more short term before we start seeing more countries being added to the green more countries being added to the Green List more countries being added to the Green List because it is safe to do so. Green list because it is safe to do so that Green List because it is safe to do so that is Green List because it is safe to do so. That is what the latest data says so. That is what the latest data sa s. , y so. That is what the latest data sas. , says. How quickly can you get Uk Operations says. How quickly can you get Uk Operations running says. How quickly can you get Uk Operations running To Says. How quickly can you get Uk Operations running to levels i says. How quickly can you get Uk Operations running to levels that| operations running to levels that you will be happy with . Yen; you will be happy with . Very cuickl , you will be happy with . Very quickly. We you will be happy with . Very quickly, we set you will be happy with . Very quickly, we set out you will be happy with . Very quickly, we set out early i you will be happy with . Very quickly, we set out early on | you will be happy with . Very quickly, we set out early on we knew there quickly, we set out early on we knew there would quickly, we set out early on we knew there would be late Decisions on this and there would be late Decisions on this and i there would be late Decisions on this and i completely understand because this and i completely understand because you have to look at the data that is because you have to look at the data that is available. The government said it that is available. The government said it had that is available. The government said it had to review this Green List of said it had to review this Green List of countries every three weeks and i list of countries every three weeks and i completely understand, and it is a good and i completely understand, and it is a good idea. For that reason we have is a good idea. For that reason we have been is a good idea. For that reason we have been able to make sure we are flexible have been able to make sure we are flexible so have been able to make sure we are flexible so we can scale up when we see demand is there. Even though we are the see demand is there. Even though we are the largest operator to Green List countries, we will continue to do what list countries, we will continue to do what we list countries, we will continue to do what we can to supply capacity and provide a service for the customers who want this so badly now customers who want this so badly now. � ,. Customers who want this so badly now. ~ ,. , customers who want this so badly now. ,. ,. , now. Any thanks for your time today. Chief executive now. Any thanks for your time today. Chief executive of now. Any thanks for your time today. Chief executive of easyjet. Now. Any thanks for your time today. Chief executive of easyjet. Thank i Chief Executive of easyjet. Thank ou. Let us return to the demand for universities to have discriminatiOn And harassment policies. Georgina Calvert Lee is a discriminatiOn And harassment lawyer. Can you tell is what complaints you have come across in terms of complaints being handled by the university . Complaints being handled by the universi . , complaints being handled by the universi . , , complaints being handled by the universi . ,. ,. , university . People come with routine feelinas. University . People come with routine feelings. Starting university . People come with routine feelings. Starting from university . People come with routine feelings. Starting from the feelings. Starting from the beginning, they often are not clear as to who they should report an offence, sexual Assault Or Harassment to. There is not clear signposting. Once they have managed to make a formal complaint, they then find their complaint is often taken away from them, out of their hands, and they are excluded from the process. The reason this is done is i think because universities recognise serious complaints when ac them and they want to put them through their disciplinary process but the disciplinary process is one which works between the university and the person accused of doing something wrong. The person who has made a complaint is nowhere within that process. As a result they had excluded entirely, they do not see evidence put in against them to underline their credibility. They are not invited to the hearing or if they are, it is just as a witness to be cross examined and they have no right to remain for the rest of it. Most often they do not get to see the outcome of the reasonings behind the outcome of the reasonings behind the outcome. Remember, this is into their own complaint they do not see their own complaint they do not see the outcome. Nor do they often get a right to appeal it. So the outcome. Nor do they often get a right to appeal it right to appeal it. So when it comes to leual right to appeal it. So when it comes to legal action. Right to appeal it. So when it comes to legal action, what right to appeal it. So when it comes to legal action, what is right to appeal it. So when it comes to legal action, what is the right to appeal it. So when it comes to legal action, what is the case i to legal action, what is the case against the university in those situations and how have The Ones that you have been involved with tended to resolve . That you have been involved with tended to resolve . There are various leual tended to resolve . There are various legal recourse tended to resolve . There are various legal recourse is tended to resolve . There are various legal recourse is that tended to resolve . There are various legal recourse is that students i legal recourse is that students might have, depending on whether the perpetrator was a Staff Member or another student. Perpetrator was a Staff Member or anotherstudent. If perpetrator was a Staff Member or another student. If it is a Staff Member, it may be that the university is liable further actions under the equality act. Universities also all duty of care to their students, to protect them, take reasonable measures to protect them from foreseeable harm. When the Complaints Process is unevenly stacked on the Way Ijust explained so more protections are accorded to the person who is accused of sexual misconduct and deny to the person who makes those allegations, then we advance the argument that this is a new form of discrimination by the university, separate from the underlying harassment and the process itself is discriminatory. So now there is a demand for universities to have mandatory policies for dealing with Sexual Assault, watches that look like . I think it is very easy and universities have been told what to do for a long time and just have not done it. They need to take their existing processes which are largely 0k in terms of how investigation takes place, give those to someone who is trained in doing a fear investigation, but then at every point right there process ensure equal rights are accorded to the person who makes a complaint and the person who makes a complaint and the person who makes a complaint and the person who is complaint about. In that way they will avoid the discriminatory element in the Complaints Process which ijust described. Complaints process which i ust describedfi Complaints Process which i ust described. ,. , described. Why are so many going to the university described. Why are so many going to the university rather described. Why are so many going to the university rather than described. Why are so many going to the university rather than the the university rather than the police or is it that they are doing both . I police or is it that they are doing both . ~ , police or is it that they are doing both . ~ ,. , both . I think they might be doing both. The both . I think they might be doing both they are both . I think they might be doing both. They are two both . I think they might be doing both. They are two quite both . I think they might be doingj both. They are two quite different things. If You Go to the police, you and making an allegation of a criminal act. And making an allegation of a criminalact. Not and making an allegation of a criminal act. Not all harassment is a criminal act criminal act. Not all harassment is a criminalactand criminal act. Not all harassment is a criminal act and so the police would not be interested in some forms of harassment. In any event, the police will start an investigatiOn And they may prosecute may not but when you look at the statistics at the number of prosecutions that please feel they can take forward, because the police have to meet a very high criminal burden of proof, they have to prove that something has happened beyond reasonable doubt, then a lot of people who go to the police find their claims are not taking forward and prosecuted. So there is not a conviction. The statistics are startlingly low on how many complaints actually make it through the criminal system and end up in a conviction. And it takes a long time. A student is likely to have graduated before that happens. So alternatively, in addition to the university, for immediate measures relating to Road Safety and being able to continue their education, thatis able to continue their education, that is quite different to asking society to impose a criminal section on someone, it is more like a contract they are seeking. Thank ou, we contract they are seeking. Thank you. We are contract they are seeking. Thank you. We are out contract they are seeking. Thank you, we are out of contract they are seeking. Thank you, we are out of time contract they are seeking. Thank you, we are out of time but i contract they are seeking. Thankl you, we are out of time but thank you, we are out of time but thank you very much indeed. Let us catch up with the weather. Hello again, the weather remains unsettled. Low pressure from the atlantic bringing this rain, heavy and persistent. Later rain across South East england. Sunshine and showers across shetland. The wind is strengthening across the irish sea, parts of wales in the south west. Even inland gusts of 40 miles an hour. Rain continues overnight. And that Rain Heavy and persistent for many, but further south, it will be patchier in nature and light, and across the far north of scotland and shetland, its sunshine and showers. The other thing is the wind. The wind is going to strengthen with gales through the irish sea, wales, the south west of england. Inland, were looking at gusts about 40 mph and temperatures seven to 14 or 15 degrees. At this stage in may, they should be closer to 15 this is Bbc News. The headlines a new state owned body, great British Railways, will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. I cant imagine me ever wanting to use public transport over my car, so, yeah, i do think they will have to do something drastic. It goes up and up every year, and the service, you know, overall, doesnt get any better. I have just received a message, and the message says, victory a court in france has ruled that more than 2,500 women who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal should receive compensation. More Air Strikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Failures in the Test And Trace system are partly responsible for the surge in the indian variant in one of the worst affected parts of the country, according to a document seen by Bbc News. And we report from japan, where politicians and the ioc insist the Tokyo Olympics will be safe but public opposition is intensifying. Hello. More than a quarter of a century after britains railways began to be privatised, control of trains and tracks are going to be returned to the Public Sector. The government is creating a new body called great British Railways, which will set timetables and prices, sell tickets in england and manage rail infrastructure. But private operators will still be contracted to run most trains. Our consumer Affairs CorrespondentColletta Smith has this report. For years now, Rail Travel has been less associated with glamour and more with crowds, delays and expense. Quite diabolical. Just a disaster. I actually pay about £30 a day for my travel. I and, as you can see, i this isnt worth £30 a day. It is not worth 30p a day. You get on the train and then they will cancel it at wigan without telling you. Problems in recent years have seen Train Companies folding at a rate of knots. But a quarter of a century after privatising the railways, this conservative government has a new plan. They are going to make a government owned company responsible for all timetable, prices and Ticket Sales called great British Railways. Bring in a new Flexiseason Ticket that doesnt have to be used five days a week as millions of people are facing a Hybrid Return to the office in the coming months. And scrap the Franchise System only pay companies if trains are on time and clean. The former boss of british airways, keith williams, came up with the ideas. There is an enormous opportunity here, not only to simplify the way that people buy tickets, but also to benefit from a Retail Environment that gives greater flexibility in the way that fares are operated in the future. This is the government acknowledging the real problems that have existed on the railways for decades that any passenger could have told you about. Problems with pricing, ticketing and problems with timetabling. And nobody knowing whos in charge. I do accept it is too complicated. We have seen the timetable debacle, the Secretary Of State, me, in other words, having to take railways back into public ownership and No One really knowing who is in charge when something goes wrong. These reforms, great British Railways, will sort that out once and for all. The plan will take a slightly different shape in scotland and wales, but the government say the new system across britain should look more like Transport For London multiple operators under one brand. But in the midlands, campaigners worry it wont be nearly as straightforward to use. We want in the midlands What London has been benefiting from for decades. So that flexibility, integration between railways and trams and buses is going to be very important moving forward. After pumping billions of pounds into the railways during the pandemic, the new plans also mention efficiency. And whatever promises are made, that usually means cuts to services somewhere. Colletta smith, Bbc News, york. Failures in the national Test And Trace system are partly responsible for the surge in the indian variant in one of the worst affected parts of the country, according to a document seen by Bbc News. Its understood a technical problem left several councils unable to identify cases of the so called indian variant for three weeks. For more im nowjoined by our political correspondent ben wright. Tell us more. Containing the indian variant of covid tell us more. Containing the indian variant of covid is tell us more. Containing the indian variant of covid is clearly tell us more. Containing the indian variant of covid is clearly a variant of covid is clearly a priority for the government and local health officials, and the key weapon they have is the Test And Tray system, tracing the contacts of those who have tested positive to make sure infection doesnt spread. But the bbc has seen a document prepared by officials in one of the worst affected parts of the country which shows that between the 21st Of April and the 11th of may, the national Test And Trace system did not pass on the full details of 734 positive cases to eight local authorities, including nearly 300 in blackburn with darwen, which has seen a surge in cases of covid related to the indian variant. So in practice that meant that some people who had travelled from india, went to one of these eight local authorities where they were self isolating, couldnt be monitored by the local authorities, they couldnt be kept an eye on by they couldnt be kept an eye on by the local authorities and their contacts traced. So for a while those eight councils were flying blind. The report is clear that that glitch in the transmission of information from the national Test And Tray system to those local authorities exacerbated the problem and could have contributed to the spread of the indian variant. The department of health has said that the Test And Tray system has successfully threw its lifetime so far contacted over 10 Million people, and that although this problem occurred, all individuals were contacted and instructed to self isolate for ten days. What selfisolate for ten days. What about any selfisolate for ten days. What about any Reaction Selfisolate for ten days. What about any reaction from selfisolate for ten days. What about any reaction from the I Self isolate for ten days. What about any reaction from the council is affected by this . Hat about any reaction from the council is affected by this . Is affected by this . Not yet. There ma be is affected by this . Not yet. There may be further is affected by this . Not yet. There may be further reaction is affected by this . Not yet. There may be further reaction during is affected by this . Not yet. There may be further reaction during the day and it will be interesting to see too whether this glitch was limited to the eight councils we know about or whether it spread further than that. Clearly that is the latest setback for a system that has not been without controversy and criticism. It took awhile to get up and running, the cost has come in for and this glitch clearly had an impact over that critical three Week Period when local authorities could perhaps have been doing even more to ensure that the indian Variant Wasnt spreading in their communities. Wasnt spreading in their communities. , ~ � a Court In Paris has ruled thousands of women should receive compensation after they were given Breast Implants which were found to contain cheap industrial Grade Silicone. The women, including hundreds of british women, suffered long Term Health complications after many of the implants ruptured. The ruling found the german manufacturer Tuv Rheinland was negligent. Sophie hutchinson has the background to the case. Do you want to give me a kiss first . Yep. Alifiejones at home with her son where she has been recovering after having her faulty Pip Breast implants removed just last month. She was finally convinced by a friend to take them out after suffering years of exhaustiOn And debilitating pain. Not knowing what it was. The mysterious illnesses. Not being able to exercise. Not being vibrant. Having my life stolen from me, in a way. This abandoned factory in Southern France is where the sub standard implants were made. The french Manufacturer Pip was liquidated in 2010 and its founder was given a Prison Sentence after it emerged the implants were filled with cheap Silicone Gel that was not cleared for human use. I cant believe that these were allowed to be implanted in me. I dont know how they got through regulations, in me, but i feel guilty that i messed around with my body and that i put them in in the first place, but im angry that a Human Being can do that to another Human Being. For the past decade, this lawyer in paris has been seeking compensation for what are now more than 20,000 victims of pip, half of whom are british women. Its estimated up to 400,000 women worldwide have received the illegal implants. Latin american was worst hit, in particular colombia, where there are estimated to be 60,000 victims, followed by the uk, where it is thought 47,000 women are affected. Pip implants from 20 years ago are still impacting on my life and my health and my wellbeing, even today. Jan spivey was given Pip Implants after she had a Mastectomy Due to Breast Cancer. She developed sore and aching joints, chest and back pain, fatigue, severe headaches and anxiety. Once removed, it was clear her implants had been leaking silicone into her body. The important thing for me now is that all of this Suffering Hasnt been in vain, that there will be some important consequences and outcomes for a lot of women who have gone through precisely the same kind of trauma and have been impacted in a similar way. I have been angry for every single day for 20 years that i have been affected by pip. And it is possibly one of the things that i am looking forward to most is i really need to move away from those constant feelings of anger and despondency. Jan is one of 540 british women involved in this mornings Court Case in paris. But the ruling will have implications for hundreds of thousands of women worldwide who have fallen victim to the faulty Breast Implants. Sophie hutchinson, Bbc News. Theres been another night of sustained israeli Air Strikes on gaza despite demands for a ceasefire. President biden has told israel he expects a significant De Escalation of the violence. A senior Hamas Official said he expected a pause to fighting within days. The conflict has already cost more than 200 lives, including dozens of children. Mark lobel reports. More trauma and tears in a gaza hospital. Behind this crowd, a palestinian father killed alongside his pregnant Wife And Daughter after an israeli Air Strike hit their home as they cooked a family meal. Israel continues to shoot down rockets fired from gaza. A near miss here as an israeli family fled this house moments before a rocket struck. The us president Joe Biden has told Benjamin Netanyahu he expects a significant De Escalation. I do think that President Biden has been appropriate and actively engaged, although todays public statement may be the first time he is making it clear that he is applying some pressure. But the israeli Prime Minister says he is determined to carry on until Calm And Security are restored to israeli citizens, outlining his strategy for dealing with hamas to foreign ambassadors in tel aviv. There are only two ways that you can deal with them. You can either conquer them, and thats always an open possibility, or you can deter them, and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence. But i have To Say we do not rule out anything. For a watertight ceasefire to emerge soon, israel will want to prove it has deterred hamas from attacking israel for some time, especially after hamas launched Rockets Atjerusalem in solidarity with the wider palestinian cause. But for any endgame on the horizon, a political process will need to rise from the ashes. Translation our work is now focused on stopping the israeli aggression against our people injerusalem, the West Bank and gaza. Then entering a serious political process under clear international backing that leads to ending the israeli occupation of the lands in the state of palestine. As the conflict enters its 11th Day, its Notjust Arabs in occupied lands who need reassurance but those living within the state of israel. Unexpected violence between israelsjewish majority and arab minority is now an open wound that needs serious attention. Mark lobel, Bbc News. An independent panel has ruled that the former Labour Mp for hull, mike hill, breached parliaments sexual misconduct policy. The panel investigated a complaint against Mr Hill over his conduct, and found he made � uncalled for and unwelcome physical contact with the complainant, and initiated a sexual act without consent�. Mr hill resigned in march of this year, triggering the hartlepool by election which labour lost. The controversial statue of cecil rhodes outside an Oxford University College will not be removed. The governing body of Oriel College will not take down the statue due to regulatory and financial challenges. Youre watching Bbc News. The headlines on Bbc News a new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. A court in france has ruled that more than two and a half thousand women, who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal, should receive compensation. There have been more airstrikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Sport, and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. Good afternoon. Manchester City Defender Ruben dias has been named Mens Footballer of the year, by the football writers association. The portugal centre back receives the honour in his first season in the english game, after signing for city from benfica last summer. Hes the first defender to win it since liverpools steve nicol 32 years ago. Dias beat his teammate kevin de bruyne and tottenhams harry kane in a poll of almost 700 writers. Cardiff City Defender Sol bamba has said on his Social Media that he is cancer free. He was being treated for non hodgkin lymphoma. Bamba was diagnosed in december and underwent chemotherapy. In the post the Cardiff City player said he was over the moon, thanking his family, fans and his club for their support. And the nhs who he said took such good care of him. Formula i now. Red bulls sergio perez was quickest in first practice for the monaco grand prix. It was a pretty lively session, with the lead constantly changing hands. Perez was just ahead of carlos sainz in the ferrari, followed by Max Verstappen in the other red bull, with lewis hamiltons mercedes down in fifth. The second golf major of the season, the us Pga Championship is just getting under way at Kiawah Island in south carolina. Rory mcilroy tees off in around an hour. Hes among the favourites after he ended a i9 Month Spell without a win two weeks ago, and he took the Pga Title on this course back in 2012 that was the second of his four majors. As he spoke to the media, mcilroy poked a little fun at justin thomas, The American has one major, to his name. A lot of guys have won one major but it is a big hurdle to get to the second. Laughter. So it was good to get that monkey off my back, especially here, playing so well. So yeah, it was a big deal. I definitely did not want to be stuck on one for a long time so happy to get that second. The gloves are off and you can follow the us Pga Championship on the bbc sport website, as well as radio five live and of course well keep you up to date here on Bbc News. Ill be back with more later thank you, see you later. A report into how the bbc landed its 1995 Panorama Interview with diana, princess of wales will be published today. Lord dyson was appointed to look into the circumstances surrounding the explosive interview, which famously featured diana saying there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded. Our media Correspondent David Sillito is with me now. Just remind me to the background of this. . ,. ,. , ~ this. 1995, november, the landmark interview. Everyone this. 1995, november, the landmark interview. Everyone was this. 1995, november, the landmark interview. Everyone was watching i this. 1995, november, the landmark interview. Everyone was watching it, it was one of those moments. On the question of course was notjust about what was being said, but how this interview had happened. Martin bashir was a relatively unknown reporter at the time and landed the scoop of the era, and that is what this is all about. What actually happened in the weeks beforehand . So we have the Dyson Investigation looking into a whole series of questions that were raised in november of last year, and this is all around looking back 25 years on documentaries asking many questions, how did he land that interview . And there are a series of questions, the terms of reference of the Dyson Investigation, and we will find out more just after two oclock, we understand, this afternoon. Truth . More just after two oclock, we understand, this afternoon. Why is this re ort understand, this afternoon. Why is this report happening understand, this afternoon. Why is this report happening now . Understand, this afternoon. Why is this report happening now . There | this report happening now . There were questions this report happening now . There were questions at this report happening now . There were questions at the this report happening now . There were questions at the time, this report happening now . There were questions at the time, in this report happening now . Ti were questions at the time, in 1996, about mocked up bank statements that were somehow used in the lead up to convincing diana and also her brother Earl Spencer to engage with Martin Bashir and do the interview. Now, Lord Dyson has been asked, what exactly was going on. How were these mocked up bank statements being used . The bbc has already apologised that they were used in some way, but we need to know and it will be hopefully revealed how they were used. Also questions about payments purportedly made to royal household members, also other accusations from Earl Spencer that were made in november where he accused the bbc of yellowjournalism, dishonesty, deception, in the way that they dealt with him, and then he introduced Martin Bashir to diana. But there is also a second area of questions, which is the Bbc Investigation at the time. Was it sufficient . Did they look into the allegations . And what did they do about the editorial standards . Did it cross the editorial standards at the time . So there is an issue there about both the conduct of Martin Bashir but also about the Bbc Investigation and what they have done subsequently. InvestigatiOn And what they have done subsequently. Thank you, david. The re ort done subsequently. Thank you, david. The report is done subsequently. Thank you, david. The report is published done subsequently. Thank you, david. The report is published at done subsequently. Thank you, david. The report is published at 2pm. We will of course have coverage of that. And you can watch that panorama on the Bashir Interview and how the bbc responded, tonight on bbc one at 7pm or on iplayer thats princess diana, Martin Bashir and the bbc. More now on the biggest rail Shake Up since privatisation. Robert nisbet is regional director for the rail delivery group. It isa it is a body which brings together the companies that run britains railways. Welcome and thank you for joining us. So, great British Railways will be setting timetables, setting prices and selling tickets and managing infrastructure, and the aim is to offer more punctual services and cheaper tickets. Is that something you welcome . We welcome that something you welcome . Welcome the government white paper, welcome the government white paper, we have been waiting a few years for it, and it has finally arrived. We now need to drill down to discover the detail in it, but certainly from looking at the headlines, then we are very supportive because these are very supportive because these are areas that we have been calling for, specifically and guiding mind, so with the Fat Controller if you like, so that the people who travel on the trains are ultimately accountable, they know who is ultimately accountable. And with the flaxey Season Ticket being introduced next month, this is a start looking at the whole area of fares and ticketing, but we would like to go further than that, lift up like to go further than that, lift up the bonnet and rebuild the structure. So it is looking at the detail but overall positive. What detail but overall positive. What about what detail but overall positive. What about what it detail but overall positive. What about what it will detail but overall positive. What about what it will mean detail but overall positive. What about what it will mean for detail but overall positive. What about what it will mean for the private operators . They wont be paid if they are not running trains on time, if the trains arent clean . Is it going to be a more punitive system for them . It is is it going to be a more punitive system for them . Is it going to be a more punitive system for them . It is very similar to what we system for them . It is very similar to what we have system for them . It is very similar to what we have here system for them . It is very similar to what we have here in system for them . It is very similar to what we have here in london i system for them . It is very similar to what we have here in london where i am at the moment, the london overground. Most people that travel on the london overground, or the Ginger Line as some people call it here, dont really realise that it is run by at private train operating company, but it is, because it seems to fit within the Transport For London ecosystem, so i think the look on the feel of the railway may change. It is going to take a few years for those to come into effect, but what we would say on behalf of the private sector operators is we want to still have the flexibility to own the customer, because we know the customer is better than bureaucrats setting at an office in whitehall. So what we want to make sure is that these reforms dont straitjacket the private sector too much, so they are able to innovate and really deliver for customers. And that is what this is all about, and this is how the success of this reform will be judged, whether it creates a better experience for passengers, so more combat, and of course that will help with the economic recovery of britain after covid. ~ ,. ,. , ~ economic recovery of britain after covid. ~. , ~. , ~. , covid. When you talk about knowing the customers. Covid. When you talk about knowing the customers, the covid. When you talk about knowing the customers, the reason covid. When you talk about knowing the customers, the reason for covid. When you talk about knowing the customers, the reason for this | the customers, the reason for this changes because of happened in 2018 with the rail timetable crisis, and the failure of franchises. What the failure of franchises. What haened the failure of franchises. What happened was the failure of franchises. What happened was the the failure of franchises. Wiat happened was the investigation that was set up after that to look at the issues said that the plumbing of the railways was wrong. They didnt necessarily blame individual train operating companies for all of it, or Network Rail, which put together the timetable, or the government. But all of us were criticised a little. But essentially it was saying that they were structural issues that needed to be changed, and we think that this white paper goes some way to address that. But it is all about the detail here. It looks great on paper at the moment, but as this legislative process brings this new vision into reality, we have got to make sure that it really does deliver for passengers. Robert nisbet, thank you very much. The Home Office says it will be able to carry out 10,000 checks a day to ensure people who have been to so called Amber List countries are keeping to quarantine rules. Since monday, travel has been permitted from england to more than 170 countries and territories on the governments Amber List. Borisjohnson says people should not be going on holidays to those countries. Travellers returning from Amber List countries must comply with a ten day Home Quarantine Rule. From today, 34 and 35 year olds in england can book their first Covid Jab while in Northern Ireland, the programme has been extended to those aged 25 to 29. Among those receiving their first vaccination this week was the duke of cambridge whos 38 years old. Prince william thanked all those working on the Roll Out of the vaccine programme. The tokyo 2021 olympics are due to start in just over two months, and the international olympic Committee President has insisted the games can go ahead safely. But despite this, opposition to the Games Withinjapan is growing, as the country faces a increase of coronavirus cases and a slow moving Vaccination Programme. Our Tokyo CorrespondentRupert Wingfield hayes reports. Never before has a Summer Olympics faced such overwhelming opposition from the people of the host nation. As japans Covid Pandemic continues to get worse, the opposition is growing louder and more prominent. This double Page Spread has appeared in several newspapers. It is an old photo from World War ii ofjapanese Children Training to fight The Americans with Bamboo Spears. Except now, the enemy is covid. No vaccines, it reads, no drugs. Are we supposed to fight the virus with Bamboo Spears . The head ofjapanese online Retailer Rakuten is also making headlines. He described holding the olympics now as a suicide mission. Even those who have signed up as olympic volunteers are saying it is time to stop. Definitely so. I dont hear people saying we should have the event. I never hear about it. They are just hoping that they will cancel the event. I think thats the main public opinion. While the virus is now well into its fourth wave here, japan has barely begun vaccination. So far, just 3 have received a single shot. This is the city of nagoya, in centraljapan, and i have come here because this city has just been placed under a State Of Emergency because of rapidly rising covid infections. I have also come because medical workers here are up in arms that they are being requested to volunteer at the Olympic Village. And they are desperately needed at hospitals here. This young nurse, who doesnt want to show her face, has watched the covid unit in her hospital filled to capacity. Translation we hospital filled to capacity. Translation . ,. , hospital filled to capacity. Translation . ,. , translation we already dont have Enou H Staff translation we already dont have enough Staff And Translation we already dont have enough Staff And Hospital translation we already dont have enough Staff And HospitalBeds Translation we already dont have enough Staff And Hospital beds for enough Staff And Hospital beds for covid enough Staff And Hospital beds for Covid Patients. People are already dying Covid Patients. People are already dying at Covid Patients. People are already dying at home because they cant get into the dying at home because they cant get into the hospital. They want 500 nurses into the hospital. They want 500 nurses to into the hospital. They want 500 nurses to volunteer for the olympics. That means more Covid Patients olympics. That means more Covid Patients wont get the care they need need. Far to the need. Far to the north need. Far to the north amid these Rice Fields, this small town has been preparing to host the russian gymnastics team. Some of the young gymnasts are trying out the new equipment specially installed for the russians. To tells me that they have spent half 1 Million on all of this. Because of covid, the russian team will now never use it. Long timejapan Resident Team will now never use it. Long time Japan Resident and team will now never use it. Long timeJapan Resident and Sports Promoter Robert thinks there is one very obvious solution. To delay the olympics again. Very obvious solution. To delay the olympics again very obvious solution. To delay the 0lmicsa~ain. ~ olympics again. Whenever you ask the Eo Le olympics again. Whenever you ask the eole in olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge. Olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge, why olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge, why would olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge, why would you olympics again. Whenever you ask the people in charge, why would you not l people in charge, why would you not even consider 2022, there is really no answer. There is only a very direct and firm, we do not organise it in 2022, it is now or never. I argue for the opposite, because i think every body involved here is better off with organising it in 2022. It better off with organising it in 2022. , better off with organising it in 2022. ,. , , better off with organising it in 2022. , i, better off with organising it in 2022. ,. , ,. , better off with organising it in 2022. , i,. ,. , 2022. It may already be too late for another delay 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It looks 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It looks like 2022. It may already be too late for another delay. It looks like the another delay. It looks like the olympics will either go ahead or be cancelled. But for these young gymnasts, the excitement they once had a welcome in the world to japan this summer is already a fading memory. Rupert wingfield hayes, Bbc News in northern japan. A trailer for the much antitipated Friends Reunion Show has been released. The episode is being called The One where they get back together, and will see the cast re united for an unscripted special. The much loved characters of chandler, rachel, monica, phoebe, Joey And Ross will be joined by celebrities including Lada Gaga and justin bieber. Friends the reunion will be available to stream on hbo on May 27th after a lengthy Delay Due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now its time for a look at the weather with carol. Hello again. The weather remains unsettled, notjust today but over the next few days. We got low pressure coming in from the atlantic today, bringing in all this rain, moving northwards and eastwards. Some of that heavy and persistent. Lighter rain across parts of the South East of England And Sunshine and showers across shetland, but the wind will also be strengthening through the day, with gales across the irish sea, parts of wales and the south west. Even inland, we could have gusts as much as 40 mph. Through this evening and overnight, our rain continues to move eastwards, the wind picking up across southern areas. We still could have gusts of 40 mph, 50 mph, more than that along the coast and its going to be a mild night, with temperatures more or less across the board between nine and 10 degrees. Now, tomorrow, we see that Rain Drift across southern areas. Here, too, very gusty winds across Southern England, the south west, into East Anglia and the South East. As The Rain pulls into the north sea, it will brighten up in parts of scotland and Northern Ireland, but, still, a few showers. Hello, this is Bbc News. The headlines. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. Ijust i just received a ijust received a message and the message said, victory. Ijust received a message and the message said, victory. A court in france has ruled that more than two and a half thousand women, who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal, should receive compensation. More airstrikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. Failures in the Test And Trace system are partly responsible for the surge in the indian variant in one of the worst affected parts of the country, according to a document seen by Bbc News. More now on the reform of railways in britain. Our Business CorrespondentSarah Corker is at Leeds Station and has more details on what passengers can expect. Weve been here throughout the Peak Rush Hour but it has been really, really quiet. Passenger numbers have plummeted during lockdown but as you say, there are big reforms on the way. Described as the biggest Shake Up of the Rail Sector in a generation. There will be a new Public Body called great British Railways. That body will manage trains and the tracks and the fares and marks The End of the franchise model. But there is still a place for private sector companies. They will be working under a new concession model, so contracted to run the train services. What does this mean for passengers . There are going to be flexible Season Tickets brought in from the End Ofjune so people will be able to use them two or three days of the week, perhaps reflecting the changing world of work. We also know there will also be pay as You Go and contactless tickets, similar to the Oyster System in london. We can get some reaction now from the businesses community. Amy is with me and runs a Business Consultancy in leeds. First question, what is your experience of the Rail Sector . Pretty terrible. Theyre very expensive, very overcrowded and highly unreliable. Personally i only tend to use the train if i am going to london. So not good then . No. What about these reforms, obviously there is a flexible Season Ticket coming in. How could that help your employees who will be working towards this hybrid model, so a bit in the office and at home . I think it is really good idea and will help our workers. During the pandemic we have been employing lots of remote teams. But we still need to get together on a regular basis and the flexible ticket will allow us to do that. And anyone who travels across the north of england on a train will know it can be a slow and painful experience. It takes a long time to get east to west, doesnt it . You can actually get to london quicker. What impact does all that have on Investment And Growth for businesses here in the north . The problems with the Rail Network in the north are really inhibiting our growth and jobs. We need to be able to connect our cities. To live in one City And Work in another. Weve talked about northern Powerhouse Railfor a long time. There is yet another government review. We just want to see change and see that happen quite quickly. The idea of great British Railways is that it perhaps ends that Blame Game Problem where you have disruption on the railways, who is responsible, is it the Track Operator or the Rail Firm . This new body has a more joined up approach. Do you think it is a step in the right direction . It is a step in the right direction but there is no funding behind it. Change only really happens when you put money behind it. That is what we really need to see happen. Lastly, i am interested to know, for your business going forward, do you think you will ever be in a position where everyone is back in the office . They do have to commute or have things changed forever . I think things have probably changed for ever. People have seen the benefits of Working From Home. Personally, i have always done that for the last four or five years. I think there are real benefits, particularly for sustainability, of Working From Home but having a hybrid model. Amy, thank you very much forjoining us. I think The Big Question going forward is going to be when will Passenger Numbers if ever recover to pre pandemic levels . One forecast actually suggests that for the next four years, Passenger Numbers will be 60 of normal levels so i think the industry is going to have to adapt and change and these reforms have been seen as a start to that. Earlier i spoke to Mick Lynch general secretary of the Rmt Trade Union which represents 83,000 rail, maritime and transport workers. And i asked him for his reaction, to Todays Announcements. Our view is it is a missed opportunity. We could have had a publicly owned, publicly controlled railway that runs in the interests of the people rather than what we have got now which is a patch up of a failed system where the private sector operators who brought these problems on top of us and at the same time have pocketed tens of billions in profit since 1993, they are still in place. The irony is Public Sector railways In Europe, holland, france and germany, will be Making Profit from the british Railway System and those profits will be assured by Grant Shapps and the treasury. So we could have had great British Railways taking over Network Rail which theyre going to do but also taking over the direct operation of the trains which has been the most successful method in the lner and others when those talks with Train Companies failed. We could have gone straight to the Ideal Position as we see it, a publicly owned controlled railway that is accountable to the government and a stand alone chairman that can run that company. So it doesnt go as far you would have liked, but is it going to be better than what has been . Anything would be better than franchise. The government has commissioned reports in the past which said the franchise is great when everybody else knows it was rubbish, frankly. So they have finally come to the conclusion that the degraded brand of Franchise Railways is gone. They are moving to a new Form Called Concessions but those concessions will guarantee the profits of these companies. Lets not forget that these are the same people that failed under the old system. We think they will fail under the new system but what they will get is the ability to take millions of pounds from those concessions. The government did subsidise the Rail Industry hugely as a result of covid, £10 billion invested in the Rail Industry. There is now a lot of speculation that will be clawed back, are you concerned about that . We are very concerned about that. This is an opportunity for the government, they are using it, the covid crisis and the funding they have had to put in, which they put into the rest of the economy as well by the way, notjust railways. Theyre going to use that for an attack on our members. They are going to dilute safety standards, they have already told us that. Maintenance will be pushed out, some things will not be maintained at all. They want thousands of job cuts. They want to attack our members terms of conditions and their pay and pensions. We will not tolerate that. Our members are now on a Dispute Footing on the railway and we expect that unless the government changes their plans and revises their plans to attack our members, that we will be involved in the Industrial Disputes quite quickly. Passengers might say this is exactly what we want to see because this is about making services more punctual, offering cheaper tickets and they might not like the prospect of strike action, Industrial Action actually causing more problems going ahead. Well, i am sure they want a safe railway that is properly staffed. There are no price reductions, they are charging the same prices but you can just buy less tickets. It is the Carnet System they have had in france for decades. The flexible Season Ticket is just a sensible commercial step. The rmt has been calling for it for a long, long time. It is just the ability to buy eight tickets a month, rather than 20. It is not going to change the cost of that ticket. It is just taking a different form of buying a ticket at the same price so it is not that innovative. Youre making a lot of fuss about that this morning but it is a straightforward commercial step. What we have to ensure is that the railway is viable, it is safe and efficient and delivers for the people of this country. That means a safe railway, not in the hands of subcontractors. Which is what Network Rail is largely doing and cutting back on their own staff. We want skilled people doing thejob properly, with the know how to maintain the railway and the high speed networks and suburban networks and the Country Networks so that we have boots on the ballast, looking after the infrastructure. Network rail is prepared to take risks at the prompting of this government in order to cut costs and we dont want that to cost lives in the future. We want a safe railway. We also want to protect the jobs of our members which is the job of the trade union. The russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, says his first meeting with the us Secretary Of State, antony blinken, was constructive. The two men spoke for almost two hours in iceland on the sidelines of a meeting of the arctic council. Us State Department officials said the talks had been business like but there had been no breakthroughs. Will grant is in washington. Since the cold war, the arctic has been a sphere for potential confrontation between russia and the united states. In recent years, russia has redoubled its efforts to exert greater control over this strategically important regiOn And its natural resources. Partly through its vast Arctic Trefoil military base. The biden administration is keen to Stop Moscow from gaining the upper hand, either in the Arctic Tundra or anywhere else in the world. So when Secretary Of StateBlinken Met foreign Minister Lavrov on the sidelines of the arctic Council Meeting in iceland, both men billed it as a chance to reset their frosty ties. As President Biden shared with President Putin, we seek a predictable, stable relationship with russia. We think thats good for our people, good for the russian people and indeed good for the world. Translation we will be ready | to plough through the rubble left over from the previous us administrations, when it comes to the functioning of the diplomatic missions of the us in russia, and of the russian ones in the united states. There was much for them to discuss once the cameras left, from afghanistan to syria, from the Korean Peninsula to cyber security. The two governments remain far apart on many, if not all, of those topics. Indeed, only a few months ago President Biden said he thought President Putin was a killer. Yet now it seems an olive branch. The Nord Stream 2 natural Gas Pipe Line has been a source of real friction between the us, russia and germany. The 11 Billion pipeline would supply germany with russian Natural Gas and, crucially for President Putin, it would bypass ukraine. Now the State Department has waived sanctions on the company leading the project and its ceo. The move should also help washington improve its ties with germany, which had deteriorated significantly under president trump. Nevertheless, it will not be without its critics in washington. And kyiv, Who Fear GivingMr Putin greater control over europes gas supply. For now, though, it seems the State Department has softened its stance, perhaps calculating it was a Price Worth paying in favour of improved ties with moscow. At the very least, this meeting will have laid the groundwork for the possibility of president ial talks at a later date. Will grant, Bbc News, washington. Universities must introduce mandatory policies for dealing with Sexual Assault. Thats the demand of women from 15 Uk Universities who say they are survivors of such abuse. A letter, signed by 14 campaign groups and charities, also calls on governments in the four nations of the uk to create an independent body that has powers to penalise universities who mishandle allegations of Sexual Assault. Jared lawthom reports. It was just a really exciting time, went on like a mini gap year. I was really excited to go off to University And Sort of begin this new chapter of my life. But, in one night, kind of all of that was taken away from me. I remember Standing Up on the podium reading my speech after high school graduation, shaking, butjust looking forward to my new life. But pretty much immediately after arriving, i realised that i was not going to be having the positive experience i had been hoping for. Its said to be some of the best years of your life, but for many women at university, this is not the case. Samantha says she was sexually assaulted during Freshers Week by a student at the university of the west of england. That one night robbed me of, like, the next three years of my life at university. I dont really know what to do. I just dont think the universitys policies were very clear. It felt like they just werent listening. So it was like screaming at a brick wall, basicallyjust asking for help and No One wanted to give it. Samantha is now one of the women from almost 30 universities and campaign groups across the uk that have signed a letter. The women, many of whom say theyve had similar experiences, are calling on governments to create a mandatory Safeguarding Policy for universities when dealing with Sexual Assault allegations. The idea for the letter came about after a series of anonymous accounts about different universities appeared on instagram. Sidney wrote the letter. She says she was sexually assaulted during herfinal year at the royal Welsh College of Music And Drama. The investigation made me feel worthless, genuinely made me question, like, why i was alive. Why try . Why bother . If this is the life to expect, if this is the Treatment that i should expect as a person, why would i continue on if. For some reason, im a person that should expect this type of abuse from everybody that i meet. According to a recent study, a minimum of 50,000 Sexual Assaults happen at universities every year. Through foi requests from 102 universities in england and wales, the same study concluded that only nine had satisfactory safeguarding policies and procedures for dealing with Sexual Assaults, with a third considered by the authors as very poor. Now, some suggested guidance does exist from organisations like universities uk, and more recently in england the office for students, who just earlier this month called on universities to urgently review their policies around Sexual Assault. But the important thing to mention is that none of this guidance is mandatory. In the response to sidney� s allegations, the royal Welsh College of Music And Drama say that they investigate reports of Sexual Assaults thoroughly and take action where it is needed and that they encourage anyone with concerns to speak to them. Meanwhile, the university of the west of england say that they tackle unacceptable behaviour robustly and have said that theyd be happy to talk to samantha about her experience and any recommendations she may have. This is happening on such, like, a massive scale, and No Ones doing anything about it. The universities dont seem to care. I want our universities to be safe. Not safer, safe. Because right now they are unsafe, period. They dont care about you. We have to make them care. The letter has been sent. Now it will be up to governments to decide whether regulation is the route forward. Jared lawthom, Bbc News, cardiff. The headlines on Bbc News. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices in a big Shake Up. A court in france has ruled that more than two and a half thousand women, who were victims of the Pip Breast implant scandal, should receive compensation. There have been more airstrikes and Rocket Fire between israel and Palestinian Militants despite reports that a ceasfire could be close. The boss of easyjet has defended people who want to travel to Amber List countries such as spain and italy saying it is absolutely legal. It comes after the government advised people not to go to amber countries on holiday. Johan lundgren told my colleague Ramzan Karmali that the Uk Risks falling behind other European Countries, if it fails to operate a data based approach to opening up travel. We have been very supportive of this risk based approach, of having different countries being in different buckets depending on the risk they represent and the restrictions introduced are there to make sure travel can take place in a safe way. We are all for that, we are all behind that but what i do not see happening is the government using the latest data available that would consist of a number of countries now on the Amber List could actually go on the Green List. Whilst it is the case that if the government believes there are places on that Amber List people should not travel to, it should go on the red list. So now you have a Traffic Light system where green is not really green because of different restrictions in place and also, depending on the purpose of why youre travelling to and the country, different recommendations on that. And on top of that you have the Fto Advice saying it is ok to some Amber List countries. So of course this is confusing. We know that travel can restart in a safe way and we urged the government to look at the data which means a number of European Countries could go on the Green List. This is happening now at scale In Europe to the point that if you are vaccinated, as an example, there are no restrictions at all coming in because it is safe to do so. That is what we are looking forward for the government now to do. On tuesday, the Prime Minister said he would like people to avoid going on holiday to Amber Listed countries, we should follow that advice, no . This is something that was not mentioned at the time of the launch of the announcement. If you think about it, the restrictions which are different, is reflecting on different risk levels in these countries so you assume this would not have to do with the purpose of why people should go to destinations. There are millions of people here who have not been able to reunite with family members. Grandparents have not seen grandchildren, single parents havent seen even children in some cases. There is a lot of confusiOn And this has to do with the purpose of why i am going. The Risk Base System with restrictions in place should mean it is safe to do so and that is the whole point about why this approach was the right thing to take in the beginning. Your results out today, 645 Million 6 Month Loss up to march and you have less passengers on board, how long can this continue for a business like easyjet . Easyjet has been privileged, we came into the situation as one of the strongest airlines In Europe. We took quick and decisive action to make sure we had liquidity, we raised {5. 5 Billion at the start of the pandemic and we now have 9 Billion on liquidity. We look forward now for the recovery so were well set up for that. Of course, this is more about the rights for people to start travelling and take advantages of the amazing success the Vaccination Programme has delivered in the uk. One has also to remember from an easyjet perspective, whilst we are the largest airline in the uk, 50 of our business does not touch uk soil. But we are going to manage through this situatiOn And it is something that is happening in the short term before we start seeing more countries being added to the Green List because it is safe to do so. Its been almost two years since england cricketing Legend Bob willis passed away from Prostate Cancer, and today a fund is being launched in his name to raise money for research into the disease. Its being backed by Sir Ian Botham. The charity was set up by Bob Williss wife, lauren clark. Graham satchell went to meet her at lords cricket ground. You can be surrounded by people, but you still feel incredibly lonely. Because that person thats yours and looks at you in a way that No One else does and loves you more than anyone else does. Hes not there now. I mean, he is there, hes here all the time, hes here now, but hes not here in person, is he . Yes, i miss him a lot. Lauren has really struggled to cope with the loss of her husband, cricketing Legend Bob willis. Bob had Prostate Cancer and died in 2019. He was very funny. We laughed a lot. We had quite a naughty, rude sense of humour and liked the same things, so we made Each Other laugh. I think i kept upbeat for him, and he kept upbeat for me, and whether that was good or bad, ultimately, because we didnt really talk about him dying and how i would live without him and stuff, which i regret now, but it was about keeping upbeat and happy and not bringing Each Other down. Bob willis played 90 tests for england but will always be remembered for headingley, 1981. And hes caught it going into the match, he was angry. He was under a lot of pressure and probably if he hadnt performed, he probably wouldnt have ever played for england again. Coming in off his long run, Bob Willis tore the australians apart. Willis has taken his sixth wicket. It was one of englands greatest sporting moments. Bowled him its all over, and it is one of the most fantastic victories ever known. Bob willis, eight wickets. I think it affected his life forever more, because he did Carry On Playing Cricket for england. He then became england captain, and then was that the reason he got his job with sky for 30 years . I mean, possibly. So it was a very life changing day for him. Well, he isnt an international natural wicketkeeper, is he . Lets be honest about it. Bob willis became a gloriously waspish pundit. I mean, Standing Up, he looks like a Performing Seal at feeding time, doesnt he . Flapping away there. He perfected that persona. He came across very grumpy and opinionated. This series has been disgraceful. But in real life, he just wasnt like that. He was a very loving, gentle, listened to people, didnt talk about himself or show off about his Cricket Exploits or anything like that. He was a really special persOn And lots of people loved him. On the Honours Board at lords, Bob Willis sits proudly alongside the great names of cricket. It is a source of pride for lauren but not comfort. I am completely on my own. I have lots of lovely friends. It isnt the same. I have No One to do nothing with. That is a famous phrase that really resonates with me. We dontjust hang around, lying on the sofa together, watching netflix in silence. I come home to an empty flat. I dont really know how, i have no idea what my life is going to be in the future. Its really, really difficult. Lauren has decided to honour Bobs Name by setting up the Bob Willis fund. It launches today. It will raise money for Prostate Cancer better testing, screening and Treatment. 11,000 men die every year of Prostate Cancer, which is one man every 45 minutes, and there is still no national Screening Programme because the Psa Test is unreliable. So thats not perfect, and thats what were trying to raise Money And Awareness for through the Bob Willis fund, and helping Prostate Cancer uk. In lockdown, lauren painted this portrait of her husband at the crease, ready to deliver. He did have an iconic action, didnt he . I think the cubism gives it quite a lot of movement, so it feels like he is storming in, doesnt it . It does. Im quite pleased with the result. Lauren is planning to auction her painting. The money will go to the Bob Willis fund, to help the fight against Prostate Cancer. Graham satchell, Bbc News. In a moment, the Bbc News at one with reeta chakrabarti but now its time for a look at the weather with louise lear. Good afternoon. Early brightness in the east was quickly replaced by cloud as rain spreads and from the west. A different story first thing in the morning across wales, a wet and windy picture starting to develop now. If you look at the satellite, we have this beautiful Base Swirl of clouds which is the low pressure associated with that front bringing The Rain and unseasonably strong winds for this time of year. The rain not quite heavy this morning through Northern Ireland, south West Scotland and parts of wales. Lighter and patchier through central and Southern England and that is a story for the rest of the afternoon. Perhapsjust and that is a story for the rest of the afternoon. Perhaps just showers into the far north of scotland. Not just The Rain that is the story, it is the strength of the wind particularly for the time of year. We could see gas of 60 mph especially on west exposed coasts. Temperatures just a especially on west exposed coasts. Temperaturesjust a maximum of especially on west exposed coasts. Temperatures just a maximum of seven 15 temperatures just a maximum of seven 15 degrees. Below remains with us into tonight and tomorrow, angling itself to the scottish borders. Strongest when south of that friday morning. Still strong to just forces of wind across wales and up the Bristol Channel and the English Channel as well. We could see gas of winds 50 60 miles per. With trees in full leaf, that could have an impact. Plenty of outbreaks of rain on friday, all spreading a. West scotland and Northern Ireland a drier and brighter day but temperatures still way below par for the time of year. We lose the low pressure as we move into the weekend. The isobars open up, the winds will fall noticeably lighter but coming from a northerly direction shows still not very warm. Scattered showers developing in south wales, drifting into the South East. Temperatures 8 14 , weighed down by the should be for the time of year. It remained showery for sunday into monday but i can offer optimism that it looks drier, brighterand can offer optimism that it looks drier, brighter and a Tad Warmerfor the start of next week. Proposals for the biggest Shake Up of the Rail Network in 25 years ministers promise a better and more efficient service. A new state owned body great British Railways will set Train Timetables and Ticket Prices. Passengers hope it will mean improvements. The trains are regular enough. Its just were too squashed on the trains. Actually ive invested in one of those flexi tickets, which i think is brilliant, so i can kind of work from home and have the flexibility to travel in when i need to. Well be asking what changes passengers can expect to see. Also this lunchtime. Failures in the national Test And Trace system are partly responsible for the surge in the indian variant in blackburn with darwen, according to report seen by the bbc