Of australias Coal Production. Welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. We start in the uk. Tens of thousands of people died needlessly from coronavirus thats the claim of the former Chief Adviser to the british Prime Minister, borisjohnson. Dominic cummings told members of parliament he believed the government had been guilty of disastrous failings. He described mrjohnson as unfit for thejob, and said he heard the Prime Minister say hed rather see Bodies Pile High than order a third lockdown. Britain has been one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic. Our political Editor Laura Kuenssberg reports. Reality or revenge . Delving back into troubled recent history, Dominic Cummings� day to give his version of events a verdict of failure and an apology for his part. Like me fell disastrously short of the standards that the senior ministers, senior officials, senior advisers like me fell disastrously short of the standards that the public has a right to expect. When the public needed us most, the government failed, and id like to say to all the families of those who died unnecessarily how sorry i am for the mistakes that were made and for my own mistakes at that. He described the original expectation a peak in early summer, protecting the most vulnerable. But as flaws in the numbers emerged, how rapidly plans were Sketched Out On Whiteboards to accelerate to lockdown. Showing if nothing changed, the nhs would collapse and the poignant line who do we not save . And a Prime Minister unwilling to take the disease seriously. In february, the Prime Minister regarded this as just a scare story. If we have the Prime Minister chairing Cobra Meetings and he just tells everyone, its swine flu, dont worry about it, im going to get Chris Whitty to inject me live on tv with coronavirus so everyone realises its nothing to be frightened of, that would not help actually serious planning. Only halfway through. I will first call the Prime Minister to answer. The Prime Minister had to defend the claims next door. The handling of this pandemic has been one of the most difficult things this countrys had to do for a very long time, and none of the decisions have been easy. To go into a lockdown is a traumatic thing for a country. Mr cummings Real Vitriol was saved, though, for the health secretary, who May Notjust be able to run away from a long list of accusations. I think that the Secretary Of State for Health Shouldve been fired for at least 15, 20 things, including lying to everybody on multiple occasions in meeting after meeting in the Cabinet Room and publicly. Whether, he claimed, misleading on testing, on ppe and putting people in Care Homes in danger. The Government Rhetoric was, we put a shield around Care Homes and blah, blah, blah. It was complete nonsense. Quite the opposite of putting a shield round them, we sent people with covid back to the Care Homes. The health Secretarys Team has rejected his claims, but then there were accusations that the prime Minister Wouldnt listen to Mr Cummings or the top scientists to bring Back Lockdown to save lives in the autumn as covid began to take hold again and cases rose. I said to him, the whole lesson of what happened before is that by delaying, the lockdown came later, it had to be more severe, it had to last longer. Surely weve got to learn the lessons from the past. The Prime Minister decided, no, and said, basically were just going to hit and hope. Did you hear him say, let the Bodies Pile High in their thousands . I heard that in the Prime Ministers study. The pms denied that, but was blasted by the man who helped him into number ten. Fundamentally, i regarded him as unfit for thejob, and i was trying to create a structure around him to try and stop what i thought were extremely bad decisions. The relationship between Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson is bitter and broken, so theres no surprise the former aide didnt hold back today. But whatever his motivations, Dominic Cummings was Boris Johnsons most senior adviser during the countrys worst crisis in many decades, so his Evidence Cantjust be brushed off as irrelevant. But after hours, for those who lost family, for those whove suffered, perhaps this most important verdict. Tens of thousands of people died who didnt need to die. For the first time, someone who was involved in making the decisions during this crisis has come to that conclusion in public. A claim the governments always disputed or tried to ignore, but one day will have to answer in full. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. A white House Spokesperson says the us is suffering from an epidemic of Gun Violence, and the president has urged the senate to pass legislation which would strengthen Background Checks on gun owners. It comes after at least nine people were killed in a shooting at a Rail Maintenance Yard in san jose, california. Mark lobel reports. This Light Rail Service Yard South of San Francisco is now a crime scene. A Bomb Squad was dispatched after an employee shot his Valley Transportation Authority colleagues. Then its thought he turned the gun on himself ataround 6 30am. This is a horrific day for our city. And its a tragic day for the vta family. These folks were heroes during covid 19. The buses never stopped running, vta did not stop running. Theyjust kept at work, and now we are really calling on them to be heroes a second time. With haunting echoes of past shootings in this area, anxious families enter a Reunification Centre to find out about loved ones. Unfortunately, this| is not the first time that our community has been through something like this. I this isnt the first time j that my team has done something like this. Its particularly concerning that this horrific shooting played out in this Silicon Valley Tech hub in california, a state with some of the strictest gun laws in america. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. Whats clear, as the president has said, is that we are suffering from an epidemic of Gun Violence in this country, both in mass shootings and in the lives that are being taken in daily Gun Violence that doesnt make national headlines. This isnt the first disgruntled employee to hit the headlines in this way, and the fear is it wont be the last. Mark lobel, bbc news. Let s get some of the days other news. 160 people are feared dead after a boat sank in the niger river, in northwest nigeria. Its one of the deadliest incidents in recent months. Authorities at the scene said 180 people were on board more than the ferry could transport. Only 20 people have been rescued so far. Dozens of villages along indias bengal coast have been hit by a severe cyclone. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and at least two people have been killed. Winds of up to 86 miles per hour have now weakened, but rising waters from the torrential rainfall have breached river embankments, swamping low lying areas. The australian city of melbourne could shortly enter a seven Day Lockdown to contain a new Covid I9 Outbreak after several months of almost no Community Transmission in the country. At least 25 people have tested positive. Well, lets stay in australia, where a judge has dismissed what couldve been a landmark case, brought by eight teenagers and a nun, trying to stop the expansion of australias Coal Production. The young people behind the case are the organisers of Australias School Strike 4 climate campaign, which marched in sydney last week. The case in melbourne targeted the planned expansion of a Coal Mine in new south wales. Butjustice bromberg has dismissed an injunction, on the grounds there was not enough evidence. Our australia correspondent Shaimaa Khalil says Coal Production remains a divisive topic, and this ruling could have some ramifications. It has come to light during the catastrophic bushfires of 2019 and at the beginning of 2020, where millions of acres were burned. The science came in and said this is a contributing factor, Climate Change is a contributing factor to the extreme weather events we have had in australia, Areas Hit by drought, Bush Fires and floods in less than two years. Trying to say this is only going to get worse. But essentially this really goes into the heart of domestic politics in australia. This country is heavily dependent on Fossil Fuels when it comes to its wealth and export, coal, iron ore, and the conservative government in australia has won successive elections on a platform of supporting the fossil fuel industry. And the climate activists and young people saying whatever investments are put in today, it is putting their future at risk because of the Climate Change effects. A real showdown between a country whose wealth depends on Fossil Fuels and young people saying that that just does not bode well for their future. And were going to look at another climate Change Court Case now, this time in the netherlands. The Oil Giant Shell has been ordered to make big reductions in its Greenhouse Gas emissions. The court ruled that the Oil Giant has a legal duty to do more to tackle Climate Change. The decision is only binding in the netherlands, but it could influence judges elsewhere. Anna holligan reports. A Violation Of Human Rights was how the Climate Campaigners described shells ongoing investment in Fossil Fuels. Cheering. The dutch branch of friends of the earth, along with six other groups and more than 17,000 dutch citizens, brought the case to court, arguing that the Oil Giants transition to clean Energy Wasnt going far orfast enough. Thejudge agreed the corporation had to be more ambitious in reducing its Carbon Footprint and delivered a precedent setting verdict. Translation the Court Orders royal dutch shell| to reduce its Co2 Output and those of its suppliers and buyers by The End of 2030 by a net of 45 based on 2019 levels. This is the first time that judges have compelled a company to emit less Carbon Dioxide by changing its policy. This is an historical day. Its for the first time in history that the judge has decided that the large Polluter Royal Dutch shell should stop causing dangerous Climate Change. This will have an enormous impact, not only on shell itself, but on major polluters throughout the netherlands and globally. In response to the judgment, shell acknowledged that urgent action is needed on Climate Change. Translation we are working hard to become a Netzero Energy Company by 2050. Thousands of people in shell. Are working on that every day. Were investing billions in that, and although were moving in the right direction, were being asked to speed this up. Ive been speaking to shell over the last few days, and theyve been telling me they are making efforts. They dont believe the court is the right place for this, but there is no doubt this verdict could set off many more around the world as campaigners see that their battle to protect the planet can also take place in courtsjust like this. Energy executives globally were watching, too, conscious that if shell can be legally obliged to change, so could they. Anna holligan, bbc news, at the District Court in the hague. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come. What happens now to the work and personal possessions of Professor Stephen hawking . In the biggest international Sporting Spectacle ever seen, up to 30 Million people have taken part in Sponsored Athletics events to aid Famine Relief in africa. The first of what the makers of Star Wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am. Taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full scale riot, as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juventus enclosure. The belgian police had lost control. The whole world will mourn the j tragic death of mr nehru today. He was the father of. The indian people from the day of independence. The Oprah Winfrey Show comes to an end after 25 years and more than a500 episodes. The Chat Show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. Geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced shes left the spice girls. Argh, i dont believe it shes the one with the bounce, the go, girl power. Not geri, why . This is bbc news, the latest headlines. Borisjohnsons former Chief Adviser delivers a relentless attack on his handling of the covid crisis. At least eight people are killed in a shooting at a Rail Yard in sanjose, California The Gunman worked at the rail facility. The president Of Belarus has accused his critics of trying to strangle his country. Its his first public comments since a Ryanair Plane was forced to land in the country and an Opposition Journalist onboard was arrested. Alexander lukashenko accused the west of waging a hybrid war against him. Sarah rainsford reports from minsk. In minsk, appearances are deceiving. This is a country in deep political turmoil. We were heading to meet a womanjust plunged into the heart of it. She asked to meet in the open on the edge of town because Annas Daughter is now in a kgb prison, arrested with her Opposition Activist Boyfriend when their flight over europe was diverted by force to belarus. The last anna heard from sofia was a text message. Itjust said, mum. The next was a Video Confession taped by her interrogators. It seems clear it was done under duress. Anna is still reeling. Translation we are in such a state that we keep saying to each other, this cant be happening. We dont believe its happening to us, to our daughter. Anna says Sofia Wasnt even part of the protests that swept belarus last year, as minsk turned Red And White with crowds calling for President Lukashenko to go. Nine months on, everything has changed here. The Mass Arrest of opposition supporters and peoples own fear have cleared the streets of protesters. But Alexander Lukashenko is still very much in power, and today he made a defiant address to the nation from right here in the countrys parliament. He called new sanctions over the diverted Plane A Western plot to try to topple him. Translation our illwishers have changed their methods of attack. Theyve crossed many red lines and the boundaries of Common Sense and human decency. Theyve moved from plotting riots here to strangling us. Its no surprise many belarusians are keeping their heads down these days. As a new summer begins, very different from the last. Sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. President biden has given us Intelligence Agencies 90 days to conduct a fresh investigation into the origins of covid 19, as speculation persists that it may have leaked from a chinese lab. This claim has been strongly denied by beijing, who said politicising the issue would only hamper investigations. Well, the bbc� s Will Grant joins me now from washington. These questions about the origins of covid 19 clearly still being taken pretty seriously . Still being taken pretty seriously . Still being taken pretty seriousl . ,. , seriously . Yes, there is no si. N seriously . Yes, there is no sin of seriously . Yes, there is no sign of them seriously . Yes, there is no sign of them going seriously . Yes, there is no sign of them going away, l seriously . Yes, there is no i sign of them going away, and they are partly stoked by News Reports that appear to have information passed from Intelligence Agencies suggesting it could well have been from a Laboratory Incident rather than from nature. Of course, the belief up until now was that it has perhaps been passed at a wet Market Or Something from bats in wuhan to humans somehow. But there was doubt being cast on this and that has led the biden administration to put a. On it, President Biden said he received a report earlier this month from the Intelligence Community and asked for additionalfollow up. To put additionalfollow up. To put a full Space Pass Top on it. Given the questions possessed, and given the Relationship Donald Trump had with china, do you see President Bidens relationship with china is continuing to be a frosty relationship or has there been a reset . , a reset . Interestingly, there was a who a reset . Interestingly, there was a who led a reset . Interestingly, there was a who led team a reset . Interestingly, there| was a who led team working alongside chinese scientists, and their conclusion was it is extremely unlikely this was from a Laboratory Incident, and that everything points to it being somehow passed from exotic animals to humans. But it appears that more clarification is wanted, that washington simply accuses beijing of putting obstacles in the way of clear and transparent reporting and wants more clarity. So clearly this entire incident will put greater pressure on the relationship between the biden administration and beijing. As you said, beijing has angrily denied this and said the entire thing is politicised. But the biden administration, as they put it, has specific questions for china, so we will see if they get any answers. Thank ou, they get any answers. Thank you. Will. Theres a push under way to preserve the scientific papers and personal possessions of Professor Stephen hawking. The objects include childhood letters, scripts from his tv appearances, as well as his ground breaking research into black holes. Our Science Correspondent Pallab ghosh has more. There is nothing like a Eureka Moment of discovering something that no one knew before. He was the worlds most inspiring scientist. His research, photographs and letters are his legacy to the world, and theyre to be saved for the nation. Ah, here he is, yeah. 0h, brilliant. His son, tim, sees many of them for the first time, including a letter that his father wrote to his dad when he was just six. Dear father. Once upon a time, some pirates were loading some treasure. I think it shows a sort of tenderness in his relationship with his father. You know, he had a very loving relationship with his dad, as i did when i was at the age he was when he wrote the letter. Here he is as a student. Motor Neurone Disease went on to debilitate his body, but not his mind. This is his most important scientific paper on black holes, which have such strong gravity that not even light can escape. In a Covering Letter to a leading journal, he writes immodestly. His script from The Simpsons is an important part of the collection. He had an enormous sense of humour. I that comes out through interviews that people i will have seen through that kind of characterisation, i willing to be in The Simpsons, for a little fun to be taken. If what that did was help to. Communicate about science. The contents of stephen Hawkings Office will be transferred to the Science Museum in london. Most iconic of all is his wheelchair, a symbol of the physical challenges he faced and also the Strength And Determination he had to overcome them. The eventual aim is to reconstruct his entire office. There are very few scientific spaces that survive, so actually having Stephens Office is wonderful because he is extraordinary, but it sends a big, powerful message about the prestige of science as well. Future generations will now be able to learn about the Life And Work of a man who inspired us with his brilliance, courage and humanity. Pallab ghosh, bbc news. Eric carle, the Author And Illustrator of the much loved childrens book, the very hungry caterpillar, has died at the age of 91. First published in 1969, the book has sold more than 50 Million copies and been translated into more than 66 languages. Carle also wrote the very popular brown bear, brown bear, what do you see . The grouchy ladybug, and the very busy spider. He died at his studio in massachusetts on sunday. In football, the Spanish Team villarreal have won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in one of the most extraordinary Penalty Shoot outs in football history. The match, played in the Polish City of gdansk, finished 1 1 after extra time. All 20 outfield players converted their penalties the longest Shoot Out in a final of any uefa competition. In an increasingly tense stadium, it was then down to the goalkeepers. The villarreal goalkeeper scored with his penalty, then saved his Manchester United counterpart david de geas effort. It gave Villarreal A first major trophy in their history and saw former Arsenal Boss Unai Emery Lift the Europa League for a fourth time. The result left Manchester Uniteds fans hugely disappointed at their failure to win the trophy. I just think for the best of 120 minutes, we were the better side. We could have scored more, but when it went to penalties, i thought wed lose sooner than we did because weve not got great Penalty Takers on the pitch. We didnt offer as much as we should have going forward. Like, bruno didnt really show up, cavani didnt show up, greenwood didnt show up, rashford didnt show up. Like, these players we look for arent showing up in these finals and thats what we need like, we do need that. Stargazers around the world on Wednesday Night have been treated to a special sight. A huge supermoon, also called a Flower Moon in the night sky. It is the closest full moon to the earth of the year making it look much bigger and brighter than normal. In some areas of the Southern Hemisphere the supermoon coincided with a Lunar Eclipse the first time that has happened in almost six years. The british Prime Ministers former Chief Adviser has described borisjohnson as unfit for the job. You can reach me on twitter im lvaughanjones. Im Lewis Vaughanjones and this is bbc news. Hello. It feels like a while since ive been able to say this, but on thursday, most parts of the country will be dry. Its been one of those months, hasnt it . Notjust dry, it should feel a little bit warmer, and thats after quite a chilly start. Even though temperatures in single figures for most, rural parts of Southern England, wales, Northern Ireland could drop down to 1 2 celsius at first light. So, there could be A Touch Of Frost around. Dry and sunny here. A bit more in the way of low Cloud And Mistiness across parts of scotland and Eastern England, but that will break up. Although it will stay grey in shetland through the day. Sunshine turning hazy across western areas later. Maybe a few spots of rain in west cornwall, fermanagh, and an isolated shower down Eastern England and scotland. But the vast majority dry, and temperatures in the mid to high teens. Into the evening and overnight, well see the return of some wet weather, particularly in the west. A lot of low cloud with that. Quite a murky start to friday morning, but notice the temperatures double figures for some. Coolest where weve got the clearest skies towards the east of the country. And its here where High Pressure is building in as we go into friday. And what that does stops that Weather Front moving much further eastwards and it will decay in situ. Damp and drizzly, murky across western areas to begin with. Brightening up a touch, but therell still be some Rain And Drizzle around into the afternoon. Eastern areas favoured for the cloud breaking up, some sunshine, particularly in the North East of scotland, away from some coasts, that is. And temperatures are down a little bit on thursday, but if you get some sunshine, it should still feel pleasant. But the temperatures will be on the rise further as we go into the weekend, and more sunshine developing. We will start saturday fairly cloudy, especially in the west. Still one or two light drizzly showers. Isolated shower further east, most will be dry, increasing amounts of sunshine through eastern areas. And by this stage, a few more spots getting to 20 degrees. Parts of Southern England and western and Northern Scotland are best favoured for that. Into sunday, though, after some Morning Mist and fog patches, Bluer Skies for most. It will be a sunny day, little bit of Fairweather Cloud and some hazy Sunshine Out towards the north and the west. But by this stage, could be hitting 22 degrees in parts of scotland, maybe up to 22 23 in the South East of england. But with the Sunshine Out, the warmth, you may be tempted towards the coast, but our recent chilly spell has had an impact on Sea Surface temperatures. Be brave. Temperatures for some only around 8 9 degrees. Then, as we go into Bank Holiday monday, well, its High Pressure and the Warmth And Sunshine lasts in the south. A chance of a Return Of Rain In Scotland and Northern Ireland. Bye for now. This is bbc news, the headlines the british Prime Ministers former Chief Adviser has described borisjohnson as unfit for the job. In a parliamentary public hearing, Dominic Cummings said Tens Of Thousands of people died needlessly from coronavirus, because of disastrous failings by the government. Britain has been one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic. Eight people have been killed and others wounded after a gunman opened fire in a railyard in san jose, california. The gunman, who worked at the railfacility, also died. There have been 230 mass shootings so far this year across the united states. Ajudge in australia has dismissed what couldve been a landmark case, brought by eight teenagers and a nun trying to stop the expansion of australias Coal Production. They argued the federal government had a Duty Of Care in protecting future generations from Climate Change. Now its time for a look back at the day in parliament