Hello, and welcome. It was raining, and spectators were banned. Yet when the Olympic Flame was carried on stage, it was, at least, a tangible sign the tokyo games is now just two weeks away albeit a games that has been heavily disrupted by the Global Coronavirus pandemic. The flame was carried on stage in a lantern and handed to the governor of tokyo state. The ceremony took place a day after it was confirmed there would be no spectators in the olympic venues in and around tokyo, and an 8 00pm Curfew would be imposed a decision with huge financial implications. The bbc� s Mariko Oi is in tokyo. A hugely symbolic and important day, the arrival of the Olympic Torch, but a very muted one . Indeed, and if the plan was for the Torch Relay to start today, of course a couple of days ago was that the decision was made to cancel the Torch Relay and replace it with Flame Lighting ceremonies to be streamed online across japan, and for the torch to get to tokyo there have been a number of disruptions as well, partly because of the pandemic, but also because of the strong public opposition to the games. Remember, an overwhelming majority of the japanese public has been asking for the games to be cancelled or at least postponed, and a couple of days ago a woman extinguished the flame with a water pistol, which goes to show how quite a lot of people are still feeling against the games going ahead. As you said, it is now in tokyo and the games will begin in two weeks, sojust as and the games will begin in two weeks, so just as the government announced a fourth state of emergencyjust yesterday, covering the entire duration of the olympics, following that announcement, after five way talks between the japanese, tokyo governments and olympic officials, they decided to not allow any spectators inside the stadiums, making it the first ever olympics to be held behind closed doors. It was a difficult decision to make, but of course the authorities are very much concerned about people going to see the competitions, then possibly going out for a drink or two afterwards, possibly leading to an increasing number of infections again. That is why those announcements were made yesterday. Those announcements were made esterda. �. , yesterday. And of course it will mean yesterday. And of course it will mean empty yesterday. And of course it| will mean empty stadiums. Yesterday. And of course it will mean empty stadiums. There is talk of fake crowds being put in their place, and real peoples place, how about that . Yes, i guess it is not the first time that we would see that, if that happens. We had a Baseball Game Injapan last Baseball Game in japan last year Baseball Game Injapan last year where there were some robots dancing instead of the crowds, because of course for the athletes, the Crowds Cheering and gives them a huge motivation. It would be a very different experience for not just the spectators and people watching at home, but also for the athletes as well. But also for the japanese governments, you know, who have spent some 25 Billion in preparation for the olympics, including building that brand new stadium, and yet it is going to be empty and it is going to say pretty much no financial benefits from tourism, because the Government Ofjapan is not allowing overseas visitors into the country, but also from ticket sales, which they were hoping to get from domestic spectators, those have now been banned. , banned. Mariko oi in tokyo, Thank Yom almost 30 people could have been involved in the assassination of Haitis President Jovenel moise on wednesday. Thats according to the Countrys Chief of police. He revealed that a number of those behind the attack were likely to have been foreigners. But the Acting Prime Minister has told the bbc it may have been masterminded by haitis oligarchs. Courtney bembridge reports. These are the streets of port Au Prince after the president was shot dead inside his own. Crowds gathered outside the Police Station whether suspects are being held. Translation foreigners came to the held. Translation foreigners came to the country held. Translation foreigners came to the country to held. Translation foreigners came to the country to commit. Came to the country to commit this crime. We haitians are appalled. We do not accept it. This friday we are ready to help because we need to know who is behind this, their names, their background, so thatjustice can do its job. These are the men accused of carrying out the plot. 15 colombians and two americans of haitian origin. Authorities say three more colombians were killed and eight are still on the run. Columbias Defence Minister says at least six members of the Hit Squad appear to be former soldiers, and he has ordered the colombian Army And Police to help the investigation. Foreigners may have pulled the trigger, but it isnt yet clear who planned the attack. Translation we already have the physical attack. Translation we already have the physical perpetrators have the physical perpetrators in hand, and we are looking for the intellectual perpetrators. It is the job of the police to bring the accomplices to justice, so that the president Ial Family justice, so that the president ialfamily and justice, so that the president Ial Family and the country find justice. I country find justice. I understand that he was fighting against understand that he was fighting against the oligarchs in the country. Against the oligarchs in the country, so we do not know, perhaps country, so we do not know, perhaps there is a link between the fight, perhaps there is a link between the fight, you know, against the fight, you know, against the oligarchs and those foreign mercenaries. Mercenaries. Since he took office in mercenaries. Since he took office in 2017, mercenaries. Since he took office in 2017, president. Office in 2017, President Jovenel Moise has faced mass protests against his rule, first over Corruption Allegations and his management of the economy, and then over his increasing grip on power. The country now has no president or working parliament, and two men claiming to be in charge as prime minister. Translation i call for calm. I cannot say more, but the police, the army and the country have the situation under control. For now, situation under control. For now. Those situation under control. For now, those Calls Situation under control. For now, those calls for situation under control. For now, those calls for karma going on heard. Call for calm are going unheard. Lets get some of The Days other news. President biden has defended the withdrawal of us forces from afghanistan, saying he wasnt prepared to send another generation of americans to fight there. There are concerns the withdrawal, could lead to a civil War And Benefit radical groups such as the taliban. The uk is also pulling its last remaining troops out of the country. The united Nations Security Council is meeting to discuss the bitter dispute between ethiopia, Egypt And Sudan over a huge Hydropower Dam on the blue nile. Ethiopia has begun the second phase of filling the reservoir of the dam, intensifying fears that Egypt And Sudans access to water could be restricted. Micheal avenetti, the lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against president trump, has beenjailed for trying to extort money from the Sportswear Company nike. He was convicted in february last year of threatening to expose bribery. The Celebrity Lawyer faces more charges for Fraud And Embezzlement in separate criminal trials. In ten days, anybody in england who is fully vaccinated against Covid 19 can travel to an Amber List Country without needing to quarantine upon return. Teenagers will not have to self isolate either, meaning that families can travel abroad this summer. The relaxation is provided to give a big boost to the travel industry, as people rushed to book last minute holidays. Remember this . A foreign holiday may soon be a reality again. Travel companies say bookings to embolus countries have taken off, following a relaxation of rules and quarantine. It is a lifesaver for them. Quarantine. It is a lifesaver for them for them. Traffic on our website for them. Traffic on our website had for them. Traffic on our website had a for them. Traffic on our website had a huge for them. Traffic on our i website had a huge spike for them. Traffic on our website had a huge spike at lunchtime, right after the announcement. There is a huge amount of demand for people to go on holiday. People do want to get away. They wanted to go away. To get away. They wanted to go awa. ~. ,. ,. , away. Within an hour of the announcement, away. Within an hour of the announcement, skyscanner away. Within an hour of the announcement, skyscanner saw a 50 announcement, skyscannersawa 50 increase in traffic to our site following the same time The Day before. The day before. And that is ust, i The Day before. And that is just. I mean. The day before. And that is just, i mean, a The Day before. And that is just, i mean, a clear The Day before. And that is just, i mean, a clear Sign L The Day before. And that is| just, i mean, a clear sign of the just, i mean, a clear sign of the huge just, i mean, a clear sign of the huge appetite but there is for travel. , the huge appetite but there is for travel for travel. Chapter two says its mediterranean for travel. Chapter two says its mediterranean hotspots| for travel. Chapter two says its mediterranean hotspots like spain, the balearic islands, the canary islands, greece and the canary islands, greece and the greek islands are the most popular. Easyjet says after the governments announcement, bookings were up 400 . It isnt plain sailing yet. There will be extra costs, because travellers have to pay for Covid Tests before and after their return. Also, they will still have to quarantine if they have been jabbed still have to quarantine if they have beenjabbed outside they have beenjabbed outside the uk, and rules may be different in northern ireland, scotland and wales. Some have questioned why Travel Restrictions are easing now, just as the number of coronavirus cases in the uk are soaring. It is the highest in europe. But cases are starting to rise thereto, particularly in popular Holiday Destinations like spain, portugal and greece. That could mean sudden changes to travel rules imposed by other countries. Also, whatever the Uk Nations decide, number of countries like allow Uk Travellers in still allow Uk Travellers in without a period of isolation. And some amber countries wont let Uk Holidaymakers in at all. And as you saw in that report, in about half an hour we will be speaking to the boss Of Skyscanner, stephanie boyle. If you have any questions you would like to put to her, please get in touch. Theres fresh evidence to show that children are much less at risk from coronavirus than adults. From March 2020 to february this year, 25 children and young people in england died directly from the virus, out of an estimated 469,000 infections. Our health correspondent, naomi grimley, has more. Every day, we are learning more about Covid 19, and this latest research by four English Universities throws light on how likely children are to suffer serious illness. The researchers looked back at the cases of 61 children who died with a positive Covid Test in the first year of the pandemic. They found that of those, 25 children actually died directly from Covid 19, rather than their Infection Being coincidental. The most vulnerable children were those with complex neuro disabilities. But as with adults, other Risk Factors were identified in children who had been hospitalised, such as being obese, having comorbidities like cardiovascular problems, or coming from nonwhite ethnic backgrounds. The researchers suggest the overall risk of children and teenagers dying from Covid 19 is around one in 500,000. From covid19 is around one in 500,000. 500,000. We didnt see any deaths in 500,000. We didnt see any deaths in children, 500,000. We didnt see any deaths in children, young. Deaths in children, young people, who are often perceived to be at high risk from respiratory infections. So, there were no deaths in children who had asthma as a single diagnosis, no deaths in children who had cystic process, no deaths in children who had chosen a 21 or down syndrome, and no deaths in children who had type 1 diabetes. Children who had type 1 diabetes. , diabetes. The government is ex ected diabetes. The government is exneeted to diabetes. The government is expected to announce diabetes. The government is expected to announce soon | expected to announce soon whether it intends to vaccinated children. Currently, advisers are studying data from the us and israel, which have already decided to do that. Naomi grimley, bbc news. Stay with us. Still to come. Music. Getting ready to hit the Dance Floor again, as nightclubs in france we opened our doors for the first time in more than a year. Reopened their doors. Central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. Police say there have been many casualties, and there is growing speculation that alqaeda was responsible. Germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup. They pipped the favourite, south africa, by a single vote. In south africa, the possibility of losing hadnt even been contemplated. Celebration parties were cancelled. A man entered the palace i through a downstairs window and made his way to the queens private bedroom, then he asked her for a cigarette and, on the pretext for arranging for some to be. Bought, summoned a footman on duty who took the man away. Cheering and applause. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. This is bbc news, the latest headlines the Olympic Torch has arrived in tokyo two weeks before the games but organisers have said no spectators will be allowed. Police in haiti say 28 foreigners were involved in the president s assassination on wednesday, most of them colombians but its still not clear who planned the attack. Brazils President Bolsonaro is under growing pressure over his handling of the covid pandemic, with protests on the streets. More than 500,000 people have died with the virus in brazil, the worlds second highest Death Toll after the us. Only 13 of the population is fully vaccinated and around 2,000 people are still dying with the virus every day. Now there fears that the highly contagious Delta Variant could also take hold. Our international Correspondent Orla Guerin reports from brazil. Brazils agony. Carved into the soil. Fresh graves in Sao Paulo await the new covid dead. The virus is still reaching many here long before vaccines do. Josildo Di Mora died of covid in mayjust hours after this picture was taken and days before he was due to get a jab. The father of five was the heart of his family. His son, felipe, joined the recent Street Protests here against the brazilian leader, seeking justice for his dad. For those whove come out on the streets here, this is notjust about Grief And Anger its about political responsibility. They believe that many of the dead are victims of President Bolsonaro, his policies and his inaction, as well as victims of Covid 19. And the pressure on the president is growing. The epicentre is here, inside the Modernist Parliament in the capital, brasilia. We met the opposition senator, omar aziz, leading an enquiry the senate hearings are often heated and have become must watch tv. A Pfizer Executive said its offers to supply vaccines last year were ignored by the government for months. It has already uncovered that pfizer offered to supply vaccines to the government last year and, for months, was ignored. We met the opposition senator, omaraziz, leading the enquiry. His own brother is among the dead. President bolsonaro continues to set this kind of example, not wearing a mask while thronged by diehard supporters last month. He was fined. And in the midst of a pandemic, leading a bikers rally. He insists the wheels of the economy must keep turning and says staying home is for idiots. The president actually guaranteed that covid would spread, according to pedro halal, the epidemiologist leading brazils largest study in the virus. Our president said, oh, its coming to an end, in april last year. Then he said the vaccines were not safe. The statement from the president himself were, they produced damage and they killed people and this is what needs to be said. The protesters go much further, accusing the brazilian leader of genocide. They want him out. For now, he is going nowhere, but the bereaved are hoping there will be a reckoning. Orla guerin, bbc news, brasilia. A row has broken out in spain over Meat Consumption. One Spanish Government minister suggested his fellow countrymen should eat less meat for their own health and the planets. Well, thats caused beef with other senior government figures, as Sophia Tran Thomson reports. It is a country famed for its dry cured ham, chorizo and sausages. Spaniards love their meat more than any other eu country, slaughtering 17 Million pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses and birds every year. So many spaniards were surprised to hear their consumer affairs minister, alberto garzon, saying this. Translation what would you think if i told you that l excessive Meat Consumption harms our health and also our planet . Without the planet, we have no life, without the planet we have no salaries, no economy, and we are destroying it and we have a direct impact on one of the parts that we are destroying it. We can change our diets and improve the state of the planet. His comments came underfire from, you guessed it, the Agriculture Minister who said it denigrated the work of the countrys farmers. Then the prime Minister Pedro Sanchez interrupted a trip to lithuania to weight in. Translation on this | controversy, i will put it in very personal terms for me, there is nothing that beats a well done t bone steak. The average spaniard puts away more than 1kg of meat a week and each kilogram takes around 15,000 litres of water to produce. In a country facing a rapid expansion of its deserts, at the very least, its food for thought. Sophia tran thomson, bbc news. Now for the latest Sports News lets go to the Bbc Sport Centre and marc edwards. Hello, im marc edwards. Friday is mens Semifinals Day at wimbledon and can anyone stop novak djokovics march towards a record equalling 20th grand Slam Title . The World Number 1 already has the australian and french opens under his belt this year and has only lost1 set on his way to the last four. Hes up against Denis Shapovaaaaalov with hes up against Denis Shapovaalov with the canadian appearing in his first major Semi Final. Another triumph at the all England Club for djokovic will mean he equals the tally jointly held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal although thats not a motivating Factor Iam not i am not chasing anybody, i am making my own path in my own Journey And Bone history so im privileged to be part of the history of the sport that i love and as i said on the court, you know, i know about a lot of stats, i dont know about all of them, but they do make motivate me even more. The events that count the most in our sport. Some Transfer News for you now and Paris St Germain have signed Sergio Ramos on a two Year Deal following his departure from Real Madrid. Ramos is spains most capped player, but was left out of their euro 2020 squad. He won 5 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League medals during his 16 Year Stint at Real Madrid but left when his contract expired at the end ofjune. Englands make shift one Day Side have beaten pakistan by 9 wickets in their first international in cardiff. An entirely new set of players had to be brought injust two days ago, after a Covid Outbreak in the original england squad. gfx but they got off to the perfect start as they had pakistan 26 for 4 with Saqib Mahmood the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets. Pakistan were all out for 141. England knocked it off for the Loss Ofjust1wicket Dawid malan top scoring with 68. They will play the second of their 3 Match Series at lords on saturday. Stage 13 of the Tour De France gets underway on friday and heads towards the pyrenees, but the riders wont get to the mountains just yet. Instead, a long transitional stage awaits the peloton, 220km in length. On thursday however there was no record equalling 34th Stage Win for mark cavendish. Stage 12 was won by german Nils Pollitt after a late solo breakaway. Uae team emirates Rider Tade Pogaca maintains his overall race lead. And finally, you might have seen this doing the rounds already on Social Media but as if Englands Win on wednesday in their euro 2020 Semi Final couldnt get any sweeter for English Supporters all over the country. Imagine how lucky you were if you managed to be one of the 65,000 fans actually in wembley. Imagine if you saw mason mount, the Chelsea And England star coming towards you and giving you his shirt and look what it means to this young girl. What a moment. So special, isnt it . Friday will be a Big Day for many people in france as nightclubs will be allowed to re open. For nearly eighteen months ever since the pandemic began theyve had to remain shut. But not all clubs will be re opening their doors. Just a warning this report from the bbc� s Tim Allman contains flashing images. Back where he belongs, Dj Vinz behind the decks at Le Duplex in paris. No one is dancing yet but it is only a matter of time. Soon this nightclub will be full, or at least mostly full, of party goers. It is going to be a special night, he says. Its always great to see people so we are really looking forward to it. This was Le Duplex before the pandemic, a Premiere Hotspot on the Paris Nightclub scene, its owners desperate to get the party started as soon as possible. Translation | think what matters most is to open, making profit it is important but it will be secondary. I think were really eager for this wind of freedom because we know that, maybe, in august or september, we may be told to close our doors again. Its believed only around a quarter of clubs will actually reopen, and only then with reduced capacity. The Trade Body that represents the industry says around 400 nightclubs have been forced to close permanently or are in deep financial trouble and this Grand Reopening coincides with the spread of the Delta Variant. Translation so its true that the timing is probably not the best, because we still have a very high incidence rate, and insufficient vaccination rate, so we consider that our businesses will not be ready from a health standpoint. Anyone hoping to get in will need proof of vaccination or a recent negative test but, as one potential customer put it, we havent had fun in a long time, and we need to have fun. Tim allman, bbc news. I hope you enjoy if you are ready to get your Dancing Shoes on but before we go, remind of our top story. The olympic Torch Relay has reached Tokyo Prefecture two weeks before the games begin. No crowds were allowed in to watch as it was carried onstage in the lantern and handed to the governor of tokyo. There will be no Step Spec spectators at the arenas. The Organising Committee has shut them out because of fears of the more contagious delta coronavirus variant. Back shortly with the business. You can reach me on twitter samaanthatvnews and we are speaking to the boss Of Skyscanner S Ascenders your questions. Hello there. The next few days look pretty unsettled, with low pressure always nearby, so were likely to see sunshine and showers notjust for friday, but into the weekend and into the start of next week, too. So, for today, these showers will be heavy, much like they were on thursday, and youll see on the Pressure Charts were in between systems, and theres barely any isobars, so the winds are light and the showers will be slow moving again. So, quite a bit of cloud to start this morning, particularly across scotland, where well see some patchy rain in the north east. The sunshine will get going, though, the best of it in central and eastern areas and this is where well see most of the heavy now, as we move through friday night, those heavy showers across central and eastern areas will tend to fade away, many places will turn dry with variable cloud and clear spells. But this Weather Front will bring in persistent rain to South Wales and the south west of england, slowly moving its way eastwards. Temperature wise, most places sticking in double figures. So, for this weekend, again, its one of sunny spells and scattered showers, though well have that area of rain across southern areas for a while, but that will clear away during the course of saturday, then all areas will see sunny spells and showers. That area of rain could bring some persistent, fairly Heavy Rain to central and Southern England through the morning, eventually clearing away. Elsewhere, after a rather cloudy start, the sunshine will appear, and then, these showers will get going and again, some of them will be heavy with some hail and thunder, theyll be relatively slow moving. Temperature wise, 17 22 celsius. As we move out of saturday into sunday, a new area of low pressure pushes into Western Parts of the Uk Thatll bring enhanced showers to the northern and western areas in particular. Again, some of them will be heavy and merge together to produce longer spells of rain in places. Probably the better area to see the driest conditions will be central and eastern parts of england, where well see the best temperatures, 22 23 celsius otherwise, the high teens further north and west. Very unsettled into the start of next week, as well, particularly england and wales could see some very wet weatherfor a while. Then from midweek onwards, it looks like High Pressure wants to build in. Thatll settle things down with increasing sunshine. This is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Taxing the tech Giants Finance chiefs try to seal a deal to make them pay a fair share. Summer scramble Bookings Surge as the uk gives vaccinated travellers the green light. The Didi Effect chinese shares tumble on Wall Street as beijing tightens the reins. Plus, tackling the other pandemic why Mental Health is climbing the agenda for businesses around the world. We start with tax and how to make the global tech