Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20170808

The bbc news at six. 0rganisers Of The World Athletics Championships at the london stadium are trying to limit the spread of the norovirus which has already affected dozens of competitors and staff. One of the highest Profile Casualties is botswanas Isaac Makwala a favourite in the Two Hundred And Four hundred metre races. Athletes from germany, canada and ireland whove been staying at the same hotel have also been affected but officials from Public Health england say it is not the source of the outbreak. Heres our Sports Editor dan roan. This is the time when the worlds best athletes should be concentrating on their rivals. Instead these competitors and coaches today found themselves at the centre of a suspected outbreak of the highly contagious vomiting bug norovirus at this team hotel. For botswana, Issac Makwala yesterday the worlds best 200 metre runner, Issac Makwala, was forced to withdraw from the event. The botswanan medal prospect one of 30 athletes and support staff reporting illness. I felt heartbroken yesterday. I worked hard for this and it is sad for me because i was top of my game coming here. I was ready to make everything possible. I came here for a medal. Despite saying he was fit to compete, Issac Makwala was ruled out of the 400 metre final by the athletics governing bodys medical advisers. Meanwhile irishman thomas barrs World Championship is over, the hurdler currently in quarantine. This usually lasts between 28 and 48 hours. The important thing is if people have it, to stay away from other people so they are not at risk of passing it on. And to be very scrupulous about washing their hands when they have been to the toilet or they have vomited. In a Statement Today the hotel said the following a joint investigation with Public Health authorities it had been discovered that the source of the illness was not here. And that strict Hygiene Protocols have now been put in place. World championship organisers meanwhile said theyre doing everything they can. But how could this happen . I guess in any event when you have 20,000 people minimum that we have accredited coming in from every corner of the world, there is a possibility that someone might come in with a bug. And we think that is probably what has happened here. There has been all sorts of Food Poisoning and all the medical experts, Public Health, safety, have said it is not, it is gastroenteritis. This evening the majority of athletes here continue their preparations unaffected. But they have been warned to be vigilant. You eat foods that are low risk, you only drink bottled water, you take the ice out of your drinks. Make sure the food is fully cooked through. Dont eat spicy food, eat plain food, food that you would normally eat. It is a bit of a concern for the Organising Committee for london, it is not what we would have wanted. I hope it is quashed quite quickly. Some german and canadian athletes staying at the tower hotel are being found alternative accommodation. And with six days of competition left, organisers must now hope the situation has been contained. And dan roan is at the stadium now. As you said i guess there is a limit to what organisers can do about Something Like this. That is right. It will not be the last time a major Global Sports event is hit by an outbreak of illness like this. It is certainly not the first time, it happened in the Commonwealth Games three years ago in glasgow when the Athletes Village was affected and that last year at the rio 0lympic games as well when british athletes we re games as well when british athletes were affected also. But it is Reg Retta Ble were affected also. But it is regrettable and unfortunate and it means that one of the most eagerly anticipated jewels of the World Championship, 400 metres world record holder going up against as michael mcguire, will now not happen. It comes off the back of other high profile withdrawals through injury. So i think organisers will be feeling hard done by. Five days into these championships, practically halfway through now and a mixed picture. It has been fantastic with record ticket sales and great atmosphere, some dramatic races and big audiences on tv. The logistics have all gone to plan but in the negative column, there has been controversy, usain Bolt Farewell Party somewhat crashed byjustin usain Bolt Farewell Party somewhat crashed by justin gatlin. Usain Bolt Farewell Party somewhat crashed byjustin gatlin. And perhaps not so many medals as we would have liked for british athletes. So a mixed picture. In the last few minutes the south african president jacob zuma has survived a vote of No Confidence in his leadership. The Secret Ballot in Parliament Saw the majority of mps from the Ruling African National congress the party once led by Anti Apartheid Icon Nelson Mandela back their leader. Mr zuma, who has been in office for eight years, is accused of corruption and mismanagement. 0ur south africa correspondent nomsa maseko is in cape town now. The president jacob the president jacob zuma the president jacob zuma has survived his motion of No Confidence, the eighth motion and many people say hes on his ninth life. Disappointment of course from the Opposition Party benches and of course with the mc saying theyve a Lwa Ys Course with the mc saying theyve always known that their members would be loyal to presentjacob zuma. Lets take a look at how the day unfolded. They spent the day protesting outside parliament. Demanding the resignation of president jacob demanding the resignation of president jacob zuma. 0rganised demanding the resignation of president jacob zuma. Organised by opposition parties and activists, their march had one clear message to members of parliament. But the Country First. Not your personal interest. Jacob zuma has already faced and survived seven motions of No Confidence. The eight vote came after he sacked the respected Finance Minister in spite of opposition from within his own party the anc. The scandal prone president faces multiple Corruption Allegations including refurbishing his personal residence at the expense of the taxpayer. His personal residence at the expense of the taxpayerlj his personal residence at the expense of the taxpayer. I know what Nelson Mandela wouldve done in this house today. The noconfidence motion today was brought by the opposition who say controversy surrounding the president is bringing the countrys economy to its knees. Vote with your conscience. And remove this corrupt and broken president from office. I plead you. Let us put the people of south africa first and vote to remove jacob zuma today. I thank you. For the first time the vote of No Confidence will be held in secret. But the anc has expressed confidence in the loyalty of its members. At this stage we are throwing a serious, data leading a serious bomb in south africa to our government and also to a very important party. Detonating a serious bomb. But the party is beset with internal squabbles and has never been so divided in its 105 year history. 198. Despite the internal divisions, jacob zuma survived and has hung on to his political life. 177 votes to 198. What is set now is that he will step down as leader of the governing anc in december. But what is not clear is whether he can remain president of the country until the elections in 2019. Disappointed Andyjacob Zuma protesters gathered here outside parliament and there are now starting to disperse saying they have always known, they hope the anc would change its mind and put the Country First and not their interests but at the same time the hundreds of pro jacob zuma supporters are still singing as they wait for the president jacob zuma supporters are still singing as they wait for the president jacob zuma to address them. Thejustice secretary has approved the transfer of murderer kenneth noye to an open prison. Noye, whos 70, was given a Life Sentence in 2000, for murdering Stephen Cameron in a Road Rage Attack on the m25. The move follows a recommendation by the parole board. The parents of a seven year old boy with a rare Genetic Disorder have won the latest stage in their fight to get the nhs to pay for treatment they believe would be Life Changing. The child, known as s, has a rare condition which inhibits his ability to digest protein. The nhs has refused to fund a drug which could help control his condition on the grounds that it was ineffective. But today, a High Courtjudge rejected that conclusion, as our Legal Affairs correspondent Clive Coleman reports. Seven year old s, we cannot give his name for legal reasons, has the rare condition pku. If he has more than 12 grams of protein a day, which you would find in three slices of bread, he could suffer permanent brain damage. He also has severe autism and cant talk and so managing his diet is exceptionally difficult. Ss nhs consultant applied for him to have a drug called kuvan which allows him to have more protein, but it costs £100 a day and nhs england has refused to fund it on the basis its clinical efficacy had not been established. That led to todays legal challenge. We are pleased that we have won the case. It has been a difficult two years trying to get this done, but we know we are not Out Of The Woods yet. Mrsjustice andrews ruled that nhs englands refusal to fund kuvan was irrational because evidence that it was clinically effective was overwhelming. That does not mean s will get the drug, but it does mean that nhs england will have to reconsider his parents application. In a statement nhs england said the case is limited to the particular circumstances of this Funding Request and does not have any wider implications for how nhs england makes decisions regarding the funding of treatment. If a child with pku is given kuvan, it can transform their life. Nine year old alex was struggling at school. He has now been prescribed the drug. His concentration has soared and he can eat the same food as his friends. Todays ruling only affects one child, but parents of children with pku will be encouraged a High Courtjudge has found the clinical case for kuvan is a powerful one. New research, led by the university of manchester, shows that people in the north of england are more than 20 more likely to die before they reach 75 than People Living in the south. 0ur Health Editor hugh pym is in salford. Hugh, theyre calling it a tale of two englands . That is correct. Theyre saying differences in Life Expectancy have been well documented but what has not been uncovered before is differences in the number of deaths amongst a broad swathe of the population. 0ne amongst a broad swathe of the population. One of their Main Findings is that there were 1. 2 million more deaths in the north of england than the south since 1965. Amongst the under 75. But if you go to younger age groups there are even starker differences. First of all they look at the 35 44 age group and 49 more deaths in the north of england than in the south in 2015. As for the 25 34 age group, 29 more deaths in the north in 2015 and in both cases the gap has widened considerably. The authors say they think theyre a deep set economic factors at work, and lack of investment going back many decades, a lack of opportunity, a cycle of despair in some communities causing Mental Health problems and alcoholism leading to real health challenges. The Government Point of view is that there are complex factors at work. Health inequalities. And theyre being addressed. Economic growth, ministers say is actually higher in areas in the north of england than in the uk as a whole. But the study today certainly uncovered a new aspect of a long running debate on the north south divide. Thousands of pupils in scotland have received their exam results today. Theres been a slight dip in the highers pass rate, but the Scottish Qualifications Authority said the results were evidence of a very stable system. As our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports, the results come at a time when critics say educational standards have suffered under the snp government. Her report contains some flashing images. After all their hard work, the wait is over for these students at eastbank academy, in the east end of glasgow. I got an a in classics. How did that happen . I got the results i needed, so thats really good. Yeah, so how are you feeling . Really, really happy. I got one a, two bs and a c. I lost my maths, but that what i was expecting, so im happy with that and i come back and take maths next year if i want. I failed maths, but i was kind of expecting that, so, im 0k. Across scotland, pass rates remained at a high level and results in the higher exams, sat by 16 and 17 year old, were broadly in line with last year, but more widely the Scottish Education system is facing challenges. Exam results dont themselves tell us anything very much about the standards of Scottish Education as a whole, yet International Comparisons suggest that scotlands standards are declining, that scotland is not as a good as it used to be. Its about average, its not disastrous, but it used to be well above average and thats clearly not the case any more. A Major International survey of standards in reading, maths and science recently gave scotland its worst ever ranking. Scottish government statistics suggest standards in reading and writing have been declining. There are also concerns about the gap between the performance of students from relatively well off and poorer backgrounds. The Scottish Government has made closing the Attainment Gap a priority and there is targeted extra funding. This school has spent the money theyve received on trying to increase the proportion of pupils who pass their highers and then go on to further or higher education. The minister in charge of scotlands schools, meeting other students getting their results, said the government had a relentless focus on improving education. Todays results give us enormous confidence about the strength that exists within Scottish Education, but were determined to build on that and the investments that were making in pupil equity funding, which is supporting the measures that are designed to close the Attainment Gap in Scottish Education, will bearfruit in the years to come. So you didnt do as well as you hoped. Help is on hand for those left disappointed. The advice there are still plenty of options to consider when planning their future. Lorna gordon, bbc news, glasgow. A man from bury in Greater Manchester has been found guilty of trying to board a flight to italy with an explosive device in his hand luggage. Security officers at Manchester Airport found the bomb concealed inside a sealed marker pen in february this year. Nadeem muhammed denied any knowledge of the explosive. 0ur Correspondent Dave Guest was in court. Was it a viable bomb . It was indeed. They didnt realise it at first. He arrived at terminal 3 to board a flight arrived at terminal 3 to board a flight to italy. It was during the routine Security Checks that they found this strange device, three or four inches long. It consisted of a tube, wrapped with tape, batteries and wires protruding from either end. At the was questioned by police. When it was swabbed they we re police. When it was swabbed they were told no evidence of a bomb was defect texted. It could have caused real problems if detonated on the plane. He was arrested in early february and convicted at Manchester Crown court of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life. The we res with intent to endanger life. The weres cueings couldnt find any terrorist link and dont know why he had that thing in his case in the first place. Thank you very much. Our top story this evening athletes at the World Championships have been hit by the norovirus. Botswanas track star is out of the 400 metre final still to come the Special Olympics National Games gets under way in sheffield, what does it take to make the grade . Coming up in Sportsday On Bbc News Jose Mourinho reveals he could be in the market for buying gareth bale as we look ahead to the Uefa Super Cup where Manchester United take on real madrid. Almost 40 of Maternity Wards in england closed their doors to expectant mothers last year, thats according to a Freedom Of Information Request made by the labour party. In england, 136 nhs trusts offer Maternity Services. Last year, 42 of them closed their doors to new admissions at least once. There were 382 separate occasions when units were closed, up by 70 on 2014. The most common reason given were shortages of staff or beds. 0ur health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. Midwives provide Specialist Care to some of the Health Services most vulnerable patients, but a shortage of staff, combined with a rising birth rate, means some Maternity Units are struggling. What shall we draw . Two years ago, rachel hall went into labour, but her local unit was temporarily closed and she faced a 30 mile road trip to an alternative hospital. Fortunately, all was well in the end and daughter isabelle is thriving, but for rachel the memories are still vivid. When i was told that the hospital was closed, i was absolutely devastated. I didnt know what to do. I think i actually went into shock to start off with because ijust went really, really quiet and then ijust burst into tears and was, like, uncontrollably crying because ijust didnt know what was going to happen. So it was quite scary not knowing that my hospital wouldnt take me. This is one of the hospitals that had to close the doors of its Maternity Unit at least once during 2016. Now everyone agrees that at times managers may have to do that if the safety of mothers and babies is being compromised during extremely busy periods. It happens, births are extremely difficult to plan for, but experts warn that if it happens too frequently, well, thats the sign of a system under stress. The Royal College of midwives believes theres a shortfall of 3,500 expert maternity staff and thats whats behind the increase in closures. Its very rare for Maternity Units to be closed and the fact that weve seen a 70 increase in how often thats happening, i think should give us cause for serious concern. Peaks and troughs in the birth rate always have an impact on Maternity Services and more midwives are being trained. The Department Of Health says hospitals need to use temporary closures to manage those peaks in admissions and it argues its misleading to use these figures to indicate a shortage of staff because of the difficulties around planning for births. Dominic hughes, bbc news. The metropolitan police has appealed for information after a jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of a bus. Cctv footage shows the man running on putney bridge, in south west london. Police say quick reactions by the bus driver prevented the woman being seriously injured. Daniella relph reports. 7. 41am in the morning, the Man Jagging On put any bridge, and then this. Is the quick thinking of the bus driver saved the womans life. The Police Believe thejogger deliberately pushed her. When you look closely, you see him raise his hands and make contact. The womans head and shoulders are then on the road in the path of the bus. 15 minutes later thejogger road in the path of the bus. 15 minutes later the jogger came back across the bridge here, running straight past the woman hed previously knocked over. She tried to talk to him. He just previously knocked over. She tried to talk to him. Hejust iing in order her. Passers by, as well as those who got off the bus, helped the injured woman. The police say she was shocked and upset, but was not seriously hurt. Its very small margins if it hadnt been for good reflexes on the part of the bus driver or the level of force was such to push her even further into the road, almost certainly this could have ended in a fatality. The investigation is focused on finding this man. The mysteriousjogger. Detectives say they have received a number of useful calls, including other people reporting similar incidents elsewhere in london. Those leading the Investigation Stress they believe this was an isolated incident. But are struggling to understand why anyone would deliberately push someone into the road during the morning rush hour. Daniella relph, bbc news, putney. As the athletics World Championships continue in london a different Sporting Event starts in sheffield today, bringing together 2,500 competitors. All the participants at the Special Olympics National Games have a learning disability. Joe wilson has been hearing how competitors have come through despite personal and financial challenges. In sheffield this week there is sport everywhere. The National Games of the Special Olympics 20 different disciplines, 2,500 competitors and what links them all is that they love sport. What links them all is that they have a learning disability, and that can make life a daily challenge. Everybody being nasty to me, bullying me and stuff like that. Has that happened to you . Yes, it has, yeah. And does that happen when youre here doing this sport . No, it doesnt because everybody is the same. A lot of people with intellectual disabilities, coming to these games, actually it gives them the chance to express themselves and to really show, not what they cant do, but what they can do, and more. Well to stage all this sport takes money and for the first time this National Games as a Special Olympics has received direct treasury funding, £2 million from the government. But when the event stops at the weekend, so does that cash. Were hoping that this event will just show what the benefit of supporting Special Olympics by the government is. The Olympic Movement was about friendship, was about camaraderie, was about, you know, achieving to ones best and so perhaps that has definitely got lost in there. Thats what you get here in sheffield . Yes. Participation is everything all ages, all abilities, but each competitor to their local club must raise hundreds of pounds to be here. James thorpe and his dad simon exploring the Athletes Village, father tries to find the opportunities for his boy to do gymnastics. How many different disciplines do you do . Floor . Floor, high bar, pommel horse and the rings. Theres one place that i know that james is accepted at and thats where hes gone since he was six, five or six. Even that is now struggling forfunding. While Sheffield Uniteds Football Ground hosts the Opening Ceremony this evening, rehearsals through the day here, races through the rain here. But as this National Games begins, there is no certainty where or if there will be another. Joe wilson, bbc news, sheffield. Looked wet there. Time for a look at the weather, heres ben rich. Awful out least . Its been dramatic. Yes. We had Funnel Clouds sent in by a Weather Watcher off the essex coast and Thunder And Lightning as well. An impressive shot there again from essex. It hasnt been that dramatic everywhere. The rain further west across england and wales hasnt been as heavy. For Northern Ireland and scotland its been a scattering of showers and plenty of fine and dry weather. This evening things will turn completely dry across scotland and Northern Ireland, clear spells here. Areas of wet weather with further Thunder And Lightning around england and wales. Temperatures around 10 14 degrees. Tomorrow, one day on the calendar, two very different days of weather. Northern ireland and scotland a cracking start to the day, blue skies and sunshine, 13 or 14 degrees for glasgow and belfast. Cloud for Northern England and wales. Here things will brighten up through the day. A different story further south and east. A wet start in the South West Of England and through the midlands, lincoln shire, east anglia we have a band of Rain Heavy Bursts of rain. For the rush hour and deeper into the day this could cause Travel Problems particularly across east anglia and the south east of england. With the heavy bursts of rain it will move slowly. The rain doesnt move very fast. It could give issues with flash flooding, perhaps travel disruption as well. Look at the Scene Up Disruption as well. Look at the scene up to the north west, Com Pletely Scene up to the north west, completely different weather. Plenty of sunshine, especially for scotland and Northern Ireland. Temperatures no great shakes for the time of year, 20 in the sunshine, that wont feel too bad. All of us should have a dry day on thursday, but you guessed it, more rain and strong winds too for the end of the week. Very much. Thats all from the bbc news at six, so its goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbcs news teams where you are. Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines 30 athletes and support staff at the world athletic championships have been hit by gastroenteritis. The bug forces 400 metre favourite Isaac Makwala to withdraw. I feel heartbroken. I was ready for this and i worked hard for this. A man who was stopped at Manchester Airport with a pipe bomb in his hand luggage, is convicted of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life. South africas president , jacob zuma, survives a No Confidence vote in parliament. 198 mps rejected the motion, while 177 voted to oust president zuma. The parents of a boy with a rare Genetic Disorder have won the latest stage of their attempt to get the nhs to pay for a Life Changing drug. In a moment it will be time for sportsday, but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news