weeks. —— to quarantine for two weeks. israel agrees to suspend annexing more of the west bank, as it normalises relations with the united arab emirates. how the nightingale hospitals will help tackle the backlog of cancer patients due to coronavirus. in belarus, protestors take to the streets in further demonstrations against president lukashenko, saying his recent election was rigged. in close up for the time in newsreels. and, 75 years after the end of the war againstjapan, we hear from one special forces veteran fighting behind enemy lines. and coming up in the sport on bbc news... england claim crucial wickets on a rain—affected first day of their second test with pakistan in southampton. good evening. hundreds of thousands of students in england, wales and northern ireland have received their a—level and vocational qualification results today, after major disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. the cancellation of exams due to lockdown, meant schools and colleges were asked to estimate grades, which were then moderated by exam boards, to ensure the results were not significantly higher or lower than in previous years. in all, 78% of a—level results were a* to c, that's up 2.6% from last year, and 28% were the top grades a* and a, upjust over 2%. but there's controversy because the figures for england show that 39% of grades were marked down, while 2% went up. those students taking vocational qualifications, such as btecs, have been receiving estimated results in recent weeks, with the department for education saying those grades are broadly in line with previous years. here is branwen jeffreys. top grades were up today, a small sweet spot to set against the many marked down. this student has been rejected by all her unis. teachers estimated three bs at a—level. every one downgraded to a c. i've spoken to a lot of people who've all said their grades have been lowered. ijust think it's random and unfair. like, we don't even know what it's based off. for others, relief, the grades they needed. so why not take their teacher estimates? research suggests it would mean a huge rise in grades. that's no reflection on their hard work. it's gone really well, to be honest. i have done well for myself and i am proud. others wondering whether to appeal. schools find out next week how it works, what mock evidence to submit. i know in the mock, i got a b for biology, so i am a bit disappointed there. but i can always appeal for that one because i could get that b if i wanted to. not every one will go on to university. some heading to apprenticeships or vocational courses. but even so, being downgraded hurt. i put in a lot of work. so, i worked from 8:30am till 5pm pretty much every day at college. so being downgraded feels like a kick in the stomach. this is a uniquely stressful and uncertain results day for them. some will walk away with the results they hoped for. but for those who have been downgraded, there's a sense of being caught up in an impersonal system. while btec results here were stable, almost half the a—level estimates were downgraded. hundreds of mock results were better, so staff may advise many to appeal. this is the coronavirus generation, the generation that has been impacted by changes in the gcses. so many different things, and the drip feed of constant regular changes in how the system might work through appeals. all of that's added to the emotional roller—coaster that they've been through. what you wanted ? yes. at a state sixth form, good news for some, but top grades for private pupils have gone up more. labour says too many students have lost out. this has fundamentally failed. the government needs to rethink this. they shouldn't rule anything out, including the approach that was forced on the scottish government to get back to the assessments last week. but they need an answer, individual appeals, waive the appeal fee. but this has been a disaster. where pupils are disappointed, where they feel that they could have done better, where they feel there's an injustice been done to them, there is the possibility of appeal and they can resit. they can take a resit this autumn as well. universities have been busy confirming places, but appeals based on mock results could change a lot. the uncertainty comes from the fact that we might not know until the middle of september who is coming and who isn't, and that clearly is important for us in terms of class sizes, in particular in the new covid environment where we're having to be careful about that, but also in things like accommodation. this is what many students worked towards. for some, thejourney here started today. for others, stressful weeks ahead. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. the university admissions service, ucas, says the number of british students who've already accepted places is up by almost 3% on this time last year. nearly 359,000 students have confirmed their choice of university so far, including more than 7,500 who've found a place through clearing. 0ur education correspondent, danjohnson, has more details. you got an a? yes! oh, well done. a for achievement... oh, my gosh! ..means many students taking places as planned. but with the agony of some of these calculated grades comes the question of what next. i've never failed anything, actually. i'm not used to not getting into places. i think that's why it hit me so hard this morning when i opened it. abbi was one of those left disappointed. we've all been downgraded. i haven't got into uni because of it. and i was supposed to be going to durham, and now i can't. so, i've got to look over options, i've got to appeal, go through clearing, resit my exams and we haven't been learning since march. layla also received unexpected marks. so, one grade above, but one grade below, so i was like, "i don't know what it means." and ucas had crashed and no—one could get on, but luckily i've just seen online that i still got in. so, you know, i'm quite thankful. others are trying their chances through clearing. some with lower grades, some who did better looking to trade up. here at hull, the advice is even those appealing should be able to start their course. it's at least a month away. there's a lot of time actually to maybe again undertake that appeals process, but still start university in september. so, my advice would be still secure that place. these are really important calls. they're big decisions, and it's all so much more complicated this year. it's much more difficult for students to work out what's best to do. i got a u in biology... emily's one of those holding out for an appeal to get on her midwifery course. the university's holding my place. and so, when i appeal my grade, i'll see if i get in. there are more clearing places this year, and they're already being accepted. 0verall, university admissions are up, but after so much upheaval, some students will take a little longer to work out their next step. danjohnson, bbc news, in hull. let's talk to our political correspondent, chris mason, who's at westminster. chris, this whole process has been traumatic for students, parents, teachers, schools, and what is the view from westminster today? teachers, schools, and what is the view from westminster today7m england, the results point to the fa ct england, the results point to the fact that 40% of grades were down on what teachers were predicting, but the government has been at pains to point out that that is normal, but most pupils in most years don't manage to hit all of their predicted grades, and they insist that moderation of the results, taking the teacher predictions, looking at the teacher predictions, looking at the school is‘ past performance, is crucial to be as as is humanly possible. they say constructing the bottle to do this, they consulted widely, they spoke to the teaching unions, for example. but labour say that this simply isn't fair, and they point to how well private schools have done relative to how well they did last year. their rate of improvement compared to the state sector. in particular, they point to the fact that, where there was a small number of pupils in a particular school doing a subject, there was a particular emphasis there was a particular emphasis there on the teacher's predicted grades, and teachers on average prove to be optimistic, so labour feel that has baked in an advantage for some in the independent sector. the blunt truth here, clive, is that this was a year where either you have the hollow relief of making your grades because the computer said yes or the irritation that you didn't because the computer said no. we have learned a harsh lesson this year. exams are difficult and cruel and finger biting and nerve—racking but, you know what, it's better than them not happening at all. and, if you'd like more on this story, just visit our new education page online, at bbc.co.uk/news/education. in the last half—hour, it's been announced travellers from france entering the uk will have to quarantine for 14 days. it follows a rise of 66% in coronavirus infections across the channel in the last week. the transport secretary, grant shapps, says the rule comes into effect for the whole of the uk, from sunday morning. it will also affect travellers from the netherlands and malta. the current rate of infection in france is 32.1 cases per 100,000 people, while the uk, by comparison, has 18.5 cases per 100,000. 0ur paris correspondent, lucy williamson, has more details. you don't hear much english at this campsite near eurodisney. even before the quarantine announcement, the number of british guests here had dropped by more than two thirds this year. jenny thorpe and her family bought an annual pass to euro disney back in march, on the day the park went into lockdown. this is their third visit here this year, they have another one planned for october. we were due to come at the end of the month, but we brought a forward by two weeks to give us the two weeks when we get back. so we will make sure we are back in the uk two weeks before they start school. tonight, the transport manager confirmed the new rules. —— transport minister. this evening, we are announcing that there will now be quarantine brought in for a number of other locations, now including france, holland and some others. that's because we've absolutely worked so hard to make sure that we are keeping our numbers down here and we can't afford to reimport those cases from elsewhere. france has warned all along about reciprocal measures when it comes to quarantine. a spokeswoman for the president told us, the uk could expect an immediate response. the infection rate in france has jumped this week to more than 2,500 new cases each day. the highest since lockdown here. young people are seen as a major cause, one reason why the fatality rate so far hasn't risen as fast. eurotunnel are warning of potential chaos as british tourists try to beat the quarantine deadline, with little spare capacity on the shuttle, there strong advice, book a slot before you arrive. those who took the risk of travelling here this summer now face the gamble of getting home. it's not just it's notjust the british government who are worried about the rising infection rates here, the french prime minister has said the situation has been going in the wrong direction and it could become harder to control. tonight's announcement about quarantine will not come as much of a surprise, but it will be unwelcome news particularly for the tourist sector. campsites like these are already struggling partly because of a big drop in british tourists. normally, francis second most favourite destination for british tourists, after spain. thank you, lucy williamson, just outside paris. the government has released the first set of figures for coronavirus deaths, reporting only those who've died within 28 days of a positive test. they show there were 18 deaths in the last 24—hour period, taking the total to 41,3117. there is no figure for the number of new daily infections because of what officials say were "technical issues". the pressures heaped on the nhs in england by the coronavirus pandemic have been highlighted by new figures, showing a record 1.8 million people injune having to wait longer than the 18—week target for routine treatment. more than 50,000 have waited over a year, and there's real concern cancers are being missed or diagnosed late, because urgent referrals are down more than 20% injune, compared to last year. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports now on some of the ways the nhs is trying to tackle the backlog. remember the nightingale hospitals? this one is in exeter, with more than 100 beds. but with no coronavirus patients right now, part of the site is being put to a different use, patients coming in for scans for a range of conditions. so the scan will take three orfour minutes. carol has lived with cancer for several years. this scan is for a possible complication which doctors wants checked out. are you 0k? she says it's a much easier process than her usual hospital appointments. you go into a separate waiting room, but you never know who's going to get called first because you don't know, everybody's having different scans. i sat on the chair in there for about two minutes and then i got took in. it was brilliant. it gives us a really good environment to provide high—quality care. the medical director told me they were ready to expand services for cancer patients and others needing scans. we'll be looking at how can use the facilities to help other groups of patients like the people who are having scans, possibly other sorts of investigations and interventions, so that we're sure we get good value about of the investment that has been made in the region. but nationally, there are concerns about cancer treatment delays, with charities arguing that there's an alarming backlog. we are seeing positive work done in some local areas or some parts of cancer services, but that does not equal the kind of national emergency response we need to meet what is a ticking cancer time bomb because of undiagnosed and untreated cancer. here they are doing what they can to help, but they can't lose sight of what the hospital is there for. this was the last of the nightingale hospitals to be completed. so far it hasn't cared for any patients with covid—19, but intensive care wards like this with all their facilities are ready, should there be another surge in the number of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. it's a difficult time for the nhs in england, trying to diagnose and treat the patients whose care was delayed, and at the same time keeping wards and intensive care units like this free for what might be a second covid—19 peak sometime in the winter. hugh pym, bbc news, exeter. more than 290 people linked to a food factory in northampton, have tested positive for the coronavirus. the company, greencore, employs more than 2,000 people, making sandwiches for marks and spencer. local authorities say the company had introduced highly effective measures to prevent the spread of the virus and greencore says production at the plant is "continuing as usual" with no concerns, about its products. in what's being seen as a historic agreement, israel and the united arab emirates have reached a deal to normalise relations. donald trump made the announcement at the white house, saying israel would now suspend plans, to further annex parts of the occupied west bank. the uae is the first arab gulf state to agree to formal diplomatic ties with israel. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, reports from jerusalem. the face of a man who's made an historic deal. israel's leader talking to the crown prince of abu dhabi and president trump. already, there were signs of warming ties with arab gulf states who share fears over iran. this is the first official visit of a uae minister. they are singing in thejewish sabbath and now such scenes could become normal. we announced the establishment of a full and formal peace between israel and the uae. it includes the mutual opening of embassies, direct flights and many other bilateral agreements. this is the greatest advancements towards peace between israel and the arab rule in the last 26 years. but the palestinians feel betrayed. past peace plans promise diplomatic relations with powerful arab states, only when their conflict with israel had been solved. recently, they have been fighting israeli plans to annex in parts of the west bank which they wa nt in parts of the west bank which they want for a future state. tonight, they want for a future state. tonight, the uae justified they want for a future state. tonight, the uaejustified what they want for a future state. tonight, the uae justified what it called its bold step, saying israel agreed not to take action. meanwhile, the white house congratulated itself. by uniting two of america's closest and most capable partners in the region, something which was said could not be done, this deal is a significant step to building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous middle east. for secure and prosperous middle east. foertrump, with secure and prosperous middle east. for mr trump, with presidential elections looming and his friend, benjamin netanyahu, this is a major foreign policy achievement. in a measure of its great popularity with israelis, tonight, the tel aviv municipality was lit up with the emma rathi flag. yolande knell, bbc news. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, is at the white house. sum up how significant this deal is? let's talk about what this is and what this is in. it isn't a comprehensive middle east peace deal, or anything close to that. for the palestinian leadership, i am sure it leaves them feeling marginalised and left on the sidelines by not having been part of these talks. again, what this is is a hugely significant breakthrough, as it was being explained. what you have now is cooperation between the two economic powerhouses in the region. yes, this is about politics and diplomacy and very importantly, when it comes to iran, which america wa nts to when it comes to iran, which america wants to see isolated because of its, what they say its destabilising effect on the region, it is also about economics, the ability to cooperate on technology. that will bring a big change to the region. if ican be bring a big change to the region. if i can be parochialfor a moment as well, israel is very well supported in america by white evangelical christians, by the jewish population. anything that helps israel feel more secure is going to be supported. this is a good day for donald trump and represents a diplomatic victory for him. thank you, jon sopel at the white house, thank you. "we weren't good enough." that's the verdict of the head of network rail following yesterday's train derailment in aberdeenshire, which killed three people. he denied network rail had failed to act on a report which warned about the impact of extreme weather. an investigation is now under way into what caused the accident, with a scottish government minister today saying extreme weather did have an impact, and urgent checks are now being carried out on the network. 0ur scotland correspondent, lorna gordon, reports from the scene. the painstaking, meticulous investigation into why this train left the track. the emergency services working to make the crushed and broken carriages safe, while experts in rail safety look for evidence of what exactly happened. the head of network rail, visiting the site, said urgent checks are now being carried out at all similar high—risk cuttings. we have the best safety record in europe, but we weren't good enough yesterday. whatever happened yesterday, we will want to find out eventually what that was. it's important that the rail accident investigation branch are given time to do that properly and forensically. tributes have been paid to the three who died. christopher stuchbury was a passenger on the train. his family said, "chris was a much—loved husband, "dad and son and was a treasured and loved friend to many." the train‘s conductor, donald dinnie, was said to be much loved and highly respected by all who knew him. "he lit up every room he walked into with his cheery "banter and stories." while the driver, brett mccullough, was described by his family as "the most decent and loving human being we have ever known. "his passing leaves a huge void in all our lives." i am thinking particularly of the bereaved families. they face an experience that all of us dread, coming to terms with the sudden and tragic loss of a loved one. no words can ease their pain nor the awful reality that they are now forced to confront, but the hearts of a nation are with them today. there was appalling weather here in the hours shortly before the accident. it's thought the train was derailed by a landslide following the heavy rain. and there are concerns that increasing bursts of bad weather like this has made the wider railway network more vulnerable. i've said to network rail, first of all, in the next few days, few hours, we want to have some reassurance, resilience check on the railway, particularly with these flash floods. the second thing is i want a report by the 1st of september on my desk, which will be an interim report about the wider issues that may have impacted this, with a final report in the autumn. six others were on—board this train. their injuries are not thought to be serious. but there are questions into whether there are any wider safety implications from what happened here and what more can be done to stop it happening again. lorna gordon, bbc news, aberdeenshire. in belarus, workers from state—run factories joined thousands of people on the streets for a fifth day of protests over disputed election results. there's been unrest since the long serving leader, alexander lu kashenko, was declared the winner of sunday's presidential election, in a vote condemned by many, including the uk, as not being free orfair. mr lukashenko has ruled the country, located between russia and the baltic states, for more than a quarter of a century and the police have made more than 6,700 arrests, since he secured another term in office. some of those detained were released today, and tearful relatives gathered outside a jail north of the capital, minsk, hoping to be reunited with their loved ones. from there, our correspondent, abdujalil abdurasulov, sent this report. applause. factory workers down tools across belarus today. the protest mood in the country is changing following a violent crackdown on protesters. people are finding new ways to make their voices heard. although the number of protesters on the streets of mixed is going down, but the move against mr lukashenko will not go away back quickly. today, the workers at this plant are going on strike against the violence that courts are using to stop protesters. we demand honest elections, the change of regime, we demand freedom, democracy and peace in our homes. that is why we have come out. these are some of the people who are detained on sunday. the day when protest in belarus started. now, they are free. after long days and nights of anxious searching and waiting, some families are finally reunited. but many are still looking for their relatives. people in the crowd showed the men photos of family members on their phones in desperate hope that someone will have shared a cell with their loved ones. this woman is looking for her son, who was detained on monday. we have been searching for him for three days. he has three small children at home, she says. for former detainees, the memories of their experience in detention centres will likely haunt them for many years. people told us about brutal beatings and torture the detainees face inside. translation: they beat people ferociously, with impunity and they arrest anyone. the cells are overcrowded and we were forced to stand in the yard all night. we could hear women being beaten. i don't understand such cruelty. when men get arrested, it is the women who now go out onto the streets. the brutal crackdown he has changed the protest movement, but did not stop it. the question now is, how far will the regime go to maintain its grip on power. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, minsk. england have had a good first day in the second test against pakistan, after a faltering start. james anderson took two wickets, limiting the visitors to 126—5, with rain making its presence felt in southampton, asjoe wilson reports. who did shan masood see approaching? that is james "eternal" anderson, a classic start. but watch now for a dropped catch. for a ball that struck the stumps, but refused to dislodge the bails? and for another dropped catch? dropped again. worse than the one before. allowed the opportunity to thrive, pakistan did just that. even before lunch, it seemed england were chasing after missed chances. and so, anderson... howzat! age is just an abbreviation for experience. burns held on, azhar ali gone. abid ali fell for 60 as england really caught up with their catches. next, dom sibley clutching a chance to dismiss asad shafiq. all day, the real cloud on the horizon was the cloud on the horizon. a day of catches and drops, some of them rain. joe wilson, bbc news. this weekend marks 75 years since japan's surrender in the second world war, the moment that finally brought an end the conflict, months after peace was declared in europe. as part of the effort to end the war in asia, troops from the uk, india and across the commonwealth, were tasked with retaking myanmar, at the time known as burma, but due to the distance and military successes back in europe, they‘ re often referred to as the ‘forgotten army'. one veteran, john hutchin who's 96, was part of the chindit special forces, which fought behind enemy lines in burma, facing disease and monsoon rains. he's been speaking to our correspondent, robert hall. twice a day for five weeks, they attacked. morning... and evening. our losses were very heavy. archive: here they are in close up for the first time in newsreels, the chindits. they took their badge from the lion statues which guarded burmese temples, the ragged contingents from britain and the commonwealth, outnumbered by the japanese, unrecognisable through hunger and illness. john hutchin had volunteered for the chindits, fighting through the monsoons in 19114. he came close to death. when i went in, i was 11 stone. i was now eight stone four, a skeleton. i had no energy, no fight, no spark. so the rule was, before we went in, if you're killed, you're dead because your purpose in there is to kill or be killed. if you were walking wounded, you carried on. if none of those things were possible and it impeded the advance of those men, you were left.