08/08/2017 BBC News at Six

Athletes at the World Championships hit by Norovirus - officials

30 athletes and support staff are affected -

Botswana's track star is a casualty - he's out of the 400 metres final.

I was top of my game coming here. I was ready to make everything

possible. I came here for a medal. Several athletes have

ended up in hospital. Guilty - the man who tried to board

a flight to Italy with a pipe-bomb The seven-year-old boy denied

a potentially life changing drug - a judge tells NHS England

to think again. A narrow escape - police look

for the jogger who seemed to push And coming up in World Athletics

Sportsday on BBC News. We look ahead to all the action

on the fifth day of these championships with five more gold

medals to be won. Hello and welcome to

the BBC News at Six. Organisers 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 Botswana's Isaac Makwala -

a favourite in the two hundred Athletes from Germany,

Canada and Ireland who've been staying at the same hotel have also

been affected - but officials from Public Health England say

it is not the source This is the time when the world's

best athletes should be 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. Yesterday the world's best 200 metre

runner, Issac Makwala, was forced to withdraw

from the event. The Botswanan medal prospect one

of 30 athletes and support I worked hard for this and it is sad

for me because I was top I was ready to make

everything possible. Despite saying he was fit

to compete, Issac Makwala was ruled out of the 400 metre final

by the athletics governing Meanwhile Irishman Thomas Barr's

World Championship is over, 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 And that strict hygiene protocols

have now been put in place. World Championship organisers

meanwhile said they're doing 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 This evening the majority

of athletes here continue But they have been

warned to be vigilant. You eat foods that are low risk,

you only drink bottled water, Make sure the food is

fully cooked through. Don't eat spicy food,

eat plain food, food that It is a bit of a concern

for the organising committee for London, it is not

what we would have wanted. Some German and Canadian athletes

staying at the Tower hotel are being And with six days of competition

left, organisers must now hope 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 Olympic

Games as well when British athletes 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 by Justin 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

Our South Africa correspondent Nomsa Maseko is in Cape Town now.

The President Jacob Zuma has survived his motion of no

confidence, the eighth motion and many people say he's on his ninth

life. Disappointment of course from the opposition party benches and of

course with the MC saying they've always known that their members

would be loyal to present Jacob Zuma. Let's take a look at how the

day unfolded. They spent the day protesting outside Parliament.

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. I know what Nelson Mandela would've done in this

house today. The no-confidence motion today was brought by the

opposition who say controversy surrounding the president is

bringing the country's 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 Andy Jacob 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 to address them.

The Justice Secretary has approved the transfer of murderer

Kenneth Noye to an open prison. Noye, who's 70, was given

a life sentence in 2000, for murdering Stephen Cameron

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 court judge rejected that conclusion,

as our Legal Affairs Correspondent Clive Coleman reports.

Seven-year-old S, we cannot give his name for legal reasons,

If he has more than 12 grams of protein a day,

which you would find in three slices of bread, he could suffer

He also has severe autism and can't talk and so managing his diet

S's 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

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.

Mrs Justice Andrews ruled that NHS England's refusal to fund Kuvan

was irrational because evidence that it was clinically

That does not mean S will get the drug, but it does mean that

NHS England will have to reconsider his

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

If a child with PKU is given Kuvan, it can transform their life.

Nine-year-old Alex was struggling at school.

His concentration has soared and he can eat the same

Today's ruling only affects one child, but parents of children

with PKU will be encouraged a High Court judge 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

Our health editor Hugh Pym is in Salford.

Hugh, they're calling it a tale of two Englands?

That is correct. They're 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. 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 they're 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 they're 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.

There's been a slight dip in the Highers pass rate,

but the Scottish Qualifications Authority said the results were

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 the results I needed, so that's really good.

I lost my maths, but that what I was expecting,

and I come back and take maths next year if I want.

I failed maths, but I was kind of expecting that, so, I'm OK.

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 don't themselves tell us anything very much

about the standards of Scottish education as a whole,

yet international comparisons suggest that Scotland's

standards are declining, that Scotland is not

It's about average, it's not disastrous,

but it used to be well above average and that's clearly not

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

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 they've received on trying

to increase the proportion of pupils who pass their Highers and then go

The minister in charge of Scotland's schools,

meeting other students getting their results,

said the Government had a relentless focus on improving education.

Today's results give us enormous confidence about the strength that

exists within Scottish education, but we're determined to build

on that and the investments that we're making in pupil equity

funding, which is supporting the measures that

the attainment gap in Scottish education, will bear fruit

So you didn't do as well as you hoped.

Help is on hand for those left disappointed.

The advice - there are still plenty of options to consider

A man from Bury in Greater Manchester has been found guilty

of trying to board a flight to Italy with an explosive device

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.

Our correspondent Dave Guest was in court.

Was it a viable bomb? It was indeed. They didn't realise it at first. He

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 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

weres cueings couldn't find any terrorist link and don't know why he

had that thing in his case in the first place. Thank you very much.

Athletes at the World Championships have been hit by the norovirus.

Botswana's track star is out of the 400 metre final

The Special Olympics National Games gets under way in Sheffield,

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, that's 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

There were 382 separate occasions when units

The most common reason given were shortages of staff or beds.

Our health correspondent, Dominic Hughes, reports.

Midwives provide specialist care to some of the health service's most

vulnerable patients, but a shortage of staff,

combined with a rising birth rate, means some maternity

Two years ago, Rachel Hall went into labour, but her local unit

was temporarily closed and she faced a 30 mile road trip

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 think I actually went into shock to start off

with because I just went really, really quiet and then I just burst

into tears and was, like, uncontrollably crying because I just

didn't know what was going to happen.

So it was quite scary not knowing that my hospital wouldn't 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

It happens, births are extremely difficult to plan for,

but experts warn that if it happens too frequently, well, that's

The Royal College of Midwives believes there's a shortfall

of 3,500 expert maternity staff and that's what's behind

It's very rare for maternity units to be closed and the fact that we've

seen a 70% increase in how often that's happening, I think should

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 it's

misleading to use these figures to indicate a shortage of staff

because of the difficulties around planning for births.

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,

Police say quick reactions by the bus driver prevented

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 woman's life.

The police believe the jogger deliberately pushed her. When you

look closely, you see him raise his hands and make contact. The woman's

head and shoulders are then on the road in the path of the bus. 15

minutes later the jogger came back across the bridge here, running

straight past the woman he'd previously knocked over. She tried

to talk to him. He just 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. It's very small

margins if it hadn't 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 mysterious jogger.

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 All the participants at

The Special Olympics National Games 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 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. And does that happen when you're

here doing this sport? No, it doesn't 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 can't do, 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. We're 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 one's best

and so perhaps that has That's what you get

here in Sheffield? Participation is everything -

all ages, all abilities, but each competitor to their local

club must raise hundreds James Thorpe and his dad Simon

exploring the Athletes' Village, father tries to find

the opportunities for his How many different

disciplines do you do? Floor, high bar, pommel

horse and the rings. There's one place that I know that

James is accepted at and that's where he's gone since he was six,

five or six. Even that is now

struggling for funding. While Sheffield United's football

ground hosts the opening ceremony this evening,

rehearsals through the day here, But as this national games begins,

there is no certainty Time for a look at the weather,

here's Ben Rich. Awful out least? It's 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 hasn't been that dramatic everywhere. The rain

further west across England and Wales hasn't been as heavy. For

Northern Ireland and Scotland it's 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 doesn't move very fast. It could give issues with

flash-flooding, perhaps travel disruption as well. Look at the

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 won't

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. That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.