A trial of the English coronavirus app is getting under way.
It will be limited to residents in the Isle of Wight, the London Borough of Newham and NHS volunteer responders to begin with.
The app will be available in Apple and Google's online stores, but users will need to enter a code to activate it.
The software will tell users to self-isolate for a fortnight if the app detects they have been close to someone else diagnosed with the virus.
Baroness Dido Harding - who heads up the wider Test and Trace initiative - had earlier voiced concern about implementing the automated contact-tracing feature because of fears many people who had been falsely flagged might be told to go into quarantine.
The app has several other functions, including:
An alert system that informs users of the coronavirus risk level close to their home, with the area defined by the first part of their postcode
A QR barcode scanner, so users can check in when they visit a venue and be told if others there later tested positive
A symptom-checking tool, which allows users to book a free test and get the results via the app
A countdown function that comes into effect if they are told to self-isolate, so users can keep track of how long to stay at home
It initially works in five languages, with plans to add more soon.
The contact-tracing element of the software is based on Google and Apple's privacy-centric system.
The developers acknowledge there are still issues with measuring the distance between handsets, meaning some people will be incorrectly logged as being at high risk.
But when trying to detect this, lab tests indicate:
31% of cases are missed when the handsets were within range
45% of cases are incorrectly flagged when the two handsets were in fact further apart
However, if the boundary is set at 5m, the accuracy rates radically improve.
Then the handsets detect each other in more than 99% of all cases, regardless of whether iPhones or Android devices were involved.
This is not useful in practice, but indicates the flaw that caused the original NHS Covid-19 app to be cancelled has been solved. That product often failed to detect cases involving two iPhones because of restrictions imposed on third-party software by Apple.
The team behind the new app acknowledges more work needs to be done to reduce the number of false positives and false negatives that occur at 2m, but is optimistic they can achieve this.
Part of the problem at present is that Apple and Google refuse to share the raw Bluetooth signal data involved.
While the two show no signs of backing down, they will shortly release a new version of their tool that should improve matters.
This development has also been welcomed by those involved with Switzerland's SwissCovid app.
"While the updated Google/Apple exposure notification API [application programming interface] still aggregates and shuffles data for privacy reasons, it will expose more information needed by the app to compute exposure more precisely," explained Prof Mathias Payer from the EPFL university in Lausanne.
Test and Trace officials say the motivation for the app is to give "maximum freedom at minimum risk", but acknowledge it is not a "silver bullet".
"By launching an app that supports our integrated localised approach to NHS Test and Trace, anyone with a smartphone will be able to find out if they are at risk of having caught the virus, quickly and easily order a test, and access the right guidance and advice," said Baroness Harding.
However, she is not yet ready to say when a national rollout could occur.
An academic who had served as an ethical advisor to the original scrapped app was positive about the fact that the trial was not limited to the Isle of Wight this time.
"This time it's a more diverse area - and not just one full of older white people - because it was clear that before very little could be gained from analysis of the demographics" said Prof Lillian Edwards.
But she added that the government still had a "battle to persuade people" to install the software.
"The evidence from Italy is that people aren't installing their Immuni contact-tracing app, but they might when the number of infections rises again."
Another public health expert was even more sceptical.
"Even if they have got it working, the app is unlikely to make a difference," said Prof Allyson Pollock from Newcastle University.
"The issue is not just the contact tracing but the ability to get people to isolate and quarantine. And that means financial support needs to be provided by the government."
The driver and conductor of a ScotRail train who died in yesterday's derailment in Aberdeenshire have been named.
Train driver Brett McCullough and conductor Donald Dinnie have been confirmed as two of the three victims of the fatal crash.
A passenger, who has not yet been named, also died in the incident, while six others were treated in hospital for minor injuries.
Image:Conductor Donald Dinnie also died in the Stonehaven crash
On Wednesday, the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service crashed near Stonehaven, an area that had been hit by heavy rain and flooding.
Emergency service workers were called to the scene at about 9.40am, with dozens of emergency service vehicles - including an air ambulance - attending.
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Aerial shots showed one carriage completely overturned, with a landslip the suspected cause of the crash.
Kevin Lindsay, Scotland organiser for the train drivers' union Aslef, described how Mr McCullough "thought the world of his family, and his colleagues thought the world of him".
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The 45-year-old leaves behind wife Stephanie and three children, two girls and a boy.
The former gas engineer was said to have been servicing the boiler of an Aberdeen train driver when they started chatting about the job and Mr McCullough subsequently decided to join the railways.
Aerial footage of Stonehaven train derailment
Following the fatal derailment, Network Rail will carry out emergency inspections on higher-risk railway embankments as an immediate precaution.
The checks - which will also involve a helicopter survey - will take place on areas of railway track with earth cuttings that are similar to those at Stonehaven.
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines visited the crash site on Thursday after reportedly cutting short a family holiday in Italy.
"I arrived in mourning, as the whole rail industry is in mourning for the loss of a valued passenger and two dear respected colleagues," he said.
"Seeing the site only really draws out that sense of real concern for those who have suffered such a tragic loss.
"We have the best safety record in Europe and that is not something that is easily achieved.
"It has been through years and decades of safety improvements - but we weren't good enough yesterday."
Last month, Network Rail was warned about not keeping up with extreme weather events after an annual report noted a spike in landslips on Britain's railways, demonstrating the "vulnerability" of the network.
Mr Haines said: "We have very extensive dialogue with the Office of Road and Rail and that report was merely confirming the conversation that we had been having, because we are concerned about increasing landslips.
"We've had a very significant imporvement over the last 10 years or so, but this winter we've had the second-wettest winter on record and it's shown that climate change can actually have a real impact on safety."
Smoke billows from derailed train
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson also visited the site on Thursday and met members of the emergency services.
Mr Shapps spoke to those police officers who first arrived on the scene, as well as viewing the "absolutely harrowing" scene of the crash from a helicopter.
"My heart goes out to the friends and family of all of those who have been involved," he said.
"This is a horrendous accident and we need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened."
Mr Shapps said the derailment "looks like it's probably related to a landslip of some form."
As well as the emergency checks on other lines, Mr Shapps revealed he had also ordered Network Rail to provide an interim report by 1 September on the wider resilience of the UK's rail network.
Mr Matheson told Sky News there was "no doubt that climate change and these types of intense weather events are having an impact on the transport network, which was not designed to deal with these types of incidents".
He highlighted how some parts of Scotland experienced a month's rainfall between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning,
PM on 'shocking' train derailment
An ongoing investigation into the Stonehaven derailment is being directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), who are working with a team of inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and Office of Road and Rail.
Anyone worried about friends or family involved in the derailment is being urged to call the NHS Grampian helpline number on 01224 319519 for advice and support.
ScotRail has warned its network remains severely disrupted due to recent weather and the incident at Stonehaven.
A trial of the English coronavirus app is getting under way.
It will be limited to residents in the Isle of Wight, the London Borough of Newham and NHS volunteer responders to begin with.
The app will be available in Apple and Google's online stores, but users will need to enter a code to activate it.
The software will tell users to self-isolate for a fortnight if the app detects they have been close to someone else diagnosed with the virus.
Baroness Dido Harding - who heads up the wider Test and Trace initiative - had earlier voiced concern about implementing the automated contact-tracing feature because of fears many people who had been falsely flagged might be told to go into quarantine.
The app has several other functions, including:
An alert system that informs users of the coronavirus risk level close to their home, with the area defined by the first part of their postcode
A QR barcode scanning facility, so users can check in when they visit a venue and be told if others there later tested positive
A symptom-checking tool, which allows users to book a free test and get the results via the app
A countdown function that comes into effect if they are told to self-isolate, so users can keep track of how long to stay at home
It initially works in five languages, with plans to add more soon.
The contact-tracing element of the software is based on Google and Apple's privacy-centric system.
The developers acknowledge there are still issues with measuring the distance between handsets, meaning some people will be incorrectly logged as being at high risk.
But when trying to detect this, lab tests indicate:
31% of cases are missed when the handsets were within range
45% of cases are incorrectly flagged when the two handsets were in fact further apart
However, if the boundary is set at 5m, the accuracy rates radically improve.
Then the handsets detect each other in more than 99% of all cases, regardless of whether iPhones or Android devices were involved.
This is not useful in practice, but indicates the flaw that caused the original NHS Covid-19 app to be cancelled has been solved. That product often failed to detect cases involving two iPhones because of restrictions imposed on third-party software by Apple.
The team behind the new app acknowledges more work needs to be done to reduce the number of false positives and false negatives that occur at 2m, but is optimistic they can achieve this.
Part of the problem at present is that Apple and Google refuse to share the raw Bluetooth signal data involved.
While the two show no signs of backing down, they will shortly release a new version of their tool that should improve matters.
This development has also been welcomed by those involved with Switzerland's SwissCovid app.
"While the updated Google/Apple exposure notification API [application programming interface] still aggregates and shuffles data for privacy reasons, it will expose more information needed by the app to compute exposure more precisely," explained Prof Mathias Payer from the EPFL university in Lausanne.
A trial of the English coronavirus app is getting under way.
It will be limited to residents in the Isle of Wight, the London Borough of Newham and NHS volunteer responders to begin with.
The app will be available in Apple and Google's online stores, but users will need to enter a code to activate it.
The software will tell users to self-isolate for a fortnight if the app detects they have been close to someone else diagnosed with the virus.
Baroness Dido Harding - who heads up the wider Test and Trace initiative - had earlier voiced concern about implementing the automated contact-tracing feature because of fears many people who had been falsely flagged might be told to go into quarantine.
The app has several other functions, including:
An alert system that informs users of the coronavirus risk level close to their home, with the area defined by the first part of their postcode
A QR barcode scanning facility, so users can check in when they visit a venue and be told if others there later tested positive
A symptom-checking tool, which allows users to book a free test and get the results via the app
A countdown function that comes into effect if they are told to self-isolate, so users can keep track of how long to stay at home
It initially works in five languages, with plans to add more soon.
The contact-tracing element of the software is based on Google and Apple's privacy-centric system.
The developers acknowledge there are still issues with the number of false positives. Handsets may incorrectly record that they were within 2m (6.6ft) of another phone running the app for 15 minutes or more when they were actually further apart. But the developers say they are still making efforts to reduce the error rate.
Part of the problem is that Apple and Google refuse to share the raw Bluetooth signal data involved. But the two firms will shortly release a new version of their tool that should improve matters.
Many students have been left disappointed with the grades handed down to them after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A-level results were mostly based on teacher predictions, but were downgraded in nearly 40% of cases.
Here, students tell Sky News how the controversial grading method affected their results.
Image:Holly Barber said 'the government have completely ruined a lot of kids' futures'
Holly Barber, 18, from Woodhouse Grove School, Bradford
Predicted grades: Maths - A, Physics - A, Geography - A
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Actual grades: Maths - C, Physics - E, Geography - B
I feel a bit embarrassed that I've been wrongly graded for all my efforts at school.
I've spent two years trying to get the best results possible and this looks like I've not even tried at all at school. I feel it's completely unfair.
I went into school this morning and they told us they'd spent hours in meetings, going through everything carefully to get us the right grades.
So then to be dropped from a predicted A to an E in physics for no reason at all... it's just demoralising.
This will have a big impact on my future.
The government have completely ruined a lot of kids' futures.
Every single person I've talked to has been downgraded. I feel like we've been screwed over. I've messaged so many people in my year and they've all been screwed over.
Image:Shakeel Sooki got an A in his last two mocks
Shakeel Sooki, 18, Bexleyheath Academy, south London
Predicted grades: Biology - A, Chemistry - A, IT - Distinction
Actual grades: Biology - C, Chemistry - E, IT - Distinction
I feel a bit betrayed. My teachers did their upmost best to help me and gave me all the support possible to do all my work.
My mocks in Year 12 weren't particularly good, but with all the extra help, they were improving.
Literally, my last mocks in Chemistry and Biology before we broke up were two As, so I knew that before lockdown happened if I did the exams and kept up with the work I was doing I could easily get an A and meet my offers.
I still had some hope they would see my last mocks and take that into account. Unfortunately they haven't... I can do a lot better.
I don't feel like it's been handled particularly well - not a lot of information has come out, they just abruptly announced some changes because they saw how Scotland handled it and the backlash they received from the way they worked it out.
It seems that students this year have had to take a back seat.
Image:Chloe Pearce said the grade change impacts if she'll get a bursary
Chloe Pearce, 18, from Northgate Sixth Form College, Ipswich
Predicted grades: PE - A, Drama - A, Health and social care: Distinction star
Actual grades: PE - B, Drama - A, Health and social care: Distinction star
I was very frustrated and rather angry at the whole system, at how the whole thing worked out.
I had been looking forward results day, I thought: 'I've got these grades in the bag, there's no reason I should be downgraded because there's evidence enough from my mocks and my work throughout the year to show I deserve the grades.'
It's just been a bit of shock to the system, really.
My entire PE class had been downgraded. It's happened to everyone.
I know lots of people in my class had offers for Loughborough, and they needed an A in PE for that. They've all missed out on those offers because it seems the highest offer anyone has got in PE is a B.
It's an absolute shambles. There are a lot of really disappointed students.
I've got an unconditional offer at Suffolk, but this lower grades impacts on whether I can get a bursary. I'm really lucky I've got my uni place so I'm guaranteed that but the extra bursary would have really helped. It's going to be difficult."
Image:Wiktoria Sniadowska was planning to study fine art
Sky News also spoke to two students at Leyton Sixth Form College in east London.
Wiktoria Sniadowska says she was predicted by her teachers to get A, A, A and hoped to study fine art - but the algorithm gave her B, B, C.
And Shadman Siraz was hoping to get into King's College or Queen Mary University to study Economics. He was expecting A, A, A but ended up getting B, B, C.
Image:Shadman Siraz had all three grades moderated down
Officials will continue their investigation into the fatal train derailment in Aberdeenshire, which killed three people and injured six others.
On Wednesday, the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service crashed near Stonehaven, an area that had been hit by heavy rain and flooding.
Emergency service workers were called to the scene around 9.40am, with dozens of emergency service vehicles - including an air ambulance - attending.
Image:Officials will continue their investigation into the cause of the crash
Aerial shots showed one carriage completely overturned, with rail industry sources telling the PA news agency that the suspected cause of the crash was a landslip.
ScotRail confirmed the three who died were the driver, the conductor and a passenger.
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Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson revealed those who were injured continue to be treated in hospital, but none of their injuries were life-threatening.
An investigation is being directed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), who will work with a team of inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and Office of Road and Rail.
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UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Mr Matheson were both due to visit the site on Thursday and meet members of the emergency services.
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines was also due to visit the crash site on Thursday after cutting short a family holiday in Italy.
Last month, Network Rail was warned about not keeping up with extreme weather events after an annual report noted a spike in landslips on Britain's railways, demonstrating the "vulnerability" of the network.
Ahead of his visit, Mr Shapps posted on Twitter: "That fatal derailments are so rare only deepens the sense of shock and sadness about those who lost their lives and were injured yesterday morning.
"Headed to Stonehaven to thank emergency services, ensure every measure is taken and that each lesson is learnt from this tragedy."
Smoke billows from derailed train
Mr Matheson told Sky News the immediate emergency response to the crash had now moved into an investigatory stage in order to "quickly" learn lessons from the incident.
"There are established protocols, very strict protocols, within the rail industry for trains operating within adverse weather," he said.
"My understanding from Network Rail is those protocols were applied yesterday to this particular service."
But, noting how some parts of Scotland experienced a month's rainfall between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Mr Matheson added: "There is no doubt that climate change and these types of intense weather events are having an impact on the transport network, which was not designed to deal with these types of incidents".
He said "mitigation measures" were needed to minimise the risks of extreme weather.
Thunderstorms had caused flooding across Aberdeenshire on Wednesday, prompting the cancellation of some rail services and the shutting of a number of schools.
Prior to the news of the crash, Network Rail Scotland posted a video on Twitter of a landslip and flooding on rail tracks at Carmont.
Smoke rising from the scene of the Stonehaven derailment suggested it occurred near to a bend in the tracks close to Carmont, although it is unclear whether the landslip highlighted by Network Rail Scotland's Twitter account was directly related to the incident.
PM on 'shocking' train derailment
Commenting on the suspected reasons of the crash, Nigel Harris, the editor of Rail magazine, told Sky News: "Somewhere south of Stonehaven the driver encountered an obstruction, a landslide, on the track and had to reverse his train and go back along the way he'd come.
"And then go onto his own line and head back north towards Aberdeen, at which point he ran into another landslide which had clearly happened after he had passed by in a southerly direction.
"That then caused this terrible incident."
Local journalist Lewis Michie told Sky News the train line running through the area where the crash occurred had "very, very steep" embankments.
He added that Wednesday had brought the "worst flooding I have seen in the northeast for a long, long time."
The Queen, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have led tributes to those killed in the crash.
Anyone worried about friends or family involved in the derailment is being urged to call the NHS Grampian helpline number on 01224 319519 for advice and support.
The late intervention by the Welsh Government on Wednesday followed an outcry in Scotland after thousands of results were initially downgraded, sparking changes in other parts of the UK.
Top grade A-level results in Wales
% of A and A* grades awarded
Qualifications Wales said last week that teacher estimates had been "generous", resulting in thousands of grades being adjusted down.
This affected more than four in 10 of all grades - more than 12,500.
But after the minister intervened, students whose results today are worse than their earlier AS grades in that subject will now see their A-levels readjusted "as soon as possible."
The results show:
A record proportion of A and A* grades - 29.9%, up 2.9 percentage points from 2019
But this is less than the 40.4% estimated after the initial teacher assessments
42.2% of final A-level grades are lower than the original assessed grades; 53.7% are the same and 4.1% are higher
The proportion achieving A* is 10.8% - adjusted downwards from the original estimate of 15.4%
More pupils on free school meals saw their A-levels downgraded - 48.1%, compared to 45.3% for pupils not eligible
98.6% achieved passes A*-E, up 1% on 2019
The gap between boys and girls is slightly wider than last year - with A* to C grades for 76.5% of boys and 82.3% of girls
22.2% achieved an A* or A for AS-levels, up 1.9 percentage points from last year.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said she had to make sure that those changes did not disadvantage Welsh students, and so she was giving a guarantee that a final A-level grade cannot be lower than a pupil's AS grade.
"This will mean - and I have received assurances from Ucas and universities - that students can speak with confidence to their prospective universities regarding their A-level grades," Ms Williams added.
What has been the problem?
The qualifications watchdog found that the estimated grades by teachers had been too generous in Wales.
The watchdog said that was "generous". So aiming to keep the integrity of the qualifications - for the sake of employers and universities - and to be fair to students, Qualifications Wales revised the results.
How many grades were adjusted?
Proportion of final A-level grades relating to original assessments
The majority of students (53.7%) get the same as the original assessment grade while the remainder (42.2%) get a lower grade. A small proportion get a higher grade.
The watchdog says it has also been monitoring to ensure the exams are fair in terms of disadvantaged groups and gender gaps.
But these are extraordinary times, with schools closed and pupils unable to sit the exams they had worked for.
Once ministers in England and Scotland had stepped in to overrule the usual exam moderation practices it was inevitable that Wales would have to follow suit.
Students who get their grades today are being told if their results are lower than their earlier AS level grades, they will be issued with revised ones by the WJEC as soon as possible.
Education expert Gareth Evans, from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said some students would still wonder if they might have performed better than expected.
"While it will doubtless be of some comfort to those who performed well at the halfway stage of their A-levels, it will be of scant consolation to those pinning their hopes on boosting scores at the end of the course," he said.
"Issues with the artificial moderation of grades allocated by teachers remains. The right of pupils to challenge their grades as appropriate is absolutely essential."
Ioan Rhys Jones, of Welsh teaching union Ucac, said: "It's concerning that everything's at the last minute, which has meant a great deal of extra work for teachers and a great deal of extra worry for the students.
"That is a major concern and we hope that it is not repeated next week [with GCSE results]."
Qualifications Wales chief executive Philip Blaker said this year's process had not disadvantaged particular groups of pupils.
"We have analysed attainment gaps this year relative to previous years - looking at aspects such as gender, age and eligibility for free school meals", he said.
"Our analysis shows no statistically significant differences this year relative to other years."
A-levels grades in the UK
Proportion of grades in each nation
The results show Wales has proportionately more pupils with top grades and grades A* to C than in England, but fewer than in Northern Ireland.
There had also been a 3.3% rise in the proportion of A* to C grades in Wales, higher than elsewhere.
How is Wales different to Scotland and England with this issue?
In Wales, AS exams taken earlier were cited as reliable evidence towards estimating A-level performance.
A key difference between Wales and England is that English pupils will be able to resit in the autumn if they are unhappy with their grades.
There are no exams for Welsh pupils in October, although the usual GCSE Maths, Welsh and English exams are due to go ahead in November.
What has been the response?
At Merthyr College, Caitlyn Foley got an A* and three As.
"It's been a bit weird having to deal with all the changes so last minute," she said. "We thought the teacher's predicted grades were final but then we found out that there was a bit more than that," she said.
"Obviously the announcement last night that we wouldn't get less than what we got in AS, that was a bit reassuring."
Fellow student Tom Bush, who got an A and two Bs, added: "I've actually got lower now than I had at AS in Psychology which is odd but hopefully I'll go up."
Zac Evans, a pupil at Ysgol Glan Clwyd, St Asaph, said he got Cs in art, design and technology, and an E in PE.
"I'm going to look into an appeal with the hope of getting a higher grade in DT because I was hoping for a B but it will all be OK in the long run.
"I've just had advice from the headmaster and they'll be releasing how the application process works on Monday because they say it's changing and I'll be looking into it."
Can I appeal?
Qualifications Wales has been asked to quickly make any relevant adjustments to the appeals process and liaise with other exam regulators.
Its advice to pupils getting results is:
If your A-level grade is the same or higher than your AS level, then no action is required.
If the grade is lower it will be replaced with the same grade as that received for the AS level - and revised grades will be issued by WJEC as soon as possible.
If needed, students can contact their prospective university to advise them of the change.
As things stand, appeals have to be made through a school or college, rather than direct to the WJEC exam board - and there are limited grounds. These are restricted to the process - such as the exam board using the wrong data to calculate a final grade.
It will not allow schools and colleges to rethink their estimated grades or ranking of pupils. If other mistakes are highlighted through an appeal, the other pupils affected will not see their grades lowered, the exam board has said.
Jackie Parker, head of Crickhowell School in Powys said: "We will all be working to look through every individual child's performance data to look at what results they've achieved and to ensure if appeals are necessary they are going forward positively.
"I think the WJEC and others have tried to be as fair as they can but I personally think there's more work to do here.
"For me, the moral purpose of leadership is to ensure that our young people are not disadvantaged in any way."
Lisa Thomas, principal of Merthyr College, said it had been a very unsettling time and results would now be closely scrutinised.
"If we feel that there are learners that have been disadvantaged in any way then we would be looking to use the appeals process," she said.
How schools' past performance is accounted for
There has been concern about how the "standardisation" process looks at schools and colleges' previous results.
In Wales, this does not apply to the process for A-levels, the Welsh Bacc and some GCSEs where you already have a lot of hard data from previous assessment - such as AS levels - to work from.
But average results from 2017-19 are taken into account when standardising most GCSEs. Schools could appeal to the WJEC if they think there were significant circumstances or events in those previous years which might bring the average down.
However, currently there is no scope for pupils to appeal against the grade they were given by their school or college - the Centre Assessment Grade (CAG).
If pupils have concerns about bias or discrimination in allocating those grades, they can appeal to the WJEC and a process similar to a malpractice complaint would be followed, but those are expected to be rare.
In other years there can be requests for exam scripts to be reviewed, but this is obviously not an option when no exams have been taken.
The minister has announced, however, that the appeal process will be free for all students.
