this is bbc news the headlines at seven. russia's ambassador to the uk rejects allegations his country has interfered in british politics, or tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research. i do not believe in the story at all, there is no sense in it. councils in england now have new powers to close shops, cancel events and shut outdoor public spaces to manage outbreaks of the virus. the veteran american civil rights leader and long—serving congressman, john lewis, has died at the age of eighty. eu leaders struggle to reach an agreement on a 750 billion euro economic recovery package to repair the damage done by the coronavirus pandemic. the uk government guarantees financial support for holiday makers seeking refunds for trips that that were cancelled because of coronavirus.

and he has won seven times... and lewis hamilton sets a new track record as he takes pole position for the hungarian grand prix. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the russian ambassador to the uk has flatly rejected british allegations that his country's intelligence services have tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research. speaking to the andrew marr show, andrey kelin also denied russia's involvement in last year's general election, and even suggested, following russia's referendum on its constitution, that cyber—attacks aimed at his

country originated in the uk... we do not interfere. we do not see any point in interference because for us whether it is conservative or labour party at the head of this country, we will try to settle relations and to establish better relations. now conservative party has won and we are committed to this relationship. the commission which is studying the results have discovered several cyber attacks, also coming from the united kingdom territory, but we do not accuse the united kingdom. the ambassador also said russia was willing to start a new chapter in its relations with the uk, which have cooled in recent years, partly due to the 2018 novichok poisioning in salisbury, thought to have been carried out by two officers in russia's intelligence service.

andrey kelin also took aim at britain's imposition of sanctions on individuals implicated in the death of russian lawyer sergei magnitsky in 2009... as for magnitsky, we will find the way to punish those who are making these types of sanctions because sanctions are illegal. sanctions can only be imposed by the united nations. as you said, the united kingdom is a member of the security council. we are prepared to turn the page and do business with britain, to open once again our committees on investment that we have had, the committee on energy we have had and to conduct normal relations. we still do not understand why some spy story should disrupt this important business relation which would be very helpful to britain in time when it is exiting from the european union. let's get the thoughts of sir tony brenton — he was the uk's ambassador in moscow

between 2004 and 2008. thank you very much forjoining us. what is the point in asking these questions of russia, when have they ever admitted to any allegations put to them? they have not and they don't and they want. 0n the particular allegation of spying on oui’ particular allegation of spying on our vaccine projects, he would not know if it would be going on, the russians are quite tight about operations of this time. he has one point, which is that russia will not be the only country at a period when eve ryo ne be the only country at a period when everyone is facing a challenge from coronavirus, who will be looking using secret means of necessary to build up information on a vaccine. when he talks about wanting to turn the peach on relations with the

united kingdom. just pushing to one side than of a chalk poisoning, how optimistic are you? i am not optimistic, they are a spider they have ever been and they were pretty bad when i was in buster and they have got worse since. —— they are pretty bad. we are a leading member of the international community and we are keen to play an active role in situations like, syria, ukraine and cyber issues but we cannot play and cyber issues but we cannot play a detective role if we do not have some sort of dialogue with russia. there is espionage and interference in election, and while it is two and damaging, nevertheless we have to build upa damaging, nevertheless we have to build up a working relationship with them which we do not have at the

moment. morally, how to reset those things to one side? because i am a diplomat, i am things to one side? because i am a diplomat, iam not things to one side? because i am a diplomat, i am not sure how much morality has to do with it. you do not deal who you choose to deal with an international affairs. we deal for instance with the saudis, we deal with the libyans. there are lots of very bad and difficult regimes out there. we deal with the chinese and hope to find a sensible basis for our relations there. with regard to russia, i relations are uniquely bad, much worse than our european partners, worse than the united states and some repair work needs to be done. i appreciate your candour, that was wonderful. how should the british government approaches dealings with russia given we need some form of cooperation that you have described? when you are dealing with the devil, you use a long spoon. we need to say to the russians that the things you

have been doing a not acceptable, the charges of espionage and interference, that sort of thing we wa nt to interference, that sort of thing we want to see stopped but we also want to talk about issues of a shared interest, i have given you the list already, cyber activity, ukraine interest, i have given you the list already, cyberactivity, ukraine and so on. already, cyberactivity, ukraine and so on. then you begin to build up a relationship where there is sensible business to be done in the hope that as you discover you can work together on those things, the russians will say we don't want to spoil this by launching another operation in salisbury or whatever. so that sort of an attack and unacceptable behaviour will start to diminish. how would you describe what relationships will be like with russia, other allies as well? it is very difficult at the moment as i have said, i expect the worst but a lot of other people have bad relations with them as well. an interesting wild card is china.

china has rapidly emerged as public enemy number one from the point of view of the west in terms of its attack on western values, economies and so on as we have all seen analysis you weeks. russia at the moment is very closely linked with china and those links are getting stronger. there is no logical reason why they should get stronger. russia thinks of itself as a european country, its most natural relationships are more to the west and east. it is only by building up and east. it is only by building up a stronger relationship with russia that we can weaken their links with china. that is a next beneficial in terms of our standing. former uk ambassador to moscow, very interesting to talk to you, thank you very much for your time. thank you. and you can watch the bbc‘s full interview with russia's ambassador to the uk, andrey kelin, on the andrew marr show tomorrow morning at nine o'clock on bbc one, and on the bbc iplayer.

the transport secretary, grant shapps, has insisted that life could be back to normal by christmas — as long as people stay alert to the potential threat from coronavirus. scientists had questioned the practicality of the goverment‘s vision, set out by borisjohnson yesterday when he announced a further easing of lockdown restrictions in england. from today, councils in england will have new powers to close shops and cancel events to try to prevent future local outbreaks. 0ur politcal correspondent nick eardley reports. just a few weeks ago streets across the uk were deserted. now, in many places life is starting to pick up. shops, cafes, pubs are all opening again but coronavirus has not gone away. many things will look different for some time. in rochdale, extra precautions are being taken because of concern at the number of new cases.

people are being told to limit the number of visitors to their home to just two and being asked to wear face coverings in shops before it is made mandatory in the rest of england. targeted local action is part of the government strategy. ministers say if it works, life could return to something like normal by christmas. it is possible that we can get there and the prime minister and i others have spoken about this this week because we want to give people some sense of direction because people are running businesses or rely on the christmas period for example and need to know that if everything goes well that this is our intention. the government is desperate to avoid another national lockdown because of the huge impact the last one had on the economy. so in england action from now is targeted, looking at individual areas, communities and even specific premises. from today, local councils in england have new powers.

to close shops, close public spaces and shut down any events taking place if they think it will help curb the virus. in rochdale, the local council welcomes new powers but... what we need, apart from getting the same message all the time, is some money to cope with all the extra problems that we are getting. this morning, one of the government's advisors said a return to life like it was before lockdown is a long way off, despite the optimism in government. the view in rochdale... it is not going to be the same, nothing is going to be the same, like shops and stuff, you have to wear a mask. potentially good but right now, rochdale is not good on covid—i9 numbers. the government has warned it will not hesitate to introduce some restrictions again but hopes getting on top of local outbreaks could help

life return to something normal sooner rather than later. one of the leading figures in the american civil rights movement, the congressmanjohn lewis, has died aged 80. he was one of the organisers of the 1963 march on washington, where martin luther king made his "i have a dream speech". former presidents from across the political divide have paid tribute to the civil rights icon. rajini vaidya nathan looks back at his life. john lewis dedicated his life to fighting racism. #we are not afraid.# he marched alongside martin luther king and lived to see a black president. born in alabama in 1940, john those grew up in an america that was deeply segregated. i would come home and ask my

mother and my father, why segregation, why racial discrimination? they would say that is the way it is, do not get in trouble. but dr king inspired me to get in trouble. asa as a student activist he became an advocate of doctor martin king. he took part in ins and was beaten by white mobs as he took part in peaceful protest. i felt so liberated, you arrest me, beat me, thrown injail, in august 1963, john lewis was the youngest speaker at the march on washington where doctor king delivered his famous i have a dream address. two years later they marched for voting rights from selma to alabama where they were attacked by police. by the 50th anniversary of that

march, john lewis had become a politician, known as the conscience of the us congress. it is a rare honour in this life to follow one of your heroes. and john lewis is one of my heroes. diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, john lewis was seen at recent protests after the killing of george floyd. keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize. forjohn lewis, the mantra was simple, never give up, nevergive in. john lewis who has died at the age of 80. joining me now is ron christie, former special assistant to president george w bush, and political analyst for bbc world. thank you very much forjoining us, what are your thoughts on hearing of

the death ofjohn lewis? what are your thoughts on hearing of the death of john lewis? good evening, it is a very sad day for america and the world. this was the living legend i had the privilege to work for when i was working in congress to try and find ways to heal this country. to look for reconciliation ways you can move forward as a country, not based on the colour of our skin but heating dr king's dream about based on the content dr king's dream about based on the co nte nt of dr king's dream about based on the content of our character. i am sad to hear of his passing but i am really pleased with what he was able to do to transform —— transform america into the country it is today. what about his non-violent campaigning, even though he himself had faced violence on many occasions? he said to me on numerous occasions, they can beat you, hit you with a water cannon but they cannot take your spirit away. as

gentle as he was, he was one of the strongest men i had the privilege to know. he was so strong knowing that nonviolence was the best way to move america forward. president trump has now tweeted he is saddened to hear of the passing ofjohn lewis but too many people he did not seem to be quick to do so, in comparison with joe biden and otherformer presidents like bill clinton and barack 0bama, wide you think that was? i am very disappointed by president trump's response. having a proclamation and moving the flag to half mast does not do to justice to this living legend. every president oi’ this living legend. every president or vice president has tweeted, 400 metres have tweeted and it took the president until ten minutes ago to make a contribution. he represents all of america, notjust himself or

the republican party. this is time when you have to stand up and eulogise and mourn the loss of one of her greatest people. you see that asa of her greatest people. you see that as a republican. i see it as a republican but as an american, one who the work ofjohn lewis and doctor martin luther king have made it such that i can stand here on the bbc and beefy and have the opportunity that my parents and grandparents did not have. i'm sorry to be disappointed with the present‘s response but i take it personally that he could not stand and rise to the moment. in recent months we have seen the black lives matter protest, sparked in part by the death of george floyd, what were john lewis's thoughts on the need for those protests, so long after he was part of the civil rights

movement in the 605? was part of the civil rights movement in the 60s? in the weeks prior to his passing, he participated in a number of these marches and protests here in washington. it was so inspiring to see a mock—up to these young people, who were his age 50 years ago and say, be peaceful, make your voice heard but be peaceful and non—violent. said to me he to they live the life of what he spoke, he met which he said and he said what he meant. it inspires me as washington tries to lead americans forward and a very difficult time forward and a very difficult time for race relations in the united states. what would be the best me in your view for all americans, not just democrats, to his memory?” think we should take a moment to pause and reflect upon his life and the bridge we heard about, when he

nearly lost his life, the bridge was named after aqua clocks clan member, they should rename that pledge to honour his life and legacy. there are many more opportunities for schoolchildren to remember about his life and to keep his memory alive. thank you very much forjoining us. the headlines on bbc news... russia's ambassador to the uk rejects allegations his country has interfered in british politics, or tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research councils in england now have new powers to close shops, cancel events and shut outdoor public spaces to manage outbreaks of the virus. the veteran american civil rights leader and long—serving congressman, john lewis, has died at the age of eighty. the metropolitan police is being urged to formally apologise to a man who was detained while an officer appeared

to kneel on his neck. marcus cootan was filmed shouting "get off my neck" as he was arrested in north london on thursday. his lawyer said the events "mirrored" what happened to george floyd, who died after being restrained in the us. greg mckenzie reports. get off me. get off my nick. this is the video which has been viewed more than a million times since it was shared with the bbc on thursday. it appears to show an officer kneeling on the net of a teacher told man as he was being arrested in islington. today he was in court charged with possession of a knife in a public place. wearing greyjogging bottoms and a green t—shirt, he appeared here at highbury court this afternoon. he only spoke to confirm his name, age and address before

entering a plea of not guilty to a charge of possession of a bladed article. his lawyer said the events mirrored almost identically what happened to george floyd in america. he has called for a formal apology from scotland yard. they had him handcuffed, he was on the ground and one white officer placed his knee on his neck, he could not be, he continued to say he could not eat and he had done nothing, please midge ure me for my neck. the deputy commissioner described footage as deeply disturbing and some of the techniques used were not taught in police training. 0ne techniques used were not taught in police training. one member of the net echoed the concerns but said the police have a difficult role to play. you cannot place your knee on someone's make but in terms of range —— restraining someone, you have to

chinese minimum force but there, you have individuals —— you have to use minimum force but there you have individuals who are not complying with the police so you have to take that into account. in response to this, protesters held a demonstration is up to nine and side islington police station. we need serious change. there is a serious problem beyond a few individuals. the fact business happened again in the midst of a movement which is calling out exactly the sort of behaviour not just from calling out exactly the sort of behaviour notjust from the police but the state, that these practices can carry on. he will reappear at snaresbrook crown court next month. the incident has been referred to the independent police watchdog and an officer has been suspended. and an officer has been suspended. people who've been given credit notes for cancelled package holidays are being reassured

by the government that these will still be honoured — even if firms go bust. the announcement covers domestic and foreign breaks booked by uk agents, which were disrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic between march the tenth and the end of september this year. our business correspondent, katie prescott, has more details. summer holidays, a distant dream for the hundreds of thousands of people who have seen them cancelled because of the pandemic, such as jennifer and john who are supposed to travel to las vegas to marry injune. like so many others, they're still waiting for a refund. we need that money to pay for the wedding we have rearranged. so we are just chasing them, we keep asking them please, please can you refund us but they say there is a queue. £6,000 is not a small amount of money to anybody. two normal people like this. especially when my partner has been furloughed for three months. travellers who see their holidays cancelled should get a refund within 14 days,

but given the sheer number of cancellations that have happened over the past few months, many travel companies have struggled to meet that and have been instead issuing credit refund notes for holidays at a later date. the concern is, though, if those companies go under, that travellers would lose both their money and their holiday. the government is changing this, pledging to underwrite all refund credit notes issued between the 10th of march and the 30th of september this year. for atol protected holidays cancelled due to covid—19. it gives consumers that confidence to accept these credit notes. if they don't want to accept the refund, they can still take a refund if that's what they want, but then it does also give companies the opportunity to help to encourage those customers to book with them again in the future. but customers are advised to do their homework before accepting them over a cash refund. by accepting a refund credit note, you are locked in with that holiday company, so when you come to rebook, you have to rebook with them. it means you can't shop around, you won't necessarily get the best price. we also know that some tour operators have increased

prices for 2021, so you may end up having to use the refund credit note and pay a little bit more as well. the government won't say how much they expect the scheme to cost, but as 12 travel firms have already gone under this year, the burden of paying for cancelled package holidays will fall on the taxpayer. katie prescott, bbc news. germany has been relying on testing, tracing — and now mobile phone technology — to reduce the number of new coronavirus infections. more than fifteen million people in the country have downloaded a tracking app which automatically notifies users if they've been in contact with an infected person. jenny hill has sent this report. welcome to frankfurt airport. please remember to keep your... this is germany's largest airport. just a few weeks ago, it was almost at a standstill. now, well, this country's back on the move. but how to stop the virus spreading too? germany's testing more. 500,000 tests last week.

here at frankfurt, for a fee, they are on offer to travellers, too. anyone can turn up here for a test. you get the results within three hours or around seven hours, depending on how much you are willing to pay. let's give it a go. three to five people test positive here every day, they tell us. many had no symptoms. so, really young travellers and especially those below 40, usually they have nothing or slight symptoms that they did not link with covid—19. tracking infection is important here. at every cafe, bar, restaurant, you have to leave your contact details and, for the last month, germans have been able to download a tracing app. every time i, or rather, my phone, come into close proximity with someone else and their phone, it keeps a record. now, it won't tell me who they were or where we met, but, if within 14 days, they test positive and tell the app, i'll get an automatic warning. around one in five germans have downloaded the app. for privacy reasons,

their data stays on the phones. the authorities can't see it. so it's unlikely to put sylvia out of work. she's the human version, speaking to those who tested positive and tracing those they might have infected. so many contacts. it was awful, you know! there were so many. after the shutdown, it was less and less and less. germany's got used to masks, distance, caution. but, as this country embarks on a very different holiday season, experts worry. too easy, they say, to leave those cares behind. jenny hill, bbc news, frankfurt. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller hello, we have seen the rain today in parts of england and northern wales at home outside overnight. heavy bursts developing along this

weather system, still infringing into parts of the midlands. a few showers in northern scotland is in much of northern ireland and northern england and into wales. quite a warm and muggy night, cloud and rain in the south. carries on in the morning, cloud holding on in society is england and east anglia. patchy light rain even as the afternoon ends. elsewhere plenty of sunbathed sunshine. a few showers dotted about in scotland, there could be the odd heavy one. it could be quite breezy but not as breezy as today. temperatures just into the high teens but for the south, temperatures are down and the humidity is down as well. temperatures are down and the humidity is down as well.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. russia's ambassador to the uk rejects allegations his country has interfered in british politics, or tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research ido i do not believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it. councils in england now have new powers to close shops, cancel events and shut outdoor public spaces to manage outbreaks of the virus. the veteran american civil rights leader and long—serving congressman, john lewis, has died at the age of eighty. eu leaders struggle to reach an agreement on a 750 billion euro economic recovery package to repair the damage done by the coronavirus pandemic. the uk government guarantees financial support for holiday makers seeking refunds for trips that that were cancelled because of coronavirus. last week the bbc reported on uk born twins darren and darrell roberts — who were brought up in council care since the age of 13

after the death of their mum, who was a foreign national. despite being born in the uk, the twins haven't been registered as british citizens. now 24 and serving prison sentences for unrelated cases of gbh, they face deportation to different caribbean countries that they've never visited. in an exclusive broadcast interview, a partner of one of the twins tells our correspondent ashley john—ba ptiste that attempts were not made by the council that looked after them to register them as british citizens. this is darren's partner who wants to remain anonymous. she is also the mother of their five—year—old son, and says that ten months ago darren was told by a prison officer that he would be deported to grenada on release. still carrying out his sentence, she says the news has taking its toll on him. i think he is at a point where he has given up, so our conversation wasn't like he is willing to fight it or he is willing to... it was just, he doesn't feel he has the power to