tonight at ten, nicola sturgeon, first minister of scotland, is cleared by an independent inquiry of breaking the ministerial code. her supporters say the outcome, after weeks of mounting pressure, should end the calls for her to resign. ms sturgeon had been accused by her predecessor alex salmond of misleading parliament, following allegations of sexual harassment made against him. some people in being confronted with a similar situation might have made differentjudgments to the ones that i made but i believe i acted appropriately in a difficult situation and i'm pleased i have the independent verification of that. we'll have the latest on the outcome, which comes just six weeks before the scottish parliamentary election. also tonight... a warning that because of the sharp rise in coronavirus cases in parts of the eu,

the uk will not escape the effects of a third wave. people in this country should be under no illusions that when a wave hits, i'm afraid it washes up on our shores as well. but in iceland, they're celebrating victory over the virus. we report on the successful measures that iceland has adopted. and we talk to the essex gp, on a ventilator a year ago, about the life lessons he's drawn from the pandemic. and coming up in sport on bbc news... england head coach eddiejones is under pressure as the rfu conduct a review following a poor six nations campaign.

good evening. in a highly significant finding, the first minister of scotland, nicola sturgeon, has been cleared by an independent inquiry of breaching the ministerial code. her supporters say the outcome, which comes after weeks of mounting pressure on the first minister, should end the calls for her to resign. the inquiry, led by the prominent lawyerjames hamilton, examined claims that ms sturgeon deliberately misled parliament following allegations of sexual harassment made against the former first minister, alex salmond. a separate report by a committee of msps is expected to be published tomorrow morning. our scotland editor sarah smith reports. nicola sturgeon knew herjob could depend on this report. she herself asked james hamilton to investigate her actions. asked james hamilton to investigate heractions. his asked james hamilton to investigate her actions. his verdict? asked james hamilton to investigate heractions. his verdict? on asked james hamilton to investigate her actions. his verdict? on all four accounts, she did not breach the ministerial code. i four accounts, she did not breach the ministerial code.— the ministerial code. i has been very clear _ the ministerial code. i has been very clear in _ the ministerial code. i has been very clear in my _ the ministerial code. i has been very clear in my own _ the ministerial code. i has been very clear in my own mind - the ministerial code. i has been very clear in my own mind that| the ministerial code. i has been| very clear in my own mind that i

acted appropriately and did not breach the ministerial code but while that might be necessary, that is not sufficient. it is important to the scottish people that they have independent verification and adjudication of that and that of course is what they now have. the first big question, what did she know and when? fin first big question, what did she know and when?— first big question, what did she know and when? ., ~ , know and when? on the 2nd of april, he informed — know and when? on the 2nd of april, he informed me _ know and when? on the 2nd of april, he informed me about _ know and when? on the 2nd of april, he informed me about the _ know and when? on the 2nd of april, | he informed me about the complaints against him. he informed me about the complaints auainst him. ., he informed me about the complaints auainst him. _, ., ,, ., against him. nicola sturgeon oriainall against him. nicola sturgeon originally told _ against him. nicola sturgeon originally told parliament - against him. nicola sturgeon j originally told parliament the against him. nicola sturgeon - originally told parliament the first she knew of complaints against alex salmond was on the 2nd of april when he told her about it in a meeting at her home. she later had to admit she had forgotten about a meeting on the 29th of march with his former chief of staff, in which he says the complaints were discussed. james hamilton said this resulted in an incomplete narrative of events but he accepted the omission was... did nicola sturgeon break the rules by not recording the meeting she had with alex salmond to discuss the complaints against him? the report states...

alex salmond asked nicola sturgeon to intervene in the sexual harassment investigation as he believed the government was acting unlawfully and it was her duty to stop a flawed process. she refused to intervene. james hamilton has concluded... when alex salmond successfully challenged in court the way the scottish government investigated the complaints against him, he was awarded over half £1 million. he insists nicola sturgeon�*s government should have conceded the case earlier to save public money. james hamilton says he has found no evidence whatsoever that the first minister acted improperly or in breach of the ministerial code with respect to mr salmond's petition. the hamilton inquiry has not looked at a number of key areas, further potential breaches of the ministerial code, including how nicola sturgeon�*s government so

badly let down women at the heart of this. we believe she has breached the ministerial code and has not been truthful with parliament and the people of scotland and can't continue as first minister. for months. _ continue as first minister. for months, nicola _ continue as first minister. for months, nicola sturgeon has faced accusations of lying and calls for her resignation. she has a ways maintain she was telling the truth. today's verdict that she did not break enemy —— any ministerial rules will allow her to say she has been vindicated. sarah is outside holyrood for us now. nicola sturgeon�*s supporters are clear that they think she is now basically passed the worst and possibly she should face no other calls to resign. what is your reading of it?— calls to resign. what is your reading of it? well, that is not likel to reading of it? well, that is not likely to be — reading of it? well, that is not likely to be the _ reading of it? well, that is not likely to be the case. - reading of it? well, that is not likely to be the case. there i reading of it? well, that is not| likely to be the case. there are reading of it? well, that is not i likely to be the case. there are a couple of lines in their report which will make uncomfortable reading for nicola sturgeon. james hamilton says her explanation for why she did not recall that meeting on the 29th of march will be greeted with suspicion and even scepticism by some and in another part of the report, he says specifically it is

“p report, he says specifically it is up to the scottish parliament to decide whether or not they were in fact misled. in the scottish parliament tomorrow there will be a vote of no confidence in nicola sturgeon, one it seems she is very likely to survive. we are also going to see the publication of another report tomorrow, this one from the msps who sit on the holyrood harassment committee and we know from leaks of their report that they will conclude she was inaccurate in some of the evidence she gave to them. whilst nicola sturgeon can say she has been cleared by an independent inquiry, her opponents are unlikely to accept that as the last word on this, not least because we have got an election coming up in scotland injust over six we have got an election coming up in scotland in just over six weeks' time. scotland in 'ust over six weeks' time. .. . scotland in 'ust over six weeks' time. ., ,, ., ., time. sarah smith, our scotland editor, at _ time. sarah smith, our scotland editor, at the _ time. sarah smith, our scotland editor, at the scottish _ time. sarah smith, our scotland l editor, at the scottish parliament, many thanks. and to find out more about this story look at our website, bbc.co.uk/news, or the bbc news app. the united kingdom will not escape the effects of a third wave of the pandemic, given the sharp rise in cases

in parts of the european union. that's the warning from the prime minister, borisjohnson, who said people should be "under no illusion" about the dangers. one minister also warned the uk might put "all our european neighbours" on the red list of countries, where arrivals are either banned or put in quarantine hotels. during the day, the row between the uk and the eu over vaccine supplies intensified, with a threat that eu could block doses of vaccines manufactured in the eu from being exported to the uk. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. france tonight, quiet paris, back in lockdown, the disease double where it was last week. on one side of the channel, the number of cases, higher and higher, take—up of the vaccine stubbornly low. but on the other... ..the opposite, the disease falling back, and vaccines rising. we can see, sadly, there

is a third wave under way. when a wave hits our friends, i'm afraid it washes up on our shores as well. and i expect that we will feel those effects in due course. that is why we are getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can. monsieur! much quicker here than on the continent, where countries are closing their doors again, but there have been public doubts from politicians about the safety of the jabs and significant shortfalls in the astrazeneca vaccines the eu ordered. in the last few days, brussels has dangled the prospect of blocking exports. nothing is off the table. it is entirely legitimate for the european union to be looking at the different tools that it has at its disposal, or could have at its disposal. getting the vaccine here isn't always smooth or straightforward, but a big majority of the 100 million astrazeneca jabs on order are being made in the uk. a small amount is due

from a factory in the netherlands, and there are suggestions that could be shared with the eu. 10 million doses are expected from india, five already here and five held up. but there are a0 million of the pfizerjab on order. it is mainly made in belgium but relies on a component made here. first off, there is no immediate threat to the vaccine programme here. the government is adamant contracts signed months ago will be honoured, and although borisjohnson has talked on the phone to eu leaders, there is no desire in downing street to get sucked into a diplomatic screaming match. but the eu is so far behind, they are likely to keep pushing hard for a way to catch up. but many of its members might resist something as blunt or dramatic as stopping vaccines crossing the channel. i think it would be a very retrograde step. it would in my view be counter—productive. i understand the issues with astrazeneca. there's huge tension there between astrazeneca and the european union. they have not fulfilled their contracts.

but there is no point in undermining the other companies. while vaccinations break records here — a brand—new centre in middlesbrough can give 1000 injections a day — travel to our neighbours could be limited even further. in this pandemic, vaccines have a high practical and political price. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. european leaders will meet on thursday. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels. controls over vaccine exports, how likely are they? it is controls over vaccine exports, how likely are they?— likely are they? it is important to realise that _ likely are they? it is important to realise that eu _ likely are they? it is important to realise that eu leaders _ likely are they? it is important to realise that eu leaders are - likely are they? it is important to realise that eu leaders are under| realise that eu leaders are under growing pressure to do something about vaccines. for weeks, growing pressure to do something about vaccines. forweeks, citizens across the eu have been looking at the very successful vaccine roll—out in the uk and asking, what about our vaccines? this at a time when there is a third wave of the virus sweeping across much of mainland

europe and the vaccine debate has bled into national politics, with some eu leaders feeling the government's credibility is on the line and definitely the credibility of the european commission but that said, eu diplomats i have spoken to today said the focus of eu leaders when they meet at the summit on thursday will be how to secure more vaccines for the eu and the different methods possible to do that, ratherthan different methods possible to do that, rather than an obsessive focus on vaccine export bans. that is because, as we heard in that report, eu leaders are divided about the ideas of the band. they are even divided about the idea of using existing powers they have, more vaccine export controls. they have only been used once to date, to stop vaccine exports leaving the eu. there is an appreciation here that in order to manufacture vaccines, you have this very delicate global supply chain, and a lot of leaders are worried about disturbing that so yes, they will be talking about possible export bans on thursday but it is unlikely they are going to

come to a definitive, unanimous conclusion. come to a definitive, unanimous conclusion-— conclusion. katya adler, in brussels. _ conclusion. katya adler, in brussels, many _ conclusion. katya adler, in brussels, many thanks. i results from a trial in the united states have again confirmed that the oxford astrazeneca vaccine is both safe and effective. our medical editor fergus walsh is here. what do the results say? these are very impressive results and they pave the way for the oxford astrazeneca vaccine to be licensed in the united states which always wanted its own trial data. there were more than 32,000 volunteers on the trial — mostly in the us, but also chile and peru. the vaccine was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic illness but 100% effective, 100% effective at stopping severe disease, keeping people out of hospital. that was after two doses of the vaccine, spaced four weeks apart. crucially, there were no safety concerns like

blood clots, and the vaccine was as effective in older adults as it was in younger adults. both of those points will be important for eu nations, some of whom are still not using the jab because of fears over blood clots and countries like france, which initially would not use the vaccine in older adults and now will only use the vaccine in the over 55s. now will only use the vaccine in the over55s. no now will only use the vaccine in the over 55s. no wonder there is further erosion in public confidence in the vaccine in the eu. but these results confirmed the real world data, hundreds of thousands of people per day in the uk are having this vaccine and like the pfizerjab, it is having a massive impact, cutting deaths and protecting people from private macro. deaths and protecting people from private mam-— private macro. fergus walsh, our medical editor, _ private macro. fergus walsh, our medical editor, thank _ private macro. fergus walsh, our medical editor, thank you. - the latest government figures show there were 5,342 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average, 5,485 new cases were

reported per day in the last week. the latest figures show 6,162 people were in hospital across the uk(ani were in hospital across the uk. 17 deaths were reported in the latest 2a hour period — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test — the lowest daily figure for almost six months. on average in the past week, 85 deaths were announced every day. the total number is now 126,172. as for vaccinations, more than 367,000 people have had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period, bringing the total to almost 28 million — more than half of the uk adult population. just over 2.2 million people have had both doses of the vaccine.

some of the day's other news now. several western countries, including the uk, have announced sanctions targeted at chinese officials over human rights abuses against the uighurs — a mostly—muslim minority. the sanctions are directed at senior officials in the north—west region of xinjiang, accused of responbilitiy accused of responsibility for abuses against uighurs detained in camps there. bbc investigations have gathered first—hand testimony of forced labour, and allegations of rape and torture of detainees. the sanctions were announced as a coordinated effort by the european union, the uk, canada and the us. china said it was "based on nothing but lies and disinformation", and responded with its own sanctions. our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports. studio: we were just waiting for

that report to start. we think now we have it. this is a piece byjames landale, diplomatic correspondent, on the sanctions imposed on some chinese officials to do with abuses against the mostly muslim minority, the uighurs. this is james's report. . allegations of rape and torture. translation:— . allegations of rape and torture. translation: , ., translation: they did whatever evil their mind could _ translation: they did whatever evil their mind could think _ translation: they did whatever evil their mind could think of, _ translation: they did whatever evil their mind could think of, and - translation: they did whatever evil their mind could think of, and they i their mind could think of, and they didn't spare any part of my body. to the forced sterilisation of women. the so—called re—education centres. the so—called re—education centres. the arbitrary detention of more than 1 million people. the forced labour camps, the suppression of language and culture. for months, the bbc and others have reported on the abuses meted out on the uighur people in

north—west china. western governments have criticised but only now are they acting against what's on in china wish to hide. br; now are they acting against what's on in china wish to hide.— on in china wish to hide. by acting with our partners, _ on in china wish to hide. by acting with our partners, 30 _ on in china wish to hide. by acting with our partners, 30 of— on in china wish to hide. by acting with our partners, 30 of us - on in china wish to hide. by acting with our partners, 30 of us in - on in china wish to hide. by acting | with our partners, 30 of us in total are sending the clearest message to the chinese government, that the international community will not turn a blind eye to such a serious and systematic violations of basic human rights. and systematic violations of basic human rights-— and systematic violations of basic human rights. and systematic violations of basic human riahts. , ., , ., human rights. these are the sorts of cam -s human rights. these are the sorts of camps where — human rights. these are the sorts of camps where the _ human rights. these are the sorts of camps where the foreign _ human rights. these are the sorts of camps where the foreign secretary l camps where the foreign secretary says industrial scale abuse is taking place, and the four top chinese officials that britain says is responsible will now be subject to travel bans and asset freezes. the state organisation in charge of security and policing in the region is also sanctioned. european ministers meeting in brussels imposed similar measures, as did canada and united states. china retaliated immediately by sanctioning ten european political figures and four organisations. the country's top diplomat in britain was not impressed. thea;r

country's top diplomat in britain was not impressed.— country's top diplomat in britain was not impressed. they are trying to im ose was not impressed. they are trying to impose on _ was not impressed. they are trying to impose on china's _ was not impressed. they are trying to impose on china's internal- to impose on china's internal affairs. the sanction is based on unfounded accusations. the affairs. the sanction is based on unfounded accusations.- affairs. the sanction is based on unfounded accusations. the you say these are unfounded _ unfounded accusations. the you say these are unfounded allegations - unfounded accusations. the you say| these are unfounded allegations but how can you deny the sheer weight of the evidence, from survivors, first—hand reporting, satellite imagery, official documentation? so imagery, official documentation? sr far, imagery, official documentation? 5r far, the satellite images are not true and the pictures and videos, they are concocted. what we are doing in xinjiang isjust a precautionary measure in anti—terrorism, and that is to safeguard our national interest. in practice, these sanctions are going to affect only a handful of people, but they are significant because it is so unusual for the west to take such collective action against china. what diplomats here want to know is what impact this is all going to have on discussions with china about other issues, like trade or climate change. james landale, bbc news, outside the foreign office. there are significant changes ahead for the british armed forces,

with fewer soldiers and tanks, and a reduction in the number of older aircraft. the cuts are being made to help fund new equipment and technologies. the defence secretary, ben wallace, said the changes marked a shift "from mass mobilisation to readiness and relevance for confronting the threats of the future". by 2025, the number of regular troops will be reduced from a target of 82,000 to 72,500. the number of new f—35 aircraft will be increased from a8, while the number of typhoon fighters will fall by a fifth. for the navy, there will be fewer frigates and destroyers, down from 19 to 17 by the end of the decade, before a new generation is brought in. our defence correspondent jonathan beale has more details. the army of the future will have fewer tanks... ..and fewer soldiers. the raf will retire some of its olderjets and aircraft.

and the navy will see a cut in its service fleet before new warships come into service. all this at a time when the government says the threats are rising. but it is promising a high—tech armed forces and to invest in new technologies, from fastjets to drones and robots, to fight the wars of the future. we will ensure defence is threat focused, modernised and financially sustainable, ready to confront future challenges, seize new opportunities for global britain and lay the foundations of a more secure and prosperous united kingdom. the threats to britain are increasing, our forces will be deployed further from home, yet this is a plan for fewer troops, fewer ships, fewer planes over the next few years. yes, i'm getting that sorted. the armed forces of tomorrow will be able to fight in the new domains of space and cyber. gunfire.

royal marines and troops will be better equipped, but the regular army is set to lose around 10,000 soldiers. the question — can a smaller force really deliver a more potent punch? a small 12 man team is having the same effect as probably what a company had at the time i was out in afghan. so you're looking at a 12 man team compared to 60 plus having a greater effect. do you think the future of the army is exciting? it's all about the effect on the output, so as long as the output remains the same and is appropriate to the mission then that's the key thing here. to match the government's ambition of a global britain, later this year, the navy's new aircraft carrier will sail to the pacific. but can the uk's military really do more with less? i have always had tremendous respect for the british military and so, you know, if i had my way,

i'd probably... maintain the force level in britain, only because they are great fighters. alarm. all bulkheads, shutdown! it is not all out with the old. after years of arms reduction, the government says it will increase the sealing of its stockpile of nuclear warheads. one legacy from the cold war era that it does not want to give up. jonathan beale, bbc news. a huge fire has caused devastation in large parts of a rohingya refugee camp in bangladesh. firefighters and volunteers battled for hours as the fire spread rapidly through the crowded camp near cox's bazar — destroying many shelters and reportedly a number of people have died. it's estimated about a million rohingya refugees live in make—shift homes in the area. while countries across europe are struggling with rising cases of coronavirus,

iceland has largely managed to eradicate the virus. it has a handful of cases, most of which have come from people entering the country. it's become europe's first and only green—zone country, allowing it to open up again with very few restrictions on daily life. our europe correspondent jean mackenzie has been to find out what's behind its success. the storm has passed. hibernation is over. celebrations have begun. this feels so amazing. just to let loose a little. see friends, sing a little, why not? with the virus under control, all generations are rediscovering their moments ofjoy. having this warm water in iceland, it's a priority. during those months, this winter,

i've missed it very much. to get here, iceland acted fast and began aggressively testing and contact tracing from day one. within months, every arriving passenger was made to quarantine. i will take this sample _ from your throat and then your nose. now, mandatory tests at the border catch new cases before they enter the country. welcome to the isolation hotel. anyone who tests positive is kept here in total isolation. gylfi has now cared for more patients than the hospitals. what has given iceland the edge? it was the scientists that made up the rules, not the politics. that matters. they know what they are talking about. the politicians, they don't. laughter. well, i think it's important for a politician to realise what is politics and... what is reallyjust something that needs to be solved by the use

of scientific means. iceland is a sparsely populated island. i'm sure a lot of countries look at iceland and think you have had it easy. obviously, it has been very beneficial to iceland that we are small and there are so few of us and that obviously makes testing, intensive testing and tracing, easier. iceland has been dealt another helping hand. this world leading genetics company has handed over its laboratories to analyse every single positive case. but after months of keeping the british variant out of the country, they notice a case has slipped through the border. there were two cases diagnosed yesterday and he is sequencing them now. so you will be able to know today if it is the british variant that has spread, that is what you are fearing? yes. the results confirm the british variant has spread but over the next few days, more than 1,000 people are tracked down and tested and the virus is contained.

and so, the party continues. this last week has shown that it is impossible for a country to shut the virus out but iceland is proving that with the right measures, it can be effectively contained. hi! and life can look like this again. jean mackenzie, bbc news, reykjavik. last night's protests in bristol have been strongly criticised by the home secretary, priti patel. one of the city's police stations was attacked, and 21 officers were injured. eight people have been arrested after clashes between protesters and police, at a demonstration against new powers for policing protests in england and wales. our correspondent sian lloyd reports. sirens. it was a night of violence and disorder on the streets of bristol. police vehicles targeted and missiles hurled.

21 police officers were injured, two of them seriously. today, the home secretary described what unfolded as anarchic. our exceptional and brave police officers put themselves in harm's way to protect the public. for them to face the criminal violence against them while upholding the law is completely unacceptable. earlier in the day, people had gathered peacefully. around 1000 protesting against the police and crime bill that could restrict demonstrations in the future. chanting: kill the bill! kill the bill! there were marches in other cities, too, against the government proposals for england and wales, which could see police impose start and finish times on demonstrations, set noise limits, and, at its extreme, fine individual protesters up to £2500. but in bristol, things escalated.

and this is sort of everyone milling around. max was one of those who wanted to make a stand, but believes the cause was hijacked. i hope that people are able to view them as two separate events, and to understand that what was thousands of people peacefully protesting against the bill is much more important than a very small minority who decided to get violent against the police. i don't think they realise the damage they could have done by undermining the protests. a team of 100 are now working on this investigation, reviewing hours of cctv footage and carrying out forensic examinations. there was absolutely no intelligence that this was going to escalate in the way it did. obviously, everyone is really, really saddened that there was this amount of violence on the streets of bristol. we don't think it reflects the community of bristol at all. we are thinking, obviously, about the officers that were physically injured. these clashes in a pandemic also come at a time of heightened

scrutiny of policing following the vigil of sarah everard. tonight, both enforcement and demonstration are once again in the spotlight. sian lloyd, bbc news, bristol. clive myrie, a very familiar face here on bbc news, has been named as the new host of the bbc�*s mastermind. clive will replacejohn humphrys as the fifth host of the show. john is stepping down after 18 years. clive said that they were big shoes to fill, but he aimed to bring a little bit of his own personality to the show, which has been running since 1972. a year ago, dr michael hare, a gp from colchester, found himself in hospital on a ventilator after contracting coronavirus. he spent almost two months in intensive care. when he left hospital in may, he spoke to our health correspondent catherine burns about the impact that covid had had on his life.

catherine has been back to see him, and talked about the changes in his life brought about by the pandemic. you give yourself goals, and my goal was to get home... it was just to get home. we met dr mike hare last may. he had achieved his goal, but frail and exhausted, his recovery was just beginning. now the weather is colder but the smile is steady. it's so lovely to see you both looking so well. you look like a different person than you did, what, ten months ago when we met. gow are you feeling? how are you feeling? different! i think we were fairly fatalistic when we saw you last, and now we know that we can get over severe illness, this covid can be beaten. before covid, mike's nickname was mr fit, he ran marathons, loved skiing and sailing. this time last year, though, he was put on a ventilator. he was in intensive care for almost two months.

i remember nothing, absolutely nothing, until they woke me up