officers policing the london vigil earlier this month in memory of sarah everard acted �*appropriately�* — says the police watchdog. the met was criticised after images emerged of women handcuffed and detained for breaking covid rules. the force has been found to have acted proportionately. we criticise the police a lot, it's part of ourjob. on this occasion, however, i don't think there's anything... there's no doubt really that the tactics they used were, as we've said, completely appropriate. but the watchdog said there was not enough communication about changing events — we'll have all the latest. also this lunchtime. black britons — who are less likely to take up the covid vaccine — religious leaders. are urged to get theirjab — by celebrities and

religious leaders. people want to get the information from the faces that they recognise, people that they trust. and the key word here is trust. roughly half of the uk population now has antibodies against covid, either through vaccination or being infected. and the rising popularity of cornwall as a place notjust to holiday, but to live. and coming up on bbc news — the republic of ireland team would have their manager's backing should they decide to follow norway and others in protesting against human rights before their friendly with world cup hosts qatar. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. an official review into the policing of the london vigil held in memory of sarah everard has found officers �*did not act inappropriately or in a heavy—handed manner�*. footage from the event

on clapham common showed women being detained, and the force was widely criticised, including by senior politicians. but the chief inspector of constabulary, sir tom winsor, says officers had done their best to disperse the crowd peacefully, and remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse. sarah everard was last seen alive in the area on march 3rd. a police officer, wayne couzens, has been charged with her murder. let's go over to our correspondent sangita myska. it correspondent sangita myska. is worth taking a ste remember it is worth taking a step back to remember why this report is being published. it was ordered by the home secretary priti patel. she did that after a very was a widescale public outcry over the police tactics used by the met, and when it was policing a vigil held in memory of sarah everard a week after the

arrest of a serving police officer. at the time, the metropolitan police said that they had had to go in and use disposal methods for that crowd because they were social distancing restriction is still in place. people who were at that vigil said there were a small number of troublemakers there and what the police had done was go in with heavy—handed tactics. now, throughout, the met has consistently said that this was not the case. and today on social media we have seen people claiming that this report is a whitewash. that has been vehemently denied by the man who led the inspection team. we vehemently denied by the man who led the inspection team.— the inspection team. we have seen all the evidence. _ the inspection team. we have seen all the evidence. i'm _ the inspection team. we have seen all the evidence. i'm not _ the inspection team. we have seen all the evidence. i'm not sure - all the evidence. i'm not sure anybody— all the evidence. i'm not sure anybody else has. we're an inspectorate used to, or that makes no bones of the fact that we

criticise the police a lot. it is worth underlining that that report says the police faced a huge amount abuse and remained calm in the face of it however, it goes on to say that images from that night have created reputational damage for the metropolitan police and had they taken a more conciliatory tone that would have been much better. sangita m ska, would have been much better. sangita myska. many — would have been much better. sangita myska, many thanks. _ the comedian sir lenny henry and dozens of black celebrities have joined forces to urge black britons to get vaccinated against covid—19. they've written an open letter and recorded a short film telling people to trust the facts and the experts. the move comes as figures show that vaccination rates are considerably lower among black britons than among the white population. here's our correspondent adina campbell. dear mums and dads. grandparents. aunties. uncles. _ dear mums and dads. grandparents. aunties. uncles. some _ dear mums and dads. grandparents. aunties. uncles. some of— dear mums and dads. grandparents. aunties. uncles. some of britain's i

aunties. uncles. some of britain's bi est aunties. uncles. some of britain's biggest black— aunties. uncles. some of britain's biggest black stars _ aunties. uncles. some of britain's biggest black stars who _ aunties. uncles. some of britain's biggest black stars who have - aunties. uncles. some of britain's. biggest black stars who have turned their attention to the covid crisis. we don't want you to get sick. the? we don't want you to get sick. they have come — we don't want you to get sick. they have come together _ we don't want you to get sick. they have come together in _ we don't want you to get sick. tie: have come together in this we don't want you to get sick. tte: have come together in this short film with one clear message. find film with one clear message. and when your— film with one clear message. and when your turn — film with one clear message. and when your turn comes, take the jab. with ongoing — when your turn comes, take the jab. with ongoing concerns _ when your turn comes, take the jab. with ongoing concerns about - when your turn comes, take the jab. with ongoing concerns about a - with ongoing concerns about a vaccination take—up rate to much lower than in black communities, sir lenny henry wanted to take action. as well as creating this video, he's written an open letter encouraging people from ethnic minority backgrounds to have a covid vaccine. what we say in the video and what i say in the letter is please talk to a medical professional. do not go to dave down the pub for your information, or uncle charlie on the zoom call, go to a medical professional or your gp, or nhs.com and get the proper information so you are properly informed and take the jab because we don't want anybody else to die.— anybody else to die. latest vaccination _ anybody else to die. latest vaccination figures - anybody else to die. latest vaccination figures from i

anybody else to die. latest| vaccination figures from the anybody else to die. latest - vaccination figures from the office for national statistics looking at the over 70s show big differences between ethnic groups. 90% of people from white backgrounds were given a jab, compared withjust from white backgrounds were given a jab, compared with just 68% of those with a black caribbean heritage, and it was even lower for people from black african groups, just 58%. it is a problem the government and health authorities are well aware of, despite months of targeted campaigns for these communities. consistent themes keep coming up, is the vaccine safe? what is in the content of the vaccine? do i have anything to worry about? is it going to protect me from severe disease and death? how confident can i be about its protection? so we listened to these concerns from members of the community. to these concerns from members of the community-— the community. black communities have been some _ the community. black communities have been some of _ the community. black communities have been some of the _ the community. black communities have been some of the most - have been some of the most vulnerable during the pandemic. up to four times more likely to die from coronavirus or end up in intensive care. the research shows there are also more likely to be

reluctant about having a covid vaccine. london, the most diverse place in the uk, has some of the lowest vaccination take—up rates according to latest data. in boroughs like newham dust 59%, and it was the same figure in kensington and chelsea. while in lambeth 63% of people had a covid jab. in and chelsea. while in lambeth 6396 of people had a covid jab.— people had a covid 'ab. in the caribbean * people had a covid 'ab. in the caribbean and _ people had a covid jab. in the caribbean and african - people had a covid jab. in the caribbean and african health | people had a covid jab. t't the: caribbean and african health network we have been carrying out talks, every saturday for an hour we engage the community and talk to them about whether concerns are and one of the main thrusts of these talks has been about educating people about the vaccine, answering their questions, allaying their fears. vaccine, answering their questions, allaying theirfears. people vaccine, answering their questions, allaying their fears. people want to get the information from the faces that they recognise, people that they trust and the key word here is trust. . ., , ., ., , trust. there are a number of reasons wh some trust. there are a number of reasons why some peeple _ trust. there are a number of reasons why some people from _ trust. there are a number of reasons why some people from black - why some people from black communities are more hesitant about being vaccinated. existing health inequalities and historical racial injustices mean that they are more

likely to not trust the authorities. we know it is safe. this likely to not trust the authorities. we know it is safe.— we know it is safe. this latest video by some _ we know it is safe. this latest video by some of _ we know it is safe. this latest video by some of the - we know it is safe. this latest video by some of the most. we know it is safe. this latest - video by some of the most well-known video by some of the most well—known faces in british television explores those fears. it's hoped these voices will now help persuade more people to get vaccinated. �* help persuade more people to get vaccinated-— vaccinated. don't let coronavirus cost even _ vaccinated. don't let coronavirus cost even more _ vaccinated. don't let coronavirus cost even more black— vaccinated. don't let coronavirus cost even more black lives. - cost even more black lives. adina campbell, bbc news. around half the uk population now has antibodies against coronavirus, according to new figures — either because they've had a vaccine or recovered from the disease. now, a new finger prick blood test has been designed, to help researchers track how effective vaccines are against new strains of the virus. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. have you had a covid vaccine at all? national statistics. just relax your arm, sharp scratch.

now a new finger prick blood test will help give researchers an even better insight into how vaccines are performing. more than 30 million people in the uk have now had theirfirstjab. in the past year, 400,000 volunteers have been regularly swabbing their throats and noses to check for coronavirus antibodies. now researchers will be able to take data from the finger prick tests of around 150,000 volunteers. it is enabling us to do things faster, it is enabling us to do things at greater scale and it is enabling us really to be able to make sure that no areas of the population are invisible and we've got estimates right across our population. there have been various attempts to develop an antibody test, not all of them successful. the new one is cheap to produce, reliable, and easy to use and will give scientists vital information on how vaccines cope with new variants of the virus.

it's also important notjust how effective they are but also how long they are effective for and that's something else that's really used something else that's really useful about the study, by tracking the same individuals over a period of time you can get a sense of how long these antibodies are detected in the blood over a long period. the mass vaccination programme is a huge national effort to get as many of us as possible to safely develop antibodies without risking getting ill. and scientists say they need the data from regular testing to keep track of how we're all reacting. we know that 50% of people get coronavirus and don't have a single symptom, and other people, sadly, have it so badly that they end up in hospital and die. so we have this huge variation, naturally, and so it is only to be expected that we will also see variation in people's response to vaccination. in the ongoing fight against coronavirus, reliable data will be vital, keeping vaccines effective and long—lasting even when faced with new variants. dominic hughes, bbc news.

borisjohnson hasjoined more than 20 world leaders — including president macron of france and the german chancellor, angela merkel — in calling for a new international treaty to help deal with future pandemics. in an article published in newspapers around the world, they say that coronavirus poses the biggest global challenge since the second world war. they agree it's their responsibility to ensure that the world learns the lessons of covid—i9. a long—awaited report from the world health organization — seen by the bbc — suggests that covid—i9 is likely to have been passed to human beings from bats, through another animal. it also dismisses claims that the virus escaped from a lab in china, calling the suggestion "extremely unlikely." the study is due to be officially released later this afternoon. the business secretary kwasi kwarteng has defended the former prime minister david cameron over his dealings with the financial company, greensill capital, which collapsed earlier this month. but labour has called

for an investigation into the extent of government access given to the firm's founder when mr cameron was prime minister. our political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster. this is about more than a former pm's involvement with a failed financial company. that's right, the reason we are talking about this now is primarily because greensill capital, which collapsed this month, was a major backer of liberty steel, and that in turn has putjobs at liberty steel in the balance, and at the moment the future of liberty steel is still uncertain. but it has also raised, as you mentioned, questions about the involvement of the former prime minister david cameron. the sunday times and the financial times reported he had lobbied treasury officials and even texted the chancellor to try and get, unsuccessfully as it turned out, greater access for greensill capital to government backed loans. a lobbying watchdog says he hasn't

done anything wrong and government ministers, including the business secretary, have defended his recent activities. but the sunday times also reported that back when david cameron was prime minister he gave what they said was almost unparalleled access to whitehall departments and to government agencies to none other than lex greensill, the man behind greensill capital and labour are calling on the standards watchdog to investigate this. when i spoke to the business secretary kwasi kwarteng earlier, he said he had no problem with the standards committee, or indeed, any other parliamentary committee at westminster doing just that. i think if people, committees, want to look at what happened, i think it was more than five years ago, i think that is absolutely right for them to do that. i'm not in a position to rake up what was going on in whitehall five or six years ago. what i have focused on is trying to make sure that we can reopen the economy and, as you say, build back better. but if committees want to look at

that behaviour, that's up to them. the standards committee say they don't investigate individual cases but they are looking more widely at theissue but they are looking more widely at the issue of transparency in government. david cameron himself has not commented on the allegations but there are calls today for the rules around lobbying to be reviewed. the more pressing problem for ministers is the fate of liberty steel. . ~ ., ,., for ministers is the fate of liberty steel. . ~ ., ., , for ministers is the fate of liberty steel. . ., , ., steel. iain watson, many thanks. our olitical steel. iain watson, many thanks. our political correspondent _ steel. iain watson, many thanks. our political correspondent there. - steel. iain watson, many thanks. our political correspondent there. the - political correspondent there. the time is coming up to 1:15pm. our top story this lunchtime. an official review into the policing of the london vigil held in memory of sarah everard has found officers �*did not act inappropriately or in a heavy—handed manner�*. and — record numbers of people are looking to move to cornwall. but will it benefit local people? coming up on bbc news — already with ground to make up in their world cup qualifying group, wales play the czech republic in cardiff tonight having lost their opening match to belgium, and without three players sent home

for a breach of protocol. more evidence will be heard today in the trial of the white former police officer accused of killing george floyd in the us city of minneapolis. yesterday, the jury was shown video footage of mr floyd gasping for breath as the officer, derek chauvin, knelt on his neck. the defence argues that mr floyd's health conditions and drug use contributed to his death. lebo diseko is following the trial. let's all say, "i do." i do. thank you, you may be seated. derek chauvin finally facing a jury of his peers. the central question for both sides in this case, what caused george floyd's death? we are going to ask that you find him guilty. the prosecution says it was chauvin kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. on may 25th of 2020, mr derek chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excessive

and unreasonable force upon the body of mr george floyd. that he put his knees upon his neck and his back, grinding and crushing him until the very breath — no, ladies and gentlemen, until the very life — was squeezed out of him. counsel, mr chauvin... the defence argued that the officers were facing an increasingly hostile crowd, distracting them from mr floyd's care. his death, they said, was the result of drug use and poor health. the evidence will show that mr floyd died of a cardiac arrhythmia that - occurred as a result - of hypertension, his coronary disease, the ingestion _ of methamphetamine and fentanyl and the adrenaline flowing - through his body, all of which acted to further compromise - an already compromised heart.

among the opening day's witnesses, a 9/11 dispatch worker who was watching the arrest via a police camera. she was so alarmed by what she saw, that she rang the officer's supervisor. also on the stand, a passer—by who tried to intervene on mr floyd's behalf. a martial arts expert, he recognised chauvin's knee on mr floyd's neck as a type of chokehold which could be fatal. ..the more you are seeing floyd fade away, slowly fading away and, like a fish in a bag, you seen his slowly, you know, pale out and, again, slowly roll back to the back of his eyes. this is the most high—profile police brutality case to be tried in the us for decades. race isn't being mentioned in court, but its significance is inescapable. people across this country and the world are watching what happens here closely. lebo diseko, bbc news, minneapolis. let's speak to our correspondent,

gary o'donoghue, in minneapolis. huge attention on this case, what can we expect today? {iii huge attention on this case, what can we expect today?— huge attention on this case, what can we expect today? of course, this case bein: can we expect today? of course, this case being broadcast _ can we expect today? of course, this case being broadcast across - can we expect today? of course, this case being broadcast across america| case being broadcast across america and across the world, so lots of people watching, lots of eyes on this. they had technical issues at the end of proceedings yesterday meaning they will begin again this morning with donald williams, the witness we saw at the end of that piece, talking about how he witnessed, how he looked on as derek chauvin built on george floyd's next for nine minutes and 29 seconds. —— neiljon. he is a martial arts expert and described what he thought was going on, there is self video evidence of him calling out to derek chauvin to tell him to stop doing it, using some

language in the process, along with other passers—by. we do not know who the witnesses will be next, there is no published list, it is a surprise to us as it is to everyone else when people are called. the big question is whether chauvin will take the stand, whether the defence will call him, i suspect they have not made that decision yet, they will want to see how things go in terms of the eyewitnesses and the expert medical evidence before making that call. thank you, gary o'donoghue. since the killing of george floyd last year, many in the world of football have shown their solidarity with the black lives matter movement. one of the players in the us women's national team, crystal dunn, is part of a project to ensure lasting change. the initiative aims to roll out anti—racism training across us football, to thousands of coaches, staff and players. rhia chohan reports. where we are right now, the world is in outrage. last month, crystal dunn and her us

team—mates, one of the most socially conscious sports teams in the world, collectively stood for the national anthem before a game after almost a year of kneeling in protest against systemic racism. no one can really sit here in 2021 and be like, "wow, police brutality? "what do you mean? "that exists?" it's kind of like we are past that point of bringing awareness. now i think people need to be acting and, you know, notjust getting on board just because it is like, oh, we are part of the trend now. what i'm seeing more and more now is my team—mates using their platform, being more confident in using their voice and standing up for things that really matter, and standing up for what's's right. people think, oh, you arejust an athlete, stick to sport. before i'm an athlete, i'm actually a human being. i'm actually a woman. dunn has thrown her backing behind the anti—racist project from football charity common goal, which aims to fund and roll—out anti—racism training in the sport globally. ambitious, but its potential also attracted the support of us international and manchester city

goalkeeper zack steffen. it is unfortunate that we have to do it, but there's a long, long history of athletes who have been activists and have been very outspoken on social issues, and i think we have to continue to carry that torch. frustrations are constantly growing. thierry henry recently removed his presence from social media because of the level of bullying and racist abuse he saw happening. the guys that are supposed to be be in charge of everything, i don't hear them talk a lot. i see a lot of statements, i see a lot of, "we're going to do this, we are going to do that," but i played 20 years. when i arrived in the game and when i left the game, things didn't change too much. football's struggle to combat racism continues, but for players like dunn and steffen, it's not about will they or won't they kneel before a match. they're determined that the momentum behind the anti—racism drive isn't lost. i want those coming after me to feel

like they have a fighting chance to make it to this level, and that their image is just as valued as a white woman's image on this team. rhia chohan, bbc news. the drug ghb is to be re—classified after it was used in a number of rapes and murders to render victims unconscious. the home secretary, priti patel, said the move from class c to class b would mean tougher penalties for those found with ghb in their possession. police in london are appealing for help to find a teenager who has been missing for a week. richard okorogheye, who is 19, was last seen leaving his home in west london on 22nd march. his family say they are increasingly worried for his safety. charlotte wright reports. 19—year—old student richard okorogheye has been missing from his home for eight days. he has sickle cell disease and had been shielding due to coronavirus since last march. his mother says he was struggling to cope with university pressures, but his disappearance is extremely out of character.

richard is a very, civilised child, boy. he is very focused, intelligent, loved by everyone. ifeel, we fear, richard has been taken away. he went to a friend and something happened there. richard left his family home here in the ladbroke grove area of west london on monday last week. he was last seen in the area at around 8:30pm, but he didn't return home and two days later his family reported him as missing to the police. but when she first went to the police, richard's mother says she wasn't taken seriously. they told me that... i was told that richard was an adult, he can make his decisions, he can go out and come back whenever he feels like.

he is a young adult with a medical condition and he has left home without his medication, no jacket, no money, so i am worried, i am concerned about his well—being. i need help, i need them to look for him for me. the met police say, "our officers have been working tirelessly to locate richard using all investigative opportunities and data enquiries, speaking with witnesses and trawling cctv. " now the search continues to find richard, with officers asking anyone a man whose heavily pregnant wife died after contracting coronavirus has said she shouldn't have been working as a nurse in the early stages of the pandemic. mary agyapong died in april last year at the luton and dunstable hospital where she worked. her baby daughter survived.

the inquest into her death has just concluded. jo black reports. good morning. mary agyapong was a much loved nurse. when she died she was only 28 years old. her husband said she was so worried about bringing coronavirus home protect her family. this inquest hearing was told the ward where mary worked was used by covid patients after she was signed off work in march with back problems. two days later her health worsened, so she was readmitted and a coronavirus test she had taken came back positive. hours later, her daughter was delivered by caesarean section and survived, but days later mary's

condition deteriorated and she died in intensive care. doctors told the hearing they were satisfied with the level of care and monitoring they provided. the coroner said she had not been pointed to any systemic failures at the hospital. who is that? mummy. but ernest boateng says he and his two small children feel lost without their mother. he has campaigned for better protection for mothers to be and does not want mary to have died in vain. she is outside the current apple �*s coach. what has the coroner said? they hearing has just finished in the last three minutes until the night show that you can probably see mary's widower, ernest boateng, giving his reaction to what has been said during the hearing, speaking to reporters. we will catch up with him

later. we heard about mary's covid—i9. the senior coroner said it remains unclear when and where her exposure to the virus had occurred, so the scope of the inquest did not include that. we heard dealt with, the first pregnant woman with suspected covid—i9, that was heard during this inquest. the coroner said mary's death was a tragedy, notjust for her friends and family but for wider society, and family but for wider society, and she went on lives lost in this pandemic. she talked about how the prime minister has inquiry might take place into the pandemic. she said, i urge him to proceed as soon as practical.

but he has already spoken about his pain and loss. and now it's becoming an increasingly sought as john maguire reports. it's long been a hotspot for holiday—makers, but with such high demand for homes, there's stiff competition yeah. we love the sea, we love being by it, in it, on it.

but it's difficult because, you know, some people have got crazy money and we are not in that situation. emma ward is an estate agent based on the north coast in st agnes. she says sometimes people will buy houses without seeing them in person. and it gives you the sort of opportunity to do something major to it, doesn't it? and prices are rising. we're having properties that are going way above the asking price. having to go into a best and final offer situation, where we wouldn't have had that every day before. is there enough property? no, absolutely not! we need more property. this is the old victorian schoolhouse in st agnes. and more than 20 years ago, i rented and lived in a flat here. during that period of time, the village has changed hugely. more businesses, more people, far more houses. but the last 12 months has seen a real accelerated pace of change due to the pandemic.

cornwall�*s reputation for wild beauty is well deserved but, economically, this isn't a rich county. this is the old vicarage flats where we are proposing to renovate four flats... and those working to create more affordable homes say it's important that there is a variety of housing available. the housing market is unaffordable for people here now. people earning 18, £20,000, they're never going to get onto the property ladder when average prices are around about the 350,000 and more mark. and then that also reflects back into the rental market. so the unaffordability of renting too becomes an issue for local people as they grow up. the pandemic has changed much about the way we live our lives now, and for many people it's the catalyst that will persuade them to make the leap and change their lives forever. john maguire, bbc news, cornwall.

time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos.