this is bbc news with the latest headlines... fomer bbc director general lord hall resigns as national gallery chairman, saying continuing in the role would be a "distraction" following the inquiry in to panorama's interview with princess diana. wider surge testing has been rolled out in five west london boroughs due to a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the indian variant. germany bans almost all travellers from the uk because of the rise in cases of the indian variant of covid—19. the first convoys of humanitarian aid have arrived in gaza, hours after a ceasefire between israel and palestinian militants came into effect. animal rights protesters have been blockading four mcdonald's distribution centres in the uk. and coming up, click looks at how

you can capture stunning images of the night sky with your smartphone. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the former bbc director general lord hall has resigned as chairman of the national gallery amid outcry following an inquiry into panorama's princess diana interview. lord hall was director of news when martin bashir got the 1995 scoop, using faked documents. in a statement, he said continuing in the role "would be a distraction". meanwhile, princess diana's brother earl spencer has confirmed to the bbc that he has written to the met police commissioner again, asking her to investigate the corporation over the interview. our correspondent jon donnisonjoins us.

lord jon donnisonjoins us. hall left the bbc last summi but lord hall left the bbc last summer. but he has now resigned from his new post? but he has now resigned from his new ost? , ., , ., but he has now resigned from his new ost? , .,, ., ., ,, ., post? yes, he has left two “obs in a ear's post? yes, he has left two “obs in a yea-s time. — post? yes, he has left two “obs in a yea-stime. he * post? yes, he has left two “obs in a year's time. he was t post? yes, he has left two “obs in a year's time. he was chair _ post? yes, he has left two jobs in a year's time. he was chair of - post? yes, he has left two jobs in a year's time. he was chair of the - year's time. he was chair of the national gallery until this lunchtime, that statement came through just after lunch and i will read it to you. it said, "i have always had a strong sense of public service and it's clear my continuing in the role of chair of the national gallery would be a distraction to an institution i care deeply about. as i said to days ago, i'm very sorry for the events of pointy five years ago and i believe leadership means taking responsibility." this came just 2a hours after the conservative chair of the digital culture media and sport committee said he wanted and sport committee said he wanted an explanation as to why martin bashir was rehired in 2016 when lord hall was director—general of the bbc. and then when he was, he was

promoted shortly afterwards to the position of religion editor. fies far position of religion editor. as far as the police _ position of religion editor. as far as the police investigation - position of religion editor. as far as the police investigation is - as the police investigation is concerned, princess diana's brother would like it to be looked at again? he would, errol spencer has confirmed to the bbc today that he has written to the commissioner, the metropolitan police cressida dick, asking her to look at it again. he alleges his sister was the victim of both blackmail and fraud. we know that he contacted the police earlier in the year, last year, he has renewed that request on friday. i did speak to a spokesperson for the metropolitan police and they said they would not comment on whether he had indeed contacted cressida dick and they said they were sticking to their earlier statement which they issued late last week. for

their earlier statement which they issued late last week.— issued late last week. for the moment. _ issued late last week. for the moment, thank _ issued late last week. for the moment, thank you - issued late last week. for the moment, thank you very - issued late last week. for the l moment, thank you very much. prince william has spoken of the importance of scotland to him in the days following the death of his mother. he's made the comments in a speech to the general assembly of the church of scotland in edinburgh. william said he had been at balmoral when he was told the news and says that, still in shock, he found sanctuary in the service at crathie kirk that morning. he says in the days that followed he found comfort in the scottish outdoors. surge testing for coronavirus is being introduced in more parts of england after cases of the indian variant were detected. people living and working in parts of west london are being asked to take a test even if they have no symptoms. most cases of the indian variant are concentrated in the north west of england. 0ur health correspondent, jim reed reports. targeting a rise in covid infections in greater manchester. rochdale is one of more than a dozen areas of england and scotland that health officials are now focusing on, trying to suppress the virus

with extra testing and vaccination. i'm pleased they've done it for all ages, so we can at least... cos i think it's the idea of, they had it a long time, the older ages might be more affected, but it doesn't stop young people from being affected as well. quite excited cos i know it's been quite a long wait, so i'm quite eager to get it done, because once the first one is out the way it's out the way and it's easier to get it done when it's offered than for an waiting for appointment to be scheduled. part of the rise could be due to a relaxation of restrictions last week, part to a variant of the virus first found in india. scientists think it can spread more easily, but how much more is not yet clear. in rochdale, extra vaccines are now being offered to anyone over the age of 18. as director of public health what i can see is that once i the virus gets into our communities, it will take hold very quickly. - so myself and our senior team have been working really closely- with regional colleagues to put | in place this surge vaccination| programme this weekend and we have full details of that _

on our rochdale council website. new variants of coronavirus are being detected in some unlikely places, health authorities are now monitoring more sewerage samples like this to give an early warning sign that infections are rising in certain areas. we have seen a new variant first spotted in yorkshire, a very small number of cases, we don't have any additional information that suggests that it's more dangerous or more transmissible. but of course this is part of our vigilance, part of the surveillance operation. that we have across the whole country now. so that we can spot these things really early. in west london, another four boroughs have been to the list in west london, anotherfour boroughs have been in west london, another four boroughs have been added to the list for extra surge testing to suppress the indian variant.

that includes brent, where wembley stadium will host european championship matches next month. scientists do appear to have increasing confidence that our current vaccines are effective against it. so the message is to get the jab when called and not to pass up the chance of that second dose. most people travelling from the uk will not be allowed to enter germany from tomorrow because of the rise in cases of the indian variant here. german citizens and residents, as well as others with an exceptional reason , can still enter, but have to quarantine for two—weeks. 0ur correspondent in berlin, damien mcguinness explains why the german government has taken this decision. the economy is starting to open up over this weekend. people can now start sitting out on terraces, beer gardens are opening up, outside eating is allowed, all sorts of cultural, sporting activities. that is because the infection rates here in germany have really come down. the vaccine roll—out has sped up. almost 40% of the population have had at least one dose. the worry is that the indian variant could come into germany. at the moment, about 2% of new infections are

of the indian variant. that's what officials here say. there is a real concern that, if the indian variant spreads here in germany, as it has done in parts of england, then that could really stop the progress of fighting the pandemic in germany. that's why, overnight, german officials announced that travel from the uk to germany is effectively banned. the only exception is residents of germany or german citizens coming back to germany, and they will have to isolate at home for two weeks. so a big restriction, it will cause a lot of problems, make it almost impossible for many people to go from the uk to germany until the indian variant is controlled. i think that is what the german government is looking for. well, as germany announces travellers entering the country from the uk must quarantine, spain announces it's lifting restrictions.

from next month, all british travellers with proof of a vaccination can enter without a negative test, but spain still remains on the uk's amber list. travel journalist, lisa francesca nand, who hosts the big travel podcast, told me it is a confusing picture. what spain are saying is something totally different. from monday, we won't need any of those things, we can just enter spain freely. as you hinted at, that's only part of the battle. getting in the country. what happens when we get back to here is important to people travelling. and germany has taken an entirely different approach? very confusing. spain's announcement was yesterday. pedro sanchez it was ok to come into the country from monday. spain have had very strict restrictions, some high—profile cases of people getting turned back when they had flown all the way over there and now germany has said this. it's a very fast—paced changing situation. the next update on the green list is going to be the 7th ofjune

so we will see what happens then. yes, because it could change again. what are people supposed to do, as countries come and go from these various lists? that can have an impact on whether you can get a refund. it can and at the moment, confusingly, a lot of the places on the amber list, all of them, the foreign office has said you can go there, so it's legal to go there, but the government say don't necessarily go there. so i think it's all down to your personal circumstances and your risk assessment. can you go away to a country and take ten days off work when you get back? it is down to your personal circumstances and i appreciate, i'm in the situation myself, i have a plane ticket booked booked for spain injuly, and june, i've got two, i am in that situation. actually confusing to know what to do. today marks another milestone in the rollout of the uk's covid vaccine programme.

50 million doses have now been given, and 32 and 33—year—olds are now being called up to get the jab. we can now speak to dr helen wimalarathna, molecular epidemiologist at the university of buckingham. how impressed are you with the roll—out of the vaccination programme? it roll-out of the vaccination programme?— roll-out of the vaccination eeroramme? , ., , programme? it has been really high oint in all programme? it has been really high point in all of _ programme? it has been really high point in all of this. _ programme? it has been really high point in all of this. we _ programme? it has been really high point in all of this. we know - programme? it has been really high point in all of this. we know that . point in all of this. we know that we were dogged by all sorts of errors and mistakes earlier on in of testing, track entries, but really vaccination roll—out has been very positive and it continues to be so. how important is it with new variants, particularly this indian one, for younger adults to be vaccinated as quickly as possible? it is tremendously important and it is such a relief. i was able to book my vaccination, my first appointment

last week. it is important that those of us who are perhaps in a younger age group who think that our own personal risk of serious illness and the consequences are not that great, we understand there is really good evidence now, today there is evidence out from the public health england that actually, having your two doses of the vaccination prevents infection and it really reduces transmission. by over 80%. which is so important. it's fully important that we all play our part. in doing something for the population, notjust for our own protection. population, not 'ust for our own protection.— population, not 'ust for our own rotection. . ., , ., protection. what is the argument for. . . protection. what is the argument for... is there _ protection. what is the argument for... is there an _ protection. what is the argument for... is there an argument - protection. what is the argument for... is there an argument for i for... is there an argument for concentrating on areas of higher risk? may be places like greater manchester to make sure that those young adults are a priority? i manchester to make sure that those young adults are a priority?- young adults are a priority? i think they should _ young adults are a priority? i think they should be _ young adults are a priority? i think they should be certain _ young adults are a priority? i think they should be certain outreach i they should be certain outreach programmes, there should be perhaps drive in areas where there has been

poor take—up but we have to remember vaccination is not a quick fix. where we have high concentrations of the so—called indian variant, vaccinating today won't solve the problem tomorrow. it takes a body along time to build up these antibodies and we need a second dose of to have the best detection that we can. it's important but it's only part of the strategy. perhaps we will unfortunately need to consider things like morrissey rigorous social—distancing, and perhaps losing some of the freedoms we are losing. in losing some of the freedoms we are losina. ., ., , losing. in england, we have seen infection rates _ losing. in england, we have seen infection rates drop _ losing. in england, we have seen infection rates drop for _ losing. in england, we have seen infection rates drop for five - losing. in england, we have seen| infection rates drop for five weeks infection rates drop for five weeks in a row but now we see signs of another potential rise again. how important you think it's going to be to keep surge testing for the rest of this year in certain places? i think surge testing is important and it helps to identify those cases

that might be in young healthy people who do not show any symptoms and they would not otherwise present protesting because they don't know they have it. that's important, it's certainly part of the process. we are seeing the indian variant now, we will keep seeing more variant,. it's going to be a thing we have to get used to until we crack this globally, untilwe get used to until we crack this globally, until we reduce incidents around the world and ensure equitable access to vaccination around the world, it's going to be a case of what is the next variant and is attracting predictable?— case of what is the next variant and is attracting predictable? thank you ve much. is attracting predictable? thank you very much. thanks, _ is attracting predictable? thank you very much. thanks, bye-bye. - the scottish government says it's working to rectify a security flaw which could allow people to edit covid vaccination status certificates. people in scotland travelling to a foreign country can download the vaccination status forms from the nhs scotland portal. they show the dates of vaccinations and which jabs were given to an individual.

but a security glitch means personal details can be altered. a spokeswoman for the scottish government says they're looking into rectifying the issue. un officials have given a grim assessment of the humanitarian situation in gaza, saying it will take years to recover from the 11—day conflict with israel. it comes as aid has been arriving in gaza after the ceasefire between israeli and palestinians came into effect. around £13 million has been pledged for humanitarian supplies and the reconstruction. at least 248 palestinians were killed and tens of thousands have been dispalced. there was also some damage in israel and 12 people there have been killed. here's stephane dujarric, spokesperson for the un secretary—general on the situation in gaza. strong financial support is, of course, crucial to meet the needs, especially in gaza and also in the west bank. it's also critical that the occupied palestinian territory humanitarian fund is replenished.

this is a flexible tool to quickly respond to urgent needs. today, 13 humanitarian trucks with food, covid—19 vaccines, medical disposables and drugs, including emergency medicines, first aid kits for multiple un agencies and ngo partners, crossed into gaza, following partial reopening of the kerem shalom crossing. gaza residents have been describing how they felt during the conflict. translation: i was really surprised to see familiar faces alive. _ how did we survive? we started hugging each other, thanking and praying to god for our safety. we survived with minor injuries, as if angels were protecting us. translation: around midnight or one in the morning, - we heard explosions and we were very frightened. buildings started to fall and we didn't know what was happening except that that we were going to the hospital. 0ur feet and bodies were injured by the glass. god protected us from above.

a photograph posted this week on two public instagram accounts purports to show princess latifa, the daughter of the ruler of dubai, who has not been seen or heard from in months. the bbc is unable to verify the photo, and no further information has been provided. but a friend of latifa's says that it is the princess in the picture. in february, bbc panorama broadcast secret video testimony in which she said she was being held as a hostage and feared for her life. the headlines on bbc news... ex—bbc chief lord hall resigns as national gallery chairman saying continuing would be a "distraction" following the inquiry in to panorama's interview with princess diana more than 25 years ago — when he was director of bbc news. wider surge testing has been rolled out in five west london boroughs due to a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the indian variant. germany bans almost all

travellers from the uk because of the rise in cases of the indian variant of covid—19. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. we start with football because we should have new scottish cup champions crowned within the hour. stjohnstone are looking to complete a memorable double by adding the title to the league cup they've already won this season. they're playing hibs in the final at hampden. shaun rooney scored the only goal in stjohnston�*s league cup win, and he's found the net again today after half an hour to put his side ahead. so, just over an hour gone, it's still 1—0 to stjohnstone. no fans in hampden park today though because of covid restrictions in glasgow. you can follow the game on the bbc sport website. staying with football, what a game we've already had in the championship play—offs.

brentford came from a goal down to beat bournemouth and book their place at wembley. that means they're just 90 minutes away from promotion to the premier league. well, bourneouth had a one—goal advantage from the first leg, and they got off to the perfect start in london. arnaut danjuma with the goal. brentford then got one back, but the tie turned on its head when bournemouth's chris mepham was shown a red card. and 10—man bournemouth couldn't keep the bees out. marcus forss with their third and decisive goal to send them to wembley. so, here's confirmation of that result. so here's confirmation of that result. brentford have booked their place in the final, so who will meet them there? well, swansea host barnsley later. the swans 1—0 up after the first leg. that one kicks off at 18.30. now, after the joy of claiming the 100th pole position of his career last time out, lewis hamilton could only manage seventh on the grid for the monaco grand prix.

the world champion struggled on the tight and twisty streets of the principality. on his final charge he clipped the barriers, just before the tunnel section and eased off to prepare to have another go. but before he could start another lap charles leclerc crashed, bringing qualifying to a premature end , but the ferrari driver had already set the best time ahead of red bull's max verstappen. and mick schumacher, son of five—time monaco winner michael schumacher, missed qualifying after crashing at the end of final practice. he'll have to start the race from last place. champions leeds rhinos are playing st helens in the second of today's women's challenge cup semi—finals. there's quarter of an hour gone, leeds lead 2—0. meanwhile, earlier, york city knights thrashed castleford tigers 32—1; in the first of the semis. savannah andrade scored a hat—trick of. you can watch the leeds—st helens game now on the bbc sport website, the iplayer, or via the red button.

the british sprinter adam gemili says "all hell would break loose," if athletes are banned from protesting against racial discrimination at this summer's tokyo 0lympics. the international olympic committe forbids any kind of demonstration or what it calls "political, religious or racial propaganda." well, gemili says it would be unfair for an athlete to be stripped of a medal. i'd hope it wouldn't get to that for any athlete. i would hope any athlete who puts in a good performance on the track gets to keep their medal but if it does come to being that brutal, then that's when i said all hell would break loose because if you try to take an athlete's medal away from them for something that he hasn't he cheated on the track, i think that's completely unjust. that's all the sport for now. there's plenty more though on the bbc sport website. including the latest from the third round of golf�*s us pga championship in south carolina. but that's all your sport for now.

let's turn now to lebanon and how the country's economic problems have reduced access to even the most basic of amenities, clean, fresh water. lebanon's geography means there should be no shortage, but infrastructure failures have left more than 1.5 million people lacking supplies. as our correspondent martin patience now reports it's a story of chronic mismanagement. little nemo was named after the film about a fish. but water could kill him. because nemo suffers from a rare skin disease. it could hurt him and he'll die, if he gets bacteria the infection will go in his blood. so no, i can't put my son in risk. the tap water here is so toxic... ..that his parents are forced to use bottled water to give him a bath. so, how much money do you think you are spending on just water

every day or every month? like, 30% of my salary. 30% of your salary is spent on water? yeah. that isjust on him. lebanon's complex political system means problems like the country's severe water shortages don't get solved. take agriculture, for example. to grow bananas, you need a lot of water. and yet, farmers like george are left to fend for themselves, sometimes with disastrous consequences. two summers ago, he lost half his crop. "the river dried up", he tells me, "and there was no water in spring. "we had to resort to ground water,

which is very salty, and bananas are very sensitive to salty water." for decades, the government has been trying to build a massive dam here in bisri. supporters say it would go a long way to solving the country's water problems. chanting. but protesters say it would be an environmental disaster, and last year, following demonstrations, the project was put on hold after the world bank pulled funding. nisreen khatar and her kids were heavily involved in the protest. so the only reason you believe that the politicians wanted the dam built here was... the corruption. sure. i because if you talk about 1 billionl and more, they can cut it into many politicians in lebanon. if you talk about, - if they will make, like,

small sources of water - for the place, it will not cost too much, so they will not have a lot of money. i the lebanese government says it's doing all it can to improve the water situation, but faces enormous challenges, including the current financial crisis. that is of little comfort to baby nemo. lebanon is a country that doesn't take care of its own. a man has died after getting into difficulty while canoeing in north yorkshire. another man required hospital treatment following the incident on the river ure near ripon yesterday morning. the environment agency had issued a flood alert for the river — because persistent rain had caused water levels to rise. animal rights protesters have been blockading four mcdonald's distribution centres in the uk to stop deliveries to the fast—food chain's 1,300 uk outlets. animal rebellion said about 50

activists were using trucks and bamboo structures to stop lorries leaving depots in hemel hempstead, basingstoke, coventry and heywood in greater manchester. with more on animal rebellion and why they're carrying out this action, here's our correspondent sima kotecha they believe in protecting the environment. that's what they campaign for and today, they have been protesting, as you rightly say, outside four mcdonald's depots across england, calling on mcdonald's to adopt a plant—based menu. what is their underlying aim? they say that they are a non—violent civil disobedience group. that's right. they want mcdonald's to change its menu, basically. they are calling on other fast—food chains and restaurants to do the same. they say the environment is in danger at the moment, there is a shortage

of animals, and a quote here from the spokesperson, he says, he feels "the meat and dairy industry is destroying the planet." "that the only sustainable and realistic way to feed 10 billion people is with plant—based diet." they have erected structures made out of bamboo sticks, some of the protesters are hanging onto the top of the structures, in protest. we have people lying down at the bottom of and lorries barricading the entrance into these depots. what has mcdonald's said? mcdonald's has said it's causing disruption, that's rebellion, they said earlier this morning they wanted to cause significant disruption to the macdonald supply chain. mcdonald's says, "well, there you have it, it is." it has issued an apology to customers. i have been speaking to people

who enjoy a mcdonald's this does not deter them enjoying their burger or big mac. it's a controversial issue and if people do not get their mcdonald's there is anger there, but animal rebellion feel they have a cause worth campaigning for. the queen has visited the royal navy's new aircraft carrier, the hms queen elizabeth, as it prepares for its first major deployment. her majesty was in portsmouth this morning to see the the warship which has cost £3 billion. it'll leave the naval base this evening to begin a 7.5—month deployment in the far east. the tour will involve port stops in places including oman and singapore. ministers hope the mission will strengthen ties with allies and boost trade in the region. tonight's the night of the eurovision song contest, back after it's absence last year due to the pandemic. the netherlands is hosting the 65th edition, and there'll be an audience of some 3,500, all tested beforehand for coronavirus. from rotterdam, anna holligan sent this report.

the final sequins are in place. last—minute alterations made. humming and vocal warm-ups. now warming up for the biggest stage of their lives. they've travelled from across the continent, from north to south. so much love. i really appreciate all the days here, and i think from today till the end of the competition, it is going to be the best days of our lives. from rock... ..to pop. there's all kinds of everything here. i'm going to take you right into the heart of the action now, because this is backstage, where the artists come between performances to relax and rehearse. and the usual eurovision fever is heightened this year, because, of course, it was cancelled last year because of covid. so the usual nerves, anticipation, excitement,

they are feeling it here more than ever. lithuania, they are my favourite group, i love them. the netherlands! yay! who do you want to win? um, malta. how does that go? malta isje me casse. # di di di dididi didididi di di #. but who are the bookies' favourites? it's all about france versus italy. france has a stunning singer named barbara and she's showing her skin in a bustier. the song's about stepping out of the shadows and into the light. the rush of freedom and emancipation, it is a glorious moment, a warm embrace. now, from the warm embrace, we go to italy spitting in your face! while most people may not be into this kind of hard—edged rock, they do crave being among people and that's what italy gives you. and then there's malta. this is a pure pop song from an 18—year—old named destiny. it's all about the power of saying no. it's about a woman in a bar and a man is trying to make

advances and she's, like, "no, i'm not your honey".