this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at seven... fomer bbc director general, lord hall, resigns as chairman of the national gallery — saying continuing in the role would be a "distraction" — following the inquiry into panorama's interview with princess diana. wider surge testing has been rolled out in parts of london and the north east, due to a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the indian variant. the first convoys of humanitarian aid have arrived in gaza, hours after a ceasefire between israel and palestinian militants came into effect. a picture emerges that appears to show princess latifa — the daughter of the ruler of dubai — who's not been seen for months.

whipsnade zoo launch an investigation after two brown bears escape from their enclosure and are shot by wardens. and get your best sequins out — the final rehearsals are done and the pyrotechnics are ready. the eurovision finalists compete tonight after a pandemic—enforced break. the bbc�*s former director general, lord hall, has resigned as chairman of the national gallery following criticism over panorama's interview with princess diana in 1995. tony hall was the corporation's head of news at the time, when reporter martin bashir used deception to secure the interview. lord hall led an internal investigation into initial

complaints a year after the interview was broadcast, but it was branded "woefully ineffective" this week, by an independent inquiry. here's our home editor, mark easton. former bbc director—general tony hall has not yet appeared publicly to answer questions about his role in the bashir scandal, specifically about what the dyson report called his "woefully inadequate" investigation into martin bashir�*s conduct in 1986. today, though, we learned that lord hall has stepped down from his role as chairman of the national gallery. in a statement he said...

tony hall was director of bbc news and current affairs at the time of the panorama interview, and described martin bashir as "an honest and honourable man", even though he knew the reporter had fake documents and lied on a number of occasions. he was director—general and editor—in—chief at the bbc in 2016, when mr bashir was rehired by the corporation as religious affairs correspondent, and lord hall then promoted him to religion editor in 2017 — decisions to be investigated by mps. i have to say, there are lots of questions, and, also, i would want to know, what precisely did he do in hisjob? he wasn't on air a great deal during his time as correspondent or religious editor, and one would have to ask why he was even promoted while back at the bbc? princess diana's brother, earl spencer, has revealed he has written to the commissioner of the metropolitan police asking

the force to look again at the circumstances surrounding her bbc panorama interview. his letter to dame cressida dick claimed his sister was the victim of blackmail and fraud. scotland yard has already said it is looking again at the dyson investigation to see if there is a significant new evidence to support a criminal investigation. there is already public review into public broadcasting in britain but ministers say resolving the martin bashir scandal require significant reform of to bbc governance. what really matters for the bbc a=is they put in place what is needed to ensure that this sort of thing can never happen again. the current bbc director, tim davie has written to staff saying the scandal leaves the corporation much more to reflect on other although there are now stronger processes in place, he says, the bbc must also learn lessons and keep improving. our home editor, mark easton,

who you just heard from there, recapped lord hall's career history with the bbc. well, lord hall was a bbc man through and through. he started here as a trainee in the early 1970s. he rose to edit what was then the nine 0'clock news at the age of 34. he was then director of news and current affairs at the bbc for over a decade before he left to head the royal opera house and then, of course, returned to the bbc as director—general in 2013. you know, leaving public life will, i think, be a huge blow for him, but his resignation today is not the first prompted by this scandal and it may not be the last. you know, this deceit happened a quarter of a century ago and yet its reverberations are still being felt very much today. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are political commentator, jo phillips, and the political editor at the people and sunday mirror, nigel nelson.

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 that they have done it for all ages, so we can at least... cos i think it's just, kind of, the idea of... i can understand why they had it old locked for a long time, because all the older ages might be a bit more affected, but it doesn't stop young people from being affected as well. we're quite excited, because i know it's been quite a long wait, so quite eager to come and get it

done, because once the first one's out the way it's out the way, and it's easier tojust get it done while it's offered to go get it done than waiting for an appointment to be scheduled. part of the rise could be due to a relaxation of restrictions last week, parts 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've got 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 sewage samples like this to give an early warning sign that infections are rising in certain areas. well, we have seen a new variant first spotted in yorkshire, a very small number of cases, and 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 now 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. that's it — well done. scientists, though, 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. jim reed, bbc news. the latest government figures

on covid—19 show 2,694 new infections in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average ofjust under 2,500 cases were reported, per day in the past week. 6 deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours — that's of people who'd had a positive covid test within the previous 28 days. the average number of deaths per day in the past week is 6. the total number of people who've died in the uk is now 127,716. just over 208,000 people have received a first dose of a vaccine, in the latest 2a hour period. and in total, almost 38 million people have now had their firstjab. that's 71.6% percent of the adult population. the number of people who've had their second dose in the last 2a hours is just over 411,000 which takes the overall number who've had their second jab, to more than 22 million.

that means nearly 42% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. 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. our 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's allowed — all sorts of cultural, sporting activities. that's because the infection rates here in germany have really come down. the vaccine roll—out has sped up. now almost 40% of the population have had at least one dose. but the worry is that the indian variant could come over into germany.

now, at the moment, about 2% of new infections are of the indian variant — that's what officials here say, and 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, and that's why, overnight, german officials announced that travel from britain or from the uk to germany is effectively banned. the only exemption are residents of germany or german citizens coming back to germany, and they will have to go into two—week isolation period at home. so, a big restriction, and it will cause a lot of problems and make it almost impossible for many people to go from the uk to germany until the indian variant is controlled. i think that's what the german government is really looking for.

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 israel and palestinians came into effect. around £13 million has been pledged for humanitarian supplies and reconstruction. at least 248 palestinians were killed and tens of thousands have been displaced. there was also some damage in israel — and 12 people there have been killed. 0ur middle east correspondent, tom bateman, reports now from gaza — where he's met a family returning to the rubble, where their home once stood. gaza's homeless wonder if it's even worth rebuilding. this man loses count of the rounds of conflict he's seen here. this time, the israelis got his home.

i go to meet him at the tent he's put up on the wreckage. before the missile struck, his neighbour had a warning call. he and his family ran and then filmed their house being bombed. untranslated. israel says it targeted the homes of militants. he says his son just works for the police in the enclave, which is governed by the armed group hamas. translation: i am an innocent civilian. j translation: i have nothing to do with politics. _ my feeling is more hatred towards israel. i am not guilty. i have nothing to do with what happened to me.

aid groups say 20,000 people in gaza were displaced during the fighting. some have been leaving schools where they sheltered. meanwhile, the first aid convoys have been arriving. this crossing with israel has partially reopened as the truce continues to hold. they're clearing up at this tower in gaza city. the final hours of the last major conflict in 2014 it was evacuated but stayed standing as the war ended. this time, it was struck in the first day of fighting. with a hit on this tower, it's like this conflict picked up where the last one left off. there is a depressing continuity for people here. life becomes reduced to counting the time between wars. israel's leaders claim to have hit hamas' capabilities in an unprecedented way, but people on both sides feel they are just counting down to the next inevitable conflict.

tom bateman, bbc news, gaza. a picture has emerged that appears to show princess latifa — the daughter of the ruler of dubai — who's not been seen or heard from for months. the unverified image shows her sitting between two women at a shopping mall, in the united arab emirates. in february, the bbc�*s panorama programme, broadcast a secret video from the princess, in which she said she was being held hostage, and feared for her life. speaking earlier to my colleague martine croxall, our special correspondent, nawal al—maghafi, gave us more details. all we know is what we can see in the photo, so she is sitting with two of her friends in the mall of the arab emirates. because the photo was posted on instagram, that means it has been stripped of all the meta data that was taken with it so you can tell the exact location the photo was taken, we can't tell the exact date and time and we can't tell if it has been opened. but we can tell from the photo is that they are sitting in the mole of the united arab emirates and behind them

as if billboard advertising a film called the demon slayer. this film was released in the emirates on the 13th of may so if this photo is genuine we can assume it was taken around a week to ten days ago. has the bbc been able to get in touch with anyone who has been able to help verify this photograph? we have been able to — help verify this photograph? we have been able to do _ help verify this photograph? we have been able to do is _ help verify this photograph? we have been able to do is speak _ help verify this photograph? we have been able to do is speak to _ help verify this photograph? we have been able to do is speak to her- been able to do is speak to her friends here who have been able to verify who the two women in the photograph and they are in fact friends of hers in the buy. we have tried to reach out to the two friends who are in the photo but none of them have responded to any of our messages.— of our messages. now, you've been very closely — of our messages. now, you've been very closely involved _ of our messages. now, you've been very closely involved in _ of our messages. now, you've been very closely involved in following . very closely involved in following this story since the bbc gained access to the secret video testimony. if this picture is authentic, what purpose could it be for? but could it be telling us are not telling us about the princess' situation? ., .., situation? so, when there video came out in which — situation? so, when there video came out in which princess _ situation? so, when there video came out in which princess latifa _ situation? so, when there video came out in which princess latifa tested - out in which princess latifa tested that the ruler of dubai, her father,

is holding her... you know, she's been held in house arrest in a villa in the ruler of dubai, herfather, is holding her... you know, she's been held in house arrest in a villa in dubai in solitary confinement, they came under intense scrutiny and pressure to prove if it's genuine and hasn't been altered could prove that she is alive but it doesn't say anything about her well—being. we sent this photo to the united nations who wouldn't comment on the photo itself but did say that they are still engaged in negotiations, diplomatic negotiations with the uae and are still awaiting convincing evidence that princess latifa and her sister shams, who is also being held, are alive and when. you mention the _ held, are alive and when. you mention the united _ held, are alive and when. you mention the united nations months of campaigning from rights groups and requests from the un to know about the condition of the princess. with this latest development may be help, be enough to assuage the pressure

thatis be enough to assuage the pressure that is on the royal family of dubai? ~ ., ., ~ ., dubai? well, for all we know it could be as _ dubai? well, for all we know it could be as set _ dubai? well, for all we know it could be as set up _ dubai? well, for all we know it could be as set up and - dubai? well, for all we know it could be as set up and that - dubai? well, for all we know it l could be as set up and that could dubai? well, for all we know it - could be as set up and that could be the intention but because neither of us, neither un or human rights what she will also approach can prove that this photo is genuine, but it isn't set up, that it hasn't been altered, it doesn't really tell us anything. if anything, altered, it doesn't really tell us anything. ifanything, it altered, it doesn't really tell us anything. if anything, it raises more questions than it answers. 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'd been at balmoral castle when he was told the news, and found sanctuary in the service at the parish church — crathie kirk — that morning. he says in the days that followed he found comfort in the scottish outdoors. in short, scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories, but also my saddest. i was in balmoral when i was told that my mother had died. still in shock, i found sanctuary

in the service at crathie kirk that very morning, and in the dark days of grief that followed, i found comfort and solace in the scottish outdoors. as a result, the connection i feel to scotland will forever run deep, and yet alongside this painful memory is one of greatjoy, because it was here in scotland, 20 years ago this year, that i first met catherine. needless to say, the town where you meet your future wife holds a very special place in your heart. south wales police says it's arrested four men, aged from 16 to 36, in connection with street violence in the mayhill area of swansea, on thursday evening. a vigil turned into a riot, during which cars were set on fire — and stones and bricks were thrown at people's homes.

detectives have thanked residents for statements and video footage, and appealed for more information. the queen has been meeting the crew of the royal navy's new flagship, �*hms queen elizabeth', as the carrier prepares for its first major deployment. the £3 billion warship — carrying 8 new stealth fighter jets and other aircraft — will leave portsmouth, for asia, tonight. from portsmouth, our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, reports. this morning, the longest—serving monarch arrived on britain's largest warship. hms queen elizabeth, stand at ease. two queen elizabeths — her majesty bidding farewell to the crew of the aircraft carrier she named and commissioned, about to sail east halfway round the world. moored alongside, an american destroyer, one of six warships that'll accompany her to the pacific. the navy says it's the most powerful uk maritime deployment in a generation, and the embodiment

of global britain. so, this is a tangible expression of how the country can go out into the world, and so we have a fantastic new capability. and when we deploy, it speaks to our values, our interests, what we stand for. the carrier's already been training with the latest f35s. there are more usjets on board than british ones. the government says that a sign of strength, not weakness. during the seven—month voyage, they're expected to launch their first combat missions over the government sees this as a symbol, notjust of global britain, but of military power. but in sailing east, it insists it's not looking for a confrontation with china. it's more about boosting trade and diplomatic ties in the region. but does this deployment signify a big shift in foreign policy?

a tilt towards asia? i think diplomacy is often about theatre, and this is a great piece of theatre. it's a very impressive piece of british engineering, it's a powerful military asset, but making there and back to the indo—pacific is not a strategic shift, it's a gesture. tonight, hms queen elizabeth will set sail on her 26,000—mile voyage. it does mark a new era for the navy, but will it redefine britain's place in the world? jonathan beale, bbc news, portsmouth. whipsnade zoo in bedfordshire has started an investigation after two brown bears escaped from their compound and had to be shot. the female bears climbed into a neighbouring enclosure yesterday, where they attacked a wild boar. the zoo said, "the only option" was to euthanise the animals to protect human life. jon ironmonger has this report.

today, whipsnade zoo is mourning two of their most popular animals, snow white and sleeping beauty. female brown bears who were shot and killed yesterday morning after using a tree to escape from their compound. they're survived by a third sister, cinderella, who was lying low this afternoon. it's been removed now, of course, but the tree had fallen against the bears' perimeterfence allowing them to climb over into the adjacent wild boar enclosure, which is far less secure, and suddenly keepers and customers were at serious risk. the bears injured a boar, which is receiving treatment, but tranquilizer guns weren't used since they can for a time make the animals more aggressive and unpredictable. what do you fear might have happened if the keepers had not taken such drastic and immediate action? so, it was the correct decision. these are strong, ferocious predators. they have the potential where they could have easily breached the wild boar enclosure. it's designed for pigs, not bears. our staff were metres away dealing with this incident,

so we had to make sure that their safety was paramount. within 18 minutes, the whole situation had been contained. when wild animals have to be killed for, perhaps understandably, trying to escape captivity, that's not a strong argument for zoos, is it? it is a tragedy. i mean, this goes against everything that we want to achieve through zoos conserving species. and it's also, you know, in terms of a personal tragedy, it's really affected our keepers, who have a very close connection with these wonderful bears. the incident has prompted an internal investigation at whipsnade zoo, which is a world leader with a wide programme of conservation projects. meanwhile, talks are already under way to find cinderella a new companion. jon ironmonger, bbc look east. 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 fans, 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's 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 — well, they're 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? 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. # yeah, i'm too good to be true... #

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". in the end, it's up to them — and you. you'll have a chance to vote for your number one during tonight's grand final. anna holligan, bbc news, inside rotterdam's ahoy arena. radio 1's music reporter steve holden is at the wonderfully named ahoy arena rotterdam for us. a hurry to you, steve! what is it like at the moment! —— ahoy to you. we are very close to the big show now. i have to admit that usually there are so many more people hear that your vision but due to travel restrictions it is much more of an understated affair here but the fans of excited. 3500 people in the

arena, a dutch domestic side who have all tested negative and will give the show is atmosphere and we have already seen that they have brought in all the phalanx of the 26 countries that are taking part. i think eurovision fans and music fans around the world are so excited that this is back and for some people they will be looking at eurovision as a model of how the global live events industry can get back on its feet. , , ., ., , feet. the big question, of course, is for the feet. the big question, of course, is forthe uk, _ feet. the big question, of course, is for the uk, we _ feet. the big question, of course, is for the uk, we don't _ feet. the big question, of course, is for the uk, we don't want - feet. the big question, of course, i is for the uk, we don't want embers, we want a full fire tonight from our entrant! you are the favourites? 50. entrant! you are the favourites? so, let's's 'ust entrant! you are the favourites? so, let's's just talk _ entrant! you are the favourites? sr, let's'sjust talk very entrant! you are the favourites? 5r, let's's just talk very quickly about numbers. the bookies aren't putting very good odds on him but stranger things have happened. it's life and had been mentioned. i want to talk about san marino, one of the smallest countries in the world, fitzmaurice, micros stay in the middle of italy who have hired flo rida at the wrapper to appear on

their track adrenaline which is closing the show tonight. i can only have a say in my wrapper that flows rider is representing san marino in eurovision the once. three minutes of intense high—energy ukrainian techno and that might sound like some people's absolute nightmare but it builds and builds and builds to a gigantic present day. you feel like you in a club and it stands out from everything else that is on the eurovision menu tonight and at eurovision, as we know, if you stand out from the crowd that is more likely to get you over the finish line in first place.— line in first place. we'll be following _ line in first place. we'll be following you _ line in first place. we'll be following you very - line in first place. we'll be following you very closely| line in first place. we'll be i following you very closely on twitter. you will be bringing us the updates that evening. but thank you very much that update and enjoy your dancing this evening! thank you. now it's time for a look

at the weather with helen willets. good evening. 0ther good evening. other we still had a few showers at least we have a spike from the persistent rain today but as we are going to sunday we have another band of rain coming in, a chilly start, the showers for the day and those will continue through the evening and fade away and under the evening and fade away and under the starry skies and temperatures are going to fall close to freezing and we had a first class like in scotland and it will be generally chilly with and foster in many areas but we have got the next band of rain coming into northern ireland by tomorrow morning so it turns wet quite quickly for northern ireland, writes that further east, and holding onto some drier weather through the day but the rain pushes its way eastwards, it pushes into western scotland, western england, wales, and for a time there will be some quite hefty downpours and some quite gusty winds as well and temperatures will be any great shakes. 13 hour 14 the best books we have all that cloud. bright and showery for northern ireland later and certainly a day of heavy showers on monday.