this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a picture has been posted on social media which, if authentic, would be the first proof since february that princess latifa of dubai is alive. a large volcano in eastern congo erupts causing panic in nearby goma — the government activates its evacuation plan. new data from public health england shows for the first time that two doses of a covid vaccine offers strong protection against the indian variant of coronavirus. fomer bbc director general, lord hall, resigns as chair of the national gallery —

saying continuing in the role would be a "distraction", following the inquiry into panorama's interview with princess diana. and eurovision is back — the wacky performaces have just ended, now the big question, who's going to win? hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. photographs on instagram purport to show princess latifa al—maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of dubai who has not been seen for months. in february, bbc panorama broadcast

a secret video testimony from princess latifa where she said she was being held as a hostage by herfamily and feared for her life. the bbc is unable to verify the images. our reporter nawal al—maghafi has more. the princess who vanished reappears... at least that's what the instagram picture suggests. princess latifa, one of the 25 children of sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum hasn't been seen or heard from in months. she attempted to escape from dubai in february 2018. i'm a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail. in a video that the bbc gained access to that was filmed after she was captured, latifa alleges she is being held in solitary confinement in a villa in central dubai. but now the photo posted by two of >> tasha: �*s friends on wednesday

but now the photo posted by two of her friends on wednesday shows the princess in a dubai shopping mall, the mall of the emirates. it was uploaded to instagram, which doesn't show the date and time the photo was taken, as well as a precise location. but what the image to showers a cinema billboard advertising the film demon slayer: mugen train, which was released in the united arab emirates earlier this month. latifa isn't the only daughter of sheikh mohammed to try to escape. in 2000 my sister, shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. there has been no comment from the dubai royalfamily. the un, which has urged the emirates for months to prove that princess latifa is alive, declined to comment on the photograph but has told the bbc that it awaits convincing proof of life in the case of latifa, which the uae has said it will provide. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news.

one of the world's most active volcanoes has erupted. mount nyiragongo is in eastern democratic republic of congo. it's sent panicked residents of the nearby city of goma running from their homes. a volcanologist said the city did not appear to be in danger. dario tedesco, a volcanologist based in goma said that the lava appears to be flowing east in the direction of rwanda. drc�*s government spokensman says, they have activated an evacuation plan for the eastern city of goma. nyiragongo last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people andmaking 120,000 people homeless after lava flowed into goma.

allegedly some larva has reached the airport on the edge of goma. here are what some of the resident's of goma city said. translation: it's something we've never seen before. - we are altogether, shaken. translation: there is volcanic activity. i the volcano is erupting and the population of goma are really worried. but it's a really unusual situation and everyone is preparing, everyone is outside asking what's going to happen. let's take a moment to look at the latest developments in the pandemic. more than a million people are now known to have died from covid—i9 in latin america and the caribbean. that's around 30% of the global total of fatalities. the worst affected countries have been brazil, mexico, colombia, peru and argentina. in argentina, a doctor in beunos aires told the bbc

it was at almost 100% capacity as argentina sees record levels of infection. 39,000 new cases were reported on wednesday. argentina has just started a strict nine—day lockdown. bangladesh has issued an urgent appeal to britain and the united states to provide more doses of the astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine. the country says it is in danger of running out of supplies. bangladesh has received around ten million astrazeneca jabs from india in recent months. the pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 88% effective against the indian variant after two doses, a study by public health england has found. both the pfizer and astrazeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the b1617.2 strain as they are against the kent variant after the second dose.

however, they were only 33% effective three weeks after the first dose. here's susan hopkins from public health england. so b1617.2, the new variant from india has a similar vaccine effectiveness is the variance that have been circulating for the past six months in this country. that is very good news and supports the policy decision to speed up the vaccine roll—out to get second doses at eight weeks to those most vulnerable. 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, 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. the bbc�*s former director general, lord hall, has resigned as chairman of the national gallery in london, following criticism over a bbc 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, 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 chair 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 faked 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, you know, one would have to ask why was it that he was even promoted while back at the bbc? princess diana's brother, earl spencer, has revealed that he's 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 claims his sister was the victim of blackmail and fraud. scotland yard has already said it's looking at the dyson investigation to see if there's any significant new evidence to support a criminal investigation. there's already a government review into public broadcasting in britain, but ministers are suggesting

the bashir scandal may require specific reform of bbc governance. what really matters for the bbc is they put in place what is needed to ensure that this sort of thing can never happen again. the current bbc director—general, tim davie, has written to staff saying the scandal leaves the corporation with much to reflect on. although there are now significantly stronger processes and governance in place, he says, the bbc must also learn lessons and keep improving. the times has just published an interview with martin bashir where he says he never wanted to harm princess diana to help with the details i'm joined by our correspondent charlotte wright. you have been through this article in the times newspaper, what can you

tell us? , , , tell us? this is the first time we have heard _ tell us? this is the first time we have heard from _ tell us? this is the first time we have heard from martin - tell us? this is the first time we have heard from martin bashir. tell us? this is the first time we - have heard from martin bashir since that report came out and as he said he didn't want to harm the princess of wales and he doesn't believe he did. he described earl spencer's claimed that his actions led to her giving up her security detail and ultimately contributed to her death as unreasonable and unfair. he also rejected the duke of cambridge accusation at the way the interview was obtained fuelled her isolation and paranoia. he said even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls, adding, i wasn't the source of any of that. i don't feel i can be held responsible for many other things going on in her life and the complex decisions surrounding those decisions. he decisions surrounding those decisions-— decisions surrounding those decisions. . ,, ., decisions. he said princess diana was happy _ decisions. he said princess diana was happy with — decisions. he said princess diana was happy with the _ decisions. he said princess diana was happy with the interview? i decisions. he said princess diana i was happy with the interview? yes, and he talks — was happy with the interview? yes, and he talks about _ was happy with the interview? yes, and he talks about how— was happy with the interview? 133 and he talks about how close they were. he said they became close after the panorama documentary when

he did a piece on postnatal depression and she confided in him with her postnatal depression and mental health. he said they stayed so friendly that she turned up at hospital when his wife gave birth to their third child. that picture accompanies the article. he says that we were friends and she was spectacular. that we were friends and she was spectacular-— that we were friends and she was sectacular. , ., ., ., , ., spectacular. does an apology feature in the piece? — spectacular. does an apology feature in the piece? despite _ spectacular. does an apology feature in the piece? despite the _ spectacular. does an apology feature in the piece? despite the fact - spectacular. does an apology feature in the piece? despite the fact he - in the piece? despite the fact he said he didn't _ in the piece? despite the fact he said he didn't believe _ in the piece? despite the fact he said he didn't believe his - in the piece? despite the fact he said he didn't believe his actionsj said he didn't believe his actions harmed the princess of wales, it does say he is deeply sorry to princess william and harry. he said he regrets commissioning the fake bank documents, he said he was a young man, 32 years old and hopes he has demonstrated high levels of integrity since. this is his side of the story, and it is worth remembering the enquiry described significant parts of his events in 1995 as incredible, unreliable and in some cases, dishonest. charlotte,

we believe it — in some cases, dishonest. charlotte, we believe it there, _ in some cases, dishonest. charlotte, we believe it there, thank _ in some cases, dishonest. charlotte, we believe it there, thank you - in some cases, dishonest. charlotte, we believe it there, thank you very i we believe it there, thank you very much. the un security council called for �*full adherence' in the ceasefire between israel and hamas in the gaza strip. this comes as egyptian mediators have been holding talks to try to work out the details of the ceasefire between israel and hamas, which is now in its second day. nearly 250 people were killed in gaza during the 11—day conflict. 12 people died in israel which came underfire from thousands of missiles. the bbc�*s tom bateman hasjoined a palestinian family whose home was destroyed in the gaza bombardment. 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. 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 i have nothing to do with politics. my feeling is more hatred towards israel. if i have a weapon now, i will go and fight, because i am not guilty. i have nothing to do with what happened to me. aid groups say 80,000 people in gaza were displaced in the fighting. some have been leaving schools where they'd 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 the hanadi tower in gaza city. in 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 on 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. the headlines on bbc news... a picture has been posted on social media which — if authentic — would be the first proof since february that

princess latifa of dubai is alive. a large volcano in the democratic republic of congo has erupted. latest reports from goma says it has reached the city's airport. 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 a million and a half people lacking supplies. as our correspondent martin patience now reports its 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, 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 l place, it will not cost too much, so they will not - have a lot of money. 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. martin patience, bbc news, beirut.

here in england, a project which analyses sewage water for early signs of coronavirus outbreaks, has been expanded to cover two—thirds of the country's population. it's hoped it could serve as an early warning of new outbreaks. here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. early in the pandemic, scientists confirmed that waste water could be tested for genetic fragments of sars—covi—2 virus. since then, the government set out to take samples from sewage treatment plants across england. that sewage sampling, which scientists say can pick up the virus earlier than testing in a population, has now been ramped up. and researchers say that 500 locations are being monitored for coronavirus — many of them sampled at least four days a week. it's a sewage—based coronavirus tracking project that was developed from scratch over the last year. the health secretary said earlier this week that the approach was being used to monitor the indian variant and track its spread. a waste water testing has been described as an additional detection system for covid—19,

helping health officials to spot early signals of localised outbreaks and variants of concern, as the country tentatively emerges from restrictions. and the system could continue post covid, enabling the use of waste water to track diseases like flu. scientists who helped set up sewage testing programme say it could be one public health silver lining of the pandemic. victoria gill, bbc news. if you've been missing your fix of high—energy pop and a certain kitsch charm — worry no more. the eurovision song contest is back — and its underway now. this the 65th edition is hosted in the netherlands — after being cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. for more on this we can go to our correspondent steve holden in rotterdam. thejuries which the juries which make up 50% of the

results tonight think france, italy, malta and iceland, the current top five which were countries all highly rated before the contest started. the united kingdom, no points. i didn't quite catch that question, but it has been an amazing show. san marino brought on international wrapper flo ryder. because eurovision is back after two years, everybody brought the a game to the table. 0nce everybody brought the a game to the table. once the everybody brought the a game to the table. 0nce thejury everybody brought the a game to the table. once the jury gave their votes, we go to the public vote. quite often the public and the jury

votes are different. the juries listen to the song, the pitch, the performance. the public like the spectacle. performance. the public like the sectacle. . , performance. the public like the sectacle. ., , ., performance. the public like the sectacle. ., , spectacle. finally, what is the verdict on _ spectacle. finally, what is the verdict on how— spectacle. finally, what is the verdict on how rotterdam - spectacle. finally, what is the verdict on how rotterdam hasj spectacle. finally, what is the - verdict on how rotterdam has managed to put this show on during a pandemic?— to put this show on during a andemic? �* , ., pandemic? let's get to the end before we _ pandemic? let's get to the end before we do _ pandemic? let's get to the end before we do the _ pandemic? let's get to the end before we do the definitive, i pandemic? let's get to the end| before we do the definitive, but pandemic? let's get to the end i before we do the definitive, but i would say they are looking, global events around the world will be looking at your revision at how they put it on and using it as a model to get the live events industry back on its feet. considering we are still in a pandemic and infection levels in a pandemic and infection levels in the netherlands remain relatively high, strict testing regime has meant that all countries except for one have been able to perform on stage tonight. plus there is an audience of 3500 people who tested

negative. i think eurovision bosses would argue they have managed to do it. it would argue they have managed to do it. ., ., ~ would argue they have managed to do it. it looks like that is israel's flan . it. it looks like that is israel's fiag- thank— it. it looks like that is israel's flag. thank you _ it. it looks like that is israel's flag. thank you very - it. it looks like that is israel's flag. thank you very much i it. it looks like that is israel's - flag. thank you very much indeed. that was greece, 12 points to greece. , . , greece. very exciting, we will bring ou the greece. very exciting, we will bring you the latest _ greece. very exciting, we will bring you the latest on _ greece. very exciting, we will bring you the latest on bbc— greece. very exciting, we will bring you the latest on bbc news. - greece. very exciting, we will bring you the latest on bbc news. for. greece. very exciting, we will bring i you the latest on bbc news. for now, thatis you the latest on bbc news. for now, that is it. we are going to be taking a look at the paper shortly. we will have nigel nelson and jo phillips. but let's get the weather. bit of a lull in the weather at the moment. the skies are clear in the morning's not looking bad at all across most of the uk. don't hold your breath, it's not going to last for very long. because we are expecting rain and gales through the afternoon, particularly across western areas of the uk. and if we have a look at the satellite picture you can see

this swirl across the atlantic, another big low pressure and the weather front�*s already approaching ireland. you can see the low pressure, rather autumnal looking and that will be sweeping across us over the next couple of days. it's pushed by a strong jet stream, you can see here at 30,000 feet. the forecast for the early hours shows the rain pushing into ireland but many parts of the uk are clear and calm. in fact we are expecting a touch of frost in the glens of scotland and even cities further south than birmingham, about three degrees in the morning. the forecast, from the morning onwards that weather front sweeps into western part of the uk, gale force winds develop around western coasts and for a time, an hour or two, the rain really could be quite heavy, particularly around south—western england, wales and also south west of scotland. notice that at this stage, from norwich all the way to aberdeen the weather is dry and the rain may not reach you until a lot later on in the day and probably during the evening hours. then out towards the west, the weather should calm down. here's monday's weather map, a low pressure sitting on top

of the uk and typically, when we're in the centre of the low pressure, we get big shower clouds, so it's a day of storm clouds building, perhaps thunder and lightning across some parts of wales and england. perhaps a little bit of sunshine the across the north of england. however, northern and eastern scotland likely to be quite wet on monday as this weather front wraps around into the centre of this low pressure. here's tuesday's weather forecast — the low pressure is moving towards the east butjust in the wake of it, further showers are expected from scotland and also along the eastern side of the country. 0ut towards the west, the weather should start to improve. all in all, the rest of the weekend and into next week, looking fairly unsettled. but here's the good news — as we head towards the end of the week ahead, there are signs that the weather finally will be settling down. something to look forward to.

hello. this is bbc news with lukwesa burak. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment — first the headlines. former bbcjournalist martin bashir defends his interview with princess diana in 1995 — telling the sunday times �*i never wanted to harm diana in any way and i don't believe we did.�*

it's the first time he's spoken since an inquiry found he obtained the interview by deception.