welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: a large volcano erupts in eastern congo causing panic in the city of goma. residents are told to leave their homes. is this proof that princess latifa of dubai is alive? a single picture posted on social media after she disappeared from public view in february. the former bbc journalist criticised for his interview with princess diana says he loved her and never meant to harm her. 165 points and that means we have a winner! and — viva italia. the country is celebrating after winning the eurovision song contest.

we start in the democratic republic of congo where thousands of people have fled their homes following the eruption of a large volcano on saturday. the government in kinshasa held an emergency meeting and ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to leave the area around mount nyiragongo. more than 3,000 fled across the border to neighbouring rwanda, as lava moves towards the city of goma. courtney bembridge has this report. fountains of lava burst into the night sky, forming a thick, red cloud over goma. lava has already engulfed some of the roads leading into the city and the local airport. there are now fears it will reach the city centre. the government issued an evacuation order for goma

earlier in the evening, and hundreds of thousands of people packed up their belongings and left their homes. translation: it's something we've never seen before. - we are all together, shaken. translation: there's volcanic activity. - the volcano is erupting and the population of goma are really worried, it's a really unusual situation and everyone is preparing, everyone is outside, asking what's going to happen. in 2002, an eruption killed 250 people and destroyed part of goma, leaving 120,000 people homeless. translation: we lost a lot of people - that's why - we don't know what to do. there's no information, even on the national channel. people are panicking and we don't know if we should stay in the house or flee. this is one of the world's most active volcanoes. these pictures from 2017 show its huge lava lake —

one of the largest in the world. courtney bembridge, bbc news. 20 athletes taking part in a cross country event in china have died in extreme weather conditions. the competitors were hit by hail, freezing rain and gales in a high—altitude section of the 100km mountain race in gansu province. these are the first pictures of the rescue efforts. officials in baiyin city report that eight others are injured and it's believed one person is still missing. the race has been halted. let's get the latest on the israel—hamas conflict in gaza now. mediators from egypt have been travelling between israel, gaza, and the west bank to secure the ceasefire between israel and hamas. egypt played a key role in brokering the truce, which has held for a 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 batemanjoined a palestinian family whose home was destroyed in the bombardment of gaza. gaza's homeless wonder if it's even worth rebuilding. ghazi daudouh 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. ghazi and his family ran and then filmed their house being bombed. explosion. israel says it targeted the homes of militants. ghazi 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. let's take a moment to look at the latest developments in the pandemic. in argentina, a doctor in buenos aires has told the bbc that medical facilities are almost at 100% capacity as the country 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 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.

india's government has ordered social media platforms in the country to remove any content that refers to the "indian variant" of covid—19. 0fficially known as b.1.617.1 — it was first detected in india last year. in a statement, the government said: delhi argues that the world health organization has not linked any country to this variant. krutika kuppali is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, at the medical university of south carolina. she gave me her thoughts on why it's being called the "india variant". so, the variant is called the �*indian variant�* so people

who aren't familiar with the terminology can keep track of it, and this is exactly why we don't label viruses, we don't label infections any more by where they are discovered, because there's a concern that there will be stigmatisation of the infection. so unfortunately, these variants have complicated names and they are difficult for people to remember. just like the b117 variant which is known as the uk variant, the p1 variant which is known as the brazil variant, all these numbers get quite confusing for people to remember and unfortunately, they get labelled by where they are originally identified. and so, the indian government is concerned about the stigmatisation related with calling the b1617 variant the �*indian variant�* which has led to this document being released by the indian government. and what do you think the solution here is, then? should the world health organization or some other body be in charge of coming up

with a name that actually people can identify and people can remember, that doesn�*t go with a country name? sure, there�*s actually rules that they have for coming up with names of infections so we don�*t call them by the area where they were originally identified. so, for example, that�*s why the virus that causes covid—19, sars—cov—2 is called exactly that, it�*s not named after wuhan, where was originally discovered. and so, you know, trying to come up with the name for these different variants, that definitely would be helpful. the problem is there�*s so many out there right now and there�*s going to be more that come, so i think it�*s really important for people to remember that these variants can really emerge anywhere but they are — people start calling them by the places where they were first

identified, and i think at this point, the indian government really needs to focus on what is going on in india and trying to help the people, rather than focusing on these pr matters. well, yeah. let�*s focus on india itself briefly. the situation — what is your assessment of it at the moment? yeah, so the assessment in india right now is it still continues to be extremely, extremely dire. it�*s a major public health crisis and, you know, the cases are still raging out of control. close to 4,000 deaths a day that are just documented and i think the thing that�*s really concerning is it�*s spreading to the rural populations, and projections now are looking at a little bit more than 1 million deaths by september1 if we don�*t really buckle down, and so i think that the indian government right now really needs to work on procuring supplies like oxygen, trying to figure out innovative ways to shore up capacity in beds,

scaling up capacity, really rolling out diagnostics, really finding ways to support people to try to get the transmission under control. our thanks to krutika kuppali there. a picture posted on social media seems to show princess latifa for the first time since she accused her father, the ruler of dubai, of imprisoning her. the photo appears to show the missing princess with two friends at a shopping mall. the bbc is unable to verify the images. 0ur 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 latifa�*s 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 does show is 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�*s been no comments from the dubai royal family. 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. this is bbc news, a reminder of our headlines: a large volcano erupts in eastern congo, causing panic in the city of goma, residents are told to flee their homes. a picture is posted on social media which, if authentic, would be the first proof since february that princess latifa of dubai is alive. 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 1996. 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. martin bashir, the former bbc journalist who conducted that infamous interview has been speaking to the sunday times newspaper. 0ur correspondent damian grammaticas has been analysing his statements. it�*s the first time we�*ve heard from him, he has a message for princes william and harry, he is deeply sorry. he says he never wanted to hurt diana and he doesn�*t believe that he did because he says everything, from the content of the interview to

the broadcasting at the time of it was what she wanted. so he says that he knows the forging of the documents was wrong and he regrets it but he doesn�*t, he says, think that had any bearing on anything so he actually rejects the duke of cambridge�*s assertion that he fed his mother�*s paranoia and decisions to reject her own security. he says that those were complex decisions. he rejects her brother�*s statement that you can draw a line from the interview to her death, and for that, he says, "that the suggestion i�*m singularly responsible is, i think, unreasonable and unfair", but remember the enquiry by lord dyson found that he was devious, dishonest, and had lied, so people will draw their own conclusions. here in the uk, 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. here�*s our defence

correspondent, jonathan beale. this morning, the longest—serving monarch arrived on britain�*s largest warship. two queen elizabeths, her majesty bidding farewell to the crew of the aircraft carrier she named and commissioned, about to sail east halfway around the world. moored alongside an american destroyer, one of six warships that will accompany her to the pacific. the navy says it is 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�*s a sign of strength, not weakness. during the seven—month voyage, they�*re expected to launch theirfirst combat missions over iraq. the government says this is not just an expression of global britain but of military power. it is not looking for a confrontation with china but boosting trade and diplomatic ties in the region. but does this deployment signify a big shift in foreign policy? a shift 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 it 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.

this does mark a new era for the navy but will it redefine britain�*s place in the world? jonathan beale, bbc news, portsmouth. this year�*s eurovision song contest has been won by italy, with france taking second place and switzerland third. for only the second time in eurovision history, the uk entrant failed to get a single point. james newman was cheered by the live audience in rotterdam — and by other contestants — but his song, embers, failed to win any support from either the national judges, or the viewing public. well, earlier i spoke to alasdair rendall, president of 0gae uk, the world�*s largest eurovision fan club. i asked him for his reaction to this years competition. that was one of the best eurovision song contest finals we�*ve ever had. much needed after two years, so good to have eurovision back and just an incredible show, fantastic songs, great staging, great presenters, great production, and very exciting results at the end there.

it was quite tense at the end, wasn�*t it? we are just seeing the moment again, italy did perform pretty well, and what do you make of the act itself? yeah, a very good song, it had been leading the betting in the last few days, it had really come up the rails in the last week or so. very visually strong performance, very distinctive, unlike anything else on show tonight, a great place in the running order, quite near the end, and these days you need a song that cuts through, and that�*s what they had, a very lively performance, a visual performance, something very different to what has gone before in eurovision. there is no point trying to copy what has happened in previous years, you need to bring something new, and that�*s exactly what italy have done and they�*ve got their reward for it. that�*s an interesting analysis. each year, to me from the outside, it seems so random and the songs seem so different and such variety, and yet somehow the bookies managed to put italy as favourite and then managed to win.

how do they do that? yeah, it�*s true. people talk about a typical eurovision song, and that�*s where we have often gone wrong over the years, we have looked too hard for what a typical eurovision song is, and there is no such thing. the countries that have done well have been countries that have done something different to before, whether it�*s a big ballad, an up—tempo song, and this year a rock song. since you brought it up, the uk�*s performance, no points. disappointing result forjames newman, no points with both the jury and the televote, but yes, he has come last but he was not way off at the bottom, three other countries got zero votes for the televote. germany got a couple more points than us in the jury. it�*s a shame, he is a good singer, it�*s a good song, but you need to have that special something that really stands out in and amongst all the other performances, and that�*s probably what was lacking.

it�*s the sort of song that nobody disliked, he didn�*t sing badly at all, he did a very good performance of a good contemporary song, but itjust needed something different, and if you look at the songs that came in the top five, they all had that. interesting. finally, not huge crowds inside, do you think it made a difference? it made less of a difference than i expected. i expected it might lose some atmosphere but it was one of the most exciting eurovisions i have watched for many years. alasdair rendall for us there. football — and atletico madrid are celebrating after winning they came from behind to win 2—1, giving them the points they needed to clinch the title. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. celebrations on the streets of madrid are not exactly uncommon, but it is normally real who are doing

the celebrating. this time, it was atletico fans who had something to smile about. the la liga champions for the 11th time. "it means a lot", said this supporter, "la liga is a very important title because it is a title of continuity. week after week, playing and playing to reach the end, and it�*s also important because we beat our biggest rival, real madrid." "i feel very proud to belong to this great club," said this fan. "for me it�*s a great honour to where this crest on the shirt. also my father passed away recently, and this title is for him." the title seem to be slipping away for atletico, when real vallodolid was 1—0 through plano up inside 20 minutes. the madrid side needed a big second half, and that�*s exactly what they got, correa equalising just before the hour mark. and then ten minutes later, luis suarez, surplus

to requirements at barcelona, reborn in red, white and blue, grabbed the vital, title winning goal. translation: i am full of joy and happiness, i it�*s so difficult to win la liga. we have suffered until the final match of the season, we were losing, and that proves how difficult it is to win the league, but i think we deserve to be champions. no doubt real and barcelona will be challenging next season, but for now, atletico madrid are top dogs in spain. tim allman, bbc news. well done, them. that�*s about it from me, i will be back with the headlines injust a couple minutes time. in the meantime, you can get me online at any time. you can reach me on twitter —

i�*m @lvaughanjones. this is bbc news. bye—bye. a bit of a lull in the weather at the moment. the skies are clear and 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 southwest 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.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the government in the democratic republic of congo has ordered residents to leave the eastern city of goma following the eruption of a large volcano. lava has reportedly reached the airport after a new fracture opened up on mount nyiragongo, enabling lava to flow south towards goma. a picture�*s been posted on social media that appears to show princess latifa for the first time since the daughter of the ruler of dubai said she was being held hostage by her father. the photo shows the missing princess apparently sitting with two friends in a mall in dubai. the former bbc journalist who is at the centre of a scandal about an interview with the princess of wales has rejected suggestions his actions were ultimately responsible for her death. now on bbc news, click.