i'm joanna gosling. our top stories... two doses of the main covid vaccines used in the uk are found to be highly effective against the indian variant of the virus. the former bbc journalist martin bashir defends his panaorama interview with princess diana, but apologises to princes william and harry. thousands are forced to flee their homes in the democratic republic of congo — following a major volcanic eruption. the un security council

stresses that israel and the palestinians should fully adhere to the ceasefire that began on friday morning. the pause in violence is entering its third day. the queen visits the royal navy flagship — hms queen elizabeth as it begins its first major deployment. and nul points for great britain at eurovision, as italy wins the big prize. hello and welcome to bbc news. both the pfizer and astrazeneca coronavirus vaccines, the two main jabs used in the uk's rollout, are highly effective against the indian variant of the disease — according to a study by public health england. the health secretary matt hancock described the findings as �*ground—breaking' and said he was "increasingly confident" the government is on track for the final stage of its roadmap out of lockdown. here's our health correspondentjim reed. back up a little bit more there,

fella, if you will. in places like rochdale in greater manchester, vaccinations are now being offered to younger age groups. all those over 18 can get a jab with no appointment needed. quite eager to come and get it done because once the first one is out of the way, it is out of the way, and it is easier to just get it done when it is offered to get it done than waiting for an appointment to get scheduled. to keep yourself safe but also help other people stay safe as well. scientists think the so—called indian variant of the virus can spread more quickly so areas like this where cases are growing are being offered extra surge vaccinations and the first real—world data shows how important that could be. an early study has found one dose of either the pfizer or astrazeneca jab was 33% effective in stopping infection from the indian variant. it worked better against

the older kent strain. but a second dose boosted that protection, it narrowed the gap almost completely, bringing it in line with its effect against the more widespread kent variant. the second dose boosts your immune system, makes it more effective against other variants of sars—cov—2 that's why we are asking people to come forward after eight weeks. that lower figure for the astrazeneca jab in the study may be revised up later as that vaccine takes longer to build up its protection. right now, it is notjab should

offer even stronger protection against any severe disease and death caused by the indian variant. we all know that the way out of this is the vaccine and this data shows that is not changed, that is the right strategy, but it makes it even more important for everybody to get the second jab. overall, then, this study makes for reassuring reading. it is the strongest evidence yet that vaccines can beat new variants of the virus but it suggests that second dose could be key as society heads back towards normality. jim reed, bbc news. professor anthony harnden is deputy chairman of thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation which advises uk health departments. this is a robustly welcome news for everyone and will be a relief. it is ureat everyone and will be a relief. it is great news _ everyone and will be a relief. it is great news and _ everyone and will be a relief. it 3 great news and these vaccines everyone and will be a relief. it 1 great news and these vaccines are highly effective, we know that, against not only the kent variant but the new strain that has originated in india and will be

protective against new variants, i am sure. i want to emphasise the importance of receiving two dorsey's of either vaccine. i think that our strategy really to get those vulnerable groups that have not received any doses of vaccine yet is the correct one as well as accelerating that second dose given that this particular variant is highly transmissible. we have lower infection rates in this country at the moment which is good news but given the transmissibility of the spiders those infection rates could rise and therefore it is really, really important that if you haven't received a vaccine yet and you are in an eligible group you must come forward and have it.— in an eligible group you must come forward and have it. weird does that leave the debate _ forward and have it. weird does that leave the debate around _ forward and have it. weird does that leave the debate around rolling - forward and have it. weird does that leave the debate around rolling the. leave the debate around rolling the vaccine out to younger groups as a priority rather than doing the two dorsey's for the vulnerable groups? it spreads in the younger and then

can affect the older as well. i fully understand that argument but the whole vaccination programme has been about protecting people from getting severe illness due to covid and having to go into hospital are very sadly dying from covid and we know that age is the predominant risk factor and there are still a small proportion of those in very high risk groups that have not yet been vaccinated and they must be given priority. the second priority must be working down at speed through all those age groups that are eligible no and as we know those in the 30s have been cold up and also to accelerate that second dose of vaccine because we know that two dorsey's is even more protective. —— two dorsey's of the vaccine. —— doses. we need to get as many people

to have that second dose as possible. to have that second dose as possible-— to have that second dose as ossible. ., ., �* ., . ., . ., possible. you don't get a choice of which 'ab possible. you don't get a choice of which jab when — possible. you don't get a choice of which jab when you _ possible. you don't get a choice of which jab when you receive - possible. you don't get a choice of which jab when you receive it - possible. you don't get a choice of which jab when you receive it but l which jab when you receive it but people will see that the pfizer is 18% effective against the indian variant and —— 88% against the indian variantand variant and —— 88% against the indian variant and those for astrazeneca are lower against both the indian variant and the kent variant. ~ , ., ., ., ~' the indian variant and the kent variant. ~ , ., ., , variant. when you look at these fi . ures variant. when you look at these figures very _ variant. when you look at these figures very carefully _ variant. when you look at these figures very carefully there - variant. when you look at these figures very carefully there is i variant. when you look at these . figures very carefully there is some caution around that these are data from 1000 individuals sought is early days and we also know that the longer that the astrazeneca vaccine is left the better and longer term

protection you have and may be the astrazeneca takes a little bit longer time to build up an immune response than the pfizer and there are a lot of complications when these figures but they are relatively small numbers so i wouldn't read too much into the different vaccine types of the moment. i think we do know both vaccines are very, very effective against severe disease and we know that even from studies of the astrazeneca vaccine in areas of the world where the efficacy against, in the trials, against symptomatic disease was not as high but still very high so i think whatever vaccine you are offered, at the moment my preference is for the under 40s to be offered an alternative to the astrazeneca, but if you are offered the astrazeneca and over the age of a0 you should receive it with confidence.

and over the age of 40 you should receive it with confidence.- receive it with confidence. thank ou ve receive it with confidence. thank you very much — receive it with confidence. thank you very much for _ receive it with confidence. thank you very much for talking - receive it with confidence. thank you very much for talking to - receive it with confidence. thank you very much for talking to us. | the former british prime minister, gordon brown, has called on borisjohnson to use next month's g7 summit in cornwall to step up funding of the global covid vaccine rollout. $66 billion is required to complete covid vaccine rollout. the un—led covax programme, and mr brown says that at least two thirds of that sum ought to be covered by the g7 group of nations. he said that while most adults in britain have had vaccinations,

the figure in africa was just 2% per cent, and 11% for india. the former bbc journalist martin bashir has defended his controversial panorama interview with princess diana in 1995, and rejected suggestions that his actions were ultimately responsible for her death two years later. in an interview with the sunday times, he admitted that he was wrong to have forged bank statements to obtain the interview, but insists it had "no bearing" on subsequent events. james reynolds reports. the dyson report found that martin bashir commissioned false bank statements in order to secure his interview with diana, princess of wales. mr bashir, who recently resigned from the bbc on health grounds, has now told the sunday times he is deeply sorry to princes william and harry, but he rejected the duke of cambridge's claim that he fuelled diana's paranoia. i never wanted to harm diana in any way, and i don't believe we did, he said. i don't feel i can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life and the complex issues surrounding those decisions. tony hall, mr bashir�*s boss at the time of the 1995 interview, led an internal enquiry soon

afterwards which found the journalist to be honest and honourable, but the dyson report said this enquiry was "woefully ineffective". as a result, lord hall, who left the bbc as director—general in 2020, has now stepped down as the chairman of the national gallery. in a statement, he said... i've always had a strong sense of public service and it's clear my continuing in the role would be a distraction to an institution i care deeply about. as i said two days ago, he went on, i am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and i believe leadership means taking responsibility. diana's brother, earl spencer, has asked the metropolitan police to look again at the circumstances of her interview with martin bashir. scotland yard says it's looking at the dyson investigation to see if there is any significant new evidence to support a new criminal investigation. the current director—general of the bbc, tim davie, said the scandal leaves the corporation with much to reflect on. the government is carrying out an existing review into public broadcasting in britain. james reynolds, bbc news.

a volcanic eruption in the democratic republic of congo has sent thousands of people running from their homes. the government in kinshasa ordered residents to leave the eastern city of goma, where lava from mount nyiragongo burst into the night sky and has been seen flowing towards the city centre. more than 3000 fled across the border to neighbouring rwanda. courtney bembridge reports. molten hot lava eliminated the night sky. when it reached the city of goma locals had no chance. the government issued an evacuation order for goma earlier in the evening, but before the warning came 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: 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. some fled across the border to neighbouring rwanda and some fled to higher ground remembering the last eruption in 2002 which killed 250 people and left 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. nyiragongo as one of the most active volcanoes

in the world but the authorities say they don't have resources to monitor it. i'm joined now by hebdavi muhindofrom congo s main city of goma. he is with the tear fund charity tackling poverty in drc what i have seen with the volcano as i have gone around and goma has woken up to better news than last night and the lava stopped flowing around two or three in the morning. but some people have come back to see the houses have been destroyed and seen everything they have what for all their lives and they don't have a host of sleeping tonight and they do not have any property any more because everything has been taken up by the lava. i5 more because everything has been taken up by the lava. is it more because everything has been taken up by the lava.— taken up by the lava. is it possible to estimate _ taken up by the lava. is it possible to estimate how _ taken up by the lava. is it possible to estimate how many _ taken up by the lava. is it possible to estimate how many houses - taken up by the lava. is it possible| to estimate how many houses have been destroyed and how many may be homeless as a result? it is been destroyed and how many may be homeless as a result?— homeless as a result? it is not ossible homeless as a result? it is not possible but — homeless as a result? it is not possible but it _ homeless as a result? it is not possible but it is _ homeless as a result? it is not possible but it is estimated - homeless as a result? it is not possible but it is estimated it | homeless as a result? it is not| possible but it is estimated it is hundreds of households who have lost their households, hoses have been

completely destroyed. there will still need to be more assessments today to really determine how many of the households were really destroyed but as you get up there you just see a big lake of lava. that is what is left of where there were so many households living there before. we and other agencies are going there on the ground to assess and offer a big response to the people who have been affected by this. ~ ., ., i. people who have been affected by this. ~ ., ., , ., people who have been affected by this. ., ., , ., ., this. what would you estimate at this. what would you estimate at this sta . e this. what would you estimate at this stage the — this. what would you estimate at this stage the scale _ this. what would you estimate at this stage the scale of _ this. what would you estimate at this stage the scale of the - this. what would you estimate at i this stage the scale of the response to be and what will be needed? there will be a need — to be and what will be needed? there will be a need to _ to be and what will be needed? there will be a need to have _ to be and what will be needed? there will be a need to have a _ to be and what will be needed? tues will be a need to have a response in terms of shelter. there are many people who have lost their houses and everything of their property. obviously, the situation him so abruptly people did not have enough time to be able to grab anything or save anything so people have really lost a lot so there will be immediate need in terms of shelter and food and non—food items and

medical care and also in terms of water so that people don't get to a situation where there is another epidemic that will come out of this. we saw the people fled in a state of panic, it's some going across the border into reminder. —— rwanda. would they stay there are get longer term support? the government _ get longer term support? the government is _ get longer term support? iie: government is encouraging get longer term support? tie: government is encouraging people get longer term support? ti2 government is encouraging people to come back and those who are lucky finding the hoses are still there but for those coming back finding the houses have been destroyed they are helpless at the moment. we have many people sitting on the streets and they don't have anywhere to go or go back to and we have seen the movement of people coming back into goma. not everybody is feeling

comfortable yet just a goma. not everybody is feeling comfortable yetjust a comeback but there are also other people who went west of the city. they are also coming back into the city but as a comeback and they find their houses have been destroyed they are just remaining on the street at the moment helplessly so that is really a need for support for them to be able to settle them somewhere. and it is women and children and everybody, who are vulnerable and it is a time that there covid pandemic is a time that there covid pandemic is ongoing so it is really important a solution is found as soon as possible. the un security council has urged both israel and palestinian militant groups to honour the ceasefire in the region, as egyptian mediators shuttle back and forth attempting

to make it permanent. the pause in violence is entering its third day. laura trevelyan is injerusalem for us. there injerusalem for us. are intensive diplomatic effo rts there are intensive diplomatic efforts under way to try to firm up this ceasefire which is regarded as quite fragile and precarious although it is holding into its third day and egyptians who mediated this ceasefire to begin with because they are the only people in the region who can speak to both israel and hamas what in the west bank yesterday speaking to the president of the palestinian authority. the previous day they were in the gaza strip and next week the american secretary of state will visit israel and be in the west bank. the united state security council has finally issued a press statement in which they call all sides to adhere to the

ceasefire which is significant because american objections held up any actual security council resolution during the 11 day conflict and now it has been resolved at the council is also supporting the ceasefire. 21 people have died after extreme weather struck runners participating in a 100km ultramarathon in north—central china on saturday. sophia tran—thomson has this report. under overcast skies, 172 runners, most dressed in t—shirts and shorts crossed this ultramarathon start line not knowing the danger they would soon run into. the race took place near baiyin city in china's gansu province near and started at the yellow river forest injingtai. the area is known for its mountain scenery and at high section of the

race course was abruptly hit by freezing temperatures, rain hail stones and gale force winds and as conditions worsened the race was cold off. figs conditions worsened the race was cold off. a . ,, ,, conditions worsened the race was cold off. �* , . ~ ,, ., cold off. as darkness fell and conditions — cold off. as darkness fell and conditions worsened - cold off. as darkness fell and conditions worsened over - cold off. as darkness fell and i conditions worsened over 1200 helpers assisted in looking for missing runners. 18 were brought to safety and several were brought to hospital with hypothermia but 21 runners were found dead. after all the participants were accounted for the participants were accounted for the mayo pledged to find out what went wrong. ——mayor. figs the mayo pledged to find out what went wrong. --mayor. as organisers ofthe went wrong. --mayor. as organisers of the event _ went wrong. --mayor. as organisers of the event we — went wrong. --mayor. as organisers of the event we feel _ went wrong. --mayor. as organisers of the event we feel deeply - went wrong. --mayor. as organisers of the event we feel deeply guilty i of the event we feel deeply guilty and take full responsibility for the deaths. we offer our condolences to all the families. the

deaths. we offer our condolences to all the families.— all the families. the authorities have instigated _ all the families. the authorities have instigated an _ all the families. the authorities have instigated an incident - have instigated an incident investigation team to investigate the event. the royal navy flagship hms queen elizabeth has set sail for its first major deployment, after the queen flew onboard to wish the crew well. hundreds of people lined the harbour walls to wave off the £3 billion warship, as it set off from portsmouth naval base for the eight month operation towards japan and the south china sea. our defence correspondentjonathan beale was there to watch. britain's longest—serving monarch arrived on britain's largest warship. hms queen elizabeth! 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 has already been training with the latest f—35s. there are more usjets onboard than british ones — the government says that is a sign of strength, not weakness. during the seven—month voyage, they are expected to launch the first combat missions over iraq. at dusk, the towering 65,000 tonne warship finally set sail on a 26,000—mile voyage with crowds gathered to wave her off. horn blares. as hms queen elizabeth leaves portsmouth on her long voyage to the pacific, the government insists it is not seeking a confrontation with china. this is more about boosting trade

and diplomatic ties in the region. but does this deployment signify a big shift in uk 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 it there and back to the indo—pacific is not a strategic shift, it's a gesture. this does mark a new era for the the navy — a return on the huge investment it's made in its two carriers. but will it really redefine britain's place in the world? jonathan beale, bbc news, portsmouth. now, stand by for some amazing amazing pictures. this is virgin galactic�*s latest test flight, as it took another step closer to taking paying passengers to space. travelling at more than 2,300 miles

per hour, the aircraft took about 50 minutes to reach the edge of space — before gliding back down to earth. the company has some 600 paying customers — including movie and music stars — waiting to take the same ride. millions tuned in globally to watch italy win this year's eurovision song contest with a punchy rock song. for only the second time in eurovision history, the uk entrant failed to get a single point. there were strict procedures in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. he sings in italian. maneskin, the italian rockers, won the audience over with their anthem, quiet and good. it's 31 years since the italians last tasted victory at the world's biggest televised singing competition. we're so honoured and happy and we really want to thank everyone who supported us. this is unbelievable. we really didn't expect it. we're so happy, yeah.

# out of the embers. # you and i are gonna light up the room #. from the winners to james newman, for the first time in a long time, the fans were allowed to remove theirface masks and forget about social distancing inside. she sings in russian. to sing and dance along to a quintessentially eurovision range. she sings in ukrainian. watching the contest in the stadium or on screen, eurovision's taste of togetherness offered some escapism from the virus that's dominated our lives for so long. # here in the dark. # inside a hole in my heart #. many hope the way in which this event has been made possible could help to make live entertainment a reality around the world once again. anna holligan, bbc news, rotterdam.

let's speak to the music reporterfor bbc newsbeat steve holden. you could almost forget covid was a thing watching the audience and performances. it is thing watching the audience and performances.— thing watching the audience and performances. thing watching the audience and erformances. , . ., , ., ~ performances. it is amazingly got 26 countries and _ performances. it is amazingly got 26 countries and iceland _ performances. it is amazingly got 26 countries and iceland was _ performances. it is amazingly got 26 countries and iceland was the - performances. it is amazingly got 26 countries and iceland was the only . countries and iceland was the only one not allowed to perform live because one of their band members got covid and had to watch and a hotel. the cloud had to test negative before they went ten which added to the atmosphere. if you are watching on tv you would think what pandemic? maneskin, where they are worthy winner? a young band from

rome and they were the favourites before the contest and they looked good and sounded good and were confident and a and it wasn't really like anything else on the eurovision menu last night. they had the sparkle and good staging so the last most of the song was filled with gigantic pyrotechnics which gives such a feast to the ice and mopped up so many of the public stores yesterday and the mammoth score of over 502 the contest. and no points for england. it is only the fifth time that the uk has come last in the second time it has received no points. we last got cedar points in 2003 -- points. we last got cedar points in 2003 —— zero points and the double edged bloke to james newman as we

got no points —— the double—edged blow to james newman is that we got to know points from the public are from the duties. —— —— juries. to know points from the public are from the duties. —— ——juries. he knew what he was entering and a chance to show himself to 180 million people but no he will talk about what went wrong? was it the song or the performance or other criteria? the contest has been away for two years and all the countries really brought their a—game. there were some really strong songs and lots of people online saying it was one of the best eurovision finals in years. the uk was in the nave position in the running order and if you're in the first half you do tend to get a bit forgotten. a lot of people will say it is political but i think there is a lot more to it

and at the end of the day you have to put in a good song that will connect with people across europe and that is what italy did, it was something different and refreshing and that is why it stood out from the cloud. in terms of where next for maneskin, you mentioned the huge audience, but does winning necessarily translate to superstardom for the winner? duncan lawrence, who won the 2019 contest for the netherlands has had two years of success because one of those tracks got picked up on .tiktok and he is still riding the crest of that wave. maneskin our already famous in italy and they did not come here looking to when eurovision, so they say, the just treated it like any other gig and say they don't try to fit in any

eurovision box so even if it wasn't the springboard for them they still have their hardcore audience and the scene very individual and in control of their own narrative, itjust happens that now they have eurovision when on the cards. the one that fast but they did it in style. i will be speaking to them at a quarter past 12. still unsettled, so some sunshine on the east for some of us today, but rain moving its way west to east, so some of the rain on the frontal system quite heavy, especially for wales and south—west england. squally winds on it as well. showers returned behind the main band of