good afternoon. the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines are effective against the indian variant of coronavirus, a new study has found. health officials have urged people to take up the offer of a second dose, which experts believe makes both vaccines just as effective as they are against the older kent variant. the research from public health england suggests the pfizer vaccine provides 88% protection after the second dose. however, health experts say social distancing rules, face masks and other coronavirus

prevention measures must still be observed to stop the spread of the indian and other variants. here's our science correspondent pallab ghosh. in rochdale in greater manchester, people are actively coming forward to receive their vaccinations. the latest research shows the jabs are effective in reducing the chances of infection from the variant that came from india and experts think the vaccines are also stopping serious illness. of the vaccines are also stopping serious illness. of the 3000 also identified cases of the variant, there have only been 31 hospital admissions and just six deaths.— just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeinu just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much _ just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much so _ just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much so this _ just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much so this is - just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much so this is a - just six deaths. fortunately, we are not seeing much so this is a good . not seeing much so this is a good thing but of course it means the data will come through more slowly. we are watching that very carefully so the data, there is a technical briefing the public can access on the government website which shows that up to the 19th of may we had

had only six deaths. they are obviously very sad for those individuals but the vast majority of these are people who had not been vaccinated. , ., . , ., , these are people who had not been vaccinated-— these are people who had not been vaccinated. , ., . , ., , , vaccinated. research shows the first dose of the pfizer _ vaccinated. research shows the first dose of the pfizer or _ vaccinated. research shows the first dose of the pfizer or astrazeneca . dose of the pfizer or astrazeneca jab is 33% effective at stopping infection against the variant that came from india, but not as good as they were against the old kent strain. but the second dose closes that gap almost completely. the lower figure for astrazeneca is because there were more older people in that group, and it is thought it isjust as in that group, and it is thought it is just as effective as a pfizer jab. important though that people to come forward for vaccination and to take their second jab. experts believe there will be a rise in cases as a result of recently allowing people to mix indoors. there is a bit of a race going on between the vaccine programme and the relaxation of restrictions and so on, and we will see more cases

over the coming weeks as a result of that. so there is still a need to be cautious. , , , . ., . cautious. scientists expect to have a clearer idea _ cautious. scientists expect to have a clearer idea of— cautious. scientists expect to have a clearer idea of how _ cautious. scientists expect to have a clearer idea of how quickly - cautious. scientists expect to have a clearer idea of how quickly the i a clearer idea of how quickly the variant from india spreads in the coming weeks, which in turn will determine whether all legal restrictions can be lifted onjune the 21st. but the news that vaccines are effective against it is a big boost to those wanting to get back to a more normal life. pallab ghosh, bbc news. while the news on the success of vaccines is good, the government is still being dogged by questions about its handling of the pandemic when it started. did it consider achieving herd immunity by allowing people to catch the virus? 0ur political correspondent greg dawson is here. why is this blowing up now? principally because of dominic cummings, the former chief adviser to the prime minister. he is due to give evidence in parliament next week about the government's early

stage handling of the pandemic. via his twitter feed he says the government official plan was herd immunity, in other words to let the virus spread freely throughout the population in order to boost immunity levels. number ten have flatly denied this. this morning the home secretary priti patel said the only plan was to protect lives and save the nhs. before he left downing street, dominic cummings was a man whosejudgment was street, dominic cummings was a man whose judgment was trusted by boris johnson and it looks like that judgment on the early stages of the pandemic will be very critical on his former boss.— pandemic will be very critical on his former boss. the home secretary, priti patel, says the bbc�*s reputation has been compromised following lord dyson's report into howjournalist martin bashir obtained his interview with princess diana for panorama in 1995. she said the bbc�*s governance and accountability could be strengthened during the renewal of its royal charter. meanwhile, speaking to the sunday times, mr bashir has said he never wanted to harm diana and that to shoulder him with the responsibility

for the royalfamily�*s relationship with the media is unreasonable and unfair. tim muffett reports. the fallout from the publication of lord dyson's report continues. it concluded that martin bashir had used deceitful behaviour to secure his 1995 interview with diana, princess of wales. speaking to today's sunday times, the former bbc journalist tells prince william and prince harry that he is deeply sorry about what happened. he acknowledges again that forging bank statements which were shown to diana's brother, earl spencer, was wrong. but he dismisses the duke of cambridge's claim that he fuelled princess diana's paranoia or any suggestion that his interview was somehow linked to diana's death.

good morning, let me start with the bbc... speaking to andrew marr this morning, the home secretary priti patel stressed how harmful she felt this episode was to the bbc. great harm, the reputation of the bbc has been damaged. lessons will have to be learned, no question about that, and also there will be work on regaining trust and confidence. speaking on the same programme, dame esther rantzen, who knew princess diana, said she disagreed with earl spencer's claim that there was a direct link between the interview and princess diana's subsequent divorce and death. they were separated at the time of the interview, prince charles and she were, and i think they had made each other very, very unhappy. yesterday, former bbc director general tony hall stepped down as chairman of the national gallery.

in 1996, he had led an internal bbc inquiry into the panorama interview which concluded that martin bashir was honest and honourable. the dyson report found this inquiry to be woefully ineffective. in 2016 martin bashir was rehired by the bbc as a religious affairs correspondent and the following year he was promoted to become religion editor. there are now renewed calls for those appointments to be investigated more thoroughly. scrutiny of the bbc�*s handling of this affair shows little sign of easing. tim muffett, bbc news. 21 runners have been killed by extreme weather in northern china. they were taking part in a cross—country marathon when hail, freezing rain and gales hit a high—altitude section of the mountain race in gansu province. officials said runners suffered from a sudden drop in air temperature. it's thought a number of elite runners are among the dead.

many thousands of people have fled their homes in the democratic republic of congo after a large volcano erupted. at least five people died in the rush to get out, as the lava flow from mount nyiragongo stopped just short of the city of goma. sima kotecha reports. thick lava illuminating the jet black sky. rivers of it cascading across the surrounding areas, some engulfing motorways and even setting homes alight. many thousands of residents from nearby goma carried mattresses as they fled the city in panic. translation: it's something we have never seen before. . we are all shaken. translation: the volcano was erupting and the - population of goma are really worried. it's a really unusual situation. it is mount nyiragongo's first eruption in almost 20 years. one of the world's most active

volcanoes and one of its most dangerous. 250 people were killed last time. hours after the eruption, the government urged residents to evacuate. thousands hurriedly crossed the border into neighbouring rwanda. today the lava stopped. some returned home to digest the damage. yes, what i've seen now with the volcano has gone around and goma has woken up to better news than last night. we have seen that the lava stopped flowing around 3am or 4am last night. there are concerns that a cut in funding meant the volcano wasn't monitored properly, and now more questions about what will change to prevent an even deadlier eruption. sima kotecha, bbc news. after being cancelled last year, the eurovision song contest was back last night in rotterdam... one to forget for the united kingdom. uk entrantjames newman came

last, scoring nul point. after the lead changing hands several times, with france and switzerland also in the running, italy were eventually declared the winners. it's the first time they've won in over a0 years. that's it for now. the next news on bbc one is at 5.20pm. bye for now. hello. the weather so far this month has got us talking sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's austin halewood. good afternoon. good afternoon, i'm austin halewood with your latest sports news... we're less than three hours

away from the final day of the premier league season. manchester city may already be champions but there's still lots to be decided. it's a crucial afternoon for three teams in particular — chelsea, liverpool and leicester are all vying for the final two champions league places. but, as ben croucher reports, three into two just doesn't go... phones at the ready, this is the day for constant communication and careful calculation. where a goal hundreds of miles away can be as priceless as one right in front of you. chelsea, liverpool and leicester are all chasing champions league football next season, but three into two doesn't go. it's nice if you play for stuff in the end. keeps you on the edge, brings out the best in you and you can absolutely feel the excitement. we are full of optimism, positivity, whatever you want, because we are really excited, if we have to play that game now it's like, if we have to play that game now and we have no chance for anything anymore,

then it's just intense. but it's really exciting as well. if we arrive on 69 pointsj at the end of the season and somehow don't make it to the champions league i then it has been really, really misfortunate. - that's because leicester have spent the whole season in the top four until they lost to chelsea on tuesday. it means that chelsea and liverpool have their fate in their own hands this afternoon. there are a whole load of permutations that could see any of them miss out. if, though, chelsea fail to win and slip to fifth, they can still qualify for the champions league by beating manchester city in this season's final next weekend. elsewhere, there's a new european competition that anybody from west ham in sixth down to leeds in tenth could qualify for. there's a personal prize up for grabs too. commentator: and salah scores! mo salah and harry kane are vying for the golden boot. we'll bid a fond farewell to some favourites. there'll be no aguero moment, he'll still get his hands on the trophy one last time, in front of fans as well. behind, it'll be a little more nerve—racking. wherever you're watching, however you're following, don't take your eyes or ears of this one. ben croucher, bbc news.

lots to look forward to there. what a day ahead it is for phil mickelson... the american is just 18 holes away from making golf history, by becoming the oldest winner of a major, at the pga championship. he'll take a one shot lead into the final round at kiawah island. he tees off later this evening after a third round that included this birdie on the 10th — which had him 5 shots clear at one stage. but a tricky end saw his advantage cut to just one, but lets not forget mickelson — who won the last of his 5 majors 8 years ago — is now ranked 100 and 15th in the world, and he'll turn 51 next month. i didn't stay as focused and as sharp on a few swings. it's significantly better than it's been for a long time so i'm making a lot of progress and i will continue to work on that and hopefully i will be able

to eliminate a couple of those loose swings tomorrow because i am playing a lot better than the score's showing and i think if i canjust stay sharp tomorrow, i will post a score that is, that better reflects how i am actually playing. the heavyweight title fight between tyson fury and anthonyjoshua looks to be further away now than ever... that's because fury has agreed to fight american deontay wilder on the 24th ofjuly. just seven days after fury confirmed the fight withjoshua on social media... wilder's team won an arbitration hearing stating that the american had a right to a 3rd fight with fury. and joshua's now expected to defend his titles against ukraine's 0leksandr usyk in august. that was the fight last night, where fury announced that he'll be fighting wilder one more time. and with just a couple of months to go before the start of the rescheduled tokyo 0lympics, there's been success for britain's rowers at the latest world cup event in switzerland.

emily craig & imogen grant produced an impressive performance as they won gold in the lightweight, double sculls. there's also been a gold medal for britain in the men's fours. well there's plenty more on all of those stories on the bbc sport website. including all the build—up to this afternoon's monaco grand prix and live text commentary of the race. but that's all your sport for now. the un security council has urged both israelis and palestinians to honour the ceasefire in the region, as egyptian mediators shuttle back and forth attempting to make it permanent. the pause in violence has entered its third day as humanitarian efforts to rebuild gaza continue. 0ur correspondent laura trevelyan is injerusalem with the latest. well, there are intensive diplomatic efforts under way to try to firm up the ceasefire, which is regarded as quite fragile and precarious, though it is holding, now, into its third day. and egyptians, who mediated the ceasefire to begin with, because they're the only people in the region who can speak to both israel and hamas, they were in ramallah

in the west bank yesterday, egyptian mediators speaking to the president of the palestinian authority, mahmoud abbas. the previous day they were in the gaza strip. next week, you have the us secretary of state, antony blinken, who will come and visit israel. he'll also be in the west bank. so, all of this is going on, and at the same time the united nations security council has finally issued a press statement in which they've called on all sides to adhere to the ceasefire. that is significant, because american objections held up any actual security council resolution during that 11—day conflict, but now it's been resolved, the council is also supporting the ceasefire. let's get more now on one of our main stories. 21 people have died after extreme weather struck runners participating in a 100—kilometre ultramarathon in north—central china on saturday. it's sparked public outrage over the lack of contingency planning. 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. announcer shouts, crowd cheer. the race took place near baiyin city in china's gansu province, and started at the yellow river stone forest injingtai. the area is known for its mountain scenery, and the 100km route crossed through deep canyons and rugged landscape. at a mountainous, high—altitude section of the race between 20 and 30 kilometres, the course was abruptly hit by freezing temperatures, rain, hail, and gale force winds, and, as conditions worsened, the race was called off. as darkness fell and temperatures dropped further, over 1200 rescuers, assisted by drones and radar detectors, searched for the missing runners. 18 were pulled to safety and several were taken to hospital with hypothermia, but 21 runners were found dead.

after all the participants were accounted for, the mayor pledged to find out what went wrong. translation: as organisers - of the event we feel deeply guilty and take full responsibility for these deaths. we express our deepest condolences to the victims, the injured, and all their families. provincial authorities have instigated an incident investigation team to further investigate the event. sophia tran—thomson, bbc news. 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. jonathan beale reports. britain's 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 around 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 f—35s. there are more usjets onboard than british ones — the government says that's a sign of strength, not weakness. during the seven—month voyage, they're expected to launch their first combat missions over iraq. at dusk, the towering 65,000—tonne warship finally set sail on her 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's 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 a 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. thousands of couples whose weddings have been delayed during the pandemic will now be able to celebrate their big day with up to 30 guests, thanks to the easing of restrictions this week. fiona lamdin has been speaking to a bride and groom whose wedding date has been moved three times. beth and toby have been waiting for this moment for two years. in march 2020 we went down to a venue and choose a date and it happened to be the 20th of may. and we hoped and prayed between then and now, really. as of this week, 30 guests are now allowed inside the ceremony and although they still have to wear facemasks one of the other biggest changes is that now beth's father is able to walk her down the aisle. how does that feel, is that 0k? yeah, it feels good. 0thers, though,

haven't been as lucky. all right? you look fantastic. charlotte and her fiance have now moved their wedding date three times. so our original date was january the 2nd and then unfortunately with lockdown we had to move it to the 17th ofjuly, so we're really, really hopeful, and what we had to do was change of venue, unfortunately. today, it's the hair and make—up dress rehearsal. they've booked the 17th ofjuly desperately hoping that in two months�* time restrictions will be lifted. emma is also keeping her fingers crossed. it's been absolutely terrible. i didn't work for a whole year, had to put the mortgage on hold, it's not just financially, it's also the mental side of things as well. had to get anotherjob, but now things are looking up and fully booked until november this year which is absolutely brilliant. so this is the vivary room in taunton registry office, normally it would be able to hold up to 40 guests.

with the current restrictions and social distancing it can hold up to 12. there have been 20 sets of rule changes to ceremonies since the first lockdown. some couples have moved their ceremony date five, six times so far, so we've devised a new system for couples to get in touch and register interest or ask for things to be amended and we have had around 6000 or so inquiries so far. i promise to give you my loving friendship. beth and toby may have had to cut their guest list in half, scrapped their first dance and cancel their honeymoon. you are now husband and wife, and toby, you may kiss your beautiful bride and we'll clap! ..but finally, after the long wait, they are officially mr and mrs ward. flo! how does it feel? amazing! so great.

fiona lamdin, bbc news. millions tuned in globally to watch italy win this year's eurovision song contest with a punchy rock song. there was less good news for the uk though — for only the second time in eurovision history, the uk entrant — this year it was james newman — failed to get a single point. i caught up with the winners — the italian band maneskin — as they prepared to fly back to rome. no, not at all! no. so, what have you been doing? drinking. just celebrating and drinking with the cyprus team. it was a bit of a nailbiter, wasn't it, actually, because it wasn't clear initially that you were going to win, but then when the popular vote came through it was absolutely massive for you. just talk through how you were feeling at moment. well, that was the thing that matters the most was, because, like, the audience is the one that are going to come to our gigs and listen to our music, so the fact that they voted for us,

it's so important, it makes us feel, like, unbelievably happy. and what was it like being able to perform in that environment after the year that we've had, the year of lockdown? it was incredible. we want to thank all the organisations that made this event possible, because i think they took a huge responsibility, but they did everything really well and we were on time and all the things, so we're really thankful to the team. let's just listen to a bit of your performance from last night. rock music plays. # sono fuori di testa, l ma diverso da loro... # and so that song has already got double platinum certification and more than 45 million streams. it's obviously touched people. tell us what the song is actually about. it's about, like, being who you are and don't care about, like, other people, negative

comments, so, yeah. yeah, just express yourself. and you were already successful, so you don't need the success of eurovision to propel your careers, but what does winning this mean to you? oh, i think that... we needed that because of the europe audience, so we're really happy because now we feel like we really have the chance to expand our fanbase to the whole europe. and we will complain every city. yeah. yeah, every city. it can wait. yeah. have you got any words for the uk entry? because we have a feeling quite said this morning. we got no point. quite said this morning. we got no oint. ., ., , quite said this morning. we got no oint. . ., point. yeah, it was sad. unfortunately, - point. yeah, it was sad. unfortunately, it - point. yeah, it was sad. unfortunately, it is - point. yeah, it was sad. unfortunately, it is a i point. yeah, it was sad. _ unfortunately, it is a competition,

so it happens but we think that... the song — so it happens but we think that... the song was really good. so it happens but we think that. .. the song was really good.- so it happens but we think that. .. the song was really good. yeah, the son: is the song was really good. yeah, the song is good — the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and _ the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and he's _ the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and he's a _ the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and he's a nice - the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and he's a nice guy, . the song was really good. yeah, the song is good and he's a nice guy, so | song is good and he's a nice guy, so with said _ song is good and he's a nice guy, so with said about it. you song is good and he's a nice guy, so with said about it.— with said about it. you started off as buskers _ with said about it. you started off as buskers and _ with said about it. you started off as buskers and we _ with said about it. you started off as buskers and we were - with said about it. you started off as buskers and we were busking i with said about it. you started off. as buskers and we were busking on the streets of rome did you expect this would happen? ida. and the name this would happen? no. and the name of this would happen? ila. and the name of the band is known in danish, so it is that come from? emil? of the band is known in danish, so it is that come from?— it is that come from? only started -la in: we it is that come from? only started playing we wanted _ it is that come from? only started playing we wanted to _ it is that come from? only started playing we wanted to participate l it is that come from? only started | playing we wanted to participate in a music_ playing we wanted to participate in a music contest and we needed name and we _ a music contest and we needed name and we didn't have one so we started telling _ and we didn't have one so we started telling victoria tojust and we didn't have one so we started telling victoria to just save under danish_ telling victoria to just save under danish words and then we just chose one and _ danish words and then we just chose one and it _ danish words and then we just chose one and it was a lucky name. it has a very nice — one and it was a lucky name. it has a very nice sound _ one and it was a lucky name. it has a very nice sound to _ one and it was a lucky name. it has a very nice sound to it. _ a very nice sound to it. congratulations again. expect to feel stupid to box does get some sleep, but i'm sure you'll get some some point! —— it feel stupid to say

to rock stars to get some sleep. tide to rock stars to get some sleep. we will, we to rock stars to get some sleep. - will, we will. now for some breath—taking pictures... this is virgin galactic�*s latest test flight, as it took another step closer to taking paying passengers to space. traveling 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. now, nick miller has the weather. deafening. we are watching scenes of more rain moving in from the uk across the moment and this month it is turning into a wet afternoon for many of us. 0ut there, the rain gradually spreads the switch that is adding even most of the rain total so far this month. in wales, for example, it has been very wet in northern ireland and here comes the rain gradually reaching those eastern areas which is still trying to get onto the evening. it is

another area of low pressure which is going to spend the next couple of days moving right across as so after the rain that doesn't mean there will be further showers to come and some of those going to be quite heavy. within this area of rain this afternoon they will be some heavy, perhaps even the eventual bursts briefly before it begins to clear. being from northern ireland to scattered showers, parts of wales and south—west england will biting at the ceiling. to the dolls that an increasing ship dawn more cloud, a was a bit of patchy rain arriving, not a scotland thing mainly dry and as we know that images are well below par for the time of year. getting windy on the south—east of england, round the coast of rain, it wales. rain this evening reaching across the eastern parts of the northern scotland. behind it curling showers. some of these having thundery. northern ireland turning dry with light winds seem temperatures dripping way so there is likely to be a touch of frost with the coldest rural spot here going in the morning. low—pressure crosses tomorrow and we will see an area of rain from the affecting

parts of scotland running down into northern ireland and east across wales and england. there will be these heavy infantry showers, so with hail mixing as well. i think many clearing from western parts of england is the date draws a close. they pressure on england as we go to the north sea but it is still not enough to win a further showers, likely to be heavy infantry at times, was part of scotland for and sizing lead, he developing elsewhere, could be a spell of rain also dorscon cornwall, perhaps at the devon. they're coming down from north to north—west how temperatures into the mid to the low teens. after that, low pressure does move away 11 pressure to build as high pressure moves are not only turning dry but it will also be telling a little bit warmer as well so i think for many of us and welcome news to come later in the week and, indeed come into next weekend. the's still the chance of catching a shower. not expecting clear blue sky but there will be some sunny spells and in those it will begin to feel it is pleasantly warm temperatures reached was the high teens and a few spots may even

get into the low 20s. that is your focus. more before two o'clock.