this is bbc news. the headlines at six: two doses of the main covid vaccines used in the uk are found to be highly effective against the indian variant of the virus. government ministers deny claims by the former downing street adviser dominic cummings that they pursued a policy of herd immunity in dealing with the coronavirus last year. ata time at a time of crisis when government is making _ at a time of crisis when government is making very, very tough decisions, difficult decisions, we put public— decisions, difficult decisions, we put public life and protecting the public _ put public life and protecting the public at — put public life and protecting the public at the forefront of all those decisions — belarus forces a ryanair plane with an opposition activist onboard to land in minsk, sparking condemnation from the eu. a mountain cable car has plunged to the ground in northern italy,

killing at least 13 people. two injured children have been airlifted to hospital. lava from a volcanic eruption in the democratic republic of congo stops just short of the city of goma — prompting evacuees to return home. good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. a new study has found that two doses of the uk's main covid vaccines offer strong protection against the so—called indian variant of the virus. the public health england study — the first to look at the vaccines�* effectiveness against the indian variant — comes amid warnings that the new strain is now the dominant one in some parts of the country. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. today and through the weekend, people in rochdale were actively coming forward

to receive their vaccinations. the latest research shows that the jabs are effective in reducing the chances of getting infected from the variant that came from india, and experts think that the vaccines are stopping serious illness as well. of the 3,000 or so identified cases of the variant, there have only been 31 hospital admissions and just six deaths. most of these vaccines are really good. i'm going for my second astrazeneca jab soon and i think we will get more of that data as we go forward. the straightforward message is get that second dose. as restrictions ease, there is a greater chance people will be infected. and it's thought the variant from india spreads more quickly than the current kent strain. research shows that the first dose of the pfizer and astrazeneca jab are 33% effective against the variant from india. the second dose boosts that to 88% for pfizer and 60 for astrazeneca.

the lower figure for astrazeneca is down to the fact that people in that group were older and it's thought that both vaccines are just as effective. experts say that it's important for people to come forward for vaccinations and to take their second job. 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 be cautious and not to draw the false conclusion if you like that it is all over because it isn't over yet. scientists expect to have a clear 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 vaccines are effective against it is a big boost to those wanting to get back to a more normal life.

pallab ghosh, bbc news. meanwhile, a senior minister has rejected a claim from borisjohnson�*s former senior advisor that the original government plan for coronavirus was to allow most of the population to develop "herd immunity" to it. it comes ahead of dominic cummings�*s appearance before mps this week. here's our political correspondent damian grammaticus. late last year, and out of downing street. dominic cummings had been boris johnson's closest aide. now he is spilling his stories, even if they damage his former boss. the events he wants to highlight, last march and how the prime minister handled the start of the pandemic. in spain and italy, covid was spreading fast. lockdowns being brought in. in the uk, lockdowns came ten days later. mr cummings says boris johnson's strategy was

different, to try for herd immunity, to let people build natural resistance. he tweeted today... he says that it only changed when officials understood herd immunity�*s effects, hundreds of thousands choking to death, no hs for anybody. an economic implosion. he said, so we moved to plan b, suppression. and he says critical as i am of the pm, the disaster was notjust his fault, the official plan was disastrously misconceived. plan b had to be bodged amidst chaos. this is one of the explanations he points to — talk about cocooning the most vulnerable. this was from the government's top behavioural scientist on march the 10th. by the time they come out and they are cocooning, herd immunity has been achieved in the rest of the population. and the chief scientific adviser two days later. it is not possible to stop everybody getting it and it's also actually- not desirable because you want some immunity in the population. - we need to have immunity to protect

ourselves from those in the future. l today, the home secretary insisted herd immunity was never the strategy. not at all, no. absolutely not. our policy from the outset, andrew, the policy and the strategy... then why is dominic cummings saying it is true? well, i can't speak for mr cummings and one individual. the government said it followed the science and acted to save lives in nhs. dominic cummings will have his chance to put his thoughts before parliament this week. damian grammaticas, bbc news. scotland's health secretary says covid restrictions in glasgow could be eased if the number of people in intensive scotland's health secretary says covid restrictions in glasgow care does not go up. glasgow is the only part of scotland still in level three, and some businesses have criticised the decision to keep it under stricter measures. humza yousaf told the bbc ministers want to ease restrictions as soon as possible. he hopes after this week it'll become clear whether case numbers have led to a rise in icu patients in the city. and the latest government figures on coronavirus show 2,235

new infections in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average ofjust over 2,500 cases per day, in the last week. five deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours, and that means an average of six deaths per day in the past week. the total number of uk deaths is now 127,721. just over 200,000 people have received a first vaccine dose in the last 2a hours. in total, almost 38 million people have now had their firstjab. that's 72% of the adult population. nearly 557,000 people had their second dose in the past 2a hours, and takes the overall number in that group to more than 22.6 million or 43% of the adult population. eu diplomats have demanded an explanation after a ryanair flight from greece to lithuania, with an opposition activist from belarus on board, has been forced to land in the capital minsk.

the plane was in belarussian airspace when local air traffic control was told of an alleged bomb threat and ordered the plane to touch down the activist on board — roman protasevic — was then arrested. he is the founder of an online news portal called nexta — which played a key role during the protests against the re—election of the authoritarian leader, alexander lu kashenko. speaking a short time ago, one of the advisor�*s to lithuania's president demanded an explanation from the belarusian government about what happened. on board the plane there were 171 passengers. among them, a belarussian political activist, an opposition member, the founder of the nexta outlet, roman protasevich. he was detained. we don't know his destiny so far.

the president of lithuania demands that the belarussian regime immediately release all the passengers, including roman protasevich, and allow them to travel to vilnius. he intends to speak on it at the european council tomorrow in brussels. meanwhile, the belarusian opposition leader says it's evidence international law is being broken. translation: the fact that today, on the instructions _ of the military dictator, alexander lukashenko, a ryanair civilian plane was landed in belarus, using the belarussian air force, is more evidence that international law is being violated in belarus. the health and lives of foreigners and belarussian citizens are at risk. british foreign secretary dominic raab has reacted to the news saying:

a short time ago ryanair released a statement — they have apologised to passengers for the disruption and say they have notified the relevant national and european safety and security agencies and they apologise sincerely to all affected passengers for this regrettably delay "which was outside ryanair�*s control". a cable car has plunged to the ground near lake maggiore in northern italy, killing 13 people and seriously injuring others, including children. the service was taking passengers up into the mountains from the resort town of stresa at the time of the accident. the resort had only recently reopened as covid restrictions were eased. 0ur italy correspondent mark lowen reports. a climb to admire alpine beauty ending in tragedy. the cable car was in the last part of its journey, nearly 1500 metres high, when it plunged to the ground, killing most on board. it seems a cable near the final pylon broke away

but the cause isn't yet clear. rescuers struggled to reach the densely wooded site, one fire vehicle even overturning en route. no teams were injured. heading up the mountain from lake maggiore in north—west italy, it's a stunning spot. it's a very popular destination. it used to carry, before covid, approximately 100,000 passengers every year. and nothing has ever happened of this type before. the cable car had reopened from covid lockdown just last month. it underwent a two—year, 4 million euros repair in 2014. an investigation will try to discover how and why a trip through this tourist idyll collapsed in disaster. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. the former bbcjournalist, martin bashir , who's been found to have used lies and fake documents to secure his 1995 panorama interview with princess diana, has insisted he never intended to harm her.

he told the sunday times that everything about the interview was done in line with the princess's wishes. here's our home editor mark easton. martin bashir, the bbc reporter whose lies and deception initiated the current crisis at the corporation, has given an interview to the sunday times putting his side of the story on that interview with princess diana. i never wanted to harm diana in any way, he tells the paper. "obviously i regret it — it was wrong but it had no bearing on anything. it had no bearing on diana. it had no bearing on the interview." the dyson report into the affair rejected martin basheer �*s account of what had happened, describing it as "incredible, unreliable and in some cases dishonest." it effectively established a false narrative. the duke cambridge suggested the way the interview was obtained fuelled her isolation and paranoia.

mr bashir, who resigned a week before the dyson report, rejects the criticism. former bbc presenter dame esther rantzen, who knew diana, said the bbc should have done more to protect the corporation's journalistic values. loads of cheques balances put onto bbcjournalism didn't seem to be used in order to protect the bbc from experiencing what i call scoop frenzy. being a journalist involves trying to make the headlines. i've been very fortunate because i've made the headlines on several occasions. mr bashir had been understood to have been too unwell to answer questions about his behaviour,

and neither he or anyone from bbc management was available today to respond to mounting criticism. the home secretary priti patel appeared on the andrew marr programme this morning to suggest bbc executives did have important questions to answer. this is a really, really significant moment of reflection i think for the bbc. there is no doubt this world—class institution, its reputation has been highly damaged. i would have thought actually members of the british public, but even around the world right now, watching what has happened, will rightly, clearly, be asking the questions, where is the bbc? the leadership of the bbc at this moment in time. the role of bbc news and holding the powerful to account as a trusted media voice means it will always have its opponents, but the bashir revelations have led the corporation particularly vulnerable to attack, and the director—general has said he will talk about what needs to happen in the coming days. mark easton, bbc news. you are watching bbc news. a reminder of our headlines this

evening... two doses of the main covid vaccines used in the uk are found to be highly effective against the indian variant of the virus. government ministers deny claims, by the former downing street adviser dominic cummings, that they pursued a policy of herd immunity in dealing with the coronavirus last year. belarus forces a ryanair plane with an opposition activist onboard to land in minsk, sparking condemnation from the eu. and coming up — liverpool and chelsea make the champions league, but leicester miss out yet again — we'll bring you all the action from a dramatic final day of the season. many thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in the democratic republic of congo last night after a volcanic eruption. at least five people died in the rush to get away from the lava flowing from mount nyiragongo — which stopped just short of the city of goma. reha ka nsara reports. this is one of the world's deadliest

volcanoes. mount nyiragongo erupted late saturday night setting roads and homes on fire. the first one came when a big orange cloud eliminated the night sky. locals fled in desperation. some of them to neighbouring rwanda, others to a nearby town. translation: it is nearby town. translation: it is somethina nearby town. translation: it is something we — nearby town. translation: it is something we have never seen before. we are _ something we have never seen before. we are ali— something we have never seen before. we are all together, shaken. we watched we are all together, shaken. - watched the whole neighbourhood go up watched the whole neighbourhood go up in smoke. the fire came right down to here. even now we can still see lava. . , down to here. even now we can still see lava. ., , , ., ., ., see lava. the last time nyiragongo eru ted its see lava. the last time nyiragongo erupted its consequences - see lava. the last time nyiragongo erupted its consequences were - erupted its consequences were devastating. 250 people died and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. aid agencies say early warning systems failed.— homeless. aid agencies say early warning systems failed. when the volcanic team _ warning systems failed. when the volcanic team by _ warning systems failed. when the volcanic team by monitoring - warning systems failed. when the i volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not— volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not even— volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not even aware— volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not even aware of— volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not even aware of the _ volcanic team by monitoring people, i'm not even aware of the behaviour| i'm not even aware of the behaviour of the _ i'm not even aware of the behaviour of the volcanom _ i'm not even aware of the behaviour of the volcano... this _ i'm not even aware of the behaviour of the volcano... this can _ i'm not even aware of the behaviour of the volcano... this can affect - of the volcano... this can affect

the entire — of the volcano... this can affect the entire town. _ of the volcano... this can affect the entire town.— of the volcano... this can affect the entire town. while we continue to feel the seismic— the entire town. while we continue to feel the seismic activity, - the entire town. while we continue to feel the seismic activity, a - the entire town. while we continue to feel the seismic activity, a new. to feel the seismic activity, a new eruption — to feel the seismic activity, a new eruption cannot be ruled out. now the orange — eruption cannot be ruled out. now the orange sky _ eruption cannot be ruled out. now the orange sky has _ eruption cannot be ruled out. firm the orange sky has turned a dreary grey, and as people return home at least five tremors have been felt in the aftermath. there have been reports of casualties, but the full picture is yet to emerge. bbc news, nairobi. the lead singer of eurovision's winning group, maneskin, has said he will undergo a voluntary drugs test, after footage from last night's show prompted speculation that he may have been taking drugs. eurovision has released a statement in which it says it's aware of the claims. damiano david and the band have strongly refuted the allegations. here they are speaking to journalists as they landed in rome a few hours ago. we told to the eu, and we told them we were _ we told to the eu, and we told them we were totally available to do the tests. _ we were totally available to do the tests. but — we were totally available to do the tests, but they told us there was no

need _ tests, but they told us there was no need because they trusted us, but again— need because they trusted us, but again to _ need because they trusted us, but again to shut down all the rumours i am again to shut down all the rumours i anr going _ again to shut down all the rumours i anr going to — again to shut down all the rumours i am going to do that tomorrow nrorning _ am going to do that tomorrow morning. we am going to do that tomorrow morninu. ~ ., ., ., , am going to do that tomorrow morninu. ., ., ., ., , morning. we are totally against cocaine and _ morning. we are totally against cocaine and the _ morning. we are totally against cocaine and the use _ morning. we are totally against cocaine and the use of- morning. we are totally against cocaine and the use of drugs i morning. we are totally againstl cocaine and the use of drugs and morning. we are totally against - cocaine and the use of drugs and we would never have done it, of course, so we are really shocked that many people are leading this and we want to shut it down. some of china's top long distance runners are believed to be among twenty one athletes who died in extreme weather during a 100 km race. the competitors were hit by plummeting temperatures freezing rain and gales on a mountainous course in gansu province. aru na iyengar reports. the complex terrain metrics search and rescue operations more difficult. more than 20 competitors in the ultra marathon have died and others are receiving treatment in hospital. 1200 rescuers were sent to look for the missing runners and those who died of thought have suffered from hypothermia. officials

have apologised, but there is anger no one seemed to predict the bad weather. translation: this no one seemed to predict the bad weather. translation: as organisers ofthe weather. translation: as organisers of the event we _ weather. translation: as organisers of the event we feel _ weather. translation: as organisers of the event we feel deeply _ weather. translation: as organisers of the event we feel deeply guilty - 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. condolences to the victims, the injured and all theirfamilies. {line injured and all their families. one of those missing _ injured and all their families. one of those missing is _ injured and all their families. one of those missing is described as one of those missing is described as one of the world's best endurance athletes. the cross—country race started off in good weather from the north—western province on saturday afternoon. 172 competitors were here at the start. but 20 kilometres into the rest things changed dramatically and rain, freezing hailand high winds at a high altitude section of the course. after calls for help and reports of missing runners the race was called off. bbc news.

the brazilian president, jair bolsonaro, has led more than 1,000 of his supporters in a motorcycle ride through rio de janeiro, in defiance of coronavirus restrictions. thousands, wearing the green—and—yellow colours of the national flag, lined rio's streets to wave to their president and salute the motorcade. throughout the pandemic, the ultra—sceptical mr bolsonaro has breached social distancing measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus, which has been killing an average 2,000 brazilians a day. ten people have been arrested during protests outside mcdonald's depots. yesterday, animal rebellion protesters formed blockades at four distribution centres to stop deliveries to the fast—food chain's 1,300 uk outlets. the protesters say they want mcdonald's to sell less meat to help tackle climate change. ron hill, one of britain's greatest endurance runners, has died at the age of 82. hill was only the second man to break the two hours and ten

minutes barrier in the marathon and won the gold medal in the 1969 european athletics championships marathon. he laid claim to the longest unbroken streak of daily running after going every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017. let's return to the news that eu diplomats are demanding an explanation — after a ryanairflight from greece to lithuania, with an opposition activist from belarus on board, was forced to land in the capital minsk. for more let's speak now to moscow our correspondent, sarah rainsford. sarah, tell us more about how this plane was diverted.— plane was diverted. well, it's a really extraordinary _ plane was diverted. well, it's a really extraordinary story, - plane was diverted. well, it's a really extraordinary story, and | really extraordinary story, and really extraordinary story, and really the details are just starting to become clearer, but certainly what we know from ryanair itself, a statement that they put out saying that air traffic control in minsk contacted the plane and warned of a security threat to the flight and ordered them to divert to minsk.

ryanair said that was the nearest airport, though in actualfact ryanair said that was the nearest airport, though in actual fact the plane was closer at the time to vilnius in lithuania, but anyway that flight diverted, landed safely, we are told, and we saw in minsk itself there was an extensive search of that plane come on board the plane, and all of the passengers' luggage. after landing nothing suspicious was found, but what did happen is the arrest of a very well opposition activist and journalist, roman protasevich, who had been living outside belarus for some time because he was a wanted man in minsk itself. he was arrested. we know already he was accused of organising the mass protests against the president, alexander lukashenko, last year, as his role in the nexta channel, which was very much involved in covering the protests against alexander lukashenko, so it does appear and certainly the international response to this does suggest nobody is buying the idea that there was any security threat at all to the plane, and in actual

fact it looks like the plane was simply diverted in order for alexander lukashenko's officials to arrest one of his key rivals, opponents and critics. what has the international— opponents and critics. what has the international community _ opponents and critics. what has the international community been - opponents and critics. what has the | international community been saying to belarus about this? well, there have been extremely strong words from everyone from the eu to the uk, to the americans, the us ambassador talking about this being dangerous and abhorrent action by the belarussians. dominic rapp, the uk foreign secretary, has said this is an outlandish act by alexander lukashenko and it will have serious implications. the lithuanian president again has called it abhorrent. a lot of call for the eu... called it abhorrent. a lot of call forthe eu... i called it abhorrent. a lot of call for the eu... i think some kind of meeting is happening tomorrow, when this issue will be raised, and a lot of call for more sanctions, tougher action to be taken by the eu and its allies against the authorities in

belarus. don't forget, sanctions are already in place. this follows those mass protests, the elections which have widely been seen to be fraudulent but brought alexander lukashenko back to power, but the calls are now for tough action by the eu because this was a flight between two eu capitals, from greece to lithuania, but it was diverted, and it had more than 100 people on board. in fact, and it had more than 100 people on board. infact, i and it had more than 100 people on board. in fact, i should just point out it was actually a fighterjet that was scrambled to bring it into landing in minsk which adds a whole other layer of oddness to this entire scenario. it other layer of oddness to this entire scenario.— other layer of oddness to this entire scenario. ., , , ., , , entire scenario. it has 'ust dropped on the news — entire scenario. it has 'ust dropped on the news agency, _ entire scenario. it hasjust dropped on the news agency, afp, - entire scenario. it hasjust dropped on the news agency, afp, that - entire scenario. it hasjust dropped on the news agency, afp, that the | entire scenario. it hasjust dropped i on the news agency, afp, that the eu commissioner is now saying that that diverted flight has now left belarus again and is heading to lithuania. the question is whether roman protasevich will be on board. weill. protasevich will be on board. well, no, i'm protasevich will be on board. well, no. i'm sure _ protasevich will be on board. well, no. i'm sure he _ protasevich will be on board. well, no, i'm sure he won't _ protasevich will be on board. well, no, i'm sure he won't be, - protasevich will be on board. well, no, i'm sure he won't be, becausel no, i'm sure he won't be, because the belarussian authorities say he

is being detained, so i'm pretty sure that is a flight —1 passenger, this opposition activist and very well—known figure within the opposition in belarus. but certainly ryanair had said earlier the plane had been given clearance to fly this evening and to take the rest of the passengers from minsk on to vilnius, which of course was the original destination for this —— before this detour of, what, five, six, seven hours or so when they were stuck in minsk? . ~ hours or so when they were stuck in minsk? ., ~' , ., , hours or so when they were stuck in minsk? ., ,, , ., , . hours or so when they were stuck in minsk? ., ,, i. , . ., hours or so when they were stuck in minsk? ., ~' i., , . ., ., minsk? thank you very much for now, sarah rainsford _ minsk? thank you very much for now, sarah rainsford from _ minsk? thank you very much for now, sarah rainsford from moscow. - thousands of couples in england 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. music plays how's that feel? is that 0k? yeah, feels good. others, though, haven't been as lucky. oh, wow. 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've had to move it to the 17th ofjuly, so we're really, really hopeful, and what we had to do was change our 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 all

restrictions will be lifted. emma's also keeping her fingers crossed. so it's been absolutely terrible. i i didn't work for a whole year, i had to put the mortgage on hold. it's not just financially, | it's also mentally, like, the mental side of things as well. had to get anotherjob, - but now things are looking up and i'm 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 a0 guests. with the current restrictions and social distancing it can hold up to 12. there've been 20 sets of rule changes to ceremonies since the first lockdown. some couples have moved their ceremony date five, six times so far. we've devised a new system for couples to get in touch and register interest and ask for things to be amended, and we've had around 6000 or so inquiries so far. but i promise to give you my loving friendship. beth and toby may have had to cut their guest list in half, scrap 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. hello! how does it feel? amazing! so great. fiona lamdin, bbc news. fightbacks on breaking news, in the last couple of minutes. —— some breaking news in the last couple of minutes. kim leadbeater, the sister of murdered batley and spen mp jo cox, has been named as labour's candidate for the constituency�*s by—election. that by—election was triggered when the previous mp was elected this month as west yorkshire's first metro mare. jo cox, you will recall, was murdered in 2016 by a far right extremist. hersister was murdered in 2016 by a far right extremist. her sister kim leadbeater is now to stand as labour's candidate. time to look at the

weather forecast with nick. more rain spreading across the uk today. a largely dry day going into the evening. heavy bursts clearing from northern ireland to sunny spells and scattered showers and parts of wales and south—west england, they're brightening up into the evening. another rather cool day and quite a windy day as well, strengthening southerlies along the south coast of england and wales, may cost around 50 mph in some spots. when clearing in most areas overnight, and still in very northern scotland want a mac heavy showers. —— rain clearing. cold and clearing up in northern ireland. a touch of frost in the coldest rural spots here. some will start tomorrow dry with some sunny spells. but england and wales see heavy, thundery showers and hail and rain across western scotland pushing down into northern ireland. it will still be quite blustery and with some of the shower is the winds could be quite dusty. still cool, though as the week goes on it slightly turns

—— turn slightly drier and a little warmer. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: two doses of the main covid vaccines used in the uk are found to be highly effective against the indian variant of the virus. government ministers deny claims, by the former downing street adviser dominic cummings, that they pursued a policy of herd immunity in dealing with the coronavirus last year. belarus forces a ryanair plane with an opposition activist onboard to land in minsk, sparking condemnation from the eu a mountain cable car has plunged to the ground in northern italy, killing at least 13 people. two injured children have been airlifted to hospital. lava from a volcanic eruption in the democratic republic of congo stops just short of the city of goma — prompting evacuees to return home. now, on bbc news, it's time for sportsday.