this is bbc news. the headlines at six... the health secretary says the delta variant of the coronavirus is 40% more transmissible and the government is "open" to delaying the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in england due onjune the 21st. that does make life more challenging for everybody. and you have seen that the case rates have risen a little. but, the good news is that hospitalisations, the number of people arriving at hospital is broadly flat. coronavirus cases in the uk rise by 49% in one week. 5,31” new covid cases were recorded in the last 2a hours. vaccinations are being opened up to the under—30s this week in the drive to offer covid jabs to all adults in england. the duke and duchess of sussex announce the birth of a baby daughter, who they have named lilibet diana — she was born

on friday in california. a two—minute silence has been held at the british normandy memorial to honour more than 22,000 members of the armed forces, who died after the d—day landings. may god bless our veterans, the families and all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice as a result of the operations around d—day and during the battle of normandy. around 100 veterans who were unable to travel to france because of the pandemic laid wreaths at the national memorial arboretum. and movie and tv stars have started to arrive to the baftas red carpet, but some as just a hologram. that's the baftas, pandemic—style.

good afternoon. —— good evening. the health secretary matt hancock says the new delta variant of coronavirus, first recorded in india, is about 40% more infectious than the version detected in kent. he said this increased transmissibility is making "more difficult" the decision on whether to lift all remaining restrictions in england on thejune the 21st. he stated that the government is "open" to a delay if needed. but mr hancock told the bbc that the number of people needing hospital treatment was "broadly flat", which means the vaccines are working. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. everyjab in every arm is another brick in a wall of immunity. but will it hold back the delta variant,

which has led to a sharp increase in cases? ministers have just eight days before they must decide whether to lift all remaining restrictions in england. the good news is that the hospitalisations, the number of people in hospital, is broadly flat and the majority appear to be those who have not had a vaccine at all and only a small minority are people who have had both jabs. around three quarters of cases caused by the delta variant are in unvaccinated people. just one in 25 are in those who have had both doses. although the variant seems more likely to cause severe illness, those in hospital are generally younger and recovering more quickly than patients admitted overwinter. scientists advising the government are uncertain about what the weeks may bring in terms of the impact on the nhs.

if hospitalisation rates remain flat, there will be a further easing of restrictions, possibly retaining the need to wear face coverings on public transport, maybe still encouraging people to work from home. and there were mixed views in london today about whether all remaining restrictions should be lifted on 21stjune. i would say yes, if you're not i vaccinated, i could understand not being comfortable. i would sit next to someone as long as they were wearing a mask. it wouldn't bother me if we waited untiljuly, because of the variant. i think that element of caution might be worthwhile in the long run. bolton, which was the area worst hit by the new variant, is now seeing a decline in cases and more importantly a fall in the number of covid hospital patients,

which remained lower than in previous peaks. in england, booking will open this week for the under 30s to get their first dose of vaccine. with 27 million people now fully immunised, many of those will be wondering when legal restrictions on their freedoms to meet and travel will be lifted. our medical editor fergus walsh explained why the so—called delta variant was causing concern. the question is, is it going to be a wave this summer, or a ripple? what we didn't know three weeks ago is that the vaccine does work and give strong protection against the delta variant. two doses. not 100%, but very high protection. ministers and scientists are going to need every scrap of data in the coming week before

they make a decision on further unlocking. it is finely balanced. so although it is more transmissible, the vaccine is building this wall of immunity. we may get an autumn immunisation campaign for children, but scientists are divided about whether that will be needed. the latest government figures on coronavirus show four people the government has published its latest coronavirus figures. the number of infections across the uk are continuing to rise — with an a further 5,31” confirmed cases of the virus. but the number of daily deaths remains low with another 4 people

have died within 28 days of testing positive for covid—19. 0n the vaccine front, over 27.6 million people have now received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine — which means 52.5% of the uk adult population are now fully vaccinated. the prime minister borisjohnson will urge leaders at the upcoming g7 summit to commit to vaccinating the whole world against coronavirus, by the end of next year. mrjohnson will lay out his plan at a summit of advanced economies in cornwall on friday — the first face—to—face meeting of the g7 since the start of the pandemic. the duke and duchess of sussex, have announced the birth of their second child — a daughter — on friday. the couple — who have not released any photos of the new baby — have named her lilibet or lili diana mountbatten—windsor, after her grandmother and great—grandmother. the couple now live in the us — let's speak to our correspondent in los angeles david willis. another much anticipated baby has arrived. it another much anticipated baby has arrived. . , another much anticipated baby has arrived. ., , ., , arrived. it has indeed. that news breakin: arrived. it has indeed. that news breaking of— arrived. it has indeed. that news breaking of the _ arrived. it has indeed. that news breaking of the couple's - arrived. it has indeed. that news breaking of the couple's website | breaking of the couple's website just over an hour ago. early in the

morning here in california. the news that she gave birth on friday at the santa barbara college hospital near the couple's home, their adopted home in montecito, california, friday morning, 11:40am, 7pm, 7:40pm and in time on friday. both mother and in time on friday. both mother and baby are said to be doing well. prince harry we are told was in attendance and the first nine lilibet as you mentioned is a nod to her majesty the queen's nickname and the middle name is of course that of harry's mother. the baby is eighth in line to the british throne and the couple said in a statement on during the fourth, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter lili, she is more than we could ever

have imagined and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we have fell from across the globe. thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for ourfamily. mother and support during this very special time for ourfamily. motherand baby are now back at the couple's home in montecito and of course archie now has a baby sister, he was born a couple of years ago and now we welcome lilibet. did couple of years ago and now we welcome lilibet.— couple of years ago and now we welcome lilibet. , , ., ., ., welcome lilibet. did you mention how much she weighs? _ welcome lilibet. did you mention how much she weighs? £7 _ welcome lilibet. did you mention how much she weighs? £7 and _ welcome lilibet. did you mention how much she weighs? £7 and 11 _ welcome lilibet. did you mention how much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i l much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told- that _ much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is _ much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is a _ much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is a good _ much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is a good size - much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is a good size i - much she weighs? £7 and 11 ounces i am told. that is a good size i have i am told. that is a good size i have to sa . i am told. that is a good size i have to say- i can _ am told. that is a good size i have to say- i can only _ am told. that is a good size i have to say. i can only commiserate - am told. that is a good size i have l to say. i can only commiserate with the duchess. to say. i can only commiserate with the duches— the duchess. yes, i have to be honest, the duchess. yes, i have to be honest. i _ the duchess. yes, i have to be honest, i don't _ the duchess. yes, i have to be honest, i don't know _ the duchess. yes, i have to be honest, i don't know a - the duchess. yes, i have to be honest, i don't know a lot - the duchess. yes, i have to be. honest, i don't know a lot about babies but i am told that is a very good sign —— size ai. babies but i am told that is a very good sign —— size ali babies but i am told that is a very good sign —— size ai. i do babies but i am told that is a very good sign -- size 41.— babies but i am told that is a very good sign -- size 41. i do and you are right. — good sign -- size 41. i do and you are right. it— good sign -- size 41. i do and you are right, it is. _ good sign -- size 41. i do and you

are right, it is. there _ good sign -- size 41. i do and you are right, it is. there are - good sign -- size 41. i do and you are right, it is. there are no - are right, it is. there are no photos of lilibet either, but they will be snapped up all around the world when they are. the? will be snapped up all around the world when they are.— world when they are. they most certainly well — world when they are. they most certainly well and _ world when they are. they most certainly well and one _ world when they are. they most certainly well and one of- world when they are. they most certainly well and one of the - certainly well and one of the reasons for coming here to california was to get away from the british paparazzi. they have achieved that to a certain extent, it has to be said, but this has been a tumultuous yearfor it has to be said, but this has been a tumultuous year for them. there was that bombshell interview with 0prah was that bombshell interview with oprah winfrey just was that bombshell interview with 0prah winfreyjust a couple of months ago back in march this year in which all sorts of things were raised, including palace concerns apparently about the complexion of baby archie's skin. in that interview prince harry also revealed that he had been cut off essentially from royalfunding and he that he had been cut off essentially from royal funding and he was concerned about being able to protect his family and grant them the security that they needed to hear. he went on to say that he had been financing that from the estate

of his late mother diana. a lot of interest, and of course prince harry has also taken part in a programme, a series with 0prah has also taken part in a programme, a series with oprah winfrey on apple tv about the whole subject of mental health, so there has been a lot of airing of linen in public over the last few months as part as the couple is concerned. she also revealed of course that this time last year she had suffered a miscarriage, and she wrote a little while after that in the new york times that the grief that came with losing a child was almost unbearable. well, now the couple have two mac young and apparently healthy young children.— healthy young children. some good news. healthy young children. some good news- thank _ healthy young children. some good news. thank you _ healthy young children. some good news. thank you very _ healthy young children. some good news. thank you very much. - the british normandy memorial for those who died in the d—day campaign during world war two has been officially opened on the 77th anniversary of the allied invasion of nazi—occupied france. the names of nearly 22,500 servicemen and women are inscribed on 160 columns overlooking

gold beach, one of the three british landing sites in france. hugh schofield reports now from ver—sur—mer. at last the veterans have a focal points where future generations can learn of d—day and honour the names of thousands who sacrificed their lives. the ceremony was simple and attended by a small number of people. there were virtually no veterans in france. instead, in less clement weather many gathered in britain and watched proceedings by a live transmission. i can only hope that this serves to commemorate all those whose live were lost during the events ofjune 1944 and between d—day and the liberation of paris

at the end of august 1944. there was a two minute silence to honour the 22,000 names on the columns of memorial. and then the uk's ambassador in paris declared the memorial open. the memorial was only completed a few weeks ago and there are few visitors at the moment. as a result the scale and the beauty of the place have come to many as a surprise. it is set on a hill looking down on gold beach, where thousands came ashore. built in pale limestone, there is a central templ like structure with a statue and the cloister of pillars with the names of the dead

and the dates they died. for the veterans watching in england today, a fit place to remember their friends and comrades. it should have been done years ago when we were alive. i'm in me 100th year, i'm lucky. i think it is wonderful, it is marvellous they can put this show on like this 77 years after. in france, the red arrows flew past in homage to the dead and then the memorial became what it is destined to remain, a place of contemplation and quiet memory. more than 1700 charities, business leaders and academics have signed a letter warning that government cuts to foreign aid of almost £4 billion a year will hit the world's poorest communities and mean families go hungry. conservative mps are threatening

a rebellion in the commons tomorrow. ministers say the pandemic means spending has to be temporarily cut, and it will still spend more than £10 billion this year on aid. here's our political correspondent chris mason. scrubbing floors, struggling to reach the shelves. sayuida is nine years old and works as a servant to earn money for herfamily in bangladesh. these pictures were given to us by a charity which secured permission to do this filming. sayida would love to go to school. the uk bangladesh education trust applied for government funding to expand its programme to help girls working as domestic servants learn to read, write and count,

but it was told the fund from which it hoped to get a grant had closed because of cuts to the foreign aid budget. 0ver1700 charities, businesse leaders and academics have now signed a letter pleading with the government to change its mind. in it they write that without an about turn, the uk's credibility and voice on the international stage will be undermined. we don't snatch the one textbook it has ever had in its life from its only tin shack school. more than 30 conservative mps, including the former prime minister theresa may, hope to secure and win a vote in the commons tomorrow to compel the government to change tack. to go back on our commitments, these are legal commitments as well as manifesto commitments, in the middle of a pandemic where none of us will be safe from covid until all of us are safe and where britain is about to lead the g7 conference this week in cornwall, it is a terrible

error ofjudgment. but ministers insist... l i think it is reasonable at a time i of this enormous economic challenge as well as of course the health | challenge, to take this action. j if you think about it... really? we have had a once in 300 years economic interruption. _ the government's supporters argue that you would never recommend a neighbour went into debt to donate to charity and the same logic holds true for the country. chris mason, bbc news. one of the charities which has signed a letter to the government is save the children — it says cuts to the uk aid budget have caused "devastation" in the world's poorest communities. kirsty mcneill, who is the executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns there, explained what the cut would mean to the people who need it. we see that lives are on the line tomorrow with this vote. to make itjust very tangible, yemen, the world's worst

humanitarian catastrophe, over 90% of children in yemen need humanitarian aid. that is the very aid that keeps them alive, food and medicine, and yet uk aid to yemen has gone down by 60%. syria, an entire generation of syrian children have known nothing but war, and yet the uk has cut aid to syrians by a third. south sudan, two thirds of people are food insecure, and yet, uk aid has gone down by a third. in country after country after country, we see that lives are on the line. this is not an abstract question or a political one, it's one about saving lives. the headlines on bbc news... the health secretary says the delta variant of the coronavirus is 40% more transmissible and the government is �*open' to delaying the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in england due onjune the 21st. coronavirus cases in the uk

rise by 49% in one week. 5,341 new covid cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. the duke and duchess of sussex announce the birth of a baby daughter, who they have named lilibet diana — she was born on friday in california. two teenage boys have been charged with the murder of dea—john reid, who was stabbed on monday. in total five people have now been charged in connection with his death. the 14—year—old was killed in the kingstanding area of birmingham. west midlands police are appealing for more information from the public. kent county council says child migrants arriving at dover may be turned away within days, because its services are being overwhelmed. the council has taken the first steps of legal action against the home secretary priti patel, saying other local authorities should take �*their fair share'. according to the council, 242 child migrants have arrived on kent shores this year, but only 52 have been moved to other

local authorities under a voluntary transfer scheme. as the covid wave intensifies in india, even children are at risk. in the southern state of karnataka over 140,000 children have been reportedly infected between march and may. in some cases where family members have been hospitalised as well, children are struggling to get even basic care. the bbc�*s devina gupta reports. a father's heartbreaking moment. his ten—year—old daughter was in the covid ward here. she was hospitalised after her diabetes got worse. he is not allowed to meet her.

in another covid ward here a nurse is trying to feed a four—year—old. his parents tested positive and are admitted to a different hospital. as more families get infected health workers are becoming caretaker of sad children as well. in the last three months over 140,000 children have been infected because of covid in the state of karnataka alone. doctors here have told me most have not required hospitalisation and are only exhibiting milder symptoms but the real challenge in such cases is when parents or guardians of hospitalised and even their own extended family

members or members of the community do not want to take care of the children because of the fear of transmission of the virus. and that's where a group of volunteers are trying to lend a helping hand. this covid care centre is only for children in bangalore, an option that didn't exist for parents until now. paediatric nurses and doctors here not only monitor children's health, but they also engage them in different activities to overcome their covid anxiety. this looks like a hospital but the children feel very happy because they watch movies and play a lot of games, so the children are feeling very much at home. for 32 children here this place is becoming an emotional sanctuary, but this is a small start. experts say paediatric facilities in india are woefully short for covid emergencies. there are 70 units. we need to train, how to look

after paediatric patients. that is where more funding is required for india to save the future of this and the next generations to come. a host of stars are attending this year's bafta television awards this evening, both in physical and virtualform. nominated shows this year include sir steve mcqueen's bbc anthology series small axe, which is up for six awards in four categories, as well as other dramas including i may destroy you — which is nominated in four catagories — and the crown. earlier i spoke to vick hope, who is hosting the red carpet show. me and stacey have been running around the red carpet, just like naughty schoolgirls, so excited to see people in the flesh first of all, and be all dressed up. the people who have been inside our tv screens this last year and given us solace,

connected us when we have been isolated. tv has been so important and so special, it has educated, informed, entertained, given us escape, so pretty excited. stacey dooley is your co—host, who are you particularly looking forward to seeing? i imagine some of the people you enjoyed watching most. michaela coel, hands down. i may destroy you is the best bit of tv i have ever seen in terms of the writing, acting, the way it is directed and also the conversations it starts and the subjects that sometimes which are triggering but which need to be had. it made me rethink a lot of things i knew about the world and about myself. good tv, same as a good book, it is something you can lose yourself in but find yourself in, i may destroy you did that for so many people. i would love to see michaela coel and the rest

of her team win for that, because it was just magnificent. she has got quite a few nominations, alongside steve mcqueen for small axe. you have holograms for the people who cannot make it, how will that work? magic and technology. the virgin media customers and our audience will not be able to be here, we have managed to beam them onto the red carpet so that they get the full experience of the celebrities they love, the tv stars who have entertained them, they can ask questions to their favourite actors, directors, and we get to chat to them and say thank you for watching, and being there, and also it is a good chance to find out what they have been enjoying, because we also have the virgin media must see moment award, the only one voted for by the fans. whether it is talking to your families or scrolling on social media, the traction moments have got, we have been able

to connect with the fans while they are at home, hologram them into these little outfits, they have sparklyjumpsuits and elvis suits that they can wear, their head appears inside a hologram and we get to bring them to the red carpet. it has been magical. have you rehearsed it? we have just finished the red carpet and everyone has gone in, the awards will be happening later tonight, but it is all happening. i have been running around and am overwhelmed by all the activity and glitz and glamour, but it is all happening and it is really fun. tonight, 7pm, bbc one, you mustn't miss it, it will be great. good plug, thank you for reminding everybody. don't forget! how many people will be there watching? it has to be socially distanced. tonight it's just the nominees and citation readers, presenters, myself and stacey are presenting the award for best

entertainment programme. that will be exciting. a small stripped down closed audience, richard ayoade is hosting again, brilliant, very funny. when there is a smattering of applause, i feel like everyone is so appreciative of the television that has been really important to us over the last year, i think we're going to really be showing as much appreciation as we can, despite being small in numbers, so hopefully there will be support and cheers and a good atmosphere. rather excited, isn't she? it starts at 7pm on bbc one. now to something that's captured the imagination of millions of people across china. a herd of wild elephants that has been moving northwards over the course of several months. they began theirjourney in a nature reserve in yunnan province and — after 500 kilometres — they've now reached the outskirts of the city of kunming. tim allman reports.

day after day, week after week, month after month, the elephants are on the march. 15 of them, heading northwards, for reasons known only to themselves. occasionally, the smaller members of the group need a helping hand, or trunk, to get them on the way. translation: such a situation has happened for the _ first time in history. it has never happened before, so everyone is thinking about the reasons. it remains to be further observed and studied. it is not entirely clear when their odyssey began but some suggest they set out as early as december, the animals forging a trail through the chinese countryside, occasionally straying into towns and villages, even helping themselves to something to eat as theirjourney progressed. translation: they like to go| to areas frequented by humans as there's plenty of food. the asian elephants take such areas as their habitats. the authorities have deployed

thousands of people to evacuate homes, block off roads and try to lure the animals away from the local population but they have now reached a major city of more than six million people. what they plan to do next is anyone's guess. tim allman, bbc news. four giant cooling towers at a former power station in staffordshire have been demolished today. this was the scene this morning at rugeley power station which closed in 2016. each 384—foot tower used to cool six million gallons of water in an hour. the demolition was delayed for 20 minutes, to prevent a clash with a ceremony at the region's national memorial arboretum, and crowds were urged to stay away due to covid restrictions. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there.

we saw a few showers across parts of england and wales today. elsewhere it was dry. now, tomorrow is looking pretty similar, with parts of england and wales, particularly northern and eastern england, seeing some showers into the afternoon, some of which will be heavy. now, this is the weather front which has been destabilising the atmosphere across england and wales, bringing more cloud and the showers today. those showers will tend to ease away through this evening, and then overnight most places will be dry with lengthy clear spells. a little patchy cloud here and there. under clear spells, further north we could see a little bit of mist developing. temperatures dipping into single figures across parts of scotland, but for northern ireland, i think with much of england and wales should hold into double figures to start monday morning. now, there will be a lot of dry weather around tomorrow with some sunshine, a bit of cloud here and there. and as the temperatures begin to lift into the afternoon, we could see some showers develop from north wales, north midlands, northern and eastern england. some of these could be heavy and thundery. perhaps a little bit warmer across the board tomorrow. 20 celsius in glasgow, 23 celsius in london.