today at six... a met police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of sarah everard. she disappeared while walking home in march. her death sparked a national debate about the safety of women. wayne couzens accepts he killed ms everard, but he won't enter a plea until medical reports are completed. also tonight... more support for greater manchester to increase vaccinations and testing. people are being advised to minimise travel in or out of the area. it's where the indian or delta variant of covid is spreading fastest. i want to encourage everyone in manchester and lancashire to get the tests on offer. we know that this approach can work. the sun is out, the beaches are ready but where are the tourists?

anger across the travel industry over the government's travel guidance. how global crime gangs were tricked into sharing their secret plans. hundreds arrested in a worldwide sting organised by the fbi. let's hope gareth southgate�*s strikers are better at hitting the target. we're with the england camp as they prepare for the euros. and coming up on the bbc news channel... just days after the suspension of ollie robinson another england cricketer is investigated for posting offesive material. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the metropolitan police officer

wayne couzens has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping sarah everard. the 33—year—old went missing in march as she walked home from a friend's house in south london. her body was found a week later in woodland near ashford in kent. couzens made his appearance at the old bailey on a video link. the court heard he accepted responsibility for ms everard's death but he was not asked to enter a plea on the charge of murder. our special correspondent lucy manning is there for us. sarah everard's death shook the country. how could a young woman disappear on her way home? and it did galvanise women to talk about the sexual abuse and harassment they had received, but at its heart it was about the loss felt by the everard family. one can only feel immense sadness for her family as they sat in court today to hear

serving metropolitan police officer wayne couzens admits that he did kidnap and rape sarah. just walking home. sarah everard should have expected to get there safely and if she faced danger, a policeman should have helped. instead that police officer, wayne couzens, admitted today he had raped and kidnapped the 33—year—old. couzens, with his head bowed, twice replied, "guilty, sir," when asked how he wanted to plead. sarah everard disappeared while walking home by clapham common. today in court wayne couzens also accepted responsibility for her killing, but he wasn't asked to plead guilty or not guilty on the murder charge because the court wants medical reports before then. the marketing executive had so much to live for, a job in london, a boyfriend, a loving family. couzens was a police protection officer who gave her none. the everard family made the painful journey to court today.

they had described sarah as bright, beautiful, a shining example to us all. after she disappeared in march, a massive search led by the metropolitan police resulted in the shock that a kidnapper and rapist and suspected murderer was in their ranks. a week later, sarah's remains were finally discovered, hidden in woodland in kent 30 miles from couzens�* family home in deal. couzens is charged with murdering her some time between the 2nd and 10th of march. the loss of a daughter, sister and girlfriend cannot be fully comprehended, but the country reflected their grief, united in its sadness for the everard family, and its anger that women were not, and never have been, safe on the streets. from royalty to local residents, they came for sarah and for women everywhere. in a month wayne couzens

will appear in court again still accused of murder. an officer who has already betrayed his position and left so many women feeling unsafe, but most of all a betrayal of sarah everard and her right to arrive home safely. lucy manning, bbc news. the whole of manchester and parts of lancashire are going to be given extra support to fight off what is now the fastest spread of the delta variant of covid first indentified in india. there'll be increased testing and vaccinations. new guidance also recommends people "minimise travel in and out of the affected areas". so, joining bolton, which was already subject to surge testing, are the remaining nine boroughs of greater manchester. and to the north of the city blackburn and darwen isjoined by most of lancashire including burnley, preston and rossendale. our health corresopndent dominic hughes is in manchester.

well, george, here in greater manchester this evening it does feel all a little bit grimly familiar. greater manchester, along with big parts of lancashire are facing extra restrictions, the rest of the country simply does not. a big surge in cases of coronavirus across the north west. yet this time it is different. we have vaccines that work. these new measures are advised, they are not law, but it does feel a little bit like we have been here before. is it back to the bad old days for the north—west of england? a spike in covid cases linked to the delta variant first detected in india across greater manchester and much of lancashire has prompted what ministers are calling a "strengthened package of support", advice to travel less, test more and keep get—togethers outdoors. i want to encourage everyone in manchester and lancashire to get the test on offer. we know that this approach can work. we've seen it work in south london and in bolton in stopping a rise

in the number of cases. this is a part of the country that since the pandemic began, pretty much, has barely been out of restrictions. so, many people here in manchester and across northwest england may well view these new measures with an air of weary resignation. but ministers will point to what's happened in bolton, where a surge in cases linked to the indian variant has been successfully tackled with a mixture of a big push on vaccinations and testing. the infection rate in bolton — part of greater manchester — is now falling, but it took a concerted effort to reach parts of the community that found it hard to access testing or vaccinations. local leaders say they now want to see the same effort right across the region. this isn't about asking for more than greater manchester's fair share, it is about saying we've got an opportunity now with the resources on the ground and the extra support we have got from the military to go much faster

in the next three weeks. on a sun—soaked afternoon in manchester, students aiden and lib believe people are reaching the end of their tethers. a lot of people giving fed up. especially now it's like nice weather. i think people just want to go out and have fun, and... i don't think another lockdown would work, i don't think very many people would listen to it. we just don't really want to be indoors all the time. we want to get out and do stuff. and for this woman meeting a friend for the first time in nine months hopes this isn't the prelude to more restrictions. there has been lockdown after lockdown, so this bit of freedom that we're tasting, if that was also taken away, i don't know how people would cope mentally, physically, it'sjust exhausting. surge testing will help identify cases, but it's vaccinations that are the key to stopping the virus and will keep the gradual easing of restrictions we have all enjoyed on track.

so, now we are likely to see the sort of things we have been reporting on in—built and in recent weeks spread out across greater manchester and part of lancashire. that is things like surge testing, people going door—to—door to test people, military support on the streets, there is vaccination buses going to communities. they will be going to communities. they will hoping that the success they have seenin hoping that the success they have seen in bolton can be replicated across the region. the latest official figures on the pandemic show that in the past 2a hours 13 deaths were reported and there have been 6,048 new infections, which means an average of 5,526 new cases per day in the last week. nearly 113,000 people received a first dose of the vaccine in the latest 24—hour period, meaning more than 40.5 million people have now had their first jab 77% of uk adults. jab, 77% of uk adults. while the number of people who've

had their second dose of the vaccine in the latest 24—hour period is over 306,000. more than 28.2 million have had both doses, meaning 53.6% of uk adults are fully vaccinated. the boss of ryanair, michael o'leary, has been scathing in its criticism of the government's travel policy. there has been widespread condemnation across the travel industry following the decision to switch portugal from the green list to amber. but the government insists people should not be travelling to destinations on either the amber or the red lists. the deep blues of greece's islands, the mediterranean coves in spain and the mediterranean coves in spain and the sun—drenched beaches of portugal, all now on the amber list, legal to go to bat against government advice. there were few passengers heading out this morning from gatwick. i

passengers heading out this morning from gatwick— from gatwick. i 'ust think they should make _ from gatwick. i 'ust think they should make it _ from gatwick. i just think they should make it red _ from gatwick. i just think they should make it red or - from gatwick. i just think they should make it red or green, l from gatwick. i just think they i should make it red or green, you should make it red or green, you should go or you cannot. to should make it red or green, you should go or you cannot.- should make it red or green, you should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not — should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not seen _ should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not seen my _ should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not seen my family _ should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not seen my family for- should go or you cannot. to be fair, i have not seen my family for a - i have not seen my family for a while, — i have not seen my family for a while, so — i have not seen my family for a while, so i _ i have not seen my family for a while, so i will be going regardless. while, so i will be going reuardless. ., ., , regardless. psychologically i feel i need to 90- _ regardless. psychologically i feel i need to go. gatwick— regardless. psychologically i feel i need to go. gatwick is _ regardless. psychologically i feel i need to go. gatwick is very - regardless. psychologically i feel i need to go. gatwick is very quiet i need to go. gatwick is very quiet today, only 60 flights in or out. the industry never thought it would reach 2019 passenger levels if people stayed in the uk, but it also did not predict there would be so few countries on the green list and it is still trying to work out how that affects its operations. operators are deciding whether to fly to amber list countries anyway. jet2 has currently decided it will not. q jet2 has currently decided it will not. �* . , ., jet2 has currently decided it will not. . ., jet2 has currently decided it will not. �* . i. ., not. a family of four coming back with all those _ not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, _ not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, it _ not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, it is - not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, it is a - not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, it is a lot - not. a family of four coming back with all those tests, it is a lot of| with all those tests, it is a lot of money, people cannot afford it. it is all right for white collar workers to say i can go into quarantine, if you are a hospitality or a supermarket worker, you cannot do that. therefore, it is a nonstarter for a lot of our

customers.— nonstarter for a lot of our customers. ., , ., ., , ~ customers. other operators like eas jet customers. other operators like easyjet and _ customers. other operators like easyjet and ryanair _ customers. other operators like easyjet and ryanair are - customers. other operators like easyjet and ryanair are flying i customers. other operators like easyjet and ryanair are flying to easyjet and ryanair are flying to amber destinations, although flights are not full. ministers today said people should not be travelling there for holidays.— people should not be travelling there for holidays. many people, m self there for holidays. many people, myself included, _ there for holidays. many people, myself included, are _ there for holidays. many people, myself included, are coming - there for holidays. many people, myself included, are coming to l there for holidays. many people, l myself included, are coming to the conclusion that we should all be staying at home and enjoying the beautiful weather here in the uk. you should not be travelling to countries on that amber list or the red list. , , ,._ , countries on that amber list or the red list. , , , red list. the industry says it is causina red list. the industry says it is causing more _ red list. the industry says it is causing more confusion. - red list. the industry says it is causing more confusion. i - red list. the industry says it is causing more confusion. i can| red list. the industry says it is - causing more confusion. i can see no better reason — causing more confusion. i can see no better reason for _ causing more confusion. i can see no better reason for people _ causing more confusion. i can see no better reason for people not - causing more confusion. i can see no better reason for people not to - better reason for people not to travel abroad to europe this summer, other than to avoid incompetent ministers who will be holidaying at home. why are these government ministers telling vaccinated, british citizens and their families that they should stay—at—home? it is mindless and makes no sense. the next review — mindless and makes no sense. the next review of _ mindless and makes no sense. the next review of countries to go on the list will happen in less than three weeks' time, but at the moment the industry feels the tide is pulling against them.

a number of major websites are back online after a widespread outage that left many unable to access critical services such as the uk government's website. gov.uk was among a list of sites affected, the location for things like passport applications and vehicle taxing. some newspaper websites were affected too. the problem was caused by a technical hitch linked to an external services company. a worldwide sting organised by the fbi has led to the arrests of hundreds of suspected members of organised crime. gangs around the world were tricked into using a secure messaging app. what they didn't know is that the app was developed by agents who were able to monitor millions of messages about drug dealing, money laundering and planned murders. our security correspondent gordon corera has the story. a shipment of tuna cans coming from ecuador into europe with more than 600 kilos of cocaine hidden inside,

all discovered by law enforcement. more cocaine wrapped up with a batman label, a picture of it sent on a phone that criminals thought was secure, but which was really a trap. that trap was sprung today. law enforcement around the world made their move with a wave of arrests against multiple, organised crime groups. criminals believe that using a system called anonymous secure their communications, the problem big was the person behind it was an undercover informant for the fbi. they started by giving 50 devices to criminals in australia, people like this man now on the run, who in turn recommended it to others, unwittingly helping the authorities. so how did it all work? the system was run by the fbi and australian federal police who were able to access communications between 10,000 devices. 20 million messages were intercepted from more

than 90 countries. details about drug deals, money—laundering and planned mergers were accessed. it was effectively a wiretap on the criminal underworld around the globe. the biggest users of the device were in germany, spain, the netherlands, serbia and australia. there are some investigations in the uk, although the device was not widely used here. the uk, although the device was not widely used here.— uk, although the device was not widely used here. the amount of intelligence _ widely used here. the amount of intelligence that _ widely used here. the amount of intelligence that we _ widely used here. the amount of intelligence that we received - widely used here. the amount ofj intelligence that we received was staggering. from seizing drugs, guns and millions of dollars in multiple currencies, to addressing more than 150 threats to life. in currencies, to addressing more than 150 threats to life.— 150 threats to life. in australia there have _ 150 threats to life. in australia there have been _ 150 threats to life. in australia there have been more - 150 threats to life. in australia there have been more than . 150 threats to life. in australia | there have been more than 200 arrests. police say the information even helped thwart a machine—gun attack in a cafe. and in europe today there was more evidence of the operation's success. for today there was more evidence of the operation's success.— operation's success. for nine months we have been — operation's success. for nine months we have been receiving _ operation's success. for nine months we have been receiving intelligence | we have been receiving intelligence to build criminal cases and we have

also had information that has helped us to prevent more than ten planned mergers within sweden. this operation — mergers within sweden. this operation has _ mergers within sweden. this operation has dealt - mergers within sweden. this operation has dealt a serious blow to organised crime, not only because of those arrested, but because those still at large will not be sure who or what they can trust. gordon corera, bbc news. the time is 16 minutes past six. our top story this evening... a met police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of sarah everard. wayne couzens accepts he killed ms everard, but he won't enter a plea till medical reports are completed. and coming up — the british banger and why it's taking centre stage in a row about post—brexit trading arrangements. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel... we'll be live in baku as wales make their final preparations ahead of the delayed euro 2020. they face switzerland in their first match on saturday.

just days before england start their euros campaign, marcus rashford has told the bbc that taking the knee sends a powerful message and the team will continue to do it. there were boos from a small section of fans when the team made the anti—racism gesture at the start of their final warm—up game against romania on sunday. natalie pirks look at the challenges the team will face — both on and off the field. it's important in tournaments to get off to a winning start. gareth southgate played the media at darts today hoping to continue a relationship that's been largely supportive, unlike a vocal minority of fans lately. so the game about to begin, well, that is quite a reaction. to the players taking the knee. that is... that was a lot of booing there. players kneeling for racial equality has proved a gesture

to divisive for some. for any supporters who continue to boo during the tournament, though, recent england captain, marcus rashford has a message. we're notjust going to quit because some people disagree with it for whatever reasons, so that is our thought process behind it. we are going to stick at it. we believe that it's a strong and powerful message, and because we believe that, why will be not do it in a massive european tournament? if people are booing, i feel like that's something they need to address with themselves as to why they are booing it. rather optimistically, southgate says they'll park talk of booing fans now and move on to football. the big dilemma he has is how to balance exuberance with experience. he has a squad full of attacking players playing most of their games at home. it's been a while since england could say that.

25 years ago was the summer of three lions penalty heartbreak and gazza. oh, brilliant! oh, yes! oh, yes! the semi final reached by england then remains their best effort at a euros. fast forward to today, when the most exciting young talent is sporting a freshly bleached barnet. no, i don't mind that. i think he's a great player, so i don't mind that at all. phil folden has had a breakthrough season for champions manchester city. he wasn't born in �*96, but feels this team can go even further. i think we have a great balance on the squad. yeah, i think we where really strong this time, and i think we can win it. it's gone behind! england are out of the . european championship! southgate showed motivational video highlights this morning, this defeat to iceland

at the last euros won't have been on it. but they are onto the semis in russia that's captivated the nation. including croatia on sunday, the same opponents that ended the world cup adventure. it is croatia's night in moscow. the difference this time? expectations are much higher. natalie pirks, bbc news. the environment secretary, george eustice, has said it would be "bonkers" if sausages made in great britain couldn't be sold in northern ireland because of the row about post—brexit border arrangements. britain is considering extending a grace period so that shops in northern ireland can continue selling chilled meats produced in the rest of the uk. but brussels has warned it will act firmly if the uk doesn't stick to the letter of the northern ireland protocol. here's our ireland correspondent, emma vardy. keeping supermarket shelves are stocked in northern ireland has become a lot more complicated since the uk left the eu. and the movement of chilled meat products like sausages

and chicken nuggets from britain is about to be banned when a grace period finishes at the end of this month. there is an outright ban, a prohibition on those goods flowing. so it's not possible to comply, and we have to ask questions in the cold light of day, does it really make sense to ban the sale of sausages and chicken nuggets manufactured in great britain from being sold anywhere in northern ireland? clearly, that is bonkers. the uk government has already upset the eu by unilaterally changing the dates on when new rules for food products come into force. now it risks doing that again. unless it gets some agreement, shops in northern ireland will no longer be able to buy the likes of scottish haggis and cumberland sausages any more. the brexit deal meant that food which comes over the irish sea from britain is now subject to new paperwork and checks to avoid checks on the sensitive land border with the irish republic. but the new arrangements are still causing disruption for businesses.

uk suppliers are now only waking up to the realities of paperwork and complexity of moving goods to gb to n! happening at ports, hauliers are having hassles. loyalists believe the new brexit arrangements are a betrayal of northern ireland and a weakening of their british identity. our prime minister, borisjohnson, who sold northern ireland down the _ river to achieve his brexit! protest parades are now regularly being held. how to approach the tensions over brexit will be one of the biggest challenges for northern ireland's new first minister. it was announced today he is the man nominated to take over from arlene foster. the uk and eu meet tomorrow, but the supermarket industry urge both sides to find compromise. it's going to be up

to the uk and the eu, what we need them to do is live up to their commitments, where they said that the protocol would be put in place with the least disruption to northern ireland communities. the eu has warned that if the uk takes matters into its own hands again by changing the rules of the deal, there could be financial consequences. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. let's take a look at some of today's other news stories. the government says it's delaying the launch of a central database of gp records in england. the system had been due to start at the beginning of next month, but has been pushed back to september. the nhs and doctors' leaders had expressed concern about patients not having enough time to learn about the system, and decide whether to opt out or not. prince charles has welcomed the birth of the duke and duchess of sussex's daughter as "happy news". the prince became a grandfatherfor the fifth time following the birth of lilibet diana windsor on friday. he made the comments while touring the mini production plant at cowley near oxford. former bosnian serb commander ratko mladic has lost his appeal against a 2017 conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

un judges upheld mladic�*s life sentence for his role in the killing of around 8,000 bosnian muslim men and boys in srebrenica in 1995. french president emmanuel macron has been slapped in the face during an official visit to the south—east of france. the incident happened outside the city of valence and was captured on a video circulating on social media. french media reported that two men have been arrested. next month's by—election in batley and spen is being seen as a big test for the labour party. the seat — held by labour's tracey brabin until she stood down to become mayor of west yorkshire — is a must—win for the party. but it's a tight contest, with the tories pushing hard to build on recent wins in traditional labour areas in the region. a number of smaller parties are also standing. our political correspondent alex forsyth has been talking to voters and party members. the pitch is rolled and it's all to play for. these voters are at the heart

of a fierce contest to choose their next mp, and at this local bowls club they know what they want delivered. the bus service is not all that brilliant for people like older people who need them. the high street, probably. it's very sad in batley, i think. many here talk of the need to understand an area that can feel overlooked. the conservatives know what working men's aspirations are, whereas the labour party usually tell us what our aspirations are. the tories have recently shifted the political landscape, tapping into frustration in post—industrial areas with the promise of a better future. it's what their candidate, ryan stevenson, wants to replicate in this once—thriving textile town. and this local community leader and new tory member thinks there is a chance. i think it's just about people not feeling that, look, just because i'm born in a certain town or live in a certain town,

i'm never going to be able to earn as much money or get as good a job as somebody in the south. if that perception can change but it's backed up by real opportunities, then i think people will be happy about that. but labour's roots here do run deep. we only do it for labour. working class will vote for labour, always have done and always will do. this was the seat ofjo cox before she was murdered. her legacy is still felt. now her sister, kim leadbeater, is standing for labour, pledging to be a local champion. and this party member and local volunteer thinks their candidate's community ties could be key. for a long time since the mantra of the northern powerhouse, we haven't actually seen anything change on the ground, and the increase in poverty over the last ten years has been really sad for me to watch. so that's why i think the labour party needs to win. there's a lot at stake in this contest for the two main parties, but, in particular, labour. a win here is crucial after the party's recent losses in the region.

but the contest here is complicated, with different factors at play. at the general election, a local independent party came third with a chunk of the vote, and this time a host of smaller parties and some high profile candidates are standing. among them, george galloway, a controversial former mp who's causing nerves in labour with his pitch to the area's sizeable muslim community. at this local centre, which focuses on welfare and wellbeing, there is scepticism among the more senior members about the political mainstream. why do we only have two main parties? why is there just, you know, labour or conservative? you know, how democratic is that? i'm going to be thinking a lot more than what i used to do before. a lot of people in this constituency, that's what they'll be doing as well. this will be a fierce fight, with so much at stake for the political contenders and the community too. alex forsyth, bbc news, batley and spen.

and you can find a full list of candidates on the bbc website — that's bbc. co. uk. a 17—month—old black labrador called molly has had a miraculous escape after a freak accident resulted in a metre—long stick penetrating her body. it missed her major organs by a fraction, and vets were able to remove it without causing any major damage. phil mackie's report has images of the injury and the surgery that saved molly's life. this was molly two months ago, impaled on a giant stick. but don't worry. here she is today, all better. she's full of energy and that sometimes gets her into trouble — like the day she chased her ball down a bank. her owner, amy, heard a sudden squeal and found molly with a stick in her chest. i thought that was it then, because half of it was out, and where it went in, itjust looked like it could have gone straight through. we didn't know what to do,

but we just knew we had to get help as soon as we could. hi, there. hi, molly. how are you doing? _ she's back today for a check—up with the man who operated on her. just a little bit of a scar there. the x—rays show how far the stick had gone in, narrowly missing some major organs. the stick wasjust underneath her lung, and then it had gone through her diaphragm. and again, similarly, it sort of moved her liver, it wasjust moved upward so it could have, you know, if it had been a little bit further up, it could have quite easily have lacerated her liver and then she could have bled really severely. what's it like seeing molly now? it's great to see them walking out, fixed and happy with their owners. that's the best bit, really. so molly is clearly a lot better now. there you go, molly. and it's amazing, really, considering this is the stick that went in and this is the rest of it — a metre long — and she's completely fine. but for now, it's safe, open spaces and soft toys, and nothing sharp to be seen anywhere.

phil mackie, bbc news, derby. thank goodness, a happy ending. time for a look at the weather here's matt taylor. good evening. even with some cloudy skies today in northern ireland, temperatures are humid 19 degrees and that's because we are dragging their all the way from the mid—atlantic. if you follow the air bag you will notice waiting in the wings yet more cloud. if you had a lot of sunshine today, expect more over the next few days which will bring some drizzle in the west, the odd heavier burst later in the night. most will be dry, clear skies across england, wales and eastern scotland, but note the temperatures, double figures. they are creeping up day by day so quite a humid start to tomorrow, especially scotland and northern ireland where there will be further cloud and outbreaks of rain. a lot more cloud to north—west

england and wales tomorrow with patchy drizzle just about