Hugo Bachega
BBC News

The intrusions by illegal miners in indigenous reserves in the Brazilian Amazon intensified last year, as the pandemic hit the region and authorities limited field work to avoid the spread of Covid-19.

That meant devastation in the world's largest rainforest, a huge carbon store that helps slow down global warming, caused by mining soared.

In the Yanomami territory alone - Brazil's largest indigenous reserve, which has an area similar to Portugal - an area equivalent to 500 football fields was destroyed in 2020, according to one estimate.

Miners have also polluted rivers with mercury, used to separate gold from mud, and are blamed for bringing alcohol, drugs and Covid-19 into remote communities. Across the Amazon, more than 1,100 indigenous people have died with the virus.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks in one particular village, where residents say they are under attack by heavily armed miners. "Our territory is being disrespected," Dario Kopenawa, an indigenous leader, says. "And our calls for help are not being heard."

Read more in this special report.

Many of the questions so far have been about transport infrastructure in the UK but Conservative MP Simon Jupp says with confidence in the aviation industry at an all time low, it needs more support to survive, and asks what the government is doing to help the sector.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean says the government "fully recognise and support the importance of the aviation industry" and has "stood behind the sector", offering up to £7bn in support, including through the furlough scheme.

It is "vitally important we get the travel industry back on its feet", she says, adding that the government is "taking a public health approach to restarting travel".

The transport secretary will be saying more on this issue this evening, she says.

Ministers are ready to answer MPs questions.

Expect them to be grilled on the UK's Covid restrictions on travel abroad, ahead of an announcement this afternoon.

Stick with us for the latest updates.

Arguments over international travel are not simplepublished at 09:28 British Summer Time 24 June 2021

09:28 BST 24 June 2021

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The issues around international travel in Europe are tricky, complex and ever-changing.

In the spring the UK had one of the lowest infection rates in Europe – so it was perhaps understandable that ministers did not want Brits going abroad where they would be a greater chance of infection.

The opposite is true now. The rise of the Delta variant means the UK has the highest rate. So in theory a Brit in France, Germany, Spain or Italy is less likely to get infected than they are here.

But that means there is a stronger argument for countries in continental Europe to restrict access for Brits. Indeed, a number of countries have already started requiring those arriving from the UK to isolate.

It means even if ministers in the UK relax travel restrictions travel abroad could still be very difficult.

The push for restrictions against Britons is gathering even more momentum in the EU because of how dominant the Delta variant has become in the UK.

That has yet to happen in continental Europe, mainly because EU countries do not have such close ties to India, where the variant was first identified, but it looks like it will only be a matter of time.

Clusters of the Delta variant have been found across Europe – and with lower levels of vaccine uptake there is understandable concern what that will lead to.

The fact remains holidays in continental Europe is not a decision that rests entirely in the hands of ministers here.

Image source, PA Media

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will be answering MPs' questions in the Commons at about 09:30 BST.

It comes ahead of a review of England’s rules on foreign travel, with an update on the traffic light system expected this afternoon.

Ministers have also been considering whether to exempt fully-vaccinated travellers from quarantining when they arrive from amber list countries.

While we wait, you can remind yourself what the current rules are on foreign travel here.

Damien Sharkov
BBC Monitoring

Russian Orthodox Church priests took to the sky in a bid to bless St Petersburg's efforts against Covid-19 as cases continue to surge.

Metropolitan Varsonofy - the top Orthodox cleric in Russia's second largest city - conducted a "prayer flyby" during which he "offered prayers for deliverance from the epidemic", the local diocese said on its website, external.

The move went ahead amid mounting concern about the spread of Covid-19 in Russia as it continues to post rising daily infection figures.

Official death tallies also show significant increases as Russia reported 548 deaths in 24 hours yesterday - the highest such figure since 11 February, while both Moscow and St Petersburg set new records for official daily Covid-19 deaths with 88 and 93, respectively.

The real figures may be higher as Russia's officials have been accused of under-reporting the true impact of the virus.

Vaccine uptake in Russia has been low and in recent days Moscow, St Petersburg and other regional authorities across Russia have begun introducing mandatory vaccination for various segments of the population.

Businesses in Moscow with public-facing staff have been told to vaccinate at least 60% of their workforce by mid-August or risk fines of up to 1m roubles (about $13,800 or £9,900), while in St Petersburg 65% of city officials and staff at state companies are obligated to undergo vaccination.

Marcus Livermore, who owns a bar in Palma Nova, Majorca, says business has been “a struggle” because of the travel restrictions from the UK.

"We haven’t seen any British tourists now for coming up to a year,” he tells BBC Breakfast, although he says there has been a “trickle” of German, Scandinavian and French holiday-makers.

“We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the British,” he adds.

Marcus’s mum is also hoping to visit in the next two weeks but understands she may have to quarantine when she returns to the UK if Majorca remains on the amber list.

However, he says many flights to the island are still being cancelled and the cost of testing is also a barrier for many tourists.

Image source, EPA

London is making "really good and steady progress" on Covid vaccinations but some parts of the capital still have lower rates of uptake, a public health official says.

Asked whether it was wise to allow 40,000 fans to watch the Euros at Wembley Stadium next week, Prof Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, stresses this would be under "controlled circumstances" with testing and marshals to manage social distancing in place.

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme it is important to convey this message to the public to ensure the matches do not send a damaging message and are not seen as a "free-for-all".

Prof Fenton was also asked if public health officials would intervene if the matches next week did not work well.

He says decisions on future events will be led by the government but adds: "If rates continue to increase in the city, if we see a particular new variant or strain… or if we saw failings in some of the controls [at Euro matches] we will absolutely raise those concerns so that can be taken into account for decisions as we move forward.”

Scientists are studying the case of a man in Bristol who has recovered from 290 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

Dave, 72, is a driving instructor and musician who has spent the past 10 months with an active coronavirus infection, visiting hospital seven times. His immune system was vulnerable to the virus after a leukaemia diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment.

Dave was eventually treated with a new mixture of anti-viral drugs provided by the US company Regeneron on compassionate grounds.

Now scientists at the University of Bristol are studying Dave's case to try an understand how Covid acts and mutates within the body.

Caroline Davies
Transport correspondent

The travel industry is nervous.

The school summer holidays, a crucial time for the sector to make much of its income, are looming and most holiday destinations are on the amber list, meaning arrivals from there to the UK have to quarantine at home and pay for at least three Covid tests.

Few are feeling optimistic that today's expected announcement will see many destinations added to the green list.

But the industry is more hopeful that there could be news about removing the quarantine requirement for fully-vaccinated passengers from amber list countries - though there is no guarantee whether or when this could be introduced.

Ministers have always said their international travel policy will be guided by protecting public health.

Image source, Getty Images

The German head of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, has urged people not to travel to London for Euro 2020 matches, as it emerged that Germany would face England at Wembley on Tuesday. “I just don’t get why Prime Minister Boris Johnson is allowing this,” he’s told a German newspaper. The UK government has approved a 60,000 capacity for the semi-finals and final at Wembley and an attendance of 45,000 is planned for the last 16.

Three spectators at last Thursday’s Denmark v Belgium match in Copenhagen have since contracted the Delta variant, officials say, and health officials have asked 4,000 spectators who were in one section of the stadium to get tested. All three are thought to have been infected at the game.

The EU’s centre for disease prevention and control has warned that by the end of August 90% of new cases in the 27 member states are likely to be of the Delta variant, that originated in India. It’s called for vaccinations to be accelerated.

Portugal is set to miss its target of providing at least a first dose to 70% of the population by early August if current shortages continue, says the head of its vaccination taskforce. The Delta variant is already prevalent in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley. The 14-day incidence has gone up to 129 per 100,000 of population.

Spain has set a new daily record of more than 680,000 Covid vaccinations, bringing the proportion of Spaniards with at least one dose to half the population. Almost 32% have had both doses. The Spanish government has set a target of immunising 70% of the population by the end of August. Germany expects everyone who wants to have a vaccination to have had a first dose by the end of July or early August, according to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff.

The spread of the Delta variant is also worrying the French government in one area of the south-west - Les Landes - where it accounts for 70% of infections. Prime Minister Jean Castex is heading there with the health minister today to discuss possible local measures to curb the spread. Nationally, fewer than 10,000 people are now being treated in hospital with Covid, the lowest number since last October.

The government will take a "cautious" approach to changing travel restrictions but wants to get to a position where it can support people to travel abroad if they want to, a minister says.

George Eustice tells Sky News: "Nobody likes the draconian restrictions we have had to put in place over this last year as we have wrestled with the pandemic.

"So, yes, we want to get to a position where we can support people who want to travel to be able to do so, but it is difficult.

"We are being cautious because the biggest threat still to our progress against this pandemic and the great progress we have made on vaccination is that there will be another variant somewhere that maybe hadn't been properly detected in another country and that that variant is more resistant to vaccination," he adds.

We're expecting an announcement on changes to the rules later.

Destinations are classed as green, amber or red - with different rules about quarantine and Covid tests.

The rules are broadly the same for England, external, Scotland, external, Wales, external and Northern Ireland, external.

You do not have to quarantine after visiting green list countries, although you must still take two Covid tests. There are only a few countries on the green list, including Israel, Singapore and Iceland.

Countries on the red list are considered the highest risk, and travel to and from the UK is strictly limited. If you have been in one in the past 10 days you must quarantine in a government-approved hotel.

Most popular tourist destinations are on the amber list - the government currently advises that people should not holiday in these countries. Any tourist returning from an amber list country has to self-isolate for 10 days on their return to the UK but this can be done at home.

You can read more on the UK’s travel rules here.

Image source, PA Media

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the main stories in the UK today:

• England’s rules on foreign travel are set to be reviewed later, after industry bosses united in a desperate plea for the list of quarantine-free green destinations to be widened
• Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will face MPs this morning, with an update on the traffic light system expected in the afternoon
• Ministers have been considering whether to exempt fully-vaccinated people from quarantining on arrival from amber-list countries
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested all EU countries should make British travellers quarantine on arrival to slow the spread of the Delta variant
• About two million people in England may have had some long-lasting symptoms after having coronavirus - sometimes known as "long Covid" – a survey suggests
• Life-saving oxygen is at risk of not getting to patients in England’s hospitals because of problems with how it is piped around wards, a safety watchdog has warned
• Only about a quarter of students in the UK think they got good value for money from university during the pandemic, according to an annual survey