“Buddying” services for people needing mental health support, alternative accommodation for those in overcrowded homes and translation services are some of the things being offered to help people self-isolate in a new pilot. Nine areas in England with higher coronavirus infection rates will be offered the additional help in a bid to bolster testing and self-isolation, if needed. No further financial support will be available to people who need to self-isolate in those areas - which includes most of north-west England, Newham and Hackney in London, Yorkshire and Humber and Somerset - however those areas will receive a share of £12m.
"Variants have the potential to be a Trojan horse for our hard won progress and it is more vital than ever that we do what we can to show them the exit door, following the rules and self-isolating when asked," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. The government is already backing a pilot scheme in Greater Manchester where "support and engagement teams" work with households within 24 hours of a positive Covid test to develop a bespoke plan for self-isolation. Rapidly targeting local outbreaks was crucial to tackling the spread of the virus, says James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association. "These pilot schemes will provide further insight into what works best in supporting those who test positive and their contacts to do the right thing to protect themselves, their families and their wider communities,” he added.

An internal EU flight that was forced to land in Belarus where an opposition activist was then arrested has sparked international outrage, with leaders now considering how to respond. Roman Protasevich, who had spoken out against President Alexander Lukashenko, was onboard the flight bound for Lithuania from Athens when the plane's crew were told a bomb was on board. The alert, which turned out to be false, resulted in the plane - while in Belarusian airspace - being forced to land in the Eastern European country’s capital, Minsk. State media in Belarus are reporting President Lukashenko had personally given the order. Since winning a disputed election last August, he has cracked down on dissenting voices. The forced diversion of yesterday’s flight has sparked outrage with the European Union calling it a "hijacking" and the US state department saying it was "a shocking act". European countries have called for the 26-year-old’s release and a full investigation.

A woman left with life-threatening injuries after being shot in London is prominent Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson, her political party says. Taking the Initiative Party says she’s in intensive care after sustaining an injury to her head in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police are investigating a shooting near a house where a gathering was taking place in Southwark. The Met would not confirm the identity of the 27-year-old but said at the moment there was no evidence to suggest it was a targeted shooting or that she had received any credible threats against her before the shooting. In a statement on Instagram, the Taking the Initiative Party described mother-of-two Ms Johnson as a "powerful voice" who fought for black people and the injustices that surround the black community. "Let's all come together and pray for Sasha, pray for her recovery and show our support to her family and loved ones," it said.

A variety of stories are on the front pages this morning. According to the Daily Telegraph, a cancer crisis “risks replacing (the) pandemic” because of the number of people missing urgent checks over the past year. Meanwhile some dental patients are having to wait “three years” for NHS appointments, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express report. The watchdog says many people have been seeking private care or pulling out their own teeth. Freedom is “looking good” for 21 June reports the i, “third immunity” headlines the Metro after it was revealed a third of the population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and temperatures will top 24C (75F) next week, the Daily Star says. You can read the front pages here.

Shrouded in mystery, a cult restaurant up the road from the Queen's Edinburgh residence could only be found by rumour and word of mouth. Its secretive Armenian owner and cook guarded reservations, then one day he disappeared. What happened to the man who called himself Peter?
What lockdown secrets do you have? Find out what people wrote when they were asked to reveal theirs on postcards sent out by a shop owner. Finally, there was no secret about which team won the Premier League, and which was named runner-up - it was Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively. But the season ended with a nail-biting race for third and fourth place. Take a look how the matches for the last two Champions League spots played out.

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