this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the un demands international action to stop what it calls a shocking wave of brutality against civilians in myanmar. i'm terrified at what is going to happen. i think this could be just the beginning of a wave of brutality that is going to be just even more shocking than what we seen today. ahead of a further easing of restrictions in england tomorrow, the culture secretary oliver dowden says the country is on track and he hopes lifting of curbs will be "irreversible". at the moment, we are on track. so, thanks to the work of the british people and the excellent vaccine roll—out, we are confident both in going ahead with the easing is from

tomorrow and the next stages. english health officials warn people not to squander the gains made against coronavirus ahead of restrictions easing on monday. prime minister borisjohnson is urged to swiftly clarify how many covid vaccine doses the uk is prepared to donate to poorer countries. the latest efforts to dislodge the ship that's stuck in the suez canal have failed — they'll try again on sunday. 5,000 people attend a trial rock concert in barcelona to test the viability of holding large cultural events during the time of covid. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the united nations has led international condemnation of myanmar�*s military rulers over the killing of dozens of pro—democracy protesters.

the us secretary of state antony blinken said washingon was horrified by what he called the "reign of terror". there were similar statements from britain and the european union. but in a sign of how difficult it will be to agree international action — its emerged delegations from china and russia were among those attending a military parade. 0ur correspondent in bangkok, laura bicker, is following developments. she said the likelihood of un sanctions is slim due to the security council vetos held by russia and china. when it comes to any kind of action from the united nations within the security council, it's worth noting that beijing and moscow both have a veto. so if they're trying to push anything like sanctions through, particularly on the oil and gas industry, they will need the votes of russia and china, and that is all but guaranteed. you mentioned the international condemnation there, it has been swift from many parts of the world.

one of the most significant i have seen is for a joint statement from 12 countries, the defence chiefs of 12 countries, including the united states, the uk, japan and south korea in which they call on the military to cease this action and remind the military in myanmar they're supposed to be protecting the people, not turning their guns on the people. it is worth emphasising that it's very difficult for us to confirm anything going on within myanmar. a number of freelance journalists are packing up and leaving because it's simply too dangerous for them to operate. but when it comes to the reports coming out from local media, we are seeing still the crackdown continued overnight. people have two choices — they either hide within their houses and keep their heads down, or they continue to go out into the streets. what we're hearing today, again through local media reports, again i cannot confirm them, but the pictures we have seen to be a funerals where the military are attempting to intervene, even in the funerals of protesters who are trying

to bury their loved ones. so it doesn't seem that this is going to go away anytime soon. the protesters have told the bbc on a number of occasions, they will continue to fight for a return to democracy. we saw them out on the street yesterday armed with slingshots and wooden sticks, up against armed, trained security force who are firing live rounds. but they say they will continue, despite the danger. people should not "squander the gains" made against coronavirus in recent months — that's a warning from the medical director of nhs england. professor stephen powis said "enormous progress" had been made, but it "does not mean job done". he made the comments ahead of lockdown restrictions in england easing on monday, allowing groups of up to six, or two households, to meet outside and in private gardens. simonjones reports. he's been at the forefront in the fight against coronavirus,

but now nhs england's medical director is warning covid remains a clear and present danger. from tomorrow, the stay at home rule is ending in england. groups of up to six people, or two households will be allowed to meet outside, outdoor sports facilities will reopen. but this is only another step on the road map to lockdown being fully eased. nonessential shops won't reopen before the 12th of april, holidays are still banned. writing in the sunday telegraph, professor stephen powis says tomorrow's easing doesn't meanjob done. this virus still has the capacity to wreak more havoc and ill—health on a significant scale. we need to build on and not squander the gains we've made. the nhs in england is urging people over 50 to book a coronavirus vaccination before an expected shortage of supply next month. a quarter of those aged between 50 and 5a have still not had the jab, but progress overall is being made. this is wonderful, so we have now

protected 2.5 million people with their second dose on a background of over 25 million people in england having had their first dose. so it's really quite phenomenal numbers and we will keep going. against the backdrop of the vaccination programme, wales became the first uk nation to lift travel restrictions within its borders yesterday. scotland's stay at home rule becomes stay local on good friday. northern ireland's stay home message is to be relaxed on the 12th of april. but despite the progress, the nhs is warning that we mustn't go too far too fast in our return to normality. we are beating the virus, professor powis says, but it's not beaten yet. simon jones, bbc news. there's a loosening of restrictions in england from tomorrow, wales has already seen more freedom. and in the prime minister's road map there's an aim to lift all restrictions in england byjune the 21st. professor mark woolhouse

from the university of edinburgh is on the government's advisory body that models the pandemic. he also advises the scottish government on its covid response. he told andrew marr earlier that some activities would need restrictions to continue beyond june. we have to now start thinking about, 0k, how do we make those activities safe? now, we've already made them a lot safer, for a lot of people, by the roll—out of the vaccine. but we may also need to have additional measures in place, as i said, social distancing, screens and so on, for those activities that can be made safe. a lot of workplaces can be made safer. a lot of retail, a lot of hospitality can be made safer. for those sort of activities it's difficult to make really safe, i'm thinking of things like nightclubs, large concerts, mass gatherings and so on, that's where the passports come in. whether it's vaccine passports, testing, test negative passports, or even immunity passports that we were talking about a year ago. so, all of this is part of a package of measures designed to make activities safe, as an alternative to stopping us doing them altogether.

here in the uk the culture secretary 0liver dowden says the country is on track to deliver the rollout of the vaccine and the easing of lockdown measures. speaking to andrew marr mr dowden said that the aim of the current roadmap to ease curbs was that it is "irreversible". for more on that earlier i spoke to our political correspondentjessica parker. boris johnson over the last few days has also said that looking at the data, he thinks there is no reason to pause the current plan for easing lockdown measures in england. of course, we have these dates and tomorrow is one of those. i think it is technically called step 1b. we all have it marked on the calendar. you will be able to meet outside, up to six people, outdoor sports can start again and the stay at home rule ends, but people are asked to minimise their travel.

we have already had schools open so people can keep a close eye on case rates. government ministers this morning saying things remain on track. he has been speaking to the andrew marr programme. we have chosen to have five—year intervals between each stage. the reason for having five—year intervals, it gives you four weeks to see the effect of the spread from the easing and then a week to prepare the rule. ahead of each easing we will analyse the situation. these things could be delayed? they could be delayed if the situation deteriorates. but at the moment, we are on track. thanks to the workof the british people and the excellent vaccine rollout, we are confident in both going ahead with— the easing is tomorrow and the next stages. we have been hearing from stephen powys, urging caution, urging people against complacency, as he puts it. the weather is rather lovely tomorrow and they don't want people to go too crazy. but equally you have had,

in the last week, a number of conservative mps and conservative rebels saying the government isn't moving fast enough and they think that powers ministers are still holding on to go too far and are too sweeping. the debate we have been hearing for a long time now still continues to some extent. the government is sounding fairly optimistic and we know they have been accused in the past of being overly optimistic so they are being encouraged by the data. it is interesting because yesterday we had the start in wales of the easing, significant easing. people can travel throughout wales if they are already in wales. you cannot travel from england, scotland or northern ireland to wales at the moment. people are thinking ahead, travelling beyond the united kingdom and this debate about vaccine passports or some kind of certification looks like it will grow? there are a couple of elements around that. the idea around international travel and what it might look like

in the future and if certain countries will demand to see proof that a visitor has had a vaccine. also what happens in domestic settings. boris johnson last week talking to a committee of mps suggested it may be up to individual pub landlords to decide whether they wanted to ask for proof of somebody�*s vaccine status. they have also said there is a review ongoing in terms of antibodies, if you have already had the virus, and in terms of testing. it is something being looked at across the four nations. mark drakeford, the first minister of wales, was asked about it this morning and talked about how to have been high—level discussions on the issue. preparing to go on to doing this on a four nation basis. i think there are definitely prizes to be run through domestic vaccine certification, but there are some very big practical and ethical challenges to face as well. what about those people who cannot be vaccinated? because their health conditions do not allow that to happen, what would happen to them? you could account i for that on the app,

there could be a system of self certification for that? - that takes us into the practical issues. if it is a self certification system, then what reliance could be put on the fact that somebody produces a certificate? the certificate would have to mean something and that inevitably means we would have to have a system to make sure that was authentically the case. i don't say these problems cannot be solved, but i am saying we have got to work together to make sure that if we are to introduce such a system, it has to be fair and it has to be reliable. it is interesting listening to mark drakeford and other ministers as well who think there are practical and ethical issues. i was speaking about some conservative mps who were unhappy about the road map out of lockdown. some of them also unhappy about this idea, saying it could create a two tier system. the government say it is something they are looking at as a way

of reopening society. as many challenges being created opening up, as they were shutting down? yes, as they look to opening up, whether it is seen if people can go to the pub, or the idea of mass gatherings, we don't know when they can happen again, it is trying to balance out the possibilities. the government do expect to see case rates rise as things are reopened, but it is about looking at what might be the level of that and how that can be managed going forward, and a government adviser, he has been speaking this morning. he said he was a little bit nervous about the idea of a so—called big bang injune. i don't think the government would describe their plans for a road map as a big bang, but they hope towards the end of that month they can lift all social restrictions.

let me bring you an update on increased restrictions, affecting lorry drivers and holy is visiting england from outside the uk, what is described as the common travel area, they will need to take a covid test. this is coming from grant shapps�* twitter feed. this is coming from grant shapps�* twitterfeed. it might this is coming from grant shapps�* twitter feed. it might not be the most exciting tweet to see the words of haulier news at the top of a tweet, but it is pretty important when you think about the extent of trade and also what is happening on the continent at the moment. a sharp rise in cases, in particular in france. it is the neighbouring country to belgium, the country from which most of the freighter comes by road, at least. from april to sixth, grant shapps says lorries visiting england from outside the uk, the common travel area, more than two days will have to take a covid test within 48 hours, and one every 72 hours thereafter. presumably, there are going to be extra checks to ensure that people have complied with that instruction. it is consistent with some of the travel

advisories that are coming out. the europeans are saying that most of these cases have turned out to be what is known as the kent variant, which basically got into continental europe, but first originally developed in kent, as a kind of mutation of the virus. it is not necessarily more risky to have this, as compared to the original virus, it isjust it as compared to the original virus, it is just it has spread very, very quickly, and there is concern now that cases may be brought back here. that is haulier news from the transport secretary, grant shapps. a group of charities is urging borisjohnson to clarify how many does the uk is prepared to donate to poorer countries. in a letter to the prime minister, they warn that britain is in danger of hoarding supplies whilst health workers and the most vulnerable in developing countries don't get access. the group urges the uk to immediately begin donating doses through the covax initiative. alex harris is the associate director of government relations at the global charitable foundation, the wellcome trust.

thank you very much for talking to bbc news. how troubled are you by the way this is developing? because covax was described as a great achievement, a collective effort with a big support from many of the wealthiest countries in the world. britain describes itself as being the country that has been the most generous in terms of financial support. are you saying it is kind of support that is promised but not delivered? ~ . , delivered? well, we are very concerned — delivered? well, we are very concerned because _ delivered? well, we are very concerned because we - delivered? well, we are very concerned because we are i delivered? well, we are very. concerned because we are not delivered? well, we are very - concerned because we are not going to defeat the virus unless we think and act globally. the uk has made very impressive progress with its own vaccine roll—out, with half of all adults receiving at least one dose. many countries are yet to receive any vaccine doses. nearly 80% of all vaccine doses that have been distributed around the world so far have gone to just ten countries. why this is concerning, and something we are all concerned about, this allows the virus to continue spreading, which risks it mutating to an extent where our

vaccines and treatments no longer work and we are back to square one. in our view, there is a clear public health, as well as economic, social and ethical imperative to share those doses. we not saying the uk and hasn't been generous. we congratulate the government on its financial support for the covax initiative. the quickest way to and the pandemic and reach vulnerable workers everywhere was start sharing doses. a couple of things to highlight, we are saying that they need to come in and urgently explain how and when they are going to share doses, that is important because for countries yet to receive any vaccine, they need the time to prepare. secondly, it is true that the government has been generous and a key support and donor to covax. at this point, money cannot buy doses. so the available global manufacturing supply for this year is spoken for. that is why it is

really important that countries begin to detail how they are going to share vaccines. covax still needs more cash. but because the money can't buy doses at the moment, we are calling on all wealthy nations to contribute a portion of its vaccines now, and over the next... i just want to ask, if i may, briefly, the uk government says as well as making this pledge, this includes contributing 548 million, one of the largest donors to covax, which has already helped 20 lower or middle income countries to receive doses. they are saying, actually, doses are being delivered?— being delivered? indeed they are. and the progress _ being delivered? indeed they are. and the progress that _ being delivered? indeed they are. and the progress that covax - being delivered? indeed they are. and the progress that covax has l being delivered? indeed they are. - and the progress that covax has made is nothing short of astonishing, in the last 12 months. but what we are saying is that it doesn't go far enough and it doesn't go fast enough. so, we are calling on more countries to donate cash to covax. but the reality is that covax is not at the front of the queue in order

to access doses this calendar year. and we think the risk of viruses mutating to an extent that it has escaped the effectiveness of the current vaccines we have is a price that wealthy countries, as well as those lacking vaccines, ought to pay attention to. those lacking vaccines, ought to pay attention te— those lacking vaccines, ought to pay attention to-— attention to. alex harris, social director of _ attention to. alex harris, social director of government - attention to. alex harris, social| director of government relations attention to. alex harris, social. director of government relations at the wellcome trust, thank you very much. there were fresh efforts yesterday to re—float a giant container ship blocking the suez canal — one of the world's busiest waterways. more than 300 ships are stuck on either side of the vessel, which became stranded on tuesday. 0ur correspondent sally nabil reports. the operation to refloat the giant container ship blocking one of the world's busiest waterways, continues into the night in egypt's red sea. tug boats and dredgers have been operating here around the clock to try and dislodge this giant ship that has been blocking the suez canal for the past few days. we understand that huge amounts of sand have been removed to make

room for the ship to move. congestion continues to pile up in this strategic waterway, and the longer this ship is stuck here, the more disruption there will be to global trade. a vast trafficjam continues to build, with more than 300 ships stuck on either side of the vessel, which is holding up £7 billion worth of goods each day. strong wind had been given as the reason for the grounding of the ever given, but today officials suggested other factors could have been to blame. translation: there could be a lot of mistakes but we can't _ say what they are now. the only mistake we can be sure of now is the wind and the sandstorm. this is not the main one, like i said, but the rest will become clearer in the investigation. the ship's manager said initial investigations suggested strong winds led to its grounding.

more tug boats will arrive on sunday to help, with all efforts focused on freeing up the canal as soon as possible. sally nabil, bbc news, suez. you know it is a bad sign when your head of state gets involved in something like this. the president has ordered preparations for lightening the cargo of the evergreen, which i think is some pressure on the suez canal authority is to get its act together as quickly as it possibly can. so we see the efforts proceed, they are trying to get some of the balance off to lighten the load and help with manoeuvring. there's been an explosion outside a catholic cathedral in the indonesian city of makassar, on the island of sulawesi. a priest from the church said ten people were wounded after security guards tackled people he described as suicide bombers. he said the attackers arrived by motorbike and tried to enter the church. the explosion occurred as worshippers were leaving after a palm sunday service.

police said two people were suspected of carrying out the attack a trial concert has taken place in barcelona to test the viability of holding large cultural events during the time of covid. the 5,000 people who bought tickets all had to take an antigen test before the concert — and only those who tested negative were allowed in the venue. sergi forcada reports. it looks almost like a concert from the old times, a big crowd without social distancing, although still wearing facemasks. after a year with most cultural events cancelled due to the pandemic, this sold—out gig was a mix of science and music. included in the ticket, a

coronavirus test which all audience members had to take a few hours before the concert. three nightclubs in barcelona that have been closed for months were transformed into makeshift test centres. translation: we screened all 5000 attendees with a rapid antigen test for coronavirus, which is cheap and gives you results in ten minutes. out of all of them, we detected six positive cases, two more people were told to quarantine. in total, eight participants were not able to attend the concert. participants were not able to attend the concert-— the concert. even if testing negative. _ the concert. even if testing negative, partygoers - the concert. even if testing negative, partygoers still l the concert. even if testing i negative, partygoers still had the concert. even if testing - negative, partygoers still had their temperature checked when getting in the venue, which had a special ventilation system to make it safer. playing for the first time in the year, the lead singer of the band said this was one of the most exciting concerts of their career, and hoped it would show those in the music industry that there is a way forward. transition

music industry that there is a way forward. transitio— music industry that there is a way forward. transition spectacular, we felt safe at all _ forward. transition spectacular, we felt safe at all times. _ forward. transition spectacular, we felt safe at all times. we _ forward. transition spectacular, we felt safe at all times. we were - forward. transition spectacular, we felt safe at all times. we were able to be on the front row, that is something we missed a lot. we really wanted to return to a concert. translation: it wanted to return to a concert. translation:— wanted to return to a concert. translation: ., , ., ., ~ translation: it was quite good. at first i was translation: it was quite good. at first i was very _ translation: it was quite good. at first i was very nervous, _ translation: it was quite good. at first i was very nervous, because - translation: it was quite good. at first i was very nervous, because i i first i was very nervous, because i was scared — first i was very nervous, because i was scared to be with so many people — was scared to be with so many people. the antigen test gave me a lot of— people. the antigen test gave me a lot of reassurance, and once inside everything — lot of reassurance, and once inside everything was very well organised. so i'rn _ everything was very well organised. so i'm very— everything was very well organised. so i'm very happy, and excited. all so i'm very happy, and excited. attendees so i'm very happy, and excited. fill attendees will now be monitored for two weeks to see if any of them tested positive after the concert. lights have been switched off for an hour in landmark buildings across the world — as part of an annual event to encourage action on climate change. earth hour began in sydney in 2007, and it's now observed in 7,000 cities. gail maclellan reports.

three, two, one... earth hour! lights go off all around the world. starting in asia, well—known landmarks going dark, all in the cause of climate change. for a very brief moment, energy consumption drops around the globe. translation: global warming is very serious now, _ and it affects all the people on earth, as we are all part of the earth. if doing such a simple thing can help the earth, i think it's great. this year, the world wildlife fund, organisers of the event, want to make the link between the destruction of the natural world, deforestation and the loss of animal habitats, and the increasing incidence of diseases which make the leap from animals to humans. the message is that we face more pandemics if nothing is done. one hour is not enough for us to remember that climate change is actually a problem. while an hour might be

fleeting, the sudden darkness where once there was an abundance of light certainly makes an impact and gives pause for thought. bell a second mp has defected from the scottish national party to join the new pro—independence group being set up by alex salmond. neale hanvey, mp for kirkcaldy and cowdenbeath, willjoin the alba party, which is set to contest the scottish parliamentary elections in may. yesterday, former scottishjustice secretary kenny macaskill announced he would stand as a candidate. lesley riddoch is a columnist for the herald and is a supporter of independence for scotland. a long career covering politics in all its fascinating shades in scotland. did this come as a bolt

out of the blue? were people expecting it? out of the blue? were people exoecting it?— out of the blue? were people expecting it? totally out of the blue. although _ expecting it? totally out of the blue. although the _ expecting it? totally out of the blue. although the snp - expecting it? totally out of the blue. although the snp came i expecting it? totally out of the - blue. although the snp came straight out and trying to suggest this was the most predictable thing ever, it completely wasn't. what we heard from alex salmond just a week before, in the hollywood inquiries, suggested that he was ready to, it sounded like withdraw from public life, maybe he would stand as an independent, some people thought, but nobody thought there was a party coming. but nobody thought there was a party cominr. ~ . but nobody thought there was a party comin-. . ., ., , but nobody thought there was a party cominr. ~ ., ., , , but nobody thought there was a party comina.~ ., ., , , coming. what does it tell us about be ond coming. what does it tell us about beyond the — coming. what does it tell us about beyond the personal— coming. what does it tell us about beyond the personal collapse - coming. what does it tell us about beyond the personal collapse in i coming. what does it tell us about | beyond the personal collapse in the relationship between alex salmond and nicola sturgeon? is there a wider kind of tension in the snp that was visible to observers like you before all of this? absolutely. and ou you before all of this? absolutely. and you wouldn't _ you before all of this? absolutely. and you wouldn't be _ you before all of this? absolutely. and you wouldn't be surprised. i you before all of this? absolutely. and you wouldn't be surprised. 14| and you wouldn't be surprised. 14 years in power, it would be surprising if there wasn't a lot happening behind the scenes. yes, there have been a lot of tensions. in fact, about five small parties had set up on the second list part

of the scottish vote to collect votes from disgruntled snp voters. who don't want to, essentially, through their vote away. i know this throws people, how complicated the system seems. it has a first part, first past the post, a second part that correct the imbalances that throws up. if you come second in the first part, you get a reward in the second part. obviously that can be gained. that is essentially what is happening now. but there have been complaints about the gender recognition act, a lot of people are unhappy with that. it seems to give some question about the biological status of men and women. there is unhappiness about the hate crime bill that has just passed, that seems to suggest that talk around the table could be criminalised. and there is disgruntlement, hugely, among independent supporters that we always seem to be six months away from the second independence referendum but we never quite get there. ., ., , ., ,

there. you raise an interesting oint, it there. you raise an interesting point. it is _ there. you raise an interesting point. it is a — there. you raise an interesting point, it is a reminder - there. you raise an interesting point, it is a reminder that - point, it is a reminder that nationalism can be a common cause, and obviously there are anti—independence party standing in the scottish parliament elections as well, but within the independence family, as it were, you can have people are very different social, political and economic views. they have something in common, they joined the snp for that reason, but it doesn't mean they think the same about lots of other things? yes. it doesn't mean they think the same about lots of other things? yes, you have a roughly _ about lots of other things? yes, you have a roughly 50-50 _ about lots of other things? yes, you have a roughly 50-50 situation - about lots of other things? yes, you have a roughly 50-50 situation in i have a roughly 50—50 situation in scotland at the moment. 50% of any country is not going to have the same views on everything. the scottish greens, for example, they also stand on the list, and they have a different profile and have always supported independence. in a way, this day was coming one splits would happen. but it is being supercharged by the personalities of the head of it, and the questions over motivation. {line the head of it, and the questions over motivation.— the head of it, and the questions over motivation. one brief question, is it possible — over motivation. one brief question, is it possible that _ over motivation. one brief question, is it possible that scots _ over motivation. one brief question, is it possible that scots will - over motivation. one brief question, is it possible that scots will see - is it possible that scots will see this as a bit of an ego trip for alex salmond, rather than actually has something even pro—independence scots, that it might backfire and

help nicola sturgeon, rather than hinder her?— hinder her? that is very possible. it's also possible _ hinder her? that is very possible. it's also possible that _ hinder her? that is very possible. it's also possible that anyone - hinder her? that is very possible. it's also possible that anyone is i it's also possible that anyone is actually disgruntled can vote for the snp in the first constituency bet, which alex's party is not contesting, safe in the knowledge they can actually split their vote, essentially, in the second, and sort of ease any annoyance that has been growing. at the moment, you have to say that alex is an arch disrupter, and everybody is reeling, trying to figure out, trying to process what has just happened. figure out, trying to process what hasjust happened.— figure out, trying to process what hasjust happened. has “ust happened. always a pleasure to hasjust happened. always a pleasure to seak to hasjust happened. always a pleasure to speak to you- _ hasjust happened. always a pleasure to speak to you. thank _ hasjust happened. always a pleasure to speak to you. thank you _ hasjust happened. always a pleasure to speak to you. thank you for - to speak to you. thank you for giving your expert knowledge. now, it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, there. it's really going to be warming up in many parts of the country over the next couple of days. today, though, it's a windy day, and we've got a lot of cloud around. the rain, clearing away from wales this afternoon,

continuing to work its way northwards into scotland, affecting northern ireland, the far north—west of england, too.