this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8. more than 30 million people in the uk have now received their first covid vaccine dose, according to the latest government figures. ahead of restrictions easing in england, the nhs warns not to "squander" the progress made against covid as the culture secretary says plans to lift lockdown are on target. at to lift lockdown are on target. the moment, we are to at the moment, we are one, so thanks to the work of the british people and the excellent vaccine roll—out, we are confident in going ahead with the easing from tomorrow and the next stages. police are to investigate allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and rape in schools

and universities — setting up a dedicated helpline. efforts continue to dislodge the ship that's blocking the suez canal. there are hopes an evening high tide might help to re—float the vessel. the travel show meets the tourism professionals facing an uncertain future more than a year into the global pandemic. good evening. a new milestone has been reached in the uk's battle against coronavirus, with more than 30 million people having now received their first dose of one of the vaccines. the health secretary, matt hancock, has said that reaching this new threshold was "a phenomenal achievement". it comes as the government says it's "on track" to ease the lockdown in england. meanwhile, the first minister

of wales, mark drakeford, revealed there had been high—level talks across the four nations about the idea of so—called "vaccine passports". here's our political correspondent, chris mason. the green of windy west yorkshire in spring. the strides towards liberty are long, putting the preparations in place for the return of golf in england tomorrow. it's a good three months now. we've had members at home on facebook, posting things about what they're doing, chipping in the garden, putting in the garden, they are putting duvets over the washing line and hitting into it. they're just wanting to get up here and start playing golf. they want to get out. as well as outdoor sport returning, from tomorrow in england, six people or two households can meet outside, including in private gardens. it'll be another fortnight at least before a haircut can be done by a professional. but... well, of course they could be

delayed if the situation deteriorates, but 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 easings from tomorrow and the next stages. there is then the cautious prospect of the streets of hebden bridge and elsewhere slowly looking a little less empty. the hope too of normality, or near normality, by the summer. but alongside hope, jitters from some. i have to say i'm a little bit nervous about a full relaxation in june. obviously, we all want to relax as far as it is safe to do so, and it will be important that the government continues to be guided by the data in that respect to see — and this is the particularly important thing — exactly how well are the vaccines performing? if they go on at this rate, i think we can get quite close to a full release. and huge questions spring forth about the tools

to help normality return, as governments around the uk ponder whether it's possible, whether it's practical, to have some sort of passport that says we've been vaccinated, tested or had covid. i think there are definitely prizes to be won through domestic vaccine certification, but there are some very big practical and ethical challenges to face as well. the speed and specifics of unlocking vary around the uk. the stay—local rule was scrapped here in wales yesterday. from friday, the instruction to stay local will begin in scotland, replacing the edict to stay at home. in northern ireland, six people from two households will be able to meet in private gardens from thursday. chris mason, bbc news. let's take a look at some more of those latest government figures. there were 3,862 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period —

on average 5,355 new cases were reported per day in the last week. the latest figures show 4,560 people were in hospital across the uk. 19 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 62 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths is now 126,592. as for vaccinations, more than 423,852 people have had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period, bringing the total to over 30 million. and over 3.5 million people have now had both doses of the vaccine. and we'll find out how this

story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight arejohn stevens, the deputy political editor of the daily mail, and benedicte paviot, uk correspondent for france 24. police are to investigate thousands of allegations of sexual harrassment, abuse, and in some cases rape made by young women and school pupils through an online campaign. many of the accounts concern leading private schools and have been posted on the website everyone�*s invited. a senior police officer has told the bbc today that a dedicated helpline is being set up with the aim both of investigating allegations of criminal behaviour and challenging any culture within educational settings which has tolerated misogyny and abuse. 0ur correspondent sarah campbell reports.

a walk—out at a north london private school after more than 200 former and current pupils anonymously made allegations of abuse, misogyny and even rape. highgate school has set up an external review and it's clear many more educational establishments are going to have to tackle difficult issues. in just three weeks, a website set up to allow people to share their experiences of what's being called a rape culture has received more than 6000 testimonies. "at school, the boys would have days where they would go around slapping or grabbing girl's bums, some would stand under the stairs rating girls as they went by and trying to look up their skirts." "i got drunk at a party and i was assaulted by a close male friend whom i had really trusted. i made it clear i wasn't interested in him and i was crying as he did it." initially flooded with accounts from pupils from leading private schools, the founder of everyone�*s invited told me that's no longer the case. in the past week we've seen a very significant increase and widening

of that demographic, in the increase of state schools and universities being mentioned, as well as a wider variety of ages as well. 0lder, much older people, younger people, boys and girls, and i think what this really shows is that this is a universal problem. in recent years, the sporting world has been rocked by the stories which emerged of young boys who were abused by football coaches. the chief constable involved in that police operation is now helping to coordinate the response to these latest allegations. i suspect that it's probably going to be the next child sexual abuse scandal that engulfs the nation in the way the football association revelations did. we have a huge challenge, and ultimately this is down to parents and guardians making sure that their children understand what healthy relationships look like, what healthy sexual relationships look like, and it's so important that schools reinforce that message consistently.

a helpline is due to be launched by the department for education in the next week for those wishing to get support and potentially report those they believe to have abused them. 0ur news correspondent sarah campbell, whose report you just heard, explained a little earlier what's going to happen next with the allegations. from the conversations i have had today people are taking it so seriously. it really started, you heard there with people wanting to start a conversation about what had happened to her, and it clearly resonated with thousands of people. and more and more every day are getting in touch, and i think it is the speed and the volume of those responses which meant that the police and the department for education and the home office felt that something needed to happen, so they met with her on friday and now have announced this joint initiative where they are going to give support, protection and advice to those reporting abuse,

including contacting professionals or the police if they wish, so clearly the implication that potential police investigations and prosecutions down the line. i spoke to allison havey earlier tonight — she co—founded the rap project, which holds workshops about rape and sexual assault at many of the schools named on the everyone�*s invited website. she told me how pleased she was that this issue was finally coming to light. this issue was finally coming to li . ht. , , ., this issue was finally coming to liuht. , _, .,, this issue was finally coming to liuht. , _, ., this issue was finally coming to liht. , ., light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken _ light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken a _ light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken a long _ light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken a long time - light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken a long time to - light. this is a fast moving story, but it's taken a long time to get. but it's taken a long time to get here, and i am so pleased that these courageous young people who have written letters and initiated campaigns online, it's fantastic. even though it's a difficult situation. dean and i co—founded the

rap project in 2012. the core message from the outset, the sexual legal definitions of assault and rape and consent, sexual harassment, also how online pornography and social media influence attitudes, expectations and behaviours. and body image. from the very first school we ever spoke in, we have heard anecdotes and stories from young women and in some cases young men. women who have been peer pressured into drinking too much, flirted and agreed to kiss someone, they passed out and when they awoke, they passed out and when they awoke, they realised they had either had sex or they were sexually assaulted. young men came forward to say a female friend of theirs had been raped by a classmate and she was too frightened to say anything because she didn't want to ruin his future. in state schools as well, rap project speaks mostly to private

school students, but to redress this imbalance we founded a foundation in 2019, a charity that provides workshops in state schools are free of charge. d0 workshops in state schools are free of charae. , , , workshops in state schools are free ofcharue. , , , ,, of charge. do the pupils you speak to actually understand _ of charge. do the pupils you speak to actually understand what - of charge. do the pupils you speak. to actually understand what consent is? ., 4' ., to actually understand what consent is? ., ~ ., ., ., �*, ., , is? you know what, that's a very aood is? you know what, that's a very good question- _ is? you know what, that's a very good question. we _ is? you know what, that's a very good question. we think- is? you know what, that's a very good question. we think they i is? you know what, that's a very| good question. we think they do, because we have woken to 25 schools and they keep asking us back. dean and they keep asking us back. dean and i have spoken to many heads, many dsls, many heads of years, this is not a lesson that can be taught once in year six, because the average age of a british young person first coming across pornography, where consent is not communicated clearly, is 11 years old. consent from year six, to year 13, every year in a more age—appropriate and mature level, it has to be done that way. this cannot

just be delivered to tick a box, which i'm afraid happens in many schools. a second mp has defected from the snp to join the new pro—independence party launched by the former scottish first minister, alex salmond. neale hanvey, who represents kirkcoddy and cowdenbeath at westminster, follows the formerjustice secretary kenny macaskill, who announced yesterday he would stand as a candidate for the alba party. there's been widespread international condemnation of the military in myanmar after more than a hundred demonstrators were killed yesterday. defence chiefs from 12 countries, including the us, britain and japan, have issued a joint statement saying armed forces should protect, rather than harm, the people they serve. yesterday was the deadliest day for protestors since myanmar�*s military coup eight weeks ago. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has been monitoring the situation from thailand and sent this report.

"my son, my son, why can't you hear me," she cries. the 13—year—old boy was playing in the street when he was shot and killed. witnesses say troops opened fire, even though no protests were nearby. his family are now adding their voices to a chorus calling for revolution. these children, in this time of crisis, they are kept in the safest place, by their family. these children are not on the street, not on the front, not even in the living rooms. they are hiding. even children are not safe, so that means no one is safe in burma. over 400 people have now died in myanmar since the military seized power last month. some protesters have started to fight back

using home—made weapons. but they are no match against trained fighters and live rounds. the us has accused general min aung hlaing of presiding over a reign of terror. his regime has already been hit by some sanctions, but he still has powerful friends. russia's deputy defence minister was given a front row seat for yesterday's armed forces day. 0ther diplomats were also in the crowd, including from china. but 12 military leaders from around the world issued a rare joint statement reminding the general that an army is supposed to protect its people. gunshot. not turn their guns on them. and yet the protests continue undeterred. the will of a defiant people

determined to restore democracy has so far refused to bend, even under relentless fire. laura bicker, bbc news, bangkok. the headlines on bbc news. more than 30 million people in the uk have now received their first covid vaccine dose, according to the latest government figures. nhs england warns people not to "squander" the progress made against covid — as the culture secretary says the roadmap out of lockdown is on track. police are to investigate allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and rape in schools and universities — setting up a dedicated helpline. so let's return now to coronavirus, and what exactly will be permitted from tomorrow, in england, as lockdown restrictions are eased? 0ur correspondent, katie prescott, has been looking at what changes,

including the key "stay at home" message and what's still to come. spring has sprung and the uk is opening up once again. from tomorrow in england it will be easier to catch up with friends and family, just like in wales this weekend, when we are allowed to get together in groups of six outside, or two households. and there will be more to do locally, too as outdoor sports kick off again, something to keep us entertained, perhaps, until the next key date. the 12th of april in england, and a week earlier in scotland, shops will hear their tills ringing once again as they are allowed to reopen. we can go out for dinner or a drink, but a cold one, as it's alfresco only, and that rule of six, or two households, still applies. haircuts and manicures will be allowed, and there will be more ways to spend our free time as gyms and theme parks reopen. may 17th, the next big date. we will be able to go to the cinema again, and forget patio heaters — we can eat inside in

bars and restaurants in groups of up to six. 0utside, though, restrictions are mainly lifted, and you will be able to meet in groups of up to 30 people. and if you're dreaming ofjetting away, foreign travel was likely pencilled in from the 17th of may, but that's still very much under review. by the 21st ofjune, nights out in clubs will start again if all goes to plan. and things may be back to some kind of normal as restrictions on social contact are scrapped. we may even have seen the last of elbow bumping. katie prescott, bbc news. as we've heard there are of course different rules for different parts of the uk. you can find more information about restrictions in wales, scotland and northern ireland on the bbc website, bbc.co.uk/news. i've been speaking to dr mike tildesley, a member of spi—m —

the modelling subgroup of sage, who is cautiously optimistic about the position the country is in. i think if we look at all the metrics, if we look at cases, they have been coming down now. in the last few weeks they have saturated a little bit, partly because we are doing a lot more testing or secondary school children. that is why it has not come down quite so rapidly. hospitaladmissions why it has not come down quite so rapidly. hospital admissions and deaths have been coming down quite significantly, so i certainly think we are in a good position, particularly with the success of the vaccination campaign, to start cautiously ease the lockdown. it need to be at a pace where we can monitor the situation and the vaccinations can keep up with that. it is the right decision to start relaxing, after monday, over the weeks to come, to make sure there are not resurgences and to make sure we can keep on track. i am relatively confident that if things keep going as well as they have

been, we should be on target to relax all those measures byjune. so many unknowns over the last 12 months, how likely is it that the uk will be hit by another wave? yes. months, how likely is it that the uk will be hit by another wave? yes, of course, will be hit by another wave? yes, of course. we — will be hit by another wave? yes, of course, we have _ will be hit by another wave? yes, of course, we have seen _ will be hit by another wave? yes, of course, we have seen concerning i course, we have seen concerning situations in continental europe in terms of cases going up, and some countries reintroducing lockdown policies. it's slightly different from last year, when we had a situation where italy and spain and other countries in europe were 2— weeks ahead of us, so we tended to see waves there and the uk a bit later. this time we have a successful vaccination campaign, high levels of protection amongst the vulnerable, so we may see cases rising a bit, but hopefully because we have a high level of protection for the vulnerable population, we won't see a similar rise in hospital occupancy and rising deaths. there is this feeling _ occupancy and rising deaths. there is this feeling or _ occupancy and rising deaths. there is this feeling or thought _ occupancy and rising deaths. there is this feeling or thought that, - occupancy and rising deaths. there is this feeling or thought that, for the british public, it's a case of

jab and go. what are your concerns over that attitude? i jab and go. what are your concerns over that attitude?— over that attitude? i think it's a difficult one. _ over that attitude? i think it's a difficult one. we _ over that attitude? i think it's a difficult one. we need - over that attitude? i think it's a difficult one. we need to - over that attitude? i think it's a - difficult one. we need to encourage as many people as possible to take the vaccine. the jab and goat approach is not something i would necessarily support but we need to concentrate on ensuring we give vaccine availability to all. —— jab and go. we know vaccine access is not quite as good in some areas, and even with high levels of protection, we have certain pockets of communities where the vaccine uptake is low and we could say that i was persisting. the key thing is encouraging as many people to take the vaccines so we can hopefully start to release lockdown come the summer. lorry drivers, airline cabin crew and seasonal workers entering england from abroad will soon need to take a covid test within two days of their arrival. the change will apply from the 6th of april.

elizabeth de jong, policy director at logistics uk, says she welcomes the move. because of the lack of notice and the big issues that we had just before christmas when 100% of vehicles travelling to france had to be tested, we have infrastructure in place for testing, we have that nationwide at information and advice centres, which are around the main arteries to our ports. so those can be used again for the inbound testing, so we won't be seeing the scenes that we saw before christmas, we are very happy to say. whatever testing regime is in place, and safeguards for good business practices for covid, it really important to us that it is proportionate to the risk, and our worst scenario would be quarantine for hauliers. we've been able to keep the country with all it needs during the crisis because there hasn't been quarantine for hauliers and other transport

drivers coming in between borders. so it's really important to us that quarantine is not a part of the answer, and we think therefore that this is an acceptable set of measures, balancing the business impact and also the covid risk. ministers have rejected a request for £170 million pounds in emergency funding from the company, liberty steel. the steel—maker employs 5,000 people and has been in trouble since its backer, greensill capital, went bust earlier this month. parents at batley grammar school in west yorkshire have called for calm to allow an incident where a teacher showed pupils a cartoon depicting the prophet muhammad to be properly investigated. there were angry protests outside the school on thursday and a further protest on friday. the school has suspended the teacher and started an investigation, but parents, including

some of muslim pupils, say the protests and threats against the school are unhelpful. any and all such threats to the school and staff involved undermine our efforts and are completely contrary to our values as concerned parents, citizens and muslims. we therefore call for calm, to allow further fruitful dialogue and a space for a transparent investigation to be undertaken. salvage teams trying to free the giant cargo ship still blocking the suez canal are hoping tonight's high tide, as well as more tugs and dredging, will dislodge it. with hundreds of vessels stuck either side of the ship, egypt's president says they should prepare to lift containers off in order to lighten the load. 0ur correspondent helena wilkinson has this report. it's still stuck.

this huge container vessel remains stubborn, refusing to move. 14 tug boats have been used to pull and push this 400—metre—long ship. they've managed a small victory, moving it 30 degrees. sand has also been dredged to try to dislodge it, and water has now started running underneath it. but at some point, probably soon, they may have to bring in specialist equipment, including cranes, to start removing containers. the ever given got stuck on tuesday. this satellite image shows the wedged container ship and, around it, more than 300 cargo ships left waiting. 0ne boat's refusal to budge has crippled global supply chains, 12% of which pass through this canal. it's billions of trade held up every single day, so it's a huge effect on the global economy, and it's affecting a lot of different supply chains.

so, we do have fuel tankers there, a lot of oil going through the suez every single day, and we also have a lot of container vessels. and we have bulk cargo, so that will be grains or coal, and these sort of things. so, it does affect us very, very widely. the worry now is that if tug boats and dredging don't manage to shift this ship, the complex operation to remove containers may be needed — an operation that could last weeks. helena wilkinson, bbc news. for more than a week now, a volcano near the icelandic capital of reyjkavik has been throwing lava and gas into the air, and attracting thousands of visitors. the eruption is the first of its kind there, in more than 800 years and has become the country's hottest attraction. tim allman reports. mother nature can provide the most astonishing of spectacle. but for there to truly be a spectacle, you have to have spectators.

this audience, rapt with attention, marvelling at the jaw—dropping sight on display. it seems more like woodstock or glastonbury than a geological event. it feels so nice! it feels like a music festival here, to have so many people around! yeah. i love it! i love how many people are here. amazing, like, incredible. i've been here, this is my third time, and it's changing so severely every single time i come. they have literally queued up to see this. a line of cars parked nearby now a common sight. the authorities have set up a hiking trail and are patrolling the area to prevent people from straying too close to dangerous volcanic gases. all this, quite the diversion after a year of viruses and lockdowns. i think for myself and for so many other people, it'sjust like a really nice experience to get

to have this kind of social vibe, really, and just kind of get out. it really makes you forget about the whole pandemic and everything that has been going on. volcanologists say they have no idea how long this eruption will last. it could be over in days or it may go on for decades. 0nly mother nature knows. tim allman, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. the start of this week will bring most a burst of spring warmth for most of us but do not get used to it because while temperatures are likely to get to 22 or 23 degrees in the south, by the end of the week it will turn much colder again. in the short—term, quite a lot of rain for north—west uk, especially the north—west of scotland. during today we have seen a lot of cloud from the west today, the rider picture shows outbreaks of rain becoming heavy across the west of scotland.

rain will keep on coming as this weather front wriggles around bringing more mixtures towards the west of the uk but to the south of that, we will tap into some very warm air. we will start to feel the effects through monday morning. look at the minimum temperatures. minimum temperatures 12 or 13 degrees in some places. windy through the night, rain for north england and north wales and heavy bursts for northern ireland and especially western scotland. through tomorrow, rain continues to fall in high ground in western scotland, perhaps localised flooding here and there. northeast scotland will see brightness. a lot of cloud in northern ireland, northwest england further east and south more sunshine. 21 degrees across some parts of eastern england. towards tuesday, notice the rain still falling across western scotland. further south and east you are, northern ireland and south—east scotland and certainly england and wales should see sunshine

and this is likely to be the warmest day of the week, 21—23 degrees quite possible. into wednesday, some of the warmth will hold on down in the south. further north and west, rain will start to ease from the west of scotland as this frontal system pushes southwards. behind that, a big drop in temperatures. just seven degrees in aberdeen. still in the 20s further south and east. toward the end of the week and easter weekend, this frontal system will eventually journey south allowing cold air to spill south reaching all parts of the uk by good friday. so for the easter weekend, spring warmth will be gone, it will be much colder and there could even be some wintry showers.