this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines: a traffic light system for foreign travel, is expected to be unveiled — when borisjohnson sets out his plans to further ease the lockdown in england today. there is to be an expansion of the coronavirus testing programme. everyone in england will have access to two free rapid tests a week, from this friday. this is the scene live at downing street, where the prime minister will lead today's briefing at 5pm — he'll be joined by england's chief medical officer chris whitty and the government's chief scientific advisor sir patrick vallance. they will in fact will be at number nine downing street, the new room for the government's briefing room. we will bring you that conference as soon as it begins. in other news...

hairdressers, homeware shops and garden centres are reopening in scotland, as covid restrictions are eased. dame cheryl gillan, the conservative mp for chesham and amersham in buckinghamshire, has died. borisjohnson paid tribute to her, describing her as "a great servant" to her constituents, who she had represented for almost 30 years, the party and the country. the trial of the minneapolis police officer accused of killing george floyd reopens at the start of its second week. and after a weekend of glorious sunshine for many, a very different story today — with snow in parts of scotland, northern england and even as far south as london.

hello, good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the prime minister will confirm this afternoon whether the next stage of the government's road map can go ahead next week as planned. if given the green light — hairdressers, gyms, outdoor hospitality and nonessential shops will be allowed to reopen in england from monday 12th. borisjohson is meeting with the cabinet — who are expected to approve this next stage in easing the lockdown. later, the prime minister will hold a news conference at downing street, where he's also due to unveil a traffic light system for foreign trips, which would allow people to go to green countries without having to quarantine upon their return. meanwhile, from friday, everyone in england will be able to access two rapid covid tests each week. the health secretary, matt hancock, says regular testing is vital to help the country get back to normal. here's our political correspondent, helen catt.

so you'll feel a slight pressure... secondary school children are already used to being regularly tested for coronavirus. from friday the government wants everyone in england to do the same. it will offer two free lateral flow tests every week to everyone. they could be through work, at community testing centres, from pharmacies, or sent directly to your home. the regular testing is designed to pick up people who have the virus but don't have symptoms. alongside the vaccine roll—out, it's part of the government's strategy to open up again. it's one of the key elements that will help us keep track of this disease. people self—isolate when they have a positive test so we keep that disease under control, and it allows us to get on with opening up, in a safe way, our economy and our country again. for now, unlocking england looks on track. it's expected the prime minister will confirm later that shops, hairdressers and gyms can reopen next monday as hoped. pubs and restaurants will again be able to serve customers outdoors. he is also expected to outline some of what's being looked at in the longer term, such as the controversial possibility of covid status certificates — vaccine passports.

under the plans, you would have to prove that you had been vaccinated or recently had a negative test, or actually had coronavirus in the last six months and so have some immunity. for now, these covid passports would be used for big sports events or music festivals. they won't be needed for public transport or shops, or in pubs to start with, although it's not been ruled out out down the line. i have reservations, the labour party have got reservations, around the introduction of vaccine passports. we have an amazing take—up of the vaccine, it's being rolled out incredibly successfully by the nhs. it's not totally clear to me that we need a sledgehammer to crack a nut here. a0 conservative mps have already said they are opposed to the certificates, so there is likely to be a political row to play out yet. for now, though, the next step on the road map looks to be on course. helen catt, bbc news. that was a rob lyttle correspondent

helen catt. our health correspondent laura foster came into the studio a little earlier, and she said it looks like a step in the right direction... so with the very slow, gradual release from lockdown we are seeing in 2021 the government and the scientists are really taking their time to lift some restrictions, see how it goes, look at the data. has it changed many things? that's before we go onto the next step. so it's kind of lesson learned from the previous lockdowns, where the government itself has said we perhaps came out too soon and things like that, because you have to allow the science at least two weeks to see the impact of the measures on infection rate and things like that? yes, because of the time it takes for people to meet up, spread a virus, and you might have the virus four or five days or so and not realise it, it could take up to 14 days to show any symptoms, so better to leave these five weeks, the period they are going for in terms of taking stock of the situation and what do we move to next? the key thing, i know

there are a lot of exciting things — we're talking about shops, pubs, outdoors and so on. this is only step two of four. so whatever is announced that is being lifted from monday, and monday was always going to be the earliest date they would give for these restrictions lifting, there are still many more steps to go before we can breathe a sigh of relief. this is a myriad of data from all parts of the country and there is a set of criteria, little checklist, the government has to go through, looking at the data and saying, 0k, is the vaccination programme still going well? we know from various reports that it is. more than half the adult population in the uk have had theirfirstjab, and 5 million have had their second, many people, so that is looking good. but it is also is there evidence the number of vaccines are reducing the number of deaths and hospitalisations? yes, we are seeing that, good news, and we are also seeing the number of people admitted to hospital

with covid and dying with covid has been going down. but it is also about whether there is room in the nhs if people get ill, so that is when they are looking at infection rates. is there room if things go up to have the capacity to treat people... so we can cope if there is a spike, even if a temporary spike, that we have the capacity to deal with it... yes, it is about putting the nhs at risk. then it is about the travel restrictions, when we hear about the new variants. the most dominant version in the uk at the moment is the kent variant, known around the world as the uk variant, but there are big fears about, say, the south african variant. yes. it has caused such concerns in portugal, hasn't it, to such extent that until now portugal has virtually been cut off from the rest of europe? there are a lot of countries on the red list and more added the other week, and there is this traffic light system which my colleagues will tell you more about, but the fear is if you get a variant that is too different

from the existing one that it mightjeopardise the vaccination programme, it might stop vaccines from working, and if the vaccines aren't working and this fiat is spreading more easily that will put pressure on the nhs. so it is all of those things factored in together, looking at weeks�* worth of evidence, trying to make sense of it and go, "right, ok, this is what we will lift and how we will lift it." that was laura foster, our health correspondent. so today, the prime minister will also give details of a "traffic light" system for restarting international travel. our transport correspondent, caroline davies, looks at how it could work. from the engine to the seats and every last screw, preparing for international travel takes time. ever since the prime minister mentioned the 17th of may as the first date when international travel could start from england, many in the travel industry began gearing up ready for then. while work is underway here at luton airport and across the uk, scotland, wales and northern ireland have yet to commit to a date. the industry is crossing its fingers that international travel will restart.

the thing we need to hear is that travel is going to be back open. we are all trying to open, the uk, the economy and travel is an intrinsic part of that. all our teams are getting ready for restart. we believe and we hope that the 17th will be possible. we think with our amazing vaccination programme and the greater provision of testing, we think we should be able to get going. today, the prime minister will announce that when international travel does restart, there will be a traffic—light system. anyone from england will be able to travel from green countries without needing to quarantine, although they will still need a test before they travel and once more once they arrive in the uk. those travelling from amber countries will need all of these tests and require people to quarantine at home on arrival for ten days, although if they pay for an extra test on the fifth day and it is negative, they can leave quarantine early.

only uk residents will be allowed in from red countries, and they will need to pay for quarantine at a hotel, as well as taking the tests. this is a new testing centre set up at luton airport. the company behind it is expanding its capacity at other airports, too. tests will still need to be paid for by the passenger and they can be expensive. what we are hopeful for is we will start to see, as more countries get vaccinated, as that risk of infection reduces, that actually the number of tests you have to take will change, and the type of test will change. obviously, the pcr test is the more complicated, the more expensive test. the lateral flow can be at a much reduced cost. so our view is, hopefully, we can work with governments to enable it to be at a lower cost of testing. exactly when international travel will be allowed is still not confirmed. the 17th of may could get pushed back. the next big question is where we will be able to go. some countries around the world, like israel and the us,

have a high vaccination rate, while others like france are lagging behind. it is likely that will be a big factor in deciding which countries we can travel to. and how will all this paperwork be processed? even with small numbers of travellers, there have been long queues at the border. the hope is this will be streamlined or put on an app, in time. there are still a lot of questions about when international travel will get moving again. caroline davies, bbc news. this afternoon the prime minister will lead today's downing street briefing, he'll bejoined by england's chief medical officer chris whitty and the government's chief scientific advisor sir patrick vallance. we'll have full coverage from my colleaguejane hill at 4.30 on the bbc news channel and bbc one in england. if you are watching from scotland, wales and northern ireland then stay tuned on the news channel, don't tuned on the news channel, don't tune into bbc one. butjane will join us from 4.30 and we hope the news conference will begin sometime between then and five o'clock. stay with us on bbc news. now, hairdressers and garden centres

in scotland can reopen from today in the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions. salons and barbers can welcome back customers with appointments only — although most nonessential shops will have to stay closed for at least three more weeks. here's our scotland correspondent james shaw. a big day in scotland for barbers and hairstylists, and everyone who has been desperate to tame their lockdown locks. hair salons say they're taking high levels of bookings but they're also having to deal with continuing health and safety restrictions which limit the amount of business they can do. cuts are by appointment only and mobile services are still not allowed, but at least stylists are back in business. it's such a relief — we're so happy to be back in the salon, getting back into doing what we love most and seeing all of our colleagues and regular clients coming back is just wonderful. and their customers could not be happier. it's fantastic. i've been coming to this salon for about 12 years and i knowl it is a great place to come to,

and it just feels _ like spring is here. it might seem like a small thing to some, but getting a haircut can definitely contribute to a feeling that the worst of the second wave of the coronavirus crisis may be over. i have to say it is an enormous relief for me to be able to get a haircut after three months at least of waiting for one, and for thousands of other people in scotland as well. but these are not the only freedoms we are going to start enjoying from today. it's been sunny across much of scotland, which has encouraged many people to head for their local garden centre. these changes are part of the scottish government's road map out of lockdown, which continues at the same time as preparations for elections in may. over the course of the crisis, the scottish government has sometimes seemed more cautious than ministers in london, and that tone was evident in the latest guidance from the health secretary.

the numbers are looking better and are staying in a kind of steady state of looking better, so that's good, but we're not there yet. so what we have done and what opens up today i'm sure is very welcome by very many people indeed, but our progress needs to be tempered with a degree of caution, and that is of course exactly the approach we are taking here. so we will do what we have done today and then in three weeks�* time i hope we will be able to open up a bit more. this is nowhere near the end of the pandemic, but today's limited new freedoms may at least make people feel that the winter crisis is over and deliver a small measure of hope. james shaw, bbc news, glasgow.

the conservative mp and former secretary of state for wales, dame cheryl gillan, has died at the age of 68. she had been suffering from a long illness. the prime minister borisjohnson said she had been a great servant to her constituents in chesham and amersham, in buckinghamshire, and was "much loved" on all sides of the house of commons. in fact the speaker of the house of commons sir lindsay hoyle is one of a number of those who have treated in the last hour or so offering their condolences to dame cheryl's family, and describing her as one of the most well liked people in the house of commons. a two—week—old baby boy has died after his pram was hit by a car in the west midlands. police say the incident happened near walsall yesterday afternoon. the driver fled the scene — but a 34—year—old man was arrested shortly afterwards. he's being questioned on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

the headlines on bbc news: a traffic light system for foreign travel, is expected to be unveiled — when borisjohnson sets out his plans to further ease the lockdown in england today. an expansion of the coronavirus testing programme. everyone in england will have access to two free rapid tests a week, from this friday. hairdressers, homeware shops and garden centres are reopening in scotland, as covid restrictions are eased. before we get to the downing street news conference, time for a pause to catch up with what is happening in the sporting world, with gavin at the sporting world, with gavin at the bbc sport centre. lots of sport despite the restrictions caused by covid? absolutely, shaun, very busy easter weekend so far. we will get through them in a moment. the spanish league has released a statement condemning racism "in all shapes and forms" after the incident in valencia's game against cadiz. mouctar diakhaby reacted furiously after allegedy hearing a racist comment from cadiz defenderjuan cala, who denies any wrongdoing. the entire valencia side left the pitch and captainjose gaya said they were told by the referee they'd be docked points if they

didn't resume the match. diakhaby was substituted but encouraged them to carry on and after 20 mintues they returned, before losing 2—1. la liga's statement said they took any allegation of racism seriously. what happened after that was more worrying than what happened acyually on the field. because what happens with the institutions of football here, "we don't have sufficient evidence right now, ok, we will investigate, but go and play because you know what the rules are." the rules are very clear. if you don't play, you lose the game. if you abandon the game you lose another three points. i think through this episode what message needs to be very clear is that we need to change the protocols. middlesbrough came from behind to snatch a point at the riverside against watford, to keep their play—off hopes alive. watford had taken the lead when philip zinckernagel�*s shot was deflected beyond marcus bettinelli

by ismaila sarr, but the home side equalised with just 13 minutes to go. yannick bolasie heading home from paddy mcnair�*s cross. the result means that watford stay in second — while boro stay ninth, six points off the play—off places. nine more games in the championship this afternoon — most into the second half now. the late game is sheffield wednesday against cardiff. follow all the football league games on the bbc sport website. rookie patty tavatanakit has won the first women's golf major of the season — the ana inspiration in california. the thai rookie led from the first round to the last, finishing two shots clear of a charging lydia ko, for her first win on the american tour. she's come a long way since she finished as top amateur in this event three years ago. it's a dream come true every time i play here. i remember exactly, i was on this green, receiving my low amateur award, and i saw they were jumping and i actually took a snapchat and the caption was, "one day." it has been crazy. now to a real throwback down memory

lane for snookerfans — seven—time world champion stephen hendry will play fellow legend jimmy white in world championship qualifying later today. hendry made his professional comeback last month, after nine years in retirement. he is 52 years old, white is 58. back in the late 80s and 90s hendry beat the "whirlwind" four times in the world championship final. the scot knows he has a target on his back. people want to beat me. i will be, you know, i'll be a scalp for somebody. but, yeah, it's going to be — i'm going to try and approach it, find a way of approaching it, and not put too much importance on it. because i think that's... if you look atjimmy all these years, i thinkjimmy is dying to play at the crucible again and i think it's affecting him in the qualifier. he's trying too hard, almost. and you've got to try and, i've got to guard against that. i've got to be prepared mentally just to go there and experience it. looking forward to that. in darts, the world number one gerwyn price has been ruled out of the premier league after testing positive for covid—i9.

the competition is set to get underway tonight — and all players and officials were tested yesterday, with everyone testing negative apart from price. he'll be replaced by 2009 champion james wade who will play gary anderson this evening. that's all the sport for now. shaun, we will see you a bit later on. lovely. gavin, thank you very much. don't forget sportsday is at 6.30 as always here on the bbc news channel. india has recorded more than 100,000 coronavirus cases in one day — the highest daily increase in the world — as the country sees a surge in infections. in response, more restrictions are being introduced, particularly in maharashtra, which is home to the city of mumbai. gail mcclellan has more.

a crowded market in mumbai. masks are on but social distancing is virtually impossible and coronavirus cases are rising rapidly. the warning is stark. translation: the number of covid-19 cases reported in the last _ 24 hours is alarming and is a matter of concern. it could turn into a hazardous situation. almost 15 days ago, there were about 23,000 cases which have increased four times now which is a very big thing. if the cases increase in this proportion, the impact of the pandemic will be as dreadful as last year. 165,000 have died of covid—19 in india. the country recording 12.5 million infections. on sunday, the number of daily cases peaked at its highest level since september with more than 93,000 recorded. more than half of those are in maharashtra, the state facing tighter restrictions from monday. including a night—time curfew and full lockdown on weekends. translation: this is a very good decision by the government. - as coronavirus cases are surging and the chain of transmission of the virus will break. which will be very beneficial for all of us.

stopping the spread of the virus is a mammoth task, particularly in a country with a population of 1.3 billion. it may have the world's largest inoculation drive, so far administering more than 68 million doses. but that's not yet been enough to halt transmission. gail mcclellan, bbc news. bangladesh has imposed a seven—day coronavirus lockdown, after a recent surge in case. all domestic travel services are suspended, malls and shops are shut, and banks will be allowed to open for just two and a half hours per day. in the us, the trial of the former police officer derek chauvin — accused of the murder

of george floyd — has resumed. chauvin knelt on george floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while arresting him in minneapolis last may. the death triggered protests across the world over racial injustice. the dotor who pronounced george floyd dead has taken the witness stand today. we can cross now to our correspondent in minneapolis — larry madowo. find out what did he say? we have not heard from _ find out what did he say? we have not heard from the _ find out what did he say? we have not heard from the cheap - find out what did he say? we have not heard from the cheap yet - find out what did he say? we have not heard from the cheap yet but l find out what did he say? we have| not heard from the cheap yet but it could potentially be devastating for the case of derek chauvin and especially his defence because it is extremely rare to have a police chief testify and officer. in this case he fired derek chauvin a day after the death of george floyd and he will not mince his words when he comes up to the witness stand today, according to the opening statement we heard from the prosecution, which essentially is the state of minnesota. it is the second week. we will be hearing a lot more experts contesting the cause of death of george floyd, between what the prosecution says, he died from asphyxiation, lack of oxygen, but his defence says he died from a

previous drug overdose, previous drug use and also underlying health problems and notjust derek chauvin�*s knee on his neck. in problems and notjust derek chauvin's knee on his neck. in some wa that chauvin's knee on his neck. in some way that explains — chauvin's knee on his neck. in some way that explains why _ chauvin's knee on his neck. in some way that explains why there - chauvin's knee on his neck. in some way that explains why there was - chauvin's knee on his neck. in some way that explains why there was so | way that explains why there was so much testimony last week about his drug use and the drug use of his partner, who gave evidence. nonetheless, presumably the prosecution are arguing what derek chauvin did was the material because of george floyd's df?— of george floyd's df? absolutely, shaun. of george floyd's df? absolutely, shaun- the _ of george floyd's df? absolutely, shaun. the prosecution _ of george floyd's df? absolutely, shaun. the prosecution says - of george floyd's df? absolutely, | shaun. the prosecution says derek chauvin betrayed his badge, —— george floyd's death. and that is why they are testifying against him, his boss. it is hard to make a case you followed police training and procedure when your own boss as you did not, this is what we train you to do. but the defence of derek chauvin do not have to prove a cause of death, theyjust have to bring in reasonable doubt, and if they can convince one juror there is reasonable doubt this case ceases to exist because the jury has to agree unanimously, all of them have to agree on these three charges, at least on one of them, to get a conviction. he is charged on

second—degree and intentional murder, second—degree manslaughter and third—degree murder, so it will be a very uphill battle to convict him on any of those.— be a very uphill battle to convict him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis. — him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis, thank— him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis, thank you _ him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis, thank you so _ him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis, thank you so much. - him on any of those. larry madowo in minneapolis, thank you so much. we| minneapolis, thank you so much. we will be hearing more from larry during the course of the evening here on bbc news as the trial day continues. police say they're drafting in extra resources to deal with disorder in parts of northern ireland following three nights of unrest. last night, petrol bombs and bricks were thrown at police officers in loyalist areas on the outskirts of belfast. officials say children as young as twelve were involved. 27 officers were injured during riots in belfast and londonderry on friday night. police divers have been deployed as part of the investigation into the disappearance of student,

richard okorogheye. the 19—year—old hasn't been seen since the 22nd of march, and was last seen walking towards epping forest. the prestigious screen actors guild awards, regarded as a pretty good indicator for the oscars later this month, have taken place in muted fashion this year — the ceremony was pre—taped, with no red carpet and no host. chadwick boseman, who died of cancer last august, was posthumously voted best actor for 1920s blues drama ma rainey�*s black bottom, while viola davis won best actress for her role in the film. the 1960's courtroom drama the trial of the chicago 7 was judged the year's best performance overal in film. after a weekend of glorious sunshine for many, it's been a very different story today for large parts of the uk. i promise you, these are not library pictures. they are actually today. fierce wind, snow, and i can tell you there was even sleet in west london this morning. without get that very often, certainly not in april, however i think we have a better prospect. but the met office says getting through tonight could be tough. —7 in some parts of the country overnight. don't turn off your central heating just yet! let's take a look at the weather now with

darren bett... hello there. the cold arctic air has arrived now, but many places will be dry today, with some sunshine. this band of cloud has been bringing some wintry weather across southern parts of the uk, moving through and you can see all the shower cloud streaming down from the north and that cold air that originates all the way from the arctic. so it does feel cold today, but many places will still be dry this afternoon with some sunshine, and temperatures in cheshire lower than yesterday. northern scotland really in the firing line, particularly up towards the northern isles where it is very windy. a covering of snow and it feels particularly cold. these are the late afternoon temperatures. 3-9 , but the late afternoon temperatures. 3—9 , but adding on the strength of the wind it will feel colder than that even with some sunshine around. strong northerly winds gusting 50—60 mph across northern parts of scotland. that will continue to feed in with snow showers right the way across the night. some show is coming into northern ireland over the irish sea and into parts of

wales and even the south—west of england. many other areas will be dry with some clear skies. icy conditions where we have those snow showers overnight and a widespread frost as well will stop typical temperatures will be —12—2 c. still cold then on tuesday. more snow showers in the same sort of areas —— -i showers in the same sort of areas —— —1 to showers in the same sort of areas —— -i to -2. it showers in the same sort of areas —— —1 to —2. it almost anywhere could catch a passing snow shower through the day driven on by the strong winds once again. again, like today temperatures 3—9 degrees, but when you add on the strength of the wind again it will feel really cold. probably it will feel again a bit more like the middle of winter. but later on in the week, we search see the weather changing a bit. it will not be as cold and it will not be as windy either. during wednesday we see the cold arctic air and those northerly winds swept out into the north sea, taking away most of the snow showers, and instead are aware they will start to come in from the atlantic. a cold start to wednesday

with some frost. still some snow showers in the north—east of scotland, but the winds will be lighter on wednesday. cloud will increase to the day and we have a bit of patchy rain into northern ireland, perhaps into the western parts of wales as well. many places will be dry but it will still be cold for this time of year and gets a little less cold on thursday.

this is bbc news, i'mjane hill. a traffic light system for foreign travel is expected to be unveiled when borisjohnson sets out his plans to further ease the lockdown in england in the next hour. countries reliant on tourism like greece are preparing for the summer holiday season — but with rising cases, they don't know when they can open, or which tourists will be able to visit. from this friday everyone in england will have access to two free rapid tests a week, as part of an expansion of the coronavirus testing programme. this is the scene live at downing street,