a deadly crush at a religious festival in israel leaves 45 people dead and around 150 injured. men and boys at the segregated event struggled to escape the crowd through a narrow passageway, leading to panic and tragedy. crowds were heading down this metal ramp here. eye witnesses have said it was slippery. people were then turning around this corner heading down the steps and some have said that a barrier was blocking the route. there's been no official explanation for what caused the fatal crush. israel's prime minister has promised a full investigation. also tonight: the actor noel clarke says he's deeply sorry for some of his actions but vehemently denies sexual misconduct — itv dropped tonight's episode of viewpoint.

a taste of last summer — covid—19 infection levels are down to what they were back then. we have a special report from mali, where british troops take part in what's been called the most dangerous peace—keeping mission in the world. and hitting the dance floor at last — the clubbers who are part of a covid pilot scheme, testing the safety of crowds. 3000 people enjoying an out out in liverpool— 3000 people enjoying an out out in liverpool with no social distancing, but under — liverpool with no social distancing, but under the watchful eye of the scientists. — but under the watchful eye of the scientists, working out if this is the safe — scientists, working out if this is the safe way to get us all back enjoying — the safe way to get us all back enjoying crowds again. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel — down to ten men early, but could southampton hang on for a point against high—flying leicester?

good evening. the first funerals have been held in israel after at least 45 people died in a crush at a crowded religious festival. 150 others were injured at the event last night. the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, promised an investigation to ensure such a tragedy could never happen again. tens of thousands of orthodoxjews attended the lag b'omerfestival, which takes place at the foot of mount meron. it was the largest event in the country since the coronavirus pandemic began. our middle east correspondent tom bateman sent this report from the scene. and a warning — it contains distressing images. they came to celebrate and to be blessed. tens of thousands ofjewish pilgrims at the mountain tomb of an ancient rabbi. but instead they were met

with panic and a deadly crush. men and boys left the shrine, descending a narrow walkway which was badly overcrowded. those at the front became trapped. people tried tearing away metal barricades to free them. all of a sudden, we saw paramedics running by, like, mid—cpr on kids, and then one after the other, started coming on ambulances. then we understood, like, something's going on here. pilgrimsjoined paramedics in a desperate search. dozens had been suffocated or trampled on. children became separated from parents, and army helicopters evacuated the wounded. in the hospitals, there has been anguish as relatives wait for news. many of the dead still haven't been formally identified.

this man took his two young sons to the festival. when it got crowded, he says, they tried to get out. "we reached a ramp," he tells me, "where there was a river of people. i fell on my back and others piled on top. i prayed. my ten—year—old son was screaming for help, shouting, "i'm dead." and my 13—year—old son, he was gone." his ten—year—old son made his way home by himself. but the teenager remains missing. the family scoured hospital wards for news. later, he was confirmed dead, among at least seven children who lost their lives. the annual festival sees ultraorthodox jews flock for the night of prayer. bonfires are lit, too. this was the country's biggest gathering since the pandemic. israel has lifted many

covid restrictions after the world's fastest vaccination rate, and police had planned for crowds. so what went wrong? this is where the surge took place. crowds were heading down this metal ramp here. eyewitnesses have said it was slippery. people were then turning around this corner, heading down the steps, and some have said that a barrier was blocking the route. and that's where the crush took place. at the scene, prime minister benjamin netanyahu called it "a national disaster" and promised a full enquiry. this afternoon, they began burying the dead. amid the grief and the funerals, questions mount over whether it could have been prevented. after a night of ritual, this was the one no—one wanted. the question tonight is over the degree to which this was a disaster waiting to happen, and what could

have been done to stop it. much focus is falling on the israeli police and what they knew and when. the public security minister was here last night taking part in the celebrations, and the police have known for many years about the risks involved in the sheer numbers of people that come here every year. at the same time, stories have been emerging about near misses when it comes to overcrowding before. one man who was here last night told me he was very nearly crushed at exactly the same spot this time last year. the regional police commander for the area was here at the site saying there is a full investigation under way. at the same time israel's justice ministry is looking at the role of the police itself and the commander said while that investigation was under way for good or bad he would take full responsibility for now what is described as israel's worst civilian

disaster. studio: tom, thank you. tom bateman reporting there. the actor and director noel clarke has issued a statement saying he's deeply sorry that some of his actions affected people in ways he "did not intend or realise" — after being accused of harassment and bullying by 20 women. mr clarke said he would seek professional help. but he vehemently denied any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. itv has pulled tonight's final episode of the drama he stars in, viewpoint, while sky has halted work with him. here's chi chi izundu — her report contains flashing images. stella? noel clarke, a british film success story, celebrated for his ability to bring diverse stories to the big and small screen. a star in itv�*s police drama viewpoint. tonight's finale removed from itv 1. already a recipient of the bafta rising star award back in 2009, just two weeks ago he was receiving the bafta award for outstanding british contribution to cinema.

i've won something that at the time someone like me was never supposed to... but last night the guardian newspaper published allegations from 20 women who had worked with him, allegations about sexual harassment and bullying behaviour. one woman accusing him of pinning her against the wall of his dressing room. another saying he'd sent her sexually explicit pictures. this is a really, really damning indictment of how intimidating some workplaces, some producers, are, for our members to raise concerns, because as you say this highly informal, sensationalised way in which many feel it is the only way they can get their voice heard... in a statement sky said it stands against all forms of sexual harassment and bullying and takes any allegations of this nature extremely seriously. "effective immediately, we have halted noel clarke's

involvement in any future sky productions. vertigo films and all 3 media which backed his production company have also confirmed they are no longer working with him. drive fast... here he is in bulletproof with ashley walters, popular show on sky, and in a statement on his instagram page ashley says, whilst noel has been a friend and a colleague for several years, i cannot stand by and ignore these allegations. every woman has the right to feel safe in the workplace, and moving forward i pledge my dedication to this. it's just reminding everyone that metoo is not something that happened in 2017. it's something that continues to affect people within the film and television industry and affect people outside of that come across the world, so we need to be more diligent and start taking some action and doing things to stop allowing these things to go on for so long.

there is growing anger amongst some of the bar staff members about what the organisation knew, and when. in a letter bafta said back in march when it announced noel clarke was to receive the prestigious outstanding british contribution to cinema award it wasn't aware of any allegations, but it did get some tip offs afterwards, and as a charity it is not in a position to properly investigate such matters, but if it did have the first—hand accounts as reported by the guardian it would never have given noel clarke the award. in a statement, noel clarke, here with his wife, betty mentally denied any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. denied any sexual misconduct or criminalwrongdoing. he denied any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. he apologised for any of his actions which offended people in ways he didn't attend, and said he would be seeking professional help to educate himself and change for the better. chi chi izundu, bbc news. there's been a big drop in the number of coronavirus cases across the uk, with levels back to those seen at the end of last summer. the office for national statistics estimates around one in 1,000 people had the virus last week. and bbc analysis shows

about 22 million people are now living in areas where there were no covid deaths this month, as our health editor, hugh pym reports. the spires of oxford, with the mood matching the weather. there's not been a single reported covid death in the city for 60 days. yeah, we're quite lucky. and local people i spoke to today said they were more encouraged about the way things were progressing. yeah, people seem a lot calmer in themselves. they're not so... yeah, and i think when you're out in town itjust feels a bit like, a bit more normal. i've been taking him to baby groups and i wouldn't have dreamed of doing that a few months ago. we both stayed in for 14 months and we're glad to be out. - it feels like we've got more freedom, we can do more things, and, yeah, we can socialise more because of the vaccines and everything, so, yeah. case rates continued falling last week in all the uk nations, according to the office for national statistics. and that's even with some restrictions being eased

earlier this month. covid deaths and hospital admissions have fallen sharply. new bbc research shows there are around 22 million people in the uk living in areas where there have been no covid deaths so far this month. that's deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test. back injanuary, at the peak, there were more than 30,000 covid deaths. now, so far this month, it's fewer than 600. this map shows areas in orange where there have been no reported covid deaths so far in april. back in september, some intensive care units for covid patients were empty, like this one filmed at the time. then came a dramatic surge, and some hospitals were close to being overwhelmed, but now they're much quieter once again. we are hearing that some intensive care units, covid intensive care units, are empty or with very low numbers of patients. that's ok for now, but we are seeing the nhs getting back to normal, and we are expecting that as normal service resumes the workload will increase and will need to be sustained at really high levels as time moves forward.

the vaccination programme continues to roll out, with those aged a0 and over in england now being offered a jab. one of the key scientists involved in developing the vaccines said even with all the good news, there was a need for caution. i think it's extremely unlikely that we will have a resurgence of disease to the extent we've seen before, because we've got a large number of people vaccinated, but i think we can be certain of one thing — that this virus will continue to transmit, and we're not safe here or around the world until everyone is protected from the virus. the official line is that even communities with no recent covid deaths need to continue observing social distancing rules. hugh pym, bbc news, oxford. let's take a look at the latest government figures.

there were 2,381 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average 2,216 new cases were reported per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were 1,497 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus on wednesday. 15 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, 19 deaths were announced every day. the total number is now 127,517. as for vaccinations — a total of 34.2 million people have now had their first dose of a covid vaccine. and over 14.5 million people have had both doses and are now fully vaccinated. a significant number of lockdown restrictions have been eased in northern ireland today. shops, gyms, pubs, restaurants and cafes have reopened,

making northern ireland the last of the uk's four nations to do so. hospitality businesses must operate outdoors, with table service and limited numbers. a police community support officer whose body was found in woodland in kent died from serious head injuries, according to detectives. the body of 53—year—old julia james was found in a wood in snowdown near dover on tuesday. police say that so far no motive or suspects have been identified. helena wilkinson reports. this normally quiet rural part of kent has become the focus of an extensive murder investigation. it was on the edge of this wood where julia james was found, just a few hundred yards from where she lived. the 53—year—old police community support officer had been working from home on tuesday. she had taken her dog for a walk when she was attacked. kent police say she wasn't in police

uniform when she was found. police say the body ofjulia james was found by a number of people close to the woods on tuesday afternoon. she died from significant head injuries. at this stage, they don't have any suspects, nor can they find a clear motive. what they aren't ruling out is that she was killed by a stranger. it is particularly challenging and poignant for some staff working on the case, who knew her professionally or potentially, of course, socially, so, i am working very carefully to ensure that all of my teams are fully supported. tonight, herfamily has paid tribute. she was, they said, "fiercely loyal, loved with her whole heart, and nothing was too much trouble for the people she cared about. there are no words to adequately describe the void left in our lives." it has also been difficult for this small community. shocked, very shocked.

it is frightening, living near that. we never lock the doors, but now... we are locking doors. today, julia james was described by the kent force as a hugely devoted and passionate individual, who was completely committed to serving the people of kent. helena wilkinson, bbc news, snowdown in kent. the racing driver sir lewis hamilton and prince william, who is the president of the fa, have joined football clubs and other sporting bodies in a four day boycott of social media in protest at online abuse. it comes after the former arsenal and france striker thierry henry removed himself from social media in march because of racism and bullying across platforms. nestor mcgregor reports. football has tried several different tactics to try and defeat racism. taking the knee, widely adopted across sport, is one of them.

today, the game hoped to make another loud statement — those who have been victims staying silent on the platforms where the abuse takes place. andros townsend says he used to be scared to look at his phone after games. do i think it will make a difference? probably not. but what it does do, it sends a warning to these companies, to let these people know that we're not going to take this abuse any more. if they still don't take action then i think you will see these clubs, players, staff, corporations, start to get together and think of more tough measures to take to finally force action. at 3pm this afternoon, led by the premier league and with support from rugby, cricket, cycling and many more, a four—day social media boycott. even before the lockdown kicked in, we were seeing significant increases in reported incidents based on discrimination, and this isn'tjust online. the fact that we've not been in grounds and we haven't had grassroots football,

i think is hiding the fact that this is a problem in society. through sport, huge amounts of traffic is diverted to sites like instagram, facebook and twitter, an agreement which benefits them both. but this weekend, nothing from f1 champion lewis hamilton, a huge game, man united versus liverpool, nothing. the result of that fixture could see manchester city crowned champions yet nothing in the form of celebration from their players on social media. facebook, instagram and twitter are going to miss out on billions of views this weekend due to these major clubs not participating on their platforms. in terms of companies investing in the ads on these platforms, the traffic isn't going to be there. with the spotlight firmly on social media companies, their message remains the same — that they are committed to making their platforms a safe space for everyone. instagram, which is owned by facebook, recently gave users more tools and controls over who can message them. this isn't about profit

and it's not about money. we've been working on some of these tools for a very long time regardless of any calls for a boycott. generation by generation, athletes have shared stories of being racially abused at work. commentator: and it's ian wright. it makes you feel very dehumanised. you feel like nothing. there's nothing you can do, you're helpless. it's a regular occurrence simply because there is no consequence to some of these people's action. yet each storyteller hopes they will be the last to have to tell it. nestor mcgregor, bbc news. arlene foster will leave the democratic unionist party, which she's led for five years, when she stands down as northern ireland's first minister, the bbc understands. sources say she thinks it's no longer the party shejoined. mrs foster is to resign as dup leader on may the 28th, and cease being first minister at the end ofjune. in less than a week's time,

scotland will go to the polls to elect the country's parliament at holyrood. five years ago, the first minister nicola sturgeon said she would put her neck on the line when it came to improving education — in particular, closing the gap between pupils from the most and least deprived areas. our scotland editor sarah smith looks now at how successful her government has been. education, particularly narrowing the gap between the attainment of students from the poorest and the most affluent parts of the country, was to be the defining mission of the last snp government. five years on, experts say the gap remains wide. even students who have got good grades themselves believe there should be a level playing field. people should be looking at the difference between schools that are doing better and schools that are doing worse. if it's to do with support, what is it to do with, where people stay? because honestly, i don't think that's true. i don't think where you stay or where your house is and you were brought up has got anything to do with how much of a hard worker you are. it's just down to the student

to study and do well. i don't think it matters where they come from, i think it matters how well they do. i don't think because you come - from a certain area that should mean you're better than other people. they do have the better resources, but i don't think that generally- transitions to a better pupil. the scottish government has poured hundreds of millions into targeted help for schools, and record numbers of students from deprived areas are going into higher education. but experts say across the country, the progress that has been made falls short of the scottish government's aims. it remains the case in scotland that school students from the most deprived areas are more likely to fail their highers than they are to get an a. and that could be a political problem for a party that asked to be judged on their efforts to close the attainment gap. it's not a problem that can be solved just in schools. the root causes of that is that poverty is high in scotland, child poverty is high, it's predicted to increase because of the pandemic, and that is quite an important issue. so, education can play its role, but it is also important that

policies exist to really help our families to come out of poverty. families who can know that moving to the right area could significantly boost their children's chances. abby goes to one of the best state schools in scotland. does it bother you that there are kids possiblyjust as bright as you who won't be performing as well because they're at different schools in different areas? definitely, it's so unfair. i think everyone deserves a chance to be able to fulfil their potential. we have to feel that we're lucky to be where we are and if people have been less lucky than you, i don't think it's ok to say, well, i'm ok and that's a good position for you to be in. ijust feel like a fairer society across the board is what we should all be striving for. the snp are promising more targeted funding and free school meals for all primary pupils. other parties are offering more teachers and smaller class sizes. all agree, closing the attainment gap must be a priority for the next scottish government. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow.

and you can find out about education and the policies of all the other parties taking part in the scottish election on the bbc website, at bbc.co.uk/news. the biggest uk military operation since iraq and afghanistan is under way in the west african state of mali. 300 british soldiers havejoined part of what the un is calling the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world. nearly 250 un troops have lost their lives since the mission began eight years ago. mali is suffering from a rise in violent islamist extremism, coupled with severe poverty. it has a scattered population of 20 million people, and the size of the country alone makes it very difficult to counter the threat with limited security forces. the bbc�*s defence correspondent jonathan beale and cameraman james anderson are the first broadcast journalists to join british troops on patrol. british troops are back in harm's

way, in their most dangerous deployment since the wars in iraq and afghanistan. this time as part of a un peacekeeping mission in mali, a country in crisis, suffering extreme poverty, the impact of climate change, weak governance, and a surge in violent extremism. more than 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. we need to try and understand the sorts of terrorist activity, if you've got any security concerns in the area, try and identify that as well as looking for anyone who does look suspect. we were among the firstjournalists to join them out on patrol. they're on high alert. they soon notice a group of men leaving on motorbikes. groups of five to six motorcyclists who have seen us, it's just a bit suspicious. strangers coming through the area. they know extremists have been here, but for the locals there's often a fear in speaking out.

they are reluctant to say what the issues are, which suggests there are some sort of fear of reprisals if they are starting to open up of the true issues they do face, and it's giving them a sort of understanding and being a presence to provide that security. jihadist groups have been conducting a reign of terror. this, a propaganda video of the group calling itself islamic state in the greater sahel. they're in competition with other extremists linked to al-anda. these long—range reconnaissance patrols are designed to gather intelligence, to protect the local population, and to drive the extremists out. but they're having to cover a vast area of thousands of miles. and the question is, can a few hundred british troops really make a difference? tens of thousands have become refugees in their own country. these families have left their villages for the relative safety of a nearby town —

the victims of the violence. he said they killed some of theirfamily, most of their family. killed most of their family? anything we can do to allow them to live a normal life fear from fear of rape, murder or robbery, is a success for us. they're having to work alongside mali's own security forces, who have been accused of committing human rights abuses. but they're taking casualties too. 30 malian soldiers were killed in an ambush here just a few weeks ago. so what if the british become the target? if someone's going to attack us we're not going to sit and watch them do that. we will defend ourselves. and if someone is going to attack or is about to attack the local nationals then ourjob is to protect them, and if protecting them involves using violence then we will use violence. the uk's committed to this peacekeeping mission for at least three years, but thousands of french troops have

been fighting in a separate counter—terrorism mission here since 2013. for britain the question is can it really help bring peace to mali, or is this another long, unwinnable war? jonathan beale, bbc news, eastern mali. clubbers have been deprived of the dance floor for more than a year now — but today to their delight thousands returned — and without masks or social distancing. it's all part of the government's pilot programme to establish whether large crowds can safely gather without spreading covid. 6,000 people are attending a two—day event in liverpool today and tomorrow. dan johnson reports. the masks are off and the volume is rising. finally, we are free to do what we wanted to do. embracing music and each other.

anywhere else, this would be illegal tonight. i think it's really going to be like a magical moment in history, to be honest. and look what it means, being back in front of a crowd. i think it's going to be electric. i think everyone is going to be absolutely buzzing. people arejust walking into the venue and going, "oh my god!", just screaming their heads off, like, so excited. and this city is leading the way. i have literally spent about three weeks preparing for this outfit. i oh, so long. genuinely, yeah. deciding what to drink, deciding what to wear, | and big up liverpool for having |the first non—socially distance | event in the country! we love this city! all of us are excited. we are all on the verge of tears, ready to go in. honestly. we are not even drunk, yet, so... we are just ready for it. a little bit overwhelming, because obviously we haven't been around this many people in so long. yeah. and its way to get back into it, but i'm excited, a bit nervous, but excited. this comes after the quietest year for everyone in live events.

i'll be looking at the data. like, i'm really keen on that stuff anyway. i'm a big nerd, so, yeah! jayda g studied environmental toxicology before turning to music. it's so surreal. like, oh, my goodness, there's people, and they're together, and they�* re dancing! and this is exciting! yeah. it's not allowed, is it? yeah, it feels like, "hey, we shouldn't be "doing this, but, yeah, it's ok. "like, everyone tested, and yeah, we're doing this." i am really pumped. i am so excited. airflow monitors will help work out if the virus would spread. there will be cameras and ai looking at the movement of people to see if there are any bottlenecks that could be removed, are there any pockets of stale air? we have chosen a deliberately big and airy venue. fresh air is really important for covid safety. so we will monitor carbon dioxide levels and, by everyone being here they are taking part in building that evidence, while it is safe to do so, while virus rates are very low.

and on sunday, there is an even bigger gig.