to bill during the will tend to bill during the afternoon. this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. tragedy in israel — at least 45 people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival. all of a sudden, we saw paramedics running by, like mid—cpr on kids, then one after the other, they started coming in ambulances, then we understood, like, something is going on here. several states in india report they're running out of vaccines. the us will now restrict travel from the country starting next week. we have a special report from mali, as british troops join what's been described as the world's most dangerous peace—keeping mission. the actor noel clarke says he's deeply sorry for some of his actions but vehemently denies sexual misconduct — as tv networks in britain drop shows he stars in.

a four—day boycott of social media by sports bodies and stars in protest at online racist abuse. hello and welcome whether you re watching in the uk or around the world. stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the first funerals have been held in israel for the victims of a deadly crush at religious festival. at least 45 people are known to have died, and more than a hundred and 50 were injured at meron, the site of the tomb of a revered second—century rabbi. almost all of those affected were ultra—orthodoxjews, in attendance to mark

the lag ba—omer holiday. tens of thousands pilgrims had gathered at the foot of mount meron in the north of israel, to celebrate the event with all—night bonfires, prayer and dancing. paramedics say the crush happened after people slipped in an overcrowded walkway, causing dozens more to fall. this was the largest public event in israel since the coronavirus pandemic began. the country's successful vaccination programme has allowed it to lift many restrictions. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has described it as a "heavy disaster" and said he was praying for the casualties. our middle east correspondent tom bateman sent this report from the scene. and a warning, it contains distressing images. they came to celebrate and 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 and narrow walkway which was badly overcrowded. those in 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, then one after the other, they started coming in ambulances, then we understood, like, something is going on here. pilgrims joined pilgrimsjoined paramedics pilgrims joined paramedics in pilgrimsjoined paramedics in a desperate search. dozens had been suffocated or trampled on. children became separated from parents. an army helicopter 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 said they try to get out. we reach the ramp, he tells me, where there was a river of people. i fell on the ramp, he tells me, where there was a river of people. ifell 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 30—year—old son was gone. his ten—year—old son made his way home by himself, but the teenager was missing. the family searched 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 to a night of prayer. bonfires were 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, crowd heading down this metal ramp, eyewitnesses said it was slippery. people were turning around this corner, heading down the steps, and some had said that a barrier was blocking the route, and that is where the crush took place. at the scene, prime minister benjamin netanyahu called it a national disaster, and promised a full inquiry. 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. tom bateman, bbc news, mount meron in the galilee. officials in delhi have been urged to find more sites

for cremations as the city's morgues and crematoriums are overwhelmed by a surge of covid deaths. more than 386,000 new cases were reported on friday — the biggest one—day increase on record for any country — with another 3,500 deaths nationwide. the indian government is to open vaccinations to all adults from saturday. but several states have warned they do not have sufficient stocks. that's led to centres like this in mumbai having to close their doors. here, many british indians have pledged money and aid to the country. dr nilesh parmar, has been raising funds to be sent there and spoke to me earlier. iam i am obviously of indian ancestry. both my parents are indian and my sister lives in bombay is not only have i been seeing images on mainstream media, i have been receiving daily updates from her as to what is going on on the ground. what is it you are trying to do? i think one of the issues we have is british asians and the health care profession really do want to help. 0ne

profession really do want to help. one of the concerns is that if we donated money, where that money go and we did end up into the hands of the people who really need it? because i have a close family member in india, we have managed to identify some charities who we know are doing first—hand exceptional work, so i have opened up and go find me page for uk health care providers and we aim to donate money to charities at a grassroots level to charities at a grassroots level to make a difference. you to charities at a grassroots level to make a difference.— to make a difference. you are findin: a to make a difference. you are finding a good _ to make a difference. you are finding a good response - to make a difference. you are finding a good response so i to make a difference. you are i finding a good response so far? to make a difference. you are - finding a good response so far? it has been incredible, i'm proud of everyone who sponsored. we started with a £5,000 target. we reach that in about 36 minutes. we then reached £10,000 within three hours, and less than 2a a later we are approaching the third target of £15,000. that than 24 a later we are approaching the third target of £15,000. that is terrific but i'm _ the third target of £15,000. that is terrific but i'm interested _ the third target of £15,000. that is terrific but i'm interested in - the third target of £15,000. that is terrific but i'm interested in the - terrific but i'm interested in the point you made about your concern about where money goes, and that you want to use your sister to identify

charities and organisations in bombay, mumbai, which can you can be confident where the money is going. that raises difficulties, because a lot of difficulty —— make a lot of help will be sent to the government by other governments, the british, americans and french, but you worry about, unless it is physical things, what may happen to some of that. correct, yes, and that is also coming from residents in bombay as well and that is why the emphasis for us is to work with charities we know are doing exceptional work and there is a lot of transparency as to where and what is done with the money that we donate, and i think thatis money that we donate, and i think that is a concern for anyone who donates money to charity. the united states is to restrict travel from india from next week to try to stop the spread of covid—i9. the white house said the move would come into force on tuesday — describing the number of coronavirus cases in india as extraordinarily high. let's get some of the day's other news.

turkey has approved the emergency use of russia s sputnik v covid—i9 vaccine, after signing an agreement to purchase a total of 50 million doses of the vaccine. turkey is currently under new lockdown restrictions for two weeks following a surge in cases. russia has recorded more than 400,000 excess deaths from last april to march this year during the covid—i9 pandemic, according to state statistics. epidemiologists say excess death figures are the best way to measure the true toll from covid—i9. these show the number of deaths that would occur a normal year and compare compared to the pattern during a pandemic. a huge blast in eastern afghanistan has killed about 30 people and injured dozens more. officials said a car bomb went off near a guesthouse in pul—e—alam, the capital of logar province. it's not yet known who carried out the attack. russia has banned the president of the european parliament, david sassoli, and several other eu officials from entering the country. moscow said the eu was pursuing

a policy of unilateral and illegitimate restrictions against russians, and ignoring requests for dialogue. the eu said the move was unacceptable and lacking in any legal justification. the british 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 one of the main tv stations in the uk, 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, which had its finale removed from itvi tonight. already a recipient of the bafta rising star award, back in 2009, just two weeks ago, he was receiving the bafta award for 0utstanding british contribution to cinema. i 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 had sent her sexually explicit pictures. this is a really, really damning indictment of how intimidating some workplaces, some producers are, and for our members to raise concerns, because as you say, this was put in an informal,

sensationalised way which many people feel is the only way that 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. 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. ashley walters, seen here with noel clarke in bullet—proof, made a statement on his instagram, saying... whilst noel has been a friend and a colleague for several years, i cannot stand by and ignore these allegations. every woman has a right to feel safe in the workplace and moving forward, i pledge my dedication to this. it is just reminding everyone that metoo is not something that happened in 2017, it is something that continues to affect people within the film and television industry, and affect

people outside of that, across the world, and so we need to be more diligent and start taking some action, because we have allowed these things to go on for so long. there is growing anger among some bafta members about what some people knew, and when. in a letter, bafta said back in march when it announced that noel clarke was to receive the prestigious british contribution to cinema award, it wasn't aware of any allegation, but it did get some tip—offs afterwards, and as an arts 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. ina in a statement noel clarke vehemently denied any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. he said he would be seeking professional help to educate himself

and change for the better. chi chi izundu, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... heading back to the dancefloor without social distancing. it's part of a uk pilot on how to gather safely without spreading covid. ben hannam, the first british police officer to be convicted of belonging to a neo—nazi terrorist group, has been jailed for four years and four months at the old bailey. 0ur correspondent daniel sandford explained the nature of the sentence. three years and four months of being a member of a banned terrorist organisation and also included in that concurrent sentence for possessing documents that might be useful to a terrorist and a concurrent sentence of one year for the fraud. that is essentially lying on his police application form when he was asked to tick a box saying he never been a member of the bnp or any other similar organisation. and he ticked a similar box on his vetting form,

so not only had he been involved with national action, which was originally banned for celebrating the murder of jo cox mp, but he also lied about it and successfully became a police officer and served as a police officer for almost two years before the metropolitan police realised that they had a neo—nazi and a former member of a banned group in their own ranks. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... tragedy in israel — at least 45 people are killed in a crush at a religious festival. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has promised a thorough investigation. in india, several states say they've run out of coronavirus vaccines, as the second wave of the pandemic rages out of control. the us most restrict travel from india into the year starting from next week. 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 correspondentjonathan beale and camera operatorjames anderson are the first broadcastjournalists 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-qaeda. 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. some of the biggest names in the english premier league are taking part in a social media

boycott, in protest at ongoing abuse directed at players. the four—day blackout is designed to put pressure on the likes of facebook and twitter to do more to stop the abuse. nesta mcgregor reports. football has tried several different tactics to defeat racism. taking the knee, widely adopted across sport, is one of them. today, the game hoped to make another loud statement — by staying silent on the platforms where the abuse takes place. 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. 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 after generation, athletes have shared stories of being racially abused at work. yet each storyteller hopes they will be the last to have to tell it. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. clubbers have been deprived of the dancefloor for more than a year now — but today to their delight thousands returned here in liverpool, england — and without masks or social distancing. it's all part of a uk government 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. # you're free to do what you want to do... 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 it's weird 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. 5,000 in sefton park will also be tested before and after. we ask people to take a pcr test five days afterwards, and that absolutely allows us to understand the transmission. we want people to enjoy themselves, we want people to have a good time, at what is the first events for over a year, so it is really important to individuals, but it is also part of a scientific experiment, and it's essential we capture the learning from it. this is just a taste of what we've missed. hopefully, it brings us all closer together. i wouldn't want to cast doubt on the

confidence of the scientist, but it might be a bit too soon for me, and it has nothing to do with my dancing. which is why it might be a bit too soon for everybody. thank you for your company. we are seeing a change in the month but not much change in the weather. it is staying cold. april 2021 has been exceptionally cold, the past month. the overnight temperatures on average have been the lowest in almost 100 years, and it is going to stay quite cold on into the first part of may as well. this is the picture on friday, the final day of april brought sunshine and april showers, which will be rolling onto the course of the first weekend in wet and may as well. sunny spells and some heavy downpours in store. we are in between a couple of areas of low pressure. this one waiting in the atlantic will be more of a player by the time we get the bank holiday monday. what the here and

now, we have these cold, northerly winds drawing in this chilly, arctic air, so still called for the time of year. after that frosty start to saturday for some of us, lots of sunshine ran through the day. cloud will tend to bubble up as the ground heats up and that will bring scattered showers almost anywhere during the course of the afternoon, so they will be hit and miss, and if you catch one there could be a risk of some hailstones and thunder mixed in. chilly along the east coast, between 7—11, and further rest, around 14. showers clearing for the most part overnight saturday into sunday, so an overnight frost as we start the day on sunday. temperatures in more rural spots getting down below freezing once again. sunday brings another day of some sunny spells and shut —— scattered showers, probably fewer on sunday compared to saturday but by the afternoon, it will be that hit and miss risk of catching those heavy downpours. possibly a little

bit warmer than saturday, up to about 11! celsius wylie, chilly across the north of scotland. then it is all change into bank holiday monday as low pressure purchased from the atlantic so something we have not seen for a while, a deep area of low pressure. many area starting off dry, but strong winds and heavy, persistent rain move across most areas, probablyjust right across the valley north of scotland. some mountain snow mixed in as well. strong, gusty winds for many on bank holiday monday, feeling cold with temperatures between 9—12 celsius. goodbye.

this is bbc world news.

the headlines... the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has described thursday night's crush that killed at least 45 people at a crowded religious festival as one of the country's worst disasters and has promised a full investigation. several states in india say they've run out of coronavirus vaccines, as the second wave of the pandemic runs out of control. the united states will restrict travel from the country next week due to the spread of the virus. the actor noel clarke says he's deeply sorry for some of his actions but vehemently denies sexual misconduct as tv networks in britain drop shows he stars in. leading british teams and players from sports including football, cricket and rugby have begun a four—day boycott of social media. they want facebook, instagram and twitter to take stronger action against people who post racist and sexist comments.