this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. finau is begin for the victims of the stampede in israel. at least 45 people died at a crowded jewish festival. several states in india report they're running out of vaccines. the us will now restrict travel from the country starting next week. the actor noel clarke says he's deeply sorry for some of his actions but vehemently denies sexual misconduct — or criminal behaviour. a four—day boycott of social

media by sports bodies and stars in protest at online racist abuse. we have a special report from mali, as british troops 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 150 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. 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 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, then one after the other, they started coming in ambulances, then we understood, like, something is 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 said they tried to get out. we reach the 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 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 for the 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, crowds were 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. the mount meron in the galilee. united states will res1 travel the united states will restrict travel from india next week to stop the spread of covid—i9. the measures come into force on tuesday. vice president kamala harris said at the same time the us would send more than $100 million worth of supplies. it is important to know, as i said earlier, that we have a responsibility as the united states in particular as it relates to the people we are partnered with over the years, to step up when people are at a time of need and as it relates to the people of india, we have long—standing decades of

the rate at which infections are rising, this kind of aid may fall short.— are rising, this kind of aid may fall short. one way they are battling _ may fall short. one way they are battling cases _ may fall short. one way they are battling cases is - may fall short. one way they are battling cases is to - may fall short. one way they are battling cases is to open| are battling cases is to open up are battling cases is to open up the vaccination programme. initially the plan was that from tomorrow all adults would be eligible for vaccines but many individual states are saying that they don't have enough faxes on the ground. sign to say the peak had a row —— could be around the third week in may but by then india could still see a very high number of coronavirus cases and casualties as well.—

casualties as well. let's get some of— casualties as well. let's get some of the _ casualties as well. let's get some of the other - casualties as well. let's get some of the other news - casualties as well. let's get some of the other news of. casualties as well. let's get i some of the other news of the day now. turkey has approved the emergency use of russia s sputnik v covid—19 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. people are having to stay indoors except for essential shopping trips and urgent medical treatment. russia has recorded more than 400,000 excess deaths from last april to march this year during the covid—19 pandemic, according to state statistics. epidemiologists say excess death figures are the best way to measure the true toll from covid—19. 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 film and tv industry has sought to distance itself from the british actor and director noel clarke, who is facing multiple claims of sexual harassment. he is known for having been in doctor who from 2005-2010 and having been in doctor who from 2005—2010 and for his kidulthood trilogy. in a statement the 45 god said i vehemently deny any sexual

misconduct or criminal wrongdoing. recent reports have made it clear to me that some of my actions have affected people in ways i did not intend. to those individuals i am deeply sorry. i will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better. his statement comes after 20 women accused him of harassment and bullying. itv and sky have dropped his shows and sky have dropped his shows and he has been suspended by batter, almost three weeks after the british film and television academy gave him an award for his outstanding contribution. 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. the biggest uk military

operation since iraq and afghanistan is under way in the west african state of mali. 300 british soldiers have joined part of what the un is calling the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world 7 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 camera operatorjames 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 first journalists tojoin 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 our job 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. stay with us. still to come, heading back to the dance floor without social distancing. it is part of a uk pilot studying how to gather safely without spreading covid.— spreading covid. nothing, it seems, spreading covid. nothing, it seems. was _ spreading covid. nothing, it seems, was too _ spreading covid. nothing, it seems, was too big - spreading covid. nothing, it seems, was too big to - spreading covid. nothing, it- seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will really lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally there have _ better housing. internationally there have already _ better housing. internationally there have already been - there have already been protests. the russians at first denied — protests. the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. earlier_ denied anything had gone wrong. earlier when radioactivity levels _ earlier when radioactivity levels began to outside russia where — levels began to outside russia where they forced to admit the accident — where they forced to admit the accident. —— only when. for the mujahideen, the mood

here _ for the mujahideen, the mood here is— for the mujahideen, the mood here is a — for the mujahideen, the mood here is a great— for the mujahideen, the mood here is a great celebration. . here is a great celebration. this— here is a great celebration. this is— here is a great celebration. this is the _ here is a great celebration. this is the end _ here is a great celebration. this is the end of— here is a great celebration. this is the end of a - here is a great celebration. this is the end of a 12- here is a great celebration. this is the end of a 12 yearl this is the end of a 12 year war, — this is the end of a 12 year war. they— this is the end of a 12 year war, they have _ this is the end of a 12 year war, they have taken - this is the end of a 12 year war, they have taken the i war, they have taken the capital— war, they have taken the capital which _ war, they have taken the capital which they- war, they have taken the capital which they have l war, they have taken the - capital which they have been spiking — capital which they have been spiking for— capital which they have been spiking for for— capital which they have been spiking for for so _ capital which they have been spiking for for so long. - capital which they have been spiking for for so long. it. capital which they have been spiking for for so long. it was seven o'clock _ spiking for for so long. it was seven o'clock in _ spiking for for so long. it was seven o'clock in the - spiking for for so long. it was seven o'clock in the morning| seven o'clock in the morning when africa come after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. mourners in israel have begun bearing the victims of a stampede after 45 people died of a stampede at a crowded jewish festival. the united states has announced it will restrict travel from india next week to try to hold the spread of covid—19. 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. there is no room for racism anywhere _ at 3pm friday, 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 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. staying with that story, lee nicholls is a footballer with crystal palace fc woman. 1 crystal palace fc woman. i asked for her opinion on the boycott. i think it is necessary for the sport thing world to come together to show their support for each other. do i think it is going to be effective? i'm not sure. i don't have those answers, but it is important we all stand by each other because we are all going through it in some form, no matter how big or how little it is. ~ , .,

no matter how big or how little itis. �* ., it is. when you say we'll go throu~h it is. when you say we'll go through it. _ it is. when you say we'll go through it, tell— it is. when you say we'll go through it, tell us - it is. when you say we'll go through it, tell us a - it is. when you say we'll go through it, tell us a little i through it, tell us a little bit about what that is exactly. so, i've got the black friends that are constantly racially abused. i have got team—mates who are discriminated against. we play female football so again we are always subject to abuse because we are females who play football. so, all around us at the minute, it is not a very nice place to be, social media, because we are just subject to it whether you are male, female, black or white. , ., ., white. this got so bad for you at one point— white. this got so bad for you at one point in _ white. this got so bad for you at one point in 2019 - white. this got so bad for you at one point in 2019 that - white. this got so bad for you at one point in 2019 that you | at one point in 2019 that you went off social media. i came off of it for — went off social media. i came off of it for a _ went off social media. i came off of it for a short _ went off social media. i came off of it for a short period - went off social media. i came off of it for a short period of i off of it for a short period of time and stepped away from football, because i started believing what people were writing. believing what people were writina. ., believing what people were writin. _ ., , writing. so, i am interested. what made _ writing. so, i am interested. what made you _ writing. so, i am interested. what made you come - writing. so, i am interested. what made you come back? | writing. so, i am interested. i what made you come back? it writing. so, i am interested. - what made you come back? it is a way that _ what made you come back? it is a way that i _ what made you come back? it is a way that i stay _ what made you come back? it 3 a way that i stay connected with family and friends. i live in london and my family and friends are back in scotland so

thatis friends are back in scotland so that is a big thing. and secondly when i got my strength back i thought it was not like that i have to come away from these platforms, why should i have to do that, because there was a sense that it is running away from a problem that is not going away, so i am so glad now that everyone is starting to fight back a little bit. you touched _ fight back a little bit. you touched on _ fight back a little bit. you touched on an _ fight back a little bit. you touched on an importantl fight back a little bit. you touched on an important point there, because even though there, because even though there are these problems with abuse on these platforms, these platforms are an important way to connect with fans for players, to connect with other people, so, what do you think are some of the solutions that could make social media just a nicer place to be? ads, could make social media 'ust a nicer place to be?�* nicer place to be? a lot of --eole nicer place to be? a lot of people have _ nicer place to be? a lot of people have already - nicer place to be? a lot of people have already said l nicer place to be? a lot of i people have already said it, but the there needs to be education. we see it in dating apps, we see that it worked for them, so there is no reason why we cannotjust implement that. that is the simple answer, and i don't see why that can't be done. it should have been done

yesterday. if they come out and announced that they are going to make some change, whether it is not going to be until august or not, that is all we ask for, that we see them making change, to make it a safer place for us all, and a more positive place for us all because at the moment it isjust for us all because at the moment it is just a really negative place to be. moment it isjust a really negative place to be. crystal palace footballer _ negative place to be. crystal palace footballer lee - negative place to be. crystal i palace footballer lee nicholls. 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 are literally 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 l preparing for this outfit. 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 for 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. and johnson reporting from liverpool. a reminder of the top story. funerals have been held for the victims of a stampede in israel which saw at least 45 people die at a crowded jewish festival. prime minister benjamin netanyahu promised an inquiry would ensure that such a tragedy did not happen again. that's all

from me. you can reach me on twitter. thank you very much for your company. stay with us on bbc news. 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 on through the course of the first weekend of the first weekend in 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 to bank holiday monday.

in the here and now, we have these cold, northerly winds drawing in this chilly, arctic air, so still cold 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 hail and thunder mixed in. chilly along the east coast, between 7—11, and further west, around 13—111. 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 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 1k celsius widely, 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 areas starting off dry, but strong winds and heavy, persistent rain move across most areas, probably just right across the far 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 news. the headlines... funerals have been held for the victims of the stampede in israel which saw at least 45 people die at a crowded jewish festival. prime minister benjamin netanyahu promised that an inquiry would ensure such a tragedy did not happen again. the united states has announced it will restrict travel from india next week to try to stop the spread of covid—19. the white house said the move would come into force on tuesday. 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. now on bbc news, one year on from the death

of george floyd in minneapolis, are america's racial divisions starting to heal, or are they as deep as ever?