this is bbc news — i'mjames reynolds — our top stories: as india deals with a huge surge in coronavirus cases — the us announces it will restrict travel from the country next week. funerals begin for the victims of the stampede in israel — at least 45 people died at a crowded jewish festival. we have a special report from mali, as british troops join what's been described as the world's most dangerous peace—keeping mission. british sport takes action over racist abuse online — with many stars and clubs boycotting social media and, heading back to the dancefloor — without social distancing. it's part of a uk pilot on how to gather safely without spreading covid.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the us will restrict travel from india next week to try to stop the spread of covid—19. the measure will come into force on tuesday. vice president kamala harris said at the same time the us would send more than a hundred million dollars mark lobel reports. grasping valuable oxygen, receiving care in a car. others still urgently seeking it... translation: we are waiting here in the hope _ that they will help us a bit. and in the meantime we are trying to organise oxygen from another source. ..as the now all—too—familiar cues for oxygen continue. it is notjust oxygen, wood is in short supply too, with so many cremations

like this taking place. translation: people are hoping for help - from their fellow human beings because the government has given up. everything now depends on god. there's a shortage of vaccines too. this centre no longer able to offer promised jabs for the young. to stop the virus spreading elsewhere, australia has temporarily made it illegal for its citizens to return home from india. and this from america... we have announced that there's going to be a travel restriction starting on tuesday on the advice of the center for disease control, our covid—i9 experts, medical experts, our national security advisers. but some flights will take on extra importance. it's much needed needed aid arriving from the us, including oxygen, diagnostic kits and masks. alongside help from belgium, bahrain and china, as part of a ito—country effort to deal with the situation in india. although that country remains in the grip of a civil crisis, we are encouraged by the demonstration of international support for india.

in mumbai, a group of dentists had joined their country's front line, where it's all hands to the deck. somebody has to be there to save lives. but even if cases are now successfully contained, it's predicted there's still a tough month ahead. the daily case count is likely to peak around mid—may, and the daily death count will possibly peak about two weeks later, towards the end of may. and with another deadly fire at an indian hospital treated coronavirus patients, this time in the state of gujarat, claiming a lease a dozen lives, india's battle with this pandemic remains on many fronts. mark lobel, bbc news.

australia has made it temporary illegal for their citizens to return home if they have been in india the last two weeks with tough measures place from monday. phil mercerjoins me now from sydney. do we know how many australians might be affected by this? according to the australian government, about 9000 of its citizens are stranded in india at about 650 of them are listed as vulnerable. this is the first time, as far as we are aware, that the australian government is stopping its citizens returning home with the threat of criminal sanctions should they make it here. so, from monday, this restriction means that australians could face up to five years in prison and a fine of 50,000 us dollars if they make it back from india. the rule states that anyone who has beenin rule states that anyone who has been in india within 14 days of

their planned arrival in this country are full didn't to do so. this, as we say, starts on monday and will be reviewed in the middle of may.— the middle of may. australia has been — the middle of may. australia has been extremely - the middle of may. australia has been extremely tight - has been extremely tight enclosing borders throughout the pandemic, hasn't it? this is another — the pandemic, hasn't it? this is another example _ the pandemic, hasn't it? this is another example of - the pandemic, hasn't it? ti 3 is another example of australia pot hard—line approach coronavirus. by and large, community transmission has been crushed in this country stop most, if not all of the cases, we have seen in recent times, have come from hotel quarantine. in march of last year, australia band foreign nationals from coming into this country. australian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to return that they face 14 days in mandatory hotel quarantine and that really lies at the heart of this decision to ban arrivals temporarily from india. the government says it is acting on medical advice and it doesn't want to compromise that hotel

quarantine system that is essentially australia pot first line of defence against imported cases of covid—i9. figs imported cases of covid-19. as ou imported cases of covid—19. as you said, australia has carried out this very strict policy and has driven down community transmission. if us a sense of what life is like in a country with low transmission at the moment. with low transmission at the moment-— moment. well, it is a sunny saturday — moment. well, it is a sunny saturday here _ moment. well, it is a sunny saturday here in _ moment. well, it is a sunny saturday here in eastern - saturday here in eastern australia and certainly in the country's against city, sydney, you would hardly know, really, there was a global pandemic. we have been out today and haven't seen anyone wearing a mask stop though or distancing restrictions still apply to some cafes and restaurants but sporting events are attended by thousands of people. but of course, australians are living in this isolated bubble. this is a country that has become a fortress against covid—i9 but of course it also needs an exit strategy will stop when australians get home at the end of their days out over the weekend, they switch on their

tv and they see the horror that is unfolding in india so the pandemic might be on the back burner domestically here in australia but there are many, many people here who are extremely worried about what is happening overseas. phil mercer. _ happening overseas. phil mercer, thanks so - happening overseas. phil mercer, thanks so much. the first funerals have been held in israel for the victims of a deadly crush at a 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 baomer 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 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 from mada and whatever, running by, like mid—cpr on kids, and then one after the other started coming, ambulances, then we understood, 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 have not 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. 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 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 ultra—orthodox 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. tom bateman, bbc news, mount meron, in the galille. let's get some of the day's other news. 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. a study has found the brazilian part of the amazon released 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the past decade than it absorbed. large scale logging and deliberately lit forest fires are being blamed. police in houston have found more than 90 people crammed into a two—storey suburban house and suspect it was being used in a people smuggling operation. the victims, most of them men, were found huddled together in different rooms and many hadn't eaten for days. some were showing symptoms of covid. police say there weren't any children in the house. the organisers of the grammy awards have scrapped their anonymous voting committees, following allegations of rigging. nominations and winners for next year's event will now be chosen by thousands of members, instead of small unnamed groups. several big music stars, including zayn malik and halsey, had claimed the selection process was unfairand had demanded transparency.

the film and tv industry has sought to distance itself from the british actor and director, noel clarke — who's facing multiple claims of sexual harassment. clarke is known for playing mickey smith in doctor who from 2005 to 2010, and for his film trilogy kidulthood, adulthood and brotherhood. he is also a writer, director and producer. in a statement the 45—year—old said: his statement comes after 20 women accused him of harassment and bullying. broadcasters itv and sky have now dropped his shows — and he's been suspended by bafta, almost three weeks after the british film and television academy gave him an award for his

outstanding contribution. 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, effect people outside of that, 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. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: heading back to the dancefloor without social it's part of a uk pilot on how to gather safely without spreading covid. nothing, it seemed, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests.

sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year warfor them. they have taken the capital which they have been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning on the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the united states has announced it will restrict travel from india next week, to try and halt the spread of covid—i9. mourners in israel have

begun burying the victims of the stampede, after at least 45 people died in a crush at a crowded jewish festival. 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 — 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. our 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're now looking 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 noticed us as soon as they've 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're reluctant to say what the issues are, which suggests that 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 free 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. the european commission has formally accused tech giant apple of anti—competitive behaviour, by disadvantaging rival music services on its app store through the use of high fees. the commission said that apple's policy of charging a 30% commission on subscriptions amounts to abuse of its dominant market position. the case was launched two years ago following a complaint from music streaming service, spotify. the commission's findings are preliminary but if they're confirmed, apple could face heavy fines. this is what eu's anti—trust regulator had to say. to reach apple users, music streaming providers, they have to go via the app store and accept the rules that apple imposes on them. our preliminary finding is that

apple exercises considerable market power in the distribution of music streaming apps to owners of apple devices. on that market, apple has a monopoly. 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 stop the abuse. 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. 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 this afternoon, led by the premier league and with support from rugby, cricket, cycling and many more, a four—day social media boycott began. 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 the boycott and 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. the spotlight seems to be firmly on social media companies, their message remains the same — 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 tell it. nesta mcgregor, bbc news. clubbers have been deprived of the dancefloor for more than a year now, but to their delight thousands returned here in 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. 6000 people are attending a two—day event in liverpool this weekend. dan johnson reports. the masks are off and the volume is rising. finally, we're free to do what we want 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 to be 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," like, 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. oh, so long. genuinely. yeah! deciding what to drink, deciding what to wear. big up liverpool for having the first non—socially distanced event in this country. we love this city. all of us are excited. we're all on the verge of tears. honestly, yeah, we're not even drunk yet, so, we're just — we're ready for it. a little bit overwhelming. a bit nervous _ a little bit overwhelming. a bit nervous but _ a little bit overwhelming. a bit nervous but i _ a little bit overwhelming. a bit nervous but i am - a little bit overwhelming. ai bit nervous but i am excited. this comes after the quietest yearfor everyone in live events. i will be looking at the data. i am really keen on that stuff anyway, yeah. jayda g says it feels surreal. it feels like hey, we shouldn't be doing this, but it's ok, - everyone is tested, | and it is really cool. 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. so, are there any bottlenecks that could be removed? are there any pockets of stale air? we've chosen a deliberately big, 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 and 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 asked 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. it's the first event for over a year. so, it's really important for individuals, but it's also part of a scientific experiment and it's essential we capture

the learning from it. this is just a taste of what we'ave missed. hopefully it brings us all closer together. stay with us. hello there. we are seeing a change in the month, but not too much change in the weather. it is staying cold. if we look at april 2021, it's been exceptionally cold the past month or so. in fact, 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 was the picture on friday. the final day of april brought us sunshine and april showers, and those april showers will be rolling on through the course of the first weekend in may as well. so, sunny spells in store, but also some scattered, fairly heavy downpours. we're in between a couple of areas of low pressure at the moment, this one waiting in the atlantic. that will be more of a pair by the time we get to bank holiday monday, but for the here and now, we've got 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 around through the day. cloud will tend to bubble up as the ground heats up and that will bring some scattered showers almost anywhere during the course of the afternoon. so, they're going to be hit and miss. if you do catch one, there's a risk of hail and some thunder mixed in as well. still quite chilly around the east coast — 7—11 degrees. further west, 13 or 1a celsius. so, heading through saturday night overnight into sunday, showers clear away for the most part, so clear and dry and cold once again. so, an overnight frost, i think, as we start out the day on sunday, with temperatures in more rural spots getting down below freezing once again. sunday brings another day of some sunny spells and a few scattered showers. probably fewer, i think, on sunday compared to saturday, but again, 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 13 or 1a degrees fairly widely.

still chilly across the north of scotland. but then it's all change into bank holiday monday as low pressure approaches from the atlantic, so something we haven't seen in a while — quite a deep area of low pressure. although many areas start off dry, the strong winds and the fairly heavy, persistent rain will move across most areas. probably just dry across the far north of scotland, could be some mounting snow mixed in as well. not only the rain, but the strong gusty winds for many of us on bank holiday monday, it will feel cold with temperatures only about 9—12 degrees. bye— bye.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: president biden has banned nearly all travel to the us from india to try to stop the spread of covid—19. most non—us citizens will be barred from entering from tuesday. australia has banned its own citizens from returning home from india, and willjail people who break the rules. funerals have been held for victims of the stampede in israel which saw at least 45 people die. almost all of those affected were ultra—orthodoxjews, attending a festival to mark the lag b'omer holiday. prime minister netanyahu promised an inquiry would ensure such a tragedy did not happen again. 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. all three social media platforms say they're taking action to tackle online abuse. a police community support officer whose body was found

in woodland in kent died from serious head injuries,