this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. india becomes the first country to record more than 400,000 coronavirus infections in a single day. 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 peacekeeping mission. british sport takes action over racist abuse online with many stars and clubs boycotting social media. # you're free... and heading back to the dance floor without social distancing: it's part of a uk pilot on how to gather safely without spreading covid.

hello and welcome. india has become the first country in the world to record more than 400,000 coronavirus infections in a single day. it comes as the us will restrict travel from india from tuesday to try to stop the spread of covid—i9. meanwhile, india is beginning the third phase of its coronavirus vaccination programme — from today, with all adults now eligible to receive a jab. 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 willi help us a bit. and in the meantime, we are trying to organise oxygen from another source.

..as the now all—too—familiar queues for oxygen continue. it is notjust oxygen — wood is in short supply too, with so many cremations like this taking place. translation: because the government has given up, everything now depends on god. there's a shortage of vaccines too. the world's largest vaccination drive he has over that 150,000 jobs. all adults over 18 are now eligible to receive one but a number of key states say that is not yet possible because of a of doses. —— a shortage of doses. 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... but some flights will take on extra importance — we're going to be sending a

plane with supplies, oxygen, with an expectation that that will provide some of relief. 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 treating coronavirus patients, this time in the state of gujarat, claiming many lives, india's battle with this pandemic remains on many fronts. mark lobel, bbc news. as we heard, australia has made it temporarily illegal for its citizens to return home if they've been in india in the past two weeks, with tough new measures in place from monday. this —— the bbc�*s phil mercer explains how many australians this is going to affect.

according to the australian government, about 9000 of its citizens are stranded in india and about 650 of them are listed as vulnerable. now, 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 us$50,000 if they make it back from india. the rule states that anyone who has been in india within 14 days of their planned arrival in this country are forbidden to do so. this, as we say, starts on monday and will be reviewed in the middle of may. australia has been extremely tight enclosing borders throughout the pandemic, hasn't it? —— australia has been extremely tight in closing borders throughout the pandemic, hasn't it? this is another example of australia's hard—line approach to coronavirus.

by and large, community transmission has been crushed in this country. most, if not all, of the cases that we have seen in recent times have come from hotel quarantine. now, in march of last year, australia banned foreign nationals from coming into this country. australian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to return, but 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's first line of defence against imported cases of covid—i9. as you said, australia has carried out this very strict policy and has driven down community transmission. give us a sense of what life is like in a country with low transmission at the moment. well, it is a sunny saturday here in eastern australia

and certainly, in the country's biggest city sydney, you would hardly know, really, there was a global pandemic. we have been out today, we haven't seen anyone wearing a mask. social 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. when australians get home at the end of their days out over the weekend, they switch on their tvs 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. in other coronavirus developments, 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. 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 pandemic — that's according to state statistics. epidemiologists say excess death figures are the best way to measure the true coronavirus toll. 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 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 b'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 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 mda 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. 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 galilee. 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 puli 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. mr clarke is known for playing mickey smith in dr 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, affect 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. you are watching bbc news, the headlines: india becomes the first country to record more than 400,000 coronavirus infections in a single day. it comes as a huge vaccination drive is launched. but questions remain over vaccine supplies, with several states reporting shortages. 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? 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. nesta mcgregor reports. football has tried several different tactics to defeat racism. taking the knee, now adopted by other sports, 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 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, so 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, manchester 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, and 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 with each storyteller, the hope they will be the last to tell it. 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. # cause you're free...#. 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 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," like, just screaming their heads off, like, so excited. and this city is leading the way. i have literally spent about three weeks oh, so long. genuinely. yeah! deciding what to drink, deciding what to wear. it's been, honestly — big up liverpool for having

the first non—socially distanced event in the country. we love this city. all of us are excited. we're all on the verge of tears, ready to go in. honestly, yeah, we're not even drunk yet, so, we'rejust — we're ready for it. a little bit overwhelming because, obviously, - we haven't been around this many people in so long. - yeah. a it'sjust, it's weird to get back into it, i but i'm excited — a bit. nervous, but i'm excited. this comes after the quietest year for everyone in live events. i will be looking at the data. like, i'm really keen on that stuff anyways, like 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! it's kind of not allowed, is it? i know, it feels like hey, we shouldn't be doing this, but, yeah, it's ok, like, everyone is tested, yeah, we're doing this, it's cool. i am really pumped, i'm 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've missed. hopefully it brings us all closer together. danjohnson reporting from liverpool.

i suspect he is still dancing. a team of polish scientists say they've discovered the only known example of a pregnant egyptian mummy. the mummy was previously thought to be a male priest, but belatedly, x—rays and scans revealed it was a woman in the latter stages of pregnancy. experts from the project believe the remains are most likely of a high—status woman from the ancient egyptian city of thebes, aged between 20 and 30, who died 2000 years ago. this is the first radiological research of a pregnant mummy, maybe some scholars came across such mummified bodies but they were not sufficiently reported and they are not preserved in such a very good state of preservation. we know very little about the money, most probably came from thebes, at least the coffin came from thebes, but how did a female mummy ended up in the mace —— mail sarcophagus is still a mystery, that is why we are

calling this mummy the "mysterious lady". do 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 14 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 14 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: india has become the first country to record more than 400,000 coronavirus infections in a single day. it comes as a huge vaccination drive is launched for all adults, but questions remain over vaccine supply with several states reporting shortages. 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. there's been a big drop in the number of coronavirus

cases across the uk, with levels back to those seen