this is bbc news. the headlines at a:00... people in england may not need to self—isolate if they've been in close contact with someone with covid. daily rapid tests will be offered as an alternative to ten days quarantine. it's been particularly difficult for children, often self isolating from a contact in their year group they have never actually seen or met, and they are off school for an extra ten days. so, i think this is a really positive step. india has recorded its highest number of covid—19 deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic. hundreds of manchester united fans invade the old trafford pitch — protesting against the club's owners — delaying this afternoon's premier league game with liverpool. a national day of mourning in israel, after 45 people were killed by a crush at a jewish

festival early on friday. surgery in the womb — a pioneering procedure to repair a baby's spine while still in its mother's womb continues, despite pandemic pressures. the rules that require people to self—isolate if they come into contact with someone who's tested positive for covid, could be relaxed. in a trial starting next week, up to 40,000 people contacted by nhs test and trace will be asked to take a lateral flow test every morning for a week — instead of starting ten days of quarantine. 0ur health correspondent, anna collinson, reports. test, test, test.

it's a key part of society reopening. currently, if you come into close contact with someone who's tested positive, you may receive this — a message from test and trace saying you must self—isolate for ten days. but this could soon change. a new study, backed by the government, is going to trial giving close contacts rapid lateral flow tests every morning, for seven days. results take about 30 minutes — and if they're negative, they can go about their lives as usual. rapid tests are considered less sensitive compared to pcr ones, which are processed in a lab, but scientists hope they can still play an important role in tackling the virus. we will also ask participants to take a pcr test at the beginning of the seven—day period and at the end of the seven—day period, and also if they test positive at any time to confirm the result, and this will help us really understand, you know, the effectiveness of this approach.

there are also hopes this study could help people who've struggled to self—isolate, particularly those who are unable to work from home or are struggling financially. it's been particularly difficult for children — often self—isolating for a contact in their year group who they've never actually seen or met, and they're off school for an extra ten days, so i think this is a really positive step. but even if quarantine for close contacts is scrapped, there are still calls for improved financial support for those who test positive. it's one of the many precautions scientists would like to see over the coming months. it's too early to declare victory and to drop our guard. we do know that this infection has a tendency to come back again, and we need to use this time to be absolutely sure that we've got every precaution in place to stop further outbreaks. so, as the uk looks forward to a summer of relaxation and hopes of a foreign holiday, a reminder that the battle is still farfrom won.

anna collinson, bbc news. one big question likely to be answered in the coming days is which countries you can travel to without needing to qurantine when you return home. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, told me the big date in everyone�*s diary is may the 17th, when the government hopes to allow international travel again. i'm told we should expect an announcement was the end of this coming week, the foreign secretary, dominic raab, said this morning the details are coming shortly. it will be a confirmation that international travel will be allowed again, and crucially the list of which countries will be green in status, meaning you can travel there and return without having to go into quarantine. that will be a very limited list to begin with, and none of those countries are yet confirmed. we also had a hint of what life might be like further down the road map out of lockdown,

beyond june the 21st, where the governemnt hopes to lift all legal restrictions in england. the foreign secretary suggested that some guidance may remain after that. well, we've said it will be evidence driven. if you're talking about the fourth step of the road map... iam. they won't end before then and we're going to be evidence driven, but that's the aim. and i think the progress we've made with the vaccine, over 34 million first doses have been dispensed, that's 60% of the adult population, on track to hit the end—of—july target. i think we're in a good position, but we've got to keep tracking variants and keep tracking the evidence. that is in the uk. india, as we have heard, remains a desperate situation. what have we been hearing today from politicians here about the uk response? the uk is one of several countries that is helping india with aid shipments in its fight against coronavirus. eight shipments from the uk specifically arriving this week.

we have heard more today from the government about what it is doing. the foreign secretary said this morning it would send another 1000 ventilators to help india treat those most ill with coronavirus. that is in addition to a95 oxygen concentrators, 120 ventilators that have already been sent. the question beyond that is will the uk help with vaccines in india. and will any of the doses here, which are perhaps surplus to requirements, be sent to india to help them vaccinated population? the government has said it is not looking at doing that at the moment. the shadow foreign secretary, labour's lisa nandy was asked if her party thinks that would be a good thing to do this morning. let's not pit the people of india against the people of britain. . we need to give up the progress. we have made with the vaccination process year, the need to ramp up | supply and money factoring acrossi the world. that is notjust a case l in india, although it is a particular issue for the well - because of the size and severity of

what we are seeing. it is also the case _ in the global south and refugee camps, and that is why i support- what professor 0penshaw was saying. we need a global agreement to make i sure we get on the front foot about. this and get the vaccination. to every corner of the globe. it doesn't seem like there is any prospect of the uk vaccination programme will be slowed down, to send them elsewhere. if there is any surplus after that, possibly, but you heard lisa nandy increasing calls for a more coordinated, globalapproach. he mentioned in the�*s situation, let's stay on that. india's prime minister narendra modi is under intense pressure to announce a national lockdown after india reported the highest number of deaths with covid—i9 over a 2k hour period. almost 3,700 people in the past 2a hours. mr modi had resisted the measure in the build up to regional elections where his party is trying to extend its influence. but with the polls now over, the prime minister has been meeting senior officials

to review the situation. 0ur correspondent devina gupta is in delhi and told us more about the possibility of a lockdown across the country. india's prime minister, narendra modi, in his last address with the public, when the regional polls were going on, had stopped short of announcing a national lockdown, saying it is up to the states to decide whether they want to have a mini lockdown and it should only be used as a last resort, because livelihoods of a lot of people in india, almost 90% of the workforce, which is in the employment sectors, dependent on odd jobs and daily wages that they get in various states.

and if there is a lockdown, what happens to those people? we have seen a migrant crisis where a majority of the migrants staying in the cities have walked back to their homes without any transport, at least in the first month of the lockdown. there were reports of how many people walked on foot, and also experienced fatigue. and that is a situation that the government wants to avoid at the moment. but experts say it is just a race against time. the extent of the pandemic now is quite different from last year. we see a record number of deaths, over 3600 being reported, a record number of cases, over 400,000 reported across the country earlier this week. these are the numbers that require bold, decisive steps and national lockdown could be the way of dealing with this crisis at the moment to save as many lives as possible. the foreign office has played down any suggestion that the british iranian aid worker — nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe — is about to be released. iranian state tv is reporting that the uk will pay a historical £400 million debt to secure her release. nazanin has been detained in iran for five years on spying charges. she was recently convicted for a second time and banned from leaving tehran. earlier, the foreign secretary dominic raab told the bbc,

iran's actions amounted to torture. nazanin is held, unlawfully, in my view, as a matter of international law. i think she is being treated in the most abusive, torturous way. i think it amount to torture, the way she is being treated. and there is a very clear, unequivocal obligation on the iranians to release her and all of those who are being held as leverage, immediately and without condition. and we call on iran to step up and comply with its obligations. manchester united's game with liverpool has been delayed after around 200 manchester united fans stormed the pitch at old trafford in protest against the club's ownership. thousands more are protesting outside the stadium. the game had been due to kick off at 4:30. liam bradford from bbc radio manchester is there for us.

as you can see, i am being held as you can see, iam being held in as you can see, i am being held in a car park, not allowed into the stadium due to the security lockdown because of those fans entering the field of play. it has meant that basically a 90 minute sweep after they got rid of those fans to allow them to reopen the ground. the problem they have had is that a second batch of fans made it onto the pitch, which has obvious to reset the timer on that. a police helicopter currently circling over 0ld helicopter currently circling over old trafford, keeping an eye on the protest going on against the ownership of the football club, and the perceived greed of the deal that was mooted a while ago. it is unlikely that either way we will be in there for the 4.30 kick. h0 unlikely that either way we will be in there for the 4.30 kick. no fans are allowed _ in there for the 4.30 kick. no fans are allowed at _ in there for the 4.30 kick. no fans are allowed at any _ in there for the 4.30 kick. no fans are allowed at any football- in there for the 4.30 kick. no fansi are allowed at any football match, how did the fans get in? this are allowed at any football match, how did the fans get in?— are allowed at any football match, how did the fans get in? this is one of a number — how did the fans get in? this is one of a number of _ how did the fans get in? this is one of a number of protests _ how did the fans get in? this is one of a number of protests that - how did the fans get in? this is one of a number of protests that has i of a number of protests that has

happened over the last few weeks, and manchester united fans are no different in terms of wanting to express their unhappiness with the owners of manchester united owners. the weight of numbers has been surprising to me and a lot of people. at 1.40 it looked like a relatively poor turnout. by time we got to 2.10 it was huge numbers, 7000 plus, iwould imagine. as they moved away from the forecourt of the front of old trafford, they have swung towards the munich tunnel, which runs underneath the south stand, the sir bobby charlton stand, and they found a way through the security gates and onto the pitch. at that stage, there was no holding those protesters back, they were just outnumbered, the stewards that are on the ground. so, it has been very much a case of move those

protesters on, allow them to continue their protest, their rightful protest at the front of the stadium. 0bviously, they have got to deal with a security concern inside the ground. we deal with a security concern inside the ground-— deal with a security concern inside the round. ~ ~ ., ., the ground. we know the game has been delayed- _ the ground. we know the game has been delayed. no _ the ground. we know the game has been delayed. no time _ the ground. we know the game has been delayed. no time for - the ground. we know the game has been delayed. no time for the - been delayed. no time for the kick—off, scheduled at the moment. at the players aren't even inside 0ld at the players aren't even inside old trafford, are they? this at the players aren't even inside old trafford, are they?- old trafford, are they? this is a stran . e old trafford, are they? this is a strange one- — old trafford, are they? this is a strange one. both _ old trafford, are they? this is a strange one. both liverpool- old trafford, are they? this is aj strange one. both liverpool and manchester united will arrive by coach. none of those coaches have yet arrived. 0bviously with the protests starting at 1.40 this afternoon, they had the time to make the decision not to arrive at the ground. that has been the case. no players. the match officials are also being held outside the ground, because they don't have access at the moment. so i really don't know how, but the team sheets have come in ready for this game. we know the starting 11 for both sides, however, there is nobody here to hand the team sheet in and nobody to receive it. ., ., ., ., ~ team sheet in and nobody to receive it. ian radford, thank you very much. i it. ian radford, thank you very much- i am — it. ian radford, thank you very much. i am sure _ it. ian radford, thank you very much. i am sure we _ it. ian radford, thank you very much. i am sure we will - it. ian radford, thank you very much. i am sure we will keep. it. ian radford, thank you very i much. i am sure we will keep you across that as the afternoon moves

on. a national day of mourning is taking place in israel after a crush at a jewish festival early on friday, in which 45 people died. they were trapped in a narrow walkway at mount meron. the victims include teenagers and children. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman reports. two brothers who travelled to a mountaintop tomb. they went to rejoice. but 18—year—old yosef and his brother mordecai, just 12, were buried there overnight — among the young boys killed in a national tragedy. today, they paid tribute to the victims and absorbed the disaster�*s terrible toll. the israeli flag is lowered to half—mast. we're all heartbroken, saddened, shattered into a million pieces. there's no words to describe the feeling of the entire country. it's like a day of wailing for an entire country, saddened. wherever you go, whatever part of the country, people are sad and talking about one

topic — what happened here at meron. friday's crush developed as crowds of ultra—0rthodox pilgrims became packed in a narrow walkway, down a slippery ramp. those at the front became trapped. investigators have been at the site. an inquiry will look at the role of the police and officials, and why years of safety warnings were ignored. people i spoke to caught in the crush here were angry with the police, who they blame. but there is soul—searching going on in the country over the degree of autonomy the government gives to political and religious leaders of the ultra—0rthodox, and what part that had to play in poor planning and a lack of safety. israel is united in grief, but much more split over who's responsible. with some bodies still to be identified, more funerals are due to take place. there is a fraught atmosphere amid the search for answers but, for now, israelis are pausing to honour their dead. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem.

the headlines on bbc news... people in england may not need to self—isolate if they've been in close contact with someone with covid. daily rapid tests will be offered as an alternative to ten days quarantine. india has recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic. a national day of mourning in israel, after 45 people were killed by a crush at a jewish festival early on friday. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's chetan. good afternoon. we're going to start at old trafford where around 200 manchester united fans made their way through the barriers and onto the pitch before this afternoon's premier league game againt liverpool in protest against the owners

of the club the glazers. kick off, which was scheduled for 430, has been delayed with no revised time yet. the fans wanted to make their feelings clear, following the formation and collapse of the controversial european super league, of which manchester united were one of the clubs involved. as were liverpool. the protest started outside but these supporters were able get past the barriers and into the ground. they did eventually make their way off the pitch. that wasn't the end though, some were then able to make their way into the stands before police ushered them away. thousands remain outside the stadium where the protest continues. arsenal claimed a confidence—boosting win over newcastle ahead of their crucial europa league semifinal second leg against villareal. mohamed elneny got the first — and his first ever in the premier league — inside the first five minutes to set arsenal on their way, before pierre—emerick aubameyang on his return to the side doubled the lead with a fine finish from martinelli's cross. the gunners move back into ninth in nthe league, with newcastle still 17th, but nine points above the relegation zone.

chelsea are into their first women's champions league final after a brilliant win over bayern munich in west london chelsea were 2—1 down from the first leg, but fran kirby got them off to a good start with the opening goal this afternoon, only for bayern to pull level thanks to a stunning strike from sarah zadrazil. ji so—yun restored chelsea's lead, it looked like extra time was coming before late goals from pernille harder — and fran kirby here with her second— ensured chelsea will face barcelona in the final on the 16th of may and their hopes of a quadruple stay alive. in the scottish premiership, champions rangers are just two matches away from completing an unbeaten league season. that's after they beat celtic 4—1 at ibrox in the old firm derby. kemar roofe gave rangers the lead. the away side had callum mcgregor sent off but did equalise moments

later. they were level for just three minutes though — alfredo morelos putting rangers back in front with a great strike. roofe got a second before jermain defoe sealed the win late on to extend rangers' unbeaten run against celtic to six matches. geraint thomas says he can laugh now about crashing yesterday after winning a race for the first time since the 2018 tour de france. the briton started the final time trial of the tour of romandie in switzerland in second place. he finished third on the stage, but that was enough to take the overall victory almost half a minute ahead of his ineos grenadiers team mate richie porte. next to the final of the world snooker championship between mark selby and shaun murphy which is being played in front of a capacity crowd at the crucible theatre in sheffield. just under a thousand spectators are present, and shaun murphy has the edge — leading 5—3 — at the end of the first session. 18 frames needed to win the title, so a long way to go across today and tomorrow. you can watch the action

right now on bbc two. frankie dettori won his 20th british classic in the 1000 guineas today. riding the irish trained filly — mother earth, dettori — who's 50 — convincingly held off his rivals at newmarket. it was also trainer aiden 0'brien's fifth success in the race in the past six years. and you can get much more on all those stories on the bbc sport website, as well as coverage of the portuguese grand prix. lewis hamilton leads max verstappen in second, sportsday at 1830. north korea has accused president biden of pursuing a hostile policy towards the country, and has warned that the united states will get hurt if it provokes pyongyang. the north was giving its first response to the biden administration's policies on the country, which it has set out this week. mark lobel reports.

north korea has issued a sharp response to these recent comments from president biden. 0n iran and north korea, nuclear programmes that present serious threats to american security and the security of the world, we will be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both these countries, through the diplomacy as well as stern deterrence. in turn, north korea also cracked the whip, with its defence ministry saying... north koreans are again returning to their acerbic and belligerent

rhetoric to try and get the sanction relief and try to reset the negotiations. it's a far cry from president biden's predecessor's hopeful, but ultimately unsuccessful attempts, to try to strike a deal with kim jong—un. the white house insists its goal is the complete denuclearisation of the korean peninsula. it's attempting to charter a new path, a middle road between what it calls donald trump's grand bargain approach and barack 0bama's standoffish one. as far as diplomacy goes, north korea appears to view this as more stick than carrot. it added that the us would get hurt if it provoked them. as covid restrictions are eased, and test events without social distancing take place — for families grieving the loss of loved ones, there are still restrictions at funerals. in england, only 30 mourners can currently attend. the government says the rules for england are under constant review and will be eased when evidence suggests it is safe to do so. there are different

limits in scotland, wales and northern ireland. earlier i spoke to maria bailey who lost her mother to cancer in december. my mum sadly passed away on the 14th of december. she had had cancer, and it was quite a short battle with cancer as well. we only found out at the end ofjuly. when it came to her funeral on christmas eve, i had the rather embarrassing situation of thinking i was allowed to invite 30 guests, only to find out that the venue, the local crematorium, could only house 20. so i had to let ten of herfriends down. we also had a situation where friends and family were going into tiered lockdowns. one of her very best friends from kent could not make it. i was very grateful that we could have a video link, so that friends and relatives who were not able to attend were able to watch all over the world. my aunt in australia,

friends and family in chester. yeah, it was quite a difficult situation to be put in. because it is already bad enough, losing my mother, without this added complication on top of working out who could be there. for those of us who could attend, there was the added restriction of not actually having that human contact, that touch of people you love, at a time when you really need a hug. so the whole thing was quite difficult. but if things like cup finals can go ahead, with lateralflow tests, i think it is time to think about whether funerals can go ahead in a normal way as well. even larger venues, where you can socially distance more than 30 people at two metres apart such as cathedrals and large churches.

could the government start thinking about those as an option? do you think that they should open them up sooner?— them up sooner? yes, if there are lateral flow _ them up sooner? yes, if there are lateral flow tests _ them up sooner? yes, if there are lateral flow tests and _ them up sooner? yes, if there are lateral flow tests and they - them up sooner? yes, if there are lateral flow tests and they can - lateral flow tests and they can check it is ok. if the cup final can go ahead, we had the contrast of a queen sat on her own at husband's funeral, and then the following weekend, a football match where 8000 people could attend because they had had a lateral flow tests. it really stuck with me, there's is two different images. if they can do that, i think they should look at changing the rules for funerals now. a pioneering operation to repair a baby's spine — while still in its mother's womb — was made available for the first time on the nhs lastjanuary. since then the surgery, which reduces the complications caused by spina bifida, has been carried out on 32 women, despite the major disruption

caused by the pandemic. 0ur health correspondent katharine da costa reports. it comes with risks but, then, this operation will mean that i've done the best for her. in my mind, there was no choice. ijust had to do it. hello! 0h, someone's tired, aren't they? this is mila, short for milagro — or miracle, in spanish. after six failed rounds of ivf, helena had almost given up hope of having a second baby, but on her seventh attempt, she fell pregnant and things seemed to progress well — until her 20—week scan. i was told the news that she definitely has got spina bifida. she's got a very big lesion on her back. so, basically, half of her spine was exposed. and they... they said that it's likely that she will be paralysed, likely she'll be incontinent, and will need a shunt to drain the fluid from her brain later on. iwas... i was beside myself when they told

me all these possible outcomes for having this condition. and... and ijust couldn't stop crying, basically. they told me the probability of her walking or moving her legs — very, very low. and, yeah, that was... that was absolutely devastating. within days, helena was referred for tests and scans similar to this one at university college hospital in london, and because the baby was otherwise healthy, she could be operated on while still in the womb. at 23 weeks pregnant, helena travelled to this specialist hospital in belgium, which is working in partnership with the nhs. a team of 25 clinicians carried out the complex operation, just like this one, to repair mila's exposed spinal chord and close the hole in her back. previously, the baby would have the repair to the spinal defect after birth. but now, because we can offer surgery in the womb, what it means is that the defect

is closed a lot earlier. so, it means there is less damage to the spine, and that increases the chance the baby's going to walk and have much better control of their bladder and their bowel. shall we do some gym? mila was born at 36 weeks and is doing well. it's hoped up to 30 babies a year — from across the uk — could benefit from this surgery on the nhs, and while it's not a cure, it could be the difference between a child learning to walk or not. she can move her legs, and she's got feeling to her toes, so it is absolutely amazing. i'm just so grateful to the surgeons who have done this operation because her life would look very different without it. katharine da costa, bbc news. the american actress 0lympia dukakis, who won an oscar for her role in the 1987 romantic comedy moonstuck, has died aged 89. she had a long and distinguished

career and also as a director. but it is for her roles in comedy films such as moonstruck and steel magnolias that she found international fame. the singer and actress cher, who played 0lympia dukakis' daughter in moonstruck, has been among those sharing their memories of her — tweeting that she had spoken to her shortly before her death. viola davis, who starred with 0lympia dukakis in the 1998 film the pentagon wars descibed her as a "consummate actor" and "a joy to work with". now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, we have a mixture of sunshine and showers at the moment. still some quite heavy showers around right now. but those showers will gradually tend to ease a bit through the evening and we will get some clear skies for a while. up towards the west, the cloud will be increasing. we will start to see some rain coming in from the atlantic, the breeze picking up as well. it does mean that frost tonight will be more limited to eastern scotland on the north—east of england. many places will start

the day dry on monday, but we have the day dry on monday, but we have the wind blowing in this crowd till it cloud, from the west. taking most of the data which the most of england and east anglia, it may be drier in scotland and western areas turn more showery later on. low pressures driving the wet and windy weather and the strongest wind will be to the south across england and wales. gusts of 60 or 50 mph. it stays windy as we head into the evening. because of the wind on the rain, and all of that cloud, it will be a cold day on monday. it actually stays cold to the weekend. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... people in england may not need to self—isolate if they've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus. daily rapid tests will be offered as an alternative to ten days quarantine. india has recorded its highest number of covid—19 deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

a national day of mourning in israel, after 45 people