this is bbc news the headlines at seven. 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. you want to get to a position at the end ofjune where we can get life back as close to normal as possible. but there will still need to be some safeguards in place. the foreign office plays down any suggestion aid worker nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is to be released, after iran's state tv claimed the uk had paid to secure it. manchester united's match against liverpool — which could have decided the premier league title, is postponed after fans — opposed to the club's oweners — invade the pitch at old trafford. in liverpool, after friday night's rave — now a concert in sefton park as 5,000 people attend the latest large—scale event in the government's

coronavirus pilot scheme. good evening. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, has dismissed calls for a faster easing of lockdown rules in england. he's urging caution, saying the country's entering the "last lap" of the race to beat coronavirus. he also suggests "some safeguards" may remain, even when all legal restrictions end next month. the government is considering a range of measures, including a vaccination programme for schools, although no final decision has been made. here's our political correspondent, ben wright.

it has been a testing time and ensuring people do not have covid will continue to be crucial as the country reopens. the government is beginning a trial of daily lateral flow tests for the people in england who have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. it could eventually mean the end of self—isolation. ministers are also considering giving vaccines to secondary school children. we want to get to a position at the end ofjune where we can get life as close to normal as possible but there will still need to be some safeguards, that is one of the tools we will look at but no decision has been made. today dominic raab said the uk was in the last lap in its fight against covid but that does not mean the imminent end of facemasks. particularly it will be around distancing, maybe something around facemasks but i don't really want to prejudge, those are just some options. lockdown rules have differed in different parts of the uk but are being eased everywhere. from may the 17th at the earliest, four people will be able to meet indoors

in scotland, six in england. may the 17th is when some international travel will be able to resume. an update is expected at the end of the coming week on which countries will be placed on the green list allowing people to travel without the need for quarantine. but one labour frontbencher is not rushing to book a flight. the truth is it will be quite complicated for a long time. the government is saying the rules can change at short notice, you may be required to quarantine, you may need to shell out large sums for hotel bills. people need to be careful. for weeks the government has batted away calls from some tory mps to lift restrictions sooner, insisting this needs to be cautious and irreversible. for more than a year, unprecedented laws have restricted who we can meet, and where we can go. those laws look set to be lifted in england byjune the 21st if the data around vaccines and infection rates

supports it, and life will begin to feel something like it did before the pandemic. but covid will not have gone away and at the moment the government is conducting four reviews into vaccine passports and social distancing, for instance, that could well shape our behaviour for a long time to come. already some snooker fans are back in their seats but with no vaccine 100% effective it could be a while before the cloud of covid has lifted altogether. ben wright, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 1,671 new coronavirus infections recorded, in the latest 24—hour period, with on average 2,188 new cases reported per day in the last week. 1a deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, which means on average in the past week, 16 deaths were announced every day,

taking the overrall total to 127,538. just over 34.5 milion people have now had their first dose of a covid vaccine, and more than 15 million people, have had two doses. hundreds of manchester united fans have invaded the pitch at old trafford, in a mass protest against the club's american owners. it's caused one of the biggest games of the season, against liverpool, to be postponed. the fans claim the glazer family have piled debt on the club, and betrayed supporters by signing up to the now defunct, european super league. greater manchester police said two officers were injured while responding to the protests, with one needing hospital treatment. our sports correspondent, joe wilson, has more from old trafford. protesters chanting. 1:30pm outside old trafford, the concourse where protesters were expected to congregate.

the anger expressed here is a long—standing opposition to manchester united's ownership by the american glazer family. by 2pm, some protesters decided to go further. ultimately, on to the pitch itself. this was the scene at one of the most famous football grounds in the world, that revered manchester united pitch, the place of stirring feats of football, occupied. meanwhile, some of those who'd stayed peacefully outside were leaving. as we are speaking outside the ground there are lots of fans on the pitch. are there? they got through? what do you think about that? it's a frustrating thing because, obviously, as fans we want the best for our club. it has been from when we were young, watched it, it has been magical, the history we have had. and people get so annoyed with it. do you think the glazers will be watching? i hope they are, i hope they are. if they haven't, they should be watching it online. -

they know supporters have been - here and put everything on the table for them so it is up to them now to decide, isn't it? _ as we are speaking outside the ground there are fans actually on the pitch, do you approve of that? no, i don't approve of that. protests had also taken place at the hotel where the manchester united team were staying. the players could not leave. there was a football match scheduled for a az30pm kick—off here against liverpool. a football match which was not happening. chanting. the initial announcement that kick—off had been delayed came with protesters still inside the stadium. outside the security in place for an event which had been well publicised in advance was very visibly outnumbered. joe wilson, bbc news, old trafford. speaking to us a little earlier from outside old trafford, joe wilson explained how the protests had unfolded across the day. what evolved today in many ways had been publicised days in advance. 0rganisers had called

for a demonstration outside the forecourt of old trafford and it was to be peaceful and it was to be socially distant. at about 1:30pm, there were about 1000 protesters in that position. we saw flares, placards and we heard chanting. towards two o'clock, a group from that body decided they wanted to take things further, they wanted to get on the pitch. the security that was potentially there to stop them was very small—scale. they really managed to breach that easily and within a matter of minutes they were on the pitch. about 200 demonstrating actually on the pitch. at the same time, at the hotel where the manchester united team were theoretically preparing and about to leave to get to the game, there were protests there. it became really clear there was no way this match could be played. there was no sign of the fans here dispersing. eventually that decision was made and the game will be rearranged at some point

but we don't know when. two things i think are important, i spoke to fans here, supporters protesting who did not want to be associated people who actuslly got onto the pitch. at the same time, i spoke to people who feel they have had 16 years of this football club being owned by the glazer family in america. 16 years when their perception is that family have taken money out of the club and not showing interest in it. to change that dynamic and actually get some attention they felt had to do something dramatic and extreme and that's what transpired. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are broadcaster and psychotherapist, lucy beresford, and bloomberg uk politics reporter, joe mayes. the government is suggesting the british iranian aid worker, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe,

who's in prison in iran, is being held hostage by the regime, and suffering treatment that amounts to torture. she's been detained for five years on spying charges, and was recently convicted of another offence and banned from leaving tehran. our world affairs correspondent caroline hawley told us that the foreign secretary's comments were very striking. in the strongest language that has been used to date, he said she was being unlawfully held and did not argue with the description of her as a hostage. all along her husband richard has said she is being held hostage, a political pawn, the iranians want repayment of a £400 million debt that the uk has owed to iran since before nazanin was even born. a few hours after dominic raab spoke, came confirmation almost of this categorisation of her as a hostage. a statement on television in iran reported a deal had been done

with the americans for a prisoner swap, the release of iranian money frozen under sanctions and also that nazanin would be freed if the uk debt was paid. now the us quickly denied it had done any deal and the uk government a is playing down any suggestionl that nazanin is about to be freed. the foreign office said they are continuing to explore options to resolve this ao—year—old case, that is the debt. and that they will not comment while the discussions are going on. we don't know what is going on behind—the—scenes but richard ratcliffe believes some negotiations are going on. we know negotiations are going on to try to revive the iran nuclear deal. iran wants sanctions to be lifted if it is to comply with that nuclear deal. but the iranians seem to be making it clear they want a clear and pretty naked transaction, it could be a negotiating tactic. richard ratcliffe told me that he thinks britain and iran are in the middle,

not the end of any negotiations over the fate of his wife and he said he and his family are keeping their fingers crossed not only for themselves but for all the other dual nationals who are held in iran as part of what he and others call iran's hostage diplomacy. labour's tulip siddiq is the ratcliffe family's constituency mp — she told us that the foreign office had not been in contact with her or the family about today's reports concerning the historic debt. now, i have heard nothing of that from the minister and nor has the family heard anything. all we know is that the family feel very hopeful that dominic raab went on tv this morning and for the first time acknowledged the condition she has lived in and been going through amounts to torture.

bear in mind, i have now dealt with three prime ministers and five foreign secretaries in the whole time she has been in prison. i have not heard the uk government speak so powerfully and forcibly about the imprisonment of my constituent which gives me hope that there is some progress being made to release her but we have not heard anything directly. i have not heard and nazanin's family has not heard from the foreign office or government implying that they have plans to release her soon. what i can tell you is that the ambassador to tehran, our ambassador, did visit nazanin at her parents' house where she is under house arrest at the moment, this morning. he did not mention anything about the debt or her being released. they had a general conversation about corona and about her getting the vaccine. so he clearly does not know anything either.

britain sending a further 1,000 ventilators to india to help its struggling healthcare system deal with a surge in coronavirus infections. the country's prime minister narendra modi has been meeting with senior officials, to decide how to respond. a new single—day record for deaths was confirmed on sunday, and infections are continuing to rise. hospitals are struggling to cope, even with overseas help in the form of oxygen generators and ventilators. from delhi, here's our correspondent devina gupta. ashes and memories, that is all these family members have of their loved ones. the highest death toll so far in india. experts warn of harder weeks ahead. if everybody wears face _ harder weeks ahead. if everybody wears face max _ harder weeks ahead. if everybody wears face max and _ harder weeks ahead. if everybody wears face max and everybody . harder weeks ahead. if everybody - wears face max and everybody avoids hi i wears face max and everybody avoids big events, _ wears face max and everybody avoids big events, it may be a matter of weeks _

big events, it may be a matter of weeks before we see the present wave waning _ weeks before we see the present wave waning and _ weeks before we see the present wave waning and the come down. but to maintain _ waning and the come down. but to maintain that we have to continue to have the _ maintain that we have to continue to have the discipline for some months to come _ have the discipline for some months to come. , . , have the discipline for some months to come. , ., , _, ., to come. hospitals continue to run out-of- hospital _ to come. hospitals continue to run out-of-hospital -- _ to come. hospitals continue to run out-of-hospital -- oxygen - to come. hospitals continue to run out-of-hospital -- oxygen and - out—of—hospital —— oxygen and medicine, the disappointment of many of these families is directed at the ruling hindu nationalist party. its senior leaders, including the health minister have been denying shortages. but in the end it is india's prime minister, narendra modi, who is evading questions. he had earned trust last year by starting a lockdown.- had earned trust last year by starting a lockdown. from 12 o'clock today there — starting a lockdown. from 12 o'clock today there will _ starting a lockdown. from 12 o'clock today there will be _ starting a lockdown. from 12 o'clock today there will be a _ starting a lockdown. from 12 o'clock today there will be a national - today there will be a national lockdown. today there will be a national lockdown-— today there will be a national lockdown. �* , ., , , lockdown. but this time he has been reluctant to — lockdown. but this time he has been reluctant to take _ lockdown. but this time he has been reluctant to take this _ lockdown. but this time he has been reluctant to take this decision. - lockdown. but this time he has been reluctant to take this decision. we i reluctant to take this decision. we are making efforts not to disrupt economic— are making efforts not to disrupt economic activity and livelihoods. if

economic activity and livelihoods. if recent — economic activity and livelihoods. if recent polls are an indicator, he needs to reconnect fast. although he is reviewing resources and holding emergency meetings and even extending the vaccination programme to all adults over 18, it is not without glitches. many vaccine centres are short on stocks and turning people away. translation: the government rushed to increase inoculation after the recent surge of new cases. this led to a crushing burden on the vaccination system. that is where experts feel india needs a national lockdown to help prepare better but the time is running out fast because now new cases are coming from rural india where over 60% of the country's population live without proper health care facilities and it is important to rid the cycle of the virus before it releases a catastrophe on this hinterland.

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. hundreds of manchester united fans invade the old trafford pitch — protesting against the club's owners. this afternoon's premier league game with liverpool has been delayed. the foreign office plays down speculation that the aid worker nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe is to be released, after iran's state broadcast tv claims the british government had paid to secure it. flags are flying at half—mast across israel as the country observes a day of mourning for the victims of friday's crush during a jewish pilgrimage. 45 men and boys died after becoming trapped in a narrow passage during the festival at mount meron. our middle east correspondent, tom bateman, reports.

a mother mourns her son. yedidia went on a journey with his dad. it should have been a joyful pilgrimage. but the 13—year—old will never come home. his brother shmuel survived. his father avigdor was brought from the hospital. a final goodbye. "we didn't tell you enough we love you, yedidia," says avigdor. "god has taken you to your religious school, a class of 45," he says, referring to all the victims. they dug his grave in the middle of the night. jewish tradition calls for a quick burial of the dead. i met the family on friday when yedidia was still missing. their hopes quickly faded.

theirs is the grief of so many. 45 people, all men and boys, 12 in their teens and younger. friday's crush developed as crowds of ultraorthodox pilgrims became packed in a narrow walkway down a slippery ramp. those at the front became trapped. people i spoke to caught up in the crash were angry at the police who they blamed. there is soul—searching going on in the country over the degree of autonomy the government gives to the religious and political leaders of the ultraorthodox and what part that had to play in poor planning and the lack of safety. israel's government started a formal inquiry. the search for answers will stretch into the months ahead but today is a time to pause and honour those they have lost. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem.

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. on 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 foreign 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 chart a new path, a middle road between what it calls donald trump's grand bargain approach and barack obama'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. 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. our 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! oh, 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 olympia 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 olympia 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 olympia dukakis in the 1998 film �*the pentagon wars' descibed her as a "consummate actor" and "a joy to work with". four astronauts have returned from the international space station, in nasa's first night—time landing in 53 years. the crew,

made up of three astronauts from nasa and one from japan's space agency have spent six months in space. recovery ships were waiting in the gulf of mexico to reach the capsule and crew. people have started to arrive for a music festival at sefton park in liverpool, where up to 5,000 will attend. they'll all have to show a negative covid test, and have follow up swabs in five days time. it's one of a number of pilot events, as lockdown restrictions ease. our correspondent, danjohnson is at sefton park for us now. they were ready for this, after life has been emptied for so long. ——limited. unmasked and ready to go! it is the first time we have been allowed out

in so long. it is like they are lifting the restrictions now. and because we are going into it first and have gone out of it first. it is a good day to be a scouser. everyone is being tested and will be checked again next week but the question is, can people gather like this to enjoy themselves without masks, without social distancing but without the virus spreading? all your festival favourites are here, the bar is well stocked and after a silent summer last year they are looking forward to feeding the 5000. can't wait to have some money over—the—counter and get back to normal. hopefully busy as well. a busy day. better be a busy day. but scientists are here to see how this goes and what lessons can be learned. we have around 40 cameras set up around the site and we will be looking from that to observe how people move and behave whilst attending the festival. people choosing to wear masks, how they choose to greet each other.

after so long stuck at home headline act blossoms will get back on stage for the first time in a year. we have done _ for the first time in a year. we have done a — for the first time in a year. we have done a couple of things online but it— have done a couple of things online but it is— have done a couple of things online but it is not— have done a couple of things online but it is not the same as being in a room _ but it is not the same as being in a room with— but it is not the same as being in a room with people and having that connection. it has been tough, tough for everyone — connection. it has been tough, tough for everyone who works behind—the—scenes, the tour managers, production managers, delighting guys, all that stuff. this was— delighting guys, all that stuff. this was fat boy slim's warehouse gig last night in liverpool. music the uniting force, a common shared language that connects so many people is helping us all get back to the things we enjoy. danjohnson, bbc news. a little earlier dan spoke to us from inside the festival before the main event got underway. it is quite important what happens here, even if you are not a festival goer, it could have a major bearing on what sort of live events are possible. let us have a chat with some of the people here to

enjoy the entertainment. why did you want to be part of this? this is really momentous, as you said. this is the first gig for a year. we like blossoms. we've been living in liverpool throughout the pandemic so it is great to be in tier 3 and be the guinea pigs. you are part of an experiment but you're here to have fun as well. yes, definitely. i love gigs and i really like blossoms as well. after so much time| of the arts being on hold, it is really nice to have this whole reopening and it is really. nice to have a scientific overview. of how this is going to work when it comes to reopening. it is really important. literally. also it makes a big change to your mental health when you're able to get out and go to a festival and you are not

dealing with that idea that covid is this existential threat that has been. it is nice to be normal. what was it like coming in? how strict have their checks been? so we had to provide id and a negative test coming in. no one has symptoms going in, you have a negative lateral flow test which means the chances of being infected are quite low anyway so it mitigates the risk. i would love to see how it works out in the long term because we get more sensitive pcr tests afterwards so it will be interesting to see how it works out long—term. do you feel safe being in a crowd again because it is so long since people have seen this? yes, it's not that many people in comparison to the space. it is not full capacity so you do not feel like it is overcrowded so it pretty good.

we will let you go and enjoy it.