tonight at 10 — another lockdown in the uk is now unlikely says one of the leading coronavirus scientists. professor neil ferguson says life will be almost back to normal by the summer thanks to the vaccination programme. we are much more likely to be on our steady course now out of this pandemic. at least in this country. the government will reveal shortly which countries people in england can travel to in a fortnight — without having to quarantine on their return. also tonight... two former paratroopers accused of murdering an official ira man half a century ago are formally acquitted after their trial collapses. a murder trial is told that former aston villa star dalian atkinson died after being tasered three times and kicked in the head by a police officer. at least 2a people have died in mexico city after a metro train

bridge collapsed onto a busy road. and a night of history for manchester city as they reach their first champions league final. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel... 15 days after leaving tottenham jose mourinho is back in football, where he'lljoin roma for the start of next season. good evening. one of the leading government advisors behind the first lockdown last year says it's unlikely that there will be any more lockdowns in the uk. professor neil ferguson says life should start getting back to normal this summer thanks to the vaccination programme. the government's "green list" of countries to which people can travel without having to self isolate on their return is expected to be released within the next week. professor ferguson warned that questions do remain over summer holidays — particularly travelling

abroard this year — but he was optimisitc about normal life soon returning here with far fewer restrictions. here's our health editor hugh pym. masks and social distancing, strict limits on gatherings and socialising, they've been unprecedented restrictions on everyday lives for much of the pandemic, but there's an increasing sense that things could be much closer to the old normal by the summer. one of the key scientists involved in lockdown policy told me he's more confident. it will feel a lot more normal in terms of being able to visit friends, family, go out to restaurants. we have yet to see what will happen with holidays, overseas holidays, but we will have many fewer restrictions. pubs and restaurants will allow customers back indoors soon. this was manchester today. then there's the planned end of all legal restrictions in england from june 21.

professor ferguson believes another lockdown is unlikely and that the data suggests things are on track. with the one caveat, we need to keep watching those variants carefully to get more data on them, but i'm feeling very optimistic and that optimism has gradually increased as the last three months have unfolded. from the terrible situation we were in injanuary, to now, a remarkably good situation, by comparison. there was more encouraging news from schools. an ons survey for england said in december 1.2% of secondary pupils had the virus and the figure for staff was 1.6%, but in the last two weeks of march, after schools had opened up earlier in the month, infections were lower, with 0.3% of secondary school pupils with the virus, and the same percentage of staff. we found that infections were higher in schools in november and december, as they were in the general population, and lower in march —

exactly the same in schools as it is in the general population. more than 50 million vaccine doses have now been delivered, and at this centre today people were looking forward to better things ahead. back to freedom, finally. mostly because i really want to see my family in italy again. hopefully the more people who have it, we can have greater freedoms, the end of social distancing, we can go and see people. some experts say that more time is needed to assess the data as restrictions are eased. we have to wait at least 3—4 weeks after the middle of may to see what impact that's having, and also see what is happening in europe, latin america, asia, with new variants and covid cases before we can sit there and say, "we've done it, we're through it," because we are not there yet. we are getting there, for sure, but we are not there yet. odeon is to open almost all of its cinemas on may 17, the first possible day allowed under the road map in england —

another sign of confidence in the current direction of travel. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures on coronavirus showjust under 2000 new infections in the latest 24—hour period — so an average of 2,024 new cases per day in the last week. four deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours — of people who'd had a positive test within the previous 28 days. the average number of deaths per day in the past week is 13. the total number of uk deaths is now 127,543. just under 80,000 people had their first vaccination in the latest 2a hour period — so more than 34.5 million people have now had their firstjab. just over 129,000 people have had their second jab — so more than 15.5 million people are now fully vaccinated. so as restrictions continue to be lifted

what about international travel? our transport correspondent caroline davies is with me. for caroline davies is with me. england and it is lookin positive for england and it is looking more positive about international travel restarting on the 17th of may, and there is advice on the foreign office but the key thing is which countries will be on the green list which means you will not have to quarantine when you come back. a reminder about what the colours mean, read, that means that when you return from a country designated read you have to pay to quarantine in a hotel, and for example india was recently added to that list. the second is amber, you can quarantine at home, which is what the majority of countries are at the moment, and the third is green, and you don't need to quarantine at all but you do still need to take a test before you travel and another one when you arrive. green makes international travel a lot easier and the industry is keen to know what countries are going to be on that list. at the moment the government is deciding

and they are looking at data from the vaccination rates and the various aspects and assessing all of that and that will be put to ministers who will then make a decision and come out with a green list. the labour party have said they want full details of exactly what criteria is going to be used to put countries into those different bands, and they don't want the process to be rushed because they are concerned that it could let a dangerous variant coming into the country. this isjust the initial list for the 17th of may and it is expected that more countries will be added and potentially taken away depending on how the rest of the summer goes. depending on how the rest of the summer gm— depending on how the rest of the summer goes-— depending on how the rest of the summer noes. . ., ., , pressure is mounting on india's government to impose a national lockdown after the country recorded more than 20 million covid infections. prime minister narendra modi is under criticism after widespread shortages of oxygen and hospital beds continue in the worst affected cities including the capital delhi. the country's most popular sports tournament — the indian premier league —

has been cancelled after a number of players tested positive. devina gupta reports from delhi. desperate hope. that's what family members in this hospital in delhi are holding onto. it's a fight for life—saving oxygen that some are losing fast. translation: | came - here because a man died. his death freed up a place and oxygen for my mother. translation: they put us in a shed when she needs i to go to intensive care. this oxygen bottle came from my house. we bought it ourselves. as india crosses over 20 million infected cases, many hospitals like this one, which was overwhelmed over the weekend, are struggling with scarce resources. translation: the situation is really critical. _ there are no beds available. we are under pressure — _ the doctors, nurses, the orderlies. even the patients. we are all under pressure.

covid is not sparing sport either. the massively popular indian premier league cricket tournament has been postponed after at least four players tested positive. it's a huge disappointment here for millions, where cricket is almost a religion. however, the goal of saving lives has proved too important for india in her darkest test for decades. the ultimate fight for the country is to get oxygen and medicine supplies for millions, and fast. india is getting aid as countries continue to help, but the challenge is speedy distribution and there's not a minute to waste. and that's why tens of thousands are rushing to get a vaccine wherever they can find one. but, there is a shortage of these jabs, too. translation: it was very difficult. i couldn't get an - appointment right away. i kept checking online and now. there's a really long queue here.

it is not very easy right now. i came here early since 930, so around six hours. for now, the government of narendra modi continues to deny any shortage of oxygen and vaccines, and that is where india sees its biggest challenge as the covid crisis heads towards chaos. devina gupta, bbc news, delhi two former paratroopers accused of murdering a senior member of the ira half a century ago have been formally aquitted after their trial collapsed. the men, known as soldier a and soldier c, said they had fired shots atjoe mccann, but had done so lawfully. the judge ruled that interviews with the two soldiers could not be used and the prosecution offered no further evidence. emma vardy reports from belfast. it's 50 years since the soldiers in this case were patrolling the streets of belfast. as pensioners, they had to return to northern ireland to face a murder trial.

campaigners who oppose these prosecutions watched today as the case collapsed. for them 50 years later, to be in court, on the stand for murder, when it has already been investigated and there is no new evidence. or that exchange is the politics, there is no new evidence, and i think that is shocking —— all that has changed is the politics. joe mccann was known to be in the official ira. in 1972 police asked soldiers for help arresting him. when he ran away, the soldiers opened fire and he was killed. soldiers a and c, as they have been known in court, said they acted lawfully and that joe mccann was a highly dangerous suspect. his wife spoke about her husband's role in the paramilitary at the time

of her husband's death. it's a very tragic blow for me personally, myself, like. are you proud of the fact - that your husband was in the ira? yes. i always was and i always will be. the soldiers who fired shots that they have never been interviewed under caution. fourjoe mccann�*s daughter, the outcome was a major disappointment. thejudge was right outcome was a major disappointment. the judge was right when he described it as appalling to described it as appalling to describe the actions of the state in relation to the murder ofjoe mccann. relation to the murder of joe mccann. ., relation to the murder of joe mccann. . , ., ., mccann. there are several other cases involving _ mccann. there are several other cases involving veterans - mccann. there are several other cases involving veterans who - mccann. there are several other- cases involving veterans who served in northern ireland still going through the courts and others still being investigated and in northern ireland it is not only an issue fought out in legal battles but also something which divides communities on the streets.

gunfire the cases include the prosecution of soldier f, who is facing murder charges over the killing of two people. on what became known as bloody sunday in londonderry in 1972. what people do need is we need to heal, because the current system we have at the minute with a handful of prosecutions, a handful of inquests, people trying to go through the high court and the civil court to try and get some kind of answers in relation to their loved ones, that is completely unfair, it is toxic and it is tearing this place apart and it is damaging our peace. it's completely contaminating future generations. a number of conservative mps have called for there to be stricter legal limitations on the extent to which criminal proceedings can be brought in historical cases like these. but many victims' groups in northern ireland continue to campaign for the prosecutions to press on, saying no—one should be above the law, however long ago alleged killings have taken place. emma vardy, bbc news. at least 2a people have died

in mexico city after a railway bridge collapsed sending train carriages plunging down onto a busy road below. dozens more have been injured. rescue workers have been searching through the wreckage for survivors at the site, close to a metro station, on the newest line in the city. our correspondent will grant has spent the day at the scene. will. another difficult day in mexico city, a city which has had more than its fair share of tragedy, a fatal collapse in the public transport system, just as commuters were returning home. this report contains images which some may find distressing. the scene of devastation at mexico city's subway was reminiscent of one of the city's many earthquakes. but this was not a natural disaster, rather it was a man—made one on the newest stretch of subway track in the capital. line 12 was heralded as the future of the city's public transport system when it was inaugurated in 2012. now its carriages and

the city government's reputation hang by a thread. a security camera caught the terrible moment of impact when tonnes of cement and gnarled metal came crashing down onto the cars below. at that time of night, most of those killed will have been workers, returning home after a late shift. their families anxiously gathered at the scene desperately trying to make sense of it all. translation: my daughter-in-law called us, she was with my son - and she told us the structure fell down on top of them. my brother came with his wife and they managed to get her out but he was crushed in there and we don't know anything. they don't give us reports. now they have to get him out, but who knows how long it will take. by morning, all eyes turned to the mayor, claudia sheinbaum. she insisted a full structural check had been made as recently as last year.

translation: on the entire line, on the entire line. _ and i think we should not speculate, that is why there will be an investigation by the attorney general�*s office, as well as independent experts so that we can find out the whole truth and know what happened. that is not an answer that will satisfy the victims' families, all most residents of mexico city. local people had complained for years that the construction of line 12 was not up to code and that cracks had appeared following a recent earthquake. an investigation will determine whether such warnings were ignored and by whom. but those questions will have to wait, at least for now, as this vast city mourns the loss of life in one small corner. will grant, bbc news, mexico city. a murder trial has heard that former aston villa player dalian atkinson died after being tasered three times and kicked in the head at least twice by a police officer. the prosecution said that one

of the police officers kicked mr atkinson with such force it left imprints on his forehead , mr atkinson had severe health problems and had been behaving erratically. pc benjamin monk denies murder, his colleague pc mary ellen bettley—smith denies assault. sian lloyd reports from birmingham crown court. dalian atkinson had enjoyed a successful career as a professional footballer. later in life he had serious health problems including heart disease and acute renal failure. today a jury heard he died after being tasered three times by a police officer, who went on to kick him twice in the head as he lay on the ground. it's alleged that 42—year—old pc benjamin monk, an officer with 1a years' experience with west mercia police, struck the former footballer with enough force to leave the imprints of the pattern of his bootlaces on the 48—year—old's forehead. he arrived at court with pc

ellie bettley—smith who was alleged to have struck dalian atkinson with a baton. it was five years ago that the officers had been called to dalian atkinson's father's home in telford in the early hours of the morning. the footballer�*s behaviour was described as bizarre and erratic. the court heard that inside the property he threatened his father and grabbed him by the throat. when the police arrived, he came to the door. two attempts to taser dalian atkinson were described as "ineffective". as he approached the two police officers, pc monk is alleged to have fired a third taser for 33 seconds which was described as six times longer than the standard five—second phase. dalian atkinson's brother and sister—in—law were in court today. they heard how other officers then arrived at the scene. the prosecution said one saw pc monk's right foot was resting on dalian atkinson's head. benjamin monk denies murder and manslaughter.

his colleague, ellie bettley—smith, with whom he was in a relationship, denies assault causing actual bodily harm. they claim they were entitled to use force on dalian atkinson because he was attempting to get up and they feared for their safety. the trial is expected to last up to eight weeks. sian lloyd, bbc news, birmingham crown court. foreign ministers from the world's leading economies, the g7, have been meeting in london today for their first face—to—face talks in more than two years. discussions have been focussed on the ongoing crisis in myanmar, as well as relations with russia, china and iran. our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports. diplomacy is slowly emerging from the virtual world. staff at lancaster house are remembering how to roll out the red carpet. visiting ministers are wearing masks and practising awkward elbow bumps with the foreign secretary. but crucially, they're here, in person, meeting face—to—face for the first time in more than two years.

talking through transparent screens for safety, they had much to discuss, above all, how to keep liberal democracies safe from the threats posed by autocratic states. who could he have been thinking of? certainly they discussed russia and china, with varied views, according to diplomats, over how to balance holding beijing to account over human rights, while also engaging on trade and the environment. the message, the foreign secretary said, was clear. we believe in standing up for open societies, for human rights and democracy. we believe in safeguarding, promoting public goods, whether it's the environment and tackling climate change, particularly with cop26 coming up in november, but also dealing with pandemics and public health more generally. tomorrow, they'll discuss how to ensure more covid vaccines get to poorer countries. critics say the g7�*s not doing enough. the test for the foreign ministers'

meeting here at lancaster house is notjust to see eye—to—eye physically, but also diplomatically. can all this face—to—face talking actually produce real results and proper decisions? that's certainly more likely with different us leadership. the new us secretary of state, antony blinken, meeting boris johnson today, repeatedly called for more multilateral cooperation. but, ultimately, the men of the g7 will be judged, not by their words, but by their actions. they may be standing covid safe, but much of the world is not. james landale, bbc news. britain and india have signed an agreement allowing young nationals to work and live in each other�*s countries for up to two years. the announcement comes as india's prime minister narenda modi and borisjohnson held a a virtual meeting today, where they agreed a framework for uk—india relations across things like health, climate, trade and education

for the next decade. a doorstep candlelit vigil has been held for police community support officerjulia james, one week after her body was found in woodland near dover in kent. police have no motive for the 53—year—old's murder and have made no arrests. they've told people in the local community to be "vigilant" if they head out alone. tonight borisjohnson said this thoughts were said his thoughts were with ms james's family. simonjones reports from aylesham. they are calling for justice forjulia. pcso james' son was among those lighting candles in her memory tonight near to the spot where she was found dead a week ago. local people have paid tribute, too, to a woman described as a much loved member of the community and the policing family. while her killer remains at large, police are advising people in the area to always have their phones with them when they go out.

that's exactly what people should be doing, being vigilant, of course, thinking very carefully about their own safety but making sure that if you go out alone, telling people where you are, where you're going and suchlike. hundreds of officers are involved in the investigation, but there has been no breakthrough. julia james' body was discovered in woodland over there, but the police admit they still have no clear motive for the attack and no clear suspect, and that's why they have been stopping vehicles coming and going from the area to ask local people whether they saw anything unusual or suspicious at the start of last week. officers are also trying to offer reassurance, but this is a community that remains deeply concerned. no, i won't go out on my own at the moment to walk the dog, which is a shame. but there's nothing else you can do about that. i've actually put a location app now on my phone and send it to all my family, so when i'm out they'll know where i am and what time i'm getting back. so, that kind of makes me

feel a little bit safer. anxious, i suppose. obviously, we don't know anything more about what's happened. - as a community remembered julia james this evening, her daughter said she would always be in her heart. simonjones, bbc news, aylesham. let's take a look at some of today's other news. care home residents in england can now go out for walks or visit relatives' gardens without having to quarantine for two weeks on their return, after new guidance came into force. many families say they have felt "powerless" over the past year because of the "restrictive" nature of visits. an inquest has been told that a woman stabbed to death at a prisoner rehabilitation event in fishmongers hall two years ago was uncertain about whether to attend. saskia jones was one of two people killed by usman khan at the event in november 2019. in a statement her mother said her daughter only decided to go to fishmongers' hall the day before.

prosecutors are being asked to consider whether to charge a man arrested on suspicion of murdering 31—year—old stuart lubbock, who died at the entertainer michael barrymore's home in essex two decades ago. his body was found in the former television presenter�*s swimming pool. two years after the government set up a compensation scheme for the windrush scandal, campaigners say they're concerned about the low number of payouts. the latest figures show that up to february, the home office has received almost 2,000 applications. just over 400 claims have resulted in a payment. the average claim takes about 1k months to process. the government has promised to right the wrongs and ensure the windrush generation get the compensation they deserve for the injustices they faced. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell has the story. anthony williams arrived in birmingham from jamaica when he was seven. he laterjoined the army and spent 13 years serving with the royal artillery.

but the former soldier says his biggest challenge has been more recently. unable to work and afford urgent dental treatment after wrongly being told he was in the uk illegally. he's now got new teeth, paid for by an anonymous donor who heard his story. back in 2014, i got a really, really bad mouth infection. my gums kept swelling up and the only way i could get rid of it was to start extracting my own teeth. you pulled your own teeth out? it took about three months to take most of my teeth out, the ones i've taken out now. he's still waiting for compensation two years after filling out an application. my first offer, remembering i was unemployed for five years, i lost myjob and they offered me £18,500. if i would have accepted that, it would have destroyed me. more than 12,000 people have been given british citizenship or had their legal status sorted out since the government task force was set up

following the windrush scandal. but there have been fewer than 500 compensation payouts so far, way lower than what campaigners were expecting. and with so few applications, there are now questions over the length of time it's taking to process claims, on average 14 months. lawyers who've been helping some windrush victims say the delays are unacceptable. you've only had 2500 applications and people are taking a year and 18 months to even get their first offers, so it says something is very, very wrong. the home office says it aims to process quickly as possible while carefully considering each person's circumstances and experiences. and the value of all payments made through the scheme so far is over £6 million. in nottingham, veronica bell is trying to claim compensation on behalf of her father, who died injamaica in 2010.

nathaniel blake wasn't allowed back in the uk after a family holiday, and later lost his sight and was diagnosed with prostate cancer. as far as he was concerned, he was a british citizen, always had been. he was invited here by the government to build up the country after the second world war. we just weren't able to afford the most appropriate medical interventions over there. you submitted your compensation claim two years ago. are you confident that you'll receive the money any time soon? it's not about the money, and there is absolutely no financial compensation that can right that, but the acknowledgement is very, very important to me, you know, and otherfamilies. adina campbell, bbc news. the duchess of sussex is to publish

a children's book next month. "the bench" will describe the relationship between a father and son, as seen through a mother's eyes. she developed the book from a poem she wrote marking prince harry's first father's day as a parent. football now, and manchester city are heading to the champions league finalfor the first time, after beating paris st—germain in the second leg of their semi—final. our sports editor dan roan was at the match. in contrast to recent protests against the other clubs involved in football's failed breakaway, the fans who braved a hail storm outside the etihad tonight were here to show their support for a team closing in on the ultimate prize. inside, manchester city emerged into what looked like bleak midwinter but this is a team in the hottest of form. despite the conditions, after winning the away leg, a slip—up against paris st germain seemed unlikely their advantage was soon extended. riyad mahrez breaking the ice and putting his team firmly

on course for a first ever final. now 3—1 down on aggregate, the visitors needed goals and marquinhos and then angel di maria showed the threat they still posed. how psg's star striker kylian mbappe must have wished he was fit enough to start. even brazilian talisman neymar finding their way through. city's defence defiant. the hosts have been simply irresistible in this competition and once again showed their ability to break at pace. mahrez again the beneficiary of sublime teamwork. with city in control, psg lost control. di maria seeing red for this moment of madness. phil foden went close to capping anotherfine display but the victory was secure. the dominant force in the english game nowjust one more win from the european glory of the club craves. that's it, manchester city have

reached the summit.