this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8.00: as the conflict between israel and palestinians in gaza enters its seventh day, ten children are among the dead following an israeli air strike on gaza. the un pleads for peace. but there's no sign of a ceasefire, as the attacks continue, with each side accusing each other. israel is persecuting our people, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. hamas is criminally attacking us from civilian neighbourhoods, from schools, from homes, from office buildings. that's what they're doing. efforts to combat the india variant of the coronavirus ramp up in england, as the health secretary urges caution.

i'm confident that we can take the step tomorrow, | but we should all be careful i about how we take that step. parents pay tribute to their two—year—old son — george hinds — who was killed in a suspected gas explosion in lancashire. and fancy a job as a live—in officer at a medieval castle on a remote island? well, st michael's mount is hiring. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the united nations secretary general has appealed for an immediate end to the fighting between israel and the palestinians. it comes as health officials in gaza report that 42 people

were killed in the latest israeli bombardment — among them ten children. israel says hamas has launched 3,000 rockets in the last week, killing ten israelis. 0ur middle east editor, jeremy bowen, reports from sderot, in southern israel. these were the heaviest israeli raids on gaza since this war started. it was also the deadliest day for palestinians. at the centre of the killing in the heart of gaza city, they were looking for survivors. he says, "raise your voice so we can hear you. "are you 0k?" there were not many survivors, body after body was taken away. translation: when i was carrying my small boy, he told me, - "dad, i don't want to die." what more do you want from him? there is no safety in this city. benjamin netanyahu, israel's prime minister, met military advisers at

the ministry of defence in tel aviv. leaks said a cabinet meeting did not discuss a ceasefire. the israeli army showed us its anti—missile system, iron dome, very close to gaza's boundary wire. they say it shoots down around 90% of the missiles fired out of there. previous wars between israel and hamas have ended with mediation, generally with egypt involved, leading to a ceasefire. contacts have been made, but it's a difficult process, because each side needs to get to the point where they can say to their people that the sacrifices, the damage, the killing, were worth it. if israel takes this to the next level, with a ground invasion of gaza, that process gets knocked on further into the future. the 2014 war lasted for nearly two months. iron dome is one reason why israel

suffers fewer casualties than gaza. another is the intensity of the israeli attacks. civilians of course aren't our target. they never are. but you do kill them. any loss of life on both sides of this conflict, any loss of civilian life is tragic. while we were there, they launched. a volley of missiles was heading out of gaza, north towards the israeli town of ashkelon. iron dome didn't stop all of them. this is where they hit. back in gaza, rescue teams were still looking for survivors and still finding bodies. eventually, there will be a ceasefire, but until the essentials of the conflict are tackled and settled, the killing will not stop. jeremy bowen, bbc news, in southern israel. as i mentioned, the un

security council is meeting security council has been meeting to discuss the violence today. secretary general antonio guterres opened the meeting calling for peace. we meet today amid the most serious escalation in gaza and israel in years. the current hostilities are utterly appalling. this latest round of violence only perpetuates the cycles of death, destruction and despair and pushes further to the horizon any hope of coexistence and peace. fighting must stop. it must stop immediately. rockets and mortars on one side and aerial bonbardments on the other must stop. i appeal to all parties to heed this call. the united nations is actively engaging all sides towards an immediate ceasefire. the hostilities have already caused unconscionable death, immense suffering and damage of vital infrastructure.

that was antonio guterres speaking earlier today. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu appeared on cbs�* face the nation earlier today, where he responded to international criticism of israel's attacks, including the deaths of palestinian civilians. hamas is criminally attacking us from civilian neighbourhoods, from schools, from homes, from office buildings. that's what they're doing and we're taking action, trying to target them with as great precision as we can. unfortunately, there are occasionally civilian casualties which we regret, but here's what happens. when the international community attacks israel, they're actually encouraging hamas to continue these attacks because hamas, we're both encouraging hamas to continue these attacks because hamas says, "it's great." we're both killing israeli civilians and unfortunately, they're happy with

their own casualties because they're focusing their attacks on israel instead of hamas. that's unproductive because what it does, is prolong the conflict and escalate and increase the number of casualties that happen as a result. 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 guests joining me tonight are lizzy buchan, the political correspondent, daily mirror and matt dathan, the deputy political editorfor the sun. here, four men have been arrested by police investigating video footage appearing to show anti—semitic language being shouted from a convoy of cars. footage on social media showed cars driving through an area of north london covered in palestinian flags, with passengers shouting offensive comments. borisjohnson wrote on twitter,

"there is no place "for anti—semitism in our society. "i stand with britain'sjews, who should not have to endure "the type of shameful racism we have seen today." 0n the eve of a big step in lockdown easing for much of the uk, there's a warning for people to be cautious because of rising cases of the so—called india variant. the health secretary says he's optimistic that existing vaccines will work against the variant of the disease. matt hancock has also defended the decision to press ahead with lifting more lockdown restrictions in england tomorrow, despite concerns about the spread of the strain. 0n the eve of life tiptoeing one step closer to normality in england, scotland and wales, this was bolton today. hundreds of people one step closer to a jab in a hotspot for the so—called indian variant of the virus.

no, not that concerned. should be ok with, hopefully, the vaccine to squash it. very concerned, but hopefully with the injections, we'll be fine. do you think the government should continue to open up from tomorrow? yeah, i think as long as everyone's cautious and follows the rules. - yeah, i think it's - important, definitely. of the 18 people in hospital in bolton with the indian variant, most had not had a vaccine. but... there are five people who have ended up in hospital having had one jab, and this is why it's so important to get the second jab. so, nobody who's had two...? well, we think there's one person, but that person was frail. scientists acknowledge there's still a lot they don't know about the variant. we are still quite uncertain about many, many things, | including the effectiveness of the vaccine. _ so, i think it's very. early days, i think it's a very difficult decision.

there are two ways you can go — try and stamp on it locally or- try to improve vaccine . coverage across the uk. the clunk of cutlery polished in oxford the night before the day to come, with the health secretary circumspect rather than celebratory about this latest liberalisation of the rules. i'm confident that we can take the step tomorrow, but we should all be careful about how we take that step. so, you asked me about eating indoors with people. it's still safer to eat outdoors rather than in when the weather allows. you asked about hugging people. when people have had both jabs, then it is... that is pretty safe. ministers insist they restricted travel from india as soon as the evidence made that essential, but labour says the government was too slow.

they should've put india on the red list at the same time as pakistan and as bangladesh. since then, we've had this three—week period in which thousands of people have returned from india, and that probably includes hundreds of the new variant covid cases. from tomorrow, the prospect of a drink without being drizzled on for many, nerves remain about the new variant. but a taste of near normality beckons. chris mason, bbc news. there are so many questions concerning the india variant, but according to one medical specialist, it is still too soon to tell if the variant bypasses vaccinations. that's according to dr bharat pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at the university of exeter medical school. i spoke to him earlier.

we have laboratory data that indicates that the vaccine is not bypassed by the indian variant. the absolute proof will be testing it out the field, in other words, to see how well it performs out there in the community. meaning if people are fully immunised and they get infected by the indian variant, we will know, and if they are rejected by the indian variant, we will also know. so we have got some way to go to find out absolutely if the vaccines are not bypassed by the variance. ~ ., variance. when we look at the case studies, variance. when we look at the case studies. for — variance. when we look at the case studies, for example, _ variance. when we look at the case studies, for example, of _ variance. when we look at the case | studies, for example, of blackburn, the third highest infection rate in england, 89%jump in cases, they have had, compared to the previous week. what is actually behind that surge? is it to the resident tent variant or is it the character now that the india variant is within the population? what is behind that jump? i population? what is behind that “um? ., ., ., , population? what is behind that jump? i would almost certainly say it is a combination _

jump? i would almost certainly say it is a combination of _ jump? i would almost certainly say it is a combination of several - it is a combination of several factors. one, the location and the people who live there, in other words families, multi—generational households, people working in crowded, busy places, factories, buses, shops, that sort of thing. as well as, and this is important, we feel that the variant mark to emerging from india is potentially more infectious, so we have a perfect combination, unfortunately, of people living in crowded homes, shops, businesses, all those things, as well as a more infectious variant on our hands. as well as a more infectious variant on our hande— as well as a more infectious variant on our hands. more infectious, does that also imply _ on our hands. more infectious, does that also imply that _ on our hands. more infectious, does that also imply that it _ on our hands. more infectious, does that also imply that it will _ on our hands. more infectious, does that also imply that it will produce i that also imply that it will produce a more extreme case of covid—19? i hope not, and this is what i am really hoping and wishing for, which is whilst on the one hand it may be more infectious, i hope it doesn't translate into more hospital admissions, meaning more disease—causing. having said that, evenif

disease—causing. having said that, even if it is as normal a disease causing as the previous variants were, we can expect cases to rise and my concerns are in the younger age group who are yet to be immunised. 50 age group who are yet to be immunised.— age group who are yet to be immunised. ., , a age group who are yet to be immunised. ., , w , immunised. so we have picked up the india variant — immunised. so we have picked up the india variant is _ immunised. so we have picked up the india variant is in _ immunised. so we have picked up the india variant is in most _ immunised. so we have picked up the india variant is in most parts - immunised. so we have picked up the india variant is in most parts of - india variant is in most parts of the uk now. more prevalent, of course, in some counties. for those people who are presenting with the india variant of covid—19, are you able to give us a profile of who they are? have they had a vaccine, how old are they, for example? 50 how old are they, for example? sr most of the people that i am aware of are in different parts of the country, lancashire, east of england and places which have a link with india, pakistan or bangladesh. and then of course it will spread amongst the local population as well. with regard to who is affected, now that we have got an order population who is immunised, we are seeing cases in the younger

age groups, so across the board in the younger age groups, small numbers, except in lancashire, east of england, where we have got more cases and more cases of that variant rising dramatically. do cases and more cases of that variant rising dramatically.— rising dramatically. do you think the india variant _ rising dramatically. do you think the india variant is _ rising dramatically. do you think the india variant is now- rising dramatically. do you think the india variant is now most - the india variant is now most definitely be dominant strain within the uk? it definitely be dominant strain within the uk? , . ., the uk? it is getting there. what i want to emphasise _ the uk? it is getting there. what i want to emphasise is _ the uk? it is getting there. what i want to emphasise is these - the uk? it is getting there. what | | want to emphasise is these variants will come and go. we had the kent version, brazilian, south african and now the indian variant. they will come and go. what we want to do, and i was really pleased to see in your report that in lancashire they are going to provide extra immunisation as fast as possible. that is the strategy to adopt, which is where ever the hotspots arise, sending a hit squad and do extra immunisation as fast as possible. that will keep the infection stand, suppress the numbers. that

that will keep the infection stand, suppress the numbers.— that will keep the infection stand, suppress the numbers. that was dr bharat pankhania _ suppress the numbers. that was dr bharat pankhania speaking - suppress the numbers. that was dr bharat pankhania speaking to - suppress the numbers. that was dr bharat pankhania speaking to me l bharat pankhania speaking to me earlier. blackburn has been given the go—ahead to rapidly increase vaccinations, according to health officials. the public health director for blackburn with darwen council says areas where covid is spreading will get additional supplies of the pfizerjab for all residents over the age of 18. last week blackburn recorded the third highest infection rate in england, with an 89%jump in cases compared to the previous week. dominic harrison has previously said it was "illogical" that the government refused surge vaccinations. the latest figures on coronavirus showjust over 1,900 new infections recorded in the past 2a hours — and four deaths. 0n vaccinations, the number of people who have had a firstjab has risen above 36.5 million, 69.4% or nearly 70% of the uk's adult population.

just over 20 million people have had both doses — 38.2% — and that is getting close to 40% of all adults. it is 8:17pm. the headlines on bbc news... the united nations holds talks, as the conflict between israel and palestinians in gaza continues for a seventh day. the secretary general has pleaded for peace. efforts to combat the india variant of covid ramp up in england, ahead of lockdown restrictions being relaxed tomorrow. parents pay tribute to their two—year—old son — george hinds — who was killed in a suspected gas explosion in lancashire. we are going to continue with that story.

the parents of george hinds — the two—year—old who died following a suspected gas explosion in lancashire — have paid tribute to theirson, calling him a beautiful little angel. at least two houses in heysham were destroyed in the blast in the early hours of this morning and several others were badly damaged. paul murphy has the latest. from above, the incredible force of this explosion is apparent. two homes were destroyed, many more have been damaged. debris is scattered across the neighbourhood. residents described the blast atjust after 2:30am this morning as something that felt like an earthquake. it sounded like a bomb going off this morning just after two o'clock and it literally shook the whole bed. we felt like we were going through the floor and then we jumped out of bed and wejust ran, just to see what was going on. it's just awful. this evening, the child who died has been named as two—year—old george hinds. his parents were both

injured, but not seriously. another man and a woman are critically ill in hospital. around 30 residents were evacuated overnight to a nearby leisure centre. some of them must now wait while their damaged homes are safety checked. many residents are still in their houses or have gone to friends, so it is quite a small number of people who are actually at the evacuation centre at the moment, but it is there if people needed. but it is there if people need it. as fire investigators begin their work, george hinds' parents said they were devastated at the loss of their beautiful and precious son and had no words to describe how they were feeling. paul murphy, bbc news, heysham. it is 8pm. —— 8:20pm. police in glasgow have made 28 arrests after an estimated 15,000

rangers fans gathered to celebrate the team's league victory, in violation of covid rules and several days of clear warnings. later there was violence in the city centre, where five police officers were injured. 0ur scotland correspondent, jamie mcivor, reports. it should have been a day all rangers fans would remember for the right reasons, a famous victory over aberdeen to end a season when they'd gone unbeaten. 0utside ibrox, fans gathered to celebrate. then they made their way to the city centre. and in the city centre, the party atmosphere went sour. it was the biggest gathering in scotland since the first lockdown despite pleas to stay away from players, politicians and police. it's bad enough, first of all, that they gathered despite that advice, but the scenes we saw last night were completely unacceptable. drunkenness, loutish behaviour, thuggishness — it will not be tolerated on the streets of glasgow.

and this morning, the hangover. scotland's biggest civic space showed the scars. some rangers fans felt sheer disgust. i'm kind of fed up of hearing how the club should have done more. you're never going to stop idiots who come out, a bit of fresh air, bit of alcohol, probably normal behaviour, to be honest, for some of them. 0thers understood why fans had wanted to celebrate together, although they were horrified by what happens later. you've had folk that have been through a pandemic for a year. you know, they're sort of released, | the first—order football experience. j their first football experience. the trouble happened close to the city's main shopping areas. at this upmarket clothes shop, they were clearing the mess outside. it's quite disappointing that yesterday we had to close the store earlyjust for health and safety. on twitter, the first minister didn't mince her words. she condemned the violence, the vandalism and what she called, "the vile anti—catholic prejudice" on display.

the council leader shared that discuss and was also worried discussed and was also worried for the good name of the city. this is not glasgow. it doesn't represent glasgow, but the fact is, this has happened twice now in as many months. it is completely unacceptable and it cannot continue. it needs to stop. police are defending how they handled the situation. fans were warned many times not to gather. football rivalries in glasgow run deep, yet rangers have often brought pride to the city. yesterday, some of their fans brought disgrace. jamie mcivor, bbc news, glasgow. let's return to the coronavirus pandemic — and the expected easing of restrictions tomorrow. for businesses that can re—open or begin to use their indoor spaces again, it will be a big moment after more than a year of disruption. but many are worried about how they will break even, because of the continuing rules on social distancing. here's our business correspondent, katy austin.

getting the ball rolling again. this site's been shut for most of the past year. so if you could clean our new lane dividers, that would be fantastic. the team are in, making sure everything's safe and ready for customers. during the total period of lockdown, it's cost us over 100 million in revenue. the boss of this chain believes people will flock back, but he says challenges remain that firms need help with. with regards to the pent—up rent bills and rent demands, a business like ours, we've worked very closely with a lot of our landlords, but there are still some landlords that aren't engaged with the mounting rent bills that are around. it's thought only a third of cafes, restaurants and bars have opened for outdoor dining. this group of cafe—bars can't wait to open indoors in england and wales tomorrow, though under government guidelines, it still won't be business as usual. everything is much more military. we're greeting people at the door, we're taking them

to their table, table service. we would love to get back to what we do. limits on numbers under social distancing means turning a profit or breaking even will be hard for many. what will make us a lot happier is, the 21st ofjune, we need to see those restrictions lifted because opening on the 17th of may will give us a certain amount of revenue, but we still have half the number of covers in our restaurants that we need to survive. i asked the business secretary what would be done to help businesses with rent debts built up during lockdowns. the government is working very closely together with the treasury and my department to see if we can come up with an arrangement whereby tenants and landlords can work together to make sure that this rent issue doesn't cripple businesses. as the lights come back on this week, firms are desperately hoping this lockdown has been the last. katy austin, bbc news. earlier this year, europe s

vaccination rollout was facing criticism for being too slow and lagging behind the uk and the us. just a few months later, some eu countries have turned their programmes around and are delivering jabs at record rates, as our europe correspondent, jean mackenzie, reports. the joy of alfresco dining in rome. 0nly last month this was unimaginable. across europe infections reached while vaccination stumbled. across europe infections raged, while vaccinations stumbled. this was belgium's largest vaccination centre. when we visited at the end of february, empty. now they are vaccinating nearly 3,000 people a day. i think it's a bit busier than the last time we met each other, so it's good news. we are really doing well now. we have eight hours a day that are very well filled, so we are also at a very good, smooth capacity, good flow, as you can see.

early on there were production delays, glitches and supply chains, delays, glitches in supply chains, and these put europe massively behind, but in the past couple of months there has been a remarkable turnaround. the vaccines are flowing freely, and more than a third of people in europe have now had their first dose. at this estate in neighbouring germany, authorities are trying to vaccinate everyone, regardless of age. at one point, the country was sitting on masses of unused doses, but this week it administered a record 1.3 million vaccines in a single day. the crowded estate, which is home to a0 nationalities,

has been a hotspot for infections, but still many don't want to get vaccinated. christian is here to convince them. if we don't get every person vaccinated, this pandemic will keep on going and nobody has the patience for it any more. doctors are giving lessons on how the vaccines work, but this woman, who has recently moved with her daughters from romania, is still scared. she's never had a vaccine before. with shots now in solid supply, reaching the reluctant is the next challenge. europe is yet to reach that magical tipping point that would protect it from another deadly surge, but at this pace it could come soon, in time for summer on the beaches of spain. jean mckenzie, bbc news. has lockdown left you yearning for the wild outdoors? well, if it has, there may be a job

out there that's just for you. st michael's mount, a remote island only accessible by boat or at low tide, is advertising for a live—in employee to work at its medieval castle. andrea 0rmsby has been to find out more. they say an englishman's home is his castle. well, st michael's mount is quite literally that for around 30 people. now there's room for one more, a live—in castle officer. we've had an overwhelming response, which has been fantastic. we need people who are happy with boats, happy with heights. i just think a real passion for people coming to cornwall or the tourism industry really. newsreel: here in the west, where the cornish coast - flings are sheltering _ on against the atlantic is an island flings a sheltering arm - against the atlantic is an island where loneliness is only another name for enchantment. - st michael's mount has been

capturing the imagination for years. i'm duncan, i'm the castle steward, and i've been living here for around two years now. what i love about the mount is having a sea view from every window and having the support of the community around you. everyone is really friendly here, and the challenge of living here — it's different from living on the mainland. you can't get a takeaway pizza to your door, so be prepared for that. if you can cope with that, have good sea legs and fancy a pretty cool address, this might be what you need to hear. don't be scared to apply. i think a lot of people on the socials last night were saying, "it's my dream job, but i couldn't do this or that." don't be put off by that. it will probably be one of the most life changing experiences for someone to come over. there's no official closing date, but interest has already been huge. andrea 0rmsby, bbc news. first we had electric lamps. then we had lasers.

now cambridge scientists are developing the next revolution in light that could change the world. they have developed a way of isolating and detecting single particles of light, called photons, at room temperature. that matters because it could help power the next generation of super—quantum computers. here s our science correspondent, richard westcott. so much modern technology already relies on light, but there's still more potential locked away in these beams. in a lab in cambridge, this team says it's working on the next light revolution. first we had lamps and then we had lasers which completely revolutionised our lives and our technology and now we may be on the cusp of the third stage in the history of light. we have single photon sources, devices that can emit one particle of light at a time. and that is the key here, being able to separate off those

individual light particles.