proceed with caution — the warning on the eve of a big step in lockdown easing. the changes tomorrow come as vaccinations are stepped up where cases of the indian variant are rising. i'm confident that we can take the step tomorrow, but we should all be careful about how we take that step. as some indoor mixing returns in england wales and scotland, we'll explain the risks and how to reduce them. also tonight: appeals for calm between israel and palestinians, but civilian casualties continue to rise. in lancashire, a suspected gas explosion destroys homes, killing a two—year—old.

it's just too easy for barcelona. and barcelona turn on the style against chelsea in the women's champions league final. good evening. on the eve of a big step in lockdown easing for england, wales and scotland, there's a warning for people to exercise caution as cases of the so—called indian variant of covid are rising. the health secretary, matt hancock, today said that vaccinations would replace restrictions as the uk's main strategy against the virus — and that early data suggested vaccines are effective against the variant. our first report is from our political correspondent chris mason. on 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. 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 i as everyone's cautious and follows the rules, then 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 has...? well, we think there's one person, but that person was frail. mr hancock said there is early evidence that the vaccines do work against the variant,

but scientists acknowledge there is still a lot they don't know about it. i think we should be concerned, but not panicking. we're in a much, much better place now than we were when the kent variant first hit us back in november—december. then, hospitals were already full from the autumn wave and the kent variant started spreading. and of course, we weren't vaccinated. 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 was clear. labour says they should have acted sooner and would delay the loosening of the rules on some other internationaljourneys. i think the government needs to slow down its plans. i don't understand why they're going ahead with lifting some of the international travel restrictions tomorrow. i think that they should be being much more cautious about that. from tomorrow, the prospect of a drink without getting drizzled on. yes, nerves remain about the new variant, but a taste of near normality beckons. chris mason, bbc news. the main change from tomorrow in three nations of the uk is to the rules on indoor gathering and social contact. in england, pubs and restaurants will be allowed

to serve people inside. cinemas, museums, softplay centres and hotels can reopen. groups of six people or two households can meet indoors, and stay overnight. 30 people will be able to gather outdoors. the changes in wales are very similar to england, except that outdoor groups of up to 50 will be allowed. in scotland, six people from three households will be able to socialise indoors at home. outdoors, it can be up to eight people from up to eight households, rising to 12 on most of the islands. the changes do not apply to glasgow and moray — which are staying in level three. there's no change tomorrow in northern ireland, but it's hoped a review on thursday will lead to an easing in a week's time. businesses are welcoming another step back on the road to normality — but, as katy austin reports, many still face significant challenges. getting the ball rolling again. this site's been shut

for most of the past year. if we 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 the 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 engaging with the mounting rent bills that are around. it's thought only a third of cafes, restaurants and bars have opened for outdoor dining. and for many of those, poor weather has hit their trade. this group of cafe—bars can't wait to open indoors in england and wales tomorrow, although under government guidelines, it still won't be business as usual. everything's much more military. we're greeting people at the door, we're taking them to their table, table service. we'd 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, come the 21stjune, we need to see those restrictions lifted because opening on 17th 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 try and 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. let's turn to the science and the reasons behind the warnings to be cautious as we take advantage

of new freedoms. more mixing indoors is a concern, because that is where most covid infections happen. here's our science editor david shukman. the vaccine programme is making a huge difference to the risks of disease because more people are protected and because there's less chance for the virus to spread. but it is still circulating, including the indian variant, which seems to be on the rise. this is a conceptual visualisation... - so, in a restaurant, for example, this scenario could happen. a person who is infected breathes out tiny virus particles which could reach people who haven't yet had the vaccines. that is why scientists say we've got to take care. we always know that more indoor mixing probably will mean a rise in cases. let's remember, we've gotjust over a third of the uk population protected with both doses of the vaccine, so we're not there yet, so i am urging caution, but i am also saying we are still moving in a good direction generally, so we can do more indoors,

we just need to do it very carefully and minimise our exposure. for a while now, scientists have known that the risks are far greater indoors because if someone is infected, any virus that they breathe out will be much harder for others to avoid, so what is the best advice? well, the first thing is to limit the number of people who are gathering. then keep an eye on the time. long hours spent together will increase the chances of infection. also, open the windows to bring in as much fresh air as possible to dilute any virus that might be around. you can see in this animation the effects of an open window helping to disperse the virus, but some experts worry that with the indian variant, it's just the wrong moment to be gathering indoors. knowing that we have this variant that's increasing so rapidly and then opening indoor spaces and the kind of indoor mixing where everyone is quite close together having a nice time for hours is quite risky because we know that that is where transmission is highest, so i have

concerns about it, for sure. and as this study shows, the virus can drift through the air like cigarette smoke, so as the lockdown is eased, it matters more than ever for people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. david shukman, bbc news. the latest figures on coronavirus showjust over 1,900 new infections recorded in the past 2a hours and four deaths. on vaccinations, the number of people who have had a firstjab has risen above 36.5 million, or nearly 70% of the uk's adult population. just over 20 million people have had both doses, and that is getting close to 40% of all adults. our health editor, hugh pym, is here. hugh, lots that is very positive in those figures. but at the same time, these rising cases of the indian variant? , , _, . .,

variant? yes, there is concern that hi . h variant? yes, there is concern that high levels — variant? yes, there is concern that high levels of _ variant? yes, there is concern that high levels of government - variant? yes, there is concern that high levels of government and - variant? yes, there is concern that. high levels of government and among government advisers because of the uncertainty. they don't know enough about the indian variant. they don't know how transmissible it is, how fast it spreads relative to the uk variant. they think it will move faster, but not how much buy. they don't know how many people will need to go to hospital and become seriously ill. they need more data from all communities affected, and that might take another week to come through and be analysed. tomorrow's opening up will of course result in more people mixing, and it's more people mixing, and its expected that there will be more infections. that will need to be monitored as well. on the positive side, as we had from matt hancock today, there is preliminary data from an oxford study suggesting that the existing vaccines will work against the variant. so the mantra is very much that the vaccination programme needs to stay ahead of the virus. to that end, in england in the coming week, 35—year—olds and over will be invited forjabs. and of course, those aged over 50 will be encouraged to come back for a

second dose fairly soon. but the note we were here tomorrow with opening up in wales and scotland from ministers is caution.- from ministers is caution. hugh, thank you _ from ministers is caution. hugh, thank you very — from ministers is caution. hugh, thank you very much. _ the united nations secretary general is appealing for an immediate end to fighting between israel and palestinians. it comes as health officials in gaza reported the deaths of 42 people in the latest israeli air strikes, among them ten children. israel says hamas has launched three thousand rockets in the last week — killing ten israelis. our middle east editorjeremy bowen has been in sderot in southern israel — close to the boundary with gaza. not much is left of this street in the heart of gaza city, after the heaviest israeli strikes since this war started — and the deadliest day for palestinians. they were looking for survivors. he says, "raise your voice so we can hear you — are you ok?" not many were found alive. families escaped with children who won't forget this day.

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 the city. benjamin netanyahu, israel's prime minister, convened his security chiefs. a cabinet meeting did not discuss a ceasefire. on the way down to the gaza border are some of the communities the government here says must be saved from rockets before it will stop its attacks. israel's leaders said the same thing during the other wars with hamas. the israeli army showed off their anti—missile system, iron dome. they say it shoots down around 90% of the missiles fired out of gaza. previous wars between israel and hamas have ended with mediation, generally with egypt involved, leading to a ceasefire. now, 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 weight of israel's firepower. well, civilians, of course, aren't our target. they never are. but you do kill them. and any loss of life on both sides of this conflict, any loss of civilian life is tragic. but it does happen an awful lot in gaza. and i hear that. and, again, any loss of civilian life is tragic. it happens here as well. 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. but this wasn't a fatal attack. in gaza, a six—year—old girl was pulled out of the rubble. her mother, two sisters and two brothers were killed. until he saw her, her father thought he was the only one left. thank god, he said, because one day she might recapture the smiles of all his daughters. the israelis blame hamas for the deaths of palestinian civilians. they said that hamas effectively hides behind its own people. in america, president biden and the

white house are saying that israel has a right, always, to defend itself. biden has always been a strong supporter of israel. egypt, while saying it takes its mediation duties seriously, is using harsher language about the israelis, things like aggressors and occupying army. this conflict polarises opinion like no other. jeremy bowen injerusalem, thank you. here, four men have been arrested by police investigating anti—semitic abuse in london. footage on social media appeared to show people in a convoy of cars draped in palestinian flags making threats of violence and rape. the prime minister described it as shameful racism. i'm joined now by our correspondent, lisa hampele. what more can you tell us? politicians have condemned this footage. borisjohnson said he

stands by britishjews, and the labour leader keir starmer said it was disgusting and he has echoed the words of borisjohnson, saying there is no place in society for anti—semitism. then we had sadiq khan today saying it is inexcusable. he has been liaising withjewish community groups and with metropolitan police and tonight, they are putting on extra patrols tonight and overnight, hi—vis jackets that police are wearing on the street so they can reassure the community. jewish communities have said they are increasingly concerned. they said that since the conflict in gaza and israel, they have been targeted and in fact, there has been a sharp rise in anti—semitic abuse and threats. and the city �*s charity, a charity that supports the jewish the city �*s charity, a charity that supports thejewish community, say there have been threats and verbal abuse and of course on social media. but it must be said that the protest

today has been largely peaceful, with only little pockets of conflict. . , with only little pockets of conflict. ., , ., ~ a two—year—old who died in a suspected gas explosion in lancashire in the early hours of this morning has been named as george hinds. four adults were injured when two houses in heysham were destroyed by the blast, with several others badly damaged. paul murphy reports from the scene. 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 2:30 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's quite a small number of people who are actually at the evacuation centre at the moment, 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. in india, as many as 1,600 teachers have died from covid—19 after being drafted in to help run polling stations during local elections last month. their union says many begged to be released from election duty, fearing for their health as india's

ferocious second wave took hold. from the state of uttar pradesh, our international correspondent orla guerin reports. now, they must stand alone, without their father to guide them and with their grandmother, rajvati, crushed by grief. she tells us the election killed her son, sushil kumar. he was forced to attend election training. by voting day, he was gasping for breath. that night, he was dead. it was the very picture of a superspreader event, an election in a pandemic

in uttar pradesh, a state with more than 100 million voters. critics say for prime minister narendra modi, votes count more than lives. this 21—year—old says her family lost its guiding light. my father was like the god of us. he was everything for us. i can't forget him in my entire life. i love him, and my mum also. her mother, vimlesh, is gone too. she watched her husband die. two hours later, she had a heart attack, leaving another empty space that cannot be filled. and across the state, the death toll is growing. lives not lost, relatives

say, but squandered. the primary teachers�* union claims 1,600 of its members died because of election duty. we've just arrived at another house where anotherfamily is in mourning. the teacher who lived here became ill when he had to go for training before polling day. by the time the election came around, he was in critical condition. he was rushed to hospital, but died a few days later. lokesh kumar left behind a five—year—old daughter and infant son. his wife, smriti, says he lived for teaching and was their sole breadwinner. his was a death foretold like so many more here, victims of covid, but also of negligence. the teachers�* union tried hard to get the election postponed,

but in the end, it was powerless, like its members. orla guerin, bbc news, uttar pradesh, india. football, and chelsea's first ever women's champions league final has ended in disappointment. they were comprehensively beaten 4—0 by barcelona in gothenburg, as jo currie reports. the biggest game in club football. a new name destined for the champions league trophy. for chelsea, a first european final. and in games of this magnitude, you need a fast start. the sort their opponents barcelona had as they struck first the woodwork, before a frantic scramble ended with the ball looping into the net after just 33 seconds. and the blows kept coming for emma hayes�* side. after conceding a penalty, they were outpaced and outplayed for the third goal. chelsea�*s european dream had become a nightmare. when a fourth went in, perhaps a blessing, chelsea�*s fans weren�*t in gothenburg to see it.

after the break, they searched for a consolation goal and had chances, but on a difficult night theyjust couldn�*t get it right. chelsea — devastated and needing to regroup. barcelona — runners—up two years ago, finally champions of europe. jo currie, bbc news. there�*s more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one, it�*s time for the news where you are.

hello. this is bbc news. iam the i am the caress iraq. ——... and we�*ll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers lizzy buchan, the political correspondent for the daily mirror, and matt dathan, the deputy political editor for the sun. that�*s coming up after the headlines.

but to get us to all of that, let�*s catch up with the weather. with sarah keith—lucas. hello there. if we cast our minds back to april 2021 it was a very dry month, but for the first half of may what a change! it has been unsettled, plenty of heavy showers, downpours, noticeably cool as well for the time of year. now, that theme continues into the second half of may as well. so for the outlook, then, it is staying unsettled. there will be showers or rain at times and things are staying on the cool side. now, low pressure still dominating, it is going to be often in charge of the week ahead. this is the rainfall accumulation we are likely to see over the next five days and you can see those deep blue colours spreading across the map, so all of the uk at times through the next five days are going to be seeing some showers or some longer spells of rain. and the low pressure that brought sunday�*s rain will be clearing off towards the east, but still close enough to bring another day of sunshine and showers. we have got a weak, occluded front moving through as well, so many of us will start monday on a largely dry note. there will be some blue sky and sunshine out there, but as things warm up

we will start to see the showers building into the afternoon. they will be heaviest and most frequent across eastern scotland, eastern and southern england. perhaps some drier weather on monday for the likes of wales and into northern ireland as well, but if you do catch a shower there could be some hail, some thunder and lightning and those temperatures generally in the mid teens. into tuesday and it is going to be another day of sunshine and showers, again, many places start off dry, the showers getting going later on, most frequently across the southern part of england and wales, but there will be a few cropping up further north, so hit and miss. heavy showers and thunderstorms once again, temperatures for most of us in the mid—teens, turning a little bit cooler across the north of scotland. we have got this weak occluded front that is trying to work its way in from the north, so during the course of wednesday that could pep up the showers across parts of scotland. northern ireland also see some of those showers developing later in the day. probably by this stage of the week fewer showers further south across england and wales — compared to the next couple of days, certainly — some brighter, some drier weather in between

the rainfall, but there will be showers once again and temperatures about 9—16 . now, heading into thursday and it looks like we are seeing this area of low pressure trying to move in from the atlantic. still some significant uncertainty about the exact detail in terms of the timing and location of this area of low pressure, so keep tuned to the forecast, things could change a bit over the next few days. at the moment, it looks most likely to move west to east across central parts of the uk, bringing wet weather and some brisk winds, especially towards the south, blustery conditions there. so a rather cool day where you are stuck under the rain and with those windy conditions as well. it looks likely that low pressure will move off towards the east as we head on into friday, so friday brings another day of sunshine, some showers, still quite blustery winds for one or two areas, and the wind is turning into more of a northerly direction as well, so a slightly cooler feel, particularly across the northern half of scotland, stuck in single figures here, most of us about 10—14 , with some sunshine, but also plenty of showers. heading into the end of the week, so saturday and sunday,

next weekend, and you can see the blue colours moving in from the north, so colder air is just trying to move its way in once again. it looks like next weekend, saturday and sunday, still quite unsettled, so some showers around at times and those temperatures on the cool side, around 10—15. further ahead, beyond next weekend, we are looking at days 8—10, eventually a hint that high pressure could well start to establish, particularly towards the south of the uk, bringing us eventually some drier weather, especially in the south, as we head towards the end of the month. bye— bye!