tonight at ten — across england, wales and scotland — a significant easing of the lockdown restrictions. indoor gatherings — and more social contact — are possible once again as business owners hope the worst is now over. it's nice to be back as a team. it's nice to be seeing our regulars once again. in bolton, where the new indian variant has been spreading rapidly, a vaccination drive as ministers sound a note of caution. the vaccination programme can give us confidence but we must be alert to new variants that could jeopardise the advances that we've made. holiday makers rush to visit portugal — one of the few countries not on the quarantine list — on return to the uk. but as restrictions are eased, a suggestion

that there might be a delay in the complete lifting of lockdown in england. tonight's other main story... after one of the heaviest periods of air strikes so far, the us demands an end to the violence in gaza and israel. and — a visit to one of the many museums which opened their doors again today after nearly five months of lockdown. and coming up in sport, on the bbc news channel — bournemouth delight a crowd of around 2,000 — as they beat brentford in the first leg of their championship play—off semi—final. good evening. across england, wales and scotland, there's been a significant easing of the lockdown restrictions, making indoor gathering and social

contact possible once again. the prime minister borisjohnson said people should exercise their new freedoms with �*a heavy dose of caution�* — not least because the indian variant of coronavirus is on the rise in the uk. the caution is further underlined by the possibility that the next easing restrictions in england could be delayed. starting today — pubs and restaurants in england are allowed to serve people indoors — while cinemas, museums, soft—play centres and hotels can reopen. groups of six people or two households can meet indoors — and stay overnight. a maximum of 30 people can gather outdoors. the changes in wales are similar — but it s still only extended households allowed to meet in homes — and outdoors, groups of up to 50 will be allowed for organised events such as weddings. in scotland — six people from three separate households will be able to socialise indoors at home. 0utdoors it can be up to eight people from up to eight households — rising to 12 on most of the scottish islands. these changes

do not apply to glasgow and the region of moray — which are staying in the higher level three. there's no change today in northern ireland — but it's hoped a review on thursday will lead to an easing on may 24th. in a moment — we'll be reporting on the changes in wales and scotland — but first our business editor simonjack takes a look at the situation in england. back indoors. today's reopening of inside drinking was a moment to celebrate for returning regulars at the 0akes barn pub in bury st edmunds. it is so different to be back amongst company that you know and are friendly with and everybody knows your name. landlady heather was glad to see them and her staff after a challenging few months. yeah, it's absolutely great to be back. it's great to welcome all of my staff back that have been on furlough for the last five months, so, it's nice to be back as a team. it's nice to be seeing our

regulars once again. we are down, you know, financially, we are down, but we're surviving and we hope to survive. thank you very much. first time i've been able to do this, and this, for six months. it's monday lunchtime, it's not exactly heaving, but this is a very big moment, particularly for venues that haven't had any outside space, and that's 60% of them. but they're still operating at a fraction of their normal capacity, barely breaking even. the real prize isjune 21st, when it's hoped the restrictions can be totally lifted and, if that doesn't happen, today's reopening could still fall a little flat. one of the uk's biggest brewers and pub owners, greene king, has been busy replenishing pub cellars. we've delivered 17 million pints of beer to about 4,500 customers. but the boss warned that, if the june date slips, government support measures due to start tapering off at the end ofjune will need to be extended. we all want to get back to standing up in the pub again.

i certainly do. but, until that is the case, we're not going to be profitable. therefore, in my view, if we move from the 21st, the government has to move the support, as well, on business rates but also on furlough. there's a lot of costs running through our businesses when we're not trading normally, as we would have done pre—pandemic. staffing is also a real problem. this hotel and restaurant can't find people confident enough to return to an industry that's often been first to shut when the virus threat grows. we're sitting in a building here at the north gate which should be open, but we're not open, because we haven't been able to recruit enough people to be able to run a seven—day rota. so, across our portfolio, we're losing about 8—10 trading days a week. as the day wore on and outside the rain began to fall, inside looked even more attractive. this industry has been in and out and back into lockdown. they are praying that this time it's different.

simonjack, bbc news, bury st edmunds. in wales, today marked the return of a wider social life with up to 30 people being able to meet indoors. travel to a small number of countries is allowed although the welsh government advises against it. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith will be reporting from cardiff but first alexandra mackenzie has the latest on the changes in scotland. are you glad to be back? all: yes! stepping closer to normality. gym classes restarted in much of scotland today, the easing of lockdown restrictions means more interaction both outside and inside. some families have been reunited. 83—year—old grace has dementia. for over a year, neil has longed to visit his mum in her care home, with no physical distancing. it's so nice to be able to hold your hand again and just be beside you.

i think she just felt comforted. i could tell the minute i held her hand, she clenched my hand. how did that feel for you? oh, it was amazing. it just felt so lovely, a lovely moment. pubs can now reopen and alcohol can be served inside across most of scotland but not in glasgow or in moray. you were expecting to reopen today but late on friday afternoon you heard that wasn't going to happen. how has that impacted on you? we had the team in working on friday to get the place shipshape, to get everything stocked up, to get like it looking like a pub again because it hasn't for months, and then finally to find that out after everyone has done theirjob and they can look back and say, we are ready to go, to get told no, that's gutting. the neighbouring council area

of east renfrewshire moved down to level two restrictions, but the rising infection rate is causing concern. it is fantastic to have a drink. it has been great to have a bit of normality. _ has been great to have a bit of normality, really.— has been great to have a bit of normality, really. meanwhile there was a lea normality, really. meanwhile there was a plea from — normality, really. meanwhile there was a plea from the _ normality, really. meanwhile there was a plea from the first _ normality, really. meanwhile there was a plea from the first minister i was a plea from the first minister to remain cautious. alexandra mckenzie, bbc news. the day has come. one and seven, 17. bingo is back, but not with a full house, and social distancing means lots of tables kept empty. many here, like avril, have had a double dose of vaccine, and so feel ready to socialise again. itjust lifts your spirits. it's made me feel great. i've missed it so much. it's not as if i even win! the rules in wales mean you can now see people for bingo or brunch, but you can't meet in your home, where only extended households or bubbles can mix. hugs still aren't allowed here, either. covid rates here in wales are the lowest in the uk, but the rules some businesses

here have to follow are stricter than elsewhere. for example, the cinema in this arts centre can only fill 20% of its seats. alternate rows and four—seat gaps mean only a lucky few could see today's first screening. absolutely ecstatic. it's the best way to see a film, the only way. i've missed it so much, but i like to sit with people and see it on a big screen, rather than in my own living room. the pandemic has changed viewing habits. but, here, they believe that people will opt for the cinema, rather than the sofa. i don't know about you, - but i've been on my phone, and i've had the cat come in, knocking over my cup of tea, all sorts of things, - so you can't concentrate, you can't really experience the film properly if you're just _ watching it at home. there's too many distractions. all eyes now will be on the numbers and if today's reopening will be followed by a new wave in this pandemic. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. let's take a look at the latest

figures on the pandemic in the uk. they show 1,979 new infections were recorded in the past 2a hours and five deaths. 0n vaccinations — the number of people who have had a firstjab has risen above 36.5 million. that's nearly 70% of the uk's adult population. over 20 million people have had both doses and that is getting close to 40% of all adults. the easing of restrictions has been tempered by concern about the rise in cases of the indian variant of coronavirus. the health secretary matt hancock told mps that the variant had now spread to 86 local authorities in england. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports from bolton — which has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid—april — with the the indian variant making up the majority of new cases. in the town with the highest infection rates in the uk there's plenty of demand for the vaccine.

through social media and word—of—mouth the message has spread — jabs are available. do you know if you're definitely eligible? no. you're waiting to find out? yeah, so i'm hoping i am. both of my parents are in their 605 and both of them have got underlying health conditions so i'm hoping that's going to be one of the eligibility criteria. everyone over the age of 16, i think, is eligible for the - pfizer vaccine in bolton, so anyone 16 plus, i'm i assuming, can come down. but here there's confusion because not everyone over 16 can get the vaccine. national guidelines say that from tomorrow only those over 37 can get a jab unless there are good clinical reasons. and health officials in bolton say they're sticking to the rules. every single person that comes forward will have a clinical discussion with a clinician and that decision will be made on site. the pictures of people in the queue who are looking young, you know, some of those will have been turned away because they're not eligible. as you can see, plenty of people are now queueing up to get a

vaccination here in bolton. over the weekend they managed to give the jab to more than 6,200 people. so, clearly, this big push on vaccinations here in bolton is bearing fruit. the health secretary stressed that, faced with the indian variant, vaccines remain a vital line of defence. anyone who feels hesitant about getting the vaccine right across the country, just look at what is happening in bolton hospital where the majority of people in hospital with coronavirus were eligible for the jab but have chosen not yet to have the jab and have ended up in hospital, some of them in intensive care. bolton, one of the most deprived boroughs in england, is faced with a growing number of infections linked to the indian variant. the latest figures show another steep rise in cases across the uk, up by more than 75% in five days. the key test will be whether extra vaccines and more testing will be enough to prevent those infections leading to further hospital admissions. dominic hughes, bbc news, bolton.

0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here. ministers today sounding a note of caution on the easing of restrictions because of the new variants, where do we stand? we are facin: a variants, where do we stand? we are facing a nail-biting _ variants, where do we stand? we are facing a nail-biting wait _ variants, where do we stand? we are facing a nail-biting wait to _ variants, where do we stand? we are facing a nail-biting wait to the - facing a nail—biting wait to the answers on two questions on which lives and livelihoods depend, and firstly, how much more transmissible in the so—called indian variant? more infectious it is the more cases we will see, and we will get a clear idea on that in a week or two but it is already displacing the previously dominant kent variant in some hotspots. secondly, much more importantly than cases, how well will vaccines hold up against this new variant? there are early tentative signs, mostly from lab data which are reassuring, and that while vaccines may not stop you getting infected with this new variant, they should mostly stop people from getting seriously ill,

but we will have to see how that plays out in the real world by keeping a close eye on hospitals in the hotspot areas like bolton. uk wide to the situation is looking better and better, there are now fewer than a thousand covid patients in hospital, and at one point in january there were nearly 40,000. we are trying to build this wall of immunity against coronavirus but to do that we have to finish the nhs immunisation programme and there are still 16 million adults who are yet to have had a single dose of vaccine. , ., ., ., vaccine. fergus, thanks for “oining us. the ban on foreign holidays for people living in england, scotland and wales has been lifted and replaced with a traffic—light system, grading every destination according to risk. the green list currently includes 12 countries and overseas territories, from where travellers do not have to quarantine on arrival in the uk. portugal, always a popular destination with uk holidaymakers, has seen a surge in bookings.

0ur transport correspondent caroline davies sent this report from the coast of the algarve. we're going to portugal! we are not all going on a summer holiday, but, from today, going abroad for one is no longer illegal. this, after a long time of empty arrivals halls, will be a sight for sore eyes for many in the travel industry. it is a change of environment. we have been stuck at home for literally two years, so, just getting out and doing something different, being in a different culture, getting some sunshine, relaxing. international travel has returned, but with only 12 countries on the green list, the destinations are limited, but the paperwork and cost is not. portugal requires a pcr test on the way out, as well as two covid tests to get back to the uk, but today's 8:40am flight to faro, was 90% full. we are now flying at over 35,000 feet. it feels quite familiar to be on board a plane again, but also quite strange, not least being in such close proximity to other people.

for some, the adventure began before the plane landed. arlo's grandmother hasn't seen him for nine months. we've done zoom christmas zoom birthdays, zoom mother's day. we've done zoom christmas, zoom birthdays, zoom mother's day. so, yeah, i mean, he started crawling and walking and talking since she last saw him, so he is a completely different little boy. this was a longed—for arrival, for many. not least for those with businesses that rely on british tourists here, and peter has been running his cafe in albufeira for 23 years. when they said we were on that green list, yeah, choke in the voice, it really was. it is massive, absolutely massive, as i don't think a lot of us could carry on much further, you know, withoutjust going irretrievably in debt. we will get through, everyone will. we are all in it together, and the algarve will bounce back. the beaches are still empty but after a difficult year, some are returning to the sunshine. julian and jordan arrived this morning after a hard year working in a supermarket.

feeling great, literally great. normality, a bit of normality. who is it, arlo? after months of anticipation, today was a much hoped for reunion. are you going to have a nice big hug? are you going to have kisses? caroline davies, bbc news, albufeira, portugal. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is at westminster. the suggestion today that, you know, the final easing, the overall easing of restrictions in england might be delayed somehow. what we make of that? ., .,, delayed somehow. what we make of that? ., ., , delayed somehow. what we make of that? ., .,, ., delayed somehow. what we make of that? ., ., , ., that? today was a big moment, the return of many _ that? today was a big moment, the return of many longed _ that? today was a big moment, the return of many longed for _ that? today was a big moment, the return of many longed for liberties l return of many longed for liberties for many but inevitably questions do turn to the next stage. so far, the road map for england that has been broadly followed in the other nations of the uk, first published in february, has been stuck too. every date set out then has been met with the liberalisation of the rules. but what about in five weeks' time? let's be clearfirst

rules. but what about in five weeks' time? let's be clear first of all, irrespective of the indian variant, we wouldn't have known for certain under any circumstances now that there would be the end of any restrictions on england in five weeks' time because the whole point of the five—week buffer is for data to be gathered to see what would happen as a result of the changes. but there is nervousness in downing street. we heard it from the prime minister the other day, we heard it from no 10 again today with the possibility that some work that's being done on social distancing due to be published in a couple of weeks' time may be postponed. the language from ministers is full of caution. and look at their actions, or lack of actions. have we seen the prime minister pulling pints in front of the cameras? no. have we seen the chancellor pretending to be a waiter with a camera in tow in the summer? no, they are being careful and managing our expectations. chris mason, and managing our expectations. chris mason. many — and managing our expectations. chris mason, many thanks. _ and managing our expectations. chris mason, many thanks. chris mason with the latest thoughts in westminster. let's turn to the other big story of

the day. the biden administration says it wants to see an end to the violence between israel and the palestinians, despite the fact it blocked a un security council resolution calling for an end to the conflict for the third time in a week. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, says it's working behind the scenes to secure a ceasefire and has urged israel and the palestinians to protect civilians, especially children. it follows another night of air strikes by israel on targets in the gaza strip. palestinian militants have also launched rocket attacks into israel as the fighting enters its second week. with the latest, here's our middle east editorjeremy bowen. nightmares come true in gaza for parents and their children. this mother couldn't talk about the air strike that engulfed them last friday. eight—year—old mustafa alzahana and his mother are further down the children's ward at shifa, gaza's main hospital. she says mustafa trembles when he hears

israeli attacks, ever since the one that wounded him almost a week ago as he left their home with his father to buy new clothes for the end of ramadan. his father was paralysed. mustafa's friend who went with them is dead. translation: his friend baraa was killed. - when baraa was dying he was clutching my son tightly and telling him not to leave him alone. baraa died. when my son has a fever he hallucinates about it. as well as the badly injured, 61 children in gaza have been killed in the last week. about 20 miles north is this synagogue in the israeli town of ashkelon, it was hit by a hamas rocket. it was the festival of shavuot, the feast of weeks, usually a celebration. it's a very sad time for us over here in ashkelon. we are always on bombing. i hope it will finish first. i hope it will finish fast.

injerusalem the western wall plaza was almost deserted. this is the holiest place forjews to pray. it's usually packed on religious holidays like today, but some of the worshippers said people were scared to go out. the grey dome of al—aqsa mosque is one of the most sacred places for muslims. you can see how close it is to the wall. above the wall is the golden dome of the rock, both muslim shrines are built on the site of the ancientjewish temple. the sites are all also national symbols. a month of tensions here raised the hatred levels so high it led to war. the events of the last week have shown a couple of things. first of all, the power ofjerusalem to ignite this conflict. and hamas have sent a strong message to palestinians that as far as they're concerned, they are their real

protectors here in the holy city, even though hamas h0 is 60 or 70 miles away by the sea in gaza. 0ur gaza producerfilmed his drive to work this morning. you can see the bomb sites. if palestinians and israelis could be equally safe and secure, they might have a chance of peace. right now they don't. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. let's take a look at some of today's other news. police leading an investigation into a cafe in gloucester — which is linked to a girl feared to have been murdered by serial killer fred west — say there is enough evidence to begin excavating the property. 15—year—old mary bastholm who worked at the clean plate cafe went missing injanuary 1968 and has never been found. a police watchdog report into the handling of a senior republican�*s funeral in belfast last june has found the police service of northern ireland

prioritised public security over the enforcement of covid regulations but did not show any bias. there was outrage in some quarters when around 2,000 mourners attended bobby storey�*s funeral at a time when strict covid limits were in place. the metropolitan police says it's investigating some of its officers and staff for looking up details on the case of sarah everard who disappeared as she walked home from a friend's house in south london in march. pc wayne couzens, who's 48 and from deal in kent, has been charged with ms everard's kidnap and murder. the met said accessing files "without a legitimate purpose" could be a criminal offence. the american telecoms giant at&t and rival discovery have agreed to merge to compete with netflix and other on—demand streaming services. it will bring together a host of networks including hbo, discovery, warner brothers and cnn. the deal still needs to be approved by discovery's shareholders and regulators.

america's longest—serving commander in afghanistan says he expects taliban violence to get worse — as us—led forces withdraw from the country over the coming months — ending an american deployment that's lasted 20 years. recent violence has included a bombing outside a school in kabul — in which dozens of students were killed. from kabul — our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports. a hilltop cemetery of teenagers. not enough space for all their graves. the students slaughtered in last week's triple bombing at a high school in kabul. abdur wahid's love for his fiancee, 19—year—old shabana, now written in stone. at the school they are still writing the list of loss. more than 200 killed or injured. most of them girls.

no group has said it did this, targeting schoolgirls in this minority hazara community. but they're fighting back. "i say to the enemies of education, if i had one dream for my life, now "i have ten," declares 17—year—old masooma. and suddenly a school ground that was filled with grief is transformed into a place of anger and protest, as political leaders come to visit to express support and solidarity. "you're saying you'll protect us now. "why didn't you protect us before?" shouts 16—year—old husna. she lost her little sister. her strength a symbol of what's changed here in two decades. but many fear could be at risk once

all foreign forces leave. and they'll soon be out, before the 20th anniversary of the september 11th attacks which brought them in. the soldier in the middle of it all, general scott miller, tasked with ending america's longest war. the longest serving general in this fight against the taliban. we travel with him as he meets other nato armies drawing down in the north of afghanistan and soon handing over to afghan forces, even as taliban fighters advance. did you fail? history is going to write this story. the objectives that we set out, i think they'll be evaluated, and i think we really need to take a really honest look at the things we did not do as well as we wanted to. certainly there was some victories along the way. the future will tell the rest of the story.

this fiancee's story now so uncertain. like so many afghans. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. let's return to our main story — and today's easing of lockdown rules. a year ago — we visited addenbrooke's hospital in cambridge — and witnessed the immense pressure on staff and resources — at the height of the first wave. today, the hospital is treating just a few covid patients, and is shifting back to routine care — and dealing with its backlog of cancelled operations. but as our health editor hugh pym reports — it's also prepared for any future surges of the virus. an intensive care unit during the first covid peak in april last year. they had to get through another one in january. but today at the same hospital, addenbrooke's in cambridge, there are no covid patients here and just two recovering in other parts of the hospital. they can focus on the patients

they would typically see before the pandemic, including some who've had organ transplants. jane works in critical care and says they're relieved to be getting back to normal, but they do worry about a possible future wave of covid cases. i think everybody is nervous — nervous, obviously, as we start to come out of lockdown and what might happen, and we're very tentatively wanting to be really, really careful. we all want to see our friends and families, we all want to try and get back to normal. we just want to be really, really careful. this ward was one of several used just for covid patients. now it's back to treating those with a range of conditions. try to bend it as much as possible. eric has a seriously fractured leg after a motorbike accident, and he's being helped back on the road to recovery. at times, the pain, horrendous.

i must admit, the staff can't do enough for you. they've all been fantastic. three months is going to be a long time before i can walk again! they're building for the future, and fast. this prefabricated structure is being kitted out as a ward, and will open at the end of this month. it's all about freeing up beds. these new units will be for those who are close to being sent home and need lower levels of care, and that will mean more space in the main wards for the sickest patients. during this phase, it allows us to free up that capacity to do even more elective surgeries as we try to recover from the pandemic. but equally, it frees up that capacity within the main hospital if we experience more covid. and they're waiting for more news of the indian variant. it does appear at the moment as if it's more transmissible. importantly, it does also appear that it still responds to the vaccine, so there's a real opportunity for us. but it's obviously a concern that

we'll see more cases in the future. more wards like this are being built with over 100 new beds. with a backlog of routine work to get through and possibly more covid, they know they're going to need them. hugh pym, bbc news, cambridge. as part of today's easing of restrictions in england large stadiums can now admit up to 10,000 spectators, while smaller grounds will be capped at 4,000. there've been five matches in the rugby super league and two two in rugby union's premiership tonight. one of those games was at kingston park where newcastle falcons beat northampton saints with spectators present for the first time in 14 months. still on the same theme. museums in england, scotland and wales have re—opened their doors again, and one of those welcoming the public was the museum of natural history in oxford. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito went to have a look at one rather familiar object on display. oxford university, the museum of natural history, and not even