this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president biden says the us is working to secure a ceasefire — after more than a week of violence between israel and palestinian militants. he urges both sides to protect civilians. it's a very sad time for us here. we are always on bombing. i hope it will finish fast. indoor gatherings — and more social contact are possible again after the easing of uk covid rules. business owners hope the worst is now over. just 12 covid—related deaths

throughout the pandemic now taiwan issues tough new restrictions as there is a dramatic surge in cases of infection. dramatic surge in cases of infection. and... its a big week for new york — it's officially reopening. — with restrictions on transport shops, offices and theatres relaxed. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we re covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first... joe biden has expressed support for a ceasefire in gaza and said the us was engaging with egypt and other partners towards that end. in a phone call with the israeli prime minister,

the us president expressed his support for israel's right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks, while urging mr netanyahu to protect civilians. more than 212 people, including 61 children, have died in gaza, and 10, including two children, in israel. 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 fast. injerusalem the western wall plaza was almost deserted. this is the holiest place for dues 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 get some of the day s other news. the us supreme court has agreed to hear a case which could overturn its position on abortion. it will decide whether to uphold a mississippi statute banning abortion after fifteen weeks of pregnancy. it presents a direct challenge to the roe versus wade decision which allowed for abortions later in pregnancy. spanish officials say 2,700 hundred migrants have arrived in the spanish north african enclave of ceuta from neighbouring morocco over the course of the day. they began arriving at night, swimming out beyond the border fences thatjut into the sea, but many more simply walked around at low tide. a local newspaper said more people were arriving. a cyclone, classified

as "extremely severe", has made landfall in india's western state of gujarat with wind speeds of up to 100 mph. cyclone tauktae has claimed the lives of at least 12 people on india's western coast and thousands have fled their homes. across england, wales and scotland, there's been a significant easing of the lockdown restrictions making indoor gathering and social contact possible once again. prime minister borisjohnson said people should exercise their new freedoms with �*a heavy dose of caution�*. 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 11,500 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. that second covid—19 wave has overwhelmed india's healthcare system. with more than 2a million cases and 270,000 deaths, india has become the epicentre of the global pandemic. covid—19 has pushed hospitals to the brink, but the country's healthcare system was suffering well before the start of this pandemic. divya arya explains why. hospitals in india are overwhelmed. as coronavirus has swept the country. but india's health care was already in a critical condition before this pandemic. here's why.

it doesn't have many hospital beds. according to a study in 2017 india had just 50 hospital beds per 100,000 people. that's far fewer than russia which at 710, china which had 430 and the united states which has 290. it's low on medical staff. in 2018 it had 90 physicians per 100,000 people. compare this to china who have 200, the united states with 260 and russia with 400. the quality of care can be poor. a lot of indians die each year due to poor quality health care. in 2018 it was measured at around 122 per 100,000. that's a rate much worse than that of neighbours china which had a6, bangladesh which had 57 and sri lanka which had only 51. people aren't using hospitals.

india's hospitalization rates are among the lowest in the world. and it's unlikely that this is due to a healthy population. some people just can't access them. it's too expensive. two thirds of hospital care is provided by the largely unregulated private sector. the indian government spending on health care has always been low. in 2017 it was just 1% of its gdp. and although it announced an increase in spending after the covid pandemic it's still a lot less than other countries. all of which puts india at the bottom of the piled globally in quality and access to health care. in 2016 it was ranked 125th out of 195 countries. even below iran who is 66 and syria who were 88. until the government ensures good and affordable health care for all it will remain each 1's

own fight for survival. taiwan was seen as one of the most successful places in controlling the spread of covid—19. but a rapid increase in cases in the past week has now prompted two of taiwan's biggest cities 7 the capital taipei and the most populous city new taipei 7 to shut all schools and advise people to work from home. 0ur taipei correspondent cindy sui reports. sunrise in the capital, taipei. up until recently, this was the norm in taiwan — streets full of rush—hour traffic, people heading to work or school, unlike in many places around the world. but in recent days, scenes like this — shoppers panic—buying — have become common as government officials ordered tough new restrictions in two of taiwan's biggest cities. translation: we require mask-wearing at all- times when going out. avoid unnecessary outings,

activities or gatherings. stop gatherings at home or social gatherings of more than five people indoors and more than ten people outdoors. taipei and new taipei's mayors have also ordered all schools and childcare centres to close for two weeks starting tuesday. it comes as the central government had already ordered public venues such as sports centres and movie, theatres as well as bars, to shut down temporarily. until now, taiwan had avoided such measures by acting fast last year, banning almost all foreigners from entering during the early days of the pandemic and requiring taiwanese returning from abroad to undergo strict quarantine on arrival. these early actions and efficient contact tracing had helped the island avoid widespread community transmissions. its hospitals were never overwhelmed. but now beds at isolation wards are quickly filling up, and there have even been infections spread at some hospitals.

the sharp rise in cases over the past week — including clusters of infections involving airline pilots, taiwanese people returning from abroad, as well as staff and customers at hostess tea houses — has got officials worried. and with the rise in cases, there has been renewed criticism that the government has failed to impose mass testing or prioritised vaccinations, enabling the virus to spread more easily among the population. the fear now is that the number of cases will keep rising, and taiwan, which has so far escaped the severity of a lockdown, may end up doing just that. cindy sui, bbc news, taipei. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... we news, still to come... take a look at politics in samoa we take a look at politics in samoa as the country prepares to elect its first female prime minister. to elect its first female prime minister. this morning, an indian air

force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it's become the first country in the world to approve the change in the national referendum. it was a remarkable climax. to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. - it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far! but suddenly, the police are tear gassing the crowd, we don't yet know why! the prelaunch ritual is well established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines... presidentjoe biden says the us is working to secure a cease—fire in the middle east after more than a week of violence putting israel and the palestinian militant group hamas and gaza. his urge both sides to do with it can to protect civilians. in the united kingdom indoor gatherings and all social contact possibly gone after the easing of covid restrictions in all areas but northern ireland. business owners are hoping the worst is now over. 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. 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. the pacific nation of samoa is on the verge of electing its first ever female leader. a dramatic supreme court ruling monday looks to have cleared the way for fiame naomi mata'afa to make history after a rollercoaster year in the pacific nation's politics. it would also bring an end to the 23—year—premiership of the man she'll succeed. paradoxically — her rise to the top job was nearly

scupperd by a system that was designed to help women in politics. kerryn baker, an expert on pacific politics at the australian national university, explains. so this is a huge shift in samoa politics. 0fficials notjust having a woman on the precipice of samoa's powers as a prime minister butjust in terms of a change in government the human rights party is been in power for almost four years. the prime minister has been in for over 20. the last election day 94% of the seats. just having a viable and credible opposition party let alone them being on the verge of winning office, this is quite unprecedented in its samoa politics. the case was around

the appointment of a woman's mp which would've deprived the opposition party of a majority. and ironically stopped samoa first woman from being elected. they were pointing the sixth woman or plan to appoint the sixth woman to make up the quota affected have a woman but now the court has said that you can't do that or effectively ruled out this changed? yes. at the centre of the debate was the wording of the legislation. it says a minimum of 10% but it also says five women mps. five women who were elected as only 9.8. we won't worry too much about the maths. tell us about her. a dramatic shift in politics. she was until not that long ago a member of the ruling party. she had been the prime minister deputy until she broke away,

joined his new breakaway party that is now effectively going to end up in power. how, what is it about her that has made, often breakaway parties from ruling parties they are a flash in the pan. and they certainly don't come into the government in the first opportunity. she seems to makes the difference. why do you think? so, she is quite extraordinary political figure. it really is her defection that has strengthened the opposition so much. she is from a really high ranking family. her father was actually samoa's first prime minister. her mother was also in politics. she has this incredible political pedigree. more than that she's been in politics since 1995 she is a very well respected and popular politicalfigure. she's given the opposition party that credibility. and the credibility as an alternative government that other opposition parties

haven't had managed to achieve. this is a big week for new york — it is officially reopening. the city s underground subway system resumes full 24—hour service today and on wednesday pandemic capacity restrictions on many businesses including shops, offices and food service establishments and theatres will be relaxed. establishments and theatres will be relaxed tom brook reports on how the city is faring: today, you can take the a train. infact, the b, c, d or one, two, three, orany train, 2a hours a day for the first time in over a year. the subway is resuming full service this week and it is a moment of great pride for patrick foy, the chairman of the metro transportation association. the mta. new york is back. the 24/7 service is emblematic

of new york, it is emblematic of the mta subways and to return to that is an incredible step forward and a sign of confidence and resurgence in york. but some early morning commuters on the number seven train heading to grand central terminal think new york might be moving a little too quickly to reopening this week. i don't think enough people are vaccinated yet and i think it is too quick. it should have been done maybe after summertime. last year, this hospital was in the midst of a covid—19 war zone. two huge refrigerated trucks were brought to the back of the hospital to accommodate the overflow of dead bodies in the morgue. this doctor, head of emergency medicine at the hospital witnessed all the trauma. as new york reopens, he is positive. this is an encouraging time. yes, there is some anxiety, there is some anxiety also because we have seen the worst and we hope to never get back there. with the city reopening, many new yorkers are holding their breath.

culture is seen as a driving force which could help bring about new york's comeback. in the heights, a movie set in northern manhattan will be released at the upcoming tribeca film festival next month. that festival came into being to help revive lower manhattan in the wake of the september the 11th attacks. the festival's co—founder — movie legend robert de niro is visibly banging the drum for the city. new york has been through a lot over the years. and it will come back. i have never doubted that for a second. it will. i don't know how long it will take, but it will come back. there is no place like new york. but new york has been badly scarred by covid—19. it has also witnessed a recent spike in violent crime. a few months ago, new york city seemed to be dying — moribund, with a sustained vibrancy that has for decades defined america's financial and cultural capital has not yet fully returned. not everyone or everything has moved out of the shadow

of covid—19, but there has been some progress. there is some optimism. tom brook, bbc news, new york. the city that never sleeps, nor do we. good night. good night. hello there. the torrential downpours, the thunderstorms were once again the talking point of the weather on monday. up to an inch of rain fell in some areas, and a covering of hail in others, as you can see. so, just adding to the rainfall totals that we've already seen this may. some areas such as bala in north wales having had twice as much rainfall as we'd normally see throughout the whole of may, and that's so far. and once again, for the day ahead, with low pressure sat to the west of the uk, it's going to throw showers our way. it gives the atmosphere that instability to grow the showers, and the sunshine strong at this time of year. not preventing perhaps a touch of frost for northern ireland first thing. a bit on the chilly side, a little bit of mist and perhaps valley fog

if you're up early enough. that should clear quite quickly. plenty of sunshine first thing, but already showers, in fact a more persistent area of showers moving in across wales and the south west and then pushing eastwards. and elsewhere the showers build once again. we've got a weather front also to the north of scotland. a brisk wind coming down behind it. but with the light winds for most, those will be slow—moving and torrential downpours that we see once again. perhaps fewer in southern scotland and northern england, but expect some more hailstorms and thunderstorms and for them to continue well into the evening. in fact, there might be something a little bit more organised coming towards the south as we go through the evening and overnight. once again quite chilly under the clearing skies, a little bit of mist first thing wednesday morning. but then again, it's a day of sunny spells and showers. it looks as if they may be focused across central and eastern areas. this is our weather front pushing southwards across scotland just giving more energy, more moisture to generate those heavy downpours. temperatures therefore just a little lower in the far north, but as we saw on monday, tuesday and wednesday, probably mid to high teens at best.

and then thursday looks set to bring a spell of wetter, windier weather. wind may be the main feature on this weather system, with gales even across southern areas. unseasonably windy weather is what we're thinking about at this stage. obviously, it's a few days ahead, but it will push in some more general rain, continuing that wet theme for may, and then the winds really escalate as well. we could have gales, gusts of wind at 50, possibly 60 mph. it's definitely one that we'll be keeping an eye on. until then, it's a sunny spells but torrential downpours sort of picture until later in the week when there could be something wetter and far windier.

this is bbc news. the headlines — president biden has said the us is working to secure a ceasefire after more than a week of violence between israel and palestinian militants, but israeli forces have killed a senior palestinian commander as violence between the two sides continues to escalate. israel's government says ten people have been killed there. indoor gatherings and more social contact are possible again after the easing of uk covid rules, while holiday—makers from england, scotland and wales can now visit 12 countries on the government's green list without having to self—isolate when they return. taiwan has imposed its toughest covid restrictions yet, suspending entry for visitors after the country saw a spike in cases. the increases have prompted two of taiwan's biggest cities, the capital taipei and the most populous city new taipei, to shut all schools and advise people to work from home.

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.