this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. three palestinians have been killed and many others injured in clashes between protesters and the israeli security forces in the occupied west bank. israel's prime minister repeats his warning that the operation against hamas in gaza will take as long as needed to restore calm, as rockets fired into israel kill two thai workers. in the uk — there's been a sharp rise in cases of the so—called indian variant of the virus, but borisjohnson intends to carry on with plans, to end the lockdown in england. the biden administration is sending millions of vaccines overseas, but is it nearly enough? we'll find out what it will take to vaccinate the world. a self portrait like no other — so who is the artist behind this ground breaking exhibition.

hello and welcome. three palestinians have been killed and many others injured in clashes between protesters and israeli security forces in the west bank. the demonstrations were in support of a general strike by palestinians and israeli arabs. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has repeated his warning that the operation against hamas will take as long as needed to restore calm, as a barrage of rockets was fired into israel killing two thai workers and injuring seven others. our middle east editorjeremy bowen reports now from jerusalem. and just a warning — there are some images you may find upsetting. explosion the israeli army blow up the car of a man who attacked them with grenades.

soldiers shot him dead. it was the centre of hebron where soldiers protect a jewish settlement in the heart of a palestinian city. chanting last night, a group called the al—aqsa martyrs�* brigade showed off their weapons in ramallah on the west bank. they have been quiet since the end of the last armed uprising around 16 years ago. their return, if that's what it is, is a sign of the hardening mood on the palestinian side, and competition between rival factions to confront israel. this morning the al—aqsa brigade and israeli troops exchanged fire near ramallah. the israelis said two of their soldiers were wounded. this was at the damascus gate intojerusalem's old city. egypt blames heavy—handed israeli pressure injerusalem for what it calls palestinian retaliation.

the egyptians have used unusually harsh language to condemn israel's behaviour. that matters because egyptian mediators are a critical part of ceasefire negotiations. much more anger in more places is on display in the palestinian territories than during previous wars between israel and hamas. this was bethlehem just outsidejerusalem. this kind of thing just doesn't build up overnight. it comes after years of settlement expansion, land confiscation. what happened injerusalem and what's happening in gaza was the last straw. it's about, for these people, years of israeli pressure. inside israel, jaffa is shared byjews and palestinian arabs. arab businesses across israel were closed in a general strike that was also solid on the west bank. in the last week, coexistence between israel's arab and jewish citizens

has broken down, a disasterfor national cohesion. explosion hamas is still hitting israeli towns. this was ashdod. all the pounding of gaza, this was an american—made israeli bomb, has not stopped hamas firing back. that could be an incentive for israel to respond to pressure from its allies for a ceasefire. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. here in the uk there is growing concern about the rising number of coronavirus cases of the so—called indian variant. though prime minister borisjohnson says he intends to carry on with plans to end the lockdown in england, which would mean all remaining restrictions on businesses and social contact in england being removed after 21stjune. our health editor hugh pym has the latest. with concerns about the indian

variant, the push to vaccinate continues in hotspot areas around the country — like bolton, where there's been a recent surge in cases, and in glasgow, where cases of the variant have been detected in parts of the city, with a mosque among the vaccination centres and a sikh temple promoting the message. the prime minister said today it was too soon to decide whether future plans on restrictions should be amended. at the moment, i think partly because we've built up such a wall of defences with the vaccination programme, i don't see anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the road map. but we've got to be cautious and we're keeping everything under very close observation. we will know a lot more in a few days�* time. areas with the lowest covid cases relative to population are shown in light blue, with the highest in orange. and four of the top five hotspots have seen rising cases of the variant.

in one of them, bedford, vaccination centres were busy today and offering jabs to people arriving without bookings. testing is being stepped up to identify people who are infected but don't have symptoms. public health officials in bedford say they are very worried about the surge in cases and that most involve the variant, but they point out that a large number are amongst the under 40s and that they do have confidence in the vaccination programme. for those aged a0 and over, scotland, england, wales and northern ireland have achieved similar vaccination rates, with around 90% given a first dose. but in the south west of england, while 92% have had the firstjab, in london it'sjust 81% of those aged a0 and over. in parts of london, surge testing has been implemented because of the presence of the variant. cases are spread more thinly and officials say most can be linked to foreign travel,

but they're worried that infection rates could pick up. we are very concerned about the indian variant because numbers of cases of the variant first described in india are increasing across the city. we are seeing particularly increases in different geographic areas, such as the north west, but many of our boroughs are seeing cases as the variant spreads. if you've got a mask, please put it on. not far from bolton, manchester united fans headed to watch the home game this evening, the first with spectators for months. with some coming from across the north west of england, officials will keep a close eye on the impact of this and other lockdown easing measures. hugh pym, bbc news. kenya has warned it could run out of coronavirus vaccines as early as next week. it has received fewer than a million doses so far from the covax programme for a population of 50 million. the international covax scheme was set up last year to try to ensure fair access to vaccines among rich and poor nations. but so far, the scheme is falling short of its own targets. covax aimed to deliver 237 million vaccine doses by the end of may.

as of today, only 60 million doses have been shipped to poorer nations. that's partly because of the crisis in india. the serum institute of india is the largest single supplier to the covax scheme. but it's made none of its planned shipments since exports were suspended in march, leaving a shortfall of 140 million doses. india now says it will restart vaccine deliveries to covax and other countries by the end of the year. the gavi alliance, which co—runs covax with the who, says it hopes india's deliveries could resume in reduced quantity by the third quarter of the year. but the serum institute says it's committed to do everything it can to support india's own vaccination drive. let's talk about this with professor gavin yamey in durham, north carolina. he's the associate director for policy at duke university's global health institute and helped design the covax body. thank design the covax body. you so much forjoining us.

how thank you so much forjoining us. how do you vaccinate the world. we have an how do you vaccinate the world. - have an immediate crisis and that you look at all of the doses that have been distributed interest .3% have been distributed interest .3% have gone to low income nations which have 9% of the rural population. that is because rich nations have hoarded doses, the clearer the shelves and entered into direct agreements and vaccine manufacturers to hoard the doses and many of them are blocking low and middle income countries from making their own doses, so they're hoarding and blocking. the immediate urgent action that has to be taken is for rich nations to start sharing doses we just heard that andy absolutely understandably is going to make sure that it's vaccine supply goes to india which is in crisis. that means the rich nations have started

donating hundreds of millions of doses to covax now to get shots in arms today. doses to covax now to get shots in arms today-— arms today. you use the term hoardin: arms today. you use the term hoarding but _ arms today. you use the term hoarding but some _ arms today. you use the term hoarding but some of- arms today. you use the term hoarding but some of the - hoarding but some of the industrialised countries are saying they were just trying to of vaccines and they did not know which vaccines would work and which would not. that is an would work and which would not. trust is an understandable viewpoint, but let's be clear with covax was all about and the director general said. all nations should vaccinate health workers in people first and then we can think about expanding to the general population. the rich nations to pause once they vaccinated health workers pause and start donating to covax at the same time as they were vaccinating the general population. that never happened. he vaccinating the general population. that never happened.— that never happened. no one did that? you can — that never happened. no one did that? you can understand - that never happened. no one did that? you can understand the - that? you can understand the government is elected to protect its own people. protect its people first

and that is an understandable thing to do. let and that is an understandable thing to do. , , and that is an understandable thing to do. , ., ., to do. let me say this, look at what is happening _ to do. let me say this, look at what is happening in _ to do. let me say this, look at what is happening in india. _ to do. let me say this, look at what is happening in india. how - to do. let me say this, look at what is happening in india. how can - to do. let me say this, look at what is happening in india. how can you | is happening in india. how can you not feel anything other than abject horror at the injustice and the inequity? the scenes, i have seen the scenes. we should be working out of international solidarity and is more, it is terrible for rich nations we let this virus go unchecked throughout the world. an outbreak anywhere can become an outbreak anywhere can become an outbreak everywhere very quickly and you've just been talking by the b 16172 variant from india. now, in the uk, they cannot seal their borders from other countries, so it comes back to bite us in the end. it was more economically, it is terrible to let infections spread around the world. one study out of turkey estimated that of rich nations largely vaccinate their own communities, their own populations

by the end of summer and then leave lower income countries, the economic loss will be $9 trillion and all of that will be by rich nations. we should work out of solidarity and justice and also in self—interest. thank you so much. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come, almost one year on from the death of george floyd, how a murder in america sparked a summer of protest around the world. mr brown's family disagrees, they are saying he was executed. the international energy agency that represents many rich countries says that no new gas pipes a beach sold, 400 steps proposed by the agency if the world is to achieve net zero admissions by the middle of this

century. the sale of new diesel cars but also end by 2035. one of china's tallest skyscrapers been evacuated after the building began to shake. here, you see people fleeing for safety. the towers to 20 years old and it is home to an important electronics market. spain has deployed soldiers to the land border of its north african enclave of ceuta after an estimated 8000 people arrived there yesterday. the government says it's now returned nearly half of them to morocco. spain's prime minister has just arrived in ceuta. he's promised to do everything possible to get the situation under control. earlier today, many of the migrants gathered at the fence between the spanish—moroccan border. witnesses said moroccan police appeared to do nothing to intervene, fuelling speculation that the relaxing of the border controls is a political move by morocco. from there, nick beake reports.

this was the day spain sent tanks to its beaches to hold back a human tidal wave. the border with morocco under strain like never before. hundreds of troops scrambling to block the final steps to european soil. the pleas and the prayers, they didn't work. so different 24 hours earlier when the first of 8,000 people simply walked or waded round the border post at low tide. moroccan officials seemingly did nothing to stop them. some families took with them what they could, saying they were driven by desperation and the hope of a more prosperous future. translation: when you have no money and you have to pay your rent _ and you have to take care of your children and parents, you can't afford to be scared. translation: no, i'm not afraid. if i stayed here i would be afraid. i have to leave to save myself.

spain's prime minister flew in and was welcomed by local officials. he warned this was a significant crisis, notjust for spain, but for europe. shouting but he was given a furious reception by local residents in ceuta who feel abandoned and want tougher action. translation: this surge of irregular | migrants represents a serious crisis| for spain and also for europe. in the name of the spanish government, i want to convey to all spaniards, especially to those living in ceuta and melilla, that we will re—establish order in their city and at our borders with the utmost speed. this evening, the main reception centre is overwhelmed, hundreds of young men. morocco stands accused of allowing this unprecedented influx. he warned

spain of consequences amid a diplomatic row, it seems this is what they were talking about. this evening, the main reception centre is overwhelmed, even though thousands of new arrivals have already been forced back. spain says children are being allowed to stay. they now await their fate. but some have seen enough and are now taking their chances, believing a new life is within reach. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come, almost one year on from the death of george floyd, how a murder in america sparked a summer of protest around the world. 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 pap singen _ 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 —

three palestinians have been killed and many others injured in clashes between protesters and the israeli security forces in the occupied west bank. israel's prime minister repeats his warning that the operation against hamas will take as long as needed to restore calm, as rockets fired into israel kill two thai workers. when the world saw george floyd pinned to the ground by a police officer in the us state of minnesota, moments before he was murdered, it sparked global protests and reignited attention on racial equity and justice. his killing, a year ago, led to the resurgence of the black lives matter movement —— which here in the uk saw more than 200 demonstrations. adina campbell reports now on why george floyd's death resonated with so many people. chanting. everyone here today can make a difference. whether you have privilege or whether you don't. leamington spa. worlds apart from where george floyd was murdered in minneapolis. i thought 20 people were going

to show up, never 700. but last summer, people in this leafy warwickshire town came together, calling for change. because it's ourjob to make sure this does not happen again. shianne williams organised the protest. she was 17 at the time. i hadn't seen that many people in leamington coming together for one cause. so, and then you've grown up in a place where you thought people didn't really like you... i have been a victim of racism all my life. i've been spat on, i've been racially abused in the streets, bullied in school. i had another incident where someone through dirt over me. those things have kind of made me stronger and gave me the power to speak up about black lives matter. hundreds of thousands of people in the uk took part in antiracism marches in the aftermath of george floyd's murder, raising questions about policing. less than 2% of officers in england,

wales and scotland are black, a disproportionate representation. as a young, black man was stopped and searched. i know the struggles and difficulties. it's helpful for the community to see police officers that look and sound like them. and to acknowledge what the community are saying. in coventry, campaigners have been reflecting on the last 12 months. but the conversations are changing. before it wasjust, racism is bad because it's "i hate black people." but now we are beginning to understand that racism is a system and there's levels to it. things like, "oh, sorry, can i shorten your name, it's too hard to pronounce?" the reason why we're even here in the first place is because people are either ill educated or wrongly educated. when i try and talk about these things to other white people my age they go, "well, i can't be racist

because i'm a good person." but there are things that you do, because of the society that we live in, that discriminates against black people. have we learned anything that will lead to real change in this country? the kind of naive and sensitive nature of it, the way we talk . about race, is the reason why every ten, 15 years we get _ a pushback from the natives, white people getting a bit... i they don't have the space to be able to speak openly. _ cancel culture means that people are scared. i have had white people ask me if it's ok to refer to me as black. that's how scared they are of using the wrong word, because they genuinely want to be part of the conversation. if we haven't got space to talk openly, then we don't change as a society. adina campbell, bbc news. there's a new study into the plastic waste that causes so much pollution.

it finds that more than half of all the plastic bottles and bags that are used once and thrown away around the world can be traced to just 20 companies. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. it all begins with oil pumped from underground, the start of a plasticjourney. in refineries and processing plants, the oil is turned into the raw materials for plastic. and the new research finds that of those destined to make single use items, half are produced by just 20 companies. those ingredients are sold to manufacturers who make everything from plastic cups to plastic bottles. most of them used just once and then thrown away, often polluting the environment. the study says the original producers need to take responsibility for that. the future of the plastic waste crisis really sits in the hands ofjust 20 companies who account for more than half of the waste we generate.

we need to go after the tap to turn off the tap of fossil fuel plastics, and we need to create plastics from recycled materials. the producers say they are trying to recycle as much plastic as possible and that they're investing in new ways to do that. they say it's not as easy as it looks and that, anyway, we all depend on plastic to keep ourselves safe and to keep our food fresh. but pressure is mounting on the companies involved to do more. these rivers are choked with plastic waste and at the moment there's no end in sight to scenes like this. david shukman, bbc news. now for some art with a difference. this is ai—da, the world's first humanoid robot artist. according to its creators, it is capable of drawing portraits using its camera eye and a pencil in hand. and ai—da is about to open her first major exhibition at london's design museum.

but is this humanoid truly creative? david sillito has been investigating. meet ai—da, the robot artist. it's a slow and steady process, but effective. these are a few of her recent self portraits. and what's more, she's happy to have a chat. how are you today? er, i'm well, thank you. how would you rate yourself as an artist? i love to be creative. i enjoy being someone who makes people think. she answers questions. each painting is different, and a surprise. you could almost say she has a personality. fundamentally, that's a funny question. i think the prospect of getting to know her is hilarious, but at the same time,

i mean, peering over at her now, i think her makers probably considered that they have some form of relationship, whether that's reciprocated or not. ai—da, could you look across there to the camera. we are all used to, these days, talking to machines and our phones. but creativity, that's a rather different question and this is meant to be a little bit unsettling, a little unnerving. the thing that concerns us about technology is the fact that we don't know the domino effect of it. ai—da foreshadows many technologies coming through, and she opposes those questions by her artwork to say, this is what's coming through: are we happy with that? so, ai—da, the artist. it's painting today. who knows what tomorrow? david sillito, bbc news.

i mixed it with us on —— stay with us on bbc news. hello. although the weather will be a little quieter across the uk overall today, in contrast to recent days, it's not settling down properly anytime soon. the end of the week looking very stormy indeed, and that will be thanks to this area of low pressure barreling in on thursday and friday. we've kind of got a weak area of low pressure still with us for today. it's going to feed in a band of more organised showers to the south for first thing. this should clear the south east, though, by the time we get to lunchtime. cloud and some patchy rain drifting south across scotland, and then through the afternoon, livelier, thundery showers develop, particularly across eastern scotland and the eastern side of england. a few elsewhere towards the west, but generally much drier for wales and the south west and many parts of the midlands than it has been of late.

as we move through the overnight period, clear skies and light winds, actually pretty chilly into the small hours of thursday with a risk of a few pockets of ground frost, particularly for central and eastern areas. in the west, the wind will already, though, be starting to pick up, the cloud piling in and this deep area of low pressure starts to make itself felt first thing on thursday. wind and rain into the west, spreading to all areas through the day. yes, there will be some heavy rain, but potentially not as heavy as some of us have seen out of the recent showers. the big issue is likely to be the wind, particularly gusty in areas adjacent to the irish sea, gusting 45—50 mph, strong enough to do some damage and cause some disruption. 0ur temperatures still very unremarkable for the time of year, at least a couple of degrees below where we'd expect to see them. thursday into friday, the area of low pressure continues its progress across the uk, so another

windy day on friday. perhaps a little bit drier towards the far south and to the far north, but overall, plenty of showers still set to swirl around that low. and the biggest headache yet again will be the winds. very strong gusts across southern britain on friday. and still our temperatures, well, we're barely scraping into the mid—teens. for the weekend, it looks like things will become somewhat quieter, certainly on saturday, perhaps some dry weather towards the west. yet more showers, though, on sunday.

this is bbc news. the headlines —

clashes have taken place between palestinian protesters and israeli security forces in the west bank town of bethlehem. the demonstrators were supporting a general strike amid the ongoing battle between israel and militants in gaza. two thai workers have been killed and eight others injured by a barrage of mortar shells fired by palestinian militants into southern israel. spain's prime minister says he will restore order in the country's territories in north africa. around 8000 migrants have crossed from morocco into ceuta. the indian state of gujarat has been struck by its worst cyclone in decades. the navy intensified its search for 90 people missing at sea after their barge was sunk. 0n land, at least 20 people were killed.