tonight at ten, warnings of a possible third wave of coronavirus and calls to delay plans to end england's lockdown next month. though vaccinations are speeding up, scientists are wary of the indian variant. ministers aren't ruling anything out. i know everybody wants to know what's going to happen, but we can't actually make that judgment until we see the impact of the easements we've just made. but many businesses say they need clearer guidance now. also tonight... with tenants in rent arrears, there's concern as the coronavirus ban on evictions ends tomorrow. after plummeting birth rates, china changes policy again. now couples can have up to three children, instead of two.

this bank holiday monday delivers the hottest day of the year so far. and a hundred years after the worst massacre in black american history, survivors in tulsa remember the day their neighbourhood was burned down. good evening. some scientists advising the government on coronavirus are calling for the lifting of the final lockdown restrictions in england, due on 21stjune, to be postponed. they say they're concerned about rising infection rates, due to the indian variant. ministers warn that the government cannot make a final decision for another two weeks, but some businesses argue they need clarity now. here's our health correspondent anna collinson.

it is one of the biggest rugby stadiums in the world, but today, thousands have been encouraged to come to twickenham for their coronavirus jab. it's been really good, yeah. like, i thought the queue was quite long but it moves quite quickly, and everything seems really, like, organised. ijust sort of want the whole countryjust to come out of lockdown, hopefully, 215t of june. so the more people vaccinated, the better. so doing our part, really. this afternoon, it was announced anyone aged over 18 could come and get theirjab, which organisers say contributed to these long queues. almost three quarters of adults in the uk have now had a first dose. hounslow�*s public health service helped organise this event as they're concerned some of those who are most at risk have not yet been vaccinated. we have, in a matter of four or five days, pulled this event together so we can vaccinate up to 15,000 people in one day. the reason we've chosen such a big event is, we can socially distance people, we can safely get that many people through the stadium.

twickenham's location is also significant. it's close to hounslow, an area which has seen a rise in the variant first detected in india. people can come here and get a jab without an appointment, and it's just one of the many measures being tried across the uk to encourage those who are eligible to come and get a vaccine. in bolton, which has a persistently high infection rate, fuelled by the indian variant, a bus is offering jabs to eligible adults in affected areas. the army has also been on hand to encourage residents without symptoms to get tested. while in glasgow, another area of concern, a drop—in vaccine centre has been set up to encourage anyone who is over a0 to get their second dose, as that provides more substantial protection. coronavirus cases in the uk are once again on the rise, with a 29% increase in the past week. it is thought it's been fuelled by the indian variant, but it is not yet known if this will translate into serious illness and hospitalisations. one of the experts advising the government says further easing of restrictions, due in three weeks�* time, should be postponed.

look, people are not saying that we should, um, you know, abandon thejune 21st date altogether butjust to delay it by a few weeks, whilst we gather more intelligence, and we can look at the trajectory in a clearer way. if you look at the costs and benefits of getting it wrong, i think that it is heavily in the favour of delaying. ministers say it will be a two—week wait before they can say for certain whether complete unlocking can go ahead on 21stjune. i know everyone wants to know what is going to happen, but we can't actually make that judgment until we see the impact of the easements we have just made. the hope is that drives like this in twickenham will make a complete unlocking more likely. anna collinson, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent ben wright is at westminster for us tonight. ben, he has faced many difficult decisions during the pandemic, and when to fully unlock was always going to be one of the hardest. what

going to be one of the hardest. what are his main — going to be one of the hardest. w�*ué�*ii are his main considerations? that's right, clive. it's a very big call for borisjohnson. the government has always said the road map out of lockdown has to be irreversible, so there is no room for mistakes here. i do sense that ministers are sounding more cautious about lifting restrictions completely onjune the zist. restrictions completely onjune the 21st. no decisions have been taken yet, but there are clearly competing arguments at play. we had today from scientists who advised the government, one publicly about a third wave and saying it makes sense to wait a bit longer so that more people have been double jabbed and the impact of the new variant of the virus is better understood. but that would clearly have an impact on businesses, who are already reeling after months of lockdown and today, the british chambers of commerce said it would be astonishing if the final leg of this road map was delayed and that is a view that a big chunk of tory mps would share as well. this row is going to ramble away and get louder over the next two weeks ahead ofjune the 1ath, which is the date that ministers

will make their decision. the government's covid strategy has of course had quite a bit of flak over the last few days for boris johnson's former adviser dominic cummings through to labour, who have said it is their borders policy which has made the situation around the indian variant worse. number ten disputes that, but as he digests all the data and weighs up the risk, for borisjohnson, this is another big test of hisjudgment. borisjohnson, this is another big test of his judgment. ben boris johnson, this is another big test of his judgment. test of his 'udgment. ben wright, live at test of hisjudgment. ben wright, live at westminster. _ the latest government figures show there were 3,383 new coronavirus infections and one death in the latest 24—hour period. on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 3,345. more than 120,000 people received their first dose of a vaccine in the last 2a hours, taking the overall total to more than 39.3 million people who've had a single jab. that's 74.8% of the uk's adult population.

more than 204,000 people had their second vaccine dose in the latest 24—hour period, which means more than 25.5 million have now had two jabs, a little under half of all adults. the government ban on landlords evicting tenants during the coronavirus pandemic ends tomorrow. but with up to 400,000 people in rent arrears, there is concern over a possible rise in homelessness. ministers say, however, that tenants will continue to be supported with longer notice periods, and some financial help. here's our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan. rudolf bozart has had a year to forget. the media company he worked for went bust. he found a job as a carer, but was made redundant, so he now delivers takeaway food. it is stressful and it's affecting my health and it gives a lot of sleepless nights. his bills have mounted —

energy, council tax and rent. the 26—year—old owes his landlord £3,400 in arrears. ijust don't know when i'm going to wake up to that dreadful message saying that this is your notice, because of the rent arrears. so far, the ban of the eviction was my safety net for me not to be ending up on the streets or anything. around 400,000 tenants are under threat of eviction, say thejoseph rowntree foundation. many renters are employed in retail and hospitality, so their incomes have fallen and their debts mounted during the past year. families with children, as well as black and asian households, are struggling the most to avoid eviction. renters have faced a loss of income and at a higher rate than homeowners through the pandemic, and that's despite all of the extra income support through the benefit system. and so they are struggling more, they are more likely to have fallen behind on their household bills, they're more likely to have

fallen into arrears. citizens advice calculated average rent arrears are £900, but the end of the ban won't immediately lead to people being made homeless, as the courts will need to approve all evictions. ministers say they'll continue to support tenants, but also need to be fair to landlords. music. candy richards says she's lost £9,000 in rent on the house she lets out. her tenant hasn't paid her in 18 months. she told them she wanted them out before the pandemic, but the ban left her powerless to remove them. the eviction ban, what it did do - was safeguard tenants who actually had just decided to stop paying rent or were committing _ anti—social behaviour, because there was no distinction - between those tenants that couldn't pay and those tenants that wouldn't pay. - ideally, rudolf would like a role in media, but anyjob that covers his rent would do.

he can't move elsewhere as he has no savings, and a plummet in credit rating, a catch—22 that many tenants are currently facing. michael buchanan, bbc news, essex. the scottish national party mp joanna cherry has resigned from its national executive committee. ms cherry says she's leaving over what she calls issues of "transparency and scrutiny" in the party. police scotland is assessing whether to launch a fraud investigation over allegations relating to £600,000 that had been "ring—fenced" for a second independence referendum. the authorities in china have announced that couples will be allowed to have up to three children, raising the limit from two. it follows census figures showing a steep decline in the birth rate. five years ago, the chinese communist party had to abandon its one child policy for the nation implimented in 1976, which aimed to limit population growth. with more, here's our china correspondentjohn sudworth.

the announcement may have looked a little mundane but the news was momentous. chinese women can now have three children. for decades, china's one child policy was brutally enforced, with millions of involuntary sterilisations and abortions. it was not only cruel, it was a disaster. china doesn't have enough young people to sustain its economy, and the two child policy, brought in five years ago, has made little difference. i think to me, the concept of the one child policy... mei fong, the author of a book about china's birth control policy, says the latest change doesn't go far enough. it should have been gone yesterday. the fact that it's still there in some form is a testament, i think, to the failures of beijing to fully acknowledge the mistakes.

you have a nation of really, um, ageing, lonely people who have been massively terrorised, in a way, by this very, very traumatic and, at the end of the day, very unnecessary family... punitive family planning policy. china once estimated that its harsh controls had prevented 400 million births. but this is a change being driven not by a belated recognition of women's rights over their own fertility, but by economic need. the trouble is, few women want a second child, let alone a third. "two is too exhausting", this woman says. "we can't afford it", these women say. "the government subsidies are not enough." this straw poll by china's official news agency says it all. enthusiasm for a third child saw more than 1000 votes.

but those completely ruling it out, 28,000. the survey was deleted before it got any worse. and while the policy is being relaxed across most of the country, in xinjiang, there is evidence to controls are getting tougher, with a dramatic drop—off in uighur birth rates, a decline china insists is entirely voluntary. john sudworth, bbc news, taipei. it's the worst massacre in black american history, when, exactly 100 years ago, up to 300 african americans in tulsa in oklahoma were murdered. yet the tragedy wasn't taught in local schools untiljust 20 years ago. sparked by claims of an assault by a black man on a white teenager, white mobs rampaged through an affluent black area of the city, shooting, burning and looting. a handful of survivors who lost everything are still waiting for compensation. 0ur correspondent gary 0'donoghue is live in tulsa for us tonight.

the landmarks of racial violence and injustice against black people are well—known down the centuries. from slavery to segregation and lynching to the assassination of martin luther king, to the murder of george floyd at the hands of the police. but what took place, the shocking situation here in tulsa, 100 years ago, remained largely untold for most of the 20th century. and a handful of survivors believe the injustice continues. my report contains some potentially shocking images. before the destruction, they called it black wall street. but injust 18 hours, a murderous white mob had razed a thriving black community to the ground, making 10,000 people homeless with up to 300 black lives lost. few dispute that it was the worst single act of racial violence

in the history of the united states. i will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home. i still see black men being shot, black bodies lying in the street. i still smell smoke and see fire. because of the massacre my family were driven out of our home. we were left with nothing. so here is the basement room where people hid in. and how many do you think came down here? at least a few hundred. robert turner is the reverend at the vernon ame church. it was one of several burned to the ground during the massacre. the church was rebuilt with parishioners�* money as the insurers refused to pay out. after the massacre there was this movement by the white community to not ever talk about it because they knew they had gotten away with murder.

they didn't want to ever bring it up and any of the black people who brought it up, they were either killed, or run out of town or intimidated into silence. not a single person was prosecuted for the murders, for the looting or for the arson. not one black family received a penny in compensation. it would take 75 years for there to be any official recognition that a massacre had taken place at all. while tulsa unites to mark the massacre, there are divisions. that has meant the cancellation of a major concert, the survivors at odds with the city over who should pay them reparations. the centennial is not about concerts, it's not about speeches, it's not about interviews. it is about focusing on the people that were harmed, and doing everything in our power to make sure those people receive justice, respect and reparations. but while the survivors continue their fight for compensation,

some among the younger generation are finding the historyjust too much to cope with. it is so painful that i can't even live in this city. i just can't. but i have since moved to atlanta, georgia, which i consider to be, you know, the new black wall street. when the president comes to tulsa tomorrow he will yet again address a shameful episode in the country's history. and with the murder of george floyd still uppermost, many will wonder just how much has really changed in america over the past 100 years. gary 0'donoghue, bbc news, tulsa. the world number 2 tennis player, naomi 0saka, has pulled out of the french open, following the controversy over her refusal to do media interviews because of the impact on her mental health. yesterday, the 23—year—old japanese player was fined more than £10,000 and warned she might be disqualified for not fulfilling contractual obligations

to speak to the press. let's get more from marc edwards at the bbc sport centre. the player and the organisers could not find common ground? ida. the player and the organisers could not find common ground? no, clive, and we now— not find common ground? no, clive, and we now know _ not find common ground? no, clive, and we now know the _ not find common ground? no, clive, and we now know the four— not find common ground? no, clive, and we now know the four time - not find common ground? no, clive, | and we now know the four time major winner has been suffering long bouts of depression since winning her first grand slam title in 2018. she wrote on social media today that she never wanted to be a distraction to the event but that she gets huge waves of anxiety before speaking to the world's media. in the last outcome of the french tennis federation have issued a statement saying they were sorry and sad to see her withdraw but are committed to all athletes�* well—being. what remains clive is that the remaining us and australia and open winner has now said she is going to take some time away from the court for now. thank you forjoining us. a former head of the cia has told the bbc he has no doubt there�*s an urgent need for tighter controls of biological laboratories around the world, to prevent another

pandemic similar to covid—19. general david petraeus says world leaders need to address the issue at next month�*s g7 summit in cornwall. with more, here�*s our world affairs editorjohn simpson. we don�*t need reminding nowadays what a lethal and highly contagious virus can do to our world. within weeks of its appearance in the chinese city of wuhan, covid—19 had spread to almost everywhere on earth. covid and other dangerous viruses are studied here at porton down, britain�*s top—secret centre for biological and chemical research. there are 50 or so top—level labs like this around the world, all of them tightly controlled. but there�*s another, lesser category of scientific laboratories right round the world which also deal with dangerous pathogens and diseases. there are literally

thousands of them — so many that the international agencies simply can�*t keep a proper eye on them. hamish de bretton—gordon is one of the top international experts on chemical and biological warfare. i met him in northern iraq several years ago. he stresses that most of the world�*s unregulated biological laboratories are probably above board. but unfortunately, there are people who want to do us harm out there, and at the moment i think these laboratories are a bit of an open goal. and covid, the pandemic, has really been a sort of neon advert to every terrorist, despot, rogue state and bad actor, that this is something that they could use to really create the terror that they desire. general david petraeus, who was the commander of us forces in iraq and then a head of the cia,

believes strongly that the g7 should press for greater international control over the world�*s biological laboratories. virtually any american president would want to support an initiative like this. this is certainly something that the g7 could discuss in their upcoming summit meeting. the leaders of the world would have to take this forward. and again, it's hard for me to believe that there are any leaders out there other than some very rogue nations who would not sign up to a convention. but there�*s no doubt in your mind that this is a serious threat? 0h, there's no doubt about that. there hasn�*t been particularly strong control of biological research because it never seemed especially worrying. then covid happened, hence the calls to make sure there aren�*t any more covids. john simpson, bbc news.

this bank holiday has delivered the hottest day of the year so far. 25 degrees was recorded at kinlochewe in the highlands. many other parts of the uk have also enjoyed the sun. sanchia berg has sent us this report from brighton. clear sky, glittering sea brought tourists to english beaches. at windy skegness, the english seaside was back in business. in brighton, visitors were delighted to return. absolutely fantastic, the weather�*s good, the people are lovely, it�*s just nice to be out and about. so, yeah, it�*s all good. get a bit of a normal life again. just been out and having family time as well. being able to socialise, going into the bars, having a meal, nice drink. as holidays are going to be this year, this will - probably be it, so, yeah. and it was a relief for local business, said one coffee shop worker. things have been quite tough, haven�*t they, very tough for a lot of people, so, yes, it is a relief,

and it�*s good to, you know, see so many people out enjoying themselves as well. it�*s wonderful. as the mostly unmasked crowds grew, the locals withdrew. i'm pleased that we have no reason to go into town or use public transport today, because it'sjust incredibly crowded. for the thousands of visitors filling the streets of brighton, it�*s a glorious bank holiday, almost back to normal. that�*s not the case for the brighton residents, who are worried that covid could be creeping back this way. many were busy queueing for vaccines. here, as elsewhere, they�*re racing to beat a potential new wave of covid—19. sanchia berg, bbc news, brighton. that�*s it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.

you�*re watching bbc news. a group of families are trying to stop an east london cemetery from building extra plots on top of their relatives�* graves. cemeteries are allowed to remound graves after 75 years, but families — including those who lost loved ones in the bethnal green tube disaster — say those laws are out of date. frankie mccamley reports. air-raid siren. 8.20 on the 3rd of march, 1943. air—raid sirens blast

across east london. hundreds hurry to bethnal green tube station — a bomb shelter at the time. no—one was on duty, and only one door was open. some people panicked. and, course, you know, if you�*re panicking... a lady with a baby tripped, and that�*s when the disaster happened. and 173 of us was caught up in that accident. crowds piled into the shelter. unbeknown to them, the alarm was a test. it was an awful night. it was raining, it was cold. it was... it was absolutely awful. and the steps were slippery. and that�*s what happened — someone slipped on the stairs and, course, they can�*t get up in time. then people went over and over. and they was piled from the steps down below, to the ceiling.

margaret mckay was only six months old. she was being carried down the stairs by her mother. i don�*t know what part — she was at the bottom, middle or top — i don�*t know where, because everybody was just. . .you know, in a big huddle. mum held me up, where a lot of mums put their baby in the steps. but mum held me up and it was pc penn that was passing, and came down to help. and he said to mum, "if you�*re going to die, lady, pass me your baby." so between mum and thomas penn, they saved me. margaret survived, but her mother died alongside 83 women, 62 children, and 27 men.

marked by a memorial next to the station, this was the uk�*s largest single loss of civilian life during world war two. many who knew about that night were told to keep quiet — a government cover—up — fearful it could damage public morale. it meant margaret didn�*t find out about her mother until much later in life. her and her husband went to find her grave. the stones are broken. it... the grass is knee—hi... oh, i don�*t know. really... and it was really untidy. margaret�*s mother is buried alongside many other victims of the disaster here in east london. but after 75 years, some cemeteries like this one are legally allowed to remound the graves — effectively building new graves on top of the old ones. but relatives say they still come here to visit their loved ones, and some graves

have historical importance. just metres from those killed in the bethnal green disaster marked with green tape lies sarah dearman — a women�*s rights pioneer who helped change british working conditions forever. i think it was a landmark change in labour history. i think that, you know, workers today really have the matchgirls to thank for, you know, the working rights that they have because they were the ones that first decided to stand up and say, "no, this is not good enough — we�*re not working under these conditions." despite her great—granddaughter�*s campaigning, sarah�*s grave is one of those due to be remounded. the law, as it stands, says that this can happen after 75 years. my father — he�*s in his 80s — but he sarah�*s grandson, and he remembers her. and so, for him, it would remove the right for him to go and visit his own grandparent.

and i think that when people are in — particularly in living memory — i think it�*s just too soon. it�*s obviously made worse by the fact that sarah is in a kind of pauper�*s public area. but that kind of doesn�*t feel fair either — why should people who had less money be just mounded over and forgotten? manor park cemetery says those public graves are buried in land it privately owns, and with burial space in short supply it�*s acting within the guidelines with the utmost care and sensitivity. but for margaret, who feels like she�*s onlyjust been reunited with her mother... it makes my blood crawl.. i don�*t like it at all. you just can�*t take people away from people. it�*s got to be changed — the law�*s got to be changed. that�*s mum and i... the government says it�*s

reviewing its guidelines, but that will take time — and, with remounding due imminently, that time for some is running out. frankie mccamley, bbc news. hello again. bank holiday monday was the hottest day of the year so far. i would say "no complaints", but may was a complete wash—out — the wettest on record in wales, the fourth wettest for the uk, and it was chilly. 25 celsius we had in kinloch certainly made a welcome change. that warm weather felt by most of us, however, we did have some of that pesky low cloud, the mist and fog around north sea coasts, and some of that lingered all day in shetland, keeping the temperatures at just ten celsius here. and we have got more of these fog banks to come as we head into tuesday morning. again, shetland, very likely to see some of that, and across eastern england, stretching from norfolk across lincolnshire into yorkshire all the way to probably north yorkshire, you are likely to come across some fog, some low cloud, and even the occasional spot of drizzle. but otherwise, a dry start to the day on tuesday, relatively mild.