tomos morgan in cardiff. - a year, so we will see. indeed. tomos morgan in cardiff.. but here in scotland, nicola sturgeon is obviously looking for a clear majority in the holyrood parliament over there that she believes will give her the mandate to call for a second independence referendum. how is it looking in terms of them possibly getting there? it’s is it looking in terms of them possibly getting there?- possibly getting there? it's a fascinating — possibly getting there? it's a fascinating election, - possibly getting there? it's a fascinating election, clive. . possibly getting there? it's a fascinating election, clive. nobody is pretending that anyone apart from the snp _ is pretending that anyone apart from the snp are going to be the biggest party in _ the snp are going to be the biggest party in the next scottish parliament. the question is, how big can they— parliament. the question is, how big can they win? nobody knows. it's been _ can they win? nobody knows. it's been a _ can they win? nobody knows. it's been a strange election. we have not had the _ b

tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. who can attend funerals is being lifted in england from may the 17th. from then, attendances will be determined by how many mourners can be safely accommodated while maintaining social distancing both indoors and outside. the move has been welcomed by the national association of funeral directors. in two weeks, eating out will become eating in, as the vast majority of pubs and restaurants in england open their doors to serve us food inside. but aside from getting covid—safe, they've got another major worry on their plates — staffing. after thousands of workers left the sector during lockdown, the industry says it's in crisis. some hospitality businesses are warning they might not be able to open this month if they can't get the people they need. our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports. high pressure. long hours. late into the night. delivering perfection but no longer on a plate. i'm back on the stoves and i'm cooking. when you become a chef, that is what you want to

thank you very much, tomos morgan. _ israel has attacked gaza with its heaviest bombardment so far thisd by palestinian militants. palestinians living in the border area have fled, fearing ground assaults by the israeli army. 119 palestinians have been killed in the latest wave of middle east violence, as well as nine israelis. paul adams reports from jerusalem. explosions another ferocious barrage on gaza overnight. israeli jets and artillery pounding what the army said was a network of hamas tunnels. the attack caused panic. palestinians fleeing areas close to the border with israel, terrified a ground assault was imminent. at one point, the army tweeted it was already happening, only to row back later. translation: there is a lot of shelling. i and the children are all afraid. even us adults, who have been in war i since our childhood, we are afraid. i and we cannot bear it any more. but, with troops and armour massing on the border, the threat of an escalation is still there. the military says this operation is not over. rescue workers in gaza are struggling to keep pace. looking fo

tomos morgan reports.entistry also left in a hole. a study released today by the british dental association, seen exclusively by the bbc, suggests that almost half of all dentists surveyed are considering changing career all seeking early retirement if covid restrictions remain in place over the next 12 months in england. long hours working with ppe, coupled with a strained workload, has been chipping away at morale. people in the profession are quite disillusioned, and they are suffering from a lot of mental health problems. they have been exposed to an unprecedented level of abuse from patients who are directing their anger and frustration at the staff on the front line because they are unable to get a dental appointment or are in pain. clinical staff have to wear masks that are difficult to breathe in, eight, nine hours a day. phone rings, answerphone message plays. dentists say patients have become increasingly frustrated, with fewer available appointments a side—effect of restrictions, and the report

tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff.ions will require travellers to isolate when they return. but, for a few countries on the government's green list, such as portugal, there'll be no need. bookings are still low compared with pre—pandemic levels, but the tourism industry hopes confidence is returning. in a moment, we'll hear from our correspondent nick beake in portugal. but, first, let's cross to our correspondent sarah corker at manchester airport. yes, this is terminal one here at manchester airport. there are 30 departures today, including four flights to portugal. holiday—makers have told me, after a year of lockdown and restrictions, they are really looking forward to some guaranteed sunshine. portugal, of course, is the only major holiday destination on that green list. it is still pretty quiet here but lots of people have been jetting off this morning. foreign getaways are back. this is the 6am flight from manchester heading to the algarve. holiday—makers told me they could not wait to get to portugal's golden b

tomos morgan, bbc news, outside the senedd.etting the majority that they say will give them the right to call for another referendum. i right to call for another referendum.— right to call for another referendum. ~ :, , .~' right to call for another referendum. ~ :, , a :, , referendum. i think as nick was sa in: referendum. i think as nick was saying earlier. _ referendum. i think as nick was saying earlier, it _ referendum. i think as nick was saying earlier, it is _ referendum. i think as nick was saying earlier, it is very - referendum. i think as nick was j saying earlier, it is very unusual to get a majority in parliament, which is not designed to get that. they would be foolish to be confident about it. i think we will not know until thursday, really. but not know untilthursday, really. but if the not know until thursday, really. but if they don't get the majority but with the greens, for instance, and possibly, alex salmond is's party as well, there is an overall majority for a second referendum. will that be good for t

our correspondent, tomos morgan is in cardiff.nt and centre of welsh labours campaign this year and it clearly has paid off. they've equalled their best ever tally, just one shy of a majority. the question now for mark drakeford, is how will they rule as a government? will they rule as a minority government or will they seek a less formal coalition such as the confidence and supply deal? will they ask the lib dem member tojoin them in a co—op maybe? forthe dem member tojoin them in a co—op maybe? for the tories, they gain some seats, however they will be disappointed they haven't been able to break the north—eastern red wall, simply dented, just getting one asleep there. for plaid cymru, not a great day, losing formerly debt leanne wood in the rhondda valley i'm not making any ground in the target seats. labour, great day for them are not so great for the tories or plaid cymru. lib dems holding their seat and not seen so far with only four left for abolish the welsh assembly. only four left for abolish the welsh assembl . . ~ only

tomos morgan, bbc news, outside the senedd.aid may the forth be with you. hundreds of items from the original star wars trilogy — which were owned by the darth vader actor dave prowse — are going under the hammer today. ali vowles has been to find out more. you can see the costume already. it's amazing, it's so imposing. i'm being shown some of the 600 lots that will be sold online in bristol, and what a treasure trove. for daddy dave, my preferred father. much love, carrie fisher. signed photos from the stars, darth vader's helmet used at fan conventions — all are attracting attention. what's happened ? we have broken so many in—house records already. within 24 hours of that catalogue going online, we had over 800 bids. we have had thousands upon thousands of pounds of bids left. interest from all over the world. the appeal of star wars is completely worldwide and the fact that that little piece of star wars history comes from bristol is what i think makes this so, so special. dave prowse�*s imposing 6ft 6 height made him the

tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. to the sea life aquarium in blackpool, where staff, and the fish, have been preparing for the return of families. a beautiful underwater world, unseen by the public for months. but every day throughout lockdown, scott and his team have been caring for the 2,500 creatures who live here in blackpool. yellow tangs, a rare orange lobster, and phoenix, a 21—year—old green sea turtle who was very intrigued by our camera, to name but a few. the majority of the staff have been on furlough. their team of 60 down to just eight. have been on furlough. what's the best way to touch these creatures? the best way to do it, two fingers together, just nice and gentle at the top. you can do this for the starfish, and just the same way with the anemones, as well. we have been doing lots of water tests, to make sure all the water is ok, feeding the animals. some of the animals that we have here have to be fed up to six times a day. and also, we've been playing music around the centre, so the animals have

tomos morgan there at cardiff bake, thanks, - there at cardiff bake, thanks, tomos.'s at stake in england, where 4,650 council seats are being contested across 143 local authorities. 13 directly elected mayors are being selected, including for london, where 25 seats are also up for grabs in the city s assembly. elsewhere, all eyes will be on hartlepool where there's a parliamentary by—election to choose a new mp. voters across england and wales will also have the chance to select a total of 39 new police and crime commissioners. 0ur political correspondent helen catt has a round—up of a frantic day of campaign visits around england. it is being called super thursday, tomorrow voters in england will choose who is in charge of services like police, social care, recycling and mending the roads. it will be a bumper set of elections unlike any other but the pressure on the parties to do well remains the same. i've got five plus one... there is particular scrutiny on how the numbers add up for labour. keir starmer at a food bank in pontefract is bank in pontefract is acing

tomos morgan reporting.h day of intense fighting with hamas militants. hamas again launched a barrage of rockets towards israel, and israel responded with artillery fire and air strikes. meanwhile, sectarian clashes continued injerusalem and other israeli cities, amid warnings of civil war. 0ur correspondent paul adams has sent this report about the night's events. there was a great deal of confusion for which a spokesman from the israeli military has apologised this morning. essentially, what happened was that they launched what he described as a complex 40—minute operation involving land forces, the air force, and we think there was also gunfire coming from offshore as well. but the target was a network of hamas tunnels, these are tunnels that the islamic group has built over the years. sometimes underneath the border into israel, but certainly a complex network inside the gaza strip, which the israeli military alleges houses a lot of hamas's military infrastructure. and so that was targeted last night. bu

tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. most of scotland are relaxed again today. friends and family are allowed to hug each other again in many places — but the prime minister has urged people to get tested twice a week, and get the vaccine when called. limited numbers of people are now also able to meet inside pubs, restaurants and homes. thousands of british holiday—makers have jetted off on foreign breaks for the first time in months. most destinations will require travellers to isolate when they return, but for a few countries on the government's green list, such as portugal, there'll be no need. bookings are still low, compared with pre—pandemic levels, but the tourism industry hopes confidence is returning. this report from sarah corker at manchester airport. foreign getaways are back. this is the 6am flight from manchester, heading to the algarve. holiday—makers told me they could not wait to get to portugal's golden beaches. taste not wait to get to portugal's golden beaches. ~ ., �* not wait to get to portugal's g

seats today. 60 members of the senedd will be chosen by voters tomorrow — our wales correspondent tomos morgany are responding positively to the message because we are community politician, people know if they get a liberal democrat councillor things get done. it is the voters who decide when the polls open tomorrow. set the scene for us. so decide when the polls open tomorrow. set the scene for us.— set the scene for us. so this election. — set the scene for us. so this election, think, _ set the scene for us. so this election, think, for - set the scene for us. so this election, think, for the - set the scene for us. so this . election, think, for the majority set the scene for us. so this - election, think, for the majority of welsh public will mostly come down to who the public believe will be able to steer wales through the rest of the pandemic, and the first minister throughout the pandemic has been welsh labour leader mark drayed for and polls have shown he has done a betterjob than borisjohnson and he is the most recognised first minister there has been here. but will that work for the

tomos morgan reports.g away at morale. people in the profession are quite disillusioned, and they are suffering from a lot of mental health problems. they have been exposed to an unprecedented level of abuse from patients who are directing their anger and frustration at the staff on the front line because they are unable to get a dental appointment or are in pain. clinical staff have to wear masks that are difficult to breathe in, eight, nine hours a day. phone rings, answerphone message plays. dentists say patients have become increasingly frustrated, with fewer available appointments a side—effect of restrictions, and the report estimates that potentially almost 30 million appointments have been missed in england since the pandemic started. claire has been waiting more than two years already. i'm very, very self—conscious and i kind of really, you know, desperately want to have the work done and feel more confident in myself again. it has knocked my confidence as well. really, working in the current situ

tomos morgan, bbc news, outside the senedd.an audacious rescue mission. the baringo giraffe is being carefully ferried to a new home in a custom—made barge. she's one ofjust 3,000 baringo giraffes that remain in the world. the local community decided to act when a herd became trapped on a disappearing island. decades of rising water in lake baringo meant the island was getting smaller every year. the food availability on the island is highly fluctuating and insufficient, so it is justifying in supporting the need for the translocation of the giraffe to the mainland. he speaks his own language. the team has been using satellite images to plan the move. the digital africa platform contains data that until recently was only available to a handful of people. now the team can see changes in water levels and vegetation cover in the region going back several decades. it's a new tool for conservationists responding to africa's increasingly unpredictable weather. these erratic patterns means that we have to deploy real—time data and inf

tomos morgan reporting.anjeev gupta who was heavily relying on that supply financing from lex greensill, the financing company, the lobbying of which was done by david cameron who appeared in parliament via zoom to a committee yesterday talking about his lobbying on behalf of greensill which has collapsed. we have just heard the serious fraud office is going to be investigating liberty steel, owned by sanjeev gupta, as i have said, who owe hundreds of millions of pounds through the collapse of lex greensill, greensill financing. no more on that at the moment. the government a few months ago was urged to step in to try and save liberty steel. he was seeing sanjeev gupta as the saviour of hundreds of thousands of steel jobs gupta as the saviour of hundreds of thousands of steeljobs around the country. liberty steel and its gfg alliance has been in really serious trouble since greensill capital went bust back in march. so the sfo is to investigate there. there had been allegations of erroneous or irregularities

tomos morgan, bbc news, outside the senedd.portant, huge powers of the devolved powers, that those parliaments have, and 39 police and crime commissioners up for election. in england, london assembly has 25 seats, the london mayoral seat as well, lucky us but notjust the london mayoral seat, 13 directly elected mayors across england as well. let's think about what victory might look like in different places. loads of attention on scottish parliament, the snp 61 seats, they need 65 to get a majority, that's what they want and if they don't get it they will argue, the scottish greens take them over the line for a pro—independence majority, that will give them a reason to have another referendum, the other party is trying to stop them achieving that. in wales, the labour party trying to hang on, they've been in power since 99, over 20 years, trying their best to keep as many of the 29 seats, almost the majority they currently have put the conservatives had a very good 2019 election performance, trying to expand their numbers and l

our correspondent, tomos morgan, sent this update from cardiff.ay, indoor hospitality will reopen in wales, just as it will do in england, and groups of six can meet indoors. but if the are six people from different households are not the same extended household, they will still have to socially distance. that rules out hugging people you have not seen for a while. also, the only big change is group activities of 30 can restart on monday. but as i say, looking further down the line, we still don't have any detail here on when other sectors of the economy can reopen, such as nightclubs and the night industry and any relaxing on social distancing. the first minister did say however if things continue in the right direction, if vaccination levels remain the best they are in the uk and wales at the moment, that potentially buy the next review in three weeks' time, wales could be lowered into alert level one. four gang members have been sentenced to life in jail, after being convicted of murdering a 15—year—old boy. keelan wilson died in may 2018 after

tomos morgan reports.ave been missed in england since the pandemic started. claire has been waiting more than two years already. i'm very, very self—conscious and i kind of really, you know, desperately want to have the work done and feel more confident in myself again. it has knocked my confidence as well. really, working in the current situation with the arrangements for the pandemic with our standard operating procedures that we are working to the moment, made delivering dentistry a very difficultjob to do. the association wants the government to set out a clear route map for reform and relaxation of covid restrictions. in response, a spokesperson for the department of health said they were continuing to support the dental sector, working closely with the nhs to supply affordable health care whilst protecting staff and patients. tomos morgan, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: council leaders and local officials in eight areas of england hardest hit by the indian coronavirus variant have strongly crit

for more let's speak now to our correspondent in cardiff, tomos morgan. tell us more.t of changes coming in. a lot of changes coming in. the list you've been through. the most significant is the extended households, two different households can mix indoors but those households can't switch. once you've created an extended household that has to be the same one going forward. james are restarting as you can see behind me, the first class here in cardiff. clara jones is one of the coaches here, it has been a long time now. it is amazing to be back. we have been _ it is amazing to be back. we have been doing — it is amazing to be back. we have been doing on the online classes by the interaction, face to face, everybody's energy coming back in, it is so_ everybody's energy coming back in, it is so nice — everybody's energy coming back in, it is so nice to be back. what everybody's energy coming back in, it is so nice to be back.— it is so nice to be back. what is on the menu — it is so nice to be back. what is on the menu for— it is so nice to be back. what is on the menu f

tomos morgan, bbc news. the uk is on course for the wettest may on record. jayne mccubbin reports.he sunniest calendar month on record, may 2021 could become one of the wettest. good morning! jayne laughs. oh, what a beautiful day! you big fib, chris! a bit of rain won't stop hardy campers like chris and karen in wales. is it all waterproof? no! well, it's already the wettest may on record since records began back in 1865. karen? yes. you've braved it. we have. hail, rain or snow, we were going to be here. enjoying it? yeah. what time does the bar open, karen? as soon as that's full! i didn't even bring a brolly. it is what it is, that's what i say. in the tent next door, wet weather hysteria is setting in with newlyweds tracey and julian. how has it been, newlyweds? lovely! we just wish the sun would come out. it would be nice. was it quite the honeymoon period you envisaged? eh, it's been a little bit wetter than i imagined| it would be, and possibly the wrong country. - and i don't mean that...! i mean, somewhere in the sun i and on the plane and disappeared... ..might have been

let's speak to our reporter tomos morgan. better there? a couple of reasons. back in 2016, you - have done better there? a couple of reasons. back in 2016, you keep - reasons. back in 2016, you keep party one —— ukip one cynthia and yuko voted to leave at that point and what has happened is those ukip votes in wales like in england have been split somewhat between labour and the conservatives. that has actually strengthened labour's hold on a number of seats and even so they lost one of the constituency in they lost one of the constituency in the north, they gained one in the regional list and they are equalling their best ever result, one shy of a majority now, and the talk of coalition is most of the cards now because they only need one more seat but democrats who looked like they may be getting wiped out and losing their only constituency actually gained late last night a regional seat so one would potentially imagine that one option for mark drakeford, he said he would want to majority really looks unlikely to it himself a

including indoor play areas which had hoped to also open today. 0ur correpondent in cardiff is tomos morganof changes coming in. the most significant the extended households, two different households can mix indoors that those households can't switch, once you have created an extended household that has to be the same one going forward. also, micro be starting as you can see behind me. the first class here in cardiff. clara, you are one of the coatis cardiff. clara, you are one of the coat is here. it has been a long time, a couple of months. what is it like being back? it is time, a couple of months. what is it like being back?— like being back? it is amazing to be back. we like being back? it is amazing to be back- we have _ like being back? it is amazing to be back. we have been _ like being back? it is amazing to be back. we have been doing - like being back? it is amazing to be back. we have been doing all - like being back? it is amazing to be back. we have been doing all the l back. we have been doing all the online classes by the interaction face—to—face and everyone's energy coming

tomos morgan, bbc news, outside the senedd.ounds for disadvantaged children along the way. spent so much —— we spent so much of hisjourney with him. it spent so much —— we spent so much of his journey with him. it was quite a journey. it's been a tough 12 months for us all, but for mick, navigating life in lockdown has proved his most challenging journey yet. he's been speaking to breakfast�*s jayne mccubbin about his struggles with his mental health, and the long road to recovery. i stopped connecting to people. i started throwing myself off whatsapp groups, my family, and disconnecting myself, just getting more and more isolated and more and more depressed. you will know michael cullen as speedo mick. you will know the pants, the smile, the laugh, but now, he wants to share his struggle. the last time i saw you in liverpool... yes. ..every car that went by beeped its horn, every person that passed by gave you a hug. oh, it was fantastic, it was amazing. i couldn't. .. honestly, i couldn't put it into words. in 2019, michael c

our correspondent tomos morgan sent this update from cardiff.because of the news on the indian variant overnight, there hasn't been any more suggestions of what will be eased further down the line until they know conclusively from sage how bad this indian variant could be to coronavirus levels. what we do know is on monday, indoor hospitality will reopen in wales, just as they will do in england, and groups of six can meet indoors. but if there's six people from different households or not from the same extended households, they will still have to socially distance. so, that rules out hugging people you haven't seen for a while. also, the only big change is group activities of 30 can restart on monday. but as i say, looking further down the line, we still don't have any detail here on when other sectors of the economy can reopen, such as nightclubs and the night industry, and also any relaxing on social distancing. the first minister did say, however, though, that if things continue in the right direction, if vaccination levels remain the best t

and fitness fans can get back to gyms as lockdown restrictions ease in wales. 0ur correspondent tomos morganse i people are very happy to get back the mood like? well, of course - people are very happy to get back on the barbell— people are very happy to get back on the barbell today. thisjumper has been _ the barbell today. thisjumper has been getting a little bit too tight for me _ been getting a little bit too tight for me during the past few months of lockdown _ for me during the past few months of lockdown. this place opened in the middle _ lockdown. this place opened in the middle of— lockdown. this place opened in the middle of the last lockdown. the only open— middle of the last lockdown. the only open for four months, is it? yes, _ only open for four months, is it? yes. around _ only open for four months, is it? yes, around about the 10th of august — yes, around about the 10th of august we _ yes, around about the 10th of august. we can't _ yes, around about the 10th of august. we can't wait - yes, around about the 10th of august. we can't wait to - yes, around about the 10th of augu

our wales ccrrespondent tomos morgan is in cardiff.enedd 22 years ago, labour has been the dominant party in wales, being in power in coalition and power—sharing. it looks like they will not get a majority based on polling and pundits. they have been campaigning in the north—east of wales where some seats may change hands. constituency seats. in 2019, the red wall area of wales, some seats went to the tories. plaid cymru are pushing independence and looking for seats in the south. the lib dems with a single seat are looking to hold onto that because if they don't they will be wiped out again as they were in the general election in 2019. 40 constituencies, 20 regional, is the sentiment to abolish the senedd, that party could pick up seats based on the polls but it looks like labour will pick up the majority of seats but fall short of minority but the only poll that really counts is the one tomorrow. we will be back i am sure over the next few days. to scotland now where voters are set to elect 129 members of parliament. with only hours

our wales correspondent tomos morgan is cardiff. a particularly bleak day here.eak day here. welsh labour has won 30 of— a particularly bleak day here. welsh labour has won 30 of the _ a particularly bleak day here. welsh labour has won 30 of the seats - a particularly bleak day here. welsh labour has won 30 of the seats in i labour has won 30 of the seats in the senedd, equalling their record in wales. they have always been in power since the senedd was created. they will be in government once again. there are a number of reasons why they have done so well in wales once again. there are a couple of factors that have proven that's not to be the case. the first is that mark drakeford himself, the recognition for first minister is higher than ever before. i think the pandemic has really pushed him into the spotlight here. also, i think people in wales on the whole opinion polls suggest that he has done a betterjob than borisjohnson better job than boris johnson according betterjob than borisjohnson according to the welsh public of handling the pandemic, lockdown an

let's talk now to our wales correspondent, tomos morgan. good morning to you.o caution people in his press conference on friday, especially when it came to travel in wales. that was his main concern. i don't think the welsh government really wanted to allow travel and he was urging people in wales to stay at home this year although he said it wasn't not allowed, they can go away. the traffic light system of countries in place. this is my old stomping ground. as you can see, this place has had to rebuild outside over the last few weeks so they can get customers in, but from today they can be opened. the rules in wales are slightly different to england and they will be the same for these other bars and restaurants across the main street. it is the rule of six inside, you can meet people you don't live with but you still have to socially distance unless you are in an extended household bubble. there is no extension of mixing indoors. that will have to wait until the 7th of june. museums, soft play, cinemas also opened, social distancing allowing, and weddings and