proceedings from inside this courthouse are being broadcast live in what is undoubtedly the most consequential police trial in recent us history. more than 8,000 claims of sexual harasssment and abuse in schools — the education secretary says its shocking and abhorrent. and freed at last — the giant container ship that has blocked the suez canal for almost a week. and coming up in sport, on bbc news... it's confirmed sergio aguero will leave manchester city at the end of the season. after ten years, their record goal—scorer won't be offered a new deal and will depart when his contract ends injune. good evening. the prime minister has urged extreme caution as england's lockdown starts to be lifted. borisjohnson said he hoped this would be the last lockdown, but the public must continue to obey the rules and the vaccines need to remain effective. the stay—at—home rule has been lifted. the government says you should limit travel where possible but you can now visit family and friends outside your local area, as long as you stay outdoors and don't stay the night. so, after three months of lockdown, groups of six people or two households of whatever size are now able to meet in parks or private gardens. 0utdoor sports facilities like tennis courts can open, outdoor team sports can be played again. but holidays are still banned both in the uk and abroad. in two weeks' time, restrictions should be eased even more with non—essential shops reopening. for the other nations, some restrictions were eased in wales on saturday. in northern ireland, things begin to ease from thursday, and from friday in scotland. here's our health editor, hugh pym. new freedoms, and all on a sunny day — no wonder these swimmers at a lido in norfolk were enjoying themselves, with outdoor pools in england allowed to reopen. very nice. it's lovely, it's amazing, it's a great feeling. it's pretty great. it's cold! until today, weddings were only permitted in exceptional circumstances, but now ceremonies with up to six people are allowed. and in coventry, dwayne and nyasha tied the knot after postponing in the winter. even, like, yesterday, it was like, they could just ring, couldn't they, and go, actually... yeah, not today. ..not today. so, it's surreal, it's wonderful. today, the prime minister and his key advisers appeared at the new downing street media briefing room. isn't there a danger of mixed messaging when you talk both about a road map to freedom and getting back towards normal life but, also, the need to be cautious because of cases rising in some parts of europe? we're pleased to be able to have some measure of relaxation today. it is important, it is valuable. i know it will be prized by people. but also very important to stress that we are continuing to be cautious. the main thing we're concerned about is the risk of importing into the uk variants which could have a reduced effectiveness on the vaccines we're currently using. now, in the long—term, there would be ways around that, but in the short—term, that is the principal thing that is driving concerns about border issues at this stage. fresh air dilutes the virus _ particles and can blow them away... a government advert reminds people that meeting outdoors is less risky than in their homes. hands, face, space and fresh air. and labour urged ministers not to drop their guard. it's good we've got to this stage of lifting some of the restrictions. we've got to be cautious about it. and i think the single biggest risk is, of course, what we're seeing happening in other countries, where the numbers are still going up. the number of daily reported cases was coming down, but it's been fairly stable for the last few weeks — between 5,000 and 6,000 on the seven—day rolling average. but the number of daily hospital admissions with covid is falling steadily. it's down to around a few hundred a day. health officials say fewer people are getting seriously ill with covid, and the vaccine is having an impact. from ice hockey and rock concerts to communityjabs, the sse arena in belfast has opened as a mass vaccination centre. ministers said it was a significant milestone. in northern ireland, from thursday, outdoor sports will resume and six people can meet in private gardens. some beaches in wales were busy over the weekend, with travel restrictions lifted and youth sports and meetings of up to six people outside permitted. scotland's stay—at—home message changes to stay local on friday — each nation moving at its own pace out of lockdown. hugh pym, bbc news. 0utdoor pools, tennis courts, golf courses — all reopened in england today. 0rganised team sports are back on again. our sports editor dan roan been talking to some of those who've wasted no time in getting started. go on, go! good! an early start for this girl's rugby league team in warrington. this morning's preschool session the first chance they've had to enjoy full training together for more than a year. because we've been inside for so many months, we've not done anything, it's nice to get out and do stuff with your friends and, like, the school. and also to be active, instead of sitting down on computers and stuff. so, yeah, i like it. how much have you missed it in the recent months? it's been hard and you've missed it a lot. my last match was in march. it is important for mental health and keeping yourself fit and in the right head space. coaching the girls today, former pupil here and now england internationaljodie cunningham, who also works on tackling the issue of depression in the sport. not having that interaction for such a long period of time really has affected young people, so the importance of getting this back today can't be underestimated. and i know it's that final light at the end of the tunnel to start getting back to normal for these young people. and for some, there was no time to waste. 0n the stroke of midnight, a round of golf. elsewhere, a moonlit cycle ride in derbyshire. after months of lockdown, outdoor sport in england finally back. for indoor sport, however, the wait goes on, with gyms and swimming pools only reopening from mid—april, and then just for individual use or household groups. we can't lose sight of the fact we only have around 110 publicly accessible outdoor pools in this country, and there's a massive north—south divide. there's still a long way to go before we can get everybody back swimming. here atjunior clubs like this one in didsbury in manchester, the hope will be that the sheerjoy of being back playing again leads to a new—found appreciation of the importance of sport at a time when activity levels have slumped. and today the government urged youngsters like this to do the recommended 60 minutes of exercise each and every day. time to tighten the laces... today this video was released in a bid to get the nation moving. but some believe more needs to be done, starting at schools. i got into rugby because of a pe teacher, you know, and we need to make sure that the teachers themselves, you know, are at the right level to be able to teach pe. but for me, it needs to be a core subject. it should be up there with maths and english, because the health and well—being of children is massively important to this country. with minimal risk of transmission outdoors, the suspension of such activity has been among the most contentious elements of lockdown. but amid concern over the health of the nation, things are, at least, moving in the right direction. dan roan, bbc news. lets take a look at the latest government figures. there were 4,654 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — on average 5,257 new cases were reported per day in the last week. 23 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test and that is usually lower on a monday. on average in the past week, 63 deaths were announced every day. the total number is now 126,615. as for vaccinations more than 293,000 people have had their first covid jab in the latest 24—hour period bringing the total to more than 30.1; million. more than 3.6 million people have had both doses. more than half the adult population has now been vaccinated in the uk, but there's still concern about the impact a third wave of infections across the eu could have here. in france, the number of people in intensive care with covid hit a new record today — almost 5,000 people, more than at the peak of the second wave in november. and the number of new cases has been running at over 35,000 a day. poland is seeing record numbers of daily coronavirus cases, with more patients in hospital and on ventilators than at any time since the start of the pandemic. health officials say the highly contagious uk variant is responsible for almost all the new cases. cases are on the rise, too, in germany, and there are calls for even stricter lockdown measures to be introduced. it's tightening its borders, so travellers entering germany from france now have to show a negative coronavirus test. the eu's vaccination programme is still a long way behind the uk's. just over 15% of the population have had the jab so far. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. millions of people here have had the vaccine but vaccine supplies are crucial, and of the government has taken further steps to secure supplies here?— taken further steps to secure supplies here? taken further steps to secure su lies here? , .,, , supplies here? yes, there has been intense debate _ supplies here? yes, there has been intense debate in _ supplies here? yes, there has been intense debate in recent _ supplies here? yes, there has been intense debate in recent weeks - supplies here? yes, there has been i intense debate in recent weeks about vaccine supply trains, crossing international borders. today the government has announced that the key bit of the process of creating one vaccine developed by the american company novavax will be in the uk. part of it is already being made in a plant in teesside at billingham but it's thought the finishing process, getting into vials before it is distributed, would take place in sweden but today we learned this would also be positioned in the north—east of england under the supervision of glaxosmithkline, a british company. ministers saying this is an important addition to onshore capability, and 60 million novavax doses have been ordered by the british government. it is going through the regulatory process but could come on stream injune. fist through the regulatory process but could come on stream in june. at the start of this — could come on stream in june. at the start of this pandemic _ could come on stream in june. at the start of this pandemic the _ could come on stream in june. at the start of this pandemic the who - start of this pandemic the who tomorrow issues its report about the source, what it thinks was the source. , ., ., ., ., source. yes, a long-awaited report b the source. yes, a long-awaited report by the who- _ source. yes, a long-awaited report by the who- the — source. yes, a long-awaited report by the who. the draft _ source. yes, a long-awaited report by the who. the draft has - source. yes, a long-awaited report by the who. the draft has been . source. yes, a long-awaited report l by the who. the draft has been seen by the who. the draft has been seen by the who. the draft has been seen by the bbc and other media organisations, and it looks at the origins of the virus in wuhan in china in late 2019 and says the most likely source was from bats which then transferred to another animal, not clear, then infected humans. it says the likelihood of this being a leak in a laboratory or some sort of incident is extremely improbable, but more research is needed on the transmission to humans. hugh pym, thank ou. and you can find out more about which measures are being lifted right across the uk, and when, by visiting bbc.co.uk/news. in the united states, the trial has got under way of a white former police officer accused of killing a black man, george floyd. the prosecutor focused on mr floyd's final minutes, replaying video footage which showed him gasping for breath as the officer, derek chauvin, knelt on his neck. the defence argued that mr floyd's health conditions and drug use had contributed to his death. 0ur north america correspondent aleem maqbool is outside court. we have already heard from witnesses, but as you say, more importantly perhaps, we got a real sense of how the legal teams, what they will focus on in the coming weeks. from the floyd family's lawyers, we got the sense they are trying to say they are not anti—police as such and they are persuading jurors just to look at the actions of this one police officer. derek chauvin�*s lawyers will try to persuade the jury that george floyd would have died anyway perhaps, even without that brutal interaction with the police. this marks the start of what will be an emotional and fraught few weeks for the family of george floyd. but the reminders have, of course, never gone away of the way he died. we need justice. i think throughout this whole trial, that's one word that you will hear me and my family say a lot — justice. somebody needs to be held accountable. do you swear or affirm... the outrage the case sparked became an examination of systemic racism in the us. but prosecution lawyers started by bringing back the focus to the man seen here on the right. this case is about mr derek chauvin and not about any of those men and women, it's not about all policing at all. this is when i started watching again. they showed jurors new cctv footage of the lead up to george floyd's death, as well as the full infamous video that caused such distress. and the most important numbers you will hear in this trial are nine two nine. what happened in those nine minutes and 29 seconds when mr derek chauvin was applying this excessive force to body of mr george floyd. in his opening statement, the lawyer for the former police officer defended his tactics. derek chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over the course of his 19—year career. the use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary component of policing. but primarily, they are also questioning one fundamental aspect of the death of george floyd, as i heard from a lawyer for the city's police union. the defense's main arguments are going to focus around whether or not chauvin actually caused his death. that is an argument that he would've died anyway. right, right. yeah, and i think, well,... that, for a lot of people who saw the video, will sound ludicrous, frankly. um, well, the video isn't the whole story, it's a piece of the story, and that is what the jury will have to decide. these protests outside the courthouse are a reminder of the strength of feeling there was last summer, notjust here but all over the world. but in this case, one of the most important in us history, will come down to, of course, is the opinion of 12 jurors. aleem maqbool, bbc news, minneapolis. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, is in black lives plaza in washington. this is going to be a critical moment for race relations in the united states, jon? moment for race relations in the united states, jon?_ moment for race relations in the united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers — united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers say _ united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers say it — united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers say it is _ united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers say it is state _ united states, jon? yes, sophie, the court papers say it is state versus - court papers say it is state versus chauvin, but it goes far wider than that. the saying goes thatjustice is blind, but in america, is it colourblind? if you are black you are more likely to be pulled over by the police, more likely to be subject to excessive force, more likely to be charged, more likely to go to prison. conversely, if you are white and a policeman and you do something wrong, well, then the scales ofjustice something wrong, well, then the scales of justice to something wrong, well, then the scales ofjustice to in the opposite direction. and so, what is happening in america today, in minneapolis, is in america today, in minneapolis, is in a sense the trial of the american justice system itself, and if derek chauvin walks free, there is going to be a very powerful sense that actually, that lives don't matter. and at a time when america is bitterly divided, that could be unexposed of moment. jam bitterly divided, that could be unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you- — unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you- -- _ unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you. -- that _ unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you. -- that could _ unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you. -- that could be - unexposed of moment. jon sopel, thank you. -- that could be an - thank you. —— that could be an explosive moment. the giant ship that has blocked the suez canal for nearly a week has finally been freed. the ever given was wedged across one of the world's busiest shipping routes, weighed down with 18,000 containers. it took 13 tugs and the removal of tens of thousands of tonnes of sand to free her. dharshini david reports. for six days, it's gripped and confounded the world, but the bottleneck sealing one of the busiest shipping lanes has been uncorked. the ever given — owned by company evergreen — is finally on the move, thanks to a fleet of tug boats, diggers and an exceptionally high tide. moving the ship was never going to be easy. the 150—year—old canal is less than 300 metres wide. by contrast, the mega ship is 400 metres long, and 20 times heavier than the eiffel tower. almost 30,000 cubic metres of mud have had to be shifted. also shifting, the cost. carrying 20,000 containers, the ever given is the answer to our growing shopping lists. a similar number of ships go down the canal as did 40 years ago, but now they're carrying more than three times as much. around 52 go through every day, accounting for around 12%, or £7 billion, of global trade. now, behind the ever given, there have been more than 300 vessels queueing — their cargo everything from food, to medicine, to livestock, and cars. they too may have more trouble on the horizon. there is a large backlog of vessels that are waiting to go through the canal from both sides, and i think even operating at full capacity, it's going to take probably at least several weeks to get back to normal. and in the meantime, of course, the vessels that are starting off that were due to travel through the canal at the moment will continue to be diverted. the ever given and its cargo was due to arrive in felixstowe next week, but its customers, and many others, still await an edta. we've got six containers that are on the sea, at the wrong side of the suez canal. the reality, for us, is we're a fun gift business, which means that our product isn't critical, but there's a lot of critical products and, you know, essentials on those vessels. but how to prevent a repeat of this disruption? analysts say the egyptian authorities will be looking closely. it's a major artery for the world, so none of us want to see - this happening again. so, anything that can be done to create a safer. environment for this, i think will be looked| at and dealt with in due course. a pandemic, changes due to brexit, rising shipping costs, and now this. the trade that propels jobs and profits has faced fierce headwinds. it'll be a while before it gets back on course. dharshini david, bbc news. the united states is threatening extra tariffs of up to 25% on a range of british exports like ceramics and furniture. it comes after the uk introduced a digital services tax that will hit american tech companies like amazon and google. 0ur economics editor, faisal islam, is here. faisal, what's going on here? sophie, all around the world, the globalfinance ministers sophie, all around the world, the global finance ministers are looking to plug gaps, big gaps, in their finances, caused by the increasing digitisation of our economies. 0ne effort towards that came here through the digital services tax, which is a relatively modest effort, a few hundred million pounds a year, starting last year, mainly on the likes of amazon, google and facebook. the americans under president trump didn't like that, they started a process to counteract that tax and others like it around the world, and over the weekend president biden�*s administration came up with a list of a few dozen british exports which, if they went to the us, could face punitive tariffs, an extra 25% on things like ceramics, footwear, overcoats, and computer games and other things. what is going on is, the americans are seeking within the uk and other countries to create a constituency of people to say, hold on, maybe we need to think about these tech taxes. they are getting even more important because of changes we have seen because of the pandemic. the treasury are saying they will try to get a global solution and hopefully we can replace our tax, but the americans are saying, we are not having the bill paid for by our companies. the education secretary, gavin williamson, says thousands of allegations of sexual harrassment and abuse in schools are "shocking and abhorrent". they've emerged on an online site called everyone's invited, where current pupils and former students have been recounting their experiences. it's led to protests at some of britain's top schools. our special correspondent lucy manning has been looking at what can be done to tackle the issues raised. their voices are now being heard. the schools, police and politicians are finally listening. with pupils at this school and others demanding change, claims of harassment and abuse are now being taken seriously. if parents are aware that their son or their daughter has been a victim of abuse, then please come forward. if, as a parent, you are aware that your son has been responsible for a sexual assault, then i think you should again be taking your son to the police and saying, "look, i've now become aware that this is what my son has done." the website everyone's invited has now received 8,000 anonymous posts. it started as a trickle of allegations, now a roar of women demanding it has to stop. this group, part of a charity called tender, working with pupils to educate them about relationships. at school, there was a lot of experiences with people dealing with sexual harassment and physical abuse and sexual abuse and, unfortunately, these kind of conversations weren't happening in schools. and there were loads of incidences of inappropriate behaviour, - lots of sexually aggressive behaviour that i think- we weren't educated on, we didn't understand - but we felt uncomfortable with. what do you think boys need to do to change this situation? a lot of these people, or young boys, don't understand that they actually are doing sexual harassment. they might think it's jokes and banter, all these kind of words. it's so much easier to put out a tweet saying, this doesn't apply to me — hashtag, not all men, than it is to actually engage with the meaningful conversation that's happening. frizzahjafri has a teenage son at one of the many schools that has been named. the buck stops with me, as a parent, land what our kids will do eventuallyl i will be the values that they take l away from us, from their parents, ifrom their family, where they grow| up, where they learn from exhibited behaviours and a lot . of stuff that isn't said. so, do you think the parents need to take more responsibility than the schools? we, as parents, cannotjust delegate and outsource our kids' values, - and the way they behave and code of conduct. - the education secretary says the recent allegations are shocking and abhorrent. labour is calling for an inquiry. a police helpline is being set up. it's clear that what some are calling a rape culture in schools will no longer be tolerated. lucy manning, bbc news. the inquiry into the grenfell tower fire, in which 72 people died in 2017, has been told that residents who raised safety concerns prior to the fire were bullied and accused of scaremongering. barristers representing those who lived in the block said residents had correctly identified safety concerns and that the fire was both predictable and preventable. the islamic state group has said it carried out an attack last week in northern mozambique in which dozens of people were killed. a british man is still unaccounted for. thousands were forced to flee the town of palma when militants attacked. 0ur correspondent catherine byaruhanga has sent this report from nairobi. it would have been easy to lose hope, stranded for days in bushes and surrounded by islamist militants. but help finally came. these men are fortunate to have fled the terror in palma. its citizens have been forced to run for their lives. dozens have reportedly been killed. this video was released by a man who eventually forced his way out armed with a gun. his daughter told us he spent days under siege in a hotel. he told us he spent days under siege in a hotel. ., , ., ., ., , told us he spent days under siege in a hotel. .,, ., ., .,, , a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the — a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the hotel _ a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the hotel and _ a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the hotel and he _ a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the hotel and he saw - a hotel. he was one of the last cars to exit the hotel and he saw the - to exit the hotel and he saw the ambush upper head and he and three other people in the car decided to make a run for it. the other people in the car decided to make a run for it.— other people in the car decided to make a run for it. the islamic state has claimed — make a run for it. the islamic state has claimed responsibility - make a run for it. the islamic state has claimed responsibility for - make a run for it. the islamic state has claimed responsibility for the i has claimed responsibility for the attack on palma. it was carried out by its mozambican branch. the group has staged a bloody insurgency in the cabo delgado region since 2017. the area has some of the world's largest natural gas reserves. it was on wednesday that insurgents launched the surprise attack on palma, a few miles north of a multibillion pound gas facility run by the french firm total. close to 200 foreign and local contractors took refuge at a hotel in palma. some tried to escape in a convoy of cars on friday, aiming for a nearby beach. but they were ambushed and at least seven were killed. 0ne beach. but they were ambushed and at least seven were killed. one of them was 40—year—old adrian nel from south africa. mr; was 40-year-old adrian nel from south africa-— south africa. my son was killed unnecessarily _ south africa. my son was killed unnecessarily so, _ south africa. my son was killed unnecessarily so, in _ south africa. my son was killed unnecessarily so, in a - south africa. my son was killed unnecessarily so, in a very - south africa. my son was killed i unnecessarily so, in a very violent and unacceptable way. he was just such a kind, loving, joyful person, and nobody deserves to die like that. fix. and nobody deserves to die like that. �* ., . ., ,, , that. a fleet of civilian vessels has been _ that. a fleet of civilian vessels has been sailing _ that. a fleet of civilian vessels has been sailing up _ that. a fleet of civilian vessels has been sailing up to - that. a fleet of civilian vesselsj has been sailing up to palma's that. a fleet of civilian vessels - has been sailing up to palma's coast to rescue survivors, but not everyone has made it outjust yet. and families both in mozambique and abroad are desperate for any news they can get. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, nairobi. let's return to the easing of lockdown in england. with the rule of six, groups can now meet outside, and families from two households can get together. and for the first time in months, children's parties can take place, as adina campbell reports. so, you're pressing into your heels, and your head—chest stays up. that's it. feeling the burn in the fresh air. for these mums in manchester, they're now able to get fit again outdoors and, more importantly, socialise face—to—face. oh, it feels great. ifeel happy already, i'm happier than i've been without being able to do anything like this, definitely. it's been quite difficult, actually, a bit isolating, not being able to meet new mums, so this is really exciting we can do this now. now that the stay—at—home message in england has been lifted, outdoor group activities can once again continue, meaning up to 15 parents can take part in parent—and—child groups, and this next stage out of lockdown means friends and family can finally see each other in open spaces, providing they stay socially—distanced. but for the time being, they have to stick to the rule of six, which also includes children of all ages. the rule of six in england now means a group of up to six people can now meet outdoors for things like picnics and barbecues, and they can be from six different households. alternatively, two households can now get together outside, regardless of the number of people, making it much easier for largerfamilies. and with weather like this in some parts of the country, today has been made even sweeter. wearing a dress her favourite superhero would be proud of, today, storm got to celebrate her third birthday in the sunshine, with a special surprise. it's a really special day for us. storm's actually a premature baby, she was born at 24 weeks, so to celebrate her birthdays, it means a lot to our family, and we would normally do it with lots of us. i think that's the worst part of lockdown, isn't it, just not having that physical touch and that presence of people, because it's just not the same on zoom and stuff, is it? storm's godfather was also invited — an emotional reunion, after a year apart. i know, ifeel like i'm doing something wrong! but it's a blessing, really, because we kind of got into a new norm of kind of staying away, only contacting via phone or, you know, so it's nice to actually see someone in person.