welcome to bbc news. a warm welcome if you're watching in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm mike embley. the headlines: president donald trump bans all flights from mainland europe for 30 days to try to limit the coronavirus pandemic. to keep new cases from entering oui’ to keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states for the next 30 days. the new rules will go to effect friday at midnight. in italy, the new restrictions close all shops except for food stores and pharmacies. a special report from inside south korea's super labs, where they are testing

thousands of viruses a day. tom hanks and his wife confirmed they have tested positive for they have tested positive for the virus in australia and will self—isolate. hello. in the past few hours, president trump has announced a ban on all travel from europe to the us for 30 days to try to limit the spread of coronavirus. the restriction applies to foreign nationals who have been in 26 european countries with open borders agreements in the past 14 days. addressing the nation from the white house, the president said the ban, which comes into attack from friday, won't apply to the uk. president trump also announced plans to supply billions of dollars in loans to small businesses to try to minimise the economic impact of the pandemic.

after consulting with our top government health officials, i've decided to take several strong but necessary actions to protect the health and well—being of all americans. to keep new cases from entering oui’ keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states and for the next 30 days. the new rules will go into effect friday at midnight. these restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground. there will be exemptions of americans who have undergone appropriate screenings, and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo but various other things as we get approval. anything coming from europe to the united states is what we are discussing. these restrictions will also not apply to the united kingdom. well, it's a dramatic shift in position for a president who only a couple of days ago was describing the virus as no worse than seasonal flu and possibly a hoax. i spoke to our

correspondent david willis. the facts are really now beyond dispute, and they include the fa ct dispute, and they include the fact that more than 1000 people here in the united states are 110w here in the united states are now known to have the coronavirus, and there have been more than 30 deaths. so, you're absolutely right, the president not that long ago was saying basically this will all go away if we stay calm and don't panic, and he's also blamed the media and democrats for basically trying to play this up. well, that statement from the oval office of the white house tonight, an acknowledgement i think that he 110w acknowledgement i think that he now believes it is much more serious, this crisis, than he had originally taken it to be. the fact that we have this travel restriction coming into effect, a 30 day travel restriction on people coming to the us from europe aside from those coming from the uk, bound

to have a very serious impact on the economy here at a time where tourism, travelling, is getting going, if you like ahead of the springbank holiday and easter. david, there must be questions of how much he can do himself by executive order, how much will require congress, whether congress is even sitting given the way the pandemic is progressing. also so much would seem to be about. other people coming into the united states ringing the virus, as he sees it, very little about. the spread between americans? that's right, although the president did refer bleakly to public gatherings, large public gatherings, but he didn't major in on that, mike, you're absolutely right, even though in certain parts of this country, one thinks of seattle in washington state, for example, in certain counties there, public gatherings are being restricted to no more than 250 people for the simple

reason there's been such an explosion of coronavirus cases there. but i think underpinning this, amongst other things, is the fact that this has had such an economic toll on this country. the stock markets have plunged from their peak in february. the dow jones plunged from their peak in february. the dowjones losing 20% of its value. this is one of the things that president donald trump has hailed about his time in office, with an election just around the corner, of course, in november of this year. has management and the effect of the economic boom has had on the stock market. well, we've seen that wiped out in recent weeks all because of this virus. another indication that president donald trump and his administration clearly does need to take this very seriously, mike. david willis for us there. wa nts wants the impact of all of this on the financial markets? let's getan on the financial markets? let's get an update from asia business report and monica miller. the president stressed

several times it's not a financial crisis but it has impacts? in asia we have seen markets deepening and that was before the announcement but there's been a big sell—off. 0n there's been a big sell—off. 0n the nikkei, they have saved more than 5%, the hang seng in hong kong has lost 3.5% and in australia, the asx 200 is down 6% and this comes after prime minister scott morrison had announced an $11 billion aid package to help business impacted by the coronavirus. president donald trump had earlier said he had signed a bill... $8.3 billion to help businesses in the us but now he wa nts businesses in the us but now he wants congress to consider upping that number to $50 billion. as you said, he doesn't see this as a financial crisis. he said this restriction on travel to europe, not the uk, but certainly for travel within

europe, it's affecting people, not essences. monica millerfor us monica miller for us there. in italy, europe's worst affected country, spending has been increased to help the economy cope. the prime minister has announced tighter restrictions, including closing all restrictions, including closing a ll stores restrictions, including closing all stores accept pharmacies and food shops. tourists and visitors can leave at present but italian residents are only allowed to travel for serious work and family reasons. 12,005 people in italy now have the virus, the number of deaths has jumped by 200 to 837. —— 12,500. mark glowing reports from rome. connecting the epicentres. a doctor in wuhan and those in europe's equivalent, northern italy. colleagues in crisis sharing the know—how. we reached that italian doctor on the right in his hospital. the first to diagnose coronavirus here. it hit like a bomb that has kept on exploding. the first few hours, we received 10, 50,

60, 70, until 200 patients in our emergency department and we had some hours where the oxygen supplies sockets were insufficient to give oxygen to all the patients. so we were in a sort of, let me say, war scenario. but, in his town, it may have peaked. with no cases there, in the past day, it could be a sign of containment working. i think that what we did in this area has demonstrated that we are on the right pathway. so i am quite optimistic, i am quite confident that this could be the right way to go. but the rest of italy is days behind, and the virus is still surging. rome is quiet with limits on movement. under new restrictions beginning tonight, companies must close departments not needed for production and all shops apart from food stores or pharmacies will be closed.

we can see how the new measures are affecting daily life. pharmacies are only allowing customers in one at a time. at the next—door cafes, tables must be one metre apart. they will close at 6pm. if you come over here, you can see a children's playground over there is closed, as are schools, universities, cinemas, theatres and so many other venues. several airlines have closed many flights in and out, a concern for brenda and andrws samuels. their hotel here shutting on friday because of a lack of customers. i'm not worried about the disease, we're taking all precautions we can but we're worried about going home, whether we will... our flight will get us home. police have a new target — traffickers of hand gel

and face masks, cracking a ring that tried to make a huge profit, like prized drugs, in these dystopian times. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. for the first time, the world health organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic. head of the who said this is because of what he called deep concern over alarming levels of inaction in some countries. in south korea, a network of over 100 laboratories have been set up testing more people per capita than anywhere else in the world. our correspondent in seoul, laura bicker, has had access to one of the super labs, conducting thousands of tests every day. getting critical patients to hospital is a race against time. they have to be tracked and tested, quickly. so in this battle to contain the contagion, these labs have become the front line. so, because of the safety, we are not going to go into this room. this is where the samples

are being opened and prepared. they're testing up to 20,000 people a day, more than any other country in the world. a lesson learned from bitter experience with previous infectious diseases. so, is this the busiest you've ever been? yes. this is my busiest day. the computer programme can tell whether the sample is positive or negative for the virus. how long does the process take? the whole process takes about 5—6 hours. so it's quite quick? i think it's quite quick. scientists believe early testing and early treatment could be why fewer people are dying here. makeshift clinics such as this one are set up to combat mass infections. nearly 100 staff at this building in seoul contracted covid—19 — now everyone who works here will be tested. there is no shortage of kits — they were mass produced to prepare for this outbreak. the blood of recovered

patients like mr lee is also being monitored in the hope of finding antibodies and potentially a vaccine. lee told me he had almost no symptoms, just a little cough. translation: it's really important to be cautious and safe, but i wish people would have less fear of the virus itself. but i also know those who are older need to be careful. while they appear to be containing this outbreak for now, they know that with coronavirus, there's no room for complacency. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. still with the pandemic, let's round up some of the other news briefly. the entire nba basketball season has been suspended because a player has tested as a div. a game between utah jazz and oklahoma tested as a div. a game between utahjazz and oklahoma city thunder was cancelled when a doctor said an athlete had been infected moments after it

started. india has stop for tourist visas until april and it has quarantined virus... visas until april and it has quarantined virus. .. the country has advised indians to avoid all non—essential travel abroad. denmark is the second european country to announce a lockdown, it has had a tenfold surging? since monday. all kindergartens, schools and universities will close for two weeks and events will be banned. saudi arabia is closing cinemas until further notice as cases of coronavirus double in 24 cases of coronavirus double in 2a hours. the kingdom has already closed schools and restricted travel. much more on the coronavirus outbreak on our website. a guide from our medical correspondent on what you need to do if you to self—isolate. go to bbc.com/news, or download the bbc news app. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this the worst terrorist

atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much do you think? i don't know really. i've never been married before.

welcome back. very glad to have you with us on bbc news. the latest headline this hour: president trump has banned all flights from mainland europe to the us for 30 days from friday to try to limit the coronavirus pandemic. he also recommended all nursing homes suspended all unnecessary visits. the elderly population must be very, very careful stop in particular we are strongly advising that nursing homes for the elderly to spend all unnecessary visits. in general, older americans should also avoid non—essential travel and crowded areas. lissa campbell isa crowded areas. lissa campbell is a nurse in san antonio. i do agree with the president that we do... our elderly population

has to be very careful because they are at greater risk of coronavirus, especially if they have chronic diseases, respiratory diseases. so i do agree that limited exposure to the elderly who may reside in nursing homes or even in the community definitely needs to be implemented. we've heard the administration is pressing health insurers to help people out. there has been a concern as to whether there are enough testing kits, what hasyour experience been? testing kits, what has your experience been? yes, sir. many states have been clamouring to get more test kits. i know the cdc and other government agencies and independent testing centres are trying to roll them out as quickly as possible but there aren't enough test kits to test everybody who could be potentially exposed and positive. we really don't have a true number of the cases in the united states. it seems a lot of the action may come down to individual cities, individual states.

do you feel you're getting enough support in your situation? i believe that we need better systems of mobilisation. unfortunately, this hasn't been addressed as much as it should but our public health system has been woefully underfunded for decades and we really need... it's kind of like, if you need a fireman, you want the firemen there when you need them. public health professionals are trained to address issues like the pandemic and we have been underfunded and understaffed. i would say if the us government would do anything, it should definitely increase funding to public health. are you concerned are you about this virus now it's officially a pandemic? yes, i'm seriously concerned about it. we'll have to take it seriously and we all have to practice measures that will reduce, not only our risk, but the risk

to the community and our loved ones. i'm sure you are familiar with the measures that we need to be implementing but everybody needs to practise those. the uk is to step up its response. it is expected we will move to a containment phase to delay. eight people have died. jessica parker has more details. another copra meeting by the prime minister is expected. thejudge, bra. we have been kind of on the bottom line of what is known as contained and delay. —— cobra.

finding people who have been infected, finding people they have been in contact with. delay, a further range of measures. you are not necessarily going to see an announcement that schools are going to be shut and sports stadium close down. what we are being pointed to is what chris whitty outlined as possible social distancing measures at a press co nfe re nce social distancing measures at a press conference earlier this week and the idea that those showing mild symptoms, respiratory tract infection, might be asked to self isolate for a time. i think ministers will also be looking at that range of steps that would be taken over a time over weeks and months. the anxiety from the government governments perspective is not to go too fast too soon and to take

measured steps as this outbreak carries on spreading. jessica parker for us there. oscar—winning tom hanks has been in australia filming an upcoming elvis presley biopic and said he and his wife have been diagnosed with coronavirus. yes, tom hanks did release that online saying he and his wife rita wilson were suffering from being very tired, they had aches and colds and did a test and those tests confirmed that they were suffering from covid—19. they say they will stay in isolation for as long as it takes, tom hanks adding in that statement, mike, that they would be taking it one step at a time. now, they are in isolation in hospital on the gold coast in queensland in eastern australia, filming for that film about elvis presley with filming due to start next monday. difficult to gauge the mood of tom hanks in this statement but it seemed he was in

reasonably good spirits, given the fact he and his wife have been confirmed to have the coronavirus. he is pretty active on social media, isn't he? there will be a lot of people worried about getting it, watching his feed. and for information on how he deals with having it? yes, and the australian government is spending millions of dollars on a public awareness campaign here to try to urge australians follow the official advice. this advertising campaign is meant to thwart some of the misinformation and inaccuracies found on social media around the coronavirus. and you're right, tom hanks is pretty prolific online and his statement is very sensible. he was saying he felt ill, he was tested and now he's doing what medical authorities are advising him to do. he is in isolation in isolation in a hospital here in eastern australia and he says that he will stay there as long as it takes.

phil mercerfor us there. other news, in new york the former hollywood producer harvey weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. our north america correspondent nick bryant was in court. there was joy in this moment for the victims of harvey weinstein. that the convicted rapist will spend so long behind bars, that their voices have finally been heard. in courtjessica mann and mimi haley delivered victim statements describing how he ruined their lives and then had to listen to weinstein‘s rambling remarks, in which he expressed remorse for the women but also the men going through this crisis. then came the sentencing, 23 years. there were gasps in the courtroom as the sentence was read out, not least because it's so severe. most legal analysts had expected 10—15 years. so from this courthouse in manhattan, a punishment that will echo around the world.

this is whatjustice looks like, 20 plus three years. the model tarale wulff was one of the women who testified during the trial. for the first time i can say i can feel a sense of happiness, i guess. because this is not a happy circumstance to be, that we are all here for. but i feel joyous. this is very severe, what is your response? ridiculous, is what it is. harvey weinstein‘s defence team had sough the minimum sentence of five years in prison. he faces 23. i think that number is a cowardly number to give. i think the judge caved, just as i believe the jury caved and i am not happy. but it is the feelings of weinstein‘s victims that matter and for the model, ambra battilana gutierrez, that number, 23, is especially poignant. i was 23 when he assaulted me. that is the number when my

life was ruined, so... and your response to today's sentence? i am super happy. from his limousine to a prison van, from the red carpets of hollywood to the notorious rikers island jail in new york, a metoo message, especially to men of power that wealth and menace offer no immunity from prosecution. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. an ancient town in turkey thought to be more than 12,000 years old has been engulfed by floodwaters from a new dam. feya cole reports. 12,000 years ago, the town of hasankeyf stood proudly by the shores of the tigris river. residents say their ancestors would spend their days growing and trading fruit, like pomegranates. but now the village centre, with scores of ancient architecture, is surrounded by

water and it's not going away. translation: i used to work in the tourism industry. i told the story of this place, but unfortunately, the last few months, no—one come here. the turkish government started feeling the ilisu hydroelectric dam mid last year. by october, homes in this ancient town were inundated. around 3,000 residents were forced to relocate to a government built village on the other side of the river. but some residents are standing by the justification. translation: above all, it's good for the energy sector, for power generation, but it will also be useful and beneficial for agriculture. the full extent of the damage caused by the swollen river is yet to be known. a court battle to save the ancient town was lost, only some cultural artefacts have been salvaged. so now all residents can do is sit and watch while their homes slowly go under. freya cole, bbc news.

more on all the news any time on the bbc website. thank you for watching. hello. meteorologically speaking, it is now the start of spring. but of course, winter is not that far behind us and i think we will get a reminder of that through the next couple of days. cold air flooding into the uk around an area of low pressure will bring us quite a few showers actually, on thursday, the most frequent closest to the low centre, so across the northern half of the uk. but can't rule out some pretty sharp ones whipping through on that strong wind further south, either. and as you can see, the blue has flooded its way right across the uk for today, but all sitting in the polarair. so it will add a definite chill to proceedings, even where we see some sunshine. but after showers overnight and plunging temperatures, snow and ice are a possible

hazard as we start our morning commute. there could be some further falling snow through the earlier part of the day as well for scotland, for the higher ground of northern england and for northern ireland. we should see the snow levels rising as the day progresses, however. some showers to the south, though, could have a little bit of hail mixed in with them from time to time. there'll be quite squally winds here, too. but the showers should be more scattered, they'll tend to come in more persistent bands to the north of the uk, across northern ireland, parts of northern england and scotland. it will feel chilly and the wind, while the strongest across southern scotland, northern england, northern ireland and to the north—west of wales, gusts could touch up to 60 miles per hour here but gusts of a0 miles per hour quite widely. through thursday evening, still a lot of showers around, then we move into the small hours of friday and things start to become quieter. we pick up a northerly wind on the length of the north sea, that will feed some showers into eastern counties the uk, temperatures fall away across the northern half of the uk and in particular again into the small hours of friday. so ice a risk for the north

of the uk for first thing on friday once again but our showers will tend to shift offshore quite quickly through friday morning as high pressure starts to build just a little ridge — a brief ridge of high pressure starts to build for friday daytime. so the early showers clear, the northerly wind eases, there'll be pleasant sunshine the majority for a time at least before our next low starts to approach from the south—west as we get into friday afternoon. the wind will begin to pick up once again and we'll see the arrival of some further rainfall. and then it's another weekend, another area of low pressure. saturday the wettest of the weather to the north—west of the uk. for sunday, this front needs to make its way through so i suspect all of us will see some rain at some stage. so quite a bit of cloud around widely around the uk on saturday, rainfall fairly limited. sunday definitely looks like soggier prospects across the board.

welcome to bbc news.

i'm mike embley. our top stories: president donald trump has announced the us will ban flights from mainland europe for 30 days from friday to try to contain the spread of coronavirus, now officially a pandemic. speaking from the oval office, mr trump said the flight ban won't apply to the uk or permanent us residents. he announced plans to apply billions of dollars in loans to small businesses and encourage health insurers to help those affected. in italy, new restrictions will close all shops for two weeks except food stores and pharmacies. it's estimated 12,500 are infected. the death toll has jumped by nearly 200 in the past day alone to 827. disgraced film producer harvey weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. he was found guilty in new york last month. he still faces charges in los angeles.