i'm lewis vaughan jones in london. the headlines: the british prime minister borisjohnson says the country world leaders prepare for the worst. boris johnson world leaders prepare for the worst. borisjohnson says many families will lose loved ones before their time due to coronavirus. spectacular falls on global stock markets — the dow has its worst day since 1987 — plunging 10%. i'm mariko oi in singapore. also in the programme: philippine president rodrigo duterte announces plans for a lockdown of the capital manila — one of the world's most densely—populated cities. one year on, new zealand remembers the victims of the country's deadliest mass shooting.

live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 8am in singapore and midnight here in london where borisjohnson has given a stark warning about the threat posed by the coronavirus — saying that it's the worst public health crisis for a generation. in france they've gone further, emmanual marcron calling it the worst health crisis in a century. he's ordered all schools to close. in italy — already in full lockdown with travel severely restricted — the death toll has passed 1,000. in a moment, we'll look at the worst day for finanical markets in decades. but first here's what the british prime minister had to say about the human cost of this pandemic. we must be clear. this is the worst public health crisis for

a generation. some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas, that is not right. 0wing to the lack of immunity, this disease is more dangerous and it is going to spread further andi it is going to spread further and i must level with you and with the british public, more families, many more families, are going to lose loved ones before their time. the french president has now ordered all schools, creches and universities to close from monday. he also stressed just how dangerous coronavirus could be. translation: this epidemic, which has affected every continent, is the worst health crisis that france has faced in 100 years. for the overwhelming majority, covid—19 is not serious. but the virus could have serious consequences for those of our compatriots who

are elderly or suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity or cancer. that's why this evening i ask all of you who are over 70 or suffer from respiratory problems or are disabled to stay home as much as possible. stock markets have been hit badly, recording some of their biggest ever one—day losses. the ftse100 in london closed nearly 11% down after the worst day's trading in more than 30 years. and on wall street stocks dived again, triggering a second emergency halt in trading and even mid—day intervention by the federal reserve. but that failed to stop the sell—off. but what options are still available to the federal reserve? our business correspondent samira hussain gave her assessment from new york.

there are very few tools that the federal reserve has available so the fed did in object one point $5 trillion into the market to calm nervous investors and temporarily it did. but what markets want to see is broader economic intervention, they want to see some kind of tax cut. others have been talking about infrastructure spending to try and spur more economic activity. but that would require both houses of government to try and agree on something and as we know in this very divided congress we are yet to see any kind of movement in terms of getting closer to that economic stimulus that donald trump had hinted at on monday. the japanese market has just reopened for trade and they are down by almost 11%. more on the

reaction from asian market shortly in newsday. israel is to close schools and universities to counter the spread of the disease. prime minister benjamin netanyahu made the announcement in a televised statement in which he also called on his political rivals to form an emergency unity government. he said the priority, in his words, "was to save the lives of numerous citizens". india has reported its first death from coronavirus. the authorities have ordered schools, theatres and cinemas to close for the rest of the month, hoping to keep the pandemic at bay. the government in karnataka said a 76—year—old man who died on tuesday had been confirmed as a coronavirus carrier. within the past hour, organisers have cancelled this weekend's australian grand prix because of coronavirus. this the decision was made just hours before the first practice session was due to get underway in melbourne. on thursday, world champion lewis hamilton said

he was stunned the race was still going ahead. the arsenal head coach, mikel arteta, has tested positive for the virus. the coronavirus pandemic is affecting sports events around the world. the match against brighton on saturday has now been postponed. premier league will hold an emergency meeting on friday to discuss future fixtures. the french football federation has called off all matches until further notice. shortly after holding the european premiere of the film ‘mulan‘ — without a red carpet event — disney has announced that it's delaying the full release of the movie. other movie releases that have been delayed over the virus outbreak include a quiet place 2, fast & furious 9 and the james bond film no time to die. and disneyland in california says it's closing its doors from saturday in response to the threat posed by the virus.

itjoins a number of prominent concerts, festivals and other entertainment events that have been scrapped across the us. it's the world's second—most visited theme park, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each day. it will remain shut at least until the end of the month. let's turn to how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the united states. there was concern in europe and washington over donald trump's restrictions on people travelling to the us from 26 different european countries. that was on wednesday. now there's disagreement brewing over how well, or how badly, the us is testing people for the virus. the united states has more the 1,300 confirmed cases — and there have been at least 38 deaths. president trump has said the us's testing system for returning travellers is excellent.

ifan if an american or anyone is coming back we are testing them. we have a tremendous testing set up where people coming in must be tested. if they are positive and able to get through because, frankly, if they are not, we are not putting them on planes if they show positive. but if they do come here they have to do have quarantine. it will be a strong enforcement of quarantine. the key is you need separation. you need separation or this thing ta kes need separation or this thing takes longer to go away. but the really important and i think you can say this for a lot of countries, all countries, hopefully, it goes away. it has gone away. we wa nted away. it has gone away. we wanted to go away with very few deaths stop we call it cases, how many cases do you have. relative to other countries we have very few cases, many major

countries have a bigger problem than us. but the top us official on infectious diseases, dr anthony fauci has been answering questions at a congressional hearing. he had a very different view from mr trump on how easily people in the us can get tested. the system is not really here to what we need right now. what you are asking for. that is failing. it is a failing. admit it. the fact is the way the system was set up is that the public health component that doctor redfield was talking about was a system where we put it out there in the public and a physician asks for and you get it. the idea of anyone getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we are not set up for that. do i think we should be? yes, but we are not. earlier i asked david willis in los angeles, exactly what the situation with testing was in the united states.

the lack of testing kits is undoubtedly the achilles heel as far as combating the effects of this virus. the united states opted to develop its own test and there were problems with it and that has left it lagging behind other countries. indeed, to date, it has been estimated that about 11,000 tests in total have been conducted here in the united states stop compare that to the 20,000 tests a day that are being carried out in south korea and you have a considerable discrepancy. and you heard their from the leading expert on communicable diseases in the us, he went on to concede that this represented a failure on part of the trump administration response to the coronavirus. the bottom line is that the united states does not know how

many people here have coronavirus and it may not find that out for many weeks. this is not the first time during this crisis that we heard a difference in language and state m e nts difference in language and statements from the president and then clarifications, shall we say, from different government departments or experts. absolutely. and that has played into the criticism that we have seen from the democratic contenders for the presidential nomination. joe biden and bernie sanders, both of whom today addressed the media and accused donald trump of mismanaging this crisis. they both called for free testing and treatment of people who play —— display symptoms. the administration has also been criticised for its decision to basically ban or suspend, the travel of people from 26 european nations for

the next month. there is a feeling that that effort has been misdirected and many experts here also say that perhaps there should be more attention paid to equipping hospitals and making sure that they are ready and equipped to deal with possible influx of patients with coronavirus, some projected got —— some predicted could eventually reach into the millions. now, the markets in asia opening, what is happening? another day i am afraid. the japanese and korean markets are down by more than 6%, almost 7% in fact, trading in south korea has been halted for 20 minutes because of the sharp fall. the japanese yen, a safe haven currency is in high demand and that does not help the japanese market because exporter shares fall at the time the yen is strong. we will

continue to monitor that. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: how the philippines is preparing to deal with a spread of coronavirus cases. also on the programme: we answer some of the common questions people have been asking about the virus. 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. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. i'm lewis vaughan jones in london. our top stories. the british prime minister borisjohnson says the country is facing the worst public health crisis in a generation there've been spectacular falls on financial markets around the world — the dow recorded its worst day since 1987. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. there's sobering news

in the japan times which warns a last—resort remedy for severe cases of covid—19 may be in short supply. specialist ecmo machines can be used to help coronavirus sufferers but most of those available, are already needed for patients with other serious heart and lung issues. singapore's business times says the prime minister sees no need to raise the disease outbreak response level alert to red. while prime minister lee says the situation in singapore remains under control, the paper reports he told a tv audience the outbreak could continue for up to a year, or longer. and the financial times reports on what it's describing as the worst day for london's top 100 companies since the black monday crash of 1987. the ftse ended the day down 10.9%. the ft says markets responded violently to donald trump's travel ban

on european countries — one analyst described the announcement as, "the most expensive speech in history". as new zealand's approaches the first anniversary of the country's deadliest mass shooting, prayers are being held in christchurch. 51 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at the al noor and linwood mosques, during friday prayers. this is what the prime minister said a short time ago. a year ayearon, i a year on, i believe new zealand and its people have fundamentally changed. i don't see how you could have an event like these are not but the challenge for us will be in ensuring that in our everyday actions and every opportunity where we see bullying, harassment, racism, discrimination, calling it out

asa discrimination, calling it out as a nation, it will show that we each individually have a role to play in making sure new zealand has fundamentally changed for the better. and thatis changed for the better. and that is what we must do. our correspondent shaimaa khaliljoins me now from christchurch. you just attended the press conference of the prime minister. this event a year ago shocked the nation. how is the city, the country and people coping one year on? it's a day thatis coping one year on? it's a day that is going to conjure up very, very difficult memories and as you say, this attack of course devastated the muslim community and devastated this peaceful city of christchurch but really shocked new zealand. we've been seeing a steady strea m we've been seeing a steady stream of worshippers from the al—noor mosque to this arena behind me, expecting large numbers to attend friday prayers today, not just numbers to attend friday

prayers today, notjust from hearing christchurch. we understand from the muslim community across the country coming together, and the roman —— remembering this difficult today but in solidarity with the rest of the people here. families, mothers, young children but again, it was during friday prayers a week ago —— a year ago that a gunman killed 53 people and injured dozens more. i've been speaking to some young people who say the remembering of it is almost as difficult as living through it because you go through these emotions. prime minister herself has spoken about the kind of support that the government has been affording and offering the community, main mainly on mental health and supporting the muslim community. she spoke a lot about standing up to racism, against bullying and making sure that all of new zealand is united against it and she spoke about the steps the government has taken since that event,

mainly on gun reform and the fa ct mainly on gun reform and the fact that after the banning of semiautomatic weapons, military grade semiautomatic weapons, military g ra d e style semiautomatic weapons, military grade style weapons, more than 60,000 weapons have been taken off circulation. she says there are more phases on that to come but of course, it is a very difficult time. it is going to be difficult for families who lost loved ones to be here today and remember what happened that day. thank you for that update. in the philippines, president rodrigo duterte has raised the country's public health emergency to the highest level in response to a rise in covid—19 cases. the country has a total of 52 confirmed cases and five deaths. but experts believe there is under—reporting of cases because of a short supply of test kits. our philippines correspondent howard johnson sent this report. the authorities hearsay practice social distancing to reduce the spread of covid—19.

for many living in the squatter areas of the philippine capital, there is no option. this is one of the world's most densely populated cities another they have been locally confirmed transmission cases of covid—19, there are fears busy areas like increase that spread of the virus. the nearby san lazaro public hospital is one of the country's frontlines of the outbreak. it is here the first —— first death of covid—19 outside of china happened another cases are being treated but a well—placed source inside the hospital says staff are struggling to cope. speaking to the bbc on the condition of anonymity, the worker told us that the hospital doesn't have any covid—19 testing kits of its own and with the limited number of isolation rooms, the hospital would be easily overwhelmed there were a spike in cases. translation: some of us in cases. translation: some of us might be infected, and we could run into people who might test positive. according to the source, the hospital has a

maximum capacity to handle around a0 coronavirus patients at any one time. they contacted the department of health but they were unavailable for comment. at covid—19 threaten —— marketing medical school, stu d e nts —— marketing medical school, students are preparing themselves for a covid—19 epidemic. the philippine health minister during the size out break of 2003 warns that if covid—19 cases comes into line with those of italy, he philippine hospitals will become incapacitated. what i think is going to happen is many of these patients would be able to get admitted to hospital and they will be critically ill. i think what happened in were hand, although it is now very well publicised, as when the hospitals couldn't accommodate many of these patients, many of these patients, many of these patients actually died wherever they were. the regional head of they were. the regional head of the world health organization is now urging other countries to show international solidarity. we need the countries to come together to

support those countries with limited capacity. so that they can also equally prepare for their large—scale community outbreak situation. in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, school classes and domestic flights in and out of manila have been suspended but given that covid—19 is already inside this city of 13 million, it may prove to be too little, too late. howard johnson, bbc news, manila. testing is the only way to be sure that you have the disease, but that's just one of the questions people have about the outbreak. the bbc has received nearly 15,000 questions about the coronavirus from viewers. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has been taking a look at some of the most common concerns. my dad's got a chronic lung disease, copd, and i would like to know, how dangerous is coronavirus this for people like him?

for anyone with a lung condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, there is a raised risk from the coronavirus. charities are advising that people take any medication they might need with them at all time and really manage their conditions. the virus is dangerous because it attacks the tissues and airways deep inside the lungs. i'm wondering if, once i've had the illness and if i thankfully get over it, i will then be safe because i'll be immune? is that the case? well, the truth is we don't know, but it seems highly unlikely that you could get the coronavirus more than once. there have been a small number of reports from china of people who say they've had it twice, but usually with a virus, once you've recovered, you have antibodies — and they protect you in case you come into contact with another infected person. ijust wanted to know how long

the coronavirus lasted on various surfaces? if somebody infected with the virus coughs in their hand and then touches, say, this cash machine, it's possible that it could become contaminated. and that's the same for this bank card and this money. it's estimated that it takes up to 72 hours for the virus to die on a hard surface, but it's slightly quicker on something like fabric. a huge amount is still not known. the first cases of the virus emerged just three months ago. but perhaps the best advice is the simplest — wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds, cough or sneeze into a tissue. if you don't have a tissue, use your sleeve. throw tissues in the bin, try not to touch your face

and avoid close contact with people who are unwell. for most people, this coronavirus infection will be mild. but for a small proportion, it is much more serious. these are uncertain times and we don't yet have all the answers. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. you have been watching newsday. we'll be in thailand, where the country's tourism industry has taken a hit in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. we'll ask what they can do to coax people back. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. this is a rescue with a difference in turkey. a ten—year—old boy was dangled into a well in the south—east of the country to rescue a puppy of the country to rescue a

puppy that. down there and after pulling it out safely, we watched it. looking as good as new. hello there. well, the weather ‘s been quite unsettled really, often quite windy with a number often quite windy with a number of showers around. we certainly have plenty of these on thursday and this was one of the shower clouds are spotted on the sides around the wolverhampton area. the satellite picture shows showers swirling around an area of low pressure that is moving out of the north sea at the moment but that's not the last of the lows. we have another couple of swells of cloud, another coming in late on friday and another one working in just—in—time for the weekend. if you're out and about for the next few hours, across northern areas, there will be showers and at times, those will be falling as snow over the hills of scotland. elsewhere, it's going to stay quite windy. temperatures of

the most part keeping above freezing but with a nip of frost in scotland, northern england, we could see if few icy stretches where we see those showers fall. the rest of friday morning, showers get driven down to the north sea by these cold winds and we could see cloud thickened and outbreaks of rain across wales and south—west england. in these two areas, we'll see areas of sunshine that is when moves areas of sunshine that is when m oves a cross wales areas of sunshine that is when moves across wales combined with winds coming across the north sea, we will get this line of moisture which will generate showers, more from merseyside down through the midlands to the greater london area. it could be quite slow—moving and could turn cloudy for a time as well. we got rains on the day across wales and south—west england. the aim becomes more extensive overnight and for the weekend, slow—moving weather front pushes its way eastwards across the uk so we will see rain at times across this weekend. the rain will be followed by showers. so it is an unsettled looking weekend and often it's going to be pretty windy as well. we'll take a look at more

detailed forecasts and on saturday, a strip of cloud, the rain quite heavy in scotland, easing off later in the day but that's only because the next weather system will be racing its way in, bringing more rain across northern ireland and the return of wet weather western scotland. the rain could turn quite heavy across the hills across northern england overnight. and on into sunday as well. fairly large rainfall totals. given how what it's been recently, this could provide a risk of localised flooding. as it moves into east anglia and south—east england, it will then be followed by showers and eventually, we will start to dragon some cool air across northwest areas as well. looking beyond that, we could see some high pressure towards the south, it could become drier in london but it will become rather unsettled further north.

i'm lewis vaughan jones

with bbc world news. our top story. world leaders initiate tougher measures. britain's borisjohnson has called the coronavirus pandemic the worst health crisis in a generation. he warned that many more families would lose loved ones before their time. he said it was important to get the timing right for the toughest procedures. in total, ten people have now died in the uk with the virus. the outbreak has led global stock markets to record some of their biggest ever one—day losses. in new york the dowjones closed 10% down — while european markets also saw double digit falls. and this story is trending on bbc.com: england's football premier league will hold an emergency club meeting on friday regarding future fixtures. it follows arsenal's manager mikel arteta testing positive for the coronavirus. club staff who had recent contact with arteta will now self—isolate. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news,

part two of a special programme bringing together some