hello, this is bbc news, i'm maryam moshiri, our top stories: the european central bank launches a multi billion dollar emergency scheme to ease the impact of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. stock markets across the world continue to plunge dramatically in response to the pandemic, with investors in asia worried about the economic impact. china records no new domestic cases of the coronavirus for the first time since the pandemic began in the city of wuhan last year. while in the uk, emergency legislation to tackle the worsening pandemic there is being introduced in parliament, as schools

are set to close from friday. hello, and welcome to bbc news. the european central bank has launched a huge emergency scheme to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. the $820 billion package will buy government and company debt across the eurozone, especially that of italy and greece, which are in the greatest trouble. italy has italy has suffered italy has suffered the italy has suffered the highest italy has suffered the highest number of deaths in a single day since the outbreak began in china last december. freya cole has this report. it's an unusual sight. sweeping views over paris which revealed the lot down in full force. familiar landmarks deserted stopping the once busy streets, abandoned. at least 250 million people across europe are in

lockdown and it is causing economic panic. the european central bank has issued a call for calm. it has held an emergency meeting and its solution is an $820 billion package to buy public and private assets curb skyrocketing debt comes italy's darkest day yet. it is now poised to overtake china as the worst affected countries. deaths continue to spike despite a stringent lockdown. hospital resources and medical staff are overrun, with no respite insight. worldwide, there is a desperate rush for hospital ventilators. this swiss company says it is working overtime to meet the demand but with no promises. translation: we are extremely challenged. most countries do not have enough respiratory devices. they have underestimated the impact of this virus. a second team of

intensive care medics from china has arrived in italy to assist where possible. for the first time, china has recorded no new local cases of covid—i9. it is cause for celebration but authorities have reported a rise in new patients that have arrived from abroad, sparking fears of a resurgence if it is not properly managed. stock markets in asia have fallen again as investors continue to be worried about the economic impact of the coronavirus. shanghai and hong kong both fell more than 3% in the first few hours of trading. the nikkei index injapan also turned negative after making some gains on opening. the bbc‘s sharanjit leyl is monitoring developments from singapore. as always, the markets hate uncertainty, don't they? it is becoming more and more evident as each day passes. absolutely, you said it, and after the last couple of weeks it has been so

uncertain. those volatile indices that we have been talking about has been incredibly high, and of course all of that, these falling markets, in spite of all the stimulus measures implemented globally, you just heard about the ecb package, we heard markets open positively initially but they all are lower now and that is after that european central bank's promise of stimulus only briefly comforted investors worried about the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. the ecb pledged about 750 billion euros, they are calling it the pandemic emergency purchase programme to buy asset to try to help cushion the blow of the slowdown brought on by the virus. we heard from its head, saying that there were no limits. australia central bank has just limits. australia central bank hasjust made limits. australia central bank has just made an emergency interest rate cut as well to a historic low of a quarter %, thatis historic low of a quarter %, that is part of its measures including injured injecting $7

billion, and shortly after the us markets closed earlier today, also at sharp lows, the dowjones index falling below the 20,000 mark for the first time in three years, president trump signed off yet another stimulus bill there, that would provide free testing, give paid sick leave to hourly employees and expand things like unemployment insurance. none of this seems to have helped soothe investors fears. every market in the region is in the red at the moment and perhaps the most dramatic fall today, has been philippine stocks which plunged by nearly 25%, just moments after the stock exchange resumed trade and this was after a two—day trading suspension. wall street as the other planning to follow suit, saying that it is shutting its trading floor and reverting to

electronic trading as a temporary move to deal with the pandemic and its spread and thatis pandemic and its spread and that is something that the new york stock exchange has not done since 9/11 and hurricane sandy. so many unprecedented events. thank you very much indeed. emergency legislation to tackle the pandemic will be introduced in the uk parliament today, as the disease continues to spread. various measures will be brought in to reduce the threat of the virus and support the nhs, while schools across the uk are set to shut from friday. 104 people have now died in britain after contracting the virus. simonjones reports. schools prepare to close, and nobody knows for how long. exams are being cancelled in england and wales, with decisions due in scotland and northern ireland. after schools shut the gates from friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils, for the vast majority of pupils, until further notice. only the

children of key workers such as nhs staff, police and delivery drivers and pupils considered vulnerable will be allowed to go in. the decision to shut schools is one that ministers have been putting off taking for as long as they felt they could. they recognise the turmoil that this is going to create for families and not least pupils who now face an uncertain educational future, but with the virus spreading the government felt it had no choice but to act. tools and universities are calling for urgent clarity about how children will be assessed. they will work with exam boards to make sure that people get the qualifications they need. the walton family from bristol are left with questions. holly won't set her gcses and millie, who is a teacher, will have two look after the children at home. 12 years of my life, everybody told me this is the pinnacle, this is what you are going to do. we are going to be

the generation that hasn't sat gcses and a—levels. the results will be tainted by that and i think is important that we just support them as much as we can. it is not just support them as much as we can. it is notjust schools being shut, part of the underground network in london are to be closed. to help the nhs, emergency laws will be introduced in parliament which will allow the registration of retired or soon to be qualified nurses and paramedics. there will also be legislation to protect renters from eviction. from today, a new tv advert will offer health advice, but the warning as there may be more restrictions on daily life to come. is going to be a long haul, we have described it as a marathon, not a sprint, and we do have to be able to do things over many weeks to months, if we are going to actually seriously get on top of this epidemic that is heading our way. and there may well be

significant other things that the prime minister may wish to do. but as the queues at the supermarket illustrate, this is a nation on edge, unclear what the future holds. let's round—up some of the other developments in brief: german chancellor angela merkel has given an unprecedented televised address regarding the virus. she said the pandemic is the country's greatest challenge since the second world war, and the number of loved ones lost will depend on how strictly people follow the rules. portugal has also declared a national state of emergency for the first time in 46 years. as well as restricting people's movements, the measures may include suspending the right of workers in essential sectors to strike. portugal has 6112 confirmed cases of the virus so far, with two reported deaths. australian government has announced a total travel ban on anyone entering the country u nless anyone entering the country unless they are a citizen or

resident. minister morrison said the majority of covid—19 cases in the country have been imported stopping the ban kicks in on friday. chile's president sebastian pinera has declared a 90—day state of catastrophe, giving his government greater power to restrict freedom of movement and protect supply chains. chile has recorded more than 200 cases of covid—19 so far. donald trump has signed an emergency economic relief bill that would provide free testing for covid—19 and paid leave for certain workers in the united states. the measure is worth about a hundred billion dollars. now for the latest out of the us, we cross to correspondent, david willis, in los angeles. how are these announcements going down in the us? the legislation in question is called the families first coronavirus response act, as you mentioned it is a 100 billion dollarfiscal

you mentioned it is a 100 billion dollar fiscal stimulus package, it provides a variety of safety nets, free testing for those who think they may have the coronavirus, also paid sick leave for those who have developed symptoms, and also payments for those who have children whose schools have closed because of the coronavirus. that legislation was signed into law by president trump shortly after the senate had passed it and the senate had passed it and the senate had passed it and the senate will remain in session to consider a much bigger stimulus package, this one said to be around $1 trillion in value which will include individual payments to americans in the form of a check, perhaps $1000 apiece, and bailout funding for worst hit industries, not least the airline industry which has been badly hit here by the lack of travellers. two us congressmen

have tested positive for the coronavirus, that is bound to send a shiver down the spine of many in congress, many of congress's members are old and president trump has invoked legislation passed at the start of the korean war to ramp up the production of medical supplies, among them hospital masks. he has also getting in two us navy hospital ships which are being sent to the east and west coast respectively in case there is additional demand for hospital beds stopping the president today said he was a wartime president but this was a battle the us would win. ok david, thank you very much indeed. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: with schools closing around the world, how one toddler group in the uk is keeping children — and their families —

entertained. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's

what the voters wanted. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the european central bank launches a multi—billion dollar emergency scheme to ease the impact of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. meanwhile, stock markets across the world continue to plunge dramatically in response to the pandemic, with investors in asia worried about the economic impact. china has recorded no new domestic case of the coronavirus for the first time since the pandemic began in the city of wuhan late last year. 2a new cases have been confirmed, but they are people who came from abroad. let's get more form our correspondent stephen mcdonell who's in beijing. this is good news, isn't it, stephen, really, given what china and wuhan in particular

have had to go through in the last few months? yeah, just think about it, a few weeks ago we we re think about it, a few weeks ago we were talking about 80,000 plus cases and now to have it finally come to the day when there is zero new infections, homegrown infections right across china, well, it is quite something. they know some people will look at the figures and say they can't be believed, for example there is the possibility of underreporting by officials who don't want the central government to think they are not handling the situation well all people not turning up to hospital, not being counted, but in trained terms the change is enormous. as they say, 80,000 infections in china, we are now down to only 7000 of those currently ill -- asi only 7000 of those currently ill —— as i say. that is 70,000 people who have recovered. the remarkable turnaround in china.

as if to sort of, symbolically a list, show there is a big change in wuhan, the city where the crisis began, for the first day in months people are going to be allowed to walk out of their homes. it's going to be a sort of staggered process, so it is not all of a sudden massive crowds in the streets. but everyone has been allocated certain times you can go outside. i think you will be restricted to initiallyjust walking around inside your housing compound, but can you imagine those people who have been cooped up for so long inside their homes in the heart of the crisis finally going for a little bit of a walk outside and breathing the fresh air? it must be remarkable there for them today. absolutely, stephen, completely. you talk about a staggered process. how long before, do you think at all, life can go back to normal in that area? i think it is quite a way off from sort of

normal, because even in beijing we are not anywhere near normal stop i mean, officers now can be opened, but only with half the staff, they have to sit a few metres away, many shops and the likes still not open. it is a slow process of getting back to work. you are seeing every day a few more people on the streets. but the worry is there are so many people still arriving here, because a lot of people now getting out of europe and north america, chinese people returning to china thinking this is this a place to be, some of them are bringing the virus back with them, by the dozens at a time, actually, including some who a p pa re ntly actually, including some who apparently know they are sick getting on board the plane ‘s taking drugs to try to suppress the fever so they can suppress the fever so they can suppress the flight. i imagine they are potentially infecting people on the flights and in the airports. so for that reason the authorities here are not ready yet to start, you know,

pulling off all these restrictions. it still is a situation of let wait and see how this all pans out because they don't want another sudden explosion in infections here when it seems now that the emergency is under control. ok, steve mcdonell, thank you very much. danielle shami from tel aviv in israel has become known as patient 7a. she tested positive for coronavirus last week. after describing her "shock and panic" at the diagnosis, the 33—year—old began posting daily updates on social media about her medical isolation. 0ur middle east correspondent, tom bateman has been hearing her story. 0k, ok, so 0k, soi ok, so i am danny, danielle. and here i am known as patient 74 and here i am known as patient 7a all, like, corona casualty number 7a. 7a all, like, corona casualty number 74. danielle shami 74 all, like, corona casualty number 74. danielle shami was diagnosed with coronavirus last week. now with medical

isolation is a story that is going viral on social media. she has posted daily updates from a specialist quarantine unit to her instagram account. more than 23,000 people started following her in a few days, asking questions about what it was like to have the virus. it was like to have the virus. it was really crazy, because when it started i was still in a state of shock and panic. but i was still like, i was like, my mind was screaming, but i was still posting. she was diagnosed after flying home to israel from spain. when you started to get symptoms, just run me through what you started to feel. ok, so you know when you start getting a cough, so you start getting a cough, so you feel something in your throat? this is like the first symptom that started. and then like you get a cough, but it wasn't like that bad, so we didn't know exactly it was this. and it was only like

getting worse at night. so i gave in, like, a few days and after a few days i got like a little bit of high fever and thenit little bit of high fever and then it was like, 0k, little bit of high fever and then it was like, ok, maybe i should call and get tested. and then a tested positive. and then a tested positive. and then you have to be taken away. and this is the crazy part, because also you are being taken away, you don't know where come you don't know what's going on. mentally, yeah, it's a total shock. it's like you don't know, because you don't know exactly where you don't know exactly where you are going and you don't know what to expect. in her unit, around 30 coronavirus patients mingle and can have contact, but not with anyone from the outside. i was pretty confident and i was not scared of it. also because of my symptoms, because they were pretty late. she was labelled patient 74 by israel's health ministry, which published details of her movements to alert others to possible contact with her. danielle

knows she is one of the lucky ones, suffering only mild symptoms, from a virus that can much harsher blows. she blows. she says she now feels well and hope so story can help allay some fears for others. tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. forfamilies facing self—isolation over the coming weeks, keeping the kids occupied and entertained is going to to stretch even the most creative parents. the founders of a toddlers group in the uk have taken to dancing around their living rooms and broadcasting sing—a—longs to keep families entertained. jo black has been checking it out. music plays. how do you run a toddlers' play session when you can't even be in the same room as them? heads, shoulders, knees, and toes... this is a small

business which usually operates in church halls and children centres. but, for now, this is how they are coping. offering families online sessions free of charge. we have had to call ita of charge. we have had to call it a day on our day—to—day sessions that we are running. obviously we can't take any risks. little people, we've got lots of little people, lots of pregnant mums come to session with a toddlers. we've got grandparents who are in the risk age, the over 70s, come along to our sessions. the biggest priority for us is the safety of everyone and everyone's health. and thousands have already tuned in. and not just locally. thousands have already tuned in. and notjust locally. some have what's from countries like denmark and italy. dancing in your living room, though, can bring its own challenges. we just want to share a little bit offun, share just want to share a little bit of fun, share a little bit of enjoyment, and hopefully break

up enjoyment, and hopefully break upa day enjoyment, and hopefully break up a day and change what could bea up a day and change what could be a really negative, stressful time of their isolation into a little bit of fun. social distancing, it seems, doesn't have to mean children miss out on fun. jan oblak, bbc news. they had me until they started playing baby shut and then they lost me completely. there are still moments of hope and positivity around the world. our reporter sylvia lennan—spence takes a look at how some people are helping out others, including some big names in the music industry. so what songs do y'all want to hear? virtual gigs are a new craze. the music is live, in real time, and you can watch from the safety of your own home while getting a sneak peek into the homes of megastars like us singerjohn legend was laterjoined by his wife chrissy and daughter luna. # i've got my eyes on you. "and you say you're not worried.#

# honey, you are a rock.# millions of people around the world are logging into social media to watch their idols. coldplay‘s chris martin was one of the first big names to start the trend. country music star keith urban also jumped on board. his wife, nicole kidman, made a cameo, perhaps the one and only audience member in person. (plays flute) and with a slightly different approach, pop sensation lizzo spent half—an—hour with her 8.4 million fans sharing meditation tips to beat the blues. all around the world, communities are finding new ways to connect. this tightknit neighbourhood in dublin has arranged a daily exercise break for people who don't have symptoms. it's social, but at a safe distance.

everybody is getting fed up with each other in houses so we are all out here doing dancing and exercise. balcony bonding sessions are taking off globally. the trend started in italy and spain and has spread across europe, providing much—needed relief from stress and a chance to smile. freya cole, bbc news. a great idea. after this we will go for a big dance outside the building. and for all the latest coverage — just head to our website. there's loads of useful articles on there, including one on "how to exercise while staying at home" — for everyone stuck in isolation. there's also a daily live blog of all the developments from across the world — that's all at bbc.com/news or via the bbc news app. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of

the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmaryam do stay with us. in a couple of minutes i am coming back with more on business. hello, there. yesterday scotland had the best of the weather in terms of rate spells and a bit of sunshine. we will probably do quite well here again, looking at the weather picture through thursday as well. over the next few hours we still have this long stripe of cloud across england and wales. this is a weather front that separates the cool by bright weather across northern areas from the milder murky weather we across the south. over the next few hours the thickest cloud across because of southern wales, southern england, in the midlands, mister dan hill fog patches and damp weather as well, with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle. temperature is not too cold given all the cloud in the south, further north with the clearing skies they will be a few patches of

frost away from the northern isles where it will be quite windy, with some showers. we start the day, thursday, with showers for shetland and orkney. more in the north—west as we have through the rest of thursday. the falling lighter crosses scott learned with some decent sunshine. further south, broadly speaking, you start off with cloud rain it is likely to be there into the afternoon. although temperatures 8—10 for most, on the northern edge of this rain you could see some cool spots they just see temperatures get to 5—6d. for if you it will be quite a cold day. on friday the weather front is still there, threatening range was southern counties of england. this time the winners will get strong and gusty, particularly around the western headlands of south—west england, the coast and hills when here is well. the wind making it feel quite chilly even as this goes up for many of us. looking at the weather charts into the weekend, this area of high pressure really begins to set up shop just to the east of the uk. the winds

initially coming around from scandinavia across europe into the uk where it will be quite a cool when we have. the amount of cloud we see is likely to va ry of cloud we see is likely to vary from day—to—day, could have patches of cloud across the north sea to affect some eastern areas of england and scotland. certainly here they will be a chilly wind and temperatures in aberdeen around 16 degrees. western scotland, western world, the favoured spots sourcing the best of any sunshine. the second half of the weekend also looks dry with this fine spell of weather set to last well into next week. the high pressure going nowhere fast. it is your weather.

this is bbc world news i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: the european central bank launches a multi billion dollar emergency scheme to ease the impact of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. stock markets across the world continue to plunge dramatically in response to the pandemic, with investors in asia worried about the economic impact. china records no new domestic case of the coronavirus for the first time since the pandemic began in the city of wuhan last year. while in the uk, emergency legislation to tackle the worsening pandemic there is being introduced