this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump warns that the us is in for a very difficult two weeks as the coronavirus outbreak has now killed more people than in china. a 13—year—old boy dies with coronavirus at a central london hospital. he is thought to be the youngest victim to die from the illness in the uk. when even a handshake makes news. why russia's president finds himself at the centre of coronavirus concerns. the unexpected victims of coronavirus — a warning that many of thailand's elephants could face starvation because they won't get fed.

hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. we start with the latest coronavirus developments from around the world. deaths have accelerated in the us and uk while italy and spain continue to record high fatality rates. the united states has now declared 3,415 coronavirus deaths meaning it has overtaken china. only italy and spain have a higher death toll. in the uk, the figures are also sobering. the number of deaths has more than doubled in 2a hours, coming to a record daily total of 381. in the epicentre of the european outbreak, italy, high numbers of patients continue to die. but there's been a relatively small rise in new infections, giving hope that the situation might be stabilising. and fears president putin may have been exposed to the virus as russia's parliament approves new laws bringing in seven year prison terms for serious

violations of quarantine. let's start with the us where 900 people have died in new york city. doctors and nurses say they're desperately short of critical equipment. nada tawfik reports a powerful symbol of the nation's effort to combat the coronavirus, the spire of one world trade center little red, white, and blue. covid—i9 has claimed the lives of more than 3000 americans, surpassing the number of people killed in the 9/11 attacks. healthcare workers and emergency responders on the front lines continue to work overtime to meet the unprecedented challenge. they do so at great personal risk, knowing the toughest weeks lay ahead. at his daily press briefing, new york's guvnor, andrew cuomo, said the virus has proved even more dangerous than expected. only two out of new york's 62 counties have not reported infections it is the

great equaliser. i don't care smart, how rich, how powerful you think you are, i don't care how young, how old, this virus is a great equaliser. that reality has lawmakers already debating more government aid, just days after president trump signed a record $2 trillion bill. he said the next phase of recovery should focus on infrastructure. in the meantime, governors and mayors across the country are learning from new york, testing is ramping up. in maryland, this sports field was converted into a drive—through testing site with the help of the national guard. three out of four americans are now or soon will be under stay—at—home orders. social distancing guidelines, according to officials, appear to be working. you are starting to see that the daily increases are not in that steep incline, they are starting to be able to possibly flatten out. again,

you look at it carefully, hope it's going on the right direction, but that's what we're really trying to attain, that multiphase component where it ultimately starts to come down. and that's not the only good news. actor and directorjohn prosinski lower stage newscast to share uplifting stories. steve carell, his co—star from the hit american show the office even joined in. eye guarantee you that the bottom half of what you have on does not much the top! i am definitely wearing jams, if anyone not much the top! i am definitely wearing jams, ifanyone remembers. nice distraction for those eager to reminisce about simpler times. nada tawfik, bbc news. as we reported there, in the united states more people have now died with coronavirus than in china. our north america editorjon sopel gave us his reaction to this news there was only complacency before

about the scale of the crisis that america is facing is gone now. i think the latest figures i've seen is just over 3600 deaths think the latest figures i've seen isjust over 3600 deaths in think the latest figures i've seen is just over 3600 deaths in the think the latest figures i've seen isjust over 3600 deaths in the us. as you say, more than china. but the other psychologically important part of this is its more than the number of this is its more than the number of americans killed in 9/11 and is going to get a lot worse. we heard from the governor of new york today talking about how the number of people being admitted to intensive ca re people being admitted to intensive care is still rising and that they are going to need, at the peak, twice the number of hospital beds than they currently have. that is a massive increase in capacity. in the last few moments president trump has been speaking — he warned of the hardship america will face as the deal with the surge of new cases. i want every american to be prepared for the hard days that lay ahead. we're going to go through a very two weeks. and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as a lot of us are experts are predicting, as a lot of us are predicting, after having studied it so hard, we're going to

start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. but this is going to bea end of the tunnel. but this is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks. when you look and see at night the kind of death that's been caused by this invisible enemy it's incredible. here in the uk, the government has admitted it has to go further and faster with its testing programme for coronavirus. it had set a target of 25,000 tests a day, but so far only around eight thousand are being carried out. our health editor hugh pym reports. drive—through coronavirus testing for some nhs staff has begun in england, but this is a limited trial and it isn't clear how quickly it can be expanded. elsewhere, tests on patients are analysed in hospital and public health laboratories like this. they're based on swab samples. nhs staff are frustrated they can't be tested, which means they can't find out whether it's safe to return to work.

hospitals in england have been told to test key workers if they can. doctors like chinedu, a consultant, says a lack of testing keeps staff away from work just when they're most needed. in a week or two's time, as we've seen in italy and spain, it's going to be all hands on deck. if we are losing people because they have the kind of things they experience all year round because they have a cold or something else, testing, even with the imperfect nature of those tests, has got to become readily available for healthcare professionals. the welsh government started testing nhs staff earlier this month. the number of people testing in the uk rose. it was around 8000 a couple of days ago but has slipped back a little. how does that compare with other countries? this graph shows the number of tests per 100,000

people since the first coronavirus death in each country. south korea with an extensive testing regime is well ahead of the uk and the us. a 13—year—old boy who tested positive for the virus has died at kings couege for the virus has died at kings college hospital in london. the trust said thoughts and condolences we re trust said thoughts and condolences were with his family. it's not known if he had an underlying health condition. stuart is also recovering out. he says hit by the virus was terrifying. —— recovering now. out. he says hit by the virus was terrifying. -- recovering now. my lungs were losing function. and they we re lungs were losing function. and they were really struggling with the disease in them. and i really had to call upon a lot of my reserves and prayers at that moment in time and it was really a question, i think, fundamentally, do you want to live? the prime minister shared a cabinet meeting by video link. he and two collea g u es meeting by video link. he and two colleagues are self isolating because of symptoms. he told them the situation is going to get worse

before it gets better. but it will get better. hugh pym, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. eighteen firefighters and a guide have been killed in a ferocious forest fire in the south—western chinese province of sichuan. fire engines, helicopters, and 2000 emergency workers worked to put out the blaze, which started on monday. the fire now directly threatens major facilities in downtown xichang. more than a thousand residents have been evacuated. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, has proposed that venezuela form a transitional government and that president maduro, and the opposition leader, juan guaido, step aside to hold new elections. mr pompeo said if this happened, his country was ready to lift sanctions. the duke and duchess of sussex have formally stepped down as senior members of britain's royal family. in future, prince harry and his wife, meghan, will no longer use the word ‘royal‘ in their titles and aim to become financially independent. the couple say they intend to concentrate on family while they work on developing

a charitable organisation. as the global pandemic seeps into every corner of our lives, wildlife conservationists in thailand are warning that more than half of the country's 2000 elephants could face starvation because their caretakers won't be able to feed them. with global tourism halted and visitor numbers cut, campaigners say that some elephants may starve, be sold to zoos or moved to illegal trades. theera pat trungpra kan is the president of the thai elephant alliance association and owner of the patara elephant sanctuary and joins us now live. how serious is the problem? at this stage, in terms of the numbers, it is going to be very serious, as most of the elephants in this country, around 3000 of them, used to be

subsidised by tourism. and we now no longer have tourism. so some of the facilities begin to face difficulties finding food for the elephants and pay for the staff. can you tell us, in general, how easy or ha rd you tell us, in general, how easy or hard is it to maintain, to look after an elephant, how much food they would need every day, how many ca reta kers they would need every day, how many caretakers they would need? with the thailand system, each elephants pairs with their motherhood and they have a strong bond together. it is a lwa ys have a strong bond together. it is always based on one person with one elephant. each elephant is approximately 10% of its body weight. we're talking about the people who to find 300 kilograms a day and this is something that cannot be stopped, cannot be denied. this is the big difference between elephant care and some other

business in tourism, they are not like a business in tourism, they are not likea building business in tourism, they are not like a building where you can just stop them. we have to maintain the elephant every single hour, every single day. how are the caretakers of the elephants at the moment, what is their situation? they have a lot of worries, because those of the young boys, most of them come from the remote village. and now it is very stressful because their family wa nts very stressful because their family wants them to return home as there is so much worry that staying in the areas their sons maybe on the risk of being caught by the coronavirus spread. so many of them begin to ask and leave the facility to return home. and that is going to put the elephant in a difficult situation as

well stop very briefly, have you asked the government for help? we are now approaching and hopefully we can get connected with the governors and asking for the urgent funding in order to maintain the feeding and maintain the staff employment. theerapat maintain the staff employment. theera pat trungpra kan, thank maintain the staff employment. theerapat trungprakan, thank you so much for speaking to us. thank you. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: throwing out the business plan to help in the crisis. how companies big and small in the us are helping the accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. in this case the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing.

the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news, the latest headlines . president trump has warned that the us is in for a very difficult 2 weeks as the coronavirus outbreak has now killed more people than in china. a 13—year—old boy with coronavirus has died at a central london

hospital — he is thought to be the youngest victim to die from the illness in the uk. africa's largest city, lagos in nigeria, has entered a 2—week lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. despite nigeria's relatively small number of cases residents have been ordered to stay indoors with the city's high levels of poverty, there's concerns social distancing may be impossible, as chi chi izundu reports. this is life for the next two weeks — quiet streets, traffic—free roads, silence. an estimated population of 21 million people have been told to stay indoors. but unlike the rest of the world, time has allowed nigeria to prepare. it's been nearly four weeks since the first case was confirmed, and so far there's been less than 1110. this stadium, now converted into an isolation centre, is waiting for patients.

so is lagos ready? well, it depends, you know? when you are at war, you know, you can have either an offensive or a defensive strategy. i think, because of our weaknesses, we've opted for an offensive strategy, so that makes lagos a very vulnerable city, and what we've been trying to figure out is how to increase its resilience. so we know that lagos is a sitting duck for an outbreak scenario. while there is confidence at the top, there is concern on the front line. we bumped into a nurse on her way into work. i'm worried, because nigeria as a whole doesn't have enough equipment and infrastructures, so of course i should be worried. she's not the only one worried. we expect a solution from our government! yesterday, in this popular market, a few wandered around begging for help.

the lagos state government says that their strategy is working, people are listening and they're staying indoors, so these next two weeks are crucial when it comes to trying to contain the spread of covid—19. but the big question remains, what happens after 1a days when you allow africa's most populated city back on the streets? here, coronavirus is a virus for the privilege — for those who can afford a home to self—isolate in and have an ability to buy and stockpile food. the worry is that millions who can't afford the basic advice in the lockdown will be the worst off. chi chi izundu, bbc news. in russia, the number of coronavirus cases has jumped by 500 in 2a hours according to official government figures. they come as the russian parliament approved a series laws in an effort to slow the spread of the outbreak— including jail terms for breaking quarantine rules.

and as steve rosenberg reports, there are fears that president putin may have been exposed to coronavirus. it began with a handshake. vladimir putin greeting doctor dennis one week ago to inspect the main hospital in russia for coronavirus patients. now, the doctor himself has tested positive for covid—19. he and to the president spent the whole afternoon together in close contact. "no one's safe" was the headline on russian tv tonight. "this virus has come so close to all of us now," she says, "even our president." and russia is looking down. there'll be tough penalties here for breaking quarantine. up to seven years in prison. but for the president, for now,

its business as usual. the kremlin says there's no need to panic — the president is absolutely fine. but in a country where the whole system is built around one man, vladimir putin, any suggestion that his health may be put at risk makes those in power here very nervous. in russia, it's notjust the virus that's spreading. so is fake news about covid—19. this biologist has been telling russian media that coronavirus could be a us biological weapon, and that the americans took out a patent for it. but conspiracy theories

cannot mask the reality. that to fight a virus, the world's largest country is shutting down. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. officials across india are searching for hundreds of people who attended a religious event that's been linked to dozens of coronavirus cases. at least six regions have reported infections directly traced to the gathering at a mosque. delhi officials are now clearing the building, where more than 1,000 people were stranded since the government imposed a lockdown last week. people at an event in delhi being sent for testing. some have died. the congregation was held before india's shutdown was ordered days after, a large number of people remained at the mosque. many are now showing symptoms of the disease. b shgwi rig gym ptfifims’fiftfié arses??-

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