this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. thanks forjoining us. our top stories: coronavirus takes another 900 lives in the uk, bringing the national total to over 7,000. there have now been over 1a,000 deaths in the united states black americans more than other communities. how a cough in a supermarket helps to spread the virus. new evidence suggests masks do provide vital protection. and in russia, the show must go on line. despite the pandemic, dances from one of russia's oldest theatres are taking their performances to the web.

welcome to bbc news. the condition of the british prime minister, borisjohnson, is said to be improving as he prepares to spend a third night under intensive care battling covid—19. tim's chancellor of the exchequer rishi sunak, said he is sitting up in bed and engaging with the team around him. at the wider picture is less encouraging. britain recorded its worst figures to date or hospital patients who have died of coronavirus, 938. still the wait. the prime minister is still in intensive care. he's sitting up in bed. but dilemmas for government will still come. good afternoon. the chancellor taking the lead today. the latest from the hospital is that the prime minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving. i can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively

with the clinical team. this is more than an immediate health emergency, though, for the prime minister and the many thousands of families around the country with loved ones at risk. shuttered shops, closed down commerce, the outward signs of a massive hit to the nation's wallet for as long as this lockdown goes on. do you accept, chancellor, that under the lockdown there is a trade—off between protecting people's health and protecting people's jobs? 0ur priority is to protect people's lives, their health and well—being. that is our absolute overriding priority. we have also put in place unprecedented and significant measures to protect people's jobs. we will all see a significant impact on the economy and i've also been very honest that in spite of what our unprecedented measures in scale and scope, you know, i can't stand here and say that i can save every singlejob, protect every single business or indeed every charity. we are not far off three weeks since the original stay at home instruction, and by law, ministers have to say by next

thursday if the rules should stay in place. but with saving lives the absolute priority, no—one round here thinks the doors will suddenly be thrown open. but the longer the emptiness lasts, the more the financial hurt to the country. there are simply no easy choices ahead. we are still getting bad figures, and so therefore, it seems to me that saying that it is likely that the lockdown would be relaxed in any way, a decision taken next week, would be premature, not least because not only might that have public health implications, it would also have economic implications. some are crystal clear that that. we will not throw away the gains we have lay in the lives we can save. with restrictions on all our lives still in force,

conversations that might have seemed fanciful taking place online. are you holding up pictures of your mummies and daddies? this is a picture of my mum and she works for the nhs as an admin for the health visitors and i'm really proud of her. a chat between the royal couple and kids of key workers still at school in burnley. life continues, even though it is not normal. hopes for patients in public life and everywhere, wanted soon at home. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. president trump has given his daily update on the coronavirus from the white house. the president doubled down in his pledge to reopen the nation sooner rather than later, once again promising that meetings on the issue would be taking place soon. but it would be nice to be able to open with a big bang and open up our country, or certainly most of our country and i think we're going to do that soon. you look at what's happening. i would say we are ahead of schedule. you don't want to say too loudly because all of a sudden, things don't happen but i think we will be sooner rather than later,

but we will be sitting down with the professionals, we will be sitting down with many different people, making a determination and those meetings will start taking place fairly soon. also at the news conference, the president continued to criticise the world health organization. it came after the who's director—general indicated the organisation should not be politicised. mr trump said the organisation needed to do a betterjob. everything was going to be fine, no human—to—human, keep the borders open. he wanted me to keep the borders open. i closed the borders despite him, and that was a hard decision at the time. we were all together, we made a decision against the world health organization so when he says politicising, he is politicising, but look, we spent $450 billion, $452 billion, almost $500 billion last year, hundreds of billions in previous years and they got to do better than that, they've got to do better. when you talk about politics, i can't believe he is talking about politics when you look at the relationship

they have to china. so china spends $42 million, we spent $450 million and everything seems to be china's way. that's not right, it's not fair to us and honestly it's not fair to the world. david willis, our north america correspondent had more absoutely, rich. he's railed against the world health organization, as he has over the last 48 hours, accusing it of getting things wrong as far as the coronavirus outbreak was concerned, of being pro—china and pushing back on his travel ban that president trump imposed at the end of january on people coming here from china, later expanded to europe and the uk. so the president again repeating to withdraw money or withhold money from the who and also saying that his government would be investigating how the organisation actually

worked. you heard the quote there are from him that the united states contributed $450 million last year compared to china's $40 million—plus so the president clearly believes this is money that is not being well spent. he wouldn't be drawn on whether he thinks the director general of the who should resign. the director general, for his part, has said this is not the time to politicise events surrounding the coronavirus crisis. and david, as we heard, the president saying he wants the country to open up sooner rather than later but that's despite us numbers continuing to rise. yes, it is. the president clearly itching to get this country back to some sense of normality. he said it was getting closer to that point and that would happen sooner than many people thought.

he also concurred with the estimates given by the new york governor andrew cuomo earlier today that the curve, as far as coronavirus cases in the united states is concerned, was starting to flatten and he once again talked about the light being at the end of the tunnel and you heard that quote about looking to get back to business with a big bang. it was put to him, i might add, that perhaps made the first might be the date at which people could look towards getting back to some sense of normality here. the president wouldn't be drawn on that, rich. he knows the folly right now about talking about dates for this country to reopen after previously having said they would be back to normal by easter. david willis, thanks forjoining us. you will be showing more

concern economically. the wto says trade could contract and the government must take steps to protect people's lives. while europe's death toll continue to rise, most of its stock markets were in decline. the world trade organisation wa nt the world trade organisation want the pandemic could cause the deepest economic recession in living memories. the bank of france that the nation's economy contracted 6% in the first quarter, putting it in recession, despite the news the finance minister promised to keep the current support measures in place. translation: we will maintain them for the duration of this health and economic crisis. we have made a choice and i see it as a choice of responsibility to protect these skills and employees rather than in the united states, having millions more unemployment claims every week. one of spain's biggest football teams, real madrid, said its place was reduce wages by one fifth to support the rest of

the star. spain has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in europe, exceeding 14,500 but while the country remains a lockdown, others are taking a different approach. translation: we can see all around us they keep spouting quarantine, curfew. it would be a piece of cake. we could do it in 24 hours, but what would we eat? belarus has seen its cases rise above 1000 with 13 deaths. there president questioned the benefits of introducing a lockdown, saying that countries should focus on solving economic issues instead. translation: it is no longer only a few officials from international organisations we re international organisations were talking about women in the near future but everybody else is talking about it as well including yesterday's was developed advanced countries and their leaders. italy has seen a slowing in coronavirus debts, wanting fears people may ignore the lockdown restrictions on the weekend. while austria's chancellor has announced plans to start easing

some of the restrictions, despite this being against world health organization guidance. but while the fight to preserve human life continues, your‘s economic health is deteriorating, the european central bank saying 1.3 billion —— one 3p will be required to tackle the crisis. stay with us on baby news, still to come. a 2—week ceasefire in yemen and new hope to an end to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. 25 years of hatred and rage, as theyjump up on the statue... this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power. the power to influence.

today is about the promise of a bright future. a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful. they were intelligent and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: britain has recordeds its worst daily figure for coronavirus deaths in hospital but, in the worst—hit country, italy, there are further signs that the pandemic is slowing. across the us there have been more than 400,000 cases of coronavirus, with more than 14,000 deaths.

bernie sanders has dropped out of the democratic race for president. senator sanders said he could not in good conscience bernie sanders has dropped out of the democratic continue with the campaign but he couldn't win, which interfered with the important work required in this difficult hour. jane o'brien has more. for many months, bernie sanders topped the polls, winning in the early voting states while becoming the standard bearer of the progressive wing at the democratic party. but it was not to be. i wish i could give you better news but i think you know the truth. and that is, that we are now some 300 delegates behind vice—president biden on the path toward victory is virtually impossible so while we are winning the ideological battle and while we are winning the support of so many young people and working people throughout the country, i have concluded that this battle for the democratic nomination will not be successful. when you are sick, you have a right to go to the doctor!

bernie sanders started his campaign is a revolution, a movement to end inequality which appeal particularly to young people. he tapped into a pervasive sense that the rich were getting richer while the american dream was becoming unobtainable for the working classes. it was not long ago that people considered these ideas radical and fringe. today, they are mainstream ideas and many of them are already being implemented in cities and states across the country. that is what we have accomplished together. but while his ideas gained momentum, not enough people in his party believed he could beat president trump. that job now forced tojoe biden who, in a tweet, appealed for party unity. president trump, though, played on democratic divisions and urged sanders supporters to vote for him instead. although he now backs joe biden, bernie sanders said he will remain on the ballot for the remaining primary in order to win delegates

and maintain his influence within the party. whether they like it or not, democrats will be feeling the bern for a long time yet. thank you all very much. jane o'brien, bbc news. let's get more on that now. i am joined by let's get more on that now. i amjoined bya let's get more on that now. i am joined by a senior adviser tojoe biden. am joined by a senior adviser to joe biden. is am joined by a senior adviser tojoe biden. is this news you expected? it is in news i expected. i expected it a little sooner but i think it is time to thank senator sanders for the contributions he has made to the national dialogue and give credit to two presidential campaigns were run. amongst young americans,

have they now lost the person fighting for them? not at all. iama fighting for them? not at all. i am a former senior adviser to joe biden and the white house. i knowjoe biden and as soon as young people realise absolutely going to listen, absolutely going to listen, absolutely going to listen, absolutely going to advocating for policies and act in a matter that will make their future much greater and much better, above all he represents the decency we hope and like to think is an american value. this is a new race. this is decency versus division and i think the american people, i trust are going to make the right decision in november. what is your assessment of bernie sander‘s campaign? what is your assessment of bernie sander's campaign?” alluded to it a second ago. i commend him. i have been in this business for four decades and both times rain excellent campaigns. they were inclusive, they were diverse, they

represented a lot of what is great about our nation and above all i think he moved the dial on discussion of issues important to all americans so i congratulate him, i commend him andi congratulate him, i commend him and i think you should hold his head high and his supporters should rally behind us onto the joe biden camp and let's go and ta ke joe biden camp and let's go and take back our nation. this is what it is about for us this election. this is no ordinary year. is this something american want? should we be talking about postponing it while stealing with this issue? absolutely no and it is important we demonstrate, a pandemic, any type of crisis, democracy cannot buy and voting at elections are at the heart ofa at elections are at the heart of a democracy so, no, do not need to be postponing or cancelling. if we have to send

in absentee ballots, without difficulty, we need to be innovative and whatever it ta kes, innovative and whatever it takes, we need to exercise our right to vote in november and i look forward to watching joe biden become the next president of the united states. you sat on the emergency council tries. 54% of americans do not think the federal government measures have gone far enough in tackling coronavirus. what is your take on that? thanks for noting that. i did sit under the emergency council working group twice and i understand this first—hand knowledge. the key to being ready to a pandemic, a cybersecurity attack, a terrorist attack, whatever it may be, you prepare, you plan and the reason is to prevent and if you cannot prevent, you need to perform and if the trumpet administration did not do any of those. they are barely

performing now. they did not plan properly. they cut the budget and and i have been in planning for previous presidencies and i hope that president steps up, take responsibility, leaves and a set of pontificating he should be performing on solving the problems our country is facing. the former special adviser to joe biden, thank you very much. thank you for having me. the saudi—led coalition fighting houthi rebels in yemen has announced a two—week halt in its military operations. the ceasefire will apply across the country from midday on thursday. sources have told the bbc the coalition wanted to create space for the start of un—brokered peacetalks. the houthis have yet to respond directly to the saudi—led initiative.

the un special envoy for yemen has welcomed the initiative and has welcomed the initiative and has called for comprehensive and sustainable peace. this initiative marks the most important move by saudi arabia to and the war it unleashed on its neighbour yemen five years ago. it's campaign against dominic raab has cost many civilian lives and left yemen on the brink of collapse. the un brokered peace talks have occurred before as well a secret talks in recent months between senior saudi and houthis officials but this is the first time a unilateral ceasefire has been announced. one source described as an effort to create space for the un latest initiative two and a devastating war which includes joint efforts to fight against the coronavirus in a country where the health system has been decimated.

a key question emerging is whether the public should wear face masks. israel, indonesia and morocco as well as the us are now insisting they are worn or encouraging people to do so. a computer simulation of someone coughing in a supermarket. this is new research, still to be confirmed, that shows how coronavirus could spread and linger in the air, infecting people nearby. the scientist involved say the obvious conclusion is to avoid places that might be busy. first of all, don't go there if you don't need to go there. if you need to go there, go there only as seldom as possible, and number three, stay there as short a time as possible. now, if someone is showing symptoms they shouldn't be going to a supermarket or anywhere else, but there is growing evidence that people can have the virus and not show symptoms,

and that's one reason why the us government and many others are now urging people that if they do have to go out, they wear a mask. in morocco, for example, there is now a government order to wear masks. with the threat of prison or fines to back that up. but the world health organization and the british government believe that measures like this just aren't needed. here in the uk the guidance is that its health care workers and carers who should wear masks, and the worry is that supplies might run out if the public are trying to buy them as well. there are different views about this among scientists. one is that if you wear a mask you might reduce the risk of passing virus to others. another is that once you put a mask on, you might get a false sense of security. you might think you can get close to people again, or stop washing your hands so often. and you might treat

the mask too casually. wearing a mask must be consistent. it's not on to wear a mask and then decide to take it off to smoke a cigarette or to eat a meal. it must be worn full time. at the same time, when the mask is taken off, the outside surface may be contaminated as well, and has become contaminated, and then could serve as a source of infection. in any event, more and more countries are demanding that people wear masks. in indonesia they are handing them out. and the italian region of tuscany is scaling up deliveries because everyone will have to wear one. attitudes are changing fast. david shukman, bbc news. in russia, and in so many other countries around the world, entertainment venues were among the first to shut and many performances are being streamed online, some free of charge. for one of the oldest dance

theatres, the show has been going on. music plays russians love ballet, and the mikhailovsky is one of the country's top troupes. they're in lockdown now, but the stars of this stage have found a creative way to keep performing. they're doing it at home and posting online. it's less classical, more kitchen, really. don quixote at dinner time. valeria normally uses a fan for this bit but, in quarantine, a plate will do. ah, the emotion of it all! a scene from the ballet giselle, with a saucepan of russian dumplings. there's clearly an appetite

for this bizarre ballet. in russia, the video has gone viral. "stay positive, that's the message," principal dancer ivan tells me. "life might be tough now, but a good mood and a sense of humour can save the world." a sense of humour... well, russians certainly have that. stuck at home, people across russia have been impersonating famous paintings and sharing online. very. . . creative! and they've penned a plethora of pop songs about this pandemic. as for the ballet dancers, in their homes and gardens, they're promising more uplifting performances to raise the spirits of the nation. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. great stuff. a host of coronavirus stories on our

website, including helpful guys like this, explaining what the symptoms of covid—19 are and you can stay with us on bbc news and reach me on twitter. hello there. wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far — temperatures reached 24 celsius in sussex. on wednesday and again on thursday, though, we've still got this weak whether front moving very slowly northwards across scotland. to the south of that, many parts of the uk in that warmer air once again and those temperatures will get a boost in the sunshine. but we've got more cloud on that weather front, moving northwards across scotland, lingering in the north—east of england, making it cooler. maybe a bit of rain from that too. to the south, some variable clouds, some good sunny spells. probably the sunniest weather towards the south—west. this is where we are more likely to see the highest temperatures. and it will be wuite a bit cooler underneath the cloud

in scotland and noticeably so in the north—east of england. there will also be an onshore breeze too. now, that cloud will continue to drift its way northwards, up toward the northern isles, taking a bit of rain there overnight. but elsewhere, i think, we will see some good clear spells, particularly further south, across england and wales. but, after the warmth in the sunshine during the day, temperatures here probably no lower than around eight or nine degrees. into friday — good friday — and a few changes for the northern half of the uk. whilst there may be some sunshine, there's a chance of catching a few showers which could be heavy. they are very hit and miss, mind you. for much of england and wales it's probably going to be dry. the sunniest skies for the midlands southwards and here temperatures again 23, maybe even 24 degrees. a little bit milder, i think, across the north—east of england and for many

parts of scotland. as we move into the weekend, we will start to see some erosion of the area of high pressure. pressure starting to drop a bit. lots of weather fronts coming in from the atlantic. they will certainly bring more cloud and maybe some showery bursts of rain, some wetter weather, particularly across scotland and perhaps into northern ireland, even the chance of a shower or two not farfrom the south—west of england. but again, many parts of england and wales should be dry, still enjoying some sunshine and some warmth with the highest temperatures across the south—east of england. and that is where we will see any remaining warmth on easter day, because there's more showers likelty to develop across england and wales, with soem heavier ones towards wales and the south—west. a little bit drier across scotland and northern ireland but those temperatures are beginning to ebb away and it will turn cooler still as we move into monday. the showers that we're seeing in the south and south—west, those will fade away and instead, around an area of high pressure, we will see a northerly wind. it will turn drier but it will turn cooler.

this is big things, the headlines: the total number of people who have died in hospitalfrom coronavirus in the uk has risen by 938 to more than 7000. the director of the national health service they the number of new infections and hospital admissions are starting to show signs of flattening. there is growing concern in the united states of the apparently disproportionate impact of coronavirus on black americans. statistics from chicago showed that its black population account for 70% of death and there is similar information from new york. the study led coalition fighting in yemen announced they are holding military operations. starting on thursday, it attempts to support un brokered peace talks. ?

and yesterday afternoon's official news conference, the chancellor announced a £750 million package to help charities. ed follows concerns that some are facing collapse. our correspondent has been speaking to staff which relies on shops for funding. businesses care for them, and the expertise is needed now more than ever. during the pandemic, all patients are treated as covert patients. staff are taking pressure of the local nhs hospital, but with hard. at the minute is particularly difficult. we are trying to keep normality while changing all the time constantly. it is not a weekly thing, it is a daily and sometimes

hourly thing. people are passing away and while it would be normal to embrace that family member, you can't do it. all of this costs money, one third comes from the nhs and the rest of it comes from the public. and right now that is impossible. during lockdown, all 11 of their charity shops are closed, which could cost them over £300,000. and fundraising events like these are cancelled. the hot as they supported faced closure, so for them, today's announcement does make a difference. the support from government is absolutely transformational. it will mean that we can spend our time concentrating on supporting those people that really need us now for the care and support that we can give them, and that worrying about the finances and how we're going to pay the bills the wages, that now comes terry. and during the pandemic, one man knows how vital that care and support will be, can's life fiona spent her last

days at this hospice. we are afraid of how we die, so knowing that she was well looked after made a tremendous difference to that. are brought another donation along with me, it's all they can afford, but it is so desperately needed, at this kind of facility because it has to carry on. today's announcement bridges a gap, over the coming months at least these specialist nurses, the unseen nurses in this process , nurses, the unseen nurses in this process, can continue supporting the nhs. now on bbc news, and a special edition of talking movies, we look at how the coronavirus endemic has devastated parts of the movie industry in different parts of the

world. —— the coronavirus pandemic. hello, and welcome to this special edition of talking movies, coming to you from my home on new york's upper west side. in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, we've been working together remotely and collectively as a programming team to look at the impact of the virus on the global film industry. of course, the struggles of the movie business pales in comparison to what's been happening in terms of the human cost of this disease, but in some parts of the world, the film industry has been totally crippled by the pandemic. china was the first major country to be hit by the virus, and its nationalfilm industry has been severely hurt. production has been closed down, as have cinemas. with the impact of coronavirus waning in china, cinemas almost opened last weekend, but the government ordered them to remain closed at the last minute.

when they do reopen, going to the movies isn't exactly going to feel festive. director and cinematographer yanqiu fei lives in shanghai. on the news, we learned that when the cinema reopens, they are going to follow a strict rule of disinfection for the whole cinema, and every audience will be requested to show their health qr code, also get their temperature checked. and the cinema will remain social distancing within the audience, meaning everyone will have an empty seat in between. oh, also you have to wear a mask all the time. for india, the world's largest producer of movies, the lockdown has taken the life out of bollywood and the big regionalfilm industries. indians love their movies, so the closing of cinemas has been very hard. it's left us catatonic! we have no idea what to do because cinema is like, you know, a drug in ourveins, that we need our weekly fix, and we are completely

lost without it. i don't think we've ever seen such a big devastation, actually, because it's a nationwide lockdown now for a few weeks — till april 14, actually, three weeks — so it's a big shock and i think — i mean, we've survived all kinds of other disasters — natural disasters, floods, famine, all kinds of stuff. riots, communal riots. but this — we've never seen something as comprehensive as this, because the whole nation is under lockdown. hollywood, of course, has been upended by the virus. bond. james bond. the newjames bond movie was the first major picture to be postponed. others have followed suit. the disaster has shut down production at virtually every american movie company. it's completely stopped. initially, whenever, you know, the virus first started coming to the united states, it was that productions are being suspended for a couple months or a couple weeks. but now everything has stopped indefinitely. i'm thinking of, you know, bigger movies like fantastic beasts,

the matrix 4 movie, every disney, marvel show, every netflix show, every hbo show, the friends reunion, for example, is, you know, postponed indefinitely until this is under control. i don't want to stay here. i'm sorry, i would never... hey, hey. see? right now, my priority is giving my baby somewhere safe, do you understand? some studio movies placed in cinemas were subsequently made available by the screening giants. this is a very significant move with ramifications for the entire industry. typically there are 90 days between when a movie finishes its run in theatres and is available on streaming or on demand, and for a long time, some studios and some streaming sites like netflix or hulu have been trying to chip away at that 90 days because it is a big loss for them, financially. and so i think now, now that we are seeing new releases come on streaming, on demand, so much quicker, that might be a really lasting change. normally at this time of the year, the movie industry would be looking forward to the cannes film festival,

which is held in may. but cannes has been postponed, as have dozens of other film—related events. but festivals are adapting. south by southwest was cancelled but it's been showcasing films in its line—up by putting them online. case in point, a short horrorfilm called regret, from director santiago menghini. they could have easilyjust closed down the festival and just said, sorry, just the circumstances are what they are and operate, you know, with the intention of starting up next year. but they didn't. they actually came back to us and said, look, we're really working on something for everyone to have an opportunity to show yourfilm. even now, since they've announced this platform, it's been released, i have been getting a lot of great feedback and something i wouldn't have had if it wasn't for their initiative and their effort to really help the film—makers. i would have been left basically abandoned. clearly, the globalfilm industry is being rocked by the pandemic,

the damage will almost certainly continue to be done, and experts believe it will take months, even years, for the movie business to recover. now let's move to pandemic—themed films. movies that deal with pandemics, like steven soderbergh‘s contagion, have been streamed in record numbers in recent days by audiences preoccupied by current events. but as emma jones reports, contagion is just one of many films that speak to our predicament. 100 years ago, a deadly influenza virus infected hundreds of millions of people. this is pandemic, a documentary investigating virus outbreaks and how to prevent the next one. eerily, it arrived on netflix around the same time as the public became aware of a virus called covid—19. since then, it's been streamed millions of times, presumably for the benefit of hindsight. within one month, a virus can spread throughout the country.

a month after that, widespread throughout the world. actually experiencing contagion has resurrected steven soderbergh‘s 2011 film of the same name, which has been watched again by millions with fresh eyes. made with the advice of medical experts, contagion is a sober examination of a pandemic spreading across the world with now all—too—familiar themes. it really foretold what we are experiencing today. it's obviously in greater numbers in the film, but in terms of the way it spread — it starts in hong kong, this fictional virus in the movie, and it spreads via the way that this current virus spreads. the average person touches their face three to five times every waking minute. the question is not if we'll get patients, it's when we'll get them. 93 days by steve gukas, starring danny glover, actually deals with a historic outbreak of ebola in nigeria,

which was contained. but hollywood has also treated sickness as a standard blockbuster plot device, an enemy to be defeated. what chance did 1995's outbreak, caused by a monkey smuggled into california carrying a lethal virus, have against these a—list actors? we've got 19 dead, we've got 100 more infected. it's spreading like a brushfire. what are you talking about? if one of them's got it, then ten of them have got it now! it's notjust films about pandemics which play upon the human fear of infection. that fear also stalks a whole movie genre, the horrorfilm, where often an epidemic can unleash a future that nobody‘s quite bargained for. what's interesting is how many different monster movies seem to reflect our fears of infection and disease. if you think about any dracula film, there's that fear that something might come from across the sea, from another land, and it might infect our country and spread out throughout society, and how scary that is. zombies used to be these shambling reanimated corpses that

lurched through graveyards. it really changed with 28 days later, the film directed by danny boyle and written by alex garland. because in that, they are no longer reanimated corpses, they are people who have been infected by a virus. it has those scenes of an empty london, which we are seeing in reality at the moment. world war z with brad pitt. in that film, its really about globalisation — about how these infections don't just take over a city or a building, but can spread throughout the world. is anyone doing better than we are? the isolation that an estimated quarter of the globe are experiencing now has been anticipated in films such as i am legend, where will smith seems totally alone in a post—apocalyptic new york, to oldboy by park chan—wook, where the main character is locked up for 15 years without human contact.

but if alone is bad, alone with someone else can be worse. just look at what happens in the lighthouse by robert eggers, where two men are isolated for weeks on an island. in a couple of years, we're going to see the creative effects of the coronavirus outbreak in cinemas. what you think we're going to see? it is going to be heavyweight political dramas, of course, with actors pretending to be donald trump. there's going to be slasher movies and stalker movies with people being chased through the empty streets during the eerie lockdown. heist movies set at the same time, people robbing banks with no—one around. there are going to be romantic dramas, romantic comedies with people falling in love over social media or people falling in love across the street from each other but, of course, they can't get close because of the lockdown. there are going to be so many films set during this crisis that we are going to get sick of them. watch this. it's transmission. so we just need to know which direction. until now, hollywood's portrayal

of infection always brought along a solution — a vaccine, or perhaps brad pitt. the time of coronavirus means this generation of moviegoers could find it much harder to accept that a hero really can come and save the day. it's mutating. with everyone cooped up in their homes with nowhere to go, the pandemic has led to a huge increase in streaming in recent days. so much so that the surge in streaming may forever change the way in which we watch movies in the future, perhaps hastening the demise of the traditional cinema. i certainly hope that isn't the case. anyway, streaming is now very popular. i spoke to movie lovers in the us, india, china, germany, japan and denmark, and it was no surprise to find that all of them in the midst of this pandemic have been streaming movies, sometimes for hours at a stretch.

there are no movie theatres, there is nowhere else to experience moving images other than on your computer screen, so i think that streaming platforms have become the full—on opportunity for people to watch film and tv now, so it's a historic high. so what films have people been watching in their homes? sergei lives in tokyo. i've definitely been watching several pandemic films. the one most watched lately, i think, is outbreak. i hear from most of my friends, they do watch those films lately. especially now, like, in the last week, because everyone is depressed, in general. your town is being quarantined. movie lover fatima, who lives in arizona, has rather different tastes. i have a few friends who are watching some more of those dystopic pandemic movies, but i find myself drawn more to movies that draw a sense of comfort, the feel—good kind, just to comfort myself during these uncertain times. it is hard to single out

the ideal movie to watch in these pandemic times. you know, the movie that almost everyone i know has been turning to for comfort, suddenly, seems to be moonstruck, the romantic comedy starring cher and nicolas cage that's set in brooklyn heights. if you're based in new york like i am, it's a nice reminder of what it like outside. do you love him, loretta? i love him awful. that's too bad. she loves me. it's the right amount of escapism, without seeming too sickly sweet. the pandemic hasn'tjust prompted millions to drift to streaming platforms, but it's also had an impact on film—makers. in delhi, the pandemic has given director tariq vasudeva much food for thought. what it makes me think is once this is over, there has to be a shift in how people are approaching cinema, and how much they are... how much they are exploring the idea of unity.

with audiences becoming so accustomed to streaming movies at home during the pandemic, there are concerns that once the coronavirus outbreak has subsided, cinemas will remain empty, they could just disappear. jad salfiti is a british journalist based in berlin. there are many, many excellent independent cinemas here in berlin, and they are the ones that will be hit the hardest. there is no end in sight for self isolation, they are going to be closed at least until the end of april, so it's not clear what will happen to many of these independent cinemas. but some moviegoers take a more optimistic view. actually, when the cinemas open again, i think that people are going to go to the cinemas a lot, at least the first couple of weeks, and then it's probably going to tone down a bit and be just like before. because right now, i think a lot of people are tired ofjust, like sitting at home and streaming. i mean, it's ok, but sometimes it's also nice to, like, get out of the house, meet with some friends and see something on a big screen.

but with all this streaming taking place, it's become clear that in the midst of this pandemic, the magic of cinema still prevails. it is definitely helping to take people away from disconcerting realities. as esteemed film—maker david lynch once stated, cinema is like opening a door and going into a new world. while the streaming giants are getting most of the attention in these days of social distancing, there is a host of smaller streaming platforms online offering some great alternatives. from his home in connecticut, film critic noah gittel has been looking at what's available beyond the mainstream. like many people around the world, i've had some extra time at home lately, and i'm spending it watching movies. what i've discovered is that there's a whole world of cinema beyond the usual suspects

of streaming services and for those smaller streamers looking to break out, this could be the moment. international streaming services that could see a boom in viewing numbers include spuul, which focuses on indian content and has over 1,000 films and series, as well as asian crush, which focuses on asian cinema and could be a destination forfans of parasite, this year's best picture winner from korea. other services such as mubi, which features a hand—picked selection of award—winning cinema that is curated monthly, shudder, a haven for horrorfans and shout factory tv, which specialises in cult and b—movies, are all offering free or low—cost trials, hoping to lure viewers that are looking for titles beyond the offerings at netflix, amazon and hulu. i think that these companies, they recognise that they have

an incredible opportunity here to reach audiences that might not otherwise be kind of compelled to search for something that they don't already have. so they are reallyjust trying to lure them with an extended free trial and then, of course communal, the hope with any free trial is that people either forget to cancel or like it enough to keep subscribing. in fact, the streaming service landscape is getting more crowded now than ever, with theatrical distributors and physical cinemas themselves even getting into the game. film and video distributor kino lorber has launched virtual marquee, partnering with 150 american independent theatres to stream the films that they would have been showing in cinemas and splitting the revenue. they started their programme with bacurau, an award—winning brazilian western that was slated to open on march 6th.

what's interesting about our programme is that although this was developed as kind of an interim, as a stopgap to allow theatres to recapture revenue while the physical doors were closed, we see this as a way of creating a virtual expansion of the screening opportunities. even if they go back to normal, they are very pressed, most of the time, to play films quickly, move them out, they are locked in calendar schedules and such. well, suddenly with the kino marquee programme they will have now virtual screens to play on. it is a change that could stretch to all corners of the movie world, with ripple effects that are hard to predict. at least for now, independent cinema seems to have an advantage — while new blockbusters are being postponed to later this year or even 2021, the latest independent films are nowjust a click away. around the world, the film—making community is responding to the pandemic with stories directly related to the impact it is having. ten directors in greece have just

completed short films on the subject and some are very moving. "life can find a home during the pandemic" is the theme of ten new short films completed by top greek film—makers, at the behest of a film festival when it postponed its documentary festival last month. it's artistic director would like creativity to flourish in this time of darkness. art can be made in any situation as long as there is an artist or an audience. our partners implement creation, give the means to this hope. we are asking film directors to make a movie in their confinement. it is a liberating action, because there is no borders within four walls. we are staying home, washing our hands properly and making films

without disinfectant. among the films made for this endeavour in the past few days was one shot within the home of a director. the camera pans across piles of books in her home. i decided to do it because at the time i was rearranging the books on the book shelves in the house. by doing this, i was coming face—to—face with my past and my previous lives, so this three minute film is about the experience of time, the fact we are constantly in a rush and suddenly we're forced to sit back and look at our lives, look at ourselves and look at our role in society and the world. another short film is called foghorn, defined by that sound. it is an abstract work featuring wetlands and animals. it makes use of previously

shot material. my film ended up to be about some pretty bleak atmosphere of the city, athens in silence, in contrast to the happiness of animals that see human action not being there any more. the man behind this collective creative endeavour was motivated by a desire to help the film—making community but also wants to give people hope and demonstrate that art can play a role in bringing that about. we are strong, we are fighting. the last years, during this big economic crisis particularly in greece, we questioned the role of the artist and said it was not

important, and now billions of people are inside their homes, consuming art. and so it is the fundamental of our society and existence. the completed films will be shown on the youtube channel for the film festival. the endeavour is just one of the many ways in which film—makers and film festivals are responding to the pandemic, when the desire to be creative trumps the stress and anxiety that could be holding film—makers back. well, that brings this special edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you have enjoyed the programme. please remember you can always reach us online, and you can find us on facebook and twitter. from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team in new york and beyond, it is goodbye, as we leave you with a great clip

from a hollywood classic which might lift your spirits in the midst of these very difficult times. # i'm singing in the rain. #just singing in the rain. # what a glorious feeling, i'm happy again. # i'm laughing at clouds so dark up above. # the sun's in my heart, and i'm ready for love. # let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place...# hello there. wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far — temperatures reached 24 celsius in sussex. on wednesday and again on thursday, though,

we've still got this weak whether front moving very slowly northwards across scotland. to the south of that, many parts of the uk in that warmer air once again and those temperatures will get a boost in the sunshine. but we've got more cloud on that weather front, moving northwards across scotland, lingering in the north—east of england, making it cooler. maybe a bit of rain from that too. to the south, some variable clouds, some good sunny spells. probably the sunniest weather towards the south—west. this is where we are more likely to see the highest temperatures. and it will be wuite a bit cooler underneath the cloud in scotland and noticeably so in the north—east of england. there will also be an onshore breeze too. now, that cloud will continue to drift its way northwards, up toward the northern isles, taking a bit of rain there overnight. but elsewhere, i think, we will see some good clear spells, particularly further south, across england and wales. but, after the warmth in the sunshine during the day, temperatures here probably no lower than around eight or nine degrees.

into friday — good friday — and a few changes for the northern half of the uk. whilst there may be some sunshine, there's a chance of catching a few showers which could be heavy. they are very hit and miss, mind you. for much of england and wales it's probably going to be dry. the sunniest skies for the midlands southwards and here temperatures again 23, maybe even 24 degrees. a little bit milder, i think, across the north—east of england and for many parts of scotland. as we move into the weekend, we will start to see some erosion of the area of high pressure. pressure starting to drop a bit. lots of weather fronts coming in from the atlantic. they will certainly bring more cloud and maybe some showery bursts of rain, some wetter weather, particularly across scotland and perhaps into northern ireland, even the chance of a shower or two not farfrom the south—west of england. but again, many parts of england and wales should be dry, still enjoying some sunshine and some warmth with the highest temperatures across the south—east of england. and that is where we will see any remaining warmth on easter day, because there's more showers likelty to develop across england and wales, with soem heavier ones towards wales and the south—west. a little bit drier across scotland and northern ireland but those temperatures are beginning to ebb away and it will turn cooler still as we move into monday. the showers that we're seeing

in the south and south—west, those will fade away and instead, around an area of high pressure, we will see a northerly wind. it will turn drier but it will turn cooler.

this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. thanks forjoining us. our top stories: coronavirus takes another 900 lives in the uk, bringing the national total to over 7,000. there have now been over 14,000 deaths in the united states. how deaths in the united states. a in a supermarket he spread how a in a supermarket helps to spread the virus. he knew evident suggests masks to provide vital protection. and in russia, the show must go on line. despite the pandemic, dances from one of russia's oldest theatres are taking their performances to the web.