this is bbc news. welcome here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the world. i'm rich preston. 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. 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. britain's finance minister, rishi sunak, said he is sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the team around him. but the wider picture is less encouraging. britain recorded its worst daily figure to date for hospital patients who have died of coronavirus, 938. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. still the wait. the prime minister is still in intensive care. but borisjohnson‘s condition in hospital is improving. 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 single job, protect every single business or indeed every single 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 of the country's leaders, crystal clear already that the rules won't go next week. i must be plain with all members. these restrictions will not end then. we will not throw away the gains we have made and 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 hate to say it 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 to make at the time. we were all together, we made a decision against the world health organization so when he says politicising, he's politicising, that shouldn't be. but look, we spent $450 billion, $452 billion, almost $500 billion last year, hundreds of billions in previous years and they've 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 spend $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. i spoke earlier to david willis, our north america correspondent, who had more on that. we started by discussing why president trump had taken to criticising the who. 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, rich. 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. —— 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 may i 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. across the us, it seems the coronavirus is affecting black americans at a disproportionate rate. coronavirus is totally indiscriminate in who it infects, but in the us it's highly discriminatory in who it's killing. at this intensive care unit in new york city nearly every patient is black. stephan flores is an emergency room doctor in the city. the people we are seeing most are african americans, are latinos, black and brown people who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. these are the patients that are coming into my emergency room that i am taking care of, people who really need to be admitted, who we are seeing in icu and critically ill. this is also a story about inequality. the black community tends to be poorer and suffers from much higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and hypertension. the mayor of new york says

it's a source of shame. it made me angry to see that the disparities that have plagued this city, this nation, that are all about fundamental inequality, are once again causing such pain and causing people, innocent people, to lose their lives. the figures are startling. in milwaukee, nearly three quarters of those who have died are black, but they representjust a quarter of the residents. across in illinois, 42% of those who have lost their lives are african—american, but are only i4% of the population. and it's the same in the deep south. in louisiana, the black community accounts for 70% of the deaths but are a minority. the us surgeon general spoke about his own health issues. i shared myself personally that i have high blood pressure, that i have heart disease and spent a week in the icu because of a heart condition. i actually have asthma and i'm prediabetic.

so i represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in america, and i and many black americans are at higher risk for covid. that's why we need everyone to do their part. race has been the great dividing line in america since slavery. but coronavirus is shining a new and unexpected light on its legacy. there is nothing new in the recognition of the health disparities between black and white america, but covid—i9 is showing how deadly they are. all americans are wracked with anxiety at the moment. african americans more so. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. countries across europe have been reacting to warnings by the world trade organisation about the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak. the wto said international trade could decline by a third

this year and companies must take steps. while europe's death toll continue to rise, most of its stock markets were in decline. the world trade organisation warns the pandemic could cause the deepest economic recession in living memories. the bank of france said 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,

has said its players will reduce wages by up to a fifth this year to support the rest of the staff. spain has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in europe, exceeding 14,500 deaths, but while the country remains a lockdown, others are taking a different approach. translation: we can see that all around us they keep spouting quarantine, curfew. it would be a piece of cake. we could do it within 24 hours, but what will we eat? belarus has seen its cases rise above 1,000, with 13 deaths. their 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 who are talking about famine in the near future but everybody else is talking about it too, including yesterday the most developed advanced countries and their leaders. italy has seen a slowing in coronavirus deaths, prompting fears people may ignore the lockdown restrictions on the easter 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, europe's economic

health is deteriorating, the european central bank saying £i.3 trillion will be required to tackle the crisis. matt graveling, bbc news. stay with us on bbc 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 recorded 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 continue with the campaign that he couldn't win, which interfered with the important work required in this difficult hour. the bbc‘s 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 and 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 as 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. thatjob now falls to joe 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. 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 called for comprehensive and sustainable peace. it's blistering campaign against forces aligned to iran has caused many civilian lives and left yemen on the brink of

collapse. there have been un brokered peace talks before as well as secret talks in recent months between senior saudi and rebel officials. but this will be the first on the saudi—led coalition has announced a unilateral nationwide ceasefire. one source described it as an effort to create space for the un's latest initiative to end a devastating war which includes joint to end a devastating war which includesjoint efforts to to end a devastating war which includes joint efforts to fight against the coronavirus in a country where the health system has been decimated. brazil's health ministry has reported the first coronavirus case, a 15—year—old boy of a tribe in the northern amazon. public health specialists have warned that coronavirus could wreak havoc on indigenous communities in brazil. plans are being made to build a field hospitalfor in edginess communities. the first

coronavirus destined for crash crowded shanty towns in rio de janeiro have been announced. concerns are growing about how few people are adhering to the obligatory quarantine. the un has warned there is a fear that a coronavirus outbreak in south sudan could be devastating and has urged the government to step up efforts to concern that meant to contain the virus. 1.5 meant to contain the virus.1.5 million people are internally displaced and many are already suffering disease in million tradition. the country has two confirmed cases. 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 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 may be busy. don't go there if you do not need to go there. if you need to go there, though there are seldom as possible. and stay there for a shorter time as possible. if someone shorter time as possible. if someone is showing symptoms they could not be going to supermarkets or anywhere else but there is growing evidence that people can have the virus and not show symptoms. and that is 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 rocco, for example, there is now a government order to wear a mask with the threat of prison orfines to wear a mask with the threat of prison or fines to back it up. but the world health organization and the british

government believe that measures like this just not needed. here in the uk, the guidance is that it is healthcare workers and carers who should wear masks and the worry is that supplies may run out 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 may reduce the risk of passing virus to others. another is that once you put a mask on you might geta that once you put a mask on you might get a false sense of security, you may think you can get close to people again or stop washing your hands so often. and you may treat the mask too casually. wearing a mask too casually. wearing a mask must be consistent. it is 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

that could then serve as a source of infection. in any invent, more and more countries are demanding people wear masks. in indonesia they are handing them out. in the italian region of tuscany, they are scaling up deliveries because everyone will have to wear one. attitudes are changing fast. in gaza, the ministry of health says it has run out of testing kits. there are growing fears about the damage the virus could do if it was allowed to spread in the region. on the west ba n k spread in the region. on the west bank similar concerns but some communities feel their way of life may offer protection. in the jordan valley, of life may offer protection. in thejordan valley, they know all about social isolation. these nomadic bedouin herders already live apart from the towns and cities of the west bank. but now, thanks to the virus, that distance seems even

greater. translation: because of the coronavirus we have been asked to stay away from cities, notjoint asked to stay away from cities, not joint gatherings are asked to stay away from cities, notjoint gatherings are not working in israel. this is what scares us working in israel. this is what scares us but this is why bedouin lifestyle is better than the cities. the chances of them falling ill may be reduced but like in so many other places, the economic impact is profound. these are dairy farmers but they have no market and no customers. translation: the markets for yoga and cheese are closed. we cannot sell anything and we have a lot in stock full we are outside the city ofjericho which is on lockdown and we cannot reach ramallah or any other city to sell our product. over in gaza, and already believe it health system struggles to cope. treatment is almost impossible if you can't test for the virus first. we confirm that tests have stop after testing his

com pletely have stop after testing his completely run out. dozens of samples are waiting to be tested. a lack of testing kit represents a new challenge in confronting the pandemic. coronavirus ca res confronting the pandemic. coronavirus cares not for boundaries nor borders. everyone here, no middle city dweller, is waiting and hoping for the best. there is a host of extra background articles on our website about the global pandemic including helpful guides like this when explaining what the symptoms have coded 19 and how you can protect yourself. this is the scene at saint thomas's hospital in london where the british prime minister is spending his third night in intensive care after being diagnosed with coronavirus. thank you very much for sticking with us, stay tuned to bbc news. you can reach me on twitter. get in touch and we would love to hear from you.

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 likely to develop across england and wales, with some 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 —

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 said 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 alone showed that its black population accounted for 70% of death from covid—19 complications. and there is similar information from new york. in other news, the saudi—led coalition fighting in yemen announced they are halting military operations for two weeks. starting on thursday, there are attempts to support un brokered peace talks to end five years of war. next up, hardtalk, with stephen sackur.