this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. uk deaths from coronavirus exceed 900 for the second day running as doctors warn of a dangerous lack of protective clothing. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, says he owes his life to the doctors and nurses who treated him for covid—19. in the us, more than 500,000 confirmed infections, the number of dead above 20,000. spain's fatalities begin to fall, but with 16,500 people dead, authorities warn that the lockdown will remain. and the queen says in her first ever easter message — "coronavirus will not overcome us."

hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the very latest coronavirus developments nationally and globally. in the daily press briefing, the uk home secretary, priti patel, has said she was sorry if anyone felt there had been failings over the supply of personal protective equipment for health workers. it comes as the british medical association issued a stark warning that many medics are unable meanwhile, the coronavirus outbreak in the united states has become the deadliest in the world, surpassing italy to record just under 20,000 deaths in total. andrew cuomo, the governor of the worst affected state, new york, has said the death

rate there was stabilising, but at a horrific level. and spain has recorded its lowest number of daily deaths for nearly three weeks. officials say 510 people died, the third consecutive 2a hours in which the daily figure has fallen. more on that soon. but first, let's get the latest on the situation in the uk from our science editor, david shukman. a human cost on a scale unimaginable even a few short weeks ago. and the warning is that we are not through it yet. that more families like that of doreen hunt, who was buried last week, will suddenly find themselves in the grip of covid—i9. the risk is real. me and my mum were actually speaking about this three, four weeks ago. we didn't realise how hard it was going to hit our family, obviously. we all thought it would be somebody else, but we have been hit with it. and people need to realise this is real and listen to what

they've been asked to do, and put the measures in place, stay at home. among the casualties, a growing number of nhs staff dying after working on the front line, fuelling demands for more personal protective equipment, ppe. we spoke to a nursing practitioner who doesn't want us to use his name. we got a lot of ppe in the beginning but now, because we're running out, they've changed the policy and are sending us in with covid patients with just a surgical mask only. before, we used to wear a gown. now, they're asking us to go inside with just an apron. we're scared, we're seeing colleagues pass away every day. we're on the front line and we don't deserve it, we don't deserve it, we need more. and this emailfrom kingston hospital talks of a national shortage of gowns, saying: reusable gowns will be issued and staff are asked to name

and keep them, and wash them down. the government has said it is providing huge quantities of equipment. the health secretary, matt hancock, has suggested that staff might be wasting it. and he also questioned where the victims became infected. the work is going on to establish whether they caught coronavirus in the line of duty, while at work, or whether, like so many other people, in the rest of their lives, it's obviously quite difficult to work that out. but research by the british medical association shows more than half of doctors working in high—risk environments said they were short of face masks or had none available. around two—thirds said they didn't have eye protection. and more than half said they were being pressured into working in a high—risk area despite not having the adequate gear to protect them. doctors are also human beings, they don't want to become ill, they don't want

their lives to be at risk. and what is really worrying us is the numbers of health care workers who have tragically died. so doctors are naturally afraid, but the one thing that is important is to give them the protection, and that's something the government owns us. —— owes us. so at today's government briefing, ministers and officials were repeatedly pushed on when there would be enough personal protective equipment. it's absolutely critical that we get ppe out to all those working at the front line so that they not only are protected, but they feel safe. would it be possible to give a commitment to a date by when the right quantities will reach the right people? because every day we hear from certainly nhs frontline staff that they don't have the equipment that they need. there is a clear plan. we're working with notjust suppliers, but manufacturers to really bolster and boost the supply that we need for ppe, which, quite frankly, is unprecedented

during this crisis. this question is bound to keep coming up as long as health workers and many others feel they are not getting the support they need as the outbreak continues. david shukman, bbc news. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, was released from intensive care on friday and is now said to be recovering well from coronavirus. but our political correspondent ben wright says it could be some time before the prime minister is back in downing street. borisjohnson was very seriously ill, he was in intensive care, and i'm told is now telling friends that his life was saved by the medical team at st thomas‘ hospital. the prime minister continues to get better, but it's clear that his convalescence is going to take some time. now, number ten are very reluctant to talk about a time frame here in terms of when he might leave hospital or be back at his desk, but i think it's unlikely he's going to be back at work within the next fortnight or so, and colleagues and doctors are telling him he must take his time to recover properly. now, he remains the

prime minister of course, but for the moment, it's the foreign secretary dominic raab who's in charge of the day—to—day running of the government. and of course, this is a critical moment as the government navigates its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and in the next few days, it needs to decide whether or not to extend the lockdown further. at the moment, all the indications are that that will be extended, but that decision is going to be made with dominic raab in charge. the united states has become the first country in the world to record more than 2,000 deaths associated with coronavirus in a single day. there have now been over 20,000 deaths there and more than 500,000 confirmed infections. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports from new york. easter weekend in new york city. a date in the calendar that donald trump spoke of only a few weeks ago as the moment to reopen the american economy. but the restrictions will remain in place at least until the end of the month, and there were signs today that coronavirus spring could become

the coronavirus summer. new york announced its schools would remain shut, at least until september. good friday ended up being the most deadly day since the virus reached these shores. more than 2,000 people lost their lives. and america has now surpassed italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths. 783 people, 777, 799. these are just incredible numbers depicting incredible loss and pain. for america, this has been by far the worst week of the coronavirus crisis, but there are signs of hope. the hospitalisation rate in new york is down. they believe they are flattening the curve. and evoking a famous quote from winston churchill, the governor here spoke of reaching "the end of the beginning."

this isn't an easter ritual, but now, a nightly one in new york. part of the same wave of applause that has gone around the world, the sound of thanks, the sound of admiration for medical workers. the sound that momentarily drowns out the sirens. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. professor meghan mcginty is an associate at the school of public health of johns hopkins university. shejoins us now on she joins us now on the line. describe what living in the us is like where you are. i am actually based in brooklyn, new york, so it is pretty... it is pretty ha rd york, so it is pretty... it is pretty hard here. the streets are very empty, people are sheltering at home, and it is a very stressful environment in healthcare facilities here in new york. try and put your finger on why the death toll in

new york isjust finger on why the death toll in new york is just as high as it is. i have been thinking about ita is. i have been thinking about it a lot, and obviously, new york is an international hub. there were probably multiple points of transmission into new york. it is also the densest city in the united states, so it is not only a lot of people living here, but it is very difficult to physically distance yourself from people given how dense the city is. and new yorkers travel by subway, so major compared to other places in the united states, we a re other places in the united states, we are in close contact with one another every day on subways and buses and public transit, more so than other densities in the us like san francisco or la. sure, but there are cities around the world that had the same kind of issues. there seem to be praised from doing the daily briefings and coming out and talking seriously about this. there is more he could have

done head of this given new york is such a hub. what more could have been done weeks and months before? yes, hindsight is always 2020, there is a loss of people saying that the governor and the city could have acted quicker to order shelter in place to require people to remain within their homes and to close schools. just looking at new york versus california, for example, california, for example, california, six counties in the bay area, where san francisco is, had consistent action across all of the counties so they collectively took the same measure on march 16 to ask all the population to remain within their homes. new york didn't ta ke their homes. new york didn't take that same action until marched 22nd. in an epidemic, those days are light years, it matters significantly for the transmission of the disease. but health officials are working with the information,

the data they had at the time, the data they had at the time, the information from their surveillance, so it is very easy to say in retrospect they should have acted sooner, and a lot harder to know at the time is now the right time to be ordering those drastic measures? i guess one of the things that makes new york unique is the amount of homeless, vulnerable communities living there, and the fact they can't really socially isolated like the rest of the population. yes, in general, new yorkers, a lot of multi— generations, they live in the same household, people live in large apartment complexes or have roommates. so people live in close proximity to one another and they travel on public transit so it is by the nature of the way the city lives, it is hard to socially distance. but there were, there are so distance. but there were, there are so it doesn't alter other factors that played into decisions to steps that were going to be taken to address the pandemic. for example, in

schools here, large numbers of stu d e nts schools here, large numbers of students received two meals a day from schools, and so that was a big consideration in determining whether to close new york city schools initially. thank you so much for bringing us up—to—date on life in new york and why you think it has been so. stay safe. thank you very much indeed. europe has so far shouldered the majority of all debts and infections. there's now hope the curve could be starting to flatten in some of the hardest—hit countries. freya cole reports. intensive care nurses in france pushed through the long and exhausting shifts. but of caution, there is a sense of hope. for a second day, the number of new admissions has dropped and the daily death toll appears to be slowing. translation: a very high plateau for this epidemic appears to have been reached, by the epidemic remains very active. there are still many cases coming into the hospital.

in spain, huge makeshift field hospitals are full, 16,500 people have so far died, making it europehighest death toll. day by day, the number of fatalities is also dropping. plans are in motion to start reopening some factories and construction sites. but authorities have warned that for a majority of people, the lockdown remains. translation: from monday, we spaniards are still in a state of —— state of confinement. the result of this is that lives have been saved and that we are getting closer to defeating the virus for good. but it is important i insist to continue to enforce the measures. in scandinavia, sweden's relaxed approach to the pandemic has been controversial. now, even the prime minister has admitted that his country could be better prepared.

translation: it has not been good enough and it is evident eve ryo ne good enough and it is evident everyone in many different aspects, that is why we have adopted a national security strategy that includes everything from water supply to cybersecurity. behind every statistic is a personal story of love and loss. a test of our shared humanity in the words of the german president in a rare televised address. translation: we will be a different society after this crisis. we don't want to become an anxious or distrustful society, but a society with more trust, with morcombe federation and with more confidence. —— with more consideration. in italy, these policemen and women are carefully screened before making a special delivery. 300 easter eggs to children in hospital. many were sick before

this pandemic intruded into their country, but their struggles are not forgotten. it isa struggles are not forgotten. it is a little moments like this which provide hope to carry on. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the number of deaths from the coronavirus in the uk exceeds 900 for the second day running as doctors warn that many medics are unable to access the personal protective equipment they need to keep themselves safe. the united states has overtaken italy with the highest number of deaths from the pandemic in the world. nearly 20,000 americans have been killed so far and more than 500,000 infections have been confirmed. here in the uk, more than a thousand people have been fined for failing to stick to the rules on social distancing across england and wales. meanwhile, the uk home secretary announced more funding for support groups, which help the victims of domestic abuse. tom symonds reports. day after day, the same demand of the british people. some experts are surprised at how rigorously we have

stuck to the new rules of life in lockdown. but technically, that's not allowed. and even this sort of exercise is likely to prompt questions. the police have been told to engage, explain, encourage, and if necessary, in force. 108a people have been fined in 37 forces so far. but it does seem to be working. there are some grey areas. but for the most part, you know, ithink definitely there's been a decrease in people that are out and about. the first police officer to attend the daily briefing said this was a new world for the public but also the police. they have new responsibilities, they are tackling new risks. the streets are empty, businesses are closed as we all adapt to a new way of life that much does remain the same.

officers are still out in their communities, fighting crime, protecting victims and tackling antisocial behaviour. of course, enforcing this is not the only thing the police have to do, even now. lockdown has changed everything, including crime. and today we heard that the number of offences reported to police has fallen by 21%, compared to the same time last year. but there is now a big worry that crime has moved into our homes. it's a prison without the luxuries of prison. after the bbc broadcast this report about domestic violence during the lockdown, a national hotline reported a 120% increase in calls. the government spending £2 million on improving services for victims. but it's also an area police will have to prioritise, along with patrolling the parks. tom simon ‘s, bbc news. the queen has sought to reassure the country that "coronavirus will not overcome us" in what is thought to be her first easter message to the nation.

in a special broadcast on the royal family's social media channels, she talks about the easter message of hope, and said that while celebrations would be different for many this year, the country needed them as much as ever. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. this is believed to be the first time the queen has delivered an easter message. coming less than a week after her televised broadcast from windsor, it underlines the gravity of which the current situation is regarded by the monarch. the theme of the audio message is light overcoming darkness — symbolised on the royal social media channels by the image of an easter candle. we know that coronavirus will not overcome us. as dark as death can be, particularly for those suffering with grief, light and life are greater. may the living flame of the easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. the queen stressed the importance of the lockdown. by keeping apart, she said, we keep others safe.

nicholas witchell, bbc news. zoo keepers are working to keep gorillas and other animals safe during the coronavirus pandemic, as it remains unclear whether endangered species are at risk of contracting the virus from humans. there are fears an outbreak could have catastrophic implications for conservation — as reged ahmad reports gorilla yene and her newborn hanging out at a german zoo. they‘ re members of an endangered species. and zoos have worked hard to increase their numbers in captivity, through breeding programmes like this one. should it be found that covid—19 can affect great apes, our closest living relatives, then the outcome could be catastrophic. so, zookeepers have been taking every precaution. translation: we have now reduced our team to a specific core team.

this means that anyone that doesn't have anything to do with great apes must now do other work. and it's notjust gorillas. zoo caretakers around the world are on high alert for each of their animals, many endangered, watching nervously for any signs of the virus. so for animals we are looking for signs of a respiratory issue, we're looking for things like coughing, potentially sneezing, nasal discharge, animals being lethargic is a very good key that they may not be feeling 0k. fears were heightened when this tiger at new york's bronx zoo tested positive after developing respiratory symptoms. it's hoped the new york case is an isolated incident but conservationists don't want to take any chances. in africa, great apes have already been put on lockdown, with gorilla tourism suspended in an effort to protect the animals.

back at rostock zoo in germany and zola is pregnant too. gorillas have been known to catch human illnesses, so the focus now will be to protect as much as possible our primate cousins from covid—19. reged ahmed, bbc news. this week would have seen the 100th birthday of the indian musician ravi shankar, one of india's most celebrated artists who famously taught beatle george harrison to play the sitar. planned celebrations, including concerts at the london south bank centre and carnegie hall in new york, have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. but to mark the occasion, the shankar family have shared some of their private archive with the bbc. ravi shankar‘s daughter, anoushka shankar, also a renowned musician, spoke to bbc south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan. music plays. from the moment i

started my first strike on the instrument, i knew that we were connected. most people across cultures and generations seem to know the name shankar. there we re to know the name shankar. there were definitely decades where he was the household name that was putting india on the map, culturally. he is my father, so people might be inclined to take this with a pinch of salt, but i really do think he was one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. like this. 0ne one of those iconic friendships, relationships he had, george harrison, john

coltrane, people were drawn to this new music they had never heard before and he was the right kind of person to want to teach it and share it. not so long. my father was known for being unbelievably deeply well—versed and his knowledge of the melody forms was unmatched. and his ability to also balance that with in the play of rhythm was unmatched. he was known for having the most intricate knowledge of rhythms and cross rhythms and he could do all of that and do it in this instantly improvised way. where i feel like everyone would assume 70 of the things he improvised were composed,

because it made so much sense. he was able to improvise in a way that things are sound and composed because they came up with this beautiful story. the seventh of april is my father's centenary. it would have been his 100 that they. and we were going to be kicking off a whole series of gala premiers and concerts and events, and, of course, everything has had to be put on hold and postponed. sojust found be put on hold and postponed. so just found myself wanting to seek out loads of other ways to mark the occasion thomas ince i'm not getting to do it with a concert. so i've been reaching out to musician friends to make videos that we can post on his birthday, reaching out to loads of artists who knew and loved him to maybe share about him little tributes. basically trying to do digitally what we would have done in person and trying to create a bit of a celebratory feeling of remembrance about him and his music.

you can reach me you can reach me on you can reach me on twitter. a finau thanks for watching. two stay tuned to bbc news. hello there. the weather is set to change through the second half of this easter weekend. after a couple of very warm days, things are going to be turning cooler. initially in northern areas through easter sunday and then all of us much cooler by easter monday. there'll be a few showers along the way as well. this is the weather set up. it's quite complex. high pressure to the west, low pressure up to the north—east. another area of low pressure developing just about here. but all you really need to know is that this whether set up is going to bring us a northerly wind over the next couple of days and that will bring this cold air southwards across all parts of the uk, particularly by easter monday. but as far as the day ahead goes, we're going to start off with cloud and some patchy rain through southern scotland and northern ireland, that sinking very slowly south—eastwards. for the northern half of scotland, some brightness for a time, but more cloud and patchy rain remaining here. and with a brisk northerly wind it's going to start to feel really chilly.

further south across england and wales, some spells of sunshine, but into the afternoon a scattering of really heavy and possibly thundery downpours, partly due to another day of warmth. 25 degrees there in london, but further north, 11 for aberdeen, that colder air making its presence felt. now, during sunday night we will continue to see some hefty and possibly thundery downpours across england and wales. but more and more of of us start to feel the effect of that northerly wind. so while monday morning will be a mild affair across south england and south wales, further north a chilly start of the day. and that sets us up for what is going to be quite a cold feeling day across the british isles. a lot of cloud feeding into northern and eastern part of scotland and down the eastern side of england. the best of the sunshine to be found further west, so through parts of wales, south—west and north—west of england, south—west scotland, and northern ireland. a noticeable wind, particularly for eastern and southern coasts. the channel islands could see gusts of 50mph. and look at these temperatures — way, way down where they have been. seven degrees there in newcastle, cardiff, plymouth 1a degrees at best. ans as high pressure builds strongly across the british isles through tuesday morning, you can see this blue shade on the chart — a widespread frost. that's one to bear in mind if you've spent the weekend gardening.

a fairly cool feeling day on tuesday, but a lot of dry weather through the coming week and it turns warmer once again.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the uk has recorded 917 new coronavirus deaths — it's the second day in a row that the number of victims was above 900. following criticism from doctors, the home secretary, priti patel, has said she is sorry if anyone felt there had been failings over the supply of personal protective equipment for nhs staff. borisjohnson has thanked staff at st thomas' hospital in london where he is being treated for coronavirus for saving his life. he is recovering from the virus but is expected to spend the coming weeks convalescing. the united states has overtaken italy for the highest number of deaths from pandemic in the world. nearly 20,000 americans have been killed so far. the governor of the worst affected state, new york, has said the death rate there is stabilising, but at a horrific level. now on bbc news, dateline london.