this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the number of coronavirus patients who've died in hospital in the uk rises to almost 15,000. it comes as the uk government accepts that some personal protective equipment is in short supply and says it's doing everything it can to bring in more. we've got to do more to get the ppe that people need to the front line. this is an extremely challenging situation. an extra 1.6 billion pounds for councils across england so they can protect essential services during the pandemic, and there's also extra cash for scotland wales and northern ireland.

doctors injapan warn that the country's medical system could collapse amid a rising number of coronavirus cases. as coronavirus cases in moscow rise, ambulances queue for more than nine hours to drop patients at hospital. and our latest nhs video diary, showing life as a nurse inside a busy hospital treating coronavirus patients. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments, both here and globally. first, the uk government says it accepts that some personal protective equipment is in short supply. speaking at a press conference this afternoon the communities secretary, robertjenrick, said more

must be done to get ppe to front line nhs workers. the latest official figures for the uk show there were 888 deaths reported in hospitals in the most recent 24—hour period. it brings the total number of people who have died in the uk to 15,464. that number doesn't include deaths in care homes or in the community in england and northern ireland. the communities secretary robertjenrick said what he called a very large consignment of personal protective equipment, or ppe, is due to arrive in the uk tomorrow from turkey. it comes after criticism from doctors unions over new advice that some gowns could be re—used. mrjenrick also said local councils in england will be given extra funding of £1.6 billion to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. there will be extra funds for the other uk nations through the barnett formula. elsewhere, doctors injapan have warned that the country's medical system could collapse amid a wave of new coronavirus cases. and in spain, deaths from covid—19

have exceeded 20,000, making it the third country after the united states and italy to surpass the figure. here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. john coker, a detective constable for british transport police who leaves a wife and three children. retired paediatrician judith darmady, founder of a children's charity, awarded an 0be, who dedicated her life to the care of others. two of more than 15,000 deaths caused by covid—i9. it is hitting families across the country, but the really sad thing for people is when someone dies, they are dying alone. it is a bad way to go. they are feeling alone, probably scared, and their family are not able to console them, not able to know how it happens. and, as someone said,

after all of this is over, there are going to be many stories required to be told by nhs staff who were the last people with loved ones as they died. more lives are being saved than lost, but medical staff are worried they are being put at risk because of a continuing shortage of personal protective equipment, ppe, especially gowns worn when treating the sickest patients. as hospitals face the possibility of running out of some kit, public health england changed its guidance. some gowns could be reserved for the most high—risk procedures, or staff could reuse washable clothing. and today, a promise that fresh supplies are on the way. 84 tonnes of equipment, including 400,000 gowns. we are trying to do everything we can to get the equipment that we need. we are trying to source more internationally. that is difficult at times. there is a great deal of demand for it.

and the security of that supply can prove challenging. but we are making progress bar. but medical workers are anxious about where this leaves them. a&e doctor nick works directly with covid—i9 patients. back on shift tomorrow, he does not know how much ppe will be available. there are apprehensions about, you know, what might there be, what might there not be, or how much has deteriorated and changed. and especially when we see the news reports now saying that stocks may be close to zero, nationally, it is really worrying, especially being on the front line. we have to do what we do, and it comes with the job. it would just be good if, you know, we were adequately protected. the new guidance is in line with world health organization advice, and hospital managers are facing a global shortage of ppe. we have to really focus on what we can do because there is a shortage of gowns. in that situation, following world health organization guidelines has to be the way

that we go. they are saying that if other stocks are not available, this is the way to go and this is safe to use. the new guidance only applies when ppe stocks are running low. the picture across the uk is mixed. but the patience of health—care workers is also in short supply. dominic hughes, bbc news. doctors injapan are warning that the country's medical system could collapse because of a new wave of coronavirus cases. japan initially appeared to have the virus under control but there has been a recent surge and there are now more than 10,000 confirmed cases. a much quieter tokyo in the wake of the state of emergency declared by the government. japan had its first recorded covid—19 infection injanuary, and, since then, the government has been

criticised for not giving enough to prepare for an increase. now, medical associations say the outbreak is reducing japan's ability to treat other serious medical emergencies, even strokes. it is understood one patient with a fever was turned away by 80 medical facilities before he was accepted by a tokyo hospital. like many countries, doctors are complaining of a lack of protective equipment as well. critics have taken aim at the prime minister, saying he has delayed restrictions in favour of the economy. shinzo abe says he is trying to effectively reduce people to people contact. translation: people out on weekdays in city areas like shibuya in tokyo have been reduced by 60%. in umeda in osaka, it's been reduced by about 70%. but we have not yet reached our target level. japan is facing a new wave of infections, and with it, a push to increase relatively low testing levels. it now remains to be seen

if the country has done enough quickly enough to protect its medical system and head off a major outbreak. councils across england will receive another £1.6 billion in additional funding from the government as they continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. the announcement from the local government secretary came after council leaders warned they may have to consider "extreme" measures to cut costs. this report from our political correspondent, nick eardley. closed, like many parts of the country. councilfacilities have been shut, starving local authorities of cash, just as they face extra pressure to pay for things like social care, and to support vulnerable communities through the crisis. this afternoon the government said it would make extra money available for councils in england. today, i'm providing an additional £1.6 billion of new funding to support councils.

we are backing councils to make sure vital services such as adult social care, children's services, support for the most vulnerable, and waste collection, continue, despite the increased pressures. there will be extra cash to spend in scotland, wales and northern ireland, too, but money is being spent quickly. council leaders say a similar amount of emergency funding announced last month has already gone. everyone will have spent the first tranche of cash in one or two months, and i don't think anyone thinks this crisis is only going to last that amount of time so councils will start to either go bankrupt or will have to start heavily rationing services. this is another reminder of the massive economic impact the shutdown is having, both on individuals and communities, and the bill the government is facing is mounting,

with huge amounts of money already promised to businesses and to try and keep people injobs. but with those extra pressures on local authorities, and fears that some won't be able to pay their council tax compounding the funding problem, some fear the extra money announced today will not be enough. the streets being cleaned this afternoon may be quieter but important local services continue. in one way or another they have to be paid for. nick eardley, bbc news. with me now is our political correspondent nick eardley. i watched that government press conference. there was question after question about ppe for medics. conference. there was question after question about ppe for medicsm has been a huge controversy in the ukfor has been a huge controversy in the uk for weeks, compounded by the fact that public health england, which is responsible for guidance in england, has told nurses and doctors they might have to reuse some single use

ppe. there is mounting pressure on the government hear about that. what we always get from ministers are big figures, millions and millions of pieces of ppe being shipped out across the country every day. but theissue across the country every day. but the issue seems to be inconsistent. if you speak to some hospitals and some local council areas, they have enough and there are no shortages. but there are a is where it clearly isn't getting through properly and the government still has not a nswered the government still has not answered all the questions on that. i suspect until we stop hearing those stories, the questions are going to continue. they talked about parks and funerals? two things i suppose, in peace time, we are used to. there is a problem in london with parks being too busy at weekends. everybody gets their daily exercise, they head to the park rather than heading into the centre of town. it is a strange paradox. if you walk around central london now,

it isa you walk around central london now, it is a ghost town, the parks on the periphery are busy. the communities minister making it clear that closure is not to happen. he has told local councils to keep parks open because people need them. obviously, echoing that message of social distancing, stately metres apart. funerals have also been controversial. we have heard anecdotal evidence about people not being able to attend funerals or not being able to attend funerals or not being allowed into other events when somebody dies. the clear message from the government is that is not to happen. graveyards are to stay open and close family members are allowed to attend funerals. again, with social distancing measures, they need to stay in place. scientists around the world are trying to find out why a small percentage of young, healthy people are being severely infected with covid—19, while others experience only mild or asymptomatic symptoms. there are various theories, but our next guest says it's

actually not that unusual. in most viruses, some people control the infectious agent very well, others die, and there's everything in between. it's called the ‘infection enigma'. let's find out more. drjean—laurent casanova is a professor at rockefeller university who studies the genetics of disease severity. please explain the infection enigma to us. first, thank you for inviting me. first, with cyrus and coronavirus, —— sars. the proportions vary. some infectious agents kill one in 10 million infected individuals. others can kill 10% of infected individuals. there is this gigantic interindividual factor. it is an

enigma factor. will be solve it? the enigma factor. will be solve it? the enigma is we understand the environmental infectious component of infectious diseases, but we do not quite understand the reason why there is such a gigantic interindividual variability. are we going to practice enigma? it has been around for over a century. lots of generations of scholars have attempted to combat the problem. a hypothesis, perhaps, relevant to this covid—19 pandemic is known as the genetic theory. the idea is that human genetic variations may underlie these into individual clinical variability over the course of infections. there is suggestion that under 30s should be allowed to emerge from lockdown and carry on theirjobs emerge from lockdown and carry on their jobs because they emerge from lockdown and carry on theirjobs because they are less

likely to be affected, but given that some do. is the ill, with this tactic be a risk? most of them will not ill, as you say, but still, they can be contagious and transmit the virus to more vulnerable individuals. as you also rightly pointed out, some of them, a small proportion of these young individuals, younger than 30 or younger than 40, or younger than 50, 50 is still young, a small proportion of them are at risk. the question, they are previously healthy, they are relatively young, why would they end up in the intensive care unit for respiratory failure? in this particular age group, people without known underlying medical conditions, there isa underlying medical conditions, there is a higher chance of identifying genetic variations that make them

vulnerable. is there a way for younger people to know if they, individually, might be more vulnerable than any of their peers? currently, there is no way because no genetic data have been generated. the aim of our research programme is precisely to in role individuals younger than 50, previously healthy, someone younger than 50, previously healthy, someone who, a month later would be integrated with covid—19, sequence the genome worldwide and try to identify genetic variations. currently, there is no answer, but inafew currently, there is no answer, but in a few months, unfortunately, perhaps a few years, we may have an answer. we are doing the best we can. thinking so much forjoining us. “— can. thinking so much forjoining us. —— thank you. now away from coronavirus — 15 prominent members of hong kong's democracy movement have been arrested for organising

illegal protests last year in what's being seen as a fresh attack on anti—government activists. britain has expressed its concern over the arrests, calling the right to peaceful protest fundamental to hong kong's way of life. earlier this week beijing's most senior official in the city called for a new security law to deal with dissent. david campanale has more. it's the biggest crackdown on the democracy movement since the outbreak of mass protests last year. those detained in a coordinated swoop by the police include several who have, for decades, been important figures in hong kong's campaign for greater freedom. among them, the 81—year—old barrister martin lee, known in the territory as the father of democracy. translation: i am proud to have had the chance to walk along our road to democracy with hong kong's excellent young people. the publishing tycoon

jimmy lai was also arrested. he runs the apple daily newspaper which is frequently critical of the hong kong and chinese communist leadership. the detentions relates to a series of anti—government protests last year. the first of these was attended by 1.7 million hong kong citizens. the authorities have not said why it is the high—profile figures, among them former members of the legislative council, who have been targeted for detention. peaceful protest is protected in both the joint declaration between britain and china and the basic law. but hong kong police maintain that the rounding up of the suspects is simply the impartial application of the law. translation: they were arrested on charges of organising and participating in unlawful assembly at hong kong island and kowloon on the 18th of august,

the 1st of october and the 20th of october 2019. before the coronavirus outbreak, hong kong had witnessed almost weekly demonstrations for greater democracy and less control from beijing. over recent days, chinese officials seeing the city have been making increasingly belligerent noises. some think beijing is worried about losing ground in local elections later this year. in this climate, it is hard not to see this coordinated series of arrests as anything less than a warning of beijing's's intention to tighten its grip on hong kong. i'm joined now by sir malcolm rifkind, who served as britain's foreign secretary from 1995 to 1997, and oversaw the final negotiations with china over the transfer of hong kong.

you helped to design one country, two systems, for hong kong. china promised to keep it in place for 50 yea rs promised to keep it in place for 50 years after the handover. is it now over after just 23 years? years after the handover. is it now over afterjust 23 years? it is not over, but looking as though it might go that way. it is deeply disturbing and cynical what the chinese have done. you will have heard from your own reports that the assemblies that the people were accused of assembling was three years ago. why are they now bringing charges against of the most prominent citizens of hong kong? martin lee, 81 yea rs citizens of hong kong? martin lee, 81 years old, a fine man. i don't think the timing is coincidental. they are doing it now because they... the coronavirus is preoccupying every they... the coronavirus is preoccu pying every country they... the coronavirus is preoccupying every country around the world, they might get very limited international response. they

may believe we will be distracted. i am pleased the british government has already put out a very strong statement, but that is not sufficient. it will be necessary for every government around the world that believes in the rule of law, not just western countries that believes in the rule of law, notjust western countries but that believes in the rule of law, not just western countries but also asian countries, put out a strong protest. i know perfectly well that the chinese government pay attention to these. you must have known back in 1997 that china, as a rising power, would soon have the ability simply to ignore any signed promises, any promises they might have made with you and your government, in future? we must get this into proportion. this happened in 1997. it is now 22 years later. hong kong does remain a very different place to the rest of china, not because the chinese want that but because the people of hong

kong, with international support, have been able to prevent previous attem pts have been able to prevent previous atte m pts to have been able to prevent previous attempts to reduce the autonomy that hong kong enjoys. the courts in hong kong are still relatively independent. the rest of china has rule by law, and that is what the chinese government is now 20 impose, step—by—step on hong kong. the hong kong people may also believe they cannot come out in their hundreds and thousands at this moment because of the coronavirus. the social distancing makes mass demonstrations, at the very least, more complicated to arrange. you have talked about the protests that the british government have made, but in practical terms, what kind of leveraged does the uk have given that there is no arbitrator? china can impose its own interpretation of below and do as it pleases? that is right, but the chinese government has a problem. although hong kong is

not as economically important to them as it was in 1997, it is still massively important. it is important in terms of attracting overseas investment and using hong kong as a gateway for trade with china as a whole, raising capital sound—mac —— capital, in order to have investment. if they push these things too far, the hong kong economy will collapse. that is something the chinese government have found is a factor they have to ta ke have found is a factor they have to take into account, one of the reasons, not the only reason, why they have not sent their army in and simply done what they did in tiananmen square with their own people if you use a go. western countries are dealing with the coronavirus, as are many countries around the world. britain has relied on china for the supply of crucial medical goods. britain will not want

to put that at risk, and that must be in the british government's mind when it talks to china at the moment? i do not think there is the slightest risk... it is not fundamental to our requirements. the material is useful, but do remember that the main reason why the chinese are trying to sound benevolent on the coronavirus issue is they know this whole virus erupted way back last december and it did not even tell their own people, never mind the rest of the world. it did not admit there was this great disaster unfolding. we are all increasingly suspicious of the numbers they have published in regards to the fatalities in their own countries. it isa fatalities in their own countries. it is a country of over a billion where the coronavirus tragedy began. the numbers not credible. turkey, iran, have for or five thousand cases of the virus honest everyday... the idea that china has

had a tiny minuscule number, i do not think the chinese belief that an increasingly the best of the world does not either. thank you very much. now let's take a look at some of the main stories around the world. the number of people who've died from coronavirus in spain has now risen past 20,000. in terms of deaths, spain has the world's fourth highest total of covid—19 fatalities, and has confirmed infections injust over 0.4 percent of its population. the governor of new york, one of the states worst affected by covid—19 in the us, has said that the number of patients being treated for the virus there is continuing to fall. andrew cuomo says there are now almost 350 fewer people in hospital compared to a day earlier. but he stressed that the trend did not mean ‘happy days' were back. orthodox christians have been celebrating easter in the middle east, transporting the holy fire from the church of the holy sepulchre in jerusalem, to bethlehem. the ceremony, which is considered as a miracle in the religion,

took place despite the lockdown, which prevented any crowds from gathering to watch. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. former tour de france champion geraint thomas says he's experienced some of the hardest hours he's had on a saddle while raising more than £300,000 for the nhs, in his garage. he completed three 12—hour shifts over three days, to mirror the pattern of an nhs worker. bbc breakfast and ben croucher followed his journey. and somebody else really well—known is getting on their bike to help raise money as well. who else would you want at this point but the former tour de france champion, geraint thomas. oh my goodness, you're pedalling already, how is it going? it's all right at the minute, i've only been going ten minutes. that was the start of something epic for geraint thomas, three long but unforgettable days, 12 hours on wednesday, thursday and friday,

the same length as many nhs shifts. tiring but worth it. a massive thanks to all of you out there who have donated over the last few days, it made a massive difference. but thomas isn'tjust doing this on his own. thanks to the power of social media and a cycling app, people like you and me canjoin him virtually, and you've been doing so in your thousands. in gardens, living rooms and balconies, young and old, individuals and families from around the world have been showing just what pedal power can achieve. it felt crazy because you never really get a chance like this to ride with him. it was really fun and really interesting to ride with somebody like a professional that i wouldn't usually ride with. you really feel like you're actually riding with him. the physical and fundraising effort so far has been amazing, no idea how you've done it.

12 is the next level and to do it on three consecutive days, geraint thomas is a champion, we applaud him. amazing to see the amount of support with people riding with me and all the donations, sure how much the nhs and what everyone working there. what they're doing and everyone getting behind, it's amazing. people like natasha and andrew. for front line nhs staff, it's important we get all the support we can. it's been difficult sometimes but we're doing 0k, we're looking after each other and doing the best we can, and that's the most important. that's what kept thomas going through the gruelling 36 hours, the last two he described as the hardest on his bike. he finished with no fanfare or ceremony, just a bottle of champagne from his wife and the donations are still pouring in. i'm just looking forward to a shower and a bag of peas down below

to help out, i don't know. incredible. the main thing is raising so much money. a huge thanks for the money and everyone that's donated, the biggest thanks goes to those working for the nhs. it's three years this week since british racing driver billy monger lost both his legs in a high—speed collison. the 20—year—old has posted a video for the first time showing his injuries — and asking his generation to stay at home and protect the nhs staff that are responsible for him being alive today. he told bbc sport that now seemed the right time to share his experience. obviously, we have been in lockdown for a little while now, and i have seen a for a little while now, and i have seen a lot of people doing lots of different things to raise awareness and money for the nhs and to help us

through these tough times. and obviously, the ongoing situation that we find ourselves in now, it just felt right to do a video to some up my experience with the nhs and what they had given to me, which is life itself, really. i would not be here now without them. it was to put that into words for the people out there so they can appreciate what people on an individual sort of level have ta ken what people on an individual sort of level have taken away from the nhs before this. that is all the support from us for now. the government has written to members of parliament explaining why some flights are still arriving at uk airports. each day around 60 passenger flights land at heathrow. airlines have told the bbc that many are relatively empty and they insist that virtually everyone flying into heathrow now is simply travelling home. airlines are also converting more passenger aircraft to deliver medical supplies and other cargo. our transport correspondent tom burridge reports.

most airports are largely standing still, but even now, some passenger planes are arriving. one in ten of the flights, which normally operates in and out of heathrow, are still running. airlines say the vast majority of people on board are simply heading home. nobody at the moment is taking a holiday so these flights are repatriation flights. we need to bring these people home. these people are stranded all over the world — barcelona, america, south america, asia — and airlines are working with the government right now every single day to get these people home. kiran was stuck visiting family in india before flying home this week. there were checks at the airports in india. they asked for if we've got any symptoms of of covid—19. so we just had to say tickboxes.

so yes or no answers. do you have a cough? did you have a flu? that kind of thing. and then you go inside the airport and then you've got the staff. they're doing temperature checks. checks like that's are not in place at heathrow. it must be confusing because you just assume that, you know, if one airport is doing it, the other airport will follow with the same regulation and process. some people with covid—19, don't have a temperature and some show no symptoms at all so the effectiveness of checks is questionable. the boss of heathrow has said airports around the world should now adopt the same standards. american airlines told us their planes now have enough empty seats so that social distancing is always possible. and virgin atlantic revealed many of their commercial flights have only been about a quarter full. but the belly of most passenger planes is full of cargo, selling at a premium in these

extraordinary times. companies running pure cargo flights are working like never before. it's really the only choice that there is at the current time to move anything that is time— criticalfrom one region of the world to another, particularly if it's urgent medical equipment or supplies, medical supplies in from china. food in from kenya. airlines have taken a massive financial hit, so they're now using passenger planes to generate revenue by transporting vital supplies. tom burridge, bbc news. let's go quickly to madrid where the country was met prime minister pedro sanchez has been giving on an update on the measures taken by the

government. he says his administration will relax the confinement of children starting april 27 which is important because spain begana april 27 which is important because spain began a national lockdown on the 14th of march, including 7 million children and families have been campaigning recently for children to be excluded from that ban, to be allowed to go out into parks and playgrounds. mr sanchez has also said he will ask the spanish parliament for another 15 day extension of the state of emergency until may the 9th. now, earlier on bbc news my colleague shaun ley wasjoined by lisa minot, the travel editor at the sun newspaper and victoria bacon from the travel association abta to answer all coronavirus travel—related questions my wife and i are due to go on holiday to south africa at the end of august.

this is from john daly. we didn't book it through a travel agent. should we cancel? it depends whether they would like to lose the money. technically, according to government advice which is against all but essential travel, indefinitely, that means that if they have taken out travel insurance they should be able to claim on the travel insurance for any of their losses because of this indefinite amount of time before we are being told we are allowed to travel again. practically it might mean that companies are quite difficult to get your money back from. we are seeing a lot of companies dragging their heels, and not giving out those refunds anywhere near as quickly as people should have them. thank you very much for that. let's move on, now. this i think will be of interest to abta. my forthcoming cruise holiday was cancelled by the travel company — they have offered me credit to use

for a future cruise. will my insurance still be valid? the very important thing here is if you have been offered a credit note, if you have the correct kind of paperwork behind that credit note. we at abta have issued mass guidelines to make sure that people have as much clarity as possible to make sure about that credit note is financially protected. so, for example, that credit note should have a clear expiry date on it, it should include all of the original booking conditions and reference for the original booking because the credit note is effectively a note which will provide additional time in order for you to maintain your rights to a refund, so at the end of that credit note, or indeed before, if you don't put on a day, you will still maintain your right your refund, so that is an important point.

the other thing i would say about that government advisory piece around the all but essential advice, advice against nonessential travel, that has been introduced and can be taken away at any time, so my advice to customers with bookings further afield, at this stage, is to sit tight and wait to see what happens. we don't know what is going to be happening by the end ofjuly or august. we are not sure what the situation is going to be. so it is important to keep an eye on that travel advice from the foreign office. the lord giveth and the lord taketh away, so does government! thanks for that, victoria. one elderly couple of my acquaintance don't want to go on a cruise again because of all the stories about coronavirus spreading easily in cruise ships. are you still protected in that

sense? regardless of the offer of credit, people just want their money back because they don't want to commit to a future cruise? if your cruise holiday can't go ahead thought of your own and, in this situation that relates to the foreign office advice, then you will be entitled either to get your money back or to book another holiday so in that instance, if this couple, if they have been given a credit note or not, i don't know, then you should be entitled to a cash refund. i would say, i completely understand why at the moment everyone is feeling a bit shocked and very nervous about holidays and what this all means. we are right in the eye of the storm at the moment with this pandemic. what we have got to bear in mind is that we will at some point come out of the other side, and we are still going to want to take holidays again. it is to try and maintain a sense of perspective if we can. i know that is difficult,

but to maintain a sense of perspective and follow the health advice. can i pick up with lisa on this? are you getting a lot of us from readers of the sun, as travel editor, concerns about whether they want to go cruising in future? sun readers have always been huge fans of cruise holidays. and i think they still want to take those holidays but i can understand if you are elderly or vulnerable you might be worried about getting on a cruise ship and my advice would be to speak to your travel insurance provider, if you've got travel insurance, the fact that you are vulnerable, you might be able to claim back some of the money through that. and just negotiate with the travel company themselves. politely pointing out, you have got those conditions, you are worried about your health, and see if they would come

to an understanding. this one also to you, lisa, this is from h pattinson who says, i am currently stuck in tampa, florida after docking here with a cruise ship. there are many other britons who are now stranded. we are unable to book flights home because of us travel restrictions. what rights do we have? they do have rights. the government two weeks ago announced they were setting up an airline repatriation scheme using some of the big airlines, like british airways. we really should by now have heard something. i'm surprised that we have still got such large numbers are broad. in the first instance you should be contacting the british embassy or consulate in florida and saying that they need to be being brought home because they should be repatriated through this government scheme, at the moment. thank you for that.

this one is for you victoria, from gary howe. i had booked to go on a package holiday to corfu in may which has now been cancelled by the agents. tui has said that i can't ask for a cash refund until i receive an email from them offering refund credit. i'm concerned about how long this may go on for — am i best to chase the money through my credit card company? presumably he did actually book it on a credit company so should he go through there, rather than through tui? it is a bit confusing the way the e—mail question is phrased. in normal circumstances, there is a 14 day turnaround on cash refunds but at the moment we have a situation where hundreds of thousands of holidays can no longer go ahead so there are conversations happening all the time with travel companies and members of the public around what is happening with my booking,

and the pressure on travel company is to provide all of those cash refunds within that 14—day period isjust proving completely impossible for many of them to fulfil. some of them have, some of them are taking a bit longer than that, but the important thing is that you get the right paperwork, if you haven't had that refund within that 14—day period, because the key thing is that you do not lose your right to a refund, which is essential. tui are offering refunds, credit notes, which will give you assurance around your right to a refund being preserved, it willjust take longer than 14 days. look at the dates that are on, the expiry dates, on those. since we are mentioning a travel company, and this is a general question, i need to be clear about that, if we have companies that go under, during this next few months, six and it's quite

possible that may happen, we know that we have had plenty of other struggling businesses and holiday businesses are clearly being hit hard, anybody in the tourist industry in this country as well, and they are abta members, would all of those guarantees and protections continue, would abta members effectively underwrite these kinds of losses? in travel, the protection comes with a booking you have. typically package holidays have the greatest level of protection. that financial protection comes either through abta or more commonly through atol which covers flight holidays, abta covers cruise and coach holidays, that sort of thing. so it depends what kind of booking you have got. if you book a flight on its own you will not have that same level of protection. what we are seeing at the moment, it is quite an important distinction that you have a lot of tour operators and travel agents who, themselves, are waiting to get money

back from their suppliers, typically the airlines and hotels, and that is why they are seeing this cash crunch in order to process refunds. however, those companies, if you have a certificate from atol, if you have booked a package holiday you have financial protection so in the event that company fails, you would get a refund. the challenge is going to be, clearly, the amount of time things take. so it is unbelievably challenging in these circumstances, with the epidemic, but you will have that fundamental right to a refund with a package holiday. thank you for that, and thank you gary for the question. matthew asks... i booked a cruise holiday

which was cancelled but the company involved are only offering credit to book another cruise but i want a full refund. what am i legally entitled to? legally they need to look at their terms and conditions. it doesn't make in this question whether he booked directly with a cruise company or through a third party, a travel agent or online cruise agent. it is the distinction of who you have given your money to. you need to ask them for a refund and check what their refund policies are. if it is because the cruise has been cancelled you should be getting that refund and it is very wrong of companies to be taking their time in the way that they are, to refund people, but i can actually understand, at the same time, if you want an industry to return to when we finally can start booking again, there has to be some leeway and if people can just afford to take that rebooking as credit that will help companies through a difficult time and when this finally does come to an end, to ensure that we still have got companies

to go on holiday with. it is a real dilemma. because people have taken fright, perfectly understandably, maybe for health reasons or the practicalities or the fear of what was happening if they were stuck out there for six weeks when i was supposed to be out for two, and i haven't got my medicine and that kind of thing, all understandable, but at the same time, there might not be companies to come back to you at all, if we don't engage in a bit of give and take. this question is from jackie griffiths, victoria. i booked several flights with a budget airline. they have promised to refund some but not all of the flights so far but have yet to do so. what rights do i have if the airline goes bust? this refers to what i was saying before. if you book a flight on its own it does not come with the same level of financial protection as a package holiday. so, in that instance,

your best course of action will be to look to your credit card company or travel insurer. with a many travel insurance policies provide cover, although not also have to check the terms of the travel insurance in that instance, but your credit card company, if you have book by credit card, if it is over £100, the cost of the fight, you should be able to make a claim through the credit card company. again, that would depend. it sounds like they are offering some sort of voucher system so it depends on that airline actually going bust before you can make that claim. victoria, i want to just underline this. some people are still not clear about this in their own minds. why is there a distinction between booking with debit card, and booking with credit card? it comes out of the law, the consumer credit act which covers this. it is worth asking the question. some debit cards will cover that,

but you cannot have the same sort of guarantee, if you like that you get with a credit card. and quite a lot of people don't understand that it has to be a minimum spend so if your flight is cheaper than that, it isn't the same protection. that is why we recommend that you take out travel insurance, as well. i'm sure you would echo that, victoria. that credit card, debit card thing is interesting, i didn't know some debit cards would help you with this. it is worth shopping around? yes, always check whether with travel insurance, credit cards, anything of that nature, check t&cs, yes. we are going to have to leave it there. thank you both very much. vladimir putin has

warned russians that, as the number of coronavirus cases rises, covid—19 continues to pose a high risk to his country. russia has seen its biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, up nearly 5,000 cases, up nearly 5,000 from yesterday. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has this report. ra rely rarely has moscow felt so calm, so quiet, so empty. in lockdown, a city of 12 million people, so peaceful, but not everywhere. on the edge of moscow, ambulances queue outside a hospital that is treating covid—19. the ambulance crews had to wait more than nine hours to bring in their patients. this is a health system under pressure. at another facility, doctors are preparing for their shift in the coronavirus. with

moscow the epicentre of the outbreak, the hospital is already overcapacity, but its head doctor is used to emergencies. he was a paramedic in china below. translation: the pressure on us has increased. we are getting around 150 new patients every day, but we are not at breaking point yet, but we are getting close. when this man got sick with suspected coronavirus and was struggling to breathe, twice, he called for an ambulance but none came. the system was overloaded. translation: when i did get you hospital it was like watching a co nveyor hospital it was like watching a conveyor belt. ambulances constantly coming and going bringing in new patients. the strain on the system is close to catastrophic. i decided to go back home. most of the patients were sicker than me. but coronavirus isn't just patients were sicker than me. but coronavirus isn'tjust a medical

challenge. it is a political one also. in the 20 years he has been in power vladimir putin has neverfaced a challenge of this magnitude. a virus, an invisible enemy that is not only threatening lives, but the entire russian economy and, with it, the image vladimir putin has been keen to cultivate, of stability. the epidemic has already forced the president to postpone the annual may the 9th victory parade on red square. huge celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the end of world war ii, now on hold. and in moscow, the lockdown is tightening. to use a car or public transport you now need a digital permit. the aim, to slow the spread of the virus by keeping more muscovites off the streets. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

as the outbreak continues to affect all parts of the uk — we've been hearing from frontline health workers — about the challenges they face. our health correspondent catherine burns is keeping in touch with a range of staff — and has asked them to keep video diaries. today we catch up with alice pallot, a nurse in intensive care in southampton. she's worked in intensive care for a year so alice pallot is used to looking after some of the very sickest people, but says at the minute every shift feels like a double. coffee, essential. i've got my lunch for the day and i'm ready to go. she has had a few days off so is feeling fresh and ready. walking up to the entrance now, id at the ready, coffee at the ready, and id as we go in and find out where i'm going to be. this is the paediatric unit which we are now using for adult beds. mask on, visor at the ready. the patients alice is caring

for all have coronavirus so when she comes out of the intensive care unit she has to take her personal protective equipment or ppe off very carefully so she doesn't contaminate herself. she has to remove it in a certain order, washing her hands at every stage. it takes about six minutes in all. now time for a tea break. after her cuppa, she has to start all over again. this effectively becomes your skin for however many hours we are in there. alice is helping to look after three people on this shift. they are all under 60 years of age. two are on ventilators, heavily sedated so the machine can breathe for them. i've been in full ppe for the last three hours, feeling a bit hot and a bit tired, so ready for a cup of tea now. a positive end to this shift is that the patient i've been looking after today has actually done so well that he's probably going to be heading to a ward in the next couple of hours

and from there they will be able to start thinking about discharging him home. the nicest part of the process today is that he was able to call his wife himself. i want people to know that in intensive care we don't look after numbers or statistics. we look after people that have names, people that have family. i think it's so easy to become numb and desensitised to the statistics that we're seeing and i think it is just important to remember that at the heart of all this it's people, it's human relations. alice says she is feeling under pressure at work but knows it is not going to carry on forever. catherine burns, bbc news. captain tom moore will be the guest of honour at the opening of a new nightingale hospital in yorkshire next week. the 99—year—old war veteran will appear by video—link. it was announced today that the £23 million raised by captain tom would be used to buy food parcels and counselling

sessions for nhs staff. the chairman of nhs charities together said the money would also go towards electronic tablets to allow patients to talk to their families. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello, if your saturday weather view has been a cloudier one that is likely that tomorrow will be brighter. that said, we are not expecting any change in scotland. a fair amount of sunshine today and plenty of blue skies to look out upon tomorrow. at least where there has been cloud today, elsewhere, there has been some useful rain after what so far in april has been a very dry month. high pressure is now building back across the uk. that means a lot of dry weather in the forecast. still a bit of rain to be had for some overnight, keeping some cloud with showers running into east anglia, lincolnshire, parts of yorkshire and the midlands but elsewhere in england, wales and northern ireland, it will be dry,

where you have had some rain, some low cloud on the eastern coast of scotland, lots of clear skies in scotland and northern parts of northern england allowing for a touch of frost in a few places. starting sunday with a chance of a shower in cornwall and pembrokeshire, soon clearing away, but still some cloud around southern and western england through wales and northern ireland. then some sunny spells in the afternoon. much of northern england and scotland will have a mostly sunny afternoon. temperatures holding back a little along north sea coasts with a freshening easterly breeze but when you are exchanging today's cloud for tomorrow's sunshine, if you're going to be outside at all it is going to feel warmer. high pressure in control for monday. the isobars closer together indicating a stronger breeze. that will a notable feature if and when you're outside over the half of the week ahead. maybe just the odd shower towards the channel islands and cornwall, the isles of scilly, in fact there will be a lot of dry and sunny weather across the bulk of the uk. the wind gusting to average speeds,

that's gusts nearer to 30—30 mph across parts of england and wales, so a noticeable easterly breeze. the impact is holding temperatures down along north sea coasts. the further west you are, some spots will be around 20 celsius — look at the temperatures in cardiff for the week ahead. lots of dry, sunny weather to come with high pressure in control. the closer you are to that east coast, initially in the week, that breeze will have an impact on the feel of the weather if and when you are outside. that is how the week ahead is shaping up. and that's the latest forecast.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the number of coronavirus patients who've died in hospital in the uk rises to almost fifteen and a half thousand. it comes as the uk government accepts that some personal protective equipment is in short supply and says it's doing everything it can to bring in more. we've got to do more to get the ppe that people need to the front lines. this is an extremely challenging situation. an extra 1.6 billion pounds for councils across england so they can protect essential services during the pandemic — there's also extra cash for scotland wales and northern ireland. doctors injapan warn that the country's medical system could collapse amid a rising number of coronavirus cases. as coronavirus cases in moscow rise, ambulances queue for more