this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the death toll in the us has passed 50,000, as president trump backtracks on a suggestion yesterday that disinfectant could be used to tackle the virus. i was asking a sarcastic — and a very sarcastic — question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. but it does kill it and it would kill it on the hands. the uk government's new website for coronavirus tests is swamped as it's inundated by key workers. 16,000 people in england booked tests before the site had to close temporarily. warnings from turkey that the country could be significantly under—reporting the scale of covid—19 infections. world leaders throw their weight

behind a drive to develop new treatments for coronavirus and ensure that everyone gets access to them. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. we start in the united states, where 50,000 people have now died after contracting the coronavirus, according to figures byjohns hopkins university. while many people are working hard to try and slow the spread, the medical community has been forced to speak out today against president trump's latest intervention. at last night's briefing, he suggested injecting disinfectant could be a potential treatment for coronavirus. within minutes, doctors, scientists

and even the manufacturers of disinfectant themselves were urging the public to ignore the comments. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has this report. controversially, some beaches in florida reopened last week, but maybe it was a smart thing to do. according to new research conducted by us government scientists, sunlight, heat and humidity dramatically reduce the life of coronavirus in the air and on hard surfaces. the scientists said it acted as a powerful disinfectant, and that led the president to muse on whether disinfectant could be used inside the human body to kill the virus. and then i see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? because, you see, it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous job, so it would be interesting to check that.

look at the face of the president's chief medical adviser, as he thinks out loud. and the manufacturers of bleach are aghast. the company behind one of the biggest selling brands in the us issued a statement, saying under no circumstances should people ingest disinfectant. doctors and health professionals are similarly disbelieving. very clearly, disinfectants are not intended for ingestion, either by mouth, by ears, by breathing them in in any way, shape or form. the president has used the briefing room to repeatedly pontificate on remedies that might help treat coronavirus, but there's been nothing quite like this. his press secretary, though, says he always advocates that you should see a doctor and that the media have twisted his words. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. well, a short while ago, the president himself had this explanation for his comments.

i was asking a sarcastic — and a very sarcastic — question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. but it does kill it and it would kill it on the hands. and that would make things much better. that was done in the form of a sarcastic question to the reporters. i've been speaking to katty kay in washington and asked whether anyone is really buying trump's claim he was being sarcastic. well, for a start, he wasn't talking to reporters. during that briefing — and you can watch the tape, it is all there. the president turns to his medical advisers, not reporters, his medical advisers and asks them about this notion of somehow injecting disinfectant into the body to give it, as he called it, "a cleansing". i did not see any sarcasm and there has been a lot of pushback against that. i think the white house is doing a bit of the clean—up job of its own, realising the president

said this, and they got and they got a huge amount of pushback from the medical community. and he's also going pushback from states because the state of maryland this morning has had to put out a notification advising people in the state not to drink disinfectant because, they say, they've had 100 calls from people asking about of what the president was suggesting them to do. all this comes as america passes 50,000 deaths with coronavirus. yeah. huge numbers. and still, obviously, new york still the epicentre. they say they think they have passed their peak, they're on the plateau, but there are other hotspots around the country. the country really wrestling i think with this massive number of deaths, 50,000, and also at the same time states that are wanting to reopen. so i'm really watching the state of georgia today, where we are getting nail salons, gyms, tattoo parlors, massage parlors reopening. it is going to be really interesting to see, first of all, how many of those businesses feel they can reopen and whether customers, georgians,

feel they want to go to them and feel safe because, so far, the polling suggests the american public is in no rush to do things that the doctors are not advising them to do. they're listening to the medical officials more than they're listening to the white house. and what difference is that between the us states as to how they are approaching this? there's been a lot of difference all the way along. there was a kind of two—week period during which the states went into various forms of lockdown. some much more than others. some states never fully went into lockdown — allowed, for example, exemptions for religious services. other states were much more strict. you've got georgia, tennessee, south carolina, florida all doing some form of opening up. you've had nevada for example, the mayor of las vegas saying that she is prepared to have las vegas as a test case for the rest of the country to see what happened when you do open up. there's a lot of frustration. millions of americans,

22 million americans have lost their jobs. they have no income. they need to go to work. it is desperate. they've had no money forfive they've had no money for five weeks now. you can understand why states want to open up, but the overwhelming medical advice still is, it has to be done in a very controlled, safe manner. otherwise, the virus comes roaring back and you have to have another lockdown. that's katty kay in washington. here in the uk, the new government website that launched today for up to 10 million key workers and their families to book coronavirus tests online had to close after it was inundated with requests. almost 50,000 people in england tried to book a testjust hours after the website launched. 16,000 did manage to book a drive through appointment or get home testing kits. the government says the site — for key workers with symptoms — is going back online this evening and will be taking more bookings. 0ur health editor hugh pym has the latest. pop—up units run by the army —

part of a new push in england to boost virus testing. the number of drive—through centres is being expanded and more home test kits will be sent out, all to handle possible demand from up to 10 million key workers and their families. but by mid—morning, all slots bookable online for today had been taken by 11,000 people and 5,000 home test kits went within minutes. the department of health apologised for any inconvenience and said booking for the weekend had started up again, with capacity expanded. mike, who's a teacher, had symptoms and wants to know if it's safe to go into work. he managed to get a test slot. the whole process was very seamless. i was able to register and then ijust had to wait for the e—mail to come through. and once i'd got that email, i quickly logged on to the site, i selected the testing centre for me and it has been really easy. at one drive—thru test centre, essential workers who'd had their nasal and throat swabs

taken told us about the process. i actually registered last night for today, so, yeah, i was quite surprised how quick it was. i feel good that i've been tested, see what happens, see what comes through. hopefully, it's nothing. but the fire brigades union argued there had to be more easily accessible testing to allow emergency service staff to get back to work if possible from self—isolation. the scottish government said it was ready to go live with a similar system to england, with laboratories like this one in glasgow analysing the tests. at the downing street media briefing, i asked how much more testing capacity would be provided. obviously, you don't want people's expectations to be disappointed. are you pretty confident that you can meet the demand that is out there certainly in the next week or so? we will see how it settles down, but we are encouraged by the 16,000 bookings online. indeed, 116,000 people went to the portal first thing today.

there are some more slots opening up right now as i'm speaking and there will be more slots tomorrow and in the days after. the nhs has spare critical care beds, even with the covid—19 patient numbers. and the head of nhs england said there might now be scope to restart some more routine work which had been cancelled. it looks as if we are now coming through the peak of the coronavirus inpatients, and so we've got spare capacity in hospitals across the country. and that means that, as well as other critical and urgent services, we will be able to restart some of those more routine services that the nhs is also here to provide. as for mike, he got to the testing centre in peterborough and showed the e—mail he'd received. it was scanned by a member of staff and the test went ahead. he's hoping for the result by monday, which will determine whether he can get back to work. that's hugh pym there.

let's look at some of the day's other news. president trump has signed a $500 billon coronavirus relief bill into law. it's the fourth of its kind that's been passed in response to the pandemic. the new money will top up the existing small business fund, and around a fifth of it will go towards hospitals and testing. in spain, officials have reported the lowest daily death toll in a month. 367 people died in 2a hours. the prime minister says the country will slowly ease its nationwide lockdown in the second half of may. this sunday, children will be allowed out on short walks for the first time in nearly six weeks. world leaders and the united nations' health agency have launched a new global initiative to speed up work on ways to prevent and cure covid—19. the call to action is being co—hosted by president macron of france and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, alongside bill and melinda gates. in a huge show of support for the who, other world leaders

also took part in the announcement — but not the united states, which has withdrawn support for the organisation. 0ur correspondent imogen foulkes has more about the launch of the initative. the who, from the get go, has called for solidarity in the face of the pandemic. it doesn't want treatments or eventual vaccines to be available only perhaps to the richest in the world. now, some people will remember when there was a huge campaign to find treatments for hiv/aids. those anti—retrovirals did go to the developed world, the industrialised nations first, and there had to be a big campaign to get pharmaceutical companies to be fair, to reduce their prices. the who wants to avoid this from the start. and that's what all these world leaders were pledging themselves to do, and the leaders of big pharmaceutical companies, and big trusts like the bill and melinda gates fund. so with that kind of commitment, we would hope, one, research will be

pooled so everybody works together, and, two, there won't be some kind of struggle to launch the first patent, earn the fastest money over this — that it will be something that everybody needs, we know that, and so everybody will get it, on a needs first equal basis. imogen foulkes there. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: stay at home, pray at home. we hear how muslims will be marking the holy month of ramadan under coronavirus restrictions.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the death toll in the us has passed 50,000, as president trump backtracks on a suggestion yesterday that disinfectant could be used to tackle the virus. the uk government website

for key workers to apply for coronavirus tests has reopened for bookings, after it was closed due to "significant demand". the holy month of ramadan, which starts this week, is usually a time marked by fasting, communal worship and meals. generally, it's a time for people to visit friends and family and their local mosque. but marking the muslim holy month this year will be different in the midst of a pandemic. while most countries have shut mosques to stop the spread of the coronavirus, in pakistan, the government has allowed them to stay open. saher baloch reports from islamabad. worshipers crowd into this mosque in the capital of pakistan in the run—up to ramadan. they are keeping their distance, but should they even be here? for many, praying at home is just not the same. translation: congregation is the essence of this.

depriving us of it by praying at home will be our weakness. translation: if police stations, army barracks and markets and banks are open, then why is the mosque the only enemy of the virus? we need to open our minds and not be too rigid. with the government sending out mixed messages regarding lockdown, many areas are still open. the situation in this suburb of islamabad shows what happens when there is confusion at the top. this area is supposed to be under a lockdown after a recent outbreak of the virus. but at the moment, everyone is out. even as three new areas are emerging in the federal capital as epicentres of covid—19, the prime minister has still not ordered a complete national lockdown, as his government is currently struggling to allow

people religious freedom, protect the economy and keep everyone safe. many fear the religious gatherings to mark the month of ramadan will spread the coronavirus even more. although most mosques are following government orders of social distancing during prayers. but the red mosque cleric and his followers are refusing to comply. translation: we are holding friday prayers — not from today but from the time the coronavirus started spreading. we are giving friday sermons but also ensuring to meet and shake hands with people after the prayers. we believe in god. it's our faith that death is a gift. if we receive this gift from god, we have no problem. experts warn that infections spread by ramadan gatherings will be too much for the health care system to cope with. but the prime minister insists his government will do something if ramadan prayers do

increase the spread of the disease. many fear by then, it could be too late. saher baloch, bbc news, islam a saher baloch, bbc news, islamabad. turkey is in lockdown, with restrictions in place in 31 provinces which will affect most of the population and major cities like istanbul. the country has the seventh—highest number of confirmed cases in the world — more than china. the authorities say the outbreak is under control, but medical sources have told the bbc the real number of deaths is not being reported. from istanbul, our international correspondent 0rla guerin reports. the new landscape of covid—19. istanbul under lockdown, like much of turkey — this time for a holiday weekend. the virus has hit every corner of the country, with more than 100,000 infected. the official death toll is relatively low, around 2,300, but medical sources have told the bbc the real picture could be a lot worse because the authorities

only include those who test positive for the virus. the world health organisation recommends that probable cases should also be recorded. this intensive care doctor tells me he has treated about 100 covid patients. we cannot reveal his identity, but an actor is voicing his words. not all patients test positive. when we try to register patients who test negative in the system, we cannot do it. how many deaths of covid—19 do you think are not actually being recorded in the statistics? only half of our patients who died from covid—19 have that listed as the cause of death. we have to multiply the official number of deaths by two and the official number of cases by two or three. playing with the real statistics creates a perception that the process is being handled very well.

turkey, like other nations, wants to shape the perception. it's been showing off a new mega hospital with locally made ventilators at the ready. turkey has more intensive care beds than many european countries and a much lower fatality rate from the virus. it denies deaths have been underreported. the health minister, fahrettin koca, says the country has given the world health organisation the information it wants in a transparent manner and will continue to do so. but the family of torhan kaya say there was no transparency about his death. the turkish actor, who was 69, died last month. his son theo says he had all the symptoms of covid—19 and was treated for it but tested negative, so it's not on his death cert.

theo sent us this testimony. we were seeing each other a lot because he was more than a dad. he was really my best friend, actually, and we used to drink coffee, play tennis, run, etc. i would say that people in this harsh period need truth. they need the absolute truth because covid—19 and death itself isn't politics. i mean, you would not lose any votes or anything. just truth. as this national holiday is marked — like none before it — turkey's medical association told us shedding more light on the death toll will help the country emerge from this crisis. 0rla guerin, bbc news, istanbul. countries that have successfully fought off major covid—19 epidemics are being warned to expect second and third waves of outbreaks

in the coming months. the world health organisation says people living in countries reporting very few cases now, such as china and south korea, need to start getting used to a "new way of living" as they continue easing restrictions. the bbc‘s global health correspondent tulip mazumdar has been speaking to the regional director of the who's western pacific region, dr takeshi kasai. just have to wait a moment to see tulip‘s report. as i said, she's our global health correspondent. she's been talking to dr kasai about the fa ct been talking to dr kasai about the fact that some countries have to be careful about a third telmex second 01’ careful about a third telmex second or third wave of the coronavirus. ——

second or third wave. this is something that i think that is maybe once in a 100 years, definitely it is like a historical event, and ifeel we are part of that history. this is a region which so far has had relative success in the global fight against covid—19. i wanted to start responding... dr takeshi kasai is the man leading the who response in its western pacific area. he told me there have been fewer than 140,000 cases there. that is compared to more than1 million cases in europe. at the moment, the epicentre is in europe and the united states. but it can come back and then our region could be the next epicentre. but so far, what i can say is the countries in our regions, let's say like a singapore, and it is not a country but hong kong, or korea, ortaiwan, china, australia, new zealand, they are the ones really, after sars, prepared based on the lessons they had.

that sars epidemic which killed more than 800 people in the early 2000s, along with another coronavirus virus outbreak, mers in 2015, meant that when covid—19 arrived in the region, many countries were much better prepared for it. but early successes do not mean the virus simply goes away. japan is now seeing a second wave of infections and has declared a state of emergency. in singapore, meanwhile, with migrant workers living in overcrowded dormitories, the country is also seeing a fresh outbreak. a country who even have a very strong capacity, if we do not pay attention to all of those vulnerable, it can get into those vulnerable. and so it is very important that the countries do pay attention to those groups. are second, third, fourth waves — are they inevitable? i think it is going to be a long battle. we should anticipate there will be a second, third wave.

and to respond to that, i think we need a new way of living. for the individual, i think we need to continue to do our basic precautions and practice, such as washing hands, or in case if you have some symptoms, stay home. for the private sector, we want them to find a new way of operations. that can minimise the risk of an infection. and for the government sector, we want them to bring back basic services, such as immunisation, but at the same time to prepare for a large—scale community community outbreak. tourists are in celebratory mood on the great wall of china as the country where this pandemic started continues to relax restrictions.

the remote south pacific island of vanuatu is one ofjust a few places on earth still untouched by covid—19. but as long as the outbreak rages on in the rest of the world, every single country is at risk. tulip mazumdar, bbc news. before we go, let's show you these remarkable images, which havejust been released, to mark the 30th anniversary of the hubble space telescope. the nickname for this apparently is the cosmic reef, because it looks so much like an undersea world. it is, in fact, a vast satellite galaxy more than 160,000 light years from earth — just off the milky way. what it shows is how new stars are formed. absolutely gorgeous. that's it for me. thanks so much for your company. bye— bye. hello. it was another beautiful

sunny day across the uk — temperatures in the high teens, low 20s in a few spots, and as far as this weekend's concerned, more fine weather, very tempting weather, but a reminder, please observe the current rules. anyway, this is the satellite picture. you can see how the skies cleared across the uk today. a little bit more hazy out towards the west here, but on the whole, fine, settled weather, and the same will continue through the rest of the evening and overnight. clear skies for many of us. however, towards the early hours of saturday, i suspect the skies will turn a little cloudy in the eastern counties, and certainly by morning, that cloud will spread into yorkshire, even parts of the midlands. but out towards the west, i think we will have those clear skies all the way through the night until dawn. temperatures around three degrees in some spots first thing, so quite a chilly morning, especially in the north. then you can see that cloud again, around the north sea. it should eventually clear, certainly by the time we get to round about the early afternoon. nippy on the north sea

coasts, around 12—15, but further towards the west, liverpool, birmingham there, 20 celsius. so that was saturday. this is sunday's weather forecast now, and this weak low pressure will drift in from the norwegian sea. also this means a shift in the wind direction — they will be coming in from the north — so cooler, i think, for much of scotland and northern ireland, and also increasing clouds, and they will bring a few showers, not just to scotland, but even further south, too, into yorkshire. now the temperatures, we are talking 13 in glasgow, so quite a drop come sunday. still around 19 in the midlands and 22 in london. now, monday, this trend continues. that is, the cooler air keeps arriving from the north. you can see that wind blowing out of the norwegian sea and tucking into scotland and also northern ireland, through the lakes. to the south, we just have a suggestion of a cool front here, so that means to the south of that, here, in the south—east

and east anglia, it's still going to be relatively warm, temperatures could get up to around 21 degrees. but you can see some showers there looming, in south—west parts of england on monday. then tuesday and wednesday, it looks as though it is going to cool down across the south as well, and many of us will catch a few showers. bye— bye.