this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm maryam moshiri. officials confirm 50—thousand people have now died in the united states. meanwhile, president trump attacks the media after he suggested using disinfectants in a treatment. 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 tests is swamped and shut down for a few hous as it's inundated by key workers. world leaders throw their weight behind a drive to develop new treatments for covid—19 and ensure that

everyone gets access to them. and troubling signs out of turkey. doctors there say the country's outbreak could be much worse than official reports. 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. first... the death toll in the united states from the coronavirus pandemic has now reached 50,000. that's double the second—worst—hit country, italy. more than 16—thousand of those deaths have happened in the state of new york. the world health organisation has launched a global initiative to find ways of preventing and curing the new coronavirus. the united states has declined to participate. it comes as a surreal debate has been brewing in washington, with the president claiming

he was being ‘sarcastic‘ when he suggested the injection of disinfectants to fight the disease. 0ur north america editor jon sopel reports. controversially, some of florida's beaches 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, that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. and it 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 number on the lungs. so it would be interesting to check that. the president's chief medical

adviser looked as though she'd have liked harry potter's cloak of invisibility. in a minute, one minute. new lysol spray disinfectant... for over a century, lysol has been one of america's top—selling brands of bleach, but today, in 2020, the manufacturers felt forced to issue a statement saying under no circumstances should people ingest disinfectant. doctors, health professionals and politicians 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. but today, the president has sought to explain away the controversy by asserting that he wasn't actually being serious. but i was asking a sarcastic, 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. another question being asked forcibly is whether now is the right time to reopen the us economy. in georgia today, hairdressers, nail salons, tattoo parlours were able to resume business, even though coronavirus is still a serious problem in the state. the president's defense is that he was being sarcastic the reporters in the room, but i was at the briefing and that's not what happened. he addresses his remarks entirely to his chief medical officer and a scientist from homeland security, and he seemed deadly serious. the white house has been scrambling all day to come up with a plausible explanation. this does not seem to be it. here, the british government says around is—thousand people booked tests for coronavirus on its new website before it had to temporarily close it.

the 5000 home—testing kits it had available were ordered within two minutes of the site going live. about ten million key workers and members of their households are now eligible for testing, should they show symptoms. the daily total of hospital deaths for people with coronavirus rose by 768 — with the total now standing at more than 19,500. our health editor hugh pym has the latest. say ah. pop—up units run by the army, part of the 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 5000 more ordered home test kits. the department of health

apologised for any inconvenience, and said booking would restart tomorrow, with capacity expanded. mike, who is a teacher, had symptoms and wants to know if it's safe to go to work. he managed to get a test slot. the whole process was very seamless, and i was able to register, and then ijust had to wait for the e—mail to come through, and once i'd got that e—mail, i quickly logged onto the site and selected the testing centre for me, and it has been really easy. mike later drove to the testing centre in peterborough. he showed the e—mail he received. it was scanned by a member of staff, and the test went ahead. he is hoping for the result by monday. at another drive—through centre, essential workers who'd had their nasal and throat swabs taken told us about the process. it was the most painless, easy thing to have been done, and i'm actually amazed that there's not more people here. i must say that all the stations were empty except mine. there two cars in front of me, and there was no one behind me. so they've got the

infrastructure in place. theyjust need the people now. but some weren't so lucky. one said he logged on and been told to expect a text within an hour, but it never came. i would have appreciated it if after the hour then i'd got the message to say, it's not happening today, can you do it again tomorrow. but waiting the whole day, it's like waiting for a parcel that never turned up. 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 to meet the demand that is out there, certainly in the next week or so? we'll see how it settles down. but we're 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 the days after. the nhs has a 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 have 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. the welsh government is also looking ahead, publishing a strategy for the exit from lockdown, which could involve a traffic light system, moving from red with some restrictions lifted, possibly as soon as next month, to a green phase, with very few left in place. our health editor hugh pym there.

the united nations, political leaders and business leaders from around the world have launched a new initiative, aimed at speeding up the development of treatments and a vaccine for covid—19. a key element of the effort will be to make sure that any vaccine is made available and affordable to everyone in the world, but there were some conspicuous absences from the international commitment, as reged ahmad reports. preparations for a second wave of the coronavirus infections in germany. even as the country eases this lockdown. eases its lockdown. while in italy, the russian military releases pictures of its personnel disinfecting hospitals. this pandemic has breached into nearly every corner of the world, and governments have warned we are just at the beginning of this unprecedented crisis. some experts say the only way back to normality might be a vaccine. to that end, in a virtual launch, the un isjoining forces with world leaders

and the private sector to speed up development of a vaccine and raise billions of dollars to make it accessible to all. translation: we will only overcome this virus if we join our powers together and build a powerful alliance. health officials have already done this and germany's prepared to support this politically with all of our efforts. we have also developed diagnostics that are being used all over the world. and we are coordinating a global trial on the safety and efficacy of a vaccine against covid—19. the world needs these tools and needs them fast. there were, though, notable absences. the united states, even as it battles the highest infection rates in the world, will not take part. president donald trump has been highly critical of the world health organisation and has already suspended funding.

china, too, where the pandemic began, is missing from the launch. translation: i hope will be able to manage translation: i hope we'll manage to bring people together with this joint initiative. if i may say so, china and the united states of america. because the fight against covid—19 is in the common interest of the humanity and we cannot be divided if we want to win this battle. even as vaccine trials get under way, one covid—19 treatment study has had a result of sorts. a chinese trial has reportedly failed. but the company behind the drug has disputed the findings, saying the results were inconclusive. it is one example of how much work is to be done and whether a global initiative of this scale could work at a time when global cooperation has been on the decline.

turkey has the seventh—most recorded infections in the world, just behind the uk, and more than china. that's despite tough lockdown measures in place in 31 provinces. 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 orla guerin reports. the new landscape of covid—19. istanbul under lockdown this weekend — like much of turkey, trying to shut out an invisible killer. the official death toll here is relatively low, around 2,600, but medical sources say the real picture could be a lot worse because turkey only counts those who test positive for the virus. this intensive care doctor tells me he has treated about 100 covid patients.

we cannot reveal his identity, and 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. playing with the real statistics creates a perception that the process is being handled very well. 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 who recommends probable cases, like torhan kaya, should be counted. the turkish actor died last month. his son theo told us he had all the symptoms of covid—19 but tested negative, so it wasn't on the death certificate. theo is bereft without him. he was charming. he was a real gentleman and he was an incredible dad, a really good best friend. he had a lot of people who loved him because of that. he would give you everything and not ask anything in return. no, he was incredible, truly. obviously you have spoken out, and i know you spoke out before on twitter.

i wondered, do you feel like this is something you have to do in memory of your father? i do it for my father, but i do it for a lot of people who haven't lost their father yet and i hope they never will. but i do it for my dad, but i do it because i know that my dad would've done the same thing. this is a holiday weekend here, but like no other. the turkish medical association says shedding more light on the number of deaths will help the country emerge from this crisis. orla guerin, bbc news, istanbul. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: going down the drain — how pubs are having to pour away their booze amid fears they could remain closed until the end of the year

the stars & stripes at half mast outside columbine high. there have already been protest. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when the radio activities began to increase outside russia when they forced to admit the accident. the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a12 celebration. this is the end of a 12 year work for them. they have ta ken the a 12 year work for them. they have taken the capital which they have been fighting for for so they have been fighting for for so long. it was seven o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority. when africa come after 300 years, reclaimed his last white colony.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the death toll in the us has passed 50,000, as president trump backtracks on a suggestion that disinfectant could be used as a therapy 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". almost 20,000 people have now died in hospitals in the uk from coronavirus — among them this week identical twin sisters. katy and emma davis were 37 years old and died within days of each other. katy was a children's nurse in southampton. her twin emma — who had also worked as a nurse — died in the early hours of this morning. duncan kennedy reports. katy and emma davis were twin sisters who dedicated themselves to life, to nursing and to each other.

emma had helped care for sick adults. katy had devoted her life to poorly children. both contracted coronavirus. katy died on tuesday. emma died last night. their younger sister zoe asked to speak to us to convey the family's pain. they were angels on earth, and now they're angels in heaven. we were all really close as a family, and just, yeah. best friends. they were my best friends as well. and even though they've left us here, i think they‘ re never really going to leave us. applause. they had both worked at southampton‘s university hospital. emma had since left, last night colleagues clapped for the loss of katy,

not knowing that emma was to die as well a few hours later. it doesn't feel that any of this is real. i'm going to wake up ina minute. um... but they always said that they came in the world together, so they'll go out together, so that's what they've done. both women had underlying health problems, but the death of twins within three days of each other from covid—19 underscores its merciless, relentless power to shock. i can't be with my mum and dad, who i loved with all my heart. i can't hold anyone, because you're so petrified you're going to get it yourself. and you can't grieve properly because you can't be with the people that you love. katy and emma davis, a story of doubled life and dual loss.

the united nations has issued an urgent appeal to save hundreds of rohingya refugees who are thought to be stranded out at sea on people—smuggling boats. the refugees had been living in vast camps in bangladesh for three years after fleeing persecution in myanmar. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan‘s report contains some distressing images. staggering to safety. scared, starving and stateless after months stranded at sea. rohingya refugees, including unaccompanied children, back onshore after the boat they'd boarded to malaysia was turned away, for fear they'd bring coronavirus to the country.

rescued by the bangladesh coast guard, the hundreds who survived tell the tale of the dozens who didn't. forced to drink sea water to stay alive, eyewitnesses say the bodies of those who didn't make it were thrown into the sea. mohammed made the perilous journey after borrowing money to pay a smuggler. "i couldn't find work in the refugee camps," he said. "the boat was cramped. we were hungry and i fell sick. when we got to malaysia, we were turned away twice. now, i feel unlucky and sad." it's believed hundreds more refugees are trapped on boats which were also turned away from malaysia. i asked the bangladeshi foreign minister whether they could return. will you turn the boats away, then? it's a difficult question, because we don't want to see people dying. it's not the responsibility of bangladesh alone to take care of all the stateless people of the planet earth. ask the global leaders, like

the us, uk, european union. who will help them now? as the world shuts its borders because of coronavirus, the rohingya refugees hope that the world doesn't shut its eyes to their plight. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news. now, it's friday night in the uk, a time when, not long ago, the pubs would have been packed. but with lockdown measures in place, some have been forced to adapt to the times. they‘ re providing takeaway meals and home deliveries. but others have had to pour out their precious pints, as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. there are thousands of gallons of lovingly—brewed beer right now going to waste. the landlord of the gardener's arms in norwich disposed of his ten real ales to the hymn played as the titanic sank.

we have a cellar full of beer, which is probably all going to be out of date within the next two or three weeks. a lot of the brewers who brew with the products, they love what they do. it's really sad to think that all that beer and all that hard work is being wasted and thrown away. i drank a little bit, but i can't drink loads of it, so i think, all in all, we're up to nearly 6,000 gallons of beer that we're due to throw away. in cool rooms and cellars across the uk, it's estimated there are some 50 million pints that will suffer the same fate, while off—licence sales of alcohol have jumped by nearly a third. so this bar in belfast came up with an idea. while the rules have been relaxed to allow pubs to operate as takeaways, the hatfield now looks more like a call centre, taking orders for food and drinks, and they added an extra service — delivering fresh pints of guinness. we decided to kit out a wee

van, put a keg in the back of it, pull up at your house and pour you an absolutely perfect, fresh pint of stout. it sparked a big demand... you've got the nice perfect head on it... ..and worldwide attention, but after drivers were stopped by police, they were forced to put the deliveries on hold. stopped me and told me it was illegal, but couldn't tell me under what section of the liquor licensing act it was illegal. so where will you go with this? we do believe we were operating within the law. this is about keeping people in employment. police say prosecutors are now considering whether any action should be taken for a breach of licensing laws. but the pub‘s mounting its own legal challenge, saying they were within the rules and that they need to adapt to survive. a typical friday in belfast‘s cathedral quarter, pre—pandemic. it's a ghost town here now, and the government says that pubs and bars will be some of the last places that can reopen. we have nearly 80% of our staff on furlough at the moment, so we are being very clear

and direct with the government and saying, "if you want our pubs to survive this, you must support us throughout the period of closure and also throughout the period of reopening." but with some forms of social distancing possibly lasting up to the end of the year, that won't happen quickly. meanwhile, there are questions over the extent to which a pub is allowed to bring the bar to you. emma vardy, bbc news. there's plenty more on all the main stories on our website, plus the bbc‘s visual and data journalism team has put together a map that tracks the global pandemic, you can click on a location to see the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. check it out online. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbcmaryam. stay with us here. plenty more to come. for now, thank you for

watching. goodbye. hello. after a another predominantly dry week for most parts of the uk, the weekend promises plenty more dry weather. but slow subtle changes and the increasing chance of catching a shower and it will begin to feel cooler across northern areas. nothing much is changing very quickly at the moment because the pressure pattern is very slack. not many white lines at all on this chart. not many isobars. that means winds are very light. nothing to push the weather along. we start off the day with a lot of cloud across eastern scotland and eastern side of england and misty conditions in place. that should tend to break up, the mist and fog should lift and all of us get to see spells of sunshine. perhaps a bit more cloud than we had over the last couple of days. temperature wise,

17 to 21 degrees. a bit coolerfor some northern and eastern coasts. northern ireland also having a cooler day and as we go into the late afternoon in the evening, wales and the southwest could see a shower, and the early hours of sunday, generally more cloud rolling in across the north of scotland. those are your overnight temperatures. most places above freezing and it will be a little bit chilly across some parts of england. we go to sunday and this area of low pressure quite a weak affair, it starts to move its way in from the north, that does increase the chance of seeing some showers across northern parts of scotland, a frontal system pushing south and a band of cloud and some showers possible with that and ahead of it across the heart of england and wales we could see the odd heay we could see the odd hefty shower into the afternoon but there will still be a lot of dry weather and sunshine and another warm day down towards the south but noticably cooler across the northern half of the country. and into monday you see the cold air making some

inroads southwards, lower temperatures for most parts on monday, a band of cloud and frontal system sitting around parts of england and wales and the odd splash of rain but we could see slightly more significant werr slightly more significant wet weather developing down to the south later in the day, 21 degrees in london but the further north you are, the much cooler feel to the weather. and for all of us, it is going to turn cooler as we head deeper into next week. and the increasing chance of some rain and some fairly brisk winds as well. that is all from me for now. this is bbc news. the headlines... more than 50,000 people have now died in the us from coronavirus. meanwhile president trump has backtracked on a suggestion that disinfectant, could be used to tackle the virus. he said his suggestion that injections of disinfectant could treat patients was sarcastic.

the uk government website for key workers to apply for tests has reopened after it was closed due to "significant demand". the tests are being offered to around ten million key workers and their families. the governement aims carry out 100,000 daily tests by the end of april. world leaders and the who have launched a global initiative to accelerate work on drugs to treat coronavirus. the head of the who says the biggest health effort in history is treat covid 19. experts say any vaccine that is developed must be made available and affordable. now on bbc news... the coronavirus newscast. well, i hope you've all enjoyed the big night in and you'd like to continue it with us on the coronavirus newscast. the coronavirus newscast

from the bbc. hello, it's adam in the studio. and laura in the studio. and chris in my socially distant lair of news, just down the corridor. and sarah smith in glasgow, in my own flat. hello, sarah. welcome back. thank you. we've roped you in because there's a lot to talk about in scotland, because nicola sturgeon had a big press conference and an even bigger document to talk about. we'll talk about that in a minute. first, talking of press conferences, number ten's daily briefing today, quite a lot of information from matt hancock, the health and social care secretary. we're going to get used to the three ts — testing, tracking and tracing — but the first t, testing, is about to become a bigger t, because more people are going to get tested. here's how he explained it. we can make it easier, faster and simpler for any essential worker in england who needs a test to get a test.