a very warm welcome to bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. my name's mike embley. american coronavirus cases move past a million — nearly a third of the global total. over 30% of all deaths linked to coronavirus in england and wales are now happening in care homes. british airways warns that 12,000 jobs could be lost as the demand for air travel collapses. france plans to ease its lockdown from next month, but masks will remain a way of life.

hello. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first: the united states has now registered more than a million known cases of the coronavirus. that's roughly four—times the 2nd—worst affected nation, spain. here, the uk government says it's significantly expanding access to testing to include all care home residents and staff, not part of the official figures so far. iag, the parent company of british airways, has said the airline may make up to 12,000 workers redundant. aid agencies are warning a lack of resources in conflict zones could spread the virus even further. and in france, all food shops will reopen from may the 11th but bars and restaurants will remain closed. much more on all that to come, but firstjane 0'brien reports from new york as states across the us plan to lift some lockdown restrictions. a salute to the covid warriors — the blue angels and the thunderbirds paying tribute to those on the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus.

they flew formation across the north—east. an uplifting spectacle for residents in lockdown. new york continues to be the worst hit, but today a glimmer of hope... what we have seen is clearly progress and that is getting us closer to the day when we can start to make some of the moves to open things up. but i've said it before and i'll keep saying it, we're going to be cautious, we're going to be careful, we're going to be governed, we'll be governed by the facts. more thani million people in the us are now known to have been infected and the emphasis is on more testing. in manhattan, people lined up at the latest facility. other states are moving faster, even without the recommended levels of testing. georgia has taken aggressive steps to restart its economy, opening salons, gyms and some restaurants. and most states are making plans even if they have no clear time frame. well, it will go down to zero, ultimately. and you have to understand, when it comes to cases, we do much more testing

than anybody else, so we're going to show more cases because we're doing much more testing — double anybody else. somebody said, if you add everybody else combined, that would be a number — and it will be, at the appropriate time, it will be down to zero, like we said. but even as some businesses open their doors, it is not clear whether americans at home are ready to open theirs. consumer spending drives the us economy but, with no cure for coronavirus and social distancing the only proven control so far, they may not feel safe enough to spent outside. jane 0'brien, bbc news. for more i wasjoined by our north america correspondent, peter bowes, a short time ago. two grim milestones. the one we have been hearing about now — more than 1 million cases of covid—19 across the united states, and another milestone in that more americans have now died as a result of this virus than were killed during the almost two decades of the vietnam war.

so for all — there's a lot of talk about states getting back to normal, of businesses restarting, of parks opening, of beaches opening — we are still a long, long way from the end of this, mike. the president, of course, talking the figures eventually going down to zero but dr anthony fauci sounding a warning? yes, and the warning is — and he has said similar things before but this was specific — that he believes, with some certainty, that the virus will be back in the autumn. indeed, he stressed it may never go away, it will probably still be with us all the way through the summer. yes, it may, in terms of those peaks and troughs, it may well continued to go down and we're seeing some optimistic news from places like chicago and boston and new york city, but he says the reality is this virus, this disease, will still be with us towards the end of the year and, of course, major health implications for people

but of course it will also coincide with the presidential election which has to take place in november. this curious instant involving the vice president's visit to a hospital and we've just seen the latest pictures on this coming in? he's visiting or has been visiting the mayo clinic, in minnesota, which is one of the leading medicalfacility in the united states, and he was meeting some of the workers there. he said thank you to them for their work, but he was not wearing a mask and we understand that he was told as he went into the place, that it was their policy that all visitors should indeed wear a mask and in the pictures that we have seen everyone else indeed has some sort protection on their face. on theirface. he explained this by saying that he is the vice president, he is tested regularly along with all the other people that he works with and he did not believe that he needed to wear a mask. all residents and staff

in care homes in england are to be eligible for coronavirus tests from wednesday, whether they have symptoms or not. scotland, wales and northern ireland are expected to follow soon. latest figures suggest a third of all deaths in england and wales related to covid—i9 are in care homes. they've not been included in official figures so far. 0ur social affairs correspondent, alison holt reports. at st cecilia's nursing home in scarborough, like many homes across the country, they believe the fight they've been waging against coronavirus for weeks is only now being reflected in officialfigures. this is the area that we will have for anyone that is being barrier nursed. they locked down early, have areas set aside for nursing coronavirus residents, and people stick to their rooms, but still, across the three homes in the group, they've had 11 deaths, four confirmed as covid—i9. i was called and did see her for the last, on the day that she died... one of the residents who died

was reg kemp's wife liz. they were married for more than 50 years, and she loved spending time with her grandchildren. he says staff did all they could for her. i just hope that the ministers do recognise the wonderful work that's gone on and goes on up and down the country in nursing homes just like where liz was. they are doing a job equal to anyone in the national health service. information collected by the care regulator up to last friday suggested deaths in care homes are still rising. even so, homes like this one continue to struggle to get the testing and protective equipment they need. there are far more people being cared for outside the nhs than in the nhs and they all need looking after. they deserve better than they've got. i think it's been too little, too late. the government says mobile units and home kits are making testing easier and that all residents and staff will be eligible for checks. it insists it is also providing millions of pieces

of protective equipment. but that offers no comfort here. ayse is struggling to explain to her two—year—old granddaughter why her mother, a care worker, isn't coming home. 26—year—old sonya kaygan died of coronavirus. herfamily say she loved herjob looking after others, but they want people to understand the anguish and questions they are left with. they showed us the mask that sonya had bought online to protect herself. i believe what my sister has confirmed, that they have arrived when she was in hospital. so, too late for her? too late for her. in time, there will be questions that many families need answering about the impact of the virus on care homes. alison holt, bbc news. british airways is to make up to 12,000 workers redundant because of the plunge in demand for air travel. its parent company predicts it

will be several years until passenger numbers return to the levels of last year. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge reports. parked up for weeks. but no one knows when they'll be flying again. tonight british airways‘ parent company announced plans to lay off up to 12,000 staff. that's more than a quarter of its entire workforce. in a letter to staff, ba's boss said it was unclear when countries will reopen borders. so the airline had to be reimagined and reshaped. he said substantial change was required to get through the pandemic and withstand longer term reductions in customer demand. the pilots and staff that work for british airways are shocked. i've been in touch with some of them this evening. it is a real bolt out of the blue. now begins a tricky

negotiation with the unions. british airways didn't ask for any government bailouts. they told their workforce that they would survive quite comfortably, and lo and behold they turn around and announced 12,000 job losses. now they've got to come up with some very, very good reasons for that. i'm not convinced about any of those reasons yet. i suspect there's a bit of opportunism going on here by british airways. ba's transatlantic rival, virgin atlantic, is in a much worse financial position. it has applied for a bailout from the government. first, it needs to attract new investors. it's a hugely competitive industry and it's populated by a lot of low—cost carriers which operate on the thinnest of margins. and we could possibly be seeing an end to cheap air travel anyway. paying to park and maintain them is costly.

some aircraft are leased for huge sums so airlines are haemorrhaging cash. more job losses elsewhere are almost inevitable. tom burridge, bbc news. france is to ease lockdowns from the middle of next month. schools and shops will begin reopening, and people can travel within 100 kilometres of their home. but that depends on infection rates remaining low. this from our paris correspondent lucy williamson. of all the lessons learned during lockdown, the hardest for the government has been working out how to end it. aurelie‘s four children have been studying at home since the middle of march. primary schools will reopen on the 11th of may but aurelie says it's too soon. translation: i don't think my kids are going back in may. i'm going to wait before i send them into a group environment. the prime minister warned today

that france risked the collapse of society if it kept the restrictions in place for too long. translation: never in the history of our country we known a situation like this. not during war, nor occupation, nor in previous epidemics. never has the country been confined as it is today. it can't go on forever. if infection rates stay low, most major restrictions will start to be lifted next month. schools will begin opening from the 11th of may on a voluntary basis. all shops will reopen. and people will be free to move within 60 miles. but beaches, cinemas and large museums will stay closed. and a decision on bars and restaurants has been pushed back to the end of may. pressure to lift the lockdown here is coming from the top. earlier this month, president macron set a date of the 11th of may to ease restrictions and start reopening schools. his government has quickly pulled together a plan for how to do that. but it's delicate, it's

complicated and there is strong opposition from those on the ground. teachers‘ unions have described the reopening of schools next month as "unworkable", even "mission impossible". translation: the scientific advisers have proposed that classes are staggered, that the children are a metre away from each other at all times, that they shouldn't circulate in the corridors. all this will cause us enormous problems. the plan for lifting lockdown here rests on keeping new infections low, under 3,000 a day. some areas may need to relax the rules more slowly. but the task of containing this epidemic is shifting from government responsibility to individual response. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: can the planet recover from coronavirus in a climate—resilient way? this is the key question being asked at the petersberg climate dialogue.

nothing, it seemed, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them, they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7:00 in the morning, the day when power began to pass on the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed

its last white colony. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: american coronavirus cases move past a million — nearly a third of the global total. at least 30% of all deaths linked to coronavirus in england and wales are now happening in care homes. of course, one global crisis doesn't mean others have disappeared. climate change is very much still with us and ministers and officials from 30 countries have been videoconferencing to work out the chances of a sustainable, green recovery from the pandemic. the petersberg climate dialogue heard from un secretary—general, antonio guterres, that the outbreak offers the world an opportunity.

as we plan our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic we have a profound opportunity to steer our world in a more sustainable and inclusive way. a pace that tackles climate change, protects the environment, reverses biodiversity loss and ensures the long—term health and security of humankind. by making the transition to a low carbon, carbon receding growth, we can get a world that is green, clean, safe and more prosperous for all. live now to helen mountford, vice president of the world resources institute, in washington, dc. and to dr gretchen daily, professor of environmental science at stanford university in california. what would a green economic recovery look like in a nutshell? i think it's pretty clear we've got major choices to make. now we expect countries to invest thing like

$10 trillion in responding to covid—19 and in the recovery. so if they choose to invest that ina so if they choose to invest that in a low carbon transport, bikeways, that is one choice, another choice would be investing in highways and in roads. now, that is going to be much more polluting, much more damaging to health and the environment. timothy, do we invest in renewable energy or do we invest in high carbon? —— similarly. looking at the options that are greener, not only helps us in terms of health and pollution but actually generate more jobs for each dollar spent compared to those that i investing in fossil fuels. so they have choices in front of them but to build back about the —— build back better right now, we have the opportunity to do so. and professor, we are all enjoying cleaner air professor, we are all enjoying cleanerair in many professor, we are all enjoying cleaner air in many places, but this pent—up demand is most likely that we will just rush

back to our cars, back to the plains, back to foreign holidays? that is certainly what we've done after other crazies that have inhuman memory be much smaller than the one we are facing and enduring right now —— other crises. so the kerosene this pandemic is evident —— curse in this pandemic is evident in the suffering we see today. the blessing is waking up to the fa ct blessing is waking up to the fact that we are a part of nature and we have just a few yea rs, really, to nature and we have just a few years, really, to transform the way we view our place on the planet, the way we view our place in nature. and as helen mountford is saying, we need systemwide change and we can achieve that change in a way that drives economic security, health security, as well as

planetary security. we have a short time to do that but many inspiring demonstrations of these green growth and more inclusive growth strategy worldwide. so i hope we don't go all rushing out and instead we—we go all rushing out and instead we — we carry with us a much more profound understanding of oui’ more profound understanding of our vulnerability and of our ability to co—ordinate, co—operate and get the job done well. helen mountford, quite a few young people have said it's interesting, isn't it, how fast and how full—scale an international response can be when governments are behind it, when governments are behind it, when public opinion is behind it and when there is a sense of urgency. surely the fact that oil prices are at rock bottom will be an incentive to embrace fossil fuels will be an incentive to embrace fossilfuels again? i will be an incentive to embrace fossil fuels again? i think we are seeing something quite different, with low oil prices. this is a real signal to investors that this is a very,

very risky investments to make, to be investing in oil and gas at the moment, to have economies or businesses that are dependent on oil and gas when the prices go plummeting, this means you have very little income coming in. so what we are starting to see is actually investors over the last, i would say couple of years, investors have been moving away from fossil fuels already. they have realised it is a risky business to invest in fossil fuels, they have been moving much towards the green and i think with the local —— low oil price, we will see a much more rapid shift away from oil and gas. so i think we're seeing that as part of the transition and part of the exhilaration of the transition. certainly countries that are very dependent on fossilfuel resources for their economies are realising the importance 110w are realising the importance now of diversification and building up other economic bases, because they just building up other economic bases, because theyjust can't rely on this. and professor, it is very clear what you hope to see, what you wish to see. what

do you think other chances? we aren't great at cooperation, aren't great at cooperation, are we? if there was a time for cooperation, it's right now, and yet we are seeing countries compete with each other for a search for a virus. there are 90 different teams competing for a vaccine. and this country i'm afraid, it's always a big country will mark same —— it's always a bit difficult coming from this country when it comes to cooperation in the past. but i would say there are many really inspiring and very compelling examples out there of how we could harmonise human activity with what the planet can sustain and open up a much more liveable and secure which are, not only for our own generation, whoever is on now, but you two generations to come. and surprisingly i think the best example comes from

china —— but for generations to come, and china laying out ruefully, three questions the leadership has posed, where and how much must we protect to drive this transformation to a green economy? second, what jobs will there be in it? how can we secure jobs will there be in it? how can we secure livelihoods at the same time as securing the environment? and third, how can we track progress? and on each they have really been delivering. on the first they have zoned 50% of the country as high—value zones for restoring nature in order to secure restoring nature in order to secure the climate, secure people downstream of major rivers from flood risk, to protect biodiversity, to improve our quality, and to secure improve our quality, and to secure water for drinking, for irrigation, for hydropower and so on. irrigation, for hydropower and so on. second, in the way of jobs they have opened up 200

millionjobs directly jobs they have opened up 200 million jobs directly involving farmers, out restoring landscapes to help supply these services from their natural ecosystems. and third, to track progress they have developed together with economists and various scientists internationally, an alternative that will be and is being tested, announced, reported alongside gross domestic product — gross ecosystem product. that reflects how well it places doing in maintaining that most fundamental source of wellbeing, nature, and the values of nature. and that now is being considered by the un for adoption globally. so the

chinese example is really paying off and has a lot of relevance elsewhere. let's hope the right people are listening. thank you both so much for your time and expertise. thank you. large crowds of people in belarus have attended cemeteries to mark and orthodox holiday. there is a growing divide in the eastern european country about the severity of the pandemic. there have been repeated denials by the autocratic leader. they are called reports. —— freya cole reports. a large round arrives ata reports. a large round arrives at a local cemetery in belarus. some were wearing masks, others are not. stalls are full of colourful bouquets, the flowers are based on the graves of departed relatives. and orthodox tradition marked by a state holiday. families gather

around a barbecue and enjoy a meal together. there is no social distancing here. translation: the main thing is to have optimism. not to be afraid of anything, security measures must be observed, but you need to believe in yourself we will not get sick, especially with doctors like ours, with a president like ours. he will not let anyone die. president lukashenko has denied the severity of covid—19. to a crowded ice hockey game in minsk earlier this month, he told the crowd "there are no viruses here." it's not true. according to the world health organization, there are now more than 12,000 cases of covid—19 in the eastern european country. 79 people have died. but critics of the autocratic rule in belarus here these statistics could be much worse. freya cole

with that report there. there is much more for you any time on the bbc website for national international news. hello there. it has been the sunniest april on record and for much of the month it's been exceptionally dry. but things changed a bit on tuesday for many of us. you can see the way in which rain pushed its way northwards, certainly across england and wales, there were some showers for scotland and for northern ireland. now, that first area of rain is clearing away, you can see the frontal system sliding out into the near continent but there is another area of low pressure out to the west. more frontal systems coming our way, which means there is more rain in the forecast through the day ahead. this is our main rain band, it will be pushing its way north—eastwards, so initially moving across the south—west of england, into wales, the midlands, into the london area by about lunchtime, and then that rain will eventually get into northern england, northern ireland and southern scotland by the end of the day. northern scotland will hold onto something brighter, but with one or two showers.

some brighter skies returning behind the rain band as well. quite a windy day across parts of northern ireland and also the south—west of england. and those temperatures generally between 10—14 degrees, i think some coastal areas in north—east england might struggle at around eight or nine. now, as we go through wednesday night, here goes ourfirst rain band northwards, but another pulse of heavy rain will slide its way north—eastwards across england, wales, northern ireland, again up into southern scotland, some further hefty showers chasing on behind. temperatures to start thursday morning generally between 5—8 degrees. so for thursday, low pressure firmly in charge of the scene, you can see these various frontal systems spiralling around the low. so there will be some outbreaks of rain to contend with, some patchy rain drifting its way northwards across scotland, perhaps parts of eastern england for a time. and then, yes, we'll see some spells of sunshine, but also some showers. and some of those showers across the southern half of the uk will be heavy and thundery into the afternoon. also, very windy across the south of england and the channel islands, across the channel islands we could see gusts of 50 miles per hour, potentially those temperatures again generally in the range of 10—14 degrees. so, certainly cooler than it

has been on many days recently. for friday, it's another sunshine and showers day, the centre of our area of low pressure will start slide away eastwards so we may just start to see something a little bit brighter and certainly drier developing. temperatures nudging upwards a little bit, could get as high as around 15 degrees. and then we get into the weekend, certainly to start off it will be drier with fewer showers. i think some of us will see rain returning from the west on sunday.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

the number of coronavirus cases in the united states has now passed one million. the figure is nearly a third of the total worldwide, and includes at least 57,000 deaths. president trump claimed the unwanted milestone is a result of the number of tests the us is carrying out. the government in the uk plans to offer access to a test for the virus to all residents and staff at care homes, in england and wales. new figures show this is where a third of all deaths linked to the pandemic are happening. they've not been included in official figures so far. british airways is set to cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 42,000 strong workforce. the airline says it's due to a collapse in business because of the coronavirus pandemic. the british pilots' union, says it's devastating news and has promised to fight every singlejob cut.