welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: north korean state media report kim jong—un attending an official event — apparently quashing rumours of his ill—health. american authorities authorise the drug remdesivir as an emergency treatment for covid—19. and — the british government claims success in coronavirus testing — but the opposition questions the numbers. britain's farmers fear the consequences of a labour shortage as european workers stay away and not enough britons step in.

hello and welcome. the north korean leader kim jong—un has appeared in public for the first time in nearly three weeks, ending an absence that prompted international rumours about his health. the country's official news agency said he'd opened a fertiliser plant near the capital, pyongyang. here's our correspondent in seoul, laura bicker. yes, he is smiling, he is cutting a ribbon at a fertiliser plant in sunchon which is just north of the capital, pyongyang. in his first public appearance in state media since april 11. another photo shows him laughing and state media says all the participants broke into ponderous tears when he appeared. it brings an end to the family source, wildly speculative headlines that he was dead or in a coma. the south korean government continually played down rumours he was ill. there was no mention of where he has been

the last 20 when and why he missed the april celebration for his grandfather, the country most important day. he has vanished in the past. he vanished for a0 days in 201a and reappeared with a cane. so far we have only seen a few stills but not moving pictures of kim jong—un. alistair coleman, from bbc monitoring has more on the images issued by north korea state media. they have appeared in the north korean newspaper, there is 21 of them, most of them have kim jong—un in some way or another, he is shown cutting a ribbon at the factory which he visited back injanuary, he has returned to open the factory on international workers day and he is there with his sister come kim yo—jong. and remind us why this is significant, because him going out on a normal occasion would not be particularly newsworthy.

it would not. it is always headline news in north korea but he missed his grandfather kim il—sung's birthday on the 15th april and that is one of the most important days on the north korean calendar and he did not show for that and it started the rumour mill which went so far as people saying he was dead. and that obviously doesn't seem to be the case now with these photos of him up and about, but it doesn't answer the questions of what has actually been happening over the last three weeks? no it doesn't, the rumours that he was on the east coast, he had actually showed up 50 kilometres north of pyongyang, so we have no idea where he has been — he could have been anywhere in the country but here he is near the capital. this is probably a good lesson that caution is always the best approach when dealing with any kind of news from north korea. oh yes, because the media is so tightly controlled, they have onlyjust

sent out pictures of this thing that happened on the first, it is the second now, we won't see video for another 2a hours so we won't really be able to tell how fit and well he is until then. so things happen slowly and we do have to be cautious with north korea. 0bviously part of your role, a fascinating job having eyes on this secretive state, a pretty frustrating job i would imagine at times, butjust give us a glimpse of what other kind of things you are looking for when you are looking to evidence and things to back up claims that are circulating? you always have to check background details, you have to check who is there, they're all of things, especially on the missile tests which we are seeing what kind of missiles they are using, and what their behaviour is. we always have to wait 2a hours until we see video and that is when all the real observations happen. but you have to be careful, you cannot second—guess north korea. i have been caught up with them so many times, it happens

to the best of us in korea watching. president trump has confirmed that the us food and drug administration — the fda — has authorised the emergency use of an experimental anti—viral drug, remdesivir, as a treatment for coronavirus. a recent clinical trial suggested the drug shortened recovery time for people who fall seriously ill with the virus. as we head into the weekend, more than 30 us states are at least partially re—opening their economies. president trump, who is keen on getting the us economy started again, insists the drug will make a difference. i am pleased to announce that gilead now has a eua from the fda for remdesivir, you know what that is, because that has been a hot thing also in the papers and media for the last little while.

an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients, and something i spoke with dr khan and dr fauci — i spoke with deborah about it. it's really a very promising situation. we have been doing work with the teams at the fda, nih and gilead for spearheadhing this private—public partnership to make this happen very quickly. 0ur north america correspondent david willis is following the story. this drug is said to be helping patients suffering rotavirus to recover faster. there was a trial conducted involving about a thousand patients and it showed that those who took the drug recovered, normally it would be about 15 days, pared down to ii would be about 15 days, pared down to 11 days. that is a 31%

difference and it is seen by medical experts here is potentially very significant. for no other reason than the fa ct for no other reason than the fact that it suggests to them that a drug is capable of blocking this virus. now, it is a modest breakthrough but it is all... all we have at the moment. it is not a tube, not a vaccine and there is however a lot of hope being attached to it -- lot of hope being attached to it —— tube. it should be pointed out that this previous study on this drug was meant to bea study on this drug was meant to be a potential treatment for the apollo virus but failed to show any significant benefits in that regard. — ebola. we are of course some way off of a vaccine for the coronavirus. as you pointed out, this is not a vaccine and does not prevent people from being ill in the first place so it is a relatively narrow people it can

help. it welcomes nonetheless if it does help. donald trump talking in the context of reopening the us economy and in fa ct, reopening the us economy and in fact, states are reopening our. ar, more 30 states reopening somewhat cautiously. a patchwork quilt of states reopening across the country. for example, in texas, they are reopening malls, libraries, and museums left, but limiting it the capacity for the next couple of weeks at least to 25% of normal stop healthcare facilities such as dentists and bats and other places, in ohio, we re bats and other places, in ohio, were being opened but very cautiously indeed as well. —— vets. there were concerns that some of these states could be reopening their economies to quickly and the chief medical expert here, doctor anthony faucihas expert here, doctor anthony fauci has warned that if there isn't more caution with all of this, there could be a second

wave of the coronavirus which could be all the more deadly than the first one. this country is the epicentre for the coronavirus globally. more than a million cases and more than a million cases and more than 63,000 deaths at the moment. 0pposition parties in the uk have questioned whether the government actually hit its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of april. the health secretary, matt hancock, said more than 122,000 had been carried out. but labour said that figure lacked transparency and clarity because it included 39,000 tests that had been mailed out and not returned. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. a very quiet stansted airport, especially for a friday, but there was activity — virus testing a car park, one of the drive—through centres set up in the last month to greatly increase capacity, with an overall target of 100,000 tests per day by this week. the health secretary said

that was comfortably achieved. this unprecedented expansion in british testing capability is an incredible achievement. but it's not my achievement, it is a national achievement. how do you intend to further develop and expand the testing network as part of moves to combat the virus? by testing, you can help to treat patients better. we have always been testing patients. it will help get people back to work, and there has been a big expansion of the eligibility to get a test in order to be able to get back to work. the scottish government says testing capacity, which is included in the overall total announced today, is set to rise from just over 8,000 to 12,000 per day in a few weeks' time. this mobile unit in elgin, staffed by military personnel, opened today. the daily uk total includes home testing kits sent to people who booked them online but not actually completed. government sources argue it's the only way they can be

counted, as it is harder to track them when swabs are sent back to the labs. it's quite stressful. there's confusion about some aspects of the new system. the owner of this care home in cumbria said he was sent a letter telling him only to book home testing kits if residents and staff had symptoms, whereas days before, the government had said tests could be booked online, regardless of whether they were unwell. it's terrible, really. these people, they're being treated as throwaway, i think. they are no longer productive, so they are not that important and it's an awful shame. 0ne nurse told us there was no nhs priority system and she was stuck in a long queue at the drive—in centre. after two hours of waiting, the police came and told us they'd run out of tests and we should go home and try again tomorrow. for me the frustrating thing

was i'd accessed the test as a priority, as a prioritised key worker. testing is one thing but contacts need tracing of any one who has tested positive. public health officials will phone or contact people the patient has met recently. the government says it's recruiting 18,000 staff to use it. and an app will be used alerting people someone they've been with has tested positive. they are then told to self—isolate and report any symptoms. the testing figure itself is not a strategy, we need a contact tracing strategy. that's what will be crucial in breaking the chain of transmissions. there was a novel vote of thanks to the nhs today — in major cities including edinburgh they painted the postboxes blue close to hospitals in honour of the work done by front line staff. hugh pym, bbc news. canada has announced a ban on assault—style weapons

— the prime minister, justin trudeau, saying these types of guns had no place in canada. rich preston has this report. canada has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, around 35 guns per 100 people. activities like hunting and shooting are popular in many parts of the country, especially in rural areas. these new rules will make it illegal to sell, transport or use more than a 1000 type of weapon, effective immediately. there is a two year amnesty period in which people who currently own these types of guns will be able to return them. it comes after the murder of 22 people in nova scotia at the end of april, canada's worst mass shooting. canada does not have a right to bear arms and trained its constitution, unlike its southern neighbour don't states. neither does it have a history of mass shootings usa does. nevertheless, getting rid of these types of weapons was a campaign promise ofjustin

trudeau in the 2015 election. we often hear the phrase, semiautomatic weapons being used, but what does it mean? it means guns like these which look like they would be better placed to the hands of the military than your average citizen, usually with some kind of semiautomatic feature, meaning they can fire a load of bullets in a very quick succession. serious business and now a legal. these weapons we re and now a legal. these weapons were designed for what purpose and on purpose only, to kill the largest number of people in the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. there is no use and no place for such weapons in canada. but the ban is controversial, a petition against it started in december has more than 175,000 signatures and those opposed to the ban highlight that many of the ban highlight that many of the weapons used in violent crimes were legally owned

anyway. they say the prime minister should do more to stop illegal guns coming into canada from the us instead of targeting law—abiding gun owners. rich preston, bbc news. you're watching bbc news — the headlines: the north korean leader, kim jong—un, is reported to have made his first public appearance in almost a month. the report can't be independently verified. us health authorities have given emergency authorization for use of the experimental anti—viral drug remdesivir as a treatment for covid—19. turning now to spain, and the government there is expecting the nation's economy to shink more than 10% this year. millions will lose theirjobs. the country's tourism sector is especially at risk, as lockdown measures continue to keep would—be travellers at home. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports from the spanish coast. spain — the second most visited country on earth, now as quiet

as a desert island. this is high season, but in benidorm the only footprints in the sand are those left by the seagulls. benidorm is a place built entirely on tourism. it has 65,000 hotel beds. no people. zero. so the mayor presides over a wasteland — like a chemical agent has been dropped here, he says. spain says it may allow hotels to reopen from mid may, but safety will be key. translation: this will come back. humanity will beat the virus. there will be a vaccine and hopefully, before long, normality. until then, we have to adapt. adapting means hotels will have to keep their restaurants shut, guests eat in their rooms and no swimming.

all public areas closed. so, it's hard to imagine how spain can get back to the way things were. they should be here and there should be people literally everywhere. paige dawson's family have had a bar here for 25 years. they'll only be allowed to serve one third as many customers as before. we've just got to weigh everything up, if it's worth us opening and we're going to be able to earn enough to keep going and make some profit. but we need the tourists to do that. also weighing up how it can function, terra mitica theme park. meanwhile, of its nearly a00 staff, just four are working. all the rest have been furloughed. and even if these places can reopen, what might keep people away is fear. fear of coming here, farfrom home, away from the sanctuaries they've been in, travelling long distances with all the uncertainties that might bring. to try to keep travellers safe, soldiers disinfect the terminal

at valencia airport. just one flight is leaving today. but the building is sterilised before and after the passengers go through. it makes you wonder whether mass tourism can really exist in the time of the virus. damian grammaticas, bbc news, in spain. the role of paramedics has become increasingly dangerous in recent months — they're the first point of contact for patients who've become seriously ill with the virus. 0ur correspondent emma vardy has spent a day with paramedics in northern ireland, where many are now living in hotels to keep theirfamilies safe. covid positive. it's a covid positive. in the battle against the virus, these are the emergency responders when symptoms become too much. they never know quite what they're heading towards and saving lives now carries its own risk.

the first call is to a care home. it's a rush to put on protective equipment when every second counts. we know it's a 93—year—old male who's taken unwell. he is covid positive. that's really, unfortunately, all we know right now until we go in. every day, paramedics have to make difficult decisions about who they take to hospital. this time, the patient remains at the home. he's nine days positive. with dementia, it's hard, as well, because they don't understand. what's covid to a 93—year—old? paramedics now carry a heavier burden than ever. because of the pandemic, they're often the last people families see when loved ones are taken away. a sad situation. no matter what you go into hospital with, you're going in on your own. it may be covid, it may be a heart attack, a stroke, it may be an accident — you're going in on your own.

in northern ireland alone, the ambulance service is receiving up to 300 covid related calls each day. just a lady dealing with covid symptoms last eight days, managing at home. just felt this morning maybe a wee bit short of breath. while our health services attempt to weather the storm of coronavirus, other hazards in life continue too. we're going to a 25—year—old rtc down a ditch. it makes it a wee bit different. you're actually happy to see a different type of call, compared to...

bear with me, we're round here somewhere. here we go, we're right on it. wow! i was slamming on the horn and shouting and nobody can hear me. i was saying i was down here. darling, you're very lucky to have got out of there. she somehow managed to crawl out through the front windscreen and got herself to the verge. she's very settled, honestly she is. yeah, yeah, yeah. normally, family would travel in the ambulance. but, despite the ordeal, they must go home. unfortunately, you cannot go to the hospital. it's hard. i appreciate it's hard. i know, sorry. 0k? listen, take care, all right? she doesn't have her phone, her phone is in that car, so even she is anxious. she's down here on her own. being strapped up, it gets scary. the virus is an ever—present fear. 27 front—line ambulance staff in northern ireland have tested positive for coronavirus and hundreds more off work

with suspected cases across the uk. i think they're absolutely amazing. i don't know how they do it. especially now more than ever, like, putting their own health at risk and their family's health at risk. for today, the pa ramedics' work is over. it's draining, a 12—hour shift. what's striking is the personal sacrifices many are making to keep going. to protect her family, tina has moved into a hotel. i miss my daughter, and i miss my parents, who live across the street. i miss home. yeah. in the uk, a shortage of seasonal workers to help pick crops has led to a boost in british workers applying for those jobs. usually european labourers are hired. but the coronavirus outbreak has cut off the flow of those coming to do the hard, physical labour needed to deliver the season's harvest. the bbc‘s sarah corker

has more. they answered the call from farmers for a modern—day land army. laid—off and furloughed staff up at dawn picking vegetables near thirsk in north yorkshire. in this group, there's a cleaner, a landscape gardener, an outdoor sports teacher, and nathan, a ski instructor, all out of work. it is physical, it hurts your back. i think you get used to it the more you do it. i mean, i definitely recommend it to anyone sitting at home watching netflix. this is nathanjust six weeks ago in the alps. when the ski resorts closed, his income disappeared. he was forced to swap his skis for this. if someone had told you that you'd be in a field in yorkshire picking asparagus, what would you have said to them? i would have said,

"no, thanks!" but no, honestly, it's fine. like i say, it's probably one of the best things going right now. coronavirus restrictions have almost cut off the supply of workers from eastern europe, and most brits haven't previously wanted to do this tough work. but, for sixth—former charles, this is his firstjob. it's a huge difference — to go just from having easy school life, straight into this sort of work. it's definitely a lot more difficult. i prefer this to working in a shop or something, because it's more active, obviously. across the uk, there is an acute shortage of more than 70,000 farm workers, and some of those who are packing asparagus here in north yorkshire responded to a post on social media. i quite enjoy it, coming out of the house to a different place, a different environment that is not with my brothers and sisters and just at home fighting. so far, recruiters say the appeal for workers has only resulted in hundreds ofjobs rather than the thousands needed later in the season. many more must sign up to stop the crops rotting in the field.

sarah corker, bbc news, north yorkshire. and finally, if you need a metaphor for the wildness of the world right now, how about this? a driver in washington state found himself at the heart of a tumbleweed tornado on thursday. matt mcknight was driving down a deserted highway when he noticed a few tumbleweeds bouncing along the road. they were soon whipped up into a frenzy, and overtook matt and his van. the van suffered a few scratches. matt himself was fine. a reminder of our breaking news this hour. for the first time in nearly three weeks, north korea's official news agency has reported a public appearance by the country's leader, kim jong—un. it said he visited a newly completed fertiliser plant near the capital, pyongyang. you can reach me on twitter —

i'm @lvauganjones. hello there. well, you probably noticed over the last couple of days the weather has been a bit unsettled with lots of showers. certainly friday no exceptiont to that theme. you can see the extent of all those showers moving across the uk, and they brought with it some dramatic skies. a double rainbow spotted around the southend—on—sea area of essex, and a little bit further south in sussex we had this dramatic bolt of lightning coming from one of the storm clouds with some hail mixed in as well. over the next few hours, showers moving eastwards across england, only slowly clearing here. the showers will then tend confined to the north—east

of scotland, where it will stay cloudy all night. temperatures 3—7 degrees. now, as far as the weekend goes, we are going to see an improvement in the weather. spells of sunshine and for quite a few of us, it will stay dry. showers around, particularly across the north and east, but with lighter winds, it will feeljust a little bit warmer. here's the area of low pressure that's been bringing the showery weather over the last couple of days. it's tending to move its way further eastwards, but we start off with an area of cloud and a bit of rain tied in with a very weak low. that low weakens further but as we go into the afternoon we start to see some cloud develop and the cloud will tend to develop where we see north—westerly winds bashed together with more northerly winds. this is a convergence zone. across some eastern areas of scotland, eastern areas of england, that is the area you are most likely to see showers popping up during the afternoon. elsewhere, it is a largely dry picture. as i say, with lighter winds and more sunshine to go around, it's going to feel warmer. temperatures for most of us between around 1a and

18 degrees celsius. in many respects, sunday looks like a similar kind of day. a dry morning foremost with some sunshine. perhaps a bit cloudier towards the south—west, and perhaps into the afternoon, we could start to see some showers developing and if they do pop up they can be slow—moving in nature and some can be on the heavy side as well. temperatures again for most between 1a and 18 degrees celsius. heading into next week, well, high pressure looks set to take up residence towards the north—east of the british isles, but towards the south—west, low pressure lurks, so we'll have a north—east/south—west split to the weather. south—western areas, cloud increasing, probably rain as well, but the further north and east you go, the drier the weather stays.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

the north korean leader kimjong—un has appeared in public for the first time in nearly three weeks, ending an absence that prompted rumours about his health. the country's official news agency said he'd opened a fertiliser plant. there was no mention of where mr kim had been. the united states government has authorised the emergency use of an experimental anti—viral drug, remdesivir, as a treatment for the coronavirus. the food and drug administration said it was reasonable to believe that the benefits of the treatment outweighed the risks for patients hospitalised with severe covid—19. in the uk, the opposition has raised questions about the government's claim that it has reached its target of achieving 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of april. labour says the figure includes 39,000 tests that were posted to people's homes, but not yet returned.