good afternoon. thousands of people have registered to take part in atrial that uses blood plasma from people who have had coronavirus and since recovered to treat sick patients. it's one of the latest trials in progress aimed at tackling the virus. meanwhile, in the united states, emergency approval has been given for an experimental drug that was used for treating ebola. it comes as ministers here prepare to announce plans for lifting some of the restrictions in place across the uk. laura foster reports.

every day, scientists around the world a re every day, scientists around the world are getting closer to finding a solution to the coronavirus pandemic. here in the uk, it's hoped this golden liquid could mean victory. this is blood plasma, and donations are now being collected from people who have had covid—19. hospital doctor is one of them. we are trying to find a cure for this disease which has affected millions of people around the world, so i feel privileged and excited that i am playing a role in that. when somebody becomes ill their immune system produces antibodies to fight the virus. the idea is, if these can be given to someone else, it can help them recover more quickly. meanwhile, in the united states, the drug ram to severe has received emergency approval, not full

approval, but a trial has shown it reduced the time people spent in hospital with covid—i9. but experts warn it isn't a magic bullet. remdesivir was developed as a treatment for ebola and despite showing high promise in laboratory studies it failed to show any real effect when used in the field. the british governance is the pick of infections is now behind us. one way to avoid a second peak involves following the movements of millions of people in the uk, a process called test, track and trace. when somebody develops a new infection, we immediately try and assess them, get them tested, find out where they got the infection from, who they we re got the infection from, who they were in touch with and who they have beenin were in touch with and who they have been in touch with, and contact their contacts to give them advice and, by doing that, you can control the spread of infection quite quickly. that alone will not be enough to get us out of lockdown.

now the government has to work out a way to get the country and economy moving again while still keeping the population say. our political correspondent jonathan blake is here. lots of speculation about what life after lockdown is eased might look like. we have been promised a plan for life after lockdown as we have known it, over the last six weeks, but what sort of things might it look like, allowing non—essential business is to open with social distancing measures in place, perhaps being allowed to socialise with a set number of people, and now, as reported by the times this morning, asking people to take their temperature before using public transport is a way of making people perhaps feel safer. these things are not confirmed but they are being looked at. if the plan isn't set in stone, the timetable is even less certain. ireland have announced a phased reopening of things over three—week intervals for the rest of the year. i wouldn't expect anything like a specific timetable of that

from the uk government when they legally review the measures in place this thursday. people in spain have been allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, after one of the strictest lockdowns in europe. they can now do any form of exercise outside, but only during set hours, as our europe correspondent, damian grammaticas, reports. on empty streets, tentatively, spaniards began emerging today, released from 48 days of confinement. and the numbers began to swell. adults first, allowed out to take a walk to exercise for the first time in weeks. until now, the only acceptable reasons for leaving your home where to buy food or go to the chemist. this is fantastic. it is amazing. the first time i arrived with my bike this morning, it was incredible, really incredible to get some fresh air in your face.

some clearly wanted to capture the moment. for others, just being out in the sunshine was a relief. then at ten in the morning, it all changed. adults back indoors so the elderly could have two hours to themselves. and after midday, children. spain is giving different age groups specific time outdoors to limit the chances the most vulnerable can catch the virus. with this relaxation, spain's government is dipping a cautious toe in the waters to see what happens. if virus cases continue to trend downwards, there will be more easing in the coming days. if they surge up again, well, the lockdown will come back. damian grammaticas, bbc news, valencia. queues have built up this morning at some council rubbish tips in england. a surge in fly—tipping since the start of the lockdown prompted the government to allow waste and recycling centres to reopen today for the first time in weeks.

bars, shops and restaurants have been closed for weeks here in the uk, but advance orders they made months ago have still been coming into warehouses and have nowhere to go. that's causing problems for the companies which run the warehouses, as they make profit from the movement of items through their premises, as katy austin reports. it's minus 18 degrees inside this redditch cold store, and business as usual is on ice. these frozen fish and puddings would usually go out to pub kitchens or restaurants... all of which now are obviously closed, so deliveries out of our cold store have come to rather an abrupt standstill. industries that serve food have all but shut down, but goods are still coming in because they've been ordered weeks or months before, and that means that cold stores like this one are pretty much full. that's a problem, because this place makes most of its money from moving stock in and out.

freezers being full means nowhere near enough to cover all our costs. staff have been furloughed in an effort to make ends meet, but sarah says she'll need further support in coming months. the industry body is concerned not all cold stores will survive until hospitality reopens. we are effectively working in emergency mode right now. that's not sustainable, and what worries me is, in the recovery, not having the network there to actually service the ongoing needs in the medium term. non—food warehouses are full, too. this one in birmingham is stacked floor—to—ceiling with home furniture, stairlift parts and much more. e—commerce is still flowing, albeit at a reduced rate. however, with the retailers, because their distribution centres aren't open, we're actually still holding a lot of the stock here. examples of that could be john lewis or tk maxx. because we have 50% of our staff on furlough due to the lack of activity at this site, that's why it's so quiet.

it's still not known when the lockdown will thaw so things can get moving again. for now, the future for warehouses and their staff is uncertain. katy austin, bbc news. the national trust has warned it could lose £200 million this year due to coronavirus. the charity has had to halt a number of projects during the pandemic and is calling on the government to offer financial support. our correspondent, luxmy gopal, is at nostell priory in west yorkshire. one thing this lockdown seems to have made us realise is how much we value green spaces. this one, nostell priory in west yorkshire, is around 250,000 nostell priory in west yorkshire, is around 250 , 000 hectares, nostell priory in west yorkshire, is around 250,000 hectares, looked after by the national trust, and that organisation, like many, has been hit hard by the crisis. when it closed, half its income was wiped out overnight. it had to pause its conservation projects and it's expecting to make a loss of £200

million this year. today the national trust called on the government notjust to national trust called on the government not just to financially support charities like itself but also for the government to include a focus on the environment in its economic recovery plan. so to invest not just economic recovery plan. so to invest notjust in building roads and urban infrastructure but also to invest in renewable energy jobs and sustainable transport and protecting green spaces. the government has said it is committed to working with that sector because it recognises the vital work done by conservation charities, and it wants to better understand the impact of the coronavirus crisis. thank you. coronavirus myths and speculation have flooded social media during the pandemic. tackling the sources of this misinformation continues to challenge and frustrate efforts by regulatory bodies around the world. here in the uk, the government's misinformation unit has told the bbc that, whilst it's taking action to address false narratives online, it also champions freedom of expression,

as marianna spring reports. celebrities, influencers, neighbours, friends — all influential, all spreading misinformation. but, to stop the spread, you need to remove the source of this information. within the maze, some sources come from a sinister place, in search of clicks and money. others create posts as a joke. i faked a gov.uk text message telling people that they'd been fined for leaving their house over three times a day, and i thought it would be funny to sort of scare them with a fake text message. and then there are conspiracy theorists. whilst these conspirators want to push their message, there are politicians wanting to protect theirs. 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? in the fight to stop misinformation,

authorities and social media companies are working across a range of front lines. it's not just about the spreaders. if sources are identified and targeted, their misinformation can be prevented from going viral in the first place. but the government is struggling with the fine balance between monitoring online comment and free speech. it tells the bbc that... experts, like chloe colliver, say the government's need to protect free speech should not mean that sources of fake news are left to peddle misleading content. despite all the efforts of companies and governments over the last few years, there's still enormous work to be done in dealing with bad actors who are exploiting crises like this to spread their own harmful agendas. tech companies will ban users who repeatedly breach their guidelines. but, ultimately, we're all responsible for slowing the spread of misinformation.

marianna spring, bbc news. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 6pm. bye for now. hello, you're watching the bbc news channel with carrie gracie. more now on the news that a clinical trial getting under way in the uk will see patients treated with blood plasma from people who have had the virus, and since recovered. so far, donors have given enough plasma, which is the liquid part of the blood, to treat 150 people. dr manu shankar—hari is an intensive care consultant at guy's and st thomas' hospital nhs trust and is one of the leaders of the trial. he told me about

his hopes for the trial may i start by thanking all those donors and the nhs trust for leading this clinical trial. in terms of our hope, what we are essentially doing is giving almost an immediate protection with passive therapy. we hope that the virus will be clear from the system quickly and help with recovery. and how soon will you know that? once we give the plasma, we will monitor these patients closely and we will start to see some improvement within days of giving the plasma. the exact timing of it is difficult to predict. it will differ between patients, we expect. what gives you reason for hope? why are you confident this will work? convalescent plasma, is one of your earlier speakers

highlighted, it essentially has been around for a long time. we understand how it works, it primarily helps in clearing the virus, just like the drug you highlighted earlier. it will help clear the virus from the body and therefore improve clinical outcomes. that's the reason why we are trialling this. it sounds so encouraging, it makes me wonder whether you should be calling for more plasma, for more survivors, so you can treat more patients. you are absolutely right. that is essential for this trial to be viable across the united kingdom, notjust for critically ill patients but those who have kind of been put in the medical wards who are less ill. we have set up this donor plan nationally. if you go to the website there is the option to donate plasma. does the nhs have the

potential to scale up and use this asa potential to scale up and use this as a fairly typical treatment? absolutely. if the trial shows that the treatment works, what we have essentially is... everything g—l nhs trust has a blood bank and transfusion experts and we should be able to support convalescent plasma asa able to support convalescent plasma as a standard care if it shows benefits in clinical trials. we will keep you up—to—date with the progress of that trial. as we've been hearing in spain, people have been describing their joy and their concerns after the restrictions were relaxed allowing everyone to exercise outdoors for the first time since the middle of march. the spanish government says the gradual lifting of the lockdown will be carefully monitored to prevent a resurgence of the disease. our correspondent, guy hedgecoe, is in madrid. it's a huge relief of many of these people to be out, to be able to run, jog and cycle and so on, having had to stay at home

for the last seven weeks or so, unless they had a really specific reason to go out, such as buying food or medication and so on. so, in that sense, it's been a tremendous release for them. but there are some people who, i think, are still worried about the virus and so either they are still staying at home or they are being very cautious about when they go out — they are going out with a facemask on or keeping a really big distance between themselves and other people when they do go out. so it is very much a mixture of relief, but also a certain amount of fear, i think, for one of the countries which has been most heavily affected by coronavirus. and talk us through the plan in spain, because of course there is a huge emphasis in many countries, the uk among them, on kind of pressing their governments for more details about a more phased unlock. what is going on in spain over the coming weeks? well, in spain, the prime minister has announced quite a detailed plan

to lift the lockdown. it's due to take place, this lifting of restrictions, over the next two months. the idea is that, by the end ofjune, spain will be back to something like normal. it will take place in several phases, each which will last a couple of weeks. but there are no specific dates for this. it will depend on how things go in terms of the pressure on intensive care units and whether or not the virus starts to return or not in particular areas of spain. and it will vary in the 17 different regions of spain. so there are a lot of variables here, but the government does want to see the country more or less back to normal by the beginning of summer, which would be the end ofjune, with bars, restaurants, public spaces and so on all open, although schools will not open again until september. australia has been touted as one of the success stories in the coronavirus pandemic.

it's going so well, the country's prime minister says he will bring forward a review of its lockdown guidelines. some australian states are already easing their restrictions. reged ahmad has the story. australians cheerfully returning to one of sydney's main beaches as it officially reopens. new south wales, the country's most populous state, has accounted for nearly half of the country's coronavirus case numbers. but health officials say australia has now managed to flatten the curve when measuring new cases. today, the national cabinet agreed to bring forward our consideration of the decision on relaxing restrictions to next friday. australians have earned an early mark through the work that they have done. and that decision will now be made next friday. in the sparsely populated northern territory, cleaners disinfect play equipment. officials there have

become the first to lift major restrictions — reopening parks, pools and lifting limits on gatherings. but the easing of strict social rules still comes with a warning. the message today is very much, while these restrictions have been modified, see them for the privilege that they are. also, keep a great level of consciousness about what you need to do to mitigate the spread of covid—19. the australian government has set a number of conditions for easing national guidelines. the main one being increased use of its new contact tracing app. civil liberties groups have expressed privacy concerns, but authorities say safeguards are in place and a large take—up is key to australia's post coronavirus future. if we allow australians to back out into a more open economy, a more open environment, without the protection of the app, which enables us to know who has been in contact,

how we can isolate those groups, how we can constrain and constrict that virus from getting to other people, we need that tool so we can open up the economy. and reviving the economy, like in many countries around the world, is one of the australian government's main concerns. the pandemic has hitjobs and livelihoods hard. australia now is at a pivotal moment as it attempts to open the country back up while avoiding any second wave of infections that would force it back into lockdown. and the rest of the world will be watching to see how it might be done. reged ahmad, bbc news. with all immigration into the us suspended over coronavirus, many asylum—seekers are trapped lockdown in mexican border cities. activists fear that if they miss their court dates, their claims for asylum

will be summarily dismissed. meanwhile, the situation inside the shelters and on the streets of tijuana amid the pandemic is steadily getting worse. will grant reports. constant cleaning, the only defence against coronavirus in this migrant shelter in tijuana. social distancing is impossible here — should a single case of covid—i9 get in, everyone would be at risk. this woman shares a flimsy tent with four relatives. she left el salvador a year ago and has spent months in these conditions while her asylum application is processed in the us. with no—one allowed to leave the shelter during lockdown, and with immigration into the us suspended, she fears her asylum request will simply be thrown out amid the crisis. translation: just the idea that everything is going to be cancelled and that everything that we have been through here is in vain, it's a horrible feeling. really horrible.

activists say that us border patrol are returning any migrant they apprehend to mexico without due legal process. part of a wider strategy, they believe, by the trump administration. for years, the trump administration has told us that it is seeking to limit, if not obliterate the asylum system and they are using the pandemic as cover to do so now, including these widespread, massive expulsions of asylum seekers that have attempted to enter the united states. including the expulsion without process of unaccompanied minors. even immigrants who are ill with the virus have been deported. in a shelter, one deportee is believed to have infected at least 15 other migrants. president trump, however, insists that suspending immigration will protect americans. as we move forward, we will examine what additional immigration—related measures should be put in place

to protect us workers, we want to protect our us workers and i think, as we move forward, we will become more and more protective of them. the queues outside of tijuana's soup kitchens are longer than normal. beneath a tantalising sign to the nearest us city, asylum seekers and return deportees are among those looking for a warm meal from the church. the coronavirus has complicated life for the most vulnerable in northern mexico but, with no sign of immigration being reinstated while the virus spreads, they are stuck in dangerous border cities, worried about the pandemic but unable to move forward or back. will grant, bbc news. 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. we received these images earlier — courtesy of the country's official news agency — of kim jong—un opening a fertiliser

plant near the capital pyongyang. our correspondent, laura bicker, explained the significance of the pictures. you can see kim jong—un walking and talking, waving to crowds, cutting ribbons, laughing with officials. the crowds are wearing masks. the officials around kim jong—un are not. he certainly looks very much alive and well. he is seen smoking throughout the pictures. that suggests perhaps that there hasn't been any problems with his lungs, as some have suggested. this came about because the north korean leader was last seen on april 11th and he didn't turn up for a key celebration on april 15th. it is the celebration of his grandfather, the founder of north korea. it is unprecedented for him not to turn up. it raised a few eyebrows here in seoul. a few days later came a report on a website, which is partly run by north korean defectors, which said that a source

in north korea had said that the leader had had a heart operation, or some kind of heart procedure, and was recovering. that then ballooned into international coverage and headlines which ranged from him being gravely ill to he was in a coma, and also that perhaps he was indeed hiding from covid—i9. now it seems that these headlines have either been mis—proven or we don't really know where he has been for the last two weeks — has he been ill? has he had some kind of procedure? it is hard to tell. state media would never comment on the supreme leader's health. it will only be known to a handful of people. it is worth noting that officials here in seoul have said that nothing unusual was noted in north korea. today the unification minister has said that the last two weeks of speculation has come at a cost and says that it shows the

danger of using unconfirmed sources. a steep rise in the number of flytipping incidents here in the uk has increased the pressure on councils to re—open their waste and recycling centres to the public. and from this weekend some councils mainly in england, will allow people to dispose of their waste, but with some changes to the way they operate. john maguire has more. as if to add insult to injury, one of the unintended consequences of lockdown has been a significant rise in fly—tipping. got a call last night from a herdsman hearing noises at about 8:30, and wheels spinning, and this is what a lovely lot have left us. it has remained illegal, of course, punishable by up to a year in prison or a fine of £50,000,

but with council tips, known as household and waste recycling centres, closed across the uk, some have dumped their rubbish with abandon. some centres, such as here in manchester, are now reopening, but with restrictions in place. we are only accepting cars and small vans, we won't be accepting transit vans or trailers, because of the lack of manoeuvring space on site and also for the fact that this is about essentialjourneys only, so people really need to think if it is essential to come to deposit waste before they make that trip. the government's hope is this, if managed carefully, can represent a step towards the restoration of normal life. as local government secretary i've said i want local councils to begin to open them, so some are now opening, others will open over the course of the next couple of weeks. there's no reason you can't travel to your tip to put your household waste there or do your recycling,

so councils should have the confidence to reopen them as soon as possible. but councils are warning people to manage their expectations. keep storing it at home, wait to hear the news from your local authority as to if and when your local tip is opening, and also of course bear in mind that a lot of other people will also want to get down there so there may be, certainly in the first few days orweeks, quite high demand. tips in scotland remain closed while in wales and northern ireland planning for reopening is under way. the best advice is before setting off, check your local centre is open and if so, what restrictions are in place. john maguire, bbc news. now it's time for a look

at the weather with susan powell. hello. we've had rather a showery couple of days, good for the gardens people always seem to say. looks to be the case for our weather watchers, some beautiful images that are being sent in so far today. in terms of weather for going out in the garden or for exercising today, a lot of fine conditions to be found across the uk through the afternoon. just a few sharper showers for the south—east of scotland and the north—east of england through the afternoon, which could catch some out. it will be chilly along the north sea coast thanks to the breeze here. elsewhere, typically temperatures in the mid—teams. elsewhere, typically temperatures in the mid—teens. the showers clear overnight, but towards the south—west more cloud starting to push in and that will mean quite a hazy start to the day for southern england and south wales on sunday. maybe a bit of patchy rain for devon and cornwall for a time. that cloud drifts further north through the day, a cloudier day than today and then some sharper showers tomorrow afternoon. for scotland, once again, for northern england, the midlands and parts of east anglia too, a shade cooler as well.

wind. it gets warmer and drier from wednesday. hello, this is bbc news with carrie gracie.