this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. ministers in the uk look at proposals to get the economy restarted, including easing some measures of the lockdown. in spain, the country has begun to ease its strict lockdown rules. adults have been enjoying their first outdoor exercise in seven weeks. rolls royce prepares to cut thousands ofjobs due to coronavirus. a decision on the exact number will be made by the end of the month. the uk government pledges over £76 million to the most vulnerable in society during the pandemic. this funding will help charities, support survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. it will support

vulnerable children and their families. and it will support victims of modern slavery. an experimental drug is authorised by us officials for emergency use on severely—ill coronavirus patients. and how authorities are attempting to tackle coronavirus myths and speculation during the pandemic. 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. the uk government is studying proposals, aimed at getting the economy restarted, including easing some the measures of the lockdown. the prime minister will set out plans next week, but today the communities secretary said the risks still remained high. elsewhere, the spanish government has relaxed strict lockdown measures allowing people outside for the first

time in seven weeks. from monday, face masks will be compulsory on public transport throughout the country. rolls—royce has warned it may have to cut thousands ofjobs from its uk work force after aircraft manufacturers were forced to cut production during the pandemic. the engine maker employs 52,000 people worldwide with 23,000 in the uk. at today's downing street briefing, the uk government announced a multi—million pound package of measures to support vulnerable people in society, including rough sleepers and victims of domestic abuse. and, more than 6,500 people have signed up for a trial to see if blood plasma from coronavirus survivors can help treat patients in hospital with the virus. it comes as 621 more people have died in the latest 2a hour period. that's those who have tested positive for coronavirus and died in hospitals, care homes and the community.

the total number of uk deaths stands at 28,131. let's get the latest with this report from our political correspondent chris mason. this is what relative liberation looks like right now. being able to throw junk into a skip. in manchester this afternoon, the prospect of a trip to the reopened tip had people queueing to get in. just can't wait to get rid of the stuff. before it piles up any more. with a green bin at this time of the year, there's a lot going on in the garden and it gets full of waste all the time and we need to start emptying them as soon as possible. but today's government news conference told us that a loosening at today's government news conference told us that a loosening of the rules could be based around the fact that the virus finds it harder to spread outside than inside, but... that moment has not yet come and members of the public watching this afternoon should continue to stick to our message which is to stay at home. the government has proudly talked up the huge expansion in its capacity to test, but the next colossal challenge, as restrictions are eased,

is tracking and tracing new outbreak is tracking and tracing new outbreaks so they are contained, including via an app for us to use. clearly we want to have very quick tests and we do not want to be asking contacts to stay isolated for a long period of time if the initial person who triggered the alarm, so to speak, actually turns out not to have covid, so there is a speed issue. it's also an issue that not everybody will be able to operate a digital system. today, the government announced it had delivered its1 millionth food package to help those who are shielding, not leaving home at all. there are 1.8 million people in england alone in this situation. i wonder what long—term plans there are to help those people out, notjust in terms of the provision of food, but also their mental health and their general well—being? well, for the shielded, one priority is to ensure that those who want to move off our food boxes onto privileged access

from the supermarkets can do so and the supermarkets are doing great work in increasing their capacity to do delivery services. medical, economic and societal challenges posed by this virus remain vast. 0ne positive has been delivered almost overnight though. the long—held aspiration to eradicate rough sleeping. ministers now want to ensure as few people as possible turn to a life on the streets after lockdown. it won't be easy. it's undoubtedly ambitious. staying in the uk, rolls—royce says it will probably have to make thousands of job cuts as part of plans to deal with the impact of coronavirus. our business correspondent katy austin is here. katy, another blow to uk business and those people losing theirjobs. very concerning use for a very important uk industry. rolls—royce is an engineering giant and one of its by—products is engines for

aircraft. rolls—royce employs about 23,000 people in the uk. that's about half of its global workforce and big sites in here in the country include derby where it has got two sites. what we're really seeing here the knock—on impact, trickle down from the global hits in the aviation industry we have seen during covid—19 pandemic. airlines basically can't fly, that not very much anyway, that has a knock—on effect where plane makers have shutdown some of their production and you go down the supply chain and you get people like rolls—royce who make plane engines. they are having to cut back too. what is the government promising to do, if anything? they were asked about it this evening at the briefing and this evening at the briefing and this has been another bad week for aviation. we had seen two big airlines who operate out of the uk, british airways and ryanair, have both said they are going to cut a lot ofjobs. so it has already been

a bad week. rolls—royce is not an announcement it is, we understand, up announcement it is, we understand, up to 8000 jobs could go. that is another blow at the end of a bad week. the government has just emphasised that it has already provided a lot of support for businesses across the board. it is not promised anything specific for the aviation sector yet. but today, robertjenrick, the community secretary, did say that the chancellor and the business secretary would look at future demands if more help could be provided. thank you so much. people in spain have been allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, after one of the strictest lockdowns in europe. the spanish prime minister said that facemasks will be mandatory on public transport from monday. here's damian grammaticas. 0nto empty streets, tentatively, spaniards began emerging today, released from 48 days of confinement. then 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 were to buy food or go to the chemist. this is fantastic. it's amazing. the first time i ride with my bike this morning, it was incredible, really incredible. it's the fresh air in your face. 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, then the lockdown will come back.

damian grammaticas, bbc news, valencia. ellen lange is a school teacher based in toledo. this is not a question we usually ask on the news but what was it like to go for a walk? it was amazing to be able to go out and do a little bit of exercise today. i was still a little bit scared. i was sure to wear my mask and my gloves just in case because i am always a little bit scared of the place because you never know. from what i understand there are different exercise times for different age groups. adults at one time, older and vulnerable people, children. what time was your time? yesterday i went out at 9am this morning. i was walking by the river where i live and about 9:a0am

there were some older people who we re there were some older people who were walking and the police stopped them and said they were not allowed to go out yet. it was still too early. so we have to be sure to do what we are told. it is still a little bit scary to go out but it was amazing to be able to go out. and do some exercise. if you are 20 minutes early for your walk, do the police tell you go back home? do theyissue police tell you go back home? do they issue a fine? how does it work? i think you can be issued a fine. i know some people here who have been issued a fine because you have been allowed to walk your dog or go shopping but usually have to make sure you comply with the you cannot see that you are walking the dog and then go to a friends house. 0therwise then go to a friends house. otherwise you can get 600 euros fine. so you really have to... that

isa fine. so you really have to... that is a huge fine! spain, of course, is a country where people usually kiss each other hello, they hug, it is a warm country. how are people adapting to the fact they can only wave hello? i think there is going to bea wave hello? i think there is going to be a change in spain. i don't know what is going to happen in the future, but it is... it is a surreal situation, but it is a reality, a new reality. so i think we will see what will happen in the future, but it is difficult. it's difficult to have been 50 days in lockdown, such strict measures, scared to go out, scared of the police, it's difficult and hard to understand as well because you go outside and your own, it should not be a problem but i understand these measures must be necessary because of all the deaths

that have unfortunately hit the country. it has been very hard for spain and economically and it is very difficult for many people here. in the 50 days that people could not go for a walk and you could not go for a walk, what was the one thing you missed most from the outside world ? you missed most from the outside world? it's a mixture of things. to be able to see people, to talk to friends, for me it is difficult as well because i am from norway, my family live in norway and i am alone in spain. i have many friends and, but i don't know when i wildly able to see my family again and it is quite difficult but you have to try to be positive and hope for the best. hopefully, there will be a change in the world for the better and many things and people can be a bit kinder towards each other and we can appreciate the little things more and we'll see what will happen

with the economic side and spain is facing a very tough future at the moment. so we will see if other countries in europe can also help each other. it's a time to show empathy and to get the best out of each other. to try to make a better world. and a time to go for one walk today. thank you so much. thank you. an experimental drug developed to treat ebola has been approved for use on coronavirus patients in the united states. a recent clinical trial suggested the drug shortened recovery time for people who fall seriously ill with the virus. here's david willis on the latest developments from the us. could it prove a game changer? remdesivir is an antiviral drug that appears to help severely ill coronavirus patients recover. announcing that federal regulators had approved emergency use of the drug, president trump said it also had the backing of his medical experts.

an important treatment for hospitalised coronavirus patients and it's something i spoke with dr hahn and dr fauci, i spoke with deborah about it, and it's really a very promising situation. earlier this week, the government's infectious diseases expert revealed that a clinical trial had shown that remdesivir could block the virus and help patients recover more quickly. the data shows that remdesivir has a clear—cut significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery. manufactured by the californian pharmaceutical company gilead, remdesivir failed as a treatment for hepatitis and ebola, but tests showed that it shortened the recovery time for coronavirus patients by more than 30%, or an average about four days. neither a vaccine nor a cure,

it is none the less the most promising treatment to date. after weeks under lockdown, large parts of this country are finally, tentatively starting to reopen. texas has reopened its beaches, but restaurants and shopping centres have been ordered to limit their capacity to 25% for two more weeks at least. the united states remains the global epicentre of the coronavirus, a million cases and counting and more than 63,000 deaths. medical experts are warning that by reopening their economies too quickly, some states could run the risk of sparking a second wave of the pandemic. president trump ended his 32—day white house lockdown by flying to camp david for a weekend of talks with his advisers, all part of an attempt to kick—start the american economy ahead of elections later this year. meanwhile, the hunt for a cure for the virus goes on. david willis, bbc news.

the headlines on bbc news... ministers in the uk look at proposals to get the economy restarted, including easing some measures of the lockdown. in spain, the country has begun to ease its strict lockdown rules. adults have been enjoying their first outdoor exercise in seven weeks. rolls—royce prepares to cut thousands ofjobs due to coronavirus. a decision on the exact number will be made by the end of the month. more now on the multi—million pound support package to help some of the most vulnerable people in the uk, including victims of domestic abuse. at today's downing street briefing, the communities secretary, robertjenrick said the financial package will ensure "no victim of domestic violence has to make the unbearable choice between staying somewhere that they know is unsafe or becoming homeless". ellie butt is head of policy and public affairs at the domestic

abuse charity, refuge. she joins us from east london. what is your response to the government announcement of £76 million in funding? the funding announcement today could not be more welcome. we know that during this period of lockdown, huge numbers of people across the country are trapped in homes with abusive partners. it has never been more essential that they have access help and services that they need. refuge i’u ns and services that they need. refuge runs the national domestic abuse helpline which has seen calls increase by 50% compared to pre—lockdown averages so it is rias pollute used today and we could not be more pleased. how difficult is it to work out what is going on? when almost every front door in this country is closed's it's extraordinarily difficult. it's a really, really worrying time but what we do know is that we have seen demand on specialist services like

the national domestic peace helpline increase. some police forces have reported domestic abuse calls have increased so it is very worrying. you don't know the full picture, it is likely there are lots of people out there today, maybe watching this programme, that are in need of help andi programme, that are in need of help and i would really urge anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse or worried about someone who is to call the helpline on 0808 2000 2117 and if you're an immediate danger always call 999. talk is through that procedure if someone is an eminent threat of attack. they should call, what if the think their best resort is to leave their home as quickly as possible? is at an option? people need to make the decision that they need to make the decision that they need to make the decision that they need to to keep themselves safe. the police are there, they are responding to calls and we are here 24 responding to calls and we are here 2a hours a day on the free helpline number. something that was also really welcome today was that the

government announced they would change the law through the domestic abuse bill to ensure that every survivor of domestic abuse is considered priority need for housing and that something domestic abuse charities and homelessness charities have joined together on and been called on for some time and that really will make a difference. for far too long some women have had to make a horrible choice between staying somewhere on safe and risking homelessness. this is really, really important. briefly, during the government press conferences, there has been talk of the police saying those at risk of immediate violence should dial 999 and press the digits 55. from your evidence and experiences that been successful? i have not seen any data on what is called assignment solution but it's really important —— what is called the silent solution. it's important to repeat it so that everyone knows about it, if it is not safe to speak you can

dial 999 and press 55 and your call will go through to the police. thank you very much. here in the uk, thousands of people have registered to take part in a trial that uses blood plasma from people who've recovered from coronavirus, to treat sick patients. it's one of the latest trials in progress aimed at tackling the virus. trials in progress aimed 0ur health correspondent, catherine burns reports. could this golden liquid be an effective treatment against coronavirus? it's not an expensive new drug, but blood plasma, freely given by survivors. jo is donating after her whole family got coronavirus. her husband was ill enough to need hospital treatment. i'm somebody that would not have donated purely because i'm quite terrified of needles and giving blood. but everybody needs to do their bit. the idea is simple. donors need to have had coronavirus and fully recovered. the liquid part of their blood, plasma, contains antibodies produced by their immune system to recognise and fight the virus.

researchers say when this is given to critically ill patients, it gives them some instantaneous immunity. so far, about 150 recovered coronavirus patients in england have donated their plasma, enough to treat another 150 critically ill people. now the intensive care consultant running the trial is looking for patients to give the plasma to. so far he is still waiting, because he's not seeing as many seriously ill people with coronavirus now. it's a good thing that the pandemic, there is a semblance of control of the pandemic here, so i'm actually both happy and feel that we are ready if the second wave happens, yeah. he hopes that if this trial works, we will have an effective treatment against coronavirus. catherine burns, bbc news. with all immigration into the us suspended over coronavirus, many asylum—seekers are trapped in lockdown in dangerous 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—19 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 kimjong—un has appeared in public for the first time in nearly three weeks, ending an absence that prompted international rumours about his health. 0ur correspondent, laura bicker, explained the significance of the new pictures. well, you can see kimjong—un

clearly walking, talking, waving to crowds, cutting ribbons, laughing with officials. hundreds of people are present. the crowds are wearing masks, but the officials around kim jong—un are not. he certainly looks very much alive and quite well. he's seen smoking throughout the pictures, so that suggests perhaps there hasn't been any problems with his lungs, as some have suggested. now, this all 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's the celebration of his grandfather, the founder of north korea. it's unprecedented for him not to turn up, so it raised a few eyebrows here in seoul. then a few days later came a report on a website called the daily nk, which is partly run by north korean defectors. it said that a source in north korea had said that the north korean leader had had a heart operation or some kind of heart procedure and was recovering.

that then ballooned into international coverage and headlines that range from he was gravely ill, to he was in a coma. and also that perhaps he was indeed hiding from covid—19. now, it seems that these headlines have either been disproved or we don't really know where he's been for the last two weeks. has he been ill? has he had some kind of procedure? it's very hard to tell. now it's time for a look at the weather. skies have threatened rather than delivered showers today. spring in full swing of course and for part two of the weekend tomorrow, high pressure in control for much of the uk but there will still be a future was breaking out for some of us, a greater chance

tomorrow catching one that today. this weather front today will produce patchy light wane and in fa ct produce patchy light wane and in fact that is the case as we go into tonight. cloud increases is that weather front gets closer and where weather front gets closer and where we have seen weather front gets closer and where we have seen some weather front gets closer and where we have seen some showers today, they will slowly fade as we get into they will slowly fade as we get into the night. for most overnight it is dry with clear spells, temperatures are little dry with clear spells, temperatures a re little lower dry with clear spells, temperatures are little lower than this in more rural spots but most of us just about avoid a frost going into the morning. sunday will start dry with afairamount of morning. sunday will start dry with a fair amount of sunshine around the cloud is going to build and some showers will break out towards northern and eastern scotland. a few from northern ireland, northern england especially east of the pennines and it will take some time but for north wales, the midlands to east anglia later in the afternoon, the chance of heavy showers. a lot of cloud compared with the day in south—west england and south wales. you may see a bit of patchy light rain from that. men teens temperatures for most of us. cooler in scotland tomorrow where you have the showers especially north and

east, it will continue on the evening. into sunday night, a spot of rain across parts of yorkshire and lincolnshire which will gradually clear on monday. leaving a few showers. most places on monday will be dry. cloud and some sunny spells around. the wind will start to pick up across parts of england and wales coming in from the east. that will cool things particularly across eastern counties and as we get beyond monday to tuesday, the weather front and when the system down towards the south—west brings new life and a spell of heavy rain here and particularly towards south—west england. some uncertainty about where it will set before it fizzles out on tuesday and is just about gone by the time we get into wednesday's high pressure builds backin wednesday's high pressure builds back in but it brings the chance of seeing some rain towards southern parts of england and south wales on tuesday. drier on wednesday and throughout the week much of scotland and northern ireland reasonably dry with a mixer of cloud and sunshine but where you're starting the week with rainy midweek on looking dry.

hello this is bbc news. ministers in the uk look at proposals to get the economy restarted — including easing some measures of the lockdown. in spain, the country has begun to ease its strict lockdown rules — adults have been enjoying their first outdoor exercise in seven weeks. rolls royce prepares to cut thousands ofjobs due to coronavirus — a decision on the exact number will be made by the end of the month. the uk government pledges over £76 million to the most vulnerable in society during the pandemic. an experimental drug is authorised by us officials for emergency use on severely—ill coronavirus patients. and uk prime minister boris johnson and his fiancee carrie symonds name their baby boy

wilfred lawrie nicholasjohnson. now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks to the chinese ambassador to the uk liu xiaoming. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. as the global effort to control covid—19 continues, so arguments about culpability for the spread of the virus intensify. and at the heart of the story, china, where the outbreak began. did the chinese government's impulse to cover up the truth cost the world dear, or did beijing respond with admirable determination? well, my guest today is china's ambassador in london, liu xiaoming. is china the villain or the hero of this pandemic? ambassador liu xiaoming, welcome to hardtalk.