this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm aaron safir. as the us virus death toll nears 70,000, donald trump says he's done a great job handling the pandemic. the british government starts to talk about ending the virus lockdown, but says it could be reimposed in different areas. back to school in israel, but the country's lockdown is ending amid more political turmoil and corruption allegations. and football matches return to taiwan after its successful campaign against the virus.

hello and welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we'll have more on those stories a little later, but first, a quick look at some of the main developments on the pandemic. italy has registered 174 coronavirus—related deaths, the lowest daily figure since the lockdown was introduced two months ago. churches across germany have resumed services for the first time since march. in the uk, there's been a dip in the daily testing figures — around 76,000 were counted, far short of the government's 100,000 a day target. but we begin in the us, where donald trump says he hopes the presidential election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic, that's because he believes he's done a greatjob. in a televised town hall event,

broadcast by fox news, mr trump insisted his decision to impose restrictions had saved lives and refuted claims that he had failed to act quickly enough. we're going to lose anywhere from 75—80 to 100,000 people. that's a horrible thing. we shouldn't lose one person over this. this should've been stopped in china, it should've been stopped. but if we didn't do it, the minimum we would've lost is a million, two million, four million, five, that's the minimum. we probably would've lost higher than, it's possible, higher than 2.2. you know the way you have to look at that? i've never seen death like this, i've never personally experienced anything like it, and they talk about the flu and all of that. well, i've known people that had the flu all my life. isee... i was lucky, i never had the flu, then i came here, they wanted to give a flu shot, and i said, "i don't want a flu shot", but they have to give it. but you know what? i've known people that had the flu all of my life, i never — nobody ever died! i never had a friend, he had the flu and he died.

north america correspondent peter bowes says president trump renewed his attacks on china and claims it had originated at a laboratory in china. indeed, the president did touch on this issue of china, talking about the incompetence, potentially of people in this laboratory, saying that the virus should have been stopped by china. so this is something that's going to run around in terms of the debate and the dialogue surrounding this virus and who is to blame, and it may well go to the heart of the president's election campaign in terms of pointing the finger of blame, when many of the democrats, of course, are pointing at the president and saying he should've done much more early on during the outbreak. one other interesting things the president has said during this debate is he has claimed he thinks there will be an immunity in terms of a vaccine for this virus by the end of the year. he says he bases that on talking to the pharmaceutical companies, that he thinks they will have developed this vaccine in a matter of eight or nine months‘ time, which

will be much faster than many global scientists are predicting. that scientists are predicting. was peter bowes. joining me now live from virginia is rachel bitecofer, who is a political scientist at christopher newport university. thanks for your time, welcome. president trump was characteristically bullish in his town hall there, lots of bold claims, how do you think it will have been received? yeah, his demeanour was very similar in the town hall as it has been in the virus briefings, and, you know, it is bold, often times factually inaccurate information. you know, the death toll is that he's exciting now, just a week ago he was talking about how they would cap out in the 50s oi’ they would cap out in the 50s or 60s, now we're heading towards 70,000 dead here in america. so i think his effort to painta america. so i think his effort to paint a positive outlook for

americans, i think it's motivated a little bit by his need to, you know, come up with a real election strategy, but ultimately i do think he's setting himself up for failure every time he leaves a benchmark like a vaccine by the end of the year, that is unlikely to be hit. of course this was broadcast, hosted by, fox news, a conservative news network and one that's generally friendly to the president. do these kind of events again much traction outside of the network on which they are aired? number one, i'll make it really clear that trump has given almost no interviews to any network outside of fox news. fox news, of course, is the conservative media outlet, you know, entity in the country, so he knows that the tone and tenor of the interview will be on combative and he won't be challenged on fax. so, no, really they don't have... i think a lot of the country

frankly feels they see too much of the president. you know, instead of having health officials handle these briefings and the centers for disease control, the cdc, the president has chosen every day largely since the pandemic stay at home staff began to address the nation, and i'm certain it is an oversaturation issue going on with him right now, so this interview will have even less resonance because of the fa ct less resonance because of the fact that people are seeing him so fact that people are seeing him so much right now. the november presidential election is sort of slowly coming into view, i wonder what you think is going to determine the outcome of that? because this pandemic possibly turns everything we knew about political science on its head. i think certainly in a country thatis i think certainly in a country that is healthy politically, and we see this in public opinion data for other countries around the world, quite clearly you can see the incidence of the pandemic come

m, incidence of the pandemic come in, the public register the pandemic and the economic issues that come with it, and way ina issues that come with it, and way in a judgement on their president or leadership of the country, but there is one country, but there is one country for which there is an exception and that is u nfortu nately exception and that is unfortunately the american government here, because of polarisation and hyper— partisanship, trump has actually not moved at all in public opinion. he got a modest couple of point bounce at the very beginning and then it moved very quickly, and it's really a n moved very quickly, and it's really an outlier. we don't see anything like it in any other country that was measured with democratic kind of public opinion, so it's a real testa m e nt to opinion, so it's a real testament to how sick the body politic is in the us, that something of that magnitude is really not having much of an impact. that's fascinating. rachel bitecofer, thank you for joining us here on bbc news. thanks for having me. here, the government says it's looking at ways to lift

the lockdown ahead of an announcement next sunday in which the prime minister will set out the how the country will get back to school and work. political correspondent chris mason reports. a portrait of the uk in lockdown. for well over a month, streets have been quiet, most shops have been closed. a pause button pressed on normal life. but if imposing these restrictions felt like a massive moment, easing them could prove much, much more fraught. at this afternoon's government news briefing, one of the prime minister's most senior colleagues told me local lockdowns might have to be reimposed. a phased approach is one which allows us to monitor the impact that those changes are having on public health and if necessary, in a specific and localised way, that means we can pause or even reintroduce there's restrictions that might be required in order to deal with localised outbreaks. trains won't look like this again for some time.

but if we are to return to work, they won't be able to look like this either. i am working with the train companies, unions and all of the above, and there are a series of different things that we can do, including, for example, staggering work times, working with businesses to do that. there is a similar challenge in schools. empty or near empty classrooms in lockdown, and now tentative plans being sketched for them reopening. wales's first minister said today it would take three weeks to get schools back open from the moment the decision to do so was taken. if we bring particular age groups back in first, that will allow us to spread them out through the school as a whole, enabling us to observe social distancing and, therefore, giving confidence to parents and teachers. mr drakeford said it will be a decision for his government as to when this happens.

scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon said the same today too. but take a look at this. this was leeds this afternoon. getting the country going again could involve more thanjust changing the rules. it's likely to require persuasion too. we've got very used to the mantra plastered across the lecterns you're stood behind, can we expect a more subtle message to come in the next phase to mirror what could be a more subtle and nuanced set of rules? what we need to do is just to make sure the underground advice that we give is sufficiently reassuring. i think it's about making sure that people feel the point is we are giving about how a workplace can be safe, sensible, reliable, supported by employers and trade unions. getting back from this to normality is going to be a long and difficult slog.

the government is promising to set out the next steps next sunday. chris mason, bbc news. israeli schools are partially reopening as the country gradually eases lockdown rules imposed to control the spread of covid—i9. the national rate of infection is in decline in israel, but the pandemic has been taking place against a backdrop of political drama, as reged ahmad reports. back to school but not quite back to normal. children in israel streaming into class as schools partially reopen. it's part of a slow easing of the country's lockdown, with some new rules in place. translation: in every corridor we have a stand for wipes, spray and alcohol gel. moreover, each student arrives with gloves, a mask and their own alcohol gel. several of israel's main cities have delayed the phased return to class, reportedly to allow for more preparation.

and the move to reopen is not without some controversy, with parents expressing theirfears. translation: we are excited and concerned at the same time but we have to take the first step. if we are all worried, we will not get back to normal life. there are many concerns around parents who told me yesterday and they wrote me questions about how it's going to be and manage, and i think we have to trust the staff. and in these extraordinary times, the coronavirus pandemic and its impact has run concurrently with out—of—the—ordinary politics. israel's supreme court, clad in masks, is sitting to decide whether prime minister benjamin netanyahu will be allowed to form a unity government. if they decide netanyahu's indictment on criminal charges disqualifies him, it could trigger yet another snap election, israel's fourth injust over one year. anti—neta nyahu demonstrators gather outside to watch.

the prime minister has responded to the case by saying the court can't replace decisions made by the voting public. despite his legal troubles, the prime minister remains a popular, if divisive, figure. his deal to form an emergency government with rival benny gantz in order to deal with the pandemic has been seen as bringing an end to turbulent times in politics. and an end to turbulent times is what many in israel may crave right now, even as a new normal slowly emerges in public life. reged ahmad, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we meet some of the first volunteers to receive a new drug intended to help with recovery from the coronavirus.

i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. but the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines: president trump has defended his response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying he's done a greatjob and would be re—elected if november's vote turns into a referendum on his performance. the bbc has seen the first draft of the uk government's strategy to reopen workplaces — it indicates businesses won't have to maintain social distancing of two metres between workers. to the middle east now. in saudi arabia — coronavirus infection figures show a particularly large number of cases among the country's foreign workforce. 0ur reporter rich preston joins me now to discuss this. rich — what's the picture like in saudi arabia? in the early days of coronavirus, saudi arabia it was widely praised in quickly introducing quite tough

measures to stop the spread of the disease, banning foreign and domestic travel and banning religious pilgrimages. we take a look at some of the numbers it is hard, it is had just over 27,000 can permit cases of the virus. amongst that, there have been just over 180 deaths. virus. amongst that, there have beenjust over 180 deaths. the last 2a hours, the authorities there have reported just over 1.5 thousand cases. critically, what official says that 80% of those cases are amongst foreigners. saudi arabia has a population of 30 million and foreigners make up about a third of that. of course, we know it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world but these foreign workers are some of the poorest people in the world. predominantly, young and mailand in the world. predominantly, young and mail and from india, pakistan and bangladesh. those numbers really do tell a pretty clear picture. what is a government doing to combat this? early on, issued guidelines to employers to

protect this critical micra workforce. . things like setting up isolation boost so someone was setting up isolation boost so someone was symptomatic, they could take them safely away. setting up stations to check people's temperatures and cleaning workstations, et cetera. human rights ribs are saying they don't make those concerns won't influence well enough and also worried about the living conditions of those people. often they live in quite basic and cramped conditions. 0n quite basic and cramped conditions. on top of the health concerns, there are financial implications. they send money back to the families back home and if not working and earning, they‘ re back home and if not working and earning, they're not sending money back to relatives. the government is acting, it says it is locked down a city, an industrial city on the east with no—one coming in around. it also says that anyone who test positive to coronavirus, whatever your immigration status, you will receive treatment free of charge. thank you for looking into that for us. russia has recorded its biggest daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases. there have been more than 10,000 new cases reported over the past day, bringing the total number to around 135,000. more than 1,200 people have

died from covid—19 so far. more than half of all cases and deaths have been reported in moscow, from where sarah rainsford sent this report. moscow's hospital wards are filling up. the number of coronavirus cases is still rising. around 1,700 patients are admitted now every day. this week, the prime minister was one of them. after loud assurances that early action would help russia sidestep the worst of this pandemic, it's now in the top ten countries worldwide for cases. 0fficials here say they are detecting covid—19 because they are actively looking for it, running 170,000 tests a day. the official death rate is low. up to half of the new cases are said to be in people with no symptoms. some are frontline medics who get screened every week. in moscow, many are now

sleeping in hotels between exhausting shifts to keep their families safe. yevgeni was a plastic surgeon before the outbreak. now, he says, beauty will have to wait. like many, he switched to treat coronavirus. it's the start of the long may holidays here, and moscow's streets would usually be crowded. this year, even outside exercise is banned. cities across russia are in lockdown to try to slow the spread of this virus. hospital facilities in the regions are a far cry from those in the capital. russians are getting restless with all the restrictions, but moscow's preparing thousands of extra temporary hospital beds and warning that the worst still lies ahead. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. with so few drugs available to help fight the virus, scientists around the world are racing to find new treatments.

a promising experimental medicine developed by uk researchers recently started clinical trials. 0ur correspondent, justin rowlatt, was invited to university hospital southampton, where the first volunteers have been receiving the new drug. the trial is taking place in the hospital's coronavirus wards. it has been given urgent research status by the government. before i see how it works... there we go... ..i have to put on the protective equipment we've brought. the only way to test these drugs is to give them to people who have the illness, so that's why we need to go onto the ward. here we go. 0k. so how has your breathing been? very, very shallow. so it's like your lungs are sort of blocked? yes, it was. 67—year—old kay flitney was diagnosed with covid—19 last week and admitted to hospital.

she is one of 75 patients in uk hospitals who've volunteered to help test the new drug. so this is the machine i showed you the other day. yeah. nurse sandy aitken shows her how to operate the nebuliser, which will help get the drug deep into kay's lungs. do you want to try that for me? it uses a protein called interferon beta, which is part of our body's first line of defence against viruses. professor tom wilkinson is heading up the trial. interferon beta is a naturally occurring protein that many of the cells in our body produce on a daily basis so, when the lungs experience a viral attack, the cells in the lining of the lung produce this protein naturally, and it helps the immune system coordinate a response to that virus. hundreds of new drugs are being tested for covid—19 around the world.

the southampton—based biotech company that developed this one has already shown it can stimulate an immune response in patients with other lung diseases. so what would you hope would be the results of your drug trial? well, if we get good results from this trial, we will scale up the clinical trial effort and, hopefully, have enough patients in to show that we can reduce mortality and we can get people out of hospital sooner. he says it won't be some kind of miracle cure for patients like kay, but thinks it could save lives by helping our bodies fight the virus. of course, he will only know if it does when he gets the results of the trial injune. justin rowlatt, bbc news, southampton. three of the world's top male pole vaulters leapt at the chance to compete against each other — from their own back gardens. the men competed via video link and the event was streamed live by world athletics. 0ur sports correspondent joe wilson watched the action.

these days are testing sporting imagination to the limit. in three back gardens of the world, that limit was specifically five metres...up. former olympic champion renaud lavillenie was at home in france. two—time world champion sam kendricks competed from oxford, mississippi. and what a backdrop for kendricks. while the gloriously named mondo duplantis was in louisiana — although he competes for sweden. mondo is absolutely on fire! and he's the world record—holder. five metres is nothing to these men. the idea was they would sail over the bar every time so no—one needed to be there to replace it. the challenge was to do the most clearances in half an hour. he is on fire! don't try this at home is a very obvious warning. if we are fortunate enough to have a garden, we should leave the pulse to the beans and the bolts the

lawnmower, if electric. well, the clock stopped with lavillenie and duplantis level on 36. they agreed to a thai and both are glad to win but we just glad to have something to i was going to make another pole voting joke but i thinkjoe made them all. the wait goes on for millions of football fans around the world, but one place that is seeing competitive matches is taiwan — as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. it's been described as the most important of the least important things. for many, football is like a religion but during the global pandemic, worship has been indefinitely delayed. not everywhere though. this is the taipei municipal stadium. so successful has been taiwan's fight against coronavirus that the authorities have allowed the season to begin, albeit with some major restrictions. translation: actually, it is better to have people watching in the stadium during the match

so that players can get excited. but because this is a closed door match, there's nothing we can do about it. so everybody has to lift their spirits and imagine there is an audience watching. football is something of a minority sport here. baseball is the major obsession but since this is one of the few places on earth where matches are actually taking place, it is hoped it will help raise the game's profile. i think for taiwan, it's a great opportunity — like as a country to be known. definitely, a lot of people are watching. i think the first game, more than 111,000 people online. so i think a good opportunity for taiwan. local officials say they want to show that taiwan can fight and epidemic and play football too. tim allman, bbc news. a stadium full of all fans

seems like a different world now. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @aaronsafir. hello. 0ur weather looks like warming up for a time in the week ahead before doing a complete u—turn next weekend, as we'll see in a moment. it will be pleasant where there are some some sunny spells during monday, still a chance of catching a few showers, particularly across parts of eastern england, whereas elsewhere it is high—pressure in control, so it looks dry. one or two showers for south—east scotland to start the day. they're going to clear. a frosty start in northern scotland. a few spots in northern ireland. scotland and northern ireland though, seeing abundant afternoon sunshine. you can see where the showers are, merging to give longer spells of rain and showers across parts of yorkshire, lincolnshire, showers developing in east anglia

and parts of the midlands too, into the afternoon, some of which could be heavy. much of southern england, west midlands, wales, north—west england staying dry, a warmer day with sunnier skies compared to sunday. the breeze starts to pick up across southern parts during the day. turns quite windy overnight into tuesday morning across south—west england with some heavy rain moving in here across the channel islands as well. elsewhere, staying dry overnight, fairly chilly as we start tuesday morning, and there is a lot of fine weather on the way on tuesday, but clearly not for everyone. still some rain in south—west england fringing south wales, mayjust push in across parts of south—east england as well, thiugh there's a bit of uncertaintyjust how far north and east this is going to get before easing, along with the strength of the wind. still quite breezy and actually cool as well with temperatures in the mid—low teens in some spots, whereas elsewhere sunny spells and a pleasant day, 17 in glasgow. 0nshore breeze along this north sea coast keeping it cooler compared to elsewhere. the weather system to the south—west dies a death overnight and into wednesday, as high—pressure reasserts its dominance. apart from a slim chance of a shower, the closer you are towards south—west england, maybe west wales, most places will have a fine wednesday, and the winds for the most part are light and temperatures are creeping

upa bit. getting quite widely now into the high teens, just a few spots in the low 20s, from cardiff and also into parts of north—west scotland. a few showers later in the week, but some warmth when the sun is out. look at the change as we go through the weekend. a selection of locations here, but pretty much happens to all of us, temperatures will take a significant drop, increasingly likely that it turns much colder from the north next weekend, with frosts and maybe some wintry showers.

this is bbc news, the headlines: donald trump has said he hopes the presidential election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic because he believes he's done a greatjob. in a televised town hall event, the president denied claims that he had failed to act quickly enough. the bbc has seen the first draft of the uk government's strategy to reopen the workplaces. it indicates that businesses won't be required to maintain two metre distancing between employees. where social distancing is not possible, it says additional measures should be considered, including the use of protective equipment. russia has recorded its biggest daily increase in confirmed coronavirus cases. there were more than ten thousand new cases reported on sunday, bringing the total number to around 135,000.