this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm sally bundock. italy starts to lift its national lockdown today — the longest since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. as the us virus death toll nears 70,000, donald trump defends his record on the pandemic and raises hopes for a vaccine by the end of the year. the british government reveals first details of plans to reopen the economy, with new rules for employers and workers. and whilst sport is banned across the globe, how did taiwan's footballers manage a victory against the virus?

good to have you with us. italy is easing its national lockdown today — the world's longest of the coronavirus pandemic. takeaways and parks are reopening, small funerals can resume and some businesses are restarting. but the shutdown has left deep scars in a country with already serious economic problems, as our correspondent, mark lowen reports from naples. italy is starting to reopen but this champion pizza maker cannot, with is only allowing ta keaway cannot, with is only allowing takeaway is for now, you will need more time to adapt and after eight weeks of locker she has taken such a financial hit her business will struggle to survive. translation: it would

be better to date not to reopen thejudge than be better to date not to reopen the judge than not to reopen. my the judge than not to reopen. my life is my work. i opened the shutters in the morning and this is money for my sister, my niece, for me to live. a city of pizza, spirit, tattered beauty and past glory has been pummelled by the world's longest lockdown by the pandemic. we were taken to see one of the roughest part of one of the eu's poorest regions and, ina of the eu's poorest regions and, in a place where the mafia typically profits, they are doing it again. this was a no—go zone for police. security has improved and get this crisis has reawa kened long—standing concerns about organised crime preying on hardship and it is what many other property hit areas beyond

italy could face. this carpenter tells me he has not worked for months and may have to sell his television to survive. he says there has been lots more crime, even kids stealing cars because they need to eat. fighting the resurgence of the mafia is this organisation. they make up boxes for those in need. translation: the camorra is taken advantage. they have a lwa ys taken advantage. they have always exploded italy's moments of wea kness always exploded italy's moments of weakness and this is one of those moments. a provide help and then asked them to sell drugs in exchange. we need to stop the camorra from reclaiming the territory. and

if the old town, music and solidarity, baskets hung to ta ke solidarity, baskets hung to take the nation from those who can to those in need. a health crisis has become a social and economic one. this swansong of lockdown which has halted the virus but wounded this country. mark lowen, bbc news. we will be going live to the home of ferrari as it reopens it business as well today. we will be talking to ferrari about what measures it is putting in place to keep staff and customers say. president 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, a million two, a million four, a 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. let's speak to our north america correspondent, david willis. what has been the reaction to this interview? some have been

hailing this as the relaunch of president trump's election campaign, if you like. he talked of an incredible bounce back for the us economy early next year. he said schools and universities will hopefully be reopening their doors in september and he talked of a vaccine to combat the coronavirus which he said would be available by the end of the year. it takes a long time, typically, to develop a vaccine. there is still no vaccine. there is still no vaccine for hiv or the ebola virus. nevertheless, in the face of warnings from his medical experts that it could ta ke medical experts that it could take a year — 1.5 years to develop a vaccine, he says he is confident they will be one available at the end of the year. very much the emphasis on the positives and a buoyant future post coronavirus. as

time passes, as we get closer to november, it will become more difficult for him because most economists predict the us economy will contract in the second quarter significantly. absolutely. we really have 30 million people out of work. the president saying that they may be more in the way of stimulus money to come. the senate returned to business today, monday, and it is thought they will start work on another fiscal stimulus bill, on top of the $3 trillion already approved in financial aid here. there is some disagreement. democrats are wanting lots of the new money to go to individual states. republicans arguing that would just bail out profligate state which are democrat run. nonetheless, you are right, the president very concerned about the economy and

getting it to bounce back in time for november when he is seeking re—election. time for november when he is seeking re-election. how about joe biden, his democratic rival, what are his ratings like in the midst of this? in some states, he is doing extremely well. the interesting thing about him is that he has continued to campaign from his home in delaware, not venturing out. of course as many people have been a prized not to do. president trump went to camp david. after 30 days into the white house. now he's talking of going to arizona later this week and then to ohio and he talked about resuming rallies in the months running up to november so it will be interesting to see howjoe biden responds to that. absolutely. thank you, david willis. dozens of us states have started easing lockdown restrictions. texas has completed its first weekend of a gradual reopening of businesses closed

for more than a month. and restaurants, retail stores and malls were allowed to open at 25% capacity. we can now speak to dr natasha kathuria. she's an emergency room physician based in austin, texas. thank you for being on the programme. i understand you are concerned about people's behaviour following the lifting of lockdown measures? yes, the lockdown measures, they were opened up a couple of days ago and this was our first weekend of having restaurants opened to full capacity and it was astonishing to see around austin and much of texas how few people by maintaining social distancing and wearing masks stop it was appalling and terrifying as emergency

medicine physicians that we will see another potential peak as this virus is very contagious. how hard has texas been hit by coronavirus? we have seen a lot of cases. mortality is pretty low, we have done a really good job and that was in part because when new york city got hit, we took precautions ago on lockdown before it hit texas that hard. the problem is we are still far behind new york city and we had to ta ke behind new york city and we had to take caution not to open too soon to take caution not to open too soon and i am not sure if this was too soon. we did not see a steady decline in cases before opening up so we are a little bit nervous. our case number is high, out mortality rate is not too high, 800— 900 stop we are a little bit nervous to see what is to come in the future

but we have done a pretty good job treating these patients as best as we could. your concern is if the general public do not adhere to social distancing rules, they could be another way in terms of infections. —— wave. in terms of reopening the economy and people maintaining this 25% occupancy, it has just been recommended. certain establishments like restaurant inaudible when you open up things like state park, a pool, where it is difficult to enforce six feet of separation, do not think it happening appropriately, or at least not that i have seen. we have seen many people out there not wearing masks, having parties, drinking alcohol and go back to

typical social behaviour after being locked up for so long. ——in lockdown for so long. being locked up for so long. --in lockdown for so long. very good to talk to you, dr natasha kathuria. the government here in the uk is looking at bringing in new workplace rules to help businesses emerge from the coronavirus lockdown. under draft proposals, employers would need to stagger start times and limit the number of desks and equipment that need to be shared. andy moore reports. as we enter how six week of lockdown, deserted streets are all part of a new normal but the government is now looking at how we move out of the current restrictions. the prime minister has not said proposals just yet but employers have been consulted about a possible way forward. as part of a draft proposal, the two metre rule may be relaxed in places where it cannot be observed to be replaced by other means of keeping workers safe such as

physical screens and ppe. under the plans, employers will be urged to stagger start and finish times to take pressure off public transport. work is that such work is considered vulnerable could be put in safer places. people who can work from home would be urged to continue doing so. it is all pa rt to continue doing so. it is all part of a cautious approach to easing the lockdown and to avoid a second wave. the british public have shown amazing stoicism and understanding of the need for the lockdown measures and, quite rightly, i want to ensure that if and when they are eased, they are is in a way to make sure that sacrifices have been worthwhile and we continue to operate in a way where public health comes first. another 315 deaths were reported yesterday from coronavirus. the total number

is now 28,4116. coronavirus. the total number is now 28,416. to date boris johnson willjoin an international initiative to fight coronavirus. he will say that stopping the pandemic is the most urgent shed endeavour of our time. it is humanity against the virus, he says, and together we will prevail. andy moore, bbc news. 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 1200 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. officials 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. you are watching bbc news, the headlines: italy, the first country to institute a nationwide lockdown, is taking another step towards the reopening of its economy. 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. after weeks of strict lockdown measures, several countries around the world are beginning to ease the restrictions. our correspondents living in europe, the middle east and africa explain more about what this means

in their respective countries. we start with adam easton in poland. here in poland, they are reopening museums, hotels and shopping centres like the one behind me, which has been closed now for seven weeks. the number of customers is limited and they must observe social distancing and where face coverings and protective gloves. poland was quick to introduce a strict lockdown and the number of coronavirus infections and deaths here is much, much lower than in many western european countries. that is why the government is slowly easing restrictions to restart the economy. but the number of cases is still rising and any parents are worried it is not safe yet to send their children back to nurseries and preschools when they reopened later this week. here in austria, all of the shops are now open again, including

hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons. and the individual recommendations that people stay—at—home steps for a few key reasons, has expired, which means that people are free to leave their homes. although, when they are in public, they are being asked to keep at least a metre away from everybody else. you are now allowed to have an event with a gathering of oft to ten people but if you want to go to a shop or use public transport, you have to use a basic facemask covering your nose and mouth. if everything goes well, the government says restaurants and cafe ‘s could reopen by the middle of may but they have also warned that they are ready to slam on the brakes if infection such a rise again. the government in lebanon has restricted some reflection on movement and allows certain types of businesses to open again, provided ever follows strict social distancing rules. this part of a five phase plan the government has set out for the government has set out for

the gradual reopening of the country which will end in mid june. even at the airports will resume operation but that is dependent on weekly assessments the government is carrying out on covid—19. here in the capital, beirut, you can already feel the vibe of the city has changed where people are going out and about, feeling more relaxed about the situation. but the economy was hit hard, thousands of people lost theirjobs and the income during the lockdown. which pushed hundreds of people into the streets protesting again. here in nigeria, aftera five—week lockdown, the government is reopening the economy, loves the commie in africa. three beginning on this monday in abuja, the capital and lagos, construction sites and lagos, construction sites and government offices like the business behind me are reopening. markets are partially reopening too. workers in food processing and agricultural going back to work. but the nationwide dusk

to dawn curfew has been imposed and authorities say people must wear facemask in public, tender social distancing rules and ta ke social distancing rules and take other social distancing measures. however, schools, religious centres and parks remain closed and large gatherings have also been totally banned. as nigeria eases the lockdown gradually, medical experts are urging caution. the situation is dicey and the virus continues to spread. let's now focus on what is going on in brazil. with more than 100,000 confirmed cases and 7,000 deaths, brazil has now surpassed china where the outbreak started — but experts are warning the true number is far higher. already, the health system in the amazon has collapsed — and there's real fear the virus could devastate the vulnerable indigenous population in the region — as well as its land. our south america correspondent, katy watson, reports. in the middle of the

ra i nfo rest, in the middle of the rainforest, the virus has taken hold. this is manaus, the biggest city in the arm where they are digging must graves known as trenches. how else can overwhelm the authorities cope with the numbers of people dying? manaus is a breaking point, it has one of the highest infection rates in the country and what of the most underfunded health systems. this video shot inside one of the hospitals shows body bags lying next to those gravely ill. manaus is home to many indigenous communities where poverty, malnutrition and displacement make tackling the virus an even bigger challenge. history has taught people here that viruses from outside ring devastation. there are only defence now is home—made masks but much more is needed to protect them. translation: we already have lots of people in the community were symptoms. but we don't have a doctor here. we don't have a nurse who

looks after us. indigenous communities in at the city struggled to access health services and they are struggling to work too. those living deep in the rainforest base even bigger challenges. the closest medical help is often days away by boat. some communities have shot themselves away fearful of contagion. protection agencies are no longer on the ground and that has huge consequences for a country where illegal loggers and miners have been emboldened bya and miners have been emboldened by a government set on developing the amazon. translation: we can't forget the attacks that keep happening andi the attacks that keep happening and i never resolved. covid—19 kills with an illness. here, people are killed for over abandonment or contamination. invaders are coming in and taking advantage. they are in quarantine and are using this time to explore and are the principal factors. deforestation rose more than 50% in the first three months of this year and there is an added urgency as fire season begins ina

added urgency as fire season begins in a region already struggling with the virus. we will have these two big problems together. as we saw in the last year, when we have a lot of fires, you have people going into. when are areas are com pletely going into. when are areas are completely full of people with covid—19, it will be a badness when the fire start. the death toll keeps climbing and there is no peak insight. little for brazil's was vulnerable people. katie watson, bbc news. the wait goes on for millions of football fans around the world — hoping for the return of the sport they love. players are already back in training in germany — but in many other countries a decision has yet to be made about when games will resume. 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's 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 that there's 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 it's a good opportunity for taiwan, yeah. local officials say they want to show that taiwan can fight an epidemic and play football too. tim allman, bbc news. we have all of the top business stories at the bottom of the hour and one of the stories we're looking at is on the bbc online website, by my colleague simonjack, the online website, by my colleague simon jack, the business editor. at two metre distancing may be used for work. employers will not be required to maintain social distancing of two metres between workers under government proposals to reopen uk workplaces. this is the first draft agreement of the first draft agreement of the government strategy seen but the bbc. i been asking you, are you concerned , but the bbc. i been asking you, are you concerned, how confident do you feel about

returning to the workplace? # bbc the briefing is the place to get in touch. many of you have mentioned to me that you have mentioned to me that you have not been away depending on what you do. i was even just a moment. hello. our 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's 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, maybe 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 with sunday. the breeze does start 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. whereas elsewhere, staying dry overnight, fairly chilly as we start tuesday morning. 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, though 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. though still quite breezy and actually cool as well with temperatures in the mid—low teens in some spots, whereas elsewhere sunny spells, pleasant day, 17 in glasgow. onshore breeze along this north sea coast keeping it cooler compared with elsewhere. the weather system to the south—west dies a death overnight and into wednesday, as high—pressure reasserts its dominance, though. apart from the 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. so 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. but 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 with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. saving grace or temporary relief? crisis hit airline norwegian made a deal with its bond holders — today will shareholders give their vote for a rescue package? as restrictions begin to ease across europe, we speak to italian sports car maker ferrari, who's factories are opening today. hello and welcome to audiences

in the uk and around the world. tainted focus on the business stories. it's a matter of life and death for norwegian. the crisis hit airline has said it will be running out of cash in mid—may and a rescue plan had been rejected by bondholders on friday. however, they did accept an improved offer sunday evening, and today the airline's shareholders will vote on an updated rescue plan. but will it be enough for the ailing airline to survive? like many others, the coronavirus pandemic has brought it to its knees, and the question is, is there a place for low cost airlines operating on wafer thin margins once the crisis is over? joining me now isjohn strickland, an aviation and airlines expert from jls consulting. good to see you john. do we believe the shareholders will say yes to the rescue plan?

there is pretty little choice for them, to be honest. we hear they reached an 11th hour deal with the bondholders and now others who have debt in the company, they have to make that decision today. if they do, if they get into equity the company gets they get into equity the com pa ny gets access they get into equity the company gets access to the first part of the norwegian government funding, which is essential to keep you alive, so it isa essential to keep you alive, so it is a tight rope act to get through this general meeting this morning. it will be in a very fragile position going forward , very fragile position going forward, it has struggled for quite a number of years, lost money, expanded very quickly, popular with passengers but not successful financially. this is the big question in the industry, norwegian is likely to be bailed out, live tanser, air france, us airlines getting

us, government aid, air france, us airlines getting us, governmentaid, but air france, us airlines getting us, government aid, but others not getting any help — luftha nsa. not getting any help — lufthansa. we are seeing some airlines are not going for ada, ryanair is airlines are not going for ada, rya nair is certainly airlines are not going for ada, ryanair is certainly one that hasissued ryanair is certainly one that has issued that, — aid. at least in the uk, iag has received support from the spanish government, but emirates in dubai will be backed by the dubai government, and in europe you see european airlines receiving funding or loa ns airlines receiving funding or loans at least a. that can be a mixed blessing, it could be inefficient capacity left in the marketplace. the airlines that are looking for support, for example that are looking for support, for exa m ple luftha nsa, that are looking for support, for example lufthansa, there is talk on the german media about the german government taking stea ks u p to the german government taking steaks up to 25% in the country and having a lot of influence — company. manager doesn't want that, he just wants support to get through the crisis, and then get on with the business. by then get on with the business. by contrast in france, the

government wants air france to inflation more short domestic flights, so there is a lot of sensitivity and complexity in that. there are indeed, in john we are out of time, i would love to talk to you further but we cannot now. thank you for your time. like several other european countries, italy relaxes some of the restrictions it imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus today. factories and building sites will reopen, but schools will not restart classes until september. one of the businesses opening its factory doors this morning is ferrari in maranello, italy. how has the company changed its production lines to create a safer working environment, with social distancing? ferrari is offering voluntary screening of employees with blood tests to check their state of health in relation to the virus. joining me now is jane reeve, chief communications officer

at super—car maker ferrari. thank you for being on the programme. tell us more about how you are changing the work environment to enable people to come back to work? we have introduced a lot of the measures, we have gone well beyond what the compliances which the national government is asking us to do, apart from the distancing, and the not grouping up of people. we are making sure that people understand, we have done a lot and offa understand, we have done a lot and off a lot of training so people understand what they need to do, which is a lot of theissue, need to do, which is a lot of the issue, changing the way of working and understanding the measures we are putting together a really important and have to be followed by everybody. those for two mac who worked for ferrari, are they confident? do they feel ok about returning to the workplace? we are back on track

which we put together as a whole system to help the health and well—being of our people. we were offering these tests are voluntary for everyone, which 95% of our staff have decided to take advantage of. knowing that they can see the state of their health, they feel much more comfortable about coming back into the company. how hard has ferrari been hit by this in terms of its bottom line, et cetera? what has been the impact? our results are coming out today, so we will be hearing more about it this afternoon, and we are fortunate, we have a long order list, and we are uncommon in that. we have had some docks in australia in particular but

in general, so far we have not seen in general, so far we have not seen too much of an issue. that is the situation, with high and the luxury, when it comes to recession, problems of this nature, brands like ferrari are untouched, by just tell us about the impact in terms of where you are? you are just south of malone, the area of northern italy that has been so hardheaded by this virus? the northern area, where many of our suppliers are as well in lombardi, piedmont, an area that has been very hard hit, and so the lockdown has been totally necessary to try and manage it and we will see what happens in phase two as we start opening up. jean, thanks for joining start opening up. jean, thanks forjoining us, the chief communications officer at ferrari, as it begins work again today. thailand is starting to ease the lockdown imposed on businesses and public activities six weeks ago to address covid—19,

after weeks of falling infection rates. the number of new cases has dropped to fewer than 10 in recent days, with a total of around 3,000 cases since january, and 5a deaths. however the government is keeping the ban on some businesses, like night—time entertainment venues, and imposing strict distancing and hygiene requirements on those that are allowed to reopen. this report from jonathan head in bangkok. a month into thailand's lockdown and people are running out of everything. theirjobs have gone, their money has gone, and that the mac they are lining upfor gone, and that the mac they are lining up for food gone, and that the mac they are lining up forfood handouts. translation: right now, this is all this woman says she has left. it is about three us dollars. they get a meal of rice and chicken and a drink, donated by a wealthy family. for some, it is the main meal of the day. thailand is not a

poor country, but it is not a rich one either and millions of people who have lost theirjobs have gotte n people who have lost theirjobs have gotten no social safety net, no savings, and they are now dependent on these handouts. the railway line running out of central bangkok is where some of those who have just connected every meal live. they are drivers and street sellers, the kinds of casual jobs that vanished soon after the covid—19 crisis struck. translation: when this disease began i lost everything. i have nothing left. i used to earn 10,000 but every month. this is the most difficult time i remember. desperate people besiege the finance ministry recently, after being rejected for a cash handout from the government. 28 million applied, double the numbers they had budgeted for. tourism, which

used to account for around a fifth of thailand's gdp, has collapsed. once popular sites are now deserted. bangkok is one of a club of cities that have grown rich on the spoils of global trade and travel, and are now emptied by a virus that moves along the same global paths. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. let's get some of the day's other news. billionaire investor warren buffet says his company has sold all of its shares in the four largest us airlines, saying he'd been wrong to invest in the airline industry. he made the comments at berkshire hathaway's annual meeting, which was held virtually for the first time because of the pandemic. employers will not be required to maintain social distancing of two metres between workers under government proposals to reopen the uk's workplaces. in a first draft of the government's strategy seen by the bbc, employers are encouraged to do

so where possible, but where it's not, additional measures should be considered. these should include additional hygiene procedures, physical screens, and the use of protective equipment. japan's prime minister shinzo abe is expected to extend its state of emergency until the end of the month later today. let's go to our asia business hub where mariko oi is following the story. what more details can you give us? the prime minister and his ministers are going through the details as we speak but it is pretty much confirmed that the prime minister will be holding a press co nfe re nce prime minister will be holding a press conference later this evening to announce the extension of the state of emergency, as you said, until the end of the month. as you can imagine opinions are somewhat split a. some say that it is necessary to make sure that people continue staying at home because the number of new

covid—19 cases has not fallen by march, but others say the extension could actually cost nearly 800,000 morejob extension could actually cost nearly 800,000 more job losses, and given the death rate from coronavirus in japan and given the death rate from coronavirus injapan has been relatively low compared to other countries, critics say that these measures could be more harmful than the virus itself, but one analyst that i spoke to this morning said that given the third of japan's population is over the age of 65, who are considered to be vulnerable, keeping people at home is the right thing to do. now, whether or not the government can offer enough support, especially to those small businesses to get through this will be the key. thank you so this will be the key. thank you so much, and let's quickly show you financial markets today. the first trading day of the week. japan is closed for a public holiday, as his trainer. elsewhere you can see losses as investors assess from various

countries as they start to ease lockdowns, how the impact will be on the economy. we had more than 10% rally in world says in the month of april, so perhaps investors becoming cautious again, also this week we got lots of earnings, over 1000 companies in the us reporting this week disney, gm, europe, bmw, air france, is a lot of earnings to come. you are watching bbc news. the headlines: italy, the first country to institute a nationwide lockdown, is taking another step towards the reopening of its economy. 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. iran has had the highest number of coronavirus cases in the middle east, but its neighbour iraq is now also trying to come to grips with the outbreak. shame and stigma mean people are wary to admit they're sick,

or get tested. in a country of 38 million people, over 2000 have tested positive, with nearly 100 deaths. there is little confidence in the government and few believe the official figures. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville reports. siren wails iraq thought it had nothing to learn from death and then came coronavirus. in this ambulance is the body of hassoun rassan. the 72—year—old died of covid—19. they've been turned away at checkpoint after checkpoint. fear of infection has made him untouchable. funeral rites are sacred here and covid—19 is upending centuries of tradition and ritual. there is no last goodbye for hassoun rassan.

his family are denied the right to wash the old man's body and wrap him in a simple cloth. for the most devout, this is a fate worse than death. instead, his funeral is left to strangers in the desert night. praying the stigma of illness, quarantine, runs deep here. baghdad is in partial lockdown. it's ramadan. the city is quiet, but hardly at peace. few here want to admit having the disease or even get a test. at baghdad's ibn al—khatib hospital, this doctor hasn't been home to his family since the end of february.

few of his patients came willingly. this 72—year—old is now recovering from the disease, but she is still fragile. the doctor's workload is heavy, but iraq's official covid count is low, fewer than 100 deaths in a country of 38 million people. but few trust those figures. hassoun rassan is finally laid to rest, buried in a pit five metres deep. far from generations of his ancestors and without his descendants at his graveside.

for years, iraq has been ravaged by death, but with coronavirus, nothing is sacred. few families want an end like this. quentin sommerville, bbc news. israeli schools are partially reopening as the country gradually eases lockdown rules imposed to control the spread of covid—19. 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 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 how they're going to 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. staying in the middle east, and in saudi arabia —

coronavirus infection figures show a particularly large number of cases among the country's foreign workforce. our reporter rich preston joins me now to discuss this. rich — what's the picture in saudi arabia? put us in the picture when it comes to saudi arabia. in the early days of the virus, saudi arabia was widely praised for quickly introducing tough measures to try and stop the spread of the disease. it and religious pilgrimages, band both foreign and domestic travel. nonetheless, it has been hit by the virus. we take a look at the numbers. it's a total number of just over 27,000 cases. in amongst that, they have been over 180 deaths. in the last 2a hours, the saudi health ministry has reported over 1new cases. interestingly, amongst that 80% of those are

in the migrant workforces. a third of their total population is made up of migrant workers. saudi arabia, one of the world's wealthiest countries, and a spike in population of some of the world's poorest people donnelly from pakistan, india and bangladesh and young and male. this is a concern for them, particularly when there are so many young them, particularly when there are so many young migrants coming to them. what happens to them when lockdown measures commonplace? the government introduced guidelines for employers to protect this critical migrant workforce. things like creating safe isolates and spaces if they are sick. they can take them away from the sea, disinfecting working environments et cetera. human rights groups are concerned that those measures we re concerned that those measures were not introduced properly and in particular, there is concern about living conditions. people live in very basic and cramped conditions. on top of the health worries, there is also the financial applications. a lot of these people send big parts of their pay packages back home to families living in the

countries they came from. of course, they're not working, they are not earning and they are not sending that money back. as you say, there has been criticism of what has been happening to this migrant workforce. what is the government doing about this? the government says it is taking action. as of sunday, it is closed off the eastern industrial city of dammam, non— going in and out to limit the spread. a displaced other restrictions on other cities but has also promised that anyone who test positive for the virus, wherever you are from and whatever your immigration status, you get free healthcare. thank you very much indeed. that is what is going on in saudi arabia. we are now bringing you right today. i asked you to get in touch with today about your feelings, about returning to work. this is because, as you can see on bbc online, some of the first draft proposals put together by the uk government had been seen by the bbc. you can see the story in detail on the bbc news website written by

simonjack, our the bbc news website written by simon jack, our business editor. it's talking about the fa ct editor. it's talking about the fact that employers won't be required to maintain a social distancing of 2m between workers under government proposals to reopen the workplace. instead, employers are encouraged to do where possible to provide additional measures. for example, ppe, et cetera, facemasks. union leaders are expressing concerns about this saying that few firms currently have the equipment needed and efforts to acquire it could be seen as competing with the national health service. where it has been widely recorded it has very scarce resources been widely recorded it has very scarce resources when been widely recorded it has very scarce resources when it comes to ppe. we asked you, how do you feel about returning to work? are you concerned about or desperate to get back to the workplace? many of you have been working at home for five, six weeks or more. as ever, you have got in touch. let's talk about some of your responses. hugh says i believe everyone

will look forward to getting back to some normality but i'm sure there will be concerns there for many in the workforce. jim says, i would think many folks confidence to jump think many folks confidence to jump back into life would be met with a certain amount of trepidation. ian hawthorn says, i've never been away, previously tagged as unskilled and now i am called a key worker. the joys of working in a supermarket. ian, thank you for getting into. another regular who watches us in india, remote working, flexible timing has changed workplaces into cabin homes. team distancing would continue. public services, a risk industry. thank you for your comments and as i've mentioned, we have got more on story online but we also have the very latest in all the news. we do of course have our coronavirus live page which is updating all the time with all the latest news information

from around the world. thank you for your company, have a really great day and i will see you soon. hello. our 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's 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, maybe 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 with sunday. the breeze does start 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. whereas elsewhere, staying dry overnight, fairly chilly as we start tuesday morning. 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, though 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. though still quite breezy and actually cool as well with temperatures in the mid—low teens in some spots, whereas elsewhere sunny spells, pleasant day, 17 in glasgow. onshore breeze along this north sea coast keeping it cooler compared with elsewhere. the weather system to the south—west dies a death overnight and into wednesday, as high—pressure reasserts its dominance, though. apart from the 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. so 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. but 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.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. our headlines today: new rules proposed for the workplace as the government begins to plan how the uk can start to ease the coronavirus lockdown. two—metre social distancing could be relaxed and hot—desking reduced, but will it be enough to keep workers safe? i'll take a look. president trump says he believes there could be a vaccine by the end of the year, but admits his medical advisers are less optimistic. italy begins the slow process of easing its national lockdown — we hear from some of those who are counting the cost of the pandemic.