this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. president trump changes his mind and says the coronavirus task force will continue its work. i had no idea how popular the task force is until, actually, yesterday. when i started talking about winding it down, i got calls from very respected people, saying, ithink it down, i got calls from very respected people, saying, i think it would be a good idea to keep it doing, it's on budget good job of —— a good idea to keep it going, it's done such a good job. the united kingdom becomes the first country in europe to record more than 30,000 deaths linked to coronavirus. germany announces the way out

of lockdown — more shops will reopen and children will begin returning to school. and tributes to florian schneider — founder member of kraftwerk and electro pioneer. 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. we start in the states. a day after suggesting that his coronavirus task force's days were numbered, us president donald trump says the white house unit is worth keeping after all. as the nation battles a crisis that — he says — is worse than 9/11 and pearl harbor, the change in plans comes as more and more states open up despite evidence that the outbreak is nowhere near controlled.

the us is by far the worst hit country with now more than 1.2 million cases and more than 70,000 people have died. the bbc‘s nada tawfik has more. as the coronavirus drastically and quickly altered american life, the white house's task force sought to offer guidance on the way forward. so when the vice president, who has led the group for months, said it would probably wind down before the pandemic‘s end, criticism was swift. today, in a series of tweets, president trump reversed course. he said... in the oval office, he said he changed his mind because he didn't realise how popular the task force was. the president was honouring america's nurses as cases of infections continue to rise in the country. this is really the worst attack we've ever had. this is worse than

pearl harbor, this is worse than the world trade center. there's never been an attack like this. and it should have never happened. restarting an ailing economy that is crucial to his re—election prospects is the president's priority. it will be no easy task, though. parts of the country are still seeing dangerous trends. in iowa, 730 workers at a tyson foods pork plant tested positive, and deaths in the state surged to a new high on tuesday. in the epicentre of the virus, new york is still desperately trying to protect residents. extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures... cleaning crews have begun disinfecting trains nightly. it's the first time in the subway‘s history that an entire shutdown of the system has been planned. each morning, regular service will resume. restarting the nation's economy won't be as simple. nada tawfik, bbc news. joining me now from washington is eric bolling,

host of america, this week on the sinclair broadcasting network and is a close friend of the president. i think you speak to quite frequently. just help us out. why this change of heart about the task force 7 this change of heart about the task force? i think, as this change of heart about the task force? ithink, as he this change of heart about the task force? i think, as he said in that sound bite you played, what he typically does, sometimes he will talk about indecision and he will have advisers come and say, we don't think this is a great idea. to his credit, he changed his mind. he said the coronavirus task force will go the coronavirus task force will go the way it did forward. whether the briefings happen like they did... he used the word, had not realised it was so used the word, had not realised it was so popular. in the past few weeks, he's rather ta ken was so popular. in the past few weeks, he's rather taken over those briefings, hasn't he come because of the ratings? is that the reason why, the ratings? is that the reason why, the ratings? is that the reason why, the ratings ahead of a presidential

election? here's what's happened. he had been doing every day the briefings. he had that slip up. he clearly made a mistake. he should not have said... that was a fumble and i'm a friend of his, i sent something over to the white house that day. i said, just eat it. they went a different way with it, basically saying it was taken out of context but i don't think it was. the bottom line was he realised he was spending a lot of time in front of the camera. maybe there's too much time in front of the camera and he is not going to pick and choose when you want to go into the briefings. my point was he liked the fa ct briefings. my point was he liked the fact that the ratings were so good, he likes being in from camera because this way perfectly of him electioneering, campaigning when others could not. that's two different things. electioneering is

not that palatable in the united states. i will tell you, not that palatable in the united states. iwill tell you, in not that palatable in the united states. i will tell you, in the us media, this meant can do nothing right with the us media. at first, they are saying, why did you not close the economy sooner? china was not telling us, they were hiding the news, so not telling us, they were hiding the news, so on one not telling us, they were hiding the news, so on one and, the us media says you should have control of her close and the economy. then when he says he wants to open the economy, the 20 figure back in and say why are you rushing to open the economy? 0ne are you rushing to open the economy? one other thing, on that china issue. first of all, president trump said president xijinping was being transparent, china was showing transparency... you believe that? your 30,000 people who are dead in the united kingdom as of today because of china, because of the virus that spread from wuhan, china around the world. on that point... what... around the world. on that point... what. . . the around the world. on that point... what... the doctor is dead now he

said he was shot up, he was told you're lying to the people and you're lying to the people and you're going to go to jail if you keep talking. that man of coronavirus. there are 30,000 dead there, 70,000 dead here. you're 0k with china saying they did nothing wrong? i have a big problem. is nothing to do with what i think, it's whether the president believed china was being transparent at the time and also suggesting this came from the lab in wuhan, is that mutually exclusive from what the intelligence agencies where you are saying, they don't believe this is man—made was yellow they don't know. —— man—made? man—made was yellow they don't know. -- man-made? you don't know. you're doing with us media —— with us media is doing. it may be... the washington post is there was an expose, it was being analysed in that wuhan lab, the biochemical lab in wuhan, china, it may have been

tested or maybe they were even filling —— philanthropic is looking for a cure and it got loose. i believe they were the king at things they should not have in that lab and he got loose. that's why asked the question. it's not mutually inclusive to say that is not man—made because it could have been a mistake, it could have been an accident which china is covering up. do you think we will ever be shown evidence about that?” do you think we will ever be shown evidence about that? i do. i think we will. at some point, there will bea we will. at some point, there will be a whistle—blower. this one was a blowing missing, a female doctor, she is missing. there was one told to shut up or he would go to jail. someone will come forward and say... you have to take a step back. too many people are dying too quickly, too many younger people are dying. maybe with no underlying health conditions. this is a lot more than what we are being told. 30,000 people dead in the uk, 70,000 in america, this is notjust some virus

that got loose from a wet market in china. this is different. this had to be...i china. this is different. this had to be... i asked dr fauci, are you positive they weren't accelerating the virility of this virus, the deadliness of this virus, the contagiousness of this virus? all he could tell me was, we don't think it came from a lab stub i did not ask him that. i asked him three times to a nswer him that. i asked him three times to answer that question. he would not a nswer answer that question. he would not answer that question. he would not answer that question. he would not answer that question. it could have easily have been back to human, brought into the lab, played with, tested, accelerated, got this by accident in the world is paying for it. not sure what has caused such a devastating pandemic. eric bolling, think you forjoining us on bbc news. —— thank you. the uk has now become the first country in europe to record more than 30,000 deaths linked to coronavirus. the srime minister,

borisjohnson said that as part of the government's approach, there would be 200,000 laboratory tests a day by the end of this month. he was challenged in the commons by the new labour leader, sir keir starmer, who said that the uk's high death rate was the result of being too slow. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. small clusters of commuters. westminster quiet, masks sometimes. but not lonely any more. one new normal has begun. weeks after keir starmer became the labour leader, the first of his weekly chance to put the prime minister under pressure. i'm looking forward to it and i'm glad to see he's back in parliament. how are you going to handle the new labour leader? with borisjohnson back at work, back at the despatch box, too. i would like to welcome the prime minister back to his rightful place in the chamber. but no hiding place from the rising coronavirus toll, now tipping 30,000. that's now the highest number in europe. it's the second highest in the world.

that's not success or apparent success, so can the prime minister tell us how on earth did it come to this? he is right to draw attention to the appalling statistics notjust in this country, but of course around the world. at this stage, i don't think that international comparisons and the data is yet there to draw all the conclusions that we want. comparing different countries' statistics is difficult, but it's not irrelevant. and every number is another heartbreak. just nine members of ron beard's family bade farewell to him at a tiny funeral this afternoon. he passed away in hospital last week after contracting the virus in his care home, where his family had been told there was no infection and they say staff had no protective kit. my mum, sadly, had to go to the car park and say goodbye to her dad through the window, which was pretty heartbreaking for her after having been

by his bedside for so long. i think that's been one of the hardest things for the family to deal with, not being able to hold his hand in times when he needed it, and i know especially from my mum and her sisters, knowing that he died alone after they had been at his side for so long was the particularly heartbreaking thing to come to terms with. the priest did an amazing job and it was a wonderful sendoff, albeit slightly strange. his last song as the curtains closed was you'll never walk alone. what was happening behind closed doors in care homes, now very much in public and political view. deaths in care homes continue to go up, 12 weeks after the health secretary declared that we're in a health crisis. i have to ask the prime minister, why hasn't the government got to grips with this already? there's an epidemic going on in care homes which is something i bitterly regret, and we've been working very hard for weeks to get it down.

in the last few days, there has been a palpable improvement. there's no consistent evidence that situation is improving. but the prime minister suggested some lockdown measures could ease from monday. we will want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on monday. in a sparse chamber, mrjohnson sometimes looked around for cheerleaders who were not there. in this new contest of opposites, in the end, it's one—on—one. you're watching bbc news. germany has been ahead of the pack in dealing with coronavirus. now, angela merkel is trying to navigate the way out of lockdown. the chancellor has reached an agreement with regional leaders on relaxing restrictions. social distancing will stay until intojune and face coverings must be worn in shops and on public transport. 0ur berlin correspondent jenny hill has more. this country is in a good position.

the infection rate's been steadily falling, there's hospital capacity to spare, but that's put angela merkel under pressure from the leaders of germany's 16 states who desperately want to restart their local economies. at that meeting today — and we're told it was indeed very stormy — they agreed that they can open shops, restaurants, hotels — albeit with strict social distancing measures — and that germany's professional football league, the bundesliga, can resume matches — although they must be held behind closed doors. now, there are important caveats. people here can't simply go out now and meet up with whoever they'd like to. they still have to wear facemasks on public transport and in shops. and the authorities will continue to test and contact trace aggressively. jenny hill in berlin. the european commission says the coronavirus pandemic has caused europe's worst economic shock since the great depression. it's predicting a contraction of the eurozone economy of 7.5%

and is warning of a recession of historic proportions. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a public sign of appreciation from the world's most private artist. banksy leaves a work for hospital staff in the uk.

you're watching bbc news. our latest headlines: president trump reverses a decision to disband the white house coronavirus task force, saying he didn't realise how popular it was. and the uk becomes the first country in europe to record more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths.

in brazil, there's growing pressure on president jair bolsonaro over what's been described as his "chaotic" response to the pandemic. south america's largest nation has seen 11a,000 cases and almost 8,000 deaths, with rates still increasing. despite this, though, and a health system under immense strain, the president continues to deny there's a serious problem. 0ur correspondent katy watson reports from the east of sao paulo, the country's worst—affected area. in brazil's favelas, coronavirus is seen as a rich man's disease brought in from abroad. but they know that the poor will suffer the most. death is ever present in these often violent neighbourhoods. covid—19 has become another killer, weaving its way into these narrow streets. aline used to earn $5 a day as a cleaner. now, both she and her husband are unemployed, bringing up three little girls on hand—outs and donations.

social distancing isn't an option here, and authorities aren't around to enforce any rules. they're angry with how their president is dealing with this crisis. translation: bolsonaro is wrong. he tells people to go to work, then people die. and then he'lljust say, "another one died. well, it's not my son." what he should say is, "stay at home." jair bolsonaro isn't dubbed the tropical trump for nothing. just like his american idol, he's been railing against lockdown. as crisis here escalates, so too does denial. yesterday, he said the worst was over. then came the biggestjump in the number of deaths so far. jair bolsonaro got the top job because he promised brazilians angry with corrupt politics a change for the better. but with families in the amazon burying their dead in mass graves

and public health systems on the verge of collapse nationwide, many former supporters feel they were fed a lie. state governors are ignoring the president, introducing quarantine and lockdown to protect the public. the man in charge of brazil's wealthiest state has become bolsonaro's biggest critic. when you have two viruses to combat, the coronavirus and bolsonaro virus, it's not time to discuss ideology, politics, campaigns or individual positions. it's wrong. this is the wrong way. the right way — to save lives, and to respect the science, to respect the medicine. but in sao paulo's eastern suburbs, quarantine offers little opportunity. poverty makes sure of that. the most vulnerable are waiting in line for government hand—outs and in doing so, they are the most exposed.

brazilians are confused. do they listen to their local politicians saying stay at home? or to their president saying get back to work? increasingly, rules are being bent here and ignored, and it couldn't come at a worse time for the country. even rio's most famous landmark has been enlisted in the fight against coronavirus. if christ the redeemer can't persuade devout jair bolsonaro to finally don a mask, nobody can. katy watson, bbc news, in sao paulo. one of the biggest challenges for authorities around the world is how to get children and staff back to school in a way that's safe and minimises risk. the bbc has seen some research that suggests most families would be unhappy if uk schools reopened soon after lockdown was eased. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreys has more details. dean jones is grappling with one question — how can he keep children safe if they come back?

having looked at our staircases, they're not sufficiently wide, so they would have to be one way, up here, down elsewhere. to keep corridors clear, it will be teachers moving wherever possible, rather than students. here's a fairly typical classroom that would normally hold around 30 children. typically, now, we expect it to hold 15. for the key workers' children at this sheffield secondary, a taste of how it might be in the future. it'd be unusual because, like, you wouldn't see your friends and you wouldn't get the support from your friends that you usually get. do you think people are missing school? yeah, because, like, it's that sense of, like, normality and going to school on a weekday and seeing your friends. dean thinks they could manage just half the pupils. 0ne—way corridors are a must, considering staggering the entry and exit times to lessons. we want to make sure that everyone in the firth park family feel that we've reached a point where it's going to be safe to come back.

so, spaced—out classes for a few, but still a lot of learning online and at home. taylor is 11. her mum wants to keep her home until the autumn. i feel that the government should perhaps think about ending this year now and restarting maybe in september, when we know more facts. six—year—old marcus' mum agrees. if my child goes to school and is mixing with other children, other adults, then that could... he could then come home and bring that into our home and, at the moment, our home is a safe place for him to be. this primary school has tried setting out one classroom. so, this could be the new normal. instead of children working together, sharing things around tables, each child at their own desk, working in isolation. but what about the youngest?

with just riley and frankie, it proved hard. usually, children can roam free in reception. we have children from two through to five using these rooms here, and explaining to a two—year—old how they cannot come up to us and how they cannot be with their friends, that's going to be really, really difficult. if a child becomes upset, you're going to want to go and give them some comfort. if a child falls over and hurts themselves, again, you're going to want to help them out. not being able to do that is going to be very, very challenging. simple precautions go a long way, but what schools want is clear advice and plenty of warning. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. a new painting by the street artist banksy has been revealed at southampton general hospital in the uk. it's called game changer and the work will be auctioned later, with the money going to the nhs. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has been to see it. could this be a rare sighting

of the elusive street artist banksy? undercover, making a special delivery to university hospital southampton. wow. it's certainly his handiwork. it was hung late last night and unveiled this morning. it depicts a young boy kneeling down, wearing dungarees and a white t—shirt. the waste—paper basket in front of him has two discarded old superheroes. instead, he's playing with his new model figure, a new superhero, an nhs nurse with a flying cape and arm pointing forwards like superman. she is on a mission. the idea of the hospital's management and banksy was to thank the staff of the nhs generally for everything they are doing. so, did it go down well? just the proudness of it. the actual realising that we are thought of and respected. for years now, we've not, but now, with everything that's going on in this current climate, people are seeing us where we should be. we're superheroes. it's such a nice reward for all the staff that have been working really hard throughout this. we've had members of staff

be unwell themselves, and obviously all our patients, and we've just pulled together and got on with our work. why, then, did the hospital want to work with banksy? he's really captured the emotion behind the way that the country's recognising the nhs at the moment. certainly since we've been talking about it this morning, people recognise him, they understand where he's coming from, and they're really appreciative that he's made southampton the place to recognise the nhs. the plan is to sell the artwork at an auction after the lockdown, with the proceeds going to the nhs, some of which will come to this hospital. it could fetch over £1 million. will gompertz, bbc news, southampton. the pioneer of electronic music and co—founder of the german group kraftwerk, florian schneider, has died at the age of 73. it is reported actually that he had

died a week ago and had been buried. his revolutionary use of synthesisers in the 19705 and ‘80s helped define the sound of pop and dance music in the decades that followed. the band enjoyed international success with tracks such as autobahn, radioactivity and the model. good evening. it's been a warmer day today, and the warmth will continue to build for many over the coming few days. but by the time we get to the weekend, change is afoot. so, even for eastern coastal counties, tomorrow it will be warmer, a warmer day on friday, but by the time we get to saturday afternoon, across the north of scotland in particular, there will be a blast of arctic air moving its way southwards right across the uk by sunday. so, it really will feel very different, almost like winter has returned, i should imagine. but for the rest of this evening and overnight, it stays largely clear. quite chilly, actually, in eastern areas, although not quite so as last night. further west, we've got more cloud, and a few showers, actually, to hold our temperature up. if there is a little mist

and fog first thing, it will clear quite quickly, and then, once again, there will be plenty of dry and settled weather under this area of high pressure. however, those showers are making inroads on these weather fronts, so there will be an increased chance of showers over the coming few days. i wouldn't like to rule out the odd one just about anywhere come tomorrow afternoon, but they're more likely to be across western fringes of wales, england, up into northern ireland and scotland. so, more cloud in these areas, and not everywhere will catch a shower, but the afternoon, given the heat and the strength of the may sunshine now, they could turn out to be heavy, with the odd rumble of thunder. and temperatures are expected to be higher than those of today — notably, ithink, in eastern coastal counties. friday, very similar, in that there will be a lot of dry, bright weather, hazy sunshine, but a difference for scotland. we've got a weather front with us by that stage. so, it will be rather cloudy and damp at times here. and there could be the odd sharp shower just about anywhere. actually, as we see temperatures rising into the low 20s in many parts of england and wales, the odd shower around elsewhere across scotland and northern ireland.

and similarly so on saturday. the heat will build the showers, and they could turn heavy and thundery. at the same time, in the north, we're getting that cold plunge appearing, so just 7—8 for the far north of scotland whilst we hold onto that heat in the south. but during saturday evening and overnight, that cold air will push our weather front right the way south. and behind it, yes, a real chance of some snow, even at lower levels for northern scotland. so, it will feel much colder by day on sunday, a drop of some ten degrees, our temperatures, but feeling colder still when you add on the effect of that strong northerly wind.

this is bbc world news, the headlines. president trump has reversed a decision to disband the white house coronavirus task force — telling reporters he didn't realise how popular it was. the us is the hardest—hit country by the virus, with 71,000 deaths. the number of deaths here in the uk has passed 30,000 people. the prime minister defended his handling of the pandemic during his first appearance in parliament, opposite the new labour leader, kier starmer. restrictions are going to ease in europe's biggest economy with germany unveiling plans to reopen restaurants and schools — while professional football will also resume. but it's not all positive news out of europe with warnings the eu is in for the biggest economic shock since the great depression because of the pandemic.