attention will return to the us later though with initial jobless claims expected to show another three million americans out of work. this is bbc news and a very warm welcome to all of you joining us across you are watching bbc news. the uk and around the world. the headlines: the uk government says it i'm david eades. will prepare plans for easing as the united kingdom the lockdown as officials records more than 30,000 confirm more than 30,000 deaths linked to covid—19, coronavirus deaths. the french government the prime minister prepares is preparing plans for parts of the country to outline plans for easing the lockdown. to lift restrictions. polymers in pressure on foodbanks and hospitals in france. we'll have the latest, as the government also prepares to set out plans to relax some of the restrictions. germany announces ways to get the economy moving — the chancellor declares phase one of the coronavirus crisis is over. president trump says the coronavirus pandemic is the worst attack ever on the united states and points the finger at china. plant owned by lg polymers in this town, in the state of and letters of love and hope. andhra pardesh complaint of a as we approach

the 75th anniversary of victory in europe day, burning sensation in their eyes and breathing difficulties. 200 we have an extraordinary tale of those have been admitted to of a romance that flourished during the war. hospitals, initialfigures were higher than that. it has believed to have spread 500, it is, discuss, from the plant itself and it is not clear at this stage what caused the league. we will keep across that story for you here. in brazil, there's growing hello. pressure on president we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments over what's been described here in the uk and globally. as his "chaotic" response to the pandemic. first, the british prime south america's largest nation minister is expected to review has seen 114,000 cases the coronavirus lockdown with his ministers in the next 2a hours before setting and almost 8,000 deaths and the rates are still increasing. out his plans on sunday. but despite this, and a health system under boris johnson signalled that some restrictions could be immense strain, the president eased from monday. continues to deny there's a serious problem. it's thought the stay at home 0ur correspondent, katy watson, reports from the east of sao paulo — the country's message could be scrapped worst—affected area. and more outdoor activities in brazil's favelas, coronavirus is seen as a rich permitted. man's disease brought in from abroad, the review comes after but they know that the poor will suffer the most. the uk became the first death is ever present country in europe to record in these often violent neighbourhoods. more than 30,000 deaths

covid—19 has become another related to covid—19. killer, weaving its way into these narrow streets. later, the french aline used to earn $5 government is expected a day as a cleaner. to publish a map of now, both she and her husband are unemployed, bringing up which regions will begin three little girls to ease their lockdown from next monday. angela merkel has already declared an end to the first phase on hand—outs and donations. of the outbreak in germany. and president trump described the effect social distancing of coronavirus on the us isn't an option here, and authorities as worse than, the attacks aren't around on pearl harbor. to enforce any rules. they're angry with how their president's dealing with this crisis. he again criticised china but beijing says the us wants to distract from its own handling of the pandemic. those are the main developments translation: bolsonaro is wrong. but, first, here'sjon donnison he tells people to go on the latest from the uk. to work, then people die. and then he'lljust say, "another one died. well, it's not my son." what he should say these brothers and best is, "stay at home." friends, both victims of covid—19. 0ne died on good jair bolsonaro isn't dubbed friday in luton, he was 46. the the tropical trump for nothing. just like his american idol, he's been railing other, you had down syndrome, against lockdown. as crisis here escalates, so too does denial. yesterday, he said died nine days later, in milton the worst was over. then came the biggestjump keynes, he was 38. the family in the number of deaths so far.

could not be by their sides jair bolsonaro got the top job when they died and are urging because he promised brazilians angry with corrupt politics people to stick to the a change for the better. lockdown. everyone should take but with families in the amazon personal responsibility for burying their dead in mass graves and public their own care right now, so health systems on the verge of collapse nationwide, many former supporters feel social distancing, making sure you stay at home, do not go out if you do not need to and if you do go out, follow the they were fed a lie. guidelines. listen to all the medical professionals because they are the ones that can really guide us through this state governors are ignoring and be sensible because it does the president, introducing quarantine and lockdown to protect the public. the man in charge of brazil's kill people. and the number wealthiest state has become bolsonaro's biggest critic. dying continues to rise. 649 more deaths were confirmed yesterday, making the uk the first country in europe to pass when you have two viruses to combat, the coronavirus and bolsonaro virus, 30,000. in online videos and it's not time to discuss ideology, politics, campaigns elsewhere, the government is or individual positions. it's wrong. this is the wrong way. still urging people to stick to the lockdown and it is understood the government ‘s the right way — to save lives, core stay—at—home method is to be scrapped at the weekend. the and to respect the science, prime minister is due to make an announcement on sunday but officials say do not expect to respect the medicine. dramatic changes. restrictions

are most likely remain largely in place. we have to be sure but in sao paulo's eastern that the data is going to suburbs, quarantine offers support our ability to do this. little opportunity. poverty makes sure of that. but that data is coming in the most vulnerable are waiting in line for government hand—outs and in doing so, continuously over the next few they are the most exposed. days. we will want it we brazilians are confused. possibly can to get going with do they listen to their local politicians saying stay some of these measures on at home, or to their president monday. i think it will be a saying get back to work? increasingly, good thing, mr speaker, if rules are being bent here and ignored, people have an idea of what is and it couldn't come at a worse time coming the following day and thatis coming the following day and that is why i think sunday, the weekend, is the best time to do it. meanwhile, the government for the country. is still facing questions on testing. here, the military are even rio's most famous landmark helping test key workers and has been enlisted in the fight against coronavirus. since the weekend, the giver if christ the redeemer government has failed to meet can't persuade devout its target of 100,000 deaths a jair bolsonaro to finally don a mask, nobody can. day. there are still concerns katy watson, bbc about protective equipment for the nhs. in april, and raf news, in sao paulo. cargo plane was dispatched to fly in ppe supplies from turkey. the government has now now then, "test, test, test" — confirmed that 400,000 surgical that has been the mantra

gowns that were delivered have for many governments in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus. been unusable because they did but different countries are managing testing in some not meet the required safety very different ways. reality check‘s chris morris standards. they claim that the breaks down the various types of test and why they matter. health service has not received to beat the coronavirus, we have to know how many people the support it needs. tonight, are becoming infected — where, when and how. as on every thursday for the that's why testing for the virus is one of the most past six weeks, people will yet important things we can do. again take to the streets to cla p again take to the streets to clap for their carers. it can tell us who might be jon donnison, bbc news. infected with the virus, who might have been infected in the past and who might need france will learn later to be in stricter isolation to stop the virus spreading. today whether its 8—week there are two types of tests. lockdown will be lifted the first type — usually a nasal swab — tests for the presence on monday, as planned. of the virus, to find out if you're infected right now, pressure is growing even if you're not displaying for economic and social life any symptoms and you're to resume, with france feeling perfectly well. registering a drop in growth if you are infected, of almost 6% for the first you need to be isolated three months of this year. 0ur paris correspondent, and treated if necessary, lucy williamson, reports. and people you've been in contact with can be traced and tested as well. that way, we can stop covid—19 from spreading so fast. countries like south korea hotels and factories may be and germany tested lots of people early on in the pandemic and they seem deserted but food banks are to have been the most getting busier. this centre, successful in keeping their death rates relatively low. run by one of the biggest other countries, including charities in france saw a 40% the uk, are scrambling to catch up. rise in subscriptions last

week. coronavirus is meant finding new ways of operating and new kinds of people in the queue. this woman began coming here last month after the but you need to be able to get lockdown left her husband out hold of the right chemicals, of work. they ate through their have the right expertise and make sure you have enough laboratories to be able savings in weeks, they told me. to process tens of thousands of tests every day. the second type of test looks france's biggest economic at whether you've been infected players have also been badly hit by coronavirus, tourism, in the past, and whether you might now have some immunity. it does this by searching for antibodies in the blood, construction, manufacturing. which your immune system uses france's economy shrank by to fight off bacteria and viruses. sadly, reliable antibody tests almost 6% in the first part of are not yet widely available. this year as a government while they are being trialled brought in one of the strictest in various places and there lockdowns in europe. we are all are some pretty ineffective products on the market, scientists are cautious. touched and the problem is that we had medically triggered not having a test is better artificially coma of all our than having a bad test that economies and france's very gives false results. good at that because france is it will be a huge help if a reliable antibody test totally centralised. later that can be mass—produced today, the government will set can be developed soon. out how to lift those if we know someone has some immunity, it should be easier restrictions, dividing the for them to get back to work. country into red and green if we know that lots of people have some immunity, it should zones country into red and green zones with the rules tailored to each area. paris is likely be easier for us to start

lifting lockdowns in safer and more sustainable ways. to each area. paris is likely to bea to each area. paris is likely to be a red zone. the virus is but there is a problem. the presence of antibodies may still circulating here and the provide some immunity but not hospitals are still under necessarily complete immunity. and it's still unclear how long pressure. what exactly that any immunity might last. means for residents and so testing can help us put other data, like the number companies, no—one yet knows. of confirmed cases or the number of deaths, into context. the government has suggested that some small tourist sites but we are going to have to wait some time before a vaccine for covid—19 in green areas of the country provides immunity. could reopen from monday but until scientists crack that, testing is key to help us deal with this pandemic. france's borders are still chris morris, bbc news. closed, as are its hotels and restau ra nts. closed, as are its hotels and restaurants. obviously when you hear what italy has been saying la st hear what italy has been saying last week, they have been saying that they are ready to welcome everybody for the summer. it is not the message france's ending so far. we definitely the means to adapt in the end it will be a now, for the first time psychological message of what government will want to send to in its history, new york city is shutting down its entire subway system overnight citizens. and to tourists from to contain the spread of covid-19. abroad. shops in primary sodaba haidare reports. schools are preparing to reopen from monday and people should be able to travel freely within 100 kilometres of their homes. new york, the city that never the new message after weeks of sleeps, but for the first time

confinement, do not stay at in 115 years, it was having its home, a new mantra for the nation ‘s economic health. lucy williamson, bbc news. subway services shutdown. allowing crews to disinfect interesting to see possibly consistency of messages from governments. germany has announced significant steps in easing surfaces. we are looking at its lockdown. shops and cafes and ultraviolet light technology schools will begin to reopen and football will that can immediately eradicate return, behind closed doors. viruses. we are looking at chancellor angela merkel, a scientist herself, seems cautiously optimistic electrostatic sprayers and but has warned any spike using followers to improve the in the virus will result in a return to strict measures. productivity and increased the feedback which we are working freya cole reports. so we can minimise disruption to customers —— and using foggers was that new york has the sun is shining and in this been a centre of the pandemic city in central germany cafes have reopened in the us, it has the majority and people can sit and enjoy of the 73,000 covid—19 deaths at a distance. in the country. but since the translation: it's a nice feeling to see how happy people are, thejoy of living again. i'm really happy city went into lockdown, there to go out again. has been a 90% decline in the the leaders of germany's 16 states have been eager number of people using the to restart local economies, subway, although it is an essential form of transport for

and now they can. frontline workers stop the translation: it is going forward. shutting down of the largest you have to see that our transit system overnight is a people want to work. likely move towards bigger changes in the country as it struggles to shake off the deadly virus. sodaba haidare, shops, restaurants and hotels bbc news. can open their doors, just wanted to bring you back but residents are urged to the breaking news about you to wear a mask in public, a few moments ago, we know at and the 1.5—metre distance rule least eight people have been should be maintained. reported killed and more than germany has slowed the virus. 1000 people taken ill due to a gas leak at a chemical plant in 7,000 people have died, but that figure is much lower southern india. there were than other european countries. residents close to the plant in the state of andhra pradesh, they complained of a burning new infection rates are also consistently low, but if that increases to more than 50 cases per 100,000 patients, the lockdown will return, sensation stop 200— 300 have but it'd be isolated. been taken to hospital, so we translation: if the infection will keep across that we want increases somewhere, we have an emergency mechanism, bbc news. thank you for with and then it not the whole us. country that has to be hello there. over the next few days, put in danger again. it looks like the temperatures are going to creep upwards. we could be looking the national football league at the mid—20s celsius

will also make a comeback, across some southern parts but stadiums will remain of the uk, empty and players will but we'll also have building humidity be routinely tested. as well and that could increase the chance of some showers, some of which will be students will also return heavy and thundery. now, the pressure chart for thursday to class in stages, shows high—pressure largely but as for cinemas, theatres dominating the scene, particularly towards and early childcare centres, the eastern half of the uk. that's still a grey area further west, we'll have these weather fronts, in the gradual steps but it will introduce more cloud towards normality. and outbreaks of rain. freya cole, bbc news. so it could be fairly wet in one or two places during thursday morning, donald trump has the patchy rain spreading described the coronavirus northwards into scotland. and then further south, we should see some sunshine pandemic as the worst attack ever on the united states, developing but a few heavy showers on into the afternoon. saying the global outbreak central—eastern would not have happened parts of the country seeing the best of the drier if china had acted quicker. mr trump said the fallout and the sunnier weather. we could see highs reaching 23 degrees in the south, from the pandemic had hit but up to 19 or 20 in the north too. the country harder than the japanese bombing now, there could be some evening of pearl harbor in world war showers or thunderstorms two, or the september across england and wales — 11 attacks. into the midlands, certainly. 0ur north america correspondent these will tend to die david willis reports. off through the night. most places will be dry, but it will stay rather cloudy and damp across the north and the west of scotland. and a milder night word that the white house task to come as well, temperatures in double figures across central and southern areas. forces being disbanded alarmed public health officials here, since the crisis began, two of its leading figures, doctor so, for friday, it

anthony fauci and doctor starts off milder. deborah birks have emerged as so it's going to be a warmer day. some of those trusted voices on bit more cloud around generally. certainly across the north the spread of the pandemic in and the west, we'll have further outbreaks of rain. the spread of the pandemic in the us. report that was being certainly for northern scotland. elsewhere, some thundershowers wound up led to speculation will develop into the afternoon once again, particularly they were being sidelined and northern ireland, england and wales. prompted the president to look at those temperatures — up change course. so the task to 25 degrees across the south. now into the weekend, force will be around until we as we start to see some changes. for saturday, feel it is not necessary but i a cold front begins to push southwards across scotland. will say that i learned much colder air behind it, yesterday, even after i spoke, as the name suggests. some rain on it too. that the task force is further south, it'll be another warm day with sunny spells but increasing something very respected. chance of showers people said we should keep and thunderstorms. those temperatures, again, reaching the low to mid 20s going. supplies, maybe not so in the south. much colder in the north, as that cold front begins much. at an event at the white to slip southwards. house, a nurse told the president she had been using the same medical mask four weeks. ppe has been sporadic but it has been manageable and we do what we have to do, we and then during saturday night, are nurses, and we learn to it'll advance its way southwards right across the country, adapt and do whatever the best so by sunday, it's going thing we can do for our to feel very different. patients to get the job done unusually cold air for the time of year will make it feel and get the care provided and thatis and get the care provided and that is what we will continue very chilly indeed and we'll see some wintry showers across northern and eastern parts of the country, to do as covid—19 continues. maybe even some settling snow

the president begged to differ. across the north in scotland, even down to lower levels. sporadic for you, but not for a that said, apart from a few showers, there will be some lot of other people. oh no, i sunshine around. but look at these temperatures compared to what they expect for the next few days — ee, lot of other people. oh no, i agree, mr president. because i ranging from 6 to 12 degrees. heard opposite. although additional names will be added to the task force, the often outspoken doctor fauci will be pa rt outspoken doctor fauci will be part of it and he has differed on the trump administration on a number of occasions, most recently over the recession that the virus originated in this laboratory in the chinese city of wuhan rather than in a local wet market. nonetheless, it isa local wet market. nonetheless, it is a view the administration continues to press. we do not have certainty whether it began ina lab have certainty whether it began in a lab or someplace else. there is an easy way to find out the answer to that. transparency. 0penness. out the answer to that. transparency. openness. chinese state media lampooned this trump administration in a propaganda video depicting an imaginary dialogue about the virus between china and the us. president trump says that the virus has harmed the us more

than the attack on pearl harbour or the september 11 terrorist attacks —— pearl harbour. he faces the uphill task of rebuilding the battered economy before the election in six months time and he is unlikely to let up on who he thinks is to blame. ——pearl harbor. david willis, bbc news. meanwhile, the chinese leadership in beijing say international experts will not be allowed in to investigate the origins of the coronavirus until the pandemic is over. china is coming under increasing pressure to allow an independent inquiry. officials say the priority at the moment is still fighting the virus. you are watching bbc news. you remember the cruise ship at the heart of the criminal investigation at the heart of australia and the ruby princess has now arrived in the philippines and dropped anchor

in manila bay and will repatriate crew there. in march, it allowed passengers to disembark in sydney, despite some of them having flulike symptoms. more than 660 people on board the ruby princess then tested positive for the coronavirus, 13 of them died. howard johnson reports from manila. the once broad blue expanse of manila bay now resembling a small city of towering cruise ships. more are arriving by the day because of the large number of returning filipinos who work in the cruise ship industry. but after 14 days of quarantine and testing on board these ships, they're slowly being able to disembark. but for thousands of foreigners still on board these ships, they don't know how or when they'll be able to return home. so this is my cabin. this is where i spend about 22 hours of the day in. one of them is briton cassandra snowden. she's a children's entertainer on the royal caribbean ship good morning. welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty voyager of the seas. and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today: she hasn't set foot on land

for two months and has spent a likely end to the stay—at—home most of that time in message from the government self—isolation in her cabin. as ministers prepare plans we've just been floating around the ocean — to re—open parts of the economy. like, turned away from ports, but most of the lockdown ordered to get out of waters. restrictions are expected to remain when the prime minister outlines we are still doing strict the next steps on sunday. social distancing. the number of people who have considering we disembarked our died with coronavirus guests seven weeks ago, in the uk is now more than 30,000 we haven't got off since. the highest number in europe. how fast can the economy recover? the philippine government had in an hour's time, been allowing foreign nationals we'll get to leave through the country's the bank of england's view on the everything from unemployment to interest rates and what it will main airport but, at do to help the country bounce back. the weekend, suspended all flights into the country for a week to reduce numbers there are fresh warnings in their quarantine centres. about the premier league cassandra says the not knowing returning before it's safe to do so, as germany's top clubs when they will be allowed home prepare for matches is taking its toll on her health. i think it's getting to a point where our basic human rights are forgotten about. you know, we talk about this virus and how it kills people, but mental health does — and people want to go back to their mothers, their fathers, their husbands, wives, children. just... something needs to be done. and it needs to be done fast. we contacted royal caribbean, who told us they have already

helped more than 12,000 crewmembers to return home. they say for those still on board ships in manila bay, charter repatriations will be put on as soon the philippine authorities clear the way. the philippine government says it will lift the ban on flights this weekend, offering a potential way out forforeign crew. howard johnson, bbc news, manila. you are watching bbc news. thank you for being with us. the headlines: the uk government says it will prepare plans for easing the lockdown as officials confirm more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths. the french government is also preparing plans for parts of the country to lift restrictions. now, doctors, counsellors and charities are expressing deep concern about how the coronavirus pandemic may be affecting people's mental health. but the issue is particularly prominent in northern ireland, which has the highest levels of mental illness and suicide

in the uk. and our ireland correspondent chris page has been speaking to people about the impact of isolation on them. pre—pandemic life was never close to perfect, but for many, the simple reality of social contact and sharing problems may have seemed easier than it is now. we all have a more solitary existence, and the sudden lack of face—to—face contact sudden lack of face—to—face co nta ct ca n sudden lack of face—to—face contact can be especially tougher people with mental health difficulties. you know, even the small things you used to enjoy our annoying you when you're on your own and you are co nsta ntly you're on your own and you are constantly overthinking things. 0rrin, 21—year—old, is passionate about gaelic football. after a bad injury he had a bad bout of depression and attempted suicide. i'm obviously now thankfully on the road to recovery, but you just

have to take it day by day because as we all know, not every day was marked going to bea every day was marked going to be a sunshine day and they're obviously going to be bad days. you just have two step up and at all through it. mental health problems are more common here than any other part of the uk. and the number of people taking their own lives is proportionately the highest. the suicide rate for men in northern ireland is double that of england. there are deep concerns that the sense of isolation caused by the pandemic could bring huge new challenges. campaigners and support groups believe numerous lockdown experiences could have psychological consequences, including restrictions on funerals. before the pandemic we had a crisis with mental health, we all know how how horrible it is to lose a loved one, but to lose a loved one and not being able to have said goodbye or even as we hear in

northern ireland, to give them a decent burial, that is going to play on those people's mines for yea rs to play on those people's mines for years and years and years. philip lost his son to suicide 17 years ago. he founded a charity which provides counselling and fears a wave of mental illness could come in the shadow of the virus. six people die by suicide every week. now, we don't want that to increase, but if we don't do something and the minister doesn't put plans in place, our view is that could increase. and if the resources are there, if the proper funding and if the resources are there, if the properfunding isn't there with that, then we are only heading for disaster. northern ireland's devolved government says the issue will be prioritised and it is appointing a mental health champion. these times of less freedom and more worry have magnified needs which were already urgent. chris page, bbc news, belfast. and we will go from mental

health to dental health now. some of england's urgent dental centres — set up to offer emergency treatment during the lockdown — still don't have the right protective equipment to allow them to see patients. that admission has come from the health minister jo churchill as patients say they're still struggling to get treatment, and some have resorted to taking their own teeth out. dan johnson reports. i was iwas in i was in so much pain i would have gone through birth rather than that pain, it's horrendous. by the third week it wasjust, i couldn't compare. it's literally immoral. like how can you do that? patients are in pain and are facing some very limited options. just behind the front tooth, so it would be in so i don't know, the end ofjuly, august, without a tooth, which isn't great? both of the options i was presented weren't faithful to me because i don't wa nt faithful to me because i don't want to lose my front teeth. you know, ifeel like want to lose my front teeth. you know, i feel like we're just going back in time with

dentistry. protective equipment is vital, working on clots with procedures that create airborne particles was that the health minister has now admitted there we re minister has now admitted there were delays in some centres still have issues more than six weeks after regular dentistry was put on hold. a fortnight ago we met mike, who was at work, but only giving telephone advice. things have barely improved. the problem is the problems that are being left, because of basically, neglect. to save the nhs' essential services, which obviously impacts on mental health, physical health, it'sjust being left by this. it'sjust beyond belief. nhs england says 400 urgent care centres are open, but there are now huge questions about how practices can questions about how practices ca n start questions about how practices can start seeing their own patients once again. dan johnson, bbc news.

the venezuelan government has released footage it claims shows an american private security contractor confessing to helping organise a coup against president nicholas maduro. 13 people, including two us citizens have been arrested, accused of entering the country illegally from colombia last week. venezuela has described them as "mercenaries hired by the opposition", with the support of the us, to kill mr maduro. the footage released by caracas appears to show american luke denham describe his mission. tomorrow marks 75 years since ve day, the day victory in europe was secured. the bbc'sjohn maguire has been to meet 97—year—old audrey gerrans who worked in munitions factories and married her sweetheartjoe, a soldier, during the war. " darling, please be careful of those flying bombs, i'm so worried about you. everything is ok with me, dear, and there

is ok with me, dear, and there is nothing i want you to send me, and that you could get mum to wrap you up in a neat parcel, label it with utmost ca re parcel, label it with utmost care and send it to me, urgent." "my dearestjoe, i heard one of your songs on the radio at lunchtime, i remember when you used to sing it to me and sometimes played on the gramophone at home and we would dance together, darling." "i would love to be dancing with you just now. the words of lovestruck newlyweds, married in 1944 lovestruck newlyweds, married in1944 and lovestruck newlyweds, married in 1944 and kept apart by conflict. but over 700 letters, joe and audrey gerrans were never far from each other‘s thoughts. i used to write everything in those letters. some of them were 17 and 18 pages long and joe used to say it was as if i was in the next room, he never thought he was apart from me. joe was a talented footballer who once met the king while playing for barnett. during the war he

served with the royal medical army corps while his young wife worked in a munitions factory. when you say munitions, it makes you feel you were brave. we made 3.7, and they were the big guns on the coast, you know. big bertha, we told our one that was on the kent coast. by one that was on the kent coast. by all accounts, if you got scratched at all —— if they got scratched at all —— if they got scratched at all they would not fire. idid scratched at all they would not fire. i did everybody‘s care for them, i was dead and wrote it up when i went in and i combed it out before they went home, and of course, the supervisor couldn't grumble because she was the one to go first. audrey was tasked helping manufacture aircraft fuel tanks, just one of the two women in the factory who were small enough to crawl into the tank and finish the interior.

joe now in northern germany, news came through on the radio at home that hitler was dead and war in europe, at least, was over. people were dancing in the street so we joined them. all of the lights were on. and very loads and everything! i thought that was the end of the war, and so did everybody else. joe died in 1997, their romance born in war had lasted more than half a century. "now i'm happy, dear wife, that our love will remain as strong as yesterday." "i hope you're not worrying about me too much, sweetheart, because you know i will be all right."john maguire, because you know i will be all right." john maguire, bbc because you know i will be all right."john maguire, bbc news. a lovely tail, isn't it, there? and just a reminder of what we have on the website there. the prime minister will review lockdown restrictions with his

cabinet in the hours ahead. we are expecting an announcement on sunday. firstjohnson figures that is the best time to address the nation. you are watching bbc news. business news is coming up injust a moment. hello there. over the next few days, it looks like the temperatures are going to creep upwards. we could be looking at the mid—20s celsius across some southern parts of the uk, but we'll also have building humidity as well and that could increase the chance of some showers, some of which will be heavy and thundery. now, the pressure chart for thursday shows high—pressure largely dominating the scene, particularly towards the eastern half of the uk. further west, we'll have these weather fronts, but it will introduce more cloud and outbreaks of rain. so it could be fairly wet in one or two places during thursday morning, the patchy rain spreading northwards into scotland. and then further south, we should see some sunshine developing but a few heavy showers on into the afternoon. central—eastern parts of the country seeing the best of the drier and the sunnier weather. we could see highs reaching 23

degrees in the south, but up to 19 or 20 in the north too. now, there could be some evening showers or thunderstorms across england and wales — into the midlands, certainly. these will tend to die off through the night. most places will be dry, but it will stay rather cloudy and damp across the north and the west of scotland. and a milder night to come as well, temperatures in double figures across central and southern areas. so, for friday, it starts off milder. so it's going to be a warmer day. bit more cloud around generally. certainly across the north and the west, we'll have further outbreaks of rain. certainly for northern scotland. elsewhere, some thundershowers will develop into the afternoon once again, particularly northern ireland, england and wales. look at those temperatures — up to 25 degrees across the south. now into the weekend, as we start to see some changes. for saturday, a cold front begins to push southwards across scotland. much colder air behind it, as the name suggests. some rain on it too. further south, it'll be another warm day with sunny spells but increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms. those temperatures, again, reaching the low to mid 20s in the south. much colder in the north, as that cold front begins to slip southwards. and then during saturday night,

it'll advance its way southwards right across the country, so by sunday, it's going to feel very different. unusually cold air for the time of year will make it feel very chilly indeed and we'll see some wintry showers across northern and eastern parts of the country, maybe even some settling snow across the north in scotland, even down to lower levels. that said, apart from a few showers, there will be some sunshine around. but look at these temperatures compared to what they expect for the next few days — ranging from 6 to 12 degrees.

this is bbc news, with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. battling the biggest slump in living memory, the bank of england decides its latest moves in the next few hours. but how much more can it do? plus — call a digital doctor. how the pandemic is boosting demand for telemedicine. we report from india. 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.

first, we start here in the uk, where in the next few hours the bank of england will be weighing up the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic and deciding whether to launch further emergency measures. according to britain's independent financial watchdog the office for budget responsibility, the uk is facing its worst slump in living memory. the 0br says the economy could shrink by up to 35 per cent this quarter if the lockdown continues. so what more can the bank of england do? it has already cut its key interest rate to virtually zero, 0.1%, and it has launched another £200 billion worth of quantitative easing printing money to pump into the financial system and keep borrowing cheaper. joining me now is george buckley, chief uk & euro area

economist at nomura. he's at home in gerrards cross, just outside london. what more can the bank of england do at this stage? to be fair, they have done quite a lot already by cutting interest rates to what is effectively their lower bound. the bankers said it already cannot do much more then lowering interest rates than they already have done, as you say, £200 billion of quantitative easing and that has to do more of the same, if anything. if they continue to purchase bonds is quantitative easing scheme at the current rate, they will be done by earlyjuly. i rate, they will be done by early july. i suspect rate, they will be done by earlyjuly. i suspect they probably do not want to be done by earlyjuly, the depth of this crisis and the impact of the virus is having. i think they need to continue purchasing for a while. if you have to do anything, and it may not happen today, i think they will have to extend that £200 billion to possibly £300 billion to possibly £300 billion or more in order to allow the support to continue for the rest of the year.

right, something we may expect a little bit further down the line but there is a lot made about international comparisons and the risks for them, george. is it possible yet to get an idea as to how the uk's economy is faring compared to other eu countries at the moment? yeah, it is very difficult. we saw for example last week that european gdp, euro area gdp, fell by almost 4% in the first quarter alone and do not forget, that is based on lockdowns having happened at the very, very end of the quarter. in the second half of march, so only impacting a small amount of the first quarter ‘s data but still falling by almost 4%. i imagine in the uk it may not be quite as strong as that, it may be a little bit more love fall because of the lockdowns and they happen towards the end of

they happen towards the end of the month, march 23, for example, when the lockdown happen, so i think that would decline and it will be about how much the output falls by the first two quarters combined, and we're looking summer in the region of 15— 20% but we are that there are people like the 0pr, forecasting larger decline. exactly, and let's be honest, another spanner in the works, brexit is being held up and dominic raab said that they are making good progress and backtracked and said progress. it isa backtracked and said progress. it is a sort of nightmare scenario, isn't it, only adding to the uncertainty of the struggle to rebuild an economy? that is absolutely right and to be honest, brexit is almost bailing into significance compared to the scale of the impact to what we are seeing from the virus —— pales in significance. it is yet another factor that businesses will

have to account for when i think about getting back up and running later in the year. just as soon as you got upback and running, there is a possibility ofa running, there is a possibility of a hard exit at the end of the year. george, thank you for joining us. from dire economic news to some that, perhaps, provides cause for optimism. china has just released trade figures for april. we were expecting a big slump in exports. in fact, they are actually up on this time last year. so what is going on? mariko 0i in singapore is looking at this for us. explain that one? david, as you say, economists were forecasting a double—digit fall of more than 15% but exports actually rose by 3.5% in april from a year ago and that is a really good news for all ma nufa ctu res really good news for all manufactures around the world who suffered from the disrupted supply chains and while exporters may have been making up exporters may have been making upfor exporters may have been making up for shortfalls if you like,

the outlook is not looking great because many of china's trading partners are now in lockdown so there will be less demand for chinese goods for many months to come. many factories in china are now black grappling with flash or even cancelled orders from around the world. meanwhile, imports in china fell more than expected, by 40%, the demand from chinese consumers is still wea k from chinese consumers is still weak and therefore we with soaring commodity prices contributed to that as well. a result, china posted a trade surplus of over $45 billion last month and that will not go down well with the united states. remember, the two countries are still locked in that trade war and president trump has been talking about more aggressive economy most measures against china as he accuses beijing of covering up the coronavirus outbreak and this could hurt the economy in the us as well. we do not know how far they will go an analyst i have spoken to have said his

threats are all about politics ahead of the elections in november but given how us exports in china have fallen in the first three months of the year, there is also doubt whether beijing can meet the promises that they made during the phase i trade deal that was achieved in january. possibly more choppy waters to come. thank you very indeed. to india now, where the pandemic is putting pressure on the country's already overburdened public healthcare infrastructure. but it has also provided a boost for the country's growing telemedicine sector. facing lockdowns and the risk of infection at a hospital or a doctor's surgery millions of indians have been turning to smartphone apps to get medical advice. nikhil inamdar reports. worried that she was showing covid—19 like symptoms, this amended something she would never have done under normal circumstances, logging onto a telemedicine app to consult a doctor. it was really good to

have that kind of consult and the consultation you can get, given the situation we are in, we are in lockdown, and cannot go out and it was really unsafe to go out. she used an app that applies artificial intelligence tools to assist doctors and counselling patients on their smart phones and deliver prescribed medicines to their doorsteps. growing fears among patients about visiting infection prone hospitals or face—to—face consults have prompted millions like her to turn to such apathy and the founder says the pandemic has enabled to put the start—up firmly on the map. subscriptions went up enormously in the first six weeks. of the 500 million odd indians who own a smart phone

barely 3,000,002 telemedicine consults but some experts suggest it will go up by ten times this year. new guidelines issued by the government recently a re issued by the government recently are expected to go a long way to give legitimacy to the sector which operated in a regulatory grey zone this far. much more needs to be done to make much more needs to be done to ma ke a ccess much more needs to be done to make access to such apps widespread. the problem is adoption, so if the government employs and ensures —— insurers actually cover this, this is the inflection point that telemedicine has been waiting for. but for telemedicine to become part of the mainstream in the future, india's health system needs a desperate infrastructure burst. there is an estimated shortage of 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses, filling in these gaps will be crucial so that the apps could work for the wider population. nikhil inamdar, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news:

uber has announced plans to cut 3,700 full—time staff — about 14% of its workforce — as business plunges following pandemic shutdowns. in march, the firm warned it had seen demand for its taxi services fall by more than 60% in coronavirus hotspots, athough ordering via its uber eats food delivery service had increased. uber reports quarterly results later. shares of peloton, maker of internet—linked excercise bikes, have risen further after it said sales were up over 60% in the three months to march and raised its revenue forecasts for the year. with gyms and fitness clubs closed, peloton has been benefiting from demand for home fitness equipment. its shares have gained more than a third since february and online searches about the company have nearly tripled let's talk computer games now because with huge swathes of the world's population stuck

at home, games developers have been presented with a major opportunity. roblox, an online platform that allows users to develop and showcase their own games saw usage soar 40% as the pandemic took hold in march. roblox is already the most lucrative app on apple's i0s after youtube. the company says it also has a role to play in helping children learn through play but it has not been without controversy. joining me now is craig donato, chief business officer at roblox. craig, thank you forjoining us. first of all, what does that mean, learning through play? what are you proposing for children at a time when they do need education and that sort of stimulus? absolutely and as he mentioned, every single one of the games on the platform was built by someone in the community. we have millions of people on the platform last month actively building games and we have tons of resources that teach kids

how to do that. we have over 100 hours of lesson plans that we provide to teachers, as well as webinars we provide for teachers to teach them how to actually teach kids how to code and bill games on roblox and tons of resources that teach kids themselves are to build games and while they are building the game they are learning to code. there is a ton of resources we have and it's really exciting for kids. and very valuable. i think it's fairto and very valuable. i think it's fair to say, as you well know, that there has been an issue about the safeguarding of children's own security with roblox and as you also mentioned, anyone can create a game on roblox and some of them are adult games. access to children has been an issue. how do you overcome that? do you feel you have done everything you need to now? i know you we re very you need to now? i know you were very keen to say you have 24—hour moderators keeping an eye on people trying to approach and groom but are

those days over? the safety of our community is always a top priority and there is a ton of things that we do to maintain that safety. for example, you mentioned moderators. we have over 1000 moderators available 24/7 that review every piece of content uploaded in a game when it is produced. we have enhanced machine learning algorithms, tracking everything that everyone is saying and doing on the platform. they find something of concern we let moderators to take action. we also provide tools to players if they are in a situation and do not like a someone is acting, they can or block them so they do not have to deal with them. and we have advanced parental controls where parents can turn off chat and restrict games that children play. on that point, many parents have said they had put the control scene and yet still they are being, they are getting to the kids. how do you ove rco m e getting to the kids. how do you overcome that anxiety and that accusation? i'd not quite

understanding that accusation. any restate the question again because we do make sure every game on the platform is appropriate for kids to play. yeah, no, as you know, a number of pa rents of yeah, no, as you know, a number of parents of said that they put the parental blocks on and yet still discovering that their child is thinking they should not be seen and are being approached should not be seen and are being approache every major very closely with every major online safety organisation and it isa 00:44:47,461 --> 2147483051:59:08,445 online safety organisation and 2147483051:59:08,445 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 it is a record