this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a warning from the governor of the bank of england — the uk is heading for the worst economic downturn on record, but recovery should be faster than after the 2008 crash. in the uk, the coronavirus infection rate goes up, but the government is continuing to look at how to ease lockdown restrictions next week. most of france will start to lift

lockdown on monday, but paris will stay in a so—called red zone. in the us, 33 million people have lost their jobs since the middle of march, another 3 million in the last week alone. music. the ve day anniversary — celebrating europe's formal acceptance of nazi germany's surrender. no big parades this year. we'll mark it in homes and backyards instead. 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. and we start in the uk,

where there's been a major economic warning today from the bank of england. the governor says the country is heading towards its sharpest recession on record. andrew bailey says it will take time for the economy to recover once restrictions are relaxed. here's our economics editor faisal islam. at east midlands airport, there may be no passenger planes right now, but cargo carries on. the pandemic means new patterns in the goods being traded back and forth as the world's major economies face recession. it's unfolding in front of our eyes, but at the end of the day, planes are still leaving certain origins and arriving at certain destinations. but it's somewhat more polarised around china for the last two or three weeks. i can't predict the future, but what i would say is that business heals. and it will have to be resilient. the bank of england today sketching out that the pandemic and the shutdown have plunged the uk economy into the sharpest downturn in history — a far worse start to a recession than the financial crisis over a decade ago, than any recession ever, but with the

hope of a rapid rebound. morning, governor. so quite different in shape to that last recession, says the governor of the bank of england. well, i think it is unprecedented in the history of this institution. i would say it's different in two respects. it's a much sharper downturn, so the initial fall is much more pronounced because the economy literally went into shutdown very quickly. the recovery is actually much faster because we believe that, you know, with the right measures in place from the public health side and the fact that it's supported by the very sensible things that the government has done, that economic activity can resume much more quickly. given the uncertainty, this is not a formal forecast. there may be more than a glint of optimism here. never in the history of this institution have we seen it anticipate a recession quite so sharp. the hope is that the rebound will be almost as sharp into next year, but that is as much a matter for doctors and politicians as economists.

but despite that economic damage, there's no pressure here for an instantaneous lifting of the lockdown. a second wave of the pandemic would notjust be deadly, it would imperil the much—hoped—for economic rebound. a recession this sharp hits workers hard. as you know, there's not really much job opportunities at the moment. jamalfrom hertfordshire just one example of how tough it is to find a job after losing his at an online retailer. i've been applying for pretty much anywhere, anywhere that i qualify for. and salary doesn't really matter. so, previously, the wage i was on wasn't too bad, but i've been applying for minimum wage jobs. indeed, the bank of england sees unemployment more than doubling, up 1.5 million to rates not seen since the mid—1990s and taking two years to then fall back. people at home, they see that chart, it looks quite scary. the chart reflects the reality that we've been in now, you know, since march.

where i think they should be reassured is that i can tell you that both the government and the bank of england have put in place a very big package of measures, and we will go on utterly focused on that. the wheels of the world economy are still turning, but they happen to be turning more slowly than we've seen in our lifetimes as a result of this pandemic crisis. the question is whether some of the changes we're seeing will last far longer. perhaps be permanent. and it may yet take some time for the economy to get to this new normal. faisal islam, bbc news. i'm joined now by pauljohnson, director of a leading economic research group in the uk, the institute of fiscal studies. great to have you with us. are you as optimistic as the bank of england seemingly is that there will be a sharp recovery? i am optimistic

there will be a sharp recovery but there will be a sharp recovery but the question is whether it is as sharp as the bank suggests and we really are back to normal levels really are back to normal levels really quite quickly. and that is actually what i think will determine the economic history of this country over the next five or ten years. if we can get back as quickly as they suggest and this will be a problem that we face over this year and get back out of it within a year or not much more. but if it is a bit slower, even a bit slower than that, that creates all sorts of problems, additional problems for unemployment levels and huge additional problems for the government in terms of their borrowing and the deficit they will be facing into the medium term. i fear, a strange thing to say given how terrible these forecasts are, i fear that the bank may actually be if anything a little on the optimistic side about the speed of the recovery. i can see two potential problems on the horizon.

one is that second spike that many people fear will come in the autumn over the winter. the second thing perhaps a to the apt is it many businesses surely will be risk—averse and therefore not hiring people. we know the vacancy rates have totally collapsed at the moment right across all the different sectors in the economy. so we just heard from that chap who was struggling to find a job. there are very few jobs out there. vacancy rates collapsed far more than it has ever done before. i think you are right that less employers will be slow to rehire. the bigger issue in the short run is whether a lot of these workers who have been furloughed so they are being paid for by the government will they actually have jobs to go back to when that furlough scheme ends and when that furlough scheme ends and when the lockdown ends because probably some of those companies are not going to be back to trading at all or back to trading with as many

people in work. so we will discover only when the furlough scheme unwinds quite how big an impact we will have on unemployment. were surmounting people who are watching around the world of the furlough scheme the chancellor here has put in place costs roughly the same amount of money that it cost them to run the nhs. that is for the year. that is an eye watering amount of money. there is only so long surely the government can continue to pump that sort of money into the economy. you are right, it is a huge amount of money and we spend more on the health service than anything else by a long distance and now we are spending as much per month on this furlough scheme. so there is an affordability issue but probably an even bigger issue is the impact it would have if we kept it too long and we keep businesses who should in and we keep businesses who should in a sense be doing work not working so there is little incentive on them to

be finding the right way to get people back into work safely and they may be very risk—averse about doing that. they may be overly risk—averse in some ways about doing that and certainly more people have been furloughed and more sectors have been furloughing people than the treasury originally expected, more i think intended so there is a cost of keeping the furlough scheme to lawn that goes beyond the financial cost. but of course there isa financial cost. but of course there is a use because of not giving it long enough if it is taken away too quickly and we really do create large amounts of an appointment and thatis large amounts of an appointment and that is disastrous for the individuals concerned and the economy. an incredibly tough balancing act for the chancellor as he is following behind the medical decisions about when and how the lockdown is eased. to that end then, do you think there will be discussions within government about how they target those finite resources to certain sectors to ensure that employment recovers as quickly as possible? that

there will be exactly those kinds of discussions and it would make sense to move away from the furlough scheme sector by sector. so we probably want to keep that scheme in place for bars and restaurants for example for a longer period than we do for perhaps construction or manufacturing, although even there it is difficult to be clear because a lot of manufacturers just don't have a mark at the moment. we know virtually no new cars are being fought so you cannot then take the whole manufacturing sector and take the furlough scheme away. you may wa nt to the furlough scheme away. you may want to do it bit by bit and that requires two things. that requires an enormous amount of information about where it is appropriate and not appropriate to remove the furlough scheme and secondly individual firms furlough scheme and secondly individualfirms of furlough scheme and secondly individual firms of course work across different sectors and so you might actually want to make it available not to a hole for about two pa rt of available not to a hole for about two part of a firm. now that is incredibly difficult for government

to do. what we got is a very big and expensive but quite straightforward scheme and ideally we would move to a much more finely tuned to scheme andi a much more finely tuned to scheme and i think not entirely sure we have the capacity to do that. is it not assign or not by design, does it structurally change how the uk economy looks? the furlough scheme certainly changes it in the short run, it illegally does not change the economy in the whole point is to put the economy on hold so that when we get out of it, we get out of it looking as if nothing had ever happened so it sort of puts it in a freeze—frame and then we get out of that freeze—frame. so the idea is that freeze—frame. so the idea is that it does not change the way the economy looks in the long run but of course it changes it enormously in the short run because both of sectors that were formally locked down and some other sectors are taking advantage of that to not be producing stop. for the moment,

largely as a result of the lot in partly as a result of the furlough system, we clearly have a massively different account of the one we had a couple months ago. fascinating to talk to you, thank you very much for your thoughts, thank you. paul johnson there. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, says his government will "advance with maximum caution" when it comes to easing the lockdown. legally, the restrictions have been extended for another three weeks, but behind the scenes, the governments of the devolved nations — that's scotland, wales and northern ireland — are all looking at what comes next. and on this, there could be some divergence within the uk. in the last hour or so, the foreign secretary, dominic raab, has acknowledged that different regions might proceed at different speeds. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. peering into the new normal, a restaurant ready for a day of deliveries instead of prepping for a busy thursday night. the prime minister's stay—at—home message is on the way out, but there won't be customers at these chairs and tables soon.

as of yesterday, we opened three restaurants just to do takeaway, but it's a massive learning curve. we are extremely worried, but we're just trying to keep positive. but with the economy turning so negative, we have glimpses of downing street's plan to start easing some restrictions very gradually from monday. the government's keen to move on because cases have been falling and the crucial infection rate, the r number, is under one, the level where it could spread out of control. the r level, which signifies the rate of infection, is now between 0.5 and 0.9. the virus is not beaten yet. it remains deadly and infectious. until now, westminster and the other national governments have been more or less in step, but listen to the first minister of scotland, plainly unhappy at the way number 10 might plan to move.

i particularly strongly believe that for us to drop the clear, well—understood stay—at— home message right now could be a potentially catastrophic mistake. it's not an exaggeration to say that the decisions we take now are a matter of life and death. you stood there at that same lectern time after time and said it would be wrong to talk about lifting any kind of restrictions because you might give people the wrong impression, yet isn't that exactly what the government risks doing now? there's no change in the rules today. what the prime minister will do is set out on sunday a road map that can look to the future and explain what steps will be taken at what moment in time and critically the evidence that will back it up. but how certain can the path be ahead when the rate of infection could be going up because of what's happening in care homes? r has probably gone upjust a little

bit from these last estimates, and that is driven by the epidemic in care homes, he would say, and i would not demur from that. downing street's promised to keep the opposition in the loop. they want precision on what's going on. there needs to be absolute clarity that we must all follow the rules until lockdown is lifted. it doesn't mean we can't discuss what comes next, but we've got to follow those rules. no surprise there's tension, governments face the hardest of decisions. none as fraught as when schools should welcome more than just the kids of key workers. maybe as soon as next month in england, but later elsewhere. we normally would be able to accommodate about 30 students. we'll be splitting classes into about 15. this london secondary normally rings with the sound of 1200 pupils. one student at that desk, does that actually represent two metres? now buying disinfectant, dividing up classrooms, just as important as

double maps. some parents won't have confidence in sending their children in, and i think it's incumbent on us to do what we can, all school leaders, to make sure the environment is as safe and secure as it possibly can be. if only the changes to our lives would be as simple as bikes instead of footballs on the playground. coronavirus makes strange and uncertain the shape of things to come. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. countries across europe are also starting to take steps to get out of lockdowns. france will begin reopening from monday. that brings to an end two months of confinement. the country will be divided into red and green zones. the capital, paris, and its surrounding areas, where infection rates are still too high, will be classified as part of a red zone, and in fact stricter conditions will continue to apply there. the french prime minister called the plan "a progressive unwinding" of the lockdown. translation: in light of the data from our health services gathered

over the last few days, the gradual lifting of the lockdown can commence from next monday 11th may. it's a new stage in the fight against the epidemic. it's good news for france and the french people. from monday, we will introduce a highly progressive process, lasting for several weeks at least, which will allow the country to exit smoothly and with certainty from the lockdown which we have experienced along with large parts of the world since march 17th. our correspondent hugh schofield sent this update from central france. what we have seen today is a final map, which is itself, a compendium of three different maps which look at different criteria about how the virus spreading and the capacity to test. the three criteria that the government have drawn, it's with

red and green zones. the red zone is the northeast of france and the area around paris, but also near the belgian border and towards the german border. that remains red and particularly areas to watch is the paris area because that is an area where the number of cases is going down, but there's still a lot of pressure and because it is the capital city, all eyes are going to be of the new movement and the new rules that have come into on monday. amid fears that things could take off in paris. the rest of the country is green, and the difference between green and red is pretty marginal. all of the country is going through this process of deconfinement on monday, but those in the red zones, some schools will not open.

and the red zones with middle schools connected on the following monday and the other thing is that parks and gardens will remain shut in paris and in the red zone and they can in the green zone. the difference in the red and the green is pretty marginal. the point is that it will be moving again on monday and the key issue is going to be paris. here in the uk, the shortage of personal protective equipment for front line healthworkers has at times reached crisis point. one former government procurement adviser has told the bbc the whole sourcing process was like something out of the wild west. and today, we've learnt that the emergency shipment that made the headlines a few weeks ago has been rejected because it's sub—standard. here's our health editor, hugh pym. a new planeload of personal protective equipment arrived today at doncaster airport, 22 tonnes and 5 million items from china. it'll soon be on its way to the nhs and social care front line.

supplies of ppe, as it's known, have run short at times. the government has promised more deliveries. the security of that supply can prove very challenging. but we are making progress there. and in fact today i can report that a very large consignment of ppe is due to arrive in the uk tomorrow. in fact, that turkish consignment of ppe arrived four days later, one of a series of deliveries of gowns for intensive care staff. now it's emerged they're still in a warehouse and at least some have not matched up to the required specifications. the turkish supplier said it was in shock and had done itsjob with all the required certificates. it's not clear exactly what happened. one expert told me the normal uk procurement process might‘ve been rushed. clearly corners are being cut because we're in the wild west for ppe supply. so, the normal processes

and ways of doing things just aren't effective at the moment, so people are having to try and cut corners frankly. in a letter last week, department of health officials told hospitals in england, "the global demand for ppe and other supplies is unprecedented. therefore it's vital that the uk government procures items nationally rather than individual nhs organisations compete with each other for the same supplies." i know that our members have raised this question of a letter telling them to simply rely on the national supply, and i think the reaction is, and it'll be compounded by the story of the turkish supplies, "well, actually, if we're managing to access what we want locally, then we're going to stay and continue to do that." ppe shortages are still reported in some parts of the nhs, including this gp surgery. they say they haven't had enough from central nhs supplies and have had to go to builders merchants and diy stores. we've managed a few weeks ago

to source a lot of supplies from builders' merchants, but those supplies have dried up. so, we're worried about ongoing supply issues. we're not going to have enough to last the summer and certainly not into the winter months. so, we do think it's something that needs to be addressed quite urgently. a government spokesperson said they were working night and day to source ppe internationally and domestically and more orders were lined up and expected from suppliers. hugh pym, bbc news. just two months ago, the jobless rate in the united states was at a 50—year low, but that was before the coronavirus pandemic ripped through the nation's economy. last week, 3 million more people applied for unemployment benefits. that means more than 33 million americans have lost theirjobs over the last seven weeks. nick bryant, who's in new york, has spent the night on the city's subway, a refuge for the poor and the vulnerable. midnight on the new york subway,

and many of the city's homeless are bedding down for the night aboard its empty carriages. by day, the subway has become a virtual ghost train. by night, it has become a mobile shelter. in the first five carriages we went in, we found people in search of refuge and sleep. many are newly unemployed. some of them labourers who rent rooms by the week, unable now to pay their landlords. the covid dispossessed. a lot of homeless people are afraid to go to the shelters, because there are so many people there in such confined spaces. they're worried about catching the coronavirus. instead, they're taking their chances on the subway. the subway could hardly be described as safe. more than 100 members of staff on new york's mass transit system have been killed by

the coronavirus. this week, new york did something it's never done before — conducted a planned overnight shutdown of the subway system that's always operated around the clock. the aim is to disinfect the carriages, and so the nypd has been evicting the homeless. do you know they're closing the subway tonight? we're going to be asking you to get off the train. charity workers and city officials were on hand to offer help and shelter. but this woman had no idea where in the city she was. where are you staying tonight? do you have a shelter? the confusion and anxiety written across her face. the destitute have been amongst new york's most vulnerable. over the weekend, two homeless people were found dead on the subway. homeless people right now in new york city have a 50% higher mortality rate from covid—19 than do housed new yorkers, so by

not offering people something as simple as a hotel room where they can go and be safe and self—isolate, we're really relegating them to die. it can feel like we're living in another time of buddy can you spare me a dime? and just as the face mask has become the global symbol of this viral contagion, queues have become the marker of this economic catastrophe. here, the wait was for lunch at a shelter in lower manhattan. but it's notjust the homeless any more who are hungry. it's the newlyjobless, as well. i have spoken with folks on this line who, at the beginning of march, were employed and now they're unemployed. they're trying to figure out how to make ends meet. part of how they're doing that is to stand on this line at the bowery mission, pick up a to—go meal and make ends meet that way. back on the subway, the woman we saw turned down the offer of emergency shelter and took the last train back into manhattan. others headed out into the night.

poverty has been a propagator of this pandemic, hardship has been a super—spreader. and for many, the phrase that best describes new york's life abundant, the city that never sleeps, must now sound like a taunt. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. they are stark images repeated in many countries around the world and we will look at how this virus disproportionately affects those in deprived areas and the rest of the stay with us. hello. well, it was a fine, sunny day across most of the uk today. a couple of showers popped up here and there, but on the whole a clear evening and a clear night, and more on the way tomorrow. another warm and sunny day in store for the majority of the country. now, here's the satellite picture. it's not completely clear out there because low pressure is parked

just to the west of us and it is meandering out there, with clouds circling around its centre. and some of these clouds are sort of brushing western parts of the uk, so that does mean that, through the night and then early into friday morning, there will be some clouds affecting coastlines around the west here, perhaps some rain from time to time — one or two locations, for example, cornwall, maybe devon, perhaps western parts of scotland. but on the whole, many central and eastern parts of the country are in for a clear start to friday and a mild one, too. temperatures will be around ten degrees in some of the bigger towns and cities. on friday, it will be cloudy from time to time across western areas. there will be a few showers around, and some of those showers that are around might actually develop a little bit further east, around central areas of the uk. a very warm day on friday, july temperatures in the south east, 2a degrees. but in the north of the country, a little bit fresher, around 18 degrees. pleasant enough. the weekend is going to bring some

big changes, particularly to northern britain. or initially, at least. this is saturday's weather forecast. a cold front is expected to sweep in from the north. cold northerly winds setting in, a spell of rain there are scotland. to the south, sunny spells with a few showers. but it's the temperature contrast that will be the story on saturday. ten degrees in aberdeen, 18 in newcastle and 2a in london, so quite a contrast. and then that cold, dense air from the north sweeps in through the course of saturday night into sunday. and you can see by sunday, the cold air has reached southern parts of the uk. i say cold air relatively speaking, because after all, it is may. it does tend to be a little bit warmer. this is going to feel a lot colder than normal because we'll have screaming winds blowing out of the north sea. it will feel particularly chilly on the coast of yorkshire, east anglia, windy in the south east as well. really strong, cold, gusty winds and a really big temperature drop as well, and it looks as though it will stay chilly into monday, tuesday and wednesday.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a warning from the governor of the bank of england — the uk is heading for the worst economic downturn on record, but recovery should be faster than after the 2008 crash. new data shows that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die with coronavirus as white people in england and wales. in the uk, the coronavirus infection rate goes up,

but the government is continuing to look at how to ease lockdown restrictions next week. most of france will start to lift lockdown on monday, but paris will stay in a so—called red zone. in the us, 33 million people have lost their jobs since the middle of march — another 3 million in the last week alone. the ve day anniversary — celebrating europe's formal acceptance of nazi germany's surrender. no big parades this year. we'll mark it in homes and backyards instead. 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. black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die with coronavirus as white people in england and wales. that's according to the office for national statistics. the research also found an increased risk of death for people from bangladeshi, indian or mixed ethnicities. our community affairs correspondent rianna croxford reports on what lies behind these figures. richard died from coronavirus in hospital last month. the 72—year—old, who came to the uk from ghana, was described by his family as a loving, caring grandfather who put others before himself. he was a very lovely man. he was very, veryjolly. he loved life. it was unbelievable, actually. for a long time, itjust felt like it wasn't real, like a dream. i kept thinking, "i'm going to wake up any moment and i am going to realise it was a dream." it's said coronavirus does not discriminate, we're all prone

to catching it. but data released today shows the disease doesn't affect everyone equally. new official figures found that richard was more likely to die of coronavirus because of his ethnicity. after stripping out factors like age and sex and geography, the office for national statistics found that, compared with white people in england and wales, black people were 90% more likely to die from coronavirus. bangladeshi and pakistani people were 60—80% more likely to die and indian people were around 30—a0% more likely to die from this disease. but there are limits to these figures. they're based on the official government census, which is nearly ten years old and so may not accurately reflect and because ethnicity isn't being recorded on death certificates, there may also be gaps in how this data is being recorded. the office for national statistics says some of this disparity can be explained by socioeconomic disadvantages, but these alone don't provide the full answers. today, the government wouldn't say whether more protective advice

would be given to ethnic minority communities. we're going to be guided by the evidence. we've updated evidence from sage and there's further evidence that is coming through. and we obviously have to take those decisions at the right moment in time based on that evidence. but families like joy's want to know how to keep safe. it do make me very, very worried. yeah. we haven't been outside at all. richard is one of thousands of people from ethnic minority groups who have died from this disaease. the government's review into the issue is under way, with findings due at the end of this month. rianna croxford, bbc news. with me to discuss this is the shadowjustice secretary, david lammy. also i'm joined by professor keith neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the university of nottingham. gentlemen, good of you to be with us this evening. professor keith neal, cani this evening. professor keith neal, can i start with you? some of the highest death and hospitalization rates during the upper cabin here in london, where 40% of the population are from ethnic my nerdy

backgrounds, but even when you were —— ethnic minority backgrounds. when you adjust for the hardest hit places, this... why is that? we know the ethnic minority publishing is younger and you expect to have a or death rate in the, because they are youngerfor death rate in the, because they are younger for severe adjustment for the urban — rural split with the majorfactor in reducing the urban — rural split with the major factor in reducing the difference from the accrued figures without controlling for other things. they also controlled for deprivation, known ill health household composition and an estimate of socioeconomic status but none of these controlling factors are perfect, particular as some 00:35:45,1000 --> 00:35:46,405 of the data is based on the 2011 census. we do know that black and nothing minority —— black and ethnic minority

groups are associated with increased risk of the disease being severe and death, but that is probably not enough to explain its totally. i would like to mention another group which was studied by the health service, looking at the rate of deaths in doctors. you have the same pace skills nationally, so deprivation and socioeconomic status very standardised, and there is a gap between black and ethnic minority and white counterparts, that is... you talk about diabetes, hypertension, or disease. those are also diseases similar to deprived areas, are they not? yes. the study itself had measures of deprivation and known ill health in particular on based on the senses to begin to

control for that. controlling for something isn't actually all that can be done in these analyses, but it goes way to helping pull some of these out. but he cannot do is pull out specific ill health criteria, like the three points i mentioned. 0k like the three points i mentioned. ok david lammy, let me come to you. it is worth mentioning deprivation in general pierced to play role in this. of course. and issues of deprivation, inequality and indeed issues of structural prejudice and racism will have a factor in play a part, but it's also to say that 23 doctors who have lost their lives and 20 of them were black and minority ethnic, and i don't think anyone would describe doctors in the united kingdom as deprived, so it must be other factors as well. we

must be other factors as well. we must get to the bottom of other factors quickly, because at the moment, in black and minority ethnic immunities across the country, there is tremendous fear, terminus anxiety and determined his worry. people don't fully understand how they can reject their loved ones from this terrible disease. —— protects their loved ones. do... in black communities traditionally in england and wales, there has been a tendency to work in the public sector, and it's certainly the case if you look in care homes, where there has been a huge problem. many, many black and ethnic minorities have worked and served in those care homes, so first i will be an issue, but let us also rememberat i will be an issue, but let us also remember at this i will be an issue, but let us also rememberat this time, i will be an issue, but let us also remember at this time, people are suggesting vitamin d deficiency is a factor, bcg vaccination, orthe

suggesting vitamin d deficiency is a factor, bcg vaccination, or the lack of it, may be a factor. there's lots of it, may be a factor. there's lots of and what we now need is truth and evidence, and we need it quickly, so that's why it's important the government move forward with its review, set a time scale, explain who was on it, give us transparency so who was on it, give us transparency so black and ethnic minority communities across the country can have confidence. they shall also lean heavily into other western democracies like the united states, which are also seeing similar trends. that is a good point to pick up trends. that is a good point to pick up with professor neal. we had someone looking at the nordic countries last week, where there is not a huge pay gap in society and there is not the same divisions within society they have dealt with coronavirus better, but then there is the us but with the similar... cannot make points on the

points made by david lammy? with the vitamin d levels, getting out into exercise, getting stronger. the bcg vaccine is given more to ethnic minority herbs now as —— minority groups as children than white children, and they're the ones being more severely affected. i am not convinced the bcg vaccine is of any particular importance in the covid—19 outbreak. i think, to the nordic countries, there's a different belief in the way of government and social behaviour. classically, the big exception here is sweden, which has not gone for formal social distancing, just general advice which they are following, and they have got more cases than other nordic countries, they have not seen a major outbreak and they have got it under control. i think the united states also

has looked at the ethnic figures, mainly with african—america ns, were 13% looked at the ethnic figures, mainly with african—americans, were 13% of the american population is african—american but 35% of the deaths. this will of course be confounded but this has hit big cities more than others, but no doubt a cities more than others, but no doubta similar cities more than others, but no doubt a similar problem to what we are seeing in this country. david lammy, cani are seeing in this country. david lammy, can i come back to you? you area lammy, can i come back to you? you are a member of parliament for a constituency in north london, you have a big ethnic minority population there. we heard from someone in the report saying she did not think she was being given the right advice. when you talk to people there, seeing reports like this, what do they think? they are worried because they want the right advice. this is a new virus. we are getting to grips with the symptoms. there is some evidence that the pathology in different ethnic groups, it presents

differently, it may be for example we are telling people you're likely to get a cough and actually, people who are black, they are not eating the cough so they are not eating the cough so they are not eating the cough so they are shrugging off what they have god. for all of those reasons, people want to know what the story is -- people want to know what the story is —— people are not getting the cough so they are shrugging it off when they have got. do we understand it fully enough to give that advice? is developing as we speak, but the evidence is also there for us to see crystal clear, and i would have thought that the epidemiologists would want to be looking at what is happening in africa, what is happening in africa, what is happening in africa, what is happening in asia and what is happening in asia and what is happening in asia and what is happening in the caribbean. and certainly the caribbean is a region i know well. he does not look like the trend we are seeing in big western, multicultural countries like our road and america are quite taking the shape they do in relation to ethnic minorities, so for

that reason, i think we've got to get on top of what we do know as as possible. and i was slightly disappointed that dominic raab sort of sad, we are looking at it, we will let you know. in the meantime, people are dying in huge numbers in communities like the one i represent. it has been quite difficult to be black in britain and not know someone who knows “ someone —— someone who has lost to this disease. david lammy, thank you for your time. professor keith neal, thank you as well. away from coronavirus, another major story this hour. and a massive gas leak at a chemical plant in eastern india has killed at least 13 people, with thousands more being taken taken ill. residents near the plant in visakhapatnam in the state of andhra pradesh complained of a burning sensation in their eyes and breathing difficulties. the gas is reported to have spread up to two miles from the plant,

with owners saying they're investigating what caused the leak. there are some distressing images in this report from our india correspondent, yogita limaye. sirens woken up by toxic gas in the air. people stumbled out onto the streets in panic. some waited for help to arrive, some rushed those seriously ill to hospital any way they could. a police patrol team had responded to the scene and was with there within ten minutes. and then they saw this smoggy smoke around and they were able to quickly ascertain what is the details. and with the help of that loudspeaker, which is fitted on the vehicle, they started announcing and asking the people to come out and move out of this location. among those affected, children. more than 1,000 families live near the factory where the leak occurred in the dead of the night.

hundreds are in hospital, some in critical condition. a local resident said she brought three children to the hospital but one girl died on the way. hundreds are still being treated, some in critical condition. the gas they've inhaled is styrene. it causes nausea, headache and dizziness. but severe exposure can even lead to coma. rescue personnel went door to door looking for anyone who had fallen unconscious at home. authorities also worked to contain the leak. as of now, things are under control. i would say the leakage situation is much better now, in the sense that the silo that was leaking is now down to minimal and there is hardly any leakage left. but as i say that, i also underlined that we will be there until that leakage is completely plugged. south korea's lg chem says it's looking into how the leak occurred.

its factory was just opening up after the lockdown for the coronavirus crisis. the immediate effect of the gas, clearly visible. the long—term impact, still to be assessed. yogita limaye, bbc news, mumbai. pakistan's coronavirus lockdown is to be lifted on saturday, despite the number of cases in the country accelerating. prime minister imran khan said the decision is being taken because the large number of poor people and labourers there can't afford to live under lockdown any longer. our pakistan correspondent secunder kermani says imran khan has eased restrictions despite the risks involved. initially in the country, there were fairly strict restrictions in place. then last month, a number of industries and some small businesses were allowed to open up again. and now pretty much all small shops and small businesses will be allowed to reopen, although shopping malls will remain closed, as will schools and universities and there remains

a ban on public transport. now, i think this was done for a couple of reasons, one of which is that when these lockdown restrictions were initially partially eased last month, it caused a little bit of confusion in some areas and some shops that technically weren't meant to be opening up again just opened up again anyway. and it seemed a little tricky for the authorities to enforce, to force these other small businesses to remain closed. but also it ties in with an issue that imran khan has been talking about from the outset of this crisis, which is that he says the poorer sections of pakistani society, around 25% of the country living below the poverty line, simply cannot afford not to work. the problem is that the rate of coronavirus infections in pakistan, although its low compared to europe — around 27,000 cases

confirmed so far, just over 500 deaths confirmed so far — the rate of infections are still rising at the moment, it seems. and experts predict that we're not at the peak yet, we won't be at that peak for a number of weeks, if not months. so, whichever way the authorities go in pakistan, there are risks attached to it. secunder kermani reporting there. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this hour. the number of people to have died from coronavirus in sweden has risen above 3,000. the country has allowed bars and restaurants to remain open during the outbreak, but its mortality rate remains lower than other countries like the uk, france, spain and italy — where strict lockdowns have been enforced. the first wave of a massive indian government exercise to bring home thousands of its citizens stuck abroad began on thursday, with two flights from the united arab emirates. india banned all incoming international flights in late march when it

imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns. germany's bundesliga has confirmed it will resume matches on the 16th of may. it's the first of the major european football leagues to start again, after suspending games during the pandemic. officials say there will be strict health measures in place — and spectators will not be allowed in the stadiums, at least for the time being. contact tracing has become key in the battle against coronavirus. and here in the uk, a tracing app being trialed on the isle of wight has gone live to the general public there today. the mobile phone app anonymously warns users if they have been near to another person with the app who reports having covid—19 symptoms. then they must come forward. the local mp says around a quarter of the islands's population has downloaded the app. much hope is being placed in the technology's ability to help bring the country out of lockdown, but island residents have some mixed feelings towards it, as duncan kennedy reports.

from the moment you leave the ferry and pass through the towns and countryside that make up the isle of wight, you can see why its self—contained cross—section of life makes it the ideal place to test the nhs covid—19 app. you have reached your destination. and derek sandy is one of the first members of the general public to download it. derek is a singer by profession, but has also become a cultural ambassador for the island. he says it takes just a few seconds to put the app onto your smartphone and that it will be vital in tracing the virus across the community. it's really, really important for everyone who has access, you know, to download the app. again, it could save your life, your father's life, your mother, your sister, your brother's life. the new app is being offered to the 80,000 households

on the island from today. it works by collecting random identities from nearby app users and the time and distance they are from each other. if one of those is feeling ill, they upload their symptoms and data to the nhs server. that data is then analysed and any one of those people at risk is sent a message advising them to self—isolate. trisha and graham are neighbours in the town of ryde. both have now downloaded the app and intend to use it. what have you got to lose? you're carrying your phone around with you 2a hours a day, most people anyway. so it takes three or four seconds to download it. what's the problem with it? it looks good, it's simple to download. if it prevents deaths, then download it and use it and use the isle of wight as a testing ground. and that kind of support for the app does seem to be growing. according to the isle of wight‘s mp, by lunchtime today, more than 30,000 people had already downloaded the app.

that's about a quarter of the entire population. but there are still concerns about data protection for users. today, a cross—party group of mps and peers said the app shouldn't be rolled out further unless privacy is guaranteed. people won't sign up to this app unless they're confident that their data is being protected and that confidence can be given if parliament passes a new law to actually say, what's going to be the purpose of this data gathering? the island is a test—bed for a new app that works by linking smartphones through a kind of a digital handshake. the government hopes it will be a key part of a programme of measures against covid—19. duncan kennedy, bbc news, on the isle of wight. the 75th anniversary of ve day — when the second world war ended in europe — will be marked tomorrow. in the uk, prince charles and the duchess of cornwall will lead the nation in a two minutes silence.

but with the country in lockdown the commemorations will be very different from what was planned, as daniela relph reports. forget the grandeur and the pageantry — in mirfield in west yorkshire, they are getting ready for their stay—at—home street party. as you can see, we have decorated our drives up. we are going to tape the end of the drives off, so the kids are not tempted to go out of the drives. everybody will be of two metres distance. in radlett, in hertfordshire, there will also be a home—made feel to the ve day commemorations. instead of being subjected to a celebration, you are actually part of it, you are creating it. it is your celebration. i think it will be meaningful, yes. the aim had been to recreate the joy and optimism of 75 years ago. lockdown has prevented that and disappointed veterans. on ve day, i, along with many others, will be

watching the proceedings on television. we should never forget ve day and we should never forget the sacrifice of all those people, those millions and millions of people, who gave their lives so we could live in freedom. but, at this hour, when the dreadful shadow of war... like herfather in 1945, tomorrow night, the queen will address the nation on this unique day of commemoration. of course, it is too soon to say how historians will remember it, but i hope that they will see it as a time when we reinvented or reimagined what pageantry, what remembrance and what commemoration could be. there will be a national sing—a—long tomorrow evening. 97—year—old iris is the oldest member of the rock choir. rehearsals with her choir leader michael have moved online and to her own garden in bromley.

plays last post and things have also changed for air cadet dan hill. instead of an event in the city of london, he has gone for something more intimate. i will be playing outside my house to keep the day significant to people, getting the street involved, and just sort of to remember. ve day celebrations in 2020 — perhaps, in themselves, something for the history books. daniela ralph, bbc news. sounds you will hear across the uk tomorrow, no doubt. that's nearly it for me. a reminder of our top story. there's been a major economic warning today from the bank of england. the governor says the country is heading towards its sharpest recession on record.

andrew bailey says it will take time for the economy to recover, once restrictions are relaxed. just a reminder that the clap for health care workers and care workers is coming up in a few minutes' time. we will bring you pictures of that. thank you for watching. outside source to come as well, so do stay tuned for that. hello. well, it was a fine, sunny day across most of the uk today. a couple of showers popped up here and there, but on the whole a clear evening and a clear night, and more on the way tomorrow. another warm and sunny day in store for the majority of the country. now, here's the satellite picture. it's not completely clear out there because low pressure is parked just to the west of us and it is meandering

out there, with clouds circling around its centre. and some of these clouds are sort of brushing western parts of the uk, so that does mean that through the night and then early into friday morning, there will be some clouds affecting coastlines around the west here, perhaps some rain from time to time in one or two locations — for example, cornwall, maybe devon, perhaps western parts of scotland. but on the whole, many central and eastern parts of the country are in for a clear start to friday and a mild one, too. temperatures will be around ten degrees in some of the bigger towns and cities. on friday, it will be cloudy from time to time across western areas. there will be a few showers around, and some of those showers that might actually develop a little bit further east, around central areas of the uk. a very warm day on friday, july temperatures in the south east, 2a degrees. but in the north of the country, a little bit fresher, around 18 degrees. pleasant enough. the weekend is going to bring some big changes, particularly to northern britain. or initially, at least. this is saturday's weather forecast. a cold front is expected

to sweep in from the north. cold northerly winds setting in, a spell of rain there for scotland. to the south, sunny spells with a few showers. but it's the temperature contrast that will be the story on saturday. 10 degrees in aberdeen, 18 in newcastle and 2a in london, so quite a contrast. and then that cold, dense air from the north sweeps in through the course of saturday night into sunday. and you can see by sunday, the cold air has reached southern parts of the uk. i say cold air relatively speaking, because after all, it is may. it does tend to be a little bit warmer. this is going to feel a lot colder than normal because we'll have screaming winds blowing out of the north sea. it will feel particularly chilly on the coast of yorkshire, east anglia, windy in the south east as well. really strong, cold, gusty winds and a really big temperature drop as well, and it looks as though it will stay chilly into monday, tuesday and wednesday.

applause it's eight o'clock on thursday evening, the time of the week when, for the seventh week in a row,

across the uk, we show our support and appreciation for nhs staff, for key workers and for carers. joining in tonight these key workers at the royal mail distribution centre in nottingham. cheering and applause