this is bbc news. i'm david eades, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. british ministers insist plans for easing the lockdown will be "modest" and closely monitored. borisjohnson is due to outline the changes on sunday. france is to begin lifting what's been one of the harshest lockdowns in europe — but paris remains a special case. russia's provincial hospitals become key infection hotspots — a spike in covid—19 cases, highlights a lack of protective and marking 75 years since world war ii ended in europe. but how to celebrate in a time of coronavirus lockdowns?

hello, a very warm welcome to you all in the uk and indeed around the world. we are going to bring you the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis across the world. and we will start in the uk today. the british public are being told they must continue to stay at home. borisjohnson will review the uk's coronavirus lockdown with his cabinet colleagues today, having signalled that some restrictions could be eased from monday. well, the prime minister said his government will "advance with maximum caution" as it considers changes to the current restrictions. the french government has now published a map to show how it will proceed. most businesses in the green areas will be allowed to open and people will be able to leave their homes

without a permit. and lockdown measures in russia are being extended as more cases are reported and some medics tell the bbc that they are not getting adequate supplies of personal protection equipment. those are the main developments across the globe. we begin in the uk, where there do seem to be differing views across the home nations as to what the next steps should be. this report from our political correspondent, jessica parker. united appreciation last night gci’oss united appreciation last night across the uk for frontline workers. the prime minister joining the applause. on sunday, he'll explain how lockdown might be eased. were going to be very, very cautious about what happens and under what timetable. this isn't to bea what timetable. this isn't to be a single announcement that thatis be a single announcement that that is the end of the lockdown and everything is back to normal. i wasn't expecting that. wins the long haul, we are sadly going to have to live with this virus was sometime and that means we're going to

have to have a gradual approach to some of these restrictions. but no change yet, maximum courts and, the watchword, and the infection rate could be going up because of what is happening in care homes? the number has probably gone up just a little bit since last estimates and that is driven by the epidemic in care homes, and i would not diverge from that. and still now, governments across the uk have been more or less instep. but there is an ease in scotland as to where number 10 may be headed. ease in scotland as to where number 10 may be headedlj particularly number 10 may be headed.” particularly strongly believe for us to drop the clear, well understood stay—at—home message right now, could be a potentially catastrophic mistake. in northern ireland, no movement yet on easing restrictions. in wales, we'll hear more today about how and when minor adjustments could begin. there is unity here, but

on releasing lockdown, different parts of the uk move at different speeds although the pace of change is set to be slow. jessica parker, bbc news. the french government has given more details of how it will start to come out of lockdown from monday, warning that some restrictions won't be lifted as quickly in paris. the authorities have issued a colour—coded map of the country, splitting it into green and red areas depending on the rate of infection. here is the map, you can see very much in the north that is where the greatest challenges remain. but in the green, well, there are signs of better times ahead. and just around the corner starting on monday. the wait in france is nearly over. shops, including cafes, florists and hair salons can

get ready to reopen. translation: it's a new stage in the fight against epidemic. it's good news for france, for the french people. next monday, we're going to start a very gradual process over several weeks, at least, which will mean the country can slowly but surely leave the lockdown phase we've been but it's a far cry from normal. beaches and parks will remain closed and there will be strict rules for public transport, especially on the paris metro. translation: access to public transport in ile—de—france will be reserved during peak hours for people with a certificate from their employer or a with compelling reason to travel — whether it is a health reason, a summons to court, or to accompany children. there's been vigorous cleaning of carriages and stations, but as millions of people resume their daily commute, there are fears

about hygiene and safety. translation: we already have 5 million passengers using the metro. i think we must really tell parisians to be very careful because there's going to be, i think, a lot of people. translation: what can i say? it will be a bit difficult because public transport in paris is often overcrowded and people have to go to work, so they have to be here. the country has been divided. those in the green zone will have greater liberties, while those in the red have been told to expect stricter conditions until infection rates fall. leaders say they didn't want to split the nation but insist it is the only way to eventually unite in the long run. freya cole, bbc news. let's round—up some of the other main developments: we will start in brazil. more than 600 new deaths

from the coronavirus have been registered there in the last 2a hours — as a political row deepens over lockdown measures. president bolsonaro's government has warned that the country is facing economic collapse if the measures imposed by regional governors and mayors stay in place. international travel to and from australia will not be happening in the unforeseeable future, according to the prime minister, scott morrison. his government has unveiled its three—step plan to bring the country out of lockdown as it aims to restore 850,000 jobs byjuly. australia has been credited for its strict measures in slowing the spread of the virus. the lebanese government is allowing people to worship in mosques and churches again from today, after nearly two months of lockdown. however, worshippers will have to wear face masks and gloves and observe social distancing. so that means mosques will be limited to 30% of their usual capacity, during ramadan.

and the number of people who've 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 considerably lower than many other countries like the uk, france, spain and italy, where strict lockdowns have been enforced. there is simply no common model, is there? as covid—i9 spreads more widely in russia's provinces, hospitals — often old and ill—equipped — have become key infection hotspots, as the number of medics getting sick and dying is on the rise. president putin has admitted there is a shortage of ppe — personal protective equipment — and ordered an increase in production. but even now, many russian doctors are scared to complain publicly, as our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford reports. translation: i love my work, i never thought something like this would happen to me.

coughing from across russia, medics have begun posting videos online, calling for help. they say doctors and nurses fighting coronavirus are in danger. falling sick, even dying, because they are not getting the kit they need for protection. here in moscow, frontline medics like this have access to all the resources and best facilities that russia has to offer. but out in the regions, it's not always the same picture. 1500 kilometres south of here in astrovan, the mean infectious diseases hospital had to be quarantined after staff there got sick from their patients. we have been speaking to some of them, they are angry but they didn't want to be identified because they are afraid for theirjobs. translation: of course we asked for protection but the department had nothing. at the start, they said masks were for

only 24—hour is, even though they are meant to be for aid. then they said president putin had to last two days. three people at that hospital told us the same story. even though russia's had more time to prepare for this pandemic than many. translation: what is shown on state television is nonsense. in reality, there is no proper masks. they are saying there is everything, but we are fully equipped? but everything, but we are fully equipped ? but it's everything, but we are fully equipped? but it's not true! one mp spent his entire salary buying medical masks for doctors to plug the deficit. even president putin has now admitted russia has a problem and has ordered it to be solved. in astrovan, authorities have begun releasing reassuring videos like this one, insisting the crisis when the epidemic firstly, now passed. —— first hit. but medics we have been speaking to safe problems in the regions go much deeper.

translation: we don't even have ct scanners in our hospitals was about the problem. when the buildings are old, separating red and green zones is hard and the healthcare reforms have cut the healthcare reforms have cut the numbers of beds and doctors so the numbers of beds and doctors so much that when a problem hits like this virus, the region is not prepared. beeping idid try i did try calling the chief doctor at the astrovan hospital who was sacked along with the local health minister. he told me, no comment. the chorus of criticism has been intensifying as hospitals across this vast country become infection hotspots and medics become patients themselves. sarah ra i nsfo rd , patients themselves. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.

despite the lockdown, the uk will come together today to mark the 75th anniversary of ve day, the day when nazi germany submitted to allied forces demands for "immediate, simultaneous and unconditional surrender on all fronts." it brought the second world war within europe to an end, and it sparked off street parties across the continent. well, large—scale public events are not possible at the moment, but tributes to those who fought will be led by queen elizabeth and the prince of wales. our correspondent robert hall reports. to those who were there, it seems a lifetime ago. but the scenes they witnessed on that spring day in 1945 have never left them. a tidal wave of youth will excitement filling the city streets to overflowing and reaching every corner of the british isles. in an old and tattered town, occurred the greatest battlefield surrender

of this or any other war. germany's unconditional surrender. the fighting in europe had effectively been overfor europe had effectively been over for several days in is europe had effectively been overfor several days in is the first surrender documents had been signed. but for millions of people, this was the moment to begina of people, this was the moment to begin a party that would last through the night. we had quite good celebrations. about a dozen, i would suppose. and we had a bottle of red wine on the end of the lorry, and a bottle of white wine, and we enjoyed the evening very much. billy ridge well served throughout europe with the royal electrical and mechanical engineers. he says ve day is still an important event on his calendar. and to celebrate it now, we must learn that that must never happen again. the waste of material, of lives,

and of innocence through the war was tremendous. it's just a pure waste, water out. but how different it will be 75 years on, no flags, no parties, no crowds. just a call for us all to mark this momentous day however we can. all of us, who are born since 1945, are acutely conscious that we are every being we most value to the generation who won the second world war. and we remember the millions of people from across the united kingdom and from across the world who came together in world war ii to fight for our shared values. values of freedom, of democracy, of peace. covid—19 has shredded elaborate plans drawn up for cities, towns and

villages. the five years ago on the 70th anniversary, thousands of usjoined acts the 70th anniversary, thousands of us joined acts of remembrance, sat down for street celebrations or lit beacons. we are celebrating ve day because it's the 75th anniversary. in 2020, we can't gather together in the way we used to, but lockdown has taught us all to adapt. so the bunting's going up in our homes, gardens and streets, even those shielded from the pandemic could play their part. after all, many of them remember the real thing. this yea r‘s remember the real thing. this year's remembrance in lockdown will ina year's remembrance in lockdown will in a strange way be part of history itself, it will be pa rt of history itself, it will be part of the mad story of this great lockdown. i don't know how, it's too soon to say, historians will have a look. by 1945, war had brought many families and communities closer together, radio link them with events at home and abroad. now we are all learning that even

when we are forced to part, we can still share experiences, maybe we can understand a little more about the sense of i°y little more about the sense of joy and release 75 years ago. robert hall, bbc news. of course they are very distinct times, today. and later in the programme we'll bring you a report about the iconic world war ii song we'll meet again by dame vera lynn and its parallels with our current situation with the coronavirus pandemic as the uk prepares for a national sing—along. because of all the parallels between our current situation in that song from the second world war. stay with us without. that is coming up in few minutes. this is bbc news. the headlines: british ministers insist plans for easing the lockdown will be modest and closely monitored. borisjohnson is due to outline the changes on sunday. france is to begin lifting what's been one of the harshest lockdowns in europe — with paris remaining a special case.

the coronavirus pandemic has hit some industries harder than others. one of the heavy casualties appears to be meat packing plants across the us. the sector employs around 200,000 people and the center for disease control has warned that workers in these plants face an increased threat of transmission. one example of such a hotspot is moore county in texas, a local centre for the industry. the county has an infection rate of 20 people per 1,000 residents. that compares to an infection rate of 13 per 1,000 residents in new york county. michael haedicke is associate professor of sociology at drake university and a researcher on the food industry — hejoins me from des moines. michael, thank you for your time. why is the infection so

prevalent within this one particular set duck, meatpacking resolute that's a great question. my think a lot of it has to do with the conditions of the work in meatpacking. it employs thousands of people in their work very close together. they work very close together. they work almost shoulder to shoulder on assembly lines in the meatpacking industry. working at a rate that is almost too fast to take care of personal protection and to protect oneself and others. so basically if they are going to cough, they are going to cost, if they are going to sneeze, they are going to sneeze, they don't have time to cover themselves because it is moving too fast. that's exactly right. the speed is unbelievable in many of these packing plants. talking 1000 hogs per hour, a dozen chickens per hour, that is the average. the trump administration, for some time,

has raised that for some chicken place and the hog industry as a whole. an interesting challenge there. there is a tension between the importance of health and safety, understandably, but you have got to keep a country fed and a country going, guess that is the challenge. it is indeed. one of the major changes that has taken place in the industry over the years, since the mid—20th century, is the influence of work organisations. at one point workers were able to mobilise and push back and make a stronger case for health and safety measures that would protect their welfare but really now that is not the case and many factors contribute to that. it is sounding like another example of the poorer workers with the least representation getting the worst deal out of this. what are plant owners and big business actually trying to do to soften the blow? there have

been some measures put in place and, infact, the been some measures put in place and, in fact, the cdc has issued guidelines... inaudible. now pressure issued guidelines... inaudible. now pressure can issued guidelines... inaudible. now pressure can undermine the effectiveness of some of those measures, whether it is putting barriers between workers not providing personal protective equipment for workers on the assembly line. a classic example of the economy versus health and safety, and which comes where in the process. michael, interesting stuff. thank you very much indeed. michael had adjoining is there. thank you very much. now to some of the day's other news: the woman who's accused the former us vice president joe biden of sexually assaulting her 27 years ago has called on him to withdraw from the race to be president. mr biden has strongly denied tara reade's allegations. the usjustice department is dropping charges against president trump's former national security advisor, michael flynn. general flynn was accused of lying to investigators about his contacts with russian officials before president trump took office. the president has welcomed the announcement saying those

responsible for the prosecution should pay a ‘high price'. the government in the indian state of andhra pradesh has threatened criminal proceedings against a south korean chemical company after toxic gas leaked from a local factory. 11 people died and hundreds were rushed to hospital, some are in a critical condition. campaign groups from 11 countries around the world are appealing to credit card companies to stop all payments to the pornography industry. the campaigners say it's impossible to verify consent on porn sites, making them a target for child sexual abuse. i mentioned we'll meet again, that song. a national singalong will be held this evening in the uk to mark the anniversary of the end of the second world war. certainly of combat within europe.

the song that has been selected is dame vera lynn's we'll meet again, which became an anthem during the war and has taken on a new resonance during the lockdown. let's hear a few thoughts, including some from dame vera herself, about why this track has stood the test of time. # we'll meet again. # don't know where. # don't know when. when there's song appears it's precisely at the point where thousands and thousands of families are being separated. to our man in uniform, from the girls at home. you've got tens of thousands of british groups scattered across the world, apart from their families. so the song encapsulates that and radio is the means of connection, it's really nice to think, if you're separated, that your families back home

listening to the same thing at the same time and the song itself, of course, we'll meet again, it —— encapsulates exactly the wistfulness and the sadness but also the determination to meet again that so many soldiers and civilians felt. a personal letter in words and music, sincerely yours, vera lynn.” thought what are going to close the programme on, it's to be something, inu, i've been singing a nice song in the theatres, variety theatres, macrow one, that's a nice... so that's when i chose we'll meet again as my fading out song on radio. and, of course, it's never left me. clearly we can overdo the comparisons with war, but there is something stunningly similar here, which is this whole notion of

e nforced is this whole notion of enforced separation and we are willingly doing it because we have some sort of faith that there will be an ultimate victory. so it is about separation which is endurable if there is a sense of purpose. it sort of wonderful where husbands and wives torn apart by warcan be husbands and wives torn apart by war can be brought together by war can be brought together by music. the fact that these songs were so by music. the fact that these songs were so emotional really worried the top brass of the bbc and one of them said "how could men fit themselves for battle with such debilitating tunes ringing in their ears?" and the people who actually made the programmes deserted the soldiers camps and they could see for themselves not just that vera lynn was really popular, but there was absolutely no sign whatsoever that their resolve to fight was being weekend. this was a real moment in history when emotions

we re moment in history when emotions were 0k, even among fighting men, and it was also a moment in history, really, that was a lesson for the old guard that, actually, it was a lesson in learning to trust the people and to not underestimate their resolve. # but i know we'll meet again some sunny day... a very different but extraordinary time. ve day is today. here is something else today. here is something else to lift your spirits. a breathtaking full ‘flower‘ moon has made a stunning appearance over europe's largest city — istanbul in turkey. the celestial spectacle is the last supermoon of 2020 and is named the flower moon as it coincides with springtime blossom. all very appropriate. the next one is scheduled for april next year. so enjoy it while it's here. lovely picture there. we will

keep across all the coronavirus developments through the course of the day here on bbc news and, indeed, ve day commemorations as well. thanks for being with us. hello there. friday marks the 75th anniversary of ve day and it's going to be another very warm and a sunny day across much of the country. the sunshine a little bit hazy at times. and into the afternoon, the high temperatures could spark off a few heavy, maybe thundery, showers pretty much anywhere. now, the pressure chart reveals high—pressure dominating the scene through friday. we've got this weather front pushing in to the north of scotland. that'll introduce more cloud here with showery bursts of rain throughout the day. we'll also start the day with some showery bursts of rain across southwest england. it's moving northwards and tending to ease down, but it will be rather grey to start across irish sea coasts. most of that cloud should run back to the coast. most places across the country should be dry with sunny spells, but a few heavy, thundery downpours developing into the afternoon. temperatures range from 18 to 24 degrees across the south. these temperatures more like july than may. now, the showers and thunderstorms continue to rumble on into the evening,

and then it will tend to fizzle out. it should be dry for most areas but more low cloud returning across irish sea coasts and it stays quite wet across the far north of scotland. but a milder night to come for many of us. into saturday, this is when we start to see some changes. that cold front begins to move southwards across northern scotland, but further south, you notice the orange and yellow colours still in abundance. so, another warm day, in fact, for many of us on saturday. again, in response to the high temperatures into the afternoon, we could see some showers or thunderstorms developing. it will be turning windier and colder across the north of scotland with outbreaks of rain. so, a big temperature difference on saturday — 7 to 10 degrees in the north of scotland, 18 to 24 or 25 further south. but the cold air wins out saturday night into sunday. that arctic plunge spreads south across the country, with a band of cloud, a few showery bursts of rain on it, which will eventually clear southwards. and then it's a brighter afternoon, but much colder, with a very brisk, cold north—northeasterly wind. that's blowing a few wintry showers, in fact, into the north and east of scotland. and look at these values. we've been experiencing temperatures closer to what we'd expect injuly. these are more like march temperatures. factor in the wind, it'll feel

even colder than that. and farmers and gardeners, beware. some will see a widespread frost in places through sunday night. stays chilly as well into the start of next week with chilly nights, but then temperatures start to return to normal as we move deeper on into the week. and with high—pressure nearby, it's going to stay bright and dry.

this is bbc news, with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the biggest destruction ofjobs in living memory — figures for april could show the us lost 22 million in a month. setting a post—war record. plus, riding out the pandemic, uber sees bookings plunge and losses soar. but there could be signs of recovery? 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. let's get that business perspective. first, we start in the us — where in the next few hours we'll get more confirmation of the scale of destruction wrought by the pandemic on american jobs and livelihoods. the us labor department is due to release official employment numbers for april — the first whole month of the lockdown. maybe we should call them unemployment numbers. so, what are we expecting? economists reckon 22 millionjobs to have disappeared last month. that would blow away the existing monthly record forjob losses — set during the crisis of 2007 to 2009 ofjust 800,000. as for the unemployment rate — its expected to soar to 16% in april. again that would smash

the existing post—war record of 10.8% set in 1982. the latest weekly figures for unemployment claims do suggest the pace ofjob losses is slowing. but the damage will be lasting, as michelle fleury reports from new york. americans tend to be resilient but that toughness is being tested by the coronavirus. the speed and depth of the nation's economic downturn brought some comparisons. it's a very deep shock and something we have to ta ke very shock and something we have to take very seriously. it's in a tough month for single mum nikolai are, she is now collecting unemployment benefits after being furloughed. i'm not sure what going to happen next. she received $1800 from the us government in total, and use the money to pay the rent. how much economic damage has this done to you? i'm worried to think about the future. for now, iam think about the future. for now, i am good, think about the future. for now, iam good, i think about the future. for now, i am good, i got paid, i

can pay my bills. what will happen in the future? this is something you try not to think of. the virus has left cou ntless of. the virus has left countless americans in dire financial straits. the economic pain is plain to see a protest like this one in california. here, they want state leaders to cancel rent for the length of the health crisis. nearly one—third of renters across the country weren't able to afford monthly housing costs in april. and with so many americans out of work, experts worry a housing crisis may not be far off. this is the worst economic crisis united states has seen in generations. if else changes, and things continue as normal, this public health crisis will turn into a full—blown homelessness crisis. rhonda england work as a contracted medical assistant into the pandemic took herjob.

i'm one amongst so many who are experiencing this. she lives in a 2—bedroom apartment, but with no income she couldn't pay last month's rent and was unable to reach an agreement with her landlord. they were not willing to work with me. nor were they willing to waive administrative fees or late fees. in february, america's unemployment rate was ata america's unemployment rate was at a half—century low of 3.5% after 113 straight months of job creation. the coronavirus changed that. the pandemic that swept through the country took with it millions ofjobs, wiped out a decade ofjob growth and now threatens other parts of the economy. the change was swift and dramatic and there are signs that recovery won't be nearly as quick. michelle fleury, bbc news, new york. grip ona grip on a personal level and for big businesses, too. ——

grim. let's talk about uber now — the ride hailing giant is the latest company to count the cost of the coronavirus pandemic. lockdowns around the world have slashed the number of rides people are booking — and this week the company said it was cutting 14% of staff. late on thursday uber released its results for the first quarter. it lost $2.9 billion dollars in the three months to march. that's nearly three times the loss it made a year ago. the results don't cover the bulk of the lockdown in the us. the ceo told investors ride bookings were down 80% in april. the bbc‘s business technology reporter zoe thomas has more from san francisco. gubera is no stranger to losses, the company has never reported a quarterly profit, but last week, the ceo told investors by the end of 2020 uber would be profitable. the coronavirus is making a goal far harder to meet. rides were down in the first three months

of this year, without work to go to or other places, demand wasn't there. one bright spot wasn't there. one bright spot was ubereats, the firm's delivery service, it grew more than 50% in the first three months of the event brings in far less revenue overall than the taxi service. and the state of california is suing the company over whether its drivers should be considered staff. a decision in that case isn't expected for quite some time. but if a court rules drivers are employees, it will cost uberfar drivers are employees, it will cost uber far more drivers are employees, it will cost uberfar more going forward. zoe thomas, bbc news, san francisco. yeah, another major issue for them to worry about. joining me now is masha cilliers, a partner at the consultants ibe tse — she specializes in ecommerce. as if this isn't bad enough, this is a company that has never turned a profit. the hope was this should be the year

stop how damaging is this? is this survival or not as bad as that? thank you. i think it's actually quite good in a way, with the cost cutting and refocusing about uber is undergoing now, that they will be able to focus on what they are good at and re— prioritise. so it will help them in a way to think of their finances. i do believe they talked about eats rising and they talked about other potential businesses in latin america. i think it's great they will focus on profitable business now, there is no time for vanity projects. they have to be working on revenue and look at markets where you can have a strong position. yeah, the expectation of course was they would turn a profit this year, at least that was the forecast we we re at least that was the forecast

we were given. circumstances have dictated otherwise. you aren't suggesting the ride—hailing element needs to be, i don't know, curtailed, are you? no, however, ithink again if you look at their competitors like lyft, they are smaller and more agile but they don't have other businesses. so they have to look for other revenue streams. first of all, it's hard to predict what will happen, everybody knows that. it's hard to predict whether there will be more rides, there was a small increase of rides reported last night, however, the two theories on whether people use taxis more because they don't want to use public transport, or they won't be using taxis. so i think investment in the platform in adding services such as uber eats, uber is a marketplace platform could look at other

business areas like headdresses, plumbers, you name it. it's going to be a fascinating and very difficult ride for them. thank you very much indeed masha cilliers, joining us there on the plight of uber. let's go to asia now — and the business of sport — because the eyes of the football world will be firmly on south korea this weekend. today the korean football league, the k—league, will play its first match of the season. south korea is one of the first nations to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, so it's being seen very much as a model, if you like, for others. so what precautions are they taking to get football up and running again? mariko oi in singapore is looking at this for us. i'm sure you're a huge k—league fan. regardless, their interest in commercial elements to this as well as people who just want to watch some sport? indeed, david. are you excited? you can actually watch it live, and if

you talk about sport betting, people have been waiting for some kind of action to take place, and as you say, k—league was initially scheduled to start back in february but it was postponed indefinitely. because south korea has managed to somewhat flatten the curve in recent weeks, they've decided that the competition can decided that the competition ca n start decided that the competition can start later today. of course, all the games will be taking place behind closed doors and there will be some new rules. so, let's hear them. when we enter the stadium, we will skip the part players shake hands with each other and this will be replaced by a simple head nod. also there are simple head nod. also there are simple guidelines that players have to refrain from spitting as they run a lot during the game and tend to spit often. and i think they were actually hoping they can be in the global spotlight while other sports are cancelled, but then germany's help me with the

pronunciation here, abundantly go? they will start on may 16, so nevertheless good news for sport fans who have been missing the action —— the german bundesliga. well, let's hope they make the most of it. thank you, mariko oi. let's get some of the day's other news. there are plans to increase train services from monday 18 may across the uk to make sure the railways are able to cope with a rise in passengers when some people return to work. rail bosses and government sources told the bbc that services will be increased to about 70% of the normal timetable. at the moment, only half of normal uk rail services are running due to the coronavirus lockdown. thousands ofjobs will be lost in britain's live music industry if urgent action is not taken by the government, according to a trade body for the sector. the uk live music group also warned that 550 grassroots music venues, so that's is 82% of the total, are at immediate risk of closure because of the pandemic. the body claims it could take

up to three or four years for the sector to recover to 2019 levels. well, a lot of sectors doing a lot of hard work at the moment. let's turn to the fitness industry. all over the world, lockdowns have meant gyms simply stand empty and an uncertain future for their owners. until the pandemic, uk operator puregym had enjoyed more than a decade of rapid growth. with 230 sites and over a million members, it's britain's biggest gym company. so, what will the future look like for the business? humphrey cobbold is the ceo of puregym. hejoins me via skype from his home in oxford, uk. thank you very much indeed for joining us, humphrey. you've been expanding, you had great expansion plans for this year. it's not even a question of putting it on hold, is it? you are going to have to retrench? good morning, david, pleasure

to talk to you. yep, it has been a very difficult two weeks for us. obviously, we have had to significantly change, massively change our plans for the year and we have closed all of our teams as you said, we we re of our teams as you said, we were operating 270 in the uk. and we had to close those down 50 days ago now and we are resetting our plans and redeveloping every aspect of the way that we operate the business, so we will be re— able to —— be able to reopen and have large sides where we have a confident place to work and work out in when the government is comfortable with the fact and the time is right. that is what we are focusing on. when the time is right, is the key, isn't it? you will be listening closely on sunday evening when the payment is delayed that what the first steps might be and what that would involve for you. obviously social distancing is important. nonetheless we are also ina important. nonetheless we are also in a slightly different well, aren't we, humphrey, in the world of home fitness effo rts the world of home fitness efforts over the last couple of

months. it's been massive. there must be a danger you are going to lose customers because they will stick with what they have been doing for the last couple of months? yes, of course it has been massive and we have been a massive contributor to that. we put up over 100 workouts currently on ourapp over 100 workouts currently on our app that is available to all of our members are free and soon be available to everyone over the country. we are a big fan of being able to exercise. and that will change the dynamics of it, but let's remember doing exercise at home has existed for a long time. going back to the 1970s with jane fonda and vhs cassettes, that was the bestselling set of videocassettes in the world ever. the exercise has always been available. we merely see it as been available. we merely see itasa been available. we merely see it as a compliment to activity, and if you want to work out on and if you want to work out on a treadmill or you want to push weights or whatever, very few people can do that sort of thing in theirfront people can do that sort of thing in their front room. people can do that sort of thing in theirfront room. so there will be many things and we are confident gyms will

continue to have an important role to play. is there a way you could explain, perhaps, humphrey, if i decide lockdown is eased, if restrictions change, ican is eased, if restrictions change, i can come back to the gym. how different is likely to be me as an experience?” gym. how different is likely to be me as an experience? i think it's going to be quite different actually, we are resetting every pa rt different actually, we are resetting every part of the experience from arrival and then every part of the gym experience itself will be creating social distancing within the facility, so separating machinery so it is safely separated, the ageing flows of people around the facilities, —— creating flows of people around the facilities and limiting class sizes group exercises would be reintroduced but ina exercises would be reintroduced but in a much smaller size, introducing sanitising regimes and capping numbers, which requires a lot of technology. in our model, we are able to control the number of people who can come into the facility and will even be providing people with the opportunity to book slots to attend the gym at

the busier times of the day, whenever they may be, such that we can provide people with visibility in terms of coming. oh, we can provide lots of reassurance to people in terms of the visiting experience of gyms and lots of control and oversight to make sure that we are absolutely minimising the risk to anybody who comes to our facilities was that they can have a great and safe workout and our employees are working in a safe and secure environment as well. that's very, very important. it has to be absolutely key, doesn't it? very challenging for everyone. humphrey cobbold, thank you for joining us here on bbc news. i wanted just reflect the markets again for you. asian shares reversing some of their earlier losses after that chinese trade data came in far stronger than expected. some fairly solid corporate earnings, rather than the looming release of data expected to show the worst us unemployment rate in more than

70 years. so if you signs of green don't do any harm, do they? thanks for being with us. that is the business. this is bbc news. the main headlines for you now. the british prime minister has said the government will proceed with "maximum caution" when coronavirus restrictions are eased. boris johnson is due to announce his plans for england, in a speech on sunday. the french government has announced more details of how it will ease one of harshest lockdowns in europe. authorities have issued a colour—coded map of the country, outlining areas that can lift their restrictions — depending on the rate of infection. 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. rianna croxford reports on what lies behind these figures. he was a very lovely man.

he was very, veryjolly. he loved life. richard dosoo died from coronavirus in hospital last month. the 72—year—old who came to the uk from ghana, was described by his daughter as a loving, caring father, who always put others before himself. it was unbelievable, actually, it felt like — for a long time — itjust felt like it was not real. like a dream, i kept thinking i'm just going to wake up any moment and i am going to realise that it was just alla dream. it is said coronavirus does not discriminate, we're all prone to catching it, but data released today shows the disease does not affect everyone equally. new official figures have found that richard was more likely to die from coronavirus because of his ethnicity. after stripping out factors like age, sex and geography, the office for national statistics found that, compared to the white people in england and wales, black people were 90% more likely to die if they became seriously ill with covid—19. this s slightly lower for people from bangladehi and pakistani background, at around 60%—80%. while people of indian heritage

were around 30%—40% more likely to die from the disease. but there are limits to these figures. they are based on the official government census which is now nearly ten years old and so may not accurately reflect the current population. and because ethnicity is not being recorded on death certificates, there may also be gaps in how this data is being recorded. the study also does not account for job roles, but research has shown black and asian people are more likely to be key workers in industries like healthcare, where many frontline workers have died. there are persistent inequalities across a range of areas, and i include health, housing, education, employment, criminaljustice and these build up quite a complex picture for people in those communities. today, the government would not say whether more protective advise would be given to ethnic minority communities. we're going to be guided by the evidence. we have updated evidence from sage. there's further evidence that is coming through and we obviously have to take

those decision at the right moment in time. but families like joy's want to know how to keep safe. it does make me very, very worried. we have not been outside — at all. even my nine—year—old child, i could just about get him into the garden — he is so afraid of going outside now. the government is currently investigating the issue, with its findings expected at the end of this month. richard's family hope answers come soon. rianna croxford, bbc news. and you can find all the latest informing on covid—19 and how the pandemic is being handled around the world, on our website. we have an article by our visual and data journalism team mapping the data. you get a timelapse on the rise of confirmed cases. just go to the website or you can download the

news app. many of the gatherings that had been planned to mark the 75th anniversary of ve day won't be able to happen here in the uk today because of the lockdown. but while public gatherings have been ruled out, there are still plenty of celebrations and commemorations happening online, as tim muffett has been finding out. commemorations planned for yea rs commemorations planned for years disrupted in weeks. but a quote winston churchill "is the courage to continue that cou nts" courage to continue that counts". what i've managed to do is put together a number of standard bearers from across the uk and further afield. —— further afield to have a virtual act of remembrance to basically filmed themselves an act of remembrance and royal salute. the royal british

legion's virtual room rate will go online at 11 o'clock. you get a real angel range of people taking part. our youngest standard bearer, lola, she is five. i, lola, how are you doing? now, lola, you are the youngest person taking but in the virtual field, how does that feel? amazing. a generation ago they carried on as normal so we need to carry on as normal as possible to remember this. pipe major roger has composed a special ve day march, it was supposed to be performed at ceremonies across the uk. a play with the city of norwich pipe bands, we would have been playing at the most easterly point in the uk, which is nest point. it is because they can't do it now so we will be playing at our own separate addresses. the 27 countries it is going to be played in by over 1000 papers globally.

is going to be played in by over1000 papers globally. so for you, elaine, ve day has i was been special, hasn't it? it isa was been special, hasn't it? it is a very special day because i was born on ve day 1945 stop it's always been a familyjoke that they didn't dare fight after i was born because they would have sorted them out. and how will you be marking your birthday and ve day?” how will you be marking your birthday and ve day? i live alone so it'll be the first year of my whole life that have not celebrated it with friends andi not celebrated it with friends and i will missed that, but my goddaughter sent me six bottles of prosecco to celebrate. # will meet again... tonight at nine o'clock across the uk the nation is invited to sing along 21. pupils of the racecaller south have already recorded their rendition —— to we'll meet again. azma keep smiling through... it is hoped it would be led from her window by 103—year—old dame vera lynn,

alongside her daughter, virginia? it does depend on how she feels and how cold it is. if it is very chilly that she won't be near the window. but, anyway, she will be singing and we will all be singing. and how is your mother now? she is fine, she's fine. but at 103, you know, very bright and breezy one minute, not quite as bright and breezy the next. but on the whole she's doing very, very well. this song is part of our national story, isn't it, does it feel especially poignant at the moment? it resonated extremely widely because of the current crisis stop its timeless and it will just carry on. people who are away, people who are parted, there will always be that feeling that they will meet again one day. # some sunny day... there we are. we'll have

all the key commemorative moments on bbc news through the course of the day. you may even get to see elaine, think it was, with her six bottles of prosecco in one day. hello there. friday marks the 75th anniversary of ve day and it's going to be another very warm and a sunny day across much of the country. the sunshine a little bit hazy at times. and into the afternoon, the high temperatures could spark off a few heavy, maybe thundery, showers pretty much anywhere. now, the pressure chart reveals high—pressure dominating the scene through friday. we've got this weather front pushing in to the north of scotland. that'll introduce more cloud here with showery bursts of rain throughout the day. we'll also start the day with some showery bursts of rain across south—west england. it's moving northwards and tending to ease down, but it will be rather grey to start across irish sea coasts. most of that cloud should run back to the coast. most places across the country should be dry with sunny spells, but a few heavy, thundery downpours developing into the afternoon. temperatures range from 18 to 24 degrees across the south. these temperatures more like july than may. now, the showers and thunderstorms continue to rumble on into the evening, and then it will tend to fizzle out.

it should be dry for most areas but more low cloud returning across irish sea coasts and it stays quite wet across the far north of scotland. but a milder night to come for many of us. into saturday, this is when we start to see some changes. that cold front begins to move southwards across northern scotland, but further south, you notice the orange and yellow colours still in abundance. so, another warm day, in fact, for many of us on saturday. again, in response to the high temperatures into the afternoon, we could see some showers or thunderstorms developing. it will be turning windier and colder across the north of scotland with outbreaks of rain. so, a big temperature difference on saturday — seven to ten degrees in the north of scotland, 18 to 24 or 25 further south. but the cold air wins out saturday night into sunday. that arctic plunge spreads south across the country, with a band of cloud, a few showery bursts of rain on it, which will eventually clear southwards. and then it's a brighter afternoon, but much colder, with a very brisk, cold north—northeasterly wind. that's blowing a few wintry showers, in fact, into the north and east of scotland. and look at these values. we've been experiencing temperatures closer to what we'd expect injuly. these are more like march temperatures. factor in the wind, it'll feel even colder than that. and farmers and gardeners, beware. some will see a widespread

frost in places through sunday night. stays chilly as well into the start of next week with chilly nights, but then temperatures start to return to normal as we move deeper on into the week. and with high—pressure nearby, it's going to stay bright and dry.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. our headlines today: ministers warn the public to stick to the social distancing rules over the bank holiday weekend, saying there'll be no quick change to the restrictions. commemorations for the 75th anniversary of victory in europe, but there'll be no crowds on the streets to mark it. events will take place at home and online to pay tribute to the men and women who fought in the second world war. we remember their sacrifice and we ta ke we remember their sacrifice and we take pride in being their compatriots. good morning.

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