this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. my name is mike embley. us security agencies accuse china of trying to steal american research on vaccines and treatments for covid—19. the uk government defends itself against claims it was too slow to protect people exposed to the virus in care homes. even worse than previously thought — the death toll from an attack on a maternity ward in afghanistan rises. and what lessons can the rest of the world learn from denmark on how to socially distance in schools?

hello. we're covering all the latest developments here in britain and around the world. first of all, officials at public health england say an antibody test for coronavirus has been evaluated and is a "very positive development." the test, to establish whether people have already had the virus and may have some immunity, was assessed at the porton down laboratories last week. they say it is the first to offer serious potential. the world health organization has warned the coronavirus "may never go away", and that the global community needed to brace itself for a long battle. qatar airways is to cut about 20% of its global workforce, that's about 9,000 jobs. like other airlines, it's seen a huge fall in demand for travel because of lockdowns and passenger concerns. and the white house has set a target of having 300 million vaccine doses by the end of this year even though currently no vaccine has been approved. we'll be keeping you up to date on all the latest

throughout the programme. first the us security agencies have warned that china is trying to steal coronavirus vaccine and treatment data from american companies. they said the fbi was investigating digital break—ins by china—linked cyber activists against us research institutions and pharmaceutical companies involved in the covid—19 response. the agencies warned that both intellectual property and public health data could be at risk. speaking on monday in anticipation of the announcement, china's foreign ministry dismissed the accusation as without evidence. translation: china is a staunch defender of cybersecurity and a victim of hacker attacks. we resolutely oppose and legally combat any forms of cyber attacking and hacking. china has been at the forefront of research in covid—19 vaccines and treatment. it is unethical for anyone to frame china and blindly spread rumours if they cannot provide evidence. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, said there had been earlier

warnings of cyber espionage. last week cybersecurity officials the uk and the us issued an alert warning that hackers were using a technique known as password spraying in an attempt to gain access to data that was being developed by pharmaceutical companies, healthcare bodies and medical research organisations. what that alert didn't do was it didn't specify which country was behind these hacking attempts. well, now the fbi and us department homeland security have come out and nailed the blame firmly at the door of china, saying it is attempting to gain information about testing, about the development of a vaccine and the development of treatments for the coronavirus. and that alert today called that a significant threat

to america's response to the coronavirus. the alert also urged medical research and medical pharmaceutical companies to be on the lookout for this sort of hacking attempt and to make appropriate measures to safeguard their security systems. david, i guess we would all hope at a time of a global threat to humanity, countries around the world might be cooperating? instead, we see countries competing for ppe and more competition here? absolutely. and, you know, over the past few years the united states has increasingly accused china of doing this sort of cyberspace espionage, if you like. the us has gone as far as to assert about $400 billion of intellectual property a year has been lost. this comes at a delicate time, president trump waging this war of words against china,

saying it has been less than transparent about the origin and spread of the coronavirus, making the point he believes based on intelligence estimates that this virus emanated not from a wet market in wuhan, but from a laboratory in the city. and he's also threatened to impose tariffs against china in order to recompense the us for the economic cost of the coronavirus. so this alert today does nothing but ramp up the tensions between these two superpowers. david willis for us there. in the us, the economic fallout from the coronavirus is without modern precedent — according to the chairman of the us federal reserve. he urged congress to spend more money to avoid long—term damage. stocks tumbled on hearing the gloomy forecast. the bbc‘s nada tawfik has more. this time of year, motor coaches would normally be carrying tourists to take in dc‘s top attractions. instead, dozens of empty buses are the focal point in this

rally organised by the industry. with cancelled trips and events affecting employees‘ livelihoods, they want congress to step in with $15 billion in funding. i can tell you that almost every one of these companies is on the brink of going out of business. we have done some research and we know by the end of the year if the same business patterns continued that we have seen — and they are likely to — we could be 25% operational compared to what we would normally be this year. workers in the services industries, many of them low—income, have been especially affected by the coronavirus lockdown. according to a survey by the federal reserve, almost 40% of households making less than $40,000 a year lost a job in march. fed chairjerome powell said the scope and speed of this downturn was "without modern precedent." and he warned that congress may need to provide more money for households and businesses

to avoid a painful recession. additional fiscal support could be costly, but worth it, if it helps avoid long—term damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery. this trade—off is one for our elected representatives who wield powers of taxation and spending. now... the warning is timely. ..yesterday, house democrats unveiled new legislation to combat the coronavirus pandemic. the american people need their government to act strongly, decisively, wisely. democrats have proposed more than $3 trillion in aid, and republicans have openly dismissed the plan, calling it "a partisan wish list." with the memorial day recess approaching, more help for americans before june is increasingly unlikely. the british prime minister borisjohnson has been asked to account for official figures showing 10,000

unexplained deaths in british care homes last month. this report from our political editor laura kuenssberg. were the places that provide homes for the vulnerable and elderly ready for this crisis? are they coping now? some managers fear they're being asked to take too much risk, hospitals requesting that they take in elderly people who have tested positive with the virus. we've refused them, and i know a lot of other homes have refused them. it's very hard to control, so why on earth would they ask us to take people who are positive with the virus in a care home? the government says there isn't the evidence that that's happening on a widespread scale. but the prime minister is facing a simple accusation — the risk to care homes was seen too late. until the 12th of march, the government's own official advice was, and i'm quoting from it, "it remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected." does the prime minister accept that the government was too slow?

it wasn't true that the advice said that and actually, we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown. the advice till mid—march did say it was very unlikely, but number 10 accused keir starmer of quoting it out of context. but is the true agony of care homes known, with so many lives lost? 10,000 additional and unexplained care home deaths this april. so can the prime minister give us the government's views on these unexplained deaths? we are seeing an appreciable and substantial reduction not just in the number of outbreaks, but also in the number of deaths. solving the problem in care homes is going to be absolutely critical. we must fix it, and we will. there is a promise of another £600 million to help in england. why is it that the government can't seem to get a grip on the crisis in care homes? well, i don't underestimate the challenge being faced by residents and staff of care homes. the package of support that we're giving today builds

on the work that we've been doing for many weeks now. there is more that we can do, and our whole focus now needs to be on ensuring that care homes are guided through. as each day passes, though, the disease claims more lives. betty was 95 when she passed away in care in kidderminster. very, very hard. she'd had dementia for 15 years. she'd lived with it. we saw each other every day and suddenly for that to disappear and the guilt for us, really, guilt for me at not being able to see her and support her. her daughter will lay betty to rest tomorrow, just one of so many families changed by this disease, the virus that is altering our country too. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. just moving on for a moment.

government scientists from public health england say an antibody test made by the drug company roche is a very promising development. the test was assessed by phe at its laboratories last week. it looks for antibodies in the bloodstream to see whether an individual has in the past had the coronavirus and has gained some degree of immunity. sources say say its the first such test to offer serious potential — previous antibody tests have proved unreliable. let's get some of the day's other news: chile will impose a total lockdown across the capital, santiago, in response to a spike in the number of coronavirus infections. the new restrictions will come into effect on friday evening. chile has so far managed to keep the disease under control and the authorities were considering partially reopening the economy. but there's now a reported 60% rise in the number of daily cases. lebanon has reimposed its nationwide lockdown after recording a second spike in coronavirus infections. shops, restaurants and hair salons had been given the go—ahead to reopen — but the government now says

they'll have to close again. the efforts to fight the virus have had a crushing impact on the economy, which was in a dire state even before the pandemic. south africa's president cyril ramaphosa says in the coming days the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus will be eased slightly further with more businesses and shops allowed to operate and fewer restrictions on exercise. the country has been the worst—hit on the african continent with over 12,000 confirmed cases and more than 200 deaths. one other main story now. the number of people killed in an attack on a maternity ward in the afghan capital kabul has risen to 24. mothers, newborn babies and nurses were among the victims and at least 16 people were injured. the head of the world health organization has condemned the attack in the strongest terms. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, reports. crying delivered into a world of war. infants who escaped death

in their first hours of life. their mothers shot dead just after giving birth. the doctor said 19 newborns were brought to his hospital by security forces, only two with mothers. babies who also don't have names, known by their mothers. zumira's baby is all alone. the shots rang out on tuesday morning, three gunmen storming the hospital in a poor neighbourhood of kabul. afghan special forces soon flooded the area, carrying guns and babies. today anxious relatives still search for loved ones at this hospital run by doctors without borders. a people who've lived with war all their lives, but not this. unthinkable mayhem in a maternity clinic and a cemetery as well. today they dug new graves for lives also lost on tuesday in a suicide blast at a funeral. victims of the islamic state, but no group said it had attacked the hospital.

the taliban say it was not their work but they have intensified their operations in recent months and the afghan government blamed them, ordering its forces on the offensive again, shattering hope there would soon be peace talks and a ceasefire to fight their common enemy, covid—19. the taliban fighting it in areas they control, while rejecting any truce. and the government battles the virus too, worried a fragile health system will be overwhelmed as the disease spreads. but a vicious war still takes many more lives than the virus. when even babies are targets, fear grows of a war without end. lyse doucet, bbc news.

stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the united nations warns of the devastating toll of the pandemic on the world economy and the poorest people. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the ‘butcher of lyon,‘ klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion,

garry kasparov. it's the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! cheering welcome back. good to have you with us on bbc news. the latest headlines: us security agencies have accused china of trying to steal american research on coronavirus vaccines and treatments. the uk government has rejected claims that it was ‘too slow to protect people' who were exposed to the coronavirus in care homes. the united nations has warned of the devastating toll of the coronavirus pandemic on the world economy which has come to a ‘virtual standstill‘ in the second quarter of 2020. in its world economic situation

and prospects report the un says we‘re facing the "grim reality of a severe recession — the magnitude of which hasn‘t been seen since the great depression". the pandemic is likely to cause an estimated 3a million people to fall below the extreme poverty line this year — the majority of which will be in africa, jumping to 130 million over the next decade. how quickly and effectively the international community will be able to contain the health and socio—economic fallout of the pandemic for the —— will determine how quickly we can return to economic activity. in any event, we must be ready to embrace a new normal in the future. and the path that the global recovery takes will decide whether that new normal can deliver while sustainable development by 2030. the prospects for this get up with each day that the pandemic is not being under control. for more, i‘m joined by senior researcher on poverty and inequality for human rights watch, lena simet, in new york. this is well publicised, it

seems to be well known. what are the chances of addressing it? there's currently a loss being done in attempting to address a lot of the economic fallout we are seeing —— lot. i would like to add to the global poverty numbers —— numbers that you mention. it is estimated that half a billion people, which is 8% of the world‘s population, might be living in poverty. and so in terms of what is currently being done, we are seeing that, especially countries that are facing limitations in terms of the resources that they have, that they are very much struggling to respond to the levels of salvation seeing and the extreme levels of poverty that we are seeing some weight it seems inevitable that people in poverty are more likely to be injobs, if they poverty are more likely to be in jobs, if they are poverty are more likely to be injobs, if they are in poverty are more likely to be in jobs, if they are in jobs at all, that expose them to harm, they are more likely to have underlying health conditions and, ina

underlying health conditions and, in a way, poverty and covid—19 reinforce each other. yes, that is exactly right. so people who lived in poverty before covid—19 were more likely, as you said, have health complications, live in overcrowded housing situations, but also lacked the resources 110w but also lacked the resources now to stay at home for an extended period of time. so u nless extended period of time. so unless governments provide solid safety nets and social protection to everybody, including those working in informal sector job including those working in informal sectorjob and living in informal settlements, people don‘t have an option to stay at home and have to leave their hoses —— houses to make a living. how hopeful are you, realistically that governments will be able to address this, because surely a recession or even a depression, possibly, will only mean more job losses, more cuts to social programmes, higher taxes was yellow yeah, i think this situation is very dire, and they think it‘s important to mention that although these huge amounts of money are being invested in

bailouts and economic relief, it is very frustrating to see that oftentimes corporations are put before people and what we are are put before people and what we a re really are put before people and what we are really urging governments to do is to make sure that the relief that is being provided is reaching those most in need and not ending up with executive director level pay—outs. ending up with executive director level pay-outs. but i think there is somewhat of an opportunity here also to showcase that what we‘re now with covid—19 is these extreme levels of inequality in countries and so what we are hoping is that we can come out of this crisis with a different approach to the economy, but also a different approach of valuing people‘s work, not, for instance, the workers we can —— consider essential and are being praised as those keeping us over being praised as those keeping us over the water, think it‘s really important to consider how do we protect these

workers, not only now in times of the crisis, but also in recovery and also in the future, sort of post covid—19. lena simet of human rights watch, thank you so much. thank you. we mentioned this earlier. a full lockdown is to be reinstated in the capital of chile, santiago, after a surge in cases of covid—19. in the last 2a hours, more than two and a half thousand new infections have been identified. residents have been urged to report anyone not adhering to social distancing, or wearing a mask in public. freya cole reports. inside one of santiago‘s intensive care was to covid—19 patient is hooked up to a ventilator. he is one of hundreds of people in the city in need of urgent care. in the last 2a hours alone there‘s been a 60% increase of new cases in the city. officials say they have no option but to bring back a strict lock down.

translation: the battle for santiago is the crucial battle in the waragainst santiago is the crucial battle in the war against coronavirus. and that is why we have to beg, to plead that all of the necessary measures be taken seriously. from friday, the city of 7 million people will revert back to staying indoors u nless revert back to staying indoors unless it is essential to leave forfood or medical unless it is essential to leave for food or medical supplies. people aged over 75 have been urged to take extra care. translation: we are facing a most serious threat, the greatest health challenge of the last 100 years, and it also means that our health system is extremely end demand and overstressed as a result of this pandemic. the virus has put a sudden halt to widespread anti—government protests in the capital. the social tensions remain unresolved and could worsen as the lockdown continues. we‘ve been talking about the risks of coronavirus to children, which isjust one of the reasons why getting kids

back to school is so fraught. denmark has been leading the way. schools there re—opened a month ago, using social distancing — and a lot of creativity — to keep everyone safe. our europe correspondent gene mackenzie reports. it has been hard to not hug each other. she says you can't hug each other, so you have to hug yourself. keeping kids apart requires some imagination. they‘re not worried about the virus at all. when they came back, we had lots of activities to try to make them not worry, but they didn‘t worry, so we had to give up on that. it wasn‘t needed? not at all. the school‘s been cleverly redrawn so each child only comes into contact with a very small number of children. normally they sit two and two. you have the class of 20 that‘s been cut down to two groups of ten. that‘s why you have the plastic. because those two groups aren‘t allowed to mix? no, exactly. when they are going outside in the breaks, we have

to divide those groups into even smaller groups. so the kids just have four other children that they are allowed to play with and they are only given one part of the playground that they are allowed to be in. my name‘s sky, i‘m seven years old. we keep our distance when we play. you can‘t play catch. what do you play instead? hula—hoop. and there is a lot of this. how many times do you wash your hands a day now? five to six. denmark reopened primary schools very early on. it was feared the infection rate would rise and, initially, it did, but it‘s back down again and, with so many parents in work here, this was a targeted risk. if we have to get the economy moving again, then we need to get the kids back into not only schools, but also daycare, to try to enhance productivity for those forced

still to work at home. it was a challenge to do your job while having him home. it is much more easy for me to concentrate. i have a row of hours where i canjust work. a lot of parents wrote to me that they had some kind of concerns, a few parents that are so concerned that they wouldn‘t let their child come in the first week. after two weeks, they rejoined and it‘s been no problem. actually, it was the kids at home who said, "why can‘t igo?" this, they said, was impossible — children social distancing. now it might not be school as they know it, but they are making it work. a very beautiful danish song, actually. the direct translation is, "when the light returns, it‘s back." the light is back. gene mackenzie, bbc news, denmark.

much more for you on the bbc news website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i‘m @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. hello. wednesday was a pretty decent day for many parts of the british isles. high pressure west of the british isles, providing quite a bit of dry area for many areas. there is the high as we start thursday, still extending that low of high pressure across many areas, but underneath that under overnight, the skies will clear. there will be quite a widespread frost to start the day, it might even be 1—2 records set for the night. a different story north in scotland, the weather front here dragging in a fair amount of cloud, a more noticeable breeze, though breezy still through the channel areas and the southern counties of england. but in between, come the afternoon, there will be variable cloud and decent sunny spells. we are just beginning to take those temperatures up from where they were at the start of the week. overnight, i think we will still import quite a bit of cloud across many areas of the british isles, and if you keep the cloud, that will help to keep temperatures up.

so thursday into friday, notjust as cold, though if you keep the skies clear, again you‘re temperatures really will dribble away. so here we are as far ahead as friday. rather having the northerly that we had on the eastern flank of that high to start the week, now it is more of a westerly breeze with a hint of northerly in it. so that is just helping to give a slightly warmer feel to the days then we started in the week. there‘s still a lot of dry weather, although weather front is plaguing the north and northwest of scotland, so more cloud and rain here. wherever you look on that chart, you will find those temperatures finding a degree or two per day. on into the weekend, forget all about northerly is and north westerlies. it is much more of a south and south—westerly flow around the area of high—pressure there. certainly dominant in the south

of the british isles, but you will notice further north we have weather fronts. so although it turns increasingly mild, it is not all sunshine all the way by any means, and certainly in the sunday we suspect a good part of scotland and northern ireland could see enough cloud for there to be bits and pieces of rain. certainly further south under the influence of high—pressure, a lot of dry weather and things certainly warming up.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

the fbi and the us cybersecurity agency say they‘re investigating digital break—ins — attempts to steal research on vaccines and treatments — by hackers, backed by china, at research institutions and pharmaceutical companies involved in the covid—19 response. the government in the uk has had to defend itself against claims it was too slow to protect people exposed to the coronavirus in care homes. the opposition has asked the prime minister to account for official figures showing 10,000 unexplained deaths last month in care homes in england and wales. the uk is already in the depths of a significant recession according to the chancellor. figures show the economy contracting at the fastest pace since the financial crisis of 2008. rishi sunak told the bbcjust "a few days of impact from the virus" in march pushed the economy into decline. figures for the current quarter are likely to be even more serious.