a very warm welcome to 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 coronavirus in care homes. we'll hear from a doctor about the rare disease, thought to be linked to covid—19, which appears to be affecting children. chile reimposes a strict lockdown in santiago, as 2,500 new case are confirmed in 2a hours.

hello. we're covering all the latest developments here in britain and globally. officials at public health england say an antibody test for coronavirus has been evaluated and ' 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 humanity needs to brace itself for a long battle. this is bbc news. the headlines: qatar airways is to cut about the fbi and the us cybersecurity 20% of its global workforce — agency say they‘re investigating digital break—ins, that's about 9,000 jobs. attempts to steal research on vaccines and treatments like other airlines, by hackers, backed by china, at research institutions and pharmaceutical companies it's seen a huge fall in demand involved in the covid—19 response. for travel because of lockdowns and passenger concerns. the white house has set a target of having 300 million vaccine doses by the end of 2020, the government in the uk has had even though no vaccine has been to defend itself against claims found or approved. it was too slow to protect people first though that claim exposed to the coronavirus from us security agencies in care homes. that china is trying to steal vaccine and treatment data the opposition has asked the prime minister to account from american companies. for official figures showing 10,000 unexplained deaths last month

the fbi is investigating in care homes in england and wales. digital break—ins by cyber activists, linked to china, against american research chile has reimposed a strict institutions and pharmaceutical lockdown in santiago after 2,500 companies involved in new cases were the covid—19 response. confirmed in 2a hours. residents have been urged to report the agencies say intellectual anyone not adhering to social distancing, or wearing property and public health data may be at risk. 0ur north america a mask in public. correspondent, david willis, says 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. 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 have always resolutely oppose and legally combat any forms of cyber attacking and hacking. china has been at the forefront of research in covid—i9 vaccines and treatment. it is unethical for anyone to frame china and blindly spread rumours if they cannot provide evidence. fifteen american states are investigating a mysterious inflammatory condition in children, which may be connected to coronavirus. the symptoms are similar to the kawasaki disease or toxic shock—like syndrome. children in european countries including uk, spain and italy have been treated for the same condition. dr uzma syed is an infectious diseases specialist, in new york. thank you very much for your time. people are alerted to any apparent threat. how much of a

risk is this? it is still a very rare disease? absolutely, it is still very given the numbers but this is a relatively new finding and, given the association with the ongoing pandemic, that we have this hypothesis that it is related to covid—i9 and that is the data driven right now to see if there is a direct link with the patients and the cases we are seeing but, even with the uptake in numbers we are seeing, it is still a rare finding and a low percentage of the paediatric population.“ it is related to covid—i9, what does it tell you? essentially, what we inaudible that we are seeing in paediatric population similarto seeing in paediatric population similar to what we are seeing with adults dealing with covid—i9, a hyper immune response and it is presented with a similar kind of finding

in these subsets of patients. this is when the body's system overrea cts to this is when the body's system overreacts to the presence of the virus. a lot of the symptoms quoted to many parents would sound like people that you see in kids quite often. how do people know it is something that should be reacting to and in a hurry? that is a great question because a lot of the symptoms are common to common viruses stop the key thing here is that children are having fevers that are unrelenting for several days, lethargy, rashes, swollen hands, dry cracked lips and abdominal pain with nausea, heart racing sensation, some shortness of breath but those symptoms of what to watch for. what is the appropriate response from parents? a lot of

people are nervous about going to hospital right now. if you notice any ongoing symptom in your child, you should always seek medical care. thank you so much. absolutely. 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. 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 immunity. sources say say its the first such test to offer serious potential, previous antibody tests have proved unreliable. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: eu travel chiefs plan to revive the bloc‘s tourism industry, that's been hit hard by coronavirus. 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

this is 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. let's return to the warning issued by us intelligence agencies to pharmaseutical companies that cyber actors linked to china have attempted to steal covid—i9 vaccine research. jon bateman is a former cyber security official for the us defense intelligence agency, he's now a scholar for the carnegie endowment for international peace, a foregin policy think tank. thank you for your time. should we ta ke thank you for your time. should we take this at face value? yes, the fbi has a strong record of these cyber attribution which is whatever

we call it when the government identifies the perpetrator of a cyber operation. i was on the inside helping to make these judgements and often the information is quite sound. i will say, in this case, the government is edging slightly by saying this is cyber activity by china affiliated actors which suggest they are actors which suggest they are actors with a relationship with the chinese government but they may not be acting for the chinese government. the government possesses all sorts of intelligence about cyber operations and hacking by foreign states and it is very selective in when it chooses to reveal this information, usually for some policy goal. in this case, it would have been easy to go to the individual companies and institutions targeted and worn them privately. it is likely

them privately. it is likely the decision to release this information is part of the us overall diplomatic information war against china to compete with the narrative over covid—i9 response and who is the leader. a warning to sabotage or to steal data and pa rt sabotage or to steal data and part of the research and gain an advantage? it is very likely this is for theft, not sabotage. if you are a company on the receiving end of hacking, you do not have the luxury of choosing to assume that. you may have to take security measures which may slow down your research. information about covid—i9 vaccines and treatment is probably the most valuable data into the world. it could prevent a country from suffering trillions of dollars of economic damage if that country is able to get this vaccine and help protect its

citizens lives and ultimately choose who was in the world ‘s first in line. you almost a nswer to first in line. you almost answer to this but i was going to a nswer answer to this but i was going to answer whether this breach matters but it matters partly because it would deter companies and individuals from sharing data which is important and it is kind of research? any organisation that has been the victim of a cyber breach is going to have to respond by investigating, shutting down systems, and if these are all things that would make it harder for the researchers to actually do theirjobs. meanwhile, if you are a foreign government and get access to this information, this could be the coup of a generation in terms of being at the head of the line and the initial phases weather is going to be scarce production of the vaccine and the country that has it first will be able to produce it first. thank you so much. one other main story now

and 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 organisation has condemned the attack in the strongest terms , as 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—i9.

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. 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 public health and socio—economic fallout of the pandemic will determine how quickly whether and how soon the world can return to pre—crisis levels of economic activity. in any event, we must now 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 world sustainable development by 2030. the prospects for this get dimmer with each day that the pandemic is not being brought under control. lebanon has re—imposed its nationwide lockdown after recording a second spike in coronavirus infections. shops, restaurants and hair—salons had been given the go ahead to re—open, 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 struck. 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 wards a 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 lockdown. translation: the battle for 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 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 the most serious threat, the greatest health challenge of the last 100 years, and it also means that our health system is extremely in 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. freya cole, bbc news. the european commission has issued new guidelines on tourism and travel for eu member states to follow as they ease the lockdown. a phased approach would begin with allowing in seasonal workers. we‘ll hear from our correspondents in spain and italy injust a moment, but first to brussels and this report by our europe editor katya adler.

an overnight leap from lockdown to european beach party this certainly isn‘t. eu countries are only just beginning to lift their lockdown measures. here in belgium they are opening the shops. next week, the schools. but with strict social distancing measures in place. so what does that mean for our holidays? well, ultimately, each eu country decides for itself when to open its beaches and borders to european visitors. brussels can only advise. today the advice was slowly, slowly. first, open your borders to workers and for goods you need to get your economies going again, then think of tourism. if there‘s enough testing and tracing capacity for covid—19, and if there are strict rules on accommodation, transport, and leisure activities. and if there‘s a second big wave of infection, then travel restrictions could be reimposed. so basically, don‘t pack your summer swimsuit yet. while in brussels they‘re talking about plans for easing travel, here in spain they are moving in the opposite direction. from friday, a new quarantine will be in place for all

arrivals from outside the country. two weeks in isolation. here in madrid, there is a bit more traffic in the centre and some businesses are starting to open, but we‘re under tight restrictions still. around the country, it‘s different. in some regions the easing is going ahead, bars and cafes opening outdoors, people able to gather in groups of up to 10. here, that won‘t happen until tracing systems are in place to identify and shut down any new virus outbreaks. and hotels, well, they can open, but many say they are not going to until those new international arrivals start to happen again. grazie. last week, italy got this essential freedom back — the takeaway espresso. along with reopening parks and allowing family visits, it marked the initial easing of the world‘s longest lockdown. on monday, libraries

and museums reopen and possibly restau ra nts and hairdressers too. they are deciding on that tomorrow. schools are shut until september. it‘s a relief, but it‘s also nerve—racking, as the first western country to be overwhelmed by the virus waits to see if this prompts another spike, especially if italy relaxes the two—week quarantine on entering and follows eu guidelines to ease travel. mark lowen ending that report in italy. and, just a reminder that alongside all the facts and stats about coronavirus our website also has reports and analysis from our correspondents around the globe, including this from our environment correspondent on how the pandemic has disrupted conservation work around the world. that‘s at bbc.com/news. very briefly buber has announced it will spend $50 million on ppe and supplies for its drivers to protect them. getting on monday we are being told both drivers and passengers will be required to wear face coverings. that‘s

passengers will be required to wearface coverings. that‘s it for now, thank you so much for watching. stay as safe as you can. 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, 00:27:59,458 --> 2147483051:50:44,444 a lot of dry weather and things 2147483051:50:44,444 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 certainly warming up.