this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the children's commissioner for england calls for teaching unions and the government to ‘stop squabbling' over plans for primary school pupils to return to the classroom. ifear i fear that actually the best interests of children, which is what we are all meant to be looking out within this debate, are being overlooked. despite looser travel restrictions in england — a warning to day—trippers not to visit rural and coastal areas this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise as one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns begins to ease, people in italy will be able to travel both internally, and in and out of the country, from the beginning ofjune.

us democrats back a new $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, but republican senators and president trump say they'll oppose it. the german bundesliga is back — it'll be the first major european football league to restart later, with matches held in empty stadiums. and, could sniffer dogs be trained to detect coronavirus? a new government—backed trial begins in the uk. hello and welcome, you are watching bbc news. the latest on the

coronavirus outbreak in the uk and around the world. the uk government and teachers unions should "stop squabbling" and agree a plan to reopen schools in england safely. that is the message from the children's commissioner for england, who says disadvantaged children are losing out from schools being closed for so long. teachers leaders met the government ‘s scientific advisers yesterday to seek assurances over safety, but have not yet agreed on how schools should open. the government has set out plans to begin a phased reopening of primary schools in england from june one. the public is being urged to think twice before heading to beaches in england, and country parks this weekend. that is despite the easing of lockdown rules. local councils are warning people to stay away from beauty spots and beaches, over concerns that a surge of visitors will lead to an increase in

infection. ina in a major step to reopen its economy, italy has announced plans to lift its strict travel restrictions. from the 3rd ofjune, travel will be allowed to and from the country, as well as between regions. football fa ns regions. football fans in germany and around the world are eagerly awaiting the resumption of the bundesliga, the first top—flight european league to restart since coronavirus forced the suspension of play across the continent. all the games will be played behind closed doors. and, in the us, the democrat led house of representatives has passed a$3 house of representatives has passed a $3 trillion stimulus package to help americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic. but it is unlikely to be approved in the republican—controlled senate. pupils returning to school in france. in england, a staggered plan to do the same from earlyjune in primary schools — but, amid disagreement, the woman appointed by government to stand up for children says it's time to stop

squabbling. positions have really become entrenched and i fear that the best interests of children, which is what we're all meant to be looking at in this debate, are being overlooked. i've raised the issue of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children that will be carrying risks out of school. they will not be getting access to education, they may have fragile home environments, and mental health will be suffering. she says opening things up again is sensible, and has called on the unions and government to find a way forward, based on testing and controlling the risk. but parents will also be weighing up the situation. i'm not waving a flag, saying, let's go back to school and put 30 children in a class and have it as a normal school day. i think there needs to be some kind of schooling, in terms of some kind of non—physical contact at school. the government insists it's giving all the guidance schools need. safety measures include staggered breaks, smaller class sizes, no mixing between groups, but the unions say more information is

needed. we are calling on the government to set up a task force with the education unions to plan a safe way of going back to school. we want to get back. we have set out five tests which we think are meetable. the government could meet them. parents will not be fined if they don't send their children back, so what will families decide to do? out of 28 children in my class, we have had ten responses so far saying they will send their children but a lot of those parents still have reservations and queries they want answered before making that choice. the government says its plan is conditional on the scientific data, but it could also be conditional on how unions, teachers, parents and local authorities choose to act. jessica parker, bbc news. it's the first weekend since some lockdown restrictions were eased in england, with members of the public now

allowed out for unlimited exercise. local councils are warning people to stay away from beauty spots and beaches, over concerns that a surge of visitors will lead to an increase in infection. the beauty and tranquillity of places like the peak district will bea places like the peak district will be a temptation for people in england to head for, this is the first weekend since the easing of lockdown restrictions. as long as they don't travel to wales, scotland oi’ they don't travel to wales, scotland or northern ireland, they are free to go as far as they like to enjoy the outdoors. but many councils and visitor attraction bosses have a different message. if you do go out this weekend, stay local. we have had seven weeks of lockdown, so people want to turn to the sanctuary of our great national parks and a connection with nature. that's why i'm asking people first of all consider keeping it local, and if you do come here, be self result ——

self—reliant. be flexible. if you come to a car park and it is full, don't park in the villages or on the road sides because that will impact oui’ road sides because that will impact our local communities and emergency services. there is particular concern in cumbria and the lake district, where infection rates are amongst the highest in england. the message to day—trippers wanting to head there is stay away for now to protect the local community. other parts of england are also warning visitors away. in cornwall and devon they are asking people to avoid their beaches and beauty spots. it isa similar their beaches and beauty spots. it is a similar message from blackpool, and there won't be any lifeguards on any beaches across the country. in london, the police are reminding people that gatherings are still not permitted. make sure you are only meeting up with one other person from another household, and certainly not together in groups of more than two people. we will have police officers out and about and we

will be engaging with people throughout the day, but please be sensible and stay safe. as people enjoy the relaxation of rules in england this weekend, they are being reminded to use common sense to maintain social distancing and to think twice before heading out on long journeys. andy gill is in grassington in north yorkshire. we were hearing those messages, but how busy is it where you are? well, there has been a steady increase in visitors here throughout this morning and the early afternoon and the car park here is perhaps not as busy as some local people feared it might be. we have been speaking to some locals and some say that visitors should not be coming, and another gentleman said they have to come some time. one family had travelled here from harrogate about 20 miles away. they came because they think it is safe. the

local authority in the notre del seattle park —— yorkshire dales national park —— yorkshire dales national park would preferred the government to foster things. you were concerned that a lot more people might come. yes, i think the weather is helping, but tomorrow the forecast looks better and, you know, there could be a risk of getting a lot of people here. you wanted the lockdown to be relaxed in another fortnight. why? getting ready, making sure blick toilets are available, all these sorts of things. giving us time to get back open and ready to go. i am not a scientist, but the signs are saying that we are ready to go, so they have opened the car parks. the car parks are open so that people don't park in the centre of the village because you don't want

visitors and locals to mix together. not really that, but there is a car parking and people parking outside our houses is never good. it is important though that eventually for the economy here, that you do get people coming back, isn't it? very much so. we rely on the visitor industry. we are looking at a 30% drop in money into the area in the next 12 months, and a lot of that is down to visitors. as soon as we can get them back safely, and the businesses back open and serving them, the better. what other local businesses are saying to you about the practical effect that is having on them and whether they can survive, or not? they need some summer this year survive, or not? they need some summerthis yearand if survive, or not? they need some summer this year and if they go through another winter they will lose some businesses here. the government help has been massive and will take them a bit further, but as it stands at the moment,

it won't ta ke it stands at the moment, it won't take them through another winter. so, from north yorkshire, back to you. thank you. italy has said people can travel in and out of the country from the june 3rd. it's a significant change in a nation that imposed one of the world's most rigid coronavirus lockdowns, and suffered significant loss of life. more than 31,000 italians have died of covid—19 since late february, but the infection rate has fallen quickly. our reporter freya cole has more. italy is opening up. preparations are under way to welcome people back to the mediterranean for the start of the european summer. but there is still a lot of uncertainty. translation: with the measures that will be imposed, according to rumours, because we still do not know what they will be, we risk having 30—35% fewer umbrellas. tourist operators are planning

as much as they can. everything could change if there is a second wave of infection. but from june the 3rd, the government plans to reinstate free movement around the country. holidays will be allowed, and encouraged. translation: in two months, we have only had two overnight stays. this gives you an idea of the situation. the newly published government decree also reveals plans to open italy's borders. but it is unclear what restrictions will be put on international travellers. already at airports in rome, thorough cleaning is taking place, as well as temperature checks at customs. it is a gradual process. from monday, beauty salons, shops and restaurants are allowed to open, but business looks very different. tables must be two metres apart, and there is more cleaning than ever

before. translation: the challenge is huge, so big it is hard to quantify, and most of all, there is uncertainty. but we are used to working hard, rolling up our sleeves, and providing the best for our customers. italians have waited more than two months to share their love of food with others, but the new era will come with new traditions. marina lalli is the president of italy's tourism federation. my colleague shaun spoke to her a little earlier to ask how she felt about the easing. this is wonderful news. this is the type of news that we were waiting and hoping for. we have been preparing for this moment all these past weeks, and therefore we are extremely happy with the decision. how different with the tourism

experience have to be in visiting italy because of rules on things like social distancing, requirements to space people out on transport, limits on the number of people who can sit in a restaurant at the same time. what impact is that going to have, do you think? well, it is going to be a different way of travelling, that's for sure. but we have to live with this virus, and therefore we have to make adjustments, that's exactly what all the companies working in the tourism industries are doing, just working through their standard procedures in order to adjust to the measurements that are necessary to welcome visitors. what sort of measure have you been able to make, what sort of assessment has been done to the industry by the lockdown? these are months where in italy, at least, you would already have experienced quite a significant number of travellers in the run—up to the summer season.

0f in the run—up to the summer season. of course, this is going to be, it has had a huge impact on our economy, and i am sure with the measures that we are going to take, the impact is going to be strong, meaning that the social distancing will allow companies to host many less people than we are used to, and the same on other means of transportation, buses, aeroplanes and everything. so it is going to be and everything. so it is going to be a very big impact and damaging impact on the economy. let's turn to greece now, where beaches are beginning to re—open from today for locals as lockdown measures begin to ease across the country. the country went into lockdown six weeks ago after the first coronavirus related death was recorded.

social distancing measures have been put in place on the beaches, and greece's prime minister kyriakos mitsotakis has said that he hopes international flights could resume from 1stjuly. dimitris moraitis is the owner of the moraitis beach resort in athens, and he spoke to us earlier. it is an unusually hot day, it is close to a0 degrees. people are on the beach. it is very nice for swimming, as you can see. it is very nice. there are quite strict rules, aren't there? how have your team been applying these? look, we follow the rules. we don't use our umbrellas yet, but people have brought their umbrellas. people follow the rules and we have very good results now. there were reports

that people were queueing very early this morning to get onto the beaches because they wanted to make sure they will get a space. presumably, as we can see behind you, it is nothing like as busy as it would normally be allowed to be. yes, as you know we are very lucky because here in greece we have a lot of kilometres of beach, and there is no problem, we can keep our distance very easily. this beach is a marathon, it is exactly the position of the marathon battle, and now we have had another battle with the coronavirus. and now we wind. you wind. it is great news that you have one. how important is it going to be for you to get visitors back during the summer, and i raise the question because the british, for example, have said that anyone who leaves the country this summer will have to quarantine in britain for two weeks after they come back, and for families particular, who love going to greece and love going to

the islands, it is a big price to pay if they come for their two—week summer holiday and have to stay at home for another two weeks. are you worried it might put them off? for sure, we lose may and june, but we hopejuly there will be better results, and thenit there will be better results, and then it will not be so strict. you can travel with the plane. if you come with good health, you will leave with good health. it is very safe. the story there from athens. switzerland, germany, and austria are starting to relax border restrictions this weekend. along with france, they are hoping to fully reopen later injune. from today, friends and family members divided by the border closures will be able to meet again. but tourists and shoppers are still barred from crossing the frontiers.

the four countries, all members of the schengen open—border zone, shut their borders in march in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus. after weeks of misery for football fans, top flight action returns in europe within the next hour when the german bundesliga resumes. games will be played in empty stadia, with modest goal celebrations and players not shaking hands after the final whistle. officials from other european countries will be watching closely to see if things go smoothly. the bundesliga had been mothballed for two months. at the time of its suspension bayern munich lead the league by four points. resuming the english premier league has been fraught with disagreement, particularly over the idea of neutral stadiums and whether relegation should be abolished. a resumption next month seems likely though. spain's la liga could also restart next month. league officials are waiting for guidance from the government.

italy's top flight, serie a, was suspended with juventus leading by a single point. clubs have agreed they want the league to resume on the 13th ofjune. our correspondentjenny hill is in dortmund, where borussia dortmund resume their domestic campaign shortly. not a notafan not a fan in sight because they are not allowed into the stadium for these so called ghost games. they will be no cheering echoing around the arena, no fans coming through the arena, no fans coming through the turnstiles. interestingly, polls suggest that actually the majority of germans were not really in favour of germans were not really in favour of the bundesliga resuming so soon, which is astonishing in such a footballing nation. it is going to be very different, the rest of this season. very different for the players, who will be playing in empty stadium. there are questions about their match fitness. they have just had a two enforced

break from pretty much all training. very different for teams as well, expected to quarantine for a week before they play the match, expected to stick to social distancing rules. there are big questions about whether the season might not have to be broken off again, already players and staff at some clubs have tested positive and others have been seen breaking social distancing regulations. one coach had to stand down temporarily because he nipped out to buy a tube of toothpaste. that was jenny hill a little earlier. i want to take you live now to dortmund to look again at the stadium there. kick—off is in less than ten minutes. normally you would expect crowds of people inside, and indeed outside the stadium. this is the biggest football stadium in germany. a big fixture like the fixture ahead could attract a crowd

of up to 80,000, i think the capacity is 82,000. as you can see, deserted, apart from a view of security guards and stewards. the game, of course, is being broadcast toa game, of course, is being broadcast to a large audience around the world, but supporters are shut out of what the germans are calling these ghost games. so, what's the future for large—scale events? will large—scale music festivals, and other major sporting events ever be the same again? we'll be putting your questions to two guests working in the events industryjust after a o'clock gmt. get in touch with the hashtag #bbcyourquestions on twitter, or you can email yourquestions@bbc. co. uk. a leading medical expert has told the bbc that nearly a third of patients who are severely ill with coronavirus are also developing dangerous blood clots.

scientists believe the clots, which lead to more heart attacks and strokes, are contributing significantly to the number of people dying, as our health correspondent, richard galpin reports. here in the laboratories of king's college hospital in london, staff test blood samples from patients with coronavirus to see how the virus changing their blood. and in particular, how sticky it has become, because sticky blood means a risk of blood clots, also known as thrombosis. i was taken around the laboratory by professor roopen arya, a specialist in the field. and also, the airways are a bit squiggly... he showed me a scan of the lungs of a patient seriously ill with pneumonia due to coronavirus. highlighted on the second screen, blood clots. the result of severe inflammation in the lungs

activating blood clotting, or fragments of clots getting into the lungs from other parts of the body. thrombosis is a major problem, but clearly, in severely affected covid patients in critical care where some of the most recent studies show that almost half the patients have pulmonary embolism or blood clot on the lungs. 71—year—old artist brian mcclure was rushed to hospital last month with coronavirus. now recovering back home, he told me how doctors had discovered he had medical problem. i went for a long screening, and that showed i had blood clots in the lungs, and that that was very, very dangerous, and that is when i really started to get worried, because i wasn't improving. beverly hunt, medical director of the charity thrombosis uk, says the sticky blood which coronavirus patients are developing is notjust

causing blood clots. we also have higher rates of heart attacks and strokes when you have got such sticky blood as you have with covid, so, yes, the sticky blood is contributing to a higher mortality with covid. doctors are treating covid patients who have blood clots with blood thinners. but it doesn't always work, and high doses can lead to patients bleeding. global trials are now taking place to find the best way of treating this latest medical condition caused by the virus. scientists in britain have begun a trial of sniffer dogs to see if they can be trained to detect the presence of coronavirus before symptoms appear. the clinical trial is being boosted by £500,000 of investment from the uk

government, with the hope that if the scheme works, each dog would be able to screen around 250 people an hour. dogs are already able to sniff out diseases such as cancer, malaria and parkinsons. professorjames logan is one of those working on the trial. eurovision has been called off due to coronavirus for the first time in its 6a—year—history. instead the bbc will be broadcasting a special night of programmes to celebrate the competition. daniel rosney‘s report contains some flashing images. # she got me dirty dancin'...# it's one of the most watched live events in the world. after coming last in 2019, the united kingdom was hoping to turn a corner with this year's entrant. # if we were deep sea divers...# for eurovision fans, no other event even comes close, and fans around

the world were devastated. i was absolutely gutted, like, it broke my heart. but i know that it had to be done. to be honest, i'm gutted that eurovision is cancelled this year. at the time, i was in shock, because i really did think that they'd choose an alternative, like having no audience, but they did say it's not in the spirit of the contest, and i can respect that. to help them, the artists began performing online concerts. # in my head it's taking over...# and tonight, under normal circumstances, presenters would be in rooms like this across europe and beyond, giving some subtle hints as to where they are, delivering points to the artists, who would have performed in front of 200 million viewers around the world. 12 points from the united kingdom jury vote goes to... north macedonia. but, for the first time in its 6a—year history, the song contest was cancelled. there will be no competition, meaning there is no winner and,

for some of the artists taking part, they won't get this opportunity again. # ah, ah—ah, ah—ah, the crazy things i do...# even though it was a short fairy tale, it was amazing because of the fans, because of the support, and i think that's the most beautiful thing about eurovision — it's the whole community of it. the songs will instead be shown in a special show put on by eurovision bosses tonight, live from the netherlands but, for many, it's unlikely that it will be able to truly fill the void left by the event being cancelled. # we're moving mountains...# daniel rosney, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz shafernaker. hello. it has been fairly pleasant for most of us. it has been a bit cloudier across northern areas, certainly scotland and northern

ireland, and still the chance of a bit of rain through the course of saturday. to the south and east, the weather is better, and by the end of the afternoon or early evening, temperatures will still be around 16 celsius in london and the midlands, but cooler in glasgow, only 13 with that cloud cover. tonight, the south—westerly winds will push and more cloud and there will be some damp weather in belfast and the western isles of scotland, but much of england, particularly the south and east, is going to be dry. a very mild night, temperatures down to 7-10dc. mild night, temperatures down to 7—10dc. tomorrow, the cloud is to weather in scotland and northern ireland, at times there will be some rain. further east and south it is looking good, and temperatures are on the rise, up to 20 in london.

hello this is bbc news with rebecca jones. the headlines.

the children's commissioner for england calls for teaching unions and the government to stop squabbling over plans for primary school pupils to return to the classroom. despite looser travel restrictions in england — a warning to day—trippers not to visit rural and coastal areas this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise. people in italy will be able to travel in and out of the country and internally from the beginning ofjune — as the government moves to ease one of the world's strictest lockdowns. and germany's top football teams are about to restart their season in empty stadiums. the bundesliga is the first major european league to resume play during the pandemic. now on bbc news, steve rosenberg explores how moscow views the tumultuous events of 1989 and looks into whether the coronavirus pandemic thwarts vladimir putin's bid to make