this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk education secretary warns the longer england's schools are closed, the more children miss out, as the government presses forward with plans to re—open them. the best way of protecting children, the best way of giving them the best opportunities in life, is actually to have them coming back into school. day—trippers are warned to stay away from rural and coastal areas of england this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise. people in italy will be able to travel both internally and in and out of the country from the beginning ofjune, as the country's strict lockdown eases. top—flight football is back in germany. the bundesliga is the first major european football league to restart, with matches taking

place in empty stadiums. and could coronavirus mean a permanent shift in the way we travel, as pedestrians and cyclists get more space for social distancing? hello and welcome to viewers in the uk and around the world. the education secretary for england says the government's approach to re—opening of schools will be cautious, and based on scientific advice, but he warned that the longer schools are closed, the more children miss out. it comes after teaching unions expressed concerns over plans to re—open schools in england from the first ofjune. a further 468 deaths of people who've tested positive for coronavirus in the uk were reported in the last 2a hours,

taking the official number of deaths to 34,466. here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. classrooms now in england, but in just two weeks some children are due to return. the hope — covid cases will have dropped. the education secretary said it is a tentative step. at the press conference i asked how school governors could make the decision. and on that point about the school governors, they are going to be thinking about their legal responsibilities in terms of making each school safe. how are they meant to reconcile that conflicting advice they are getting from you and local councils? what we would ask them to do is look at the guidance very carefully, and recognise the fact that we are there to provide the very best for every single child who goes to that school. the best way of doing that, the best way of protecting children, the best way of giving them the best

opportunities in life, is actually to have them coming back into school. for those trapped in flats, for children vulnerable to hunger or domestic violence, growing concern about their need for school, for a place to learn but also a place of safety. i fear that the best interests of children, which we are all meant to be looking at within this debate, are being overlooked. i've raised the issue of the hundred thousands of vulnerable children which will be carrying risks out of school, they won't be getting access to education, and they may have fragile home environments, and mental health will be suffering. schools are getting ready as best they can — changing classrooms, contacting families. it will be parents‘ choice whether to send pupils. some may need to return to work. teachers say many others remain fearful. so far, out of 28 children

in my class, we have had ten responses saying they will send their children, but a lot of those still have reservations about that, and they have queries they would like answered before they make the choice. teachers unions still have many questions, and government scientists will keep it under review, and a final decision is likely just days before england's schools return, while those in the rest of the uk remain closed. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. the government have insisted they will be led by the science when making decisions, so what does the science say about how children are affetced? lauren moss explains. we've only known about covid—19 for under six months and the science community is still learning about it. one of the big questions to answer is how are children affected. put simply, children seem to catch coronavirus as much as anyone else. the survey by the office for national statistics published this week suggests that one in 400

people in england has coronavirus and that children are also just as likely to test positive as adults, but they don't appear to develop symptoms which are a serious or be as vulnerable to it. in terms of the respiratory illness we've seen in adults we're really not seeing that in children, which of course is great news, and the cases we've had in oxford where we have found coronavirus, it seems to have almost been an incidentalfinding. so if children catch coronavirus, how likely is it, then, that they can carry it and also spread it? any increase in social mixing could lead to an increase in the r number, the rate of transmission. children are super spreaders of diseases like flu, but we just don't know how infectious they could be if they have little or no symptoms. if you have a low infection rate in society, and you have systems in place to test and track

and quarantine, then schools are a very good place to start, because the transmission will be low and you will be able to manage the situation and work out how to open up the rest of society. it's early days as we begin to take steps to emerge from the lockdown. what we learn in the weeks and months ahead will shape what our new normal becomes. lauren moss, bbc news. primary children in denmark have been back at school for a month now. it was the first country in europe to reopen its primary schools, after containing the virus early on. there have been fewer than 550 deaths there so far. many other countries are looking to the nation for a blueprint as to how to reopen schools elsewhere. we can cross live to copenhagen right now to mette rose nielsen, a primary school teacher in the outskirts of copenhagen. thank you very much forjoining us

on bbc news, how have you adapted the way the school works to allow children to come back? yeah, well, i think we have adapted quite well. first of all, there is this dilemma, the balance between safety and the fa ct the balance between safety and the fact that children are children, so you have to allow them to be children, and is being is that we have tried to structure a lot of things and do a great deal of logistics to make it work, and then also to be very aware of the children's well—being, also to be very aware of the child ren‘s well—being, and also to be very aware of the children's well—being, and one of the things that we do to structure the things that we do to structure the day for the children, to prevent them to be too close together, and to prevent the transmission of the disease, if there is any, is, for example, to divide the children into little groups of ten children in one group, and then we have had a pound of this bubble, where the children play with the group in that group.

we have also asked the children to make playgroups at home in the same groups. how difficult is it to get young children to understand the need to keep a party? it is... well, i teach first grade, and in denmark the children are around seven or eight years old, and the parents have prepared the children very well, and from the health authorities, they have also had a video showing them how to wash their hands, so i think the children have done pretty well compared to that age. but of course it is difficult for little children, they want to play football, they want to hug each other, and if a child is crying or if they are nervous, they also need a hug, and you have to give them that. so there is always the balance between the strict guidelines and, i think, the common sense that you

have to exhibit. very difficult to override those instincts, isn't it? but what of the benefits of this, if there are any at all? what are the benefits of operating like this? yeah, well, when we have the children in small groups, what i have seen is that some of the children actually blossom very much from this, because in smaller groups, some of the children feel more safe, so i have seen children play a different kind of games than they used to and be more active, for example in rates than they used to, and another thing is that you can be the more... you can be more concerned with one child at a time in the classroom because there are not so many children to attend to, so not so many children to attend to, so it is easier to help each child, and also there is the possibility of doing even more creative work with the children, and we have done a lot of outdoors teaching, where we have had a good cooperation with the

local youth school. we have been to a little forest during bingo with teaching about insects and all these things, like outdoor teaching. sitting outside in the schoolyard and reading, you can do a lot of things. you have to think more creatively, but it is possible, and because of the small groups, it is easier to be more creative and to have more attention to specific children, and for some children to actually blossom from this.” children, and for some children to actually blossom from this. i am sure you will have given other teachers in parts of europe plenty of ideas with how you have adapted, mette rose, in copenhagen, thank you for joining mette rose, in copenhagen, thank you forjoining us. thank you very much. italy has said people can travel in and out of the country from the third ofjune. 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—i9 since late february, but the infection rate has fallen quickly. in neighbouring austria, lockdown measures are being eased steadily but surely. bethany bell has more. well, yesterday cafes a nd restau ra nts opened after two months of lockdown. people have been out today having pizzas and things like this, it is slow but steady, we are told, so far, people going out to visit. also, some of the border controls between austria and its neighbouring countries, like germany, are beginning to ease. germany is now allowing people who have family on both sides of the borders to cross more easily, and instead of having systematic controls at the borders of germany, austria and switzerland, they are now spot checks instead, although people still have to have a valid reason to visit and cross the border, it is not for tourists to visit yet.

the hope is that if the infection rate remains low, that the borders can be completely opened by the middle ofjune. austria has announced plans to slowly start allowing theatres and arts festivals to slowly ramp up again injune and july and august. but small numbers so far, and we are told that major cultural events, like the salzburg festival, will be taking place in quite a limited way compared to normal, and some festivals are thinking about cancelling completely. these countries need to keep their borders open, for business, to restart the economy, and crucially for tourism. austria is very much dependent on tourists coming from germany in particular, and if they can't move

across the border, it is very bad news for austrian hotels and resorts. at the moment, we're seeing little groups of countries working together to try and figure out a system, we have seen the baltic states also announcing an easing of borders among themselves, but we have not got a europe—wide picture yet, and governments are saying for the moment they will wait and see what happens with the number of infections. in poland, police have used tear gas during clashes with protesters in the capital warsaw. the small group of demonstrators protesting against the restrictions imposed to contain coronavirus. on friday the number of deaths in the country attributed 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 have warned people to stay away from beauty spots and beaches, and many seem to have heeded the warning, as andy gill reports.

in normal times, more than 3 million day visitors come to the dales every year, and it's not hard to see why. the national park and local authorities, though, think it is too early to loosen the coronavirus lockdown. the big fear was that the car park would be full all week, and the river bank was going to be like blackpool when blackpool was busy and open, nobody social distancing. but as it is, we have a slow increase in the amount of people coming, that feel safe to come. but in grassington today, some people were taking advantage of the new guidelines, some travelling from harrogate and leeds. if you follow the guidance and you socially distance, you make sure that you are not touching anything. we have not seen anybody, really, but everyone we have seen has been friendly and kept to a safe distance. we feel fine.

they reopened the car park here so visitors don't park in the centre of the village or on verges, and the idea is that that will reduce contact, and possible infections between tourists and locals. tourism is vitalfor this part of yorkshire, and they do want visitors back here once it is safe. one estimate is that the economy in this part of the yorkshire dales has taken a 30% hit because of the lockdown. but one local pub landlord thinks striking the balance between saving lives and saving livelihoods is the challenge here as everywhere else. andy gill, the yorkshire dales, bbc news. it was a big day for german football fans as borussia dortmund marked the return of the bundesliga with a convincing derby win over schalke. with a round—up of all saturday's games here's gavin ramjaun.

hello there. let's start with the resumption of the german bundesliga. players saw the lighter side of having no fans cheers them on, due to the strict coronavirus measures in place. but borussia dortmund's players still put on a heck of a showing. their rivierderby match against schalke was the highlight of the day's matches. but take a look at this — a strange sight before the game, with no spectators on hand to greet the teams, as they arrived into signal iduna park. security and police were present, though, to make sure coronavirus safety guidelines were carried out. staff and stewards for the match weren't taking any chances either — with sophisticated cleaning equipment to minimise the risk of infection. some of those measures included spraying and cleaning the balls before use. all eyes on the bundesliga right now, being the first major top flight division in europe to restart after a 66—day shutdown. and who else to score the first goal back? erling haaland, the prolific norwegian with his tenth goal in 11 games.

the celebrations with team—mates, though, kept at a distance, as players were instructed not to physically congratulate one another. that the first goal in a 4—0 victory over schalke, keeping dortmund in second place. that win for dortmund means bayern munich lead byjust one point ahead of their game against union berlin on sunday. like all bundesliga teams, their players are staying in quarantine, following rules set up by a german football league task force. they also need to travel in two buses to ensure safe distances between players are maintained.

earlier i spoke to the sporting director of fortuna earlier i spoke to the sporting director of fortu na dusseldorf, earlier i spoke to the sporting director of fortuna dusseldorf, he said the atmosphere was not something to worry about. we are normally a team which is really pushed by the supporters, we have oui’ pushed by the supporters, we have our home games pushed by the supporters, we have oui’ home games are pushed by the supporters, we have our home games are usually [is—54,000, and it is a buzzing, electrifying atmosphere, so obviously that is something what our players are used to, that was missing today, but we knew that before, i think we could prepare our minds before the game that is part would be missing. now, of course, you can ask the big question, is the home advantage there, or is it gone. if we were to have a full stadium, it would be betterfor us, but we are happy to be back, we have to really respect the rules, and i think this is what it is all about, to have a concept and to really live up to have a concept and to really live up to all the rules and regulations. even the social distancing of the substitute players come up with the distance in between and facemasks, it is something which is very unique

and difficult to get used to, but i think, you know, it is part of it now, and we need to deal with it and make the best out of it, but definitely lots of details. how much ofan definitely lots of details. how much of an example did saturday's matches said for other leagues around the world ? said for other leagues around the world? definitely a good one, still four games to go before the match day is concluded, so i think that we now have to think from day to day, and the first one now, the first match day was quite good, it was promising, so if we can keep it up on that level, focusing on all the details, then i think that concept, that example which was set in germany can also be used by lots of other leagues, like in england, spain or italy. that is all the sport for now. you may not be able to watch the eurovision song contest this year due to the pandemic. it was due to be held in the netherlands today.

but the bbc has joined european broadcasters to showcase all 41 songs that would have competed this year. although there will be no winner declared for this year, viewers in the uk have also been asked to vote for their all—time favourite. pauljordan is a eurovision commentator known as dr eurovision. probably nothing that she doesn't know, and look, the jacketjust reeks of eurovision, thank you so much forjoining us! i have got shoes on that would look good on a eurovision set, it has to be said! how disappointed it will people be that eurovision isn't taking place? it has such a huge cult following these days. well, first of all, the jacket, i am getting good use out of it, if you can't wear it on eurovision night, when can you? people were very disappointed, of course, fans devastated, in fact, but i was pragmatic about it. worse things are going on in the world, it is disappointing, but today i woke up is disappointing, but today i woke up with a lump in my throat, it is a

shame, people worked really hard, but great that there is coverage on the bbc tonight, and people are going to have parties regardless. i am having one myself, in isolation of course, and it is once a year, but hopefully next year we will be back. who do you think would have won? iam back. who do you think would have won? i am not normally allowed to express won? i am not normally allowed to ex press a won? i am not normally allowed to express a preference, but the icelandic entry was fantastic, that is where i would have put my money. mine too, and the irony is they have never won, and the one year they would probably have won was this year. hopefully next year, i think the singer is hoping to come back and perform again next year, so fingers crossed they will do the business again. so unpredictable, but not meant to be, the eurovision that never was. we do not know what life will look light in a year's time, will we be able to travel, what will social distancing look like? but why notjust let what will social distancing look like? but why not just let these competitors appear next year

instead ? competitors appear next year instead? so the hard work doesn't go to waste. a lot of the performers will be performing next year, it is up will be performing next year, it is up to the national broadcasters to decide who represents things, but you cannot really have the same songs competing again, because some might have had more airplay, it needs to be an even playing field really, so next year we will potentially have most of these singers coming back, the uk representative wanted to do it again, it is up to the bbc to decide, but hopefully most of them will be back and raring to go. decide, but hopefully most of them will be back and raring to golj didn't realise eurovision is 64 yea rs old didn't realise eurovision is 64 years old now, it was a bit of a joke when i was growing up, a bit more niche, and people do follow it very closely. what other songs that have stuck in your mind, for good and bad reasons? the thing about eurovision is the variety, the diversity, such a different contest every year, but there are classics,

gina g, cliff richard, and even the song volare, that was an italian sandwich didn't actually win, and of course abbott with waterloo, so there have been some great songs in eurovision. —— abba. there have been dreadful ones, but that is the unique thing about it, there is nothing like it, and that is why it has continued for more than 60 yea rs. has continued for more than 60 years. and some of the commentary over the top of the programme is some of the best broadcasting you will ever hear. pauljordan, dr eurovision, have a wonderful evening, no doubt connecting with many other eurovision fans, thank you for talking to us. thank you. with public transport taken out of service in many towns and cities around the world, there's more of a focus on alternative ways to get around. parts of the uk have implemented measures help ensure that pedestrians and cyclists get more space for social distancing.

the changes are temporary but could signal a permanent shift in the way we travel, as our chief environment correspondentjustin rowlatt reports. deansgate, the main road through manchester, is changing. today, barriers and trees closed a key stretch to traffic. elsewhere, new walkways and pop—up bike lanes are appearing. we want to see change across the city, and we want people to walk and cycle more, but we want to do that in a safe way. and it isn'tjust manchester. this week pop—up cycle lanes opened in glasgow, leicester, york and brighton, and dozens more towns and cities have similar plans. london is closing some of its busiest streets to create what it claims will be the largest car—free area in any city in the world. most of these measures are presented as temporary, providing social—distancing space. but often the aim is to make them permanent which is why some motorists are describing this as a one—off land grab, conducted under the cover of covid and designed to create new facts on the ground.

what is worrying about this is that it feels anti—motorist, anti—cars, anti—lorry, and yet all those methods of transport are essential for economic recovery, and for the things we need in britain, so don't punish one group at the expense of the other. commentator: boardman is going to blow the world record out of the stadium! olympic gold—winning cyclist chris boardman says making these changes in our cities is about more than just finding new ways to get to work. we have stopped talking about a climate crisis and pollution and dirty air, but all of those crises are still here, and if you really want to protect the nhs as well as clapping for them, we can actually make ourselves a healthier nation. people certainly seem to be voting with their feet and their wheels, and ken foster says his bike shop in manchester is the busiest it's been since his grandad opened it almost 70 years ago. what about when it's raining? there's no such thing

as bad weather. only inappropriate clothing! so, as ken would say, get on your bike. justin rowlatt, bbc news, manchester. 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 parkinson's. 19 people have been arrested at a protest in london's hyde park against the lockdown. police say ten fixed—penalty notices were issued. several hundred people gathered, saying they object to their rights of movement and free speech being restricted

by the government's measures to limit the spread after flyers were shared on social media. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. temperatures are set to climb over the next few days, a lot of dry weather as well, but there is a chance of rain the further north and west you are across the uk, and actually we will see some rain across parts of scotland and northern ireland through tonight, some rain across the far north, and also these outbreaks of rain pushing in from the west. i think as cloud amounts increase, parts of northern england, north wales, north midlands could just see the odd spot of drizzle. further south and east, some clear breaks, one or two places in south—east england could to 3—4 degrees. for the vast majority, it is frost free into tomorrow morning. and then for tomorrow, the further south you are, a lot of dry weather, some hazy sunshine, outbreaks of patchy rain across the northern half of the uk, will tend to ease for a time, but then wet weather likely return to northern ireland and western scotland later on. temperatures here around 15 degrees, but further south and east, warmer than today, highs of 20, temperatures climbing

in the south as we head towards the middle of the coming week, but there will be some rain at times across the north of the uk.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the uk education secretary warns the longer england's schools are closed, the more children miss out — as the government presses forward with plans to re—open them. day—trippers are warned to stay away from rural and coastal areas of england this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise. people in italy will be able to travel both internally — and in and out of the country — from the beginning ofjune — as the country's strict lockdown eases. top flight football is back in germany — the bundesliga is the first major european football league to restart — with matches taking place in empty stadiums.

and could coronavirus mean a permanent shift in the way we travel, as pedestrians and cyclists get more space for social distancing? 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 russia great again? it stretched from the pacific ocean to the fringes of western europe. the soviet empire seemed invincible. but in 1989 the iron curtain was swept away and i saw a superpower crumble. the soviet empire falling apart piece by piece. today's russia wants to forget about 1989.