hello, good afternoon. the cabinet office minister, michael gove, has insisted the government is confident that teachers and students will be safe, if a phased reopening of english schools begins next month. mr gove has been defending the government's plan to gradually re—start lessons in england next month with social distancing measures following criticism from teaching unions. labour has urged the government to publish the scientific advice guiding the proposals. our policical correspondent jessica parker reports. pupils returning

to school in france. lots of hand washing, small groups kept apart, being taught by one teacher. it is a model the government has followed closely but isa government has followed closely but is a staggered return for primary schools in england safe? the truth is you can't absolutely guarantee teachers won't catch coronavirus and yet you need schools to reopen, that is the truth. none of us, none of us can guarantee that anyone will be entirely free unless effectively they are perpetually imprisoned in their own home. and, therefore, what we need to do is to make sure that people are as safe as possible, and in any widespread understanding of the word, schooling for a limited numberof the word, schooling for a limited number of children with social distancing is a safe environment. one, too that you can't keep schools and the economy locked up forever but some councils like liverpool and

hartlepool say early june is but some councils like liverpool and hartlepool say earlyjune is too soon to reopen the gates. so could some areas do things differently? there was a lack of consultation about that 1st of june there was a lack of consultation about that 1st ofjune date and it isa about that 1st ofjune date and it is a little inflexible to say it must happen by then because there are different issues in different places. again, listen to people locally, work with them and i think we can find the solution but i think it is the way that is being done thatis it is the way that is being done that is creating that kind of reaction, particularly in the north, where the infection remains high. labour wants more information on the science underpinning the plans and says ministers must deliver on a schools testing programme but while children appear to be at low risk of becoming ill from coronavirus, how much do they carry it? what we have seenin much do they carry it? what we have seen in countries where schools have remained open is that there have not been big outbreaks in schools and where there have been it has been associated with events where a lot of people gather, not in regular

classrooms, and often associated with an adult who has had the infection and who has spread it. keeping their distance in denmark, the plan for england is conditional on the science. schools in wales went reopen on june on the science. schools in wales went reopen onjune the ist and might not restart at all before the summer might not restart at all before the summer in scotland and northern ireland. but in england two weeks until more children could be back behind a desk. well, there are concerns among parents and teachers about the risks posed to children by coronavirus. our science correspondent pallab ghosh joins us. pallab, what do scientists know about the affects of covid—i9 on children at present? there is a great deal of clinical evidence which shows that children tend not to become severely ill from covid—i9 and we have had evidence just this week which suggests they might bejust just this week which suggests they might be just as likely to get the virus as adults. the critical question is how likely they are to spread it. now, as we heard in jessica's report, schools which have

reopened in other countries haven't become infection hotspots but it is early days and there's not enough data to give definitive reassurances that children don't pass on the virus. those risks, which might turn out to be low, have been balanced against the known risks of children falling behind in their development from not going to school, physically those from poorer backgrounds. palla b those from poorer backgrounds. pallab ghosh, our science correspondent, thank you. people are still being urged to stay away from tourist destinations and follow the lockdown rules for each part of the uk. staff at the lake district national park in cumbria say they found some people trying to camp overnight, and others returning to their second homes — neither of which is allowed under the current lockdown measures in england. our news correspondent andy gill is in the peak district. yes, this is the reservoir at saddleworth, a very popular beauty spot and a couple of days ago the

local police asked people to consider other destinations because shortly after the restrictions were lifted, people flocked here. there was double parking on the roads leading to the reservoir. of course people are allowed to travel to beauty spots but the fear is if so many people come that makes social distancing really difficult. they try to do something about it here. the car park pay machines are suspended so that people are not touching them. the message isn't getting through to some, though. at telford, a rate of 70 people —a rave of 70 people was broken up yesterday. many thanks, andy gill. labour has accused the government of "tragically" letting down care home workers by allowing people to be discharged from hospitals into homes without being tested for covid—i9. the party's deputy leader, angela rayner, said this meant the virus was "seeded into care homes". the cabinet office minister, michael gove, said there were "big lessons" to be learned, but insisted the government had ta ken "significa nt steps"

to improve the situation. mps have said leaders of the hs2 high—speed rail project have been "blindsided by contact with reality". in a report by the public accounts committee, mps have accused hs2 and the department for transport of lacking transparency and undermining public confidence. the committee says the project is "badly off course" and urged the government to regularly update parliament with "accurate" information. the afghan president, ashraf ghani, and his rival, abdullah abdullah, have signed a power—sharing deal. it's intended to end months of arguments following last year's disputed presidential election. the power—sharing agreement is seen as a key step ahead of the expected peace talks with the taliban. under the deal, mr ghani will remain as president and both men will choose an equal number of cabinet ministers. in south africa, no—one has been able to buy alcohol

or cigarettes for the last seven weeks as part of lockdown restrictions. health experts say the measures have helped reduce crime and injuries, allowing the police and hospitals to focus on tackling the virus. but critics argue that the booze ban is playing into the hands of criminal gangs, and damaging the fragile economy. 0ur africa correspondent andrew harding reports from johannesburg. patrolling the dark streets of johannesburg, south african police trying to enforce much more than just the lockdown. they've spotted a woman with something in her hand. could she be selling cigarettes? she's bundled into the van. the sale of cigarettes and alcohol is now strictly prohibited here. well, this is how south africa's new prohibition is being enforced. the police on the street at night, seeking out anybody dealing

or carrying alcohol or cigarettes. it is a deeply controversial part of this country's lockdown. the south african government says its prohibition is working and by restricting alcohol, they're reducing public violence and keeping hospital beds free for coronavirus patients. but the ban is also fuelling organised crime. these schoolchildren are now selling contraband cigarettes on behalf of powerful gangsters. these people are quite scary, are they? yes, they are very scary. they are carrying guns around. they can't trust anyone. do you feel ashamed of doing this criminal activity or do you think this is a stupid law? ifeel ashamed. it's not 0k. you'd rather have a properjob? exactly. as for bootlegging, it seems like everyone's at it now. kitchen gin being distilled for sale in the suburbs. and home—brewed pineapple beer,

the only source of income now for a mother of three, who lost herjob because of the lockdown. what would happen to you if you were caught? if they catch me, they can put me injail. are you afraid of that? yes, i'm afraid because my kids, who will look after my kids? and those who are not breaking the new law are in danger of going out of business. in the stunning winelands around cape town, dozens of vineyards are going bust, and thousands of workers losing theirjobs. and then there is this, seven million litres of beer are being poured down the drain to clear a nation's clogged breweries, another unintended consequence of south africa's divisive coronavirus prohibition. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg.

that's all from us. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with me, ben brown. the italian prime minister, giuseppe conte, has admitted that his country is taking a calculated risk by rolling back lockdown measures from next week. the country's daily death toll from covid—i9 has now fallen to its lowest since the 9th of march. mr conte said that there could be another rise, but the country could not afford to wait any longer. donna larsen reports. italy's wait is almost over. from monday, day—to—day freedoms will slowly resume, and by 3rd june, there will be even greater movement, such as domestic and international travel. but the process comes

with a warning. translation: we are facing a calculated risk. to put it frankly, we know the contagion curve may rise again. preparations are taking place across the entire country. beauty salons and shops can resume trade on monday. gyms and swimming pools will open on 25th may. cinemas and theatres will follow in mid—june. but measures must be taken to make sure people are kept as safe as possible. translation: we must accept the risk, otherwise we will never be able to start again. we should wait until a vaccine is discovered and distributed, but we can't afford this. italy has suffered immensely during the coronavirus pandemic. more than 31,000 lives have been lost — the third—highest total in the world.

the rate of new infections has now dropped, providing a pathway to start opening up the country. the world's largest church is also opening on monday, after a weekend of deep cleaning. a diluted chlorine solution was used to protect the 16th century marble. worshippers will be welcomed back to st peter's basilica, but numbers will be reduced as the church adapts to a new way of life. donna larsen, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the daily death toll from coronavirus in spain has dropped below 100 for the first time in two months. according to the nation's health ministry, 87 people died on sunday. that brings the total number of deaths in the country to 27,650 people. officials in russia have recorded 9,709 new coronavirus cases in the past 2a hours. that's a rise of more than 500 cases

compared to the previous day. earlier this week, millions of workers returned to factories and building sites after the government loosened lockdown rules. officials figures from brazil suggest that the country now has the fourth largest number of confirmed coronovirus cases in the world behind the us, russia and britain. brazil recorded over 14,000 new cases in 2a hours. more than 15,000 brazilians have died. the government in chile has imposed stricter lockdown conditions in the capital, santiago, after a reported 60% spike in the number of coronavirus cases in a single day. residents will only be allowed to leave their homes five times in a week. permits will be required to be issued by the local authorities. nearly 10,000 people from across the uk have now been recruited for the world's largest clinical trial into treatment for coronavirus and the first results could be out next month.

katharine da costa reports. in mid—march, after a week of struggling with fever and flulike symptoms, tim clayden from oxford took a turn for the worse and was rushed into hospital overnight. by that stage my breathing was really difficult, and every breath was deep, deep pain. it wasn't a sore throat, it was a deep pain. tim spent four days on a covid ward and says at times he wasn't sure whether he would pull through. i felt really, really ill, couldn't breathe, and it suddenly came to me that this is how you die. there is no drama, there is no big deal about it. you just stop. that's how bad it felt. you are no longer in control of your body. you can't breathe. there are no proven treatments for covid—19. researchers want to find out whether existing medicines could help tackle the disease and reduce the number of deaths —

something tim wanted to be part of. if i can do my little bit to help make life better for somebody else, hopefully i'm going to benefit out of it as well, but that wasn't the prime reason. this was more about contributing to the research effort. we are testing several treatments suggested by the expert panel that advises the chief medical officer in england... injust nine days, a team at oxford university got their trial off the ground, and in seven weeks, hospitals like thejohn radcliffe have enrolled nearly 10,000 patients, including children and pregnant women. it's very easy, and the trial is very simple, and we are really grateful for all the patients that take part in the trials, because they are helping us in developing evidence to inform future treatments. those who volunteer are given one of five existing drugs used for conditions including hiv and malaria. a sixth treatment, convalescent

plasma, which contains antibodies from recovered patients, is expected to be added in the next couple of weeks. the first thing to say is we're not expecting a single magic bullet, but we are hoping for a series of drugs that might make modest differences but, by goodness, really important differences. if i had to predict, i think perhaps the first results might come out towards the back end ofjune, but a lot does depend on whether the epidemic fades a little over the coming weeks, which of course we all hope, and also whether recruitment to the trial continues to be as impressive as it has been over the last month or so. experts think a second wave is possible at some point later this year. the results of this trial will help future patients battling covid—19. katherine da costa, bbc news, in oxford. in the last few weeks, we've seen all too clearly that while covid—19 can infect anyone, being poor increases the risk of catching it. so, you might think that the developing nations of the caribbean are more vulnerable

to the disease than other, richer parts of the world. in fact, the death toll there has been miniscule compared to europe, asia and north america, with just 84 fatalities across 20 nations. our cuba correspondent will grant reports. the cuban government hasn't changed its message from the start. "don't leave home unless it's strictly necessary," says this doctor in a village outside havana, and lists the symptoms of coronavirus one more time. they also do shoe leather epidemiology, two—person teams of medics going door—to—door with a clipboard. the survey helps the authorities map the state of health of the town and anyone showing symptoms of covid—19 is closely monitored. it's largely worked. cuba had no coronavirus fatalities on one day last week. and it's been a similar success story across the caribbean. most island nations locked down early to ensure the outbreak stayed within the capacity

of their healthcare systems. when the first cases came, the leaders acted very decisively, so, by and large, responded within a week or two of each other with lockdowns. almost in all cases before the first death and in some cases before the first case. the caribbean has established protocols for zika and other infectious diseases, and has ten laboratories carrying out extensive testing and contact tracing for coronavirus. and these labs have been doing a fantastic job and turning around results, sometimes within hours, almost always within a day. so you're able to identify persons, you're able to do the contact tracing, so that is the sine qua non for executing a containment strategy and the caribbean was very well prepared. the caribbean is also used to disaster management, like in late 2017 when hurricane irma wreaked

havoc across the region. although coronavirus isn't a hurricane or an earthquake, there were parallels in preparing for it which certainly saved lives. nowhere in the world is as dependent on tourism as the caribbean. it's the region's economic lifeblood and without it, many island nations would go under. but as a cautious, gradual reopening beckons, the region's authorities face a difficult balancing act. talk to me in a month and see if i am just as happy, because coming out of this first wave and also trying to have a foundation for economic viability, while saving life, like i said, is the hardest challenge in my career. the caribbean‘s covid—19 response may have been simple but it's been effective.

with just 84 coronavirus—related deaths in 20 different caribbean nations, the results speak for themselves. will grant, bbc news. relationships can be tough at the best of times, but the restrictions of the last two months have certainly thrown up some new challenges for those seeking romance. from couples separated by self—isolation, to the joys of zoom dating, megan lawton has been hearing some tales of love in the time of coronavirus. pictures are all angelie has of her boyfriend daniel at the moment. they have lived together for years, but angelie is a nurse and daniel is considered vulnerable, so she has had to move out of their home. he is on immunosuppressants for six to seven years now. and as a nurse, i cannotjust stay at home, especially during this covid—19 crisis. i have to stay working because this is the time that we need more nurses. angeli moved out seven weeks ago and she's now living in nurses‘ accommodation. she says it's comfortable

but doesn't have a kitchen, so once a week she returns home to do her washing. it's hard as well because we can't kiss each other or cuddle. also being able to verbalise my concern and feel his arms around me when i am really feeling vulnerable. as much as distance makes the heart grow fonder, for some couples, being locked down has brought them closer together. i should probably say congratulations to you. thank you. thanks. before lockdown, toby had been planning to propose to his girlfriend claire at balmoral castle, but their plans were cancelled, so he decided to do it at home, on the one condition claire learnt to count to ten in italian. it really was the worst proposal, the least romantic proposal anyone has ever had! it was just the most romantic gesture — it really was, i loved it, i really loved it. and it's made lockdown really fun. but how have the past few weeks impacted the world of dating? you might assume it's all come to a halt, but that doesn't

seem to be the case. it's just gone virtual and it seems to be taking off, with some apps reporting a 38% increase in messaging. i think i've done 15 zoom dates. they've all offered some very bizarre vignettes into people's lives, because you learn so much about someone within the space of 15 seconds by how they've framed where they are, what they are wearing and what they've decided to drink. yeah, it's been fascinating. although with virtual dating you don't have to leave your home, at least with a bad date you don't waste your money on cabs. megan lawton, bbc news. it was eurovision last night, but not as we know it. the competition was cancelled because of covid—19 but replaced with a special programme, featuring every song that should have been performed live in rotterdam. so that meant no cheering crowds, no endless scoring and no "nul—points". our arts correspondent,

david sillito, reports. voiceover: from hilversum, the netherlands, this is eurovision: europe shine a light. eurovision 2020 — no crowds, no voting and the only people on the live stage in the netherlands, three presenters, standing well apart. and the mood? reflective, rather than the normal eurovision exuberance. we do have a very special show for you. in spite of everything, it feels great to be here together, live across europe. this event, live from hilversum, replaced the show that should have been taking place in rotterdam's ahoy concert hall. that venue is now an emergency hospital. but all the contestants did get a chance to say hi, and play a bit of each song. # baby, i can't wait to know what do you think about me...# normally, the message of the satellite linkups is how much everybody likes the show. this time it was stay safe.

the main thing is just to worry about people's health and, once they get that under control, then people will always need music. stay home a little longer and stay safe because you're doing this for you and for everyone. smile and stay healthy. # my, my, at waterloo napoleon did surrender...# but earlier in the evening, there was a chance to vote in the united kingdom. the bbc‘s poll of the greatest eurovision song of all time was won, unsurprisingly, by abba and waterloo. and bjorn from abba also had a message for the eurovision audience. everybody knows why there could not be the usual eurovision final this year, but we hope this show will comfort you in some small way, knowing that it will be back next year. # love, shine a light in every cornerof my dream...# so, not eurovision but at least

there was a reminder of a time when the uk last won. the big finale of the evening, a rendition of katrina and the waves‘ love shine a light from 1997. # let our love shine a light in every corner of my dreams...# david sillito, bbc news. those moments that were ordinary a few months ago — like a trip to the pub or even the school run — now seem unrecognisable for many people. now the hashtag "last normal photo" has been trending worldwide. it was actually started by the bbc, which has encouraged people to share the last smartphone snap you took before life changed as a result of the coronavirus. that show you a few. eileen sent us this picture of their last family get together before the lockdown here in the uk. this picture shows elaine struthers having a girls night in with her granddaughter millie. sadly they haven't been

able to meet up again since. and finally, laura and richard dyer sent us this lovely photo, of them taking their twin boys home from southend hospital. and there's lot more. you can check them out using the hashtag #lastnormalphoto on twitter or instagram. you're watching bbc news. yesterday saw the return of top—level football in germany with the resumption of the bundesliga — the first major european league to reopen, albeit behind closed doors. but what's the future likely to be for major sporting events? can they ever be the same again? we'll be putting your questions to two sports experts after 3 o'clock bst. that's 4 o'clock gmt. get in touch with the hashtag #bbcyourquestions on twitter. oryou can email yourquestions@bbc. co. uk.

now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. it has been warming up this weekend with temperatures of 20 degrees in the south—east in the sunshine but more cloud and patchy rain further north and it is the northern part of the uk that will have most of the rain over the weekend and the start of the week and at the end of the week, but all of us will turn much warmerfor week, but all of us will turn much warmer for a week, but all of us will turn much warmerfor a while. heading week, but all of us will turn much warmerfora while. heading into this evening and overnight, the rain comes back in to scotland and northern ireland, could be quite heavy over the hills, with outbreaks of rain in northern england and perhaps north wales. in the south, still dry and mild night, milderfor many than last night with temperatures over nine or 10 degrees. it's all about the building heatin degrees. it's all about the building heat in the coming few days is that high—pressure moves up from biscay, pushing the rain away and starting to draw in a southerly breeze which will lift temperatures nationwide. at the start of the witch, still some cloud and patchy rain in the

northern half of the uk, more persistent rain clearing from mainland scotland where we should get some sunshine in the north. southern scotland and northern ireland have some patchy rain coming backin ireland have some patchy rain coming back in again but we are likely to have 18 degrees in the north—east of scotla nd have 18 degrees in the north—east of scotland in the sunshine, and towards the south—east the temperatures are rising more significantly. on tuesday, this conveyor belt of cloud and weather fronts brings some outbreaks of rain in the north—west, high—pressure getting closer and that will tend to push away what is left of the rain on tuesday. some patchy rain and drizzle in the northern half of the uk becoming confined to the north—west, increasing sunshine for england and wales and that is when you will notice the temperatures picking up more and more. widely into the low 20s 25 in the south—east of england. on wednesday we have the peak of the heat, apart from the northern isles where there will be cloud and some rain for a while. elsewhere, dry it with more sunshine in the rest of the uk and the southerly breeze as well so

putting the warmth into scotland and making the low 20s here. in the midlands and east anglia and the south—east, 26 or possibly even 27 celsius. the weather starts to change on thursday, some uncertainty with some rain pushing in from the west but more likely we will see some showers breaking out which could be heavy and thundery but hit and miss. a lot of places likely to be dry, not quite as warm but still in the low 20s in eastern england.

hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... the uk government defends plans to begin reopening primary schools in england from next month — it says there will be measures to ensure the safety of children and teachers. barack obama has launched a scathing attack on the trump administration's response to the coronavirus crisis. the italian prime minister admits the country's taking a calculated