this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm james reynolds. daily coronavirus deaths in spain fall below a hundred — the first time in two months. we think we are seeing the light of the end of the first panel. —— tunnel. the uk government says it's confident schools in england can safely reopen in as little as two weeks. protests in brazil's largest city — supporting the president and opposing the state's anti—virus lockdown. and south africa has banned the sale of alcohol and cigarettes as part of its coronavirus lockdown. but is itjust giving power to criminal gangs?

hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest coronavirus developments here in britain and globally. first, the number of coronavirus deaths in spain has fallen below a hundred for the first time since before the country entered lockdown in mid—march. the head of emergency health centre has welcomed the news but warned there is still a danger of a second wave of infections. despite the fall in the death rate, spain's government has decided to extend the nation's state of emergency for another month and our madrid correspondent, guy hedgecoe, explains why. the prime minister has said he wants to extend the state of emergency, the legal framework that allows him to keep the lockdown in place. he wants to extend that for at least another month and he will go to parliament this week and on wednesday we expect a vote in parliament and we will find out

whether or not he will be able to extend that state of emergency for another month. the feeling at the moment is that it is likely but there has been increasing opposition to the handling of this crisis. it has been difficult for him to get these extensions to the state of emergency. alejandro garcia is an infectious diseases doctor in madrid. he's been working on the frontline there from the very beginning of the crisis. he's been telling me why he thinks it's too soon to ease the lockdown. i think we are heading in the right direction but definitely we must be very cautious with the next steps. looking at your hospital, can you see a difference now in the number of patients admitted with coronavirus? yes. definitely. the last week of march was absolutely terrible. all

hospitals in madrid were overwhelmed. and i see you were at three hundred% of capacity. right now we are seeing improvement and are around the normal numbers. how are the medical staff in your hospital? you all must be exhausted. yeah. that is a word we used a lot when we talk among ourselves. exhausted. both physically and mentally it has been really tough few months here and at least we think we see the light at the end of the first tunnel, hopefully the last. there are protests

against the lockdown, what are your opinions about those protests ? your opinions about those protests? social distancing and lockdown has been the only real measure that has affected how the virus has hit our country and many others in europe and the world. so relieving the measures to soon i think would not be a wise thing to do. the uk government says it's confident that children and teachers will be safe under its plans for schools in england to open to more pupils next month. the number of daily deaths in the uk dropped to 170 in the last day, but the number of officially recorded deaths is still the second highest in the world at 34,636 people. our chief political correspondent vicki young reports from westminster. could this be what primary schools in england look like in a fortnight? in denmark, pupils are put into small groups with one

teacher and kept apart. it's a model the government's suggesting here, but many teachers and parents want to know whether it's safe. none of us, none of us can guarantee that anyone will be entirely free, unless effectively they're 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 number of children with social distancing is a safe environment. but some councils, like liverpool and hartlepool, say earlyjune is too soon to reopen the gates. labour wants more information. what gavin needs to do, the education secretary, is publish the science to why they're making the decision they're making now, and ensure there is a testing and tracing which he promised yesterday that on the first ofjune that would be available, but at the moment we've not seen any evidence that they can provide that, they haven't got

the staff in place they said they needed to have the tracing, so testing and tracing and isolation is really important to tracking the virus. schools in wales will not reopen on the first ofjune and may not restart at all before the summer in scotland or northern ireland. some parents think england should take the same approach. valerie brooker lives in surrey and has two daughters. she thinks it's too soon to go back to school. my youngest brownwen, she has asthma, she's on two inhalers. charlotte, she has full on learning difficulties, and she has had pneumonia when she was five years old. i don't want her getting a second bout of pneumonia. it's just not viable, i don't want bronwen unknowingly coming home and passing the virus. she might be a carrier. children rarely become seriously ill from coronavirus. less is known about how they might transmit it. teaching unions have quizzed government scientists,

and some are reassured. critically, are teachers and other staff in schools at greater risk than if they were returning to other professions? and that was the key bit of information — they are not at greater risk as teachers and other people in school, and for me that was a very significant moment in allowing us to be able to say, let's start planning even more carefully to open our schools, which were already open, to more pupils and more students. it will be huge logistical challenge, but the government believes schools can be made extremely safe, and with scientists warning that we could be living with this virus for a long time, they think it would be very damaging to keep children out of the classroom indefinitely. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. there've been protests in brazil's largest city, sao paulo, demonstrating against lockdown restrictions. they support the president, jair bolsonaro, has argued repeatedly that social distancing will only wreck the economy. it's a view at odds with what the sao paulo

mayor is thinking. bruno covas says the health system is close to collapse as demand grows for emergency hospital beds. brazil now has the fourth largest number of confirmed cases in the world. there have been more than 15,000 deaths and over 233,000 confirmed cases. despite the alarming numbers, presidentjair bolsonaro attacked lockdown measures imposed by state governors. i've been getting reaction from dr marcelo kalichsztein in rio. social distancing is important to secure our health system against the effect of the coronavirus. but brazil is a poor country and some people need to work on a daily basis to bring money home. it is a very difficult decision to make. of course, we support social distancing.

i asked my parents and my patients to stay home and not go out but we know that for some people and some part of the population it is impossible and brazilian people used to be a happy people but we are changing the way of living a lot and we are using masks. we used to see them in china and never thought about using that but now everybody is using masks, it is obligatory, law in my city. using masks in public spaces. so we have changed our way of living a lot, although even with the president saying what he says. the people are very concerned about that.

he says let's go out, let's work but most of the people who can make social distancing, they do that. israel has sworn in a new unity government led by prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his former rival benny gantz. it ends the longest political crisis in the nation's history. lawmakers in the knesset formally approved the three—year coalition government. mr netanyahu vowed to push on with controversial plans to annex large parts of the occupied west bank. india has extended its coronavirus lockdown for another two weeks until the 31st of may. however some restrictions have been eased. 0ffices can work with staggered business hours. and shops have been allowed to open with a limit on customers. there have been more than 90,000 coronavirus cases and almost 2900 deaths in india. footage has emerged of the prime minister of belgium getting the cold shoulderfrom healthcare workers. sophie wilmes visited st peter hospital in brussels of saturday. but some staff used the occasion to express their opinion about the government's handling

of the coronavius outbreak, turning their backs on her ministerial car as she arrived. the governor of new york andrew cuomo has undergone a covid—i9 test live on tv. mr cuomo said he wanted to show how quick and easy the process is. a doctor dressed in full ppe conducted the nasal swab test. the governor said he did not experience pain or discomfort. he told new yorkers there is ‘no reason why you should not get the test.‘ in south africa — no—one has been able to buy alcohol or cigarettes for the last seven weeks — as part of its coronavirus lockdown. 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 its playing into the hands of criminal gangs, and damaging a 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 is 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 streets 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, that 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 contra band cigarettes on behalf of powerful gangsters. these people are quite scary, are they? yes, they are very scary. they carry 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? i feel ashamed. it's not ok. you'd rather have a properjob. exactly. as for bootlegging, it seems like everyone is 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? the police, if they can catch me, they'd put me in the jail. are you afraid of that? yes, i'm afraid, because my kids — who can look after my kids? and those who aren't breaking the new law are in danger of going out of business. in the stunning wine

lands around cape town, dozens of vineyards are going bust, and thousands of workers losing theirjobs. and then there's this. 7 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. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: an online meeting for the annual world health assembly, and big questions about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plaintiff solemnly witnessed mr gandhi's final

return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it has become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to surely the most extraordinary funeral evergiven toa surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it has been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far, but suddenly the police are teargas in the crowd. we don't know why. the prelaunch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, but just a was said to be in good spirits, butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloodied start for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: spain records it lowest death toll since it began its lockdown.

just 87 people died from the virus in the last 2a hours. the british government insists that it is safe to start a phased reopening of schools in england from the beginning of next month. in afghanistan, bitter political rivals president ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah have finally agreed to share power again. the two had been at loggerheads for months following last year's disputed general election, just as they were after the poll in 2014, but this time there is the added complication of covid—19 and a recent surge in taliban violence. anbarasan ethirajan reports. every day, afghans pray for peace, more so in the past few months. the country has been battling the twin threats of the taliban and the coronavirus. the brutality of some of the recent attacks claimed by the is group have shocked even this war—torn nation. people were in disbelief

when newborn babies and nursing mothers became the target. all this happened amid a bitter dispute over who won last year's presidential election. at last, some hope, as the wrangling political rivals say they have reached a deal. mrghani will remain president, but his rival, abdullah abdullah, will get to choose half the cabinet. translation: today is a historic day for afghanistan. afghans have proven that they are committed to their national interest. with common thinking, we have shown that without the mediation of international friends, we can reach a fundamental solution in a reasonable way. mr abdullah, who complained of widespread fraud in the election, will now lead peace negotiations with the taliban, should they get under way. he says the political unity marks a new beginning.

translation: given the situation that existed, reaching the political agreement was not an easy one, because the views were very different. but, with god's help and for the benefit of the country, a big step was taken, because instability was not in afghanistan's interest, and could have plunged afghanistan into crisis. but the deal is not without controversy. a former vice president, abdul rashid dostum, who was accused of ordering the torture and rape of an opponent, has been made a marshall in the afghan army. mr ghani appears to have accepted the bitter pill to avert a political crisis turning into a civil war. the agreement came after a lot of pressure from the us, which threatened to cut off $1 billion in aid to afghanistan. for now, much—needed political unity seems to have been achieved. the leaders are aware that any fallout would only benefit the taliban.

the demolition of the national theatre in albania's capital, tirana, has led to ugly clashes between protesters and police. activists and actors staging a sit—in were dragged away by police before the 81—year—old building was flattened. the controversial works are part of plans to redevelop the city. albania's prime minister, edi rama, said no—one will stop the transformation of tirana. health ministers from around the world are meeting online for the who's annual world health assembly. representatives from all 194 member states meet every year to decide on global health priorities. the covid—19 pandemic will of course be top of the agenda. there will be questions about how the outbreak got to this point, with over 4.6 million people infected globally and over 313,000 deaths. our global health correspondent tulip mazumdar has more. the world health organization

is facing immense pressure over its handling of the covid—19 pandemic, with the us president leading the charge against the agency. the us is the who's biggest single donor, but last month, president trump withdrew funding and launched a blistering attack on both the who and china. had the who done itsjob, to get medical experts into china to objectively assess the situation on the ground, and to call out china's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source, with very little death. the who did get teams into china to work alongside chinese officials injanuary and february, and says since it was first alerted to the outbreak, china has shared crucial information, which has helped other countries prepare. founded in 1948, the world health organization's goal, both then and now, is ensuring

the highest attainable level of health for all people. it works on a wide range of life—saving programmes, from mass vaccination campaigns to sounding the alarm when international health emergencies hit. but it is just an advisory body. it doesn't have the power to enforce or compel countries to share information. now, at this year's world health assembly, there are calls to give the agency more powers, with who inspectors able to go into countries at the start of outbreaks and carry out independent investigations. the big challenge with outbreaks is that no country wants to have one. every country wants to deny it's there, and every country wants to play down deaths. if there is some emerging pathogen in their country. they're supposed to notify the who within 24 hours of this.

so this would be an extension of that, to actually have who's international mission investigate the origins of this. representatives from 194 countries who are meeting virtually this year will also consider calls from the eu, the uk, australia, new zealand and others for an international review of the global response to the pandemic. another thorny issue at the meeting is likely to be around taiwan, which has been praised for a very successful response to the pandemic, but is banned from attending because china and the un doesn't recognise it as an independent state. there will also be renewed calls for equal access to vaccines against covid—19, once they are developed, for all nations, rich and poor. the us state of georgia was one of the last states to go into lockdown and one of the first to begin reopening. governor brian kemp's decision to lift many of the restrictions on businesses and kick—start the state's economy came earlier than many public health experts recommended. it was even condemned by president trump. there hasn't been a surge in covid—19 cases in georgia since the reopening, but for many, fears

of a second wave remain. so what has it been like going to work under these circumstances? jillian yeskel is a hairdresser in the suburbs of atlanta. she returned to work last week. i asked her what it is like to be back. so is like to be back. far, it's been great. you know, so far, it's been great. you know, when we were first allowed to reopen, i had a lot of questions and a little bit of questions and a little bit of anxiety, because we were the first state. so initially i decided to take two extra weeks, to make sure that i was able to order the appropriate ppe, disinfectants and sanitisers, and also to make sure that i could follow our state boa rd of sure that i could follow our state board of cosmetology‘s guidelines, and just be prepared to open our doors.|j understand you are a colourist at the moment. by definition, thatis at the moment. by definition, that is a really close up job. you have to get close to your client. what kind of protection are you putting in place, for them and for you? yes, so

u nfortu nately we a re them and for you? yes, so unfortunately we are in close contact. so with that being said, we are making shorter social distance with other clients and other stylus as much as possible. we're also making sure the clients are wearing them ask, in their entire service, right from when they walk in the daughter when they walk in the daughter when they leave, and that every stylist is also wearing a mask. you know, also disinfecting after every client and sanitising as much as possible. seeing a stylist, hairdresser, isa seeing a stylist, hairdresser, is a real morale boost for people in normal times, let alone in a lockdown. what has it been like for your clients to come back and see you? it has been definitely very exciting. you know, as a stylist, we love to catch up and talk. i have definitely been probably one of the first people that my clients have seen since quarantine, so it has definitely been very interesting, for sure. have you had to rescue any bad home—made

hair cutting or styling jobs?|j don't want to throw anyone under the bus, but yes. i would say i have definitely had some interesting at home colouring services go on. as far as rescuing, sure, yes. but, like isaid, it rescuing, sure, yes. but, like i said, it has been interesting, for sure. nature lovers in the finnish capital, helsinki, have had a rare treat. a family of white—tailed eagles has established its nest there. it is a unique occurrence, as there are no records of the birds ever nesting in such an urban environment in europe. just a few decades ago, the species was on the brink of extinction. a reminder of our top story: the number of coronavirus deaths in spain has fallen below 100 for the first time since it entered lockdown in mid—march. the head of the emergency health centre has welcomed the news, but warned there is still danger of a second wave of infections. stay

with bbc news. hello. there is some wet weather and some warm weather in this weather forecast. first, most of the wet weather will be found across the northern half of the uk. further south, it'll be largely dry, and quite widely it'll become very warm for a time around the middle of the week. the end of the week will feel a bit different. it'll be cooler, windier and more unsettled for all of us. now, you can see frontal systems which will be pushing across northern areas over the next few days, bringing cloud. yes, this cloud producing some outbreaks of rain, but it is to the south of those frontal systems that things will turn increasingly warm and increasingly sunny for just about all of us by wednesday. but, as far as monday goes, some rain to start off across northern scotland. that will increasingly become confined to the northern isles. the north of the mainland will brighten up, with some

sunshine. we will see quite a lot of cloud persisting across southern scotland, north—west england and northern ireland. patchy rain here, which could become heavier from the west into the afternoon. further south, some spells of hazy sunshine. it will be a breezy day, quite a windy one, actually, across northern scotland. but as far as the temperatures go, well, 18 degrees in aberdeen, 17 in belfast, but a high of 24 across some parts of south—east england. now, as we go through monday night into the early part of tuesday, we'll see more splashes of rain at times across northern ireland, northern england and scotland. some clear spells further south, but look at those overnight temperatures — 11,12 degrees the minimum values for some. so a very mild start to tuesday morning. again we see a lot of cloud across northern areas, with some patchy rain at times. it's likely to be quite misty and murky for some of these western coasts, as well. further south and further east, that's where we see the best of the sunshine, and once again the highest of the temperatures. 25 degrees looks likely in london by this stage. now, as we move into wednesday, high pressure firmly in charge

for the middle of the week, these frontal systems being held at bay for the time being. so i think wednesday is going to be the sunniest day of the week, even northern ireland and scotland brightening up by this stage. the exception — shetland here. you'll hold onto a lot of cloud, some splashes of rain, temperatures topping out at about nine degrees. further south, though, a high of 27 degrees is possible. now, things do change for the end of the week. we could see some thunderstorms breaking out on thursday. it turns windy for all of us on friday, with some rain at times, and by this stage it'll feel a bit cooler.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

some of the european countries worst hit by coronavirus have reported encouraging drops in the daily number of fatalities. in spain, the number has fallen below a hundred for the first time since before it imposed nationwide restrictions. italy has also reported its lowest figure since it entered lockdown. the uk government has insisted that primary schools in england will be safe when some pupils return at the beginning ofjune. but a leading minister acknowledged that risk could not be eliminated. teaching unions have safety concerns, in particular over how teachers and children can maintain social distancing. the mayor of ezell‘s largest city says the health system in this city is close to collapse as demand grows for emergency hospital beds to deal with covid—19. he said the cities public hospitals had reached 90% capacity. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.