this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. china tightens its grip on hong kong — it plans a new security law giving beijing more power — raising fears of further limits on freedoms of speech. another 2.5 million americans claim unemployment benefits — now it's middle class suburbia queuing at the food banks. lessons from france — one week after some children returned to school, parents and officials reflect on the experience. geeting into greece — as hopes rise of reviving the multi—billion pound tourist industry. we look at how tourists will be screened this summer.

translation: the results are delivered in less than 2a hours. 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... china is planning to introduce a new national security law in hong kong, which looks set to limit freedoms in the territory. media reports say the legislation will be unveiled at china's delayed annual parliamentary session which begins in a few hours. it's likely to be hugely controversial in hong kong — where pro—democracy activists held hundreds of rallies last year. president donald trump has warned that the us would react strongly if the proposals

were followed through. here's a chinese government spokesperson. translation: national security is the bedrock of the country's stability. safeguarding national security is the common interest of all people, including hong kong compatriots. a member of hong kong's legislative council from the pro—democracy civic party told reporters the law would be disastrous for the territory. this is the end of hong kong. this is the end of one country, two systems. make no mistake about it, that beijing, the central people's government has completely breached its promise to the hong kong people. a promise that was enshrined in the final british joint declaration and the basic law. and they are now completely walking back on their obligation owed to the hong kong people. there are fears that these proposed laws are actually aimed at suppressing

scenes like these. these images show the violent clashes between authorities and pro—democracy protestors in 2019 and earlier this year. this was in response to a bill that would have allowed beijing to extradite people to mainland china to face trial. lord chris patten was hong kong's last governor before the 1997 handover. he thinks the uk shoud be leading an international response to beijing's announcement. we should make it clear to the chinese that this is outrageous and the prime minister and the foreign secretary should make that absolutely clear. we should talk to our allies, our friends around the world, all of whom have a stake in two things. first of all, the continuance of hong kong as a great international city in asia. and secondly, in whether or not china can be trusted to keep its word.

now there are all too many examples of that not being the case, the way it's actually use the pre—application, which everybody rightly has with fighting this awful epidemic. they view is that pre—op occasion in order to bully and harass in other areas and one of them is in hong kong. let's get more from our correspondent in beijing, stephen mcdonell. we think this will go through, do we, this is a rubber—stamp process 7 do we, this is a rubber—stamp process? it was supposed to happen in may but it was delayed because of the coronavirus. the session, we thought it would be dominated by the coronavirus and china us relations. that will also, no doubt be a significant part of this meeting. however, we found out last night that we are going to also present this new national security law which will have impact in hong kong.

the way it works is, it will go to this meeting, i think there is no doubt it will be voted in the affirmative, because that is the way things go at the national people's congress. then a few months down the track it will be finessed, if you like, by the standing committee of this congress and by around august, could well be low in hong kong. the history of this is important because previously, the hong kong government had tried to introduce just such a law. it was very unpopular, there were mass street protests and even with a sort of rigged assembly in hong kong in beijing's favour, they couldn't get it through. itjust favour, they couldn't get it through. it just shows favour, they couldn't get it through. itjust shows how unpopular this law was. so the government in beijing said we will not wait for that, we will not wait for the hong kong legislator to pass this, we will impose it and put it in

the constitution is how it will be done. the mini constitution in hong kong. the reason it is important is that this law will govern rebellious acts and things that could be interpreted as challenging the state, rather than just sort of rioting or protesting. people have seen the scenes of those clashes in hong kong and it could mean that you are faced with charges or things like treason. these are things which will carry harsher penalties than just hanging around the park when you are not supposed to be there or having a fracked gas with the police. so you can imagine how important this is? thank you very much indeed. unemployment levels are continuing to grow in america — with the latest report showing 2.4 million more people having lost theirjobs. it brings the overall number of jobless to almost 39 million people.

the latest figure shows the ongoing painful economic impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the world's largest economy. nick bryant reports we don't normally go in search of hardship in the tree—lined communities of american suburbia. but now it's easy to find. and this, the looping queue for a foodbank in new york's commuter belt. cars normally used for school pickup and the weekly shop, now a marker of middle—class need. some had waited more than five hours, bumper—to—bumper, in a queue that stretched more than a mile. come here now, come here now. for organiserjamie scott, traffic control has become a major problem. eight weeks ago in the early days of the shutdown, he saw 65 families. now it's 600. and look at the cars — a mercedes, and expensive suvs. you see a lot of starter mercedes, starter beamers,

high end, like, toyotas and what have you. the problem is, really, that people have gone now without four or five or six or seven paycheques, and it's starting to catch up. they need food, it's the most basic thing. guys, it's going to be three families, guys, three families. at the front of the line, we met people who had well—paid jobs... go left, guys, all the way up to the girls. ..before the coronavirus wrought such economic destruction. people who've never had to rely on aid. michelle fernanda is a florist, struggling to make ends meet. we have to pay the rent, gas, car and other stuff. i mean, you've got a beautiful car — did you ever imagine that you'd be lining up forfood? no, never. yancey mendez is trying to feed her kids. have you got any income at the moment? no, no. no, we don't have, cos i work, like, housekeeping, so, you know, people doesn't want people to get into their houses, cos they have families, kids, and we have kids too. so you're not making any money at the moment? no. so you need this food?

yes, yes, we need it. we are witnessing the biggest economic shock since the 1930s in a country still feeling the after—effects of the financial crash of 2008. what's been noticeable since the great recession is the dwindling number of parents here who believe their kids will enjoy more abundant lives, that long held belief in generational progress that gives this country so much energy and so much drive. covid—i9 has dealt yet another body blow to the american dream. what good is it if we save everybody from the virus if we let them all starve to death?! with desperation comes anger. freedom, liberty! this an end—the—shutdown protest in staten island, one of new york's most affluent boroughs. most of these people are small business owners who believe the stay—at—home order from the state's democratic governor has robbed them of their livelihoods

and their liberty. members of the middle class, not used to mounting protests. open up new york, that's right! and if you can't do it, get these democrats out! open us up! you're killing us! # i've come to seejesus... this is a convulsion that's shifting the ground beneath ourfeet, a disruption of immense historical scale, bigger than the great recession, more consequential than 9/ii. even in the most prosperous parts of america, lives have been changed forever. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. meanwhile, president trump has defended his comments threatening to withhold federal funding from the state of michigan, if it pushes ahead with a plan to provide every voter in the state with an absentee ballot ahead of november's general election. the comments were made ahead of visit by the president to a ford ventialor factory in the key battleground state —

which was won by president trump by just over 10,000 votes in 2016. while president trump has not specified which federal funds could be affected, he says the states' plan to allow all its citizens to vote — without having to go to a polling station in person — is vulnerable to voter fraud. we don't want them to do mail in ballots, we don't want anyone to do mail in ballots. now, if somebody has to mail it in because they are sick, or by the way they live in the white house and they have to vote in florida and they won't be in florida, if there's a reason for it, that's ok, if there's a reason. we don't want to take any chances with fraud in our elections. let's get more from our north america correspondent david willis. president trump and republicans in general believe postal votes

benefits the democrats, david? they do and president trump has accused the secretary of state in michigan of breaking the law, by sending applications for absentee ballots for eve ryo ne for absentee ballots for everyone in that state. the president didn't specify what law he thinks the secretary of state there has actually broken, but you are right, republicans believe, as the president specified in the clip you just used, absentee balloting opens the way to voterfraud. balloting opens the way to voter fraud. democrats balloting opens the way to voterfraud. democrats say republicans take that view because absentee balloting tends to favour democrats. but michigan is a swing state and it is one president trump narrowly one in 2016 and needs to win again. hence he is spending time there, not in the state itself or criticising its officials, including the governor, who he has said she reopen the state and bow to the

many protests that have been taking part there by people who believe her stay at home orders have been too restrictive. the reason that it is perhaps controversial that there is this threat now from president trump to withhold federal funding for the state of michigan, is the fact that in the last few days the heavy rains have led to two dams bursting and 10,000 people being evacuated from their homes. that clearly is the sort of thing that requires federal funding to solve, one might think. david, thanks very much. state with us here on bbc world news. still to come... wuhan is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak — we'll hear how that infamy is hitting the chinese city.

this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india brought to the plaintiff solomon lew witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. 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 the police are tear gassing the crowd and we don't know why. the prelaunch ritual is well established. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation the challenges ahead are daunting but for now at least, it is time to celebrate.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines china prepares to tighten its grip on hong kong — a new security law will give beijing more power — raising fears of further limits on freedoms of speech. another two and a half million americans claim unemployment benefits — as the queues for food banks spread to middle class suburbia. the french education minister has told the bbc that poorer children are not returning to schools as much as those from wealthier families. some 40,000 primary schools and nurseries reopened in france last week, but parents have the choice about whether to send their children back to the classroom. 0ur paris correspondent, lucy williamson, has the story. this is not a place with a radical image. but this conservative medieval town is now known across france as the place that refused to open any of its state primary schools because of

three suspected cases of coronavirus. all have since tested negative. the town's right—wing mayor says her decision was very popular here. there is too much pressure on parents, she says, because the government has asked each family to decide if their child should return to school. translation: i think it should be either obligatory or not, because it creates a sense of guilt for the parents. if they send their child to school when they get sick, they will feel guilty. if they do not and the child falls behind, they will feel guilty. if you govern, you need to take the decisions. the small high street here was full of parents wondering what to do when school finally reopen here on monday. translation: it is complicated, because we do not know how it is going to work. my son had some health

concerns and i am reluctant to send him anyway. i feel a bit lost. translation: if we had been clearly told we could put our children back to school without danger, we would have put our son in school, but we were not reassured at all. more than 90% of parents here told the mayor they did not want their children going back into class, even before the schools here were closed. the government has said this decision is voluntary. many parents are saying no. since last week, 20% of primary schoolchildren in france have returned to class. france's education minister told us that lockdown had created a social emergency by increasing inequality, and that reopening schools quickly was key. but the children returning to class are often those from wealthier families. it is true that children of those poor families are coming less than the others. that is why it was important to start in may and not injune, because we know that it is step—by—step

that we are going to have this social action to the poorfamilies. the government has issued 56 pages of detailed instructions to schools on how to keep their premises clean and their pupils are safe. so much is compulsory for teachers, say some, when attendance of children is not. lucy is not. williamson, bbc news. five months on from the start of the coronavirus outbreak — wuhan has become an internationally recognised location. documentary maker wenlan peng has been following two fledgling companies in the region since 2017 — and captured their journey through economic change and pandemic. the programme will be broadcast on the bbc and we have a preview for you.

xu jishui's company is one of the, on average, 70 start—ups established a day in wuhan's high—tech 0ptics valley zone. and for the former university lecturer, setting up the company was a big gamble. like xu, huang tiesen has also risked a lot to set

up his software company and for the first few years, finding a source of finance was a constant challenge. competition is fierce and many start—ups won't make it to their second year. for both men, the advent of coronavirus has had a profound effect, both on the way they operate their businesses and on their relationship with the city they live in. tiesen recalls a moment during lockdown.

for xu, his biggest fear was how the people of wuhan would be viewed by the outside world. now, both men and their companies are cautiously learning how to navigate life on the other side of the pandemic. and you can watch ‘three years in wuhan across years in wuhan' across

the weekend and next week on bbc world news. and on saturday, monday and tuesday on bbc news in the uk. let's get some of the day's other news. nato ambassadors will hold an urgent meeting on friday, after the us said it will withdraw from the open skies aerial surveillance treaty. president trump pulled out of the pact after accusing russia of violating its terms. the agreement allows unarmed reconnaissance flights over the treaty‘s members to prevent attacks. russia's foreign ministry insisted it had not violated the 2002 treaty. russian media are reporting that chechen leader, ramzan kadyrov, has been taken to hospital with suspected coronavirus. the interfax news agency says mr kadyrov was flown to moscow on wednesday for treatment. the authoritarian leader — who previously fought against moscow as a chechen nationalist — is now a key ally of russian president vladimir putin. at least 84 people are now known to have died in eastern india and bangladesh in one of the most powerful cyclones to hit the region for years. thousands of homes have been

destroyed and millions of people are without power. in greece there are hopes of reviving the multi billion pound tourist industry from next month — with international flights to all popular destinations set to resume in july. but in a country that's seen fewer than 170 deaths from the pandemic — foreign nationals could still be denied entry — if the virus isn'tjudged to be under control in their home countries. 0ur correspondent quentin sommerville has been taking a look at some of the measures introduced, as athens prepares to welcome visitors again. when you arrive here at athens airport, this is one of the first things you see. you get a swab test for covid—19. they've been doing this since march 20th. everybody who has the test, me included, then has to go into isolation for 2h hours. in fact there's been a two week quarantine for everybody arriving in this country, but that's about to end

because greece is ready to welcome back tourists. the results are delivered in less than 2a hours. i'm told i'll get mine by early tomorrow morning. this airport now is seeing about 400, 500 passengers a day. last year greece saw something like 30 million passengers — three times the population of the country. it depends on that money. this is a country that's gone through ten years of terrible economic crisis. the last thing it needed was a pandemic on top of that. so from june 15th, tourists will be welcome again, although not those from countries with high infection rates. so, i'm now in my isolation hotel room courtesy of the greek government and i have to stay here for 24 hours and i will be staying here because the fine for breaking that quarantine is 5000 euros. greece has done relatively well compared to other countries

in coping with this pandemic — fewer than 170 deaths. and the rest of europe now is looking towards this country and seeing how it manages that next phase. if it can continue with the success while opening up the country, well, then, that might get us all a bit closer to the lives that we used to lead. the acropolis has already reopened. the country's islands will be next, as greece attempts to return to a time before corona. quentin sommerville, bbc news, athens. and speaking of tourist hot—spots, elvis fans around the world can rejoice, the king's palace is once again open for business. graceland reopened today for the first time since march. visitors must have their temperatures checked before going through the famous gates.

and they have to maintain social distancing. that's it from us, grace land back open again. for most it felt a little fresher during the day on thursday. this huge swell of cloud will be responsible for the transition and for the rain. as that comes and it really is quite deep for this time of year so it will bring some unseasonably windy weather. gales are warned. it hangs around, as you can see for much of that we bringing strong winds and more rain. it looks as if part of northern ireland and the north—west of scotla nd ireland and the north—west of scotland could see the highest rainfall totals and in some of the highlands we could have a

month's the highlands we could have a months worth of rainfall over the coming few days. look at the coming few days. look at the strength of the wind, anywhere from north wales and northwards, 50 miles an hour gusts of wind. very mild to start on friday and as you can see, cloudy with rain and clears away and there may be thundery showers and eastern areas. showers come in bits and china between the showers will be frequent and heavy in the north west and even thundery. as you can see there was strong and gusty winds affecting all areas. despite temperatures around about average, add in the showers and the strong wind and it will feel fresher for all. there will be some sunshine and dry weather around. showers keep coming as we go through the night. temperatures will fall a little lower than the night we are currently in, slightly fresher air is with us, but still foremost, nine or 10 degrees will be the overnight low and thatis will be the overnight low and that is because of the strength of the wind which will still be with us on saturday. low pressure in charge giving

further spells of rain across scotla nd further spells of rain across scotland and northern ireland and there will be plenty of showers further south and they could be heavy with even the odd rumble of thunder. but across southern areas, the sunny spells will be lengthier in between. a fresh feeling they given we have atlantic winds and the showers and those brisk winds, which will start to ease just a little in the south as we get into sunday but they will be further pulses of rain across scotland and northern ireland, as you can see but just fewer showers northern ireland, as you can see butjust fewer showers in the south on sunday and lengthier spells of sunshine. temperatures are a little higher by that stage as well. there is more online.

this is bbc news, the headlines: china says it will introduce a new national security law in hong kong that looks set to limit freedoms in the territory. proposals suggest there would be a ban on what are described as "subversive" activities. there are already calls in hong kong for protests against the planned legislation. another 2.4 million americans have sought unemployment benefits in the past week. the new claims brought the total since mid—march to nearly 40 million — almost a quarter of the workforce. the latest total shows the ongoing painful economic impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the world's largest economy. one week after some children returned to school in france, the education minister has expressed concerns that poorer children are not returning to schools as much as those from wealthier families. around 40,000 primary schools and nurseries reopened last week but parents are being allowed to make the final decision.