this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. britain's prime minister says he regrets the confusion and anger as his special adviser admits making long journeys during the anti—virus lockdown. no, i don't, i don't regret what i did. as i said, i think reasonable people may well disagree. after two months of coronavirus restrictions, greece reopens its islands to domestic visitors. 60 ventilators for a population of eleven million — haiti's tough battle with covid—19. hong kong's chief executive defends china's new security law — saying it won't violate the territory's autonomy.

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: borisjohnson's top adviser, dominic cummings, has refused to apologise for taking a journey from london to county durham in the north of england during the current coronavisu lockdown. at a lengthy news conference, he said he had no regrets and he didn't believe he'd broken the rules. borisjohnson said he understood the "confusion and anger" caused by the row but is standing by mr cummings. opposition mps will meet today to discuss the next steps in how to hold both the prime minister and dominic cummings to account. our political correspondent

iain watson reports. something you don't see every day. government advisers usually defend their political masters. this one had come to defend himself. dominic cummings took his family 250 miles from london to durham during lockdown when his wife was already healed. yesterday he was asked if he now regretted his actions. no, i don't regret what i did. as i said, ithink don't regret what i did. as i said, i think reasonable people may well disagree about how i thought about what to do in the circumstances but i think that... i think what i did was reasonable in... in these circumstances. at the socially distanced impromptu press conference he insisted isolating close to his extended family was the best option in case you needed childcare. but

why then also go on a 30 mile trip from durham to barnard castle on easter sunday. he said he was giving himself an unconventional eye test. my wife was very worried considering my eyesight seem to have been infected by affected by the disease. she didn't want to risk near 300 mile drive given how ill i had been. we agreed we should go for a short ride to see if i could drive safely. at his press conference last night, the prime minister sounded a bit more contrite than his advisor. i do regret the confusion and the anger and pain that people feel. i really did want people to understand exactly what had happened. but he wasn't going to suck his advisor and he insisted that no—one at number 10 had undermined the government's message on health. and a range of cabinet ministers have taken to social media with a remarkably similar message. time to move on. 0pposition parties will meet today and are

pressing for an enquiry into dominic cummings's actions. many of the papers are less ready to move on that government ministers, with some conservative mps waiting to see if angry constituents —— constituents have been soothed oi’ constituents have been soothed or riled by dominic cummings to see if they should renew calls for him to go. iain watson, bbc news. countries across europe are continuing to ease lockdown restrictions, as infection rates on the continent continue to fall. the massive economic impact of the virus is putting pressure on governments to allow businesses and shops to reopen, as rich preston reports. spain once had some of your‘s toughest lockdown measures. now the bars and restaurants of barcelona are serving customers once again. here, as well as in the capital madrid, people can now meet in groups of up to ten. transmack i now meet in groups of up to ten. transmackl am now meet in groups of up to ten. transmack i am so now meet in groups of up to ten. transmackl am so moved. i am shaking from feeling so

happy am shaking from feeling so ha p py after am shaking from feeling so happy after staying home for such a long time. this is phenomenal. it is really, really good. in popular resorts like majorca, people can once again visit the beach. spain has urged foreign holidaymakers to come back to visit the country in july when it. quarantining new arrivals. 0nce at the heart of the pandemic, italians can go to the gym again but with strict hygiene rules in place. you must keep your hands clean and keep apart from others enjoying a workout. people in the czech republic can get back to one of our favourite pastimes again. this is the country that drinks more beer per capita than any other but masks must be worn unless, of course, you are taking a sip. the czech republic wasn't hit as badly as some other countries by coronavirus and perhaps just a coincidence was the first to make the wearing of masks in public compulsory.

as well as bars, breweries and restau ra nts, as well as bars, breweries and restaurants, popular tourist sites are reopening as well. cultural attractions like theatres and museums can now organise events for up to 300 people. and in the uk, europe's roasted country, planned ease out of the lockdown. 0n the first ofjune, outdoor markets and car showrooms can open up. two weeks later, all other nonessential shops like department stores can open their doors, provided they are covid secure and have measures in place to keep people apart and protect workers and customers. the first case in europe was recorded at the end of january. since then, europe was recorded at the end ofjanuary. since then, life on the continent has been turned upside down, affecting lives and livelihoods. after four months of restrictions in everyday life and tens of thousands of deaths, europeans hope for a return to some semblance of normality, however gradual it may be. richard preston, bbc news.

elsewhere in europe, greece has reopened its islands to domestic visitors after two months of restrictions. foreign tourists will no longer have to undergo a quarantine in three weeks time. a team of doctors from mainland greece were among the first visitors to the remote island of sikinos, in the aegean sea, and our correspondent, quentin sommerville accompanied them on theirjourney. 0n on our 0n our100 mile on our 100 mile plusjourney, these athens doctors are the first visitors to sikinos in months. the greek islands are accepting visitors again. the mayor of the island welcomes them assure. we are greeted with elbow bumps instead of handshakes. there are enough coronavirus handshakes. there are enough coro navi rus tests handshakes. there are enough coronavirus tests for whoever wa nts coronavirus tests for whoever wants them. we do know that so far there haven't been other cases on the remote islands but there hasn't been any testing also. there are only 250 people on this island and none of them

have been tested for covid—19 until today. the village was built on a hilltop to from pilots. they are hoping its isolation continues to offer it protection. greece has only had 172 deaths from covid—19 and is leaving lockdown faster than expected. foreign tourists still have to undergo quarantine. terry harris has been living here for a0 years. icame been living here for a0 years. i came here and i isolated myself for two weeks in my house and the lady from the supermarket, flora, she delivers everything, so they brought up on a donkey water and any supplies i wanted. at the temporary test centre, father theodorus leads the way. these tests are essential as greece appears to welcome back foreign tourists in the coming months. today is the first day that everything comes back to

normal, including restaurants and all the borders and ships, so we are concerned about everything being planned in the best possible way. greece is emerging from the pandemic earlier than others. not unscathed, but in better shape than most. isolation is a way of life here, but so too is tourism. the health of the islanders depends on both. quentin sommerville, bbc news, the southern aegean. let's get a round up of other coronavirus news. demonstrators in ecuador have defied coronavirus restrictions to protest against tough economic measures imposed by the government to tackle the crisis. last week, president lenin moreno announced public spending cuts which included the closure of seven state—owned companies. he has said one hundred and fifty thousand jobs had —— he has said 150,000 jobs had been lost because of the virus. health officials in mexico have reported over 2,000 new cases of coronavirus and 239 deaths. this brings the country's totals number of cases to over 71,000.

this daily death toll comes as the country eases lockdown measures and reopens the economy, particularly factories near the border with the us. china has reported seven new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the mainland, down from 11 a day earlier. officials say the new infections were imported cases, involving travellers from overseas. the death toll to date in the mainland stands at unchanged at a,63a. saudi arabia is to loosen restrictions from thursday and eliminate curfews from the entire country except mecca from june 21. the use of mosques, shops, malls and cafes will also slowly increase. the kingdom is under a total curfew to cover the eid festival. in hong kong, carrie lam, the chief executive, has been defending china's

new security law — calling it a safeguard against violent political protests. and she criticised international leaders who've supported protesters resisting the legislation. national security legislation as an internal matter for a country, it's the case in any country. it doesn't matter the country has a unitary system or a multi—party system or a federal system. now, legislation on national security is always a matter matter for the central authorities. so for overseas politicians making such comments, they probably are practising double standards. now, i think there is no one country that will allow an important matter like national security to be flawed in any way or to have a void in any way.

let's get more on this from hong kong with our correspondent danny vincent. explain what these proposals are, danny. it's important to state that hong kong is of course part of china but it has special privileges and rights and freedoms that are not enjoyed in other parts of china, in the mainland. that includes an independent judicial system, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and it also has a semiautonomous parliamentary system. the people in hong kong expect laws like this to be discussed at local city level but beijing has basically surprised many of the pro—democracy legislators here. by announcing proposals that they intend to bring about this law which will mean, which manyfair this law which will mean, which many fair that many who

criticise the mainland beijing government, mainland chinese government, mainland chinese government, they can essentially become criminalised. people here fear that this new legislation might mean the criminalisation of the political opposition in hong kong. hong kong saw months of increasingly violent protests, that's why this is such a sensitive issue. that's right. many people saw carrie lam speak in front ofjournalists today in journalists tried to get some clarity about what this means for many in hong kong and one question people have been asking, is it possible that people who demonstrated last year might be executed this year if the law was to be enacted. this controversial law was created —— has created a new round of protests here in hong kong. 0ver protests here in hong kong. over the weekend, thousands of people took to the streets in what's been described as the biggest protests we've seen this year. there are mode ——

more protests again planned. there was a real cycle of violence in hong kong last year. the peaceful protesters seem to work with the more extreme protesters. it's almost like they were able to give a mandate because of the large numbers of people who take to the streets because of the anonymous calls to protest and i think after that, the more extreme protesters felt they we re extreme protesters felt they were given somewhat of a mandate to confront and fight with police. danny vincent, thank you very much for that analysis. the world health organization has temporarily halted the testing of the drug hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment for covid—19 because of safety concerns. the drug, traditionally used to treat malaria, has been described by president donald trump as game changer in the battle against the virus. imogen foulkes reports from geneva.

there are so far no known treatments or vaccines for covid—19, but there are many clinical trials of many different drugs to try to find them. 0ne drug, hydroxychloroquine, is already in use as a treatment for malaria. some, among them president donald trump, think it could work against covid—19 too. he's even taking it himself. i'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine. when? right now, yeah. couple of weeks ago, i started taking it, because i think it's good. i've heard a lot of good stories. the world health organization has repeatedly said there is no scientific evidence so far that hydroxychloroquine can treat covid—19, let alone prevent infection with it. the who had been running clinical trials to test anecdotal reports that it

might be beneficial. now, those trials have been stopped after a study suggested the drug could cause heart problems and might even increase deaths among covid—19 patients. the executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the solidarity trial while the data, the safety data, is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board. the who said the decision to suspend trials was a precautionary measure. now, it will gather more data on safety before deciding whether to continue testing. however, it said patients taking hydroxychloroquine for established reasons, such as malaria, should continue to do so. imogen foulkes, bbc news, geneva. this is bbc news. the headlines: the political row over

the actions of the british prime minister's chief advisor during the anti—virus lockdown is continuing with several mps calling for further investigations. greece has reopened its islands to domestic visitors after two months of restrictions. foreign tourists will have to wait a further three weeks. as the world awaits a coronavirus vaccine, doctors and scientists in england have been looking at different ways to treat those who are severely affected by the disease. it's hoped plasma therapy could offer a solution. it's a process which sees recovered patients donate their blood, which is rich in antibodies. 0ur health correspondent laura foster has been finding out more. when alessandro contracted coronavirus and ended up on a hospital ventilator, he feared he would never get to see this family again. it is why when he recovered he wanted to help others by donating plasma in this cloud. instinctively the last thing you want to do is go

to the hospital environment again and get a needle and then i thought i had been given so much and those people saved my life and you feel so hopeless and you feel so unable to help others, and that was the only way i could figure two gives some of this back. when alessa nd ro some of this back. when alessandro was sick, this immune system produce antibodies to help fight the virus. these antibodies are found the gold coloured part of our cloud known as plasma. the idea is that this plasma can be given to other people. whose immune systems are struggling to help them fight coronavirus. the nhs wants more people have had covid—19 to donate their plasma. it is taking its donations centre is bigger and creating pop—up ones so they can take up to eight thousand donations a week. you can be very, very emotional and it does actually get you quite upset sometimes, but then you see these people have come out

from the other side and they are so, like i said, they are so enthusiastic and so willing. the researchers have found men, those over 35 and anyone who was hospitalised with coronavirus produced the most antibodies. in fact, alessandro's blood contains more antibodies than the average donor, a0 times. more antibodies than the average donor, 40 times. that means i can give a lot of them away, which i am very pleased to do, and suddenly as my friends knew about that, they all became very nice to me! in case they ever need in the future. they are particularly asking for people to come forward in manchester, birmingham and london where they have been a lot of cases of covid—19. laura foster, bbc news. a british couple is coordinating efforts to help a hospital in haiti prepare for a spike in coronavirus cases, which they believe could overwhelm the country's healthcare system. the country has just 60 ventilators for a population of 11 million and is

ill—prepared for the pandemic. the bbc‘sjon hunt has more. while in britain, we may be past the peak of the pandemic, in haiti, cases are rising sharply. at this hospital set up by a uk charity, they are having to improvise, making ppe out of raincoats and diy masks. uh...this is actually made out of a ladder. rob dalton is an a&e nurse from surrey, volunteering for the charity. i've been working six days a week, sometimes too busy to get to eat and things. there's so much to do here. they need all the help they can get. the preparation of the hope health action hospital is being co—ordinated from crawley in west sussex. the charity's founders say one of their biggest challenges is access to oxygen. there's no access to a ventilator at a hospital. there's only 15 to 20 icu beds for the whole country. so we are focusing more on provision of oxygen, but that can be a struggle. we've invested to get a number of oxygen concentrators out

to the country in the last couple of weeks, which just arrived over the weekend. the charity is also doing community outreach work to teach social distancing and promote good hand washing. you can have ten people living in a one—bed house, which means that self—isolating is just nearly impossible, and communities all function really closely together. with donations from the uk, they've been able to set up an isolation ward for covid—19 patients and a triage system. the peak of the pandemic is due in haiti in the next two weeks. john hunt, bbc news. let's get more on this. jean romulus is the executive directorfor heal haiti and joins me from new york. thank you so much for talking to us on bbc news. we had a bit ofa to us on bbc news. we had a bit of a taste in that piece about the challenges facing those trying to help haiti. what are the main issues when it comes to get the message out there to people, particularly in rural

areas about covid—19 and the dangers of it? getting the message out there is the usual issue with a whole lot of things that go on in haiti, it is infrastructure. getting the message out, there are certain infrastructure that has to be in place for certain billboards, for certain public health workers to reach certain rural areas, which proposes, it poses a challenge. 0ne rural areas, which proposes, it poses a challenge. one solution that we have now is what that, social media. it is bringing the world closer —— whatsapp. they are becoming more accessible in rural parts of haiti. so these challenges are being overcome and the local ms pp, the local health department is also working towards getting pdfs through whatsapp and it

has been disseminating greatly. but there is also an issue of literacy that has to be overcome. that is another challenge. and with all the help, haiti is a lot of people are working together to ove rco m e are working together to overcome the issues. what about the healthcare system? a population of 11 million. it faces huge problems, i imagine. yes, huge. issues when it comes to delivering. we are a public health organisation that works ina certain health organisation that works in a certain sphere, we help with developing nursing education, so as far as the overall response of the nation towards the public health pandemic, i don't have the day to day knowledge, but i am in

contact many representatives from the mspp and they are giving as much information, so right now, the focus, there is a huge focus on contact tracing, huge focus on contact tracing, huge focus on contact tracing products happening in haiti as well to help stop the spread, and now that we were approaching 2000, i understand people are fearful, but at this point, we have to prevent it. 0k, it has been a pleasure to talk to you. thank you very much indeed, and best of luck for the work in haiti. thank you. a young italian boy has been praised for his courage after a potentially terrifying encounter with a wild bear. the bbc‘s tim allman has the story.

never have the words "don't panic" seemed more appropriate. looking back over his shoulder to see what is behind him, a young boy moves slowly, ever so slowly, down the side of this hill. ambling along in his wake, a giant brown bear — just a little bit curious about this small visitor perhaps. alessandro and his family were enjoying a picnic when the boy went off for a stroll. it turns out he had made a new friend. his mother's partner tried to reassure him, explaining that the bear was just minding its own business. mamma! alessandro can then be heard calling out to his mother. mamma! shh! if you think alessandro was scared, think again. he told the italian media he had been really excited and this was the best day of his life. the bear, on the other hand, was unavailable for comment.

so scary! thank you for watching. goodbye. hello. if you're looking for rain through this week, well, there is not very much in the forecast. but what i can offer you is plenty of warmth. in fact, during monday, to the south—west of london, temperatures got very close to 27 degrees. we'll see more very warm weather over the next few days. 0n the satellite picture, though, you can see this stripe of cloud that's been working its way in towards the north—west. not bringing an awful lot of rain, though. this is a frontal system, but one which is weakening very quickly, so really, wejust have a band of cloud sitting in place across parts of england and wales through tuesday morning. maybe the odd spot of drizzle around, but generally speaking it'll be dry, just with a bit more in the way of cloud generally than we had

during monday. conversely, for northern ireland and scotland, well, here we see long spells of sunshine. still quite breezy in the far north, and a little bit on the cool side here, i suppose. but the further south you are, top temperatures getting up to 25 degrees. now, as we move through tuesday evening, our old weather front will still be sitting in place, but reallyjust a band of cloud at this stage. could be a little bit misty and murky for some coastal spots in the south and the west. and then we see some more cloud starting to work in towards parts of northern ireland. but generally it's a dry night, and not a particularly cold one, with lows between 7 and 1a degrees. so, during wednesday, high pressure still very much in charge. but this warm front here will be introducing more cloud, and maybejust nosing some rain into the western side of northern ireland and potentially the west of scotland. there is a bit of uncertainty about just how far east this rain will get. but to the south of this band of cloud and patchy rain, well, that's where we have the very warm air. so temperatures down towards the south, cardiff, london, into the middle 20s celsius. not quite as warm as that across the northern half of the uk.

but as we move towards the end of the week, as this area of high pressure moves its way a little bit further eastwards, well, more and more of us get to feel the effects of some very warm air. and i think, on thursday, we will see plentiful sunshine across most areas. a bit more cloud across scotland, maybe just the odd shower across the northern half of the country, but the vast majority will be dry. but those temperatures up to 26 degrees there in cardiff, 22 in glasgow, but a little bit cooler for some of those north sea coasts. that's a trend that will continue on into friday. and as we head into the weekend, well, those temperatures stay pretty high for the time of year, and very little sign of rain for most of us.

the

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. what next for the french car industry? president macron prepares to unveil aid for a sector that's been badly hit by coronavirus and we meet the company giving new opportunities to those often left out of the job market. father 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, french president emmanuel macron is set to announce new measures to support the auto industry, which has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic.the plan, to be announced later today, is likely to include incentives for the purchase of cleaner cars. the car industry employs around a00,000 people in france.renault is set to receive a multi—billion—dollar state—backed loan in coming days. it's also likely to announce sweeping cost cuts, possibly including some plant closures. joining me now is christian stadler, professor in strategic management, warwick business school. it looks set to be an important week for the french car industry. absolutely. not just absolutely. notjust the car industry in france but generally car manufacturer is struggling across the world and i expect we will have announcements across the world in the coming weeks to support the car industry. of course

there is going to be a lot of give—and—ta ke. there is going to be a lot of give—and—take. how much more give—and—ta ke from the give—and—take. how much more give—and—take from the french government? it's an interesting one. one would expect, knowing the french government, particularly to keep jobs the french government, particularly to keepjobs in france for any support they would offer. how much appetite is there, christian, amongst the french population, amongst people in france, given the state of an the economy after the coronavirus lockdown? appetite for buying cars? appetite for buying cars? appetite for buying cars? appetite for helping big industry. it's an interesting one. in the end, there are a lot of jobs one. in the end, there are a lot ofjobs and i think the french population will be open for support and secure jobs, as everin for support and secure jobs, as ever in the world, people are worried there will be a recession and they will lose theirjobs so for that, yes, i think the population is open for that. and in terms of how this is going to be achieved, it is difficult, isn't it in

terms of not being able to meet face—to—face, everything must be done remotely. how does that change the way this whole proposal is going to be foot forward ? proposal is going to be foot forward? the proposal, it's less of a challenge. 0ne french specific challenge is the debate around nissan and renault. when not too long ago, there was discussion whether it was played up. that is off the table for now. companies meet each other more than ever before. but to find a solution to that conundrum is quite hard if you can't sit together, have a discussion. also off the microphone. to speak at the water cooler. it's difficult around the world the business. christian, thank you for your time. my pleasure. lufthansa has agreed a rescue deal worth nearly $10 billion with the german government, saving it

from collapse. the german airline has been severely affected by a decline in travel due to the coronavirus. the german government will take a 20% stake in the firm. the deal still has to be approved by lufthansa shareholders and the european commission. joining me now is swetha ramachandran, investment manager at gam investments, airline previously healtyh and profitiable — this helps? healthy sell stake — cld take years? 20%, is that worth it for the deal they are getting? —— 20%, is that worth it for the deal they are getting? a company like lufthansa, they are burning cash, barely selling any tickets. they will be looking for this is a lifeline in terms of helping them with their liquidity profile. the difference between lufthansa and so many other airlines, they were pretty profitable before all of this coronavirus issue happened. and yet, here we are, with them needing a massive cash injection. that is exactly right. it came to a

standstill in travel was the first hit among all the industries in terms of taking the hit from the coronavirus impact. lufthansa, while being profitable, did have balance—sheet issues and what we are seeing is those countries, those countries that entered with a strong balance sheet point of view, like iag, required less equity infusion compared to weaker ones like luftha nsa. compared to weaker ones like lufthansa. the german government will hope to sell that 20% stake at some point in future but given the state of the airlike future but given the state of the air like that —— airline travel industry, allen is that going to be? that's a good question. we need to look at the shape of the recovery. and the shape of the recovery. and the lufthansa, they had tremendous pressure, and their ability to repay the german

government, comes under pressure. the shape of the recovery looks to be further drawn up and many others. recovery looks to be further drawn up and many otherslj wa nt drawn up and many others.” wa nt to drawn up and many others.” want to talk to about that. there are predictions it could go back to 20 years ago. do you think that's where we will be? in the short—term, yes. the fear factor in the short—term, yes. the fearfactor among in the short—term, yes. the fear factor among consumers, and with business, the increase in productivity that people may see working from home, we could see working from home, we could see demand from air travel not go back to prior levels. it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you. you so much. let's get some of the day's other news. germany's highest civil court has ruled that volkswagen must pay compensation to a motorist who had bought one of its diesel minivans fitted with emissions—cheating software. the ruling sets a benchmark for about 60,000 other cases in germany. vw said it would now offer affected motorists a one—off payment. the company has already settled a separate $905 million class action suit involving 235,000

german car owners. the world health 0rganization has suspended testing the malaria drug hydroxy—chloroquine in covid—19 patients due to safety concerns. hydroxycholoroquine has been touted by donald trump and others as a possible treatment for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. the us president has said he was taking the drug to help prevent infection. in the uk, all non—essential retailers will resume business starting on the 15th ofjune. it's part of the country's plan to further ease restrictions put in place to contain the coronavirus. store owners will have to adhere to new guidelines to protect their shoppers and workers. but, prime minister boris johnson says the move is contingent on progress to fight the pandemic. the japanese prime minister

has lifted the state of emergency for tokyo and four remaining regions almost a week ahead of schedule. but, shinzo abe warned it could be put back in place if the virus starts spreading again. the goverment is offering more than $1.8 trillion in financial aid tro try and jump start the world's third largest economy and soften the blow of a recession. joining me now is sharanjit leyl in singapore. good leyl in singapore. to see this tuesday. it's a good to see this tuesday. it's a difficult situation forjapan to itself back to business in a safe way. is a difficult situation for all of us facing lot downs right now. it's interesting the lifting of these emergency measures. it led stocks to jump on the neck a 225 exchange in tokyo. —— nikkei. there are further easing is a block down measures

on the planet which looks set to push things higher, with the opening of bars, cafe ‘s, pools, beaches overshadowing the rising tensions between the us and china. the lifting of those emergency measures meant now the whole country, japan, would have social distancing curbs loosened. japan as you remember earlier lifted some restrictions for most areas last week but the prime minister as we said warned that it could be reimposed if the virus start spreading again and mrabe said virus start spreading again and mr abe said this total amount of stimulus to pushjapan out of stimulus to pushjapan out of the recession, he suggested the stimulus could exceed $1.8 trillion but will still take considerable time to get back to normal life while controlling and action risk. he also acknowledged that japan faces sums problems with its response to the pandemic but he also praised what he called the

japan model which brought the outbreak under control in some six weeks without the strict lockdowns with scene imposed in other countries. something certainly we are watching closely. i don't doubt it. certainly we are watching closely. idon't doubt it. i give very much. millions of people around the world have been unable to work because of coronavirus lockdowns. but for those companies who are providing essential goods and services during the pandemic, a surge in demand for products has meant taking on more staff. 0ne business in california, which has seen an increase in production of cleaning products, also specialises in hiring visually impaired workers. zoe thomas reports form san francisco. this plant produces cleaning supplies for the us government and commercial companies. it's and commercial companies. it's an essential business that has seen demand spiked with the spread of covid—19, keeping workers on their toes. orders are coming in really fast so we are coming in really fast so we are super busy. 30-year-old

jennifer has been blind since birth. she started working at lighthouse three years ago. the firm specifically hires blind or visually impaired people. despite the risks of covid—19, the staff are still coming in every day. yes, it's scary but at the same time, i think if we ta ke at the same time, i think if we take precautions and wash your hands and continue to, basically, i go to work i go home. we get a few days off before we get all these orders andi before we get all these orders and i personally was getting kind of bored so i was glad to be back at work. help advice for blind people during covid—19 is the same for sighted people but many blind people have to adjust their routines. using voice commands and audio guides to avoid touching braille tech saw guides. with orders expected to remain hires businesses open on, lighthouse expects to scale production. we are keeping up with demand, hiring three or formal blind people to join us on the lines here. so over the

next year, this is really going to bea next year, this is really going to be a springboard for us to really increase the blind labour force really increase the blind labourforce in really increase the blind labour force in this area. this plant produces about a000 bottles of all—purpose cleaner every day and seeing that spike and demand is important because about 80% of the staff here is blind or visually impaired and that's a group that typically experiences high unemployment rates across the us. nearly three out of four blind adults in the us are unemployed. experts say that is in part due to misconceptions about their abilities. but there is some hope that changes in the work environment due to coronavirus could improve that statistic. lot of blind and visually impaired people are early adopters of things like using zoom and doing things on line because we have to be so if the work environment changes to a much more on line kind of environment, who knows, that might actually work in our favour. during the covid-19

pandemic, the staff at lighthouse industries, like their sighted counterparts, have been labelled essential workers. hope is when locked down measures lift, they will still be regarded as crucial to the us labour force. still be regarded as crucial to the us labourforce. zoe thomas, bbc news, san francisco. the spanish government's plans to launch a monthly basic income scheme are expected to be approved today — it's aimed at the most vulnerable households hit by coronavirus and hopes to reach at least 100,000 households initially. each adult under the scheme will get a monthly payment of at least $500. other countries, like finland and italy, have previously tried similar schemes before coronavirus hit — but neither scheme made much impact on the unemployment rate. will it work now? joining me now is javier diaz—gimenez, professor of economics at iese business school in madrid each adult under the scheme will get a monthly payment of at least $500. other countries have tried it — finland trialled a basic income and italy has

a scheme tied to reskilling. in finland, didn't particularly work on the way the government hoped. why will this be different? it might be different? it might be different because it's meant to be permanent. it starts out as a permanent measure. it's really important if basic income schemes in support schemes make a difference, if it's indefinite and that was not the case in the previous trials. it is targeted to people who are particularly needy which is not part of the other example so it's hard to tell. it's hard to tell and it's going to be hard to compare because fundamentally, these measures are different in different places. how much is this measure needed in spain? spain isa this measure needed in spain? spain is a country with extreme poverty rates higher than some other neighbours, higher than european averages. it's a good thing it's targeted to these

people with low or zero income. it's not just people with low or zero income. it's notjust a handout so it's a top up, we top up current family income and i think it will help alleviate the situation of these very vulnerable households. how do you think the spanish government is going to afford to do this and keep doing this given the economy has taken a hit from coronavirus? that is a ha rd hit from coronavirus? that is a hard question. today, all public programmes, as we move forward , public programmes, as we move forward, the recession hitting spain will be very severe, but the programme is supposedly here to stay, just like public pensions are, just like unemployment, so it might be cut in the future, but it sta rts cut in the future, but it starts up with this will to be

permanent. how much support is there amongst spanish people for money to be spent in this way? i have not heard too many complaints specifically about this. right now there is a big upheaval, unrest in the spanish economy about the lockdown, the details of how the lot down is being eased, but this particular programme, the cost is about 3 billion euros so it is about 3 billion euros so it is small potatoes and people are not complaining. because i think most spaniards think it will be targeted to the needy, it will be administered and i have not heard a lot of complaints about this particular programme. it has been a pleasure to talk to you. thank you. thank you. this is bbc news. the headlines: concerns continue to be raised about the british prime minister's top adviser who travelled long distances during the antivirus lockdown.

after two months of restrictions, greece has reopened its islands to domestic visitors. as the lockdown in england starts to be relaxed with the government setting out further plans to ease some of the restrictions, more people will be using public transport and returning to work. so in this environment, what are the risks of being infected with coronavirus? 0ur science editor david shukman has been looking at the latest research. as people think about getting back to work, going out to do more shopping again and travelling on public transport, what are the risks of becoming infected ? this animation simulates the inside of a train carriage. marked in red, it shows someone who's got the virus, maybe without realising, and how, when they talk, they could release it all over a fellow passenger. a grim thought, but some scientists say the droplets containing the virus are very easily spread. if you are just breathing, talking,

then obviously, the droplets don't travel as far, but they could travel far enough to infect your friend who's sitting opposite you, chatting to you, 0k? so that's the key distance. how far do they have to travel to infect somebody else? so when someone's coughing or sneezing, it's vital to keep your distance, otherwise this is the easiest way to catch the virus. another way is when someone infected contaminates surfaces like in a kitchen and others then touch those areas. and the virus might be carried through the air for several metres. we don't know how far it can go while remaining infectious. all of these risks are reduced out of doors. not eliminated — keeping apart is still important — but any virus should be dispersed in the air, and if it lands on a surface, it should be killed pretty quickly by ultraviolet light. but it's a very different story when you are inside. so what happens indoors when someone coughs?

like in this scenario. what's crucial is how the ventilation works. here, an air—conditioning unit circulates the air and that spreads the virus around. in another scenario, a window is opened and the cough is carried by fresh air. the infection is still spread, but to fewer people. and the team behind this research say there are ways to reduce the risks when restaurants and other places come to reopen. you can open windows to help get more outside air coming into your space. you can talk to mechanical contractors to see if you can increase filtration or add humidification. adding humidification helps to get the particles to drop out of the air more quickly, so they are less likely to swirl around and cause other infections. and new research keeps coming up with answers. in this experiment, a breath is seen travelling through the air. but when a mask is worn, the breath doesn't get so far. as the lockdown is relaxed,

ideas for keeping people safe, which seemed unimaginable before covid, now seem to make more sense. david shukman, bbc news. here, some doctors on the frontline of the national health service here in the uk arrived as refugees. fergal keane has been to meet syrian doctors who told him they want to repay the kindness and generosity they've received since they came here. dr ahmad alomar is a syrian refugee, now working at royal 0ldham hospital in manchester. here, he is checking on a patient admitted with a severe cough. arriving in 201a, ahmad and his family found safety in britain, and he brought precious skills. nurse: where's my chocolates? laughter he has a presence that puts other staff at their ease. i've only had one day off! having struggled with mass casualties in besieged aleppo, he is well placed to offer emotional support to colleagues.

during these difficult times in syria, i've learned how to cope with stress. i've learned how to manage. when the covid pandemic started here, i realised that it would be a very difficult time, because nobody had ever had similar experience. more than half syria's health facilities have been destroyed or damaged. hospitals have been targeted by the regime and its russian allies. the british surgeon david nott, here wearing the colourful cap, trained syrian doctors in emergency surgery in besieged aleppo. it's left me with a broken heart, because there are so many millions of people as refugees now, and they need to go home, but they're too scared to go home.

and it is a dreadful situation, that they're still u nfortu nately having to cope with. there is an irony in this, of course, in that you went there to help them. they're now here helping you. yes, it's true, absolutely true. and it's wonderful. here in aleppo, working under siege conditions, one of the young doctors he trained. ayman alshikh became a highly skilled trauma surgeon. now, ayman is in manchester, a friend of dr ahmad, and studying for the exams that will allow him to practice in britain. he wants to repay the welcome and peace he has found here. i imagined our colleagues here, that they are suffering, they need help. they need any hand they can have with them. i can understand their feeling now, and it's really exhausting during these uncertain times.

ahmad has found security here and work he loves. but he yearns for home, a return he knows is impossible while the regime is in power. a doctor no longer able to help his own country helps save lives here. may i feel your hand, please? 0ur good fortune, syria's tragedy. fergal keane, bbc news, manchester. northern and central india have been hit by huge swarms of locusts, some stretching over 5 kilometres, in what's been described as the worst locust attack in the region in a quarter of a century. russell trott has this report. across northern and central india, clouds of locusts are invading. in rajasthan state, millions stormed the capital, jaipur. jaipur. —— in rajasthan state, millions swarm the capital, jaipur. in neighbouring uttar pradesh, locals and farmers

do what they can to try and deter the bugs as they invade farms, devouring crops. at the start of this year, east africa was badly hit by vast locust swarms. it is thought the locusts currently making their way across india came from the horn of africa via pakistan, reaching as far as the central state of madhya pradesh, wreaking havoc in at least 12 districts. spraying pesticides is one way to try and stop the locusts, but the chemicals can harm other animals too. translation: it was a patch of nearly five kilometres. the scientists of the central locust team of the indian government and agricultural sciences, along with police and other services, conducted an exercise in the farms, and 60% of the area was sprayed with pesticides. about one square kilometre of locusts can eat the same amount of food as 35,000 people, worrying farmers who are already facing difficulty due to the coronavirus pandemic. india says it wants to work

with pakistan and iran to try to combat the bugs. you can get in touch with me on twitter. i'm @bbcmaryam. thank you so much for your company, everyone. goodbye. hello. if you're looking for rain through this week, well, there is not very much in the forecast. but what i can offer you is plenty of warmth. in fact, during monday, to the south—west of london, temperatures got very close to 27 degrees. we'll see more very warm weather over the next few days. 0n the satellite picture, though, you can see this stripe of cloud that's been working its way in towards the north—west. not bringing an awful lot of rain, though. this is a frontal system, but one which is weakening very quickly, so really, wejust have a band of cloud sitting in place across parts of england and wales through tuesday morning. maybe the odd spot of drizzle around, but generally speaking it'll be dry, just with a bit more in the way of cloud generally than we had during monday.

conversely, for northern ireland and scotland, well, here we see long spells of sunshine. still quite breezy in the far north, and a little bit on the cool side here, i suppose. but the further south you are, top temperatures getting up to 25 degrees. now, as we move through tuesday evening, our old weather front will still be sitting in place, but reallyjust a band of cloud at this stage. could be a little bit misty and murky for some coastal spots in the south and the west. and then we see some more cloud starting to work in towards parts of northern ireland. but generally it's a dry night, and not a particularly cold one, with lows between 7 and 1a degrees. so, during wednesday, high pressure still very much in charge. but this warm front here will be introducing more cloud, and maybejust nosing some rain into the western side of northern ireland and potentially the west of scotland. there is a bit of uncertainty about just how far east this rain will get. but to the south of this band of cloud and patchy rain, well, that's where we have the very warm air. so temperatures down towards the south, cardiff, london, into the middle 20s celsius. not quite as warm as that across the northern half of the uk. but as we move towards the end of the week, as this area

of high pressure moves its way a little bit further eastwards, well, more and more of us get to feel the effects of some very warm air. and i think, on thursday, we will see plentiful sunshine across most areas. a bit more cloud across scotland, maybe just the odd shower across the northern half of the country, but the vast majority will be dry. but those temperatures up to 26 degrees there in cardiff, 22 in glasgow, but a little bit cooler for some of those north sea coasts. that's a trend that will continue on into friday. and as we head into the weekend, well, those temperatures stay pretty high for the time of year, and very little sign of rain for most of us.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 0ur headlines today: government ministers rally to support the prime minister's top adviser, but opposition parties say dominic cummings still has questions to answer. i don't regret what i did. as i said, i think reasonable people may well disagree. i think what i did was reasonable in these circumstances. ido i do not believe anybody number 10

has done anything to undermine our messaging. shops in england will be able to open from the middle