tonight at ten... the terrible cost of the coronavirus pandemic on the uk. more than 40,000 people have now died. just some of the faces of the victims. britain and america, the only countries to reach the milestone. each of these deaths is not a statistic but the loss of a loved one for so many families. but there is some good news, latest figures suggest infections are falling dramatically. we'll be assessing the government's coronavirus strategy going forward, as lockdowns begin to ease. also tonight.... spelling out their demands, loud and clear. an end to police violence. the president claims, he gets it...

nobody has ever done for the black community what president trump has done. the suspect in the madeleine mccann case is now being investigated, over a missing five—year—old girl in germany. and prepping for the return of the premier league, but no singing, or chanting on the terraces, as the fans must stay home. and in sport on bbc news... chelsea deserve the women's super league title — we hearfrom their manager emma hayes. the decision was made on a points per game basis. good evening. the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the uk reaching a grim milestone today, with the number of people dying having tested positive for covid—19, surpassing 40,000. britain is now only the second country in the world to reach that number,

after the united states. 357 deaths were recorded in the latest 2a hour period bringing the total across the uk, to a0,261. it comes amid falling numbers for new infections in the community. an office for national statistics study of adults and children in private households estimates one in 1,000 people in england tested positive for the coronavirus in the last week of may, not counting those staying in hospitals or care homes. this is down from last week's estimate of one in 400. we'll have more on the rate of infection in a moment, but first, with the very latest, here's our health editor, hugh pym. for families and friends of the bereaved, some of whom spent weeks in intensive care, there have been months of grief and emotional turmoil. my mum, she was my best friend. she was kind, funny. this is just the worst

pain in the world. i feel like without the proper protection, then more things like this and more families will lose a loved one. since the first uk death in early march, a total of 40,000 have now died after testing positive for coronavirus. the government's chief scientific adviser said keeping the death total to 20,000 or below would be a good outcome. it's now above 40,000. how do you assess that outcome, given where we are now? the day that the number of deaths from coronavirus has gone over 40,000 is a time of sorrow for us all. we have got to remember that each one of these is... ..an impact on a family that will never be the same again. and my heart goes out to them all. and it makes me redouble my determination to deal with this virus. so, how did we get here?

on march 11th, the world health organization formally declared a pandemic. that day, spanish football fans were in liverpool for a champions league fixture. the next day, testing and tracking of new community cases was stopped, with resources focusing on hospitals. the four—day cheltenham racing festival was in full swing. on march 16th, people were told to avoid pubs and other social venues, and work from home as possible. the next day, the chief scientific adviser made this prediction. if we can get this down to numbers 20,000 and below, that's a good outcome. on march 23rd, lockdown began across the uk. 0n the 21st of april, the daily death toll hit a peak, with more than 1,000 deaths. since then, the overall total has climbed and now stands atjust over 40,000 deaths, though this doesn't include those in all settings where there wasn't a test. some experts argue the government should have reacted more quickly after seeing

what was happening in italy. we had two to three weeks' more time to get ready for this but i think we just took it too easy, to be very frank. i think we assumed that we were different, that somehow we were going to respond in a different way, that we could cope. and then, by the time they realised they had the problem, it was too late. the uk covid—19 death toll, at around 40,000, is ahead of other european countries, with italy next on the latest reported figure atjust over 33,500, followed by france, spain and belgium. but adjusted for the size of the population, belgium has the highest death rate, at around 84 per 100,000 people, with the uk at 60, a little above spain, italy and france. there are slight differences in the way each country calculates its figures. this virus has hit lots of very developed nations with robust

health care systems, robust health infrastructures, and it has taken a lot of people by surprise and i don't think the uk is alone in having been taken by surprise. i think we need to essentially wait until the end of the pandemic and then have a dissection of what happened and learn lessons from it. for now, the authorities will focus on testing as many people as possible and then tracing their contacts, seen as the best way to suppress the virus. hugh pym, bbc news. well, the first case of covid—19 diagnosed in the uk was at the end of january, and the first death, was back in march. our special correspondent, allan little, now looks at the lives lived of some of those who've died. behind the statistics, the government charts, the number crunching, are the lives lost. ricardo bonsato, known as ricky, was 54. he worked in a care home in lancashire. the residents knew him for his kindness, compassion and sense of fun.

he leaves a wife and two children. ina beaton was 103. she lived through the 1919 spanish flu pandemic, and the clydebank blitz. she died in her care home on the isle of skye. her family said she was known throughout the island, and loved its language and culture. jamshed ahmed siddiqui was a florist from hodge hill, near birmingham. he fell ill on the day lockdown began, and died in intensive care. the consultant sat us down and said "look, i don't think he's going to make it," and then my... ijust gave the opportunity to my older brother to, you know, to hold his hands in his last moments. um, yeah. and then i think he spent, like, three to five minutes, and then my father sadly passed away. earl fuller, known as sam, joined the prison service after a 20—year career in the army.

he was a physically—fit 60—year—old. his family said he was hugely popular, always the barbecue man at parties. christina poll was from hornchurch in east london. during the second world war, she worked on breaking the enigma code at bletchley park. she kept her work secret for 40 years — she was 97. clive futter from mold in north wales had worked as an airbus inspector. he was 78. his family said he had "an amazing sense of fun and an immeasurable lust for life." liz spooner worked as a nurse at the same hospital in swansea for 41 years. she was 62. "devastated is an understatement," one of her friends there said. "another dear colleague lost." gordon reid, known as gogs, was an edinburgh taxi driver. he was 68. his friends, unable to attend his funeral, paid tribute outside his local pub.

he was cautious, stopping work to stay at home, days before the lockdown began. only one gogs. my dad was funny, we just had a huge amount of fun with my dad. he absolutely doted on his grandkids, and my kidsjust adored him. we just had such a lot of fun. he had a huge group of friends. everyone that knew him just loved him really. he was a fit and healthy guy, liked going out and playing golf. and just socialising with his friends. we just... it was always about fun with my dad, really. poornima nair was a 56—year—old gp from county durham. a wife and mother. "it's unbelievable," her practice manager said. "her heart was with the nhs and what she could do to help. "she will be so missed." steve lynham from burnham—on—sea was 44. he and his wife denise would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary next year. she was also in hospital with covid—19, and recovered.

"steve was loving, caring and fun," she said. "please take this seriously. stick to the rules. "don't go through our heartache." alan little, bbc news. there has been some encouraging news today in the pandemic. new figures suggest coronavirus infections in the community are falling substantially. the office for national statistics says the number of cases in england is down to 5,600 a day, from 8,000 a day, last week. however, one study suggests that in the north west and south west of england, the rate at which the virus is reproducing, could be near one, suggesting infections may rise. with more, here's our science editor, david shukman. with people out and about across the uk over the past week or so, what do we know about the virus and whether it is under control? well, despite the scale of the death toll, there are some signs that things may now be going in the right

direction, at least for the moment. the latest survey shows how the percentage of the population testing positive for covid—19 has fallen in each of the last five weeks, which is of course good news. but bear in mind that there is a very wide margin of error with this study and also that the swab tests were carried out by people themselves. because that is not easy, the results may not be that accurate. i think it is incredibly important for us not to lose sight of the fact this is a virus which is incredibly contagious, can transmit very easily and efficiently between people, and still, most of the population have not seen this virus and are susceptible which allows it to spread very rapidly if we let our guard down. the big worry is that more contact will mean more infections. so what is the latest assessment about the speed with which the virus is being spread? at the height of the outbreak, the infection rate, the r number, was running at about three,

meaning anyone infected was on average passing it on to three others. the key was to get it down below one because, below that number, the disease does not escalate, and the latest estimate is that we are for the whole uk running at about 0.7 up to 0.9. below one, but not falling rapidly. and if we break that down across the uk, the picture varies. 0ne computer model shows that in most areas of england, the rate is thought to be below one, except in the north—west and south—west, where it is estimated to be right on one. a different study suggests that scotland, wales and northern ireland are on 0.8. so, for the moment, the advice is still to keep at least two metres apart, and barriers and signs have been springing up to remind people. the lockdown has suppressed the virus, but it hasn't killed it off. david shukman, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is here.

more than 40,000 dead in the uk, a total no one could have predicted after the first death in march. devastating death toll and the new daily reported case numbers are falling, that is what the seven day rolling average sirs, pointing downwards, —— says. we should remember the nhs cope throughout the early stages and the peak in april and may, but a few worrying pointers, hospitaladmissions and may, but a few worrying pointers, hospital admissions with covid—19 patients have moved up slightly, they are down in northern ireland, and there is no data in scotland, but they are up in england and wales. there are issues around the regional r numbers, in the south—west and the north—west, and tameside council in greater manchester has written to local schools today are urging them not to reopen as planned on monday, to leave it a couple of weeks because of concerns about where the r number is. the health secretary matt

hancock looking at this weekend and mass demonstrations planned, he said he was appalled by the death of the george floyd and he was sympathetic to people who wished to be out there but he said people really should not ta ke but he said people really should not take part in large gatherings, demonstrations above the number of six people. thanks forjoining us. people living in the republic of ireland will be able travel anywhere inside their own county from monday, instead of being limited to a range of 20km from home. the irish cabinet is accelerating the easing of the country's lockdown, allowing groups of up to six people to meet indoors or outside, provided social distancing is maintained. the european union's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has accused the uk of "backtracking" on its commitments over a future trade deal. however the government's chief negotiator, david frost, says the latest round of talks had been "positive in tone" and the uk remained "committed to a successful outcome". time is running out,

with just six months to go to reach an agreement, before the end of the uk's transitional arrangements with brussels. here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth. remember this? it was the end of january when we left the eu. since that moment, the clock has been ticking towards the end of this year — the current time frame to agree a new future relationship. earlier this year, negotiators from both sides held talks face to face, but it doesn't look like this any more. coronavirus means it is all online, and today, the eu said there is no significant progress, claiming the uk's backtracking on commitments made so far. round after round, our british counterparts seek to distance themselves from this common basis. we cannot and we will not accept this backtracking on the political declaration. among the key sticking points, the so—called level playing field. measures to ensure businesses on one side don't have an unfair advantage

over competitors on the other. fisheries, access to markets and waters, and governance, including how any agreement will be enforced. number 10's chief negotiator agreed today progress has been limited. but the government's still adamant it won't extend the process beyond the end of december. given the time that's passed, it's time for both sides to work together, and we are willing to accelerate that work, to get that final agreement, based on a vision that has been agreed, and then we can progress. borisjohnson is due to meet senior eu figures this month, which some hope will give a fresh push to these talks, but uk officials have warned they don't want them to drag on to the autumn, because at some point, they say, businesses will have to prepare for no deal at the end of year. with the economic turmoil already caused by coronavirus, some businesses have warned that could be deeply damaging. the uk and the eu say they want to avoid that,

and a deal is still possible, but that will take some serious compromise on both sides — and quickly. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. there's renewed anger in the united states over police violence. footage has emerged of a 75—year—old demonstrator, protesting the death of george floyd, being pushed to the ground by officers and suffering serious head injuries. it happened in the city of buffalo, in upstate new york. the two officers involved have now been suspended. protests have continued across america after the death of mr floyd, who died at the hands of four police officers, in the city of minneapolis last month. 0ur north america correspondent aleem maqbool has more details. for days, the people of washington have been taking their calls for change to the white house. now the city's mayor has approved her own. the renaming of an area on the president's doorstep, black lives matter plaza. but nearby the protests go on,

in the shadow of the memorial to martin luther king. some scenes of police brutality he's witnessed in recent days may have seemed disturbingly familiar. in buffalo, new york, for example, a 75—year—old protester was shoved to the ground by a policeman. another officer goes to help him but is held back, even though the man's now motionless and bleeding from his skull. police filed past and no one else is allowed to go to his aid. two officers have been suspended. but it's just the latest in a torrent of apparently unjustified use of force at these protests. an assault from behind in seattle. the arrest in charleston of a man peacefully trying to reason with officers. and police in la driving into protesters, to name but a few examples. for the incident that sparked all this, three officers have now been charged with aiding

and abetting murder. another‘s already been charged with murdering george floyd. minneapolis says officers will now be required to intervene if they see a colleague using unauthorised force. the president of the united states. the president has called for authorities to continue to be tough on the street, but has also talked of equality for black people. they have to receive fair treatment from law enforcement. they have to receive it. we all saw what happened last week. we can't let that happen. hopefully george is looking down right now and saying there's a great thing that's happening for our country, there's a great day for him, it's a great day for everybody. nobody's ever done for the black community what president trump has done. think of it. well, it is easy to say there should be fair treatment for african americans, but given the deep rooted issues with racism in this country and as we're seeing almost daily with police culture,

that is of course far harder to achieve in practice. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in washington. more details are emerging of the new suspect in the madeleine mccann case, who according to german media is now also being investigated over the disappearance of a five—year—old girl in germany. it's reported the suspect is being named as christian b, a 43—year—old man who's believed to have been in the same area of southern portugal where three—year—old madeleine went missing while on holiday in 2007. 0ur correspondent gavin lee has more details. this is christian b. the man suspected of the murder of madeleine mccann. she disappeared in 2007. ten years later german police received a tip—off from a friend of the suspect in a bar in germany. christian made comments that made them think he could be involved in madeleine's disappearance. here in praia da luz we're told portuguese police have been making house to house inquiries since then.

candido works close to one of the properties that was used by the suspect. translation: i think i have seen this man, at some point i saw him, not here but in the town. he also said that police searched for madeleine's body around this land in 2014 and several times after that. translation: they searched over there. in that ditch there and up over that side, too. it was extensive. it was all over the place. two years before madeleine mccann went missing from this hotel apartment, a woman was raped in praia da luz. christian b is remanded in germany charged in connection with that case. he is also in prison for other crimes, including child sex abuse. locals here are questioning why portuguese police hadn't picked up this man with an extensive criminal past before that. in the years after madeleine mccann‘s disappearance, the suspect is said to have moved several times between

germany and portugal. in 2015, he owned this run—down property in the east of germany. it emerged today he's also been investigated there over this german girl who went missing from a family party. that investigation has now been reopened. the search for madeleine mccann has been unprecedented in size and scale, with numerous suspects that have since been discounted. this seaside villages synonymous worldwide with this unsolved, shocking case, one that's 110w unsolved, shocking case, one that's now reliant on a public appeal for help if there is to be a breakthrough. gavin lee, bbc news, praia da luz. the bbc has appointed a new director general, who'll take over from tony hall in september. tim davie is currently the head of bbc studios, one of the corporation's commercial subsidiaries. among his priorities for the corporation will be funding and the future

of the licence fee. our media editor amol rajan is with me. it isa it is a toughjob, running this place. some understatement, clive. you can say that again. what do we know about tim davie and what are his challenges? he was acting director—general before tony hall got thejob. before director—general before tony hall got the job. before that he ran director—general before tony hall got thejob. before that he ran bbc radio services. it came from a commercial services, he worked in marketing for the pepsi company. he is charismatic, he's a crystal palace fan, popular with the staff but intriguingly most of the recent director—generals have come from bbc news, behind you, but tim davie is from a commercial background. his experience in making deals around the world. his first and foremost task is making a deal with number ten. in 2022 the bbc celebrates its lengthy —— centenary, there will be a tough negotiation over the licence fee, that will be nasty and brutish and long and he has to come up with

and long and he has to come up with a good deal. the other big challenges commercial, the biggest most powerful companies in human history, apple, facebook, google, they are competing with the bbc for oui’ they are competing with the bbc for our attention and eyeballs and he has to allow the bbc to compete with them and persuade young people to keep paying for a licence fee. he has to make the bbc reflective of the whole of britain and make sure it's a trusted brand in the age of social media when impartiality is under scrutiny. most tagged rector —— director generals are judged with how they deal with crises they couldn't foresee, like the savile scandal and equal pay, the same will be true of tim davie. tim davie's job is going to be much harder. a lot of people wish him luck and goodness knows, he's going to need it. amol rajan, thanks very much. as the uk reaches more than 40,000 dead in the coronavirus pandemic, we've seen in the last two months the poorest communities hit the hardest. the death rates in the most

deprived areas of england are more than double those in the most affluent. now public health england says the pandemic has, in some areas, deepened existing health inequalities. our special correspondent, ed thomas, has been hearing from families on merseyside. it is an uncomfortable truth. coronavirus is more likely to kill the vulnerable and most deprived. and these are the people who feel forgotten during this crisis. it's like they've closed up on us, and they've just forgot about us. it's like being on death row. obviously, if i go out, it could kill me. nobody's rung, nobody's knocked, nobody. this is just one street on merseyside, in one of the uk's most deprived areas. and along this short cul—de—sac, three people have died recently — two linked to coronavirus.

he was loved to death. everyone loved joe. and then the test come back, it was covid—19. joe had cerebral palsy. in april, he started struggling to breathe. he was 26 when he died. if it would have been a different time, he would have went right into intensive care, he would have, but there was no treatments available, whatsoever. and then they phoned me back. the doctor, who was explaining to me, said there was no hope whatsoever. joe couldn't speak and tell you what was going on, so he would have been petrified. just a few doors down, another man died. what's left behind is a shared grief and anger. i was close tojoe. joe round the corner. is there a sense of being forgotten in this area? totally has, yeah. this area always gets forgotten, whether it's about crime, health, wealth, whatever, it always gets forgotten, doesn't it? we're the forgotten street. merseyside has some

of the highest rates of health deprivation in the country. for some, during this pandemic, it's a challenge to access treatment. i have cancer that's incurable. my husband, he's got severe copd. my children have been in since 23rd march. no—one has left the home in more than two months. it's a prison behind our doors. a family that desperately needs help. how am i supposed to get my bloods done? going back in march, and i'm still waiting on the waiting list for someone to come to my home address. we're not noticed. we're not recognised. for those struggling financially, the anxiety is not knowing when this will all end. so my income's been halved and the pressure is immense. louise is a single parent who's just lost herjob as a dementia carer,

now on benefits for the first time. i feel terrible. as a mum, sometimes i feel like i'm not good enough, i can't provide the way i should be. universal credit is covering the bills. charity for everything else. i shouldn't be struggling the way i am, and my mental health and anxiety through the roof, worrying if i can afford my rent. ifeel at the moment a little bit lost, isolated. ifeel like a failure because i'm not in work. and what of those young witnesses to this crisis? for children living through this hardship, obstacles will remain long into the future. ed thomas, bbc news, liverpool. chelsea women's football team is celebrating tonight, having been named the winners of the super league, after the season was abandoned. but in england the men's premier league is gearing up to re—start in 12 days' time,

with 92 games still to play. natalie pirks has more from brighton. solly march, first—time cross. murray! for fans craving that match—day rush, the premier league's return cannot come soon enough. but this won't be football as we know it. yes, it will be rather lonely in these stands, but at least fans will be able to watch more than 30 of the remaining 92 games on free—to—air channels. broadcasters will let you decide whether to watch with or without crowd noise, and clubs will pump in music at key moments to enhance the action. here at brighton, they'll fill the top tiers with cardboard cut—outs of fans. but players say it's nothing like the real thing. i think it will be good to try to generate an atmosphere but deep down, we know it's fake. ijust look forward to the day that the fans can return because i think this has shown, more than anything ever has in the past, how the sport is basically the fans, and without fans, it's nothing.

around 300 people will need access to the stadium for every game, with teams of 20 players and 12 coaches and medics. stadiums will be split into three distinct zones — red, amber and green zone. now, the tunnel and the pitch will form part of the red zone, and only a maximum of 105 people will be allowed here, after temperature checks. that's considerably fewer than usual and means there won't even be ball boys or girls. well, here on the bench, players will sit two metres apart. and out on the pitch, there will be water breaks midway through each half, where players will drink from their own bottles, and balls and cornerflags can also be disinfected. it was initially proposed that neutral venues should be used, mainly to stop fans congregating. but brighton and others felt strongly they should be allowed to play at home. now it seems they have largely won the argument. i think the most important thing is, please stay away from the stadium. you know, we've been given the opportunity to play

out our remaining games in our own venues, notjust brighton