mark lowen in milan.found themselves on the first line of defence against the pandemic stop and in the majority of places they are praised as heroes. but in mexico, dozens of nurses, doctors, and hospital staff have been attacked people who accuse them of spreading the virus. marcus gonzales reports. last month, this doctor, and in nose and throat specialist was walking her dogs. someone came from behind and through liquid over her. it was bleach. her eyes and skin were left swollen. she didn't know why she was targeted. at least 47 health workers have been attacked in mexico since the start of the pandemic. many here fear they could spread the virus outside hospitals. this is an emergency nurse who treated coronavirus patients. but on her way back home from hospital she was stopped by residence outside her village. she was intimidated and told to leave. in the end, she took her belongings and left the village. they are just two examples of the dozens they are just two examples of the d oze ns of they are

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.deaths seen in other parts of the world as a result of coronavirus. the latest figures showjust under three thousand deaths across the whole of africa and experts are already saying that some valuable lessons could be learned as our senior africa correspondent anne soy reports. in the heart of mogadishu, it's an all—out war against a new enemy. somalia has known no peace for nearly three decades. its health system is among the world's most fragile. now, covid—19 is testing its resilience. like many african countries, the war—torn nation acted swiftly, but it's far from containing the outbreak. at this hospital, medics are doing all they can to save lives. translation: the last three months, i have not seen my family and my infant child. i've taken a personal decision not to go home so as to reduce the risk of infecting my family and to serve my people as long as i live. whole countries and cities have gone quiet. there are lockdowns, cu rfews and border closures across africa, and they

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.stem to control oubtreaks of the virus has been debated in the commons between the prime minister borisjohnson and the labour leader sir keir starmer. the prime minister said he was confident it would be operational from the first ofjune despite the doubts expressed by some experts, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. every day, thousands of new coronavirus infections are still being reported in the uk. tracking the virus down and isolating the infected is widely believed to be the best way to control the pandemic. but today in parliament, the labour leader questioned why there had been such a delay in setting up a track and trace system. in the united kingdom, despite two million tests having been carried out, there has been no effective tracing in place since march 12, when tracing was abandoned. that's nearly ten weeks in a critical period without effective tracing. that's a huge hole in our defences. we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be wor

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.gratulating president xi on a number of occasions. but that's all changed. in recent weeks, mr trump has accused the chinese government of failing to deal with the spread of the virus and of organising a cover—up. the result is open hostility beween the two countries. let's join our north america editor, jon sopel. huw, china may be on the other side of the coronavirus crisis, but america is still deep in the mire, and a leaked government report suggests that the death toll, far from plateauing, could go a lot higher. but with each rise in the numbers of people who've died, donald trump is more keen to shift the blame from him to china. what happened in wuhan, didn't stay in wuhan. a coronavirus which has affected billions, infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands is claiming a new casualty — us—china relations. on the american side, there's growing fury about china's secretiveness. and, for the moment, an unsubstantiated charge that this didn't originate in a wet market in t

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como. do stay with us on bbc news.he scenes at south africa's newest soap opera, filmed under lockdown conditions. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it has become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it has been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far, but suddenly the police are teargassing the crowd. we don't yet know why. the prelaunch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this i

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.ecedented demand for help and support from its online services due to the pandemic. the charity says it fears for those at home relying on carers who may need to self—isolate. our correspondentjeremy cooke has been asking two carers for their experiences. i'll hold it for you. bit more. john has dementia. is that all right? his wife anne, his full—time carer for eight years and counting. yes, a labour of love... there you go. ..but it can be hard and isolating and, now, there's lockdown. i was lonely before. i know what loneliness really is now. how are you? forjulia, there are odd calls with her husband bob, who is in a specialist dementia unit. hope to visit you soon. the threat of covid—19 threatens everything. will i ever physically see him again? on your face, like that. we first met anne last year. dedicated to caring forjohn... that's it, like that. ..24/7. don't lean back on me, because we will both go down the stairs. and julia, too, taking care of bob for nine years now. he h

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.ved to the next phase of the lockdown relaxation. groups of up to 10 people now free to meet, while bars and restaurants can open outdoor areas, as long as seating is at 50% capacity. separately, officials plan to introduce a basic income of about $500 us a month for those most affected by the crisis. having continued with a stricter lockdown than england, northern ireland has now decided to relax its lockdown more than any other part of the uk. from tuesday, groups of up to six people not from the same household will be able to meet outdoors. drive—in church services and cinemas will also be allowed. emma vardy is in belfast. belfast has been like a ghost town but tomorrow six people from different households will be able to meet outdoors, far more than in england, where you can only meet one person from another house. the northern ireland executive says it's down to changing scientific advice, they say there is less chance of the virus being passed on outdoors, so they will now allow

mark lowen, bbc news, naples. stay with us on bbc news.eld of the stranglers, who's died after testing positive for covid—19. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. but the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: afundraising campaign involving more than a0 countries and donors raises more than $8 billion to fund vaccine reserarch. the divide deepens in us—china relations as president trump continues to blame beijing for

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.ny industries are facing a long road to recovery. tv production and soap operas are in that mix — but in south africa, a group of actors saw the country's stringent restrictions as an opportunity to start a new, online ‘soapie' they shot themselves at home. already in its third season, it's proving popular. standing it's proving popular. by. action excellent on standing by. action excellent on the president announced a national lockdown. i kind of we nt national lockdown. i kind of went home and started thinking of my so what happens to the so please and i went into my head i was like why don't we just create a soapie on our cell phones? lockdown height is an online telenovela that we are specifically showcasing on social media platforms and it is really bite—size episodes which ranges from between nine to 12 minutes. we are on lockdown! i'm supposed to be in the house! we all do! what happens is we send scripts out to actors, and eject issues from home on their cell phone, the individ

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.opening schools and universities, researchers in australia have been studying how badly young people have been affected by covid—19. live to sydney, now, and to professor kristine macartney, director of the national centre for immunisation research and surveillance. thank you for your time. looking at the figures, the un things something like 850 million or more children and young adult currently at home rather than in their place of education. you have studied many young kids and adults, what are you finding? here in new south wales in australia we looked at all the schools over a six—week period and there are about 1 a six—week period and there are abouti million a six—week period and there are about 1 million schoolchildren here and almost 3000 schools. what we found was very low transmission from any teacher oi’ transmission from any teacher or student who came to the school and was infectious with covid—19 to others in the environment. we only had 15 schools with a case and we fol

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.nse to the pandemic, amid divisions about the way it's been handled. envoys from nearly 200 countries are meeting online for the world health organisation's annual assembly. our correspondent, imogen foulkes, is following the talk from bern in switzerland. so imogen, quite a wide agenda then? some are strong words already? that's right, it's dominated, of course, by the coronavirus pandemic. a world health assembly that's normally two weeks long squashed into two days, the government leaders will meet virtually by video conference, what the who called for ahead of this meeting was global unity and global solidarity. we know there had been a lot of criticism is particularly from the united states about whether who was too close to china, had not released information quickly enough, it looks, actually, at the moment is of the who has got what it wanted. we've had every world leader so far pledging support for the who. some, world leader so far pledging support forthe who. some, like worl

mark lowen reports. a nation that has shed so many tears alone can finally grieve together.rst funerals are allowed, with a maximum of 15 people, as italy opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of the cruellest losses of the lockdown. "this is a beautiful day, as i can visit my son, who died ten years ago," says concetta. "thank you to everyone who's made it possible. "i can't say anything more, i'm too emotional." as the world's longest shutdown of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are reopening, and relatives can see each other again — with distance and masks. so, finally, people can come and visit the family members that they've been stopped from seeing for eight long weeks. but it does present a danger, because this train has come in from milan, in the region of italy worst—hit by the virus. so, with freedom comes a hugely increased risk of spreading the outbreak. "keep your distance," they are warned, before everyone fills in a form to explain why they're here. europe's worst—hit country i

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.pulled out in a live draw at christies auction house in paris. the event had twice been postponed, once to sell more tickets at more than $100 apiece, and then due to coronavirus restrictions. the charity care hoped to raise more than $19 million for rehabilitation and water projects in cameroon, madagascar, and morocco. i wonder if she will keep it or sell it. who knows. thank you for your company. back with the paper review inafew company. back with the paper review in a few minutes' time. goodbye. hello there. although we've seen a little sea mist around and some fog, for the vast majority, wednesday was a sunny day, and it was the warmest day of the year so far in scotland, england, and in wales. the high temperature was in england, 28 celsius. but for all, it will feel a little fresher today, notably in the north and west. and that's because of a weather front tha's been meandering its way eastwards. and then, behind that for friday, and unseasoned very deep area of low pressure,

mark lowen, bbc news, milan. to ward off coronavirus. speaking at the white house, he told reporters he'd been taking the medication every day for the last week and a half, and had experienced "zero symptoms". but the us food and drug administration has cautioned against the use of the drug — and there is no scientific evidence it can fight off coronavirus. the health system in brazil's largest city, sao paulo, is close to collapse as a result of pressure created by coronavirus, according to the city's mayor. brazil has the fourth largest number of cases in the world, and there's concern that many in brazil's cities, including the president, have defied lockdown rules on social distancing. this has put more and more pressure on already overloaded health services. 0ur south america correspondent, katy watson sent this from sao paulo. "how many more people have to die for the government to take action?" the message from one of sao paulo's biggest favelas? marching to the governor's palace today, they tried their be

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.making the challenges of staying safe during the pandemic much more difficult. at least 15 people have died and more than 3 million people were forced to leave their homes, mostly in bangladesh, before cyclone amphan hit. coronavirus restrictions have been hampering the relief efforts, as our correspondent in mumbai, yogita limaye, reports. the might of the storm has left a trail of destruction. amphan has plundered its way through the indian state of west bengal, neighbouring bangladesh also in its path. hunkered inside, even those used to seeing cyclones every year are stunned by the fury. i have never seen something like this ever in my life. it went on continuously for three hours without any signs of slowing down. from inside my home, i could hear tin roofs flying around, i could hear trees getting uprooted. 0n the shores, sea water surged in, along with heavy rainfall, it has caused flooding in many areas. over the past two days, relief workers have moved millions to safety, but

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.hair cut from today, as hardressers and barbers reopen for the first time since the lockdown six weeks ago. it won't be quite as before. customers and staff will have to wear masks, and coffee and magazines won't be offered because of the risk of infection. some schools are open again in austria, while in hungary, serbia and slovenia, cafes and restaurants are operating with some restrictions. whilst some countries ease their restrictions, russia is dealing with a dramatic increase in the number of cases of covid—19. the number of new infections has surpassed 10,000 for the second day running. state television warned anyone who thought the epidemic in russia had reached its plateau was dreaming. the trade minister, conor burns, has resigned after a report found he used his position as an mp to intimidate a member of the public. let's speak to our political correspondent, jonathan blake, at westminster. how? simon, in february of last year conor burns wrote a letter on house of headed p

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.finally be able to get their hair cut from today, as hardressers and barbers re—open for the first time since the lockdown six weeks ago. it won't be quite as before — customers and staff will have to wear masks and coffee and magazines won't be offered, because of the risk of infection. some schools are open again in austria, while in hungary, serbia and slovenia, cafes and restaurants are operating with some restrictions. whilst some countries ease their restrictions, russia is dealing with a dramatic increase in the number of cases of covid—i9. the number of new infections has surpassed 10,000 for the second day running. state television warned anyone who thought the epidemic in russia had reached its plateau was dreaming. banks say they've already received thousands of applications for loans under the government's new bounce back scheme — which was launched this morning. the loans are aimed at small and medium sized businesses. let's speak to our personal finance correspondent, sim

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.a grisdale owns a travel agent in lake como which she can finally reopen. it's for the first time in a while, how do you feel about it? fantastic news, it did come as quite a surprise, i have to say, but obviously very, very nice surprise and any positive surprises in this period is fantastic. tell us what kind of business you are likely to see, now that you're able to reopen? what are we are a chilly expecting is, my business concentrates on promoting and selling italy and holidays in italy. we are expecting oui’ holidays in italy. we are expecting our domestic traffic, we expect to be working on holidays for italians, europeans initially, fourjune, july and august, and wee hoping to see international travellers back in italy from september. and what are the arrangements for beaches, by hotel pools, is a social distancing having to be the norm? absolutely, absolutely. as i say, this news did come as a surprise to us but we are getting rules and regulations, and we have clear indicatio

restarting but the shutdown has left deep wounds in a country with already serious economic blooms, as mark lowennaples is a city of such spirit, but here, as across italy, it's taken a real battering from the world's longest lockdown of the pandemic. the measures might now be easing but the suffering isn't. come and have a look this, just one of the many social initiatives that sprung up here. if you've got food to donate, you leave it in this basket. if you're hungry or in need, you take the free food out of this one. solidarity with a lot of social distancing. some of the poorest parts of naples are, of course, also some of the roughest. we're our way now to an area of the city called scampia, which has some of the real social problems, and we're going there with the police or a brief glimpse into how the lockdown is affected those at the lowest levels of society. this region, campania, is one of the poorest in the european union. italy might be emerging from its lockdown, but it has left so many scars here. and for people who live in this kind of state of poverty, not much will change. over i

mark lowen, bbc news, lake como.sperately difficult juggfing it is a desperately difficult juggling act, isn't it? in this social distancing world, what would we have done without social media? facebook has seen a big increase in the use of its services which include instagram and whatsapp since the beginning of the pandemic. that's also increased concerns about the influence of the company and its handling of issues such as misinformation and fake news. our business editor, simonjack, has been speaking exclusively to facebook‘s founder and chief executive, mark zuckerberg. what does home in your family look like during this virus? home—schooling? look like during this virus? home-schooling? we have two girls, one who is four and one who is two, so not quite school—age yet but, yeah, i am sure it is celtic like everywhere else. are the permanent changes that you perceive from this and what do you think that your company ‘s role has been during the crisis? we focused on three main areas, one is to respond to acute heal

mark lowen, bbc news. be going live to the home of ferrari as it reopens it business as well today. we will be talking to ferrari about what measures it is putting in place to keep staff and customers say. president trump says he hopes the presidential election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic — that's because he believes he's done a greatjob. in a televised town hall event, broadcast by fox news, mr trump insisted his decision to impose restrictions had saved lives, and refuted claims that he had failed to act quickly enough. we're going to lose anywhere from 75—80 to 100,000 people. that's a horrible thing. we shouldn't lose one person over this. this should've been stopped in china, it should've been stopped. but if we didn't do it, the minimum we would've lost is a million, a million two, a million four, a million five, that's the minimum. we probably would've lost higher than, it's possible, higher than 2.2. you know the way you have to look at that? i've

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.ng the first step towards lifting their lockdowns — including portugal, spain, croatia and greece. and in germany, hairdressers and barbers can open today, for the first time since the lockdown was imposed six weeks ago. customers and staff will have to wear masks, and there'll be no hot drinks or magazines on offer, because of the risk of infection. many businesses say they're booked up for weeks in advance. president trump says he hopes the presidential election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic — that's because he believes he's done a greatjob. in a televised town hall event broadcast by fox news, mr trump insisted his decision to impose restrictions had saved lives, and rejected claims that he had failed to act quickly enough. david willis reports. that was a great man... in the shadow of the man who led america through the dark six days of the civil war, donald trump, a self—declared wartime president, sought to relaunch his presidenti

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.nish the season though is still some way off. let's remind you of what the table looked like when the sesaon was suspended in mid—march. as you can see liverpool were way out in front, with every chance of becoming champions for the first time in 30 years. staying with football and not for nothing are superb goalkeepers sometimes nicknamed "the cat". maybe this is why... youtuber chris dixon's cat is really quite something. no matter what he throws at it, the cat keeps it out. amazing reflexes and superb hand eye co—ordination. thatis that is quite impressive, isn't it? brilliant, i've got a cat. all he brings in as mice and frogs, i don't have much football action with mine. scientists in argentina say they've found the fossilised remains of one of the last meat—eating dinosaurs to inhabit earth before they were all wiped out. it's quite an incredible discovery, more detail on that on our website. you are now up—to—date. hello there. on monday, the temperature reached 25 celsius in su

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.untry in terms of confirmed infections. on sunday the mayor of brazil's biggest city, sao paulo, warned that the health system was close to collapse. our south america correspondent katy watson now reports from sao paulo. the death toll is still climbing and the president is still in denial. jair bolsonaro remains intent on putting politics before the pandemic, once again flouting global health guidelines at a protest on sunday, even if he was finally wearing a mask. translation: it is priceless for politicians to have a spontaneous demonstration like this one, coming from the heart, from the soul of the brazilian people who want freedom, democracy and respect above all. amid growing criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, mr bolsonaro is sticking closely to the minority of brazilians who still think he's doing a good job. he and his fan base are convinced brazilians need to get back to work despite the science proving otherwise. translation: it is not the right way to d

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.nanimously on the decision, which will see players having to observe social distancing rules, with contact between players not permitted. in a statement the english premier league said "strict medical protocols of the highest standard will ensure everyone returns to training, in the safest environment possible." with me are former players — john barnes, liverpool and england star and pat nevin, who played for chelsea and everton and scotland. welcome both here to the programme, let me ask you both the same question broadly. what do you think? of course you are able to train with two metres between you in terms of the work you are going to do, there is not going to be five aside football or tackling or coming into close proximity, but it is better than training by yourself, you can train in groups, to shooting, dribbling, lots of different drills so coming back to train won't because much of a problem. pat, what do you think? do you welcome it or have some reservations? everyone will ha

mark lowen ending that report in italy.sjust one of the reasons why getting kids back to school is so fraught. denmark has been leading the way. schools there re—opened a month ago, using social distancing, and a lot of creativity, to keep everyone safe. 0ur europe correspondent jean mackenzie reports. it has been hard to not hug each other. she says you can't hug each other, so you have to hug yourself. keeping kids apart requires some imagination. they're not worried about the virus at all. when they came back, we had lots of activities to try to make them not worry, but they didn't worry, so we had to give up on that. it wasn't needed? not at all. the school's been cleverly redrawn so each child only comes into contact with a very small number of children. normally they sit two and two. you have the class of 20 that's been cut down to two groups of ten. that's why you have the plastic. because those two groups aren't allowed to mix? no, exactly. when they are going outside in the breaks, we have to divide those groups in

mark lowen, bbc news, naples.s slowly and gradually getting back to normal life. as you can see, all wearing face coverings. we will talk about face coverings here ina we will talk about face coverings here in a moment with restaurant owner, an it owner, and a woman who i’u ns owner, an it owner, and a woman who runs a couple of nurseries. those are the kinds of conversations happening in workplaces about how the uk will safely return to work in the uk will safely return to work in the coming weeks and months. hairdressers and barbers in germany are being allowed to reopen today, for the first time since the lockdown was imposed six weeks ago. customers and staff will have to wear masks, and there'll be no hot drinks or magazines on offer, because of the risk of infection. many businesses say they're booked up for weeks in advance. president trump says he hopes the presidential election in november turns into a referendum on his response to the coronavirus pandemic — that's because he believes he's done a greatjob

mark lowen ending that report in italy. let's hope. and just a reminder that alongside all the facts and stats about coronavirus — our website also has reports and analysis from our correspondents around the globe, including this from our environment correspondent on how the pandemic has disrupted conservation work around the world. that's at bbc.com/news. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. that's it for now. thanks so much for watching. hello. wednesday was a pretty decent day for many parts of the british isles. high pressure west of the british isles, providing quite a bit of dry area for many areas. there is the high as we start thursday, still extending that low of high pressure across many areas, but underneath that under overnight, the skies will clear. there will be quite a widespread frost to start the day, it might even be 1—2 records set for the night. a different story north in scotland, the weather front here dragging in a fair amount of cloud, a more noticeab

mark lowen is in milan.s have all reopened. church services, too, have restarted, and i'm speaking to you now from italy's oldest department store, its called rinascente, appropriately enough, rebirth, and let mejust show you what they are doing here to ensure other people have safety. so, everybody who comes in as there are temperature checked, you can see, here, temperature held up to the forehead, the staff have an app to check how many customers are in at any one time. you come in, there are these hand sanitising units dotted all around the store. you can't use testers, make—up testers. if you want to try on clothes then any clothes that are tried on stay in a separate room up on the fourth floor. they are not replaced the shelves. so, it is almost like the clothes are in quarantine even though italy is no longer, and if you try on shoes, you are given specific disposable socks, if you try on anything else, you are given disposable gloves. so, they are taking it very, very seriously here, of course, with

mark lowen reports from lake como. perfection is not shared, at least not for now.ke glitters in the stillness but it really helps to lord tourists back from two weeks today when it lifts restrictions or visitors from europe and drops its quarantine. the tranquility is breathtaking but the economy is starved. the lake was set for a record year, george clooney‘s bella helping to pull forests. but then the virus hit this region the ha rd est then the virus hit this region the hardest in italy. the tourism counsellor has said that bookings have been cancelled here and are trying to extend the season. he will keep us up through trying to extend the season. he will keep us up throuthanuary and hopes the rooms will fill up as the confidence returns. they arrived at the end of the 18th century so we are what ready to welcome them again like we have been in the past and for us it is not a question of working with them but to share our feelings with them, and our soul and heart with them because they started the two arrests for us and we want them to be back as soon as possi

mark lowen is there. a nation that has shed so many tears alone, can finally grieve together.ly opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of cruellest losses of the lockdown. as the world's longest shut down of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are re—opening and relatives can see each other again, with distance and masks. so finally people can visit the family members they have been stopped from seeing for eight long weeks but it does present a danger. this train has come in from milan in the region of italy worst hit by the virus. so with freedom comes the hugely increased risk of spreading the outbreak. keep your distance, they are warned, before everyone fills in a form to explain why they are here. europe's worst hit country is taking no chances. 0livia last saw her daughter who lives in milan injanuary. resisting a motherly urge is tough. normality so near, yet so far. so it is very moving. it has been difficult to not see her? yeah. quite a lot, yeah. sorry. but the lockdown has left deep sca

mark lowen ending that report in italy.nded the government's plans to try to re—open some primary school classes next month, insisting they were based on medical and scientific advice. but education unions argue the proposals don't take into account the dangers of spreading the coronavirus, and say staff will "not be protected" by social distancing in schools. campaigners representing migrants are calling for all foreign key workers to have their visas extended. the uk government's automatic visa extension scheme covers a number of roles — such as doctors, nurses and paramedics — but does not includejobs including porters and cleaners. they say it's wrong they're having to pay thousands of pounds for new visas, when they continue to play an essential role during the pandemic, as our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. chanting: pay them more! pay them more! it's our weekly way of saying thank—you to those who are fighting the coronavirus on the front line. applause. and the thousands of others who've worked to ke

extent of the social and economic impact of the shutdown is still unclear as our correspondent mark lowen, can finally grieve together. in naples today, the first funerals allowed with a maximum of 15 people, as italy opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of cruellest losses of the lockdown. this is a beautiful day as i can visit my son who died ten years ago, says this woman. thank you to eve ryo ne says this woman. thank you to everyone who has made it possible. i can't say anything more, i am too emotional. as the world's longest shut down of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are re—opening and relatives can see each other again, with distance and masks. so finally people can visit the family members they have been stopped from seeing for eight long weeks but it does present a danger. this train has come in from milan in the region of italy worst hit by the virus. so with freedom comes the hugely increased risk of spreading the outbreak. keep your distance, they are warned, before everyone fills in a for

mark lowen, bbc news, milan.mptoms of covid—19. anyone with the symptoms should self—isolate for 7 days. a " route map" for easing scotland's lockdown — nicola sturgeon says she'll publish plans for lifting restrictions, and announces an expansion of testing commuters getting back to to work face new measures on trains — and security guards trained in crowd control on duty at major stations children from wealthier families are spending more time each day studying during the lockdown, compared with the poorest. new research from the institute for fiscal studies found youngsters from more disadvantaged families have fewer educational resources at home, and their parents aren't able to give them as much support. it comes amid a continuing row over how soon to reopen schools, as elaine dunkley reports. dealing with coronavirus has been a steep learning curve. it's highlighted deep inequalities between children from the richest and poorest families. the government says it's scientifically safe to reopen schools, and c

but as mark lowen reports that's evoking mixed emotions among locals. perfection isn't shared.ks today, when it lifts restrictions to visitors from europe and drops its quarantine. the tranquillity is breathtaking. but the economy is starved. lake como was set for a record year. george clooney‘s villa here, helping to pull tourists. but then the virus hit this region, lombardi, the ha rd est hit this region, lombardi, the hardest in italy. tourism luca leoni because watched as all bookings in august have been cancelled here. now they are trying to extend the season to save it. that means he will keep his hotel open right through until january, hoping the rooms fill up as confidence returns. the british tourists, the first one is arrived at lake como in the 18th century. we are ready to welcome them again, like we have always been in the past. for us, it's not a question of working with them, but it is to share our feelings with them, our soul and heart with them. because they started the tourism for us and we wa nt they started the tourism for us and we want them to be back. as

mark lowen, bbc news, naples. that is the picture in italy.ing allowed to reopen today, for the first time since the lockdown was imposed six weeks ago. customers and staff will have to wear masks, and there'll be no hot drinks or magazines on offer, because of the risk of infection. many businesses say they're booked up for weeks in advance. you we can see why, can't we?m you we can see why, can't we? it is exactly what is going to happen here. we have got a hairdressing scissors, don't we? we're entering our seventh week of lockdown, and for most of us, life has been disrupted beyond recognition. as we wait to hear the government's strategy for eventually easing restrictions, many of us have been reflecting on our time at home, and our hopes for the future. graham satchell has been hearing some of your stories. # superhuman girls, # superhuman girls, # there is nothing they can't do. six weeks of lockdown through the eyes of six different people. nine—year—old bella has spent much of the time dancing? she has also paid tribute to the nhs. wh

mark lowen reports from lake como. perfection isn't shared. at least not for now.omo glitters in the stillness. but italy hopes to lure tourists back from two weeks today, when it lifts restrictions to visitors from europe and drops its quarantine. the tranquillity is breathtaking. but the economy is starved. lake como was set for a record year. george clooney‘s villa here, helping to pull tourists. but then the virus hit this region, lombardi, the hardest in italy. tourism councelor luca leoni because watched as all bookings in august have been cancelled here. now they are trying to extend the season to save it. that means he will keep his hotel open right through untiljanuary, hoping the rooms fill up as confidence returns. the british tourists, the first one is arrived at lake como in the 18th century. we are ready to welcome them again, like we have always been in the past. for us, it's not a question of working with them, but it is to share our feelings with them, our soul and heart with them. because they started the tourism for us and we want them to be back

from milan, mark lowen reports. milan is dressing up for its reopening.e been closed for ten weeks in the world's first national yorketown. with a final touch, comes strict hygiene controls. a screen at the till, a reminder of the new rules. customers here will be by appointment to limit numbers. the sparkle has been dulled by the virus but they are raring to go. it has been hard actually, very hard, because nothing was sure. so we kept on listening to the news and we didn't know what to expect, when we would open again and you really hoped and were looking forward to coming back in our store. was there ever a moment where you thought are we ever going to be ever able to come back to work? no, never. italy's capital of fashion, industry and finance was at the centre of the outbreak. the first cases in february when you buy, it was overwhelmed. websites closed, tourist counselling and business suffering, there was talk of it... we were in the city as the corona storm hit. ten weeks on we are here again and milan is still struggling to compound what has hap

extent of the social and economic impact of the shutdown is still unclear, as our correspondent mark lowenogether. in naples today, the first funerals allowed with a maximum of 15 people, as italy opens up. being unable to say goodbye or visit graves has been one of cruellest losses of the lockdown. this is a beautiful day as i can visit my son who died ten years ago, says this woman. thank you to everyone who has made it possible. i can't say anything more, i am too emotional. as the world's longest shut down of the pandemic starts to fade, outdoor exercise is now allowed. parks and some businesses are re—opening and relatives can see each other again, with distance and masks. so finally people can visit the family members they have been stopped from seeing for eight long weeks but it does present a danger. this train has come in from milan in the region of italy worst hit by the virus. so with freedom comes the hugely increased risk of spreading the outbreak. keep your distance, they are warned, before everyone fills in a form to explain why they are here. europe's worst hit country is t

mark lowen, bbc news, milan. year so far. you probably have noticed how dry it is, some of the plant in my garden are turning brown. in april it was very dry. well below average rainfall particularly scotland and northern england and that trend has continued. some really struggling in parts of the south—east we have only had a few drops of rain throughout the month and, for others, only 15% of what we would normally expect this time of year. that rain will still be missing for some in the southern half of the country. some of the wettest weather further north but we are set to see what whether to go with it before things turn cooler and windy out later. just how cooler and windy out later. just how cool and windy a bit uncertain because of what is happening in the west atla ntic. because of what is happening in the west atlantic. the first named atla ntic west atlantic. the first named atlantic storm of the season, tropical storm arthur, just north of the bahamas. it will stir up the atmosphere and provide a ques