Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20200309

Sharply due to the sudden drop in the price of oil, and concerns about the Economic Impact of coronavirus. In edinburgh, the trials begun of scotlands former first minister, alex salmond, accused of Sexual Assault and attempted rape. He denies the charges. The deal is done to save British Steel taken over by a chinese firm, 3000 jobs are saved. And a final appearance for harry and meghan, as working members of the royal family at a Commonwealth Day service at westminster abbey. Good evening and welcome to bbc news. As coronavirus continues to spread through the uk, the governments chief medical adviser says it is likely that within the next 10 14 days anyone with even a minor respiratory tract infection or a temperature will be required to self isolate for a week. Its part of government plans to move from the containment phase to the delay phase of the outbreak. Tonight a fifth person has died. There were 319 confirmed cases in the uk as of 9. 00 this morning, a rise of 46 since the same time yesterday. Almost 25,000 people have been tested. Worldwide, just over 111,000 people are known to have been infected, of those more than half have already recovered. Our Health Editor hugh pym has the latest. Events are moving fast and this evening, the Prime Minister and senior officials explained the latest government thinking. There will be no rush into radical new measures. While its absolutely critical in managing the spread of this virus that we take the right decisions at the right time based on the latest and best evidence, so we mustnt do things which have no or limited medical benefit, nor things which could turn out actually to be counterproductive. But officials announced one significant change to advice likely in the near future. We are now very close to the time probably within the next 10 14 days when the modelling will imply we should move to a situation where we say everybody who has even minor respiratory Tract Infections or fever should be self isolating for seven days afterward. There is no less of a challenge elsewhere in europe as a Maintenance Worker at disneyland paris tested positive, though the the positive, though the park has stayed open. In france, there is now a ban on all gatherings of more than 1,000 people. And with the streets looking quieter in berlin, the German Government has announced a financial bailout for Companies Hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Both have seen more cases so far than the uk. In france, more than 1200 with. There have been more than 1100 cases in germany. And spain has announced nearly 980 cases with. 0ne expert told me she thought britains response was welljudged so far, but the european figures could be a sign of troubled times ahead. These are countries that we would anticipate as being able to contain a virus like this, or at least this kind of spread of infection. So, it is concerning that they have struggled to do it and i think it suggests that once there is the development of ongoing person to person transmission within a country, it becomes much harder to stem the tide of this infection. The government hasnt yet moved to the next phase of its response to the coronavirus threat. But the message to the British Public it may not be far off. Hugh pym, bbc news. There have been Traumatic Falls in stock markets around the world. Fears about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak have combined with a slump in the oil price, to give shares their worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. Trading in america was briefly suspended after sharp falls led to an automatic halt in the buying and selling of stocks. Heres our economics editor faisal islam. The opening bell at the new york Stock Exchange, their smiles didnt last. Trading having to be halted after just four minutes in which time the dowjones index dropped 2000 points. A market that is full of anxiety about the potential economic global slowdown due to the virus which i dont think we have even seen yet and you end up with a perfect storm. That is what we had today. This was part of the knock on effect of the global spread of coronavirus to 100 countries around the world. Global falls started in asia, spread into europe, where italian market slumped 11 today, german markets down over 7 and in the uk, the ftse100 tumbled over 7 as well, the sharpest fall since the financial crisis a decade ago. These extraordinary moves in Global Stock Markets matter notjust because of the impact on your pensions and investments, there are impacts on government budgets, on business spending as well. There were also historic moves in connected markets, such as oil and in government borrowing. And all this matters because of what it reveals right now. Understandable uncertainty about the actual outbreak of the virus, but unpredicted consequences of how nations respond economically and diplomatically. Todays moves were triggered by a collapse in oil prices after Top Oil Producer saudi arabia and russia fell out over the impact of the virus leading to a slumping demand for oil. Both these Top Producers are now pumping it into the market and although that will lower pump prices the motorist here, the overall impact dragged markets down. Markets dont have much confidence that governments and Central Banks are going to be able to support the economy through this coronavirus epidemic. I think there is a worry that Central Banks dont have too much scope to cut Interest Rates and there is a concern that governments will be too slow to stimulate the economy. This is notjust a trading panic, the markets asking Big Questions about not only the speed and effectiveness of efforts to contain the virus and its Economic Impact but also uncomfortable trade offs between the two. Faisal islam, bbc news. Let us just take you to new york and the four of the Stock Exchange there where in the past few minutes it has been confirmed that they have experienced the biggest one day drop for dow industrials, the standard, and the nasdaq, the worst one day false since december 2008, the beginning of the financial crisis. What now pretty much 12 years ago. Yeah, the problems of course fears over that potential price war between saudi arabia and russia over oil prices. Remember that the big cartel of Oil Producers, 0pec, met with the russians and us shale or Oil Producers back in last week in austria but no consensus was reached on trying to cut the production of oil globally because of course demand has now fallen because of fears over the coronavirus spread. And as a result now, we are in the middle of what seems to be an Oil Price War between russia and saudi arabia on top of fears that the markets we are already having concerning the spread of coronavirus around the world. Those shots we brought to you a little bit earlier than confirmation that the new york Stock Exchange, the dow industrials has closed with the days training down by 2000 points or nearly 8 , the biggest one day fall since the financial crisis of 2008. We will give you an update now on the very latest we know about the spread of the coronavirus. The french culture minister Franck Riester has rtested positive for the virus, but is said to be in good shape at home. Has tested positive. The uk government is to relax rules about what times of day deliveries can be made to supermarkets to help make sure they remain stocked up. The Spanish Government is shutting all schools in the madrid region. Joining us now is Public Health consultant Rebecca Cooper she worked on the swine flu outbreak for the Health Protection agency, which was later replaced by Public Health england. Shes now working on modelling the spread of coronavirus for a private health care company. How going things very much indeed for joining how going things very much indeed forjoining us. First of all can you give us any details of what youre modelling is a suggesting in terms of how this virus may spread . think it is very early days and i work for an International Organisation that works in lots of Different Countries many of which do not have the Public Health system that we have here. The models are significantly different i would say. Here we have the Excellent Team and the college of london so they will be feeding and speaking to the who in terms of what we are seeing, some countries are declaring quite a lot of cases, seeing cases coming forward. 0ther of cases, seeing cases coming forward. Other countries with cases not coming forward yet but we are expecting to see that starting quite 0011 expecting to see that starting quite soon and where we are modelling in terms of where we expecting to see the increase to be quite steep or as in the case of this country look at what will allow that increase to level out, so the Health Systems respond in the best way they can, very early days. We have seen the situation in italy go from bad to worse very, very quickly. 0ne assumes that could be the potential here. The key word there is the presumption, the virus as much as you can model it, you can never put everything in you need to know to know exactly how it will work. In italy things have developed pretty quickly in the north and they had taken measures to try and shut it down. In the uk you heard from the government today they are being advised by Health Officials about how the virus is developing here. That is the best information we have today. Tomorrow the information could be different but we have to act on the information we have today and they are looking at all sorts of ways that they can now comparatively look as your correspondents have been saying into the delay phase now. Rather than seeing the steep p perhaps at a time when our Health System is also dealing with this outbreak that we can stagger and perhaps see the lower rise of it in the summer months and it may not be as active as well. But it is clear we could swing from the continued phase to the delay phase in an insta nt. Phase to the delay phase in an instant. Absolutely. What we need to realise is that people have now prioritise coronavirus across the government and Public Health and when as you say, nhs england, people are working around the clock to try to understand this virus and try to plan and a lot of Contingency Planning is going into the possibility that we will move from the containment phase into delay phase relatively swiftly and theyre looking at all these things that i know you have been discussing throughout the day in terms of public events, in terms of what happens to schools, and terms of home and self isolation. All these things are on the table and a and i think as the chief medical officer said earlier, we are going to start seeing those in terms of what is the appropriate thing at the appropriate time and make sure we do that without instilling fear or panic but just a rational response looking at the evidence we have today. Doctor Rebecca Cooper Public Health consultant, thanks for joining Rebecca Cooper Public Health consultant, thanks forjoining us, thank you. Thanks so much. We touched on the situation there with doctor cooper in italy but now, the Foreign Office is warning against all but essential travel to northern italy which is mostly in quarantine. Italy is the worst hit country in the world after china. Almost 100 people have died in the past day with the death toll rising to a63 and the number of confirmed cases up to just over 9,000. Up to 16 Million People a quarter of the population are effectively under lockdown in the north of the country, including venice and milan, and now need permission to travel outside the area. Mark lowen reports. Out of the red zone but not out of danger. In bologna, the first main stop south of the new restricted area, they were taking no chances. Italians are adjusting to the surging outbreak and the toughest confinement measures since the war. I came from milan, sergio says, and i had to prove i have a work appointment here because theyve stopped the movement of people. Were all worried. Everyone travelling from the exclusion zone to britain must now self isolate, a worry for francesco, flying to london. It can be that ijust cough or do something and they will ask me to leave or. Im really not sure whats going to happen. But youre still going to go . But im still going to go, yeah, yeah. You can see now the controls are gradually being stepped up. This train is heading towards milan and people here are having their ids checked, to see if they can justify their travel up into the exclusion zone. Having announced these restrictions, the authorities now want to show that they are being implemented, to give people confidence that perhaps this outbreak can start to be contained. Accessing the zone without a permit can lead to a fine or prison. Italy now a laboratory for virus control. That is welcomed by doctors, like eleanor, arriving in bologna. Translation its an emergency situation. I may be asked to work in a department where theres more need. Weve never faced anything like this and were not ready. Protests at the measures prompted riots in 27 prisons across italy, after all visits were stopped. Some inmates set buildings alight, breaking out of their cells, several managing to escape. Six died in the violence. We see that our relatives inside have no masks, she says. They have no treatment, nothing. This is the pressure italy is now under. Cases rising, deaths soaring, restrictions biting. Its a combustible mix. Mark lowen, bbc news, northern italy. You are watching bbc news, our top stories for you tonight. A fifth person in the uk has died from coronavirus, as the number of cases overrrall reaches 319. Borisjohnson says the governments containment phase of its response, remains in place. In italy, the police are enforcing quarantine measures in the north of the country, affecting a quarter of the population, around 16 Million People. The restrictions on movement, are the toughest since the second world war. Stock markets around the world have fallen sharply, over concerns about the Economic Impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and fears of a price war among Oil Producers. Sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, heres. Hi there. We will start in the premier league where leicester can try and strengthen their hold on third place taking on aston villa who know a win would move them out of the bottom three with a quarter of the bottom three with a quarter ofan hour of the bottom three with a quarter of an hour plate, you see it is still goalless. Leicester have not one infour still goalless. Leicester have not one in four league games jamie vardy one in four league games jamie vardy on the bench after two weeks out with a calf injury. The continuing impact of the coronavirus outbreak is being felt across sport, the 0lympic is being felt across sport, the Olympic Committee is calling for all sport at all levels in the country to be suspended under at least the 3rd of april. The italian a lipid committee. They are expected to confirm the decision. Here the department of culture, media and sports says there is no rationale of postponing events in britain for now. Now this report. For now, the lack of the pre match handshake is the only change to life in the premier league. Some took precautions but still the crowds packed in both in manchester and in london. Different sports, same message. The show will go on for now. We are clear that we do not need to cut down the number of people attending events, we should not be cancelling events at the stage but i say as a caution we keep these things under review and that may change in the future but we have no plans at this stage to take any such steps. Power brokers from government, sport and broadcasting all met in london today. The aim to work out what to do should the outbreak worsened. And while they we re outbreak worsened. And while they were meeting, officials in paris decided to postpone saturdays six nations meeting between ireland and france leaving wales and scotland in cardiff the sole surviving mens match of the finale weekend. cardiff the sole surviving mens match of the finale weekend. I think it looks good. I see no reason why that wouldnt proceed facet the basic message coming out today is lettuce not panic, lets monitor situation. There is no medical rationale for closing events Michael Joyce yet but it is an emerging situation and we will go from there. Tomorrow sees the start of one of the world positive most famous horse race festivals, cheltenham. 0ver the world positive most famous horse race festivals, cheltenham. Over one quarter of the main people were hairdresser and for now the message is clear. It is business as usual. Further afield, the decision was taken to further afield, the decision was ta ken to cancel the further afield, the decision was taken to cancel the indian wells tennis tournament in california with organisers saying it was just too big a risk to hold a gathering of this size. Many of the players including rafael nadal had already arrived for the event, some only found out on social media. Indian wells is sometimes referred to as the unofficial fifth grand slam. Several european football matches will also take place behind closed doors was of the Champions League game between psg and richard 0rtman is one of them. The Paris Police Authority have ordered that no fans attend the last 16 leg because of concerns over the outbreak. Bo received 0rtman. Wolves with a tie in only be arcos increase will also be held behind closed doors. Harry kane s returned to training it spurs following a hand injury that has kept them out since new years day was not the england captain tweeted this video of him doing just today. There were fears that he might not return by the end of the season. Might not return by the end of the season. His team mates have been continuing their preparations for tomorrows Champions League last 16 match against life sick. Anglins joe marta and courtney laws have been cited via saturdays six nations win over wales. He grabbed him by the genitals during the first half at twickenham with the wales captain calling for action after the match, he was cited for a dangerous tackle, the pair will be appear before a disciplinary hearing on dublin on thursday. And that is all your support for now. We will have more for you in sportsday at half past ten. Back to you, clive. Thank you for that. Back to the coronavirus outbreak. I , they get serious help with the majority dont for some of our medical correspondent fergus watch has an exclusive. This is how coronavirus samples arrive at liverpool university. Bio security is paramount. The samples from throat swabs are contagious, so this part of the process was a demonstration, otherwise we couldnt have filmed inside the containment lab. The scientists here are tracking how the virus is spreading from person to person in the uk. So we have some patients, and we have no idea how they got infected, but by looking at their genetic material and comparing it with others we can fill in the missing link. Its like a detective story. With that information we may then be able to understand the spread of the disease better, which may help us control the outbreak in the long run. And this lab is where that detective work happens. The genetic analysis is so precise scientists can work out the chain of infection from one person to the next. These are samples taken from patients in the uk with covid 19. They are no longer infectious and once they work out their sequence, which takes just a few hours, scientists will have a more complete picture than ever before of what is making them ill. This tiny machine reveals the unique genetic signature of each patients coronavirus infection. It also shows all the other viruses and bacteria which are present. From their work on another coronavirus called mers, the scientists know its a combination of infections which can be deadly. So the technology we have been using allows us to take a sample from a patient, analyse that sample within near real time, within hours, and identify these really, really dangerous bacteria. We can then feed that information back to the clinicians who can then design appropriate antibiotics to treat those particular patients and help them recover from covid 19 a lot more quickly. The work here may help explain why some people get seriously ill with covid 19, but the vast majority dont. That information could be crucial in saving lives. Fergus walsh, bbc news, liverpool. More now on those dramatic drops on the markets today. This is the floor of the new york Stock Exchange causing a few mins ago after now it is been confirmed there were staff falls for shares since the 2008 financial crisis. All driven partly by huge tumble in the price of oil which they saw its biggest drop since 1991 gulf war. Joining hi, thank you for being with us. First of all, why is this happening. Isa is a race to the bottom between saudi arabia and russia to the bottom push on by their sovereign work funds and russia has maintained it can survive in this prices for up to six years. Saudi arabia has decided that it is going to discount and keep its hold on the market for now and as a result prices have tumbled at precisely the same time that demand has contracted for the first time in a decade because of the coronavirus. We have a problem in the fact that there are not countries who need as much oil because of contraction following the outbreak of the coronavirus, the saudi wanted to cut production as a result but russia said no. Correct. And as a result, the ore producers that are hardest hit are the us shale producers that have one of the highest Oil Production costs. Ironically these are the same producers that gave the us their Energy Independence from middle east producers like saudi arabia and also you have the us placing sanctions on russias trading unit over their deals with venezuela recently so there is a lot of geopolitics going on in addition to the demand side of things. Given the problems with the coronavirus, given that the saudis are now digging in their heels and given that the russians are digging in their heels, do you expect a global recession . I think from what is happening today, it is very evident that the market was already well a tyre and there have already benefactors that have been accelerated by the crushing demand we have seen. We are really in unprecedented territory in terms of what is going on in the oil market because typically, 0pec which is the oil cartel which has usually agreed curves in production in order to stabilise prices, is no longer operating in a way that can officially maintain control prices. This is i said earlier is a race to the bottom. This race to the bottom, one suspects the saudis can survive it. And they seems they have started this war so they believe they can keep going for a while. The russians digging in their heels. It is the us Share Companies for whom a 30 a barrel price is way too low on their margins which means they could be squeezed out, they could go bust. Their share prices today i think fell in many cases in half. And in addition to that, they are also quite highly indebted and Production Growth was meant to be slowing annually this year because a lot of them had to refinance. There are a lot of pressures on shale producers and it not only affects Oil Companies and expiration budgets. It has a wide reverberations in the oil industry. There is a sense that it is corporate and personal indebtedness and potential defaults that could be to a recession certainly in United States . Well, thatis certainly in United States . Well, that is one area of discussion now as the stock markets are closing, we will have to see what happens tomorrow. We will leave it there. Michelle wiese bockmann, thinks for joining us, thank you. The new York Attorney general says Prince Andrew has shut the door on cooperating with investigators in thejeffrey epstein case. Prince andrew, who was a friend of epstein but denies all claims of sexual misconduct, was accused of going back on a very public offer. Contrary to Prince Andrews very public offer to co operate with our investigation into epsteins co conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation and our offices considering his options. The oscar nominated actor, max von sydow, has died aged 90. His stage and screen career which spanned over six decades included roles in high profile films like the exorcist, james bond and star wars. His family announced with a broken heart and Infinite Sadness that the swedish born actor died on sunday. The duke and duchess of sussex have made their last official appearance as senior royals. Prince harry and meghanjoined the queen and other senior royals at the Commonwealth Day service at westminster abbey. Coronavirus protocol was observed with prince harry bumping elbows with singer craig david as he greeted him. Now its time for a look at the weather. We can cross the newsroom to after promising start the winds we can and the rain began. Met 0ffice we can and the rain began. Met office has issued an amber warning for press of mid wales, heavy rain expected over the hills where we could see over 100 mm of rain with the flooding likely. The rain continues to move its way eastwards with the main been clearing during the early hours but more rain moves into parts of wales, North Western lent and the far south west as the night progresses. It will remain mostly cloudy and windy and temperatures will not drop very far. A murky start down towards the south west. That rain keeps coming but it sta rts west. That rain keeps coming but it starts to ease turning more showery as the day on. Showers are scotland down towards the far south and drizzly at times here. Windy across the board but where we get to see some cloud breaks with south westerly when bringing in milderairso we south westerly when bringing in milder air so we could see temperatures reach 17 celsius and east anglia. Hello, this is bbc news with me. The headlines a fifth person in the uk has died from coronavirus, as the number of cases overall reaches 319. Borisjohnson says the governments containment phase of its response remains in place. It is absolutely critical that in managing the spread of this virus, that we take the right decisions at the right time, based on the latest and best evidence. In italy, the police are enforcing quarantine measures in the north of the country, affecting a quarter of the population, around 16 Million People. The restrictions on movement are the toughest since the second world war. Stock markets around the world have fallen sharply, over concerns about the Economic Impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and fears of a price war among Oil Producers. In edinburgh,the trials begun of alex salmond, the former first minister of scotland, on charges of Sexual Assault and attempted rape. He denies the charges. The future of thousands of steelworkers in the north east prosecutors in the United States a Prince Andrew has completely shut the door in cooperating with people working on thejeffrey epstein case. The future of thousands of steelworkers in the north east of england could be secure, after a Chinese Company completed its takeover of British Steel. And harry and meghan have made theirfinal appearance as working members of the royal family, at a Commonwealth Day service, at westminster abbey. Lets take a moment to recap some of the days developments relating to the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister told reporters this afternoon that, we remain in the contain phase of the outbreak, but watching what is happening around the world our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own and that is why we are making extensive preparations for a move to the delay stage. Chief medical officer chris whitty gave a flavour of what that might mean when he said there will be, a situation where we say everybody who has even minor respiratory Tract Infections or a fever should be self isolating for seven days afterwards, and this would probably occur within the next 10 14 days. Measures of this type are being prepared in countries across the world. German chancellor Angela Merkel explained that, the most effective tool against coronavirus is the time factor, slowing down its spread and spreading it over a longer period of time. However, the sometimes drastic steps being taken to delay the spread of the outbreak can cause problems in and of themselves. In italy, six inmates have died after riots broke out at 27 prisons in italy, triggered by new restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus. There has been major disruption to large events across the globe. Taoiseach leo varadkar has said st patricks day parades across the republic of ireland have all been cancelled over coronavirus. Sport has been hit as well. Saturdays match between france and ireland in paris is the latest six nations fixture to be postponed. And british airways, ryanair and easyjet have cancelled more flights to italy. However, there is some potentially good news. The rate of infection in china, where the outbreak began, is slowing. Chinas National Health commission has reported a0 new cases of covid 19, which is the lowest since january when reporting began. Well, a secondary school in devon has reopened after a pupil tested positive for the coronavirus. And after a deep clean, just a few students and staff who were in close contact with the pupil are self isolating for a few more days. Jon kay has been looking at how coronavirus is changing school life. The queue for school dinnersjust got longer. No one is taking any risks at Churston Ferrers grammar after one case of coronavirus closed the whole school for a week. What is the purpose of triple glazing . So as they get back to normal what can other schools learn from what happened here . Some pupils are still off, self isolating at home as a precaution. Can you see the powerpoint 0k . Like lily, who has no symptoms. Ive never done it before. Nowjoining physics class via webcam. How reassuring is it that you can keep studying like this . Oh, its very important because i can, like, ask questions if i dont get it and i can be confident in the topic. At least you dont have to wear school uniform. That is true, ive been in my pyjamas quite a lot. Last week, this was the only uniform. The school was deep cleaned after a pupil contracted coronavirus in italy. Today Public Health england said it was safe for the 1000 students to return. It would be nice to know what is going to happen. These pupils told me it had been a strange week, but they felt reassured. Its a bit different with some people panicking but i think a lot of people are just getting on with the day now. You are trying to be normal . Yeah, just trying to be normal and not, like, think the worst of it. But as the virus spreads across the uk, what about their gcses in may . Its a bit frustrating that we have missed potential, like, lesson time. Weve just got to trust our school and the government to do whats right for us. We are open for business and learning. But as he tries to calm nerves, the head teacher knows he may have to shut again if the government orders a schools Closure Programme in the weeks ahead. We are prepared for Something Else happening and that may well be the case and we have to make sure that our pupils have got all the materials, the books, that the students are briefed and that we have learned from the first experience. Until then, chemistry will be streamed online. What is happening here could be a lesson for other schools. John kay, bbc news, devon. The coronavirus outbreak continues to have an impact on the sporting schedule. Racegoers palnning on attending the cheltenham festival, which starts tomorrow, have been warned not to attend if they have any symptoms of coronavirus or if they have been to a high risk country in the last 1a days. Midlands today reporter dan pallet has spent the day at the course as horses, trainers and jockeys arrive. The horses are here. Throughout he weekend, top horses and races have been transporting their horses here. There is a huge sense of relief here. Im sure everybody was worried about it last week, but i think you know, we are here and the first wait is never doubting and we want to get started and i imagine it will be fine. Hopefully, othersporting events fine. Hopefully, othersporting eve nts ca n fine. Hopefully, othersporting events can keep going, but we will have to see what will happen. But over the next four days, more than 250,000 people will come to the racecourse. Racegoers are being urged to wash their hands thoroughly and son are being provided. Sanitises. This man has been in regular contact with the government over the last three weeks. It is there to say the government have been particularly positive throughout. Even this morning, we had the culture secretary recommending that events such as this do continue, so we just follow that advice. If you think that, from the saturday in october when it poured with rain, when we went soft and heavy, it has been soft and heavy ever since. The team here have had to deal with a very wet winter as well. This groundsman is proud of his track and his staff. It has been a big challenge because you have had to ta ke a big challenge because you have had to take the opportunities when they arise to get out here and set the course up. Arise to get out here and set the course up. 160 hurdles have to come out onto the course and i dont know how they have done it without me noticing where they have been. Everyone at cheltenham hopes that this time tomorrow, we will all be talking about the horses and not coronavirus. Joining me now is a lecturer in Global Health law from keele university. Hello and thank you very much for being with us. One wonders, as this virus progresses, and what we have seen in italy and things frankly get from bad to worse, what are the limits on what the government can do in order to protect the rest of society . Well, i think the question is probably better but as what should government do, rather than what can they do. The extent to which there is a executive power is quite large and obviously there are appropriate checks and balances in place for that. The question should really be what it government be doing because what it government be doing because what we know from previous outbreaks is that measures which are in a trust in the public and which make the public feel safe and comfortable and willing to come forward and show their symptoms tend to be the most effective. Measures that are draconian or measures that are overzealous, so things like placing mass quarantine on people like we saw in china, tend not to be effective because they make individuals fearful and individuals who are fearful hide symptoms, dont come forward and dont report the fa ct come forward and dont report the fact that they are unwell. What we wa nt fact that they are unwell. What we want is measures that make the public willing and. And happy to come forward to report their symptoms to health services, and thatis symptoms to health services, and that is what we are seeing in the uk at the moment. The comments that we re at the moment. The comments that were made by the chief medical 0fficer earlier today about self isolation at home, working from home, closing schools, stopping Mass Gatherings when we move into the next phase of responding to this outbreak, are all quite positive responses for this government to have. They are reasonable responses and they are proportionate to the risk, but they are also not the sort of measures that should make individuals fearful that they are going to be quarantined or isolated unnecessarily. The sort of measures where individuals are able to serve asa where individuals are able to serve as a leg at home tend to have very good compliance across outbreaks and they make individuals willing to come forward. Sure. But we are only in the containment phase, arent we . We are not in the delay phase. Is there potentially scope for the government, as we have seen in other countries, to go beyond it kinda is measures that perhaps the public would feel comfortable with . So we do have the Public Health act and the updated coronavirus regulations, which were passed 80 weeks ago, which were passed 80 weeks ago, which do allow for quarantine of individuals like a few weeks ago. That hasnt been used yet, but it allows government to quarantine or isolate individuals who do not wish to self isolate or going to quarantine themselves. That is a possible measure that is in place, but it comes with it proper checks and balances to make sure that that power is being used appropriately. It is very much a power of last resort though. We do not want individuals to be held against their will or to be even at a rate that they will be held against their will. We want individuals to be willing to work with help officials and come forward and report their symptoms if they are feeling unwell. We are getting some lines in the wire agencies from italy and the Prime Minister, whojust wire agencies from italy and the Prime Minister, who just said that they are going further in their measures. He is talking about, for instance, people not being allowed, other than to go to work, to move. This is in those containment areas any more. And the Reuters News Agency as saying that the Prime Minister is also saying that all public gatherings be banned. Given the number of people who have contracted the virus in italy, and those people who have died, these measures would seem to be proportionate and in line with the Current Crisis that is taking place there. So things like stopping Mass Gatherings can be very effective ways to stop these outbreaks and suspending school in some circumstances, is quite effective, so during the 2009 influenza outbreak, in the uk when school broke fulsome at the cases really dipped just after school stopped. But then, just placing people in these large cordoned mass quarantine is, you now have a quarter of the italian population held in quarantine. We know that from the chinese experience, that this can have serious human rights implications, but also the effectiveness of these measures are very much debatable, so the wuhan quarantine in china, this mass quarantine in china, this mass quarantine that at the start of this outbreak, the case fatality rate within the quarantine itself was significantly higher than outside. That does not seem like an effective Public Health intervention to me. You perhaps see objections being raised to government moves in the united kingdom, if this outbreak gets worse and we see more people dying and the spread getting further . 0bjections dying and the spread getting further . Objections to the kind of measures we are saying perhaps in italy . Yes, i think there would be objections to those sorts of measures, firstly on a scientific basis. There isnt very good at evidence to say that mass quarantines are actually effective at all and the experience we saw in wuhan actually increased fatality rates and that is not a very good intervention. But also, there would need to be necessary checks and bala nces need to be necessary checks and balances in place to ensure that the intervention like that would be proportionate, would be necessary, that there would be legal safeguards in place. Those would have to be in place to ensure that government could respond in that way. 0k, we will leave it there. Dont you, doctor. Thank you. Just a reminder that those lines coming in from italy after the Prime Minister, he is saying hes going to toughen the restrictions on peoples movements in those areas where they are trying to contain the outbreak of coronavirus. He says that people should not move other than for work. And he is also making the point that all public gatherings will be banned. This is the very latest from rome, from the Prime Minister there. Lets get a bit more from my colleague. Heres jane hill with what you can do to minimise the spread of the virus. This is what we all need to know about reducing the risk of catching coronavirus. Wash your hands regularly. The palm and back of your hands, in between the fingers, and not forgetting the thumbs. It should take 20 seconds, long enough to sing happy birthday twice. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, as this could spread disease. The first symptoms of coronavirus are a fever and a cough, and you may experience shortness of breath. If you have a cough or a high temperature, that doesnt necessarily mean you have coronavirus. But if you think you might, dont go to hospital or your gp. Stay at home and call nhs111 or use their online service. They will be able to tell you what to do next. You can keep up to date with the latest developments about the virus, how to guard against it and what it means for you on the bbc news app and on our website. To hill with more useful information there on how to deal with this outbreak. Jane there on how to deal with this outbreak. Jane hill. Letters go to rome and pictures there are the italian Prime Minister, giuseppe co nte. Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte. Remember, of course in the past few days they have quarantined much of the north of the country, the region of lombardy and 1a other provinces up there to control the spread of the coronavirus. Movements are being heavily restricted, 16 Million People have been affected by all accounts. And the punisher is getting that press conference there, where he is making it clear that all public gatherings are now being stopped, are being banned, and that people should only travel in italy in order to go to work and that the police are actually going to be enforcing those quarantine measures in the north of the country. Italy, of course the worst affected our country outside china. And we are going to have a bit more on all of this, the very latest from italy, with our colleagues from outside source, just after 9pm. We will move on now and away from coronavirus. The trial has begun at the high court in edinburgh of alex salmond, who is accused of sexually assaulting ten women while he was first minister of scotland. The former snp leader faces a total of fourteen charges, including one of attempted rape at the first ministers official residence, bute house. Mr salmond, who is 65, has entered not guilty pleas to all of the charges and has vowed to defend himself vigorously. Lorna gordon provided this update from the high court in edinburgh we heard from the first witness in this trial this afternoon. It is a woman who it has alleged that alex salmond allegedly raped her. She gave evidence from behind a screen. At the time of the alleged attack, she was a scottish official. Both alleged offences were said to happen at bute house, the official residence of the first minister here in edinburgh. She said herand residence of the first minister here in edinburgh. She said her and alex salmond had been wrapping up the day in the living room of bute house. It was late in the evening, they had both been drinking and in her words, he was half cut when he started groping her, touching her legs, groping her, touching her legs, groping her, touching her legs, groping herface groping her, touching her legs, groping her face and groping her, touching her legs, groping herface and chest. The prosecutor said, did you want this to happen . No, she said. Did you agree to any of this happening, he asked. No, she replied. She said she was embarrassed, and didnt speak to anyone about it because she felt she had done something wrong. In her words, she didnt want anyone to know because she didnt want to be known as another one of alexs women. The second witness said alex salmond followed her into a bedroom, took her clothes off, pushed her onto a bed and then lay naked on top of her. She managed to push him away and then locked herself in a bathroom. She said she didnt want any of this to happen and she felt like she was being hunted. Tomorrow the defence team will get a chance to cross examine this witness. Alex salmonds defence team has lodged special defences of alibi and consent on his behalf, and alex salmond strenuously denies all the charges. The trial of three russians and a ukrainian charged with the murder of the passengers and crew of flight mh 17 has opened in the netherlands. But the four defendants were not present in the courtroom and are being tried in absentia. Heres a reminder of how the case unfolded. Flight mh17 left Amsterdams Schiphol airport on 17thjuly 2014, bound for kuala lumpur in malaysia. It crashed in eastern ukraine. In october 2015, the Dutch Safety Board released its report into the crash, concluding that the plane had been deliberately shot down by a buk missile. A year later, an International Team of criminal investigators said they had evidence the missile had been fired from an area controlled by russian backed separatists. Then, in may 2018, the dutch led joint Investigation Team concluded that the Missile System had belonged to a russian brigade. Both the netherlands and australia which lost 27 of its citizens on the flight announced they were held russia responsible. Then, in june 2019, the investigation named four men it alleged were involved in bringing the missile into eastern ukraine, and charged them with the mass murder of the 298 people on board. Damian grammaticus sent this report. Read out at the opening of this trial, the name of every victim. Liam, patrick. All murdered. Whole families, like the ploegs, decimated. Alex ploeg, edith ploeg. Robert ploeg. Pete ploeg lost his brother, sister in law and nephew, all on flight mh17. The start of this trial is very, very important for all relatives. We wantjustice to be served, and we want to know all the details about flight mh17. It was shot down in eastern ukraine, an area controlled by russian supplied rebels. Clues have had to be pieced together in the face of russian obstruction. It has taken them five years, but investigators have pieced together enough evidence, they believe, to identify those who organised the killings. The airliner, rebuilt from fragments found in the fields, shows the devastation caused by the missile. Intercepted phone calls, police say were made by those who obtained the weapon. Videos of it being transported to the battle zone. So these are the men accused, but refusing to attend the trial. Three russians and a ukrainian, rebel commanders linked to russias military and intelligence agencies. And yesterday outside the Russian Embassy here, the families placed a chair for every victim. What matters, they say, is not punishing the guilty, but exposing them and their responsibility. Damian grammaticas, bbc news, amsterdam. A Chinese Company has bought British Steel, and is promising to invest £1. 5 billion and it will come at a ofjobs. The of jobs. The union ofjobs. The union says it is worth it. Today, the future looks secure for most, but not all of the nearly 4000 workers, and thousands more in the supply chain. Are some people are a bit upset about that, but on the whole it is positive for the town. Yes, it is fantastic and it will be good. It will be good for the contractors, youve got another 1500 people through the contractors. contractors, youve got another 1500 people through the contractors. I am pleased to announce that today our group has completed its purchase of these assets. British steels future today looks brighter, supported by over £1 billion of investment. At this cafe, over the shadow of the plant feelings are next. This woman lost her sonsjob, but plant feelings are next. This woman lost her sons job, but she plant feelings are next. This woman lost her sonsjob, but she has no hope for others. At least people can carry on now and they know that life is set at a steelworks. Hopefully, business will pick up for all the Small Businesses any town. This man isa Small Businesses any town. This man is a truck driver. He has been down this before. These blokes will be backin this before. These blokes will be back in the same business decision they have been in the last year, i think. A couple of years ago, the same thing happened. Tata steel promised them everything in a couple of years before that. It will come round again, unfortunately. Theres a sense of relief here today that after ten months of anxiety, most, if not alljobs will be secured. But there is also scepticism that this group, the longline in a good pillar thatis, group, the longline in a good pillar that is, whether they can succeed where others have failed. Most importantly, it secures thousands of jobs in British Steel and i want to pay tribute to everyone who has been involved in making this happen. Particularly the workforce, who are incredibly passionate and incredibly skilled, and im delighted that this brings the uncertainty to an end. Skilled, and im delighted that this brings the uncertainty to an endm has been a painful process to get here, but tonight it is hoped it is a new dawn for British Steel. Lets bring you up to date with that news out of italy, and in rome, where the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been getting a press conference, explaining what more they are going to do to try to tackle the coronavirus outbreak there. Italy is the worst affected at the country outside china. It was pretty blunt in his language and said there is no more time, we are having an important growth in infections. Lots of people in intensive care units and we have had a rise in deaths. While customers must change, he said. We all must to do something for the good of italy and we have to do it now. He made it clear that public gatherings will be banned. This is across the country, notjust in those areas in the north. The province of lombardi in the 14 other areas, in the north, where there are strict quarantine measures. The police are enforcing those measures, but this is a cross italy. He has made it clear, the Prime Minister in italy, that public gatherings will be banned. He said that people should only travel in order to get to work. So some serious messaging from the Italian Government there. In trying to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus in italy. The annual birdman rally has been taking place in melbourne. Its an event where people dress up, build home made hang gliders and then throw themselves off a jetty in a usually fruitless attempt to fly. The bbcs tim allman has more. Every year on the banks of the yarra river, they set out to prove the old adage that what goes up must definitely come down. Cheering. This is a place where hope springs eternal. Despite all evidence to the contrary. I wouldnt say im fat but im very short for my weight, so yes, ive got massive disadvantages when it comes to actually flying. Its not actually possible. I think im going to go forjust a really fun leap or something. Im not really sure. Just see whatever happens. Competitors are awarded for distance and believe it or not, altitude. They also get marks for entertainment value. Which is just as well, all things considered. But its still as scary as ever when you jump in, no matter how many times youve done it. It was very exciting, im still a little bit like what . It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it a lot. Its said insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Tell that to the bird mean and bird women of melbourne. Who still believe one day theyll fly. Tim allman, bbc news. Now its time for a look at the weather with mel coles. After a promising start, the wind strengthened and the rain began to me then. Some of those rains are quite heavy. The met office has issued an amber warning for parts of wales. Heavy rain is expected here, particularly over the hills, where we could see up to 100 millimetres of rain. Flooding is likely. The rain continues to work its way eastwards, more rain moving into parts of wales, north west of england and scotland as the night progresses. It will remain windy and mostly cloudy as well and as a result, temperatures wont drop very far. A bit of a murky start for the south west and with that rain coming it will stir start planning more sherry as the day goes on. For scotland, quite a lot of cloud towards the south and a bit drizzly here. When the across the board, but when we get to see some cloud breaks in the south westerly wind is bringing in some other air. We could see temperatures reach 13 degrees in east anglia. Hello, im ros atkins, this is 0utside source. We will spend the full hour bringing you up to date on the coronavirus outbreak. We must start with italy because in the last few minutes, the Prime Minister has announced quarantine measures across the whole country. With the Prime Minister urging everyone to stay at home except for work and emergencies. Coronavirus fears have pushed shares down around the world. Meanwhile fears have been pushing shares well down around the world. In new york, the dowjones industrial, has closed with its biggest one day drop since the financial crisis of 2008. We will also focus on the situation in the us. This cruise liner is finally being allowed to dock with thousands of people on