Hello to you. There are now more than 5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the world, with the World Health Organization saying that more than two thirds of the 106,000 reported in the last 2a hours are injust four countries. Those four countries are the United States, russia, saudi arabia and brazil. The number of cases in brazil alone is more than 270,000, with officials warning that the country is nowhere near the peak. It comes as the nations government authorised the use of controversial anti malaria drugs to fight covid i9, two days after President Trump claimed he was taking them, too. More generally, you can see the number of infections worldwide is rising steadily, with the who warning the crisis is far from over. This was their director general speaking in geneva. In the last 2a hours there have been 106,000 cases reported to the who, the most in a single date since the outbreak began. Almost two thirds of these cases were reported injust four countries. Dr ashish jha, the director of Harvard Universitys Global Health institute. Hes been giving his reaction to the whos warning. We are, you know, early days, u nfortu nately, we are, you know, early days, unfortunately, in this long pandemic. And even if everything goes very well and we have a vaccine sometime next year, we are going to have many, year, we are going to have any year, we are going to have many, many more months of many, many, many more months of many, many more cases. So u nfortu nately we a re many more cases. So unfortunately we are still early in this very long journey. Some countries have done a very good job, south korea is held as a model and rightly so. I think countries like germany and others have done a very good job, whereas the us has been a lager and moves the us has been a lager and m oves very the us has been a lager and moves very slowly on testing. Its puzzling to me because its such an obvious thing to do from a Public Health point of view, why some countries have been slow on this. We are thinking about the Northern Hemisphere as they go into the fall and winter months. I think there is good reason to believe we will have a second peak and that it could be substantially worse than the first week we just experienced. And it will coincide with the influenza season, which already stresses hospitals and the healthcare system. We really have to spend the summer months preparing for what will be probably a large number of new cases of covid 19. If we prepare, i think we will get through it. If we dont, i think we will be ina lot if we dont, i think we will be in a lot of trouble. Doctor ashish in a lot of trouble. Doctor ashistha in a lot of trouble. Doctor ashish jha from harvard university. A major cyclone has been moving across parts of bangladesh and eastern india making the challenges of staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic much more difficult. At least 15 people have died, 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. On 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 this year the Coronavirus Crisis is an added fear. Social distancing, difficult in cyclone shelters. For these people, its hard to imagine what they will go home to once the storm passes. It will be the poor who will be affected. These are poor districts inhabited by poor people with tin roofs and asbestos roofs and it is equally devastating, they will lose property. And as it crosses over to bangladesh, more homes, more lives, in its deadly path. Yogita limaye, bbc news, india. Well, from asia we turn to michigan, where two dams have collapsed after days of heavy rain. 10,000 people facing historic levels of flooding have been evacuated from their homes in central michigan. The high waters are also threatening a dow chemical facility. The company says it has shut down the plant. The governor has declared a state of emergency for the affected areas. The bbcs jane obrien has more. Evacuate the area. The moment a rain swollen river breached a dam in midland county, michigan. One of two catastrophic failures in the area that sent water pouring across fields and towns. So often in recent years, disasters have been measured by records broken. And this was no exception. More than seven inches of rain, causing historic flooding in a state already reeling from the coronavirus. While were in the midst of a public pandemic, its really important that to the best of our ability, we observe the best practices to keep ourselves and our family safe. Were gonna get through this. It is a tough time to be sure, but we are going to get through this. John anglia, a midland youth pastor, has onlyjust recovered from the last major flood three years ago. Now he and thousands of other residents have been told to evacuate their homes. I feel weve almost forgot about covid. You know, we went from staying home, staying safe, to leave your home, the safest place is not in your home. So this one kind of supersedes the first one. John, do you everfeel or do you everjust think, god, how much more can people actually take . For me, ive had to rely a lot on my faith and almost wonder is god punishing. That is what you go to. The rebuilding just kind of finished up from the last one. So how do you get enough strength to do that again . It seems near impossible. President trump says he is monitoring the situation, praising First Responders just hours after accusing the state of voter fraud and threatening to cut funding. Meanwhile, the water continues to rise, prompting fears that the worst is yet to come. Jane obrien, bbc news. Lets get some of the days other news two men wanted on suspicion of helping the former nissan boss escape from japan have been arrested in the United States. Carlos ghosn fled while he was on bail, awaiting trial after being charged with under reporting his income and misusing company funds. He has denied any wrongdoing. Cameroons president , paul biya, has addressed the nation for the First Time Since coronavirus was detected in the country on march the 6th. Mr biya urged people in cameroon to remain calm, trust the government and join the fight against the disease, in a broadcast on state tv. San francisco has opened its First Official camp for homeless people, just steps away from city hall. Officials are calling it a safe sleeping village. There are designated spots to ensure social distancing between tents. The city had already been using empty hotels to provide shelter. San francisco had a major homelessness problem well before the coronavirus pandemic. Rolls royce is cutting 9,000 jobs, most of them in the uk. The Engineering Company makes most of its money from plane engines. Its warning it will take several years for the Airline Industry to recover. Unions have accused the company of throwing workers under the bus. But rolls royce says the impact of the pandemic is unprecedented. At least 20 cruise ships are clustered in manila bay in the philippines, awaiting coronavirus clearance for more than 5,000 crew members to return home from abandoned cruises. These workers have no guarantee of a job at sea again. Filipinos make up the majority of the worlds maritime workers, but covid 19 has brought the industry to a halt. These sailors are among millions of filipinos who work abroad and send home billions of dollars that support their families and their economy. For more on this cielito habito, who is an economist at Ateneo De Manila university and former cabinet member during philippine president fidel ramos administration, joins me now from los banos in the philippines. Thank you for your time. What you think is to be done about this problem . Indeed we are having a quandary right now about all of these cruise ships parked. But more generally we expect the rather tremendous impact of the coronavirus on oui impact of the coronavirus on our overseas filipino workers, which we have actually, well, ata which we have actually, well, at a given time, millions outside of the country. Right now our country is depending, about 10 of our gdp comes from remittances. We are one of the most dependent economies in the world on remittances from overseas workers. A substantial chunk of those are maritime workers. So indeed, this is a difficult time and it is bad enough that the domestic economy is actually not only slowing down but actually declining because of the lockdowns we have had to go through. So when thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of workers return from overseas. Many countries in asia, well, millions of people working overseas, but this is particularly affecting filipinos. What is being done to help . Our government has essentially put together a package, although it is a rather modest one, to help overseas workers and their families who are here right now. In the same way, they have done so for workers affected here domestically. So they have really put together an unprecedented amount of national assistance, that is being given to families. And a major chunk of that is in fact directed and allocated to the families of overseas workers. So hopefully that will help tie them over this particular time. But obviously the problem is looking forward, its not clear what the employment prospects of these people will be. What the employment prospects of these people will belj think the official figures at the moment directly from the pandemic have, 113,000, 221 cases in the philippines, 821 death, in the long term, what you think the impact will be . We will have a recession this year. My own personal estimate, 6 gdp year. My own personal estimate, 6 gdp growth. And we already had 0. 2 gdp 6 gdp growth. And we already had 0. 2 gdp growth in the First Quarter, that was only one month in the First Quarter that wasnt affected. We are expecting much worse moving on. I dont think anybody expect a v shaped recovery from this sort of thing, its more likely to be an expert ended and extended u shaped recovery where we spend time at the bottom before we can really recover from this. Cielito habito, thank you forjoining us. Habito, thank you forjoining us. Thank you. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come parts of kenya are supposed to be in lockdown against covid 19, but the message isnt getting through. This morning, an Indian Air Force plane carrying mr gandhis body landed in delhi. The president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhis 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 dont 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 worlds 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 is bbc world news. The latest headlines the World Health Organisation has reported the biggest rise in new Coronavirus Infections in a single day with growing numbers in poorer countries. Cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, has killed at least fifteen people in bangladesh and eastern india. The government in brazil has authorised the use of controversial anti malaria drugs to fight covid 19, two days after President Trump said he was also taking them. Brazils Health Ministry has just reported 888 new deaths from the virus and a record of nearly 20,000 new infections. Brazil has the worlds third highest number of infections, behind only the United States and russia. Lets get more on this from katy watson in sao paulo. Every day, from katy watson in sao paulo. There is another grim every day, there is another grim milestone. Today, weve seen grim milestone. Today, weve seen the largest number of new cases in 2a hours, as you just pointed out, nearly 20,000 cases in 2a hours. The situation here is a very difficult one but its also difficult one but its also difficult to know how far along the curb we are here in brazil with its very low testing rates here and a lot of scientists estimated could be anywhere between 12, 15 times as much real number of infections compared to what the official are telling us. Most european nations have been grappling with the mammoth task of reopening countries to tourists, whilst remaining safe. Greece has said it plans to start its tourist season onjune the 15th, with International Flights operating from the 1st ofjuly. The Uk Foreign Office still advises against all but essential overseas travel but all the major european destinations are now gradually relaxing their lockdowns. France currently allows only essential travel from abroad. It hasnt said when its foreign tourist ban will be lifted. But many beaches are now open with sunbathing still banned. And spain has started loosening its restrictions on a region by region basis. And in italy beaches, restau ra nts a nd bars will gradually open from june, along with all airports. Mark lowen reports from northern italy, where the resort of lake como hopes to welcome tourists. Perfection isnt shared, at least not for now. The jewel of lake como 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 Clooneys villa here helping to pull tourists. But then the virus hit this region, lombardy, the hardest in italy. Tourism councillor luca leone has watched as every visitor who had booked has cancelled until at least august. Now hotels are planning to extend the season to try and save it. That means he will keep his one open right through until january, hoping the rooms fill up as confidence returns. To the british tourists, the first they arrive on lake como at the end of the 18th century, so were now ready to welcome them again, like weve always done in the past, and for us its not a question of working with them but its to share our feeling with them, our soul, our heart with them, because they started tourism for us and we want them to be back, as soon as possible. Local businesses need them badly. Italy is expecting a recession this year of almost 10 . Having imposed a National Lockdown before any other country, italy is now unlocking fast, bringing forward the lifting of some measures, desperate to salvage its tourism season and the economy. But the balance between welcoming visitors back here and the risk of a second wave is what italy and every other country is now trying to strike. At the local market, restarting today, there is little to keep them busy. Traders want the custom back but not the possible side effects. Translation i dont think the tourists will come back quickly. They and we are scared that the infections rise again. Translation the Italian Government is making a mistake. We here in the north were worst affected by the virus. The south wasnt, so why not open there first, where theyre not afraid . It was shelley who wrote, lake como exceeds anything i ever beheld in beauty. This place is poetry, but it wants an audience. Mark lowen, bbc news, lake como. The continent of africa has yet to see the kind of numbers of infections and 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, its an all out war against a new enemy. Somalia has known no peace for nearly three decades. Its Health System is among the worlds most fragile. Now, covid 19 is testing its resilience. Like many african countries, the war torn nation acted swiftly, but its 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. Ive 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 seem to be paying off, for now. In certain countries, we are seeing a 30 to 100 doubling of the rate on a daily basis. With the lockdown, over time, it decreases to about 5 , so for sure the lockdown played a very Important Role in slowing the spread of the pandemic on the continent. That we can ascertain. But measures are not working as intended everywhere. We drove around one of nairobis hotspots. Its the first time ive been to eastleigh since the government announced restrictions into and out of the estate, and im really shocked. You dont get a sense that this has been taken seriously here. In tanzania, a completely different approach. Testing stopped a month ago and the government has urged people not to let fear disrupt normal life. With the rest of the world consumed with their own responses, africa is now more exposed than ever. And the un is appealing for more support from donors. Covid 19 has touched every aspect of life, and all predictions point to it being with us for much longer. The winners will be the countries that manage to control its spread, minimise its impact and move on with everyday life safely, but no one has a template. Anne soy, bbc news, nairobi. With many parts of the world either still in lockdown or onlyjust emerging, Many 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 countrys stringent restrictions as an opportunity to start a new, online soapie they shot themselves at home. Already in its third season, its proving popular. Clap, standing by. And action. So when the president announced the national down, i kind of sat at home and thought to myself, what happens to the soapies swing my head, i was like, why dont we just create a soapie on our cellphones . Lockdown heights is an on line instavela, which is a soap opera we are showcasing on social media plus forms which goes between nine and 12 minutes. You are in lot down, im supposed to be in the house, we all do. What happens is we send scripts out to those and each actors shoots at home on their cellphones, the individual parts of the scene which are edited together and it comes to cross, when it comes together, it comes across as people are in the same space. And obviously youve got to do whatever you can to get the shot. Oh, look at this. This is my tripod. Well, girl, you dangerous. Get out of my way, what are you doing . literally just called way, what are you doing . literallyjust called out actors that i know, friends, people ive worked within the past and theyjust excited. Everyone was like, keen to go into a space they do not know. I cant believe you tried to steal from i cant believe you tried to stealfrom me. I cant believe you tried to steal from me. Im i cant believe you tried to stealfrom me. Im sorry, i dont know what else to do. Stealfrom me. Im sorry, i dont know what else to dom gives us an opportunity as artists to stay creative during this period, for us to collaborate with one another and just to create something thatis and just to create something that is fresh and new because we are moving into a format that we havent explored before. Well, i. My message to all of the actors and even the crew out there that has been affected by the covid 19 virus in this space always stay creative, always look for creative, always look for creative ways storytelling, characterisation, shooting. Innovative ways of storytelling are going to be unravelled and shows like lockdown heights are here to pioneer the kind of innovation. And. Cut an italian woman has won a picasso still life painted nearly a century ago in a worldwide lottery. Her ticket was 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. A barbot is serving contactless beers in southern spain. A robot aptly named beer cart is programmed to be a barman, pouring beers to customers in seville. Beer cart made its debut as the city began easing out of lockdown. The robot selects a plastic cup and pours minimising human contact. Despite social distancing, some customers say they still prefer the human touch. The World Health Organization is talking about the biggest one day increase in worldwide covid 19 cases so far. There is more on the bbc website. Thank you for watching. Hello there. Although weve 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, the High Temperature was in england, 28 degrees celsius. But for all, it will feel a little fresher today, notably in the north and west. And thats because of a weather front thats been meandering its way eastwards. And then, behind that for friday, an unseasonally deep area of low pressure, which means rain but also very windy weather with the trees in full leaf, thats a concern. So look lets look at the progress of this weather front, which will give some rain, as you can see, as it crosses Northern Ireland and scotland. Not as much for england and wales, and it mayjust be a few sharp but potentially torrential downpours across southern and eastern parts through the morning before it clears to brighter skies in all but the far north, where weve got some fog, actually, through shetland and coastal mists elsewhere. And it could stay dank and grey here for most of the day. And looking at temperatures, theyre several degrees down from yesterday still 26 celsius possibly in london with that residual warmth. And then, as we go through the evening and overnight, that low pressure starts to escalate, making its presence felt. So some rain for many, perhaps a few sharp showers again to start the day in eastern areas, and a very warm night. But clearly, the concern is the amount of rain. And for the north west of scotland, we could have 100mm of rain in the coming few days as that low pressure stays close by. So for all, a much windier period of weather on friday as that rain clears, lots of showers rushing through. But those winds do escalate through the day well, morning, really into the early afternoon, up to gale force in the north and the west. You can see those gusts of wind, but even 30s and 40s further south, which is very unusual in may. So clearly a concern for that. Well be keeping you updated on that. And as a result, even though temperatures in the high teens or low 20s, it will feel cooler because of that strong wind and rain which willjust continue for, as i say, the north west highlands. But gradually through the weekend, the showers will reduce in number. The winds ease in the south as a ridge of High Pressure tries to return at least to southern parts of england and wales. But a very different feeling weekend for most of us, and still with that low pressure to the north into the beginning of the new week, as well, we still have the potential at least for the weekend for some unsettled weather. This is bbc news. The headlines the World Health Organization has reported the biggest worldwide rise in new Coronavirus Infections in a single day 106,000. The head of the un agency said he was very concerned about the rising number of cases in lower and middle Income Countries in particular. At least 15 people have died as cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, ripped across parts of bangladesh and eastern india. Pictures show high winds and heavy rain lashing coastal areas. Nearly 3 Million People have been evacuated and theres been widespread damage. Britains Prime Minister has said hes confident that a system to track and trace people whove become infected with coronavirus will be up and running in ten days. The opposition has questioned the long delays. Some of those recruited to carry out the work have struggled to access any training
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