earth under threat. said david attenborough describes to us his fears to the planet and what might be done to help the. let's start with that story that has just broken in the past couple of hours. a million deaths at least from the coronavirus have now been recorded worldwide. according to thejohns hopkins university. those official figures are likely to be a considerable underestimate but it is a milestone. the bulk of those come from the americas with more than half the global toll there. europe, with a concerning rise in cases over recent weeks is next worst hit with almost a 250,000 cases. asia, where the virus first originated and the middle east have seen more than 180,000 deaths. africa has recorded at least 35,000's of the pandemic began. let's speak out to an infectious disease physician at the washington school of medicine. first we have to acknowledge how deeply sad this is that we have reached this stage. it has become so normal that we don't even pause to consider how devastating this is but many of us devastating this is but many of us in the public health sector believe that these numbers are grossly understated. for many reasons. one of those is this happened so fast and we are still quite early on in this pandemic although it has felt like such a long time, and in those beginning stages it took a long time for us to establish appropriate testing and reporting from around the world. it takes time to get accustomed to the definitions used for what in fact counts as a death. many of us believe these are actually lower numbers than what we are seeing. when all of this started, did you ever think that we would be here, and we have to be here? was it inevitable? there is no way that you can foresee something as devastating as theirs, especially when you live in such a resource rich place of the world where i currently do. 0ne the world where i currently do. one can understand that withdraw infrastructure and resources , withdraw infrastructure and resources, something like this can occui’, resources, something like this can occur, but to your question about did this need to happen, i believe not, i believe that with clear and consistent leadership and messaging, this could have been avoided, we have known since the beginning of what it takes, masking, universal masking could have been adopted earlier on, we know that social distancing, wherever possible in public, we know that the data is thereabout overcrowded places, and yet this has been something that has been so difficult to adopt here in the united states. talking of africa, people were predicting a horror story on the continent, but many countries they have done remarkably well, haven't they kwesi ? remarkably well, haven't they kwesi? it is quite reasonable to see that testing is limited because in these resource poor settings, however, when you look at the actual demographics of who is getting sick in africa right now, it is the younger population, and as we have seen in the younger demographic, they seem to be getting this at much lower rates, and when they do, having mild illness, so that may account for what we are seeing. as the number of covid deaths globally passes that million mark. use today of ambitious plans to transform the way we test to see who has the infected. the world health organization has plans to roll out any rapid test run hundred countries. this is a credit card, could cost $5 and show results and is always 15 minutes. right from the beginning of the outbreak, the who has called for extensive testing as a way to control the virus but finding quick, reliable cheap test has been a struggle for many countries. these tests provide lab results in approximately 15—17 minutes, rather than hours or days at a lower price with less sophisticated equipment. this will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard—to—reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out pcr tests. this is a vital addition to their testing capacity, especially important in the areas of high transmission. one of the companies behind the new test is an american firm. president trump has announced that the white house plans to release more than 150 million tests in the united states. he says they will make a huge difference. today i am pleased to report we are announcing our plan to distribute 150 million abbott rapid point—of—care tests in the coming weeks, very, very soon. this will be more than double the number of tests already performed, and here is our plan: 50 million tests will go to protect the most vulnerable communities, which we have always promised to do, including 18 million for nursing homes, 15 million for assisted living facilities, and 10 million for home health and hospice care. one hand during a press conference to demonstrate just how easy they are to use was an admiral, in charge of testing of the us coronavirus task force. this is generally done by a healthcare provider but it can be done supervised, it is easy. one, two, three, four, five. into the test. twist it three times. the adhesive is pulled off, then you wait 15 minutes. and that is the test. let's bring you this breaking news, reports of a shooting in salem, oregon, police seeing multiple facilities in what they describe as a hostage situation at a house. a suspect has been shot dead by officers and we will bring you more detailsjust as soon and we will bring you more details just as soon as we have something we can confirm. with just 24—hour is before the televised election, president trump has come under attack for his tax affairs, and he supposedly paid no income tax for ten years because of extensive business losses and that he is usually in debt, some of which he is personally liable for. the leading democrats in congress says the president's tax problems raise issues about just who president's tax problems raise issues aboutjust who he is indebted to. there is nothing quite like it, one—on—one combat, two fighters looking to land a one—on—one blow. and donald trump's taxes and what he did and didn't pay have opened up again as a line of attack. on the eve of this televised debate, his tax return is once again a burning issue. it's totally fake news. made—up, fake. maybe he's not as rich as he says. four years ago, hillary clinton thought she had him pinned down on this very topic. or maybe he doesn't want the american people, all of you watching tonight, to know that he has paid nothing in federal taxes, because the only years that anybody has ever seen were a couple of years when he had to turn them over to state authorities when he was trying to get a casino licence, and they showed he didn't pay any federal income tax. that makes me smart. and when you're in the ring, do you stay cool under pressure or do you start to sweat under the lights? back in 1960 john f kennedy was expected to take a pounding from richard nixon. instead, jfk was unfazed and it was nixon who ended up on the ropes. when you're in a race, the only way to stay ahead is to move ahead. boxing is governed by the queensbury rules. no punching below the belt, no holding, break when i say break. but for the past four years, donald trump has played by no rule book. it's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of donald trump is not in charge of the law in our country. because you would be in jail. secretary clinton... look at how he followed hillary clinton around the room, almost stalking her. donald trump revels in the image of prizefighter. what's gonna happen? he controversially tweeted this mock video of him beating up a critical news network. it has just got worse with this gentleman. i use the term really loosely. joe biden at the start of this year looked as though his best days were behind him, but his corner are confident and bullish that he'll go the distance. the two people who will be lacing up their gloves on tuesday have a combined age of 151 years. probably, neither will float like a butterfly nor sting like a bee, but it's likely to be brutal and compelling. jon sopel, bbc news, cleveland, ohio. i spokejust now i spoke just now to donald del mcdonald chairman, responsible for ethics in washington i asked him how concerning the president's debt is if the documents are reliable. does it make him vulnerable to pressure from unknown sources? that's absolutely right. we have seen over the past couple of years and other countries have spent money at the president's hotel as they try to lobby the administration on foreign policy. the president's debt is a national security risk because these unknown entities and individuals have a substantial amount of financial leverage over the commander—in—chief. is the kind of thing that we get you disqualified for getting a security clearance if you were a regular government contractor 01’ a regular government contractor or government employee. if the new york times leagues are correct, mr trump must have paid something like 420 million in loans in the next four yea rs. in loans in the next four years. the key question in all of that is who did he borrow that money from and who are his guarantors? again, that is exactly the question. not only is it troubling that the president owes hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, but the fact that he has been so secretive about who owns that debt means not only do his debtors have leverage over him, but anyone who knows the identity of his debtors also have substantial leverage over the president. talking of secretive, when he says he cannot release his tax returns because they are under audit, is that actually true? can you not release tax returns when they are under audit?|j not release tax returns when they are under audit? i don't believe that to be true and i think the president has vociferously objected to the article in the new york times but there is an easy solution to do what past presidents have done for over a0 years, and release his tax returns. it sounds as if there are quite a lot of travels here that might pursue him when he leaves office. if he wins a second term, is he also likely to be in trouble in office? certainly there is no provision in the constitution that prevents a president from being impeached for a second time. the department ofjustice for a second time. the department of justice and for a second time. the department ofjustice and the president's attorney general have made clear that they would prosecute the president but there are other investigations both from the new york attorney general‘s offers in the manhattan district attorney general‘s offers that could put the president in jeopardy any cannot use his power to get out of those. we will of course have live coverage on bbc news. the first debate kicks off in clevela nd, the first debate kicks off in cleveland, ohio tuesday evening with two more debates in october. we will have comprehensive special coverage on wednesday. stay with us, there is much more to come, including this, a bbc investigation uncovers the criminals in the uk setting up a fake companies to apply for emergency government loans. in all russia's turmoil, it has never come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility which produced affection from catholics throughout the world, but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound, and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea that is unthinkable to palestinians. after a5 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrate the rebirth of europe's biggest and richest nation. welcome back. very glad to have you with us on bbc news. the latest headlines for you. an unwelcome milestone — the number of globally registered coronavirus cases officially passes 1 million. it officially passes1 million. is it officially passes 1 million. is likely to be an underestimate. it is likely to be an underestimate. the americas account for over half the total. with 2a hours before the first residential debate donald trump has dismissed accusations that he is hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. a bbc investigation has found out criminals are setting up fa ke out criminals are setting up fake companies on a large—scale and applying for emergency government loans. the scheme is being abused by criminals who know checks are being made on -- ltd know checks are being made on —— ltd checks are being made on new applicants. it's a bounceback loan application that's been approved for £50,000. taxpayers' money meant for struggling firms. here's a second, here's a third, here's a fourth, and here's a fifth. that's a £250,000. this investigator has infiltrated a criminal gang online. they're using stolen identities and fake companies to cash in on government—backed loans. he's called the company telling's home—made furniture services, and the lloyds bank here are writing to him saying, we are pleased to offer you a loan. it's for an individual called mark telling, and he's become a victim. meet mark telling, the real mark telling. he doesn't have a furniture business, he didn't apply for the loan. he and his partner natasha, saving to buy a house, can't quite believe it. you have apparently applied for a bounceback loan of £50,000. £50,000... that's crazy. shocking. now i own a company with a £50,000 loan taken out. and this is like a covid loan? yes, it's a covid loan, it's supposed to help struggling businesses. this is going to worry us to death now, isn't it? yeah. so, what's happening? the bounceback loan scheme is designed to support uk smaller businesses that have been adversely affected... as covid shut down the economy, the government announced a rescue plan for small firms, a loan of up to £50,000, simple to apply for, paid out within a day. but see this. the number of new firms being registered at companies house, riding high until covid hits and then lockdown. the economy falls off a cliff and new registrations collapse. but then watch. well, today we announced a brand—new loan scheme... when rishi sunak announces the bounceback loan scheme, new registrations take off, to a record 21,000 in a single week. we don't know how many of those new companies might be fake, or how many actually applied for a loan, but we do have evidence of applications to multiple different banks from a number of brand—new, completely bogus firms. the rules are clear, only companies already trading on the first of march this year can apply for bounceback loans, but we've seen evidence of scores of firms only created in the last couple of months making applications on an industrial scale. what we don't know, is how well those applications are being checked. i think a child could do it. it's as easy as just going to their website and filling out a form. it seems to be free money for the scammers. when we take into account that there are hundreds, possibly thousands of people also engaged in this, it is going to cost us billions. everything we discovered has been handed to the authorities. the treasury says banks are undertaking appropriate precautions against fraud, and insists it will take criminal action against the most serious cases. so, yeah, these people need to be stopped. mark and natasha, and the british taxpayer, all victims with no idea how much this fraud may eventually cost them. angus crawford, bbc news. thousands of people in california are being forced from their homes as new wildfires take hold. the extreme rate of growth for the blaze in napa county, called the glass fire. tanya dendrinos reports. a scene of sheer devastation. this wildfire quadrupled in size overnight. residents in california reliving a recurring nightmare. a lot of consternation in and around that region that has been hit over and over and over again, over the course of the last number of years. the zogg fire in shasta county, familiar territory, literally, not just figuratively 7,000 acres burned. and 2017, the carr fire, this is in and around those areas. thousands have been forced to evacuate a terrifying escape for some, but there was nothing to match the ferocity of the inferno tearing through wine country, homes and livelihoods swallowed by the flames. conditions did anything but favour crews throughout monday, working desperately on the ground and from the air. we have had an increase in the winds along with increase in temperature and lowering relative humidities, which has increased the fire behaviour and the fire has jumped and is working its way towards those more populated areas. an anxious wait for many of the will of mother nature. so this is our property right here, we have a little sliver of ground here between here and the napa river, a couple of acres. and it is completely covered with forestation. if anything gets into the yard, it will all be gone. everything. so we are wetting this all down as best we can and we've got a couple of sprinklers on the roof of the house. we are hoping for the best. multiple fires continue to burn across the state in what has been california's worst fire season on record. crews waiting for any opportunity to begin to regain control. tanya dendrinos, bbc news. not unconnected with all of the. —— not unconnected with all of that, david attenborough has praised china for pledging to become carbon neutral by 2060. he signed up to the social media but from instagram last week. he has been speaking to louise minchin. my name is david attenborough and i have been appearing on radio and television for the past 60 years, but this is my first time on instagram. and i am making this move and exploring this new way of communication to me, because as we all know, the world is in trouble. congratulations, you are the fastest person to get1 million followers on instagram. i don't know if you know that. i read it in the paper this morning. laughter so, why instagram and why now? well, i'm so old, it's difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, and i'm not a great user of social media, and i haven't used instagram before, but the message that i'm concerned about is so important, i would use any medium to get it across. in 2050, if we carry on this path that we all are on, how bad will it be? well, one of the things that will happen is that the world will get hotter and hotter and hotter, and that's not news. i mean, that's been happening for a very long time, and deserts are spreading. if there's one choice to make today, what choice would like people to make? don't waste. don't waste anything. don't waste electricity, don't waste food, don't waste power. just treat the natural world as though it's precious, which it is, and don't squander those bits of it we have control of. in the face of huge countries like china or brazil or the united states doing something entirely different, it seems irrelevant, sometimes. well, we have to do what is in our power. we can't take that as an excuse for doing nothing. we must do everything that all of us can do and must do, and china is taking very big steps in many directions. it is a huge country with an immense population and they are starting doing things about sorting out their climate and their weather which have caused them such problems. the younger generation, seem to be, many of them are on board, how does that make you feel? that is a great hope! that is the most important hope, and the most important place where there should be hope. it's their world, and it's their tomorrow. i won't be there, they will be. it's their‘s. of course it's very important that young people should be concerned about this, and they are, in increasing numbers. it's extraordinarily touching, and i feel privileged that they should listen to what an old bloke like me is talking about. that old bloke, sir david attenborough, 9a—years—young, speaking to louise minchin. a brief reminder of our top story. the number of people who have died around the world from coronavirus since it first emerged as officially past1 million. the latest figures from johns hopkins university and united states show us, brazil and india accounting for nearly half of that total. most a nalysts we nearly half of that total. most analysts we are speaking to believe the real number is probably much higher than that. much for you any time on the bbc news website and on our twitter feeds. thank you for watching. hello there. a window of fine weather awaits many today — not all, but for most, there will be some good lengthy spells of sunshine and light winds, and it will feel pleasa ntly warm for late september. the reason, well, we've got a ridge of high pressure moving in behind the cold weather front, which hasn't brought much rain but it certainly brought cloudier skies southwards through the night and some drizzly rain, which will stick across eastern england for a time before finally clearing. the ridge of high pressure towards the north ensuring a pretty cold start to the day again, with temperatures close enough to freezing to give us some grass frost. the other thing we need to be aware of in northern and western areas is some patchy fog — of course, it lingers through the rush hour this time of year. now, we have got the cloud, the low cloud, the drizzly rain with our weather front as well in the south, really rather great start for parts of eastern england. as you can see, with time through the day, it's starting to pull away, the skies will brighten. also, just the outside chance of a few showers in north—west scotland, possibly northern ireland. it's more likely the cloud will thicken towards tea—time here. with light winds, despite temperatures a little lower than they were on monday, the north will still feel very pleasant, and approaching 18—19 in southern areas, rather where they should be for the time of year. but that ridge of high pressure is a brief ridge of high pressure, because by the night, as you can see, and tomorrow, we have got more rain rushing in. and it's a slow moving band of heavy rain. some parts of southern and western scotland could see a0—60 mm before this rain finally clears away. you can see, it continues to fall throughout tuesday night and wednesday. strong, potentially gale force winds with it. ahead of it, some drier weather, and this mild air at least, but it will be a fairly wet affair wednesday for most parts of the uk. and then a brief respite again, potentially on thursday, little ridge of high pressure, still some showers around. now comes the uncertainty. where will this deepening area of low pressure come to lie? potentially southern areas, bringing us increasingly windy and wet weather and lasting into the weekend as well. it certainly looks a lot more unsettled by that stage. so, yes, definitely feeling autumnal, and feeling quite chilly as well after the fact that we've had some sunshine and it's felt quite warm. look at the temperatures — really dipping down by the end of the week. as i say, perhaps a little respite on thursday, but some very unsettled weather as you can see in the outlook. as ever, there's more on our website. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the number of people around the world who have died with coronavirus as the disease first emerged hasjust officially passed 1 million. it is likely to be an underestimate but the latest figures from the johns underestimate but the latest figures from thejohns hopkins university in the united states show the us, brazil and india accounting for nearly half that total. the world health organization and the us have announced plans to roll out a rapid new covid—19 test. it could transform the global response to the pandemic stopping the new procedure will cost just $5 and stopping the new procedure will costjust $5 and should show results in as little as 15 minute. a day ahead of the first presidential debate donald trump is dismissing claims the new york times that he owes hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. the documents from his tax returns, if reliable, mean that the president's debts pose national security concerns as foreign nationals or individuals could have leveraged over him.