India has now overtaken russia to become the country with the worlds third highest confirmed coronavirus infections. A sharp rise in new cases in recent days has taken the total Health Ministry figure to nearly 700,000. More than 19,000 people have died in india so far. The bbcs Alanna Petroff reports. The taj mahal, a monument to love from the 17th century. A world famous love from the 17th century. A world famous attraction with millions of visitors each year. 0ne millions of visitors each year. One of the seven wonders of the modern world in the city of agra. Its been empty since mid march. It was meant to reopen on monday. Thousands we re reopen on monday. Thousands were expected. At the last minute, plans were scrapped. Authorities extended local lock down measures. There is no word ona down measures. There is no word on a new reopening date. Just days earlier, a representative for local tour guides was feeling optimistic about the reopening. Translation it is great news and has brought cheer to guides. Work that was closed for months will now start again. This will give a boost for the tourism sector. North of agra, in south delhi, officials opened on a different kind of opening, a vast new Treatment Centre with capacity forup to 10,000 Treatment Centre with capacity for up to 10,000 beds. In a country of 1. 3 billion people, authorities are struggling to balance urgent priorities. The number of confirmed cases keeps rising to hit daily record levels. The Healthcare System is stretched. Even so, experts say the true scale of the pandemic is unknown. The figures are underreported. The virus continues to spread in a country that imposed on most stringent high profile downs in the world. It hit Migrant Workers particularly hard. In a nation thats been humbled by the pandemic, it seems tourism and the taj mahaljust cant be the priority right now. Alanna petroff, bbc news. The bbcs Anbarasan Ethirajan joins me live. We heard there in alannas report that the true scale is not something we know right now. Why is it hard to get a really realistic actor of what is going on . Many healthcare experts would point out the best way to contain the virus is test, trace and treat in these three things should be done but if you look at the number of tests being conducted in india at the moment, we are talking about 200,000 tests per day and so far they have done around 10 million tests but thatis around 10 million tests but that is nothing compared to the size of the country and the population. We are talking about1. 3 population. We are talking about 1. 3 billion people so it is basically only about 4000 tests per million the world averages nearly 30,000 so testing is a big issue because when you look at how this pandemic started in india, the number of tests were very, very low and now theyve increased it. Thats why you are seeing more and more cases coming out but the challenge for the authorities, what is happening in the rural areas of this country, because many people would hesitate to go to any hospital saying i have coronavirus because there is a stigma, many would ostracise them, telling them not to come out of the house, that they fear they might be taken to one of these quarantine centres where they will be kept for 14 days so what is happening in india at the moment is the tip of the iceberg and the peak period is yet to come in india, probably the end ofjuly or even august or september. Anbarasan briefly, you reference the scale of india, some states doing better than others and some local decisions being better than others as well. For example, if you take a state like carolina in the south, they have 26 tests per 5000 infections kerala. But in tamil nardo, there are more than 5000 cases. Tamil nadu. Kerala was taking a very strict testing regime, they were able to trace them immediately but in tamil nadu state, they relaxed the lock down and people are going to the markets, the fish markets and vegetable markets and then it started again and thats why they had to reimpose lockdowns when a particular situation doesnt apply to one particular pa rt doesnt apply to one particular part of india however what the authorities in india are facing, convincing people they should come in test so that they can be given the proper treatment. Thank you for bringing us up to date. The authorities in the North Western spanish region of galicia have imposed restrictions on about seventy 70,000 people after a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus. Gatherings of more than 10 people will be banned. It comes a day after catalonia also introduced a local lockdown to curb the spread of covid 19. Kazakhstan has become the first country in the world to reimpose a nationwide coronavirus lockdown after a steep rise in the number of cases. Shopping centres, gyms, swimming pools and hair salons will close for at least two weeks. The countrys first lockdown was in late march, with important sectors of the economy and travel grinding to a halt. In the australian state of victoria, a spike in coronavirus cases is being blamed on a breach of hotel quarantines. In melbourne, more than 30 suburbs have been locked down, and 3,000 residents living in Public Housing will not be able to leave their homes for 14 days. Sophia tran thomson has this report. Australia has so far weathered the coronavirus pandemic better than many other nations, with just 8,500 cases and 104 deaths. Since the end of march, all inbound travellers arriving in australia have had to do a compulsory 14 day quarantine at a government nominated hotel. The measures seemed to be working until reports emerged of security contractors in melbourne having sexual relations with guests, and several people tested positive to the virus after release. Over the weekend, australia saw its biggest rise in coronavirus cases so far. With 184 people testing positive in victoria, the government announced lockdown for over 30 melbourne suburbs, and 3,000 residents living in Housing Estate tower blocks, where dozens of cases have been confirmed, have been told to stay inside their homes for two weeks. Residents say they had no notice and the arrival of hundreds of police enforcing the stay at home measures came as a complete surprise. There are a lot of people in these buildings that have, you know, pre existing Mental Health issues. Theres a lot of trauma that a lot of these people come from. A lot of them come from war torn countries, so i think, definitely, there are a lot of Vulnerable People that are going to be affected by this, and i really do hope that this doesnt extend to 14 days because theres going to be really harsh consequences on the Mental Health of a lot of people in these flats. Epidemiologists say the measures are necessary to contain the virus and that isolating small communities is easier than forcing the whole state into lockdown. I think this has made it clear that, you know, covid 19 is out there and its just waiting, and so we really do need to crack down very hard when it seems like the epidemic is starting to get out of control and starting to replicate very fast, to try to get it back to a point where we are able to if there is a case of covid 19, that were able to find and contact and trace and test all of the possible contacts of that individual. While the authorities monitor cases and hope that the virus is still able to be contained, the government has announced a judicial inquiry investigating Victorias Hotel quarantine management. Sophia tran thomson, bbc news. Latin american countries are experiencing an explosion of new coronavirus cases. The region is home tojust 8 of the global population, but its deaths account for around 20 of all coronavirus deaths the world over. Brazil and mexico have suffered the most. Reged ahmad takes a closer look at whats going on in the region. Lunchtime crowds in mexico city. These scenes belie the reality here that mexico is in the grip of the covid 19 pandemic. Its reached a terrible milestone, surpassing 30,000 deaths. Social distancing is a challenge and because of a lack of testing, the numbers could be even higher. Translation it all depends on the area. In this area, you can see that people have theirface masks. They keep a healthy distance. But in more densely populated areas, people dont respect the rules, unfortunately. Many believe the virus doesnt exist, that it was made up by someone. The reality of the problem seems to, at times, run counter to the government response. Mexicos president has been criticised for reopening the countrys struggling economy too early after locking down too late. But the challenge in dealing with the pandemic is being echoed across many parts of latin america. Brazil is the worst hit country in the region. Its case numbers and deaths are second only to the United States. Over the weekend, it registered more than 1,000 deaths in a day. And like the United States, mask wearing has become politicised. The brazilian president this week watered down new mask laws aimed at stemming the wave of infections. Some failures by governments in other countries has inevitably led to rising anger. Just this week in bolivia, where case numbers are going up, a coffin with a coronavirus victim was left in the middle of the street in protest at burial delays. Its not all bad news, though. Swift lockdown and Contact Tracing has helped cuba contain its outbreak. And uruguay is preparing to open its borders. Its success has made it the only latin American Country named on the eu list of safe travel destinations. But overall, the picture looks bleak. As the region struggles to reverse course, there are fears now for the long term implications as the pandemic rages on. Reged ahmad, bbc news. Here in the uk, the latest figures released by the government show another 22 deaths of people whod tested positive for coronavirus recorded for the last 24 hours. Total uk deaths now number more than 44,000. Four months on from the first of those deaths, our medical correspondent fergus walsh can take us through the figures, both here and around the world. By any measure, the uk is one of the worst affected countries in the world. Official figures show there have been more than 44,000 covid 19 deaths in the uk, the third highest death toll after the United States and brazil. If you look at excess deaths, the number above what youd expect for the time of year, that rises to over 65,000. That means, very roughly, one in 1,000 people in the uk have died due to the coronavirus pandemic. By far, the biggest single risk factor is age. 85 in every 100 deaths has been among people aged 70 and over. The younger you are, the lower your risk. Daily confirmed coronavirus cases have fallen from a peak of over 5,000 a day in april to fewer than 1,000 a day now. There are hot spots in areas like leicester, and there are thought to be about 1,000 to 2,000 cases a day that are never identified. But although coronavirus cases are falling across most of europe, globally, the pandemic is accelerating. It took more than three months to reach a million cases worldwide. By mid may, it had topped 5 million, and it now stands at over 11 million, with a million new cases being added every week. The global death toll is now over 500,000. In the United States, the worlds worst affected country, there have been record numbers of new daily cases, with 50,000 being added every 24 hours, driven by outbreaks in states in florida, arizona and texas. This many other countries are also seeing a surge in cases, with major outbreaks in brazil, mexico, india, south africa and russia. Little wonder that the World Health Organization has said the pandemic is not even close to being over. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come, jumping forjoy but will a massive cash rescue package save theatres in the wake of the pandemic . Central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. Police say there have been many casualties, and there is growing speculation that alqaeda was responsible. Germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup. They pipped the favourites, south africa, by a single vote. In south africa, the possibility of losing hadnt even been contemplated, and celebration parties were cancelled. The man entered the palace through a downstairs window and made his way to the queens private bedroom. Then he asked herfor a cigarette, and on the pretext of arranging for some to be brought, she summoned a footman on duty, who took the man away. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Applause this is bbc news. The latest headlines indias tourist landmarks stay shut as the country overtakes russia to reach the worlds third highest number of coronavirus infections. A spike in coronavirus cases in melbourne, australia, is being blamed on a breach of hotel quarantines. Many theatres, orchestras and other arts organisations face a bleak future in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. After intensive campaigning by the arts sector, the uk government has Just Announced a £1. 5 billion rescue package its billed as the biggest ever one off investment in uk culture. Joining me now live from london is adam lenson, who is a freelance theatre director and producer. Adam, thank you for your time. Its yourjob to get audiences into venues, watching theatre. What has 2020 been like for you and your colleagues in the industry . Very, very strange. 0bviously, our entire industry is based on mass gatherings. So, you know, people being in a room together to share an experience and, thatjust hasnt been possible since april. So it was one of the first things to go, and i think we all know it is going to be one of the last things to come back. So, it has made what we do very, very difficult. How welcome, then, is this package . £1. 5 billion right across the United Kingdom and notjust theatre, right across the arts sector . Extremely welcome. I would say that people are extremely glad that this has happened. It could have happened. It could have happened a lot sooner, i think. I think, you happened a lot sooner, i think. Ithink, you know, people happened a lot sooner, i think. I think, you know, people have been waiting for three months, knowing that theatre isnt going to be the same for the foreseeable future. I think theatres have already collapsed during this time, like the one in southampton. We wish you could have come sooner but that doesnt mean we arent extremely happy. I would say and so we know what the future looks like for the performing arts, it is still always going to bea arts, it is still always going to be a bit ofa arts, it is still always going to be a bit of a bandage on a wound of unspecified bail. But, you know, relieved, i would say. Unspecified scale. You know, relieved, i would say. Unspecified scale. The National History museum, National History museum, national gallery, Royal Shakespeare company of all welcome to this announcement. This sector relies on freelance individuals, on small theatre companies, small groups of people working together. How badly have they been hit compared to organisations that may have gas in the bank or reserves or other kinds of investments . I myself am a freelancer as i many of my close colleagues and we have been hit really badly because our work just been hit really badly because our workjust stopped. We werent able to benefit from the furlough scheme or existing salary roles. I think the trouble with the Creative Arts as they are not hierarchical, they are sort of like an interconnected ecosystem of scale. And all of these people doing jobs that not Everybody Knows all about, that they are trained to do, that they are very good out, and they are just not able to do them. Sol sincerely hope that this doesnt just help sincerely hope that this doesntjust help the andrew lloyd webbers, but also the smaller, innovative upcoming artists who you here about one day but maybe dont know their names yet. Adam lenson, we are going to have to leave it there. Adam lenson, freelance director and producer, thank you for your time. It is a month since the internationally recognised government of libya finally managed to take back full control of the capital, tripoli, with extensive help from turkey, defeating a long offensive by a rival force. The battle between the two drew in other countries, taking different sides, marking the most recent stage in a long battle for control of libya ever since colonel gaddafi was deposed in 2011. 0ur International Correspondent 0rla guerin and her team have had rare access to libya they sent this report from tripoli. Flying into libya, where the oil rich landscape has shifted, thanks to intervention from turkey. Its presence here has been largely unseen, but we gained rare access. 0n the red carpet, up close and masked, the Turkish Defence minister, hulusi akar, seen as the new power in town. And heres why victory celebrations by fighters loyal to the un backed government. They kept control of the capital thanks to ankara. So, corona bumps and gratitude from fayez al sarraj, libyas internationally recognised prime minister. But is turkey planning a permanent stay on this foreign soil . I put that question to the defence minister. Translation saying that would be incorrect. 0ur presence here is based on Bilateral Agreements with the legitimate libyan government, recognised by the un, and this is in line with international law. 0ur presence will continue. We are trying to help our libyan brothers by consulting on military training and cooperation. Turkish forces are on the ground in libya, Northern Iraq and northern syria. One of natos most powerful armies often seems to be going its own way. Turkeys presence here is part of an expanded footprint across the middle east. Ankara wants to be a key player in the future, whatever emerges from the chaos in libya, and its flexing its muscles across the middle east. And its creating waves in the eastern mediterranean, where theres a lot at stake, not least gas reserves. The minister made a flying visit to this turkish warship off the coast of libya. He strongly denied claims from france that turkey harassed one of its vessels in the area. But with its deepening involvement here, ankara is sailing in choppy waters. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. Right. Lets get some of the days other news. And partial results in croatias parliamentary election predict a strong victory for the governing right wing hdz party. Pre election polls had suggested a tight race with the centre left social democrats. But it seems that the prime minister, andray plenkovich, is set to extend his term in office. Austrian police have arrested two russian citizens both from chechnya over saturdays murder of a chechen dissident in a suburb of vienna. Media reports have named the victim as mamikhan umarov, a blogger and an outspoken critic of chechnyas autocratic ruler, ramzan kadyrov. Italy has given permission for 180 migrants to disembark from a charity run ship at a port in sicily, after a stand off lasting more than a week. Medics have already tested the migrants and staff aboard the ocean viking for covid 19. Police in ethiopia say more than 166 people died during violent demonstrations earlier this week. Protests erupted after gunmen killed the popular protest singer Hachalu Hundessa on monday. Police in the 0romia region said more than 1,000 people had been arrested. An American Woman who claims she was brought to britain aged a robotic helper that could increase the pace of discovery has been developed at the university of liverpool. Its part of whats being called a new digital age for science, with Artificial Intelligence and robotics keeping Research Moving at a time when social distancing means fewer human scientists in their labs. Victoria gill has more. Keeping the experiments going, single handedly. In a Chemistry Lab thats been closed to most human researchers since the beginning of lockdown, this robotic scientist has been working 24 hours a day, all alone. Just occasionally, its designers are able to check in on their intelligent machine. Doesnt get bored, doesnt get tired, it works around the clock. It doesnt need holidays. It frees up my time to focus on innovation and new solutions, rather than doing the same action over and over again. Because it would easily go through thousands of samples, which would take me a very long time to do by hand. In the age of social distancing, this £100,000 robot has taken on a whole new role. So many of us are going to have to get used to keeping our distance from each other and just not coming in to workspaces that we used to share with other people. And this robot scientist can keep experimenting 24 hours a day, so that the human scientists can work from home. In manufacturing, robots are often used, programmed to repeat one task. But this new generation of robotic researcher actually learns as it works. It can record its results and use them to fine tune the next set of experiments. So, could these machines do all of the science . Absolutely not. This is about human beings harnessing all of these Digital Technologies so that they can explore bigger and tackle much more complex problems, like decarbonisation, preventing and treating disease, making the quality of our air cleaner. But we will always need people. So, with time consuming tasks increasingly done by robotic collaborators, the next generation of human scientists could be trying to solve some of the worlds most pressing problems from home. Victoria gill, bbc news. You can talk to me on twitter im aaronsafir. Ill be back with the headlines ina ill be back with the headlines in a moment. Hello. Monday looks set to be a rather breezy day but not quite as windy as it was on sunday, when we had scenes like this, with gusts of 50 mile an hour or more across parts of the uk and the sorts of winds we would expect during autumn but are pretty unusual in summer. The area of low pressure responsible not too far away, sliding towards scandinavia, High Pressure trying to build in from the south west but its not going to be quite as windy as it has been through monday. Still blustery out there with fewer showers and still some showers, those particularly affecting parts of scotland, Northern England maybe entering into east wales and the midlands, certainly the eastern side of england and some for Northern Ireland as well. The further south and west you are, not as many showers, more dry weather and spells of sunshine here. Still a noticeable north westerly breeze, these wind gusts we are expecting, just a notch or two lower than the wind speed we saw during sunday. It will still feel cool out there, i suspect, with top temperatures between 14 and 21 degrees and it will remain cool and fresh as we head through monday night. Many daytime showers will continue to fade and we will see showery rain drift across the far north of scotland and cloud amounts increasing across Northern Ireland through the early hours of tuesday morning. We start the day between 8 and 12 degrees. High pressure just about in charge as we begin tuesday. You can see this bump in the isobars here. However there is a frontal system that will work quickly into Northern Ireland. I showed you increasing amounts of cloud, and rain will set in through the morning and then spread eastwards. There is uncertainty aboutjust how far north or south the wet weather will get and there is likely to be a swathe of dry weather through the southern counties of england and the channel islands, and dry conditions with just showers in the northern half of scotland but those temperatures still around 14 21 degrees. That frontal system is not finished as we head towards wednesday, another pulse of energy, another wave holding it in place with more rain across southern counties and to the north of that frontal system, the air will not get warm with temperatures staying a touch below the average for the time of year. Some rain at times through the middle part of the week and the driest of the weather is likely to be across the north. This is bbc news, the headlines indias Tourist Attractions stay shut as the country overtakes russia to become the country with the worlds third highest confirmed coronavirus infections. A sharp rise in new cases has taken the total to about 690,000. More than 19,000 people have died so far. In the australian state of victoria, several breaches of hotel quarantine, have led to a spike in coronavirus cases. In melbourne, over 30 suburbs have been locked down, and 3,000 residents living in Public Housing will not be able to leave their flats for 14 days. The authorities in the North Western spanish region of galicia have imposed restrictions on about seventy thousand people after a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus. It comes a day after catalonia also introduced a local lockdown to curb the spread of covid 19
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