welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: brazil's daily death toll passes 1,000. it's now the third worst hit country for infections in the world. pollution and the pandemic. the world sees a dramatic improvement in air quality. millions are moved from coastal areas, as a huge cyclone bears down on the bay of bengal. and the mum and dad who never gave up. kidnapped at two years old, mao yin is finally reunited with his parents 32 years later.

hello to you. brazil has for the first time registered a daily death toll of over 1,000 in one day. the overall death toll is now 17,971, and the total number of infections is just over 271,000. it's notjust by far the worst hit country in south america, its also the third highest in the world. this shows the trajectory of the daily total of recorded deaths going up and up. katy watson in sao paulo has more. well, brazil passed two grim milestones, actually, not only was it the highest number of deaths in the past 2a hours but it also posted the highest number of confirmed infections, more than 17,000 confirmed cases in the last 2a hours. now, tuesdays often peak because of the last few days over the weekend in terms of collecting data, but nevertheless this just shows what a lot of people have been fearing here in brazil — that the numbers of deaths

and the virus is certainly not under control here in brazil. and the whole picture complicated by the attitude of the president. absolutely. he continues to downplay the severity of the virus. in fact, this evening he has, in facebook live, said that on wednesday he's going to bring in new rules over the use of chloroquine for early stages of covid—19. so that's been a very contentious issue and that is what is believed to have pushed the former health minister out. he didn't agree with the view that bolsonaro had on the use of the anti—malaria drug. so jair bolsonaro's continuing with his way of doing things, but the concern is that this has been a chaotic approach to dealing with the virus, with the state governors being much stricter on regulations at the same time that the president clearly taking a very different approach to trying to tackle or, as many people would say, failing to tackle the

virus here in brazil. it does seem clear, katy, that what president trump has been saying and doing has fed into this. absolutely. trump is seen as... ..is certainly an inspiration forjair bolsonaro. they are often on the same page with the use of chloroquine, talking about the severity of the virus. that said, we've heard trump concerned about the numbers in brazil and concerned about the entry of brazilians. so i think it's even hitting the us in terms of the concern and what we're seeing here in brazil impacting rest of the world. katy watson for us there. the global pharmaceutical giant johnson &johnson is to stop selling talcum—based baby

powder in the united states and canada. the company has denied allegations that the powder it uses contains cancer—causing asbestos, but has been taken to court thousands of times over the allegations. 0ur north america business correspondent, michelle fleury, has more. johnson &johnson says it. selling its talc based baby powder in north america, along with a range of other items as it focuses on other items it considers a higher priority during the coronavirus pandemic. the pharmaceutical giant also continued to defend the safety of its talc baby powder. 0nce the safety of its talc baby powder. once a household stable, sales have really fallen over the last few years as users alleged it caused cancer. and last october the company voluntarily recalled a batch of its baby powder after the us food and drug regulator found that it contained asbestos. now, the recall came amid thousands of lawsuits saying thatjohnson amid thousands of lawsuits saying that johnson & amid thousands of lawsuits saying thatjohnson & johnson knew that its baby powder

contained asbestos, a carcinogen, the company has strenuously denied all of these claims. it is worth pointing out that tell based baby powder from johnson & johnson will still be sold in the rest of the world and here in north america you can buy the cornstarch based version. michelle fleury for us there. 0ne rare positive effect of the past few months has been on the environment. the biggest ever reduction in the volume of carbon dioxide released into the world's atmosphere has been recorded since march. at the height of the lockdown scientists discovered that daily emissions around the world dropped by more than 17%. but scientists are warning that this extreme reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is likely to be temporary, as our science editor david shukman explains. all over the world, some stunning transformations — from choked streets in india becoming calmer and easier to breathe in, to the most famous landmark in china suddenly looking clearer. to the centre of paris, often polluted, now quieter and cleaner.

the fight against the virus has slowed down many economies, at huge cost. but it's also done wonders for the air and for the carbon emissions that are heating up the planet. the drop in traffic is a major part of that, here in the uk and globally. lower demand for electricity has also made a difference. along with the grounding of planes. fewer flights means less carbon released into the air. it's a pattern seen around the world. the lighter the shade here, the bigger the decline in emissions — in some countries, up again, but still a huge change. the fall in emissions we're seeing, 17% per day, is enormous. we haven't experienced something like this before, as far as we can tell. it's driven by changes in road transport. now that china's out of lockdown, traffic there is building up, so emissions are rising once again. the carbon cut

is not permanent. on some key roads, the traffic is starting to come back a bit as the lockdown is eased, but the impact of the different restrictions on the environment has been really striking. not only are those carbon emissions down, the quality of the air has got a lot better. different types of pollution have fallen dramatically. so, as the economy recovers, will we see a return to the toxic haze hanging over our cities? experts in air pollution hope the crisis has shown what's possible. a very unfortunate natural experiment, but it does really show us that by changing the vehicles on our road, or reducing the vehicles on our road, and changing over to electric vehicles, we can immediately reduce air pollution — which is a very, very important message. many cities are now trying to encourage more cycling and walking, to help keep people safe from the disease and also to reduce pollution. their hope is that amid the nightmare of the virus, a greener future can be created. david shukman, bbc news.

to talk more about what can be done in cities to learn sustainable lessons from the coronavirus pandemic is brent toderian, city planning consultant and former vancouver chief planner. what's your top line on this? well, i've think it's going to bea well, i've think it's going to be a huge challenge for cities to make sure that the drop in emissions we've seen during the pandemic, at least a big chunk of that drop stays with us. and that's why 70 cities are already thinking about how to make the changes, many of the changes they've made reaction to the pandemic permanent. to not only address the climate crisis, but to make our cities more liveable and address air pollution and make them more healthy and resilient just ongoing. there is a many reason to wa nt ongoing. there is a many reason to want make these improvements to want make these improvements to our cities, but we have to keep those emissions that we've dropped, with have to make them, to a certain extent,

permanent. you say we have to, but was the dynamic here, this tension, of course, governments, cities want to do that, but they also want to get their economies moving and there's a whole bunch of people where there is a pent—up demand, people wanting to get back to work, back in their cars, get back to flying. well, i think the way we get back to work and back to our cities is being rethought as we speak. and certainly there is going to bea and certainly there is going to be a big interest in spending money on reactivating the economy and if we spend that money stupidly, frankly, in doubling down on putting a foot on the gas, if you will, towards more driving by building more roads and wider roads, we're going to end up getting more emissions, even more than we had during this pandemic, which is a recipe for com plete pandemic, which is a recipe for complete disaster. 0n the other hand, if we invest that stimulus money, that economic recovery money, in walking and biking infrastructure and public transport, in retrofitting existing buildings and making new buildings

greener and better, we can get better outcomes for our cities and for all of us while also activating the economy. it is not an either/or. if we spend our money is dumbly we will have bad outcomes and put our foot on the gas towards an even was future. do you think the little bit of cleanliness we have seen, the bit of green as we have seen is persuasive enoughin we have seen is persuasive enough in itself or individuals was made because at the moment there is a fair element, what happens when that goes? i'm sorry. i could not he your question. at the moment there isa question. at the moment there is a kind of fair element to persuade people, do you think what we have seen of life being greener, life being clean is persuasive enough in itself, how do we keep people on board with this? well, fear and opportunity i think can be both great motivators for education, for learning. but we badly need an honest conversation about the consequences of getting this recovery wrong. not only

returning to the old normal, which wasn't working for us, but even making things worse, because it's entirely possible that we could end up driving even more, emitting even more once we recover. so i even more, emitting even more once we recover. so i think there's an opportunity, a necessity, irresponsibility to make sure we're discussing, really bluntly, the consequences of getting this wrong. because if we double down on a cabos, fuel based infrastructure, the consequences of a change include even more and was pandemics. so there is a staggering consequence of getting this wrong if we are not smart about it. you so much for that. my pleasure. —— thank you. mass evacuations are under way in bangladesh and india, ahead of a major storm there. cyclone amphan is due to make landfall near the border of the two countries later on wednesday. forecasters are warning of winds above 115 miles per hour. the coronavirus outbreak is making it harder to protect those in the line of the storm, as our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports.

the bay of bengal, one of the most vulnerable coastlines in the world. now bracing itself for a powerful storm. 0fficials fear it could be the worst to hit the region since cyclone sidr in 2007, which claimed at least 3,000 lives. now, in the middle of a pandemic, they're moving thousands to safer ground. fears too for hundreds of rohingya refugees stranded at sea. they'd escaped hardship from the camps in bangladesh for a new life in malaysia. beaten and starved by the smugglers they paid, they're now adrift after malaysian authorities turned them away for fears of covid—19. last month, hundreds of rohingyas were rescued and returned to bangladesh. but the country says it won't accept any more on the mainland.

it sent more than 300 to a silt island in the bay of bengal. aid agencies fear it's flood prone and are calling for the refugees to be moved as the storm approaches. this 17—year—old is one of those on the island. we talked to his mother, fatima, before the cyclone warning. "i just want my son alive on any sure, in any country," she says. but for fatima and other rohingyas, living in the world's largest refugee camp the risks are many. if the cyclone hits these settlements don't stand a chance. and last week coronavirus finally reached the camps. one of the most densely populated places on the planet, were social distancing is tough, cases are already rising rapidly. healthcare facilities are basic. isolation wards have been set

up for coronavirus patients, but in a camp of close to a million people there isn't a single ventilator. rohingya refugees fled genocide in the myanmar. they live in poverty in bangladesh. now with coronavirus and a cyclone to content with their resilience is once again being tested. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the mystery surrounding a subterranean discovery at one of the world's holiest sites. this morning, an indian airforce plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield.

ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it has become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it has been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far, but suddenly the police are teargassing the crowd. we don't know why. the prelaunch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody start for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: brazil's daily death toll passes 1,000 — it's now the third worst—hit

country in the world. the biggest ever drop in the volume of carbon dioxide released into the world's atmosphere is recorded. but scientists warn the reduction may be temporary. experts tracking disinformation during the coronavirus pandemic say they're seeing a rise in the conpsiracy theories and far—right ideologies, particularly in protests against lockdown measures, on both sides of the atlantic. in germany at the weekend, many people protested measures taken to control the spread of covid—19. but police made arrests after some people used the demonstrations as a pretext for displays of anti—semitism, or thinly veiled support for neo—nazi ideology. in the us, some patriot groups or far right militia claim their civil liberties are infringed upon by the lockdown measures, and have taken part in anti—lockdown protest in the past weeks.

graham brookie is director of the digital forensic research lab of the atlantic council in washington — it's tracking disinformation and fake news during the pandemic. i also know, reading your pulley —— your piece in politico, talking about conspiracy bingo. conspiracy bingo came out at the time when we we re bingo came out at the time when we were on the phone with the reporter but let me explain it, it's convergence of audiences we are seeing, including some extremist groups which engage with various conspiracy theories but don't typically engage with each other and you are engage with each other and you a re exactly engage with each other and you are exactly right, it is incurring in what the world health organization termed back in debris as a infodemic and they defined that, they described it as an overabundance of information, some viable and some absolutely not, but make it difficult for broader audiences like you and ito

broader audiences like you and i to discern exactly what other reliable sources out there. that is happening in parallel toa that is happening in parallel to a pandemic in which accurate information is a, always coming down ina information is a, always coming down in a new cycle to rapidly evolving situations and accurate information can help save lives so it's a real challenge. in a pandemic, people are making common cause, even though they have a bunch of different grievances, real or imagined. that makes a movement which is very hard to fight, doesn't it? it does, you are seeing the limits of content moderation from some of the social media giants have stepped up efforts to not only promote accurate information but showing an increased willingness to remove content thatis willingness to remove content that is harmful or inaccurate. now what we know is that u nfortu nately, regardless now what we know is that unfortunately, regardless of those efforts, finding a place to live on line and they can build and spread from those dark corners of the internet so thatis

dark corners of the internet so that is a real challenge and everybody that's going to be in that collective challenge has to include government, media as well as the tech companies. just to take a couple of examples, why particularly is far right extremism and anti—semitism piggybacking on all this? one thing about conspiracy theories, it's not unusualfor conspiracy theories, it's not unusual for those inclined towards conspiracy around specific themes like anti—semitism or various extremist narratives to apply those beliefs to the news of the day, apply those beliefs or in this case disbelief ‘s unused topics of the day. what we are seeing in the context of this infodemic is a sustained focus on one particular topic across the world and that's where you see this convergence of audiences, whether it is folks by vaccine sceptics or anti—semitic or have a few of the other and that is a very interesting proposition to try

to solve but it's also extremely dangerous. it has to be said that mr trump is really not helping. he is feeding this frenzy. it could be a great thing that we have a man of the most powerfuljob in the world who engages with social media but it picks up a lot of stuff and puts a lot of stuff out there which is really very questionable. it is no question the president of the united states freewheeling falsehoods have led to a less effective public global health response and we certainly feel that here in the united states as well as around the world. thank you so much, really interesting to talk to you. let's get some of the day's other news. the syrian government has stepped up its attack on a cousin and former key member of president assad's inner circle. billionaire businessman rami makhlouf has gone public about his rift with president assad. a document apparently signed by the syrian finance minister is circulating online, ordering the seizure of the assets of mr makhlouf, his wife and his children.

hungary's parliament has voted to ban transsexual people from altering their gender on official documents in a move activists say pushes the country back towards the dark ages. individuals will now have to register sex at birth on marriage and death certificates, as well as identity cards. archaeologists in jerusalem have discovered a series of mysterious underground rooms — near to where the second jewish temple is believed to have stood some two—thousand years ago. —— 2,000 the purpose of these chambers remain unknown — although oil lamps and pots suggest some kind of domestic use. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. near the western wall, secrets can be buried beneath secrets. this site dates backs exact dates back to the time abides in him, some 11100 years ago but injerusalemold city, in him, some 11100 years ago but in jerusalemold city, more in him, some 11100 years ago but injerusalemold city, more you dig, the more you discover. hidden away between —— beneath the mosaics, a series of rooms

are even older. these chambers, dug from the bedrock itself, dating to before the time of christ. about the prime location in terms of ancient jerusalem real estate. we are about 30 metres from the temple mount and just below this street level in what is considered to be a public area of the early roman period. legend has it construction of the second temple began around 516 bc by exiled jews returning from babylon. the faith‘s most sacred site, it stood for nearly six centuries before being destroyed by the romans. instead of nearing the ruins, they built on top, covering the network of chambers up. their use can only be guessed it. we have all kind of evidence that this room was used for daily

life use. we are finding cooking vessels that were used to cook daily meals, we found oil lamps and we are finding storagejars oil lamps and we are finding storage jars that people stored their wheat or bali or olive oil here. this whole site is to be excavated and then put on display for the public. different eras, different cultures. secrets buried no more. tim allman, bbc news. now, a remarkable story from china — where a couple have been reunited with their son, 32 years after he was abducted as a toddler. the disappearance of 2—year—old mao yin in 1988 became one of china's most notorious child abduction cases, in part because his parents refused to give up looking for him. rich preston has the story. this was the moment mao yin's parents were able to hug their son for the first time in 32 years. mao yin was just two years

old when he was taken in shanxi province in north—west china. thousands of children go missing in china every year, but his parents never gave up hope. his mother, li, devoted her life to finding her son, giving up herjob, crossing the country handing out flyers and joining teams of volunteers investigating other abduction cases. in her search for her own son, she helped 29 other families find their missing children. then, earlier this year, police got a tip—off about a man in southwest china and a suspicious adoption in the late ‘80s. it led them to a man named mrgu. they used facial recognition technology and dna testing to confirm that mr gu was in fact mao yin — leading to monday's emotional reunion. and what the signs verified to many can be seen just by looking. the family resemblance is almost unmistakable. rich preston, bbc news.

now, with much of humanity in lockdown, the natural world has been stretching its legs a bit. or in this case, fins. a tour group off laguna beach in california enjoyed seeing a super—pod of dolphins this past weekend — there were at least a,000 of the creatures. experts say dolphins live like that to avoid predators like sharks. usually dolphins form pods of a few dozen — but occasionally you see one with hundreds or even thousands of the graceful mammals. brief reminder of the nez news, brazilfor brief reminder of the nez news, brazil for the first brief reminder of the nez news, brazilfor the first time brief reminder of the nez news, brazil for the first time has registered a daily death toll of more 1001 day. the overall death toll, 17,971. officially the total number of actions just over 271,000 stop it's not just over 271,000 stop it's not just by far the worst of country in south america, it's another third—highest in the world behind only the united states and russia. much more for you any time and all the

national and international news on the bbc website and you can reach me and most of the team on twitter. thank you so much for watching. hello there. tuesday was very sunny and very warm for some of us but not for all. in fact, it was the warmest day of the year so far — with 26 degrees recorded in stjames' park in london. but i suspect wednesday will be warmer still and a little more widespread across the country. however, it's going to be a chance of a few thunderstorms on thursday, then as we head into the weekend, fresherfor all of us. but for the time being, high—pressure, the dominant feature, and it's keeping these weather fronts out in the atlantic for the moment. that's allowing ahead of it a southerly feed of very warm air coming up from the very near continent. so despite a little bit of early morning mist and fog around, it will be a mild start,

as you can see, widespread double digits. now, any murkiness close to the coast will lift quite readily away, and there will be lots of sunshine coming through the day. just a little bit of fair weather cloud into the north, and maybe some showery outbreaks of rain into the northern isles. here, a little disappointing, but the warmth will be quite widespread — low 20s into central scotland, as high as 27 perhaps in the south—east — that's 81 fahrenheit. it's worth bearing in mind if you are going to be spending a little more time outside, where we've got the sunshine, we are looking at high uv levels throughout the day. now, as we move out of wednesday into thursday, that whether front will start to push and from the atlantic, and it's going to bring some outbreaks of light showery rain to scotland. so starting off pretty grey and wet to the west, that will drift its way steadily east, allowing for an improvement. at the same time, it stays pretty hot and humid in the south—east corner,

and that could trigger off a few sharp, thundery downpours. dodge the showers, keep the sunshine, again, we could see highs of 27 degrees. but the real change arrives on friday. you can see quite clearly, more of a significant area of low pressure, tightly squeezed isobars around that centre of the low — that means the strongest of the winds look likely through northern ireland and western scotland. gales not out of the question. some sharp showers or longer spells of rain as we go through the day. more cloud generally on friday, and as a result, not quite as warm — top temperatures of around 11—20 degrees. 68 fahrenheit. a fresher start to the weekend, but for england and wales, into next week, heat set to build yet again.

this is bbc news. the headlines: more than a thousand virus—related deaths have now been recorded in brazil, making it the worst hit country in south america. more than 270,000 infections have also been recorded, placing it behind only the united states and russia. the global pharmaceutical giant johnson &johnson is to stop selling talcum—based baby powder in north america. the company has denied allegations that the powder it uses contains cancer—causing asbestos, but has been taken to court thousands of times over the allegations global carbon emissions fell by more than a sixth at the height of the coronavirus lockdown, according to a new study. the reduction was partly due to fewer cars on the road, with daily emissions down by as much as 17%. but scientists warn the reduction may be temporary.

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