this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs, in america, or around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: taiwan's president tsai ing—wen makes her inauguration address saying taiwan will not accept china's one country, two systems, policy. 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. johnson &johnson to stop selling its talcum powder in north america over allegations it contains cancer—causing asbestos.

taiwanese president tsai ing—wen has been inaugurated for a second term in office after sweeping to victory in january's vote. ms tsai secured over 75% of the ballot in an election dominated by the island's relationship with china. she opposes closer ties with china that claims sovereignty over the isalnd since the end of the chinese civil war in 1949. 0ur taipei correspondent cindy sui. what is the message coming from the president? president tsai ing—wen has just finished her speech and her main message is pretty much the same as last time in the inauguration

speech, four years ago, reaching out to beijing offering dialogue with china but she says it must be done on the basis of democracy and parity and she said she offered to maintain peace and stability gci’oss to maintain peace and stability across two sides of the taiwan strait but she says a responsibility to remain peace and stability is for both sides, notjust that of taiwan. at the same time, she said that taiwan will not accept the one country to systems formulae that china prescribes with unifying that island. despite its ruling since 1949. so tsai ing—wen was not giving in but she is offering to have peaceful relations and dialogue with beijing. taiwan 's government has won admiration worldwide with the way it is dealt with the coronavirus, how has it done at? taiwan acted very quickly and took really tough action really on and what it did was because it had gone

through this in 2003 with the sars outback, it knew what to do and it sent a team over to china to find out exactly what was going on in earlyjanuary and it did not feel the situation was optimistic so quickly shut down borders, restricted travel to and from taiwan and author implemented very aggressive proactive search for cases in the hospitals and testing temperatures for people arriving back to taiwan from elsewhere. it has done efficient contact tracing, strict quarantining and isolation. 0n the whole, it is done a really good job, no lockdown here and it has only had seven deaths and 400 cases, the lowest per capita in the world. thank you very. —— thank you very much.

brazil has for the first time registered a daily death toll of over 1000 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, it's 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 24 hours, but it also posted the highest number of confirmed infections — more than 17,000 confirmed cases in the last 24 hours. now, tuesdays often peak because of the last few days over the weekend in terms of collecting data, but, nevertheless, thisjust 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 of course 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 is 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. the two men are often on the same page certainly 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 the rest of the world. 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 forthe 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. but 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 or 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. for more on the drop in emissions and what needs to be done as cities move out of lockdown, i've been speaking to brent toderian, city planning consultant and former vancouver chief planner. 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 so many cities

are already thinking about how to make the changes, many of the changes that they've made in 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's many reason to want to make these improvements to our cities, but we have to keep those emissions that we've dropped, we have to make them, to a certain extent, permanent. you say we have to, but what's the dynamic here? because there's a 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's a pent—up demand, isn't there, people wanting to get back to work, get back in theircars, get back to flying. well, i think the way we get back to work and get back to our cities is being rethought as we speak. and certainly there's 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 our 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 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's not an either/or. if we spend our monies dumbly, we're going to have bad outcomes and put our foot on the gas towards an even worse future. do you think the little bit of cleanliness we have seen, the bit of greenness we have seen is persuasive enough in itself for individuals? because at the moment there's a fair element, isn't there? what happens when that goes?

i think you're an opportunity can be great educators but we need a conversation about the consequences of getting it wrong. not only returning to the old normal which was not working for us but making things worse because it is entirely possible that we could end up driving even more, emitting even more, once we recover. i think there's an opportunity, a necessity, a responsibility to make sure we are discussing very bluntly the consequences of getting it wrong because, if we doubled down on a car based fossil fuel based infrastructure, the consequences of climate change include even more and worse pandemics. there is a staggering consequence of getting this wrong if we are not smart about it. 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 will stop selling its talc—based baby powder in north america, along with a range of other items as it focuses on products it considers a higher priority during the coronavirus pandemic. the pharmaceutical giant also continued to defend the safety of its talc baby powder. once a household staple, sales have really fallen over the last few years as users alleged that it caused cancer. and last october, the company voluntarily recalled a batch of its baby powder after the us food and drug regulatorfound that it contained asbestos. now, the recall came 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 talc—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. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the mystery of the subterranean rooms discovered 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, but just 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. you this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: taiwan's president tsai ing—wen is inaugurated for a second term after an election dominated by relations with neighbours china. brazil's daily death toll passes 1,000. it's now the third worst hit country in the world. mass evacuations are underway 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 115mph. 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. member states of the world health organization have adopted an eu resolution, calling for an independent probe' into the global handling of coronavirus. it comes, after president trump and the chinese government

traded barbs, over each other‘s management of the pandemic. the head of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, said the most courageous approach to the crisis, was to play as a team. the head of the w.h.0 said, he welcomed an independent evaluation. here's his response. i thank member states for adopting the resolution which calls for an endeepened and comprehensive evaluation of the international response including, but not limited to, the who's response. as i said yesterday, i will initiate such an evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment. so how will china be impacted by this resolution? tulip mazumdar is the bbc‘s global health correspondent. china wasn't specifically mentioned in this resolution, but if you are looking at how this pandemic started,

what happened in those early days, and there has been criticism notjust from the world health organization, not just from the us, i should say, towards the world health organization, but australia and other countries as well saying they were too close to china, that china wasn't transparent at the beginning, and yet the the who did continue to praise it. i think there will be some investigation into that as well, and certainly the us will be lobbying behind the scenes very hard for that to be part of this investigation. but broadly speaking, all the countries that were speaking at the world health assembly over the last couple of days have talked about the importance of solidarity. it's been said again and again that one country alone cannot beat this. countries have to come together and work together to beat this, otherwise it's simply not going to go away. so that is something that will be reinforced, i think, as part of this investigation, that, you know, blaming, pointing fingers, it doesn't actually help the pandemic now. clearly what needs to happen is to look at how this pandemic was dealt with at the beginning to make sure that lessons can be learned so it doesn't happen again when a virus like this does hit again, which

it inevitably will. 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. 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 to the time of byzantium, some 1,400 years ago but injerusalem's old city, the more you dig, the more you discover. hidden away 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're about 30m from the temple mount and just below the street level in what's 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 clearing 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 storage jars that people stored their wheat or barley 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 two—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 south—west 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 science 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—thousand of the creatures. experts say dolphins live like that to avoid predators like sharks.

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. there will be some sharp showers or longer spells of rain as we go through the day. a little more cloud generally on friday, and as a result, so a fresher start to the weekend, but look at this. for england and wales, as we go into next week, the heat is set to build yet again.

this is bbc news, the headlines: taiwanese president tsai ing—wen has been making her inauguration address after an election dominated by relations with neighbours china. she opposes closer ties with beijing which claims sovereignty over the island, and says taiwan will not accept china's one country—two systems policy. she's also highlighted how taiwan has dealt with the pandemic crisis, in stark contrast to china. more than 1,000 virus—related daily 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 giantjohnson & johnson is to stop selling talcum—based baby powder in the us 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.