welcome to bbc news, i'm mike embley. our top stories: the biggest one—day increase in worldwide covid—19 cases, says the who. protests in peru, health workers tackling covid—19 demonstrate over a lack of personal protective equipment. cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, kills at least 15 people in bangladesh. a state of emergency in parts of michigan, where heavy rain has caused two dams to collapse. european countries puzzle over re—opening tourism, we meet the hoteliers hoping to salvage the season. the balance between welcoming visitors back here and the risk ofa visitors back here and the risk of a second wave is what italy and every other country is now

trying to strike. hello to you. there are now at least five million confirmed cases of coronavirus across the globe, according to the world health organization. of the 106,000 reported in the past 2a hours, more than two thirds are in just 4 countries, the united states, russia, saudi arabia and brazil. the number of cases officially reported in brazil alone is more than 270,000. it's thought there are probably, in fact, many more cases, and officials are warning the outbreak is nowhere near the peak. brazil's government has now authorised the use of anti—malaria drugs to fight covid—i9, even though they have no proven benefits against the virus. two days ago president trump claimed he was taking them too. more generally, you can see the number of infections worldwide is rising steadily, the who is warning the crisis is far from over.

this was the director—general speaking in geneva. in the last 2a hours there have been 106,000 cases reported to who, the most in a single day since the outbreak began. almost two—thirds of these cases were reported injust four countries. dr ashish jha is director of harvard university's global health institute. he gave us his reaction to the warning from the who. we are, you know, early days u nfortu nately we are, you know, early days unfortunately in this long pandemic and even if everything goes very well and we have a vaccine sometime next year, we are going to have many, many more months of many more cases, so more months of many more cases, so unfortunately we are still early and this very long journey. some countries have obviously done a very good job, south korea is hailed as a

model and rightly so. even countries like germany and others have done a very good job where the us has been quite a leg and moved very slowly on testing. it is puzzling to me because it is such an obvious thing to be doing from a public health point of view. we are thinking about the northern hemisphere as it goes into the fall and winter months. i think there is good reason to believe we will have a second peak. there is good reason to believe it could be substantially worse than the first peak we just saw experienced and of course that will coincide with the influenza season which already stresses hospitals in the healthcare stresses hospitals in the healthca re system stresses hospitals in the healthcare system so we stresses hospitals in the healthca re system so we really have to spend the summer months preparing for what will be probably a large number of new cases of covid—19 and if we prepare, i think we can get through it. if we don't, i think we are going to be in a lot of trouble. as we were saying the world health organization say latin america is currently the epicentre of the pandemic. rich preston has the latest from the continent. lockdowns remain in place across much of latin america

as it tackles the spread of coronavirus. in columbia, which has around 17,000 cases and over 6000 deaths, police used drones to look for those breaking quarantine rules in the capital, bogota. they are a bit more sophisticated than that. police are looking for people with a fever and if it spots someone with a high temperature, it sends the location to a control room so a medical team can be dispatched to find the person and test them for the virus. translation: it gives us an approximate body temperature and directs the case to a national system so it can be attended to. to the south, peru has the second highest death toll from covid—19 in latin america. in the capital lima, a protest by these hospital workers demanding more protective equipment, saying they haven't been given the tools they need to do theirjobs safely.

translation: there are already many infected workers, many dead. we don't have a security to survive this pandemic here while working with covid—19 patients. meanwhile the neighbouring bolivia, the country's health minister has been detained on suspicious activity of corruption, 170 ventilators ported to treat covid—19 patients at a cost of $27,000 each when the real price should have been less than half that. the spanish firm which makes the machines says they were sold via a third party. in chile, which has reported more than 500 deaths, there is concern about the environmental impact of the pandemic. it is one of latin america's biggest producers of rubbish but little is recycled. what is usually has to be taken to central drop—off points but with a population under lockdown, few people are doing that. translation: the drop in recycling has been shocking

and you can see it here in particular, at this collection centre, the quantity of material was impressive every time we came here. now it's dropped severely. it's caused a drop and work for some recycling staff pushed them to go directly to people's houses. translation: the clean points are closed so there is demand for people to come and pick up at individual homes. as countries across latin america continue to tackle the spread of coronavirus, the long—term impact remains unclear, with hospitals badly affected, food shortages reported in some areas and income from tourism all but wiped out, there are fears the virus will leave its mark on the continent long after it's been beaten. let's get some of the day's other news. two men wanted on suspicion of helping the former nissan boss escape from japan have been arrested in the united states. carlos ghosn fled while on bail awaiting trial after being charged with under—reporting his income and misusing company

funds. he has denied any wrongdoing. san francisco has opened its first official camp for homeless people, just steps away from city hall. officials are calling it a safe sleeping village. there are designated spots to ensure social distancing between tents. the city had already been using empty hotels to provide shelter. san francisco had a major homelessness problem, well before the coronavirus pandemic. rolls—royce is cutting 9,000 jobs, most of them in the uk. the engineering company makes most of its money from plane engines, and is warning it will take several years for the airline industry to recover. unions have accused the company of "throwing workers under the bus". but rolls—royce says the impact of the pandemic is unprecedented. a major cyclone has been moving across parts of bangladesh and eastern india making the challenges of staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic much more difficult. at least 15 people have died and more than three million people were forced to leave their homes mostly in bangladesh before cyclone amphan hit.

coronavirus restrictions have been hampering the relief efforts as our correspondent in mumbai yogita limaye reports. the might of the storm has left a trail of destruction. amphan has plundered its way through the indian state of west bengal, neighbouring bangladesh also in its path. hunkered inside, even those used to seeing cyclones every year are stunned by the fury. i have never seen something like this ever in my life. it went on continuously for three hours without any signs of slowing down. from inside my home, i could hear tin roofs flying around, i could hear trees getting uprooted. on the shores, sea water surged in, along with heavy rainfall, it has caused flooding in many areas. over the past two days, relief workers have moved millions to safety, but this

year the coronavirus crisis is an added fear. social distancing, difficult in cyclone shelters. for these people, it's hard to imagine what they will go home to once the storm passes. it will be the poor who will be affected. these are poor districts inhabited by poor people with thatched huts and tin roofs and asbestos roofs and it is equally devastating, they will lose property. and as it crosses over to bangladesh, more homes, more lives, in its deadly path. yogita limaye, bbc news, india. heavy rainfall in michigan has caused two dams to fail, flooding homes and businesses in midland county. 10,000 people have been evacuated, though no injuries or deaths have so far been reported so far. michigan's governor, gretchen whitmer, has declared

a state of emergency. mark bone, chairman of the midland county board of commissioners, gave me the latest situation just now. the latest situation is, it's good news. the water was supposed to go to 38 foot and ended at 35.05 feet. there's still a lot of damage and people have lost homes, but we're now in the rebuilding mode and trying to make things right instead of the mode where we're wondering what's going to happen. so at least we are on the downside of the slope. and it comes to something when the river cresting atjust over 35 feet is good news. the amount of rain you had, was that unusual? yes, very unusual. we've had maybe one other time and that happened and that happened to be in 2017. but it was very unusual, we had over seven inches of rain. and mark, what happened when the dams failed? what happened when the dams failed?

they, uh, well, they failed. so, we had one dam go, the edenville dam first. so when that went, water came down — there's a series of dams — and water came down and then it pushed on the next dam, the sa mford dam. and then when that let go, that was probably 45—50 minutes afterwards, after the first dam fail that that let go. and then that was when everything rushed into midland, which is our town. and it seems the houses were just gone, completely gone. are you confident you managed to get all the people out in time? we are very confident. we are going to start checking tomorrow, but we're confident there were no lives lost and no injuries. we think we had a very good plan in place — eap, emergency evacuation plan, and i think we did a good job on that. and just very quickly, mark. dow chemical of course,

headquarters in midland, a vast company, a multinational company with a controversial history. are there safety concerns? no, i have worked with dow chemical today and we've back and forth on everything dow has a handle on everything and luckily the water stayed lower than expected. but i think we are in pretty good shape barring all the losses, the businesses that have been lost. there's a lot of hardship but no lives lost, no injuries. mark bone, thank you so much for talking to us. ok, thank you very much. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: parts of kenya are supposed to be in lockdown against covid—19, but the message isn't getting through. this morning, an indian air force 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 yet 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 birth 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: the world health organization has reported the biggest rise in new coronavirus infections in a single day with growing numbers in poorer countries. cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, has killed at least 15 people in bangladesh and eastern india. the african continent has yet to see the numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths seen in other parts of the world. but of the world. that may be about to change. the latest figures showjust under three thousand deaths across the whole of africa and experts are already saying that some valuable lessons could be learned. our senior africa correspondent anne soy reports. in the heart of mogadishu, it's an all—out war against a new enemy. somalia has known no peace for nearly three decades. its health system is among the world's most fragile.

now, covid—19 is testing its resilience. like many african countries, the war—torn nation acted swiftly, but it's far from containing the outbreak. at this hospital, medics are doing all they can to save lives. translation: the last three months, i have not seen my family and my infant child. i've taken a personal decision not to go home so as to reduce the risk of infecting my family and to serve my people as long as i live. whole countries and cities have gone quiet. there are lockdowns, cu rfews and border closures across africa, and they seem to be paying off for now. in certain countries, we are seeing a 30% to 100% doubling of the rate on a daily basis. but with the lockdown, over time, it decreased to about 5%,

so for sure, the lockdown played a very important role in slowing the spread of the pandemic on the continent. that we can ascertain. but measures are not working as intended everywhere. we drove around one of nairobi's hot spots. it's the first time i've been to eastleigh since the government announced restrictions into and out of the estate, and i'm really shocked. you don't get a sense that this is being taken seriously here. in tanzania, testing stopped a month ago and the government has urged people not to let fear disrupt normal life. with the rest of the world consumed with their own responses, africa is now more exposed than ever. and the un is appealing for more support from donors. covid—19 has touched every aspect of life and all predictions point to it being with us for much longer. the winners will be the countries that manage to control its spread, minimise its impact

and move on with everyday life safely, but no—one has a template. anne soy, bbc news, nairobi. most european nations have been grappling with the mammoth task of reopening their tourism industry while trying to keep everyone safe. greece plans to start its tourist season on june 15 with international flights from july 1. the uk foreign office still advises against all but essential overseas travel, but all major european destinations are now gradually relaxing lockdowns. france currently allows only essential travel from abroad. it hasn't said when its foreign tourist ban will be lifted. many beaches are now open, but sunbathing is still banned. spain has started loosening restrictions on a region—by—region basis. in italy, beaches, restaurants and bars will gradually open from june, along with all airports. mark lowen reports from northern italy, where the resort of lake como

hopes to welcome tourists. perfection isn't shared, at least not for now. the jewel of lake como glitters in the stillness, but italy hopes to lure tourists back from two weeks' today, when it lifts restrictions to visitors from europe and drops its quarantine. the tranquillity is breathtaking, but the economy is starved. lake como was set for a record year — george clooney‘s villa here helping to pull tourists. but then the virus hit this region, lombardy, the hardest in italy. tourism councillor luca leone has watched as every visitor who had booked has cancelled until at least august. now, hotels are planning to extend the season to try and save it. that means he will keep his one open right through untiljanuary, hoping the rooms fill up as confidence returns. to the british tourists,

the first they arrive on lake como at the end of the 18th century, so we are now ready to welcome them again, like we've always done in the past, and for us, it's not a question of working with them, but it's to share our feeling with them, our soul, our heart with them, because they started the tourism for us and we want them to be back as soon as possible. local businesses need them badly. italy is expecting a recession this year of almost 10%. having imposed a national lockdown before any other country, italy is now unlocking fast, bringing forward the lifting of some measures, desperate to salvage its tourism season and the economy. but the balance between welcoming visitors back here and the risk of a second wave is what italy and every other country is now trying to strike. at the local market restarting today, there is little to keep them busy. traders want the custom back, but not the possible

side—effect. translation: i don't think the tourists will come back quickly. they and we are scared that the infections rise again. translation: the italian government is making a mistake. we here in the north were worst affected by the virus. the south wasn't, so why not open there first, where they're not afraid? it was shelley who wrote, "lake como exceeds anything i ever beheld in beauty." this place is poetry, but it wants an audience. mark lowen, bbc news, lake como. the state of the uk government's plans for a trace and testing system to control outbreaks of the virus has been debated in the commons between the prime minister boris johnson and the labour leader sir keir starmer. the prime minister said he was confident it would be operationalfrom june1 despite the doubts expressed by some experts, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. every day, thousands of new coronavirus infections are still being reported in the uk.

tracking the virus down and isolating the infected is widely believed to be the best way to control the pandemic. but today in parliament, the labour leader questioned why there had been such a delay in setting up a track and trace system. in the united kingdom, despite two million tests having been carried out, there has been no effective tracing in place since march 12, when tracing was abandoned. that's nearly ten weeks in a critical period without effective tracing. that's a huge hole in our defences. we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world beating and, yes, it will be in place, it will be in place byjune 1. there will be 25,000 trackers, they will be able to cope with 10,000 new cases a day. those trackers will help to trace the contacts of people who have the virus.

they will use phone calls, texts and e—mail to alert anyone who has recently met up with an infected person and give them advice. we spoke to one of the new recruits, a graduate, he asked to remain anonymous. he started work three days ago at his home computer, but described a chaotic system with barely any training. i had one day in the classroom, that 90—odd people in a group with one teacher. whenever we ask questions, he would try, but the main answer was wait for the coming days, you'll get an e—mail or something. right now, i am just sat scrolling through netflix. a lot of people are chilling on games. people say we cannot complain, we're getting paid, which is very true, but at the same time, it is like why would they set us up doing this, if we arejust sat around waiting? it is not very productive at all. but even if the government does get the 25,000 new tracker recruits up and running in 11 days, there are still questions

about whether this app, intended to trace the contacts of those infected will be ready any time soon. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. almost all professional sport was suspended due to the global lockdown. everything had to stop to make sure the virus didn't spread. sport is slowly returning in some countries, most notably australia and germany. but for some, the wait goes on, as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. in mexico, wrestling isn'tjust a sport. it is a way of life. free fighting as part of the culture here. colourful, violent, thrilling. many couldn't imagine life without it. but the arenas are empty 110w. it. but the arenas are empty now. the fans ordered to stay at home. these two practice in the ring alone. two brothers

who feel like caged lions. translation: i will be honest. i had translation: i will be honest. ihada translation: i will be honest. i had a kind of panic attack. i told my mother i can't take it anymore. ifelt told my mother i can't take it anymore. i felt dazed, told my mother i can't take it anymore. ifelt dazed, like i didn't fit anymore. ifelt dazed, like i didn'tfit in anymore. ifelt dazed, like i didn't fit in anywhere. i imagine we have all lived through it because we have been here in mexico for about three days. they come from a family of wrestlers, their stories told on the walls of this gym. both of them hoping that in time, they will be able to create some stories of their own. translation: once this is over, i hope everything returns to normal because i miss being in the ring. you don't know how much i miss hitting wrestlers and being hit. i like being hit. for now, the town in mexico continues. no word yet as to when wrestling can resume. the thrill of the fight, the roar of the crowd is still a distinct dream.

an italian woman has won a picasso still life painted nearly a century ago in a worldwide lottery. her ticket was pulled out in a live draw at christies auction house in paris. the event had twice been postponed, once to sell more tickets at more than $100 apiece, and then due to coronavirus restrictions. the charity care hoped to raise more than $19 million for rehabilitation and water projects in cameroon, madagascar and morocco. a barbot is serving contactless beers in southern spain. a robot aptly named beer cart is programmed to be a barman, pouring beers to customers in seville. beer cart made its debut as the city began easing out of lockdown. the robot selects a plastic cup and pours, minimising human contact. despite social distancing, some customers say they still prefer the human touch. there is much more on all the

news, national and international any time on the bbc website. thank you very much for watching. hello there. although we've seen a little sea mist around and some fog for shetland, for the vast majority, wednesday was a sunny day, and it was the warmest day of the year so far in scotland, england, and in wales. the high temperature was in england, 28 degrees celsius. but for all, it will feel a little fresher today, notably in the north and west. and that's because of a weather front that's been meandering its way eastwards. and then, behind that, for friday, an unseasonally deep area of low pressure, which means rain, but also very windy weather. with the trees in full leaf, that's a concern. so, look let's look at the progress of this weather front, which will give some rain, as you can see, as it crosses northern ireland and scotland. not as much for england and wales, and it mayjust be

a few sharp, but potentially torrential downpours across southern and eastern parts through the morning before it clears — clears to brighter skies in all but the far north, where we've got some fog, actually, through shetland, some coastal mist elsewhere. and it could stay dank and grey here for most of the day. and looking at temperatures, they are several degrees down from yesterday — still 26 possibly in london with that residual warmth. and then, as we go through the evening and overnight, that low pressure starts to escalate, it makes its presence felt. so some rain for many, perhaps a few sharp showers again to start the day in eastern areas, and a very warm night. but clearly, the concern is the amount of rain. and for the north—west of scotland, we could have 100mm of rain in the coming few days as that low pressure stays close by. so for all, a much windier period of weather on friday as that rain clears, lots of showers rushing through. but those winds do escalate through the day — well, morning, really — into the early afternoon, up to gale—force in the north and the west. you can see those gusts of wind, but even 30s and 40s

further south, which is very unusual in may. so, clearly a concern for that. we'll be keeping you updated on that. and as a result, even though temperatures in the high teens or low 20s, it will feel cooler because of that strong wind and that rain, which willjust continue for, as i say, the north—west highlands. but gradually through the weekend, the showers will reduce in number. the winds ease in the south as a ridge of high pressure tries to return at least to southern parts of england and wales. but a very different—feeling weekend for most of us, and still with that low pressure to the north into the beginning of the new week, as well, we still have the potential — at least for the weekend — for some unsettled weather.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the world health organization has reported the biggest global rise in new coronavirus infections in a single day —106,000. there are at least 5 million confirmed cases worldwide. the un agency is particularly concerned about the rising number of cases in lower and middle—income countries. at least 15 people have died as cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms in decades, rips across parts of bangladesh and eastern india. high winds and heavy rain are lashing coastal areas and there's been widespread damage. nearly 3 million people have been evacuated. floodwaters have forced the evacuation of around 10,000 in the us state of michigan, where record rainfall breached two dams on tuesday. but officials have told us river levels in the city of midland have not reached the highs they feared. one of the dams was rated unsatisfactory by the state