this is bbc news, i'm lewis vaughanjones with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. virus deaths surge in brazil — it now has the second highest toll in the world. britain's central bank says it's ready to act — after figures show the country's economy shrank by a fifth. in seattle, protesters declare a police free zone. the president threatens to call in the military. and an easy life for the army's horses — why they won't be on parade for queen elizabeth's official birthday on saturday.

hello and welcome to bbc news. brazil has overtaken the uk to become the country with the second highest number of coronavirus deaths — only the us has recorded more. the total number of deaths in brazil now stands at 41,828. the world health organization says the situation in brazil is concerning, with some intensive care units close to reaching capacity. katy watson sent this report from sao paolo. siren. another covid call—out in brazil's biggest city and the epicentre of the pandemic. the traffic‘s lighter these days because of quarantine but this is still a city of 22 million, and the roads are as bad as ever. the team's attending a woman in her 90s with covid—19. 70% of their callouts are now related to the virus. she'd been unconscious and struggling to breathe, so the family made the call. in these uncertain times, people just don't know

if this might be the final goodbye. the patients who make it to hospital are, in a sense, the lucky ones. the team says three times as many people are dying at home compared to life before the pandemic. translation: when the pandemic started, all we were doing was registering deaths at home. people went to sleep and never woke up. they didn't even have a chance. putting on protective gear and the continuous cleaning of their ambulance slows them down, but they're not taking any risks. a colleague many in the force looked up to passed away from covid—i9 in april. they know many won't survive this pandemic. in this poor neighbourhood in eastern sao paulo,

one of the worst—hit areas of the city, the virus is all too visible. antonio and kelly are two of the faces behind the numbers — dad and daughter. they lived together and last week, died together. admitted to hospital the same day, together in intensive care, then passed away within a day of each other. "we think he knew", says marcos, his grandson. "he told us he'd rather die than bury his daughter." while the family mourns antonio and kelly, cities like sao paulo and rio are starting to reopen. this despite the ever—rising death toll. brazil has hit yet another grim milestone. but these deaths are not serving as a wake—up call, far from it. jair bolsonaro continues to downplay this virus, and for a man who's never respected social distancing or isolation, ironically, he's becoming more and more

isolated every single day. francis also feels isolated. he's not hugged his son arturfor more than two months, such is his fear of passing the virus on. this has to make do, for now. here in the uk, the devastating economic impact of coronavirus lockdown is becoming clear — the economy just suffered its biggest ever monthly drop. the fall in gdp of more than 20%. take than 20%. a look at this graph you can take a look at this graph you can see from our website there. the fall is three times greater than the fall during the whole of 2008

to 2009 — the height of the financial crisis 12 years ago. the office for national statistics says it's affected almost all areas of economic activity — with housebuilding and car manufacturing particularly badly hit. the uk is now on course for a recession, which is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. but analysts say that april was likely to have been the worst month. 0ur economics editor faisal islam has this report. a massive hit to the economy is no surprise when streets are silent, shops are closed, factories idle and tens of billions of sales don't happen because they cannot. but such a slump on this scale in one month isn'tjust a record, it was unimaginable and way beyond any normal scale. marlow zoo is one example of a leisure attraction whose shutdown during this pandemic is seen in these numbers. april had easter this year, so we were expecting about 70,000 guests to come here to enjoy the zoo and in the end we got nobody at all. while we were expecting £i.8 million in terms of visitor income for the month, we didn't receive anything at all, so disastrous really, april, for us.

in april, the first full month of lockdown, the economy fell by just over 20%, losing a fifth of its total value. it means since the pandemic and lockdown began in march, the uk economy has lost a quarter of its value, that is the cliff on this chart, making the financial crisis in 2008 resemble a small blip. the question — where do things go from here? for a dynamic, creative economy, we depend so much on human contact and we have been badly hit by this, but we are also amazingly resilient and creative. we will bounce back. there was a report that came out a couple of days ago from the 0ecd, that group of industrialised nations, and it suggested that the drop in gdp for this year for the uk would actually be worse than for every other industrialised nation. so we are in a very difficult situation as a country. in 0xfordshire, an airfield with tens of millions worth

of vehicles waiting for the showrooms to sell again. and in turn meaning the car factories will be far from full tilt. so this is what those grim numbers look like in reality. up and down the country, storage areas, airfields, ports, full of unsold cars. in april, a 99.7% fall in car sales. the challenge now, as lockdown just starts to ease, is will it actually return to normal? will these cars actually sell, or is the economy fundamentally damaged? in germany, they funded thousands of euros for new purchases of green cars, and slashed vat as part of a massive second rescue package. here, more support on its way, signalled by the bank of england. we have to be ready and ready to take action, notjust the bank of england but more broadly on what we can do to offset those longer term damaging effects.

for the moment, the government is focusing on a gradual reopening, for example, of the housing market. we are just starting to recover. i believe it will take until the end of the year to come close, whether we will even get there, but i feel positive that there is enough people who want to move, and if there's enough people who want to move then people will sell and people will buy. and there is much lost ground to make up in gyms too with the added challenge of whether people will use them in a new normal. the fitness sector has proved before that it is particularly resilient in a recession, and i think we will benefit greatly from the tailwind provided by the pandemic, actually. we have never seen a weaker month, the economy far from fighting fit. the question isjust how long the process of rehabilitation will take. well, the economic uncertainty in the uk has led to calls for trade talks with the eu following brexit to be extended beyond the end of this year. but the british government has

ruled that out, saying it's ‘formally confirmed' to the eu that there will be no delay. but checks on goods coming here from the eu will be phased in next year, to give businesses time to adjust. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth reports. it's not been business like this for months. many firms disrupted because of the virus and at the end of this year, another big change could be brewing. our current trade terms with the eu end, and there'll be no extension — whether there's a new deal or not. we would not be extending. that's it. we are leaving the transition period on december 31st. that provides clarity and certainty to business and oui’ announcement today allows business to plan in an appropriate and flexible way. the uk left the eu onjanuary 31, allowing a year where not much changed to work out future relations. those talks haven't made huge progress, so on monday, the prime minister will meet eu figures to try to get things

moving, because 31 december is the deadline for a new trade deal to be agreed, and that won't be extended. although some still think it should be, and why? to take away the risk of a no—deal outcome and also to make sure that all of us remain focused on supporting business through the post—covid recovery and not making the challenges that the economy and our businesses face any worse than it already is. for some businesses, though, some relief today. this fashion firm imports from and exports to the eu and today the government said from january, it would relax new rules on some goods coming in. six months‘ grace for customs paperwork and payments, which was welcomed here. setting up a whole new border control system in seven and eight months wouldn't be realistic, and i think the uk consumer will benefit from that. the government insists it's not backtracking on previous plans, arguing that a phased approach to new customs checks is pragmatic in the current economic climate. but the eu is not reciprocating, saying it will be ready for controls

on imports come january. brexit may not have dominated here of late, but that doesn't mean the political pressure's eased. the government was re—elected with a significant majority, with a strong mandate to get on with brexit. if the government's going to fulfil the commitments on which it's elected, we need to have those customs processes and our borders fully operational as soon as we can. for businesses, certainty, as ever, is key, even more so given the turmoil of coronavirus. while a slower approach to new border checks might be welcomed by some, it's whether a trade deal can be done which remains crucial to many. next to seattle, where protesters have set up a ‘police—free' area of the city. they're calling it an autonomous zone, across four blocks of the city. president trump has threatened to end the demonstrations with military force. the governor there says the president should stay out of the state's business. there are still growing

calls for police reforms across the us, in the wake of george floyd's death. jane 0'brien has more. black lives matter! the capitol hill autonomous zone, or chaz, as seattle's rt neighbourhood has been rechristened, has the viable block party according to the city's mare. there is no cop co—op, and shrines to the george floyd is dead in minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer sparked global protests and reenergised the black lives matter movement. but seattle's police chief in a video to her department painted dark picture of general lawlessness. leaving the precinct was not my decision. we fought the days to protect it, i asked you to stand on that line day in and day out, to be pelted with projectiles, to be screamed out, threatened and in some cases hurt. then to have a

change of course nearly two weeks in, it seems like an insult to you and our community. president trump has told the seattle mad to "take back the city", tweeting "if you don't, i will. she said these threats were unwelcome in any actions would be illegal. in an interview with fox news he renewed his criticism.|j in an interview with fox news he renewed his criticism. i saw her breakdown, i saw her leave, i saw her have absolutely no control and i saw her make a lot of bad decisions, including not to do anything that is going to affect anybody. toughness sometimes is the most compassionate. protesters say they have no intention of leaving and are reportedly limiting access to the area. leaving and are reportedly limiting access to the areal would love to see the seattle police department be turned into a youth centre. what happens with no i's here and they cleared the road and goes back to normal. it defeats the purpose, and they can come back and get into the precinct where they closed down, we wanted to

stay close down forever. we are going to stand out here forever. supporters called the protesters patriots, pricks including the president say they are anarchists and terrorists. language that shows just how divided america remains over police reforms, and how to achieve it. this is bbc news. the headlines: brazil has overtaken the uk to become the country with the second highest number of coronavirus deaths. only the us has recorded a higher toll. the bank of england has said it's ready to take action to help the british economy, after output shrank by a record 20% in april. as various countries around the world gradually ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, fears over a potential resurgence in cases have intensified. that's after several countries which had started to allow greater freedom of movement started to see the number of infections rise, prompting authorities

to re—impose some restrictions. rich preston has this report. in china coronavirus was first officially reported last december, authorities have closed down six markets in the capital beijing after new cases we re capital beijing after new cases were reported for a second day running. the first reported cases in the capital for nearly two months. translation: cases in the capital for nearly two months. translationzl cases in the capital for nearly two months. translation: i am a little worried because this has happened somewhere very close to me. translation: i am slightly worried. but if we carry out proper prevention during this up rate than things should not be too bad. officials say restaurants that may have received food from the markets will be respected to make inspected implants to reopen schools have been put on hold. india has seen record daily increases in cases after relaxing lockdown measures this week in an effort to boost the economy. hospitals are struggling to cope. critical

ca re struggling to cope. critical care for the sickest patients is hard to come by. not coronavirus cases has doubled in recent weeks is still surging. south korea, which was widely praised for its relatively successful containment of coronavirus is indefinitely extending new preventative measures until the daily number of new cases drops to single digits. when students in the capital began to return to school last month, authorities quickly shut some back down after a sudden rise in infections. officials say they are extending strict sanitation guidelines. translation: these guidelines are aimed at protecting the cities from infection or minimising damage to schools and business. and in russia which has the third—highest infection rate in the world, there fears that lockdown restrictions have been lifted too early. restrictions what is this week ending six weeks of lockdown, president putin says people can go back to work on

tuesday. but with increased movement of people has come arise in number of daily infections. it is five months since the first reported death ofa man since the first reported death of a man from a mysterious new disease in central china. since then, coronavirus is spread across the world killing hundreds of thousands of people and changing the way society functions. as many hope for a return to normality as soon as possible, this news from china india and russia may pour cold water over that and prove a stark warning to government everywhere that easing lockdown restrictions cannot be a i—way street. from monday, face coverings will be mandatory on public transport in england. transport operators will be able to refuse permission to travel to those who are not wearing a face—covering, and it could lead to fines. the transport secretary grant shapps confirmed that new volunteers called ‘journey makers' will be deployed to remind people.

borisjohnson says it's "absurd and shameful" that a statue of winston churchill has had to be boarded up because of fears it may be vandalised. last weekend, protesters daubed it with graffiti saying that churchill was a racist. mrjohnson also warned people to stay away from protests planned for saturday because of coronavirus. chi chi izundu reports. take it down, take it down! it's been a week of anger. peaceful anti—racism protests marred by violence. 99 police officers reported injuries over all the protests so far. today's protest had fewer people but a heavier police presence and tonight, a change in tactics. london's metropolitan police say it's imposing conditions on a stricter route and a definite five o'clock finish for the black lives matter, right—wing and left—wing affiliated protest tomorrow. we will try to prevent any confrontation and any

violence and, indeed, damage to buildings, to memorials and to statues. last weekend, this is how the churchill statue outside parliament was left. this is how it stands now. over fears today's march would result in more damage. the prime minister calling it shameful the monument had to be secured. the statue of winston churchill, who is a national hero, has had to be boarded up for fear of violent attack. i think it shameful we have a lot of these statues in the first place. a lot of these statues shouldn't be put up in the first place. it no longer serves us to have statues of men that don't represent the society we live in today. even though it's part of the british history, i don't think it should be celebrated and memorialised by statues. tearing them down doesn't mean tearing all the pages out of the history books. a demonstration planned for tomorrow was cancelled

and brought forward to today because of concerns there could be trouble between people determined to defend the monuments and those who may have wanted to deface them. this is now a second week where people have taken to the streets for anti—racism marches and the protest organisers have said again and again that these marches should remain peaceful and they said again and again that this won't be the last one. but the debate around statues continues. police are now investigating after this bust to black playwright and poet alfred fagan was attacked with bleach earlier this week, while the thomas guy statue outside the hospital in london he founded has been boarded up because of his links to slavery. but not all the protests have ended like today's and its organisers are concerned that the discussion about whether statues should remain up or taken down is overshadowing their black lives matter message. chi chi izundu, bbc news.

french police officers have held protests over a new government ban on the ‘chokehold' method used by officers to restrain suspects. it was announced on monday after black lives matter demonstrators took to the streets alleging french police brutality. more protests planned for this weekend. reged ahmad reports. the police in france throwing their handcuffs onto the ground in protest. these officers are angry at comparisons made between the french police force and officers in the us in the wake of the killing of george floyd, when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. in paris, police drive convoys sounding their horns. they're also angry at a french government decision to ban the chokehold. the government says it is

a dangerous method of arrest. but police officer say it is not the same move implicated in the death of george floyd. translation: what drives us nuts, sorry for the term, is the police in france is the most monitored police in the world. so when some go overboard, which is very small minority, it shouldn't stigmatize all police officers. those words will be cold comfort to those who alledge brutality at the hands of french police officers. 24—year—old adama traore died in 2016 while being restrained by police. medical experts were not able to agree on whether the way he was held by officers killed him. but his sister, who has been involved in the recent black lives matter protest, says her brother's case has similarities to the us. translation: unfortunately, the death of george floyd has sent a chill around the world and echoed what happened to my brother. they died in exactly the same way. adama carried the body of three gendarmes on his body. black lives matter protests in france have resonated

with many as rights groups say allegations of racism at the hands of french police have remained unaddressed. police officers and unions are strongly denying the charge. and it is not clear where the needle will settle on this debate when it comes to police behaviour. but it does seem that the events of the last few weeks have opened up an old, some might say festering, wound in the country. queen elizabeth's official birthday celebrations this weekend will look different, because of the coronavirus outbreak. instead of the usual fly—past at buckingham palace, there's going to be a smaller ceremony at windsor castle. our royal correspondent sarah campbell reports on what this means for the military horses who usually play a key role. pulling the first world war guns into position. in normal times, state and ceremonial occasions are punctuated by the king's troop, but with all such

events cancelled since march, most of the regiment‘s horses have been enjoying a quieter life, locked down in leicestershire. the decision has been taken to get them back to the barracks. one of the first to return is ten—year—old equinox. he has just been chilling out. he needs to do some exercise. in common with many others, he needs a haircut. we take off the manes off for safety reasons because when they are in harness it can get entangled. back to work means getting the correct footwear. hundreds of hours of practice will have been put in to make sure no mistakes are made on parade, not least because the commander—in—chief, the queen, will be watching. for new recruits like emma it is disappointing to be missing out this year. she joined the unit just as lockdown began and has stayed on—site throughout.

it has been different because we are just having so many more horses here so i am looking forward when it goes back to normal to experience what it is really like with the shows and parades, so i am itching to do all of that. at the barracks they are chomping at the bit to get back on parade. with humans and horses getting ready to resume normal duties as soon as it is safe to do so. there's been a baby boom at a palestinian zoo, which staff are attributing to the recent lack of visitors. 15 animals were born in the west bank zoo during the two months it was shut down due to covid—19. that's three times more than usual. staff say the lack of excursions by school children provided a more comfortable environment for some animals to breed. the zoo says it missed out on around 200,000 visitors during lockdown, but have started to see guests return

people since the zoo was reopend late last month. you can find me online on twitter and hello. there are some big thunderstorms in the forecast for this weekend. but it is not going to be raining everywhere all the time, in fact, there will be some sunny spells. in any sunshine, it will feel quite warm and pretty humid. but some thundery downpours are likely, all driven by an area of low pressure. you can see this swirl of cloud on the satellite picture. our area of low pressure has been spinning around across the bay of biscay. it's been throwing lumps of cloud and rain in our direction, a process which continues on through saturday. we can follow the different lumps of wet weather. this area of rain moving across northeast england through the morning and then up into scotland. i think it's going to stay quite grey and murky for some of these northern and eastern coasts. northern ireland should brighten up a little bit with some sunshine, but some showers. and then down across england

and wales, we will see some sunny spells developing, but some very heavy downpours and thunderstorms breaking out here. a more persistent area of wet weather likely to push towards the southwest of england as we head through the afternoon. and then you can see these scattered downpours and thunderstorms across parts of the midlands, wales and up into northwest england particularly. but it will be warm temperatures there for liverpool, for example, 23 degrees. the odd shower for northern ireland and some outbreaks of rain continuing across some parts of scotland, although i think northwest scotland will see a decent amount of sunshine. northeast scotland holding onto some of that coastal cloud, mist and murk. so, as we go into saturday night, we continue to push our various lumps of wet weather northwards and westwards across the british isles. there will be some clear spells, equally, some fog patches, i think it's likely to stay very murky for some of those eastern coasts of scotland and england. but a very mild night. temperatures as we start sunday morning between 11—14 degrees. then for sunday, well, really, it is more of the same. a lot of the cloud for these eastern and northern parts. elsewhere, some spells of sunshine, yes, but a scattering of showers, they will be quite hit and miss, but where they do

prop up, they could well be heavy with some hail and thunder thrown in for good measure. and it's another warm day as well with temperatures widely 21—24 degrees. a little bit cooler though where we keep the cloud close to some of those north sea coasts. now, our area of low pressure will still be with us as we head into monday, but it does weaken. it becomes quite flabby. not many white lines on the chart, you'll notice. not many isobars, so not much of a wind, but any showers that do crop up will be heavy and slow moving. and it stays unsettled, showery and rather humid throughout next week.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

brazil has now recorded the second—highest number of deaths from covid—19 of any country. president jair bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the severity of the crisis. some densely populated cities have begun lifting restrictions, even though many brazilians fear the worst of the epidemic is yet to come. britain's central bank has said that it's ready to take action to help the country's economy to recover, after official figures showed that output shrank by a record 20% in april. the effect of the anti—virus lockdown is already far bigger than that of the 2008 global financial crisis. president trump has called protesters occupying part of the city of seattle "domestic terrorists" and threatened to deploy troops to clear them out. the city's mayor has said any such action by the president against demonstrators in the six—block encampment would be unconstitutional and illegal.