welcome to bbc news. our top stories: the covid—19 global death toll passes 500,000 — in the us, the governor of texas warns infections have taken a "swift and very dangerous turn". exit polls show polish president andrzej duda finishes first in the election — but doesn't have the votes for an outright victory. beijing asserts its authority over hong kong as it's expected to pass a new security law. the pride parade goes ahead in taiwan — most other countries have cancelled their events because of coronavirus.

hello and welcome to bbc news. more than half a million people worldwide have now lost their lives as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. by far the worst affected country is the united states, with more than 125,000 deaths. the governor of texas, greg abbott, said matters have taken a very swift and very dangerous turn. his remarks coincide with a rise in infections in several southern and western states, mostly those that had eased restrictions early. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports. applause. the us vice president attending a church service in dallas. texas is one of several southern and western states where record numbers of people are testing positive for covid—19. it's a huge setback for a region that once thought it had seen the worst of the outbreak. if we will but hold fast to him, we'll see our way through these challenging times, we will restore our nation's health, we will renew our freedom. but this is a daunting struggle for the lone star state

with governor greg abbott issuing a stark warning about the resurgence of coronavirus cases. covid—19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in texas overjust the past few weeks. 0ver just the past few weeks, the daily number of cases have gone from an average of about 2000 to more than 5000 per day. at the same time, hospitalisations have increased from about 2000 per day to more than 5000 per day. it's a similar picture in florida where officials blame a rush to socialise again after weeks in lockdown. the average age of people infected has dropped sharply to 33 from 65 two months ago. governor ron desantis says there's been an explosion in new cases. you can't control those... i mean, they're younger people, they're going to do what they're going to do, and i think the pubs was mostly just a matter of administration, there was no way to ensure compliance because it was so widespread non—compliant that the secretary took the action he did, and i said do

what you gotta do to ensure compliance, but at the end of the day, my view is, i'd rather have those places open complying because i think that's probably less risky than what a lot of the young people end up doing. pubs in the state have now been ordered to stop serving alcohol. as in california, where bars have been closed in seven counties including los angeles. americans are once again been urged to wearface coverings in public although president trump has resisted calls to make it mandatory. nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house, says masks should be compulsory across the country. mr trump should set an example.

with july the fourth approaching, usually a time for a parting on the beach or at barbecues, the all—american holiday next weekend will be like no other. this is a country that's both weary and deeply worried about the days ahead. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. the us is still the worst affected country in the world — it has a quarter of all global infections. but the world health 0rganisation is warning that, in many other countries, the virus still hasn't peaked. simonjones reports. another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic that has changed all our lives. more than 500,000 deaths and ten million confirmed cases worldwide. applause. in brazil, tears and applause to remember those who have lost their lives in brasilia. the world health organization says the pandemic is still at an intense stage of growth in the americas. in haiti, the poorest nation in the region, international aid agencies are trying to help the sick but many are often only coming to them when they are seriously ill. translation: people here deny the existence of the pandemic.

they don't believe it. those who do believe have someone close to them who is infected. face masks are not worn regularly. we need to have more social distancing too. coronavirus is also taking a serious toll in south asia. india alone has recorded more than half a million cases. despite this, hair salons in this western state of maharashtra are reopening as they try to bring back a degree of normality. siren wails. but testing capacity still differs significantly between countries, so in other states like bangladesh, many cases may be going undetected. iran, the country worst hit by coronavirus in the middle east is making the wearing of masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces and large gatherings. in many parts of europe, restrictions are easing, but in the uk, the country with the greatest number of deaths in western europe, the government says it could impose its first local lockdown following a surge of new cases in the city of leicester.

we're on a knife edge. it's very precarious, the situation in england particularly at the moment. and i would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks. the next few months are absolutely critical. the numbers are lower but the virus hasn't changed. and come the winter, come the opening of schools, which is absolutely critical, we can expect to see rebounds and second waves. in italy, a concert at bergamo cemetery to commemorate the victims of the virus, but there is currently no vaccine and no cure. the warning is this still has a long way to run. simon jones, bbc news. as we've just heard in that report, haiti is particularly threatened by the coronavirus — and the situation there could deteriorate quickly. so far, haiti has confirmed just 5,722 cases nationwide. the number of cases in latin america and the caribbean has more than tripled from 690,000 one month ago

to around 2.5 million. sandra lamarque is the head of mission for doctors without borders in haiti. she told me haitians need to be about the pandemic. the situation in haiti remains worrying because there is a lot of denial and fear related to coronavirus. so even though the increase in the number of cases is not as spectacular as what we could have feared, the local transmission is still very active and what we observe is that many people are not coming forward to get tested or are afraid of going to the hospital due to rumours. why is that? what kind of rumours of a hearing and how do you correct those rumours? the main rumour is related to people are afraid that if they get injections,

they fear that new vaccines coronavirus may be tested on them and that these injections may be deadly or extremely dangerous. when we engage with people in the community, one phrase, one sentence we hear the most is, "i would rather die at home than go to the hospital". so our teams in the field and the communities are really, really struggling and what they do is try to engage dialogue with people, they go door—to—door to really try and have this dialogue and get them to have confidence to change their mind. actually, i was speaking to a patient yesterday. he is a driver in port—au—prince. he was saying he waited for several weeks with fever at home before going to a hospital because of this rumour and he was finally convinced by a friend to go to hospital and even when he was inside our hospital, he was still getting

phone calls from friends and family members telling him please do not accept injection. we have family members of patients who are asking us not to inject anything to patients which is obviously making our work difficult. but we try to cope and do our best. has the experience of a previous major disaster, the 2010 earthquake in haiti, made a difference to the way this country is responding to the pandemic? yes, we see that, i mean, the minister has been quick to get organised. we see that the number of beds and facilities for case management of covid—i9 patients has really increased over the past week, so that is quite positive and encouraging. now we need to make sure that people go to these facilities and there is quite a lot of work to do in terms of communication and this is a key challenge.

in many developing countries, we see that the measures that are needed, physical distance, clean water, proper healthcare, they are the kind of measures are very hard in developing world countries. is haiti getting help from other countries with this? yes, i think the donors have injected more money and resources to try and scale up the response. we believe that more needs to be done still in terms of helping haiti get the material that they need we are still struggling. if i speak for doctors without borders, we are still struggling to get essential equipment in so beyond funding, one thing that will really help the country is making sure that restrictions for importing and exporting essential equipment and essential drugs should be lifted by countries are still imposing them. exit polls from the first round of poland's presidential election suggest that the incumbent, andrzej duda, has finished first, but without the votes needed for an outright win. mr duda, a socially

conservative right—winger, is projected to have won just under 42% of the ballots. that's 12 percentage points above his closest rival rafal trzaskowski. president duda is an ally of the ruling law and justice party and if he loses in the second round, the opposition could force a big change in polish politics. the bbc‘s adam easton reports from warsaw. all chant: andrzej duda! president duda celebrated his first round victory with his wife in a small provincial town. in places like this, mr duda's socially conservative views and support for the government's generous welfare benefit scheme are very much appreciated. those payments have helped lift many poles out of poverty and restored a sense of dignity to people who felt neglected by previous administrations. but their support was not enough to secure an outright victory and mr duda will now face a second round

in two weeks‘ time. translation: thank you very much, thank you. the result is far better than the one from five years ago and with ten other candidates this time, thank you very much for your support. first and foremost, i'd like to thank my compatriots for the turnout, for this massive participation in the election, i thank you with all my heart. all chant. turn out of almost 63% was the highest in 25 years. long queues formed outside many voting stations as people observed social distancing. the coronavirus pandemic itself was not a big campaign issue but it stopped the election taking place last month as it was originally scheduled to. that allowed the main opposition party to put forward a new candidate, rafal trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of warsaw who supports greater engagement with the eu. he ran a dynamic campaign and quickly became president duda's

main challenger. translation: this result shows that 58% of people want a change and today, i want to tell you all, i will be your candidate. i will be the candidate of change. cheering and applause. this election is important because the president can veto a legislation. if he wins a second round, mr trzaskowski has blocked the government's plans to take even greater control of the media and thejudiciary. the eu says the sweeping changes the government has already made has undermined the rule of law and democracy. the stakes are high and the final result at this stage is too close to call. adam easton, bbc news, warsaw. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the drama of a rescue operation — conservationists fight

against time to save a young whale trapped in fishing nets. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse

at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 3h years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: more than half a million people have lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic — the united states being the hardest hit. the governor of texas warns infections have taken a "swift and very dangerous turn". well, as we've been hearing, the governor of texas, greg abbott, said matters had taken a very swift and very dangerous turn. his remarks coincide with a rise in infections in several southern and western states. well lets cross live to houston, texas now and speak

i think ithinka i think a lot of texans are concerned about this. there are a lot of people out there in the world who are trying to get out there and have a normal vacation, back to their favourite bars and restaurants, so favourite bars and restaurants, so this is being very alarming. been filling up, icu units to maximum. restrictions were relaxed and i think i think a lot of people are pulling back from the plans they had been making. is there a difference between what is going on in the big cities that in smaller towns in texas? there is, however the counties in rural areas have also been having a lot of cases. there is a lot of

things in cases in rural counties, in prisons, and of course the vacationing texans and people from other states. we have a large national park thatis we have a large national park that is lovely in the south—west part of texas called big bear national park, one of the most beautiful places we have. normally very quiet especially at this time of year and a lot of people are going there even though a lot of facilities are closed. that cou nty facilities are closed. that county is a small county with no hospital and a couple of weeks ago, they had only one case and now with all the vacationers, they have 85. the governor greg abbott, republican, we've seen him hold talks with mike pence, republican. do they share an approach? well i think that governor abbott certainly wa nted governor abbott certainly wanted to open up. he wanted to get the economy back on track

but he certainly has pulled back. he hasn't shut wings down again and hasn't gone back to imposing full restrictions but he did pull back from reopening the schedule he'd originally set. we are still at a point where the restaurants are open, 50% had shut down. he has been back and forth on whether cities can impose masks, restrictions. it looks like thatis restrictions. it looks like that is going to go through one of the biggest cities and counties. he is not exactly in lockstep, but is definitely stormwater republican. talking about all the tricks, what might the pandemic mean the role of texas in the presidential election in november. well, last several presidential elections there has been big surges in the city is particularfor has been big surges in the city is particular for democrats and that has produced a situation

where every city in texas, every large city is held by a democratic mayor so now we are ata democratic mayor so now we are at a point where this election, at a point where this election, a lot of people are very angry, we have a very competitive senate race for the first time ina long senate race for the first time in a long time, we have to interesting democratic candidates. one is a woman, a jet fighter pilot and one is a long—time respected state senator from dallas who long—time respected state senatorfrom dallas who is african—american so they may vote in large numbers in the presidential elections perhaps much more for democrats than in the past but the policy —— there is the possibility we may have a democratic senator which may be a very odd thing in texas. it's been very many yea rs texas. it's been very many years since that happened. as the anniversary of the handover of hong kong from the uk to china approaches, beijing is asserting its authority, and is expected to pass a new security law. activists in hong kong say it will destroy their long held freedoms. but china says it's necessary for security after a year of protest.

danny vincent has been assessing the mood. in today's hong kong, police pre—empt protest. an incoming national security law could make demonstrations like this a thing of the past. hong kong has never had a national security law. but under a new proposal only a few people in beijing have seen, undermining the authority of the central government will be a criminal offence. this city has seen a year of protest, sparked by a now withdrawn extradition bill. cathy yao was a police officer holding the line. she became disillusioned and quit. translation: the police had a special unit role that can't be replaced by armed forces. it is one of the reasons

ijoined the police force. but the divisions, between police and the citizens how can they be reconciled? these are the questions i asked myself about continuing. regina ip says the actions of the protesters forced beijing to propose the national security law. the benefits of a new national security law will restore law and order in hong kong. we have had a year of chaos and mayhem, violence and many in hong kong look forward to renewed stability and tranquility. many fear that the way of life in hong kong is about to change forever. coco chan runs a pro—democracy dessert shop with her husband. she also holds a british national overseas passport. the british government said it would clear a path for holders to resettle in the uk if china enacts the law. translation: we do not want to leave hong kong.

we have our roots in hong kong. we love hong kong so much. that is why we are protesters. we fight together with the younger generation in order to liberate hong kong. but we have a contingency plan and an opportunity to leave. hong kong was promised certain freedoms not enjoyed in the rest of china for half a century after the handover. but this global city is bracing for change. taiwan is one of the few countries in the world to host a gay pride parade this year. it's had just seven deaths from coronavirus and fewer than 500 confirmed cases. more than 200 people turned out in taipei.

the weather was not exactly welcoming, but the atmosphere was. excuse the mess, it's the rain. excuse the mass, it's the rain. this is one of the few gay pride parades taking place anywhere around the world. organisers say nearly 500 other events globally have been counselled because of the coronavirus. translation: the whole world is still dealing with the peak of the pandemic. only taiwan can come out and hold this activity to mark the 50th anniversary of pride month. and for many, it is an important milestone. # oh, i wanna dance with somebody.# and for many, it is an important milestone. it's been 50 years since the first pride marches in the united states which were held a year after the new york stonewall riots. many see that moment is the start of the lgbtq rights movement. wearing rainbow—coloured face masks, the theme seemed to be marching for the world. taiwan has successfully kept its covid—i9 infection rates and deaths very low

compared to other countries. so some came here to take part because they could not back home. translation: taiwan control the pandemic well, so we held this gay pride activity for the whole world in taiwan. translation: i am here to march for france. this is why i have french colours on my face, my body my outfit. last year, taiwan became the first place in asia to legalise same—sex marriage and this year the country seems to be waving the flag for the lgbtq pride season when many can't. reged ahmad, bbc news. the italian coastguard has released footage of a rescue operation involving a young sperm whale that got trapped in fishing nets. in the brilliant blue waters of the mediterranean, another example of the potential damage man can do to nature. the local conservation group alerts the

coastguard, "help is needed, and the clock is ticking." this is what they find. one of the ocean ‘s largest animals, trap and desperate. a sperm whale has become tangled up in nets thought to be used by vessels involved in the illegalfishing of swordfish and tuna. this is only a young whale, who can grow to around 12 metres in length and weigh more than 50,000 kilos. more than two hours, divers struggled to free the creature as it became more and more exhausted. finally, they were able to release it and monitor the whale as it headed out to sea. eventually, the conservation team lost contact but they say they will try to get a sight of it once more to make sure the animal has recovered from its ordeal.

tim allman, bbc news. it certainly feels like summer has come to an abrupt end, hasn't it? notjust the outbreaks of rain and fresh air but also the blustery winds and more of the same to come on monday and then through the course of the week perhaps more thundery showers on the way. this is what it looks like on the satellite picture. a big low pressure sitting top of us, there for a little while and it will stick around through most of monday and the weather front spiralling into the centre of that low pressure, a lot of isobars there, a big pressure gradient that means the wind races into the centre of that low hence it is gusty out there. and this is what looks through the early hours of monday. the heaviest of the rain has been around the north—west of england, cumbria, lancashire and parts of the pennines they got

a real dose of rain, a flood warning in place around keswick. over monday we will see further heavy spells of rain in the north but in the afternoon it looks as if that will give way to sunshine and showers and another blustery day as gusts of wind in some places will reach a0 miles an hour, near gale force for the time of the year. temperature is below the average. around 15 degrees there for glasgow and possibly reaching 19 in london. on tuesday, the jet stream pushes another system in our direction, an area of low pressure not quite as developed as the one we have across right now but it will bring cloud and outbreaks of rain in the morning in the south and to the north i think this is where the focus will be as far as weather goes, heavy showers, some of them thundery across parts of scotland and maybe the north of england. temperatures again for many of us around the mid—high teens. that was tuesday and this is wednesday. outbreaks of rain in the morning and the south clearing away giving way to sunshine and then showers will start to develop quite widely across the uk will be as far as weather goes, heavy showers, some of them thundery across parts of scotland and maybe the north of england. temperatures again for many of

us around the mid—high teens. that was tuesday and this is wednesday. outbreaks of rain in the morning and the south clearing away giving way to sunshine and then showers will start to develop quite widely across the uk during the course of wednesday afternoon. temperatures around 17—20 celsius with the wind a little lighter from tuesday onwards. this is the summary for the week ahead. a mixed bag across the uk. sometimes brightness and showers and the temperatures may gently creep up towards the end of the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines: more than half a million people worldwide have now lost their lives as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. by far the worst affected country is the united states, with more than 125,000 deaths — the governor of texas warns infections have taken a "swift and very dangerous turn" exit polls in poland's presidential election show incumbent andrzej duda is in the lead but doesn't have the votes to win outright. mr duda, a socially conservative right—winger, is projected to have won just under 42% of the ballots. a second round will be held in two weeks' time. police in hong kong have arrested 53 people who were taking part in a protest against national security legislation that will soon be imposed on the territory. beijing is preparing to pass new laws following a year of protests. activists fear the laws will destroy long held freedoms. now on bbc news, it's

the week in parliament.