this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'mjames i'm james reynolds. our top stories: a day after disney world reopens, florida records the biggest number of new coronavirus cases in the united states. the incumbent president is edging towards victory in poland's crucial election but by the narrowest of margins. the new zealand gunman — who admitted murdering 51 people last year at two christchurch mosques — sacks his lawyers before sentencing next month. emergency crews tackle a massive fire on a navy warship docked in san diego. and the basketball may be nearly as big as him. we report on china's youngest player shooting for internet stardom.

a day after disney world reopened, the state of florida has registered a record 15,300 new coronavirus cases in a single day. that's around a quarter of all us daily infections. the us is the worst affected country in the world. on sunday just over 56,000 infections were reported. here's peter bowes. another surge in coronavirus cases and a new epicentre for the disease. florida is now seeing more new infections than most countries. across the us, more than 60,000 new cases are being reported every day and about a quarter of them are in the sunshine state where the hospital system is under growing strain and some intensive care

facilities are at full capacity. when the pandemic started, florida was slow to respond. the beaches and bars stayed open. they were eventually forced to close but reopened early, only to be shut down again. this is a state dogged by the disease and confusion over how to deal with it. even as the numbers rose over the weekend, disney world opened again to the public. mickey mouse at a distance and mandatory face masks for visitors. but the republican governor ron desantis has refused to issue a state—wide order for people to cover their faces. there are some anti—mask activists who believe it's not necessary at all. the risks are very, very low. this virus has a 99.6% recovery rate, this is a virus that is very well contained. with other states like arizona, texas and california all facing worrying increases in the number of new cases, the trump administration is focusing on reopening schools in the autumn, despite opposition.

i think everybody would like to get our kids back to school as quickly as we can. but we also want to do it and make sure our kids will be as safe as possible, so we're not going to be rushed into this. with a growing health crisis, a divided nation and a presidential election looming, the politics of dealing with covid—19 has never been more intense. in poland, president andrzej duda, appears to be edging towards a narrow victory in the second round of the polish presidential election. exit poll has predicted that he'll take 51% of the vote to beat his rival, the centre—right mayor of warsaw, rafal trzaskowski. from warsaw, adam easton reports. it was the closest presidential election since the fall of communism more than 30 years ago. according to the exit poll, president duda won by the slimmest of margins. chanting: andrzej duda! speaking to their supporters, both candidates claimed victory. mr duda said he was happy with what he called his exit poll win.

translation: i want to make it clear, i'm happy about this victory. for now, yeah, it's only an exit poll but looking at the past results, as you all saw, it's grown in my favour. cheering and applause. he ran an energetic but also divisive campaign. a socially conservative roman catholic, he presented himself as a defender of traditional polish families. he offended many when he said lgbtq campaigners were promoting an ideology that was more harmful than communism. his opponent, rafal trzaskowski, said he would defend minorities. he pledged to use the president's power of veto to block the government's changes to the judiciary which the eu has criticised for undermining the rule of law. mr trzaskowski said he was convinced that when all votes were counted, he would emerge victorious. translation: listen, we said it would be close and it is close but i'm absolutely certain that we will win. chanting: rafal!

so we're going to have to wait until the official count on monday or maybe even tuesday before we know who will be the next president of poland. adam easton, bbc news, warsaw. fire crews have fire been battling a massive fire on a navy warship docked in san diego. i7 sailors and four civilians have been sent to a local hospital for their injuries. alanna petroff has the story. the warship was docked in san diego for scheduled maintenance. now it could be beyond repair. specialfire boats were brought in with water cannons to control the blaze. 0n land, there is no clarity about how this could have happened. just a lot of shock, a lot of confusion. you don't know what happened, if there was an attack or if there was a mistake

on the ship, you don't know. san diego firefighters arrived at the scene sunday morning after getting a call around 8:30am. in a tweet, the fire department said there had been an explosion. about 160 sailors were on board the uss bonhomme richard. all are now accounted for. normally this ship carries a crew of 1,000. san diego's fire chief is warning the fire could go on for days and the ship could burn down to the waterline. alanna petroff, bbc news. two days after boris johnson siganlled a stricter approach to face coverings in england, one of his most senior ministers has said he believes they should not become compulsory in shops. michael gove, the cabinet 0ffice minister, said he trusted people's common sense and that it was simply good manners to wear a mask in a shop. labour has called for clarity. the british government

has also urged people to get back to work if they can — here's our business correspondent katy austin. face coverings are now a common sight in public places. some shoppers were wearing them in huddersfield today. i think it's safer, from all the advice that people have given, that it's becoming more airborne. especially in small shops, i think it should be worn, yeah. customers don't have to wear masks in stores. this shop owner is starting to think they should. i know people who have been affected by the coronavirus, personally myself, my family members and friends. but i would. if it helps to save lives, imean, anything. scotland is currently the only part of the uk where wearing face coverings in shops is mandatory. the uk government is considering the same rule for england. on friday, the prime minister talked of needing to be stricter about face masks in confined spaces. however, senior cabinet minister michael gove told the bbc today in his opinion,

a law wasn't needed. if necessary, then. . .and if tough measures are required, as we've seen in leicester, obviously a very different situation, then tough measures will be taken. but on the whole, my view is that it's always better to trust to people's common sense, to give them a clear sense of what is wise. i think the individuals and businesses are responding well to that lead. but labour's rachel reeves supports compulsory face coverings in shops and she called for clarity from the government. i think it would inspire greater confidence and might encourage more people to go out and spend money if they see more people wearing face masks in shops. boosting the damaged economy is now a big priority for the government. it's trying to encourage more people to get back to work to start spending again, but it faces a difficult balance. the virus hasn't gone away, and that's why we're hearing about new possible measures which could mitigate the risk of it spreading as activity ramps up and make people more confident. the trade body for independent shops isn't convinced mandatory face masks alone will boost

weak consumer confidence. there's no evidence that wearing masks suddenly will increase footfall on shops. i think that's the concern, really. without any evidence, there's a fear that it could become a barrier to shopping instead of an enhancement. businesses want to avoid any further lockdown in the run—up to christmas, so welcome measures designed to protect public health. but retailers question how tougher rules on face coverings in england would be enforced if the government does decide to introduce them. katy austin, bbc news. the approach to face coverings in the uk has shifted considerably since the early days of the pandemic — they are now compulsory on public transport in england, scotland and northern ireland. they're also mandatory in scottish shops but only recommended in wales where ever social distancing is difficult. here's our medical correspondent fergus walsh. at the height of the epidemic here in april, the official view was that face coverings were of little benefit, and might encourage a false

sense of security and make people less likely to wash their hands or socially distance, and could lead to a shortage of surgical masks for healthcare workers. but since then, the evidence has shifted, and although not definitive, more studies suggest that they can limit the spread of the virus and perhaps help prevent asymptomatic transmission where people infected unwittingly pass on the virus. there is also emerging evidence that the virus can remain airborne in tiny particles suspended in the air. the percentage of people who say they wear a face mask in public has risen substantially in the uk, and now stands at 36%. but that's well behind other ha rd—hit european countries like italy and spain where it is over 80%, and in france, 78%.

but it is above australia, where it is just 20%. wearing a face covering in public is largely an altruistic measure. michael gove called it "basic good manners." one of the biggest sceptics on face masks, president trump, has been photographed wearing one in public for the first time, and on friday, borisjohnson was pictured in his constituency wearing a face mask. they say a picture paints a thousand words. perhaps the image of world leaders wearing a face mask will encourage more of us to put on one of these when out in public. the gunman who pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder in last year's terrorist attacks on two mosques in christchurch, new zealand, has sacked his lawyers ahead of next month's sentencing. the hearing will last at least

three days and brenton tarrant will now represent himself. we remember the prime minister of new zealand saying she would never say the gunmen‘s name. does his sacking of his lawyers mean he will now get to speak on his sentencing? think in most sentencing cases, the defence lawyers will normally give the mitigation so in this case, this is what the government will get to do. he will now have the power to get to speak. —— the government will get to do. we don't know how long he will be able to talk for but he will get to talk. what is interesting about this is long before the sentencing date set, when it looked like it was going to go toa looked like it was going to go to a trial, the media in new zealand —— all got together and decided what they were and were not going to report him saying. they effectively said they were going to be careful about reporting any claims that he made, any comments on right —— white supremacy or hatred and in new zealand, degrade some concerns about media freedom and that kind of thing —— it

did raise some concerns. there is only so much we will get in the public. have families given any reaction? yes, i have been speaking to a couple of the victims' families this morning. they say yes, they are upset by it, it isjust they say yes, they are upset by it, it is just another thing thatis it, it is just another thing that is kind of unexpected in an already very difficult time in the lead up to the sentencing and some say they fear that it is just a game. this is a man boarding himself -- in his this is a man boarding himself —— in his cell and needs to find ways to keep himself releva nt find ways to keep himself relevant and in the news. there is this concern that he will use the platform to make right—wing comments and of course, although the court, the proceedings will be reported widely, the families will be there to hear it. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll bring you the story of the lost sons of darfur — how cousins who escaped genocide for a better life

are now separated by the english channel. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the eurozone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust, in the worst crisis to hit the eurozone, has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worse floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the "great white way" by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. it is a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris for a summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoined the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champs—elysees. wildlife officials in australia have been coping

with a penguin problem. fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on a huge shoal of their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much, they could barely stand. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: a day after disney world reopens in orlando, florida posts the biggest surge of coronavirus cases in the us since the beginning of the pandemic. too close to call in poland's crucial presidential election, in what's been described as the tightest result since the fall of communism in 1989. it is 17 years since the darfur conflict began in western sudan, one that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and charges of genocide against sudan's former president. the worst of the violence was more than a decade ago but the uk has granted asylum to some of those fleeing continuing instability there. fergal keane, who reported

from darfur in 2004, has been talking to two cousins who are from there and now find themselves on different sides of the channel. it is a story of numberless journeys, driven by the enduring legacy of genocide. journeys that bring some to refuge in britain while others languish in makeshift camps. it is the story of the lost sons of darfur. the search at twilight for migrants waiting to cross the channel near calais. we are facing situations of despair, total despair. and they are very determined to cross, because they are so... close to their goal. these are frequent hiding places, abandoned bunkers

from the second world war. these searches go on every night, and it feels pretty much like a game of cat and mouse that it's always been. the french government is devoting considerable resources to the searches. but the migrants keep coming, people fleeing war and economic hardship who are still convinced that across the channel, a better life awaits. but if, like 16—year—old mantassar, you've survived genocide, then almost any journey of escape can seem worth it. along with others from darfur, he's determined to get to britain. "life is hard after genocide," he told me. "the situation is very hard. i just want security, stability and education."

this was mantassar at home near the darfur town of nyala. where he was born in 2004 and where his father was murdered in the genocide. i was in the town the year he was born, and met some of the victims of state terror. right in front of our eyes, the police have been raiding houses here. we've seen them beating people and we've been told by a police commander that they want all the people to move from here to a new camp. the genocide left hundreds of thousands dead, more than a million displaced. a legacy of instability and economic crisis which has continued despite a new government. that set mantassar on hisjourney to europe. following so many others, he crossed the expanse of the sahara, a journey of over 1,000 kilometres over two years, during which he was detained in libya before eventually reaching europe.

"we experienced beatings, jails, humiliation," he says. "i worked to earn money to pay my way to europe, but they stole it." but he has hope that he can hide aboard a truck or beg a place on a boat, so close to the lights of england, where he has a vital connection. i never see my brother a long time. living in manchester, this is mantassar‘s first cousin. he's had refugee status for the last two years. he's worked 12—hour shifts in warehouses, and studies english by night. are you happy in britain? yeah, i'm happy. very happy. very, very, very happy. everything's great. why? in darfur, if you need to work it is dangerous. here it is great. here peace, people live nice, everything. the story of the cousins

is the story of so many of the sons of darfur, whose lives were overturned by genocide. for mantassar, stuck for now in calais, there's no going back. fergal keane, bbc news, calais. let's get some of the day's other news. a total ban on alcohol has been reimposed in south africa. medical experts have said more than 40% of all trauma cases in the country are alcohol—related. the president, cyril ramaphosa, says this has put severe pressure on the healthcare system at a time when coronavirus cases are surging. there have been more than 4,000 coronavirus deaths in south africa, with over 250,000 cases. iran says a mistake in the setting of an air defence radar system was what led to the accidental shooting down of a ukrainian airliner in january. a missile hit the boeing 737 operated by ukraine international airlines, killing all 176 people on board

shortly after it left tehran. the iranian civil aviation authority said an operator had made the error. three generations of one of the world's most famous acting families have tested positive for covid—19. the bollywood actress aishwarya rai, and her young daughter have both been infected. her husband the actor abhishek bachchan and her father—in—law, have been taken to hospital with the virus. it comes as cases continue to rise in india. ishleen kaur has more. 77—year—old global megastar amitabh bachchan has been a prominent figure in the fight against coronavirus in india, appearing in public service advertisements like this one. we can do it. on saturday, he told his 43 million followers on twitter that he had tested positive for covid—19. mr bachchan and his son abhishek are in hospital in mumbai, capital of maharashtra, the worst—affected state in the country.

hospital authorities say their condition is stable. results on sunday showed that amitabh's daughter—in—law, the bollywood actress aishwarya rai bachchan and her eight—year—old daughter aaradhya were infected with coronavirus as well. the pair are said to be asymptomatic and are self—isolating at home. the news has led to an outpouring of support for the family on social media and fans across the country have held hindu prayer rituals after the news. translation: it feels like not only amitabh bachchan has fallen sick but an entire era has become sick. we know that he is a fighter and he needs prayers and medical treatment. the doctors are taking care of amitabh bachchan and the entire world is praying for him. translation: we pray that amitabh bachchan gets well soon and returns home. this is our wish.

mr bachchan, also known as big b, is not simply an enormously successful actor. he is one of india's most revered figures. his contracting of the coronavirus might help take away some of the stigma that infected indians have endured. ishleen kaur, bbc news. as lockdowns around the world are eased, professional sport has made a comeback. football matches have taken place in europe and asia and formula 1 is back on the track. in america, basketball is due to return at the end of the month. and in china, a rather unusual player is leading the way. tim allman reports. li never lets his diminutive stature get in the way. two years old, he loves shooting hoops.

and he is pretty good at it too, whether it's from a stationary position 01’ even on the move. translation: of course we didn't expect this. we are quite touched, since 99% of the comments online showed encouragement for our little boy. we feel inspired and encouraged by the support of people and we will do our best to help him improve. li got interested in basketball after seeing his father play the game. it's hugely popular in china and videos of him and his mini dunks have set the internet ablaze. his parents say it's a bit too early to map out a career in professional basketball, but will support him, come what may. as for li, he says he likes playing and he likes shooting. look out, lebron and make way,

yao ming — li is on his way. tim allman, bbc news. nba, sign him up. let me show you these pictures from mongolia, where the annual sport traditional festival is taking place without a live audience. that's the first time in its 800 year—long history because of the coronavirus pandemic. athletes outside the capital showed off their skills in horsemanship, artery and wrestling all dressed in traditional suits and tunics. mongolia has reported only 227 confirmed cases and no doubts so confirmed cases and no doubts so far, but it continues to enforce a strict lockdown. —— no deaths so far. a reminder of oui’ no deaths so far. a reminder of our top story. in florida, more than 15,000 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded, thatis coronavirus have been recorded, that is a record for an individual american state. the governor, ron desa ntis, individual american state. the governor, ron desantis, has been criticised over his stance

on face masks. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @jamesbbcnews. do stay with us. hello there. despite the chilly start of sunday morning, temperatures got up to 25 celsius in the south—east. it was a warmer day for most with an abundance of sunshine. but for the next few days we are introducing more cloud and it will therefore feel cooler and there will be some rain. that's been moving in through sunday evening and overnight on these set of weather fronts, a fair breeze as well blowing particularly in the north. so those weather fronts introduce more clouds, so it won't be as chilly first thing this morning. a little bit of mistiness in the south, but here we hold onto sunshine, certainly through the morning, and then the cloud thickens in the afternoon. as that weather front slips south, we will see some clearance further north in terms of brighter, drier weather, but still with some heavy showers around particularly in the north—west

of scotland, lengthier sunny spells further south and east and still quite warm. some brightness for northern ireland but you can see that cloud filtering its way southwards although the rain holding off on the south—east most likely until late afternoon, early evening. and there could be a few heavy bursts across the welsh mountains before it slowly clears away through monday night and into the start of tuesday. behind, a north—westerly breeze. so plenty of showers and the next weather system waiting in the wings. and a coolish night in the north but again, for most of us it is reasonably mild. just an awful lot of cloud as we will see through the day ahead, sitting on the hills, giving a little bit of misty murky weather as well. as i say, that weather system is clearing away and we have high pressure starting to build into those weather fronts. so as they do come in during the course of tuesday, they will gradually weaken. still quite a peppering of showers in the north. the cloud and rain just dragging its heels in the south first thing and then this rain comes into northern ireland before the end of play. but for many, a dry—ish day,

just a few showers around, but it will feel a bit cooler because we have a north—westerly breeze. as i say then, that weather system comes into the ridge of high pressure, so it will be a weakening feature by the time we get to wednesday under the influence of high pressure, so not a lot of rain left on it. but a lot of cloud. and it will still have a lot of cloud with it on thursday before that high pressure really starts to take hold later in the week. so potentially quite a cloudy day for most on wednesday, still some drizzly rain around, drying up gradually towards the end of the week and becoming very warm, particularly in the south, as we go into the weekend. one to watch. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

florida has posted a rise of more than 15,000 virus cases — its biggest daily increase to day. it comes a day after disney world reopened. the state accounts for around a quarter of all us daily infections, even though florida has just 7% of the country's population. poland's incumbent president anjay duda holds a slim lead in the country's presidential election, according to an exit poll. mr duda, an ally of the ruling nationalist law and justice party, has 50.8% of the vote — just ahead of his opponent, the warsaw mayor rafau chaskovski. a fire has broken out on a us navy amphibious assault warship moored at san diego naval base, injuring at least 18 sailors. an explosion was reported on board the uss bonhomme richard after the fire started. the fire department said it may take days before the flames are fully extinguished.