this is bbc news. i'm kasia madera with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the violence escalates in myanmar — 38 people have been killed on wednesday, the united nations calls it "shocking". president biden warns against ditching coronavirus guidelines — including mask—wearing — as some states lift their restrictions... the last thing we need is neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, "everything's fine, take "off your mask, forget it." it still matters. counting the cost of the pandemic, a series of measures that will take the uk's tax burden to its highest level since the 1960s. and, buckingham palace says it'll investigate claims that the duchess of sussex bullied some members of her staff.

hello and welcome. we start with a shocking escalation in violence in myanmar, where the united nations says 38 people have been killed on wednesday alone, marking the worst day of bloodshed since the military coup. security forces opened fire on large crowds in a number of cities and at least two of the victims are believed to be teenagers. mass demonstrations have been taking place across myanmar since the military seized control on one february. the 1st of february. a warning that this report from our south east asia correspondent, jonathan head, contains some disturbing scenes. the conflict in myanmar is now a battle for control of individual neighbourhoods. residents and protesters barricading themselves in.

police and soldiers sweeping through to get people off the streets. and sometimes shooting at those brave enough to film from their apartments. gunshot here, the protest organisers use fire extinguishers to obscure the view, to try to avoid being shot. because that is what the military government is prepared to do to reassert its control. this was 19—year—old ginsen today, in mandalay. her t—shirt reads, "everything will be ok," but she also carried a label with her blood group, in case she was hurt. she was killed when a bullet struck her head. here in the city of monywa, the police were filmed as they dragged away another victim. the security forces are also arresting large numbers of people. in this neighbourhood, it seemed, arresting every

resident they caught. and they exercise little restraint. this security camera video shows three medical volunteers being savagely beaten. if there is a strategy in these shocking scenes, it is perhaps to crush what's now a nationwide rebellion with brute force, in the hope that the rest of the world will in time accept the reality of military rule once more in myanmar. jonathan head, bbc news. rights groups in the country say almost 1,300 people have been detained since the protests began. the un's special envoy to myanmar described the situation as "shocking". we have now more than over 50 people died since the coup started and many are wounded.

i receive around 2000 messages per day from the people in myanmar. and i also try to answer some questions from the people on the ground who are really desperate to see action from the international community. earlier i spoke to murray hiebert, senior associate of the southeast asia programme at the centre for disease control and prevention strategic and international studies. i asked him for his reaction to this latest violence. the military is i guess fed up with the population rebelling and rising up and trying to take control of neighbourhoods asjonathan said, not going to work. a lot of civil servants are staying out of work and the military is hell—bent to try to find ways to crush this uprising. and we're seeing people write their blood groups on their arms, their contact details on their arms because they're concerned about what will happen to them when they go out

on the streets. how does the international community get a grip on what is happening on myanmar? we know that sanctions simply do not work. it's terribly hard. the british, the uk government is calling for the un to meet on friday again which it has done a couple of times already. you're right, sanctions are not seemingly working. the us has imposed sanctions against a dozen of the top generals. it's sanctioned a few military companies, the eu is considering sanctions but a lot of the world — china, myanmar�*s neighbours, thailand, singapore are opposed to sanctions. so, that's not going to work. i don't know what we can do other than to just

keep calling it out. it sounds really feeble but i don't know what we can do other than just call out what's happening and try to urge some semblance of sanity in myanmar. rhis call for potential sanctions, these generals are already under some form of sanctions since the 2018 rohingya crisis. it feels that any form of extra sanctions will not cut through. so we are hearing the amount of people that are contacting people via social media and yet continuously the internet gets blocked in myanmar by the regime there. what — in your view, how is the best way to keep the momentum going in terms of getting the voices of the people in myanmar out? yeah, but they are looking for alternative ways to communicate. it's very interesting, but they find ways to get their message out even when the internet is blocked, they find ways to talk to each other. they send more cryptic messages to each other,

meet at a certain street corner, and people arrive there at 6am, they don't quite know what's expected. i think it's going to be very hard for the government to stop all communication with the outside world because it also impacts the business climate and the business environment. so, it wants investors, it wants the business community, especially during this time of recovering from covid to be able to do its work. and if they shut it all down, not only do they shut down the protests — or they will try to shut but they affect their everyday business activities as well. murray hiebert. presidentjoe biden has called the decision by texas and mississippi to drop mask—wearing requirements as "neanderthal thinking". he warned that relaxing rules prematurely would put us advances in the battle against covid—i9 at risk. but a number of states

are ignoring that warning — and are ploughing ahead to re—invigorate their stalling economies. here is president biden speaking at the oval office. i hope everybody�*s realised by now these masks make a difference. we are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we were able to get vaccines in people's arms. we've been able to move that all the way up to the end of may to have enough for every american, to get every adult american to get a shot. and the last thing, the last thing we need is neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, "everything's fine, take "off your mask, forget it." it still matters. let's speak to our north america correspondent david willis. just talk us through, the president not mincing his words, talk us through his concerns. words, talk us through his concern—

words, talk us through his concerns. ., . , ., , concerns. not mincing his words at all, concerns. not mincing his words at all. and _ concerns. not mincing his words at all. and it— concerns. not mincing his words at all, and it is _ concerns. not mincing his words at all, and it is an _ concerns. not mincing his words at all, and it is an indication - at all, and it is an indication of the challenge that president biden is facing that on the very same day that he announced an important progress as far as increasing the supply of the single shotjohnson &johnson single shotjohnson & johnson vaccine, single shotjohnson &johnson vaccine, basically bringing the timetable for all americans to be vaccinated forward by two months from the end ofjuly to the end of may, the governor of one of the largest estates here, texas, announced that he was opening everything up again starting from a week today. and the concerns ofjoe biden have been echoed by the director of the centers for disease control, doctor rochelle walensky, who said that this country was at a pivotal point as far as combating the coronavirus epidemic is concerned, and this was not the time she said to lift restrictions. we have seen this before of course in this country, the figures go down.

some parts of the country reopen. figures balloon again and the white house believes that it wants to avoid that at this very crucial point. but thins this very crucial point. but things are _ this very crucial point. but things are they _ this very crucial point. but things are they overall not getting better in the united states? , ., , states? they have been getting better and the _ states? they have been getting better and the figures _ states? they have been getting better and the figures show - better and the figures show that there has been a decrease in the number of daily infections and decreasing the number of hospitalisations. but let's make no mistake here. the us currently seeing more than 65,000 new cases of the coronavirus every day, that notwithstanding, there is concern of course about new variants of the virus. and the vaccination programme whilst it is definitely being ramped up, is definitely being ramped up, is still seeing about 15% of the population here having received one jab. so there is a lot of concerned that by pressing ahead, reopening,

building on the enthusiasm and optimism that's growing here, it could set back this country quite considerably.— quite considerably. david as alwa s quite considerably. david as always thank _ quite considerably. david as always thank you _ quite considerably. david as always thank you for - quite considerably. david as| always thank you for bringing us up—to—date. david willis there are north american correspondent. many countries have borrowed heavily to cushion the impact of covid — and britain is among those now working out how to pay it back. in wednesday's budget rishi sunak unveiled more support for workers and businesses struggling with lockdown. but he also announced a series of measures which will take the uk's tax burden to its highest level since the 1960s. more from our political editor laura kuenssberg. the virus has clouded everything, making the future hard to see. but the economic alert has been flashing red all the while. lockdown�*s cut income, busted the country's bank balance. when are we going to start paying for it, sir? - and the red box�*s firstjob — to extend emergency lifelines. but, repeatedly, the chancellor promised us hard truths, too.

what was originally thought to be a temporary disruption to our way of life has fundamentally altered it. so emergency measures brought in during the scramble at the start of the pandemic will go on for months to come. the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of september. for employees, there will be no change to the terms. they will continue to receive 80% of their salary for hours not worked, until the scheme ends. billions more will be spent during this strange lockdown era, a long list of props under the economy, six months more of £20 extra on universal credit, lower vat and cheaper stamp duty. but for this chancellor, for his party, that simply can't last forever. the amount we've borrowed is comparable only with the amount we borrowed during the two world wars. it's going to be the work of many governments, over many decades, to pay it back.

just as it would be irresponsible to withdraw support too soon, it would also be irresponsible to allow our future borrowing and debt to rise unchecked. no surprise he took a big gulp before what came next. big new taxes, a million people will move into the higher rate of income tax, and 1.3 million who don't earn much will start to pay. our first step is to freeze personal tax thresholds. this policy does remove the incremental benefit created, had thresholds continued to increase with inflation. we are not hiding it. but from 2023, in a real about turn, some companies will pay a lot more tax on profits. the rate of corporation tax paid on company profits will increase to 25%. big spending, in tune with the boss, perhaps. but extraordinary measures, some in his own party might

think, in extraordinary times. an important moment is upon us. a moment of challenge and of change. of difficulties, yes, but of possibilities, too. this is a budget that meets that moment and i commend it to the house. despite all the billions, public spending overall will actually go down. but with huge numbers and big taxes from the tories, how would labour cut through the gloom? one day we will all be able to take our masks off, and so will the chancellor. and then you will see who he really is. this is a budget that didn't even attempt to rebuild the foundations of our economy or to secure the country's long—term prosperity. instead, it did the job the chancellor always intended — a quick fix, papering over the cracks.

though rishi sunak was conscience of spreading spending to new tory constituencies and across the uk, too. the chancellor stood up today and doubled down on exactlyl the same mistake he has been| making through this pandemic. temporary extensions - and temporary support can only ever mean a temporary reprieve for those millions— who have been crippled i by uncertainty for months. there will be millions of people out there and tens of thousands of businesses, the self—employed, who will be very, very disappointed. the chancellor chose notjust to tinker, but to make big decisions, but they could have to shift with a tiny flicker to the cost of all his borrowing, or an even more prolonged pandemic. this budget, the way the country earns a living, is deeply vulnerable to what comes next. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. stay with us on bbc news, still to come — buckingham palace says it's investigating claims that the duchess of sussex, meghan markle, bullied members of staff, when she and prince harry were living in the uk.

first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards. it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb. on a remote pacific atoll, the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier. and so my heart went bang, bang, bang. the constitutional - rights of these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united states, - and they should be protected| even in the right to test them out, so they don't - get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say too much about it, but does it worry you that it is going to boil up when

you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right at the end of the day. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. escalating violence in myanmar, following last month's military coup. the un says 38 people were killed on wednesday alone. the decision by texas and mississippi to abandon compulsory mask wearing is described as "neanderthal" by president biden. buckingham palace says it's "very concerned" by reports that the duchess of sussex was accused of bullying her staff, during her time at kensington palace. the claims were made by former staff of harry and meghan, and the palace says it will investigate the circumstances. for her part, the duchess was said to be "saddened" by reports of a bullying complaint, which was seen as the "latest attack on her character".

0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more. what is the truth? is meghan, the woman who was warmly welcomed when she married prince harry, now the victim of a calculated smear campaign by the establishment? or was it the case that, as the duchess of sussex, her behaviour became unreasonable and that her staff were driven to distraction? there were strains within the sussex household. it's a matter of record that staff members left, and now a highly revealing e—mail has been obtained by the times. it was written in late 2018 byjason knauf, the couple's communication secretary, to simon case. he's now the cabinet secretary, no less. in it, knauf is reported to have written... in response, the duchess' spokesman has said...

buckingham palace has said it's very concerned about the allegations. it's setting up an inquiry. former members of staff will be invited to participate. the palace statement concluded... so, why have these allegations emerged just four days before the sussexes�* interview with oprah winfrey is broadcast in america? apparently it's because former members of staff, some of whom i'm told feel very bruised, believe that an incomplete picture of the duchess is being presented. her supporters of course will continue to believe that she is the real victim. nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. let's get some of the day's other news.

eight people have been injured, three of them seriously, in the south of sweden, in what police are treating as a suspected terrorist attack. the assailant, a man in his 20s, stabbed his victims in the southern town of vetlanda. police shot and wounded the attacker before detaining him. the international criminal court is to open a formal investigation into war crimes in the palestinian territories which will examine both sides of the conflict. the palestinian authority said it was a long awaited step towards justice and accountability. israel's prime minister said the move was anti—semitic. the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, has said he'll co—operate with a sexual harassment investigation, but he won't resign. the democrat said he'd never touched anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged that his habit of hugging and kissing people could make them feel uncomfortable. for many families around the world dealing with school closures, and the need to study at home, has been one of the toughest parts

of the coronavirus pandemic. in the philippines, secondary schools have been closed since last march and it's taking a heavy toll, especially on childrens�* mental health. and there's been a spike in anxiety levels. dr bernadette madrid is a paediatrician and the executive director of the child protection network foundation. she has been gathering information by talking to childcare colleagues across the philippines and told us how the students are coping. the children are really not doing too well, especially in metro manila because they have been quarantined for a year. and although in other parts of the country maybe it is not as bad because the prevalence of covid is really more in metro manila. but the number one reason for consultation at our outpatient department right now is really children and teens who are expressing anxiety and depression, and that has never

happened before. and the different child protection units across the country were also getting increased consults of our patients who have been abused and who are now suicidal. in fact in our own child protection unit at the philippine general hospital, we see every day a teen that needs to be referred to the emergency room because of a suicide attempt. so, it's really bad. but we're hearing that this might be, well, the quarantine might be lifted at least gradually pretty soon, and we hope that even before then, that children will be given time out to go to at least open spaces. and just give us an indication, explain to us how it is working across the philippines

because you talk about the more urban and densely populated centres as being problematic, but the philippines is a wide range of environments. have schools been closed across the whole of the philippines? yes, our schools have been closed since march. and starting mid october, online school opened and also what we call modular school, those who don't have very good internet access get modules that they go through and then there are some lessons on tv or on the radio. and there is some online lessons for them. but that has been really challenging. in fact for those who needed a consult because of anxiety and adjustment disorder, school has been the primary push for them to go over the edge. theyjust could not cope. they could not cope with the extra pressure from having to do the schoolwork?

yes, and the way that it's done. it's a lot of pressure, both on the students and on their parents. especially if you have parents who have never really had much experience with online anything. and then suddenly, a lot of the burden is with them to help the children through with this. even if we say they take the modular option, they still need to go online now and then, and they have to help their children and they find it difficult on how to do that. doctor madrid speaking to me, a paediatrician investigated the impact of lockdown and the lack of schooling in the philippines due to the coronavirus, a month there since the schools were closed. japanese billionaire has begun a search for eight people tojoin him for a trip around the moon. yusaku maezawa is offering

the trip of a lifetime for free on one of elon musk�*s spacex flights in 2023. the fashion mogul originally launched a search for a new life partner tojoin him on the week—long mission but had second thoughts. now, mr maezawa says applicants can come from anywhere in the world but must want to help other people and greater society in some way. now, it doesn't get much better than this if you're an antiques hunter. it's the sort of thing they dream about — as they trawl through yard sales — and off—beat shops. this white porcelain bowl, was bought for $35 in connecticut in the us. it turns out — it's from the 15th century ming dynasty. and experts who've looked at it say it was "immediately apparent it was something very very special". it's due to be auctioned

by sotheby�*s later this month — the estimated value between 300 to $500,000. thanks for watching. hello there. wednesday was a cloudy day and over the next few days, sunshine is going to be at a premium. now, we've still got colder air sitting across the uk. for most of the time, it is going to be dry but there will be a lot of cloud, and the cloud was thick enough on wednesday to give quite a few showers for england and wales, some heavy bursts of rain for a time as well. now at the moment, those showers are becoming confined more to the south east of england and east anglia on that weather front there. at the same time we have another weak weather front moving down into scotland. now, behind that we're going to pick up more of a north—easterly breeze. that will push its way down across the uk and just continue to feed in that chilly air from the north. now, there's a lot of cloud around at the moment. misty weather, too. not as much fog, mind you. and temperatures by the morning should be just a few degrees the right side of freezing.

but there's some showers to clear away from the south east and east anglia in the morning. we've got on that weather front in the north some light rain or drizzle. and in scotland, perhaps even a bit of snow over the highest ground. that damp weather moves down into northern england in the afternoon allowing something a bit brighter in scotland, some sunshine in the west. for many parts of the uk, it's going to be cloudy again, particularly dull towards the south west. temperature's not quite as high here on thursday. and generally, those temperatures will be around 6—7 celsius. as we head into the evening, a little bit of drizzle for a while for northern ireland moving into wales, the midlands, down towards the south east. as that moves through, so the cloud will tend to break up a little bit more overnight. we've got high pressure moving down — this time, coming down from iceland bringing with it that colder air but bringing with it a lot of dry weather and the winds will be lighter on friday, as well. could start a bit chilly, though, with some clearer skies overnight. so, a risk of frost in the morning and whilst there could be some sunshine at times on friday, we'll tend to find the cloud tending to build and spread out a bit more through the day. that's not going to help the temperatures, of course.

and again, those temperatures will be around 6—8 celsius. now, let's head into the weekend and for many, it's more of this quiet, dry, fairly cloudy sort of weather. we may find temperatures sneaking up a degree or so as the weekend goes on. and by sunday, there's more of a west to south—westerly wind picking up. over the weekend, there's still the chance of seeing some rain across northern ireland and western scotland, particularly on sunday as weather fronts start to come in from the atlantic, and that's a sign of something more unsettled but not quite as cold as we head into next week.

this is bbc news,

the headlines. the united nations says 38 people have been killed in myanmar on wednesday, in the worst day of violence since protests began against the military coup. deaths have been reported in several cities. the violence comes a day after the regional bloc, asean, called on all sides to show restraint. president biden has condemned the decision to lift the requirement to wear masks in the states of texas and mississippi as "neanderthal thinking". he said vaccines were helping contain the pandemic, but added that mask wearning, social distancing and hand washing were still important. the british government is hoping the successful roll—out of coronavirus vaccines will support a strong and sustained recovery, after one of the worst economic downturns in the developed world. presenting his budget, the finance minister set out plans to bring borrowing down, including a sharp increase in corporation tax.

now on bbc news...