this is bbc news with the latest headlines: it's india's catastrophic covid crisis and there's mounting evidence that the official death toll is a massive under—estimate. please, help me, please. my father is dying. i can't afford another loss. yesterday i lost my younger brother. in brazil, president bolsonaro is now underformal investigation for his handling of the pandemic. 400,000 brazilians have died with covid. the us changes its advice on masks. . . . . the us changes its advice on masks. . u ., , .,, masks. vaccinated people will no longer _ masks. vaccinated people will no longer be _ masks. vaccinated people will no longer be obliged - masks. vaccinated people will no longer be obliged to - masks. vaccinated people will no longer be obliged to wear. no longer be obliged to wear masks outdoors. and testing

negative — thousands and joy and indoor concert in the time of covid. spanish organisers say there has been no sign of new covid infections. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. the situation in india is hard with a lack of oxygen, beds and a staggering number of infections and deaths every day. almost 200,000 deaths to date and even that could be a major under estimate. the number of deaths recorded in delhi by crematoriums may be twice as high as official

figures which only count deaths that occurred in hospital. lives erased in india, their fate sealed by the pandemic. but even as families seek closure in this crematorium built on a car park in india's capital, delhi, some are being denied dignity even in their death — as the actual reason of their demise is being buried with them. translation: 5096 of deaths are not registered by - the government as covid—i9. 0ur ngo brings bodies to be cremated directly from homes of victims. the government only counts related deaths of victims who die in a hospital. under—reporting of cases is becoming a problem in india in major covid hotspots. a public health worker told me that, in many cases, they are under pressure to attribute pandemic deaths to a pre—existing disease of the patient, and not count them as covid deaths to help the government save face in this crisis. experts suggest

the actual number of those infected could be 20 times higher than reported. the enormity, the velocity, and the ferocity of india's second surge is something to really take a lesson from for the rest of the world, because the virus curve was so quiet, and then the footsteps of the virus we could not hear, but itjust exploded. and the severity of this wave cannot be silenced. with an unprecedented rush of patients, oxygen and essential medical supplies are running out in the city. my father is in a very critical condition and getting no help. numbers are given there, but nobody is responding. numbers are not reachable. please, help me, please. my father is dying. i can't afford another loss. yesterday, i lost my younger brother. global aid has started to come. a shipment from britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators,

arrived today. but as india struggles with the reality behind the hidden numbers, much more is needed for those fighting for a chance to survive. devina gupta, bbc news, delhi. that is the situation in delhi which is cheekily bad. but what about the rest of this country? we will be bringing the situation across india from the bbc language services correspondence. i am outside this covid hospital here in kolkata. the health care system is under severe pressure. people are now worried as 15—16,000 new cases are being reported every day in the state.

during the past one month, people have been voting here for the state elections and huge campaign rallies were organised. thousands of people attended those rallies — most of them didn't wear any masks or didn't maintain physical distancing. the rallies were attended by the prime minister and the home minister, who flew down from delhi almost every other day. but people are now frightened that cases may explode. gujarat has refused to enforce lockdown, even though the cases and deaths are rising. as you can see, this is a busy crossroads, and the lives of many people here have remained unchanged. we talked to a few people over here and found that they were out on the streets to purchase nonessential commodities. gujarat is governed by prime minister modi's bharatiya janata party — it says there is no scientific basis which says lockdown stops the spread of the virus. it also says that lockdown harms the economy.

some trade unions have imposed self—restrictions in many parts of the state. the government says that everyone should follow norms to control covid — something which is not seen here. here, we're 80 km away from mumbai, in the city of nashik, at zakir hussain hospital. it is at this hospital 2a people died because of an oxygen leak. for half an hour, there was no oxygen, leaving covid patients gasping for air. two days after the leak, a hospital on the outskirts of mumbai caught fire, leaving 13 people dead. in another incident in mumbai, another hospital caught fire, leaving 11 people dead. as india struggles with its growing covid crisis, everything is in short supply — from beds to oxygen, to medicine. the entire system is stretched out

at a time when india needs all the help it can get. international viewers will be able to see a focus on india and at the coronavirus crisis. a special programme on this extraordinary surge in cases including first—hand reporting from our teams of correspondence. somalia's president has backed down from his attempt to extend his tenure for two more years and instead has called for new presidential elections. civilians have been protesting in the capital. they have been fears also that is honest

militants will exploit the security vacuum. the bbc understands that at least three quarters of the dup and half of that mps have signed a motion of no confidence in their party leader. mrs foster has led the party for more than five years. hong kong's public broadcaster says the territory chief executive carrie lam is to present a programme about recent changes to the electoral system. there are expected to be a0 episodes that will feature her speaking to guests about the controversial changes imposed by beijing. britney spears is to address essential scott regarding her father's control of her career. they have been well—documented

mental healthcare issues but she now wants to remove him from orders. the hearing is likely to be held onjune 23. the upper house of the brazillian congress has opened an inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic — a move that could prove politically damaging for presidentjair bolsonaro as he seeks re—election next year. brazil has recorded the world's second—highest number of deaths fom the pandemic. but the president has attempted to stop state governors from imposing lockdowns and mandating the use of masks. 0ur correspondent mark lowen is in sao paulo and sent us this update. well, president bolsonaro was sounding very bullish about this commission of inquiry when he spoke to reporters, saying that he had nothing to fear and that he owed nothing to the commission of inquiry. but when you read the list of the issues that they are looking at,

it is really a damning indictment of president bolsonaro's handling — or, indeed, mishandling — of the pandemic. they will be asking whether he minimised the severity of the virus, why he was consistently anti—lockdown, anti—any kind of restrictions, whether he promoted scientifically unproven cures like hydroxychloroquine, why there was a critical shortage of medical equipment and beds and syringes, why vaccines were too slow to be bought, especially when he received offers of vaccine procurement and turned them down, whether he allowed the virus to spread to try to achieve herd immunity and, indeed, whether the government is guilty of genocide against indigenous communities in the amazon — where the manaus variant, the pi variant that is very much more transmissible, was allowed to rip through that region at the end of last year uncontrolled and unchecked. now, the commission will continue for some weeks and months, and it is likely to come down to intense politicking and horse—trading between

bolsonaro, between the commission, to try to minimise the damage, but the damage could be very serious. it could potentially recommend impeachment, it could recommend criminal charges, even, against the president. his political future very much hangs in the balance, and so do his chances of reelection next year. this is a picture of possibly very good news. it is from spain and it is about public events. no sign of increased covid—i9 infections at this gathering, indoors. music plays. if it weren't for the masks, you would be forgiven for thinking these pictures were from 2019. an indoor concert with 5,000 people and no social distancing.

it was one of the largest gatherings in europe since the pandemic began, and the significance was not lost on the performers. translation: welcome to one of the most exciting concerts i of our lives. cheering and applause. the gig was a test to monitor the impact of large—scale events on coronavirus case numbers. ticket holders had to take a rapid test the day of the event and show they were negative. they also had to wear masks. now, the results are in — in the two weeks that followed six people tested positive for covid—i9. health authorities say that is a lower incidence than is seen in the general population. we can be sure that this has not been a super spreading event so this is really reassuring data that we believe will be helpful in opening the cultural activities everywhere in the world. a similar event was held in the netherlands last month, with different rules for different groups within the venue.

those results are still being analysed. the european music industry will be watching closely. it lost three quarters of its income in 2020. and it is notjust music events pushing ahead. in the uk 8,000 supporters were back in a stadium at the weekend as part of a pilot programme to pave the way the bigger audiences at sporting events. i was like a kid on christmas morning today. woke up all excited. football for the first time for 13 months so really looking forward to it. 0h, d'you know what? i am absolutely — i'm just so — i'm giddy. another test event will be held in england later this week. an indoor nightclub in liverpool will host 6000 people across two nights. courtney bembridge, bbc news. a lot of people hanging there hopes on that. still to come: it is back to work for the duke and duchess

of cambridge and for the queen as well. to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they have taken the capital which they have been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in _ the morning when power began to pass from the minority-

to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. - this is bbc news, the latest headlines: there's mounting evidence india has been under—reporting the number of deaths from covid—i9, with one study indicating that numbers recorded by crematoria in delhi may be double the official figures. in brazil, president bolsonaro is now underformal investigation for his handling of the pandemic. a00,000 brazilians have died of covid. the us health authorities say that americans fully vaccinated against the virus are no longer obliged to wear a face mask outdoors except the crowded events such as a concert. president biden urged americans to get theirjab so the country

can put some meaning into this year's independence day. beginning today, gathering with a group of friends in a park, going for a picnic as long as you are vaccinated and our laws you are vaccinated and our laws you can do it without a mask stop the cdc is able to make this announcement because our scientists are convinced by the data that the odds of getting or giving the virus to others is very, very low. if you are both and fully vaccinated and out in the open hour. we both and fully vaccinated and out in the open hour.- out in the open hour. we can seak out in the open hour. we can speak now — out in the open hour. we can speak now to _ out in the open hour. we can speak now to doctor - out in the open hour. we can speak now to doctor ashwin, out in the open hour. we can i speak now to doctor ashwin, an epidemiologist and professor at columbia university medical centre, and ceo of fountain house, a community—based mental and public health organisation. thank you very much forjoining us. are you one of the very confident that this is a good step and timely step to take? yes. i think it is the right

step to take at the right time. it is supported by science and part of the first steps of getting us back towards a normal life. president biden committed to a july for date when americans would be able to congregate again and barbecue and be with friends and i think this is the first step to doing that. the science supports that. the science supports that. and yet, because it is only restricted to vaccinated people it is still an incentive to get vaccinated. the us has about 5a% of people who have received at least one dose and yet we are starting to see vaccination rates start to fall off. in the last week alone the drop has been about ia% and we see this particularly in rural areas and areas with lower income people who have transportation challenges, and inability to get off work, we see up to 10% of people forgo

their second doses of the vaccine due to fears about side effects and logistics of making those appointments. so we really need to ramp up our vaccination effort and continue to push towards that date. do you think that that is because of it? the difficulty of going through with the vaccine over the second dose, whether it because of work or getting to the right place or is there a growing sense of may be misplaced confidence, though, that the worst is behind them? i think it is a toxic mix of both structural and logistic problems in lower income communities, particularly communities, particularly communities of colour where people are often working, essential workers have difficulty getting time off from work to go to the vaccine or difficulty in scheduling the second appointment but in rural areas and areas that are red state and among younger people who are getting mixed messages

about the need to be vaccinated, you have a lot of misinformation and hesitancy that plagues those populations and you need to do some really dedicated science —based and empathetic outreach to make sure that people are coming in and getting the vaccine because we are only halfway there. i would like to focus on thejuly for moment, if you like that president biden has referred to. 0bviously that is still some way off but i would presume that you, as an epidemiologist, as a scientist would nonetheless be anxious about any sort of political date, the setting up a moment when people will be able to do what they want to do. it really should depend on the situation nearer the time, shouldn't it? i think the role of the president is to not only follow the science but also generate hope and putting out a target like that does galvanise hope, it marshals our resources

towards an end date and gives us something to look forward to as a people after a long long year of sometimes hopelessness and dejection. but i am confident that the biden administration, as they have since coming into office, will continue to make a sound decision based on science and should we not be where we want to be july four, should we not be where we want to bejuly four, i have no doubt that the president will follow the science and make sure that we are keeping restrictions in the place to the extent that we need them to do you still have more months to go. the labour party has demanded full details on the way boris johnson funded expensive renovations on his downing street flat. it is also gone a step further by accusing mr johnson about lying about the matter. his former adviser, dominic cummings has claimed that the prime minister planned to get secret donations to pay for the work. number 10 says

refurbishment costs have been met by the prime minister personally. 0ur debbie political editor reports. leaving the country and setting the tone for the rest of government. the decisions that prime ministers make every day in this room have far—reaching consequences for us all. they will not always be right but criticism of borisjohnson is notjust criticism of borisjohnson is not just about his criticism of borisjohnson is notjust about his judgement, not just about his judgement, it notjust about his judgement, it is fast becoming about his integrity. everywhere they go, ministers are being asked similar questions about the behaviour of their boss. did he break the _ behaviour of their boss. did he break the rules? _ behaviour of their boss. did he break the rules? that - behaviour of their boss. did he break the rules? that refers i behaviour of their boss. did he break the rules? that refers to the expensive _ break the rules? that refers to the expensive refurbishment i break the rules? that refers to| the expensive refurbishment of the expensive refurbishment of the flat that mrjohnson shares with his fiancee. the prime minister �*s former adviser says that the tory leader tried to get party donors to secretly pay for the renovations. labour says it's time to come clean. who was given the loan, who has given the money? we need to know who the prime minister, who borisjohnson is beholden to. who paid for his furniture, the sofa, the bed that he sleeps in and we have not had

that explanation from the prime ministers so far. he lied yesterday and that is not good enough. yesterday and that is not good enou . h. ,., ,, yesterday and that is not good enou:h. ,, ~ enough. downing street says mr johnson personally _ enough. downing street says mr johnson personally met - enough. downing street says mr johnson personally met the i enough. downing street says mr johnson personally met the cost| johnson personally met the cost of wider refurbishment this year but has not denied that someone else originally picked up someone else originally picked up the bill. if they did, the rules say that must be made public. the reason why we have these rules around transparency is so that the public know who decision—makers including the prime minister, what their interests are and to be clear that they are acting on behalf of the people and behalf of citizens and taxpayers and that they are not overly influenced by donations or loans or private interests. number 10 insists that mr johnson acted in accordance with codes of conduct and electoral rules. many conservative mps i spoke to were keen to downplay the significance of all of this. one minister said that boris 0ne minister said that boris johnson has a knack of getting away with things that others would not. but there is concern

that many individual unrelated accusations could combine together and erode trust and the prime minister. 0ne together and erode trust and the prime minister. one of the most damaging accusations that mrjohnson faces is about his views on shutting down the country because of covid. he denies saying he would rather see what is piled higher then approve a third lockdown. but sources told the bbc and other media organisations that he did make a remark. it is another question being fired a cabinet ministers. i question being fired a cabinet ministere— ministers. i don't need to worry about _ ministers. i don't need to worry about who - ministers. i don't need to worry about who may i ministers. i don't need to | worry about who may have ministers. i don't need to i worry about who may have or ministers. i don't need to - worry about who may have or did not say what and when. the trimester says he did it and thatis trimester says he did it and that is good enough for more —— good enough for me because saving lives is where it matters and that is what the prime minister has done. mr johnson would rather focus on campaigning ahead of the elections next week there are bucketloads of questions still to be answered. the queen has been photographed for the first time carrying out an official engagement since the funeral of prince philip. she held audiences with foreign diplomats — via videolink.

meanwhile the duke and duchess of cambridge have been visiting a family farm in county durham two days before their 10th wedding anniversary. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. can it really be ten years? yes, it can. ten years ago this week they were on the balcony of buckingham palace after their wedding at westminster abbey. now, one decade later, william and catherine are more heavily committed than ever to the demands of royal duty. today was not untypical, they were found on a farm near darlington in county durham. and so there were close encounters with some of the cleanest sheep you are likely to find. there was a very large tractor which just had to be driven. william went first, quick circuit of the field, no mishaps and nothing damaged and then

it was time for catherine to have a go. a moment of intense concentration and then off she went. but alongside the photo opportunities, a serious purpose. a discussion with farmers about the challenges of the past year and then onto something called the cheesy waffles project which helps young people and adults with additional needs. for william and catherine, ten years after their marriage, a typical day of royal duty. the kind of thing that william pledged to continue after the death of his grandfather. and speaking of his grandparents here was the queen today holding video audiences with ambassadors. 18 days after the death of her husband, normal service is being resumed. a recap on our main story. there is growing evidence that the number of infections and death being reported in india may actually be a considerable understatement. that is coming out of accounts reaching us from delhi. you can reach me on

twitter. it is good to hear from you on any of the stories you have seen in the programme. you are watching bbc news. hello. april 2021 is now officially the frostiest april on record. that is since records began in 1960 and it is based on the number of frosty nights we've seen. every night so far this april, temperatures have fallen below freezing and we've had an air frost. it may well be the case though that as we make our way into the early hours of wednesday, we escape and there's a lot of cloud sitting across the uk at the moment thanks to an area of low pressure sinking its way south. quite a strong wind across scotland and where skies clear, the chance of frost will be pretty limited. here's the centre of that low as we get wednesday underway to the south of the uk. to the north, the skies are clearer but there will be some chilly air around, those isobars are close together and that means a stiff north easterly wind. the heaviest of the shower

on wednesday would be close to the low centre for wales, the midlands and the southwest of england. certainly for the first part of the day, some of the wind will drift further eastwards later in the afternoon. some isolated showers across the scotland and northern ireland but more in the way of sunny spells here. but generally quite a chilly field to proceedings across the north across the uk as we pick up the northwesterly, northeasterly, i should say, wind. the low pulls away towards the continent on thursday, as it does so, the northeasterly wind drags arctic air right away across the uk. the isobars open up as well. without the strength of the wind, that leaves us open to seeing quite a wider spread of frost as we move into the early hours on thursday. perhaps the southeast still close enough to the low to escape. through the day, there will be a lot of sunshine across the uk, but it will feel chilly

and particularly on the north sea coast. just light breezes in contrast to wednesday, but with lighter breezes, where we do see some showers developing and we are seeing some that will be quite slow—moving. locally some heavy downpours but disappointing temperatures with ten to 12 as highs. things look very similar for friday and indeed it looks like we will hold on to a cooler air and light winds and like we will hold on to a cooler air and light winds and some decent spells of sunshine, but isolated showers as we move into the bank holiday weekend. but what will be a talking point for us is the overnight frost.

hello, this is bbc news. i'm david eades, with the headlines: evidence is growing that the official death toll in india's covid crisis is a major underestimate. the number of reported deaths is nearly 200,000 but crematorium figures show that number could be twice as high, at least. some experts suggest the number of infections could be 20 times as high as officially recorded figures. brazil's president, jair bolsonaro, is now under formal investigation for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. the president has attempted to stop state governors from imposing lockdowns and mandating the use of masks. a00,000 brazilians have died from the coronavirus — that's the world's second highest pandemic death toll. and us health authorities say americans fully vaccinated against coronavirus are no longer obliged to wear face masks outdoors. except at crowded events such as concert.