welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines. a shock withdrawal at the olympics. simone biles explains why she left the floor in tokyo — the latest athlete to put mental health first. indonesia reports a record number of covid deaths — more than 2000 people died in the last 2a hours — we have a special report. the ambulances that carry the bodies keep coming one after the other. the workers here could bury more than 200 bodies in a day. powerful testimony in washington from the police who tried to defend the capitol onjanuary the sixth — they tell the inquiry their stories of struggle — and survival.

plus, you're never to old to cheerlead. we meet the seniors injapan who're getting ready for their 25th—anniversary show. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's six in the morning in singapore, and 7am in tokyo — where it's day five of the olympic games. tuesday had some major surprises, but none bigger than the womens team gymnastics. the russian olympic committee won the gold beating the us who won gold back to back in london and rio. but the real shock came earlier in the final. simone biles — a four time

olympic gold medallist — pulled out of the final after her first vault, later saying she did it due to her mental health. she said:. "i was just shaking...i've just never felt like this we can go live now to our team in tokyo. sarah mulkerirns is overlooking the harbour in tokyo. and mariko 0i is further north in miyagi. great to see the both of you out and about — sarah, let me start with you. you know, i was watching the gymnastics with my ten—year—old daughter — she's a big simone biles fan — like so many people, and she was so struck by that dramatic decision to withdraw based on her mental health, and the self awareness it must have taken for someone so young — what's the reaction been where you are?

yeah, there was definitely a veiled sense of maturity, wasn't that from that efficient from simone biles was not that sent shock waves through the year injapan and throughout the world because she is one of the biggest names here at the games. everybody had been looking forward to seeing her complete, and the thing about her, when we have seen to seeing her complete, and the thing about her, will be part of a choice to with a big smile on so much energy and enthusiasm to the park but we have been a couple of uncharacteristic performances from her qualifying she has been struggling a little bit. she had a histogram post where she was talking about the pressure to wake of the world are this is the first time she's ever had to be about her family. she was out. as i can take to the event. she did the bald, she pulled up a great vault by all of our standards, pulled up a great vault by all of ourstandards, but pulled up a great vault by all of our standards, but by her standard, she felt she wasn't at the races and

not at all, and it was her lowest 0lympic ground about ever recorded. she walked away, out of the arena, took some space for herself, she then reappeared. we were wondering what was going to happen. she had her arm guards on, so it was suggested that she would get up onto the next piece of apparatus, however, then we got that statement from us gymnastic saying she was withdrawing for a medical issue that they would look at. then, obviously, they would look at. then, obviously, the quotes came afterwards about her feeling uncomfortable. and when you are putting yourself in that situation, she said she didn't want to risk her body if her mind was fully there. and she had also mentioned the fact that it's more of a prevalent conversation now in sports, looking after your mind, and i think that was the big thing for simone biles. all the pressure was on her, but she was able to step into a and say this isn't right for me at the moment and i have to look after myself. me at the moment and i have to look after myself-— mari, we've seen a parallel haven't we with the other

face of the olympics — japanese superstar naomi 0saka — she suffered a surprise exit yesterday — but has also been talking about mental health — and all of this against the backdrop of olympic medal success forjapan? that's right. the early exit of both women _ that's right. the early exit of both women and — that's right. the early exit of both women and it really surprising many here in_ women and it really surprising many here injapan. some have been complementing her for a paving the way for— complementing her for a paving the way for other high—profile athletes like simone biles to be able to speak— like simone biles to be able to speak out about the mental health issues _ speak out about the mental health issues it's— speak out about the mental health issues. it's not something that gets talked _ issues. it's not something that gets talked about often here injapan, especially for elite athletes like them, — especially for elite athletes like them, but obviously, they had been under— them, but obviously, they had been under enormous pressure and they have spoken out about the issue. almost _ have spoken out about the issue. almost forcing the japanese society to talk— almost forcing the japanese society to talk about what many here consider— to talk about what many here consider an awkward topic. you're in miyagi — one of the only places allowing spectators at these games —

why is that, and is the gold rush helping to change the japanese mood towards the 0ympics? absolutely. definitely desperate headlines, very positive ones have somewhat — headlines, very positive ones have somewhat overtaken all of the negative — somewhat overtaken all of the negative publicity that we have had about— negative publicity that we have had about the _ negative publicity that we have had about the games, including all of the scandals. you can probably see behind _ the scandals. you can probably see behind me. — the scandals. you can probably see behind me, the stadium which, as you said, _ behind me, the stadium which, as you said. is— behind me, the stadium which, as you said. is the _ behind me, the stadium which, as you said, is the only venue for this year's — said, is the only venue for this year's summer olympics. that's aiiowing — year's summer olympics. that's allowing spectators inside. last night, — allowing spectators inside. last night, the women's football team was inside _ night, the women's football team was inside and _ night, the women's football team was inside and they won against chile, making _ inside and they won against chile, making it — inside and they won against chile, making it to the quarterfinals. later — making it to the quarterfinals. later this— making it to the quarterfinals. later this evening, we have two more footbaii— later this evening, we have two more football matches inside there as weii~ _ football matches inside there as weii~ we — football matches inside there as well. we managed to speak to some fans as _ well. we managed to speak to some fans as they walked inside, and many of them _ fans as they walked inside, and many of them were very excited to be able to see _ of them were very excited to be able to see an— of them were very excited to be able to see an olympic event in person because, — to see an olympic event in person

because, of— to see an olympic event in person because, of course, all of the other venues _ because, of course, all of the other venues in _ because, of course, all of the other venues in tokyo and so on are banning — venues in tokyo and so on are banning any spectators inside because — banning any spectators inside because of that fear of the covid—19 spreading _ because of that fear of the covid—19 spreading to the rest of the population. miyagi, of course, was one of— population. miyagi, of course, was one of the — population. miyagi, of course, was one of the hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. i think— earthquake and tsunami of 2011. i think outside ofjapan, many people may associate that natural disaster with fukushima because of the nuclear— with fukushima because of the nuclear accident that took place there. _ nuclear accident that took place there. but— nuclear accident that took place there, but to actually lost the not -- iargest — there, but to actually lost the not —— largest number of people, more than _ —— largest number of people, more than 10,000 — —— largest number of people, more than 10,000 lives were lost, and this olympics is really supposed to mark— this olympics is really supposed to mark the _ this olympics is really supposed to mark the region's recovery from that natural— mark the region's recovery from that natural disaster, but, of course the pandemic— natural disaster, but, of course the pandemic and all these other scandais _ pandemic and all these other scandals have been dominating the news _ scandals have been dominating the news headlines, but fans here were definitely _ news headlines, but fans here were definitely very excited and hopefully they can watch some more action— hopefully they can watch some more action this _ hopefully they can watch some more action this evening. that is that they— action this evening. that is that they don't— action this evening. that is that they don't have to get rescheduled because _ they don't have to get rescheduled because of this typhoon that we are being _ because of this typhoon that we are being hit— because of this typhoon that we are being hit with here. yes, because of this typhoon that we are being hit with here.—

being hit with here. yes, on that, sarah, being hit with here. yes, on that, sarah. what _ being hit with here. yes, on that, sarah, what she _ being hit with here. yes, on that, sarah, what she was _ being hit with here. yes, on that, sarah, what she was talking - being hit with here. yes, on that, i sarah, what she was talking about, what can we look forward to on day five? ~ ,., ., ., five? well, some of the railing was rescheduled _ five? well, some of the railing was rescheduled because _ five? well, some of the railing was rescheduled because of— five? well, some of the railing was rescheduled because of the - five? well, some of the railing was l rescheduled because of the typhoon, so we are going to have our first metals handed out in that today. plenty more action coming up in the swimming pool, look out for two americans, katie litvack he has two finals that she is in, and also the lessee caleb dressel, who many people say is michael phelps apparent. and then baseball gets under way after the women won the soft ball last night. japan then will get their baseball campaign under way against the dominican republic. under way against the dominican reublic. .,. . in tokyo, thank you so much for joining us. and just to let you know that we'll have more on the olympics and that shock exit by simone biles a bit later in the programme. i'll be talking live to a psychologist and performance coach about pressure on young athletes' mental health. also — a reminder that you can find more about this story on our website.

you'll find more details on how the four—time olympic gold medallist explained her decision to pull out the women's gymnastics team final. just go to bbc.com/news and follow the links. right now let's take a look at some of the stories making the headlines in the uk. an official inquiry has found that hundreds of vulnerable children in the care of lambeth council in south london, were abused over several decades on a scale — it says — was "hard to comprehend". more than 700 former residents complained about sustained cruelty and sexual abuse at five children's homes. the latest government figures show covid infections across the uk have fallen for the seventh day in a row. but there were also a further 131 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test, the highest number since march. public health england said this showed the pandemic was "not over yet" and urged people

to still take precautions. still to come a bit later in the programme: police officers who defended washington's capitol building from rioters give graphic accounts of what happened to a new inquiry. but first. . .. indonesia has become the epicentre of asia's covid crisis. the country is reporting tens—of—thousands of new infections daily, and more than a thousand people are dying every day. that's putting a strain on hospitals, and on those who bury the dead. bbc indonesia's valdya baraputri has been following the funeral workers. a joint effort — firefighters and police now called to deal with the bodies of those who are dying at home. many having been turned away from hospitals which were already full. we can't show you the preceding

inside the house, it obviously won't be fair to the victim or the family. currently the team is tending to the body. they covered them in a shroud, and most of the time, they are removing the clothing that's already on the victim's body for their safety. after that, they put the body inside the coffin and even pray for the victim according to their religion. in this house, the virus claimed two lives within a week and infected the entire family. translation: the grandmother died at the hospital. _ later that day, the test results show that the grandfather also had the virus. they didn't go to hospital because the whole house was positive with covid, so they tried to get better in self isolation. the highly infectious delta variant means the number of cases here is soaring. this covid—i9 response team is used to handling two or three bodies a day, now they are getting calls about more than 50, but only managing to help move

a dozen or so. a local crowdsourcing site has been gathering data since the start of the pandemic and says that nation wide, there have been more than 2,700 deaths at home since the beginning ofjune. the president has extended the partial lockdown forjava, the most densely populated of indonesia's islands and bali. but people are being allowed to eat outside restaurants and food stalls for a maximum of 20 minutes. translation: as we know, i the trend shows there has been an improvement in getting covid—i9 under control. the case rate, hospital bed occupancy and positivity rate show a decline as shown in several provinces in java. two days before that announcement, indonesia hit a daily record of more than 1,500 dead.

the government has designated at least 7 covid—i9 cemetaries in jakarta alone. this one quickly filled up. as you can see behind me, the excavator that digs new graves and the excavator that closes the other graves over there working simultaneously. the ambulances that carry the bodies keep coming one after the after the other. the workers here could bury more than 200 bodies in a day. indonesia is reporting the world's highest absolute number of new covid—i9 cases. this, along with low rates of vaccination, limited testing and the surge in cases of the delta variant means teams like this will continue to work around the clock. four police officers have given powerful testimony about the physical and verbal abuse they endured onjanuary the sixth,

as they tried to defend the us capitol against a mob. supporters of president trump stormed the building, wanting to overturn the result of the election. today was the first hearing by the commission investigating what happened that day. this report from the bbc�*s barbara plett usher contains violent materia do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give... police officers who defended the capitoljust months ago formed a steady blue line as they prepared to testify. it was a sharp contrast to the chaos injanuary, when they were overrun by a mob of trump supporters trying to overturn the results of an election that he'd lost. this is now officially a riot. the committee replayed the shocking images, reminding americans of what's at stake in the investigation of how and why this happened. i could feel myself losing oxygen, and recall thinking to myself, "this is how i'm going to die, defending this entrance." i heard chanting from some of the crowd, "get his gun "and kill him with his own gun."

everyone was reliving that dark day, convinced this inquiry was needed to prevent another attack on the peaceful transfer of power. there was also anger at republicans accused of downplaying what unfolded. the indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful! for democrats, suspect number one is donald trump. they blame him for inciting the rioters, something he denies. only two republican lawmakers agreed to sit on the committee, saying issues much bigger than party politics are in play. you know, democracies are not defined by our bad days. the republican leadership is trying to send a different message from a much smaller platform. speaker pelosi will only pick- on people on to the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked. - that becomes a failed committee and a failed report, _ a sham that no one can believe. the man at the heart of this investigation is not at the hearing,

and probably won't be making an appearance, but donald trump continues to loom large over the republican party and over american politics. as do the divisions he left in his wake, in congress and the country. the investigation is unlikely to fix that. barbara plett—usher, bbc news, washington. if you wanyt to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... samoa has elected its first female prime minister — how will her leadership be different

the us space agency, nasa, has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts are cleared to fly while drunk. the last flood are cleared to fly while drunk. tie: last flood control are cleared to fly while drunk. t'te: last flood control here, are cleared to fly while drunk. tt9: last flood control here, once are cleared to fly while drunk. tt9 last flood control here, once in every part of the soldier's lot, drudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades. in drudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades.- after almost four decades. in your own private _ after almost four decades. in your own private talcum _ after almost four decades. in your own private talcum not _ after almost four decades. in your own private talcum not doing - after almost four decades. in your own private talcum not doing any| own private talcum not doing any harm _ own private talcum not doing any harm to — own private talcum not doing any harm to anyone come i don't see why all these _ harm to anyone come i don't see why all these people should wander in and say— all these people should wander in and say you are doing something wrong _ and say you are doing something wrong 5it— and say you are doing something wronu. ,, :, : ,, :, wrong. six rare white line clubs on the rowl wrong. six rare white line clubs on the prowl and _ wrong. six rare white line clubs on the prowl and rest _ wrong. six rare white line clubs on the prowl and rest assured - wrong. six rare white line clubs on the prowl and rest assured park, l wrong. six rare white line clubs on i the prowl and rest assured park, and already. _ the prowl and rest assured park, and already. they— the prowl and rest assured park, and already, they have _ the prowl and rest assured park, and already, they have been— the prowl and rest assured park, and already, they have been met - the prowl and rest assured park, and already, they have been met with. the prowl and rest assured park, and already, they have been met with a i already, they have been met with a roar of— already, they have been met with a roar of approval— already, they have been met with a roar of approval from _ already, they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. - already, they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. the'gj roar of approval from visitors. they are lovely and _ roar of approval from visitors. they are lovely and sweet, _ roar of approval from visitors. tip;- are lovely and sweet, yeah, roar of approval from visitors. are lovely and sweet, yeah, they were cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma, in singapore. our headlines.. the american star gymnast, simone biles, has pulled out

of the us women's team final in the tokyo olympics citing mental health concerns. let's get more on that story. simone biles' withdrawal was a huge blow to the us team, which finished with the silver medal, but it also points to the growing awareness among athletes about the impact of high—level competition and public pressure on their mental health. i'm joined now byjulie gurner, psychologist and performance coach at gurner consulting. she joins us from new york. that to have you on the programme. you've tweeted that it took a lot of guts for simone biles to pull out — and absolutely, what a sense of self awareness in such a young person. as a psychologist and performance coach — what do you think must have been going thru her mind? you now, simone is a seasoned competitor on the world stage, she knows the potential fiscal consequences if she isn't in the right mental space. so these

acrobatics are not low stakes, you know, it's a remarkable move by her despite public expectation in the mental fortitude despite public expectation in the mentalfortitude it despite public expectation in the mental fortitude it takes to advocate is just truly outstanding. you know, the way i look at it is like, you know, this kind of mental calibration and assessment is likely why she is where she sat. she knows how to draw these hardlines, and while i can't speculate as to what she might be feeling right now, she certainly knows well enough to preserve the body himself of her pushing through, and it's a master class that athletes you know, should really pay attention to. i'm glad she's making the tough calls, and i hope that is well. t she's making the tough calls, and i hope that is well.— hope that is well. i was struck by her comment _ hope that is well. i was struck by her comment saying _ hope that is well. i was struck by her comment saying that - hope that is well. i was struck by her comment saying that we - hope that is well. i was struck by | her comment saying that we have hope that is well. i was struck by . her comment saying that we have to protect our minds and our bodies and notjust go out and do what the world wants us to do. how much do you think that sense of individuality and personal advocacy is becoming a theme in elite sports like this? t is becoming a theme in elite sports like this? .. is becoming a theme in elite sports like this? ~' :, like this? i think the women in these positions _ like this? i think the women in these positions are _ like this? i think the women in these positions are feeling - like this? i think the women in i these positions are feeling more comfortable advocating for their own

best interest, and it often defies others expectations and what they want from them, as well as a very hungry public for the talents that they bring to the stage. and we have seen this happen whether with naomi, serena williams and her cat suit to help prevent blood clots. in the past, these athletes would've likely pushed through and stayed silent at a great cost to themselves, not only psychologically, but potentially physically, and at the end of that day, we all win, you know, when they are able to advocate for themselves and bring the best of what they can and bring the best of what they can and remain in competition and remain healthy. and remain in competition and remain health . . , , and remain in competition and remain health . :, . , :, healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was sa in: healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was saying earlier _ healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was saying earlier that _ healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was saying earlier that this - healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was saying earlier that this is - healthy. yeah, julie, my colleague was saying earlier that this is the i was saying earlier that this is the fairest competition, we understand, that she went to without her family because of the pandemic. how much do you think that isolation from out that frankly we have all failed during the pandemic has played a part in this?— part in this? that isolation is something — part in this? that isolation is something that _ part in this? that isolation is something that michael - part in this? that isolation is i something that michael phelps commented a lot on as far as looking

at how this has impacted athletes training. you know, the sense of isolation and not having the typical support that one might have, especially with high—stakes, high competition from a high stress environments, certainly that would be expected to play a role with all of the athletes who feel that burden, but some biles really carries the weight of world expectation, and the united states expectation, and the united states expectation on her shoulders. it's hard to say how anyone might manage that kind of expectation, or whether or not that is even an issue at play right now. julie, thank you so much forjoining us with your thoughts. julie, thank you so much for “oining us with your thoughtsfi the island nation of samoa now has its first female prime minister. fiame naomi matafa took office today, three months after winning the election. samoa lies about halfway between new zealand and hawaii, and is formed of two main islands. it may be distant — but news of its new leader drew congratulations from new zealand's prime minsterjacinda ardern and australia's scott morrison. the bbc�*s gender and identity

reporter megha mohan has more. it isa it is a new day stop a momentous day in a country that had gone almost three months without a clear leader. this woman has taken office as samoa's first female prime minister her party first one the country's election in april, defeating predecessor to... who had been prime ministerfor 22 years. a minister for 22 years. a constitutional crisis followed when the h ipp party refused to hand over power. in unusual scenes, she was sworn in in a tent outside the samoa's parliament in may after the doors to the legislature were locked. they caretaker government argued that the ceremony was illegal. the political impasse came to an end last week when samoa's court of appeal ruled that the

swearing in ceremony was lawful. how is a female leadership going to be different? t is a female leadership going to be different? :, ~' , different? i would like my leadership _ different? i would like my leadership to _ different? i would like my leadership to be - different? i would like my leadership to be one - different? i would like my. leadership to be one where different? i would like my i leadership to be one where i different? i would like my - leadership to be one where i work with a team, very mindful that, you know, going forward, we need to any above upcoming leadership. band know, going forward, we need to any above upcoming leadership. and other -riori above upcoming leadership. and other riori will above upcoming leadership. and other priority will be — above upcoming leadership. and other priority will be navigating _ above upcoming leadership. and other priority will be navigating a _ priority will be navigating a postcode that world. samoa is covid free after locking its partner soon after the pandemic was declared, but its economy has struggled with out let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... the us infectious diseases agency, the cdc, has issued new stricter recommendations to combat the spread of coronavirus. reversing its guidance from may, the cdc says even vaccinated people should resume wearing face masks in public indoor spaces in parts of the country where the virus is surging. there have been rising infections in states such as florida and missouri, with concern that the delta variant

is behind many of the surges. the bbc has demanded that the chinese government stop harassing foreign journalists covering flooding in henan province. it said a section of the chinese communist party had made an online call for people to report the whereabouts of a bbc team. the ex—lover ofjuan carlos, spain's former king, is suing him in the high court in london, accusing him of harassing her for nearly a decade. corinna zu sayn—witt—gen—stein alleges he put her under corinna alleges he put her under surveillance by spain's intelligence agency and hacked her phone. the former king has denied any wrongdoing. and before we go, while all eyes are onjapan's olympic games, one out of the ordinary cheering squad in the country is getting some attention.

meet the group known as "japan pom pom" where the average age is 70 years old. cartwheels and backflips may not be their forte but they are no stranger to vivacious choreograhies. and while it's a great way for these dancers to stay in shape, for this group of seniors, cheer goes far beyond just a fun work—out. translation: it's partly to stay healthy, but more than that's i it's a reason to be, it stands to bring something different into their daily life. and if you want to join that cheery troupe, you must be at least 55 years old — and have what the squad describes as "self—proclaimed good looks." so it's a very inclusive group of cheerleaders. i will certainly be trying to apply and ask them whether they will take somebody just slightly younger than

that age limit. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. with low pressure right across the uk, there were more heavy, even torrential thundery downpours around on tuesday. one storm captured on camera by one of our weather watchers in belfast. here's the area of low pressure. now, later in the week, it will move away, and then the showers are going to ease. but as it exits the scene, it draws in some cooler air as we move from july into august. now, enduring some of the heaviest rain for wednesday will be this part of scotland, with a met office amber warning. ullapool across to elgin, including inverness, where by thursday morning, rain totals may be approaching 100 millimetres in the wettest spots, bringing the likelihood of flooding and travel disruption. it's not the only area, though, that's going to see some heavy rain during wednesday. more widely across parts of scotland and northern england, there'll be some areas of heavy rain

to begin the day. notice this area of rain in scotland. this is the one that becomes slow—moving across some central and northern areas during the day with that prolonged rainfall. elsewhere, it's a case of, yes, there'll be some sunshine around, but look at the showers getting going for the afternoon. some of these heavy, thundery, with hail, brightness in between. a breezier day for much of england and wales, and the winds gusty around these showers, though they may perhaps move through rather more quickly than they've been inclined to do in recent days. and as for your temperatures, well, many of us just in the teens. parts of eastern england up to around 20, maybe 21 degrees celsius. overnight and into thursday, the worst of these downpours will slowly ease, and the heaviest of the rain in scotland will also begin to ease going into thursday morning. but problems with flooding and disruption may continue even beyond the end of the heaviest rainfall. and temperatures are a bit lower as thursday starts. back to this area of low pressure, notice its journey away from us is under way during thursday.

it's around its back edge as it moves away. we get the cooler air moving in, and still bands of showers around as well, though maybe not as frequent as they've been recently. and there will still be a bit of sunshine to be had, but catch a shower, it could still be heavy and thundery as it moves through on thursday. again, for the most part, temperatures just into the high teens, a few spots reaching 20, maybe 21 degrees. temperatures aren't any higher at the weekend, but what is clear by then, there will be fewer showers around and what showers there are will be less intense.

this is bbc news. the headlines — police on duty during january's storming of the us capitol building by donald trump supporters have told a congressional inquiry what happened was an attempted coup. one officer described being beaten, tasered and called a traitor as rioters broke through windows and doors. the us gymnast simone biles is to be monitored daily by medics after pulling out of the final few events of the team gymnastics contest. biles won four gold medals in rio in 2016. two people have died and three others are missing after an explosion at an industrial park in the western german city of leverkusen. the former king of spain, juan carlos, is being sued by his ex—lover, who accuses him of having used the spanish intelligence service to spy on her. corinna zu sayn—wittgenstein alleges he put her under surveillance and hacked her phone.