news this hour early results in france's municipal election show voters have punished president emanuel micron's party with the green party seizing control in several major cities paris and socialist mayor looks set to stay in power turnout was historically low amid persistent fears of the coronavirus. hundreds of protesters marched in the spanish capital madrid to demand more rights and protection for l g p t people the official game private events had been cancelled because of coup with 19 fears but that did not stop members of the l g b t community turning up to demonstrate against a screen. and lawmakers in the u.s. state of mississippi cheered after they voted to remove a confederate symbol from the state flag the blue cross and white stars emblem was used for generations by the southern states that supported slavery in the american civil war it is the latest symbol of racism to be removed after a month of protest against racial injustice. while the world has passed another sobering milestone in the corona virus pandemic the number of global deaths now exceeds more than half a 1000000 with