rich preston has this report. largest country with a population of more than 209 million people and it has struggled to cope with coronavirus, with over 177,000 cases. more than 12,000 people have died — figures the who says could have been avoided if certain leaders hadn't ignored its warnings. brazil's president dismissed the virus earlier on as "just a little cold" butjair bolsonaro isn't only at odds with the world health organization but his own state governors, too, criticising varying lockdowns across the country which, he says, are unnecessarily damaging the economy. he even fired his own health minister after he recommended social distancing. and there are fears brazil will not reach its peak for several more weeks. in south america, health systems in large urban centres, like lima and rio dejaneiro, are quickly becoming overwhelmed. we are also witnessing a similar impact of covid—19 on big cities across the amazon basin. elsewhere in the region, a deadly virus is killing thousands of people, not coronav

rich preston, bbc news.ren buffett says his berkshire hathaway group has sold all of its shares in the four largest us airlines. he said travel was likely to be much reduced in the next three to four years because of the coronavirus pandemic. earlier i spoke to anthony pompliano, author of the pomp letter, who watched buffett's talk and agreed it was bad news for the airlines. look, in 2016, when buffett took the airline position, i think it surprised people. he spent years avoiding airline investments and then he owned 10% in airlines and so, in getting rid of that decision today he was intellectually honest and that he made a mistake and the coronavirus has had a negative impact on travel and the entire industry and so they have exited that position. they will look elsewhere to put the cash as they continue to invest in uncertain times. for people who do not know, he is a huge, titanic figure in the world of share buying and investing. what else has he said today? his main message was basically these are u

rich preston, bbc news.mbassador to the un samantha power gave us her reaction to the decision by the united states not to take part. madonna chipped in, that is not nothing. it says something really about the place we are in history. imagine at any other time, with any other crisis, the us, not only absent from the leadership role, but awol altogether, absent, not even there, not even in the chair. so this is really an emblem, i think, of this moment, and it's also a tribute to those who recognise that three plus years into the trump administration, it's long past time to wait for the united states to remember what it needs to be doing in the international system, and so you see president macron, chancellor merkel, the countries that comprise the eu, but not only those countries, even countries like saudi arabia have decided to contribute, recognising what is so painfully obvious just in terms of the facts at the moment, which is how connected we all are. you cannot look out for your own citizens without th

rich preston, bbc news.to the homeless was posted online, with unexpected consequences. this is the footage of food being handed to an elderly man in punjab. now the man — who has speech and hearing difficulties — left his village in telangana two years ago to find work, before becoming lost and ending up homeless. well, his family struggled to trace him until spotting the video posted on the social media site tiktok by a punjabi policeman. his son has now travelled to punjab to take him home and the family has been reunited. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones. hello. we know this spring has been warm. it's been very dry in some spots. and now news aboutjust how sunny it's been, with the met office saying provisionalfigures indicate that it's been the uk's sunniest spring on record. and with high pressure close by for friday into the weekend, most will stay sunny and dry, warm, very warm, even hot in some spots. and with high pressure close by for friday into the weekend, most will stay sunny a

rich preston has the story. the first time in 32 years. he was just two years old when he was just two years old when he was taken in northwest china. thousands of children go missing in china every year, but his parents never gave up hope. his mother, leigh, devoted her life to finding her son, giving up herjob, crossing the country handing out flyers and joining teams of volu nteers out flyers and joining teams of volunteers investigating other abduction cases. in her search for her own son, she helped 29 otherfamilies find for her own son, she helped 29 other families find their missing children. then, earlier this year, police got a tip—off about a man in southwest china and a suspicious adoption in the late 80s. it led them to a man named mrgoo, the late 80s. it led them to a man named mr goo, the used facial recognition technology and dna testing to confirm that mrgoo and dna testing to confirm that mr goo was and dna testing to confirm that mrgoo was in and dna testing to confirm that mr goo was in fact x

rich preston, bbc news.er news: two men wanted on suspicion of helping the former nissan boss escape from japan have been arrested in the united states. carlos ghosn fled while on bail awaiting trial after being charged with under—reporting his income and misusing company funds. he has denied any wrongdoing. san francisco has opened its first official camp for homeless people, just steps away from city hall. officials are calling it a ‘safe sleeping village'. there are designated spots to ensure social distancing between tents. the city had already been using empty hotels to provide shelter. san francisco had a major homelessness problem well before the coronavirus pandemic. rolls—royce is cutting 9,000 jobs, most of them in the uk. the engineering company makes most of its money from plane engines and is warning it will take several years for the airline industry to recover. unions have accused the company of "throwing workers under the bus." but rolls—royce says the impact of the pandemic "is unprecedented

rich preston, bbc news. we heard from the president in richard's report.f costa rica, carlos alvarado quesada. very good to talk to you. this was a major campaign promise for you against considerable opposition. indeed. and today isa opposition. indeed. and today is a historic day in costa rica, because it's about human dignity and human rights, not only about one specific right, human rights for all. so that is why we are happy as a whole. i was looking out the list. of course you know far better than me, there were other moves to legalise same—sex marriage in uruguay, ecuador, brazil. but costa rica is quite conservative. i think that's related mostly to democratic institutions. many conservative voices had opinions, and we wa nted voices had opinions, and we wanted to make same—sex marriage legal in costa rica, recognising it is a human right through the appropriate channels. many people in the past years, the lgbt community in costa rica, not only were they bullied, but there were also persecuted either by police, having this recognition now. so to hav

rich preston, bbc news.use of the coronavirus outbreak. it's unclear when it'll resume, although officials from formula 1 say they're aiming for the start ofjuly. but one british man wasn't prepared to wait and has created his own, unusual racing machine. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. kevin next lives for speed. he isa kevin next lives for speed. he is a self—confessed petrol head, a car connoisseur. a motorsport maniac! but he does not just make do motorsport maniac! but he does notjust make do with any old vehicles. oh no! he thinks a little out of the box. he calls it the barrow of speed, the new pierced bit of gardening equipment you are likely to see. somebody donated their mopeds which was not running. i got it running and everything else was scraps and bits and pieces i had around. now, i built this amazing machine and it has actually turned out far better than i thought. it is such fun!! kevin already holds the world record for the world ‘s fastest shed. now we aim to do the same with this deluxe wh

rich preston, bbc news.ormer staff member nearly 30 years ago. in a tv interview, the presumptive democratic nominee for president said the incident never happened. tara reade claims mr biden, then a senatorfrom delaware, assaulted her in the halls of congress in 1993. the bbc‘s jane 0'brien has more. presidential nomineejoe biden... after presidential nomineejoe biden. .. after weeks of silence about an allegation of sexual assault that has dogged his campaign, former vice president joe biden went on national television in an effort to clear his name and reassure voters. did you sexually assault tara reade? no, it is not true. i am saying it unequivocally, it never, never happened, and it didn't, it never happened. tara reade worked in mr biden‘s send office in the early 1990s when, she says, she filed a complaint against him. —— senate office. mr biden has asked the national archive to release any such documents. if there is any complaint, that is where it would be, that is where it would be, that is where

rich preston, bbc news.a bit. or in this case, fins. a tour group off laguna beach in california enjoyed seeing a ‘super—pod' of dolphins this past weekend — there were at least a—thousand of the creatures. experts say dolphins live like that to avoid predators like sharks. hello there. tuesday was very sunny and very warm for some of us but not for all. in fact, it was the warmest day of the year so far — with 26 degrees recorded in stjames' park in london. but i suspect wednesday will be warmer still and a little more widespread across the country. however, it's going to be a chance of a few thunderstorms on thursday, then as we head into the weekend, fresherfor all of us. but for the time being, high—pressure, the dominant feature, and it's keeping these weather fronts out in the atlantic for the moment. that's allowing ahead of it a southerly feed of very warm air coming up from the very near continent. so despite a little bit of early morning mist and fog around, it will be a mild start, as you can see,

rich preston, bbc news., kim jong—un, is reported to have made his first public appearance in almost a month. the report can't be independently verified. us health authorities have given emergency authorization for use of the experimental anti—viral drug remdesivir as a treatment for covid—19. turning now to spain, and the government there is expecting the nation's economy to shink more than 10% this year. millions will lose theirjobs. the country's tourism sector is especially at risk, as lockdown measures continue to keep would—be travellers at home. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports from the spanish coast. spain — the second most visited country on earth, now as quiet as a desert island. this is high season, but in benidorm the only footprints in the sand are those left by the seagulls. benidorm is a place built entirely on tourism. it has 65,000 hotel beds. no people. zero. so the mayor presides over a wasteland — like a chemical agent has been dropped here, he says. spain says it may a

rich preston, bbc news. across the united states are experiencing a big spike in coronavirus cases leading to shortages. more than 20 plants across the united states were forced to close. president trump has ordered meat plants to stay open during the pandemic, declaring them critical infrastructure for their role in the nation's food supply. colorado has been particularly badly affected. michael elizabeth sa kas is our reporter with colorado public radio. she's in denver. thanks very much for being with us, what is the particular issue here? the centres for disease control has released a report looking at these plants across the nation, about 19 different states have had outbreaks and they are seeing that people are having to work really closely together, they are also multigenerational families, a lot of these people are immigrants or refugees that work in these plants and they commute back and forth to work, so there is a lot of close proximity together and they are also finding that they are struggling t

rich preston has this report.pita, the ninth richest country in the world. in geneva, this ice rink has been converted to a food bank. volunteers sorting basic supplies for those in need. on saturday, people began lining up at 5:00 in the morning. by the time doors opened at 9:00am, the queue was over a kilometre long. last week, organises said 2,000 people had attended. swiss officials sayjust over 500,000 people in the country live in poverty, but the current crisis has exacerbated their problem, putting an immediate stop on many wages. translation: communities of workers in the domestic economy and catering have existed for a very long time. this crisis brings them out because they are people who are paid by their work immediately, so if there is a lockdown, people cannot go to work and they won't receive money. many of those in need are migrants working in restaurants, cafes and homes. translation: at the end of the month, my pockets will be empty. we have bills to pay, insurance, everything. so we will feel i

rich preston, bbc news.abdullah, have finally agreed to share power again. the two had been at loggerheads for months following last year's disputed general election, just as they were after the poll in 2014. but this time there is the added complication of covid—19 and a recent surge in taliban violence. anbarasan ethirajan reports. every day, war—weary afghans pray for peace, more so in the past few months. the country has been battling the twin threats of the taliban and coronavirus. the brutality of some of the recent attacks claimed by the is group have shocked even this war—torn nation. people were in disbelief when newborn babies and nursing mothers became the target. all this happened amid a bitter dispute over who won last year's presidential election. at last, some hope, as the wrangling political rivals say they have reached a deal. mrghani will remain president, but his rival, abdullah abdullah, will get to choose half the cabinet. translation: today is a historic day for afghanistan. afghans hav

rich preston, bbc news. hit by coronavirus but within it, the state of hawaii has a relatively low number of infections with just over 600 cases. however, the economic impacts has been felt hard — the island state gets the bulk of its income from tourism, an industry devastated by the crisis. tom george is a reporterfor kitvii island news in hawaii. he explained how the state discouraged visitors by requiring them to self—quarantine for 1h days. we have this mandatory quarantine and state leaders here have really had to balance the health of the island community with having tourists. as you said, we rely on tourism and we really are the only state that has this really strict ban coming through because basically, what this originated from was that the federal government can't actually ban travel. what they did instead was get rid of any incentive you would have to come to hawaii. that's why they have this mandatory 14—day quarantine. basically what happens is, as soon as you land, you get a form, and they try

rich preston, thank you.et some of the day's other news: new coronavirus infections are on the rise again in germanyjust days after the country eased some lockdown measures. officialfigures suggest the number of people that a sick person could infect — that r value — has risen above one, meaning the number of cases is growing. china has confirmed five new cases of the virus in wuhan, that's the original epicentre fo the disease. it's the second day running that new cases have emerged from the city. in total, 17 new cases were confirmed across china, that is the highest number for two weeks. and in the us, vice president mike pence is reported to be self—isolating after an aide was diagnosed with coronavirus. his press secretary, katie miller, has tested positive. her husband stephen is a senior advisor to president trump. the white house hasn't commented on the vice president's self—isolation, but has previously stated both he and president trump were being tested daily. now, one of the many questions being a

rich preston, bbc news.tain, prime minister borisjohnson has said he was given "litres and litres of oxygen" to keep him alive, when he was in hospital with the coronavirus. he also revealed that "contingency plans" had been made in case of his death. ministers are studying plans to get the economy restarted, including measures to help domestic violence victims. chris mason reports. this is what relative liberation looks like right now — being able to throwjunk into a skip. in manchester this afternoon, the prospect of a trip to the reopened tip had people queueing to get in. just couldn't wait to get rid of the stuff before it piles up anymore! at this time of year, everyone is in lockdown in the garden and you are piling up waste all the time. and you need to start emptying them as soon as possible. at today's government news conference, the focus for the communities secretary was offering new support for victims of domestic abuse in england. today, i can announce a package of over £76 million in newfundin

rich preston, bbc news.he country ha rdest—hit by coronavirus — but within it, the state of hawaii has a relatively low number of infections — with just over 600 cases. however, the economic impacts has been felt hard — the island state gets the bulk of its income fom tourism — an industry devestated by the crisis. tom george is a reporter for kitvii island news. he joins us from honolulu. thank you very much for being with us. we all know right around the world hawaii is full, relies on tourism, but of course with people not being able to travel, what are the impacts their? well, that is the catch—22. that is what a lot of wines are having. we have this mandatory quarantine and state leaders here have really had to balance the health of the island community with having tourist. as you said, we rely on tourism and really are the only state that has this really strict and coming through because basically, what this originated from was that the federal government can't actually ban travel. what they did instea

rich preston, bbc news. the lockdown caused by the pandemic. schools, shops and restaurants are being gradually re—opened. but for some people, the process isnt happening fast enough, as was seen in may day protests across the globe. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. the pandemic is a health crisis but it‘s an economic crisis as well. here in chile, police used tear gas and water cannon to break up may day protests in the city of valparaiso. local media says dozens of people we re media says dozens of people were arrested, people desperate for government help. similar protests to base in argentina. a socially distanced march through the streets of buenos aires. this is a country already deeply in debt but these people say the poor must ta ke these people say the poor must take priority. translation: we, the unemployed enabled activists, are here to you can‘t go through quarantine if you are going hungry. the country‘s resources must be for the working people, not the imf. in south africa, the anger wasn‘t about

rich preston has this report., san jose, alexandria and dunya were married, costa rica's first same—sex wedding. that first televised ceremony came after three hours of special programming dedicated to celebrating marriage equality. translation: the approval of same—sex marriage in costa rica is perfect. it's something that families who are legally unprotected need, we especially need that recognition for the rights of our children. translation: we are a recognised family under the law from now on. with the law changed, couples made their vows across the country on tuesday. for some, being able to marry the person they love has been a long time coming. translation: it means we have progressed in law. now we have to progress in society, searching for equality. this is a stepping stone towards equality, that makes us keep up the fight for respect that those of us with a different sexual orientation deserve. messages of support came flooding in. costa rica's president carlos alvarado tweeting: "today we celebrate lib

with me is our reporter rich preston.erence between the nations a real difference between the nations of the united kingdom. as we heard, the lockdown measures that have been in place are devolved matters so this uk wide broadcast from borisjohnson was reallyjust this uk wide broadcast from boris johnson was really just a message to the people of england and as we heard our correspondence they're saying, the messages in northern ireland, wales and scotland are staying very clearly as stay—at—home advice on a real sense of frustration that boris johnson has gone off on a tangent these three other leaders didn't want him to. it's quite a long address to the uk and a big plan, a lot of it conditional. it's understandable. i wonder if the end result was very clear for people. i think it wasn't. there is lots of confusion around this. take employers, for example. there was this message in the evening telling people they are encouraged to go back to work. some people thinking of now got 12 hours notice, that i'm expected to be

rich preston reports.s a video conference at the world's most powerful people with the most pressing goal of the moment in mind, vaccines for coronavirus. we need to develop, produce and avoid them to every single corner of the world. we must ensure that they are available and affordable for all. this is why we must all chip in to finance this truly global endemic. countries across the european union took part, as did those like south africa, saudi arabia, mexico and canada. translation: because we need to accelerate the research, because we have essential work to do on equal access to diagnostics and treatment, because in the end, nothing will be possible if we don't support the health system. for this, france don't support the health system. forthis, france will commit to 500 million euros. on the gaps of the irish people, i pledge 18 million euros. this will be pays over the course of the next five years. some of the next five years. some of the poorest countries in the world will have access to the cov

rich preston, bbc news. stage in the easing of the lockdown in england. speaking at the daily downing street briefing, borisjohnson said up to six people would be able to meet in a back garden or park but social distancing remains mandatory. and there's good news for football fans the pandemic has led to all kinds of businesses and activities being suspended. shops, restaurants, sporting events — all of them were curtailed to some extent or another. something you can add to that list is mountaineering, which was almost completely halted when covid—19 took hold. the consequences for many have been dramatic, as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. in the age of coronavirus, it can be surprisingly quiet at the top of the world. this chinese survey team are at the summit of mount everest and the habit to themselves. normally, they are queueing up with this view and with climbing suspended, and the official expeditions like this one are allowed. the impact on nepal has been stark. tourism is the lifeblood of kathmandu.

rich preston, bbc news. of the poorest areas of the capital, santiago, amid tension over food shortages during lockdown. despite the fact that as part of the quarantine people in santiago must stay at home, many took to the streets to protest against the shortage of food and aid. speaking to the media, some pointed out their protest was not against the quarantine, but against the conditions they are currently living in. president sebastian pinera, in a televised address after the protests, pledged to get food to those in need. frederic yonnet is a jazz musician who toured the world with prince and stevie wonder. now he's playing for audiences closer to home. he's been performing for his neighbours in washington, dc, bringing weekend joy during these troubled times. here's his story. my name is frederic yonnet, i'm a french harmonica player. i moved to washington, dc, in 2001. i've toured with prince for a few years and stevie wonder for a few years. i am trying to make harmonica popular again. we were about

rich preston, bbc news.chard penniman, better known as little richard, has died of bone cancer at the age of 87. in a statement his lawyer said "little richard passed away this morning in tennessee — he was loved by his family and adored by millions". david sillito looks back at his life. # wop—bop—a—loo—mop alop—bom—bom. # tutti frutti, oh rutti.# little richard and tutti frutti — nothing had sounded quite like this before. and while it would be going too far to say he invented rock and roll, he was certainly one of the founding fathers. i wanted to sound different. me and the young kids, we was tired of all those slow tracks, we wanted to boogie. lucille, long tall sally, good golly miss molly, his run of hits became rock and roll standards. of course, in 1950s america, his songs often reached a bigger audience when covered by white artists. did you know that elvis presley and pat boone sold more of tutti frutti than i did? and then, in 1957, he quit music to become a preacher. the tussle between god and t

rich preston, bbc news.ffett says he has sold all of his shares in the four largest airlines after saying travel will be dramatically reduced over the next four yea rs reduced over the next four years because a coronavirus. and we have the author of a book and he watched his talk earlier. anthony, good to see you, so this not good news for the airlines there at all? look, in 2016, when he took the airline position, a surprise people. he spent years avoiding airline investments and then he owned 10% in one airlines are getting rid of that decision today he was intellectually honest and that he made a mistake and the coronavirus has had a negative impact on travel and the entire industry and so they have exited that position. they will look elsewhere to put the cash as they continue to invest in uncertain times. for people who do not know, he is a huge, titanic figure in the world of share buying and investing. what else did he say today? his main message was basically these are uncertain times but he along wi

rich preston, bbc news. of lockdown may appear to pose more challenges than imposing one in the first place, but denmark seems to be making it work. it was one of the first countries to ease restrictions after containing the virus early on, as gene mackenzie reports. go on, peer into the future. bank holiday beers, saturday mornings at the nail shop. this is life after lockdown. it's like normal life almost! laughter it's weird, such a little thing, like, getting your nails done, but, yeah, it feels nice. how does it feel... to be reopened? i'm so happy! but for now, tracy's only allowed two customers at a time. ijust wash my hands and keep my mask on, i feel super comfortable, actually. denmark locked down early, before they'd had a single death, and started reopening after a month. what gave you the confidence to start reopening? we didn't reach the max capacity of our health sector. we had a virus spreading that was slowing down, so this gave us the room for reopening business. and meeting friends again i

rich preston, bbc news.has stressed that it's everyone's civic duty to cooperate with the new test and trace scheme set to roll—out in england injust the coming hours. the strategy will help health authorities find people who come into close contact with those infected. anyone who tests positive will be contacted by the health service, the nhs, and asked to disclose where they have been and who they have been in contact with. the aim is to help facilitate a move from a nationwide lockdown, towards more targeted safety measures. it was a nail—biter of a decision. the launch of the spacex rocket from florida's famed cape canaveral was years in the making. if successful, it would be the first time a commercial aircraft put people into orbit, bound for the international space station. but mother nature had other plans as our science editor david shukman reports. heavy cloud over the launch pads, the weather ominous for this new era in space. two astronauts, doug hurley and bob behnken, getting ready. veterans wi

rich preston has the story.time in 32 years. mao yin was just two years old when he was taken in shanxi province in north—west china. thousands of children go missing in china every year, but his parents never gave up hope. his mother, li, devoted her life to finding her son, giving up herjob, crossing the country handing out flyers and joining teams of volunteers investigating other abduction cases. in her search for her own son, she helped 29 other families find their missing children. then, earlier this year, police got a tip—off about a man in south—west china and a suspicious adoption in the late ‘80s. it led them to a man named mrgu. they used facial recognition technology and dna testing to confirm that mr gu was in fact mao yin — leading to monday's emotional reunion. and what the signs verified to many can be seen just by looking. the family resemblance is almost unmistakable. rich preston, bbc news. what a story. now, with much of humanity in lockdown, the natural world has been stretching its legs a b

rich preston, bbc news.hnson, we will hearfrom borisjohnson, the british prime minister, a little later on today. some controversy over that apparent shift in message we are going to hearfrom over that apparent shift in message we are going to hear from stay home, to stay alert. but we have just had a tweet from the prime minister, saying everyone has a role to play in helping to control the virus by staying alert and following the rules. this is how we can continue to save lives as we start to recover from coronavirus. and he has the hashtag there, #stayalert. that is very much the new government message, stay alert. some criticism, as you are hearing from ben wright earlier on, coming from people like scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon. also, the labour party, the opposition labour party, saying that they prefer the original stay home message to the government's new message, which is a stay alert. that tweet just in from message, which is a stay alert. that tweetjust in from borisjohnson, eve ryo n

rich preston has the story.wo years old when he was taken in shanxi province in north—west china. thousands of children go missing in china every year, but his parents never gave up hope. his mother, li, devoted her life to finding her son, giving up herjob, crossing the country handing out flyers and joining teams of volunteers investigating other abduction cases. in her search for her own son, she helped 29 other families find their missing children. then, earlier this year, police got a tip—off about a man in southwest china and a suspicious adoption in the late ‘80s. it led them to a man named mrgu. they used facial recognition technology and dna testing to confirm that mr gu was in fact mao yin — leading to monday's emotional reunion. and what the signs verified to many can be seen just by looking. the family resemblance is almost unmistakable. rich preston, bbc news. we will leave you with quite aside from california. with much of humanity and lockdown,, a super pod of dolphins of laguna beach. dolphins do

rich preston, bbc news.ident has warned of a second wave of the virus in his country. 3a new cases have been reported today — the highest daily number for a month. the small, but growing outbreak, largely emerged in an entertainment district of seoul, prompting the south korean capital to temporarily close nightclubs and bars on saturday. city officials have been tracking visitors to the area and are urging them to self—isolate for two weeks. president moonjae—in has urged the public to remain vigilant. injapan the economy minister hinted the government there may lift the country's state of emergency in some of its districts before the end of the month. a state of emergency is in effect until may 31st, but the measure may be lifted in those areas not hardest hit by the virus pandemic. the economy minister, who's in charge of japan's response to the virus, said the governent would assess the situation on thursday. the number of weekly infections injapan has been declining. more than 15,000 people have the vir

rich preston, bbc news.entleman looks like. when curtis rogers of raleigh, north carolina heard that his nanny rachel wasn't getting a senior prom, because of the pandemic, he threw one for her. dressed to the nines, the pairfeasted on peanut butter and apples, and, of course, hit the dance floor. social distancing was maintained throughout, and a good time was had by all. no question on who's prom king here — curtis, hands—down. that is it from me. i will be backin that is it from me. i will be back in the headlines for a couple of —— in a couple of minutes. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm lewis vaughan jones i'm lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. bye—bye. hello. we know this spring has been warm. it's been very dry in some spots. and now news aboutjust how sunny it's been, with the met office saying provisionalfigures indicate that it's been the uk's sunniest spring on record. and with high pressure close by for friday into the weekend, most will stay sunny and dry, warm, very wa

rich preston, bbc news.bit. or in this case, fins. a tour group off laguna beach in california enjoyed seeing a super—pod of dolphins this past weekend — there were at least a,000 of the creatures. experts say dolphins live like that to avoid predators like sharks. usually dolphins form pods of a few dozen — but occasionally you see one with hundreds or even thousands of the graceful mammals. brief reminder of the nez news, brazilfor brief reminder of the nez news, brazil for the first brief reminder of the nez news, brazilfor the first time brief reminder of the nez news, brazil for the first time has registered a daily death toll of more 1001 day. the overall death toll, 17,971. officially the total number of actions just over 271,000 stop it's not just over 271,000 stop it's not just by far the worst of country in south america, it's another third—highest in the world behind only the united states and russia. much more for you any time and all the national and international news on the bbc website and you

rich preston, bbc news.hat it's everyone's 'civic duty‘ to co—operate with the new test and trace scheme set to rollout in england in the coming hours.the strategy will help health authorities find people who come into close contact with those infected. anyone who tests positive will be contacted by the health service — the nhs — and asked to disclose where they have been and who they have been in contact with. the aim is to help facilitate a move from a nationwide lockdown, towards more targeted safety measures. it's a small thing but one of the worst things about lockdown, for many people — no haircuts. barber—shops and hair—dressers have been closed all around the world. in russia those restrictions are being eased — not a moment too soon, for one barber in particular. as the bbc‘s tim allman reports. vladislav demidovich man lives to cut hair. but thanks to the pandemic, his scissors and clippers remained unused. once the lockdown was lifted, he decided to make up for lost time, taking part in a haircut

rich preston, bbc news. hour, president trump has tweeted his reaction to 0bama's comments. he said, "we are getting great marks for the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, especially the very early ban of people from china, the infectious source, entering the usa." "compare that to the obama and sleepyjoe disaster known as swine flu." "poor marks, bad polls — they didn't have a clue!" more now that the south korean president has warned of a second wave of the virus in his country. 34 new cases have been reported today — the highest daily number for a month. the small, but growing outbreak, largely emerged in an entertainment district of seoul, prompting the south korean capital to temporarily close nightclubs and bars on saturday. city officials have been tracking visitors to the area and are urging them to self—isolate for two weeks. president moonjae—in has urged the public to remain vigilant. translation: the infection cluster which recently occurred in entertainment facilities has raised awareness tha

rich preston, bbc news. bulletin we'll speak to eric dungan, a military social worker who was deployed to a new york hospital to help deal with the crisis. in other news: president trump has tweeted that he's asked the fbi and department ofjustice to investigate the death in minneapolis of a black man who died in police custody. the family of george floyd — who died after he was arrested and pinned down in the street by his neck — have called for the minneapolis police officers involved to be charged with murder. there have been large protests in the city over the incident. the minneapolis mayor jacob frey has also urged prosecutors to arrest and charge the white police officers. this is the live shot at the moment from minneapolis with protest under way on the street. there are no reports of violence, there had been some violence, there had been some violence more recently. jeremiah ellison is a minneapolis city councillor and he joins us from there now. good to talk to you. i know you're in the north of th

rich preston, bbc news. has offered his "heartfelt thanks" to britain's postal workers for their resilience and hard work during the pandemic. in a letter left on a bench outside the duke and duchess of cornwall‘s home, he stressed the value of royal mail workers "has never been more important". that's it. i'll be back with the next news on bbc one today at 5:35pm. but, until then, bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with clive myrie. more than 70 public figures have signed a letter to the prime minister calling for a full public inquiry into why coronavirus affects black and minority ethnic communities more than the white population. the british government says it has commissioned urgent work to understand why the virus is having a disproportionate effect on some groups. our health correspondent lauren moss reports. many lives have been lost, including healthcare workers on the front line. and there is no clear explanation why people from bame backgrounds appear to be disproportionately

rich preston, bbc news.idence in the way some countries are reporting virus deaths. dr andrea ammon, who is director of the european centre for disease prevention and control, says people dying of covid—19 were not being counted unless the infection had been confirmed. chris hoy is a research and policy fellow at the australian national university who's been looking at low and middle income countries. hejoins me from canberra. you been looking at low and middle income countries in particular. how worried about the numbers i counted?” particular. how worried about the numbers i counted? i am particularly concerned because of the fact that this just has not been a widescale amount of testing we have seen in the high income countries. as a result, the true magnitude of the infection is actually unknown. and so therefore, if we don't know how widespread it is, particularly in some countries, that is a real concern isn't it in terms of fighting this? absolutely. there is a horrible trade off between the economy a

rich preston, bbc news.is set to launch later today. the spacex rocket and capsule will take two nasa astronauts to the international space station in what's being described as a new era for space travel. here's our science correspondent, rebecca morelle. getting ready for launch, a commercial spacecraft facing its ultimate test, carrying astronauts into space. nasa astronauts into space. nasa astronauts robert behnken and douglas hurley will be at the controls. they have been training for this moment for yea rs. training for this moment for years. any time for the flight ofa years. any time for the flight of a new vehicle, it is exciting, it is a bit more risky which is why we are using experienced test pilots who can handle anything that may happen that we did not expect but it is what test pilots live for, the chance to be the first want to fly a new, shiny vehicle, this is a test pilot stream. we have a lift off! united states has a long history of spaceflight, from the apollo missions which took astrona

rich preston has this report.ahu is israel's longest serving prime minister but one fighting off an attack. on sunday, he goes on trial for corruption and bribery. charges he denies. joining forces with his political rival, benny gantz, was a gamble. it's cost him the support of many of those in his own party. those whose backing he may need when his trial gets under way. but it has also put him back on centre stage, securing him another 18 months in office, and giving him the chance to get one of his great projects under way — the annexation of the disputed west bank, and the extension of israeli sovereignty. translation: the hundreds of thousands of settlers in judea and somaria, our brothers and sisters, will always remain in their places as part of any permanent agreement for peace. it is time that our palestinian neighbours, as well as people in this parliament, recognise this. palestinians see the land as theirs for a future state and international law says the jewish settlements there are illegal. mr netany

rich preston, bbc news.ier league can begin training in small groups from today. clubs voted unanimously on the decision at yesterday's "project restart" meeting. players must observe social distancing rules, and contact training is not permitted. newcastle united manager steve bruce said his players will abide by the rules. given all the rights and the training grounds but not going into the training grounds, they will not be in the canteen, they will not be in the physio, they will not be in the physio, they will not be in the physio, they will be all in their gear and dressed to basically get out of the car, go three spaces away and walk onto the training pitch itself. so everything is in place for the safety aspect of it, of course. i have got no issues and that is why i can support what we are doing, we are as safe as what we possibly can. the england men's cricket squad return to training this week. their three match test series against the west indies could be rescheduled to take place injuly, but win

rich preston, bbc news. of heavy rain. 10,000 people facing historic levels of flooding have been evacuated from their homes in central michigan. the high waters are also threatening a dow chemical facility. the company says it has shut down the plant. the governor has declared a state of emergency for the affected areas. the bbc‘s jane o'brien has more. man over loudspeaker: evacuate the area. the moment a rain swollen river breached a dam in midland county, michigan, one of two catastrophic failures in the area that sent water pouring across fields and towns. so often in recent years, disasters have been measured by records broken, and this was no exception. more than seven inches of rain, causing historic flooding in a state already reeling from the coronavirus. while we're in the midst of a global pandemic, it's really important that to the best of our ability, we observe the best practices to keep ourselves and our families safe. we're going to get through this. it is a tough time to be sure, but we are

rich preston, bbc news. here is another sign of the times.rugby league is kicking off again in australia, along with tackles, scrums and no social distancing. now, there's been criticism of the move with many in australia thinking the political clout of rugby league, the big sport, really, has meant it's got special treatment. but the sport's authorities say adequate precautions have been taken with players and staff required to stay home unless playing or training, and the matches being played in a handful of empty stadiums. simon atkinson reports. it doesn't really lend itself to social distancing, but this will be australia's first major sport back after the covid—19 shutdown. rugby league's nrl wanted to return fast. now, its biggest hurdle is winning public confidence. starting it up again this quickly seems to me ridiculously risky. if there was no such thing as rugby league and you had to invent a game whereby coronavirus could be transmitted in the quickest manner possible, as wide as possible among a group of two or three dozen men,

show a particularly large number of cases among the country's foreign workforce. 0ur reporter rich preston rich — what's the picture like in saudi arabia? in the early days of coronavirus, saudi arabia it was widely praised in quickly introducing quite tough measures to stop the spread of the disease, banning foreign and domestic travel and banning religious pilgrimages. we take a look at some of the numbers it is hard, it is had just over 27,000 can permit cases of the virus. amongst that, there have been just over 180 deaths. virus. amongst that, there have beenjust over 180 deaths. the last 2a hours, the authorities there have reported just over 1.5 thousand cases. critically, what official says that 80% of those cases are amongst foreigners. saudi arabia has a population of 30 million and foreigners make up about a third of that. of course, we know it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world but these foreign workers are some of the poorest people in the world. predominantly, young and mailand in the world. predominantly, young and mail and from india, pakistan and bangladesh. t

rich preston has this report.ts of the us are slowly starting to open after weeks in varying state of lockdown. in texas, beaches have opened stop for many, it couldn't come soon enough. have opened stop for many, it couldn't come soon enoughm is so awesome to be out of the house and in galveston, the beachis house and in galveston, the beach is beautiful. we have just been desperate to get out of our houses and beaches are one of our biggest things. of our houses and beaches are one of our biggest thingsm is really going to bring a somewhat sense of normalcy back. but authorities say there is still taking care. we are trying to dress as best we can, but our main goal is if we have a couple of thousand people here, wejust a couple of thousand people here, we just want to get them home safe. in orange county, this is supposed to be closed but thousands turned up to protest against the lockdown, arguing for their state to open up. meanwhile, authorities in san francisco have extended the stay in place order until th

rich preston has this report.s were made during a conference call involving 3,000 former colleagues. mr obama said the pandemic would have been bad with the best of governments but that it has been an absolute chaotic disaster when a mindset of, what is in it for me and to heck with everyone else is operationalised in government? he said selfish, tribal and divided impulses have become part of american life and would be part of this year's election campaign. these are uncharacteristically strong words from the former us leader, who has remained largely tight—lipped on his successor‘s presidential style. the white house didn't respond directly to the comments but said president trump's coronavirus response had been unprecedented and had saved american lives. it comes after reports that two top us officials are placing themselves in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for covid—19. robert redfield, the director of the centres for disease control and the commissioner of the food and