The World Health Organization says there are signs coronavirus has stabilised in china. However, it has cautioned against reading too much into the data, saying the outbreak could still worsen. In the last few hours, there has been a sharp rise in the number of confirmed deaths in chinas hubei province. 2a2 people have died in a single day, along with nearly 15,000 new cases of infection, and scientists have been meeting. 0ur correspondent nick beake has the latest from hong kong. Quite interesting, these official figures that chinas authorities have been giving us. That particular statistic you quote, 242, that is the highest number by far of daily reported deaths. 2a2 people died with the new coronavirus yesterday. Just for some context, the previous highest number was 103. Now, weve been trying to get to the bottom of this, and it turns out that what the chinese authorities are now doing, they are including both in the number of deaths and also the number of overall cases, people who have gone to see a doctor and the doctor has thought yes, probably you do have the new coronavirus, but they havent been tested for it officially. So that is why were getting many more people included in the figures. And, for example, the number of new cases yesterday was some 14,800. Again, for a comparison, the previous number was 3,800. So i think what were getting here is a much clearer picture of the extent of this virus. People will be able to look again, i think, at the mortality rate, but in essence its a pretty bleak picture. Many more people have it than we previously thought, and many more people have died from it. And of course, the World Health Organization saying it is impossible, really, to predict where this goes in the future. Yeah, the picture from the World Health Organization, the bigger picture, would appear to be promising. They say this could go on any direction, but looking at theirfigures, it seems to have stabilised outside mainland china. So i think, for the countries where we did see that initial spread in the early days, there havent been more countries coming forward saying look, this has affected us. But if you live in wuhan, the main city in hubei province, it seems to be an extremely grim picture there, and this does tally with what were hearing. Some people have said that their loved ones have died, they think with the coronavirus, but theyve been unable to get a bed in a hospital because they havent been officially diagnosed, because there hadnt been an official test and official confirmation. So again, for the wider picture, the world as a whole, more promising, but if you are living in hubei province, it looks pretty, pretty grim. The first case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in london, as the numbers of those affected worldwide continues to spike. In singapore, hundreds of employees have evacuated the island states largest bank after one person fell ill, and injapan, Health Officials say more than 175 people have now tested positive on board a cruise ship quarantined outside yokohama. One of the passengers, who is not sick herself, is american novelist gay courter. She told us what it is like onboard. For more on the coronavirus outbreak, go to the bbc news website. That is at bbc. Com news. Alternatively, you can download the bbc news app. The leader of italys far right league party, Matteo Salvini, faces prosecution over his decision to stop more than 100 rescued migrants disembarking from a coastguard vessel last year. Italys senate voted to strip mr salvini of his parliamentary immunity to allow the prosecution to go ahead. Rich preston has this report. Italian lawmakers are immune from prosecution for actions taken whilst in office. Wednesdays decision in italys senate removes that immunity from Matteo Salvini. Members of his own league party left the chamber, refusing to take part in the vote. For his part, Matteo Salvini says he wants to go to court, saying he is proud of what he did, and that he would defend his actions. Translation my children have the right to know that their father is away from home not because he is spending time kidnapping human beings, but because he is defending the borders and security of his country. That was his precise duty not his right, his duty. He compared himself to the us president , donald trump, saying like mrtrump, his opponents were trying to use the courts to undermine his political success. Matteo salvinis hardline anti immigrant policies have made him a success with voters. As interior minister, he routinely blocked rescue boats from docking in italian ports, forcing many to stay at sea for days. In 2019, an italian coastguard boat, the gregoretti, picked up 140 migrants trying to cross the mediterranean. While some were allowed off for medical attention, more than 100 were forced to stay on board for nearly a week. Prosecutors accused mr salvini of effectively kidnapping the people. And this isnt the only potential prosecution facing Matteo Salvini. Later this month, he faces losing his immunity over another similar case. If he is convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison. If he is acquitted, it is almost certain he will be back in the political game, buoyed by his victory, and his supporters reinvigorated by the failure of the courts to get the guy who they say are out to get him. Lets get some of the days other news nato says it will step up its fight against International Terrorism by expanding its Training Mission in iraq. Us President Donald Trump had previously demanded more action from allies in the middle east. Nato has a 500 Strong Mission in iraq to train local Government Forces who are fighting the Group Calling itself islamic state. The israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has fiercely attacked the Un Human Rights Office over its publication of a long delayed list of Companies Active in israeli settlements, accusing it of trying to blacken israels name. The Palestinian Foreign minister called it a victory for international law. Venezuelas Opposition Leader, juan guaido, has accused authorities of detaining his uncle when the two men returned from a foreign trip on tuesday. Mr guaido blamed president Nicolas Maduro for the disappearance ofjuan jose marquez at Caracas International airport. The Opposition Leader was heckled by government supporters after they landed. A 52 year old man is due to appear in court in londonderry later on thursday charged with the murder of the journalist lyra mckee. The 29 year old was shot dead while observing riots in the city in april last year. Vetera n veteran left wing senator Bernie Sanders has narrowly won the New Hampshire primary. The former Vice President joe biden and one time front runner had a terrible night, finishing fifth. Our north america editor has more on the state of the race. He is left wing, 78 years old, had a heart attack last october and is on fire. Bernie sanders, the oldest candidate running, must now be considered the favourite for the democratic nomination. No matter who wins, and we certainly hope it is going to be asked, we are going to unite together. We are going to unite together. We are going to unite together and defeat the most dangerous president in the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country. A win is a win is a win, and Bernie Sanders supporters are celebrating their victory tonight. But he hasnt smashed it like he did four years ago in New Hampshire, and that will be a source of considerable relief toa source of considerable relief to a lot of centrist democrats, who feared he might become an unstoppable train. His nearest rival is also the youngest person in the field, the centrist, telegenic gay former mayor from south bend, centrist, telegenic gay former mayorfrom south bend, indiana, pete buttigieg. The politics of my way or the highway is a road to re electing donald trump. Vulnerable americans do not have the luxury of pursuing ideological purity over an inclusive victory. But the former Vice President joe biden, tipped as the prizefighter who would knock out all challenges, is looking punchdrunk, slumped on the ropes. He came a dismalfifth last night and scuppered out of New Hampshire before the results were declared. So you hear all these pundits and experts, cable tv talk is talked about the race. Tell them, it aint over, man. Were just getting started. One centrist candidate who exceeded expectations was the senator from minnesota amy klobuchar. She is tough and has staying power. But, if you are donald trump, who held his own spoiler rally in the state this week, and you see the democrats engaged in a protracted battle where they are all waging war against each other, then life looks pretty peachy. In what was a highly anticipated decision, pope francis has opted against opening up the Roman Catholic priesthood to married men in certain remote regions. Last year, a synod of bishops voted in favour of a such a proposal for the amazon, where there is a shortatge of clergy. But the pope instead focused on other issues affecting the regions estimated 33 million people, including the environment. The popes 32 page document, called an exhortation, did not even mention the proposal, which was designed to increase the number of priests who could perform mass in remote areas. He wrote instead that new ways must be found to expand the roles of laypeople and permanent deacons, who can be married. Priests are necessary, he said, but this does not mean that permanent deacons, religious women and lay persons cannot regularly assume important responsibilities for the growth of communities. Jd flynn, the editor in chief of the catholic news agency, explained the popes thinking. Most people who have been listening to pope francis were not surprised by this, because for the past year the pope has said he was open to a conversation about married priests, but he also said that from his point of view, priestly celibacy, the state of being unmarried, is important to priestly identity, especially here in the west. So i dont think there was a lot of expectation from those who have been listening to what he had to say that he might make a major shift on that policy. And how popular or unpopular do you think this will be . Well, thats always an interesting question about pope francis. I think among those who are paying attention, those who are invested in the decision, itll probably be pretty well split. But i think most catholics when theyre polled indicate that they believe in priestly celibacy. They see value to their priests being available to them, being totally consecrated to god. So at least according to the data, i think most catholics, mass going catholics, will support what the pope has decided. Thats interesting. And just talk us through the idea of this. When did this idea come up that priests shouldnt be married, and who came up with it . Sure, i mean, its a very ancient idea going back to the very first centuries of christianity, when priests or the way we think about priests now emerged out of the monastic tradition. Monks would go and flee the world to live celibately in the desert. And the way we think about the priesthood now sort of emerged from that idea, through monastic movements that move through europe, of course, and into other parts of the world. So, while there have been married priests at various points in the world, celibacy, especially here in the west, is an ancient tradition for priests, almost to the very beginning of christianity. And so it is a rule, isnt it, so it could be changed in the future. Just because one pope at one time decides something, it doesnt mean it cant be changed. Thats right, its not a matter of doctrine or dogma, and vatican officials emphasised that today. They said its always going to be an open question. But for pope francis, who said last year famously that hed rather die than give up celibacy himself, they said they dont foresee any change any time during his pontificate. And just lastly, while weve got you, he did talk about the amazon and the environment there. What role can the church play, if any, in those kinds of issues . Sure, pope francis has a strong commitment to ecological advocacy, and especially to advocacy for responsible stewardship of the environment. He has called corporations to be responsible with regard to the way they treat Natural Resources and with regard to the way they treat their employees. So he calls for what he says is an integral human ecology that puts mans flourishing, and the family, and the dignity and rights of labourers, especially, at the centre, and then stewardship sort of emanating out from that interval. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come its a vegetable bed, but not as you know it. This camp for Syrian Refugees is using mattresses to grow food. Theres mr mandela. Mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. Irans spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said hes passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. The people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president , ba by doc duvalier. Because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special, secure box in the stud farms central block. Shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. There stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. Elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. This is bbc news, the latest headlines the World Health Organization says reports from china that the coronavirus outbreak has stabilised must be treated with extreme caution. Lets get more on that story now, the spread of the coronavirus. Earlier i was talking about japan and how Health Officials there say more people have tested positive on a cruise ship. One of the passengers who is not sick herself is an american novelist gabe porter. She told us what it is like on board. It is odd how one adjusts to a different lifestyle. I cannot tell you what day it is without looking what day it is without looking what day it is without looking what day of the week, the days blend together but we do have a routine and we are good little prisoners, we stay in our rooms and go out on the balcony and put our trash out in the appropriate way and pick up our m essa 9 es appropriate way and pick up our messages outside the door. We wear our masks when we opened the doorfor ourfood wear our masks when we opened the door for our food trays. We certainly look forward to the food, like any prisoner. And this is the poshest penitentiary ever, the food has gotten significantly better. It is very healthy and we have three choices for meals night lunch and dinner. The pastry chef is trying to kill us with chocolate rather than the virus and we have clean shaven yesterday. This is what we are down to four luxury vacation, hoping for clean sheets. But the ship is trying to make our lives palatable. They put more movies on the closed circuit system, they have people reading stories to the children locked in their rooms with japanese and English Speaking readers, they send toys around to all the children on the ship, every day they get a new prize or a toy or a game. So they are trying. But my anxiety was so bad this morning that i thought i was great, i thought i was handling it wonderfully and then i walked around the cabin and for what is wrong . Something is wrong. I looked down and i was wearing two different live. Left shoes. So in some ways i am losing it but i am trying to hold it together. Countries across the world have been evacuating their citizens from wuhan, the chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus out break. But pakistan has decided not to. Currently i am in wuhan, and here i am living with my family, and this is an apartment where i am living with my wife and three kids. Phd student asif and his young family have spent almost the last three weeks inside their home in wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began. Its very difficult for the kids to stay in the home for a long time period, because we are locked down for the last 20 days. His family back in the eastern city of faisalabad are desperate for them to be allowed to return. Translation they dont have enough to eat or drink, so we are really worried. They cant go outside. The children are very small. All the other countries have been taking their people out. Our government isnt doing anything. China and pakistan are close allies. Flights between the two are running now as per usual, but no one from wuhan has been allowed to return for fear the virus could spread. Chinese officials have praised the authorities here for not imposing a travel ban on all passengers from the country, and for trusting them to look after those pakistani students stranded in wuhan. More than 500 students and citizens of pakistan in wuhan, they are safe and sound. They are well attended and looked after by the local government. And your embassy, the Pakistani Embassy in beijing, is also following the situation. This is my community, and i am outside the apartment. You can see here all the roads are empty. Now, here i am in the vegetable market. As you can see, all these shops are closed. Only one shop is open. There are concerns about how pakistan could cope with any outbreak of the coronavirus, and some pakistanis in wuhan say it is better they stay there. For others, they just want to come home. Can old mattresses be used to grow food . Well, scientists in a syrian refugee camp in thejordanian desert are using mattress foam instead of soil to grow hundreds of plants. Theyre not just growing food for the camps, but are recycling piles of discarded mattresses and are providing a hobby for the People Living there, many of whom were farmers back in syria. Our science correspondent, victoria gill investigates. Gardening in the confines of a refugee camp. Mohammads family lost their home and their farm when they fled the war in syria. Now, here in thejordanian desert, hes able to teach his children how to grow vegetables in a very unconventional way, using old mattress foam. It sounds like the garden has made this more of a real home. Is that fair to say . Translation yes, absolutely, it makes me feel like im in my home village back in syria. About 80,000 people live here. This is essentially a city that sprung up in a very short period of time. Most of the people that live here used to farm in syria and now there is very limited space. The soil is extremely poor. Enabling people to grow their own food is a vital step towards making this a sustainable place to live. Everything gets reused, repurposed. Nothing gets thrown away. On their Sustainability Mission to the camp, these scientists found that what was thought to be a problem here was actually the way to give everyone a garden. There was a warehouse full. And it was, oh, we dont know what to do with these. There was no disposal mechanism. Id been to a landfill site and seen a tomato plant growing on an old sofa. Really . Yeah, yeah, yeah. And thats why i knew it would work. This is hydroponics. The foam supports the plants, so theres no need for soil and this method requires much less water because its kept where its needed, rather than draining away. In zaatari, this whole system is made from recycled materials. This is just one of the plants. Theres a whole, i dont even know how many are here, hundreds. Old coffee cup, bit of foam, theres the old mattress, and thatjust pops in there so it can get all its nutrients. Its amazing. Everything is recycled. So far, more than 1000 people have signed up for demonstration sessions like this. Everybody gets a starter kit. Yeah. They get the starter kit and they take it back with them to home so they can start their own. Right. It is spreading so fast and everybody is invested. Growing nutritious food in a place with limited water and limited space could provide lessons for urban environments all round the world. Victoria gill, bbc news, jordan. Scientists in south america have unearthed the fossils of a giant turtle that was as big as a car. The discovery gives new insight into a reptile that could grow up to four metres in length and weigh more than a ton. And it seems this particular turtle was built for battle. The bbcs tim allman reports. They dont make turtle shells like this anymore. And they havent for the best part of 7 million years. These are the fossilised remains of Stupendemys Geographicus, the stupendous total, one of the biggest of all time. How big you may ask . Perhaps this image will give you a sense of scale. And this is an artist impression of what the giant turtle may have looked like in the wild. Notice what appeared to be horns at the front of its shell. Scientists believe these may be used as a weapon as male turtles competed over territory and mating rights. It is thought that this Stupendemys Geographicus roamed late south america 7 million years ago. It lived in a giant wetland system spanning what is modern day peru, colombia, venezuela and brazil before the amazon and orinoco rivers were formed. This is what that terrain looks like today. This dig in northern venezuela unearthing more fossils and more secrets. When the giant turtle prowled these parts it would have been a formidable sight. Stupendous by name, stupendous by nature. And just to return to our top story, coronavirus. Reuters news breaking some new lines he is saying that the hub of Province Party secretary has been relieved of duty. Reuters also report that the mayor of shanghai has been appointed the new communist party leader in hub bob. This comes as we have seen a recent increase in the numbers of people affected, numbers of people affected, numbers of people being killed by coronavirus in her bay province. A result partly as a change in the way the figures are being reported. We invite you to get in touch on twitter. This is bbc world news. Hello there. Wednesday saw a break in all this wild weather as more parts of the country enjoyed some sunshine and the showers became fewer. Mind you still a wintry scene in the hills across the northern half of the uk and here in southern scotland in particular. It is still cold in scotland as well. We are seeing the weather changing. The wind is strengthening from the south west, pushing in all the cloud. For many parts of the country we will find rain continuing overnight, pushing in from the south west of england where it will be particularly mild. Further north we still have colder air so it is notjust rain but also snow and even in the rush hour some snow falling in the central belt of scotland. Most snow over the hills and central southern scotland and for Northern Ireland so it could be wintry for a while but it is mostly rain, even that petering out during the morning. Further south, heavy showers and those will be driven on by some Gale Force Winds across southern england through the English Channel and Channel Islands with gusts of 60 mph. Further north, an improving story with many places drying off and brightening off, still damp and grey and cold for south east scotland and north east of england. The area of low pressure bringing all that weather is going to push away during thursday evening and by the time we get to friday we have the next weather system approaching from the north west. In between overnight, a ridge of High Pressure and clear skies and it will get cold enough for a touch of frost, icy patches and a few fog patches first thing. The wind will pick up as it is already in Northern Ireland in the morning where we see wind and rain here and that will come down from the north west. Snow over the mountains of scotland this time and elsewhere the snow will melt because we get a south south westerly wind, much milder and temperatures will rise. Not a lot of rain for eastern parts of england. It is getting milder on friday and that mild weather continues into the weekend but we also see the arrival of this deepening area of low pressure that is running between scotland and iceland and that is storm dennis and dennis will be a menace through the weekend into monday. Two Main Elements to the weather. First, the wind strength reaching 60 mph, and there will be some very big waves as well. Secondly, the rain. That will be heavy at times, particularly across england and wales, over four inches possible over the hills of wales and the south west. This is bbc news. The headlines the World Health Organization says there are signs that coronavirus has stabilised in china. However, its cautioned against reading too much into the data, saying the outbreak could still worsen. China has announced a new way of classifying infections leading to a jump in the reported number of cases. The italian far right leader Matteo Salvini has responded with defiance, after the senate voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity. Mr salvini is now facing a trial for illegally detaining migrants at sea when he was interior minister last year. He said he would do the same again. Pope francis has decided not to allow married men to be ordained as priests in remote regions where there is a shortage of clergy. A synod voted in favour of the proposal last year, but the pope has been under pressure from conservative factions not to relax rules on celibacy
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