by Summary for Monday, 20th April
Welcome back to our rolling coverage, we're kicking off the week with teams from Singapore, Australia and across Asia keeping you posted on developments worldwide.
Here's what you need to know:
the number of infections in Latin America exceeded 100,000, with more than 5,000 deaths reported. Brazil has the highest number of cases and fatalities.
The water teeming with surfers at Sydney's Maroubra Beach this morning
Some of Sydney's beaches have re-opened this morning and it's not without controversy here.
Three beaches are now open and we've already seen surfers flock back to the water at Maroubra Beach. Exercise on the sand is also allowed. The city's famous Bondi Beach remains closed.
The decision, for one of the city's wealthier regions, has caused consternation as these beach suburbs also remain among Sydney's virus hot spots.
However it reflects a general mood among some sections of society who want things to get back to normal as case numbers dramatically improve.
The three biggest states - New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland recorded just seven new cases overnight, with Queensland recording no new cases for the first time in more than 80 days.
But authorities have repeatedly urged caution. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said current restrictions and the shut-down of businesses will be kept for at least another four weeks.
The message from Victoria's premier was crystal clear: "We need to be proud of the progress we’ve made but we need to know it’s very, very fragile".
People were down at Coogee Beach this morning going for walks and swims in the sea
I've just spoken with a local cafe owner very pleased about the news.
Tony Burrows owns the Coogee Bite Cafe perched at the north end of Coogee Beach. He was down on the sand this morning at 0630 where early risers had pushed aside the barriers blocking access, and "everybody was taking advantage of the beach being open.
"There's a lot of families, a lot of swimmers, it's really quite nice to have it re-opening. People are doing the right thing and keeping to themselves - they're doing laps or doing exercise, not sitting down," he said.
He said many of his customers - locals accustomed to their daily ocean laps- had been very upset when they were deprived of access to the bay.
There weren't crowds on the sand on Monday - likely due to a chill in the air - but greater numbers are expected come the weekend. People are banned from lounging on the sand and have to observe a 1.5m distance from others.
The region's mayor said he had re-opened Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches after a three-week shutdown for the "mental and physical health" of the community. Most of Sydney's other beaches - including neighbouring Bondi - remain off-limits
The world's biggest entertainment group operates theme parks and hotels in the US, Europe and Asia.
Stopping pay for almost half of its workforce will save Disney up to $500m (£400m) a month, according to the Financial Times.
Disney made operating income of $1.4bn from its parks, experiences and products in the last three months of 2019.
With the number of new infections at a steady low for the past days, South Korea is beginning to lift some restrictions.
That means some sporting events will be allowed to kick off. Guidelines for churches will also be relaxed.
The country's baseball league, for instance, will resume its games - although without an audience in the stands. And churches will be allowed to restart operations as long as they comply with disinfection guidelines.
South Korea was the first country to be severely hit outside of China but over the past weeks it has successfully driven new infections to very low levels. On Monday, only 13 new cases were reported.
Here are the latest updates from the US:
It was a lone kangaroo making its way at speed through deserted downtown Adelaide. Apart from one close encounter with a car, it owned those streets.
After pressure from religious leaders, Pakistan has reversed a ban on congregational prayers in mosques ahead of the month of Ramadan, despite concerns over coronavirus spread.
During the month of fasting and self-reflection, due to begin later this week, Muslims around the world offer evening prayers at mosques.
Under the agreement with religious leaders, people above the age of 50, children and those with flu symptoms will not be allowed to enter mosques.
All carpets have to be removed and the floor is to be regularly mopped with disinfectants. Worshippers have to maintain a distance when praying, should wear face masks and avoid shaking hands or embracing others.
The government said even a slight breach of the guidelines could lead to closure of mosques. Should infections begin to rise, authorities will reconsider their decision.
Authorities had earlier put a ban on religious gatherings and implemented a curfew to keep people away from Friday prayers, but these were only partially followed.
The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, dropped 14% to $15.65 In Asia trading on Monday morning.
The oil market has come under intense pressure during the coronavirus pandemic with a huge slump in demand with factories and manufacturing plants closed.
US storage facilities are struggling to cope with the glut of oil. "With storage filling, no one wants to take delivery of oil anymore," said Stephen Innes, chief global market strategist at Axicorp.
Major US producers with deep pockets are reluctant to cut output to avoid higher costs to restart should demand rebound. But smaller drillers face a financial squeeze under low prices and many have curbed or shut production.
That situation has kept oil flowing to storage hubs even with demand now weak
A spa in Japan has begun delivering its hot spring water to people a home to help them get through the days of virus restrictions, local media report.
The Fukuya spa has seen its business cut by nearly half and since early April resorted to using a van with a large tank to take its precious water directly to customers' homes.
In Japan it might be spring water that counts, in Northern Ireland it's Guinness beer.
In Belfast, a local pub has been providing draft beer out of refitted vans. The drinks in plastic cups were then left on the doorstep with no contact with customers.
Authorities are looking into shutting the service though as it breaches licensing rules. The delivery of spring water in Japan should prove to be somewhat less contentious.
"Covid-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking. We are in this together," he wrote on LinkedIn.
His comments are significant because they come as incidents of Islamaphobia have been reported after 30% of India's cases were linked to an event organised by an Islamic preaching group in March. It meant many Indians associated the spread of the virus with Muslims.
Many Muslim vendors and shopkeepers have complained that people have avoided them, some say they have even been targeted.
The government has called for an end to divisive tweets and posts - and taken action to back up these calls too.
India has more than 13,000 active infections and 519 deaths.
Beijing on Sunday reopened 73 major tourist sites in the city, including several areas along the Great Wall, said state media outlet Xinhua
All of these sites are outdoor areas - and account for around 30% of the city's tourist attractions.
An official with the Beijing bureau for tourism said visitation at the sites would be kept at a 30% capacity.
And it's not just Beijing that's trying to encourage people to get up and out. In Shanghai, a late night shopping campaign is set to be launched from May to June, which will see shops extend their opening hours till midnight.
What will change?
But none of these new rules will apply in virus hotspots, which will be marked by state governments.
Along with restrictions on both international and domestic travel, schools, colleges, malls, cinema halls and most businesses - except those providing essential services - will remain shut.
With the start of Ramadan only days away, the Muslim world is facing the dilemma of how to observe the holy month during the virus lockdown and under guidelines of social distancing.
Ramadan involves fasting during the day to then break that fast in the evening with a shared meal amid family and the larger community. Many attend long nightly congregations at mosques for prayers called Taraweeh.
This year will be different. In most countries, religious authorities have ruled that prayers during Ramadan should be performed at home and urged people to adhere to the guidelines on social distancing.
For weeks already, the site around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca has been almost empty.
"Our hearts are crying," said Ali Mulla, the muezzin at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. "We are used to seeing the holy mosque crowded with people during the day, night, all the time... I feel pain deep inside."
She started her daily press conference by paying tribute to "the many people who have lost someone to Covid-19 and the many more who had the terror of almost losing someone".
New Zealand's death toll stands at 12, and Ardern said she had received a phone call about each person. "We may be among the few countries where that’s still able to happen," she said.
She also said New Zealand had done something few other countries have been able to do, and almost totally contained the spread of Covid-19. Officials are confident, she said, that there was no widespread community transmission in the country, with each person now infecting, on average, less than one other person.
"Compared to the rest of the world we have done something that is incredible," she said.
As of next Tuesday, 28 April, New Zealand will move down one level of lockdown, she said. Businesses will be gradually allowed to send in staff to re-stock or clean, and schools can start getting ready to receive students again, but social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines remain.
The date is slightly further away than some had been forecasting, but Ardern said that "the sacrifice made to date has been huge - cabinet wanted to make sure we lock in our gains".
"The longer we are in lockdown, the less likely it is that we will need to go back," she said.
On Monday, in Germany small shops will be allowed to open and schools will resume for those classes that have graduation exams coming up.
Last week Berlin said the infection rate had slowed and that the outbreak was under control - while warning that people had to remain vigilant to avoid a second wave of infections.
Also from Monday, Poland will re-open parks and forests and in Norway, nursery schools will reopen their doors to children. The Czech Republic will allow open-air markets to trade and in Albania, the mining and oil industries can operate again.
However, Spain, which has one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, and France have both decided to hold off on relaxation of measures for a few more weeks. In Spain though, children will be allowed some time outside from next week.
Thyrocare, a private diagnostic laboratory in India, had just started testing for Covid-19, when the Supreme Court ordered all tests to be carried out free.
At 4,500 rupees ($59; £47), it’s not a cheap test. But the court did not clarify if and how private labs would be reimbursed. Panic stricken, some, including Thyrocare, put testing on hold.
An anxious federal government petitioned the court to reconsider - which it did.
According to the new order, issued on 13 April, the government will reimburse private labs for testing the 500 million people covered by a flagship public health insurance scheme. The rest would have to pay.
But the volte-face sparked a bigger question: can India scale up testing for Covid-19 if it’s not free?
You can read the full story here.
A Japanese virus expert has warned the Tokyo Olympics might not be able to go ahead even by 2021. The Games were postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Holding the Olympics needs two condition: controlling Covid-19 in Japan and controlling Covid-19 everywhere, because you have to invite the athletes and the audience from all over the world," Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University, told journalists.
"Japan might be able to control this disease by next summer, I wish we could, but I don't think that would happen everywhere on earth, so in this regard I'm very pessimistic about holding the Olympics Games next summer."
The decision to postpone the event to next year was controversial and Japan for a long time insisted they would be able to go ahead this summer. Only when several countries' athletics bodies warned they wouldn't participate, Tokyo and the IOC postponed the games.
The ad spurred backlash on social media over the weekend, prompting the hospital to put out another apologetic one on Sunday.
In its first advert, the Valentis Cancer Hospital blamed the Tablighi Jamaat - an Islamic preaching group - for the rising number of infections in the city. Nearly 30% of India's total cases, which is more than 15,000, have been linked to a religious event organised by the group in March.
“All but two cases in Meerut are connections of the Tablighi Jamaat,” Dr Amit Jain, who is part of the hospital’s management, told The Wire news site.
The incident has led to many Indians associating the spread of the virus with Muslims.
After a wave of Islamphobic posts on social media, the government called for an end to divisive tweets and posts.
The three last cruise ships still sailing will dock today - and one of them has had an odyssey like no other.
The MSC Magnifica left Europe in January, and was in the other corner of the world when ports began to close.
With nowhere to go, the Swiss-owned ship started the long journey home. Its passengers, used to a new port every few days, last felt land six weeks ago.
On Monday those passengers will finally get off in Marseille, having last disembarked in Wellington.
Their voyage has included political storms, presidential pleas, one death, and - despite it all - plenty of fun.
The drug has been used to treat malaria for decades and has been promoted by US President Donald Trump after some anecdotal evidence suggested it might help against coronavirus.
But there is no scientific proof that it actually helps.
"We recognise the importance of answering the scientific question of whether hydroxychloroquine will be beneficial for patients with Covid-19 disease,” the company said.
Labs around the globe are rushing to develop a cure or a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
Read more about what the evidence shows us here.
The UK is gearing up to use the blood of coronavirus survivors to treat hospital patients ill with the disease.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) wants people who recovered from Covid-19 to donate blood so they can potentially assess the therapy in trials.
It is hoped that the antibodies they have built up will help to clear the virus in others.
A major project to study the treatment, involving more than 1,500 hospitals, has already begun in the US.
Read more here.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is extremely cautious about removing the UK lockdown. He met Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary who has been replacing the prime minister as he recovers from coronavirus, at Chequers on Friday. And the overarching message emerging from that was to avoid a second peak of the virus by easing the lockdown too early.
All the language now appears at the cautious end of the spectrum, talking not of easing but of modifications to the lockdown and referencing Boris Johnson's initial assertion that it would take three months to turn the tide.
That would push us towards June. The fear is not just the obvious health risk but also the fear of damage to the economy and that it would be that much greater if you had to reimpose the lockdown.
Videos of black-tip reef sharks swimming right next to a beach, pictures of turtles, dugongs and dolphins swimming in empty, turquoise seas, and news of the first nests of giant leatherback turtles in years - these have raised hopes of a silver lining in the collapse of Thailand’s tourist industry.
Environmentalists have for years campaigned for restrictions on tourism in sensitive marine environments.
“With tourists around, there were thousands of daily boat trips all over the country,” says Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine scientist advising the department of national parks. “But once they stopped coming, the boats stopped and now marine animals can come closer to the shore.” These boats are the principal threat to marine life, damaging the coral, injuring larger animals and sometimes polluting the water.
Worapot Lomlim, the chief of the national park covering Maya Bay, said while there were no statistics to prove the correlation between Covid-19 and the recovery of marine life, the animals were appearing near the islands more often and "the colour of the sea has definitely become clearer and more vivid".
However, in the case of the leatherback turtles, they began nesting again last November, well before the outbreak. They are so rare that national park officials removed the eggs to a safer location to hatch. The remarkable recovery of the environment around islands which have been closed for three years already has demonstrated clearly that fewer tourists are better for marine life.
But tourism contributes around one fifth of Thailand’s GDP, and the government is keen to revive the industry as soon as possible. The reprieve being enjoyed by wildlife may not last long.
The Czech Republic is beginning the first of a five-stage relaxation of the lockdown today. Farmers’ markets, car dealerships and some other small businesses will be allowed to reopen for the first time since 12 March, when the country introduced one of the earliest lockdowns in Europe.
The government will discuss easing travel restrictions on Monday. Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek says the borders should open initially for business and entrepreneurial purposes, while ordinary citizens should be able to begin visiting neighbouring countries in mid-May, depending on the epidemiological situation.
Travel and tourism would come at a later phase, he said, adding that he could imagine that people might even be able to take their beloved holidays to Croatia. Around 1m Czechs, a tenth of the population, visit the country each year.
The foreign minister also said that opening the borders of Schengen should be coordinated, and that the situation in neighbouring countries would have to be taken into account.
In a radio interview, the country's president, Milos Zeman, said he wanted the borders to remain closed for a year, and that people should instead "savour the beauty of the Czech countryside".
Over 6,700 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Czech Republic, along with 186 virus-related deaths.
“We are very hopeful that later today that flight will take off and we will get those gowns,” Mr Dowden told BBC Breakfast.
"There have been challenges at the Turkish end. I don’t want to start making more and more promises but I understand that that flight will take off this afternoon and those will be delivered.”
Mr Dowden also confirmed that PPE from China had been procured and the UK would be “getting those shortly as well".
This weekend saw warnings that some supplies of PPE for NHS workers were on the verge of running out.
The country has flattened the curve of new infections and last week said the virus was tentatively under control.
Small shops, bookshops, garages and bicycle stores of any size are being allowed to open their doors, as long as they apply social distancing measures.
Schools remain largely closed but the classes about to graduate this summer will gradually resume and universities will be allowed to hold exams. All other lockdown measures will remain in place.
Germany on Monday recorded 1,775 new cases for the past day while the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 rose by 110 to 4,404, according to official figures.
The UK Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson over reports in the Sunday Times that he missed a number of emergency government meetings dealing with Covid-19 at the early stages.
Mr Dowden told the BBC: "I worked for [former PM] David Cameron and was the minister responsible for civil contingencies. It is perfectly normal for other ministers, appropriate secretaries of state, to chair Cobra.
“Cobra is basically a committee that co-ordinates action across Government and, at the early stages, that was chaired by the health secretary. That’s exactly what you would expect.
"That does not mean the prime minister is not engaged. He was being briefed on an hourly and daily basis, took a very close personal interest in this and clearly, as the crisis progressed, he then took over chairing. That’s a normal course of events.”
Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of June, the government will cover 80% of workers' wages, up to £2,500 a month, if they are put on leave.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "We promised support would be available by the end of April - today, we deliver our promise."
Millions of workers are expected to be "furloughed" because of the lockdown.
Jim Harra, head of the UK's tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the BBC the system had dealt with 67,000 claims in its first 30 minutes of operation and can accommodate “up to 450,000 claims per hour".
"If every employer tries to use it this morning some will be asked to queue or come back later, that doesn’t mean the system has crashed, it simply means it’s full.
"Employers can claim any time between now and Wednesday, and we will have the money in their bank account by 30 April.”
The University of South Wales says it has developed a coronavirus testing kit which can give results within half an hour. The test is still to be evaluated to see how accurate it is but the local NHS health board has said there are promising early signs.
This is one of a number of rapid diagnostic tests that are being developed around the country.
For example, scientists at Norwich Research Park have been working on a faster test using a similar method to the University of South Wales team.
The University of Exeter has developed a “multiplex” test – one that can both test for signs of a current infection, and for antibodies that would suggest a previous infection. This is also still in the process of being evaluated.
The Exeter team has begun trialling the test at St Thomas’s Hospital in London and says that, if successful, it could give patients an answer in five minutes.
Protesters have taken to the streets in states across the US, demanding that governors reopen economies shut by the coronavirus pandemic.
Rallies took place on Sunday in Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Washington state, following earlier protests in other states. Most of the crowds numbered in the low hundreds.
Agitation for easing restrictions has grown, despite the risk of a surge in infections should the country be reopened too soon.
US President Donald Trump has signalled support for the protests, and more expected to be held later today.
The US has become the epicentre of the coronavrius crisis, with over 735,000 cases and some 40,000 deaths. But signs have emerged that it is reaching the apex of the outbreak and that infection rates are slowing.
Welcome back to our rolling coverage, we're kicking off the week with teams from Singapore, Australia and across Asia keeping you posted on developments worldwide.
Here's what you need to know:
- the US death toll has surpassed 40,000 and remains by far the highest in the world, but in the country's worst hit state, New York, officials say the outbreak is slowing
- in Australia, some beaches in Sydney have been reopened as officials are encouraged by a drop in new infections
- South Korea has extended its social distancing measures for another 15 days but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures
- Pakistan's religious leaders have said prayers at mosques will continue during the Ramadan period but with precautions
- there are encouraging trends in Europe, with Italy, Spain, France and the UK all reporting a drop in the daily death toll although the countries have different plans on when to ease lockdown measures
the number of infections in Latin America exceeded 100,000, with more than 5,000 deaths reported. Brazil has the highest number of cases and fatalities.
Surfers may be back, but there's still concern
Frances Mao - Sydney
The water teeming with surfers at Sydney's Maroubra Beach this morning
Some of Sydney's beaches have re-opened this morning and it's not without controversy here.
Three beaches are now open and we've already seen surfers flock back to the water at Maroubra Beach. Exercise on the sand is also allowed. The city's famous Bondi Beach remains closed.
The decision, for one of the city's wealthier regions, has caused consternation as these beach suburbs also remain among Sydney's virus hot spots.
However it reflects a general mood among some sections of society who want things to get back to normal as case numbers dramatically improve.
The three biggest states - New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland recorded just seven new cases overnight, with Queensland recording no new cases for the first time in more than 80 days.
But authorities have repeatedly urged caution. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said current restrictions and the shut-down of businesses will be kept for at least another four weeks.
The message from Victoria's premier was crystal clear: "We need to be proud of the progress we’ve made but we need to know it’s very, very fragile".
Sydney beaches reopen: 'The mood is quite happy now'
Frances Mao - Sydney
People were down at Coogee Beach this morning going for walks and swims in the sea
I've just spoken with a local cafe owner very pleased about the news.
Tony Burrows owns the Coogee Bite Cafe perched at the north end of Coogee Beach. He was down on the sand this morning at 0630 where early risers had pushed aside the barriers blocking access, and "everybody was taking advantage of the beach being open.
"There's a lot of families, a lot of swimmers, it's really quite nice to have it re-opening. People are doing the right thing and keeping to themselves - they're doing laps or doing exercise, not sitting down," he said.
He said many of his customers - locals accustomed to their daily ocean laps- had been very upset when they were deprived of access to the bay.
There weren't crowds on the sand on Monday - likely due to a chill in the air - but greater numbers are expected come the weekend. People are banned from lounging on the sand and have to observe a 1.5m distance from others.
The region's mayor said he had re-opened Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches after a three-week shutdown for the "mental and physical health" of the community. Most of Sydney's other beaches - including neighbouring Bondi - remain off-limits
What's happening in Asia?
As Asia wakes up, here's a quick glance at the major developments that could define the coming week:- China reported 12 new virus cases on Sunday, eight of which were imported. Of the four cases of local infection, three were from the border province of Heilongjiang, which has recently seen a rise in infected travellers crossing over from Russia
- Dozens of members of staff working at Afghanistan's presidential palace have tested positive for the virus, say media reports. The Afghan government has made no official comment
- South Korea has extended its social distancing policy for another 15 days but relaxed some rules as the number of cases there continue to fall. Under the new rules, high-risk facilities like churches will no longer have to close
- But over in Japan, doctors have warned that the country's medical system could collapse as cases continue to grow. There are now over 10,000 cases in Japan
Disney stops paying 100,000 workers during downturn
Walt Disney will stop paying more than 100,000 employees from this week as it struggles with coronavirus closures.The world's biggest entertainment group operates theme parks and hotels in the US, Europe and Asia.
Stopping pay for almost half of its workforce will save Disney up to $500m (£400m) a month, according to the Financial Times.
Disney made operating income of $1.4bn from its parks, experiences and products in the last three months of 2019.
South Korean baseball to resume - without audiences
With the number of new infections at a steady low for the past days, South Korea is beginning to lift some restrictions.
That means some sporting events will be allowed to kick off. Guidelines for churches will also be relaxed.
The country's baseball league, for instance, will resume its games - although without an audience in the stands. And churches will be allowed to restart operations as long as they comply with disinfection guidelines.
South Korea was the first country to be severely hit outside of China but over the past weeks it has successfully driven new infections to very low levels. On Monday, only 13 new cases were reported.
US death toll tops 40,000
The virus has now killed more than 40,000 people in the US - nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.Here are the latest updates from the US:
- There was some slightly better news out of New York, which has been badly hit. The state governor Andrew Cuomo said the state appeared to have passed the peak of the outbreak, with indications it was "now on the descent"
- Elsewhere in the US, an ongoing battle between state governors and US President Donald Trump rages on. Trump appeared to endorse several protests against strict lockdown measures that took place over the weekend. He said earlier that orders in place in Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia were "too tough". Washington Governor Jay Inslee said his support of the protesters was "dangerous"
- Trump says he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel an unnamed company to make 20 million swabs. State governors have complained about a lack of swabs and testing
Kangaroo hops through empty Adelaide streets
“Protective Security Officers tracked a suspect wearing a grey fur coat hopping through the heart of the Adelaide CBD this morning,” South Australia Police wrote on their Facebook early Sunday.It was a lone kangaroo making its way at speed through deserted downtown Adelaide. Apart from one close encounter with a car, it owned those streets.
Pakistan allows Ramadan prayers
After pressure from religious leaders, Pakistan has reversed a ban on congregational prayers in mosques ahead of the month of Ramadan, despite concerns over coronavirus spread.
During the month of fasting and self-reflection, due to begin later this week, Muslims around the world offer evening prayers at mosques.
Under the agreement with religious leaders, people above the age of 50, children and those with flu symptoms will not be allowed to enter mosques.
All carpets have to be removed and the floor is to be regularly mopped with disinfectants. Worshippers have to maintain a distance when praying, should wear face masks and avoid shaking hands or embracing others.
The government said even a slight breach of the guidelines could lead to closure of mosques. Should infections begin to rise, authorities will reconsider their decision.
Authorities had earlier put a ban on religious gatherings and implemented a curfew to keep people away from Friday prayers, but these were only partially followed.
US oil prices drop to 21-year low as demand dries up
The price of US oil has fallen to a level not seen since 1999, as demand dries up and storage runs out.The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, dropped 14% to $15.65 In Asia trading on Monday morning.
The oil market has come under intense pressure during the coronavirus pandemic with a huge slump in demand with factories and manufacturing plants closed.
US storage facilities are struggling to cope with the glut of oil. "With storage filling, no one wants to take delivery of oil anymore," said Stephen Innes, chief global market strategist at Axicorp.
Major US producers with deep pockets are reluctant to cut output to avoid higher costs to restart should demand rebound. But smaller drillers face a financial squeeze under low prices and many have curbed or shut production.
That situation has kept oil flowing to storage hubs even with demand now weak
Hot spring home delivery
A spa in Japan has begun delivering its hot spring water to people a home to help them get through the days of virus restrictions, local media report.
The Fukuya spa has seen its business cut by nearly half and since early April resorted to using a van with a large tank to take its precious water directly to customers' homes.
In Japan it might be spring water that counts, in Northern Ireland it's Guinness beer.
In Belfast, a local pub has been providing draft beer out of refitted vans. The drinks in plastic cups were then left on the doorstep with no contact with customers.
Authorities are looking into shutting the service though as it breaches licensing rules. The delivery of spring water in Japan should prove to be somewhat less contentious.
India's PM Modi calls for inclusivity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a plea for inclusivity in India, saying the virus does not discriminate."Covid-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking. We are in this together," he wrote on LinkedIn.
His comments are significant because they come as incidents of Islamaphobia have been reported after 30% of India's cases were linked to an event organised by an Islamic preaching group in March. It meant many Indians associated the spread of the virus with Muslims.
Many Muslim vendors and shopkeepers have complained that people have avoided them, some say they have even been targeted.
The government has called for an end to divisive tweets and posts - and taken action to back up these calls too.
India has more than 13,000 active infections and 519 deaths.
Beijing reopens 73 major tourist sites
We're seeing more and more signs that life is slowly but surely starting to go back to normal in China after more than two months in lockdown.Beijing on Sunday reopened 73 major tourist sites in the city, including several areas along the Great Wall, said state media outlet Xinhua
All of these sites are outdoor areas - and account for around 30% of the city's tourist attractions.
An official with the Beijing bureau for tourism said visitation at the sites would be kept at a 30% capacity.
And it's not just Beijing that's trying to encourage people to get up and out. In Shanghai, a late night shopping campaign is set to be launched from May to June, which will see shops extend their opening hours till midnight.
India eases lockdown rules
Starting today, India is relaxing some lockdown rules. But this won’t apply to every state - some have already made it clear that they won’t ease because of rising infections.What will change?
- Agricultural businesses will be able to open. This includes dairy, aquaculture, tea, coffee and rubber plantations, as well as shops selling farming products - such as fertilisers or machinery.
- Public works programmes, which are a crucial source of employment for daily-wage earners, will also re-open, but under strict instructions to follow social distancing.
- Trucks, trains and planes carrying cargo will also be allowed to operate.
- Banks will also re-open, as will government centres distributing social security benefits and pensions.
But none of these new rules will apply in virus hotspots, which will be marked by state governments.
Along with restrictions on both international and domestic travel, schools, colleges, malls, cinema halls and most businesses - except those providing essential services - will remain shut.
Muslims prepare for an unusual Ramadan
With the start of Ramadan only days away, the Muslim world is facing the dilemma of how to observe the holy month during the virus lockdown and under guidelines of social distancing.
Ramadan involves fasting during the day to then break that fast in the evening with a shared meal amid family and the larger community. Many attend long nightly congregations at mosques for prayers called Taraweeh.
This year will be different. In most countries, religious authorities have ruled that prayers during Ramadan should be performed at home and urged people to adhere to the guidelines on social distancing.
For weeks already, the site around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca has been almost empty.
"Our hearts are crying," said Ali Mulla, the muezzin at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. "We are used to seeing the holy mosque crowded with people during the day, night, all the time... I feel pain deep inside."
NZ PM claims virus success
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended the country's lockdown for another week, it was due to end on Wednesday.She started her daily press conference by paying tribute to "the many people who have lost someone to Covid-19 and the many more who had the terror of almost losing someone".
New Zealand's death toll stands at 12, and Ardern said she had received a phone call about each person. "We may be among the few countries where that’s still able to happen," she said.
She also said New Zealand had done something few other countries have been able to do, and almost totally contained the spread of Covid-19. Officials are confident, she said, that there was no widespread community transmission in the country, with each person now infecting, on average, less than one other person.
"Compared to the rest of the world we have done something that is incredible," she said.
As of next Tuesday, 28 April, New Zealand will move down one level of lockdown, she said. Businesses will be gradually allowed to send in staff to re-stock or clean, and schools can start getting ready to receive students again, but social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines remain.
The date is slightly further away than some had been forecasting, but Ardern said that "the sacrifice made to date has been huge - cabinet wanted to make sure we lock in our gains".
"The longer we are in lockdown, the less likely it is that we will need to go back," she said.
European countries take steps to ease lockdown
Several European countries are starting off the new week with tentative steps to ease the strict lockdowns in place.On Monday, in Germany small shops will be allowed to open and schools will resume for those classes that have graduation exams coming up.
Last week Berlin said the infection rate had slowed and that the outbreak was under control - while warning that people had to remain vigilant to avoid a second wave of infections.
Also from Monday, Poland will re-open parks and forests and in Norway, nursery schools will reopen their doors to children. The Czech Republic will allow open-air markets to trade and in Albania, the mining and oil industries can operate again.
However, Spain, which has one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, and France have both decided to hold off on relaxation of measures for a few more weeks. In Spain though, children will be allowed some time outside from next week.
Should Indians pay for their own coronavirus tests?
Aparna Alluri and Krutika Pathi - BBC News, DelhiThyrocare, a private diagnostic laboratory in India, had just started testing for Covid-19, when the Supreme Court ordered all tests to be carried out free.
At 4,500 rupees ($59; £47), it’s not a cheap test. But the court did not clarify if and how private labs would be reimbursed. Panic stricken, some, including Thyrocare, put testing on hold.
An anxious federal government petitioned the court to reconsider - which it did.
According to the new order, issued on 13 April, the government will reimburse private labs for testing the 500 million people covered by a flagship public health insurance scheme. The rest would have to pay.
But the volte-face sparked a bigger question: can India scale up testing for Covid-19 if it’s not free?
You can read the full story here.
Doubt cast over Tokyo Olympics in 2021
A Japanese virus expert has warned the Tokyo Olympics might not be able to go ahead even by 2021. The Games were postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Holding the Olympics needs two condition: controlling Covid-19 in Japan and controlling Covid-19 everywhere, because you have to invite the athletes and the audience from all over the world," Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University, told journalists.
"Japan might be able to control this disease by next summer, I wish we could, but I don't think that would happen everywhere on earth, so in this regard I'm very pessimistic about holding the Olympics Games next summer."
The decision to postpone the event to next year was controversial and Japan for a long time insisted they would be able to go ahead this summer. Only when several countries' athletics bodies warned they wouldn't participate, Tokyo and the IOC postponed the games.
Backlash after Indian hospital says no treatment for Muslims
Police have registered a case against a private hospital in India's Meerut city for putting out a newspaper ad saying it will not treat Muslims, unless they have proof of negative Covid-19 test results.The ad spurred backlash on social media over the weekend, prompting the hospital to put out another apologetic one on Sunday.
In its first advert, the Valentis Cancer Hospital blamed the Tablighi Jamaat - an Islamic preaching group - for the rising number of infections in the city. Nearly 30% of India's total cases, which is more than 15,000, have been linked to a religious event organised by the group in March.
“All but two cases in Meerut are connections of the Tablighi Jamaat,” Dr Amit Jain, who is part of the hospital’s management, told The Wire news site.
The incident has led to many Indians associating the spread of the virus with Muslims.
After a wave of Islamphobic posts on social media, the government called for an end to divisive tweets and posts.
The 'last cruise ship' finally comes home
The three last cruise ships still sailing will dock today - and one of them has had an odyssey like no other.
The MSC Magnifica left Europe in January, and was in the other corner of the world when ports began to close.
With nowhere to go, the Swiss-owned ship started the long journey home. Its passengers, used to a new port every few days, last felt land six weeks ago.
On Monday those passengers will finally get off in Marseille, having last disembarked in Wellington.
Their voyage has included political storms, presidential pleas, one death, and - despite it all - plenty of fun.
Malaria drug trial against Covid-19 agreed
Pharma company Novartis has reached a deal with the US to go ahead with a trial of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19 in 440 hospitalised patients, the Swiss drugmaker says.The drug has been used to treat malaria for decades and has been promoted by US President Donald Trump after some anecdotal evidence suggested it might help against coronavirus.
But there is no scientific proof that it actually helps.
"We recognise the importance of answering the scientific question of whether hydroxychloroquine will be beneficial for patients with Covid-19 disease,” the company said.
Labs around the globe are rushing to develop a cure or a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
Read more about what the evidence shows us here.
If you're just joining us...
For those of you just waking up in the UK and wondering what you've missed, here are some of the latest overnight developments:- Several European countries including Germany, Poland, Norway, the Czech Republic and Albania are beginning to ease their lockdowns
- France and Spain have both decided against a relaxation of measures at this stage
- India is also relaxing some lockdown rules in non-virus hotspots - with agricultural businesses, public works programmes, banks, and trucks, trains and planes carrying cargo, allowed to resume
- In China, 73 major tourist sites in Beijing, including areas along the Great Wall have reopened
- The US death toll has passed 40,000 people, which is nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe
- New York’s state governor says they appear to have passed the peak of the outbreak as their infections slow
- US oil prices have now dropped to a 21-year low as demand dries up
Blood plasma treatment to be trialled in UK
Rebecca Morelle - Science correspondent, BBC NewsThe UK is gearing up to use the blood of coronavirus survivors to treat hospital patients ill with the disease.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) wants people who recovered from Covid-19 to donate blood so they can potentially assess the therapy in trials.
It is hoped that the antibodies they have built up will help to clear the virus in others.
A major project to study the treatment, involving more than 1,500 hospitals, has already begun in the US.
Read more here.
UK cautious about easing lockdown
Norman Smith - Assistant political editorPrime Minister Boris Johnson is extremely cautious about removing the UK lockdown. He met Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary who has been replacing the prime minister as he recovers from coronavirus, at Chequers on Friday. And the overarching message emerging from that was to avoid a second peak of the virus by easing the lockdown too early.
All the language now appears at the cautious end of the spectrum, talking not of easing but of modifications to the lockdown and referencing Boris Johnson's initial assertion that it would take three months to turn the tide.
That would push us towards June. The fear is not just the obvious health risk but also the fear of damage to the economy and that it would be that much greater if you had to reimpose the lockdown.
Thai beaches reclaimed by nature
Jonathan Head - BBC South East Asia CorrespondentVideos of black-tip reef sharks swimming right next to a beach, pictures of turtles, dugongs and dolphins swimming in empty, turquoise seas, and news of the first nests of giant leatherback turtles in years - these have raised hopes of a silver lining in the collapse of Thailand’s tourist industry.
Environmentalists have for years campaigned for restrictions on tourism in sensitive marine environments.
“With tourists around, there were thousands of daily boat trips all over the country,” says Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine scientist advising the department of national parks. “But once they stopped coming, the boats stopped and now marine animals can come closer to the shore.” These boats are the principal threat to marine life, damaging the coral, injuring larger animals and sometimes polluting the water.
Worapot Lomlim, the chief of the national park covering Maya Bay, said while there were no statistics to prove the correlation between Covid-19 and the recovery of marine life, the animals were appearing near the islands more often and "the colour of the sea has definitely become clearer and more vivid".
However, in the case of the leatherback turtles, they began nesting again last November, well before the outbreak. They are so rare that national park officials removed the eggs to a safer location to hatch. The remarkable recovery of the environment around islands which have been closed for three years already has demonstrated clearly that fewer tourists are better for marine life.
But tourism contributes around one fifth of Thailand’s GDP, and the government is keen to revive the industry as soon as possible. The reprieve being enjoyed by wildlife may not last long.
Lockdown easing begins in Czech Republic
Rob Cameron - BBC Prague CorrespondentThe Czech Republic is beginning the first of a five-stage relaxation of the lockdown today. Farmers’ markets, car dealerships and some other small businesses will be allowed to reopen for the first time since 12 March, when the country introduced one of the earliest lockdowns in Europe.
The government will discuss easing travel restrictions on Monday. Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek says the borders should open initially for business and entrepreneurial purposes, while ordinary citizens should be able to begin visiting neighbouring countries in mid-May, depending on the epidemiological situation.
Travel and tourism would come at a later phase, he said, adding that he could imagine that people might even be able to take their beloved holidays to Croatia. Around 1m Czechs, a tenth of the population, visit the country each year.
The foreign minister also said that opening the borders of Schengen should be coordinated, and that the situation in neighbouring countries would have to be taken into account.
In a radio interview, the country's president, Milos Zeman, said he wanted the borders to remain closed for a year, and that people should instead "savour the beauty of the Czech countryside".
Over 6,700 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Czech Republic, along with 186 virus-related deaths.
UK 'hopeful' PPE will arrive from Turkey on Monday
UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says he is "hopeful" 84 tonnes of personal protective equipment, which includes 400,000 gowns, will arrive on a flight from Turkey on Monday.“We are very hopeful that later today that flight will take off and we will get those gowns,” Mr Dowden told BBC Breakfast.
"There have been challenges at the Turkish end. I don’t want to start making more and more promises but I understand that that flight will take off this afternoon and those will be delivered.”
Mr Dowden also confirmed that PPE from China had been procured and the UK would be “getting those shortly as well".
This weekend saw warnings that some supplies of PPE for NHS workers were on the verge of running out.
Germany begins reopening shops and schools
For the first time in weeks restrictions are easing in Germany.The country has flattened the curve of new infections and last week said the virus was tentatively under control.
Small shops, bookshops, garages and bicycle stores of any size are being allowed to open their doors, as long as they apply social distancing measures.
Schools remain largely closed but the classes about to graduate this summer will gradually resume and universities will be allowed to hold exams. All other lockdown measures will remain in place.
Germany on Monday recorded 1,775 new cases for the past day while the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 rose by 110 to 4,404, according to official figures.
UK PM was briefed on an 'hourly and daily basis'
The UK Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson over reports in the Sunday Times that he missed a number of emergency government meetings dealing with Covid-19 at the early stages.
Mr Dowden told the BBC: "I worked for [former PM] David Cameron and was the minister responsible for civil contingencies. It is perfectly normal for other ministers, appropriate secretaries of state, to chair Cobra.
“Cobra is basically a committee that co-ordinates action across Government and, at the early stages, that was chaired by the health secretary. That’s exactly what you would expect.
"That does not mean the prime minister is not engaged. He was being briefed on an hourly and daily basis, took a very close personal interest in this and clearly, as the crisis progressed, he then took over chairing. That’s a normal course of events.”
Millions to claim as UK furlough scheme goes live
A UK government pay scheme to keep millions on payrolls despite not working has gone live.Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of June, the government will cover 80% of workers' wages, up to £2,500 a month, if they are put on leave.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "We promised support would be available by the end of April - today, we deliver our promise."
Millions of workers are expected to be "furloughed" because of the lockdown.
Jim Harra, head of the UK's tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the BBC the system had dealt with 67,000 claims in its first 30 minutes of operation and can accommodate “up to 450,000 claims per hour".
"If every employer tries to use it this morning some will be asked to queue or come back later, that doesn’t mean the system has crashed, it simply means it’s full.
"Employers can claim any time between now and Wednesday, and we will have the money in their bank account by 30 April.”
Easing off in parts of Europe
Countries are beginning to ease lockdown measures in Europe – though officials insist the outbreak is far from over. Here’s the latest:- Restrictions are starting to ease across Europe, with Germany reopening some shops, pupils returning to kindergarten in Norway, and Poland allowing people to visit parks and forests. In Denmark - where pupils returned to primary schools and nurseries on Wednesday - businesses like hairdressers, dentists and tattoo parlours are now reopening. You can read more about it here
- Spain’s reported daily death toll on Sunday was 410, its lowest for nearly a month, but the country has no plans to end its lockdown yet. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will speak to the opposition leader Pablo Casado on Monday about a cross-party response to the crisis
- French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe insisted the crisis “is not over” in his country, as the death toll neared 20,000. Face masks may soon become compulsory to wear on public transport, and the government plans to produce enough masks for everyone who wants to wear one
- A random testing programme begins today in Slovenia. Teams will visit the homes of about 3,000 people to carry out antibody tests, in a bid to see how widespread the coronavirus outbreak is in the country
Five-minute coronavirus tests being trialled
Rachel Schraer- BBC Health ReporterThe University of South Wales says it has developed a coronavirus testing kit which can give results within half an hour. The test is still to be evaluated to see how accurate it is but the local NHS health board has said there are promising early signs.
This is one of a number of rapid diagnostic tests that are being developed around the country.
For example, scientists at Norwich Research Park have been working on a faster test using a similar method to the University of South Wales team.
The University of Exeter has developed a “multiplex” test – one that can both test for signs of a current infection, and for antibodies that would suggest a previous infection. This is also still in the process of being evaluated.
The Exeter team has begun trialling the test at St Thomas’s Hospital in London and says that, if successful, it could give patients an answer in five minutes.
US faced with protests amid pressure to reopen
Protesters have taken to the streets in states across the US, demanding that governors reopen economies shut by the coronavirus pandemic.
Rallies took place on Sunday in Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Washington state, following earlier protests in other states. Most of the crowds numbered in the low hundreds.
Agitation for easing restrictions has grown, despite the risk of a surge in infections should the country be reopened too soon.
US President Donald Trump has signalled support for the protests, and more expected to be held later today.
The US has become the epicentre of the coronavrius crisis, with over 735,000 cases and some 40,000 deaths. But signs have emerged that it is reaching the apex of the outbreak and that infection rates are slowing.
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