Coronavirus - 8th May

Summary for Friday, 8th May

Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're writing to you this morning out of Asia, where we'll be joined by our colleagues across the region and in London later on in the day. As we reach the end of another week, here's a quick look at what's happened overnight:

• Brazil could face "economic collapse" within a month if a lockdown continues, its economic ministry has said, even as the number of cases in the country continues to rise. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has long opposed these measures, calling them damaging to the economy
  
• A massive operation to bring 200,000 Indians stranded abroad home is under way. If successful, it'll be India's biggest evacuation mission since 1990
  
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce some "modest" changes to the lockdown restrictions in England over the weekend
  
• Over in France, lockdown measures are set to ease on Monday, with shops and some schools allowed to re-open
  
• And globally, more than 3.8 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 269,267 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
  

Brazil faces 'economic collapse in a month'

Brazil is facing “economic collapse” because of the lockdown measures, the country’s economy minister has warned.
The stay-at-home measures could lead to food shortages and “social disorder," Paulo Guedes said as he joined business leaders protesting at the Supreme Court against the measures that are enforced by local state governors.
"Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on shelves and production may become disorganised, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder," Guedes warned.
Brazil is the epicentre of the virus in South America with more than 130,000 confirmed infections and around 9,000 deaths linked to the virus.
The country is deeply divided over whether the lockdown or economic continuity should be prioritised.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, who has long been at loggerheads with governors who enforce lockdowns, said on Thursday that "fighting the virus shouldn't do more damage than the virus itself".

Japan approves Remdesivir as Covid-19 drug

Japan has approved the use of antiviral drug Remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19, a week after the US allowed the emergency use of the same drug.
The drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Gilead, was originally developed to treat Ebola.
But Gilead says the drug has improved outcomes for people suffering from Covid-19, adding that at least 50% of patients treated with the medicine were discharged from the hospital within two weeks.
There is no concrete proof as of yet that Remdesivir is effective in treating the virus but interest in the drug continues to rise across the world.

Mexico sees record daily death toll

Mexico on Thursday recorded its highest daily death toll linked to Covid-19 so far.
There were 257 fatalities and 1,982 new confirmed infections with the virus. Overall, the country has 29,616 positive tests and 2,961 deaths.
The government warns, though, that the real number could be significantly higher than the official data shows.
Ahead of Mother's Day on Sunday, Mexico City has closed its main flower market and cemeteries across town to stop people from gathering there.

'First Movers' club meets to share tips

On Thursday, some of the nations which appear to be winning in their fight against the virus all met up on a video call to discuss what they're doing right and how they're rebooting their economies.
Austria is chairing these meetings of the so-called "First Movers" club. The members include Israel, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Greece, Singapore and Australia. New Zealand joined the first meet-up in April as well.
The leaders swapped notes on how to re-open schools, maintain trade chains and how they've managed community outbreaks. Greece is leading talks about tourism and aviation, while Israel is doing the same for data management.
Australia said it again pushed the group to consider its call for a global investigation into the origins of the virus.

Australia announces three-stage end to lockdown

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has outlined how the nation will re-open from this weekend.
It will be a three-stage plan, beginning with Step One today, Friday. This includes:

• Five guests allowed at a home, 10-person gatherings outside.
  
• Restaurants, cafes and retail shops re-opening
  
• Working from home if it suits employees.
  
• Classrooms and playgrounds re-opened.
  
• Domestic travel resuming.
  

Step Two will include gatherings of up to 20 people and re-openings of cinemas, gyms, beauty salons and community sport.
Step Three will see 100-person gatherings allowed.
It will still up to each state and territory to carry out these openings according to their own timelines and with social distancing measures in place. Queensland and the Northern Territory have already moved on some of these.
"There will be outbreaks, there will be more cases. Not everything will go to plan," said Mr Morrison.
"But we cannot allow our fear of going backwards from stopping us from going forwards."

First flights from India's evacuation mission return home

More than 300 Indians who were stranded abroad have arrived home on flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Those returning on the two UAE flights arrived in the southern state of Kerala on Thursday night and went into quarantine.
Nearly 15,000 Indians are expected to return on 64 special Air India flights from 12 countries over the next week, as part of the country's big repatriation mission.
Passengers have to pay their own fares and be tested before boarding flights.
Flights from the US and UK which were due to arrive back on Thursday were delayed as Covid-19 tests on crew were not done in time, local media reported.
Since going into lockdown in March, India has operated a few flights to bring back Indian citizens. But the latest exercise, which has been dubbed the Vande Bharath (Hail India) mission, is the most organised effort so far.

Facebook and Google extend working from home

Tech giants Facebook and Google will let employees work from home until the end of the year, they have confirmed.
Google had originally said it would keep its work from home policy in place until 1 June, but has extended it for those who can work remotely.
Facebook said it would reopen its offices on 6 July, but that employees can continue to work from home until the end of 2020 if they wish.
As lockdowns are gradually lifted and offices reopened, companies are faced with the dilemma that not everyone wants to return straight away. Having had a taste of working from home, many are keen to continue doing so.
This could suit some companies while they are busy redesigning office spaces with new social distancing measures.

China 'will support' WHO investigation into virus

China has said it supports the World Health Organization in trying to pinpoint theorigins of the pandemic, but says any investigations should be scientific and not in a political context.
The US has accused China of not being transparent about the origin of the virus and of failing to stop the outbreak early on. Beijing has dismissed any such allegations. It has also recently been saying the virus may have originated outside China.
A foreign ministry spokesperson accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of making up his evidence and "making up a lie to cover up another lie".
China on Friday reported one new case for the past day, down from two the previous day. There were no imported cases and no fatalities, although 16 new asymptomatic cases were recorded.

Life sentence for passing on fatal infection

The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has passed a temporary law allowing for jail terms of between seven years and life if a person causes death by “intentional affliction” of Covid-19.
Under the law, passed on Wednesday, the punishment for "intentional affliction" of the virus is imprisonment of two to five years.
But if a death occurs due to someone intentionally spreading the virus, then the jail term is harsher - ranging from seven years to life, coupled with a fine of $3,970 (£3,200) to $6,610.
The move has drawn criticism from some health experts, who say that this leaves scope for heavy-handed action from the state, reported The Wire news site.
But officials have told the Times of India newspaper that the intent behind it was both to punish and "encourage people to report to concerned agencies if they believe they have been infected with Covid-19".
India has nearly 38,000 active infections and 1,886 deaths, according to data from the health ministry.

US lawmakers propose renaming China embassy street

Several US lawmakers have proposed renaming the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington DC after Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor in Wuhan who got into trouble for warning his colleagues about the coronavirus outbreak in its early stages.
Dr Li had in December alerted fellow medics after he noticed growing cases of a Sars-like virus. Though China was already investigating the virus, he was told to stop "making false comments" by the police.
He later died of the virus - triggering a wave of public anger and backlash on a level that is usually unheard of in China.
It's unlikely that the street - currently named International Place - will actually be renamed. Earlier in 2014, lawmakers also tried to rename the street Liu Xiaobo, after a Chinese Nobel Prize-winning activist who has since died.
Still, the move is likely to anger China, as the feud between both countries continues.

Co-worker of SK 'nightclub patient' tests positive

When people test positive for Covid-19 in South Korea, their recent movements are publicised, in order to warn other people.
That contact tracing - which keeps patients anonymous - has won many plaudits.
Last Friday night, one 29-year-old man who later tested positive visited five nightclubs in Seoul. At least one of them is known as a gay bar - something that caused much comment on Korean social media.
Homophobia is common in parts of South Korea society. One health expert said people who were at the club may not come forward for testing, because they would not want to reveal where they had been.
And if they didn't come forward, the expert said, an undetected cluster could develop.
Now, a co-worker of the original patient has tested positive, the local authorities have said. Their company has been shut down to stem the spread of the virus.

How has Australia carved out its recovery?

Frances Mao - Sydney
More on Australia's resurfacing - the nation is aiming for most business to be back to normal by July.
We've been hailed as world leader in subduing the virus, but it could have gone another way. In late March, cases were escalating by over 20% a day - now that's down to under 1% and it's languished there for weeks.
So how did we get here? Experts point to:

• Early, consistent and widespread testing - officials now urging anyone with a sniffle to come forward
  
• Border closures and a mandatory quarantine of returning travellers
  
• Stringent social distancing regime.
  

Officials acted quickly to clamp down on any community transmission - so it never really became an issue. The majority of the 6,800 cases were related to travel - and this slowed to a trickle once airport arrivals were taken straight to hotel quarantine.
Local clusters still popped up at aged care homes and hospitals, and mistakes were made - such as the Ruby Princess cruise-ship disaster. However, throughout April, people mostly stayed home, isolated, and this worked.
When it became clear the virus curve had been "crushed", the government introduced a tracing app - which more than 5 million people or close to a third of smartphone users have now downloaded.
With that tool in place, the government feels confident it can now re-open society and business. The impact on the economy has been massive - 40% of the workforce is on some form of welfare.

Singapore may push more towards tracing app

Karishma Vaswani - Singapore
Here in Singapore, a contact tracing app was developed early on in the country’s fight against the coronavirus. Called TraceTogether, the app works on bluetooth technology to help make it easier to locate all the people someone may have infected.
So if I’m in a supermarket for instance, and later on it turns out that I’ve got coronavirus the app would have a record of all the signals of other people who had downloaded it and that I had passed on my shopping trip. They can then be contacted and take precautions.
So far just about a fifth of the population has downloaded it according to reports - officials say at least half of the country needs to do it before it can work effectively.
But some Singaporeans are worried about privacy - whether the government will have access to their location data - and that’s why there haven’t been as many people downloading it as the government would like.
Others have complained about the sucking up of battery life.
On TraceTogether’s website,  Only at that point, the app’s makers say, would someone be contacted by the tracing team.
Still, it has become increasingly clear that Singapore’s government will want more people to download the app before we move out of the partial lockdown we’ve been in the last five weeks.
As the economic cost of that mounts, more may be convinced of the app’s merits.

Pakistan to lift lockdown as cases keep rising

Pakistan will start lifting its lockdown on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday, just as the country recorded its highest daily spike in Covid-19 infections.
On Thursday, authorities said there had been 1,523 new cases and 38 deaths in the last 24 hours, Reuters reported. Pakistan has more than 24,000 cases and 564 deaths.
“We’re deciding that we are ending this lockdown now,” Mr Khan said in a televised address. “We know that we’re doing it at a time when our curve is going up... but it is not edging up as we were expecting.”
The country has been under lockdown since late March, but had already relaxed some restrictions, including allowing people to offer congregational prayers at mosques as well as opening up its construction industry.
Mr Khan added that the lockdown would be lifted in "phases", warning that people would still need to take precautions.
Experts critical of Pakistan's handling of the pandemic so far are worried about its fragile healthcare system.
“It will definitely lead to an increase in the number of cases, the number of critical cases,” Salman Kazmi of the Pakistan’s Young Doctors’ Association told Reuters. “We are concerned about pressure that will come on the hospitals.”

Bangladesh opens mosques as lockdown eases

Mass prayers at mosques are now allowed in Bangladesh, which has more than 12,000 Covid-19 cases and nearly 200 deaths.
But a correspondent at The Dhaka Tribune newspaper found that many mosques in the capital, Dhaka, did not follow the required guidelines as they opened their doors for the first time on Thursday after a month.
Most failed to arrange a hand sanitising station for visitors to use before entering and many people were not wearing masks, the newspaper reported.
“There are some shortcomings in the arrangements according to the guidelines, as it is the first day," Fazlul Haque, president of one of the mosques in the city, said while adding that they were "trying their hardest" to make sure the rules were enforced.
In April, a Bangladeshi cleric tested positive for the virus after he led Ramadan prayers for a group of nearly two dozen, local media reported at the time. The incident prompted authorities to urge people to stay at home and restrict the congregation of people in mosques.
In India, a mosque in capital, Delhi, dominated news coverage last month after more than 1,000 cases were linked to a religious event held by a missionary group. The event spurred outrage as it sparked massive Covid-19 clusters in the country.

UN calls for end to 'tsunami of hate' around virus

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an "all-out effort" to end rising racism linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering," Guterres said on Friday.
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred."
Additionally, "journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers and human rights defenders are being targeted simply for doing their jobs," he said.
He appealed for "an all-out effort to end hate speech globally," and called on "the media, especially social media companies, to do much more to flag and... remove racist, misogynist and other harmful content."

Sailor sent on Pacific odyssey over lockdowns

Yvette Tan - BBC News
It was supposed to be an idyllic trip of a lifetime around the Pacific for one sailor - but instead it turned into a nightmare.
Wong, from Singapore, was hoping to spend three years travelling the seas on his yacht, visiting different countries - but the virus outbreak meant countries started closing their ports to him as he tried to dock.
"I pleaded with them [and said] I didn't have anywhere to go. They said to head back to the ocean," he told me, about his arrival off Tuvalu.
And with nowhere to dock, the ocean was indeed where he found himself, wandering alone with no end in sight.
After almost three months, with food and fuel supplies getting dangerously low, he was finally rescued by the Fijian coast guard.
Read about his dramatic tale here.

What can we learn from the Spanish Flu?

It is dangerous to draw too many parallels between the current pandemic and the 1918 Spanish flu that killed at least 50 million people around the world.
Covid-19 is an entirely new disease, which disproportionately affects older people. The 1918 virus tended to strike those aged between 20 and 30, with strong immune systems.
But the actions taken by governments and individuals to prevent the spread of infection do have a familiar ring to them.
Public Health England studied the Spanish flu outbreak to draw up its initial contingency plan for the coronavirus, the key lesson being that the second wave of the disease, in the autumn of 1918, proved to be far more deadly than the first.

• Click here to read our full story on this.
  

China air pollution 'returns to normal'

China's air pollution levels have returned to what they were before the pandemic, environmental NGO Greenpeace has told the BBC. Some of the air quality indicators for April are even slightly higher than over the same period last year.
The lockdown has lead in many countries to an improvement of pollution levels and this had been especially noticeable in China where the halt to factory works had brought clear blue skies to the capital Beijing - which usually suffers from notoriously poor air quality.
During episodes where pollution levels had peaked like in the 2016 picture below, Beijingers had been wearing face masks - but against smog rather than airborne viruses.

What's the picture in the UK this morning?

For those of you just tuning in across the UK, good morning and welcome to the start of a bank holiday weekend.
The UK is to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day today with events taking place throughout Friday, though public gatherings have been cancelled, meaning there will be no large scale street parties or parades.
Meanwhile, ministers have asked people to continue to obey the lockdown guidelines on what is forecast to be a sunny weekend in places.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce some "modest" changes to the lockdown restrictions in England when he addresses the nation on Sunday.
Mr Johnson has also been told by bosses from leading firms that he needs to prioritise a green economic recovery following the coronavirus crisis.
More than 30,000 people to have tested positive for the virus have died in the UK.

UK rapper Ty dies after catching virus

Acclamed UK rapper Ty has died aged 47 after contracting coronavirus.
In 2004, the Nigerian-British musicians' second album, Upwards, was nominated for the Mercury Prize alongside Amy Winehouse, The Streets and eventual winners Franz Ferdinand.

• Click here to read our full story on Ty
  

The musician contracted coronavirus earlier this year, and a fundraising page set up in April said he had been "put in a medically induced coma to temporarily sedate to help his body receive the appropriate treatment".
He later left intensive care after his condition seemingly improved - but on Thursday, his press team confirmed he had died.

Russian hospital staff 'working without masks'

As coronavirus spreads more widely in Russia’s provinces, hospitals - often old and ill-equipped - have become infection "hot spots". The number of medical workers getting sick, and dying, is growing.
President Vladimir Putin admitted that there was a shortage of personal protection equipment, and ordered an increase in production. But even now, many Russian healthcare staff are scared to complain publicly about having to work without proper protection. Hear what they have to say here:

Hong Kong eases virus restrictions

Bars, gyms, cinemas, beauty parlours and other public venues in Hong Kong have re-opened- as the city continues to see no new locally transmitted virus cases in over two weeks.
These places however, will have to adhere to several conditions. Nail salons for example must disinfect all equipment before and after every treatment, and both customers and staff members must wear masks.
Restrictions on the number of people that can sit together at a restaurant, or meet in public, have also been relaxed - with the limit doubled to eight.
Earlier this week, Hong Kong had already began relaxing some restrictions, allowing civil servants to return to work on Monday.

Europe marks VE Day under lockdown

Europe is marking 75 years since the end of World War Two in unusual circumstances, as much of the continent remains under coronavirus restrictions.
It was on this day, in 1945, that Britain and its Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.
Large gatherings to commemorate the occasion have been cancelled, scaled back or moved online to ensure social distancing is observed.
But here are some of the events that are being held:

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in laying wreaths at the Neue Wache memorial
  
• The city of Berlin, which has declared a one-off public holiday, will project a "Thank you" to Allied forces on the Brandenburg Gate
  
• Closed-off ceremonies will be held in Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
  
• Politicians in the Czech Republic will arrive at 10-minute intervals to lay wreaths on Prague's Vitkov Hill
  
• A two-minute silence will be held in the UK, followed by an address from the Queen
  
• Austria will hold a virtual ceremony in memory of victims
  

Read more: What is VE Day?

Virus has 'unleashed tsunami of hate' - UN chief

Guterres has condemned the hate speech and crimes that have come as a result of the virus

A reminder of the strong words from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this morning, who says the virus outbreak has "unleashed a tsunami of hate and xenophobia".
Without naming specific countries, Guterres called for an "all-out effort" to end this state of affairs.
He said migrants and refugees were especially affected, adding they had been "vilified as a source of the virus - and then denied access to medical treatment".
The UN chief also called on the media to remove "racist, misogynist and harmful content", and on educational institutions to focus on digital literacy at a time where fake news continues to spread online.

Sydney and Melbourne won't reopen just yet

An end to Australia's lockdown may have been announced today, but group gatherings and restaurant dinners won't be happening just yet in the biggest cities.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it would be up to the states to kick off Stage One - where restaurants and public spots can reopen and 10-people gatherings are allowed.
New South Wales (which includes Sydney) and Victoria (including Melbourne) say it won't happen this weekend and gave no further indication. The two most-populous states are still reporting a few new cases each day, but they'll be feeling the pressure as everyone else moves ahead.
South Australia will open up this coming Monday, Queensland on 16 May, and Tasmania on 18 May.
The first lockdown exit phase is mainly about letting friends and family see each other at home again. Previously, people could get a takeaway coffee or meet one other person outside, but you weren't supposed to have others over.

Sleeping migrant workers run over by train in India

The government had earlier announced special trains for migrants who need to return home from cities


Indian officials have ordered an investigation after 16 people were run over by a freight train in the state of Maharashtra.
The dead were migrant workers who had fallen asleep on the tracks, while attempting to walk to a station to get a train home.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "extremely anguished by the loss of lives" on Friday.
Earlier this month, India organised special trains to take migrants back to their home villages after hundreds of thousands were stranded across cities when the country went into lockdown in March.
Many of them fled, walking hundreds of kilometres to return home. And some, with no shelter or food, died along the way, sparking concerns of a humanitarian crisis.
The incident on Friday occurred just as a massive evacuation plan in India gets underway - nearly 15,000 Indians abroad in 12 countries are likely to return home aboard 64 flights over the next week.
Read more details here

UK will take 'tentative steps' out of lockdown - minister

The UK government continues to talk down the extent of any impending changes to lockdown next week.
Boris Johnson is due to announce plans for England's lockdown on Sunday, but ministers have insisted short term changes to measures will be "modest".
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has told the BBC that "people should not expect big changes" and only "very tentative steps" will be taken first.
He added: "I think it's helpful for people to know the direction in which we're going" but said it was vital to "avoid an uncontrolled second peak".
So, when lockdown does eventually end - how might it look? Read more here.

How long does it take to recover from coronavirus?

More than 1.1 million people have recovered from coronavirus globally, but the time it takes to recover can vary.
Most people will only develop mild symptoms, which usually take a week, maybe longer. In more serious cases, it could be more than a year.
Medics at the UK's Centre for Perioperative Care say stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol, exercising more, and maintaining a healthy weight can make a difference.

Why celebrating early 'success models' can be dangerous

Vikas Pandey - BBC News, Delhi
As India continues to fight the spread of coronavirus, a few 'successful' efforts at containing the infection have been touted as 'models', celebrated and mimicked across the country. But experts say such premature euphoria could be dangerous.
The northern city of Agra, home to the iconic Taj Mahal, was one of the first Indian cities to report a case of coronavirus back in early March.
While the city continued to report infections through the month, it did slow down the spread. Soon, the "Agra model" was trending on social media as the federal government heaped praise on their efforts.
But things rapidly changed - in April, cases started to double as the early success started unravelling. Their model had relied heavily on strictly containing affected areas and isolating suspected cases. But as the virus spread to newer areas, authorities had to look for other options, like aggressive testing.
The city now has more than 600 cases - more than any other city in Uttar Pradesh state, and the much-feted Agra model disappeared from the news cycle.
It just goes to prove such early celebrations involve "great risks", warned one prominent virologist.
Read the full story here.

English football talks to continue next week

English football chiefs will hold further talks with the UK government and public health officials next week, the culture secretary has confirmed.
Premier League, English Football League and FA officials will join a third round of talks next Thursday, Oliver Dowden told the BBC.
He said the government was also looking at other sports which "could potentially take place behind closed doors".
"If we can get a plan that works, then I would like us to be able to go ahead with it because I think it will be good for the nation, it would be good for football as a whole," he said.
He stressed that "public safety must come first".
It comes after Germany announced its top two leagues, Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, will return behind closed doors from 16 May.

Russia's new cases top 10,000 for sixth day

Russia says it has recorded 10,699 new coronavirus infections, marking the sixth day with more than 10,000 positive tests.
There are now 187,859 confirmed infections in the country.
There were 98 more fatalities, taking the total to 1,723 deaths linked to Covid-19.

How the pandemic has stirred hate

Earlier we reported that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had called for an all-out effort “to end hate speech globally”. He said the coronavirus pandemic had unleashed a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia".
"Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets," he said. "Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred."
Guterres did not give any specific examples, but here some of the incidents that have been reported:

• India has seen a rise in Islamophobia after an event linked to a Muslim missionary movement - the Tablighi Jamaat - spawned clusters of Covid-19 cases across the country
  
• A student from Singapore has said he was beaten up by a group of men in the UK who told him: "I don't want your coronavirus in my country"
  
• The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said he had been subjected to racist attacks from Taiwan, which its president denied
  
• Africans in the Chinese city of Guangzhou have complained of discrimination, saying they have been forced from their accommodation and treated unfairly by authorities
  
• treated unfairly by authorities
  
• China accused US President Donald Trump of “stigmatising” the country after he referred to Covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus”
  
• A report by researchers in Israel said the coronavirus crisis was stoking anti-Semitism around the world
  

What's the latest across Europe?

Coronavirus restrictions mean several countries are marking the end of World War Two in Europe with ceremonies but no crowds present. President Emmanuel Macron is at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will lay a wreath in Berlin, and there will be a two-minute silence at 11:00 BST (10GMT) in the UK. In other news:

• Madrid's public health chief Yolanda Fuentes has resigned in protest against the Spanish capital's bid to start lifting its lockdown from Monday. Madrid has seen more Covid-19 fatalities than other areas of Spain but the rate of infection has declined
  
• Russia has declared another 10,669 infections in the past 24 hours - the sixth consecutive day that the number has been above 10,000
  
• Denmark's announced a roadmap for ending its lockdown. It started lifting restrictions back in April and has now said professional sport can resume behind closed doors and shopping centres can reopen from Monday
  
• Serbia lifted its state of emergency on Thursday and last night police arrested over 100 people involved in a political protest outside the office of President Aleksandar Vucic
  
• German exports plummeted 11.8% in March. The worst month-on-month fall since reunification in 1990 is being blamed on the pandemic.
  

Captain Tom Moore remembers ‘very happy’ VE Day

NHS fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore has shared his fond memories of VE Day, 75 years after Europe celebrated the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War Two.
"It was a very important day and everyone concerned was absolutely very pleased that this was the end,” the war veteran told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
"It was a very, very happy day."
Captain Tom achieved national-treasure status in the UK after raising nearly £33m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.
Read more: How the war veteran captured our hearts

Singapore trials robot dog in parks

Yvette Tan - Singapore

He's not actually roaming the park here, it's just a file photo

No, it's not an episode out of Black Mirror - but perhaps even more scarily, it's an actual robot dog that's roaming around a park here in Singapore.
The SPOT robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, is meant to help with safe distancing efforts, says Singapore government agency GovTech.
Naturally, people are freaking out already.
"Robots are going to rule us soon," said one person on social media.
"The sight of this chasing down anyone is downright scary," said another.
But SPOT isn't going to be chasing anyone down anytime soon. Instead, it'll go around the park broadcasting a recorded message reminding people to keep apart. It'll also be fitted with cameras that will be able to estimate the number of visitors in the park.
SPOT will be trialled starting from today along a small stretch of the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park - and an officer will initially be deployed alongside it to make sure it's functioning well.
The plan is for it to eventually be able to go out by itself across other parks. So if you come by a robot dog in your next walk - don't be surprised, it's just your friendly neighbourhood robo-dog.

Live football returns on BBC Sport

As an exciting bank holiday treat, BBC Sport is bringing you some REAL football today.
We've had Fifa, esports and virtual fantasy manager games, but for the first time in almost two months the genuine product is back as Jeonbuk Motors face Suwon Bluewings in South Korea's K-League - and you can follow it live here, with kick-off at 11:00 BST.
There will be no supporters in the stadium and special safety measures will be in place, including the banning of handshakes, restrictions on players talking to team-mates, opponents and officials, and coaches having to wear face masks.
The Korean top flight was scheduled to start in February but, like the majority of leagues across the world, has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday, it was announced Germany's Bundesliga will also return on Saturday 16 May.

British rail services to be increased

Tom Burridge - Transport correspondent
There are plans to increase train services from Monday 18 May across the UK, in preparation for the eventual easing of travel restrictions.
The move aims to ensure the railways are able to cope with a rise in passengers when some people return to work.
At the moment, only half of normal rail services are running.
Rail bosses and government sources told the BBC that services would be increased to about 70% of the normal timetable.
But the easing of travel restrictions is likely to be done gradually.
Read more here.

Red Arrows soar over London to mark VE Day

In the last few moments, the RAF's Red Arrows have flown over central London to mark VE Day.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe - where millions of people are currently living under lockdown.

Macron attends VE Day ceremony in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron has attended a ceremony on the Champs Elysées in Paris to mark VE Day.
Macron laid wreaths at the statue of General Charles de Gaulle and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before rekindling the flame at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe.
Former French presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy were among the limited number of dignitaries present at the ceremony.
Other ceremonies are taking place across France and Europe, but many have been cancelled, scaled down or forced online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more: Europe marks 75th anniversary while under coronavirus lockdown

Indian Navy begins rescue of hundreds from Maldives

The Indian Navy has begun evacuating more than 700 citizens from the Maldives as part of the country's big repatriation mission to bring thousands of Indians stuck abroad home.
Earlier today, more than 300 Indians returned on two flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the country kicked off its evacuation efforts.
Over the next week, 64 flights will go to 12 countries to bring back nearly 15,000 Indians.
Eventually, about 200,000 Indians will be brought back, report local media.
If successful, this would be India's biggest evacuation mission since 1990, when it rescued 170,000 civilians from Kuwait during the Gulf War.
You can read more details on the repatriation efforts here

Nearly half of NI's Covid-19 deaths in care homes

Nearly every other death linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland has happened in care homes, latest figures show.
Weekly figures published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency record all deaths in which Covid-19 is listed on the death certificate.
They showed that 232 out of 516 such deaths - registered up to 1 May - took place in care homes. That's 45% of the total.
In Scotland, figures published last week showed that most deaths are now taking place in care homes.
In England and Wales, similar figures show about one in three deaths are happening in care homes.

Merkel pays respects to war victims

Standing solemnly in Berlin’s Neue Wache memorial, German Chancellor Angela Merkel bowed her head as she paid respects to the victims of World War Two on VE Day.
Merkel laid a wreath at the memorial as part of Friday’s commemorations, an unusually low-key affair because of the coronavirus pandemic.
She was joined by other officials, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who made a speech outside the memorial.
We’ll bring you more on Steinmeier’s statement later.

Football is back on the BBC - from South Korea

Football fans starved of action have a treat today - with a season-opening match live on the BBC.
It's goalless so far as Jeonbuk Motors take on Suwon Bluewings in South Korea's K-League, which had originally been due to kick off in February, before being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
UK users can watch the action live on the BBC Sport website and iPlayer, while there are live text updates here for those outside the UK.

Origin of virus could take a year to find

It could take at least a year to determine the exact origins of the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Speaking in Geneva, a WHO expert on viruses originating in animals said the evidence pointed to bats as the primary source, with another animal acting as an intermediate host.
The organisation also repeated that it had not seen any evidence, cited by US President Donald Trump, that the virus could have originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Scientists aren’t sure where exactly the outbreak began. Evidence points to a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, but of 41 early cases of the virus, only 27 had a direct connection to the market, reports the BBC's Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes.
The virus will have jumped from bats to another animal before infecting humans, but which animal remains unclear.
When the Middle East Respiratory Virus, or Mers, emerged in 2012, it took a year to discover the origin in camels.
Asked last week if there was any foundation in the US claims that the virus emerged from a laboratory, the WHO said that after reviewing evidence from multiple scientists, it was assured the outbreak was natural in origin.
You can read more about the hunt for the 'missing link' host species here.

German president urges European unity on VE Day

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has issued a rallying cry for European unity during the pandemic in a speech for the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Steinmeier spoke after a wreath-laying ceremony at Berlin’s Neue Wache memorial, where he was joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other officials.
In his speech, Steinmeier evoked the spirit of European solidarity in World War Two, which he said was needed to overcome the coronavirus crisis, just as it was to defeat Nazi Germany.
"For us Germans, 'never again' means 'never again alone'," Steinmeier said outside the memorial.
"If we don't hold Europe together, including during and after this pandemic, then we are not living up to May 8.
"We want more, not less co-operation in the world - also in the fight against the pandemic."
Read more: Europe marks 75th anniversary amid coronavirus lockdown

Stranded Britons rescued by Gurkhas in Nepal

Stranded Britons were unable to reach repatriation flights after the coronavirus crisis hit transport links in Nepal

More than 100 British travellers stranded in isolated parts of Nepal when the coronavirus outbreak struck have been rescued by Gurkhas.
Soldiers in the Nepalese force, which has been part of the British Army for two centuries, used their local knowledge to carry out the operation.
In total, 109 British nationals and 28 foreign nationals were rescued after becoming marooned in mountain towns, villages and parks in the country after transport links were hit by the crisis, the UK Foreign Office said.
Soldiers, UK embassy staff and local drivers journeyed about 4,000 miles (6,400 km) over the Himalayas during the three-week operation, it added.
Sergeant Prakash Gurung, a postal worker who volunteered to join the operation, negotiated single-track roads and a landslide to reach one stranded traveller.
"Helping people in dire situations gives me a sense of satisfaction," he said.

England footballer Walker breaks lockdown rules again

Manchester City and England footballer Kyle Walker says he is "being harassed" after it was reported he had broken social distancing rules again.
The 29-year-old confirmed he went to Sheffield to see his sister on Wednesday to give her a birthday present and hugged her, before travelling to his parents' house to "pick up some home-cooked meals".
The player is already facing disciplinary action from City for a lockdown breach in early April after he reportedly hosted a party involving two sex workers.
Meanwhile, five Saracens rugby union players have apologised after breaking the coronavirus lockdown regulations.
England's Billy Vunipola, Alex Goode and Nick Isiekwe, Scotland back Sean Maitland and prop Josh Ibuanokpe were reportedly spotted having takeaway coffees together in St Albans.

Garden centres to reopen in Wales as exercise rules relaxed

People in Wales will be able to exercise outside more than once a day, the Welsh Government has announced.
Some libraries, tips and garden centres will also be allowed to re-open from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford said.
But other existing lockdown measures are set to continue.
It comes 48 hours before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces possible changes to the rules in England.
Follow the latest on this breaking story here.

Militants in Syria 'taking advantage' of pandemic

Militant factions in Syria, including the Islamic State group, are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to intensify attacks on civilians, the United Nations has said.
Reports are coming in every day of targeted killings and bombings across Syria - as various parties to the conflict appear to see the pandemic as an opportunity to regroup, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.
In neighbouring Iraq, there has been a wave of attacks by IS on pro-government militias and security forces in recent days.

China supports WHO-led review into virus response

China says it supports a World Health Organization-led review into the global response to the coronavirus outbreak "after the pandemic is over".
China has come under increasing pressure after previously rejecting calls for an independent international investigation into the origin of the virus.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday that China would co-operate with WHO efforts to trace the origin, but rejected calls for an investigation.
She added that the review should "summarise the experience and deficiencies of the international response to the pandemic, strengthen the WHO's work, enhance the construction of countries' core public health capabilities, and provide suggestions to improve global preparedness against major infectious diseases".

'Plandemic' virus conspiracy video spreads across social media

The video is being re-uploaded as quickly as it is taken down

Major social networks are rushing to take down a new coronavirus conspiracy theory video which has rapidly spread across the internet.
The so-called "Plandemic" video is edited in the style of a documentary, with much higher production standards than many conspiracy videos.
The video is filled with medical misinformation about where the virus came from and how it is transmitted.
Despite efforts to remove it, users are constantly re-uploading the clip.

• More on this story here.
  

'Plandemic' conspiracy video marks evolution of misinformation

Marianna Spring - Specialist disinformation and social media reporter
Scammers, pranksters and politicians have all been guilty of starting misleading rumours - but people passing themselves off as experts in videos like the so-called "Plandemic" video have become crucial to the spread of false claims.
Documentary-style films promoting conspiracy theories are increasingly popular, and a marked evolution from the dodgy medical advice being forwarded on WhatsApp at the start of the pandemic.
Slick production means videos often look credible initially, before promoting falsehoods. That makes them particularly dangerous.
The videos often get a lot more attention than content from the trusted health bodies they work to undermine, and the controversial experts they feature have amassed their own fan bases.
It's a game of cat-and-mouse for social media sites like YouTube, since the same item can be uploaded again and again by different users.

US unemployment rate surges to 14.7%

The unemployment rate in the US surged to 14.7% from 4.4% in April, wiping out 20.5 million jobs as the economy reels from the coronavirus pandemic.
It is the highest unemployment rate in the US since November of 1982, when it reached a high of 10.8%.
Read more: Pandemic sends US jobless rate to 14.7%
Businesses across the US have been forced to shut down to stem the spread of the coronavirus, leading to mass job losses.
A further 3.2 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.
The new applications brought the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 33.3 million, about 20% of the US workforce.
Economists have warned that the world is facing the sharpest economic slowdown since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

• Stories of unemployment, fear and hope in the US
  

Scotland deaths up by 49 to 1,811

The amount of patients to have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus rose by 49 on Thursday to 1,811.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said 13,149 people had now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 225 from 12,924 the day before.
There are 84 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, a decrease of two since Thursday, she added, and 1,584 people are in hospital.
Since 5 March, 3,016 people who have tested positive for coronavirus have been able to leave hospital.

Thirty Pakistani nationals die in Saudi Arabia

Saher Baloch - BBC Urdu
Around 30 Pakistani nationals have so far died in Saudi Arabia with coronavirus - accounting for more than 10% of the kingdom's reported 219 Covid-19-related deaths.
Raja Ali Ejaz, Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, revealed the figure during a virtual town hall.
In total, some 150 Pakistanis living and working in the Middle Eastern country are known to have caught the virus.
The ambassador also touched on the other problem affecting the Pakistani community in the region: the continuing lay-offs.
A day ago, special assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Zulfi Bukhari said in another virtual town hall meeting held in Islamabad, that 700 Pakistanis have been laid off in Qatar. They were due to be brought home on special-arranged flights for free.

US losing jobs with alarming speed

Samira Hussain - New York business correspondent
The job losses in the month of April alone far exceed those from the 2008-2009 financial crisis, when the unemployment rate peaked at 10% in the US.
Two months ago, the monthly unemployment rate in the US was 3.5%, a 50 year low.
With alarming speed, the world’s largest economy is now reporting the worst unemployment figures since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Employment in the US fell sharply in all major sectors.
The heaviest losses were in the leisure and hospitality sectors, which lost a staggering 7.7 million workers.

Some European cultural sites to start re-opening

Theatres, museums, cinemas and outdoor zoos in Denmark will be allowed to open from 8 June, the government has said.
The restrictions on gatherings, which are currently capped at 10 people, will be extended to 30-50 people depending on the event.
In Greece, ancient sites such as the Acropolis, Delphi, and Ancient Olympia will be allowed to open on 18 May. Tourism is a vital part of the country's economy.
On Wednesday some museums re-opened in Germany.

Latest developments from the UK

Although the UK is under lockdown, the country has been commemorating the 75th anniversary of VE day, the day World War Two ended in Europe.
Here are other key events from Friday:

• Ministers have repeated calls for the public not to expect big changes to lockdown in PM Boris Johnson's televised speech on Sunday
  
• It comes as Wales announced curbs on exercise will be reduced from Monday, with some garden centres, tips and libraries also set to open
  
• Meanwhile, plans are in place to increase commuter rail services across Britain from 18 May
  
• Mr Johnson said the pandemic demanded "the same spirit of national endeavour" as shown during wartime
  
• In Nepal, Gurkhas have helped rescue more than 100 Britons who were stranded in remote areas after the crisis hit transport links
  
• Tributes have been paid to Mercury-nominated UK rapper, Ty, who has died with coronavirus
  
• England defender Kyle Walker says he feels he is "being harassed" after reports he had broken social distancing rules again
  

Trump ‘totally expected’ 20.5 million job losses

As historically high unemployment figures were announced in the US, President Donald Trump seemed optimistic about the future prospects of the economy.
Appearing on the Fox News channel, Trump shrugged off the 20.5 million jobs lost in April as “totally expected” and “no surprise”.
“Even the Democrats aren’t blaming me for that. What I can do is I can bring it back,” Trump told Fox & Friends, in an interview as the figures were released.
Read more: Pandemic sends US jobless rate to 14.7%
Mindful of the presidential election in November, Trump has been keen to reboot the US economy despite the rising number of coronavirus cases.
Some states have already started to relax rules, while protests against lockdown orders have arisen elsewhere.
Even if jobless claims continue to subside as reopening gets under way, analysts say the scars on America's economy will be slow to heal.

UK day-trip trio in coastal cliff rescue

Three people who travelled more than 100 miles (160km) in the UK for a day out sparked a major rescue operation after getting cut off by the tide.
The trio left Slough, west of London, to visit a coastal area near the southern town of Swanage, in a round trip of up to five hours
Lifeboats, a helicopter, ambulance and police were involved in the rescue of two of them from cliffs at Old Harry Rocks on Thursday evening.
The third person had swum to nearby Studland Bay to raise the alarm.
Swanage Coastguard said the apparent breach of lockdown restrictions was being dealt with by police.

Scottish public urged to continue following restrictions

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged people to continue following lockdown restrictions and says the "risk remains too high" to ease up now.
“You might think, given unhelpful news headlines, that things have eased up - that is absolutely not the case,” she said.
“It will put lives at risk and delay when we can ease guidelines. The one time you ignore guidance could be the time you get the virus or pass it on to a loved one. Do not put yourself or your loved ones at risk."
The first minister said the transmission rate of the virus may be higher in Scotland than in other parts of the UK.
"The message remains the same - please stay at home," she added.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland report daily death tolls

The number of people who have died in hospitals in England after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 332, according to NHS England - bringing the total to 22,765.
Of the new deaths announced on Friday:

• 58 occurred on 7 May
  
• 124 occurred on 6 May
  
• 41 occurred on 5 May
  

Meanwhile, there have been 28 more deaths in Wales, bringing the total there to 1,090.
And there were five more deaths reported in Northern Ireland, taking the nation's total to 427.
Public Health Wales publishes figures of daily deaths, mostly all from hospitals, which have all been confirmed as involving Covid-19 by laboratories.
Northern Ireland's Department of Health figures are mostly focused on deaths in hospital settings.

See how coronavirus turned into pandemic

The coronavirus has spread at a staggering speed.
In just over a month, the number of infections worldwide has increased from one million to more than 3.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.
Many cases are not recorded, so the actual number is likely to be far higher than the one shown in the graphic below.
About 1.2 million cases have been reported in the US, which has more than Spain, Italy, the UK and Russia combined.
Read our visual guide for a more detailed explanation of how the coronavirus has spread, and which countries are struggling to contain it.

US rows back on 'virus lab release' theory

The origins of the coronavirus are a topic of ongoing controversy in US politics. Intelligence officials are investigating whether the virus was accidentally created in a lab called WIV in Wuhan, China where the outbreak began.
President Donald Trump and others close to him have said they have seen evidence that coronavirus did in fact come from this lab. China denies this, and there is currently no evidence supporting the conspiracies.
On Wednesday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was "significant" evidence supporting the lab theory - a step back from a statement on Sunday that there was "enormous evidence".
Now he has said in a radio interview that the US has "seen evidence that it came from the lab. That may not be the case."

Piglets for a kayak? Fiji barter group thrives

Residents of the Pacific island nation of Fiji are returning to bartering for goods as money becomes tight because of the pandemic.
A Facebook group called Barter for a Better Fiji now has more than 120,000 members in a country of fewer than a million people.
One deal saw two piglets traded in return for a kayak; another, hair braiding in exchange for toys.
While Fiji has been spared the worst of the coronavirus, its vital tourism sector has been hit hard.

UK 'in talks with transport operators'

The office of PM Boris Johnson says it is in talks with transport operators to determine when services could be increased in "preparation" for when the lockdown is lifted.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has claimed the government has told the rail industry to be ready to begin "a last minute mobilisation to accommodate an increase in passenger numbers" from Monday.
Earlier it was reported rail services would increase to an average of 70% capacity on 18 May.
Meanwhile, ministers are looking at quarantining foreign visitors on their arrival in the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downing Street has suggested.
The PM's spokesman also reiterated that Mr Johnson would exercise "maximum caution" when he announces lockdown changes on Sunday.

If you're just joining us...

Welcome to our live coverage - we hope you're well wherever you are in the world. These are the developments so far on Friday:

• The pandemic has pushed US unemployment to 14.7% - putting more Americans out of work than any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s
  
• It could take a year to determine the exact origins of the coronavirus, the World Health Organization says
  
• It also warns that new research suggests that the outbreak could last a few years, and that if containment measures fail, 190,000 people across Africa could die in the first year
  

• The pandemic has unleashed a "tsunami of hate and xenophobia" which needs to be defeated, says the UN's chief, adding that anti-foreigner, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment is surging
  
• Europe under lockdown marks 75th anniversary of the Allied victory at the end of World War Two
  
• The global number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 now stands at 3.8 million with 268,000 deaths, according to figures by US university Johns Hopkins
  

What's happening around the UK?

We are half an hour away from today’s UK government briefing, where Environment Secretary George Eustice will be joined by NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis.
Earlier on Friday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told the BBC people should not to expect big changes to the coronavirus lockdown in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech to the nation on Sunday.
In other UK developments:

• Celebrations have been taking place to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day with the Queen due to address the nation later
  
• ‘Modest’ changes were announced to the lockdown in Wales - First Minister Mark Drakeford said people would be allowed to exercise more than once a day and some garden centres could reopen
  
• There are plans to increase train services from Monday 18 May across Britain in preparation for the eventual easing of travel restrictions
  

Russian hospital staff 'working without masks'

Russian health workers have warned they are not being properly protected when treating people who have contracted Covid-19.
A number of front-line medics have spoken to the BBC - anonymously because they are afraid to speak publicly - about the lack of masks at hospitals outside Moscow.
"Everything is burning inside," said one nurse, who thinks she has been infected at work. "They say we're equipped but it is not true," added another.
Health officials in the city of Astrakhan said the "difficult situation is over" and there is now a "constant" supply of PPE.
Watch the full report from the BBC's Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford below.

Johnson asks Putin to help 'world’s poorest countries"

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to take part in a summit focused on tackling the pandemic.
The UK is set to host the virtual meeting of world leaders next month.
In a phone call, Johnson asked Putin to join in order to help "strengthen healthcare systems and tackle coronavirus in some of the world’s poorest countries", Downing Street said.
The conference, announced last month, aims to bring together world leaders, donors and vaccine makers to support the global vaccination body Gavi.
The two men "agreed on the importance of continuing to work together and with other countries to defeat the disease", No 10 added.
The call was arranged to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Trump says aide with Covid-19 was in Oval Office

US President Donald Trump says a military aide who tested positive for the coronavirus was with him in the Oval Office on Tuesday, 24 hours before he started showing symptoms.
The White House said the aide, widely described as Trump’s personal valet, tested positive on Wednesday.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the aide was “in the room” with him, but played down the risk of contagion.
Trump echoed comments he made on Thursday, when he said he had had "very little contact, personal contact, with this gentleman".
Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence have tested negative for the virus since coming into contact with the aide, the White House said.
The two leaders, it added, would now be tested daily for coronavirus, rather than weekly.
In the same interview, Trump said certain White House staff members had started wearing face masks - as would those serving him food.

Pence aide tests positive

Now an aide to US Vice-President Mike Pence has also tested positive for the coronavirus, officials have told US media.
The news comes one day after a personal valet to President Trump also tested positive. Trump said testing of White House staff would begin happening every day, rather than once a week.
On Friday, Pence is traveling to Iowa to meet faith leaders to discuss how places of worship can begin to reopen for religious services.
His flight was delayed by an hour and several of his staff members were seen disembarking the plane before takeoff from Washington.

UK death toll up to 31,241

A total of 31,241 people have now died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 626 people since yesterday.
This includes deaths in all settings, George Eustice said.

Italy - third country to top 30,000 deaths

The death toll in Italy has reached 30,201, authorities say. The US and the UK are the only other countries that have lost more than 30,000 people to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more here.

More than 97,000 daily tests done in the UK

There were 97,029 tests carried out in the UK in the 24 hours up to 09:00 BST today, says Environment Secretary George Eustice.
There have been 211,364 people who have tested positive, an increase of 4,649 from the previous 24 hours.
A total of 1,631,561 tests have been carried out.
There are 11,788 in hospital with coronavirus, down from 12,688.

Eustice announces £16m fund to provide meals for those in need

The environment secretary turns to the government's work to help the vulnerable get access to food during the pandemic.
He says the government is announcing up to £16m to provide food for those who are struggling as a result of coronavirus.
The programme will provide millions of meals over the next 12 weeks and be delivered through charities including FareShare and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), according to the government.
At least 5,000 frontline charities across England will benefit from the cash which comes from the £750m pot announced for charities by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 8 April.

'Vitally important' lockdown guidelines followed over bank holiday

Mr Eustice reiterates that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will outline any changes to the lockdown guidance on Sunday.
But he adds that is it "vitally important" that the public continue to follow current guidelines "in spite of the sunny bank holiday" weekend.

'No dramatic overnight change' on lockdown restrictions

The BBC's Ben Wright asks whether we can expect the changes made today to the lockdown by the Welsh government to be mirrored in England. He also asks what the UK government can do to ensure the public receives a "very clear message".
The environment secretary - repeating what he said in his opening remarks - says it is "essential" that people abide by the current restrictions over the sunny bank holiday.
He says the PM will set out a "road map" on Sunday about how the current restrictions can evolve.
But he warns there will be "no dramatic overnight change" and the government will be "very cautious".
Mr Eustice adds that the four nations are "all working together to try to have a broadly similar approach".

Will older people use the contact tracing app?

A public question comes from Heidi in Romford, who asks about use of the contact tracing app as a means of tackling infection rates.
"How will the contact app work properly when a lot of the older generation do not have smartphones? They are the ones that need to know who has Covid-19 the most, but they won't know and will still be in danger," she says.
Environment Secretary George Eustice says he recognises the issue, but believes families can help older people - and that the app could work effectively with less than the headline figure of 60% signing up.
NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis notes that many elderly people are familiar with the benefits of technology and that the app will not be the only way to track down contacts.

What we learned from today's UK briefing

• A total of 31,241 people in the UK have died after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 626 from the previous 24 hours
  
• There were 97,029 tests carried out in the past 24 hours, short of the government's 100,000 target for a sixth consecutive day
  
• Not hitting the testing target is down to "day-to-day fluctuation" and "regional variations", says Environment Secretary George Eustice
  
• Ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech on Sunday, Mr Eustice says there will be "no dramatic overnight change" to the lockdown approach
  
• Mr Eustice tells the public it is "vitally important" to follow the current restrictions over the bank holiday weekend
  
• A £16m fund to provide food for the vulnerable has been announced, delivering "millions" of meals
  
• Fast-food chains like McDonald's and KFC using drive-throughs to reopen on a trial basis is "safe", says Mr Eustice
  

• The government is "looking closely" and "giving consideration to" the number of people allowed to attend funerals
  

Virus can cause wider inflammatory response - WHO

Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
The World Health Organization says there is evidence that coronavirus causes a broader inflammatory response in some patients.
Answering a question about a study suggesting the virus could attack blood vessels, resulting in organ failure, the WHO’s Dr Mike Ryan said some patients had suffered cardiovascular inflammation, or encephalitis, but that the evidence so far showed the virus caused primarily respiratory illness.
He added that the WHO was collecting data on the different health impacts of the virus, saying it took time to understand which organs an emerging virus was targeting.
In response to questions about testing for the presence of the virus in waste water, or the usefulness of antibody tests, WHO experts said both were helpful. But Dr Ryan warned that with these measures "we seem to be avoiding the uncomfortable truth" that the only way to control and contain the virus was by "aggressive public health surveillance".

Trump wears no mask during WWII memorial visit

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany is asked about Trump's decision to not wear a face mask as he visited the WWII memorial in Washington DC to mark VE day.
Accompanying him on his trip were several veterans who are now in their 90s, putting them at risk from the coronavirus.
McEnany said those veterans came on the trip willingly, and noted that Trump himself is tested regularly.
"Those veterans are protected. They made the choice to come here because they've chosen to put their nation first," she said.
"They wanted to be with their commander-in-chief on this momentous day."
Over the past two days a valet to Trump and an aide to Vice-President Mike Pence both tested positive for Covid-19.

Breaking fast amid virus fears in war-torn Syria

These striking photos show Syrians in rebel-held areas preparing to break their daily Ramadan fast. Measures to contain coronavirus across Syria were introduced in April, but in war-torn areas damaged homes and poor sanitation make it difficult to follow social distancing and hygiene rules.
This iftar meal in Atareb, west of Aleppo, was held after the site was sanitised by civil defence workers, the organisers say.
On Friday, two more cases of the virus were reported in government-held areas, bringing the total to 64, according to a tally by Reuters news agency.
No cases have been confirmed in rebel-held north-western Syria, but just a few hundred tests have been carried out on the population of four million.

Residents of partly-destroyed Atareb in Syria are preparing to break their daily Ramadan fast together

NFL announces 2020 game schedule

The National Football League (NFL) has announced its 2020 season game lineup, despite questions about whether the pandemic will interfere with the autumn schedule.
The first game of the year will be held on 10 September in Kansas City.
The schedule is going ahead as normal, but the league says it has contingency plans to move back the finals - and even the championship Super Bowl game - in case of any delay due to the ongoing pandemic.
Meanwhile National Basketball Association (NBA) training facilities began to reopen on Friday.
Extra social distancing measures have been put in place for basketball players as they train, according to the league.

Italy: Terrible league to join

As we reported earlier, Italy has become the first country in the European Union to register more than 30,000 coronavirus-related deaths.
It reported 243 new fatalities on Friday - down from 274 the day before - taking the total to 30,201.
The daily number of confirmed new cases fell slightly to 1,327, bringing the total number of infections to 217,185.
Italy has the third-highest number of officially recorded coronavirus deaths in the world, after the United States and the UK.
Britain passed the 30,000 mark on Wednesday. Spain is Europe's third worst-affected country with more than 26,000 deaths.

• Reality check: Can you compare the UK with Italy?
  

Italy was the first country in Europe to impose a lockdown when coronavirus cases first started to surface in northern regions in February.
It has now begun to ease restrictions, although pictures shared on social media of people ignoring distancing rules and not wearing protective masks in busy areas have led to an outcry.

Over 82% of Canada deaths in care homes

Over 82% of 4,167 people who died with Covid-19 in Canada have been elderly residents of long-term care homes, a report from Canada’s National Institute on Aging says.
The proportion is similar in other parts of the world, as the virus disproportionally affects the elderly and sick.
The US state of New Jersey plans to deploy National Guard troops to nursing homes over the weekend, after finding that residents make up half of the state’s death toll.

US child's death may be linked to Covid-19

A boy in New York state has become possibly the first US child to die from an illness that researchers say may be related to Covid-19.
The illness has been compared to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki syndrome. Both diseases are rare but can cause fatal fevers.
On Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that the five-year old's death was being investigated by the department of health.
“This is every parent’s nightmare, right? That your child may actually be affected by this virus. But it’s something that we have to consider seriously now,” Cuomo said, adding that 73 children had been infected in the state.
“While rare, we’re seeing some cases where children affected with the Covid virus can become ill with symptoms similar to the Kawasaki disease or the toxic shock-like syndrome.”

Mosques re-open in some Muslim countries

Mosques like this one in Aleppo, Syria were allowed to re-open on Friday, in time for prayers on Islam's holiest day

Many Muslim countries closed their mosques weeks ago to control the spread of the coronavirus. But now Friday prayers have taken place inside some mosques for the first time this Ramadan.
In Syria, mosques in government-controlled areas were allowed to open after being sterilised - worshippers wore masks and respected social distancing rules. Imams kept their sermons to 10 minutes.

Mosques in Bangladesh were permitted to re-open on Friday

In 180 cities and towns in Iran, people were able to gather in mosques, but in Tehran and other badly-affected areas, the buildings remain closed.
On Thursday mosques in Bangladesh were allowed to open again, as long as social-distancing rules are respected.
But in South Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, worshippers must continue to pray at home as the holy month goes on.

Queen star rips glutes while gardening

Brian May is the latest person to cause himself a horrible injury while finding ways to pass the time during lockdown.
In a moment of "over-enthusiastic" gardening, the musician ripped his gluteal muscles "to shreds", causing enormous pain.
He posted an update on Instagram about his hospital visit, saying he won't be able to walk without assistance for a while.
Queen have released a new version of We Are The Champions to raise money for the World Health Organization's Covid-19 fund.

More detail on infected aide to US vice-president

A White House official has told reporters travelling with Vice-President Mike Pence to Iowa that neither Pence nor President Trump had recent contact with an aide that was diagnosed with Covid-19 earlier on Friday.
"This morning we had someone on the vice-president's staff test positive and so out of abundance of caution we went back and looked into all the person's contacts most recently," said the unnamed official.
Six members of Pence's staff who had recently been in contact with the infected worker were taken off Air Force 2 before the departure from Washington DC earlier today.

Tanzania gets herbal 'cure' from Madagascar

Tanzania has collected a consignment of herbal medicine from Madagascar, whose president Andry Rajoelina has touted the tonic as a cure for coronavirus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has dismissed claims about the product and warned against the use of traditional therapies before scientific trials.
"Our governments in their year 2000 declaration, committed through their ministers of health, that they will treat traditional therapies as other medications by taking them through [scientific] trials," said WHO's Africa regional director Dr Matshidiso Moeti.
"This decision by the governments needs to be followed.”

• Caution urged over herbal 'cure'
  

Last orders? Brewery faces pouring away 130m litres of beer

A major brewing company in South Africa has warned it could be forced to destroy 130m litres of beer if it does not start to sell them in the next few days.
South African Breweries (SAB) has been severely affected by a ban on sales of alcohol as part of a nationwide lockdown.
"Roughly 400 million bottles of beer are sitting in our beer tanks across the country," SAB's Zoleka Lisa is quoted as saying by news site EWN. "If we're not permitted to package and transport this beer to our storage depots across the country in the next few days, we will, unfortunately, be forced to discard this inventory."
The brewery has not initiated any new brewing since the start of the lockdown that was imposed on 23 March.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a partial reopening of the economy from 1 May, but most businesses remain closed.

Asylum seekers working in Canadian care home

Refugee advocates say [url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-chsld-asylum-seekers-1.5559354?cmp=newsletter_CBC News Morning Brief_1170_26181]hundreds of asylum seekers are now working in Quebec's long-term care homes[/url], which have been hard hit by Canada's coronavirus outbreak.
Frantz André, who helped found the Action Committee for People without Status, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that many work for temp agencies, and are shuffled from home to home, which puts them more at risk.
Some have told the CBC they had contracted the virus from their jobs, although exact data is unknown.
Quebec has seen an influx of asylum seekers, many from Haiti, crossing at the US border after the US scrapped certain immigration protections. Once in Canada, they have limited job opportunities while waiting for their refugee claims to be processed.
Now some are arguing the government should create a special programme for those asylum seekers working on coronavirus front lines.

EU in flap over Chinese censorship

Katya Adler -Europe Editor
The EU has criticised its ambassador to Beijing, after he allowed China to censor an open letter calling for closer co-operation during the pandemic.
Officials in Brussels said Nicolas Chapuis made the wrong decision when he allowed a line - which said the coronavirus had originated in China - to be cut from the letter.
The document, published in the China Daily, had been signed by ambassadors from all EU states. But not all of them were informed of the change.
The EU has sniffed an opportunity in tensions between China and the US over trade and more recently the pandemic. Brussels hopes to boost its trade ties with China and work together to fight climate change.
The incident is all the more awkward for Brussels following allegations that the EU’s foreign policy arm watered down language on China in a recent report on disinformation campaigns during the pandemic.

How Spain's football league aims to resume matches safely

Spain is beginning to open up after one of the tightest lockdowns in Europe, with the limited relaxation of the country's rules allowing some people to go back to work.
That includes the nation's footballers, who have returned to individual training ahead of a planned restart of Spanish top-flight La Liga next month.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi is among the stars to have reported back, with the players adhering to strict protocols in a four-stage process towards playing matches behind closed doors.
But not all the players are happy. Players from Basque club Eibar have expressed their fears about the possibility of contributing to a "new wave of the pandemic".
Here's how the Spanish top-flight aims to resume playing safely.

Finance package for eurozone countries

A financial support programme for European countries that use the euro has been agreed by finance ministers.
The package of €240bn ($260bn) will be available for eurozone governments hit hard by the pandemic - the money must be used to finance healthcare costs.
The EU economy has contracted by 7.7% this year.
The European Commission has meanwhile urged states to extend the ban on non-essential travel until 15 June.

US meat producers faced with 'mind blowing' choice

Third-generation pig farmer Mike Boerboom faces the "horrible" task of euthanising his animals

Tens of thousands of US pork producers are facing a stark reality: although demand for their products is high in the nation's grocery stores, they may have to euthanise and dispose of millions of pigs due to a breakdown in the American food supply chain.
Although chicken and cattle farmers are facing a similar situation, as are milk and egg producers, because of the tight time frame between when a pig is born to when it is ready for slaughter, some of the most drastic actions are occurring on these farms first.
According to the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, an estimated 10,000 pigs are being euthanised every day in the state.
"On the same day that we're euthanising pigs - and it's a horrible day - is the same day that a grocery store 10 miles away may not get a shipment of pork," says third-generation pig farmer Mike Boerboom.
"It's just that the supply chain is broken at this point."
Read more:
Meat shortage leaves US farmers with 'mind-blowing' choice

How the UK has marked VE Day anniversary

The Queen's address to the nation follows a day of commemorations across the UK for the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Events included:

• A national moment of remembrance and a two-minute silence led by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall
  
• A flypast over London by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows, while RAF Typhoon jets flew over Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast
  
• Socially-distanced street parties
  
• And solo buglers, trumpeters and cornet players were invited to play the Last Post from their homes.
  

Read more on the celebrations here

Queen's broadcast ends with We'll Meet Again

Referencing the coronavirus lockdown, the Queen says: “Today, it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish.
“Instead we remember from our homes and from our doorsteps.
"But our streets are not empty, they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other.
“And when I look at our country today and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen would recognise and admire.”
She ends her address, recorded at Windsor Castle, by sending her “warmest good wishes” to the nation.
A recording of Katherine Jenkins, performing a virtual duet with Dame Vera Lynn, is played after the Queen ends her message.
It also features key workers from around the UK joining in with the song.
Read more here on the Queen's message.

UK and EU must 'continue to co-operate'

The UK and the EU must continue to co-operate in the fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed.
The pair spoke on Friday to discuss the response to the pandemic.
"Both leaders welcomed the good co-operation between the UK and the EU on the coronavirus, including the global effort to repatriate citizens," Mr Johnson's office said.
The prime minister congratulated the EU on the 7.4bn euros raised by the pledging conference it hosted on Monday, while Ms Von der Leyen thanked the UK for its £388m pledge for vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen met at Downing Street in January

Italian women demand greater role in Covid-19 response

Women in Italy have demanded a greater role in the country's official response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Civil Defence's daily briefings on the crisis are chaired by men. No women were included in Italy's 20-member technical scientific committee (CTS) - a group of experts advising the government during the crisis.
In response, Italian women started a social media campaign to call for better representation. A petition started by the Dateci Voce ("Give us voice") group has been signed more than 4,500 times, including by MPs, scientist and researchers.
Italy is one of three countries - along with the United States and UK - to record more than 30,000 deaths.

Most of the world in 'very sharp' recession

Andrew Walker - World Service economics correspondent
There has been more evidence this week of the mounting economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it.
In the US, another three million people claimed unemployment benefits and the unemployment rate has soared to almost 15% - the highest ever report in data first published in 1948.

• Read more: Pandemic sends US unemployment rate to 14.7%
  

The European Commission, in its latest forecast, predicts a decline in economic activity of 7.5% this year with what it calls an incomplete recovery in 2021. That would leave the EU economy still smaller than it was last year.

• Read more: 'EU facing deep and uneven recession'
  

It is now beyond question that the US, the EU and most of the world are in the throes of a very sharp recession. There are also concerns about just how convincing the recovery from it will be.
The longer the situation drags on, the more risk there is that businesses deprived of revenue will be unable to survive. For workers, longer periods of unemployment can make it harder to get new jobs.
If, however, the health crisis abates soon and the commercial world can safely return to relative normality fairly quickly, the lasting economic damage may be more moderate.

Which country has the most generous bailout?

Coronavirus shutdowns around the world have pushed countries into crisis-mode, prompting a massive rescue spending in an effort to soften the blow from what is expected to be the worst economic contraction since the 1930s.
In many countries, the aid is targeted at the poor or people working in the informal economy who are unlikely to get assistance through other programmes. In other cases, they are on the condition that a person's job has been affected by shutdowns.
Canada, for example, is providing C$2,000 (£1,150; $1,400) per month for up to four months to those who have lost income due to the pandemic, while Costa Rica is funding a monthly allowance of $220 (£177) for people who have lost their jobs due to the virus.
All Americans earning under $99,000 - an estimated 90% of households - are due to receive as much as $1,200 (£964) per adult, while South Korea's central government is sending cheques of up to KRW 1 million (£659; $820) to families in the bottom 70% income bracket.
Hong Kong in February announced a handout of $10,000 Hong Kong dollar ($1,280; £985) per adult; Japan is sending its citizens JPY 100,000 (£752; $931) per person, and Singapore $S600 (£340; $422).
Read more:
Coronavirus bailouts: Which country has the most generous deal?

Arriving in the UK? 14-day quarantine

Tom Burridge - Transport correspondent
UK airlines say they have been told the government will bring in a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in the UK from any country apart from the Republic of Ireland in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new restriction is expected to take effect at the end of this month. People arriving in the UK would have to self-isolate at a private residence. Government and aviation sources told BBC News that the quarantine would mean people might be expected to provide an address at the border.
It is not clear how long the new travel restriction would be in place and whether non-UK residents would be allowed to stay in rented private accommodation.

Couple stuck in NYC after Canada turns husband away

A pregnant Canadian woman and her American husband say they're stuck in New York City after her husband was denied entry into Canada. Erika Lavelle's baby is due on 23 October, and she and her husband hoped to get out of the "war zone" in New York City, where they live.
But they were turned away by Canadian border security.
Other couples have had to separate since the coronavirus crisis shut the US-Canada border. Canada requires citizens to live in the country for at least six months out of the year to maintain health benefits, and many Canadians have returned out of fear their benefits would run out while abroad, leaving their spouses behind.
The border has been closed to all non-essential travel since 18 March. Exceptions are supposed to be made for immediate family of returning Canadian citizens, but it's up to the discretion of border security.

Infected Pence aide named as press secretary

The top aide to Mike Pence, whose positive test forced an abrupt change to the US vice-president's travel plans to Iowa today, has been named as his press secretary Katie Miller.
It comes day after another White House workers tested positive for the virus.
When asked about the possibility of an outbreak in the White House, Mr Trump told reporters: "All you can do is take precautions and do the best you can."
Ready more here:
US Vice-President Mike Pence's aide tests positive for coronavirus

Slovenes protest against PM

Guy De Launey, BBC Balkans Correspondent
Thousands of people have been riding bicycles through the centre of Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana, in protest against the government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
The protest organisers accused Mr Jansa of violating human rights under the pretext of taking action against Covid-19. They said this included increasing police powers, inciting hatred against migrants and making personal attacks on journalists.
Environmental organisations also joined the protest. They say the government has inserted clauses into emergency legislation which would prevent NGOs from taking part in consultations about construction projects.

More than 20,000 migrants expelled from US

The Trump administration has announced that 20,000 undocumented migrants have been summarily expelled from the US since March.
In a statement, US officials cite Trump's order issued in late March, which shut the US border with Canada and Mexico to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
According to government figures, around 90% of migrants who entered the US in April have been deported.


We're closing the live page after another busy day as Europe under lockdown commemorated VE day, and new US figures revealed the devastating impact of the virus on jobs.
Here are Friday's main headlines:

• Large events to mark 75 years since the Allied victory in Europe in World War Two were cancelled across the continent - but communities and individuals remembered in their own ways. In Britain, the Queen addressed the nation, reminding us to "never give up, never despair"
  
• In the UK, a 14-day quarantine for people arriving from any country except the Republic of Ireland will be introduced, airlines say they have been told by the government
  
• The US unemployment rate has risen to 14.7% - meaning more Americans are out of work than since the Great Depression of the 1930s
  
• US Vice-President Mike Pence's press secretary has tested positive for the virus
  
• The World Health Organization warned that the pandemic could go on for years, and kill 190,000 in Africa in one year if containment fails
  
• Italy has become the third country in the world with more than 30,000 deaths
  

• There are now 3.8m confirmed cases of Covid-19 globally, and 268,000 people have died
  
• "Our streets are not empty, they are filled with love" the Queen said in her TV address - watch it here