Summary for Tuesday, 1st September
Infection levels have reached 21.1 virus cases per 100,000 people over the last week, above the UK's threshold for reimposing quarantine of 20 cases per 100,000.
But with more than two million Britons visiting Portugal in a normal year, the prospect has raised alarm in the travel industry. The boss of British Airways' parent company said the "ever-changing" quarantine requirements meant "the UK has officially hung up the 'closed' sign".
"Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers," wrote Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, in the Times.
In other cases where the UK government has imposed quarantine rules - including France, Spain and Croatia - travellers have faced a frantic and often expensive dash home to beat the deadline.
But a number of pro-democracy leaders, fearing the mass collection of DNA by China, have called for a boycott.
The voluntary mass testing is being conducted with the help of medical staff from mainland China.
Since registration began on Saturday, more than 500,000 people have signed up to take the free tests, out of a population of 7.5 million.
But a health workers union has criticised the effort saying focused tests would be a much better way forward.
Authorities have dismissed the criticism as a smear campaign. They hope the universal testing effort will give an accurate picture of the spread and help to contain the pandemic.
Hong Kong has so far managed to keep the virus at a comparatively low level with just under 5,000 confirmed infections.
New rules on the wearing of face masks in workplace come into force in France. The government has been criticised on more than one occasion during this crisis, for confused messages on masks.
According to one paper, the rules for wearing masks in offices are now more complicated than French grammar.
Earlier this month, the employment ministry said face masks would be made systematic - that is "systematic", not "mandatory" - for all employees in shared workspaces, including corridors, meeting rooms and changing rooms.
Now it has published detailed criteria for when employees can remove their masks, with different measures required in different parts of the country, depending on how widely coronavirus is circulating there.
In less affected areas, masks can be temporarily removed if the building has enough ventilation, desks are divided by screens or staff wear visors.
In "red zones" like Paris, each employee needs four sq m (43 sq ft) of space around them if they want to take their mask off.
The country is facing its biggest test in tackling the virus since the end of lockdown, as schools reopen and people return to work after the summer break.
The number of new cases of coronavirus in France has risen to around 30,000 a week - up fourfold from the start of the summer.
Students had protested against holding the exams - some voiced fears that they could contract Covid-19 on the way to the exam centre or at the exam centre itself. They are also afraid they could carry it home to the vulnerable, like parents and grandparents.
But the National Testing Agency has refused to reschedule it, with the Supreme Court saying "ultimately, life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put on peril."
The JEE determines admission into engineering colleges and it will go on until 6 September. More than 850,000 students will take the exam at 660 centres across India.
Another hugely competitive exam, the NEET (The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), will be conducted on 13 September. The exam is needed for acceptance into medical schools.Some 2.5 million students are expected to sit both tests this year.
India has recorded 3.6 million virus cases so far.
- Hong Kong has started mass Covid-19 testing - but critics say the programme is insufficient and could be misused for surveillance
- Hundreds of thousands of pupils in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic began, are back in classes
- Children in England are three months behind in their studies after lockdown, a teacher survey suggests
- A UK travel industry leader has warned of "chaos and hardship" if Portugal is reintroduced to the quarantine list
- New rules on the wearing of face masks in workplaces come into force in France
- Nearly 25.5 million cases have been confirmed globally with more than 850,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University
News around UK
A round-up of the main stories from around the UK:- Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who forced the government to extend free meals for children from poor families into the summer due to the pandemic, has now formed a task force with major food companies to tackle child food poverty in the long term
- A survey of teachers suggests that children in England are three months behind in their studies as a result of school closures, with boys and pupils from poor families the worst affected
- With Portugal beyond the level of infection where countries lose their safe travel corridor with the UK, the head of British Airways' parent company has warned imposing quarantine rules would create "chaos" for travellers
- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce a "national mission to create jobs" later when she unveils her programme for government for the next year
- More than 300,000 pupils are returning to classes in Northern Ireland, with almost all schools open for the first time since mid-March
Warning of 'chaos' as Portugal seen on brink of UK quarantine
Less than two weeks after Portugal was given an exemption from UK quarantine rules, the country could face losing it as cases rise.Infection levels have reached 21.1 virus cases per 100,000 people over the last week, above the UK's threshold for reimposing quarantine of 20 cases per 100,000.
But with more than two million Britons visiting Portugal in a normal year, the prospect has raised alarm in the travel industry. The boss of British Airways' parent company said the "ever-changing" quarantine requirements meant "the UK has officially hung up the 'closed' sign".
"Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers," wrote Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, in the Times.
In other cases where the UK government has imposed quarantine rules - including France, Spain and Croatia - travellers have faced a frantic and often expensive dash home to beat the deadline.
Hong Kong begins mass testing amid criticism
Mass coronavirus testing in Hong Kong has started, under a new scheme backed by the Chinese government.But a number of pro-democracy leaders, fearing the mass collection of DNA by China, have called for a boycott.
The voluntary mass testing is being conducted with the help of medical staff from mainland China.
Since registration began on Saturday, more than 500,000 people have signed up to take the free tests, out of a population of 7.5 million.
But a health workers union has criticised the effort saying focused tests would be a much better way forward.
Authorities have dismissed the criticism as a smear campaign. They hope the universal testing effort will give an accurate picture of the spread and help to contain the pandemic.
Hong Kong has so far managed to keep the virus at a comparatively low level with just under 5,000 confirmed infections.
New face masks rules come into force in France
Lucy Williamson - BBC News, ParisNew rules on the wearing of face masks in workplace come into force in France. The government has been criticised on more than one occasion during this crisis, for confused messages on masks.
According to one paper, the rules for wearing masks in offices are now more complicated than French grammar.
Earlier this month, the employment ministry said face masks would be made systematic - that is "systematic", not "mandatory" - for all employees in shared workspaces, including corridors, meeting rooms and changing rooms.
Now it has published detailed criteria for when employees can remove their masks, with different measures required in different parts of the country, depending on how widely coronavirus is circulating there.
In less affected areas, masks can be temporarily removed if the building has enough ventilation, desks are divided by screens or staff wear visors.
In "red zones" like Paris, each employee needs four sq m (43 sq ft) of space around them if they want to take their mask off.
The country is facing its biggest test in tackling the virus since the end of lockdown, as schools reopen and people return to work after the summer break.
The number of new cases of coronavirus in France has risen to around 30,000 a week - up fourfold from the start of the summer.
India holds crucial college exam despite fears
One of India's most competitive college exams - the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) - is starting today, despite pleas to delay the test.Students had protested against holding the exams - some voiced fears that they could contract Covid-19 on the way to the exam centre or at the exam centre itself. They are also afraid they could carry it home to the vulnerable, like parents and grandparents.
But the National Testing Agency has refused to reschedule it, with the Supreme Court saying "ultimately, life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put on peril."
The JEE determines admission into engineering colleges and it will go on until 6 September. More than 850,000 students will take the exam at 660 centres across India.
Another hugely competitive exam, the NEET (The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), will be conducted on 13 September. The exam is needed for acceptance into medical schools.Some 2.5 million students are expected to sit both tests this year.
India has recorded 3.6 million virus cases so far.