Image source, Reuters

Stranded in Chile and protests in Colombia - here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America.

• Medical personnel in Peru have protested against the lack of protective equipment in hospitals which they say is forcing them to re-use single-use masks. According to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, Peru has more than 16,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus - second only to Brazil in Latin America.
• Hundreds of Bolivians have been allowed to enter their country after being stranded in neighbouring Chile for two weeks. The two countries reached a deal to temporarily open the closed border to let 450 Bolivians return home. Bolivia says it has set up shelters where the returnees - who lost their jobs in Chile's informal economy - will be quarantined
• In Colombia, residents of the poor suburbs of Bogotá barricaded streets in protest at what the say is the failure of the authorities to deliver the food parcels they had been promised to see them through the quarantine.

Image source, AFP

Israel has been marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

As is traditional, the entire country came to a halt when sirens sounded on Tuesday morning to remember the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices during World War Two.

Drivers stopped their cars, got out and stood to attention for two minutes.

But with so many Israelis at home because of the restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of Covid-19, people also came out on to their balconies.

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

A ceremony at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre on Monday night, which typically draws thousands of people, was recorded in advance without an audience. It included messages from President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The dangers of the present cannot diminish from the spirit of this holy day,” Mr Rivlin said.

“Even in this difficult time of facing a pandemic... we listen and make room to the memory of the past, to the victims and to you, the survivors,” he added. “You, who survived humanity’s darkest hour.”

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, members of youth movements in the city of Ashdod sang the national anthem outside the residences of Holocaust survivors, including nursing homes, in an event streamed on Zoom by the local municipality.

Curbs on life continue in the UK and across the world.

They've been designed to help protect hospitals and save lives.

But what is the thinking behind them, how effective are they, and how do you play your part?

This - rather smart - BBC News animation tries to answer those questions by looking at research carried out here in the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

This week we've reported on historic plunges in US oil markets.

On Monday, for the first time ever, futures for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - the benchmark for US oil - fell into negative territory.

And today, the price of Brent Crude - the benchmark used by Europe and the rest of the world - slipped below $20 for the first time in 18 years.

The milestones illustrates how volatile global markets have become amid the pandemic.

Oil prices have weakened because of a huge drop in demand, spurred by lockdown measures. This has, in turn, created an oversupply of oil, and a shortage of space to store it in.

One analyst told the BBC that he expects prices to remain weak in the near-term, but negative pricing is a "quirk," not the new normal.

Read more here.

For 13-year-old Alessandra, the city of Rome feels very different.

"The air is less polluted and there are fewer cards on the road. It's very silent."

To capture her life right now, she drew a picture of her desk - what she describes as "the heart of her quarantined days." It includes her favourite Harry Potter book - a welcome distraction.

From drawings of swans coming back to rivers and a machine that can create medicine to cure the world, kids around the world showed us what their lockdown looks like.

Take a look at some of their hopes, dreams and thoughts during this time.

The UK government is advising people to stay home and only go out if they need to fetch food or medicine, to go to work if it's essential or to exercise.

Even when you leave your home, you need to practise social distancing and keep at least two metres away from other people to protect yourself from catching coronavirus. But what does it actually look like? The BBC's Laura Foster demonstrates.

Image source, Getty Images

British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her temporary leave from prison in the Iranian capital Tehran extended for another month.

The 41-year-old was released from Evin prison on 17 March because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been at her parents' home in Tehran since being freed but is required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300m of the property.

Her husband, Richard, says she is “very relieved" but there is no news yet on whether she will be granted clemency.

She was jailed in 2016 on spying charges that she has always denied.

An employee of the World Health Organisation has died and a government official injured in Myanmar's Rakhine state after their car was hit by gunfire, authorities have confirmed.

The man was a WHO employee who worked as a driver.

The BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports that the car, marked as a UN vehicle, had been collecting Covid-19 samples and was on the way back to Yangon when the attack took place on Monday.

The incident occurred in an area which has seen several clashes between the military and insurgents from the Arakan Army, who have escalated their campaign for self-rule in Rakhine state in the past two years, our correspondent says.

One of the poorest regions in the country, Rakhine State relies heavily on international assistance.

David Shukman
Science editor, BBC News

More and more countries are convinced that the spreading of coronavirus can be reduced by the public covering their faces.

In their view, this is not about protecting yourself but about protecting others, by minimising the risk of you passing on the infection.

In the US, government experts point to the growing scientific evidence that people can release the virus even if they don’t show any symptoms – what’s known as “asymptomatic transmission”.

That’s why public mask-wearing is now official US policy, as in many other countries.

And to allay concerns about a drain on precious PPE for medical professionals, the CDC advocates making your own face covering – using anything from scarves to T-shirts.

Studies have shown that these “informal” masks can trap a significant proportion of any virus you might breathe out so could be invaluable where social distancing isn’t possible – including supermarket checkouts and public transport.

As the UK’s advisers weigh their advice to government, they’ll be considering the role that face coverings may play as lockdown measures start to be eased – wearing them may help cut the risks of a second spike in cases.

But they’ll also worry that people might assume some kind of mask makes them safe and that they’ll become careless about other crucial measures like handwashing.

Chi Chi Izundu
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

The Nigerian government has apologised for “mistakes” made during the burial of President Muhammadu Buhari's chief of staff, Abba Kyari, who died from coronavirus.

A funeral was held for Mr Kyari on 18 April in Abuja, but images have been shared of people huddling around his grave.

Officials have admitted the service was inconsistent with government rules on public gatherings and social distancing in the city.

Authorities have refrained from a nationwide lockdown, but strict measures have been in place since 30 March in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states. Most businesses have been forced to close because of the new rules, and the government has banned large gatherings and all but essential travel.

Over 665 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Nigeria, along with 22 virus-related deaths.

Image source, Getty Images

It's the Queen's 94th birthday today.

To mark the occasion, Kensington Palace has shared a picture of her in happier times before the outbreak, attending last year's Chelsea Flower Show with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Image source, EPA

Spain is deciding how to ease its strict lockdown measures for children while Bavaria cancels Oktoberfest. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• Under its tight restrictions, children in Spain are not allowed outside for any reason. The government is expected to announce how to let children out next week, with reports suggesting children up to the age of 12 being allowed to leave their homes
• Germany’s football league, the Bundesliga, could restart as early as 9 May. State leaders and football officials have suggested matches could go on behind closed doors under strict new hygiene measures. “A weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football," Bavaria’s Premier Markus Söder said
• But Bavaria has also announced some less positive news: Oktoberfest, the famous German beer drinking festival, will not take place in the state this year. Usually about six million people travel to Munich for the annual event
• A group of about 50 people have gone on hunger strike in Bosnia. They have been placed in quarantine for more than two weeks in a student dormitory in the capital Sarajevo, to stop the spread of the virus. But many say they have not been given their test results, or even tested at all.

More than three in 10 deaths in England and Wales are linked to coronavirus, figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said in the week ending 10 April, the virus was mentioned on 6,213 death certificates.

It pushed the total number of deaths in that week to over 18,000 - the highest weekly total since the start of 2000.

Read more

Laura Kuenssberg
Political Editor, BBC News

It will be a different universe. There won’t be the roar of the Commons chamber, the crammed green benches for moments like Prime Minister's Questions, and no votes for now.

MPs will sit for limited hours, on limited days, in limited numbers, spaced out strictly in the chamber with screens installed for remote contributions and let’s hope they have all learned to use the mute button.

On another occasion, this would be a huge day because of a return to parliament under the new management of the main opposition party.

There will be plenty of tough questions for MPs to put to ministers, whether on pressure points on kits for doctors, on testing or those who have fallen through the gaps in the government's economic safety net.

The political mood has become more scratchy but there is broad consensus on the lockdown measures, which is holding. The government will face difficult questions but is satisfied that the two key aims at the start of the outbreak - to stop the NHS becoming overwhelmed and to slow the spread of the disease - have been achieved to quite some extent.

Officials have rescued six tourists who were living in a cave in the foothills of the Himalayas following the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The four men and two women had moved to a cave in Rishikesh after they were stranded in the country with very little money.

Air, rail and road transport have been suspended since 24 March.

The six foreign nationals have tested negative for Covid-19 and have been moved into quarantine, officials said.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

UK House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has urged MPs to “stay at home” as Parliament returns following the Easter recess.

New working arrangements have been put in place including reduced hours and virtual committee meetings.

Sir Lindsay told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My advice is please stay at home, let’s do it remotely.

“Those that insist on coming – we can have up to 50, I’m not expecting 50 members in at once, far from it, I’m hoping that number is much reduced.”

Read more

Everyone's favourite beer drinking festival Oktoberfest will not be taking place in its capital Munich this year, the German state of Bavaria has said.

The event, which was due to take place from 19 September to the 4 October, is typically attended by around six million people.

The cancellation is going to be a huge blow to Munich's economy. Reuters say that the festival generates more than €1 bn ($1.07 bn; £0.87 bn) for the city each year.

If you need something to tide you over, head to your fridge, grab a beer and look at these Oktoberfest photos that were taken in better times.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

Church bells have rung out across Sri Lanka, marking one year since more than 250 people were killed by a group of suicide bombers.

But there are no other large-scale events planned to remember the men, women and children killed - from worshippers celebrating Easter in church to tourists enjoying hotel breakfasts..

In a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Sri Lanka has been observing a curfew since March.

Click here to read our full story on how Sri Lanka is remembering the attacks one year on.

While most people have been told to stay at home to fight coronavirus, some low-paid key workers in hospitals, supermarkets and other workplaces must risk their health to keep the country running. We spoke to some of them:

To mask or not to mask? That's the question scientific advisors in the UK are due to discuss later on today.

Hospital bosses have warned that telling everyone to wear a face mask could put the NHS' supplies at risk - leaving fewer masks available for medical workers. And the WHO has said there's no evidence to support the use of face masks.

But in other countries masks are common, with some arguing that they can help reduce the risk of people with the virus passing it on to others.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has even called for the wearing of masks while travelling in the city to become compulsory.

So should the UK public start wearing face masks? Read more here.

Image source, Get