There are 100 days to go until the start of the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

But because of the pandemic it will of course be different. Although Japanese fans will be allowed to attend events, international spectators are banned from travelling to Japan. Spectators must also refrain from singing or cheering and instead only clap for competitors.

British taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones says it will be strange not having her family in Japan.

"My family have travelled to every Olympics, even the youth Olympics when it first started. Every time I come out to fight I see their faces screaming for me and cheering me on. And it really does make a difference to me.

"But I'm just seeing it as 'how amazing would it be to come running through the door and bring that gold medal home to all my family?'.

"And I know they'll be cheering me on... and [it would] bring a big buzz to the country and obviously my family as well to come back with that third gold medal."

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News

A new study has found both the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccines produce a strong response from the body’s immune system in the over-80s five weeks after a single dose.

The study backs the clinical evidence which shows that both vaccines have greatly reduced deaths and hospitalisations.

There was some concern that because older people have weaker immune systems the protection from vaccines would be reduced.

And there were also worries about extending the time of the second dose from three or four weeks to up to 12 weeks.

The results show that both vaccines were highly effective after five weeks in the over-80s.

Antibodies to fight off Covid infection were found in 93% of those receiving the Pfizer jab.

For AstraZeneca it was 87% and the response of a part of the immune system known as T cells were three times stronger.

It’s unclear at this stage what if any advantage this might provide in fighting off infection, though there is some suggestion that T cells might help to prevent serious illness.

Image source, Reuters

Denmark has become the first European country to completely stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine due to rare blood clotting concerns - but it may not be forever.

The head of Denmark's health authority, Soren Brostrom says he is not ruling out using the vaccine again in the future, adding if Denmark was in a different situation right now and being affected by a third wave of the pandemic, Danish health authorities would not hesitate to use the vaccine.

The WHO and EU’s medicines regulator have urged countries to continue using the AZ vaccine, saying the blood clots are a very rare side effect, and the benefits of the vaccine outweighs the risks.

Denmark suspended use of the vaccine a month ago when reports of rare blood clots first surfaced. About 150,000 Danish citizens have already had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Denmark has also temporarily halted the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following similar rare blood clotting cases.

Everyone in England can now get two rapid coronavirus tests a week, external - even if you don't have any symptoms.

The lateral flow kits, which can provide results in about 30 minutes, are available for free at testing sites or through the post.

But, if you haven't done one before, the tests have a few steps you need to go through to do it properly. Our video explains how to take one.

Sira Thierij
Europe producer, BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Some 50 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered to EU members states in the second quarter of this year, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen says.

These doses were initially planned for the fourth quarter of the year, but now still start arriving in April.

In total, the company will now deliver 250 million doses in the second quarter, with the additional doses distributed to member states on a pro-rata population basis.

Around 446 million people live in the EU, according to the bloc, external.

As of yesterday, the EU has received 126 million vaccine doses in total, with 100 million jabs administered up to today.

More than a quarter of these are second jabs, with 27 million Europeans being fully vaccinated.

Negotiations with Pfizer for a third contract have also started, attempting to secure another 1.8 billion doses during 2022-2023.

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining us, here's what's happening around the world:

• Denmark will permanently stop using AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, following concerns of rare cases of blood clotting. It has become the first country to completely remove the vaccine from its inoculation programme
• US federal health regulators have recommended the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be paused while investigations take place into rare cases of blood clotting, similar to those related to AstraZeneca. Six cases have been detected in more than 6.8 million doses of the vaccine in the US. One woman died, and another is in a critical condition. Read more here
• South Africa has temporarily stopped using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following the blood clotting cases. It was the country's preferred vaccine, because studies show it offers more protection against the South African variant. Denmark has done the same, while J&J has said it will delay sending the vaccine to the European Union. Read more here

• In India hundreds of people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the city of Haridwar after participating in the Kumbh Mela Hindu festival. More than three million devotees bathed in the Ganges river on Tuesday, and millions are expected to repeat the ritual on Wednesday. Many have criticised the government for allowing the festival to go ahead amid a raging pandemic. Read more here
• Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has received his second dose of a Covid vaccine. “I hope, or rather I'm confident, that everything will be fine. And I wish you the same," he said at a meeting afterwards. Putin reportedly received his first dose of an unspecified Russian vaccine on 23 March
• Poland has extended its lockdown rules until 25 April, after the country reported its second highest ever death toll on Wednesday, with 803 people. There were also 21,283 new cases, a 43% increase from the previous week.

Image source, PA Media

Chris Garton, chief solutions officer at Heathrow, tells MPs on the transport committee long queues caused by extensive Covid checks at the airport are becoming "untenable".

He says some travellers have faced waits of up to six hours.

On more than one occasion police have had to intervene because queuing is "not something passengers want to do", he adds.

Foreign travel is only permitted for certain reasons at the moment.

He says the queues will become a "much bigger" problem if rules on foreign travel are relaxed on 17 May, as the government is planning.

Read more here

It may be one of the UK's most remote communities but tiny Fair Isle - with a population of just 48 people - can now claim to be one of the safest.

The Scottish island - located between Orkney and Shetland - is famed for its knitwear and migratory birds.

It only got a reliable 24-hour-a-day electricity supply in 2018.

This week, vials of AstraZeneca vaccine were flown in on a small plane, meaning every adult on the island was able to have their second dose.

Read more

Image source, Reuters

Denmark will permanently stop using AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, following concerns of rare cases of blood clotting. It is the first country to completely remove the vaccine from its innoculation programme.

The move will delay Denmark's vaccination roll-out by a few weeks, broadcaster TV 2 is reporting.

Denmark has also temporarily paused use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of similar blood clot concerns.

Danish health authorities will hold a new conference with more information shortly.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft asks Boris Johnson about the lack of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in the new Downing Street press briefing room used for the government's coronavirus updates.

She asks her question in sign language, before saying: "If the prime minister doesn't understand, imagine how those who rely on British Sign Language feel at his press briefings."

She asks what the point of the new £2m press briefing room is, if it is not inclusive for disabled people.

Johnson thanks her for the way she asked her question, and says he will write to her "as soon as I can".

The BBC provides BSL interpreters for briefings on the BBC News Channel.

Surge testing will take place in a third London borough after a case of the Covid-19 South African variant was found.

Residents in a "targeted area" within the SE16 postcode in Southwark are being urged to get tested.

It comes after 44 confirmed and 30 probable cases were identified in Wandsworth and Lambeth.

All identified cases are isolating or have completed their isolation and their contacts have been traced.

Read more here

Image source, PA Media

Hundreds of people have been queuing on Clapham Common in south London to take coronavirus tests, after cases of the South African Covid-19 variant were found in the area.

London's Lambeth and Wandsworth boroughs announced additional testing in what the government described as the "largest surge testing operation to date".

In Clapham, lines have been stretching across the green from halfway down Windmill Drive to the main road this morning.

• South Africa variant: What's the risk?

Marshals say yesterday afternoon they were advising people wait times could be up to two hours and had to stop people joining the queue.

One woman, who lives and works in Lambeth, says she is taking "every possible precaution to protect her family and colleagues".

Contract tracers believe the cluster of cases of the variant have been triggered by an individual who travelled from Africa in February, according to documents seen by the BBC.

BBC Monitoring

Image source, EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has received his second Covid vaccine dose while urging others to get the jab.

Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Geographical Society, he says: "I wish to inform you that right now, just before I entered this room, I also got my second jab, and I hope, or rather I'm confident, that everything will be fine. And I wish you the same."

The clip has been broadcast today on the state rolling news channel Rossiya 24.

"I'm assuming that you too, showing concern for yourselves and your loved ones, will do the same thing, and follow my example," Putin said.

Putin reportedly received his first dose - of an unspecified Russian vaccine - on 23 March.

Image source, Reuters

The UK government's plan for reopening foreign travel is "overcautious and doesn't recognise the huge change that vaccination has created", a travel trade organisation boss says.

Under the government's plan, passengers will have to take PCR tests before leaving and on returning to England - even from low-risk countries.

But Mark Tanzer, chief executive at Abta, says the use of lateral flow tests for passengers, which are cheaper and faster, would be preferable to more expensive PCR test - which could cost about £120 per person., external

"Otherwise you are going to hobble the industry and you are going to stop people from travelling, even though they've been vaccinated," he says.

Defending the plan, aviation minister Robert Courts tells the committee the government is "trying to protect public health but we are also seeking to unlock international travel" - adding their plan "balances those twin imperatives".

The first Prime Minister's Questions since MPs returned from their Easter break will begin shortly at 12:00 BST.

It's also the first since lockdown measures eased a touch further in England, with gyms, hairdressers and pub gardens re-opening.

You can follow coverage of that on a separate live page, and we'll also bring you any coronavirus updates from PMQs here.

Image source, EPA

The Olympic Games were originally meant to take place in Tokyo in 2020 but the pandemic saw them postponed until 23 July this year. The event is still scheduled to go ahead - although without any spectators from abroad.

Japan has marked the 100th day until the start of the games with a ceremony. But, amid a fourth wave of infections in Japan, there's still considerable uncertainty within the country about whether the Olympics should or can go ahead.

According to a poll,, external 70% of Japan's population want the games cancelled or postponed again. The BBC has spoken to people living in Tokyo about what they think.

"In these dark times, anything that will brighten up the day, like getting a gold medal, or anything that can energise us, will be appreciated," says Kenzo Tanaka. "If we are going to do it, let's do it. There are athletes who have put in a lot of effort for this and so I think we should hold it."

But another resident - who doesn't want to be named - says she disagrees.

"I think the situation is uncertain for us to hold the Olympics," she says. "I don't feel it [the Olympic spirit] at all. People around me are saying they wish the Games were cancelled and hope for a quick decision — if you are going to cancel it, cancel it."

Image source, PA Media

Residents and traders in Bournemouth fear plans for pop-up beach bars will lead to a repeat of disorder and overcrowding seen in 2020.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) wants to allow events and catering along more of Bournemouth's seafront throughout the summer.

But Alan Dove, chairman of Bournemouth Townwatch pub association, says the scale and size of the proposals would place "significant additional alcohol consumption directly on to the beaches".

Other objectors believe it would give the council "carte blanche" to hold events while "circumventing the controls and safeguards" of individual applications.

A major incident was declared in June last year when an influx of visitors led to gridlocked roads, litter, wild camping and anti-social behaviour.

BCP has agreed an extra £2.4m of resources, including Covid marshalls and drones, to manage "exceptional" numbers expected at the resort this summer.

Read more here

Image source, PA Media

A government report outlining plans for international travel from England as lockdown eases has been criticised as a "bitter disappointment to everybody working in the industry".

Brian Strutton, general secretary at pilots' union Balpa, tells the Commons Transport Select Committee "there is no specificity" in the Global Travel Taskforce report "at all".

"As a result many airlines have already told us that they will be curtailing the plans they had for the summer," he says.

Simon McNamara, who leads airline trade body the International Air Transport Association's UK and Ireland activities, says the report is "very vague".

"I think crucially, the approach to reopening, we believe, is still too complex and too cautious, I'm afraid," he tells the committee.

The UK government's report, external, released on Friday, outlines a "traffic light system" that will see countries graded on their risk, but it does not specify which countries are on which list. That will be released in two to three weeks' time, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, EPA

Poland has reported 803 new coronavirus-related deaths today, the second highest since the pandemic began, according to the country's health ministry.

It also reports 21,283 new infections, a rise of 43% compared with one week ago.

The high number of deaths is a result of the recent surge in infections, which reached an all-time high of 35,251 on 1 April.

The UK variant of the virus is responsible for 90% of all new cases, health ministry officials say.

The highest number of deaths, 954, was recorded on 8 April, but that number was derived from a longer time period because of the Easter holidays.

Since Monday, people in England have been able to visit the hairdresser, shops and the outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants.

The risk of catching Covid while being outside is low - although it is still possible.

"Just because it's an unheated box outdoors, it does not mean it's actually a well-ventilated environment," says Prof Catherine Noakes, talking about the prospect of people socialising under shelters or marquees in pub gardens.

The advice is still to make sure your hands are clean, cover your face, give people space and there's plenty of fresh air. Science editor David Shukman explains more in this video.