The UK’s science and medical advisers, including chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, are holding a press briefing on the coronavirus crisis.

Prof Whitty said the UK was "dealing with uncertainty", but added that scientists had "accelerated knowledge from virtually nothing in January through to where we are now".

He said: "But there are quite a lot of critical questions which we do not know the answer to now - we will know the answer in six months or a year's time."

The health ministry has reported 209 new deaths, bringing the total to 767, and a jump in infections by a quarter - from 13,716 to 17,147.

The country has the fourth highest death toll in the world after China, Italy and Iran.

The Spanish health ministry says 939 people are in intensive care while 1,107 people diagnosed with the virus have recovered.

Sita Dewi
BBC News Indonesia

Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation in the world - only reported the first confirmed cases on 2 March but the number had already reached 227 with 19 deaths in just over two weeks. Many believe the real figure could be much higher.

Experts have predicted that the worst is yet to come, a modelling forecast put the number of confirmed cases at more than 8,000 by mid-April.

The government has ordered a “partial lockdown”, with calls for citizens to “work, study and worship” at home.Officials have called on people to exercise social distancing but vulnerable groups are already struggling.

Small businesses and street vendors, who have suffered losses, may not be able to sustain their livelihood if this situation continues in the coming weeks (the government has already announced various stimulus packages).

Schools have resorted to online learning for the time being but this method only favours privileged students with devices and an internet connection at home.

Social distancing is paramount to contain the spread of the virus, but how can people living in densely populated, slum areas even do that? Next month, devout Muslims in Indonesia will start observing Ramadan, during which religious gatherings intensify.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Fergus Walsh
Medical correspondent

It varies a lot on the type of surface. On hard surfaces like door handles, lift buttons or kitchen worktops it is probably around 48 hours, although some previous research on coronaviruses has found they can survive for perhaps a week in the right conditions.

On soft surfaces like clothes it will survive far less long, so if you have a coat that has virus on and you don’t wear it for a day or two the virus shouldn’t be active any more.

Remember, simply touching an infected surface will not give you Covid-19.

You have to then pass the virus to your mouth, nose or eyes so that’s why we need to stop touching our faces when out and about.

The region's first coronavirus death has been confirmed.

The patient was elderly, had an underlying medical condition and was being treated in a hospital in the greater Belfast area.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: "I want to express my deep sadness at this death and send my condolences to the patient's family and friends."

Image source, Channel 4 Publicity

The much anticipated reunion of Friends may be delayed because of the virus. That's at least according to US magazine Variety.

Filming was due to begin next week but has now been put on hold until at least May, according to Variety's sources.

The one-off special, more than 15 years since the hit show ended, had drawn widespread attention when it was announced just last week.

You can hardly avoid them now on the city streets of Asia and Europe but do those masks people are putting on actually offer much protection against coronavirus?

This is what Dr Shunmay Yeung of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has to say.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced a new military force ready to support public services as required during the coronavirus crisis., external

As part of the support the Army will provide during the pandemic, the number of troops at a heightened state of readiness will be doubled to 20,000 and Reserves will be placed on standby.

The Ministry of Defence is also planning to train 150 military personnel to drive oxygen tankers around the country to support the NHS.

Scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will also help Public Health England’s effort to understand the virus and tackle the spread.

Image source, EPA

Fatalities continue to climb in Europe, as Italy extends its lockdown after announcing the biggest rise yet with 475 deaths within 24 hours. But there's been praise for the European Central Bank’s €750bn (£700bn; $820bn) shot in the arm to cover sovereign bonds and corporate debt in the eurozone.

“Extraordinary times require extraordinary action,” said ECB chief Christine Lagarde, and markets in Europe in Milan and Paris recovered some ground on Thursday morning.

Russia has recorded its first official death, Belgium has announced another seven and Denmark has recorded two more, bringing its total number to six.

Italy is likely to to overtake China’s official fatality number of 3,245 in the pandemic on Thursday. On Wednesday night, a column of some 30 military vehicles could be seen in the centre of Bergamo moving around 70 coffins to crematoria outside the city as the local cemetery could no longer manage, Ansa news agency reports.

Italian and French authorities are angry too many people are flouting lockdown measures.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has appealed for common sense and one minister says a “complete ban on outdoor activity” must be considered.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has said “some people think they’re some kind of modern-day hero when they break the rules - but they’re imbeciles, and a danger to themselves”.

King Felipe of Spain made a powerful televised address on Wednesday night, telling Spaniards “the virus will not defeat us but on the contrary it will make us stronger as a society". Covid-19 has hit Spain particularly hard, with at least 79 deaths reported in residential care homes.

The prime minister has said the country's lockdown measures will be extended - they currently run to 3 April. It will not be possible to return immediately to life as before, even after the worst is over, Giuseppe Conte added.

Northern Italy is particularly affected by the outbreak, with doctors forced to make decisions about which patients to give intensive care treatment to. More than 2,900 people have now died in the country, just 300 fewer than the total number of deaths in China.

Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Facebook

In the Philippines, housebound social-media users have been making light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to “take a vacation at home” as the country’s main island, Luzon, is placed under strict quarantine measures to slow the spread of Covid-19.

During an address to the nation last week President Duterte encouraged people to stay in their homes, adding: “Walk around your house. Maybe you haven’t visited some parts of it yet.”

Filipino netizens responded by posting pictures and videos of themselves backpacking around their apartments, external, or lying on top of wardrobes and sitting inside cupboards, external.

Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has tested positive for coronavirus.

Mr Barnier said he was "doing well and in good spirits" in a tweet announcing his diagnosis on Thursday.

His diagnosis throws the process of negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK into doubt.

Mr Barnier had been due to hold talks in London this week, but they were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The post-Brexit transition period, under which the UK will continue to follow EU rules, will end in December and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed not to extend it.

• Trade talks: What do the UK and EU want?
• UK prepared to ditch EU trade talks in June

Many commuters still having to use the London Underground have been critical of the decision to shut up to 40 stations.

Some have tweeted pictures of packed carriages despite the UK government's pleas for people to avoid "non-essential" travel and contact with others.

One passenger, Lorraine Price, tweeted: "I feel we are the dumbest nation in the world, reduced services on #tfl, external and overcrowding as a result in the fastest growing coronavirus part of the country."

But others welcomed the move, with one Twitter user posting: "I think it's great TFL are closing stations because people clearly don’t understand staying home."

Africa has so far been spared a major outbreak of coronavirus but World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned the continent should “wake up” and prepare for the worst.

On Wednesday, Burkina Faso registered the first death in sub-Saharan Africa - Rose-Marie Compaore, the first-vice president of parliament. She was 62 and suffering from diabetes.

Several African countries have imposed stringent measures to guard against the virus:

• South Africa has ordered all bars to close, or limit their patrons to a maximum of 50, at risk of a fine or even imprisonment; it has also banned all cruise ships from its ports
• Kenya, a deeply religious country like most on the continent, has suspended worship in some churches and mosques, and the government says it will manufacture its own hand sanitiser and distribute it for free, in a bid to tackle shortages
• Uganda and Botswana have closed all schools
• Chad has suspended all passenger flights and closed some land borders
• Liberia, which has confirmed one case so far, has stopped issuing passports to stop people travelling and potentially pick up the virus abroad
• Mauritius, an Indian Ocean tourist hot spot, has confirmed its first three cases – two cruise ship workers and a British tourist

Some of the symptoms of coronavirus are quite similar to that of the common cold or flu - but there is a difference. Watch as the BBC's Laura Foster breaks it down for you, and find out what to do if you're in the UK and think you might have the virus.

Official media in Iran are urging Iranians to cancel travel plans for new year – or Nowruz – festivities, which begin tomorrow.

"Nowruz trips are like welcoming death” is how state radio station opened its news bulletins this morning as images of large traffic jams on Iranian roads flooded social media.

Iran yesterday recorded 17,361 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with an official death toll of 1,135.

There’s been a lot of uncertainty about how school closures and exam cancellations are going to affect pupils.

One A-level student, Ryan English, told the BBC News Channel he was "very concerned".

"Many students like myself in their final year of A-levels are sitting on offers for university, and predicted grades can sometimes be lower than these offers, such as my insurance offer," he said.

"I'm afraid that if they do give these predicted grades then students like myself stand to lose out on future opportunities."

The education secretary has said more details will be given on Friday on how pupils will be awarded grades in the absence of exams.

Covid-19 has struck one of the lifelines of India's financial hub, Mumbai - the dabbawalas, the thousands of men who deliver freshly cooked meals from homes to offices across the city.

They announced on Thursday that they would be pausing delivery until 31 March. They deliver some 200,000 tiffin boxes every day - and have made global headlines over the years for their efficiency.

Image source, Getty Images

While their decision to stop deliveries now is bound to inconvenience people, Mumbai is also under a partial shutdown with schools, colleges, malls and other public places closed, and people being encouraged to stay home or work from home if possible.

Maharashtra, the state where the city is located, has reported the highest number of cases, 45. India has 148 active coronavirus cases.

There has been a lot of speculation that UK's capital could soon be put on “lockdown”, with the Telegraph reporting it may happen “by the weekend”., external

Cabinet minister Gavin Williamson told Radio 4’s Today programme the government had “no plans to do this at the moment” but that the prime minister would “deal with difficult decisions”.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson said “we live in a land of liberty” but added that he would “rule nothing out” when asked about whether London faced a possible shutdown like other European cities.

The country's coronavirus monitoring centre confirmed the death of an elderly woman with the virus at a hospital in Moscow.

The 79-year-old tested positive after being taken to hospital last Friday, the centre said.

The woman, who died of pneumonia in intensive care, had other severe health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

"The patient’s close contacts have been identified and put under medical observation. None of them has severe symptoms of the disease," the centre said.

Russia has identified 147 cases of coronavirus so far, with the majority in Moscow, state news agency Tass says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation with coronavirus in the country is "under control".