John Sudworth
China Correspondent, Beijing

As Wuhan, the city at the centre of China's outbreak, emerges from an 11-week lockdown, you don't have to look hard to find voices that are not on message.

"The cover-up by small group of Wuhan officials led to my father's death. I need an apology," Zhang Hai told me. "And I need compensation."

His 76-year-old father, Zhang Lifa, died of Covid-19 on 1 February, having contracted the virus in a Wuhan hospital during routine surgery for a broken leg.

"I feel very angry about it," Zhang said, "and I believe other victims' families are angry too."

Read more from John here.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be "comfortable" after spending his second night in intensive care.

Health Minister Edward Argar gave the update to BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning.

"I understand he is comfortable, he's stable, he's in good spirits, (and) while he's had oxygen, he hasn't been on a ventilator," Argar said.

No further updates on Mr Johnson's condition are expected until later on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Argar told the programme:

• "The evidence isn't yet there that will allow us to make a decision" on when the UK night begin to lift current restrictions
• He said the UK needed to "be a little bit cautious" about the reasons for lower deaths rates being reported in Germany

Some 709 people in North Korea - which claims it is "totally free" of virus cases - have been tested, says the World Health Organisation., external

Of those, 11 are said to be foreigners and 698 locals, Dr Edwin Salvador, the WHO representative to North Korea told Reuters news agency.

North Korea has a population of about 25 million - so this means a tiny fraction of the population would have been tested.

To put these numbers into perspective, neighbouring South Korea, with a population of 51 million, has tested 486,003 people so far.

A North Korea analyst told the BBC it was unlikely that there were no cases a country that borders China and South Korea.

Especially with China, Oliver Hothman said, "given the amount of cross border trade and the economic relationship I really don't see how its possible they could have prevented it".

However, he added, a full scale outbreak in North Korea was unlikely.

Read more on how North Korea is tackling Covid-19 here.

Image source, Getty Images

After a rise of 4,003 new infections, Germany now has 103,228 confirmed cases, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

But its reported death toll remains strikingly low, at just 1,861.

Many experts have suggested that Germany's relatively low rate of deaths could be because the country got ahead in testing. Germany is conducting around 350,000 coronavirus tests a week, external, far more than any other European country.

Others have pointed to the fact that on average, the majority of those infected were younger than in many other countries.

It's worth remembering that amid the fireworks and celebrations in Wuhan last night, there are still many thousands, if not millions, of people who won't be leaving their homes for quite a while.

Li Kuang lives in a neighbourhood that has not been declared "epidemic-free", and the school he teaches in remains closed.

He told BBC World News: "Things are getting better in Wuhan, but the lifting of the lockdown is mainly for people travelling out of the city or whose place of work has managed to reopen. I have been at home since 23 January and I expect to remain at home for quite a few more weeks."

"People are still quite scared here. Even if I could, I wouldn't leave the house right now. We know there are still thousands of cases of Covid-19 being treated in the city, so even though the lifting is good, it might be a little too early."

Pharmacies in the UK could be allowed to hand out controlled drugs - including the heroin substitute methadone - to people without a prescription during the pandemic, under new rules prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government's drug advisory body was asked to urgently review potential emergency measures, external to help the supply of medicines containing such substances last week.

In its response, published earlier, external, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said it was "generally supportive" of such a move in situations where there is a risk to supplies of repeat prescriptions.

But it calls for extra "support and guidance" for pharmacists because "they will be working outside of the scope of their usual practice in exceptional circumstances".

No final decision over the proposals has been announced by the Home Office.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The European Union's top scientist has resigned, condemning what he called Brussels' "disappointing" response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mauro Ferrari, the president of the European Research Council, criticised the EU for rejecting his proposal to set up a large-scale scientific programme to fight Covid-19.

In a statement published by the Financial Times newspaper, external, Mr Ferrari also argued that member states had failed to coordinate on healthcare policy,

The European Commission has not commented on Ferrari's resignation, but one MEP, Christian Ehler, who leads research legislation, rejected Ferrari's statement, saying his proposal had been a "window-dressing public relations stand".

Zoe Davies and Tom Jackson are one of many couples around the world who have had their wedding cancelled because of the pandemic.

But their friends and family weren't going to let the virus get in the way of celebrating - watch how they pulled together an epic celebration:

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, here are the key developments overnight:

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spent his second night in intensive care
• His condition is said to be stable and he is not on a ventilator
• The first patients have been admitted to London's NHS Nightingale Hospital, which was built to help the city deal with the coronavirus outbreak

• The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, is emerging from lockdown after more than two months
• The death toll in France rose above 10,000
• The recorded number of cases for African countries passed the 10,000 mark
• The US recorded the highest death toll in a single day, with 1,736 fatalities on Tuesday
• Twitter's CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey pledge to donate $1bn in equity from a separate company to a coronavirus relief fund

There are messages of goodwill for Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who remains in intensive care - on many of Wednesday's front pages.

Several carry comments by the man deputising for him, Dominic Raab, that the PM is a "fighter" who will "pull through".

Others review Mr Raab's first day at the helm - and raise fears of a power vacuum at the top of government.

For the Guardian, the UK is facing a "crisis of authority", external at a time when public approval for extending social distancing measures will need to be won and maintained.

Elsewhere, the Times takes a closer look at how British companies work to produce a test that detects whether someone has had coronavirus, providing a possible route out of lockdown.

Read the paper review here.

While half the world is now under some form of restrictions on daily life and guidance on how to protect yourself has evolved, one thing has remained unchanged - the expert advice that washing your hands properly is the best way to prevent you from contracting the virus.

This short video explains how to effectively use simple soap and water - regularly - to do your bit.

The first patients have been admitted to the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London - a temporary facility set up at the ExCel conference centre.

The admissions come two weeks after the hospital with a planned capacity of 4,000 was formally announced - although an NHS spokesperson stressed limits had not been reached at other sites in London.

Nightingale initially has 500 beds in place, with space for another 3,500. It will care for patients with the virus in intensive care who have been transferred from other London hospitals.

Image source, Getty Images

Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

The World Health Organization , external(WHO) has looked at the latest evidence about how this virus spreads, including whether it can be projected further than previously thought.

It wanted to re-examine whether the general public might benefit from wearing masks.

Its experts decided that medical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers, not the general public.

Only two groups of people should wear protective masks, those who are:

• sick and showing symptoms
• caring for people suspected to have the coronavirus.

Read more from Michelle here.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spent a second night in intensive care as he continues to receive treatment for coronavirus.

Mr Johnson is being kept at St Thomas' Hospital in London "for close monitoring", Downing Street said.

The prime minister is "stable" and he remains in "good spirits", his spokesman added on Tuesday evening.

Downing Street also confirmed that the planned review into whether the UK's coronavirus restrictions could be eased would not go ahead on Monday next week.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the PM, has said he was "confident" the PM would recover from this illness, describing him as a "fighter".

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

People in Italy have been living under strict lockdown conditions for a month now and, with many unable to earn any money in this time, some have run out of savings.

While its government has agreed to pay part of people’s wages, payments have yet to arrive.

The BBC’s Europe correspondent Jean Mackenzie meets some of the Italians who can no longer afford to buy food for their families.

Image source, AFP

Hong Kong says it will extend its closure of bars and pubs along with the ban on public gatherings of more than four people.

The rules are now to be in place until 23 April.

Other measures that have been extended include the shutdown of gyms, cinemas, mahjong parlours, karaoke lounges and nightclubs. Beauty salons and massage parlours have been newly added to the list.

Authorities say there was a "drastic" more than two-fold spike in the number of infections in Hong Kong over the past two weeks to 936. Four people have so far died in the territory.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to be treated for coronavirus in an intensive care unit, which is a specialist ward within a hospital that looks after people who are very ill.

Watch as the BBC's Laura Foster explains how such wards treat patients with the virus:

Can pets carry the virus or can they not?

There have been cases where cats have been found to be carrying the novel coronavirus and hence veterinary scientists have now recommended cat owners keep their pets indoors to help prevent the spread.

Yet at the same time the British Veterinary Association said "owners should not worry" about any risk of infection from their pets.

Click here to read our full story on this.

Image source, Getty Images

Investors are being warned about piling money into the travel and leisure sectors after their recent surge.

Travel and leisure stocks including airlines and cinema chains have been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions.

While their valuations have plummeted across the board, some stocks have seen their share prices rocket this week.

On Tuesday, cinema chain Cineworld shot up almost 50% while cruise ship operator Carnival surged more than 20%.

But given the dire outlook for the industry, experts are warning investors to tread cautiously when thinking these stocks have "bottomed out" and may be staging a recovery.

Read more here

Police in Pakistan's Quetta have arrested at least 50 doctors who were protesting over a lack of protective equipment kits, external for frontline health workers.

Doctors in the city also went on strike on Tuesday after they alleged that police used force to break up their protest and detain medics.

The country is second to India in most infections across South Asia with around 3,800 cases.

Here's more news from the rest of South Asia:

• Bangladesh reported its highest daily infections yet on Tuesday, as 41 new cases took the total to more than 160. The increase comes as reports of hospitals turning away Covid-19 patients, external emerge.
• With 185 cases and six deaths, Sri Lanka has been in lockdown for weeks now - but this hasn't got in the way of the national cricket team's fitness regime as their coach has ordered them to do "customised home training", external to keep fit.
• Nepal's prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, urged citizens to stay home, external, saying the next two weeks are "crucial" for the country, which has nine confirmed cases so far.