Samira Hussain
New York business correspondent

The news that another 6.6 million Americans have filed unemployment claims is another sign of the crippling impact the coronavirus is having on the US economy. American firms are shedding workers at a terrifying rate as tough measures to control the coronavirus have ground the economy to an abrupt halt. The rate is unprecedented.

The weekly job loss claims are the most timely data on the health of the US economy, and these numbers are likely to strengthen economists’ expectations of 20 million job losses for the month of April. The next few months will be bruising for an American economy that has essentially closed for business.

A hospital in Romania is under criminal investigation after 10 newborn babies tested positive for coronavirus.

The babies are believed to have been infected by medical staff because their mothers tested negative for Covid-19.

Medical staff at the hospital had previously tested positive for the disease, Romanian media reports say.

Romania's Health Minister Nelu Tataru said all but one of the babies had gone into isolation at home with their mothers.

The case, in the western Romanian city of Timisoara, has highlighted the problem of infections at hospitals in the country.

On Wednesday, another hospital was placed under quarantine because of the large number of infected staff.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped above 5,000 on Thursday in Romania, a rise of 441 in the past 24 hours.

More than 220 people with the virus have died in the country so far.

More staggering unemployment figures are coming out of the United States.

Some 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. That takes the total number of claims in the last three weeks to more than 16 million - truly unprecedented figures.

To put these numbers in context - nine million jobs were lost in the 2008 financial crisis over a much, much longer period.

An announcement revealing a new batch of emoji for 2021, scheduled to be introduced in March that year, has been pushed back to September - meaning they might not appear on smartphones until 2022.

The Unicode Consortium, which looks after emoji, relies on volunteers and has had to change its usual schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We’ve heard that our contributors have a lot on their plates at the moment and decided it was in the best interests of our volunteers and the organisations that depend on the standard to push out our release date," Unicode Consortium president Matt Davis explained.

However, this year's Emoji 13.0 remains on schedule for an autumn release.

Newcomers to the pool include a disguised face, ninja and bubble tea.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a "good night" in London's St Thomas' Hospital and his condition "continues to improve", according to his official spokesman.

Mr Johnson was "still in good spirits", the spokesman said, and had thanked the NHS for the “brilliant care” he was receiving, the spokesman added.

Mr Johnson is said to be continuing with “standard oxygen treatment” and it appears he has not taken part in any drug trials for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

A further 81 people have died with coronavirus in Scotland, according to figures from the Scottish government.

The latest daily death toll takes the total number of deaths in the country to 447.

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland is now 4,957, after a rise of 392 in a day.

With a long weekend and more hot and sunny weather on the way, the government is instructing the British public to maintain the lockdown and stay at home this Easter.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC Breakfast the UK was "just beginning to see this strategy starting to work" and asked people to "stick with it".

Temperatures are forecast to reach 25C (77F) in some parts of the country, according to the Met Office.

Some police forces are warning they will take a tougher line on people flouting the rules, with one saying it will stop people travelling to holiday homes and turn them back.

Read the full story

Parties with DJs, fireworks, and bouncy castles were among 660 house and street gatherings reported to have taken place in Greater Manchester last weekend.

Another 122 groups of people playing sport were also reported to police.

Famous faces from across the region - including England footballers Marcus Rashford and Steph Houghton, Coronation Street actor Daniel Brocklebank and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder - appeared in a video to urge people to stay inside.

"I'm pleading with you all to please stay at home and stay isolated," said Brocklebank, who plays Billy Mayhew in the long-running soap. England captain Houghton said: "If your mates are asking for a game of football please say no."

Great Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins warned officers will use legislative powers on those who break the rules over Easter weekend.

Image source, GM Police

We all love a quiz, right? Especially in social lockdown. But there are a few things you need for a successful virtual game.

Decent wi-fi connection? Correct.

Workable format? Correct.

Slick host? Correct.

Eggheads presenter Jeremy Vine can't help you with the first must-have. But he can provide some advice on the other two.

Read his piece for BBC Newsbeat on how to run an online quiz that is actually good.

Image source, AFP

• Brazil's health minister has told local officials to talk with drug lords and gang leaders about how to stop the spread of coronavirus. Luiz Henrique Mandetta said that the authorities had to be realistic about who was in power in poor neighbourhoods. "We have to understand that these are areas where the state is often absent and the ones in charge are drug traffickers," he said. "They are human beings, too, and they need to help." Eight hundred people have died of Covid-19 in Brazil - the highest number of confirmed cases in Latin America.
• Bolivia is "cutting off" Montero for 12 days from Thursday as it fears that the city of 120,000 inhabitants is at the centre of the pandemic. No one will be allowed in or out of the city and residents will be confined to their homes except for one day set aside for essential food shopping. Helicopters will patrol the city from the air.
• Panamanians will have to spend Easter Saturday and Sunday in lockdown after the security minister declared a "total quarantine". But the Catholic Church has found novel ways to deliver blessings to its followers. Last Sunday, Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa took to the skies in a helicopter with a statue of the Virgin, to the delight of the faithful.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Spain has risen to 15,238, but there is hope as the rate of new infections appears to be slowing.

According to Thursday's figures, the number of recorded cases rose by 5,756 in the past 24 hours, down from the rise of 6,180 reported on Wednesday.

The figure represents a return to a daily decrease in new cases. New infections had been declining for four consecutive days until the numbers rose again on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thursday's figures also showed a drop in the number of deaths.

Parliament is debating an extension to Spain's lockdown, but the prime minister has suggested the situation is beginning to be brought under control.

The coronavirus epidemic is having a disproportionate impact on UK black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME), data from intensive care units suggests.

Following similar reports on the effect on black communities in US cities, the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre found that in a sample of 2,000 critically ill patients, 35% were BAME.

According to the last census, 14% of the population as a whole are people are from ethnic minorities.

Among the possible explanations are the concentration of BAME people in London - where the outbreak is worst- the impact of poverty; the effect of large, multi-generational households; and the fact that ethnic minority workers are often employed in essential, public-facing jobs.

Read the full Reality Check analysis here

Sam Piranty
BBC News

More and more fake medicines linked to coronavirus are on sale in developing countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

A BBC News investigation found fake drugs for sale in Africa, with counterfeiters exploiting growing gaps in the market.

And last month police officers from Malaysia to Mozambique confiscated tens of thousands of counterfeit face masks and fake medicines, many of which claimed to be able to cure coronavirus.

The WHO has said that taking these drugs could have "serious side effects". One expert even warned of "a parallel pandemic, of substandard and falsified products".

Around the world people are stockpiling basic medicines. But with the world's two largest producers of medical supplies - China and India - in lockdown, demand now outstrips supply, and the circulation of dangerous counterfeit drugs is soaring.

Read more about it here.

Image source, Getty Images

With temperatures rising in the UK this week, many have been wondering whether the warmer weather will help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The idea that Covid-19 was a seasonal virus seemed to lose traction as all climatic zones, from cold and dry to hot and humid regions, became affected.

With the spread initially happening through global travel - at the same time as seasons have been changing - it has been difficult to pinpoint the effect of climate specifically.

But looking at the spread of Covid-19 in different climates across the world can provide clues. BBC health reporter Rachel Schraer has been investigating whether we can be hopeful of a summer respite or not.

New figures show emergency visits to hospitals in England have fallen to their lowest levels since records began a decade ago.

There were a total of just over 1.5 million visits in March - about 500,000 fewer than last year.

Previously, February 2011 was the quietest month for emergency medicine with about 1.6 million attendances, according to NHS England data.

Some smaller emergency departments have been temporarily closed to help free up staff and resources to tackle the pandemic.

There have been fears that people who may be having a stroke are not calling 999 during the pandemic.

Doctors are urging people to still seek emergency care when they most need it.

There were more than 500 new virus cases in Japan on Wednesday, its biggest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, the health ministry said on Thursday.

The 503 cases, including 144 in the capital Tokyo, bring the total number of cases in the country to 5,002.

The figures come a day after the country imposed a state of emergency across several provinces and cities, including Tokyo.

But pictures from our reporters on the ground yesterday showed large groups of people gathering in smoking areas, and commuters still heading to work as per normal.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK government is coming under increasing pressure to stop the spread of coronavirus in care homes.

The Alzheimer’s Society has written to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock calling for more action.

On Wednesday, it emerged that 15 residents had died at one home in Luton after an outbreak of the virus. It follows other outbreaks at care homes across the country.

Earlier this week, research by the Office for National Statistics showed more deaths had taken place in care homes than anywhere other than hospitals.

In other countries, such as Spain and Italy, where outbreaks are thought be more advanced, care homes have witnessed a disproportionately high number of deaths.

Our BBC Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson has been taking a look at the situation facing care homes across Europe.

Across the UK, people have been showing their appreciation for NHS staff - through nationwide applause, on radio phone-ins and on social media.

Now there's this. World-renowned British artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin has designed a poster to help people show their gratitude.

You can print it out and colour it in, or share it digitally.

(It might look good in your window - right next to your rainbow picture)

The poster is available to download here.

Geeta Pandey
Editor, women and social affairs India

India's decision to export a drug that US President Donald Trump has touted as a possible cure for Covid-19 has worried many at home who take it for other ailments.

Hydroxychloroquine (commonly known as HCQ) is an affordable anti-malarial drug. There is no proof that it's effective in treating Covid-19, but its routinely prescribed for autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

"It keeps my limbs functional," Barnali Mitra, who has been taking it daily for the last 17 years for lupus, said in a phone interview.

But Mitra is now struggling to find it in chemist stores. The same is true in the US, where Mr Trump's endorsement of the drug has led to a shortage in supply.

India is one of the world's largest manufacturers of HCQ, but it has severely restricted the drug's sale amid reports of people self-medicating.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Footballers across the English Premier League have joined forces to create a contribution fund which will raise money for the NHS.

The collective initiative - named #PlayersTogether - aims to provide financial support where "it is needed most" during the coronavirus crisis.

England internationals Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, are involved.

There have been calls for Premier League players to take a 30% pay cut to help clubs weather the financial storm.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock "warmly welcomed" the "big-hearted decision" to create the fund. He has previously said players should "take a pay cut and play their part".