Image source, Getty Images

As we mentioned earlier, all care home residents and staff with Covid-19 symptoms will be tested for coronavirus as laboratory capacity increases, the UK government has promised.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he would ensure anyone in a care home with symptoms of the virus, as well as any new care home residents being discharged from hospital into care, would be tested.

Labour has welcomed the pledge but said the social care sector needed more support.

At the moment only the first five care home residents who show symptoms of Covid-19 are tested, to determine whether there is an outbreak of the virus.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is co-ordinating the effort and will offer tests to the UK's 30,000 care providers by the end of the week, the Department for Health and Social Care said.

Mr Hancock is set to give further details of the scheme on Thursday.

A day after extending a nationwide lockdown to 3 May, India has relaxed restrictions on farming, banking and public works.

The new rules - which will come into effect on Monday - are expected to ease the supply chain and alleviate the impact on the economy.

Under the new guidelines, the government has said agricultural businesses can open. These include dairy, aquaculture, tea, coffee and rubber plantations as well as shops selling farming products.

Public works programmes, which are a crucial source of employment for daily-wage earners, will also reopen while following social distancing norms.

But heavy travel restrictions remain in place, including no train or flight services and all public gathering - social, political or religious - are still banned.

You can find more details here.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have said US President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) is "as dangerous as it sounds".

"The world needs WHO now more than ever," they responded on Twitter.

Their organisation, the Gates Foundation, is one of the WHO's largest donors.

Good morning to those just joining us in the UK.

If you are wondering what you may have missed overnight here are some of the latest developments:

• All UK care home residents and staff with symptoms will be tested for coronavirus as laboratory capacity increases
• Protective gowns and masks could be reused by health workers under "last resort" plans shown in a leaked Public Health England document
• Fraudsters are targeting the vulnerable and self-isolating people, warns the National Crime Agency
• The Welsh Government has "sincerely apologised" after 13,000 letters meant for the most vulnerable people were sent to the wrong addresses
• A 99-year-old army veteran has raised more than £4m ($5m) to help the NHS

From drinking cow urine to avoiding ice cream, there's been a lot of talk online about the different ways you can beat or avoid the coronavirus - and not a lot of it is true.

We’re debunking several myths in an ongoing Reality Check series (here’s part 1 and part 2) – here’s our latest video on why lemon juice can’t protect you from getting infected, and mosquitoes are not passing on the coronavirus.

Image source, Getty Images

A group of prominent Pakistani clerics have said that congregational prayers and Friday prayers would continue across mosques in the country.

They added that this would occur alongside precautionary measures, external advised by the government.

Authorities have restricted gatherings at mosques to five people or less - but this has prompted backlash from some religious leaders, and several instances of clashes with police trying to enforce the rules.

"In the present conditions, five daily prayers along with measures are essential," religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani told reporters on Tuesday, adding that there would be proper distance between rows and individuals.

Pakistan has recorded 5,837 cases and 96 related deaths so far. On Tuesday it extended its lockdown for two more weeks.

Image source, AFP

As we mentioned earlier, the chief of the United Nations has criticised US President Donald Trump for wanting to cut funding to the World Health Organization, saying now was "not the time" to reduce resources for the WHO.

"Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences," UN Secretary General António Guterres said.

Trump had earlier accused the WHO of "severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus" and said the US would halt funding pending a review of the situation.

Guterres however stressed the WHO was "on the front lines, supporting member states and their societies, especially the most vulnerable among them, with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving services”.

“It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against Covid-19.”

Image source, AFP

Germany's virus death toll has risen to above 3,000. The country's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said 285 deaths over the past day were linked to Covid-19, taking the toll to 3,254.

The overall number of positive tests is now at 127,584 according to the official figures. More than half of those people have already recovered though.

Later on Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss with regional leaders whether to lift some of the measures in place to stop the spread. Several European countries like Austria and Denmark have in the past days allowed some schools and small shops to reopen.

Remember that video of two Chinese hospitals being built at breakneck speed?

One of them, the Leishenshan - or Thunder God Mountain - Hospital in the virus epicentre of Wuhan has now closed its doors after its last patients were discharged and transferred to another facility.

The hospital was built as a temporary facility to treat the city's virus patients. It made headlines when millions tuned in to watch a livestream of it being built - it was completed in just under two weeks.

But it won't be knocked down just yet - it'll remain on standby for now, though hopefully it won't be needed.

"It was a crucial turning point that the number of patients in our hospital fell to zero," Wang Xinhuan, president of the hospital, told state media outlet China Daily., external

The hospital, which has been operating for over two months, saw about 2,000 patients admitted - of which 45% were classed as "serious cases".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Italy is famous around the world for its cuisine and thriving restaurant culture, but as its lockdown enters its sixth week, some restaurants and bars are going out of business.

The Italian government has told the BBC that it may be many months before they can reopen fully, without restrictions.

The BBC’s Europe correspondent Jean Mackenzie spoke to some restaurant owners - have a watch:

The WHO is funded by member states (there are 194, plus two associate members) and outside donations.

The "membership fees" (known as "assessed contributions") are calculated relative to wealth and population.

So for 2020/21, Afghanistan's membership fee, external is $33,500 - 0.007% of the membership fee total. The United States' is $116m - 22% of the membership fee total.

However, the "assessed contributions" make up less than a quarter of WHO funding. Voluntary donations, from countries and other groups, make up the rest.

This chart from the WHO (available on page 82 here, external, and reproduced below) shows its revenue for 2018/19. By providing $400m, the US was by far the biggest contributor, followed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK, and Germany.

The United States' $400m represents just under 15% of the total WHO "programme budget" for 2018/19.

Image source, WHO

Yvette Tan
BBC News

Most of us around the world have been told to socially distance from others, maintain good hygiene and work from home as much as possible.

But not everyone is able to do this. In the Pacific Islands, a cyclone has swept through several countries, destroying homes, flattening buildings and flooding towns.

"It's all very well to talk about concepts like social distancing... that's a privilege that many do not have," Dr Colin Tukuitonga told me.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Red Cross

A day after the lockdown was extended to 3 May in India, new guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs have been relased.

They say that all agriculture and farming activities will be allowed after 20 April.

Public transport, flights and train services will continue to be suspended except for those carrying health and emergency workers.

Schools and universities too will remain closed as well as all religious places of worship and sports facilities.

Hospitals and health services will function as usual.

Another one bites the dust. The famed Cannes film festival will not take place "in its original form" this year, organisers have said.

The festival, which takes place every year in the south of France, was originally scheduled for 12 - 23 May.

After an initial postponement, organisers now say going ahead is "no longer an option".

They did not elaborate on what the alternatives could be but said they hoped "to communicate promptly”.

Image source, Getty Images

A 35-year-old man in Perth has become the first person in Australia to be jailed for breaking strict new social distancing laws introduced last month.

Jonathan David was sentenced to six months in jail after he snuck out of a mandatory 14-day isolation in a hotel to visit his girlfriend.

He escaped through the hotel's fire door and took public transport to get there, a court heard.

The sentencing magistrate called him "selfish in the extreme", but suspended five months of his sentence.

Several Australian states have enacted strict movement laws, and in recent weeks, police have fined hundreds of people found outside their homes for loitering, hanging in groups, or doing non-essential activities.

The immediate reaction to President Trump's announcement was mainly negative:

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, external: "There must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe...now is not that time...it is also not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization."
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: "At a time like this when we need to be sharing information and we need to have advice we can rely on, the WHO has provided that. We will continue to support it."
• Chairman of US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel (a Democratic Party member): "With each passing day of this worsening crisis, the president is showing us his political playbook: blame the WHO, blame China, blame his political opponents, blame his predecessors."

However, there was some support. This tweet, external came from the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.

When comedian Melanie Bracewell found herself facing weeks of self-isolation as New Zealand went into a coronavirus lockdown, she decided to transform herself into the country's beloved prime minister.

Her clips on TikTok have now been watched by thousands across the world, and garnered her many fans - including Ms Ardern herself.

Do you think she looks like the PM? Have a watch.

Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. These are among the countries in Africa that have now introduced lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

But for many in the continent - general lockdowns may prove to be simply unworkable, say two experts.

The reason? Most people live from day to day and a lockdown could be the difference between poverty and starvation. If any form of lockdown is to work, emergency assistance measures are needed.

Read more on the situation in Africa here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Denmark will begin reopening nursery and primary schools on Wednesday, as the country takes its first steps towards easing restrictions.

New rules mean that children will be kept further apart than usual, there'll be strict cleaning regimes, and where possible, lessons will be held outside.

Other lockdown restrictions remain in place, but the government said the numbers of people in hospital had been falling, and further measures might be lifted soon. Denmark has more than 6,700 positive tests and around 300 deaths.

Meanwhile, Germany's government will discuss a possible lifting of some of its measures on Wednesday.

Daniel Bull
BBC News, Bangkok

This tailor shop down the street from me in Bangkok, Thailand is changing its business from making suits to making face masks.

Tailor, Sannantipak Meepon-ngam, says all their orders are gone, so they’re doings masks instead.

They’ve made 5,000 masks so far for Thailand’s tourist police selling at 26 baht ($0.8, £0.6) per mask.

Some 20 people are working there, mostly unemployed workers from the neighbourhood, she says.