The president of the European Commission has offered a "heartfelt apology" for letting Italy down at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Yes it is true that no one was really ready for this," Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Thursday morning. "It is also true that too many were not there on time when Italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning. And yes for that, it is right that Europe as a whole offers a heartfelt apology."

More than 21,000 people with the virus have died in Italy, according to Johns Hopkins University - the highest death toll in Europe.

As Italy struggled to contain the outbreak in early March, both France and Germany placed restrictions on the export of face masks - despite warnings from the EU Commission that such actions could undermine the collective response to the virus.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is known for her straightforward - at times dry - way of speaking. But amid a global pandemic, her sober style and simple explanations of facts have been widely praised (although most Germans see it as normal).

Her clear description - see below - of how small increases in infection rates could overwhelm the country's health system is quite different in style to some other world leaders.

Merkel announced that as of next week shops under a certain size could open their doors but warned that the country had achieved only a "fragile intermediate success".

Before entering politics, Merkel was a scientist. She trained as a quantum chemist.

The UK government is advising people to stay home and only go out if they need to: fetch food or medicine; go to work if they cannot do their job from home; or do exercise.

Even when you leave your home, you need to practise social distancing and keep at least two metres away from other people to protect yourself from catching coronavirus. But what does two metres look like? The BBC's Laura Foster demonstrates.

Professor Neil Ferguson, whose scientific modelling has guided the UK government's coronavirus strategy, has said the nation will need to keep up some form of social distancing until a vaccine becomes available.

Discussing whether lockdown measures could be eased after another three weeks, Ferguson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think that will very much depend on quite how quickly case numbers go down, and that does require us to get on top of things like transmission rates in hospitals and care homes."

The Imperial College London epidemiologist said a ramping up of testing and contact tracing was needed, adding that if lockdown measures were relaxed without something in their place the UK could see a resurgence of transmission.

"We will have to maintain some form of social distancing, a significant level of social distancing, probably indefinitely until we have a vaccine available," he said.

There is currently no proven vaccine for the virus. A team at the University of Oxford said last week it was confident it could have a vaccine working by September, but that it would likely not be ready for distribution until next year.

A 99-year-old army veteran, who has raised more than £12m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden, was given a guard of honour as he finished the 100th lap.

Captain Tom Moore had vowed to walk the 100 laps before turning 100 at the end of this month.

He set out to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together, but is currently at more than 12,000 times that goal.

We think what he's done is pretty amazing. Have a look.

Image source, EPA

An outbreak on a French aircraft carrier has worsened, as some nations begin to slowly ease lockdown restrictions. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• The nuclear-powered French flagship Charles de Gaulle was ordered home early from deployment last week because a number of crew were showing symptoms. Medical teams now say at least 668 sailors from the carrier and an escort vessel have tested positive and 20 are in hospital
• France recorded 1,438 deaths on Wednesday, its biggest daily jump, due to a number of nursing homes reporting cumulative deaths over the Easter weekend. You can read about one home’s fight against the virus here
• Several countries are beginning to ease measures, including Germany. Schools will start to reopen there from 4 May and shops sized under 800 square metres can return to business provided they implement strict safety measures
• The mayor of Barcelona has made a plea on Facebook to "free Spain’s children". Spain is the only European country where all children are barred from going outside for any reason

Image source, Thai-Binh Phan-Van

Care homes have become a vulnerable front in the fight against coronavirus - and in France they account for a third of the 17,000 fatalities linked to Covid-19 so far.

One care home in southern France has recorded 36 deaths. But at the homes that remain virus-free, a desperate effort is under way to keep it that way.

The BBC's Henri Astier reports on one home that has been under lockdown for more than a month.

Click here to read how the director is trying to balance the risk for patients and carers.

Image source, EPA

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce new guidelines on Thursday to allow some states to ease social distancing restrictions.

In a White House briefing on Wednesday, Trump said rules for "various states would be announced", describing the decision as "very exciting".

He added that he had spoken to business and industry leaders, who he said had underlined the need for more protective equipment and robust testing.

The vast majority of Americans are currently under social distancing restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19.

There have been almost 31,000 deaths in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University, including nearly 11,000 in New York city alone.

There has been controversy around Trump's authority to enforce or end lockdown measures in states. At a bizarre press conference earlier this week, the president claimed he had "total authority" to lift lockdowns across the country, but he was later forced to accept that the decision lies with state governors.

"It's just out of this world."

That was the reaction from World War Two veteran Tom Moore, 99, after completing the 100th lap of his garden and raising more than £12m for the NHS in the process.

Moore was shown tributes to his effort from celebrities including England cricketer Ben Stokes, and the veteran joined in as singer Michael Ball gave a rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak hailed Moore's "true Yorkshire spirit" in raising so much money for NHS Charities Together.

"I never ever dreamt I would be involved in such an occasion," said Moore, who had a message for those struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We will get through this in the end. It might take time but at the end of the day, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away," he said.

What's it like to be on the frontline treating Covid-19 patients, day-in day-out? We spoke to medics from countries around the world about their fears and the challenges of fighting the virus.

Image source, PA Media

More than 10,000 UK care home residents have been tested for coronavirus, as well as 1,500 social care workers, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC on Thursday.

The government has faced serious criticism over its strategy around protecting elderly care homes during the pandemic. On Saturday social care directors wrote to the Department of Health and Social Carecalling the government's handling of protective equipment for care workers "shambolic".

In the letter, seen by the BBC, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services criticised the approaches to funding, testing, personal protective equipment and the shielding scheme for vulnerable people.

The government has also come under fire over how long it has taken to increase testing capacity in general.

Hancock said that in total there was, as of Thursday, "capacity for 25,000 tests" to be carried out a day in the UK and that "what really matters" is the availability of testing for social care.

He said there had now been 27 verified deaths of NHS staff. Responding to the death of nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, he said: "We're all deeply touched by deaths of nurses like this."

The UK government is expected to announce a three-week extension to the coronavirus lockdown later today.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he did not want to "waste" the efforts of the public by lifting the lockdown measures too early, because coronavirus would "run rampant once again".

Hancock told BBC Breakfast there would be more detail in the official announcement but that the government had been clear it was "too early to make a change".

"Whilst we have seen a flattening of the number of cases, and thankfully a flattening of the number of deaths, that hasn't started to come down yet," he said.

He's done it!

World War Two veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, has completed 100 laps of his garden in an effort which has raised more than £12m for the NHS.

He originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing the distance.

You can see his reaction now on BBC One or via the live stream at the top of this page.

The UK may be under lockdown, but it hasn't stopped elusive street artist Banksy from unveiling new work.

The artist posted five pictures on Wednesday of graffiti rats unleashing chaos in a bathroom - supposedly his - with the caption: "My wife hates it when I work from home."

Captain Tom Moore, 99, has set off on the final leg of his NHS fundraising mission to complete 100 laps of his garden in Bedfordshire, after passing the £12m mark in donations.

"It's a lovely morning. I feel fine. Being in the army, we are used to getting up early," said the World War Two veteran, who turns 100 later this month.

"We started this off as a family joke. I had a broken hip and skin cancer on my head - the service I've had from the National Health Service was absolutely marvellous.

"It's an absolutely fantastic sum of money. It's unbelievable that people are so kind."

You can watch Captain Tom Moore complete his challenge via a live stream at the top of this page. He is expected to complete his 100th lap at about 08:30 BST live on BBC One.

Doctors tackling coronavirus in Egypt have told the BBC they are worried about shortages of protective equipment, and feel their concerns are not being taken seriously enough.

But the government says supplies are sufficient, and a doctor at one quarantine hospital said medics there had been able to secure extra masks quickly.

As of Wednesday, the Middle East's most populous country had seen 178 deaths from the virus. According to the World Health Organization, about 13% of those infected in Egypt are healthcare workers.

A 99-year-old World War Two veteran who is walking 100 laps of his garden before he turns 100 has now raised £12m for the NHS.

Captain Tom Moore originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing the distance.

But he has hit 12,000 times his initial target, thanks to donations from more than 600,000 people online.

Captain Moore, who relies on a walking frame, aims to complete his 100th lap at about 08:30 BST this morning, live on our Breakfast programme on BBC One.

We are already streaming the programme live here. You can watch by clicking the play button at the top of the page.

Image source, Hannah Ingram-Moore

There's been a lot of debate over whether healthy people should wear masks. A number of nations and cities around the world have now either made it compulsory or issued advisories. Germany is the latest country to urge its people to wear masks in public.But what is the official advice from the World Health Organization? After a recent meeting to discuss the issue, the WHO still maintains that medical masks should be reserved only for healthcare workers and not for the general public.

The BBC's health correspondent Laura Foster explains the WHO's position and the scientific argument behind it.

We're all worried about the spread of the coronavirus and sharing information on social media can help us feel like we're supporting our family and friends.

But the threat of misinformation is real.

The BBC's Zeinab Badawi explains how to check whether what you're about to forward is real or fake, and how to slow the online spread of falsehoods which can put lives at risk.

Six major cities, including the capital Delhi and the financial capital Mumbai, have been designated "red zones" for the coronavirus.

In its guidelines issued late on Wednesday, the government divided the country into colour-coded zones depending on the level of infection.

Red zones indicate infection hotspots, orange is for zones with some infection, while green indicates an area with no infections.

In total, 170 districts of the country have been designated red zones.

Apart from Delhi and Mumbai, the cities of Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad have all been marked red.

So far, officials haven't designated any green zone areas.

You can find more details here.