The number of people diagnosed with coronavirus has risen to 200,210, according to Spain's health ministry.

Nearly 400 new deaths have also been reported since yesterday, bringing the total toll to 20,852.

Spain has the second-highest number of confirmed infection cases in the world, behind the US, figures from Johns Hopkins University say.

Image source, Getty Images

Australia's rugby union players have agreed to take an average pay cut of 60% until 30 September.

The deal, which comes after weeks of negotiations with the Rugby Union Players' Association (RUPA), will see the game's highest earners take the largest cuts.

All 192 players will be paid in full for April before the changes come into effect. However, pay negotiations will resume if the season restarts before 30 September.

In a statement, the head of the RUPA, Justin Harrison, said: "Australia’s professional players will play a central role in the short–term preservation of the game by accepting a significant reduction in pay in order for necessary transformation to begin."

Singapore has confirmed 1,426 new Covid-19 cases - its biggest daily jump yet.

With just over 8,000 cases, the country has the most number of infections in Southeast Asia, surpassing figures in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Officials said that the majority of the new cases were foreign workers while 16 of the new cases are Singaporeans or those with permanent residency.

Once praised for its success in containing the virus, Singapore is now facing a surge of infections linked to industrial work sites and tightly packed worker dormitories.

Around 300,000 low-wage workers, mostly from South Asia, work in Singapore in construction and maintenance.

If all this talk about the virus has been stressing you out - we've got a bit of news that might brighten your day.

British artist Damien Hirst is hoping to raise money for charity and to spread some joy with two of his newest paintings.

"There's a lot of anxiety... and I think art can hopefully lift you out of that," he said.

(P.S. One's completely free to download!)

Shaimaa Khalil
BBC News, Sydney

I’ve been speaking to people in New Zealand over the past few days about how they feel the government has handled the spread of Covid-19. It’s been a general thumbs up for the prime minister.

Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her decisive and empathetic leadership. The clarity of her message - supported by the science community and by Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health - has made it easier for the public to comply with the difficult task of a complete lockdown.

“We have done what very few countries have been able to do. We have stopped a wave of devastation,” Ms Ardern said of the country’s success.

New Zealand has kept its number of cases and fatalities relatively low, but the real challenge will be when the restrictions ease.

It’ll be a test for the country’s ability to enforce social distancing rules, and for its contact tracing systems keeping track of new cases and their origins. So far, most cases in New Zealand have been linked to overseas travel.

To keep the numbers in check, borders will have to remain closed or very tightly controlled. So, for New Zealand to hold on to its success story, it’s hard to see a return to normal anytime soon.

Across the UK, 16,060 people have died with coronavirus in hospitals, as of 5pm on 18 April - the latest official UK-wide figures available.

This figure, and the numbers below, are expected to be higher when non-hospital deaths are taken into account.

• In England the total number of coronavirus deaths in hospitals is 14,400
• A total of 575 people have died in Wales
• There have been 194 deaths reported in Northern Ireland
• In Scotland, 903 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died

The tallies for individual nations can differ from the UK-wide total, because they are calculated on a different time-frame.

In terms of testing, 372,967 people have been tested across the UK, of which 120,067 tested positive.

We expect to hear another update on these figures this afternoon (UK time).

It's not just the spread of the virus we should be concerned about - there's lots of misleading coronavirus advice being shared on social media and in private messages too.

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 could put lives at risk.

Image source, AFP

Protesters have taken to the streets in states across the US, demanding that governors reopen economies shut by the coronavirus pandemic.

Rallies took place on Sunday in Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Washington state, following earlier protests in other states. Most of the crowds numbered in the low hundreds.

Agitation for easing restrictions has grown, despite the risk of a surge in infections should the country be reopened too soon.

US President Donald Trump has signalled support for the protests, and more are expected to be held later today.

The US has become the epicentre of the coronavrius crisis, with over 735,000 cases and some 40,000 deaths. But signs have emerged that it is reaching the apex of the outbreak and that infection rates are slowing.

Rachel Schraer- BBC Health Reporter
Health Reporter

Image source, Getty

The University of South Wales says it has developed a coronavirus testing kit which can give results within half an hour. The test is still to be evaluated to see how accurate it is but the local NHS health board has said there are promising early signs.

This is one of a number of rapid diagnostic tests that are being developed around the country.

For example, scientists at Norwich Research Park have been working on a faster test using a similar method to the University of South Wales team.

The University of Exeter has developed a “multiplex” test – one that can both test for signs of a current infection, and for antibodies that would suggest a previous infection. This is also still in the process of being evaluated.

The Exeter team has begun trialling the test at St Thomas’s Hospital in London and says that, if successful, it could give patients an answer in five minutes.

Image source, Reuters

Countries are beginning to ease lockdown measures in Europe – though officials insist the outbreak is far from over. Here’s the latest:

• Restrictions are starting to ease across Europe, with Germany reopening some shops, pupils returning to kindergarten in Norway, and Poland allowing people to visit parks and forests. In Denmark - where pupils returned to primary schools and nurseries on Wednesday - businesses like hairdressers, dentists and tattoo parlours are now reopening. You can read more about it here
• Spain’s reported daily death toll on Sunday was 410, its lowest for nearly a month, but the country has no plans to end its lockdown yet. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will speak to the opposition leader Pablo Casado on Monday about a cross-party response to the crisis
• French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe insisted the crisis “is not over” in his country, as the death toll neared 20,000. Face masks may soon become compulsory to wear on public transport, and the government plans to produce enough masks for everyone who wants to wear one
• A random testing programme begins today in Slovenia. Teams will visit the homes of about 3,000 people to carry out antibody tests, in a bid to see how widespread the coronavirus outbreak is in the country

Image source, Getty Images

A UK government pay scheme to keep millions on payrolls despite not working has gone live.

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of June, the government will cover 80% of workers' wages, up to £2,500 a month, if they are put on leave.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "We promised support would be available by the end of April - today, we deliver our promise."

Millions of workers are expected to be "furloughed" because of the lockdown.

Jim Harra, head of the UK's tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the BBC the system had dealt with 67,000 claims in its first 30 minutes of operation and can accommodate “up to 450,000 claims per hour".

"If every employer tries to use it this morning some will be asked to queue or come back later, that doesn’t mean the system has crashed, it simply means it’s full.

"Employers can claim any time between now and Wednesday, and we will have the money in their bank account by 30 April.”

Most beaches in Sydney, Australia including the world-famous Bondi beach, remain closed amid the country's lockdown, but three have just re-opened after a three-week closure.

Exercise is now allowed at the Coogee, Maroubra and Clovelly beaches - with social distancing rules still in place.

Our video journalist Isabelle Rodd filmed these scenes at Coogee.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson over reports in the Sunday Times, external that he missed a number of emergency government meetings dealing with Covid-19 at the early stages.

Mr Dowden told the BBC: "I worked for [former PM] David Cameron and was the minister responsible for civil contingencies. It is perfectly normal for other ministers, appropriate secretaries of state, to chair Cobra.

“Cobra is basically a committee that co-ordinates action across Government and, at the early stages, that was chaired by the health secretary. That’s exactly what you would expect.

"That does not mean the prime minister is not engaged. He was being briefed on an hourly and daily basis, took a very close personal interest in this and clearly, as the crisis progressed, he then took over chairing. That’s a normal course of events.”

Image source, Reuters

For the first time in weeks restrictions are easing in Germany.

The country has flattened the curve of new infections and last week said the virus was tentatively under control.

Small shops, bookshops, garages and bicycle stores of any size are being allowed to open their doors, as long as they apply social distancing measures.

Schools remain largely closed but the classes about to graduate this summer will gradually resume and universities will be allowed to hold exams. All other lockdown measures will remain in place.

Germany on Monday recorded 1,775 new cases for the past day while the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 rose by 110 to 4,404, according to official figures.

Image source, Nintendo via the J. Paul Getty Musuem

Museums may have had to close their doors around the world, but users of popular game 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' can still enjoy some famous artworks.

A new art generator by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, external allows gamers to import more than 79,000 pieces of art - including ones by Van Gogh and Monet - onto their own virtual islands.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons lets players customise their own islands and invite others to visit. It is one of the most-popular games on the Nintendo Switch console.

It has recently been removed from Chinese online stores after activists used it to criticise the state.

UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says he is "hopeful" 84 tonnes of personal protective equipment, which includes 400,000 gowns, will arrive on a flight from Turkey on Monday.

“We are very hopeful that later today that flight will take off and we will get those gowns,” Mr Dowden told BBC Breakfast.

"There have been challenges at the Turkish end. I don’t want to start making more and more promises but I understand that that flight will take off this afternoon and those will be delivered.”

Mr Dowden also confirmed that PPE from China had been procured and the UK would be “getting those shortly as well".

This weekend saw warnings that some supplies of PPE for NHS workers were on the verge of running out.

Image source, gamingchahan.com

If for some reason you fancy doing a bit more social distancing then there's a video game for you.

In Japan, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has been urging citizens every day to stick to guidelines.

In the online game, external, you're Governor Koike and you'll have to clear the crowds shouting "social distance" so no one comes to close to you.

Your lives are measured in face masks but don't worry if you're running short. Every now and then there's a figure looking somewhat like Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waving two face masks - ready for you to collect and add to your stash.

Last month, Abe started supplying every household in Japan with two masks, a move that drew ridicule as falling far short of what was needed to tackle the pandemic.

Critics say he misjudged the severity of the crisis - over the weekend, Japanese doctors warned the medical system was on the brink of collapse.

Image source, gamingchahan.com

What's it like to take care of coronavirus patients inside an intensive care unit? The BBC's Fergus Walsh recently visited one such unit University College Hospital in London. This is what he saw:

Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent

The Czech Republic is beginning the first of a five-stage relaxation of the lockdown today. Farmers’ markets, car dealerships and some other small businesses will be allowed to reopen for the first time since 12 March, when the country introduced one of the earliest lockdowns in Europe.

The government will discuss easing travel restrictions on Monday. Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek says the borders should open initially for business and entrepreneurial purposes, while ordinary citizens should be able to begin visiting neighbouring countries in mid-May, depending on the epidemiological situation.

Travel and tourism would come at a later phase, he said, adding that he could imagine that people might even be able to take their beloved holidays to Croatia. Around 1m Czechs, a tenth of the population, visit the country each year.

The foreign minister also said that opening the borders of Schengen should be coordinated, and that the situation in neighbouring countries would have to be taken into account.

In a radio interview, the country's president, Milos Zeman, said he wanted the borders to remain closed for a year, and that people should instead "savour the beauty of the Czech countryside".

Over 6,700 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Czech Republic, along with 186 virus-related deaths.

Coronavirus has presented the UK's NHS workers at all levels with an extraordinary challenge.

The BBC's Fergal Keane spent time with teams fighting the virus at Imperial College Healthcare hospitals in London.

Dr Ali Sanders spoke of the challenges she and her team of more than 500 hospital staff face during the pandemic.