Two children in Vietnam have given 20,000 medical masks to the UK.

Nhan and Khoi, from the capital Hanoi, bought them with "lucky money" they had saved up over a few years.

The British Ambassador to Vietnam, Gareth Ward, wrote a letter to the pair thanking them for their donation. He confirmed the masks had been sent on a commercial flight last week that carried 100 British nationals home.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said a workforce of 18,000 people to trace contacts of those infected with coronavirus will be "up and running in a matter of weeks".

This "is just the start" and it will be combined with mass testing to help hold down the rate of transmission of the disease, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

He admitted the measures "work far better when there are fewer new cases" of the virus to trace - but if they do work the UK will be able to hold down the number of new coronavirus cases with fewer social distancing restrictions.

Image source, Reuters

Hopes of getting an antiviral drug to treat Covid-19 took a knock after remdesivir reportedly failed in its first randomised clinical trial.

A Chinese trial showed the drug had not been successful, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization.

However, the US firm behind the drug, Gilead Sciences, said the documents had mischaracterised the study.

Read more here.

The BBC's Big Night In charity special has raised more than £27m.

A number of stars joined forces for the three-hour event to help raise money for charities across the UK that are helping people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Peter Kay and Catherine Tate took part as did the Duke of Cambridge, who appeared in a surprise sketch with Stephen Fry.

Read more about the highlights from the night here.

Aleem Maqbool
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Kenny Karpov

Unlike in many European countries where it is illegal, US households have the water connection turned off for non-payment of bills.

That has left many Americans without water at a time when they are being told that one of the most important things they can do is wash their hands.

"I have been without water for about six months now," says Akiva Durr.

A mother of two girls, she lives in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods not just of Detroit but of the entire country.

Her family is among many in the US state who, in the midst of a public health crisis, have no water due to non-payment.

You can read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Anders Tegnell, Sweden's chief state epidemiologist, believes his country's decision not to impose strict lockdown measures has "worked in some aspects because our health system has been able to cope".

Sweden's approach has been controversial. It has seen more infections and deaths than its Nordic neighbours, with 2,021 deaths and 16,755 cases, external.

But Dr Tegnell has told the BBC that at least half the deaths have been in nursing homes and "it's a bit unclear to us if a lockdown would have stopped this from happening or not". He also argued that the decision not to impose strict restrictions meant that there was an immunity level of up to 20% in the capital, Stockholm, "so we hope this will make it easier for us in the long run".

Image source, Getty Images

The Trump administration is promoting research which suggests that sunlight can be a powerful weapon against the coronavirus.

Bill Bryan, head of science at the Department of Homeland Security, said the virus weakened quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity.

The research has not been published or externally examined.

Vice-President Mike Pence said the study raised hopes that the pandemic would recede in the summer.

During a press conference on Thursday, President Trump asked whether powerful light or injections of disinfectant could be used to treat coronavirus patients.

Health experts accused him of promoting dangerous misinformation.

The idea that hot weather might stop the coronavirus has been around for a while. Read our review of the evidence here.

Image source, Reuters

The huge economic impact of coronavirus lockdowns should come as no surprise to anyone.

This week though we had some stark reminders of just how much the pandemic is hitting the global economy.

Just yesterday we learnt that European business activity suffered a massive blow this month as government restrictions to slow the spread of the virus saw businesses close their doors.

The data was a grim reminder for the region's leaders as they started to discuss a huge rescue plan for the bloc.

We also had data showing that Japan's services sector contracted at a record pace in April, while factories also fell silent as large parts of the world's third-largest economy went into lockdown.

In the US it was confirmed that in just five weeks the world's biggest economy has seen the job gains of the last 11 years wiped out. That's as new jobless claims for last week totalled 4.4m - taking the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 26.4m.

This morning, new figures showed UK retail sales fell a record 5.1% in March, the steepest sales fall since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) started collecting the data in 1996.

For now at least, we are likely to see much more of this kind of gloomy data as governments around the world continue to enforce stay-at-home orders.

The Daily Telegraph has been reporting that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back in control at Number 10 on Monday after recovering from coronavirus.

But Downing Street are being clear that they have no official timetable for his return, says BBC political correspondent Leila Nathoo.

We’re starting to see signs he is back in action but there is no firm commitment for when he will be back in public, our correspondent adds.

Spokespeople say he is not doing government work although he has spoken to Dominic Raab, the first secretary of state who is deputising for him.

He has also spoken to the Queen over the phone and Donald Trump.

The US president has said Johnson sounded "incredible" during their phone conversation a few days ago - the "old Boris, tremendous energy, tremendous drive".

Here's your daily reminder that no, 5G does not transmit coronavirus, despite what people on the internet may say.

Watch the latest video in our ongoing Reality Check series debunking that and other health myths around Covid-19.

And don’t forget to check out our previous videos too:

• Myths about garlic, ice-cream and drinking silver
• Myths about drinking cow urine and holding your breath
• Myths about lemon juice, mosquito bites and blood donations

Martin Bashir
BBC religion editor

The coronavirus pandemic has disturbed the rituals and traditions of the vast majority of Islam’s 1.8 billion adherents, who will abstain from food and water during daylight hours for the next 30 days.

In most countries, mosques are closed and Ramadan’s traditional evening call to prayer will be heeded only at home, as Muslims experience the holy month in chastened circumstances.

During Ramadan, special evening prayers – known as Taraweeh – are traditionally said alongside the recitation of the Koran. Taraweeh derives from an Arabic word which means to rest and forms an essential part of congregational worship at this special time of the year.

The pandemic has cut to the heart of Islamic worship; vertically, in terms of prayer, and horizontally, by preventing the evening gatherings when people break the fast together, renew bonds of friendship and extend charity to those in need.

The coronavirus has impacted the holiest sites of Islam. The Grand Mosque in Mecca is silent, the mosque in Medina closed and the doors of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque are bolted.

While most Muslim-majority nations have cancelled congregational gatherings, the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was forced to seek a compromise with clerics following protests.

Group prayers will be allowed during Ramadan but only if worshippers observe social distancing and wear face masks inside the mosque.

Image source, MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Laura Bicker
BBC News, Seoul

Image source, Reuters

There have been no reported deaths from Covid-19 in South Korea in the last 24 hours - the first time in a month that's happened.

The Centre for Disease Control (KCDC) also reported only six new cases of the infection – the lowest recorded daily total since 18 February.

It is a remarkable turnaround in a country which was battling a spiralling number of cases in February.

The country used aggressive tracing and testing measures to find infected patients, isolate them and treat them. So far 240 people have sadly died, but that is still a low fatality rate in comparison to other countries. All of this has been achieved with no lockdown and no major movement restrictions.

But health officials say now is the time to remain vigilant.

In the last few days they have continued warning the public that it is inevitable this country will face further outbreaks until there’s a vaccine.

KCDC Deputy Director Kwon said South Koreans should brace themselves for an “unexpected, explosive spread of Covid-19 anytime, even tomorrow" and that officials were using this time to prepare long-term pandemic plans.

South Africa’s president has announced an easing of some lockdown restrictions beginning next month, citing economic concerns.

From 1 May, some businesses will be allowed to reopen, and a third of their employees can return to work. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that most people should remain at home, public gatherings remain banned, and the country’s borders will stay closed.

Here's what else is happening across the continent:

• Night curfew hours in Egypt will be shortened during Ramadan. It will begin at 21:00 local time (19:00GMT), an hour later than usual
• Two people who fled a quarantine centre in Kenya have been arrested at a bar where they were found drinking despite social distancing regulations
• US President Donald Trump has held telephone conversations with the presidents of South Africa and Kenya, offering assistance to both countries.

For the fifth week in a row, people across the UK opened their windows and front doors last night to celebrate carers and key workers. From singing nuns to marching drummers, we've put together some highlights from the Clap for Carers moment across the country yesterday:

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

If you're joining us in the UK, good morning.

Here are the latest headlines:

• Up to 10 million key workers and their households can now book a coronavirus test online or through their employer
• The 'Big Night In' has raised more than £27m. The money will go to causes that support vulnerable people around the UK whose lives have been affected by coronavirus
• Two volunteers in the UK have been injected with a potential coronavirus vaccine. It is the first human test in Europe.
• US President Donald Trump said Boris Johnson sounded "incredible" after his recovery from the virus.

Italy’s coronavirus death toll is the second highest in the world, and its lockdown is the strictest and longest in Europe.

Doctors say both things are creating a mental health emergency. Psychologists are warning that Italy is not equipped to deal with the crisis, and that the rest of Europe must prepare.

The BBC has spoke to staff at a psychological help centre, and they say they’re overwhelmed by calls from people struggling. These are some of their stories:

Pallava Bagla
Columnist, Delhi

Behind India's push for mass use of homemade masks for more than a billion people is a little-known female biochemist.

Shailaja V Gupta, 58, is a scientist in the office of India's principal scientific adviser. She helps draw up policy and advises the government on the best use of technology.

"Homemade masks were a very obvious solution to limit the chain of transmission, especially in crowded conditions," she says.

There continues to be debate around the efficacy of masks, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says there isn't much evidence to support wearing them. But many Asian countries have made them compulsory.

And in India, with PPE kits in short supply and the regular purchase of surgical masks not a viable option for many, Ms Gupta believes that homemade masks are a practical preventive measure.

You can read the full piece here.

Governments around the world are proposing contact tracing as a way of limiting the spread of coronavirus after we all come out of lockdown.

Contact tracing - alerting everyone you have interacted with before testing positive - can be done from memory, but smartphone apps that can automate the process have also been developed.

We explain what contact tracing is, and some of the methods that have been proposed:

Two volunteers in the UK have been injected with a potential vaccine - the first human trial to take place in Europe.

More than 800 people were recruited for the study.

Half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and half a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not coronavirus. The volunteers will not know which vaccine they are getting.

The vaccine was developed in under three months by a team at Oxford University.

Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, led the pre-clinical research.

Prof Gilbert previously said she was "80% confident" the vaccine would work, but now prefers not to put a figure on it, saying simply she is "very optimistic" about its chances.

Here's how the vaccine will work.

Let's take a look at what is in today's British newspapers.

The Telegraph says Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to return to No 10 on Monday, after his serious Covid-19 illness, with concerns in his cabinet that the lockdown has gone too far.

Image source, Telegraph

The Daily Express, Daily Mail and i newspaper all have front page splashes on the news that up to 10 million key workers will be able to get tests. Read our story on that here.

The Mirror and Metro talk about the latest round of applause for frontline workers last night.

Image source, Mirror

The Sun talks about "182 bad hair days" as salons could be shut for six months.

And the Daily Star leads on the big news of the day: BBC presenter Jonathan Ross often exaggerates his speech problem with the letter R.

Read the newspaper round-up here.