US President Donald Trump will speak with members of the media when he meets industry leaders on Monday, but his Covid-19 task force will not hold a formal briefing, the White House says.

The task force has held daily briefings to update the American public on the state of the crisis. The president in recent weeks has made headlines by sparring with the press or state lawmakers during these briefings.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters the briefings would take place later this week - and "might have a new look to them, a new focus".

"I would not read into that anything that said we see them as negative because in fact we think that they have been a very positive, helpful opportunity for the president to speak to the American people," Ms McEnany said.

All over the world, couples' wedding plans have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic but some, like Laura McKinlay and Ruaridh Macmillan from Scotland, have pressed on.

They were due to get married recently but their big day was cancelled because of the ongoing lockdown.

So the couple held what they called a "not our wedding day" and linked up with family and friends via video calls, They held their own ceremony at home with improvised wedding props, including a fitted bedsheet that stood in for a veil, and pyjamas instead of a kilt. Have a watch:

The UK justice secretary has said 15 prisoners and five members of prison staff have died after contracting coronavirus.

Speaking from the Commons during justice questions, Robert Buckland said 321 prisoners have confirmed cases of the virus, and 293 members of prison staff.

He added that 33 prisoners have been released in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus in jails.

The Ministry of Justice said at the beginning of the month that up to 4,000 low-risk prisoners England and Wales would be released.

The government scheme was temporarily suspended two weeks later after six offenders were freed by mistake.

Image source, AFP

French authorities have registered a record monthly rise in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits.

The number of claimants rose by 7% to just over 246,000 - the highest since records began in 1996.

Over 3.7 million people are registered for benefits in France, and more than 10 million people have been temporarily laid off from work due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Simon Atkinson
BBC News, Sydney

Within the last couple of hours, New Zealand lifted its level four lockdown restrictions.

It’s a moment the country has been counting down to since the plan was announced a week ago.

“We’ve made it!” the country’s most popular newspaper website proclaims.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the high-level lockdown, which ran for over a month, had managed to stop the “widespread, undetected community transmission” of Covid-19. And New Zealand is being hailed as among the most successful countries at managing the outbreak.

Image source, AFP

But the reality is that for many Kiwis, life will not change too much.

I asked a friend living there what the step down to Level Three meant to them. “A takeaway flat white,” she said.

It is of course a huge step for the businesses (including cafes and restaurants) which are allowed to reopen in a limited form. And for those parents who really need to have their children in school, the partial opening of classrooms is a big relief.

But the PM has as always acknowledged that even at Level 3, life is restrictive. People should still stay at home unless working, going to school, doing essential shopping, or exercising - and stick within their social “bubble”.

“We’re opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” Ms Ardern said.

Image source, Getty Images

The biggest gambling companies across the UK will remove all their adverts from TV and radio during the coronavirus lockdown in the country.

The Betting and Gaming Council says the voluntary move, agreed by the firms, will last at least six weeks, with the slots replaced by safer gambling messages, donated to charities or removed from broadcast where contracts allow.

The decision comes a week after the government wrote to gambling firms, calling for regular updates on how they are tackling problem gambling during the lockdown.

The council's chief executive, Michael Dugher, says the move "further underlines our commitment to safer betting and gaming, with many people cut off and feeling anxious", adding that he hopes others will "follow our lead".

Some Premier League footballers have returned to training grounds today, with plans to resume the English top-flight season set to step up this week.

Arsenal and Brighton opened their training grounds to players for individual workouts, with West Ham set to follow soon.

The Premier League is hopeful of potentially restarting on 8 June, depending on Government approval, with top-flight clubs meeting on Friday to discuss their options.

Image source, Getty Images

A vaccine would provide some protection by training people's immune systems to fight the virus so they should not become sick.

But how easy is it to create a vaccine? And when could we expect one to be ready? The BBC's health correspondent Laura Foster takes a look:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech from Downing Street earlier today urging the UK public not to lose patience with lockdown measures.

Mr Johnson said he refused to "throw away" the public's "effort and sacrifice" so far by relaxing coronavirus restrictions too soon.

Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent

From today, people are legally allowed to leave the Czech Republic and travel to any destination they wish. Though, as PM Andrej Babis pointed out - where would you go? There are virtually no flights or trains, and most other countries are not letting anyone in.

Also, anyone who leaves also has to present a negative Covid certificate on their return, or face 14 days of quarantine. The only outsiders being let in are EU business people or university students, also with negative Covid certificates or quarantine.

The next stage of easing domestic restrictions begins today, with large retail outlets, gyms, libraries and zoos (outdoor spaces only) amongst the latest to open.

Authorities are concerned at an apparent flashpoint in the town of Marianske Lazne (Marianbad) near the German border, where there has been a spike in infections in hospitals.

A further 329 people who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in England.

NHS England said the patients were aged between 29 and 100-years-old.

The latest figure brings the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in England to 18,749.

In Scotland, a further 13 people have died, bringing the total in the country to 1,262 patients.

And in Wales, a further eight patients have died, totalling 796 in the country over the outbreak.

Downing Street says it's "right" that members of the public, who are making "significant sacrifices", get to put questions to ministers and experts.

Members of the public have been given the chance, external to ask a question at the government's daily virus update from Downing Street. There will be one question a day from a member of the public, in addition to the media.

Anyone over the age of 18 can submit a question, which will be chosen by an independent polling organisation.

Officials in Mombasa have tweeted some stunning aerial photos of a ferry boat. The images show hundreds of people practising social distancing during their commute across Kilindini Harbour.

A range of restrictions are currently in place across Kenya. Schools, pubs, entertainment venues, churches and mosques have been shut, and night-time curfews are in force. Residents can also be arrested for travelling outdoors without wearing a mask.

US President Donald Trump has spoken over 260,000 words in his coronavirus press briefings - and journalists from the New York Times have analysed every one to determine the patterns, external of his messages.

"By far the most recurring utterances from Mr. Trump in the briefings are self-congratulations," it says.

"He does credit others (more than 360 times) for their work, but he also blames others (more than 110 times) for inadequacies in the state and federal response."

Image source, New York Times

China’s foreign ministry has denied claims that the country is spreading disinformation about the coronavirus.

A European Union report said last week there was “significant evidence” of covert Chinese operations on social media.

National security officials in the UK and the United States believe China is continuing to under-report the true number of deaths from Covid-19.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang defended Beijing's response in Monday's regular press briefing.

"I must stress China is against the creation and spreading of disinformation by any individual or institution. China is a victim rather than a source of disinformation," he said., external

Image source, Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will take part in a minute's silence on Tuesday to remember health workers who have died from coronavirus.

The tribute was proposed by health unions Unison, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives, and coincides with International Workers' Memorial Day.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson says the PM will observe the minute's silence at 11:00 BST (10:00 GMT) and ask everybody who works in government to take part.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also says she will join in the tribute, saying it provides time to honour frontline workers and pay tribute to those who have died.

Maddy Savage
BBC News, Stockholm

Image source, Getty Images

Sweden’s bars, hotels and restaurants are facing a huge drop in business, despite being allowed to remain open during the pandemic, according to the country’s business minister, Ibrahim Baylan.

He told a news conference that many restaurants, hotels and bars were struggling - with a 50% average drop in demand. This has risen to 90% in areas typically popular with tourists.

Mr Baylan defended Sweden's decision to keep large parts of society open, saying it was important to mitigate the virus's economic impact while authorities tackled the outbreak.

His comments come after five bars and restaurants in popular nightlife spots were closed down in the capital, Stockholm.

The inspections took place following concerns that some venues weren’t doing enough to encourage social-distancing between customers.

More than a dozen other venues were given a warning by inspectors over the weekend. Checks were also carried out in the university city of Lund, where all venues passed their inspections.

Image source, Royal Mail/PA Media

A 99-year-old war veteran who raised £29m for the UK's National Health Service by walking laps of his garden has been honoured with a special postmark.

Royal Mail will stamp all letters with the message to celebrate Captain Tom Moore's 100th birthday on Thursday.

Downing Street has briefed reporters this afternoon, following the return of Boris Johnson.

The prime minister’s official spokesman says that we could hear more about how the government will judge the UK's ability to “move forward” by the end of the week. This is after we heard Mr Johnson say this morning that more detail would be revealed in the "coming days".

The spokesman says Mr Johnson earlier gave a “clear-eyed assessment” of the situation.

He says the key is to satisfy the five tests set out by the government - we have more on that here - and they have to be confident that “refining” social distancing measures will not help “lead to a second peak".

Image source, Getty Images

Sing-alongs with Sting and Sir Rod Stewart, a Shakespeare lesson with Sir Patrick Stewart and a virtual cocktail with Hillary Clinton are being offered in a charity auction to raise funds for refugees during the coronavirus crisis.

Sting has promised to duet with the hightest bidder in a remote recording session, and Sir Patrick will teach the art of Shakespearean oration.

Clinton will discuss how the pandemic will change the world - over a drink - while Downton Abbey fans can bid for a virtual house party with creator Julian Fellowes, actor Hugh Bonneville and the current Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

They are all raising funds for the International Rescue Committee, with the online auctions to be conducted by Sotheby's from 1-8 May.

It follows the All In Challenge, in which stars like Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio and Drake offered up-close-and-personal experiences, and which raised more than $20m (£16m).