Image source, AFP

Singapore has begun housing some of its foreign workers who have recovered from Covid-19 onboard two cruise ships docked at port.

There will be tight infection control measures and safe-distancing policies, and sick bays and isolation stations will be nearby should new infections occur, officials say.

Singapore's dramatically high number of virus cases is a bit of a tale of two cities. Almost all infections are among the foreign workers who live in often cramped dormitories that make social distancing impossible.

The workers' dorms are now under quarantine, and authorities are trying to find new locations they can convert into living areas to spread out the workers affected.

Singapore has more than 300,000 foreign workers, mostly from South Asia. While initially praised as a model of how to contain the virus, the city state now has more than 16,000 confirmed cases.

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa is easing some of its lockdown restrictions today. Some businesses will be allowed to reopen, restaurants will be able to deliver food, and families will be allowed to leave home to exercise.

But in some respects, South Africa’s five-week lockdown will remain just as strict as it was before.

The sale of alcohol will still be banned. This restriction has helped keep the country's hospital wards empty.

The government will also deploy more troops on the streets and impose an overnight curfew.

The security forces have faced criticism for being heavy-handed. Tens of thousands of extra troops could now, potentially, be deployed to patrol the streets.

The government – which has so far been praised for moving fast to fight the virus – must now balance the need to keep the infection rate down with the risk of growing frustration and hunger in a country that is already marked by deep inequality and economic struggles.

The spread of coronavirus around the world has meant a lot of changes, especially when it comes to employment and money.

Thousands of you have been asking us questions about your financial situation during this time, so from 12:00 BST (11:00 GMT) today, our experts will be ready to answer some of those questions via a live video stream.

If you have any questions about your money in the UK during this pandemic, you can contact us using the form in this page.

Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Howard Johnson

At the end of a crumbling jetty I stared out across the broad blue expanse of Manila Bay and counted 12 cruise ships, all neatly lined up in an anchorage area about 5km from shore.

The bay has become busy because of the large numbers of returning Filipinos who work in the cruise ship industry. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, around 2,000 crew members are undergoing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on board the ships before they are allowed onto the mainland.

Foreign crew will only be allowed off the ships if they can prove they have a flight within four hours of disembarking.

Last night I was contacted by a British worker on one of the ships. Speaking on condition of anonymity, she told me she had been at sea for more than 50 days and had spent most of that time observing strict social distancing and self-isolation in a small cabin.

With limited human contact she told me she was feeling “mentally exhausted”. She said she and her colleagues' biggest concern was that people around the world might have forgotten about the thousands of crew members still stuck on board these ships.

• Read about the last passengers on cruise ships here

Image source, MOD / PA

More on comments from UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who said the government is "likely to get very close to or meet" its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day.

Just over 81,000 tests took place on Wednesday, but Shapps told the BBC's Question Time on Thursday that there had been capacity for more.

A government source also told the BBC they were "fairly confident" that testing numbers "will be where our projections forecasted them to be".

The 100,000 daily test target was first promised by Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier this month - he said it would be met by the end of April.

Saffron Cordery, who represents National Health Service (NHS) trusts, said the rationale for that particular figure wasn't "entirely clear".

But after a slow start, more test sites and labs have been set up and more people have become eligible for testing.

You can read more about how close the UK is to reaching its target here.

In the UK, those who are clinically extremely vulnerable with serious health conditions have been advised to greatly minimise their contact with others, in a concept called "shielding".Grace is a 26-year-old with an invisible illness. She can’t see her boyfriend or her family and she’s been told she cannot leave her flat for 12 weeks.

Here’s how she’s coping as she shields from coronavirus.

Would you want to be eaten by a dinosaur? And be in a Hollywood movie? And hang out with Chris Pratt?

The Hollywood star is offering two roles as extras in the next Jurassic World movie. All you have to do is donate money to enter the raffle.

It's part of the "All In" challenge where celebrities raise money to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

So if you've been looking for ways to finally kick-start that acting career, here's the link to donate. , external

Geeta Pandey
Editor, women and social affairs India

Image source, Anjali Ewing

Gulshan Ewing, a pioneering Indian journalist who mingled with some of the world's biggest celebrities, has died from Covid-19 at a home for the elderly in London.

She was 92. Her death comes amid growing concerns over how Britain is handling infections in care homes, where thousands have died.

Ewing, who edited two popular Indian magazines, Eve's Weekly and Star & Style, from 1966 to 1989, was once described by Nobel laureate VS Naipaul as "India's most famous female editor".

Image source, Anjali Ewing

She interviewed Hollywood legends Gregory Peck, Cary Grant and Roger Moore; socialised with Prince Charles; dined with Alfred Hitchcock; posed for photographs with Ava Gardner, and taught Danny Kay how to drape a sari.

Her friendships ran deep in Bollywood too, where she often partied with some of the biggest stars such as Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Nargis.

"I think mum was a very lucky woman, she had an amazing career, and she was loved and adored by her husband. She had it all," her daughter, Anjali, told me.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

• Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero says players are "scared" about the prospect of returning to action amid the pandemic. The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March - but clubs remain committed to playing this season's 92 remaining fixtures
• Paris St-Germain have been awarded the Ligue 1 title after it was announced the season would not resume
• Rugby league in England will receive £16m in government loans to help it recover from the impact of the pandemic
• The Cheltenham Festival could have helped to "accelerate the spread" of Covid-19, an ex-government chief scientific adviser has said. About 250,000 people attended the four-day event in March, which ended 10 days before lockdown measures began

If you're just joining us in the UK, good morning and welcome. Here are the latest headlines:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK was "past the peak" of the outbreak. At a news conference on Thursday, he said he would set out a "comprehensive plan" next week on how to restart the economy and reopen schools following the lockdown
• But Mr Johnson said that to avoid the "disaster" of a second peak the UK must keep the R rate - the number of people to which one infected person will pass the virus - below one
• Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government is "likely to get very close to or meet" its target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests. "At the beginning of the week we only had 5,000 home tests available, we now have 20,000," he said
• Some 26,771 people have now died with the virus in the UK, with more than 171,000 recorded cases

As we reported earlier, US President Donald Trump has said he has a "high degree" of confidence that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The US intelligence community has not directly contradicted that. But it did say, in a rare public statement on Thursday, that the virus was not "man-made or genetically modified".

Image source, Getty Images

Car makers in China are tapping into health concerns by launching vehicles with anti-virus features.

Some of the country's biggest carmakers have launched new cars with such features including Geely, which also makes London black cabs.

Its “Healthy Car Project” aims to stop tiny particles entering the car, potentially protecting drivers and passengers from harmful substances.

SAIC, which owns the iconic British motoring brand MG, has added an optional feature of an ultraviolet lamp to sterilise air going through the car's air conditioning system.

Read the full story here.

António Guterres has told the BBC he has been "shocked but not surprised" by the global coronavirus response.

"Unfortunately...the world was not able to come together," he said. "Each country went with its own policy."

More businesses and industries will be allowed to reopen in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said, according to Dawn news.

The country has recorded 16,697 cases and 385 deaths so far.

Mr Khan said the virus was less intense in Pakistan compared to the United States or Europe - a statement he has made before.

He said the decision to reopen was taken after consulting leaders in Egypt and Iran, which have also started to reopen, because the economic cost of continuing the lockdown was too high.

"Iran and Egypt have opened all businesses by maintaining a ban on public gatherings and we will also further ease lockdown by sharing information with these states,” he said.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Social isolation can be tough. Thanks to video calls we can still check in with parents, grandparents and friends. But did you ever spare a thought for the eels?

Neither did we, until an aquarium in Tokyo put out an appeal. No visitors are allowed in the Sumida Aquarium in the landmark Tokyo Skytree tower and the eels seem to be forgetting what humans look like.

"Creatures in the aquarium don't see humans except keepers and they have started forgetting about humans," the aquarium said.

"Garden eels in particular disappear into the sand and hide every time the keepers pass by."

That means the keepers can't check on their health anymore. To fix this, the aquarium is setting up computer tablets facing the tank, and are asking people to call, show their faces, wave, and talk to the eels.

One note of caution - don't shout as the eels are very sensitive.

Image source, Reuters

South Korea recorded nine new infections on Friday - a single-digit rise for the third consecutive day.

Eight of the nine cases were believed to have been brought from oversees.

Thursday was the first day in two and a half months that no locally transmitted cases were reported.

South Korea now has 10,774 infections, with 248 deaths.

Image source, EPA

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged that Australia's social distancing restrictions could be eased in one week's time.

Initially, authorities pencilled in 11 May as the decision-making date for when measures might be lifted.

However - as the nation has effectively contained the virus spread - Mr Morrison said the decision would be brought forward to 8 May.

"Australians have earned an early mark through the work they have done," he said in press conference in Canberra.

Several states this week have begun loosening social restrictions - for example, people in Sydney and elsewhere in New South Wales can now visit other people's homes.

Children make up a small percentage of those so far diagnosed with coronavirus and often have milder reactions than adults.

But there are cases around the world where they have been left needing intensive care treatment.

The mothers of four-year-old Lincoln, and baby Peyton - who contracted the virus at just three weeks old - told the BBC about their experiences.

Image source, Reuters

The majority of businesses in Malaysia will be allowed to reopen from 4 May, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is quoted as saying by Reuters.

But he said that those that usually involve large gatherings of employees would remain shut.

The authorities shut down all non-essential businesses, restricted travel and closed schools on 18 March to try to halt the spread of the virus.

Malaysia has more than 6,000 confirmed infections and 102 deaths, according to America's Johns Hopkins university.

The pandemic has sparked plenty of art, graffiti and murals around the globe.

Some of it to warn and educate, some of it to entertain, all of it worth taking in.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, reuters

Image source, Getty

Image source, AFP