Image source, Reuters

Thailand has loosened some of its coronavirus restrictions as the country appears to have prevented a larger outbreak.

The daily tally of new cases is down to single digits and 92% of the 2,969 confined infections have recovered. The death toll stands at 54.

The easing of the lockdown means food stalls and restaurants can re-open, and shops are allowed to sell alcohol again for drinking at home.

Until Sunday, only takeaway was allowed but now customers can dine-in again as long as they observe social distancing.

As you've heard, US President Donald Trump has said in a Fox News interview that he believes there will be a vaccine by the end of the year.

Most experts, however, believe it will be closer to mid-2021.

How exactly does a vaccine work, and how easy is it to create one? The BBC's health correspondent Laura Foster answers some of these questions:

Image source, facebook.com/IMGTennis

With most actual sports off limits at the moment, some athletes have taken their skills to the virtual realm. A few of the world's top tennis pros have played each other on the Nintendo Mario Aces game.

The Stay At Home Slam took place on Sunday and paired up tennis stars with other celebrities for doubles matches, with American tennis great John McEnroe as one of the commentators.

The line-up included the Williams sisters, Japan's Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, and the recently retired Maria Sharapova from Russia.

The tournament was won by US player Taylor Fritz and his doubles partner, Tik Tok personality Addison Rae, beating Japan's Nishikori who'd teamed up with DJ Steve Aoki.

The tournament was organised by talent management company IMG and Facebook Gaming with all the prize money donated to the struggle against the virus pandemic.

Good morning to those joining us from India, where a third phase of the lockdown has begun but with some relaxing of restrictions.

From Monday, private offices can open with 33% of their staff in the space, and standalone shops - those not in markets or malls - can also restart business.

Self-employed professionals like cleaners, cooks, electricians and plumbers can also resume work.

But none of these relaxations will apply to containment zones and public transport will remain shut, which means many will not be able to go out.

While the new guidelines come from the federal government, states can reject certain relaxations depending on their situation.

Image source, Getty Images

Conspiracy theories, misinformation and speculation about the coronavirus have flooded social media. But who starts these rumours? And who spreads them?

The BBC has investigated hundreds of misleading stories during the pandemic. It's given us an idea about who is behind misinformation - and what motivates them.

We found seven types of people who start and spread falsehoods: The joker, the scammer, the politician, the conspiracy theorist, the insider, the relative, and the celebrity.

Click here to find out more about who spreads fake news.

Welcome to the BBC's live coverage of the extraordinary times we are living through. Here are the headlines from across the world:

• France, Italy and Spain have registered the lowest daily death tolls for weeks as they prepare to ease more restrictions - read more about that here.
• But the virus is surging ahead in Russia, with 10,000 new infections
• Some major airlines are now requiring passengers to wear face mask on flights to limit the spread of viruses. While around 90% of international flights have been cancelled, airlines hope to gradually resume air travel starting this month

• Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is optimistic about having a vaccine by the end of the year. But is this likely? You can read more on that here.
• Government employees across Hong Kong have started returning to their offices today, as the city marked more than two weeks without any local infections
• And in India, new relaxations in lockdown rules means private offices can open with 33% of their total staff
• New Zealand continues its successful fight, with zero new cases in the past 24 hours

Both Australia and New Zealand have completely shut off their borders but as outbreaks in both countries appear to be under control - the idea of a "travel bubble" is being considered.

Winston Peters, NZ's deputy prime minister, expressed hope that the "Trans Tasman Bubble" between the two countries, could be created soon.

Australia's PM Scott Morrison appeared to be open to the idea saying: "I can't see international travel happening any time soon. The only exception is... New Zealand and we have had some good discussions about that."

However, it's not clear when this could become a reality - both countries currently still have travel restrictions in place.

Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Canada and New Zealand are also forming their own bubble of sorts. They've agreed to facilitate the resumption of essential cross-border travel between them - though travel will only be allowed for trade reasons and we don't know when it will start.

Find out more about what global travel could look like here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

In Rio de Janeiro, the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue has gotten a new look, with a light projection of a face mask on his face along with the message "Masks save (lives)".

A few weeks ago, a lightshow tribute to healthcare workers around the world was also projected on the statue.

US President Trump has said he believes a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year. But how likely is this?

It's been over a month since the first human trial of a vaccine took place in the US city of Seattle.

But there's still lots to do - even if the initial safety tests go well, the vaccine will still need to go through clinical trials, medicine regulators must approve it and a way of producing it on a huge scale must be developed.

Vaccines normally take years, if not decades, to develop. Most experts think a vaccine is likely to become available by mid-2021, about 12-18 months after the new virus, known officially as Sars-CoV-2, first emerged.

That would be a huge scientific feat and there are no guarantees it will work.

Four coronaviruses already circulate in human beings. They cause common cold symptoms and we still don't have vaccines for any of them.

Read more from our health and science correspondent James Gallagher on this here.

Image source, Getty Images

Many Muslims around the world are fasting for the holy month of Ramadan during the coronavirus lockdown. It's a time of reflection but also togetherness and community.

For many, being in a tight-knit network is what keeps them going during a difficult, long fast. But coronavirus has forced mosques to shut down and many are spending Ramadan apart to avoid the spread of the virus.

BBC's Sodaba Haidare shares her experience of Ramadan and talks to others about what it's like fasting in lockdown.

Image source, I For India/Facebook

More than 70 of India's biggest stars performed from their homes in a four hour concert to help raise funds for the fight against Covid-19 in India, where cases have steadily surged to 38,956.

Among them were Bollywood heavyweights like Shah Rukh Khan, who made jokes about his bad singing voice before proceeding to sing.

“I can, I will, and I must help,” Khan told fans after.

Over five million viewers tuned in for the I For India concert, external, which was live-streamed via Facebook on Sunday. Other superstars who made an appearance included legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, who reminded fans that "we will get through this together".

All donations will go to non-profit GiveIndia and their Covid-19 relief efforts.

The concert had some international guests too. US singer Nick Jonas strummed the guitar and sang his single, Jealous. Popular YouTuber and US late night show host Lily Singh did a mini comedy skit.

Actor Will Smith made an appearance towards the end, and referenced the hundreds of millions of migrant workers in India who have been forced to walks hundreds of kilometres as they were stranded from their homes when the lockdown was announced in March. "We need initiatives like this to garner our support and donate," Smith told fans.

Image source, Getty Images

From this week, many major airlines are now requiring passengers to wear face mask on flights to limit the spread of viruses.

Many of the big US airlines are bringing in new health and safety policies for both passengers and cabin crew from Monday. The mandatory wearing of face masks is one of the main measures.

Airlines have also introduced major pre-flight cleaning measures to disinfect heavily used areas along with reducing the number of people on each flight.

Passengers are also being encouraged to pack their own food and drinks to decrease contact.

In case you missed this last night, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has said in a television interview that there is "enormous evidence" that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Mr Pompeo did not present any facts to support his claim.

The WHO maintains that the virus is of "animal origin" and not manufactured in a lab.

Two laboratories in Wuhan have come under the spotlight since the pandemic began - including one near a market where Chinese authorities said the outbreak started. But evidence that the virus was released from one of the labs - intentionally or accidentally - is highly circumstantial.

It comes as US President Donald Trump has ratcheted up criticism of China - accusing the country of a cover-up in its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking to the US network ABC, Mr Pompeo accused the Chinese government of stonewalling any investigations and refusing to co-operate with experts. This is what he said:

Image source, Reuters

As a new week starts for some of us still under tight lockdowns and for others with a bit more freedom here is a snapshot of global cases.

As of 4 May, there have been 3,505,761 cases of the new coronavirus recorded worldwide. Many of those have already recovered though and the number of currently active infections stands at around 2.4 million.

Here are the countries with the most confirmed cases:

US (1,157,945 total, 939,758 active, 67,680 deaths)

Spain (217,466 total, 73,300 active, 25,264 deaths)

Italy (210,717 total, 100,179 active, 28,884 deaths)

UK (187,842 total, 158,421 active, 28,520 deaths)

France (168,925 total, 93,140 active, 24,900 deaths)

Germany (165,664 total, 28,198 active, 6,866 deaths)

Russia (134,687 total, 116,768 active, 1,280 deaths)

Turkey (126,045 total, 59,497 active, 3,397 deaths)

Brazil (101,147 total, 51,131 active, 7,025 deaths)

The data is from the Johns Hopkins University, external and only counts confirmed cases - in many countries the actual numbers are thought to be higher.

Government employees across Hong Kong have started returning to their offices today, as the city marked more than two weeks without any local infections.

Outdoor sports facilities, libraries and museums will also reopen from today, though they will still be subject to a ban on gatherings of more than four people.

However, facilities like gyms, cinemas and bars still remain closed.

The government had earlier said social distancing and travel curbs would be extended until at least 7 May - it's not clear if these will be extended.

Last Friday however, protesters defied social distancing measures, with around 100 people gathering to sing a protest song at a central shopping mall.

And as virus measures ease, it's likely we'll begin seeing more of the pro-democracy protests which rocked Hong Kong last year until they were overshadowed by the virus outbreak.

• Why are there protests in Hong Kong?

Image source, Getty Images

This is how a possible virus vaccine would work in in our bodies:

Having a baby or young child can be difficult at the best of times, but with parents now in lockdown it is a particularly challenging time.

Educational psychologist Dr Abigail Wright, from the British Psychological Society, says the key thing for a child's development is their parents.

Dr Wright, who is also the mother of a four-month-old baby and three-year-old, offers her advice and we hear from two parents who share their experiences of caring for their babies in isolation:

Image source, Reuters

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Brazil now stands at 101,147 while more than 7,000 deaths have been linked to Covid-19.

Despite the rising numbers, President Jair Bolsonaro continues to argue against most of the lockdown measures imposed by local governors and advised by health officials.

"The destruction of jobs by some governors is irresponsible and unacceptable. We will pay a high price in the future," he told supporters on Sunday.

With the number of daily infections rising sharply, observers believe the peak of the pandemic in South America to be still some weeks away. Experts fear that in Brazil as well as other neighbouring countries, the actual number of cases is several times higher than the official toll.

As most people across Asia begin waking up to a brand new week, here's the latest from the region:

• China recorded three new cases on Sunday, all of which were imported, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 82,880. With no new deaths reported, the death toll remains at 4,633
• South Korea will relax social distancing rules further starting from 6 May, to allow gatherings and events to take place. The government is also set to announce the date that students will be allowed to return to school.
• And over in Japan, parks, museums and other public facilities in certain parts of the country could soon be allowed to re-open, minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said. He added that the government would allow these things to restart if sufficient measures were put in place.
• It's a similar tale in Singapore, which will from 12 May begin easing some curbs - allowing home-based food businesses, selected food outlets and manufacturing firms to resume operations

Image source, EPA

Australians in several states have just enjoyed a weekend of relaxed restrictions with household visits allowed in Sydney, and beaches and parks re-opened in Queensland and the Northern Territory among other freedoms.

Here are some of the other developments:

• Victoria, the second-worst affected state, has not budged in its lockdown and this morning reported a new cluster of 19 cases at a meatworks factory - the biggest increase in weeks
• A national review of restrictions will go ahead this Friday as the government keeps pressing Australians to download a tracing app
• And New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will join Australian authorities at their weekly meeting tomorrow. Both nations have had comparative success in containing the virus and may open their borders to each other soon.