The number of deaths related to coronavirus around the world has passed 250,000, according to Johns Hopkins University,, external which is tracking the disease globally.

The US is the country with the highest number of fatalities, with nearly 69,000. Italy has over 29,000 deaths while the UK has almost 29,000.

Comparisons are difficult, though, because of different methods employed by countries in reporting their figures - such as including only the deaths that happened in hospitals. Lack of testing, a problem in many nations, may also hide the true extent of the outbreak.

Image source, EPA

Australia, along with the US, has been one of the loudest voices calling for an investigation into the origins of the virus and its spread in China.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed the virus originated in a Chinese lab - a claim rubbished by Beijing.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his country is working closely with the US, but isn't endorsing the lab theory.

"We can't rule out any of these arrangements... but the most likely has been in a wildlife wet market."

He added: "What really is important is that we have a proper review that looks into the sources of these things."

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Sweeping investment in "green" projects - ones that reduce emissions - is the most cost-effective way to boost economies hit by coronavirus, top economists have suggested.

Co-authors of the study, published in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, include Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and prominent British climate expert Lord Nicholas Stern.

The group looked at over 700 economic stimulus policies launched during or since the 2008 financial crisis, and surveyed 231 experts, including officials from central banks and finance ministries.

The study found that projects like boosting renewable energy or energy efficiency created higher short-term returns, created more jobs, and gave more long-term cost savings compared with traditional economic measures focused on fossil fuels.

"The Covid-19-initiated emissions reduction could be short-lived," said Cameron Hepburn, lead author of the study. "But this report shows we can choose to build back better, keeping many of the recent improvements we've seen in cleaner air, returning nature and reduced greenhouse gas emissions."

Good morning, and here are some of the latest developments:

• An NHS app aiming to track the spread of the virus in the UK will be rolled out for the first time today, as part of a trial on the Isle of Wight
• New UK car registrations fell by 97% from the same period in 2019, after lockdown measures were introduced, said the motor industry
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a "national consensus" on tackling coronavirus when the UK begins to move out of lockdown
• A group of MPs is urging the Church of England to ease restrictions to allow small-scale funerals in churches
• Thousands of nurseries and childminders may shut permanently due to financial problems according to new research
• Premier League doctors have raised concerns over plans to resume the football season

Image source, AFP

That's five million people of the targeted 16 million mobile phone users in Australia, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

He said this was a good response, but "we would like to see a bit more". The government had previously said a 40% uptake is needed.

The app, released just over a week ago, shares users' codes with each other via a Bluetooth signal. It's designed to speed up the contact-tracing process and quickly isolate at-risk people.

"The first job of the COVIDSafe app is to keep you safe and that is its best reason why I would encourage people to continue to do that," Mr Morrison said.

"The more people we get, the better protection we all have as we go back to work."

Mr Morrison has stressed that wide usage is almost a prerequisite to the nation exiting lockdown. A review of freedoms is due this Friday. For over a month now, Australia has reported very low daily case numbers after success in containing the spread.

The Bangladeshi government has quarantined 29 Rohingya refugees on a cyclone-prone remote island in the Bay of Bengal after they were stranded at sea for weeks.

The refugees, mostly women and children, were detained after docking in Bangladesh on Saturday and then taken to the island of Bhashan Char. This was done to protect the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar from coronavirus, external, Naval Lieutenant Abdur Rashid told CNN.

These refugees were among hundreds of Rohingya Muslims trapped at sea for weeks after they reportedly tried to flee to Malaysia from Myanmar, where they aren't recognised as citizens.

Cox's Bazar, home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims, has been under lockdown since April with no confirmed cases yet. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has recorded more than 10,000 infections.

An Iranian airline with links to the country's Revolutionary Guards fuelled the spread of the virus in the Middle East, a BBC investigation has found.

Mahan Air flew infected passengers from Iran to Lebanon and Iraq - leading to the first official cases in both countries.

Sources within Mahan Air told the BBC that cabin crew were silenced by the airline when they tried to raise concerns about its handling of the virus and the lack of protective equipment.

Flight tracking data also shows that the airline repeatedly flew to China despite a flight ban by Tehran.

Mahan Air has refused to comment.

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The World Health Organization warns the pandemic will hit the developing world particularly hard. With scarce resources, hundreds of thousands already die from preventable diseases each year.

The BBC's Secunder Kermani and Anne Soy compare how prepared some countries in Asia and Africa are.

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The Somali authorities say a plane carrying coronavirus aid supplies has crashed, killing the six people on board.

The aircraft was owned by African Airways.

It left the capital Mogadishu and briefly stopped in the city of Baidoa before continuing to the town of Bardale, in the southern Bay region, where it crashed a short distance from the airport.

The cause of the Monday evening incident is not known.

The South-West State Minister of Transport Hassan Hussein Mohamed told the BBC that those who died included Somali and Kenyan nationals.

Image source, AFP/Getty

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country will not have open borders with the rest of the world for "a long time to come".

Ms Ardern was speaking after attending part of Australia's cabinet meeting via video link.

The meeting discussed a possible "trans-Tasman bubble", where people could go between Australia and New Zealand freely, and without quarantine.

But she said visitors from further afield were not possible any time soon.

Both Australia and New Zealand have closed their borders to almost all foreigners as part of their Covid-19 response.

Read more here.

M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Islamabad

Forty-three days into a lockdown, shopping areas in Islamabad, Pakistan remain shuttered - a rare sight during Ramadan, the busiest time for shopkeepers. But the parking lots of these areas are lined with customers’ cars.

So what’s going on? A closer look at the shop doors will reveal a chink in the shutter here, a gap in the grill there, through which you can spot people occasionally sneaking in and out.

When a police car shows up, the gaps and chinks quietly disappear, and movements inside the shops cease.

The owner of a small drinks and cigarettes kiosk at a main market confides that he would never play this hide-and-seek if he were able to run his kitchen.

The sole breadwinner of a large family, he rented the shop some five years ago for 30,000 Pakistani rupees ($20) a month.

He pays cash to buy drinks, and says he bought a large stock two months ago in anticipation of Ramadan sales.

Now stuck in the lockdown, he pulls a canvas sheet across the small front of his shop to hide his open shutters, and hangs out in front to spot and invite potential customers.

Most of his drinks are approaching their date of expiry, and he fears financial ruin if the stock remains unsold.

He says if the lockdown continues, it is going to ruin most retail businesses.

Getting trapped on a deserted island may be a nightmare for some, but not for Kevin and Adele Hockey.

The couple went to Fraser Island in Australia to work as caretakers for a group of holiday homes before the country imposed its lockdown.

A month later, they found themselves in isolation with no guests to look after, miles from civilisation, and are fishing for their food. Watch how their stay has unfolded here:

Tessa Wong
BBC News

Image source, AFP/Getty

China has never been one to take an accusation lying down, so when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently made the claim that there was "enormous evidence" that the virus came from a Wuhan lab, Chinese state media wasted no time in firing back.

"Pompeo and Bannon are really a pair of natural liars and clowns" was the headline of an indignant commentary by the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily. The piece, written in Chinese and carried widely by other Chinese media outlets, attacked Pompeo and former White House advisor Steve Bannon for similar recent claims accusing China of a virus cover-up.

Some outlets also pumped out critical pieces written in English aimed at an international audience. CGTN, the international arm of China's state broadcaster, carried an opinion piece by a British analyst calling Pompeo a "disgrace", external, while the hawkish Global Times newspaper said Pompeo's claim was aimed at "fooling US voters" , externalahead of the upcoming election.

"It is foreseeable that this politician, who has lost his moral compass, will continue to surprise the world with his absurd theories and twisted facts," said the commentary.

The Chinese media response, particularly from outlets more directly controlled by the state, can often be quicker and more raucous compared to the official government response. China's foreign affairs ministry is yet to comment specifically on Pompeo's claim, though in the past few weeks its government has engaged in a war of words with the US over who is to blame for the pandemic.

Some of that tension has played out in state propaganda, as seen in this cartoon released by state news agency Xinhua, external mocking the US.

It's fair to say we're all living in extraordinary times - and many of us have been forced to change the way we live, work and play. Around the world, people are now settling into what many governments are calling our "new normal".

Take a look:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The South-east Asian nation of Cambodia has reported no new virus cases for more than three weeks.

The country has seen an astonishingly high recovery rate as well. Of the 122 confirmed virus cases, 120 people have reportedly recovered - and zero deaths have been officially recorded.

But it's hard to say if the low figures are reflective of the situation on the ground - or a result of under-testing.

According to the Phnom Penh Post, external, only around 12,304 people have been tested - or 757 of every one million people. Cambodia's population stands at around 16 million.

The country is still choosing to remain cautious despite its low official figures, with schools and entertainment venues like theatres, beer gardens and massage parlours remaining shut.

“We need to continue [suspension], to make sure we are in control,” said Minister Mam Bunheng, according to a VOA report, external. "We should never try to take [a] risk."

Long, snaking lines were reported outside liquor shops across Indian cities on Monday evening, after new rules allowed some standalone shops to open.

Videos and images of jostling crowds went viral on social media. The scenes spurred concerns over social distancing measures, and the national capital, Delhi, was worried enough to impose a 70% "special corona fee" , externalon all alcohol.

The Delhi government even shut liquor stores in parts of the city, just hours after they opened on Monday for the first time since 24 March, when India's lockdown began.

States have been pushing for liquor shops to reopen for weeks now as excise duty on alcohol is a major source of income. With the economy slowing dramatically due to India's grinding lockdown, there has been pressure to partially ease restrictions.

Image source, AFP

Image source, Zoe Rae

Thousands of nurseries and childminders in the UK may shut permanently due to the pandemic, research suggests.

Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website

In April, US State Department cables came to light showing embassy officials were worried about biosecurity at a virus lab in Wuhan, China. The lab is in the same city where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected.

The office of the US national intelligence director says that the virus was not man-made or genetically modified. But intelligence officials are investigating whether the outbreak began through contact with animals or through a laboratory accident.

So what, if anything, does this add to our understanding of the current pandemic?

Read more here.

As cities across the world have gone into lockdown in the past few months, there's been an uptick in the number of sightings of wildlife venturing onto deserted streets.

But what about a massive herd of sheep invading a city? That's what happened recently in Samsun, Turkey - take a look:

New Zealand has reported zero new virus cases for the second day in a row, a week after it eased harsh lockdown measures.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the achievement was an effort that "we can all be undeniably proud of", but urged New Zealanders to remain vigilant, saying "don't do anything that snatches our potential victory at this point."

There are currently 1,137 confirmed cases in New Zealand and 20 deaths.

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