Shayan Sardarizadeh and Olga Robinson
Disinformation specialists at BBC Monitoring

Image source, Reuters

Facebook has removed disinformation networks from a number of countries, including Iran, Russia and the US, that promoted misinformation about coronavirus.

Hundreds of Facebook and Instagram accounts were removed for violating the company's "co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour" policy either domestically or on behalf of a foreign government.

One network in the US was linked to QAnon, a conspiracy theory about a "deep state" plot against President Donald Trump. Initially dismissive of concerns about Covid-19, it later shifted its narrative to promote false remedies and conspiracies about 5G or "global elites" having caused the virus.

The Iranian network was run by the state broadcaster, the IRIB. It criticised the handling of the pandemic by the US and Israel while backing China’s response.

While the Russian network was linked to two pro-Kremlin media outlets operating from Russian-annexed Crimea. Some of the accounts recently promoted speculation and conspiracy theories about coronavirus.

Image source, AFP

Tens of thousands of students have returned to school in China’s Hubei province - where the coronavirus pandemic began. At the moment only senior students facing exams are allowed back.

In other news around Asia:

• India is preparing to repatriate tens of thousands of citizens stranded overseas by its lockdown. The first of dozens of flights will begin operating on Thursday. Passengers will have to pay their own fares
• The baseball season has begun in South Korea... without fans. Spectator cutouts took their place, along with face masks for players. "This doesn't feel like the opening of a season at all,” tweeted one fan. Football and golf are also set to resume in the country, which was quick to get on top of the outbreak
• In Bangladesh police have detained 11 people accused of spreading rumours about the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Critics say draconian digital security laws are being used to stifle free speech
• Shanghai's Disneyland park is set to reopen on 11 May, as most of China begins getting back to normal

Image source, EPA

Mexico has welcomed a planeload of medical ventilators from the US to help treat Covid-19 patients, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard says.

The 211 machines arrived in Mexico City on Tuesday, having been purchased from a US firm following an informal agreement between the neighbouring nations' leaders in mid-April.

Last week, several hospitals in Mexico City said they were turning patients away because they were overcrowded and lacked equipment.

According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, US President Donald Trump agreed to sell Mexico 1,000 ventilators, with the option to buy more, when they spoke on the phone last month.

"During times of adversity, you know who your friends are," said Ebrard, after the first deilvery, adding that he was expecting six such flights bringing equipment.

Mexico has recorded 26,000 confirmed cases and 2,507 deaths.

However it has conducted a very low number of tests and the government said on Sunday that statistical modelling would put the real number of cases at more than 104,000.

Image source, AFP

• Yemen's rebel Houthi movement has reported the first coronavirus death in territory under its control. Health officials said a Somali migrant died in Sanaa on Sunday. Three deaths have been confirmed by the government elsewhere in the country
• One of the most prestigious universities in the Middle East, the American University of Beirut, says its survival is at stake as it tries to cope with Lebanon’s economic crisis, which has been compounded by the pandemic. Programmes and departments may well be closed
• The authorities in Jordan have arrested media workers and others under emergency legislation that could discourage online discussion about their response to the pandemic, Human Rights Watch has said, external.
• Israel is preparing to carry out antibody tests on some 100,000 citizens to see how widely the Covid-19 virus has spread and help plan for a possible second wave of infections, its health ministry chief has told the New York Times , external

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

At the UK government's briefing today, questions from regional journalists spoke to an array of anxieties - from stretched local councils; to jobs at risk in manufacturing; and the question of when the tourism sector might thrive again.

But while it’s been made crystal clear that the route out of lockdown will be gradual and cautious, the details beyond that have been more opaque.

Ministers have been keen not to distract from the core ‘Stay at Home’ message as they take in dynamic and changing data,.

But it’s clear the groundwork is being laid for incremental adjustments.

A focus, it seems, will be nudging elements of the economy back into activity.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick suggested that the construction sector should return to work wherever possible.

And he talked about plans to adapt offices, public spaces and transport systems while emphasising the need to keep on staying safe.

It's a tentative effort to try and loosen, just a little, parts of the rigid life of lockdown.

The US does not have certainty regarding the origin of the novel coronavirus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told reporters.

"We don't have certainty and there is significant evidence that it came from a laboratory," he said. "Those statements can both be true. I've made them both."

On Sunday, Pompeo said he had seen "enormous evidence" the virus came from a Wuhan laboratory, prompting China to ask him to reveal the evidence behind his claim.

The intelligence community has said the virus was not manmade or genetically modified, though they are looking into its origins. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had no conclusive evidence Covid-19 was intentionally released.

In response to a question from the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher on his assertions about the virus' origins, Pompeo said there was "no separation" in the answers from different US officials.

"We're all trying to get clarity."

Barbara Plett Usher says Pompeo's comments are "the latest salvo in what's been a torrent of criticism from the Trump administration".

"Other countries have criticised Chinese behaviour and some are demanding accountability," she notes. "But critics believe the Trump administration is also trying to deflect attention from its own slow response to the virus by hitting Beijing so hard."

Image source, EPA

Germany lifts its lockdown even further and Russian doctors leave Italy. Here's the latest from Europe:

• Chancellor Angela Merkel says all shops can now reopen in Germany. Families can meet and eat in public, people can visit relatives in care homes, and pupils will return to school before the summer break. You can read all about it here
• To top it all off, Germany’s Bundesliga football league becomes the first major European league to restart, with permission to start games later this month. Officials are discussing exactly when, and will announce a date on Thursday
• Russia is bringing its army medical teams home from Italy. The country sent about 100 personnel in March to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak - a mission Moscow dubbed "From Russia With Love"
• Spain's parliament has voted to extend the country's state of emergency for another two weeks, to allow the government to control movement as it loosens restrictions
• And in case you had forgotten - Brexit is still rumbling along behind the scenes, with talks between the EU and the UK about their new relationship in trouble. Our Europe editor Katya Adler has covered all the drama

Image source, Banksy

A new Banksy artwork showing a nurse as a superhero has appeared at Southampton General Hospital.

It shows a little boy who has discarded his Spiderman and Batman model figures in favour of a new favourite action hero... an NHS nurse.

The largely monochrome painting, one square metre in size, was hung in collaboration with the hospital's managers in a foyer near the emergency department.

It will be sold in the autumn to raise money for the NHS.

The artist left a note for hospital workers, which read: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white."

Former Google chief Eric Schmidt will chair a 15-member commission to reimagine the state's systems in the wake of the pandemic, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced.

"How do we really use new technology in the economy of tomorrow? That's the lesson we're all learning," Cuomo said, calling Schmidt "the best mind in this country" to lead the effort.

Schmidt said the commission will first focus on telehealth, remote learning and broadband access.

Other key points:

• There were 232 deaths in New York State on Tuesday and 230 on Monday
• Cuomo said some analysis showed most individuals ending up in hospital were predominantly not working or travelling and were staying at home, which reinforces the idea that people must take steps to protect themselves, like masks, distancing and hygiene
• The governor said New York has the virus "on retreat" in all regions, calling out other states that are reopening with cases still on the rise, saying "that's a mistake"
• Airline company JetBlue is donating 100,000 round-trip flights to medical personnel, starting with 10,000 New York health workers

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Despite the grim figures on those who have died, there are some positive stories coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, like that of Kathrine Dawson, who has thanked doctors for saving her and her baby after she was critically ill with Covid-19.

She spent eight days on a ventilator and her newborn daughter Ruby also caught the virus.

Now recovering at home, she said she would be "forever grateful" to staff at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital "who held her hand" through it.

• The UK has become the first country in Europe to pass 30,000 coronavirus deaths, according to the latest government figures
• For the fourth consecutive day the government missed its 100,000 per day testing target - with 69,463 tests provided in the 24 hours to 9.00am on Wednesday
• Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government would be setting out detailed plans on how "every local economy" can "restart and recover"
• He also called on infrastructure and construction work "to begin again wherever it is safe to do so"
• He said it was the government's "strong preference" that lockdown measures should be eased in the same way across the UK. Earlier, the PM said lockdown measures could start being eased from Monday
• Mr Jenrick also said it was too early to restart religious services

Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News

At today's briefing, Dr Nikki Kanani from NHS England said she wanted to "reassure" people primary care services like GPs were still accessible.

People’s experience of the NHS has changed dramatically since the coronavirus epidemic began, not least the care received from their family GP.

GPs are used to seeing patients face to face, but now they carry out the majority of consultations - around 80% - on the phone or online.

But the message is that primary care has remained open and will continue to be available for anyone who is unwell (even on this Friday’s bank holiday in England).

That includes pharmacists on the high street, who are also able to give advice on health issues.

Alongside GPs and dentists, they will be crucial in meeting the health demands of local communities.

Keith Rossiter from Cornwall Live asks how the government will support those businesses that rely on tourism.

Robert Jenrick points to the financial package provided by the chancellor and says there are 126,000 businesses in the South West that are eligible for government grants.

"We know it is going to be very difficult - we want to guide their path so like the rest of the economy they can bounce back," he says.

There's a question about what the UK government can do to help Rolls-Royce, which recently announced job cuts.

Robert Jenrick says the aviation sector is facing "unprecedented" challenges - but he is confident it will "have a great future".

Asked whether returning teachers should wear personal protective equipment, Mr Jenrick says latest advice is that staff in "non-resident education settings" don't need it, but this will be kept under review.

Prof Yvonne Doyle from Public Health England highlights the importance of measures such as classroom spacing and hand-washing, and work is ongoing with unions to finalise plans.

Tom Sheldrick from ITV Tyne Tees notes the high number of cases in the North East and asks what is being done to address the long-term issues "which mean people in our region are at greater risks from the virus".

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick says data suggesting certain communities were more vulnerable is "extremely concerning to us".

Prof Yvonne Doyle says work is under way looking into why the virus impacts certain areas differently.

She also emphasises the importance of reestablishing preventative health services, such as smoking cessation schemes, once it is safe.

The panel is also asked if the government would consider lifting the lockdown in regions like the North East where the number of cases continue to grow.

Robert Jenrick replies that the PM will set out the next stage on Sunday, but adds: "Our strong preference is that the country moves as one."

The panel is asked what the government is doing to make sure people who need "vital operations" not related to Covid-19 can get them.

Dr Nikki Kanani, director of primary care at NHS England, says it was "right" to focus on virus cases, alongside providing other forms of urgent care, in the early stages of the epidemic.

But she says efforts are under way to resume normal services "as soon as possible".

The next question comes from Patrick Burns from BBC West Midlands who notes that local councils are facing funding shortfalls and asks how the government will help.

He points out Birmingham City Council have incurred extra costs of up to £260m.

Robert Jenrick replies: "We will stand behind them [local councils] and ensure they have the resources they need to carry out the role they are playing in our national response to coronavirus."

He says the government has provided £4bn in cash flow "precisely so they shouldn't have to face difficult choices between responding to the coronavirus and continuing to do important public service functions such as refuse collection".

He adds that district councils will receive £1m or more in additional grants to stabilise their finances.

Reality Check

Image source, Cobra

An eye-catching figure from the briefing is that there were 6,111 new cases of coronavirus recorded yesterday.

That’s the third highest number of new cases in the UK since the outbreak began.

It could be a result of the extraordinary increase in testing we’ve seen since late April.

It’s the highest number of new cases from people such as those in social care, key workers and their families, as opposed to tests carried out in hospitals.

Some of them will be the home test kits that will have been arriving at labs and taking a few days to process and get the results.

There's a question from a member of the public who claims restarting sporting events has been "prioritised" over religious services.

Robert Jenrick says ministers have been in contact with "faith leaders" about the resumption of services "when the time is right".

He notes "that moment is not now", and the government will follow medical advice on when a resumption is safe.

He adds that the government recently changed guidance to allow close family members at crematoriums.

The first question comes from Edward in Harrogate - a member of the public.

He asks why, given the excess in critical care beds - has the UK suffered a greater number of deaths when compared to Italy.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick replies: "It is difficult to make international comparisons with certainty.

"We want to learn what ever lessons we can do whilst we are still responding to the virus."

Prof Yvonne Doyle reiterates his point: "Other countries measure the virus in different ways - It makes international comparisons very difficult."

The BBC's Reality Check looked at whether you can fairly compare the UK's death toll with Italy's.