Summary

  • 30,076 people have now died in the UK with coronavirus, the government says

  • For the fourth consecutive day the government misses its 100,000 per day testing target

  • UK PM Boris Johnson vowed earlier to reach 200,000 lab tests a day by the end of May

  • In Germany, football will resume behind closed doors and small shops can open

  • President Trump says the White House coronavirus taskforce will continue its work "indefinitely"

  • Italy's prime minister is the latest European leader to talk hopefully of his citizens getting a summer holiday

  • Airbnb reports a jump in bookings from Europeans hoping to get a holiday after lockdown is eased

  1. Merkel 'very pleased' by drop in infectionspublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Angela Merkel has also said the latest figures from Germany's Robert Koch Institute, which has been reporting on confirmed cases and deaths, have been "very good news".

    "The figures are still low [after lifting measures] so that's something I'm very pleased about," she said.

    But restrictions will be put back in place if those infections rise again.

  2. First phase of pandemic is behind us - Merkelpublished at 14:48 British Summer Time 6 May 2020
    Breaking

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with the leaders of all 16 German states, and is now giving a press conference about how to lift the lockdown.

    "The first phase of the pandemic is behind us," she said, although she said the country is "still very much in early phases of pandemic and will be in it for the long haul".

    Social distancing will remain in place until 5 June - but Germany will now start to loosen its restrictions.

    Two households will be allowed to meet in public, she said.

  3. Further deaths reported across the UKpublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    In England, another 331 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 22,049.

    A further 21 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total to 1,044.

    Meanwhile, another 14 coronavirus deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number to 418, the Department of Health said.

    In Scotland, the number of people who have died with a confirmed or suspected case of the virus to 2,795, according to the latest figures.

    We expect to hear an update on UK wide figures later.

    The tallies for individual nations can differ from the UK-wide total, because they are calculated on a different timeframe.

  4. Lockdown costs India more than 120 million jobspublished at 14:30 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Nikhil Inamdar
    BBC Business correspondent, Mumbai

    Daily wage workers in IndiaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Millions of daily-wage earners have been left jobless during the lockdown

    A lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus has seen 122 million Indians lose their jobs in April alone, new data from a private research agency has shown.

    India's unemployment rate is now at a record high of 27.1%, according to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE).

    The new data shows India's unemployment figures are four times that of the US.

    India does not release official jobs data, but CMIE data is widely accepted.

    The country, which has close to 50,000 confirmed infections, has been in lockdown since 25 March to curb the virus.

    Read the full story.

  5. Briton stuck on cruise ship for almost 50 dayspublished at 14:13 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Eddy O'BrienImage source, .
    Image caption,

    "It's a logistical nightmare," Eddy O'Brien says

    A British cruise ship worker has spoken of his "nightmare" after being stuck on a vessel in the Philippines for nearly 50 days.

    Sound engineer Eddy O'Brien, 25, from Accrington, Lancashire, said crew members were unsure when they would return home because of the complexities of air travel created by coronavirus.

    "It's a logistical nightmare and quite frustrating. It has been a strange atmosphere," he said.

    About 3,000 passengers were repatriated after leaving the ship on 18 March. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it would continue to help.

    Read more about his experience.

  6. Bot or not?published at 14:07 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Marianna Spring
    Specialist disinformation and social media reporter

    Rumours have been circulating on Twitter that bots are pushing a repetitive message defending the government and accusing journalists of "missing the mood” of the UK. Several people with big followings have suggested that something suspicious is going on.

    Some suggested that the campaign is being run by bots, or automated accounts. Bot networks certainly do exist, but in this case the people behind the accounts appear to be real.

    The copied messages - shown in Gary Lineker's tweet below - appeared only about a dozen times, across several days beginning in late April, and none of the examples were particularly popular. It might seem odd, but people sometimes copy and paste messages rather than using Twitter’s retweet function.

    One man from Bournemouth admitted as such to the BBC. Another started her tweets by explaining "hope you don’t mind I’ve copied this".

    Co-ordinated campaigns are certainly not unheard of on social media. But whatever the motivations, this one failed - the only thing that went viral were tweets calling out the copied and pasted messages for looking suspicious. We produced a guide to bot spotting in 2018.

    Have you seen a bot online? Email me: marianna.spring@bbc.co.uk

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  7. Airlines outline plans for in-flight restrictionspublished at 13:59 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Tom Burridge
    Transport correspondent

    UK airlines have written to the government suggesting a graded system so that there are common standards on aircraft for preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the future.

    The airlines have suggested three levels of restrictions.

    The idea would be for countries to adopt a specific level and then a flight between two destinations would have to comply with the highest level at either end of the journey.

    Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, told MPs that level one, the least strict, could be measures such as visible cleaning, no on-board purchases and staff wearing masks.

    He said level three, the strictest, could include all passengers wearing masks, staff wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) and no movement allowed once passengers are on board.

  8. 200,000 testing target based on lab capacitypublished at 13:52 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    BBC health correspondent Hugh Pym has clarified that the prime minister's ambition of 200,000 daily tests by the end of May referred to lab capacity rather than individual tests.

    The UK currently has a capacity of 108,000 tests daily.

    Lab capacity refers to the number of tests which could be delivered on a day, not the amount that are undertaken.The government also includes testing kits which are sent out but may not be returned in its daily figures.

    Read more about testing here.

  9. 'Brazen' NZ thieves target cars during lockdownpublished at 13:47 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    New ZealandImage source, Jucy

    It must have looked like the heist of their dreams. A whole yard full of well-maintained rental vehicles, all lined up, unlocked and ready to go - with the keys inside.

    So, under cover of New Zealand's exceptionally strict virus lockdown, a group of thieves cut through the fence of rental company Jucy in Auckland and began driving them away. A total of 97 vehicles were stolen.

    "It was like a kick in the guts to be honest," Tom Ruddenklau, Jucy's chief rental officer, told the BBC. "We couldn't believe that when everyone was pitching in and looking after each other as a nation, there would be this brazen theft."

    But as news spread, the lockdown which made the whole theft possible in the first place also became its undoing.

    Police say the country's standstill actually made it easier to track down the cars and those who stole them.

    Read the full story here.

  10. One million under-25s 'face unemployment'published at 13:41 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    A young woman looks at her phone by a roadImage source, Getty Images

    School leavers could be among the worst hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Youth unemployment in the UK could rise by 640,000 this year - taking the total to above one million, a report from the Resolution Foundation think tank found, external.

    It says school leavers are hit the hardest by recessions.

    The report, called Class of 2020, said that more than one in three school leavers and one in five graduates normally found their first job after education in those sectors worst affected by the lockdown, such as cafes, bars and retail.

  11. Russian veteran, 97, takes inspiration from Captain Tompublished at 13:36 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Inspired by Captain Tom Moore, who turned 100 last week and has raised more than £32m for the UK's health service, Zina Korneva, a Russian war hero who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, is doing some fundraising of her own.

    Due to a broken hip, Sergeant Zina, 97, isn't able to replicate Captain Tom's 100 laps of the garden. Instead, she is sharing her wartime memories online and asking for donations to help the families of Russian doctors.

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  12. Wildlife 'reclaiming spaces' during coronavirus lockdownpublished at 13:30 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Charley Adams
    BBC News Online

    Much of modern life in the UK has ground to a halt as people observe the coronavirus lockdown.

    But with quieter roads and fewer people around, it seems wildlife is becoming more visible.

  13. No 'return to normal', scientists and celebrities saypublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    About 200 scientists and celebrities have signed a letter published in French newspaper Le Monde, saying the world cannot go "back to normal" after the pandemic.

    Famous actors including Robert De Niro, Juliette Binoche, Adam Driver and Monica Bellucci put their name on the letter, as well as Nobel Prize winners, economists, philosophers and astrophysicists.

    "Adjustments are not enough, the problem is systemic," the letter reads.

    Signatories called on leaders to "overhaul objectives, values and savings".

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  14. Latest from South Americapublished at 13:19 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he leaves Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil May 5, 2020.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus

    Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said he was hopeful Tuesday’s figures would show "the worst [was] over". But the daily numbers came out shortly after he spoke: a record increase of 600 deaths. The country is now approaching a total of 8,000 deaths. The mayor of one of the worst-affected cities, Manaus in the Amazon, has sent a letter to world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump, asking for help securing equipment to combat the outbreak.

    Uruguay is beginning to resume activity in public offices and shops in the capital, Montevideo. Those who do not need to work have been asked to remain at home. The government says it was encouraged to allow more economic activity after a pilot project tested 400 construction workers and all the results came back negative. The small country (670 confirmed cases, 17 deaths) has resisted a full lockdown, unlike its neighbour Argentina.

    Colombia's mandatory quarantine will be extended by a further two weeks, although some sectors will be allowed to return to work. President Iván Duque also said children aged between six and 17 will be able to go outside three times a week for 30 minutes, starting 11 May. The country has recorded 8,613 cases and 378 deaths.

  15. Peru sees surge in virus casespublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    A old woman being treated in Iquitos, PeruImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Peru has high poverty and remote communities with little infrastructure

    Peru has more than 50,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the second-highest number in South America, after Brazil, which is far more populous.

    The Peruvian death toll - 1,444 - is also now the third highest on the continent, after Brazil (7,958) and Ecuador (1,569).

    Yet Peru was one of the first countries in the region to implement strict social-distancing rules. It closed its borders after just a handful of cases were discovered.

    So how have things got so bad?

    The jump in confirmed cases is partly attributable to expanded testing - a reminder that straight-forward country comparisons are flawed as every place has a different approach to the pandemic.

    However, there have also been significant outbreaks in food markets, prisons, mining areas and homeless communities.

    People from poorer areas say they have felt compelled to break the rules to earn money or get food.

    Hot zones for contagion have also been detected among the long queues forming outside banks as people seek government subsidies, according to Reuters news agency.

    Peru has high poverty, remote communities with little infrastructure and densely populated areas with poor hygiene facilities. There is a similar picture across the region, so others countries will be looking at the Peruvian numbers with concern.

  16. Africans fear food 'would run out in 14-day lockdown'published at 13:08 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Lagos Food MarketImage source, Getty Images

    More than two-thirds of people surveyed in 20 African countries said they would run out of food and water if they had to stay at home for 14 days.

    Just over half of the respondents said they would run out of money.

    The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention research was conducted to help governments map out future policies on how to tackle coronavirus.

    It warns that if measures are not adapted to local needs, there is a risk of unrest and violence.

    Find out more here.

  17. 'No action' by Scotland Yard against Prof Fergusonpublished at 13:00 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Scotland Yard has said it would not take action against Prof Neil Ferguson, the government scientist who has quit after it was revealed by the Telegraph that he had breached lockdown restrictions.

    Scotland Yard has said Prof Ferguson's behaviour is "plainly disappointing" but officers "do not intend to take any further action" after he accepted his error.

    The scientist said he had made an "error of judgement" and had stepped back from the government's scientific advisory board, Sage.

  18. Photographers capture children in lockdownpublished at 12:57 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    Professional photographers across the globe have been capturing shots of their children in lockdown for a photo-essay by Unicef UK, a charity working for children in danger.

    See more from the gallery here.

    ZimbabweImage source, TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI / UNICEF
    Image caption,

    Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, Zimbabwe: "My son Tapfuma Mukwazhi, 15, exercises while my other kid, Timikha (left), 10, plays with the dogs and Terrell, five, looks outside the window at our family home, in Hatfield, Harare, Zimbabwe."

    FranceImage source, BRUNO AMSELLEM / UNICEF
    Image caption,

    Bruno Amsellem, Lyon, France: "We had to reshape our daily lives, with my wife, Anne-Lise, a Euronews TV journalist, and our daughter, Violette, three."

    Igor Isanović, Bosnia-HerzegovinaImage source, IGOR ISANOVIĆ / UNICEF
    Image caption,

    Igor Isanović, Bosnia-Herzegovina: "Get up, sit down, stretch out, jump, dance, relax, run, stop, look, breathe - little girl Lana manages to do everything in one day. Be like Lana - stay home, learn at home and have fun at home."

  19. Scotland lockdown plans due on Thursdaypublished at 12:53 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    James Shaw
    BBC Scotland reporter

    Earlier we reported lockdown in Scotland would continue for at least another three weeks.

    But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a decision on that will in fact be announced on Thursday.

    She also said that the drop in the total number of deaths per week from 658 to 523 is the first in Scotland since the pandemic began.

  20. EU predicts 'historic recession'published at 12:47 British Summer Time 6 May 2020

    The European Union faces a "recession of historic proportions", the European Commission has warned.

    In its spring forecast, the Commission - the EU executive - predicted a decline in the economy this year of 7.7% due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, followed by an uncertain recovery that will be felt unevenly. The deepest contraction forecast is for Greece at nearly 10%, which would be slightly more than the worst single year the country experienced during the financial crisis.

    The EU project and the single currency could be under threat without some form of common rescue plan, said Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.

    The recovery would be much healthier in Germany's economy, which was predicted to sink by 6.5% in 2020 and recover 5.9% in 2021.

    Unemployment in the eurozone is predicted to rise by two percentage points to 9.6% in 2020 with Greece and Spain widely above the average.