The World Health Organization warns Covid-19 may be here to stay
The UK economy contracted by 2% in the first three months of the year, official figures show
Housing minister Robert Jenrick defends the UK government's record on care homes following criticism
UK says it has missed its 100,000 tests target again
People in England who cannot work from home have been encouraged to return to their workplaces
Unlimited exercise, meeting a friend at the park and moving house are also now allowed, under new rules
Ex-Trump aide Paul Manafort has been released from prison to serve sentence at home amid virus fears
The US says it will not use a batch of Russian ventilators, pending inquiries after two deadly hospital fires
Björn Ulvaeus is one of the singer/songwriters for the Swedish pop group Abba and co-wrote the songs for the hit musical Mamma Mia! It's been playing in London's West End for two decades.
But Björn predicts a slow recovery for musicals and theatre - saying it will be a long time before people will want to sit in packed auditoriums:
Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus fears for future of West End theatres
The vice mayor of China's Jilin city has warned of a "huge risk" that the virus could spread further, amid a spate of cases in the province.
Gai Dongping told reporters that authorities in Jilin city would step up measures to curb and contain the virus, according to a Reuters report.
The city - which shares the same name as the north-eastern province - has already stopped outgoing train services.
The province reported six new virus cases today - last week, 11 local cases were reported in nearby Shulan, all said to be linked to one local laundrywoman.
Shulan has implemented a more severe lockdown than Jilin city.
In Venezuela, the price of food has increased by 80% since lockdown, and fuel is being rationed.
The United Nations calls Venezuela one of the most vulnerable countries in the world – there is high malnutrition, 20% of hospitals have no running water, and over 70% of doctors have emigrated.
Official Covid-19 cases in the country are low but there is a fear among doctors that should the coronavirus spread, it would be catastrophic.
Coronavirus: Venezuelans struggling with fuel shortage
Image source, EPAPhilippines budget airline Cebu Pacific has extended the cancellation of its domestic and international flights from 16 to 31 May.
The carrier says affected passengers can either rebook or have their payments refunded, external.
The country was one of the first in the region to implement a strict lockdown and has just announced an extension in big cities like Manila and Cebu until June.
There are more than 11,000 confirmed cases in the country and 751 deaths have been linked to the virus.
Like in many other South East Asian countries, however, there is concern that low testing capability might leave many cases undetected.
Image source, EPASome Australian beef exports have been banned in China
Tensions between China and Australia aren’t dying down, and the latest "beef" (Australian slang for fight) is about... beef.
First a recap. Last month, Australia joined the US in calling for a global investigation into the origins of the virus and how it spread from China.
That drew fervent criticism from Beijing, with its ambassador warning that Chinese consumers might boycott Australian products as a result.
Given China is Australia’s biggest trading partner and buys over a third of its exports – this was viewed as a threat of “economic coercion” in Canberra.
Then yesterday, China slapped a temporary ban on beef imports from Australia’s four largest producers – citing concerns with inaccurate labelling.
Both Australia and China have dismissed suggestions these moves could be political retaliation.
However, as analysts point out, they always seem to come to a head when a diplomatic fight is going on.
Life is starting to get back to normal in some parts of California - with offices allowed to open and some restaurants able to offer sit-down dining services.
Some shopping malls in certain counties will be allowed to partially reopen, though tattoo parlours, nail salons and gyms still remain firmly shut.
"It's a mistake to over-promise what reopening means," said Governor Gavin Newsom in a daily press briefing.
The easing of restrictions comes as infections in California appear to be stabilising. But the state allows local governments to impose their own stricter guidelines - areas like Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area for example, have not yet eased restrictions.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesThe company behind the experimental coronavirus treatment remdesivir has signed non-exclusive licensing deals with five drugmakers based in India and Pakistan to make and sell the antiviral medicine in 127 countries.
Gilead Sciences said the agreements cover almost all of the world's low-income and lower-middle income countries, including Afghanistan, India, North Korea, Pakistan and South Africa.
The pacts also include several upper-middle and high-income nations.
This month both the US and Japan authorised remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19 patients.
Many other pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop a treatment or vaccine to combat the pandemic.
Image source, AFPThe United States has recorded 1,894 deaths linked to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 82,339, according to the real-time tally by the Johns Hopkins University. , external
The latest daily increase was a sharp rise after tolls had fallen below 1,000 on both Sunday and Monday.
The total number of confirmed infections in the US stands at 1,369,386.
Image source, Getty ImagesNew Zealand's government has warned the county is in for a "sharp, hopefully short economic shock".
Ahead of the annual budget, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there'd be investment to cushion the fallout but that "New Zealand is about to enter a very tough winter".
The budget is expected to include billions of stimulus dollars on infrastructure, healthcare, housing, and more subsidies for low income workers.
The country has managed to bring the pandemic under control - there are currently only 78 active cases, and 21 deaths in total.
As Twitter allows some employees to work from home permanently, what is the best way to stay comfortable out of the office?
We asked an expert on some simple ways to maintain good posture and make working from home a more comfortable experience.
Coronavirus: How to combat back pain while working from home
China reported seven new cases on Wednesday, up from one new case a day earlier.
Of the seven cases - six were local infections in the north-eastern Jilin province, which has seen a recent spate of infections.
Shulan city, in Jilin, was this week labelled the highest risk city in China and was put in lockdown after a cluster of cases connected to a local woman.
The woman, who had no known history of travel or exposure to the virus, spread it to her husband, three sisters and other family members.
Most transport links in and out of Shulan have now been cut off and all residents told to stay at home.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg suffered a coughing bout in parliament yesterday as he was outlining the virus's economic impact on Australia. (Recap: 10% hit to GDP, and 10% unemployment are forecast).
Following the awkward few minutes of spluttering (see video below), he immediately left the chambers to get tested "out of an abundance of caution". The results came back this morning - and he's in the clear.
Coronavirus: Josh Frydenberg tested for Covid-19 after coughing fit
Good news if you're a Twitter employee - you may never have to go back to work, ever.
The company, which is headquartered in San Francisco, says its workforce of around 5,000 people have been working remotely since early March.
The arrangement has worked so well that Twitter says it would be willing to let them continue - if their roles allow for it.
"We were uniquely positioned to... allow folks to work from home. The past few months have proven we can make that work.
"So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen," CEO Jack Dorsey said to employees in an email.
For other employees that can't permanently do their jobs from home, the company says it's likely to open its offices by the end of the year, but not "before September".
Twitter has 35 offices worldwide, including in New Delhi, London and Singapore.
Companies such as Facebook and Google have also told many of their staff they can work remotely for the rest of 2020.
Image source, Getty ImagesWelcome back to our rolling coverage of the pandemic. We’ll keep you updated throughout the day via our teams in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Here’s what you need to know so far: