The number of people confirmed to have died globally rises over 300,000, with 1.5m recovered
The UK rings out with applause in its weekly tribute to carers and other key workers
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urges people to avoid public transport and use a car when they can
Transport for London secures £1.6bn emergency funding to keep Tube and buses running till September
Nearly 3m Americans claimed unemployment benefits last week , bringing total since March to 36.5m
A top US vaccine doctor removed from his role testifies that US government was unprepared for the pandemic
France's government says drug giant Sanofi's plans to prioritise the US if it develops a vaccine are "unacceptable"
The UN says the pandemic has caused widespread psychological distress worldwide
Here are some pictures from around the country of different groups of key workers applauding their colleagues.
Our sub-editor on this page may also have nipped out to have a quick applause...
As the clap for carers begins now, you can also watch live footage from across the country at the top of this page, or on BBC One or the BBC News Channel.
And then you might want to watch this video, which shows what it is like for staff in the front line at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Coronavirus: Behind the front line at Winchester hospital
Image source, Getty ImagesWhere will you be clapping from this week?
There are just a few minutes to go before the UK's eighth weekly #clapforourcarers. People up and down the country will take to their windows and doorsteps to applaud key workers, including NHS staff, and say thank you.If you're just joining us, let us bring you up to speed on the main headlines:
At 20:00 BST people in the United Kingdom will clap for carers, NHS staff and other key workers who have been on the frontline of this pandemic - as they have done on a weekly basis every Thursday during the lockdown.
In the video below we feature the story of Terry Ma, a charge nurse who works at Birmingham's City Hospital.
He survived Covid-19 and has since returned to work, working 12-hour shifts to treat others who have fallen ill.
WATCH: Fears of Birmingham nurse who contracted coronavirus
Transport for London (TfL) has secured £1.6bn in emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services running until September.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan had warned that the body was close to running out of money after a drop in passenger numbers during the coronavirus lockdown.
The BBC has been told a £500m loan agreed with the Department for Transport forms part of the total.
Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor
Image source, Getty ImagesThe exercise of power is rarely perfect. But this crisis has pushed governments everywhere to their limits.
The emergency in the UK has demanded that the state extend its tentacles almost everywhere - managing the health crisis, propping up multiple industries, supporting the wages of nearly half of the working population and issuing instructions to us all on the way to live our lives.
The irony? Despite the longer and longer list of tasks the government is carrying out, the number of people calling the shots is tiny. One cabinet member told me: "Morale is difficult - there are a lot of people just not involved in making decisions."
Another admitted some feel "excluded" -with the prime minister, and only a handful of others calling the shots. A senior official even suggested "more than half the Cabinet have no clue what's going on". In practice, it's common for choices to be dominated by a much smaller clutch of people - and in an emergency, one member told me, "you just can't make decisions fast by committee".
There have now been more than 300,000 coronavirus-related deaths worldwide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
More than 4.4 million people have been infected.
There have been almost 85,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States, and more than 1.4 million cases - more than any other country in the world.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set aside $800m (£656m) to help with the “severe” financial impact caused by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
Organisers in Japan will receive $650m,and the remaining $150m will be split into loans for international federations and National Olympic Committees that are experiencing cash flow problems.
The 2020 Olympics, due to take place this summer, were postponed until the summer of 2021 because of coronavirus in March.
“The situation requires compromises, it requires sacrifices by everybody,” IOC president Thomas Bach said.
Bach refused to speculate on whether there would be a further delay or cancellation if a vaccine is not found before next year’s event.
“We are one year and two months away, so it’s way too early to draw any conclusions,” he said.
See how your job compares to others in terms of exposure to disease and closeness to other people.
Data from the ONS puts into context the risk of exposure to disease, as well as the amount of close human contact workers had before social distancing and other safety measures were introduced.
New Zealanders are celebrating the return of many aspects of normal life, including reunions with friends and family. The country has eased restrictions after moving down from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2, described as a "safer new normal".
The country has reported no new cases of the virus in the past three days and thousands of businesses have reopened.
People are allowed to see their friends and loved ones, with a limit of 10 people. They have returned to cafes, playgrounds and barber shops. Watch the video below to see some joyous reactions to life after lockdown.
WATCH: New Zealanders return to "safer new normal"
Image source, Getty ImagesThe UK government is "opening the door" for the return of professional football in England, the culture secretary has said.
Oliver Dowden said Thursday's meeting with the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League was "positive" and "progressed plans" for the sport to resume.
Dowden said plans for the resumption should "include widening access for fans to view live coverage and ensure finances from the game's resumption supports the wider football family".
No date has been given for a resumption following the meeting.
The Premier League met on Monday to discuss "Project Restart" and hopes for a return to action on 12 June, with matches played behind closed doors.
At the daily government briefing, England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said the easing of lockdown measures, which now includes sports people being able to train while social distancing, had been "tentative, measured, slow and step-wise", and that applies to football and all sport.
He said football would have to see how a return to training goes "before we even think about the return of competitive football".
Marianna Spring
Specialist disinformation and social media reporter
Facebook has removed a number of posts advertising anti-lockdown protests across the UK, which are seemingly organised by a group opposing vaccinations.
The social media platform took down the posts for defying local government guidance about social distancing.
They had been shared in a number of large groups supporting conspiracy theories about coronavirus, as well as on local forums.
Flyers have also been distributed in some parts of the UK.
The posts said the gatherings were to oppose lockdown and “mandatory vaccinations”. This stems from claims that changes introduced in UK law give the government the power to enforce vaccinations as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Under current UK law, however, this is not the case - vaccines are not compulsory.
France's prime minister and president have weighed into a vaccine row prompted by remarks made by the British chief executive of French drugs giant Sanofi.
Paul Hudson infuriated French political leaders when he said on Wednesday that if Sanofi developed a vaccine then the "US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk".
Image source, ReutersThe French pharmaceutical giant is based in Paris
Sanofi has received funding from the US health department's biomedical research arm Barda reputed to be worth some $30m (£25m). It's working with UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on one of a number of vaccine projects around the world.
But it also gets an estimated €150m ($162m;£133m) in annual tax credits from the French government. So Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has hit back insisting that equal access for all to any eventual vaccine is "non-negotiable". And President Macron has insisted no vaccine should be subject to market forces.
Sanofi's head in France, Olivier Bogillot, said on Thursday the aim was to have a vaccine in the US and Europe "at the same time" and Paul Hudson has now apologised for sparking the row.
James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News
Tests approved by health officials in England can now pick up antibodies that the immune system makes in response to the coronavirus.
These tests can show that people have been infected in the past, but it is still not guaranteed that they are protected in the future.
Also immunity can fade with time. For example, it is short-lived for the types of coronavirus that cause the symptoms of the common cold.
If the antibody tests can tell who has protection from coronavirus, then they will be most useful in hospitals and care homes, which are looking after people most at risk of dying from Covid-19. They would help identify staff who have immunity and are least likely to spread the disease.
If you want more details about immunity and the coronavirus - read this piece.
Image source, AFPSenator Richard Burr has denied basing his sales on privileged information
US Senator Richard Burr is stepping aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee amid an insider trading investigation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would step aside on 15 May.
Burr is alleged to have used inside information to avoid market losses from coronavirus. It is illegal for Congress members to trade based on non-public information gathered during their official duties.
It has emerged that his phone has been seized by the FBI.
That's all from the UK government's daily briefing with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Prof Jonathan Van-Tam.
Here's what we learned:
Image source, ReutersWilliam Telford from Plymouth Live says the city has lost £71m from the lack of tourism during the pandemic.
He asks if there is anything the government can do to help cities like Plymouth. He also asks when the UK will follow France's example by allowing celebrations events to go ahead.
Grant Shapps says the government has allocated £47m to Plymouth and paid over 3,200 grants to organisations in the area.
He notes that France is about "two or three weeks" ahead of where the UK is with the virus.
Prof Jonathan Van-Tam adds that the population density is lower in France.
And there the press conference ends. Do stay with us for more news updates.
John Stevens from the Daily Mail asks about help for motorists and whether people can go on camping holidays.
Shapps says it is an “unusual situation” to ask people to avoid public transport, but people should drive if they can’t walk or cycle to their destination.
He says the air quality “has gone up dramatically” and they want to keep it at that level, so the government will upgrade electric charging points, for example.
He says the government is working with local authorities and large entertainment venues on access to car parks.
On camping holidays, Shapps says people have to stay in their homes at night, at the moment, and not stay over anywhere.
Prof Van Tam says it will “take some careful thought” to change the advice and it is “not as straightforward as it might sound”.
“That will need some careful thinking about because sharing a tent is a small enclosed space with generally poor ventilation,” he says. “Depends who you are sharing it with.”
Image source, ReutersJim Pickard from the Financial Times asks if the government can commit to funding Transport for London (TfL), in both the short and long term.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said TfL will need a government grant in order to continue running services.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps replies that he is "optimistic of having a solution with TfL and the Mayor of London".
"We don't know what the long-term will be," he says, but adds that he is confident that Tube trains and buses will continue to run.
Image source, ReutersPassenger numbers on public transport in London have been significantly down since lockdown began
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
The government has been looking for weeks now for an antibody test – Boris Johnson has previously said such a test could be a game-changer.
There is a lot of optimism around a test developed by Roche – which has passed testing from Public Health England. That optimism was clear from Prof van Tam, who thinks the test could be rolled out in the coming days and weeks.
NHS workers and carers would be prioritised. But the government isn’t getting too carried away. Ministers still don’t know how long antibodies last – and we still don’t know exactly how they will be used to help us get back to something resembling normal life.