Image source, Getty Images

San Francisco has announced two more "safe sleeping villages", where homeless people can set up tents while practising social distancing.

The first site opened near City Hall earlier this month amid public outrage over a rise in homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sites come equipped with toilets and hand-washing stations, and meals will also be provided, officials say.

The city has so far confirmed 2,179 coronavirus cases.

Image source, Getty Images

There has been a surge in the number of tents on pavements and street corners as homeless people struggle to find space.

The shelters that they normally turn to are running out of space, or are under quarantine.

Image source, Getty Images

The effect is most visible in the Tenderloin area, which has a history of homelessness. Residents say there are now more than 430 tents in the neighbourhood.

It's unclear how widespread the virus is in these areas as testing has been low.

Image source, Getty Images

Brazil has recorded its highest daily rise in infections and deaths since the coronavirus outbreak began in the country.

Health officials reported a further 17,408 cases and 1,179 deaths in the past 24 hours.

In total, 271,628 infections and 17,971 deaths had been confirmed as of Tuesday, health officials said.

Image source, Getty Images

The country, which is the epicentre of the pandemic in Latin America, has the third highest number of infections worldwide, after Russia and the US.

Health experts say the true figure may be far higher due to a lack of testing in the country. They fear the outbreak could overwhelm Brazil’s health system in the coming weeks if cases continue to rise.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the coronavirus and criticised governors and mayors for adopting strict restrictions to curb its spread.

• 'Undocumented explosion' spreads around Brazil

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

A Malaysian man has been sentenced to hang by a court in Singapore via a Zoom video call - the city-state's first case in which the death penalty was announced remotely.

Punithan Genasan, aged 37, was found complicit in heroin trafficking back in 2011, court documents show.

He denies any involvement and is expected to appeal.

Earlier this month, a man in Nigeria was sentenced to death via Zoom for a murder in 2018.

Human Rights Watch described that verdict as "inherently cruel and inhumane".

Jet engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced it will cut 9,000 jobs and warned it will take "several years" for the aviation industry to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

It said it expects the job losses from its global workforce of 52,000 to be part of a "major reorganisation" to adapt to a fall in demand.

The company said the cuts could result in savings of £700m towards an overall aim of £1.3bn in annual savings. It said it would also cut spending across its plants, property and other areas to strengthen its finances.

Image source, Reuters

A class action is being brought against the Canadian government over the protection of the elderly in care homes.

Nearly half of the known coronavirus deaths in the country are linked to outbreaks in care facilities.

Those bringing the legal action highlight a shortage of staff and say that a number of employees have been "totally unprepared" to deal with the outbreak.

The government is yet to publicly comment on the issue.

Ross Hawkins
Political correspondent, BBC Radio 4 Today

Outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers in the UK.

The company, which is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the government, said it made the error when it emailed new recruits to tell them about training.

Serco said it had apologised and would review its processes "to make sure that this does not happen again".

It comes as the programme to train thousands of contact tracers has been described as shambolic and inadequate by recruits, according to a report in the Guardian., external

Contact tracing is a system used to slow the spread of infectious diseases like coronavirus. It is already being used in other countries including Singapore and Germany.

Image source, NHS

How many times have you washed your hands today? A study by UK researchers now suggests you should be doing it at least six times a day.

The study looked at data from 2006-09 on viruses that were structurally very similar to the new coronavirus strain.

It found that the 1,663 participants were much less likely to be infected if they washed six times a day.

Hand washing more than 10 times a day however did not seem to cut the risk of infection further.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that mostly cause mild illness such as the common cold. All of them, including the one that causes Covid-19, can be killed by soap and water.

Image source, Getty Images

Several of this morning's UK front pages raise questions about the government's plans to open English primary schools for some pupils on 1 June.

The Times suggests the date has been "thrown into doubt" by a senior scientific adviser, who has indicated that a track and trace system needs to be in place first.

A government clarification that this is the earliest schools should open leads the Times to speculate whether the government's position is "softening in the face of a revolt".

The Guardian reports that up to 1,500 primary schools in England will remain shut while at least 18 councils refuse to sanction the plans.

Many papers have pictures of Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old war veteran who has been awarded a knighthood after raising more than £32m for charity.

• Round-up of the UK newspapers.

Julie Yoon
BBC Korean

Some South Korean students have returned to their classrooms after an unprecedented five-month break, as schools re-open in stages with high school seniors returning first.

Thermal scanners welcomed students entering through school gates. Smiling under their masks, students and teachers greeted each other.

Cho Sung-jin, a homeroom teacher at Chungam High School told the BBC that teaching a lesson while wearing a mask was tough. “It is very difficult to breathe with a mask on when you are trying to project your voice”, said Mr Cho.

“It’s also not easy to identify and recognise my students because they were all wearing identical masks.”

Schools spaced out desks and fitted them with plastic partitions. Class times and lunch hours were also being staggered.

Image source, News1

At Chungam High School, students were also advised to “avoid unnecessary chitchat.”

“Students were very co-operative today,” said Mr Cho. “Both students and teachers have looked forward to this day and we were happy to see each other in the flesh.”

South Korea reported 32 new cases as of midnight Tuesday.

Image source, News1

Image source, PA Media

There will be no face-to-face lectures at the University of Cambridge over the course of the next academic year because of the coronavirus, the university has announced.

Lectures will be available to students online and "it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person" if they meet social distancing requirements, the university said.

It follows a similar move by the University of Manchester, which said its lectures would be online-only for the next term.

University campuses across the country have been closed by the Covid-19 outbreak. Earlier this week, the university watchdog said students applying for university places in England must be told with "absolute clarity" how courses will be taught - before they make choices for the autumn.

• Read more about this story here.

Image source, Getty Images

The Pacific Island nation of Fiji is keen to be included in the "bubble" between Australia and New Zealand when travel resumes in the coming months.

Both nations have succeeded in containing the virus' spread, while Fiji, which counted only 17 cases, has reported no new cases in the past month.

Like other small Pacific Island nations, it has succeeded in stopping the virus spread to its corner. But with an economy heavily reliant on tourism - and particularly the dollar of the Australian and Kiwi tourist - it's keen to resume that soon. It's even running trials of a tracing app as part of preparations.

Vanuatu is also in talks with Australia over travel openings.

Good morning if you are just joining us in the UK. Here's some of the latest global developments:

• Ministers are facing further pressure from council leaders and teaching unions to reconsider plans to reopen English primary schools to some pupils from 1 June.
• Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted after raising more than £32m for National Health Service charities by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.
• Brazil has become the country with the third-highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the world, after registering a total of more than 250,000 cases.
• President Donald Trump has argued it is "a badge of honour" that the US has the world's highest number of infections. "It means our testing is much better," he said.

China on Wednesday reported four new confirmed cases in the northeastern province of Jilin and one imported case - bringing the total number of cases to 82,965.

Earlier this month, an infected laundry worker in Shulan city was found to have spread the virus to 11 others.

Shulan was declared a high-risk area and has entered a state of lockdown - all outbound transport has been stopped.

Several cases were later recorded in Jilin city and the province has now seen a total of 133 confirmed locally transmitted cases, external, according to state media.

There are now fears that the province could emerge as the centre of new infections in China - even as life starts to go back to normal for the rest of the country.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

India recorded more than 5,200 new infections on Tuesday - its biggest spike so far in a single day. Its tally of confirmed cases is now over 106,000, with 61,149 active infections.

The spike comes as the country begins to ease one of the world's most severe lockdowns, in which almost everything except essential services such as healthcare and food supplies was shut.

While European countries have already peaked, experts have said that's yet to happen in India. Dr Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, has said that cases could peak in June-July, which is also the flu season.

But other epidemiologists believe the peak may vary from state to state, as the progress of the disease has also differed widely across regions.

Maharashtra state alone, for instance, accounts for nearly 40% of India's confirmed cases - and along with Gujarat it makes up nearly 70% of the national death toll from the pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

And in news to warm your heart, everyones favourite centenarian is to be knighted, after a special nomination from the prime minister.

War veteran Captain Tom Moore raised more than £32m for NHS charities by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.

Boris Johnson said he had provided the country with "a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus".

As an honorary colonel, his official title will be Captain Sir Thomas Moore under Ministry of Defence protocol.

The knighthood, which has been approved by the Queen, will be formally announced on Wednesday.

Read more about this here.

Image source, Jacinda Ardern/Facebook

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has encouraged flexible working arrangements such as a four-day work week as the nation comes out of lockdown.

A longer weekend, or just more flexibility, would allow Kiwis to travel more around the country - boosting tourism and the economy while the nation's borders remain shut.

The PM made the comments during a Facebook live chat, external, filmed on her way back from Rotorua, a popular tourist destination. She's become known for her casual online addresses.

“I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day work week. Ultimately that really sits between employers and employees,” the PM said.

“I’d really encourage people to think about that if you’re an employer and in a position to do so."

The exciting prospect adds to the global discussion about what work-life balance might look like after the pandemic.

Ms Ardern has been globally praised for leading New Zealand out of the virus crisis, with 21 deaths recorded in the 5-million population. Polls released yesterday show that she is the nation's most popular leader of the past century.

For days Brazil has made headlines for its steady increase in daily deaths and infections. After China, Europe and the US, South America is now seeing a sharp escalation of the pandemic.

Image source, Reuters

Brazil just saw its highest daily death toll of 1,179. With almost 18,000 new daily infections, the pandemic is rapidly gaining pace in the country - the most populous in the region.

Image source, AFP

In Peru, a traditional Andean harlequin is reminding people to wear face masks. The country has around 100,000 infections and 3,000 deaths.

Image source, Reuters

In Venezuela, this karate professional has to train in isolation on his rooftop. The country has confirmed only around 600 cases but the lockdown is adding to the already crippling economic crisis.

Image source, EPA

With fewer than 9,000 confirmed cases, Argentina fares a lot better than its neighbour Brazil. But medics are bracing for things to get worse and are practicing their response.

Image source, Reuters

Chile has had 50,000 cases and 500 deaths so far. On Tuesday soldiers and riot police clashed with demonstrators angry about food shortages and job losses.

Yvette Tan
BBC News

Singapore has announced that it will end its partial state of lockdown on 1 June - but there's no rejoicing yet.

The country, which entered its "circuit breaker" on 7 April, will still continue to adhere to strict regulations - with measures to be progressively lifted in three phases.

In the first phase, which begins on 2 June, more people will be allowed to return to their workplaces, to visit their parents and schools will gradually reopen.

The second phase - where businesses like retail outlets and gyms may reopen - could take weeks or even months, depending on how successful phase one is.

Image source, Getty Images

It's clear that Singapore is taking an extremely cautious approach to reopening- eager to avoid the same outcome as several countries that have seen a new surge in cases after easing their lockdown.

But the sentiment among Singaporeans seems to be a feeling that the partial lockdown was being lifted more in name than in practice, as most social regulations remain in place.

And with no clear end in sight there's a sense of disappointment in the air.

Many were looking forward to getting on with their daily lives, but now feel stuck in this period of waiting. Others are worried that businesses will not be able to sustain themselves until phase 2 ends - whenever that might be.

Though community cases has been low in recent days, an outbreak amongst its huge migrant worker community - who have now been quarantined - means hundreds are still testing positive for the virus each day.

Image source, Yadav family

On 9 May, Sanju Yadav, her husband, Rajan, and their two children - Nitin and Nandini - left Mumbai.

They had arrived in India's sprawling financial hub a decade ago to with few belongings and dreams of a brighter future.

But after nearly two months of a grinding lockdown, they were running out of money. And they wanted to return home to their village in Uttar Pradesh state.

They tried for tickets on the special trains the government was running for migrants but they had no luck. So they decided to make the 1,500-km long journey in Rajan's rickshaw.

In the early hours of 12 May - when they were just 200km from their village - a truck rammed into the rickshaw from behind.

Sanju and Nandini died on the spot. Rajan and Nitin escaped with minor injuries.

Rajan says he can't stop thinking about the train tickets that never came: "I wish I had gotten the tickets. I wish I had never started the journey… I wish I was not poor."

This is just one story, there are hundreds more of those who died on the roads - forced to leave because of the lockdown.

The BBC's Vikas Pandey tells some of those stories here.

There are now 4,893,195 confirmed infections worldiwde, 1,686,487 of which have recoverd while 322,861 have died.

If you want to keep track of the global outbreak, we have just the place for you. Our visual and data journalism team has put together a special page where you can see:

• How many cases and deaths are in which countries
• Which countries are past their peaks and which are not
• How the pandemic spread around the world
• Where death tolls are rising the fastest
• Which countries have managed to flatten the curve