Image source, AFP

A junior minister has resigned amid the continuing controversy over the actions of the prime minister's senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, during lockdown.

Douglas Ross, who was under secretary of state for Scotland, said he believed Mr Cummings's interpretation of the government guidance was not shared by the vast majority of people.

A growing number of Tory MPs have spoken out this morning - but the government insists Mr Cummings did not break the law.

In other developments:

• Latest UK figures for Covid-19 deaths are the lowest for six weeks, with 4,210 registered in the second week of May. Deaths in care homes in England and Wales accounted for almost half of the total number
• High street businesses are warning shoppers may not feel safe enough to spend money when stores are allowed to reopen in England from 15 June
• A scientist leading the UK's largest Covid-19 tracking project says two large sporting events in Cheltenham and Liverpool in late March "caused increased suffering and death"
• The Bank of England said the UK economy could still bounce back from the pandemic with a "V-shaped recovery". But the bank's chief economist, Andy Haldane, said the V might be "lopsided" -- suggesting the recovery might take longer than hoped
• Elsewhere, there were no new Covid-19 linked deaths in the Republic of Ireland in the last 24 hours

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The pandemic is a “great time” to build a pipeline because social-distancing rules prevent "ideological protests" from causing disruptions, a Canadian minister has said.

Alberta's Energy Minister Sonya Savage was talking about the Trans Mountain oil pipeline, a project opposed by indigenous groups and environmentalists.

The pipeline, which runs from Edmonton in Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia, is expected to triple its current capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 per day.

The pipeline has become a hot-button political issue for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has said the project is in the national economic interest.

Savage said she supported the project because “people need jobs”, suggesting that “ordinary Canadians” do not have “patience for protests that get in the way of people working”.

Read more

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Germany's umbrella organisation for brothels and independent sex workers has pleaded with politicians to allow them to resume business as the country gradually eases its lockdown.

In an open letter to members of parliament, external, they argue that like other sectors they should be allowed to open for customers again.

The organisation said it had worked out a hygiene plan to ensure the work was done safely, adding that sex workers already had experience and a vested personal interest in not jeopardising their personal health.

The letter also invites the politicians to visit a brothel once the restrictions are lifted so they can see themselves that things are managed safely.

Image source, Getty Images

Plans are under way in England to provide long-term support for rough sleepers taken off the streets during the coronavirus crisis.

Dame Louise Casey, head of the UK government's taskforce to help the homeless at this time, has told the BBC £53m will be spent on support services.

Almost 15,000 rough sleepers have been housed in emergency accommodation since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Read more here.

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Thronging the streets in defiance of coronavirus restrictions, protesters in Ecuador expressed their anger at the government’s economic response to the pandemic on Monday.

Thousands gathered for demonstrations in the country’s biggest cities, where they marched shoulder-to-shoulder despite social-distancing rules.

The protests were led by labour unions and social organisations.

Last week, Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno announced measures including the closure of some state-owned companies and cuts to public sector salaries.

Image source, Reuters

"If the coronavirus doesn't kill us, the government will," the leader of a trade union told Reuters news agency.

Around 4,000 people across the country attended Monday’s protests, the government said.

Ecuador has recorded 37,355 infections and 3,203 deaths from the coronavirus but, due to reporting issues, the figures are thought to be higher.

Read more: Ecuador protests against cuts amid pandemic

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Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has said that people will make up their own minds after listening to Dominic Cummings' "exhaustive" account of his travels during the lockdown.

The prime minister's chief aide has defended driving 260 miles in March from his home in London to his parents' farm in County Durham.

Earlier, Michael Gove was challenged by BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker on why Cummings didn't apologise.

Face masks have become an everyday part of life during the coronavirus pandemic.

People wear them for protection against the virus and to prevent spreading it but there’s an unintended consequence that’s often overlooked.

Standard face masks muffle words and obscure the mouth. For people who have hearing loss, that’s a problem.

But now, charities and manufacturers have come up with a solution: transparent masks.

Main dans la Main (Hand in Hand), an association which supports deaf and hearing-impaired people in Chevrières, northern France, is among the organisations around the world that have created a mask with a transparent window.

"The basic aim of these transparent masks is to allow deaf and hearing-impaired people to read the lips of someone speaking to them," the charity’s founder Kelly Morellon told the BBC.

Read more: Call for clear face masks to be 'the norm'

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UK PM Boris Johnson said on Monday that he had experienced problems with his eyesight after having coronavirus.

The admission came after Mr Johnson's chief aide, Dominic Cummings, said the reason he made a 60-mile round trip by car to Barnard Castle during the country's lockdown was to test his eyes on the road.

So does Covid-19 affect a person's eyesight? Well, eye symptoms with the virus are rare but not unheard of, experts say.

Similar infections can cause viral conjunctivitis, which makes the eyes water and feel gritty and uncomfortable, rather than painful.

Read more here.

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Governments are mulling an end to border controls as the outbreak eases across many parts of Europe. Here’s the latest:

• Germany is considering lifting its travel warning for a number of European countries – including the UK – on 15 June. Europe effectively shut its internal border area known as Schengen at the start of the outbreak, but a number of countries are calling for the return of free movement as soon as possible
• Denmark has modified its own border rules, and made it easier for couples to see each other again. From Sunday your girlfriend or boyfriend could cross the border to see you provided they show proof – like texts, photos or letters – to prove a proper relationship. Authorities changed the rules after a major backlash, so now you just need a piece of paper signed by both parties - making it easier for this elderly couple
• Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary says he will ask parliament to revoke his special powers next week. Parliament approved the measures for Mr Orban to tackle the outbreak. But critics fear he could abuse them, or never give them up, and are watching to see how he ends the powers

Image source, Reuters

American revellers who were pictured flouting social-distancing guidelines in the US state of Missouri have been urged to self-isolate unless they test negative for Covid-19.

Large crowds descended on the Lake of the Ozarks over the Memorial Day weekend in violation of coronavirus rules.

One image showed a party in a swimming pool, crammed full of people huddled in close proximity to each other.

Those images prompted the Department of Public Health for St Louis County to issue an advisory, external to those who “showed no efforts to follow social-distancing practices” on Monday.

“This reckless behaviour endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of Covid-19,” the county’s executive, Dr Sam Page, said.

“I encourage everyone to follow the Department of Public Health advisory to determine a safe path forward in the workplace.”

Read more: Americans flock to beaches on Memorial Day weekend

More on the resignation of UK junior minister Douglas Ross following the furore over the lockdown conduct of Boris Johnson's chief aide, Dominic Cummings.

Mr Ross said he was stepping down because the "vast majority of people" disagreed with Mr Cummings' explanation for travelling 260 miles at the height of the country's coronavirus restrictions.

Downing Street says Mr Johnson thanks Mr Ross "for his service to government and regrets his decision to stand down as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland".

Read the full story here.

Image source, Reuters

The families of key workers in New York who died with Covid-19 during the pandemic will receive death benefits to honour their service, Governor Andrew Cuomo has said.

Cuomo told a media briefing on Monday he felt a “grave responsibility” to “those public heroes who died from Covid-19 during this emergency”.

"I want to make sure we repay them - and not just by saying thank you and running nice television commercials," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said the families of public sector workers “who showed up”, listing bus drivers, nurses and firefighters as examples, would qualify for the payments.

It's not yet clear how much they'll receive.

At almost 30,000, the coronavirus death toll in New York is by far the highest of any state in the US.

Image source, Getty Images

Mexico's capital has registered 8,072 more deaths than usual in the first five months of this year, a study has found, casting doubt on the country’s official coronavirus figures.

The total number of deaths in Mexico City was 39,173 between 1 January and 20 May this year, compared with 31,101 on average during the same period in the previous four years, the study said, external.

So far, Mexico City’s health authorities have confirmed 1,655 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started.

The true death toll is believed to be much higher but, due to a lack of testing, an accurate figure is difficult to establish.

The study estimates that around 25% of the “excess mortality” it reported was attributable to Covid-19.

"While studying excess deaths allows us to identify a higher mortality rate during the Covid-19 crisis, it is not sufficient to attribute it directly or solely to the virus," Laurianne Despeghel, one of the study’s authors, said.

Mexico has recorded 7,633 deaths and 71,105 infections, figures from a US university show, external.

Read more: Mexico at 'peak moment' of coronavirus

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government issued an unprecedented worldwide travel warning to Germans on 17 March - and now they're seeking to lift it for 31 European countries next month.

A draft document that goes to cabinet on Wednesday recommends allowing travel to all 26 other EU states plus the UK and non-EU countries like Iceland and Norway that are in the border-free Schengen zone.

This would be a big move ahead of the summer tourist season if it goes ahead on 15 June as proposed.

Image source, AFP

Germany is already planning to open its borders fully to neighbours Austria and Switzerland on that date. But it wants the EU to agree common criteria that involve a maximum of 50 infections per 100,000 people in each country.

The EU has already given guidance on how countries should lift their borders. It's also worth pointing out that the UK is imposing a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from 8 June.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Douglas Ross backed Boris Johnson to be Tory leader and is not one of those Tories seen as hostile to his style of government.

So this resignation is a blow – and could point to wider discontent in the party.

There is a Scottish subplot – the Scottish Tories have been accused of hypocrisy for demanding Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer resign then staying quiet about Dominic Cummings.

But Mr Ross’ reasons for resigning are scathing. He says he cannot tell his constituents in good faith that they were wrong to miss funerals and other family events, but Mr Cummings was right.

He says he has listened to his constituents and resigned. The question now is whether other Tory MPs are continuing to get the same feedback.

Douglas Ross has resigned as a government minister , external over the row concerning senior aide Dominic Cumming's travel during the lockdown.

"I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remain aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with," Ross said.

Mr Ross is the first minister to step down over the row.

Image source, Reuters

Japan's Paediatric Association has advised parents not to put masks on children under the age of two because they can make breathing difficult and increase the risk of choking.

In a notice on its website, the group also said because children had narrow air passages, their hearts would be put under additional strain by trying to breathe through a mask.

The US Centers for Disease Control also says children under the age of two should not wear cloth face coverings.

Image source, EPA

Russia has recorded its highest daily death toll of 174 in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide total to 3,807.

Officials reported 8,915 new infections on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 362,342 across 85 regions.

Moscow (2,830), Moscow Region (817) and St Petersburg (363) are the top three regions in terms of new cases. A total of 131,129 patients have fully recovered across the country.

• The UK government is trying to shift the focus away from a row about a senior aide's travel during the lockdown. Senior official Dominic Cummings said on Monday he believed he had acted legally when he drove 260 miles from home
• Speaking on BBC Breakfast, MP Michael Gove has defended Cummings,, external saying "his actions were reasonable" and that "he is a man of integrity"
• But opposition MPs are due to meet later to discuss how to hold Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his senior aide to account, with Labour criticising Mr Cummings for failing to apologise, while other parties continue to call for him to be sacked
• Mr Cummings' statement overshadowed the PM's new plans to reopen all non-essential shops in England on 15 June. Outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to reopen from 1 June
• As Scotland prepares to ease its coronavirus lockdown from Friday, Scots have voiced concerns about the UK government's handling of the crisis and the risk of lifting restrictions "too quickly"
• The scientist leading the UK's largest tracking project has said that two major sporting events held in March "caused increased suffering and death" - the Cheltenham Festival and Liverpool's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid

South Australia has seen its first confirmed coronavirus case in almost three weeks.

Officials said an overseas traveller had come to Victoria where she was quarantined for less than a week before then traveling on to South Australia. The quarantine was shortened because she was given an exemption "for compelling family reasons".

She tested positive on arrival at Adelaide Airport.

The woman in her 50s is now isolated and authorities are trying to trace whoever she was in contact with while travelling.