Image source, EPA

France is set to launch its coronavirus contact-tracing app as soon as the weekend after it cleared two parliamentary votes.

The StopCovid app will supplement work already being done by a French team of human contact tracers who are trying to identify people who may be infected with the disease but are unaware of the fact.

The app works by using Bluetooth signals to detect when two handsets are in close proximity, in order to log an estimation of the distance and length of the encounter.

It comes as a test-and-trace system kicks off in England and Scotland.

Germany's forthcoming coronavirus contact-tracing app will trigger alerts only if users test positive for Covid-19.

More on the French app here.

Image source, Getty Images

Thousands of contact tracers in England and Scotland are making their first phone calls today.

They are telling those who've been near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus that they should isolate themselves for 14 days.

It's hoped the system - already used in places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany - will help to slow the spread of coronavirus.

So what should you expect if you do get a call? Here's everything you need to know.

Later today the prime minister will set out what lockdown restrictions will be eased from 1 June.

Boris Johnson's spokesman said the government's scientific advisory group, known as Sage, was meeting later today and the prime minister would set out what will be allowed, subject to their advice.

The spokesman said there was no special Cobra meeting today to approve the easing of lockdown measures. He said cabinet discussed the roadmap when they met on Monday. The prime minister will discuss the issue on a call with the nations' first ministers later this afternoon and with opposition parties in Westminster.

Image source, Reuters

International tourism is expected to fall by 70% this year, this biggest slump since the 1950s, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

In an interview with Germany newspaper Handelsblatt, external, agency chief Zurab Pololikashvili said 110 million jobs worldwide were at risk.

The drop is based on the assumption that all countries will reopen their borders to foreign visitors from August.

Across Europe - the largest tourism market in the world - many countries are beginning to ease their border restrictions. But in South America, another key holiday hotspot, infections are continuing to rise in countries like Brazil and it is uncertain when international travel will resume as normal.

"We will see more travellers staying in their own country this summer," said Mr Pololikashvili, "If only because the airlines will only be able to use their full capacities again at the end of July and beginning of August."

More on those jobless figures - this from our team in Washington:

This is the eighth week in a row that US jobless claims numbers have declined, but the totals are still historic.

The federal government has expanded jobless benefits to include workers who would not typically be eligible - like self-employed or gig economy workers - but many states have struggled to get payments out quickly.

And millions of workers who are jobless but did not search for a new job in the last year were not included in recent unemployment numbers, according to CNN, external.

Image source, Getty Images

Time to get a few more details on those changes to Scotland's lockdown rules.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also said that teachers in Scotland would be allowed to re-enter schools to prepare for the proposed reopening on 11 August.

From tomorrow, people will also be allowed to sit and sunbathe in local parks.

A legal limit will not be put on how far people will be allowed to travel for recreation but the first minister said the "strong advice" of the Scottish government was to stay within five miles.

People will also be able to spend time outside with members of one other household, as long as social distancing is adhered to.

The first minister asked that the number of people meeting between the two households should not exceed a maximum of eight people - and meetings should not take place with a different household within the same day.

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

I suspect Downing Street and those defending Dominic Cummings will point out that the police have chosen to word the statement "there might" have been a minor breach of the regulations. It's not conclusive. Downing Street will be hoping this concludes the story. I am not sure it does.

Image source, AFP

After that flurry of breaking news from the UK and the US, time to relax over a coffee...if you're in Israel.

Israelis have flocked back to cafes and restaurants after they reopened for business for the first time in three months.

Eateries, along with all other non-essential businesses, had been shuttered as part of strict measures to try to curb the spread of coronavirus there.

Israel's Channel 12 News said some 120,000 people had made reservations for Wednesday night - but while some outlets reported brisk trade, others remained shut, put out of business by the cost of the lockdown.

Venues will have to comply with new restrictions, including positioning tables at least 1.5m (5ft) apart, taking customers' temperatures and using only disposable menus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the reopenings, encouraging people to "drink a cup of coffee and a beer too".

Reacting to the findings from Durham Police, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was worried the public may decide not to stick to lockdown rules following the row.

"The most important thing here is not these technical issues," he told BBC Look North.

"The problem is that by not dealing with Cummings in a strong way the PM has not only showed himself to be weak... But more importantly what I’m worried about is that people might think - well, if Cummings doesn’t have to abide by the rules, why do I have to?

"Then you’re on a slippery slope. The real risk here is that we lose control of the rules."

As we've just reported, Durham Police have said Dominic Cumming's trip to Barnard Castle "might have been a minor breach" of lockdown rules.

The force said that, had an officer stopped Mr Cummings during his drive, "the officer would have spoken to him, and, having established the facts, likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham, providing advice on the dangers of travelling during the pandemic crisis".

It added it would not be taking any action against Cummings, in line with its decision not to enforce the rules retrospectively. It said to do so would be to treat him differently to the general public.

Image source, Getty Images

The US Labor Department has announced that 2.1 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the last week.

Since mid-March, more than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs - that's about a quarter of the US workforce.

Last month, the unemployment rate hit nearly 15%, which is the highest since the Great Depression.

These latest numbers come as all 50 states begin to ease Covid-19 restrictions in some form and businesses nationwide slowly start to reopen.

Meanwhile the country's death toll has passed 100,000, the highest in the world.

Boris Johnson is standing by his top aide Dominic Cummings, following the Durham Police findings.

A No 10 spokesman said: "The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations.

"The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances, and he regards this issue as closed."

A police investigation into the actions of Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's top aide, has concluded there "might have been a minor breach" of lockdown regulations when he made a journey from his parents' property in Durham to the town of Barnard Castle.

Durham Constabulary said it views "this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing" during the trip.

It said it would not be issuing Mr Cummings with a fine.

The force also concluded that Mr Cummings' trip from his London home to Durham, made with his wife who was showing coronavirus symptoms, did not break the rules.

Image source, Getty Images

Here is the latest from Latin America, where lockdown measures are being eased despite recent WHO comments that the region is now the centre of the pandemic:

• Parks and green spaces in Mexico City will reopen to a third of their capacity from 1 June, officials have announced. The measure aims to "relieve the stress of confinement" in the densely populated capital. Officials are also planning to create new bike lanes to encourage residents to cycle instead of using public transport
• Some football clubs in Brazil have resumed training with players being put through their paces to see how fit they are following lockdown. Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo is among the teams back in training and lobbying for matches to be resumed
• However, São Paulo's Corinthians has warned that Brazil is not yet in the same place as Germany, where the Bundesliga has restarted behind closed doors. Brazil has the second-highest number of cases worldwide behind the US. On Wednesday, the number of dead passed the 25,000 mark

More on the easing of some restrictions in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon said her confidence in the decision was boosted by the launch of the Test and Protect scheme.

Sturgeon says the focus on the changes will be on "family, friendship, love" and most of her time today will be taken up with talking about people's ability to interact with friends and family.

First though, Sturgeon focuses on business and says that from tomorrow:

• the construction industry can start site preparation in the first phase of its restart plan
• from tomorrow garden centres and plant nurseries can reopen some services
• some drive-through food takeaway services can also restart
• household recycling centres can open from Monday

Image source, AFP

We should be getting the latest unemployment claims numbers in the US in about 30 minutes, at 13:30 BST (12:30 GMT). In the past eight weeks more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs amid the pandemic.

Meanwhile in France, nearly 850,000 people became jobless in April, raising the total to more than 4.5 million. The government employment agency (Pole Emploi) said this was the highest since records began in 1996.

April was the first full month under the strict coronavirus lockdown. But officials said nearly three-quarters of the people who became unemployed in April had already been registered as under-employed.

Scotland will move to phase one of a four-step plan to ease out of lockdown, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

She told the Scottish government's daily briefing there would be some "careful but cautious" changes to the lockdown.

The Scottish government has identified four phases for easing the restrictions, external.

From Friday you should be able to meet another household outside in small numbers.

Sunbathing is allowed, along with some outdoor activities such as golf and fishing.

Garden centres and drive-through takeaways can reopen, some outdoor work can resume, and childminding services can begin.

A further 12 people have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths there to 2,304, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Image source, EPA

Tour operator Tui has extended the suspension of holidays for UK customers until at least the end of June due to ongoing travel restrictions amid the pandemic.

The firm has also cancelled its Marella Cruises sailings up to 30 July.

The UK's biggest tour operator had previously cancelled all trips up to 11 June.

Those impacted by the changes can request a refund on Tui's website, the company said in a statement posted on Twitter. , external

A 14-day quarantine for international arrivals is due to begin in the UK on 8 June.

Reality Check

US President Donald Trump says he will take action against Twitter and other social media outlets he accuses of stifling conservative voices, by signing an executive order to regulate them.

There have been long-running tensions between Trump and social media companies, but they flared up again earlier this week when Twitter questioned the accuracy of one of his posts by adding a fact-check label for the first time.

Our Reality Check team has been fact-checking world leaders for a while now, and here are some examples we have previously picked up of false claims during the coronavirus pandemic, including by Donald Trump.