Jacob Rees-Mogg tells MPs he will be bringing forward a motion tomorrow "to allow members who for medical grounds are unable to attend to continue to appear for scrutiny - that is to say questions, urgent questions and statements - remotely."

However, he says that it is still important for MPs to vote physically - "we shouldn't do it quietly and secretly," he says.

However there is plenty of opposition to this. Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael says MPs who cannot get to Parliament should not just be able to have a voice in Parliament - "they should have a vote too," he says.

SNP MP Patrick Grady says MPs should not have to disclose their medical conditions in order to participate virtually.

NHS England has announced 143 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,865.

Public Health Wales said a further seven people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths in Wales to 1,354.

In Scotland, a further 12 deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours of people who had tested positive for Covid-19. This brings the total deaths to 2,375.

Northern Ireland's Department of Health said two more people had died with Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths there to 526.

UK government minister Jacob Rees-Mogg opens the debate on the virtual Parliament.

He says the public expects Parliament to "conduct effective scrutiny and put ministers under pressure".

"Neither can be realised while we are not sitting physically," he says adding: "By not being here the House has not worked effectively."

A little bit more detail now from Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Public Health England's report into the impact of coronavirus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME).

Speaking in the House of Commons, he says people are "understandably angry about injustices" and he feels a huge responsibility in his role because the pandemic has "exposed huge disparities in the health of our nation".

He says it is clear that some people are "significantly more vulnerable" to the disease, which he says he is "determined" to understand and take action on.

He said the report into the higher coronavirus mortality rates for black and minority ethnic communities was published and brought to MPs at the "first chance".

He told MPs that he had instructed the work to be carried out by Public Health England as he was worried by the death rates amongst the BAME community and had put a deadline on that work for the end of last month.

In response to a question from Tory MP Claire Coutinho, Mr Hancock says he can "absolutely confirm" that the report was not held back because of issues of increased sensitivity around race - amid the George Floyd protests around the world.

The report was delivered on Sunday, he says, and he considered its contents yesterday, and brought it to the House "at the earliest possible opportunity".

You can read more on the detail of the report in our article, here.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

In around 15 minutes, MPs in the UK Parliament will start to debate proposals for how the House of Commons should operate while coronavirus measures remain in place.

Many MPs - including the former Chancellor Sajid Javid - have questioned the government's plans, so it could be a lively debate.

Read up on the backround here.

Image source, EPA

Images from Tuesday in Abu Dhabi show huge queues of cars at a security checkpoint between the emirate and neighbouring Dubai.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has enforced a one-week ban on traffic into and out of the emirate as a whole.

The ban, in place from today, also stops people from travelling between its main cities. However movement within cities is allowed as long as people stick to the night curfew.

People can apply for permits in exceptional circumstances, according to The National, external. That includes essential workers and patients with chronic diseases who have medical appointments.

At the same time, the emirate is reopening hotel beaches, museums and sports activities.

Overall the UAE has recorded more than 36,000 cases of coronavirus and 66 deaths.

Image source, EPA

The government has announced there will no longer be televised briefings at weekends, starting this week.

However, the prime minister has committed to taking part in at least one briefing a week, Downing Street said.

There was no mention of changes to weekday briefings.

The first briefing was held on 16 March, and since then there has been one every day, including weekends and bank holidays.

Responding to the findings of Public Health England's report into coronavirus deaths among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth says we've always known there is a "social gradient" in health, where the "poorest and the most deprived have inequality in access to healthcare and inequality in health outcomes".

He says Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that Covid-19 "thrives on inequalities", adding, "yes indeed, Black Lives Matter, it is surely a call to action that BAME people are more likely to die from Covid and are more likely to be admitted to intensive care from Covid."

He asks what action will be taken to minimise risk for BAME communities.

A report has confirmed that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the UK are more likely than others to die with Covid-19.

The Public Health England review, external, which looked at the disparities in the risk and outcomes from Covid-19 for different cross-sections of society, has been published in the past few minutes.

We'll bring you more on this breaking story shortly.

Image source, Getty Images

Here are some of the key developments from around the world so far today:

• The UK government is looking at ways to relax the 14-day quarantine rule for people entering the country over the coming months
• Mexico has become the seventh country to have recorded more than 10,000 Covid-19 related deaths. The US has the highest number of fatalities with more than 105,000
• Phase two of the easing of coronavirus restrictions in France began today, including an end to a 100km (62-mile) travel limit
• Secondary school pupils in the Netherlands have returned to classes, with social distancing in force
• India has registered a new record daily spike in cases, with 8,392 fresh infections, even as the country eases lockdown restrictions

Image source, Getty Images

The 2020 Formula 1 season will start in Austria on 5 July, the first of a run of eight races in Europe - including two at Silverstone in the UK.

The season had been scheduled to begin in Melbourne, Australia, in March but all races so far in 2020 have been cancelled because of the pandemic.

Austria will stage the opening two races over the weekends of 5 and 12 July, with Hungary hosting the third on 19 July, before back-to-back events at Silverstone on 2 and 9 August.

An F1 statement said all races would be held without spectators with participants following guidelines to minimise the spread of Covid-19.

MPs have been returning to Westminster following a break at the end of May.

They are set to vote on the future of virtual proceedings later, amid a row over how Commons business can take place safely.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has said the virtual set-up "is no longer necessary,", external and physical working would make the Commons "much more effective".

But some MPs, including senior Tory Robert Halfon, who has been shielding at home, argue that scrapping virtual proceedings is "democratically unjust" for MPs who can't return to Parliament.

Halfon and fellow Tory MPs, Caroline Nokes and Julian Knight, are backing an amendment led by former Conservative Cabinet minister Karen Bradley to allow digital voting to resume.

MPs will be asked to queue up outside the Commons chamber before entering in order to observe social distancing.

Labour MP Jess Phillips said the new queuing system resembled the theme park Alton Towers, while her fellow Labour MP Jeff Smith called it "bizarre".

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Reuters

Thousands of shoppers queued for hours to get into Ikea stores after the furniture giant reopened 19 shops in England and Northern Ireland on Monday.

With many of us left wondering why you'd put yourself through that experience, author and behavioural expert Judi James told BBC Radio 5 Live that "scarcity creates and intensifies desire".

She said the sight of the queues "will have started to create a bit of an impulse" for people, and then "when you get there, the sight of all those other people with the same desire - that validates our choice."

James added that "for some people the queue almost becomes a social event".

"There are a lot of people there that will probably just have been enjoying the event and being out in a large group," she said.

"It wasn't a crowd because they were socially distanced, but it's the same group-think thing that people are probably missing from not being able to go to football matches and things like that."

Many have been taking advantage of the lockdown easing in England and heading to beauty spots and beaches to enjoy the warmer weather.

But some visitors to the scenic Lake District, in Cumbria, have been causing "significant problems", including blocking roads with parked cars and leaving the ground strewn with rubbish, police have said.

Image source, CUMBRIA POLICE

Abandoned cars stopped emergency vehicles getting through some roads, and some visitors have been camping, which is banned under lockdown rules, Cumbria Police said.

The force said people were using disposable barbecues and lighting fires "at a time of extreme fire risk".

Police urged visitors to respect the area and act responsibly.

Image source, CUMBRIA POLICE

Meanwhile, the owners of the Haweswater reservoir, also in the Lake District, said they were "appalled, shocked and saddened" by the state campers left the reservoir in.

They said trees had been felled, dry-stone walls damaged and barbecues and litter left.

As Europe and Asia start to reopen and loosen restrictions, a number of other countries around the world are only beginning to experience large numbers of cases.

Our visual team has put together a series of graphs and charts to help show the spread of the pandemic around the world.

Several nations in Latin America are seeing rising numbers of deaths. Russia has also recorded a large number of deaths from Covid-19.

Daniel Koch, spokesman for Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health, delayed his retirement when the coronavirus hit. For weeks he has soberly and carefully led press briefings and instructed his countrymen on how to handle the outbreak.

Now that the country is lifting its lockdown restrictions, Koch felt he was able to leave – but not without an unusual farewell video.

The popular Instagram post shows Koch diving, fully suited, into Bern’s Aare river and waving goodbye to the camera.

BBC correspondent Imogen Foulkes says the move was especially significant in the Swiss capital, where jumping in the river is a summer ritual.

But Koch was sure to reiterate the need to stay alert before his watery goodbye. “Remember, it's not over, you have to follow the rules, keep your distance,” he said.

Image source, Getty Images

The head of the UK's statistics watchdog has said the daily government numbers on Covid-19 testing are "far from complete and comprehensible".

Sir David Norgrove, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, outlined his concerns over the data's presentation in a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, external.

The Department of Health currently releases figures on the number of tests carried out each day - which includes those posted out but not necessarily returned.

However, Norgrove said the daily figures had "limited value" in helping track the epidemic and that they appeared "to show the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding".

He said he found it "hard to believe the statistics work to support the testing programme itself".

He welcomed some recent changes, but warned that the testing figures "still fall well short" of the industry guidelines, the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Norgrove also expressed concern that there should be no repeat when it came to the publication of figures for the new test and trace system.

The government has so far failed to publish details of the number of contacts traced but promised the information would be released shortly.

Read more here.

Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris

Image source, EPA

It's been a weekend of frenetic activity to get their premises ready for business. They shut so quickly back in March that for some the first job was pouring away the stale beer. Others have been hastily putting up a bit of decking to qualify as a terrace.

Now they are open (outside at least), Paris cafe and bar owners have a hope, and a fear.

The hope is that people will be so desperate to resume their old lives - and have pockets so full of unspent cash - that they will come back to their old haunts in droves.

The fear is that lingering Covid anxiety will be a turn-off. Will people still want to come out if it means being served by waiters in masks, and being discouraged from talking to fellow customers?

Luckily on day one, the sun is hot and the sky is clear. There is, at last, just a whiff of optimism in the air.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Italy is marking its National Day today with muted celebrations due to the coronavirus.

National Day marks the proclamation of the Italian Republic in 1946 and is usually celebrated with a parade. This year, smaller celebrations are taking place.

On Tuesday morning, Italy's Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team conducted a fly-past over Rome.

Image source, EPA

Italy's president and prime minister attended a ceremony in the capital where they laid flowers on the tomb of the unknown soldier. Images show people at the ceremony all wearing face masks.

President Sergio Mattarella said in a message that the country has faced "unprecedented difficulties", external which still require "unity, responsibility and cohesion".

He added that Italy will have to "face the consequences for a long time".

More than 33,000 people have died from the virus in Italy.

Image source, EPA

MPs return to Westminster later following a scheduled break at the end of May.

Their first task? Deciding exactly how to legislate during the coronavirus crisis, while also maintaining social distancing.

The usual practice of voting by entering corridors - known as division lobbies - has been ruled unsafe by public health experts.

A solution had been agreed, with votes cast electronically. But that system has now ended and ministers say they want MPs back in the building to vote.

Conservative backbencher Robert Halfon has told the BBC the government's approach is "democratically unjust", because MPs - like him - who are shielding due to health reasons would not be able to vote.

"There is no logic, no reason, no justification for not allowing MPs who genuinely can't go in to have some kind of vote whether by proxy or online," he said.

One plan being proposed would see MPs queue at a two-metre distance from each other before slowly filing into the Commons chamber to vote.

With some warning of "deadlock", BBC Politics has been looking at some of the proposed solutions, ahead of up to 650 MPs returning at about 11:30 BST.