Retail expert Mary Portas has said the coronavirus outbreak could be a "window of opportunity" for local High Streets.

She told the BBC the pandemic had changed the way people were living and said local businesses could benefit from those wanting to stay close to home and connect with their communities.

She said: "All the statistics that we are looking at, and the way that people are feeling, is saying, 'I don't want to travel far, my community's important, I want to connect locally and I want to support those businesses that were also there when we needed them.'"

Image source, Reuters

Denmark was one of the earliest European countries to impose a lockdown, and was also one of the first to lift it, with some restrictions eased as early as mid-April.

Now politicians have announced a swathe of economic stimulus measures, including cash handouts and support for companies, as the economy faces its worst contraction since World War Two.

About 60bn kroner (£7.2bn; $9.1bn) will be paid out from a frozen holiday allowance fund. Citizens on public health benefits will separately get a 1,000 kroner stipend, and 10bn kroner have been set aside for struggling companies.

Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen said the cash might not be released for several months, but encouraged people to spend now.

"If you want to use the money for ice cream, clothes or things for your home, you can do this safe in the knowledge that the money is coming by October," he was reported as saying.

While hundreds of people in England have been queuing for some long-overdue retail therapy today, others have opted for a walk on the wilder side with a trip to the zoo.

Safari parks and zoos can reopen their doors again after coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed in England.

Officials at one of the country's largest zoos, in Chester, previously said they were "ecstatic" they can reopen - but warned the pandemic had left a "massive scar" on the zoo's finances.

Take a look at our round-up of some of the best pictures from today's reopening.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

German tabloid BZ reports that an entire apartment block has been quarantined in the capital Berlin after an outbreak of coronavirus.

Residents of the block on Harzer Strasse in the Neukölln district are not allowed to leave their homes or have visitors for the next 14 days. So far authorities have confirmed 52 cases there since testing began on Saturday.

Other blocks in the districts of Neukölln, Spandau and Wedding are also being tested for the virus.

Germany has been widely praised for its response to the pandemic, and has eased its lockdown restrictions in recent weeks – with some states lifting measures faster than others.

Latest figures from Germany's public Robert Koch Institute, external show that on Sunday the country reported 247 new infections and six new deaths.

Image source, Getty Images

We reported earlier that Beijing has recorded dozens of new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases in recent days, prompting fears of a second wave.

A number of districts in the Chinese capital have now closed schools, introduced security checkpoints, and ordered people to be tested for the virus as the city attempts to curb its spread.

Sports and entertainment venues have been closed and temperature checks have been re-introduced in supermarkets and offices.

"The containment efforts have rapidly entered into a war-time mode," a senior local government official told a press conference earlier today.

The outbreak has been linked to the city's largest wholesale market, and the general manager of the market has been dismissed along with other local officials.

Read more here

Image source, Reuters

Much of Europe is emerging from sweeping travel restrictions today.

The European Union is encouraging member states to get people moving across borders, and police who've been enforcing border closures have been withdrawn.

Germany lifted a worldwide travel warning on Monday. It said checks at its nine land borders, with countries such as Austria and Denmark, were no longer necessary.

France, too, said it would allow travellers from almost all European Union countries to enter without quarantine.

Elsewhere in Europe, countries such as Belgium, Portugal, Greece and Switzerland have all relaxed their travel restrictions as cases of Covid-19 decrease.

But some measures remain in place. Sweden, for example, has complained that Swedes face major hurdles getting into neighbouring countries.

And Spain said it would not allow foreign tourists to enter until 21 June.

You can read more about how Europe is emerging from lockdown in our useful round-up piece here.

Hundreds of people have been pictured queuing outside shops today as coronavirus rules are relaxed in England after a three-month lockdown.

But what has been the first thing on shoppers' wish-lists, and why? The BBC has spoken to customers at a shopping centre in Milton Keynes, in Buckinghamshire.

Greg Dulson, 68, said his first purchase was a new strap for his favourite watch after it broke a day before the 23 March lockdown.

After taking it to the watchmaker's, he was told to return the following day, only for the shop to be closed.

He said: "I’ve been sulking, but now my favourite watch is back! I’ve had it [for] 10 years."

Image source, Dan Maltby

One of the small team in charge of Edinburgh Airport's runway has told how the normally busy and buzzing hub has become an empty and lonely place during the lockdown.

Dan Maltby said the airfield had become a sad and spooky place and it was rare for him to bump into anyone now during his 12-hour shifts.

The airport's footfall has dropped from 50,000 passengers a day in a normal summer, to just 300.

And its hundreds of ground staff, pilots and cabin crew are furloughed.

Read more here

Image source, EPA

Long queues are beginning to form outside some stores in London's West End as they reopen.

Image source, Reuters

Photos show large crowds of people trying to get into Nike Town on Oxford Street as trading began.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA MEDIA

The Great North Run has been cancelled in England because of the coronavirus pandemic - in what would have been its 40th year.

More than 55,000 runners were due to take part in the half-marathon - from Newcastle to South Shields - on 13 September.

Organisers said they had not taken the decision lightly and had tried to find a way to hold the run - which raises an estimated £25m for charities - while observing social distancing.

The Junior and Mini Great North Run and the Great North 5km, which usually take place on the Saturday before the Great North Run, have also been cancelled.

Runners are eligible for refunds or can transfer their entry to next year.

You can read more here

People around the world are being advised to wear face coverings in certain circumstances, to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

As of today, you must wear one on public transport in England.

Need a mask or fancy making a few spares? Here's our guide to different types, and step-by-step instructions on how to make them.

Whether you're handy with a sewing machine, like cutting up old t-shirts or just want a quick fix, the principles are the same: the more layers of material, the better; the mask needs to fit snugly around the face; and you should be able to breathe comfortably.

See our full run-down here

It's been a long and tedious lockdown for many young people around the world.

But some have made time to document their feelings through art - with impressive results.

Some 140 students contributed to an online exhibition entitled At Home, organised by the Sixth Form Colleges Association in England.

Here's some of their work - and there's more here

Image source, Lily Goodey

Image source, Georgina Birch

Image source, Katie-Leigh Edwards

Anna Jones
BBC News, Singapore

When the virus started spreading here in Singapore in January, the official advice was: don’t wear a mask if you’re not sick - they should be saved for medical staff and ill people. The government said there were plenty of mask supplies, if people used them responsibly.

At the start of February, every household was given five surgical masks, for emergencies.

But as it became clear that people who are not visibly unwell can still pass on the virus, that changed. In April, every resident was given one free, reusable cloth mask. Shortly after that, it was made illegal to leave the house without wearing one. In May, a better quality mask was distributed, again for free.

And Singapore is not messing around. If you’re caught without a mask and no good excuse, you can be fined S$300 (£170) on the spot, $1,000 for a second offence. Repeat offenders could even face jail. There are exceptions for infants, people doing strenuous work or exercise, and a few other reasons. The rules cover workplaces too - our colleagues in the UK have got used to us appearing slightly muffled on the morning Zoom.

Singapore is a hot and humid country, so there is genuine discomfort in wearing a mask, but it’s remarkable how quickly it became taboo - and felt weird - not to be wearing one. A mask-making industry has sprung up too, with a huge range of designs and patterns available for sale. (And it's given people like me a new weekend hobby.)

Masks have quickly become the norm here, and the likelihood is they’ll be with us for some time to come.

Image source, Getty Images

BP says it expects oil prices to be lower than expected from now until 2050, as governments speed up plans to cut carbon emissions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The oil giant said it would therefore revise down the value of its assets by as much as $17.5bn (£13.8bn).

Last week, the firm announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs following a global slump in demand for oil caused by stay-at-home orders during the pandemic.

Read more here

Stewart Whittingham
Reporter, BBC News Online

As non-essential shops re-opened in England today, people queued for more than 40 minutes to get into stores in Manchester City centre.

Big queues formed outside Primark, TK Maxx and Foot Locker on Market Street.

Mother-of-one Ines Sima, 23, joined the line outside TK Maxx.

She said: "I think I'll be waiting for half an hour, maybe more.

"But I've really missed shopping, that's why I'm here.

"I want to get some nice dresses.

"Lockdown has been hard and boring so I want to treat myself."

Retired library worker Clare Barcoe, 66, joined the queue outside Primark.

She said: "I've come to return some jeans for my son.

"They don't fit him and this is the first time I've been able to come and he's at work.

"But I'll get some things like t-shirts while I'm here."

Image source, Reuters

An archbishop in Peru has filled his cathedral in the capital, Lima, with more than 5,000 photographs of Covid-19 victims, and warned more people face death by starvation as a result of the economic crisis brought by the pandemic.

When the 84 pews were filled with the images, church workers covered the bases of the building's columns. The victims included police officers, firemen and street-sweepers, and many died without receiving appropriate medical care, according to local media.

In a message broadcast during Sunday's Mass, Archbishop Carlos Castillo sharply criticised the country's health system, saying it was based "on egotism and on business and not on mercy and solidarity with the people," AP news agency reports., external

"An even harder moment is coming," he was quoted as saying. "It would be terrible if in the times to come we have thousands of these photos - but dead of hunger."

Peru has confirmed 6,688 Covid-related deaths and 229,736 cases. It has the second-highest numbers of deaths and infections in South America, after Brazil.

Read more about how Covid-19 is affecting the region.

Image source, Reuters

It's still early here in the UK, but people have already been seen following new rules that require face coverings to be worn on public transport from today.

Most people in England - except those with disabilities, children under 11 and those with certain health conditions - will need to wear a face covering while travelling on a bus, coach, train, tram, Tube, ferry or plane.

Passengers without a covering will be asked to wear one, or will face being refused travel or fined £100.

Image source, PA Media

At Gatwick airport, a passenger called James told BBC Breakfast that wearing a face covering on his way to Nice, where he works, was "very strange" but if everyone wears one then it shouldn't be a problem.

Meanwhile on London's Tube network, volunteers handed out face masks to commuters as they entered Vauxhall underground station - where two security guards were stationed to stop people taking more masks than necessary.

A Transport for London (TfL) staff member monitoring the distribution of masks said most people were already wearing face coverings before they entered the station.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

China's second-biggest airline is to launch a new carrier despite a severe global downturn in passengers caused by the pandemic.

China Eastern has joined forces with a range of partners including China's biggest online travel agency, Trip.com.

The new airline will be focused on the island destination of Hainan, a free-trade hub that is home to eight million people.

Some have questioned the timing of the launch, which comes as the airline industry struggles to survive.

You can read more about the move here.

At least 29 bus drivers in London have died from Covid-19.

BBC News Arabic followed British Iraqi bus driver Susan from the early days of lockdown, as she navigated her fears of working on the front line and worries about her 16-year-old daughter.

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

In the UK, a leaked report has suggested factors such as racism and social inequality may have contributed to increased risks of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities catching and dying from Covid-19.

A draft report by Public Health England (PHE), seen by the BBC, says historic racism may mean that people are less likely to seek care or to demand better personal protective equipment.

The report concluded: "The unequal impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities may be explained by a number of factors ranging from social and economic inequalities, racism, discrimination and stigma, occupational risk, inequalities in the prevalence of conditions that increase the severity of disease including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and asthma."

This second document comes after a government review into Covid-19 risk factors published earlier this month said that people from ethnic minorities are at higher risk of dying from coronavirus.

Read more here