Image source, Pure Gym

Gym bosses say they are "extremely disappointed" at the government's decision to allow pubs in England to reopen on 4 July but not indoor sports facilities.

Humphrey Cobbold, head of the Pure Gym chain, told the BBC indoor gyms were not high risk for coronavirus and his sites were ready to reopen safely.

And the boss of the David Lloyd group called the decision bizarre and illogical.

The government hopes gyms can reopen in mid-July, subject to health guidance.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

All African countries now have laboratories that can process coronavirus tests, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had earlier advised countries to consider their ability to test and trace before easing any lockdown measures.

During a virtual conference to discuss the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, Dr Tedros also warned that the pandemic was accelerating.

"The most recent one million cases of Covid-19 were reported in just one week," he said.

While some countries are starting to see confirmed cases and deaths fall following strict lockdown restrictions, others are still seeing figures rise.

A sharp increase in cases in Latin America in the second half of May led the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that the Americas were the new centre of the pandemic. But there have also been new spikes in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

These charts show four countries - Brazil, Mexico, India and Pakistan - where cases (in blue) and deaths (in red) have been on an upward trajectory in recent weeks.

Brazil confirmed more than 39,000 new cases on Tuesday alone, and is only the second country in the world - after the US - to confirm more than one million cases. Mexico is the second worst-affected country in the region, with cases continuing to surge.

India reported more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday - the biggest daily increase since the start of its epidemic.

Neighbouring Pakistan has also seen a surge in infections and deaths - although the number of new cases has fallen slightly in recent days. The healthcare systems in both countries are under strain.

Read more here.

Reality Check

The prime minister and leader of the Labour Party clashed earlier over coronavirus contact tracing apps – and the fact that England does not have one yet.

Boris Johnson said: “I wonder whether [he] can name a single country in the world that has a functional contact tracing app, because there isn’t one.”

Keir Starmer replied: “Germany."

Germany launched its Corona-Warn-App on 15 June.

Germany’s public health body, the Robert Koch Institute, has tweeted to say the app has been downloaded 12.6m times since then.

But we haven't yet seen figures from the German government on how well it is performing and how many people have received an alert as a result.

France launched its tracing app three weeks ago.

Two million people downloaded it (although 460,000 have uninstalled it since) – according to figures from the French government.

But just 68 people used it to say they had Covid-19 and only 14 people have been traced and warned they are at risk of infection.

A number of other countries around the world have also launched apps.

You can read more about manual contact tracing here.

Image source, Getty Images

People in Scotland will be allowed to meet indoors from 10 July, and pubs and restaurants can reopen from 15 July, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Announcing changes to the Scottish government's route out of lockdown, Sturgeon said travel distance restrictions - which see people forced to stay within five miles of their home - will be relaxed on 3 July, along with the opening of self-catering accommodation.

Sturgeon said the move was possible thanks to "real and sustained progress" in suppressing the virus.

She added that beer gardens and other outdoor venues would be able to reopen on 6 July - and all other pubs and restaurants would be able to open on 15 July, if progress continues.

Shopping centres - as well as barbers and hairdressers - will also be allowed to reopen on 15 July.

Venues will be subject to physical distancing measures along with "a number of conditions" being followed, Sturgeon said.

She said the advice on the two-metre rule will be reported on by 2 July.

Image source, Getty Images

There is a huge gap between the number of men and women who have tested positive for Covid-19 in parts of Africa and the Middle East, according to a global aid agency, suggesting that women in conflict zones may be struggling with access to testing and support.

In countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, over 70% of reported cases were male, compared to a global average of 51%, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said., external

Richer countries, in contrast, had a gender balance much closer to the worldwide average. These include Sweden (59% female), the UK (54% female) and the US (51% female).

“What we are seeing is a situation in which women are potentially being left out of testing and their health deprioritised,” said Stacey Mearns, senior technical advisor of emergency health at the IRC. “This could have serious ramifications for their physical wellbeing.”

The World Health Organization has previously called on countries to report the sex and age breakdown of their confirmed cases so it can analyse who is most affected.

The UN body said fewer than half of world's confirmed cases had been reported with sex and age data, so any conclusions about the virus' impact on certain genders should be made with caution.

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

In the last couple of weeks we have seen both men starting to be able to get under each other's skin, starting to lock horns.

In those early exchanges, Boris Johnson looked off his game when Sir Keir Starmer pushed him on details.

In the last couple of weeks, Johnson has been turning up the political heat on Starmer, putting questions back to him.

Earlier at PMQs, they both came with their ammo loaded, prepared for the approach the other was going to take.

We saw Johnson jibing at Starmer for being like a lawyer

And Starmer pushing back saying: "I am a lawyer, here is the evidence, I rest my case."

UK Prime Miniter Boris Johnson has finished taking questions in the House of Commons.

To read a full recap of events, as well as follow the rest of the day's business in the House of Commons, you can join our politics live page.

A further four people have died with coronavirus in Scotland over the past 24 hours.

It brings the total number of deaths in Scotland to 2,480.

The figure is lower than the 4,119 deaths given earlier by the National Records of Scotland, as that figure includes all cases where Covid-19 is mentioned on a death certificate, even if the patient had not been tested.

Speaking during First Minister's Questions, Nicola Sturgeon said nine more people had tested positive for the virus since yesterday, and that 18,191 people now have tested positive for Covid-19.

She added that there are 880 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 with 23 in intensive care.

Image source, HoC

Back at PMQs, Conservative MP Caroline Ansell tells Boris Johnson her Eastbourne constituency is "dependent on tourism" and has been "particularly hard hit" by the coronavirus.

She asks the PM if he will look at reducing VAT to help areas like hers.

Boris Johnson says he will look "at all proposals" in relation to tax.

He moves on to defend the government's record so far, citing a business rates holiday and huge loans for business.

The French presidency has announced that President Emmanuel Macron will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to discuss a European economic recovery plan.

The meeting will happen in the German town of Meseberg, north of Berlin, and they will also discuss the coronavirus crisis and other international affairs.

There have been disagreements between EU leaders over a recovery fund, as we reported earlier this month.

Sweden, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands say the proposed EU fund of €750bn (£676bn; $840bn) is too large and insist any money given out must eventually be repaid.

Earlier this week, Macron met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and a French presidential official told Reuters news agency that the talks had enabled them to move forward on resolving differences.

Image source, HoC

Speaking by video link from his constituency, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford begins his involvement in PMQs by saying the health and economic emergency requires "an unprecedented response".

He asks the PM if he will give the Scottish government more powers to borrow money.

"Or will he put Scotland's economic recovery at risk," he asks.

Boris Johnson replies that Scotland has received £3.8bn as part of the campaign against coronavirus.

Image source, HoC

In response to the PM's assertion that no country has a working app, Sir Keir says that Germany has one that has been downloaded 12 million times.

"We spent £12m on this," he says, adding: "When are we going to have a working app?"

"He is completely wrong," hits back Boris Johnson.

He repeats that no country has a working contact tracing app and says the UK's test and trace operation is already up and running.

"It will be indispensable to our future success," he says before asking the Labour leader if he thinks schools should be reopened.

You can read more about tracing apps here.

Image source, HoC

More from Prime Minister's Questions. Sir Keir Starmer says the UK's delayed contact-tracing app is the only known way to trace unknown contacts.

He accuses the government of now downplaying the importance of the app, having previously described it as "critical".

PM Boris Johnson replies that "not a single country in the world" has managed to put in place a "functioning app".

He says test and trace has been "very successful" - and accuses Labour of "yo-yoing" on the issue of lockdown.

Image source, HoC

The leader of the Labour Party begins Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons by suggesting that if the plan to reopen the UK "is to work we need an effective track, trace and isolate system".

Sir Keir Starmer says "the PM promised a world beating system would be in place by 1 June".

He says that only 10,000 of the 33,000 estimated to have coronavirus have been reached.

He praises the work done so far but suggests this is "a big problem".

"He has been stunned by the success of the test and trace operation," replies Boris Johnson.

The PM adds that the system has "got up and running much faster than the doubters expected".

Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland

Author Ian Rankin has been unable to hug his son Kit for four months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, telling BBC Radio Scotland: "This lockdown has been really hard on families with special needs children and adults if they are shielding."

Kit has Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities.

"Our son's in a facility in Edinburgh and we weren't able to see him for the first few weeks until they relaxed restrictions a bit and we could peer over the wall if the weather was nice and he could sit in the garden," Rankin says.

"He is not allowed to be with the other young adults in the facility. They are all shielding in their individual bedrooms and allowed out for a short period of time.

"They were the first to go into lockdown and will be the last to come out. Necessarily so, but it is just one of these things that people with special needs are going through that maybe aren't getting mentioned in the press as much as other issues."

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Handling company Swissport is set to cut more than half of its UK workforce - up to 4,556 jobs - as air companies struggle with the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

Chief executive Jason Holt said the company had to reduce the size of its workforce to survive.

Swissport operates at airports across the UK, including Heathrow and Gatwick, which have been badly hit by the pandemic.

Air travel collapsed around the world after governments imposed travel restrictions during coronavirus lockdowns.

"We are now facing a long period of uncertainty and reduced flight numbers, along with significant changes taking place to the way people travel and the way goods move around the world," said Mr Holt, in a message to staff.

Judith Burns
Education reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Students in the UK who have missed out on their studies during lockdown are being asked to sign up for a "mass action" for compensation.

The National Union of Students (NUS) wants debt relief and compensation for students who have faced disruption since universities closed their doors.

Hundreds of thousands of students are paying for an education they are simply not getting, according to the NUS.

NUS research suggests one in five students have been unable to access their learning at all during lockdown, while one in three say it has been of poor quality.

England's universities minister wants students to complain directly to the relevant institution, with the Department for Education arguing that universities are "autonomous" and responsible for setting their own fees and arranging their own refunds.

But the NUS is calling for "a national sector-wide response from government".

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to face a grilling from political opponents in Parliament shortly, following the announcement of significant lockdown easing measures across England.

Yesterday, the prime minister announced the 2m social-distancing rule will be replaced with a "one-metre plus" rule and huge swathes of the retail and hospitality industry can reopen in England from 4 July - providing they follow guidelines.

Johnson will take Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons from 12:00 BST.

Helier Cheung
BBC News, Washington DC

We're living in unusual times - and it can be a particularly strange time to be a teenager.

The coronavirus pandemic has not just led to classes and holidays being cancelled - it has also made it harder to mark the moments you come of age, whether in a religious ceremony, a birthday party, or graduation.

We spoke to four people - Gideon, 13, Lindsay, 14, Ariana, 15, and Liam, 22 - who had once-in-a-lifetime events upended by the coronavirus. They told us what happened - and how they found creative ways to celebrate.

Read their stories here.

Image source, 4Memories/Leon Rebodos