Image source, Getty Images

Israel has reimposed lockdown restrictions as the country works to contain a major spike in infections.

Bars, night clubs, gyms and public halls will all be closed from Monday. The number of people allowed in synagogues and restaurants will also be restricted.

The average daily rate of infections has risen sharply from double figures in May to around 1,000.

"The pandemic is spreading - that's as clear as day," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "It is dragging with it... a trail of critically ill patients."

He added that Israel had to reverse course before a full nationwide lockdown was necessary.

No new deaths of people with coronavirus have been reported by Public Health Wales for the first time since March.

However, BBC Wales health correspondent Owain Clarke points out that given the way the Public Health Wales (PHW) figures are compiled - tagged on to the actual date of death once reported - there have been previous days where the statistics show no Covid-19 deaths had occurred in Wales.

Retrospectively, PHW stats - based on those who tested positive - show no deaths occurred on 18 June and also on 3, 4 and 5 July, although any deaths reported in coming days may be added to those most recent dates, our correspondent says.

"With very small numbers, the statistics are always likely to bounce around a bit. But the key point will be when the figures show no new deaths here over a longer period of time," he adds.

Meanwhile, a further 15 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, according to NHS data.

The daily UK-wide death toll will be updated later.

A professor who criticised China's handling of the coronavirus crisis has been detained by authorities.

Friends of Xu Zhangrun say as many as 20 people appeared at his Beijing house early on Monday morning, seizing his computer and papers.

He had been placed under under house arrest earlier this year after publishing an article on the government’s response to the pandemic. He suggested it might be the last one he ever wrote.

Geng Xiaonan, a friend of the professor, told the New York Times he was "mentally prepared, external to be taken away".

"He kept a bag with clothes and a toothbrush hanging on his front door so he would be ready for this," she said.

A BBC Beijing correspondent says Xu had been treading an ever more dangerous path by speaking out as freedom of expression is tightly controlled in China.

He had also been barred from teaching at Tsinghua University - one of the country's top institutions - after he criticised the removal of presidential term limits, which would allow President Xi Jinping to remain in post for life.

Read more

Image source, Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Northern Ireland is another UK nation seeing a major easing of lockdown restrictions today.

Barbers, hairdressers and nail salons are now allowed to reopen - with some eager businesses throwing open their doors shortly after midnight.

Other close-contact services like spas, massage and tattoo parlours, holistic therapies and reflexology can also resume trading today.

Image source, Chris Page

Visiting rules at hospitals and care homes have also been eased, meaning many people can visit loved ones for the first time in months.

Read our full news story here, and here's an explainer onwhich lockdown rules have eased, and which haven't, in NI.

Later, the NI executive is expected to discuss how to respond to the relaxation of quarantine requirements in England, where the government has agreed to open travel corridors to around 60 holiday destinations.

More than 100 university students who are members of fraternities and sororities have been infected by the coronavirus, according to a statement from the University of Washington and the city of Seattle.

Fraternities are social clubs for male university students and sororities are for females. Together the communities are known as "Greek life", because their names are formed of Greek letters.

A joint statement from the university and the city said that 121 students tested positive for Covid-19 - with 112 of them residents of the Greek Row section of campus.

There are over 1,000 pupils living in the Greek Row area. Many are now being asked to self-isolate and be tested.

Fraternities and sororities are private organisations, with national headquarters and chapters on some university campuses. Members must participate in activities, which often involve large amounts of drinking, in order to foster bonding that will lead to networking opportunities after graduation.

As of Sunday, 171 students, seven faculty members and 35 staff members at the University of Washington have been infected. The current plan is for the campus to open for in-person classes in the fall.

Image source, AFP

• It was a low-key affair when Malawi’s new President Lazurus Chakwera was formally sworn in today – just 100 people attended after plans for bigger celebrations were called off for safety reasons
• In South Africa there’s been a surge in new cases, yet authorities have pressed ahead with the phased reopening of schools. On Monday, pupils in Grade R (five-year-olds), Grade Six (11-year-olds) and Grade 11 (16-year-olds) returned to classrooms after months of lockdown
• Coronavirus clinics are being shut down in Tanzania, with only 11 of 85 remaining. But the current rate of infection, number of patients, and deaths are not known, as the government does not regularly give updates
• Meanwhile in Kenya, travel restrictions into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera counties are being lifted. Local flights will begin next week, and it’s expected that international flights will follow on 1 August

Read more news from the continent on the Africa Live page, and follow our Coronavirus in Africa tracker.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Jo

Today BBC Radio 5 Live's Your Call programme heard from listeners who were still suffering from the long-term effects of coronavirus.

Yesterday NHS England said it was launching a new service for people with ongoing health problems after catching Covid-19.

Jo from Stroud, 37, said she and her husband have both been struggling, which has been difficult whilst trying to look after two young children.

“The biggest thing for me is fatigue – it’s debilitating,” she said.

“In a situation where there is zero childcare and zero information on what is going on with us, it has been really stressful. We’ve had some really tough conversations in our house about how to just make life work.”

The unknown factor of the disease has also added to Jo’s stress.

“I remember getting to week five and just hitting a wall and thinking, ‘how am I still here?’

“I struggle with anxiety anyway. For this to be still in my body is absolutely terrifying."

Listen again to this morning's Your Call on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Reuters

Good morning if you're joining us from the Americas, good afternoon if you're in the UK and Europe, and good evening to our readers in Asia.

A lot has happened today. To help you catch up, here are the main headlines from around the world.

• Scientists in India have warned that the August deadline for developing a coronavirus vaccine is unrealistic. The deadline was set by the country's medical council
• India recorded 24,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, and has now overtaken Russia to have the third-highest number of cases of the virus in the world
• At the same time the head of the US drugs regulator, the FDA, has also cast doubt on President Donald Trump's claims that a vaccine will be ready this year
• In Australia, New South Wales is shutting its border with neighbouring Victoria to try and fight a surge in cases there. This is the first time in a century the border between the states is closing
• Bolivian Health Minister Eidy Roca has tested positive for the virus - the third member of the country's cabinet to be infected in just four days
• The world-famous Louvre museum in Paris, France, has reopened today after being closed for nearly four months. There will be new safety measures in place, including mandatory masks and a limit on the number of visitors
• Authorities in the Spanish regions of Galicia and Catalonia have imposed local lockdowns on some 300,000 people following outbreaks of the virus
• Globally, there have now been more than 11,470,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and more than 534,000 deaths

Image source, PA Media

Life in the UK has been transformed since restrictions were brought in to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Lockdown measures were relaxed further in most of England on Saturday, when businesses - including pubs, restaurants and hairdressers - were allowed to reopen. The 2m social distancing rule was reduced to "one metre plus" and two households can now meet up indoors.

The UK's devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have altered their lockdowns at a different rate to England.

But a lot has changed in the past three months, including a rise in visits to parks and beaches after restrictions were first eased in May and people increasingly searching online for little luxuries - such as cream teas - to get them through the lockdown.

Read more here.

Image source, Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, says she and her colleagues "very much welcome" the announcement by the UK government of a £1.57bn support package to help protect the futures of theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues.

She says funding will be passed on in full to the arts, culture and heritage sectors, and that she hopes the news will provide some optimism for people working in those industries.

It comes after Sturgeon's government announced its own £10m fund to help theatres and performing arts venues survive the coronavirus lockdown.

At her daily press briefing, the first minister also said no deaths have been registered in the last 48 hours of people who tested positive for the virus, meaning Scotland's toll remains at 2,488.

Beer gardens and pavement cafes have reopened across the country today - although customers are being warned that al fresco eating and drinking will not be the same as it was before the lockdown.

But tighter restrictions remain for people in Dumfries and Galloway, where there has been a cluster of coronavirus cases.

Sturgeon says she is hopeful that following a further review later today, those local measures could be lifted tomorrow.

Lucy Hooker
Business reporter

Image source, SAMAR SMALL

Before the coronavirus lockdown a lot of us didn't really know what our partner did at work. Our eyes have been opened.

"I was just mum," says Samar Small, looking back to life before lockdown. Her family didn't give a second thought to what she did day to day.

Samar is a manager at Royal Mail, responsible for a range of things, including communicating with bulk buyers of stamps (like the supermarkets) and mail redirection services.

Since March she has swapped her desk in the Cardiff Mail Centre for the kitchen table in her three-bedroom semi - with her husband and two teenagers milling around, picking up snippets of conversations involving big projects and huge sums of money.

"They hear the figures being bandied round: 'What about that £2m?' It's not what they expected," she says.

Her husband Stephen goes into work at weekends, in a Royal Mail role she used to do herself, so she has a good grasp of what he's doing. But it's the first time he's had much insight into what she does all day.

"I'm probably a bit brainier than he thought I was - dare I say it!" she says.

Read the full story here.

Image source, PA MEDIA

TV presenter Kate Garraway says her husband can open his eyes again - months after he was put into an induced coma.

Derek Draper, a former political aide, was taken to hospital in March after contracting the virus.

"When medical staff say: 'Good morning, Derek', he sometimes opens his eyes," she tells Hello! magazine., external

"We and the doctors are doing everything we can so that he can start to recover."

The presenter and her family have not been able to visit Draper because of hospital regulations. He is now coronavirus-free, but Garraway has previously said his body may never recover from the "extraordinary damage" caused.

"We're keeping positive and doing everything we can to bring him round," she says.

Image source, AFP

• The first general election to be held since the coronavirus pandemic reached Latin America has proceeded smoothly in the Dominican Republic. Opposition candidate Luis Abinader, who had to temporarily suspend his campaign when he tested positive for coronavirus, has an unassailable lead. His two main rivals for the top post have conceded defeat. One of the new president's main challenges will be to restart the Caribbean nation's tourism industry, which has been severely battered by the travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
• Public transport is running again from today in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It is the country's most populous city and one of the coronavirus hotspots. Its mayor has warned she would not allow drivers and operators to increase fares to make up for restrictions on passenger numbers.
• The chief of cabinet in El Salvador, Mario Durán, has tested positive for coronavirus. The Salvadorean government has imposed some of the toughest measures in Latin America and has managed to keep the number of cases below 8,000. Nevertheless, on Sunday it announced that it would postpone a further reopening of the economy by two weeks.

Jack Goodman
BBC Reality Check

A video that claims Covid-19 is a “political hoax” manufactured by the United States “deep state” has got five million views and 100,000 shares on Facebook.

The video is still accessible but it has been labelled “false” on Facebook by a fact-checking organisation and on YouTube viewers are warned of “inappropriate or offensive” content.

The film was uploaded by a well-known follower of QAnon – a wide-ranging unfounded conspiracy theory – which believes President Trump is battling the “deep state” and global elites who are involved in corruption and child abuse.

The video contains several unsubstantiated claims blaming Democrat politicians for manufacturing the pandemic in an election year.

It features in our latest weeklyround-up of the most prominent examples of coronavirus misinformation spreading in the United States.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2.2 million people who have been self-isolating in England during the pandemic will no longer need to shield from 1 August.

And from today, they will be able to meet up outdoors, in a group, with up to five others and form "support bubbles" with other households.

The measures can be eased because infection rates are falling, the government says.

Support packages for them will remain until the end of July to help people transition.

As England's shielding scheme ends on 1 August, extremely vulnerable people can return to work, if they can't work from home, as long as their workplace is COVID secure, external.

You can read more here.

Martin Patience
BBC News, Middle East correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Despite the worst economic crisis in its modern history – and the coronavirus pandemic – Lebanon put on a spectacular performance last night in the Roman ruins of the city of Baalbek.

A concert with 150 musicians and choral singers was held without an audience because of Covid-19. Organisers dubbed the performance “an act of cultural resilience” and it was broadcast live on national TV.

The concert included a mix of classical musical from Beethoven and Verdi, as well as Lebanese composers, and a song from the country’s beloved singer Fairuz.

For an hour at least, some Lebanese were able to forget the country’s present economic collapse and savour the country’s rich cultural heritage.

“What a masterpiece,” wrote one viewer on Twitter. “Too sad to see such a small country, with so much potential… sinking so fast.”

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, DAVID ROWLES

Lots of lockdown measures in Wales are being eased today.

The "stay local" five-mile travel advice has been lifted, overnight stays in another household are allowed, outdoor destinations and attractions are reopening - and businesses are therefore hoping they will see tourists return.

The relaxation of restrictions comes as the number of coronavirus cases continues to fall - but First Minister Mark Drakeford urged people to think "carefully about where we go and why".

Travel restrictions were introduced across the UK at the start of lockdown in March, although Wales kept its travel restrictions longer than the UK government did in England.

Watch our explainer:

Image source, Getty Images

A French bus driver has been left brain dead after he was attacked for refusing to let people on board who were not wearing face masks.

Four people, none of whom had a ticket or a mask, repeatedly punched the 59-year-old driver in Bayonne on Sunday, local media report.

Masks are mandatory on public transport across France.

One of the attackers is now in custody, a police officer told the AFP news agency.

Regional bus services have been severely disrupted after many of the driver's colleagues refused to work in protest.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

The majority of children currently considered extremely clinical vulnerable to Covid-19 will be able to be removed from the shielded patient list in England, the government has confirmed in the latest shielding guidance.

Independent evidence from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), working with specialists in paediatric medicine, shows the risk of serious illness for children and young people is low and only those with the most severe conditions, such as children undergoing cancer care or with compromised immune systems, should now be considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

Children will only be removed from the shielded patient list by their GP or specialist doctor following consultation with the child and their family.

Specialists and GPs will be asked to contact children and their families to discuss this over the summer, so families do not need to take any immediate action.

The West End’s longest-running show is preparing to reopen.

The Mousetrap was forced to close for the first time in its 68-year run during lockdown.

When it returns in October, it will become one of the first shows to do so in London’s Theatreland.

The BBC’s David Sillito finds out more, in the video above.

We've been reporting on the £1.57bn package of measures to help protect the arts this morning - including loans and grants to help stop venues from closing for good.

But as our arts editor Will Gompertz says, the "elephant in the auditorium" is when social distancing measures will be lifted, to make theatre reopenings viable.