Image source, Gerallt Hughes

The popularity of wool has been in decline since the 1950s - but this year, coronavirus has added to the problems for sheep farmers.

In February, the global wool market closed, leading to vast amounts of wool left unsold, and so the price went down.

Some 14 million kilograms of wool is waiting to be shifted from British Wool - which is how most farmers sell their fleeces - and the average price per kg has nearly halved from 60p last year to 32p.

"Farmers used to be able to pay a year's rent from the price of wool, but it's barely worth selling anymore," said Rachel Atkinson, who runs a sheep wool company in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Read more about the struggles they're facing.

Image source, Getty Images

Incidents of piracy have surged across Asia during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

There were 50 incidents in the region in the first half of the year, compared to 25 in the same period of 2019, the report, published by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), says., external

Incidents are classified as piracy if they happen outside the jurisdiction of any state, otherwise they are classed as armed robbery.

Brandon Prins, a scholar of sea piracy at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, said the coronavirus pandemic may have led more people to commit criminal acts at sea.

"My fear has always been that Covid-19 would reduce global trade which lowers growth, increases poverty and joblessness [and then] leads to more sea piracy," he told the BBC.

"There is certainly concern that with trade going down there will be fewer sailors on board ships [and therefore] fewer crew monitoring for potential pirates or armed robbers," he added.

You can read more about this here.

Reality Check

Baroness Dido Harding, who runs the NHS contact tracing system in England, said: “Every week NHS test and trace gets better.”

She said over 180,000 people had been contacted since its launch six weeks ago.

But the proportion of people reached and asked to self-isolate has been falling.

The first set of figures published were for 28 May to 10 June when 90.6% of identified contacts were traced.

The most recent figure, external for 1 July to 8 July was 71.1%.

Sage, which advises the government, has said that at least , external80% of contacts would need to isolate for the test-and-trace system to be effective.

While the overall figure is above 80%, figures for the last three weeks have been below that level.

Read more about contact tracing here.

Image source, Getty Images

Capt Tom Moore, the World War Two veteran who won the hearts of the UK public when he raised more than £32m for NHS charities, has officially become Sir Tom.

In a special ceremony at Windsor Castle just for him, Sir Tom was knighted by the Queen - her first official engagement in person since lockdown.

Sir Tom was being recognised for walking more than 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

Earlier Sir Tom, who celebrated his 100th birthday during lockdown, tweeted that it was "the most special of days for me".

The Queen was overheard as telling him that "100 is a great age", while Prince Philip added: "Have you been shut up - been isolating?"

She also told Sir Tom: "Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised."

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

In the US state of Georgia, where the death toll is over 3,100, local leaders are in a legal row with their governor over mask mandates.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp has sued the mayor and city council of Atlanta, the largest city in the southern state, over a city order that punishes not wearing a mask in public with a fine or jail time.

Governor Kemp has argued that Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms' rule violates his own Covid-19 emergency order, which does not allow local officials to impose additional pandemic restrictions than what his office has decreed.

The governor has asked a judge to overturn the mayor's regulation on masks as well as one that limits public gatherings in the city to 10 people, rather than Kemp's 50, and to bar her from issuing any further Covid-19 orders.

The lawsuit also says Bottoms should be prohibited from issuing public statements implying she has the authority to impose public health measures that are different from the governor's.

Mayor Bottoms and others across the state have accused Kemp of hindering their efforts to keep residents safe.

Kemp has said he supports and encourages mask-wearing, but on Wednesday, he signed an order explicitly banning local officials from issuing face-covering rules.

Back in April, Kemp was criticised by health officials and President Trump for his decision to open up Georgia businesses ahead of the recommended timeline.

Now, his insistence against ordering residents to cover up comes as a number of other state leaders - including the Republican governors of Alabama and Texas - have issued statewide mask mandates. Other Republican governors, including Florida and South Carolina, have held off on statewide rules, but have allowed city officials to issue their own.

India has now recorded more than one million cases of coronavirus.

It comes after the country reported a record number of cases - nearly 35,000 - in the past 24 hours.

India is only the third country to officially pass the one million mark - after the US and Brazil. The US has now recorded more than three million cases, and Brazil more than two million.

India has been reporting a relatively low death rate from the virus. Its death toll of more than 25,000 is currently the eighth highest in the world.

You can read more about coronavirus in India here.

Image source, Reuters

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged people to celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival with “simplicity” to stop a further spread of the virus.

Eid is set to begin at the end of July and will last several days. Many people return to rural areas from cities to see their families.

During Ramadan, the last religious holiday, many people in Pakistan ignored social distancing rules, leading to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Khan said on Twitter that the same could not happen again and reminded people that “our hospitals were choked” during that time.

More than 5,470 people have died and more than 260,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Pakistan.

Mark Savage
Music reporter, BBC News

A six-minute "mash-up" of Beethoven's nine symphonies - created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth - will launch the 2020 Proms season on Friday night.

The new piece will be played by 323 musicians from the BBC's choirs and orchestras, all playing remotely due to restrictions necessitated by Covid-19.

The lockdown means that most of this year's Proms season will comprise archive performances.

However, it is hoped that live performances will take place in the final two weeks - with 14 concerts featuring mostly British musicians, including pianist Stephen Hough and violinist Nicola Benedetti.

The season will culminate in a pared-back version of the traditional Last Night, with soprano Golda Schultz joining conductor Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

"There won't be a Proms atmosphere in the same way," said conductor Sakari Oramo. "But, of course, once the music gets going, the music will take us where it needs to take us."

Read more.

Reality Check

“Publicly available data suggests we are now carrying out our tests more than anywhere else in Europe in total - and more than Germany, France, Italy and Spain per capita,” PM Boris Johnson said at Friday’s briefing.

Is he right? Making international comparisons is fraught with difficulties, as we've explained previously.

The number of tests performed each day, reported by different European countries, does not always refer to the same thing. Some countries report the number of people tested while others report the number of tests performed. Daily figures fluctuate too.

With these constraints in mind, the website Our World in Data, external publishes a comparison of the number of daily tests performed across the world. Based on an average daily figure over the last seven days, the UK performed 1.67 tests per 1,000 people a day, while Germany carried out 0.86 tests per 1,000, Italy 0.70 and Spain 0.63. Data for France is not readily available.

The only two countries in Europe that carried out more tests per capita were Denmark (with 2.11 tests per 1,000 people) and Luxembourg (12.77).

In absolute terms, the UK is now carrying out more tests than other European countries. According to yesterday’s figures from the Department for Health and Social Care, there were 202,912 daily tests made available in the UK while 152,063 tests were processed.

Alistair Coleman
BBC Monitoring

Image source, Turkmenistan TV

The authoritarian President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has been seen wearing a face mask for the first time, but tightly controlled state media says it is a measure against possibly virus-laden “dust”.

Turkmenistan is one of the few countries in the world which claims to have no coronavirus cases.

Mr Berdymukhamedov was seen on Turkmen television, external wearing a mask for a fishing trip, before driving to an orphanage where he gave his catch to mask-wearing children.

Mask-wearing and social distancing measures went into effect this week, external, and markets, restaurants and cafes have been closed.

To combat the coronavirus “dust”, state television aired footage of two elderly biplanes spraying empty countryside with disinfectants.

One local news portal claimed, external “bombing possible viruses from the air is a completely reasonable measure”.

But like North Korea – another dictatorship which has not admitted having any Covid-19 infections - while there are preventative measures, there is still no admission of actual cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has extended its no-sail order as virus cases and deaths continue to rise. The move comes days after the largest single-day spike in new infections globally.

The cruise ship ban was due to expire on 24 July. This extension will last through 30 September.

In its order, the CDC noted that 80% of cruise ships from 1 March to 10 July were affected by the virus, and nine are still grappling with outbreaks. This has led to some 3,000 cases, suspected and confirmed, as well as 34 deaths from ships in US waters.

The Cruise Lines International Association had previously extended its voluntary suspension of operations from US ports through 15 September.

Read more about cruise ships during the pandemic:

• Anger grows for stranded crew on forgotten cruises
• Will we ever take cruise holidays again?

Image source, Getty Images

Indoor performances with socially distanced audiences can take place in England from the start of August, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. But BBC arts editor Will Gompertz explains why this may not be enough:

"The announcement is likely to be welcomed by theatre owners and producers, but a sense of frustration with the government is likely to remain.

"It makes no financial sense for many venues to open with social distancing rules in place; theatre budgets tend to be based on a breakeven of around 70% capacity.

"If social distancing measures mean a theatre can only run at 20-25% capacity, the producer cannot afford to put the show on.

"What the industry says it desperately needs from the government is some clear guidance on when stage five (fuller audiences indoors) of the phased return will be possible.

"The call is for the government to announce a 'not before' date, which would allow producers and theatre owners to make a plan of action for the coming months, be that preparing a show or reducing overheads."

Image source, Getty Images

The Queen's granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, married her Italian fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi this morning, at a private ceremony in Windsor - two months after her original wedding was postponed.

But the newlyweds won't be the only couple celebrating today.

There's been some good news from Boris Johnson, who announced wedding receptions of up to 30 people would be allowed to take place in England from 1 August.

Currently, ceremonies can go ahead as long as social distancing is in place and there are no more than 30 people, but receptions are banned. Couples can only have receptions with six people outside or two households inside.

So, if you're in the inner circle of a bride and groom and will qualify as among their first 30 guests, a wedding this summer may still be on the cards.

Elsewhere in the UK, Northern Ireland has allowed outdoor weddings with 10 people present since early June. Wales and Scotland also now allow wedding ceremonies to take place, but social distancing must be observed, and big gatherings are not allowed.

There's more on the rules around weddings here. And if you're interested in how couples are feeling about their big day on a much smaller scale, check this out.

Image source, Getty Images

We've heard a lot this morning from the UK government and Boris Johnson about how they're "hoping for the best but planning for the worst".

Mr Johnson confirmed an extra £3bn in funding for the NHS to help it prepare for a potential second wave of infections and to cope with its usual winter pressures.

Earlier this week, scientists warned that the UK could see about 120,000 new coronavirus deaths in a second wave of infections this winter.

Asked to model a "reasonable" worst-case scenario, they suggest a range between 24,500 and 251,000 of virus-related deaths in hospitals alone, peaking in January and February.

The estimate does not take into account any lockdowns, treatments or vaccines.

And the scientists say: "The risk... could be reduced if we take action immediately".

The report, external, requested by the UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, stresses there is still a high degree of uncertainty over how the coronavirus pandemic will play out this winter.

Image source, Reuters

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll , externalhas found that most Americans disapprove of how President Trump has handled the virus pandemic.

Sixty percent of Americans disapprove of the president's response to Covid-19 - up from 53% in May - while 38% approve. Of those who disapprove, the poll found 52% disapprove "strongly".

Six in 10 Americans said they did not trust what Trump said about Covid-19 - including nearly three in 10 Republicans.

The US president has been criticised for pushing to reopen schools even as cases surge in a number of states. Critics have also accused him of undermining public health officials throughout the pandemic.

Earlier this week, another poll by Quinnipiac University, external found 62% of voters feel Trump is hurting efforts to contain the virus. His job approval rating overall saw 60% disapproval and a 36% approval - his lowest score since August 2017.

Guy Hedgecoe
Freelance journalist in Madrid

Image source, EPA

The regional government of Catalonia has announced new restrictions in Barcelona and its surrounding metropolitan area in an effort to control outbreaks of coronavirus there.

The measures, which are due to last two weeks, include limiting numbers of people in bars and restaurants and closing down nightclubs, gyms and cultural venues. The authorities have said that people should only leave home for essential errands and that no more than 10 people should gather together at once. The measures, which are recommendations and not prohibitions, will affect an estimated four million inhabitants of the area.

“This is a difficult moment,” said Catalan government spokesperson Meritxell Budó. “We have to act quickly in order to prevent a situation like the one we had in March.”

Similar restrictions have been in place in some districts of the neighbouring city of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat in recent days. Also, the Catalan area of Segrià has been in quarantine for the last two weeks and these new measures will also apply there.

On Thursday, Catalonia reported about 1,300 new infections, more than half of which were in Barcelona or the surrounding area.

Image source, Reuters

A top Belgian virologist has warned that the country could be at the start of a second wave after it reported a 32% rise in weekly cases.

Speaking on VRT Radio, Mark Van Ranst said: “Faced with these figures, it must be said that we are at the start of a second wave”.

The reproduction rate of the virus in Belgium has risen to one meaning that every average patient with Covid-19 infects on average one other person. It is the first time the rate has risen above one since 4 April.

However, on Twitter he said it was promising that before “we only detected one in 10 cases. For now, we would be around one in three”.

Yves Ban Laethem, a spokesman for the health ministry told RTFB, external that this is “absolutely not” the case. He said that the cases were localised in Flemish provinces – West Flanders, Antwerp and Limburg.

Image source, EPA

Kevin Rowan, of the Trades Union Congress, has told the BBC there are still "major challenges" to getting employees back into the workplace - as Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed for a "significant return to normality".

Mr Rowan said many employers were still "not doing the right thing" in terms of managing health and safety, citing concern over factories in Leicester and elsewhere.

He told BBC News the prime minister's announcement that staff should look, where possible, to return to the workplace from 1 August was "still relatively short term".

"We're going to see, I think, a real increase in risk of contagion if we see lots of people going back to work quickly."

Mr Rowan also expressed concerns over the opening up of public transport and the "confusion" around the availability of childcare going forward.

"The government want to send this message of hope [but] there aren't the safe systems of operating across the economy that match that ambition."

Image source, PA Media

Dr Bharat Pankhania, a consultant in communicable disease control, welcomed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to give local authorities more powers over localised coronavirus outbreaks.

"This is a game-changer," he told BBC News.

He said local authorities who were supported by "a fine level of data" would be able to pick up on "early warning signs" and impose measures to stop any virus spread "as early as possible".

"I personally think we will never have a national lockdown ever again," said Mr Pankhania.

"We need local experts in charge of local outbreaks."

He stressed the need for extensive testing as key to controlling local outbreaks, as well as data such as GP visits and A&E attendance to build up "a more comprehensive picture of what is happening locally".

Image source, Princess Eugenie

Princess Beatrice has married Italian property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at a private ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The wedding, which was postponed from May, "took place in accordance with all relevant government guidelines", according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

"The small ceremony was attended by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and close family.

The couple had been due to marry on 29 May at the Chapel Royal, St James Palace, in London, with the Queen hosting their reception at Buckingham Palace.

You can read more about it here.