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Little Luxembourg has open borders with France, Germany and Belgium and official data suggests that it also has Europe’s highest Covid-19 infection rate. Why?

Health experts in Luxembourg say it is actually a high detection rate - the country has an intensive testing regime, compared with most other European countries.

Luxembourg’s population is about 626,000 - nearly half of them foreigners - and so far about 400,000 residents and non-residents have been tested, the DPA news agency reports.

But data from the EU’s European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows Luxembourg has an extraordinary 219 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, over the past two weeks. That is way above the German safety threshold of 50 per 100,000.

In Luxembourg masks are compulsory in shops, restaurants and on public transport. Social distancing is in force, and most leisure and cultural facilities are open.

Luxembourg has huge cross-border traffic and that is believed to contribute to the high infection rate.

Ulf Nehrbass, head of Luxembourg’s Covid Task Force, says 18% of the new infections were among cross-border commuters.

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Boris Johnson says the UK must be "vigilant" over the threat of a second wave of Covid-19, adding it was important for people to "heed the advice" before restrictions could be eased across the country.

Speaking in Nottingham on Tuesday, the PM said he had sympathy with local leaders who wanted restrictions eased in their areas, such as in Leicester where there has been a local lockdown, but stressed the importance of looking at the "big picture".

He said: "The most important thing is for everybody in all communities to heed the advice, to follow the advice, not to be spreading it accidentally and get it right down and we'll be able to ease the restrictions across the country.

"But clearly we now face, I'm afraid, the threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and we just have to be vigilant and we have to be very mindful."

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cautioned members of the public against using certain alcohol-based sanitisers with a dangerous presence of methanol.

Methanol - or wood alcohol - is often used to create fuel or antifreeze and can be toxic when absorbed through the skin, and life-threatening when ingested.

In a statement, external, the government agency said it has place an import alert to stop the sanitiser from entering the US, and it's working with retailers and manufacturers to have products recalled and removed from store shelves.

It comes after the FDA issued a warning earlier this month after an increasing number of reports to poison control centres and state departments of health, with people experiencing blindness, cardiac effects and even death in some cases. The agency said it continues to see these reports rise.

A public inquiry into the UK government's handling of the coronavirus crisis should begin immediately, the opposition Liberal Democrats have said.

Acting leader Sir Ed Davey has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for Martin Forde, who was independent adviser of the government's Windrush Compensation Scheme, to lead the review.

Sir Ed said: "Bereaved families I speak to are so disappointed that the government is yet to begin an inquiry. They just don't want any more families to go through what they have.

"Were a second wave to happen during the winter, it could be even more deadly and damaging than the first.

"The government must immediately start an inquiry so that we can learn from mistakes and properly plan for a second wave."

Johnson has pledged to carry out an independent inquiry but said now was not the right time for it.

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Authorities in Madrid have made wearing face masks in public compulsory at all times, as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the city.

Bars in the Spanish capital must also close by 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT), and gatherings in outdoor restaurants will be limited to 10 people. Checks will also be increased in the capital's main airport.

Officials also recommend a maximum of 10 people for private gatherings at home, though this is not required by law.

It comes as Spain reports a spike in cases in some regions during recent days.

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Boris Johnson has defended the UK government's decision to impose quarantine restrictions on Spain, warning there were "signs of a second wave" of coronavirus in some parts of Europe.

"What we have to do is take swift and decisive action where we think that the risks are starting to bubble up again," the prime minister said.

Johnson added that it was up to individuals to decide whether they wanted to take the risk of going abroad in the current circumstances.

Asked about reports in the Daily Telegraph , externalthat the 14-day quarantine period could be reduced to 10 days, Mr Johnson said the government was always looking at ways to "mitigate" the impact of the measures.

However, he stressed that at the moment people must stick with the current guidance.

Bui Thu
BBC News Vietnamese

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After months without any community cases of Covid-19, Vietnam has now reported 22 in Da Nang and Quang Ngai, since last weekend.

Da Nang has reintroduced the strict social distancing. Its airport and long distance bus stations have been closed.

The fact that doctors have not been able to identify the source of the new wave has sparked concern. And government officials have said the strain found in newly infected people came from outside Vietnam.

Vietnam has had strict quarantine for all arrivals for months, so attention has turned to illegal immigration.

Since the beginning of July, several people have been arrested after entering the country illegally from China. Critics have been quick to accuse them of being the source of the new outbreak, although there have been no confirmed case among them..

Vietnam has been praised by the international community and media for its success in containing the coronavirus, with fewer than 500 cases and no deaths so far. That success might have led to an over-optimistic attitude among authorities and people.

But its vulnerable, export-oriented economy has also been in a critical condition. If new tough restrictions now need to be brought in, many expect that tougher challenges are ahead.

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Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has dismissed reports that the quarantine period for people arriving from Spain and other countries with higher levels of coronavirus could be cut from 14 to 10 days as "speculation".

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that the plans were being looked at by ministers.

However, Gove told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "The situation remains that 14 days quarantine if you're returning from a country like Spain where there is a high and rising instance of the virus is the best way to keep everyone safe."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described the decision to tell arrivals from Spain to self-isolate for 14 days as "unjust", arguing that most regions of the country would be safer from coronavirus than the UK.

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Numerous studies have concluded that face masks can prevent people from spreading airway germs to others.

But now a new paper, external, due to be published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, has found that masks also protect the people wearing them too - lessening the severity of symptoms, or preventing infection entirely in some cases.

Using animal experiments and observations during the pandemic, the group of scientists says people wearing face coverings take in fewer coronavirus particles, making it easier for their immune systems to combat any viral spread.

Dr. Tsion Firew, a doctor at Columbia University in the US - who wasn’t involved in the work, - told the New York Times that a relationship between masking and milder disease had not yet been proven.

But the new research paper “reiterates what we say about masks,” said Dr Firew. “It’s not just a selfless act.”

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The head of the trade union Unite has warned British Airways that it plans to move towards industrial action against the airline "with immediate effect".

In April the airline's owner, IAG, warned it could cut up to 12,000 jobs due to the impact of coronavirus.

Staff were warned that if agreement was not reached, they would be handed their notice and rehired on new contracts.

BA said it was disappointed by Unite's criticism and the company was doing "everything it can to save jobs".

Read more here.

Elizabeth Ohene

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We used to say here in Ghana, half in jest, half in truth, that you can find a Ghanaian in every country in the world.

It is a badge of honour to say you have a relation abroad and we bend over backwards to accommodate their wishes when it comes to making arrangements for funerals and attendant ceremonies.

When they are here, they behave as one does on holidays and splash money around; no-one hears about them having a hard life over there, and we see them as success stories. They are an inspiration for other young people to try to go abroad.

Then coronavirus arrived.

The places that young people had been willing to give an arm and a leg to go to were no longer attractive, as China, Europe and America were hit hard by the virus. The talk turned to bringing Ghanaians home from abroad. Suddenly Ghana became an attractive place.

Read more here.

The death rate in Northern Ireland over the first four months of the pandemic has been almost 20% higher than average, according to new figures.

The data from statistics agency Nisra indicates that the death rate between 1 March and 30 June was 17.4% higher than what would have been expected.

During that period, there were 885 excess deaths in Northern Ireland, 837 of which were coronavirus-related.

The vast majority of excess deaths (78.4%) were in those aged 75 and over.

The number of Covid-19 cases in India's capital, Delhi, has fallen in the past two weeks, allowing more markets to reopen.

But officials are worried that many are still not wearing masks or following social distancing in public places. They say such carelessness can have devastating consequences.

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The Labour opposition has called for a "localised approach" when deciding which destinations should be exempt from quarantine measures.

It comes after the UK government told people arriving from the Spanish islands, as well as the mainland, to self-isolate for 14 days - despite the lower infection rates there.

Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon described the government's approach to quarantine as one of "delay, overreaction and then retreat", warning it had caused "huge confusion" and "risked many jobs in the sector".

Asked if there should be quarantine exemptions for areas with lower infection rates, like the Canary and Balearic Islands, he told the BBC that the public expected "an evidence-based, localised approach" similar to that in the UK, where “different towns and cities are treated differently”.

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France's transport minister has said the government will review plans to build a fourth terminal at Paris's main airport, Charles de Gaulle-Roissy.

Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said the fall in air traffic brought about by coronavirus meant extra capacity might no longer be needed.

The fourth terminal was meant to cope with an extra 40m passengers by 2030.

But the pandemic has caused a steep drop in international travel and many airlines are struggling to survive. On Tuesday French airport operator ADP said passenger traffic could take as long as seven years to recover fully.

Deaths in England and Wales have remained below the five-year average for the fifth week in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

There were a total of 8,823 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 17 July - 270 fewer than the five-year average of 9,093.

Of those deaths, 295 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate - the lowest number of deaths involving the virus since the week ending 20 March.

The ONS said that as the virus has a greater impact on the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, some of these deaths are likely to have occurred over the duration of the year.

"These deaths occurring earlier than expected could contribute to a period of deaths below the five-year average," the organisation said.

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• The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, removed his mask while greeting supporters in the capital, Brasilia, just days after he recovered from Covid-19. Bolsonaro announced he had tested positive on 7 July. More than two weeks later, on Saturday, he tweeted that his latest test was negative. He has been dismissive about the risks posed by the virus and has credited the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for his recovery. Read more about the drug here.
• Bolsonaro is not the only Latin American leader to have recovered from coronavirus. Bolivia's interim president, Jeanine Áñez, has announced that she will be returning to work on Tuesday, almost three weeks after her positive test.
• The number of girls and women reported missing in Peru has risen from five to eight per day during the pandemic, according to official figures. The fact that there is no registry for missing persons means the true figure could be much higher.

Image source, Reuters

UK department store chain Selfridges has told staff it plans to cut 450 jobs - about 14% of its headcount - as annual sales are set to be "significantly less" than last year due to the pandemic.

The company said it faced the "toughest year" in its recent history and while high streets were changing even before coronavirus, the business had now been forced to make "fundamental changes".

Managing director Anne Pitcher promised staff who are on furlough that the fact they were not working now would have no effect on whether they would be affected by the cuts, and employees would get more information on Wednesday.

Germany’s foreign ministry has warned against unnecessary visits to three regions of Spain.

In a statement, it flagged Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra due to their "high infection numbers and local lockdowns."

The regions have seen a huge rise in cases during recent days, but Spanish authorities insist that infections in most regions are under control.

It comes as Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said negligence was to blame for a recent rise in cases around the country.

"The new developments in Germany make me very worried," RKI head Lothar Wieler told reporters.

More than 630 new cases were reported in Germany on Tuesday, and the RKI has blamed the increase on social contact in workplaces and at parties. It called on people to adhere to social distancing rules.

James Churchfield
BBC Radio Cornwall

The UK government's decision to reimpose a 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving from Spanish islands as well as the mainland has caused confusion and frustration for some tourists and those working in the industry.

Michelle Braddock, from Newquay in south-west England, runs a holiday complex on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

She said her guests did not understand the measures because they thought they were coming to a safe destination, where infection rates have been lower than mainland Spain.

"They feel they're being punished," she told the BBC.

"We're very frustrated, [the UK government is] saying it isn't safe to travel here which is very clearly untrue."