Image source, EPA

Just seven fines were issued during lockdown restrictions in England for people contravening rules not to stay overnight at a friend or relative's house without reasonable excuse, data released by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) reveals.

The seven fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were among 16,021 issued in England between 27 March and 17 August. A further 2,662 were handed out in Wales.

Most notices - 13,980 - were issued by police for breaching restriction of movement rules, typically in the early weeks of lockdown restrictions, peaking in the middle of April.

The Police Chiefs said there had been a "considerable reduction in enforcement activity" amid "generally a flatter trend" of rule breaking as restrictions were eased.

Separate figures from the Home Office, issued earlier this month, revealed that nine fines had been issued at the UK border since quarantine restrictions were introduced.

Samira Hussain
New York business correspondent

Another one million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits this past week. Although it is a small drop from 1.1 million claims a week earlier, Americans are not going back to work at the speed economists had hoped. The surge in coronavirus cases has meant many businesses have been forced to review their reopening plans.

These weekly job figures from the US Labor Department are the most timely data on the health of the American economy. The US economy remains weak, despite signs of improvement in some parts of the country.

Apart from one week, these weekly jobless claims have remained above a million since the month of March. At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, many of the job losses were temporary but economists believe the newer ones are likely to be permanent.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

A decision by the Welsh Government to allow to schools in Wales to decide whether their pupils should be wearing face coverings "runs the risk of causing uncertainty and confusion", unions have said.

In Wales, face coverings are recommended for children aged 11 and over in communal areas indoors, where social distancing is difficult, and on school buses.

But the government has declined to make their use mandatory, instead asking individual schools and colleges to make risk assessments.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price urged ministers to withdraw the guidance and issue "clear directions".

Unions have joined in the criticism.

"Leaving it to local authorities and schools to decide is likely to create a great deal of inconsistency throughout Wales," said Jonathan Lewis of Unison.

But Education Minister Kirsty Williams said headteachers were the right people to decide.

Read more.

Image source, Reuters

Before the coronavirus, people across the world were making huge strides in reducing - or even in some cases eliminating - single-use plastic from their lives.

But with the pandemic changing so much of our lifestyles, plastic-free habits are going out of the window, a study from Canada suggests.

According to a report in Canada's National Post, external, people's concern about the environmental impact of single-use plastic has gone down this year; and one third of respondents told the study that they had bought more plastic-wrapped food during the pandemic.

The reason, it adds, is that for many people health and safety concerns now trump environmental concerns when it comes to choosing whether or not to buy something wrapped in plastic packaging.

Similar trends have been seen elsewhere. Reuters reported earlier this week that the streets of Hong Kong were littered with plastic because of a ban on dining in, and an increase in people getting food to take away.

Image source, KAREN KENWORTHY

The forthcoming series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! will take place at Gwrych Castle in north Wales, after the popular show was forced to relocate due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Global travel restrictions meant the annual reality show - which sees a group of celebrities survive in a challenging location with basic rations and amenities - was not able to take place in the Australian jungle as usual this year.

Gwrych Castle, external, meaning "Hedge Castle" in Welsh, is set on the north coast of Wales, amongst 250 acres of gardens and grounds overlooking the Irish Sea.

"Our celebrities will probably have to swap shorts for thermals," said ITV Studios' Richard Cowles,"but they can still look forward to a basic diet of rice and beans and plenty of thrills and surprises along the way."

Ant and Dec will return as hosts, but the celebrities taking part in the 2020 series have yet to be announced.

Image source, Getty

Parts of Scotland are experiencing a post-lockdown property sales boom, solicitors say.

Hundreds of inquiries have come from England and there has been "exceptional interest" from buyers in Hong Kong.

The uptick in interest is being put down to previously office-based staff being able to work from home and perceived lower rates of Covid-19.

Homes in the Highlands and Islands and Arran in North Ayrshire are proving particularly popular.

It comes as research suggests pent-up demand has led to properties across the UK taking less time to sell since the height of lockdown.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has tested positive for coronavirus, France manager Didier Deschamps has said.

The 27-year-old will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

He will miss France's Nations League game in Sweden on 5 September and the home game against Croatia three days later.

However, Pogba could still be eligible for selection for United's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on 19 September.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

With all the talk of returning children safely to school, startling statistics from the UN children's agency indicate just how important getting back to the classroom will be. At least one third of the world's schoolchildren - some 463 million - were unable to access any remote learning in the months when Covid-19 shuttered their schools, Unicef says in a new report, external.

The report reveals the limitations of remote learning for those children who do not have access to the necessary technology - and for those in countries that did not respond adequately to the situation. It also found significant inequalities across the world, with at least half of all schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa unable to access remote learning.

"The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global emergency," said Henrietta Fore, Unicef's executive director. "The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come."

Earlier we reported that French Prime Minister Jean Castex had warned of an "undeniable surge" in cases in the country.

Speaking to reporters today, he said that the number of departments in France where the virus is in active circulation had gone from just two to 21. Masks are also going to become compulsory everywhere in the capital Paris, he said.

But France is far from the only country on the continent seeing a rise in the number of infections.

We've charted the increase in cases across western Europe, which you can see below - and if you want to see more visualisations of outbreaks in different countries, you can find them in our piece here.

The number of children testing positive for coronavirus since Scottish schools reopened on 12 August is "encouraging", the first minister has said.

Nicola Sturgeon told a news briefing that of the 17,500 people aged between two and 17 who were tested last week, just 49 were found to have the virus.

She said while there had been a 300% increase in the number of young people tested from the previous week, the number of positive cases during that period had increased by only two.

“I think that is encouraging and I hope it’s reassuring to parents and teachers across the country," she said.

However, the number of cases linked to Kingspark School in Dundee has risen by three to 34 - including 21 staff members, 10 contacts and three pupils in the same class.

No new coronavirus deaths have been reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours, while 68 more people have tested positive for Covid-19.

Image source, Reuters

Sweden could relax its rules on public gatherings to allow up to 500 people to attend if they can be seated, according to a proposal from the country's public health agency.

The agency said venues that can accommodate this many seated guests could be granted an exemption from the current rule, which only allows a maximum of 50 people.

"The proposal relates to events where there are numbered seats," agency head Anders Tegnell told reporters.

He said that if the government accepts the proposal, its effects should be evaluated - and "if it works well, the limit can be raised".

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us from the UK here's the latest stories to catch up on over your lunch break:

• Workers on low incomes in parts of England where there are high rates of coronavirus will be able to claim up to £182 if they have to self-isolate
• But some local leaders said the payment was not enough to ensure people can stay at home from work
• Complacency over the flu jab risks overwhelming the NHS, experts have warned, as data reveals the scale of the challenge in expanding the vaccination programme
• Charities say many schools and colleges are not aware they can order free period products through a government scheme, amid concerns Covid-19 has left more pupils struggling to access and afford tampons and pads

Image source, EPA

Travellers returning to anywhere in the UK from Switzerland could have to self-isolate, if the government decides to remove the country from its quarantine exemption list.

UK ministers are meeting later on Thursday to discuss any changes to the list of safe travel corridors, external.

The requirement to quarantine for 14 days has already been applied to people coming from Switzerland to Scotland, following a rise in infections in the country.

The UK considers imposing quarantine conditions when a country's rate of infection exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 people over seven days. Switzerland currently has a seven-day rate of 21.2.

There is also concern about a rising number of Covid cases in Gibraltar where the number of cases now stands above 100 per 100,000. But as a British Overseas Territory, the move would be diplomatically controversial.

Image source, Reuters

Good afternoon from London - or if you're joining us from the Americas, good morning, 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.

• French Prime Minister Jean Castex has warned of an "undeniable surge" in new cases in the country, confirming that the number of departments where the virus is in active circulation has gone from two to 21. Masks will also become compulsory everywhere in Paris
• The WHO has warned that Europe is entering a "tricky moment" as children begin going back to school
• India has reported another hike in new daily cases - 76,000 on Wednesday

• South Korea has registered 441 new infections - the biggest single-day rise in the country since March
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has defended changing its guidelines to say people who come into contact with others who have the virus are not required to be tested
• A remote tribe in India's Andamans archipelago has recorded its first cases of the virus. A health official tells the BBC that 10 members of the Greater Andamanese tribe have tested positive over the past month
• Victoria state, the epicentre of the outbreak in Australia, has reported its lowest daily rise in cases since early July - sparking hopes that a strict lockdown in the state is successfully containing the virus
• There have now been more than 24.2m confirmed cases of the virus and more than 826,000 deaths worldwide, according to the tally kept by US-based Johns Hopkins University

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

England’s NHS Test and Trace service is now three months old - plenty of time to become established. So how is it doing?

The key goal was to reach 80% of people who tested positive - and 80% of their contacts. The service has consistently fallen short of that, but only just.

Another target was to ensure test results were processed quickly: the fact the waiting time is actually getting longer is concerning.

The initial configuration of the service also looks questionable, with too much emphasis on the national contact tracing unit rather than local teams. That is now in the process of being rectified, with councils establishing their own dedicated tracing teams.

But, at the end of the day, the true test of the service – and the wider government’s response, for that matter – is whether the virus is contained.

There have been some signs of an increase in infections in recent weeks – although part of that is likely to be down to extra testing, as the more you look, the more you find.

And if you look at our near neighbours, such as France and Spain, the UK seems to be doing well.

Perhaps the fairest thing to say is things could certainly be worse.

Image source, Reuters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she is "very grateful" to Phil Hogan for his "tireless and successful work", after he stepped down as EU trade commissioner.

She will now ask the Irish government to propose two candidates for his replacement.

Hogan resigned on Wednesday after attending a golf dinner in Ireland with more than 80 guests.

The Irish government says the dinner, which was held in County Galway on 19 August, breached Covid-19 guidelines. Hogan was also criticised for not following quarantine rules when he arrived in Ireland from Brussels.

While Hogan denies breaking the law, he says he "should have been more rigorous" in adhering to the guidelines.

Image source, Getty Images

Some 75.5% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached through the Test and Trace system in the week ending 19 August, according to new figures from the Department of Health.

This is up from 71.6% in the previous week.

For cases handled by local health protection teams, 95.6% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate, while for those handled either online or by call centre only, 61.6% of contacts were reached.

Sage, which advises the government, has said that at least 80% of contacts would need to isolate for the scheme to be effective.

You can read more about how contact tracing works here.

Image source, PA Media

Europe is entering a "tricky moment" with the new school year, the World Health Organization has said.

While classrooms have not played a major role in spreading coronavirus, there is growing evidence of young people infecting others at social gatherings, WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told a news briefing.

"The younger people are not necessarily going to die from it but it's a tornado with a long tail," he said.

"At one stage, younger people particularly with the winter coming, will be in closer contact with the elder population."

You can read more about the risk of coronavirus spreading in schools here.

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Coronavirus has struck a remote tribe in India's Andamans archipelago.

Ten members of the Greater Andamanese people have tested positive over the past month, a health official told the BBC. Four of them living on a remote island were found to be infected last week, and six others who lived in a city tested positive a month ago.

The Greater Andamanese are believed to have a population of just over 50, and mostly live on one of the 37 islands in the coral reef-fringed archipelago.

The eastern archipelago of Andamans and Nicobar has recorded 2,985 Covid-19 cases and 41 deaths since its first infection was detected in early June.

The first Covid-19 cases among the endangered Greater Andamanese tribe living on Strait Island near the capital Port Blair were detected last week when all its 53 members were tested for the infection, senior health official Dr Avijit Roy told the BBC.

The Andamans is home to five "particularly vulnerable" tribes, including the Jarawas and North Sentinelese.

Read the full story here.

Image source, PA Media

Liverpool City Council has appealed to adults under 40 to follow social distancing guidelines following a rise in cases across the city in north-west England.

The council said there had been a steady increase in the rolling weekly total over the last fortnight, with those aged 40 and under accounting for half of the cases.

Director of public health Matt Ashton said: "It is really important that as schools start to reopen and more workplaces are getting back to normal, we all take responsibility and follow the guidance to limit the spread of cases as far as possible."

Other areas of the North West, including Preston, have also warned young people are playing a significant role in spreading the virus, while the World Health Organization has said young people could be driving recent spikes across Europe.