Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the final step he's taking will support two of the sectors worst affected by the pandemic - hospitality and tourism.

He says he is cancelling the planned increase of VAT from 5% to 20%, which was due to come into effect in January.

Instead, the lower rate of 5% will remain until 31 March next year.

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

The thrust of the chancellor’s message is that the country needs to find a sustainable way to live with the virus.

That means targeting government support - rather than the blanket approach at the start of the pandemic.

It echoes Boris Johnson's statement earlier this week when he said restrictions might be in place for six months.

The government seems to stressing now the virus is here to stay - until there’s a viable vaccine.

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

Only large businesses that can prove they’ve been adversely affected by Covid will be eligible for the Job Support Scheme.

Given the amount being spent, the government is keen support goes only where it’s needed.

Hence, there is eligibility criteria that sounds like it’ll be more stringent than the blanket approach of the furlough scheme - which was of course put in place more quickly at the height of the pandemic.

More detail from Rishi Sunak's announcement...

Rishi Sunak announces a "pay as you grow" scheme for businesses which took government guaranteed loans during the crisis.

"Loans can now be extended from six to ten years nearly halving the average monthly repayment," he said.

They can also move to interest only payments or suspend payments if they are "in real trouble" for up to six months.

He said no credit rating will be affected.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans will also be extended for up to 10 years.

There will also be a new loan scheme in January, the chancellor says.

The chancellor says he is also extending the scheme for self-employment on "similar terms" to the existing job support scheme.

Here is the detail from the Treasury...

Image source, Treasury

The chancellor says the furlough scheme will end because the support must "adapt and evolve".

He said no decision was harder but it is "fundamentally wrong" to keep people in unviable jobs.

The UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is on his feet in the Commons and about to make his statement...

Image source, EPA

A major focus of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's statement, due today from 11:45, is expected to be a replacement for the furlough scheme, which expires next month. But what did it do?

• The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - to give its proper title - was designed to prevent a major rise in unemployment when entire industries were shut down as the UK went into lockdown in March
• It paid 80% of the wages of workers placed on leave, or furlough, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month
• As the economy began to open up again, employers were asked to pay 10% of the wages of those on furlough, plus their National Insurance and pension contributions
• Furloughed workers can also now return to work part-time with the government paying for any remaining hours not worked
• In July, around five million workers were still receiving some or all of their income through the scheme, many in the hospitality sector

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been under pressure to tackle the threat of rising unemployment - as the UK faces up to six months of coronavirus measures during the second wave.

But how has unemployment been affected by Covid-19 so far?

• The most recent figures for the unemployment rate - how many people want a job and are able to work, but can't find one - covers May to July and is 4.1%, up from 3.9% in the previous three months
• This number is still close to the lowest it's ever been, but it is always based on surveys taken in previous months and is not right up to date
• Another measure - the number of people claiming benefits because are they are out of work or on very low incomes - shot up 120% to 2.7 million between March and August
• Young people have been most affected - unemployment is up 76,000 for 16- to 24-year-olds compared to last year
• The optimistic forecast from the government's spending watchdog is for unemployment to reach 9.7% this year, and then return to pre-crisis levels in 2022.
• In its least optimistic scenario, the Office for Budgetary Responsiblity forecasts it peaking at 13.2%, in 2021 - with four million people out of work and staying high into 2024

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Before making his way to the Commons, Rishi Sunak posed for a picture with Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and Frances O'Grady of the TUC (Trades Union Congress).

It’s not every day you see a union leader stand alongside a Conservative chancellor for a photo op - particularly when jobs are on the line.

The government's been keen to stress it’s worked with business groups and unions.

But seeming to endorse the chancellor's plan might make it harder for them to question it later.

Image source, PA Media

The UK's usual big financial statement of the year – the Autumn Budget in October or November – has been cancelled.

Instead, all eyes are on a statement in the House of Commons from Chancellor Rishi Sunak - expected to start around 11:45 - about emergency measures to protect jobs during the pandemic's second wave.

But what is expected from his statement - and what will it miss out?

• The furlough scheme, which paid 80% of the wages of millions of employees during lockdown, is expected to be replaced
• The new support scheme is expected to take inspiration from France and Germany, providing top-up pay for workers who have been given fewer hours in the crisis - keeping them at work rather than paying them to stay home
• Loan guarantee schemes offered by the Treasury to support businesses are expected to be extended by weeks or months
• There could also be an announcement on VAT - the sales tax was reduced in July from 20% to 5% for certain hospitality sectors, a cut which is due to expire in January
• But the Chancellor is not expected to carry out a full four-year Spending Review detailing how the additional spending will be paid for

Image source, Getty Images

Around 2,500 students at a prestigious hospitality school in Switzerland have been placed in quarantine after a spike in cases.

The spread of the virus has reportedly been traced back to private parties at the EHL hotel management school of Lausanne.

"A number of outbreaks have been reported within different departments, making it impossible to introduce a more targeted lockdown than the 2,500 students involved," regional authorities said in a statement.

Three-quarters of all students at the EHL facility are now under orders to remain at home or in their accommodation until 28 September.

EHL is one of the world's top hotel and catering schools and attracts students from around the globe.

Image source, Getty Images

More than 100 coronavirus tests have been carried out at the Greek Orthodox holy site of Mount Athos, after 13 cases were reported in the heart of the Greek Orthodox Church.

At least two monks were reportedly in a serious condition and were taken to Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki (nearly 160km away), for hospital treatment.

The results of the tests have so far been negative, but national media have said this doesn't paint a clear picture of what is happening on Mount Athos, as there was "no particular willingness for extensive inspections", external carried out by the National Organisation of Public Health.

Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is due to visit Mount Athos today and stay at the Panteleimon Monastery, where most of the monks are Russian, but it is not clear if the visit will go ahead as planned, external.

The cluster of 20 monasteries perched on the peaks of the northern Mount Athos region is considered the spiritual heart of the Orthodox Church. Often referred to as the "Holy Mountain" in Greek, only men are allowed to make pilgrimages to the site, with valid entrance permits.

Women – and even female animals – aren't allowed on Mount Athos.

The way of life for the 2,000 monks living within the monasteries has hardly changed since the 9th Century. But now, only 10 pilgrims are allowed to visit each monastery, external amid tightened coronavirus measures, and two monasteries have closed their doors entirely.

Image source, Getty Images

Cineworld has reported a £1.3bn loss ($1.6bn) for the six months up to June as coronavirus restrictions kept its cinemas shut.

It said it may need to raise more money if additional restrictions are imposed or film releases are delayed due to Covid-19.

"There can be no certainty as to the future impact of Covid-19 on the group," said the British company, which operates cinemas worldwide.

The cinema giant said it had reopened 561 out of 778 sites as lockdown restrictions have eased around the world.

Six of its sites in the UK remain closed after cinemas were forced to shut temporarily for several months from mid-March in an attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19.

It comes as the UK chancellor is expected to announce emergency support for jobs amid warnings of a "big rise" in unemployment as the existing furlough scheme comes to an end.

Image source, Reuters

There's an art to timing that final pint before the bell for last orders - and it's about to get more complex as the nations of the UK impose different curfew rules on the hospitality industry.

In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the 22:00 curfew coming into force tonight would mean closing "not just calling for last orders".

But in Wales, health minister Vaughan Gething said similar rules coming into force on Tuesday would only mean pubs have to stop serving at 22:00.

"I think we're talking in the order of 20 minutes" of drinking up time, he told BBC Radio Wales.

Scotland is imposing a similar 22:00 curfew on pubs and restaurants from Friday, while Northern Ireland's ministers are expected to introduce a 23:00 closing time today.

Image source, Getty Images

With Brazil still registering thousands of new coronavirus infections daily, politicians are keen to strike deals with vaccine makers to try to protect Brazilians from Covid-19.

On Wednesday, the governor of Brazil's most populous state, São Paulo, said he expects to start immunising the population with a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine in December.

Joao Doria said five million doses of the Sinovac vaccine would be delivered next month. He added that he hopes the entire state could be vaccinated by the end of February.

Doria said there were encouraging signs that the Sinovac vaccine was safe, after it reached the third stage of tests with 50,000 volunteers in China. If the vaccine is approved by the Brazilian authorities it will then be rolled out across the country.

Brazil has recorded more than 4.6 million infections since the pandemic began, while on Wednesday the official death toll rose to 138,977.

There are around 40 different vaccines around the world in clinical trials, with research happening at breakneck speed. Most experts think a vaccine is likely to become widely available by mid-2021.

Image source, Surf Dayton

In any year but this, landlocked Ohioans would descend in their thousands on the beaches of the Florida panhandle and the Carolinas for summer vacation. The pandemic, unsurprisingly, has changed all that.

In July, a Covid-19 outbreak in central Ohio was blamed on holidaymakers returning from Florida and Arizona, two states badly affected by the virus this summer. News such as this has forced many to abandon any out-of-state travel plans.

But for locals missing the sea waves, a new community of surfers has this summer sprung up in the most unlikely of places.

In Dayton, Ohio, the pandemic has fuelled an emergent river surfing scene that's drawing adventure seekers down to their local rivers.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

New Zealand Rugby has criticised December's Rugby Championship schedule because it means players will be forced to spend Christmas in quarantine.

The All Blacks play Australia in Sydney on 12 December and would need to self-isolate for 14 days on their return home under coronavirus protocols.

New Zealand Rugby has now called on the tournament's governing body and Rugby Australia (RA) to reschedule the fixtures, stressing it is "committed" to taking part in the competition.

RA says "formal" requests for a condensed five-week tournament were earlier rejected.

"That being said, no-one wants players and team management to be away from their families and in quarantine over Christmas," RA interim chief executive Rob Clarke said in a statement.

"Rugby Australia will do everything in its power to help assist New Zealand Rugby and the team in finding a reasonable resolution."

Read more on this story here.