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More than a quarter of adults in the UK have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to government figures.

Health services across the UK have now administered a total of 47,045,391 million vaccines between 8 December and 26 April.

That includes 33,843,580 million first doses and 13,201,811 million second doses.

It comes as the NHS invites 42 and 43-year-olds to get their jab.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says this latest milestone is "a terrific cause for celebration".

"Thank you to the brilliant NHS, volunteers, local authorities, armed forces and civil servants who continue to work tirelessly to vaccinate people as quickly as possible," he says.

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There's mounting evidence India has been under-reporting the number of deaths from Covid-19, as the country grapples with a devastating second wave of the virus.

One report from Delhi suggests the figures recorded by crematoria may be double the official government statistics, as only fatalities registered by hospitals are being counted as Covid.

A report by a local TV station said cremation facilities were recording deaths at home as normal.

India welcomed the arrival of international medical supplies today.

World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the organisation was providing critical equipment and supplies, including four thousand oxygen concentrators. Many countries have also offered their assistance to India - with oxygen supplies, as well as ventilators and concentrators.

Jasarevic also said that people are exacerbating the crisis by rushing unnecessarily to hospital.

"Currently, part of the problem is that many people rush to the hospital (also because they do not have access to information/advice), even though home-based care monitoring at home can be managed very safely," Jasarevic told the Reuters news agency.

"As is true in any country, WHO has said the combination of relaxing of personal protective measures, mass gatherings and more contagious variants while vaccine coverage is still low can create a perfect storm."

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

Downing Street has refused to deny that Boris Johnson said he would rather let coronavirus "rip" than impose tighter restrictions.

Asked about the comments, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "I have seen the various reports and speculation which distort the actions of the prime minister.

"At all times he has been focused on saving lives and livelihoods."

The spokesman did deny that Mr Johnson said he would rather see "bodies pile high" than announce a third lockdown.

"He didn't say it and this is untrue," the spokesman said.

Image source, Reuters

India has opened Covid-19 vaccination to all adults over the age of 18 from 1 May - another 900 million people - amid a deadly second wave of infections.

But there are fears that the current demand for those over 45 can't be met.

The US plans to send up to 60m doses of its AstraZeneca Covid vaccine abroad, as they become available.

Earlier, medical supplies from the UK - including ventilators and oxygen concentrators - arrived in India, the first international shipment aimed at stemming the nation's Covid surge.

More than 33.7 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a vaccine, and almost 12.9 million are fully vaccinated, government figures show.

The health secretary said on Tuesday that people aged 42 and over in England are now able to book their Covid-19 jab.

So should the UK be offering to send India some of its vaccine supply?

Prof Beate Kampmann, a director of the vaccine centre for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, described the situation in India as a "humanitarian crisis of major proportion", which oxygen could "help a bit", but that vaccines also "play a role in alleviating".

Asked if the UK should be sending some of its jab doses to India, she told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme that "there's absolutely no question" that the UK has a "surplus of vaccine", adding: "Sending them a few ventilators, a few oxygen cylinders and a few vaccines will only go so far and it really highlights the fact that vaccines need to equitably distributed throughout the world.

"Yes, the UK should be donating any surplus vaccines that are not needed to India very quickly and to other settings."

Challenged on whether the UK does have a surplus of vaccine, Prof Kampmann said it depends on "where we draw the line in vaccinating our population", adding that it was a "luxury to vaccinate people under the age of 30 in the UK... whilst there are people dying in the world that are the main risk group of the Covid pandemic".

Downing Street has said the UK does not have surplus doses of coronavirus vaccine, when asked if jabs will be sent to India, as it suffers a surge in Covid cases and deaths.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We committed in February to sending excess doses from the UK's supply to the Covax procurement pool and to countries in need once they are available.

"Right now, we are moving through the UK prioritisation list for our domestic rollout and we don't have surplus doses, but we will keep this under review."

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The popularity of the Dutch king has plummeted amid a series of Covid-related gaffes, a new study says.

Confidence in King Willem-Alexander is at 57%, down from 76% in April last year, the Ipsos poll says.

"Several times last year the King involved himself in controversy," says the report, which polled 1,000 Dutch adults from all walks of life.

In October, the royals decided to take a holiday in Greece despite the country declaring a partial lockdown. Their getaway lasted just one day after they returned following a national backlash and apologised in a televised address.

Two months prior to that, the pair posted a photo on social media enjoying a holiday on the Greek island of Milos with no social distancing or facemasks.

"Support for the monarchy is still under pressure and has decreased considerably compared to previous years," the Ipsos report said.

"Despite this, most Dutch still prefer the monarchy to a republic as a form of government," it added, with 58% in support of the Dutch constitutional monarchy as opposed to 23% preferring a republic.

Image source, PA Media

Pupil attendance in state schools in England last week was the highest it has been at any point during the pandemic, government figures have suggested.

More than nine in 10 (94%) state school pupils were in class on 22 April, up from 90% on 25 March, the Department for Education (DfE) analysis shows.

Around 91% of secondary school pupils were in class last week, compared to 87% on 25 March, while attendance in primary schools rose to 96% from 92%.

The DfE estimates that approximately 0.6% of all pupils on roll - up to 52,000 children - did not attend school for Covid-19-related reasons on 22 April, down from 3.3% on 25 March.

Meanwhile, growing evidence suggests lockdowns have affected children's speech and language skills.

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Rules on where you can travel to for a holiday, and where you can stay, are gradually easing.

If you live in England, Scotland and Wales you are free to travel around and between each country - but you can't yet take a foreign holiday.

Travel in or out of Northern Ireland is only allowed if essential.

In England, Scotland and Wales self-contained holiday accommodation, including caravans, boats and second homes, can be used by a single household or support bubble.

Overnight stays away from home are currently not permitted in Northern Ireland.

As we've reported, the earliest possible date for people in England to go abroad for a holiday was given as 17 May - but timings have not been confirmed.

The holiday rules vary for each country and we've explained them all here.

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As uncertainty continues over foreign travel, holidaymakers are writing off summer getaways and booking for autumn instead, tour operators say.

Thomas Cook says autumn bookings were up 50% on normal levels, while luxury tour operator Kuoni says customers are "holding out for October half term".

International travel is due to resume from 17 May under the government's roadmap to reopening, with plans for a "traffic-light" system categorising different countries.

But, the list of countries that Britons can travel to will not be known until nearer 17 May and will be subject to change.

Travel deals website Travelzoo predicts September and October will be "big months for travel".

But the company is warning that prices could increase if demand continues and there is a limited number of destinations open to overseas visitors.

We've got the full story here.

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The prime minister earlier told his Cabinet that while the route out of lockdown looks positive, there will be challenges ahead as variants of concern continue to pose a threat.

The UK now has eight variants on its watch list, external - four "under investigation" and four "of concern".

These variants of concern may be more contagious and dodge immunity to some extent:

• The UK or Kent variant (also known as B.1.1.7) now dominant in much of Britain, has spread to more than 50 countries
• Scientists have also found cases of the UK 'Kent' variant with the E484K mutation
• The South Africa variant (B.1.351) has been found in at least 20 other countries, including the UK
• The Brazil variant (also known as P.1) has also been found in the UK
• The Indian variant (also known as B.1.617) has more than 100 confirmed cases in the UK. However, there is not yet enough data to say it is of a "variant of concern"

Here's our guide to the coronavirus variants and the risks they pose.

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The Indian Covid-19 variant has been confirmed in Fiji, with health officials saying they fear the worst after the island nation avoided transmission for a year.

A cluster emerged this month from a quarantine facility in Nadi, the city that is home to the country's international airport.

Since then, Nadi, the capital Suva, and Lautoka - Fiji's second largest city, have all been placed into lockdown.

James Fong, the permanent secretary for health and medical services, said that six new cases had emerged in quarantine facilities today.

"We cannot let that nightmare happen in Fiji," he said in a televised address, in reference to the situation in India.

Fiji has avoided the worst of the pandemic so far, recording 109 cases and two deaths in a population of 930,000.

As a deadly second wave of Covid infections devastates India, OS radio on BBC World Service has been speaking to people who have lost family, friends and colleagues in the country:

Vinar Verma in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

“In February we were all dancing around that Covid has gone, we are an undisciplined society, we are a society with double standards.

“Common people are facing a very grim situation. This gentleman who passed away today was a junior colleague of mine. He’d been struggling for five days. First we struggled to find a hospital bed for him. It comes at a premium here. Demand far strips out the supply. In an ideal, normal situation a government ambulance will come in 15 to 20 minutes, today there is no guarantee the ambulance will come to your home in 12 or 14 hours.

“Yesterday I was hunting for a bed for someone… After nine hours begging I was able to manage a bed for a 65-year-old lady.

“Death figures are being fudged. If you go to a crematorium in any part of Gujarat… It’s six to eight hours of waiting time for a body to be cremated which is unprecedented, unseen. A very, very grim and sad situation.

“I’ve been in this city for the last 20 years. It’s faced an earthquake, it’s faced floods, it’s faced riots, but never, ever I saw this situation now, we are afraid to even go out.

“Today a person who owns a chartered jet calls me for an oxygen cylinder. See the health mess we are in.”

Sultan Satani in Pune, Maharashtra is recovering from Covid

“We had a family gathering in which about 10 of the family members got infected. Five had to be hospitalised. My elder brother sadly passed away on the 8th of this month. The remaining four are back home.

“People are aware of what is going on. The only thing was it was a wedding occasion. My brother passed away because he had certain medical conditions. So we could have been a little more extra careful.”

Read our story on the situation in India here.

Boris Johnson has told his Cabinet that the public wants it to focus on emerging from the pandemic as he battles to move on from leaks and allegations of his comments about lockdowns.

The PM opened Cabinet by thanking those involved in sending an aid support package, which included a number of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, to India to assist their work in tackling coronavirus, Downing Street says.

Johnson told Cabinet members that "we are not out of the woods yet" due to concerns over new coronavirus variants, a No 10 statement says.

"Cabinet concluded with an update on the pandemic," it says.

"The PM reiterated that the data continues to look good but warned that we are not out of the woods yet as variants of concern continue to pose a threat.

"The PM said that while the road ahead looks positive, there will still be challenges and this government will continue to take tough decisions where necessary to protect both lives and livelihoods."

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We will be bringing you updates around the government's Cabinet meeting, where the Prime Minister will face questions over his conduct in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

One issue that might come up is how details of England's second lockdown were released before the government announced it on 31 October.

Boris Johnson's former special adviser Dominic Cummings has denied leaking them.

He claimed Johnson had considered stopping an inquiry into the source of the leak after "all the evidence" pointed to his fiance's "best friend" Henry Newman. He was a Cabinet Office adviser at the time and now works in Downing Street.

The government said the PM had "never interfered in a government leak inquiry".

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case yesterday warned it was "probable" an inquiry would "not successfully" identify the person responsible, given the time that's elapsed.

Johnson might also be asked why he has not yet disclosed full details on his text exchange with Sir James Dyson over ventilators for Covid-19 patients.

Some of the messages that came to light revealed that, early in the pandemic, the prime minister had promised to "fix" a tax issue so that Sir James's Singapore-based staff could work for longer in the UK to help build more ventilators.

Johnson promised to publish the full exchange on Friday but this has not yet happened.

Here are five questions for the PM and reasons why the answers matter.

If you're just joining our live coverage, here's a quick roundup of this morning's coronavirus news in the UK and abroad:

• In England, people aged 42 and over - and those due to turn 42 by 1 July - are now eligible to book their coronavirus jab, external, under the latest extension of the vaccine rollout
• Medical supplies from the UK, including ventilators and oxygen equipment, arrived in India earlier - the first international shipment aimed at stemming a devastating surge in Covid cases and deaths
• Makeshift pyres are being built in crematoriums in India's capital Delhi as the city runs out of space to cremate its dead after a second Covid wave hit the country
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced 402 deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in the UK in the week to 16 April. , externalIt is the lowest figure since the start of October, and down by more than 95% from January’s peak
• All fixed penalty notices for Covid lockdown breaches - which can be as high as £10,000 - should be reviewed - according to a MPs and peers on a parliamentary committee

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting later after claims over his conduct. Among them is an accusation he once said he would rather see "bodies pile high" than approve a third coronavirus lockdown in England. Mr Johnson and No 10 have strongly denied he said the phrase

• For the second time since the start of the pandemic, Portugal has reported no deaths in the past 24 hours.A long lockdown imposed in mid-January, which is gradually being eased, has helped bring infection rates down to the lowest in the EU per capita
• According to research there is growing evidence that the past year of lockdowns has had an impact on young children's language skills

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The City of London plans to convert empty offices into housing, in a bid to revive the area after the coronavirus pandemic.

The City of London Corporation, which looks after the Square Mile, is aiming for at least 1,500 new homes by 2030.

It plans to use a mixture of new schemes and refurbishments of old buildings to meet its housing target.

The Corporation said this would include at least 35% affordable housing "with an ambition to deliver higher levels of affordable housing where this is viable".

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the Corporation, said it had been trying to listen to companies and how their needs have changed during the pandemic.

"Firms have told us that they remain committed to retaining a central London hub but how they operate will inevitably change to reflect post-pandemic trends, such as hybrid and flexible working.

"The Square Mile must evolve in order to provide an ecosystem that remains attractive to workers, visitors, learners and residents."

During the pandemic, many city centre areas have been left deserted as workers stayed at home to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus.

Current government guidance , externalsays people in England should work from home if possible.

The pandemic has accelerated a shift to a new way of working that has seen many firms shake up routines. BP staff, for example, are set to work from home two days a week going forward.

However, others such as investment bank Goldman Sachs have rejected remote working as the "new normal", with chairman and chief executive, David Solomon, calling it an "aberration".

You can read more here.

The rollout of Covid vaccines in European Union (EU) countries is picking up speed, after a slow start.

About 123 million doses, external had been administered across the EU by 23 April, after initial delays in vaccine production and distribution.

Another factor has been vaccine hesitancy in some countries.

In June 2020, all 27 member states joined a scheme giving the EU central responsibility for buying vaccines.

However, the EU was slower than the UK to negotiate a contract with AstraZeneca and there were supply problems., external

Its deals with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna also saw early problems with production and distribution.

In February, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged the EU's vaccine difficulties, saying: "We were late to authorise. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production and perhaps too confident that what we ordered would actually be delivered on time."

However, over the last few weeks, the daily number of doses has gone up considerably.

In the week to 23 April, Hungary administered 0.87 jabs per 100 people a day, external, the highest number in Europe.

The UK administered 0.72 in the same week.

France, Germany and the Netherlands have also ramped up their vaccination programmes.

Hungary also has one of the highest proportions of fully vaccinated people - 16% by 24 April.

The UK has fully vaccinated 18% of its population and the EU 9%.

Read more here.

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People rediscovered their love of reading in lockdown, an industry body has said, after data showed UK consumer book sales climbed 7% to £2.1bn last year.

The Publishers Association said demand for fiction and non-fiction jumped, while audio-book sales were up 37%.

Bestsellers included The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo and 7 Ways by Jamie Oliver.

Other bestselling titles included The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel and Barack Obama's memoir A Promised Land, published in November, which sold well in audio.

But educational book sales slumped as schools were shut for months.

Stephen Lotinga, chief executive of the Publishers' Association, said: "It's clear that many people rediscovered their love of reading last year and that publishers were able to deliver the entertaining and thought-provoking books that so many of us needed.

"But we shouldn't ignore the fact that it's been a particularly challenging year for education publishers and many smaller publishers.

"It's also been a hugely difficult time for many booksellers and authors whose livelihoods have been enormously disrupted."

You can read more on reading more, here.

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Moscow's city administration is hoping to encourage uptake of Covid-19 vaccines among senior citizens by offering them gift cards and shop discounts.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that starting today, vaccinated locals over the age of 60 will be able to claim 1,000 roubles (about £9) in gift cards or discount codes to be used in shops, pharmacies and cafes.

"My dear ones, do not delay getting the jab. Your health and the health of your nearest and dearest depends on it," Sobyanin wrote in a blog post on his website, external on 25 April, announcing the rewards scheme.

In order to be eligible, residents need to have a Moscow-issued medical insurance policy and to have had at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Public scepticism of vaccines has been an issue in Russia during the pandemic. Independent pollster Levada Centre found that in February only 30% of Russians were willing to receive the country's Sputnik V vaccine.

The latest official figures show that 11.9 million people have received one dose and 7.5 million have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Image source, DHSC

A TV advert promoting the Covid-19 jab with the slogan "every vaccination gives us hope", has been aired for the first time.

The 60-second advert was shown during Emmerdale on ITV at 19:15 BST on Monday, featuring people arriving at vaccination centres and getting the jab across the UK.

The ad urges people to "join the millions already vaccinated" and reminds them "you need two doses for maximum protection".

It comes as the vaccination rollout is extended to people aged 42 and over in England, as well as those due to turn 42 before 1 July.

Health secretary Matt Hancock, who is 42, says he is "really looking forward" to receiving his invitation via text and urged others to book their jabs.

He tweeted:, external "Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our national effort. When you get the call, get the jab."