Chris Fox
Technology reporter

Image source, AFP

The Pokemon Company has announced that it has cancelled the European Championships following concerns over the spread of coronavirus.

The company said fans should check with local organisers for the latest information about events in their country.

The tournaments let Pokemon fans take part in video game and trading card battles.

At present, the North America International Championships and World Championships have not been cancelled.

The company said it would make changes to its events and will no longer ask competitors to shake hands before a tournament. It will also provide hand sanitiser at events.

The company has shared more information on the Pokemon website, external.

Image source, Reuters

Facebook has closed its London office for the weekend after it was discovered that a Singapore-based employee who visited last month had since been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.

“An employee based in our Singapore office who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 visited our London offices 24-26 February 2020. We are therefore closing our London offices until Monday for deep cleaning and employees are working from home until then," a Facebook spokesperson said.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

A mini-diplomatic row may be brewing after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus" - for the second day in a row.

Asked in a CNBC interview on Friday about the success of China's response to the outbreak, Mr Pompeo said: "I'm happy you complimented the Chinese Communist Party today, but remember this is the Wuhan coronavirus that's caused this."

And a day earlier, Mr Pompeo spoke about the "Wuhan virus' spread" when referring to US aid for countries hit by the virus.

His comments are likely to anger China, which is yet to publicly comment on the issue.

The novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year.

More on how Covid-19 got its name.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Togo has become the fifth country in sub-Saharan Africa to confirm a case of coronavirus.

The government said a woman from the capital Lome had tested positive.

She has recently visited Benin, Germany, France and Turkey, and is being treated in isolation. Earlier on Friday, Cameroon reported its first case.

There are now 30 confirmed cases of coronavirus on the continent, ranging from Egypt to South Africa.

Australian newspaper NT News has published eight blank pages as people panic buy toilet paper over fears the country could run out if forced to self isolate.

This is despite authorities stressing there is no shortage - given most of the nation's rolls are made locally.

Read more here.

Correction 1 April 2020: This live page originally included an entry at 4:59 which referred to a tweet purporting to show a picture of toilet paper on a baggage carriage at Sydney Airport. In fact this picture appears to have been taken at Singapore’s Changi airport approximately two weeks earlier and so this entry has been removed.

Image source, Reuters

Attempts by Opec to stabilise oil prices appear to have failed after Russia resisted pressure from the oil cartel to make further cuts to production.

Demand has decreased sharply following the coronavirus outbreak.

World stock markets have also fallen further, with airlines and travel companies hit particularly hard.

All major airlines have cancelled flights, and the German carrier Lufthansa said it would slash capacity by 50% in the coming weeks.

Samples taken from an elderly man who has died at Milton Keynes Hospital are being tested for coronavirus.

The BBC understands the man, in his 80s, had underlying health issues but more tests for the virus are ongoing.

On Thursday, a woman with underlying health conditions who is understood to have been in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

A British man also died from the virus last week after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan

In total, 163 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK as of 09:00GMT on Friday.

Homelessness charities have urged the UK government to provide specific guidance on protecting "particularly vulnerable" rough sleepers from coronavirus.

Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis, said people who are homeless were at a higher risk "because they are more likely to have a range of existing health conditions", may not be able to wash their hands regularly and may be unable to self-isolate.

Healthcare charity Pathway also warned that "the spread of communicable disease can be swift for people without adequate access to hygiene facilities or a safe home".

In response, the government said it was already working closely with local authorities to support vulnerable groups and would provide further guidance "shortly".

The calls come after the UN's high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on governments to ensure their action plans to tackle the virus take "great care to protect the most vulnerable"., external

Image source, Getty Images

Health officials in Iran have reported a huge spike of infections there over the last 24 hours.

The number of cases recorded in the country has risen by 1,234, taking the total number to 4,747.

That is the third most of any country, behind only China and South Korea.

The death toll has now reached 124 - a rise of 17.

In response to the outbreak the Iranian government has:

• shut schools until April
• limited travel between its major cities
• urged Iranians to reduce the use of paper banknotes

Read more here.

Several politicians or government officials are among those who have been killed by the disease in Iran.

They include Hossein Sheikholeslam, an adviser to Iran's foreign minister. He died late on Thursday, state news agency IRNA reported.

A former ambassador to Syria, he also served as deputy foreign minister from 1981 to 1997.

Mr Sheikholeslam was also one of those involved in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage.

Five others known to have died from coronavirus are politicians or government officials, including Mohammad Ali Ramezani, an MP from Gilan.

Image source, Getty Images

The streaming platform Twitch has cancelled its annual European convention, due to "potential health risks" around coronavirus.

TwitchCon Amsterdam was expected to bring thousands of online video game fans together but will now no longer take place as scheduled on 2 and 3 May.

"To say we’re disappointed you won’t be able to enjoy the show we’ve been building for you is a massive understatement," organisers said in a statement posted online., external

"But the health and safety of our community, employees, and everyone else who has a part in making TwitchCon happen is, as always, our top priority.

Gamer and Twitchcon ambassador Hannah Rutherford said the news was "sad to hear but totally understandable" in a Twitter post., external

Coronavirus has spread to more than 80 countries and claimed more than 3,300 lives.

While the vast majority of cases are in China, the virus, which causes pneumonia-like symptoms, is now spreading faster outside the country than within.

Here are 11 maps and charts that will help you understand what is going on.

Image source, Getty Images

Reality Check

There's been lots of talk about whether workers in the UK who have to isolate themselves due to coronavirus will be eligible for statutory sick pay (SSP), which is a payment of £94.25 a week paid to employees and agency workers (not self-employed people) who are unable to work.

You also need to be earning at least £118 a week to get SSP. Trade union umbrella body the TUC said that 2m workers would be ineligible on this basis, as they don't earn enough.

We couldn't find that figure so we asked the Office for National Statistics to work it out for us.

They estimated , externalthat there were 1,766,000 jobs done by adults in the UK which paid less than £118 a week. The number of people involved is likely to be somewhat lower than this because one person could have more than one of these jobs.

About 70% of those jobs are done by women.

You can read more about sick pay and coronavirus here.

Doctors in Malta have threatened industrial action if a cruise liner bound for the island is allowed to dock over coronavirus fears, the Times of Malta has reported. , external

The MSC Opera is due to arrive in Malta at 18:00 (17:00GMT) on Friday.

A former passenger on the ship was diagnosed with the virus this week.

The Times reported that 2,302 people on board underwent voluntary quarantine.

But MSC released a statement saying: "At no time have passengers or crew been quarantined and all were able to freely make use of the ship’s facilities and restaurants."

No cases of the virus have emerged.

Martin Balzan, the president of the Medical Association of Malta, said it would be “highly irresponsible" for the ship to disembark.

"If the vessel is allowed in, MAM will call for industrial action aimed at protecting patients and protecting the Maltese population," he said.

Image source, Reuters

More details have emerged about the two British Airways staff who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The airline has confirmed the pair are baggage handlers based at Heathrow Airport in west London.

They have been isolated and are "recovering at home," BA added.

As we reported earlier, the UK government has promised £46m to fund urgent work to find a coronavirus vaccine and develop a rapid test for the disease.

Announcing the investment, Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested it could take a year to develop a vaccine and warned of a "substantial period of disruption" in the coming months.

According to the latest figures, of the 147 cases in England there are:

• 29 in London
• 24 in the South East
• 22 in the South West
• 21 in the North West
• 13 in the North East and Yorkshire
• 12 in the Midlands
• 11 in the East of England
• 15 not yet confirmed

Of the 11 cases in Scotland there are:

• Two cases in Fife
• Three in Grampian
• Two in Forth Valley
• One each in Lothian, Ayrshire & Arran and Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board areas

Three cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland and two in Wales.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump signed a bill providing $8.3bn (£6.4bn) in emergency funding to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

The funding will provide:

1. More than $3bn (£2.3bn) for research and development of vaccines, test kits and medical treatments
2. $2.2bn (£1.7bn) to aid public health activities on prevention, preparedness and response
3. $1.25bn (£960m) to help international efforts aimed at reining in the virus

The announcement comes after the White House acknowledged the nation does not have enough test kits as cases of the disease ticked upwards on both US coasts.

There are now more than 200 cases of Covid-19 in 20 US states.

The number of cases of coronavirus in the UK has now reached 163, the government has confirmed.

The latest figure includes 147 cases in England, 11 in Scotland, three in Northern Ireland and two in Wales.

The Department of Health said as of 7:00 GMT on Friday, more than 20,000 people had been tested.

The UK's first death linked to the virus was announced on Thursday, after a woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions died in hospital.

As well as her death in the UK, a British man also died from the virus in Japan last month after being infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Here's a quick round-up of the latest coronavirus infection figures from around the world:

• Two more people have died in France while 154 more have been infected. Nine people have now died in total, and 577 have contracted the virus
• Seventeen more people have died in Iran, raising the total number of deaths to 124. The total number of infections now stands at 4,747

• The Netherlands has recorded its first death. The country has experienced a jump in cases from 82 to 128 over the last two days
• A fifth person has died in Spain. A total of 365 people have been infected there
• A total of 210 people have now been infected in Switzerland, with one death