US health officials advise protesters in cities hit hard by the virus to get tested for Covid-19
Transport secretary announces face coverings will be mandatory on public transport in England from 15 June
Grant Shapps says people who don't comply while using buses, trains or aircraft will be refused travel, and could be fined
Business Secretary Alok Sharma has tested negative for the virus after appearing to show symptoms in parliament
France cancels its famous military parade for Bastille Day on 14 July as a health precaution
Three of the authors behind an influential study raising concerns over use of hydroxychloroquine retract their paper
We're bringing Thursday's coverage to an end now - thanks for joining us. The team today was Saira Asher, Krutika Pathi, Yvette Tan and Andreas Illmer, Patrick Jackson, Ashitha Nagesh, Ben Collins, Sean Fanning, Matt Cannon, Claire Heald, Robert Corp, Vicky Baker, Emlyn Begley, Sophie Williams, Steven Sutcliffe and Thom Poole.
Since the coronavirus lockdown, the hashtag "can't sleep" has been trending with tales of people struggling to get their heads down for the night.
Our Newsbeat team spoke with a psychologist on what can be done to help get a better night's sleep.
One tip is to avoid your bedroom during the day as your mind associates it with being time to sleep. Another suggestion is to keep to some form of routine even if you are currently not working.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, AFPMadagascar's education minister Rijasoa Andriamanana has been fired after announcing a plan to buy sweets for students to take the edge off the "bitter taste" of a herbal tea the president claims is a remedy for coronavirus.
Launched as Covid-Organics, the tea is produced from the artemisia plant - the source of an ingredient used in a malaria treatment - and other Malagasy plants. The potential benefits of the tea has not been validated by any specific study.
Andriamanana announced last week that she was ordering $2.2 million (£1.7 million) worth of sweets to go alongside the "cure".
Following outrage, the order was cancelled and the government has now announced she has been sacked.
Image source, Getty ImagesGovernments around the world have pledged $8.8bn (£6.98m) in a virtual summit hosted by the UK to raise funds for global vaccine alliance, Gavi, which distributes life-saving immunisations in developing countries.
Pledges by more than 50 countries and individuals like billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, saw the total surpass an initial target of $7.4bn.
The funding will be used to vaccinate 300 million children worldwide against deadly diseases such as polio, measles and cholera.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hosted the event has pledged £1.65bn ($2.08bn) to Gavi over the next five years, making the UK the organisation’s biggest donor.
The summit was also the backdrop for the launch of a $2bn (£1.6m) fund to ensure Gavi has future access to Covid-19 vaccines for poorer countries.
Image source, Getty ImagesFace coverings are to become compulsory for people using public transport in England from Monday 15 June as the government eases restrictions further.
They are already recommended in some enclosed spaces - like public transport and shops - when social distancing (staying more than 2m apart) isn't possible.
But just exactly what do the new rules say and how will they be enforced?
You can find out more here.
Image source, Getty ImagesA funeral has been held in the Spanish city of Seville, to honour those who have died in the pandemic.
Around 600 people attended Seville's cathedral, with many of the seats reserved for families of the victims and authorities in what is one of the largest gatherings in Spain since the lockdown began in March.
The cathedral, which is a World Heritage site, accommodated the mourners under strict safety conditions, as a 53-person choir, led by four soloists and accompanied by 27 musicians performed Mozart’s Requiem.
Spain has had over 240,000 confirmed cases and in excess of 27,000 deaths according to its official figures, though multiple reports, external have questioned the way in which those figures have been reached.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo has told those in New York who have attended protests to assume they have been exposed to the virus.
He said that the state was opening testing facilities for everyone who has attended a protest.
People across the US have been protesting following the death of African-American George Floyd. Cuomo estimates about 30,000 people took to the streets in New York state.
Every region across New York state has been allowed to start reopening aside from New York City.
Cuomo is set to allow New York City to open on Monday for limited economic activity. A second phase of opening could start as early as July and will include outdoor restaurant seating.
Image source, Getty ImagesNBA owners have approved a plan to restart the basketball season season at Florida's Disney World Resort on 31 July.
Under the plan, Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which has multiple hotels and arenas, will provide a single site for games, training and accommodation.
The NBA was the first US competition to suspend its season due to the pandemic in March.
The end of season playoffs are now due to take place in August, with the NBA Finals set to be completed by 12 October.
The league has also pencilled in a provisional start date of 1 December for the 2020-21 season. It normally begins in mid-October.
Tom Burridge
Transport correspondent
Image source, AFPMembers of the aviation industry have held a conference call with the government following an announcement that people landing in the UK will have to undergo a two-week quarantine period.
Aviation bosses are fuming about the quarantine. And the phone call seems to have made things worse.
One person present on the conference call described it as “a shambles”.
The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wasn’t there because he was leading the Downing Street briefing and making a big announcement about face coverings become compulsory on public transport.But airline bosses were apparently unimpressed.
They felt they got no reassurances from the Home Secretary Priti Patel that the quarantine would be reduced in any significant way soon by agreeing so-called “air bridges”, safe corridors between the UK and countries with low infection rates meaning people won’t have to self-isolate after they travel.
That is an interesting contradiction in tone from other government sources who insist ministers are working hard to establish a number of air bridges, especially with European countries, as soon as possible.
The fact that British Airways’ sister company, IAG didn’t even attend the call is the ultimate sign that relations between the government and UK aviation are rock bottom.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe reported earlier on people in Peru queuing to buy oxygen tanks for their relatives who are suffering from coronavirus. Here are some pictures of the extraordinary scenes in Lima.
"Prices are very high, but there's an urgent need and lots of companies are taking advantage," resident Erick Vila told the EFE news agency.
Hospitals are stretched across the country and oxygen shortages have caused deaths. Many people suspected of having the virus now prefer to stay at home.
Image source, AFP
Image source, AFPPeru is now the second most badly affected country in Latin America, behind Brazil. Some 179,000 cases have been recorded and authorities are struggling to contain the spread of the disease.
The prosecutor-general in Egypt has called for urgent legal action after a man reportedly arranged female genital mutilation (FGM) for his three young daughters, telling them it was a treatment for Covid-19.
Both the father and the doctor who performed the procedures have been referred to a criminal court.
The incident was reported to the authorities by their mother who is divorced from the children's father.
He is said to have told the girls they were being "vaccinated" for coronavirus. They were then reportedly drugged and FGM was carried out on them.
FGM has been illegal in Egypt since 2008, however it remains prevalent.
Three of the authors behind a study in medical journal The Lancet that raised safety concerns over the use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 have retracted their paper.
Hydroxychloroquine is being studied by a number of scientists to see if it is a viable treatment for Covid-19. US President Donald Trump took a two-week course of the drug as a preventative measure.
The Lancet said the company that provided the data used in the study would not transfer the full statistics for an independent review.
They concluded they "can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources", a statement from the medical journal said.
The study claimed there were no benefits to treating coronavirus patients with the drug and said taking it might even increase the number of deaths among those in hospital with the disease.
Following the publication of the study, the World Health Organization (WHO) halted its trial, but it announced on Wednesday that this work would resume.
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Image source, ReutersJordan says it will loosen coronavirus restrictions in the country but warned it would now toughen its enforcement of social distancing.
The country is set to reopen hotels and cafes, allow sporting events without spectators and shorten a night-time curfew from Saturday.
Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz told reporters that toughening enforcement of social distancing measures was to ensure there is not a resurgence of infections.
The country imposed a state of emergency in March, sealing its borders and enforcing a night curfew.
There have been 757 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and nine deaths. Officials say new infections have dropped to less than 10 a day over the past week.
Image source, PA MediaThe Premier League has confirmed that its shareholders have agreed temporary changes to the rules relating to substitutes.
For the remainder of the 2019-20 season, which is set to resume on 17 June, the number of substitutes that can be used during a match will increase from three to five, in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board last month.
Clubs can also increase the maximum number of substitute players on their bench from seven to nine.
Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
Image source, ReutersA forthcoming US ban on flights from China has left some Chinese students worried they won’t be able to get home.
Yesterday, the US announced that it would suspend all Chinese passenger planes from 16 June. This has led to an outpouring of anxiety on social media, with many asking, "What will international students do?"
The independent South China Morning Post said that last year some 370,000 students from China were enrolled in institutes across the US., external.
Seemingly in response to reaction to the US ban, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has signalled that it will loosen its own restrictions on arrivals, saying airports in 37 cities across China should now become available to international flights.
This has led to praise online, with users of the popular Sina Weibo platform saying that China is “putting people’s interests first” and that they hope those in the US can “hurry home”.
But there are also concerns. China has gone to great lengths to ensure that it doesn’t see a second wave of Covid-19, implementing mass testing and strict quarantine procedures. Many are worried that an influx of people returning from overseas could lead to a fresh spike in cases.
Parts of the Brecon Beacons national park are set to reopen next week for the first time since coronavirus restrictions came into effect.
The park authority said it had been reviewing its approach since the Welsh Government announced the easing of some lockdown measures.
It hopes to open some areas from Monday, external, but more popular sites, such as Pen y Fan, will remain closed.
It said protecting people and health services was the "utmost priority".
Wales' national parks and other beauty spots were thronged with visitors at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, with the closure of many sites then coming with the lockdown at the end of March.
BBC OS
Image source, AFPA number of large protests are taking place around the globe. There are concerns that gatherings could cause a spike in cases of coronavirus.
BBC Outside Source spoke with Dr Emma Hodcroft, molecular epidemiologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland about how to keep safe while attending demonstrations. Here's her advice:
Coronavirus in care homes: 'We're all still grieving'
Coronavirus has hit care homes hard.
Before lockdown, the BBC visited one care home in Blackpool to find out how it - and its 89 sister homes across the UK - were preparing.
In this special report, Newsnight's Katie Razzall hears from staff about about the way the crisis unfolded.
The Department of Health and Social Care said its priority was to protect everyone in care homes, and that the latest statistics show over 60% of care homes have had no outbreak at all.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe British Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man has announced that it will allow groups of up to 30 people to gather in public as part of what its chief minister has described as "the new Manx normal".
From 15 June, the self-governing territory in the Irish Sea will also allow restaurants, pubs and cafes to serve diners indoors and gyms will be permitted to partially reopen.
The island, which has seen 24 Covid-19-linked deaths, now has no active cases.
People who took part in protests over the killing of George Floyd should "highly consider" getting tested for coronavirus, a top US health official said on Thursday.
"Those individuals that have partaken in these peaceful protests or have been out protesting, and particularly if they're in metropolitan areas that really haven't controlled the outbreak... we really want those individuals to highly consider being evaluated and get tested," Robert Redfield, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a House of Representatives committee.
Protests over the death of George Floyd - who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes - continued in dozens of cities on Wednesday night despite widespread curfews.
There are fears the large gatherings could further spread the virus in the US.
Image source, Getty Images