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  1. Thanks for tuning in to our live coverage

    Thanks for tuning in to our live page; we're now wrapping up coverage of today's events.

    Before we go, here's a round-up of some of the biggest stories from around the world today:

    • In the UK, Business Secretary Alok Sharma is self-isolating and has been tested for coronavirus. He began feeling unwell earlier today while speaking at the despatch box in the House of Commons
    • Home Secretary Priti Patel earlier confirmed new quarantine measures on international travellers from 8 June
    • Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to go inside others' homes as parts of the UK brace for wet weather
    • Italy is lifting restrictions on domestic travel, allowing people to move between regions
    • The World Health Organization is resuming its trial of hydroxychloroquine as a potential coronavirus treatment
    • Global passenger traffic rose 30% in May, from a very low level in April, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said

    We'll be back early on Thursday to bring you more coverage of the coronavirus pandemic - in the meantime you can follow the latest updates on our website and on the BBC News app.

    Our team of writers and editors around the world updating you today were:

    Anna Jones, Frances Mao, Andreas lllmer, Krutika Pathi, Tom Spender, Rebecca Seales, Vicky Baker, Claudia Allen, Vanessa Barford, Alex Kleiderman, Ashitha Nagesh, Sophie Williams, Emlyn Begley, Neil Johnston, Alex Bysouth, Katie Wright, Kate Whannel, Gavin Stamp, Matt Cannon, and Sam Tonkin.

  2. Hydroxychloroquine: The drug backed by President Trump

    President Trump

    US President Donald Trump took a course of hydroxychloroquine in a bid to ward off coronavirus.

    He announced during a news conference last month that he was taking the drug alongside a daily zinc supplement and received a single dose of azithromycin, an antibiotic meant to prevent infection.

    Trump said he had requested it himself.

    Today his doctor said he had had no side effects from a two-week course of the drug.

    The president is regularly tested for the virus and has been negative each time, according to a summary of results from his annual medical check-up released by his White House doctor on Wednesday.

  3. Extra cleaning for House of Commons

    Video content

    Video caption: Coronavirus: Business secretary appears unwell in Parliament

    More on the news that Business Secretary Alok Sharma is self-isolating and has been tested for coronavirus after becoming unwell in Parliament on Wednesday [see the entry at 20:39].

    Sharma looked uncomfortable while taking part in a debate earlier, mopping his brow several times with his handkerchief while speaking.

    House of Commons authorities have confirmed that they carried out "extra cleaning" after Mr Sharma departed.

    He was one of a handful of ministers to attend Tuesday's cabinet meeting in Downing Street in person.

    In April, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in intensive care in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus before making a recovery.

    In March, England's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had also contracted coronavirus, while Health Minister Nadine Dorries was the first government minister to be diagnosed with coronavirus.

  4. Hydroxychloroquine no better than a placebo, study claims

    Hydroxychloroquine is no better than a placebo in preventing infection with coronavirus, a study by the University of Minnesota claims.

    US President Donald Trump has promoted the drug as a treatment for coronavirus - or indeed to prevent it.

    Researchers tested 821 people who had been exposed to the virus or lived in a high-risk household.

    They found that 11.8% of people given the drug developed symptoms compatible with Covid-19, compared with 14.3% of those who were given a placebo (the difference was not statistically significant).

    When it came to side effects, 40% of those who took the drug in the trial reported less serious side effects such as nausea and abdominal discomfort, compared to just 17% in the placebo group.

    Lead researcher Dr David Boulware said: "Our data is pretty clear that for post-exposure [preventative treatment], this does not really work."

  5. Italy's 'time to smile’ as travel allowed again

    A mother and daughter embrace after the arrival of the first high-speed train connecting Turin and Reggio Calabria

    "We deserve to smile, to be cheerful, after weeks of great sacrifice," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said, as the country moves to its final stage in easing lockdown restrictions..

    He added that now was the time for the country to enact economic reforms.

    Italy is now allowing domestic travel between regions and opening its international borders.

    With more than 33,600 fatalities and almost 234,000 cases since the coronavirus outbreak began, it has been one of the hardest-hit countries in the world.

    Only the US and the UK have so far recorded higher death tolls.

    Read our full article here.

  6. Spain extends state of emergency

    A man wearing a face mask on a beach in Malaga

    Spain's parliament has approved extending the country's state of emergency until 21 June.

    The state of emergency is in place due to the coronavirus outbreak. The latest extension is thought to be the last.

    It allows the government to impose limitations on freedom of movement during the outbreak.

    However some restrictions have been lifted. Earlier this week, the country reopened most of its beaches for the first time in months. It is set to reopen its borders to tourists in July.

    Spain is one of the worst affected countries in Europe with more than 27,000 deaths.

    The extension was opposed by Spain's main centre-right opposition and the far-right Vox party, who have criticised how the socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has handled the crisis.

  7. WHO to resume hydroxychloroquine trials

    A pack of hydroxychloroquine tablets

    The World Health Organization (WHO) is resuming its trial of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus.

    The trials were suspended more than a week ago over concerns about the drug's safety as a treatment for Covid-19 patients.

    A study published in medical journal The Lancet suggested the drug increased mortality rates. The journal has since distanced itself from the study saying in an "expression of concern" that "important questions" hovered over it.

    Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria and conditions like lupus or arthritis.

    Following a review, it has been decided that there is no reason not to continue with the trial, in which patients from 35 countries have been enrolled.

    US President Donald Trump took the drug for two weeks saying it was being used as a preventative measure. His White House physician said he had no side effects from taking the drug.

    Read more about coronavirus and hydroxychloroquine here.

  8. 'Fifty dead' in one Yemen hospital

    Sebastian Usher

    BBC Arab Affairs Editor

    People stand in line to receive vouchers at a food distribution center supported by the World Food Program in Sanaa, Yemen June 3, 2020.
    Image caption: These people, wearing face coverings, were waiting at a food distribution centre in Sanaa

    The Houthi rebels who control Yemen's capital Sanaa have so far only acknowledged a handful of cases of coronavirus.

    However, a quarter of the 200 patients being treated in the coronavirus unit set up by in a hospital in Sanaa have died, sources say.

    The Houthis have downplayed the outbreak so far, but the limited facilities to treat the virus in Sanaa - one hospital for testing and one for treatment - have been overwhelmed.

    The Houthis have now asked private hospitals to make beds available for coronavirus patients.

    A doctor in Sanaa - just recovering from the virus himself - has said that he's already lost a number of colleagues to the disease.

    Unconfirmed reports suggest a heavy toll on health workers, who are having to use one set of personal protective equipment for an entire shift.

    The true extent of the outbreak is unknown - with many Yemenis fearful of going to hospital at all.

    In the southern city of Aden - controlled by the internationally recognised government - recent weeks have seen a surge of cases, all appearing to confirm the warnings of catastrophe that aid agencies had been issuing since January.

    Despite this, a UN call for emergency funding on Tuesday fell far short of its target.

  9. UK and Sweden remain on Netherlands' 'banned' list

    Anna Holligan

    BBC News Hague correspondent

    KLM planes at Amsterdam"s Schiphol Airport

    Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the UK and Sweden remain on the country's "banned list" of destinations for visitors from the Netherlands, because of the risk of contracting coronavirus.

    Rutte told reporters: "The message is, we do not want British people and Swedes here at the moment. If they do come, they will have to go into quarantine for two weeks."

    From June 15, people from the Netherlands can visit 12 countries, including Germany, Belgium, Italy, Croatia and the Dutch ABC islands in the Caribbean.

    The decision was determined by the level of containment and infection that exists in each country.

    "The health risks have to be the same as they are here," he said.

    Other European nations, such as Spain and France, will be added to the list of countries if they formally lift restrictions on tourists from the Netherlands.

    A colour code has been put in place to identify which nations are allowed. Countries that have imposed quarantine on people from the Netherlands – such as Denmark – will also remain on the orange list where travel should be avoided, but their residents will be allowed to enter the Netherlands.

    Beyond the EU, the travel guidance advises only essential journeys and everyone who takes such trips will have to go into quarantine for two weeks on their return. The public health institute will monitor and possibly modify the recommendations every week.

    The Dutch have been asked to avoid travel during peak season where possible.

  10. Business Secretary Alok Sharma tested for coronavirus

    Business Secretary Alok Sharma

    Business Secretary Alok Sharma is self-isolating and has been tested for coronavirus, BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley reports.

    Sharma began feeling unwell earlier today while speaking at the despatch box in the House of Commons.

    The news comes after MPs approved the removal of the temporary remote voting measures in the Commons.

    Members trooped through the Commons on Tuesday in socially distanced lines to vote on the government's plan.

    MPs had to queue up outside the Commons chamber, observing social distancing, before walking to the Speaker's chair to say their name and which way they were voting.

  11. Health worker enjoys emotional reunion with daughters

    A health worker has told of the "amazing feeling" to be reunited with her young daughters after nine weeks apart.

    Suzie Vaughan usually assists surgeons at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, but was redeployed to a ward looking after patients with Covid-19.

    She decided to protect her girls Hettie, 7, and Bella, 9, from infection by moving them to her sister's home in Peterborough, where she turned up unannounced for a surprise reunion.

    She told BBC Breakfast: "I thought my heart was going to burst."

    Video content

    Video caption: Norfolk health worker reunited with girls after nine weeks
  12. Beach visit for recovering coronavirus patients

    Spanish coronavirus patients are taking trips to the seaside as part of their recovery from the illness

    Having been hit hard by coronavirus, Spain has brought its outbreak under control in recent weeks and now some hospital patients in Barcelona are being take to the seafront as part of their recovery from the virus.

    Medical teams at the Hospital del Mar have been photographed wheeling people on stretchers to the beach.

    In total, Spain has confirmed 240,326 infections and 27,128 deaths.

    On Wednesday, its health ministry registered its first coronavirus related death in three days.

    Spanish coronavirus patients are taking trips to the seaside as part of their recovery from the illness
    Spanish coronavirus patients are taking trips to the seaside as part of their recovery from the illness
  13. Doctor by day, rapper by night

    Video content

    Video caption: Namibia's doctor by day and rapper by night

    As a doctor, Latoya Mwoombola has been at the centre of Namibia's fight against coronavirus.

    The African country went into lockdown in March, and has had 25 cases and no deaths.

    "Being a key worker in Namibia during this time when we are faced with the difficulty of a new virus, we are really pressured with double shifts," Latoya tells BBC Africa’s children’s programme, What’s New?

    Away from her job, she is a rapper, known as Lioness.

    "Through my contribution in the music industry, as well as as a doctor, I can really make opportunities for Namibia," she says.

  14. Reality Check

    What is England's Covid alert level for?

    “We’re at Level 4, but the relaxation of restrictions is already happening. Is that not cause for concern?” asked Sky News’s Beth Rigby at the Downing Street briefing.

    Covid alert level 4 in England means that transmission of the virus remains high and that social distancing should continue.

    There are “two separate things that I think people are getting conflated together,” replied Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty.

    The alert level would help with virus hot spots in the future, he said, and relaxing the lockdown was instead set by the government’s five tests - which included making sure the NHS was protected.

    But at the 11 May briefing, UK PM Boris Johnson said the alert level would “determine the level of social distancing measures in place. The lower the level, the fewer the measures; the higher the level, the stricter the measures.”

    Read more on how the Covid-19 alert system works

  15. Why are UK MPs concerned about quarantine?

    Nick Eardley

    Political correspondent

    Heathrow airport arrivals hall

    Many MPs - including Conservatives - were in the Commons raising concerns about the government’s approach to the quarantine of people arriving in the UK.

    Firstly, they argue this policy is being brought in too late. They believe it should have been introduced when the virus was spreading in Europe - and before it took hold here.

    Many now have concerns the government is over-reacting as it tries to prevent a second spike.

    They told the home secretary they are worried a blanket quarantine will have a devastating impact on airlines, airports and the wider tourism industry. Very few MPs showed support for the government’s approach.

    They want the government to take a more targeted approach - finding ways of allowing travel from certain countries where transmission levels are lower.

  16. Can superspreading be stopped?

    Scientists have been keeping track of clusters of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.

    As well as hospitals, care homes and cruise ships, these concentrated outbreaks have also been repeatedly appearing in meat-processing plants, choirs, bars and gyms.

    So why is it so important to understand where superspreading is happening and how it can be stopped?

    Well, according to Dr Adam Kucharski, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 10-15% of people with coronavirus are responsible for about 80% of infections.

    So, scientists say, learning how to avoid these superspreading events would be "huge".

    Choir practice
    Image caption: Choir practice could help spread the virus
  17. Asymptomatic care workers unknowingly spread coronavirus

    Woman in arm chair

    Large numbers of staff could have been unknowingly spreading coronavirus through care homes, according to the UK's largest charitable care home provider.

    Data from MHA shows 42% of its staff members who recently tested positive for coronavirus were not displaying symptoms.

    And nearly 45% of residents who had a positive test were also asymptomatic.

    Speaking to BBC Newsnight MHA CEO Sam Monaghan said: "It is not difficult to imagine that a lot of people may not have ended up dying if we'd had earlier testing and we'd been therefore better able to manage infection control in our homes."

    You can read more here.

  18. Rolls-Royce to cut 3,000 UK jobs amid coronavirus crisis

    Engineering giant Rolls-Royce, which makes jet engines, will cut 3,000 jobs across the UK following a drastic fall in air travel because of the coronavirus.

    The move is part of a previously announced cost-cutting exercise, which will see the company slash its global workforce by a fifth.

    The firm’s base in Derby is likely to bear the brunt of the UK job losses, with 1,500 roles expected to be axed, while a further 700 will go at its Renfrewshire plant in Scotland.

    Rolls-Royce employees
  19. Today's main developments from around the world

    The World Health Organization has announced that clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine will resume as it searches for potential treatments for the virus. Here are some of the major lines from around the world today:

    • Italy is lifting restrictions on domestic travel, allowing people to move between regions
    • Primary school children in North Korea have returned to school. The start of their regular school year was put on hold because of virus
    • Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed plans to force almost all arrivals to the UK to isolate for 14 days – with fines of up to £1,000 for those who don’t comply
    • More than 800 health workers in Nigeria have contracted the virus, a significant proportion of the total 10,800 cases, according to the country's Centre for Disease Control
    • Global passenger traffic rose 30% in May, from a very low level in April, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said
    • China says a news report claiming it delayed sharing information on Covid-19 with the World Health Organisation is totally untrue
    • Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, has conceded that too many have died in Sweden. The country is one of the few in Europe that has not imposed a strict lockdown
    Street art showing a health worker in Manchester, UK
  20. Venezuelan president and opposition leader agree to cooperate on coronavirus fight

    A man in Venezuela wears a hazmat suit

    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó have come to an agreement to cooperate and raise funds for the fight against coronavirus.

    The two sides have agreed to "coordinate" to request Covid-19 aid from foreign countries and organisations, and to obtain technical and administrative help from PAHO, which is the inter-American arm of the World Health Organization (WHO).

    The agreement also establishes priority measures for dealing with the pandemic.

    Relations between the two have been tense. Guaido is recognised as an interim president by a number of countries including the US. He claims the elections there in 2018 were rigged.