That's all from us for today. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
We'll be back tomorrow with more updates from the UK and around the world.
Before we go, let's take a look at today's headlines.
In the UK:
The education secretary has been urged to launch a review into the handling of A-level and GCSE results after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus. Earlier, he said he was "incredibly sorry for the distress" caused to pupils
Twice as many adults in Britain are reporting symptoms of depression now compared with this time last year, official figures suggest
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus and a further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed Public Health England (PHE) will be replaced by a new body focused on preparing for external threats like pandemics, as critics say ministers have used PHE as a scapegoat for coronavirus failings
France announced it was making masks compulsory in most shared workplaces from 1 September, with individual offices exempt
People in their 20s, 30s and 40s unaware they are infected are driving the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned
The WHO also said cases in the Americas region had reached almost 11.5 million and that more than 400,000 people had died because of the virus
Chancellor Angela Merkel said there should be no further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany after cases in the country doubled over the past three weeks
Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm announced it was expecting to have a vaccine by the end of the year
Tuesday's live page was brought to you by Becky Morton, Georgina Rannard, Patrick Jackson, Vanessa Buschschluter, Laurence Peter, Emma Harrison, Sophie Williams, Alexandra Fouché, Dulcie Lee, and Max Matza.
Social media platforms act to stall misinformation video
Alistair Coleman
BBC Anti-Disinformation Unit
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The original 26-minute documentary-style video - filled with medical misinformation - was published in MayImage caption: The original 26-minute documentary-style video - filled with medical misinformation - was published in May
The release today of a video pushing conspiracy theories
that the Covid-19 outbreak was planned by governments, the World Health
Organization and billionaires to push a so-called “vaccine agenda” has spurred
major social media platforms to take measures to prevent its spread.
After criticism that they allowed the original so-called
“Plandemic” conspiracy video to be viewed millions of times, it appears that they are - this time - better prepared to warn their members that they may be attempting
to access controversial content if they try to view the new film from the same
producers.
On Twitter, attempting to click through to sites hosting the
new “Indoctornation” film leads to a page warning that the link “may be unsafe”
and could contain “misleading content that could lead to real-world harm”.
Facebook has also moved quickly to warn its members,
labelling the video as containing “partly false information - checked by independent
fact-checkers” in the hour before its release, before actively removing links
to the film once it went live.
Launch review into exam results 'fiasco' - school leaders
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The education secretary has been urged to launch a review into the handling of A-level and GCSE results in England after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
Mr Williamson apologised to pupils on Monday after reversing how A-levels and GCSEs were graded following widespread uproar.
After the U-turn, the Joint Council for Qualifications said pupils will get GCSE results on Thursday as planned.
Meanwhile, Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams has also apologised "directly and unreservedly" for the way A-level results were handled last week, after 42% of grades were downgraded in Wales.
They too abandoned the system used to calculate the results, instead using assessments made by teachers.
People are being urged to work from home and not use public transportImage caption: People are being urged to work from home and not use public transport
The number of people allowed to gather indoors has been reduced from 50 to six – except for religious services and businesses such as shops and restaurants, which are subject to separate rules.
Weddings are exempt, meaning up to 50 people can still attend.
The number of people allowed to get together outdoors has been cut from 200 to 15. That means spectators will be banned from attending sporting events.
Police are being given new powers to enforce restrictions on social gatherings. People are being advised to work from home and only use public transport if absolutely necessary.
It is understood that people over 70 will be advised to limit social interactions to a small number of people and only shop during designated hours. Taoiseach Michéal Martin said the country was at “another critical moment”. The restrictions will be in place until at least 13 September.
First US outbreak at mink farm reported
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Officials have confirmed coronavirus outbreaks at two mink farms in the western US state of Utah.
These are the first outbreaks among the semi-aquatic animals detected in the US so far, according to officials.
It comes after thousands of minks, which are raised for their soft fur, were culled on farms in Spain and Holland after significant outbreaks there.
The farms in Utah are currently being quarantined, officials say.
Australia promises free vaccines to population if trial succeeds
University of OxfordCopyright: University of Oxford
The trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is at an advanced stageImage caption: The trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is at an advanced stage
Australia says it has secured access to a promising coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Testing is being done on the streets of WashingtonImage caption: Testing is being done on the streets of Washington
Washington DC is one of several US cities offering free testing to residents - with or without Covid-19 symptoms - as the city nears its 600th coronavirus death.
Throughout the summer, the city has managed to test about 1,000 people per day, says the city's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency director Chris Rodriguez.
But 13 times this summer, outdoor testing facilities have been forced to shut due to extreme weather, including lightning storms and temperatures rising to 110F (44C).
Washington DC health officials on Monday warned that cases of community transmission have recently risen to the highest level since May. The R rate is currently 1.07, meaning each person who gets the virus is passing it to 1.07 people.
"We want to see that number below one," Mr Rodriguez told BBC News on Tuesday, adding that it had averaged below that number for months previously.
"But when we get above one for a sustained period of time, that's when we start getting a little bit concerned about the rate of community spread and transmission."
Meanwhile, Washington DC leaders are still furious that a financial stimulus bill passed by Congress, which awarded at least $1.25bn to each state, shortchanged the city.
Because DC is not a state, it was forced to divide the bailout money with other territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam, meaning that they only received $500m, despite having more residents and paying more in federal taxes than several other states.
Study finds countries with female leaders reacted quicker
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her country's handling of the pandemicImage caption: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her country's handling of the pandemic
A study from the University of Liverpool has found that countries led by female leaders have had a "systematically and significantly better" outcome in their fight against Covid-19.
“Our results clearly indicate that women leaders reacted more quickly and decisively in the face of potential fatalities,” said co-author Supriya Garikipati.
New Zealand, which is led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was the first country to record zero cases for several consecutive days after a national outbreak. Germany, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, was the first country to resume professional top-level sport.
The study paired countries with similar GDP, population, urbanisation, and other factors to determine which fared better.
New Zealand was found to have locked down quicker than male-led Ireland, despite similar demographics, the study noted.
What's the latest from around the world?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Masks will be compulsory in most French offices from next monthImage caption: Masks will be compulsory in most French offices from next month
This is what is happening around the world in the coronavirus crisis as the working day draws to a close here in London.
France announced it was making masks compulsory in most shared workplaces. The measures are due to
come in from 1 September, with individual offices
exempt
People in their 20s, 30s and 40s unaware they are infected are driving the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned earlier. The WHO also said cases in the Americas region had reached almost 11.5 million and that more than 400,000 people had died because of the virus
Chancellor Angela Merkel said there should be no further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany after cases in the country doubled over the past three weeks
A Chinese pharmaceutical company announced it was expecting to have a vaccine by the end of the year. The chairman of Sinopharm said one of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine candidates is expected to be on the market by the end of December
India misses target for food handouts to unregistered migrants
Shruti Menon
BBC Reality Check
EPACopyright: EPA
Millions of people fled the cities in IndiaImage caption: Millions of people fled the cities in India
Less than a third of India's 80 million
unregistered migrant workers who were hit by the country’s lengthy coronavirus
lockdown received government food aid, official figures show.
This involved
distributing 800,000 tonnes of emergency food relief during May and June.
But as of 5 August, official figures show that only 246,000 tonnes had been
distributed to about 25 million migrants - that’s just 31% of the
estimated total amount that was promised.
The programme was
aimed at those who are not registered for India’s national food ration scheme
because they keep moving around to find work.
According to
media reports, Indian government officials have complained at internal meetings
that there were bottlenecks at the state government level which had slowed down
the process of food distribution to this group of migrant workers.
Latest headlines in the UK
Let's take a look at how things are shaping up this evening:
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus and a further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed Public Health England (PHE) will be replaced by a new body focused on preparing for external threats like pandemics, as critics say ministers have used PHE as a scapegoat for coronavirus failings
Restaurant closed down after holding wedding reception
GoogleCopyright: Google
A restaurant in Lancashire that hosted a wedding reception for more than 100 people has been closed down for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said Waheed's Buffet and Banqueting Hall was shut down on Monday under new powers to tackle premises that are clearly not adhering to restrictions.
It follows a spike in local cases last month which saw extra measures introduced in the area to try to avoid a Leicester-style local lockdown.
Police in Blackburn, who broke up
the wedding reception on Sunday evening, said the closure would last for a
month, but would be reviewed weekly and the restaurant could reopen if it was
able to show it was Covid-safe.
Latest news from the US
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A University of Southern California student has his temperature checked on the first day of classesImage caption: A University of Southern California student has his temperature checked on the first day of classes
Here are some of the main headlines from the US:
Universities across the US are finding that they are becoming epicentres of local coronavirus outbreaks, as pupils begin returning to campuses
Schools are also facing a crisis, as some reopen only to be quickly closed again by new infections. Miami's school district said on Tuesday that nearly 600 employees have tested positive so far
The political row over mail-in voting continues, as critics of US President Donald Trump accuse him of starving the postal service of funds needed to process absentee ballots - a record number of which are expected to be sent in November's presidential election
The Democratic National Party on Monday held its first day of a socially distanced party convention, in which most participants appeared remotely to endorse Joe Biden for president
Cases reach 11.5m in Americas region
Coronavirus cases in the
Americas region have reached almost 11.5 million and more than 400,000
people have died as a result of the virus, the World Health
Organization has said.
The biggest drivers of the case counts are the United States and Brazil, regional director Carissa Etienne is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency, during a virtual briefing on the situation in the region.
"This virus is unrelenting and requires the same from us: we must stay vigilant and keep transmission under control," she said.
The
region continues to carry the highest burden of the disease,
with 64% of officially reported global deaths despite having 13%
of the world's population, she added.
Moroccan beaches closed as cases surge
AFPCopyright: AFP
The beach of Salé, near Rabat, had reopened at the end of lockdown in JuneImage caption: The beach of Salé, near Rabat, had reopened at the end of lockdown in June
Several beaches near the Moroccan capital, Rabat, were closed on Tuesday due to a surge in the number of new cases in the country.
The measures come ahead of a long bank holiday weekend. The beaches in the capital and in Salé, a neighbouring town, were already closed, according to local officials cited by AFP news agency.
At the end of last month, Morocco announced a fresh lockdown in some major cities as new cases hit a record high.
Since the end of July, there have been more than 1,000 new cases recorded every day, AFP reports.
Official ministry of health figures put the number of cases at 43,558 and deaths at 681 deaths.
Last week, the World Health Organization warned of an "upward trend" in cases in the country since the lifting of a very strict three-month lockdown in June, AFP reports.
Aerospace firm Bombardier to cut 95 jobs in Northern Ireland
Clodagh Rice
BBC News NI business correspondent
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Aerospace firm Bombardier has said a further 95 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast.
It comes after the firm already announced a reduction to its worldwide workforce in June due "extraordinary industry interruptions and challenges caused by Covid-19".
At the time, Bombardier revealed plans for 2,500 redundancies worldwide, citing an anticipated 30% drop in sales of its jets.
In a statement this afternoon, the company said: "We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is essential we align our business with current market realities to ensure we have a sustainable long-term future."
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, the Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed.
It takes the total number of UK deaths to 41,381.
A further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 320,286.
How have universities responded to exam results U-turn?
A government U-turn on how A-level grades were calculated has led to a scramble for university places in the UK, as many students now have the results needed to secure their original offers.
Since Monday's announcement, many universities have said they will honour offers if students now have the required results under the new grading system - but not all courses have space to take more students this year.
Here are some of the approaches taken by different universities:
Oxford and Cambridge University and Imperial College London have said students who now meet the conditions of their offer will be admitted - but they may have to defer their place until next year because of capacity constraints
The University of Edinburgh said it would confirm places for applicants who had met their conditions but capacity issues may mean individuals are offered an alternative programme or to defer their place until next year
Queen Mary University of London has pledged to honour all offers for students with revised grades that mean they now meet the selection criteria for their courses and said a further 500 places had been made available through clearing
School leaders association calls for independent review into grading 'debacle'
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The Association of School
and College Leaders in the UK is formally writing to the education secretary to
request an immediate independent review of the government's handling of exam grades.
The organisation's general secretary, Geoff Barton, said: "It seems to be clear that the statistical model for
moderating centre-assessed grades was flawed and that it produced many
anomalous results.
"But how did this happen, why were the problems not
foreseen, and why were ministers not on top of this? Most importantly, what
lessons can we learn for the future?"
He added that there was currently no "plan B" if further disruption prevented students from sitting GCSEs and A-levels next year and the government and exams regulator Ofqual "should be putting in place a robust contingency plan, drawing on the
lessons from this summer's debacle".
Health
Secretary Matt Hancock has announced details of a major shake-up of the
government bodies tackling the spread of coronavirus in England.
The pandemic
response work of Public Health England will be merged with NHS Test and Trace
to form a new body called the National Institute for Health Protection.
It is
to start work immediately under the interim leadership of Lady Harding, who is
the head of Test and Trace.
The
reorganisation of two Covid-19 response bodies into one makes sense. But some have
questioned whether it makes sense right now – just weeks away from a possible
surge in cases, when children return to school and people go back to work.
Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said he was worried that a
structural reorganisation mid-pandemic would be “time consuming,
energy-sapping and risky”. He described the move as “irresponsible”.
The appointment of the former mobile phone company chief
executive, Dido Harding, as interim leader of the National Institute
is also controversial.
NHS Test and Trace has not yet been able
to identify enough potentially infected people fast enough to stamp out
possible outbreaks.
Some in the public health sector would prefer to see a
scientist leading the new organisation.
One described Lady
Harding’s appointment as making as much sense as giving England’s
chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, the job of
“Vodafone’s head of branding and corporate image".
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Get involved
-
The education secretary has been urged to launch a review into the handling of A-level and GCSE results after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus. Earlier, he said he was "incredibly sorry for the distress" caused to pupils
-
Beauty salons and nail bars are among businesses in Leicester allowed to reopen from Wednesday in a further easing of local lockdown restrictions
-
Twice as many adults in Britain are reporting symptoms of depression now compared with this time last year, official figures suggest
-
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus and a further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus
-
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed Public Health England (PHE) will be replaced by a new body focused on preparing for external threats like pandemics, as critics say ministers have used PHE as a scapegoat for coronavirus failings
-
Aerospace firm Bombardier has said a further 95 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast.
-
France announced it was making masks compulsory in most shared workplaces from 1 September, with individual offices exempt
-
People in their 20s, 30s and 40s unaware they are infected are driving the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned
-
The WHO also said cases in the Americas region had reached almost 11.5 million and that more than 400,000 people had died because of the virus
-
Chancellor Angela Merkel said there should be no further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany after cases in the country doubled over the past three weeks
-
Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm announced it was expecting to have a vaccine by the end of the year
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The original 26-minute documentary-style video - filled with medical misinformation - was published in MayImage caption: The original 26-minute documentary-style video - filled with medical misinformation - was published in May 
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media 
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media People are being urged to work from home and not use public transportImage caption: People are being urged to work from home and not use public transport 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
University of OxfordCopyright: University of Oxford The trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is at an advanced stageImage caption: The trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is at an advanced stage - How close to developing a vaccine are we?
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Testing is being done on the streets of WashingtonImage caption: Testing is being done on the streets of Washington 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her country's handling of the pandemicImage caption: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her country's handling of the pandemic 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Masks will be compulsory in most French offices from next monthImage caption: Masks will be compulsory in most French offices from next month - France announced it was making masks compulsory in most shared workplaces. The measures are due to
come in from 1 September, with individual offices
exempt
-
People in their 20s, 30s and 40s unaware they are infected are driving the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned earlier. The WHO also said cases in the Americas region had reached almost 11.5 million and that more than 400,000 people had died because of the virus
-
Chancellor Angela Merkel said there should be no further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany after cases in the country doubled over the past three weeks
-
A Chinese pharmaceutical company announced it was expecting to have a vaccine by the end of the year. The chairman of Sinopharm said one of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine candidates is expected to be on the market by the end of December
-
Tonight is day two of this year's socially distanced, but mostly virtual Democratic Convention in the US, kicking off at 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT on Wednesday) - here's what day one
looked liked in the year of coronavirus
EPACopyright: EPA Millions of people fled the cities in IndiaImage caption: Millions of people fled the cities in India -
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says he is "incredibly sorry for the distress" caused to pupils after having to make a U-turn in how A-level and GCSE qualifications are graded
-
Twice as many adults in Britain are reporting symptoms of depression now compared with this time last year, official figures suggest
-
Beauty salons and nail bars are among businesses in Leicester allowed to reopen from Wednesday in a further easing of local lockdown restrictions
-
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus and a further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus
-
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed Public Health England (PHE) will be replaced by a new body focused on preparing for external threats like pandemics, as critics say ministers have used PHE as a scapegoat for coronavirus failings
-
Diners used the Eat Out to Help Out scheme more than 35 million times in its first two weeks, the latest Treasury figures show
GoogleCopyright: Google 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images A University of Southern California student has his temperature checked on the first day of classesImage caption: A University of Southern California student has his temperature checked on the first day of classes -
Universities across the US are finding that they are becoming epicentres of local coronavirus outbreaks, as pupils begin returning to campuses
-
Schools are also facing a crisis, as some reopen only to be quickly closed again by new infections. Miami's school district said on Tuesday that nearly 600 employees have tested positive so far
-
The political row over mail-in voting continues, as critics of US President Donald Trump accuse him of starving the postal service of funds needed to process absentee ballots - a record number of which are expected to be sent in November's presidential election
-
The Democratic National Party on Monday held its first day of a socially distanced party convention, in which most participants appeared remotely to endorse Joe Biden for president
AFPCopyright: AFP The beach of Salé, near Rabat, had reopened at the end of lockdown in JuneImage caption: The beach of Salé, near Rabat, had reopened at the end of lockdown in June 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters - Oxford and Cambridge University and Imperial College London have said students who now meet the conditions of their offer will be admitted - but they may have to defer their place until next year because of capacity constraints
- The University of Edinburgh said it would confirm places for applicants who had met their conditions but capacity issues may mean individuals are offered an alternative programme or to defer their place until next year
- Queen Mary University of London has pledged to honour all offers for students with revised grades that mean they now meet the selection criteria for their courses and said a further 500 places had been made available through clearing
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media 
Latest PostWe are pausing our live coverage
That's all from us for today. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
We'll be back tomorrow with more updates from the UK and around the world.
Before we go, let's take a look at today's headlines.
In the UK:
Around the world:
Tuesday's live page was brought to you by Becky Morton, Georgina Rannard, Patrick Jackson, Vanessa Buschschluter, Laurence Peter, Emma Harrison, Sophie Williams, Alexandra Fouché, Dulcie Lee, and Max Matza.
Social media platforms act to stall misinformation video
Alistair Coleman
BBC Anti-Disinformation Unit
The release today of a video pushing conspiracy theories that the Covid-19 outbreak was planned by governments, the World Health Organization and billionaires to push a so-called “vaccine agenda” has spurred major social media platforms to take measures to prevent its spread.
After criticism that they allowed the original so-called “Plandemic” conspiracy video to be viewed millions of times, it appears that they are - this time - better prepared to warn their members that they may be attempting to access controversial content if they try to view the new film from the same producers.
On Twitter, attempting to click through to sites hosting the new “Indoctornation” film leads to a page warning that the link “may be unsafe” and could contain “misleading content that could lead to real-world harm”.
Facebook has also moved quickly to warn its members, labelling the video as containing “partly false information - checked by independent fact-checkers” in the hour before its release, before actively removing links to the film once it went live.
The original 26-minute documentary-style video was published in May and was filled with medical misinformation about where the virus came from.
Launch review into exam results 'fiasco' - school leaders
The education secretary has been urged to launch a review into the handling of A-level and GCSE results in England after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) says it will write to Gavin Williamson over the "fiasco".
Mr Williamson apologised to pupils on Monday after reversing how A-levels and GCSEs were graded following widespread uproar.
After the U-turn, the Joint Council for Qualifications said pupils will get GCSE results on Thursday as planned.
Meanwhile, Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams has also apologised "directly and unreservedly" for the way A-level results were handled last week, after 42% of grades were downgraded in Wales.
They too abandoned the system used to calculate the results, instead using assessments made by teachers.
Read more: What happens next?
Ireland reverses relaxation measures
Chris Page
BBC News Ireland correspondent
The Republic of Ireland has re-imposed some restrictions in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The number of people allowed to gather indoors has been reduced from 50 to six – except for religious services and businesses such as shops and restaurants, which are subject to separate rules.
Weddings are exempt, meaning up to 50 people can still attend.
The number of people allowed to get together outdoors has been cut from 200 to 15. That means spectators will be banned from attending sporting events.
Police are being given new powers to enforce restrictions on social gatherings. People are being advised to work from home and only use public transport if absolutely necessary.
It is understood that people over 70 will be advised to limit social interactions to a small number of people and only shop during designated hours. Taoiseach Michéal Martin said the country was at “another critical moment”. The restrictions will be in place until at least 13 September.
First US outbreak at mink farm reported
Officials have confirmed coronavirus outbreaks at two mink farms in the western US state of Utah.
These are the first outbreaks among the semi-aquatic animals detected in the US so far, according to officials.
It comes after thousands of minks, which are raised for their soft fur, were culled on farms in Spain and Holland after significant outbreaks there.
The farms in Utah are currently being quarantined, officials say.
Australia promises free vaccines to population if trial succeeds
Australia says it has secured access to a promising coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
If clinical trials are successful, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would be able to offer free doses to its entire population of 25 million people.
Australia's death toll from the coronavirus stands at more than 400.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is one of five promising candidates to reach an advanced stage of clinical trials.
How coronavirus testing works in the US capital
Max Matza
BBC News, Washington
Washington DC is one of several US cities offering free testing to residents - with or without Covid-19 symptoms - as the city nears its 600th coronavirus death.
Throughout the summer, the city has managed to test about 1,000 people per day, says the city's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency director Chris Rodriguez.
But 13 times this summer, outdoor testing facilities have been forced to shut due to extreme weather, including lightning storms and temperatures rising to 110F (44C).
Washington DC health officials on Monday warned that cases of community transmission have recently risen to the highest level since May. The R rate is currently 1.07, meaning each person who gets the virus is passing it to 1.07 people.
"We want to see that number below one," Mr Rodriguez told BBC News on Tuesday, adding that it had averaged below that number for months previously.
"But when we get above one for a sustained period of time, that's when we start getting a little bit concerned about the rate of community spread and transmission."
Meanwhile, Washington DC leaders are still furious that a financial stimulus bill passed by Congress, which awarded at least $1.25bn to each state, shortchanged the city.
Because DC is not a state, it was forced to divide the bailout money with other territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam, meaning that they only received $500m, despite having more residents and paying more in federal taxes than several other states.
Study finds countries with female leaders reacted quicker
A study from the University of Liverpool has found that countries led by female leaders have had a "systematically and significantly better" outcome in their fight against Covid-19.
“Our results clearly indicate that women leaders reacted more quickly and decisively in the face of potential fatalities,” said co-author Supriya Garikipati.
New Zealand, which is led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was the first country to record zero cases for several consecutive days after a national outbreak. Germany, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, was the first country to resume professional top-level sport.
The study paired countries with similar GDP, population, urbanisation, and other factors to determine which fared better.
New Zealand was found to have locked down quicker than male-led Ireland, despite similar demographics, the study noted.
What's the latest from around the world?
This is what is happening around the world in the coronavirus crisis as the working day draws to a close here in London.
India misses target for food handouts to unregistered migrants
Shruti Menon
BBC Reality Check
Less than a third of India's 80 million unregistered migrant workers who were hit by the country’s lengthy coronavirus lockdown received government food aid, official figures show.
In May, India announced a food aid programme for these unregistered workers, who had begun returning home during the lockdown that started in late March and lasted for more than two months.
This involved distributing 800,000 tonnes of emergency food relief during May and June. But as of 5 August, official figures show that only 246,000 tonnes had been distributed to about 25 million migrants - that’s just 31% of the estimated total amount that was promised.
The programme was aimed at those who are not registered for India’s national food ration scheme because they keep moving around to find work.
According to media reports, Indian government officials have complained at internal meetings that there were bottlenecks at the state government level which had slowed down the process of food distribution to this group of migrant workers.
Latest headlines in the UK
Let's take a look at how things are shaping up this evening:
Restaurant closed down after holding wedding reception
A restaurant in Lancashire that hosted a wedding reception for more than 100 people has been closed down for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said Waheed's Buffet and Banqueting Hall was shut down on Monday under new powers to tackle premises that are clearly not adhering to restrictions.
It follows a spike in local cases last month which saw extra measures introduced in the area to try to avoid a Leicester-style local lockdown.
Police in Blackburn, who broke up the wedding reception on Sunday evening, said the closure would last for a month, but would be reviewed weekly and the restaurant could reopen if it was able to show it was Covid-safe.
Latest news from the US
Here are some of the main headlines from the US:
Cases reach 11.5m in Americas region
Coronavirus cases in the Americas region have reached almost 11.5 million and more than 400,000 people have died as a result of the virus, the World Health Organization has said.
The biggest drivers of the case counts are the United States and Brazil, regional director Carissa Etienne is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency, during a virtual briefing on the situation in the region.
"This virus is unrelenting and requires the same from us: we must stay vigilant and keep transmission under control," she said.
The region continues to carry the highest burden of the disease, with 64% of officially reported global deaths despite having 13% of the world's population, she added.
Moroccan beaches closed as cases surge
Several beaches near the Moroccan capital, Rabat, were closed on Tuesday due to a surge in the number of new cases in the country.
The measures come ahead of a long bank holiday weekend. The beaches in the capital and in Salé, a neighbouring town, were already closed, according to local officials cited by AFP news agency.
At the end of last month, Morocco announced a fresh lockdown in some major cities as new cases hit a record high.
Since the end of July, there have been more than 1,000 new cases recorded every day, AFP reports.
Official ministry of health figures put the number of cases at 43,558 and deaths at 681 deaths.
Last week, the World Health Organization warned of an "upward trend" in cases in the country since the lifting of a very strict three-month lockdown in June, AFP reports.
Aerospace firm Bombardier to cut 95 jobs in Northern Ireland
Clodagh Rice
BBC News NI business correspondent
Aerospace firm Bombardier has said a further 95 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its aircraft manufacturing plant in Belfast.
It comes after the firm already announced a reduction to its worldwide workforce in June due "extraordinary industry interruptions and challenges caused by Covid-19".
At the time, Bombardier revealed plans for 2,500 redundancies worldwide, citing an anticipated 30% drop in sales of its jets.
In a statement this afternoon, the company said: "We deeply regret the impact this will have on our workforce and their families, but it is essential we align our business with current market realities to ensure we have a sustainable long-term future."
Read more here.
UK records a further 12 deaths
Another 12 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, the Department for Health and Social Care has confirmed.
It takes the total number of UK deaths to 41,381.
A further 1,089 people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 320,286.
How have universities responded to exam results U-turn?
A government U-turn on how A-level grades were calculated has led to a scramble for university places in the UK, as many students now have the results needed to secure their original offers.
Since Monday's announcement, many universities have said they will honour offers if students now have the required results under the new grading system - but not all courses have space to take more students this year.
Here are some of the approaches taken by different universities:
School leaders association calls for independent review into grading 'debacle'
The Association of School and College Leaders in the UK is formally writing to the education secretary to request an immediate independent review of the government's handling of exam grades.
The organisation's general secretary, Geoff Barton, said: "It seems to be clear that the statistical model for moderating centre-assessed grades was flawed and that it produced many anomalous results.
"But how did this happen, why were the problems not foreseen, and why were ministers not on top of this? Most importantly, what lessons can we learn for the future?"
He added that there was currently no "plan B" if further disruption prevented students from sitting GCSEs and A-levels next year and the government and exams regulator Ofqual "should be putting in place a robust contingency plan, drawing on the lessons from this summer's debacle".
Read more on this story here.
Analysis: Critics question timing of public health shake-up
Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced details of a major shake-up of the government bodies tackling the spread of coronavirus in England.
The pandemic response work of Public Health England will be merged with NHS Test and Trace to form a new body called the National Institute for Health Protection.
It is to start work immediately under the interim leadership of Lady Harding, who is the head of Test and Trace.
The reorganisation of two Covid-19 response bodies into one makes sense. But some have questioned whether it makes sense right now – just weeks away from a possible surge in cases, when children return to school and people go back to work.
Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said he was worried that a structural reorganisation mid-pandemic would be “time consuming, energy-sapping and risky”. He described the move as “irresponsible”.
The appointment of the former mobile phone company chief executive, Dido Harding, as interim leader of the National Institute is also controversial.
NHS Test and Trace has not yet been able to identify enough potentially infected people fast enough to stamp out possible outbreaks.
Some in the public health sector would prefer to see a scientist leading the new organisation.
One described Lady Harding’s appointment as making as much sense as giving England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, the job of “Vodafone’s head of branding and corporate image".