Coronavirus news: UK could be locked out of EU vaccine scheme, as Johnson refuses to apologise for care home comments

Leaders of Italy and Spain call for ‘ambitious’ recovery fund

The leaders of Italy and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries during Europe’s coronavirus outbreak, have urged fellow EU members to agree on “ambitious terms” for a recovery fund next week to shore up the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Southern European countries are pushing for a no-strings-attached approach in the EU’s recovery fund which will be discussed at a meeting of the bloc’s 27 members later this month.

The 750bn euro (£675bn) fund drawn up by the EU's executive commission is made up mostly of grants, which have been opposed by countries dubbed as the “Frugal Four” - Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Those countries have been reluctant to give away money without conditions attached.

Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, said the EU could not take a cautious path in its response to the pandemic because that would endanger the union's common market and economy.

Ryder Cup 2020 postponed until 2021

The 2020 Ryder Cup has been postponed for 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have confirmed.

The biannual match between golfers from the USA and Europe was scheduled to take place on 25-28 September, but will now take place next year.

Our sports writer, Lawrence Ostlere, will have more on this breaking story below:

Germany criticises US exit from World Health Organisation

Germany's health minister has criticised the formal US notification of its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a “setback for international cooperation”.

Jens Spahn said his country would work to reform the organisation amid concern in Europe over the WHO’s largest contributor pulling out during the coronavirus pandemic.

The UN and the US State Department said on Tuesday that the Trump administration had formally notified the UN that the US would leave the WHO next year.

The US provides WHO with more than $450m (£357m) per year and currently owes some $200m in current and past dues.

Juergen Hardt, a foreign policy spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition, said that the US withdrawal would damage American and Western strategic interests just as China, a key WHO member state, was taking a greater role in international institutions.

“As the biggest contributor so far, the US leaves a big vacuum,” Mr Hardt said. 

“It is foreseeable that China above all will try to fill this vacuum itself. That will further complicate necessary reforms in the organisation.”

He added: “It is all the more important that the EU uses its political weight and strengthens its involvement in the WHO as in other international organisations.”

Serbian president backtracks on plans to reinstate lockdown after violent protests

Serbia's president has backtracked on plans to reinstate a coronavirus lockdown in Belgrade after thousands protested over the move and violently clashed with police in the capital.

Chaos erupted as thousands of protesters tried to storm the parliament building after President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Tuesday that a weekend curfew would be reintroduced in the Balkan country following a spike in coronavirus deaths. 

Opponents blamed the Serbian leader for contributing to the spike in deaths and new cases after he lifted the previous lockdown measures.

Mr Vucic backtracked on his new lockdown plans on Wednesday, claiming the measures could not be implemented without proclaiming a nationwide state of emergency.

He said the government would decide on new measures that could include shortened hours for night clubs and penalties for those not wearing masks.

The president also claimed foreign secret services were behind the Tuesday night protests by “right-wing and pro-fascist demonstrators”.

Coronavirus inquiry should be delayed until next year, outgoing cabinet secretary suggests

An inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic should be delayed until next year because the country may only be “halfway” through the crisis, the outgoing cabinet secretary has suggested.

Sir Mark Sedwill said no investigation should take place until “the crisis is over”, despite pressure from medical and scientific experts to learn lessons before a feared second wave of infections arrives.

“We don’t even know whether we have reached the halfway point yet, because this is a crisis still rolling around the globe,” Sir Mark said. 

“The time for lessons to be learned is once the crisis is through.”

Our deputy political editor, Rob Merrick, has the full story below:

Further 126 UK coronavirus deaths reported

A further 126 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the UK’s total death toll to 44,517, according to government figures.

Data from the Department of Health and Social Care also showed there had been 630 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours.

The government’s full dataset can be found below:

Government sets aside £10bn for coronavirus test and trace system for England

The UK government has allocated £10bn of public money for spending on the much-criticised test and trace system for England, Treasury documents have revealed.

The sum, much of which will go on contracts with private firms, amounts to more than 100 times Public Health England’s £90m annual budget for infectious diseases.

Labour has demanded a full break-down of the test and trace budget to ensure that the money is being spent in “the most effective way to limit the spread of Covid-19”.

Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:

US confirmed coronavirus cases hit three million

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US has hit three million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

That total is by far the highest in the world for a single country but US health officials warn the real number of infections is probably 10 times higher, or close to 10 per cent of the population.

Cases have been surging in recent weeks amid a rapid expansion in testing.

Experts say the outbreak has also worsened, as shown by such warning signs as an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus.

Pub and restaurant workers welcome emergency measures for hospitality

Members of the hospitality sector have welcome plans announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak today to cut VAT and give diners discounts on meals to aid the economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hospitality Professionals Association (HOPA) said the VAT cut in particular was “massive news” and a “huge relief” for about two million workers in the sector.

“It’s not often that I can say I’ve felt a rush of emotion following a House of Commons announcement, but today I certainly have,” Jane Pendlebury, chief executive of HOPA, said.

“That’s something that just serves to underline how much of a huge relief the latest measures are.”

Our business reporter, Ben Chapman, has the full story below:

Catalonia in Spain makes masks compulsory in public at all times

Catalonia has ordered all residents and visitors to wear face masks in public at all times, becoming the first Spanish region to toughen rules on the use of coverings in close proximity to others. 

The order, which takes effect on Thursday, was announced by regional leader Quim Torra four days after more than 200,000 people in the Segria area were placed under a local lockdown following a series of coronavirus outbreaks there.

“Masks will be mandatory all over Catalonia, not just in the Segria region... I think it's an important measure,” Mr Torra told the regional parliament. 

“We will distribute protective equipment.”

Authorities in the Basque Country made a similar decision soon after, making masks mandatory regardless of the distance between people in the small town of Ordizia, where a cluster of nearly 50 cases had been detected.

Last month, Spanish authorities made wearing masks compulsory indoors and outdoors in all circumstances in which 1.5 metres of social distancing could not be maintained.

Mr Torra's order removed that social distancing exception for Catalonia, making masks compulsory in all social situations.

There will also be a 100 euro fine for breaking the rule.