Ministers concede lack of laboratory capacity for tests could take fortnight to resolveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageKeir Starmer has warned the coronavirus test-and-trace system is “on the verge of collapse”, as ministers conceded that a lack of laboratory capacity which has prevented many people getting a test could take a fortnight to be resolved.The hold-up...

Labour leader says government did not use summer to make system effective; Bolton lockdown tightened amid highest case numbers in UK. This live blog is now closed - for updates, please follow the global coronavirus live blog 6.15pm BST Related: Coronavirus live news: migrant camps near Athens in quarantine; South Africa sees lowest case increase in months 5.55pm BST From the BBC’s Nick...

A third of government and industry-employed ecologists and conservation scientists had work unduly modified, study findsAustralian scientists say they are prevented from speaking openly about their work and their advice is being suppressed by government and industry when it comes to the impact of logging, mining, land-clearing and the climate crisis, new research suggests.A study by the Ecological...

Amid more cases, people with suspected infections have been reporting difficultiesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMany people with coronavirus symptoms have struggled to obtain a test nearby in recent weeks. Reports have emerged of people being asked to drive long distances to test centres even when local ones are quiet. The problem is nationwide, with people in...

Pubs and restaurants in north-west England town restricted to takeaway-onlyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA series of tougher measures have been imposed in Bolton to stem a surge in Covid-19 cases, including restaurants and pubs being restricted to takeaways, as well as late-night limits on opening hours.Current guidance that people cannot socialise outside of their...

Rise in carbon capture as global warming speeds growth of forests would be negated by earlier deaths, say scientistsLive fast, die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees, according to new research. Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan, which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis.Trees grow faster in warmer conditions, and...

Group calls for change to statutory sick pay to help prevent spread of coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s lowest-paid workers should be on full wages while self-isolating so they can afford to comply with efforts to protect public health, campaigners have said.The suggestion, one of several being put forward as part of a proposed overhaul of the...

Seiko Hashimoto says country is planning for event next year even though a widely available vaccine is unlikelyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Tokyo Olympics must be held “at any cost”, Japan’s Games minister, Seiko Hashimoto, has said, as organisers continue to weigh up options for staging a “post-pandemic” celebration of sport in the city next...

India sees highest deaths in a month; Japanese economy shrinks more than expected; Ash Barty to skip French Open title defence over Covid concernsSpain first country in western Europe to pass 500,000 casesGlobal deaths pass 890,000Seven Greek islands to be added to England quarantine listUK health secretary says young people largely behind case riseUK coronavirus updates – live 10.50am BST In...

Restrictions could be reimposed amid claims people have ‘relaxed too much’ Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDowning Street is considering whether to reduce the maximum permitted size for social gatherings in England following a sudden rise in coronavirus cases, and warnings that people have “relaxed too much” in their precautions.No 10 is looking at the current...

Comments from Robert Jenrick come amid stricter measures for parts of Scotland and WalesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEveryone in the UK must take on the “big burden” of preventing a second wave of coronavirus , a government minister has said, as Caerphilly in south Wales prepared to be placed under local lockdown and stricter measures were extended in...

More than 170 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Here is their progressResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 170 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue...

Researchers say people with prolonged symptoms at risk of being forgotten as they struggle to get helpUp to 60,000 people in the UK may have been suffering from “long Covid” for more than three months, unable to get the care they need to recover from prolonged and debilitating symptoms.Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London who runs the app-based Covid...