The UK’s death toll in the coronavirus pandemic has risen above 30,000.
Another 649 deaths were announced on Wednesday, taking the toll to 30,076. The UK has the highest death toll in Europe.
The government’s target of 100,000 tests a day was missed again with 69,463 screenings conducted on Wednesday.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government provided £3.2bn (Dh14.49bn/US$3.94bn) to local councils.
Mr Jenrick confirmed the government was looking at ways to ease the lockdown.
He said the aim was to “get people back to work safely”, reunite families and friends, and “reintroduce the things that make life worth living”.
The UK has a target of 100,000 tests a day and has only reached that on a couple of days near the end of April.
Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted the testing target to be a laboratory capacity of 200,000 tests a day by the end of May.
Mr Johnson said he “bitterly” regretted the coronavirus epidemic raging in Britain’s nursing homes.
“At every stage, as we took the decisions that we made, we were governed by one overriding principle and aim, and that was to save lives and to protect our NHS,” he told Parliament.
“There will be a time to look at what decisions we took and whether we could have taken different decisions.”
The road to normality
The UK lockdown, which began on March 23, imposes strict restrictions on public activity and business.
The good news for the UK is that the number of new deaths and hospital cases has started to fall.
Mr Johnson is expected to lay out the road to normality on Sunday.
The government said any relaxation would be gradual to prevent a second rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
All Blacks line-up for third Test
J Barrett; I Dagg, A Lienert-Brown, N Laumape, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, C Taylor, O Franks, B Retallick, S Whitelock, J Kaino, S Cane, K Read (capt).
Replacements: N Harris, W Crockett, C Faumuina, S Barrett, A Savea, TJ Perenara, A Cruden, M Fekitoa.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
