Protesters in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, Abidjan, have destroyed a coronavirus centre that was being built in the district of Yopougon. Residents said it was being built in a crowded residential area, too close to their homes.

Videos on social media show people tearing apart the centre with their bare hands, smashing construction materials on the ground. Some appeared to be hurling metal poles into a truck. The health ministry said the building was never intended as a treatment centre, only as a testing facility.

Although, like many African countries, Ivory Coast has had relatively few confirmed coronavirus cases, it has imposed a lockdown in Abidjan and a nationwide curfew. On Saturday, health officials urged people to wear masks to try to slow the spread of the virus.The hostile response towards the testing centres is reminiscent of attitudes during Ebola outbreaks in West and Central Africa when some people attacked health workers, suspicious that they were bringing the disease to their communities, rather than offering crucial medical care.(BBC)…[+]

Data from atomic bomb tests conducted during the Cold War have helped scientists accurately age the world’s biggest fish. Whale sharks are large, slow moving and docile creatures that mainly inhabit tropical waters. They are long-lived but scientists have struggled to work out the exact ages of these endangered creatures.

But using the world’s radioactive legacy they now have a workable method that can help the species survival.

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Whale sharks are both the biggest fish and the biggest sharks in existence. Growing up to 18m in length, and weighing on average of about 20 tonnes, their distinctive white spotted colouration makes them easily recognisable.(BBC)…[+]

A four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the coronavirus. The tiger, named Nadia, is believed to be the first known case of an animal infected with Covid-19 in the US. The Bronx Zoo, in New York City, says the test result was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa.

Nadia, along with six other big cats, is thought to have been infected by an asymptomatic zoo keeper. The cats started showing symptoms, including a dry cough, late last month after exposure to the employee, who has not been identified. “This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick,” Paul Calle, the chief veterinarian at the zoo, told Reuters news agency on Sunday. There have been isolated instances of pets testing positive for the coronavirus elsewhere in the world, but experts have stressed there is no evidence they can become sick or spread the disease. Mr Calle said he intends to share the findings with other zoos and institutions researching the transmission of Covid-19.(BBC)…[+]

A criminal investigation has been launched in Australia into how cruise ship passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite some exhibiting flu-like symptoms. More than 600 people on board the Ruby Princess later tested positive for coronavirus and 10 have since died.

The ship remains off the coast with nearly 200 sick crew members on board. Police in New South Wales said they would look into whether national biosecurity laws had been broken. Australia has so far reported 5,548 coronavirus cases and 30 deaths. Those sickened on cruise ships account for nearly a tenth of all cases in Australia.

At a news conference, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said there were “many unanswered questions” about the incident. He said that, by law, vessels were only allowed to dock and disembark passengers if the captain could assure the local authorities that their ship was free from contagious disease.(BBC)…[+]

The government in Somalia has condemned the abduction and rape of two girls aged just three and four. The doctor in charge of the hospital where they are being treated says they need major surgery.

An official said several arrests had been made following the attack which happened on Wednesday. The parents say that the two cousins were walking home from school in Afgoye, close to the capital, Mogadishu. They were seized by men who took them away and sexually assaulted them. Their parents desperately searched the neighbourhood and found them alone the following day.

BBC World Service Africa editor Will Ross says the fact that the girls are aged just three and four has added to the shock in Somalia where reports of rape have increased in recent years. It is thought that such horrific crimes have long been taking place but people are now more aware of the need to publicise the incidents in order to bring about change, he says.(BBC)…[+]

The Queen is to stress the value of self-discipline and resolve during the coronavirus pandemic in a special address to the nation on Sunday. In a rare speech, she will acknowledge the grief, pain and financial difficulties Britons are facing during this “time of disruption”.

She will also thank NHS staff and key workers, and emphasise the important role individuals can play. Her address will be broadcast on TV, radio and social media at 20:00 BST. The Queen is expected to say: “I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. “A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.“(BBC)…[+]

A decade of jobs growth in the US came to an abrupt halt in March as employers shed 701,000 jobs amid the coronavirus outbreak. The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in the biggest one-month jump since 1975, according to new data from the US Department of Labor.

The leisure and hospitality industries accounted for more than half the cuts. The losses – greater than expected – are believed to now be worse since the data was collected early in the month. Since then, cases of coronavirus have jumped to more than 245,000 and a majority of states have put lockdown measures in place, forcing most businesses to close.

State filings show about 10 million people have registered for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks – record figures that far eclipse previous highs. “It’s clear that the pandemic is already having a more significant impact on the labour market than most had expected even a week ago,” said Andrew Hunter, senior US economist at Capital Economics.(BBC)…[+]

As nursing and care homes across Europe battle to stop the spread of Covid-19 among the elderly, France has revealed 884 residents have succumbed to the virus since the epidemic began. Alarming cases have emerged in the Spanish capital Madrid, with reports of dozens of deaths in two nursing homes.

Residents were taken to hospital in the Italian city of Naples after a care home outbreak claimed several lives. Cases have also been reported in 100 care homes around the Swedish capital. Although authorities in the Stockholm region have not given figures, public broadcaster SVT says more than 400 people have been infected and about 50 have died.

For some time, French health officials have made clear the number of cases and fatalities they report every evening does not include nursing and care homes. Late on Thursday, a top health official revealed that at least 884 people in such homes had died since the start of the pandemic, on top of the 4,503 fatalities across France. Even that figure was incomplete, said Jérôme Salomon, as not all homes had passed on details.(BBC)…[+]

The Queen will speak to the nation on Sunday about the coronavirus outbreak – only her fourth special address at a time of crisis during her 68-year reign. Buckingham Palace said the message, recorded at Windsor Castle, will be broadcast on TV and radio at 20:00 BST.

The Queen records annual Christmas messages but other addresses are rare. It comes as the number of people who died with coronavirus in the UK rose by 684 in 24 hours, latest figures show. The Department of Health said that as of 17:00 BST on 2 April, the total number of deaths is now 3,605, up from 2,921. There are 38,168 confirmed cases.

In Scotland, the number of deaths has risen by 46, while in Wales a further 24 people died. In NI, the number of people who died with coronavirus has risen by 12.(BBC)…[+]

“All we want to do is make sure people have a pleasant journey and a smile, but we’re feeling totally undervalued and demotivated,” says one BA staffer. The cabin crew member, who asked not to be named, said they first heard that 36,000 staff would be suspended on TV.

They said that staff were yet to hear any further details of BA’s plans. The airline, which grounded much of its fleet due to the coronavirus crisis, has been negotiating with the Unite union for more than a week. The two sides have reached a broad deal but are yet to agree on some details.

“We have no idea on who they’re going to be keeping on or where they’re going to be flying. And most importantly, how we’re going to be treated when we come back,” the staff member said. The decision will affect all staff at Gatwick and London City Airport after the airline suspended its operations at both locations until the crisis is over.

Those affected are expected to receive some of their wages through the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme, which covers 80% of someone’s salary capped at a maximum of £2,500 a month.(BBC)…[+]