War cabinet papers reveal PM’s concern French ally would pre-empt joint announcement

Winston Churchill believed a disgruntled general Charles de Gaulle intended to pre-empt the allies’ announcement of victory in Europe by 24 hours but felt unable to pressure him to change his plans, according to British war cabinet documents released free online by the National Archives during the lockdown.

The 75th anniversary of VE Day will be celebrated on Friday 8 May but Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander in north-west Europe, and the Soviet high command had actually received the German surrender in the French city of Reims on 7 May 1945 at 2.41am.

Journalists’ union argued page was ‘clear interference in press freedom’

The French government has taken down a Covid-19 “fake news” page after accusations that it had overstepped its constitutional role and infringed press freedoms.

A page called Desinfox – a play on the word desintox (detox) – appeared on the government’s website last week. It claimed to be busting disinformation about coronavirus in the French media.

France confirms lockdown-easing from Monday as WHO warns on domestic violence

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Another record rise in coronavirus infections has propelled Russia past Germany and France to the fifth highest tally in the world, as the French government confirmed the country would start gradually lifting its strict eight-week lockdown from Monday.

With much of Europe now easing itself out of confinement, Russia has become the continent’s new Covid-19 hotspot. More than half of the country’s 177,160 cases are in Moscow and the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said research suggested the actual number was nearer 300,000, more than triple the official figure.

Related: Covid-19 puts Putin's power plans on hold and economy in peril

Coronavirus cases in India have risen past 50,000, according to the country’s health ministry, with the pace of infection showing no sign of abating.

A new report suggested January’s Sundance film festival, the annual gathering of cinephiles in Park City, Utah, may have been a key early coronavirus hub in the US.

Iran said on Thursday its coronavirus outbreak was “relatively stable” as it announced more than 1,000 infections for a fourth straight day.

Poland has postponed Sunday’s presidential election. The postal-only ballot will now take place as soon as possible, but probably not before June.

Mayors in many of the world’s leading cities have said there can be no return to business as usual in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis if humanity is to escape catastrophic climate breakdown.

Italy’s government and Roman Catholic bishops signed an agreement to allow the faithful to attend mass again from later this month.

Ex-president backs new app for victims as WHO reports 60% rise in domestic abuse calls

The former French president François Hollande has spoken of his concern for women suffering domestic abuse during the lockdown.

In an interview with the Guardian, Hollande called for schoolchildren to be taught that violence at home was unacceptable but that it affected every social group.

Related: Protecting domestic violence victims in lockdown

USB-C, faster processors and new design options continue to keep Microsoft’s Windows 10 laptop near the top of the pile

Microsoft’s top-quality laptop is now in its third generation, with new ports, new processors and a slight redesign, with the option to ditch the unique Alcantara for plain old aluminium.

The £999 and up Surface Laptop 3 is Microsoft’s vision of what a traditional laptop should be. For the most part that’s the same as everyone else, with traditional aluminium body, glass-covered screen and hinge that does not rotate all the way round to the back.

Screen: 13.5in LCD 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI)

Processor: quad-core Intel Core i5 or i7 (10th generation)

RAM: 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB

Graphics: Intel Iris Plus

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 720P front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: wifi 6 (ax), Bluetooth 5, USB-A, USB-C, headphones, Surface Connect TPM

Dimensions: 308.1 x 223.3 x 14.5mm

Weight: 1,265 or 1,288g

Due to the angle of the side of the machine it can be difficult to plug the magnetic power cable in without lifting the side up for more leverage.

The black paint can be scratched revealing the silver aluminium underneath.

The screen supports 10-point touch and Microsoft’s Surface Pen stylus.

Pros: great keyboard, good trackpad, Alcantara or aluminium, sleek design, USB-A and USB-C port, great screen, good battery life, Windows Hello, powerful processor.

Cons: no SD card reader, limited configuration options, no Thunderbolt 3, only one USB-C port.

Surface Laptop 2 review: Microsoft’s sleeker answer to the MacBook Air

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: a fantastic tablet PC you shouldn’t buy

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

Announcements made following coronavirus guidance from Washington state officials instructing workplaces to allow employees to work remotely

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across Washington state, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook have advised their Seattle-area employees to work from home for the next few weeks.

Related: Coronavirus: Google leads tech charge to work from home

Long battery life, 4G and beautiful design can’t stop it being held back by a lack of apps for its ARM chip

The Surface Pro X is a glimpse of an ARM-powered Windows future, combining the best bits of phones and computers, but while that future is closer than ever, it isn’t quite ready yet.

The new £999 Surface Pro X might look like the rest of Microsoft’s Surface tablets on the outside, but it is fundamentally a different beast on the inside.

Screen: 13in LCD 2880x1920 (267 PPI)

Processor: Microsoft SQ1 (ARM)

RAM: 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256 and 512GB

Graphics: Adreno 685

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 10MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: Wifi ac, Bluetooth 5, 2x USB-C, Surface Connect, LTE, nano sim, esim

Dimensions: 287 x 208 x 7.3mm

Weight: 774g

The screen is far too dim on resuming from sleep until you hit the brightness button, at which point it returns to normal

The machine ran cool throughout, barely getting warmer than room temperature even when pushed hard

There’s no real mis-touch rejection at the edges of the screen, which means you have to be careful where you put your fingers when holding the tablet

Pros: slim, great 13in screen, 4G, kickstand, nine-hour battery, 2x USB-C, quick charging, Windows Hello, brilliant keyboard (essential additional purchase), smart stylus holder, Windows 10

Cons: not much ARM-native software, no good photo editors, no SD card reader, no headphone socket, no Thunderbolt 3, keyboard not included

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: a fantastic tablet PC you shouldn’t buy

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

Campuses have become ‘ghost towns’ as staffers depart – but many contractors still have to show up

• How to protect yourself against coronavirus
  
• What are the symptoms and should I see a doctor?

When Josh Borden arrived for work at the Google offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, it felt like arriving in a “ghost town”. The parking lot was deserted, there was no breakfast being served in the cafeteria, and the nap rooms were tagged with signs announcing their closure “as a precaution given the Covid-19 situation”. “The office is so empty,” he told me. “Even more so than when the Googlers have their ski trip.”

The day before, Google had asked all its North American employees to begin working from home due to the coronavirus – a policy that has since been expanded to the rest of its global workforce. But Borden, a triage analyst who has worked for Google for about four years, is one of the approximately 135,000 people who make up Google’s “extended workforce”: temps and subcontractors who perform work for, but are not technically employed by, the $830bn company. And though Borden and his co-workers perform computer-based tasks that could just as easily be completed from home as those of other technical workers, Google does not allow them to access their work from home.

Related: Mike Bloomberg’s campaign is polluting the internet | Julia Carrie Wong

Tech firms will benefit, but some companies could find employees don’t want to return to the office

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Covid-19 could permanently shift working patterns as companies forced to embrace remote working by the pandemic find that their employees do not want to return to the office once the closures are lifted.

The sudden increase in working from home is presenting problems as well as opportunities: on the one hand, startups such as Slack and Zoom and established giants including Google and Microsoft are offering their tools for free, in the hope that people who start using them in a crisis may carry on once normality returns.

Related: The art of Skype set-dressing: how to video-call the office when in quarantine | Imogen West-Knights

USB-C completes top Windows 10 tablet with great screen, design and kickstand, plus latest Intel chips

The Surface Pro 7 is an update of the excellent Surface Pro 6 with new processors and, finally, a USB-C port.

That means the design of the new Surface Pro 7 hasn’t changed since the 2017 Surface Pro 5, with Microsoft taking an “if it ain’t broke” approach. It’s competitively priced at £699 and up – but you have to pay at least £125 for the keyboard if you want one – which annoyingly is not included in the standard price.

Screen: 12.3in LCD 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI)

Processor: Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 (10th generation)

RAM: 4, 8 or 16GB

Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB

Graphics: Intel UHD (i3) or Intel Iris Plus (i5/i7)

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front-facing, Windows Hello

Connectivity: Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB 3.0, USB-C, headphones, TPM, microSD

Dimensions: 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm

Weight: 775 or 790g (i7 version)

The Surface Pro 7 ships with a standard version of Windows 10 Home with device encryption

The tablet no longer supports on-screen interaction with Microsoft’s Surface Dial accessory

Pros: great screen, good battery life, brilliant keyboard (essential additional purchase), microSD card reader, excellent kickstand, Windows Hello, solid build, easy to carry, USB-A and USB-C

Cons: no Thunderbolt 3, fairly expensive, keyboard should be included, Core i7 version fans are more audible

Microsoft Surface Pro X review: not yet ready for prime time

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: still sleek, just no longer unique

Microsoft Surface Go review: tablet that’s better for work than play

Microsoft Surface Studio 2 review: in a class of its own

16in MacBook Pro review: bigger battery, new keyboard, new Apple

Apple MacBook Air review: the new default Mac

From FaceTime to Houseparty, there is no shortage of platforms for work and play as you shelter in place

With offices and schools around the world temporarily shut amid the coronavirus crisis, the video platform Zoom has seen overnight success. But growing concerns over security across the platform have many consumers wondering about tech alternatives.

Privacy-minded consumers should consider video chat options carefully, said Arvind Narayanan, an associate computer science professor at Princeton University who has been outspoken about the security concerns surrounding Zoom.

Related: ‘Zoom is malware’: why experts worry about the video conferencing platform

From being a goose on the loose to controlling whole galaxies, here’s a world of experiences for all the family

• Modern Toss on video games ...

The cinemas may be shut, the gig venues closed, but there is one place you can still meet your friends and be entertained without leaving your house: the world of gaming. For many of us, it has been years since we could really justify spending all day in our pyjamas slaying virtual dragons – now that way of life, for some at least, is a little less frowned-upon. But if you’re returning to serious gaming after a few years away, where exactly should you be spending your valuable money and time? Here are no less than 100 highly recommended titles, from family favourites to epic sci-fi sagas – all available on current platforms, be it PC, smartphones or consoles. Whether you want to be moved, terrified, relaxed or intellectually challenged, alone or with pals, we’ve got more than enough here to keep you occupied until you’re out and about again …

Well-publicized philanthropy shows how afraid the super-rich are of a larger social safety net – and higher taxes

As millions of jobless Americans line up for food or risk their lives delivering essential services, the nation’s billionaires are making conspicuous donations – $100m from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for food banks, billions from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for a coronavirus vaccine, thousands of ventilators and N95 masks from Elon Musk, $25m from the Walton family and its Walmart foundation. The list goes on.

Related: Call for super-rich to donate more to tackle coronavirus pandemic

Why should we believe that Gates or any other billionaire’s 'boldness' necessarily reflects society’s values and needs?

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US

Gains from the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft boosted the index as it turned positive

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

The technology-heavy Nasdaq index turned positive for 2020 on Thursday, boosted by gains in the share prices of companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Netflix, which have fared well during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The US index caught up all this year’s losses, taking it back to its level at the beginning of January, after rising 1.4% on Thursday to 8,979.66. It ended last year at 8,972.

Alicia Levine, BNY Mellon chief investment strategist, and David Rolfe, Wedgewood Partners CIO, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the state of the markets as stocks continue to rally on optimism the economy will open.

Parsley Energy CEO Matt Gallagher joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss Parsley Energy's positive quarterly earnings despite the Covid-19 pandemic. He also speaks on the company's production and the state of the oil industry.

Brent Beardall, WaFd Bank CEO, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the state of the Paycheck Protection Program and how many PPP loans the bank has processed.

Kevin Warren, Big Ten commissioner, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the future of college sports and what will weigh into the decision on allowing college sports to return.

Rob Lynch, Papa John's CEO and president, joins CNBC's Kate Rogers to discuss the company's quarterly earnings, how the company was able to lessen the blow from the coronavirus and its supply chain management.

The Department of Justice has decided to drop the criminal case against President Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn. CNBC's Kayla Tausche reports.

David Katz, Matrix Asset Advisors CIO and Ron Insana, Schroders NA senior advisor, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the state of the markets amid the coronavirus pandemic and the stocks they're watching.

Restaurants across the U.S. are slated to reopen during the summer season as coronavirus restrictions are lifted. CNBC's Kate Rogers reports on what that could mean for restaurant jobs.

Todd Gordon, Ascent Wealth Partners and John Petrides, Toqueville Asset Management, discuss the stay-at-home stocks they're watching with Seema Mody.

The FDA has approved Moderna's coronavirus vaccine candidate for a phase 2 trial, something the company calls a crucial step in its timeline. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel joins "Squawk Box" to discuss.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina and former FDA commissioner, tells "Squawk Box" that a Covid-19 vaccine could be made available for use in "selected circumstances" before it receives official approval for wider distribution.

David Gitlin, president and CEO of Carrier Global, joins "Squawk on the Street" to discuss the company's first-quarter earnings, how the pandemic has impacted business, his expectations for future demand and more.

Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, joins "Squawk on the Street" to discuss the company's Q1 earnings results and how coronavirus has stalled travel plans globally.

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer joins "Squawk Alley" to discuss the process of reopening cities and keeping infections down.

CNBC's Tyler Mathisen is joined by Vital Connect CEO Peter Van Haur to talk about how the company's VitalPatch product just got FDA approval to monitor coronavirus patients.

CNBC's Aditi Roy talks about meat shortages in the U.S. and the growing demand for products like Impossible Foods with the company's CEO Pat Brown.

David Deno, Bloomin' Brands CEO, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss what their reopened restaurants look like, the company's first quarterly earnings, what customers are ordering and the April jobs loss number.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Former FDA Commissioner, joins "Closing Bell" to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.

"We need to acknowledge that good things can still happen without going into denial about all the bad things that are currently happening," the "Mad Money" host said.

As the novel coronavirus began to take hold on the United States, the Federal Reserve made a number of quick policy actions. The Fed slashed rates to nearly zero, announced a slew of asset purchases, and more, in an effort to stave of economic devastation as businesses shuttered and millions of Americans lost their jobs. Here's what the Federal Reserve has done to preserve a financial system rocked by a global pandemic.

Airbnb is one of the many businesses in the travel industry that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. In March of 2017, Airbnb was valued at $31 billion. By the end of April 2020 that value dropped to $18 billion. With the threat of more cancelations as the pandemic halts the travel industry, guests, hosts and investors alike are left asking what Airbnb will look like after the novel coronavirus pandemic, or whether the company will survive at all.

Efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic have been largely bolstered by the usage of a 70-year-old wartime law called the Defense Production Act. Originally signed into law during the Korean War, the DPA affords the President special powers, such as mobilizing companies to produce medical supplies and accelerating the availability of resources to combat the pandemic.

Our cartoonist on the plans to resume the 2019-20 Premier League season and possible options to complete it

• Buy a copy of this cartoon at our print shop
• Take a look through David’s Guardian archive

In the latest in our series on how Covid-19 will change football, we look at its impact at grassroots and non-league level

This could be the end of grassroots football. The impact is going to be horrendous. The main problem now is we’re not getting money we would usually receive from training-session fees or fundraising, because they’re not taking place. That money goes towards subsidising teams for the next season, helping them with pitch fees, league fees, trophy presentations, etc.

The league’s centralised structure should help during the pandemic but it is also vulnerable in a way that European competitions are not

The warning from Adrian Hanauer was stark. According to the Seattle Sounders majority owner, the shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could result in “astronomical” losses for Major League Soccer teams. “Hundreds of millions, billions, really big numbers,” he told the Sounder At Heart podcast earlier this month.

Hanauer’s remarks were in line with much of what is being said around the soccer world. The sport has never experienced anything like this with entire seasons on hold, soon to be abandoned in some cases, and competitions such as Euro 2020 and Women’s Euro 2021 pushed back a whole year. For all the meetings that have been held and contingency plans drawn up, nobody can guarantee when play will resume.

• President calls for resumption of football despite crisis
• Brazil has more than 5,900 deaths due to the coronavirus

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro wants to see football competitions restart soon despite the country’s high number of coronavirus cases, arguing that players are less likely to die from Covid-19 because of their physical fitness.

Bolsonaro is one of the few world leaders that still downplays the risks brought by the coronavirus, which he has likened to “a little flu”.

With the sporting calendar on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, football stars around the world are challenging each other to perform tricks with loo roll as part of the #stayathomechallenge to encourage fans to practise social distancing

Made in Senegal takes an in-depth look at the rise of Liverpool forward Sadio Mané, who is the current African player of the year. The documentary will be exclusively available across Europe on Rakuten TV’s free Rakuten Stories channel from 8 April.

With football on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, one of the world’s leading freestylers is helping fans remain active under lockdown. Every day, Liv Cooke a four-time world record holder, posts footage of herself performing a freestyle trick with instructions on how to follow suit at home

• A trick a day: how freestyler Liv Cooke is bringing light to the lockdown

Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp after his parents fled civil war in Liberia. He has since become the youngest footballer to play for Canada and won a Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. The 19-year-old talks to Gary Lineker about his incredible journey

Barcelona icon Andrés Iniesta has video-called the children born because of his famous goal against Chelsea in 2009. The late winner at Stamford Bridge led to a spike in pregnancies. 'Has your mum shown you the goal?' Iniesta asks Ignacio, born on 18 January. Of course she had, Ignacio says: 'You were a star.'

• Happy conception day: Andrés Iniesta calls children born because of his goal

As the Premier League weighs up a possible return in June, many questions remain unanswered. From testing regimes to where games will be played, Paul MacInnes takes a look at the key hurdles

• Project Restart: the hurdles Premier League football must clear to resume

• Manchester City defender admits visiting sister and parents
• Club will not discipline him due to extenuating circumstances

Kyle Walker believes he is being harassed by the media after contravening lockdown rules again when visiting his parents and sister, with Manchester City deciding against disciplinary action due to extenuating circumstances.

The Sun reported that Walker travelled to Sheffield on Wednesday to visit his sister and parents. This came after the defender apologised following a report he held a party at his house with two sex workers present last month, breaking lockdown rules.

• Heel fracture discovered on striker’s return to training centre
• Injury adds to difficult first season in Spain for €65m signing

The Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic has suffered a foot injury while training at home and is unlikely to be fit for the potential restart of the La Liga season in mid-June.

The Spanish club have confirmed that their medical team discovered a fracture in the Serbian striker’s heel bone during routine tests carried out prior to the resumption of individual training on Monday.

Figures from across the men’s professional game including managers, players and a scout, discuss how football will alter

When life has finally returned to normal, I think football will change for the better. We should see the reversal of a power balance that has swung the wrong way for too long, switching it back in favour of the clubs. I would certainly expect that to happen in the divisions below the Premier League, where the financial implications of Covid-19 are hitting particularly hard. Players and agents will have to lower their expectations, and we will see fewer instances of football clubs being held to ransom over deals and contracts.

Peruvian politician and diplomat who served for two terms as the UN secretary general and helped to end the war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who has died aged 100, was a cautious and conservative Peruvian diplomat who became the secretary general of the United Nations for two terms during a difficult and dismal decade from 1982. He also served, briefly, as prime minister of Peru in 2000-01.

As secretary general, Pérez de Cuéllar faced a series of global crises, including the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the subsequent Gulf war, and he had to deal with the difficulties caused by the permanent hostility of the Ronald Reagan administration to the UN, as well as the consequent failure of the Americans to pay their dues.