Closures dragged total sales down, despite a 109.6% jump in online retail sales for the month – the highest increase on record.

A new survey by GfK found there was a slight overall improvement in mood but fears for the future remain.

Citizens Advice claims cancer patients are among those having to go to work despite being eligible for the job retention scheme.

The marking of Victory in Europe and the coronavirus lead the Friday papers.

The arrests followed the release of a video of the February incident which sparked national outcry.

General Sir Adrian Bradshaw revealed the losses ahead of VE Day on Friday.

A scattering of showers will develop, particularly during the afternoon.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government was also prepared to row back from easing restrictions if ‘things…get out of control’.

Major events were cancelled due to coronavirus, but there was still the chance to bring some colour to the event.

It comes as a six-week-old baby was among the 332 deaths announced by NHS England.

Captain Tom Moore has shared his memories of wartime in a special ITV documentary, Captain Tom's War.

Saturday is set to be even hotter than Friday.

Indications are emerging about the plan the Prime Minister will set out on Sunday for lifting the lockdown in England.

Southern parts of the UK will be fine, warm and dry.

Most of the country will bask in warm sunshine, as London and the South East will be hotter than Ibiza and St Tropez.

The American singer and songwriter was best known for tracks such as Tutti Fruiti, Long Tall Sally and Rip It Up.

The Secretary of State will be joined at Downing Street with deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.

Officials have urged Britons to follow lockdown rules during the sunny weekend.

The United States has become the world leader in COVID-19 cases while posting its biggest spike in unemployment claims in history.

It fell to the Japanese Prime Minister to make the heartbreaking but unavoidable decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until next year.

Donald Trump's announcement to extend coronavirus controls came as his infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci predicted up to 200,000 Americans could die of the coronavirus.

The US Vice-President said the White House's models for the coronavirus pandemic show the country on a trajectory akin to hard-hit Italy.

Evidence showing asymptomatic people can pass on the coronavirus has led public health authorities to reassess their resistance to mask wearing.

Donald Trump has in recent days turned the war against COVID-19 into a war against the states, in a desperate effort to shirk responsibility for his pandemic denialism.

At 8pm, applause rings out from our neighbours' balconies, punctuating the night. It's a new tradition, but when the applause dies down, the jarring reality of our situation is brought home.

The sight of voters waiting in long lines to cast ballots during a pandemic and poll workers wearing HAZMAT suits stunned many Americans.

The World Health Organisation's Director General said countries should avoid politicising the virus issue "if you don't want to have many more body bags".

Typically, some 25 bodies are interred each week on Hart Island. Now they are burying that many each day.

The city that never sleeps is unconscious, and the sirens are relentless.

China's government is putting on a show of sending aid to countries suffering from COVID-19, but undermining efforts to control the source of further pandemics.

The appeal reflects an increased effort by the Trump campaign to use US-China relations as a campaign issue against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The Microsoft co-founder said halting funding for the World Health Organisation during a world health crisis was "as dangerous as it sounds".

Current and former cabinet ministers have rushed to defend Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the wake of damning claims.