Boris Johnson has issued a direct appeal to parents to send their children back to school when classes reopen in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many youngsters have been at home since March thanks to coronavirus. 

The prime minister said it was "vitally important" to get back to face-to-face learning and the "life chances" of a generation were at stake. In a statement released on Sunday night, he thanked school staff for spending the summer "making classrooms Covid secure" and said the risk of contracting coronavirus in one was "very small". 

Mr Johnson's words echo those of the UK's four chief medical officers who've come together to reassure parents too, but BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says the PM clearly sees value in taking personal control of the back-to-school message himself. In part, that's because the recent furore around exams has left confidence in Education Secretary Gavin Williamson damaged. 

Children in Scotland have already returned to school. Hear what it's been like for some of them. Also, read more on some of the measures schools are taking, and the BBC Reality Check view on the question of risk. The NEU, the UK's largest teaching union, says schools still need more staff, extra teaching space and greater clarity on what to do if there is a spike in cases.

Meanwhile, a study published today suggests anxiety levels among 13 and 14-year-olds dropped during lockdown. Researchers at the University of Bristol said the results were a "big surprise" and raised questions about the impact of the school environment on teenagers' mental health.

The UK travel industry has reached a "critical point" and further government support is vital to prevent even more redundancies and company closures. That's the message from industry body Abta this morning. It says the pandemic has already claimed about 39,000 jobs and "the government's stop-start measures" around quarantine restrictions have meant "the restart of travel has not gone as hoped". Many firms, including cruise and school travel operators, remain closed altogether.

STA Travel, a stalwart of student adventures, ceased trading on Friday - yet another High Street casualty. Hays Travel and Tui, two other big UK players, have also announced significant cuts in recent weeks.

If you are in the market for a holiday, here's the latest on where you can go.

Sentencing has begun of the man behind the murder of 51 people in two New Zealand mosques in 2019. The attack, parts of which the gunman streamed live online, sent shockwaves around the world and prompted New Zealand to make swift changes to its gun laws. The hearing heard that Australian national Brenton Tarrant wanted to attack a third mosque, and aimed to "inflict as many fatalities as possible" on his rampage. He faces life in prison, possibly without parole - a sentence never before imposed in New Zealand. See the faces and stories of some of those he killed.

Boris Johnson's appeal to get children back to school receives support across a number of editorials. The Daily Express backs the idea that there's a "moral duty" to ensure pupils return. The Times agrees, saying the closure of schools has disproportionately damaged the young and the less well off. The Guardian quotes a senior Tory who calls the move a deliberate attempt to switch the "messenger" after weeks of criticism levelled at the education secretary. The Sun, meanwhile, criticises what it calls "militant" union officials, claiming they are hoping for another education fiasco to embarrass the government and "if children's futures are blighted, so what?"  Elsewhere, the Daily Mail leads with accusations by grieving families that East Kent Hospitals University Trust refused to report or investigate suspicious maternity deaths. And according to the Daily Telegraph, rape victims may soon be allowed to give evidence in a pre-recorded statement, rather than in person, in an attempt to prevent them being intimidated by attackers in the courtroom.

This week, The Boss profiles Shahrzad Rafati, who left Iran for Canada aged 17 with just one suitcase and barely any English. Today, she runs an internet video giant. Elsewhere, find out about one company's mission to create the world's largest urban rooftop garden in Paris. And see how North Korea's propaganda machine is taking a more youthful approach by embracing YouTube.

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