BBC Radio's Asian Network

The UK's National Union of Students (NUS) wants compulsory exams for all final-year students to be scrapped because of coronavirus.

The NUS is calling for universities to give final-year students a series of options including:

• opting out of exams and settling for a grade based on attainment so far
• "open-book" exams done at home
• deferring the term at no extra cost.

It also wants thousands of first- and second-year exams cancelled completely.

The NUS vice-president for higher education, Claire Sosienski-Smith, said students were struggling with stress and anxiety, and it was "vital that no student is disadvantaged" by the pandemic.

Image source, Reuters

Matt Hancock also thanks the public for cooperating with the government's "draconian measures".

Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News

Image source, Reuters

A coronavirus test centre for NHS workers has opened at an Ikea store in north-west London.

The firm has offered its Wembley store as an additional medical facility and said it had also donated food to local hospitals, foodbanks and homeless shelters.

Labour deputy leadership candidate Rosena Allin-Khan - who is also an A&E doctor - has shared a letter she sent to the UK health secretary asking how long NHS staff will have to wait for testing.

She says the “lack of testing is having a huge mental health impact on our NHS workforce”.

Former submarine captain Ryan Ramsey knows what it's like to be shielded from the outside world.

He once spent 286 days at sea without seeing the sky.

He has shared five tips for coping with isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

Washing your hands properly is a key part of preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Dr Adele McCormick, from the University of Westminster, demonstrates how to do it correctly - and it should take about 20 seconds.

BBC Breakfast

Hundreds of boxes of personal protection equipment (PPE) have been donated to local NHS services by the University of Birmingham.

Staff in some hospitals have complained they lack basic protective gear such as face masks or medical scrubs, with some even buying their own.

Image source, University of Birmingham

The government says it is working "around the clock" to provide support to the NHS and social care staff.

The equipment from the university's research labs and departments will go to workers at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as well as the local women's and children's hospitals.

Image source, Karen Hume

A family is offering toilet roll as a reward for anyone who helps them find their missing cockatiel.

Oreo escaped on Friday as Karen Hume was hanging out the washing in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk.

She said the house was quiet without the bird, which enjoys singing to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands.

Image source, David Hicks

Two men have admitted stealing bikes belonging to hospital staff who had been caring for patients with coronavirus.

A number of bicycles were stolen at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on Wednesday.

One belonged to a woman who had been caring for three patients "on their deathbed".

The thieves are due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court next month.

Image source, Getty Images

A teenager was faced with sleeping rough when the backpacker hostel he was staying in closed amid lockdown measures in Oxford.

The 19-year-old said he contacted South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxford City Council with nowhere to go.

The waiter, who didn't want to be named, said: "They both told me I would have to sleep rough in a specific location... and that an outreach team would come and find me when they could.

"I've slept on the streets before and it's quite hard."

The man was helped by an outreach group, which managed to find a stranger to put him up for two nights.

BBC Radio Devon

A police officer who appealed for a caravan to stay in so he could protect his family from coronavirus has been swamped with offers.

Sgt Glyn Clark posted an appeal on Facebook explaining he needed to park the van on his driveway so he could continue to work and shield his family.

He said he was offered flats, motorhomes, caravans and even a shepherd's hut complete with a hot tub.

Sgt Clark, from north Devon, now has use of a caravan for free and has thanked people for their generosity.

Image source, UHDB

The brother of one England's first senior medics to die after contracting coronavirus has paid tribute to him.

Ear, nose and throat consultant Amged El-Hawrani died at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on Saturday.

Amal El-Hawrani said his brother was a "noble, strong man" and all NHS staff should be regarded as heroes.

The new Nightingale Hospital at London's ExCel Centre has been built with astonishing speed - going up in just a week.

The Ministry of Defence helped to set it up and hundreds of volunteers will support NHS staff at the Docklands site.

England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, has said the health service is "mobilising like never before".

Three more temporary hospitals are planned - in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Dave Jenkins/MOD/Reuters

As people stay home, areas that would normally be packed on a sunny day were nearly empty.

The official advice if you suspect you have coronavirus, have been in contact with someone who has it, or have been to a place where there are a lot of cases of the virus, is to self-isolate.

But what does that actually mean and what's the right way to do it?

The BBC's medical correspondent Fergus Walsh explains the top five methods to successful self-isolation.

The BBC has been to see the progress of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital at London's Excel Centre.

It's set to open this week and will have between 4,000 and 5,000 beds.

Image source, Getty Images

Private car parks have been criticised for handing out penalty notices to vulnerable shoppers during the coronavirus outbreak.

Norma Sinclair, 88, said her £70 charge for overstaying in a priority shopping time for older customers at a Sainsbury's store in London was "an absolute cheek".