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E-funerals are being offered by a Church of Scotland minister while social distancing rules are in place.

Guidance issued by Scotland's main churches says only close family should attend funerals during the coronavirus pandemic.

But Rev Dr Marjory MacLean is offering a way around these strict rules by recording online memorial services for families.

She said: "While committal services are very constrained at the moment, this idea allows the memorial service to be attended by anyone."

Families will be consulted via a phone or video conference.The first pre-recorded funeral is to be held shortly.

BBC Radio Scotland

The Scottish Government had pledged to increase free early learning and childcare provision to 1,140 hours per year by August 2020 - but councils were released of the legal obligation to deliver this due to coronavirus.

Children Minister Maree Todd tells BBC Radio Scotland: "We have had to pause that, but we've no intention of stopping it.

"As soon as the country begins to recover from an economic perspective, childcare is going to be absolutely vital. We have had very early and robust conversations within government about that.

"We are determined that the sector should be supported through these really challenging times in order that we can come out of the other side and hit the ground running.

"If possible, we don't want to lose momentum on the 1,140 hours and many local authorities have said they are just as committed to it, that they think they will be able to deliver."

BBC Radio Scotland

Children Minister Maree Todd explains that the number of children attending hubs across the country is "below 1% of the normal school population".

Of those attending, 86% are the kids of key workers, while 14% are vulnerable children.

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Blood donations sessions in Forres, Broughty Ferry and Ayr were cancelled on Tuesday as stocks are "exceptionally healthy".

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service aims to have six days' worth of stocks of each blood group at any one time.

All blood types have at least nine days' worth on supply as of this morning.

Blood donation has been classed as an essential medical appointment so people have been able to attend sessions during the lockdown.

BBC Radio Scotland

Children Minister Maree Todd has been taking questions from callers on Mornings with Kaye Adams.

She said the usual advice on social distancing applies to the hubs looking after the children of key workers. "Where possible, people should be two metres apart," she explains.

Ms Todd says: "Distancing is absolutely vital to reducing infection spread, along with routine hand-washing.

"For very young children, this is obviously not possible, but it can be done with older children."

Chris McLaughlin
BBC Sport Scotland

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The SPFL board will today discuss how and when football can return in Scotland.

The best case scenario appears to be late July. The advice is that clubs will need six weeks of group training before playing a competitive match.

Read more: What are the options for Scottish football?

BBC Radio Scotland

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Supermarkets should treat social care staff as well as NHS workers as a priority, the care sector representative body has said.

Speaking on Mornings with Kaye Adams, Dr Donald Macaskill of Scottish Care praised the 57,000 care home staff and the 60,000 people working in community care.

He said: "For ages what they do, which is about helping people live to their fullest, has not been valued. It's not be recognised."

"The least that some of our supermarkets can do is open their doors and allow them to buy food in order to restore themselves," he added.

Prof Jason Leitch - Scotland's national clinical director - is praised by Orkney locals.

Police spoke to some Aberdeen FC players who were training in a city park but no action was taken, the club has said.

The players training on Monday were not part of an organised session, the club said, but it was in an open space at Hazlehead Park,and they were described as following guidelines regarding social distancing.

Since the club closed its Cormack Park and Pittodrie bases, the players have been given a "structured training programme" which is to be done remotely.

The club said the police gave advice about spreading out further across the park, but the players were not asked to stop and were not issued with a warning.

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Hundreds of student nurses have joined the fight against coronavirus.

More than 500 third-year students from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) have begun their inductions with health boards across Scotland.

It follows a call from the Scottish government for student nurses to lend their support to the NHS early.

The students, who are in their final year, are working at hospitals including in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

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The University of Edinburgh has made a number of its courses available online, external for free in a bid to support frontline NHS staff in the fight against Covid-19.

The information was put together by experts in critical care and respiratory medicine.

It is designed to equip clinical staff and healthcare providers with the tools to combat the virus and save lives.

A university spokesman said: "The resources will support those who are treating critically ill patients for the first time and clinicians who are returning to the frontline after some time away."

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling announced yesterday that she had "fully recovered" after suffering "all symptoms" of coronavirus.

The 54-year-old said she had not been tested and had used a breathing technique to get air into the base of her lungs on the advice of her husband Neil Murray, who is a doctor.

She then shared a video of a doctor advising people how to do it with her 14.5 million followers on Twitter.

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland business presenter

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There's growing concern about the effect of the coronavirus lockdown on Scottish construction firms - many of which are small, family-run companies with limited cash reserves.

They say social distancing requirements are making it virtually impossible to get some jobs done, especially on small building sites.

Gordon Nelson, from the Federation of Master Builders industry group, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that Scottish building firms need more government help.

He says they're looking for:

• Payments for the UK government's job retention scheme, covering 80% of salaries, to be made sooner.
• Including the directors of small limited companies in the scheme, because many fall between a gap in qualifying for employee retention payments and the scheme to support the self-employed.
• A delay in all national insurance tax payments by at least a quarter , which has already happened with VAT.
• Address concerns from building firms that that UK government-backed emergency loan scheme is "too clunky", and that they're still finding it too difficult to get through to banks and lenders which provide the loans themselves.

The offshore industry has called for support for coronavirus testing for the workforce.

Industry body Oil and Gas UK and the RMT union have both called for tests to be made available - once priority has been given to NHS and frontline workers.

It follows offshore evacuations over the weekend.

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard said it was a "no brainer" for him, his staff, and the first-team squad to volunteer to defer their salaries for three months.

Executive directors of the Scottish Premiership club will also defer their wages for the same period.

The Glasgow side also intend to furlough "a number of employees" due to the "extraordinary challenges" presented by the coronavirus crisis, but will top up wages to ensure staff are paid in full.

Read the full story here.

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland business presenter

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Scottish seafood companies are having a tough time during the coronavirus lockdown.

They can't export because airlines are largely grounded and the bars and restaurants they supply to are shut.

Cameron Brown, managing director of Loch Fyne Oysters in Argyll, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme "it's a difficult time", with sales down 75-80%.

Exports to places like the Far East and the US make up half its business but have "effectively stopped" and 60-70 staff are furloughed or working from home.

Mr Brown added: "We've managed to continue to operate - it's on a much reduced basis, but compared to many businesses round Scotland where they've had to cease altogether, we consider ourselves quite fortunate."

The Scottish government has announced £10m of support for seafood processors - a combination of grants and loans.

Jackson Carlaw said messages of support for the prime minister that have come in from all parts of the political spectrum have been "hugely appreciated" by everyone in the Conservative Party.

"We really are all in this together and that has made a huge difference," he added.