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MSPs are debating the latest legislation on the coronavirus pandemic.

Constitution Secretary Mike Russell confirms guidance is being put together to set out how and who to ask for an emergency marriage.

This is because, while marriages generally should not go ahead due to social distancing measures, they may be sought for personal and sad reasons, including terminal illness, because of immigration law or because a party is leaving the country for military service.

Until the guidance is released, people should contact their religious body and the NRS, he says.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart speaks to the part of the bill which will introduce notice periods for student halls. He explains the fundamental purpose of those types of rental contracts can no longer be delivered.

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirms an additional £230 will automatically be paid to carers' alongside their allowance.

Image source, bbc

The UK economy shrank at the fastest pace since 2008 in the first three months of the year as coronavirus forced the country into lockdown.

The Office for National Statistics said, external the economy contracted by 2% in the three months to March, following zero growth in the final quarter of 2019.

The decline was driven by a record fall in March, and reflects just one full week of lockdown.

Analysts expect a bigger economic slump in the current quarter.

This is the first official growth estimate since the government introduced social distancing measures at the end of March.

• Bank of England warns of sharpest recession on record
• UK furlough scheme extended by four months
• What is the UK's GDP?

Joanne MacAulay
BBC Scotland news

People are being warned not to resort to fly-tipping rubbish while recycling centres are closed during the coronavirus lockdown.

The environmental agency Zero Waste Scotland says some areas have seen a rise in the problem since the dumps shut, and is asking members of the public to be patient until services get back to normal.

Waste collections in many areas have been affected by the lockdown, although around half of councils now say they're back to normal capacity.

However, all recycling centres remain closed, leaving people unable to get rid of bulkier items.

Another change to our environment under lockdown has been a reported rise in sightings of mice and rats, according to the British Pest Control Association.

The councils' association Cosla says work is under way to bring more waste services back on stream, and it is taking steps to see how recycling centres could reopen again.

In the meantime, it says fly tipping is taking away resources which are much-needed to deliver essential services.

Image source, Getty Images

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is sticking firmly with the "stay at home" message, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging people to "be alert".

So, what can you do in England that you can't do in Scotland?

Here is a breakdown of the key areas where the approaches diverge.

Following questions about the impact FAIs will have on families by MSPs James Kelly and Rona Mackay, the Lord Advocate said that the family liaison charter which was laid before Parliament in 2016 made provisions for the bereaved.

He said that staff who undertake work related to FAIs are "acutely aware" of the effect they have on loved ones.

Mr Wolffe added that in the majority of cases he did not anticipate that the steps announced would delay a family's ability to arrange a funeral.

He added in the small number of cases where this did happen, delays would be kept to a minimum and families would be kept informed.

Earlier Tory MSP Liam Kerr asked the Lord Advocate what steps would be taken for quality assurance of the reporting process, who in the health service would take overall responsibility for accurate reporting and how long would families wait for cases to be closed and receive answers.

Mr Wolffe said that the reporting process was "well understood" within the medical profession and guidance would be issued to medial practitioners.

He said that the involvement of groups including the Health and Safety Executive, the Care Inspectorate, the police and local authorities, would mean information would be accessible without putting a "burden" on the medical profession.

He concluded that while he could not give a commitment on the precise length of time cases would take, he did not expect the timescales to be very different from cases dealt with outside the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the key elements of the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill, external:

• a proposed additional £19.2 million investment in Carer’s Allowance Supplement
• the introduction of notice to leave periods for students in purpose-built student accommodation and halls of residence
• additional protections for those facing bankruptcy.
• there are also recommended legislative changes in areas including non-domestic rates relief, proceeds of crime and the wider operation of Scotland’s criminal justice system

Image source, bbc

Constitution Secretary Mike Russell begins the Stage One debate on the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Lord Advocate James Wolffe advised the Scottish Parliament that work was under way to implement the approach to deaths caused by, or presumed to be caused by, Covid-19.

He said deaths do not need to be reported to the Crown unless there is some other substantive reason - for example they "give rise to public anxiety". This is the way other diseases are treated.

Mr Wolffe told of two circumstances that meet this category. Deaths should be reported to the Crown if Covid-19 is contracted in the course of employment, such as care home workers, NHS staff, transport workers and emergency services - or when the deceased was in a care home when the virus was contracted.

He said it would be "premature" to determine whether a fatal accident inquiry would be appropriate, and that investigations would be "based on the circumstances of each particular case".

The number of people dying with coronavirus has fallen for the second week in a row.

The National Records of Scotland weekly release of data revealed 415 deaths were linked to the virus in the past week - 110 fewer than the week before.

Image source, Getty

There has also been a drop in the number of people dying in care homes.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the drop in deaths "offers further and sustained signs of hope", but said she would continue to "err on the side of caution" with lockdown restrictions.

Read more

Image source, AFP

At Westminster the PM has been facing criticism from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over the advice given to care homes.

Sir Keir said that up until 12 March, care homes were being told it was "very unlikely" anyone would become infected.

The prime minister said "it wasn't true the advice said that".

Sir Keir has written to the PM to ask him to return to the Commons to correct the record.

Read more

Image source, SNS

Scottish football clubs are being pushed to the "brink of insolvency" by the coronavirus crisis despite good management and prior health, warns a new report.

The Annual Football Distress Report, produced by corporate insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor, says the "majority of clubs could face financial peril" but concludes that most will survive.

The author warns that "mid-size clubs without wealthy backers or lucrative television or sponsorship deals" are most at risk, with the "double whammy of significant wage bills and sizeable fan bases that make them heavily reliant on match-day gate receipts" the main problems.

Football has been suspended since 13 March, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying on 20 April that we should not expect to see matches in front of fans "any time soon".

People in the most-deprived areas of Scotland are 2.3 times more likely to die with Covid-19 than those in the least deprived areas, new data reveals.

The latest weekly figures from the National Record of Scotland show additional analysis of the impact of deprivation on mortality.

It shows that the death rate among people living in the 20% most-deprived areas is 86.5 per 100,000.

In the least deprived 20% of Scottish areas the figures is just 38.2.

"Social justice will be at the heart of everything we do," says Nicola Sturgeon when asked about the disproportionate impact of the virus in Scotland's most deprived areas by Stuart McMillan, MSP for Inverclyde.

"We need to pay attention to how people live their lives and their quality of life as we come out of lockdown," says the first minister, who adds that she intends to get back on track with measures such as tackling poverty and child poverty once the crisis has been averted.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr raises concerns about Hour Glass, a charity helping the elderly who have been abused and about funding of small charities in general.

The first minister says she is happy to look into that further and says smaller organisations must be able to benefit from funding.

Image source, Prestwick Airport

In response to a question from Labour MSP Colin Smyth on concerns about Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance workers, the first minister pledges to look into the issue.

She says the current regulations will be reviewed on the 28th of May and those pertaining to employers may need to be changed as the lockdown is eased.

SNP MSP Angela Constance highlights the families of social care workers are not eligible for the same death-in-service payments as their NHS colleagues.

Ms Sturgeon replies: "It is our intention there will be parity."

She confirms the health secretary has written to local authorities and care home providers to begin discussions on the practicalities of this, adding it is a priority for Jeane Freeman.