Image source, Getty Images

Writer Neil Gaiman has made a heartfelt apology to people on Skye for travelling to the island from New Zealand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Writing on his blog he said that he made the decision to fly back to his UK home because like so many other people, his homelife and work had been turned upside-down by the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Gaiman said he wasn't thinking clearly and felt "panicked and more than a little overwhelmed".

He wrote that although he had been careful to isolate himself since arriving, it had been a "foolish" mistake to make the journey and urged others not to come to the Highlands and islands unless they had to.

Police Scotland officers visited Mr Gaiman at his holiday home on Skye and spoke to him "about his actions".

A spokeswoman said he had been "given suitable advice about essential travel and reminded about the current guidelines in Scotland."

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Getty Images

The number of claimants of Universal Credit rose sharply last month, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

The number in paid employment was down by more than half a million.

Monthly job figures are drawn from a labour market survey covering three months.

The most recent was across January and February, when the jobs market was improving, and March, when lockdown began and around quarter of firms stopped trading.

So the rise of 14,000 in the number of Scots seeking jobs, to 113,000, and the unemployment rate at 4.1%, fails to capture the enormity of what has happened.

The UK picture for April, using limited data, tells the more recent story of a sharp fall in hours worked and job vacancies, a rise from 1.2 million to 2.1m in the number of people claiming Universal Credit, and a drop of more than half a million in the number of paid employees, feeding tax through the PAYE system.

The figures do not capture the impact of 7.5 million people across the UK on furlough, and millions of self-employed people whose income has been severely hit.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

A study has found that younger workers - aged between 18 and 24 - are being hardest hit by the squeeze on income during the coronavirus crisis.

More than one in three 18 to 24-year-olds is earning less than before the outbreak, research by the Resolution Foundation claims.

It said younger workers risk their pay being affected for years, while older staff may end up involuntarily retired.

The think tank says young workers' income could be scarred for years to come.

Image source, Getty

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland describes the failure of companies to refund for cancelled flights and holidays due to the coronavirus crisis "a disgrace".

They are finding increasing evidence of bad behaviour including firms either refusing refunds or offering vouchers instead of money.

Image source, Getty Images

The country's slow road out of lockdown and Celtic's joy at being crowned SPFL champions dominate Scotland's front pages.

Figures released for the first quarter of 2020 take in the start of the coronavirus crisis.

Andrew Black
BBC Scotland Business Presenter

Image source, Reuters

News that the owner of Glasgow's Braehead Shopping Centre may have to default on its debt is the latest in a series of problems for the operator.

Intu, which also runs outlets such as Manchester's Trafford Centre, was already having to cope with the retail downturn before coronavirus hit, and now its centres have been heavily affected by lockdown measures.

Eoin Murray, from investment firm Hermes, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It's clear rental income has been hit extremely hard.

"Intu has been unable to sell any of its shopping centres to raise funds and a lot of the retailers will have been asking for rent holidays - or just simply have stopped paying rent."

Image source, Getty Images

Gordon Brown has labelled Scotland’s approach to coronavirus testing as “not good enough”.

The former prime minister has backed a warning from unions, nurses and care homes that action is needed to address “insufficient co-operation” between the UK and Scottish governments.

They have published an open letter calling for an urgent summit on testing.

The Scottish government says it has “greatly expanded testing capacity”, and points out that anyone over the age of five with coronavirus symptoms is now eligible for testing.

Image source, Getty Images

A total of 2,600 jobs are to go, as the new owner of a major energy provider cuts costs and accelerates the move to automation.

Ovo Energy, which took over the retail division of SSE four months ago, is telling staff this morning it will close offices in Glasgow, Selkirk and Reading.

Offices in Cumbernauld and Perth are also expected to see job losses.

Read more here.

Image source, Emily Liddle and George Ridley

Like many others across the UK, Emily Liddle and George Ridley are struggling to secure a refund for a holiday that was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple, who lived in Edinburgh for years, were due to fly to Japan in March and spend three months travelling around Asia.

They say they are about £2,000 out of pocket for flights from two airlines who have refused to refund in cash, instead offering vouchers for future flights.

"We're sort of being asked to hand them an interest-free loan for a year or more," said George.

They spoke out as Citizens Advice Scotland called for action to help consumers who have been refused refunds for flights, holiday and events which have been cancelled during the pandemic.

Read more.

Image source, PA Media

Police Scotland has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive by the body which represents rank-and-file officers over the use of breath tests.

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said it was concerned that officers could be exposed to Covid-19 while conducting drink drive tests.

The federation claims testing urine samples would be a "safer alternative".

But Police Scotland said it was "meeting, and often exceeding, the relevant guidelines".

Welcome to our live coverage of the latest coronavirus developments affecting Scotland.

Key points from yesterday:

• Nicola Sturgeon confirms that her "route map" to lifting lockdown will be published on Thursday with restrictions likely to be eased from 28 May.
• The first minister also says testing will be available to anyone with symptoms over the age of five.
• Loss of smell or taste is added to the UK's list of coronavirus symptoms for which people should look out and self-isolate with.
• NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Highland begin trials of a contact tracing system in Scotland.
• Health Secretary Jeane Freeman promises that 2,000 test and trace workers will be "ready to be deployed" on 1 June
• Latest figures show 2,105 patients in Scotland have died after testing positive for Covid-19.
• About 41% of care homes have Covid-19 cases, Ms Freeman confirms.