Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

The Government is warning of delays to the EU settlement scheme because of the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 3 million people have already been granted the right to live and work in the UK after June 2021, but an estimated 600,000 have not yet registered.

In a blog posted on its website, the Home Office says new applications will “take longer than usual” to process during what it describes as a “challenging time”.

Telephone calls will not be answered, it will no longer be possible to submit paperwork by post and centres where ID documents can be scanned have been temporarily closed, the department says.

Image source, Getty Images

Comedian Eddie Large, best known for being half of British comedy duo 'Little and Large', has died after contracting coronavirus in hospital, his agent has confirmed.

The 78-year-old, whose real name was Edward Mcginnis, had been suffering with heart problems, his son Ryan added in a Facebook post.

Large and comedy partner Syd Little attracted audiences of over 15m in their weekly show, which ran from 1978 to 1991 on BBC One.

Many other well-known UK comedians paid their respects after his death was announced, including Michael Barrymore and Tommy Cannon.

The US has sought equipment from Russia as the country copes with coronavirus - however, whether it was gifted or purchased remains unclear.

Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, tweeted , externalthat the country "purchased urgently needed personal protective equipment" to help deal with the situation in New York City.

But the Russian foreign ministry says that the US paid for half of the supplies, and the other half was donated by Russia.

The Russian Defence Ministry TV channel had broadcast footage of a plane being loaded with medical masks and "special medical equipment, of which there is a shortage in the States".

Image source, Getty Images

As the UK gears up for another "clap for carers" on Thursday evening, some people have been showing their appreciation to the NHS in other ways.

A Polish restaurant in Burslem, Staffordshire, has turned its dining area into a sewing room to make protective clothes for local hospital workers.

Agie and Katie's Restaurant bought 220m (720ft) of fabric to make gowns and other items of clothing.

Michaela Davies - a baker in self-isolation - is thanking workers at James Paget Hospital in Norfolk by making them cakes.

Image source, Michaela Davis

And a surgeon who was evicted by his landlady because she feared she would get coronavirus has set up a website to help NHS staff find accommodation.

Dr Joseph Alsousou, 43, said he hoped the website would help other medics in similar predicaments.

Image source, LDRS

From DJ sets to virtually visiting the Vatican, arts editor Will Gompertz presents culture from your sofa - five free online activities to immerse yourself in when social distancing.

Image source, Jonathan Head

Thailand's prime minister has announced a nationwide curfew will come into place on Friday.

Prayuth Chan-ocha said the order banned people from being on the the streets between 10pm and 4am to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Anyone breaking the order - which excludes some people such as medics - faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

In recent days, there has been a lot of friction between Chinese nationals and expats, over how the latter have been responding to China’s strict Covid-19 measures.

Footage has gone viral in China today of three expats in the eastern city of Qingdao, who were seen jumping the queue to get tested at one hospital.

People are shown queuing out of the door, saying that they have been queuing for a "very long time". When one Chinese man argues with the group, an expat is shown taking his hospital paperwork and throwing it on the floor.

Today, a written apology from one of the expats has gone viral. He says his behaviour was "improper", adding: "Instead of yelling profanities, I should have spoken more calmly… I want you to know that I respect China, its people and culture." A version has also been translated into Chinese that he has signed.

Users of the popular microblog Weibo have reacted angrily to the video, saying that they don’t think the apology is sufficient. Many are calling for the three to be deported.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us in the UK, welcome. Here are some of today's developments:

• Health officials say they are "frustrated" by a lack of progress in expanding coronavirus testing in the country. There are currently around 13,000 tests available each day against a target of 25,000
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has faced widespread criticism over his government's testing strategy, said increased screening would be how the UK defeats the virus
• Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge has become the first in the UK to use a much quicker test for staff and patients. Known as Samba Two, it gives a result in just 90 minutes
• The UK's financial watchdog says loan and credit card payments should be frozen to support those struggling
• British Airways is expected to announce it will suspend around 36,000 staff because of the crisis
• And a third prisoner in the UK has died after contracting coronavirus at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire

While most airlines are grounding planes, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been given permission to run several routes.

PIA will run a total of 17 international flights from 4 - 11 April. They will mainly be going between Islamabad and London, Manchester, Birmingham and Toronto, PIA confirmed to our BBC Pakistan & Afghanistan correspondent Secunder Kemani.

Flights were suspended two weeks ago with just a few hours notice as the country went into lockdown.

A number of British families have been left stranded in Pakistan and had called on the UK government to get them home.

One man, an NHS consultant, told the BBC he wanted to return as soon as possible to support his colleagues in Liverpool.

“I want to be there with my team, as frontline staff, being able to offer as much as I can in this war against coronavirus.”

Pakistan has registered 2,291 cases, including 31 deaths.

With their iconic red tunics and tricorn hats, the Chelsea Pensioners are some of the most famous military veterans in the UK.

Normally they're seen during events like Wimbledon and the Chelsea Flower Show. Life under coronavirus is very different.

The BBC’s defence correspondent Jonathan Beale was invited to see what life is like for the pensioners under these new restrictions.

Image source, HANNIBAL HANSCHKE / REUTERS

Photographers from the Reuters news agency have captured the silent streets and stations of the world on lockdown, with each photo taken at midday.

Transport hubs and high streets, normally some of the world's busiest places, are shown nearly deserted.

Image source, ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS

Image source, MANAURE QUINTERO / REUTERS

All photos were taken at midday on 31 March and feature a wristwatch or clock showing the time.

You can see all the images here.

Image source, Getty Images

While most attractions and theme parks can be easily closed during this pandemic, zoos present a different challenge for those working there.

After all, the animals still need to be regularly fed even if there are no visitors.

And as these striking pictures from Turkey's Gaziantep Zoo show, the keepers are continuing their feeding routines.

Albeit in a slightly different outfit...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a special address to the nation for the second time, which should be broadcast on Russian television this afternoon.

In his last address, Mr Putin declared a "non-working week" across the country in a bid to tackle the outbreak.

On Thursday officials announced that the number of confirmed cases in Russia jumped by 771 in just 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,548. Some however fear the situation is far worse in the country.

Mr Putin is working from home, his spokesman announced, in light of the crisis. A doctor the president met at a Moscow hospital has tested positive for the virus, but Mr Putin is not infected.

The UK government is advising people to stay home and only go out if they need to fetch food or medicine, to go to work if it's essential or to exercise.

Even when you leave your home, you need to practise social distancing and keep at least two metres away from other people to protect yourself from catching coronavirus. But what does it actually look like? The BBC's Laura Foster demonstrates.

Labour deputy leadership candidate Dawn Butler has spoken of her "anger" at a lack of testing after her uncle died from Covid-19.

The UK MP tweeted that he had a fall at home, and contracted the virus after being taken to hospital.

Ms Butler said his death came just weeks after her family buried his only son.

"We are devastated as a family, but I'm also angry," she said. "[The] government needs to test everyone who works in the hospitals without delay!"

Almost 170,000 inmates housed in United States federal prisons have been confined to their cells and wards for at least two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says at least 57 inmates and 37 guards have been infected throughout the 122 federal penitentiaries in the US.

Such lockdowns are usually only implemented to quell prison unrest, but the Bureau says the move "is based on health concerns, not disruptive inmate behaviour".

Inmates would still have access to education and mental health treatment, while "limited group gathering" would still be allowed to facilitate access to showers and other services.

The moves comes amid news that two prisoners have been killed by the coronavirus at the same Louisiana prison.

Image source, Getty Images

Spain's death toll from the coronavirus has risen by 950 in a single day, the country's health ministry says.

It brings the total there to 10,003, the second highest in the world behind Italy.

Some of the BBC's best known voices have been choosing their favourite poems as part of Radio 4's #comfortandhope, external series during the outbreak.

Today's poem is read by BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth - she has chosen These Are The Hands by Michael Rosen, who is currently in hospital with suspected coronavirus., external

The poem is published in These Are The Hands: Poems from the Heart of the NHS. All proceeds will go to the NHS Charities Covid Appeal.

You often hear about Cuba's health system and may remember statistics suggesting they have a much higher number of doctors than developed Western countries. And you often see some of these doctors going on humanitarian missions abroad - the latest in Italy, the world's worst affected country as far as fatalities are concerned.

Well, within the island, authorities are taking the pandemic just as seriously. Doctors in the making - nearly 30,000 of them - have been knocking on doors asking people whether they had been in contact with any virus-carrying foreigners and making them aware of rules to follow. And these students repeat this exercise all day, across the country. Some visit 300 families a day, AFP news agency reports.

Cuba has just over 200 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Image source, AFP

Mark Savage
Music reporter, BBC News

Image source, Warner Music

Pop stars including Lady Gaga, Sam Smith and Haim have all postponed albums during the coronavirus pandemic. Not Dua Lipa.

The British singer actually moved the release of her second record, Future Nostalgia, forward by a week - hoping it would give fans a boost during the lockdown.

Lipa said she was "conflicted about whether it's the right thing to do" when "people are suffering". Eventually, she decided "the thing we need the most at the moment is music, and we need joy and we need to be trying to see the light".

The decision seems to have paid off. Variety magazine called the album "the exact right record at the exact wrong time"; and it's heading for number one in this week's charts.

The star called us up from her Air B&B in London (her flat flooded just before the lockdown) to discuss how she's passing the time when she should have been rehearsing for her tour; and what it means to put out a record designed for the dancefloor when everyone is supposed to stay two metres apart.

Read the full interview here.