Good evening everyone, We head into the weekend with coronavirus testing in Scotland having exceeded targets, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirming the number of tests per day will increase to more than 10,000 next week when combined with UK government tests in Scotland. Meanwhile, the country's exams chief has reassured students that grades will be based on acitivity 'throughout the year'. All of us here at The Scotsman hope you have a healthy and restful weekend - please remember that the lockdown restrictions still apply and even if the weather is fine, stick to essential journeys only and your daily exercise. It's important we continue social distancing. Take care, Your Scotsman team Here are this evening's headlines: Nicola Sturgeon has outlined plans to ramp up coronavirus testing, particularly in care homes Scotland's death toll now sits at 1,515 while the UK total is at 27,510 More than 1 million people known to have had the virus globally have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirms the target of 100,000 coronavirus tests per day has been met Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland about deaths in care homes, Scottish Care chief executive Dr Donald Macaskill said that 'we have to remember that the vast majority, over 80%, of even people in their 90s who develop the disease still go on to survive' Police Scotland is receiving more calls from the public despite the coronavirus lockdown, with public nuisance-type incidents (mainly people reporting breaches of social distancing guidelines) almost doubling compared to this time in 2019 A message from the editorial director While I have your attention, I have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Joy Yates Editorial Director |