Coronavirus news you might have missed overnight: From London tube closures to exam chaos

Glimmer of hope too: Italian town at centre of country’s pandemic says it’s had no new cases in successful experiment

The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause chaos across the UK and around the world. Here’s your morning briefing of everything you may have missed over night.

Teachers demand clarity over exams after closure

Schools and universities are calling for urgent clarity from the government after it was announced that GSCEs and A-Levels would be cancelled this year.

Schools across the UK will close their doors on Friday except to vulnerable pupils or children of key workers.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson suggested all children will receive the qualifications they deserve – but did not offer details of how.

London tube stations closed amid suggestions capital may be placed on lockdown by weekend

Some 40 London Underground stations have been shut as the capital attempts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Bus services in the city will also be reduced after Boris Johnson said the virus was spreading faster there than in other parts of the UK.

Significantly, when asked if the city may be placed into lockdown to combat the contagion, the prime minister refused to rule anything out.

Internet providers report surge in use amid concerns over networks becoming overloaded

Vodafone has said it is experiencing a 30 per cent rise in traffic across its UK fixed-line and mobile networks as more people work from home.

TalkTalk also said that its daytime network traffic had risen 20 per cent since Monday, according to the BBC.

Providers insist they can cope with the increased usage.

But European Union commissioner Thierry Breton has suggested TV services could potentially be forced to stream content in low resolution to protect infrastructure.

No new cases announced in China for first time since pandemic began

The country where Covid-19 originated has said it has gone a day without new cases being reported for the first time since the crisis started in January.

China’s national health commission said on Thursday there were 34 new cases – but, crucially, all were found in recent overseas arrivals.

In Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicentre of the outbreak, there were no new cases of any kind during Wednesday.

Donald Trump signs $100 billion emergency relief fund, as US-Canada border is closed for all but essential journeys

The American president has signed a $100 billion aid package into law – which will provide for paid sick leave and free testing.

The federal aid came as Mr Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to close the US-Canada border to all non-essential travel.

Both countries had already issued sweeping travel bans but had maintained exemptions for each other.

Italian town reports no new coronavirus infections after successful experiment

Vo, near Venice, started a unique trial shortly after the start of the pandemic in Europe.

It involved blanket testing the entire northern town’s 3,300 population for the virus. Those found to have it were placed under strict quarantine immediately.

Despite being at the centre of Italy’s outbreak, it has now not reported any new cases in almost a week.

European Central Bank launches emergency €750 billion coronavirus package

The ECB announced the massive measure by saying it would buy up government and company debt across the eurozone.

Its president Christine Lagarde tweeted “there are no limits” to the bank's commitment to the currency.