Plus, the UK's answer to Cheer
   
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By Victoria King

 
 

Virus plan finalised

 
 
Coronavirus Cobra meeting

Coronavirus is likely to present "a significant challenge" for the UK, but the government and NHS will "stop at nothing" to fight it. That's what the prime minister is expected to tell a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra later . The official plan for how to tackle the virus will be finalised at the talks and could include asking newly-retired NHS staff to return to work. Closing schools and cancelling major public events have not been ruled out, and there are plans for a public health campaign encouraging people to wash their hands for 20 seconds or more.

 

The Cobra meeting comes after the number of UK cases jumped to 36. That includes the first positive result in Scotland and a second person in England with "no relevant travel", meaning it's unclear how he caught the virus. Labour says there are growing concerns about the PM's handling of the outbreak and "serious questions about capacity in our overstretched NHS". 

 

Globally, the virus has killed more than 3,000 people. The BBC's head of statistics analyses the chances of dying from it

 

We've brought together all of the advice for people in the UK, and this piece explains how the country has been preparing.  Follow all the latest updates around the world here.

 
 
 

Energy inefficient

 
 

Nearly two thirds of UK homes - that's more than 12 million - fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets, meaning they pump tonnes more CO2 into the atmosphere than necessary. Householders also spend more on energy bills than they would if those homes were more efficient. The BBC has analysed data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) which you might be familiar with if you've moved house recently. They look at how well a property is insulated, glazed, or uses alternative measures to reduce energy use.

 

One expert, Dr Tim Forman, from the University of Cambridge, said only a national project of a scale not seen since World War Two would be enough to help the UK meet its 2050 net zero carbon target, signed into law last year. Ministers say they know the country needs to go "much further and faster" and are investing more than £6bn to do that.

 

What do you know about saving energy at home? Take our quiz to find out.

 
 
 

Presidential race

 
 

Pete Buttigieg has announced he is ending his campaign for the White House. The 38-year-old former Indiana mayor became the first openly gay presidential candidate from a major party when he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination. The BBC's North America reporter, Anthony Zurcher, says Mr Buttigieg came from nowhere to become a serious contender, but simply couldn't turn his early success into a national wave of support. His departure helps clear the field for a one-on-one fight between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Read more on them and all the candidates hoping to unseat President Trump.

 

Mr Buttigieg's decision to drop out comes ahead of Super Tuesday - the most important date in the race to pick the Democrat nominee. We explain Super Tuesday for you here.

 
 
 
 

'We're not on the sidelines any more'

 

The celebration is deafening as Meg Stovell and her teammates leap from the sprung floor into each others' arms. "It feels amazing," she shouts as Tina Turner's Simply the Best blasts from the speakers. Weeks of intensive sessions perfecting everything from somersaults to song lyrics have paid off: the Bournemouth University Falcons are the student cheerleading grand national champions. Cheer, a Netflix documentary series about cheerleading in the US, has taken millions of viewers on a college team's tumultuous journey to the national competition in Daytona Beach, Florida. So how does student cheerleading compare in the UK?

 
 
 
 
 
  Read full analysis >   
 
 
 
 

Hazel Shearing

BBC News

 
 
 
 
 

What the papers say

 
 
Paper review

Most papers lead with the latest on coronavirus in the UK. "At last, Boris stung into action" says the Daily Mail. The paper claims criticism of Mr Johnson's handling of the situation prompted him to "break cover" on Sunday and visit a Public Health England laboratory. The Guardian, meanwhile, believes the country is "edging closer to the point where containment becomes impossible". The i agrees the virus is moving to the "next phase". Elsewhere, there's a mixed response to the resignation of the Home Office's top civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam. "Good riddance" says the Sun, accusing him of turning on Home Secretary Priti Patel who, it says, is determined to deliver big changes to the immigration system. For the Times, the episode raises "troubling questions for the government about its approach" and it urges ministers to work with civil servants rather than waste energy trying to overthrow them.

 
 
 

Daily digest

 
 
   

Talks...: UK will "drive a hard bargain" in US trade wrangles

 
   

And more talks: UK-EU negotiations will be tricky, says the BBC's Katya Adler

 
   

Mali mission: British troops step up efforts in the West African country

 
   

Scammers: Footage shows fraudsters at work

 
 
 

If you watch one thing today

The UK’s first climate change refugees?
 
 
 
 

If you listen to one thing today

How modern life affects our sleep
 
 
 
 

If you read one thing today

The Arctic honeymoon that led to an unexpected reunion
 
 
 
 

Today's lookahead

 
 
   

10:00: Grenfell Inquiry resumes, with testimony from the architects who designed the cladding system

 
   

14:00: Formal negotiations between the UK and EU on their future relationship begin in Brussels

 
 
 

On this day

   

1969 Supersonic airliner Concorde makes its maiden flight. Watch the relieved pilot's reaction following the successful test mission

 
 
 

From elsewhere

 
 
 

Hello, please stop man-bashing my husband as a conversation starter (Huffington Post)

 
 
 
 

America's long history of lowering the bar in Afghanistan (The Atlantic)

 
 
 
 
 
 

Why women's history month is in March (CNN)

 
 
 

This is how much less women gain financially from having a degree (Refinery 29)

 
 
 
 

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