Thursday evening news briefing: Queen's coronavirus message
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing - on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp.
Queen tells nation: Royal family 'ready to play our part'
The Queen has sent a message of support to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying the Royal family "stand ready to play our part" in the challenge ahead. She thanked scientists, medical staff and emergency and public services, noting the world is entering a "period of great concern and uncertainty". It comes as the Government will be given sweeping powers to detain people to be tested for Covid-19, then forced to isolate for 14 days or face a £1,000 fine. Chief Political Correspondent Christopher Hope is gutting the 329-page Coronavirus Bill published today in our politics liveblog. You can also follow Boris Johnson's latest Downing Street news conference here. Earlier his spokesman insisted there is "zero prospect" of people being banned from travelling in and out of London, denying the capital will be placed on lockdown. The Coronavirus Bill includes making supermarkets give the Government information on whether there will be disruptions to their supply chains as panic buying continues. Here is a breakdown of the products British people are stockpiling the most. Alas, the Bill does not appear to follow this shop's brilliant way to tackle panic buying - charging £5 for a first bottle of hand sanitiser and £125 for a second.
On a monumental day for news, the Bank of England has cut interest rates from 0.25% to 0.1% in a further emergency move to shore up the economy. The coronavirus death toll in England has risen by 29 to 128, while Northern Ireland has recorded the first death of a patient with Covid-19 and a total of six Scots with coronavirus have died. Science Editor Sarah Knapton reveals why your risk of serious illness may vary depending on your blood type. Members of the House of Lords have been told they should work from home for "their own good". And the restart of English professional football has been delayed further.
PS: Stay informed with our liveblog, daily Global Health Bulletin, WhatsApp group and virus podcast. Our index page has all our articles.
Italy's death toll surges as borders closed Down Under
Italian authorities are threatening to introduce even more draconian measures after a record 475 people died from the coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the overall death toll in Italy to 2,978. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has tested positive and is confined to his home in self-isolation. Australia and New Zealand will close their borders to all people who are not citizens or permanent residents of their respective countries. There are some glimmers of positive news, with Iran announcing it would pardon more than 10,000 prisoners, giving hope that Britons and other foreigners held hostage by the regime would soon be released due to the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, the organisers of the Tokyo Olympics have played down reports that ticket-holders will not be refunded if the event is cancelled and criticised debate over whether the Games should be held.
China's guarded optimism after no new Wuhan cases
China has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 in the virus epicentre of Wuhan or in the surrounding Hubei provice, officials have said. As the UK hunkers down, puts the kettle on and braces itself for what’s to come, Thomas O'Malley reports on how people in China are emerging from their burrows and blinking in the spring sunshine. He writes: "The vibe in the Middle Kingdom is one of guarded optimism; that the worst of the virus is behind us. It’s taken almost two months of unprecedented, coordinated action the likes of which, one imagines, few other countries would have the resources or stomach for." Reading his postcard from China certainly gives you a sense there is light at the end of the tunnel.
You Are Not Alone: Surviving coronavirus lockdown
Zwift power | How amateur cyclists can join the pros from home
Coronavirus cabin fever | Tell-tale signs you and your partner have it
Love in the time of corona | I'm not panic buying - I'm panic dating
Pets and coronavirus | Can I take my dog for a walk during outbreak?
Ready, Steady, Cook | Chef's tips for cooking from stripped shelves
Comment and analysis
Tom Harwood | We can't let authoritarian measures become normal
Tom Harris | Coronavirus has succeeded where the Luftwaffe failed
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | ECB bids to halt firestorm – and save Italy
Benedict Spence | Trump is right - China can't obscure role in virus
Michael Hogan | Soaps being forced off-air might do them good
Video: Celebrity rendition of Imagine to lift spirits
Actress Gal Gadot led a star-studded cover of John Lennon's Imagine as celebrities including Natalie Portman and Jamie Dornan attempted to lift spirits amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a video viewed millions of times on Instagram, Israeli Wonder Woman star Gadot explains the global crisis has left her feeling "philosophical". But Michael Hogan thinks the video shows coronavirus is turning celebrities into cretins.
Also in the news today
Windrush scandal | Home Secretary Priti Patel today issued an unqualified apology to Britain's black African-Caribbean population for the "serious harm" inflicted on people in the Windrush scandal. Her statement to MPs came as the long-awaited review into the scandal found the Home Office displayed elements of "institutional racism" in the "ignorant, thoughtless and careless" way it dealt with the Windrush generation. Read on for details of the damning findings.
Brexit talks | Johnson publishes Trade Bill as Government pushes on
Peter Whittingham | Former Cardiff midfielder dies, aged 35
'Wastes of space' | Staff mocked mental health users, tribunal hears
Teacher banned | He told primary school pupils Islam is 'vile religion'
Extinction Rebellion | Major HS2 protest announced - then cancelled
World news: One story you must read
Raids on extremists | German police raided sites across the country linked to a far-Right group banned by the interior ministry, weeks after a suspected extremist gunman shot dead nine people with migrant backgrounds. The "United German Peoples and Tribes" organisation banned Thursday belongs to a wider "Citizens of the Reich" movement fed by conspiracy theories. Read on for details of the raids.
Editor's choice
Amazing reads | The best children's books of 2020 so far
Gyles Brandreth | Farewell (for now) to my nights with Judi Dench
Don't forget mum | The gifts our beauty editors really want for Mother's Day
Business and money briefing
Retail gloom | High street bellwether Next has said the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a drop in sales of as much as £1bn this year, while Burberry said takings had halved in recent weeks. Read on for details.
EasyJet warning | 'Airlines will go bust without Westminster bailout'
State pension top up | Millions of pensioners could be missing out
On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day
Tonight's TV
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: Superheroes, BBC Four, 9pm | Deconstructing cinema's most popular genres provided rich pickings for Mark Kermode in his first series a couple of years ago, and now he's back with a look at superhero movies. Read on for more.
And finally...
EU's Netflix plea | Brussels has urged Netflix to consider streaming video in lower quality to relieve pressure on the internet during the coronavirus outbreak, which has seen internet use soar as more are confined to their homes. Read on for details.
