Coronavirus: Matt Hancock says shutting down UK cities may become necessary – latest updates

USA, Australia and Thailand report first deaths from coronavirus as two frontline doctors in China die and bans are put in place on large gatherings. Follow live news

A parent and child who attended the minor injuries unit at Sevenoaks Hospital in Kent on Saturday afternoon have been advised to self-isolate at home and call NHS 111 in case they require testing for the coronavirus.

The parent grew concerned when the child, who had been at school with pupils who recently returned from Italy, developed a mild temperature.

Our Sevenoaks Minor Injury Unit (MIU) has now closed for the evening and will be reopening as normal tomorrow morning.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

You can find the details of your nearest, alternative MIU here https://t.co/TjQ9dy665d pic.twitter.com/YmotgxTFLq

A “surveillance network” of GP practices in Scotland will test patients with coughs and fevers and submit samples, even if patients have not travelled to an area affected by coronavirus, as part of the Scottish government plans.

The measure described as an “early warning” system to alert health professionals to possible spread of the virus.

“Hospitals and GP surgeries will now conduct tests on some patients with coughs, fevers or shortness of breath - regardless of whether they have travelled to a place where the virus is known to be spreading.”

“Not everyone with flu will be tested, but this is a sensible step to take as a precautionary measure to give us an early warning of community transmission.”

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Coronavirus is bad enough – Trump’s cuts have made the danger far worse

Our government is headed by an incompetent paranoid trying to wreck the institutions that could contain this deadly virus

This week the US stock market suffered its largest weekly loss since 2008, as cases of the novel coronavirus not explained by overseas travel or contact with a person known to be infected were reported in California, Oregon and Washington state. On Saturday, the first US death was reported.

Related: Trump fends off criticism of 'hoax' remark after first US coronavirus death

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Trump nominates John Ratcliffe for top intelligence officer post – as it happened

  • This is the second try to name the Republican as DNI
  • Court ruled 2-1 to block Trump Remain in Mexico policy
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It’s been a busy day in US politics. Here’s a rundown of the top stories:

Trump is ad-libbing on the coronavirus at his rally in South Carolina, Oliver Laughland reports.

Trump is ad libbing significantly. Breaking off from prepared remarks on coronavirus to ask Graham and Scott to pass legislation that allows him to serve for 25 years

“Lets term limit ourselves at 25 years. Tim pass it in the senate with Lindsey. A 25 year term limit, please.”

We are doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the infection from entering the country. We have no choice. Whether it’s the virus that we’re talking about, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans.

Now you see it with the coronavirus… when you have this virus, or any other virus, or any other problem coming in, it’s not the only thing that comes in through the border… and we’re setting records at the border, we’re setting records, and now, just using this, important, so important.

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Self-belief surges as Trump’s conservative faithful plan four more years

At the annual CPAC conference in Maryland, Republicans were in buoyant mood about the president’s re-election prospects

“Four more years!” the crowd chanted at Mike Pence, the vice-president. “Four more years!”

Not so long ago, under the shadow of investigations, impeachment and dismal approval ratings, Donald Trump’s re-election seemed a long shot. But at the biggest annual gathering of grassroots conservatives on Thursday, self-belief was surging and some were already looking ahead to what a second term might bring.

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Obama takes legal action over ‘misleading’ Republican attack ad on Joe Biden – live updates

  • Vice-President Pence to take charge of US response to coronavirus
  • Poll shows widespread concerns about election security and integrity
  • UN chief Michelle Bachelet criticises Trump’s weakened environmental protection standards
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The US Dept. of Justice announced it had created a division tasked with denaturalizing immigrants.

The Denaturalization Section “underscores the department’s commitment to bring justice to terrorists, war criminals, sex offenders and other fraudsters who illegally obtained naturalization” officials said in a statement.

Denaturalizations have ramped up under the Trump administration: Of the 228 denaturalization cases that the department has filed since 2008, about 40 percent of them were filed since 2017, according to official department numbers.

According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, actor Steven Seagal allegedly failed to disclose a promotional agreement related to cryptocurrencies.

The SEC alleges Seagal accepted $250,000 in cash and $750,000 worth of Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G) tokens in exchange for online promotion of the currency, including “posts on his public social media accounts encouraging the public not to ‘miss out’”.

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Trump says coronavirus spread not ‘inevitable’ – video

Donald Trump has sought to play down the threat from coronavirus, saying the danger to Americans ‘remains very low’ and predicting that the number of cases diagnosed in the country, currently on 15, could fall to zero in a ‘few days’. In a press conference in Washington, the US president also announced he was placing the vice-president, Mike Pence, in charge of coordinating the US response to the coronavirus outbreak

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Trump campaign sues New York Times for libel over Russia story

  • Suit alleges ‘extreme bias’ in knowingly publishing falsehood
  • Opinion piece titled ‘The Real Trump-Russia Quid Pro Quo’

Donald Trump’s re-election campaign said on Wednesday it had filed a libel suit against the New York Times accusing the newspaper of intentionally publishing a false opinion article related to Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

In an escalation of the Republican president’s long-running battle with the news media, campaign officials said the lawsuit was being filed in New York state supreme court, the state’s trial-level court.

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Will coronavirus trigger a global recession? | Jeffrey Frankel

World economy’s prospects look bleak owing to Covid-19 outbreak and Donald Trump’s trade policy

At the start of this year, things seemed to be looking up for the global economy. True, growth had slowed a bit in 2019: from 2.9% to 2.3% in the US and from 3.6% to 2.9% globally. Still, there had been no recession and as recently as January, the International Monetary Fund projected a global growth rebound in 2020. The new coronavirus, Covid-19, has changed all of that.

Early predictions about Covid-19’s economic impact were reassuring. Similar epidemics – such as the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), another China-born coronavirus – did little damage globally. At the country level, GDP growth took a hit but quickly bounced back, as consumers released pent-up demand and firms rushed to fill back orders and restock inventories.

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Ex-White House doctor: to help Trump’s diet I hid cauliflower in his mash

  • Ronny Jackson says he encouraged president to eat vegetables
  • ‘The exercise stuff never took off as much as I wanted it to’

A former White House physician who memorably said Donald Trump might have lived to 200 if he had improved his junk-food heavy diet has confessed to sneaking cauliflower into the president’s mashed potatoes.

Related: Trump lashes out at Schumer as Democrats slam 'no plan' on coronavirus – live

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Delhi rocked by deadly protests during Donald Trump’s India visit

Hindu and Communist groups clash ahead of US president’s visit, with further conflict over controversial citizenship laws

Donald Trump’s visit to Delhi has been overshadowed by deadly protests that have continued to engulf India’s capital, as protesters and armed mobs wreaked havoc on the streets and the death toll rose to seven.

Violent clashes between groups of protesters who either supported or were opposed to a new citizenship law left one policeman and six civilians dead on Monday. Police deployed teargas and smoke grenades in an attempt to control the violence.

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Trump holds rally in India while Steyer qualifies for South Carolina debate – live

Coming off his landslide Nevada victory, Bernie Sanders is now investing in South Carolina, which will hold its primary on Saturday.

Seeing an opening in South Carolina after their big win in Nevada, the @BernieSanders campaign is upping their presence here. They’ve launched a five day statewide ad buy, investing $500k in the closing days of the primary.

The latest numbers are in, and Mike Bloomberg has spent more than $500 million so far on his presidential campaign.

.@MikeBloomberg's current total for all media types: $509,512,884 or, in other words, half a billion dollars. #Election2020

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Trump sings Modi’s praises at massive rally in India – video

On a two-day visit to India, the US president addressed more than 100,000 people at a massive public rally in Gujarat.

During his speech in Narendra Modi’s home state, Donald Trump said the US and India would shortly announce an ‘incredible’ trade deal, but repeated the line that the Indian PM was a ‘very tough negotiator’. He praised his achievements with the Indian economy and lifting people out of poverty, while Modi said the two countries had a ‘far greater and closer relationship than ever before’.

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The Guardian view on Iran’s elections: a closing door | Editorial

The victory of hardliners in the parliamentary contest was engineered. But Donald Trump’s choices have destroyed faith in the promises of moderates

Iran’s election on Friday was a blow to moderates, a disappointment for conservative rulers and bad news for the region too. The result was largely ordained before anyone could cast a ballot. Hardliners appear to have swept the parliamentary contest – taking all 30 seats in Tehran – because the authorities ensured that they would. The Guardian Council, which is loosely under the control of the supreme leader, had disqualified around half of the thousands of candidates for the 290-seat body, including 90 serving members. While parliament’s powers are limited, it can impede the president and shape the political environment; with a presidential race due next year, the result sets a course for conservative control of every branch of government – as seen during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s grim tenure.

Yet the outcome of Friday’s poll was far from the endorsement sought. Despite the supreme leader’s exhortations to vote, the extension of polling hours and the anger engendered by the US assassination of Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds force, a usually active electorate stayed away. Turnout stood at just 42.5%, the first time it has dipped below 50% since the 1979 revolution; in Tehran it was just 25%.

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Trump’s approval rating rises, boosting chances of winning second term

New Gallup poll gives Trump a 49% rating, first net positive for the president since January 2017

Donald Trump’s popularity rating is improving at a key moment in election year – boosting his chances of winning a second term in the White House.

Related: Nevada caucuses: Bernie Sanders wins in resounding victory

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Trump reportedly calls John Bolton a ‘traitor’ and wants to block his book

  • President said book shouldn’t be published before election
  • Key impeachment witness Marie Yovanovitch to release memoir

John Bolton is “a traitor” and his book should not be published before the election in November, Donald Trump reportedly told aides and media figures.

The president’s views on news of a book deal for Marie Yovanovitch, another key figure in the Ukraine scandal which led to Trump’s impeachment, were not immediately clear.

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Bernie Sanders denounces Russia’s reported efforts to aid his campaign – live

Frontrunner condemns interference and says: ‘Unlike Trump, I do not consider Vladimir Putin a good friend. He is an autocratic thug’

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US officials told Bernie Sanders that the Russian government is working to help him secure the Democratic nomination, the Washington Post reported Friday.

And new reports are emerging that Sanders knew a month ago about the interference. Asked why the news is only coming out now, Sanders pointed to the Nevada caucuses and suggested media was to blame.

Sanders tells reporters he learned about Russian interference in his campaign about a month ago.

But asked why it came out now, Sanders points to the fact that the NV caucuses are a day away. And adds sarcastically, "Washington Post? Good friends."

That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Mario Koran, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

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Trump dismisses reports of Russian interference in 2020 election as ‘disinformation’ – video

Donald Trump has dismissed reports of Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election to his benefit as 'disinformation' at a rally in Las Vegas the day before the democrats are due to hold the Nevada caucuses

Trump had previously cast doubt on the intelligence community’s conclusion that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help him beat Hillary Clinton

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Roger Stone is a friend of Trump – does that mean he’s above the law?

Stone, sentenced to 40 months for lying to Congress, is an ally of the president – and in the US in 2020 that carries a lot of weight

Any other convict, in Roger Stone’s place, might find cause for despair.

Sentenced by Judge Amy Berman Jackson to 40 months in federal prison on Thursday, Stone, 67, the piratical politico, was also on the receiving end of a stern rebuke for making threatening social media posts during the trial and for generally acting as if the rules did not apply to him.

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