Budget preview, coronavirus latest and menstrual cup warning

For one, the man actually doing the delivering is a rookie – Rishi Sunak has been chancellor for just four weeks after his predecessor quit. Here’s a bit more about him.

Secondly, this Budget is taking place during a global health crisis. As our economics editor Faisal Islam explains, the likely impact of coronavirus means economic forecasts written just a few weeks ago are already out of date. It also means Mr Sunak will spend plenty of his speech explaining how he hopes to mitigate that impact. That includes giving the NHS “whatever resources it needs” and offering help to individuals and businesses hit financially.

The third thing to note, as our political editor Laura Kuenssberg explains, is that this Budget will bring a significant shift in levels of public spending. Indeed, it’ll set out the highest sustained capital investment since the 1970s. The chancellor will also confirm plans to change the way he calculates the benefit of public spending to include how it spreads wealth around the country.

Remember hearing the phrase “levelling up” a lot during the election? Well, this is the moment when the government hopes to show what that means. To prove that the Conservatives really do want to do more for those people in the North and Midlands who voted for them for the first time.

Incorrect use of menstrual cups could be resulting in some women suffering pelvic organ prolapse, the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told. Menstrual cups fit into the vagina and collect period blood. Their popularity has grown recently, but they’re not currently regulated in the UK and there’s no safety testing. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy wants some manufacturers to include better safety advice to reduce risk.

By Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter

Call it Mini Super Tuesday, or Super Tuesday: The Sequel. No matter the name, a week after Joe Biden surged into the front-runner position, he has consolidated his lead. The bottom line is the race for the Democratic nomination now appears to be firmly in his control. Four years ago, Michigan gave Bernie Sanders a surprise win – albeit a narrow, 49-48 one – breathing new life into a campaign that was struggling after Hillary Clinton dominated Super Tuesday. This time around, the Midwestern state could mark the beginning of the end for his campaign.

The Budget and coronavirus collide on Wednesday’s front pages. In the Daily Mail’s words, this was to be the Budget which marked the end of austerity, but while that’s still vital, the overriding imperative for now is to beat the disease. As the i puts it, Rishi Sunak has a simple task – “break glass, retrieve emergency measures”. For the Daily Telegraph too, this is an emergency and requires an emergency response. In the Sun’s view, the chancellor’s priority must be to prevent firms going bust and the self-employed suffering hardships while off sick. It also calls for payment holidays, a VAT cut – whatever it takes, the paper says. Elsewhere, there are many pictures of deserted streets and tourist attractions in Italy. The Times says the decision of whether and when to introduce similar measures in the UK is inevitably one of political judgement and the choices Boris Johnson makes in the coming days will be critical.

Pell Court hears cardinal’s final bid for freedom

Today Decision expected on the posthumous appeal seeking to overturn the conviction of Abdelbaset ali al-Megrahi over the Lockerbie bombing

21:00 Holders England play Spain in their final group game at the SheBelieves Cup