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P&O Ferries offers £100,000 to some sacked staff - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The firm says it didn't break law over sackings as it shares details of £36.5m compensation plan. | Protests against the sackings have been held at ports around the UK
P&O Ferries has said 800 redundant staff will be offered £36.5m in total - with around 40 getting more than £100,000 each.
The firm has also denied that it broke the law when it sacked the workers without warning last week.
However, unions said the compensation package being offered was "pure blackmail and threats".
Ministers had questioned whether the move was legal - but P&O said those affected were employed outside the UK.
The company said some employees are set to get 91 weeks' pay and the chance of new employment, and no employee would receive less than £15,000.
The video message in which the company sacked workers last Thursday prompted widespread outrage, with unions claiming some staff would be replaced by Indian seafarers on £1.81 an hour.
Ministers had threatened the firm with "unlimited fines" but in a letter to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, its chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite said the 786 sacked workers were employed by three Jersey-based arms of P&O Ferries.
The eight ships they worked on, which service routes including Dover-Calais and Larne-Ciarnryan, are all registered in Cyprus, the Bahamas or Bermuda.
Sacked staff had told the BBC about their experience of being "treated like criminals" - but in the letter Mr Hebblethwaite denied "rumours" that security staff who boarded vessels to manage the situation wore balaclavas or were directed to use handcuffs or force.
"The teams accompanying the seafarers off our vessels were totally professional in handling this difficult task," he said.
The company said its settlement with its workers is believed to be "the largest compensation package in the British marine sector," and more than 40 staff would get severance packages of more than £100,000 each.
The transport and freight company said 575 seafarers affected were in discussions to progress with the severance offers.
However, the RMT union, which has been organising protests over the redundancies said "the pay in lieu of notice is not compensation".
"If staff do not sign up and give away their jobs and their legal right to take the company to an employment tribunal they will receive a fraction of the amount put to them," general secretary Mick Lynch said.
P&O Ferries had until Tuesday at 17:00 to respond to the letter from Mr Kwarteng - in which he said that P&O Ferries "appears to have failed" to follow the correct process for making large-scale redundancies, by not consulting with unions and notifying the government in time.
Mr Kwarteng pointed out that failure to notify is "a criminal offence and can lead to an unlimited fine".
Separately, Business Minister Paul Scully said the government was reviewing all of its contracts with P&O ferries and its owner DP World, including a £25 million subsidy to DP World to help develop London Gateway as a freeport. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60840467 |
St Helens dog attack: Girl aged 17 months killed at home - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The dog that attacked 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch in St Helens was killed by police. | Bella-Rae Birch's family said she would be "sadly missed but never forgotten"
A 17-month-old girl has died after being attacked by a dog in her home.
Bella-Rae Birch died in hospital after the attack in St Helens at about 15:50 GMT on Monday, Merseyside Police said.
Her family said she would be "sadly missed but never forgotten" and thanked the community for its support.
Officers said her "absolutely devastated" family had only bought the dog, which was killed by police, a week ago and tests would be carried out to see if it was an illegal breed.
Police said they would also try to identify its previous owners as part of the investigation.
Supt Steve Brizell said the toddler's death had "left a family and a community grieving and in complete shock".
"Bella-Rae has lost her life in the most unimaginably terrible circumstances," he said.
"At this stage we understand that the family dog they had bought just a week earlier has attacked Bella-Rae inside the family home.
"Bella-Rae was taken by ambulance to hospital by paramedics but despite the best efforts of police officers at the scene, paramedics and doctors sadly Bella-Rae died as a result of her injuries."
The attack happened at the family's home in St Helens on Monday afternoon
The attack happened at the family's home in Bidston Avenue in the Blackbrook area of St Helens.
One neighbour, who gave her name as Jordan, said the child's parents were "hysterical".
"We pulled up from school and heard screaming. I just ran over to try to help and started CPR until the paramedics took over," she said.
"I didn't see the dog, I was just focusing on helping the baby."
Another neighbour who helped to give CPR said: "The parents doted on the children. It's too upsetting to say anything else."
Joanne Matthews said she saw an ambulance outside the house and then about 10 police vehicles arrived.
"I saw them bring the dog out. I couldn't tell what breed it was but from the back it looked like a Staffordshire bull terrier or pit bull," she said.
Bella-Rae's death has "left a family and a community grieving and in complete shock", police said
Ms Matthews, 53, said the toddler was "a beautiful little girl".
"I'd see the family in passing, just to say hello, and they were always very pleasant," she said.
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she got home when the area was busy with police.
"The mum was on the field at the front of the house crying. She was hysterical," she said.
"It is usually very quiet here and safe for children, but when you hear something like this has happened it is so distressing."
Floral tributes have been left outside the family's home
Two police officers remain at the family's home.
The streets were quiet this morning as people come to terms with the tragedy.
It is the early stages of the investigation and police were carrying out house-to-house inquiries and looking at CCTV footage.
As officers conduct tests to see what breed of dog it was, and try to trace its previous owners, they were also reassuring neighbours who are shocked and distressed at the attack.
In a statement, Bella-Rae's family said they would "like to thank the community for their support".
"We would ask that we are now allowed some space and time to try and come to terms with the tragic loss of our much-loved Bella-Rae," they added.
Anyone who witnessed anything in the area at the time, or who has information about the dog, has been asked to contact police.
Supt Brizell said the force was providing the family with support and officers would remain in the area in the coming days to provide "further reassurance and support" to the wider community.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said she was "devastated to hear news that a young girl tragically lost her life".
"Thoughts are with her family and loved ones," she tweeted.
Ms Spurrell said the police and St Helens Council were supporting the family and the local community.
St Helens Labour councillor Jeanie Bell said the girl's death was "absolutely awful".
She tweeted: "I cannot begin to imagine the heartbreak for their family."
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-60829837 |
Terror alert level in Northern Ireland lowered - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Secretary of State Brandon Lewis says the move from a severe to substantial level is based on MI5 intelligence. | The last attempted dissident attack was in April 2021 in Dungiven
The threat posed by dissident republican terrorism in Northern Ireland has been lowered for the first time in 12 years.
NI Secretary Brandon Lewis announced the move, which is based on analysis of intelligence by MI5.
Since 2010 it had been severe, meaning an attack, or attacks, were highly likely. It is now substantial, meaning attacks are likely.
There are five threat level classifications, ranging from low to critical.
The last attempted attack by dissidents was in April 2021, when the New IRA targeted an off-duty police officer in Dungiven, County Londonderry.
A bomb was discovered beside the officer's car outside her home.
The organisation was dealt a major blow in August 2020 when its alleged leadership was arrested following a MI5 bugging operation.
Ten people were arrested and are awaiting trial on about 40 offences.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said it was not a time for complacency
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne said the announcement was "significant".
"The successes that we have achieved over recent years, in preventing attacks, investigating and pursuing groups including the New IRA has brought us to where we are today," Mr Byrne said.
"Unfortunately, there is still a small group of people within our society who are intent on causing harm and dragging Northern Ireland back to the past.
"We will continue to pursue those individuals and bring them before the courts."
You are not going to have one single officer stop checking under their car because of this announcement - in practical terms very little has changed.
It is more of a symbolic step than anything changing in real, practical terms.
These organisations continue to exist, still have the capability to kill and a desire to cause bombings and shootings.
But it does reflect the direction of travel in the past number of years. There have been very few successful attacks by dissidents - many more could have been disrupted behind the scenes.
Today's recategorisation says something of what the capabilities of these organisations currently are in continuing a sustainable campaign.
That is what is being communicated today.
Mr Lewis made the announcement in a written statement to Parliament.
"This is the first time the threat level in Northern Ireland has changed since 2010 and shows the significant progress that Northern Ireland has made, and continues to make, towards a more peaceful, more prosperous and safer society," he said.
"It is a testament to the ongoing commitment to protecting the peace process and tackling Northern Ireland-related terrorism, and the tremendous efforts of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and MI5 for their hard won gains over the past decade.
However, Mr Lewis said it was "not a time for complacency".
"There is still a minority who wish to cause harm in Northern Ireland," he continued.
"As ever, the public should remain vigilant and report any concerns they may have to the police." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60833899 |
UK to fully compensate postmasters who exposed scandal - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Staff who uncovered the Post Office IT scandal but missed out on full compensation will get payouts. | Subpostmasters who helped uncover the Post Office IT scandal but missed out on full compensation are to get payouts under a new government scheme.
The 555 workers won a landmark civil case against the Post Office in 2019, but saw most of their settlements swallowed up by legal fees.
They will now get the same level of compensation as other subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted.
The announcement comes as a public inquiry into the scandal continues.
Between 2000 and 2014, hundreds of subpostmasters and mistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to faults in the Horizon computer software being used at branches across the UK.
In 2019, a group of 555 subpostmasters and mistresses successfully challenged the Post Office over the accusations in the High Court.
That case set a legal precedent and paved the way for a series of cases in which 72 people had criminal convictions overturned.
The Post Office opened a historic shortfall scheme to compensate more than 700 wrongfully convicted former branch managers who had personally covered shortfalls in branch accounts caused by the Horizon software.
But the 555 people who won the High Court case could not participate in the scheme, and despite winning nearly £43m in compensation in 2019, the group's funds were swallowed up due to a "no win, no fee" agreement with Therium, the company which funded the litigation.
The group only got a "small fraction" of the settlement equating to around £20,000 each, the Treasury said.
Therium has agreed to waive its rights to any claim on the new pot of compensation.
Business minister Paul Scully told the BBC's Today programme that the compensation paid to the 555 people would be "absolutely parallel" to the other Post Office workers who had been compensated through the historic shortfall scheme.
He said the group were "pioneers" and had "broken open" the scandal.
"I want to make sure they get that full compensation," he said. "It is a massive scandal and it's something I am absolutely determined to put right."
Asked if the families of 32 out of the 555 people who have since died would be able to receive the compensation, Mr Scully said he would look into it.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Tracy Felstead was sent to Holloway Prison for a crime she didn't commit
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mr Scully said he envisaged the compensation scheme as running alongside the historic shortfall scheme "on the basis of losses, and looking at ongoing losses as well".
"I'd love to say I've got a blank cheque from the Treasury, but that's clearly not going to happen from this place - but the Treasury know that we need to sort it out.
"I want to make sure that the scheme has the confidence of [subpostmasters]," he added.
Following the government's announcement, the Post Office said it welcomed the move.
"Since it came to light through media reports that around £46m of the compensation provided to group litigation claimants was directed to the funders of their case, we have continually urged the government to address this unfairness," a statement said.
It's hard to overstate the importance of the legal precedent set by the victory of 555 subpostmasters two and a half years ago. That was the moment that evidence came into the public domain about the flaws with the Post Office's Horizon system, and back-end access to the software.
The judge did not hold back in his opinion of the Post Office, saying the system was not remotely robust, but that getting that information out of the Post Office had taken subpostmasters years, and many tens of millions of pounds in costs.
It was the moment where the tables turned against a crown institution which had been wrongly convicting, bankrupting, and sacking its own employees for decades.
Their David v. Goliath legal battle has proved the ammunition needed for 706 branch managers who were convicted or sent to prison have been able to get those convictions quashed. It also forced the Post Office to agree to refund 2,500 others for huge financial losses they suffered as result, although most still haven't received a penny of that money.
The 555 original legal trailblazers stood and cheered as their legal victory snowballed, but were left with very little in compensation themselves. This new scheme is promising to set that right. Full details of how to claim have not yet been published, and there's still a lot of nervousness from those who had to fight the Post Office and the government at every turn, but this is the clearest statement yet that a fairer payment is on the way.
The new compensation scheme comes as High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams leads a public inquiry into the Post Office scandal, which has heard testimonies from Post Office staff, some of which were wrongly accused or convicted of crimes they didn't commit.
A total of 72 have had their names cleared so far.
The inquiry - which is expected to run for the rest of this year - is examining whether the Post Office knew about faults in the IT system, Horizon, which was developed by Japanese company Fujitsu.
It will also ask how and why they were left to shoulder the blame.
The Post Office has previously said it is "sincerely sorry for the impact of the Horizon scandal on the lives of victims and their families and we are in no doubt about the human cost".
"In addressing the past, our first priority is that full, fair and final compensation is provided and we are making good progress," it added.
The Department for Business has previously said it is "eager to see all Horizon-related issues resolved fairly and quickly, including for the 555, who played a crucial role in bringing this scandal to light". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60832112 |
Birmingham pub bombings: Chris Mullin allowed to keep source secret - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | A court rules Chris Mullin may guard a source over the Birmingham pub bombings despite police pressure. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chris Mullin: 'My actions were in the public interest'
A journalist may keep secret the identity of a man who police say is responsible for the deaths of 21 people in the Birmingham pub bombings.
A court backed Chris Mullin in a fight against West Midlands Police which wanted to force him to reveal a source over the 1974 atrocities.
Police lawyers maintained Mr Mullin's notes could solve the case, saying they contained the name of the bomb planter.
The former MP said he was "grateful" for the judge's decision.
"The right of a journalist to protect his or her sources is fundamental to a free press in a democracy," he said in a statement after the Old Bailey ruling.
"My actions in this case were overwhelmingly in the public interest."
Chris Mullin has been allowed to protect a source over the Birmingham pub bombings
Mr Mullin helped expose the innocence of the so-called Birmingham Six, the men freed from prison in 1991 when their convictions over the deaths of the 21 were quashed.
No others, however, have been brought to justice for the blasts at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs, and the force says its investigation has remained active.
In 2019, an inquest jury found an "inadequate" IRA warning call on the night of the bombings caused or contributed to the deaths.
The information sought by police - via the courts under the Terrorism Act - pertained to investigations by Mr Mullin in 1985 to 1986.
The work contributed to the release of the Birmingham Six but Mr Mullin always said he could not reveal the identity of an IRA man who helped prove the miscarriage of justice.
He said previously he had been guided only by his efforts to "rescue" the innocent, and that the process had been contingent on guaranteeing the anonymity of crucial parties he interviewed.
Twenty-one people were killed in two blasts in November 1974
The police's legal team said the matter centred on the bomb planter, referred to in court as AB - his true identity redacted in Mr Mullin's notes which were handed over "voluntarily" to police, save for certain omissions.
Police barristers said therein AB had made a "full confession to the murders".
The force knows who AB is and his links to the IRA. But, its barristers said, unredacted notes were needed to link the "confession" to the individual.
Having refused to comply, Mr Mullin thanked the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) who had backed his stance, as well as his legal team which called the outcome a "landmark freedom of expression decision".
The blasts ripped apart the Mulberry Bush pub at the base of the Rotunda and the Tavern in the Town on nearby New Street
Police lawyers had said the benefit of a confession outweighed any promise of anonymity to sources.
After the ruling, the force's assistant chief constable Matt Ward said: "This was a complex issue balancing the need to pursue all significant lines of inquiry related to the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings against the rights of journalists to keep the sources of their information confidential.
"The court has given its independent judgment which we will now consider carefully.
"West Midlands Police remains committed to bringing to justice those responsible for the murder of 21 innocent victims."
Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the Recorder of London, agreed with police that Mr Mullin's research included material that was likely to be of "substantial value" to a terrorism investigation.
"It is difficult to see how a reliable note of a voluntary confessions is not something of substantial value," he said.
However, he added that no matter how strong that case was, it did not override the protection of Mr Mullin's material under Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
That law means journalists are protected from being forced to reveal their sources where their work has been carried out for a genuine public interest.
NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet described the judgement as a "hopeful beacon"
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, welcomed the outcome, saying the judgement was a "hopeful beacon at a time when we rely more than ever on dependable news, despite journalists facing mounting legal challenges".
She said: "Few reporters have been more courageous and dogged than Chris Mullin, nor have they been so spectacularly vindicated.
"This case threatened press freedom and amounted to another attempt to criminalise the legitimate actions of journalists. In refusing this production order, the judge has recognised the principle that the NUJ will always defend - that protecting sources underpins every journalist's ability to report."
She added: "I hope that West Midlands Police now chooses to devote its many powers to amassing sufficient credible evidence to secure a conviction for those terrible bombings."
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-60833230 |
Ukraine war: Russian soldiers fire on Kherson protesters - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Protesters in Kherson scattered as explosions are heard and shots were fired by Russian soldiers. | Russian soldiers in the Ukrainian city of Kherson dispersed a protest against their occupation by firing shots at protesters.
Footage shared on social media, verified by the BBC, also showed explosions which were reported to be stun grenades.
People are reported to have been injured in the incident. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60827106 |
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she's missed holding her seven-year-old daughter - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she has missed holding her seven-year-old, and brushing her hair. | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said she's been spending time catching up with her daughter, in her first media appearance after being held in Iran for six years.
She said it has been "lovely" to catch up with seven-year-old Gabriella, and added she's missed holding her, and braiding her hair.
Asked about a return to Iran, she said she would be "cautious". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60821935 |
Woman stranded on Newquay cliffs rescued - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Emergency services renew warnings to stay safe in the water and check tide times. | Coastal safety warnings have been renewed after a woman who was stranded 10ft (3m) up a cliff face in Cornwall had to be rescued.
The woman, who was on holiday at the time, was winched to safety by a coastguard helicopter at the weekend in Newquay.
High tide was just two hours away and waves were crashing against the rocks when she called 999. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-60824505 |
Malmö: Two women killed after violent attack at Swedish school - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | An 18-year-old student is arrested on suspicion of murder after two deaths in the city of Malmö. | Emergency services arrived at the school shortly after 17:00
Two teachers in their 50s have died after a violent attack at a secondary school in the southern Swedish city of Malmö, police say.
An 18-year-old student at the school has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Local media report that the victims were stabbed, but no firearms were used in the attack.
The two women, employees of Malmö Latin School, were taken to hospital by ambulance but died of their injuries.
At a news conference on Tuesday morning, police said the suspect was arrested just 10 minutes after the alarm was raised.
Officers arrived at an apparently calm school, but found the two injured women and the suspect on the third floor. Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet reports that he was found with an axe and a knife.
The 18-year-old man had no criminal record or history of suspicious behaviour, police said, but investigations were continuing. Police said they would interview the suspect and many others from the school on Tuesday.
The motive remains unknown and there is as yet no evidence of an unusual link between the student and two teachers.
Malmö chief of police Petra Stenkula told reporters that the suspect's home was being searched and that police were interviewing other students and looking for any filmed footage that might exist.
She also said officers were investigating reports in Swedish media that the suspect called the police himself, allegedly admitting to having killed two people. Others also called the emergency services during the incident.
About 50 people, both students and teachers, were in the building when the attack took place. Police were notified at 17:12 (16:12 GMT) on Monday, and the suspect was detained by 17:22.
Police evacuated the school and searched its grounds, but found "no indication" of any more perpetrators.
Armed officers searched the school following the incident
Teachers and pupils told local media that police had entered the school with their weapons drawn and ordered them to remain locked in their classrooms for several hours.
The large secondary school in Sweden's third-largest city is well-known. It was originally founded in 1406 as a church school and moved to its current location in the late 1800s.
All classes scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled, the school's website said. Crisis support is also being made available to students.
"This is absolutely terrible," headteacher Fredrik Hemmensjö told the Aftonbladet newspaper, saying there had been "deadly violence" at the school.
It is the third knife attack at a school in the Skåne region in the last year, though police have not established any link between this attack and the earlier non-fatal incidents.
Officers said they were still trying to work out what was behind the incident.
"Now a great deal of work awaits to be able to understand what happened and the underlying motive for this terrible event," said Malmö North police chief Åsa Nilsson.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said she had heard the news with "sadness and dismay".
Writing on Facebook, she said: "Now the police and prosecutors must find out what happened, so that the person behind this is held accountable for their actions." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60830059 |
New P&O crew on less than £2 an hour, union claims - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The RMT union says Indian seafarers recruited to work in Dover are on rock bottom rates. | The RMT union has not offered proof of the hourly rate and P&O will not comment on agency workers' pay
Indian agency workers hired to replace P&O Ferries crews in Dover are being paid £1.81 an hour, a union claims.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said the low pay was a "shocking exploitation" and "a betrayal of those who have been sacked".
P&O said the figure was inaccurate but said it could not comment on how much agencies pay workers on ferries.
Some of P&O's ferries are registered in Cyprus, meaning they do not have to pay the minimum wage required by UK law.
Firms using UK ports often register ships in other countries, allowing them to pay lower wages.
The minimum wage in the UK for people aged 23 and above is £8.91 per hour.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Parliament: "Maritime employees have not, in this country, indeed throughout much of the world, received some of the same benefits and protections that exist otherwise for workers and this is simply not good enough and it's a practice we have been seeking to end."
He said ships in UK waters operated under international law governed by treaties, so UK law did not always apply.
"These complications allow for employers to take advantage in a way that we've seen I think with P&O Ferries," Mr Shapps added.
Mr Shapps told MPs that he first found out about the prospect of P&O redundancies at 20:30 GMT the evening before the workers were being sacked, but he said it wasn't until he was at the despatch box the next day that he was made fully aware of the scale.
Previously, officials at the Department of Transport had told the BBC that Mr Shapps and the maritime minister Robert Courts had not been informed until Thursday.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said government ministers had "completely failed to act" and the reported rates of pay were "nothing short of a betrayal of the workers who protected this country's supply chain during the pandemic".
A spokesman for P&O said safety was the utmost priority and the new crewing management model was used by many competitors.
"They have recruited high-quality experienced seafarers, who will now familiarise themselves with the ships, going through all mandatory training requirements set out by our regulators," he said.
Mr Shapps said the government was reviewing all of its contracts with P&O Ferries.
He had asked the insolvency service whether P&O had followed rules for redundancies - and if they had not, "that would be a matter for criminal prosecution and unlimited fines".
Mr Shapps also told MPs P&O Ferries should remove British references from their ships if they replace sacked workers with non-UK staff.
The Spirit of Britain, Pride of Canterbury and Pride of Hull are among the names used for the operator's ferries.
The Transport Secretary told MPs it would be "completely inappropriate" for the company to "attach themselves to this country" without having British workers.
Protests took place close to Parliament and also outside the London offices of P&O owners, DP World on Monday.
John, a former seafarer with P&O Ferries based in Dover said the redundancies were "a catastrophe" for all crew involved and he wants the company's chief executive to resign.
"A company who had built up its reputation over 180 years just to be trashed in one single morning of madness by those responsible.
"It's not just a job, it's a home and to be kicked off the ship in the most unceremonious way...it's a catastrophe for all our lives," John, who did not want to give his surname, added.
He expects to lose his severance pay for speaking out to media, but said he "knew the difference between right and wrong".
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said P&O staff were "being replaced by exploited workers, vulnerable workers from overseas".
"We have no beef with those people. We want those people to be paid the wages that we've negotiated for in this country," he said.
The union has called for a boycott of P&O services and is urging the government to look at legal options to reinstate the sacked workers.
Ferries between Liverpool and Dublin have restarted and other routes are expected to follow by the end of the week.
Protests have taken place over the sackings
Services were stopped on Thursday after P&O announced in a video call that 800 staff were being sacked with immediate effect.
The M20 in Kent will close between junctions 8 and 9 from 20:00 GMT while a barrier system is put in place to manage any disruption caused by P&O freight, National Highways said.
The motorway is expected to reopen at 06:00 GMT on Tuesday when lorries heading for the Port of Dover or the Eurotunnel will use the coastbound carriageway on the M20, where they will be queued if necessary.
All other traffic - including local freight and car drivers headed for the continent - should follow the signs and cross over to enter the contraflow on the M20 London bound carriageway, National Highways said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60821266 |
Sabita Thanwani: Man in court over murder of student at university halls - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Maher Maaroufe is charged with murdering Sabita Thanwani, who died at her student accommodation. | Sabita Thanwani, 19, was studying psychology at City, University of London
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of 19-year-old Sabita Thanwani at her central London student accommodation.
Maher Maaroufe, 22, who is also accused of attacking a police officer, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court.
Mr Maaroufe spoke only to confirm his name, age and that he had no fixed address.
Magistrate Greville Waterman remanded him into custody until 24 March, when he is due at the Old Bailey.
Mr Maaroufe, who is a Tunisian national, was asked by the magistrate if he understood proceedings. Mr Maaroufe shook his head.
Mohammed Zeb, defending, told the court he would explain it to his client after they left the courtroom and that at future hearings "there should be an interpreter for the Tunisian Arabic dialect".
Police and medics were called to Arbour House in Sebastian Street, Clerkenwell, at about 05:10 GMT on Saturday where Ms Thanwani was found seriously injured.
She died at the scene and a post-mortem examination gave cause of death as sharp force trauma to the neck.
Ms Thanwani was studying psychology at City, University of London, which is near to the student accommodation where she died.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60821181 |
Unite union 'refused to exempt special schools from strike' - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Members of Unite are taking action over a local government pay offer of 1.75%. | Unite workers are on strike in a dispute over pay
The Unite union refused requests to exempt special school services from strike action, the Education Authority has claimed.
The authority said the union declined requests it made on Wednesday 16 March and Monday 21 March.
The Unite union has been contacted by BBC News NI for a response.
Members of Unite are taking action over a local government pay offer of 1.75%, which the union has called a "real terms pay cut".
Unite is one of the largest public sector unions.
The union said its members in councils, the Education Authority and the Housing Executive expressed overwhelming support for the industrial action in ballots.
Gareth Scott, from Unite, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster the offer was "totally inadequate".
"These local authority workers have seen their pay cut in real terms by 22% in last 12 years," he added.
"Over the last two years, during the pandemic, they have been essential workers and now we have the cost of living crisis - the response from employers was to offer a meagre 1.75% increase."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. We're not being offered a living wage'
When asked if the union had considered making an exception for special schools, he said the problem lay with the employers.
"This could have been avoided by the employers making a fair and reasonable pay offer - something that goes a lot closer to meeting the cost of living," he said.
"Our members do not want to be on strike. But they have got to the point where they feel they have no alternative."
Some school transport, meals, council bin collections, leisure services and Housing Executive maintenance will be disrupted by the week-long action by over 2,000 Unite members.
Some special schools are expected to be particularly affected by the unavailability of Education Authority transport as they rely heavily on the so-called yellow buses.
Some classroom assistants in special schools who are members of Unite may also be on strike.
But only one of 39 special schools - Glenveagh in Belfast - has said it cannot offer pupils face-to-face teaching "due to lack of staffing".
The Education Authority, though, said it had asked on Wednesday 16 March for classroom assistants at Glenveagh to be exempt from the strike.
It had also asked for yellow bus drivers in greater Belfast who transport wheelchair-using pupils to be allowed to continue to work.
The strikes may cause some disruption to school meals
The authority said that on Monday it had gone further and asked Unite to exempt all special school staff and bus drivers from the strike action.
The Education Authority's director of human resources Clare Duffield told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra that Unite had been asked to "protect" special schools.
"It is very disappointing that children with special educational needs are having their normal routine disrupted," she said.
"And it's really disappointing that those requests have been rejected at this stage."
"We have made the requests on a number of occasions and will continue to escalate those requests so that we can attempt to minimise the disruption throughout the week."
"We absolutely respect the right of a trade union and their members to take lawful industrial action but it's very disappointing when that impact son the most vulnerable children and young people."
Ms Duffield said that around 100 out of over 2,000 EA bus routes had been affected by strike action on Monday but that pupils from special schools has been most affected. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60816376 |
Shell reconsiders its exit from oil field off Shetland - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The oil giant is looking again at the Cambo oil field in the Atlantic, as crude prices rise. | Energy giant Shell is reconsidering its recent decision to pull investment from a large new UK oil field, the BBC understands.
In December, Shell said the economic case - along with possible regulatory delays - meant it was withdrawing from the Cambo oil field, which is 75 miles off the west coast of Shetland.
At the time the price of crude oil was under $70 a barrel.
It has since touched double that price and has consistently been over $100.
Oil prices are volatile because of fears that Russian oil will either be shunned, or cut off.
The desire to reduce European dependence on Russian exports has also made the UK government willing to fast track investment in domestic fossil fuels.
Shell has not yet sold its interests in the field. Sources close to the matter said that, while the company's official position had not changed, it did acknowledge that the economic, political and regulatory environment had changed enormously since the decision was announced just three months ago.
Shell last week resubmitted an application to develop the Jackdaw North Sea gas field - off the east coast of Scotland - having had it turned down in October by environmental regulators.
The company said it had modified the chemical processes involved in the gas extraction to meet regulatory requirements.
The UK government said investment decisions are a commercial matter for the companies involved, but it remains committed to the domestic offshore oil and gas sector as the UK transitions to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The UK's North Sea regulator plans later this year to hold the first oil and gas licensing round for new fields since 2020.
Shell's decision last December to pull out of the project was taken two weeks after COP26 - a high profile global climate conference in Glasgow - and was roundly welcomed by environmental campaigners, who described Shell's decision as a hammer blow to the project.
Tessa Khan, director of environmental group Uplift, said new oil and gas assets like Cambo would not help bring down prices or secure UK energy security of supply.
"Contrary to what [Business Secretary] Kwasi Kwarteng has said, this isn't 'our oil'," she said.
"It belongs to Shell who will sell it abroad to the highest bidder. According to the government's own figures, 80% of North Sea oil is put in tankers and exported.
"What it will do is produce carbon emissions equivalent to 18 coal-fired power stations, when we are already experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis. Cambo makes as little sense today as it did last year."
The government is due to unveil its energy supply strategy early next week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60825744 |
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: I should have been freed six years ago - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The British-Iranian was speaking publicly for the first time since her release from Iran last week. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said it should never have taken the government so long to secure her release from prison in Iran.
She told a news conference she had been overwhelmed with emotion to be reunited with her husband and daughter, describing the reunion as precious.
But she said "what's happened now should have happened six years ago".
The British-Iranian was speaking for the first time since her dramatic return to the UK last week.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested on spying charges while visiting her parents in Iran, with her then two-year-old daughter Gabriella, in April 2016. Last week, she was freed after spending six years in detention.
Her release came after the UK government paid a £400m debt to Iran dating back to the 1970s, although both governments have said the two issues should not be linked.
Speaking to the media in Westminster, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe thanked all those who had worked to get her released, paying tribute to her "amazing, wonderful" husband, Richard Ratcliffe, who she said had campaigned tirelessly. She also thanked her daughter "for being very, very patient with mummy".
But she took issue with the credit her husband had granted Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for her release, saying: "I have seen five foreign secretaries change over the course of six years. How many foreign secretaries does it take for someone to come home?"
She added: "We all know… how I came home. It should have happened exactly six years ago."
Describing her arrival back in the UK, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe recalled the "precious" and "glorious" feeling of stepping off the plane and seeing her daughter again.
"I had been waiting for that moment for such a long time," she said.
"It was lovely to get to hold her, to braid her hair and to brush her hair. That was a moment that I really, really missed."
She said she was looking forward to getting to know Gabriella better again and doing everyday things like taking her to school.
Also speaking at the news conference, Mr Ratcliffe joked that it was "nice to be retiring" from his role as a campaigner, and thanked everyone for "making us whole again".
"I'm so pleased she's back home, that she came home to us. We're still negotiating whether daddy's allowed in the same bed as Gabriella and Nazanin. We'll get there."
Mr Ratcliffe continued: "I think we'll do this and then we will disappear off and heal a bit."
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe declined to speak about her ordeal, saying it would always haunt her.
But she added: "I always felt like I was holding this black hole in my heart all these years... I am going to leave that black hole on the plane."
While in Iran in September 2016, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government and was given a five-year sentence.
Then, in April 2021, she was sentenced for another year on charges of propaganda against the government.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always denied those allegations and said that she was only in Iran to visit her family.
Speaking on Monday, she said she had been told by Iranian authorities shortly after her arrest that they wanted "something off the Brits", and that they would not let her go until they had got it.
"And they did keep their promise," she said.
Earlier during her visit to Westminster, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe met Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle in his parliamentary rooms.
Sir Lindsay gave Gabriella a Speaker Bear fluffy toy, which she decided to call Speechless
The Speaker told her "the whole nation rejoiced" when she returned to the UK.
He added: "You have achieved something that many others before you have not - in uniting the House in their efforts and hope to get you home."
Another British-Iranian national, Anoosheh Ashoori, was released at the same time as Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
But Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe also used the event to draw attention to the plight of other dual nationals still detained in Iran.
Morad Tahbaz, who has British, Iranian, and American citizenship, remains in detention, and there are numerous people from other countries who are being held on various allegations of working to undermine the Iranian regime.
Mr Tahbaz's daughter, Roxanne, also appeared at the conference, and said her family felt her father had been "abandoned and left behind" in Iran.
She said they had been told by the Foreign Office that Mr Tahbaz would be included in any deal to release hostages in Iran, and called on the prime minister and the foreign secretary to continue to work for his release.
"I believe that the meaning of freedom is never going to be complete until such time that all of us who are unjustly detained in Iran are reunited with our families," Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said.
"There are so many other people - we don't know their names - who have been suffering in prison."
Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, has called on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee to investigate why the debt the UK had with Iran took "so long" to be paid.
Ms Siddiq - who represents Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's constituency and has called herself the "Nazanin MP" - said she had written to the chair of the committee, Tom Tugendhat.
Mr Ratcliffe welcomed the investigation and said it would be "really valuable for Parliament to take up that challenge and to talk it through". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60819018 |
Ukraine: UK sanctions oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Russian ex-Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov face UK sanctions. | Alisher Usmanov (right) with President Putin at the Kremlin in November 2018
The UK has announced sanctions on two more Russian oligarchs - Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Usmanov's company USM previously had sponsorship ties with Arsenal and - until this week - Everton.
Mr Shuvalov was formerly Russian President Vladimir Putin's deputy prime minister and is currently chairman of the management board of a Russian bank.
The BBC has contacted the two men for their response.
Under the UK government's new restrictions, their assets will be frozen and they will be banned from travelling to the UK.
British citizens and businesses will not be allowed to deal with them.
Boris Johnson said: "For as long as Putin continues his barbaric attack on innocent Ukrainians we will continue to exert every power we have to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his war machine."
And his Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "We won't stop here - our aim is to cripple the Russian economy and starve Putin's war machine."
The government said the two men had "significant interests in the UK and close links to the Kremlin".
Mr Usmanov founded USM Holding company, an investment group that owns iron, steel and copper suppliers and the Megafon telecommunications company.
The company, in which Mr Usmanov holds a 49% stake, sponsored Everton's training ground and had a naming-rights option for Everton's new stadium, due to open in 2024.
However, on Wednesday, Everton suspended the company's sponsorship arrangements, saying the club was "shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine".
Mr Usmanov's business partner Farhad Moshiri - the owner and main investor at Everton - has since stepped down from his role as chairman of USM and announced that he had severed all business links with the Russian.
As part of the deal, the Megafon branding was added to two of the towers of the stadium, one of which can be seen here
The Megafon branding was quickly removed from the stadium in the run-up to Thursday's televised FA Cup match
At the club's FA cup match against Boreham Wood on Thursday evening, Everton's players walked out draped in Ukrainian flags, behind 22-year-old Ukrainian defender Vitaliy Mykolenko who has been made captain on just his fourth appearance for his new club.
Mr Usmanov's previous ties with Arsenal ended in 2018 when he sold his 30% stake. At the time he was the second largest shareholder in the north London club.
In addition to connections with Premier League clubs, the government said Mr Usmanov owned Beechwood House in Highgate, worth an estimated £48m, and the 16th century Sutton Place estate in Surrey.
Mr Shuvalov is less well-known in the UK but the Foreign Office said he owned "two luxury apartments in central London worth an estimated £11m".
The Foreign Office also said it had established an Oligarch Taskforce to co-ordinate work to sanction further oligarchs.
Earlier this week, the EU froze the assets of the Mr Usmanov, saying he was "a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin".
At the time, Mr Usmanov issued a statement calling the EU's decision "unfair" and adding that he would "use all legal means to protect my honour and reputation".
Mr Shuvalov, the other man to be sanctioned, has worked in the Russian government as first deputy minister and government chief of staff, as well as acting as an aide to President Putin.
Igor Shuvalov, seen here with President Putin, is one of 13 oligarchs to be sanctioned by the UK since the invasion of Ukraine
Since 2018 he has been the chairman of the management board of VEB, one of the Russian banks recently sanctioned by the government.
On Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had urged the prime minister to take action against Mr Shuvalov and accused the prime minister of being slow to target other individuals connected with the Putin government.
Government sources have told the BBC it could take weeks to put together sanctions against such people.
Labour, and some senior Conservative figures have said the UK should seize oligarchs' UK assets.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: "We should be looking immediately to seize those assets linked to those who are profiting from Putin's war machine, holding it in trust and returning it to the Russian people as soon as possible."
Elsewhere, the US has announced fresh sanctions on Russian oligarchs including Mr Usmanov, Mr Shuvalov and Mr Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Authorities in France and Germany have seized yachts owned by Mr Usmanov.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab says the government will look at ways to stop lawsuits being used by wealthy individuals to intimidate journalists and organisations covering their wealth and financial interests.
The government is expected to set out a number of options to alter the system, including procedural changes in courts and potential legislation.
Mr Raab told the Telegraph: "We will not have people close to Putin coming here to try and bankrupt people who shine a light on his excesses." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60611683 |
Ukraine: Couple hire hotel in Poland to house refugees - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Jakub and Gosia Golata return to Poland from the UK to help those in need fleeing Russian invasion. | Jakub and Gosia Golata are in Poland helping vulnerable woman and children fleeing Ukraine
A couple has rented out an entire hotel to house Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.
Jakub and Gosia Golata, from Barrow upon Humber, Lincolnshire, emigrated to the UK in 2004 but have returned to Poland to aid humanitarian efforts.
Mr Golata started by driving refugees in a minibus to and from the Ukrainian border, but said he wanted to do more.
He has taken over the 180-bed hotel near Bydgoszcz, in northern Poland, for those waiting to be rehomed.
At first, Mr Golata picked up refugees on eight-hour minibus treks to the border and found friends and family happy to host them, but wanted to do more.
"I came up with this idea that if I would be able to rent an entire hotel and place these vulnerable mothers and children in a hotel, and then allow them to settle, feel safe, looked after and be able to come to terms with what's happening, then that would be the best thing," he said.
"And that would also allow me to find the local community volunteers so they can be taken care of a bit more."
The hotel has 180 beds, and is acting as a hub for Ukrainian refugees in Poland
He has been focusing on those from eastern parts of Ukraine where much of the worst of the violence has occurred.
"It was mentally very challenging because the mothers were crying - they were uncertain about what's going to happen," he said.
Mr Golata said the purpose of the converted hotel would be to act as a "refugee hub" to provide support for those fleeing invasion and the Polish families offering to take them in.
"It's a risk reduction and also a support for both, so much as we are worrying about the refugees we are also worrying about the adopting families, because they also need support," he said.
They have hired the whole of the Park Hotel to act as a hub for refugees
Mrs Golata, a serving officer with Lincolnshire Police, was in Poland on sabbatical caring for her mother when the invasion began. Her husband travelled over to be with her and help in the humanitarian effort soon after.
"We cannot carry on keep drinking tea and thinking about the crisis - now we've got hundreds of thousands of people exposed to potential abuse and sleeping rough," Mr Golata said.
Mr Golata, who works on the HS2 rail project as a logistics manager, received backing from his bosses at Skanska, who contributed funds as well as giving him time to work on the project.
He has rented the hotel - which closed due to the Covid pandemic - with his own money and also linked up with the Polish arm of Sue Ryder to help with fundraising.
He hopes the hub will be taken over by government and the model replicated in towns all over Poland.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-60833678 |
What to expect from Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The chancellor does not want expanded spending to define him, says our economics editor. | The chancellor is under pressure to address the rising cost of living
There is a very big question hanging over tomorrow's Spring Statement: just how much do the public expect the government to give a helping hand at a time of international emergency?
The instinct of the chancellor, is that he can only do so much.
In my travels from Ayrshire to Derbyshire over the past week, trying to take the temperature of the economy at the time of a seismic price shock, it's clear that the public expects more than it used to.
Whether it was Milligan's coach company, unable to work out if it can price its trips at a profit because of rising diesel costs; or the farm owner in Ashover, unprotected by energy caps, facing "open-ended" price increases from heating oil.
Over the period of the pandemic, the chancellor repeatedly rolled out ever expanding multi-billion pound economic rescues, with mainly borrowed money.
But Rishi Sunak does not want expanded government spending to define his tenure at Number 11.
The statement that is coming on Wednesday was originally intended to be no more than an economic update, alongside the new forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Plans have changed since then to reflect the acute challenges for household budgets, but it would be wrong to see this as a mini-Budget. Perhaps not even a micro-Budget. There is still not enough for the traditional "red book" of measures.
The big takeaway from the chancellor's words over the weekend was not about a significant rescue package, but that he can not protect the country from all the pressures arising out of the global wave of surging prices.
The most important text ahead of the chancellor's statement, is his Mais lecture from last month. He used it to push back against the idea that the size of the British state would be left bigger forever.
This is an area of political judgement as well as economic strategy.
The main area of household economic stress - domestic gas and electricity bills - will be dealt with at a later date. The official cost of the government package designed to lessen the burden of next month's record rise, will be revealed.
But whether the further rise will be another few hundred pounds a year or over a thousands pounds a year for an average household can not yet be known with certainty.
The original £9bn package helped mitigate less than half of the £21bn rise in energy prices until January, and that was mostly through loans. But the total value of price rises is on course to more than double to over £43bn.
There is scope to cut back fuel duty on petrol and diesel by a few pence - however, pump prices will still feel like they are at a record, with an average diesel tank costing close to £100.
The really stark fact in here is that amid these global pressures arising from the pandemic bounce-back and the invasion, the government is further squeezing households with significant new tax rises.
It is remarkable this is all hitting at the same time. It is difficult to think that the government would have devised policy in this way, had the price surge occurred earlier.
The effect of some of the national insurance rise on low and middle earners could be unpicked by a rise in the threshold over which it is paid. But, to be clear, these are slightly smaller rises in taxes, not tax cuts.
The problem for the exchequer is that acknowledging the reality of 8% inflation rates for national insurance thresholds, points to doing the same for universal credit and for public sector pay.
Indeed the Bank of England are now projecting that inflation could be at double digit levels at the end of the year.
While some increase in the generosity of universal credit could come, public sector pay is being left to the pay review bodies. In April at least there will be immediate real terms pay cuts, as wages fail to match inflation.
Some of this might be undone by the summer, but the government's position so far is that public sector should pay more attention to the 2% inflation target for setting interest rates, than actual rates of inflation.
And all the while, the Treasury would rather be talking about long term plans to raise investment, productivity, growth, living standards and tax revenues.
The current cost of living crisis threatens to turn into an emergency. And although this could be a new normal lasting years, don't expect a pandemic-style rescue, this time. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60829459 |
Ukraine: What have been Russia's military mistakes? - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | Senior Western defence and intelligence experts outline the battlefield errors made by Moscow. | Russia has one of the largest and most powerful armed forces in the world, but that has not been apparent in its initial invasion of Ukraine. Many military analysts in the West have been surprised by its performance on the battlefield so far, with one describing it as "dismal".
Its military advances appear to have largely stalled and some now question whether it can recover from the losses it has suffered. This week, a senior Nato military official told the BBC, "the Russians clearly have not achieved their goals and probably will not at the end of the day". So what has gone wrong? I have spoken to senior Western military officers and intelligence officials, about the mistakes Russia has made.
Russia's first mistake was to underestimate the strength of resistance and the capabilities of Ukraine's own smaller armed forces. Russia has an annual defence budget of more than $60bn, compared with Ukraine's spending of just over $4bn.
At the same time, Russia, and many others, appear to have overestimated its own military strengths. President Putin had embarked on an ambitious modernisation programme for his military and he too may have believed his own hype.
A senior British military official said much of Russia's investment had been spent on its vast nuclear arsenal and experimentation, that included developing new weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Russia is supposed to have built the world's most advanced tank - the T-14 Armata. But while it has been seen on Moscow's Victory Day Parade on Red Square, it has been missing in battle. Most of what Russia has fielded are older T-72 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery and rocket launchers.
At the start of the invasion Russia had a clear advantage in the air, with the combat aircraft it had moved near the border outnumbering Ukraine's air force by more than three to one. Most military analysts assumed the invading force would quickly gain superiority in the air, but it has not. Ukraine's air defences are still proving effective, limiting Russia's ability to manoeuvre.
Moscow may have also assumed its special forces would play an important role, helping deliver a quick, decisive blow.
A senior Western intelligence official told the BBC that Russia thought it could deploy lighter, spearhead units like the Spetsnatz and VDV paratroopers, "to eliminate a small number of defenders and that would be it". But in the first few days their helicopter assault on Hostomel Airport, just outside Kyiv, was repelled, denying Russia an airbridge to bring in troops, equipment and supplies.
On the parade ground but not the battleground - Russia's T-14 Armata tank
Instead, Russia has had to transport its supplies mostly by road. This has created traffic jams and choke points which are easy targets for Ukrainian forces to ambush. Some heavy armour has gone off road, only to get stuck in mud, reinforcing an image of an army that has become "bogged down".
Meanwhile, Russia's long armoured column from the north that was captured by satellites has still failed to encircle Kyiv. The most significant advances have come from the south, where it has been able to use rail lines to resupply its forces. The UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, told the BBC that President Putin's forces "have lost the momentum".
"They're stuck and they are slowly but surely taking significant casualties."
Russia had amassed a force of around 190,000 troops for this invasion and most of those have already been committed to the battle. But they have already lost about 10% of that force. There are no reliable figures for the scale of either Russian or Ukrainian losses. Ukraine claims to have killed 14,000 Russian troops, though the US estimates it is probably half that number.
Western officials say there is also evidence of dwindling morale among Russian fighters, with one saying it was "very, very, low". Another said the troops were "cold, tired and hungry" as they had already been waiting in the snow for weeks in Belarus and Russia before they were given the order to invade.
Russia has already been forced to look for more troops to make up for its losses, including moving in reserve units from as far afield as the east of the country and Armenia. Western officials believe it is also "highly likely" that foreign troops from Syria will soon join the fight, along with mercenaries from its secretive Wagner group. A senior Nato military official said this was a sign it was "scratching the bottom of the barrel".
Russia has struggled with the basics. There is an old military saying that amateurs talk tactics while professionals study logistics. There is evidence that Russia has not given it enough consideration. Armoured columns have run out of fuel, food and ammunition. Vehicles have broken down and been left abandoned, then towed away by Ukrainian tractors.
Western officials also believe Russia may be running low on some munitions. It has already fired between 850 and 900 long-range precision munitions, including cruise missiles, which are harder to replace than unguided weapons. US officials have warned Russia has approached China to help address some of its shortages.
Defence support announced by the US is expected to include the Switchblade "kamikaze" drone
In contrast, there has been a steady flow of Western-supplied weapons going into Ukraine, which has been a boost for its morale. The US has just announced it will be providing an additional $800m in defence support. As well as more anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, it is expected to include Switchblade, which is a small, US-developed, "kamikaze" drone that can be carried in a backpack before being launched to deliver a small explosive at targets on the ground.
Western officials still warn that President Putin could "double down with greater brutality". They say he still has enough firepower to bombard Ukrainian cities for a "considerable period of time".
Despite the setbacks, one intelligence official said President Putin was, "unlikely to be deterred and may instead escalate. He likely remains confident that Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine". And while the Ukrainian forces have shown fierce resistance, that same official warned that without significant resupplies they too could "eventually be spent in terms of ammunition and numbers". The odds may be better than when the war first started, but they still seem stacked against Ukraine. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-60798352 |
Sir David Amess MP murder trial hears accused targeted Michael Gove - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | A trial hears the man accused of killing Sir David Amess also carried out research on Michael Gove. | Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed during a constituency surgery in October
An "Islamist terrorist" accused of murdering Sir David Amess MP carried out reconnaissance on other potential targets including cabinet minister Michael Gove, his trial heard.
Sir David, MP for Southend West, was stabbed during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 15 October.
Ali Harbi Ali stabbed Sir David repeatedly in an "assassination for terrorist purposes", the jury heard.
The 26-year-old from London denies murder and preparing acts of terrorism.
Opening the trial at the Old Bailey in London, prosecutor Tom Little QC described the defendant as a "radicalised Islamist terrorist" and called it a "murder carried out because of a warped and twisted and violent ideology".
"This was nothing less than an assassination for terrorist purposes," he said.
"It is a crime to which, we say, he has no defence."
Moments before the stabbing the defendant's phone made a sound and he said "sorry" before repeatedly stabbing the MP, the prosecution said.
A post-mortem examination showed Sir David suffered 21 stab wounds to his face, arms, legs and torso, as well as injuries to both hands that were consistent with defending himself.
Ali Harbi Ali "had for a number of years been determined to carry out an act of domestic terrorism", the Old Bailey heard
The court heard Mr Ali had requested an appointment with Sir David under the pretence he was moving to the area and he provided a postcode to verify this.
Mr Little told jurors that Mr Ali appeared "relaxed and chatty" as he walked over to Sir David just before he "brutally" stabbed him in a "vicious and frenzied attack" shortly after midday on 15 October.
Two people arriving for the next appointment heard cries for help from the MP's aides while Mr Ali continued to wave a bloody knife shouting "I killed him, I killed him", the court was told.
Mr Little said the defendant then shouted to those in the church: "I want him dead. I want every Parliament Minister [sic] who signed up for the bombing of Syria who agreed to the Iraqi war to die."
Ali Harbi Ali sat impassively in the dock of Court Two at the Old Bailey as the jury heard how he had given a clear account at the scene of the attack, why he had allegedly done it and how he would then wait for armed police to arrive and shoot him dead.
But this wasn't central London, but quiet suburban Leigh-on-Sea.
So instead, the first responders were two local officers - PCs Scott James and Ryan Curtis - and the jury watched transfixed by the body-worn video of what happened next.
Witnesses warned the officers they would be attacked if they entered. But with a Taser team still minutes away and firearms even further behind, PCs James and Curtis decide to risk their own lives in the hope of saving Sir David's.
Carrying just their batons and incapacitating spray, they enter the church, see the assailant - and then scream at him, with some choice expletives, to drop the knife.
The attacker suddenly does so and a split second later he is rushed to the ground and pinned down, cuffed and his rights are read.
There was nothing the officers could do to save Sir David.
The defendant was then heard on the phone saying: "I've done it because of Syria. I've done it because of the innocent people. I've done it because of the bombing. He deserved to die."
During a confrontation he refused to drop his knife and said he wanted to be shot and "I want to die; I want to be a hero".
Mr Little said that around the time of the attack, the defendant sent a long message to friends and family with a video relating to Raqqa in Syria.
Instead of firearms officers Mr Ali was initially confronted by two plain clothes Essex Police officers, the court heard.
Mr Little said the pair "bravely decided" to enter the building armed only with a baton and incapacitant spray.
He added: "The defendant hoped that he would be shot, killed, a martyr for the terrorist cause.
"However, this was not outside the Houses of Parliament, central London, but Leigh-on-Sea and the first police attenders were not firearms officers but PC Scott James and PC Ryan Curtis."
In his police interview Mr Ali allegedly told officers how he remembered stabbing Sir David "a few times in the places where I stabbed him" adding: "You don't send off a bunch of messages saying that you're committing a terror attack if you don't actually commit a terrorist attack."
Sir David was pronounced dead at the scene in Leigh-on-Sea in his Southend West constituency in Essex
Sir David, first elected as a Conservative MP in Basildon in Essex in 1983, was pronounced dead at the scene, where Mr Ali was arrested by police.
Mr Little said: "This is a case involving a cold and calculated murder, a murder carried out in a place of worship.
"It was a murder carried out by that young man [Mr Ali] who for many years had been planning just such an attack and who was, and is, a committed, fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist."
Mr Little said the attack was "no spur-of-the-moment decision", and said Mr Ali bought the knife used to attack Sir David five years earlier.
He said: "He had for a number of years been determined to carry out an act of domestic terrorism."
Mr Little said the defendant had researched a list of "523 MPs who carried out a vote to carry out airstrikes in Syria", using the website theyworkforus.com.
He carried out reconnaissance trips including six different visits to Michael Gove's address in west London in 2021.
Evidence recovered from his phone suggested he had been on the road where the secretary of state for communities and levelling up lived, the prosecution said.
A note entitled "plans" from 2019, examined possible ways to attack Mr Gove including bumping into him while the MP for Surrey Heath was out jogging.
Data from the defendant's mobile phone also placed him in the proximity of the Houses of Parliament seven times between July and September 2021, the court was told.
Mr Little told the jury: "Being blunt about it, he's not a tourist... looking at Big Ben and taking some photographs.
Trips to a constituency surgery of the Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green in London, Mike Freer, had also been carried out by Mr Ali a month before Sir David was stabbed, the court heard.
Mr Ali had also researched Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and Labour leader Keir Starmer QC in September 2021, said Mr Little.
The jury heard he then researched Southend-on-Sea and Sir David Amess in September before looking for train companies for a journey from Barking to Leigh-on-Sea on 14 October, the day before Sir David was stabbed.
The preparing acts of terrorism charge relates to activity alleged to have been carried out between 1 May 2019 and 28 September 2021.
Mr Ali, of Kentish Town, north London, appeared in the dock wearing a black robe and black-rimmed glasses.
The jury were told by the prosecution that Mr Ali's mental health did not form any part of his defence.
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60822935 |
Ukraine: The small town which managed to block Russia's big plans - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The mayor of Voznesensk hails the "fighting spirit" of local people who drove Russian troops back. | It was one of the most decisive battles of the war so far - a ferocious two-day struggle for control of the farming town of Voznesensk and its strategically important bridge.
Victory would have enabled Russian forces to sweep further west along the Black Sea coast towards the huge port of Odesa and a major nuclear power plant.
Instead, Ukrainian troops, supported by an eclectic army of local volunteers, delivered a crushing blow to Russian plans, first by blowing up the bridge and then by driving the invading army back, up to 100km, to the east.
"It's hard to explain how we did it. It's thanks to the fighting spirit of our local people and to the Ukrainian army," said Voznesensk's 32-year-old mayor, Yevheni Velichko, standing in body armour with his guards outside the town hall.
But almost three weeks after that battle, the mayor warned that another attack by Russian forces was probably imminent and that the town's defenders lacked the weapons to hold them off a second time.
"This is such a strategic location. We're not only defending the town, but all the territory behind it. And we don't have the heavy weapons our enemy has," he said.
Voznesensk's strategically important bridge was blown up to stop the Russians using it
As on so many frontlines in Ukraine, British-supplied anti-tank missiles proved crucial in turning the tide against Russian armour in Voznesensk, leaving the town littered with up to 30 tanks, armoured cars and even a helicopter.
"It's only thanks to these weapons that we were able to beat our enemy here. And we say thank you to our partners for their support. But we need more. The enemy's convoys will keep coming," said Mr Velichko.
Voznesensk's strategic significance became clear soon after Russian forces failed to capture an even larger bridge, further to the south, across Ukraine's second-largest river, the Southern Buh.
Today, Voznesensk is not quite a ghost town, haunted by regular air raid sirens. But thousands have left in recent weeks, by train or on pot-holed country roads that wind through vast, rolling fields of wheat.
Many of those who have chosen to stay behind still seem eager to talk about their remarkable victory.
Voznesensk's mayor, Yevheni Velichko, praised the defenders of his town
"It was a colossal effort by the whole town," said Alexander, a local shopkeeper who filmed himself on the frontlines with an AK47, screaming "Come on my little beauties!" as another volunteer fired a rocket-propelled grenade towards Russian positions.
"We used hunting rifles, people threw bricks and jars. Old women loaded heavy sandbags.
"The Russians didn't know where to look or where the next attack would come from. I've never seen the community come together like that," he said, standing by the twisted wreckage of the bridge, which Ukrainian forces destroyed within hours of the first Russian attack.
The matted swirl of Russian tank tracks still mark Svetlana Nikolaevna's garden, in the village of Rakove, on the southern edge of Voznesensk, where some of the heaviest fighting took place.
Bloody bandages and Russian ration packs litter the hedge rows. The 59-year-old pointed to her husband's tool shed, explaining that two captured Ukrainian soldiers had been held there by the Russians and were only saved from execution by a surge in fighting.
"Look at the blood stains on my door," she said, inviting visitors inside her ramshackle cottage. While she and her family took shelter in a nearby cellar, the Russians converted her entire home into a makeshift field hospital.
"I came back to get some clothes on the second day. There were wounded people lying everywhere. Ten of them, I think. I've cleared up most of the blood," she said.
"They left in a hurry, one night. They left everything behind - boots, socks, body armour, helmets - and just loaded up their dead and their wounded and ran away."
It fell to the local funeral director, Mykhailo Sokurenko, to hunt in the fields for more Russian bodies and then load them into a train wagon.
"I don't consider them human beings [after what they did here]. But it would wrong just leave them out in the field, still frightening people even after their deaths," he said.
"These Russians are sick in the head, so we'll have to stay on guard. But victory will come, and we'll push the Russians out of all our lands." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60840081 |
Chancellor Rishi Sunak to deliver Spring Statement amid price pressures - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The chancellor will give his economic update to the Commons as the cost of living crisis continues. | The Treasury shared pictures of Chancellor Rishi Sunak preparing his statement
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will unveil his Spring Statement later, against a backdrop of rising energy, fuel and food costs.
He is expected to announce measures to help people with the cost of living, including a cut to fuel tax.
He has come under increasing pressure to act, with prices rising by 6.2% in the 12 months to February - the fastest for 30 years.
Labour wants him to go further and scrap a planned tax hike next month.
National Insurance is set to rise by 1.25p in the pound to pay for healthcare - but the party has said the increase is the wrong way to fund investment.
Mr Sunak has ruled out scrapping the increase to NI, but there is speculation he could allow people to earn more before they have to start paying it.
However, the full details of Mr Sunak's speech will not be known until he takes to the dispatch box at 12:30 GMT.
The Spring Statement, one of two financial statements the chancellor makes every year, does not normally see big tax and spending decisions announced.
However, this year Mr Sunak is facing pressure to act on living standards amid soaring energy costs and rising household bills due to increasing inflation.
Millions of households are facing sharp rises in energy bills from next month, when the government's price cap to contain recent rises is set to go up.
Petrol prices have also soared in recent weeks, while inflation is also pushing up the price of household food items.
On Monday, Environment Secretary George Eustice said surging oil and gas prices would lead to "inevitable" rises in food prices this year, with the increasing price of wheat also feeding through into higher prices for products such as chicken.
The chancellor is expected to say the war in Ukraine will make these price pressures worse - but add that a stronger British economy is vital in responding to the "challenge to our values" presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His statement is also expected to set out government plans "to create a new culture of enterprise", including more training and investment.
Expectation has been more muted than normal - given the horror of events in Ukraine - but the Spring Statement is still a significant event that matters for all of us.
The decisions he announces at the dispatch box will affect the prices we pay; the pound in our pocket.
Before the conflict, there was already a squeeze on everyone's wallet coming. Since the outbreak, day by day, the uncertainty around the economy, and the impact of what's unfolding, has only become more acute.
Although every day brings new calls for more help with rocketing energy bills, the Treasury has been reluctant to move from the extra support they promised already, which was only announced last month.
That's in part because the Treasury is instinctively cautious with cash.
But also because price rises are so hard to predict and may go on for many, many months.
Labour has criticised Mr Sunak ahead of his speech, branding him "the high-tax chancellor" and saying there is no evidence to believe his frequent claims that he wants to cut taxes in the long term.
The SNP has also called for the National Insurance rise to be scrapped, dubbing Mr Sunak "the poverty chancellor" for removing the £20 uplift for universal credit and breaking his pledge to keep the pension triple lock.
Some Conservative MPs have also called for the NI rise to be cancelled, with the official budget watchdog expected to say the UK's deficit - the difference between the government's income and what it spends - is better than last predicted in the autumn.
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, said this would give Mr Sunak room to help households with costs, but he would not be able to help people on "average sorts of incomes" with the increases.
A cut to fuel duty has also been a key demand of Tory MPs in recent weeks, with more 50 Tory writing to Mr Sunak last week to make the demand.
Tory MP Robert Halfon, who led the charge, said the country was "heading to a de facto lockdown, where parents can't afford to take their kids to school [and] where workers can't afford to commute by car and have to stay at home".
But the Green Party said cutting fuel duty would not fix the cost of living crisis, and would be the wrong policy at the time of a climate emergency.
Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: "We absolutely know people need help right now - but cuts to fuel duty aren't targeted to support the poorest and the greatest numbers of people."
Instead, the party wants a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to pay for the restoration and doubling of the universal credit uplift, and to extend emergency fuel payments.
The Conservative Environment Network of Tory MPs is also making its own request, calling on Mr Sunak to cut VAT for energy-saving products and home installation to 5%.
The group said the move would cut the cost of installing cavity insulation by £142 and loft insulation by £120 for the average household, helping to lower energy bills by up to £399 and £493 at the current energy price cap - and going even further when the rise kicks in.
Tory MP Stephen Crabb said: "Insulating homes is one of the quickest ways to lower people's energy bills and reduce our reliance on imported energy.
"With millions of draughty British homes and soaring energy bills, we should cut this tax on energy efficiency." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60838493 |
Police send over 100 questionnaires on No 10 parties - BBC News | 2022-03-22 | The Met says officers have begun interviewing people about the lockdown gatherings in Downing Street. | The government has faced intense pressure over gatherings held in and around Downing Street during Covid lockdowns. A police investigation into several of the events has now concluded, with more than 100 fines having been issued to attendees. Here is what we know about the gatherings and the restrictions in place at the time:
A photo from May 2020 showed the prime minister and his staff with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Boris Johnson said "those people were at work talking about work". Boris Johnson was pictured with his wife Carrie as well as Downing Street staff Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising. This event was not investigated by the police. About 100 people were invited by email to "socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening". Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended. Boris Johnson apologised to MPs for attending the event, saying he spent 25 minutes thanking staff, before returning to his office. The police investigation determined that this event did breach the rules in place at the time. A gathering took place in the Cabinet Office to mark the departure of a No 10 private secretary. The police investigation determined that this event did breach the rules in place at the time. We know at least one fine has been issued after the government's former head of ethics admitted receiving one and apologised for attending the event. On Boris Johnson’s birthday, up to 30 people gathered in the Cabinet Room at No 10 to present the prime minister with a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday, according to a report by ITV News. No 10 said staff had "gathered briefly" to "wish the prime minister a happy birthday", adding that he had been there "for less than 10 minutes". Restrictions at the time banned most indoor gatherings involving more than two people. The police investigation determined that this event did breach the rules in place at the time. We know at least three attendees have received fines from the police, with the PM, his wife Carrie Symonds and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all confirming they have paid fixed penalty notices. Two gatherings are understood to have taken place in Downing Street on this date: one to mark the departure of a special adviser and one in the Downing Street flat. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the gathering in the flat where Mr Johnson and his wife live was to celebrate the departure of Dominic Cummings, the PM's former senior adviser. A spokesman for Mrs Johnson denies the party took place. Boris Johnson pictured at a party, according to ITV News Eight days earlier Boris Johnson had announced a new lockdown in England. Indoor gatherings with other households were banned, unless they were for work purposes. The police investigation determined that an event on this date did breach the rules in place at the time but they have not confirmed whether it was one or both of the events. A leaving event was held for No 10 aide, Cleo Watson, where people were drinking, and Mr Johnson made a speech, according to sources. This event was not investigated by the police. The Department for Education has confirmed it had an office gathering to thank staff for their work during the pandemic. It says drinks and snacks were brought by those who attended and no outside guests or support staff were invited. Eight days earlier, London had been placed in restrictions which banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless "reasonably necessary" for work purposes. This event was not investigated by the police. The Conservative Party has admitted that an "unauthorised gathering" took place at its HQ in Westminster. It was held by the team of the party's London-mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, who has since stepped down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee. In December, police said they would be contacting two people who attended the party. The gathering at the Conservative Party headquarters was described as ‘raucous’ This event was not included in Sue Gray's report. Multiple sources have told the BBC there was a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff last year. A photo - published by the Sunday Mirror - shows Boris Johnson taking part and sitting between two colleagues in No 10. Mr Johnson has denied any wrongdoing. Mr Johnson was pictured in the No 10 library under a portrait of Margaret Thatcher The rules: At this time, the rules in London banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless "reasonably necessary" for work purposes. This event was not investigated by the police. The Department for Transport has apologised after confirming reports of a party in its offices, calling it "inappropriate" and an "error of judgment" by staff. This event was not included in Sue Gray's report. A leaving party was held at the Cabinet Office for the outgoing head of the civil service Covid taskforce - the team responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions. Kate Josephs, now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, apologised for the event, saying she was "truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result". A second gathering was held in the Cabinet Office to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office. A third gathering was held in No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of a No 10 official The police investigation determined that an event on this date did breach the rules in place at the time but they have not confirmed whether it was one or all of the events. Downing Street originally denied a report by the Daily Mirror that a party took place in Downing Street on this date. However, a video obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton joking about reports of the event, saying: "This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced." The police investigation determined that this event did breach the rules in place at the time. A gathering was held in No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of two private secretaries. The police investigation determined that this event did breach the rules in place at the time. Two parties were held by Downing Street staff at No 10, the night before Prince Philip's funeral. One of the events was a leaving party for the PM's then director of communications James Slack, who has apologised for the event and acknowledged it "should not have happened at the time that it did". Boris Johnson was not at either party. The rules had been eased in England on 12 April, but working from home continued to be recommended and socialising indoors with people from other households was not allowed. Meeting others outdoors was limited to groups of six people or two households. The police investigation determined that an event on this date did breach the rules in place at the time but they have not confirmed whether it was one or both of the events. We know fines have been issued to some people who attended Mr Slack’s leaving party, but we do not know who they were issued to. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60827451 |
Ukraine invasion: Can China do more to stop Russia's war in Ukraine? - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, many are looking to China's response. | China has always said repeatedly that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of others
A month ago, Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared there was "no limit" to Beijing's newly strengthened relationship with Russia.
He and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had met face-to-face in Beijing, culminating in a joint document - and then they went off to see the opening of the Winter Olympic Games. Days after the Games ended, Russia invaded Ukraine.
China's government has neither condemned nor condoned the attack and has even refrained from calling it an "invasion" in the first place. It has always said that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of others, a core principle of its foreign policy.
But earlier this week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi signalled that it was ready to play a role in mediating a ceasefire. State media here reported that Mr Wang "reaffirmed China's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty" and assured his counterpart of China's readiness to make every effort to end the war... through diplomacy".
China's government also recently expressed "regret" about the military action, saying it was extremely concerned about the harm to civilians.
China has also done one other thing of note. Alongside India, it was one of 34 nations that abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution condemning Russia's invasion - something analysts say has come as a surprise. Many had expected China to vote alongside Russia.
So, is it a sign of a shift in China's policy?
It is more likely a sign that China is trying to strike a balance between the principle of respecting Ukraine's sovereignty while recognising what it describes as the "legitimate security concerns" of Russia.
If you look back to the 5,000-word document signed off by Presidents Xi and Putin when they declared their deepening, unlimited alliance you'll see that objection to Nato expansion unites them, though the agreement covers multiple areas of common ground and planned co-operation; in space, in the Arctic, on Covid-19 vaccines.
It is their shared vision of a future in which China and Russia work much more closely, for mutual benefit.
The other key context to why China might stand fast in its support for Russia and Vladimir Putin - or its lack of condemnation, depending on how you see it - is Taiwan.
The self-governing island, regarded as a rogue province by Beijing, is a place that President Xi wants to see "reunited" with his motherland. Were Mr Xi to do that by military force China would likely face a similar - or likely more serious - reaction from the US and its allies; condemnation, heightened sanctions, cultural exclusion.
Taiwan is not Ukraine. If nothing else, the legal status of the two places is different.
But in acknowledging what it calls Russia's "legitimate security concerns" and caveating the core principle of respecting sovereignty because of "complex and unique historical context", China's leader likely sees a future in which he can seek to justify to the world an "invasion" of Taiwan, and expect Russia's reciprocal support.
And then there's the personal relationship between Mr Xi and Mr Putin. The two have met in person nearly 40 times now.
When he arrived for the Winter Games last month, Russia's president was the most prominent leader by far to come to China since Covid-19 began.
Both are autocratic leaders who share an ambition to deepen the ties and allegiance between their people and their "motherland". Xi Jinping sees a future where China - a vast economy - is more-self-reliant, decoupled to an extent from some of the global ties it has benefitted from.
But the new "no limit" partnership with Russia may not mean an inevitable re-alignment away from the US, its allies and the established world order.
It is, after all, an order in which China has sought to do more in recent years; on climate change, on peace keeping.
And there are also the politics to consider. Not electoral politics, but the politics of association with a warring nation.
China censors much of what its people can see and read but the severity of the war, which - more than any other conventional conflict - is being documented in often horrific detail, by the minute, on social media, may become an important factor in Beijing's calculations over its stance on Russia.
Xi Jinping and the other senior leaders around him may conclude that there is, in fact, a limit to the relationship, and they need to step back - or step up and try to play the role of mediator with Moscow. A role that it told Ukraine it was prepared to take on, but which it has yet to show any sign of starting. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60615280 |
Ed Sheeran copyright trial: Songwriter says he 'feels robbed' - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Sami Chokri says he was "belittled" by Ed Sheeran after noticing similarities between their songs. | Sami Chokri performs under the name Sami Switch
Ed Sheeran "belittled" a songwriter who accused him of stealing one of his songs, London's High Court has heard.
Sami Chokri says he was hurt by the tone of Sheeran's lawyers' emails after he noticed similarities between his song Oh Why and Sheeran's Shape Of You.
"I feel like I've been robbed by someone I respect, or respected," he told the court.
"This is years of a cloud over my head. All I heard and read was emails belittling me and my questions."
He continued: "All I wanted to do was ask for an explanation. If I'd had one we wouldn't have had to go through with this rubbish."
He later called the trial "the most horrible few weeks of my life".
Mr Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch, says the "oh I, oh I, oh I," hook on Shape Of You is "strikingly similar" to the chorus of his song, which was released two years earlier.
In a witness statement, he said he first became aware of the alleged plagiarism in 2017.
"I was a passenger in my girlfriend's car and Shape Of You came on the radio," he wrote. "She and I were both shocked to hear the similarities.
Mr Chokri later put out a Facebook post saying, "Anyone else think Ed Sheeran's new song Shape Of You chorus sounds familiar lol?"
"I had lots of responses," he said, including one from Sheeran's friend Jamal Edwards featuring the "shifty eyes" emoji - which was later deleted.
"I thought maybe he had played a part in showing [my song] to Ed," Mr Chokri told the court. "I had no reason to ever consider it coming to circumstances like these."
Before his death last month, Mr Edwards gave a written statement in which he denied playing Oh Why to Sheeran.
"Even if I was sent a copy, I did not share it with Ed," he wrote.
"I respect what Jamal says," Mr Chokri responded in court, "but I also believe that Jamal would share music with Ed Sheeran."
Sheeran and his co-writers Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac have all denied copying Oh Why.
Last week, Sheeran told the court that the contested element of Shape of You was "very short", and the relevant parts of both songs were "entirely commonplace".
He added: "Even so, if I had heard Oh Why at the time and had referenced it, I would have taken steps to clear it.
"I have been as scrupulous as I possibly can and have even given credits to people who I believe may have been no more than a mere influence for a songwriting element. This is because I want to treat other songwriters fairly."
Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Chokri disputed the star's claim, saying: "I believe Ed Sheeran heard it, that's my truth."
Asked if he was accusing the star of lying under oath, he responded: "I'm not sure if he lied or he doesn't remember."
Giving evidence last week, Sheeran said he originally wrote Shape Of You for Little Mix
In his witness statement, Mr Chokri said he had written Oh Why in June 2014 at a time when he was "truly in pain".
"I remember specifically that I was drinking some wine that day whilst we were writing and recording," he wrote. "I was saying, 'Why do I keep putting myself back in this place?'
"I recall singing to Ross [O'Donoghue, his co-writer], 'Oh why, Oh why, Oh why?' and Ross saying something along the lines of, 'That's It! Let's work on that'.
"The song really resonated because it was a little bit different to anything else that I had made."
Mr Chokri later tried to get Sheeran to listen to the song "as I was inspired by his success and stardom and his endorsement would be a significant boost".
To increase his chances, he sent an EP that included Oh Why to several people in Sheeran's circle, including producer Adam Coltman, musician Jake Roche and Jamal Edwards.
Giving evidence, Mr Chokri said he was certain that one of them would have played it to the star - but "I can't tell you exactly which because I don't know".
Ian Mill QC, representing Sheeran, suggested that Oh Why was itself inspired by Ed Sheeran's cover of the Johnny Cash song The Wayfaring Stranger.
"I doubt it," replied Mr Chokri. "That was a life-changing day for me. I wasn't thinking about Ed Sheeran, I was thinking about staying alive."
He acknowledged being a fan of Mr Sheeran's work, and The Wayfaring Stranger in particular.
"I definitely appreciated his work," he said, "but I've got a bitter taste in my mouth since he stole a part of my song."
Ed Sheeran gave evidence at the High Court on Monday
Mr Chokri and Mr O'Donoghue first accused Sheeran and his copying their song in 2018.
The trio denied the claims and launched legal proceedings in May 2018, asking the High Court to declare they had not infringed any copyright.
Several months later, Mr Chokri and Mr O'Donoghue issued their own claim for "copyright infringement, damages and an account of profits in relation to the alleged infringement".
In court, Sheeran's lawyer noted that Mr Chokri had not registered Oh Why with music rights body the PRS until April 2017 - three months after Shape Of You was released.
"The fact you weren't registered is indicative of the fact you weren't earning money" from the song, he said.
"My main focus... was to get my name out there," replied Mr Chokri. "I didn't think about money at all."
Mr Mill suggested the real reason for registering the song was so Mr Chokri could pursue his copyright claim.
"I was advised that would be the next step," he told the court, but "didn't know that signing up to PRS was for that purpose".
An estimated £20m in royalty payments has been frozen since that point.
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60737066 |
Logan Mwangi: Murder-accused, 14, was 'a monster' - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Foster family of boy accused of murdering five-year-old tell a court they were "terrified" of him. | Logan was found dead in the River Ogmore last July
A teenager accused of murdering a five-year-old boy has been described as "a monster" and spoke of killing people, a court has heard.
The body of Logan Mwangi was found in the River Ogmore in Sarn, Bridgend, last July with 56 injuries.
The court heard the boy said he wanted to kill Logan shortly before his death.
The 14-year-old boy, Logan's mother Angharad Williamson, 30, and his step-father John Cole, 40, are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court and deny murder.
In statements read to the court, the former foster family of the accused said he made their lives "hell" during a period that he lived with them, and described him as a "monster".
He also told the family he would kill them, explaining he would do so if the plot of the horror film The Purge - in which all crime, including murder, becomes decriminalised in a 12-hour period- became real.
The boy's foster father said he had become "terrified" of the boy who had told him he wanted to "punch his lights out".
The family also told of the boy's behaviour towards their family dog, who he insisted on pulling up by his hind legs and keep him dangling even though he was aware the dog had an injured pelvis.
There was also reference to an occasion when he had been witnessed spraying a can of deodorant into the dog's eyes.
Angharad Williamson and John Cole are both charged with Logan Mwangi's murder
The jury heard how on more than one occasion the teenager, who was 13 at the time, had said he wanted to kill Logan.
As details of the teen's behaviour was read to the court, Logan's mother Angharad Williamson began crying loudly from the dock.
The foster family said they had continuously raised concerns about the accused's behaviour and threats with a social worker, Debbie Williams, but these were dismissed as "nonsense".
"She just brushed it off as if it was nothing," the foster mother said in her statement.
In evidence, Ms Williams denied she was ever told about these concerns.
She told the court how she had visited the accused at a number of addresses - at first virtually, and then in person as Covid restrictions eased.
Ms Williams described how the teenager would sometimes "poke, pinch or kick her" during meetings but said he never hurt her.
She also said the teenager used to swear at her regularly, but said she felt it was mainly banter.
She said she last saw the teenager on 30 July and the teenager was "his usual cheeky self, swearing at me."
Ms Williams was also asked about a conversation she had with the teenager around a month after Logan had died.
She told the court, she'd said to the teenager: "I don't think you realise the seriousness of the situation you are in."
The accused replied: "I do know that... we didn't hurt him."
A neighbour of Mr Cole in Maesglas, Sarn, Sheryl Lewis, also gave evidence.
She said she heard Mr Cole crying outside on the phone at about 21:20 BST on 31 July, saying: "Help me, help me. What should I do? What should I do?"
All three defendants deny murder and are also accused of perverting the course of justice, including moving Logan's body to the river near Pandy Park, removing his clothing, washing blood-stained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.
Ms Williamson and the youth pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice, while Mr Cole admitted the charge. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60738465 |
Cost of living: Food boss says prices could rise by up to 15% - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The boss of food firm 2 Sisters warns prices will jump as a result of the war in Ukraine. | A leading food industry boss has warned that prices will spike as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Ronald Kers, the boss of food firm 2 Sisters, told the BBC that the cost of food could rise by up to 15% this year.
He added that the price the company pays for chicken from the farm has jumped.
Top UK flour producer GR Wright & Sons' has also warned its prices are "absolutely certain" to rise due to the conflict.
Russia and Ukraine are some of the world's biggest suppliers of wheat and exports are expected to be affected by the war.
In addition, the price of gas - which is used to heat greenhouses and to make fertiliser, which is essential to food production - has soared.
War in the region is likely to exacerbate prices that were already increasing during what has been described as a cost of living crisis, according to some experts.
2 Sisters employs more than 14,000 people in the UK and specialises in poultry and chilled foods.
Its chief executive told the BBC's Today programme that it had already been forced to pay 50% more for chicken it receives from farms.
He suggested that if the war continues for months, "fundamentally it means as a country we may need to start importing less and producing more ourselves".
"We need to work together with all supply chain partners to find a solution... it's a very complex issue."
Mr Kers also suggested that the UK's exit from the European Union had made matters more difficult, due to a bigger administrative burden for farmers and less alignment on rules with food companies on the continent.
Meanwhile, David Wright, managing director of flour milling company GR Wright & Sons', said that cost increases would "inevitably" be passed on to consumers.
The firm, which has over 44% of the market share for the UK's bread mixes, said it was already struggling with soaring inflation before the conflict, with costs jumping by 30% between September and December.
"Now we have a similar increase [in price due to Ukraine], but instead of it taking four months it has taken two weeks," Mr Wright told BBC Breakfast.
Each lorry load of wheat the firm buys costs now costs an extra £2,500, he said. With the company buying around 20 loads per day, it faces paying an extra £1m per month to keep the business running.
Though availability will not be an issue, Mr Wright said, he is "absolutely certain" that consumer prices will need to rise.
"The price is so high so quickly that if you don't put the price of flour up, businesses will go out of business - it's as simple as that," he added.
The comments come shortly after the National Farmers Union (NFU) warned that food production could be hit, affecting the affordability of food in the shops for years.
In a letter to the government last week, it called for urgent help for farmers.
"The government must act now, with a clear signal that food security is a priority for the nation," the NFU said.
NFU president Minette Batters also told the BBC last week that the rising cost of producing fruit, vegetables and meat could cause farmers to make less at a time when the nation needs more.
"I think the whole world has got to recognise that this is not something we've faced before, we are going to see wheat price inflation levels that have never happened," she said.
It suggested that farmers have been absorbing costs that have gone up so far.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Ros Atkins on why the war in Ukraine is pushing up food prices - and the likely impact on poorer countries
UK feed wheat prices, for example, are already 39% up on March 2021 at £279.40 a tonne, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Other organisations have warned that any costs passed on by food producers would hit those on the lowest incomes the hardest.
Research from the Resolution Foundation think tank published on Monday suggests that the war in Ukraine could see another spike in the cost of living this autumn.
It said that inflation, which tracks how the cost of living changes over time, could reach 10% for the poorest households, whose energy and food bills make up a bigger proportion of their budgets.
James Smith, research director at the Resolution Foundation, called on the chancellor to protect poorest households the "biggest cost of living crisis Britain has faced in generations" at his upcoming spring statement on 23 March.
The jump in oil prices since the beginning of the war in Ukraine has pushed up fuel prices, and the price of unleaded petrol hit another record high in the UK at the weekend.
The RAC said the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol hit 163.46p on Sunday, while diesel rose to 173.44p.
However, oil prices have fallen from their highs and the AA said that "wild" pump prices should stabilise or fall back this week, unless the price of oil takes off again. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60734384 |
Lewis Hamilton to change name to incorporate mother's surname - BBC Sport | 2022-03-14 | Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says he will change his name to incorporate his mother's surname. | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says he will change his name to incorporate his mother Carmen's surname.
The 37-year-old Briton will include 'Larbalestier' as a middle name rather than adding it to his surname.
"I am really proud of my family's name. My mum's name is Larbalestier and I'm just about to put that in my name," said Hamilton.
"I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name."
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Speaking before the start of the 2022 season, which begins this weekend, he added: "I don't really fully understand the whole idea when people get married then the woman loses her name."
Mercedes driver Hamilton said he is "working on" the name change but it will not be official for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton's parents divorced when he was a child.
He returns for the new season after some doubt over his participation following the controversial end the last campaign.
Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap of the last race of the season to take the world title after ex-race director Michael Masi allowed some cars to unlap themselves and others not.
Hamilton said: "I've come back to fight for that eighth (title) - that's what I'm here for."
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Cricket World Cup: England on brink after South Africa defeat - BBC Sport | 2022-03-14 | England's hopes of defending the Women's World Cup are hanging by a thread after an agonising three-wicket defeat by South Africa. | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
England's hopes of defending the Women's World Cup are hanging by a thread after an agonising three-wicket defeat by South Africa in Mount Maunganui.
With three defeats from as many games, England are not yet eliminated, but will need to win all of their remaining four matches and hope other results go their way to reach the semi-finals.
Taken to 235-9 by half-centuries from Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones, England were once again blighted by a raft of missed chances in the field.
Laura Wolvaardt took advantage of three dropped catches and a missed stumping in making 77.
After she fell, Marizanne Kapp, who earlier took 5-45, inched South Africa closer in the face of some magical bowling from Sophie Ecclestone.
Kapp was out for 32 in the penultimate over, leaving the Proteas four to get from the final set.
Shabnim Ismail swung Nat Sciver over the leg side to give South Africa their first World Cup win over England in 22 years.
England play India at the same venue on Wednesday, when another defeat will effectively end their campaign.
In Monday's other game, tournament debutants Bangladesh earned their first World Cup win in a nine-run defeat of Pakistan.
England paid for errors of their own making in tight losses to Australia and West Indies. Given the stakes, the mistakes made at the Bay Oval were more costly, the defeat more painful.
Replacing Lauren Winfield-Hill with Danni Wyatt did not bring an improvement at the top of the order. Wyatt slashed Kapp to point, Heather Knight misjudged to play on off the same bowler and, when Sciver somehow pulled to slip off the back of the bat, England were 42-3.
Beaumont, with 62, and Jones, who made 53, bravely rebuilt but even their dismissals - Beaumont playing across the line and Jones run out by Sophia Dunkley's poor call - were needless.
England scrapped to a total they could have defended, only for chance after chance to go begging in the field.
Beaumont dropped Wolvaardt at point on four, Kate Cross reprieved the same batter off her own bowling on 23 and running back at mid-off on 62. In between, Jones missed a simple stumping.
All the while, England had a trump card in left-arm spinner Ecclestone, who bowled a magnificent spell of 1-23 on the worn pitch.
South Africa saw off her final over, the 48th, leaving 11 needed from two. When Anya Shrubsole pinned Kapp lbw in the 49th, there was hope, but Sciver could not hold her line when bowling the final set.
In becoming the first one-day World Cup holders, women or men, to lose their first three games, England are on the brink of a calamitous exit.
South Africa are on track for the semis after their third win from as many games, with this one coming thanks to the all-round display of the brilliant Kapp.
The seamer bowled an immaculate line with the new ball, then used clever variations at the death for the tournament's first five-wicket haul. She even provided the throw for the run-out of Jones.
The elegant Wolvaardt took advantage of England's errors to add 56 with Tazmin Brits and 73 with captain Sune Luus.
After South Africa lost three wickets for 22 runs, Kapp, who overturned being given lbw on nine, repelled Ecclestone in a partnership of 30 with Chloe Tryon.
Then, after Tryon was run-out backing up, Kapp struck a crucial six off a Katherine Brunt full toss in the 46th over.
Though she could not see the job through, she had done enough for South Africa to pull off their highest successful chase in a World Cup match.
'We have made history today' - what they said
South Africa captain Sune Luus: "Regardless of what happens in the rest of the tournament, we have made history today and nothing is going to change that. I think everyone in South Africa is very proud of us and we can be proud of ourselves too."
England captain Heather Knight on Sky Sports: "It puts us in a tough position. I'll be honest, it's painful losing three close games in a row.
"At times we shot ourselves in the foot with our fielding. You can't give a player like Laura Wolvaardt that many chances, because she will make you pay." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60732900 |
Battle for Mykolaiv: 'We are winning this fight, but not this war' - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | In the southern city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian forces are battling to stop the Russian advance. | Russia has been shelling the city
The boom of artillery, muffled by heavy snowfall, echoes across the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, triggering a series of air raid sirens.
In the faded grandeur of a long-abandoned club for navy officers, 29-year-old Anastasia Aleksieieva is gathering food supplies, medicines and even home-made steel plates, carved out of local cars, for use as body armour.
Mykolaiv is now firmly in the sights of the Russian army - troops invaded from the nearby Crimea peninsula and have had more success in taking territory in this region than Russian forces elsewhere in Ukraine.
As the Russians work their way west towards the city people are starting to flee and the hospitals are filling with the injured.
But Anastasia has decided to stay, sending her one-year-old daughter and her mother away to safety.
"I'm a mum of my baby. But I have to help because I know how to do it," the former army captain explains to the BBC.
The attack on a hospital in the besieged south-eastern city of Mariupol on Tuesday made her decide she had no other choice.
"That was the hardest moment for me," she says.
"I'm a mum - but I have to stay," says ex-army captain 29-year-old Anastasia Aleksieieva
Ukrainian forces in the city have, for more than a week now, successfully thwarted a major Russian advance west towards the larger port of Odesa.
In the city centre, Mykolaiv's governor Vitaliy Kim is standing in fatigues, explaining how Ukrainian soldiers, helped by new reinforcements, had pushed Russian troops back between 15 and 20km (nine to 12 miles) towards the east, and had even surrounded some Russian units which were now in negotiations for their surrender.
Some of those troops were reportedly preparing to bring the captured and damaged Russian tanks into the city to show to residents.
But Mr Kim warns this is not a time to celebrate prematurely.
"We are winning this fight, but not this war," he says.
The governor said a relatively weak Russian force had underestimated local resistance and expected to "be greeted with flowers", but Russian reinforcements and planes could quickly turn the tide and enable the Kremlin to capture the whole Black Sea coastline.
"We need a closed sky," he said, referring to the idea of a no-fly zone enforced by Nato. The Western alliance has so far rejected such an idea, as it could bring them into direct conflict with Russian planes that entered the area.
In the local hospital, head doctor Alexander Dimyanov said 250 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians had been injured in the past fortnight, 12 fatally. Three patients, too sick to be moved further west to safety, remained on the trauma ward.
"We're exhausted," said a nurse, who declined to give her name. Dr Dimyanov showed a video of his colleagues in tears, explaining that they were overwhelmed by the workload and by fears that their own families might be hurt.
"They're crying because they don't know if they'll see them again. They don't run away. They work here every day. We have a lot of wounded people, every day. They see the blood," said Dr Dimyanov, who also called on the West to impose a no-fly zone.
Civilians have been fleeing, heading west towards Moldova
Inhabitants of several apartment blocks in a civilian neighbourhood in the east of the city showed us where rockets or shells had hit their buildings in recent days, tearing holes in a stairwell and water pipes, and breaking dozens of windows.
"It's rocket and artillery fire at night. And it's pretty scary here. Very loud, especially at night," said 17-year-old Bogdan Somberakov.
He was waiting for a lift with his luggage and his family on the western edge of Mykolaiv.
As he spoke a long convoy of coaches passed by, carrying children west towards the Moldovan border and safety. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60711659 |
Ukraine war: UK to discuss oil stability with Saudi Arabia - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | UK petrol prices reach record highs, but there are objections to the move after 81 men were executed in Saudi Arabia. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Caroline Lucas asks for an assurance the UK would not take part in a “more arms for oil deal” with Saudi Arabia
The UK government is to discuss how to diversify energy supply following disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, Downing Street has said.
Petrol prices for UK drivers have reached record highs of more than £1.60 a litre in recent days.
The PM's spokesman said discussions with Saudi officials would look to tackle market volatility but there were no "quick fixes" available.
It comes after 81 men were executed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Foreign Office Minister Amanda Milling said the British government was "deeply shocked" by the executions, and opposed the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.
Replying to an urgent question from Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, she said the issue had already been raised with the Saudi authorities, and the government would continue to "speak frankly" about human rights.
Mr Blunt said the executions were "appalling" and had presented the prime minister with "exquisite difficulties" when asking Saudi Arabia for help in easing oil shortages.
Ms Milling told MPs the UK was phasing out Russian oil, adding that it was important to have stability in energy markets, and there was a role for OPEC - of which Saudi Arabia is a key member - in this.
Human rights groups say many of those executed did not receive fair trials, but the Saudi government denies this.
The average price of petrol for UK drivers hit £1.63 a litre on Sunday, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine pushing up costs.
Asked whether the UK wanted Saudi Arabia - the world's second-biggest oil producer - to increase supplies, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "We will be speaking to the Saudis about a range of issues, not just energy supply.
"Diversifying our energy supply is important, as is boosting renewable energy. There are no quick fixes but we do want to reduce the volatility and bring prices down."
Boris Johnson held a meeting with ministers and leaders of gas and oil companies - including Shell, Esso and BP - on Monday, during which he voiced a "firm commitment" to continuing extractions from the North Sea.
They agreed to work to "remove barriers facing investors and developers, and help projects come online more quickly", Downing Street said.
Saudi Arabia says those executed on Saturday, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian national, had been convicted of "multiple heinous crimes", including terrorism, torture, rape and weapons smuggling.
The number put to death exceeded the 69 who faced that fate during the whole of 2021.
"The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty in every country as a matter of principle," the PM's spokesman said.
"We continue to raise human rights issues with other countries including Saudi Arabia. We do not shy away from raising these issues with our partners."
In the Commons, Labour's spokesman Bambos Charalambous said it was no coincidence that the Saudis had carried out the mass executions while the world's attention was elsewhere.
Responding to reports that Boris Johnson is to visit Riyadh, the SNP spokesman, Alyn Smith, said no such visit should take place, after what he described as an "atrocity". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60739690 |
Brent Renaud: US journalist and filmmaker killed in Ukraine - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine. | Brent Renaud won a Peabody Award for his journalism in 2015
A US journalist working in Ukraine has been shot dead in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, police say.
Brent Renaud, 50, was a journalist and filmmaker who was working in the region for Time.
Kyiv's police chief Andriy Nebytov said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital.
It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine.
One of the injured journalists, Juan Arredondo, told an Italian reporter he had been with Renaud when they came under fire.
"We were across one of the first bridges in Irpin, going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car", he said in a video published on Twitter.
"Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint, and they start shooting at us. So the driver turned around, and they kept shooting; there's two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud, and he's been shot and left behind... I saw him being shot in the neck."
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Photographs are circulating online showing a press ID for Renaud issued by the New York Times.
In a statement, the newspaper said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of Renaud's death but that he had not been working for the newspaper in Ukraine.
Renaud last worked for the publication in 2015, the Times said, and the press ID he was wearing in Ukraine had been issued years ago.
Time editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and Ian Orefice, the president and chief operating officer of Time and Time Studios, said they were "devastated by the loss".
"As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud," the statement said.
Renaud had reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti. He won a Peabody Award for his work on a 2014 series on Chicago schools, Last Chance High.
He often worked alongside his brother, Craig, also a filmmaker. It is not known whether Craig also travelled to Ukraine.
Renaud's death comes less than two weeks after Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Skaum, a camera operator for the Ukrainian television channel LIVE, was killed when a TV transmission tower in Kviv was hit by shelling.
A few days later, a British journalist covering the war in Ukraine was shot and wounded after coming under fire in Kyiv. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60729276 |
Petrol prices set to ease after hitting record highs - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Fuel prices are expected to peak this week before falling due to the price of oil dropping globally. | Petrol prices are likely to fall back from record levels due to the costs of wholesale fuel and global oil easing, UK motoring groups have said.
The average price for a litre of petrol hit £1.63 on Sunday after rising above £1.60 for the first time last week.
Diesel remained above £1.73 a litre, but the AA said "wild" pump prices should stabilise, unless global oil prices take off again.
But MPs were told this was a "lull before the storm" of more price hikes.
Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at financial services company Investec, said consumers "need to get ready for what could be continued increases in fuel prices."
Mr Piper told the Treasury Committee: "If more stringent actions are imposed upon Russia, and five million barrels a day is truly taken out of the market, then oil prices would really have no ceiling."
He explained that the UK was roughly self-sufficient in petrol but imported much of its diesel.
Two thirds of UK consumers use diesel so that it could see the biggest price increases at the pump, he said.
Dr Amrita Sen, director of research at Energy Aspects, told the committee that petrol prices could rise to around £2.40 a litre. And that diesel prices of "£2.50 - even closer to £3" were "definitely in the realms of possibility".
She said the UK could follow Germany in introducing rationing measures which have already seen BP and Shell reduce diesel wholesales to industry.
"If we need to rebuild stocks over the summer so that we have a buffer over the winter...it is industry that will need to be curtailed and that's where the first set of rationing will have to come in," she said.
Mr Piper said the only other option was for the government to release some of its stockpiles of petrol and crude oil.
"But it'll be industry that takes the brunt of any rationing initially," he said.
Meanwhile, the AA said filling up a typical 55-litre car tank now costs £89.90p on average, up from £68.57 a year ago.
Oil prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine, with the price of Brent crude oil - the global benchmark for prices - hitting a near 14-year high at one point.
However, in the past few days, the price of oil has dropped as fears that the European Union would follow the US and Canada in banning Russian oil have eased.
Brent crude fell as much as 8% to trade at $103.68 per barrel on Monday.
The RAC said drivers would have to stomach probably more rises this week, but added they "should soon get some respite from pump prices jumping by several pence a litre every day as oil and wholesale prices appear to have settled".
"The price hikes seen over the weekend are still a result of the oil price rise which began at the start of the month and peaked early last week at $137 a barrel," said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.
"As the oil price has now fallen back, we should hopefully reach the peak and start to see prices going the other way to reflect the big drop in wholesale costs seen at the end of last week, subject to no further spikes in the barrel price this week."
The reason higher prices at the pumps are likely to remain despite falling commodity prices is due to the way retailers buy the fuel and the time lag between purchasing at a certain price and then selling it on.
Yet, there is a concern some retailers might be reluctant to lower their prices for fear of being caught out if wholesale costs jump back up again.
Luke Bosdet, the AA's fuel price spokesman, said a 10.6p-a-litre slump in wholesale petrol costs on Wednesday and Thursday last week, followed by oil's fall in value, had produced "bizarre price anomalies".
"In one town this weekend, filling a tank at one forecourt was more than a pound cheaper than directly across the road at another," he said.
Mr Bosdet said weekends were the busiest time for forecourts and the rush by drivers to beat further potential price increases had pushed up demand, which had actually led to even higher prices at the pumps as stations had to resupply at a faster rate.
Oil prices are mainly determined by the price of crude oil and the dollar exchange rate, as agreements are made in dollars.
Russia is the third largest oil exporter and some Western countries, for example the US and Canada, decided to halt imports from the country in response to Russia's actions. It means demand for oil from other producers has increased, leading to increased prices.
The UK only imports about 6% of oil from Russia, so is not as dependent on Russia for the commodity supply as other European countries are and has said it plans to phase it out.
It is, however, affected by the global shifts in price.
But the price of Brent crude dropped in recent days, due to reduced fears of a European ban on Russian oil, and also partly due to speculation that extra supplies could come onto the market from Iran, Venezuela and the UAE.
The conflict in Ukraine has led to concerns being raised by Western nations about where they get their energy from.
Energy Minister Greg Hands said the UK's transition to cleaner forms of energy production was "an issue of national security" and not just of decarbonisation.
Speaking at an event in London, he said: "By switching to cheaper power generated in the UK, for the UK, we will ensure that we're not dependent on any unfriendly foreign country to keep our homes warm and lit."
However, Mr Hands acknowledged that the transition to cleaner energy sources would take time, and there was still a need to invest in domestic fossil fuel production. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60733390 |
No-one raised security concerns over Lord Lebedev with me, says Michael Gove - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Minister says process to become peer is "rigorous" after questions about businessman's appointment. | Russian-British businessman Lord Lebedev was made a peer by Boris Johnson in July 2020
Michael Gove has said no-one raised security issues with him about Lord Lebedev after reports security services had long-held concerns about him.
The Sunday Times claimed the head of MI6 was worried about the Russian-born businessman, and concerns were raised with Boris Johnson in 2020.
But the PM has denied he intervened to ensure Lord Lebedev's peerage.
Housing Secretary Mr Gove told the BBC the process for appointing peers was "rigorous".
He said he had dinner with Lord Lebedev at Boris Johnson's house before the Brexit referendum, but did not know of any possible security concerns.
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the PM had "serious questions to answer" about the appointment, and has asked the House of Lords Appointment Commission to release the vetting advice they gave to Mr Johnson.
And speaking at his party's spring conference, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for a full public inquiry into the PM's decision to give Lord Lebedev a peerage.
He told party members: "The cosy relationship between Putin's oligarchs and the Conservative political elite has been the dirty secret of the British establishment for far too long."
Lord Lebedev was given his peerage in July 2020.
He has denied posing a "security risk" to the UK, writing an article in the Evening Standard newspaper - which he owns - saying: "I am not some agent of Russia."
The son of billionaire Russian banker and former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev, who moved to the UK as a child, has condemned President's Putin's actions in his newspaper, writing: "I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters."
And he has warned it is "crucial we do not descend into Russophobia" during the war in Ukraine.
An article in the Sunday Times last week claimed security services withdrew their assessment that giving the honour to Lord Lebedev posed a security risk after the PM got involved.
The newspaper said that in March 2020, the commission that vets peerage appointments advised the prime minister against granting the newspaper owner a seat in the House of Lords, due to security concerns.
But Mr Johnson, who ultimately decides who gets a peerage, is said to have responded to the advice by claiming it was "anti-Russianism".
The PM denied the report, saying it would "obviously be extraordinary" if he had intervened, "but that's not the case".
But in another Sunday Times article, the newspaper claimed the head of MI6 had held concerns about the businessman for as long as a decade.
Boris Johnson - pictured here with Lord Lebedev in 2009 - denied he intervened over security concerns with the peer
Asked on the BBC's Sunday Morning programme about the reports, Levelling Up Secretary Mr Gove said he was "not aware of any of the concerns that had been expressed until they appeared in the newspapers".
He added: "Of course there are questions that are going to be asked, but no one has ever said to me that there are any specific security concerns that they have about Lord Lebedev."
The government minister also pointed to the fact Lord Lebedev was a British citizen, adding: "I think it is important to draw a distinction between Evgeny Lebedev's father, who obviously... worked for the KGB, and Lord Lebedev himself, who is someone who has made his home in this country.
"There is a distinction to be drawn between the actions of parents and the actions of children."
But Labour leader Sir Keir has written to the chair of House of Lords Appointment Commission, Lord Bew, asking for vetting information to be made public, and for him to "commit to a review of the propriety of Lord Lebedev's place in the House of Lords".
Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge, he said: "I think the prime minister has got serious questions to answer. What did he know? And did he override security advice?
"Let's have a process to look into what actually happened, what did the prime minister know and what did he do in response to that. I think that is the least we are entitled to in relation to this appointment." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60727297 |
Ukraine war: Editor interrupts Russian TV news show - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The woman held a sign reading "no war" behind a newsreader on Russian state-controlled TV. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A woman holding an anti-war sign ran on to the set of a Russian evening news programme on the state-controlled Channel 1 on Monday evening.
The sign, clearly visible behind the presenter, read: "No war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."
The woman has been named as Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at the channel.
Russian TV news is tightly controlled by the Kremlin and reflects only the Russian version of events in Ukraine.
Ms Ovsyannikova is believed to be in police custody.
Her voice could be heard during the broadcast saying, "No to war! Stop the war!" before the programme director cut early to a recorded news report.
Before the protest, which happened live on the nightly news programme, she recorded a video in which she called events in Ukraine a "crime" and said she was ashamed to work for what she called Kremlin propaganda.
"I'm ashamed that I allowed myself to tell lies from the television screen. Ashamed that I allowed Russians to be turned into zombies," she explained.
She called on the Russian people to protest against the war, saying that only they could "stop the madness".
From the moment Ms Ovsyannikova's identity became known, she has received dozens of comments on her Facebook page in Ukrainian, Russian and English, thanking her for her actions.
Russian television news has long been controlled by the Kremlin and independent viewpoints are rare on all the major channels.
But new laws introduced since the invasion of Ukraine have made the media landscape even more draconian. Legislation passed earlier this month made it illegal to call the military action an "invasion" or to disseminate "fake" news about it.
State-controlled Russian media refer to the war as a "special military operation" and paint Ukraine as the aggressor, with a government described as neo-Nazi.
Several of the remaining independent media outlets have stopped broadcasting or publishing after pressure from the authorities, including the radio station Echo of Moscow and TV Rain - an online TV channel.
Others, like newspaper Novaya Gazeta, are attempting to report on the situation without falling foul of the new censorship laws.
Access to the BBC has also been restricted inside Russia, leading the corporation to issue guidance over how to continue using its services.
Russia's media watchdog accused the BBC and other foreign broadcasters of the "deliberate and systematic circulation of materials containing false information".
Many social media sites have also been blocked, further restricting the number and diversity of news sources available to people inside Russia.
Facebook and Twitter have been restricted for several days, while Instagram - which is particularly popular in Russia - was blocked on Monday, although many Russians have found ways round the restrictions.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60744605 |
Ukraine war: 21 children flown to UK for cancer treatment - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The children and their families arrived on an urgent flight after a plea from Polish officials. | A group of Ukrainian children have arrived in the UK to undergo life-saving cancer treatment on the NHS, the health secretary has said.
Sajid Javid said the 21 children would be offered the best possible care in hospitals around the country.
The children and their immediate family members arrived on an urgent flight arranged by the government on Sunday after a plea from Polish officials.
They will be assessed by doctors before being sent to appropriate hospitals.
"I am proud that the UK is offering life-saving medical care to these Ukrainian children, who have been forced out of their home country by the Russian invasion while undergoing medical treatment," Mr Javid said.
"I know that the incredible staff in the NHS will ensure they get the best possible care."
Nine medics from Southampton Children's Hospital flew to Poland to fetch the children.
"The families were so incredibly grateful and the stories they told were horrific," the hospital said.
The government is to set out details of a scheme to allow people in the UK to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their home later - but special provision has been made for the group needing urgent care.
Hundreds of Ukrainians have seen their treatment interrupted by the war, as Russian forces lay siege to cities and hospitals' supplies dry up.
Many children have been evacuated to Poland, where the authorities appealed for help in caring for them.
One paediatric oncologist in Poland told BBC News most of the children arriving at her hospital were in a life-threatening situation.
Staff from Southampton Children's Hospital flew out to the children in Poland on a specially-chartered plane
Those arriving in the UK will undergo an assessment to understand their specific health needs before getting treatment at an appropriate NHS hospital, the Department of Health said.
It added that the UK has already sent more than 650,000 medical items to Ukraine as part of its humanitarian response to the crisis.
Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast seven flights have taken aid from the UK to Ukraine including wound care packs, equipment for intensive care and vital medicines. An eighth took off on Monday morning, he added.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The children with cancer fleeing war in Ukraine
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the NHS would continue to work with ministers to provide both the necessary supplies and the "crucial treatment" the children need.
"Colleagues at paediatric hospitals around the country have gone above and beyond to help these children during their greatest hour of need," she added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60731806 |
St Patrick's Day: NI ministers to travel to White House - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | After a two-year break because of Covid, in-person events are due to take place in Washington. | US President Joe Biden and Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin held a virtual meeting on St Patrick's Day last year
Two Stormont ministers will fly to the US this week ahead of the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington.
Finance Minister Conor Murphy and Economy Minister Gordon Lyons are due to take part in a series of trade and investment events before attending the annual ceremony at the White House.
Civil service head Jayne Brady and Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill will join them.
Washington's St Patrick's Day events have been cancelled for the past two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some restrictions, including face coverings, remain in place for White House events.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood and Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin will also be in Washington.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said it regretted that its leader Doug Beattie was "too unwell to travel to Washington" on this occasion.
"We wish those attending this week`s events a happy St Patrick`s Day and we look forward to taking up future invitations and opportunities to engage directly with the US administration," a UUP spokesperson added.
After a two-year absence, the Irish political exodus on St Patrick's Day has returned with 33 Dublin ministers flying around the world.
But there will be no first or deputy first minister from Northern Ireland.
Their absence will be noted and used by some to talk up the the crisis at Stormont.
But any debate will be completely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and it will be Putin and not the protocol which will dominate discussions.
The programme in Washington will include the traditional Northern Ireland Bureau breakfast on St Patrick's Day.
At the same time, US Vice President Kamala Harris will host a breakfast gathering before the annual speakers' luncheon with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives.
The traditional shamrock handover between the taoiseach and US President Joe Biden will take place in the oval office.
On Tuesday, politicians will gather at the Irish Embassy for the unveiling of a bust celebrating the life of former SDLP leader John Hume, who died in 2020.
A bust will be unveiled in tribute to the late John Hume (left), pictured with President Clinton on St Patrick's Day in 2000
Before arriving in Washington, Mr Lyons will meet investors in New York along with representatives from the US travel industry.
He will also travel to Maryland to meet officials from the US Department of Commerce to talk about a shared project on cyber security.
The water in the White House north lawn fountain was turned green to mark St Patrick's Day in 2021
Although she is no longer deputy first minister, Michelle O'Neill will also be in the US with her Sinn Féin party leader Mary Lou McDonald.
They will attend an Irish unity event in New York before Ms McDonald addresses the US Council on Foreign Relations.
It is not yet clear if other party leaders, including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, plan to travel to Washington this week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60730401 |
Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United: Kai Havertz's late goal gives hosts three points - BBC Sport | 2022-03-14 | Chelsea snatch a dramatic late winner to beat Newcastle in the first game at Stamford Bridge since Blues' Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government. | Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Kai Havertz has scored in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time, and in all competitions he has had a hand in six goals in his last five games (five goals, one assist) Chelsea snatched a dramatic winner against Newcastle in the first game at Stamford Bridge since Blues' Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government. The game looked to be heading towards a goalless draw before Kai Havertz expertly controlled a ball forward and fired into the net in the 88th minute. It was a tough goal to concede for Newcastle who had wanted Havertz to be sent off in the first half for catching Dan Burn in the face with an elbow when jumping, but the German only received a booking. Before the goal, both sides had struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Chelsea taking 75 minutes to produce an effort on target. Newcastle's Miguel Almiron had earlier forced a fine save from home goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with a well-struck 25-yard volley and Burn headed just wide. Just as had happened in Chelsea's 3-1 away win over Norwich on Thursday, a small section of fans chanted Abramovich's name, for a brief period in the second half. Abramovich has been sanctioned as a part of the government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, meaning his assets, including Chelsea Football Club, have been frozen.
• None Prospective owner Candy wants fan on club board if Chelsea takeover successful
• None Chelsea v Newcastle as it happened, plus reaction and analysis A good end to a tough week for Chelsea and Tuchel Chelsea stay third, but are now only seven points behind second-placed Liverpool and 10 adrift of leaders Manchester City. Meanwhile, Newcastle, beaten for the first time in nine Premier League matches, are 14th, 10 points clear of the relegation zone. The relief and delight shown from Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, both at the goal and again at the final whistle, showed what this meant to him by screaming at the fans and punching the air. And it was easy to see why he was so emotional with the club's very existence potentially under threat. Abramovich has been the Chelsea owner for nearly 19 years, a period in which they have won 21 trophies, including the Premier League on five occasions and the Champions League twice. But the current sanctions against him have stopped him selling Chelsea, and mean the club are unable to buy or sell players, cannot sell any more tickets for games, have had their credit cards suspended and have had to close the club shop. The government said it would issue a special licence that allowed fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches, although the club's wage bill stands at £28m a month. It seemed fitting that Newcastle, another side with hugely controversial owners following their takeover in October by the Saudi Arabian-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF), were Chelsea's opponents on a day when events off the field were talked about as much as those on it. Newcastle's takeover and the potential huge investment into the club was celebrated by their fans a few months ago, although Amnesty International said "it represented a clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to sportswash their appalling human rights record with the glamour of top-flight football". Despite the late defeat, this was another sign of the progress Newcastle are making on the pitch. There was plenty for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe to be positive about given his side were only a few minutes away from securing a point away at the current European and world champions. Arriving at a club without a league win and with only six points from 12 matches, he began with five defeats in his first eight games in all competitions, including a humiliating home loss to third-tier Cambridge United in the FA Cup third round. But, after spending £80m in the January transfer window, the Magpies had been on a run of eight games unbeaten, including six victories, before this narrow loss. The visitors had defended superbly up until Jorginho's excellent ball over the defence found Havertz, who showed his class to control it and then score the winner to delight the packed crowd at Stamford Bridge. Howe said he thought Havertz could have been sent off but was also disappointed his side did not get a second-half penalty when Trevoh Chalobah had a hold of Jacob Murphy's shirt. Newcastle wanted Chelsea's Kai Havertz to be sent off for elbowing Dan Burn, but Havertz only received a yellow card after a check by the video assistant referee
• None Attempt saved. Kai Havertz (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by N'Golo Kanté.
• None Dwight Gayle (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Goal! Chelsea 1, Newcastle United 0. Kai Havertz (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jorginho with a through ball.
• None Offside, Chelsea. Mateo Kovacic tries a through ball, but Romelu Lukaku is caught offside.
• None Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Fabian Schär (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Matt Targett with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60635693 |
Bafta Film Awards: Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog wins top prize - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a toxic cowboy, Power of the Dog won best film and best director. | Campion didn't attend the Baftas as she was at the Directors Guild Awards and the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles over the weekend
Netflix's moody Western The Power of the Dog won the top prize at the Bafta Film Awards, picking up best film and best director for Jane Campion.
Its star Benedict Cumberbatch wore a badge to show his support for Ukrainians as he accepted the best director prize on behalf of Campion.
He also said he hopes to offer a place to stay for a Ukrainian refugee.
Cumberbatch was beaten to the best actor award by Will Smith. Joanna Scanlan was named best actress.
Scanlan, who was previously best known for British TV comedies like The Thick Of It and Getting On, triumphed for her performance in the independent film After Love. She played a 60-year-old Muslim convert who suffers an identity crisis following the sudden death of her husband.
"Come on!" she said on stage in disbelief. "Some stories have surprise endings don't they?"
She beat a field including Lady Gaga, fellow musician-turned-actress Alana Haim, and Emilia Jones, the daughter of Welsh TV presenter Aled.
Joanna Scanlan said backstage that she was "disbelieving to be perfectly honest"
Jones starred in Coda, a film about the daughter of deaf parents, and her co-star Troy Kotsur made history as the first ever deaf Bafta film winner.
Delivering his best supporting actor acceptance speech via an interpreter, he said: "I think it's all great you're recognising my work from all the way across the sea, it's truly amazing."
Another US performer, Ariana DeBose, won best supporting actress for playing Anita in Steven Spielberg's new version of the musical West Side Story.
"This means so much to me, I'm somebody who sings, dances, acts," she said. "I speak dance better than I speak English."
Best actress nominee Lady Gaga was on the red carpet
Sir Kenneth Branagh's Belfast was named outstanding British film, while sci-fi saga Dune won five awards in total - best score for Hans Zimmer plus best cinematography, production design, sound and special visual effects.
James Bond's latest outing No Time To Die won two prizes including the EE Rising Star award for Lashana Lynch.
Lashana Lynch (centre) with Lady Gaga (left) and last year's Rising Star winner Bukky Bakray
"I would like to thank the women of this country who taught me what it is to be in this industry as a dark-skinned woman," she told the ceremony. "I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me."
The ceremony was held at the Royal Albert Hall and was hosted by Australian comic actress Rebel Wilson, who largely kept the atmosphere light but did refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on a couple of occasions.
After the In Memoriam section, paying tribute to film industry figures who have died over the past 12 months, she said: "Our thoughts are also at this time with the people afflicted by the conflict in Ukraine."
And in a segment about sign language, she raised her middle finger, saying it was "the gesture for Putin".
Australian actress Rebel Wilson hosted the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall
The war was a topic of conversation on the red carpet earlier, when Cumberbatch said he was aware badges like his "could be dismissed as tokenism".
"This [ceremony] is a celebration of an industry that's about imagery, and images speaking as loud as if not louder sometimes than words. So it's a small gesture," he told BBC News.
"But away from this, what we all have to do is continue to put pressure on our politicians as far as the refugee crisis goes, continue to put pressure on the Putin regime, continue to help in any which way we can - whether that's through donations or housing refugees, all of which I'm looking to do and have done."
Fellow best actor nominee Stephen Graham, who was wearing a blue and yellow bow, said it was "vital" to acknowledge the war at the event.
"I want to show my support and solidarity for what people are going through," he said.
Bafta chairman Krishnendu Majumdar told the audience before the ceremony: "We are hugely grateful to the journalists and film-makers covering Ukraine, many of whom are Bafta members, who are bravely reporting and documenting the conflict and humanitarian crisis."
Black Widow and Little Women star Florence Pugh was also among the presenters
Dame Shirley Bassey then opened the event with a performance of her classic James Bond theme Diamonds Are Forever.
Big names returned to the Royal Albert Hall after a subdued affair last year, when many nominees appeared via Zoom amid tight Covid-19 restrictions.
No Bafta Fellowship or other lifetime achievement award was presented on Sunday, after last year's recipient Noel Clarke was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment following his win.
Clarke said he was "deeply sorry" for some of his actions but "vehemently" denied sexual misconduct. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60675263 |
William Hurt: Oscar-winning actor and Marvel star dies at 71 - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | His roles ranged from acclaimed 1980s dramas to playing General Thaddeus Ross in five Marvel films. | William Hurt at the premiere of Marvel's Captain America: Civil War in 2016
William Hurt, the Oscar-winning US actor whose roles ranged from acclaimed 1980s dramas to Marvel films, has died at the age of 71, US media say.
Hurt won the best actor Oscar in 1986 for playing a prisoner in a Brazilian jail in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
He was nominated two more times in the next two years, for Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News.
In recent years, he has been known as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in five Marvel blockbusters.
Hurt made his Hollywood breakthrough at the start of the 1980s in films including Body Heat alongside Kathleen Turner
Hollywood website Deadline quoted a statement from Hurt's son Will as saying: "It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday.
"He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time."
Variety said the news was confirmed by Hurt's friend Gerry Byrne.
He received his third Oscar nomination in three years for Broadcast News in 1988
Fellow Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo wrote on Twitter: "Wow, another Major loss to the acting community. Great actor. Great mind. RIP."
Matthew Modine described him as "a consummate professional" who was "continually searching for greater truth and human understanding".
Antonio Banderas said "a great actor has left us", while other tributes came from Russell Crowe, M Night Shyamalan Rebecca Front.
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Hurt began acting on stage in the 1970s before making his big-screen breakthrough as an obsessed scientist in Altered States, which earned him a best newcomer nomination at the Golden Globes in 1981.
That year, he also starred as a womanising lawyer in erotic thriller Body Heat, before being cast in The Big Chill and Gorky Park.
Winning an Oscar for playing a gay man who shares a cell with a political prisoner in Kiss of the Spider Woman was "very isolating",he later told the Los Angeles Times.
"The instant they gave it to me, I thought, God, what do I do now? How am I going to walk into a room and have any other actor trust me?"
That did not stop him getting two more consecutive nominations, though, before roles in The Accidental Tourist, Lost in Space, Contagion and AI. Then came a fourth Oscar nomination for David Cronenberg's A History of Violence in 2006.
He also received Emmy nominations for playing Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in 2011's Too Big to Fail, and for legal TV drama Damages.
He returned to the theatre in productions including Henry V, A Midsummer Night Dream and Hurlyburly, the latter of which saw him recognised with a nomination at Broadway's Tony Awards.
Hurt had been diagnosed with prostate cancer
He was regarded as a compelling but complex and often confrontational presence, however. Fame was "a challenge" and "not a happy condition for me", he admitted.
"It's a privilege and a responsibility, and I'm not sure I carried the responsibility well at times, which is embarrassing," he told The Telegraph in 2013. "And I've had to look and be disappointed in myself occasionally for how I behaved in some circumstances."
He drank heavily for a spell and in a high-profile palimony trial in 1989, former partner Sandra Jennings described his drunken rages.
Another former girlfriend, Children of a Lesser God co-star Marlee Matlin, later accused him of physical and emotional abuse. He apologised "for any pain I caused".
The actor revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60731686 |
Russia faces brain drain as thousands flee abroad - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Many Russians who can afford it have fled to nearby countries since Russia invaded Ukraine. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Yevgeny says it is his responsibility as a Russian to help Ukrainians
Outside Georgia's parliament, Yevgeny Lyamin heaves boxes of clothes and food parcels on to a waiting truck bound for Ukraine.
He is one of more than 25,000 Russians to have arrived in Georgia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russians have been struggling to find affordable accommodation in all the major cities. Many can be seen wandering around the capital, Tbilisi, with their suitcases and often even their pets.
A blue-and-yellow ribbon is attached to the lapel of Yevgeny's trench-coat - the colours of the Ukrainian flag. It was these ribbons that got him arrested at an anti-war protest in Russia, a day after it launched its war on Ukraine.
"I understood the best way to act against Putin's regime would be my emigration from Russia," says the 23-year old politics graduate. "It's my responsibility to do anything I can to help the Ukrainians."
The exodus does not stop at Georgia. The EU, US, UK and Canada have closed their airspace to Russian flights, so they are heading for countries where flights are still permitted and where visas are not required, such as Turkey, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Many have fled to Armenia.
According to one estimate by a Russian economist, as many as 200,000 Russians have left their country since the start of the war.
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Belarusians are on the move too, fleeing repression and the Western sanctions imposed on authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko's government for collaborating with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
That has prompted prices to surge on last-minute flights and rental accommodation in the main host cities, such as Istanbul and Armenia's capital, Yerevan.
"A one-way flight to Istanbul cost me and my husband more than our combined monthly income," said Anya, who did not want to give her surname.
For her the moment of decision came with a new "state betrayal" law that has come into force in Russia. Anyone expressing support for Ukraine could face jail sentences of up to 20 years and Anya believed she could be a target.
"Fear of closed borders, political repression and forced military service is in our DNA. I remember my grandmother telling me stories about the state of fear they lived in during Stalin's time, and now we are experiencing it," she said.
An estimated 25,000 Russians have left for Georgia
Many of the new emigres are tech industry professionals who can work remotely. A video games developer I met at a cafe in Tbilisi told me that he and most people he knew disagreed with Russian policy and they knew now that any protest would be violently suppressed.
"The only way we can protest is to leave the country, take our skills and money with us. Almost everyone in our circle has made a similar decision," said Igor (not his real name). He plans to leave the Georgian capital, because he does not feel welcome here.
There have been numerous reports of Airbnb hosts refusing to let their properties to Russian and Belarusian citizens.
"I do not accept Russian and Belarus people" one host told a Belarusian couple, who shared their exchange with the BBC. "You do not have time for vacations - revolt against your corrupt governments."
"They think we are running away from Russia because Apple Pay no longer works there," Igor complained. "We are not running for comfort, we've lost everything there, we are basically refugees. Putin's geopolitics has destroyed our lives."
At Tbilisi's public service hall, new arrivals are registering businesses or applying for residency.
Kristina and Nikita, who are both IT specialists from the Belarusian capital Minsk, have registered as sole entrepreneurs. That will allow them to open Georgian bank accounts.
"We don't support our governments, which is obvious because we ran away. We want to be safe here," said Kristina. "But we are being bullied just because of our nationality, I need to hide my country of origin, I don't feel comfortable when people ask me where I am from."
Since the start of the war Tbilisi has seen some of the largest rallies in support of Ukraine. A recent survey found that 87% of Georgians view the war in Ukraine as their own war with Russia.
But many Georgians are uneasy about this dramatic influx of Russians, as it is less than 14 years since Russia's leader invaded Georgia.
Some 30,000 Georgians listened to Ukraine's President Zelensky during a mass protest
Some fear President Putin might claim Russian citizens abroad need protection, because that was his excuse to justify sending troops into the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia in 2008. To date, 20% of Georgian territory remains under Russian occupation.
However, tech entrepreneur Lev Kalashnikov thinks Georgia will benefit from what he asserts is the biggest brain drain in Russia's modern history. He opened a group for expats on the Telegram messaging app while standing in a queue.
"There were 50 people in front of me and 50 people behind me. They became my first subscribers and now we have nearly 4,000 members."
Members discuss where to find accommodation, how to open bank accounts, and whether or not it is safe to speak Russian in public.
Yevgeny Lyamin is already learning Georgian, practising Georgia's unique alphabet in an exercise book.
"I am against Putin, I am against war. I still can't withdraw money from my Russian bank account, but that's nothing like the problems that Ukrainians face." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60697763 |
Douglas Ross: Removing PM would only benefit Putin - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The Scottish Tory leader says the Russian president would try to exploit any signs of division. | Mr Ross said there would continue to be "personal differences" between himself and the prime minister
The only person to benefit from Boris Johnson being removed from office would be Vladimir Putin, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has claimed.
Douglas Ross was speaking for the first time after withdrawing his call for the PM to quit over Downing Street parties.
Mr Ross said the row over the lockdown parties now seemed trivial in comparison to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
And he said now would be "totally the wrong time" to change leader.
He acknowledged that there would continue to be personal differences between himself and Mr Johnson, but said his position on the prime minister's leadership during the Ukraine crisis was very similar to that of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Ross said: "Now is not the time to try and replace a prime minister - now is the time for unity.
"The only person who would gain from the removal of a UK prime minister from office would be Vladimir Putin."
Mr Ross warned that the Russian president would use any signs of division as a "wedge" to drive between the forces that are trying to stop him.
The Scottish Conservative leader had written to the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs in January to express his lack of confidence in Mr Johnson and to call for a leadership contest.
Mr Ross described the prime minister's position at the time as "untenable" after he admitted attending a Downing Street party during the Covid lockdown.
But he announced on Thursday that he had formally withdrawn his letter to the committee, with the party also confirming that Mr Johnson would appear in person at the Scottish Conservative conference next weekend.
Mr Ross said Vladimir Putin would try to exploit any signs of division within countries that oppose him
Mr Ross said he "had confidence in the prime minister to deal with this situation at the moment", and that "everything else seems trivial" in comparison to the horrific scenes from Ukraine.
He added: "That is why I think our focus should be on supporting and helping the people of Ukraine, not on personal differences we may have with each other here in the UK."
Other parties were critical of Mr Ross for withdrawing his call for the PM to go, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar saying Mr Ross "should not be using the Ukraine crisis to go back on his principles" and Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie saying the Tory leader had "the backbone of a jellyfish".
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said it was "an utterly humiliating u-turn for Douglas Ross".
But Mr Ross said he did not care about criticisms from other parties, and that the SNP had also been calling for unity just a few days ago.
He added: "They were standing up in the House of Commons saying we should work together, we should support the government because the threat is not here in the UK or between different political parties or the prime minister and the opposition.
"It is between the western world, Europe and allies across the globe and Russia - Vladimir Putin.
"That is the biggest threat at the moment, and that's what our efforts should be united in trying to defeat." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60706749 |
Ukraine war: Residents rescued after Kyiv apartment block strike - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | At least one person was killed when the residential building in the Ukrainian capital was hit. | At least one person has died and 12 were injured in a Russian air strike on a residential building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
Firefighters attended the scene in Obolon district in the aftermath of the attack.
Footage shows a woman - and her pet - being brought to the ground from an apartment in the smoking building. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60733921 |
As it happened: US warns China against support for Russia - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Russia has denied asking Beijing for help, with Beijing calling the claim "disinformation". | Who was Brent Renaud - US journalist killed in Ukraine?
Brent Renaud, 50, was a journalist and filmmaker and was shot dead in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv. He had been working in the region at the time of his death. Kyiv's police chief Andriy Nebytov said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital. It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine. Renaud had reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti. He won a Peabody Award for his work on a 2014 series on Chicago schools, Last Chance High. He often worked alongside his brother, Craig, also a filmmaker. It is not known whether Craig also travelled to Ukraine. Photographs are circulating online showing a press ID for Renaud issued by the New York Times. In a statement, the newspaper said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of Renaud's death but that he had not been working for the newspaper in Ukraine. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-60717902 |
Ukraine war: Demonstrator disrupts Russia's flagship evening news broadcast - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The placard she held read: “Stop the war, don’t believe propaganda, they’re lying to you”. | Russia's flagship evening news broadcast on Channel One has been disrupted by an anti-war demonstrator.
The placard she held read: “Stop the war, don’t believe propaganda, they’re lying to you”.
The demonstrator, identified as Marina Ovsyannikova, reportedly an editor at Channel One, also released a statement on her actions. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60745212 |
All UK travel rules to end on Friday, says government - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The transport secretary has confirmed that all remaining travel measures for UK arrivals will be scrapped. | The arrivals process into England is set to become easier for travellers
The transport secretary has confirmed that all remaining Covid travel measures will be scrapped.
Currently, everyone travelling to the UK must complete a passenger locator form before they arrive.
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated have to take a Covid test before departure, fill in the form, and book and pay for a PCR test after arriving.
Grant Shapps confirmed in a tweet that these rules will end at 04:00 on Friday.
His announcement means that passengers who are not fully vaccinated will no longer have to take Covid tests before and after travelling to the UK. The passenger locator form will no longer be necessary either.
People planning an overseas trip will still need to be aware of other countries' entry rules.
Mr Shapps tweeted: "These changes are possible due to our vaccine rollout and mean greater freedom in time for Easter."
When any new Covid strains appear in the future, the government said its default approach would be to use "the least-stringent measures" for restricting travel.
Its "Living with Covid" plan said new measures at the border would only be considered in "extreme circumstances".
It said the UKHSA would closely monitor the prevalence and spread of Covid variants.
Scotland and Wales have agreed to follow England in scrapping the remaining coronavirus border measures.
But Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan said she was doing so "reluctantly" - and was "extremely disappointed" that testing requirements and the passenger location form were being ditched.
The Scottish government said consistency across the four nations was agreed because of the "negative impact of non-alignment on the tourism industry".
Testing requirements for fully-vaccinated arrivals into the UK were dropped in February.
The latest move was welcomed by some figures in the travel industry, which has campaigned for the remaining rules to be dropped so businesses can take full advantage of strong summer holiday demand.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, said: "Today's announcement sends a clear message to the world - the UK travel sector is back.
"With travellers returning to the UK no longer burdened by unnecessary forms and testing requirements, we can now look forward to the return to pre-Covid normality throughout the travel experience."
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "The removal of all remaining UK travel restrictions is the final important step towards frictionless air travel, helping to further restore consumer confidence as we welcome more customers back to the skies this spring and summer.
"To uphold the experience of all travellers, it's vital that the UK Government works closely with industry to ensure the UK border is ready for increasing passengers, as international travel ramps up."
Meanwhile, Eurostar's chief executive Jacques Damas said the easing of restrictions would help the cross-Channel train operator's recovery.
"We hope and expect to see the UK's approach replicated across our other markets in the coming weeks," Mr Damas said.
However, as Covid restrictions recede, other headwinds for the aviation industry are appearing.
The price of jet fuel has soared as a result of higher crude oil prices. This adds to cost pressures on airlines, although some have been protected by their hedging strategies, whereby they purchased fuel in advance at lower prices.
On Friday, the chief executive of Heathrow airport, John Holland-Kaye, said the recovery of aviation remained "overshadowed by war and Covid uncertainty".
Businesses will also be keeping a careful eye on whether consumers' confidence to book is knocked by the war in Ukraine and rising household bills squeezing disposable incomes.
Air France-KLM and Ryanair have both recently warned air fares will rise. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60741158 |
War in Ukraine: What happened on day 18 of Russia's invasion - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | A military base near the Polish border is attacked, and the UK announces a scheme to house refugees. | On day 18 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a military training base in the western city of Yavoriv was struck by a barrage of cruise missiles.
At least 35 people were killed and 134 injured in the deadly attack at the facility, near a major crossing point into Nato member Poland.
Video of the aftermath of the attack posted online and verified by the BBC showed a huge crater at the site and smoke billowing from a fire at a nearby building.
Witnesses told the BBC how "the night sky turned red", sparking fears that the conflict would soon spread to the up-to-now peaceful regions in the west.
Fighting continued in areas outside the capital Kyiv, and a US journalist was shot dead in the town of Irpin.
Brent Renaud, 50, was a journalist and filmmaker who had previously worked for the New York Times, though he was not on assignment for the publication in Ukraine.
Kyiv's police chief Andriy Nebytov said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital.
It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine.
Brent Renaud won a Peabody Award for his journalism in 2015
Inside the capital, the BBC's Jeremy Bowen spoke with teenagers who had volunteered at a centre in Kyiv to fight for Ukraine.
Most of them were in their late teens, not long out of school. They told our correspondent that after three days' basic training they would head for the front line - or very close to it. Some of them were wearing knee pads that looked too small. A few had sleeping bags. One had a yoga mat.
"I feel a bit scared, as no-one wants to die, even if it's for your country. So, death is not an option for us", 18-year-old Dmytro told him.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Maksym Lutsyk,19 (left) and Dmytro Kisilenko, 18 are at war with three days training.
In the UK, the housing secretary announced the details of a scheme designed to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.
Under the Homes for Ukraine plan, people will be able to nominate a named individual or a family to stay with them rent-free, or in another property, for at least six months. A website to express an interest in being a sponsor will launch on Monday. Ukrainians on the scheme will be given leave to remain for three years, with the right to work and access public services. Sponsors would get a "thank you" payment of £350 a month.
Critics of the plan say it falls short of what is needed.
On the red carpet, the actor Benedict Cumberbatch hinted that he hoped to take in a refugee.
"What we all have to do is continue to put pressure on our politicians as far as the refugee crisis goes, continue to put pressure on the Putin regime, continue to help in any which way we can - whether that's through donations or housing refugees, all of which I'm looking to do - and have done", he said.
According to one estimate by a Russian economist, as many as 200,000 Russians have left their country since the start of the war.
The EU, US, UK and Canada have closed their airspace to Russian flights, so they are heading for countries where flights are still permitted and where visas are not required, such as Turkey, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Many have fled to Armenia.
The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie spoke to Russians who have arrived in neighbouring Georgia. Many can be seen wandering around the capital Tblisi, with their suitcases and often their pets.
"I understood the best way to act against Putin's regime would be my emigration from Russia," Yevgeny, a 23-year old politics graduate told her. "It's my responsibility to do anything I can to help the Ukrainians."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Yevgeny says it is his responsibility as a Russian to help Ukrainians | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60730367 |
Unions warn of job losses if rail firms close ticket offices - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Train operators are talking to unions about how to address job changes in a bid to modernise the railways | Fewer people are commuting to work even after work-from-home guidance was lifted
Jobs on the railways "will need to change to become more passenger-centric", according to the group that represents train operators.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was responding to reports that hundreds of rail ticket offices could potentially close as part of a plan to modernise the railways.
RDG said it is talking to unions about how to address job changes.
One union said it will ballot staff if compulsory redundancies are used.
A spokesperson for the RDG, which represents the rail industry, said: "The pandemic has been an unprecedented financial shock to the railway.
"While no decisions have been taken over ticket offices, with the acceleration of changing travel patterns and more passengers migrating to digital technology, many jobs will need to change to become more passenger-centric.
"Train companies are working with unions on how to address those changes, while making sure the industry takes no more than its fair share from the taxpayer," they added.
The bosses of rail operators are in talks with the government about the closures, which may result in redundancies if staff cannot be moved into other roles, the Sunday Times reported.
During the pandemic, train passenger numbers collapsed and so did revenues.
Passengers numbers are still recovering, with big changes such as hybrid working affecting commuter levels and season ticket sales.
To ensure the railways kept running during the pandemic, the government stepped in to finance the industry.
Recently, rail minister Wendy Morton told the BBC that taxpayers had supported the railways with more than £14bn of funding, and that taxpayers had to get a good return on what they had invested.
As part of plans to modernise the railways, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps committed to modernising ticketing with more digitisation, as part of the Williams-Shapps plan for rail.
Train tickets purchased online can be collected at self-service kiosks in train stations
Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: "Grant Shapps needs to realise that this daft plan is likely to result in the threat of compulsory redundancies, and if that happens we will be issuing ballots for industrial action.
"Closing ticket offices will not only be opposed by the unions but the public at large.
"Shapps must stand up to the faceless accountants in the Treasury because a properly run and fully functioning railway is vital in building an economic recovery from Covid.
"The government should share their plans in detail with us and commuters now if they are so sure that closing ticket offices and taking £2bn a year out of our railways is the best way forward.
Railway ticket offices are run by train operating companies in different stations, and not by Network Rail. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60729901 |
War in Ukraine: How Russia is recruiting mercenaries - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Social media channels and private messaging groups are being used to recruit, the BBC has learned. | Wagner member in the Donbas region in 2014/15
Social media channels and private messaging groups are being used in Russia to recruit a new brigade of mercenaries to fight in Ukraine alongside the army, the BBC has learned.
The BBC has spoken to a serving mercenary and a former fighter with close links to one of Russia's leading mercenary organisations, who have shared details of the recruitment campaign.
The serving mercenary said many veterans of the secretive Wagner organisation were contacted on a private Telegram group a few weeks before the start of the war. They were invited to a "picnic in Ukraine", with references to tasting "Salo", a pork fat traditionally eaten in Ukraine.
The message appeals to "those with criminal records, debts, banned from mercenary groups or without an external passport" to apply. The message also included that "those from the Russian-occupied areas of Luhansk and Donetsk republics and Crimea - cordially invited".
The Wagner group is one of the most secretive organisations in Russia. Officially, it doesn't exist - serving as a mercenary is against Russian and international law. But up to 10,000 operatives are believed to have taken at least one contract with Wagner over the past seven years.
The serving mercenary who spoke to the BBC said new recruits are being placed in units under the command of officers from the GRU, the Russian military intelligence unit of the ministry of defence.
He stressed that the recruitment policy had changed, and fewer restrictions were applied. "They are recruiting anyone and everyone," he said, unhappy with what he described as the lower professionalism of the new fighters.
He said the new units being recruited are no longer referred to as Wagner, but new names - such as The Hawks - were being used.
In 2021, the BBC gained access to an electronic tablet left behind by a Wagner fighter in Libya
This seems to be part of a recent tendency to steer away from the Wagner group's reputation, as "the brand is tainted", says Candace Rondeaux, professor of Russian, Eurasian and Eastern European studies at Arizona State University.
Wagner has faced repeated accusations of human rights abuses and war crimes in its operations in Syria and Libya.
The mercenary sources who spoke to the BBC, said the recruits are trained at the Wagner base in Mol'kino in southern Russia, next to a Russian army base.
As well as the private messaging groups, there has also been a public campaign in Russia to recruit mercenaries.
On the Russian social media platform VK, a page that describes itself as a specialist in security activities, posted an advert during the first week of the invasion calling for "security guards" from other former Soviet Union countries to apply for "the near abroad". Military experts have said this is a reference to Ukraine.
Previously, a criminal record was a block for those wanting to join the mercenaries. Also restrictions were placed on anyone born outside Russia because of doubts around loyalty.
Translated advert for mercenaries on the VK social media site
There is a "high demand on fighters" and to make a difference on the ground "they're going to need thousands of mercenaries", says Jason Blazakis, senior research fellow at the Soufan Centre, a US-based security think tank.
On Friday, the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said that 16,000 fighters from the Middle East had volunteered to fight with the Russian army. The Russian president Vladimir Putin gave orders allowing fighters from the Middle East to be deployed in the war.
It has been reported that up to 400 fighters from the Wagner group have been in Ukraine.
The Wagner group was first identified in 2014, when it was backing pro-Russian separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The serving Wagner fighter explained that in the first days of the invasion of Ukraine he was sent to the country's second city, Kharkiv, where he said his unit successfully completed a mission without revealing what it was.
"We were then paid $2,100 (£1,600) for a month's work and returned home to Russia," he told the BBC.
Blazakis describes using mercenaries as a "sign of desperation" to keep the Russian public's support. Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has stirred several protests in Russia. Thousands have been arrested. Blazakis added that using mercenaries allows the Kremlin to "keep the death toll down because mercenaries are used like cannon fodder".
Moscow has always denied any links with mercenary groups.
The BBC asked the Russian ministry of defence whether the base in Mol'kino was being used to recruit additional forces for what the Russian authorities call "a special military operation in Ukraine''. No response was received. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60711211 |
War in Ukraine: Uni to uniform - Ukraine's new teenage army recruits - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Young volunteers swap their studies for assault rifles as they prepare to defend Kyiv from Russian forces. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Maksym Lutsyk,19 (left) and Dmytro Kisilenko, 18 are at war with three days training.
Just over a week ago I met a group of young men who had volunteered at a centre in Kyiv to fight for Ukraine.
Most of them were in their late teens, not long out of school. They told me that after three days' basic training they would head for the front line - or very close to it.
Maksym Lutsyk, a 19-year-old biology student, told me he wasn't fazed about trying to become a soldier after less than a week of instruction. He'd manage, after five years in the Scouts, not just learning backwoods skills, but also some weapons training. He was 10 when Ukraine's long war with separatists sponsored by Moscow started in 2014.
Maksym had gone to join up with his friend Dmytro Kisilenko, 18, who was studying economics at the same university.
The recruits were like any bunch of young lads who had decided they were no longer boys, laughing too loudly when someone told jokes to hide their nerves, or trying a bit of bravado.
Some of them were wearing knee pads that looked too small, as if they had come with skateboards on their 12th birthdays. A few had sleeping bags. One had a yoga mat. When they waited outside for the bus that was going to be taking them to the training base, they looked like friends on the way to a festival - apart from the guns. Each had been given custody of a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Maksym (far left) and Dmytro (centre, with green jacket and white trainers) before their training
I'm in touch with Dmytro and Maksym and the other volunteers. This weekend I went to see them at their posts on the eastern edge of the city, where they have been issued with uniforms, body armour, proper infantry kneepads and helmets.
A bitter wind blew through the checkpoint which the volunteers were trying to turn into a real obstacle with sandbags and steel tank traps. They made the best of their very basic training.
Dmytro told me: "I got used to my gun. I learned how to shoot and how to act in the battle, also many other things that will be very crucial in the fight with the Russians." He laughed, as if he found it hard to imagine what he was contemplating.
Maksym looked more urgent, more serious, less like a laid-back student.
"I feel much more confident than I was before, because we get enough knowledge in tactics, in martial arts, in tactical medicine and in how to do something on the battlefield." Only half joking, he wanted to see the Ukrainian flag flying from the Kremlin.
The question on everyone's mind here is whether the battle is coming for Kyiv.
"It's definitely possible" said Dmytro. "We just have to stop them here, because if they get to Kyiv this war might be over."
Barricades have been set up on roads in Kyiv using concrete blocks and "tank traps" from the city's museum
They are from the same town near the Russian border, which is being shelled. Their families are still there. I asked the boys what their parents thought of what they were doing. Maksym joked that his mother had told him to stay in a shelter and volunteer to cook the food. He had spared them the details of his deployment because he didn't want to worry them.
Dmytro's parents knew what he was doing. He had started by volunteering to make Molotov cocktails and after a few days rang his dad to tell him he had decided to join the territorial defence force. His father told him not to try too hard to be a hero.
My parents, Dmytro said, are proud of what I'm doing. He looked delighted. I asked him if he felt scared of what is ahead.
"Not much, but it is human nature to feel scared, and of course deeply in my soul I feel a bit scared, as no one wants to die, even if it's for your country. So, death is not an option for us."
Dmytro and Maksym talked about their dreams for the future, fun with friends, finishing their studies, careers and eventually families. Their parents must be praying that their sons' plans, energy and even their lives are not smashed by the brutal realities of war, like so many in all the other generations of young men who have joined up to fight in Europe's wars.
Foreign journalists have no access to the young Russian men only a few miles away on the other side of the front line. Many are believed to be conscripts, who were not told properly what was being planned for them. Wars are mostly fought by young men.
I have no doubt that many young Russians in the war have hopes as high as Dmytro and Maksym. One difference might be less motivation to fight, though without the chance to report their side properly, it is hard to say with certainty.
The two young Ukrainian students-turned-soldiers went back to work on the checkpoint. The professional army is a couple of miles ahead, directly facing the Russians.
But if the Russians come, like all the volunteers, Maksym and Dmytro will be firing out of the trenches they helped dig into the surrounding ground, where boxes of Molotov cocktails are waiting - old bottles filled with petrol and pieces of grated polystyrene and stuffed with a rag to ignite what they hope might even disable a tank.
If that doesn't work, the Nato military alliance is pouring in thousands of much more sophisticated anti-tank weapons.
Everyone here in Kyiv is waiting for what is likely to be the key battle of the war, soldiers, civilians in and out of uniform, along with Maksym and Dmytro and the other volunteers who are getting ready to fight with them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60724560 |
Ukraine war: Zelensky visits wounded Ukrainian soldiers - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Ukraine's president gives medals to injured troops and the hospital workers caring for them. | Mr Zelensky chatted to the injured troops, posed for selfies with them and awarded them and hospital workers with medals. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-60731908 |
Inflation: Sports bras in, doughnuts out of cost of living measure - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Pet collars and frozen Yorkshire puddings are other goods now used to measure changes in the cost of living. | High demand for workout gear and health-conscious vegetarian options are now being used to calculate the change in the cost of living in the UK.
Items such as tinned beans, boosted by a rise in plant-based diets, have also been added to the basket of goods used to measure prices.
The review by the Office for National Statistics also saw pet collars added.
But men's suits and doughnuts are out as homeworking shifted how we dress and snack during Covid lockdowns.
The ONS said it decided to add meat-free sausages to the basket of more than 700 goods, which is used to calculate how the cost of living is changing, to reflect a boost in demand for healthier food options.
It also said that the removal of a men's two-piece suit, and the addition of sports bras and crop tops, accounted for the fact that spending on formal clothes has been falling, as well as a "heightened awareness of fitness".
"With many people still working from home, demand for more formal clothing has continued to decrease," ONS head of economic statistics Sam Beckett said.
Since the start of the pandemic, retailers such as Boohoo and Asos have reported a boost in sales for loungewear items such as joggers or hoodies too.
In total, 19 items were added while 15 have been removed.
And although the deletion of doughnuts from the basket might suggest customers are opting for healthier snacks while working-from-home, multipacks of cakes are still included in the calculation.
Other additions to the basket of goods signalled a shift in how consumers are spending during the pandemic.
Anti-bacterial wipes, as well as craft and hobby kits for adults, were included in the basket of goods for the first time.
Pet collars for dogs and cats were also added "to reflect the growth in pet accessories linked to the increase in pet ownership more generally during the pandemic", it said.
Items such as atlas books or encyclopaedias, as well as coal, are out too.
The official statistics body pointed out that the sale of domestic coal will be banned in 2023 as part of the government's attempt to tackle climate change. Dropping the item this year protects the index from being affected by big swings in price as that headline approaches.
The publication comes as experts point out that what has been described as the cost of living crisis could be exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine.
On Monday, research from the Resolution Foundation think tank suggested that the war could see another spike in the cost of living this autumn.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Ros Atkins on why the war in Ukraine is pushing up food prices - and the likely impact on poorer countries
It said that inflation, which tracks how the cost of living changes over time, could reach 10% for the poorest households, whose energy and food bills make up a bigger proportion of their budgets.
Some analysts suggested on Monday that the update to the basket of goods was "out of touch with the everyday expenditure for the masses".
Myron Jobson, senior personal finance analyst at Interactive Investor, said that climbing sessions, which was added this year, "is unlikely to rank highly on the list of spending priorities among those struggling to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis".
"We all have our own inflation number, and it is worth keeping tabs on your spending habits to get a better idea of the goods and services that are eating most into your budget, and where you could cut back," he added.
With inflation at the highest rate seen in 30 years, the ONS's methodology has come under extra scrutiny because of the concern that product selections do not reflect purchases made by those on lower incomes.
Poverty campaigner Jack Monroe had complained that the official way inflation is calculated fail to accurately reflect this.
The ONS has said some changes were already in the pipeline to address that.From 2024, it will use a far wider range of prices from supermarket tills, which should make it easier to work out if certain brands of pasta or beans, for example, are rising faster than others. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60734386 |
Rod Stewart: Video prompts pothole DIY repair warning - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | A council urges people not to attempt road repairs themselves after the singer was filmed doing it. | He wears it well: Sir Rod Stewart was pictured in a high-vis vest, shovelling gravel
A council has urged people not to try to repair potholes themselves after Sir Rod Stewart was filmed doing it.
Instagram videos showed the singer, 77, shovelling gravel near his home near Harlow, Essex, claiming drivers were "bashing their cars up" on the road.
His post was liked more than 75,000 times in a day and prompted comments praising his actions.
An Essex County Council cabinet member warned anyone attempting to repair a road could become liable for accidents.
Lee Scott, who is responsible for highways maintenance at the authority, said: "You can't take matters into your own hands.
"People must always report potholes to the council and we will fix anything that's dangerous."
The rural road near Harlow in Essex has many potholes
In the Instagram post, Sir Rod claimed the road had been in need of repair "for ages" but that "no-one can be bothered to do it".
Dressed in a tracksuit and high-vis vest, he explained why he and "the boys" decided to fix it themselves.
"People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can't go through here at all," he said.
Mr Scott promised he would "endeavour to rectify it" and asked for an officer report as quickly as possible.
He said: "All road repairs have to be done to a professional level or the person doing it could become liable for any problems or accidents".
He added he would be happy to arrange a meeting with the singer to discuss the issue.
The BBC has approached Sir Rod for comment.
The 77-year-old is seen singing and shovelling gravel near Harlow in Essex
Dominic Zarian from the area spent about £130 on car repairs after being unable to avoid "a massive crack" in the road, which he says he reported to the council four weeks ago.
He said: "That road is dark, when it's wet it can be treacherous. Someone's going to get hurt."
Essex County Council's pothole webpage said all reports were inspected but "the timescale for the repair depends on the risk assessment and which type of road the pothole is on".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60727187 |
Ukraine crisis: US warns China against helping Russia - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | US officials say Russia asked China for military support and help in evading sanctions. | Mr Sullivan, seen here in a file picture, warned that the US would not allow China to provide a "lifeline" to Russia
China will face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions in its invasion of Ukraine, the US says.
Unnamed US officials told multiple news outlets that China had signalled willingness to provide military assistance to Russia.
The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of spreading disinformation. Russia denied asking Beijing for military help.
The exchanges came before top US and Chinese officials met in Rome.
Media outlets, citing Washington officials, say that Russia has in recent days asked China specifically for military equipment, including drones.
On Monday, the US warned allies that China had suggested it was open to a move to provide military and economic support, media reports said.
The report came as US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, for talks in Rome.
"Mr Sullivan raised a range of issues in US-China relations, with substantial discussion of Russia's war against Ukraine," a readout of the meeting said. "They also underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China."
In an earlier CNN interview, Mr Sullivan said the US was "communicating directly, privately to Beijing that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them".
"We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world," he said.
He added that while the US believed China was aware that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was "planning something" before the invasion happened, Beijing "may not have understood the full extent of it".
Russia's military action is now in its third week and has horrified much of the world
"Because it's very possible that [Mr] Putin lied to them the same way that he lied to Europeans and others," Mr Sullivan said.
In response, a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Beijing, Zhao Lijian, said the US had "been spreading disinformation targeting China on the Ukraine issue, with malicious intentions".
Asked if he could clarify whether China had received a request for military help from Russia, Mr Zhao said this was "fake news" but did not deny it directly. He added that China's stance had always been consistent and that China was playing a constructive role in promoting talks.
President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports Russia had asked China for military assistance were not true.
"Russia possesses its own independent potential to continue the operation. As we said, it is going according to plan and will be completed on time and in full," he said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US raised concerns with the Chinese delegation "directly and very clearly".
China has so far refrained from condemning Russia for the invasion and has said Moscow's "legitimate security concerns" should be taken seriously.
When the United Nations General Assembly voted to condemn Russia's invasion earlier this month, China was one of 35 countries that abstained.
But Beijing at the same time has expressed "unwavering support" for Ukraine's sovereignty. It has also called for peace and has said it is ready to help end the war through diplomacy. Several countries have urged China to do more to stop Russia's invasion.
The EU and US help Ukraine, China helps Russia; if that's how this goes, then it's a delineation that will make the war in Ukraine an even more consequential one.
The White House has decided to make public its claim just as President Biden's top security adviser is due to meet China's most senior diplomat. It appears to be a tactical move, to put pressure on China; presumably to either confirm or deny it.
The bigger aim could be to try to make Xi Jinping weigh up the pros and cons to his current position of what was last week called a "rock solid" relationship with Moscow.
Remember that it was just weeks ago, as the Winter Olympics opened in Beijing, that Presidents Xi and Putin declared a new alliance that had "no limit". Military aid could, clearly, be part of that.
But in the days after Russia's invasion China has condemned the UK, the US and others for giving weapons to Ukraine's military, saying they were adding "fuel to the fire".
If the US intelligence assessment is correct and Beijing follows through on that request, then they too would be "adding fuel".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mariko Oi explains why China is in a delicate position in the Ukraine conflict
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If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60732486 |
Ukraine war: Pub dedicated to Hemingway destroyed in Kharkiv - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The Old Hem pub in Kharkiv was a well-known hangout for young poets and musicians. | The bar was popular among the city's young creatives
You'll Never Drink Alone were the words that hung above the bar at the Old Hem, an iconic pub in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The pub is named after Ernest Hemingway, and its patrons would walk past a statue of the legendary American writer on their way in.
It was popular among the city's young creatives, and Serhiy Zhadan, one of Ukraine's best known poets, would often perform and drink there.
But now the Old Hem lies in ruins.
The pub was destroyed in shelling on Monday
It was completely destroyed during Russian shelling of the city on Monday. The Kharkiv prosecutor's office says two people died in the attack.
The bar's owner, Kostiantyn Kuts, told the BBC that no staff were in the bar when the strike hit, and those who died were in apartments above the pub.
The Old Hem stopped pouring pints and turned into a makeshift bomb shelter when the Russian army invaded Ukraine on 24 February, Mr Kuts says.
He initially hoped that he'd only be shutting up briefly.
"We did not completely believe in what was happening and hoped that soon the bar would work. But the illusions were destroyed with the first bombs on residential buildings," he said in a message.
In the early days of the invasion, Kharkiv fought back a Russian armoured column. Since then, it has suffered nightly Russian airstrikes and shelling, with dozens of civilians killed and hundreds injured.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Our correspondent on the front line, with Ukraine’s troops - this report contains graphic images of casualties
But in the weeks leading up to the invasion, Mr Kuts says it was business as usual at the bar.
"The atmosphere was friendly. Many felt at home in the bar," he says. "The pub was popular among young people, and they were all optimistic and did not believe in war."
This homely atmosphere was one the Old Hem had built up over a decade.
Mr Kuts says the pub was opened in 2012 as a place where people could "meet and discuss current affairs over a glass of beer". It soon became a focal point for Kharkiv's creatives and would showcase local talent.
Yuri, who often visited the Old Hem and declined to give his full name, said it was more of a hub than a pub. He recalls musician Oleh Skrypka, vocalist with the ground-breaking Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova, playing a rare intimate show. Parties would regularly continue into the early hours.
"It was one of the first places in Kharkiv to support Maidan publicly with flags and manifestos on the doors," he says, in reference to the protest movement that ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.
"Freedom and democracy combined with cheap beer is why youth loved it I guess," he says.
The pub was dedicated to Hemingway
The pub was dedicated to Hemingway, one of Mr Kuts' heroes, and had a statue of the writer at the entrance. The walls of the bar were decked out with portraits of other iconic authors including 20th Century Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov, Charles Bukowski and Mark Twain.
"I was often asked the question - why Old Hem?" Mr Kuts says.
He said this was out of affection for an old friend rather than a reference to his age.
But what really made the bar was the people, he adds.
Mr Kuts hopes to one day rebuild his beloved pub
Mr Kuts is now in western Ukraine and is hoping to make it to Germany. But one day he hopes to return to his city to rebuild his beloved bar.
"I'm sure Hem's story didn't end today," he says. "We will win and Hem will rise again." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60742255 |
Mass graves in Ukraine: Battered cities are digging makeshift burial sites - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Street cleaners are collecting bodies as besieged locals resort to burying civilians in trenches. | The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol, 10 March
The Russian bombardment of some places in Ukraine is so intense that towns and cities are being forced to unceremoniously bury dozens of civilian victims in mass graves.
Nowhere is this grim reality of war more apparent than in Mariupol, a key port city devastated by constant shelling, where several burial sites have been hastily dug in the past two weeks.
"We can't bury [the victims] in private graves, as those are outside the city and the perimeter is controlled by Russian troops," Mariupol's deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov told the BBC by phone.
Locations include a retired city cemetery that has now been re-opened, Mr Orlov said.
Warning: This article contains images that some may find upsetting
On Sunday, the city council said the civilian death toll had risen above 2,100. The heavy Russian shelling has prevented any mass evacuation from Mariupol, despite efforts to open a safe exit route.
Mr Orlov could not give a total for dead civilians buried in mass graves, but said 67 bodies were at one site. "Some we can't identify but some had documents."
Thousands of residents are hiding in cellars and in some cases, he said, people are burying family members privately in courtyards or gardens.
The battered city's street cleaners and road repair teams were collecting bodies in the streets, he said, as municipal services had collapsed. "Some people were killed during those collections. We've had no electricity, or heating, sanitation, water, food for 11 days," he said.
Four-hundred miles to the north west, on the edge of the capital Kyiv, a mass grave was dug near a church in the town of Bucha, local MP Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska said. It contains more than 60 bodies.
Video of the burial was posted on Facebook by a doctor working in nearby Irpin, Andriy Levkivsky. Doctors buried the victims, who had been brought to Irpin hospital.
Ms Skoryk-Shkarivska told the BBC that a "ritual service" was conducted at the hospital before burial. Not all had been identified and "nobody knows exactly where the relatives are," she said.
"Now we're discussing with volunteers how to create a digital system to identify people and trace missing relatives," she said.
Russian troops captured the hospital on Saturday and told the doctors to leave, she said, speaking by phone from western Ukraine. Bucha and half of Irpin are now in Russian hands, she said.
The return of mass graves is a shock for Ukrainians. Many have bitter family memories of World War Two, when Jews and Soviet partisans were murdered by Nazis, and the Holodomor - the famine created in Ukraine by Soviet seizure of grain and livestock in the 1930s.
"My uncle is 92 and even he compared it with his childhood in the war," said Ms Skoryk-Shkarivska, who emphasised it is "important for us to bury relatives traditionally, the Christian way, with praying".
"Even now in war people sometimes ask priests to do that," she said.
A mass grave in Bucha - still from video posted by Dr Levkivsky
In northern Ukraine the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Sumy are surrounded by Russian troops and relentless shelling has killed many civilians there too.
On 6 March Oleksandra Matviichuk, a civil liberties campaigner, tweeted a photo of coffins in a trench, accompanied by the message: "Thus, civilians killed in the Russian bombing of Chernihiv are buried in trenches. Since the main city cemetery in Yatsevo is under constant shelling by the Russian occupiers, the victims are buried in the Yalivshchyna forest."
Oleksandr Lomako, secretary of Chernihiv city council, told the BBC that victims of Russian air raids and shelling were being buried in a temporary cemetery. He confirmed that the city's main cemetery was now inaccessible, with Russian troops surrounding the city on three sides, the nearest about 10km (six miles) away.
Coffins buried in a trench in Chernihiv - photograph courtesy of mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko
"After the war we will rebury the dead," he said, estimating the city's civilian death toll in the Russian bombardment to be about 200.
One air raid killed 45 people in Chernihiv - the worst toll, Mr Lomako said - adding that nightly bombing was killing seven civilians on average. "The planes drop three to four bombs on residential blocks. Also one hit the hospital, but it is still working. Dozens of housing blocks have been destroyed on the edge of the city."
As well as evidence of mass burials, there are accounts of makeshift graves.
A mother and son were buried in the courtyard of their new apartment block in Irpin, which has been heavily shelled by the Russians. A photo of the grave was widely shared by Ukrainians, and a tweet by journalist Olga Rudenko showed Marina Met and her son Ivan enjoying life in Kyiv before the invasion.
Makeshift grave of a mother and son in Irpin
For those whose loved ones have suffered the effects of siege and shelling at the hands of invading forces, burial in makeshift graves will no doubt feel like the final indignity. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60729206 |
Ukraine war: 'Sky turned red' as missiles hit Lviv military base - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | "It doesn't matter where you live" - fear after a deadly attack on military base close to Polish border. | Witnesses to a deadly Russian attack on a Ukrainian military base have told how "the sky turned red" as missiles struck the site near the Polish border.
At least 35 people died in the strike on the Yavoriv training base, near a major crossing point into Poland used by refugees from the conflict.
Russia fired around 30 cruise missiles at the base, outside the city of Lviv, early Sunday, the local governor said.
Hours after the attack, ambulances were still rushing to the scene.
Roads leading to the facility were blocked with checkpoints and authorities were conducting search-and-rescue operations.
Russian jets fired around 30 cruise missiles at the site, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, authorities in Lviv said. Most, though, were intercepted by the air defence system.
Video of the aftermath of the attack posted online and verified by the BBC showed a huge crater at the site and thick smoke billowing from a massive fire at a small building nearby.
Dukhnych Vitalii, a 19-year-old student who lives in a nearby apartment complex, said "the night sky turned red" as the attack happened. "We can't hear the air raid sirens in this area. We woke up when we heard the sound of the first explosion. We went to the bunker," he said. "It looked scary."
His 25-year-old cousin was training at the facility, Mr Vitalii said, and his family were still trying to contact him.
Another resident, Nadin Berezovska, said she could see the fire from her parents' flat, where she had been living after fleeing the country's capital, Kyiv. "It was very scary. We're in shock," Ms Berezovska, a 39-year-old photographer, said.
"Now we realise that it doesn't matter where you live," she said. "We aren't safe. How can Poland be safe?"
The base has previously been used for military training of Ukrainian troops, often with instructors from the US and other Nato countries. It was not immediately clear whether foreign instructors were at the centre when it was hit.
The attack is significant because the base, one of Ukraine's largest military facilities, is located just 25km (15 miles) from Poland, a Nato member. The border with Poland is a vital route for refugees, but also for weapons being sent by countries in the military alliance - which have included anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
It is also the first major attack in western Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion of the country, on 24 February. The region has become a hub for millions of people escaping the war in other areas, and around 2.6 million have left Ukraine so far.
"We're very scared," Yurii Vitiv, a 50-year-old driver, said. "Until this morning we had hoped that the war would stop on eastern Ukraine."
Hours earlier, Sergei Ryabkov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, said Moscow had warned the US that "pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets".
Despite sending weapons, Nato has, so far, ruled out a request by Ukraine's government to establish a no-fly zone over the country, saying this would trigger a wider conflict with Russia.
But Andriy Sadovyy, the mayor of Lviv, said such a measure was necessary to prevent Russia from carrying our aerial strikes.
"Europeans, understand this situation: it's easy to talk and drink coffee and say they're deeply concerned... but every hour the skies are not closed, the Russians are killing civilians and children," he told the BBC in an interview.
"We need closed sky. We need decision today. We need bullet-proof vests today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow Russian missiles [will] end up in the European Union."
Ms Berezovska, the photographer, agreed. "In Ukraine, there's no place to hide," she said. "We ask Nato to close the sky."
Are you or your family in Lviv? Please share your experience if it is safe to do so by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60728208 |
Roman Abramovich: New evidence highlights corrupt deals - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | BBC Panorama uncovers new evidence on the corrupt deals that helped Chelsea's owner make his fortune. | A BBC investigation has uncovered new evidence about the corrupt deals that made Roman Abramovich's fortune.
The Chelsea owner made billions after buying an oil company from the Russian government in a rigged auction in 1995.
Mr Abramovich paid around $250m (£190m) for Sibneft, before selling it back to the Russian government for $13bn in 2005.
His lawyers say there is no basis for alleging he has amassed very substantial wealth through criminality.
The Russian billionaire was sanctioned by the UK government last week because of his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Abramovich's assets have been frozen and he has been disqualified as a director of Chelsea Football Club.
The Russian billionaire has already admitted in a UK court that he made corrupt payments to help get the Sibneft deal off the ground.
He was being sued in London by his former business associate Boris Berezovsky in 2012.
Mr Abramovich won the case, but he described in court how the original Sibneft auction was rigged in his favour and how he gave Mr Berezovsky $10m to pay off a Kremlin official.
BBC Panorama has obtained a document that is thought to have been smuggled out of Russia.
The information was given to the programme by a confidential source, who says it was secretly copied from files held on Mr Abramovich by Russian law enforcement agencies.
The BBC cannot verify that, but checks with other sources in Russia have backed up many of the details in the five-page document.
The document says that the Russian government was cheated out of $2.7bn in the Sibneft deal - a claim supported by a 1997 Russian parliamentary investigation. The document also says that the Russian authorities wanted to charge Mr Abramovich with fraud.
It says: "The Dept. of Economic Crimes investigators came to the conclusion that if Abramovich could be brought to trial he would have faced accusations of fraud… by an organised criminal group."
Roman Abramovich's Dirty Money is on BBC One, Monday 14 March, at 20:00 GMT and on BBCiPlayer afterwards
Panorama tracked down Russia's former chief prosecutor, who investigated the deal in the 1990s.
Yuri Skuratov did not know about the secret document, but he independently confirmed many of the details about the Sibneft sale.
Mr Skuratov told the programme: "Basically, it was a fraudulent scheme, where those who took part in the privatisation formed one criminal group that allowed Abramovich and Berezovsky to trick the government and not pay the money that this company was really worth."
The document also suggests Mr Abramovich was protected by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
It says law enforcement files on Mr Abramovich were moved to the Kremlin and that an investigation by Mr Skuratov was stopped by the president.
The document says: "Skuratov was preparing a criminal case for the confiscation of Sibneft on the basis of the investigation of its privatisation. The investigation was stopped by President Yeltsin … Skuratov was dismissed from his office."
Mr Skuratov was sacked after the release of a sex tape in 1999. He says it was a stitch-up to discredit him and his investigation.
He said: "This whole thing was obviously political, because in my investigations I came very close to the family of Boris Yeltsin, including via this investigation of the Sibneft privatisation."
Mr Abramovich remained in the Kremlin inner circle when Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000.
The document contains details of another rigged auction two years later, involving a Russian oil company called Slavneft.
Mr Abramovich formed a partnership with another firm to buy Slavneft, but a rival Chinese company was planning to bid almost twice as much.
Many powerful people - from the Kremlin to the Russian parliament - would have stood to lose out if the Chinese won the auction.
The document says that a member of the Chinese delegation was kidnapped when they arrived in Moscow for the auction.
"CNPC, Chinese company, a very strong competitor, had to withdraw from the auction after one of its representatives was kidnapped upon arrival at Moscow Airport and was released only after the company declared its withdrawal."
The kidnapping story is backed up by independent sources who did not know about the document.
Vladimir Milov was Russia's deputy energy minister in the run up to the Slavneft sale. He didn't comment on the kidnapping story, but he said senior political figures had already decided that Mr Abramovich's partnership would win the auction.
"I said, look, the Chinese want to come in and they want to pay a much bigger price. They say it doesn't matter, shut up, none of your business. It's already decided. Slavneft goes to Abramovich, the price is agreed. The Chinese will be dragged out somehow."
There is no suggestion that Mr Abramovich knew anything about the kidnapping plot, or played any part in it.
His lawyers told the BBC the kidnap claim "is entirely unsubstantiated" and he has "no knowledge of such incident".
Different factions had been fighting for control of Slavneft and there was widespread opposition to the Chinese bid.
Whatever the reason for the Chinese withdrawal, Mr Abramovich's partnership had the only bid left on the table. And they bought Slavneft at a knockdown price.
Mr Abramovich's lawyers say allegations of corruption in the Slavneft and Sibneft deals are false, and he denies he was protected by Mr Yeltsin. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60736185 |
Ukraine war: Drone shots show Mariupol devastated by fighting - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Thousands of civilians have been trapped in the Ukrainian port city for nearly two weeks | Drone footage taken of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol shows the extent of the damage caused by Russian attacks.
Deputy Mayor Serhiy Orlov, said the city, in south-eastern Ukraine, was under "constant shelling, bombing and some street battles."
Thousands of civilians have been trapped there for nearly two weeks, surrounded by Russian troops firing rockets and shells, which have destroyed many buildings. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60733927 |
Ukraine risks being pulverised, service is told - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Lord Sentamu warns the Royal Family and prime minister of destruction, as the Queen misses the Commonwealth Service. | The Royal Family were warned about the risk of "might being right" in Ukraine
"At this very moment , Ukraine risks being pulverised," Lord Sentamu, former Archbishop of York, has warned the annual Commonwealth Service.
The Prince of Wales and Boris Johnson were among those at the Westminster Abbey service, with the prime minister wearing a Ukraine-and-UK badge.
"It is not the first time that might has demanded to be right," Lord Sentamu said of the attack on Ukraine.
The Queen, 95, had pulled out of attending this year's service.
Lord Sentamu told the Commonwealth Service, attended by royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and senior politicians, his prayer for Ukraine was "heavenly justice will defend the poor and vulnerable".
In contrast to a "world which measures power in megatons", he said, the Queen's long reign had been about duty and service and the principle: "Whoever shall be great among you shall be your servant."
Lord Sentamu speaking to Boris Johnson as he arrived at the service, which celebrated the Commonwealth
The Royal Family have been unusually outspoken over the Ukraine war, with Prince Charles condemning the "brutal aggression" and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting the Ukrainian Cultural Centre wearing badges in the Ukrainian national colours.
The ceremony, in Westminster Abbey, celebrated the work of the Commonwealth, with parades of flags, readings and music from Emeli Sandé and Mica Paris, and a focus on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
After concerns about her ability to travel and her mobility, the Queen had been unable to attend in person.
But in a message she praised the Commonwealth as a force for good in "these testing times".
She also showed no sign of stepping back, repeating the lifelong commitment made when she was 21 that "my life will always be devoted in service".
The Queen recently recovered from Covid and has returned to holding diplomatic meetings and audiences in person.
But in one of those meetings last month, she said: "As you can see, I can't move."
Prince Charles represented her at the Westminster Abbey service.
He will also go on behalf of the Queen to the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to be held in Rwanda in June. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60737036 |
Ukraine: Eight arrests at oligarch's London mansion after balcony protest - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Protesters wanted the property, believed to be owned by Oleg Deripaska, to house Ukrainian refugees. | Protesters have draped Ukrainian flags over the property, which is believed to be owned by Oleg Deripaska
A demonstration at a mansion linked to Vladimir Putin ally Oleg Deripaska has ended with eight arrests, police said.
Protesters occupied the balcony of 5 Belgrave Square, in central London, about midnight, and stayed most of the day, despite police efforts to remove them.
The squatters said they were reclaiming the property for Ukrainian refugees.
Just before 20:00 GMT the Met tweeted the protests were over and that eight people had been arrested in total.
A spokesman said four were arrested inside the building, and four more outside.
Police said they have searched the property and are satisfied there is no-one left inside, although a presence will be kept at the scene overnight.
Billionaire energy tycoon Mr Deripaska is one of the oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Met police make arrests close to the building in Belgravia, central London
A Met Police spokesman said four arrests were made about 18:00 GMT, for trespass, after protesters had tried to climb the back of the building, which is the Romanian consulate.
Earlier in the day riot police had entered and searched the property but found nobody inside.
Four people remained on the balcony, despite police negotiators' attempts to talk them down, and the spokesman said they would be monitored overnight.
The group called themselves the London Makhnovists, after the Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno, who revolted against the Russian White Army in 1918-21.
There are links between Russian political donors and the war in Ukraine, the protesters claimed
Standing on the balcony, one of the protesters told journalists they were doing the government's work for them by reclaiming the building for refugees fleeing their homes.
He said: "[Home secretary] Priti Patel, don't worry, we did your job - we did the housing, just send them here, we did the housing. Refugees welcome!
"We're demanding this property belong to Ukrainian refugees. Their houses have been destroyed and this guy [Deripaska] supported the war."
The group said there were about 200 rooms in the "ridiculous" mansion, which was "filthy fancy" and had "so much stuff a normal human being would never need", including a home cinema and works of art.
The protesters said there were about 200 rooms in the mansion
"It is massive," one of the protesters said. "I got lost I don't know how many times. There are so many unnecessary rooms."
Another added: "[Michael Gove] said oligarchs' homes should be expropriated to house Ukrainian refugees.
"We're doing the government's work for them and we're doing it for free, so I expect a significant rebate on my tax bill later on in April."
Speaking about the possibility of arrest, one said the group has "made peace" with the option and added "I'm ready to take the consequences for something I believe".
In response, the prime minister's official spokesman said he thought new legislation would be needed to use seized property to house refugees.
He added: "Squatting in residential buildings is illegal, but we are working to identify the appropriate use for seized properties while owners are subject to sanctions."
Ivan, who was passing by, said he was originally from Lviv in western Ukraine and fully supported the protest.
"I think it's very good," he said, adding he believed the mansion belonged to Mr Deripaska, who is "a friend of Putin".
"My people are suffering and they need help," he said.
Other passers-by were supportive of the occupation, saying they were unable to protest themselves but the action would make a difference.
Ivan, from Lviv in Ukraine, supports the protest
One man said: "We need to protest in every way we can because this war is not right. A lot of civilians and women and children are dying every day for Putin and it's unbelievable."
Charles Delingpole, who said he works in the field of sanctions, said he supported the protest but it was important to uphold the rule of law.
He said: "I think the UK has been too slow to sanction Russian oligarchs based on an abundance of caution as opposed to due process.
"However, this is the breakdown of law and just because we fight with monsters doesn't mean we need to turn into them ourselves."
The government has been too slow to sanction oligarchs, said Charles Delingpole
Mr Deripaska, founder of metals and hydropower company EN+, has been under US sanctions since 2018 as a result of his alleged close relationship with the Kremlin.
A 2006 High Court judgement revealed Mr Deripaska was the beneficial owner of Five Belgrave Square.
The seven-bedroom house, in one of London's most expensive neighbourhoods, also has a home cinema, a gym and a Turkish steam bath.
The property had been bought through Ravellot Limited, an offshore company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, and the business still owns the property.
Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 3, 2021
Land Registry documents give Graham Bonham Carter as the contact for Ravellot.
Five bank accounts held by him are subject to asset freezing orders at the request of the National Crime Agency (NCA), following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The bank accounts were frozen because of suspected links to Mr Deripaska, the NCA said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60736583 |
Homes for Ukraine refugee scheme launches in UK - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Those wanting to host an individual or family from Ukraine can now register their interest online. | The government has launched its Homes for Ukraine site for those wanting to host a refugee, with 100,000 signing up within the first day.
Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove said the UK had a history of "supporting the most vulnerable during their darkest hours".
He said there would be no limit to how many Ukrainians could enter the UK under the visa sponsorship scheme.
Each household housing a refugee will be offered £350 a month, tax-free.
They will not be expected to provide food and living expenses but can choose to offer this.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "fantastic" that more than 100,000 people and organisations had expressed interest in supporting Ukrainians.
"Thank you to everyone across the country who has stepped up to offer their help so far," he tweeted.
People who wish to offer a rent-free space in their home or a separate residence, for at least six months, can register their interest online.
They will be able to individually sponsor a Ukrainian national's visa from Friday. Those initial applications will rely on the applicant knowing a named individual from Ukraine they want to help.
But Ukrainian refugees with no family or other links to the UK can and will be hosted as part of the scheme, Mr Gove said.
He said the sponsorship scheme was initially only between people who are already known to each other so it gets "up and running as soon as possible".
The scheme will be expanded with the support of charities, community groups and churches who can help with matching refugees to hosts.
No timescale has been announced for when this will happen but Mr Gove said it would expand "rapidly".
The government has faced criticism - including from its own MPs - over the speed and scale of its response to the refugee crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Almost three million people have fled Ukraine since Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian invasion nearly three weeks ago.
Mr Gove had said the scheme was open to nationals and residents of Ukraine, but his department later clarified that those eligible were Ukrainian nationals and immediate family members who had been resident prior to 1 January.
As part of the scheme, refugees will have access to the NHS and other public services. Their children will be able to attend local schools.
Local authorities will also receive £10,500 in extra funding per refugee for support services - with more for children of school age.
Mr Gove said everyone in the UK was "in awe of the bravery of the people of Ukraine".
"The victims of savage, indiscriminate, unprovoked aggression, their courage under fire and their determination to resist inspires our total admiration," he said.
Both hosts and refugees taking part in Homes for Ukraine will be vetted.
In addition, local councils will check that the accommodation offered is suitable, the government said.
A Department for Education source told the BBC the government was planning for a capacity of around 100,000 school-age Ukrainian children to be placed in UK schools and said they were confident the school system could cope.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Michael Gove sets out how British sponsors can take in refuges in the Homes for Ukraine scheme
Shadow housing and communities secretary Lisa Nandy said Labour was concerned about "the lack of urgency" and added that the visa application process could be simplified.
She said: "We could keep essential checks but drop the excessive bureaucracy."
One person putting her name forward is Mandi Arnold, who lives in Shropshire with her partner and three children.
Mandi, 35, says life in her house is already hectic and so "it might as well be even busier" with an extra couple of people.
"I would love to welcome someone in my home to give them that security and love," she says. "I've got a lot of love to give and it's the perfect opportunity to give it to someone who's in need."
Mandi says her two sons are too young to understand what housing a refugee would involve but that she and her husband have chatted to her nine-year-old daughter, Amalia, about it.
Husband and wife team Mandy and Mark Durrell were also among the first to register to offer a room.
The Methodist ministers from Bangor said watching the news from Ukraine had been heartbreaking.
"We want to offer space, companionship, comfort and safety," said Mark. "We have this home. There's two of us and the dog - and there's space here to give someone refuge and sanctuary."
Refugees at Home, which finds host families for refugees and asylum seekers, said it wanted to see "as many refugees housed as soon as possible".
Its executive director Lauren Scott stressed that home visits should take place before a placement is made and called for follow-up support to be offered to hosts and guests alike.
There should also be plans for what happens "for the rare situations in which a placement does not work out", she added.
All that should be done quickly and also "in a thoughtful, sensitive and thought-through way".
Iryna Terlecky, a board member of the Associations of Ukrainians in Great Britain and chair of the Association of Ukrainian Women, praised the British public's response to the scheme but she told the Today programme £10,500 per refugee "may well not be enough" for local authorities.
"What we want to see is that local authorities have the right level of funding so that they can continue to support, not only the families coming over but also their sponsors.
"For a six-month commitment there will be times when for whatever reason it doesn't work out and local authorities and the established charities and the Ukrainian community need to be there to help in those circumstances."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says he will open his home to a Ukrainian family
Homes for Ukraine is the second visa scheme the government has set up since the war broke out.
The first has allowed Ukrainians with an immediate or extended family member in the UK to apply for a family visa to join them.
Ukrainian passport holders no longer have to attend in-person appointments at visa application centres to submit their fingerprints and facial recognition, the Home Office said, with applicants now able to fill out forms online before giving their biometrics on arrival in the UK.
Some 4,600 visas have so far been granted through that route, the latest Home Office figures show.
The Home Office has defended requiring security checks on Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion. It says it must ensure the UK helps those in genuine need as it has seen people falsely claim to be Ukrainian.
Have you signed up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
• None Homes for Ukraine – Homes for Ukraine – Local Sponsorship Scheme for Ukraine The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60741942 |
Potholes near Sir Rod Stewart's Essex home to be fixed in April - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The local authority announces a plan of action after Sir Rod posts videos of himself with a shovel. | Sir Rod Stewart said his Ferrari could not get through the potholes
The potholes Sir Rod Stewart was filmed fixing will be temporarily filled in April and the road resurfaced in July, a council said.
Videos on the 77-year-old singer's Instagram account showed him shovelling gravel in Harlow, Essex, claiming "no-one can be bothered to do it".
In one, he said "people are bashing their cars up" on the road.
The leader of Essex County Council, Kevin Bentley, said the road "wasn't the condition it should be in".
In the Instagram post, Sir Rod claimed the road had been in need of repair "for ages".
Dressed in a tracksuit and high-vis vest, he explained why he and "the boys" decided to fix it themselves.
"The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can't go through here at all," he said.
The rural road near Harlow in Essex has many potholes, but will now be repaired by Essex County Council
Mr Bentley, a Conservative councillor, said the road had been inspected since the videos were posted and it was agreed it needed repairing.
"The patching work will be done in April and resurfacing will be done in July," he said.
"We must get to our roads as quickly as we can within the financial constraints what we have."
He encouraged residents to report potholes through the authority's website, so the council "can get to them as fast as possible".
Earlier, the council said people should not to try to repair potholes themselves.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60744835 |
Hong Kong: Briton accused of jeopardising China's security - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Human rights activist is threatened with jail for "collusion with foreign forces" over Hong Kong campaign. | A British national living in the UK has been accused by police in Hong Kong of jeopardising China's national security and told he faces three years in jail.
Benedict Rogers runs Hong Kong Watch, a charity which campaigns for human rights in the former British colony.
But he has been informed that he faces charges of "collusion with foreign forces" if he ever returns there.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the threat was "unjustifiable". Mr Rogers said his group would not be silenced.
"We will continue to be a voice for the people of Hong Kong and those brave political prisoners who have been jailed under this authoritarian regime," he said.
Hong Kong was handed back from British to Chinese rule in 1997, at the end of a 99-year lease.
Beijing agreed to govern it under "one country, two systems", granting the city its own legal system, limited democracy with multiple political parties and rights such as freedom of assembly and free speech.
However in 2019 there were mass anti-government and pro-democracy protests against plans to allow extraditions to mainland China.
Clashes between police and activists became increasingly violent and a year later China passed a draconian law targeting secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison.
The authorities have clamped down hard, arresting scores of activists and opposition politicians.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From protests to 'patriots': Why China is bent on crushing Hong Kong dissent
Hong Kong Watch said police had written to tell Mr Rogers of his offence, and that he faced jail, or a HK$100,000 (£9,800) fine, if he returns to the city.
It is thought to be one of the first times authorities have tried to apply the legislation outside the territory.
Lord Patten, the former colony's last governor, said it was a "disgraceful example" of China trying to stamp out freedom of expression in Hong Kong. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60732949 |
Ukraine war: Pregnant woman and baby die after hospital shelled - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The woman, seen in a widely shared image after a maternity hospital was hit, dies along with her baby. | A pregnant woman wounded in the Russian bombing of a Ukrainian maternity hospital has died along with her baby, reports say.
Images showed her on a stretcher following the air strike in Mariupol last Wednesday, in which at least three other people were killed.
After the place where she was meant to give birth was attacked, she was taken to another hospital.
Her baby was born by Caesarean section, but showed no signs of life.
The surgeon, Timur Marin, told the Associated Press news agency that the woman's pelvis had been crushed and her hip detached.
Medics said that as they were trying to save her life, she realised she was losing her baby and shouted, "Kill me now!"
When it became clear to them that the child was stillborn, they tried to resuscitate the mother, but realised after 30 minutes that it was hopeless.
Doctors said they did not have time to take the woman's name before her husband and father came to retrieve her body.
That meant she did not end up in one of the mass graves being dug for victims of the Russian shelling of the city, they added.
After the bombing of the hospital, Twitter removed two posts by the Russian embassy in London which claimed the attack had been faked.
The embassy's tweets made unfounded claims that the hospital was not operational at the time and that injured women pictured at the scene were actors.
The embassy also cast aspersions on another pregnant woman, photographed escaping from the wreckage of the hospital, who gave birth the day after the bombing.
The image of Mariana Vishegirskaya, her face bloodied, descending rubble-strewn steps was widely shared amid outrage at the attack.
In response to assertions that she was not actually pregnant, the BBC's disinformation team found evidence that contradicted the allegations.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser has said more than 2,500 residents of Mariupol have been killed in Russian attacks.
People who have managed to escape the city, in southern Ukraine, have told the BBC of desperate scenes there after Russian forces intensified a siege.
Father Pavel Komashevsky, a priest, said residential areas had been bombed day and night, with jets roaring overhead and missiles detonating.
On Sunday, the International Red Cross demanded access for aid deliveries and an agreed plan for their evacuation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60734706 |
Putin changes law on leased jets to keep them flying - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The Russian president signs new law allowing foreign-leased jets to keep flying in Russia. | The new law could allow foreign leased aircraft to keep flying domestic routes in Russia
Russia has implemented a new law making it harder for foreign aircraft leasing companies to repossess their planes in the face of Western sanctions.
The new law will allow foreign jets to be registered in Russia "to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of activities in the field of civil aviation".
Russian airlines have 515 jets leased from abroad worth about $10bn (£7.7bn).
Foreign owners have until 28 March to get them back from Russian companies before sanctions kick in.
The move comes after Bermuda and Ireland, where nearly all foreign-leased planes operating in Russia are registered, said they were suspending certificates of airworthiness for those aircraft.
The measure, signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, could circumvent that by bringing registration and certification of safety within Russia's borders and use the foreign aircraft to fly domestic routes across the vast country.
Since the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Western companies have been terminating leases and asking for planes to be returned.
The majority of international air routes out of Russia are not being flown and many countries, including the UK, have banned Russia's national airline Aeroflot from flying in their airspace.
Hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft remain in Russia. To comply with sanctions, leasing companies are trying to get them back. But that is looking highly unlikely.
If Russia does hang onto these aircraft - collectively worth billions of dollars - they will be able to continue flying, in Russia and a handful of former Soviet republics at least.
But it's one thing to steal aircraft, it's quite another to keep them operating for any length of time.
Airbus and Boeing cannot supply spare parts, so when something needs to be replaced it will have to be taken from another plane, or be manufactured by a third party.
That has serious safety implications. It will also make it virtually impossible to insure those planes outside Russia. Servicing is also a concern - many aircraft are flown elsewhere for maintenance.
And when the crisis is over there will be a huge bill to pay.
If aircraft are not maintained properly, their value will plummet. So even if lessors get them back, they will demand compensation.
International aviation is an international business, and you have to play by the rules.
Russia could decide to thumb its nose at the rest of the world now. But one day it will want to rejoin the club - and the conditions for rejoining could be very harsh. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60741161 |
Tom Brady: NFL great makes retirement U-turn after six weeks - BBC Sport | 2022-03-14 | Tom Brady, one of the greatest players in NFL history, is coming back for his 23rd season only six weeks after retiring. | Last updated on .From the section American Football
Tom Brady, one of the greatest players in NFL history, is coming back for his 23rd season just six weeks after announcing his retirement.
The quarterback, 44, said last month he was ending his playing career after winning a record seven Super Bowls.
But Brady has now said he has "unfinished business" and will rejoin the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands," he said on social media.
"That time will come. But it's not now. I love my team-mates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa."
• None From Pick 199 to the greatest of all time - the Tom Brady story
After being selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl wins.
He left for the Bucs in 2020 and helped them win the Super Bowl in his first season, being named the game's Most Valuable Player for a fifth time.
A three-time NFL season MVP, he led Tampa Bay back to the play-offs last season and still had a year remaining on his contract with the Bucs when he announced his retirement.
The franchise were yet to sign a new quarterback and, when asked about a possible return for Brady earlier this month, coach Bruce Arians said: "That door is never closed."
In his final game of the 2021 season, Brady narrowly failed to pull off a sensational comeback from 27-3 down in the play-offs as the Bucs ultimately lost 30-27 to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams.
He amassed a career-high 5,316 passing yards last season and holds the all-time records for passing yards (84,520) and touchdowns (624).
The Bucs have been owned since 1995 by the Glazer family, who have also owned Premier League club Manchester United since 2005.
Brady and his two sons were guests of the Glazers at Saturday's 3-2 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford, during which Brady met former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the first-team squad, including forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
'Thank you' - reaction to Brady U-turn
Tampa head coach Arians welcomed Brady's change of mind, while the franchise's general manager Jason Licht said he was "thrilled".
"Tom Brady loves to play football as much as anyone I have ever been around," said Arians. "As Tom said, his place right now is on the football field.
"He is still playing at a championship level and was as productive as anyone in the league last season. We are ecstatic that he decided to continue playing and working toward winning another championship."
Brady played in 10 Super Bowls, including an incredible comeback from 28-3 down against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, and won a Super Bowl in three different decades.
• None The Sports Desk podcast: The era of the age-defying athlete
Licht said: "We said we would leave all options open for him should he reconsider his retirement.
"Bruce and I have had plenty of conversations with Tom recently that led us to believe there was a realistic chance he'd want to come back.
"Tom is the greatest quarterback of all time who is still playing at an elite level."
Brady's last touchdown was one to Mike Evans, which Rams player Jalen Ramsey could not intercept.
Ramsey greeted Brady's decision not to retire by saying "thank you" and adding "throw that last touchdown on somebody else".
The ball for Brady's last touchdown was thrown into the stands by Evans and the fan who caught it sold it via Lelands, a sports memorabilia auction company.
"If there is any item in the field of sports collectibles that needs no embellishment, it is this historic piece: the final touchdown ball of Tom Brady's career," wrote Lelands in its description of the ball.
An anonymous buyer paid $518,628 (£397,592) for it before Brady's retirement U-turn the following day.
• None Six films that got their facts wrong: From the Jamaican bobsleigh team to Sylvester Stallone's goalkeeping heroics
• None A look back to when Michael Vaughan sat down with cricket legend Shane Warne | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/american-football/60731983 |
War in Ukraine: Russian forces accused of abducting second mayor - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The news comes as Ukraine says Russia is trying to create "pseudo-republics" to break up the country. | Ukraine's foreign minister said Yevhen Matveyev was abducted by "Russian war criminals"
Ukraine's government has accused the Russian military of abducting another mayor in an area that it has captured.
Yevhen Matveyev was seized in the southern town of Dniprorudne, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, accusing Russia of "terror" tactics.
Earlier, Russia installed a new mayor in Melitopol, after allegedly abducting the city's previous incumbent.
Ukraine's president also accused Russia of trying to create "pseudo-republics" to break his country apart.
In her first public appearance, Melitopol's newly installed mayor Galina Danilchenko urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions" and declared her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".
Hundreds of people took part in a protest outside the city hall on Saturday to demand the release of previous incumbent Ivan Fedorov, who had refused to co-operate with Russian troops since they took the city on the third day of the invasion.
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Mr Fedorov was last seen on Friday evening being dragged away from the city's crisis centre by several armed men with a bag over his head.
Ukrainian officials shared a video of the incident and said the armed men were Russian soldiers.
"We are not co-operating with the Russians in any way," Mr Fedorov had told the BBC earlier in the week. "They have not tried to help us, they cannot help us, and we do not want their help."
Russian authorities have not commented on his disappearance, but the prosecutor's office of the Russian-backed breakaway eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk has reportedly accused him of "terrorist activities".
CCTV image from the video allegedly showing the mayor being marched away
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded Mr Fedorov's immediate release and asked the leaders of Israel, Germany and France to put pressure on Russia to free him.
In his latest video address on Saturday night, Mr Zelensky said Russia was to create "pseudo-republics" in Ukraine.
He praised those refusing to collaborate in the Russian-controlled Kherson region.
The council there had earlier adopted a resolution reaffirming that it "has been, is and will be an inalienable part of the united state of Ukraine" in response to what it said was a Russian plan to stage a referendum on the creation of a "people's republic".
Mr Zelensky also warned "certain figures" of dire personal consequences of any collaboration - an apparent reference to Ms Danilchenko. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60725962 |
Ukraine: Ambassador to UK calls for more support and says his country will fight - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Vadym Prystaiko tells a Downing Street rally his country will fight and will bring Putin down. | The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko addressed the crowd
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK has called for Britain to do more to help his country.
Vadym Prystaiko, addressing a Downing Street rally, called for more support, weapons and humanitarian assistance as Russia continues its invasion.
Hundreds gathered at the rally with chants of "stop Putin" being heard and calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
The UK has rejected a no-fly zone over fears it would start a Europe-wide war with a nuclear-armed power.
"We need support, we need weapons, we need humanitarian assistance," Mr Prystaiko said.
He added: "We will fight. We will bring [Putin] down."
Demonstrators shouted "stand with Ukraine" and "shelter our sky", and held banners with "stop Putin" written in mock blood.
Some in the crowd called for a no-fly zone to be established over Ukraine, while others wanted the UK to take in more refugees.
Some protesters were calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine
Campaign group London Euromaidan, set up by Ukrainians living in London, organised the protest. They want the UK to expel Russian companies and oligarchs that support Putin's regime from London.
It comes as Ukrainian cities face heavy shelling from Russian forces, including at a military training base near Poland.
Katya, a Ukrainian attending the protest, told the BBC more help was needed for Ukrainian refugees, including those who do not have family ties in the UK.
She said: "A lot of people just lost their homes, just help them to live in these difficult times...
"Already more than two million people have left Ukraine. Countries such as Poland take a lot of refugees and it has become a humanitarian catastrophe.
"I think the UK should allow more people to come and stay here."
Katya, originally from Ukraine, said more help was need for refugees
The protest follows criticism of the government - including from its own MPs - over the speed and scale of its response.
The government has offered households in the UK £350 a month to open their homes to tens of thousands of people that could come fleeing war in Ukraine.
A separate Ukraine protest also took place outside the BBC's headquarters, near Oxford Circus, and was heading to Parliament Square.
On Saturday hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Downing Street. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60729468 |
War in Ukraine: What happened on day 19 of Russia's invasion - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Drone footage shows destruction of Mariupol, and protesters target an oligarch's London mansion. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
On day 19 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some civilians were able to leave the city of Mariupol along a pre-agreed route for the first time.
Mariupol, a key port city in the south-east of Ukraine, is facing a humanitarian crisis after nearly two weeks of continuous Russian shelling, with food, water, and medicine running out and communication to the outside world all but cut off.
There have been several previous agreements to allow civilians to leave the city, but they quickly broke down each time.
On Monday, however, the Mariupol city council said 160 private vehicles had managed to leave and were on their way to the relative safety of Zaporizhzhia - a city to the north-west.
The level of destruction in Mariupol was made clear in drone footage, which showed bombed out apartment blocks and smoke rising from the rubble.
Last week, Russian bombs hit a maternity hospital in Mariupol. Powerful images of two pregnant women escaping from the wreckage were shared around the world.
But on Monday, we learned that one of the women had died along with her baby who was stillborn by Caesarean section.
After delivering the baby, who showed no signs of life, medics focused on the mother but were unable to keep her alive, surgeon Timur Marin told the Associated Press.
In another vivid example of the terrible conditions in Mariupol, the city's deputy mayor told the BBC that several burial sites had been dug to cope with the rising number of civilian deaths.
Serhiy Orlov said the city's street cleaners and road repair teams were collecting dead bodies in the street. More than 2,500 people have been killed in Mariupol since the war began, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser.
The BBC heard similar stories from local officials elsewhere in Ukraine, for example the town of Bucha near Kyiv, where more than 60 people were buried in a mass grave.
The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol
Away from the dire situation on the ground, the war continues to have far-reaching international consequences.
After multiple US news outlets reported that Russia had requested military help from China, the US warned that there would be consequences if Beijing helped Russia to evade sanctions.
The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of spreading disinformation, and Russia later denied asking Beijing for military help.
With tensions between the global superpowers so high, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that further escalation of the conflict "threatens all of humanity", with the prospect of nuclear conflict "now back within the realm of possibility".
Vladimir Putin was the most prominent world leader to visit the Beijing Winter Olympics
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shone a spotlight on the expensive homes around the world that belong to billionaire Russians, many of whom are allies of Vladimir Putin.
On Monday, protesters in London climbed onto the balcony of a mansion in central London thought to belong to the energy tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who has been sanctioned by the UK government over the war in Ukraine.
The protesters said they were reclaiming the building for Ukrainian refugees who have fled their homes.
The UK government is examining whether the properties of sanctioned oligarchs could be used to house refugees, according to the prime minister's official spokesperson, although it is thought new legislation would be required.
Protesters have draped Ukrainian flags over the property, which is believed to be owned by Oleg Deripaska
In the city of Kharkiv, in north-east Ukraine, the beloved Old Hem bar - named after the owner's literary hero Ernest Hemmingway - was destroyed by Russian shelling.
An extraordinary image shared widely on social media showed the building which once housed the pub reduced to rubble.
The owner - now in western Ukraine - told the BBC that he hopes to return one day to his city and rebuild his bar.
"We will win and Hem will rise again," Kostiantyn Kuts said.
The pub was destroyed in shelling on Monday
Russia's invasion is taking place on several fronts.
Although Ukraine's resistance has been stronger than expected, Russian forces continue to take territory in the south and are slowly moving towards the capital, Kyiv.
You can see full details of the situation on the ground in our guide to the conflict in maps. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60741338 |
Why I want to share my home with a Ukrainian refugee - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | John Rutherford has already hosted two refugees, and is open to offering a room to a Ukrainian. | John Rutherford and his wife have previously hosted refugees from Ethiopia and Iran
People in the UK are being asked to offer a spare room to Ukrainian refugees. But what is it like sharing your home with someone who has fled war or persecution?
For the third time in a year, John Rutherford and his wife Sue are considering opening up their south London house to a refugee.
"We have a big house, my kids have left home," says John. "It's not a great hardship for us to make some space for a refugee."
In 2021, they hosted one person from Ethiopia and one from Iran, each for a couple of weeks while they awaited longer-term accommodation during the asylum application process.
And now, he is ready to open his five-bedroom house again.
He says: "It was the sheer numbers involved that made me want to help. The fact that this is only down the road... means there is even more obligation for us to be hospitable.
"There could be four or five million people looking for places to stay, so the UK has to do its bit and the British people have to do their bit."
He says the system for Ukrainian refugees will involve a bigger commitment than his Ethiopian and Iranian guests - the government are asking for people to offer a place to stay for at least six months.
But John says hosting refugees can be very rewarding.
"I really enjoy meeting people and talking to people from different cultures," he says. "I just found the experience absolutely fascinating, talking about their country, their experiences, their culture."
He says his refugee guests wanted to be useful. The Ethiopian made a meal for his hosts to introduce them to his country's cuisine, while the Iranian repeatedly offered to use his professional skills to repair things around the house.
But he advises anyone considering being a host to be "patient and understanding" - and to learn as much about their guest as they can, in order to offer them the right kind of environment.
"A lot of refugees will be severely stressed, maybe they even have PTSD," John says.
"Chances are, refugees have had terrible experiences, and you have to know when to give them some space and some peace and quiet, or when they might want companionship."
Efrem, from Ethiopia, shared his country's cuisine with John and Sue when he stayed with them
He suggests finding out about their interests; whether they want to attend a church or other religious services; whether they have hobbies; or whether they prefer peace and relaxation or keeping busy.
But with the Homes for Ukraine scheme requiring people in the UK to identify a named refugee they can host, John questions how many people who might want to help - but don't have a personal connection with a Ukrainian - could be matched with someone.
On previous occasions John hosted refugees, it was arranged by the charity Refugees At Home, which visited him to check on the accommodation being offered and asked about any house rules.
He then received information about the refugee they hoped to place with him - with details such as their age, country of origin, and whether they spoke English.
John says he is concerned about the lack of a similar system for Ukrainians, with the government suggesting people in the UK could make contact with refugees via social media. "I am concerned about what support mechanism there will be," he says.
Since the Ukraine scheme was announced, John has contacted Refugees at Home, and urges anyone considering opening their doors to see it as an opportunity.
"It might be challenging," he says, "but it can also be very enriching." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60727293 |
Russia-Ukraine war: British Fox News journalist injured - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | Benjamin Hall, 39, was reportedly news gathering outside Kyiv at the time of Monday's incident. | A British journalist working for the Fox News Channel in the US has been injured while reporting on the war in Ukraine, the network says.
Fox confirmed on air that Benjamin Hall - listed as its US state department correspondent - is in hospital after an incident outside of the capital Kyiv.
Afternoon news anchor John Roberts added teams on the ground were still gathering details of the incident.
Mr Hall is said to have been news gathering at the time.
In a memo circulated to Fox employees on Monday, CEO Suzanne Scott said there was "a minimum level of details right now" and called for prayers.
"This is a stark reminder for all journalists who put their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from a war zone," she wrote.
Mr Hall, 39, joined Fox News in 2015 and has been heavily involved in the network's foreign affairs coverage.
He has covered several wars from the frontlines, including in parts of the Middle East.
A dual US-UK citizen, he completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in London.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, posted on Telegram on Monday that Mr Hall was in a serious condition.
Mr Gerashchenko added that Ukrainian officials did not currently know the fate of a Fox News cameraman and a producer.
He said the news crew probably "came under mortar or artillery fire" from Russian forces as they were heading towards the city of Irpin, which sits just 20km (12 miles) north-west of Kyiv.
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine's prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova had said that a Western journalist had been injured and was being cared for by Ukrainian doctors.
The State Department Correspondents' Association issued a statement, saying the state department's press corps was "horrified" to learn that Mr Hall had been injured.
"We know Ben for his warmth, good humor and utmost professionalism. We wish Ben a quick recovery," president of the association, Shaun Tandon, said.
Mr Hall's injuries come after another US journalist - Brent Renaud - was shot and killed on Sunday in the town of Irpin while working in the region. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital in the same attack. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60741229 |
Rolling Stones announce first UK dates since Charlie Watts' death - BBC News | 2022-03-14 | The band will play in Liverpool and London as part of their 60th anniversary European tour. | Sir Mick Jagger paid an emotional tribute to the band's late drummer on their US tour last year
The Rolling Stones have announced their first UK shows since the death of their drummer Charlie Watts last year.
The band will play in Liverpool and London as part of their 60th anniversary tour of Europe this summer.
As with their US dates last year, Watts will be replaced by Steve Jordan, a session musician who has played with guitarist Keith Richards since the 80s.
Watts, who joined the band in 1963, died of an unspecified illness last August at the age of 80.
When the band returned to the stage the following month, singer Mick Jagger dedicated the show to his old friend.
"We all miss Charlie so much. We miss him as a band, we miss him as friends - on and off the stage," he told an audience in Massachusetts.
The Stones' 60th anniversary tour is billed simply as Sixty, and will feature new staging and production.
Launching in Madrid on 1 June, it will see the band performing at the home of Liverpool FC, Anfield, for the Stones' first Liverpool show in more than 50 years.
Charlie Watts' last performed with the Stones in Florida in 2019
They will then head to London for two dates at the BST festival in Hyde Park, with other dates in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Austria and France.
"Sorry to keep you all hanging around, but the waiting is over," said Richards as he announced the tour.
"I've always said the best place for rock and roll is on being on stage with the Stones and this year is very special. Looking forward to rehearsing with Mick and Ronnie and some friends, the wheels are in motion. See you all very soon."
Ronnie Wood added: "When I look out at the sea of people when we play in Europe all I can see is smiles.
"It's heart-warming and I'm glad we make people happy every time we play live. Can't wait to get on this brand-new stage with the boys and have some fun."
Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60735024 |
Novak Djokovic pulls out of Indian Wells and Miami Open over US coronavirus rules - BBC Sport | 2022-03-10 | Novak Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells and the Miami Open - the first two Masters Series events of the year - because of US coronavirus rules. | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from Indian Wells and the Miami Open - the first two Masters Series events of the year - because of US coronavirus rules.
Regulations require any non-US citizen to have a Covid vaccination before entering the country.
Serb Djokovic, 34, told the BBC last month that he had not been vaccinated.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner was included in the draw for both events, but has since posted on Twitter that he knew it was "unlikely" he could travel.
He is likely to make his return to the tour at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
The Indian Wells draw will be less balanced following the late withdrawal of Djokovic, who was seeded second.
As the next player in line to be seeded outside the tournament's top 32, last year's semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov will move into Djokovic's space in the draw. A lucky loser from qualifying will fill the Bulgarian's spot in due course.
Djokovic missed the Australian Open in January, being deported from the country after its government cancelled his visa in a row over his vaccine status.
In an interview with the BBC last month, he said that he is prepared to miss other big events in future.
"The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else," he said.
"I'm trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can."
By missing the Australian Open, Djokovic was overtaken in the list of overall major titles by eventual winner Rafael Nadal, who secured a record 21st Grand Slam.
Djokovic's first tournament in 2022 came in Dubai in February, where he was beaten by Czech Jiri Vesely in the quarter-finals.
The defeat meant he conceded his world number one ranking to Russian Daniil Medvedev, who claimed his first major title at the US Open in September and is the top seed at Indian Wells.
Djokovic has very few ranking points to defend before his likely next appearance in Monte Carlo.
In fact, he will be world number one again in a fortnight if Daniil Medvedev fails to reach the quarter-finals here in Indian Wells.
But even though his ranking will not be adversely affected, Djokovic is passing up the opportunity to win two of the biggest titles outside of the Grand Slams.
From a public relations perspective, it would have been so much better to have withdrawn 24 hours earlier.
There are clearly far more important things going on in the world right now, but pulling out after the draw has repercussions for other players as well as the tournament itself.
• None Meet the self-confessed conman who lifted the lid on the 'psychic mafia'
• None Enter the debate as gaming is set to feature in the Commonwealth Games | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60685794 |
Ukraine-Russia war: The era of complacency is over, says Liz Truss - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | The foreign secretary uses a speech in Washington to argue for stronger action against Russia. | Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows that "the era of complacency" is over, the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned in a speech in Washington DC.
Addressing a think tank, Ms Truss said aggression, such as that shown by Vladimir Putin, can never again be allowed to "grow unchecked".
She also called for more defence spending and an end to dependence on "hostile and authoritarian states".
The West has reacted to Russia's invasion with a range of sanctions.
On Tuesday, the US and UK announced a ban on Russian oil, while the EU said it would end its reliance on Russian gas.
The same governments have frozen the assets of wealthy Russians believed to have links with Mr Putin.
In a tweet, Boris Johnson said he had spoken to Ukraine's President Zelensky, and that the UK would tighten sanctions to "impose the maximum economic cost on Russia" and increase military support to Ukraine.
Giving the Makins lecture to the Atlantic Council think tank, Ms Truss said countries need to introduce further sanctions - including banning Russia completely from using the international payment system, Swift and freezing all Russian banking assets.
She said all countries needed to go further on financing their defence capabilities, arguing that spending 2% of GDP was be a minimum target and that during the Cold War countries were spending upwards of 5%.
The foreign secretary also used her speech to argue that the war in Ukraine is a "paradigm shift" comparable with the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States.
She urged the West to "rise to his moment" by increasing pressure on the Russian president.
"How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era.
"We must start with the principle that the only thing aggressors understand is strength… and we must start by working together to stop Putin's offensive in Ukraine."
"We want a situation where they can't access their funds, they can't clear their payments, their trade can't flow, their ships can't dock and their planes can't land," she added.
More than two million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded Ukraine
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ms Truss warned there would be "terrible implications for European and global security" if Mr Putin were not stopped in Ukraine.
Responding to Ms Truss' comments, Labour's shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the invasion of Ukraine "marked the final end of the post-cold war era".
He criticised the Conservatives for "isolating Britain on the world stage" and said it was time "to bring Britain back to the table and deepen ties with our European partners".
He also called for a special tribunal to "prosecute Putin for the crime of aggression" and "an end to the UK's dependency on foreign energy".
The calls for stronger action come as western officials say they are "very concerned" Russia could resort to using non-conventional weapons.
This could include chemical weapons, biological weapons and dirty bombs. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60685613 |
Cookstown hotel disco crush: Police officers reported to prosecutors - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Three teenagers died as hundreds queued outside Cookstown's Greenvale Hotel on St Patrick's Day 2019. | The Police Ombudsman has completed an investigation into officer conduct and a fatal crush outside a disco in 2019.
Lauren Bullock, 17, Morgan Barnard, 17, and Connor Currie, 16, died as hundreds queued outside Cookstown's Greenvale Hotel on 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
The investigation got under way when it emerged the first officers who arrived at the scene withdrew to await support.
A file of evidence on five officers has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) for consideration.
None of the five officers under investigation has been suspended.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) referred the matter to the ombudsman within days of the tragedy.
The then Chief Constable Sir George Hamilton initially described the officers' actions as "brave", but later said he regretted causing the families distress in doing so.
At the time it was reported that the investigation would cover four officers who went to the Greenvale Hotel and another who dealt with call handling on the night.
Greenvale Hotel owner Michael McElhatton was among those questioned by police
"During the course of the investigation, five police officers were interviewed under criminal caution on suspicion of the offence of misconduct in a public office," said a statement from the ombudsman's office.
"The Police Ombudsman has sent a file for direction to the Public Prosecution Service.
"As this is an ongoing investigation, the Police Ombudsman cannot provide any further information at this time."
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file police officers, said it supported calls for an inquiry into the causes of and responses to the tragedy .
"The deaths of three young people on a night out is one which will resonate throughout society for many years to come and my thoughts are with their families as we approach the third anniversary of this incident," chairman Mark Lindsay said.
"I have no doubt whatsoever that my colleagues who attended this shocking and tragic incident did their best in what were unique and challenging circumstances.
"I agree with the families of the young victims that there should be an inquiry into the causes and responses to the incident, which examines the roles of the various agencies involved and that of the event organisers."
The PSNI has been conducting a separate investigation.
Among those it questioned was the hotel owner, Michael McElhatton.
On Thursday, the PSNI said it had taken more than 1,300 witness statements and specially-trained officers had interviewed more than 140 young people.
"In total, 11 individuals have been interviewed by police in connection with a range of criminal offences and we await the response of the Public Prosecution Service," Det Supt Eamonn Corrigan said.
"The file of evidence contains significant amounts of material and may take some time for the PPS to consider.
"Because these matters are now being considered by the PPS, it would not be appropriate to comment further."
The officer said the police investigation into the deaths "remains active".
The PSNI file has been with the PPS since February 2021.
"All the available evidence in this large and complex file is being carefully considered by the prosecution team," said a PPS spokesperson.
"While we are not yet in a position to take decisions, significant progress has been made since receiving the file.
"We are conscious of the length of time which has passed since the tragedy and are working hard to issue decisions as quickly as possible, whilst giving these matters proper and careful consideration.
"We will update the families when there are key developments." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60681478 |
Ukraine war: No progress on ceasefire after Kyiv-Moscow talks - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Kyiv's FM says Russian demands amount to a surrender, Moscow's FM says the invasion is going to plan. | Russia's Lavrov (R) in talks with Ukraine's Kuleba - but there was no immediate breakthrough
A first round of talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine has failed to yield progress on a ceasefire, Ukraine says.
Speaking after the meeting in Turkey, Dmytro Kuleba said that the demands his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had made amounted to a surrender.
Mr Lavrov meanwhile said his country's military operation was going to plan.
The talks come after Russia bombed a children's hospital, which Ukraine said was a war crime.
Officials say three people including a child died in the attack in the south-eastern city of Mariupol.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago and more than 2.3 million people have since fled the country.
The worst humanitarian situation was in Mariupol, Mr Kuleba said, where residents have been trapped for days in freezing temperatures without electricity or water.
But Russia had not committed to establishing a humanitarian corridor there and had also not responded to proposals for a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire across Ukraine, he said.
"I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender," he said, adding that he was willing to continue meeting.
For his part, the Russian foreign minister offered no concessions and repeated demands that Ukraine be disarmed and accept neutral status. Moscow was waiting for a reply from Kyiv, he said.
Mr Lavrov also accused the West of fuelling the conflict by supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Russia would cope with Western sanctions and "come out of the crisis with a better psychology and conscience", he said.
"I assure you we will cope and will do everything not to rely on the West ever, in any areas of our lives," he said.
UN Secretary General António Guterres described the attack as "horrific" and the US accused Russia of a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians".
But at his press conference Mr Lavrov dismissed allegation of a war crime in Mariupol, alleging that the maternity hospital had been occupied by Ukrainian forces.
Mariupol - where about 400,000 people live - has been surrounded by Russian forces for several days, and repeated attempts at a ceasefire to allow civilians to leave have broken down.
All the shops were looted several days ago and many people in the city no longer had food for their children, Sasha Volkov from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team in Mariupol told the NGO by satellite phone on Wednesday.
"People started to attack each other for food. People started to ruin someone's car to take the gasoline out," the ICRC quoted him as saying.
"We have started to get sick, many of us, because of the humidity and cold that we have," he added.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: The aftermath of a Russia strike on a maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol.
Western officials - including the White House - have warned Russia could use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine or create a "false flag" operation - a misleading operation blamed on the other side, usually used to justify a supposed counter-attack.
At his press conference Mr Lavrov repeated Russia's claim that the Pentagon was using Ukrainian territory to develop pathogens that could be used to create biological weapons - an assertion the US has called "preposterous".
He also alleged that Ukraine had been preparing an attack against two Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow earlier said Ukrainian forces had transported some 80 tonnes of ammonia in the country's north-east, without providing evidence.
The US House of Representatives voted in favour of nearly $14bn (£10.6bn) in aid for Ukraine, as well as voting to ban US imports of Russian oil and other energy products. The measures still must pass through the Senate, which is expected to vote later this week.
Meanwhile US Vice-President Kamala Harris is in Poland, a day after Washington rejected the country's plan to transfer military jets to the US, rather than directly to Ukraine.
And in Europe, EU leaders are meeting in France's Palace of Versailles for a two-day summit to discuss Ukraine's possible future membership, more sanctions on Russia, and a new common defence policy.
US officials estimated that between 5,000 to 6,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since the war began on 24 February.
Ukraine says more than 12,000 Russian service personnel have died, while Russia last week acknowledged 498 fatalities - but none of the competing claims can be clearly verified. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60687203 |
Roman Abramovich: What do Russian owner's sanctions mean for Chelsea? - BBC Sport | 2022-03-10 | What do sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich mean for Chelsea and the club's supporters? BBC Sport answers some of the key questions. | Last updated on .From the section Chelsea
The future of European champions Chelsea is uncertain after sanctions were placed on Russian owner Roman Abramovich on Thursday.
The billionaire has been in charge since 2003 but had his attempts to sell the club halted by the UK government, which has frozen his assets.
What does it mean for Chelsea's fans, players and staff? BBC Sport explains how the situation will affect those associated with the club.
What exactly happened on Thursday?
Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The government believes the billionaire has had a "close relationship for decades" with Russia's president Vladimir Putin, links Abramovich has always denied.
• None The Sports Desk: Life after Abramovich - what's next for Chelsea and English football?
Like the rest of his assets, Chelsea would have been frozen but a special licence granted by the government allows the Stamford Bridge club to keep operating.
The special licence issued by the government allows the men's and women's teams to fulfil their fixtures for the rest of this season as normal.
Chelsea's men won away at Norwich in the Premier League on Thursday while Chelsea's women were victorious at West Ham in the Women's Super League at the same time.
What does it mean for match-going fans?
Season-ticket holders will still be able to attend games at Stamford Bridge as normal, while match tickets sold before 10 March will be honoured.
But beyond that, supporters cannot buy any new tickets to watch Chelsea.
Tickets were due to go on sale for the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Middlesbrough on 19 March but a post on the club's official website on Thursday confirmed that would no longer happen as planned.
The club is also unable to sell any merchandise, with the club shop at Stamford Bridge closing on Thursday morning.
Can Chelsea sell season tickets for next year?
All the licence says is that anyone who purchased season tickets before 10 March, and makes payments in regular instalments, can "continue to make those payments".
No mention has been made about future seasons.
Can Chelsea keep paying staff wages in the short and mid-terms?
The government's special licence allows Chelsea to pay the wages of all employees, including players and coaching staff.
The licence is in place until 31 May, so covers the Blues for the rest of the season and the Treasury has the right to vary, revoke or suspend it at any time.
Do these sanctions mean they cannot transfer players in or out?
While the sanctions are in place, Chelsea are effectively under a transfer ban and are unable to buy or sell players.
They are also unable to negotiate new contracts for the players they currently own, so leaves an uncertain future for those whose current deals expire in the summer.
That applies to Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Andreas Christensen, although the latter two have been linked with a move to Barcelona.
Rudiger was believed to be close to a new deal but current developments leave the defender in a limbo situation.
What about the future of Chelsea men and women head coaches?
It's the same situation for both Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes - nobody has any idea how this will affect them yet.
They have got contracts, no-one is saying they won't get paid. However, this is a time of great change. Does it make the club more vulnerable to an approach for either manager from a rival team? Things are likely to change significantly at the club.
Tuchel said the future was uncertain, though he was happy to remain as manager when giving his reaction to Thursday's developments after Chelsea's game at Norwich later on the same day.
Hayes, who has been at the club for a decade, signed a long-term contract in July and had her eye on chasing a first Champions League title with Chelsea.
She is extremely well supported within the club and has earned the respect from those high up, having won 10 major trophies during her time in charge.
Hayes was also among the exclusive list of trustees to whom Abramovich attempted to give 'stewardship' of Chelsea at the end of last month. Her commitment to the club has never been questioned so fans will no doubt be monitoring the situation cautiously.
Can Chelsea still be sold?
Chelsea were put up for sale on 2 March and there are understood to be plenty of interested parties, despite Abramovich being sanctioned.
The UK government is open to considering a further addition to the special licence to allow a sale to proceed.
Those working on the deal on behalf of Abramovich were always told that proceeds from the sale would go to a fund for victims of the war in Ukraine.
This was made clear when Abramovich put the club up for sale last week. It is understood that the £1.5bn loan from Abramovich will not be deducted from the price.
Abramovich had instructed American investment firm Raine Group to seek £3bn for the club, but finance experts believe that an already inflated price could drop further given the current uncertainty around Chelsea.
Raine Group has temporarily halted the sale process while it seeks answers from the government.
How quickly the club can be sold once a buyer has been found depends on the government receiving assurances that the proceeds would not go to Abramovich, but securing those assurances could take time.
What about Chelsea's participation in European competition?
All we've had from Uefa at this stage is that it is "seeking further clarification on the matter" before it comments further.
What Uefa is presumably trying to establish is what happens if Chelsea make it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and can't sell any tickets.
If Chelsea get to the FA Cup semi-finals, will their section of the ground be empty?
Chelsea's men's side are away to Championship side Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals on 19 March (17:15 GMT), which will be shown live on BBC One.
If they win that then they will play at Wembley in the semi-finals on the weekend 16-17 April.
It is unclear at this stage how the the restrictions would impact FA Cup ticket sales if they progressed to Wembley.
Can Chelsea afford away travel, given the government budget?
The government has set a limit of £20,000 per team per match for travel to and from matches.
BBC Sport understands the club considers the £20,000 cap to be too low to allow it to operate normally, and this is a pressing matter given next week the men's team travel to Lille in the Champions League.
How much are Chelsea's sponsors worth and how have they reacted?
Within hours of the announcement that Abramovich had been sanctioned by the UK government, Chelsea' main shirt sponsors suspended their £40m-a-year deal with the club.
Mobile network provider Three had been Chelsea's official partner since 2020.
It is unclear whether any of Chelsea's other sponsorship deals are at risk at this stage.
In 2016, the London club signed a new kit deal with US sportswear giants Nike. At the time it was reported to be worth £60m a season for the next 15 years, but the club did not confirm any cash figures.
In May 2021, Chelsea named global hotel search platform Trivago as the club's official training wear partner in a multi-year partnership.
Chelsea also have a number of other official partners.
Could Chelsea go into administration?
If Chelsea are unable to pay their bills they could go into administration and face a nine-point deduction.
In the short term, it's to a large extent business as usual. Chelsea will be able to pay wages due at the end of March and will have other overheads.
Chelsea's wage bill is round about £28m a month. We don't know how much cash they have in the bank. The most recent accounts we have are from June 2021 when there was £16m in the bank. Abramovich has been injecting money into Chelsea on a regular basis over recent years and presumably that won't be able to continue.
The concern might be what happens if Chelsea's cash reserves are insufficient to pay their wage bill - but presumably the government and Premier League, who have been working on this, will have been looking at it to try to minimise disruption on a club level.
• None Our coverage of Chelsea is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• None Everything Chelsea - go straight to all the best content | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60684038 |
Roman Abramovich: Chelsea sale halted by UK government sanctioning club owner - BBC Sport | 2022-03-10 | Roman Abramovich's attempt to sell Chelsea is halted as the oligarch is sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. | Last updated on .From the section Chelsea
Roman Abramovich's attempt to sell Chelsea has been halted after the oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The freezing of Abramovich's assets, which include Chelsea, means the club cannot sell further match tickets.
The move is intended to stop Abramovich making money from Chelsea.
The government has issued a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket-holders to attend matches.
Chelsea have said they "intend to engage in discussions" with the government and will seek amendments to the special licence to "allow the club to operate as normal as possible".
• None What do sanctions mean for Chelsea? All your questions answered
Meanwhile, Chelsea's shirt sponsor, telecommunications company Three, has requested that the Blues "temporarily suspend" its deal with the club.
Three has asked for "the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice".
The company added: "We recognise that this decision will impact the many Chelsea fans who follow their team passionately.
"However, we feel that given the circumstances, and the government sanction that is in place, it is the right thing to do."
Chelsea will be unable to buy or sell players, or offer new contracts, while the sanctions are imposed on Abramovich. Chelsea-owned players who are on loan at other clubs will be able to continue to play for those clubs.
The London club's merchandise shop has also been shut.
"Once you start digging down into what this could do - yes, they can play their games but will they even be able [to]?" former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin told the BBC World Football podcast.
"Massive amounts of questions but yes, it's not hyperbole to say the future of the club is in serious danger."
• None Reaction and analysis to Abramovich's sale of Chelsea being halted
The government is open to considering a further addition to the special licence which will allow the sale of the club.
A condition for that to happen would be that Abramovich - one of Russia's richest people who is believed to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin - receives no funds.
He has previously said that proceeds of any sale would be donated to victims of war.
On Wednesday, there were 20 credible parties looking at a potential Chelsea takeover and interest in buying the club has not been dented, despite Abramovich being sanctioned.
However, the American investment firm - Raine Group - handling the sale has temporarily halted their efforts after the shock of the news and the confusion caused by what happens next.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said the government is "committed to protecting" the club.
"Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities," she tweeted.
"I know this brings some uncertainty, but the government will work with the league and clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended."
Dorries later told BBC Sport: "Abramovich has links to Putin, who is mounting a barbaric and evil attack against the people of Ukraine.
"We in this department stand with the people of Ukraine and I'm afraid sanctions have consequences. Abramovich's actions have consequences too."
What does the special licence mean for Chelsea?
• None Chelsea are able to pay the wages of all employees, including players and coaching staff
• None They can pay "reasonable" costs of travel to and from fixtures but not exceeding £20,000 per game per team
• None They can pay "reasonable" costs towards hosting home fixtures, not exceeding £500,000 per fixture per team
• None Fans who bought season tickets or individual match tickets before 10 March 2022 can attend games
• None Rights-holding broadcasters can broadcast any fixture involving the club
The sanctions were imposed on a day that both Chelsea's men's and women's teams were in action, with the Blues winning at Norwich in the Premier League, and also at West Ham in the WSL.
During Chelsea's 3-1 win at Carrow Road travelling fans chanted Abramovich's name.
The Premier League said that it will "work with the club and the government to ensure the season will proceed as planned and in line with the government's intention".
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust has called for the government "to minimise the uncertainty" and to include fans "in any conversation regarding ongoing impacts".
As a result of the sanctions, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee will hear from Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham and the Premier League's chief policy and corporate affairs officer Helen MacNamara on Tuesday.
Committee chair Julian Knight said the hearing would "explore issues around the role of Russian money in our national game and will examine the government's approach to financial sanctions targeted at specific individuals and its general policy on sporting sanctions and boycotts".
Knight added: "This morning's announcement that Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the government and emerging details of the likely effect on one of the country's biggest football clubs illustrates the deep and wide-ranging impact such measures will have on sport in this country."
Since his purchase of the club in 2003, Chelsea have been transformed, setting the template for how much finance was needed to compete at the top end of English football.
In total, Abramovich has loaned the club more than £1.5bn, which has helped to bring great success.
Under Abramovich's ownership, the club have won every major trophy possible - including the Champions League twice, both the Premier League and FA Cup five times, the Europa League twice and the League Cup three times.
In February, they won their first Club World Cup.
They have also won the Women's Super League title four times, the Women's FA Cup on three occasions and picked up the Women's League Cup twice in the past eight years.
Financial journalist Kieran Maguire told the BBC: "In the short term, it's to a large extent business as usual. Chelsea will be able to pay wages due at the end of March and will have other overheads.
"Chelsea's wage bill is round about £28m a month. We don't know how much cash they have in the bank. The most recent accounts we have are from June 2021 when there was £16m in the bank. Abramovich has been injecting money into Chelsea on a regular basis over recent years and presumably that won't be able to continue.
"The concern might be what happens if Chelsea's cash reserves are insufficient to pay their wage bill - but presumably the government and Premier League, who have been working on this, will have been looking at it to try to minimise disruption on a club level."
There is no template for dealing with this type of situation and football's authorities are scrambling to work out the finer points.
For Chelsea, some elements are straightforward - and tricky.
They cannot offer new contracts - so the futures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and skipper Cesar Azpilicueta are uncertain.
The loan of Saul Niguez will not be turned into a permanent deal. Chelsea cannot sell the numerous players they have on loan, including Armando Broja, who has impressed so much at Southampton.
Presumably numerous younger players they would have given contracts to now will not get them.
But what about the detail? Can Chelsea sell tickets to their own fans for away games given they as a club do not benefit?
What will happen to the FA Cup semi-final - if they get there - when receipts are split between clubs?
Can Premier League clubs like Brentford - who were part-way through selling their away allocation for their trip to Stamford Bridge on 2 April - still do so, or do they have to stop?
And as for the £20,000 limit on expenses for away games, Chelsea have matches next week at Lille and Middlesbrough. Both would cost substantially more than £20,000.
Can individuals make contributions or will Chelsea have to reduce the cost with a less expensive form of accommodation for Thomas Tuchel's side?
Clearly, the sale of the club needs to happen quickly if there is not to be a major impact. But that is in the hands of the government.
Roman Abramovich's funding meant Chelsea emerged from the financial impact of Covid-19 relatively unaffected - that is unlikely to be the case this time.
Like all the Russian billionaires who still run businesses in their motherland, Roman Abramovich has had to remain on good terms with President Putin, even though he no longer spends much time in the country.
This is what led to him being sanctioned, with the UK government saying he is a "pro-Kremlin oligarch" who has had a "close relationship" with Vladimir Putin for decades and has obtained "financial benefit" and "preferential treatment" from that relationship.
One example given of that is the contracts he received in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.
More specifically on Ukraine and the Russian army, the UK government claims one of Mr Abramovich's companies, Evraz Plc, may "potentially" have been involved in providing steel which "may have been used in the production of tanks".
• None Our coverage of Chelsea is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• None Everything Chelsea - go straight to all the best content | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60689645 |
Ukraine war: Column of Russian tanks ambushed by Ukrainian forces - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Drone footage appears to show Russian tanks under attack on the outskirts of Kyiv. | A video has emerged which appears to show a column of Russian tanks being ambushed on the outskirts of Kyiv.
The drone footage shows a large convoy of tanks under attack by Ukrainian forces in Brovary. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60699332 |
Covid in Scotland: Hospital patient numbers highest in 13 months - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Fewer people need intensive care but large numbers are affecting available beds and other services. | The number of people in Scottish hospitals with Covid is at its highest for 13 months, new figures have shown.
On Wednesday, there were 1,636 people in hospital with recently-confirmed Covid-19, up 127 on the previous day.
That is higher than the Omicron peak of 1,571 which was recorded in January this year.
Health boards say that while far fewer people need intensive care, large numbers of Covid patients are affecting available beds and other services.
There are more patients in hospital than at any time since 8 February 2021, when the total was 1,672. In January, 2021 hospital numbers peaked at 2,053.
The latest Covid figures from the Scottish government show that more than 14,000 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours. That is the highest daily case rate since 8 January.
Scotland has recorded 41 coronavirus-linked deaths in the last 24 hours - more than double the total of 18 from the previous day.
Jillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, said it was a difficult situation to manage in hospitals.
She told BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme : "It is quite a rise in new cases. We are also seeing the impact on hospitals and it is quite marked actually.
"The last few days, we've seen quite big step changes every day. I know from my own board - I've just come from a meeting where we've been talking about flow of patients, pressure on beds, and I know how difficult it is to manage that in a system that's operating with very, very little headroom anyway.
"And then you have what feels like a continued surge of admissions or people in hospital with Covid so it's a difficult one to manage but we are living with this at the moment."
She said the threat risk was still "fairly elevated", given the trajectory of new cases, and the fact the latest ONS infection survey showed a fifth consecutive rise.
Ms Evans said the number of people in hospital had risen from 872 four weeks ago to 1,636 now, adding that the number of patients being admitted to hospital were older or more vulnerable people.
She said the rise could be partly due to the waning effectiveness of the Covid vaccine and welcomed the booster top-up programme that was now starting for most vulnerable groups.
"The only thing we can do right now is to continue doing what we've done really well," she said. "Keep wearing those masks even though those legal protections might be lifted. And most importantly, be vigilant to symptoms. If you think it's a cold, it's probably Covid and stay away from other people."
Scotland's largest health board, Greater Glasgow and Clyde said hospitals were near capacity with more than 550 Covid-19 patients.
In Lanarkshire, numbers have gone from 66 in the middle of last month to 162 across its three main hospitals.
The majority of Covid patients do not need intensive care treatment but the high volume of patients mean people wait longer than they should in emergency departments for beds to become available.
A number of health boards have also had to limit or cancel routine operations and change visiting arrangements.
Staff absences have been improving but continue to cause some disruption.
In Orkney, there are currently 2,375 cases per 100,000 - more than double the UK level. BBC Scotland's Rob Flett said it had taken 21 months to get to 1,000 infections, two months to get to 2,000 infections and just a month to get to 4,000 infections.
"It's spreading like wildfire through here," he said, adding that lots of schools were returning to home learning, with 62 teachers off at the beginning of the week.
He said that while there was no increase in significant and serious illness but it was having a "massive impact" on services on the islands.
Numbers are also high in Shetland and in the Western Isles.
Of the 1,636 people in hospital with recently confirmed Covid-19, 22 were in intensive care, a rise of three from the previous day.
The 41 deaths recorded on Thursday, up from 18 on Wednesday, mean the number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 10,947.
On Wednesday, Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said that recently rising Covid-19 case numbers were "concerning and a reminder that Covid is still with us" and urged people to get their vaccinations.
So far, 4,439,451 people have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, 4,165,704 have received their second dose, and 3,459,127 have received a third dose or booster.
• None Coronavirus (COVID-19) protection levels- what you can do - gov.scot The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60698453 |
Black Panther Ryan Coogler director mistaken for bank robber - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Ryan Coogler was arrested trying to withdraw money from his own bank account in Atlanta, Georgia. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
The director of hit superhero film Black Panther was mistaken for a bank robber as he tried to take money out of his own account in the US, a police report has revealed.
Ryan Coogler was briefly arrested after trying to withdraw $12,000 (£9,100) from the Atlanta bank in January.
The teller had reportedly told her boss she suspected an attempted robbery after misinterpreting the situation.
Mr Coogler told US outlet TMZ the "situation should never have happened".
However, the 35-year-old said Bank of America had since "worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on".
According to the police report, which was obtained by the entertainment website, Mr Coogler - reportedly wearing a covid face mask, as well as sunglasses and a hat - handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note saying he wanted $12,000 from his checking account.
The note also asked for the money to be counted somewhere else, ending "I'd like to be discreet". He also showed identification. The New York Times reported that he told police he was paying for a medical assistant who worked for his family and sought discretion over safety concerns due to the cash amount he requested.
The teller, who is black, as is Mr Coogler, was pregnant and worried about her safety at the time, according to the newspaper.
The transaction triggered an automatic notification as it was over $10,000, at which point the teller told her boss she suspected a robbery, and the police were called.
The director, who has been working on the sequel to 2018's Black Panther, was briefly handcuffed and detained before proving his identity and being released.
A Bank of America spokesperson told US magazine Variety: "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologised to Mr Coogler." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60685146 |
Russia hits back at Western sanctions with export bans - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Russia will halt exports of some types of timber and other goods until the end of 2022. | Russia has hit back at western sanctions for invading Ukraine by imposing export bans on a string of products until the end of 2022.
The ban covers exports of telecoms, medical, vehicle, agricultural, and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber.
The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports.
It said: "These measures are a logical response to those imposed on Russia."
The ministry added that the bans on countries that have "committed unfriendly actions" were "aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy".
The export ban includes more than 200 products. The measures will last until the end of the year.
Western governments have imposed a string of sanctions on Russia, notably on buying oil, and against billionaire oligarchs seen as close to President Vladimir Putin.
About 48 countries will be affected, including the US and in the EU.
The order said that export exemptions can be made for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and for members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the ban would include exports of goods made by foreign companies operating in Russia. Items include cars, railway carriages, and containers.
It comes as Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev warned that assets owned by western companies that have pulled out of Russia could be nationalised.
Firms have been leaving en masse or halting investment, including industrial and mining giants such as Caterpillar and Rio Tinto, Starbucks, Sony, Unilever and Goldman Sachs.
On Wednesday, Moscow approved legislation that took the first step towards nationalising assets of foreign firms that leave the country.
And in a statement on Thursday Mr Medvedev said: "The Russian government is already working on measures, which include bankruptcy and nationalisation of the property of foreign organisations.
"Foreign companies should understand that returning to our market will be difficult." He accused foreign investors of creating "panic" for ordinary Russians who could now lose their livelihoods.
According to the most recent figures, Russia is the UK's nineteenth largest trading partner, with trade between the two nations totalling £15.9bn over a year from the end of September 2020.
It's an impressive-sounding list, but how much harm will these counter-sanctions actually cause?
The bulk of what western nations buy from Russia is made up of raw materials. Oil and gas, of course, but also metals like aluminium and nickel, not to mention potash and phosphates, widely used in fertilisers.
The conflict has already pushed the prices of these goods sharply upwards, amid fears supplies could be disrupted - and if they remain high, that will cause economic pain, particularly in Europe.
But a ban on the sale of railway cars and locomotives from Russia is unlikely to cause much hardship. Nor will restrictions on the sale of agricultural machinery, for example. These products are exported - but mainly to countries like Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The inclusion of vehicles on the list is a problem for the likes of Stellantis - the owner of Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen. It had been planning to export vans made in Russia to Europe and other parts of the world.
But overall, the impact of the counter-sanctions looks more symbolic than significant. Restrictions on exports of raw materials on the other hand - if Russia were to introduce them - could have a much more dramatic effect.
After Britain banned Russian-operated ships from its ports last week a retaliatory proposal to restrict foreign ships from entering Russian ports could also come into force.
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that there would be "negative consequences" for the world's food markets due to the West's sanctions because Russia is a major producer of agricultural fertilisers.
"It is clear that at such moments people's demand for certain groups of goods always increases, but we have no doubt that we will solve all these problems while working in a calm fashion," he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60689279 |
'We are not co-operating': Life in occupied Ukraine - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Ukrainian cities are now occupied by Russian troops, and residents are not making them feel welcome. | The scene in Melitopol. "We have not stopped protesting," one resident said
In the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Monday, the mayor Ivan Federov sat down at his desk to send out his daily Facebook update.
He told his followers that the Russian forces occupying the city had now taken control of the city's communications network, so they needed to be wary of what they heard on TV and the radio.
How many people would see his warning, he didn't know. Melitopol's internet connection had also all but disappeared, making it nearly impossible to reach people inside by WhatsApp or Telegram call, or stay connected for more than a few minutes.
The ordinary phone lines were no longer an option, Federov told the BBC, when the Telegram app finally connected. "We cannot use," he said. "Too easy for the Russians to listen in."
When the invading forces took control of Melitopol a week ago they ransacked the mayor's offices, Federov said, exiling his team to another location where they are attempting to continue running their city.
"We are not co-operating with the Russians in any way," Federov said emphatically. "They have not tried to help us, they cannot help us, and we do not want their help."
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has claimed he is liberating historically Russian lands and speakers from a Nazi regime. But in Melitopol and a string of other mainly-Russian speaking southern and eastern cities, his forces have found themselves treated as occupiers.
Russian military vehicles are seen on the street in Kherson, south-eastern Ukraine
"There are protests in Melitopol every day," said Yuliya Kovaliova, 33, who before the invasion helped run her family business of electronics stores.
"At some point the Russian army started shooting at us and one man got shot but we have not stopped protesting," Kovaliova said. "We are not afraid to protest because we are together. We are afraid to walk alone at night, but we are not afraid to protest."
About 5,000 people gathered in Melitopol's central square on Tuesday, Federov reckoned, despite the shooting last week, which wounded a man in the leg. Videos have surfaced showing protests in occupied and part-occupied cities and towns across the region - Kherson, Berdyansk, Starobilsk, Novopskov. The BBC reached residents and local mayors to try to understand the situation inside.
"I don't know how to count the number of people protesting, I thought it was 2,000 at least," said Yunona, a 29-year-old IT worker in the southern city of Kherson. "One of our friends was beaten and taken by the Russian soldiers and people got so angry they chased the occupiers down the street and took him back."
The Russian troops in Kherson looked young and uncertain, said Olha, a 63-year-old English teacher. "We go to the protests every day and they are close to us but they look afraid," she said. "We are all just waiting for the Ukrainian army to kick them out."
Berdyansk in the south-east has also seen protestors take to the streets
Reports of serious violence against Ukrainian protesters have been limited, for the most part Russian forces seem to be tensely watching. But some local mayors were facing a dilemma - how much to encourage their citizens to take to the streets.
"Our people need to protest but they also need to save their lives," said Federov, the Melitopol mayor. "I have asked them - please do not go near the Russian soldiers, go around them."
Vadym Gaev, the mayor of Novopskov, a town near Donbas, told the BBC there had been daily protests but they had stopped three days ago when Russian soldiers shot three protestors - non-fatally - and beat another. Gaev said the Russian troops told an intermediary they had authorisation to shoot protesters, so there should be no more protests.
Novopskov appeared to be an example of a strange and uneasy scenario playing out in some parts of Ukraine, where local Ukrainian officials were continuing to function in some form but Russian military forces were in control. In the occupied city of Starobilsk, nearby, mayor Yana Litvinova was also working remotely, she said.
"A new 'administration' has been appointed. The only thing we know is that it is going around government buildings and asking people to co-operate, and they are refusing."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. President Zelensky: We will not give up, and we will not lose
Gaev and his team left town when Russia seized Novopskov, in order to keep his administration running - a move he said had divided residents, some of whom accused him of a betrayal while others said they were grateful he was still able to work.
Two residents of Kherson told the BBC they thought the mayor there had betrayed the city by co-operating with Russian forces - an accusation circulating in Telegram chat groups. Two others said he was simply doing what he could to ensure the city kept running.
The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhayev, told the BBC: "If I had betrayed the city would I still be here? I am in the office every day, working with my team to keep things running."
The priority was to restart food production and get people back to work, Kolykhayev said.
"We are running out of food and there is no aid coming in, it's just not happening," he said. "So we are telling everyone in the city: make any food you can make, manufacture anything you can manufacture."
Most residents who spoke to the BBC from the occupied cities said food was fast running out.
"Shops are almost empty. You can buy the things that are left but very few things are left," said Yuliya Kovaliova, the electronics shop owner from Melitopol. "Pharmacies are empty and my mother can't buy her heart medicine."
Kovaliova said that two Russian trucks with humanitarian markings came into the city centre last week and attempted to hand out food, but they also brought a film crew. Nearly everyone refused, she said.
"Later we saw on it on TV. Russia has taken over the TV towers here so we only have one Russian channel being shown now and it was showing people taking the food and saying how thankful they are to the Russian humanitarian convoy."
Maxim, a 22-year-old piano teacher in the city, also described the supposed humanitarian convoy. "They were filming and people said actors arrived to take the food," he said. Yunona, the IT worker in Kherson, said she saw the same thing there, and Ukrainian media reported on the phenomenon in Berdyansk.
Ivan Federov, the mayor of Melitopol, said he had heard about these 'humanitarian convoys' too. But there were "no real Russian trucks and no real Russian food," he said.
"They could open humanitarian corridors at any time to allow food and medicine in, but they do not want to. We know, we have tried."
On Tuesday afternoon, as usual, Federov put out his daily Facebook update, appealing to anyone in the city who could afford it to pay their utility bills and congratulating Ukraine's women on International Women's Day. "I'm sure the war will end soon and we will celebrate all our holidays in a peaceful, Ukrainian Melitopol," he said.
Are you in Ukraine? Is your family? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60670173 |
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross withdraws call for Boris Johnson to quit - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Douglas Ross says debate over Boris Johnson's future "should be put on pause while there is war in Europe". | Mr Ross wrote to the 1922 committee calling for a leadership contest after saying Mr Johnson's position was untenable
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has withdrawn his call for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister.
Mr Ross had written to the party's 1922 committee in a bid to trigger a leadership contest amid the row over Downing Street parties during lockdown.
However he said this should now be "put on pause while there is war in Europe".
Mr Ross - who is both an MP and MSP - has withdrawn his letter, saying it was essential to fully support the UK government's efforts over Ukraine.
It was confirmed earlier on Thursday that Mr Johnson will attend the Scottish Conservative conference, which is being held in Aberdeen on 18 and 19 March.
The party said it would welcome the prime minister in person to give a speech about the war in Ukraine.
Mr Ross called for the prime minister's resignation in January, saying Mr Johnson's position was "no longer tenable" after he admitted attending a Downing Street party during the Covid-19 lockdown.,
He was later dismissed as being "quite a lightweight figure" by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the House of Commons.
Mr Johnson had said he thought the May 2020 gathering was "technically within the rules", and that he had "believed implicitly that it was a work event".
However he is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, and submitted a questionnaire about his involvement to officers - which has the same status as information given as an interview under caution.
Mr Ross was backed in his position by almost all of the party's MSPs, and doubled down later in January by saying he would not be changing his mind.
However he has now said that "the middle of an international crisis is not the time to be discussing resignations".
He added: "There will be a time and place to debate partygate but, as even Keir Starmer said at the weekend, we should put that on pause while there is war in Europe.
"It's essential that we all fully support what the UK Government is doing. In light of Russia's appalling actions, the government and Prime Minister need our backing, and they have mine and the whole Scottish Conservative party."
Other parties were critical of the move, with Labour leader Anas Sarwar saying Mr Ross "should not be using the Ukraine crisis to go back on his principles" and Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie saying the Tory leader had "the backbone of a jellyfish".
And SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford - who had earlier denied rumours he was thinking of quitting his own post - said it was "an utterly humiliating u-turn for Douglas Ross".
He said Mr Ross had "ended up catastrophically undermining his own position" and was "no doubt on borrowed time".
It was earlier confirmed that Mr Johnson will attend the Scottish Tory conference later in March.
There is another Conservative conference in Blackpool on the same dates, which meant it was thought Mr Johnson would appear in Aberdeen via a video link or in a pre-recorded message.
However the party said it would be welcoming him "in person to speak about the war in Ukraine". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60692930 |
Absent UK soldiers may have travelled to Ukraine, British Army says - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | The Army says it's "actively and strongly encouraging" the soldiers to return to the UK. | British troops are banned from travelling to join the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
A small number of British soldiers have disobeyed orders and may have travelled to Ukraine to fight, the British Army has confirmed.
The soldiers were absent without leave and may have gone to Ukraine "in a personal capacity", the Army said.
"We are actively and strongly encouraging them to return to the UK," a spokesperson added.
All service personnel are banned from travelling to Ukraine until further notice.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has previously said she supports UK civilians who might want to go to Ukraine to help fight, and that it was up to people to make their own decisions.
But the government later clarified that the Foreign Office advises against all travel to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence says joining the fighting may be against the law and could lead to prosecution.
The Army statement follows a report in the Sun of a 19-year-old from the Coldstream Guards who left his Windsor barracks and bought a ticket to Poland at the weekend.
The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the report but said soldiers travelling to Ukraine, whether on leave at the time or not, would face disciplinary consequences.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged foreigners to help his troops resist the Russian invasion
Last week serving soldiers were warned that heading to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion also risked giving "the mistaken perception" to Russia that Britain had sent in troops to fight.
Hundreds of former British soldiers have said they want to go to Ukraine to fight or help with medical or humanitarian efforts. Many have told the BBC they are getting mixed messages from the government about whether they should go.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged foreigners to join what he calls an "international brigade". It is unclear how many people have responded to his calls, but hundreds of Britons expressed their wish to volunteer.
Although the UK has sent weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia, it has repeatedly said it would not be sending British troops to fight in Ukraine.
The West has been clear that it would not engage in direct military confrontation with Russia and countries in the Nato military alliance - including the UK - have repeatedly rejected President Zelensky's calls to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60684749 |
Norwich City 1-3 Chelsea: Blues strengthen their grip on third spot - BBC Sport | 2022-03-10 | Chelsea beat bottom club Norwich as Mason Mount scores one and makes another on the day his club's long-term future is thrown into uncertainty. | Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Chelsea beat bottom club Norwich as Mason Mount scored one and made another on the day his club's long-term future was thrown into uncertainty.
Travelling fans at Carrow Road chanted the name of Roman Abramovich hours after it was announced Chelsea's Russian owner had been sanctioned by the UK government.
On the pitch, Chelsea's players responded to one of the most dramatic days in the club's 117-year history by storming into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes on their way to a fourth successive league win.
Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring in the third minute after meeting Mason Mount's corner before Kai Havertz set up England's Mount for his eighth goal of the season.
Norwich were much better after half-time and Teemu Pukki gave his side hope from the penalty spot after Chalobah handled, but Havertz sealed the points with a late third for Chelsea.
While the win strengthened Chelsea's grip on third spot, Norwich are five points from safety with just 10 games left.
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Business as usual on the pitch
While Chelsea's future off the pitch is precarious right now, it was pretty much business as usual on it.
Captain Cesar Azpilicueta spoke before the game about "this not being a normal day" while boss Thomas Tuchel talked about "a lot of noise" around the club.
Within hours of the announcement that Abramovich had been sanctioned, Chelsea' main shirt sponsors - mobile network provider Three - suspended its deal with the club.
Nevertheless, the Blues wore their usual kit with the sponsors logo as the timing of Three's suspension made it impossible to get a fresh kit with no logo to Norfolk.
There were 'Champions of Europe' banners in the away end although the Abramovich chants were greeted with some boos from the home fans.
Yet any concerns Tuchel might have had about the day's worrying off-field developments seeping onto the pitch were quickly dispelled as Chelsea raced into a 2-0 lead.
Chalobah got between Grant Hanley and Christoph Zimmermann to put the visitors ahead before Mount lashed home the second high into the roof of the net.
Andreas Christensen - out of contract at the end of the season and in a state of short-term limbo following today's announcement that Chelsea are unable to offer new deals - went close with a header.
Mateo Kovacic grazed the woodwork from 20 yards and Mount was denied a second goal by Tim Krul before Havertz sealed Chelsea's 10th Premier League away win with a fine 90th minute finish after a lay-off by N'Golo Kante.
With the flag of Ukraine flying at Carrow Road, Norwich produced a spirited second-half performance before Havertz's fifth goal in his last six appearances killed off their hopes of salvaging a point.
This was another hard-luck tale in a season of hard-luck tales for Dean Smith's side.
Having got to half-time having conceded only two goals, they came out fighting in the second half but were unable to avoid a 19th top-flight defeat of the season.
Smith will still believe his side can avoid a quick-fire return to the Championship.
Norwich still have to entertain fellow strugglers Burnley but time is running out of the Canaries.
They have 10 matches left including games against West Ham (home), Tottenham (home) and Manchester United (away), who are all chasing European places.
• None Goal! Norwich City 1, Chelsea 3. Kai Havertz (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by N'Golo Kanté.
• None Offside, Norwich City. Max Aarons tries a through ball, but Milot Rashica is caught offside.
• None Attempt blocked. Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
• None Attempt missed. Pierre Lees-Melou (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
• None Offside, Norwich City. Brandon Williams tries a through ball, but Grant Hanley is caught offside.
• None Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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Ukraine war: UK Home Office is in crisis mode over visas - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | The department is trying to convince an increasingly sceptical nation it has control of the situation. | More than two million people have now fled Ukraine because of the Russian invasion
Home secretaries must know how to deal with flak. It goes with the job.
But when accusations of foot-dragging, complacency, heartlessness and lies come from your own backbenches, you know you have got a serious problem.
One Tory MP has called for Priti Patel to resign over her handling of the Ukrainian refugee emergency.
The Home Office is in crisis mode, trying to convince an increasingly sceptical nation that the department has got a grip of the situation.
"We are doing our best," one insider tells me, before adding: "But we haven't got everything right."
The nightly images of desperate families fleeing a war but turned away by UK government officials confirm the latter point.
This is becoming deeply damaging for the Home Office and the prime minister. Priti Patel is under intense pressure, with suggestions that Downing Street is losing confidence.
The surprise appointment of a minister for refugees operating across two government departments suggests the Home Office is not trusted to sort matters out alone.
Tellingly, the sponsorship scheme launched to bring some Ukrainians to Britain is being run by Michael Gove's communities department.
Home Office staff were overstretched before the latest humanitarian disaster started to unfold - trying to deal with thousands of Afghans coming to Britain to escape the Taliban, migrants arriving by the boatload having crossed the channel, tens of thousands of Hongkongers fleeing the Chinese clampdown, and increasing numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children with nowhere to stay.
For a department trying to convince sceptical voters its attitude to immigration has changed from the days of the "hostile environment" and the Windrush scandal, accusations of inhumanity over the plight of Ukrainian refugees are damaging.
"We are working 24/7 to try to respond in really, really challenging circumstances," an official tells me.
"Some of the criticism has been soul-destroying, but we are not going to give up."
She shows me a box of Pringles. "This is my breakfast," she says, as evidence of how hard everyone is working.
But it was the sight of hapless officials handing out crisps and Kit Kats to desperate refugees in Calais that will stick in the public's mind, a sense that the home secretary was not taking the plight of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine seriously.
The Home Office says it has been preparing for a possible humanitarian crisis in Ukraine since January, designing detailed policies for how to respond. But officials accept that their plans had to be adapted almost as soon as the first refugees asked for sanctuary in Britain.
"You can create a scheme on paper, and the first family group that applies does not meet the criteria," an insider tells me. "We set up a scheme that we thought was very generous and then a case came onto the helpline and it wasn't suitable."
Critics see a department that is on the back foot, constantly forced into embarrassing U-turns, accused of both inhumanity and incompetence. But inside the department's headquarters in Westminster, they insist they are listening to the feedback and adjusting their policies in response.
Home Secretary Priti Patel visited the Ukrainian embassy in London at the weekend
One senior official gives me an example: "In issuing a visa to a child, the original process required both parents to consent. But we realised that conscription in Ukraine meant fathers were away fighting and could not give consent. So we went to the home secretary and she agreed to change the rules."
The question, though, is why did they not realise the problems earlier? Why was eligibility under the Ukrainian Family Scheme not initially applied to aunts and uncles, cousins and step-children? Why did the rule changes have to be forced out of the Home Office when the emergency reached the UK border?
The answer is that the Home Office's response to desperate people fleeing a war is shaped by a determination to maintain the integrity of the UK border. This is a government and a home secretary elected to get Brexit done, and for many of those who campaigned to leave the EU, taking back control of our borders was the central goal.
That is why Priti Patel's initial response was to say that people escaping the conflict should claim asylum in the first safe country they reached. "It's important to note that the situation in Ukraine is very different from Afghanistan," I was advised by the Home Office, as the Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border.
In those first days of the war, anyone displaced who wished to come to the UK had to satisfy the rules of the government's post-Brexit immigration system. The points-based approach meant refugees would have to demonstrate they earned enough money or had skills that benefited the United Kingdom.
It was a serious miscalculation. As the scale of the humanitarian crisis became clear, the Home Office was forced to move away from its hard-line policy. Time and again the Home Office has found itself having to adjust its policies as the pressure for a more compassionate response has increased.
The central challenge stems from the insistence that any refugee coming to the UK must apply for a visa, complete biometric tests and satisfy ever-changing rules on eligibility.
The prime minister has defended the checks.
"Some sort of control is an important feature of the way we do things," Boris Johnson said. "Uncontrolled immigration is not the way forward".
The government is trying to respond to a humanitarian disaster while still following the Brexit playbook. There are understandable concerns about opening Britain's doors to large numbers of refugees, that undesirable individuals may use the crisis to sneak into the country, posing a threat to national security.
Controlling our borders remains central to the approach, a challenge currently most acute in Calais, where hundreds of Ukrainians are pleading to be let into Britain.
There is no visa application centre in Calais, so refugees are advised to travel to Paris or Brussels to sort out their paperwork before boarding a ferry or driving through the tunnel. The department claims it wants to ensure there is not a "choke point" in the city which might lead to vulnerable refugees being preyed upon by people-trafficking gangs.
Migrants camped around Calais continue to cross the channel in small boats, 2,214 already this year, a phenomenon that infuriates Brexit-supporting MPs who demand the home secretary do more to police the UK's border.
There have been calls from across the House of Commons for the government to waive the visa requirements as countries across the EU have done. Priti Patel, though, remains opposed to such a move, preferring to tweak the existing immigration rules rather than set up a new humanitarian pathway for those displaced by the war in Ukraine.
"We need to be really careful managing this process, organising housing, education, access to public services, registering for benefits," an official explains. "We don't want services or resources not to be available."
The experience of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, welcoming people who had fled the Taliban after the British military withdrawal, may help explain the reluctance to open the UK borders this time.
Finding housing for the thousands who have already arrived has proved hugely problematic, with the department currently paying more than £1m a day to keep Afghans in requisitioned hotels.
Chastened by that experience, perhaps, the home secretary supported the idea of a Ukrainian sponsorship scheme - in which private individuals or companies can apply to bring a refugee into the UK, with the sponsor rather than the state taking responsibility for accommodation and support.
Sponsorship has been used before, notably to help Syrian refugees. But it is not a quick or straightforward response to a humanitarian emergency. The details are still being worked out. It remains unclear who will be eligible. It will be some time before any Ukrainian will arrive by that route.
The 21st Century Home Office must look tough and compassionate in equal measure. It must navigate the complex politics of immigration and balance the demands for freedom and control.
"We are genuinely less worried about the reputational side of this than getting the right messages across," an insider claims.
But the concern is that the Home Office is destined always to be playing catch-up as the human tragedy of the Ukrainian refugee emergency unfolds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60682454 |
Rising fuel costs put car-reliant businesses under pressure - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | A care worker manager and a mobile beautician are among those faced with difficult decisions. | With fuel prices in Northern Ireland hitting record-breaking levels, car-reliant businesses and their employees are feeling the pressures.
Prices have soared since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday diesel was most expensive in Craigavon where it has hit 186.9p per litre, according to data collected the Consumer Council.
Some filling stations in Belfast and Carrickfergus have reportedly run out of diesel.
Meanwhile, the highest petrol price was found in Londonderry at 170.9p per litre.
In parts of Northern Ireland there is evidence some petrol stations offering the lowest prices have also struggled to meet demand.
It is believed customers are filling their tanks with cheaper fuel in anticipation of further rises.
Motorists in the Republic of Ireland have been queuing at some petrol stations as a cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel came into effect.
One fuel retailer said motorists from Northern Ireland were crossing the border to take advantage of the cuts, which has seen his prices fall by nearly 15 cents.
But in Omeath, County Louth, another town near the border, it has remained quiet despite a similar fall in fuel prices.
Fuel prices in other places near the border have remained mixed with stations offering higher and lower prices.
"We have to wait until Saturday before we can buy a load at the lower price," fuel retailer Terry Hughes said.
"It's going to take until then before we see the price reductions appear because everybody has a certain amount of stock in their tanks at the higher duty price."
In Northern Ireland, business owners have been speaking to BBC News NI about their concerns around fuel prices.
Emily Magrath runs Caremark Belfast and North Down, which has 400 staff caring for about 700 vulnerable people.
Her staff rely on being able to drive between patients' homes to provide that care.
Mrs Magrath said: "(A typical client like) Mrs Jones could need four calls a day, seven days a week, so if a care worker is doing morning, lunch and tea, they could be going to nine or 10 houses, three times a day.
"We're all making decisions at the minute not to turn our heating on or to use public transport but care workers can't do that, because Mrs Jones has been contracted four calls a day, seven days a week, so a care worker can't just decide they won't call with her."
For care workers, higher outgoings means less change in their pockets.
Mrs Magrath explained: "Our staff are paid a higher rate of pay, their mileage is included in their pay, but with higher fuel costs, there'll be less take home pay.
"One of our staff has recommended an app which tells the lowest petrol price in the area that they're working in."
Mrs Magrath says many have left the sector altogether.
"A rise in petrol prices is on top of the challenges that we're facing in terms of Covid - staff recruitment, getting staff into the sector, and in terms of staff retention, unfortunately staff have left this sector, and really good staff, because they've been so burnt out by what Covid has brought."
In a bid to retain staff, Caremark has made some changes to how staff operate.
"We're looking at all our runs and making sure they're really geographically close together so we wouldn't have care workers travelling from Bangor to Newtownards, we'd keep everyone in the same town," Mrs Magrath said.
"We've also started walking runs, so we've looked at runs that can be walked around, we're encouraging staff not to take their cars and to walk, and we're doing more of that in the coming weeks."
She told BBC News NI that due to the increase in fuel prices, she is paying almost double for diesel than she normally would have, to travel to all of her clients.
"Some days I could be going from Crumlin Road to Lisburn and then to Rathcoole, and I do try to fix the appointments to one particular area but sometimes I can't.
"From the increase, now I'm thinking 'is it worth my while going that far? Am I going to have to refuse some clients and keep it more local?'
"Because I'll end up working for pennies or turning clients away."
Ms Chambers said she had considered putting her prices up but feels people are already struggling financially since the pandemic and due to the soaring cost of living.
"Before the pandemic I had regular customers who visited me every two weeks but now it's every four, because it's not want any more, it's a luxury," she said.
"If things keep going this way I'm going to have to start asking people to travel to me and I know I'd lose customers.
"A lot of my clients are elderly, don't drive, or they're single mums trying to manage.
"So I would lose 80% of my income and I could end up having to close my doors, which I don't want to happen."
Driving instructors who use their vehicles almost daily are having to fill their cars with fuel more often
Oliver Quinn, a driving instructor from County Tyrone, says like many others, it is costing a lot more to fill the tank in his car.
"Here in Omagh, lessons are usually about £25 but I've noticed people putting them up to £30 recently," he said.
"I haven't put mine up yet but I might have no other choice at the end of the month.
"I'm using diesel and it's not taking us far at all any more."
Mr Quinn says he is worried the situation is only going to get worse.
"I've noticed some people are going for tests without any lessons or enough lessons and they're not ready, but people can't afford them.
"People's wages aren't going up and people are already spending more money on the likes of heating oil, so other things will have to fall by the wayside and lessons might not be a priority in that case."
He says while he has not noticed much of an impact yet, he believes the increase in petrol prices is going to affect his business "quite badly, soon".
"It's going to start cutting into profits," he told BBC News NI.
"Then you have the issue of groomers who are maybe already doing it from home and don't have the overhead costs that we do.
"Customers might end up going there instead."
When asked whether he considered increasing prices, Mr McRobb said he is going to "hold off as long as possible".
"When you add it all up - clipper blades, everyday maintenance, petrol, everything is already going up," he said.
"It'll make people not want to get their dogs groomed as often, they'll want to hold off.
"But coming into the summer they need cut and the dogs welfare will end up suffering." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60694322 |
Use Russian money to rebuild Ukraine, says bank boss - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | In a BBC interview, the Ukraine central bank boss proposes a list of extra financial sanctions on Russia. | Kyrylo Shevchenko, Governor of National Bank of Ukraine, in September 2021
Frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild Ukraine after the war, the governor of Ukraine’s Central Bank has told the BBC.
Kyrylo Shevchenko called for an extensive list of extra sanctions, from cutting card payments to suspending Russian access to the IMF.
Every day that sanctions are delayed "is costing the lives of civilians and children", he said in an interview.
For security reasons, he answered questions sent by email.
Mr Shevchenko, governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, said that Russia should eventually be made to pay to repair the damage caused during the invasion.
“The need for money will be huge,” he told the BBC. “It could be fulfilled through loans and grants from multinational organisations and direct help from other countries. However a large share of financing is needed to be obtained as a reparation from the aggressor, including funds that are currently frozen in our allied countries.”
The government building in Kharkiv, destroyed by Russian missiles. Rebuilding Ukraine will cost billions
Much of Russia’s $630bn of foreign exchange reserves are thought to be held outside the country, and effectively frozen by sanctions in the US, the EU and other places.
That would make billions available for reconstruction – if Ukraine is able to access it once the war is over.
Mr Shevchenko welcomed the financial sanctions already imposed by the international community, but said the world should go much further. He called on governments, institutions and companies to impose an extensive list of further financial sanctions, targeting every corner of Russia's economy.
“We already see the effect [of sanctions] on the aggressor’s financial system, but we are still waiting for more to be done. I would like to underline that every day that sanctions are delayed is costing the lives of civilians and children,” Mr Shevchenko said.
“These are the lives of Ukrainians who have chosen the European way and are now defending not only their own country, but also the entire system of values that lies at the core of the Western civilization.”
What is clear from the testimony of the Ukraine's version of Andrew Bailey is that in this war they are leaving no stone uncovered in their targeting of the Russian financial system.
Every pipeline of cash into the "aggressor" has been identified, even as Mr Shevchenko's team tries to keep the cash flowing in the Ukrainian financial system and to its millions of refugees, and even set his country's monetary policy from a bunker.
The IMF, the Bank for International Settlements, Western Union, Chinese credit card payment systems, former Soviet nations' use of Russia's payments system, all are the subject of Kyiv's lobbying to subject the Russian financial system to an unprecedented squeeze.
Above all, that targeting of Russia's Central Bank, agreed by G7 nations, has disarmed its warchest of foreign exchange reserves and halved the value of the rouble.
I asked him if he was worried about the precedent being set here for institutions normally given sovereign immunity. He pauses. "I can answer from the bottom of my heart. We see that the Central Bank of Russia supports military invasion and thus is also guilty, responsible in deaths of civilians in Ukraine".
Around 11bn hryvnia ($350m, £280m) has been paid in to the two special accounts set up by the National Bank of Ukraine to receive donations for the military and for humanitarian causes, Mr Shevchenko told the BBC.
The account for the military was set up on 24 February to accept international and local donations in multiple currencies.
A similar account for humanitarian purposes was set up on 1 March.
Western countries have wrestled with the difficulties of suspending purchases of Russian energy. While the cash Moscow receives for oil and gas exports is a vital lifeline, European governments have decided that they can’t live without vital Russian supplies, at least for now.
Mr Shevchenko said: “Today we can see that Russia is using its energy resources capacities to put economic pressure on Europe. Energy is also one of the leading narratives in the Russian media. They are using it to misinform the Russian public about the West’s unwillingness to take tougher measures, out of fear of losing access to Russian oil and gas.
“We realise how difficult this decision is for our Western partners. We understand the cost of such a step. But we must work together to find and use all possible tools to stop the killing and the suffering that Russia is increasingly causing in Ukraine.”
Mr Shevchenko also described some of the challenges of keeping the country’s financial system running during a war.
His staff are working round the clock, he said, many sheltering from bombardment in underground bunkers.
But he said electronic payments and ATMs were still working, and cash was being delivered to everywhere but active combat zones.
“I can proudly say that Ukrainian banking system remains stable and liquid even under martial law.”
“This is extremely difficult time for every Ukrainian - for the people and the country,” he said. “The National Bank of Ukraine is doing everything in its power to support Ukraine, its defenders, and the population affected by Russian aggression.” | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60684660 |
Russia could launch chemical attack in Ukraine - White House - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | False claims about chemical weapon development are a Russian ploy to justify more attacks, says Jen Psaki. | Russia has been shelling Ukrainian cities, including Irpin, near the capital Kyiv
Russia could be planning a chemical or biological weapon attack in Ukraine - and "we should all be on the lookout", the White House has said.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said Russia's claims about US biological weapon labs, and chemical weapon development in Ukraine, were preposterous.
She called the false claims an "obvious ploy" to try to justify further premeditated, unprovoked attacks.
It comes after Western officials shared similar concerns about fresh attacks.
They said they were "very concerned" about the risk the war could escalate, and particularly the possibility of Russia using non-conventional weapons.
This most likely refers to chemical weapons although the term also covers tactical (small-scale) nuclear weapons, biological weapons and dirty bombs.
"We've got good reason to be concerned," said one Western official.
They said this was partly because of what had been seen in other places where Russia has been engaged - notably Syria where chemical weapons were used by its allies.
Ms Psaki said: "We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them - it's a clear pattern."
Earlier on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said in a tweet that Russia had used thermobaric rockets in Ukraine. These rockets are also known as vacuum bombs because they suck in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion.
This makes them more devastating than conventional explosives of a similar size, and can have a terrible impact on people caught in their blast radius.
In a subsequent update, the ministry said it was likely "experienced mercenaries" from Russian private military companies associated with the Kremlin were deploying to fight in Ukraine.
The update added Russian mercenaries have been accused of committing human rights abuses in Africa and the Middle East, including in Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.
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The fears around chemical weapon use were borne from Russian claims potentially "setting the scene" for some kind of "false flag" claim, Western officials said.
In a tweet, the Russian Embassy referred to claims that "recently found documents" showed components of biological weapons were made in Ukrainian laboratories - with funding from the US Department of Defense.
The US dismissed the claims, saying it was the "kind of disinformation operation we've seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries".
Russian officials and media have also claimed in recent days that Ukraine was planning to build a so-called dirty bomb - which disperses radioactive material.
Meanwhile Russia's foreign minister has claimed Ukraine had been seeking nuclear weapons.
Some believe Moscow is pushing these claims to come up with a justification for its own public about why it invaded Ukraine. But Western officials also fear they could be used as the basis for a "false flag" event.
For example, Russia could claim any dispersal of non-conventional weapons came from Ukrainian facilities or troops, or they were used first by Ukraine. That could justify, for Moscow, the subsequent use of non-conventional weapons by Russia.
The Western official said similar stories had come from Russia before their use in Syria.
There were "other indications as well", they said - likely referring to some kind of intelligence. "It's a serious concern for us."
Russia's ally, the Assad government, used chemical weapons in Syria on multiple occasions against civilians.
Russia is also accused of using nerve agents - a type of chemical weapon - in attempted assassinations like that of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 and against opposition figure Alexei Navalny in Russia in 2020.
The global watchdog that oversees the Chemical Weapons Convention - the OPCW - describes a chemical weapon as a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties.
Their use is banned under international humanitarian law regardless of a valid military target because their effects are indiscriminate by nature and designed to cause superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering.
Do you have any questions about the crisis in Ukraine? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60683248 |
Could EU weaponise energy in Russia crisis? - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | After a series of seismic changes in Brussels because of the war in Ukraine, an energy revolution looms. | The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was an early casualty of Germany's change of heart over Russia
You know that feeling when you're running downhill, going so fast that you seem to lose control of your own feet?
That's where the EU appears to be at the moment.
Once dismissed as impossible - or at least, hugely improbable - from one day to the next, EU revolutions, provoked by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, have been happening thick and fast.
The next seismic change bubbling in Brussels? A looming energy revolution, provoked by a simple question: What's the point of punitive financial sanctions if Vladimir Putin's war chest is refilled on a daily basis with oil and gas revenues?
The EU depends on Russia for 40% of its natural gas and a quarter of its oil imports.
EU countries pay about €1bn a day to Moscow for those supplies, according to Bruegel, the Brussels-based think tank.
The US - which is far less reliant on Russian energy supplies than Europe - says it's considering banning Russian oil imports as part of its sanctions against the Kremlin.
On Monday, standing next to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Lithuania's foreign minister agreed. "We cannot pay for oil and gas with Ukrainian blood," he said.
Along with other eastern European Nato and EU members, Lithuania views Vladimir Putin - with his ambitions to change Europe's geopolitical order in Moscow's favour - as an active security threat.
The West must fight Russia "with all means available", said Lithuania's president. "To avoid World War Three."
But other EU countries, such as big powers Germany and Italy - far more reliant on Russian energy than most - feel more threatened by the prospect of skyrocketing energy prices that would surely follow any sanctions on Russian oil or gas imports.
Energy prices are already painfully high across the continent.
Until Russia's attacks on Ukraine, the majority of Germans supported Nord Stream 2, their new gas pipeline direct from Russia.
The pipeline has been frozen as part of EU sanctions against Russia, but Berlin fears public opinion could turn if Germans suddenly can't fill their cars with petrol or afford to heat their homes.
Germany's Federation of Industries, the BDI, has warned that soaring prices could crush the EU's largest economy, forcing factory and other German business closures, with a rippling effect across the single market.
Anti-nuclear sentiment has always been strong in Germany
France's Emmanuel Macron is nervous too. He hopes to be re-elected president next month.
The last time he was blamed for petrol price hikes in France, it sparked months of massive street protests by the "gilets jaunes", the yellow jackets, so-called because of the high-visibility vests they wore.
So, while on the world stage, President Macron presents himself as the European champion of carbon neutrality, energy prices are such a sensitive issue in France that he introduced €100 bonuses for the poorest voters this winter, to mitigate fossil fuel prices as part of his re-election bid.
It's notable, too, that French energy giant Total says it's staying put in Russia for now, despite the Kremlin's onslaught against Ukraine, while competitors BP and Shell have voluntarily pulled out.
So are energy sanctions against Russia just the latest example of an "EU impossible" that will suddenly become reality?
The issue will be discussed in the European Parliament on Tuesday and among EU leaders at their Thursday summit.
When I speak to EU naysayers, they talk defensively, not only about the dangers of domestic blowback, but also potential aftershocks in the global energy market.
"At the moment, we're speaking with one voice alongside Latin America, regarding Russian aggression," one diplomat told me.
"But what would happen if the Argentine economy implodes as a result of energy price hikes and scarcity and the EU and the West is blamed for that?"
So for the moment, the EU is clinging to what it views as safer ground.
On Monday, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would be speeding up efforts to wean itself off Russian energy.
Russia's actions in Ukraine mean Brussels now views the Climate Question as a question of security. Energy security.
Germany's new chancellor took the world's breath away a week ago by reversing his country's defence policy, sending weapons to Ukraine and announcing a €100bn investment in the German military.
His finance minister has also announced a €200bn investment in renewable and alternative energy sources. Germany's need is acute, as it has all but phased out nuclear energy, as well as phasing out coal.
But those plans for renewable energies, alternative suppliers and a clean energy divorce from Russia will take time.
Something Ukraine just does not have. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60654586 |
SNP chief Ian Blackford dismisses resignation rumours - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | The SNP's Westminster leader insisted that party MPs are behind him in "getting on with the job". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ian Blackford: "I have a good team, a strong team, we are getting on with the job."
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has denied rumours that he is considering quitting from the post.
The Politico website had claimed the MP was considering his position due to infighting among the party's MPs.
Mr Blackford told BBC Scotland there was "nothing in it".
Other SNP members came to the Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP's defence, with Stewart McDonald saying the story had been "made up by people with the luxury of too much time on their hands."
Mr Blackford took over as the party's Westminster leader in 2017 after Angus Robertson lost his seat in that year's general election.
Politico's daily newsletter said it had spoken to four party officials who said they believed his departure could come before May's council elections.
It said there had been a "weeks-long row" over statements Mr Blackford had made about pensions in an independent Scotland, quoting an unnamed MP as describing his position as an "unforced error".
The article also said there had been tension between Mr Blackford and other senior MPs, including Mr McDonald and the party's foreign affairs spokesman Alyn Smith.
However both men have rejected the story, with Mr McDonald tweeting that Politico "has been had".
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Mr Blackford himself told BBC Scotland that it was "like silly season has arrived early".
He said: "I have a good team, a strong team, we are getting on with the job.
"I'll be doing that safe in the knowledge that I have a group that's behind me and a government in Edinburgh that we work closely with.
"Let's focus on the day job of holding the government to account, dealing with the crisis in Ukraine and delivering the Scottish government's manifesto commitments."
Asked if MPs were restless about the lack of progress towards holding a fresh referendum on Scottish independence, Mr Blackford said the party was "serious" about delivering a vote.
• None Resignation rumour is evidence of 'silly season' Video, 00:01:08Resignation rumour is evidence of 'silly season' | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60692922 |
War in Ukraine: Troops dig in near Kyiv - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Ukrainians are determined to defend their capital city as Russian troops prepare for an assault. | "We're here to destroy the enemy brigades," says Johnny Dragan (left)
The commander called himself Johnny Dragan, and he smoked each cigarette as fiercely as if it was going to be his last.
Dragan was strengthening a blocking position at a strategic crossroads north-west of Kyiv. If the Russians broke through, Dragan and his men would have to stop them. Behind him was a dual carriageway heading straight to Kyiv.
Off-duty soldiers were eating and resting at a restaurant on the crossroads that Dragan had taken over as his headquarters. The food was hearty, and they stacked their rifles in neat conical piles next to their tables.
Outside, the active shift was working during another bitterly cold day, with the snow settling on their shoulders. A tank was in position. A deadly-looking artillery piece was positioned to fire directly, over open sights, at anything coming down the road that Dragan decided was a threat.
"We're here to destroy the enemy brigades," he said. "The occupiers who've come to our country - and are heading our way."
A builder's lorry was lowering slabs of reinforced concrete with the crane it had used until a fortnight or so back to deliver housebuilding supplies. Destruction not construction has been happening since. It felt more urgent near the frontline today. Ukrainian troops inside and outside Kyiv are reinforcing checkpoints into barricades.
Dragan's men were close to Hostomel, a small and strategically important town. Fighting has not stopped there since the first morning of the war, when Russia airborne troops came in by helicopter to seize a cargo airport as a bridgehead.
Tanya says Hostomel "used to be such a lovely place to live" but now there is "no house, no street and no town"
We picked up Tanya and Ivan, a couple in their 60s who had been walking for three hours to get out of Hostomel. It took 13 days, they said, to gather the courage to leave their freezing cellar.
Tanya described what they had seen on the first day of the war before they fled underground. "When our guys blew up the bridge, we saw tanks and a car with the soldiers ahead of the column, but our guys did not let them go… The bridge was blown up and the car and everything was destroyed."
When they emerged at dawn after nearly two terrifying weeks to walk towards Kyiv, about 20 miles (32km) away, everything had changed. Tanya wept a little as she remembered how it had been in Hostomel. "It used to be such a lovely place to live. But when we came up this morning there was no house, no street and no town."
Some destroyed buildings north-west of Kyiv are still smouldering
Many villages nearby, not just their home, are in ruins.
In buildings that are still burning a few traces of old lives are left; smouldering kitchens where families must have eaten, argued and loved. Dogs scavenge for food, waiting close to the rubble for owners who abandoned them.
Russian tactical and military blunders, plus well-organised and determined resistance, have bought the Ukrainians time to beef up for whatever comes next. That is not going to last indefinitely.
The barrage of international sanctions against Russia shows no sign of forcing President Vladimir Putin to change his mind. His public utterances reinforce what seems to be his determination to finish the job of crushing Ukrainian independence, which he tells the Russian people is a necessary step to protect themselves and their nation.
It is hard to overstate the gravity of the crisis caused by the invasion, and the years of tension that led to it. It is deadly serious because of Russia and the Nato countries' radically different views of the security and orientation of states that used to be firmly in the orbit of the Soviet Union.
The parties to the wider conflict, above and beyond the war in Ukraine, are armed with nuclear weapons that could destroy all of us. The chances that this war could somehow go nuclear are very low, despite Mr Putin's decision to increase the level of readiness of part of his arsenal.
But wars generate confusion and misperception, and the dangers of escalation are ever-present.
A local hospital that has been treating the wounded Ukrainian soldiers is being abandoned
Like most people who grew up in the Cold War, I cannot forget the relief I felt when it ended, and the joy of turning on the television on 9 November 1989 and seeing Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall.
It is hard to believe that more than 30 years later I have spent the day reporting on the Russian push into Ukraine, and the results of a failure by all concerned to build security that would stop Europe going back to its old ways.
A couple of miles from the Russians in Hostomel, Ukrainians were preparing to abandon a hospital that has been treating the wounded. They had been evacuated further away from the fighting, and the hospital director Dr Valerii Zukin was supervising staff wrapping sensitive medical equipment with bales of clingfilm. Beds were waiting to be picked up and trucked out.
My ship is sinking, Dr Zukin told me, and I am the captain so I will be the last to leave.
His voice rose as he said Ukrainians did not want food aid. Instead, they wanted weapons and a no-fly zone enforced by Nato.
"The Russians understand only the language of the power. I would like to use the words of the former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, who said it was impossible to negotiate with the man who came to kill you."
It was a lonely and tense drive through the snow until we saw the suburbs of Kyiv. Ukrainian troops were dug into the woods, waiting.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In Kyiv, citizens like Maria are turning out for weapons training in case they have to defend themselves
Are you in Ukraine? Is your family? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60671329 |
Borrow billions or see incomes squeezed, Rishi Sunak told - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | The chancellor must decide whether to borrow more or allow household budgets to be squeezed further, the think tank says. | Chancellor Rishi Sunak faces a "huge judgment call" over whether to borrow more or allow household budgets to be squeezed, new research suggests.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says the soaring cost of living and war in Ukraine present fresh challenges ahead of the Spring Statement.
Without extra protection, many households will struggle to keep up with bills, it suggests.
Inflation rose to its highest level for 30 years last month.
Prices surged by 5.5% in the 12 months to January, up from 5.4% in December, due to rising energy, fuel and food prices.
Inflation, which measures how quickly the cost of living increases over time, is now rising faster than wages and is expected to climb above 7% this year.
As Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine pushes energy costs, fuel and other commodities even higher, the IFS says Chancellor Rishi Sunak faces three big decisions.
The first is whether to borrow billions more or allow household incomes to take a bigger hit than at any time since at least the financial crisis. The government has already increased borrowing in recent years to pay for Covid-related measures such as the furlough scheme.
Mr Sunak must also weigh whether to allow inflation to impose effective pay cuts on teachers, nurses and other public sector workers - or to spend less than anticipated on other parts of public services, if borrowing is not an option.
Public sector workers face an average pay cut of about £1,750 once inflation is taken into account, the IFS research says.
And as war in Ukraine continues, the chancellor will have to decide whether to allow defence spending to fall over the next three years, or to borrow to boost it.
"At the Spring Statement, Rishi Sunak has to make a huge judgment call," IFS director Paul Johnson said.
"Will he do more to protect households from the effects of energy prices, which have risen even further in the last two weeks?
"If he doesn't, then many on moderate incomes will face the biggest hit to their living standards since at least the financial crisis. If he does, then there will be another big hit to the public finances."
He told the BBC's Today programme that the chancellor will have to borrow "at least another £10bn just to cover half the blow from energy prices".
Mr Johnson warned that rising energy costs look set to continue rather than be a short peak. "If energy prices are high for three-to-four years, it makes it much harder for the government to support people," he said.
Rising inflation - which he warned could reach 8% or more this year - is hurting public sector workers.
Mr Johnson estimated the Treasury would have to find between £1,500-£2,000 per worker to make up the impact of inflation on pay. "They've already suffered big cuts," he said.
The IFS suggests that if Mr Sunak wants to achieve the same level of protection for households' budgets as he announced earlier this year, he will need to find an extra £12bn.
While the chancellor might have had little choice in spending billions to protect the economy during the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, Mr Johnson says the chancellor's response to the cost of living crisis will reveal more about how he sees the government's role in protecting consumers from external events.
The boss of energy regulator Ofgem, Jonathan Brearley, for example, has said that households are heading for an "almost inevitable" rise in energy bills in the autumn.
Spikes in wholesale gas prices, which were rising even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will be passed on to consumers, he warned on Tuesday.
A Treasury spokesperson said the government was already providing more than £20bn to help people with the cost of living and would continue to monitor the economic impact of the conflict.
"Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine will have a huge impact on lives and livelihoods around the world and the effects will be felt across this country," the spokesperson said.
"It is right that we do all we can to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine and work with our allies and partners to impose the most punishing sanctions to inflict maximum and lasting pain on Russia."
The shadow chancellor, Labour MP Rachel Reeves, accused the government of allowing "the cost of living crisis to spiral out of control since September".
She called on the chancellor to reconsider "unfair" National Insurance contributions, which are due to go up in April to fund social care in England and help the NHS recover after the pandemic.
The Labour party has proposed the introduction of a one-off "windfall" tax on oil and gas producers, which would then be used to cut energy costs for consumers. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60678717 |
Midwife struck off over Shropshire baby's death - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Pippa Griffiths died after midwives failed to realise the "urgency" of her condition, a panel says. | Pippa's parents Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths have been among those to campaign for a wider inquiry into maternity care in Shropshire
A midwife found guilty of misconduct over the death of a baby six years ago is to be struck off.
Claire Roberts was investigated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for failures in the care she gave to Pippa Griffiths - who died a day after being born at home in Myddle, Shropshire.
An independent disciplinary panel described the midwife as "a danger to patients and colleagues".
Ms Roberts, who was not present at the hearing, now has 28 days to appeal.
The decision has been welcomed by Pippa's parents Kayleigh and Colin Griffiths.
Ms Roberts and fellow midwife Joanna Young failed to realise the "urgency" of medical attention needed, following the birth, the panel said.
They had failed to carry out a triage assessment, after Pippa's mother called staff for help because she was worried about her daughter's condition.
The panel concluded Ms Roberts's fitness to practise was impaired.
Inaccurate record-keeping by Ms Roberts represented "serious dishonesty", panel chair David Evans said, adding she had carried it out "in order to protect herself from disciplinary action".
Her failures had represented a "significant departure from standards expected by a registered midwife," he added.
Mr Evans said she had also failed to engage with the NMC or give evidence and had shown a "lack of insight, lack of remorse and lack of remediation identified around the areas of concern".
Her colleague Ms Young, whose case was also heard by the panel, faced strong criticism on Wednesday, but was told she would face no sanction after the hearing concluded she had shown remorse and undergone extra training since 2016.
Kayleigh Griffiths said she and her husband welcomed the findings and sanctions.
"We're really relieved that one of the midwives has been struck off and actually we're also relieved to find that the other midwife has learnt and feels significant remorse for the event that took place," she said.
"We realise people do make mistakes and I think how you deal with those mistakes is really important.
"All we do ask is that learning was made from those and I think in one of the instances it did occur and in the other it didn't - so I think the right outcome has been found."
Donna Ockenden's report into wider maternity standards at SaTh has faced fresh delays
There was also criticism during the hearing of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which the panel heard had demonstrated shortcomings including in leadership, communication and records systems.
In noting the judgment and the action that has been taken, SaTH director of nursing Hayley Favell said: "We offer our sincere condolences to the family over the loss of their daughter and, as a trust, we take full responsibility for the failings in the standard of care given to mothers and babies, for which we apologise unreservedly.
"We remain committed to taking all of the steps necessary to improve and all our work is driven by a determination to ensure that we deliver safe, effective, reliable and high-quality services to the women and families we are caring for."
Pippa was just 31 hours old when she died from a Group B Strep infection. An inquest in 2017 found she could have survived with earlier intervention.
Since then, her parents have called for routine testing for the Group B Strep bacteria and have been among the most prominent campaigners for a wider inquiry into maternity standards at SaTH.
It has become what is thought to be the largest maternity inquiry in the NHS's history.
Its chair Donna Ockenden was due to publish her findings this month, but families have been told this will be delayed due to parliamentary processes.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-60694949 |
Toddler tossed to safety from burning building - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | A father threw his son, 3, from the window of a burning building down to first responders. | A father threw his three-year-old son from the second storey of a burning building. First responders on the ground caught the toddler and then his dad, who also had to jump to safety.
Both are safe with only minor injuries. The fire started in an apartment on the third storey of the New Jersey apartment complex before spreading through the building. Fifty people were displaced by the blaze. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60635933 |
Chelsea: Roman Abramovich says he plans to sell club - BBC Sport | 2022-03-10 | Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich says he plans to sell the Premier League club. | Last updated on .From the section Chelsea
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich says he is planning to sell the club.
In a statement on the Premier League club's website, businessman Abramovich said he had made the "incredibly difficult decision" which "pains" him.
The Russian will not ask "for any loans to be repaid" and said proceeds of the sale would be donated to war victims.
Abramovich had said on Saturday he would give "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to its foundation trustees following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
That led to speculation Abramovich - who has loaned the club more than £1.5bn - would put Chelsea up for sale, and billionaire Hansjorg Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick on Wednesday that he had been offered the chance to buy the club.
Wyss said Abramovich wanted "to get rid of Chelsea quickly" after the threat of sanctions was raised in Parliament.
Abramovich, 55, is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.
He said "all net proceeds from the sale" would be donated to the "victims of the war in Ukraine".
BBC Sport understands Abramovich has already received offers for Chelsea and that he values the club at as much as £3bn.
In his statement, Abramovich said: "I have always taken decisions with the club's best interest at heart.
"In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club's sponsors and partners.
"The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid.
"I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine."
BBC Sport understands the trustees of Chelsea's charitable foundation, who had not yet agreed to take control of the club, will no longer be asked to. Abramovich was criticised for not referencing Russia's invasion of Ukraine in that original statement on Saturday.
Chelsea's players were not told ahead of time about their owner's new statement, which was released less than a hour before the side's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Luton Town.
After falling behind early on, the Premier League team won 3-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m, and in his statement said it had "never been about business nor money, but about pure passion for the game and club".
Since his purchase of the club, Chelsea have been transformed, setting the template for how much finance was needed to compete at the top end of the Premier League.
In total, Abramovich has loaned the club more than £1.5bn, which has helped to bring great success.
Under his ownership, the club have won every major trophy possible - including the Champions League twice, both the Premier League and FA Cup five times, the Europa League twice and the League Cup three times.
In August 2021, they won the Uefa Super Cup and in February won their first Club World Cup.
He has appointed 13 different managers and the club spent more than £2bn in the transfer market under his ownership.
Chelsea's women's team, who became affiliated to Chelsea FC in 2004, have thrived under Abramovich's ownership, winning the Women's Super League four times, the Women's FA Cup, three times and reaching the Champions League final last season.
Their high profile has seen world stars such as Australia's Sam Kerr and Danish forward Pernille Harder move to the club.
Why has Abramovich chosen to sell?
Other Russian billionaires have already been the subject of European Union sanctions where their assets have been frozen.
That has included Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who has commercial links to Everton.
The United Kingdom government is yet to sanction Abramovich or Usmanov, but Labour MP Chris Bryant said in Parliament on Tuesday that Abramovich was "terrified of being sanctioned which is why he is going to sell his home tomorrow [Wednesday], and another flat as well".
On Wednesday, during Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer asked why Abramovich was not facing sanctions, with Boris Johnson replying it was "not appropriate to comment on any individual cases at this stage".
A spokesperson denied the Labour leader's claims and said Abramovich had not done anything sanctionable.
Wyss also said: "Abramovich is trying to sell all of his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly.
"I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich."
A spokesperson for Abramovich declined to comment on those claims.
'One of the most significant, controversial and influential figures in history of English football' - analysis
While this was not an entirely unexpected development after it became apparent during the last 24 hours that Roman Abramovich was looking to sell Chelsea, this dramatic announcement still feels like a seismic moment. Not only for the west London club, but for the wider English game too.
The Russian billionaire's arrival almost two decades ago helped transform the Premier League's competitive balance, profile and spending power, reinforcing its status as a truly global competition.
The oligarch's riches turned Chelsea into a major force in the game, and his ownership seemed to pave the way for subsequent takeovers by overseas billionaires, at clubs like Manchester City for instance.
But there was significant controversy too.
With Abramovich - one of Russia's richest people - almost never commenting in public, he also came to symbolise the detachment of some super-wealthy club owners. Many also found the ruthlessness with which he treated managers questionable.
There was always intrigue surrounding the motives for his ownership, and how he made his fortune. While he has always denied direct links with Putin, the invasion of Ukraine led to calls in parliament for the government to sanction wealthy Russians.
Abramovich vehemently denies that he had done anything to merit sanctions being imposed against him. But as the highest-profile oligarch in the country, and with one MP citing concerns about alleged links to corruption, his ownership was coming under mounting scrutiny.
And with the government facing mounting pressure to seize his assets, and Abramovich criticised over his failure to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion, it is little surprise that he has swiftly announced his decision to sell.
In recent years Abramovich has been an increasingly infrequent visitor to Stamford Bridge, withdrawing his application for a visa in 2018 after relations between the UK and Russia worsened.
But while fans had got used to not seeing Abramovich, the Russian's departure could mean the club is run very differently in future - and perhaps with much more financial constraint - by whoever now buys it.
That may help explain why some at Chelsea will no doubt be sorry to see him go. Many other observers, however, will be pleased, some of whom have always viewed Abramovich's ownership as a classic example of 'sportswashing'.
Having always insisted he was passionate about the club and had its interests at heart, he leaves as one of the most significant, controversial and influential figures in the history of English football.
Chelsea will be a desirable football club for many given its status within the game. It's in London which makes it very attractive to ultra high net-worth individuals.
You have to caution that Chelsea has lost more money than any other club in the history of the Premier League and its stadium is a lot smaller than some of the other stadiums in London.
Speaking to some agents already today, I think the initial asking price is around £3bn. I think that is unlikely to be achieved. But if you are looking for a trophy asset - something to show off to your compatriots, to your friends, then Chelsea has an awful lot of attraction.
They are European and world champions - that does add to its allure.
There are three potential types of bidders we could see.
We could see the individual billionaire looking to add to their portfolio of well-known assets.
It could come for a private equity company based in the US who believes the riches of Premier League are undervalued in traditional markets.
We could see from a sovereign wealth fund as we've seen in relation to Manchester City, Newcastle and Paris St-Germain
This sale has come at a bad time in terms of the market. The share price of Manchester United - a good peer group company for Chelsea - is now trading significantly below its initial listing price in 2012. The market seems to have lost its love-in with football and this could impact on the ultimate price Chelsea is sold for.
25 February: Labour's Chris Bryant tells MPs the UK government should remove Roman Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea and seize his assets, citing concerns about alleged links to corruption.
26 February: Abramovich announces he is handing "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to its charitable foundation.
27 February: Foundation members express concern over whether Charity Commission rules would allow them to run the club. Chelsea beaten 11-10 on penalties by Liverpool in League Cup final at Wembley after game ended 0-0.
28 February: Abramovich asked by Ukraine to help support their attempts to reach a "peaceful resolution" with Russia.
1 March: The Charity Commission says it is "seeking information" from Chelsea after the club was placed under the control of its charitable foundation.
2 March: Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claims he has been offered the chance to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.
2 March: Abramovich announces he intends to sell the club.
'It can take months or years'
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer on BBC One: "It's a huge moment for Chelsea. He has brought massive success over his 20 years but it is not simple, selling a football club. It can take months or years.
"But more importantly, there is still no condemnation from Roman or the club about what is happening in Ukraine."
Former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards on BBC One: "It is a better statement than Saturday, there is a lot more clarity and Roman Abramovich has done the right thing.
"It is so sad we have to talk about this on a football night after all the scenes we have seen. It is heartbreaking. The sooner it happens the better."
• None Our coverage of Chelsea is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• None Everything Chelsea - go straight to all the best content | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60585081 |
Ukrainians with passports can apply for UK visas online - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | More than 1,000 visas have been issued but Boris Johnson says that number will 'climb very steeply'. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ukrainians with passports will be able to apply for UK visas online from Tuesday - Priti Patel
Ukrainian refugees who have passports will be able to apply for UK visas online from Tuesday, says Priti Patel.
The move has been done with the approval of the security services, the home secretary told MPs.
It will only apply to people applying under the scheme where they can join family members already in the UK.
The speed of the UK's response has been criticised, with Labour's Yvette Cooper calling it a "total disgrace".
Ms Patel said those applying online would be able to give their biometric data, such as fingerprints, once in the UK - allowing visa application centres to focus on those without passports.
No further details were given about how a second scheme for refugees, in which people and organisations could sponsor Ukrainians to come to the UK, would work or when it would begin.
It had been suggested that the family scheme might be expanded to include relatives of people in the UK on temporary visas but this was not addressed by the home secretary in the Commons.
But the Foreign Office has confirmed that all Ukrainian staff working for the British embassy and British Council in Ukraine plus their dependents are also able to come to the UK.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was right that the UK should have "an offer as generous as possible" that was "as light touch as possible" for refugees, but said it remained important to have checks.
He said "more than 1,000" visas had been issued but added that number would "climb very steeply".
Meanwhile, a UK charity appeal for Ukraine has raised £120m in less than a week. The Disasters Emergency Committee - made up of a group of UK aid charities - said the level of donations is second only to the response to the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami in 2004.
Ms Patel said the new "streamlined approach" to visas would make the application process "quicker and simpler" but that the Ukrainians with passports can apply for visas online digital system would still allow "important checks" to be done.
Speaking about the issue of security, Ms Patel said the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 had showed what Russian President Vladimir Putin was "willing to do on our soil" and demonstrated that "a small number of people with evil intentions can wreak havoc on our streets".
MPs who had been pushing the government to go further and faster have called the change progress - but many are anxious for more details of the second sponsorship scheme to take in Ukrainians without family in the UK.
An announcement on this may not come until Monday, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said.
Shadow home secretary Ms Cooper asked why it had taken "being hauled into the House of Commons to make basic changes to help vulnerable people who are fleeing from Ukraine?"
She also questioned why there had been a delay when the home secretary had "had intelligence for weeks, if not months, that she needed to prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Yvette Cooper on the Home Office response to Ukrainian refugees: “Our country is better than this”
During a visit to the Tapa military base in Estonia, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Home Office approach to visas had been a "complete shambles that is diminishing our reputation across the world".
He later told BBC Radio 5 Live the Home Office was "chopping and changing" policies and "making it harder" for refugees to reach the UK.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has written to Mr Johnson urging him to do what the EU has done and waive all visa requirements for any Ukrainian nationals. Poland alone has taken in nearly 1.3 million people so far.
Earlier Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Pystaiko, said refugees must not face bureaucratic hurdles, adding that most refugees did not pose a threat.
The Préfecture du Pas-de-Calais has announced where the "pop-up" visa processing centre for Ukrainian refugees will be.
There had been reports it would be in Lille, but it's in Arras in France, which is one hour from Calais, two from Brussels and three from Paris.
Although the UK government had promised that it would be open for several days, it still isn't, but the French authorities say it will be by Friday.
Many of the hundreds of Ukrainians who are in northern France have spent the past week travelling to the French and Belgian capitals to submit biometric information and documentation.
Many have already been processed and it's thought most will be by next Tuesday, when the process becomes simpler and will move online.
Meanwhile, the UK has announced sanctions against seven more Russian oligarchs including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.
More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded, and the Home Office has come under pressure to speed up visa processing.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told BBC Breakfast the Ministry of Defence had offered to assist the Home Office with the visa process, although the countries where application centres are set up would have to approve British troops being sent to help.
The decision to allow Ukrainians with an identity document to apply online for a visa to join family members in the UK is significant.
It means that from next week many refugees escaping the war and heading for Britain will not have to go to a visa application centre or VAC.
Allowing them to complete biometric tests in the UK after they arrive will reduce the pressure on stretched facilities in Poland, Hungary and elsewhere in Europe.
Biometrics required as part of a UK visa application include fingerprints and a photograph of the applicant's face.
However, the new rules will still exclude anyone who fled without their passport or identity document. They will have to go to a VAC in person. The rules also exclude Ukrainian residents who are not citizens of Ukraine.
Read more from Mark here.
Speaking on BBC One's Question Time, Mr Prystaiko pointed out that most of those trying to get to the UK were women with children who were not posing a terrorist threat and said he hoped "every bureaucratic red tape should be cancelled".
Elsewhere, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said plans were under way to prepare for up to 100,000 Ukrainian children who might need places in UK schools.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: A British man has called the UK visa process "torturous" after his wife's family fled Ukraine
Luke Morgan has spent the last week trying to get hold of visas for his wife's family - travelling to Calais, Brussels and then Paris in an effort to fill out the necessary paperwork and provide biometric data.
Visas were finally granted on Wednesday for his wife's parents, sister and two nephews and the group set off for Calais right away after getting the visas.
The refugee crisis has escalated rapidly in recent days as Russia ramped up bombardments of civilian areas in cities.
On Wednesday, an air strike hit a maternity and children's ward at a hospital in the southern city of Mariupol.
The UK government's response to the refugee crisis has also been branded a "disgrace" by Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke, while fellow Conservative politician Sir Roger Gale called on Ms Patel to resign over the situation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60686254 |
Emotions high as EU leaders face up to Putin's war - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | After tumultuous years, the EU seems to have fresh purpose - has Russia prompted a Brussels rebirth? | EU leaders meeting on Thursday in Versailles focused on rethinking defence in Europe and how to move away from Russian energy
The opulent Palace of Versailles was designed by the kings of France to impress the outside world, yet by the time of the French Revolution it had turned into a glaring symbol of royal failure.
Now EU leaders who are here for a two-day summit hope to project an image of unity in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
That's easy when they discuss the big picture.
But some details up for debate are clearly divisive amongst member states: such as energy prices impacted by the war, EU common defence plans and the enlargement of the bloc to include Ukraine.
Yet the bureaucratic, often bickering behemoth that is the EU has already been transformed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Let's take a step back to get some perspective:
Is this a temporary blip, or are we looking at a Brussels rebirth; an EU 2.0?
The EU was already aware - certainly after the 2016 Brexit vote, if not before - that it needed some serious self-improvement.
The bloc was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2012 "for over six decades contributing to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe".
EU member states have sent defensive weapons to Ukraine but face demands for greater support
But in the eyes of many Europeans, Brussels became seen as a home for neo-liberalism, rather than liberalism. A promoter of trade deals prioritising big business, and a maker of dirty migrant deals (with Turkey, for example) to keep refugees from reaching EU shores.
A bloc that, along with many national governments, was perceived as helping banks instead of families after the 2008 economic crisis. An entity, decades after the Second World War, that had lost its vision, mission and recognition as a force for peace in Europe.
Populism, nationalism and illiberalism became familiar faces in European politics, as voters looked for "a better fit". EU countries fell out over migration, eurozone reform and more.
Conspiracy theories flourished, as trust in Brussels and traditional politicians waned. "Strongman" leaders like Hungary's Viktor Orban, Turkey's Recep Erdogan, America's Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin were increasingly admired.
Then, in 2020, the Covid pandemic prompted a reset.
After an unedifying start, Brussels was perceived as working in the public interest. Member states seemed more united, opinion polls were approving.
The EU's Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, has appealed to EU leaders to display the same drive and resolve shown in face of Covid when dealing with the Russia-Ukraine crisis and resulting challenges.
This war on European soil has refocused EU minds as to what the bloc could - or should - stand for. Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine is also seen by the EU majority as a geopolitical attack on European security as a whole.
The war in Ukraine is an immense trauma, a human, political, humanitarian drama and it's undoubtedly an element that'll lead to completely redefining the architecture of our Europe
But this two-day informal summit could well expose cracks in this new-found EU unity.
All EU leaders fret about rising energy costs and the impact back home of Russia sanctions and possible counter sanctions. But they disagree on what to do about it. Some call for an EU-wide solution - that is, new funds from Brussels. Others, like Germany and the Netherlands, say no.
Emmanuel Macron is the host of the summit, since France currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
He's long been a champion of a stronger, more independent Europe, weaning itself off food, technology and energy imports and building up its own defence force to work alongside Nato.
But the prospect of a European Army (under French command) remains an unlikely prospect.
Instead, EU countries will discuss better co-ordination and the pooling of military resources... while likely arguing over which nations should win the best contracts.
There is a war in Europe. My wish is for the EU to unleash its strength and continue to act in unity to ensure peace in Europe has a good perspective. That is what is at stake now
As for migration. two million Ukrainians have already fled the country. Depending on how long the misery and violence continue, many more could arrive in the EU. Diplomats I've spoken to predict that funding, housing and relocating millions across different member states could yet prove difficult, longer term.
Right now though, the scenes of suffering and loss in Ukraine mean emotions are running high amongst EU leaders.
Their debate over whether Ukraine's application for EU membership can be fast-tracked, as a symbol of solidarity, looks to be the most heated Versailles Palace will witness this week.
• None 'We are not co-operating': Life in occupied Ukraine | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60673785 |
Ukraine: Cardiff orchestra pulls Tchaikovsky music over war - BBC News | 2022-03-10 | Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra says it would be inappropriate to play the Russian composer's music. | Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra was due to perform a Tchaikovsky night at St David's Hall this month
A Welsh orchestra has dropped music by Russian composer Tchaikovsky from a concert because of the Ukraine war.
Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra said it would be "inappropriate at this time" to perform the composer's music after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The orchestra said a member had family in Ukraine and it was also aware some of Tchaikovsky's work was deemed offensive to Ukrainians.
It had planned a Tchaikovsky concert at St David's Hall in Cardiff on 18 March.
Instead, it will perform works by John Williams, Dvorak and Elgar.
In a statement issued on its Facebook site, the orchestra said the decision was based on "here and now".
It added: "A member of the orchestra has family directly involved in the Ukraine situation and we are trying to respect that situation during the immediate term.
"There were also two military-themed pieces as part of the programme - Marche Slave and 1812 Overture - that we felt were particularly inappropriate at this time.
"We were also made aware at the time that the title Little Russian of Symphony No 2 was deemed offensive to Ukrainians.
"Whilst there are no plans to repeat the Tchaikovsky concert at the moment, we have no plans to change our summer and autumn programmes which contain pieces by Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakof. So, in summary, this is a one-off decision made with the best of intentions."
However Welsh Conservative MP Fay Jones said on social media: "Groan. Putin is the enemy here. Not Russia."
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture is regarded as offensive to Ukrainians
The move is the latest in a series of music resignations, cancellations and withdrawals that have been made since the Russian invasion.
Conductor Valery Gergiev, 68, has been dropped by festivals, concert halls and management due to his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He was fired as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic for not rejecting the invasion of Ukraine.
Gergiev's resignation as honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival was also "asked for and accepted" by the event's board of trustees last month.
Gergiev has also been dropped from the Vienna Philharmonic's five-concert US tour and the Rotterdam Philharmonic in the Netherlands also cut ties, citing an "unbridgeable divide" between the orchestra and conductor.
Soprano Anna Netrebko withdrew from her future engagements at the Metropolitan Opera rather than repudiate her support for President Putin, costing the company one of its top singers and best box-office draws. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60684374 |