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Ukraine war: Ros Atkins on... Putin’s false ‘Nazi’ claims - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Russia is spreading untruths about Nazis in Ukraine - one of Putin's justifications for his invasion. | One of President Putin’s justifications for his invasion of Ukraine is that he wants to "denazify" the country.
Ros Atkins looks at the distortions and untruths that Russia is spreading about Nazis in Ukraine - including about the role of the Azov regiment, who are based in Mariupol and are part of Ukraine's national guard. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60853404 |
War in Ukraine: The danger of wishful Western thinking - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | With Russia still a powerful force, wide-eyed realism is what Ukraine needs from the US and Europe. | A man walks away from a building hit by Russian fire in Kharkiv on 25 March
In the second episode of Volodymyr Zelensky's very funny comedy series, The Servant of the People, one of the spooky bad guys says of Zelensky's character, the newly elected President of Ukraine: "He's known for being iron clad and brave."
That was the point I reached for the remote, pressed pause, and took a deep breath.
The 2015 series has just starting airing here in America, and for those of us who are new to it, it's a bit surreal. Every time you catch yourself chuckling, you then start to feel sad. It's emotionally draining. I find I can't watch more than an episode at a time and I do so with a certain dread. Friends have told me they can't watch it at all.
And it's not because it's bad. It's a good show and Zelensky is a talented actor. He's charming and self-deprecating. No, it's hard to watch, because we fear what's going to happen to the real President of Ukraine.
There's another scene in that same episode where the new president, Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko, is introduced to his security detail body double. A smarmy political flunky turns from the double to Zelensky and says, "He'll die from a sniper bullet for you," then he laughs out loud at Zelensky's look of horror. "But," the flunky chortles, "I think it won't come to that."
And then your stomach turns, because right now it feels like the whole Western world is watching Ukraine and just praying that it won't indeed come to that.
No-one would wish any of this suffering on Ukraine. But for the moment Zelensky and the brave people he leads are heroes in a world that has been short of them.
We've come out of a dark period of ugly political division and tragic medical crisis and we are longing for something good to believe in. Forty four million brave Ukrainians seem to have risen to the challenge and given us cause for hope in the power of the underdog.
We root for them. We are amazed by their resilience. We long for them to survive and stay free. So it's understandable that we may fall victim to what one analyst eloquently described as Western wishful thinking.
After the invasion one US senator told me confidently that whatever happened, the Ukrainian people would be free. It was the optimism I've come to expect, and appreciate, from US politicians. And we hope it will be true.
History reminds us, however, that good doesn't always prevail. Not against Russia anyway.
Ask the Syrians, still stuck under the boot of the Assad regime, their cities destroyed by Russian bombs. Ask the Chechens, who saw their capital flattened on the orders of Vladimir Putin. Or, ask the countless brave Arabs, Iranians, Belarusians and Myanmarese who risked their lives to protest against oppressive rulers, with little to show for it.
In the suburbs of Ukraine that have become Putin's latest battlefield, David has indeed given Goliath an almighty shock. But, make no mistake, Russia is still a daunting adversary.
One senior European diplomat who understands Putin is convinced that the Russian president has no interest in negotiating any settlement. Rather, he thinks, Putin is using this moment to regroup and resupply, ready for another, potentially more devastating assault. Were hopeful Westerners at risk of underestimating Russia's military chances, I asked? Yes, he nodded.
Russia's military boasts 900,000 active duty troops and two million reservists - more than eight times that of Ukraine. It still has a massive arsenal and a satellite state in Belarus from which it can draw more troops, as well as the ability to recruit mercenaries from countries like Georgia, or Syria. It has cyber warfare capabilities it has not yet fully unleashed. It has 4,500 nuclear weapons it has threatened to use, and chemical weapons that the West has warned it might.
The Russians have performed much worse than anyone expected, but they have made some territorial gains, making slow but steady progress around Mariupol and threatening to cut off Ukrainian forces near the breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Often, this progress has come by flattening civilian neighbourhoods. Ignoring or diminishing those gains, or the remaining power of the Russian military, won't help Ukraine. Indeed it could hurt it.
The Ukrainians' success depends on two things, their own phenomenal courage, and, just as critical, the steady supply of military hardware that it's getting from Western countries. If those countries, or the public in those countries, start for a moment to think David has beaten Goliath then the flow of weapons could slow or stop. That would be catastrophic for the Ukrainian resistance.
President Biden has spent this week in Europe shoring up the Western alliance. But there's a growing recognition this fight will go on for longer than either Russia or the West anticipated. The Ukrainians may need arms supplies for months to come. The alliance will need to keep its resolve in order to match Putin's determination.
This is no time to be unrealistic. Wide-eyed realism will help Zelensky more than wishful thinking. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60881915 |
How the feel-good film Coda caused an Oscars upset - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Apple TV's film about the hearing daughter of a deaf family wasn't expected to win best picture. | Statistically, Coda should not have been a strong contender to win best picture at the Oscars.
The small, independent film had just three nominations but walked away from the 94th Academy Awards with trophies for each of them - including the big one, best picture.
An acronym for Child of Deaf Adults, Coda tells the story of the hearing daughter of a deaf family, who has to balance the demands of helping them in their daily lives with her own ambitions to be a singer.
Welsh actress Emilia Jones, who plays the lead role in the movie, said she was "on cloud nine" at the film's Oscar success.
"What our movie has done, I think, it's brought people together... and I'm really hoping it opens doors," she told the BBC at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
In a touching moment, the audience applauded in sign language as the cast and crew accepted the best film prize.
Backstage, Jones said she was delighted to see nominees like Andrew Garfield and Ariana DeBose signing with her co-star and best supporting actor winner Troy Kotsur.
"It's been really beautiful watching people adapt and change and learn more signs," said Jones, who herself learned sign language to appear in the film. "I'm honestly so happy".
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"A lot of people will be thinking about deaf actors now, thinking of ideas, scripts and collaborations," she told the BBC.
"It's amazing that finally our movement has been heard and we've broken through all the barriers. People are appreciating us and honouring us - it's wonderful.
She added: "It's been a long time coming. Thirty-five years I've been waiting to tell people that there are deaf actors out there eager to work."
Not since 1932 has a film with fewer than four nominations won best picture at the Oscars
Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021 and released to streaming audiences that August, the Sian Heder-directed film has slowly but surely found a devoted audience and become a word-of-mouth hit.
Coda is an English-language remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier, directed by Éric Lartigau.
Following its box office success in France, producer Philippe Rousselet approached Massachusetts-born filmmaker Heder about the possibility of adapting the story for a US audience.
But getting it from the early stages of development to a best picture winner was not an easy journey.
After taking the reins, the first person Heder cast was Matlin, who was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1986 for her performance in Children of a Lesser God, and has since appeared in The L Word and The West Wing.
But once Matlin was on board, producers were faced with a significant hurdle. The studio that initially agreed to finance the film asked for big-named stars to appear in it. The absence of high-profile deaf actors meant Heder was under pressure to hire hearing actors with more box office appeal.
He and Matlin refused and, as a result, the studio halted production. Months later, the team found some independent funding to go ahead and start filming.
Marlee Matlin the first deaf actor to win an Oscar celebrates with Troy Kotsur winner in 2022
After being financed independently, Heder got the cast she wanted - with Kotsur, who had appeared in Scrubs and CSI, joining to play Matlin's partner.
After winning best supporting actor Kotsur dedicated his win to "the deaf community, the Coda community and the disabled community", adding: "This is our moment."
Daniel Durant joined the cast to play the couple's son, but Ruby - the family's hearing daughter - proved the hardest part to cast.
"To find that girl was a massive search," Heder told the BBC at the Baftas.
"I needed someone who was going to sign fluently, who was going to sing, who was going to act her ass off and carry every scene. At one point my casting director said I was looking for a unicorn."
But the search continued until the team found British actress Jones, who had been starring in Netflix fantasy horror Lock & Key (and who is the daughter of singer and TV presenter Aled).
Emilia Jones took singing lessons and ASL classes for nine months in preparation for the role. "I had so much to learn for this movie," she told the BBC's Colin Paterson. "The film is about a culture and a family that's rarely seen on screen.
"And it's giving people an insight into a culture. I knew nothing about deaf culture before I went into this movie. But it's also teaching people that no matter what language you speak, or where you're from, love is love."
Amy Forsyth (L) plays Ruby's friend, Daniel Durant plays Ruby's brother, and Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur play her parents
With financing secured and the cast finally in place, Coda was filmed in Gloucester, Massachusetts, over the summer of 2019. "We were a very scrappy production," Heder recalled. "This was an independent and low-budget movie.
"We had no resources, I think my hope with this movie was 'please let it sell, please let someone want it and distribute it and get it out in the world. And please let me make another movie'. That's where I was coming from."
With hindsight, Heder had nothing to worry about. Coda received its world premiere at a virtual Sundance festival, debuting to warm reviews from critics. It was quickly snapped up by Apple for $25m (£19m) - a record for the festival but a relative bargain considering what it has gone on to do.
"We have now become a part of Hollywood, but this was definitely kind of an outsider film," Heder reflected.
Coda is one of several recent films to have featured deaf characters - following Sound of Metal, Marvel's Eternals (which has a deaf superhero) and A Quiet Place parts one and two.
Sian Heder was a surprise winner of best adapted screenplay at this month's Bafta Film Awards
However, Coda wasn't loved by everyone. Deaf critic Liam O'Dell suggested viewers were being fed the narrative that deaf people "have to settle for the inaccessible environment around them in order for a hearing individual, Ruby, to have any real sense of fulfilment".
"Coda shines completely the wrong light on how to tackle inaccessibility, in a negligence which is both harmful and dangerous for an impressionable hearing audience," he added.
Jemina Edwards, who is part of Coda UK & Ireland and whose parents are both deaf, told Metro: "It was never going to be a perfect film that encapsulates everyone's experiences because every Coda has got a different experience.
"Some bits I found a bit uncomfortable, it felt like it was aimed more at a hearing audience than a deaf or coda audience."
A section where a character's "deaf voice" was described as ugly "didn't sit well with me", agrees Amy Claridge, a board member at Coda UK & Ireland.
But overall, she felt the "representation and insight" into the community was "more positive than negative".
"I watched it with a group of Codas and quite a lot of us were crying in the back aisle by the end of it."
The film had a similar effect on Oscar voters, who chose Coda over previous frontrunners like The Power of the Dog and Belfast.
Coda's feel-good nature makes it an unusual winner - the last such dramedy to win best picture was The Artist in 2011; and you have to go back to 1932's Grand Hotel to find the last time a film took the top prize with fewer than four overall nominations.
Emilia Jones plays Ruby who is struggling to choose between her family's fishing business and going to music school
There wasn't a huge amount of love for Coda within the Academy when the nominations were announced in early February. But as voters began to catch up with the best picture nominees they'd missed, suddenly it became very popular indeed.
Jones has described the last few months as an "amazing ride", adding: "I feel very lucky and grateful that people have been so nice about the movie so it means we can keep promoting it."
Asked by the BBC's Sophie Long what advice she had given her cast-mates going through awards season for the first time, Matlin said: "I've said to them, to the younger cast in particular, to embrace everything that comes their way.
"People are going to be offering their congratulations, they're going to want a piece of them.... just breathe it in and enjoy the journey to the max. Because after it's all done, everyone moves on to the next thing.
"I just say, have a good time." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60825096 |
Ukraine: Sadiq Khan says UK should do more to help refugees - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The London mayor calls the actions of the government "embarrassing" compared with other countries. | Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the actions of the UK government were "embarrassing" compared to other countries
The UK should be doing "much more" to help Ukrainian refugees, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said.
Mr Khan joined a large crowd that gathered near Hyde Park ahead of a march in solidarity with the war-torn country.
The Labour mayor said the actions of the UK government compared with other European countries were "embarrassing".
Mr Khan said it needed to be made "much more easier for those who are fleeing Ukraine to come here".
Earlier this month the government opened it Homes for Ukraine scheme, which allows UK nationals to individually sponsor a Ukrainian national's visa so that those without family connections can still come to live with a host family in the UK.
The crowd carried flags and banners as they marched through London
Protesters made their way towards Trafalgar Square whilst holding Ukrainian flags and banners that said "stop Putin's war", "no fly zone" and "solidarity with Ukraine".
The crowd chanted "we stand with Ukraine" as traffic behind was brought to a standstill.
About 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said.
As well as the 3.6 million who have left for neighbouring countries, another estimated 6.5 million people are thought to be displaced inside the war-torn country itself.
A group of children clutching balloons in the colours of the Ukrainian flag marched in the heat of the sun in central London leading today's protest.
Joined by thousands of others, mini flags were being handed out for people to show their solidarity.
A sea of blue and yellow surrounded Nelson's column as special guests addressed the crowd, trying to teach Ukrainian phrases.
Most of the people that we stopped to speak to were either Ukrainian born or had Ukrainian links, like Olaksana. She told us that her family had just fled Kharkiv and were in Hungary and Germany.
She said: "It is really hard to be in another country when your country is suffering.
"The least I can do is come to this protest and the least I can do is stand with Ukraine and unite as a nation and show the world they're not going to kill us as a nation."
Cheers rang out as a message from Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was played in front of Nelson's Column
Mr Khan praised the actions of Londoners who had "shown that we're opening our arms to Ukrainian refugees, whether it's by donating money to those charities doing a brilliant job in Ukraine or by opening our homes to those fleeing Ukraine".
"I'm full of admiration for anybody who has the space to provide a room for those who have fled Ukraine," he said.
"It's really important families are not left to their own devices, the government has to step up and support them."
The BBC has contacted the Home Office for comment.
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60887157 |
Sergio Perez on Saudi Arabia pole as Lewis Hamilton out early and Mick Schumacher crashes - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | Red Bull's Sergio Perez beats Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take his first Formula 1 pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Red Bull's Sergio Perez beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take his first Formula 1 pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen to third.
Haas driver Mick Schumacher was taken to hospital after a high-speed accident, although the German was uninjured.
• None How to follow the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
And Lewis Hamilton had his worst competitive showing in qualifying since 2009 in managing only 16th place.
Qualifying happened against the backdrop of a difficult weekend for F1 following a missile strike against an oil facility just nine miles from the track.
The drivers spent four hours in meetings late into the night on Friday discussing whether it was safe to continue driving before eventually deciding to follow the lead of the Saudi government, which gave them assurances the event was secure.
"We don't want to go into details of what we discussed," Leclerc said. "It was more a matter of coming together as drivers to share our options because it was a tricky moment to say the least.
"It was very useful to speak about this all together. It took quite a bit of time but that's normal in those situations.
"We are here anyway and we have not listen to the people who are taking care of the situation, and trust them."
Schumacher hit the wall at high speed during qualfiying
Perez's pole was unexpected to say the least. He is not known as a great qualifier, he beat Verstappen only once in their first season together last year and this achievement came in his 220th grand prix.
But it was well deserved. He had looked closer than usual to Verstappen throughout the weekend but put in what he called the lap of his life to beat Leclerc at the very end of qualifying.
"I could do another 1,000 laps and I could never beat this lap time," Perez said.
The Mexican was 0.261 seconds quicker than world champion team-mate Verstappen, who was down in fourth.
Perez beat Leclerc by 0.225secs, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz third, 0.177secs behind his team-mate.
Mercedes driver George Russell was sixth as team-mate Lewis Hamilton could manage only 16th.
Leclerc himself had saved his best for last - he improved by more than 0.2secs on his final run to leapfrog himself ahead of Sainz, who had taken provisional pole with his first lap.
"The lap felt good," Leclerc said. "I was very happy with the lap. In the second lap, I just went for it. I definitely did not expect that lap time from Checo and he did an incredible job today."
It sets up an intriguing race, with the Ferraris sandwiched between the Red Bulls at the start, following Leclerc's win in the season-opener in Bahrain last weekend, where Red Bull suffered an agonising late double retirement.
And it came at the end of a crash-strewn session in which there were two red flags, the second one for a massive crash involving Schumacher which caused a stoppage of nearly an hour.
Mercedes are not competitive at the moment as they battle with aerodynamic problems in their car but no-one would have foreseen Hamilton's struggles.
Hamilton was only 11th fastest in final practice although felt he had hit on a decent set-up direction, but when it came to qualifying after nightfall he complained of a lack of grip.
"It was looking good in P3," he said. "I tried to progress in a similar direction and maybe went a bit too far and the car was just undriveable, so nervous."
It was his worst performance in terms of outright pace, disregarding technical or other problems, since the 2009 British Grand Prix.
Russell was more than 0.6secs quicker than the seven-time world champion in the first session and made it through to the final top 10 shootout.
But while team boss Toto Wolff said he felt the team were still the third quickest car behind Red Bull and Ferrari, that was not the case, and Ocon snuck in front of him.
The second Alpine of Fernando Alonso, Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas, Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen completed the top 10.
Lando Norris qualified 11th for McLaren, while his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was one place behind him but given a three-place penalty for impeding Ocon.
Schumacher was ahead of Magnussen early in the second part of qualifying but he pushed too hard through the fast swerves for Turns Eight and Nine, caught the kerb, spun and smashed into the wall.
The Haas was badly damaged but Schumacher was conscious throughout and the first indications were that he was uninjured, but he was air-lifted to hospital for precautionary checks.
Schumacher, however, will not take part in Sunday's race after the team withdrew his car.
The accident has raised further questions about the safety of the track, about which drivers have been concerned since it made its debut last year.
The first heave accident happened in the first session, when Nicholas Latifi lost his Williams on the entry to Turn 13. The impact was less severe, and he hit crash barriers rather than an exposed concrete wall and the session was able to resume after a few minutes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60888825 |
England in West Indies: Joshua da Silva nudges hosts into ascendency on day two - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | West Indies edge into the ascendency in the third Test against England by opening a slim first-innings lead in Grenada. | Last updated on .From the section Cricket
West Indies edged into the ascendency in the third Test against England by opening a slim first-innings lead in Grenada.
Lower-order resistance saw West Indies end on 232-8, leading by 28, despite being 128-7 at one stage.
Similar to day one when a last-wicket stand of 90 rescued England, wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva frustrated the bowlers late in the day with 54 not out, putting on 49 for the eighth wicket with Alzarri Joseph and 55 unbeaten with number 10 Kemar Roach.
England made a disappointing start with the new ball but took 6-45 in an impressive recovery either side of lunch.
After West Indies reached 50-0, Ben Stokes had Kraigg Brathwaite lbw with a ball that kept low while Chris Woakes took 3-48 - his best figures in an overseas Test since December 2017.
That put the tourists on course for a lead of their own but as batting became easier in the final session, wicket-taking again looked difficult.
However, on a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce against the harder ball, both sides will still believe they can win what is likely to be a low-scoring game.
A victory for either team would see them take the series with the score currently 0-0 after two drawn Tests.
Any advantage West Indies gain from further building their first-innings lead is countered by the fact they will almost certainly have to bat last on a pitch on which it will be tough to chase.
But the work by Da Silva late on - he even survived six overs against the new ball with Roach and now has the highest score of the Test - nudged the day into the hosts' favour.
Overall, it had an uncanny resemblance to the one previous. Like Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood did 24 hours earlier, Da Silva capitalised on a surface which seems to die once the ball goes soft.
England must cling to the difficulty West Indies' top order had earlier in the day.
Their seamers, once they finally found their line, utilised uneven bounce rather than the lavish seam movement which resulted in the tourists' batting collapse on day one.
West Indies also helped with some poor shots - Jason Holder was caught top-edging his third ball to deep square leg and Kyle Mayers chipped Ben Stokes tamely to extra cover for 28.
The pitch and both sides' batting shortcomings mean a series which has largely been drab may end with an exciting finale.
England's bowling effort swung from below-par to encouraging before ultimately ending with nagging disappointment.
Their inability to remove the lower order, albeit on a slow pitch, again laid bare the lack of cutting edge of this attack.
Given England had only made 204 with the bat, the start was also particularly underwhelming. Early wickets were needed but instead new-ball pair Chris Woakes and Overton bowled too many deliveries that could be left alone.
Not for the first time, Stokes was the bowler to create an opening - although Brathwaite could do little with his delivery.
From there England turned to the ploy of bowling a heavy, mid-pitch length and they improved significantly.
Overton does not have express pace but he twice hit opener John Campbell on the helmet before having him caught down the leg side.
West Indies' top order found the short balls difficult to play given the uneven bounce, Nkrumah Bonner also gloving a Woakes short ball behind for four when trying to duck.
However, when England stuck with the short-ball plan late on, tiredness in the bowlers' legs and life leaving the pitch allowed Da Silva to lap the ball into the leg side with relative ease.
Saqib Mahmood was arguably England's best bowler in his second Test but his only reward in a probing 18 overs was the wicket of Shamarh Brooks, lbw at the start of the West Indies collapse.
Woakes' performance was almost England's as a whole in a microcosm.
He was particularly culpable in the opening overs when 12 of his first 18 balls were left alone. The new-ball spell with Overton was one of the most innocuous from an England attack in recent memory.
However, a three-wicket spell after lunch put England on top in the game. The wickets of Bonner and Holder were followed by Jermaine Blackwood being trapped lbw by a ball that nipped back in what felt like an important spell for Woakes' Test career.
His struggles overseas have been much talked about - he had 33 wickets at 54.42 before this Test - but his figures are now his best overseas since the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia.
But the shine was taken from Woakes' day by England's inability to take the final two wickets.
The 33-year-old was wayward in three overs with the second new ball when England needed him to wrap up the tail.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes: "We'd have liked to have bowled a little bit better this morning. In the first hour we'd have liked to have got the ball a little bit fuller. But when the wicket has shown there are little bits in it, we've bowled well and to get them eight down I think is a decent effort."
West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva: "It is pretty flat right now so we are just trying to get as much as we can. There is the odd one that stays low. It is definitely a new-ball wicket. The old ball is a lot easier to play."
• None Who were the real Peaky Blinders? Explore the origins of this mass gang movement
• None The rise of the American far right: | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60877712 |
NI election 2022: Which MLAs are standing down from Stormont? - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Eleven sitting MLAs have so far said they will not contest the upcoming election on 5 May. | The Northern Ireland Assembly election is getting nearer and candidates have already been pounding the pavements appealing for people to vote for them.
But a few familiar faces will be missing from the election posters.
Some have chosen to retire or to move on to other things, while others were not selected for another election campaign.
BBC News NI looks at those who will shortly be removing the nameplate from their office door and ending their time as assembly members (MLAs)
One of Alliance's two Belfast East MLAs, Chris Lyttle is leaving the political scene after 12 years at Stormont.
It was a surprise to some commentators when the 41-year-old announced he would not run again, but he insisted he wanted to move on to new challenges.
It's not yet known what he plans to do next.
His main role has been as chairman of Stormont's education committee, which met frequently during the coronavirus pandemic to discuss the situation with the virus in schools.
His last day as an MLA saw his private member's bill pass its final hurdle - it will change laws that currently exempt the recruitment of teachers outlawing religious discrimination in Northern Ireland.
The DUP's deputy leader and most high-profile female politician announced in March that she would not be seeking re-election.
Ms Bradley, who was first elected to Stormont in 2011, has decided to step away to care for her mother.
She had already worked in a number of other fields before elected politics, first in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) as a part-time reserve when she was 22, and for a time as a social care assistant for the Northern Health Trust.
Most recently the North Belfast MLA had chaired Stormont's communities committee - a role she enjoyed.
In her final speech in the assembly she also paid tribute to the many women "inside and outside" the chamber who, she said, had helped her along the way - MLAs who are newer to Stormont say she returned the favour for many of them.
Mr Humphrey is another DUP Belfast North MLA who is stepping down after more than a decade at Stormont, citing personal reasons.
He was a councillor prior to that and served as deputy lord mayor of Belfast.
In the 2021 New Year Honours he was made an MBE for public service, particularly during the Covid-19 response.
He has served on several Stormont committees during his time as an MLA, most recently as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
George Robinson, centre, with wife Ann and son Alan after the 2016 election
George Robinson is another DUP stalwart who is stepping down from Stormont.
Mr Robinson announced he would retire as an MLA, having joined the DUP in the 1980s.
The Limavady man has represented the East Londonderry constituency at Stormont since 2003, and joked that given he was now 79, it was an appropriate time to retire.
The 76-year-old was not selected to run again, so he is retiring from Stormont.
He has been an MLA for Belfast East since 2003 and served as junior minister from 2009 until 2011.
But it was his tenure as assembly Speaker in 2016 until 2017 that saw him put in the spotlight.
Political opponents called for his resignation after claims he misled the Northern Ireland Assembly about the true nature of his role with an Ulster Defence Association-linked community organisation.
Mr Newton has always rejected the suggestion.
He did not stand again as a candidate for Speaker once the assembly returned in 2020.
Not to be confused with the celebrity chef, it would be odd not to mention Mr Rankin since he will technically be stepping down and not running in the assembly election.
But the councillor was only co-opted in as Edwin Poots' replacement in Lagan Valley on 14 March.
He will soon go down in the history books as Stormont's shortest-serving MLA.
One of Stormont's most recognisable faces, Jim Wells, is now stepping down - though in a manner not of his making.
Having represented South Down in the assembly since 1998, he was deselected by the DUP to run again in this election, a move that he said hurt him.
But the outspoken MLA more than once found himself drawn into controversy over his views or for comments he had made.
Less than a year after he had been appointed health minister, Mr Wells was heavily criticised when he made remarks at an election hustings linking same-sex relationships to child abuse.
He stepped down soon after, saying he wanted to help his wife, Grace, who was seriously ill.
He later had the whip withdrawn by the DUP after he criticised the party, claiming it had promised to reinstate him as minister.
After the 2017 assembly election he gained the title of father of the house - Stormont's longest-serving MLA - and at times he proved a thorn in the side of the DUP, able to cast his vote without being tied to party policy.
After many decades on the front line, the Sinn Féin politician - and former boxer - is hanging up his political sparring gloves.
He is one of the few remaining MLAs who was first elected to the assembly in 1998, after the Good Friday Agreement.
After Stormont returned two years ago, he was nominated to become the Speaker, chairing debates and overseeing proceedings - a role he recently described as a "privilege".
In 2002 he was the first member of Sinn Féin to serve as the lord mayor of Belfast, and has represented Belfast South and Belfast West at various times during his career.
He was also involved in the infamous 2001 Stormont "brawl in the hall", which saw rival parties lose their tempers during a difficult time for devolution.
In more recent times he had argued in favour of greater civility in the chamber and for an electronic voting system to be set up at Stormont.
Ms Rogan was co-opted by Sinn Féin to join the assembly in 2017, to represent South Down.
She had for years been a victims' campaigner, speaking out about the murder of her father, Adrian Rogan, in the Loughinisland killings of 1994.
However, her tenure as an MLA has been short.
Last year Sinn Féin announced she had not been selected to stand in the upcoming election.
She has only been an MLA for six years but said she would not be running for re-election in 2022.
Politics runs deep in her family, as her late father PJ Bradley represented the same constituency of South Down from 1998 to 2011.
She had also helped run his election campaigns prior to getting involved herself.
During her term as an MLA she had been both the economy and health spokesperson for the SDLP.
Mr Lunn has been a well-known face in Lagan Valley since becoming an MLA in 2007.
For many of those years he was an Alliance member, but cut ties with the party in 2020, citing "internal difficulties".
He previously described himself as a soft unionist, but has said discussions need to take place about the debate on a united Ireland.
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• None What are the election results in my area? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60860518 |
Grass fires: Wales' resources stretched by 'burn season' - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Crews waste their time by attending fires started on purpose - but legally - by landowners. | A wildfire has damaged about 73 hectares (180 acres) of land at Rhyd Uchaf, Gwynedd
More than 200 grass fires in recent weeks have left resources "very stretched," one Welsh fire service has said.
Many have been deliberate but legal, because during "burn season" controlled fire is used for land management.
However, if firefighters do not know they are due to take place, they can waste their time by attending.
Neil Evans, of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said this was "a significant problem".
Burn season continues until the end of March.
More than 200 grass fires in recent weeks have left resources "very stretched", including this at Mynydd Mawr
Eight fire engines and a helicopter have been fighting a wildfire which has caused "significant land damage" over about 73 hectares (180 acres) at Rhyd Uchaf, Gwynedd, over the past 24 hours, although it is now under control.
A controlled burn which "escalated into a wider area is suspected to have caused the fire", according to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
A Natural Resources Wales helicopter has been collecting water from a local reservoir and dropping it on the fire, while crews fought the fire with beaters.
"All this lovely dry weather we're all enjoying has meant we've got landowners and farmers who need to use fire as part of their land management," Mr Evans said.
"We're within the burn season which finishes at the end of this month.
"But if we're not informed of these controlled burns, then people dial 999, call the fire service and we have significant resources allocated to these fires.
"We wouldn't have to be there if we were informed of a controlled burn."
Mr Evans spoke to BBC Wales from the foot of the Black Mountain, in the Amman Valley, Carmarthenshire, where fire damaged common land after wind helped it spread and crews spent six hours extinguishing the blaze.
"People are being irresponsible in lighting the fires and not doing it in a controlled manner," he said.
Neil Evans, of Mid and West Wales Fire Service, urged farmers and landowners to let them know about controlled fires
Being called out to a deliberate grass fire means diverting engines that may be needed elsewhere.
Mr Evans said: "If there was a road traffic collision or a property fire, then the resource attending that would take longer than what would be locally available."
"[Resources] are very stretched at this point in time.
"We understand why it's happening, it is in the burn season, the weather is absolutely spot on for doing the activities that people want to do on their land.
"Yes it's legal, but they need to ensure that they inform us."
A helicopter was also used to help put out a blaze on Mynydd Mawr, Gwynedd
The grass fire in Gwynedd comes after Mynydd Mawr was "quite devastated" by a blaze in the same county.
Mid and West Wales and South Wales fire services also tackled fires in areas including Upper Brynamman, in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, and near Crickhowell, Powys.
The service in north Wales said crews tackled fires at Rhiw, near Llanbedr in Gwynedd, and in Wrexham.
Incidents in Clynnog Fawr and Penygroes were also dealt with in Gwynedd, and there was a fire at Pant Glas.
In Pembrokeshire firefighters tackled flames in the Preseli hills. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60873573 |
P&O Ferries: Protests at ports against sackings - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | There are safety concerns over using cheaper replacement crews, as one ship is found to be "unfit to sail". | Protests have taken place at ports over P&O Ferries' sacking of 800 workers in favour of lower-paid replacements.
Unions rallied at Dover, Hull and Liverpool, chanting slogans such as "seize the ship". Protests caused disruptions, and vehicles in Hull were at one stage turned away.
It comes after authorities detained P&O Ferries' European Causeway in Northern Ireland, saying it was "unfit to sail".
P&O Ferries said it would make changes to return the ship to service.
Unions have said that crews without experience of the vessels are a danger to shipping.
In Hull, protestors from the RMT union at one stage attempted to block access to P&O ferry the Pride of Rotterdam at the city's King George Dock. They want customers to boycott the company.
BBC correspondent Paul Murphy, at the scene, said picketers at one stage turned away cars and lorries attempting to board Saturday's 20:30 GMT sailing.
However, the Pride of Rotterdam ferry left Hull on schedule for The Netherlands.
Earlier, the Trades Union Congress had tweeted a video it said showed P&O dockers in Rotterdam refusing to load freight onto a ferry set for Hull in solidarity with sacked workers.
Niek Stam, general secretary of the Docker Workers' Union in Rotterdam, told the BBC Radio 4's PM programme they hoped the protests would make "P&O come back to the table", adding "what they have done is outrageous".
Mr Stam said: "We believe in solidarity, and we will punish every employer who refuses to consult unions."
He added that the protests will carry on in the coming days "if it is necessary".
Protests have been held across the UK and Ireland since P&O Ferries announced they were firing 800 members of staff on 17 March
Unions have raised fears over a lack of training of new crew, after the firm replaced their members with agency workers whose average hourly rate of pay would be £5.50 - less than the UK minimum wage.
As the company's ships operate internationally and are registered overseas, the UK minimum hourly rate of £8.91 does not apply.
The company has said it had to replace crews as it was losing £100m a year, and would not be a viable business without making the changes.
P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs on Friday that the decision to sack 800 workers without notice broke the law.
He said there was "absolutely no doubt" that under UK employment law the firm was required to consult unions before making the mass cuts.
But Mr Hebblethwaite said no union would have accepted the plan and it was easier to compensate workers "in full" instead.
At Saturday's Dover protest, RMT union national secretary Darren Procter said: "Bringing a crew on board a vessel they're not familiar with to sail across the busiest shipping lane in the world, carrying passengers, is going to be a dangerous act."
He said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) should detain every P&O Ferries vessel around the UK, on the basis they are not fit to sail.
This was the scene in Dover, where protesters condemned the dismissal of P&O workers
On Saturday, the MCA said the European Causeway had been impounded in Larne over "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training".
No passengers or freight were aboard, it said, adding that the vessel would remain under detention until all issues were resolved by P&O Ferries.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on social media that the ship's detention had followed an instruction from him to the MCA to inspect "all P&O vessels" before they entered back into service.
"I will not compromise the safety of these vessels, and P&O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training," he added.
P&O Ferries said it would review the findings of the MCA's inspection, "make any changes required and continue to work closely with the MCA to return the ship to service".
The company's services on the route the ferry sails - from Larne to Cairnryan, in Scotland - are currently suspended.
Seamus Leheny, of freight industry body Logistics UK, said rival ferry operator Stena had increased capacity through Belfast by 50% but the situation at Larne was still causing difficulties for businesses.
"It's not sustainable to have so much freight coming through Belfast... we want that Larne service back up and running as soon as possible," he added.
P&O Ferries services between Dover and Calais remain cancelled. The firm said it would organise an alternative carrier for passengers.
Saturday evening's service from Rotterdam to Hull is also suspended, the firm said - but services between Dublin and Liverpool are expected to run as usual. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60887808 |
Coda star and Oscar nominee inspires deaf children to dream big - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Troy Kotsur is a star of CODA and the first deaf male actor ever to be nominated for an Oscar. | CODA is one of the most hotly-tipped films for best picture at the Oscars. Short for Child of Deaf Adults, the film features a deaf family with a hearing child who wants to sing.
Troy Kotsur, one of the stars of the movie, used to teach acting at Marlton School in Los Angeles for students that are deaf or hard of hearing. After his Oscar nomination, he went back to hold an improv class.
The BBC's culture editor, Katie Razzall, spoke to Troy and writer and director, Sian Heder - who's nominated for best adapted screenplay - about the impact the movie has had on deaf culture. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60882714 |
UK Covid infections climb by a million in a week - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | About 4.3 million people - or one in every 16 - are thought to have the virus, compared to 3.3 million the week before. | Covid cases have climbed by a million in a week in the UK, data from the Office for National Statistics reveals.
Swab tests suggest about one in every 16 people is infected, as the contagious Omicron variant BA.2 continues to spread.
That's just under 4.3 million people, up from 3.3 million the week before.
The figures for the week ending 19 March, are thought to give the most accurate reflection of what's happening with the virus in the community.
Rates were up in England and Wales, and Scotland reached a new high.
Infections have started decreasing in Northern Ireland, however.
The rates across the nations were:
A high number of infections means the UK can expect Covid hospitalisations to rise too, although vaccines are still helping to stop many severe cases, say experts.
According to the latest figures, there were 17,440 patients in hospital with the virus on 24 March. About half will have been admitted for something else, rather than Covid, but tested positive.
Just over 300 of them needed an intensive care bed with a ventilator to help them breathe.
England's chief medical officer Prof Sir Chris Whitty said earlier this week that while the virus was causing pressure in the NHS, the high rates of transmission were fortunately not translating into lots of intensive care cases and deaths.
Staff absences at NHS hospitals in England due to Covid have risen by 31% on the week to 13 March.
About of 23,127 staff at hospital trusts in England - 2% of the total workforce - were absent, either because they were sick with the virus or were self-isolating.
People aged 75 and over and those who are immunosuppressed can book a spring booster jab to top up their protection against Covid.
Meanwhile, from 1 April in England, most people wanting to take a lateral flow test to check if they have Covid will have to buy one.
It is part of the government's 'living with Covid' plan.
• None New record as one in 11 Scots had Covid last week
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60872687 |
England in West Indies: Joe Root's side facing defeat in Grenada after disastrous day - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | England set for another humiliating defeat after enduring a disastrous third day of the decisive third Test against West Indies in Grenada. | England are set for another humiliating defeat after enduring a wretched third day of the decisive third Test against West Indies in Grenada.
Having begun with hopes of pushing for victory themselves, the tourists were thwarted by the West Indies lower order before they collapsed in abject fashion in their second innings.
They ended the day 103-8, just 10 runs ahead of West Indies with two days to go.
Joshua da Silva reached his maiden Test century in the morning session, frustrating England with a stand of 52 with number 11 Jayden Seales before West Indies were finally dismissed for 297.
That gave the hosts a first-innings lead of 93 and in response England's top order folded to 39-4 - captain Joe Root out for five and all-rounder Ben Stokes four.
Jonny Bairstow and opener Alex Lees offered some resistance with a dogged stand lasting 24.4 overs but when Bairstow was caught behind for 22, Ben Foakes followed in a calamitous run-out five balls later.
Lees made 31 before he was castled by Kyle Mayers - the seamer ending the day with remarkable figures of 5-9, his first five-wicket haul.
Hosts West Indies now look certain to complete victory, which would also see them take the series 1-0.
• None Test may be Root's last as captain - Vaughan
England's winless run now looks set to stretch to nine Tests. They had dark days during their 4-0 Ashes defeat but this ranks among them, given West Indies are eighth in the world Test rankings.
When play began West Indies led by only 28 and if England had taken the final two West Indies wickets quickly they would have hoped to set a challenging target.
Instead the bowling was toothless and tactics puzzling.
Then, on a pitch displaying some uneven bounce but on which West Indies lower order survived for more than two hours, England's batting capitulated. As happened repeatedly in Australia they were not able to cope when the pressure was on.
Only Lees, who got a ball that kept low, was unfortunate. The rest of the batters were dismissed in disappointing fashion.
Root was one of those - he played a tired waft on five to be caught at slip off Mayers, the second time the medium-fast seamer has dismissed him in the Test. Root's position as captain will now come under serious scrutiny.
England's 'red-ball reset' looks to be heading to a fourth consecutive series defeat.
At one stage it looked as though England would not make a fourth day.
Zak Crawley was the first to fall. He had already been dropped once and almost caught hitting over extra cover when he loosely drove for a third time and was caught at second slip from his 11th ball.
Root followed in the ninth over - his total of five runs across both innings is his lowest since 2015.
Mayers was not even picked for the first two Tests in this series but before long he had Dan Lawrence bowled for a duck when playing no shot and Stokes caught behind as he attempted to leave.
Lees and Bairstow showed the same calm, steady accumulation that had served Da Silva well earlier in the day. That was until Bairstow tried to swipe Alzarri Joseph off a length and was caught off an under edge.
The sight of Foakes coming up short diving through the dirt in attempt to make a unnecessary second run summed up England's day.
Typically it was Mayers' throw from the deep that caused the run-out.
Even before the batting collapse, England's day was poor.
Despite having a ball just six overs old they showed little intent to dismiss Da Silva. As a result he was able to quietly but astutely accumulate while the match meandered.
After Kemar Roach nicked Saqib Mahmood down the leg side for 25, Seales, whose previous high Test score was seven, survived for more than an hour alongside the wicketkeeper.
England can point to misfortune - Seales should have been out lbw for a duck to Mahmood when the lead was just 41 and other chances did not go to hand - but to do so would be to ignore their shortcomings.
When Seales later planted Leach for six over long-on it only heaped more misery onto a side looking increasingly frustrated.
Da Silva accelerated as he neared his century, first attacking Leach and then clubbing Craig Overton for back-to-back boundaries to reach the landmark. He celebrated wildly and afterwards admitted there were tears in his eyes.
A ball later came another moment emblematic of England's toil. Da Silva seemed to nick Overton behind and despite reviewing walked from the field. However, replays showed he had in fact missed the ball and as a result he and the England players had to be recalled to the middle.
In the end, Root himself ended the partnership and the innings by having Seales caught and bowled for 13 as Da Silva ended 100 not out.
England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick, speaking to BBC Sport: "It is disappointing - we've had a tough day. The guys are pretty despondent at the moment but we'll look at it and try to learn from the mistakes we've made and try and be better when our next opportunity comes around in the summertime.
"You can't have days like this in Test cricket when the series is going down to the wire, but unfortunately we have."
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "This batting performance sits comfortably alongside what we saw in Australia. It was desperate stuff.
"England have thrown this away. Only Alex Lees can be counted as blameless in his dismissal. The rest were all either poor shots or misjudgements, or in the case of Foakes, a ridiculous second run."
West Indies all-rounder Kyle Mayers to BBC Sport: "It was a brilliant day for us. Joshua and the tailenders inspired us to go out there and perform like that this evening. The momentum slid straight into the bowling.
"It would mean a lot to beat England - from the beginning people have been speaking about how historic this series is because they haven't beaten us at home for a while so to beat them would be great." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60887840 |
Royal tour: Cherish your friends, Kate tells schoolchildren in Bahamas as trip ends - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | William and Catherine saw a traditional parade and visited a school on the last day of their tour. | Catherine was all smiles despite the torrential rain that accompanied the royal visit to Sybil Strachan Primary School
The Duchess of Cambridge told children to "cherish" their friends during a visit to a primary school in the Bahamas.
Catherine spoke of the challenges pupils faced in being apart from classmates and teachers when schools shut for two years during the pandemic.
She said the friendships made at school were "special" and urged the youngsters to "cherish... and take time for them".
Her remarks came on the last day of William and Catherine's Caribbean tour.
The royal tour has seen activists calling for the monarchy to pay reparations for the slave trade and Prince William tell of his "sorrow" over slavery in a speech in Jamaica.
The duke and duchess sheltered from torrential rain under umbrellas as they arrived in Nassau on Friday.
They jokingly apologised for bringing typical British weather to the Bahamas as hundreds of people gathered to see the royal couple in the capital.
The deluge did little to dampen the carnival atmosphere as the couple watched a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo parade featuring performers in elaborate costumes.
The duke and duchess watched performers in elaborate costumes in the Junkanoo carnival
The duke and duchess sheltered under umbrellas as they watched the parade in the capital Nassau
Earlier, William and Catherine praised the efforts of key workers during the pandemic, with the duchess speaking to medics at the Princess Margaret Hospital about the importance of mental and physical health.
The duke met members of the Bahamas Red Cross who had dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 before being deployed to Covid-19 hubs.
In a bid to lighten the mood, he said: "We don't want any more disasters for you, let's hope the Bahamas Red Cross has a boring few years!"
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Duchess of Cambridge tells Bahamian schoolchildren, "I see all of you as the stars of this country"
On their first engagement of the day at Sybil Strachan primary school, the royal couple joined an assembly, where students presented them with a portrait of the Queen.
In a speech, Catherine told pupils the pandemic had "taken you away from your classrooms and your friends and learning from home has had its challenges".
"That is why it is so wonderful that after nearly two years away, you have recently returned to school and been reunited with your teachers and friends again," she said.
Palace staff must be wondering how the defining image of the Cambridges' trip to the Caribbean was not the explosion of joy and pleasure that greeted the couple in Trench Town, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.
But instead, what looked to many as some sort of white-saviour parody, with Catherine and William fleetingly making contact with the outstretched fingers of Jamaican children, pushing through a wire fence.
It was a bad misstep for a couple who are surprisingly media-savvy. And it was not the only one on this curiously disorganised trip.
The first engagement in Belize was hurriedly cancelled following a protest by some residents. Another smaller protest popped up on the day they arrived in Jamaica.
It is worth noting that many things went well. Prince William's speeches were thoughtful and well-received.
And at their various events, the Cambridges thanked those who so often go un-thanked and unrewarded for their efforts, drawing attention to stubbornly unfashionable causes and issues.
You can read Jonny's full analysis here.
The duchess, who has carried out extensive work on early learning and child development, added: "The connections, the relationships and friendships that you make during school are so special.
"So please look after them, cherish them and take time for them. And be kind, understanding and loving to yourself and others."
She also praised the "spectacular natural environment" of the Bahamas and said she hoped the couple's three children, Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three, might experience its "clear waters and beautiful beaches before too long".
William and Catherine met students at Sybil Strachan Primary School in Nassau on the final day of their tour
William and Catherine were given a painting of the Queen during the school visit
The duke and duchess arrived in the Bahamas from Jamaica on Thursday, and were greeted by Prime Minister Philip Davis, who conveyed his best wishes to the Queen, "and congratulations on her Platinum Jubilee".
He added: "I do not think we will see the same again," to which William nodded.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed for a photograph with the Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis and his wife Ann-Marie Davis
The Cambridges' week-long tour to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne has seen them visit Belize and Jamaica before their final stop in the Bahamas.
In Belize, the royal couple got involved in some traditional dancing, visited a chocolate farm and learned about efforts to conserve Belize's barrier reef.
In Jamaica, they visited the neighbourhood where reggae legend Bob Marley lived and played football with England forward Raheem Sterling, who was born on the island.
The royal tour has seen demonstrators urge the monarchy to pay reparations for its role in the slave trade. In Jamaica, there have been calls for the Queen to be removed as head of state.
Their trip comes four months after Barbados became a republic.
During a speech at a dinner in Jamaica, William described slavery as abhorrent, saying it "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".
The island's prime minister, Andrew Holness, had earlier told the future king his country planned to pursue its goals as an independent country. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60879605 |
Dorset Police hunt prisoner on the run in underwear and socks - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Police say the man escaped a prison van after assaulting security officers in Poole. | Police are hunting a prisoner who escaped wearing nothing but his underwear and socks.
Dorset Police said Kyle Darren Eglington assaulted security officers in Hardy Road, Poole on Saturday before making off from a prison van.
The 32-year-old had been remanded in custody after being charged with robbery, following an incident in Bournemouth on Thursday.
Police said he should not be approached.
Officers are carrying out detailed searches in the area, with the help of the police helicopter and British Transport Police.
Mr Eglington is described as white, 5ft 11in (1.8m) tall, of medium build, with dark brown hair and a beard.
Supt Heather Dixey of Dorset Police said: "I would like to reassure members of the public that we have a number of officers carrying out searches and other enquiries in a bid to locate Kyle Eglington as soon as possible and return him to lawful custody.
"I would urge anyone who has sees a man in the area in just his underwear and socks to report it to us. There is nothing at this time to suggest he poses a risk to the general public, however, we would urge people not to approach him and to please dial 999 immediately."
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-60886506 |
Civilian deaths: Aerial video shows escaping father killed in Ukraine - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Video captured by a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance group appears to show Russian forces shooting at civilians. | There are a growing number of reports that Russian forces shoot at civilians who are trying to escape the conflict zone in Ukraine.
Footage from a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance group appears to show one such incident. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60839787 |
Spotify stops streaming in Russia over safety concerns - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | New laws threaten jail for people accused of spreading "fake news" about Russia's armed forces. | Spotify is pulling out of Russia citing a new law that threatens jail for spreading "fake news" about the country's armed forces.
The music streaming company said safety concerns about staff and "possibly even our listeners" had pushed it to fully suspend its free service.
Spotify shut its office in Russia earlier in March.
But it said it had wanted to keep its service operational to provide "independent news" to the country.
"Spotify has continued to believe that it's critically important to try to keep our service operational in Russia to provide trusted, independent news and information from the region," Spotify said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, recently enacted legislation further restricting access to information, eliminating free expression, and criminalizing certain types of news puts the safety of Spotify's employees and the possibility of even our listeners at risk."
New rules on what media companies can broadcast or post online mean publishing material deemed to be "fake news" about Russia's invasion of Ukraine can lead to lengthy prison sentences.
Following passage of the legislation, Bloomberg, the New York Times and CNN were among the outlets that announced plans earlier this month to suspend reporting from the country.
TikTok also suspended live streaming and new content from its platform following its introduction.
The BBC suspended reporting in Russia, though it has since resumed. Access to BBC websites has been restricted in Russia, and the Kremlin took BBC World News off the air earlier this month.
Spotify, which launched in Russia in 2020, is best known as a music streaming platform. But it has aggressively moved into podcasting as part of its business model, with its library including many news and current affairs shows.
Since the war in Ukraine, it has not been able to sell its premium subscriptions in the country because of restrictions put in place by payment providers amid international sanctions.
This latest move adds it to a list of hundreds of global firms that have exited or scaled back operations in the country, including BP, McDonald's and Netflix. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60881567 |
Netflix's Diana the Musical named worst film by Razzie Awards - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The Netflix musical "wins" five Razzie Awards, which name and shame the year's worst films. | Jeanna de Waal was named worst actress for playing the title role in Diana the Musical
Netflix's filmed version of Diana the Musical, a derided Broadway show about Princess Diana's life story, has swept the board at the Razzie Awards.
Announced the day before the Oscars honour Hollywood's finest, the Razzies name and shame the year's worst films.
Diana the Musical "won" five awards including worst picture and worst actress for Jeanna de Waal, who played the late princess.
The prize for worst screen couple went to James and "any Warner cartoon character (or WarnerMedia product) he dribbles on", while the film was also crowned worst remake, rip-off or sequel.
Jared Leto was named worst supporting actor for playing fashion designer Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci
Razzies organisers describe their awards as the "ugly cousin to the Oscars".
When it was released last year, Diana the Musical was panned by The Guardian as "a right royal debacle so bad you'll hyperventilate", by Vanity Fair as "a shellacked lump of product born solely of cold, money-minded cynicism", and by the Financial Times as "a wildly crass patty of pure schlock".
The stage show lasted for only 33 Broadway performances before it closed. Netflix streamed a film of the musical before it hit Broadway, without a live audience, as its theatres were closed and the entertainment industry was dealing with coronavirus restrictions.
Judy Kaye won worst supporting actress for playing both the Queen and Barbara Cartland, while the show also won worst director and worst screenplay.
Jared Leto, who had been tipped by some for an Oscar nomination for House of Gucci, will have to make do with the Razzie for worst supporting actor.
Bruce Willis had the dubious honour of being given his own category - worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie. Of the eight films nominated, Cosmic Sin was judged most worthy of the title. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60873398 |
China plane crash: All 132 passengers and crew dead, officials confirm - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Rescue teams have found both black boxes at the site of the plane crash in Guangxi. | Soldiers carrying shovels walk along a pathway to the forested mountain crash site on Wednesday
Chinese officials have confirmed that all 132 passengers and crew died when flight MU5735 crashed on Monday in southern China.
The China Eastern flight was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it nose-dived and crashed in a heavily-forested area in Guangxi.
Rescue teams said they had identified 120 of the victims so far through DNA analysis, aviation officials said.
State media reported that both black boxes have now been found.
The flight data recorder - which could provide crucial information about why the plane crashed an hour into its journey - was recovered on Saturday.
The first black box has already been sent to Beijing to be inspected by experts, Reuters said. That one is believed to contain the cockpit voice recorder.
Though there had been little hope of finding any survivors, victims' families have been waiting for news from the search teams, which have been combing the heavily-wooded area for days.
But the search has been difficult in the remote hills near the city of Wuzhou, with rescue teams working in very muddy conditions.
Hu Zhenjiang, deputy director-general of China's civil aviation administration, said the search would continue for the remains of the victims and parts of plane wreckage, Chinese news website Sina reported.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing - which made the 737-800 jet - said on Saturday its technical team is supporting the US National Transportation Safety Board and China's civil aviation administration with the investigation, Reuters reports.
Following the crash, China's President Xi Jinping called for a full-scale investigation.
The crash is China's most deadly aviation incident in nearly three decades, and has prompted a national outpouring of grief. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60887970 |
Prince William tells Caribbean tour that relationships evolve - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | There have been calls for Jamaica to become a republic, months after Barbados chose a new head of state. | The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after taking part in the Bahamas Platinum Jubilee Sailing Regatta
Any decision Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas make on their futures will be supported with "pride and respect", the Duke of Cambridge has said.
On the final night of the royals' Caribbean tour, he said: "Relationships evolve. Friendship endures."
There have been calls in Jamaica to drop the Queen as head of state, and on Wednesday its prime minister told the duke the country was "moving on".
In November Barbados replaced the Queen with an elected president.
The future role of the royal family in the Caribbean has been a central topic throughout the duke and duchess's eight-day tour.
After the couple left Belize on Tuesday, a government minister announced a new commission would begin consulting with people across the country on how the "decolonization process" should proceed.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with the Cambridges in front of cameras, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said his country intended to "fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country".
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis has not commented on the issue, although last year said it was "not on the agenda".
However, the day before the duke and duchess arrived in the Bahamas, a letter was released by campaign group The National Reparations Committee, calling for Britain to pay reparations for the slave trade.
Palace staff must be wondering how the defining image of the Cambridges' trip to the Caribbean was not the explosion of joy and pleasure that greeted the couple in Trench Town, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.
But instead, what looked to many as some sort of white-saviour parody, with Catherine and William fleetingly making contact with the outstretched fingers of Jamaican children, pushing through a wire fence.
It was a bad misstep for a couple who are surprisingly media-savvy. And it was not the only one on this curiously disorganised trip.
The first engagement in Belize was hurriedly cancelled following a protest by some residents. Another smaller protest popped up on the day they arrived in Jamaica.
It is worth noting that many things went well. Prince William's speeches were thoughtful and well-received.
And at their various events, the Cambridges thanked those who so often go un-thanked and unrewarded for their efforts, drawing attention to stubbornly unfashionable causes and issues.
You can read Jonny's full analysis here.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Bahamian governor-general on Friday, the duke noted that the country would next year be celebrating the 50-year anniversary of its independent from Britain.
"And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this," he said.
"We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures."
The Cambridges' week-long tour to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne has seen them visit Belize and Jamaica before their final stop in the Bahamas.
In Belize, the royal couple got involved in some traditional dancing, visited a chocolate farm and learned about efforts to conserve Belize's barrier reef.
In Jamaica, they visited the neighbourhood where reggae legend Bob Marley lived and played football with England forward Raheem Sterling, who was born on the island.
On Friday the couple raced against each other as part of a regatta to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubillee.
The trip also saw the duke meet members of the Bahamas Red Cross who had dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 before being deployed to Covid-19 hubs, while the duchess spoke to medics at the Princess Margaret Hospital about the importance of mental and physical health.
They also saw a traditional Junkanoo parade featuring performers in elaborate costumes and visited a primary school, where students presented them with a portrait of the Queen. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60884446 |
Ashling Murphy 'will not be forgotten', says Prince Charles - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Prince Charles and Camilla meet Ashling Murphy's family during a visit to County Tipperary. | The royal couple met privately with Ms Murphy's parents Kathleen and Ray, sister Amy, brother Cathal and boyfriend Ryan Casey
The name of murdered Irish school teacher Ashling Murphy will not be forgotten, the Prince of Wales has said.
Prince Charles expressed sympathy with the 23-year-old's family, after meeting them alongside the Duchess of Cornwall in County Tipperary.
The royal couple are on their last day of a visit to the island of Ireland.
Ms Murphy was attacked while jogging along a canal in County Offaly, in January.
The royals met privately with Ms Murphy's parents Kathleen and Ray, sister Amy, brother Cathal and boyfriend Ryan Casey at Brú Ború Cultural Centre in Cashel.
Ms Murphy, a talented folk musician, had previously performed at the centre in County Tipperary.
Ms Murphy's death caused shockwaves and sparked vigils across the island of Ireland and beyond, as calls were made for a change in attempts to tackle gender-based violence.
The Duchess of Cornwall has long been a campaigner on the issue of violence against women, and at an event in London last year she paid tribute to all the "precious lives that have been brutally ended".
In a speech at the end of the couple's latest tour, Prince Charles told those gathered that the "responsibility to make a difference rests on us all".
Flowers and candles were laid at a Belfast City Hall vigil for Ashling Murphy
"Last year, my wife called on the entire community, male and female, to dismantle the lies, words and actions that enable so much violence against women," he said.
"In your country and mine, in the intervening year, we've continued to witness appalling attacks.
"Therefore, with profound sorrow and sympathy, perhaps I might be permitted to pay tribute to Ashling Murphy, whose name will not be forgotten, who was taken from us far too soon, and who I know was a friend to many here, where she performed.
"My wife and I were so enormously touched to have been able to meet her family, who I know are with us here today. And our most special, heartfelt thoughts are with them."
It is the final day of The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall's visit to the island of Ireland
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are on their final day of their trip to the island of Ireland as part of the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations.
The royal couple also visited the Rock of Cashel, once the seat of the High Kings of Munster, during their latest visit.
Prince Charles and Camilla posed in front of the stone cathedral ruins before being given a short history of the site.
On Thursday Charles and Camilla visited Waterford on the first day in the Republic of Ireland after they completed a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60878503 |
Man found buried in garden died from stab wound to neck - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | A post-mortem examination was carried out on the remains of 42-year-old Nicholas Billingham. | Northamptonshire Police said Nicholas Billingham's remains were found buried in a back garden
A man whose body was discovered buried in a back garden died as a result of a stab wound to the neck, a post-mortem examination has found.
Nicholas Billingham, 42, was found at a house in Moore Street, in the Kingsley area of Northampton, last week.
Fiona Beal, 48, who was arrested at a hotel in Cumbria on 16 March, is accused of killing him between 30 October and 10 November last year.
She will appear at Northampton Crown Court for a hearing on 19 April.
Ms Beal, a teacher at Eastfield Academy primary school in Northampton, has been remanded in custody.
Mr Billingham's remains were taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary, where a Home Office pathologist conducted the post-mortem examination, Northamptonshire Police said.
His body was discovered following a three-day search involving forensic officers, specialist search teams and a cadaver dog.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-60887765 |
In pictures: Taylor Hawkins, a drummer who 'served the song' - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The drummer with US rock group Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, has died aged 50. | Tributes have poured in from musicians after the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins, drummer with one of the world's biggest rock bands, Foo Fighters, has died aged 50.
Hawkins performed with the band for more than two decades, joining shortly after they finished recording their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.
Hawkins joined the group, created by Dave Grohl, in 1997
Dave Grohl created Foo Fighters in 1994 after Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of lead singer Kurt Cobain.
Grohl, an acclaimed drummer, took on lead vocals and guitar in Foo Fighters.
BBC Radio 6 presenter and former drummer Matt Everitt says Hawkins had "to be pretty good" to be chosen to drum for the band.
"Dave Grohl is a legendary drummer, but Taylor was no less the musician at all," he says.
"For a start they wouldn't have had him in the band, if he didn't have the chops.
"He was shoulder-to-shoulder with Dave Grohl. He was brilliant"
Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne described Hawkins as an amazing musician
Everitt, who interviewed Hawkins several times during shows in the UK, described the late drummer as having remarkable passion when playing and great taste.
"He served the song," he continues. "That's what all the best drummers do.
"They understand it's not just about how great your part is, but it's about how great the whole song is and knowing when to sit back on a song."
Grohl and Hawkins sometimes swapped roles during the band's concerts, with Hawkins taking on vocals.
Hawkins and Grohl "absolutely adored each other" BBC Radio 6 presenter Matt Everitt said
The band were on a tour of South America at the time of his death
The Texas native was introduced to music by his brother and started out playing guitar but, inspired by Roger Taylor of Queen and Stewart Copeland of The Police, he soon switched to drums.
He drew influence from UK artists, and at almost every Foo Fighters concert stepped out from behind the drum kit to sing a track by his favourite band, Queen.
Brian May in a tribute described Hawkins as his "beloved child". He posted on Instagram: "Taylor, you were family to us."
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Everitt says: "He loved London. A lot of the bands he really loved came from the UK."
When in London he would make a pilgrimage to Trident Studios in Soho, London, where Davie Bowie and Queen recorded music.
The late drummer was a big fan of legendary band Queen
But during 2001 visit to London, Hawkins spent two weeks in a coma after taking an overdose of heroin.
Speaking about the experience in 2018, he said it had been "a real changing point for me".
Hawkins and his wife, Alison, married in 2005. They have three children.
The father-of-three was married to Alison Hawkins
In 2011, Foo Fighters replied to a protest from a fundamentalist Christian church by performing a special gig for them.
Members of the Westboro Baptist church were picketing outside the Sprint Center, Kansas City, where the band were due to perform on Friday evening.
The group were dressed up and arrived on a flat-bed truck, before performing a track called Keep It Clean.
The Foofighters turned up to perform in protest against the Westboro Baptist church
While the Foo Fighters were on break in 2013, Hawkins formed a rock cover band called Chevy Metal.
Taylor Hawkins released music, outside of Foo Fighters, with his band Chevy Metal
In 2021, Foo Fighters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
According to Everitt, the stadium-fillers were not "resting on past glories" and still producing records.
"They weren't standing still," he adds. "Foo Fighters had more to say, which just makes the tragedy even more unbearable."
Foo Fighters are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Paul McCartney
Hawkins was pictured performing at Lollapalooza Chile last week
Foo Fighters are currently on tour in South America.
Hawkins' final performance with the band was at the Lollapalooza festival.
The band had been due to perform on Friday night at the Estereo Picnic festival in Bogota, Colombia, before news of his death was announced. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-60885675 |
Taylor Hawkins: Foo Fighters' drummer dies aged 50 - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The band said they were "devastated" by the loss of Hawkins, who has drummed with them since 1997. | Grohl and Hawkins performing together last month
The drummer with US rock group Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, has died aged 50, the band have announced.
The band said they were "devastated by the tragic and untimely loss" in a statement on social media. No cause of death has been given.
Hawkins played with Foo Fighters for more than two decades, joining shortly after they finished making their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.
The band are currently on tour in South America.
"His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live with us forever," Foo Fighters wrote.
"Our hearts go out to his wife, children, and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."
Foo Fighters were formed in 1994 by Dave Grohl, after his previous group Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of lead singer Kurt Cobain.
While Grohl drummed for Nirvana, he took on lead vocals and guitar in Foo Fighters, and so Hawkins had the daunting task of drumming in a group founded by one of the most celebrated drummers in rock.
"I was a little nervous at first, but I got over that," he told OC Weekly soon after joining.
"Any instance where you're auditioning for something, you're going to be nervous. But no-one can play better than Dave Grohl. He just has this vision in his head."
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The two sometimes swapped roles during the band's concerts, with Hawkins taking on vocals. After news of his death was announced many fans shared clips of him singing Queen's Somebody to Love.
While visiting London in 2001, he took an overdose of heroin and spent two weeks in a coma.
Speaking about the experience in 2018, he said it had been "a real changing point for me".
The band had been due to perform on Friday night at the Estereo Picnic festival in Bogota, Colombia. The US embassy in Bogota expressed its "sincerest condolences" to the drummer's family, friends and fans.
Beatriz De La Pava from BBC Minute was backstage at the festival when the announcement of Taylor Hawkins' death was made to the crowd.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the crowd's reaction at the festival where Foo Fighters had been due to perform on Friday night
"While we were backstage, I saw the Foo Fighters team was packing up everything," she said.
"The organisers of the festival arrived and then they all went on to the stage after Nile Rodgers had finished and said they had some very sad news to share.
"A message was then published on the big screens that Taylor had died and everyone was silent. A few of the other stages started playing My Hero by the Foo Fighters.
"They placed candles on the stage where the Foo Fighters were supposed to play. A lot of people were crying and some DJs who were supposed to play sets cancelled, although people just wanted more and more Foo Fighters music."
If you're going to play drums for Dave Grohl, one of the best players in the history of rock, you'd better be good. Taylor Hawkins was that good.
He could pulverise the kit on The Pretender, play it like a song on Learn To Fly or add a funky shuffle to a track like Shame Shame. He was more than just Grohl's equal, he was his partner in crime. The star once said Hawkins was "overly qualified" for his band.
He wasn't just the time-keeper. He had writing credits on Grammy-winning hits like Best Of You, Learn To Fly and All My Life; and at almost every Foo Fighters concert, he'd step out from behind the kit and sing a track by his favourite band, Queen.
At his last show, a week ago in Argentina, that song was Somebody To Love.
Born in Texas but raised in California, Hawkins had the affable, easy-going demeanour of a surfer dude. He was introduced to music by his brother and started out playing guitar but, inspired by Roger Taylor of Queen and Stewart Copeland of The Police, he soon switched to drums.
At the age of 10, he sat behind a "rickety-rackety" kit for the first time in his neighbour's garage. "And then," he said, "my life became drums, drums, drums."
He first rose to prominence in Alanis Morissette's touring band and joined Foo Fighters in 1997, after a studio dispute led to the departure of original drummer, William Goldsmith.
Although he was "super-intimidated", he slotted right into the band. In his autobiography, Grohl called their partnership "a kind of love at first sight".
"Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together," he wrote. "We are absolutely meant to be and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime."
Hawkins' death at the age of 50 is devastating - for Grohl, his bandmates and his fans, but most of all, his wife Alison and their three children. Rest in beats.
Paying tribute, Tom Morello, of fellow rockers Rage Against the Machine, tweeted: "God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend."
Ozzy Osbourne said Hawkins was "truly a great person and an amazing musician".
Miley Cyrus, who was part of the festival line-up, said she would dedicate her Saturday show to Hawkins.
"My favorite memory of Taylor is dancing round the drum kit while he played this song..." she posted on Instagram, with a picture of the Pretenders song Brass In Pocket.
"Playing it on repeat, imagining us laughing forever."
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr also expressed his condolences. "God bless Taylor," he wrote.
"Peace and love to all his family and the band peace and love."
Kiss member Gene Simmons said he was "shocked and saddened" by the news of Hawkins' death.
Billy Idol shared a picture of Hawkins on Twitter with the words: "So tragic. Rest in peace Taylor."
Other bands paying tribute to the Foo Fighters drummer included the Smashing Pumpkins, Nickelback and the Offspring. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60884259 |
Ukraine defence: Red lights and painted arrows fuel fear of Russian agents - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Fear of Russian saboteurs operating in Ukraine has soared, but is it based on intelligence and arrests? | Bohdan had to make a police statement after a neighbour reported his fairy lights
Suspicion thrives on conflict and after a month of war in Ukraine, the fear that Russian saboteurs may be operating is hardening into a certainty. But how much is fact, backed up by intelligence reports and arrests, and how much is something closer to understandable paranoia, fuelled by social media rumours about mysterious lights and signs?
"It was my neighbours from this stairwell who came to see me. They were scared about security," said Bohdan Mylko, a 22-year-old engineer sharing an apartment on the northern edge of Odesa.
Fifteen minutes later, the police were at his door, asking about a red light in his bedroom window.
"It's paranoia, based on fake news about red lights being a sign to the Russians. I had to go to the police station and get my documents checked, make a statement, and get my photo taken.
"The police realised that I'm just a normal guy and let me go home. I'm not trying to help the Russians," said Mylko, holding up the set of flashing fairy lights that prompted the police's intervention.
Elderly people are among patrols at night, asking to check the documents of people they encounter
Moments after we visited him, one evening shortly before curfew, we were stopped on the street outside by a group of residents who asked to see our documents.
"You could be Russians," said an elderly woman who gave her name as Valya.
"What are you doing here? We have small children. We don't want anything to happen to them. Maybe someone will drop a bomb here tomorrow," said another woman, as the wail of an air raid siren rose over the apartment complex.
Such concerns are understandable in a city, and a country, still reeling from the shock of Russia's invasion. Similar behaviour has been noted in many other conflicts, from Syria to Chechnya and beyond.
"This is not paranoia. There are Russian agents and citizens of Ukraine working against us. That's a fact," said Capt Volodymir Kalina from the Odesa police.
But he acknowledged there was a strong element of disinformation involved and accused Russia of deliberately trying to stir up public fear.
"They're trying to distract us, to make us pay attention to the wrong places - to clear us from one part of the city so they can carry out their work in another area," he said.
Dmitro covered a black arrow on a wall in case it was a sign for Russian troops
Along the coast, a few kilometres south of Odesa city's historic centre in an area known for its nightclubs and beach bars, retired businessman Dmitro Novak, 71, was beginning his morning shift with a neighbourhood patrol.
He pointed to a black arrow painted on a wall, and explained he had covered it in case it was a sign for Russian troops. A few minutes later, he stopped on a set of steps beside a large, empty office building overlooking the sea.
"I saw a big light there. It was directed towards the night sky. My neighbours saw it too. It was on the roof of this building. For sure it was a signal to the Russian fleet. Some kind of signal.
"We called the authorities, and they came immediately, and the light was switched off. So now we're looking carefully around for any other signals, or marks. Everybody is alert. We're changing shifts every two hours," said Novak.
Last week, Russian naval artillery shelled the area, with some missiles landing just off the beach and several others hitting residential homes, but causing no casualties.
Hanna Shelest, a prominent analyst in Odesa who advises the Ukrainian parliament on security issues, backed up concerns that Ukrainians or Russians were providing information to the Russian military.
"The first aim is the storage of weapons and ammunition in town in case street fighting starts here," she explained. "The second is to spread disinformation and gossip.
"The third aim is to mark directions in the city with signs for which way to go in case there is an amphibious landing by the Russians. And the fourth is to mark targets - either visually or with electronic signals - for artillery or airstrikes."
Ukrainian media has broadcast numerous videos showing police arresting alleged Russian saboteurs. President Volodymyr Zelensky was also shown handing out medals to a group of police security agents credited with apprehending suspected Russian saboteurs and reconnaissance groups.
But it is worth noting that, for all the fear and suspicion aroused by such reports, the evidence so far suggests that a few isolated Russian cells have, so far, been remarkably unsuccessful, and that Ukrainian public opinion - directly contradicting Russian propaganda - has hardened and united against the Kremlin's invasion.
The idea that partisans or "fifth columnists" might be activated effectively in Ukraine would appear to have been entirely fanciful.
"Ukraine's security services are definitely monitoring those under suspicion. And we already know some people have been arrested. But as for anything more serious - it is probably not their time, yet," said Dr Shelest. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-60879945 |
Black man 'not dressed for climate' searched by Met police - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Officers are heard in footage saying it was "odd" the man was wearing a coat in warm weather. | The Met Police said footage circulating on social media "shows only a small part of this incident" and asked people "not to rush to judgement"
A black man wearing a coat was stopped and searched by Metropolitan Police officers who said he was "not dressed for the climate".
The man was detained in what the force described as "an area well known for drug dealing" in Croydon on Wednesday.
Footage shared on TikTok, which has been viewed more than 400,000 times, shows one officer saying to the man "you're not dressed for the climate".
Another officer added the man's outfit "just seems odd".
A statement from the Met said the man was "wearing several layers of clothing despite the warm weather" and that he "became hostile and refused to account for what he was doing" after being approached by officers.
He was detained and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act and he "went on his way" when nothing was found.
Det Ch Supt Lee Hill said the force was aware of the footage, adding: "This shows only a small part of this incident and we would ask people not to rush to judgement.
"In this instance a formal complaint has been received and is being handled in accordance with the Police Reform Act. This will include a review of all the available footage, including the officer's body-worn video.
"Our officers have to conduct themselves in the most challenging of circumstances and it is right their actions should be subject to public scrutiny."
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60882083 |
Russian general Yakov Rezantsev killed in Ukraine - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Western officials believe low morale among Russian troops is forcing generals to the battlefield. | Yakov Rezantsev was reportedly killed in the Kherson region
Ukraine's defence ministry says another Russian general, Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson.
Rezantsev was the commander of Russia's 49th combined army.
A western official said he was the seventh general to die in Ukraine, and the second lieutenant general - the highest rank officer reportedly killed.
It is thought that low morale among Russian troops has forced senior officers closer to the front line.
In a conversation intercepted by the Ukrainian military, a Russian soldier complained that Rezantsev had claimed the war would be over within hours, just four days after it began.
Ukrainian media reported on Friday that the general was killed at the Chornobaivka airbase near Kherson, which Russia is using as a command post and has been attacked by Ukraine's military several times.
Another lieutenant general, Andrei Mordvichev, was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian strike on the same base.
Kherson was the first Ukrainian city to be occupied by Russian forces, although there are reports that daily protests are held there against the Russian occupation.
Although Russia has confirmed the death of only one general, Kyiv and western officials believe up to seven have been killed in fighting since the war began.
However the death of Maj Gen Magomed Tushayev of the Chechen national guard has been disputed.
It is unusual for such senior Russian officers to be so close to the battlefield, and western officials believe that they have been forced to move towards the front lines to deal with low morale among Russian troops.
The unexpectedly strong Ukrainian resistance, poor Russian equipment and a high death toll amongst Russian troops are all thought to be contributing to the low morale.
Russian forces are believed to be relying in part on open communication systems, for example mobile phones and analogue radios, which are easy to intercept and could give away the locations of high-ranking officers.
A person inside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle told the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine had a military intelligence team dedicated to targeting Russia's officer class.
So far, Vladimir Putin has only referred to the death of one general, thought to be Maj Gen Andrey Sukhovetsky, in a speech soon after the start of the war.
Russia says 1,351 soldiers have died since the war began in Ukraine, although Kyiv and western officials say the number is much higher.
Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian strike on the Chornobaivka airbase near the city of Kherson.
He was promoted to lieutenant general last year, and was commander of the 49th combined army of Russia's southern military district.
He is said to have taken part in Russia's military operation in Syria.
Andrei Mordvichev was killed by a strike on the Chornobaivka airbase near Kherson, according to Ukrainian officials.
He was the commander of Russia's 8th combined army of the southern military district.
His death was reported on 18 March.
Maj Gen Oleg Mityaev reportedly died somewhere near the city of Mariupol, a city in south-east Ukraine which has seen some of the heaviest fighting so far.
The nationalist Azov regiment claims to have killed him.
He was a commander of the Russian army's 150th motorised rifle division, a relatively new unit formed in 2016, and based in the Rostov region close to the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine claims that the unit was created in order to take part in the conflict in separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, although Russia denies that its military was involved in fighting there.
Maj Gen Andrei Kolesnikov, of the 29th combined army, was killed in fighting on 11 March, according to official Ukrainian sources.
The circumstances of his death were not given.
After Kolesnikov became the third Russian general reportedly killed in Ukraine, one western official told the Press Association that the Russian army may be suffering from low morale, which is why high-ranking military officers are moving closer to the front line.
Maj Gen Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russia's 41st combined army, was killed on 7 March outside the eastern city of Kharkiv, according to Ukraine's defence ministry.
Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, has come under sustained attack from Russian forces.
Ukraine's military released a recording of what it said was two Russian security service officials discussing Gerasimov's death, and complaining that their secure communication networks no longer worked in Ukraine.
Gerasimov was involved in the second Chechen war, the Russian military operation in Syria, and in the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Maj Gen Andrey Sukhovetsky, a deputy commander at the same unit as Gerasimov, was reportedly killed by a sniper on 3 March.
Like Gerasimov, Sukhovetsky was part of Russia's military operations in Crimea and in Syria.
Unlike the other generals, Sukhovetsky's death was reported in the Russian media and Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed in a speech that a general had died in Ukraine.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video captured by a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance group appears to show Russian forces shooting at civilians | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60807538 |
War in Ukraine: Musicians perform emotional concert in Kharkiv metro station - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Musicians performed the concert at a metro station in Kharkiv, being used as a makeshift shelter. | Musicians in Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv have performed an emotional concert in a metro station, which is being used as a makeshift shelter.
Kharkiv has been the target of intense Russian bombardment for weeks, leaving residents to take shelter in bunkers and metro stations.
The concert marked the opening day of the Kharkiv Music Festival. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60889257 |
Highlights of Foo Fighters' set at Glastonbury 2017 - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Highlights of Foo Fighters' set at Glastonbury 2017. | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42283392 |
'Photography completely turned my life around' - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Anna Pepper struggled with her mental health until she discovered a passion for taking pictures. | Anna Pepper says photography "gave me this hope that I could get better"
About six years ago Anna Pepper found herself in a crowded park on the brink of a panic attack.
The 34-year-old veterinary nurse from Winchester had been struggling with her mental health, experiencing panic attacks almost daily.
Grabbing her phone, she started taking pictures "and without knowing it I just got completely absorbed - the panic attack that I was on the edge of had just completely gone away", she said.
"And that was the spark of this unexpected passion that completely turned my life around."
Ms Pepper often photographs Dorset's Jurassic Coast where she grew up
She said: "I don't want people to think that I'm saying pick up a camera and all your problems will go away.
"Photography just sparked this whole thing in my brain that if I worked hard and got the help I needed, and used my energy to be in nature and concentrate on something creative, I realised I probably could get better.
"It gave me this hope that I would be able to get through it."
Anna Pepper says photography "was a spark of realising I needed some help"
The panic attacks would come on with no real warning and "seemed to be more volatile each time", she said.
"I live with a fair few chronic illnesses which can affect mental health - I don't really know what triggered it, I just suddenly became very overwhelmed by life, it just came out of nowhere.
"I went to work and struggled through pretending I was OK every day, and then I would just count down the hours until I could get home and just shut myself in my bedroom.
"I felt I was trapped in this loop that I was either panicking, or if I wasn't panicking I was feeling anxious about when I might next panic. It was just taking over my whole life."
After taking workshops and classes she has ended up with two diplomas in photography
Ms Pepper said she had not felt ready to tell her friends and family what she was going through.
"Even though they would have wanted to help me there was an element of guilt and I just didn't want the people I loved to worry about me," she said.
The first thing she did was call the Mind helpline, "being able to talk to somebody that didn't know me at all who just says 'it's OK you can talk to me' - hearing those words I just released everything".
Anna Pepper says she feels grounded in "locations where you are really in the thick of mother nature"
She also continued to go out daily to take pictures, bought a camera a few months later and set up an Instagram page to post her photos.
Her main love became "locations where you are really in the thick of mother nature" such as forests and Dorset's Jurassic Coast where she grew up.
After taking workshops and classes "it just continued to snowball and I ended up with two diplomas in photography," she said.
Ms Pepper said she hopes her story will "help someone at a difficult time in their life too, and inspire them not to give up"
"When I say it's changed my life - it really has. Just to be quiet, just to be alone with my camera and nature, it's like a form of medication.
"Looking back it's the thing that got me talking, got me out of the house, it's the thing that made me creative and I've learnt so much about myself.
"I don't want to simplify it for anybody else and I don't want to downplay it because I know that things can be very serious for people.
"This is my story but I just want people to know that no matter how hopeless it feels there is always hope and there's always something and there is always someone to go to."
She said taking pictures outside felt "like a form of medication"
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-60859905 |
Abortion in NI: Westminster to intervene on services after election - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The laws changed in 2020 but the commissioning of services has stalled due to political disagreement. | Northern Ireland's abortion laws changed in 2020 but full services have yet to be commissioned
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis has said he will intervene further on abortion services for Northern Ireland after the assembly election in May.
Northern Ireland's abortion laws changed in 2020 after Westminster acted during the absence of devolution.
But the commissioning of services had been stalled due to political disagreement.
Mr Lewis said the collapse of the executive had created a "further obstacle" to progress the legislation.
Last July, the secretary of state directed Stormont ministers and departments to act by March 2022.
He took powers that issued a formal direction to Stormont's Department of Health to draw up proposals and take them to the executive for approval.
In February, the DUP withdrew Paul Givan as first minister which prompted the collapse of the executive.
Brandon Lewis says he has no choice but to act over abortion services
On Thursday, Mr Lewis said it was "increasingly clear" the Department of Health was going to miss the deadline he had set.
He also said the collapse of the executive left him with "no choice" but to take forward the issue himself.
In a written statement, he said: "Two years after the Abortion (Northern Ireland) 2020 Regulations established the framework for abortion services, women and girls are still unable to access high-quality abortion and post-abortion care in Northern Ireland.
"This is unacceptable. Without access to services in Northern Ireland, women and girls are being placed at an increased risk of harm."
He added he was committed to making regulations and directions, "directly following" the election to place a duty on the Department of Health to make abortion services available "as soon as is reasonably practicable".
He said he would also take action that would "remove the need" for executive approval for legislation on abortion before services can be commissioned and funded.
"This means that the Department of Health will have no further barriers to commission and fund services," he added.
The secretary of state is also immediately setting up a small team in the Northern Ireland Office "with relevant experience in reproductive healthcare and financial monitoring" to provide expert advice and to work alongside the Department of Health.
He warned: "If I assess the Department of Health is not complying with the duty I place on it, I am prepared to use my powers to intervene."
The delay around commissioning of abortion services has been the subject of several legal challenges in recent months. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60864729 |
Ukraine war: WHO says attacks on health facilities are rising daily - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The World Health Organization has verified more than 70 attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities. | The central hospital in Izyum, near Kharkiv, after what Ukrainian authorities say was a Russian artillery attack
There have been more than 70 separate attacks on hospitals, ambulances and doctors in Ukraine with the number increasing on a "daily basis", says the World Health Organization (WHO).
It says the targeting of healthcare facilities has become part of the strategy and tactics of modern warfare.
A recent casualty on 8 March was the newly refurbished central hospital in Izyum, south of Kharkiv.
It was hit by what the Ukrainian authorities said were Russian shells.
Video and photos posted online by the city's deputy mayor showed extensive damage to the main hospital building. A new reception area built last year was completely destroyed.
The footage has been verified by the BBC and other media outlets, although the exact circumstances of the attack are impossible to establish at this time.
"After the first bombing, the windows of the hospital blew out," the deputy mayor Volodymyr Matsokin told the BBC.
A second attack destroyed the hospital's operating rooms, he added.
That day hospital staff were treating children, pregnant women and three newborn babies as well as soldiers and civilians injured in fierce fighting in the region, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
They were sheltering in the basement at the time of the attack and no-one was killed.
"The government had invested millions to provide good facilities with modern equipment," said Mr Matsokin.
"Patients had to climb out of the rubble on their own to escape."
The BBC has contacted the Russian embassy in London about the attack but has received no response, although in the past Moscow has denied deliberately targeting civilians.
Since 24 February, the WHO has reviewed and verified 72 separate attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine causing at least 71 deaths and 37 injuries.
The central hospital in Izyum in August 2021 and after an attack on 8 March 2022
Most have damaged hospitals, medical transports and supply stores, but the WHO has also recorded the "probable" abduction or detention of healthcare staff and patients.
"We are concerned that this number is increasing daily," the WHO's Ukraine country representative Jarno Habicht told the BBC.
"Health facilities should be safe places for both doctors and nurses, but also patients to turn to for treatment. This should not happen."
Because the war in Ukraine is an international armed conflict between two states, the Geneva Conventions apply.
Expanded in the aftermath of World War Two, the conventions set out the basic rights of civilians and military personnel, and establish protection for the wounded and sick. They were ratified by what was then the Soviet Union in 1954.
Under Article 18 of the Conventions, civilian hospitals "may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected".
A breach of that rule can be investigated by the International Criminal Court in the Hague and, if found to be a war crime, individual perpetrators can be prosecuted and punished.
There are though exemptions to the Conventions.
The protection from attack is lost if the medical facility is placed near a legitimate military target or is thought to be committing an act "harmful to the enemy".
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), that could include the use of a hospital as a shield for healthy fighters or the staging of a medical unit in a position which impedes an enemy attack.
Aftermath of a Russian air strike on a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol
Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, said: "What we have today, in effect, is a situation where hospitals and medical units have become fair game.
"If there are soldiers outside the hospital or it is simply next to a train station, it can be attacked. Or it could be that a wounded soldier has a cellphone and is calling other troops and telling them that there is someone nearby.
"All these loopholes render it possible to claim the attack was legitimate."
The ICRC says that, in theory, before targeting a hospital which might be in breach of those rules, the attacking side should always give a warning, with a time limit, and the other side must have ignored that warning.
There is no evidence this has happened in the Ukraine conflict.
Prof Gordon would like to see a far stronger blanket ban on any attack on medical facilities under international law, similar to the ban on torture adopted by the United Nations which came into force in 1987.
Exemptions to the Geneva Conventions have been used to justify attacks on hospitals and medical units in post-World War Two conflicts from Korea and Vietnam onwards.
The trend though appears to be accelerating rapidly, driven in part by the use of ballistic missiles, drones, and other longer range munitions.
The US advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights claims that Russian or local forces have been linked to at least 244 separate attacks on healthcare facilities in Syria since 2011.
At one point, the charity Médecins Sans Frontières even made the decision to stop sharing the GPS co-ordinates of some health clinics it operated with the Syrian government or its Russian allies, amid concerns they were more likely to become direct targets as a result.
Russian officials denied deliberately attacking hospitals in Syria and suggested "jihadists" in the country were routinely sheltering in protected civilian buildings.
A photograph released on 18 March by Ukrainian authorities showing a hospital damaged by shelling in Sievierodonetsk
The WHO is concerned that all this means attacks on medical facilities are fast becoming part of the wider "strategy and tactics" of modern warfare, regardless of the Geneva Conventions rules.
Destroying health facilities, it warned, "is about the destruction of hope" and the denial of basic human rights.
"We've never seen globally... this rate of attacks on healthcare," its emergencies director Michael Ryan told a news conference this week.
"This crisis is reaching a point where the health system in Ukraine is teetering on the brink.
"It needs to be supported… but how can you do that if the very infrastructure that those people will go in to support is under direct attack?"
You can follow Jim on Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60866669 |
Ukraine war: Five wounded after explosions hit western city of Lviv - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Lviv has become a hub for thousands of refugees fleeing other parts of Ukraine since Russia's invasion. | Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the area that was hit on the outskirts of Lviv
Several explosions hit the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, regional officials said.
The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, said five people had been injured, and that rocket fire had hit a fuel storage facility and a factory.
Lviv has so far escaped much of the shelling that has come to be a part of daily life in other parts of Ukraine.
It has also become a hub for hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing other parts of the country.
The alleged Russian attack came as US President Joe Biden delivered a speech in Warsaw, Poland, some 250 miles (400km) from Lviv.
In it, he addressed the Russian people on their leader, President Vladimir Putin, telling them: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."
The Kremlin responded that was not for the US leader to say. "That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians," a spokesman said.
A White House official later said that Mr Biden was not calling for "regime change", but making the point that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours in the region.
Lviv's mayor, Andriy Sadoviy, said that "with today's blows, the aggressor sends greetings to President Biden, who is in Poland," Reuters news agency reports.
In other developments in Ukraine today:
First, mid-afternoon, the air raid sirens went off. Then, three powerful explosions, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen from the distance. Hours later, another attack.
It all happened a day after Russia said it was focusing its invasion of Ukraine on the east. Lviv is in the extreme opposite.
And this distance from the worst of Russia's aggression, where people have been under unrelenting bombing and shelling, turned this city into something like a safe heaven. Displaced people, humanitarian workers, volunteers. They are all here.
That perception could be changing. Maryanna Pack, a 39-year-old economist who was near the site of the blast, gave a passionate testimony that may be a view shared by many. "We're feeling unprotected. Nobody really cares about what's happening here," she said.
"We need more help now. Eastern Ukraine has been completely destroyed. It's really possible that could happen to Lviv and the west of the country too."
Maryanna Pack, who saw the explosion, said 'we need more help now'
As bombs fell on Lviv and other cities across Ukraine, President Biden referred to his Russian counterpart as "a butcher".
The comment was made during a meeting with Ukrainian refugees helping with the humanitarian relief effort in Poland - where more than two million Ukrainian refugees have now fled.
A spokesperson for Mr Putin, cited by Russian state news agency Tass, said the comment narrowed the prospects for mending ties between the two countries.
The two Ukrainian's ministers' trip out of Ukraine to Poland was seen as a possible sign that confidence in Ukraine's fightback against Russia is growing.
During the talks, the US's "unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" was discussed, according to a US state department spokesperson.
Mr Biden also stressed the "sacred commitment" to Nato's collective defence, after meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
"You can count on that... for your freedom and ours," he told Mr Duda. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60887974 |
Ukraine war: JK Rowling hits back at Putin's 'cancel culture' comment - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Mr Putin referenced the Harry Potter author during a speech condemning "cancel culture" in the West. | The Harry Potter author criticised Russia's invasion of Ukraine after President Putin defended her
JK Rowling has hit back at Vladimir Putin, after the Russian president cited her in a wide-ranging speech that saw him criticise "cancel culture".
At a televised meeting on Friday, Mr Putin compared recent criticism of the Harry Potter author to that faced by pro-war Russian composers and writers.
In response, Ms Rowling denounced the invasion of Ukraine in which she said Russia was "slaughtering civilians".
Rowling has been criticised for her views on transgender issues.
"Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics," the Harry Potter author wrote on Twitter.
In the lengthy speech, which was given to the winners of various cultural prizes, President Putin claimed Russian composers and writers were being discriminated against.
"They are trying to cancel a thousand-year-old country," he said.
Some events featuring pro-war Russians have been cancelled since Moscow invaded Ukraine last month.
A much smaller number of events have been cancelled due to their use of music by dead Russian composers.
But Mr Putin also alleged - without providing evidence - that there was a "gradual discrimination against everything linked to Russia... in a number of Western countries".
"They are banning Russian writers and books," he said."The proverbial 'cancel culture' has become a cancellation of culture."
Mr Putin then defended Ms Rowling, who has faced criticism for her comments on transgender issues. She denies accusations of transphobia.
"JK Rowling was cancelled because she, a writer of books that have sold millions of copies around the world, didn't please fans of so-called gender freedoms," Mr Putin claimed.
The writer has said her interest in trans issues stems from being a survivor of abuse and having concerns around single-sex spaces.
Critics have said her views have diminished the identity of trans people.
Conductor Valery Gergiev, who attended Friday's meeting with the president, has been dropped by festivals, concert halls and management after he failed to condemn Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
And earlier this month, a Welsh orchestra dropped music by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky from a concert because of the war.
"There were two military-themed pieces... that we felt were particularly inappropriate at this time," the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra said in a statement.
"When the humanitarian crisis is over the discussion about 'woke' and 'cancel culture' can have its place," it added.
Russia's invasion, which is entering its second month, has sparked a major humanitarian crisis with more than 10m people displaced. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60878133 |
Covid-19: Free PCR tests to end for most in April - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Lateral flow tests will remain free for now, but routine contact tracing is to be phased out. | Lateral flow tests will only be free for those showing symptoms
Most people will no longer be able to access a free PCR test from 22 April, the health minister has said.
Lateral flow tests (LFTs) will continue to be free, but only for people displaying Covid-19 symptoms and this policy continues to be reviewed.
Routine contact tracing is also set to be phased out between the middle of April and the end of June.
Health Minister Robin Swann said the changes reflected the "new realities of the pandemic".
"The risk posed by the virus at the present time does not justify testing and isolating large swathes of the population at the levels that we have seen to date in the past two years," he added.
"Test and trace will continue to have a key role and will be used in a more focused and targeted way to support and protect our most vulnerable. "
PCR testing will only be available to people who have "clinical reasons" for needing it.
The changes come into effect from 22 April
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Lourda Geoghegan said it showed Northern Ireland was "moving into a different phase of the pandemic".
She also added that whether people would have to pay for LFTs in future was not something that had been decided upon.
Dr Geoghegan says the changes are in line with what health risk assessments have outlined
"It could be a potential scenario but we haven't worked through that as yet," she said.
"We will be seeking funding for the testing programme that we're continuing, but these changes are being advised on the basis of the public health risk assessment at this point in time.
"We now have a very highly-vaccinated population, we have new and novel treatments that people are accessing every day and we also have a lot of people who have developed natural immunity, so it's right now that we move to a much more targeted approach to our testing and our tracing."
Dr Tom Black, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Northern Ireland, told BBC Radio Foyle the changes were possible while Omicron remains the dominant variant of coronavirus.
The emergence of any new variants may require a rethink, he added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60858803 |
P&O Ferries ship detained over crew training concerns - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | It comes after 800 of the firm's staff were sacked and replaced with workers on cheaper wages. | A P&O Ferries ship is being held in Northern Ireland because it is "unfit to sail", nine days after the company sacked 800 workers without notice.
The European Causeway had been held in Larne over "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training", the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.
P&O Ferries said it would make changes to return the ship to service.
Protests at UK ports are calling on customers to boycott the company.
They gathered in Dover, Hull and Liverpool, chanting slogans such as "don't go P&O" and "seize the ship".
Protestors from the RMT Union are attempting to block access to the Pride of Rotterdam in Hull docks.
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress tweeted a video it said showed P&O dockers in Rotterdam refusing to load freight onto a ferry set for Hull in solidarity with sacked workers.
Unions have raised fears over a lack of training of new crew, after the firm replaced their members with workers whose average hourly rate of pay would be £5.50, less than the UK minimum wage.
As the company's ships operate internationally and are registered overseas, the UK minimum hourly rate of £8.91 does not apply.
At the Dover protest, RMT union national secretary Darren Procter said: "Bringing a crew on board a vessel they're not familiar with to sail across the busiest shipping lane in the world, carrying passengers, is going to be a dangerous act."
He said the MCA should detain every other P&O Ferries vessel around the UK on the basis they are not fit to sail.
RMT union members have been protesting at Dover, calling on customers to boycott the ferry company
The European Causeway sails between Larne and Cairnryan in Scotland. P&O Ferries told customers on Twitter that its services on this route were suspended, adding: "It is no longer possible for us to arrange travel via an alternative operator on this route.
"For essential travel, customers are advised to seek alternatives themselves."
There were no passengers or freight aboard the European Causeway when it was impounded in Larne, the MCA confirmed.
It said the vessel would remain under detention until all issues were resolved by P&O Ferries.
Seamus Leheny, of freight industry body Logistics UK, said rival ferry operator Stena had increased capacity through Belfast by 50% but the situation was still causing difficulties for businesses.
"It's not sustainable to have so much freight coming through Belfast... we want that Larne service back up and running as soon as possible," he added.
On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps's calls for the boss of P&O Ferries to resign.
Peter Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs that he broke the law by not consulting workers ahead of the job cuts - but said he would do the same again if he had to.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. ‘P&O Ferries weren’t just jobs they were our homes’
Mr Shapps wrote on social media that the European Causeway's detention followed an instruction from him to the MCA to inspect "all P&O vessels" before they entered back into service.
"I will not compromise the safety of these vessels, and P&O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training," he added.
Labour's Louise Haigh called for the sacked workers to be reinstated and for Mr Hebblethwaite to be "barred" as a director.
"The shameful misconduct of P&O Ferries has ruined livelihoods, and is harming the UK's key shipping routes," the shadow transport secretary wrote on Twitter.
P&O Ferries said in a statement that an MCA inspection had deemed the European Causeway "not sufficiently ready for entry into operation".
"We shall review the findings, make any changes required and continue to work closely with the MCA to return the ship to service."
Meanwhile P&O Ferries services between Dover and Calais remain cancelled. The firm said it would organise an alternative carrier for passengers.
Saturday evening's service from Rotterdam to Hull is also suspended, the firm said - but the evening service from Hull to Rotterdam is expected to sail on time. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60881550 |
A bomb hit this theatre hiding hundreds - here's how one woman survived - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The BBC speaks to survivors of the Mariupol theatre attack, who describe for the first time what happened. | Mariia, who was volunteering at the Ukrainian Red Cross, tried to help those injured in the attack but her kit was inside the theatre
As the port city of Mariupol was being razed to rubble by Russian bombs, hundreds of civilians, mostly women and children, went to hide in a theatre near the waterfront, a grand Soviet-era building. Last Wednesday, a bomb hit and - within seconds - the building had been split in two and left in ruins. We still do not know how many died, but the BBC has spoken to survivors who described for the first time what happened when the bomb fell.
All morning, Russian planes had been circling the skies above the city.
Mariia Rodionova, a 27-year-old teacher, had been living in the theatre for 10 days, having fled her ninth-floor apartment with her two dogs. They camped next to the stage in an auditorium near the back of the building.
That morning she had got some fish scraps from an outdoor field kitchen to feed her dogs, but then realised they had not drunk any water. So at about 10:00, she tied her dogs to her luggage and made her way towards the main entrance where a queue was forming for hot water.
There was the sound of a clap, thunderous and loud. Then the sound of broken glass. A man came from behind and pushed her to a wall, protecting her with his own body. The blast was so loud that she felt intense pain in one of her ears, so intense she thought her eardrum must have split. She only realised it had not because she could hear the screams of people. The screams were everywhere.
The force of the blast threw another man against a window. He fell on the ground, his face covered with broken glass. A woman, who also had a wound on her head, tried to help him. Mariia, who had been volunteering at the Ukrainian Red Cross in Mariupol, gathered her senses enough to shout over, telling her to stop.
"I said 'Wait, don't touch him. I'll bring my first aid kit and I'll help you both'," she recalled. But her kit was inside the theatre, and that part of the building had collapsed.
"There was only rubble," she said. It was impossible for her to get in.
"For two hours, I couldn't do anything," she said. "I just stayed there. I was in shock."
Vladyslav, a 27-year-old locksmith who does not want to use his full name, had also wandered into the building that morning. He had some friends there and went to look for them. He was near the main entrance when the explosion hit. He ran with others into a basement and, 10 minutes later, heard the building was on fire and emerged to a scene of chaos.
"Terrible things were happening," he said.
He saw plenty of people bleeding. Some had open fracture wounds. "One mother was trying to find her kids under the rubble. A five-year-old kid was screaming: 'I don't want to die'. It was heartbreaking."
It is likely to have been just one bomb that fell on the theatre that morning, bringing all that destruction with it, analysis by McKenzie Intelligence Services for the BBC has concluded.
"Due to the missile appearing to accurately hit the centre of the building, we believe it is a laser-guided bomb, likely the KAB-500L or similar variant, launched from an aircraft," the London-based group said.
"The nature of the explosion indicates it was armed with an instantaneous fuse, so was unable to penetrate the ground floors."
From the accuracy of the strike it is very likely that the theatre was the chosen target.
Satellite imagery released by the US company Maxar, from the days before the attack, show the word "children" in Russian was clearly painted on the lawn in front of the theatre, visible to any passing bomber.
Russia denies attacking the theatre. It has also denied hitting civilian sites in Ukraine, although its attacks on countless residential buildings and other non-military facilities have been well documented across the country and nowhere more brutally than in Mariupol.
Andrei Marusov, an investigative journalist from Mariupol, had visited the theatre two days before the attack. "Everybody knew that it was a focal point for many women and children," Marusov, who is a former chairman of the advocacy group Transparency International Ukraine, said. "There were only civilians there."
That Wednesday, the day of the bombing, he had gone up to the top of his building at 06:00 to survey the city. The planes were still buzzing through the air. He said Russian planes had been shelling and bombarding the area where the theatre was, that Sea of Azov waterfront all morning.
"I saw that the city centre was covered by fire and constant explosions," he said.
Mariia also remembers military planes "making circles" near the theatre that morning, and "throwing bombs somewhere else". But it was not unusual for her to spot military planes flying in the area. She had got used to their sound.
There are still many details that remain unclear about the attack. It is thought that up to 1,000 people were sheltering in the drama theatre. Some appeared to have based themselves in its underground bunker or bomb shelter, according to others who hid in the building and city authorities. Mariia saw others living in crowded corridors on overground floors.
One thing which is clear from the accounts of the people the BBC spoke to, is that people would wander around the complex, its corridors and grounds, and others would come and go.
The destroyed theatre that Mariia walked away from
The day after the attack, the city council said 130 people had been rescued. A further update said it was possible that many had survived. But there has been no news since then. The city is in such a desperate state that there may never be a clear picture of how many were there and how many survived.
Mariia's home inside the theatre for the days she was there was in an auditorium hall with a chandelier, and she nestled right next to the stage because her dogs had drawn some complaints. She said there were about 30 people in that hall and it is her belief that they must have all perished when the bomb hit. It was sheer luck that she had stepped outside at that moment.
After the blasts she was unable to find her dogs and it was a moment of desperation: "For me," she said, "my dogs were more important than anything."
Vladyslav said he saw many people coming out of the building, something that Mariia saw as well.
"Some were with their luggage," she said. "No-one knew what to do, and the area was still being shelled."
Standing outside the theatre, she too looked at the damage. She realised it made no sense to look for another shelter. It had been a few stunned hours and she eventually left.
She tried to stop any car leaving the city. "People were in panic," she said, "no-one took me in their car." She started to walk along the coast.
"I needed to get out of the city."
First, she got to the village of Pishchanka. "I met a woman," she said, "who asked if I was OK. I started to cry." She was offered tea and food, and invited to spend the night. The next morning, she kept walking, until she reached Melekyne. A curfew meant she had to stop at 20:00. A day later, she walked to Yalta. The following one, to Berdyansk. "I walked all that time," she said.
Mariupol has seen the worst horrors of Russia's aggression on Ukraine. The invading troops have surrounded the city and attacked it relentlessly for almost a month, from the air, land and, in recent days, also from the sea. About 100,000 people remain trapped, subjected to a medieval-like siege. No electricity, no gas, no running water.
When Mariia left her flat for the theatre, her grandmother, who lived with her, refused to go. "She just said: 'It's my apartment, my home. I'm going to die here'."
Mariia is still waiting to hear whether she is alive. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60835106 |
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead after missile attack - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is expected to go ahead as planned after hours of meetings following a missile attack near the track in Jeddah. | Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is expected to go ahead as planned after hours of meetings following a missile attack near the track in Jeddah.
The drivers spent four hours after practice on Friday discussing whether the race should be run.
But eventually at 2.30am local time on Saturday, after further reassurances from bosses, they agreed to race.
After an extraordinary series of events, team bosses emerged from the meetings to say: "We will be racing."
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Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack on an oil depot about nine miles from the track, according to the Associated Press.
Second practice was delayed by 15 minutes after the attack as team bosses and drivers were called to a meeting with F1 president Stefano Domenicali.
The drivers went into a meeting with Domenicali and managing director Ross Brawn about an hour after the end of practice and that meeting did not end for another four hours, as various senior figures came and went.
BBC Sport has learned that a significant number of drivers had concerns about the safety of the event following the attack.
But eventually they were convinced to go ahead and race after being given further information by bosses.
Part of this information involved the possible consequences of not racing, such as how easily teams and drivers would be able to leave the country if the race did not happen.
The first signs of the attack came as smoke had billowed across the track during the first practice session in the afternoon.
Before second practice, Domenicali called teams and drivers to a meeting and told them the weekend would proceed as planned and that security for the grand prix has been a priority for the authorities.
He said he would keep them updated through the weekend and met them again just over an hour after practice finished to share further information.
But the drivers continued to be concerned about the potential risks of racing so close to a missile strike on a high-profile Saudi facility. The grand prix is also closely associated with the Saudi royal family.
All the drivers' post-practice media sessions were cancelled.
F1 said after practice had finished but before the drivers went into their marathon meeting: "Formula 1 has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today.
"The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation."
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of F1's governing body the FIA, said: "They are targeting the infrastructure, not the civilians, and, of course, not the track. We've checked the facts and we've got assurances from the highest level that this is a secure place. Let's go on racing."
There was a similar attack a week before the race, while F1 was at the opening event of the season in Bahrain.
The Jeddah Corniche circuit is surrounded by coastline
Once second practice started, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time by 0.14 seconds from Red Bull's Max Verstappen. But the Monegasque, winner of the first race of the season in Bahrain last weekend, later hit the wall at Turn Four and damaged his car's steering.
Verstappen's best time was set on the harder medium tyres while Leclerc's was on the soft, because traffic and other interruptions prevented the Dutchman completing his run on the softs.
However, Verstappen was 0.2secs down on Leclerc's fastest time before he had to abort what would have been his best lap on the soft tyres.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was third fastest, also with a fastest time on the mediums, after he too hit the wall, this time on the exit of Turn 13 and without damaging his car.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez was fourth fastest, ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The pair were just over 0.1secs apart and Hamilton was 0.4secs off the pace.
The Mercedes cars were again suffering badly from aerodynamic bouncing - or "porpoising" - as their main limitation.
As a result, Hamilton and Russell were 0.4secs off the pace by the time they reached Turn 13, the halfway point of the track, because of the bouncing affecting confidence through the high-speed swerves of the first sector.
After that, they did not lose significant time to the fastest cars.
The Ferrari drivers' incidents meant they were unable to go out again in the final part of the session to do their race-simulation runs on high fuel.
Behind the Mercedes, Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren, after a more encouraging showing for the team following their dismal start to the season in Bahrain, when the McLaren was the third slowest car.
Esteban Ocon's Alpine was eighth fastest, ahead of Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda's Alpha Tauri.
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Bute Park: Three jailed for doctor's homophobic murder - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The judge says attackers believed gay men they targeted would be less likely to report the crime. | Two men and a 17-year-old girl have been jailed for life for the homophobic murder of a doctor in a city centre park.
Psychiatrist Dr Gary Jenkins, 54, was attacked in Cardiff's Bute Park on 20 July 2021, and died 16 days later.
Jason Edwards, 25 and Lee William Strickland, 36, will both serve a minimum of 32 years.
Dionne Timms-Williams, who was 16 at the time of the crime, will serve a minimum of 17 years.
The consultant psychiatrist, who was described as "kind" and "compassionate", was kicked and punched to death in the park by the trio.
He suffered multiple severe brain injuries and died at University Hospital of Wales.
Sentencing the three, Judge Daniel Williams said they had chosen to target gay men in Bute Park because they believed their victim would be "less likely to report the crime" and also "sheer homophobia".
In his sentencing remarks Judge Williams described the trio as a "toxic mix"
All three admitted to manslaughter, but were found guilty of murder after a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
Judge Williams said Dr Jenkins was a "kind and compassionate man," adding "the world is the drabber for his passing, it's less kind and less colourful".
He added: "Why the three of you formed such a toxic mix will never be known, but you wanted to show how little you valued human life".
The sound of the attack was captured on CCTV, lasting possibly as long as 28 minutes. The judge said there were "no words to describe the audio recording".
Judge Williams said: "Each of you punched, kicked and stamped on him and encouraged each other to do so.
"You ignored his desperate pleas to stop even after his pleas turned to groans as his life ebbed away," he added.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV footage shows the moment the three defendants met, with Timms-Williams offered a can of cider by Edwards
In CCTV footage of the attack, shown to the jury during the trial, Dr Jenkins can be heard repeatedly shouting "leave me alone" and "get off me".
A female voice, identified as Timms-Williams, shouts "money" and "now", then says: "Hit him again."
At the end of the attack, the girl is heard saying: "Yeah, I needed that."
In a statement the wife of Dr Jenkins said his death had hit the family hard, adding: "He was such a kind soul who would never hurt anyone".
"When the family learnt what happened our world fell apart. Gary was much loved by all who knew him."
She said their two daughters had been "massively affected" and were now "struggling in areas where they previously were thriving."
"We cannot bring Gary back, there are no winners, only losers. But as a family we are relieved that justice is done and through this harrowing process we hope to restore our faith in humanity," she added.
Dr Jenkins was attacked near the Summerhouse cafe in Bute Park
Nathan Williams, who had been friends with Dr Jenkins since school, described him as a "caring, sensitive and compassionate person", and a "whirlwind, who made life interesting".
He said his death represented a "deeply painful loss felt each day by colleagues, patients and friends" with some colleagues saying that "life has lost its vibrancy" since the attack.
He added he had not been able to enter the park since his friend's death.
"That beautiful park will now always be the place he was taken from us," he said.
Dr Jenkins' employer, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said he would "remain prominently" in the memory of all staff and patients who knew him.
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Following the sentencing, senior investigating officer for South Wales Police, Det Insp Stuart Wales, said the attack was "cowardly and senseless in the extreme".
"The degree and duration of unnecessary violence inflicted upon him, together with homophobic abuse - all captured on audio, was both sickening and staggering," he added.
"He did nothing whatsoever to warrant this.
"Nothing will fill the void in the lives of those who loved Gary and have suffered the heartbreak of losing him in the most devastating circumstances."
Judge Williams said aggravating factors in the case were that the murder had been for gain, that it happened during the course of a robbery and that the attack was homophobic.
He sentenced Edwards and Strickland to serve a minimum term of 32 years and 123 days, and Timms-Williams to a minimum of 17 years.
All three were also sentenced for offences of robbery and assault, to run concurrently with their life sentences.
When released they will spend the rest of their lives on licence, Cardiff Crown Court heard. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60862833 |
Ukraine war: A dangerous escape on the 'Rescue Express' - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | A risky night-time race to safety lies ahead for exhausted families fleeing Kyiv each day. | Passengers board the train in Lviv during the first days of the war in Ukraine
Ten million people have fled their homes in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Most head west to the relative safety of cities like Lviv - and many continue onwards to neighbouring countries. Our correspondent Fergal Keane met some of those who took the 91/92 train between Kyiv and Lviv - the "Rescue Express"
The air raid alarm in the station tower has just started: no bombs are falling, but nerves are fraying. The guard tells us to shelter with the refugees in the tunnel under the platform.
There are several thousand people here, in a long queue.
We wait among the anxious and exhausted, the families calming scared children, the elderly woman wrapped in a blanket and pulling a suitcase. She looks as if she cannot possibly walk another step. But she will trudge forward when the all-clear is given. This is not a place of options. Go forward, or run the risk of the war catching up with you.
Then a horn blares. A searchlight appears down the track to the east, a looming brilliance that grows larger as it approaches. Another horn sounds, followed by a conductor's whistle cutting through the clamour of the air raid sirens. A murmur ripples through the crowd. The all-clear is declared, and they can board a train to Poland.
After nearly a month reporting on refugees, I have taken to calling this extraordinary evacuation the "Rescue Express". Millions of Ukrainians have taken trains from as far south as Odessa on the Black Sea, from Kharkiv close to the Russian border in the north-east, from the Donbas and from Kyiv, and numerous smaller stations in between.
It has come at great human cost: 33 railway staff have been killed. Tracks and stations have been bombed.
The head conductor on Train 91/92 between Lviv and Kyiv is Ievgen Propokenko, a 40-year veteran of the railways. He comes from Kharkiv, which is now under Russian siege, and where his daughter and son-in-law also work to keep the Rescue Express going. The railways, he explains, run in the family.
Ievgen Propokenko, head conductor on board the "Rescue Express" knows that his train could come under fire
"It is terrifying. My native city is being bombed," says Ievgen. "I can feel it and see it, but I cannot believe it."
He knows that his own train runs the risk of being attacked. One of the conductor's duties is to check that train windows are covered, so its lights don't present an obvious target for Russian aircraft.
"We can see the war in the faces of the people who come onboard. It is our job. It is what we have to do."
Also onboard is his younger colleague, Oleksandr Shevchenko, 31, the spokesman for the railways who is heading to an awards ceremony. The Prime Minister will be handing out awards to railway staff at the station in Kyiv.
This service is heading east back towards the conflict, and has only a few passengers. Sitting in a compartment before departure I met Petro Rocharan, a 25-year-old investment banker, who has volunteered to join a battalion defending the capital. Petro is a scout. He has had just three weeks' military training and he is frank about his feelings.
"I am rather scared honestly. I know Kyiv has been through a lot so far. Including the streets where I am going, where some of my friends are living, and I am just not sure if I am ready to see those buildings destroyed," he explains. Petro speaks of different waves of feeling: from fear to excitement and back to fear again.
The lights of the train could make it a target in these dangerous times
The train pulls into Kyiv just after dawn, and Petro heads off in search of his battalion. New shifts of drivers, conductors and stewards start to arrive at the station. So do the buses carrying families from the embattled cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kramatorsk and the suburbs of Kyiv itself.
Oleg Kryvospytska, 59, comes from Troyeschchyna in the northern suburbs of Kyiv and has brought his wife, Olena, his 29-year-old daughter Olga, and his granddaughters, aged six and 12.
But Oleg will not be travelling with them. He must stay behind and care for an elderly relative who is unable to travel.
Olena says that they will take the train to Lviv and stay for a few days before deciding where to go in Europe. "I have no words for this," she says. "This is something terrifying that I can't believe is happening. I'm currently taking sedatives every day to keep me calm, but even that isn't helping."
Oleg is a tall, strongly-built man and his wife Olena leans into him as the time approaches to board the train. They embrace, and sway gently from side to side. It is a portrait of fortitude and loss, rooted in the 30 years of their life together.
Oleg does not speak or cry. For the children's sake, he smiles.
Oleg says goodbye to his family, but is careful not to shed any tears
Even as he walks alongside the departing train and can see Olena weeping, he keeps smiling and waving. The little girls shout: "We love you, we love you." His daughter Olga calls out: "Wait for us."
He will. Of course. However long it takes.
The train picks up speed. The horn blares and the carriages roll west, through the suburbs, away from the front line and out into the great immensity of Europe's second-largest country. It passes wheat fields ready for spring planting, through small and large towns, further and further from the war zone.
It is after 22:00 when the Rescue Express pulls into Lviv. Olga and Olena and the children are in the first carriage and it is dark on the platform. A conductor appears with a flash lamp and lights their way. The weary travellers gather their bags and walk towards the lights of the station.
In a day or two they will board another train, to Poland, peace and exile. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60866389 |
Afghanistan: Protesters urge Taliban to reopen girls' schools - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | One demonstrator said: "I want our generation to be free and to flourish, not just to shed tears at home." | About two dozen, mainly female, protesters gathered close to the Taliban's Ministry of Education on Saturday morning, calling on the group to reopen girls' secondary schools.
The Taliban have been widely condemned for issuing a last-minute U-turn earlier this week, ordering them to close, just hours after teenage pupils began to arrive for the start of the new academic year.
The protesters chanted, "Education is our right! Open the doors of girls' schools!" while armed Taliban members looked on.
One female teacher attending told the BBC: "When it comes to standing up for freedom and the girls who want to go to school, I'm willing to die.
"We are here for the rights of our daughters to get an education. Without that right, we might as well be dead already."
The Taliban has previously broken up demonstrations and detained those involved, but on this occasion the protest was allowed to continue.
Since the group took power last August, girls' primary schools in most of the country, along with all boys' schools, have remained open, but older girls have not been allowed back in the classroom.
The Taliban's Ministry of Education had said girls' secondary schools would restart on Wednesday, but the decision was overruled by the group's central leadership, who said they could remain closed until a "comprehensive" and "Islamic" plan for them had been drawn up.
The move provoked an outpouring of grief. On social media, Afghans have been sharing videos of pupils sobbing after returning home early from what they thought would be their first day back at school.
A presenter on the popular Tolo TV channel struggled to hold back his tears during a discussion on the issue.
On Friday, a joint statement by officials from 10 countries, including the US and UK, described the Taliban's decision as "profoundly disturbing".
The US State Department cancelled meetings with the group that had been scheduled to take place in Qatar.
The chaotic policy reversal by the Taliban probably reflects divisions within the group between more hardline and moderate elements.
In some provinces, particularly in northern Afghanistan, local Taliban officials have allowed teenage girls to continue to study, but others appear to oppose the idea.
Crying in frustration, one protester at Saturday's demonstration in Kabul said: "I want our generation to be free and to flourish, not just to shed tears at home." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60885200 |
Michael Bisping: Former UFC star looks back on remarkable career in new documentary - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping tells BBC Sport how he rebuilt his career after going blind in one eye. | Last updated on .From the section Mixed Martial Arts
As Michael Bisping walks into the room for this interview, he spills a cup of coffee on the floor.
For most, it would be an innocuous incident. For Bisping, there is a life-changing, career-defining reason behind the spillage - he is blind in one eye.
The remarkable story of how the 43-year-old lost the vision in his right eye yet still went on to become the first British UFC champion in history is told in a new documentary.
Here, Bisping talks to BBC Sport about the emotional turmoil he experienced as a fighter, the steep barriers he overcame to reach the top, and how it felt watching a film about his career.
'The eye injury took my identity away'
When Bisping agreed to fight Vitor Belfort in 2013, he knew beating the Brazilian could lead to his first UFC world title fight.
What he didn't know was the bout would be the last time he stepped inside the octagon with vision in both eyes.
In the second round, Belfort landed a fight-ending head kick which led to a detached retina on Bisping's right side.
He initially dealt with the injury privately - fearing medical professionals would prevent him fighting - and three months later beat Alan Belcher by a technical unanimous decision.
By then, though, his symptoms had worsened to the extent he couldn't put off seeing a doctor any longer.
Six surgeries later, his vision remained irreparable and his fight career appeared to be over.
"The mental side was by far the hardest part," says Bisping.
"I'd just moved out to America. Things were going well living this new life in California, but we weren't financially secure and it all got taken away.
"I went through depression and feeling sorry for myself and drinking too much because I couldn't do anything. My entire identity had been taken away."
Despite the loss of vision, decline in his mental health and insistence by doctors his career was over, Bisping never considered retiring.
"Physically I felt great," he says. "I could still do it, but I couldn't get cleared to fight. Someone else is saying: 'No we're not allowing you to fight because of your eye.'
"I was forced for a year to not do anything which could get my heart rate up, and to allow the eye to heal, and that was in itself very challenging."
Contrary to the belief of the doctors, Bisping did end up fighting again. And again. And again.
Indeed three years after going blind in his right eye, Bisping won the UFC middleweight title by knocking out Luke Rockhold.
But how did Bisping get cleared to fight, and what was it like competing with one eye?
In Bisping: The Michael Bisping Story, he tells how he "fluked and conned" his way through a number of tests by medical professionals, before getting the all-clear.
Indeed only Bisping and his close team members knew the full extent of his problem.
Inside the octagon, the main adjustments he had to make were to do with depth perception, which he still struggles with today - hence the spilt coffee.
"I'd go to grab things, miss on a couple of occasions, then get it the third time," says Bisping.
"It was the same with punching - I'd be hitting fresh air, but then you connect and your brain kind of measures the distance.
"It was tough, challenging and definitely an adjustment period but I got there in the end."
Throughout the documentary, Bisping shows an emotional side in contrast to the brash, outspoken character he portrayed through his fight career.
Whether it's speaking about his eye injury, the problems he suffered growing up in Clitheroe, or the difficulties in coming to terms with defeat, Bisping isn't afraid to pour out his feelings.
One such poignant moment comes when he talks about meeting his wife, Rebecca.
"She never helped me, she just loved me," he says. "She loved me for who I was and because of her and what we had, I wanted to do better in life.
"I never had any ambition, never wanted to be someone. I didn't care. Who cared if I didn't go to school? Who cared if I got arrested?
"My mum and dad weren't around too much so when Rebecca came along I wanted more out of life and I wanted to be a success."
Bisping says discussing his emotions in the way he did during the documentary is something he struggled with during his career.
"I had this defence mechanism, especially after a loss, of trying to play things down," he says. "But inside you're crushed.
"That's one thing that would have helped me - trying to get hold of my emotions. If I could do that, my life would be so much easier because I react out of emotion all the time, and controlling those emotions and discussing those emotions and being honest would certainly have helped."
'Everyone said the nicest things, but I'm just an idiot from Clitheroe'
Following defeat by Kelvin Gastelum, and a scare involving his left eye, Bisping retired in 2017.
He's since built a career in the media - commentating and providing analysis for the UFC, and taking part in a number of podcasts.
Looking back, he struggles to identify with the person he used to be.
"The fighter side of me ... I wouldn't say it's dead, but it's definitely suppressed," he says.
"But I sit cageside now, commentating on fights, and see what these guys do to each other, and I think: 'They're out of their mind - and I used to this. It's crazy.'"
Among the other big names to appear in the documentary are MMA stars Georges St-Pierre and Rashad Evans - and both credit Bisping with being an inspiration.
"They're legends themselves - they don't get any bigger than Georges - and for them to say what they said, it's incredibly humbling," he says.
"Rashad Evans is actually crying because he was so proud of what I managed to do so, again, it's hard to find the right words.
"Everyone on the film said the nicest things, and I'm just an idiot from Clitheroe, do you know what I mean?
"It's amazing, it really is. Mind-blowing."
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Man and woman die in Nottingham house fire - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | An inquiry is under way after the house was "severely damaged" and nearby properties evacuated. | The property - a terraced house - was "severely damaged", police said
A man and a woman have died in a house fire in Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire Police said emergency services were called to the blaze in Whittier Road, Sneinton, at 00:43 GMT on Saturday.
The property - a terraced house - was "severely damaged", with adjoining properties evacuated while crews tackled the fire.
The pair were pronounced dead at the scene and a joint fire and police inquiry is under way, the force added.
Emergency services were called to Whittier Road in the early hours of Saturday
Police added the man and woman had not yet been formally identified.
Anyone with any information has been asked to contact the force on 101.
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-60885915 |
On the road to Mariupol, a southern Ukrainian town fears for the worst - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Residents of a town neighbouring Mariupol ready themselves for Russian missile and rocket attacks. | At a vantage point somewhere between the southern Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia and Mariupol, next to one of the last checkpoints before Russian-held territory, Sergei scans the endless flatlands - the rich, fertile farmland that Russia now wants for itself.
The 62-year-old never envisaged taking up arms against the might of Moscow, but he knows full well what the Russian army is capable of doing.
"I'm doing this to show an example to younger people," Sergei tells me, barely flinching at the hollow thud of a shell landing a couple of kilometres away.
"I used to work as fire engine driver, then I took up arms to protect my homeland. We know what's happening [in Mariupol] and we must not let that happen here. These people in this town know that we're here for them."
Sergei, 62, does not want his town to have a similar fate to Mariupol which has been bombarded for weeks
In recent days, here in southern Ukraine at least, neither side has really made much notable progress on the ground. At Ukrainian defensive positions, two or three kilometres behind the front line, regular and reservist forces are dug in, with supplies and weapons, preparing for whatever Russia will do next.
Will the Kremlin launch a tank and infantry-led ground offensive or, as it has done elsewhere in the south, launch intensive missile and rocket attacks against urban populations?
That is the big question.
Towns across the region are targets for Russian artillery - the bombs are getting close and nowhere in the south is really safe. As things became too close for comfort near the front, we left Sergei in his foxhole and retreated to safer ground.
There are few words that can accurately describe the horrors inflicted on Mariupol and the 100,000 people trapped inside the city. Images snatched by drivers able to flee, often past unburied bodies lying in the streets, show a catastrophic landscape, shredded by Russian artillery.
There are drone images of starving residents, emerging from shelters, to queue for food. And there is new chaotic footage from last week's theatre attack, in which 300 people were killed, according to Ukrainian officials.
At a civic centre, along the road back north we found several students volunteering in a communal kitchen. What is happening in Mariupol has had a profound effect on young people in the south too.
"It's really heart-breaking because people are dying right now," says 18-year-old Nastia Pesco.
"I don't know how to react and process this. But I hope we can be better versions of ourselves after this is over," she adds, somewhat ruefully.
"There are no shortage of volunteers and reservists in this region wanting to avenge what's happening in Mariupol," says Major Serhiii Koba, who is in charge of a Ukrainian army unit. He spoke to the BBC as a large group of men were cleaning their rifles and kit - exhausted after almost three weeks on the front.
"Many of our fighters come from places that are currently under Russian occupation," Maj Koba told me - emphasising the ties and commitment that men from this region have invested in this fight, perhaps unlike their Russian foes.
"All of them have parents, wives and families there - so each one of us is determined to win back our lands as soon as possible," he said.
The Ukrainian forces aren't having it all their own way, despite the Russian advance having stalled on the ground in recent days.
The BBC team met a unit training underground in a location that cannot be disclosed for security reasons
There was a good reason the unit we met was training underground in an undisclosed location. Volunteers and reservists, being put through their drills and battlefield skills by the company sergeant were deliberately doing so indoors, despite there being ample room outside.
One thing they have learned over the last month is that the sky is full of Russian drones trying to spot their every move. In recent weeks, several Ukrainian military training facilities are reported to have been hit by Russian fire.
As we left, there was certainly no disguising the overwhelmingly positive mood among the Ukrainian soldiers we met - professional fighters and those who've volunteered - despite the reality of what is happening in some of those cities where Russian bombing has wiped out almost every vestige of civilisation.
We travelled back, in the other direction, on the road to Mariupol. A road fraught with dangers, but a road and a destination pivotal to how this war moves on. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60879835 |
Next stop Kyiv - the battle on the capital's outskirts - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | In Irpin, only a few civilians remain as volunteers bolster defences a few miles from Kyiv. | Smoke as heavy as a winter fog hung over the last mile or so of the road into Irpin, just a 20-minute drive north-west of Kyiv. Trees and undergrowth in the pine forest on either side were burning, set alight by shelling. The road was almost empty.
When our BBC team was last able to come here, about three weeks ago, the city was badly damaged. Now it is in ruins.
Irpin sits in an arc of towns that also includes Bucha and Hostomel, where the most important fighting for the future of Kyiv is taking place. If it is important for Kyiv, it is important for the rest of the country. The capital remains the biggest prize.
It seems clear now that a central part of Russia's strategy when President Putin ordered the invasion was a decisive thrust into Kyiv, to replace the troublesome Zelensky government with one that would do as it was told.
The failure of that strategy is, without a doubt, a victory for Ukraine. President Zelensky's presence in the capital is as well. While the government is here, and functioning, and while Kyiv remains accessible, President Putin has a constant reminder that the start of his "special military operation" - it is not called a war by the Kremlin - was badly bungled.
Ukraine is winning another battle decisively - the war of the Twittersphere. From skilfully crafted video messages delivered by President Zelensky and world-famous Ukrainians, such as the boxing Klitschko brothers, to local journalists who suddenly have hundreds of thousands of followers, they dominate social media.
It is a clever strategy, partly managed and partly spontaneous. The information battlefield is a vital part of modern war.
But getting to the truth of what is happening in a war means being very cautious about declarations of victory or defeat by anyone.
For journalists, that requires using your own eyes and ears, which is why our BBC team - and many other colleagues - have made trips to front line areas to try to base our reporting on first-hand knowledge.
A month into the war, it's harder to get to the crucial front line at Irpin. In the first days, journalists were able to drive in that direction. They were waved through roadblocks, and images went round the world of thousands of displaced civilians crossing the ruins of a road bridge blown by Ukrainian engineers to slow the Russians down if they made it to the Irpin River.
People cross the destroyed bridge as they evacuate Irpin during heavy shelling and bombing on March 5, 2022
But as governments and military commands organise themselves in wars after the confusion of the first few days, it is always more difficult to move around. So, when the opportunity came to revisit the area it was important to take it. It is never an easy decision to go into harm's way.
Commander Oleg, the leader of the unit that was going to take us in, delivered a stern briefing at their base in Kyiv. His pistol was on the desk in front of him and his Kalashnikov assault rifle was propped up against a chair. The unit was part of the volunteer territorial defence.
Oleg, a thick-set man in his 40s, said he had been a factory manager before the invasion. He said that shelling north west of Kyiv was constant. If we were lucky there might be a lull. If we were not whatever happened was our responsibility, and there were basements and cellars we would have to reach in a hurry.
When displaced people were leaving Irpin, the road into the city was crowded with buses and ambulances picking them up and taking them into Kyiv. Many went straight to the railway station to head west, further from the Russians or to cross the border to become refugees in Poland, Romania and beyond.
In Irpin I could see clearly that the last few weeks of bombardment had damaged almost every building. The ruined bridge was now the route into the battlefield for groups of Ukrainian troops, heavily laden with weapons and ammunition, who were pushing forward on foot.
A few civilians were still emerging from the rubble of their town, people who had tried to hang on. A man called Pavlo, who walked painfully slowly with a stick, said he was getting out because a shell had destroyed his house. A soldier was helping him, carrying a few of things Pavlo had salvaged packed into a plastic supermarket shopping bag. I asked the old man how he was.
"I'm bad," he said. "Children are dying, everyone is dying. I didn't think I would make it to the bridge."
A man and a woman were leaving with nine dogs. The animals were terrified, and Slava was dragging them on a lead. She said they had been cut off, but now had to move.
They were the exceptions. Otherwise, it was a military area, swept up by the fighting. Vehicles picked up the Ukrainian soldiers to ferry them deeper into the battleground. The sound of Russian heavy artillery rumbled constantly around the flat, boggy terrain.
Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel, all now in ruins, used to be desirable places to live, an easy drive into the city, criss-crossed by waterways, with plenty of forest to walk dogs. It turns out that what was good for the residents is also good for Ukrainian defenders.
As one of the generals commanding the defence of Kyiv told me early in the war, the topography helps them. Spring is in the air, ice and snow have melted; mud and water are a nightmare for tanks. Forests are good places to conceal guns and build defensive positions.
In a cellar Commander Oleg, who had delivered the stern warning in Kyiv, was more relaxed closer to the fight.
The underground space, chosen because it had a thick concrete roof, was in a half-built house. It still had power. The lights on racks of battery chargers for walkie-talkies glowed in the gloom. Weapons were stacked in corners.
Ammunition comes in metal containers painted army green, which are opened like giant cans of corn beef.
Like his men, Oleg said the Russians had been pushed back. He explained that they were hitting Russian supply lines. Putin's men still had a toehold on the ground in Irpin, but the way they made their presence felt was with heavy artillery.
Former British soldier Shane Matthews is fighting with Oleg's unit
Shane Matthews, a former British soldier who travelled here from the UK with a Ukrainian friend, was part of Oleg's unit. Shane did not believe Nato should intervene, unlike every Ukrainian from the president down, because of the risks of a wider war. He had seen many civilians, including a family of four whose car was hit by an artillery shell. So little was left of them, he said, that their remains would barely have filled a bin bag.
First-hand reporting helps, but it is still hard to penetrate the fog of war, especially in a place that is being shelled more or less constantly. As far as I could see, the claims made by the Ukrainian military that it is holding territory and even taking some of it back are true.
What is also true is that Russia is using its formidable firepower and could still direct it at Kyiv. Even if most of their artillery is kept too far back to hit the city centre - a key Ukrainian objective - the Russians have destructive long range conventional missiles.
So far, apart from isolated but deadly attacks, nothing nearly as bad has happened in Kyiv. Everyone in the city knows that could change very fast.
In the city this week, more volunteers were being redeployed from quieter sectors to the battered north-western suburbs. It was quiet, a bit tense, as they waited for buses that would take them to the front line.
Katrine, one of the few women in uniform, cuddled her 18-month-old son Nikita. It was going to be a brief reunion as she too was off to Irpin. Katrine said she had been a sniper since 2015 in the long war against Russian backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Now she was back.
"I'm ready to kill," she said, kissing her boy, "to protect his future".
Katrine the sniper cuddles her son before heading off to fight
The war has changed everything for Ukraine, and for Russia. The world now feels more dangerous. Whatever happens on the battlefields of Ukraine, it is clear after a month that the Russian invasion is the biggest threat to international peace and security since the end of the Cold War.
Its consequences are already being felt beyond the borders of Ukraine, in the shape of European security, the politics of the Nato alliance and the growing pressure on economies and food supplies. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned this week that disruption to Ukraine and Russia's agricultural exports could increase world hunger.
Outside their headquarters, the younger volunteers were checking their phones as they waited for the buses. They were born when Europe was hopeful, in the 1990s.
Plenty of older men, some in their 60s were there too. Two of them said they were fishing buddies. They grew up when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.
Now the old drumbeat of the Cold War, the risk of confrontation between the big powers that was so familiar when Europe was divided by an iron curtain, is back for a new generation. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60874223 |
Under threat of Russian bombs, Lviv hides away its priceless heritage - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The picturesque western city of Lviv is racing to protect is cultural and religious artefacts. | Empty plinths and cabinets now line the large rooms of the National Museum of Lviv
In one room of the National Museum of Lviv, an enormous scaffold is bare. In another, brackets hang loosely from the walls. Plinths sit empty along the corridors and wooden pallets and cardboard boxes are strewn on the floors. The staff used whatever they could to pack away the museum's priceless artefacts in a hurry.
As Russian shelling has devastated other parts of Ukraine, the picturesque western city of Lviv has been left untouched, so far. But it is bracing for war. Some preparations you can see in the open - the checkpoints on main roads and the soldiers on the streets - but some are taking place behind closed doors.
In Lviv's galleries, museums and churches, a huge operation is under way to safeguard the city's cultural heritage. Thousands of artworks and artefacts have been carefully removed and taken to secret underground locations, or down to basement storage rooms.
The climate-controlled cabinets in Lviv's national museum now sit empty, their treasures hidden underground
Ihor Kozhan, the director of the National Museum of Lviv - the largest art museum in Ukraine - took the BBC on a tour of its now empty rooms, which looked as though they had been looted. Climate-controlled display cases, usually home to artworks, icons and manuscripts dating as far back as the 14th Century, were bare.
Nearly every one of the 1,500 artefacts on display has now been removed from the museum. The other 97% of the collection - 180,000 pieces in total - was already in storage in some form.
"Everything, everything is gone," Kozhan said.
"It is sad for me to be in these empty rooms," said Ihor Kozhan, the director of the museum
Despite overseeing the operation, Kozhan was amazed by the speed with which the 17th-century Bohorodchany Iconostasis - a grouping of religions paintings measuring 10m by 8m and one of the museum's most valuable pieces - had been dismantled by his team. It had taken six months to hang, piece by piece, he said, and less than six days to pull down from its scaffold and store away.
Constructed and painted over seven years beginning in 1698, the iconostasis represents the high watermark of the work of the icon painter Yov Kondzelevych. It has been in Lviv since 1924, then a Polish city, brought there by an archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
It was dismantled and hidden from the Nazis in 1939, forbidden from display during the Soviet era, painstakingly restored in 2006, and now dismantled once more.
Ihor Kozhan describing the Bohorodchany Iconostasis, one of the museums largest and most valuable pieces
There was no plan in place for the evacuation of the museum's artefacts before the invasion began two weeks ago, Kozhan said - not even after Russia began months ago to mass troops along Ukraine's borders.
"There was no plan because no one could imagine this would happen," he said. "We had no plan at all - not before the war, not even in December. You must understand, we did not believe it could come to this."
Territorial defence soldiers gathered outside a Lviv church where the statutes have been wrapped in protective fabric
Around Lviv, cultural and religious officials are running complex operations to wrap up statues, seal off stained glass windows and spirit away sacred artefacts.
In the city's main square, fountains with sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses have been wrapped in flame-retardant fabric and covered with scaffolds to protect them from falling masonry.
"At first it was a bit chaotic but it has become more organised," said Liliya Onischenko, the head of Lviv's city council heritage protection office.
"We are photographing everything before we take it away and we are photographing all the pieces in their hidden places," she said
Greek gods and goddesses on fountains in Lviv's town square have been wrapped and scaffolded
Onischenko said the priority was protecting the stained glass windows in the city's historical old town, a Unesco world heritage site whose architecture was built over centuries by different nationalities - Poles, Austrians, Hungarians, Germans, Armenians - as the region changed hands.
At the Armenian cathedral, a prized 15th-Century wooden sculpture of Christ on the cross was removed for the first time since World War Two and taken to a secret, safe place.
Other artefacts besides the sculpture have been removed, the deacon, Armen Hakopian said, but he would not elaborate. "What needed to be taken out was taken out," he said, with a smile.
The windows along the side of the 850-year-old Armenian cathedral are plain, because the original stained glass was blown out in the 1940s by German bombing. But above, stained glass remains in the cupola and the high parts of the church.
A stained glass window in the 14th-Century Armenian cathedral in Lviv, among those not destroyed during World War Two
The institutions of Lviv have had the benefit of time to prepare. And they may yet escape the violence. But there are grave fears for the cultural, religious and architectural treasures in the parts of Ukraine under attack.
There has already been significant damage. The stained glass windows and nave of the assumption cathedral in Kharkiv were damaged by Russian shelling. Russian troops have reportedly destroyed a 19th-century wooden church in the village of Viazivka in Zhytomyr. And a museum in Ivankiv, north of Kyiv, was razed, destroying 25 works by the Ukrainian folk artist Maria Prymachenko.
The stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals in Lviv's historic old town have been covered
Scaffolders in Lviv's historic old town preparing to cover more of the city's stained glass windows
Ihor Kozhan, the national museum director, said he feared that destroying Ukraine's cultural fabric was part of Russia's goal, and he feared greatly for Lviv.
"If the same damage is done here as in Kharkiv, Mariupol, it would be a terrible tragedy," he said.
"This is a place of historical memory. The museums here hold the history of the nation. They give us an understanding of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.
"Russia wants to destroy that."
A statue, too heavy to move underground, lies on the floor of the museum's atrium
The job of emptying the national museum was virtually complete by Wednesday - only a few cardboard boxes of manuscripts were left, near the doors, alongside a sculpture lying on the floor - one of several too heavy to move that will be protected in other ways.
The artefacts that have been moved underground are on a clock - too long there without adequate climate control and they would begin to degrade, Kozhan said.
And they would not probably not survive a direct hit, he said, with a long sigh, because the bunkers are not designed to withstand powerful bombs.
A picture of Jesus and the Virgin Mary sits on an otherwise empty shelf in the National Museum of Lviv
"I hope we can bring them up soon," he said. "It is difficult for me to be here in these empty rooms and hallways. We could have walked the whole day here together looking at our history and our art."
Asked to estimate the total value of the museum's works, Kozhan declined.
"Of course there is no number," he said.
"If these things are destroyed they cannot be remade."
Correction 8 April 2022: This article has been amended after we mistakenly stated Lviv was part of Ukraine in 1924. It was in fact a Polish city at that time. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60707531 |
Child Q: School apologises for strip-search of black schoolgirl - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The school's governing body says teachers were not aware a strip-search was taking place. | Protests have been held in east London over the student's treatment
The governing body of an east London school where a black pupil was strip-searched has publicly apologised for the incident.
A safeguarding report found the search of the 15-year-old girl, known as Child Q, was unjustified and racism was "likely" to have been a factor.
In a statement the governing board said the school "was not aware that a strip-search was taking place".
Child Q is suing the Met Police and the school in Hackney over the incident.
The governing body said: "The incident involving Child Q is harrowing, and we understand and share the sadness and anger that is being felt by the community.
"While the school was not aware that a strip search was taking place, we wholly accept that the child should not have been left in the situation that she was.
"For this, we have offered a full and formal apology to Child Q and her family, and continue to work with them to provide what support we can."
Lawyers acting on behalf of Child Q have asked for the school not to be named in the media.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Labour MP Florence Eshalomi: "When my daughter is 15, I hope this issue still isn't happening but I'm worried it will"
During the incident, the girl was taken out of an exam to the school's medical room and strip-searched by two female Met police officers who were looking for cannabis, while teachers remained outside.
No other adult was present, her parents were not contacted, and no drugs were found.
The girl's intimate body parts were exposed and she was made to take off her sanitary towel, according to the review.
Scotland Yard has admitted the actions of the two officers were "regrettable" and it "should never have happened".
On Monday, policing minister Kit Malthouse said the government was taking the matter "extremely seriously".
In the statement, the school's governing board said "changes were made immediately after the incident, and continued to be made".
Since the incident, the school has changed the leadership of its governing board. However, research by the BBC shows the chair of governors was still in place six months after the search occurred.
The make-up of the board has also changed. The governing board said it would not comment on the employment status of anyone involved.
The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said a report on the incident is being "finalised".
The incident has sparked days of protest across Hackney, near the site of Child Q's school.
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Ukraine war: The priest shot at a checkpoint - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The shooting of a Ukrainian priest by Russian soldiers is being logged as a suspected war crime. | Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova has said the country is in the process of documenting thousands of incidents believed to contravene its criminal code on the rules of war.
As of 24 March, there have been 2,472 cases documented by her office. On Wednesday, Ms Venediktova outlined to the media how the country is handling these cases.
"Where we see that we will be successful in Ukrainian jurisdiction, and where the perpetrator of a crime will physically be in Ukraine, we will follow one strategy," she said.
"If we understand that we are not able to have success in Ukraine, we will put our resources towards the International Criminal Court, so that a specific person, an individual, suffers the punishment."
The following is an account gathered by the BBC of just one of the incidents that have been logged as a suspected war crime.
It was just over a week into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A group of volunteers - neighbours and friends - from the small village of Yasnohorodka, 40km west of Kyiv, had taken up their positions at a checkpoint guarding the entrance to the community.
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces was already brutally fierce. Across the country, checkpoints were springing up at the entrance to towns and villages - mostly manned by local volunteers without any formal military training.
On the afternoon of 5 March, Rostyslav Dudarenko, the village priest, was at the Yasnohorodka checkpoint. His role was to check approaching vehicles. But like all military chaplains he was also there to offer the group spiritual support. He was dressed in civilian clothes.
It is not possible to establish exactly what happened, but one survivor of the attack, Yukhym (not his real name), told the BBC he had been manning the checkpoint with Dudarenko and around a dozen others when they learned three Russian tanks had driven through the village. He says the group decided to hide in the woods, ready to confront them if necessary.
As they approached the checkpoint, the Russian troops started "firing in all directions", Yukhym told the BBC. "When they realised we were hiding in the grass, they went off road to run us over with tanks."
He says the tanks had driven back to the road when Dudarenko decided to break cover.
"I saw Rostyslav raise the cross above his head, get up from his hideaway, screaming something and walking towards them. Perhaps he wanted to stop them. I tried to call him."
He says shots were then fired in the direction of the priest, and from his viewpoint at the time, they appeared to be aimed directly at Dudarenko. "And that was it. He made just a couple of steps and fell."
Yukhym, who himself was shot and injured in the attack, believes they would all have been killed if Ukraine's armed forces had not at that moment arrived to push the Russian forces back.
The voluntary group Dudarenko, 45, had joined had no military status. A couple had some military training - having previous experience in the long-running conflict with Russia in the Donbas in the east, according to another volunteer called Eduard (not his real name). Some were simply amateur hunters. Most were over the age of 50, he told the BBC.
Eduard, who was stationed at a different checkpoint, arrived just as the Russian tanks were driving away to find bodies scattered on the road. He said these included Dudarenko and his assistant - who had also been unarmed - two other defence volunteers and another person he did not know.
Dudarenko's mother Nadiia says her only son was determined to play his part.
"He wanted to be able to protect everyone," Nadiia told the BBC. "I tried to talk him out of it but I couldn't argue with him."
Dudarenko and his congregation hold a memorial service for villagers killed by Nazis in 1941
The group were armed with hunting rifles plus a small number of Russian army Kalashnikovs that had come into their possession, and had just three bulletproof vests between them. But as a priest, Dudarenko refused to bear arms, his friend and fellow priest Serhii Tsoma told the BBC.
This made him particularly vulnerable when he decided to confront the tanks, but such an action was in his nature, according to eyewitness Yukhym.
"Rostyslav was a kind and optimistic person. I think that's why he went to try and stop the Russians."
He was well known in Yasnohorodka as someone always ready to help others, driving round the village to collect older congregation members before Sunday mass, says his friend Tsoma.
His services themselves were also self-sacrificing, says one of his regular congregation, Tetyana Pylypchuk.
Dudarenko belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was finally granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2019, in a move never recognised by Russia.
Before the formal split, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine was divided between two branches, one loyal to Moscow, and one loyal to Kyiv. Although Dudarenko served in a church aligned with Kyiv, when pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych took power in Ukraine in 2010 the Moscow Patriarchate began to take over Kyiv Patriarchate churches, including the one Dudarenko served in.
So rather than betray his principles, his friends say, he left the church and conducted his services out in the open - even in the rain. He later built a makeshift church in his trailer, with the help of donations.
"Our church is orphaned without you, Father," wrote Tetyana in a tribute on her Facebook page.
As has been the case with thousands of such incidents across the country over the past few weeks, the killings were swiftly logged by both the police and local and national public prosecutor's offices, with details published on their respective Facebook pages.
The cases - suspected contraventions of Ukraine's article 438: Violation of the rules of warfare - have also been uploaded on to a centralised website used by Ukraine's state institutions.
Ms Venediktova told the BBC in an interview recorded last week in English that such documentation of evidence was critical.
"In the office of prosecutor general we have a special department of war… all law enforcement agencies help us… to investigate war crimes. It's our main priority.
"Of course, we don't have enough investigators, that's why we created a common website - warcrimes.gov.ua." The website is used not just by the prosecutor general's office but by other state institutions such as Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice, to document all evidence.
"It's very important for us," she explained. "[The evidence] should be acceptable in our Ukrainian courts, they should be acceptable in the ICC, and in other jurisdictions."
As for the 5 March incident in Yasnohorodka, once the investigation into the shooting has been concluded, a court indictment will be issued, says the Kyiv Oblast district prosecutor's office.
"The prosecution is doing everything to establish the circumstances of each and every war crime, and each and every perpetrator: from a soldier, to a general, to the high military and political leadership of the aggressor state," it said in a statement.
It added that in some cases Russian soldiers were already facing the first stage of Ukrainian prosecutions, "so we are not just talking about prospects of sentences in absentia. In each specific case war criminals will be punished in accordance with the law of Ukraine". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60778909 |
Ukraine war: Oligarch Eugene Shvidler's jets held indefinitely - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The two planes belong to Eugene Shvidler, an associate of Roman Abramovich, the government says. | Eugene Shvidler (right) has been sanctioned over his ties with longstanding business partner Roman Abramovich
Private jets owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch have been detained indefinitely by the British government.
The two jets belonging to billionaire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler had been under investigation at Farnborough and Biggin Hill airports for three weeks.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said [Russian President Vladimir] "Putin's friends" should not "enjoy luxuries" while innocent people die in Ukraine.
Mr Shvidler was sanctioned over ties with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.
The government said Mr Shvidler, a former boss and shareholder in Mr Abramovich's steel giant Evraz PLC, was associated with a person benefitting from or supporting the Russian government.
His net worth has been estimated at £1.2bn, the government says, while the seized jets are believed to be worth up to $60m (£45m).
Mr Shapps said in a statement: "Introducing these latest measures - detaining tens of millions of pounds worth of Russian private jets - shows this government will leave no stone unturned in depriving Putin's cronies of their luxury toys."
A private helicopter belonging to Russian firm HeliCo Group LLC has also been detained.
Western nations opposed to the Russian president's invasion of Ukraine have introduced a raft of sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy and hurt its wealthiest citizens.
The UK has made it a criminal offence for planes owned, operated or chartered by Russians - including private jets - to fly or land in the UK.
Ukraine said it had inflicted "powerful blows" and "significant losses" on the Russians.
But Russia's army said the first phase of its military campaign in Ukraine is over, and it will now focus on the eastern Donbas region.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60886181 |
England 2-1 Switzerland: Luke Shaw & Harry Kane goals help Three Lions earn Wembley win - BBC Sport | 2022-03-26 | Harry Kane moves level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 England goals as the Three Lions come from behind to beat Switzerland at Wembley. | Last updated on .From the section Football
Harry Kane moved level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 England goals as they came from behind to beat Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley.
England were grateful to the excellence of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the first half but they still fell behind when Breel Embolo's header put Switzerland in front after 22 minutes.
Gareth Southgate's side were second best to the confident Swiss but were handed a route back into the game when Fabian Frei's error ended with Luke Shaw providing an emphatic finish for England's equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
England, who gave debuts to Marc Guehi, Kyle Walker-Peters and Tyrick Mitchell, completed the turnaround with 12 minutes left when Kane scored from the spot after VAR adjudged that Steven Zuber had handled from a corner.
Kane scored with his usual expertise and now stands just four goals behind England's record marksman Wayne Rooney.
• None Guehi reveals 'nervous' family were not at Wembley
• None Player Rater: Rate the players out of 10
England unconvincing but get over the line
England, perhaps understandably, struggled for any rhythm over long periods as manager Southgate gave his line-up an experimental appearance for the first of two Wembley friendlies in this international break.
It was only the fine work of Pickford that prevented Switzerland establishing a more decisive advantage before Frei's error gave England an equaliser they barely deserved in the closing moments of the first half.
Walker-Peters did well to stretch and intercept Frei's risky clearance, allowing the excellent Conor Gallagher to provide a pass that rolled into the path of Shaw, who made no mistake at the same end where he scored for England in the Euro 2020 Final against Italy at Wembley in the summer.
Under Southgate, England have developed a habit of getting the job done on many occasions when they have not been at their best and so it proved again as an improved second-half display ended with Kane's winner.
Kane has been approaching his best for Tottenham in recent weeks and he scored from the spot with power and precision as he took a step closer to the England record books.
He now stands just those four goals behind Rooney's record of 53 and it is only a matter of time before he takes top spot, currently standing on a highly impressive tally of 49 goals from 68 appearances.
England struggled in the opening 45 minutes, Southgate's plans disrupted in the moments before kick-off when John Stones was injured in the warm-up. He was replaced by Ben White, who saw Xherdan Shaqiri's cross float over his head for Embolo to score.
Gallagher pressed his claims with a fine performance, although Declan Rice's absence from the starting line-up, then his appearance as a substitute, only emphasised his crucial importance to every element of Southgate's plans in this World Cup year.
Southgate will enjoy another morale-boosting victory and he can experiment further when England meet Ivory Coast here at Wembley on Tuesday.
• None Attempt missed. Michel Aebischer (Switzerland) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Mario Gavranovic.
• None Attempt saved. Conor Coady (England) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Raheem Sterling with a cross.
• None Attempt missed. Ricardo Rodríguez (Switzerland) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
• None Attempt blocked. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin Mbabu. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60803641 |
Kyrell Matthews: Mum and partner jailed for killing toddler son - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | Kyrell Matthews suffered weeks of abuse before he died, much of it caught on harrowing recordings. | Kyrell Matthews died after being found in cardiac arrest
A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old son has been jailed for life after the couple's horrific abuse was captured on secret recordings.
Kyrell Matthews died in October 2019 with 41 rib fractures and internal injuries after weeks of cruelty by Kemar Brown and Phylesia Shirley at his south London home.
Brown, 28, was convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 25 years.
Shirley, 24, was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 13 years.
Much of the abuse was caught on audio recordings made at the property in Thornton Heath which were played to the jury.
The toddler could be heard crying and screaming on files taken from Shirley's phone, which picked up the sound of Kyrell being hit repeatedly, with Brown saying "shut up" and "you have to ruin the fun".
Another recording played during the trial at the Old Bailey caught Shirley striking her son, causing him to break down in distress.
Prosecution barrister Edward Brown QC told jurors that the mother put her relationship with Brown above her own child.
The couple, who were unemployed at the time of Kyrell's murder, were both cannabis users and are understood to have been visited by social services at least once.
"She was prepared to reject what should have been motherly care in protecting Kyrell in favour of abuse by her - his own mother - and in favour of the abuse carried out by a man she knew was abusing her child," Mr Brown told jurors.
"The truth is that his death came when once more he was abused in that flat, once more in a very similar way, causing very similar injuries, except on this occasion it was so much more serious, the abuse and the results were catastrophic."
Phylesia Shirley and Kemar Brown will be sentenced on 25 March
Paying tribute to Kyrell outside court after the couple were convicted, his paternal step-grandmother Christine Ernest described the two-year-old as "the most loving little boy, always smiling".
During the trial, jurors were not told that police had been called to an earlier domestic incident but no offences were identified and Kyrell was said to have appeared "safe and well".
A passer-by had alerted officers on 17 July 2019 after hearing shouting and screaming coming from their flat, with a female voice saying: "Stop hitting my face."
It followed an attack in May 2019 when Kyrell suffered a significant injury to the side of his face and spent five days in Croydon University Hospital.
The hospital carried out an investigation and found Shirley's explanation that the little boy had fallen off a sofa and hit his head on a highchair was "plausible", police said.
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World freedoms at stake, President Biden tells US troops - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | President Joe Biden tells US troops in Poland that global democracy is at risk amid Ukraine war. | Joe Biden with US paratroopers deployed to Poland
President Joe Biden hailed American military deployments to Europe as part of a struggle for democracy against autocracy during a visit to US troops in Poland.
His remarks come as the US and others have reinforced Nato's eastern flank amid the war in Ukraine.
The stop at an airbase in Rzeszow, near the Ukrainian border, was part of Mr Biden's trip to Europe to rally allies.
However, back home Mr Biden faces scepticism over his Ukraine response.
In his remarks to the troops on Friday, the president sought to portray their deployments as part of a wider "fight between democracies and oligarchs".
"You are the finest fighting force in the history of the world," he said. "What you're doing is consequential."
"What's at stake is what your kids and grandkids are going to look like in terms of their freedom," he said. "What you're engaging in is much more than whether or not you can alleviate the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine".
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Since February, the US has sent about 12,000 troops to Europe, many of them to Poland to help deter Russia from threatening Nato allies and to assist with humanitarian efforts. Thousands more have been redeployed east from existing US bases in Europe.
The deployments bring the total number of US troops in Europe - including both those on temporary missions and stationed there permanently - to 100,000 for the first time since 2005.
Mr Biden has repeatedly made clear, however, that the troops are in Europe to defend Nato allies and not to fight Russian forces. Earlier in March, he said that a "direct confrontation" between Nato and Russian forces would lead to "World War III" - a scenario he said must be prevented.
Earlier this week, Mr Biden met with Nato, EU and G7 leaders in Brussels to shore up a message of unity against Moscow's invasion of its neighbour.
He is due to hold a bilateral meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday, and deliver a major address after meeting with Ukrainian refugees.
The trip comes as polls show that a majority of US voters are worried about his handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
Only about a quarter said they had confidence in his ability to handle a crisis or effectively manage the US military, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, while 56% of Americans believe that Mr Biden's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has "not been tough enough".
Another poll, from NPR/Ipsos, found that 45% of Americans believe Mr Biden is being too cautious. Over 60% said they want the US to give Ukraine the support it wants, while still wanting to avoid a larger conflict with Russia.
While no additional US troop deployments have been announced, earlier this week National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that troops levels in Europe are "a matter of constant reassessment" in the White House. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60837949 |
David Amess killing: Suspect said MP suspected 'sting', court told - BBC News | 2022-03-26 | The Old Bailey hears the man accused of killing Sir David Amess told police it was a terrorist attack. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Jurors were shown footage from a police interview where the suspect said 'I killed an MP'.
Sir David Amess MP suspected his alleged killer was there for a sting in the moments before he was stabbed, a court has heard.
Sir David, the MP for Southend West, died after he was stabbed more than 20 times during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 15 October.
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, denies charges of murder and preparing acts of terrorism.
Mr Ali told police "he knew straight away something was up", the trial heard.
Sir David died at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea during a constituency surgery last October
His police interviews, seven in total, were played to the jury.
In one he told officers: "Sat down with him. He was quick, but I think he knew straight away something was up.
"Well, it looked awkward 'cos I was holding my phone, ready to send off, like, a bunch of messages to let my family know what was up.
"Then he must've thought that it was a sting from the Labour Party, because he said to me, 'Oh, you must be very politically inclined. You're from the Labour Party, you're not recording me are you?'
"Because... Brass Eye, they did a thing on him, like, 14 years ago."
He claimed it was "one of the strangest days...of my life".
In his first interview, hours after the attack he was asked if the stabbing was a terror attack.
To which he replied: "I mean, I guess yeah I killed an MP and I done it yeah."
He then laughed and said he had worded the answer "like a Little Britain episode", the video showed.
Mr Ali, who is thought to have been on the phone to his sister when he was arrested, said he was mostly worrying about his own family that day.
"The only reason I dropped the knife in front of the police officer was because my sister was on the phone crying her eyes out," he said.
Throughout his interviews Mr Ali repeated that he was motivated by targeting MPs who had voted to carry out airstrikes in Syria, the court heard.
Sir David Amess was the MP for Southend West
Mr Ali also told police he had "bottled" previously planned attacks.
The court heard that he said he "settled" on Sir David after searching for 'MPs surgeries' on Twitter and seeing a post about a recent surgery by Sir David with contact information.
"He was the easiest. I settled on him", he told police.
Mr Ali said he first thought of attacking cabinet minister Michael Gove but decided against it when the secretary of state for communities and levelling up had split up with his wife Sarah Vine.
He said he had also gone to London MP Mike Freer's surgery in Finchley.
Mr Ali was thought to have been on the phone to his sister when he was arrested
Talking about the attack on Sir David, he said: "It's hard. You see a man alive, and then he's dead."
But a few moments later he told police: "Obviously I killed someone yesterday, there's no doubt about that, but it still doesn't really feel like it."
Mr Ali said he felt he had an allegiance to the so-called Islamic State and wanted to be seen as an "Islamic State militant".
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60873662 |
Marina Ovsyannikova: Protesting journalist says Russians zombified by propaganda - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Marina Ovsyannikova, who interrupted a broadcast to protest against the war in Ukraine, speaks to the BBC. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: Marina Ovsyannikova says none of her interrogators thought her TV protest was her idea
A Russian journalist who interrupted a live TV news programme to protest against the war in Ukraine says Russians are "zombified" by propaganda.
Speaking to the BBC, Marina Ovsyannikova said Russians should stop listening to state media coverage.
"I understand it's very hard... to find alternative information, but you need to try to look for it," she said.
Ms Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel 1, was detained after her protest on Monday.
She ran onto the set of one of Russia's most-watched news programmes, Vremya, holding a sign reading: "No war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here."
She could also be heard repeating the words "no war, stop the war".
"I was aware that if I went to protest in [Moscow's] central square I would be arrested like everyone else and thrown into a police van and be put on trial," Ms Ovsyannikova said on Thursday.
"Half the poster was in Russian, half the poster was in English. I really wanted to show the Western audience that some Russians are against war," she said.
"I feel of course some responsibility lying on me. I was an ordinary cog in the propaganda machine. Until the very last moment I didn't think about it too much," she said.
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Ms Ovsyannikova also responded to various allegations in Russian media about her motivation for staging the protest. "There are lots of conspiracy theories building up about me," she said.
"That's why I had to explain to the world what really happened, the fact that I am just a normal Russian woman, but I could not remain on the sidelines."
Before her protest she recorded a video in which she said she was ashamed to work for what she called Kremlin propaganda.
The journalist said she was detained and questioned by police for 14 hours, and fined 30,000 roubles ($280; £210) for the video. The authorities had been convinced she had been acting on someone else's behalf, she said.
"Nobody believed it was my personal decision. They suggested it could be conflict at work, relatives who were angry about Ukraine or that I was doing it for Western special services."
"They couldn't believe that I had so many objections to the government that I could not stay silent," she said.
Russian state television news has long been controlled by the Kremlin and independent viewpoints are rare on all the major channels.
It is also unusual for employees of state-controlled news organisations to express an opinion that differs from the official Kremlin position.
But since the war in Ukraine began, a number of journalists have resigned from top Russian TV channels: Zhanna Agalakova from Channel 1, and Lilia Gildeyeva and Vadim Glusker from NTV.
State-controlled Russian media refer to the war as a "special military operation" and paint Ukraine as the aggressor, describing Ukraine's elected government as neo-Nazis. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60778554 |
Girls face more pressure to be a perfect teenager - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | A big study of teenagers attitudes finds significant differences between boys and girls. | Saint dropped out of football because she was the only girl
Teenage girls sleep and exercise less than boys, and are three times as likely to report struggling with their mental health, a study suggests.
Those are among findings drawn from the experiences of almost 40,000 teenagers across Greater Manchester.
Young people worked with academics to devise a questionnaire for the BeeWell research project.
It is thought to be the largest attempt to analyse young people's wellbeing in one region, and runs for three years.
Saint, one of the Year 10 pupils who responded, wasn't surprised the first results reveal some marked differences between the experiences of girls and boys.
Girls were three times as likely - at 22% - to report serious emotional difficulties, as boys at 7%.
Saint, who wants to be a scientist, dropped out of football because she had had enough of feeling unwelcome as the only girl.
She said: "I think a lot of it today is about looking good for other people, being who other people expect you to be - the perfect girl. Especially today when lots of people are questioning who they are, and their identity."
She said there was pressure to construct a life that looks busy, even if you don't have people you can talk to properly in reality.
Social media use was higher among girls, an average of 4.8 hours a day, and 46% reported not getting enough sleep.
The teenagers I spoke to said social media could be a source of support, but also added to the pressures on girls around body image.
Ruby said girls struggled more with confidence issues
Across the city, Ruby, another Year 10 pupil, said confidence was an issue.
"I think it's clear, it is more in women to struggle more. In my opinion boys can be cocky with the things they know and it puts other people down."
So do boys feel they have more freedom?
Two Year 8 boys told me they thought that was true, not least in sport because the choice for boys is wider.
Saad thinks boys have more licence to mess around
Saad said he thought boys had much more leeway to be "mischievous" and mess around.
Overall a third of the teenagers reported being active for an hour a day, including just walking, but for girls that fell to just 26%.
Researchers think it's also possible there is less space for boys to express vulnerability.
Ahmed, who doesn't really use social media, said: "As boys we express our emotions less, we're expected to be stoic."
The research will be analysed to show the differences in wellbeing between different neighbourhoods across the city region.
That could be revealing in the contrast between wealthier and more deprived areas, but also the many different communities in a big urban area.
A year 8 pupil Maria told me she was allowed to go to friends and to the shops on her own, but many other girls aren't.
The generational shift in issues around identity and gender are also apparent in the study, with 2.7% identifying as gay or lesbian and a further 7.7% as bi or pansexual.
Saint said: "I don't think it really surprises me at all. As celebrities, for example, have decided who they are, it's become easier for young people to look at the people they admire and think it's OK to express myself.
"It's more common now for people to ask themselves who they think they are at a younger age."
Ahmed, pictured with Maria, said he thinks boys may have more freedom, but are expected to control their emotions
The findings in this research suggest teenagers identifying as gay or lesbian are twice as likely to be bullied in some way.
Ahmed said: "If you're LGBT you might be harassed. I think identity plays a really big part in society."
Prof Neil Humphrey, from the University of Manchester, said what made BeeWell different was the involvement of 150 teenagers in designing the research questions.
Insights have already been fed back in confidence to all the secondary schools which took part to inform their welfare policies.
A breakdown of the data by neighbourhoods will be used to select some for further pilot projects in which young people will have a budget to direct on improving local wellbeing.
"We are about immediate impact and insights into the lives of young people," he said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60785871 |
Joanne Tulip: Justice Secretary blocks killer's move to open prison - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Joanne Tulip was stabbed 60 times on Christmas Day 1997 by Steven Ling, who she had met that day. | Joanne Tulip was murdered by Steven Ling on Christmas Day 1997 in Stamfordham, Northumberland
A bid to move the killer of Joanne Tulip to an open prison has been blocked by Dominic Raab.
The Justice Secretary rejected the transfer of Steven Ling, overruling a Parole Board recommendation.
Ling was jailed for life in December 1998 after he admitted to the murder of Ms Tulip in Stamfordham, Northumberland, on Christmas Day 1997.
A spokesman for Mr Raab said he had acted "in the interest of public protection".
This is the first intervention of its kind made by the Justice Secretary after he promised to personally review requests to move high-risk offenders to open prisons.
Steven Ling was jailed for a minimum of 20 years in 1998
Ling, 23 at the time, stabbed 29-year-old Ms Tulip 60 times at his home, having met her at a pub earlier in the day.
Parole Board papers said the panel assessing his case "took account of Mr Ling's consistent good behaviour in prison over many years and his good working relationships with professional staff", noting he had participated in programmes to address his behaviour.
They did not think he was suitable for release, but had recommended a move to "open conditions", which the justice secretary rejected.
Now 47, this was Ling's fourth review before the Parole Board, with a similar request being blocked by Ministry of Justice officials in 2020 when his case last came up.
He will be eligible for another parole review in two years' time.
Ling was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court and initially ordered to serve at least 20 years in prison, However, the minimum term was reduced to 18 by a High Court judge.
Last month Ms Tulip's mother, Doreen Soulsby, said she believed her daughter's killer was still "a very dangerous man".
She said her family felt "terrified and devastated" Ling was even being considered for a move to an open prison.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-60800752 |
Nasa's giant new SLS Moon rocket makes its debut - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The Space Launch System vehicle rolls out for a practice countdown ahead of a flight this summer. | The American space agency has rolled out its new giant Moon rocket for the first time.
The vehicle, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), was taken to Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to conduct a dummy countdown.
If that goes well, the rocket will be declared ready for a mission in which it will send an uncrewed test capsule around the Moon.
This could happen in the next couple of months.
Bill Nelson was a prime mover behind the rocket when he was a US Senator
Ultimately, it's hoped astronauts would climb aboard later SLS rockets to return to the Moon's surface sometime in the second half of this decade.
These missions are part of what Nasa calls its Artemis programme.
Watching the roll-out, agency administrator Bill Nelson said we were entering a golden era of human space exploration.
"The Artemis generation is preparing to reach new frontiers," he told the spectator crowds gathered at Kennedy.
"This generation will return astronauts to the Moon and this time, we will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the surface, to conduct ground-breaking science.
"Nasa's Artemis programme will pave the way for humanity's giant leap (to) future missions to Mars."
The Crawler Transporter is now more than 50 years old
SLS is a colossus. A touch under 100m in height, it was designed to be more powerful than the Apollo Saturn vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It will have the thrust to not only send astronauts far beyond Earth but additionally so much equipment and cargo that those crews could stay away for extended periods.
Thursday's rollout from Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is the rocket's debut in the sense that it's the very first time everyone has got to see all its different elements fully stacked together.
The rocket uses a lot of technology repurposed from the space shuttle programme
The SLS move from the VAB began 17:47 local Florida time.
The rocket came out attached to a support gantry known as the Mobile Launcher. This structure, which is itself 120m high and weighs 5,000 tonnes, was sitting atop the same mammoth tractor that used to move the Saturn Vs back in the day, and later the space shuttles.
The Crawler Transporter goes very slowly, with a cruising speed of just over 1km/h (under 1mph). And after engineers had stopped and started the tractor for various checks, it was 04:15 on Friday morning by the time the procession had reached Pad 39B. A total journey distance of 6.75km.
SLS will now be prepared for a "wet dress rehearsal", likely to occur on 3 April.
This will see the rocket loaded with propellants and taken through a practice countdown all the way to a mere 9.4 seconds from the moment of lift-off. The "scrub" point is just before they would normally light the four big shuttle-era engines under the rocket.
Assuming everything proceeds to the satisfaction of the engineers, Nasa will then be able to set a flight date.
The end of May remains a possibility, but more likely it will be June or July.
This mission, dubbed Artemis-1, will propel the rocket's Orion crew capsule on a 26-day journey that includes an expanded orbit around the Moon. There will be no-one in the capsule for the test flight. This should happen on a second mission in a couple of years' time.
The Moon is the initial target, but eventually Nasa wants to get people to Mars
While Nasa is developing the SLS, the American rocket entrepreneur Elon Musk is preparing an even larger vehicle at his R&D facility in Texas.
He calls his giant rocket the Starship. Like SLS it has yet to have a maiden flight. Unlike SLS, Starship has been designed to be totally reusable and ought therefore to be considerably cheaper to operate.
A recent assessment from the Office of Inspector General, which audits Nasa programmes, found that the first four SLS missions would each cost more than $4bn to execute - a sum of money that was described as "unsustainable". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60788761 |
St Patrick's Day: Biden reinforces support for Good Friday Agreement - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The US president held a virtual meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin to celebrate St Patrick's Day. | Micheál Martin and Joe Biden met virtually after Mr Martin tested positive for Covid
US President Joe Biden has warned that too much "blood, sweat and tears" have been shed on the Good Friday Agreement to change it now.
He also praised the Irish government's response to the Ukrainian conflict in bringing in 7,000 refugees.
The president was speaking during a virtual meeting with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin to celebrate St Patrick's Day.
The talks were held remotely after Mr Martin tested positive for Covid.
President Biden said he was disappointed the two leaders could not meet in person.
In reply the taoiseach said they met virtually last year across the Atlantic because of the pandemic and now they year were meeting virtually across the road.
President Biden then reaffirmed his government support for the Good Friday Agreement, the deal which ended the worst of almost 30 years of violence known as the Troubles.
"I want to emphasise this administration's unequivocal support for the Good Friday accord," he said
"I think too much blood, sweat and tears have been shed to get that done. And this is no time to change it."
Both leaders also talked about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the taoiseach praised the president's "firm and measured" response to the war
President Biden said he was impressed with the Republic of Ireland's response in brining in more than 7,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Mr Martin had to isolate after he was informed of a positive Covid test while attending the Ireland Fund dinner in Washington on Wednesday night.
At the time he was sitting alongside House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other guests.
The taoiseach had been due to receive an international leadership award at the event.
However, when the moment arrived Ireland's Ambassador to the United States, Dan Mulhall, took to the stage and confirmed the positive test.
He said Mr Martin had tested negative but then was re-tested after a member of his delegation received a positive result.
He said the taoiseach had re-tested out of an "abundance of caution" and added that he was in "good form" but very disappointed.
"It is a sad thing which I have to do which is to deliver the taoiseach's speech on his behalf," he said.
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood, who was at the dinner, said it was a big blow for the taoiseach.
"It is very sad. This is a major event for any taoiseach, going into the White House on St Patrick's Day, and that now won't happen. I feel very sorry for him," he said
He said the news had left everyone "deflated" at the dinner and with the taoiseach's office due to be rotated later this year, he said Mr Martin would not get another chance to celebrate St Patrick's Day in the White House.
The water in the White House north lawn fountain was turned green to mark St Patrick's Day in 2021
During the gala dinner on Wednesday, President Biden and Mrs Pelosi addressed the gathering.
Mrs Pelosi issued a warning to the UK over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
She said that if the "border is hardened there will be no UK-US trade deal".
She also warned against any move which "imperils" the Good Friday Agreement.
• None What is the Good Friday Agreement? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60776392 |
P&O Ferries: Larne Port protest over P&O Ferries sackings - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | One worker, who lost his job, describes treatment of staff on Thursday as "absolutely brutal". | On Thursday, staff were removed from a ship docked at Larne
A protest has taken place in Larne after P&O Ferries sacked 800 UK staff without giving them any notice.
It will be another week before P&O ships can operate from the County Antrim port.
The Larne protest was organised by the RMT union, but also features representatives from a number of other unions.
Danny McQuaid, from the union, who lost his job with P&O on Thursday, said he was "shocked and saddened".
There were also protests on Friday across the ports of Dover, Liverpool, and Hull in England.
Unions are discussing possible legal action over the job cuts, and the UK government has said it is reviewing its contracts with the firm.
In a letter to the company, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he was "deeply concerned" at the move and questioned whether it was legal.
P&O said its survival was dependent on "making swift and significant changes now".
"I have been here about eight years, but there are some of the guys who have been here 30, 35 years," Mr McQuaid said, at the protest in Larne.
"They have given their lives to this company and have been part of the reason they have been such a success."
Danny McQuaid said there was no good time to lose your job but this was a particularly painful time
Mr McQuaid said the way staff had been treated on Thursday was "absolutely brutal".
"There's no good time to lose your job, but certainly this is particularly painful, not just for me, but a lot of the guys - there are some young guys with families and mortgages to pay," he added.
Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries' UK staff were told via a pre-recorded video message on Thursday that it was their "final day of employment".
Gale Dowey has worked for P&O since 1994, joining the company at 18.
Ms Dowey works on board the ship for two weeks at a time which amounts to living on board for six months of the year.
"It's my life, it's the only life I know," she said.
"We eat together, we're with each other 24/7 and we spend longer together than we do with our families."
Ms Dowey, who is also a RMT union official, said P&O prided itself in having employees with long service.
"I took phone call after phone call yesterday from grown men, crying, asking me how they're going to go home to their wife and children and tell them they no longer have a career."
Gale Dowey (centre) says she is worried about the rising cost of living after losing her job
On Thursday, private security officers were sent on to a ship docked at Larne to remove staff.
"They were told they would be handcuffed and removed if they didn't comply," she said.
She said staff were taken to their cabins and told they had five minutes to fill a bag and leave the ship.
"They left the ship yesterday absolutely humiliated, they were treated like common criminals for working for this company and being loyal, long serving employees," she added.
Ms Dowey said she had no idea what to do next and was worried about the cost of her mortgage and rising cost of living.
The temporary halting of P&O's sailings at Larne Port will affect supplies coming into Northern Ireland as other ferry operators are "pretty near full", Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has said.
Mr Poots said there was not the capacity and there would be consequences.
"There are export materials that need to get out of Northern Ireland which won't get out," he told BBC's The View programme.
"About 50% of our food is exported out of Great Britain, so that is a real problem for us."
Stormont's economy and agriculture committees held emergency meetings, in closed session, on Friday to discuss the implications for supply chains.
Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries' UK staff were told about the job cuts via a pre-recorded video message on Thursday
The disruption to the goods supply chains was currently "manageable", the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) said.
However, as P&O sailings are a key part of Northern Ireland's retail logistics infrastructure, the matter needed to be resolved "very quickly", added NIRC's director Aodhán Connolly.
He said retailers had stock in large distribution centres which should last for about four or five days.
Retailers were looking at alternative Irish Sea options such as using the ports of Belfast and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, he added.
With regard to the transport of goods to and from mainland Europe, Mr Connolly said retailers were also considering using the Eurotunnel or air freight.
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P&O Ferries tweeted on Friday evening that services between Larne and Cairnryan were suspended and they were no longer able to arrange alternative travel.
"For essential travel, customers are advised to seek alternatives themselves," the firm said.
The ferry firm said the "tough decision" was made to secure the future of the business.
P&O has said that its services will not operate for the "next few days", with passengers told to use other companies.
"In its current state, P&O Ferries is not a viable business," it said.
"We have made a £100m loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World.
"This is not sustainable. Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60791803 |
Putin hails Crimea annexation and war with lessons on heroism - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Eight years after Russia seized Crimea, the event is being celebrated with a concert and in schools. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Thousands gather in Moscow to celebrate annexation of Crimea
Eight years after Russian troops seized Ukraine's southern region of Crimea, the event is being celebrated with flag-waving crowds in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium and special lessons in schools.
State workers said they had been told to take part. In schools, teachers held lessons marking the "Crimean spring".
The Russian army has used its bases in Crimea to seize towns and cities on Ukraine's south coast.
Mr Putin has regularly used the anniversary to highlight love of the motherland.
Officials said more than 200,000 people had gathered at the stadium, although the numbers could not be verified. The stadium's official capacity is 81,000, but there were also large crowds outside.
President Putin praised the military, who he said had demonstrated Russian unity: "When needed, they shield each other from bullets with their bodies like brothers. Such unity we have not had for a long time." He also repeated the false claim that Russian troops were protecting people in areas of eastern Ukraine from genocide.
We know what we need to do next, how to do it and at what cost. And we will definitely carry out all the plans we have made
But as he spoke on stage, his address on almost every major state TV channel suddenly cut to singer Oleg Gazmanov belting out the words "Forward, Russia", in what the Kremlin later called a technical glitch.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also addressed the event along with top state TV journalist Margarita Simonyan and foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
I spoke to dozens of people queueing to enter the venue for the pro-Kremlin rally.
Many told the BBC they worked in the public sector, and that they had been pressured into attending by their employers.
One man who works in the Moscow metro, told us that he and other employees had been forced to attend the rally.
"I'll be here for a while and then I'll leave… I think most people here don't support the war. I don't," he said.
Among the flags in the Luzhniki stadium were signs bearing the letter Z, a symbol of Russia's war
Many people didn't want to be filmed or answer questions.
Students told us they had been given the option of a day off from lectures if they attended "a concert". Some of the students we spoke to didn't even know that the event was dedicated, in part, to support the war in Ukraine.
There were doubtless some people in attendance who genuinely support President Putin and the "special military operation in Ukraine", as the Kremlin prefers to call it.
Special lessons on the war entitled "My Country" began at the start of March, for students in the final six years of school. Pupils were played a video of Mr Putin from 21 February, in which he detailed his vision of Ukraine's history, BBC Russian reports.
Photographs emerged earlier this week of children lining up to form the letter Z, a symbol painted on Russian military vehicles that have invaded Ukraine.
The education ministry then sent out lesson plans specifically geared to 18 March, the date that Russia annexed Crimea after an internationally discredited referendum.
According to a memo sent to schools by the education ministry, lessons for children in Years 6-8 (12-15 year-olds) should focus on "heroes of our time... to help form a stable and grounded understanding of the feeling of patriotism".
Pupils were to be asked to sit in a circle to hear an explanation of how ideas of "duty, dignity and patriotism are inextricably linked with the concepts of exploits and heroism". Teachers would then show a video to show that people with military roles were more likely to become heroes than anyone else.
A separate video was sent out to schools giving Russia's version of the events surrounding the annexation of Crimea.
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In the video, two uniformed teenagers from Crimea are asked if they know what happened on 18 March 2014. One says that for him, as a resident of Sevastopol in Crimea, it was a day of celebration, when the "Crimean Spring" was accomplished.
Another teenager, Anna, is asked why the events are known as spring: "Spring is the start of new life. It is renewal, warmth, the sun. And of course, a cosy home."
One teacher in Moscow region spoke of taking the day off out of disgust.
"I don't like history being used for propaganda. I think this is dangerous, because there are a lot of children here who have relatives in Ukraine. This can provoke conflicts among children," said the teacher, who prefers to remain anonymous.
Most of her colleagues said they were in favour of the lessons. "Even those with relatives under the bombs approve. They say the Nazis should have been kicked out a long time ago," the teacher said, referring to Russia's false characterisation of Ukraine's leadership.
A number of teachers have complained about the "My Country" lessons. One teacher from Volgograd called Svetlana said that for some of the children war was something of an adventure. "I explained there's nothing good in war," she told BBC Russian. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60793319 |
Ukraine war: Russians grieve for fallen soldiers - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Two weeks since the last official death toll, funerals of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine continue. | In Kostroma, friends, family, and an armed guard of honour gathered for the funeral of Mikhail Orchikov
In the Church of Alexandra and Antonina lies a coffin. It is draped with a Russian tricolour. Resting on the casket: a service cap and a photograph.
Mikhail Orchikov was deputy commander of a motor-rifle brigade. He was killed in action in Ukraine. Armed Russian soldiers form a guard of honour.
An Orthodox priest walks around the casket reciting prayers and swinging an ornate metal vessel emitting burning incense. The pungent scent fills the chapel, mixing with the sweet cadences of the church choir. The dead soldier's widow, head covered in a black scarf, is being comforted by relatives.
How many Russian servicemen have been killed in Ukraine? It is a criminal offence in Russia to report anything other than the official figures.
According to information released by Russia's Defence Ministry, 498 soldiers have lost their lives in what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation". Those are the latest figures, from 2 March. There has been no update for two weeks.
"The situation in our country isn't simple," the priest tells the congregation. "Everyone understands that."
The Kremlin wants the public to believe that the Russian soldiers in Ukraine are heroes and that Russia's offensive there is an act of self-defence.
In a recent edition of state TV's flagship weekly news show, the anchor claimed that if Russia "hadn't intervened now, in three years' time Ukraine would have been in Nato… with a nuclear bomb. [Ukraine] would definitely advance on Crimea, then on southern Russia." An alternative reality, in which Ukraine is the aggressor.
On the streets of Kostroma, many appear to believe the official Kremlin line.
Mikhail Orchikov was laid to rest as "a defender of the Fatherland"
That's partly due to the power of television in shaping public opinion. But also, at moments of crisis, many Russians instinctively rally around its leader - as if they don't want to believe that their president may have made the wrong decision.
"Nato wants to set up shop right next to us [in Ukraine] and they've got nuclear weapons," Nikolai tells me. "Well done Putin. He didn't let them."
"Russia needs to push on till the end," declares pensioner Nina Ivanovna.
"How much do you trust the information you're getting on Russian TV about this?" I ask her. "I trust it. Why shouldn't I? It's the internet I don't trust."
Not everyone supports Russia's offensive in Ukraine. In the village of Nikolskoye, I visit the home of Orthodox priest, Father Ioann Burdin. He recently delivered an anti-war sermon and voiced his criticism on the church website.
He was later detained and fined under a new law for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.
Father Ioann Burdin says he believes bloodshed of any kind "is still a sin"
"I believe that any bloodshed, whatever the cause and however you try to justify it, is still a sin," Father Ioann tells me. "Blood is on the hands of the person who spilled it. If an order was given, it's on the hands of whoever gave the order, supported it or stayed silent."
"The worst thing of all is that hatred has appeared. It will grow deeper and deeper, because we can see that the situation [with Ukraine] isn't ending. There is no political will to stop this. Hatred on both sides will strengthen and become a wall between our peoples for decades to come."
At a cemetery in Kostroma, eight soldiers bear Mikhail's coffin to the grave. A military band plays solemn music. Then a gun salute and, to the Russian national anthem, the casket is lowered into the ground.
There is a brief speech: "The loss of a son, brother, father is always a tragedy, but we are proud that he died defending our people, our children, our country."
In Kostroma, they call Mikhail "a defender of the Fatherland".
Mikhail's coffin was wrapped in the national flag before burial
And yet it was Russia's army that crossed the border into a sovereign nation and attacked Ukraine on the orders of President Putin. The Kremlin leader claims that the aim of his "special military operation" is to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, as if the Ukrainian government is overrun with fascists - which is simply not true.
In recent days Russian officials have barely concealed their wider objectives. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that what's happening in Ukraine "…is a life-and-death battle for Russia's right to be on the political map of the world with full respect for their legitimate interests".
In other words, this is about geopolitics, and Moscow's determination to force Ukraine back into Russia's sphere of influence.
That's something the government in Ukraine is determined to prevent. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60769509 |
Ukraine crisis: Calls for clarity on refugee matching process - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Charities say they've been "deluged" with calls as they await further detail from the government. | A child who fled Ukraine waits outside an immigration centre office in Brussels, Belgium
British people hoping to host Ukrainian refugees in their own homes need urgent clarity on how to do so, charities say.
More than 150,000 people have registered interest in the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, which is due to launch fully on Friday.
But the visa process cannot be started until potential hosts have the names of specific refugees they want to help.
In the meantime charities say they have been "deluged" with calls from people wanting advice on finding a match.
Meanwhile, the government is warning potential hosts not to link up with refugees through informal channels, such as social media.
"Our advice would be to stick to community groups and councils as they've got the expertise," one member of the government's Department for Housing and Communities told the BBC.
The department said details about the matching up process would be published later.
Details of the online application process for Ukrainian nationals have been published, which say it is open to those who were living in Ukraine before 1 January 2022, plus their immediate family - including spouses and long-term partners, and children aged under 18.
The government says Ukrainians should not try to travel to the UK until they have received an official permission letter, which will allow them to board a plane or other transport to cross the border.
In Scotland the issue of matching hosts and refugees can be bypassed after the Scottish government was approved as a "super sponsor", which can be selected instead of an individual sponsor during the visa application.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it meant refugees did not need to have a host UK family before coming to Scotland and could be housed in temporary accommodation before a longer-term arrangement is made.
Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, said he was grateful to the 150,000 Britons who expressed interest in "opening up their hearts and sometimes homes" to Ukrainians, and "humbled" by their generosity.
He estimates between 100,000 and 200,000 Ukrainians will want to seek refuge in the UK.
Local councils are expected to be leaned on heavily to help support the refugees, and the government hopes charities, businesses and faith and community groups will help the effort to match people up.
About 120 Ukrainian families have already registered with Robina Qureshi's refugee hosting programme, Room for Refugees - which also helps people fleeing many other countries.
But she says her charity's rigorous security checks and vetting processes are being slowed down by an inundation of calls and emails they're getting from members of the public seeking clarification about how to match up with a refugee.
"Right now every day is time wasted, and that's what I find quite upsetting," Ms Qureshi told the BBC.
She said she had been disturbed by some specific requests to "only host Ukrainians" rather than refugees of other nationalities who are also vulnerable.
Ms Qureshi said she appreciated the "goodwill" of those who had registered their interest with Homes for Ukraine, but added: "We haven't got the infrastructure to deal with inane comments and questions."
These people are among the millions of refugees heading from Ukraine to Poland
Other organisations that work with refugees have voiced confusion and reluctance to be involved in helping with the government scheme.
West London Welcome said it was not yet referring people to Homes for Ukraine because it was "not confident" in the government's vetting process.
And a spokeswoman for IMIX, working on behalf of Reset UK, said it was "unclear currently how this matching process will work".
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the Ukraine sponsorship scheme was complex and "will inevitably be inaccessible to the most vulnerable refugees, such as unaccompanied children".
Calling for the government to waive visa requirements, he said: "A humanitarian crisis requires a speedy and compassionate response, not one that puts bureaucratic hurdles ahead of the immediate needs of people whose lives have been ripped apart."
He also criticised the "cruel and harmful" proposals in the Nationality and Borders Bill which would criminalise Ukrainians and other refugees who arrive in the UK without a visa.
Labour has welcomed the sponsorship scheme but urged the government to be more involved in the matching-up process.
"The biggest barriers are excessive bureaucracy and the DIY nature of this scheme," said Lisa Nandy, shadow levelling up and housing secretary.
"The government needs to cut unnecessary paperwork and play an active role in matching sponsors to refugees." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60791696 |
Covid travel restrictions have ended in the UK - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Passenger locator forms and tests for unvaccinated arrivals are no longer required. | All remaining Covid travel restrictions have now been lifted for passengers entering the UK.
As of 04:00 GMT, unvaccinated arrivals will no longer have to take tests - the rule had already been lifted for the vaccinated - and passenger locator forms have been scrapped.
It comes almost exactly two years after the first Covid lockdown measures were imposed in the UK.
Travel bosses said lifting the rules was the "final game-changer".
Aviation minister Robert Courts said: "Everything we have worked for - every jab, every test, and the sacrifices made by the whole country means that finally, nearly two years on, we can all travel without bureaucratic restrictions."
The government said the change had been deliberately timed before the Easter holidays, but added that contingency plans had been drawn up to respond to any future Covid variants.
Derek Jones, chief executive of Kuoni, a tourism company, said bookings had surged in recent months.
"The removal of all travel restrictions is the final game-changer - people can now go on holiday or visit family and friends overseas without all of the stress that comes with testing before they return home," he said.
"Finally, we've seen the back of the unpopular and ineffective passenger locator forms, which were always a hassle to complete. Travel has been in turmoil for two years but now it's back."
However, UK travellers are still advised to check the rules for the countries they are visiting - as many still have restrictions and testing requirements in place.
The removal of the rules marks the end of a rapidly-changing - and often complex - set of Covid rules for people arriving in the UK.
People were first advised against all non-essential international travel in March 2020.
Later that year, passenger locator forms for arrivals were introduced, along with "travel corridors" - with people arriving from countries outside the corridors having to self-isolate at home for up to 14 days.
Other rules have included pre-departure and post-arrival tests; hotel quarantine for some arrivals; and a "traffic light" system of red, amber, and green countries.
The traffic light system could often cause short-term changes to people's plans as countries moved from one colour to another.
In a further complication, all four nations could set their own rules - meaning there were sometimes different restrictions in different parts of the UK.
More recently, changes have been agreed by all governments in the UK.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Last year, people made to stay in hotel quarantine criticised their "prison-like" experience | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60789979 |
British Sign Language set for legal recognition - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | A bill requiring public bodies to promote sign language is backed by MPs. | The passage of the bill this year has seen supporters gather outside Parliament
British Sign Language (BSL) is set to gain formal recognition after MPs backed the proposal.
A bill requiring public bodies to promote the language will now go to the House of Lords, as it continues its journey to becoming law.
It will also recognise BSL as a language in its own right in England, Wales and Scotland.
The legislation, introduced by Labour MP Rosie Cooper, is being backed by the government.
Up to 250,000 people in the UK use some BSL on a daily basis, according to the British Deaf Association.
Disabilities Minister Chloe Smith said legally recognising it would help deliver better public services to deaf people. while creating "a more inclusive and accessible society, improving the lives of deaf people and helping public services to do it right".
The bill would require government departments to follow guidance on how the use of BSL can be put in place across services.
Although it will not allocate any new funds for BSL promotion, Ms Smith argued this issue was a "red herring", as the Equalities Act already ensures deaf people must have access to public services.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "We need a stronger presence," says BSL user
Kelsey Gordon is currently directing an interactive performance co-produced by a theatre that specialises in plays acted in BSL.
The actor and stage director says deaf people "need a stronger presence" in the arts.
"We're tiptoeing our way through it at the moment, and we need to blast those doors open," she adds.
"BSL is our language, it is really important to have a deaf representative in the room."
Ms Cooper, MP for West Lancashire, grew up using BSL and said her bill was about "doing what is right" and would "begin the process" of giving deaf people "equal equal access to the essential services that everyone else takes for granted".
"No longer will they need to feel not heard, ignored and invisible," she added.
Ms Cooper has also backed an initiative under which MPs will be offered lessons to learn BSL.
MPs backed the British Sign Language Bill without the need for a vote. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60785449 |
Emiliano Sala: Footballer died after plane broke up mid-air - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The footballer's brother says the family will "never really believe" he is dead. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sala's brother Dario says his brother was the best and he still cannot believe he is dead.
Footballer Emiliano Sala died instantly from "head and trunk injuries" when the plane he was in crashed after breaking up mid-air, a jury has found.
They also concluded he was likely to have been "deeply unconscious" from carbon monoxide poisoning on the unlicensed flight.
Sala and pilot David Ibbotson died when the plane they were flying in crashed in the English Channel in January 2019.
The 28-year-old had been flying to Wales from France to join Cardiff City.
David Henderson, who arranged the flight, was given an 18-month prison sentence for aviation offences relating to arranging the flight.
The jury concluded Sala died in the crash having been overcome by toxic levels of carbon monoxide from the aircraft's faulty exhaust system.
The body of Mr Ibbotson, from Crowle, Lincolnshire, has never been found.
The plane disappeared from radar near Guernsey on its way to Cardiff from Nantes
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Sala's younger brother Dario described the impact his death had on the family.
"We just couldn't believe it, we couldn't accept it. It was so shocking for us as a family. Even now we can't believe it and we'll never really believe it," he said.
"For me, my brother was always the best, the greatest, even before he became a professional footballer and came over here - he was my brother."
During the inquest, Dorset Coroner's Court was told Henderson had been investigated for illegal public transport flights before, but he was was not monitored following the initial investigation.
Emiliano Sala had just signed with Cardiff City before the crash
He arranged for Mr Ibbotson to take the footballer from Cardiff to Nantes and back again, when the plane crashed en-route to Cardiff.
Argentine striker Sala (second left) had just signed for Cardiff City when he died
Explaining how carbon monoxide could have entered the Piper Malibu's cabin, Brian McDermid, who works for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said it most likely came from exhaust gases seeping into the cabin through a heating system.
But, he added, during its last maintenance check "there was no evidence to suggest that the aircraft was not serviceable or fit to do that flight".
The wreckage of the plane was found a month after the crash
In a statement, Sala's family said the inquest had "shone a bright light on many of the missed opportunities in the worlds of football and aviation to prevent his tragic death".
"The family particularly note the jury's findings that it is likely that both the pilot and Emiliano suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and that Emiliano was deeply unconscious at the time of the accident, and that the poisoning was caused by a failure in the aircraft exhaust system," they added.
"The family also welcome the coroner's decision to communicate to the relevant authorities her concerns about the safety issues arising from this inquest in order to prevent similar future deaths. No family should have to go through grief from a similar avoidable accident."
Coroner for Dorset Rachel Griffin is recommending that the UK Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps consider giving the Civil Aviation Authority more powers to tackle the "illegality of these flights and the risks associated with them".
She is also sending her prevention of future deaths report to the UK Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Nadine Dorries, interested parties and a host of other sporting organisations in order to discourage the use of illegal flights.
David Henderson is serving an 18-month prison sentence for his role in arranging the flight
French club Nantes and Cardiff have been in dispute over the agreed £15m fee for Sala.
Cardiff claimed they were not liable for any of the fee because Sala was not officially their player when he died and refused to make interim payments as they claimed the deal was not legally binding.
The case is being heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cardiff City said it respected the verdict and hoped Sala's family would have "a sense of peace and closure".
"We are pleased that the truth has been firmly established in a court of law, particularly the facts surrounding the organisation of the illegal flight," a spokesman added. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-60767283 |
Outrage and no ferries after mass P&O sackings - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The company confirms it will not run services "for the next few days" after abruptly sacking 800 staff. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. P&O Ferries workers were told via video that it "was their final day of employment"
P&O Ferries has sparked outrage after sacking 800 staff with plans to replace them with cheaper agency workers.
Staff were told in a video call that Thursday was their "final day of employment", but some refused to leave their ships in protest and were removed.
P&O said it was a "tough" decision but it would "not be a viable business" without the changes.
But the government called the workers' treatment "wholly unacceptable".
And the RMT union is threatening legal action against the ferry company, calling it one of the "most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations".
Further protests on Friday are being organised in Dover, Liverpool and Hull.
"Reports of workers being given zero notice and escorted off their ships... shows the insensitive way in which P&O have approached this issue," said Robert Courts, parliamentary under secretary for transport.
"I am extremely concerned and frankly angry at the way workers have been treated by P&O."
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Mr Courts said the company had told him it will be suspending services for "a week to 10 days while they locate new crew" on the Dover to Calais, Larne to Cairnryan, Dublin to Liverpool and Hull to Rotterdam routes.
On Friday morning, the company again said on Twitter it would not run services "for the next few days".
Meanwhile, the Department for Transport says neither the Secretary of State, Grant Shapps, nor Mr Courts, was aware of what was happening with P&O until Thursday.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sacked P&O employee Andrew Smith said he felt "utter dismay" at losing his job after 22 years' service
The BBC has seen details of a contract for handcuff-trained security professionals which began two days before they were deployed to Dover to remove staff from ferries.
TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said P&O's "secret plan" to sack staff with no notice was "reprehensible".
P&O passengers were told to use DFDS while services were suspended.
RMT union members blocked traffic in Dover on Thursday in response to the 800 redundancies announced by P&O Ferries
Crew on one ship docked at Larne Harbour in Northern Ireland had lifted the gangway after private security officers arrived to remove them.
The crew has now left the ship and Gary Jackson, a full time officer and RMT union member onboard the Pride of Hull, said they were "absolutely devastated".
"At 11am ratings and officers were informed there was going to be a pre-recorded Zoom meeting. After that two to three-minute call all the crew were made redundant," he said.
"I've seen grown men crying on there because they don't know where they're going to go from today."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Robert Courts says he is "frankly angry" at the way P&O Ferries staff have been treated
James, who has worked for P&O Ferries in Dover for around four years, said he felt abandoned by the company after all he received "was a three minute pre-recorded message saying we are out of a job. Nothing else."
"It was a complete surprise. I would have understood if it was at the height of Covid, but now we're seeing the end of travel restrictions and the start of summer bookings. So this has come completely out of the blue," he said.
Mark Canet-Baldwin, from Hull, was one of the agency workers brought to Cairnryan to take over from the crew that were being sacked.
But after talking it through with his wife, he said: "I felt I can't do it. I felt sick to my stomach. And I walked off. Two others came with me. It's just wrong."
Workers are reported to have been escorted off their ships while being told that cheaper alternatives will take up their roles.
"The approach adopted by P&O is not unheard of, but it is exceptional to forego appropriate notice and consultation processes," said Nathan Donaldson, employment solicitor at Keystone Law.
He said a government review of firing and rehiring in November 2021 did not outlaw the practice but emphasised "that it should be a process of last resort".
Rustom Tata, chairman and head of the employment group at law firm DMH Stallard, said P&O's actions would affect the brand's reputation due to the "apparently wholly planned approach being taken to such a large proportion of its workforce ignoring some of the basic fundamentals of employee relations."
Ann Francke, chief executive of The Chartered Management Institute, said P&O had "got it very wrong".
"It's shocking and appalling. It's like management behaviour from another era," she said.
P&O said its survival was dependent on "making swift and significant changes now".
"We have made a £100m loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World. This is not sustainable. Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries."
The cross-Channel operator said on Twitter that sailings between Dover and Calais scheduled for Thursday will no longer run, and customers with tickets were instructed to sail with rival ferry company DFDS.
P&O Ferries is one of the UK's leading ferry companies, carrying more than 10 million passengers a year before the pandemic and about 15% of all freight cargo in and out of the UK.
However, like many transport operators it saw demand slump in the pandemic.
The firm claimed almost £15m in government grants in 2020, which included furlough payments for its employees.
P&O is owned by DP World, the multi-national ports and logistics company based in Dubai. It paid a £270m dividend to shareholders in 2020.
Diane Riley has travelled to Rotterdam for a Northern Soul event
Diane Riley has travelled with a friend from Hull to Rotterdam with P&O for a Northern Soul event.
She was on a day trip to Amsterdam on Thursday when she heard from her daughter in the UK that P&O had suspended its services.
"It was a shock," says Diane, adding: "I thought she was joking at first."
She got a text from the company at around 4pm, advising her to return to the ferry to spend the night.
She says passengers have been told they may be put on a DFDS ferry to Newcastle on Friday morning, and will then be taken back to Hull by coach.
"We don't know anything for certain - we'll have to wait and see what happens when we get back to the ferry," she says.
Meanwhile, Lauren Shaw and her husband told the BBC they were booked with P&O to travel on a ferry from Cairnryan to Larne at 4pm on Thursday.
"We had a phone call at 10am to tell us there would be no sailings today and that they hadn't been told a reason why," she said.
They travelled to the port in the hope getting a ferry, but said: "It's really frustrating."
Are you affected by issues covered in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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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/business-60779001 |
Diplomats spar over 'edited' Russian letter - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Russia accuses Canada of 'kindergarten' diplomacy in spat over a Russian letter sent to UN members. | Russia has accused Canada of "kindergarten-level" diplomacy in a Twitter tiff over a social media post by Canada's United Nations mission.
The diplomatic spat is over a letter seeking support for a draft Russian resolution about aid in Ukraine.
Canada posted the letter to Twitter with "suggested edits", which led to retweets from other UN missions.
An image of the letter - annotated in red type - was posted on Canada's official UN mission Twitter account on Thursday. The letter, signed by Russian diplomat Vassily Nebenzia, had been sent to all UN members the previous day.
In it, Mr Nebenzia says he is "reaching out with regards to an urgent matter related to the dire humanitarian situation in and around Ukraine".
Canada's annotation adds to that line: "which we have caused as a result of our illegal war of aggression".
The letter goes on to say that "Western colleagues" are "politicising the humanitarian issue". Canada adds "Do you think the UN membership actually believes this? Please explain."
Dmitry Polyanskiy, first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, responded to the tweet, saying it "shows that your diplomatic skills and good manners are at lowest ebb" and reminding Canada that it twice failed to secure enough support to win a non-permanent seat on the powerful UN Security Council.
The letter was meant to boost support for a draft resolution on providing humanitarian relief in Ukraine, which was scheduled for a vote on Friday at the UN Security Council. The resolution has been criticised by Western nations for its failure to mention Russia's responsibility for the war.
That scheduled vote was cancelled by Russia on Thursday. The United States' envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Russia's resolution was "farcical" and "doomed to fail", according to the AFP news agency. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60745569 |
Boy, 12, denies burglary spree of top London hotels - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The boy, who cannot be named, is accused of targeting Claridge's and the Four Seasons among others. | One of the burglaries is said to have happened at Claridge's in Mayfair
A 12-year-old boy has denied carrying out a 10-month burglary spree at some of London's top hotels.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with 14 counts of burglary, including at Claridge's in Mayfair, the Four Seasons in Park Lane and the Corinthia Hotel in Whitehall.
His 13-year-old brother, who also cannot be named, is accused of being involved in three of the burglaries.
The pair pleaded not guilty to all charges before Westminster magistrates.
Due to their age, the siblings, from west London, were joined in the dock by their mother.
The 12-year-old is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary during the alleged spree, between April 2021 and February this year.
His brother is charged with three counts of burglary between September 2021 and February 2022 and one count of conspiring to commit burglary between April 2021 and February this year.
An adult co-defendant, Shane McCarthy, 19, faces 11 charges, nine counts of burglary, one of theft and one of conspiracy to commit burglary between April 2021 and February this year. He also denies all charges.
His case was sent to Isleworth Crown Court where he is due to appear on 14 April.
Magistrate Alan Elias released him on unconditional bail until then.
The boys were released on bail until 28 March when they will appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60781692 |
Brittney Griner: Russia extends arrest of US basketball star over drugs charge - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Double Olympic champion Brittney Griner was arrested in February for alleged cannabis oil possession. | A Russian court has extended the detention of US basketball star Brittney Griner for another two months, reports state news agency Tass.
The 31-year-old has been held in Moscow since February when customs officials allegedly found cannabis oil in her luggage.
Hillary Clinton had called for her release, after re-tweeting a BBC article about the player's predicament.
But the Moscow court announced on Thursday it was keeping her in custody.
"The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19," the court said, according to Tass.
Arguably the greatest female basketball player of all time, the double Olympic gold medallist has been called the "Tom Brady of her sport".
Ms Griner went to Russia to play during the US league's off-season.
In one of the last public sightings of her, captured on CCTV, the player is seen walking through security at a Moscow airport trailing a small, black suitcase.
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A star centre for the Phoenix Mercury team, she had landed at the Sheremetyevo airport, there to play another season with a Russian league.
But a month after her detention, little has been known about her circumstances.
Ekaterina Kalugina, a member of Public Monitoring Commission, a semi-official body with access to Russian prisons, told Russian news agency TASS Ms Griner was sharing a cell with two other women with no previous convictions.
She said Ms Griner's "only issue" was that the prison beds were too short for her tall frame.
Fans have criticised the muted response to the player's arrest, but the US State Department says it is doing everything it can to help her.
A spokesperson for the State Department told the BBC on Thursday that US diplomats are "closely engaged on this case and in frequent contact with Brittney Griner's legal team".
"We insist the Russian government provide consular access to all US citizen detainees in Russia, including those in pre-trial detention, as Brittney Griner is."
The official added that Russia has "consistently" denied access to Americans held in Russian jails.
"Russia must abide by its legal obligations and allow us to provide consular services for US citizens detained in Russia," they continued. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60781704 |
Ukraine war: Ben Wallace and Priti Patel targeted by hoax calls - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The defence and home secretaries blame Russia after receiving calls from imposters this week. | Ben Wallace and Priti Patel are leading members of the cabinet
Two UK ministers have revealed they have been targeted with hoax calls linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace blamed Russian "dirty tricks" after revealing a man had called him earlier pretending to be Ukraine's prime minister.
He became suspicious and ended the call after the "imposter" posed "several misleading questions", he said.
Home Secretary Priti Patel then tweeted that she had received a similar call earlier this week.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Mr Wallace had ordered an immediate inquiry into what happened.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the call, but Mr Wallace linked the incident to Russia and President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
In a tweet about the call, Mr Wallace wrote: "No amount of Russian disinformation, distortion and dirty tricks can distract from Russia's human rights abuses and illegal invasion of Ukraine. A desperate attempt."
Replying to him shortly afterwards, Ms Patel said: "This also happened to me earlier this week. Pathetic attempt at such difficult times to divide us. We stand with Ukraine".
A Ministry of Defence source said it was a "fairly sophisticated" video call that was not made to Mr Wallace's own mobile phone.
The source said the call came to him via "another government department", which added to its credibility.
It is understood that Mr Wallace was put through to a Microsoft Teams video call which lasted about 10 minutes.
The video call was set up after an email, purportedly from an aide at the Ukrainian embassy in London, was sent to a government department and then forwarded to the Ministry of Defence.
The BBC has been told that the call to Mr Wallace involved someone posing as Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in front of a Ukrainian flag, who asked a range of "wild questions".
Mr Shmyhal later replied to Mr Wallace in a tweet, writing: "Despite all attempts of Russian disinformation, the world can see that the truth is behind Ukraine."
Denys Shmyhal, shown here at a press conference in January, has been Ukraine's PM since March 2020
During the call, Mr Wallace was asked about Nato and the state of the negotiations taking place between Ukraine and Russia, the defence source added.
Mr Wallace was apparently asked about whether the UK would send warships to the Black Sea, and if Ukraine should get nuclear weapons.
The defence secretary was also apparently asked about the prospect of Ukraine dropping its ambition to join Nato and becoming a "neutral" state.
The defence source said Mr Wallace "was asked leading questions to encourage inappropriate comments" but he "didn't say anything that was not factual or appropriate".
But defence sources say they are concerned that there may be an attempt to distort or edit Mr Wallace's answers before he terminated the call.
Mr Wallace was on a visit to the Polish capital Warsaw when he shared the tweet about the hoax call.
The calls come at a time of sensitive peace talks between Ukraine and Russia as the war launched by President Vladimir Putin three weeks ago exacts an ever-higher human cost.
The UK government has been providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine while imposing punishing economic sanctions on Russia.
Since the war started, there have been regular conversations between British and Ukrainian ministers, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60783558 |
Ukraine conflict: Putin lays out his demands in Turkish phone call - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Russia's president revealed his peace conditions in a phone call - the BBC spoke to someone who listened in. | Turkey has positioned itself with great care to be the go-between with Russia and Ukraine - and this seems to be paying off.
On Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin rang the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and told him what Russia's precise demands were for a peace deal with Ukraine.
Within half an hour of the ending of the phone call, I interviewed Mr Erdogan's leading adviser and spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Mr Kalin was part of the small group of officials who had listened in on the call.
The Russian demands fall into two categories.
The first four demands are, according to Mr Kalin, not too difficult for Ukraine to meet.
Chief among them is an acceptance by Ukraine that it should be neutral and should not apply to join Nato. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already conceded this.
There are other demands in this category which mostly seem to be face-saving elements for the Russian side.
Ukraine would have to undergo a disarmament process to ensure it wasn't a threat to Russia. There would have to be protection for the Russian language in Ukraine. And there is something called de-Nazification.
This is deeply offensive to Mr Zelensky, who is himself Jewish and some of whose relatives died in the Holocaust, but the Turkish side believes it will be easy enough for Mr Zelensky to accept. Perhaps it will be enough for Ukraine to condemn all forms of neo-Nazism and promise to clamp down on them.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The BBC's Quentin Sommerville follows Ukrainian troops holding the front line as Russia pounds Kharkiv
The second category is where the difficulty will lie, and in his phone call, Mr Putin said that it would need face-to-face negotiations between him and President Zelensky before agreement could be reached on these points. Mr Zelensky has already said he's prepared to meet the Russian president and negotiate with him one-to-one.
Mr Kalin was much less specific about these issues, saying simply that they involved the status of Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, parts of which have already broken away from Ukraine and stressed their Russianness, and the status of Crimea.
Although Mr Kalin didn't go into detail, the assumption is that Russia will demand that the Ukrainian government should give up territory in eastern Ukraine. That will be deeply contentious.
The other assumption is that Russia will demand that Ukraine should formally accept that Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, does indeed now belong to Russia. If this is the case, it will be a bitter pill for Ukraine to swallow.
Nevertheless, it is a fait accompli, even though Russia has no legal right to own Crimea and actually signed an international treaty, after the fall of Communism but before Vladimir Putin came to power, accepting that Crimea was part of Ukraine.
Ibrahim Kalin was one of the few people to listen in on the phone call between Russia and Turkey's leaders
Still, President Putin's demands are not as harsh as some people feared and they scarcely seem to be worth all the violence, bloodshed and destruction which Russia has visited on Ukraine.
Given his heavy-handed control over the Russian media, it shouldn't be too hard for him and his acolytes to present all this as a major victory.
For Ukraine, though, there are going to be serious anxieties.
If the fine details of any agreement aren't sorted out with immense care, President Putin or his successors could always use them as an excuse to invade Ukraine again.
A peace deal could take a long time to sort out, even if a ceasefire stops the bloodshed in the meantime.
Ukraine has suffered appallingly over the past few weeks, and rebuilding the towns and cities which Russia has damaged and destroyed will take a long time. So will rehousing the millions of refugees who have fled their homes.
What about Vladimir Putin himself? There have been suggestions that he is ill, or possibly even mentally unbalanced. Did Mr Kalin detect anything strange about him in the phone call? Not at all, he said. Mr Putin had apparently been clear and concise in everything he said.
Yet even if he does manage to present an agreement with Ukraine as a glorious victory over neo-Nazism, his position at home must be weakened.
More and more people will realise that he overreached himself badly, and stories of the soldiers who have been killed or captured are already spreading fast. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60785754 |
England in West Indies: Centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood blunt England in Barbados - BBC Sport | 2022-03-18 | A dogged unbeaten century from Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood's 102 blunts England on day three of the second Test in Barbados. | A dogged unbeaten century from West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood's 102 blunted England on day three of the second Test in Barbados.
Brathwaite batted all day, combining with Blackwood for a stand of 183 as the hosts ground their way to 288-4 at the close, trailing by 219 runs.
That partnership thwarted England for 68.3 overs until Blackwood misjudged a leave to part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence and was out lbw with five overs to go.
After claiming two early wickets, England struggled to create opportunities and the tourists wasted the rare chances they created.
Blackwood would have been out for a duck had England reviewed an lbw decision and on 65 he was bowled by a Saqib Mahmood no-ball, which would have been the debutant's first Test wicket. There was also a missed stumping chance when Brathwaite was on 109.
It means a second consecutive draw in this series is the most likely result with two day to play, despite Lawrence's late intervention.
When Shamarh Brooks sliced a cut to backward point off Jack Leach for 39 and first-Test centurion Nkrumah Bonner was lbw to Ben Stokes for nine before lunch, England had a real chance to push themselves into a match-winning position.
Instead, it turned into another day where an inexperienced England attack looked tame.
Again there is the caveat of a pitch that has offered little, particularly to pace bowlers. But England will still be disappointed to only claim three wickets all day.
Leach, who gained credit with a good performance in the first Test, started solidly but, as the day wore on, sporadic good balls were interspersed with ones that were too easily cut for four.
The pitch is offering some slow turn but Leach did not land enough balls in difficult areas to Brathwaite and Blackwood.
On the day Mark Wood was ruled out of the series with injury, Mahmood bowled a good spell with the old ball but was largely played comfortably, while Matthew Fisher, also on debut, was unthreatening despite showing decent accuracy. Chris Woakes, England's senior seamer, was anonymous.
Things may have been different, especially had England reviewed when Ben Stokes hit Blackwood on the pad with a rare ball that swung in. It was Stokes himself who immediately intimated the ball would have missed the stumps when instead the technology later suggested it would have hit leg stump flush.
The Blackwood-Brathwaite partnership was already worth 129 when Mahmood bowled the West Indies number five. It was a perfect yorker from the Lancashire seamer but he had overstepped by a couple of inches and celebrations were cut short.
In the end it took Lawrence's unconventional spin to prise out a West Indies centurion, the 24-year-old backing his dismissal of Bonner in the first Test.
Once England declared on 507-9 on day two, West Indies have always realistically been playing for a draw.
They still have further work to do on day four, but the six-hour stand between Brathwaite and Blackwood has set them well on their way to a result that will see both teams head to Grenada for the third Test with the series still 0-0.
In the series opener Brathwaite scored his fastest Test fifty but here he reverted to type. He scored his slowest Test half-century before reaching three figures from 278 balls - a knock of great application rather than flowing shot-making.
Blackwood is someone who loves batting against England. His average against them is 45.77, compared with 30.66 across his career, and two of his three Test tons have come against England.
He batted quicker than Brathwaite but showed similar grit. He was also involved in a heated exchange with Stokes after which the umpires had a stern word with the England all-rounder and captain Root.
When shouldering arms to Lawrence he thought the ball would have gone over the stumps but the technology showed it would have hit three quarters of the way up middle stump.
'We are still well in this game' - reaction
England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel: "A long, hard day of Test cricket. Today wasn't our day but we did a lot of good thigs. We created a lot of opportunities. We were a little unlucky at times and we made some mistakes. We are still well in this game."
West Indies batter Jermaine Blackwood: "I'm very pleased. Coming into this knock I was feeling the pressure. I thought it [his lbw decision on nought] was going down but that is how it goes.
"There was a bit of banter [between him and Stokes]. That helped me to feel motivated batting. It was fun. We have to bat as long as possible tomorrow."
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "Terrific effort by West Indies. It was not easy out there, and that was an excellent partnership between Blackwood and Brathwaite that clearly frustrated England, who will have wanted more than just three wickets throughout the day."
• None Robert Pattinson reveals all about taking on the role of the caped crusader
• None Philippe Coutinho and fan-owned Dublin club Bohemian FC feature on this week's episode | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60798060 |
Greenvale Hotel: Family 'kept in dark' over Cookstown hotel deaths - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The justice minister says an inquiry into the deaths of three teens could prejudice criminal proceedings. | The family of a teenager killed in a crush outside a disco have said they have been "kept in the dark" about what happened.
It comes as Justice Minister Naomi Long stuck to an earlier decision not to hold a public inquiry.
Lauren Bullock, 17, Morgan Barnard, 17, and Connor Currie, 16, died as hundreds queued outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown on March 17, 2019.
Mrs Long believes an inquiry could prejudice any criminal proceedings.
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is currently examining evidence gathered in two separate inquiries and has yet to decide if anyone should be charged, including police officers who attended the scene.
Speaking to BBC News NI, Morgan's father, James Bradley, said the system had "kept us in the dark as to what happened".
"Life is going at a snail's pace, but the next thing three years have elapsed," he said.
"A public inquiry would expose all the truth, the before, the during and the after."
Four police officers who arrived at the scene withdrew for a time to await further support.
"I think there were vital minutes lost. I really believe Morgan's life would have been saved. We will find that out later down the line," Mr Bradley added.
"The 'what if Morgan had not gone?' has moved to 'what if things had been put in place better on the night, what if the response had been better?'
James Bradley's son Morgan Barnard died as hundreds queued outside a hotel in Cookstown
Calls for a public inquiry, or a multi-agency investigation, were first made last year, amid concerns that lessons have not been learned.
Initially supported by the Police Ombudsman, they were recently backed by the Police Federation.
Mrs Long has been reconsidering an initial decision not to hold a public inquiry and in a statement her department said she still felt "it would not currently be appropriate" ahead of decisions by the PPS.
"The minister is deeply aware of the pain and the anguish of the families," the statement added.
She said the matter would be reviewed in September.
The justice minister has also written to ministerial colleagues "to urge them to satisfy themselves that all appropriate steps have been taken within their areas of responsibility to mitigate the possibility of a tragedy such as this occurring in the future".
The statement also pointed out that any decision to hold a public inquiry required executive approval.
A solicitor for the family says a public inquiry is needed to prevent something similar happening again
Darragh Mackin, the solicitor acting for the family of Morgan Barnard, said it was likely Mrs Long's decision will be challenged by a judicial review.
He said "a systemic investigation", by way of a public inquiry, was necessary "to learn lessons and prevent further incidents like this happening again". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60770222 |
Ukraine's restaurants rally to the war effort - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | From chefs to suppliers, the country's food industry is pulling together to feed the population at war. | Anna Kozachenko's Milk Bar is producing 500 free meals per day to help feed people in Kyiv
Kyiv restaurant the Milk Bar used to charge £12 a meal, now it's producing 500 meals a day for free to help feed the citizens of the Ukrainian capital.
The restaurant has not been able to pay its staff since February but it still has 20 people working there.
"We are all just thinking about people and the community right now," bakery owner Anna Kozachenko said.
Hers is just one of the food businesses stepping up to support Ukrainians following the invasion by Russia.
"I'm not even thinking about the financial losses," said Ms Kozachenko.
The staff who have stayed with the firm are now working around the clock to deliver meals to the elderly and refugees from invaded areas outside Kyiv.
Large food suppliers have provided food to the restaurant for free and have promised to do so for "as long as it is needed". The landlord has also suspended rent for the restaurant.
The Milk Bar is one of more than 450 restaurants that have transformed their businesses to help feed anyone who needs it following Russia's invasion of Ukraine - people sheltering in bunkers, the elderly unable to leave their home, and those fighting on the front lines.
One larger firm, LaFamiglia Group, which has 14 restaurants, a catering business and 17 food markets, has also now switched to providing shelters, food and medical supplies.
The business, which made tens of millions in dollars in sales last year, is now providing more than 8,000 snacks and sandwiches and more than 5,000 hot meals each day for free.
Owner Mikhail Beylin told the BBC suppliers were providing lots of food for free and the rest was being sold at cost, with them not making a profit from it.
The restaurant is using its own money to cover any additional costs.
Vino e Cucina restaurant in Kyiv before the war
Mr Beylin said the war had made getting food to and from the restaurant "complicated" and there are fears that they could run out of supplies.
"Now the supply we get is enough to cover the demand and create a small back-up of products in case we face a scarcity," he added.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mikhail Beylin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
"Our chefs remain in the middle of military zones to provide our people with food."
"It's not the time to worry about finances, profits and margins, now is the time for actions that are required of everyone in order to stop further destruction of lives."
Anna Kozachenko at the bakery before the war
Pizzeria owner Ruslan Buriak has 60 volunteers working around the clock at his kitchens in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, which was first targeted by Russian air strikes last week.
The kitchens are producing about 1,000 meals each day for the local population and has been relying on free pasta, oils and meat from local farmers. Like the Milk Bar, Mr Buriak also makes deliveries to elderly people and those unable to leave their homes.
"We have around one week of stock left and the volunteer chefs need money to get buses to work," Mr Buriak explained.
"We're like a family now and everyone is doing their best to help."
One of Ukraine's biggest food producers MHP, which grows and distributes wheat, is helping restaurants to keep going and feed people during the conflict, including Mr Beylin's chain. It employs more than 30,000 workers across Ukraine.
It has delivered food to isolated communities across the country, but the invasion means some parts of Ukraine where it would normally sow wheat are now inaccessible.
"If this continues, of course our ability to sow rapidly diminishes, particularly if they (the Russian army) moves into the west of the country where a large part of our operations are based", MHP boss Dr John Rich told the BBC.
Owner of the LaFamiglia Group of restaurants, Mikhail Beylin
This would have an impact which reaches far beyond Ukraine. Some 30% of the world's wheat comes from Ukraine and Russia. The majority of Ukraine's wheat and corn exports went to the Middle East or Africa last year - and disruptions to supply could affect availability in these areas.
If grain production is hampered, analysts have warned supplies may struggle to keep up with demand, meaning wheat prices could rise across the globe.
In the meantime, the government is doing what it can to help financially. It has restarted support schemes put in place to help restaurants cope with the Covid pandemic.
Dr Tymofii Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics, expects the government to take a larger role in supporting the country's firms as they switch from making sales and profit to trying to help the country's people survive the war.
"Many restaurants have now run out of money but the government is providing relief and co-ordinating people's demand as we continue into a war economy," Dr Mylovanov said.
Meanwhile MHP has also appealed for donations to its charitable foundation so it can continue to distribute food.
Preparing food containers at the pizzeria in Dnipro
Back in Dnipro, Mr Buriak's landlord has also halted rent, water and electricity bills to help support the pizzeria and people are continuing to volunteer their time for free.
Mr Buriak plans to keep feeding Dnipro for as long as stocks remain.
"We will keep going until the end of this situation but no one knows how long this will take." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60737248 |
Chelsea to play Real Madrid in Champions League quarter-finals - BBC Sport | 2022-03-18 | Holders Chelsea face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while Manchester City will play Atletico Madrid and Liverpool play Benfica. | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final, while Jurgen Klopp won the trophy with Liverpool in 2019 Holders Chelsea will face 13-time winners Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Manchester City will play Atletico Madrid, while Liverpool tackle Benfica and Bayern Munich take on Villarreal. In the semi-finals, the winner of the Chelsea v Real Madrid tie will face Atletico Madrid or Manchester City, while Benfica or Liverpool will play either Villarreal or Bayern Munich. The two-leg quarter-finals take place on 5-6 April and 12-13 April. The first legs of the semi-finals will be on 26-27 April, and the second legs on 3-4 May. The Stade de France in Paris will host the final on Saturday, 28 May after it was moved from St Petersburg after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the Europa League, West Ham will play Lyon in their first European quarter-final since 1981. Rangers take on Portuguese side Braga, while Eintracht Frankfurt play Barcelona and RB Leipzig face Atalanta. Tuchel on drawing Real Madrid in Champions League, the importance of tickets for fans and Man Utd link The draw means Chelsea face a reunion with their former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double during a two-year spell with the Stamford Bridge club between 2009 and 2011. The Italian is one of only three managers to win the Champions League three times, including with Real in 2014, and returned for a second spell at the Spanish giants last summer after leaving Everton. Chelsea and Real also met at the semi-final stage last season, with Thomas Tuchel's side winning 3-1 on aggregate before going on to beat Manchester City in the final. The London club have never lost in five previous meetings with Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid have the chance to complete a Manchester double after being drawn against Pep Guardiola's City, with Diego Simeone's side having beaten Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. It will be the first competitive meeting between the sides in European competition as City, who thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 on aggregate to reach this stage, seek a first Champions League title. Liverpool meanwhile have played Portuguese giants Benfica 10 times in Europe, most recently a 5-3 aggregate win in the Europa League quarter-finals in 2010. Jurgen Klopp's side are seeking an unprecedented quadruple, having already lifted the Carabao Cup and still being in contention for the Premier League and FA Cup.
• None Liverpool quadruple bid - how the Reds are already closer than ever to landing the 'Fab Four' West Ham and Rangers kept apart in Europa League West Ham's reward for beating six-time winners Sevilla is a meeting with Ligue 1 side Lyon. It will be just the second time the Hammers have faced French opposition in European competition after beating Metz in the 1999 Intertoto Cup final. Rangers meanwhile face familiar opposition in Braga having beaten the Portuguese side 4-2 on aggregate in the last 32 of the Europa League in 2020. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side reached the last eight thanks to a 4-2 aggregate win against Red Star Belgrade of Serbia. Should West Ham reach the semi-finals they could meet Barcelona if the Catalan giants overcome Eintracht Frankfurt, while Rangers will face either German club RB Leipzig or Atalanta of Italy if they reach the last four. The draw means the earliest the two British sides can meet is in the final. The two-leg quarter-finals will take place on 7 and 14 April, the semi-finals are on 28 April and 5 May with the final in Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Wednesday, 18 May. In the Europa Conference League, Leicester's reward for beating French side Rennes is a quarter-final against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. The first legs will be played on Thursday 7 April, with the second legs a week later. The two-leg semi-finals are on 28 April and 5 May with the final in Tirana, Albania on Wednesday, 25 May.
• None Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - follow your team and sign up for notifications in the BBC Sport app to make sure you never miss a moment | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60793139 |
Russia Today: News channel RT's UK licence revoked by Ofcom - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Russian state-backed news channel RT's licence to broadcast in UK is revoked "with immediate effect". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The BBC's Amol Rajan explains the Ofcom decision to revoke RT's UK broadcasting licence
Russian state-backed news channel RT has had its licence to broadcast in the UK revoked "with immediate effect" by media regulator Ofcom.
The watchdog said RT's parent body ANO TV Novosti was not "fit and proper to hold a UK broadcast licence".
RT's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been under investigation by Ofcom, and the channel had already disappeared from UK screens.
RT, formerly named Russia Today, called Ofcom "a tool of the government".
The channel became unavailable on all UK broadcast platforms earlier this month as a result of a ban imposed by the European Union.
Although the UK is no longer in the EU, the bloc applied sanctions to satellite companies in Luxembourg and France, which provided the RT feed to Sky, Freesat and Freeview.RT has also been blocked on YouTube but its website is still available in the UK.
UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, who has described the channel as "Putin's polluting propaganda machine", said: "I welcome Ofcom's decision and it's right that our independent regulator has taken action against RT.
"The outlets' lies and propaganda, where victims are cast as the aggressors and the brutality of Russia's actions are concealed, have absolutely no place on our screens."
RT is a state broadcaster. It is funded by and principally - its critics would argue - serves the Russian state. This is different to a public broadcaster, which is funded by and serves the public.
TV Novosti, the institution that controls RT, is funded by the Kremlin. Under Ofcom rules, TV channels can be owned by foreign states, but they must not be controlled by political bodies. This is what did for CGTN, the Chinese network. Ofcom believes the clear absence of due accuracy and due impartiality on RT, and its ultimate control by a political body, violates our regulatory code.
Should liberal democracies ban state propaganda? Such moves may be ineffective: RT is still available online. They may be counter-productive: Ofcom accepts retaliation against the BBC is possible. And if the West is fighting a war for liberal democracy, free speech - while not unconditional - cannot be jettisoned lightly.
Against all that must be weighed the harm of allowing lies to proliferate, and the importance of signalling control over our own public domain.
Ofcom has done its job. But what do the rest of us want that job to be?
In recent weeks, Ofcom has launched 29 investigations into the "due impartiality of RT's news and current affairs coverage" of the invasion of Ukraine.
On Friday, Ofcom said its investigation took account of factors including:
"We consider that given these constraints it appears impossible for RT to comply with the due impartiality rules of our Broadcasting Code in the circumstances," Ofcom's statement added.
Chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: "Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high."
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ofcom This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
RT deputy editor-in-chief Anna Belkina said Ofcom had "robbed the UK public of access to information".
"What we have witnessed over the last few days, be it comments from the President of the EU Commission or from PM Boris Johnson, is that none of them had pointed to a single grain of evidence that what RT has reported over these days, and continues to report, is not true.
"Instead, what they have said is that what RT brings to its audience is not allowed in their supposedly free media environment. When it comes to the Russian voice, or just a different perspective from theirs, it is simply not allowed to exist."
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that the country's media regulator had been asked to review RT's presence on Canadian airwaves, saying it was "a move consistent with what many allies are doing, they banned it". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60791734 |
Shells rain down on Kharkiv as Ukraine's army stands firm - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The BBC's Quentin Sommerville and Darren Conway are in Kharkiv, where Ukraine's army has repelled Russia for three weeks. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: The BBC's Quentin Sommerville follows Ukrainian troops holding the front line as Russia pounds Kharkiv
Ukraine's second city Kharkiv has been the constant target of Russian attacks for three weeks. The BBC's Quentin Sommerville and cameraman Darren Conway report from the front line where Ukrainian troops continue to repel the enemy advance.
We enter the house where the back door used to be. Now there is just a blanket flapping in the freezing wind. The owners, long gone, would have had a view across the rich farmland north of Kharkiv, but much of that is unrecognisable, too.
In the garage, beside an abandoned skateboard, are a dozen or so empty packing cases for some of the world's best anti-tank weapons. A dead Russian soldier lies face down in the front garden.
The house has become a frontline base, and the spent cases are an indication that the soldiers here have had the fight of their lives - a fight for Ukraine's independence.
We have gained rare access to the Ukrainian army, who after three weeks of hard fighting, are still holding firm on the outskirts of Kharkiv, preventing Russian forces from capturing Ukraine's second-largest city.
"Do you want to go further ahead?" asks Yuri, a commander with the Ukrainian army's 22 Motorized Infantry Battalion, pointing at the ruins of two Russian armoured personnel carriers, and the shattered pieces of two of their tanks. The battalion was reconstituted in 2014 after Russia invaded Crimea and backed Donbas separatists.
"They've used drones, aircraft, attack helicopters, everything," says Yuri, as Russian shells thunder overhead, striking nearby roads and apartment blocks.
Moments after Russian Grad rockets - multiple rockets launched in quick succession - fell on a residential neighbourhood
The Russians have continued to attack again and been repelled many times. In their frustration at being denied entry, they bomb the city, which was once home to 1.4 million people, day and night.
The ground is churned up and thick mud sucks on your boots. A backward glance shows the ruined shells of the line of houses we just passed through. Suburban gardens have become battlefields from Europe's past.
"The first three days were the worst. It was raining, we were covered in mud, we looked like pigs," says Olexander, 44, who is standing nearby.
By one of the destroyed armoured personnel carriers, its Z marking already faded, is a large crater, 20ft (6m) across. On the first day of the invasion, 24 February, a Russian strike killed six Ukrainian soldiers at this exact place. Many more died here since, but official figures aren't being released.
A green army boot is perched on the crater's edge, a Russian corpse beyond that. A large black crow sits nearby, untroubled by the roar of shelling and Grad rockets from Russian positions.
The men here can tell you the precise date and time they came to the front - the implication being that if you weren't here the first three days, you don't know real fighting. "Jump in the crater if there is more shelling," says Uri.
Constantine, 58, was a pilot in the Ukrainian air force until he retired and became a journalist. Now he's back at the front, walking with a limp and using a broken broom handle for support. Russian shrapnel wounded his leg, but he refuses to leave the front.
"This is the last line of defence for the city, if they get through here, they will enter Kharkiv. This road takes you from Russia to the very heart of the city," he says.
Olexander, 44, who fought in Donbas - "For the first three days, we couldn't understand what was going on"
There is a boom and whoosh, and a wire-guided missile flies just over our heads. We scramble into the crater. It strikes along the roadside, a gas pipeline bursts into flames.
While we shelter, a tall reconnaissance soldier with blue tape across his helmet tells us to stay down. Roman is 34 years old, though he jokes that he was 24 when the war started three weeks ago.
He says the Russians won't show themselves now. "They are chickens. We will respond good and proper." He stops and asks for a selfie. Later we learn that he transported the dead bodies of his fallen comrades in his own vehicle - which was just a month old - from the front to the city morgue.
As we leave, Constantine catches something in the air - thin copper wire, which stretches for miles. It was used to guide the Russian missile which just flew over our heads.
Waiting for us is Olexander, 44, from nearby Poltava region. He's been with the unit since its founding and has fought in Donbas. "This is much worse," he says, adding: "For the first three days, we couldn't understand what was going on. We were lost and we couldn't believe it was happening. But after that we got better and we are standing our ground and will hold our positions."
I ask him why he is fighting. He gives a laugh and responds, "For a free Ukraine, for my family, and for you guys as well. For our independence and for peace."
Yuri, the commander, drives us back to the collection of Soviet-era apartment blocks, still inhabited. Russia says it came to Ukraine to demilitarise the country, but here we see what that means for civilians. A 20-storey block is still smoking from a Russian strike - it was two days ago, according to Yuri.
The official number of civilian deaths in Kharkiv stood at 234, including 14 children, on 16 March. The past few days have been punishing - as we were reminded in an instant.
A volley of Russian Grad rockets rained down on the neighbourhood, striking just metres away. The soldiers around us had taken cover and were unharmed.
Svitlana. 72, and her husband sleep two hours a night in their bomb-damaged flat
In the same housing complex lives husband and wife Svitlana and Sasha. Svitlana is 72, and welcomes us into her home, saying they haven't spoken to anyone in weeks. "We're glad you came," she says.
Their building has already been hit, the back windows are gone, and they sleep in a central room on sofas. They manage two hours of sleep a night, the shelling is relentless. "When it stops, it is like a thaw in spring," she says.
I ask if she has a message for Vladimir Putin. "No," she replies, firmly. "No, it seems to me that this man has already lost his sanity and he does not think clearly. Because a sane human can not do something like this - bomb old people, kids, kindergartens, schools, hospitals. He wouldn't understand what I say."
But then, when I ask about the men not far from her home who are defending the city, she cries. She says, "Yes, I'm very grateful to them for protecting their homeland. Hold on guys. We will always support you. They are so brave, both boys and girls."
There are still hundreds of thousands of people living in Kharkiv, despite the shelling. If Russia and Ukraine are brothers, as the Kremlin professes, then this is fratricide.
As we leave the neighbourhood, much of it is alight. Russia's fury with this city is both seen and heard. By evening, all of Kharkiv is covered in a cloud of smoke, the relentless pounding of guns continues, but the defenders of Kharkiv still keep the enemy from the city gates.
Are you or your family in Ukraine? Please share your experience if it is safe to do so by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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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-europe-60785679 |
Jacob Rees-Mogg dismisses partygate as 'trivial fluff' - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The cabinet minister says war in Ukraine has returned a sense of "fundamental seriousness" to politics. | 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-60796311 |
Climate change: Wildfire smoke linked to Arctic melting - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Researchers find that "brown carbon" from wildfire smoke is helping to melt Arctic snow and ice. | Fires in Siberia have contributed to brown carbon plumes in the Arctic
The dense plumes of wildfire smoke seen in recent years are contributing to the warming of the Arctic, say scientists.
Their study says that particles of "brown carbon" in the smoke are drifting north and attracting heat to the polar region.
The authors believe the growing number of wildfires helps explain why the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet.
They're concerned that this effect will likely increase.
Over the past decade, smoke from raging wildfires in Australia, Portugal, Siberia and the US have changed the colour of the skies. The smoke has impacted human health, and the amount of carbon released by the burning has helped push emissions to record levels.
But now scientists say that all this burning has contributed to another serious issue - the loss of sea ice in the Arctic.
Researchers have long been familiar with "black carbon", the sooty particles that are emitted from diesel engines, coal burning, cooking stoves and other sources.
These aerosols, which absorb sunlight and turn it into heat, are known to be the second largest contributor to global warming.
The impact of these particles on the Arctic and on clouds has been well documented.
A large plume of wildfire smoke seen from an airplane
However, the same can't be said for brown carbon - which principally comes from the burning of trees and vegetation but is also created, to a lesser degree, from fossil fuels. The warming effect of this less dense substance has been either ignored or estimated with huge uncertainty in climate models.
To develop a better understanding of the impacts, researchers travelled around the Arctic ocean on the Chinese icebreaker, Xue Long, in 2017.
While some previous estimates had shown brown carbon was responsible for just 3% of the warming effect compared to black carbon, the scientists found that it is doing far more damage in the region.
"To our surprise, observational analyses and numerical simulations show that the warming effect of brown carbon aerosols over the Arctic is up to about 30% of that of black carbon," says senior author Pingqing Fu, an atmospheric chemist at Tianjin University in China.
The study found that wildfires were the main source of this brown material - contributing twice as much to the warming effect of brown carbon in the Arctic than was coming from fossil fuels.
The authors believe that while black soot has played the major role, brown carbon had a hand in the exceptional warming being felt in the Arctic region in recent decades.
Over the last 50 years, the icy north has been warming at three times the rate of the rest of the planet.
The main factor driving this difference is what's termed Arctic amplification.
What happens is that the ice and snow on the surface of the Arctic waters normally reflects most sunlight back to space, but as the ice melts the darker waters absorb much more heat, which in turn melts the ice even quicker.
But as wildfires in mid and northern latitudes have increased as the world warms, this new study finds that brown carbon from this source is having an increasing impact in the Arctic.
This is what scientists describe as a feedback loop, where the warmer world causes more fires, which in turn leads to less ice and more heat.
"The increase in brown carbon aerosols will lead to global or regional warming, which increases the probability and frequency of wildfires," says Dr Fu, explaining the way the feedback loop works.
"Increased wildfire events will emit more brown carbon aerosols, further heating the earth, thus making wildfires more frequent."
As a recent UN study has shown, wildfires are likely to increase by up to 50% by the middle of this century, so the authors believe this brown carbon trend will likely increase.
The scientists involved in the study say that their work shows that the importance of managing vegetation fires is not just about saving lives and limiting the damage done by burning - it also has a role in limiting the warming of the planet.
The study has been published in the journal, One Earth. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60782084 |
West Ham 2-0 Sevilla (2-1 on aggregate): Andriy Yarmolenko winning goal sends Hammers into Europa League quarter-finals - BBC Sport | 2022-03-18 | Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko scores the winning goal for West Ham as they beat Sevilla to reach the Europa League quarter-finals on an emotional night. | Last updated on .From the section European Football
Andriy Yarmolenko scored an emotional extra-time winner as West Ham overturned a first-leg deficit against Sevilla to reach their first European quarter-final since 1981.
Yarmolenko has been on compassionate leave as he tried to deal with the trauma of having friends and relatives back home in war-torn Ukraine.
But after making a goalscoring return to the pitch against Aston Villa on Sunday, Yarmolenko swept the Hammers past Sevilla as he converted a rebound after Pablo Fornals' low shot had been parried into his path by visiting keeper Bono.
The 32-year-old forward, on as a substitute for Said Benrahma, looked to the skies as he marked his special moment and the London Stadium erupted in jubilation.
At the final whistle, he looked almost bewildered in the moment before spotting a fan with a Ukraine flag and handing him his shirt.
• None 'We can write history' - West Ham into first Euro quarter-final since 1981
Trailing by a single goal from last week's opener in Spain, Tomas Soucek had pulled West Ham level in the first-half when he guided Michail Antonio's cross into the far corner with a precise header.
A Sevilla side that has won this tournament four times out of the last eight seasons were a major disappointment - and came no closer than Youssef En-Nesyri's early effort which was brilliantly saved by Alphonse Areola.
• None Thursday's European action as it happened, plus reaction and analysis
West Ham manager David Moyes had billed this as the tie of the round. The Scot must now be immensely proud at the way his side have navigated their way into a draw that contains, among others, Barcelona and Rangers.
The last time Moyes managed a team in the last 16 of a European competition, he secured probably his best night as Manchester United manager, when his side came back from a 2-0 first leg deficit to knock Olympiakos out of the Champions League.
As on that night, Moyes' side had levelled the tie by the interval.
West Ham controlled the tempo of the game despite having a minority of possession.
Fornals and Declan Rice were outstanding in midfield, young defender Ben Johnson superb in a determined defensive display and Antonio - a doubt before the game - ran so hard up front that Sevilla could never rest.
In contrast, Anthony Martial was a disappointment on his return to England and, by the end, Sevilla Julen Lopetegui seemed to have run out of ideas as his side tried to claw their way to penalties.
Sevilla had not lost a European tie after taking a first-leg lead since 1981. Yarmolenko changed that history in a moment for Ukraine to be proud of, in a dark time at home.
West Ham have not had a seamless move from their beloved Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium.
However, this game exploded the myth that there is a lack of atmosphere at the stadium solely because of the running track which, in any case, is reduced in its impact since the stands behind each goal were squared off at the start of the season.
There was no lack of atmosphere on this occasion, a game, West Ham said, was played in front of the highest number of club supporters ever to see a match.
The build-up was heightened by a pre-match light show. The bubbles floated into the night sky and when Soucek's header found the far corner in the 39th minute, the place erupted.
Celebration was replaced by tension the longer the game went on.
But when Yarmolenko struck the decisive final blow in the 112th minute, the home fans turned up the volume once more.
London Stadium has waited six years for a statement night to go alongside the memories that were left behind in the three-and-a-half mile move.
Now they have one. And on this evidence, the journey might not be over yet.
• None Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Offside, West Ham United. Mark Noble tries a through ball, but Pablo Fornals is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla) right footed shot from the right side of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Rafa Mir.
• None Goal! West Ham United 2, Sevilla 0. Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham United) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
• None Attempt saved. Pablo Fornals (West Ham United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Manuel Lanzini.
• None Substitution, Sevilla. José Ángel Carmona replaces Nemanja Gudelj because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Óliver Torres (Sevilla) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ludwig Augustinsson. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None The tale of a trillion-dollar conman who sold a dream to the oldest club in the Football League
• None Cillian Murphy shares tracks that have been integral to the feel of the programme | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60771093 |
Sarah Everard: Killer Wayne Couzens charged with four counts of indecent exposure - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The alleged offences are said to have taken place when Wayne Couzens was still a Met officer. | Wayne Couzens admitted the murder, kidnap and rape of Sarah Everard last year
Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens has been charged with four counts of indecent exposure.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place between January and February 2021, when Couzens was a serving Metropolitan Police officer.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the alleged offences predate the murder of Ms Everard, who was killed in March 2021.
Couzens will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 13 April.
The 49-year-old is serving a whole-life tariff for the abduction, rape and murder of Ms Everard.
Met detectives said the charges relate to a series of alleged sexual offences in Swanley, Kent, including on Valentine's Day last year.
The body of Sarah Everard was found hidden in woodland in Kent days after she was reported missing
Other dates of alleged indecent exposure include between 22 January and 1 February; between 30 January and 6 February and on 27 February.
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS special crime division, said: "Following a referral of evidence by the Metropolitan Police, the CPS has authorised four charges of indecent exposure against Wayne Couzens."
Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-60792293 |
Ukrainian ballet star Artem Datsyshyn dies after Russian shelling - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Artem Datsyshyn, a former soloist at the National Opera of Ukraine, died in hospital, reports say. | Barricades have been built around the home of the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv
Leading Ukrainian ballet dancer Artem Datsyshyn has died, almost three weeks after being injured in Russian shelling in Kyiv, according to reports.
Datsyshyn, 43, a former soloist at the National Opera of Ukraine, died in hospital, friend Tatiana Borovik said.
She spoke of her "heartache" at the news in a Facebook post.
Anatoly Solovyanenko, chief stage director at the National Opera of Ukraine, paid tribute to him as "a great artist" and "a wonderful man".
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Ratmansky, a former principal dancer in Kyiv and former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, is now artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre in New York. He said Datsyshyn died from "wounds received on February 26 when he got under Russian artillery fire".
"He was a beautiful dancer loved by his colleagues. Unbearable pain," he added.
News of Datsyshyn's death follows reports that Ukrainian actress Oksana Shvets died after a Russian rocket attack.
Shvets, 67, died after the attack on a residential building in Kyiv, according to the city's Young Theatre, of which she was a company member.
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She was reported to be a veteran of stage and screen for decades in Ukraine, and the recipient of one of the country's highest artistic accolades. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60794419 |
Airline giant Delta warns oil increases mean higher ticket prices - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The jump in oil prices since Russia invaded Ukraine is set to lead to higher airfares. | Higher oil prices are set to lead to a 10% increase in air fares, according to the boss of one of the world's biggest airlines.
Delta Air Lines head Ed Bastian told the BBC the final impact "really depends where fuel prices settle".
Oil prices have reached 14-year highs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Emirates, Japan Airlines and AirAsia are among the big carriers to introduce surcharges on their tickets recently to cover the higher cost of jet fuel.
Before the pandemic, in 2019, 200 million customers flew on Delta, making it the world's second biggest airline by passenger numbers.
Mr Bastian said that on a domestic US flight the rise in fuel prices "is probably about $25 on a ticket, that could be anywhere between 5% to 10% at these high levels of oil... and international [flights] will be a bit higher than that".
Delta is planning to introduce fuel surcharges on the international flights which account for about 35% of its business, and increase US ticket prices.
Jet fuel is one of the biggest costs for airlines. Michael O'Leary, the boss of Europe's biggest carrier Ryanair, said recently that the surge in oil prices would lead to "materially higher" airfares this summer.
Many airlines try to protect themselves from these changes by buying fuel in advance. Easyjet and British Airways both said recently that they had done so for 60% of their fuel needs this year.
Delta chief Ed Bastian says higher oil prices will mean more expensive airfares
This year has seen big fluctuations. At the start of January, Brent crude - the international benchmark for oil - was under $80 a barrel, but it recently reached as high as almost $130 as the US and UK said they would end their use of oil from the world's biggest exporter, Russia.
More price swings are likely in the short-term according to the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Dr Fatih Birol. He told the BBC: "I think the $100 [oil] we are experiencing today may not be the highest level of prices we'll be seeing in the next weeks".
He warns that will be felt across all areas of the global economy, because as well as higher transport costs it will lead to more expensive heating and electricity. That would exacerbate the cost of living crisis many countries are facing.
"Every single dollar for oil going to [the] Russian economy will go back as a tank or as a bullet to Ukrainian people", says IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol
Reports from India suggest it is considering tackling high prices at the petrol pumps by buying discounted Russian oil. Many won't purchase it because of western sanctions, and Dr Birol warned: "One shouldn't forget that every single dollar for oil going to [the] Russian economy will go back as a tank or as a bullet to Ukrainian people. One shouldn't forget this moral aspect in my view".
Instead he wants Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia to increase oil production.
The latest IEA forecast says three million barrels a day of Russian oil could be removed from the market. However, that drop in supply could be offset by a fall in demand from China where Covid has led to new lockdowns.
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All this unpredictability means Delta does not try to buy its fuel in advance, Mr Bastian said. "Sometimes you win, and often you lose."
Instead Delta has the protection of owning its oil refinery in Pennsylvania, although it has been unsuccessful in recent efforts to try to sell it.
"We're thrilled that we have it right now" says Mr Bastian.
Delta's ownership of this oil refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania gives it some protection from volatile prices
The Delta chief is also looking to a future where initiatives to tackle climate change by cutting aviation's carbon emissions mean oil prices are less of a concern.
"The existing fossil fuel and jet fuel technology needs to go, and we need to make those investments for the future towards a sustainable future."
This means moving towards sustainable fuels such as biofuels or synthetic alternatives made through chemical processes.
Mr Bastian says that cost is the big impediment, with the production of such substitutes costing "three to five times what's in the marketplace today".
The difference will need to be made by governments investing in scaling up production.
"Scale will bring costs down over time, and will bring more capital from private sources into exploration and looking for new technology. This next five years is critical that to make sure we get government support, not just in the US but around the world."
Returning to profitability after the losses of the pandemic will also help fund the development of new technologies. According to the International Air Transport Association the industry lost more than $51bn last year with global demand 58.4% down on 2019 levels.
Passengers are returning to the skies as Covid restrictions ease, but Asia is seeing a slower recovery than other regions
As Covid restrictions continue to ease, Delta had two record days of sales last week, leading Mr Bastian to be hopeful about the outlook.
"The world is returning to travel and governments have decided that Covid is done."
"We're seeing some of our largest bookings we've ever had in our history. And it's not just in the US, it's internationally as well." However, he adds that Asia is lagging behind other regions.
Crucially demand for lucrative business class fares is also returning. It is currently at about 60% of pre-pandemic levels, but Mr Bastian expects this to rise to 70% by the summer.
He concedes "there's forms of business travel that will never return, that are more efficient to handle over video technology", but adds that leisure travellers are now showing more willingness to splash out on premium services.
Last year Delta recorded a pre-tax loss of $3.4bn and the disruption caused by coronavirus at the start of this year means Mr Bastian thinks that will be added to at the start of this year.
"We will lose some money primarily because of Omicron, it's not fuel prices. But I do expect starting in the second quarter and beyond that we'll be profitable."
You can watch Ed Bastian and Dr Fatih Birol's full interviews on "Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst" this weekend.
Viewers in the UK can watch the show at on Saturday and Sunday at 15:30 GMT on the BBC News Channel.
In other countries it will be on BBC World News at Saturday at 12:30 & 23:30 GMT and Sunday 05:30 & 16:30 GMT. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60781625 |
As it happened: Ukraine war latest: Gun battles as Russian troops reach Mariupol city centre, says mayor - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Vadym Boichenko tells the BBC "there is no city left" as Russia intensifies its attacks on Mariupol in Ukraine. | UK PM pledges to do more to help Ukraine in call with Zelensky
Boris Johnson pledged to do more to help Ukraine, in a telephone call with President Zelensky on Friday morning. The prime minister vowed to stand with Ukraine at a time when its people were "facing such horror with such courage". Mr Johnson said he told Mr Zelensky: "We know that we must do more to help. I pledge to you that we will." Speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen, he said he told the president that he knew Ukraine was fighting "not just for your lives and your homes, but for the cause of democracy and freedom itself". He said the UK had "led the way" in providing weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. But he added: "I think that we all feel that we can, and we will, do more." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-60774819 |
Ukraine war: The women tracing missing relatives - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | A group of women work 24/7 to help find loved ones separated by the war in Ukraine. | Thousands of families have been separated in the chaos of fighting in Ukraine. Power cuts and disruption to internet and mobile phone services mean many have gone weeks without hearing news of loved ones in areas hit by intense Russian shelling.
Sergey was sheltering with his family in a bomb shelter when he left to get food. Fierce fighting meant he couldn't get back to them, and the next day his phone went dead.
Desperate for news, his brother Vladimir turned to a Telegram group set by a Ukrainian TV presenter which shares information about missing people.
The group, called Search for the Missing, has grown to more than 80,000 members since it launched earlier this month, and receives thousands of pleas for help every day.
Hours after he posted about his brother, and four days after Sergey went missing, Vladimir got a phone call from the family of Sergey's wife in Kyiv, who had seen the message. "By the end of the day, they called to tell me that my brother had made his way to them," Vladimir said.
Sergey was traced via the group
Sergey had made it to another shelter, but with no food and water, he and the people he was with decided to surrender to Russian troops. "They took a white flag and went out to the Russians. After a search, they were released. Then with the help of volunteers, he drove to Kyiv," Vladimir says.
The rest of Sergey's family eventually made it out of Bucha and to safety in Gdansk, Poland. "I experienced feelings that I have never experienced in my life," Vladimir says. "It was such welcome news in these difficult days." Sergey has since returned to Ukraine to join the army, he says.
Search for the Missing was started by Katya Osadcha, a former model, journalist and popular reality TV presenter. She was desperate to help when the war started, but felt she "couldn't shoot or be a soldier" because she has two small children.
Instead, she asked friends on Instagram to help and now she and 15 volunteers run the group 24 hours a day, checking each message for details, and filtering out duplicates.
Katya says they have helped about 300 people find missing relatives, each one a happy update - a flurry of red hearts, praying and crying emojis - among the channel's endless stream of desperate pleas for information.
"You receive pictures of happy people on holidays, and their friends and family are writing to us saying that they are missing and the last call was five days ago from a shelter, and there has been a lot of bombing."
Emma Shymanovych, who helps run the channel, says the small team of volunteers has been overwhelmed: "It's extremely painful to read enquiries about lost children, or about children looking for their parents. It's hard to express what we feel."
When Yulia (left) escaped Mariupol the rest of her family stayed behind
Yulia, 25, left her mother, brother and sister behind when she escaped the city of Mariupol with her husband and two-month-old baby: "The last time I spoke to them, they had not had electricity, water, heating and communications for several days."
When she couldn't get through to them, Yulia contacted local authorities and friends who might still be in the city to see if they knew anything, but got nowhere, and posted on the Telegram channel.
"I push the worst thoughts away from me," she said. "I really hope they're safe and they just don't have a connection. I only hope for an immediate ceasefire." Not long after we spoke, Yulia sent me a message to tell me her mother had finally been able to make contact, but was still in Mariupol. "She spoke for just a minute. Thank God!"
Iryna posted a picture of her friend's 23-year-old daughter Julia, after she went missing in Kyiv. "Her mother was crying constantly," she says. She tried asking for news on Facebook and other Telegram channels, eventually turning to Search for the Missing.
Julia had dropped her phone when she was running to a bomb shelter
"Within 24 hours I started getting responses from people who knew her. Some said they didn't know anything, but then her friends got in touch and said Julia had broken her phone and hadn't been able to make contact."
Julia had dropped her phone when she was running to a bomb shelter and she didn't know her mother's phone number off by heart.
Thousands more are still trapped in Mariupol. Olga, who lives in Istanbul, posted in the channel after losing contact with her 31-year-old daughter Daria and her two grandchildren Mark, 4, and Lydia, 5, who live there.
Olga has lost contact with her daughter Daria (right) and grandchildren Mark and Lydia
Olga last heard from her daughter on 28 February. In a text message, Daria wrote that a shell had hit their apartment building, and there was no electricity or heating. "I don't know what to do at all" the message said. "I'm scared. The children are dressed, there are a lot of blankets. Mariupol is encircled by the enemy. We have a very bad connection."
Olga has almost given up hope of hearing from them. Monday was her daughter's birthday. "I'm terrified of everything and I never thought that my family would be affected by war" she says.
Olga, from Bakhmut, posted in the group to try to find news of her daughter, Alice, and eight-month-old grandson, Timofey, in Mariupol. The last she heard from them, they were sheltering with neighbours in the basement of a supermarket without electricity, water or heating.
Alice and Timofey were last heard of sheltering in a supermarket basement
Since then, she has received a message that the building they were hiding in was bombed, and she is anxiously waiting for more news. "Whether they are alive and where they are now - I don't know." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60678083 |
Interest rates rise again to counter higher prices - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Bank of England increases rates for the third time in four months as the cost of living rises. | Interest rates have increased for the third time in four months as the Bank of England tries to calm the rise in the cost of living.
The rise from 0.5% to 0.75% means rates are now at their highest level since March 2020, when Covid lockdowns began.
Energy bills and food costs are increasing and there is concern the war in Ukraine will push prices up further.
The Bank has warned inflation, the rate at which prices rise, may reach 8% and possibly higher, in the coming months.
Explaining why it had lifted its forecast, it said that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia "has led to further large increases in energy and other commodity prices including food prices.
"It is also likely to exacerbate global supply chain disruptions, and has increased the uncertainty around the economic outlook significantly," it added.
Prices had already increased by 5.5% in the year to January, the fastest rate for 30 years and well above the Bank's 2% inflation target. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that energy and fuel prices had contributed to the rising cost of living.
The Bank's policymakers cited the rising cost of living and strong employment as the reasons for the latest rate rise.
The members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) felt that "given the current tightness of the labour market, continuing signs of robust domestic cost and price pressures, and the risk that those pressures will persist", an interest rate rise was justified.
It also warned that inflation could hit double-digits later in the year if energy prices push up the energy price cap.
The MPC voted by a majority of 8-1 for the move, with deputy Bank governor Jon Cunliffe the only member to vote for keeping rates unchanged. He said this was because of the impact of rapid price rises on household incomes.
The committee said that more interest rate rises "might be appropriate in coming months, but there were risks on both sides of that judgement depending on how medium-term prospects evolved."
The invasion of Ukraine was likely to push prices up even faster than the Bank expected at its last meeting in February, it added.
"The economy had recently been subject to a succession of very large shocks. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was another such shock," it wrote.
Morag Milligan is the operations manager at Milligan's Coaches
Morag Milligan, the operations manager at Milligan's Coaches in East Ayrshire, said that the business had barely recovered from the shock of coronavirus-related lockdowns and travel restrictions.
Citing rising fuel prices, she said: "It feels it's just never-ending for the industry... it's crisis after crisis."
The company has seen an 8% increase in fuel costs which had been a drain on resources. "The increase just makes it harder and harder to run," she said.
About two million households will see an immediate increase in their mortgage payments as a result of the rise in rates, according to UK Finance.
The increase will add about £26 a month to the cost of a typical tracker mortgage, and £16 to the cost of a typical standard variable rate mortgage.
The Bank said that higher global prices for energy and other goods were responsible for the faster rise in inflation than the MPC predicted at its last rate-setting meeting.
However, it expects inflation to "fall back materially" once prices stop rising and the impact of inflation on household incomes starts to bite.
While the headline impact of a rise in rates will be felt by homeowners on variable rate mortgages, the big change today was in the mood music at the Bank of England.
Last month, it indicated that the rise was the first in a series likely over the coming months. That language has been toned down and indeed there was one member of the committee who voted to keep them on hold.
This indicates that the Bank is nervous about the economic impact of the massive rise in energy and food prices. More nervous than it is about the fact that already eye-watering 30 year highs for inflation, are not just going to be even higher at 8%, but potentially breach that by the end of the year.
The Russian invasion is one of a series of so-called "stagflationary" shocks, that send both growth figures and inflation figures in the wrong direction.
There is not much the Bank can do to stop the energy price cap and food prices sending the increase in the cost of living to 9 or 10%. But it is signalling its concern about the overall impact on the economy of a prolonged hit to consumers, from events 1,500 miles away.
But the union Unite hit out at the Bank's decision, with its general secretary Sharon Graham saying that it comes at a time when "millions of working people are facing the worst cost-of-living crisis for generations".
"This rise will put even more pressure on household finances as inflation and energy bills continue to skyrocket."
Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, pointed out that energy bills were already set to increase in April with the rise in the energy price cap.
The British Chambers of Commerce argued that higher rates will do little to curb some of the global causes behind the surge in prices and risk intensifying the financial squeeze on consumers and businesses.
Suren Thiru, its head of economics, urged the chancellor to use his Spring Statement on 23 March to tackle the "cost of doing business crisis" by delaying the National Insurance rise and introducing a temporary energy price cap for businesses.
"This would give firms the headroom to keep a lid on prices, protect jobs and make investment that is so vital to sustaining our economic prospects." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60763740 |
Ukraine's Zelensky calls on Germany to tear down Russian wall - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Ukraine's president accuses Germany of helping Russia create a new type of Berlin Wall. | The Ukrainian leader expressed outrage that some German companies were still operating in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told German MPs that a new type of Berlin Wall is being built, dividing Europe between freedom and oppression.
He thanked Germany for its support during Russia's invasion.
But it was uncomfortable listening for many MPs as he criticised German energy policy and business interests for contributing to that wall of division.
Over the past week, Mr Zelensky has given a master class in how to pitch his message to allies.
On Wednesday, he addressed US Congress, referring to Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 terror attacks. On Tuesday he asked Canada's parliament to envisage bombs and missiles falling on Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Last week, his address to the House of Commons in London was partly a homage to Winston Churchill's wartime speeches.
His emotive speech to the German parliament, the Bundestag, was equally tailored to appeal to his audience with well-chosen historical parallels. Some of his audience grew up in communist East Germany behind the Berlin Wall.
During the Cold War, Germany's dogged negotiation and engagement with Moscow contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification.
Since then Germany has tried to use trade, business and energy links to integrate a peaceful Russia into the West.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago has destroyed many of those aspirations. The general political consensus in Germany now is that this may have been the wrong approach with Mr Putin's increasingly authoritarian and kleptocratic government.
President Zelensky expressed outrage that some German businesses were still operating in Russia. The controversial, now cancelled, Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 was "cement for that new wall" dividing Europe, he said. Germany's continued reluctance to allow Ukraine into the European Union was "another brick" in that new wall.
"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this wall," he demanded of the German chancellor, repeating US President Ronald Reagan's historic demand to the Soviets in 1987 as he stood beside the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Many German ministers listening will agree with him. The Green Party, which in the new governing coalition is now responsible for energy policy within the powerful Economy Ministry, has for years been campaigning against Nord Stream 2.
Even those who once supported the pipeline have changed their minds. Until recently Mr Scholz still referred to it as an non-political business matter.
But as Russian troops gathered on Ukraine's borders, shortly before the invasion, he unexpectedly announced the newly finished pipeline would not be opening after all.
Using another German Cold War analogy, in his speech President Zelensky said that Ukraine needed an airlift, and a no-fly zone to protect it, just as Cold War West Berlin had been saved by the Allied airlift in 1948-49.
He also reminded Germany of its responsibility to make up for Nazi crimes in Ukraine, saying Ukrainian towns and cities were being destroyed for the second time in 80 years.
This was a well-judged comment - Germany does guilt well. But for now there is no time for national bouts of repentance and soul searching.
President Zelensky's speech was greeted by long applause and standing ovations.
The main opposition party, the conservative CDU, expressed outrage that after the address the chamber went on to discuss normal parliamentary business, instead of debating the war in Ukraine. The transition certainly jarred as the parliamentary president announced, amid booing from opposition MPs, a scheduled birthday congratulation message.
Pressure is growing from Ukraine, and from German voters, to end German reliance on Russian energy imports.
The German government is planning to stop imports of Russian oil and coal this year, with an end to Russian gas as soon as other sources are found. Berlin argues that a sudden ban would harm Germany more than Russia, sparking mass unemployment here.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck is now on a whirlwind global tour to drum up energy from elsewhere. After a visit to Norway yesterday, he announced a deal to boost imports of Norwegian gas and this week he'll fly to Qatar.
This may not satisfy German voters. In polls a majority say they want an instant embargo on Russian energy. But then it may be impossible to fulfil the electorate's demands - in other surveys an overwhelming majority of German voters also say that energy costs are already too high.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Surrogate babies waiting for parents in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60777050 |
P&O Ferries sackings: Government to review contracts with ferry firm - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The transport secretary has questioned whether the firm's dismissal of 800 staff was legal. | RMT union members protesting the P&O Ferries redundancies in Dover on Friday
All P&O Ferries contracts across government will be reviewed in response to the way it sacked 800 workers.
Staff have been protesting after many were told without warning by video message on Thursday that it would be "their final day of employment".
In a letter to the company, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he was "deeply concerned" at the move and questioned whether it was legal.
P&O said it was a "last resort" to save the business.
Passengers have been left stranded with services cancelled since the announcement. The ferry company said it was aiming to have the first ones "running again in the next day or two as we lose £1m a day for each day they are not moving".
A Department for Transport spokesperson could not provide details on the current value of government contracts awarded to P&O Ferries, but Labour Party analysis of the public sector contracts database Tussle found the company had received £38.3m in taxpayer-funded contracts since December 2018. One government contract for freight between Tilbury and Zeebrugge for nine months was worth £10.9m.
Mr Shapps urged the company to pause the redundancies announced and instructed the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to inspect all vessels to make sure replacement crews "rushed through" were safe to go to sea.
He has also asked the Insolvency Service to look at the laws around notification requirements to see if P&O followed correct and legal processes so the government "can consider if further action is appropriate".
Protests have been staged in Dover, Liverpool, Hull and elsewhere in the UK against the P&O redundancies, while the vessels stay docked at ports and ferry cancellations cause travel disruption.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has also written to the ferry operator's chief executive demanding answers to P&O Ferries' handling of the redundancies.
Mr Kwarteng's letter to its boss Peter Hebblethwaite says the company "appears to have failed" to follow the correct process for making large-scale redundancies, which would include consulting with unions and staff representatives and notifying him through the Insolvency Service and the Redundancy Payment Service.
The letter says failure to notify is "a criminal offence and can lead to an unlimited fine".
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Mr Kwarteng's questions to P&O Ferries include asking for details on the exact number of redundancies and how many of these involved any consultation, as well as the location of work for each staff member dismissed.
Additionally, he asked if staff made redundant were offered alternative roles directly for P&O Ferries or similar roles on new terms and conditions through an agency.
Workers have spoken of their "utter dismay" after hearing the news and of feeling abandoned by the company.
Andrew Smith, who had worked for the company for 22 years, said: "It's our lives. It's how our families have grown up, knowing that this is what we do, and it's just been turned on its head within a matter of hours."
And James, who has worked for P&O Ferries in Dover for about four years, said all he received "was a three minute pre-recorded message saying we are out of a job. Nothing else."
"It was a complete surprise. I would have understood if it was at the height of Covid, but now we're seeing the end of travel restrictions and the start of summer bookings. So this has come completely out of the blue," he said.
The business secretary also raises the company's previous application for government support when Covid lockdowns disrupted travel.
"It is particularly depressing that this should happen given the millions of pounds of British taxpayer support P&O companies received from the furlough scheme," he wrote.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sacked P&O employee Andrew Smith said he felt "utter dismay" at losing his job after 22 years
P&O Ferries is owned by Dubai-based DP World which also owns ports at London and Southampton.
DP World recently announced £8bn in revenues last year. During the Covid pandemic the company claimed more than £15m in grants and furlough assistance.
In a new statement on Friday, P&O Ferries said: "We took this difficult decision as a last resort and only after full consideration of all other options but, ultimately, we concluded that the business wouldn't survive without fundamentally changed crewing arrangements, which in turn would inevitably result in redundancies."
The RMT union labelled the move one of the "most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations".
Its national secretary Darren Procter told a crowd of about 250 demonstrators in Dover: "We're going to make sure our workers get back on board their vessels." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60800520 |
Roman Abramovich's jet among 100 planes grounded by US - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The US has grounded 100 Russia-affiliated aircraft believed to have violated US export controls. | The sanctioned aircraft include Boeing jets being used by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot
Nearly 100 planes with ties to Russia have been effectively grounded by the US government, including one owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich.
The US Commerce Department has said the planes are in contravention of US sanctions on Russia.
Providing service to these aircraft anywhere in the world - including inside Russia - may lead to heavy fines and potential jail time, it says.
While most are Boeing aircraft, a Gulfstream private jet owned by Mr Abramovich - the current owner of Chelsea football club - is also included.
The Russian was among seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government earlier this month in response to the Ukraine war.
Mr Abramovich, 55, is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.
In a statement, the department said any refuelling, maintenance or repair work of any of the listed aircraft - as well as the provision of spare parts - violates US export controls.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the move was in response to "Russia's brutal war of choice against Ukraine".
She added: "We are publishing this list to put the world on notice - we will not allow Russian and Belarusian companies and oligarchs to travel with impunity in violation of our laws."
The department said violators face "substantial jail time, fines, loss of export privileges, or other restrictions".
The regulations apply to any aircraft which has more than 25% US-origin content that was re-exported to Russia after new controls came into effect on 24 February, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
"By preventing these aircraft from receiving any service, for example, including from abroad, international flights from Russia on these aircraft are effectively grounded," the statement added.
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said the US government hoped the move highlighted Russia's increasing isolation from the global economy.
"Our actions aren't idle words or dead letters on the page," he said. "They have real teeth and as Putin's vicious war continues, they will continue to bite harder on the Russian and Belarusian economies".
The US, Canada and European allies have already banned Russian aircraft from operating in their airspace, forcing Russian airlines to largely abandon their international routes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60800439 |
Ukraine: Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti-war video trends on Russian social media - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | In the video the actor warns Russians they are being fed misinformation over the Ukraine war. | In the video, the actor spoke of his affection for the Russian people
A video address by Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Russian people was trending on Russian Twitter on Friday and has sparked reaction.
In it, Schwarzenegger warns Russians they are being fed misinformation about their country's assault on Ukraine.
Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, he says: "You started this war, and you can stop it".
His intervention has been praised by Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine.
Writing on the Telegram app, opposition politician Lev Shlosberg said it had been filmed "with respect towards us, Russian people".
"Arnold Schwarzenegger has a unique ability to talk to anyone with persuasion, respect and on equal terms. Wits, power and justice. Have a listen. Think about it. Understand," Mr Shlosberg said.
Also on Telegram, liberal journalist Anton Orekh said his message contained no "Russophobia".
"We are outcasts in the world.. Arnold is one of the few people who addressed Russians not as savage orcs, but as good people who have lost their ways," Mr Orekh said.
But a pro-Kremlin spoof account, Barack Obmana on Twitter, derided it, saying "the opinion of paid US talking heads" mattered little to Russians.
Russia has consistently said the war in Ukraine was a "special operation" to protect Russian-speaking Ukrainians.
But in his video, Schwarzenegger said the Kremlin was lying to Russians when it said the invasion was intended to "denazify" Ukraine.
Ukraine did not start the war, but "those in power in the Kremlin" did, he said.
By 13:00 GMT the video had been viewed nearly 25m times and had been retweeted 325,000 times.
Schwarzenegger is one of the few accounts followed by the Kremlin's official Russian- and English-language Twitter accounts.
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In the nine-minute video, which also shows footage of the destruction in Ukraine, the actor-turned-politician calls on people to see through disinformation and propaganda.
"I'm speaking to you today because there are things going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things that you should know about," he says.
"Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis," the former California governor says, noting that the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. "This is not the Russian people's war."
The Austrian-born former bodybuilding champion - whose film Red Heat was the first US film shot in Moscow's Red Square - speaks of his affection for the Russian people and talks about being inspired as a youth by Russian Olympic weightlifter Yuri Vlasov.
He also talks about his father, who was among Nazi German troops who attacked St Petersburg - then called Leningrad - during World War Two. He returned a "broken man" full of pain from a wound he sustained during fighting and the guilt he felt at having taken part.
"The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me," he says. "That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine."
He goes on to say: "This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures have been sacrificed for a senseless war condemned by the entire world." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60794809 |
Strip-searched Hackney schoolgirl to sue Met Police - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The 15-year-old black girl was taken out of an exam and strip-searched by two female Met officers. | Protests were held over the teenager's treatment at a north London police station
A black pupil who was strip-searched after being wrongly suspected of carrying drugs is suing the Met Police.
The 15-year-old, also known as Child Q, is also taking civil action against her school, the law firm Bhatt Murphy said.
Scotland Yard has apologised after a safeguarding report found the search was unjustified and racism was "likely" to have been a factor.
Speaking via her lawyers, the girl said she wanted "cast-iron commitments to ensure this never happens again".
In a statement, she said: "I want to thank the thousands of people across the world of all backgrounds who have offered me support - both publicly and through messages conveyed to my legal team - following everything I've been through.
Hundreds of people attended a protest organised by Hackney Cop Watch at Stoke Newington police station.
The protest started at 16:00 GMT on Friday
During the incident, the girl was taken out of an exam to the school's medical room and strip-searched by two female Met police officers searching for cannabis, while teachers remained outside.
No other adult was present and her parents were not contacted.
Her intimate body parts were exposed and she was made to take off her sanitary towel, according to the review. No drugs were found.
The victim's mother told the safeguarding review that after the strip-search, her daughter had been "asked to go back into the exam" she had been sitting with no teacher asking about her welfare.
Her family said the girl had changed from "top of the class" to "a shell of her former bubbly self", and she was now self-harming and required therapy.
One of Friday's protesters told the BBC "she can't even fathom" the "disgusting" treatment of the teenager.
She said: "What they did to that child has brought tears to my eyes every day because I'm thinking 'could that have been my daughter once upon a time, could that be my granddaughter?"
The Met Police's treatment of the pupil has provoked anger
London's mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the head of the police watchdog urging them to consider a case of gross misconduct.
However, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said its investigation was complete and its report was being "finalised".
It added three police constables had been served with notices last year advising them they were under investigation for misconduct, "over their roles in either carrying out the strip search or involvement in supervising it".
Scotland Yard has said the officers' actions were "truly regrettable" and it "should never have happened".
Met Police Commander Dr Alison Heydari said: "While we await the findings of the IOPC investigation, we have already taken action to ensure that our officers and staff have a refreshed understanding of the policy for conducting a 'further search' and advice around dealing with schools, ensuring that children are treated as children."
"We love you Child Q… and we pray for resolve. Keep your head up".
That was the message of solidarity from Ayesha, one mother on this march.
Hundreds of people stood outside Stoke Newington police station, holding placards and banners. The crowds stopped traffic and buses were diverted.
"No police in schools" and "schools + cops = violence" were some of the messages people posted on the walls of the police station.
Amid chants of "protect black girls", nearby cars beeped their horns. Hackney MP Diane Abbott spoke of a community "confronted by brutality from police officers all over again".
Several other people made speeches and demanded justice. But while there's a clear sense of anger, this is also a community feeling traumatised.
Many here say they are worried about the current safeguarding measures in place in schools.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60797237 |
Orford Ness: Former military site needs ferry operator - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | A sense of humour and dealing with all kinds of weather are among the qualities needed for a new ferry operator. | Operations manager Glen Pearce said you could get "lost in a landscape" on-site
A "rare chance" to become the sole ferry operator for a former nuclear weapons testing island has become available.
Orford Ness, a spit located just off the Suffolk coast, was used as a secret military test site during the Cold War.
It is now a National Trust coastal nature reserve with testing site buildings people can visit.
The ferry operator role would involve operating the ferry, a powerboat and a rowing boat across the River Ore.
The National Trust said this "rare chance" was for an "experienced" sailor.
There is something "special" about welcoming people to the reserve, Orford Ness boat supervisor Guy Brown said
The National Trust said it was one of the few sites in the UK where facilities were built for the purpose of testing nuclear weapons' components.
However, the work that was carried out on the island by the military remains secret, it said.
Orford Ness was used by the military from 1918 to the 1980s, said Glen Pearce, property operations manager for the site.
The Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on the island used to test bomb casing for nuclear bombs, he said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The trust says the successful ferry operator needs a "sense of humour" to deal with the weather
It is "quite a dangerous site", Guy Brown, Orford Ness boat supervisor, said.
He said Orford Ness was used for "environmental testing for the triggers for nuclear weapons, so making sure they didn't go off when they weren't supposed to".
"There's still a huge amount that we don't know about the site," Mr Brown said, and "we'll probably never know" the work that the buildings and infrastructure on the island were involved in.
The ferry operator would be expected to help maintain the listed buildings and scheduled monuments on the site during the winter.
"You've got to have a sense of humour to deal with the weather, keep morale up when waves are breaking into your face, but if you treat it like a rollercoaster then it's really not that bad," said Mr Brown.
The National Trust ferry takes visitors onto the Ness throughout much of the year
The site required the new ferry operator to be an "all-rounder", Mr Pearce said.
"One day you could be operating the boat, the next day you could be chasing our rare breed sheep, you could be helping repairing some of the buildings.
"You have to be prepared to work here when the wind is blowing, it's -4C, and horizontal hail in your face.
"It's a privilege to work here," he added.
Applications for the role close on 27 March and the successful applicant will start work in April when Orford Ness reopens to visitors for the season.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-60779178 |
Ukraine war: Drone footage shows level of devastation in Mariupol - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Video shows destroyed blocks of flats and a shopping mall in the besieged Ukrainian port city. | Blocks of flats and a shopping mall have been completely destroyed in Mariupol, Ukraine.
The besieged port city has faced constant shelling since the war started three weeks ago.
The Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boichenko told the BBC that fighting has reached the city centre.
Read more on the attack on Mariupol here.
This video has no sound | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60800581 |
Rachael Blackmore wins Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard - BBC Sport | 2022-03-18 | Rachael Blackmore creates history as A Plus Tard beats Minella Indo to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. | Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing
Rachael Blackmore created history as the first female rider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, storming to success on A Plus Tard.
The pair had finished second to stablemate Minella Indo last year and Blackmore wanted to put things right.
This time, she made no mistake on the 3-1 favourite, moving ahead of Minella Indo after the last and racing clear to win for trainer Henry de Bromhead.
Minella Indo (7-1) was second ahead of Protektorat (10-1).
Galvin (10-3) came in fourth with Al Boum Photo - the winner in 2019 and 2020 - sixth.
Blackmore's history-making run began in 2021 when she became the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle and Grand National, as well as taking the leading rider award at last year's Cheltenham Festival.
"I just can't believe it. I'm so lucky to be getting to ride all these kind of horses," she told ITV Racing.
"You can't do this without the horses and being attached to Henry's yard is just absolutely phenomenal. To give me this horse is unbelievable, I don't know what to say.
"I've had so many special days. I wouldn't swap the Grand National for anything but this is the Gold Cup."
• None Relive all the drama from Gold Cup day
For all her success, Blackmore knew that last year's Gold Cup had been within her grasp before A Plus Tard faded in the closing stages.
Twelve months on, in what was a closely contested race until the run-in, Minella Indo and Robbie Power made the first significant move and grabbed the lead two from home.
But his rivals were never far away and A Plus Tard waited patiently before showing a lovely turn of pace to take the lead and, once he did, there was only going to be one winner and the pair finished 15 lengths clear.
It was 32-year-old Blackmore's second feature race success of the week, after her win on Honeysuckle in Tuesday's Champion Hurdle.
While last year's victories at Prestbury Park and Aintree had been achieved behind closed doors, this time Blackmore was roared home by a Cheltenham record crowd of 73,875, including her father and siblings.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra: "I was happy with my position throughout the race - I had everyone in my sights that I wanted to keep an eye on. I tried to keep hold of him a bit more this year and it is great when it works out.
"I knew I had more under me this year than last year, but I didn't know he was going to go away in that fashion. He is an incredible horse."
It was absolutely brilliant - she gave him an absolute peach of the ride. That is what makes it sweeter. When the gap opened up round the home bend it was all over.
Rachael is just phenomenal. She is as cool as cucumber. It is just the decisions that she makes - she is so tactically aware. It was just an absolute pleasure to watch.
It is another big moment for women in racing, sport and business. She is an absolute star.
She got a gap at the second last and there wasn't room for a mouse to get through there but she put the horse's nose in there and he went through it like a knife through butter.
She is just an extraordinary horsewoman. She gets the horse travelling and relaxed.
It was also a day to remember for trainer Willie Mullins who had a five-timer on his way to 10 wins overall, smashing his own Festival record of eight victories.
With the Gold Cup success for De Bromhead and Joseph O'Brien's win with Banbridge, ridden by Mark McDonagh, in the closing Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, it meant all seven winners on the day were trained in Ireland.
"I didn't realise no-one has ever trained this many winners here, but since it became a four-day Festival things changed numbers-wise," said Mullins.
"I'd imagine this sort of thing will happen more regularly and if they go to five days someone will do it easily."
Mullins started the day well when Vauban (6-4), ridden by Paul Townend, led home an Irish-trained top five in the Triumph Hurdle.
Townend was always well placed and although his mount was less than fluid at the last, he recovered well to beat Fil Dor and Pied Piper.
Mullins and Townend were back in the winners' enclosure in the next courtesy of the 11-4 favourite State Man in the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle.
Townend's fifth win of the Festival secured him the leading jockey honour.
The Nice Guy then assured Mullins of the top trainer's title as he led home a stable one-two in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Ridden by Sean O'Keeffe, the 18-1 shot got the better of Minella Cocooner and the treble-chasing Townend by five lengths.
But the climax of the race was overshadowed by a fatal injury sustained by second-favourite Ginto, who was moving into contention late on. It was the fourth equine fatality of the meeting.
It was fitting that Mullins' son Patrick ensured that his father created history with win number nine, getting up in the final strides on Billaway (2-1 favourite) to deny Winged Leader in the St James's Place Hunters' Chase.
Mark Walsh then made it five Mullins wins for the day on Elimay (9-4) in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase.
"I'm delighted with the whole team," added Mullins senior. "I'm going to accept the award with all my team because they are the ones who do it in the background, leaving me free."
• None Robert Pattinson reveals all about taking on the role of the caped crusader
• None Philippe Coutinho and fan-owned Dublin club Bohemian FC feature on this week's episode | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/60722745 |
St Patrick's Day parades: Police warning as public events return - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Large parades were held across Northern Ireland on Thursday for the first time in three years. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets on the island of Ireland as St Patrick's Day events returned for the first time in three years.
Parades and other festivities were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Events returned across the globe and about 400,000 people attended the parade in Dublin.
Major events also took place in cities such as New York and Washington.
Crowds gathered to watch the parade in Belfast city centre
In Northern Ireland, there were St Patrick's Day parades in Downpatrick, County Down, and Armagh, each with special connections to Ireland's patron saint.
The city's council has been hosting a series of events this year from 10-20 March, including the Beat Carnival Parade which passed through the city centre on Thursday.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Belfast is set to stage its first St Patrick's Day parade since the coronavirus pandemic
After promising the city would "come alive with colour and performances", Belfast Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl said "it means so much to have St Patrick's Day back".
During the event on Thursday, she told BBC News NI people had deserved "a bit of a party" after the challenges posed by the pandemic.
However, despite encouraging people to enjoy the day, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said "unruly behaviour caused by people who celebrate to excess will not be tolerated".
Ch Insp Gavin Kirkpatrick urged young people to "stay away from the Holyland" area of south Belfast, explaining it was a residential area and "not a party or nightlife destination".
In previous years, there have been clashes with police and antisocial behaviour in the area, which is home to many students, around St Patrick's Day.
Ch Insp Gavin Kirkpatrick said the Holyland area was not a party destination
"We are keen to ensure that all young people are aware of the risks associated with criminal and anti-social behaviour, for their safety and future educational and career prospects," Ch Insp Gavin Kirkpatrick said.
He added the warning was also "to protect local residents who are feeling particularly vulnerable" because of the day's events.
As legend has it, St Patrick worked on Slemish in County Antrim when he was first brought to Ireland.
And following his footsteps on Thursday, big crowds climbed to the top to mark his feast day.
Crowds gathered at Slemish on Thursday, where legend has it St Patrick worked when first brought to Ireland
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council expected 1,500 trekkers throughout the day.
Bus loads took crowds from the nearby village of Broughshane where a festival took place with traditional music and dance, street theatre and an artisan market.
In Londonderry, the city's spring carnival festival took place, with the council estimating a crowd of about 35,000 spectators.
Thousands watched the St Patrick's Day parade in Belfast for the first time in three years
The theme was based around rebirth and renewal.
Earlier, members of the Apprentice Boys, one of the Protestant Loyal Orders, paraded for St Patrick's Day in the city.
The march is held separately from the main St Patrick's Day parade in Derry.
"For too many years people thought it wasn't something people from the Apprentice Boys or from the Protestant tradition should be engaged in, but it is a day for everyone," Stephen Porter from the Apprentice Boys told BBC Radio Foyle.
"It has been a great success," he said.
Downpatrick's parade is popular because of the town's many links with St Patrick
In Downpatrick, where Ireland's saint is believed to have been buried beside the town's cathedral, there was a concert in the town.
Armagh City, where historians believe St Patrick established a church in 445 AD, held a community parade, with another large parade in Newry on Thursday afternoon.
Large crowds gathered to watch the St Patrick's Day parade in Derry
The St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin also made a comeback on Thursday after a break because of the pandemic.
Its parade left Parnell Road at midday and crossed O'Connell Bridge on its way to a finish in Kevin Street.
Many turned out to watch the parade through Dublin
A special St Patrick's Day video greeting from Ireland to the world, with Paul Brady's iconic The Island song, was published to mark Ireland's solidarity and support with the people of Ukraine.
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister), Micheál Martin, is currently in Washington, but on Wednesday night tested positive for Covid-19.
On Thursday, he held a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden.
Northern Ireland ministers Conor Murphy and Gordon Lyons are also in Washington, as is former deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-60772137 |
Covid: Rise in UK infections driven by BA.2 Omicron variant - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | One in 20 people infected, with record high rates in elderly people due a spring Covid booster vaccine. | Covid cases have continued to rise in the UK, with an estimated one in every 20 people infected, figures from the Office for National Statistic suggest.
All age groups are affected, including the 75s and over, who are due a spring booster jab to top up protection.
Hospital cases are also rising, but vaccines are still helping to stop many severe cases, say experts.
An easily spread sub-variant of Omicron, called BA.2, is now causing most cases.
Recent easing of restrictions and waning immunity from the vaccines could be factors behind the rise too.
The ONS infection survey, which tests thousands of people randomly in households across the UK, estimates that 3.3 million people would have tested positive in the week ending 12 March - up from 2.6 million the previous week.
Scotland has seen infection levels rise for seven weeks in a row. They have now reached a new record high, with 376,300 people estimated to have had Covid last week, or one in 14.
Infection rates across the nations were:
It comes as the UK continues to lift previous Covid restrictions. As of Friday, people arriving in the UK will no longer need to take a Covid test, even if they haven't been vaccinated.
It is part of the government's Living with Covid strategy that relies on personal responsibility and mass vaccination to protect the public, rather than laws and limits on what people are allowed to do.
Scotland's rules on face coverings in shops and on public transport will, however, remain in place until April due to the rise in Covid.
Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said Scotland was showing the highest level of infections yet.
"It's notable also that infections have risen in all age groups, with the over-70s reaching their highest estimate since our survey began," she added.
Prof James Naismith, Director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, and Professor of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, said the high infection rates around the UK currently, with few Covid restrictions, meant that almost anyone could catch the virus.
He said: "My main concern is for the vulnerable for whom this disease is serious.
"Every effort must be made to triple vaccinate as many people as possible, quadruple vaccinate the most vulnerable."
Public health expert Prof Linda Bauld told the BBC: "Let's hope we are heading towards the peak or we are already at it in terms of infection because the problems in our hospitals are, once again, pretty acute."
She said Scotland might soon be reaching a new high for Covid hospital admissions.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-60792087 |
Ukraine war: Mariupol theatre destroyed in bombing - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | President Zelensky said the theatre in the besieged Ukrainian city was being used as a shelter by hundreds of people. | President Zelensky has accused Russia of intentionally bombing a theatre sheltering civilians in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Moscow denies claims it bombed a theatre where people were hiding, with the Russian word for "children" written on the ground outside the building. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60777075 |
Russian oligarch Strzhalkovsky's super yacht stuck in Norway - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | The Ragnar is owned by Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, who has been linked to Vladimir Putin. | Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, right, is a former KGB agent and has close ties to the Russian president
A super yacht owned by a Russian oligarch is stuck in a Norwegian port because no-one will sell it fuel.
The Ragnar is owned by Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, a former KGB agent who has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is not on the EU sanctions list.
The yacht has been stranded at the port of Narvik since 15 February.
"We find the discrimination against us, extremely unjust," the yacht's captain, Robert Lankester, wrote in a message.
The British captain pointed out that none of the crew is Russian.
"We are a Western crew of 16," he told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. "We have nothing to do with the owner."
But local fuel suppliers say they do not want to help entities associated with Russia.
"Why should we help them?" Holmlund Oil Service's general manager, Sven Holmlund, told NRK.
"They can row home. Or use a sail."
Mr Strzhalkovsky is the former head of mining giant Norilsk Nickel.
The 68-metre yacht includes a room designed to resemble a British pub, while also boasting heli-skiing equipment, four ski scooters and a giant slide, according to Boat International.
This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by ragnaryacht This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Earlier this month French authorities seized a super yacht owned by Igor Sechin, boss of Russian state energy company Rosneft.
• None Who are the mega-rich Russians facing sanctions? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60786467 |
P&O Ferries staff protest over shock firing - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Staff, unions and MPs have expressed outrage and travellers have been told to expect disruption. | About 400 protesters gathered outside the Port of Liverpool
P&O Ferries staff are staging protests after the firm sacked 800 employees without giving them any notice.
The RMT and Nautilus unions are calling for action across the ports of Dover, Liverpool, Hull and Larne.
Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries' staff were told via a video message on Thursday that it was their "final day of employment".
P&O said it took the "difficult decision" as a "last resort" to save the business.
But unions have hit out against the dismissal, saying it marked a "dark day" in the shipping industry.
A chorus of cross-party MPs described P&O Ferries' actions as "callous" and "disgraceful".
The government is looking "very closely" at the action P&O Ferries has taken to see if they broke any laws after it fired its employees, planning to replace them with cheaper agency staff, it said.
The RMT union labelled the move one of the "most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations".
Its national secretary Darren Procter told a crowd of about 250 demonstrators in Dover: "We're going to make sure our workers get back onboard their vessels."
P&O Ferries worker Andrew Smith said he felt "utter dismay" after working for the company for 22 years.
"It's our lives," he said. "It's how our families have grown up, knowing that this is what we do, and it's just been turned on its head within a matter of hours."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sacked P&O employee Andrew Smith said he felt "utter dismay" at losing his job after 22 years
Mark Dickinson, general secretary of the maritime trade union Nautilus, told the BBC: "It's absolutely ripped the guts out of everybody."
"I've seen some curveballs and some shocking developments over that time... but for a company to treat the legal process in such an underhand and callous way has shocked me."
Both the RMT union and Nautilus International are seeking legal advice on the dismissal.
The transport union TSSA called on the government to "take over running vital ferry routes to safeguard trade and travel", and "hit [P&O] where it hurts" over the "shocking events".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. P&O Ferries workers were told via video that it was their "final day of employment"
Holly Cudbill, an employment lawyer from Blake Morgan, said that P&O Ferries' actions "were almost certainly illegal".
Although its boats sail around the world, she believes the firm's employees are covered by UK law.
In that instance, P&O Ferries should have consulted with unions and staff about potential dismissals and notified the government that hundreds of jobs were at risk, she told the BBC.
Sacked staff said the video message had referred to a "generous severance package" being offered, but no details were given.
Maritime minister Robert Courts said he was "frankly angry at the way workers have been treated". He told the House of Commons P&O Ferries' actions were "wholly unacceptable".
"Reports of workers being given zero notice and escorted off their ships with immediate effect while being told cheaper alternatives would take up their roles, shows the insensitive nature by which P&O approached this issue," he said.
He added that he did not expect critical goods and services to be hit by the sudden drop in capacity, but travellers "should expect some disruption over the coming days".
The company has said services are unable to run over the next few days.
Former P&O workers collect their belongings after being fired on Thursday
In a letter to the prime minister, Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh described the firing as a "despicable assault on workers' rights".
"But British seafarers do not need meaningless platitudes - they need action," she added, demanding that government suspends any contracts it holds with DP World - P&O Ferries' owner.
Former transport minister Sir John Hayes also suggested the government should "recover any monies granted to P&O during the pandemic" in a bid to reverse their decision.
P&O Ferries claimed almost £15m in government grants in 2020, which included furlough payments for its employees.
The move was also condemned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Dover in a joint statement, which described the sackings as "inhumane and unethical".
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"Ill-treating workers is not just business. In God's eyes it is sin," they said, calling for support for a consultation.
P&O Ferries acknowledged on Friday that the redundancy came "without warning or prior consultation, and we fully understand that this has caused distress for them and their families."
They added: "We took this difficult decision as a last resort and only after full consideration of all other options but, ultimately, we concluded that the business wouldn't survive without fundamentally changed crewing arrangements, which in turn would inevitably result in redundancies."
P&O Ferries is one of the UK's leading ferry companies, carrying more than 10 million passengers a year before the pandemic and about 15% of all freight cargo in and out of the UK.
It was bought by DP World, the multi-national ports and logistics company based in Dubai in 2019. At the time of purchase, its chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem described it as a "strong, recognisable brand".
It paid a £270m dividend to shareholders in 2020.
However, like many transport operators, it saw demand slump in the pandemic. Just a couple of months after the dividends announcement, it said it would cut 1,100 jobs after a downturn in bookings.
On Friday, it confirmed it is losing about £1m a day for each day its services are not running.
Are you affected by issues covered in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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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/business-60789612 |
Dozens of pilot whales die at notorious New Zealand beach - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | Rescuers saved a few pilot whales but 31 died in another mass stranding at the South Island bay. | At least 31 pilot whales have died after a mass stranding at a New Zealand beach known to be a notorious spot for whale deaths.
Wildlife officials said the pod was first spotted on Thursday, beached across three kilometres of Farewell Spit on the South Island.
On Friday, rescuers managed to refloat five whales who had survived the night.
But just hours later, at least two had washed back up and had to be euthanised, officials told the BBC.
This beaching is just the latest in mass strandings at Farewell Spit, the northernmost tip of New Zealand's South Island.
Authorities say while whale strandings are unfortunate, they are a natural phenomenon.
"It's not an uncommon experience here in Golden Bay, given the area's topography... it's known as one of the stranding hotspots," rescuer Dave Winterburn from the Department of Conservation told the BBC.
"So we go through periods when we don't have any, and then we get a couple in a row - that's just the way things go."
It is not fully understood why the whales got stranded, but pilot whales are known to be more prone to getting beached. They are not considered endangered, although exact population numbers are not known.
Farewell Spit has been dubbed a 'death trap' for whales in the area
Farewell Spit, a 26km (16 mile) hook of sand that protrudes into the sea, has been a frequent site of strandings, although scientists are unclear why.
One theory is that the spit creates a shallow seabed in the bay with extensive, kilometres-wide sand flats.
But Mr Winterbottom said there weren't any plans to put in protections for whales in the area, as the vast landmass made solutions like a water barrier "completely impractical".
A rescuer pouring water over a whale in a bid to keep it alive
Last year, rescuers were able to save 28 long-finned pilot whales of a pod of about 50 who had stranded on the beach, but the rest died.
The worst stranding occurred in February 2017, when almost 700 whales beached, resulting in 250 deaths. The area has seen at least 11 pilot whale strandings in the past 15 years.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Volunteers helped push 28 whales back into the water at a similar stranding in 2021 at Farewell Spit | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60790326 |
Child, 13, drove pickup in deadly Texas crash that killed nine - BBC News | 2022-03-18 | A 13-year-old was driving a truck that collided with a van carrying student athletes, officials say. | A 13-year-old was behind the wheel of a pickup truck that slammed head on into a van carrying university athletes in a collision that killed nine on Tuesday.
In a Thursday news conference, federal investigators said the truck's left tyre - which was a spare - blew out before swerving into the oncoming van.
Six university golfers, including one from Portugal and one from Mexico, and their coach died in the crash.
Both the young pickup driver and his passenger were also killed.
Two students, both from Canada, survived the collision and are in a stable condition but still in hospital.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt Victor Taylor told the Associated Press news agency that it would be illegal for a 13-year-old to be driving in the state. Children are allowed to begin classroom driving lessons at the age of 14 in Texas, and must be 15 before they can start driving with an instructor or licensed adult in the car.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in Thursday's news conference that it's still unclear how fast the vehicles were moving when they collided head-on on a two-lane highway near the New Mexico border, causing both vehicles to burst into flames.
Several of the victims in the van were not wearing seatbelts, the NTSB said, adding that one passenger was ejected from the vehicle. The information is preliminary, officials added, and the investigation into the "mass casualty event" is expected to last several more months.
The victims from the University of the Southwest - a private university in New Mexico - include golf coach Tyler James, 26; Jackson Zinn, 22; Karisa Raines, 21; Travis Garcia; 19; Laci Stone, 18, as well as Portuguese national Tiago Sousa, 18; and Mexican citizen Mauricio Sanchez, 19.
Henrich Siemens, 38. was named as the pickup truck passenger. The name of the boy driving the vehicle is not being released due to his age.
The accident occurred in Andrews County in west Texas on Tuesday night, just after 20:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
A Ford Transit passenger van was carrying members of the both men's and women's golf teams from a golf tournament, authorities said. The other vehicle involved was a Dodge 2500 pickup truck.
The Ford had been travelling northbound on the FM1788 roadway in Texas, while the Dodge pickup was travelling southbound.
The two surviving golfers are undergoing medical treatment in Lubbock, Texas.
Their families have arrived from Canada to be with them, a university official said on Thursday, adding that one is doing well enough to be able to sit up and eat soup. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60789022 |