Plus, the untold story of a British swimming icon
|
|
| US tells citizens to leave Ukraine amid Russia tensions |
| |
| | | As tensions rise, and with reports Russia is planning to invade, the US is ordering families of its embassy staff in Ukraine to leave the country. There have been repeated warnings from the White House an invasion could come at "any time" and the US State Department - which is responsible for foreign policy - noted reports that Russia is planning significant military action. Russia - which has seized Ukrainian territory before, when it annexed Crimea in 2014 - denies claims it’s planning to take military action. Despite this, the US has decided to issue a statement to its citizens. As well as telling relatives of its embassy staff to leave, the State Department has given permission for non-essential staff to go, urged its citizens in Ukraine to consider departing, and also warned against travelling to the country, or Russia. The embassy in Ukraine remains open but the State Department’s taking action because the government "will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens in such a contingency". This move comes as some 90 tonnes of US "lethal aid" arrived in Ukraine over the weekend, and amid accusations by the UK that Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, was plotting to install a pro-Moscow figure to lead in the Eastern European country’s government. The US has declined to comment on this. Our correspondent Barbara Plett Usher says the move to order and advise US citizens to leave is part of a series of precautions the State Department uses when crises could put diplomats in harm's way. Nothing specific over the past 24 hours is thought to have triggered the decision. | |
| |
|
|
| PM’s crucial week over parties probe |
| |
| |
| An investigation into alleged parties at Downing Street during lockdown, dubbed partygate, should conclude this week and the findings published. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been under pressure - with calls for him to resign - from his own MPs as well as the opposition over the gatherings, which civil servant Sue Gray has been looking into. Mr Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings is thought to be giving his evidence to the inquiry later, which according to reports is reviewing 16 gatherings that allegedly took place in No 10 or other government departments during the pandemic. The investigation was ordered by Mr Johnson who also set the terms of reference and Ms Gray - permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office and is required to be impartial - will report back to him. This also comes as senior Tory William Wragg is to meet police over claims MPs seeking to oust the prime minister were "blackmailed". Downing Street said it hadn't seen any proof of these allegations. | |
| |
|
|
| Fresh questions about Liverpool bomber |
| |
| |
| Further questions about why Liverpool bomber Emad Al Swealmeen was not removed from the UK despite failed asylum attempts have emerged from official documents. They convey new details about the 32-year-old’s asylum claims and the false information he used to make his cases. Al Swealmeen died when his bomb went off inside a taxi at Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Sunday in November last year. The taxi driver managed to escape and no-one else was hurt. In a previously confidential asylum judgement from 2015 Al Swealmeen, an Iraqi, claimed to be a Syrian refugee but didn't have basic facts about his story. He lost the case, remained in the UK and then tried another asylum bid using a different name. The Home Office says it won’t comment on the case. Read more here. | |
| |
|
|
| | | | | An undersea fibre-optic cable which connects Tonga to the rest of the world was severed during the eruption of a volcano. New Zealand's ministry of foreign affairs says it could take more than a month to repair the 49,889km (31,000miles) of cable in the South Pacific. The undersea eruption - followed by a tsunami - led to Tonga's 110,000 people being cut off. A 2G wireless connection has been established on the main island, using a satellite dish from the University of the South Pacific. But the service is patchy, and internet services run slowly. The cable, which is operated by Tonga Cable, is believed to have broken about 37km (23 miles) offshore. The process of mending it is actually quite simple, according to principal engineer at Virgin Media, Peter Jamieson, who is also vice-chairman of the European Subsea Cable Association. "They will send a pulse of light from the island and a machine will measure how long it takes to travel and this will establish where the break is," he explained. Then a cable-repair boat will be sent to the location of the first break. | |
|
|
| |
| | Jane Wakefield | Technology reporter | |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| | | | Various stories lead the front pages this morning including the latest on Sue Gray’s report about parties at Downing Street, tensions in Ukraine, and the energy crisis. According to the Telegraph, police officers who guard Downing Street have been interviewed for the partygate probe. The i says it’s a "week of reckoning" for the prime minister as the report is due to be published in the next few days. Boris Johnson "still believes he broke no rules", the Times claims, although the paper’s main story is about fears Russia will "weaponise gas supplies" if it invades Ukraine. The Metro says Ukraine will "fight to the death" if it is invaded. Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror headlines on what it describes as the "scandal of cold Britain" and has spoken to people about rising energy bills. Read the newspaper review in full here. | |
| |
|
|
| | | Safety Harmful content could evade new online law - MPs |
| | | | Covid Nightclubs reopen in Scotland as restrictions eased |
| | | | Australia Man admits abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith |
| | | | Cricket England beat West Indies by one run |
| |
| |
|
|
| If you watch one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| If you listen to one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| If you read one thing today |
| | | |
| |
|
|
| Need something different? |
| |
| |
| Have you heard of Mercedes Gleitze? It's unlikely because she kept her feats a secret from even her children and grandchildren. She was a renowned swimmer and one of her claims to fame was becoming the first woman to cross the English Channel in 1927. Her family's managed to uncover her past and now a film’s being made of her life. Take a look at how she made waves. Speaking of films, Srikanth Bolla is the inspiration for a new Bollywood movie. As a teenager the now 31-year-old was told it was illegal for him to study maths and science because he is blind. He sued, found a way to learn those subjects, won his case and later started a company now worth £48m. Here's the full story on his accomplishments. And if you haven’t seen this one already, meet the 83-year-old who delivers emergency vehicles and medical supplies to hospitals across Europe. For more than 30 years John Shackleton’s been raising money to donate much-needed aid. After drop-off Jack and his co-drivers hitchhike back to the UK. Find out more about his achievements here. | |
| |
|
|
| | | | 1966 More than 100 passengers are killed after an Air India Boeing-707 plane crashes into Mont Blanc in the Alps. |
| | |
| |
|
|
|
| Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | |
| |
|