Plus, would Putin press the nuclear button?
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| Next 24 hours 'crucial' - Ukrainian leader |
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| | | For the very latest on the situation in Ukraine, check our live page. With blasts heard before dawn in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and second city, Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country faces a "crucial" 24 hours on the fifth day of Russia's invasion. Ukraine's military described the last day of fighting as "difficult", with Russia shelling from "almost all directions", but it remains in control of the major northern cities. Russia made progress in the south, taking the port town Berdyansk. Ukraine has said negotiations with Moscow will be held without preconditions at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. The talks will take place today, Russia's Tass news agency says. The prospect of talks comes a day after Russia's President Vladimir Putin put its deterrence forces, which include nuclear weapons, on "special alert". Moscow's ally Belarus renounced its non-nuclear status, clearing the way for it to host weapons. Mr Putin's announcement does not mean the Kremlin intends to use the weapons, but was branded an "unacceptable escalation" by the US. Ukraine's Western allies continue to pledge support, with the EU taking the unprecedented step of sending arms, while closing its airspace to Russian aircraft. The UN is to hold an emergency special session involving all 193 member countries later. Meanwhile, the Russian rouble plunged 30% to a new low against the US dollar, in the wake of severe sanctions against its financial system. | |
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| UK offers further help but pressed to do more |
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| People who are settled in the UK will be able to bring their Ukrainian immediate family to join them, in a policy change No 10 says will "benefit many thousands of people". Previously, only "dependants" of Ukrainians already in the UK were guaranteed entry - a stance criticised as "immoral" by Labour. The scope of the change to immediate family is unclear but Prime Minister Boris Johnson says: "We want to make sure that we have routes for people fleeing disaster, war, persecution in Ukraine to come here." The government also announced a further £40m of humanitarian aid for the country. But our home editor Mark Easton says the policy falls "far short" of the EU move to admit Ukrainians for up to three years without asking them to first apply for asylum, which the Refugee Council says makes the UK offer look "mean spirited". UK fast-tracks law to tackle Russian 'dirty money' | |
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| | | | | | | Sanctions Why the world is waging economic war on Russia |
| | | | 5 Minutes On Has Russia changed - or did we get it wrong all along |
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| | | | | If Vladimir Putin did choose a nuclear option, would anyone in his close circle try to dissuade him? Or stop him? "Russia's political elites are never with the people," says Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov. "They always take the side of the ruler." And in Vladimir Putin's Russia the ruler is all-powerful. This is a country with few checks and balances; it's the Kremlin that calls the shots. "No one is ready to stand up to Putin," says defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. "We're in a dangerous spot." | |
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| | | | Front pages are dominated by Vladimir Putin putting Russia's nuclear forces on high alert. It is intended as a threat to Nato countries after more military aid was announced for Ukraine, the Times says. The Daily Telegraph says there are growing fears Mr Putin could deploy weapons of mass destruction "to avoid the humiliation of defeat in Ukraine" after four days of fighting. The Metro quotes a US official, saying: "It's clearly putting in play forces that, if there's a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous." The move has sparked "world outrage", says the Daily Mail, while the Daily Express styles it as "Free world v Putin". Read the newspaper review in full here. | |
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| | | | | Covid Vaccine passports and classroom masks rules end in Scotland |
| | | | Living costs Energy price rises hit home in bill projections |
| | | | Gaming Civilisation creator warns industry about monetisation |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| With millions of music streams, you’d fully expect to see this international grime artist performing at packed-out venues but he's not. Elijah Branford, aka Eyez, is playing in front of new crowds - students at college. He’s training to be a teacher and hopes to pass on everything he knows about grime, drill and hip-hop. Watch to find out more. "They call me Hell, they call me Stacey, they call me Her, they call me Jane, that's not my name…" It’s not grime, drill and hip-hop but it is the lyrics from Ting Tings' 2008 hit That's Not My Name. If you don’t remember it, you can have a listen on TikTok, where it’s having an unexpected revival. Take a look. And speaking of the unexpected, did you hear about the woman who rediscovered a forgotten bank book - and was able to have her nest egg returned to her 60 years on. Here’s the story, in case you missed it. | |
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| 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. | |
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