Plus, Dolly Parton on her debut novel
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| Russia could launch chemical attack on Ukraine - White House |
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| | | For the very latest on the situation in Ukraine, follow our live page. There are growing concerns Russia could be planning a chemical or biological weapon attack in Ukraine. Russia's UK embassy is claiming documents show components of biological weapons have been made in Ukrainian labs, with US funding, while Moscow's media suggests its neighbour was planning a "dirty bomb" to disperse radioactive material. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki says the claims are an "obvious ploy" to try to justify further premeditated, unprovoked attacks. Western officials are "very concerned" Russia is "setting the scene" for a "false flag" incident - making it appear that Ukraine has used non-conventional weapons - saying similar stories came out of Russia before their use in Syria. The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia has used thermobaric rockets - or vacuum bombs - which suck in oxygen from the air to generate a devastating high-temperature explosion. And it says it's likely mercenaries from Kremlin-linked private military companies - accused of human rights abuses elsewhere - are deploying in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is already accusing Russia of a war crime by ordering an air strike that destroyed maternity and children's wards at a hospital in the southern city of Mariupol. | |
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| UK must cut refugee red tape - Ukraine |
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| The UK must cut "bureaucratic red tape" preventing Ukrainian refugees reaching its shores, the country's ambassador to London says. People "fleeing under bombardment" cannot access documents such as passports, Vadym Prystaiko adds. Acknowledging the need for security checks, Mr Prystaiko says the Ukrainian embassy in London can help once people are in the country. Responding on BBC One's Question Time, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi promised visa numbers for Ukrainians would increase, adding his department was preparing for up to 100,000 children who might need places in UK schools. A government spokesperson says the UK has taken "urgent action" to process visas while "carrying out vital security checks". With Home Secretary Priti Patel accused of foot-dragging, complacency and heartlessness towards refugees, our home editor Mark Easton hears from insiders about the Home Office response | |
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| Oil prices plunge as UAE backs supply boost |
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| Could there be some let-up in the oil-price hikes that have put a financial squeeze on families the world over? Prices have plunged after the United Arab Emirates said it supported increasing production, with the Brent Crude benchmark down more than 17% at one point. The UAE is a member of the Opec oil cartel, which last week said it would only gradually increase production in response to the supply disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the UAE's ambassador to the US, Yousuf Al Otaiba, now says: "We favour production increases and will be encouraging Opec to consider higher production levels." Stability in energy markets is critical to the global economy, he adds. | |
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| | | | | Israel's leadership believes its Russia links are an opening. One Israeli official put it to me that it can be a "bridge" between Moscow and the West. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett even called it a moral obligation to make every effort to extend dialogue... It's unlikely Israel can play mediator in the usual sense of a powerful arbiter that tries to entice each party into concessions. It would have to be more of a message carrier, shuttling between unequal sides. Some question the value of such an attempt. Israel's leadership has decided largely not to fall in with the West's approach to Russia. It has not, for example, joined much of the barrage of fresh sanctions against Moscow. This is a gamble on helping create an environment of de-escalation, but it's high risk. | |
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| | Tom Bateman | Middle East correspondent | |
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| | | | The front pages focus on the bombing of a Ukrainian hospital, which destroyed maternity and children's wards, with almost all using the same photograph of an expectant mother being stretchered to safety. The Daily Mirror sums up the story in one word - "Barbaric" - while the Guardian echoes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's description of the bombing as "an atrocity". The i says Russian forces bombed the hospital during a "supposed ceasefire". For the Metro, it represents "a new low" for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read the full review. | |
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| | | Living costs Tough calls in chancellor's spring statement - analysts |
| | | | Train crash Faulty drain work blamed for fatal Stonehaven derailment |
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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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| Have you got a name for your organs? Azeem Ahmad has for his remaining kidney. It's Kevin - because he's been "Home Alone", like the child in the popular children's film - since he donated the other to someone he didn't know, in 2019. He tells us what motivated him to act, while 23-year-old Alisha Gokani explains what it would mean to her to be the recipient of such generosity. But with thousands of people suffering while waiting for a donor kidney, should we always have to rely on altruism? To mark World Kidney Day, BBC Ideas explores the pros and cons of allowing people to buy and sell the organs. And, on the subject of body parts, here's the remarkable tale of a Royal Air Force musician who chose to have her injured leg amputated - and ended up at the Winter Paralympics. | |
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| | | 1973 Governor of Bermuda Sir Richard Sharples and his assistant, Captain Hugh Sayers, are shot dead in the British overseas territory. Watch our archive report of the incident. |
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