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| | Ukraine rejects Russia’s demand to surrender key city | |  | | | | | | | | | Russia’s attempts to seize the besieged southern port city of Mariupol in Ukraine show no signs of easing on the ground. Heavy fighting has reached the centre, people are trapped, electricity, gas and running water has been cut off, supplies are running out and aid is being blocked from entering. Children are among those bearing the brunt of the war in this city. The terror in Mariupol - which has seen some of the deadliest fighting - will go down in history, says Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who alleges war crimes have been committed. Russia’s Gen Mikhail Mizintsev admits that a terrible humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding, and Moscow has since offered an ultimatum so that the 300,000 or so people unable to leave Mariupol can flee safely. This involves Ukraine surrendering the city - a key strategic target - to Russia. It has been rejected and the surrender deadline ignored by Ukraine.
Russia set out the details of its plan earlier which proposed Ukrainian troops and "foreign mercenaries" disarm and leave the city. Then after a two-hour window, Russian forces claim they would then have allowed food, medicine and other supplies to enter the city safely. People would have also been able to flee safely to either the east or west, Russia says. But this exchange, or demand, was rejected, with a defiant Ukraine saying there was no question of any surrender even though Russian troops have completely encircled the city. "We will fight until the last of our soldiers," said Pyotr Andryushenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. He claims humanitarian promises by Russia couldn’t be trusted, and to help its citizens Ukraine’s government is planning to send about 50 buses to pick up further evacuees from the city. Follow developments on our live page.
Our latest explainers: - Analysis Western agents seek to get inside Putin's head
- Listen Hacktivists - the 'cyber war' against Putin
- Explainer Will Russia end its war?
- Maps Tracking the invasion
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| | British-US national detained in Iran now in hotel | | | | | | | | | When Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori returned to the UK after being released from years of detention in Iran for crimes against the government which they denied, one British-US national remained. Morad Tahbaz, who also has Iranian citizenship like Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori, was released at the same time but wasn’t allowed to leave Iran. It emerged the 66-year-old had been sent back to prison, leaving his family distraught and devastated. The UK Foreign Office is maintaining pressure for Mr Tahbaz to return home and he has since been moved from prison to a hotel in the capital, Tehran. He was jailed for 10 years on vague charges of spying for the US and undermining Iran's security while carrying out conservation work in 2018. He denied the charges and the Foreign Office says it is continuing to “lobby the Iranian authorities at the highest levels to allow him to return home immediately, as the Iranian government committed to doing". | | | | | |
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| | Debts from the rising cost of living | | | | | | | | | With the cost of living rising, and energy bills and council tax increases imminent, a survey’s looked at the debt people now face. Research by debt charity StepChange found one in five people think they will end up in arrears this year and won't be able to pay it back. It also found 42% of people think they will struggle to pay energy and council tax bills when they go up. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s being urged to do more to help people ahead of his Spring Statement on Wednesday. But he says he cannot "fully protect" people from the consequences of rising prices. Read more here. | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | China and Hong Kong are seeing their largest spike in Covid cases in more than two years, despite determinedly pursuing one of the world's strictest virus elimination policies. Most countries are now trying to live with coronavirus - so how long can China hold on to its "zero-Covid" goal?
For the last two years, China's strict measures to contain Covid, enforced by swift lockdowns and aggressive restrictions, seemed to be largely paying off. As the rest of the world grappled with surges in cases and deaths in 2020, China's President Xi Jinping declared the country's handling of the pandemic through lockdowns and widespread testing a success - and touted its methods as being the most effective. The zero-Covid model was therefore strictly enforced both in mainland China and Hong Kong. But things soon began to change. | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | Thousands of people are "being forced into Russia" from the city of Mariupol in Ukraine, reports the Guardian, as the war continues to lead many of this morning’s front pages. This story is also carried in the Daily Telegraph which writes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of mass "abductions". Accusations of war crimes is the focus of the Metro and is also the main story in the Times but it, like many of other papers, also features fuel duty. The Daily Mail, which is among those leading with this story, claims Chancellor Rishi Sunak is "set to cut tax on fuel". Read the newspaper review in full here. | | | | | |
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| | | | | Smacking Physically punishing children becomes illegal in Wales | | | | | | | Covid Spring booster jab opens to over-75s in England | | | | | | | | | | | Royals William and Kate dance and try chocolate in Belize | | | | | | |
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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? | | | | | | | | | Do you remember when there was no such thing as a smartphone? Downloading and scrolling through apps like Instagram and TikTok didn't exist and you could only make and receive calls and text messages. Basic handsets - so-called dumbphones - are making a comeback, but why? We’ve spoken to some people to find out. Take a look.
As we’re getting back to basics, here’s the story about a woman who became so bored of the fashion world she quit and decided to grow her own food. Former jewellery designer Lucy Hutchings turned to gardening to cope with stress, retrained and soon became a hit on Instagram. Watch how she’s grown.
And finally, to another hit which has been described as an unbelievable result. When New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu hit the cricket ball during a Women's World Cup match she was stopped in her tracks by a stunning one-handed catch from England’s Heather Knight. See for yourself. | | | | | |
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| | On this day | | | | | | | 1999 One of the UK's much loved and most successful comedians, Ernie Wise, dies aged 73. | | | | | | | | |
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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. | | | | | |
