Top story: ‘There will be a day of judgment’
Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this morning.
Ukraine’s president has vowed to punish “every bastard” responsible for atrocities against civilians during the Russian invasion amid outrage at the death of eight people, including a mother and two children, who were trying to escape the shelling of a Kyiv suburb yesterday. In an impassioned address overnight, Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Russian troops carrying out the attacks that the “only quiet place” that awaits them is the grave. “We will not forgive hundreds and hundreds of victims, thousands and thousands of sufferings … There will be a day of judgment.”
The leaders of France and Turkey asked Russian president Vladimir Putin to allow evacuations in Kyiv and other besieged cities such as Mariupol and reports from Russia this morning suggest some humanitarian corridors will be opened. However, an adviser to Zelenskiy said last night that Russian forces had stepped up shelling of cities in the north, centre and south, and there were reports of a Russian assault on Mykolaiv. With a war crimes investigation already under way, Ukraine will today ask the United Nations’ top court to issue an emergency ruling requiring Russia to stop its invasion. A third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks is set for today. You can follow all the updates at our live blog and here’s what we know so far on day 12 of the war.
Today will see emergency legislation rushed through the House of Commons targeting Russian oligarchs. The laws will create a register of overseas ownership of UK land and property, reform unexplained wealth orders and make it easier to prosecute those involved in breaking sanctions. A public appeal in the UK to provide aid for Ukraine has reached £100m, while a flashmob orchestra played a concert for Ukraine in Trafalgar Square. US secretary of state Antony Blinken has promised to escalate sanctions but said the war could last “some time”. He also said the western allies had discussed a ban on Russian oil imports, and the news sent the price of crude soaring to within sight of all-time record highs in early trade this morning. In Denmark, voters will decide in a referendum whether to overturn the country’s 30-year-old opt-out from EU defence policy.
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Gender gap – It will take 30 years to reach gender parity at senior levels of the financial services industry if nothing is done to improve the “frustratingly slow” current rate, the Treasury’s champion on the issue has warned. Amanda Blanc, who is also chief executive of the insurer Aviva, said women and business could not afford to wait that long to achieve equality. Research by the women-in-finance taskforce found the proportion of senior women among the 400 signatories increased by just one percentage point between 2018 and 2020, from 31% to 32%. Companies with more female leaders outperform those dominated by men, according to Commons research, but could be held back by a lack of investment and the risk of “childcare deserts” in parts of the country.
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Sporting chance – More than 1 million girls who thought of themselves as sporty at primary school lose interest in physical activity as teenagers, according to a study by Women in Sport. In a poll of 4,000 girls, 68% said that a fear of feeling judged prevented them from taking part, while 61% said they lacked confidence. Just under half (47%) said they were too busy with school work to carry on with sport. And girls were much more likely to say they used to be sporty but were no longer keen on exercise than boys (24%).
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Glass half full – Always look on the bright side of life. Or at least that is what a new study of army veterans in the US suggests after it found that optimists may live healthier, longer lives because they have fewer stressful events to cope with. Researchers found that while optimists reacted to, and recovered from, stressful situations in much the same way as pessimists, the optimists fared better emotionally because they had fewer stressful events in their daily lives.
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God squad – When Pope Francis suggested that nuns should “get out more” to avoid becoming “old maids”, a group of sisters in Italy took his advice to heart and formed the world’s first national football team for nuns. Their next big game is against their main rivals – a team of nuns from the Vatican – but the main aim is to evangelise as they exercise, the founder says.
Today in Focus podcast
At least 15,000 flights have taken off from UK airports since March 2020 at less than 10% capacity or even with no passengers at all. The Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, attempts to find out why.
Lunchtime read: Naveen Andrews – from Lost to The Dropout
Naveen Andrews found fame in The Buddha of Suburbia and then on the big screen in The English Patient, before consolidating his bankability in Lost. He tells Steve Rose how addiction in the 90s nearly cost him everything, and his new role alongside Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout, which deals with the Theranos fraud scandal.
Sport
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City would have to take close to maximum points from their remaining 10 games of the season to retain the title following their 4-1 victory over a floundering Manchester United on Sunday. England’s county cricket club chairs have launched a blueprint for the game that would boost their power and influence at the ECB, four years after the governing body’s restructure replaced them to improve diversity. A Texas congresswoman has called for Russia to release Brittney Griner, as fears grow Vladimir Putin could use the US basketball star as a pawn during the war in Ukraine. Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, who sported an insignia linked to the invasion of Ukraine on a medals podium, had been called out for his “shocking behaviour”. Jack Nowell has called on England to play “brave” rugby against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday as they aim to stay in the race for the Six Nations title. If Fifa’s proposed multi-sport entity to deal with the abuse crisis is to succeed it must be independent, transparent and well-funded, writes Katherine Craig. And Shane Warne’s last meal was a plate of Vegemite and toast at the Thailand resort where he died hours later, a friend on the island of Koh Samui has said.
Business
Workers can fight and beat the squeeze on wages, TUC boss Frances O’Grady says, inspired by B&Q distribution centre workers who rejected a 4% wage rise and instead secured a 6.7% deal. In an interview with the Guardian, O’Grady says working people are victims of inflation that has seen energy and food bills rise sharply in recent months, not the cause. The FTSE is set to shed 2.3% at the opening bell today amid mounting concern about Ukraine and its impact on the global economy. The pound slipped 0.4% to $1.322 but gained the same against the euro to €1.215.
The papers
The Guardian leads with “Plea for safe passage after second ceasefire disaster” and a striking picture of Ukrainians fleeing Russian shelling. The Telegraph has the same picture and the headline “‘Barbaric’ Putin rains down terror”.
Most of the papers have a similar combination. The headline in the Times is “Families flee for their lives” with a picture of a man carrying a child, and that also features on the front of the Mirror: “Save them”, it implores. The Sun has “Running for their lives”, as does the i, while the Metro goes for “Run for your lives”. The Express splash head is “Pure evil”. The FT, meanwhile, goes with the oil angle – “West weighs banning Russian oil as Moscow steps up Ukraine onslaught” – and the Mail has “UK defence chief: Putin victory is not inevitable”.
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