Top story: Putin is ‘brutal’, says Biden
Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are today’s top stories.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will address the United Nations security council later today amid a growing international outcry about the apparent slaughter of civilians by retreating Russian forces around Kyiv. Joe Biden accelerated the international response to the shocking scenes reported from Bucha by calling for the prosecution of Vladimir Putin for war crimes. “This guy is brutal and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous,” the US president said of his Russian counterpart. Zelenskiy, who visited Bucha yesterday, said other towns such as Borodyanka could reveal higher death tolls, and added that Ukraine was preparing for “even more brutal” operations by Russian forces in the east and south of the country. The Kremlin has reverted to type and claimed photographs and videos of the carnage in Bucha and other towns have been faked by the west. The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said yesterday that the west must not lift sanctions against Russia until all its troops had left Ukraine and Putin was unable to mount such an offensive again.
Despite worldwide condemnation of Putin, it will be far from simple to ensure that the Russian president faces court. And the evidence of Russian brutality poses a test for the west as well because it is likely to increase pressure on Germany in particular to cut fuel imports from the east even more quickly. You can follow all the latest developments on this at our live blog, and catch up with what we know so far on day 41 of the invasion.
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Party problem – Senior civil servants are braced for criticism in Sue Gray’s report into lockdown parties in Downing Street after the government’s former ethics chief apologised for attending a party in breach of Covid gathering rules. The apology comes in the wake of a leak naming her as one of the people fined by police over Covid breaches. Helen MacNamara, who left the government last February to work at the Premier league, said sorry for her “error of judgment” in attending a leaving party in June 2020. Boris Johnson did not attend that party, but there remains speculation about whether he will be fined over lockdown parties at No 10. There is also consternation in Whitehall about how to deal with the fallout if senior civil servants are implicated as organisers of gatherings when the full report is finally published
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Countdown to market – The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, is pushing ahead with plans to privatise Channel 4, despite opposition from staff and media figures such as Sir David Attenborough. The government hopes to raise around £1bn from the sell-off, making it one of the biggest privatisations since Royal Mail went public a decade ago. Ministers have suggested they could spend the proceeds to boost creative training and independent production companies, essentially funding their levelling-up agenda. Here’s what you need to know about the plans, and the 40-year countdown to the privatisation.
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Landslide tragedy – A British man and his son have died after five members of the same family were caught up in a landslide while on a mountain walk on holiday in Australia. His wife and 14-year-old son will be operated on today after suffering critical injuries in the incident in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Monday. The couple’s 15-year-old daughter was treated for shock. Police said conditions in the mountains were “extremely unstable” after weeks of rain in the region.
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‘Now or never’ – The world can still hope to stave off the worst ravages of climate breakdown but only through a “now or never” dash to a low-carbon economy and society, scientists have said. Greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025, and can be nearly halved this decade, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to give the world a chance of limiting future heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The panel’s stark language makes it clear that it’s all over for fossil fuels if governments are to succeed, although the third part of its review of climate science says immediate action is needed.
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‘Still in the womb’ – An enormous planet about nine times the mass of Jupiter has been observed at a remarkably early stage of formation in a discovery that challenges the current understanding of how planets are made. Astronomers in Hawaii who detected the planet – AB Aurigae b – have described it as “still in the womb” because it is at such an early stage of life. It lies 508 light years from Earth.
Today in Focus podcast
Sirin Kale reports on the surrogate mothers trapped in Ukraine – and the parents struggling to bring their babies home to safety.
Lunchtime read: Has the world left soaps behind?
With the axing this month of the long-running soaps Holby City and Neighbours, Stuart Jeffries considers whether this is really the beginning of the end for the genre that could once grip a nation with storylines about Dirty Den or the Grants of Brookside Close. The mourning over the death yesterday at the age of 95 of June Brown, who played Dot Cotton in EastEnders, is a reminder of the part played by such characters in national life.
Sport
Mikel Arteta rued the consequences of an “unacceptable” performance from his Arsenal side at Crystal Palace and admitted he had not anticipated anything like the 3-0 defeat that raises serious question marks about their top four hopes. A defiant Pep Guardiola has joked about “overthinking” the Champions League knockout stage in the past with “stupid tactics” but the Manchester City manager insists he will not change his approach. Virgil van Dijk has said Liverpool are intent on providing an “unforgettable” season and that their pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple should not be taken for granted.
The American Bryson DeChambeau, who has not recovered from injuries to a hand and hip, is enjoying a lower profile in the build-up to this year’s Masters at Augusta. Gambling and betting companies will be banned from using advertising featuring top-flight footballers and other sports personalities, as well as reality TV and social media stars, under new rules designed to protect under-18s and other vulnerable groups. And from an impressive Chelsea defence to a Mancunian scrap for third, here are the major talking points from the weekend’s Women’s Super League action.
Business
A group of around 100 Tory rebels has forced Boris Johnson to back away from plans to build more onshore windfarms in favour of a big investment in nuclear power along with more offshore wind to fix Britain’s energy problems. Despite backing in cabinet from Kwasi Kwarteng and Michael Gove, the prime minister will outline his new approach in a policy launch this week in the face of opposition from ministers including Grant Shapps who has called onshore turbines “an eyesore”. FTSE100 futures are trading down slightly today, and the pound is on $1.311 and €1.194.
The papers
The Mirror’s splash headline is in Russian but it is helpfully repeated in English underneath: “You need to know”, it says, calling it a “message to the Russian people” as the outcry over the Bucha killings continues to make the running on many front pages. The Times says “Britain calls for tougher sanctions on Russia”, while the Express leads on Zelenskiy’s visit to the scene: “Horrors of war shock hero of Ukraine”. The i says “Blood money: Europe split on funding Putin’s war” and the Scotsman has “Biden: ‘Putin should go on trial for war crimes’”.
The Guardian also features the Ukraine president on the front but the main story is “‘It’s now or never’ if the world is to stave off climate disaster – IPCC”. The Telegraph has Telegraph “Channel 4 set to be taken private”, but the Yorkshire Post sounds a warning on the idea: “Channel 4’s sale ‘will cost jobs in North’”. The Mail leads with the equality commission’s ruling on trans issues – “Huge boost for women’s rights” – the Sun goes with “June Lit Up Albert Square” and the Record has “Holiday flight chaos”.
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