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| | Russia pledges withdrawal in two key areas but Ukraine remains sceptical | |  | | | | | | | | | There are signs of optimism, tangible progress, from the latest round of Russian-Ukraine peace talks. Russia’s announced it will "drastically reduce combat operations" in two key areas - around the capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv, where troops have faced setbacks. The move to withdraw is aimed "to boost mutual trust", according to Russia, which has previously revealed it is focusing on Ukraine's eastern regions. But this scaling back of operations has been met with scepticism. "We can say that the signals... are positive, but those signals do not drown out the explosions or Russian shells," says Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian military says it's "probably a rotation of individual units". Outside of Ukraine, the US and the UK are also apprehensive. President Joe Biden says he wants to see what happens on the ground and Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be looking at Russia’s actions not its words.
As this pledge was made, the search for survivors continues after a Russian rocket tore a hole through a nine-storey government building in the southern city of Mykolaiv. Twelve people were killed and more than 20 others injured, according to Ukrainian officials. Further questions have been raised over Russia’s claims it doesn't target civilians, the buildings in which they live and work, or the people themselves. However, Ukraine and the US say Russian troops are repositioning. This comes amid what Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, describes as "meaningful" negotiations in Turkey. Russia says it aspires to reach a ceasefire and Ukraine's proposals on neutrality - to no longer join Nato, which Russia opposed - will be put to President Vladimir Putin. Follow the latest developments on our live page.
Here are some in-depth pieces we've put together on the conflict: - Analysis Caution follows Russia's peace talk promises
- Reality check Does video show Russian prisoners being shot?
- Explainer Why the Red Cross has to be neutral in the Ukraine conflict
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| | Maternity care report into failures set to be published | | | | | | | | | A five-year inquiry into failures in maternity care at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust is expected to conclude later . The twice-delayed report looked into 1,862 cases largely between 2000 and 2019 in what’s thought to be the largest ever review of maternity care in the NHS. The BBC’s learned some 201 babies might have survived with better care. Mothers died and some, along with dozens of children, were left injured. Families in Shropshire have campaigned for years for an independent review, and as details of the report emerge, the scale of the numbers involved is likely to come as a shock to many. The level of failures uncovered is said to be unprecedented in the history of NHS maternity care. The NHS has been working to get indemnity cover to deal with any potential legal action following publication. Police are investigating what happened at the trust, which has previously taken "full responsibility" for the failures and has apologised. | | | | | |
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| | Children and social media | | | | | | | | | Despite most social media platforms having rules about the minimum age of users, regulator Ofcom has found children as young as five have accounts. Children should be over the age of 13 but an annual study into media habits reveals this is not the case. A third of parents of five- to seven-year-olds revealed their child had a social-media profile. The most popular platform was TikTok in the eight to 11 age range, with one in three having an account. TikTok says its "strictly a 13+ platform" and has "processes in place to enforce our minimum-age requirements". Read more here.
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| | | | | | | | | | | Late last week, a proposed security treaty between China and a tiny chain of islands in the Pacific sent shock waves across the ocean. The leaked draft signalled that China could deploy troops to the Solomon Islands - and potentially establish a naval base there. Nowhere was more alarmed than the Solomons' neighbour to the south, Australia - the bedrock regional partner of the Aukus alliance, a new security pact in the Pacific Ocean with the US and UK.
"The details of this deal are still uncertain. But even if it's smaller than the feared military base, it would be China's first foothold in the Pacific," says Prof Alan Gyngell from the Australian Institute of International Affairs. The Solomon Islands and Australia have long been interlinked. Since World War Two, Australia has been the islands' largest aid donor, development partner and until now the sole security partner. Australia's government was rocked and likely blindsided by the move, analysts say. Not that it hadn't been warned. | | | | | | | | | | | | Frances Mao | | BBC News, Sydney | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | The Queen features on many of this morning’s front pages. Pictured at the memorial service for her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh, she’s described as the "Queen of broken hearts" by the Sun. She was escorted into Westminster Abbey by Prince Andrew, which according to the Daily Express has caused a "Royal fallout". This angle is also covered by the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror. It was a day of "high emotion" says the Daily Telegraph which pictures the monarch at the service. The paper, however, is among those leading on the war in Ukraine. It, like others, covers the announcement from peace talks that Russia will withdraw troops from some cities. Meanwhile, the Guardian looks at the implications following the police’s decision to issue 20 fines over lockdown breaches in No 10. Read the newspaper review in full here. | | | | | |
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| | | | | Schools Pandemic closures still affecting millions of pupils | | | | | | | Covid Rules reveal who will still get free tests | | | | | | | NHS Public satisfaction drops to 25-year low | | | | | | | | | | |
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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? | | | | | | | | | The morning of 7 September 1780 forever lives in a 32ft long painting, stretching across 10 sheets of paper. Depicting the moment Indian rulers defeated British East India Company troops in the famed Battle of Pollilur, the painting - despite its age - is said to be in remarkable condition. It’s up for auction, which has given us an opportunity to delve into history. Take a look.
While we wait for a deal from that sale, here’s one involving a plumber - and Hollywood. Kev Crane already has a record contract after being overheard singing while fitting a bathroom. But now a Hollywood film maker wants to tell his story. The 50-year-old’s signed a deal and says he’s had some sleepless nights thinking about what’s happened. Read more here.
And to a final note - of the cash kind. If you have any old £20 and £50 notes made from paper, you’d be wise to spend them or bank them. There are more than £17bn worth in circulation but they’re not going to be legal tender in six months. Here’s more on the story. | | | | | |
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| | On this day | | | | | | | 1979 Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Airey Neave is killed in a car bomb attack as he leaves the House of Commons car park. Here's our report into the investigation. | | | | | | | | |
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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. | | | | | |
