welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... ukraine—russia tensions — president biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 troops to europe. the united states stands shoulder—to—shoulder with our nato allies. the current situation demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on nato�*s eastern flank. in afghanistan, some public universities open for the first time since the taliban seized power — and women are being allowed to return. a key pa rt a key part of the brexit deal unravels as northern ireland holds customs checks on goods

coming from the british mainland. and are they carrying a torch for free speech? what can and can't be said by 0lympic what can and can't be said by olympic athletes in beijing. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to the programme. we start with the latest on the ukraine crisis — and the news that president biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 troops to bolster nato allies in the region. this would be the first major movement of us forces in russia's military stand—off with ukraine. 2,000 will be sent to poland and germany, and a i,000—strong squadron will be redeployed from germany to romania. a pentagon spokesman said the deployments were a signal that america was ready to defend its allies —

but he was keen to stress the troops were not going to fight in ukraine. the united states stands shoulder—to—shoulder with our nato allies. the current situation demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on nato�*s eastern flank. president biden has been clear that the united states will respond to the growing threat to europe's security and stability. our commitment to nato, article five, and collective defence remains ironclad. i'v e i've been speaking with general philip breedlove, a retired a—star general in the united states air force and served as nato�*s supreme commander from 2013-16. he told nato�*s supreme commander from 2013—16. he told me he believes president biden�*s decision to send troops into eastern europe is a good move. well, i believe it's a good signal, and it is telling mr putin that if he continues with this current course,

he will likely get exactly what he didn't want. if you read the papers, he didn't want increased forward presence and increased forward capability. and that's what we're doing now, as well as other nato nations, by the way. but general, doesn't doing precisely what president putin doesn't want risk further escalation in the region, given that moscow has called this deployment "destructive", and makes it seem like the time for talking is over? so, karishma, let's talk about what you just said. so mr putin's sitting over there with well over 109,000 troops on the border — and he calls this deployment something that'll accelerate? every day, mr putin brings more force to the border. he's not changed the number of combat troops in the last several days, but what he's bringing is all the enabling things that they need

to be able to employ. so let's just say it one more time — he's bringing more force every day, he has over 109,000 there, and he's worried about this deployment. i think we need to look at that for its facts. indeed, general, and thank you for pointing that out. but just to say that the troops aren't being stationed in ukraine, as we've said in the introduction to this interview, as well, but surrounding it — so what's the strategic rationale they are? so, we are going there to both ensure and assure our allies that we will be there if we're needed. it was mentioned in the first play by the dod spokesman, we are there to show commitment to article five. and if this spills over into nato countries, then nato will be ready and the united states will be ready.

so that's the red line, then, if this spills over into nato countries? that's when the west will act? well, i can't speak for nato, because i'm not there any more. i'lljust say it one more time — the article five commitment is firm, and all of the leadership has said it. from the nato secretary—general to our president, to everyone that speaks for our governments. so that's why we are there. what do you make, though, of germany's position in all this? it doesn't necessarily imply that all of you are united in this stance against russia. well, if you look back several weeks ago, both germany and france made a pretty strong statement about their commitment to article five, as well. and so, i won't speak for germany at this point. i've served there five times

and know many of my german partners there, and i believe that germany is firm in its support to nato and what nato stands for. so, general, where do you see things going from here? now with troops on the ground in those nato countries and with russia saying that this is a destructive deployment? so, i think that the good news is that we are still negotiating. russia sent us a couple of papers which, if you've seen them or heard about them, they were pretty strident. in fact, we are pretty sure that when russia sent them, they knew that much of the content was absolutely unacceptable. but that was their opening—round. and we're continuing to negotiate. the disturbing thing is, while we continue to negotiate, mr putin continues to bring capabilities to the border. and i think that is to keep the pressure on the west to capitulate, to give up to his demands. and we are now beginning

to move from a very passive deterrence phase before, where we kept saying "if he invades, then we do this or that," we are now moving to a more active deterrence phase where we are bringing forces forward just like mr putin is bringing forces forward. that was a general breedlove, a retired a—star general in the united states air force. so, away from the military tension and high—level diplomacy, what do ordinary russians think of the prospect of full—scale war in ukraine? the bbc�*s moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports now from the city of vladimir. bell tolls in russia, putin is but one of many vladimirs. this is vladimir, the town. it was founded by a mediaeval prince who ruled from kyiv — a reminder that russia and ukraine have common roots. andre's mother is from ukraine.

he calls the two countries brotherly nations, but he clearly sees russia as big brother. translation: russia must have a sphere of influence. | it's a superpower. smaller countries can ally with whoever they choose, but it's up to big countries to help them decide. i find that many russians do believe what they are being told — the constant stream of claims in the state media here that it is ukraine and the west that risk turning a cold war hot. at vladimir market, though, on people's minds are troubles on the home front, economic ones. lydia is trying to sell produce from her garden. the money she makes here is a lifeline. "the situation in ukraine

is a worry," lydia says, "but so is the russian economy. prices are rising on everything. my pension is barely enough to survive on." with all the problems russians have right now — economic hardship, the coronavirus pandemic — there is little appetite here amongst the public for a full—scale war with ukraine, let alone a war with the west. but that doesn't mean russians don't fear such a war. many do. with east—west tension close to boiling point over ukraine, iten and her husband, viktor, blame their government. they believe the russian authorities have created imaginary enemies as a distraction. so, they want us to hate, they want us to imagine i that there is an enemy— because there must be an enemy, otherwise people will focus on the problems they have| and will be focusing on what's|

wrong, why they are not living the life they could live - if the government would be different, if the policy could be different. . so, will russia compromise, or will there be conflict? iten knows that will depend on the other vladimir — russia's current leader, back in moscow. steve rosenberg, bbc news, vladimir. for the first time since the taliban seized power in afghanistan, some public universities have reopened allowing female students to return to the classroom. girls remain barred from secondary schools, even though boys were allowed to return last september. there are conditions for the university return. female students must wear the hijab — although they were always doing this. classes must be segregated by gender with female students entering via separate doors.

and the curriculum must be based on "islamic principles". the taliban's deputy minister of culture and information, said his department aims to open classrooms for all girls and women after the afghan new year, which begins on 21 march. here's yogita limaye in kabul. in six provinces in this country which have warmer weather, universities have reopened, and we have been speaking to students there, and from some areas, we are being told that female students have been allowed to go back to university. in some areas, we're being told that boys are going to their classes in the morning and girls are going to their classes in the evening. in some places where the facilities are available, there are segregated classrooms and different entries for men and women. i've also been speaking to female university students here in kabul. universities in this city, in this province are not yet

open, but they are saying that looking at the developments today, they're feeling hopeful. of course, at the moment, secondary schools across the country remained barred for girls except for a few provinces. on that front, the taliban have been saying that when spring term opens in march, girls will be allowed to go back to secondary schools as well. but it remains to be seen if that is actually let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. the biggest—ever rise in energy bills that will affect more than 20 million households will be announced on thursday, when the energy regulator 0fgem reveals the new price cap for england, wales, and scotland. the price cap — affecting customers on a standard default tariff — is the maximum amount energy companies can charge, and it's reviewed every six months. the long—awaited plans for tackling regional inequality in the uk have been unveiled by the government,

with the promise of better jobs, education, housing, and transport for overlooked communities. the cabinet minister in charge, michael gove, said the aim was to close the gap between rich and poor. labour described the proposals as lacking in ambition and funding. three more conservative mps have publicly called for borisjohnson to resign as prime minister, and have submitted letters of no confidence because of his handling of the scandal over lockdown parties in downing street. the bbc is aware a total of 17 tory mps who have submitted letters, with a minimum of 5a required to trigger a no—confidence vote. the manchester united footballer, mason greenwood, has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape and assault. the 20—year—old had been in custody since the weekend when allegations against him were made on social media. manchester united says he won't return to the pitch until further notice.

let's turn to northern ireland now — and a minister in the belfast assembly has directed officials to stop carrying out checks on goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the uk. the checks effectively keep northern ireland in the eu single market — post—brexit. it also prevents the need for customs at the land border between northern ireland and the irish republic which is in the european union. but the northern ireland protocol, as it's called, is deeply unpopular amongst unionist politicians who don't want any barriers between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. emma vardy reports. it's the most defiant step yet from the dup to frustrate the brexit arrangements in northern ireland. since the uk left the eu, goods from britain have had to undergo new checks when they reach northern ireland's ports. tonight, the dup department

responsible for operating these checks has ordered civil servants to stop carrying them out. i have now issued a formal instruction to my permanent secretary to halt all checks that were not in place on 31 december, 2020 from midnight tonight. i will prepare a paper for executive consideration in the near future to seek a way forward. thank you. the new checks on goods crossing the irish sea were part of the brexit deal that the uk government signed up to to avoid the need for checks on goods which travel into the irish republic. for unionists, who view this as effectively severing northern ireland's place in the uk, they have been a source of much contention. but it's an arrangement which is supported by other parties in northern ireland. the government in dublin says ordering the checks to stop goes against an international treaty.

the protocol is part of an international agreement. it was agreed and ratified by the uk and the eu, and so to deliberately frustrate obligations under that treaty, i think, would be a very serious matter indeed. i think it's essentially playing politics with legal obligations. what is not clear to me is how civil servants, who are responsible for border checks here, will react tomorrow. there are conflicting views in the northern ireland government over whether the order is lawful, and the first lorries carrying goods will begin to roll off the ferries here just after 6am. other parties at stormont have accused the dup of a political stunt ahead of the elections in may. more than a year since the brexit arrangements were put in place, they're still at the heart of political division and uncertainty. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: the president of guinea bissau says he's still in charge, despite tuesday's attempted coup. this is the moment that millions in iran mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, says he passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the says he passed a death sentence on salman rushdie,— on salman rushdie, the british author of a _ on salman rushdie, the british author of a book _ on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which - on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many i author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the eo - le muslims say is blasphemous. the --eole of muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church — people of haiti have flocked to church to _ people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks to the ousting _ church to give thanks to the ousting of their former president, baby doctor valley a. i , ., , president, baby doctor valley a. , ., , a. because of his considerable value as a _ a. because of his considerable value as a stallion, _ a. because of his considerable value as a stallion, he's - a. because of his considerable value as a stallion, he's kept i value as a stallion, he's kept in a — value as a stallion, he's kept in a secure _ value as a stallion, he's kept in a secure box _ value as a stallion, he's kept in a secure box in central- in a secure box in central block _ in a secure box in central block sure _ in a secure box in central block. sure car— in a secure box in central block. sure car was - in a secure box in centrall block. sure car was driven

in a secure box in central- block. sure car was driven off in a _ block. sure car was driven off in a box — block. sure car was driven off in a box the _ block. sure car was driven off in a box the thieves - block. sure car was driven off in a box the thieves brought i in a box the thieves brought with— in a box the thieves brought with them _ in a box the thieves brought with them. a— in a box the thieves brought with them-— in a box the thieves brought with them. �* ., with them. a figure in morning ste ed with them. a figure in morning stepped down _ with them. a figure in morning stepped down from _ with them. a figure in morning stepped down from the - with them. a figure in morning stepped down from the plane. | stepped down from the plane. elizabeth ii, queen in this realm, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines... ukraine—russia tensions — president biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 troops to europe. in afghanistan, some public universities open for the first time since the taliban seized power, and women are being allowed to return. we turn next to guinea bissau, where many members of the country's security forces have been killed in a coup attempt.

the president remains in power, but over the last year, there's been an uptick in the number of successful coups across western and central africa. in mali, a group of military officials seized power in 2020. then, after ceding power to civilians, they staged a second coup in may 2021. last april, in chad, the army took control of the country just a days after the president was killed. in guinea, special forces led a coup back in september, saying that the country's president hadn't done enough to combat poverty and corruption. and just last week, in burkina faso, the military ousted president rock kabore, blaming him forfailing to contain violence by islamist militants. and that brings us to guinea bissau. though this coup attempt appears to have been thwarted, its left the country — and the greater region — shaken. 0ur west africa correspondent mayenijones has more. in his first address after the attempted coup,

president embalo was keen to reassure the citizens of his country, as well as the international community. talking about the attack, he said he was open to dialogue, and that the violence was not necessary. he said the coup attempt had been well—organised, but that the government was now back in control. translation: | would've | preferred that the attackers come talk to me directly. if there is a problem, let's talk about it. i know i will not stay in power forever. i'm still here because the people trust me. i want to reassure the international community, and i am asking for the support to guinea bissau to continue, and for the people to stay calm. when i was elected president of the republic, i promised to fight two things — corruption and drug trafficking. and this is also linked to that, and i knew what the price was. but the fight continues. the president said the people behind the coup were suspected

drug traffickers under investigation. he said there had been many deaths during the attack, he also said arrests had been made. earlier reports described sustained gunfire around the government palace on tuesday afternoon. the president and prime minister were said to be in a cabinet meeting inside the building. schools and offices were closed, and the military was deployed across the capital. there have been at least nine coups and coup attempts and the former portuguese colony since 1980. the region has experienced a resurgence of military takeovers in the past two years — the armed forces seizing power in mali, guinea, burkina faso, and chad. mayenijones, bbc news. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. greece's migration minister has rejected accusations from turkey that its security forces pushed a group of migrants back across their shared land border, resulting in 12 people freezing to death. the minister called

their deaths a tragedy, saying they had never reached the border. form and have been charged with the overdose death of michael k williams. they are alleged to have been involved in the distribution of fentanyl laced heroin leading to the death of williams, best known for playing 0mar little four in the wire. new zealand's prime minister has announced the country's border will reopen gradually from 27 february. jacinda ardern announced that australians will be able to travel quarantine free byjuly and that the country will be fully reopen to all visitors from october. now to this year's winter olympics in beijing, where the torch relay is under way. with the authorities tightening their grip across chinese society, the big worry for some athletes — apart from covid — is whether they will be safe to express their opinions. the international olympic committee has said participants are free to air their views, as long as it is not during competition

or medal ceremonies. i'v e i've been speaking to noah hoffman, a former us cross country skier. he worries about what might happen to athletes who are vocal while in china. well, despite the assurances that you just mentioned from the ioc, we have seen through their actions in regards to the peng shuai case that, when it comes to anything where an athlete is pitted against the chinese authorities, the ioc will pick the chinese authorities and work with the chinese authorities to the detriment of the athlete. so what i've seen with peng shuai was enough to make me scared for my team—mates who are over in beijing. and my advice to them is to put their heads down and focus on their competition, and to stay silent. and it pains me to say that, but i'm scared for their safety. and noah, what are they saying to you in response when you have given them the advice? are they choosing to stay silent? what have they said to you about what they're planning

to do while they're there? the athletes understand the situation, they've been briefed extensively by the us olympic committee and by the us state department. they know the risks, they've been told to get burner phones and rental computers because they know they've got no digital privacy over there. so they're not naive, and i don't think you'll see any athletes speaking up. and i actually hope not, because of the risks that athletes face. but athletes are going to focus on their competition, and i hope that they're verbal when they get home and they stand up for what they believe in when they're free to do so. noah, china has said that we should keep politics out of sports — and in effect, with the advice that you're giving these athletes, that is essentially what is happening, isn't it? i mean, should the athletes have boycotted the 0lympics altogether? no, it's not fair to ask athletes to boycott the olympics. that's like asking someone to quit theirjob because you cannot be a professional

athlete in one of these sports that's not widely shown on tv except for the olympics games. you can't be asked to not go to one of the biggest events of their career. so it's not fair to ask athletes to stay home. what does need to happen is that the international olympic committee needs to be held responsible and accountable to athletes, so we are not back in this position in ia years from now. remember, ia years ago we were in the same position in beijing. in eight years ago, we were in sochi, where there were similar issues. the ioc should be accountable to athletes so that athletes never feel like they are even being asked to choose between their careers and the values they believe in. and before we go, america's most unusual weather forecaster says winter's here to stay for a few more weeks. yes, it's groundhog day — and the furry rodent apparently saw his shadow this morning, therefore predicting six more weeks of winter.

that's all the time we have here on newsday, thanks so much for watching. here on newsday, thanks so much forwatching. do here on newsday, thanks so much for watching. do stay with bbc news. hello there. it's been mild for the time of year, for the last few days. thursday's also another mild day for most of us. quite a bit of cloud around once again, but i think we should see a little bit more sunshine into the afternoon. and it's going to be breezy, as well, i think a windier day today than what we had on a wednesday. you can see why more isobars on the charts, particularly across the north of uk, and especially when this cold front arrives across the northwest of the country later on. but we're still in this mild wedge of air, as you can see from the yellow and orange colours there. so, a mild, rather cloudy, rather breezy start to the day. some spots of light rain and drizzle across northern and western hills, which should tend to fizzle out. increasing amounts of sunshine, we think into the afternoon, but this weather front will bring some more persistent rain to north west scotland, northern ireland later on. it'll be a blustery day for all the winds picking up, but turning very strong across the northwest, with this weather front in excess of 50 mph.

now, for most of us, it's going to be mild 10—13 celsius but it will be turning colder behind that weather front — only five celsius there for stornoway. so you can see why this colder air moves in behind the cold fronts, as the name suggests, as it slowly works its way southeastwards through thursday night. so it'll be lying through central parts of the country by the middle parts of the night. eventually, that rain will be pushing through england and wales, a little bit of wintriness on its back edge as colder air digs in. there'll be wintry, blustery showers and clear spells for scotland, and northern ireland. could see a touch of ice across northern parts of the country by the end of the night, but less cold further south and east ahead of the weather front. so for friday, then, we start with that wet weather with that weather front lying across the southeast. could see some wintriness on its back edge as it clears away — eventually it will — and then, all of the country will have a chillier but bright day for friday with blustery showers. these will be wintry across northern and western areas, not even down to the hills, maybe even down to lower levels, as well. temperatures much lower

than of late, 3—9 celsius. factor in the strong northwest wind and it'll feel even colder than those temperatures suggest. it is a fairly short—lived cold spell because, as we head on into the weekend, we start to draw up some milder air again from the southwest. but it will be quite a windy weekend, and this weather front will be waxing and waning across the country to bring outbreaks of rain. so a milder theme into the weekend, particularly on sunday, but that weather front�*s likely to bring thicker cloud with outbreaks of rain to many areas. that's it from me, bye for now.

this is bbc news. we'll have all the main headlines as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russian forces continue to gather close to ukraine's eastern and northern borders, and still the world waits to see what vladimir putin's endgame is. if the goal is to wring security concessions out of the us and its nato partners, does he have

any chance of success? well, my guest is gabrielius landsbergis, foreign minister