tonight at ten, intense diplomacy is being give a chance in the crisis over ukraine, with all sides agreeing war can be averted. as russian troops continue manoeuvres, the foreign minister says there's still room for dialogue with the west, while ukraine's president says it's ready for an attack. translation: they tell us that february the 16th will be - the day of the invasion. we will make this into unity day. president biden tonight has been speaking with borisjohnson, both men agree a crucial window for diplomacy still exists. but america is now closing its embassy in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. we love the latest live from there and washington.

also tonight, how could hundreds of post office managers be wrongfully convicted of theft, an inquiry opens. the teenage russian skater camellia will compete in the winter olympics despite failing a drugs test. is this a new beginning for the chagos islands, long claimed by mauritius? and half time entertainment at the super bowl as los angeles rams beat the cincinnati bengals. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, could team gb�*s youngest competitor, kirsty muir, bring home britain's first medal at the winter olympics? she's into the slopestyle final with katie summerhayes. good evening. diplomatic efforts to avert war over ukraine have intensified, with russia's foreign minister saying he believed there was still room for dialogue on moscow's requests

for a new security deal with the west. it comes after the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, addressed his nation and referred to western intelligence estimates of an imminent russian attack. he said, "they tell us it will be february 16th, we will make it a day of unity." he also said his country wants to solve all issues exclusively through negotiations. tonight, president biden held a phone conversation with borisjohnson to discuss the crisis, and both men agreed there still remained a crucial window for diplomacy. but america has announced it's closing its embassy in the ukrainian capital, kyiv, and relocating to the west of the country. russia has massed around 130,000 troops around ukraine's borders, but president putin still insists he has no plans for an invasion. let's get the latest from our correspondent, sarah rainsford, who's in kyiv for us tonight. sarah. well, clive, there was warnings of a

possible russian incursion have really escalated in recent days, so here in ukraine you might expect there to be real tension, a sense of panic, possibly people rushing for the exit, but in fact western embassies have been evacuating their staff, but ukrainians are staying put and doing their very best to stay calm. in fact, tonight couples are filling the restaurant is celebrating valentine's day. this country is now stuck in the midst of a very real crisis, a stand—off between russia and the west, and neither side, between russia and the west, and neitherside, in between russia and the west, and neither side, in public at least, looks ready to blink. russia is still building up its forces, parading its potential near ukraine's border. so much so that western governments are saying an invasion could be launched within days now — the war warnings coming thick and fast. so volodymyr zelensky has addressed the nation, assuring ukrainians the country is confident, stronger than ever, that russia is trying to scare them and they won't succumb.

and the talks to defuse this crisis have been intensifying. today, it was the german chancellor's turn in town, showing support for kyiv, seeking ways to get russia to pull back its troops. president zelensky underlined that won't be by ukraine dropping its right tojoin nato. tomorrow, the german leader heads to moscow. translation: i'm making it clear once again, here in kyiv, - that ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are non—negotiable for germany. we therefore expect russia to take clear steps to de—escalate the current tensions. in russia, the foreign minister was shown, urging president putin to keep talking to the west. "it is worth it," he said. but borisjohnson spoke to the us president today too, and both are still sounding the alarm. we are on the edge of a precipice, but there is still time for president putin to step back, and what we are urging

is for everyone to engage in dialogue, for a conversation to take place, and for the russians to avoid what i think everybody, certainly everybody in the uk could see would be a disastrous mistake. it can be hard to make a connection between all the politicians warning of imminent, all—out war, even the bombing of this city, kyiv, and how things actually feel here on the ground. because even as the negotiations and diplomacy continue, so does life here, pretty much as normal. although beneath the surface, people do say they're feeling increasingly nervous now. what we have to say and what we have to do is to be brave, and being afraid every hour of our life, we don't want to live like that, ans we just want to live... yeah, we are patient and ready for anything. so we just hope that our city will be safe and our families will be safe. music plays for now, the musicians play on.

even the school trips haven't stopped, as ukrainians still can't quite believe the worst predictions. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kyiv. president putin has long made it clear he sees ukrainians and russians as one people linked by history. but his desire to keep ukraine within russia's sphere of influence is threatened in part by ukraine's wish to join nato, the defence alliance of countries in europe, along with canada and america. since the end of the cold war, several countries have applied to become members, expanding the organisation, pushing it towards the east. ukraine has long wanted tojoin, and now the west believes russia may be willing to go to war to stop it. so what's motivating the kremlin in these next crucial hours? steve rosenberg reports. eight years after russia annexed crimea, is moscow on the brink of

another invasion of ukraine? the west seems to think so, but what's the kremlin�*s view? western leaders may be warning of an imminent russian military escalation in ukraine, but moscow dismisses all of that as hype, hysteria. and if you look at the way the state media here has been covering the ukraine story, you'll see that the picture presented to the russian public is the polar opposite of how the west sees things. so, according to that kremlin picture, russia has no plans for an invasion — instead, it's american who's the aggressor and pouring weapons into ukraine, it's nato that's threatening russia by expanding eastwards. still, that doesn't explain why russia is massing more than 100,000 troops right now near ukraine's border — and why it launched a large—scale military exercises in the region. so what is vladimir putin's aim? that is a difficult

question to answer, because no—one's quite sure. some in the west think this is all about russia trying to force ukraine back into moscow's orbit. some believe the kremlin�*s objective is much wider — to carve out a new sphere of influence for itself in europe, basically to dismantle the post—cold war european security order, to push nato back. today, with moscow sensing a lack of unity in europe and perhaps feeling that america is too busy with problems at home, a resurgent russia may feel that this is the moment to take action. but if there was all—out war with ukraine, how would the russian public react? it's hard to see the public here supporting a large—scale conflict with ukraine. many russians have said to me that they see ukrainians almost like brothers. there are very deep cultural, historical ties. war is the last thing that people want here.

but it won't be the public that decides this. it'll be the president. so what happens next? well, that may depend on whether president putin is willing to compromise over ukraine and european security — even if he doesn't get everything he wants, like an end to nato enlargement eastwards. whether he's willing to reach a deal or determined to continue with coercive diplomacy. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's go live to washington, and our north america editor, sarah smith. do officials have any better sense where you are which way they think vladimir putin mightjump? weill. where you are which way they think vladimir putin mightjump? vladimir putin might “ump? well, it does seem. _ vladimir putin might “ump? well, it does seem, clive, _ vladimir putin mightjump? well, it does seem, clive, as _ vladimir putin mightjump? well, it does seem, clive, as though - vladimir putin mightjump? well, it does seem, clive, as though everyl does seem, clive, as though every day the dark warnings here about the possibility of imminent armed conflict gets louder, and as you said earlier, the us are now evacuating the embassy in kyiv and

moving everybody to the western city of lviv, and that is because they say they continue to see military build—up of significant military capabilityjust over the last two days on the ukrainian border, and so although the white house as they continue to say they do not know whether vladimir putin has made the decision to invade or not, they are worried about the troop movements. there is still a path open for diplomacy is the message from the white house, but coming with increased scepticism about whether thatis increased scepticism about whether that is what russia actually wants. the message today seems to be, if russia is serious about talks, in that case they need to see some de—escalation on the border — send your troops back to the home garrisons was the message from the pentagon spokesman. the one glimmer of hope is that after the call between president biden and boris johnson, a statement said there is a crucial window for diplomacy that remains open. crucial window for diplomacy that remains open-— crucial window for diplomacy that remains 0 en. ., ., ~ i. remains open. 0k, sarah, thank you, sarah smith — remains open. 0k, sarah, thank you, sarah smith there _ remains open. 0k, sarah, thank you, sarah smith there at _ remains open. 0k, sarah, thank you, sarah smith there at the _

remains open. 0k, sarah, thank you, sarah smith there at the white - sarah smith there at the white house. one immediate knock—on effect of the tensions over ukraine is the rising cost of energy, which has seen the price of petrol reach record highs across the uk. the motoring organisation, the aa, says the cost of petrol increased to 148 pence per litre over the weekend. if the situation in ukraine deteriorates, oil and gas supplies from russia to europe may be interrupted, pushing up wholesale prices even higher. chris morris explains why. the crisis in ukraine has deep roots in big power politics and russian identity. but part of the equation is control of and access to energy supplies — oil and gas. it gives leverage to both sides. and today another reminder that events elsewhere in the world do come home to roost — record prices at petrol pumps, as the price of oil spikes amid the uncertainty, another worrying factor in the cost of living. it's ridiculous — you've got to work more hours to earn more money to pay for more fuel. you're never at home because you're always working, trying to pay the bills.

if sanctions are imposed against russia, it could get worse — europe, with far more links to the russian economy than the united states, is on the front line. the connection between russia's oil and gas industry and europe is pretty obvious, visible on a network of pipelines. now, one suggested sanction is that the new nord stream 2 gas pipeline would not become operational in the event of military action in ukraine. that would be a big blow to russia. but sanctions hit both ends of any trade. a1% of the eu's imports of natural gas come from russia, and 27% of its crude oil imports. replacing all that gas with, for example, shipments of liquid natural gas from elsewhere in the world would be an enormous challenge. the uk is far less dependent than the eu on russian supplies — only about 3% of its natural gas. but as we've seen today, energy prices affect everyone. what i think all european

countries need to do now is, you know, get nord stream out of the bloodstream. we need to find alternative sources of energy, and we need to get ready to impose some very, very severe economic consequences on russia. the long—term shift towards renewable energy is already under way, but will sanctioning russian energy work in the short term? it will be very limited, and only the european customers that are primarily consuming part of russian oil and gas exports potentially will be sanctioning russia, but neither china nor any other major importers of russian oil and gas, you know, are likely to follow, so therefore its not going to be immediately effective. but it's notjust about oil and gas. other potential sanctions loom — measures targeting russian state banks and its financial system, a ban on the export of technology, including microchips, and a focus on sanctioning individuals close to the kremlin. the west says these would be the most wide—ranging sanctions it's ever imposed. but russian officials

are sounding bullish, confident that china and others will help them out. so a big question — will economic pressure make russia stop and think? chris morris, bbc news. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is here. we had the russian foreign minister, filmed for the world to see, telling president putin there is still a chance of a deal with the west. is thatjust chance of a deal with the west. is that just for the cameras chance of a deal with the west. is thatjust for the cameras or could there be truth in that? it is there be truth in that? it is certainly — there be truth in that? it is certainly for _ there be truth in that? it is certainly for the _ there be truth in that? it is certainly for the cameras i there be truth in that? it 3 certainly for the cameras and at best, let's take them at face value, it could be that russia is still willing to talk and at worst, they are at least showing willing to show that they are going to carry on talking about it. the diplomacy continues. the german chancellor will be in moscow talking to mr putin tomorrow. the problem is, if you talk to western officials, they say, we tend to judge you talk to western officials, they say, we tend tojudge russia by deeds rather than by words and they say the window for diplomacy is closing fast. they say, we are very

clear, we don't think inflation is inevitable or a final decision has been made but we do think that the moment when mr putin makes that decision is imminent, that is the phrase they use. all the while, they make clear that russian troops are growing in number, 130,000, 60% of all of russia's land forces, now when circled around ukraine. and we are told they are getting closer to the border and configured for invasion, not exercise. we are told invasion, not exercise. we are told invasion could happen at the drop of a hat, this is the phrase, a quick thrust for kyiv and the encirclement of forces in eastern ukraine. one source said to me, this is a moment of greatjeopardy. source said to me, this is a moment of great jeepardy-— of great 'eopardy. james landale, thank of great jeopardy. james landale, thank yon _ a long—awaited public inquiry into the most widespread miscarriage ofjustice in legal history has started today. more than 700 post office branch managers were wrongly convicted and thousands lost their businesses, when faulty accounting software called horizon made it look as if money had gone missing from their tills.

the inquiry will look at what the post office knew about faults in the it system and why innocent staff were prosecuted. after 20 years, still no one has been held to account. our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more. it's a big day for the sethi family. of course, we are a bit nervous, but we are very happy that we have got an opportunity to put a case for the first time. they are hoping forjustice at last. i want accountability, so i want someone to say, "yes, something happened, we know it was wrong, these are the people that should be facing justice," like my father said. after 20 years of running post office branches, new software being rolled out across the country started showing mysterious holes in their accounts. the post office blamed them, like thousands of other sub—postmasters, closing the branch. the sethis lost their business and their livelihood. in the a0 or 50 years we have

run the post office, what have we got to show? nothing. and we couldn't even get our children married. we couldn't look after them. we couldn't do anything for them. i feel a failure myself. but today, for the first time, someone in authority is listening to what happened to them. for what happened. this inquiry is trying to find out who is responsible for what happened. the people who did this, they should be investigated. not a single person has been brought to a charge, still today. they have gone scot—free, and their answer would be, sorry, they have left the organisation or they have retired. yes, but they are the people who did it, and this is not one person, this goes right to the top. and baljit's story is just the tip of the iceberg. more than 700 people were convicted because of those faults in the it system. thousands of families right across the uk are still suffering

the consequences of the actions the post office decided to take. the indignity of having to have a shower in front of a prison warden. noel thomas was charged with false accounting by the post office and spent his 60th birthday behind bars. were you are able to contact your family? | no. and during that time, i wasn't allowed only out for my food. tracy felstead was sent to prison at 19 and is still coming to terms with that pain. i don't want to be that person who is scared of noises, who... you know, it broke my marriage down. it's taken its toll. no amount of money will ever change what happened. the post office have again apologised, but today, the tables have begun to turn. those who were once blamed are now asking for post office bosses to be held to account.

colletta smith, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. all remaining coronavirus restrictions in northern ireland will be lifted tomorrow. the rules currently in place include the wearing of face coverings in public places, and covid certification passes for entry to nightclubs and large indoor events. a sex offender branded a "menace to females" has gone on the run after fleeing from an open prison. paul robson was given a life sentence in 2000. he was reported missing from north sea camp prison in lincolnshire yesterday. the government is proposing to cap the costs faced by leaseholders who own flats with flammable cladding. no leaseholder would have to pay more than £15,000 in london, and £10,000 pounds elsewhere in england, towards fixing any fire safety defects. the 15—year—old russian figure skater whose performances have wowed judges at the winter olympics will be able to continue competing

despite a failed drugs test. kamila valieva helped secure a gold in the team event last week and is a favourite in the upcoming singles competition. but the medals she wins won't be awarded until further investigations and appeals have taken place. laura scott reports. cleared to skate, but not cleared of scandal. kamila valieva returned to the ice under the scrutiny of the world, after the court of arbitration for sport ruled the 15—year—old should be allowed to continue competing in beijing, despite testing positive for a for a banned suspension. for a banned substance. no provisional suspension should be imposed on the skater. in part the panel considered that preventing the athlete to compete at the olympic games would cause her irreparable harm. the panel said a series of exceptional circumstances were behind its decision, including that she is only 15 and the fact that her positive drugs test result came back midway

through these games, 44 days after the sample was taken, meaning she had little time to mount a defence. the world anti—doping agency said it was disappointed by the decision because its rules don't allow exceptions to be made to mandatory provisional suspensions, including for minors. meanwhile, the us olympic and paralympic committee said it appears to be another chapter in the systematic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by russia. it is damaging, very, but you want to think that now maybe yet again we are at the point where something will be done in order to make sure that nothing like this can happen again. the international olympic committee announced there will not be a medal ceremony in the figure skating team event, which was won by the russian olympic committee, including valieva, and there are other ramifications, too. should miss valieva finish among the top three competitors - in the women's single skating - competition, no flower ceremony

and no medal ceremony will take | place during the olympic winter| games, beijing 2022. a week since making history, valieva is hoping to wow the world again with her skills, but she does so in the most controversial circumstances. laura scott, bbc news. clea n clean as a whistle. last night, we reported on how islanders expelled from the remote chagos islands by britain 50 years ago had returned in an effort to reclaim them. well today, they've raised the flag of mauritius. britain has been told to hand the islands back to mauritius by the united nations. mauritius had sovereignty over the archipelago before the uk. our africa correspondent andrew harding has travelled with the islanders back to their lands and is the first journalist to broadcast from the chagos islands. is this idyllic archipelago still british territory? today, the government

of mauritius said no. a mauritian delegation, visiting the remote chagos islands for the first time, put up a flagpole and then raised their national flag, politely but provocatively staking claim to territory held by britain for half a century. this being part of mauritius, it deserves to have a flag here, so that when people come, they know that they are entering mauritian territory. the mauritians then sang their national anthem, a little softly, but don't mistake that for a lack of determination. mauritius has won worldwide support, its prime minister sending this recorded message. as the state with sovereignty over the chagos archipelago, mauritius will ensure a wise stewardship of its territory. applause.

the mauritians are already acting like it is a done deal, bringing in these international experts to map their new maritime borders, surveying this reef to see if it might actually count as an island. i haven't seen any dry land yet. no dry land. no. that's not good news, then, for the mauritians? well, the legal aspects, i'll leave them to the lawyers. and the mauritian lawyers have been busy. they have won two victories at the united nations. under international law, britain is illegally occupying these islands. the british and the americans say their priority here is security, that if the uk surrenders sovereignty over this strategic archipelago, before long, the chinese navy could be muscling in here. but the mauritian government insists

they won't allow that to happen. but this isn'tjust about sovereignty and security. also visiting chagos today, islanders who were forcibly removed from their homes here by britain, 50 years ago. it is a rare chance to visit their ancestors�* graves. "it is in such a mess. it makes me sad", says rosamund. and although the chagossians are not united on this, the group raises another mauritian flag, in defiance of britain. andrew harding, bbc news, on the chagos islands. one of the highest profile sporting events in the world, american football's super bowl, has been won by the los angeles rams, who beat the cincinnati bengals. stars and fans packed into the stadium to witness the spectacle, after last year's

pared—down final due to covid. here's our los angeles correspondent, sophie long. it was the day la had been waiting for, as the super bowl came back to its birthplace. we got the rams, we got the bengals. finally, the super bowl has come back to los angeles! _ it drew a pre—pandemic sized crowd of more than 70,000. many came for this, the moment the sofi stadium was transformed into a california house party for the first ever hip—hop half—time show. dr dre and snoop dogg opened, 50 cent made a surprise appearance, in more ways than one... ..maryj blige dazzled... ..compton local kendrick lamar took over... ..before the crowd "lost it" to eminem. cincinnati put up a mighty fight.

awuzie! but the rams scored a touchdown less than two minutes before a dramatic, and for the bengals, heartbreaking end to the game. well, it was the hollywood ending the people in the city of angels had been dreaming of. the cincinnati bengals, the cinderella of the super bowl for so long, may have finally made it to the ball, but they are now leaving empty—handed. maryj blige killed it. dr dre, eminem, thank you for representing our culture, and we love all y'all. i came all the way from london and i would do that a million times. we're from la, this was our day. and one when the pandemic was briefly forgotten. —— and one that for many felt like a post—pandemic dream, when sport and spectacle were centre stage once again. sophie long, bbc news, los angeles. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. good evening.

stormy weather awaits us this week with two storms impacting the uk, bringing disruption and damage — the initial one, storm dudley, likely to hit wednesday and last into thursday. as you can see, parts of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, packing a punch with winds gusting up to 80—90 mph. this would evening's winds are easing, the rains would ease away, and we will have a brief window of fine, dry, and clear weather allowing a frost to develop initially before rain and hill snow sweep in. could be a little icy in places and reasonably bright to start in southern and eastern areas. but for many, the day is one of a wet start followed by sunny spells and showers. but that rain may drag its heels and be slow to clear across southern and southwestern parts of england and the north of scotland. but temperatures on par with those of today. more rain on wednesday, and then, later on wednesday, those impactoral winds potentially gusting 80—90 mph and exposed areas — this is storm dudley, and it will bring more rain, as well. warnings are online.

this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines. ukraine's president zelensky has delivered a defiant statement saying 'we want freedom and are ready to fight for it.�* earlier he said he's counting on european support in the country's bid — eventually — to become a nato member. but added, ukraine might never get there. the latest intelligence from washington says russia is adding more military force and capability near ukraine's border with each passing day. the russian teenager, kamilia valieva, has been cleared to compete in the individualfigure skating competiton in the winter olympics, despite failing a drugs test late last year. the world anti doping agency says it's disappointed by the decision. the canadian prime minister justin trudeau "plans to invoke the emergencies act in response to the protests" against covid restrictions by truckers.