Russia bans British airlines from its airspace

British airlines have been banned from landing at Russia’s airports and from crossing its airspace, the Russian civil aviation regulator has said.

Russia said the move was a response to “the unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authorities”.

On Thursday, the UK banned Russia’s national airline Aeroflot from landing in Britain.

The measure was part of sanctions introduced following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told ITV: “I think that’s their retaliation for us yesterday banning Aeroflot from using and landing in the United Kingdom. That’s their tit for tat response.”

Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said the measure was taken “as a response to unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authorities regarding the restriction on regular flights of aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with Russia or registered in Russia”.

British Airways said in a statement it was notifying customers on cancelled services and would offer full refunds.

“We apologise for the inconvenience but this is clearly a matter beyond our control,” the airline said.

British Airways normally operates three flights per week each way between London and Moscow.

Following Russia’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic also said flight paths had been adjusted for some of its services between the UK, Pakistan and India. Flight times on these routes will be extended by between 15 minutes and an hour.

Virgin Atlantic apologised for the delays, adding: “The safety and security of our customers and people always comes first and we’re monitoring the situation in Ukraine and Russia extremely carefully following the escalation of conflict.”

Virgin Atlantic’s cargo-only flights between London Heathrow and Shanghai, which normally operate four times a week, have also been suspended.

Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed BA and Virgin Atlantic between Delhi, Islamabad and London are taking southern routes to avoid Russian airspace.

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Data provider Cirium said Aeroflot and British Airways were the only carriers to have flown passengers between the UK and Russia over the past week.

In the past seven days, there had been a total of 24 passenger flights scheduled between the UK and Russia.

In January, there were 93 passenger flights scheduled between the two countries.

In a further blow to Aeroflot, football club Manchester United terminated their sponsorship deal with the Russian airline.

Aeroflot had been United’s official carrier since 2013 and the latest deal was due to run until 2023.

United renewed the deal in 2015, signing a five-year extension reported to be worth $40m (£29.9m).

Aeroflot has been running more passenger services between the UK and Russia than British Airways. So in that regard, it is more affected than its British counterpart.

However, Russia’s restrictions go further than the UK’s in that it is also banning British airlines from crossing its airspace.

That means re-routing some flights, adding time and fuel costs.

It is not just about passenger services. Virgin Atlantic is still not sure if it will be able to re-route its cargo-only flights to China.

One analyst told me that overall, the impact would be less than if it had happened before the pandemic. But they added that the issues could come where airlines had planned to restart routes, as the network returned to normal.

Ukraine’s airspace closed on Thursday after Russian forces launched a military invasion of the country.

Moldova also said it was closing its airspace and Belarus shut part of its airspace on Thursday.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday that his government would also prepare a resolution which will result in closing Poland’s airspace for Russian airlines.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned of safety risks in flying in airspace near to Ukraine’s borders, including in Russia.

“There is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft,” the regulator said on Thursday.

“The presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems poses a high risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration has also expanded the area where it says US airlines cannot operate in and near Ukraine.

Prior to Ukraine closing its airspace on Thursday, some carriers had already decided to divert flights from the region.

Dutch operator KLM was the first major airline to suspend flights to the capital Kyiv on 14 February and German airline Lufthansa followed.

Ryanair, the largest airline which flies between Europe and Ukraine, continued operating flights until Ukraine closed the airspace. Wizz Air, the second largest operator of flights between those routes. also stopped services on Thursday.

Malaysia Airlines crash

The industry is alert to the risks posed since the passenger flight MH17 was shot down in Ukraine airspace in 2014.

A missile brought down the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane killing all 298 people on board. It was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

It came amid heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region, which had just declared independence.

International investigators tracked the missile that was used to Russia, which has denied any involvement.

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Kenyan schoolgirl jailed over Moi Girls Schools fire deaths

 

A Kenyan schoolgirl has been sentenced to five years in jail over a school dormitory fire that killed 10 fellow students in the capital, Nairobi.

The 18-year-old committed the offence in 2017 aged 14 in her first year at the prestigious Moi Girls School.

Parents of those who died in the fire said the sentence was lenient, but were glad justice had been served.

The incident shocked the country and raised concerns about the safety of students in boarding schools.

This was the most deadly of a spate of fires in Kenyan schools in recent years started by students protesting about issues such as bad food or ill treatment by teachers.

The student was found guilty of manslaughter in December 2021 after the court acquitted her of murder.

The judge argued that she did not intend to kill her schoolmates, but had started the fire in order to get transferred to another school.

The girl’s attempt to rescue some of her friends from the fire was found to have been a mitigating measure.

The student was seen in court for the first time on Thursday when the judge delivered the sentence virtually. However, she has only been identified as TWG.

Maryanne Mwangi told the BBC that her daughter’s death had changed her life.

“She was only 14 when she met her death and life stopped for me, for her siblings and my entire family. Nothing seems to bridge the gap that she left,” she said.

Arrests are often made of students accused of setting fire to their schools but this is one of just a few convictions.

The fires always lead to school closures and one of the conditions for readmission include payment of hefty penalties for rebuilding the affected facilities.

The government has issued warnings against students linked to acts of arson, including the possibility of being locked out of the formal education system.

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UK condemns unprovoked Russian attack on Ukraine

The UK will respond decisively to Russia’s “unprovoked attack” on Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister said he was appalled after President Putin launched a military assault on the country.

Mr Putin said he did not plan to occupy Ukraine, but Ukraine has branded it a “full-scale invasion”.

The PM – who chaired an emergency Cobra meeting earlier – will make a statement in the Commons at 17:00 GMT to detail new sanctions against Russia.

In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Johnson vowed the West “would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people”.

Mr Johnson wrote on Twitter: “President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned Putin’s attack on Ukraine would “have horrendous and tragic consequences that will echo throughout the world and throughout history”, and called for the “hardest possible sanctions” against the Russian leader and his associates.

He added: “There can be no space for equivocation when faced with the evil that Putin has unleashed. His actions pose a grave threat to the international order on which we all depend.”

Russian forces have launched an assault on Ukraine, with reports of explosions near major cities across the country early on Thursday morning.

Ukraine has declared a month-long state of emergency, as Russia said it had carried out air strikes on Ukraine’s military infrastructure and border guard units – but not targeting populated areas.

Russian military vehicles are reported to have breached Ukraine’s border in a number of places, in the north, south and east, including from Belarus.

At least seven people have been killed by Russian shelling, while another 19 are missing, Ukraine has said.

Warning sirens were heard blaring across the capital Kyiv – which is home to almost three million people – as traffic queued to leave the city during the night and crowds sought shelter in the underground.

President Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region in a televised address to the Russian people earlier and said the Ukrainian people would be able “to choose freely” who ran the country.

Mr Putin also urged Ukrainian soldiers in the combat zone in the east of the country to lay down their weapons and return to their homes, warning that Moscow’s response would be “instant” if anyone tried to take on Russia.

On Wednesday, the UK announced a package of sanctions against Russia as part of a coordinated Western response to the crisis.

Mr Johnson announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed.

It followed the Kremlin ordering troops into the rebel-held Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on recognizing them as independent.

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly warned Mr Putin’s comments in recent days suggested he wanted to create “a wider Russian empire in all but name”.

“We do fear that this is the start of quite an extensive military operation. This is not just limited to the east. There have been military strikes across a number of parts of Ukraine,” he told the BBC on Thursday morning.

He said new UK sanctions against Russia would be announced “in waves” and warned it would be “the largest and most severe economic sanctions” package Russia had ever seen.

Asked about the prospect of UK boots on the ground in Ukraine, Mr Cleverly said that while Ukraine was a “good friend” of the UK, it was not a member of the Nato military alliance – which obliges members to come to one another’s aid in the event of an armed attack against a member state.

The UK is providing additional military support to eastern Nato member states and will support Ukrainians in their defence of their homeland, he added.

UK nationals were advised two weeks ago to leave Ukraine while commercial flights were still available. Those remaining have again been urged to leave Ukraine immediately – if they judge it is safe to do so.

Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian flights. The only airlines still flying from the UK, Wizz Air and Ryanair, have suspended all flights to the country.

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence select committee, said the West had failed to alter the trajectory of the Russian invasion and accused the UK of dithering over the crisis.

He said the UK’s “baffling” decision to hold back sanctions until after Russia’s incursion into Ukraine had not deterred Mr Putin.

“If Kyiv falls, history will ask why the West did not do more and why Nato’s hard power deterrents – the one asset Putin fears – was not better harnessed.”

He said Ukraine needed tangible support including weapons and communication systems, counter cyber capabilities and that a Nato no-fly zone would be a “gamechanger” in deterring Russia.

Families sought shelter in Kyiv’s deep underground network

A stream of cars left Kyiv after Russia announced it was launching its military operation

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, described the scenes of people abandoning their homes in Ukraine as “a human tragedy”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “To see these columns of people forced out by naked aggression by Russia and by Vladimir Putin is horrific and extremely painful, and we should be thinking very clearly about the families torn apart, the lives separated.”

The latest move by Russia has drawn international condemnation, with US President Joe Biden denouncing Russia’s military action as an “unprovoked and unjustified attack”, declaring “the world will hold Russia accountable”.

Writing on Twitter, he added the US and its allies and partners would impose “severe sanctions on Russia” and continue to provide support to Ukraine and its people.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Mr Putin of “bringing war back to Europe” and warned a raft of “massive” sanctions would be proposed later aimed at Russia’s economic base and its “capacity to modernize”.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticised Russia’s “reckless” attack on Ukraine and said despite weeks of tireless international diplomacy, Russia had chosen “the path of aggression”.

Mr Stoltenberg has called an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Council this morning. A news conference is expected to be held in Brussels at 12:00 local time.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace branded Russia’s actions “naked aggression against a democratic country” and said no one had been fooled by the Kremlin’s “false flags and fake narratives”.

Fears of a Russian invasion into Ukraine have been rising for months.

Mr Putin has accused the West of ignoring Russia’s demands to prevent Ukraine from joining the western Nato military alliance and offer Moscow security guarantees.

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Kim Kardashian asks court to move forward on divorce with Ye

 Kim Kardashian has asked a court to igtnore Ye’s attempts to slow down their divorce and end their marriage as soon as possible.

She filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court late Wednesday saying Ye, who legally changed his name from Kanye West, in his own recent filing, began adding conditions to the divorce that would mean changing the couples’ prenuptial agreement, and is seeking protections that are unnecessary and based on falsehoods.

Kardashian said it’s clear that he is simply attempting to delay, and is causing damage by doing so.

“Mr. West, by his actions, has made it clear that he does not accept that the parties’ marital relationship is over,” the court filing says. “Mr. West has disseminated on social media the parties’ private communications and misinformation about personal family matters and co-parenting, which has caused emotional distress.”

In December, Kardashian, as is common in complicated divorces, asked the court to declare her legally single before the details of child custody and property are worked out.

She said in Wednesday’s filing that Ye had agreed to the move, known in court as bifurcation, in advance. But on Feb. 16 Ye objected in in his own filing, and raised a host of new issues.

At first it appeared there would be a smooth end to of one of the most followed celebrity unions in recent decades, between the 41-year-old reality TV superstar Kardashian and the 44-year-old rap and fashion mogul Ye, who were married nearly seven years and have four children.

Kardashian filed the petition for the split a year ago. Two months later, Ye filed his response, which agreed on all the major points, including child custody. Neither discussed the split publicly. A prenuptial agreement prevented property fights.

But in recent months Ye has lashed out on social media against Kardashian, her family, and her boyfriend Pete Davidson. He has aired complaints that he is not being allowed to make major parenting decisions and has been excluded from birthday parties and other events for their children.

In a personal declaration included with her Wednesday filing, she said a judge declaring the two divorced might help with his moving on.

“I very much desire to be divorced. I have asked Kanye to keep our divorce private, but he has not done so,” Kardashian said. “I believe that the court terminating our marital status will help Kanye to accept that our marital relationship is over and to move forward on a better path which will assist us in peacefully co-parenting our children.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Bombs have begun raining on Ukraine

DNT BREAKING NEWS: Some parts of kiev , Kharkiv, Sumy , Odessa are under attack right this very moment

The war alarm has rang too in some areas .

I have seen videos of explosions taken from the windows from citizens and foreigners in these areas

The airport is shutdown , all flights are cancelled , The intercity train (subways ) stationS are not working either

Buses are not allowed to move either.

Fuel stations are full , Long queues at the ATM machines , everyone is trying to get hold of their last cash

Internet was cut at some parts in Kharkiv city

Emergency Evacuation points , shelters and road to bunkers have been released this dawn .

We are advised to go the basements of our buildings or subways in case it gets worse and I just received a call from a friend this very moment , she reported that she saw a lot of people inside the subways with their luggage . She was returning from work where she was told “Closed till further notice “

There is rumour amongst foreigners of LVIV city being the safest place to be in Ukraine now , so we are all trying to move there but unfortunately no flights , subways are not working either , buses can’t move too ..so we are trying to move in groups with people who have vehicles to this city which shares borders with Poland , approximately 10km from Poland . Polish’s Government is willing to receive up to a million refugees from Ukraine If need Arises so that’s one major reason we are trying to get to LVIV now .

The President just asked we Remain calm and stay indoors

Source: Magdalene Nonkwia, DNT News, Kharkov City

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Mozambique floods kill 11 as thousands more homeless

Mozambican relief authorities say 11 people have died and almost 2,700 have been left homeless due to flooding in the past week.

It follows intense rains across the country caused by tropical storm Dumako between 15 and 22 February.

The worst-affected provinces are Niassa, Nampula and Zambézia.

In total 34 houses were fully destroyed, 292 were partially damaged and 111 submerged, said Nelma Araújo, spokeswoman for the national disaster agency.

The weather also forced the closure of three accommodation centres in Nampula.

Since the beginning of the rainy and cyclone season in October, Mozambique has registered rains, strong winds, atmospheric discharges, fires and tropical storms Ana and Dumako.

These weather events have affected more than 250,000 people and caused 72 deaths and 251 injuries, Ms Araújo said.

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