live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 8am in singapore and 7pm in the evening in washington, where president biden has placed more than 8,000 us—based troops on a heightened state of alert, as russia continues to mass soldiers near its border with ukraine. the pentagon spokesman said that, if deployed, the troops would be sent to bolster nato�*s presence in eastern europe. mr biden has been holding talks with key european allies over a common strategy towards russia over ukraine. moscow denies planning to invade. 0ur correspondent gabriel gatehouse sent this report from the ukrainian capital kyiv. bell rings this is a country in limbo, waiting for an invasion that looks more likely with every passing day but may yet never come. to the east, 100,000 russian troops are massed, but the kremlin says talk of an invasion is hysteria. facing them are ukrainian soldiers who hear western leaders sounding the alarm in ever starker tones. and stuck in between are the people of kyiv who, frankly, don't know what to believe. i think something might happen. i think the probability is very high, but god knows. i think even putin doesn't know yet what kind of decision he is going to take. but the situation is horrible. at the weekend, britain warned that russia was planning a coup to install a little—known, former mp as puppet ruler, suggestions that have been widely dismissed both in moscow and here in kyiv. the uk began pulling staff out of its embassy today, saying an invasion could come at any time. the americans are doing the same. a senior ukrainian politician told the bbc today such actions are not helpful. translation: if people start panicking, - that leaves our country in a very dangerous position. and it makes it easier for russia to manipulate us. the reality is, of course, that this country is already at war and has been since 2014, when russia annexed crimea and funded and provided weapons and sent in troops to support a separatist rebellion in the east. around 1a,000 ukrainians have already died in that conflict. these are some of their faces. and so for people here, the question is not, "will there be war?" but "will this war escalate?" for months now, the ukrainians have been preparing a territorial defence force. volunteers like marta, a doctor in her 50s, is among those who are training for possible defence of kyiv. of course i am worried. because i'm a peaceful woman, i don't want to have a war started, but in any case, in case it starts, i should be ready to defend the country. meanwhile, a kind of normal life continues as the people of this country wait nervously to see what fate and larger geopolitical forces have in store. gabriel gatehouse, bbc news, kyiv. here's the latest from moscow with our correspondent steve rosenberg. the russians have already criticised what they call "western hysteria" over ukraine and they will surely apply the same label to any future western troop deployment. i think the problem for nato now is it sees a threat, so naturally it wants to boost security for its allies and its partners, and that means more warships and more fighterjets and, potentially, thousands of troops to eastern europe. but the danger of that is that it plays into the kremlin�*s narrative that the west threatens russia's national security, and that sparks more muscle—flexing by moscow and more instability. having said that, i think the kremlin could see today that the one thing that muscle—flexing and sabre—rattling is bad for is the financial markets, because what we saw today — russian stocks falling sharply, the russian ruble fell against the dollar and the pound. and that adds to a sense here that many people are concerned about where all of this is leading. 0ur north america correspondent david willisjoins me now. david, the white house saying that president biden is refining plans for all scenarios over ukraine. us troops on standby, embassy staff being evacuated, or families being asked to leave. it feels like tensions are gradually rising. it it feels like tensions are gradually rising.- gradually rising. it does indeed come _ gradually rising. it does indeed come up - gradually rising. it does indeed come up with i gradually rising. it does - indeed come up with russia sending more troops into neighbouring belarus and nato sending more defence equipment into eastern europe. he mentioned those us forces being placed on heightened alert of a thousand 500 of them, which would be deployed as part of the nato defence force which in total numbers about 1a,000 —— 8500. the pentagon spokesman john kirby said today this was part of the united states commitment to nato, but a short while ago, president biden held a secure meeting, online meeting, with the leaders of the eu and nato, and following that, the nato secretary—general issued a statement saying, we agree any further aggression by russia against ukraine will have severe costs, and subsequently the white house issued a statement of its own, saying that the leaders reiterated their continued concern about their continued concern about the russian military build—up on ukraine's borders and discuss theirjoint on ukraine's borders and discuss their joint efforts on ukraine's borders and discuss theirjoint efforts to deter further russian deterfurther russian aggression. it is all part, i think, of an attempt by european leaders and the us to project a united front over the possibility of sanctions, over the possibility of troop reinforcements against the background of deep divisions amongst many eu member nations. david, thank you so much for that update, and of course for more on this story, you can head over to the bbc news website, where our coverage include a page answering some of your questions on the crisis, including, how big is the risk of invasion and how will tensions be desolated? will tensions be desolated 7 there will tensions be desolated? there is also details on the history of the conflict between the countries. it's emerged there was a gathering of people in downing street injune 2020, to mark borisjohnson�*s birthday. number 10 has admitted the event took place but said it was brief, with the british prime minister attending for less than ten minutes. the opposition labour party said it demonstrated how the uk government was now "spending its whole time mopping up sleaze" — and it underlined the need for mrjohnson to resign. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. what politicians want to talk about is not always the same as what the public and their fellow politicians want to know. how many times do you have to jab? "jabs, jabs, jabs," boris johnson's mantra. but this morning, was he sure there would be no other damaging claims about what went on in number 10 before the official report by sue gray? can you guarantee that no more embarrassing allegations about alleged breaches of lockdown within downing street will come out before that report is published? what i can guarantee is that this government is focused 100% on dealing with the big problems that we have. # happy birthday... # there was no guarantee, and there was more to come. borisjohnson�*s playground birthday greetings injune 2020 were not the only ones he received. well, what a wonderful way to spend my birthday! a couple of hours later, the prime minister was here. a source who was present told us as many as 30 of his staff were drawn together in the cabinet room. his wife carrie brought a cake, with the number 10 flat interior designer briefly in tow. there was picnic food and chatter for around half an hour. number 10 doesn't deny the event took place and says... for the man who wants to sit in the prime minister's chair, it's more of a reason for him to go. we've got a prime minister who believes that the rules that he made don't apply to him. we can't afford to go on with this chaotic, rudderless government. the prime minister is a national distraction, and he's got to go. number 10's denied there was also a birthday bash in the flat that night, although mrjohnson did see a small number of his family in the garden, but these new claims come just as the tory party is trying to make up its mind over whether the prime minister should stay or go. the question that he should be asking himself every morning is, is me staying in office allowing me to run this office in a way that is making the country better? or am i a distraction? how, then, do ministers defend what happened — a gathering inside of around 30 people on borisjohnson�*s birthday when, at the time, any social gatherings inside were strictly banned? i think some of these allegations have got a little bit out of hand. i mean, what really happened here is a group of staff, small group of staff, who had been working closely with the prime minister brought in a birthday cake at the end of the day and there was ten minutes there sharing a piece of cake. i don't think that really constitutes a party in a way that some of the other more serious allegations that are being investigated maybe do. number 10's claim that all guidelines were followed at all times feels a lifetime ago. as the allegations have piled up, so the defence has shifted. and the danger to the prime minister moves closer still. at least six people are reported to have been killed in a stampede in cameroon outside the paul biya stadium in the capital, which was hosting an africa cup of nations football match. the crush happened before the match when fans tried tojoin those inside by rushing through the stadium gates. an official spokesman said they are waiting for reliable information on the number of casualties. in the game itself, cameroon progressed to the quarterfinals, beating a depleted comoros side 2—i. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... unvaccinated, unvaccinated, unvaccinated, unvaccinated and unvaccinated. ..a special report from the royal london hospital in london about the continuing pressures from 0micron. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after liftoff. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman schoolteacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word revolution. the earthquake singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. tonight, the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. the new government is firmly in control of the entire - republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria and relived their horrifying experiences. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. 0ur headlines: as russian forces continue to gather on the ukraine border, the pentagon puts thousands of us troops on standby for a potential deployment to eastern europe. downing street admits holding birthday events for the borisjohnson during the uk's first lockdown but denies breaking any rules. the army in the west african state of burkina faso say it has ousted president roch kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and closed the borders. the announcement was made by a military officer on state television. the events follow an army mutiny yesterday and protests against mr kabore, who has been detained and is reported to have survived assassination attempts. 0ur senior africa correspondent, anne soy, has been monitoring events. all is not well in 0uagadougou. protests have been growing. over the weekend, tensions boiled over — a mutiny in the barracks, then confirmation of a coup. translation: the movement, which brings together all - the components of the defence and security forces, has decided to put an end to the power of mr roch marc christian kabore today, the 24th of january 2022. this is a decision taken with the sole aim of enabling our country to get back on track and to gather all its forces in order to fight for its territorial integrity, its recovery and its sovereignty. there has been support from the streets. civilians have been unhappy as well. insecurity in the country is growing. translation: our hearts are j with the army, all the people. all burkinabes are with the army. insecurity, bad governments — we are fed up, we are fed up. and we want it to end. we want it to end. translation: nothing is going well. _ we expected a lot from president roch, and he has only disappointed with more new appointments, always with a new government, but he was the real problem. but previous attempts to make their voice heard were met with this, deepening frustrations with the government. president roch kabore came to power in 2015 and was reelected in 2020. growing extremism has beset his entire presidency. islamists linked to al-qaeda and isis expanded into the country from neighbouring mali. after years of fighting jihadism, localforces want more resources. they mutinied over the weekend to demand for change in the leadership of the military. shots were fired overnight around the president's residence. this vehicle belonged to the presidential fleet, and now they're holding him in what they say is a safe location. but on the streets of the capital, the mood was celebratory. civilians came out to show their support for the disgruntled soldiers. they blame the deposed president forfailing to defeat militants. anne soy, bbc news. we turn next to the uk, where many covid restrictions are set to be lifted later this week. the world health organization has said the "light is at the end of the tunnel" for england. but doctors are cautious, not least because of the 5 million plus who remain unvaccinated. the bbc�*s clive myrie and his team have spent the last week inside the royal london hospital. they were given access to staff and patients and heard about the continuing pressures on britain's national health service. here's their report. at the royal london hospital, a multi—bed intensive care unit sits abandoned and silent. the worst has passed in this pandemic, but is it over? so this ward down here all the way along there, full of patients this time last year? correct, one of eight wards that we ran at the time. now there is just one ward, with six patients. consultant nick bunker, who worked through the darkest times, points out what unites five of them. unvaccinated, unvaccinated, unvaccinated, unvaccinated and unvaccinated. does it makes you angry? it's... i think it's mixed emotions. covid isn't universally the only disease where people make poor decisions, but its resources that we're using to treat people we don't have to. big breath in. covid vaccines have now allowed many millions to breathe easy in the pandemic, relieving pressure on the nhs. but this man, a once healthy 58—year—old, chose another path that nearly killed him. asif hussain would have had no qualms about getting a jab. still in his 20s, he is on his feet now — just about. we last saw him in hospital a year ago, infected before the vaccine roll—out. we didn't think we'd ever see him again. what did you think when you saw the video of you intubated, asleep at the royal london? what was that like when you saw it, what did you think? it was unbelievable. i had to watch it back a few times, just for it to register in my head, "no, that's you, that is you asleep, that is you, limp, laying there", so it was, it was shocking, and it did take a while for it to register in my head, "do you know what, this is what you have been through." the rest of society is moving on. we've got to live with this thing now, no suggestion that there's going to be another lockdown, potentially. but is there a sense, because of the long covid, that you will always be blighted by this thing? of course. i haven't been able to go back to work. i was a gas engineer by trade, so a very physicaljob. with my condition at the moment, i don't think i'll be going back to work, that type of physical work, any time soon. i remember my wife telling me they called her, and they told her and mum to come and say their goodbyes to me, and i can't imagine how difficult it must have been for them, you know, but, you know, it's all thanks to god i've made it through. so make no mistake, the worst of the covid pandemic may be over, with fewer patients needing the more intensive care. it won't be painful. but the pressure is still on the nhs, in so many other ways. today, 48 hours after we first met gonan, he is having his artificial airway removed. covid didn't beat him — can the nhs say the same? he had spent over a month on a ventilator. he'd spent over a month on a ventilator. covid didn't beat him — can the nhs say the same? clive myrie, bbc news. the winter olympic opening ceremony will be held in beijing injust over a week. this comes as covid infections are spreading in china, driven by the highly infectious omicron variant. to deal with it, officials have imposed a strict olympic bubble isolation system and are not selling tickets to the public. our china correspondent stephen mcdonell asked the skating enthusiasts of the host city how they felt about this. screaming the olympics is expected to produce a boom in winter sports here, sports which in the past haven't really involved mass participation. ice skating, though, is something of an exception. there have been scenes like this in cities across the north of china for quite a while now. really? you can see there are plenty of people enjoying themselves today. everyone we've spoken to says they're really looking forward to the olympics, and that they have faith that officials can still control the coronavirus. however, we are yet to see the omicron variant really take off here, so that could change. not so sure about stephen's skating skills there! 30 days after it was launched, the james webb telescope has arrived at its final position in space. the $10 billion observatory has been parked a million miles from earth, where our planet will shield it from dangerous heat and light from the sun. with that, we ended this edition of newsday, but will be back next hour, so thank you once again forjoining us on newsday. hello. tuesday promises more of the weather we've been so used to lately — largely dry, but often cloudy. the satellite picture shows this pale grey colour here — that's the sheet of low cloud that's been with many of us for the last few days. this bright white cloud out towards the west is the first sign of the frontal systems that will eventually get things moving and bring about something of a change. but for tuesday morning, most places starting off grey and cloudy, some mist and fog patches, too. the fog should tend to lift as the day wears on, as the breeze picks up a little. best chance of sunshine perhaps for north east wales, the west midlands, north east england, but more especially for northern ireland, for southern and eastern scotland, where the breeze really will be picking up, turning that cloud over and breaking it up. some spots of rain into northwest scotland. temperatures ranging from just 3—4 celsius in parts of eastern england, to maybe 8—9 in western scotland and northern ireland. now as we head through tuesday night, we'll see one band of cloud and a few spots of rain pushing south towards — a very weak weather front. our big area of cloud will start to retreat southwards, so we will see a few more clear breaks developing. that could allow temperatures to drop relatively close to freezing. at the same time, there'll be more of a breeze. so i think quite a few places will stay frost—free, there'll be a few pockets of frost here and there. but wednesday morning starts under the influence of this area of high pressure — the high really has been with us for quite a few days now. but a weather system approaching from the northwest will start to get things moving and change things, and certainly, the wind will be strengthening through the day across northern ireland and scotland, gales in exposed northwestern areas later with outbreaks of rain pushing in. much of england and wales dry, a little more in the way of sunshine and slightly higher temperatures, as well, 8—10 celsius. now as we go through wednesday night and on into thursday, we push this frontal system southwards, we'll see some really strong winds for a time around the far north of scotland. that weather front, as it gets into the south, well, not much rain left on it, but maybe a legacy of cloud and drizzle for a time across southwest england and the channel islands. however, for most of us on thursday, we will see quite a lot more in the way of sunshine, a few showers into the north of scotland. temperatures not doing too badly, actually, 7—12 celsius. friday will bring the return of the cloud, pushing in from the west, but it will be quite mild, quite breezy and dry for most. this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, as newsday continues — straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. it seems there is no room for political opposition or dissent in today's hong kong. legislative elections at the end of last year saw pro—beijing candidates sweep the board. pro—democracy activists have either been arrested, forced into exile, or cowed into silence. my guest is dominic lee, a legislatorfrom the pro—beijing new people's party.