the winter olympics amid some of the world's toughest covid restrictions? it's 9:00am in singapore and eight 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 ukranian 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 will make 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 a 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 deploying 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 now refining plans for all scenarios for ukraine, also as we heard that us troops being on standby. it feels like despite all the talks, gradually tensions arising. does seem like that, doesn't it? russia sending troops into neighbouring belarus and nato sending military equipment to eastern europe and the united states announcing as you mentioned there, that 8500 troops are being put on heightened alert for possible deployment to eastern europe, part of the nato response force which is totalling about 40,000 troops in total. a sign of the united states backing for nato, the us no plans to send troops into ukraine to fight against the russians but making very clear that it is willing to back nato allies. meanwhile president biden holding that secure video call with eu and nato leaders a short while ago today and after that meeting the white house released a statement saying that the leaders reiterated their continued concern about the russian military buildup on ukraine's borders and discussed theirjoint efforts to deter further russian aggression, all part of an effort, i think, to project a sense of unity on the part of european western leaders in general and paper over the cracks that have emerged amongst members of the eu in regards to the russian buildup on ukraine's borders. meanwhile in this part of the world experts say that china is also watching the situation closely about how the us and others may react because of course tensions between china and taiwan have been quite high as well. . v . as well. that's right, and president _ as well. that's right, and president putin - as well. that's right, and president putin will- as well. that's right, and president putin will need j president putin will need china's political and economic support if it is to mount some sort of invasion into ukraine, and president putin of course is expected to attend the winter olympics in beijing next month and the speculation that should he get to sit down and talk with xijinping should he get to sit down and talk with xi jinping then he might try to persuade him to launch a sort of double pronged attack. russia invading ukraine, china going after taiwan. now of course the biden administration has sought to align its foreign policy basically to focus on china and to manage russia. well, it looks in the event of what could go down that it might have to rethink that strategy quite considerably.— quite considerably. david willis, thank _ quite considerably. david willis, thank you - quite considerably. david willis, thank you so - quite considerably. david| willis, thank you so much quite considerably. david - willis, thank you so much for that update. for more on this head over to the bbc news website where our coverage includes a page answering some of your questions on the crisis, including how big is the risk of invasion and how can tensions be de—escalated. there's also details on the history of conflict between the countries. it's emerged there was a gathering of people in downing street, injune 2020, to mark borisjohnson�*s birthday. number ten has admitted the event took place, but said it was brief, with the british prime minister attending for less than ten minutes. the opposition labor 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. boris johnson'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 quarter—finals beating comoros two— one. the american actress evan rachel wood has accused the rockstar marilyn manson of raping her on camera, during the filming of a music video for his 2007 hit single "heart—shaped glasses." she's made the allegations, which manson denies, in an hbo documentary that has premiered at the sundance film festival. manson has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, including the game of thrones actress esme bianco but has denied all the allegations. los angeles police last year confirmed they were investigating domestic violence allegations against the singer. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a week on from the tsunami, the latest on the situation in tonga. 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 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, local forces 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 for failing to defeat militants. anne soy, bbc news. a un official in tonga has told the bbc that overseas workers will eventually need to enter the country to speed up the process of delivering aid, in the wake of last week's volcanic eruption and tsunami. entire villages were destroyed in the tsunami which hit the islands that make up tonga in the south pacific. some communities are still without basic necessities. relief supplies have so far been delivered without direct contact, overfears that foreign aid workers could introduce coronavirus. at least three people are known to have died in the tsunami. our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports from neighbouring fiji. it has been more than a week since their lives were upended, and residents in this village outside the tongan capital are still clearing the ash. this is what marianne's front yard looks like after the volcano erupted. now she worries about the basics for her family. water and food. because our crops have been destroyed. the kids are out with everybody else getting water. everybody is affected. if we are not affected physically with our homes, orwater, affected physically with our homes, or water, we are some of us affected mentally. so homes, or water, we are some of us affected mentally.— us affected mentally. so far disaster relief _ us affected mentally. so far disaster relief has _ us affected mentally. so far disaster relief has been - disaster relief has been delivered without contact. supplies are allowed, but aid workers are not. despite the desperate need for assistance, the government is adamant it will not let anyone into tonga in order to avoid a covid—19 outbreak. they simply do not want to be dealing with one disaster and introduce another. neighbouring pacific nations have been struggling with covid—19 spikes. health authorities here in fiji have had to step up the rules, as cases dramatically increased when the country reopened its international borders late last year. this is exactly what tonga is trying to avoid. but with so much devastation, international organisations a humanitarian aid path will be needed on the ground to help with the relief effort. it is with the relief effort. it is something _ with the relief effort. it is something that _ with the relief effort. it 3 something that probably will happen and so that we can respond faster and provide more resources on the ground to help come and address this in more efficient and effective ways. we have a staff of about 15 in the tongan red cross, they have about _ the tongan red cross, they have about 80 — the tongan red cross, they have about 80 volunteers they have access — about 80 volunteers they have access to, 40 of whom have been very activa — access to, 40 of whom have been very active. however, it is not a short— very active. however, it is not a short sprint, it is going to be a — a short sprint, it is going to be a marathon effort in terms of recovering, so we know that our people _ of recovering, so we know that our people might need additional support in country. as tonga _ additional support in country. as tonga struggles with the immediate aftermath of the destruction, the impact of this disaster will be felt for years to come. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, super, fiji. —— suva. the british government has announced some changes to travel rules. people arriving in the uk from abroad will no longer have to take covid tests if they are fully vaccinated. the changes will come in on the 11th of february, in time for the half—term school break. rules have also been eased for unvaccinated travellers, who will no longer have to take a day eight test or self—isolate. the news has been welcomed by the travel industry, but public health experts say testing is still important. 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. 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. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. 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 weatherfront, 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. this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. hello and welcome to political thinking. this week coming from self isolation. be back in the studio soon. if borisjohnson does fall, if he is forced out of office by his own mps, people will say, history will no doubt recall that he had to go because he broke the rules which he had set. the truth will be a little more complicated, as my guest