Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 3 March 2022

1. Russia seizes first major city

Russian forces have seized control of Kherson – a key port city in southern Ukraine with a population of more than 280,000 people. It is the first major city to be taken by Moscow since the invasion began last Thursday. The local mayor said Russian troops forced their way into the city council building and imposed a curfew on residents. The BBC described Wednesday as “one of the most destructive days” of the conflict, with several cities under intense shelling. More than one million people have fled Ukraine as a result of the invasion.

The foreign volunteers joining Ukraine’s fight against Russia

2. UN vote opposes invasion

The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly for a resolution opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces. In an emergency session of the UN’s general assembly, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, with just five – Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria – voting against. Cuba, Nicaragua and China were among the 35 countries which abstained. The Guardian described the vote as a “global expression of outrage that highlighted Russia’s increasing isolation”.

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Where does Belarus stand in Russia-Ukraine war?

3. Divorcees found dead miles apart

A double murder investigation is underway after a man and his ex-wife were found stabbed to death at their separate homes 15 miles apart in the Cotswolds. Emergency services discovered the body of Clive Warrington, 67, following reports of a serious assault in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday. The body of Valerie Warrington, 73, was then discovered a short time later. Gloucestershire Police said detectives were linking the two deaths and that a man from Cheltenham had been arrested on suspicion of murder and was in custody.

4. Abramovich to sell Chelsea

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has announced he is planning to sell the club which he bought in 2003. The Russian billionaire said it was an “incredibly difficult decision to make” and that it was painful for him “to part with the club in this manner”. A Chelsea FC statement said all net proceeds from the sale will be donated to a foundation for “victims of the war in Ukraine”. Billionaire Hansjorg Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick that he had been offered the chance to buy the club because Abramovich wanted “to get rid of Chelsea quickly”.

Roman Abramovich: negotiating peace one day, selling Chelsea FC the next?

5. Trump ‘broke several laws’

Donald Trump violated multiple federal laws to overturn the 2020 election, including obstructing Congress and defrauding the United States, said the House select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol. In a filing aiming to force Trump’s former lawyer to turn over thousands of emails and records, the committee said the former president defrauded the US by interfering in the certification process, disseminating false information about election fraud and pressuring state officials to alter state election results, The Guardian reported.

6. Calls to swap ‘chairman’ with ‘chair’

Business groups have said the word “chairman” may be contributing to inequality and should be replaced with the gender-neutral alternative “chair”. In an open letter, the manufacturers’ organisation Make UK, the Institute of Directors, the CBI and the British Chambers of Commerce pointed out that “chairman” is still used by Companies House as a default term, meaning it is repeated in the articles of many thousands of companies across the country. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has rejected holding a Commons vote on the issue, according to The Times.

What are gender-critical beliefs?

7. Shirley Hughes dies at 94

The children’s author and illustrator Shirley Hughes died “peacefully at home after a short illness” on Friday, her family told the PA news agency. Best known for creating the much-loved stories in the Alfie series, about a boy called Alfie and his little sister Annie Rose, Hughes illustrated 200 children’s books throughout her career and sold more than 10m copies. Author Philip Pullman paid tribute to her “rich and wide-ranging talent” and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen said Hughes was “special and so important”.

8. Raab announces pool prison plan

Pool tables in prisons will give inmates a better chance of rehabilitation, Dominic Raab has told The Daily Telegraph. The justice secretary said prisoners will be given privileges including pool tables, gyms and work placements if they go on drug-free wings and agree to undertake regular drugs testing. Raab also revealed that performance league tables for prisons will be overhauled to prioritise getting offenders into jobs. The rate of getting offenders into jobs is currently weighted to account for just 0.8% of a jail’s performance, but this will be increased to 20%.

How safe are UK prisons?

9. Soldier sues over trench foot

A former soldier who alleges he was ordered to “man the f*** up” after complaining about being cold during a training exercise is suing the Ministry of Defence for more than £1.5m. Bernard Iyegudu, who served with the Royal Logistical Corps, said he was left permanently disabled after being made to lie on the wet and cold ground. His barrister said Iyegudu was more vulnerable to developing a “non-freezing cold injury” – commonly known as trench foot – because of his Nigerian heritage.

10. Kardashian is ‘legally single’

Kim Kardashian has been declared legally single by a US court following the latest hearing in her divorce proceedings with the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. A judge at Los Angeles County Superior Court approved the businesswoman, model and reality star’s petition to end the marriage through a bifurcation proceeding, a practice “which allows for a change in marital status while other issues are addressed”, said Reuters.