And we find out what these adelie and Gentoo Penguins in antarctica have to tell us about global warming. Hello and welcome. We begin in beijing where the Winter Olympics torch relay has just got under way. Over the next three days, 1,000 people will carry the torch past chinese landmarks, including the Summer Palace and great wall. Its a scaled down event with very few spectators because of coronavirus restrictions. But despite the governments commitment to a zero covid strategy, the Omicron Variant is spreading. The Beijing Olympics organiser says 32 new cases have been detected among games related personnel in the last 2a hours. Lets go to beijing and our china correspondent stephen mcdonell. You are covering every twist and turn as these games are about to begin. Talk us through todays torch relay. This about to begin. Talk us through todays torch relay. Todays torch relay. This is nothina todays torch relay. This is nothing like todays torch relay. This is nothing like the todays torch relay. This is nothing like the torch todays torch relay. This is| nothing like the torch relay todays torch relay. This is. Nothing like the torch relay of years gone by. People will remember there was a time when the Olympic Torch would travel all Around The World and arrive in a country, and for many weeks ago from city to city through the streets with people cheering. This is a much more modest torch relay. The Olympic Flame has already been in beijing, on display in cities in the north east and various parts of the country, but in terms of the country, but in terms of the actual relay. It is only over three days, starting today leading up to the opening ceremony, and even on those three days, it is not all day, it is just the discrete sections of the day, a couple of little bits of torch relay every day. We saw today for example is being carried by the likes of a former chinese astronaut, olympians, basket although seen passing the torch to the greek ambassador basketball. They are trying to get some flavour with different people and an International Community vibe if you like. There have not been big crowds gathered along the streets to welcome the torch or anything like that. Even on television here, it hasnt been given massive prominence. Like i say, it is much more of a modest torch relay, but a relay nonetheless. As you mentioned, what will be interesting is to see it go past to these Historic Sites over the next couple of days, the Summer Palace or tomorrow at the great wall. That will no doubt and those people seeing those types of images. But what we wont see is a huge crowd gathered in beijing and the torch moving down the main street or anything like that. Down the main street or anything like that. And that is for obvious anything like that. And that is for obvious reasons. Anything like that. And that is for obvious reasons. They anything like that. And that is for obvious reasons. They are | for obvious reasons. They are trying as much as possible to limit the spread of the Omicron Variant, but it sounds like is there and it is spreading along both working in the run up to the olympics. Both working in the runup to the olympia both working in the runup to the olympics. Yes, so in order to host these the olympics. Yes, so in order to host these games, the olympics. Yes, so in order to host these games, in the olympics. Yes, so in order to host these games, in a to host these games, in a country still officially committed to a zero covid i9 strategy, that is every outbreak in china is now crushed, if i can put it that way, with tough measures, and life can only go back to normal once we are back to zero official places. Then you have the olympics with people arriving from All Over The World from places where the Omicron Variant is spreading very rapidly, so there are these huge isolation bubbles. Those coming in, arriving at the airport, they dont have any contact with the general public, straight into the olympic bubble, and that will be the case for the entire games. Within that bubble system, 32 people were detected today, and there have been dozens every day. The interesting thing is that only half of those are people arriving at the airport, so it means that within the bubble, for example around the bird � s nest are what have you, were athletes and officials are being tested every day, there are those who i guess have either arrived carrying the Omicron Variant, which hasnt pepped up Omicron Variant, which hasnt popped up at the airport, tested a couple of days later, or that covid is spreading within the olympic bubble system. Now, that could be the case. As i say, they are finding dozens of people every day. If you are inside the bubble, you have to do daily tests, and that is how they are finding them. It will be interesting to see how this will be controlled throughout the game is over the next few weeks. , ~ ,. , the game is over the next few weeks. , ~ i. The game is over the next few weeks. , ~. , weeks. Thank you so much for the latest weeks. Thank you so much for the latest on weeks. Thank you so much for the latest on the weeks. Thank you so much for the latest on the olympics, i the latest on the olympics, which officially get under way on friday. Now to the us. The white house has condemned a spate of bomb threats against a number of historically black colleges. The threats, made to more than a dozen universities and schools in cities from baltimore to new orleans, began on the first day of black History Month in the United States. Patrice bell is Vice President and Chief Of Staff at Xavier University of louisiana. She explained what her institution and others are doing in response. We Work Together as a collective, all of the different hbcus consider ourselves sibling institutions. We collaborate together to support each other, we advocate for investments and Security Infrastructure for our campuses and we actually, as an hbcu, as a black and catholic institution, xavier specifically has been on the forefront of reconciliatory conversations and we have to approach all of this with the spirit of love and healing and reaching out to those actors who have some ill intent against us while continuing our work, continuing to stay the course, continuing to do the things we need to do with alert systems, with securing, with surveilling our campus, and with preparing our community members, faculty staff and students to certainly see something and Say Something and make certain that we can always respond to these in the most conscientious manner. Lets get some of the days other news. Tonga is imposing a covid lockdown after the Pacific Island nation, which had been virus free, recorded two cases. The Prime Minister said the measures would be reviewed every two days. The two men who tested positive had been working in the capitals port where humanitarian aid has been pouring in after last months volcanic eruption and tsunami. The norwegian mass murderer Anders Brevik has lost his bid for parole after a court decided he remains a risk to society. He was jailed for killing 77 people in oslo and utoya injuly 2011, but applied for parole last month. After a 3 day hearing, the court decided it did not trust his claim that he would now only promote his ideology through peaceful means. Lionel richie has pulled out of his forthcoming European Tour due to his concerns over covid. The 72 year old, currently performing in las vegas, said the well being of his fans, band and crew were uppermost in his mind. As well as gigs in several european cities, he was also due to perform at the isle of Wight Festival this summer, a commitment he originally agreed to do in 2020. The uk government will today set out its long delayed manifesto plan to level up the lives of millions of people across the uk. The proposals include a series of pledges to improve education, Public Transport and housing in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country. The Opposition Labour Party has dismissed the project as more slogans and strategies. Our Political CorrespondentJessica Parker reports. We area we are a government committed to levelling up. It is absolutely to levelling up. It is absolutely what to levelling up. It is absolutely what levelling up is all about. ~. , absolutely what levelling up is all about. ~. ,. , all about. What we are doing is levellin all about. What we are doing is levelling un all about. What we are doing is levelling up. Level all about. What we are doing is levelling up. Level up all about. What we are doing is levelling up. Level up across i levelling up. Level up across the whole levelling up. Level up across the whole of levelling up. Level up across the whole of the levelling up. Level up across the whole of the uk. Levelling up. Level up across l the whole of the uk. Ministers have talked the whole of the uk. Ministers have talked about the whole of the uk. Ministers have talked about it the whole of the uk. Ministers have talked about it a the whole of the uk. Ministers have talked about it a lot. The whole of the uk. Ministers have talked about it a lot. I have talked about it a lot. I am here to talk about levelling up. Am here to talk about levelling u. ~. ,. , am here to talk about levelling up. Michael gove will talk about it more up. Michael gove will talk about it more today. Up. Michael gove will talk about it more today. Levelling up about it more today. Levelling up was at the heart of the conservatives 2019 election campaign. Here in wolverhampton, what do they make of it . Wolverhampton, what do they make of it . ,. , make of it . The town used to be really busy. Make of it . The town used to be really busy, who make of it . The town used to be really busy, who used make of it . The town used to be really busy, who used to make of it . The town used to be really busy, who used to be really busy, who used to be able to buy Shoes Wolverhampton market. Wolverhampton town. Now you cant. There are no shoe shops. There is nothing. Go into town, you have to go somewhere bigger. The younger ouths, somewhere bigger. The younger youths. The somewhere bigger. The younger youths, the violence somewhere bigger. The younger youths, the violence and somewhere bigger. The younger youths, the violence and stuff. Youths, the violence and stuff like that youths, the violence and stuff like that. You have to try to get like that. You have to try to get them like that. You have to try to get them involved in more skills get them involved in more skills and stuff like that. Plans skills and stuff like that. Plans to be outlined today include creating more regional mayors with london style powers in areas of england, bringing Public Transport closer to london standards, giving the large majority of the Country Access to 5g broadband, and eliminating illiteracy in Primary School leavers. Many of these ideas might sound familiar, but labour says it amounts to shuffling the deck chairs. While a report by the National AuditOffice Spending watchdog says the government hasnt always properly monitored how well its local Spending Plans have worked. We look Spending Plans have worked. Look quite a lot into the town funds and anything goes. You can bid for whatever you want, but the department as it always got a good grasp on what it is trying to deliver with the money pouring in, and this is taxpayers money, we want to see outcomes. Outcomes mean in economic termsjobs and economic terms jobs and thriving business areas, and we are not really clear if that will happen, so there is a lot way to go to prove the money is being spent as well as the government tells it is. The lans government tells it is. The plans to government tells it is. The plans to give government tells it is. The plans to give these government tells it is. The plans to give these National Missions status in law with a system to measure progress, and says it wants to work with devolved governments to achieve its aims across the uk. For borisjohnson, who has been fighting for hisjob, he may want to show he still has an eye on a longer term agenda. Jessica parker, bbc news in westminster. Much debate about levelling up, how effective it will be. It is our lead story on bbc online today. In 20 minutes will have a lot more on that analysis in our business coverage, which is later in this programme. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come, an American Football great retires 44 year old tom brady quits at the top. This is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. After his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of Ayatollah Khomeini on iranian soil. South africas white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid, and the anc leader Nelson Mandela is to be set free unconditionally. Mission control three, two, one. A countdown to a critical moment the worlds most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. And apart from its power, its this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. Two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. One of them called it a piece of cake. Thousands of people have given l the yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record. For sailing solo Around The World, non stop. This is bbc news. The latest headlines the Winter Olympics torch relay gets under way in beijing in a scaled down event with very few spectators because of coronavirus restrictions. The white house has condemned a spate of bomb threats made to several historically black us colleges and universities as america begins to mark black History Month. President putin has accused the United States of using ukraine to try to limit russias development, and even to drag it into a conflict. In his first Public Comments on the crisis in weeks, mr putin said washington was still failing to address his security concerns, including his request that ukraine would neverjoin nato. A phone call between the british Prime Minister borisjohnson, whos on a visit to kyiv, and mr putin is due to take place later on wednesday. We can now speak to peter zalmayev, whos director of the eurasia democracy initiative. He joins us from kyiv. Good to see you again. Since we last talked, there has been high levels of diplomacy with several western leaders either visiting kyiv or on the phone to Vladimir Putin. The latest is the uk Prime Minister, boris johnson, your thoughts on his presence now in conversation later with the russian president . Later with the russian resident . , later with the russian resident . , president . Boris johnson visit is happening president . Boris johnson visit is happening with president . Boris johnson visit is happening with the is happening with the background of a total of 80 high level visitors of dignitaries from International Organisations and western leaders and senior ukraine is expecting to be visited by the dutch Prime Minister and turkish president. It is shock and all Revolving Door Policy by western leaders trying to shore up the ukraines government and demonstrate the unwavering support and behind the Czech Republic to send weapons. And the us is picking up shipments to the ukraine by sending 500 tons of American Military equipment and there is a bill now winding its way through the us senate which would put in place sanctions now, tough economic sanctions. It seems like the momentum may be slipping from Vladimir Putin to order his strike in the ukraine with his diplomacy we are seeing. Ukraine with his diplomacy we are seeing ukraine with his diplomacy we are seeing. Interesting that he should speak are seeing. Interesting that he should speak for are seeing. Interesting that he should speak for the are seeing. Interesting that he should speak for the first are seeing. Interesting that he should speak for the first time | should speak for the first time in over a month, should speak for the first time in overa month, pointing should speak for the first time in over a month, pointing the finger at the us In Particular, saying you are talking us into war, pretty much. Your thoughts on why he chose to speak publicly yesterday . I think because he publicly yesterday . I think because he understands. Publicly yesterday . I think i because h