A plague scare in Siberia has become a Rorschach test for public health fears in a post-Covid world.

Russian officials are investigating the death of a worker at a plague research laboratory. They say she died of pneumonia. But speculation online has suggested she may have died from pneumonic plague. Russian authorities deny this and say there is no risk of an outbreak.

So why has the story sparked so much alarm? And how has the legacy of the Covid pandemic played into people’s fears of another global health crisis?

The BBC’s health reporter, Jim Reed, joins The Global Story’s Tristan Redman to explain what we know about the case in Russia – and whether the world is prepared for a potential outbreak.

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#PneumonicPlague #Outbreak #GlobalStory #Russia #Covid #BBCNews

0:00 Why are people worried about a plague outbreak in Russia?
0:47 Introduction to Jim Reed, BBC Health Reporter
1:29 Where is this outbreak in Russia?
4:58 What have the Russian authorities said?
5:27 How has this been covered around the world?
7:52 How have the WHO reacted?
10:10 What is plague and the different types of plague?
13:19 What is the pneumonic plague?
14:58 How common is pneumonic plague?
17:23 What is Donald Trump saying about the outbreak?
19:00 How has the US’s withdrawal from the WHO affected how the WHO are dealing with it?
20:49 The contrast between this outbreak and Ebola
23:23 Since Covid are we better equipped to deal with pandemics?
Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#PneumonicPlague #Outbreak #GlobalStory #Russia #Covid #BBCNews

Chapters:
0:00 Why are people worried about a plague outbreak in Russia?
0:47 Introduction to Jim Reed, BBC Health Reporter
1:29 Where is this outbreak in Russia?
4:58 What have the Russian authorities said?
5:27 How has this been covered around the world?
7:52 How have the WHO reacted?
10:10 What is plague and the different types of plague?
13:19 What is the pneumonic plague?
14:58 How common is pneumonic plague?
17:23 What is Donald Trump saying about the outbreak?
19:00 How has the US’s withdrawal from the WHO affected how the WHO are dealing with it?
20:49 The contrast between this outbreak and Ebola
23:23 Since Covid are we better equipped to deal with pandemics?

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Five men have been arrested and remain in custody as counter-terrorism police investigate a major incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK.

The men were initially arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act and were later further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Gloucestershire Police said officers received a report of three suspicious vehicles travelling towards the RAF base at about 00:45 BST.

Around 85 homes have been evacuated in nearby Whelford while investigations continue. Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone said work to establish the full nature of the incident is ongoing.

A British Army bomb disposal team is carrying out operations at the scene, with aerial footage showing robots deployed to examine vehicles.

RAF Fairford has long been used as a forward operating location by the US military. The US Air Force said it remains vigilant following the incident.

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At least 30 people have been killed in a Russian glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the eastern front line city of Kramatorsk, rescue officials said.

Authorities said three people were also killed in the village of Bilenke, part of the Kramatorsk community.

Another 18 people were wounded, said Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin, accusing Russia of targeting buses carrying passengers to kill as many civilians as possible.

Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk are part of a so-called fortress belt that Moscow is trying to seize as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim to the entire Ukrainian industrial region of Donbas.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This strike will not go without our response.”

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Russia has attacked the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with five glide bombs, killing at least 15 people including three children, according to officials.

The glide bombs hit residential buildings in the south-eastern city on Saturday morning. At least 16 others were injured in the attack, with more still missing and believed to be under the rubble.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks on Zaporizhzhia were Russia expressing “its thanks” for a deal announced by US President Donald Trump last night easing sanctions on Moscow to import Russian diesel.

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Donald Trump has said “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new President”, as he responded to Volodymyr Zelensky’s criticism of a US deal with Russia to release large quantities of diesel fuel onto the global market.

The Ukrainian president warned that the deal would provide Moscow with money to continue its war against his nation, calling it a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday that Zelensky “wants to make problems for the world” by continuing to authorise attacks on Russian refineries. “He’d better damn well stop,” Trump said, before suggesting Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal”.

Global fuel supplies, including diesel, have been severely limited by the war against Iran launched by the US and Israel, which led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil products usually flows.

Russia – a major producer – and Ukraine have recently intensified their strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure and transport facilities, further straining energy markets.

Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev described Trump’s intervention as “iconic and historic”, saying that Ukraine “needs leadership actually focused on peace”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the deal by saying it would allow Moscow to raise new funds to source new military equipment to continue the war.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Joe Inwood and Dan Johnson.

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