Russia pledges to reduce attacks around Kyiv

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 30, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Russia vows to reduce ‘military activity’ around Kyiv at peace talks]( Russia will scale back military operations around Kyiv and the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv in a bid to “increase mutual trust”, Moscow said at the conclusion of the first day of talks in Istanbul to end the month-long Russian war against Ukraine. It is the first meaningful concession by the Kremlin since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24 February, although it was met by scepticism and caution. “In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing [an] agreement, a decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions,” Moscow’s deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said.   2 / [Cathay Pacific New York-Hong Kong flight accidentally becomes world’s longest]( Rerouted service will fly 16,618km to avoid Russian airspace 3 / [Fresh delay to Brexit checks on EU imports being considered amid cost of living crisis]( Exclusive: Boris Johnson to decide if July controls will go ahead as ‘cost of living and supply chain pressures’ spark government battle 4 / [Spending watchdog warns £2.7 billion at risk from government PPE contracts]( Chair of public accounts committee says government must ‘get a grip’ of PPE stocks and contracts 5 / [Queen signals support for Andrew as she takes his arm at Philip’s memorial]( Monarch, 95, had been determined to make appearance at deeply personal occasion     The Big Question How much will Downing Street staff be fined over Partygate? The Metropolitan Police has announced that 20 cases of lockdown breaches in Downing Street and Whitehall will be made the subject of fixed penalty notices, the first tranche of fines to be issued over the “Partygate” scandal that rocked Boris Johnson’s government this winter. The Met said it would not disclose the identities of the recipients of the fines, although Mr Johnson’s office has said it will reveal whether or not the prime minister himself has received one and, so far, has not done so. So how much will the recipients be fined and what is the wider significance of the development? [Read the full story >](   Watch/ [Drone footage shows damage to Trostyanets and Kharkiv after Russia shelling](   NUMBER OF THE DAY £38m – The value of the giant superyacht Phi belonging to an unnamed Russian oligarch seized at Canary Wharf in London.   QUOTE OF THE DAY “Tell Putin: who are you liberating us from? I have no words, he is a monster. We didn’t ask for anyone to invade our land, to ‘liberate’ us, to kill our children. I want to tell Putin face-to-face ‘you are a murderer’. I cannot believe I have lived to see a war that could evolve into World War Three.” – Holocaust survivor and Odesa native Yuri Parfenov rails at the Russian president.   [Refugees Welcome](     Other stories you might like   [Nasa astronaut set to return to Earth with two cosmonauts from ISS on Russian spacecraft](   [Raab to reveal plans to overrule some Parole Board decisions](   [F1 boss Max Mosley ‘found with fatal gunshot wound after learning he had terminal cancer’](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers Adam Forrest, The Independent: [Will Boris Johnson survive Partygate despite police issuing fines?](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.