A member of the British Parliament said she has raised the case of an investigative journalist who was refused entry to the UK after authorities deemed him to be a "public security risk".
Alicia Kearns, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, said that she had spoken to the government about Christo Grozev's status, saying on Twitter: “I’ve raised with ministers – you are not the security risk.”
Mr Grozev had planned to enter the UK for the British and Film Television Awards, where his film Navalny was nominated in the best documentary category.
The film explores the story of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his 2020 poisoning, and sees Mr Grozev explain how he and fellow investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh revealed the details of the poisoning plot that indicated involvement from Russia.
But on Friday, the journalist took to Twitter to say that his family, including his two children, had been prevented from attending the ceremony by counter-terrorism police.
He said the apparent risk to him and others illustrated the "growing dangers to independent journalists around the world".
Responding to his tweet, London's Metropolitan Police said: “For obvious reasons, we don’t give details of security arrangements or advice on Twitter. We’re in ongoing contact with Bafta.”
Mr Grozev is a Bulgarian citizen who is a key investigator with Bellingcat, the news organisation credited with unmasking the team behind the Salisbury Novichok poisonings in 2018.
His work has also exposed a wide range of alleged Russian spy operations, including surveillance related to the poisoning of Navalny, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison over trumped-up embezzlement and contempt of court charges.
Earlier this year, warnings from intelligence circles prompted Mr Grozev to cancel a recent return to Vienna from the US, Falter magazine reported.
Authorities in Moscow have branded Bellingcat an "undesirable" organisation, banning its operations, and put Mr Grozev on the wanted list.
The Bafta ceremony is set to take place at London’s Southbank Centre on February 19.
In a statement regarding security at Sunday’s ceremony, Bafta said: “The safety of all our guests and staff at the ceremony is always our highest priority, and we have robust and appropriate security arrangements in place every year.”
Bafta also confirmed that producers Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller and Odessa Rae will be attending the event as nominees for Navalny.
Mr Grozev is not currently publicly listed as attending.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
