The Loop: Ukraine's 'day of unity', Camilla has COVID, and is this the new Wordle?

Good morning, it's Tuesday, February 15. Here's what you need to get going today.

One thing to know right now: Australia has got its first *national* battery recycling scheme

Hands up if you've chucked a dead battery straight in the bin. Well, now there's a national scheme to recycle batteries. Here's the lowdown:

• The scheme covers smaller alkaline and lithium batteries that typically come inside power tools or TV remotes
• It's called B-cycle and has teamed up with major retailers including Coles, Bunnings and ALDI to put battery collection bins at thousands of their stores (find out where you can take them here).
• There's also a potential economic boom for recyclers if it is done right. Why? Because the commodities inside batteries are finite and valuable.
• It's also not great to throw them in bins — they can spark with other bits of metal and cause fires.

The new scheme will collect hundreds of thousands of tonnes of batteries nationally for recycling. (ABC News: Darryl Torpy)

One thing you’ll be hearing about today: Ukraine's President calls for 'day of unity', while US closes Kyiv embassy

A bit has happened in the early hours of this morning. Here's the latest:

• In the last few hours, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted a video to Instagram (it's below, but in Ukranian) and called for prominent overseas Ukrainians to return home in solidarity. 
• A translation of that post reads: "We are told that February 16 will be the day of the attack. We will make it the Day of Unity. The relevant decree has already been signed. On this day, we will hoist national flags, put on blue and yellow ribbons and show the world our unity."

• And this morning, the US has told *all* embassy staff to evacuate the capital and move to Lviv, in the country's west (close to Poland's border).
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken citied the "dramatic acceleration in the build-up of Russian forces" in the move.
• Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman says they still don't believe Vladimir Putin has made his final decision on whether to invade but it's "entirely possible" Russia's President could move with little to no warning.
• We're also expected to hear more from the UN's secretary-general this morning.

News while you snoozed

Let's get you up to speed.

• Camilla has tested positive for COVID-19 four days after her husband Prince Charles tested positive (his second brush with COVID). Clarence House said the 74-year-old would self-isolate and follow government guidelines.

Both Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have tested positive for COVID-19. (AP: Chris Jackson)

• Australia's Laura Peel has finished 5th in the women's aerials at the Beijing Olympics. China's Xu Mengtao won her nation's first gold in the event

Laura Peel struggled with her landings during the finals. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

The news Australia is searching for

• Tasmania helicopter: That's this tragic news from yesterday — a 41-year-old pilot has died while fighting the Lebrina bushfire in north-eastern Tasmania.
• Nurses strike: The NSW nurses' union has vowed to defy an eleventh-hour order from the Industrial Relations Commission to call off a statewide strike planned for today.

One more thing: Do you love Wordle? Try your hand at *Worldle*

Are you getting sick of the popular word puzzle Wordle? Well someone's gone and made a geography version: Meet Worldle.

And the maker has seen a bit of a spike recently:

It might be your next game to play waiting in the coffee line.

That's it for now

We'll be back later on with more of the good stuff.

ABC/wires