you are watching bbc news in studio: you are watching bbc news in the uk and around the world. there's global condemnation after russia attacks a nuclear power plant here in ukraine. the flames have died down and the plant is safe, though now under russian control. translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear . power plant in europe. it is maybe six times the size of chernobyl. the russian tanks knew what they were firing out. they directly hit the plant. this is terror on an unprecedented level. we've called for an urgent meeting of the un security council. this is a threat to european security and stability, and we need those responsible to be held to account. gunfire.

intense fighting continues in the area around the nuclear plant. and residents in mariupol are trying to survive a relentless barrage of russian shelling. power and water supplies have been cut off. a special nato meeting of western foreign ministers is taking place in brussels. we'll be there, and also on the ukrainian border, where the huge flows of refugees escaping the fighting continues. i'm ben brown in the studio in london. also this lunchtime... the head of the world bank tells the bbc that the war in ukraine is a catastrophe for the world that will cut global growth. and the winter paralympics officially begins in beijing, but without the teams from russia and belarus. stay with us on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis

from our team of correspondence in the uk and around the world. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one, live from the ukrainian capital, kyiv, with the russian invasion now in its ninth day. there was startling news overnight from the south—west, where russian forces seized europe's biggest nuclear power station, hours after a fire broke out, during shelling of the complex. ukrainian officials say the blaze at the zaporizhzhia plant didn't affect the facility's main buildings, and there's no indication of increased levels of radiation in the area. but the international nuclear watchdog says it's deeply concerned. meanwhile, the besieged southern port city of mariupol is enduring

another day of relentless russian bombardment, with most basic services cut off. in the last hour, the kremlin has appealed for all russians to rally around president putin. there'll be more on russia's military strategy, and we'll be live in brussels as western foreign ministers gather to assess their response to the war. but first, this report is from our kyiv correspondent, james waterhouse. in these times, what happens in one part of ukraine is instantly seen by the rest of it. shells landing on europe's biggest nuclear power plant, the latest to horrify this besieged country and the wider world. emergency crews said they put the fire out at zaporizhzhia, and that the nuclear reactors are safe. it's now, however, in russian hands. we are told staff are still being allowed to do theirjobs. translation: russian troops attacked the laruest translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear _ translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear power _ translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear power plant - translation: russian troops attacked the largest nuclear power plant in - the largest nuclear power plant in europe. it is maybe six times the size of chernobyl. the russian tanks knew what they were firing at. they

directly hit the plant. this is terror on an unprecedented level. in nearby enerhodar, the mayor says war crimes have been witnessed. claims of an armoured convoy of 100 russian vehicles shooting at people who came in its path. this russian advance from the south is making gains and mariupol is feeling its force. it continues to be under siege, under heavy bombardment. authorities have described a genocide and want nato troops to help. the situation from the humanitarian side is terrible. the city lives for three days without any supplying, any electricity, water. chernihiv in the north has been partly turned to rubble by air strikes. 47 people are known to have been killed. translation: my parents live right here, translation: my parents live right here. nearby- _ translation: my parents live right here, nearby. it's—

translation: my parents live right here, nearby. it's hard _ translation: my parents live right here, nearby. it's hard for _ translation: my parents live right here, nearby. it's hard for me - translation: my parents live right here, nearby. it's hard for me to - here, nearby. it's hard for me to speak. this is a nightmare, how is it possible? just look at this. it's a residential building. my friend lives here with her children. luckily they managed to get out. in eastern kyiv, warehouses flattened by russian shells. you could hear the continuous rumblings of this attack from the centre. just over a week ago you would often see crowds outside the opera house, to enjoy an evening of the arts, may be some kind of performance. now all you really see, in terms of a crowd, our queues outside the few pharmacies that are still open. the russians claim their attack is going to plan. a plan apparently meant to not target cities or civilians. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. with me is our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. it really defies comprehension that there would be a fire as a result of

artillery strikes on a nuclear plant. artillery strikes on a nuclear lant. , ., plant. every morning, clive, ukrainians _ plant. every morning, clive, ukrainians wake _ plant. every morning, clive, ukrainians wake up - plant. every morning, clive, ukrainians wake up in - plant. every morning, clive, ukrainians wake up in whatl plant. every morning, clive, i ukrainians wake up in what had plant. every morning, clive, - ukrainians wake up in what had been thought of as an unthinkable and unfathomable war and something else jolts them. of course, in other time zones throughout the world there was a sharp intake of breath. the number of world leaders who called president zelensky and said, what's happening with your nuclear power station? in a broad light of day we know there is no increase in the level of radiation and that the station itself is intact. people said, you have to be very careful because it was built to survive an earthquake, but not artillery shelling. because of course when you build a nuclear power station, it would never enter your mind that someone would shell it. and here we are, in this time, in a war in ukraine which people have said repeatedly, even before it began, that this would be a war across

europe, and you realise what we say time and again in the crisis of our time, what happens within these borders will not stay within these borders. i think it has focused minds yet again on the real threat, most of all to the people of ukraine, but to the wider region, as to what is unfolding with ever greater consequences inside ukraine. lyse doucet, thank you. well, as time passes in this war, it's clear russian forces are gradually stepping up the severity of their attacks and bombardments. we've seen key infrastructure targets being hit, such as the nuclear plant overnight, and the tv tower earlier this week. and that huge column of troops stationed on the northern approach road to kyiv hasn't gone away, though according to some military analysts it's bogged down in mud, as the snows thaw. so what path is the war likely to take in the days ahead? our security correspondent, frank gardner, has this assessment. so, here's the strategic picture in ukraine on day nine of this invasion. the areas in red, as you can see there, are the ones that russian forces control. still attacking ukraine

from three angles — from the north, the east and the south. now, the big news is that, overnight, russian forces, incredibly, have shelled the largest nuclear plant in the whole of europe, at a place called zaporizhzhia right here. and it started a fire, causing global outrage. it's been condemned by leaders all over the world as reckless, horrific, unacceptable. it's been called nuclear terror by the president of ukraine. mercifully, the fire is out. we are told there is no increased radiation. russian forces are now in control of that plant. but it's not the only nuclear plant in the whole of ukraine. there are other ones, you can see at khmelnytskyi here, at rivne and up in chernobyl, which russian forces control, the plant that exploded in 1986. now, most of the action, most of the fighting has been done in the south, down here, where russian forces have burst out of crimea, expanding eastwards, encircling the town of mariupol, cutting off electricity, food,

water, making an absolutely horrendous time for the residents there. there is a lot of fear and speculation in ukraine that there is an amphibious assault about to be launched on odesa. if they do that, russia will be in control of pretty much the whole black sea coast, cutting off ukraine from the sea. frank gardner with his assessment. foreign ministers from nato, the eu and the g7 have gathered in brussels for a day of intense talks to coordinate strategy in response to the war. arriving for the meeting, the us secretary of state, antony blinken, said nato countries were bolstering their security. from brussels, our europe correspondentjessica parker has that story. one by one, they arrived this morning. the man who heads up nato and foreign ministers from across the military alliance. including the us and the uk. reacting to the news

of russia's seizure of a ukrainian nuclear power plant. this of russia's seizure of a ukrainian nuclear power plant.— nuclear power plant. this was a completely _ nuclear power plant. this was a completely reckless _ nuclear power plant. this was a completely reckless act. - nuclear power plant. this was a completely reckless act. we've| nuclear power plant. this was a - completely reckless act. we've heard now that the fire has been extinguished, but it is extremely concerning that forces are prepared to do this. we have called for an urgent meeting of the un security council. this is a threat to european security and stability and we need those responsible to be held to account. the we need those responsible to be held to account. ., ., , we need those responsible to be held to account. ., , to account. the world has been called to attention _ to account. the world has been called to attention by _ to account. the world has been called to attention by the - to account. the world has been i called to attention by the russian invasion. today's meeting is bigger thanjust invasion. today's meeting is bigger than just nato invasion. today's meeting is bigger thanjust nato members. finland, sweden and the eu are also around the table. nato's role in the world and the decisions it makes, under the spotlight. and the decisions it makes, under the spotlight-— and the decisions it makes, under the spotlight. russia has shattered eace on the spotlight. russia has shattered peace on the _ the spotlight. russia has shattered peace on the european _ the spotlight. russia has shattered peace on the european continent. l the spotlight. russia has shatteredl peace on the european continent. it has engaged in a war of a scale, of a type not seen in europe since the second world war. russian aggression

has created a new normal for european security, where fundamental principles are contested through the use of force. principles are contested through the use of force-— use of force. these are extraordinary - use of force. these are extraordinary times. i use of force. these are i extraordinary times. the use of force. these are - extraordinary times. the west use of force. these are _ extraordinary times. the west hopes the wave of economic sanctions will hurt the kremlin's ability to finance the war. nato has rejected calls to enforce a no—fly zone over ukraine with warnings it could trigger a far larger conflict. but still an effort to show unity and strength. we still an effort to show unity and strenuth. ~ , ~ ., . , strength. we seek no conflict, but if conflict comes _ strength. we seek no conflict, but if conflict comes to _ strength. we seek no conflict, but if conflict comes to us, _ strength. we seek no conflict, but if conflict comes to us, we - strength. we seek no conflict, but if conflict comes to us, we are - if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it and we will defend every inch of nato territory. at the same time, as the secretary—general said, we are preparing for nato cosmic future, and the events of the last few weeks will further inform that future, particularly going into the nato summit in a few months. there are quite a few meetings on today. also in eu foreign affairs council. a pressing issue, europe's

reliance on russian gas. is it time to start turning off supplies so there is less cash going to put in's coffers. we there is less cash going to put in's coffers. ~ _, , coffers. we will consider everything- _ coffers. we will consider everything. everything i coffers. we will considerj everything. everything is coffers. we will consider i everything. everything is on coffers. we will consider - everything. everything is on the table. you could see that everything was on the table because some measures nobody expected had been taken. so everything remains on the table. ~ , ., , taken. so everything remains on the table. ~ , ., table. the west has passed an unprecedented _ table. the west has passed an unprecedented raft _ table. the west has passed an unprecedented raft of - table. the west has passed an | unprecedented raft of sanctions against russia but they know the conversation doesn't end there, on how to react to a conflict that is just over a week old. and we can talk now tojessica parker in brussels. is itfairto is it fair to say at this stage, nine days into the conflict, the international community, whatever thatis, international community, whatever that is, the west, nato, g7, european union and so on, that they are united in response to russia's actions? i are united in response to russia's actions? ~ , are united in response to russia's actions? ~' , ., actions? i think there is a feeling that there has _ actions? i think there is a feeling that there has been _ actions? i think there is a feeling that there has been an _ actions? i think there is a feeling - that there has been an unprecedented show of unity, despite complications along the way to get to this point.

but we have just been hearing from the nato chiefjens stoltenberg, after this morning's meeting and he had a pretty sombre message to deliver. he said the days to come in ukraine are likely to get worse with more deaths, suffering and destruction. he called on president putin to stop the war. he also talked about stepping up coordination with finland and sweden. for eu ministers there is a lot to discuss as they meet this afternoon, not least of all any further sanctions. ukraine foreign minister is dialling in and likely to call for more action. here in brussels they already feel they have gone pretty far and there is an awareness that the more harshly sanctions against russia, the higher the cost could be here in europe. it's the first time a british foreign secretary has attended an eu foreign secretary has attended an eu foreign minister meeting since brexit. it might mean a small thing in the context of everything going on, but a further example of the west pulling together despite what

president putin is doing.— president putin is doing. jessica parker in brussels. _ what's the latest view from russia? well, the parliament has passed a law making it a criminal offence to spread what it calls "fake" information about the armed forces. those convicted face prison sentences of up to 15 years. meanwhile, the country's media regulator has restricted access to the bbc and other independent news websites and services. let's speak to our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley, in london. the bottom line is, the vast majority of the russian people really do not know what is being donein really do not know what is being done in their name in this war because of this clampdown on independent media. because of this clampdown on inde endent media. ~ , ,., , independent media. absolutely right. and the russian _ independent media. absolutely right. and the russian government - independent media. absolutely right. and the russian government is - and the russian government is pumping out its propaganda. i think this is a very chilling development for anyone who is concerned about free speech in russia, which is already of course under assault. it comes against the backdrop of continuing small scale protests against the russian invasion,

protests in which many arrests have already been made and continuing pressure being put on what's left of any independent media. the wording of the new legislation is pretty vague. they don't want any fake news being put out, but what does that mean? russia is not calling what it is doing in ukraine a war or an invasion. the government is saying they are special military operations. they have acknowledged that only less then 500 russian soldiers have been killed and 1500 wounded. the true figure is much higher it is believed. president putin is now resorting to extreme measures, it seems, to try to scare people into not dive altering the truth, not even seeking the truth. —— not devoting the truth. the bbc service is blocked in russia and the western media are trying to work out what this means for their reporting there. ., ., ., , ., ~ the humanitarian situation just gets

worse, day by day, hour by hour. the united nations is now warning that on top of the 1 million refugees who've already fled, millions more could be forced from this country, if the fighting is prolonged. this map shows the extent of the exodus. the larger the arrows, the greater the population flow. refugees are crossing into neighbouring countries to the west, including romania, slovakia, hungary, moldova and poland, which has so far seen the highest number of people cross its border. nick thorpe sent this report from hungary. the waiting room at zahony railway station, another resting spot on a never—ending journey. even magical creatures standing by to help. refugee trains leaving every couple of islands for the capital. of hours for the capital. now boarding on platform one. no ticket needed. sometimes it's alljust too much. only four hours from

here to budapest. this is the west station in budapest this morning, astonishing scenes as people, refugees, from ukraine including these, i think, students from india, are just getting off the train and mingling with hungarian commuters as they come into work. this train has just arrived in the last few moments and you can see also people in the green jackets of the hungarian reform church, that's one of the charities working here who are greeting the people as they get off the train, helping them take their bags down and then offering them free accommodation and food or help with their onward journeys. it could be just for one or two nights, but the refugees could decide if they would like to stay the until the end of the war, it is also possible. anastasia hasjust arrived from kyiv. she got her puppy the day

before the war started. no time to name her yet. i left because my home was damaged by shooting and bombs, and my home city was crushed, like, totally. and my friends and family can't leave, yeah? and i'm hopeful. i'm here. a quiet ukrainian rose in the midst of the tumult, the response of the hungarian public to this emergency has been wholehearted. anastasia and her nameless puppy will travel on now to slovakia. nick thorpe, bbc news, budapest. we have just put our helmets on, we had what sounded like artillery fire. our security is telling us within maybe six or seven kilometres

from here, very close indeed. you can hear the air raid sirens, that is the kind of danger that means hospitals are making special arrangements to continue treating patients underground. graham satchell has been to one children's hospital treating cancer patients below the surface in the city. a teenage boy, injured in a russian attack. he's been brought to the children's hospital in kyiv. the boy is operated on and stabilised. just a week ago, none of the staff here could have imagined the situation they are now in. at this moment we are actually exhausted. we are tired because we live at work 21w. baby cries. there are normally 600 babies and children at this hospital. most have now been evacuated to safer parts of the country. but still there are more than 200 children here. they've been moved out of the wards, away from windows for their own safety.

some are in beds, others on chairs. in the basement, a makeshift cancer ward. it is the safest part of the hospital, but an awful environment for the youngest of patients, toddlers and babies. parents have moved in full time to be with their children, everyone doing their best to make life feel as normal as possible. they have a big group of volunteer hospital clowns, they still come to the shelters. we have a lot of candies, a lot of goods which usually we don't give the children but at this moment, do what you want! cities across ukraine, like kharkiv in the north, have been bombarded now for days. staff at the hospital know kyiv could be next. are you worried about what will happen, lesia? i'm a normal person, i'm really worried.

i'm worried what will be in the future, will ukraine exist? the first reason is the change the minds of russians, of russian people, of russian soldiers. i don't want you to feel the same that i feel. i just want you to stay in your country and don't touch me, that's all that i ask. nothing, no more, just stay in your country. lesia has posted these pictures on her social media page. she embodies the determination of the ukrainian people to keep on fighting. if the russians started to bomb the centre of kyiv, will you stay? yes. and still the patients will be in the hospital, i with my husband will stay with the patients. girl sings. in one of the rest areas in the hospital, a young girl sings a traditionalfolk song. it glorifies ukraine as a beautiful country, and its people as proud and brave.

graham satchell at the children's hospital. so much of life here has gone underground, we are continuing to hear missile fire not far from our position in kiel. the frequency has stepped up in recent days, but for now, that is it. back to ben brown in the studio in london. well, the head of the world bank is warning that the war in ukraine is a catastrophe that will cut growth and push up living costs. david malpass says global food prices are likely to increase as ukraine's vast exports of sunflower oil, maize and wheat have come to a halt. he also warned that it is the poorest members of society who will feel the most impact of rising fuel and food prices. here's our business correspondent theo leggett. the war in ukraine is first and foremost a humanitarian disaster. but it's also an economic catastrophe.

critical infrastructure has been destroyed and it's impossible for trade to pass through the country's ports because of the fighting. but the government has received billions of pounds in emergency support from the eu, the imf and world bank to fund vital spending. we should be able to fulfil, as a government, to continue our key functions, to pay pensions, salaries, other protected expenditure, as well as support our army and fulfil our debt obligations. russia's economy is also being badly damaged — this time because of western sanctions. the currency has tumbled, western businesses like ikea and h&m have shut up shop and experts say the government may struggle to pay its debts. but other effects of the conflict will be global. the war in ukraine comes at a bad time for the world, because inflation was already rising. in developing countries, a third of them have already had to raise interest rates,

so that puts a real burden on their financial systems and on the poor. the energy cost rises, it hit everyone, and especially they are a regressive tax, they hit the poor the most, as does inflation. the price of vital goods on international markets has been soaring. wheat is normally a major export for both russia and ukraine. the price has risen nearly 75% over the past month. aluminium is up 25% and it's hitting record levels. and this is what's been happening to the price of crude oil, up 24% since early february. numbers on global markets can often feel rather distant from everyday life, but their effects are very real. if the price of wheat goes up, that makes a whole range of foods more expensive. if the cost of copper and aluminium goes up, then manufactured goods will cost more to buy as well. and as for gas and oil, well,

if you fuel your car or you need to heat home, eventually that's going to become more expensive as well. and all of this at a time when many people are already struggling to make ends meet. theo leggett, bbc news. well, the west's key strategy against russia has been the imposition of extensive sanctions. here, the deputy prime minister dominic raab says the uk has been at the vanguard of imposing such measures on money linked to the kremlin. he says they are starting to bite. but he also warned the uk and its allies need to be in for the long haul. live now to westminster and our political correspondent, helen catt. how much pressure is the government under to do more on sanctions? help as you say, ministers say they are leading the way on measures to punish gokal pressure economically, they had sanctioned a number of russian banks, more than the eu. when it comes to sanctioning individuals it is moving at a slower

pace and questions are being asked why. government sources say that to sanction an individual requires a high burden of proof than they need to construct a completely watertight legal case to avoid challenges. privately ministers expressed frustration about the legal process, they have been pointing particularly to changes made by a member of the house of lords, a barrister, a few years ago. i spoke to her earlier and he said the changes were about making sure sanctions were appropriate and the person on the receiving end was given the reasons why, which he said where the minimum requirements of the rule of law, and he cannot see why that would slow the process down. but there is an argument in government that if the aim is to hurt the russian economy than action on banks as having the impact, but they have talked tough at the expectation is more sanctions on individuals. the project is be better put certainly there. studio: thank you very much, helen catt.

the opening ceremony of the winter paralympics is under way in beijing. the build up to the games has been dominated by the war in ukraine. athletes from russia and belarus have been barred because of the invasion. our sports correspondent laura scott watched the opening. a new paralympics begins, helping to promote the positive power of sport and the strength and resilience of para—athletes, but eight years since the winter paralympics in sochi began under the cloud of russia's invasion of crimea, these beijing games open and made another crisis, the russian invasion of ukraine. more than 600 athletes will compete on the snow and ice. the eight gold medals, but as many paraded in the birds nest today, there were none from russia or belarus as they were banned from the games, punished for their government's actions. moscow described the decision is monstrous but it is one which, despite their

efforts, they cannot challenge. against all the odds, the full ukrainian team have made it to beijing. their coach telling me they were determined not to give up as they will overcome patriots to fight on. they will overcome patriots to fight on, , . . , , they will overcome patriots to fight on. our success in the paralympic games will— on. our success in the paralympic games will show _ on. our success in the paralympic games will show that _ on. our success in the paralympic games will show that we - on. our success in the paralympic games will show that we are - on. our success in the paralympic games will show that we are a - on. our success in the paralympic- games will show that we are a strong part of the ukraine, and maybe the flag can rise, it should be a small part of this. flag can rise, it should be a small part of thie— flag can rise, it should be a small art of this. . , , ., part of this. that sentiment shared b the part of this. that sentiment shared by the man — part of this. that sentiment shared by the man in _ part of this. that sentiment shared by the man in charge _ part of this. that sentiment shared by the man in charge of _ part of this. that sentiment shared by the man in charge of the - by the man in charge of the paralympics. i by the man in charge of the paralympics-_ by the man in charge of the paralympics. by the man in charge of the paral mics. . ., ., ., paralympics. i am horrified at what is takin: paralympics. i am horrified at what is taking place _ paralympics. i am horrified at what is taking place in _ paralympics. i am horrified at what is taking place in the _ paralympics. i am horrified at what is taking place in the world - paralympics. i am horrified at what is taking place in the world right i is taking place in the world right now _ is taking place in the world right now the — is taking place in the world right now. the 21st—century is a time for dialogue _ now. the 21st—century is a time for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and

hate _ dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate. for— dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate. ., ,., dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate. ., ., hate. for some, the paralympics has been cynically _ hate. for some, the paralympics has been cynically undermined _ hate. for some, the paralympics has been cynically undermined again - hate. for some, the paralympics has been cynically undermined again by i been cynically undermined again by the shadow of war, but the sporting spectacle's mission to promote unity and peace has never burned brighter. some other news this lunchtime. covid infections levels in the uk are still continuing to fall, according to the weekly ons survery. an estimated one in 30 people would have tested positive this week compared to one in 25 last week. in scotland however cases are still rising. wales is to scrap its remaining covid restrictions and end free mass testing under plans announced today. the legal requirement to wear face coverings and self—isolate will be lifted at the end of march. from april, pcr tests will no longer be available for testing most people with symptoms and lateral flow devices will no longer be available from june. wales is the last part of the uk to

lift its coronavirus restrictions. in the latest survey, those figures suggest that around one in 30 people in wales had coronavirus at the end of february, and as you can see, levels of infection were lower in wales than in any other part of the united kingdom, and that those levels continue to be on that gradual downwards trajectory. a woman and her violent ex—boyfriend have been found guilty of killing a two—year—old boy who was taunted and beaten for months. the old bailey heard how kyrell matthews was treated like a punch bag and had 41 fractures to his ribs when he collapsed and died at his home in thornton heath in south london. his mother, phylesia shirley, was convicted of manslaughter, while her then partner, kemar brown, was found guilty of muder.