this is bbc news, i'm lewis vaughanjones. our top stories: ukraine accuses russia of bombing a children's hospital in the city of mariupol, officials say there are many dead and injured, with children buried under the rubble. the attack happened while a ceasefire was supposed to be in place, mariupol�*s mayor says president putin has destroyed a peaceful city. translation: they wanted to take the lives of our - children, ourwomen, our doctors, who had been fighting for m days of war, for the lives of every child who came under fire from enemy weapons. meanwhile, in neighbouring irpin, uprooted civilians have managed to leave the town, the united nations is calling the situation a �*dark,

historic first�*. the town is being emptied of its residents. and it's notjust happening here. there are other cities in ukraine being bombarded by the russians, where civilians are being driven out. a ceasefire in the eastern ukraine city of sumy is holding, allowing many more people to flee to safety. russia's increasing economic isolation is continuing, heineken nowjoins mcdonalds, coca cola and unilever in pausing operations there. and one other story: a remarkable discovery in the icy waters of antarctica, shackleton�*s vessel endurance, still in one piece, a century after it sank. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around

the globe. first, ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky has accused russia of committing a war crime by bombing a maternity and children's hospital in the besieged city of mariupol. a regional governor said at least 17 people had been injured. the attack came while a ceasefire was supposed to be in place. elsewhere in the country ceasefires did hold, allowing more civilians to flee other besieged cities. our first report is from our international correspondent, orla guerin in irpin. a warning, her report contains some distressing images. survivors emerge from the wreckage of a hospital for women and children after what ukraine says was a russian attack. pregnant women were among the wounded, according to the local governor. there was supposed to be a ceasefire in place to let

civilians flee mariupol. instead, they weren't safe, even in hospital beds. here, the massive craterjust outside the building. the local mayor said this was utterly evil. translation: today the russian federation led by putin raided a peaceful city, shelled a children's hospital, destroyed the most valuable thing we have, we, the people of mariupol. they wanted to take the lives of our children, ourwomen, our doctors, who've been fighting for ia days of war for the lives of every child under fire from enemy weapons. russia claims ukrainian forces expelled the staff and patients and set up firing positions. russia also claims it does not fire on civilian targets. tell that to those we met today being carried from irpin, close to kyiv, where

the ceasefire held. they survived days and nights of shelling and must now survive life cast adrift as refugees. and what future for around one million of ukraine's children, uprooted in just two weeks? the united nations calls this a dark historic first. well, hour after hour, people keep leaving irpin, the town is being emptied of its residents, and it's not just happening here, there are other cities in ukraine being bombarded by the russians where civilians are being driven out. this is just one corner of the fastest growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. svetlana is among the legions made homeless by vladimir putin.

"our house is gone" she says. "we've been in the cellar for ia days with no light, water or heat. but we will be back for sure." further down the road, immense relief. a reunion forfriends and neighbours — who didn't know if they would meet again. svetla na says... "you are alive, my sunlight." anastasia is finally on her way to relative safely in western ukraine with baby oleg. we first met them two days ago as they fled. but she's concerned for her father who stayed behind in the horror of irpin. translation: he is sitting

in the basement, not __my ——my father said that bodies lie in the streets stopping no—one removes them. they are eaten by dogs and dogs have started to attack the people. he is sitting in the basement not leaving the house. we pray that all is well with him. he refused to be evacuated. with every day that passes, this looks increasingly like a war on civilians, on their homes, their lives, their freedom. and many already fear this could lead, sooner or later, to a wider european war. orla guerin, bbc news, irpin. earlier i asked mikey kay, retired raf officer and former advisor to the uk's ministry of defence whether he thought the russian military was deliberately targeting hospitals.

this isn't the first time this tactic has been used in contemporary history. putin has been using this type of tactic at length and very frequently in syria over the last seven years since 2015 since putin entered syria. and putin will say and i know this from experience because this is what him and his spokespeople always say, is that the target will have been inhabited by ukrainian forces and therefore made it a legitimate target, and under the law of armed conflict, and i have worked in the targeting chain in baghdad in a previous life when i was in a previous life when i was in the military but under the law of armed conflict, when a building has a protective status such as a hospital or a school, if the building houses the enemy, then under the law of armed conflict it loses that protection, so that is the guys

under which putin will be using this tactic and the tragedy is that there is no way from the ukrainian side to prove what putin or lover of or the spokesman is saying. that is an absolutely _ spokesman is saying. that is an absolutely fascinating _ spokesman is saying. that is an absolutely fascinating insight i absolutely fascinating insight and as you alluded to there, the russian forces have said they do not fire on civilian targets was their response. —— lavrov. i am targets was their response. —— lavrov. iam intrigues, how much does the person pulling the trigger know about the target? the trigger know about the taraet? ., ., ~' the trigger know about the taraet? ., ., ~ .,, the trigger know about the taraet? ., ., ~' .,, ., target? look, i was involved in the targeting — target? look, i was involved in the targeting process - target? look, i was involved in the targeting process and - target? look, i was involved in the targeting process and the i the targeting process and the west has a very stringent targeting protocol which is called the collateral damage estimate and that basically is a number of algorithms that are used when targeting something

inside infrastructure, and based on that collateral damage estimate, we govern what type of weapon is used and that could be a precision guided £500 bomb from an aircraft, it could be an artillery shell, something that is precision and the whole thing will be built around minimising collateral. if there are civilians in the area or near the target, then that strike will not be approved or authorised because thatis approved or authorised because that is against the geneva convention. in the north east of ukraine, in the city of sumy, thousands of civilians are escaping to relative safety after the russians agreed to a humanitarian route. some 7,000 people were evacuated from the city on tuesday, including hundreds of international students who were taken to safety in two convoys of buses and cars. 0ur eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford is in poltava, where people have been arriving from sumy. they've not eaten like

this for two weeks. because these children have been hiding beneath ground, as their city above was bombed and shelled by russian troops. this morning, they made it to safety. their care home evacuated from the front line. the director tells me the air strikes were the scariest. as we speak, a door bangs somewhere and shejumps. translation: it's not normal. it's so far from normal. at the start, we didn't tell the youngest children that there was war. they didn't know, but theyjust started drawing tanks because they heard the shooting. that's not normal. so, she's trying to get help to get them even further from the fighting. children who were vulnerable even before this war now have new trauma. there were more air strikes

the day their convoy travelled south. russia claims it's liberating ukraine, but no one here asked to be saved, orfor their homes, their lives, to be ruined. and now, families are forced to flee, uprooted, abandoning everything. when the fighting was paused again today at brought this wall of people out from their bunkers. everybody anxious to leave town. poltava to the southis leave town. poltava to the south is just one stage on a long and uncertain journey. this girl has been living in a cellar with russian fighter jets flying overhead. her mum can't find them rooms here. "it's too expensive," she says, "and everywhere is full." so most are trying to get out. poltava has become one giant waiting room, as thousands are now evacuated here away from the front line and the immediate threat, and then stranded. there are people here from all over this region who fled the areas where the fighting is now

at its fiercest, and they've come here in hope of getting a ride as far west as possible. but for the moment, there is no information, no trains. they're just standing and waiting. when a train pulls in, they surge forward. it's a moment of hope but it's a fleeting one. this train is travelling east, not west — towards the fighting, not to safety. sarah rainsford, bbc news, poltava. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: we will tell you how the world's most famous undiscovered shipwreck has now been found. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 24 hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly, sick leader, and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior.

we heard these gunshots in the gym. _ then he came out| through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged a1, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an eight—car convoy. reporter: paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? - it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really — _ i've never been married before. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: ukraine accuses russia of bombing a children's hospital in the city of mariupol, officials say there are many dead and injured, with children

buried under the rubble. meanwhile, in neighbouring irpin, uprooted civilians have managed to leave the town, the united nations is calling the situation a �*dark, historic first�*. there's a never—ending stream of desperate people crossing the ukraine border into neighbouring countries to escape the war. 100,000 of them have made their way to moldova and moldovan prime minister natalia gagrilita has told the bbc she's concerned about the violence spilling over into her country. larsjohan lonnback is chief of mission for the international organisation for migration or iom in moldova and hejoins me now from chisinau. thank you forjoining us. it is a pleasure, thank thank you forjoining us. it is a pleasure, thank you thank you forjoining us. it is a pleasure, thank you for having me. a pleasure, thank you for having me— a pleasure, thank you for having me. a pleasure, thank you for havin: me. ~ ., having me. we will get to the issue of violence _ having me. we will get to the issue of violence and - having me. we will get to the | issue of violence and spillover in a moment but first let's start with the situation on the border. how is moldova coping? it is trying to cope under a

large influx of refugees and third country note channels. they've been around since february 2a, some 270,000 ukrainians passing across the northern and southern borders of moldova and we estimate around 30,000 third country nationals. so all in all around 300,000 already and that is a staggering figure for a small country like moldova of around 3 million inhabitants to start with. it 3 million inhabitants to start with. , ., , ., 3 million inhabitants to start with. , ., , with. it is a small country. how on — with. it is a small country. how on earth _ with. it is a small country. how on earth is _ with. it is a small country. how on earth is paying - with. it is a small country. how on earth is paying for| with. it is a small country. i how on earth is paying for all this? it how on earth is paying for all this? , . ., , how on earth is paying for all this? ,_,, .,, how on earth is paying for all this? , this? it is coping as well as possible. — this? it is coping as well as possible. it _ this? it is coping as well as possible, it has _ this? it is coping as well as possible, it has opened - this? it is coping as well as possible, it has opened a l possible, it has opened a number of reception centres and being able to how these people up being able to how these people up until now the people who come have been able to cope for themselves, relatively well but that will certainly change when the streams of people come out

from the humanitarian corridors so people who come out from the sieges. that is when it is going to be a dire situation for moldova.— going to be a dire situation for moldova. �* ., ., , ., for moldova. and what are you callin: for moldova. and what are you calling for? — for moldova. and what are you calling for? we _ for moldova. and what are you calling for? we are _ for moldova. and what are you calling for? we are calling - for moldova. and what are you calling for? we are calling for| calling for? we are calling for more reception _ calling for? we are calling for more reception capacity - calling for? we are calling for more reception capacity for l more reception capacity for basic needs to be met, for the people coming in and, also, we need to be able to secure the situation because they are very vulnerable to issues like trafficking and abuse where they come here and have to be housed by the moldovan government.— housed by the moldovan government. housed by the moldovan covernment. a, ., ., government. moving onto the idea of the — government. moving onto the idea of the violence _ government. moving onto the idea of the violence in - government. moving onto the idea of the violence in the - idea of the violence in the fighting in ukraine that so far is contained in that country, spilling out to neighbouring countries. some people have been expressing concern about that. ~ ., ., .,~ ., been expressing concern about that. ., ., that. what do you make of it? well, that. what do you make of it? well. war— that. what do you make of it? well. war is — that. what do you make of it? well, war is always _ well, war is always unpredictable and moldova,

geographically is almost encircled by ukraine so from the nurse that makes her from the nurse that makes her from the north and the south we have not seen anything coming over across the border but the fighting is getting closer to the border. until now we had not seen any signs of any violence crossing the border but, rather, not moldova is a safe haven leave the violence. thank you so much for bringing us up to date. painting is a vivid teacher there of the challenges on the border. let's look at the fallout in russia now, where heineken has become the latest high profile name to suspend operations in the country, after macdonalds, coca cola and unilever announced they were pausing operations. the us secretary of state, anthony blinken, says the exodus of international companies is having a profound impact. moscow is accusing the united states of waging an economic war on russia after it banned russian oil. 0ur moscow correspondent

steve rosenberg reports. life is changing for russians. sanctions are making their country look very different. at mcdonald's, final orders. it's suspending business in russia over what it calls the needless human suffering unfolding in ukraine. customer alla believes the russian offensive is destroying russia's future. translation: it's very sad. it's notjust mcdonald's that's closing. all western businesses are shutting down. everyone who can is leaving. it is a symbol of the new times. we will be left isolated. back in the ussr, happier times, when mcdonald's opened up here. the fast food was slow, but only because of the huge crowds of customers. it felt then as if russia was getting an appetite

for good relations with the west. well, i was actually in the queue here 32 years ago when mcdonald's first opened. it actually took me three hours to get inside. and i can remember the excitement in the crowd because for muscovites, this place was a symbol, a symbol of russia opening up to the world, a symbol of east embracing west. but it feels now that that's all gone. and instead, russia's increasingly isolated. international brands are vanishing from moscow's shopping centres. but russians have less money to spend here anyway. sanctions have caused the value of the rouble to plunge. but for those who back moscow's onslaught in ukraine, many of them claim they couldn't care less about global corporations disappearing from the russian market. the era of post—soviet colonisation by the west started with the arriving

of mcdonald's to russia, and the era of sovereign greater russia starts with mcdonald's leaving it. so, have a nice trip. for the moment, moscow is defiant, uncompromising, unapologetic. but russia is intricately connected to the global economy. isolation will hurt. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's get some of the day's other news. south korea's presidential election has been narrowly won by the conservative opposition leader, yoon suk—yeol. in one of the tightest races in the country's recent history, he beat the governing democratic party candidate by less than one percentage point. mr yoon is expected to adopt a more hardline policy towards north korea. the north korean leader, kimjong—un, says his country is developing a reconnaissance satellite in order to collect information on the us military in the region. on saturday, pyongyang test

fired a ballistic missile it said was linked to the development of the satellite. australian prime minister scott morrison declared a national emergency over unprecedented flooding in two states. at least 20 people have been killed in new south wales and queensland as rising waters inundated homes over the past two weeks. federal and state governments have faced anger for not acting faster to help residents. a man who became the first person to receive a heart transplant from a genetically—modified pig has died, two months after the operation. 57—year—old david bennett, seen here in the middle, who had terminal heart disease, died on tuesday. before the operation he said he knew the risks and acknowledged it was a shot in the dark. novak djokovic has withdrawn from indian wells and the miami open, the first two tennis masters series events of the year, because of us coronavirus rules. regulations require any non—us citizen to have a covid vaccination before entering the country.

djokovic told the bbc last month that he had not been vaccinated. now to an extraordinary discovery. more than a century after it sank, the lost ship of the antarctic explorer, sir ernest shackleton, has finally been discovered. the ship, called endurance, was found by a team of scientists, in remarkably good condition in the seas off antartica. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle has the story. emerging from the antarctic deep, the world's most famous undiscovered shipwreck, now found. it is the first time anyone has seen it in more than 100 years. endurance, perfectly preserved, frozen in time, 3,000 metres beneath the ice. i thought, if there's any wood—built ship that could survive

the impact of the sea bed, it will be the endurance, and she did, she held together beautifully. but i have never, ever seen a wreck anything like as beautiful and as inspiring as this one. the condition of sir ernest shackleton's ship is astonishing. the ship's wheel is almost pristine. bolts gleam in the woodwork. the portholes look polished. and these white circles are dinner plates, abandoned by the crew. this was the polar ice breaker that brought the team to the wreck. the conditions were challenging. the agulhas ii had to carve its way through the thick ice in the weddell sea. underwater robots were deployed and spent weeks searching the deep, until the endurance was at last found. probably the most famous as yet undiscovered shipwreck in the world, and now we know exactly where it is. we know what it looks like, we know what condition it's

in and we can broadcast images of that around the world. it matters because people will see those images and will connect to this extraordinary story from our history, the greatest story of antarctic survival of all time. and this was the ship just before it sank, captured in footage restored and released by the bfi. the endurance became stuck in sea ice soon after it set off from south georgia, drifting for months before the crew was eventually ordered to abandon ship. the endurance expedition was amazingly well documented, with photographs, film and crucially, navigation records, which were vital for locating the wreck beneath the ice. what is extraordinary is it was found just four and a half miles, that's about seven kilometres, from the coordinates recorded on the day the ship sank, more than 100 years ago. this was all down to frank worsley,

the ship's captain. frank worsley really needs to be recognised now, even more than he was at the time, as an expert navigator. he was using all of the equipment that was at his disposal at the time and clearly, because the ship has been found so close to that location, he did a brilliantjob. the discovery gives us a new link between the past and the present. the ship won't be raised, and nothing will be removed. left exactly as it was found, resting in the darkness of this most remote corner of the world. rebecca morelle, bbc news. remarkable images there. that is it from me. if you want to keep up with events in the ukraine as they happen go to our website where you will find a live page that is continuously updated with all the latest news and developments. don't forget to download the bbc news app as

well. you can also find me on twitter. hello there. this week starts off on a cold, chilly note for many of us, but temperatures have been rising as the week's worn on, in fact, we are staying in the very mild theme for the rest of the week, certainly for the working week, but it will become more unsettled with breezy, even windy conditions and also rain at times. now, we've got high—pressure to the east of us over the near continent, low pressure to the west over the atlantic. it's drawing up some very mild airfrom biscay and iberia. this weather front continuing to thicken the cloud up across more central parts of the country today. so we start off with quite a bit of cloud around, bit more cloud generally across england and wales than we had through yesterday morning. cold, frosty start for northern ireland but bright with some sunshine, some sunshine getting into western scotland, and it will also be bright across eastern england

and the southeast, where, again, we will see temperatures very mild for the time of year 1a—15 degrees, even double figures further north and west. it will be a little bit breezier as well. now, as we head through thursday night, it turns cloudy, outbreaks of rain pushing up from central and southern areas, it will spread northwards across northern england and in toward scotland. so more cloud around, more breeze, so it will be a milder night for most of us and a mild night certainly for northern ireland. so that's how it's looking to end thursday, into friday we see a little more active weather front start to sweep in from the atlantic. that will bring more windy weather but also some heavier rain, which will start to push into southwest england and wales, northern ireland, as the day wears on. one or two showers ahead of it, but generally dry and bright, quite mild and windy across northern and eastern areas. this rain will be spilling its way northwards, and it will be a blustery day wherever you are, certainly windy across more northern and eastern areas, especially close to the coast. temperature wise, again, it's pretty mild, highs of 10—13 degrees, maybe not quite as mild as it will be for thursday because we've got more cloud and rain around. now, into the weekend,

it stays unsettled, a particularly deep area of low pressure moves in towards the southwest and the west of the uk during the latter part of saturday into sunday, and as that spreads northwards for sunday, we will see a mixture of sunshine and blustery showers. some of these will be quite heavy. so it is an unsettled picture into the weekend, some wet and windy weather pushing into the south and west later on saturday, and it's sunshine and showers for most on sunday.

this is bbc news, the headlines: ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky has accused russia of committing a war crime by bombing a maternity and children's hospital in the besieged city of mariupol. a regional governor said at least 17 people had been injured. the attack came while a ceasefire was supposed to be in place. elsewhere in the country, ceasefires did hold, allowing more civilians to flee other besieged cities, after the russians agreed to a humanitarian route. some 7,000 people were evacuated from the city of sumy. the un is calling the civilian situation a �*dark, historic first�*. russia�*s increasing economic isolation continues, after mcdonalds, coca cola and unilever announced they were pausing operations. heineken becomes the latest high profile name tojoin that list. this is bbc news.