good morning. welcome to breakfast with chris mason and nina warhurst. our headlines today the rising cost in lives of the war in ukraine. the un says at least 847 civilians have been killed so far. the true figure is likely to be much higher. amid claims from mariupol that russian forces have moved thousands residents to russia. ukraine's president zelensky condemns the destruction of the city. translation: of the city.- translation: of the city. translation: oftheci . ., ., , ., translation: oftheci . ., ., , ._, peaceful translation: to do this to a peaceful city _ translation: to do this to a peaceful city that _ translation: to do this to a peaceful city that the - translation: to do this to a | peaceful city that the occupiers detoured as a terror and will be remembered for centuries to come. the situation is creating a child refugee almost every second, we report from the increasingly busy

border with romania. how a small village in oxfordshire has come together to offer homes for up to 60 people fleeing the war. good morning. six nations success for france, as they beat england to light up paris. their first win in the tournament for more than a decade morning, all. a dry weather story set to continue today, but there will be a little more cloud around and still a cool breeze. i'll have all the details coming up you shortly. good morning. it's sunday, 20 march. our main story: the president of ukraine, volodymyr zelensky, has called russia's siege of the city of mariupol "a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come." the southern port city has been under sustained attack for weeks, with supplies of food, gas, and clean water running out. the un says at least 840 civilians have been killed in the conflict

across ukraine so far. jon donnison has this report. increasingly, ukraine's eastern cities are in ruins. kramatorsk one of the latest towns to come under heavy russian bombardment. the un says it has confirmed more than 840 civilians have now been killed across the country, but says the actual figure across the country, but says the actualfigure is across the country, but says the actual figure is likely far higher. this is the latest satellite picture, the theatre in the southern city of mario paul, bombed by russia on wednesday. —— mariupol four days on wednesday. —— mariupol four days on hundreds are still trapped in the basement. it was once a bustling port city, but after weeks of shelling and encircled by the russians, it is almost unrecognisable. translation: , .,

translation: the blockade of mariu ol translation: the blockade of mariupol will _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down - translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down in - translation: the blockade of| mariupol will go down in history translation: the blockade of. mariupol will go down in history of responsibility for war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come. andy the more ukrainians tell the world about it, the more support we fine. the more russia uses terror against ukraine the more the consequences will be for it. find against ukraine the more the consequences will be for it. and the ma or of consequences will be for it. and the mayor of mariupol _ consequences will be for it. and the mayor of mariupol says _ consequences will be for it. and the mayor of mariupol says thousands l consequences will be for it. and the | mayor of mariupol says thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia, was taken to remote cities. they claim the bbc cannot definitely verify. but those lucky enough to escape west still have days of terror. translation: ., ., translation: could never imagine that a bomb — translation: could never imagine that a bomb would _ translation: could never imagine that a bomb would hit _ translation: could never imagine that a bomb would hit house - translation: could never imagine that a bomb would hit house next . translation: could never imagine| that a bomb would hit house next to mine, that my district would be wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and i realise there were simply no safe places in there were simply no safe places in the city anymore. find

there were simply no safe places in the city anymore.— there were simply no safe places in the city anymore. and that's now the case in a number— the city anymore. and that's now the case in a number of _ the city anymore. and that's now the case in a number of ukrainian - case in a number of ukrainian cities. in nikolai have come in the south, around 200 soldiers were sleeping in barix 13 russian missiles hit. a glimmer of hope as one man is pulled from the rubble, but with temperatures reaching those of —6 it is fear there might not be many more survivors. around 10 million ukrainians have now been forced to leave their homes. 0fficials forced to leave their homes. officials say more than 6500 people were evacuated from cities through humanitarian corridor�*s yesterday. in more than 3.3 million people have fled ukraine altogether since the start of the war just fled ukraine altogether since the start of the warjust over three weeks ago, not knowing if they will ever return. jon donnison, bbc news. let's speak now tojonah fisher, who is in the western city of lviv. a place that has been essential for refugees escaping from ukraine, but increasingly coming under military pressure.

increasingly coming under military ressure. ~ ., , increasingly coming under military ressure. ~ . , ., pressure. well, there have been a few strikes — pressure. well, there have been a few strikes around _ pressure. well, there have been a few strikes around lviv _ pressure. well, there have been a few strikes around lviv in - pressure. well, there have been a few strikes around lviv in the - pressure. well, there have been a few strikes around lviv in the last | few strikes around lviv in the last week or so, much less than in other parts of the country. it is worth reflecting on what we said about mariupol there, mariupol is by far the worst place in ukraine at the moment. and what the mayor said there is the thousands of people have been deported from the city in the last few weeks. now, one has to put that in the context of the russian narrative of what has been going on in ukraine and the last few weeks. in short, that this is a liberation war that ross liberating people in ukraine. it may well be that those people, and we can't confirm that it has happened, but if people have been taken from mariupol, forcibly, into russia itself, they may be going to be used by the russians to try and project the narrative that people are fleeing into russia, that they are notjust heading west into the

european union, that russia is liberating parts of ukraine and that people are happy that they have come in. ~ ~' ., people are happy that they have come in. ~ ~ ., ., people are happy that they have come in. while we know about refugees, --eole in. while we know about refugees, peeple seeking _ in. while we know about refugees, peeple seeking to _ in. while we know about refugees, people seeking to escape - in. while we know about refugees, people seeking to escape from - people seeking to escape from mariupol? reports, of course, that the official corridors have not worked and that people have had to take those matters into their own hands. �* , , , take those matters into their own hands. �*, , , , . ., hands. it's been very difficult to net these hands. it's been very difficult to get these humanitarian - hands. it's been very difficult to | get these humanitarian corridor's setup from mariupol. you may remember, earlier in the week, there were repeated attempts which then broke down after the convoys were fired upon. they are now functioning to a limited extent. if we look at the numbers from yesterday, 4128 people apparently made it out of mariupol yesterday, that is very much still a small fraction of the amount of people one would imagine trying to leave, it is a city of several hundred thousand. so some people are getting out, some people have even made it as far as west of ukraine where i am speaking to you from now, with really grim stories about bodies on the streets, about being under constant bombardment, about there being no power, no

electricity. but, yes, some people have managed to get out, but it is still very much a city where fighting is going on. there have been reports in the last few days of russians nearing the city centre. it is under intense pressure and i think no—one is under any illusions that it may be a city about to fall to the russians in the coming days. jonah fisher with the latest from lviv. many thanks. more than three million people have now fled the fighting in ukraine, with the un warning the situation is creating a child refugee almost every. for residents of the southern city of 0desa, one of the main routes out of the country involves crossing the river danube by ferry. nick thorpe has been speaking to some of those making the journey. the river danube cuts ukraine in the north, from romania in the south, like a knife. so many people are fleeing ukraine it's easy to miss

the few returning by river ferry. you still need a ticket if you are going the wrong way. it's a romanian ship flying the ukrainian flag as a courtesy. this is one of the passengers, a lawyerfrom kyiv. she hasjust passengers, a lawyerfrom kyiv. she has just taken her twin children to safety in germany. now she is on her way back to fetch her mother. i safety in germany. now she is on her way back to fetch her mother.- way back to fetch her mother. i have a ha - way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life — way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in _ way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in ukraine. _ way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in ukraine. but- way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in ukraine. but i - way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in ukraine. but i don't. a happy life in ukraine. but i don't want putin to protect me. i don't know his protection. ukraine was a great country. but now everything is ruined and i don't no. we will stay in my house in safety. i don't know when i can come back to ukraine. the ferry docks — when i can come back to ukraine. the ferry docks and a dozen or so people disembark. barely an hour later, the

ferry fills with refugees. she and her mother, natalya, among them. many are from 0desa, but there are also some from nikolai of, the city further east still blocking any further east still blocking any further along the coast. they came by boat, by train, by car to the water crossing, their thoughts as they reach safety themselves between 0neworld at war and another at peace are among those they have left behind in ukraine. in romania, the ukrainians get a warm welcome. he was ukrainians get a warm welcome. he: was good, he was crying. but he thinks we will never see each other again. i will be happy when i returned to ukraine. i will be happy. figs returned to ukraine. i will be ha-- . r returned to ukraine. i will be ha . _ �* , , returned to ukraine. i will be ha“ _ m , , , returned to ukraine. i will be ha-- . a , , , , happy. as the sun sets behind the uranite happy. as the sun sets behind the granite mountains, _ happy. as the sun sets behind the granite mountains, and _ happy. as the sun sets behind the granite mountains, and other- happy. as the sun sets behind the| granite mountains, and other ferry granite mountains, and otherferry embarks from the armenians sure to bring more ukrainians across. ——

ukranian choice. nick thorpe, bbc news. here, the uk government has launched its homes for ukraine scheme to match would—be hosts with refugees forced to flee. katherine da costa has been to meet the residents of one small village in oxfordshire who have answered the call. the picturesque village of north morton, home tojust the picturesque village of north morton, home to just 350 residents nestled in the south 0xfordshire countryside. it's a small community with a big heart, eager to welcome in two 60 ukrainian refugees. me’ee in two 60 ukrainian refugees. we've not sace in two 60 ukrainian refugees. we've got space at — in two 60 ukrainian refugees. we've got space at home, _ in two 60 ukrainian refugees. we've got space at home, why _ got space at home, why wouldn't we be there to open up our home to these people who are fleeing what's going on? 50 these people who are fleeing what's oiiin on? ., these people who are fleeing what's iioin on? ., . these people who are fleeing what's ioiinon? ., . these people who are fleeing what's ioiin on? ., . ., going on? so how much space, how many peeple _ going on? so how much space, how many peeple do _ going on? so how much space, how many people do you _ going on? so how much space, how many people do you think— going on? so how much space, how many people do you think you - going on? so how much space, how many people do you think you can l many people do you think you can take? we many people do you think you can take? ~ ., ., , many people do you think you can take? ~ ., .,, ., ., ., ., take? we have the top floor of our house, a take? we have the top floor of our house. a coople — take? we have the top floor of our house, a couple of— take? we have the top floor of our house, a couple of bedrooms, - take? we have the top floor of our. house, a couple of bedrooms, sitting room, bathroom, so we would be happy taking a family. i room, bathroom, so we would be happy taking a family-— taking a family. i think it is our kind of moral _ taking a family. i think it is our kind of moral duty _ taking a family. i think it is our kind of moral duty to - taking a family. i think it is our kind of moral duty to help. - taking a family. i think it is our. kind of moral duty to help. we've iot kind of moral duty to help. we've got space — kind of moral duty to help. we've got space. it's self—contained. it's

got. _ got space. it's self—contained. it's got, i_ got space. it's self—contained. it's got, iihink. — got space. it's self—contained. it's got, ithink, what got space. it's self—contained. it's got, i think, what a family might need _ got, i think, what a family might need and — got, i think, what a family might need and it's not used on a day—to—day basis, so i think it is the only— day—to—day basis, so i think it is the only right thing to do. day-to-day basis, so i think it is the only right thing to do. others in the village _ the only right thing to do. others in the village are _ the only right thing to do. others in the village are keen _ the only right thing to do. others in the village are keen to - the only right thing to do. others in the village are keen to offer. in the village are keen to offer lifts, english lessons, orto in the village are keen to offer lifts, english lessons, or to cook. the village all will become a community hub, a place that refugees can use daily. several retired teachers are volunteered to help teachers are volunteered to help teach some of the children while they wait for school places. the idea for the village to sponsor a group of ukrainians came from this lady, polly. 50 group of ukrainians came from this lady. polly-— lady, polly. so when heel, this is the bedroom... _ lady, polly. so when heel, this is the bedroom... she _ lady, polly. so when heel, this is the bedroom... she has- lady, polly. so when heel, this is the bedroom... she has a - lady, polly. so when heel, this is the bedroom... she has a granny lady, polly. so when heel, this is- the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her— the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, _ the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, with _ the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, with space - the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, with space to - the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, with space to host a family, and wondered whether others in the village would consider doing the same. it others in the village would consider doing the same.— doing the same. it was 'ust so horrendous * doing the same. it was 'ust so horrendous to i doing the same. it was 'ust so horrendous to see h doing the same. it wasjust so horrendous to see these - doing the same. it wasjust so i horrendous to see these people doing the same. it wasjust so - horrendous to see these people with their homes bombed, losing family, friends, their husbands going out to fight, children, you know, seeing things that they should never have to see. so a thought, well, maybe we could get some refugees to come here. not knowing what the reaction would be in our village of 350

souls, 157 houses, quite small, but a very close—knit community. so a sent out a village e—mail saying help ukraine refugees, can anyone help ukraine refugees, can anyone help to host them? and we had, almost immediately, 16 or 17 responses, people offering accommodation, different sorts of accommodation, different sorts of accommodation, some people in their homes, some people have a separate building. but it doesn't matter, does it? these people are in dire straits, they have got nothing. dawn straits, they have got nothing. down the road, chris— straits, they have got nothing. down the road, chris and _ straits, they have got nothing. down the road, chris and jacqui _ straits, they have got nothing. down the road, chris and jacqui gibson have two spare rooms and answer the call to help. the have two spare rooms and answer the call to help-— call to help. the one thing that sort of got _ call to help. the one thing that sort of got to _ call to help. the one thing that sort of got to me _ call to help. the one thing that sort of got to me was - call to help. the one thing that sort of got to me was watching j call to help. the one thing that - sort of got to me was watching the mums and the children fleeing with virtually no where to go and ijust no that if it was one of my daughters with my grandchildren in that same situation i'd want someone to reach out and help. find that same situation i'd want someone to reach out and help.— to reach out and help. and you've iot iuite

to reach out and help. and you've got quite a _ to reach out and help. and you've got quite a tightknit _ to reach out and help. and you've got quite a tightknit community, | got quite a tightknit community, people wanting to help, coming together to make it happen. find i together to make it happen. and i think will be _ together to make it happen. and i think will be nice _ together to make it happen. and i think will be nice for _ together to make it happen. and i think will be nice for them - together to make it happen. fific i think will be nice for them to have a community of their really, within the village. a community of their really, within the villaie. , a community of their really, within the village-— the village. this really does come to i ether, the village. this really does come together. you _ the village. this really does come together, you know. _ the village. this really does come together, you know. and - the village. this really does come together, you know. and that's i the village. this really does come l together, you know. and that's why we live _ together, you know. and that's why we live here. together, you know. and that's why we live here-— together, you know. and that's why we live here. absolutely. around the corner, we live here. absolutely. around the corner. duncan _ we live here. absolutely. around the corner, duncan murray _ we live here. absolutely. around the corner, duncan murray clark - we live here. absolutely. around the corner, duncan murray clark and - we live here. absolutely. around the corner, duncan murray clark and his| corner, duncan murray clark and his family have an annexe and his sons are keen to help out. first family have an annexe and his sons are keen to help out.— are keen to help out. first and foremost _ are keen to help out. first and foremost it — are keen to help out. first and foremost it was _ are keen to help out. first and foremost it was to _ are keen to help out. first and foremost it was to just - are keen to help out. first and foremost it was to just help, l are keen to help out. first and l foremost it was to just help, but are keen to help out. first and i foremost it was to just help, but i think the link with children is very, very important. i think it, hopefully, will help them and i think is very important for these guys as well to realise, and they do realise, was going on out there. what do you think, would you be willing to share your toys or how do you feel about taking an... ?i you feel about taking an... ? i don't really use them so that would be fine with me. i would be fine with giving them. and i think it will be really nice.— with giving them. and i think it will be really nice. polly says the bii iest will be really nice. polly says the biggest frustration _ will be really nice. polly says the biggest frustration is _ will be really nice. polly says the biggest frustration is that - will be really nice. polly says the biggest frustration is that the - biggest frustration is that the government's sponsorship scheme is

not yet ready to match community groups with refugees.— groups with refugees. we've got doctors in the — groups with refugees. we've got doctors in the village, _ groups with refugees. we've got doctors in the village, we've - groups with refugees. we've got doctors in the village, we've got| doctors in the village, we've got teachers in the village, we've got people with all sorts of skills that could really help them and it's just perfect. apart from the fact that we can't get the refugees. they are suffering, we are here with a wonderful village and offers of so much help. and i've tried, i've spoken to the — to our local mp and he has tried on our behalf to push things forward and it is, oh, well, we will deal with groups next week at the end of next week. and then how are they going to choose our group? how are they going to choose north moreton village community? to me that's critical. the north moreton village community? to me that's critical.— me that's critical. the government sa s it is me that's critical. the government says it is rapidly — me that's critical. the government says it is rapidly expanding - me that's critical. the government says it is rapidly expanding its - says it is rapidly expanding its home for ukraine scheme to include charities, churches, and community groups. villages here in north moreton are among tens of thousands of volunteers across the uk to stand ready and waiting to open up their

homes for refugees who desperately need them. katherine da costa, bbc news. what a lovely thing to do. and as they were saying, it will enable them to have a community of their own within that village. ihihd them to have a community of their own within that village.— own within that village. and they will be lots _ own within that village. and they will be lots of _ own within that village. and they will be lots of people _ own within that village. and they will be lots of people across - own within that village. and they will be lots of people across the | will be lots of people across the country pondering, or who have signed up for the scheme already, wondering if you can do it, if you can make it work. it is the cost and all of that. it can make it work. it is the cost and all of that-— all of that. it is going to be important. _ all of that. it is going to be important, isn't _ all of that. it is going to be important, isn't it? - it's time to take a look at the sunday papers. this is the image on the front of the sunday telegraph. it shows a ukrainian soldier being rescued from the debris of a military school hit by russian rockets yesterday. the observer reports that borisjohnson has angered political leaders in europe and at home, after comparing ukrainian resistance to the russian invasion, with the uk's decision to leave the eu. speaking at the conservative party spring conference yesterday, the prime minister said the world faced a moment of choice "between freedom and oppression", before making his comments about brexit.

the sunday express focuses on claims moscow has launched a hypersonic missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, at ukraine for the first time. the kremlin said the missile destroyed a weapons storage site in the west of the country on friday.( and �*my mission to slash your tax' is the headline making the front of the mail on sunday. the paper carries an interview with the chancellor, rishi sunak, ahead of his spring statement mini—budget next week. a 19—year—old woman, believed to be a university student, has been killed at accommodation for city university of london. the metropolitan police confirmed a murder investigation has been launched. detectives have named a man they are working to trace as 22—year—old maher maaroufe, who has links in london and cambridgeshire. anyone who sees maaroufe should not approach him but call 999 immediately.

around 600,000 people in england will be invited to book an additional covid vaccination this week. they're the first to be offered a spring booster, which will be available to over—75s, care home residents and anyone over 12 considered at high risk from the infection. it comes as the number of covid cases continue to rise across the uk. firefighters have worked through the night to tackle a huge fire thought to have been started deliberately on marshland on the wirral. videos posted on social media show huge flames close to the village of parkgate, which is an area of special scientific interest. fire breaks have been created to protect nearby properties. here's louise with a look at this morning's weather. good morning. we finally had some real spring sunshine, louise?

glorious yesterday, wasn't it? all four nations had the warmest day of the year so far, but the top spot was kinlochewe in the highlands of scotland. we all love stories like this. it was actually warmer than many of our major european cities, as you can see. athens was only nine degrees. that is all due to the high pressure at the moment sitting across central and eastern europe. toppling around at higher, the wind circulate in a clockwise direction, so it is northerly winds across eastern europe, southerly winds for us. we are still going to see quite a brisk wind today, that might feed in more cloud across north sea coast sent down to the south—west as well. maybe by the end of the day we might get a few isolated showers across east anglia in particular, so not quite as warm today, potentially, top temperatures around eight or nine, but we are looking at around 11 or 13 in the best of the sunshine. that area of low cloud is a bit of low pressure but drops its

way north through the north sea overnight, and if you just encompasses that east coast it will certainly bring more cloud and maybe the odd spot or two of light rain. but it will stay relatively clear from any and relatively cold. temperature is just below freezing. the next few days, it is an improving story. we keep this try and settle payment if anything it will start to become much warmer. that area of low pressure might whip the far east of scotland on monday, a bit of low cloud easing away, dry, settled and sunny for many, and as a consequence we will start to see more warmth building, 16 degrees not out of the question as we move through monday. then it is said to get warmer still. you can see the blue turns across eastern europe impacting parts of greece and turkey at the moment, but that warmth is spilling up from spain, all the way up spilling up from spain, all the way up to the uk. again, on tuesday, hardly a cloud in the sky. lots of sunshine coming through and is just a small chance of an isolated shower here and there. top temperatures generally between 12 and 18, getting

warmer still, potentially, as we head through the middle part of the week. in fact, we could see temperatures widely into the mid to high teens, maybe one or two spots might see 20 degrees once again, this time across england and wales, potentially, but as i say, that is 68 fahrenheit. these kinds of temperatures for some of us will be a good eight or nine above where they should be for this time of year. that's it. after you. that sea of yellow on the map as well as the daffodils, that is quite something. it well as the daffodils, that is quite somethini. , . well as the daffodils, that is quite something-— well as the daffodils, that is quite somethini. , ., . , something. it is all good, and it is the s-riin something. it is all good, and it is the spring equinox, _ something. it is all good, and it is the spring equinox, so _ something. it is all good, and it is the spring equinox, so they - something. it is all good, and it is the spring equinox, so they start. the spring equinox, so they start getting longerfrom the spring equinox, so they start getting longer from tomorrow. the spring equinox, so they start getting longerfrom tomorrow. but” getting longer from tomorrow. but i was makes a — getting longer from tomorrow. but i was makes a difference, doesn't it. thank you. l was makes a difference, doesn't it. thank you-— thank you. i went out, i was in south wales— thank you. i went out, i was in south wales doing _ thank you. i went out, i was in south wales doing my - thank you. i went out, i was in south wales doing my radio i thank you. i went out, i was in| south wales doing my radio for thank you. i went out, i was in - south wales doing my radio for show, and i went out of my little walk that i do every week without my coat. it was the first time since september that i have been out on a friday afternoon, having a ramble around the place. l friday afternoon, having a ramble around the place.— friday afternoon, having a ramble around the place. i would say that is re around the place. i would say that is pretty risky. — around the place. i would say that is pretty risky, chris _ around the place. i would say that is pretty risky, chris mason. - around the place. i would say thatj is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy. _ is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy. it _ is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy, it did. _ is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy, it did. it _ is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy, it did. it is _

is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt ede, it did. it is as - is pretty risky, chris mason. well, it felt edgy, it did. it is as edgy i it felt edgy, it did. it is as edgy as we get! _ the duke and duchess of cambridge have arrived in belize, as part of their week—long tour of the caribbean to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. part of the tour, which will also see the couple visit jamaica and the bahamas, has been altered following opposition from local people. 0ur royal correspondent, jonny dymond, is travelling with the couple and has sent this report. not quite the welcome they were hoping for. at one of the first places william and kate were supposed to visit, protests forced to council. . . supposed to visit, protests forced to council. , , ., ., , to council. this is our land, this is our property! _ to council. this is our land, this is our property! they _ to council. this is our land, this is our property! they were - to council. this is our land, this i is our property! they were meant to council. this is our land, this - is our property! they were meant to visit a cocoa — is our property! they were meant to visit a cocoa farm, _ is our property! they were meant to visit a cocoa farm, but _ is our property! they were meant to visit a cocoa farm, but some - visit a cocoa farm, but some objected to prince william's links to a conservation charity that has been working in the area. what would have been the first stop of the first full day of the tour was dropped. but as this week—long caribbean trip kicked off at

believes's main airport, it was all smiles from the couple. it is the first official trip they have done together since the pandemic broke, and across three countries, all of which have the queen as head of state, william and kate will raise the royal profile. and they will be thanking people on behalf of the queen, for their support over seven decades of her rain. that was our royal correspondence johnny diamond reporting from belize. time to check on all things sport. john is here. good morning. i wasjust saying to sport. john is here. good morning. i was just saying to nina i was sport. john is here. good morning. i wasjust saying to nina i was in south wales yesterday and my goodness, encarta, the excitement, first yesterday morning, about the rugby, it was quite something. iwhich rugby, it was quite something. which habit away a — rugby, it was quite something. which habit away a little _ rugby, it was quite something. which habit away a little bit. _ rugby, it was quite something. which habit away a little bit. it _ rugby, it was quite something. which habit away a little bit. it didn't - habit away a little bit. it didn't iuite habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work _ habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work out. _ habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work out. it _ habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work out. it is _ habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work out. it is not - habit away a little bit. it didn't quite work out. it is not the i quite work out. it is not the italian fans, _ quite work out. it is not the italian fans, obviously, i quite work out. it is not the italian fans, obviously, in i quite work out. it is not the i italian fans, obviously, in history, allowed perennial underachievers. but it has been such a long time since they actually got a victory.

against wales, no less, yesterday. blockbuster stuff in the evening, eight o'clock, front row seat for the big game, obviously, france versus england, ireland winning earlier in the day, and france had to beat england, i should say, in paris. france winning the grand slam on the six nations title for the first time in over a decade, which they have always threatened to do, but hadn't been able to quite knitted together, france. but they certainly did that yesterday and throughout the tournament. the final day worth the wait. italy beating wales to get their first six nations victory in seven years. yesterday, ireland defeated scotland to take the triple crown, and, which meant france had to beat england in paris last night to win the tournament for the first time in over a decade and with it take the grand slam. joe wilson reports. it can feel like outright failure to finish the six nations with one

wind, and it can feel like liberation. with the closing seconds in cardiff, italy produced a try a scintillating and significant as any in their history. they had beaten wales. not yet. it still needed a conversion. this kick, this result. 22 and 21. after seasons of defeats, italy's very credibility was restored. italy's very credibility was restored-— italy's very credibility was restored. . , . ., , restored. after 36 straight defeats, ital have restored. after 36 straight defeats, italy have one _ restored. after 36 straight defeats, italy have one in _ restored. after 36 straight defeats, italy have one in cardiff. _ restored. after 36 straight defeats, italy have one in cardiff. judge i italy have one in cardiff. judge evans decided _ italy have one in cardiff. judge evans decided his _ italy have one in cardiff. judge evans decided his player i italy have one in cardiff. judge evans decided his player of i italy have one in cardiff. judge | evans decided his player of the match award rightly belongs to an italian. and thus was one prize presented. for ireland to wind the whole six nations to an end, they needed to beat scotland and then hope. needed to beat scotland and then ho ie. , ., , ., needed to beat scotland and then ho ie_ , ., , ., while hope. explodes over the line! while they achieved _ hope. explodes over the line! while they achieved victory _ hope. explodes over the line! while they achieved victory with _ hope. explodes over the line! while they achieved victory with a - they achieved victory with a professional, polished, muscular performance, a 26—5 wind in dublin with four tries, bonus points. it

was all they could do. now everything depended on paris. were the french excited? well, this was the french excited? well, this was the pre— match show. france controlled their own destiny, if they beat england, gothic you come over to you. try inside 15 minutes. at halftime, france led by 12 points. here, watch out for the hand with a ball and a try on the line. england began the second half of spirit, with renewed purpose, and with freddie stewart. in recent french tradition, next came nerves, evenin french tradition, next came nerves, even in addition, not now. now they had and honda pond. fight! even in addition, not now. now they had and honda pond.— even in addition, not now. now they had and honda pond. and honda pond for the t ! had and honda pond. and honda pond for the try! 25-13. _ had and honda pond. and honda pond for the try! 25-13, so _ had and honda pond. and honda pond for the try! 25-13, so often _ had and honda pond. and honda pond for the try! 25-13, so often the - for the try! 25-13, so often the falterini for the try! 25-13, so often the faltering six — for the try! 25-13, so often the faltering six nations _ for the try! 25-13, so often the l faltering six nations favourites, this year, finally, france delivered. joe wilson, bbc news. didn't they? and i am sure they will be enjoying that over the days and

weeks to come, won't they? now lewis hamilton warned us he wouldn't be at the front on the open race of the f1 season. he was right, he starts from fifth in bahrain. it was a good day all round for italy with the red of ferrari and chars leclerc on pole, with max verstappen second. hamilton off the pace, though, in fifth. his new team—mate george russell ninth, so mercedes with some catching up to do if they're going to challenge this season. tension, pressure, a nerve shredding finish. england survived all that to and incredibly are on course to qualify for the semifinals at the women's world cup after a one wicket win in aukland. they'd lost their first three matches, their defence of the title looked over. they had to win this, nat sciver with 61 as they chased their target of 203. but no room for error, when with just one wicket in hand, anya shrubsole hit the winning runs.

they still need to beat the bottom two teams but should now go through. there is a slim chance england could still wind the second test against the west indies. kraigg brathwaite was the source of much of frustration, though. he made 160 before being bowled by jack leach. england then struggled to get the remaining batters as west indies made 411. england finished with a lead of 136 runs with openers alex lees and zak crawley still at the crease. they'll hope for quick runs before declaring and attempting to bowl out their opponents when the final day gets under way this afternoon. yeah, you know, it was set up graft out there. the wicket wasn't offering a great deal. but really enjoyed it, taking ten wickets, the boys were disciplined and we got the rewards later on. after another turbulent week off the pitch, chelsea are safely into the fa cup semi—finals after a comfortable 2—0

win at middlesbrough. only a limited number of travelling fans were allowed to be at the riverside after chelsea owner roman abramovich was sanctioned by the government. 0n the pitch, romelu lukaku scored the opener and then this swerving shot from hakim ziyech made sure of the victory. iam i am heavy, iam heavy, i i am heavy, i am also very impressed, and i am delighted, as you say. we accepted at some point the situation because we did not cause it, and nothing we can do will change the situation. so at some point we accepted, but it is not in our hands. there was just one premier league game yesterday but it was a big one for arsenal, who beat aston villa to take a step towards finishing in the champions league places. the only goal of the game came in the first half at villa park, scored by bukayo saka. the gunners are now four points clear of manchester united in fourth place. champions rangers need to win against dundee today if they're to keep pace with scottish premiership leaders celtic. that's after celtic put four past ross county.

giorgos giakoumakis scoring his second hat—trick in five games. ange postecoglou's side are unbeaten in 31 games in domestic competitions this season. it has been a thrilling weekend all around and i think after the excitement of six nations all eyes will be on bahrain later on, we will be speaking to natalie pirks ahead of that first race. i think with a new era of fans, after the drum of last season, it is going to be really interesting. unfeasible chan i es really interesting. unfeasible changes to — really interesting. unfeasible changes to make _ really interesting. unfeasible changes to make it _ really interesting. unfeasible changes to make it more i really interesting. unfeasible - changes to make it more competitive. exactly. and lewis hamilton is not super competitive at the moment. ilrla. super competitive at the moment. no, not as he has — super competitive at the moment. no, not as he has been on for years. thank_ not as he has been on for years. thank you. _ not as he has been on for years. thank you, john. coming up to 6:30am — thank you, john. coming up to 6:30am. stay with us.

hello. this is breakfast with chris mason and nina warhurst. good morning to you. if you have just turned on the television does bring you up—to—date with everything that has been happening overnight in ukraine. jon donnison is here with us. good morning to you. quite a lotto catch u- good morning to you. quite a lotto catch up as — good morning to you. quite a lotto catch up as ever— good morning to you. quite a lotto catch up as ever this _ good morning to you. quite a lotto catch up as ever this morning. i good morning to you. quite a lotto catch up as ever this morning. let's look at the overall picture. you can see the areas in red which are under russian control, not really grown too much in the last few days. perhaps in the south is where they are making some progress. the uk defence ministry says russia has failed to gain control of the air and is largely relying on what it calls stand—off weapons, in other

words, launched from russian airspace. yesterday, the un human rights 0ffice announced that at least 847 civilians have been confirmed to have been killed nearly 1400 wounded since the start of the invasion, although those figures are likely to be much higher. 0ne invasion, although those figures are likely to be much higher. one of the places that continues to be hit hard is mariupol in the south. the city's mayor says that thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia, a claim that the bbc can't independently verify. he says are somewhat redirected to remote cities in russia while the fate of others remains unknown. this is the latest satellite image we've got of the theatre that was bombed in the city on wednesday. four days on the mayor said intense street battles nearby are hampering efforts to rescue hundreds of people still believed to be trapped in the theatre's basement. in his nightly address, president zelensky again condemned russia's blockade of the

city. translation: , ., translation: the blockade of mariu iol translation: the blockade of mariupol will _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down - translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down in i translation: the blockade of| mariupol will go down in history translation: the blockade of. mariupol will go down in history of responsibility for war crimes. to do this to _ responsibility for war crimes. to do this to a _ responsibility for war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers _ this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror and will be _ occupiers did to it is a terror and will be remembered for centuries to come _ will be remembered for centuries to come andy— will be remembered for centuries to come. andy moore ukrainians tell the world _ come. andy moore ukrainians tell the world about _ come. andy moore ukrainians tell the world about it, the more support we find. world about it, the more support we find the _ world about it, the more support we find. the more russia uses terror against _ find. the more russia uses terror against ukraine, the worse the consequences will be for it. well, these drone _ consequences will be for it. well, these drone images _ consequences will be for it. well, these drone images came - consequences will be for it. well, these drone images came in i these drone images came in yesterday, but they really capture the extent of the damage in mariupol, so probably worth seeing again. once this was a bustling port city, but now as many as 300,000 civilians are still trapped there. those who have been able to get out, through humanitarian corridor's, have spoken of days of terror in the city. translation: . ., ., translation: i could never imagined that a bomb would _ translation: i could never imagined that a bomb would hit _ translation: i could never imagined that a bomb would hit a _ translation: i could never imagined that a bomb would hit a house - translation: i could never imagined that a bomb would hit a house next i that a bomb would hit a house next to mine. _ that a bomb would hit a house next to mine, that my district would be

literally— to mine, that my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the _ literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city — literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and they— of the city were simply destroyed. and they realised there were no safe places _ and they realised there were no safe places in_ and they realised there were no safe places in the city anymore. and and they realised there were no safe places in the city anymore.— places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly _ places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly the _ places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly the case _ places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly the case in _ places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly the case in a - places in the city anymore. and that is increasingly the case in a number| is increasingly the case in a number of cities. in mykolaiv, also in the south, air strikes took place yesterday. it is feared 200 soldiers would have been killed after three missile strikes hit the barracks where they were sleeping. 0ne missile strikes hit the barracks where they were sleeping. one man, remarkably, was safe in the rubble, but with some bridges reaching as low as —60 chance of finding more survivors is shrinking. —— temperatures. —— —6. many are displaced within ukraine, but 3.3 million have left the country altogether, going to a range of destinations, but the vast majority, more than 2 million, have gone to poland. that is where we are free and a half weeks since this russian invasion began. you and a half weeks since this russian invasion began.— and a half weeks since this russian invasion began. you so much. later we will speak— invasion began. you so much. later we will speak to _ invasion began. you so much. later we will speak to a _ invasion began. you so much. later we will speak to a representative i

we will speak to a representative from unicef on the ground in kyiv and also to someone who escaped from mariupol last week. we will speak to him over facetime later this morning. now on breakfast, with a special look at the global impact of the war in ukraine, here's unspun world withjohn simpson. hello and thank you for being with me for unspun world, the programme where we go to the bbc�*s unmatched range of experts to get the unvarnished facts. this is istanbul and it's a nervous place at the moment. turkey is a member of nato, yet it hasn't imposed heavy sanctions on russia like the other members, because its russian links are so close. so are its links with ukraine.

turkey's in a tight spot, both diplomatically and economically. which is why it's doing everything it can to bring the russians and the ukrainians together. and the fact is that the consequences of this vicious war of aggression are likely to be serious for turkey and for all of us. if our aim was to genuinely knock the russian regime for six, would you fund gas or quadruple the price? is that a price worth paying? the bbc�*s coverage of the war so far has come in for a lot of praise worldwide one face of it has been clive myrie. you realise just what a huge moment this is geopolitically, strategically, economically. the civil war in syria started 11 years ago and russia's been deeply involved in it. are the russians transferring their tactics there to ukraine now?

we are definitely seeing parallels, but not only in the military tactics, but also in the information war. the world has been fascinating and appalled by vladimir putin's war of choice against ukraine. but most us of us don't have any idea how hard the fallout from this is going to hit us. faisal islam, the bbc�*s economics editor, set out for me how frightening it's going to be. the russian economy is being heavily hit, but it isn'tjust a by—product of this military conflict, it is almost like a theatre of the conflict. it is the conscious aim of the western powers, knowing the restrictions on their use of military force for obvious reasons right now, was to try and think of ways to hit the russian economy as a sort of form of conflict if you like.

so the biggest manifestation of that of course is the attack on the central bank of russia, the financial sanctions. vladimir putin has been using the gas and oil revenues to build up a buffer — a cushion as it was referred to me by one of the russian central bank advisors — which would mean if isolated financially, the russian economy would be protected, the rouble would be protected. at a stroke, due to some imaginative thinking from some western financial ministries and central banks, that cushion, that war chest, was locked away, the russians can't use it and as a result, the rouble at one point halved in value. you have seen the stock market unable to open. the last time it closed for this long it was 1917 and it didn't re—open for eight decades! the value of leading russian multinationals fall to sort of pennies in london exchanges.

is it possible to slam the russian economy and not get the blow back ourselves? surely, there will be effects on the world economy? and, indeed, that has been a strategy of the russian state for 20 years. to underpin european living standards by providing cheap hydrocarbons, cheap gas in particular, even during the height of the cold war and even during this, the gas has carried on flowing. it has flowed even faster. even through ukraine as bombs have been going off around, the pipeline has continued to pump the gas that western europe has grown addicted to, some would argue. if the gas stops flowing, or doubles or trebles, or quadruples in price, that is huge political collateral damage across the whole of western europe. now, of course it's natural for the americans to cast around for where they and their allies, their european allies, can get their supplies of oil and gas from. i think the world has a big challenge in terms of trying to replace for europe 40%

of its gas supplies. for oil, there are other supplies. it does require some diplomacy. now, the problem is that the americans, for understandable reasons, have had diplomatic issues with the saudi arabia regime and now find themselves needing a favour. so, we have also seen this with the venezuelans, which is a remarkable. another country that the americans are going to see? there is currently an embargo there. venezuela, 15—20 years ago, was producing three million barrels a day of oil. it is currently under a million. so you can find the oil, but you then have to work out your diplomatic stand.

you've got to work out what you care about the most. we are going to be in such trouble, aren't we, quite soon? in a matter of months? it's going to be a very severe adjustment to both high gas prices and high fuel prices. so, we're seeing record petrol pump prices for cars across europe, in the united kingdom as well. gas prices had already been risen for a typical household by 50%. there is is a very real path to that having to happen again, possibly even more, in the autumn. you are talking potentially to just below average income people being unable to afford bills of that type. and the government's having to think — governments across the world are having to think carefully about how you manage these things. that's on gas. 0n petrol, on food as well, you know, the un food price index has reached

levels of 2008. what happened after food prices reached that point? we had the arab spring, we had huge social dislocations across the world, because food prices were so high. i don't think the public fully is aware of — they're aware of what's happening right now and it's difficult enough, they're unaware of you may get the same again in autumn. if our aim was to genuinely knock the russian regime for six, you know, would you fund gas at triple or quadruple the price, is that a price worth paying? tens of billions of subsidies as a way to sort of make really clear to moscow we're not going to fund this? wars always seem to have consequences no—one expected. who, for instance, would have thought that a russian invasion of ukraine might allow the united states to lure venezuela out of its

relative isolation? yet, that's exactly what seems to be happening. daniel pardo, speaking from bogota. we are hearing that the most difficult relationship of the united states with a latin american country is having developments that we didn't think were possible. and we're seeing president nicolas maduro saying things that we didn't think were possible. it shows this government was more likely than we thought to be pragmatic and look for solutions that didn't include the change of a government, but do include the change of the model, the socialist model that they have put in place in venezuela. obviously, we don't know what the outcome is going to be. always venezuela, it's a very unpredictable story that we need to be very careful about.

six months or so ago, if i had known that the americans were going to go and ask maduro for a favour and that maduro would respond by considering doing them a favour, i would have thought that was just fantasy. one of the crucial elements of this political movement that has been in powerfor 22 years in venezuela is anti—imperialism — the idea that the united states is a bad influence for the region. chavez suffered a coup in 2002. he thought that the united states was behind that. since then, he got very close to castro, to cuba — to russia, in fact — and his whole idea of anti—imperialism became a crucial element of his political movement. but then in the past three years, well in the past five years, we have seen a terrible crisis in venezuela that includes these financial and economic sanctions to the economy and to the government and have generated a lot of suffering

for many venezuelans, so i think that maybe have triggered this pragmatism that i was talking about in the government of maduro, because they might think, "look, we want to stay in power and we want venezuelans "to be happy and to do that we have "to have a good relationship with the neighbourhood, "including the united states." so, i think that is the sort of change, which is crucial. what would be the public reaction in venezuela? one of the consequences that we have seen of these sanctions is that venezuela has become a very isolated country. so i think venezuelans would be very happy to have a closer relationship with the neighbourhood, be able to travel, be able to trade, be able to have all the things that come from the united states. there is another thing here, john, which is that venezuela and the united states used to have a very close relationship before chavez. the influence that the united states had in venezuela, because of the oil industry, was huge. in terms of culture, like the cars are american, baseball is the national sport,

i think that getting close to the united states and thinking of the possibility of having a closer relationship is something that most venezuelans are going to be happy about, yes. for years now, maduro has been looking to russia, to help him to support him — what's he going to say to russia now? i don't know and i'm very curious about that, because russia is a huge influence for the maduro government. especially after the sanctions. you know, they have always been close politically, but after the us sanctions to venezuela, the only way for venezuela to sell their oil internationally was through russia and russia links and all the scheme they have these countries that are opposed to the united states. i think he is willing in fact to get closer to them and sacrifice his russia tie.

the general coverage of the ukraine war has been pretty impressive. this is a city that is so much on edge... but the bbc has been particularly praised for its reporting. just stick with me and i'll... clive myrie anchored the bbc�*s team reports from kyiv. there's a lot going on in your head and there is a lot going on, you know, in your heart as well, with that kind of conflict, which seems so one—sided, from the outside in terms of fire power, in terms of ferocity, in terms of willingness to target the defenceless. and all that gets you stirred up, but obviously on air, you need to be as calm about the situation as possible. and i suppose my feelings,

having been away from ukraine for the last few days, range from a sense of surprise, actually, at how significant this moment is. it's difficult to sort of understand that when you're right in the middle of it, i think, and to have a clear perspective. you realise what a huge moment this is, geopolitically, strategically, economically, and that is what we all want, asjournalists, isn't it, to be part of those huge moments in history? and to see it from the inside, as you did. and to see it from the inside, yeah, which is a really important thing. what about the people that you came across, the ordinary ukrainian people?

how did you relate to them, what did they say to you? i was fascinated by their resolve, and it's that resolve and that backbone that i found very, very impressive. but also worrying, because fundamentally, given the force of arms of the russians and their greater firepower, i don't see how the ukrainians are going to win this on the battlefield. and as a result, you're thinking in your head, this is going to be a bloodbath, this really is going to be a bloodbath. and that, sadly, is what we're seeing. there was a woman i saw in a bread queue and we were talking to her, and she said, "we will fight the russians, even on our own." she must have been in her 50s, you know, heavy coat, keep out the winter chill, waiting in the queue, we approached her, we talked to her, and that was very much

the attitude, even though we're on our own, we're going to fight, because this is our land, and this... it deserves to be saved. when you talk to people — people like this woman in the queue and all the other dozens of people that you spoke to — what were their attitudes to the west, to the way we responded to their plight? i think there was a general sense that the west would not leave them to completely take on the might of russia on their own. that, at some point, potentially, there may well be western boots on the ground to help in this fight because this is a fight between authoritarianism and essentially totalitarianism, in some people's view, and freedom and democracy, and that's what the west is supposed to be all about. but as time went on and you talked to more and more people, there was a sense that this

was not going to happen. that the fears that perhaps an american engagement with the russians would lead to world war iii and that, gradually, what was sinking into people's minds is that they were fighting this war on their own. so, i think there is a sense of abandonment that is beginning to creep in. would you — would you want to go back? yeah, absolutely, absolutely. it could be worse. it could be worse, but i think — i think it's important that no matter in whatever small way, journalists are trying to bear witness to what's going on and i think it's important for the story to be told and to be told truthfully, because there's a lot of nonsense out there — a hell of a lot of nonsense — and you want to feel that you're continuing to report a story that has begun and hasn't finished.

we've got used to expecting that when war crimes are committed, some of those responsible for them will pay the price at the international criminal court, but what happens when a country like russia isn't a member of the icc? anna holligan is the bbc�*s long—serving correspondent at the hague. this court deals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. it is a court of last resort, designed to hold the most powerful leaders to account when their own countries are unwilling or unable to do so, so, a war crime, essentially, the most important thing is, civilians are off—limits. you cannot target civilians, you cannot target any of their infrastructure — hospitals, apartment blocks, for example — and you can't use

indiscriminate weapons, so, things like cluster bombs or vacuum bombs, they�* re banned, too. and so are things like chemical weapons, and that's, of course, the fear now. a record number of countries referred the invasion in ukraine to the icc, so, 41 countries, including the uk — never happened in this court's history. and what that meant, already, they've managed to send an advance team down onto the ground to start gathering evidence. they have to establish a chain of command. they have to gather clues — things like forensic evidence, photos, videos — to try to work out who at the top is giving the orders to commit any possible atrocities that we're witnessing in ukraine today. i know you're an expert in these things. is it your opinion that human rights crimes have been —

have been committed? i think there is no doubt that human rights violations have taken place in ukraine and every single international justice expert i've spoken to here in the hague and beyond is adamant about that, but what we have to look at is the process ofjustice because that's what matters in terms of actually getting people in the dock. at the moment, everyone is wondering will we ever see vladimir putin in the dock here in the hague? it feels a long way off. but, of course, there have been cases in the past where people who have seemed untouchable one day, heads of state, have appeared here in the hague. it's about the commanders on the ground who are receiving orders, working out where those orders came from. the issue with this case which has been launched by the international criminal court is that russia is not a member of the icc, but ukraine is not a member, either. ukraine accepted jurisdiction, which means that those commanders who are on the ground now committing, possibly, war crimes, can be held accountable, could be arrested and could be extradited to face justice in the hague. in terms of the people

who are still in russia, that's another story. what would it take to get russia to send them to a court that it doesn't actually sign up to? the prosecutor who is here today, he has the benefit, in a sense, that this conflict is ongoing and it's much easier — usually, these things happen years after the event. i myself have — have witnessed all sorts of things which i thought were war crimes happening and yet, we're talking about the russians, we're not bringing americans or british or any — anybody else. isn't this a little bit victors' justice? again, the issue is the united states is not a member of this court and so, the power it has to bring prosecutions is — is limited. that's undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of internationaljustice — ensuring there is a level playing field. it's 11 years since the arab spring led to a vicious civil

war in syria. soon, russia threw its weight behind the distinctly unmilitary figure of president bashar al—assad, and kept him in power. i talked to amira fathalla of bbc monitoring about the way russia's tactics, especially against civilian targets, have been carried over from syria to ukraine. the situation in syria now is a real picture of kind of fragmentation and also real entrenchment of different players in different parts of the country, so for the most part, while there is still violence and there is still conflict, you don't see that play out across the entire country as you might have done several years ago at the height of the conflict. at the moment, the government controls quite significant territory. also interesting that it controls the major cities like damascus and aleppo, even if it doesn't have, for example, a total hold on the wider province of aleppo. and other parts of the country are then ruled by completely other players. so, in the north—west,

there's rebel groups backed by turkey. there's also jihadist groups. in the north and the east, there's kurdish—led groups. and all these different players actually control different parts of the country and all happen to be very fierce opponents to each other. now, are the russians are still involved in the war in — in syria? absolutely. the russian support for the syrian government really is what tipped the balance in favour of the government. russia is still definitely involved. we still hear of russian air strikes on rebel—held territory and we also hear of russian air strikes targeting islamic state militants in desert areas of syria, where they carry out sporadic attacks on syrian government forces and also on kurdish—led forces as well. and is there evidence that

the tactics and the weapons — the kind of weapons that the russians used in syria, are being used in ukraine? we are seeing reports from ukraine of suggestions that russia has used thermobaric bombs, for example. we saw that in syria. the fact that russia is carrying out strikes on civilian areas, including hospitals that have maternity wards and children's wards, we've seen that in syria, so we're definitely seeing parallels. but not only in the military tactics but also in the information war and in the messaging put out by — by russia. 0h, tell me more about that. so, we sawjust recently russia saying that ukraine or ukrainian fighters were preparing, like, a false flag chemical attack that they would carry out and blame on russia. and this echoes so much with what we see in syria because this is something that both the russians and the syrian government have been saying for years

is happening or will happen. so, the idea of blaming the other side from what you're actually thinking of doing... planning to do. ..that is just a carbon copy of what's happening? exactly. it may be that they are planning to carry out a chemical attack themselves, that they set up the scene to say their opponents are about to do it. what about russia saying that it was going to use troops from syria — or volunteers, anyway, from syria, and other countries? any truth in that? we are definitely seeing reports from various parts of syria, saying tens of thousands of people are signing up. russia has recruited in syria for other conflicts before — we saw this with libya.

we also saw reports that russia was trying to hire syrian fighters to go and act as security guards in venezuela. so, it's a tried and tested pattern. we know — we know that this has happened before. amira fathalla of bbc monitoring. here in istanbul, people think they'll be among the first to experience the disturbing economic effect of this wholly unnecessary war in ukraine, but they won't be the only ones. the entire world is going to feel the consequences quite $0011. and on that disturbing note, let's say goodbye until the next time.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with chris mason and nina warhurst. 0ur headlines today: the rising number of deaths in ukraine. the un says at least 847 civilians have been killed so far. the true figure is likely

to be much higher. amid claims of another attack in mariaupol, this time on a school, ukraine's president zelensky condemns the destruction of the city translation: to do this to - a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror and will be remembered for centuries to come. as the humanitarian effort continues, the authorities in sumy say they've managed to move 71 children to safety from a baby orphanage in sumy new rules, new fans, new season. how ferrari threaten to shake up the established order ahead of the first race in bahrain. morning, all. 0ur dry weather story set to continue today, but there will be a little more cloud around and still a cool breeze. i'll have all the details coming up for you shortly. good morning to you. it'sjust

good morning to you. it's just after seven o'clock. it's sunday, 20 march. our main story: the president of ukraine, volodymyr zelensky, has called russia's siege of the city of mariupol "a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come." the southern port city has been under sustained attack for weeks, with supplies of food, gas and clean water running out. the un says at least 840 civilians have been killed in the conflict across ukraine so far. jon donnison has this report. increasingly, ukraine's eastern cities are in ruins. kramatorsk one of the latest towns to come under heavy russian bombardment. the un says it's confirmed more than 840 civilians have so far been killed across the country, but says the actual figure is likely far higher. this is the latest satellite picture, the theatre in the southern city of mariupol, bombed by russia on wednesday. four days on, officials say hundreds are still trapped in the basement.

but reports of fighting nearby are hampering rescue efforts. mariupol was once a bustling port city, but not after weeks of shelling and encircled by the russians, it's almost unrecognisable. translation: the blockade - of mariupol will go down in history of responsibility for war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come. and the more ukrainians tell the world about it, the more support we find. the more russia uses terror against ukraine the worse the consequences will be for it. and the mayor of mariupol says thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia, with some taken to remote cities. a claim the bbc cannot independently verify. but those lucky enough to escape west still have days of terror.

translation: i could never imagine i that a bomb would hit house next i to mine, that my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and i realised there were simply no safe places in the city any more. and that's now the case in a number of ukrainian cities. in mykolaiv, in the south, around 200 soldiers were sleeping in barracks when three russian missiles hit. a glimmer of hope as one man is pulled from the rubble, but with temperatures reaching lows of —6 it's feared there might not be many more sui’vivoi’s. around 10 million ukrainians have now been forced to leave their homes. officials say more than 6,500 people were evacuated from cities through humanitarian corridors yesterday. and more than 3.3 million people have fled ukraine altogether since the start of the warjust over three weeks ago, —— among them some of the most vulnerable. 71 babies from the

north—eastern town of sumy, they had been sheltering on a bunker under russian bombardment for several weeks but have now been moved to somewhere at least relatively safe. jon donnison, bbc news. let's speak now tojonah fisher who is in the western city of lviv this morning. jonah, we're hearing reports of an attack on a school building in mariupol. what can you tell us? good morning, chris. we have had an update on the telegram channel of mariupol city council this morning. it says that yesterday, in the left bank district of mariupol, an art school, where about 400 mariupol residents were hiding, women, children, and the elderly, was destroyed and peaceful people are still under the rubble. that's what the update from the city council is saying. another building appears to have been struck. you will see the

pictures from mariupol of the last few days, the city is an almost constant shelling and, indeed, attacks from the air at some point as well. so this, if it has been verified as to what has happened, this would appear to be another very serious moment in the siege of mariupol and, potentially, serious moment in the siege of mariupoland, potentially, lots of people trapped under the rubble there. , ., . , there. jonah, there is understandably i there. jonah, there is understandably a i there. jonah, there is | understandably a huge there. jonah, there is - understandably a huge amount there. jonah, there is _ understandably a huge amount of focus on what is happening in mariupol, to look at the picture across the country, your assessment on how things stand overall. weill. on how things stand overall. well, if ou on how things stand overall. well, if you look — on how things stand overall. well, if you look around _ on how things stand overall. well, if you look around ukraine, i on how things stand overall. all if you look around ukraine, where the russian forces are, they have effectively ground to a halt on the ground around the major cities, key have, karki of, mariupol to a certain extent, and the southern front that it has advanced north from the black sea, it does appear that the russians have shifted focus from moving vehicles and tanks and

i'm in on the ground, which we saw in the early days of the war, to instead shelling and targeting cities. —— kharkiv we have seen it in mariupol, of course, we have seen it in kharkiv, we have seen it in kyiv as well. you may be moving into a new phase of the war were russia is trying to bomb ukraine into submission rather than take it over on the ground. whereas we talk a lot about brave ukrainian resistance, the sad reality is that because they have resisted so well, because they have resisted so well, because they have defied expectations in terms of stopping russia taking these cities, it may well trigger much more destructive attacks from the air on the cities. if you look at mariupol as an example, with potentially very devastating on sequences for the city and the people inside.- city and the people inside. thank ou, city and the people inside. thank you. jonah- _ city and the people inside. thank you. jonah. jonah _ city and the people inside. thank you, jonah. jonah fisher - city and the people inside. thank i you, jonah. jonah fisher reporting. every second the war continues a child becomes a refugee.

that's the warning from the un, who say millions of young people require urgent humanitarian support and protection. let's get an update on the situation on the ground now. we can speak tojoe english from unicef, whojoins us from the western ukrainian city of kyiv this morning. -- lviv —— lviv this morning. good morning to you. -- lviv this morning. good morning to ou. ., ., ,., -- lviv this morning. good morning to ou. ., ., ., to you. good morning to you. good to be with you- — to you. good morning to you. good to be with you- and _ to you. good morning to you. good to be with you. and you _ to you. good morning to you. good to be with you. and you too, _ to you. good morning to you. good to be with you. and you too, we - to you. good morning to you. good to be with you. and you too, we were i be with you. and you too, we were heafini be with you. and you too, we were hearing the — be with you. and you too, we were hearing the reports _ be with you. and you too, we were hearing the reports of— be with you. and you too, we were hearing the reports of the - be with you. and you too, we were hearing the reports of the last i hearing the reports of the last couple of minutes of the situation on the school site in mariupol. mariupol, understandably, there is a huge amount of focus on the situation in the city there. what is your understanding of the whole question of getting help to people there, is it even possible?- question of getting help to people there, is it even possible? yeah, we have all seen _ there, is it even possible? yeah, we have all seen the _ there, is it even possible? yeah, we have all seen the reports _ there, is it even possible? yeah, we have all seen the reports coming i have all seen the reports coming out. we have seen the devastating pictures and to schools and hospitals and homes, the places where children are meant to be safe continue to come under attack. so i have had the situation in mariupol described as apocalyptic, as hell on earth. and they're almost aunt was

sufficient to describe what we are hearing. so we desperately need humanitarian access, but it needs to be safe, it needs to be unrestricted, we need to make sure we're putting up people on the line of fire if they go into hell, because it is not only a case of getting people out of these areas, we need to be able to get humanitarian supplies and, because not everyone is going to be able to leave. ls not everyone is going to be able to leave. . . not everyone is going to be able to leave. , . , , ., leave. is that the simple truth at the moment. — leave. is that the simple truth at the moment, it _ leave. is that the simple truth at the moment, it is _ leave. is that the simple truth at the moment, it is simply - leave. is that the simple truth at the moment, it is simply too i the moment, it is simply too dangerous for you, your colleagues to take aid in to try to help those people besieged in mariupol? yes. people besieged in mariupol? yes, wherever we _ people besieged in mariupol? yes, wherever we have _ people besieged in mariupol? ye: wherever we have safe access people besieged in mariupol? ies wherever we have safe access we're getting there, just on friday the yuan got its first convoy of supplies to sumy, we got supplies to kharkiv, but it needs to be safe access. as we have seen with humanitarian corridors, they can be agreed in principle but the reality on the ground is very different. and for parents who may be thinking this is our one chance to escape to

safety, even if you are hearing about an agreed corridor if you think back to the pictures of families fleeing, they are going to be taking those they heavy grain of salt, you are not going to take a risk with your child's life unless a safety is absolutely guaranteed. tell me about the situation where you are. i understand you visited a children's hospital yesterday lviv is one of the safer parts of the country. is one of the safer parts of the count . �* ., ., country. behind me we have a playground- — country. behind me we have a playground- we _ country. behind me we have a playground. we have - country. behind me we have a playground. we have had i country. behind me we have a i playground. we have had sirens country. behind me we have a - playground. we have had sirens every day. just this morning we were back down there. even for kids who are otherwise unaffected did by the city it is a struggle. yesterday i've met with a little boy who was eight years old and he has t—cell leukaemia. this is a kid who needs a dedicated medical support and he can't get that here. he was telling me about his family, they had fled an area where the fighting was worse

and he had forgotten his toy cut and lived with his grandmother and father who stayed behind. mother was saying don't worry, the cat, your little cat and your dad there to protect the village and make sure our home is safe and we can come back. but every day we are meeting kids and every day we are hearing the stories stop the day before that it was andre, 15 years old, blown up in a land made accident and lost his mum, the day before that it was a ten week old baby, his mother made the impossible decision to leave her at a maternity hospital in kyiv because anna has a heart defect and will need intense medical support and her mother did not feel that she was able to provide that. so this is inside the country it is a children's rises, for children who have fled across the border is a children's rises. it is staggering —— crisis. children's rises. it is staggering -- crisis. ., , ., ., -- crisis. you shared with a system absolutely — -- crisis. you shared with a system absolutely staggering _ -- crisis. you shared with a system absolutely staggering stories. i -- crisis. you shared with a system absolutely staggering stories. you | absolutely staggering stories. you mention this a few moments ago, the playground behind you, of course

there are those children with particular medical needs where there is an acute need for them to get the help they require, but for those fortunate not to be ill, there is just a desire for children to be normal, as you say, to have that precious toy that they might not have been able to bring, just to be able to play. have been able to bring, 'ust to be able to play.— able to play. completely. it is so important _ able to play. completely. it is so important we — able to play. completely. it is so important. we see _ able to play. completely. it is so important. we see this - able to play. completely. it is so important. we see this in - able to play. completely. it is so important. we see this in our. able to play. completely. it is so l important. we see this in our work all over the world, whether it is syria, palestine, somalia, south sudan, if you give kids a chance just to feel safe in an environment, and you have toys and pens and paper you know, they can start to process the trauma they have been through stop and for those who may be have had more severe experiences, we need to make sure they are getting psychosocial support and counselling. to deal with that and to begin to rebuild the childhood. fig to begin to rebuild the childhood. a final thought, what you say to our viewer listening our conversation this morning to just feel so, viewer listening our conversation this morning tojust feel so, not just sad, but helpless about what's happening in ukraine, what's the best way that people can help? yes.

best way that people can help? yes, ou know, best way that people can help? yes, you know. it's— best way that people can help? yes, you know, it's always _ best way that people can help? use: you know, it's always hard not to feel overwhelmed by these bad things, but they have seen the very real tangible difference that our support makes. we are delivering midwife gives to doctors and nurses who are working in the most difficult conditions, we deliver toys to children who are living in subway shelters in kharkiv, and it has financial contributions for governments, and people in the street, go online and combine all about our work and the children we are helping, even £1 or £2 can make are helping, even £1 or £2 can make a difference to the life of a ukrainian child.— a difference to the life of a ukrainian child. _, ., ., a ukrainian child. good what luck with all the work — ukrainian child. good what luck with all the work you _ ukrainian child. good what luck with all the work you are _ ukrainian child. good what luck with all the work you are doing. - ukrainian child. good what luck with all the work you are doing. we - all the work you are doing. we appreciate all you are doing. joe english from unicef. thank you. let's go to ukraine's capital kyiv now where our correspondent james waterhouse joins us. strong words from president zelensky earlier today talk about the fact that the attack in mariupol could be seen as a warcry. that was before we heard about alleged attack on a

school, what is the sense of where this war is up to? —— war crime. i think today, to be honest with you, we could be starting to enter what could be a deadly holding pattern, a costly static chapter of this conflict. the reason being, yes, we are seeing the most intense fighting. we always have done, really, for the past couple of weeks in the south and south—eastern part of ukraine. that is continuing this morning. there is no doubt about that. you just need to look at the assessment from, start from uk defence officials, that russia doesn't have the air superiority it wants. we were told on the first day of this invasion that the hope from moscow would be that they could control the skies and that is a huge advantage when you are trying to invade a country. that has not happened and it has not happened since, really. we have heard, the first couple of days of this invasion, we heard somejets, we haven't heard any sense, we know they have been used in certain abstracts. and it is because of that

russian forces are now resorting to more broad types of bombardment, attacks from afar, we are seeing launches from naval ships in the black sea. and, in tandem, the other problem they are facing is they are spreading themselves too thin, according to some military experts. so even if mariupol was to fall, in the south—east, the cost of that for the south—east, the cost of that for the russians, because of the level of ukrainian resistance, means they won't be able, in their minds, to keep pushing forward. we understand that they have shelved plans for now to try to advance the southern city of 0desa, another significant strategic location. and this is why the worry is here in kyiv, the troops, the majority of whom are over my shoulder in a north—westerly direction, they will resort to getting in positions where they can start to bombard the city, like we have seen elsewhere, because they currently don't have the numbers to

surround it. so that is the fighting side. and then you have the talk side. and then you have the talk side. you have moscow saying the operation, in their mind, and stop if there was a comprehensive security deal around ukraine's neutrality and it neverjoining nato. an ukraine has set itself. it take time. climbing down from a full—scale invasion takes time. and it will be a question for kyiv and president zelensky on what he is willing to trade to concede to secure the very future of his country. and is there a sense that western nations are doing enough, applying enough pressure to help this conflict come to a resolution? i think the feeling has long been that not enough has been done. i think in the absence of, behind closed doors, everyone knows that ukraine, the government, it is not going to be joining nato anytime soon. of course the billions of dollars of military

aid, notably from the us, the training of troops, economic packages, from the european union, they have all been welcomed. but you have seen volodymyr zelensky discuss different countries, specifically urging them to do what they can. he has long called for a no—fly zone, for other western allies to police the skies here, to keep the russians out of it. but nobody wants to get involved because the fear is that it can lead to a much bigger escalation across europe. ukrainians have known for a long time, in this eight years of russian aggression, but it was always be them to defend their own country, and that has never been more true than now. but now people are thinking, what next, what are we going to be left with when we are negotiating with the main aggressor in this conflict? nevertheless, wars and with peace talks and those peace talks and with time. we and with peace talks and those peace talks and with time.— and with peace talks and those peace talks and with time. we could now be enterinl a talks and with time. we could now be entering a very _ talks and with time. we could now be entering a very costly _ talks and with time. we could now be entering a very costly state _ talks and with time. we could now be entering a very costly state of - entering a very costly state of stalemate. james, thank you.

the prime minister is facing criticism this morning for comparing the struggle of ukrainians against the russian invasion, to the british public voting for brexit. borisjohnson made the comments at the conservative party spring conference in blackpool. let's get more now from out political correspondent, lone wells. lone, remind us of what exactly he said. good morning. well, we may have thought that the invasion of ukraine had rather overtaken discussions of brexit in recent weeks, but at this tory spring conference, the prime minister was talking about how vladimir putin had been afraid of the free press, free elections in ukraine, and it was in this context of talk about freedom that he said to the audience in this speech that it was the instinct of the british people, like ukrainians, to choose freedom, citing in his speech the example of brexit. fiend freedom, citing in his speech the example of brexit.— freedom, citing in his speech the example of brexit. and i know that it is the instinct _ example of brexit. and i know that it is the instinct of _ example of brexit. and i know that it is the instinct of the _ example of brexit. and i know that it is the instinct of the people - example of brexit. and i know that it is the instinct of the people of i it is the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of

ukraine, — this country, like the people of ukraine, to choose freedom every time _ ukraine, to choose freedom every time i_ ukraine, to choose freedom every time i can — ukraine, to choose freedom every time. i can give you a couple of famous — time. i can give you a couple of famous recent examples. when the british_ famous recent examples. when the british people voted for brexit in such large numbers, i don't believe it is because — such large numbers, i don't believe it is because they were remotely hostile _ it is because they were remotely hostile to — it is because they were remotely hostile to foreigners. it is because they wanted to be free.— they wanted to be free. these comments _ they wanted to be free. these comments have _ they wanted to be free. these comments have had _ they wanted to be free. these comments have had quite - they wanted to be free. turf comments have had quite widespread criticism from across the political spectrum, expected criticism from the opposition, with parties like the opposition, with parties like the snp calling the comments crust, the snp calling the comments crust, the lib dems calling them an insult, but also from within the conservative party is welcome to a senior tory mp, tobias elwood, who shares parliament's select committee on defence, said that his comments damaged the standards of stagecraft. these are comments which were then retweeted and shared by franz�*s ambassador to the uk. a tory peer, lord barwell, also made the point that ukraine wants to join the eu and criticised the prime minister for making these comments. but the

comments have also received widespread criticism from significant figures in europe as well, donald tusk, for example, the ex—president of the european council, calling them insulting, rather awkward response at a time when europe and the westar to present a united diplomatic front in the face of russia's aggression towards ukraine. we have not had any response so far to the criticism and comments from number ten in response, but the prime minister has been out today with an interview to the sunday times, saying that in his latest call, he would like to see countries like china, who are remaining neutral at the moment, to stop sitting on the fence and come out to condemn russia's invasion of ukraine. we will watch this space to see if number ten issue any kind of statement in response to the growing criticism he is receiving for the comments. criticism he is receiving for the comments— criticism he is receiving for the comments. ., ,, , ., ., �* , comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with _ comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with john _ comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with john and _ comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with john and a _ comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with john and a look - comments. thank you, ione. let's check in with john and a look at i comments. thank you, ione. let's| check in with john and a look at the check in withjohn and a look at the sports that is coming up? yes, we will be talking six nations

in a moment, all eyes on bahrain today for the opening race of the f1 season, coming amid the backdrop of the drama. lots of people saying lewis hamilton was stripped that title last season, despite now trying to draw line under that. they are trying this big shakeup of the sport as they try to make it more entertaining to watch, it is interesting, we could be seen potential changes on the horizon. a very good morning. new season, new rules, new fans and already a new look to the first race in bahrain. ferrari and charles leclerc will start on pole, ahead of world champion max verstappen who is second. lewis hamilton if fifth. natalie pirks is trackside. natalie, good morning. i guess after those signs, really, you know, that we have seen ferrari kind of making those moves already in qualifying, we could see a very

different season?— in qualifying, we could see a very different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning _ different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to _ different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to all _ different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to all of _ different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to all of you - different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to all of you from - different season? yeah, absolutely. good morning to all of you from thej good morning to all of you from the pitlane, how exciting. very quiet at the moment, 7.5 hours to go. trust me, in a couple of hours these garages will be absolutely bristling with intent, because lots of the teams have some work to do, as you have just explained. teams have some work to do, as you havejust explained. ferrari, all the signs were there in testing and they showed last nightjust how rapid they are. they will be the ones to beat in one and three positions on the grid later on. max verstappen, just 0.92% separately, max verstappen the world champion in second place. that was really what we expected, red bull to be dominant, ferrari to be dominant, mercedes however down in fifth, as you said, lewis hamilton, and then you said, lewis hamilton, and then you driver george russell made a bit of an hour on his qualifying lap to come ninth. i think what is interesting is the response from both mercedes and the rest of these

teams to what happened with mercedes. all the other teams have been saying all along, they are lying, they are going to be fine, they are keeping some performance back. they really were not. they have been struggling. last night mercedes said, actually, we're quite upbeat because of this had happened a week ago in qualifying they would have been a second behind. as it is they are about a second behind. —— macarthur second. as hamilton said, them on our legs ahead of us. as for levelling up the playing field, alfa romeo and lp at all in the top ten, so there are signs that perhaps these changes are really going to level the playing field here. so by levelthe playing field here. so by all accounts _ levelthe playing field here. so by all accounts mercedes _ levelthe playing field here. so by all accounts mercedes could - level the playing field here. so by all accounts mercedes could be the biggest losers in all of this. i suppose they are trying to move on, the sport, with what unfolded in a final race in abu dhabi last season. interesting that the sports organisers are really trying to draw a line under that now, aren't they, with the report that came out yesterday?— with the report that came out yesterday? with the report that came out esterda ? , ' , ., yesterday? yes, 97 days later we finally have _ yesterday? yes, 97 days later we finally have that _ yesterday? yes, 97 days later we finally have that report _ yesterday? yes, 97 days later we finally have that report into - yesterday? yes, 97 days later we finally have that report into what| finally have that report into what happened in abu dhabi. nothing we

didn't expect. they admitted that human error was to blame for what unfolded in the last few laps, and that many errors were made. michael massey, the race director, they said he acted in good faith, he has since been removed from his post, but they did confirm that the world champion, max verstappen, his title is valid, and that is the end of that. we will need to move on, of course, today, at six o'clock here, three o'clock your time, that is the best chance for the sport to do that. shifter for the sport to do that. after settlinl for the sport to do that. after settling matters _ for the sport to do that. after settling matters on _ for the sport to do that. after settling matters on the - for the sport to do that. afterj settling matters on the truck. for the sport to do that. after settling matters on the truck. can't wait. natalie pirks, many thanks. it was proper box office stuff last night as well, 8pm as france went on to win the first six nations title in 12 years, and with it, the grand slam. england, the team trying to stop them last night in paris, scoring two tries in the first half, although england fought back, but one from antoine dupont, sealing theirfirst win since one from antoine dupont, sealing their first win since 2010 as

english finished third. obviously i still can't realise what is happening, but it is amazing. the expression at the end of the whistle, so good to show the boys. it is an amazing feeling, so proud. disappointed for the fans, disappointed for the players. i obviously haven't done a good enough 'ob obviously haven't done a good enough job and _ obviously haven't done a good enough job and i_ obviously haven't done a good enough job and i acknowledge that. having said that, — job and i acknowledge that. having said that, i— job and i acknowledge that. having said that, i know we are moving in the right— said that, i know we are moving in the right direction. and you can see every— the right direction. and you can see every game — the right direction. and you can see every game we have made, we have played _ played with such spirit, such cohesion _ played with such spirit, such cohesion. what we haven't got is the finesse _ cohesion. what we haven't got is the finesse to _ cohesion. what we haven't got is the finesse to turn opportunities into points— finesse to turn opportunities into points when we can win games. ireland could have won the trophy if england had managed to beat the french. that's after they were too strong for scotland winning by 25—6. conor murray scored the last of their four tries as the won the triple crown. and what a moment for italy as they broke their 7—year six nations losing sequence with a shock win over wales in cardiff. edoardo padovani scoring a last—gasp try for a 22 points to 21 victory.

the italians had the lost the previous 36 games in the competition. tension, pressure, a nerve shredding finish. england survived all that to and incredibly are on course to qualify for the semi finals at the women's world cup after a one wicket win in aukland. they'd lost their first three matches, their defence of the title looked over. they had to win this, nat sciver with 61 as they chased their target of 203. but no room for error, when with just one wicket in hand, anya shrubsole hit the winning runs. they still need to beat the bottom two teams but should now go through. there's a slim chance england could still win the second test against west indies. kraigg brathwaite was the source of much of frustration though. he made 160 before being bowled by jack leach. england then struggled to get the remaining batters as west indies made a11.

england finished with a lead of 136 runs with openers alex lees and zak crawley still at the crease. they'll hope for quick runs before declaring and attempting to bowl out their opponents when the final day gets under way later. the session also saw saqib mahmood get his first test match wickets. with offers made to buy chelsea off the pitch, they're safely into the fa cup semi—finals on it. 2—0 they beat middlesbrough — remember, only a limited number of chelsea fans were allowed to watch, with the club banned from selling any tickets. their biggest earner, romelu lukaku, scored first before hakim ziyech grabbed the other, and the manager liked what he saw. from the fa cup to the premier league. arsenal won again to boost their hopes of qualifying for the champions league. they lost to liverpool last time out, but beat aston villa here, the only goal of the game came from bukayo saka. the gunners now four points clear

in that all important fourth place. to the race in the scottish premiership, champions rangers need to beat dundee if they're to keep pace with leaders celtic who put four past ross county. giorgos giakoumakis with his second hat—trick in five games. ange postecoglou's side on a brilliant unbeaten run. are we all excited about the f1? the race to come?— race to come? definitely. are you drawn into _ race to come? definitely. are you drawn into the _ race to come? definitely. are you drawn into the sport? _ race to come? definitely. are you drawn into the sport? definitely, | drawn into the sport? definitely, after the drum of last season, it is notjust after the drum of last season, it is not just cars after the drum of last season, it is notjust cars going round circle, i've thought. notjust cars going round circle, i've thought-— i've thought. exactly, it has got better than _ i've thought. exactly, it has got better than that. _ i've thought. exactly, it has got better than that. and _ i've thought. exactly, it has got better than that. and not - i've thought. exactly, it has got better than that. and not just i i've thought. exactly, it has got i better than that. and notjust last better than that. and not 'ust last season, better than that. and not 'ust last but i better than that. and not 'ust last season, but the h better than that. and not 'ust last season, but the drive _ better than that. and not 'ust last season, but the drive to h better than that. and notjust last season, but the drive to survive i season, but the drive to survive programme on netflix, which has drawn in loads of otherwise non—f1 fans. it drawn in loads of otherwise non-f1 fans. ., , ., drawn in loads of otherwise non-f1 fans. .,, ., _ drawn in loads of otherwise non-f1 fans. ., , ., ,, ., fans. it has given a glossy field to the sports _ fans. it has given a glossy field to the sports. change _ fans. it has given a glossy field to the sports. change is _ fans. it has given a glossy field to the sports. change is good, - fans. it has given a glossy field to the sports. change is good, isn'tl the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is, the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is. it _ the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is, it is. _ the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is, it is. i— the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is, it is. idon't— the sports. change is good, isn't it? it is, it is. i don't think- it? it is, it is. i don't think lewis hamilton _ it? it is, it is. i don't think lewis hamilton would - it? it is, it is. i don't think. lewis hamilton would agree it? it is, it is. i don't think- lewis hamilton would agree with it? it is, it is. i don't think— lewis hamilton would agree with you. no. i've not made a friend there. here's louise with a look at this morning's weather.

hello, just take a look at this. this was highland yesterday. absolutely glorious, not a cloud in the sky. it was the warmest day of the sky. it was the warmest day of the year so far, with 20 degrees, 68 fahrenheit. just look at what was happening in istanbul on saturday afternoon. it was only around eight degrees in some places in turkey. it was cold and snowy as well. the reason is the same area of high pressure is drifting off into scandinavia, dragging a northerly flow through eastern europe. so below average temperatures. we have got more of a southerly flow, to areas of cloud, one just pushing through the low countries and into the south—west. as we go through the day today, some subtle changes. the cloud thickener for an isolated shower across south—west england and maybe some thicker cloud drifting its way in the north sea through eastern england, may be thick enough

for a shower across east anglia by the end of the afternoon. but will also impact on the feeling of the weather today, also impact on the feeling of the weathertoday, not also impact on the feeling of the weather today, not as warm as yesterday, eight or nine unexposed east coast, with a little more shelter we might get 13 or 1a. that kernel of cloud will continue to drift its way up through the north sea, which might bring more cloud generally across north—east england and may be a spot or two of rain. through the spine of the country, still clear skies, still cold, temperatures down to —2 and minus three degrees first thing in the morning. as we go through the week ahead we still keep this dry weather and the warmth is set to return, especially through the middle part of the week. we still have cloud to clear away, which might produce not isolated shower across the east coast of aberdeenshire, and a little more cloud generally across central and southern went once again on monday. the wind coming from the south now, 16 degrees is the expected high, 16 fahrenheit, not as warm through scotland on monday afternoon, ten or 11. there is the

risk of a few showers developing as we start to drag up more warmth on tuesday. a warmer analyst returns and the temperature begins to decline. dry, settled in sunny for many on tuesday, one or two isolated showers potentially as we go through the day. they will be few and far between, you can forget them, really. in terms of the feeling, highs of 18 and warmer still on wednesday. back to you too. thank you, louise, we will speak to you later. let's bring you up—to—date with everything that has been happening in ukraine overnight. jon donnison is here with us. yes quite a lot of the new size coming through in the last hour or so. none of them particularly good news. —— news sites. let's begin by taking a look at the overall picture in ukraine this morning. as you can see, the areas under full russian control marked in red haven't really grown much. as we were hearing from our correspondence. in the south they have been making some progress. the uk defence ministry says russia

has failed to gain control of the air and is largely relying on what it calls "stand—off weapons," in other words launched from russian airspace. yesterday, the un human rights office announced that at least 847 civilians had been confirmed to have been killed, and nearly 1,400 wounded, although those figures are likely to be much higher. one of the places which continues to be hit hard by russian forces is the southern port city of mariupol. in the south, on the coast there. we're getting reports this morning from the city council, which says a school has been bombed where 400 people were taking shelter yesterday, with women, children and elderly people thought to be underneath the rubble. there's no information on casualties yet and the bbc has been unable to immediately verify the claim. the city's mayor, vadym boychenko says thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia, a claim the bbc cannot independently verify. he says some were redirected to remote cities in russia, while the fate of others remains unknown.

this is the latest satellite picture of the theatre that was bombed in the city on wednesday. four days on, the mayor said intense street battles nearby are hampering efforts to rescue hundreds of people still believed to be trapped in the theatre's basement. in his nightly address, president zelensky again condemned russia's blockade of mariupol. translation: the blockade of mariu -ol translation: the blockade of mariupol will _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down - translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down in - translation: the blockade of| mariupol will go down in history translation: the blockade of. mariupol will go down in history of responsibility of war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is terror that will be remembered for centuries to come. and the more ukrainians tell the world about it, the more support we find. more russia uses against ukraine, the worst consequences will be for it. these drone images really capture the extent of the devastation in mariupol, once

a bustling port city. these came in yesterday. as many as 300,000 civilians are still trapped there. those who have been able to get out through humanitarian corridors have spoken of days of terror in the city. translation: i can never imagined that a bomb — translation: i can never imagined that a bomb would _ translation: i can never imagined that a bomb would hit _ translation: i can never imagined that a bomb would hit a _ translation: i can never imagined that a bomb would hit a house - translation: i can never imagined that a bomb would hit a house next| that a bomb would hit a house next to mine, but my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and they realised there were no safe places in the city anymore. that is increasingly the case in cities across south—eastern ukraine. in mikolaj have, it is fed up to 200 soldiers have been killed after three missiles hit a barix where they were sleeping —— mykolaiv. one man was saved from the rubble. but with temperatures reaching as low as —6, the chance of finding more survivors is shrinking.

meanwhile, around ten million people have now been forced to flee their homes. officials say more than 6500 people were evacuated from cities through humanitarian corridor's yesterday. some are getting out. among them, some of the most vulnerable. 71 babies and small children from an orphanage in the north—eastern town of sumy who had been sheltering in a bunker under russian bombardment for several weeks and have now been moved to somewhere at least relatively safe. that is where we are three and a half weeks since this invasion was launched. it is good to think of those children in safety now. thank you. bbc correspondents have spent the last three weeks reporting from the front line, both inside ukraine and from the countries on its borders. let's hear some of their analysis about the critical moments from the conflict so far in ukraine: reporting the front lines. a warning that you may may find

parts of this programme upsetting. three weeks in, and despite the continuing diplomacy, he envies a city on edge. nowhere is safe. this russian aggression is spreading westwards towards lviv, until now a relatively safe city. and after 18 days, a0 kilometres north of lviv and 20 from the polish border, well, that marked an escalation. many cities under heavy bombardment and ukraine is facing a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. as the conflict enters its 19th day, russia's forces step up their campaign to capture ukraine's major cities. here in care of the sounds of artillery and sirens are ever present —— care. russian troops are

on the outskirts of the capital and getting closer. at least one person dies and 12 are injured after a russian airstrike on a block of flats north of kyiv. jeremy bowen witnesses the aftermath in a city feeling this war more and more. this is a nightmare for the city, more attacks like this and, of course, they are vulnerable to missile strike. but kyiv is big and sprawling and the defenders have many advantages, which they are using. problems for the russians include rivers, notjust the mighty dnipro running through kyiv, but his tributary�*s and large areas of marshland that can hold up and bogged down armies. at their headquarters, the generals running kyiv�*s defence invited us to their war room and they sounded confident, like their president. they are tracking me too main russian

thrusts, from the east and the north—west which they say have been attacked and have barely moved to —— from tracking the two. we have heard from tracking the two. we have heard from this convoy to the north—west of the city, what has happened to that. translation: ., ., ,, that. translation: ., ., ~ ., ., translation: that was a week ago, our military hit _ translation: that was a week ago, our military hit it. _ translation: that was a week ago, our military hit it. they _ translation: that was a week ago, our military hit it. they moved - translation: that was a week ago, our military hit it. they moved a - our military hit it. they moved a bit but they never did anything that we felt in kyiv. what did you think the russians actually want to do with the city, they want to come in and concrete they want to encircle it? translation: my , , it? translation: , ., ., translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, _ translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, but _ translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, but i _ translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, but i don't - translation: maybe they want to encircle the city, but i don't think. encircle the city, but i don't think they have enough soldiers and they understand that in kyiv around 20,000 people have received weapons and the city is fortified. attacking will cost them very large losses. but the russians have not turned anything like the full force on this

capital city yet. —— their full force. an evacuation convoy of 160 because it's finally able to leave the embattled southern city of mariupol, which has been under ferocious russian bombardment. but it is a drop in the ocean of a city of nearly 500,000 people. for those who remain conditions are described as apocalyptic, bodies industries, and shortages of food, water, and medicine. kyiv is a big, important city, and the russians need to capture it. their tactics are becoming brutally familiar. if you can't see is a city than simply flatten it. whatever the cost in human lives since the beginning of this war, russia has launched an

unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression and protesters. instagram, one of the last platforms for russians to express their opposition, is blocked. and the main news programme on russia's channel one is obstructed by a protest against the war. in russia, tv is tightly controlled. to transmit the kremlin line. but look what happened tonight. live on the main evening news. a woman runs onto the set to condemn russia's onslaught in ukraine. she is a channel one editor. the sign reads" no war, stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to hear. russians against war." before her protest she had recorded this message. russian was committing a crime in ukraine, she said, and vladimir putin was responsible.

quite extraordinary, have never seen anything like that here, what it shows is despite the criminal�*s almost total control of the media, it is still struggling to persuade some people within the system that what the kremlin is doing is right. as for marina, she has reportedly been detained by police on the tv channel, channel one russia, has launched an internal investigation. three weeks ago aa million people lived in ukraine, now1.7 three weeks ago aa million people lived in ukraine, now 1.7 million of them, mostly women and children, have escaped poland. in the last 19 days, the population of the capital, warsaw, has increased by a staggering 15%. katya adler is there to meet the volunteers who've stepped in to welcome refugees. train by train, wave after wave of refugees makes its way to warsaw, as long as russia's onslaught continues. an army of polish volunteers opened their hearts and homes

since the start of the crisis. by now, they tell us, they are pretty overwhelmed. translation: | have| seen fellow volunteers fainting from exhaustion. we need the authorities to step in and get organised. slowly, refugee centres are setting up here now, and the eu has promised funds, but not enough says warsaw's mayor. the number of inhabitants of my city increased by 15% and we are doing everything we can to help, but slowly we are becoming overwhelmed. we need a european and international response. all the west says it wants to help ukrainians but it is neighbouring poland that feels like a first responder, very much into the eye of the storm. and on two fronts — this ever—growing influx of refugees seeking safety, and an evergrowing concern amongst poles that russia's aggression in ukraine could spread here, over the border. translation: what vladimir

putin is doing in ukraine - is part of geopolitical plan. we have to help ukrainians because they are fighting for ourfreedom too. the 20th day of a deepening conflict and here in kyiv, the mayor warns the city is facing a difficult and dangerous moment, after five people are killed in russian airstrikes overnight. from the evening onwards, a 35—hour curfew is imposed. kyiv is a city living on its nerves. for the second day running, kyiv has woken up to this, this is a residential building. there is no sign of anything else around except blocks of flats.

there is a real sense that the danger, the conflict is coming closer and a feeling here now that nowhere is safe. four people were killed here in their own homes. svetlana, who is russian and horrified by moscow's attacks, is worried for her friend. "i saw from my window the building was on fire. "my friend lives on the 1ath floor. "i assume she is dead because she was bedridden. "many people lived in the building," she says, "some left. "i am very sorry i did not leave this place earlier." and this too is part of ukraine's new normal, the funeral of a soldier killed resisting the russians. colonel valeriy gudz was mourned in his hometown of boryspil, outside kyiv. there is grief over the losses in battle. still, ukrainians are standing firm, united in sorrow. gunfire.

north—west of kyiv, ukrainian troops fight to slow the advance of russian forces but they are making headway to the south. russia claims it is now in control of the entire region kherson. andrew harding spoke to some of the residents trapped nearby, in the city itself. in a city under russian occupation, another display of public fury. the citizens of kherson hurling insults at russian troops. we are against

the russian invasion. but a local teacher agreed to film for us... look, almost the entire city is here. ..describing what it is like to confront russian soldiers. i was crying to them, "go home, go to your mum." did they reply? two were laughing. i was really furious so then ijust cried out some curse words to them. usually i don't. away from the protests, empty shelves at some local supermarkets but for now there is still food to be found here. remarkably, ukrainians are still in control of the mayor's office, for now. "you can hear shelling outside," says the deputy mayor yuri stelmashenko, "not far away and we are getting used to it. "the russians have allowed us to keep working "but it is not clear how

long that will last." western countries apply more sanction to increase the pressure on moscow. talks between ukraine and russia continue and ukraine's president hints at what might form part of any future negotiated settlement. translation: ukraine | is not a member of nato. we've heard for years that the doors were open but we also heard that we could notjoin. it is a truth and it must be recognised. meanwhile russia's foreign minister sets out some of moscow's demands. translation: the neutral military status of ukraine, | security guarantees for all participants, the demilitarisation of ukraine so that no threats to the russian federation ever come from its territory. as this war intensifies, the diplomacy is intensifying too, but it has to be said, for all the talk of cautious

optimism, possible compromise at the ukrainian—russian negotiation table, there is still no strong signal from moscow, from president putin that this war is going to end anytime soon. the country has now endured three long weeks of war, and for those here in the capital, the battle is getting closer. for the third consecutive morning, residential blocks bear the brunt of continued shelling from the west, along with the people who live in them. here, two were injured. 35 had to be evacuated. most of the city is underground, waiting for a 1.5 day curfew to finally end. the language of diplomacy between russia and ukraine is shifting but russia has many redlines in this crisis, and the sounds of war here are louder than the statements. the russian foreign minister talks of hope of compromise. the question is, who is going

to be doing the compromising? cheering and applause. slava ukraini. president zelensky addresses a joint session of the us congress, calling again for a no—fly zone and for more military aid, including fighterjets. speaking in english, he makes an impassioned plea to president biden. you are the leader of the nation, of your great nation. i wish you to be the leader of the world. being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. applause. what's at stake here are the principles that the united states and the united nations and across the world stand for.

it's about freedom. it's about the right of people to determine their own future. it's about making sure that ukraine will never be a victory for putin. hours later, president biden denounces president putin asa warcriminal. i think he is a war criminal. western ukraine has escaped relatively unscathed so far. for weeks it's been a sanctuary for the displaced, those fleeing bombardment. lviv, though, has been a city getting ready for an attack. jonah fisher met volunteers going through a crash course in weapons handling. we have been invited to a school building in lviv to see volunteers being given a crash course in handling a gun. lesia, a grandmother, is here with her architect husband, yuri. we need to be prepared. translation: normallyi wouldn't even point a gun| at an animal, but this is now a time to learn how to hold weapons and shoot them. as one by one the volunteers take their turn, we're interrupted by the awful

soundtrack of this war. air raid siren. so you can just hear there, the air raid siren has gone off. some people are leaving, some people are carrying on. in the basement, those on the gun course mingle with the local children and mums that have decided not to flee ukraine. we find yaryna, a doctor at lviv hospital. she's out there training. herjob is to save lives, but she says she's now ready to kill. i stay here for terror and i defend under bombing, under different military troops. and i stay under fire. and you're ready to pull

the trigger on that gun if it comes to that? if i have no choice, yes. when the all clear sounds, we're invited by yuri and lesia back to their apartment to see their new guns. this is normally for hunting. bought after russian air raids in western ukraine this weekend. translation: it's sad. it's very sad. sometimes it seems like a bad dream. it's not right. this shouldn't be happening. music plays. how many russian soldiers have been killed in what the kremlin still refuses to call a war? it's criminal offence in russia to quote anything but official figures. steve rosenberg looks at the human cost of

putin's conflict. many russians rally around their leader in times of crisis. it's as if they don't want to believe their president may have taken a fatal decision. "we're doing the right thing," nikolai says. "nato wanted to sent up shop right next to us in ukraine "and they've got nuclear weapons! "well done, putin, for stopping them." the kremlin wants russians to believe that what their troops are doing in ukraine is both necessary and heroic. it's what the state media is telling them from morning till night, because if people stop believing that in large numbers, they'll start wondering why sons, brothers, and husbands have been sent into ukraine for what 's been called here the 'special military operation'. father ivan is wondering why. he easily delivered an anti—war sermon and he criticised the kremlin's offensive on the church website. he was detained and fired under a new law for discrediting the russian armed forces. translation: i believe that

any bloodshed, however - you try to justify it, is a sin. blood is on the hands of the person who spilt it. if an order was given, it's on the hands of whoever gave the order, supported it, or stayed silent. on his finaljourney, full military honours for soldier mikhail. his country calls him a defender of the fatherland.

and yet it was russia's army that attacked ukraine on the orders of president putin to restore russian power and to force ukraine into russia's orbit. but at what cost? as the conflict enters its 22nd day, ukraine's second city, kharkiv, is in ruins. most residents have fled, but despite heavy bombardment, local fighters continue to hold off the russia advance. quentin sommerville is embedded with the ukrainian forces. russia says it's demilitarising ukraine, instead it's creating a wasteland. what it can't have it

destroys — with vengeance. these were family homes on the edge of kharkiv. civilians are daily targets of vladimir putin's war. by the back door, a dead russian soldier. suburban gardens have become battlefields from europe's past. but here the men of ukraine's 22nd battalion have pulled off a miracle. they've stopped the might of the russian army at their city gates. ill—equipped and vastly outnumbered, three weeks

on they're still holding the line. russian boots have failed to gain hold here. frustrated, they've sent troops elsewhere, leaving heavy artillery to bomb the city into submission. kostyantyn, a former air force pilot, has come out of retirement to fight. translation: this is the first line of defence for the city. . if they get through here, they will enter kharkiv. this road takes you from russia to the very heart of the city. but the heart of kharkiv and ukrainian resistance is still beating. just beyond this position there's only open country and russians. they've tried to punch through here again and again and again, and they've failed.

ukrainian armed forces are keeping them at bay. they've also tried to encircle the city, gaining the field, so they're taking out their frustration with artillery. blowing up just... you can hear it. blowing up notjust these frontlines, but the entire population of kharkiv. a russian missile screeches above us. in this crater, six ukrainian soldiers died in a single strike. and away from the front, no neighbourhood is safe. russian grad rockets fall all around us.

get in here, quick, get in! this is the reckless targeting of human life. to the south, the invaders are advancing. but here in ukraine's second city, kharkiv stands defiant, while russia rages with incandescent fury. survivors emerge from the bombing of a theatre in the already devastated and besieged city of mariupol. but rescuers are struggling to reach those still trapped under the rubble. president zelensky accuses russia of deliberately targeting the theatre, which was being used as a shelter.

russia denies carrying out the attack. officials in kyiv say russia is carrying out a genocide. so the intention of russian aggressors is to destroy mariupol to the ground. but the main thing and the main tragedy that they are losing other people. we will rebuild ukraine. but we will not, you know, we cannot bring back our people. they died. the city of lviv, well away from the main battle zones in the east and south of the country, awakes to a series of explosions. a large plume of smoke can be seen near the international airport. the authorities here are saying that an aircraft repair plant, or maintenance centre, was hit, not the actual airport itself. the authorities say that no—one was working at the plant

at the time, but one person sustained medium injuries. what we don't know is what kind of aircraft they might have been repairing. we would guess that russia is trying to go after any infrastructure of ukraine's, potentially including aircraft that ukraine might use to potentially fight russia. russia's aggression in ukraine has turned millions of lives upside down. and with each day the conflict moves a step closer to the west. while russian forces continue to be frustrated at the level of ukrainian defence, the question is: for how much longer?

good morning, welcome to breakfast with chris mason and nina warhurst. our headlines today: the destruction of mariupol is condemned as a war crime by ukraine's president zelensky. there are new reports this morning that russian forces have bombed a school in the city where a00 people were sheltering. translation: to do this to - a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror and will be remembered for centuries to come. as the refugee crisis grows, we report from the country's border with romania. here, a small village in oxfordshire comes together to offer homes for up to 60 people fleeing the war. six nations success for france as they beat england to light up paris and win the tournament for the first time in more than a decade. morning, all. our dry weather story set to continue today, but there will be a little more

cloud around and still a cool breeze. i'll have all the details coming up for you shortly. it's sunday, march 20th. our main story. there are reports this morning that russian forces have bombed a school where a00 people were taking shelter in the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol. authorities say people remain under the rubble after the building was destroyed. the southern port city has been under sustained attack for weeks, with supplies of food, gas and clean water running out. according to the united nations, at least 8a0 civilians have been killed in the conflict across ukraine so far. jon donnison has the latest. increasingly, ukraine's eastern cities are in ruins. kramatorsk one of the latest

towns to come under heavy russian bombardment. the un says it's confirmed more than 8a0 civilians have so far been killed across the country, but says the actual figure is likely far higher. this is the latest satellite picture, the theatre in the southern city of mariupol, bombed by russia on wednesday. four days on, officials say hundreds are still trapped in the basement but reports of fighting nearby are hampering rescue efforts. mariupol was once a bustling port city, but not after weeks of shelling and encircled by the russians, it's almost unrecognisable. this morning there are unverified reports of an art school building were a00 people were sheltering being bombed. translation: the blockade -

of mariupol will go down in history of responsibility for war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come. the more ukrainian people tell the world about it, the more support. and the more ukrainians tell the world about it, the more support we find. the more russia uses terror against ukraine the worse the consequences will be for it. and the mayor of mariupol says thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia, with some taken to remote cities, a claim the bbc cannot independently verify, but those lucky enough to escape west tell of days of terror. translation: i could never imagine that a bomb would hit house next - to mine, that my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. to mine, that my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and then i realised there were simply no safe places in the city any more. and that's now the case in a number of ukrainian cities.

in mykolaiv, in the south, around 200 soldiers were sleeping in barracks when three russian missiles hit. a glimmer of hope as one man is pulled from the rubble, but with temperatures reaching lows of —6 it's feared there might not be many more sui’vivoi’s. around ten million ukrainians have now been forced to leave their homes. officials say more than 6,500 people were evacuated from cities through humanitarian corridors yesterday. among them, some of the most vulnerable. 71 babies from the north—eastern town of sumy, they had been sheltering on a bunker under russian bombardment for several weeks but have now been moved to somewhere, at least relatively safe. jon donnison, bbc news. let's go to ukraine's capital kyiv now where our correspondent james waterhouse joins us. james, what more can you tell us about the attack in mariupol? as ever, information from that

south—eastern region is very hard to verify straightaway. the authorities are trying to keep a tight grip on what gets out. nevertheless, this is another accusation of russia targeting the building that was sheltering it is claimed hundreds of people trying to escape the ongoing bombardment which is being imposed on the city. we are told about a00 people were thought to be sheltering in this art school. we do not yet know about casualties but this is as rescue teams continue to try to get people out of the rubble at a theatre where more than 1000 had been taking shelter there at one point and what is stopping them and making the leap difficult is fighting no breaking —— is fighting thatis fighting no breaking —— is fighting that is now breaking out in the streets and central parts of mariupol meaning that the central

part of ukrainian persistence as feared by the west la this week may be starting to crumble and the city could fall within days if not weeks. the city is strategically significant and would allow russia to land corridor along the south and south—east of ukraine as the join up with forces from east but it has come at a cost. we have been talking about mariupol being surrounded, cut off from running water and energy and gas and food and it has held for more than two weeks and the consequence for that is russia has also paid a high price and the thought from military experts as they may now struggle to push on with the military advance and the focus now is to regroup rather than launch new offensives. there is honestly an intense focus on events in mariupol at the moment for obvious reasons but i wonder what your overall assessment is as to how things stand this morning across the whole of ukraine. today feels like a

day where we could be entering a slower pace to this conflict and when i see slower i don't mean any less costly. we need to look cities in the east like kharkiv and sumy, where we are told russian attacks are being repelled and when we take that into account with the exception of the city of mariupol, when you look at peace talks, yes, there are positive signs

and peace talks take time and they are the only way out of this war with more shelling and we have heard more shelling to the west of the capital and the warning as we could be entering a slower and more deadly chapter in the workwear ukraine as ever could be chapter in the workwear ukraine as ever could he being the highest price as we try to find a way out of this war. we can speak now to one man who managed to escape the besieged city of mariupol with his family earlier this week. oleg savchukjoins us now from dnipro. good morning to you. before we come to your city, where you are now and how you managed to flee, we are interested to hear a bit more about mariupol, what was it like for this started, what kind of city was it to live in? a, ,., ., started, what kind of city was it to live in? ., ., ., , started, what kind of city was it to livein? ., ., live in? mariupol what a really good ci and live in? mariupol what a really good city and for — live in? mariupol what a really good city and for the _ live in? mariupol what a really good city and for the last _ live in? mariupol what a really good city and for the last couple - live in? mariupol what a really good city and for the last couple of-

city and for the last couple of years it changed to the good side, a lot of buildings were recovered and a lot of new places, i think a lot of places where people can work and mariupol was a really good city but starting from the 2ath of february everything is changed forever. we were in mariupol from the beginning, from the 2ath of february, and for us it is a horrible situation. we managed to move from mariupol without parents and grandparents and all their apartments were destroyed and now they don't know where to move. we were from kyiv and removed to there. ., ,,

move. we were from kyiv and removed to there. ., i. , ., to there. how you surviving day to da ? how to there. how you surviving day to day? how are _ to there. how you surviving day to day? how are you _ to there. how you surviving day to day? how are you eating? - to there. how you surviving day to day? how are you eating? what i to there. how you surviving day to | day? how are you eating? what are you doing about electricity and sanitation and going to the toilet? electricity and heat and gas were disabled so we were all this time without anything, we can't call anyone and receive any information so we were in some kind of vacuum there. how we survive, we grouped with our neighbours both outside and making fire and boiling water on the fire. we prepared some food on a fire. we prepared some food on a fire. near ourapartment fire. we prepared some food on a fire. near our apartment was an old cinema, october, and we go there and remove everything, all the wood that cannot be fired and use it for a fire. there were bomb attacks and

sometimes we went to the shelter again to hide from them. and the thing is that i have a new skill that we can define what kinds of bombs are going in a right and not go to the shelter every time. so you mana . ed go to the shelter every time. so you managed to — go to the shelter every time. so you managed to work _ go to the shelter every time. so you managed to work out _ go to the shelter every time. so you managed to work out which - go to the shelter every time. so you managed to work out which bombs i go to the shelter every time. so you - managed to work out which bombs were witch and where they were. it must have been an incredibly difficult decision to leave and pack up your family and the family of your girlfriend and decide to go for it. how hard was thatjenny? it girlfriend and decide to go for it. how hard was that jenny?- how hard was that jenny? it was really hard _ how hard was that jenny? it was really hard because _ how hard was that jenny? it was really hard because every - how hard was that jenny? it was really hard because every day i how hard was that jenny? it was| really hard because every day has been bombing almost all day and only one or two hours in the day where it was silence. but it was hard not for us because we lived with my girlfriend in kyiv, it was hard for our parents and grandparents who spend all their life in mariupol. we

just sit once a day and understand that every day it is growing worse and worse, food stock is less every day, we don't have any food there because we do not have any social bread or social water. the local government did not do anything in the days that we were there, so they just said that they can't do anything and only volunteers helped us and the church helped us, that's all. �* , ., . us and the church helped us, that's all. �* ., , us and the church helped us, that's all.�* ., , , all. and you are safely in dnipro now, all. and you are safely in dnipro now. what's _ all. and you are safely in dnipro now, what's it _ all. and you are safely in dnipro now, what's it like _ all. and you are safely in dnipro now, what's it like when - all. and you are safely in dnipro now, what's it like when you i all. and you are safely in dnipro i now, what's it like when you arrive there and sat down to your first warm meal?— there and sat down to your first warm meal? , ,., warm meal? the first point where we lot there it warm meal? the first point where we got there it was _ warm meal? the first point where we got there it was around _ warm meal? the first point where we got there it was around one - warm meal? the first point where we got there it was around one o'clock i got there it was around one o'clock in the morning and we stayed and ordered food, the first meal was

like a pastor and it was incredible, the most delicious thing in my life to date. d0 the most delicious thing in my life to date. i. .,, ., the most delicious thing in my life todate. ., to date. do you hope one day you will sit down _ to date. do you hope one day you will sit down to _ to date. do you hope one day you will sit down to a _ to date. do you hope one day you will sit down to a bowl _ to date. do you hope one day you will sit down to a bowl of - to date. do you hope one day you will sit down to a bowl of pasta i will sit down to a bowl of pasta backin will sit down to a bowl of pasta back in mariupol with your parents and the parents of your girlfriend? yes, i hope you come back soon and i think we will come back as soon as possible there. —— matt i hope that we come back soon. a lot of people are still looking for parents and friends in mariupol because it is hard and a lot of people they're sitting in the shelters without any connections and only volunteers can help, only the people that can come back there and save the people who are still sitting there. do back there and save the people who are still sitting there.— are still sitting there. do you think the _ are still sitting there. do you think the world _ are still sitting there. do you think the world is _ are still sitting there. do you think the world is watching? | are still sitting there. do you i think the world is watching? do you think the world is watching? do you think the world is watching? do you think the world is listing what is happening to you and the people you care about? me

happening to you and the people you care about? ~ ., ,., ._ , happening to you and the people you care about? ~ ., , ., care about? me about -- may be about the whole situation _ care about? me about -- may be about the whole situation in _ care about? me about -- may be about the whole situation in ukraine - care about? me about -- may be about the whole situation in ukraine but i the whole situation in ukraine but not in mariupol. in mariupol we did not in mariupol. in mariupol we did not feel any help from outside it all. it was not a green corridor and on monday the 1ath people moved, even military and everything under the mines, but you can't go and people went there and right after that they went to the bridge and we moved right after them on the next day and it was like a couple of thousand cars in one huge queue from mariupol. iatbfe thousand cars in one huge queue from mariu -ol. ~ ., thousand cars in one huge queue from mariu-ol. . ., , thousand cars in one huge queue from mariuaol . ., , .,, l, ., mariupol. we are so pleased you made it to safe . mariupol. we are so pleased you made it to safety- he — mariupol. we are so pleased you made it to safety. he escaped _ mariupol. we are so pleased you made it to safety. he escaped mariupol i it to safety. he escaped mariupol with his family and hopes one day to return there.

more than three million people have now fled the fighting in ukraine, with the un warning the situation is creating a child refugee almost every second. for residents of the southern city of 0desa, one of the main routes out of the country involves crossing the river danube by ferry. nick thorpe has been speaking to some of the small number of people going against the flow. the river danube cuts ukraine in the north from romania to the south like a knife. so many people are fleeing ukraine, it's easy to miss the few returning by river ferry. you still need a ticket if you're going the wrong way. it's a romanian ship flying the ukrainian flag as a courtesy. irina is one of the passengers, a lawyerfrom kyiv. she's just taken her twin children

to safety in germany. now she's on her way back to fetch her mother. i have a happy life in ukraine. my native language is russian. but i don't want putin to protect me. i don't know his protection. ukraine was a great country. but now everything is ruined and i don't know when we will stay in my house in safety. i don't know when i can come back to ukraine. the ferry docks and a dozen or so people disembark. barely an hour later, the ferry fills with refugees. irina and her mother, natalya, among them. many are from 0desa, but there are also some

from mykolaiv, the city further east still blocking any russian advance along the coast. they came by boat, by train, by car to the water crossing, their thoughts as they reach safety themselves between one world at war and another at peace are with those they have left behind in ukraine. in romania, the ukrainians get a warm welcome. he was good, she was crying. but he thinks that we will never see each other again. i will be happy when i return to ukraine. i will be happy. as the sun sets behind the granite mountains, anotherferry embarks from the romanian shore to bring more ukrainians across. nick thorpe, bbc news. we can speak to nick now who joins us from the romanian border. nick, what's the situation there this morning?

people in ukraine obviously fleeing to these many border crossing up and down the long western border of ukraine. afterforming their down the long western border of ukraine. after forming their on the river danube i drove ten hours yesterday into south—east romania into north—east romania. this is a large border crossing, notjust refugees living here from ukraine the large numbers art but also humanitarian vehicles and supplies going on. tim my left here we have a convoy of 15 ambulances donated by the italian civil protection that have just driven all the way from italy here and are being taken across the border and in doing some customs formalities and then will be parked in neutral zone where ukrainians from the local city will collect them. 22 ambulances in the

last few days. a study of a very different border crossing from the one i was reporting in south—east romania. refugees crossing into romania. refugees crossing into romania and as i said there are a few going back. here you have a large border crossing in the north of romania with the ambulances and humanitarian supplies being taken in from this european union have nearby and the flow of refugees coming from central ukraine and cities such as kyiv and places further east. it sounds like where you are things that are reasonably organised, there is humanitarian relief and safety which is in stark contrast for many of these people to the places they have come from where we know humanitarian aid has not been able to reach and where they are waking up to reach and where they are waking up to shellfire every day. what sort of state of the n every day when you speak with them? —— what sort of

state are they in? it speak with them? -- what sort of state are they in?— state are they in? it depends on what they have _ state are they in? it depends on what they have experience. i state are they in? it depends on what they have experience. the | what they have experience. the smallest people were pulling their trolleys across the border here there was a small group of women. some of them say they have come from a city only 50 kilometres away from here and their experience of the war so far has been relatively benign. they hear the air raid saddens an explosion is far away and when the here the sidings they go down into the sellers. —— when they hear the silence. but there was one woman looking pretty shell—shocked and she had come from the east of the country and for eight years she has effectively been in a war zone and joined this group. a very different

group of experiences from the people from the west of ukraine which has been hit by rocket fire but the people from the east living with war for weeks now and in her case for years. i5 for weeks now and in her case for ears. , ., for weeks now and in her case for ears, , ., ., , , , for weeks now and in her case for ears. , years. is that a sense this is only 'ust years. is that a sense this is only just begun? _ years. is that a sense this is only just begun? are _ years. is that a sense this is only just begun? are they _ years. is that a sense this is only just begun? are they thinking i years. is that a sense this is only| just begun? are they thinking this is going to be happening in our country for a long time?- is going to be happening in our country for a long time? there is a sense of the _ country for a long time? there is a sense of the emotions _ country for a long time? there is a sense of the emotions i _ country for a long time? there is a sense of the emotions i am - sense of the emotions i am experiencing from people are mixed. many people are very shocked by this impact of the war back they are desperate for peace and they say they are very proud of their own armed forces and their resistance but they are very tired of these weeks of war already.— but they are very tired of these weeks of war already. people making their way out — weeks of war already. people making their way out from _ weeks of war already. people making their way out from the _ weeks of war already. people making their way out from the west - weeks of war already. people making their way out from the west of i their way out from the west of ukraine and the east of ukraine in

the corridors out to western europe. sophie raworth presents sunday morning here on bbc one at nine o'clock. sophie, what's on the programme? rishi sunak is making his spring statement on wednesday and the shadow chancellor rachel reeves will be here and i have been talking to the actor ruth wilson about her return to the stage and her latest film. sojoin me here on bbc one at nine o'clock. we're here on the bbc news channel until nine this morning, and coming up in the next half hour: with around one in 20 people infected with coronavirus across the uk, we find out what's behind this latest rise in cases — and how concerned we should be. and first stop belize for the duke and duchess of cambridge as they begin their tour

of the caribbean. we'll have more on that just before nine. all that to come on the bbc news channel. this is where we say goodbye to viewers on bbc one. bye for now. here's louise with a look at this morning's weather. beautiful isn't it, this is spring equinox they saw daylight hours start getting a little longer after tomorrow onwards and there was not a cloud in the sky in highland scotland. it was beautiful. today, there will still be a lot of dry weather around, there will still be a lot of dry weatheraround, but there will still be a lot of dry weather around, but it will not be quite as warm and there will certainly be a little bit more in the way of fair—weather cloud. cloudier and cooler, top temperature of around 1a degrees and to areas of stubborn cred i need to point out

here, this one in the south—west affecting south wales and curl of cloud moving into the low countries. this may impact across the far east coast of east anglia so norfolk and suffolk as we go through the day might just suffolk as we go through the day mightjust trigger off a few light showers. generally speaking, could you just make out some great? that has a bit of fair weather cloud across the eastern pennines in particular so west is best in terms of the sunshine and west across england and wales today, 13 or 1a at the high. notably cooler on the north sea coast. —— east coast. that cloud a nuisance as it drifts its way up through the north sea. it will continue to hug the far east coast as well. on [and we will see the clear skies, the most values down 2—1 . a touch of light frost possible, may some mist and fog lightly, but the week ahead looks promising indeed, more sunshine than

expected and more warmth as well. that curl of cloud could impact the far east of aberdeenshire, we will also see more fair weather cloud into england and wales which could trigger of a very, very rare isolated shower here. top temperatures of 16 celsius on monday. it will get warmer still as we move into tuesday. that warmth is coming all the way up from the mediterranean so it doesn't look likely it will stay dry, settled and sunny on tuesday. because we could see a little more warmth, can't rule out the risk of an isolated shower into the afternoon, but it is really worth stressing that we are talking light winds, lots of sunshine and, look at this, temperatures likely to peak into the mid to high teens on tuesday. it will get warmer still on wednesday and are generally as we go through the week. despite a few localised differences on the whole that a dry settled weather is going to stay with us. it will continue to feel very springlike indeed. back to you too.

thank you, louise. let's bring you up—to—date with everything that has been happening in ukraine overnight. jon donnison is here with us. reports earlier of an attack on a school? let's begin by taking a look at the overall picture in ukraine this morning. as you can see the areas under full russian control marked in red haven't really grown much. they do not seem to be making much progress, it seems to have stalled. the uk defence ministry says russia "has failed to gain control of the air and is largely relying on what it calls "stand—off weapons" in other words launched from russian airspace. yesterday the un human rights office announced that at least 8a7 civilians had been confirmed to have been killed and nearly 1,a00 wounded, although those figures are likely to be much higher. one of the places which continues to be hit hard by russian forces

is the southern port city of mariupol. we're getting reports this morning from the city council there which says an art school building has been bombed where a00 people were taking shelter yesterday, with women, children and elderley people thought to be underneath the rubble. there's no information on casualities yet and the bbc has been unable to immediately verify the claim. the city's mayor, vadym boychenko, says thousands of residents have been forcibly deported to russia — a claim the bbc cannot independently verify. he says some were redirected to remote cities in russia, while the fate of others remains unknown. this is the latest satellite picture of the theatre that was bombed in the city on wednesday. four days on, the mayor said intense street battles nearby are hampering efforts to rescue hundreds of people still believed to be trapped in the theatre's basement. in his nightly address, president zelensky again condemned russia's blockade of mariupol.

translation: the blockade of mariu -ol translation: the blockade of mariupol will _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go _ translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down - translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down in - translation: the blockade of mariupol will go down in the i translation: the blockade of- mariupol will go down in the history of war crimes. to do this to a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is terror. it will be remembered for centuries to come and any more ukrainian tell the world about it, the more support we find, the more russia uses terror against ukraine, the worse the consequences will be for that. these drone images really capture the extent of the devastation in mariupol, once a bustling port city. as many as 300,000 civilians are still trapped there. those who have been able to get out through humanitarian corridors have spoken of days of terror in the city. translation: i can never imagine a bomb would — translation: i can never imagine a bomb would hit _ translation: i can never imagine a bomb would hit a _ translation: i can never imagine a bomb would hit a house _ translation: i can never imagine a bomb would hit a house next i translation: i can never imagine a bomb would hit a house next to i translation: i can never imagine a. bomb would hit a house next to mine,

the district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were destroyed and i realise there are no safe places in the city any more. ., , , more. that is sadly the case in several cities _ more. that is sadly the case in several cities in _ more. that is sadly the case in several cities in the _ more. that is sadly the case in several cities in the south. i more. that is sadly the case in i several cities in the south. there are beliefs that soldiers could be trapped in mykolaiv in the south where air strikes took place yesterday. after three missile strikes hit a barracks where they slept. as you can see here, remarkably one man was saved from the rubble — but with temperatures reaching as low as minus six, the chance of finding more survivors is shrinking. around ten million ukrainians have now been forced to leave their homes. officials say more than 650,000 people were evacuated from cities through humanitarian corridors yesterday. among them some of the most vulnerable — 71 babies and small children from an orphanage in the north eastern town of sumy. they'd been sheltering in a bunker

under heavy russian bombardment for several weeks but have been moved to somewhere at least relatively safe. and that's where we are 3.5 weeks since russia's invasion was launched. a little bit of good news that there was children are safe. here in the uk government has launched its homes for ukraine scheme to match would—be hosts with those forced to flee the war. katherine da costa has been to meet the residents of one small village in oxfordshire who have answered the call. the picturesque village of north moreton, home to just 350 residents nestled in the south oxfordshire countryside. it's a small community with a big heart, eager to welcome in up to 60 ukrainian refugees. we've got space at home and why wouldn't we therefore open up our home to these people who are fleeing what's going on? so how much space, how many people do you think you can take? we have the top floor of our house, a couple of bedrooms, sitting room, bathroom, so we would be happy taking a family.

i think it's our kind of moral duty to help. we've got space. it's self—contained. it's got, i think, what a family might need and it's not used on a day—to—day basis, so i think it's the only right thing to do. others in the village are keen to offer lifts, english lessons, or to cook. the village hall will become a community hub, a place that refugees can use daily. several retired teachers are volunteered to help teach some of the children while they wait for school places. the idea for the village to sponsor a group of ukrainians came from this lady, polly vacher. so in here, this is the bedroom... she has a granny flat next to her home, with space to host a family, and wondered whether others in the village would consider doing the same. it was just so horrendous to see these people with their homes bombed, losing family, friends, their husbands going out to fight, children, you know, seeing things that they should never

have to see. and so i thought, well, maybe we could get some refugees to come here, not knowing what the reaction would be in our village of 350 souls, 157 houses, quite small, but a very close—knit community. so i sent out a village email saying, "help ukraine refugees, can anyone help to host them?" and we had, almost immediately, 16 or 17 responses, people offering accommodation, different sorts of accommodation, some people in their homes, some people have a separate building. but it doesn't matter, does it? i mean, these people are in dire straits, they've got nothing. down the road, chris and jacqui gibson have two spare rooms and answered the call to help. the one thing that sort of got to me was watching the mums and the children fleeing with virtually nowhere to go and ijust know that

if it was one of my daughters with my grandchildren in that same situation, i'd want someone to reach out and help. and you've got quite a tight—knit community, people wanting to help, coming together to make it happen. and i think will be nice for them to have a community of their really, within the village. this village does come together, you know. and that's why we live here. absolutely. around the corner, duncan murrary—clarke and his family have an annexe and his sons are keen to help out. first and foremost it was to just help, but i think the link with children is very, very important. i think it, hopefully, will help them and i think it's very important for these guys as well to realise, and they do realise, what's going on out there. what do you think, would you be willing to share your toys or how do you feel about taking in...? well, i don't really use them so that would be fine with me. i would be fine with giving them

and i think it will be really nice. polly says the biggest frustration is that the government's sponsorship scheme's not yet ready to match community groups with refugees. we've got doctors in the village, we've got teachers in the village, we've got people with all sorts of skills that could really help them and it's just perfect, apart from the fact that we can't get the refugees. they're suffering, we're here with a wonderful village and offers of so much help. and i've tried, i've spoken to the — to our local mp and he has tried on our behalf to push things forward and it is, "oh, well, we are going to deal with groups next week at the end of next week." and then how are they going to choose our group? how are they going to choose north moreton village community? to me that's critical. the government says it's rapidly expanding its homes for ukraine scheme to include charities,

churches, and community groups. villagers here in north moreton are among tens of thousands of volunteers across the uk who stand ready and waiting to open up their homes for refugees who desperately need them. katherine da costa, bbc news. as they were saying, enough beds for the ukrainians to go and feel like part of a community within their community. part of a community within their community-— part of a community within their communi . ., ,., , community. there are softer elements in terms of what _ community. there are softer elements in terms of what matters _ community. there are softer elements in terms of what matters in _ community. there are softer elements in terms of what matters in terms i community. there are softer elements in terms of what matters in terms of i in terms of what matters in terms of home, and that really matters. absolutely, to be a new home. it is almost 20 29- _ absolutely, to be a new home. it is almost 20 29. -- _ absolutely, to be a new home. it is almost 20 29. -- 20 _ absolutely, to be a new home. it 3 almost 20 29. —— 20 29. the prime minister is facing criticism this morning for comparing the struggle of ukrainians, to the british public voting for brexit. borisjohnson made the comments at the conservative party spring conference in blackpool. let's get more now from out

political correspondent, lone wells. frontpage of the newspapers completing the ukrainian fight to brexit. it completing the ukrainian fight to brexit. ., , , completing the ukrainian fight to brexit. . , , , ., brexit. it has been across the front llaes brexit. it has been across the front pages today _ brexit. it has been across the front pages today and — brexit. it has been across the front pages today and it _ brexit. it has been across the front pages today and it was _ brexit. it has been across the front pages today and it was after i brexit. it has been across the front pages today and it was after the i pages today and it was after the prime minister was addressing the tory party spring conference and in his speech he talked about how vladimir putin had been afraid of ukraine's free press and elections and it was in this context of talking about freedom that he made at this point that british people like the ukrainians had always had it in their instinct to choose freedom and the example that he used was at the brexit referendum in his speech to the audience at the conference. and i know that it _ audience at the conference. and i know that it is _ audience at the conference. and i know that it is the _ audience at the conference. and i know that it is the instinct i audience at the conference. and i know that it is the instinct of i audience at the conference. and i know that it is the instinct of the people _ know that it is the instinct of the people of— know that it is the instinct of the people of this country, like the people — people of this country, like the people of— people of this country, like the people of ukraine, to choose freedom every _ people of ukraine, to choose freedom every time _ people of ukraine, to choose freedom everytime i— people of ukraine, to choose freedom every time. i can give you a couple of famous — every time. i can give you a couple of famous recent example — when the british—

of famous recent example — when the british people voted for brexit in such large numbers, i don't believe it such large numbers, idon't believe it was— such large numbers, i don't believe it was because they were remotely hostile _ it was because they were remotely hostile to — it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners, it's because they wanted to be free. as you mention, this is attracted criticism from cross—party politicians, notjust the politicians, not just the opposition. politicians, notjust the opposition. the snp have called any comments class, the liberal democrats have called them and insult. tory politicians have also waded into theirs, the senior toby mp tobias ellwood said those comments have damaged the standards of statecraft as well, something that was retweeted and are shared by frans's ambassador to the uk. also the tory peer lord barwell, who worked in number ten —— number 10 with theresa may. also some criticism from senior figures in europe, donald tusk, the ex—president from the european council called it an insult to the ukrainian people as well as to the british people as well. it has

certainly come at an awkward time when the uk, along with its european allies, is trying to present an allied front towards the aggression in ukraine. number10 have allied front towards the aggression in ukraine. number 10 have not commented on the widespread criticism to his remarks, but the prime minister has been out with a rather different message today, calling on china and other countries which have remained neutral so far to stop sitting on the fence and come out tojoin to stop sitting on the fence and come out to join the allies in condemning russia's invasion of ukraine. latafe condemning russia's invasion of ukraine. ~ ., ., , ., ukraine. we will wait to see how that goes- _ ukraine. we will wait to see how that goes. ione _ ukraine. we will wait to see how that goes. ione with _ ukraine. we will wait to see how that goes. ione with the - ukraine. we will wait to see how that goes. ione with the latest i ukraine. we will wait to see how| that goes. ione with the latest in that goes. lone with the latest in london. we're joined now by conservative mp, robert halfon, who is the chair of the education select committee. good morning to you. hello, good morning — good morning to you. hello, good morninl. , , , morning. the spring budget coming in a cou-le of morning. the spring budget coming in a couple of days _ morning. the spring budget coming in a couple of days and _ morning. the spring budget coming in a couple of days and huge _ morning. the spring budget coming in a couple of days and huge concerns i a couple of days and huge concerns for millions of people about the cost for a living, but i must ask you first about the very issue we were reflecting on with a lone, our political correspondent, and the prime minister's remarks in

blackpool yesterday. in your view, where the appropriate?— where the appropriate? actually, i think we should _ where the appropriate? actually, i think we should be _ where the appropriate? actually, i think we should be very _ where the appropriate? actually, i think we should be very proud i where the appropriate? actually, i think we should be very proud of. think we should be very proud of what _ think we should be very proud of what this— think we should be very proud of what this country has done to try and support ukraine, the first country— and support ukraine, the first country to— and support ukraine, the first country to supply them with lethal weapons, — country to supply them with lethal weapons, over £200 million of aid to help them _ weapons, over £200 million of aid to help them. the ground—breaking refugee — help them. the ground—breaking refugee programme that we have set ”p refugee programme that we have set up over— refugee programme that we have set up over the _ refugee programme that we have set up over the past week or so. and that is— up over the past week or so. and that is what— up over the past week or so. and that is what i think matters, that is what _ that is what i think matters, that is what people will be focusing on. and i'm _ is what people will be focusing on. and i'm sure they will be proud of that _ and i'm sure they will be proud of that. �* , , ., that. i'm sure there is a huge amount of— that. i'm sure there is a huge amount of pride _ that. i'm sure there is a huge amount of pride in _ that. i'm sure there is a huge amount of pride in that i that. i'm sure there is a huge amount of pride in that and i that. i'm sure there is a huge i amount of pride in that and also criticisms about the government's response on, for example, refugees. but on the specific question asked, did not get an answer there. what is your specific reaction to that passage completing ukraine to brexit? i passage completing ukraine to brexit? ., ., ~' passage completing ukraine to brexit? ., ., ,, , brexit? i do not think it has as big a deal as people _ brexit? i do not think it has as big a deal as people are _ brexit? i do not think it has as big a deal as people are making i brexit? i do not think it has as big a deal as people are making it i brexit? i do not think it has as big| a deal as people are making it out. the prime — a deal as people are making it out. the prime minster was saying we had a vibrant _ the prime minster was saying we had a vibrant democracy, we had a

referendum and ukraine wants to be a vibrant _ referendum and ukraine wants to be a vibrant democracy and the russians are trying _ vibrant democracy and the russians are trying to stop that. would you have said it? would you _ are trying to stop that. would you have said it? would you have i are trying to stop that. would you have said it? would you have said it? who knows. you, presumably. the ukrainians want to remain a vibrant democracy— ukrainians want to remain a vibrant democracy as well, which, of course, the russians— democracy as well, which, of course, the russians are trying to stop with their horrific actions and their invasion _ their horrific actions and their invasion. , ., their horrific actions and their invasion. , , , ., invasion. sorry to pursue this for 'ust one invasion. sorry to pursue this for just one more — invasion. sorry to pursue this for just one more moment, - invasion. sorry to pursue this for just one more moment, but- invasion. sorry to pursue this for just one more moment, but i i invasion. sorry to pursue this for i just one more moment, but i want, on behalf of our viewers, for you to be clear here. it sounds like you are uncomfortable with the language of the prime minister used and it is not language or reduce yourself. h0. not language or reduce yourself. no, what i've said — not language or reduce yourself. no, what i've said is from what i have heard _ what i've said is from what i have heard only — what i've said is from what i have heard only on the media of these remarks — heard only on the media of these remarks was the prime minister was saying _ remarks was the prime minister was saying that — remarks was the prime minister was saying that retin—a is a vibrant democracy, we have had a referendum, ukraine _ democracy, we have had a referendum, ukraine is— democracy, we have had a referendum, ukraine is a _ democracy, we have had a referendum, ukraine is a vibrant democracy —— britain _ ukraine is a vibrant democracy —— britain is — ukraine is a vibrant democracy —— britain is a — ukraine is a vibrant democracy —— britain is a vibrant democracy and ukraine _ britain is a vibrant democracy and ukraine is— britain is a vibrant democracy and

ukraine is a — britain is a vibrant democracy and ukraine is a vibrant democracy, and as far— ukraine is a vibrant democracy, and as far as— ukraine is a vibrant democracy, and as far as i'm — ukraine is a vibrant democracy, and as far as i'm concerned that's what it was— as far as i'm concerned that's what it was about — as far as i'm concerned that's what it was about. an as far as i'm concerned that's what it was about-— it was about. an insult to every ukrainian. _ it was about. an insult to every ukrainian, fending _ it was about. an insult to every ukrainian, fending ukrainians, | it was about. an insult to every i ukrainian, fending ukrainians, the british and common sense —— of fending ukrainians. you do not share that view? i fending ukrainians. you do not share that view? ~' ,, ., ., , that view? i think the ukrainians will be looking _ that view? i think the ukrainians will be looking at _ that view? i think the ukrainians will be looking at what _ that view? i think the ukrainians will be looking at what has i that view? i think the ukrainians will be looking at what has been| will be looking at what has been done _ will be looking at what has been done in — will be looking at what has been done in practice, £200 million of aid, providing them with military support — aid, providing them with military su lort. aid, providing them with military support. ok. the president of support. 0k. the president of ukraine support. oil. the president of ukraine addressing the house of commons. i think we should be very proud _ commons. i think we should be very proud of— commons. i think we should be very proud of everything we have done for ukraine _ proud of everything we have done for ukraine and — proud of everything we have done for ukraine and that is what people will focus _ ukraine and that is what people will focus on _ ukraine and that is what people will focus on rather than some remarks at the spring _ focus on rather than some remarks at the spring conference. let�*s focus on rather than some remarks at the spring conference.— the spring conference. let's talk about the cost _ the spring conference. let's talk about the cost of _ the spring conference. let's talk about the cost of living, - the spring conference. let's talk. about the cost of living, something you have campaigned on for years and years just beyond this current real focus on it. at the front page of the mail on sunday, rishi sunak, my mission to slash attacks, the just as the tax burden is the highest it has been in decades, public spending the house has been in decades. how

confident are you something might be coming on wednesday that does not amount to a tax cut that helps millions of people with the struggle for cost of living question mark i very much hope so. this for cost of living question mark i very much hope so.— very much hope so. this is when --eole very much hope so. this is when people are _ very much hope so. this is when people are worrying _ very much hope so. this is when people are worrying about i very much hope so. this is when people are worrying about one i people are worrying about one government measure or another. people — government measure or another. people are — government measure or another. people are really terrified about the literal triple whammy that they are facing, whether it is petrol, petrol— are facing, whether it is petrol, petrol and _ are facing, whether it is petrol, petrol and diesel costs and high energy— petrol and diesel costs and high energy bills and also general household bills. that is why it's absolutely vital that the government cut fuel _ absolutely vital that the government cut fuel duty or vat on fuel because it is unsustainable for people and businesses up and down the country. it hits— businesses up and down the country. it hits bus _ businesses up and down the country. it hits bus prices, the prices go up if the _ it hits bus prices, the prices go up if the bus— it hits bus prices, the prices go up if the bus companies pay more fuel. it if the bus companies pay more fuel. lt hits— if the bus companies pay more fuel. lt hits the _ if the bus companies pay more fuel. it hits the nhs because they have to pay more _

it hits the nhs because they have to pay more for vehicle use. and it hits the nhs because they have to pay more for vehicle use.— pay more for vehicle use. and what do ou pay more for vehicle use. and what do you hear. _ pay more for vehicle use. and what do you hear. you — pay more for vehicle use. and what do you hear, you keep— pay more for vehicle use. and what do you hear, you keep your i pay more for vehicle use. and what do you hear, you keep your ear- pay more for vehicle use. and what i do you hear, you keep your ear close to the ground on these themes? fuel duty a massive contribution to people's costs at the pump, 57 58p and later paid on fuel duty at the moment, then vat on top of that and they are paying that on top of income already taxed. you would like to see this cut in fuel duty, are you hearing positive noises from your perspective that will happen? i have no idea what will be in the chancellor's lunch box in terms of the autumn, sorry, the spending round _ the autumn, sorry, the spending round this— the autumn, sorry, the spending round this coming week. but what i do know— round this coming week. but what i do know is— round this coming week. but what i do know is over the past 11 years or so, the _ do know is over the past 11 years or so, the government has acted to freeze _ so, the government has acted to freeze fugitive. i have campaigned on there _ freeze fugitive. i have campaigned on there since i have been a member of parliament. i very much hope that the government recognise that there is a serious _ the government recognise that there is a serious problem out there. people — is a serious problem out there. people are _ is a serious problem out there. people are terrified about these rising _ people are terrified about these rising costs. they are struggling to keep their— rising costs. they are struggling to keep their heads above water and they do— keep their heads above water and they do something to make it easier

to cut _ they do something to make it easier to cut the _ they do something to make it easier to cut the cost of living for motorists, businesses, up and down the country — motorists, businesses, up and down the country-— the country. some of the criticism ou hear the country. some of the criticism you hear from _ the country. some of the criticism you hear from people _ the country. some of the criticism you hear from people within i the country. some of the criticism you hear from people within your| you hear from people within your party is a feeling that the prime minister isn't instinctively conservative enough, he spent a huge amount of money, taxes people hugely. do you think he gets it? do you think he is instinctively conservative?— you think he is instinctively conservative? ~ ., conservative? wheneveri have discussed _ conservative? wheneveri have discussed fuel _ conservative? wheneveri have discussed fuel duty _ conservative? wheneveri have discussed fuel duty with i conservative? wheneveri have discussed fuel duty with the i conservative? whenever i have i discussed fuel duty with the prime minister. — discussed fuel duty with the prime minister, overthe past discussed fuel duty with the prime minister, over the past couple of years. _ minister, over the past couple of years. i— minister, over the past couple of years. ido— minister, over the past couple of years, i do think he gets it. we have _ years, i do think he gets it. we have kept— years, i do think he gets it. we have kept the fuel duty freeze. i am asking _ have kept the fuel duty freeze. i am asking them to do a fair mortar that _ asking them to do a fair mortar that we — asking them to do a fair mortar that. we also have the national —— there _ that. we also have the national —— there more — that. we also have the national —— there more to that. we are also helping — there more to that. we are also helping his people's wages by over £1000 _ helping his people's wages by over £1000 per year. the chancellorjust spent _ £1000 per year. the chancellorjust spent £9 _ £1000 per year. the chancellorjust spent £9 billion trying to reduce energy— spent £9 billion trying to reduce energy bills, that is a sizeable sum: _ energy bills, that is a sizeable sum, taxpayers money when we are at

a difficult — sum, taxpayers money when we are at a difficult time, trillions in debt and spent — a difficult time, trillions in debt and spent aoo a difficult time, trillions in debt and spent 400 billion plus dealing with covid pandemic.— with covid pandemic. thank you, robert, with covid pandemic. thank you, robert. nice _ with covid pandemic. thank you, robert, nice to _ with covid pandemic. thank you, robert, nice to talk _ with covid pandemic. thank you, robert, nice to talk to _ with covid pandemic. thank you, robert, nice to talk to you. i with covid pandemic. thank you, | robert, nice to talk to you. thank you for coming on. it will be interesting to see what comes out of the spring statement, wanted? an hour away. 8a7. almost a time for me to leave you. first we havejohn time for me to leave you. first we have john with time for me to leave you. first we havejohn with the sport. don't take it personally, i'm interested in your bulletin. i5 don't take it personally, i'm interested in your bulletin. is it because england did not manage last night? england went for it, but it was france all the way. they have the best team on the planet, it is fair to say and their six nations, if they could go on and win it under they could go on and win it under the grand slam, just illustrates where they are in international rugby at the moment. they'd played out in paris last night and there is the world cup next year so it front

speaking at the right time. —— france peaking at the right time. well, it was proper box office stuff last night, 8pm prime time slot on a saturday as france won their first six nations title and with it the grand slam for the first time in over a decade. england the team trying to stop them in paris last night, france though scored two tries in the first half and although england fought back, this try from antoine dupont sealed a famous win, their first title since 2010, england finished third. obviously i still can't realise what is happening, but it's amazing. the expression at the end of the whistle, so good to show the boys. it's an amazing feeling, so proud. disappointed for the fans, disappointed for the players. i have not done _ disappointed for the players. i have not done a — disappointed for the players. i have not done a good enoughjob and i realise _ not done a good enoughjob and i realise that. but we are moving in the right— realise that. but we are moving in the right direction. you can see with— the right direction. you can see with every— the right direction. you can see with every game we have played, we are playing _ with every game we have played, we are playing with such spirit and cohesion _ are playing with such spirit and cohesion. what we do not have is the finesse _ cohesion. what we do not have is the finesse to _ cohesion. what we do not have is the finesse to turn opportunities and point _ when we can win games. eddie john

sa s he is when we can win games. eddie john says he is still— when we can win games. eddie john says he is still the _ when we can win games. eddie john says he is still the right _ when we can win games. eddie john says he is still the right man i when we can win games. eddie john says he is still the right man to i says he is still the right man to lead that team to the world cup. —— eddiejones. ireland could have won the trophy if england had managed to beat the french. that's after they were too strong for scotland winning by 25 points to 6. conor murray scored the last of their four tries as the won the triple crown. and what a moment for italy as they broke their seven—year six nations losing sequence with a shock win over wales in cardiff. edoardo padovani scoring a last—gasp try for a 22 points to 21 victory. the italians had lost the previous 36 games in the competition. so what he really, really special moment for them. england are on the cusp of an incredible turnaournd at the women's cricket world cup after beating new zealand this morning by one wicket. having lost their opening three matches, their defence of the title looked over. but now with two wins back to back their defence is back on, nat sciver with 61 as they chased

their target of 203. still nervy, just one wicket in hand. anya shrubsole with the winning runs. they still need to beat the bottom two teams but should now go through. there's a slim chance england could still win the second test against west indies. kraigg brathwaite made 160 before being bowled by jack leach. england struggled to get any more wickets as west indies made a11. england closed yesterday with a lead of 136 — so the plan today, alex lees and zak crawley who are still there, to get quick runs before declaring and attempting to bowl them out on the final day. yeah, you know, it was tough graft out there. the wicket obviously wasn't offering a great deal. but i really enjoyed it, taking ten wickets out there, the boys took out there, the discipline, and we got the rewards later on. not to focus on chelsea off the field. but on the field.

chelsea are into the semifinals of the fa cup. 2—0, they beat middlesbrough with only a limited number of chelsea fans were allowed to watch, with the club banned from selling any tickets. their biggest earner, romelu lukaku, scored first before hakim ziyech grabbed the other. from the fa cup to the premier league. arsenal won again to boost their hopes of qualifying for the champions league. they lost to liverpool last time out, but beat aston villa here, the only goal of the game came from bukayo saka. the gunners now four points clear in that all important fourth place. to the race in the scottish premiership — champions rangers need to beat dundee if they're to keep pace with league leaders celtic who put four past ross county. giorgos giakoumakis with his second hat—trick in five games. ange postecoglou's side on a brilliant unbeaten run. and what a busy day ahead it is with the first race of the formula 1 season to come.

new season, new rules, and we could even get a new world champion following a big shake—up in formula 1. that's because it is the red of ferrari and charles leclerc on pole for the first race in bahrain, with curent champion max verstappen second. lewis hamilton is well off the pace and starts in fifth with new team—mate george russell ninth. but for mercedes to work on, but... with the climax of the season last time and then these changing the rules which could make it a lot more competitive and the added then, is looking at the sunday times, teenage girls fall for formula 1 it says. hooked on drive to survive. . it has

alwa s hooked on drive to survive. . it has always had — hooked on drive to survive. . it has always had that _ hooked on drive to survive. . it has always had that sparkle, _ hooked on drive to survive. . it has always had that sparkle, but i hooked on drive to survive. . it has always had that sparkle, but whether you thought the end of the season was good or bad, it has probably been the best thing because everyone has been talking about it. we are now going to talk about covid bit. the booster campaign for covid vaccines will be ramped up again in england this week, with adults over the age of 75, care home residents and the most vulnerable over—12s being offered another jab. it comes as the number of covid cases continue to rise across the uk. the surge in infections has prompted some people to come forward for their first booster dose, as anne—marie tasker reports. with the number of covid cases rocketing in north lincolnshire, sonia harrison decided it was time to get her booster. it has put me off from going out and it has scared me.

i have asthma and copd, so i thought i really should have the booster. my son is against it, but with me having health problems, i felt that i needed to have it. it's a year since scunthorpe opened its dedicated vaccination centre, but the call to getjabbed is being made as strongly as ever with the latest wave of covid impacting on health care. we want to see every patient that walks through the door. we want to help every single person who rings us. but if we don't have the staff to do all of that, we can't, so it has a knock—on effect on the gps and then appointments and then patients showing up to a&e, so it affects everybody. covid cases have shot up after restrictions ended last month — facemasks and self—isolation no longer legally required. i think it's down to a few things. one is that we've got a new type of omicron,

which is called ba.2. even more so than the first version of omicron, so more people are catching it. i think the second reason is we might be seeing some waning of immunity from the booster doses. and the third reason is that people's behaviours is changing. they're mixing more, they're not wearing face coverings, and all those three things together are driving that increase in cases. so vaccination centres are gearing up for their next campaign fourth jabs — for over—75s from next week and five to 11—year—olds next month, and anyone not fully vaccinated asked to come forward. anne—marie tasker, bbc news. we can speak now to gp dr rosemary leonard. good morning to you. good morning. as i said a few _ good morning to you. good morning. as i said a few minutes _ good morning to you. good morning. as i said a few minutes ago, - as i said a few minutes ago, inevitably the focus on the news over the last few weeks has been elsewhere. over the last few weeks has been elsewhere-— over the last few weeks has been elsewhere. , ., , , elsewhere. maybe those of us beyond those working — elsewhere. maybe those of us beyond those working in _ elsewhere. maybe those of us beyond those working in medicine _ elsewhere. maybe those of us beyond those working in medicine have i elsewhere. maybe those of us beyond those working in medicine have taken | those working in medicine have taken our eye off things as far as covid

is concerned. lots to talk to you about, but the booster programme not least, but let's talk about these variants that are beginning to make the news. tell us more about and how we how worried we should be or not? at the bottom one is we should not be worried at this stage. we have had it as new variant of omicron around and it is believed that is responsible for the huge spread. lots and lots of people are getting infected, we are seeing it in workplaces where people are away from work, but the vast majority of them are not particularly ill, they have just got a bad cold, them are not particularly ill, they havejust got a bad cold, sore throat, feeling a bit rough. there are reports of a variant that combines are dealt out with omicron, delticron, but there are only a handful of cases and it does not look to be a nasty variant of the virus. we know the virus is always mutate, and this is why we have an

annual flu vaccine, mutate, and this is why we have an annualflu vaccine, changing it a little each year to match what the virus is doing. this is what we can expect with covid as well. we hear different emphases _ expect with covid as well. we hear different emphases from _ expect with covid as well. we hear different emphases from political. different emphases from political leaders around the uk, but the core of what many are saying is this idea that collectively we have to live with covid. in your estimation, are we managing to do that regarding concerns with the relaxation of we are getting a surge, which was to be expected, but children plasma education is not being distracted as it was. ., , . education is not being distracted as it was. .,, ., . ., ., education is not being distracted as it was. ., ., ., ., ., it was. people are back at work and if ou let it was. people are back at work and if you get covid. — it was. people are back at work and if you get covid, you _ it was. people are back at work and if you get covid, you do _ it was. people are back at work and if you get covid, you do not i it was. people are back at work and if you get covid, you do not need i if you get covid, you do not need ten days. you can do a test, but it will be more tricky come april, stay away from other people until you're feeling better. and we are learning to live with this in the same way we learn to live with coughs and colds every winter in the uk. teii learn to live with coughs and colds every winter in the uk.— every winter in the uk. tell me about this _ every winter in the uk. tell me about this next _ every winter in the uk. tell me about this next round - every winter in the uk. tell me

about this next round of - every winter in the uk. tell me | about this next round of booster jabs and how people who are eligible will hear about them. so jabs and how people who are eligible will hear about them.— will hear about them. so they will be informed _ will hear about them. so they will be informed about _ will hear about them. so they will be informed about it. _ will hear about them. so they will be informed about it. we - will hear about them. so they will be informed about it. we are - be informed about it. we are expecting about 600,000 people to be informed this week, being sent a text or being called to say they will have their booster. it will be slightly different from the first time around. a lot of gps who did the first round of vaccines are not taking part in this poster campaign because we are concentrating on all the other work that has piled up. you will have an invitation, you can then book online or call up to get an appointment and he vaccine centre and those in care homes, there will be teams visiting. what i'm not sure about is what will happen about the housebound people who all the gps did the first time around. we will wait and see. i can see there might be a problem with elderly people living alone who are not any care home. we will wait and see how they are vaccinated, because the detail

we do not know.— are vaccinated, because the detail we do not know. ., ~ , . we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk — we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk to — we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk to you _ we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk to you this _ we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk to you this morning, - we do not know. thank you very much. nice to talk to you this morning, dr- nice to talk to you this morning, dr rosemary leonard. that's all for today. breakfast will be back tomorrow from six. enjoy the rest of your weekend. bye— bye.

this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm lucy hawkings. our top stories: ukrainian authorities say russia has bombed a school in mariupol where around 400 people were sheltering — president zelensky says moscow has committed war crimes in the city. translation: to do this to - a peaceful city that the occupiers did to it is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come. i'm in lviv in western ukraine. we will bring you all the developments.

fleeing the war across the danube river between ukraine and romania — we follow those searching