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 for a safer life. their thoughts as they reach safety themselves between one world at war and another world at peace are with those they've left behind in ukraine. how ukraine's ballet dancers are being offered shelter and new opportunities in poland. the duke and duchess of cambridge arrive in belize as part of their tour of the caribbean to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. hello and welcome to bbc news. the authorities in the beseiged ukrainian city of mariupol have accused russia of bombing a school where around 400 people were taking shelter. there's no word yet on casualties. president zelensky says russia's siege of the port is a "terror that will be remembered

for centuries to come". let's get the latest from the west of the country. my colleague james reynolds is in lviv. accusations that the school in mariupol has been bombed today. we are hearing this was an art school and the acquisition is 400 people were inside and again as we have donein were inside and again as we have done in recent days we have struggled to get independently verifiable information from mariupol for the reason we can get in there. the siege is stopping independent information getting out or going in and we are able to speak to people who have evacuated and have left but their perspective will be extremely limited from living in basements and having escaped to safety. the mayor of mariupol has accused the russian

military of illegally removing thousands of residents and forcibly taking them over the border into russia. moscow has not directly addressed the claim, but its defence ministry claims thousands of ukrainians wished to "escape to russia" and its government was helping them. 0urfirst report is from jon donnison. 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 now after weeks of shelling, and encircled by the russians, it's almost unrecognisable. and this morning there are unverified reports of an art school building where 400 people were sheltering being bombed yesterday, with many still trapped in the rubble. 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 tell of days of terror.

translation: i could never imagine |that a bomb would hit a house next| to mine, that my district would be literally wiped out. the outskirts of the city were simply destroyed. and then i realised there were 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. from our positions across the country would continue to monitor what is happening in mariupol. my colleague james waterhouse is in kyiv,the capital, and he has this update us on the latest situation in the besieged city of mariupol. information as ever when it comes coming out of the southeast is very difficult to verify straightaway, but nevertheless we have another claim from authorities in mariupol that a building where people were taking shelter from the constant bombardment that has now been targeted itself.

we know 400 people were inside an art school. no word yet on casualties, but it comes as rescue teams try and pull people out of the rubble at a theatre. hundreds are thought to be trapped there after a theatre housing more than 1,000 was struck. than 1,000 was struck a couple of days ago, and what is making their efforts all the more difficult is fighting breaking out in the streets. there are now russian forces in the heart of mariupol. we understand, suggesting, as feared by the west, that the level of ukrainian resistance might be starting to falter under intense pressure. sustained bombardment, sustained siege for more than two weeks, where more than coming up to 2,500 people are known to have died. the figure is thought to be higher, but nevertheless it has come at a cost for the russians. they have sustained unexpected losses, and the thought from military experts is should mariupol fall, yes, it's strategically significant, it gives the russians a land corridor across the south east

of ukraine, but it also means that the russians for russians priority is to now regroup instead of launch new attacks because of the costs they've sustained. i'm joined now by 0leg savchuk in dnipro. he managed to escaped from the besieged city of mariupol with his family earlier this week. what was life like in mariupol? it was horrible. i can never imagine in my city these kind of things can happen. starting from the third day of war, we moved from the high street to the port district of our grandparents to group together and right after the stay everything started to get worse and worse. for example, the first day without

electricity then without gas and then without heat, etc, etc. then we were without even mobile communication and there was a vacuum of information. this is the first part of the problem. the second one is everything was bombed. we didn't have any kind of food, we can't buy anything, we can't find anything at all. people who were hungryjust still we were without any water or food, anything's that we need from day to day. for example, when we were then mariupol, the temperature was minus five celsius and everything is covered by snow. for example, if you want to prepare some food and make some tea, we need to go outside and make a fire but

everything was wet because of the snow and we went to the nearest closed cinema and removed windows and everything that can be used for fire and used it to buy or something.— fire and used it to buy or somethina. ., , ., ., m something. how did you get out? also used snow for — something. how did you get out? also used snow for water _ something. how did you get out? also used snow for water we _ something. how did you get out? also used snow for water we were - something. how did you get out? also used snow for water we were about i something. how did you get out? also used snow for water we were about to | used snow for water we were about to drink. how we got out, there was not a green corridor and people decided on the run to move. it was a small group and on monday they moved and the military said you don't need to go because there are a lot of minds outside mariupol so it was really scary thing but we decided with our neighbours that we needed to go

right now because we didn't know if you would have such a kind of opportunity later because each day it was worse and worse. and on the 15th of march, it was tuesday, we moved. ., ., ., ~ , ., ., moved. how long will it take you and our famil moved. how long will it take you and your family to _ moved. how long will it take you and your family to recover _ moved. how long will it take you and your family to recover from - moved. how long will it take you and your family to recover from what - moved. how long will it take you and your family to recover from what you i your family to recover from what you have lived through in mariupol? previously when we moved to mariupol to a half hours but this way it took for us 14 and a half hours. it was more than ten military points from the russian ukrainian side and it was really slow and we were lucky, a family, because our neighbours who moved earlier later needed to stay in a different city and it took more

than one day, 2527 hours. == in a different city and it took more than one day, 2527 hours.- in a different city and it took more than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or 27 hours- — than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or 27 hours. safely _ than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or 27 hours. safely in _ than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or 27 hours. safely in dnipro - than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or 27 hours. safely in dnipro with - than one day, 2527 hours. -- 25 or| 27 hours. safely in dnipro with your family, thank you very much. we will try to investigate what is going on in mariupol and try to investigate the claims and verify them. in lviv it is relatively quiet and it's a way station for people who want to leave more dangerous areas. there was an air raid warning about half past five in the morning and then there was no clear at past six. a reminder that the sounds of war follow them wherever they go. are you still seeing the same amount of people arriving in lviv or have the numbers slowed? we will go and check those out. we hope to be able to speak to you from the train station.

reports we have had in recent days suggest those numbers have gone down as the first wave of people who wanted to get out of the country via lviv have done so but nevertheless when we get to the train station we will tell you. russia says it has again fired hypersonic missiles in ukraine. let's get reaction to this from jonathan marcus, defence analyst at the strategic studies institute at the university of exeter. can you tell us what a hypersonic missile is and how it potentially changes the conflict? edd missile is and how it potentially changes the conflict?— missile is and how it potentially changes the conflict? sad to say i'm not sure it really _ changes the conflict? sad to say i'm not sure it really does _ changes the conflict? sad to say i'm not sure it really does change - changes the conflict? sad to say i'm not sure it really does change the i not sure it really does change the conflict. there are various kinds but it essentially it flies very fast and is particularly manoeuvrable which means in different contexts it can avoid defensive systems and so on. i think in the context of ukraine, i am afraid it isjust in the context of ukraine, i am afraid it is just another russian weapon. it may indicate that they want to try it out and battle conditions, it is a relatively new

weapon. it may be simply they are running out of stocks of other kinds of missiles, but i don't think it actually alters the basic facts on the ground which is the extraordinary willingness of the russians to bombard civilian areas indiscriminately as well is obviously trying to take out key infrastructure targets. what obviously trying to take out key infrastructure targets. what kind of risk of miscalculation _ infrastructure targets. what kind of risk of miscalculation as _ infrastructure targets. what kind of risk of miscalculation as there - infrastructure targets. what kind of risk of miscalculation as there was | risk of miscalculation as there was a hypersonic missile? i think in this particular case no particular risk than any of the other the are using. i don't think this particular weapon should be focused on is a game changer. i think what is much more important is the shift in russian strategy. i think many analysts think now that the initial phase of this war, the first few weeks has really represented a failure on the part of the russians and they have not achieved what they

wanted to so they are shifting to a new strategy, one much more of attrition and we have seen the horrific nature of this in the besieged city of mariupol and there are fears the same extensive devastation could be visited on other ukrainian cities and this state of attrition to go on grinding away for some period of time and lead to many more civilian casualties. i lead to many more civilian casualties.— lead to many more civilian casualties. ., ., ~ ., ., ~ casualties. i had a ukrainian mp seeinu to casualties. i had a ukrainian mp seeing to the — casualties. i had a ukrainian mp seeing to the bbc— casualties. i had a ukrainian mp seeing to the bbc this - casualties. i had a ukrainian mp seeing to the bbc this morning | casualties. i had a ukrainian mp i seeing to the bbc this morning she believes kyiv could come under attack by the russian armies in the next few days. what is your assessment of what is happening around the capital? the ukrainian forces have _ around the capital? the ukrainian forces have been _ around the capital? the ukrainian forces have been reasonably - forces have been reasonably successful in trying to keep the russians back and out of some artillery range of the capital. it is interesting that we have seen pictures of russian forces drinking

in —— digging in and we have seen entrenchments closer to kyiv but the russians do not have enough forces yet to physically encircle the city. they may be able to bring some of its suburbs and other parts of the city under direct attack on direct fire but one of the notable features of the russian offensive has been the way it has been split up into many, many lines of advance and the russians have so far been unable to focus and concentrate their forces to make significant headway against some of their urban targets such as kharkiv and the ukrainian capital. 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 those making the journey. 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 she thinks that they 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. the united nations says a child refugee is created every second. let's go to lviv again. with me lviv again. now isjoe english from unicef. it must be surreal for you to see children playing on the swings like

a normal sunday.— children playing on the swings like a normal sunday. indeed, it could be an here a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in — a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in the _ a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in the world. _ a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in the world. what - a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in the world. what you - a normal sunday. indeed, it could be anywhere in the world. what you can j anywhere in the world. what you can see behind me is the bomb shelter. every day i have been here we have had air raid sirens go off and when that happens, they find their parents and stop what they're doing and make their way into that shelter. and this is one of the safe parts of the country where people have been fleeing from elsewhere. as we continue to see these devastating attacks on schools and hospitals and places where children are meant to be kept safe, we will continue to see children making dangerous journeys and search of safety. == journeys and search of safety. -- unicef have _ journeys and search of safety. —— unicef have staff in mariupol? your mac we don't have staff there, it has been described as apocalyptic and hell on earth and there are almost not strong enough words to

describe the situation. we almost not strong enough words to describe the situation.— almost not strong enough words to describe the situation. we have had re orts describe the situation. we have had reports and — describe the situation. we have had reports and not _ describe the situation. we have had reports and not been _ describe the situation. we have had reports and not been able _ describe the situation. we have had reports and not been able to - describe the situation. we have had reports and not been able to verifyl reports and not been able to verify them but a little girl dying from dehydration, not enough safe drinking water and it is the 21st—century, this is medieval and we need a way to access these people and stop the bombs and bullets. not only to let humanitarian organisations get in but vulnerable children and vulnerable families get out. is children and vulnerable families get out. , . , children and vulnerable families get out. , ,, children and vulnerable families get out. , children and vulnerable families get out. ., out. is any progress being made in t in: to out. is any progress being made in trying to get _ out. is any progress being made in trying to get supplies _ out. is any progress being made in trying to get supplies into - out. is any progress being made in trying to get supplies into a - out. is any progress being made in trying to get supplies into a city i trying to get supplies into a city like mariupol? we are ready to go when we have safe access unicef has 85 trucks in transit to the moment and more than 850 tonnes of supplies. 0n and more than 850 tonnes of supplies. on friday morning we were able to get into sumy and get toys to the children who are living in

the metro system in kharkiv. the lona term the metro system in kharkiv. the long term needs will be huge. we are always struck by the resilience of children and how strong they are but what do you see as being the biggest needin what do you see as being the biggest need in the months to come? will it be mental health support that is needed? ,_ ., , ., be mental health support that is needed? ., , be mental health support that is needed? , ., needed? psychosocial support for children who _ needed? psychosocial support for children who have _ needed? psychosocial support for children who have experienced i children who have experienced trauma, not only from the direct violence but the associated people are being forced from their homes, everything they have ever known, being separated from their fathers and brothers and setting off in search of safety. it will also be critical to get kids back into school as soon as possible and as soon as it is safe. children around the world have gone through two years of disruption to their education and we know what that does to kids that will be critical as well and we need to start providing for those kids they allow them to have a semblance of a normal childhood and start picking up the pieces of that shuttled —— of their

shattered lives. 0pera houses and theatres across europe have offered to help fleeing or stranded ballet dancers affected by the war in ukraine. in warsaw, the polish national ballet has offered shelter to about 30 ukrainian dancers. the bbc visited one of their rehearsals.

the entire company is affected by the war. you know, it's not that we feel fear or we want to run away, but it's more the mood of the company. everyone is worrying about this. i open the door, i welcome them. the daily class is something very vital for every single dancer. it's like psychotherapy. you go back to your routine and you feel that life can be normal. we have a live page mariupol —— we

have a live page on everything happening in mariupol. it has been a glorious weekend so far with all four nations recording its warmest day of the year so far but the top temperature was 20.2 celsius. a beautiful day in highland without a cloud in the sky but today we may see a bit more in away of fair weather loud and it mayjust be a bit more cooler with a maximum of 13 or 14 degrees. two areas of cloud, one to the south—west and affecting parts of south wales and this cloud across the low countries which may drift towards the coastline of east anglia as we go through the late afternoon. it may well produce one or two isolated showers. generally a bit more fair

weather loud to the east of the pennines and the best sunshine and sheltered western areas away from the cloud and to the south—west which could trigger an isolated shower. cooler on the east coast, nine or ten and top temperatures of 14 degrees. tonight that cloud will continue to drift through north sea and produce a bit more cloud across the east of england. nothing significant in terms of rainfall, further in land we will see the lowest temperatures, just before freezing and a touch of light frost in sheltered rural parts but as we go through the next few days and looks likely that warmth is set to build. again we could see that cloud just interfering with the far east coast of aberdeenshire and to the south. a little more fair weather cloud but the wind direction light, turnit cloud but the wind direction light, turn it round to a southerly and warmer still, 15 or 16 degrees the high here and we're looking at ten to 13 degrees across scotland and

northern ireland. as we move from monday into tuesday, warmer air continues to push up from the west of europe and it will get noticeably warmer with each day. so as we move into tuesday, dry settled on a sunny but as the warmth builds it may trigger a few very isolated showers. nothing to wide spread but it is worth bearing in mind. temperatures are likely to peek into the mid to high teens in many places. that story will continue through the week ahead and we could see temperatures once again back up to 20 degrees, 68 fahrenheit, way above where they should be for this time of year.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lucy hockings. 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. fleeing the war across the danube river between ukraine and romania — we follow those searching for a safer life. their thoughts as they reach safety themselves between one world at war and another world at peace are with those they've left behind in ukraine. how ukraine's ballet dancers are being offered shelter

and new opportunities in poland. the duke and duchess of cambridge arrive in belize as part of their tour of the caribbean to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. people in the ukrainian capital, kyiv, have been spending their nights underground to avoid the threat that hangs over their city. 0ur international correspondent, 0rla guerin, joined them in a shelter built in soviet times. the nightly routine as the curfew descends. they seek refuge below ground in kyiv. we can't say exactly where. some are glued to the radio, like a scene from wars gone by. and they bed down in darkness,

forced into the shadows. our guide is zoe, a teacher and translator driven from her own bed by russian attacks. they bombed the city close to my apartment. at five o'clock in the morning, i got up like crazy, i didn't know what to do because it was frightening. you know, the building was shaking like this, so... and after that, i decided to come here. voice breaks: i'm sorry. before, i watched it only in the movies of when the second world war started. 0nly movies about it, but now we are in this reality, you know? in a makeshift bedroom nearby, another echo of the past — a discarded lenin.

many here believe vladimir putin is trying to drag ukraine and europe back to the dark days of the soviet era. at the dinner table, the discussion among friends and neighbours is about the defences around the city. and there are other worries here, like what to tell the children. julia says her six—year—old keeps asking questions. "we tell her she has to cope for a little while, and we hug her and kiss her," she says. then it's bedtime. mother and daughter counting sheep. a familiar ritual in a time of danger and uncertainty.

0rla guerin, bbc news, kyiv. as we've been reporting, there continues to be intense fighting in mariupol, which is completely surrounded. the bbc�*s sophie rayworth spoke to the ukrainian mp halyna yanchenko. she started by asking if the city could fall. while you should understand that the situation is very tense and hard, russian occupants have bombed about 80% of all the buildings in the city, and we are talking about a big city. we are talking about a city with about half a million inhabitants living there before the russian invasion. so about 80% of all the buildings are ruined. people are trying to find shelter in any other kind of buildings,

including theatre, which was also recently bombed, as you as you might know. they're trying to find some shelter in schools, in hospitals, even in churches. but we see that even this kind of buildings are being attacked by russians who have nothing sacred. as you say, the theatre was bombed a few days ago, and there are a lot of people trapped still. have you made any progress in rescuing them? yesterday, about 130 people were rescued from the theatre. also, for over a week, we are trying to actually negotiate with russians a humanitarian corridor, so people who are innocent, who are civilians, who don't even mean to fight — we are talking about women

and children, including babies who are born during this, you know, mariupol�*s blockade. yesterday and a day before we managed to rescue a couple of thousand people, they escaped the city and now they are moving toward the more western regions. is your fear that president putin will do to other cities in ukraine what he has done to mariupol? this is not a fear, this is what they already do. look what they did to kharkiv. the city was under massive shelling. look to what they did to chernhiv and to many other cities in that region, and also to many other satellite cities around other cities and villages around kyiv that totally destroyed.

and the thing is, the worst thing is that putin is not fighting with building. of course, it makes no sense to, you know, hit residential building. it makes no sense to hit schools and kindergartens. russian occupation army has started to fight against civilians. they are not people. they are not soldiers. they behave themselves like, i don't know, like animals, like devils. over two million people alone have crossed from ukraine into poland. 0n the border itself, there's a big operation helping those coming across, involving hundreds of european volunteers. two of the good samaritans are ciro 0rsini, a renowned london—based restauranteur — who's teamed up with his former employee yaroslave gordiento to help ukrainian refugees — at the polish border. they've been speaking to my colleague samantha simmonds. when we heard about the war here, especially i had three restaurants in ukraine myself. 0ne one was in kyiv and one was in

kharkiv and the other was 0desa. we came to rescue them. my nephew is married to a girl from kyiv and finally her mum and dad decided to leave. i was so happy when i came to see yaroslave. 12 years later, we found each other on the ground, cross the border, any war zone. me and him while we were working in the past, we were making pizzas, serving food. and he is working with his wife, victoria, who is a wonderful help. and they met as in the restaurant, so there is a long story behind this. so we united ourselves and we came here to support the charity more than anything right now. that is what we are here for. and i want to take my people out, my old stuff and some other people as

well and also to bring out some other wonderful souls coming across, just theirfamily. other wonderful souls coming across, just their family. everybody is our family. we love everybody, we care just as much to bring a relative that as well. {lit just as much to bring a relative that as well.— just as much to bring a relative that as well. _, , ., ., that as well. of course, yaroslave, this has impacted _ that as well. of course, yaroslave, this has impacted on _ that as well. of course, yaroslave, this has impacted on you _ that as well. of course, yaroslave, this has impacted on you and - that as well. of course, yaroslave, this has impacted on you and your| this has impacted on you and your family directly, with your mum in the country in ukraine just until last week yeah, yeah. irate the country in ukraine “ust until last week yeah, yeah. we moved with m famil last week yeah, yeah. we moved with my family a — last week yeah, yeah. we moved with my family a few— last week yeah, yeah. we moved with my family a few months _ last week yeah, yeah. we moved with my family a few months back - last week yeah, yeah. we moved with my family a few months back here - last week yeah, yeah. we moved with | my family a few months back here and from the _ my family a few months back here and from the first day when they were begun, _ from the first day when they were begun, we — from the first day when they were begun, we decided that we are part of this_ begun, we decided that we are part of this and — begun, we decided that we are part of this and we felt we need to help people _ of this and we felt we need to help people as — of this and we felt we need to help people as much as we can. so we established a charity fund. we are also cooperating with a few other foundations and non—profit organisations such as open dialogue, and when i met ciro

with his charity. back to my mother, yes, she is 75 years— back to my mother, yes, she is 75 years old — back to my mother, yes, she is 75 years old and it was hard to move her away — years old and it was hard to move her away but after spending a few nights— her away but after spending a few nights in— her away but after spending a few nights in the bomb shelter, she finally— nights in the bomb shelter, she finally decided she is ok and ready to move _ finally decided she is ok and ready to move. she spent almost five days in the _ to move. she spent almost five days in the car— to move. she spent almost five days in the car with no shower, no sleep to get— in the car with no shower, no sleep to get to _ in the car with no shower, no sleep to get to the — in the car with no shower, no sleep to get to the border. i waited for her also that 24 hours because now the wave _ her also that 24 hours because now the wave of— her also that 24 hours because now the wave of refugees is a bit off, but 17 _ the wave of refugees is a bit off, but 17 days— the wave of refugees is a bit off, but 17 days ago, there was a big, bil but 17 days ago, there was a big, big amount — but 17 days ago, there was a big, big amount of people and finally, i -ot big amount of people and finally, i got her_ big amount of people and finally, i got her here and we are all together. 0therthings got her here and we are all together. other things good or that my mother, the mother of my wife she is originally _ my mother, the mother of my wife she is originally from kyiv and her house —

is originally from kyiv and her house is— is originally from kyiv and her house is in— is originally from kyiv and her house is in the village next to keep. — house is in the village next to keep, north part of kyiv where the russian _ keep, north part of kyiv where the russian troops are mainly located. and it's _ russian troops are mainly located. and it's terrible. find russian troops are mainly located. and it's terrible.— russian troops are mainly located. and it's terrible. and they bombed. they bombed _ and it's terrible. and they bombed. they bombed the _ and it's terrible. and they bombed. they bombed the centre _ and it's terrible. and they bombed. they bombed the centre of- and it's terrible. and they bombed. they bombed the centre of the - they bombed the centre of the village. — they bombed the centre of the village, the village is very close to a very— village, the village is very close to a very difficult area and it's a very difficult situation. ciro 0rsini and yaroslave gordiento from the open dialogue foundation, thank you. the british prime minister boris johnson has been criticised for comparing ukrainians fighting russia to british people voting for brexit. he made his remarks at the conservative party's spring conference yesterday. 0ur political correspondent ione wells has more. 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 and 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 the ukrainians, to choose freedom, citing in his speech, the example of brexit. and i know that it's the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of ukraine, to choose freedom every time. i can give you a couple of famous recent examples. when the british people voted for brexit in such large, large numbers, i don't believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners. it's because they wanted to be free. from across the political spectrum. expected criticism from the opposition, with parties like the snp calling

the comments crass. the lib dems calling them an insult. but also from within the conservative party as well. the senior tory mp tobias ellwood, who chairs parliament's select committee on defence, said that his comments "damage the standards of statecraft" and these were comments that were then retweeted and shared by france's ambassador to the uk. the tory peer lord barwell also made the point that ukraine wants to join the eu and criticised the prime ministerfor making these comments. but the comments have also received quite widespread criticism from significant figures in europe as well. donald tusk, for example, ex—president of the european council, calling them insulting to the ukrainian people. so certainly rather an awkward response at a time when europe and the west is trying to present a very much united diplomatic front in the face of russia's aggression towards ukraine. now, we haven't had any response so far to the criticism or comment from number 10 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. but we'll watch this space to see if number 10 do issue any kind of statement in response to the growing criticism that he is receiving for the comments. let's get more on the refugees leaving ukraine to find safety in other countries. i'm joined now by the bbc�*s nick thorpe who's in siret, romania. what is the situation there today, nick? ~ , , ., ., nick? well, this is one of the bi est nick? well, this is one of the biggest border _ nick? well, this is one of the biggest border crossings - nick? well, this is one of the biggest border crossings i - nick? well, this is one of the | biggest border crossings i had nick? well, this is one of the - biggest border crossings i had been out in the past three, almost four weeks now. in hungary, now in romania. behind me, these are the humanitarian workers, different charity organisations distributing food to the people crossing the border from food to the people crossing the borderfrom behind me. they are coming from a big city quarter of a million people on the other side of

the border inside of ukraine —— a big city of the quarter—million people. some have come from as far away as luhansk in the east. what is different about this border crossing as it is notjust one way traffic, it is one of the hubs we are european union aid and she meditated and it is flowing into ukraine. just now we were talking to italians who with a supply of ambulances going into ukraine.— into ukraine. have you seen many children crossing? _ into ukraine. have you seen many children crossing? and _ into ukraine. have you seen many children crossing? and how- into ukraine. have you seen many children crossing? and how many| into ukraine. have you seen many i children crossing? and how many are travelling alone?— travelling alone? exactly. a lot of children, according _ travelling alone? exactly. a lot of children, according to _ travelling alone? exactly. a lot of children, according to unicef, - travelling alone? exactly. a lot of children, according to unicef, un | children, according to unicef, un agencies in the past days, possibly

have those at million refugees altogether who have left ukraine, half a million of those coming to romania. pretty much a one in two, half the numbers of refugees are actually children. many very small. the authorities in the past days have seen some happier scenes behind me now, one of these light moments in this whole crisis. but staying with the children issue, the un refugee agency mentioned that so far of the refugees entering romania alone, about 500, they estimate so far, have been unaccompanied. 0bviously, far, have been unaccompanied. obviously, there is growing concern about the dangers to them of abuse or exploitation so at border crossings like this one, it has become a new or increased focus of the different agencies to identify children who are travelling on their own and make sure they are properly

looked after, notjust about own and make sure they are properly looked after, not just about they are here, but obviously onto whatever they go to. briefly, nick, how are romanians responding to this crisis? it how are romanians responding to this crisis? . . . how are romanians responding to this crisis? , ., , ., ., ,, crisis? it is a struggle to make ends meet _ crisis? it is a struggle to make ends meet already _ crisis? it is a struggle to make ends meet already for - crisis? it is a struggle to make ends meet already for many, i crisis? it is a struggle to make i ends meet already for many, how welcome had they been of these refugees? welcome had they been of these refu:ees? . welcome had they been of these refu:ees? , , ., .. refugees? indeed, this is one of the oorest refugees? indeed, this is one of the poorest countries _ refugees? indeed, this is one of the poorest countries in _ refugees? indeed, this is one of the poorest countries in the _ refugees? indeed, this is one of the poorest countries in the european i poorest countries in the european union, but people here are enormously generous. the different individual charities, the local councils, people offering here as in other countries like hungary, moldova, poland, offering accommodation, so i would see there is no fatigue here that i am witnessing —— say that there is no fatigue. people are still opening their hearts and doing what they can to contribute food, clothes, biscuits, whatever.- to contribute food, clothes, biscuits, whatever. that is very much what _ biscuits, whatever. that is very much what we _ biscuits, whatever. that is very much what we can _ biscuits, whatever. that is very much what we can also - biscuits, whatever. that is very much what we can also see - biscuits, whatever. that is very i much what we can also see behind you. nick, thank you very much for joining us from one of the major crossing points in romania.

in the uk, the government has launched its homes for ukraine scheme to match would—be hosts with refugees forced to flee the fighting. katherine da costa has been to meet the residents of one small village in 0xfordshire who have answered the call. the picturesque village of north moreton, home to just 350 residents nestled in the south 0xfordshire 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 have 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 had 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'll 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 our local mp and he's 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. a lovely sense of generosity.

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 them to cancel. protester: this is our land, this is our property! - they were meant to 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 belize'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, 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 reign. let's take a look at some other news now. hong kong's leader carrie lam says she expects to announce a review of covid—19 restrictions on monday. the territory currently has some of the toughest measures in the world, with a ban on arrivals from nine countires, including australia and the uk. ms lam says falling infection numbers mean she hopes to announce a staged easing of restrictions. 16,500 thousand new cases of covid—19 were reported on saturday, and 243 deaths. wildfires in texas in the us have destroyed thousands of acres of dry grasslands and forced the evacuation of residents from their homes.

people living in areas of eastland county, about 90 miles west of fort worth, and brown and comanche counties have been ordered to leave. strong winds and very dry grasses are helping the fires spread quickly and are proving difficult forfire crews to control. a private funeral has taken place for shane warne in his home city of melbourne. warne, who's considered to be one of the greatest cricketers of all time, died earlier this month in thailand. a state public memorial to honour his life and career will take place at the melbourne cricket ground on the 30th march. what started out as a simple fundraising idea has quickly ballooned into something much bigger for a small toy manufacturer in the us. figurines of president zelensky went on sale with a price tag of $100 dollars — and quickly sold out. money raised is being sent to the charity direct relief, who have sent medical aid to ukraine since the russian invasion began. do stay with us here on bbc news.

our continuing coverage of the war 0ur continuing coverage of the war in ukraine is coming up. it has been a glorious weekend so far with all four nations recording its warmest day of the year so far but the top temperature was 20.2 celsius in kinlochewe. a beautiful day in the highlands without a cloud in the sky but today we may see a bit more in the way of fairweather cloud and it mayjust be a bit cooler with a maximum of 13 or 14 degrees. two areas of cloud i need to draw your attention to, one to the south—west and affecting parts of south wales and this cloud across the low countries which may drift towards the coastline of east anglia as we go through the late afternoon. it may well produce one or two isolated showers. generally a bit more fairweather cloud to the east of the pennines and the best sunshine

in sheltered western areas away from the cloud down into the south—west which could trigger an isolated shower. cooler on the east coast, nine or ten, and top temperatures of 14 degrees. tonight that cloud will continue to drift from the north sea and produce a bit more cloud across the east of england. nothing significant in terms of rainfall. further inland we will see the lowest temperatures, just below freezing and a touch of light frost in sheltered rural parts but as we go through the next few days it looks likely that warmth is set to build. again we could see that cloud just interfering with the far east coast of aberdeenshire and to the south. a little more fairweather cloud but the wind direction light, turning round to a southerly, and warmer still, 15 or 16 degrees the high here and we're looking at ten to 13 degrees across scotland and northern ireland. as we move from monday into tuesday, warmer air

continues to push up from the west of europe and it will get noticeably warmer with each day. so as we move into tuesday, dry, settled and sunny, but as the warmth builds it may trigger a few very isolated showers. nothing too widespread but it is worth bearing in mind. temperatures are likely to peak into the mid to high teens in many places. that story will continue through the week ahead and we could see temperatures once again back up to 20 degrees, 68 fahrenheit, way above where they should be for this time of year.

this is bbc news, broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm lucy hockings. 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. 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. fleeing the war across the danube river between ukraine and romania — we follow those searching for a safer life. their thoughts as they reach safety themselves between one world at war and another world at peace are with those they've left behind in ukraine.