ukraine's president zelensky says the country is on the brink of surviving its war with russia. it comes as president biden warns that vladimir putin may use chemical or biological weapons in ukraine because his back is against the wall. he's considering using both of those. he's already used chemical weapons in the past, and we should be careful of what's about to come. he knows there will be severe consequences. the other headlines this lunchtime: russian opposition leader alexei navalny is sentenced to nine more years in prison in a trial his supporters say was a sham. p&0 ferries bosses have until 5pm to explain their decision to sack 800 members of staff without notice. a 17—month old toddler, killed in merseyside by a dog

bought only a week ago, has been named as bella—rae birch the duke and duchess of cambridge continue their caribbean tour, marking the queen's platinum jubilee year coming up on the bbc news channel, the bidding battle continues over chelsea as fans could now be in attendance for the fa cup semifinal after government talks on their licence. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one from lviv in western ukraine. the us presidentjoe biden believes vladimir putin's "back is against the wall" — and warned he may use chemical or biological weapons against ukraine. it comes as president volodymyr zelensky says ukraine is on the brink of surviving its war

with russia, in a speech to italian mps this morning. his country's forces have slowed down the enemy advance. russian forces here indicated in red, have failed to make much headway over the past week. but residents of the ukrainian city of boryspil, about 25 miles from kyiv, have been asked to leave the area if they can as fighting against russian forces draws closer. our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse has this report from the capital kyiv. everyone downstairs, not something you would expect to hear in a hospital until 26 days ago. but this is war and the southern city of nikolai have, like so many others, struggling to escape. i am nikolai have, like so many others, struggling to escape.— struggling to escape. i am scared but i have nowhere _ struggling to escape. i am scared but i have nowhere to _ struggling to escape. i am scared but i have nowhere to go, - struggling to escape. i am scared but i have nowhere to go, no - struggling to escape. i am scared l but i have nowhere to go, no place to escape to. we have our roots here, we cannot run away. russia has

the ci in here, we cannot run away. russia has the city in its — here, we cannot run away. russia has the city in its sights, _ here, we cannot run away. russia has the city in its sights, its _ here, we cannot run away. russia has the city in its sights, its people - the city in its sights, its people are already paying for standing their ground. here, a soldier �*s family lays him to rest. mariupol is expected to fall in weeks if not days. after weeks of being surrounded and cut off. this footage filmed from a drone shows factories being destroyed in the city. kyiv also a city under attack, once again under a curfew. it's around here for the majority of russian forces are thought to be. they haven't made any real gains here. and that's why they are resorting to long—range artillery fire. military experts in the us, as you hear, reckoned most of russia �*s advances are continuing to stall because of poor planning. president zelensky is hoping that will pull moscow towards the negotiating table but the us is

making much darker predictions. the kremlin has once again been accused of trying to create a false justification to escalate things further by claiming ukraine is poised to use more lethal weapons without offering any evidence. his back is without offering any evidence. h 3 back is against the wall. now he is talking about new false flags he is setting up including biological as well as chemical weapons in europe, simply not true. i guarantee you. they are also suggesting ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in ukraine. that is a clear sign he is considering using both of those. mil considering using both of those. all in the hope it would ultimately lead to kyiv falling, its biggest prize. the kremlin says not enough progress has been made in talks for both leaders to meet yet. president zelensky however is hoping vladimir putin �*s frustration will pull him

in. translation: even though we hate these troops that are killing our people, if we want peace, we will have to sit down and talk. the right word is negotiate, negotiate, not deliver ultimatums. he sang any concessions to russia should be put to a referendum, asking his people what they would be willing to sacrifice for the future of their country. for now, this war, and for one square in kyiv, the music goes on. james waterhouse, bbc news. in a moment we'll speak to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, who's in the ukrainian capital kyiv, but first let's speak to our security correspondent frank gardner who's in london. we have seen so much death and destruction in the southern ukrainian city of mariupol in particular, why is that city so important to the russian forces and to president putin?— important to the russian forces and to president putin? let's be honest, mariu ol is to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a — to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a name _ to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a name that _

to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a name that most - to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a name that most of - to president putin? let's be honest, mariupol is a name that most of us | mariupol is a name that most of us had never heard of before this began but it is going to go down in history as one of the most bombed, shattered and destroyed cities in our lifetime. it is right up there with aleppo and stalingrad. it is important for a number of reasons. it is the city that is blocking russia from forming a land corridor between its forces in the crimea and that have burst northwards from crimea linking up with their allies, the programme and separatists in the donbas region in eastern ukraine. they need to be able to make that character in order to then free up theirforces and character in order to then free up their forces and encircle the ukrainian army in the donbas for they will be looking to annihilate they will be looking to annihilate the regular ukrainian forces. but it's more than that, it's an economic centre, a major port and propaganda —wise, they can say, this city resisted two other cities, if you want to resist, this could happen to you, we will pummel you

into the ground.— happen to you, we will pummel you into the ground. thank you. now we 'oin l se into the ground. thank you. now we join lyse doucet. _ into the ground. thank you. now we join lyse doucet. we _ into the ground. thank you. now we join lyse doucet. we heard - into the ground. thank you. now we | join lyse doucet. we heard president zelensky talking to italian mps and saying ukraine is on the brink of surviving this war, is this brave rhetoric? . , ., , ., rhetoric? certainly a brave proclamation _ rhetoric? certainly a brave proclamation and - rhetoric? certainly a brave proclamation and they - rhetoric? certainly a brave i proclamation and they matter rhetoric? certainly a brave - proclamation and they matter in a warlike _ proclamation and they matter in a war like this in terms of morale but he also _ war like this in terms of morale but he also talked yet again as he does every— he also talked yet again as he does every day— he also talked yet again as he does every day about the need for peace talks and _ every day about the need for peace talks and we heard in this programme his suggestion of two ways out. you heard _ his suggestion of two ways out. you heard in_ his suggestion of two ways out. you heard in that report from james talking — heard in that report from james talking about the need for compromise by all sides. and also talking _ compromise by all sides. and also talking about a referendum, that would _ talking about a referendum, that would be — talking about a referendum, that would be on territorial issues, those — would be on territorial issues, those are _ would be on territorial issues, those are the hardest issues of all. president _ those are the hardest issues of all. president putin keeps telling russians that this invasion will not end until— russians that this invasion will not end until all its plans have been met _ end until all its plans have been met. what are the plans? will he stop at_ met. what are the plans? will he stop at mariupol, as we heard from frank? _ stop at mariupol, as we heard from frank? will— stop at mariupol, as we heard from frank? will he press towards odesa and completely cut off ukraine from the black— and completely cut off ukraine from the black sea coast? and what about

the black sea coast? and what about the capital _ the black sea coast? and what about the capital kyiv? we have heard from israeli _ the capital kyiv? we have heard from israeli and _ the capital kyiv? we have heard from israeli and turkish negotiators that president — israeli and turkish negotiators that president putin is no longer demanding a toppling of the zelensky government and yet today, we hear that there _ government and yet today, we hear that there is another front in the south—east, residents are being urged _ south—east, residents are being urged to— south—east, residents are being urged to leave. as this water is ever_ urged to leave. as this water is ever closer— urged to leave. as this water is ever closer to many places, peace does _ ever closer to many places, peace does not — ever closer to many places, peace does not seem any closer.- ever closer to many places, peace does not seem any closer. the ukrainian president's office says there is a "high risk" of neighbouring belarus launching an attack on the country to help russia, its longstanding ally. but some belarusian dissidents are alreadyjoining the war to fight alongside ukrainian forces. our correspondent in poland, mark lowen, has met some of them. gunfire. a trial run for the terror they will soon see for real. recruits from belarus, training before they go to fight with ukraine. slavic brothers uniting against

a common enemy — putin's russia. pavel came back from his life in new york to battle the kremlin�*s forces, who are supported by president lukashenko of belarus. without independent and free ukraine, there is no independent and free belarus. i really admire ukrainian nation. from the very beginning, we supported ukrainians in their fight for freedom, and i would like to have my belarusian nation to be as strong and powerful as ukraine is right now. do you think lukashenko will send belarusian troops into ukraine? i hope so, because if he send someone to ukrainian soil, we will destroy them on ukrainian territory first, and then we won't have a lot of problems with our comeback to our motherland. for these dissidents, it is in part a proxy war against a regime at home that has made belarus a launchpad for russian attacks on ukraine.

30,000 russian troops advancing from there to kyiv. they'll also take in supplies, and what they hope they won't have to use. and then a crash course in first aid by a polish veteran of afghanistan. the tourniquets and bandages of that vicious conflict now a part of life in europe. whispering: just hours before leaving, they are learning the vital lessons that could save their lives. when you look around you can see that these arejust ordinary guys, mainly, who are suddenly preparing for what it will be like entering a theatre of war when they cross tonight. for all theirjingoism and unity, the facade cracks as reality hits. i'm afraid, a little. i saw you speaking to your mum earlier. yeah, she's crying. but now, she'sjust...pray, maybe. she tried to tell me

that this war is not my, it's not our, it's other country, other people, but i don't agree. so they head off to someone else's war, which has become their own. they shout defiantly. both countries fighting the imperial oppressor. they travel from warsaw to war, hours first to the border. a final sip of safety before a crossing off limits to our camera. their sights set on victory for two nations in arms. mark lowen, bbc news, on the poland—ukraine border. that's all from us in lviv in western ukraine — i'll hand you back now to martine croxall with the rest of the day's news in london. thank you. a russian court has sentenced the jailed opposition leader alexei navalny to nine years in a maximum security prison for what the prosecutors call "embezzlement".

mr navalny leads an anti—corruption foundation that claims president putin has illegally acquired a fortune worth billions of dollars, including a huge palace and one of the world's largest yachts. as our moscow correspondent caroline davies reports, the leading kremlin critic's nine year sentence is in extension to the two—and—a—half year prison term he's already serving. speaking in russian. this was alexei navalny�*s last moment as a free man. arrested at the airport as he arrived back in russia in 2021. with a kiss to his wife, he was taken by the russian authorities. the kremlin critic is already behind bars. wearing black prison uniform, he heard today's verdict from his jail — guilty of embezzlement. and nine years in a maximum security penal colony. crowd chants. these were the anti—corruption protests mr navalny led.

the man who had been one of president putin's fiercest critics has always maintained the legal case against him was political, as have many in the west. in 2020, he was poisoned using novichok and left for treatment in germany. he chose to return to russia. now many of his allies have left the country, afraid of what might happen if they stay. more media sites are banned day by day here in russia. meta, the company that owns facebook and instagram, has been declared an extremist organisation and both sites have been blocked, and the introduction of a new law that means that anything deemed to be false information about the military can result injail time has led to many independent journalists leaving the country. the window that many russians have on the outside world is virtually closed. the laws in russia, they were strict and draconian before the war, and they became even worse after the war. farida rustamova is an independent russianjournalist. she was out of the country

when russia launched its "special military operation," and chose never to return. she's too afraid to say where she's now based. i'm afraid of physical assault, i'm afraid of going to jail for words. the only thing that is allowed is propaganda. i'm absolutely sure that this is just the beginning and that things are going to get worse. chanting. daring to disagree is increasingly dangerous in russia. with each protest, the crowds shrink. with each week, there are fewer journalists to cover them and anything that contradicts the kremlin. president putin's regime knows that fear can breed silence. caroline davies, bbc news, moscow. the russian billionaire alisher usmanov says he no longer owns many of his uk properties that once belonged to him. that could leave them beyond the reach of government sanctions. they included a multi—million pound mansion in north london and a tudor manor house in surrey. it raises serious questions

about the effectiveness of sanctions imposed since the invasion of ukraine began, as andy verity reports. he's been described as one of president putin's favourite oligarchs. alisher usmanov is said to be worth an estimated $18.4 billion and used to own nearly a third of arsenal. three weeks ago the government announced it was freezing all his uk assets, but how effective will those sanctions really be? mr usmanov�*s $600 million yacht was reportedly seized in hamburg, but the german authorities later denied that. days later, the uk government targeted two huge properties in the south of england, beechwood house in north london, now estimated to be worth about £80 million, and also a tudor manor house in surrey once owned by the world's then richest man, paul getty. this gilded gate behind me is the closest the public can get to sutton place, one of the assets the government says alisher usmanov has bought with his billions. but he says he's given away much of his estate,

and that raises serious questions as to how the government's going to enforce its sanctions. mr usmanov has now said his assets were transferred long ago into irrevocable trusts, and from that point on he didn't own them. but an investigation by the bbc, the guardian and the organised crime and corruption reporting project has found that the trusts holding sutton place and beechwood house have been linked to mr usmanov and one of his closest business associates. campaigners say it shows how difficult it is to establish who the owners of assets actually are when they are hidden in offshore tax havens. well, the problem is that whilst the government has introduced legislation in recent days to try and go after the suspect assets of individuals, say, linked to the kremlin or corruption cases in russia, it's going to be doing this with one hand tied behind its back because of the secrecyjurisdictions in the overseas territories and the crown dependencies. the government says sanctions are having an impact, saying mr usmanov cannot access his assets, and it is now illegal for any personal company

in the uk to do business with him. andy verity, bbc news. the time is 13:17. our top story this lunchtime. president biden warns that vladimir putin may use chemical or biological weapons in ukraine because his back is against the wall. and still to come... we're in stoke with local legend neil baldwin — as his �*marvellous' life is brought to the stage. coming up on the bbc news channel: manchester city and liverpool supporters unite to get their fa cup semifinal moved away from wembley due to travel difficulties facing fans, with no direct trains to the capital on the weekend of the game. rescuers at the site of a plane crash in southern china have found burnt wreckage and personal belongings of those on board, but no sign of any survivors. china eastern flight mu—5735 was carrying 132 people when it nosedived 30,000 feet into hills

in guangxi yesterday. the cause of the crash is being investigated. recovery work has been hampered by difficult terrain as andrew plant reports. rescue workers walking through the night. pieces of the wreckage spread across this remote hillside area, but there is little hope of survivors. the boeing 737—800 thought to have nosedived from 30,000 feet, killing all 132 people on board. investigations hampered by difficult terrain. translation: the road _ to the accident site is very narrow. cars can't get through, and we have to transfer supplies, send and pick up people there. motorcycles are more convenient, but small cars would block the road. rescuers have found pieces of the aircraft spread across these hills, and personal belongings too.

china said hundreds of flights have been cancelled and some planes grounded while they look into why the aircraft came down. families of the 123 passengers and nine crew on board are still waiting for news, many gathering together at the airport where the plane took off before suffering what officials have described as a loss—of—control event. flight tracker data shows the jet dropped 20,000 feet injust over two minutes. the aircraft's black box and cockpit voice recorder are yet to be recovered. boeing, the us maker of the plane, said it is assisting in the investigation. the task now to find out what caused the plane to nosedive into the hillside here yesterday morning, china's worst air disaster in more than a decade. andrew plant, bbc news. a 17—month—old girl who died after she was attacked by a dog in merseyside has been named as bella—rae birch.

herfamily, who live in st helens, had only bought the dog a week ago. police say the dog attacked bella—rae inside the family home and although an ambulance was called, the toddler died as a result of her injuries yesterday afternoon. detailed investigations are continuing into this tragic event. forensic examinations to determine the dog's breed are ongoing, and we are working to identify all the previous owners of the dog so we can establish its history. we want to continue to support the family and the local community, and officers will remain at scene on bidston avenue during the day today. our correspondentjudith moritz is in st helens. what other details are emerging? leads are developing pictures. the houses still cordoned off, the court and was extended a short time ago, investigators going in and out of

the property, forensic suits, there is a scientific support units, a mobile police station and plenty of uniformed officers going door—to—door. there has been a heavy police presence since last night, 3:50pm emergency services were called and informed a child had been attacked by a dog. we understand neighbours rushed to help, including giving cpr, before paramedics arrived. little bella—rae was taken to hospital, that is where she sadly died of her injuries. police are looking into circumstances, the nature and breach of the dog, forensic examinations to establish what kind of animal it was. —— and breeds of the dog. it was humanely destroyed. the family, understandably very distressed, being comforted by family liaison officers from merseyside police. we had seen neighbours and locals coming and leaving flowers and good

wishes for the family, it is the kind of thing nobody in this area wanted to wake up to here today. judith moritz in st helens, thank you. p&o ferries bosses have untilfive o'clock this afternoon to explain their decision to sack 800 members of staff without notice. many were told via a pre—recorded video message. ministers will then consider whether the company broke the law by failing to follow clear rules on making people redundant. our transport correspondent, katy austin, joins me now. what exactly has the company been asked to explain? on friday the business secretary wrote to the chief executive of p&o ferries, he said the insolvency service was looking into whether rules had to had been followed by employers had to give advance notice is planning to make large members of staff redundant. —— large numbers of staff. failing to notify as a criminal offence which can result in an unlimited fine. a business secretary asked p&o to address ten specific questions including what other options were continued, where

the fired staff were working, whether ships were registered, detailed event contracts and whether any one major gendered has been offered similar roles under different terms and conditions. i understand it is the intention of p80 to understand it is the intention of p&o to respond by the p&o deadline. although the liverpool to dublin route has resumed, most of p&o's ships are going nowhere as they prepare to try to sail again with replacement agency crew, they can't do that until they have had safety inspections by the maritime and coastguard agency and the first of thoseis coastguard agency and the first of those is now under way, we havejust learned, on the pride of hull ferry, and it is not clear how long before this very and others will be back into service.— into service. katy austin, thank ou. the duke and duchess of cambridge will travel to jamaica later, as part of their tour of the caribbean. yesterday, prince william paid tribute to ukrainians fighting

for their homeland during a visit to a british military training camp in the jungle of belize. our royal correspondent jonny dymond reports. learning about another world, another civilisation, way up in the hills of belize. if you're looking for historical perspective, there are worse places to find it than a mayan temple. the british monarchy has been around for a thousand years, but this place, it's been around for 3000. think of what it's seen. and now, they came to see it. to gain a better understanding and to catch sight of the country they are visiting. they're not the only brits enjoying belize's hospitality. the army uses the jungle to teach its soldiers survival skills. the duke was here more than 20 years

ago, but now was a chance to brush up his knowledge on... ..how to trap a monkey in the wild. most of all, in the jungle, you need water. the couple were shown ingenious ways to gather the stuff, then given a chance to try out one of nature's water dispensers. a little bark in it! arms by your sides, stood to attention. this was a reunion of sorts. the commanding officer here was william's sergeant major when he trained at sandhurst. now was time to say thanks to his old trainee. you're 5500 miles from the uk here, you can feel slightly isolated, we're in the middle of the jungle. so the fact that they take time out of their busy schedules, which are extremely busy, to come and visit us means a lot. you can probably sense the buzz

of excitement around the place. it's not every day young soldiers get to interact with royals. last night, at a reception for the couple, william directly addressed the invasion of ukraine. he quoted the queen, talking about the vigilance needed to protect democracies. sadly, elsewhere in the world, that vigilance is being tested today in ukraine. belize hasjoined many others in condemning the invasion and standing up for the principles of international law, peace, and security. today we think of those struggling in ukraine and we stand with them in solidarity. from the royals, it doesn't get much blunter than that. the couple head for their next stop, jamaica, later today. jonny dymond, bbc news, belize. having your life turned

into a film or a play is usually a right reserved for celebrities or politicians. but it was neil baldwin's heart—warming approach to life that saw him make friends in high places and have his story told to the world. actor tobyjones played neil in the bafta award—winning film marvellous, and now it's being adapted for the stage, as our arts correspondent david sillito has been finding out. oh, my goodness, what is this? what is this, george? thank you, george! it seems to be a chicken, george! what you're watching is a scene from a show that's become rather a hit here at the new vic in stoke. marvellous. the life of neil baldwin. neil is the one in a chicken suit. and the real neil is also sitting next to me in the audience, as he does every night. and are you introduced each night? every night, a light comes on to me and i get up and wave and be happy. we don't want any more injuries.

who's that? new kit man. and this isn't the first drama based on his life. he was the subject of a bafta award—winning film featuring tobyjones. i talked a girl out of killing herself once. young student. dressed as a chicken? no, of course not. dressed as father christmas. his best—known job was mascot and official spreader of cheer for stoke city. at school, few thought he'd ever be able to work or live independently, but nothing stopped neil. hello, i'm neil baldwin, welcome to keele university. he got an honorary degree from keele university for his work welcoming students at freshers' week. you'd shake their hands when you were 14? and you've carried on doing that for every year. yeah. 62 yea rs ? mm—hm. why? because it's nice to meet people

and get to know more people in life. he then became a professional clown. and stoke city manager lou macari aays he was his best ever signing. says he was his best ever signing. i didn't know what i was going to do to give him...| didn't know whatjob i was going to give him. so i spent the weekend thinking, what betterjob could i give him than being the man who's going to keep everybody happy? because he told me he was always happy, never sad. he brought what hoped he would bring to a football club, laughter, joy. he was my best ever signing. watching the play each night, what's its message? the message is to be happy in life. happiness, like ken sang.

ken dodd? mm. and always think of everybody else. and i'm glad i've had a good life. david sillito, bbc news, the home of marvellous neil baldwin, newcastle—under—lyme. anything is possible. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. i always ask where your pictures from, can you tell me today? i’m from, can you tell me today? i'm much better— from, can you tell me today? i“n much better prepared, it is a gorgeous photograph which sums up the weather across the uk at the moment, a glorious weather watcher photo, very springlike, centred by a weather watcher from northamptonshire. those blue skies overhead pretty much right across—the—board thanks to high pressure —— sent in by a weather watcher. mostly dry and sunny for the next few days, the warmth could

spark off an isolated shower but most places remaining