this is bbc news with the latest headlines... nato foreign ministers are to meet as images of destruction, and allegations of war crimes continue to emerge from towns surrounging kyiv, following the retreat of russian forces the uk, us and the eu are expected to impose fresh sanctions on russia. they're likely to target strategic industries, including energy, oil and gas. millions of people will now pay more national insurance, as an increase to contributions comes into effect today. the health secretary sajid javid says it is a necessary move to support the nhs. if we want the nhs to catch up, to deal with this covid—19 backlog, if we want better adult social care, the money has to come from somewhere. do

you think national insurance should go up to pay for health and social care and the nhs or is it the the wrong time? get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc married couples in england and wales will be able to begin divorce proceedings without apportioning blame from today — as new �*no—fault�* divorce legislation comes into force. and calories must now appear on the menus of food and drink businesses with more than 250 staff in england. the united states, the uk and the eu will impose more sanctions on russia, amid allegations of war crimes in the ukrainian city of bucha. reports are also emerging of hospitals being bombed

in the south western city of mykolaiv. three were targeted, possibly with cluster bombs, according to the humanitarian charity medecins sans frontieres. and in mariupol, seen on this map in the south east, the situation is worsening. most residents are without, medicine, heat or water. the ukrainian deputy prime minister says 11 humanitarian corridors are being set up, but residents need to use their own vehicles to get out. nato�*s foreign ministers will meet this afternoon to discuss how to respond, and support ukraine in its next phase of war. and vladamir putin's daughters katerina and mariya, are two of those facing sanctions. other targets include oligarchs, politicians, more banks

and russian imports. our correspondent jeremy bowen has travelled to the ukrainian town of borodyanka, which has seen some of the worst attacks since the invasion began. the destruction in the centre of borodyanka is the worst for its size i've seen in any of the towns around kyiv, including much fought—over irpin and bucha. the worst killing in borodyanka might have come when these flats were destroyed. a line of them stood here. you can see the gaps. after you. next door to the rubble, dmytro stashevskyi inspected his shop. this is your shop? medical, pharmacy, it's a pharmacy, yeah? destroyed, everything's gone. we went upstairs where his wife svitlana was trying to clean up his mother's flat. their family is safe, but not their friends in the destroyed building next door.

translation: they were all our neighbours. - shortly after the air strike, people nearby heard some voices shouting for help. russian soldiers stopped them digging. they threatened to shoot if they tried. dmytro left 30 others in the cellar before the strike. when he went back in the morning, it was full of rubble. all 30 are missing. you're lucky to be alive, aren't you? "yes," he said, "my wife, mother and daughter were praying for me." this is a civilian block of flats. now, only a ballistic missile or an air strike can do this sort of damage. under the laws of war, killing civilians and wanton destruction are both crimes unless it can somehow be proved that that was a military target. close by, local people

were getting some food organised by their priest, who said he'd seen the russians shooting civilians. you saw civilians being killed by a russian sniper? translation: it was the 2nd of march near the petrol station. _ we were driving along, followed by two civilian cars. theyjust shot them. it was an execution. most people here left during the russian occupation. svitlana said coming back made her empty and scared. tell us what the town was like before. eventually she said it was very nice, very green. hundreds of people could be lying dead under the rubble, say the police. once the heavy lifting gear arrives, they'll know more. jeremy bowen, bbc news, borodyanka. let's speak to our moscow

correspondentjenny hill. good morning. are the prospects of further sanctions on russia, has there been in response to that specifically yet? h0 there been in response to that specifically yet?— specifically yet? no official resnonse _ specifically yet? no official response as _ specifically yet? no official response as yet. _ specifically yet? no official response as yet. you - specifically yet? no official response as yet. you can l specifically yet? no official. response as yet. you can be specifically yet? no official - response as yet. you can be fairly certain that the kremlin will trot out the same narrative that it has in previous weeks in response to previous actions. that is that the west is looking for any excuse to sanction russia. vladimir putin said last week that the west has been waging an economic war against russia four years in order to undermine its development. he is trying to tell the russian people that they are in effect the victims here. there is no because our relationship to what is happening in ukraine as faras relationship to what is happening in ukraine as far as vladimir putin is concerned. and in his words, western sanctions are the price russians pay for freedom and sanctions are the price russians pay forfreedom and independence. there

is a lot of talk here about how russia is going to survive such sanctions. vladimir putin last night was talking about food security. some of that televised statement, he talked about how sanctions would hurt the west as well as russia. but he continues to maintain that this country whilst it will feel some pain, can get through whatever in his as, he would put it, whatever the west throws at it in terms of sanctions. i the west throws at it in terms of sanctions. ., , the west throws at it in terms of sanctione— sanctions. i was reading earlier toda , a sanctions. i was reading earlier today. a tweet _ sanctions. i was reading earlier today, a tweet from _ sanctions. i was reading earlier today, a tweet from the - sanctions. i was reading earlier today, a tweet from the jailed l sanctions. i was reading earlier- today, a tweet from the jailed putin opponent talking about how he had learnt about events in bucha from the perspective of state television in russia. one of the things that the report said was that nato had been preparing the provocation in bucha for a long time. we have talked in the past about how ordinary russians hear news about

what is happening in ukraine. has there been any shift in the narrative from the russian perspective at all?- narrative from the russian perspective at all? narrative from the russian --ersective at all? ., perspective at all? no, the kremlin continues to _ perspective at all? no, the kremlin continues to deny _ perspective at all? no, the kremlin continues to deny all _ perspective at all? no, the kremlin continues to deny all of _ perspective at all? no, the kremlin continues to deny all of the - continues to deny all of the allegations and atrocities committed by russian troops despite a growing body of evidence and despite the footage that we are seeing, and despite the increasing number of witness accounts that we are hearing, not only on the bbc, but elsewhere. this is a classic kremlin tactic, the use that in the past and they are using it now to deny any allegations to dismiss allegations as fake news and in this case, they say the fake news is staged by ukraine either on the orders of the west and america or with the aid of western entities like nato. and then to try and blame someone else. we are increasingly starting to three coming through media reports suggestions that ukrainian nationalists may have perpetrated

crimes against civilians in places like bucha. we will keep an eye on that as it develops, you can see from a couple of newspaper reports and television reports that are starting to emerge as the third line in the narrative. bear in mind, the kremlin controls that narrative very tightly. there is very little in the way of independent press left here. access to social media platforms has been severely curtailed. he takes quite a bit of effort for people in russia to see the truth about what is happening and what has happened in ukraine. the vast majority of people are looking either at state television or state—controlled newspapers. with regard to bucha, it is worth pointing out, this is one of the rare occasions where people have seen footage from the police, the scene of the alleged atrocities, but it is very much framed in terms of this is fake news. look at what

the ukrainians have staged. ukraine is being portrayed as the aggressor here. russia is the victim in all of this. that is the narrative of the kremlin. russians are being told that ukraine with the help of western agencies and governments is waging an information war against russia and accusing ukraine of having laid out, of having stage some of those terrible things that we are seeing in order to derail ongoing peace negotiations and to further escalate the conflict. it is important to understand that in the overall context because moscow invaded ukraine and yet it is telling russian that it was an act of self—defence and ukraine represents a threat, not only to the security of the russian speaking people population in the east of ukraine back to russia itself. thank ou ve ukraine back to russia itself. thank you very much- _ let's speak to our correspondent in lviv — emma vardy.

i want to pick up on the lines we are getting out of ukraine this morning, one of these being reports, this is the charity, that hospitals have been targeted with cluster bombs. what can you tell us about that? , _, , bombs. what can you tell us about that? , ,., , ., that? they were reports from the charity that _ that? they were reports from the charity that said _ that? they were reports from the charity that said whilst _ that? they were reports from the charity that said whilst they - that? they were reports from the charity that said whilst they were | charity that said whilst they were there visiting the hospital, there were explosions and it was hit by strikes. they had to evacuate very quickly. it is really their word we are going on at the moment but they saw at least one casualty. another sign that hospitals are potentially being targeted. as we have been hearing, that is something as well which russia denies, those denials have continued. we heard the passionate address from the ukrainian president yesterday. essentially he said russia is in a parallel reality here. he listed a

string of atrocities that russian forces have carried out in towns on the ground with civilians. hospitals being hit by strikes is just another piece of evidence, that shows that russia is carrying out war crimes here. ., ~ russia is carrying out war crimes here. . ~ ,, russia is carrying out war crimes here. ., ~' ,, , russia is carrying out war crimes here. . ~ ,, , . police in the romanian capital, bucharest, say a car has crashed into the gate of the russian embassy, bursting into flames and killing the driver. it crashed into a fence outside the building early this morning, but did not enter the compound. it's unclear whether the crash was an accident or deliberate. millions of people will now pay more national insurance, as an increase to contributions comes into effect. the increase of 1.25 pence in the pound will apply to employees, businesses and the self—employed, with the money raised earmarked for health and social care. anyone earning more than £9,880 a year will pay the increased contribution.

but after a change announced in the chancellor's spring statement, from july, that will increase to £12,570. that means over the next year, anyone earning less than around £34,000 a year will pay less national insurance than they did last year. as you can see on this graph — people earning £20,000 a year will pay £178 less in 2022—23, whilst those on £50,000 will pay £197 more. we will try to take you through all of this. opposition parties, and some back bench mps, say the increase will add to the cost of living crisis and should be scrapped. our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith reports.

business is getting back on track at george's bistro. but now they'll be paying more national insurance on the wages of the 25 staff. personally, for me, if i look at my wage, i think, "oh, it's not too much." but then i look at it as a business and how we're going to be having to pay that on everybody�*s wages. it adds up really, really quick. what does it mean, then, for you as a business? how will you cover that cost? we're going to try to bring more custom in — that's the only way we can do it. so you just need more bums on seats. yes, bums on seats — that's what we need to do. obviously, more bums on seats means more staff, so...more cost. from today, lots of the staff here will be paying extra national insurance on their wages, too. for the next few months, you'll have just under £10,000 of your wages tax—free. and then instead of paying 12% national insurance, you'll have to top up to 13.25% — and more for higher earners. but after facing criticism, the government have tried to soften the blow. so from july, the amount you can

earn before you pay tax will increase to £12,500, and then you'll be charged that higher 13.2% rate for national insurance. that's why the government say that, across this whole tax year, most people will end up paying less — but it's an extra pressure for middle earners. lots of the businesses and employees who lost the most over the last couple of years now feel like they're being asked to pay a higher price to cover the costs of the pandemic. i think it's absolutely crazy. with everything else going up and, you know, it's another thing we have to deal with. this salon will have to pay more for each member of staff, butjoseph says it's ok if he's charged more personally. i don't mind if it goes up a little bit cos i know how much help i've had over the last sort of 18 months. i think, you know, it needs to come from somewhere. but faced with a much bigger increase, boss richard doesn't agree. it's another challenge

as a business owner, again, to survive and, you know, move forward. difficult, very difficult. it's an increase when so many have already cut all the corners they can. colletta smith, bbc news, in cleckheaton. i'm joined now by our political correspondent, nick eardley. good morning. the conservatives promised back in the last election manifesto there would be no increase in national insurance over the lifetime of this parliament, what is the justification —— justification for doing that now during the course of living crisis? it is controversial, - of living crisis? it is controversial, the l of living crisis? it is _ controversial, the conservatives from the backbenches to cabinet level who were uncomfortable with less. opposition parties said it was a bad idea as well. the argument you will hearfrom ministers a bad idea as well. the argument you will hear from ministers today is

that it was necessary because the pandemic had left such a backlog of nhs waiting lists that you had to find the money somehow to try and clear that and secondly, ministers will say they are trying to clear up some of the issues around the cost of social care. it is an issue that governments have grappled with for years now and much of the money has been raised in this levy from 2024 will go towards social care and towards bringing in a cap on the amount of money that individuals have to pay in a higher threshold which people on lower incomes have to start contributing to the cost of their care. it is controversial, partly because it broke the manifesto promise that you are talking about, partly because of the cost of living crisis, many people know that they are feeling the squeeze at the moment and this will add to it. the health secretary, he was asked about that this morning.

this cost of living challenge is huge, especially on many families right across the country. first, i'd say, in terms of public services, the nhs, what we're talking about, they need to be paid for. people understand that. and if we want the nhs to catch up to deal with this covid—19 backlog, if we want better adult social care, the money has to come from somewhere. we've got to make sure, of course, this government, that we'll spend every penny sensibly and wisely and that's why it needs to be done together with reform. but when it comes to helping people with the cost of living challenge, i think people also understand that there is no government in the world that can mitigate this problem 100%. it is right to focus resources on those that need it most. that is the rationale from the government. there have been a lot of questions asked about whether national insurance is the correct vehicle to do this. there are a

number of issues raised, the fact that people who have retired do not pay national insurance even if they are making money in other ways, the fact that this is a tax which will hit people on lower incomes as well. remember the threshold at which you start paying national insurance is going to change injuly. that was one of the mitigations the chancellor brought in in his spring statement, up until then, chancellor brought in in his spring statement, up untilthen, if chancellor brought in in his spring statement, up until then, if you are on a lower income, you will still pay this rise. and we heard this morning from the liberal democrat leader, he is one of those who wants this cancelled. everyone wants to see more funds going to nhs and care. the liberal democrats have argued for that. but to put the national insurance up now when people are struggling with energy bills, heating bills, petrol bills, food bills, inflation going through the roof, it isjust the wrong time. what people need is some support. and the conservatives don't seem to get that at the moment. they seem to be taking people for granted. liberal democrats are arguing for a big tax cut, a cut in vat of 2.5%,

that would give the average family a £600 a year tax cut. that is the sort of help people need, faced with the soaring bills that they've got. i think this is an issue that will keep coming up over the next few weeks and months. we have heard so much about the cost of living and the pressures on people's individual incomes. in terms of national insurance rise in, it feels like the political debate on that is over. the government has made the decision despite opposition in its own party to go ahead with this. and it will start to hit people's pay packets this month. start to hit people's pay packets this month-— joining me now is helen miller, deputy director of economic research centre the institute for fiscal studies. good to have you with us today. what does this mean for people because we

are throwing a lot of numbers, a lot of figures, different dates, different thresholds around here. can you give us an overview of what this means for people? the can you give us an overview of what this means for people?— this means for people? the bigger icture, if this means for people? the bigger picture. if you _ this means for people? the bigger picture, if you are _ this means for people? the bigger picture, if you are earning - this means for people? the bigger picture, if you are earning through i picture, if you are earning through employment or self—employment less than £35, 000, employment or self—employment less than £35,000, next year, your national insurance contribution is going to go down. how much goes down depends on what you earn. lower earners will get a bigger tax cut. if you are earning more than that, you will get a tax increase. depend on how much you pay will depend on how much you earn, higher earners will pay more. £35,000 is the cut off point, whether you are more or less depends on how much she will pay next year. the less depends on how much she will pay next year-— pay next year. the controversy around this — pay next year. the controversy around this amongst _ pay next year. the controversy i around this amongst conservative pay next year. the controversy - around this amongst conservative mps is that this is happening at a time of basically costs of everything going up. would there be a better way to fund the money that is required for health and social care?

it is to separate questions. if you want to spend more on health and social care, the context is not that this is, let's deal with the covid—19 backlog, it is a long running trend towards an ageing population that needs expensive health and social care, to fund it, how do you fund it? do you use national insurance contributions or income tax which would affect people who have investment incomes are pension incomes. there is a debate about how to do it. given that they have chosen to raise national insurance contributions, there is a debate about should we scrap this change in order to help people? it is worth noting that if we scrap all of the changes, lower income people would have higher taxes this year and high income earners would get lower taxes. you might like that but if you're going to spend £11 billion which is what the tax increases will raise, there are other things you can do to help with the cost of living crisis. you could increase

benefits. which would go up a lot less than inflation. there is a debate about how we should fund social care, a debate about should we scrap the rise now it has come in as different. are we going to help people? is this the best way? i would suggest there are more targeted things that can be done to help people who are really struggling with the cost of living. the health secretary doing interviews on this earlier today was saying that once there is a change in the threshold which comes on in the summer, 70% of workers will be better off after this new levy. is he correct?— he correct? it's true that most --eole he correct? it's true that most people will — he correct? it's true that most people will see _ he correct? it's true that most people will see a _ he correct? it's true that most people will see a tax - he correct? it's true that most people will see a tax cut - he correct? it's true that most people will see a tax cut next| he correct? it's true that most - people will see a tax cut next year. that will change in future years. income tax changes overall. over this whole parliament taking into account national insurance and income tax, most people will pay more tax, that is the bigger picture. next year, more people will pay less in national insurance as a result of the changes they share. really good to hear that detail from

you. joining me now is peter kyle mp, a member of labour's shadow cabinet. good morning. thank you forjoining us on bbc news today. i am sure you would be the first to agree that the nhs and social care need more money. pretty much everyone agrees on that. labour says the national insurance increase is not the way to provide that. why not? increase is not the way to provide that- why not?— increase is not the way to provide that. wh not? . ., ., that. why not? thanks for having me. because the — that. why not? thanks for having me. because the crisis _ that. why not? thanks for having me. because the crisis that _ that. why not? thanks for having me. because the crisis that is _ that. why not? thanks for having me. because the crisis that is in _ that. why not? thanks for having me. because the crisis that is in the - because the crisis that is in the nhs is a crisis made by policies by this tory government. the biggest crisis we have is a staffing shortage which is a crisis which needs to be tackled. there is a waiting list of 7 million for people waiting list of 7 million for people waiting for treatment with the nhs. there is a crisis. don't forget, there are policies that led to this crisis in the first place, we had a

waiting list of 4 million going into covid—19. we need to tackle these challenges, but right now, what we need to do economically is to get the economy moving because we are forced to have a situation where government is putting up so many taxes because we have a conservative party that is the party of high taxes because they are the party of low growth. our economy has been stagnating for so long that we have had 15 tax rises in two years. this is the latest tax rise after a series of tax rises over the last two years. what we need to do is get the economy growing so we do not rely heavily on tax rises. and fundamentally, with the cost of living right now, each family is going to be hit with the cost of living cost of £2620. the first thing we need to do is have a windfall tax on energy companies so we can get up to £600 into people's pockets need at the most. bud

we can get up to £600 into people's pockets need at the most. and labour has been very — pockets need at the most. and labour has been very clear... _ pockets need at the most. and labour has been very clear. .. labour- pockets need at the most. and labour has been very clear... labour has - has been very clear... labour has been very clear on that windfall tax that you would like to see to help deal with the rising cost of fuel as part of the wider cost of living crisis. specifically on the money the nhs and social care need, if you are not happy with it being funded through national insurance increase, how would you fund it and when? this will set out last _ how would you fund it and when? try 3 will set out last september, rachel reeves was very clear that what we need to do as she taxes fairly and spends wisely. the government are doing neither of those two things. right now, most of the tax rises are clobbering small businesses and medium businesses. national insurance is not only on people's wages, it is a tax on businesses that sell. rachel reeves said she will reform and scrap business rates so that businesses can compete effectively. global trade at the is

“p effectively. global trade at the is up 14% —— 8% but britain's trade is down 14%. the fundamentals to get our economy going or not they are under this tory government. rachel reeves and our shadow chancellor have got a series of policies ready to go that will get money into people's pockets, get the economy growing so we do not track so much in the first place and when we do have to tax, we will make sure we get the balance right to be taxing those people who rely on wage income with those people who rely on note waged income. the bounce is not right. there are people who are renting out several properties and their tenants are faced with a huge tax increase. the people who own the properties, the landlords, are not that paying almost any tax rises. that is not fair. these need balance, it is not fair in the

economy because of tory policy that the labour party want to correct. you are talking about a big restructuring. in terms of here and now and the money to bring it back to health and social care, the money that those sectors need, the money that those sectors need, the money thatis that those sectors need, the money that is going to be raised by the national insurance increase, the leader of the labour party said earlier today that he is worried that a lot of this money is going to be filling a black hole was the phrase that he used. if health and social care are to be fixed, if the consequences of the pandemic are to be eased for the nhs, how can politicians including labour ensure the money that is raised is going to fix these problems? you the money that is raised is going to fix these problems?— the money that is raised is going to fix these problems? you only have to look back to — fix these problems? you only have to look back to the _ fix these problems? you only have to look back to the last _ fix these problems? you only have to look back to the last time _ fix these problems? you only have to look back to the last time the - look back to the last time the labour party ran the nhs and public services. in the 13 years since the last labour government, the waiting list for treatment fail to 18 months

for the first time. satisfaction in the nhs rose to over 80%. at the moment it is 25%, a historic low. you can see that with good management of the nhs, with restructuring the future, not constantly battling the challenges of the present caused by current and past tory policy—making, we can actually get ahead of some of the challenges we face. our shadow secretary of state for help has a plan for the staffing crisis, he has started talking about how to reform the nhs for the future to make sure we can make sure there is social care and the health service are working much closer together, building on the strengths of both. rachel reeves can provide the cash and capital necessary into our nhs and capital necessary into our nhs and public services in a way that is fairly distributed throughout the economy based on an economy that is growing because currently having a party in government that is a party of low growth means they are also a

party of high tax and our country and our economy cannot cope with getting these fundamentals long for much longer. the people who pay the price of the people in work on waged incomes and they are shouldering a disproportionate burden and at this meeting our economy and public services suffer.— meeting our economy and public services suffer. ., ,, , ., , . services suffer. thank you very much for our services suffer. thank you very much for your time — services suffer. thank you very much for your time today. _ services suffer. thank you very much for your time today. this _ services suffer. thank you very much for your time today. this message i for your time today. this message says i am employed by the nhs and i work through the pandemic and people where applauding carers and appreciated myjob. nowi where applauding carers and appreciated myjob. now i am feeling penalised for all my hard work by paying increased national insurance. that is interesting to hear from someone who works for the nhs and the government said the money raised is to help the nhs. and adult social care. here you have one nhs worker saying she feels penalised through this increase in national insurance. thank you very much for sending in your thoughts. thank you very much for sending in yourthoughts. if thank you very much for sending in your thoughts. if you want to tell me what you think about this

increase in national insurance, do you think that you don't like it but you think that you don't like it but you think that you don't like it but you think it needs to be done? to help support health and social care or you think it is the wrong way of raising money at the wrong time, please get in touch with me. i am on twitter. they're angry that a ban on conversion therapy will not include transgender people. a former chef with p&0 transgender people. a former chef with p&o ferries is suing the company. for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination and harassment, after it sacked 800 staff without notice last month. john lansdown is the only crew member to have rejected a financial settlement. in his tribunal claim, he accuses p&o of treating him unfavourably as he is british and eligible for minimum wage.

p&o ferries says the job cuts are "categorically not based on race or the nationality of the staff involved". a british man and his nine—year—old son have been killed by a landslide in australia. two other members of the family were critically injured by falling rocks in the blue mountains near sydney. a 15—year—old girl was unhurt. let's cross live to the blue mountains — and speak to our correspondent phil mercer. phil, an absolutely tragic accident. what more do we know about what happened in the family involved? well, there are reports here in australia that the family was from the united kingdom but moved to singapore, where the father was working. and what we do know is that this family of five came to the blue mountains about 60 miles to the west of sydney on monday in a rare sunny

day in what has been a very wet and tempestuous summer and start to autumn here in the southern hemisphere. the family was walking quite close to where we are now, near the wentworth falls. and the authorities say that the father and his son were struck by falling rocks. a woman and a teenage boy were also crushed but they survived but did suffer terrible head injuries to their abdomens. they were airlifted to hospital in sydney, where they have undergone treatment. and we also know that a fifth member of the family, a teenage girl, she is 15, she was physically unharmed but has been praised for her courage and composure in raising the alarm and helping rescue authorities reach her mother and her brother, who suffered those terrible injuries. so all of this happening on monday. the bodies

of the man and his son were retrieved on tuesday. but behind me, one of the walking trails has been closed, like many others around here, pending a safety review because there are concerns that torrential rain has made much of the land around here extremely unstable. phil, thank you very much. phil mercer reporting from the blue mountains. it is time now for a look at the weather forecast and let's get up—to—date with matt. fairly typical april fare fairly typical aprilfare here. some of the heaviest rain will be through this morning and early afternoon. pushing from west to east. hail and thunder potentially mixed in but that will gradually ease away for many northern and western areas to fewer showers this afternoon. the west of scotland and northern ireland the showers become more frequent during the day. winds get stronger. that will temper what is overall a slightly milder feel

compelled yesterday. the coldest air is to the very far north, an area of rain, sleet and snow here. overnight that starts to work its way southwards, it turns increasingly to snow. the scottish mountains could get the covering by dawn. elsewhere longer spells of nasty rain across the english channel, the channel islands, the southern counties of england. it will feel colder as we go into thursday, a day of sunshine and wintry showers across the uk. that chilly feel lasting until friday but showers become fewer in number. goodbye for now. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... nato foreign ministers are to meet as images of destruction, and allegations of war crimes continue to emerge from towns surrounging kyiv, following the retreat of russian forces. the uk, us and the eu are expected to impose fresh sanctions on russia. they're likely to target strategic industries, including energy, oil and gas.

millions of people will now pay more national insurance, as an increase to contributions comes into effect today. the health secretary sajid javid says it is a necessary move to support the nhs. if we want the nhs to catch up, to deal with this covid—19 backlog, if we want better adult social care, the money has to come from somewhere. married couples in england and wales will be able to begin divorce proceedings without apportioning blame from today — as new �*no—fault�* divorce legislation comes into force. and calories must now appear on the menus of food and drink businesses with more than 250 staff in england. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's holly.

i will take a wild guess that tiger woods would be where you are starting. so much for wild guesses, holi! but tomorrow that is properly all we will be talking about. a big couple of days for the english clubs left in the champions league. tonight, chelsea take on real madrid looking for a place in the semi—final. manchester city are on their way, they beat atletico madrid 1—0 in their quarter—final first leg at the etihad last night, whilst liverpool eased to a 3—1win over benfica. our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. this year, perhaps? for all their recent success, manchester city have never won the champions league and atletico madrid were out to frustrate them again. for the first half, their defence simply smothered city's attack, leaving pep with a puzzle. could his team crack the code? well, with time running out, phil foden found kevin de bruyne and at last... chipped it through for de bruyne. from stalemate to celebration.

how city were made to work for it, but that was enough for a 1—0 win and a crucial lead heading into the second leg. liverpool, meanwhile, were in lisbon to face benfica, and they got off to a thumping start. konate! ibrahima konate made the most of some charitable defending to power the visitors ahead. and it soon got even better for them, as liverpool's class was once again clear. sadio mane tapping them into a 2—0 lead at the break. but after it, benfica hit back. konate's mistake and darwin nunez gave the hosts new hope. but it was the visitors that had the last word, as luis diaz kept his cool to round off a 3—1 win for liverpool — a place in the semifinals very much in their sights. andy swiss, bbc news. so an eight o'clock kick off at stamford bridge tonight, where european champions chelsea take on real madrid. chelsea have been weathering government—imposed sanctions,

and a run of six straight wins ended in a 4—1 thrashing by brentford at the weekend, their heaviest defeat of the season. the boss wants a positive reaction from the fans. we need to be better on the pitch — we are the first to admit it — but we need the crowd to be better, supporters to be better. it was like this — we need everybody on the front foot. when you play in turin, play in malmo, play in st petersburg, play in lille, it's super hard and it's much harder to play against the spectators, as well. and we will face it next week in madrid. so, yeah, everybody needs to be on top level. tiger woods says that as it stands he will take part in the masters, which starts tomorrow. he won at augusta for the fifth time three years ago. he'll make a final decision after he's played nine more practice holes today. now 46, he would be competing at the first men's major

of the year, just over a year since suffering life—threatening injuries after crashing his car. well, as of right now, ifeel like i am going to play. as of right now. but it's the recovery, you know, how am i going to get all the swelling out and recover for the next day? and my team has been fantastic and worked very hard, so i've got another day of nine more holes and then come game time. if woods does play, it'll take some of the heat off rory mcilroy. the northern irishman has had poor preparation foraugusta, missing the cut at the texas open last week. but come the final day on sunday, mcilroy says he certainly wouldn't rule out woods being right in contention on the leaderboard. i wouldn't be surprised. i've spent a little bit of time with him at home and, you know, the golf is there. he's hitting it well, he's chipping well, he's sharp. it's just the physical demand

of getting around 72 holes here this week. that's probably the question mark, but the golf game is there. so would i be surprised? no, i'm not surprised at anything he does any more. he might get a green jacket. that's all the sport for now. more from the bbc sports centre throughout the day. bye from me. the biggest reform to divorce law in 50 years has come into force in england and wales — bringing it broadly into line with scotland. married couples will now be able to begin divorce proceedings without apportioning blame. our home and legal correspondent, dominic casciani, reports. happy family life — what so many of us want, but sometimes it comes with an emotional cost. in 2018, olivia and her then—husband realised their marriage was over and they had to find a way out of it for the good of themselves

and their children. but when she met a divorce lawyer, she was in for a shock. olivia was told she'd have to legally blame her husband if she wanted to get on with it quickly. i felt very uncomfortable with it right from the beginning because they seemed to be very much sort of pointing the finger and that someone was at fault. it felt that it was not going to be useful to the divorce process. especially when young children are involved i think apportioning blame sort of fuels the flame a little, and it didn't seem like a great way to set up co—parenting in the future. hi, olivia, it's nice to see you again. the couple got help from amicable — a divorce support service — but still needed to wait two years to legally split because they had chosen not to blame each other. the more tension between us, you know, obviously would have had an impact on them, it would have impacted our ability to share custody, you know, because as we help each other out all the time, you know, we share a car, we share a dog.

we're, you know, happy to look after the kids on different evenings and we're very flexible. up until now, we've had a fault—based divorce system in england and wales. someone has to be accused of adultery, desertion or unreasonable behaviour. if one partner disagrees, the couple must wait five years. from today, one or both partners can declare the marriage is over in a statement to a court. judges will no longer ask for a reason. the same rules apply to same—sex unions. divorce and family lawyers say it's a revolution that places people and their wellbeing first. this will be more humane. i think it also recognises the dignity of the people wanting to be divorced, and it gives them some autonomy, as well. what i'm hoping is that that sets the tone and the culture, and it will roll over into resolving financial matters and children matters, most importantly. divorce lawyers say there could be an increase in applications.

but the legal steps will take longer. there's now a 20—week pause to allow couples to think again. time also to divide finances and agree arrangements for children. but campaigners say the new law means more separating couples will find a happier life without added emotional and financial pain. dominic casciani, bbc news, in north london. joining me now is sheena cassidy hope, who is the managing associate in the family law team at mishcon de reya, who can talk to us about the significance of this change in divorce laws. good to have you with us today. this is a big change in the process of how people can get a divorce. why has it taken so long? because in scotland for example no divorces have been around for a decade. yes. there have — have been around for a decade. yes. there have been _ have been around for a decade. yes there have been debates about whether fault should be a component of divorce since, certainly since the late 1960s and owned imagine some time before that. family

lawyers certainly have been campaigning for this change to remove any element of blame from divorce for decades now. even the reforms were proposed in the past, in 1990s, initially there was going to be an element of no—fault divorce. in the end it wasn't acted out at that time because still a view to attributing blame to some degree should happen within divorce. so it has been a long time coming this change in something that has a very much being welcomed by family lawyers. very much being welcomed by family la ers. . . . , very much being welcomed by family la ers. . . lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the re ort, lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the report. clearly _ lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the report, clearly for _ lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the report, clearly for many _ lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the report, clearly for many couples - lawyers. yeah, and as we saw in the | report, clearly for many couples who are going their separate ways this will come as a great relief because they don't want to apportion blame. they don't want to blame one another. they to make this as smooth process as possible, especially if they have got children involved. will it lead to more divorces, do you think? i

will it lead to more divorces, do you think?— you think? i don't think... well, divorce isn't _ you think? i don't think... well, divorce isn't an _ you think? i don't think... well, divorce isn't an easy _ you think? i don't think... well, divorce isn't an easy process, i divorce isn't an easy process, regardless of what the legal process is. because needless to say there is a huge emotional impact on getting divorced. but what this change does do is it helps remove that element of almost artificial hostility from the process because just as of almost artificial hostility from the process becausejust as in of almost artificial hostility from the process because just as in the segment, quite often couples who are looking separate, looking to get a divorce, they don't want to attribute blame. the reasons for marriages breaking down are usually a lot more complicated than something that can be reduced to a few paragraphs of text in a divorce application. and so for couples as well it can be an artificial thing and certainly it sets things off on the wrong footing, physically where there are children involved. and these parents are going to be cooperating in raising their children for years to come. fight! children for years to come. and let's talk about _ children for years to come. and let's talk about the _ children for years to come. and let's talk about the opposite of that scenario, where the couple are trying to be as amicable as

possible. and i'm talking about a scenario where you have a coercive and abusive relationship. you believe this change in the legislation will actually help someone who is being subjected to coercive control? explain that to us if you would. coercive control? explain that to us if you would-— if you would. well, certainly some ofthe if you would. well, certainly some of the domestic _ if you would. well, certainly some of the domestic abuse _ if you would. well, certainly some of the domestic abuse charities i if you would. well, certainly some i of the domestic abuse charities have reported that women can often women are not necessarily women, the survivors of abuse have found the old process very difficult because if a party seeking a divorce doesn't wish to allege fault they used to have to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors of abuse of the prospect of potentially writing down and having in court papers allegations in relation to that abuse is something they were frightened of causing a reaction and retaliation from the perpetrator of that abuse. also, one of the big

changes that has come in is that it is now going to be much, much harder to dispute a divorce than previously. so under the previous law, if let us say the person seeking divorce alleged adultery, it would be possible for the other person to dispute that, to defend the divorce and one could have months and months of proceedings with court hearing a full trial, where a judge would have to decide whether adultery had taken place or not. and certainly the perpetrators of abuse, the prospect of defending a divorce could be used as a further way to exert pressure by saying if you trying to divorce me i'm going to fight it. you are going to be on the court for months, perhaps even longer. you are going to have to potentially spend a huge amount on legal fees and it is something that could be used fifth an area of further pressure. under the new system, now that the fault element has been removed, there are only very limited basis on which a person

can dispute the divorce and those are by and large are limited to where the court doesn't have jurisdiction, the parties weren't actually married or they have already been divorce in another country. already been divorce in another count . . .. already been divorce in another count . ., ,, already been divorce in another count . . ~' , already been divorce in another count . ., , . ., country. thank you very much for talkin: us country. thank you very much for talking us through _ country. thank you very much for talking us through all _ country. thank you very much for talking us through all of - country. thank you very much for talking us through all of that. - from today, all restaurants in england that employ more than 250 people will have to print calorie information on their menus. it's part of the government's efforts to reduce obesity rates — but there are concerns it could have a negative impact on people with eating disorders. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. the lunch rush is just getting going, and the manchester branch of the vapiano restaurant chain is one of the businesses that will be displaying calories on menus from today. when the new regulations were first announced, some restaurateurs worried about the extra costs, but the boss of vapiano says it's good to give customers choice and information. from a brand and business perspective, vapiano is very much about being transparent

with our guests and with our consumers. we'd like to be able to give people access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about the food that they're consuming and the quality of the products and ingredients that they put into their mouth. the new regulations mean calories must be displayed clearly at the point of choice — normally a menu — along with the statement, "adults need around 2,000 calories a day". the new rules will only apply to businesses that employ at least 250 people, so smaller restaurants are exempt. a survey by public health england found that 79% of respondents backed the idea. the government hopes that providing more information on calories in food will help people make healthier choices, and so reduce obesity rates. many larger restaurant, fast—food and pub chains already display calories on menus, and have done so for years. hello. wow, look at that. but the idea received a mixed reception among

diners in manchester. yeah, it would make a difference. i'd choose what i thought was the healthiest option. you know, i take a keen interest on what goes into my body and, yeah, i'd definitely be interested. we should accept our own responsibility for what we eat. and i think... yeah, with lockdown and everything, i think people should get on it and look after themselves. yeah, definitely. i don't count the calories. i'm young and healthy. i don't think it really. affects me in any way. but, no, i wouldn't look at it. i come to a restaurant because i'd go there knowing what i want to eat. i go there knowing that it's going to be a big meal. i don't go there thinking, "oh, i want to eat healthy at this restaurant today." there have been some concerns about the impact that highlighting the calories in meals could have on people struggling with an eating disorder, who can become very focused on calorie counting. and at this slimming group, they know that, while an awareness of calories may be helpful, there's much more to a healthy diet. three off — well done — amazing!

the calories on their own aren't going to make that much of a difference. i think you need to know what else is in there, don't you? even your vegetables - are at least in butter or oils, just so they glisten under the light, aren't they? i whereas you wouldn't i necessarily know that — you might be thinking, - "oh, i'm going for a healthier choice by having these vegetables." i feel like there needs to be more kind of education around this, and i don't meanjust in schools, for example. i think it needs to be, like, a wider—spread thing, so thinking about the fibre content, the protein, the things that obviously fill you up rather than just a number next to a dish. because obviously that can just be kind of misleading in terms of actually what's inside that food itself. the governments in scotland and wales are consulting on whether to introduce similar regulations. but the big question is what impact these measures will have in the fight against rising obesity levels. dominic hughes, bbc news. we will have more that storyjust a

moment a bid to breaking news, ed sheeran has won his high court battle over whether his song i can shape a view copied another song. it was the bestselling song in 2017 and the most stream track in spot five plus my history. this court case began in may 2018, when the shape a view and co—authors launched legal proceedings, asking the high court to declare they had not infringed a songwriter, a grime artist, who performs under the name sammy switch. are cheering along with his co—authors launched legal proceedings asking the high court to declare they have not infringed the copyright. laterthat

declare they have not infringed the copyright. later that summer, the case has continued since then and all three shaper view co—authors had denied allegations of copying. they didn't recall ever hearing the song before the legal proceedings started and the accuser was saying that oh why was the song that they were copying. but we havejust why was the song that they were copying. but we have just heard that ed sheerin has one that —— ed sheerin has one that caught case. various experts were called during the court proceedings to determine whether shaper view had distinctive similarities or differences. but let mejust similarities or differences. but let me just return to that story that

all restaurants in england from today that employ more than 250 people will have to print calorie information on their menus. it is part of the government's efforts to reduce obesity rates. not everybody thinks that is the way to go about things. with me now is edward edmond from charity beat eating disorders. you disagree with this plan don't you to put calorie information on menus. why? ihie you to put calorie information on menus- why?— you to put calorie information on menus. wh ? ~ ., , , menus. why? we have been extremely disappointed — menus. why? we have been extremely disappointed that _ menus. why? we have been extremely disappointed that the _ menus. why? we have been extremely disappointed that the government i menus. why? we have been extremely disappointed that the government to i disappointed that the government to push forward with this legislation in england. namely because we know from people we work with it will cause anxiety and distress at a time when they work very hard on recovering from what is a very serious mental health condition. but also that we know there is very limited evidence that this legislation will lead to change, to eating habits in the wider population. but we know it will cause distress to people that we work with. 50 cause distress to people that we work with. ~ cause distress to people that we work with-— work with. so if we think for example — work with. so if we think for example of— work with. so if we think for example of somebody i work with. so if we think for example of somebody who l work with. so if we think for i example of somebody who suffers work with. so if we think for _ example of somebody who suffers from

anorexia, as part of their recovery, presumably they are being asked not to focus so much on information and calories. so if they go into a restaurant and they see calorie information, what might that do? yeah, so the eating we like talk about can be very strong and it is important part in somebody�*s recovery from an eating disorder to learn how to have a very healthy and positive relationship with food. of course going out for a meal with family and friends is a very valuable part of that. and so having that extra information on the menu causes that extra doubt, that extra chance for the eating disorder to tell that person that they shouldn't be making that choice is healthy and positive them but they should be choosing something else or restricting or using other behaviours to compensate eating something that can be a very positive experience for them. fight! positive experience for them. and ou told positive experience for them. and you told all _ positive experience for them. and you told all of—

positive experience for them. and you told all of this to the government. what responses you get because clearly they have gone ahead with this today. they are saying this is part of the overall strategy to help tackle obesity.— this is part of the overall strategy to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our cam aiun to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our campaign have _ to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our campaign have worked _ to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our campaign have worked very - to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our campaign have worked very hard i to help tackle obesity. yeah, so our. campaign have worked very hard with the government to suggest alternatives of moving forward. we really encourage that the very least that menus without that information could be provided forfour that menus without that information could be provided for four people so they have that choice about whether they have that choice about whether they want to engage with that information or not. no, our campaign has reached almost all of the mps across the uk to encourage them to stand against this legislation but unfortunately we didn't have success in that respect. 50 unfortunately we didn't have success in that respect-— in that respect. so how do you balance the — in that respect. so how do you balance the needs _ in that respect. so how do you balance the needs that - in that respect. so how do you balance the needs that you i in that respect. so how do you l balance the needs that you were talking about with the need to tackle obesity, which of course is of huge concern as well?- of huge concern as well? well, i think with _ of huge concern as well? well, i think with everything _ of huge concern as well? well, i think with everything it - of huge concern as well? well, i think with everything it is - think with everything it is important that we focus on what is worth the benefit of going out for a meal and there is a huge amount of

social benefit for eating out with family and friends. and i think generally speaking across the spectrum of eating disorders, it is notjust spectrum of eating disorders, it is not just anorexia that will find this difficult, but people having really healthy and positive relationships with food will have a much stronger health benefit than this particular piece of legislation, which all of the evidence suggests won't have a major impact at all. evidence suggests won't have a ma'or impact at an.— impact at all. edward, thank you very much _ impact at all. edward, thank you very much for talking _ impact at all. edward, thank you very much for talking to - impact at all. edward, thank you very much for talking to us i impact at all. edward, thank you | very much for talking to us today. it's time now for a look at the weather forecast and matt is back with us forecast and matt is back with us for all the latest. high, forecast and matt is back with us forall the latest. high, matt. later on you need to keep a tight hold of your umbrella because it will be windy as well. 20 of showers and downpours at the moment, longer spells of rain as well pushing from west to east. a fragmented weather front that will move eastwards this afternoon. it leaves fewer showers in its wake so dry conditions this

afternoon. the wind picks up in the west of scotland and ireland. more persistent rain in orkney. cold air in shetland that will start the process of working south this evening. plenty of showers before it arrives. some heavy with hail and thunder. the covering of snow tonight across the higher ground scotland. we will see heavy rain as well this evening in the first part of the night across the southern parts of england, lasting throughout the channel islands. coldest conditions in the north with frost and ice around, winter week showers tomorrow. all of the sea temperatures drop tomorrow and then a cold start to friday but a few showers. bye for now.

this is bbc news ? these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. nato foreign ministers are to meet as images of destruction, and allegations of war crimes continue to emerge from towns surrounging kyiv, following the retreat of russian forces. the uk, us and the eu are expected to impose fresh sanctions on russia. they're likely to target strategic industries, including energy, oil and gas. millions of people will now pay more national insurance, as an increase to contributions comes into effect today. the health secretary sajid javid says it is a necessary move to support the nhs. if we want the nhs to catch up, to deal with this covid—19 backlog, if we want better adult social care, the money has to come from somewhere. do you think

national insurance should go up to pay for health and social care and the nhs or is it