hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the bbc finds evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields, near ukraine's capital kyiv. survivors tell their stories. i was afraid that we would all be shot. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. 25 women and girls say they were raped by russian forces in bucha, a senior ukrainian official tells the bbc. we'll look at what rape as a weapon of war means. meanwhile, the government urges people to flee southern and eastern ukraine if they can, warning russia will intensify attacks there

also on the programme. millions of british people start paying more tax from today, as national insurance rises. the government says the money will be spent on health and social care. and ed sheeran wins a high court battle after he was accused of ripping off another artist's song. we begin our programme with a special report from ukraine, where the bbc has found evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields in villages north of the capital, kyiv. families living there told how they were rounded up at gunpoint and forced to gather in a local school, as protection for russian forces against ukrainian counterattacks. our correspondent jeremy bowen has been the among firstjournalists to reach villages surrounding ivankiv his report contains details

you may find distressing. deep in the forest, towards the border, ukrainian forces were securing the territory the russians have left. large areas are hard to reach as bridges are down and roads blocked by mines. on the the edge of the exclusion zone is a village. really swampy ground. everyone wanted to talk about the russians. this man shared a place where russian soldiers made him dig a shallow grave to bury a man they killed. he said that with four other young men he was held as a prisoner for 15 days in the open,

often bound and blind folded, threatened with fake executions and then one shot him in the leg. translation: he put me - on the bench and shot my knee. it is because my younger brother was in the army. they found his military photos. down the road an elderly couple live in the ruins of their house, damaged in an attack on a ukrainian tank. what happened to your house? what happened he said, it just collapsed! he confirmed he had seen the prisoners. his wife said they had had dreams when they retired here from kyiv. he was badly hurt in the attack, the russians would not let a doctor visit her. translation: nobody could get out, i heard a doctor was shot _ by the russians when she was trying to get to a patient. the same thing happened to a priest.

ukrainian soldiers and others said the russians had used civilians as human shields in the next village. it is a small place on a lake. the russian tried to blow up the dam before they left. the people are still traumatised by the occupation. and by the 2a hours when they were held as human shields at the village school. ivan said it was chaos, children were crying, everyone was crying. how would you describe the experience? vandals, fascists. i don't want to think about the russians. they're not people. what happened that day? they were getting bombarded, that is what.

she said at night, the russians forced them out of cellars where they have been sheltered. they broke open the doors if people didn't answer them. on the 14th march, there was heavy fighting in the area, the ukrainians were on the attack, the russians were losing men. that night the russians went door—to—door around here and at gun point marched, estimates vary, 100 to 150 people of all ages, children as well, they put them in that school and held them as human shields. maria said she survived the second world war. they were like the germans, except they spoke russian, so i knew what they were saying. we were invited into the house, maria, the great grandmother was left terrified about the rest of the family, who were held in the freezing cold school gym. she said her daughter

still shows sign of anxiety. translation: l was afraid - we would all be shot in that gym. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. i'm still frightened, machine guns, a two—year—old girl shouldn't see this. i'm sorry. i'm going to cry. slowly this part of ukraine is being reconnected to the rest of the country. the russians blew the bridge as they retreated. where ukrainian forces are back, evidence is accumulating that russian troops broke the laws of war. ukrainian tanks are moving through the forests, the question is how the russians are treating civilians in the places which they still occupy.

joining us live. every difficult report. how are people coping in ukraine when they're hearing about that kind of evidence? it’s ukraine when they're hearing about that kind of evidence?— that kind of evidence? it's tough. the 're that kind of evidence? it's tough. they're struggling _ that kind of evidence? it's tough. they're struggling to _ that kind of evidence? it's tough. they're struggling to hear- that kind of evidence? it's tough. they're struggling to hear storiesi they're struggling to hear stories about that because that's just one story among millions those happening in ukraine and its people are moving west and getting to the city, people who are fleeing so many areas now, the stories are replicated, children witnessing unimaginable horrors, stories of men and women were losing theirfamily members, losing their partners and the stories are stacking up and up and as he heard in the report there, it is very hard for people here in ukraine the process that. this is their homeland, these are places they know, places they love, places they may have studied, went on holiday,

for theirfamilies and may have studied, went on holiday, for their families and friends live and as the stories continue to come out and assist terrible pictures continue to come out as well, i think around the collective ukrainian consciousness, there is a lot of difficulty in dealing with that and everything that is happened at the moment during this conflict. i'm hearing a lot about children they're being moved from the east of they're being moved from the east of the country into poland. i guess are you still seeing a lot of people coming from the east of the country to the relative safety and onwards into the rest of europe? it is to the relative safety and onwards into the rest of europe?— into the rest of europe? it is still happening _ into the rest of europe? it is still happening and — into the rest of europe? it is still happening and if _ into the rest of europe? it is still happening and if you _ into the rest of europe? it is still happening and if you rememberl into the rest of europe? it is still i happening and if you remember the early days you're on the border and people were travelling in huge numbers, the crowds not as big but it's still a steady stream of people and what we are seeing now coming from those areas that we've heard so much about, places on the front mind of the fighting. places like

mariupol. people who have been on the very first day of this war, the 24th of february, they've been sheltering in the basement of the school and kharkiv as it was —— shelled by russian forces. she tried to take her children and go and flee and try to get to a place of safety. people are still crossing the border to poland where i know just last week, the children that you met and that was so important and i think that help that is being given to the children now were trained to deal with all of this who in some cases are staying here in ukraine and trying to make a new life in a different part of the country, in some cases they are crossing the border looking for a place of safety and really try and rebuild their lives and i think families want to try to find a future for their children. this

future for their children. as alwa s, future for their children. as always, anna, my college reporting live from lviv. we know that nato foreign ministers have been gathering in brussels. they arrived a few hours ago — kicking off two days of talks on how to support ukraine at this stage of the russian invasion. jens stoltenberg, the alliance's secretary general, gave this update earlier. we have all seen the atrocities that are being committed in abuja and other places in ukraine. and —— bucha. in the targeting and killing of civilians is a war crime and of nato allies. we are supporting the international efforts for all the facts. the atrocities that jens stoltenberg was referring to happened in towns near kyiv, specifically in bucha and borodyanka. there've been disturbing reports of civilian killings emerging from both.

we'll have a closer look at the specific claims being made in a moment. president biden has been addressing this in the last hour. it the sense of brutality and humanity left for all the world to see unapologetically.— see unapologetically. there is nothina see unapologetically. there is nothing less _ see unapologetically. there is nothing less happening - see unapologetically. there is nothing less happening than l see unapologetically. there is - nothing less happening than major war crimes. responsible nations have to come together to hold these perpetrators accountable. this is what we know about the allegations. we know that blocks of flats were bombed in borodyanka, trapping civilians beneath the rubble. there've been reports that russian troops fired at those who attempted to dig them out. we still don't have a full picture of what took place there. but ukraine's prosecutor general said: 'the worst situation with civilian victims is in borodyanka.�* and in bucha, mass graves reportedly containing hundreds of bodies, were discovered. this satellite image

is alleged to show one. authorities also say they found five bodies with their hands tied in what they called a 'torture chamber�*. that was also in bucha. the town's mayor has been speaking to the bbc through an interpreter about what he witnessed. a warning, you may find this distressing. there were three civilian cars that were trying to leave and they were brutally shot. there was a pregnant woman and the husband was screaming, asking not to shoot her. theyjust brutally shot her. bury her on the side road and instead of the cross to put the number plate of his car the feelings and hatred and also a feeling of

helplessness because you cannot help those people. this was the response from the russian foreign ministry. it is obvious that this terrible criminai— it is obvious that this terrible criminal fixing area was fabricated to criminal fixing area was fabricated taiusiify— criminal fixing area was fabricated tojustify another criminal fixing area was fabricated to justify another preprepared package of sanctions, including a large _ package of sanctions, including a large number of expulsion of russian dipiomats— large number of expulsion of russian diplomats from a number of western countries _ diplomats from a number of western countries and of course, in order to complicate. — countries and of course, in order to complicate, if not completely interrupt negotiations that they began — interrupt negotiations that they began to show signs of a realistic approach — it's led to accusations of genocide — which were echoed by the uk prime minister. when you look at what is happening in bucha, the revelations that we are seeing from what putin has done in ukraine whichjust are seeing from what putin has done in ukraine which just look far short of genocide to me. it is no wonder that people are responding in the

way that they are. in the past few hours, we've seen the us announce sanctions on russia — here's what we know. they include a ban on all new investment in russia. russia's largest private bank, alfa bank, and its largest financial institution, sberbank will both be hit by sanctions as well. and we'll also see sanctions on russian government officials and theirfamily members — including vladimir putin's two daughters. those sanctions were announced by the us attorney general — and he had this message. our message to those who continue to enable the russian regime through the criminal conduct is this. it does not matter how far you sell your yard, does not matter how far you sell youryard, it does not matter how far you sell your yard, it does not matter how well do you conceal your assets, it does not matter how cleverly you write your malware, or hide your online activities, thejustice

department will use every available tool to find you, disrupt your plots and hold you accountable. representatives from eu countries are also in the process of discussing new sanctions. central to this is the eu dependence on russian energy. the ukrainian foreign minister has called for a show of strength from eu leaders. he said: "the only way to avert russian war expanding beyond ukraine is to provide us with the fullest support. maximum sanctions. all the weapons." but there's division within the eu on that. hungary's president viktor orban was re—elected on sunday. he previously had one of the closest relationships within the eu to russia's president putin. today he said he opposed an eu embargo on russian energy imports. russia has demanded that eu members pay for their gas in roubles. this was mr orban's response to that:

translation: it wouldn t be - a problem for us to pay in roubles. if the russians want. i believe all the atrocities have to be investigated as we are living in this mass manipulation era when we don t know if we can believe our own eyes regarding what is happening. we definitely have to protect civilians, and any atrocities have to be firmly condemned and all these cases have to be investigated by impartial parties. central to all this is the donbas region. specifically two areas: donetsk and luhansk. they're in the east of the country. in recent days, russia has said that it plans to focus its attentions there. thousands of people are trying to escape from the region ahead of that expected russian offensive. these pictures are from the city of kramatorsk. we also know that shelling of towns

in the region has continued. in one town, ten apartment buildings are said to be ablaze after being hit. this is the governor of luhansk, speaking to the bbc. you know, people are scared of the situation happening now in mariupol, i shall explain. the russian army is getting ready to report the criminal putin that they have fully captured the region. and they will stop at nothing. they cannot break through our resistance. that is why they simply will be wiped off the face of the earth so that not the stone is left after the shelling. breaking news in terms of another delegation. and they will be

travelling to kyiv and they will be meeting with president zelensky and this will follow the delegation of the shack prime minister and the polish prime minister. and they have travelled by train to meet president zelensky a few weeks ago —— czech. and the slovak prime minister and the head of the european commission, they will be travelling to kyiv apparently on thursday. so, details of this coming through to us just now as to when we get more reactions and we will bring that to you. focusing on the sanctions that we have been hearing about. joining me now from brussels is leonie kijewski, a trade reporter for politico and formerly the eu and nato correspondent for the english service of german press agency in brussels.

what about the latest sanctions targetting president putin's adult children and another oligarch with illegal financing? they want massively impact, but it is very symbolic of what the sanctions are doing. i is very symbolic of what the sanctions are doing.- is very symbolic of what the sanctions are doing. i think where main aspects _ sanctions are doing. i think where main aspects is — sanctions are doing. i think where main aspects is to _ sanctions are doing. i think where main aspects is to sanction - sanctions are doing. i think where main aspects is to sanction their. main aspects is to sanction their daughters but also to a senior us senior official has said they are trying to come believe vladimir putin is hiding his financial assets with his family and they could actually target his wallet directly and that is exactly what they're trying to do. whether that is efficient or not remains to be seen and there's a difference between

sanctioning someone and the sanctions and so if the trestles assets and figure out which assets they own, where the spec accounts are and putting someone on the list is not enough. at the same time, the uk has announced a new round of sanctions targeting russian banks which aims to cripple the financial sector, essentially. that feeling in brussels is diplomats fear that this will not necessarily the tear putin from continuing to wage war in ukraine and they have implemented quite a few sanctions and continued with this war effort. so, the effort remains to be seen but it's a symbolic step of this moment. aha, symbolic step of this moment. a symbolic step of this moment. a symbolic step of this moment. a symbolic step in terms of sanctions point he comes to the balancing act of support from the eu to ukraine, the eu policy chief pointing out

statistics that are very difficult to believe. the european union has given ukrainei billion euros since the start of this war to fund ukraine's defence of its territory. at the same time, they have given them 35 billion euros in payment for energy. how does the eu balance that? ., , . ., , ., energy. how does the eu balance that? ., _ ., , ., ., that? that is certainly a point of criticism and _ that? that is certainly a point of criticism and brussels _ that? that is certainly a point of criticism and brussels that - that? that is certainly a point of criticism and brussels that we . that? that is certainly a point of i criticism and brussels that we are hearing the people's party. the conservative group, criticising the eve for that. that the eu has to step up the game. but there is this question here of who is actually targeted by the sanctions, if we have a gas embargo, will that hurt

you potentially more than it will hurt vladimir putin if we target oil, can you not sell this oil to asian countries at a better price? and so, there's some hesitancy here in brussels and germany has been particularly at the forefront of this criticism essentially with people pointing fingers at it and it's certainly notjust germany, but other countries that are dependent on russian gas. and they're very hesitant to cut this gas supply, essentially. so, the eu was in a bit of a conundrum of how far he can go in terms of sanctioning russia, not providing any money any more to the regime and also not hurting its population. regime and also not hurting its pepuiation-_ regime and also not hurting its --oulation. ., ~ . regime and also not hurting its --oulation. ., . ., ~ population. thank you so much. thank ou ve population. thank you so much. thank you very much — population. thank you so much. thank you very much for _ population. thank you so much. thank you very much for talking _ population. thank you so much. thank you very much for talking us _ population. thank you so much. thank you very much for talking us through l you very much for talking us through this. thank you. ed sheeran has won a high court copyright battle over his 2017 hit shape of you. ajudge ruled on wednesday

that the singer—songwriter had not plagiarised the 2015 song oh why by sami chokri. mr chokri — here on the left — is a grime artist who performs under the name sami switch. he'd claimed the "oh i" hook in sheeran's track was "strikingly similar" to an "oh why" refrain in his own track. here are the refrains played back—to—back, staring with ed sheeran's. shape of you was the uk's best—selling song of 2017 in the uk and is spotify�*s most—streamed ever. after the ruling, ed sheeran posted a video on his instagram account — here's some of what he said. obviously, we are happy with the

result, claims like this are way too common now and it's a culture where claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court. it's really damaging to the songwriting industry. mr shokri's lawyers had called ed sheeran a magpie who borrows ideas that he doesn't always acknowledge. andrew sutcliffe oe said, "my clients are not shaggy, ed sheeran denied this, and pointed out that he always credits lesser known writers if he uses part of their songs. danny savage has been following the court case. kate swaine is head of intellectual property at gowling law firm — this is her analysis. there's only been an uptick. a lot of high—profile copyright infringements cases. taylor swift, most recently, there was a case against katy perry. there definitely

been an uptick in recent times. it is pretty difficult and i don't think this result is altogether surprising. so first of all, have to prove that there is been an act, that someone has taken their work and here, ijust did not succeed in doing that and is very much speculative to what must have happened rather than what did happen. taking a substantial part of the whole of the work and this did not meet the criteria either. so, the judge commented that there was significant differences and just some similarities is not enough. it may be a starting point, but it's not going to get you home. i think the final thing that makes a very difficult and demonstrated in this case, is where the defendants, the actual creators can demonstrate their own creative narrative which is the case here. all of that makes it extremely difficult to get a

copyright infringement case like this. ~ , copyright infringement case like this. , this. will be back in the next few minutes. this. will be back in the next few minutes- do _ this. will be back in the next few minutes. do not _ this. will be back in the next few minutes. do not go _ this. will be back in the next few minutes. do not go away. - good evening. today brought us some hefty april showers, and there are more of those in our forecast for the next couple of days, some of which may even turn wintry. much of what fell from the sky today was rain. that was the scene earlier on in birmingham. satellite picture shows this little stripe of cloud here, that gave a short, sharp burst of heavy rain for many. plenty more shower clouds, and then this swirl of cloud here marking out the centre of an area of low pressure, and that is now drifting across the northern half of the uk with, notice, these tightly—squeezed isobars, the white lines squashing together. that shows that, for many of us, it will be windy through the night, but most especially

through northern ireland, north wales, northwest england — gusts of 50, 60, 70 mph. and at the same time, we'll see rain turning to snow in northern scotland, could be five cm of snow piling up over higher ground here. temperatures quite chilly in the far north, quite mild down towards the south. this band of rain clearing southern parts first thing tomorrow, that will bring some strong winds for a time. this band of cloud with some showery rain, sleet and hill snow also working southwards, and it will all tend to break up and leave us once again tomorrow with another sunshine and showers day. some showers wintry, especially over high ground in the north, and it's going to stay windy with gusts of 40—50 mph. some of the windiest weather will be across the southern half of the uk. temperatures 12 or 13 degrees in the south, but further north, feeling a little bit colder. through thursday night, as the showers fade and the winds fall light in many areas,

we are going to see temperatures dropping, quite a widespread frost from wales and the midlands northwards. to the south of that, staying just above freezing because there'll be a shield of cloud associated with this weather system. this will graze some rain into the far south of england. it will also make it wet across the channel islands during the first part of friday. it should all clear away. it's another sunshine and showers day, some showers heavy, thundery and wintry. temperatures between 7—12 degrees. now, into the start of the weekend, this little bump in the isobars here indicates a ridge of high pressure, so some fine weather for saturday — just a few showers in the north. however, for sunday, it's all change. we'll bring wet and windy weather in from the west, but it will start to feel milder.

hello, i'm kasia madeira. welcome back to outside source. the bbc finds evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields in the ukraine's capital, kyiv. survivors tell their stories. i was afraid we would all be shot in the gym. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. 25 women and girls say that they were raped by russian forces in bucha, and an official tells the bbc. we will be looking at what rate as a as bbc. we will be looking at what rate as a weapon of war means. the government urges people to flee southern and eastern ukraine if they

can, warning that russia will intensify attacks there. also coming up on the programme, millions of bricks paying more tax from today —— british people. the government said the money will be spent on health and social care. the ukrainian government has urged residents in the east of the country to flee while they still can, as russian forces continue to shell towns and cities there. meanwhile, an estimated 130,000 people remain trapped in the southern port city of mariupol, in appalling conditions. the ukrainian authorities say they're trying to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors, with limited success. our correspondent tom bateman reports now from the city of zaporizhzhia, north of mariupol, and he's been speaking to some of those who've managed

to escape the fighting. some of the people arriving here didn't know if their country still existed. these are the survivors of europe's biggest humanitarian crisis in a generation. they've had no contact with the outside world for weeks. they faced the choice of a journey through the front line or starvation and siege at home. "the russians claim they came to liberate us," anna says. "mariupol has become a graveyard and all the neighbourhoods are covered with the graves of civilians." the air strikes were the scariest, nina says, they are "the air strikes were the scariest," nina says.

"they are constantly shelling. "one strike killed seven people, two of them children. "the craters in the ground were seven metres deep. "it was terrifying," she says. julia, with her two girls, survived in a basement for five weeks. their grandmother tried to ration the food. she says they drink dirty water from a well. translation:. breakdowns, a woman we know hanged herself. shallow graves half a metre at best, dead bodies all over the city. for every person on these buses, as they arrive, there are thousands more still under russian siege, under bombardment, cut off from the outside world. ukraine has said at least 5,000 dead have been counted in mariupol. today, local officials say the true number could be more than double that.

but these are the pictures moscow wants the world to see, filmed by reporter who are tightly controlled. filmed by reporters whose access is tightly controlled. russian aid is being handed out. survivors from elsewhere in the south are living two families per room. this woman's children say the tanks and artillery arrived next to their home. they tell me they hid in the basement. what did you feel like, was it frightening? "yes," they say. as the war moves to the east, ukrainians don't know how long their lines will keep holding, and they want more heavy weapons. they fear today's reunions could be short—lived. tom bateman, bbc news, zaporizhzhia, and eastern ukraine. tom bateman, bbc news, zaporizhzhia, in eastern ukraine.

we're going to talk about another war crime that is allegedly being carried out in ukraine. the ukrainian authorities have reported the sexual assault of women by russian forces, since russia invaded. lyudmyla denisova, the ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, has been speaking to survivors from bucha, and other areas in ukraine previously under russian control. this is what she told the bbc, and a warning, her description is graphic. they knew weapon is raping women. we have a hotline phone, 2a hours and free, we created a group providing select a logical support —— psychological, and women have been calling us held in bucha together. there are 25 women aged 14—24 that were raped by russian soldiers. nine

of them already died. that was happening for a month. of them already died. that was happening fora month. so, of them already died. that was happening for a month. so, these... these crimes will be investigated and every criminal will be punished. lyud myla lyudmyla denisova there. so, she says 25 women and girls were raped by russian forces in bucha, and that nine of thsoe women have since died. and there are more accounts. —— those. a ukrainian woman from a village near kyiv told her story to the times. she said... her child was hiding in the same house. human rights watch is collecting evidence. one woman told them...

and the uk's ambasador to ukraine tweeted... this professor of gender who studies rape in war explains more. the idea of rape as a weapon of war really— the idea of rape as a weapon of war really refers — the idea of rape as a weapon of war really refers to a practice of raping — really refers to a practice of raping women for purpose of destroying their community. the idea that pedro _ destroying their community. the idea that pedro operable society, —— patriarchal. _ that pedro operable society, —— patriarchal, women are seen as a property— patriarchal, women are seen as a property of— patriarchal, women are seen as a property of men. when you rape women, you not only destroy the women, — women, you not only destroy the women, but you destroy the men and the community, which makes it so called _ the community, which makes it so called effective as a weapon.

because _ called effective as a weapon. because sexual violence is very intimate — because sexual violence is very intimate and tighter reproduction, it can _ intimate and tighter reproduction, it can he _ intimate and tighter reproduction, it can be very harmful to communities' self perception, creating — communities' self perception, creating fragmentation, shame and long-term — creating fragmentation, shame and long—term feelings of dis— concern. so, rape is used as a weapon to terrorize the population, to break up families and destroy communities — and in some instances, to change the ethnic make—up of the next generation. we saw that in bosnia and during the rwandan genocide. those are examples where rape is used systematically in war, when it's even been ordered from above. it's not clear what's happening now, but this is one view.

she reports that one woman in mariupol was gang raped so violently that she died. here's dr boesten again. i think there's plenty of evidence in wars _ i think there's plenty of evidence in wars around the world that feelings— in wars around the world that feelings of entitlement and opportunity... this is further encouraged by women available to be raped~ _ encouraged by women available to be raped. they can be killed and raped. in a raped. they can be killed and raped. in a miiitary— raped. they can be killed and raped. in a military culture which encourages such sexualised violence. there's _ encourages such sexualised violence. there's very — encourages such sexualised violence. there's very little in previous wars that are _ there's very little in previous wars that are instructions, but at the same _ that are instructions, but at the same time, while superiors may not order— same time, while superiors may not order soldiers to rape, they won't discourage — order soldiers to rape, they won't discourage it either. so, that's why it's happening. now let's look at what's being done to stop it. the world took action after sexual violence atrocities in bosnia and rwanda.

the un said... so, rape was recognised as a war crime in 2008. but the international criminal court has only secured one conviction, and that was overturned. the international criminal court says they will open investigations into reported sexual violence in ukraine, but will there be any convictions? the independent organisation working to prevent wars, the international crisis group, is sending a team to gather evidence. azadeh moaveni, who's the group's director of the gender and conflict project, is on her way to ukraine. so, talk us through. you must have been hearing about incidences of rape in order to decide to go to investigate and collect evidence.

talk us through what you've been hearing. talk us through what you've been hearinu. . ~ talk us through what you've been hearinu. ., ,, i. talk us through what you've been hearinu. ., ~' ,, ~' hearing. thank you. indeed, ithink it's ruite hearing. thank you. indeed, ithink it's quite clear _ hearing. thank you. indeed, ithink it's quite clear from _ hearing. thank you. indeed, ithink it's quite clear from what _ hearing. thank you. indeed, ithink it's quite clear from what your - it's quite clear from what your previous guests and the ukrainian human rights commission has said, that the incidence of rape in ukraine are much higher than the evidence we've collected so far. i think by all indications, it's just the tip of the iceberg. we have certainly heard in bucha in particular that was under russian occupation, we heard of a case of a young woman who was raped there. she survived and was only raped once, but she had accounts during that period of time of others in her community in the same deeply traumatic and violent way that was described earlier as well. in front of their parents, in front of children, in that community destroying morale way. when it was

possible for bucha to be evacuated, a number of those women were able to leave and be evacuated. but this case that we know about, she also reported that there were other young girls in their teens, very brutally raped. she reported some of them, she passed along some of them have lost their teeth. it seems what transpired in that period was particularly brutal, and i think we'rejust going to particularly brutal, and i think we're just going to have to collect evidence and testimony in a sensitive way as possible, and see what evidence can be gathered together. it what evidence can be gathered touether. , ., , together. it is, of course, immensely _ together. it is, of course, immensely sensitive, - together. it is, of course, immensely sensitive, but | together. it is, of course, | immensely sensitive, but i together. it is, of course, - immensely sensitive, but i wonder together. it is, of course, _ immensely sensitive, but i wonder if you have any understanding of what the thinking behind it is. are these acts that are happening by rogue

soldiers, by rogue people? difficult to confirm anything at the moment, or is this something that has been desiccated from further above —— dictated, from chain of command? do you have any indication of why this is happening so symptomatically? i don't know whether we know how systematic it is yet, but there seems to have been particular episodes in places where the incidences have been more numerous. whether that was a unit that was acting in this manner or was being ordered to, it's really hard to say, and perhaps we will never know. i think some of the challenges of prosecuting war rape is partly due to this, what is the chain of command? but what is really clear is that ukrainian morale has been extraordinarily high throughout this war, and i think that has been

finding a way to crush that through this deliver it tearing of the community emotional fabric of towns, families. this is a way to, i think, in a cynical way, for the russian side — if it is indeed... it could be a tactic rather than a strategy. but to try and diminish and destroy that morale. i but to try and diminish and destroy that morale-— that morale. i spoke about rape bein: that morale. i spoke about rape being recognised as _ that morale. i spoke about rape being recognised as a _ that morale. i spoke about rape being recognised as a war- that morale. i spoke about rapej being recognised as a war crime that morale. i spoke about rape i being recognised as a war crime in 2008, and yet it's very difficult to understand that the international criminal court has only secured one conviction for war rape. how does that impact you when you are collating all this evidence, given the conviction rate?— the conviction rate? well, it's certainly discouraging - the conviction rate? well, it's certainly discouraging in - the conviction rate? well, it's certainly discouraging in the l

the conviction rate? well, it's - certainly discouraging in the sense that the sort of ethos of the icc and the elevation of rape as a potential war crime is one that would lead us to want it to be prosecuted robustly. but i think there is also a great deal of potential healing for survivors of rape through process of reporting and meeting others who have been through a similar experience, and there are often transitionaljustice through locally based initiatives that bring families of perpetrators together with survivors. even though at that exalted level of the icc, it may be impossible or difficult to secure effective convictions. there's more local processes through which justice can occur, there's more local processes through whichjustice can occur, and i think thatis whichjustice can occur, and i think that is one of the big motivations to document and to help look ahead

at what we will have to, what justice will be needed once the fighting stops. justice will be needed once the fighting stops-— justice will be needed once the fighting stops. justice will be needed once the fiaahtin stos. . ., ~ ., fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way — fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way to _ fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way to the _ fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way to the area _ fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way to the area to - fighting stops. azadeh moaveni, who is on her way to the area to ukraine | is on her way to the area to ukraine to collate the evidence of the crisis group, thank you very much for speaking to us on outside source. a difficult task, as the day will be taking on. if you are in the uk and if you are affected by any of the issues that we've been discussing, please do visit this website. you can find a support there. we're going to talk about the new divorce law that has come into effect in england and wales today, wednesday — no—fault divorce. it's the biggest reform to divorce law here in 50 years. let's look at what it is and why it matters.

no—fault divorce means couples who want to divorce quickly don't need to give a reason or blame one person to end it. that's why the uk government describes it as the end of the "blame game" in divorce. around 100,000 uk couples divorce each year. under the old laws, anyone who wanted to split had to accuse their partner of "desertion, adultery or unreasonable behaviour". if you choose not to blame each other, you have to spend two years apart if both partners agree, or five, if one of the couple objects to the split. and that has caused problems. here's one family lawyer. there have been countless clients who have said we both want to get divorce, we're both happy to proceed, and they're shocked to be told that they need to come up with

a random list of reasons why the other party has behaved unreasonably. and old rules created unnecessary conflict for a separating couple — and for their children. this woman felt that way. i felt very uncomfortable from the beginning because they seem to be very much pointing the finger. it felt there was not going to be useful to the divorce process. i think a portion of blame fuels the flame a little. it doesn't seem like a great way to set up co—parenting. lawyers also say previous laws trapped people in loveless and sometimes abusive marriages. some of the domestic abuse charities have reported that often women, not necessarily, — have reported that often women, not necessarily, but survivors of abuse have _ necessarily, but survivors of abuse have found — necessarily, but survivors of abuse have found this process very difficult _ have found this process very difficult because if a party seeking a divorce — difficult because if a party seeking a divorce doesn't wish to allege

fault, _ a divorce doesn't wish to allege fault, you — a divorce doesn't wish to allege fault, you still have to wait a minimum _ fault, you still have to wait a minimum of two years. for survivors of abuse. _ minimum of two years. for survivors of abuse. the — minimum of two years. for survivors of abuse, the prospect of potentially writing down and having in court _ potentially writing down and having in court papers, allegations of that abuse. _ in court papers, allegations of that abuse. is _ in court papers, allegations of that abuse, is something they were frightened of, causing a reaction from _ frightened of, causing a reaction from the — frightened of, causing a reaction from the perpetrator of that abuse. so, let's look at what's changed. from today, one or both partners can declare their marriage is over, in a statement in a court. judges will no longer ask for a reason. the same rules apply to civil partnerships. the aim? the uk justice secretary says... but the law doesn't take into account disagreements over money and finances. let's hear from kate daley now, co—founder of "amicable" — a divorce service that helps families. this will help people do the divorce part~ _

this will help people do the divorce part~ there — this will help people do the divorce part. there are _ this will help people do the divorce part. there are three _ this will help people do the divorce part. there are three elements - this will help people do the divorce part. there are three elements to. part. there are three elements to getting divorced. _ part. there are three elements to getting divorced. sorting - part. there are three elements to getting divorced. sorting out- part. there are three elements to getting divorced. sorting out thel getting divorced. sorting out the legal— getting divorced. sorting out the legal work. _ getting divorced. sorting out the legal work, sorting _ getting divorced. sorting out the legal work, sorting out- getting divorced. sorting out the legal work, sorting out the - getting divorced. sorting out the i legal work, sorting out the finances and the _ legal work, sorting out the finances and the children. _ legal work, sorting out the finances and the children. i— legal work, sorting out the finances and the children. i think— legal work, sorting out the finances and the children. i think this - legal work, sorting out the finances and the children. i think this will. and the children. i think this will allow— and the children. i think this will allow more _ and the children. i think this will allow more people _ and the children. i think this will allow more people to _ and the children. i think this will allow more people to sort - and the children. i think this will allow more people to sort out i and the children. i think this will. allow more people to sort out just the divorce — allow more people to sort out just the divorce element, _ allow more people to sort out just the divorce element, and - allow more people to sort out just the divorce element, and for- allow more people to sort out justi the divorce element, and for some people _ the divorce element, and for some people who — the divorce element, and for some people who don't _ the divorce element, and for some people who don't have _ the divorce element, and for some people who don't have children i the divorce element, and for some people who don't have children ori people who don't have children or don't _ people who don't have children or don't have — people who don't have children or don't have finances _ people who don't have children or don't have finances to _ people who don't have children or don't have finances to navigate i people who don't have children or don't have finances to navigate or discuss, _ don't have finances to navigate or discuss, that— don't have finances to navigate or discuss, that will— don't have finances to navigate or discuss, that will be _ don't have finances to navigate or discuss, that will be a _ don't have finances to navigate or discuss, that will be a more i discuss, that will be a more straightforward _ discuss, that will be a more straightforward and - discuss, that will be a more straightforward and simple i discuss, that will be a more - straightforward and simple process. just to— straightforward and simple process. just to pick— straightforward and simple process. just to pick you _ straightforward and simple process. just to pick you up _ straightforward and simple process. just to pick you up on _ straightforward and simple process. just to pick you up on that, - straightforward and simple process. just to pick you up on that, it's i just to pick you up on that, it's never— just to pick you up on that, it's never easy _ just to pick you up on that, it's never easy. nobody— just to pick you up on that, it's never easy. nobody finds i just to pick you up on that, it's i never easy. nobody finds divorce easy, _ never easy. nobody finds divorce easy, and — never easy. nobody finds divorce easy. and this _ never easy. nobody finds divorce easy, and this isn't _ never easy. nobody finds divorce easy, and this isn't making - never easy. nobody finds divorce i easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, _ easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, it _ easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, it is — easy, and this isn't making divorce easy. it is making _ easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, it is making the _ easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, it is making the process i easy, and this isn't making divorce easy, it is making the process lessj easy, it is making the process less punishing — in the uk — no—fault divorce already exists in scotland, but the so—called blame rules still apply in northern ireland. let's look at other countries around the world. sweden has liberal divorce laws — no fault divorce since 1973. divorce in the united states is decided by state law. it first came into effect in california in 1969 under california has no—fault divorce. that first came into effect under

governor robin regan. —— ronald reagan. the existence of grounds for divorce is essential — if not proven in court, it can't happen. the philippines remains the only un member state without legal provision for divorce, though religious law does provide for it if you're a muslim. so, where does that put the uk? here's kate daley again. it's been a long time coming, over 50 years _ it's been a long time coming, over 50 years and — it's been a long time coming, over 50 years and since _ it's been a long time coming, over 50 years and since the _ it's been a long time coming, over 50 years and since the last - it's been a long time coming, overl 50 years and since the last reforms in the _ 50 years and since the last reforms in the divorce — 50 years and since the last reforms in the divorce laws. _ 50 years and since the last reforms in the divorce laws. this— 50 years and since the last reforms in the divorce laws. this is- 50 years and since the last reforms in the divorce laws. this is a - in the divorce laws. this is a seismic— in the divorce laws. this is a seismic change. _ in the divorce laws. this is a seismic change. it _ in the divorce laws. this is a seismic change. it does i in the divorce laws. this is al seismic change. it does catch in the divorce laws. this is a i seismic change. it does catch the uk up seismic change. it does catch the uk up with— seismic change. it does catch the uk up with other — seismic change. it does catch the uk up with other western _ seismic change. it does catch the uk up with other western democracies i up with other western democracies like canada. — up with other western democracies like canada, australia, _ up with other western democracies like canada, australia, with- like canada, australia, with no-fault_ like canada, australia, with no—fault divorce _ like canada, australia, with no—fault divorce in - like canada, australia, with no—fault divorce in 1974. i like canada, australia, with. no—fault divorce in 1974. you mentioned _ no—fault divorce in 1974. you mentioned sweden. - no—fault divorce in 1974. you mentioned sweden. we i no—fault divorce in 1974. you mentioned sweden. we are. no—fault divorce in 1974. you i mentioned sweden. we are well no—fault divorce in 1974. you _ mentioned sweden. we are well behind the curve, _ mentioned sweden. we are well behind the curve, so— mentioned sweden. we are well behind the curve, so this _ mentioned sweden. we are well behind the curve, so this is _ mentioned sweden. we are well behind the curve, so this is very— staying in the uk — millions of people and businesses start paying more tax from today after the national insurance

rise came into effect. the government says the rise of 1.25 pence in the pound will be spent on health and social care. the prime minister said the increase was "unquestionably the right thing" and showed that the government is prepared to take the "big decisions" for the country. but labour called it the wrong tax at the wrong time and said the nhs was unlikely to see much of the money. colletta smith reports. it's been a busy few weeks here. with mother's day done, the easter rush is beginning. but sarah's preparing for an increase in her insurance bill, too. national insurance bill, too. it is only a small increase, but every increase at the moment is massive for a small business when we're seeing all the other increases. they don't feel they can up the price of their flowers as customers are struggling, too, and for many, flowers are a luxury. every penny counts, doesn't it? with fuel prices already so high, richard thinks

this tax rise is unfair. how much more of a pound do they want? rishi sunak will say it's a small increase and stuff like that. those small increases are coupled along with them huge increases. with all that, it's just not sustainable. it's notjust businesses who will be paying more. lots of employees will, 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 that 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. the government say that most employees will actually end up

paying less in national insurance after all of these changes, but for those that are going to be paying more, it's an extra pressure. visiting hospital in hertfordshire, the prime minister says he knows people are struggling. we're abating that, we're helping people. but what we're doing today is unquestionably the right thing for our country. it's the right thing for the nhs. in lancashire, the labour leader said this wasn't the right way to fund the nhs. we've had 15 tax rises, if you can believe it, from this chancellor. we now have the highest rate of taxation for 70 years. sue works for herself, giving expert training to childminders and nurseries. she'll have to pay national insurance on her profits this coming tax year. based upon income in the last 12 months, yes, it would be quite l a significant increase for me. but this next 12 months, _ who knows in terms of actually how much income i'm going to be getting? today's increase comes at a moment when lots of businesses and workers already feel they're running dry.

colletta smith, bbc news, in cleckheaton. to shanghai now, china's economic capital, a population of 25 million people, in a city—wide covid lockdown — which has now been extended into its second week, with residents under strict orders to stay at home. across china, more than 20,000 covid—19 cases were reported on wednesday — the highest daily total since the pandemic began. beijing has previously managed to keep the country's case rates low with its "zero—tolerance" strategy towards covid, but it's now struggling to control the outbreak. over 16,000 of those cases were found in shanghai, where a new round of mass testing is under way. one of the most controversial of shanghai's policies has been separating covid—positive children from their parents, which triggered widespread anger across the country. that rule has now been relaxed, allowing parents

who are also positive to stay with their children, with their children. i'll be back very soon on outside source — good evening. today brought us some hefty april showers, and there are more of those in our forecast for the next couple of days, some of which may even turn wintry. much of what fell from the sky today was rain. that was the scene earlier on in birmingham. satellite picture shows this little stripe of cloud here, that gave a short, sharp burst of heavy rain for many. plenty more shower clouds, and then this swirl of cloud here marking out the centre of an area of low pressure, and that is now drifting across the northern half of the uk with, notice, these tightly—squeezed isobars, the white lines squashing together. that shows that, for many of us, it will be windy through the night, but most especially through northern ireland, north wales, northwest england — gusts of 50, 60,70 mph. and at the same time, we'll see rain turning to snow in northern scotland, could be five cm of snow piling up

over higher ground here. temperatures quite chilly in the far north, quite mild down towards the south. this band of rain clearing southern parts first thing tomorrow, that will bring some strong winds for a time. this band of cloud with some showery rain, sleet and hill snow also working southwards, and it will all tend to break up and leave us once again tomorrow with another sunshine and showers day. some showers wintry, especially over high ground in the north, and it's going to stay windy with gusts of 40—50 mph. some of the windiest weather will be across the southern half of the uk. temperatures 12 or 13 degrees in the south, but further north, feeling a little bit colder. through thursday night, as the showers fade and the winds fall light in many areas, we are going to see temperatures dropping, quite a widespread frost from wales and the midlands northwards. to the south of that, staying just above freezing because there'll be a shield of cloud associated with this weather system. this will graze some rain into the far south of england.

it will also make it wet across the channel islands during the first part of friday. it should all clear away. it's another sunshine and showers day, some showers heavy, thundery and wintry. temperatures between 7—12 degrees. now, into the start of the weekend, this little bump in the isobars here indicates a ridge of high pressure, so some fine weather for saturday — just a few showers in the north. however, for sunday, it's all change. we'll bring wet and windy weather in from the west, but it will start to feel milder.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the bbc finds evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields, near ukraine's capital kyiv. survivors tell their stories. translation: l was afraid - we would all be shot in that gym. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. 25 women and girls say they were raped by russian forces in bucha, a senior ukrainian official tells the bbc. we'll look at what rape as a weapon of war means. meanwhile, the government urges people to flee southern and eastern ukraine if they can, warning russia will intensify attacks there.

also on the programme... millions of british people start paying more tax from today, as national insurance rises. the government says the money will be spent on health and social care. and ed sheeran wins a high court battle after he was accused of ripping off another artist's song. we begin our programme with a special report from ukraine. the bbc has found evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields in villages north of the capital, kyiv. families living there told how they were rounded up at gunpoint and forced to gather in a local school, as protection for russian forces against ukrainian counterattacks. our correspondentjeremy bowen has been the among firstjournalists to reach villages surrounding

ivankiv. his report contains details you may find distressing. deep in the forest, towards the border, ukrainian forces were securing the territory the russians have left. large areas are hard to reach as bridges are down and roads blocked by mines. on the the edge of the exclusion zone is a village. really swampy ground. everyone wanted to talk about the russians. this man shared a place where russian soldiers made him dig a shallow grave to bury a man they killed. he said that with four other young men he was held as a prisoner for 15 days in the open, often bound and blind folded, threatened with fake executions

and then one shot him in the leg. translation: he put me - on the bench and shot my knee. it is because my younger brother was in the army. they found his military photos. down the road an elderly couple live in the ruins of their house, damaged in an attack on a ukrainian tank. what happened to your house? "what happened" he said, "it just collapsed!" he confirmed he had seen the prisoners. his wife said they had had dreams when they retired here from kyiv. she was badly hurt in the attack, the russians would not let a doctor visit her. translation: nobody could get out, i heard a doctor was shot _ by the russians when she was trying to get to a patient. the same thing happened to a priest.

ukrainian soldiers and others said the russians had used civilians as human shields in the next village. it is a small place on a lake. the russian tried to blow up the dam before they left. the people are still traumatised by the occupation. and by the 24 hours when they were held as human shields at the village school. ivan said it was chaos, children were crying, everyone was crying. how would you describe the experience? vandals, fascists. i don't want to think about the russians. they're not people. what happened that day? "they were getting bombarded, that is what." she said at night, the russians forced them out of cellars where they have been sheltered.

they broke open the doors if people didn't answer them. on the 14th of march, there was heavy fighting in the area, the ukrainians were on the attack, the russians were losing men. that night the russians went door—to—door around here and, at gun point, marched — estimates vary — 100 to 150 people of all ages, old people, children as well, they put them in that school and held them as human shields. maria said she survived the second world war. "they were like the germans, except they spoke russian, "so i knew what they were saying." we were invited into the house, maria, the great grandmother was left behind, terrified about the rest of the family, who were held in the freezing cold school gym. she said her daughter still shows sign of anxiety. translation: i was afraid -

we would all be shot in that gym. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. i'm still frightened, machine guns, a two—year—old girl shouldn't see this. i'm sorry. i'm going to cry. slowly this part of ukraine is being reconnected to the rest of the country. the russians blew the bridge as they retreated. where ukrainian forces are back, evidence is accumulating that russian troops broke the laws of war. ukrainian tanks are moving through the forests, the question is how the russians are treating civilians in the places which they still occupy. a little earlier i heard from our correspondent

in lviv — anna foster. it is tough. they are struggling to hear stories like that because that was just one story among millions that are happening right now in ukraine as people are moving west as well, as they get closer to the city lviv, people are fleeing so many areas now. those stories are replicated, stories of children witnessing unimaginable horrors, stories of men, of women who are losing their family members, losing their partners. these stories arejust stacking up and up and up, and as you heard injeremy�*s report there, it is very, very hard for people here in ukraine to process data. very hard for people here in ukraine to process that. this is their homeland. these are the places they know, the places they live, the places they maybe studied, went to on holiday, the place where their families and friends live, and as the stories continue to come out and as these terrible pictures continue to come out as well, i think around the collective ukrainian consciousness, there is a lot of difficulty and actually dealing with that with everything else that is happening at the moment during this conflict.

i am hearing a lot about children who are being moved from the east of the country through lviv into poland. are you still seeing a lot of people coming from the east of the country to the relative safety of lviv and onwards into the west of europe? it is still happening. and actually what is interesting now, if you remember in the early days, when you are on the border, kasia, and people were travelling in huge numbers, the crowds are not as big, but it is still a steady stream of people. and what we are seeing now is they are coming from those areas that we have heard so much about, places like kharkiv. on the front line of fighting, places like mariupol, i spoke yesterday to one family who had been, since the very first day of this war, the 24th of february, they have been sheltering in the basement of the school and kharkiv as it was shelled by russian forces. and the mother decided that even after five and a half weeks,

that was the moment that she decided to take the children and go and flee and try to get to a place of safety. people are still crossing the border into poland where i know you were just last week, and the children that you met at the school, that is so important. i think the help that is being given to the children now who are trying to deal with all of this, and who, in some cases, are staying here in ukraine and trying to make a new life in a different part of the country. but in some cases, they are still crossing the border and looking for a place of safety and looking to really try and rebuild their lives. i think families want to try and find some kind of future for their children. my my colleague reporting with the overview of the continuing movement and displacement of people across ukraine. we know that nato foreign ministers have been gathering in brussels. they arrived a few hours ago — kicking off two days of talks on how to support ukraine at this stage of the russian invasion. jens stoltenberg, the alliance's secretary general, gave this update earlier.

we have all seen the atrocities that have been committed in bucha and other places in ukraine, this reveals the true nature of president putin's war. any targeting and killing of civilians is a war crime, and therefore nato allies are supporting the international efforts to establish all the facts. the atrocities thatjens stoltenberg was referring to happened in towns near kyiv. specifically in bucha, and borodyanka. there've been disturbing reports of civilian killings emerging from both. we'll have a closer look at the claims being made in a moment. president biden has been addressing this in the last hour. the sense of brutality and inhumanity left for all the world to see

unapologetically. there is nothing less happening than major war crimes. responsible nations have to come together to hold these perpetrators accountable. this is what we know about the allegations. we know that blocks of flats were bombed in borodyanka, trapping civilians beneath the rubble. there've been reports that russian troops fired at those who attempted to dig them out. we still don't have a full picture of what took place there. but ukraine's prosecutor general said... and in bucha, mass graves reportedly containing hundreds of bodies, were discovered. this satellite image is alleged to show one. authorities also say they found five bodies with their hands tied in what they called a "torture chamber". that was also in bucha. the town's mayor has been speaking to the bbc through an interpreter about what he witnessed.

a warning, you may find this distressing. translation: there were three civilian cars that i were trying to leave and they were brutally shot. there was a pregnant woman and her husband was screaming, asking not to shoot her. theyjust brutally shot her. so, he had to bury her on the side road, and instead he put the number plate of his car the feelings and hatred and also a feeling of helplessness because you cannot help those people. this was the response from the russian foreign ministry. translation: it is obvious that this terrible criminal i scenario was fabricated

to justify another preprepared package of sanctions, including a large number of expulsion of russian diplomats from a number of western countries and of course, in order to complicate, if not completely interrupt the negotiations where kyiv they began to show signs of a realistic approach. the us has announced sanctions on russia. let's go through what we know about those sanctions. a ban on all investment into russia, russia's private bank and also its largest financial institution will both be hit by sanctions as well. we are also seen sanctions on russian government officials and their family members, including vladimir putin's two daughters. the sanctions were announced by the us attorney general, and he had this message. our message to those who continue to enable the russian regime to their criminal conduct is this, it does not matter how far you sail your

yacht, it does not matter how well you conceal your assets. it does not matter how cleverly you write your malware or hide your online activity. the justice department will use every available tool to find you, disrupt your plots and hold you accountable. representatives from eu countries are also in the process of discussing new sanctions. central to this is the eu dependence on russian energy. the ukrainian foreign minister has called for a show of strength from eu leaders. he said... but there's division within the eu on that. hungary's president victor orban was re—elected on sunday. he previously had one of the closest relationships within the eu to russia's president putin. today he said he opposed an eu embargo on russian energy imports. russia has demanded that eu members pay for their gas in rubles.

this was mr orban's response to that. translation: it wouldn't be - a problem for us to pay in roubles if that's what the russians want. mr orban was also asked about the dead bodies of dozens of civilians found in the town of bucha near the ukrainian capital kyiv. this was his response. translation: i believe i all the atrocities have to be investigated as we are living in this mass manipulation era when we don't even know if we can believe our own eyes regarding what's happening. we definitely have to protect civilians and any atrocities have to be firmly condemned. all of these cases must be investigated by impartial parties. in another development — the czech republic is reported to be sending tanks and other armoured vehicles to ukraine. it's the first nato country to do so. the czech defence minister confirmed on twitter that the country is sending essential military material to ukrainian friends and will continue to do so.

no other details were given. this is our prague correspondent — rob cameron. the czech republic has been one of the most outspoken supporters of ukraine ever since russia's war on ukraine ever since russia's war on ukraine started. they have already sent several thousand pieces of artillery, munitions to ukraine. this is a major step that's being reported as the first time that the nato country has sent tanks to ukraine. the czech authorities are obviously being quite cagey about it. the defence minister saying that this is essential military equipment, but this confirmation came after photos appeared not only on social media but also in news reports in the czech republic appearing to suggest that around two dozen t 72 main battle tanks and

also bmp one infantry fighting vehicles, both soviet area warsaw pact military equipment to being loaded onto railway wagons on their way to ukraine. we know from the reports in the czech media that this appears to be surplus material that had previously belonged to the czech army's active reserves and the czech republic it seems, because no one is denying it, is now sending that to the ukrainian army to help them in theirfight against the ukrainian army to help them in their fight against russia. central to all this is the donbas region. specifically two areas: donetsk and luhansk. they're in the east of the country. in recent days, russia has said that it plans to focus its attentions there. thousands of people are trying to escape from the region ahead of that expected russian offensive. these pictures are from the city of kramatorsk. we also know that shelling of towns in the region has continued. in one town, ten apartment buildings are said to be

abaze after being hit. this is the governor of luhansk, speaking to the bbc. you know, people are scared more with the situation happening now in mariupol. i should explain. the russian army is getting ready to report to their criminal, putin, that they have fully captured that region and they will stop at nothing. they cannot break through our resistance. that is why they simply will be wiping all the cities off the face of the earth, so that not a stone is left after the shelling. not a stone is left after the shellinu. ., not a stone is left after the shelling-— shelling. for more on the significance of _ shelling. for more on the significance of the - shelling. for more on the significance of the latestl shelling. for more on the - significance of the latest western sanctions, including against members of president putin's family, i caught up with a trade report for politico. caught up with a trade report for olitico. ., ., ., , , . , , politico. one of the main aspects is that it is a symbolic— politico. one of the main aspects is that it is a symbolic move - politico. one of the main aspects is that it is a symbolic move by i

politico. one of the main aspects is that it is a symbolic move by the i that it is a symbolic move by the us to sanction putin's daughters. but also a us senior official has said that they are trying, they believe that they are trying, they believe that putin is hiding his financial assets with his family. so could they actually target them directly because make that is what they are trying to do. whether that is efficient or not, that remains to be seen, of course. there is a difference between sanctioning someone and implementing those sanctions. so you have to trace those assets, you have to figure out which assets they own, where those bank accounts are. similarly putting someone on the list is not enough. and at the same time, the uk has also announced a new round of sanctions today on targeting russian banks, which aims to triple —— cripple the financial sector, really. the feeling in brussels however is that diplomats there that

this will not necessarily deter putin from continuing to wage war in ukraine because they have implemented quite a few sanctions and he has continued with his war efforts. so the impact remains to be seen but it's certainly a big symbolic step at this moment. its, symbolic step at this moment. a symbolic step at this moment. a symbolic step at this moment. a symbolic step in terms of sanctions, but when it comes to the balancing act of the support from the eu to ukraine, the eu's policy chief pointing out a statistic that is difficult to believe. the european union has given ukraine1 billion euros since the start of this war to find ukraine's defence of its territory. at the same time, the eu has given russia 35 billion euros in payment for energy. how does the eu balance that? that payment for energy. how does the eu balance that?— balance that? that is certainly a oint of balance that? that is certainly a point of criticism _ balance that? that is certainly a point of criticism in _ balance that? that is certainly a point of criticism in brussels i balance that? that is certainly a | point of criticism in brussels that we are hearing european party also

in the european parliament a conservative group, there chief criticised the eu for exactly that saying that the eu has to step up its game. at the same time, there is this question here of who is actually targeted by those sanctions if we have a gas embargo, will that hurt the eu more than it will hurt putin? if we target oil, can he not sell this oil to asian countries, for example, at a better price? so there is some hesitancy here in brussels. germany has been particularly at the forefront of this criticism essentially with people pointing fingers at it, but it's certainly notjust germany, but also other countries that are dependent on russian gas that are very hesitant to cut this gas

supply, essentially, so it's a bit of a conundrum of how far can it go in terms of sanctioning russia, not providing any money any more to the regime while also not hurting its own population. ed sheeran has won a high court copyright battle over his 2017 hit shape of you. ajudge ruled on wednesday that the singer—songwriter had not plagiarised the 2015 song oh why by sami chokri. mr chokri — here on the left — is a grime artist who performs under the name sami switch. he'd claimed the "oh i" line in sheeran's track was "strikingly similar" to an "oh why" refrain in his own track. here are the refrains played back—to—back, staring with ed sheeran's. # oh, i, oh, i, oh, i...

# oh, why, oh why, oh shape of you was the uk's best—selling song of 2017 in the uk and is spotify�*s most—streamed ever. after the ruling, ed sheeran posted a video on his instagram account — here's some of it. we are obviously happy with the result to my file claims like this are way too common now and —— obviously, we are happy with the result, claims like this are way too common now and it's a culture where claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court. it's really damaging to the songwriting industry. mr shokri's lawyers had called ed sheeran a magpie who borrows ideas that he doesn't always acknowledge. andrew sutcliffe oe said, "my clients are not shaggy, rihanna, coldplay or jay—z. if they were, they'd have been treated in a very different way. ed sheeran denied this, and pointed out that he always credits lesser known writers if he uses part of their songs. kate swaine is head of intellectual property at gowling law firm —

this is her analysis. imean, i mean, there has certainly been an uptick. we have certainly seen quite a lot of high—profile copyright infringement allegations over the last few years against do a taylor swift, most recently there was the case against katy perry. so there has definitely been an uptick in recent times. it is actually pretty difficult, and i don't think this result is surprising. first of all, you have got to prove that there has been an active copying, that somebody has actually taken that work. here, theyjust didn't succeed in doing that. it was very much speculative as to what must�*ve happened rather than what did happen. the whole of the work, in this case didn't meet that criteria either. so thejudge this case didn't meet that criteria either. so the judge commented that there was significant differences and just some similarities isn't

enough. it may be a starting point, but it is not going to get you home. i think the final thing that makes it difficult and we should demonstrated again in this case is worthy of the defendants, the actual creators can demonstrate their own independent narrative as to how they created the work, which was the case here. all of that makes it extremely difficult to get a copyright infringement case like this. ~ ., ., copyright infringement case like this. ., ., ., ,, this. more detail on our website as well. our entertainment _ this. more detail on our website as well. our entertainment reporting | well. our entertainment reporting has written this story up in what it sharon has been hitting out of the culture of what he describes as baseless copyright claims after his court victory, let's face it, we are all going to be singing that were dashed song for the rest of the day now that we've heard so many times. lots more on our website. you can get in touch with me in social media. it will be great to hear from you and all of our strays, notjust

this sign, of course. don't go away i will be back with lots more very soon. good evening. today brought us some hefty april showers, and there are more of those in our forecast for the next couple of days, some of which may even turn wintry. much of what fell from the sky today was rain. that was the scene earlier on in birmingham. satellite picture shows this little stripe of cloud here, that gave a short, sharp burst of heavy rain for many. plenty more shower clouds, and then this swirl of cloud here marking out the centre of an area of low pressure, and that is now drifting across the northern half of the uk with, notice, these tightly—squeezed isobars, the white lines squashing together. that shows that, for many of us, it will be windy through the night, but most especially through northern ireland, north wales, northwest england — gusts of 50, 60,70 mph. and at the same time, we'll see rain turning to snow in northern scotland, could be five cm of snow piling up

over higher ground here. temperatures quite chilly in the far north, quite mild down towards the south. this band of rain clearing southern parts first thing tomorrow, that will bring some strong winds for a time. this band of cloud with some showery rain, sleet and hill snow also working southwards, and it will all tend to break up and leave us once again tomorrow with another sunshine and showers day. some showers wintry, especially over high ground in the north, and it's going to stay windy with gusts of 40—50 mph. some of the windiest weather will be across the southern half of the uk. temperatures 12 or 13 degrees in the south, but further north, feeling a little bit colder. through thursday night, as the showers fade and the winds fall light in many areas, we are going to see temperatures dropping, quite a widespread frost from wales and the midlands northwards. to the south of that, staying just above freezing because there'll be a shield of cloud associated with this weather system. this will graze some rain into the far south of england.

it will also make it wet across the channel islands during the first part of friday. it should all clear away. it's another sunshine and showers day, some showers heavy, thundery and wintry. temperatures between 7—12 degrees. now, into the start of the weekend, this little bump in the isobars here indicates a ridge of high pressure, so some fine weather for saturday — just a few showers in the north. however, for sunday, it's all change. we'll bring wet and windy weather in from the west, but it will start to feel milder.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the bbc finds evidence of russian troops using citizens as human shields, near ukraine's capital kyiv. survivors tell their stories. translation: i was afraid - we would all be shot in that gym. i was scared for my daughter. i don't have the words. 25 women and girls say they were raped by russian forces in bucha, a senior ukrainian official tells the bbc. we'll look at what rape as a weapon of war means. meanwhile, the government urges people to flee southern and eastern ukraine if they can, warning russia will

intensify attacks there. also on the programme. millions of british people start paying more tax from today, as national insurance rises. the government says the money will be spent on health and social care. and ed sheeran wins a high court battle after he was accused of the ukrainian government has urged residents in the east of the country to flee while they still can, as russian forces continue to shell towns and cities there. meanwhile an estimated 130,000 people remain trapped in the southern port city of mariupol, in appalling conditions. the ukrainian authorities say they're trying to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors, with limited success. our correspondent, tom bateman, reports now from the city of zaporyzhzhia , north of mariupol.

he's been speaking to some of those who've managed to escape the fighting. some of the people arriving here didn't know if their country still existed. these are the survivors of europe's biggest humanitarian crisis in a generation. they've had no contact with the outside world for weeks. they faced the choice of a journey through the front line... ..or starvation and siege at home. "the russians claim they came to liberate us," anna says. "mariupol has become a graveyard and all the neighbourhoods are covered with the graves of civilians." "the air strikes were the scariest," nina says. "they are constantly shelling. "one strike killed seven people, two of them children. "the craters in the ground

were seven metres deep. "it was terrifying," she says. julia, with her two girls, survived in a basement for five weeks. their grandmother tried to ration the food. she says they drink dirty water from a well. translation: people are having mental breakdowns, a woman we know hanged herself. shallow graves half a metre at best, dead bodies all over the city. for every person on these buses, as they arrive, there are thousands more still under russian siege, under bombardment, cut off from the outside world. ukraine has said at least 5,000 dead have been counted in mariupol. today, local officials say the true number could be more than double that.

but these are the pictures moscow wants the world to see, filmed by reporters whose access is tightly controlled. russian aid is being handed out. survivors from elsewhere in the south are living two families per room. this woman's children say the tanks and artillery arrived next to their home. they tell me they hid in the basement. what did you feel like, was it frightening? "yes," they say. as the war moves to the east, ukrainians don't know how long their lines will keep holding, and they want more heavy weapons. they fear today's reunions could be short—lived. tom bateman, bbc news, zaporizhzhia, in eastern ukraine. we're going to focus on another war crime that is allegedly being carried out in ukraine. ukrainian authorities have reported the sexual assault of women by russian forces,

since russia invaded. lyudmyla denisova, the ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, has been speaking to survivors from bucha, and other areas in ukraine previously under russian control. this is what she told the bbc and a warning her description is graphic. the new weapon is raping women, we have a hot line, phone, 24—hourfree hotline and we created a group providing psychological support and women have been calling, they were held in bucha, women age 14 — 24 that were raped by russian soldiers.

nine of them already died. that was also happening for a month. so, these crimes will be investigated and every criminal will be punished. so she says 25 women and girls were raped by russian forces in bucha, and that 9 of thsoe women have since died. and there are more accounts. a ukrainian woman, from a village near kyiv, told her story to the times. her child was hiding in the same house. human rights watch is collecting evidence — one woman told them a russian soldier repeatedly raped her in a school in the kharkiv region where she and her family had been sheltering. and the uk's ambasador to ukraine tweeted: rape

is a weapon of war. though we don't yet know the full extent of its use in ukraine it's already clear it was part of russia's arsenal. women raped in front of their kids, girls in front of their families, as a deliberate act of subjugation. this professor of gender who studies rape in war explains more. in patriarchal societies, women are often seen as the property of men and their sexuality is often tied to communities or families on and their sexuality is often tied to communities orfamilies on her, so when you raped women, you not only destroy the women, you destroy the men and the community, which makes it so called effective as a weapon and because sexual violence is a very intimate and tied to reproduction, it can be very harmful

to the south perception of communities, creating fragmentation, shame, creating feelings of this concern. so, rape is used as a weapon — to terrorize the population, to break up families and destroy communities. and, in some instances, to change the ethnic make—up of the next generation. we saw that during the rwandan genocide. rape was used systematically during that conflict, and it was even ordered from above. it's not clear what is happening in ukraine 110w. but this is one view from there, reported by christina lamb in the sunday times: "a ukrainian who is setting up a treatment centre described it to me as a wave, saying russian soldiers were taking out their anger over the war not going well." christina goes on to report that one woman in mariupol was apparently gang—raped so violently that she died. here's dr boesten again.

i think that there is plenty of evidence in wars around the world, feelings of entitlement and opportunity, this is then further encouraged by the idea that women in the camp are available to be raped, they are dehumanised, they can be killed and raped and military culture encourages such sexualised violence. there is very little evidence in previous wars that are actually instructions, or at least you cannot really find them, but at the same time, while superiors may not order soldiers to write, they will not discourage it either. so that's why it's happening. now let's look at what's being done to stop it. the world began to take action after systematic rape during the bosnian war. the un said: sexual violence in conflict needs to be treated as the war crime that it is; it can

no longer be treated as an unfortunate collateral damage of war. so rape was recognised as a war crime in 2008. but the international criminal court, has only secured one conviction for war rape. the international criminal court says they will open investigations into reported sexual violence in ukraine. but will there be any convictions? the independent organisation working to prevent wars, the international crisis group, is sending a team to gather evidence. i've been speaking to azadeh moaveni, the group's director of the gender and conflict project, about what they have bene hearing out of ukraine. i think it is quite clear from what your previous guests and the ukrainian human rights commissioner has said, that really the incidence of rain in ukraine is much higher

than what we have collected so far, by all indications it is just the tip of the iceberg, we have certainly heard in bucha in particular, that was under russian occupation for three weeks, we have heard of a case of a young woman who was raped there. she survived, she was raped there. she survived, she was only raped once but she had accounts during the period of time with others in her community, in the same deeply traumatic and violent way that was described earlier as well. in front of their parents, in front of children and that sort of community destroying way and when it was possible for her to be evacuated, and number of those women were able to leave and to be evacuated. this case that we know about, she also reported to us that there were other quite young girls in their teens, very brutally raped,

she reported that some of them, she passed along, some of them had lost their teeth and it seemed like what transpired in the period of time was particularly brutal and i think we arejust going to particularly brutal and i think we are just going to have to collect evidence and collect testimony in as sensitive a way as possible and see what evidence can be gathered together. it what evidence can be gathered touether. , ., , , together. it is an immensely sensitive _ together. it is an immensely sensitive subject, _ together. it is an immensely sensitive subject, but - together. it is an immensely sensitive subject, but if- together. it is an immensely sensitive subject, but if you | together. it is an immensely i sensitive subject, but if you have any understanding of what the thinking behind it is, are these acts that are happening by rogue soldiers, rogue people? it is difficult to confirm anything at the moment, or is this something that has been dictated from further above, from a chain of command so to speak and i wonder if you have any indication of why this is happening so systemically? i indication of why this is happening so systemically?— so systemically? i don't know whether we — so systemically? i don't know

whether we know _ so systemically? i don't know whether we know how - so systemically? i don't know- whether we know how systematic it is at this point, there seems to have been particular episodes, in particular places, where the incidents have been more numerous, whether that was a unit that was, you know, acting in this manner or was been ordered to, it is really hard to say and perhaps we will never know. i think some of the challenges of prosecuting war rain at the icc is partly due to this, what is the chain of command, who was responsible. what is really clear is that ukrainian morale has been extraordinarily high throughout this work and i think that that has been, you know, finding a way to crush that, through this deliberate tearing of the community, emotional fabric of towns, of families. this is a way to, i think, in a very asymmetric, cynical way, for the russian side too, you know, if it is

indeed, it could perhaps be a tactic rather than a strategy, but to try and diminish and destroy that morale. i and diminish and destroy that morale. , ,., ~' and diminish and destroy that morale. , ., ., , morale. i spoke about rain being recognised _ morale. i spoke about rain being recognised as — morale. i spoke about rain being recognised as a _ morale. i spoke about rain being recognised as a war _ morale. i spoke about rain being recognised as a war crime i morale. i spoke about rain being recognised as a war crime in i morale. i spoke about rain being i recognised as a war crime in 2008 and it is very difficult to understand that the international criminal court has only secured one conviction for war rain, i guess, how does that then impact you when you are collating all this evidence, given the conviction rain. it is certainly _ given the conviction rain. it 3 certainly discouraging, in the sense that the sort of ethos of the icc and the elevation of rape as a potential war crime is one that would lead us to wanted to be prosecuted robustly and effectively. i think that there is also a great deal of potential healing for

survivors of rape, through the process of reporting, meeting others who have been through a similar experience and there are often, as well as transitionaljustice, locally based initiatives that are bringing families and perpetrators together along with survivors. even at that exalted level of the icc, it may be impossible or difficult to secure effective convictions that will not be appealed against, there are more local processes through which justice and healing are more local processes through whichjustice and healing can are more local processes through which justice and healing can occur and i think that is one of the big motivations to collate, the document and to look ahead at what sort of justice will be needed once the fighting stops. if you are in the uk, and affected by any of the issues please visit the website bbc dot co dot uk

slash actionline we're going to talk about the new divorce law that has come into effect in england and wales, no—fault divorce. it's the biggest reform to divorce law here in 50 years. let's look at what it is and why it matters. no—fault divorce means couples who want to divorce quickly don't need to give a reason or blame one person to end it. (gfx)that�*s why the uk government describes it as the end of the blame game in divorce. around one—hundred—thousand uk couples divorce each year. under the old laws, anyone who wanted to split had to accuse their partner of "desertion, adultery or unreasonable behaviour". if you choose not to blame each other, you have to spend two years apart if both partners agree, or five, if one of the couple objects to the split. and that has caused problems. here's one family lawyer.

i have a where clients have come to me and said, we both want to get divorced, we are both happy to proceed and they are actually really shocked to be told that you need to come up with, you know, a random list of reasons why the other party has behaved unreasonably. and, old rules created unnecessary conflict for a separating couple — and for their children. this woman felt that way. i felt very uncomfortable, because they seemed to be pointing the finger— they seemed to be pointing the finger and someone was at fault, it felt like _ finger and someone was at fault, it felt like it was not going to be useful— felt like it was not going to be useful to _ felt like it was not going to be useful to the divorce process, especially when young children are involved. _ especially when young children are involved. i— especially when young children are involved, i think apportioning blame fuels it— involved, i think apportioning blame fuels it a _ involved, i think apportioning blame fuels it a bit and... lawyers also say previous laws trapped people in loveless and sometimes abusive marriages.

some of the domestic abuse charities have reported — some of the domestic abuse charities have reported that _ some of the domestic abuse charities have reported that often _ some of the domestic abuse charities have reported that often women, i have reported that often women, though— have reported that often women, though not— have reported that often women, though not necessarily, - have reported that often women, though not necessarily, but i though not necessarily, but survivors _ though not necessarily, but survivors of _ though not necessarily, but survivors of abuse - though not necessarily, but survivors of abuse have i though not necessarily, but . survivors of abuse have found though not necessarily, but i survivors of abuse have found the process _ survivors of abuse have found the process very _ survivors of abuse have found the process very difficult, _ survivors of abuse have found the process very difficult, because i survivors of abuse have found the process very difficult, because if. survivors of abuse have found the| process very difficult, because if a party _ process very difficult, because if a party seeking _ process very difficult, because if a party seeking divorce _ process very difficult, because if a party seeking divorce does - process very difficult, because if a party seeking divorce does not. process very difficult, because if a i party seeking divorce does not wish to alleged _ party seeking divorce does not wish to alleged fault, _ party seeking divorce does not wish to alleged fault, they used - party seeking divorce does not wish to alleged fault, they used to - party seeking divorce does not wish to alleged fault, they used to have i to alleged fault, they used to have to alleged fault, they used to have to wait— to alleged fault, they used to have to wait a _ to alleged fault, they used to have to wait a minimum _ to alleged fault, they used to have to wait a minimum of— to alleged fault, they used to have to wait a minimum of two - to alleged fault, they used to have to wait a minimum of two years. i to alleged fault, they used to have i to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors — to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors of— to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors of abuse, _ to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors of abuse, the _ to wait a minimum of two years. and for survivors of abuse, the prospect. for survivors of abuse, the prospect of potentially — for survivors of abuse, the prospect of potentially writing _ for survivors of abuse, the prospect of potentially writing down - for survivors of abuse, the prospect of potentially writing down and i of potentially writing down and having — of potentially writing down and having in — of potentially writing down and having in court _ of potentially writing down and having in court papers - of potentially writing down and i having in court papers allegations of abuse — having in court papers allegations of abuse is — having in court papers allegations of abuse is something _ having in court papers allegations of abuse is something they - having in court papers allegations of abuse is something they were i of abuse is something they were frightened — of abuse is something they were frightened off— of abuse is something they were frightened off causing _ of abuse is something they were frightened off causing a - of abuse is something they were frightened off causing a reactionj frightened off causing a reaction and retaliation from _ frightened off causing a reaction and retaliation from the - frightened off causing a reaction i and retaliation from the perpetrator of the _ and retaliation from the perpetrator of the abuse — so let's look at what's changed. from today, one or both partners can declare their marriage is over, in a statement in a court. judges will no longer ask for a reason. the same rules apply to civil partnerships. the aim? the uk justice secretary says:

we want to reduce the acrimony couples endure and end the anguish that children suffer. but — the law doesn't take into account disagreements over money and finances. let's hear from kate daley now, co—founder of "amicable" — a divorce service that helps families. this will help people do the divorce part. when you get divorced there are three elements, sorting out the legal paperwork, sorting out the finances and sorting out the children. i think this will allow more people to sort outjust the divorce element and for some people who do not have children or do not have finances to navigate or discuss, that will make it a more straightforward and simple process, but it is never easy. nobody finds divorce easy and this is not making divorce easy and this is not making divorce easy, it is making the process less punishing. in the uk — no—fault divorce already exists in scotland, but the so—called blame rules still apply in northern ireland. let's look at other countries around the world.

sweden has liberal divorce laws — no fault divorce since 1973. divorce in the united states is decided by state law — california has no—fault divorce. that first came into effect there in 1969 under governor ronald reagan. poland has conservative rules — the existence of grounds for divorce is essential — if not proven in court, it can't happen. the philippines remains the only un member state without legal provision for divorce — though religious law does provide for it if you're a muslim. so where does that put the uk? here's kate daley again. it has been a long time coming here, over 50 years since the last reforms in the divorce laws, so this is a seismic change and it does catch the uk up with other western democracies like canada, like australia, australia had no fault divorce in

1974 and you mention sweden in your intro, we are well behind the curve, so this is very welcome. staying in the uk — millions of people and businesses start paying more tax from today after the national insurance rise came into effect. the government says the rise of 1.25 pence in the pound will be spent on health and social care. this book the prime minister said the increase was "unquestionably the right thing" and showed that the government is prepared to take the "big decisions" for the country. but labour called it the wrong tax at the wrong time and said the nhs was unlikely to see much of the money. colletta smith reports. it's been a busy few weeks here. with mother's day done, the easter rush is beginning. but sarah's preparing for an increase in her national insurance bill, too. it is only a small increase, but every increase at the moment is massive for a small business

when we're seeing all the other increases. they don't feel they can up the price of their flowers as customers are struggling, too, and for many, flowers are a luxury. every penny counts, doesn't it? with fuel prices already so high, richard thinks this tax rise is unfair. how much more of a pound do they want? rishi sunak will say it's a small increase and stuff like that. them small increases are coupled along with them huge increases. with all that, it's just not sustainable. it's notjust businesses who will be paying more. lots of employees will, 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 that 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. the government say that most employees will actually end up paying less in national insurance after all of these changes, but for those that are going to be paying more, it's an extra pressure. visiting hospital in hertfordshire, the prime minister says he knows people are struggling. we're abating that, we're helping people. but what we're doing today is unquestionably the right thing for our country. it's the right thing for the nhs. in lancashire, the labour leader said this wasn't the right way to fund the nhs. we've had 15 tax rises, if you can believe it, from this chancellor. we now have the highest rate of taxation for 70 years. sue works for herself, giving expert training to childminders and nurseries. she'll have to pay national insurance on her profits this coming tax year.

based upon income in the last 12 months, yes, it would be quite l a significant increase for me. but this next 12 months, _ who knows in terms of actually how much income i'm going to be getting? today's increase comes at a moment when lots of businesses and workers already feel they're running dry. colletta smith, bbc news, in cleckheaton. (pres) before we go — a story developing in the last few hours — a british man has been extradited from germany accused of spying for russia. our home affiars correspondent, daniel sandford, has more (sot) it is worth pointing out this does not tie directly into events in ukraine at the moment. this was an arrest made in germany in august last year, he is a 57—year—old man called david smith who was working as a security guard at the bit british embassy in berlin and beyond that we are restricted about what we can say because of the possibility of a jury trial in britain, which has some legal implications, but

essentially he has been charged with nine charges under the official secrets act and those include seven charges of collecting information with the intent of sending it to the russian authorities, one charge of attempting communication and one charge of providing information to a person he believed was a member of the russian authorities. he will first appear in court in london tomorrow having arrived from germany under an extradition agreement today. originally it was not clear if he was going to stand trial in germany, but obviously the decision has been made he should stand trial here in britain and then there's the prospect of an old—fashioned trial on charges of spying on behalf of russia taking place in london in the next few months.— next few months. daniel sanford. some news _ next few months. daniel sanford. some news coming _ next few months. daniel sanford. some news coming at _ next few months. daniel sanford. some news coming at us - next few months. daniel sanford. some news coming at us from i next few months. daniel sanford. | some news coming at us from the next few months. daniel sanford. i some news coming at us from the bbc around 5000 people have been evacuated from ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on

wednesday. a slightly higher number than the number of people who managed to escape yesterday. reports are being monitored. good evening. today brought us some hefty april showers, and there are more of those in our forecast for the next couple of days, some of which may even turn wintry. much of what fell from the sky today was rain. that was the scene earlier on in birmingham. satellite picture shows this little stripe of cloud here, that gave a short, sharp burst of heavy rain for many. plenty more shower clouds, and then this swirl of cloud here marking out the centre of an area of low pressure, and that is now drifting across the northern half of the uk with, notice, these tightly—squeezed isobars, the white lines squashing together. that shows that, for many of us, it will be windy through the night, but most especially through northern ireland, north wales, northwest england — gusts of 50, 60,70 mph. and at the same time, we'll see rain turning to snow

in northern scotland, could be five cm of snow piling up over higher ground here. temperatures quite chilly in the far north, quite mild down towards the south. this band of rain clearing southern parts first thing tomorrow, that will bring some strong winds for a time. this band of cloud with some showery rain, sleet and hill snow also working southwards, and it will all tend to break up and leave us once again tomorrow with another sunshine and showers day. some showers wintry, especially over high ground in the north, and it's going to stay windy with gusts of 40—50 mph. some of the windiest weather will be across the southern half of the uk. temperatures 12 or 13 degrees in the south, but further north, feeling a little bit colder. through thursday night, as the showers fade and the winds fall light in many areas, we are going to see temperatures dropping, quite a widespread frost from wales and the midlands northwards. to the south of that, staying just above freezing because there'll be a shield of cloud associated with this weather system. this will graze some rain into the far south of england. it will also make it wet across the channel islands during the first part of friday. it should all clear away. it's another sunshine and showers day, some showers heavy, thundery and wintry. temperatures between 7—12 degrees. now, into the start of the weekend, this little bump in the isobars

here indicates a ridge of high pressure, so some fine weather for saturday — just a few showers in the north. however, for sunday, it's all change. we'll bring wet and windy weather in from the west, but it will start to feel milder.

hello, i'm nuala mcgovern. you're watching the context on bbc news. invading russian forces are accused of using civilians in ukraine as human shields. around 150 people were held in a village north of kyiv for 24 hours, as russian soldiers tried to hold off ukrainian counter attacks. we have a special report. they put them in that school and held them as human shields. the ukraine government urges people in the east of the country to leave while they can as russian forces may intensify their offensive there and in other news, another victory for anti—abortion campaigners in the us, as oklahoma lawmakers pass a new bill which makes abortion illegal. tonight with the context,

from cape cod, democratic strategist mary ann marsh and the spectator�*s scotland editor