this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. ukraine warns that russia is preparing a fresh offensive in the donbas region, in the east of the country. its foreign minister calls on nato for more help. my agenda is very simple. it has only three items in it. it's weapons, weapons, and weapons. going nuclear — the uk government puts nuclear power at the heart of its new energy strategy. it wants eight new reactors approved by the end of the decade. what we've launched today is a strategy. so what it does is that it brings a measure of energy independence, security of supply to the uk. stephen breyer

new research suggests people are at an increased risk of developing serious blood clots for up to six months after having covid—19. the first african—american woman to be nominated for the us supreme court could be confirmed later today. and the day the dinosaurs died — scientists say they've found fossils of creatures killed when a giant asteroid hit the earth and led to the mass extinction. hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the ukrainian government has warned that russian forces are massing, ahead of a new offensive aimed at the east of the country, and its foreign minister has appealed to nato to supply more

weapons to counter it. thousands of people are trying to escape the donbas region, ahead of russia's expected attack. let's go through some of the main developments in the war in ukraine. ukrainian officials are appealing to people in the donbas region to "take this opportunity" to flee "while it is safe". russian troops are regrouping for an offensive in donbas — which is made up of the regions of donetsk and luhansk. the us says that russia's withdrawal from the regions outside kyiv and chernihiv is now complete, as the war shifts focus to eastern ukraine. meanwhile, nato foreign ministers are resuming discussions in brussels this morning on how best to arm ukraine. the uk and the us have announced more sanctions, which they hope will stem the funds flowing to moscow. ukraine's foreign minister has issued what he termed a "very simple" call for more weapons from nato countries to help saves lives. simonjones reports.

this is the reality of life under constant russian shelling. in donetsk, in the east of ukraine, it's taking its toll. bomb blast translation: it�*s commonplace at the moment. there was also shelling here before, and the house there was hit. my neighbour's house was hit. of course, i am scared. people in the east of the country are being urged to flee now — while they still can — by the ukrainian government, with russia expected to intensify its attacks there. residents told, this is a matter of life and death. the red cross has helped evacuate people from the besieged city of mariupol, though it's thought 130,000 remain trapped there. as you can see, we have made it to zaporizhzhia with seven other buses and more than 500 civilians that were coming out of mariupol. we hope that we'll be back and continue to provide the safe

passage to the civilians. in areas around the capital, kyiv, the ukrainian forces are now back in control. the russian withdrawal is complete, according to the pentagon. that's allowing residents who have fled the fighting to return, but it's a painful homecoming when your home's been destroyed and the horror of what's happened sinks in. in the town of hostomel, officials say more than 400 people are missing. the uk and the us are stepping up sanctions. the us is targeting president putin's daughters, including katerina tikhonova. her work is said to support russia's defence industry, as growing evidence emerges of atrocities by russian troops. there's nothing less happening than major war crimes. responsible nations have to come together to hold these

perpetrators accountable, and together with our allies and our partners, we're going to keep raising the economic cost and ratchet up the pain for putin and further increase russia's economic isolation. russia has described the sanctions as "absolutely unlawful and unprecedented", but the ukrainian president says they don't go far enough. translation: if there's not a really painful package - of sanctions against russia, and if we don't get the supply of weapons that we really need — which we've asked for many times — it will be considered by russia as permission. permission to go further, permission to attack, permission to start a new bloody wave in the donbas. as nato resumes discussions on how best to arm ukraine against the renewed russian attack, the foreign secretary, liz truss, says the age of engagement with the kremlin is over. simon jones, bbc news. ukraine's foreign minister has again urged western countries to provide his country with more weapons to fight russian forces. dmytro kuleba also insisted on imposing the toughest sanctions on moscow.

he was speaking in brussels, ahead of a meeting of nato foreign ministers, who have been discussing how best to arm ukraine against a renewed russian attack in the east. my agenda is very simple. it has only three items on it. it's weapons, weapons, and weapons. we are confident that the best way to help ukraine now is to provide it with all necessary to contain putin and to defeat the russian army in ukraine, in the territory of ukraine, so that the war does not spill over for them. in the recent months, in the recent weeks, the ukrainian army, and the entire ukrainian nation, has demonstrated that we know how to fight, we know how to win, but without sustainable and sufficient supplies of all weapons requested by ukraine, these wins will be accompanied with enormous sacrifices.

the british foreign secretary, liz truss, told reporters about the steps the uk is taking to support ukraine. in the face of putin's are pulling aggression in ukraine, the g7 and nato nations are stepping up our sanctions and weapons. the uk is now banning all —— imports of russian enemy —— energy, we are sanctioning more banks and stepping up our supply of weapons to ukraine. the eu foreign affairs chief josep borrell reiterated the point that president zelensky needs more arms. the important thing is to continue putting _ the important thing is to continue putting pressure on russia and continue — putting pressure on russia and continue supporting ukraine. zelensky has a lot of support, but what _ zelensky has a lot of support, but what he _ zelensky has a lot of support, but what he really needs is more arms. less applause and more arms. emma

vard is in less applause and more arms. emma vardy is in lviv. _ less applause and more arms. emma vardy is in lviv, in _ less applause and more arms. emma vardy is in lviv, in western _ vardy is in lviv, in western ukraine. ukrainian officials have told people in the donbas region to flee while it is safe, but do we know how long they have and is there any indication of when the russian forces may attack?— forces may attack? well, they are still shelling _ forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in _ forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in the _ forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in the east _ forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in the east as - forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in the east as it - forces may attack? well, they are still shelling in the east as it is, i still shelling in the east as it is, so it hasn't really let up. but the expectation is that that will increase and intensify, and that is why those warnings are being made to people, ukrainian officials telling people, ukrainian officials telling people, get out while you can. there are still some train routes to evacuate people, but some routes have already been cut off. and people are nervous now because they have seen the kind of carnage left in the wake of russian troops withdrawal elsewhere, the apparent brutality carried out in places that were occupied by russian forces. and those images have had a huge impact around the world, as well as here in ukraine. so people are being told to flee for safety. as you say, there is something of an unknown as to what will happen, when, nobody knows what will happen, when, nobody knows what is in putin's mind. and russian

forces have suffered losses as well in their push to take the capital, kyiv, in which they were unsuccessful. they now need to regroup and resupply and they are moving towards eastern ukraine, that is apparent, russian vehicles and supplies moving in that direction, with this expectation that the strikes will be stepped up there. no, we understand it is the kremlin's aim now to take the entire donbas region, parts of it were already held by russian separatists, there has been an eight year war in that region up till now anyway. but we understand if russia was to be able to take a much larger portion of eastern ukraine, it would portray this as a victory, as liberating the area, that is why we are seeing thousands of people there now leave and real concern now about getting people out. indie and real concern now about getting peeple out-— people out. we have heard from ukrainian officials _ people out. we have heard from ukrainian officials about - people out. we have heard from ukrainian officials about the - people out. we have heard from | ukrainian officials about the need for more weapons, more arms from nato countries. what is the sense of people there on the ground in terms of what the international response

has been? i of what the international response has been? ~ , .,, of what the international response has been? ~ , ., , has been? i think people are very much behind _ has been? i think people are very much behind president _ has been? i think people are very| much behind president zelensky's call for more help, they want more military aid here. zelensky saying very clearly, lock, sanctions are just not enough, they need military hardware to help repel the attacks from the russian forces here. now, of course, some of that involves trying to shoot missiles out of the sky, some of it is fighting on the ground, but we keep hearing that call repeatedly from zelensky each time he addresses world leaders, he makes that plea really. 0f time he addresses world leaders, he makes that plea really. of course, the second day to day of discussions between nato foreign leaders, some believe more military support should believe more military support should be given to ukraine. but of course, nato's position remains they don't want to escalate the conflict between western europe and russia, they don't want to put beats —— boots on the ground or nato planes in the sky or they believe that would escalate a much more fully blown conflict, something they want to avoid. sanctions, of course, the other side of being able to target

russia. more us sanctions and eu sanctions are being considered at the moment. a key one is this proposal to ban the import of russian coal, that would cost the russian coal, that would cost the russian economy we understand about 4 billion euros a year. some eu leaders say it has to go further, we need to ban russian oil, russian gas, and they say that would put a much bigger dent in the russian economy and a much bigger dent in putin's war chest.— economy and a much bigger dent in putin's war chest. thank you, emma vard in putin's war chest. thank you, emma vardy in lviv- _ and a quick reminder — we'll be taking your questions on the war in ukraine in a little over an hour's time. we'll have guests able to answer a range of aspects of the war — from how it is being fought, how it may end, and the human consequences. you can get in touch on twitter using the hashtag bbc your questions, and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. putin's the uk government ha

putin's s unveiled its much—delayed energy strategy, the uk government has unveiled its much—delayed energy strategy, which seeks to reduce the uk's reliance on imported fuel by boosting domestic power generation. it says up to eight nuclear reactors could be approved by the end of the decade, with the aim of meeting a quarter of demand. there's also an "ambition" for offshore wind — to produce enough energy to power every british home by 2030. prime minister borisjohnson said the strategy would help the uk enjoy greater self—sufficiency, with cheaper bills. 0pposition parties have warned there's nothing to help families who are struggling with rising energy costs now. 0ur political correspondent, ione wells, looks at the main details. where will we get our energy from in future? nuclear power stations like this? the government want 25% of our electricity to come from them by 2050. from the wind out at sea, ministers want turbines like this, by 2030, to make enough power for every home in the uk. their onshore counterparts, though, have divided government ministers. planning rules in england

were made tougher in 2015, making it hard for these to get approval. some ministers want those rules relaxed, but others — and some tory activists — have criticised their impact on the landscape. step by step, with some pushing and pulling behind the scenes, they've now come up with a compromise. they say they'll consult local communities around england and find places where people want to host new onshore wind turbines like these, in exchange for cheaper energy bills. that benefit would also apply in scotland and wales, where onshore wind rules are already looser. a similar scheme is already run by the energy company 0ctopus, in market weighton, in yorkshire. this is the view from their customer james laing's window. because it's wind, we actually do look at whether the wind is blowing hard or not and use the electrical appliances accordingly, because it makes sense.

if it's definitely 50% electricity, switch on the washing machine or the dishwasher. 0pposition parties have criticised ministers for not relaxing the planning laws for onshore wind and solar, arguing they are the cheapest and quickest types of renewable energy. but the government say they will consult on developing more of both, while still giving communities a say. and they've announced a review on fracking — extracting shale gas from the ground. it's currently banned, given its safety concerns, but some tory mps want that lifted. ministers say that won't happen, unless the science changes. most of this plan focuses on how to increase the uk's supply of energy, not decrease the demand, through things like insulation. the government hopes this plan will make the uk less vulnerable to energy shocks in future. but with energy bills rising — and set to go up again in the autumn — critics say more

is needed to help people cut their bills now. ione wells, bbc news. let's talk to our energy and environment analyst, roger harrabin. roger, the uk produces far less nuclear energy than many other countries, for example, france, ukraine, germany. does this strategy go far to change that?— go far to change that? well, if you look back through _ go far to change that? well, if you look back through the _ go far to change that? well, if you look back through the history - go far to change that? well, if you look back through the history of. go far to change that? well, if you | look back through the history of uk energy policy, you will see look back through the history of uk energy policy, you will see that several prime ministers have decided that we need nuclear power as part of the energy mix. borisjohnson is the latest of them. but they haven't been very successful. even mrs thatcher, who was massively powerful as prime minister, only managed one nuclear power station when she had said she wanted ten. this time, borisjohnson is saying he once ate new reactors. but he is promising a decision on one this year and two next year —— —— he wants eight new

reactors. but there is no guarantee those reactors will get built and there are words in the document making it quite clear these reactors will be subject to a value commodity test by the uk treasury and there is no guarantee they will decide it is value for money, particularly because a report only early in the week of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, made it clear that the cost of wind and solar power, renewables, is plummeting all the time. because they are now being produced in such a wide scale, there are lots of innovations going on so they are getting cheaper and cheaper. that is not true for nuclear, the ipcc said the cost of nuclear, the ipcc said the cost of nuclear was unlikely to fall very much. already, they are roughly twice the cost of wind and solar. so maybe in five years' time, the disparity will be even greater. so even though the uk is committed to nuclear and some environmentalists will support the uk government on this, there is no guarantee all those stations will get built. how

far does the _ those stations will get built. how far does the uk _ those stations will get built. how far does the uk government's new strategy go towards those two key issues of one, meeting net zero targets within the deadlines and, two, helping families who are struggling to pay their energy bills? ., , struggling to pay their energy bills? .,, ., ., struggling to pay their energy bills? ., ., , bills? those are two different questions _ bills? those are two different questions really _ bills? those are two different questions really because - bills? those are two different questions really because if. bills? those are two different. questions really because if you bills? those are two different - questions really because if you look to the long—term future, there is a big increase, substantial increase in offshore wind. there is the promise of having floating wind farms which can be used in much deeper water, which would mean that they could spread round the west coast of the uk, as well as the east coast where the sea is shallower. but apart from that, we are looking at solar as well potentially playing the part. but the commitment to solar is small really and rather lukewarm compared to the commitment to offshore wind. lukewarm compared to the commitment to offshore wind-— to offshore wind. roger, thank you for auoin to offshore wind. roger, thank you for going through _ to offshore wind. roger, thank you for going through that _ to offshore wind. roger, thank you for going through that with - to offshore wind. roger, thank you for going through that with us. - joining us is tom greatrex, chief executive of the uk nuclear industry association.

thank you forjoining us. given how long it takes to build them, do you think the uk government has been slow off the mark in its focus on more nuclear?— slow off the mark in its focus on more nuclear? yes, frankly, i think if ten or 15 — more nuclear? yes, frankly, i think if ten or 15 years _ more nuclear? yes, frankly, i think if ten or 15 years ago, _ more nuclear? yes, frankly, i think if ten or 15 years ago, it _ more nuclear? yes, frankly, i think if ten or 15 years ago, it started - if ten or 15 years ago, it started doing what is being suggested is going to happen now, we wouldn't be having this conversation today because we would have coming online new power stations that would do two things. both reduce the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere and come at the same time, increasing our energy security by reducing our reliance on importing fossil fuels to burn to produce electricity. as people have seen over the last few months particularly in the volatility of prices that comes with that, that is something nuclear avoid by providing lots of electricity from a small geographical footprint for a lots of electricity from a small geographicalfootprint for a long geographical footprint for a long period of geographicalfootprint for a long period of time and that is the value in a system alongside other carbon sources. it in a system alongside other carbon sources. ., , ., , ., sources. if we are serious about shiftin: sources. if we are serious about shifting away — sources. if we are serious about shifting away from _ sources. if we are serious about shifting away from fossil -

sources. if we are serious about shifting away from fossil fuels l sources. if we are serious about| shifting away from fossil fuels in the long—term, are we not better off focusing on renewables like wind and solar? ., ., , , focusing on renewables like wind and solar? ., ., ,, ., solar? no, we are best off doing both and we _ solar? no, we are best off doing both and we are _ solar? no, we are best off doing both and we are doing _ solar? no, we are best off doing both and we are doing all. - solar? no, we are best off doing both and we are doing all. the i both and we are doing all. the committee on climate change has assessed how to get to net zero by 2050 and made clear you need a chunk of power which is not affected by the weather in the way that the output from wind and solar are. alongside a lot of wind and probably mostly offshore wind, solar on rooftops, demand management, there is a lot to do and it isn't a case of making that choice between one or the other, as some ideological people try to suggest it is, i don't think that is at all the case. any reputable, credible scenario for how we get to decarbonise system, increased energy security means you need a mix of technologies and nuclear is one of those, alongside other carbon sources.— nuclear is one of those, alongside other carbon sources. given that for exam - le other carbon sources. given that for example projects — other carbon sources. given that for example projects like _ other carbon sources. given that for example projects like hinkley - other carbon sources. given that for example projects like hinkley end . other carbon sources. given that for| example projects like hinkley end up being billions over budget and taking far longer than to complete,

isn't this, how soon are we are going to be able to achieve what the government is aiming and how do we pay for it? government is aiming and how do we -a for it? ~ ., , ., , pay for it? well, that is really important _ pay for it? well, that is really important point _ pay for it? well, that is really important point addressed . pay for it? well, that is really important point addressed in | pay for it? well, that is really i important point addressed in the document today, which is about, you talk about delays with hinkley. most the delays, they were delayed before anything was started building because of the process, various different processes you have to go through before you get to start building. so it is nothing to do with the engineering or the technology, it is to do with the process. and what has been made clear in the strategy is setting up a new body to be able to cut through all of that. that's true for frankly as well offshore wind projects as it is for nuclear power stations, it is about getting that sense of urgency in the process and that is really important and that will enable as to deliver more quickly than has been the case in the past, and that is where industry is focused. and on costs, look, the amount you are paying for electricity and i am paying for electricity and i am

paying for electricity now is much, much more than the amount that is being paid for any new nuclear power station or offshore wind farm because the difference is that there is a very low, or marginal, fuel input cost. so the cost of those, that infrastructure, nuclear or offshore wind, is in building it. once you have built it, it produces a lot of energy for relatively low cost, but the differences nuclear does that 24/7 and wind does that when it is windy enough. we need a combination of those things to avoid reliance on fossil fuels and the volatility in prices and this strategy is getting away from that, it is long overdue and i'm glad it is being published now. industry can get on with delivering it. bier? get on with delivering it. very briefl , get on with delivering it. very briefly. we — get on with delivering it. very briefly, we have _ get on with delivering it. very briefly, we have to _ get on with delivering it. very briefly, we have to address i get on with delivering it. very briefly, we have to address safety concerns. the house of lords paper recently said the issue of nuclear waste remains unresolved in the uk. how do we resolve that?— how do we resolve that? well, it is not unresolved. _ how do we resolve that? well, it is not unresolved. the _ how do we resolve that? well, it is not unresolved. the amount - how do we resolve that? well, it is not unresolved. the amount of - not unresolved. the amount of waste is tiny by volume, it is about a

dishwasher tablet per person for all of the nuclear power ever produced in the united kingdom, it is very small and measurable. we store it safely, no—one has been injured by it. we may decide to store it underground as opposed to the surface, that is happening in finland, sweden and may well happen in the uk, but it is not unresolved. what it is not is producing waste going into the atmosphere, producing greenhouse gases and other things causing climate change. nuclear doesn't do that, that is why it is a valuable part of the future makes. thank you, tom greatrex, from the new uk nuclear industry association. a study from sweden suggests that after a covid infection, there is an increased risk of developing a serious blood clot for the next six months. the research found people with severe covid, and those infected during the first wave, had the highest clot risk. researchers say that this highlights the importance of being vaccinated against the virus. i am nowjoined by one of the researchers

involved in this study, anne—marie fors connolly, principal study investigator from umea university in sweden. thank you, talk us through the overview of the findings of this study. overview of the findings of this stud . . «a . overview of the findings of this stud . ., ., ., ., overview of the findings of this stud. ., ., ., ., ., ,, overview of the findings of this stud . ., ., ., ., ., ,, study. thanks a lot and thank you for our study. thanks a lot and thank you for your interest _ study. thanks a lot and thank you for your interest in _ study. thanks a lot and thank you for your interest in this _ study. thanks a lot and thank you for your interest in this study. - for your interest in this study. what we found was, we based the study on 1 million covid—19 what we found was, we based the study on1 million covid—19 patients that were tested positive between february 2020 two may 2021. and we used two different statistical methods. and one of which we compared to controlling, we had four controlled individuals for every covid—19 case, so that is 4 million controlled individuals. and we found the risk was a five to six fold increase in the first month after covid—19. and this risk was increased up to 90 days after covid—19. and the risk was similar in both men and women. now, the risk for embolism was 42 fold increase and was increased up to six months after covid—19. we found risk higher

in men and individuals on anticoagulation prior to being infected were protected against this. and we found bleeding was a two fold increase and this risk was increased for two months and this was higher in men. when we look in more severe disease, so that that needed —— but those that needed hospitalisation or intensive care, these risks were much higher. and interestingly, those individuals who had mild covid—19 and it means they did not need hospitalisation, they did not need hospitalisation, they did not need hospitalisation, they did not have an increased risk of bleeding, which could be due to the fact that severe cases had more severe disease information or it could be a side—effect that individuals were hospitalised or needed intensive care. this individuals were hospitalised or needed intensive care.- individuals were hospitalised or needed intensive care. as you can imarine, needed intensive care. as you can imagine. this _ needed intensive care. as you can imagine, this may _ needed intensive care. as you can imagine, this may come _ needed intensive care. as you can imagine, this may come across i needed intensive care. as you can imagine, this may come across asj imagine, this may come across as rather worrying for people who have had it, is there anything they can do to try and mitigate against the

risks? ~ , ., ., ., risks? well, first of all, i would sa that risks? well, first of all, i would say that what — risks? well, first of all, i would say that what you _ risks? well, first of all, i would say that what you can _ risks? well, first of all, i would say that what you can do - risks? well, first of all, i would say that what you can do is - risks? well, first of all, i would i say that what you can do is ensure you are vaccinated. because the more severe disease you have, the higher the risk you also have and vaccines protect against severe disease so thatis protect against severe disease so that is what i would suggest you do, get vaccinated.— get vaccinated. does that mean for eo - le get vaccinated. does that mean for people who — get vaccinated. does that mean for people who may — get vaccinated. does that mean for people who may find _ get vaccinated. does that mean for people who may find themselves i get vaccinated. does that mean for| people who may find themselves in get vaccinated. does that mean for i people who may find themselves in a high—risk category because they were hospitalised for covid, if they have had since the vaccination, is that enough to counteract or minimise the risk? ., , ., ., ., , risk? no, you would need to be vaccinated _ risk? no, you would need to be vaccinated before _ risk? no, you would need to be vaccinated before you _ risk? no, you would need to be vaccinated before you got - risk? no, you would need to be - vaccinated before you got infected. so what you can do is just be aware, do you have any sudden onset of recklessness or feeling more tired? then you could be at risk of coronary embolism.- then you could be at risk of coronary embolism. then you could be at risk of corona embolism. ., ,, , ., . coronary embolism. thank you so much for “oininr coronary embolism. thank you so much forjoining us— coronary embolism. thank you so much forjoining us and _ coronary embolism. thank you so much forjoining us and for— coronary embolism. thank you so much forjoining us and for going _ coronary embolism. thank you so much forjoining us and for going through - forjoining us and for going through that, that is anne—marie fors connolly. in the us, judge ketanji brown jackson will make history as the first african—american woman to be appointed to the nine—member us supreme court.

the 51—year—old will replace stephen breyer, who retires later this year. she is expected to be confirmed by a narrow majority in the senate. here's our washington correspondent, nomia iqbal. the highest court in america has had 110 men, five women and now, for the first time, a black woman. this is president biden's first supreme court nomination and fulfils his 2020 campaign promise to put an african—american woman on the bench, which is a lifetime appointment. i am truly humbled by the extraordinary honour of this nomination. 0ver four days, judgejackson was vetted and sat through hours and hours of questions during her senate judiciary hearings. as with many previous nominees, she gave very little away when asked about her views on some of the most controversial subjects affecting america.

no—one suggests that a 20—week—old foetus can live independently outside the mother's womb. do they? senator, i'm not a biologist. i haven't studied this. i don't know. how important is your faith to you? senator, personally, my faith is very important but, as you know, there's no religious test in the constitution. the 51—year—old is a harvard graduate and started her career in law in 1996. when confirmed, judgejackson will be the onlyjustice on this current court with significant experience as a criminal defence lawyer, working on behalf of poor defendants. but prominent republicans say they will not support her, claiming she has been weak on crime. in every case, in each of these seven, judge jackson handed down

a lenient sentence that was below what the federal guidelines recommended and below what prosecutors requested, and so i think there's a lot to talk about there. she was praised by democrats for remaining calm and patient whilst facing a hostile grilling. you have earned this spot. you are worthy. you are a great american. and so, you faced insults here that were shocking to me. - well, actually, not shocking. but you are here _ because of that kind of love. ketanji brown jackson will take up herjob inside the court this summer. she can expect to spend decades making decisions on abortion rights, gun control, religious freedom. some of the most fundamental issues in american life. judgejackson will be making history, but she joins a court which has a solid conservative majority — it may remain that way for years — so she will be a minority in more ways than one. as an african—american woman, but also a liberaljustice. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington.

the uk chancellor, rishi sunak, is coming under political pressure after his wife confirmed that she has non—domicile status, which means she does not have to pay uk tax on any foreign income. akshata murthy is an indian citizen and is the daughter of the man who founded one of india's biggest companies, infosys. it's understood mr sunak made the government aware of his wife's tax status when he became a minister in 2018. 0ur political correspondent iain watson told me that the controversy was more about perception than any actual wrong doing. yes, as is often the case in politics, it's more about perception than reality. it's not a question of wrongdoing. but 24 hours ago, much of the workforce — small businesses, large businesses, self—employed people — were faced with a tax rise, a national insurance increase. the health and social care levy,

as the government would call it. but certainly, people were noticing higher taxes in their pay packets this month. and within 24 hours of that tax rise being imposed, the spotlight has moved on to the tax affairs of rishi sunak, the chancellor's family. in particular, effectively, this question of non—dom status, as we call it — non—domiciled for tax purposes. in the case of his wife, miss murthy, her spokeswoman makes it very clear that she was born in india, herfather was born in india. and if you look at the tax rules of this country, then it says that usually, your domicile is where your father was born. so, it's perfectly legitimate for her to have this tax status. now, what does that mean in practice? it means that she wouldn't pay, for example, tax on dividends from the company which she has a share, infosys. the it company founded by her father.

she wouldn't pay tax on that in the uk. but her spokeswoman is saying that she does pay tax abroad, and any tax owed in the uk is paid in the uk. so, effectively, they're saying, "there's nothing to see here". but the opposition, naturally, are now asking more questions. ed miliband, the shadow cabinet minister, said today that he wanted to know whether she was sheltering any of her wealth from uk tax. labour, more widely, have been asking whether she has had any tax advantages from this particular arrangement. and at the moment, as far as the chancellor is concerned, as you were mentioning, he said he's made declarations to all the relevant authorities, to the cabinet office, to the treasury, to check if there was a conflict—of—interest, and that is not the case. nonetheless, what people will be asking is, of course, whether it is more advantageous, if legal arrangements, for the family of the chancellor's than people are facing themselves when they notice their wage packet has decreased because of the tax

increase he has imposed. so, this becomes, if you like, a political question, rather than a legal question. there's no question that the tax arrangements are completely above board. the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, insisted that that was the case again today and said there was no question of wrongdoing. iain watson, our political correspondent. it's widely believed that the dinosaurs were wiped out after a huge asteroid crashed into the earth 66 million years ago — but no—one's ever found the remains of a dinosaur killed in the impact — until now. scientists may have uncovered direct evidence which tells them much more about what happened on the day of the collision. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle has more. it was the most cataclysmic day in our planet's history. 66 million years ago, an asteroid, seven miles across, slammed into the earth. the age of the dinosaurs was over. now, at a secret site in north dakota, nicknamed tanis,

a mass graveyard could contain the first evidence of creatures killed on that day. oh, wow! oh, my god, look at that! look, the scales are preserved. in the crumbling rock, animals, plants and trees are tangled together, frozen in time like a prehistoric pompeii. we've got so many details with this site that tell us what happened moment by moment. it's almost like watching it play out in the movies. you know, you actually look at the rock column, you look at the fossils there, and it brings you back to that day. we're able to see what happened within that first hour or so after impact. and that's the front row seat to one of the most amazing events of the cretaceous. and here we are looking at it. despite all of the dinosaurs discovered and displayed in museums, they don't tell the full story. the dinosaurs here were found all around the world, and they span their entire 180—million—year reign on the planet. it's widely accepted that this domination came to an end

when the asteroid struck. but there's a mystery. no one's ever found direct evidence of a dinosaur killed by the impact, or even a fossil dinosaur that died within 1,000 years of it. now, though, a discovery at tanis may have changed that. there's something here. that's hard. that's bone right next to the skin. this is the moment a dinosaur�*s leg was discovered. it was captured by a bbc crew for a documentary called dinosaurs, the final day. the fossil part is remarkably well preserved. it belongs to a small plant—eating dinosaur called a thescelosaur, and scientists think it died in a huge flash flood, set off by shock waves from the asteroid strike. this looks like an animal whose leg has simply been ripped off really quickly. there's no evidence on the leg of disease. there are no obvious pathologies. there's no trace of the leg being scavenged. so the best idea that we have is that this is an animal that died more or less instantaneously.

this could be the first bit of dinosaur ever found that died as a direct result of being involved in the cataclysm that occurred after the meteorite hit in the gulf of mexico. it's not the only discovery at tanis. other finds include a triceratops in stunning condition, a pterosaur egg that has an embryo inside, and the remains of a small mammal that tried to hide away in a burrow. the documentary is presented by sir david attenborough, who reveals the dinosaurs' last day, minute by minute. billions of tonnes of sulphur were ejected into the atmosphere, blocking the sunlight. a small piece of rock from the site is being studied at the university of manchester. this thin band of clay represents the moment when the dinosaurs became extinct. and you can see — i mean, this is really clear and obvious to see, isn't it? there's a definite line in the rock. absolutely clear. and above it we've got these very typical coals that we find, associated with this post—impact apocalyptic world, almost. so, this — you're holding

a snapshot of time. in fact, you're holding the last mass extinction event to occur on earth. but there's even stronger evidence of a connection to the impact. tanis is 2,000 miles away from where the asteroid hit. but what links the two of these — tiny beads scattered amongst the fossils. they're remnants of molten rock hurled high into the sky by the impact. they fell back down to earth across thousands of miles as these tiny glass balls. inside one may be something even more remarkable — a small fragment of the asteroid itself. we were able to pull apart the chemistry and identify the composition of that material. all the evidence, all of the chemical data from that study, suggests strongly that we're looking at a piece of the impactor, the asteroid, that ended it for the dinosaurs. these discoveries could help us to understand the extinction of the largest beasts ever

to roam the earth. the paleontologists now need to submit their findings to the scientific community to scrutinise the claims. but they've only just scratched the surface of what lies in these rocks, and there is much of this lost world waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news. incredible. you're watching bbc news. we can return to our top story now. a close ally of president zelensky has accused western countries of "cowardice" for not giving more military support to the ukrainian army. as russian troops are repositioning in the east to launch a new attack, there's growing frustration among ukrainians over the stance of some of its allies. our world affairs editor, john simpson, reports from lviv. at an orthodox church in lviv, there is a double funeral. both soldiers were in their 40s, both died fighting with

the ukrainian forces in the east of the country. nato estimates that ukraine's losses are something like a third of russia's. in this bitter war the ukrainians have two advantages. a ferocious determination to drive the russians out. and the weaponry that they are getting from nato. but the ukrainian government want more weapons, urgently. maksym kozytskyy is the governor of lviv, and a close ally of president zelensky. what does ukraine need most? is it medical supplies, is it clothes, food or weapons? translation: what we needj the most is modern weapons. anti—ship systems, anti—aircraft systems, systems with which we can fight against tanks and aircraft,

as well as heavy weapons, because we have to stop the enemy. but our goal is not to stop the enemy. it is to oust them from ukrainian land. like his president, kozytskyy believes nato isn't giving ukraine nearly enough weapons. he is pretty scathing. translation: in my opinion, | from the west there is a policy of double standards and cowardice. it is cowardice not to call a spade a spade and cowardice not to take any position, and cowardice leads to tragedies. ukraine is starting to get tanks from nato. elderly soviet—made ones from the czech republic. but what ukraine really wants is more heavy guns and more missile systems. nato insists it is supplying them as fast as possible, but it is not as much or as quickly

as ukraine says it needs. john simpson, bbc news, lviv. more now on the uk government publishing its new energy strategy, which includes plans for eight new nuclear reactors by the end of the decade. ministers say there will be more reliance on wind, solar and hydrogen. but they've stressed they would seek community approval before building onshore wind farms. the uk energy secretary, kwasi kwarteng, said the government was determined to help tackle the cost of rising energy bills. what we've launched today is a strategy. so what it does is it brings a measure of energy independence, security of supply to the uk. but you're quite right to say that a strategy takes maybe three, four or five years, more years really to land. so in terms of this year, what we've done is we've announced a package of measures. for example, the £150 off council

tax cut to people in bands a to d. £200 off people's bills later in the year. we've increased the warm home discount, so 3 million customers, as opposed to 2 million, receive it. so, really, for short—term pressure, we've announced money, support for those customers. it's still a difficult time... yes. ..but i think that we are focused on the short—term but, also, in terms of the strategy, making sure that we're less dependent. that was the energy secretary, kwasi kwarteng. but labour's spokesman on climate change, ed miliband, says the uk government's energy plans are in disarray. how will this make a difference to me and my energy bill in the years ahead? and the answer is, it won't. and the reason it won't is because the government has rejected moving on a sprint on the key things that would have made the difference. onshore wind, solar and energy efficiency.

take onshore wind, which was talked about in that package. onshore wind is the cheapest, quickest form of energy we can get. it's been blocked since 2015 because of government rules. not because of the views of the population because, actually, there is broad majority support for onshore wind, but because a few tory backbenchers are holding the government's energy policy to ransom. they're still holding it to ransom, and people are paying higher bills as a result. that was labour's ed miliband. 0ur correspondentjohn maguire has been at hinkley point, where the uk's newest nuclear reactor is set to open in four years' time. we are inside now at hinkley c. and if you come back in four years' time it will look exactly like this. this is a training room, a training suite. everything is laid out exactly as it will be in the reactor operation room, which will be downstairs when it's open, when it goes online in four years' time. what we have here are all of the trainees going through their training programme.

just going to interrupt. good morning. come and just stand over here for me, if you wouldn't mind. tell us about the training programme. because we are four years away from the power station going live yet you are already here. yeah, i know. we start training so early because we have to prepare for receipt of nuclear fuel, and that consisst, or the training programme consists, of an 18—month programme. so we start with the generic nuclear fundamentals and then go into the operating fundamentals and then we start in a simulator. so i'm part of cohort two, and we started training in november. so about six months into training or so. and about to start simulator training. so, yeah, day to day i'll be in this place and it's essentially a complete mock—up of the actual control room, so the philosophy behind it is that if you came in blind you would have no idea of the difference between the actual control room and the simulator. so everything will be in exactly the same place? you can literally do it with your eyes closed. what will you do, what does the reactor operator actually do? a reactor operator

is involved in control and supervision of operations. when we get to the main control room, we will be monitoring and controlling from up here. essentially controlling everything from this room, but we also have our group of operator technicians, so they are our eyes and ears on the plant as well. so a lot of teamwork involved. and i can only imagine that when you're doing your training, they throw lots of nasty scenarios at you, do they? are there lots of different ways to learn what to do if things don't go according to plan? yes, sure. so daily operations is normallyjust start up, shut down, and routine operations. obviously you have to prepare for if something could happen. so they throw all manners of scenarios at you, so you are prepared for any situation. sounds stressful. is that stressful? no, not particularly. i suppose if you're training for the job it is just day to day life for a normal person. that's the idea. thank you very much indeed, good to see you here this morning. as we say, she and her colleagues will actually be monitoring

and running the reactor when it goes online in four years' time here at hinkley point, and will power and supply electricity to 6 million homes when it goes online. 0ur correspondentjohn maguire. a british man who died in a landslide alongside his nine—year—old son, in australia's blue mountains, has been named. mehraab nazir — who was 49 — worked as a lawyer for a firm in singapore. his wife and another son are in hospital. phil mercer reports. mehraab nazir and his family were in australia on a holiday of a lifetime. but in a few horrifying moments lives were taken and others changed forever. the singapore—based lawyer died alongside his nine—year—old son. they were crushed by falling rocks on a hiking trail in the blue mountains, west of sydney. his wife and an older boy were seriously hurt. they were airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. a teenage girl is being treated for shock.

this is a classic case of this beautifulfamily from england, were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. it's just so sad. and maybe another 50 metres either side or a delay during the day, this wouldn't have happened. torrential rain in recent months is likely to be a key factor in what's being described as an unspeakable tragedy. the ground is sodden and in some areas it's become dangerously unstable. as a precaution, many hiking trails have been closed because of fears of further landslides. the track where the father and son died had been inspected just a few days before the accident. landslides in the mountains are said to be common but injuries and fatalities are rare. while the risk is very small, this is a world heritage area. people are walking into wilderness.

and the australian bush, while beautiful, can also be unforgiving. part of its beauty is the fact that it is really very wild, and it's unchanged. what visitors need to remember is that this is a dynamic landscape. national parks officials have said they have a world class programme to assess the risk of landslides in this part of eastern australia. but they've stressed that it's not possible to predict and eliminate the danger. phil mercer, bbc news, in the blue mountains of new south wales. it's almost three years now since a devastating fire tore through paris' notre dame cathedral. a massive restoration project is well underway to return it to its former glory. but in the meantime you can go to a new exhibition where virtual reality will show you the cathedral�*s future — and its past. the bbc�*s tim allman has more.

it was a moment that shocked a nation and stunned the world. one of the most famous and historic places of worship consumed by smoke and flame. notre dame was rescued and, if all goes to plan, it will eventually be restored. but there is a way to explore this grand cathedral before the doors reopen properly to the public. so here, visitors will visit a new kind of exhibition, which we call augmented exhibition, because they will be able to do an incrediblejourney into history. 0n special computer tablets, you can go back in time and effectively witness key moments in history. see when the cathedral was first built. or even witness the coronation of napoleon. the designers have a bold ambition in mind. to create a world, the vanished

world, that was never presented either in drawings or in text or in cinema. you know, we have to find something completely new, to immerse people in the past. the exhibition will eventually go on tour, visiting more than a dozen capital cities in the next two years. a journey into the past, a promise for the future. tim allman, bbc news. let's get some of the day s other news. colombia's supreme court has approved the extradition to the united states of the accused drug lord dairo antonio usaga. until his capture in october last year, he was the country's most wanted drug trafficker and the leader of the country's biggest criminal gang. yemen's president has dismissed his vice president and irreversably delegated his own powers to a presidential council. president hadi said the council would carry out duties

for the government. the announcement removes some of the obstacles to efforts to revive negotiations on ending the country's seven—year civil war. other news now, in peru a protester has been killed and several people injured in clashes with police. people there have been taking to the streeets for several days now demonstrating against the rising cost of fuel and food. the protesters were blocking a major highway in the south of the country. shelley phelps reports some protestors set fire to tyres, looted government buildings thousands of peruvians taking to the streets in nationwide protests sparked by rising fuel prices. some protestors set fire to tyres, looted government buildings and clashed with police. in the capital, lima, residents have been surveying the damage.

translation: people don't understand. _ translation: people don't understand. the _ translation: people don't understand. the war - translation: people don't understand. the war in - translation: people don't i understand. the war in ukraine translation: people don't - understand. the war in ukraine has set the price _ understand. the war in ukraine has set the price of _ understand. the war in ukraine has set the price of fertiliser _ understand. the war in ukraine has set the price of fertiliser and - understand. the war in ukraine has set the price of fertiliser and fuel i set the price of fertiliser and fuel in peru soaring. at a time when the country was already suffering from high inflation. 0n country was already suffering from high inflation. on tuesday, peruvian president pedro castillo called off a curfew in the capital that had been widely criticised as authoritarian by critics. translation: authoritarian by critics. tuna/mom- authoritarian by critics. translation: , �* ., translation: peru isn't going throu~h a translation: peru isn't going through a good _ translation: peru isn't going through a good time, _ translation: peru isn't going through a good time, but - translation: peru isn't going through a good time, but it - translation: peru isn't going through a good time, but it is l translation: peru isn't going i through a good time, but it is the powers of the state that have to solve it. ., ., solve it. the peruvian government sa s it is solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing _ solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing what _ solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing what it _ solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing what it can - solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing what it can to - solve it. the peruvian government says it is doing what it can to try i says it is doing what it can to try to stabilise prices and calm the situation, but the president is fending off calls for his resignation from the opposition. translation: we resignation from the opposition. translation:— resignation from the opposition. translation: ~ ., ., ., translation: we will not allow new dictatorships. — translation: we will not allow new dictatorships, nor _ translation: we will not allow new dictatorships, nor will _ translation: we will not allow new dictatorships, nor will we _ translation: we will not allow new dictatorships, nor will we allow - dictatorships, nor will we allow peru to continue sinking. the fury

of the people is unleashed. her room is outraged. of the people is unleashed. her room is outraged-— is outraged. plummeting approval ratinas is outraged. plummeting approval ratin . s and is outraged. plummeting approval ratings and calls _ is outraged. plummeting approval ratings and calls for— is outraged. plummeting approval ratings and calls for fresh - ratings and calls for fresh elections are the latest challenge for the president, who recently survived a second impeachment attempt less than a year into office. protesters say they want to send a message. this one reads, castillo out. shelley phelps, bbc news. the ukrainian group kalush 0rchestra are the favourites to win eurovision next month. later on thursday they will be making their first international performance since the invasion of ukraine. the six members of the band were given special permission to go to israel, for a pre—eurovision concert, as men of military age are banned from leaving the country. the bbc�*s middle east correspondent, yolande knell, went to meet them. this band hasn't had the usual glitzy run up to eurovision. kalush 0rchestra represents ukraine. when russia invaded,

they were on tour. translation: the day the war began, we were returning from tour— from the city of dnipro, and we came across the explosions. we heard them ourselves. everyone's lives changed. translation: one member of our band has been in the civil— defence, defending kyiv. i have created my own volunteer organisation. we help people to find shelter, medicines, transport. 0leg wrote the band's eurovision entry, stefania, for his mother, but he tells me it's become an anthem for all mothers and for all ukraine. translation: this song really became a super hit in ukraine now. _ people liked it a lot. its lyrics are very heartfelt and since and now in this situation, everybody misses their mum.

it makes some people think of ukraine as our mother. after weeks of only being able to rehearse together online, the six members of the band are performing together for ukrainians in israel. we are all patriots here. so we love ukraine. we like ukrainian music and we really hope that they win the eurovision. culture is a big part of, ithink, part of politics too. _ so songs, it's something that can say truth to all the world. - so the band is already hugely popular with ukrainians, including those now living abroad as refugees. the hope is that on eurovision night, they're going to win over the rest of europe with their music and give their country a big morale boost. and with politics always playing a part in eurovision votes, ukraine is already the favourite

to win this year's contest. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. let's leave you with some animals being released back into the wild in colombia. this anteater is one of more than 160 animals released by wildlife officials after a crackdown on animal trafficking. 15 diffferent species were released including snakes, turtles — and even a leopard. the animals were nurtured back to health by vets working for the government, before being re—introduced to their natural habitats in the lagoons and forests to the east of the capital, bogata. animal trafficking is a persistent problem in colombia, one of the most bio—diverse countries in the world. stay with us, we have plenty more to come including the headlines at the

top of the hour. stay with us on bbc news. hello, i've got your full weekend forecast coming up but first let's take a look at what's happening out there today. we've got an area of low pressure just pulling away eastwards from the uk. some pretty strong winds are wrapped around that, and that batch of showers as well. winds probably touching 40, 50 miles an hour at times in gusts, especially this morning, and they are pushing showers through quite quickly for some. but actually today, fewer showers across southern counties compared with yesterday. more of you will spend the bulk, if not all of the day, dry. parts of wales, the midlands, into northern england, fairly cloudy, further outbreaks of rain, sleet, hill snow at times, the odd rumble of thunder. scotland and northern ireland see a bit more sunshine through this afternoon but even here there will be a few wintry showers, a mix of sleet and snow. and for all, with temperatures dropping through the day, it's going to feel quite chilly as we go through into the afternoon.

that's because winds are switching into a more northerly direction. they are with us tonight but the skies clearing for the most part. there will still be a few showers dotted around, particularly in areas exposed to that northerly wind, but where you've got shelter, and that means much of the uk, it's going to be a cold night. temperatures dropping below freezing for a fair few of you. not so much across southern counties because into friday morning, we've got this, named by meteo—france, storm diego, which will bring some pretty damaging winds to southern parts of france, but for us it will actuallyjust bring some rain, the channel islands, the southernmost counties of england, especially, through friday morning. an overhang of cloud, then, into other parts of southern england and south wales but north of that, some good, sunny spells, a few showers around, most frequent in northern scotland. and we've still got the chilly air with us so some of the showers could be a mixture of sleet and snow. but actually, with winds lighter than today, maybe feeling a little less chilly. but those winds, as they start to fall a bit light as we go through into friday evening, and the showers fade, notice the blue colours appearing more widely on our temperature chart. a widespread frost to start the weekend. and of course with some showers still dotted around, there could be some ice too. those showers in fact continue throughout the day

in the far north of scotland. elsewhere, one or two popping up into the afternoon. the vast majority, your saturday, dry, sunny spells, and temperatures are starting to just lift up a little bit as winds fall lighter. they will lift even further as we go through into sunday. high pressure with us to begin with so a chilly and frosty night through saturday night but into sunday, as this weather system approaches, winds go more southerly. will bring more cloud across some western areas with some outbreaks of rain, especially across ireland, but the further east you are, you will see some hazy sunshine throughout the day and temperatures into the mid teens. could get even milder next week. see you soon.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. the government puts nuclear power at the heart of its new energy strategy — it wants eight new reactors approved by the end of the decade. what we've launched today is a strategy. so what it does is that it brings a measure of energy independence, security of supply to the uk. there's a boost for offshore wind energy too, but critics say the government's plan fails to tackle the key issues the to tackle the key issues government has rejected n on the government has rejected moving on a sprint on key things that would have made the difference.— have made the difference. onshore wind, have made the difference. onshore wind. solar — have made the difference. onshore wind, solar and _ have made the difference. onshore wind, solar and energy _ have made the difference. onshore wind, solar and energy efficiency. l a plea for military help from the ukrainians — after it warns of russian preparations for a fresh offensive

in the donbas region in the east. my agenda is very simple. it has only three items in it. it's weapons, weapons, and weapons. and we'll be taking your questions on the war in ukraine at 11.30 more pressure on the chancellor rishi sunak as his wife confirms she has non—domiciled status, which means she doesn't have to pay uk tax on income earned outside britain. and the day the dinosaurs died — scientists say they've found fossils of creatures killed when a giant asteroid hit the earth and led to the mass extinction. good morning. the government has unveiled its

much—delayed energy strategy that seeks to reduce the uk's reliance on imported fuel by boosting domestic power generation. it says that up to eight nuclear reactors could be approved by the end of the decade, with the aim of meeting a quarter of demand. there's also an ambition for offshore wind to produce enough energy to power every british home by 2030. borisjohnson said the strategy would help the uk enjoy greater self—sufficiency, with cheaper bills. 0pposition parties have warned there's nothing to help families who are struggling with rising energy costs now. 0ur political correspondent ione wells looks at the main details. where will we get our energy from in future? nuclear power stations like this? the government want 25% of our electricity to come from them by 2050. from the wind out at sea, ministers want turbines like this, by 2030, to make enough power for every home in the uk.

their onshore counterparts, though, have divided government ministers. planning rules in england were made tougher in 2015, making it hard for these to get approval. some ministers want those rules relaxed, but others, and some tory activists, have criticised their impact on the landscape. step by step, with some pushing and pulling behind the scenes, they've now come up with a compromise. they say they'll consult local communities around england and find places where people want to host new onshore wind turbines like these, in exchange for cheaper energy bills. that benefit would also apply in scotland and wales, where onshore wind rules are already looser. a similar scheme is already run by the energy company 0ctopus in market weighton in yorkshire. this is the view from their customer james laing's window. because it's wind, we actually do

look at whether the wind is blowing hard or not, and use the electrical appliances accordingly, because it makes sense. if it's definitely 50% electricity, switch on the washing machine or the dishwasher. 0pposition parties have criticised ministers for not relaxing the planning laws for onshore wind and solar, arguing they are the cheapest and quickest types of renewable energy. but the government say they will consult on developing more of both, while still giving communities a say. and they've announced a review on fracking, extracting shale gas from the ground. it's currently banned given its safety concerns. but some tory mps want that lifted. ministers say that won't happen unless the science changes. most of this plan focuses on how to increase the uk's supply of energy, not decrease the demand through things like insulation. the government hopes this plan will make the uk less vulnerable to energy shocks in future. but with energy bills rising,

and set to go up again in the autumn, critics say more is needed to help people cut their bills now. ione wells bbc news. some breaking news. from the prime minister borisjohnson. borisjohnson says the government's energy strategy is about "tackling some of the mistakes of the past" and making sure that the uk will never again be subjected to "blackmail" by people such as vladimir putin it is important to note and make clear that russian imports account for only 8% of uk oil and 5% of uk gas supply. but that line has come from borisjohnson, saying the energy strategy is about making sure the government will never be subjected to blackmail by people such as vladimir putin. the energy secretary kwasi kwarteng said the government was determined to help tackle

the cost of rising energy bills. what we've launched today is a strategy. so what it does is that it brings a measure of energy independence, security of supply to the uk. but you're quite right to say that a strategy takes maybe three, four or five years, more years really to land. so in terms of this year, what we've done is, we've announced a package of measures. for example, the £150 off council tax cut to people in bands a to d. £200 off people's bills later in the year. we've increased the warm home discount, so 3 million customers, as opposed to 2 million, receive it. so, really, for short—term pressure, we've announced money, support for those customers. it's still a difficult time... yes. ..but i think that we are focused on the short—term but, also, in terms of the strategy, making sure that we're less dependent.

labour's shadow climate change and net zero secretary, ed miliband, says the government's energy plans are in disarray. how will this make a difference to me and my energy bill in the years ahead? and the answer is, it won't. and the reason it won't is because the government has rejected moving on a sprint on the key things that would have made the difference. onshore wind, solar and energy efficiency. take onshore wind, which was talked about in that package. onshore wind is the cheapest, quickest form of energy we can get. it's been blocked since 2015 because of government rules. not because of the views of the population because, actually, there is broad majority support for onshore wind, but because a few tory backbenchers are holding the government's energy policy to ransom. they're still holding it to ransom, and people are paying higher bills as a result. let's talk to our energy and

environment analyst, roger harrabin. the concern is that this energy strategy does nothing in the short—term particularly when it comes to helping families pay bills. the energy secretary admitted that on the today programme when it was put to him and he said the important thing about the strategy is in the future it would prevent us being dependent as much on russian gas or indeed any other gas at a time of energy crisis. he said it is a long—term strategy and part of that strategy is nuclear power and wind power. i strategy is nuclear power and wind ower. ., ., ., a strategy is nuclear power and wind ower. ., ., ., i. ., strategy is nuclear power and wind ower. ., ., ., ., power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all— power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? _ power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? yes, _ power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? yes, i _ power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? yes, i can - power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? yes, i can now. | power. i want to ask you... can you hear me all right? yes, i can now. i wanted to ask about the line that has come in the past minutes from the prime minister where boris johnson says the government energy strategy is about tackling some of

the mistakes from the past. how far do you think it does that? it the mistakes from the past. how far do you think it does that?— do you think it does that? it really de ends. do you think it does that? it really depends- one _ do you think it does that? it really depends. one thing _ do you think it does that? it really depends. one thing i— do you think it does that? it really depends. one thing i think - do you think it does that? it really depends. one thing i think we - do you think it does that? it really depends. one thing i think we canj depends. one thing i think we can depends. one thing i think we can depend upon in terms of tackling long—term issues is the scheduled increase in offshore wind power, to have a substantial increase and to allow all the homes in the uk according to the government to be powered by wind. the other major thing he has made on this issue is nuclear power, promising a decision on one station this parliament and on one station this parliament and on two reactors the next parliament. he aspires to perhaps eight reactors in the coming years. it has to be said, many other prime ministers have bet on nuclear and found they lost the bet. even mrs thatcher, massively powerful in her day, said she wanted ten new nuclear power stations and she got one. when you look at the small print of the

report today it makes clear everything is subjective value for money analysis by the treasury. at the moment nuclear power is roughly twice as expensive as wind and solar. we expect further price drops in wind and solar but they are not forecast in the same way for nuclear so in five years, the chancellor might look at the disparity and say we are not going ahead with this, the fact it has been mooted does not mean it will happen.— apologies, i was looking for the right camera! our reporterjohn maguire is at hinkley point this morning, where the uk's newest nuclear reactor is set to open in four years. john, the government says it's planning up to eight new reactors. but these projects often end up

being well over budget. hinkley point was billions over. and they take longer than planned. when are we likely to see benefits? that is the key point. the biggest point people will discuss out of this policy today, especially the nuclear aspect, $4 billion, pounds overspend here, i should say. but it is a long process, going through permissions and then building the site. you can see here the largest construction site in europe, this is the largest crane in the world, a vast site when you arrive. confronted with a forest of 30-40 you arrive. confronted with a forest of 30—40 cranes. it is extraordinary and it costs an enormous amount of money. this facility is owned by the french, funded by the chinese government. where will the money come from for those other nuclear

reactors? it is notjust the kind of thing you can make a decision one day and they appear a couple of years later. it is impressive, the scale of it. we can talk to the managing director here. what does it take to build something of this scale? it is a long—term project. we think of these projects a century long, ten years to develop, tend to construct, 80 years of operation and ten years of decommissioning so you have to think long—term. much of the cost of this project is the financing cost. forfuture projects we need to take the learning from here, copy and paste technology and design but find a new way to finance it and lower the cost of the project and the impact on consumers. the more you build, the costs will come down? the first unit is just behind us. it has been tough. we have learnt a lot of lessons. it has been challenging.

we can see improvements to unit two with average 30% improvement in productivity which translates to money and schedule and overall performance. in the uk we have 22,000 people working in this. 7500 here on site and every day those people learn new skills and techniques. we innovate and create opportunities for the future. the quickest way to build more nuclear, copy this, use the same supply change and —— supply chain and people. change and -- supply chain and --eole. ~ , ., change and -- supply chain and --eole. ~ ., ,, ., change and -- supply chain and n-eole. ~ ., ~ ., ., people. when you talk about a long-term _ people. when you talk about a long-term project, _ people. when you talk about a long-term project, one - people. when you talk about a long-term project, one can - people. when you talk about a l long-term project, one can only long—term project, one can only imagine how much technology will change. is there a point at which current technology is outdated? i current technology is outdated? i have spent four decades in the industry. we are very good at innovating, ensuring we keep progress with safety and every ten

years we improve safety performance at this power station. we need to make sure we build today's technology tomorrow and not tomorrow's technology today. that way we will have a success. they are built for a long time. me and my team are focused on a legacy. we are mindful that for 100 years we are building legacies for future generations which means we focus every day on doing things right, getting the right quality built for today that will last for tomorrow. further back in the site, i think you are aboutjust over halfway. almost on schedule for going online in four almost on schedule for going online infouryears? ladle almost on schedule for going online in four years?— almost on schedule for going online in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been — in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been a — in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been a tough _ in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been a tough journey - in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been a tough journey and - in four years? we are 5496 complete. it has been a tough journey and like l it has been a tough journey and like everyone else we have been impacted by covid. we put safety first and that has impacted the schedule. we are reviewing it. the current

forecast is 2026. once we have done that review we will be open and transparent and share with everyone where we are in the schedule in the coming months. you where we are in the schedule in the coming months.— where we are in the schedule in the coming months. you might be on the run came, coming months. you might be on the run game. it — coming months. you might be on the run game. it is— coming months. you might be on the run game. it is so _ coming months. you might be on the run game, it is so windy _ coming months. you might be on the run game, it is so windy here, - coming months. you might be on the run game, it is so windy here, wind i run game, it is so windy here, wind power might be a better option! 2026 is when it should switch on and be connected to the national grid, generating power at that stage for around 6 million homes. the ukrainian government has warned that russian forces are massing ahead of a new offensive aimed at the east of the country — and its foreign minister has appealed to nato to supply more weapons to counter it. thousands of people are trying to escape the donbas region ahead of russia's expected attack. let's go through some of the main developments in the war in ukraine. ukrainian officials are appealing to people in the donbas region to take this opportunity to flee while it is safe. russian troops are regrouping for an offensive in donbas, which is made up of the regions

of donetsk and luhansk. the us says that russia's withdrawal from the regions outside kyiv and chernihiv is now complete, as the war shifts focus to eastern ukraine. meanwhile, nato foreign ministers are resuming discussions in brussels this morning on how best to arm ukraine. the uk and the us have announced more sanctions which they hope will stem the funds flowing to moscow. ukraine's foreign minister has issued what he termed a very simple call for more weapons from nato countries to help saves lives. simonjones reports. this is the reality of life under constant russian shelling. in donetsk, in the east of ukraine, it's taking its toll. bomb blast. translation: it�*s commonplace at the moment. there was also shelling here before, and the house there was hit.

my neighbour's house was hit. of course, i am scared. people in the east of the country are being urged to flee now — while they still can — by the ukrainian government, with russia expected to intensify its attacks there. residents told this is a matter of life and death. the red cross has helped evacuate people from the besieged city of mariupol, though it's thought 130,000 remain trapped there. as you can see, we have made it to zaporizhzhia with seven other buses and more than 500 civilians that were coming out of mariupol. we hope that we'll be back and continue to provide the safe passage to the civilians. in areas around the capital, kyiv, the ukrainian forces are now back in control. the russian withdrawal is complete, according to the pentagon. that's allowing residents who have fled the fighting to return,

but it's a painful homecoming when your home's been destroyed and the horror of what's happened sinks in. in the town of hostomel, officials say more than 400 people are missing. the us is targeting president putin's daughters, including katerina tikhonova. her work is said to support russia's defence industry, as growing evidence emerges of atrocities by russian troops. there's nothing less happening than major war crimes. responsible nations have to come together to hold these perpetrators accountable, and together with our allies and our partners, we're going to keep raising the economic cost and ratchet up the pain for putin and further increase russia's economic isolation. russia has described the sanctions as "absolutely unlawful and unprecedented", but the ukrainian president says they don't go far enough. translation: if there's not

a really painful package - of sanctions against russia, and if we don't get the supply of weapons that we really need, which we've asked for many times, it will be considered by russia as permission. permission to go further, permission to attack, permission to start a new bloody wave in the donbas. as nato resumes discussions on how best to arm ukraine against the renewed russian attack, the foreign secretary, liz truss, says the age of engagement with the kremlin is over. simon jones, bbc news. ukraine's foreign minister has again urged western countries to provide his country with more weapons to fight russian forces. dmytro kuleba also insisted on imposing the toughest sanctions on moscow. he was speaking in brussels, ahead of a meeting of nato foreign ministers who have been discussing how best to arm ukraine against a renewed russian attack in the east. my agenda is very simple. it has only three items on it. it's weapons, weapons and weapons.

we are confident that the best way to help ukraine now is to provide it with all necessary to contain putin and to defeat the russian army in ukraine, in the territory of ukraine, so that the war does not spill over for them. in the recent weeks, the ukrainian army, and the entire ukrainian nation, has demonstrated that we know how to fight, we know how to win, but without sustainable and sufficient supplies of all weapons requested by ukraine, these wins will be accompanied with enormous sacrifices. the foreign secretary, liz truss, told reporters about the steps the uk is taking to support ukraine. in the face of putin's appalling aggression in ukraine, the g7 and nato are stepping up our efforts on sanctions and on weapons. the uk is now banning

all imports of russian energy, we're sanctioning more banks, and we're stepping up our supply of weapons to ukraine. and a quick reminder — we'll be taking your questions on the war in ukraine, in just a few minutes' time at 11.30. we'll have guests able to answer a range of aspects of the war — from how it is being fought; how it may end — and the human consequences. you can get in touch on twitter using the hashtag bbc your questions — and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc.co.uk chancellor rishi sunak�*s wife, akshata murty, has confirmed that she has non—domiciled status for uk tax purposes, meaning she doesn't have to pay tax here on income she earns overseas. her spokeswoman said ms murty had always paid uk taxes on her british income.

apologies for a delay there. but we are coming to this story here. scientists believe they have found fossil remains of a dinosaur that died on the day a huge asteroid crashed into earth. the scientists say that it belonged to a thescelosaurus. it was entombed in what is believed to be debris from the impact of the space rock 66 million years ago. we can go back to one of our stories

now. what you make of the focus on nuclear in the government energy strategy today? are we all write, there seems to be background noise? can you hear us. i there seems to be background noise? can you hear us— can you hear us. i can hear you, but i am can you hear us. i can hear you, but i am getting — can you hear us. i can hear you, but i am getting reverb. _ can you hear us. i can hear you, but i am getting reverb. that _ can you hear us. i can hear you, but i am getting reverb. that sounded l i am getting reverb. that sounded all riuht. i am getting reverb. that sounded all right. shall— i am getting reverb. that sounded all right. shall try _ i am getting reverb. that sounded all right. shall try again? - i am getting reverb. that sounded all right. shall try again? i- i am getting reverb. that sounded all right. shall try again? iwill- all right. shall try again? i will ask for your thoughts on the focus on nuclear in the government energy strategy. on nuclear in the government energy strate: . , ., ., ., , strategy. these national institute comes u- strategy. these national institute comes up with — strategy. these national institute comes up with winter _ strategy. these national institute | comes up with winter renewables, strategy. these national institute - comes up with winter renewables, £20 to £25 of megawatt electricity with nuclear at £120 per kilowatt—hour. meanwhile, the international energy agency says by 2050, 901% of all

new electricity will be renewable. in terms of evidence—based, the discussion is over. the heavy lifting for transition will be done with renewables. nuclear only being built by countries such as russia and china with vast public subsidy. it means if borisjohnson wants to move the uk, the uk taxpayer and consumer will be on the hook for these vast costs associated with nuclear construction.— nuclear construction. what i understand _ nuclear construction. what i understand is _ nuclear construction. what i understand is that - nuclear construction. what i understand is that in - nuclear construction. what i understand is that in terms | nuclear construction. what i i understand is that in terms of nuclear construction. what i - understand is that in terms of the figures of megawatt hour, the price is for the hinkley point c power station which is a higher unit price and in the terms of a more standard

comparison, it will be affordable and reap dividends. that comparison, it will be affordable and reap dividends.— comparison, it will be affordable and reap dividends. that is not the case, and reap dividends. that is not the case. according — and reap dividends. that is not the case, according to _ and reap dividends. that is not the case, according to one _ and reap dividends. that is not the case, according to one authority. i and reap dividends. that is not the| case, according to one authority. it is a key institutional financial institute. so no, wind and solar costs are up to a quarter of nuclear and once again... it is costs are up to a quarter of nuclear and once again. . .— and once again... it is all part of and once again... it is all part of a broad picture _ and once again. .. it is all part of a broad picture of— and once again... it is all part of a broad picture of a _ and once again... it is all part of a broad picture of a mix - and once again... it is all part of a broad picture of a mix of - and once again... it is all part of. a broad picture of a mix of energy sources. when the wind does not blow, if solar is not enough, we need something else and for the government and many, that something else is nuclear energy. the government and many, that something else is nuclear energy.— else is nuclear energy. the problem with that, what _ else is nuclear energy. the problem with that, what happens _ else is nuclear energy. the problem with that, what happens when - else is nuclear energy. the problem with that, what happens when the i with that, what happens when the wind does not blow, there are ways of getting round, storage, load balancing, and most important, energy efficiency and conservation. the last thing you want to back up

renewables and remember, anyone in the world will not tell you the renewables revolution is not here. the last thing you want to back—up renewables is nuclear, which is bad at powering up and down to cover any form of intermittent power. you switch it on and it goes. there is a problem in terms of the evidence base. and the current uk energy policy. which is an outlier internationally, it has to be said. what do you make of the government focus on it, they are saying it is something that makes up the mixed picture of different energy sources we need. and many will agree the focus should be on renewables. very briefly, what is your view on the government strategy which covers a mix of these? if

government strategy which covers a mix of these?— mix of these? if one looks at the evidence base, _ mix of these? if one looks at the evidence base, it— mix of these? if one looks at the evidence base, it seems - mix of these? if one looks at the evidence base, it seems to - mix of these? if one looks at the evidence base, it seems to be i evidence base, it seems to be problematic. recent events in ukraine, looking at the weaponisation. unless you the uranium, they control 42% worldwide. it takes 10—15 years to put one reactor. this is out of the picture certainly for the energy crisis. and potentially very much the climate crisis so there is a real issue. a real potential the evidence base does not bear out this.-

real potential the evidence base does not bear out this. thank you for our does not bear out this. thank you for your thoughts. _ does not bear out this. thank you for your thoughts. just _ does not bear out this. thank you for your thoughts. just about - does not bear out this. thank you | for your thoughts. just about time to get the weather. a dry day across southern parts. elsewhere a shower dodging day and a day with blustery winds gusting 40—50 mph in places and as they go into a northerly direction, feeling cold. showers through the day. some of them heavy with thunder and hail. more sunshine between showers in scotland and northern ireland this afternoon. it will turn colder through the day. the wind more northerly, cold air pushing south tonight. most showers will fade. but northerly winds, northern ireland, north wales and scotland some damp weather. the exception to the frost in the south and south—west. rain in the english

channel, some of it heavy. much of england and wales having a drier day tomorrow. still wintry showers in scotland and northern ireland and feeling less cold.

which conditions, either inside russia or outside will make putin stop further aggression and further invasion? what can western and central region of ukraine expect in the nearest future? can people who had to leave their houses from those regions to get back home? is it safe? what is required from us - as a citizen and from our leaders to actually gain the international financial support _ in the post—war time, in the post—war period to rebuild our cities? i what we can expect from our partners around the globe?

i mean, like, can we expect some air defence systems?