hello, i'm maryam moshiri, this is outside source. the fight intensifies for control of the beseiged city of mariupol. russia says ukrainian troops are surrendering — ukraine says it's still in control. a new report says there's evidence russia has carried out war crimes in ukraine — president biden calls it genocide. we report from bucha — where local officials are collecting evidence. the challenge for prosecutors will be to establish a line of command, from the grave to the top of the russian state, to show that crimes were notjust committed but ordered. also on the programme... new york police say they've

arrested a suspect, after yesterday's shooting at a brooklyn subway station. 10 people were injured in the attack. 33 33 shots were fired but less than 30 hours later we are able to say, we got him. floods kill more than 250 people in the south african province of kwazulu—natal. some areas saw a month's worth of rain fall in one day. and here in the uk, a government minister quits — after borisjohnson becomes the first sitting prime minister found to have broken the law. welcome to the programme. president biden has announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to ukraine. the package would include artillery systems, artillery rounds and armoured personnel carriers. it brings the total amount

of american aid since the russian invasion to more than $2.1; billion. let's speak to our correspondent john sudworth in washington. bring us up—to—date. bring us up-to-date. this announcement _ bring us up-to-date. this announcement had - bring us up-to-date. this announcement had been l bring us up—to—date. ti 3 announcement had been heavily trailed but it was confirmed a short while ago. in a statement from the white house. following a call between president biden and president zelensky. in the statement joe biden confirms an additional $800 million of military aid will be sent, much of it, he said, will be more supplies of the kind of weaponry already handed over in earlier drawdowns of equipment but specifically the new package will include weaponry designed to help ukrainian forces combat the anticipated escalation of russia's military offensive in the east. things like artillery systems,

president biden said, and armoured personnel carriers. this president biden said, and armoured personnel carriers.— personnel carriers. this military aid, one personnel carriers. this military aid. one us _ personnel carriers. this military aid, one us defence _ personnel carriers. this military aid, one us defence official- personnel carriers. this military| aid, one us defence official said that it brings the aid provided by the biden administration to more than $3 billion, a huge amount. this is absolutely — than $3 billion, a huge amount. this is absolutely a _ than $3 billion, a huge amount. ti 3 is absolutely a huge amount. the us administration, joe biden himself making it very clear, that the weaponry already provided, he said, has helped defeat russia's initial war aims in ukraine but now is not the time to rest, he said. he said he should president zelensky that the american people continue to stand with the ukrainian people and as you say commit senior defence officials suggested this now brings the total package of aid provided by the total package of aid provided by the biden administration to more than 2 billion, and to put that in

context, that is more than half of the total annual ukrainian defence budget. a final detail, there's a meeting here between the department of defence and military contractors and when asked about it, defence officials said this is part of the normal rhythm of battle, these meetings take place regularly, but in answer to the suggestion that there may be some urgency and some question about the possibility of future supplies given the amount of aid already is provided, he said there was no need to panic, but he did say this, we have given an awful lot of stuff to ukrainians so it is prudent to have these meetings to make sure that there is no future crisis, he said, so that gives you a sense ofjust how significant an amount of aid is being provided and is likely continue to be in the future. it is likely continue to be in the future. ., , g ., ., future. it does indeed. john, thanks for “oininu future. it does indeed. john, thanks forjoining us- _ now let's go to ukraine — and talk about the southern

port city of mariupol. the russian military has been trying to take it for weeks. now, it says over 1,000 ukrainian marines have surrendered there. ukraine denies this — and maintains it still holds the city. we can't independently verify either claim. but this was the russian defence ministry's announcement earlier. translation: 1,026 | ukrainian military from marines 36th brigade have voluntarily laid their arms down and surrendered. there were 151 wounded among those from the 36th brigade who received immediate medical assistance and then were taken to mariupol hospital for further treatment. but an adviser to the mayor of mariupol has dismissed this. no, no, it's impossible. because i know how many they're controlling now. they don't control our capital. they don't control azovstal.

they don't control the half of the livoberenzhyi district and half of tsentralnyi district. and the biggest part in prymorskyi district are controlling by ukrainian troops. what we know is that mariupol is a key target for the russian military. if captured, it would create a land corridor between moscow's two fronts in the south and east. and we know that the situation in mariupol is critical — thousands of civilians are trapped there. it's been besieged for weeks, and supplies of food and water are scarce. and some say that this could have been avoided. this is a matter of urgency. our president, when he was speaking . the other day, he said that had... l if ukraine had received more heavy weaponry— if ukraine had received more heavy weaponry earlier, _ if ukraine had received more heavy weaponry earlier, the _ if ukraine had received more heavy weaponry earlier, the situation - if ukraine had received more heavy weaponry earlier, the situation in. weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol— weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol would _ weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol would not— weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol would not be _ weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol would not be so- weaponry earlier, the situation in mariupol would not be so bad. i weaponry earlier, the situation in. mariupol would not be so bad. this

allows _ mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us— mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us to — mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us to draw _ mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us to draw a _ mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us to draw a conclusion - mariupol would not be so bad. this allows us to draw a conclusion andl allows us to draw a conclusion and analogy— allows us to draw a conclusion and analogy that — allows us to draw a conclusion and analogy that ukraine _ allows us to draw a conclusion and analogy that ukraine needs - allows us to draw a conclusion and analogy that ukraine needs to - analogy that ukraine needs to receive — analogy that ukraine needs to receive those _ analogy that ukraine needs to receive those heavy— analogy that ukraine needs to receive those heavy weaponsl analogy that ukraine needs to l receive those heavy weapons as analogy that ukraine needs to - receive those heavy weapons as soon as possible — the siege of mariupol has been the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the conflict. there've been two incidents in particular that have drawn international outcry. russia denies involvement in both of them, without providing evidence. on march 9th, this maternity and children's hospital in mariupol was bombed. a week later, the city's main drama theatre was destroyed. hundreds of people were sheltering in the basement. the word "children" was spelled out in front of it, visible from space. this was the message from the city's mayor. translation: everything that's happening in mariupoltoday, i bearing in mind that 90% of infrastructure has been destroyed bearing in mind that 90% by russia and they've killed many, many civilians.

we believe that this is genocide, these are war crimes. justin crump is the chief executive of sibylline, an intelligence consultancy, and a royal armoured corps veteran. thanks forjoining us. let me ask you first of all, how difficult is it to verify what we know and don't know about these alleged ukrainian surrenders in mariupol? it is extremely — surrenders in mariupol? it is extremely difficult _ surrenders in mariupol? it is extremely difficult to - surrenders in mariupol? it 3 extremely difficult to verify anything in particular coming out of mariupol at the moment, and the city has been cut off now for an extended period and it is a month since the russians gave the ultimatum to surrender. as with the potential chemical incident a couple of days ago, it is very hard to get that information and verify it correctly. it is very scattered social media footage but what has been seen is the commander of the marine battalion which was reported to have surrendered about sitting with the commander of another unit, having

reportedly broken out of where the marines were to join the other regiment so we know he has survived and he claims to have taken a few of his men with him so at least some have surrendered but certainly not the thousand odd which has been reported and alleged by the russians and the video of people surrounding which does seem to be genuine show is much lower numbers of people, maybe 50—100. is much lower numbers of people, maybe 50400-— is much lower numbers of people, ma be 50-100. , ., ., ~ ., maybe 50-100. given what we do know, how do ou maybe 50-100. given what we do know, how do you think — maybe 50-100. given what we do know, how do you think the _ maybe 50-100. given what we do know, how do you think the ukrainian - how do you think the ukrainian forces have been surviving, despite supplies rapidly diminishing for them? ., , , , ., , them? one of the things the russians have missed — them? one of the things the russians have missed was _ them? one of the things the russians have missed was the _ them? one of the things the russians have missed was the fact _ them? one of the things the russians have missed was the fact the - have missed was the fact the ukrainians were flying in helicopters every night, transport helicopters, at low level, very daringly, into the city, ukraine a's great use of helicopters in the conflict, this is one of the examples, they were taking people out each night who were injured and they were bringing in supplies, and they were bringing in supplies, and they could not bring a huge amount of supplies but it was enough to keep the defence going. that has

been pushing out the resistance and may be one of the reasons why it has taken so long for russia to capture the city and it is interesting that president zelensky today in his court with president biden, actually specifically asked for more helicopters and those type of helicopters and those type of helicopters to be added to the package and joe biden seems to have agreed to that which shows how important they were in attracting the defence of mariupol. $800 million, additional— the defence of mariupol. $800 million, additional military - the defence of mariupol. $800 million, additional military aid to ukraine from the us, bringing its spend up to 3 billion whichjohn syed wirth said was basically half of ukraine's entire defence spend which gives you an idea of how much support ukraine is getting from the likes of the us, but is it enough in the medium term? this likes of the us, but is it enough in the medium term?— the medium term? this is the big cuestion, the medium term? this is the big question. and _ the medium term? this is the big question, and the _ the medium term? this is the big question, and the race _ the medium term? this is the big question, and the race at - the medium term? this is the big question, and the race at the - the medium term? this is the big - question, and the race at the moment is to give ukraine the right support at the right time, given that nato and the us probably almost certainly thought that by now ukraine would be

fighting an insurgency against russia but it is still fighting a conventional conflict, the largest battle to be fought in the donbas region between mechanised forces since the second world war, hence the ukraine is calling out for tanks and heavy artillery and increased rounds for their artillery because they are running short. saying they needed at the battlefield now to be able to fight and have this defensive campaign against russia rather than just holding ground and losing its study which the weapons we have sent them so far have helped them defend, but it is not helping them defend, but it is not helping them counter attack and strike back at russia and being able to move it around these russian forces so that is the question, how quickly can this stuff get into operation, and some of it is coming in, some of its lower, and that is what the ukrainians are very aware of and every day counts for them. especially if you have got to get it down to the south—east, over the romanian border into the country, it

is getting it across the country, railways not always running, so getting it out of the south—east, thatis getting it out of the south—east, that is a big challenge for ukraine. justin, thanks forjoining us. mariupol is in the donbas region — which is central to this conflict. it's in the east of the country — and there's been conflict there between russian separatists and ukrainian forces since 2014. in recent days, russia's military has been saying that its goal is to "liberate" the region. let's hear from one former ceasefire monitor in eastern ukraine. if i had to predict very quickly, the russians will not give up their 2014 territorial gains and will try to add to them. unless the ukrainians have a miraculous counter attack, we risk seeing a partition in ukraine with the russians occupying greater swathes

of the south and east to leave and step back, a bit situation we could live with for years to come potentially. one of the key cities targeted in the donbas region is kramatorsk. you might remember this attack on a railway station there on friday. this was the aftermath. dozens of people, including children, were killed as they waited for evacuation trains to take them to safety — away from heavy russian shelling across the wider region. the city's mayor has been speaking to the bbc — and a warning, you might find some of what he has to say distressing. and so people without legs, hands. i saw one child, one boy on the railway l platform without head. so, about 38 people - are killed in one second. 19 people died in our clinics, so totally we have 57 - ukrainians which were trying l to leave from our city to west ukraine who were killed and died.

| it was difficult to understand how| such, such terrible attack could be possible to civil people. it's events like this that have prompted accusations of genocide — most recently from the us president, joe biden. i called it genocide because it's become clearer and clearer that putin is trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be ukrainian. and the evidence is mounting, different than it was last week, more evidence is coming out of literally the horrible things that the russians have done in ukraine and we're only going to learn more and more about the devastation. we'll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me. experts have urged caution about using the word "genocide" to describe events in ukraine until proper investigations have been carried out. that's because it's got a strict legal definition. but in any case, president zelensky has once again urged the west to provide weapons to ukraine.

freedom must be armed better than tyranny. western countries have everything to make it happen. the final victory over the tyranny and the number of people saved depends on them. arm ukraine now to defend freedom. for its part, the kremlin has called mr biden's comments "unacceptable". this all comes as the world's biggest security body says there are clear patterns of russian troops violating international humanitarian law — including extrajudicial killings and torture. earlier i spoke to our correspondent anna foster, in kyiv. there are still claims - and counterclaims on who is in charge in mariupol tonight. the russians claim they are very close j to taking control of that city but the ukrainians say-

they are still holding onto key places like the steel - works and the port. it is very difficult to verify any information that comes out. of mariupol at the moment because that city has been| surrounded and cut off for so long. we know that tens of thousands of civilians have been _ trapped there and we know - the fighting really has not stopped for long enough to establish proper humanitarian corridors _ to get people out. now military analysts i think- believe that we may see mariupol fall to the russians in the next few days but at the moment, - it is very difficult to tell - the state of affairs because both sides claim that they still have |some control of that port city. j in the last few minutes, we had a statement from presidentjoe biden, saying that his administration is authorising an additional $800 million in weapons, ammunition and other security assistance to ukraine and that is key and crucial to what president zelensky has been calling for from international leaders.

it is hugely important and that is the message he has repeated i day after day. we see him address _ parliamentarians around the world. he has done a lot of that now, i talking to different parliaments by video link and the thing he always asks for his - weapons and ammunition - because bear in mind of course this conflict is more than six weeks old now. - the russians managed to push back against the ukrainian forces - but ukraine held kyiv even though russians held some of the towns. around it, so they retreated, i and the ukrainians want to get back which of course means l that they have expended a lot of ammunition and they have lostj

a lot of the weapons and military. president zelensky says they need to replenish that before rush- to replenish that before russia really pushes ahead again in the east of the countryl and in an assault many people think might be even more devastating - than what we have already seen. and of course as we continue talking about what is happening in areas like mariupol and kyiv, we are hearing from the mayor of kharkiv in the last few minutes that the russian bombing in the city has increased markedly since tuesday. that is notable because that's been going on in kharkiv for weeks - now and i've talked to people - who managed to escape from that city, families at home and they had spent weeks hiding in a basement i and only at that point of escape had they decided that they needed - to flee for their lives - because they saw and heard |the bombing around them and i spokel to one woman who had been sheltering in a basement of a school- with her children for the first four or so weeks of this conflict.

so we know that kharkiv has already been very badly hit and we know- as we heard the mayor say that that is set to increase and it. really follows that pattern i that we are expecting to see of satellite imagery - showing russian troops, russian military vehicles massing iagain in the east of the country, | preparing for this fresh assault which we have been hearing i is on the way and could _ if the satellite images are showing a correct picture began in the next few days. l now let's go to south africa, where officials say 250 people have been killed in floods, after the heaviest rainfall there in 60 years. it happened in the coastal province of kwazulu—natal. that includes one of south africa's biggest port cities, durban. some areas saw a months worth of rain fall in one day. the rain happened quickly, and without warning. lots of people are still missing. this is one of many teams still searching for survivors. our reporter shingai nyoka was with with them. floods are fairly common here, but rescuers say that these are some of the worst that they've ever witnessed. they've already retrieved the bodies of three people from a single family, and there's a desperate search for a fourth, a ten—year—old child. let me show you the latest pictures. this is what durban now looks like from above. you can see huge areas of the city now underwater. there have been mudslides, too,

destroying buildings. and collapsing roads and motorways, too. the main one in and out of durban is blocked. hundreds if not thousands of people have had their homes damaged or swept away. let's hear from one of them. the storm was coming from that side. it destroyed my house. i've got nowhere to go now. i've got no house, i've got no nothing. the situation is very, very bad. i don't know where i'm going to go to sleep now. the rescue effort is still ongoing. mudslides have trapped people under buildings. there are reports that some are standing on rooftops, waiting to be rescued. and we've heard the rescue effort is being hampered by poor visibility. the mayor of durban says entire communities have been cut off. all our electricity stations, i major ones, are also flooded. our water treatment plants that we are using to - save these communities. for authorities, there's a huge clean up operation ahead. and there are more issues, like trade.

durban has one of the largest ports in the continent of africa. shipping containers from the dockyards were washed away. the city has stopped shipping for now. today, south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, visited a township in durban, and spoke to families who have lost relatives. he had this to say to them. translation: what is very difficult is that we have lost the lives - of many people and their houses have been washed out. the roads have also been washed out, as well as the bridges, and now this church here has also been affected and washed out. houses have been damaged and that has created problems, so we thought we should come here so that we could see for ourselves. shingai nyoka is in durban — and gave me this update. the death toll has been rising and it rose dramatically overnight and it rose dramatically overnight and

it now stands at 259, according to the local government. they expect the number to rise and they say the search and rescue continues and the search and rescue continues and the search and rescue is still overwhelmed and that there are still dozens of people that need to be located and the number is definitely not static. we have spoken to some people in those communities whose homes were washed away and who literally lost everything overnight. they managed to get away with just the clothes on their backs and with identity documents, they are housed at shelters, and community halls, but they are also asking what is next and they don't want to return to some of those areas, some of them because they say it is too dangerous. you spoke about the fact that president cyril ramaphosa has blamed climate change but some critics say it is more than that, that it critics say it is more than that, thatitis critics say it is more than that, that it is a result of poor drainage and also poor safety building

regulations. police in new york have arrested a suspect wanted in a shooting at subway station in the district of brooklyn on tuesday. ten people were injured when the gunman fired 33 rounds from a semi—automatic handgun. police had named frankjames, who's 62, as their suspect in the incident. they gave this update a little earlier. we hope this arrest brings some solace to the victims and the people of new york. we used or resources to gather significant evidence that directly links mrjames to the shooting. we were able to shrink his world quickly, and there was nowhere left for him to run. 33 world quickly, and there was nowhere left for him to run.— left for him to run. 33 shots but less than 30 — left for him to run. 33 shots but less than 30 hours _ left for him to run. 33 shots but less than 30 hours later - left for him to run. 33 shots but less than 30 hours later we - left for him to run. 33 shots but less than 30 hours later we are| left for him to run. 33 shots but - less than 30 hours later we are able to say, _ less than 30 hours later we are able to say, we _ less than 30 hours later we are able to say, we got him. we less than 30 hours later we are able to say, we got him.— to say, we got him. we can talk to

our correspondent _ to say, we got him. we can talk to our correspondent in _ to say, we got him. we can talk to our correspondent in new - to say, we got him. we can talk to our correspondent in new york, i to say, we got him. we can talk to i our correspondent in new york, what was said about the way the authorities finally got their man in the news conference? that authorities finally got their man in the news conference?— authorities finally got their man in the news conference? that is exactly riaht, the the news conference? that is exactly right. the new _ the news conference? that is exactly right, the new york _ the news conference? that is exactly right, the new york mayor _ the news conference? that is exactly right, the new york mayor eric- the news conference? that is exactly l right, the new york mayor eric adams said we got him, and it really is remarkable because throughout the day the nypd had sent out an emergency alert to new yorkers asking for information and naming frankjames as the suspect and here he was just walking the streets of new york when a member of the public called in a tip that he was in a mcdonald's fast food restaurant. nypd patrol officers in the area went there and they couldn't find him inside but they kept driving around and they were finally able to locate him again because of that tip. what we are hearing from officials is that he was arrested without incident and he didn't fight back and he will now be placed in a facility and face federal charges of

committing a terrorist act in the mass subway station but they also mentioned that he has been known to the authorities and he has ties to several states and in new york specifically he had nine prior arrests between 1992 and 1998, from burglary, sex offences, so he was somebody who was known and they have talked previously how about they had seen his social media posts, so while they did not give an exact motive, in this briefing, they certainly are starting to piece all of that together. already on twitter many people are celebrating this man named zac who called in the tip to the police and many calling him a new york hero.— the police and many calling him a new york hero. thanks for “oining us. a new york hero. thanks for “oining a quick— new york hero. thanks for “oining us. a quick update * new york hero. thanks for “oining us. a quick update on h new york hero. thanks for “oining us. a quick update on the h new york hero. thanks forjoining us. a quick update on the floods i new york hero. thanks forjoining| us. a quick update on the floods in durban in kwazulu—natal, the death toll has now been brought up to 306.

we will bring you more updates in a few minutes' time. you can get in touch with me on twitter — i'm @bbcmaryam more coming up injust a few minutes. hello. i think it's fair to say that today was a mixed bag. yes, we had plenty of sunny spells, but also one or two very heavy downpours, particularly across parts of the midlands and also in lincolnshire in the last few hours. the headline in the next few days suggests warmer weather. in fact, by the time we get to friday, good friday, temperatures could get up to 22c in east anglia, the south east and london. so, here's the satellite picture. still a fair bit of cloud across the uk, and then this mass of cloud to the west of our neighbourhood is approaching us and will eventually reach us over the next day or so. now, through this evening and overnight, it is largely clear across the bulk of the uk, particularly eastern and central

areas, but out towards the west, the south—southwesterly breeze is pushing in low grey cloud, mist and murk around coasts. it will be a mild night. nine degrees in plymouth, eight in cardiff, maybe no colder than around five in glasgow. perhaps a touch of frost in the sheltered glens, but that's pretty much it. here's the weather map for thursday, and that mass of cloud that i mentioned out towards the west is encroaching. in fact, rain in ireland. that does mean thicker cloud and also outbreaks of rain eventually reaching northern ireland and western parts of scotland, but elsewhere, it should be a relatively bright day after a very slow grey start. i think the best of the sunshine — central, eastern, southern areas, and here temperatures will probably nudge up to around 19 or so, whereas out towards the north west, with more cloud and the outbreaks of rain, closer to around 13—15 degrees. and that weather front kind of almost stalls just to the west of us. it does mean further cloud and the possibility of catching some rain, so always the drier weather will be further east and south, and here, sunny spells with the temperatures

getting up to around 20 in london, but also a little bit warmer there in glasgow and edinburgh, up to around 16 on good friday. now, how about the weekend and into monday itself? well, the weather slowly will turn more unsettled, but not until sunday night and into monday when this low pressure arrives, so i think as far as saturday and sunday are concerned, the easter weekend, overall, the weather is looking mainly dry. it's going to be nice and warm in any sunny spells with some overnight mist and fog and then more unsettled with some rain come monday. bye— bye.

hello, i'm maryam moshiri, this is outside source. the fight intensifies for control of the beseiged the united said —— the united states as it will increase in support of ukraine. on the ground, the fight intensifies for control of the besieged city. russia says ukrainian troops are surrendering. ukraine says it's still in control. a new report says there's evidence russia has carried out war crimes in ukraine — president biden calls it genocide. we report from bucha — where local officials are collecting evidence. the challenge for prosecutors will be to establish a line of command, from the grave to the top

of the russian state, to show that crimes were notjust committed but ordered. floods kill people, some areas some months worth of rainfall and one day. in new york, police say they've arrested a suspect, after yesterday's shooting at a brooklyn subway station. 10 people were injured in the attack. and here in the uk, a government minister quits — after borisjohnson becomes the first sitting prime minister found to have broken the law. president biden says the evidence appears to suggest, that russia is committing genocide in ukraine. over the past two weeks, russian forces have been withdrawing from the north around the capital. their retreat from the areas, shown here in purple, has allowed a clearer picture to emerge, of the terrible damage and destruction left in their wake.

our correspondent, mark lowen, has visited the towns of bucha and borodyanka, travelling with those trying to document evidence of war crimes committed by russian troops. ten more. the numbers, the mass graves, the contempt for life. some so badly charred, they're just the pieces for ukraine to pick up. the man and the inhuman. what happened here in bucha and elsewhere are notjust sins, says ukraine, but war crimes. french investigators and other international teams are helping prepare a lawsuit against russia. ukraine's prosecutor general says they've already opened more than 6,000 cases. a lot of people speak about genocide of ukrainian people, and actually, they have all grounds to speak about genocide. vladimir putin himself,

he is president of aggressor. do you believe you will ever see him judged in an international war crimes court? it is very important, actually. it's very important to hold court to stop dictators. the challenge for prosecutors will be to establish a line of command from the grave to the top of the russian state, to show that crimes are notjust committed, but ordered. perhaps that will help give ukrainians a sense of accountability, and that from such suffering can comejustice. the long road to that goal, past a landscape of horror, is led notjust for the state, but by volunteer investigators, a grassroots army fighting for the truth. they come to borodyanka, gutted from the air in a relentless assault tearing out its heart. amidst the ruins, banned cluster bombs.

the destroyed ground is fertile for the team building their case. we're trying to tell the world the truth, and we are trying not to let russia formulate their lying narratives about the war in ukraine. we are trying to show to people that those war crimes which russian troops are committing became, like, a pattern of their behaviour. among the shattered sea of victims are oxana and her husband nikola. they escaped. their apartment didn't. with the need to tell this story comes the duty to collect it. translation: our home was our cosy nest. - we were planning our. children's birthday here. my mother got outjust before the strike. - it's hard to describe our terror. it's more like hate.

it's very important to say - what happened because these are notjust war crimes. russia will not stop until it destroys our country. - freedom and safety, what ukrainians held dear, has been destroyed. their solace now would be punishment for those who have broken this country. mark lowen, bbc news, borodyanka. a british minister has resigned from government due to fines issued to the prime minister and chancellor for breaking lockdown rules. in a letter to borisjohnson, justice minister lord david wolfson pointed to "repeated rule—breaking, and breaches of the criminal law, in downing street". he goes on... this is the first ministerial resignation since the story of partygate emerged.

cabinet ministers — the most senior members of the government — have been backing the prime minister since he was fined by police on tuesday. here's the transport secretary. everyone is human. people make mistakes. in this case, it's led to a fixed penalty fine of £50. he's paid the fine. it's an event of two years ago. i feel the same anger as everybody else that these events could take place, not least because i couldn't see my own dad, who i didn't know whether we'd see again ever. so, i completely get it. i also know that it wasn't done out of malice or with intent. it was a mistake, an error. more than 70 conservative mps have expressed their support for borisjohnson since he was fined. that includes some who have previously called for him to go. but not all are supporting the prime minister. mp craig whittaker has told his local newspaper...

and here's another conservative mp, nigel mills. when this story first broke injanuary, i said that anybody who was guilty of attending or organising a party during the strictest lockdown, the worst of the pandemic, couldn't possibly be in a position of authority. i think now the fines have been issued and the investigation's been done, they've accepted the fines and paid them, they should both go. i mean, i can't see how you can be the senior lawmakers in the country, on tv exhorting the rest of us to obey these laws and then be caught breaking them in your place of work. it's just not acceptable. i think we have a right to expect higher standards than that. and it saddens me. i backed boris. they've both done tremendous work during the pandemic, but i'm afraid laws are laws, and if you break them, there has to be a consequence. for more on the resignation ofjustice minister lord wolfson, here's david wallace lockhart in westminster. a blow because this is the first government minister- to say that they can no longer serve

under borisjohnson _ now that he has been fined, - now that the metropolitan police have said they believe he broke the law in some of the events, i one of the events held _ in downing street while the country was under covid—19 rules. now lord david wolfson is a junior minister in the government. - he does not say in the cabinet, but he is the first person to say —— he does not sit in the cabinet, i but he is the first person to sayl he can no longer serve in government i and his resignation letter is quite i he talked about the scale, context and nature of the breaches of law and that it would be - inconsistent with the rule of law for that conduct to pass - with constitutional impunity. he also criticises not just _ the action that appear to have taken place in downing street and other government buildings come to bej known as partygate, but he also says he is to satisfied _ with the official response. mps aren't in westminster at the moment due to the easter break. but they are in their constituencies, where they will be hearing directly what voters think. megan paterson from bbc

look north has been speaking to people in sunderland in the north—east of england. over tea and toast in sunderland, news from westminster has left a bad taste. trade is brisk today, but the experience of pandemic closure is still better to recall. it's disgusting, really. i think they— it's disgusting, really. i think they should have been made example of. i think they should have been made an example of, really, more than just a fine. i've struggled to keep the business open through all these bad times, these couple of years, so ijust think it's really wrong. apologies made by the prime minister and the chancellor, seemingly accepted by most conservative mps, the customers in the mad hatter say they come too late. i don't see how you canjust brush it under the carpet. i don't think that we can push him out at the moment. i think there's too much going on in the world to even think about that, but i think there has to come a reckoning.

i think it's absolutely unacceptable, - especially when you're hearing i heart—rending stories of people who have lost loved ones, i that haven't been able to spend the last moments with them, all these people that - have died on their own. that experience of loss was a reality for deborah doyle. her mother, sylvia griffiths, died in a care home in april 2020. there were only eight people allowed at my mum's funeral. you weren't allowed a wake afterwards, you had to keep your distance, you couldn't hug your family. and we did the right thing, we followed the rules to keep ourfamily members and our community safe, and then they were having a knees—up in downing street. it's basically a smack in the mouth for anyone that's lost a loved one. upset and anger among the reactions today, but acceptance, too, that change isn't likely to happen quickly and, with the sue gray report outstanding, this is one party hangover which won't be easily cured. megan patterson, bbc look north, sunderland. from the north east of england to the north west, let's speak to annabel tiffin, political editor for bbc north west. she described the reaction

—— i've been speaking to annabel tiffin, political editor for bbc north west. she described the reaction from people in cheadle, an area near manchester which voted conservative at the last election. they should have to pay the fines, and when they were pressed on should they resign, they said no, not yet. this isn't the time, not while this war is going on in ukraine. however, if you go over to merseyside, it's a completely different place, it's a left leaning, there is only one conservative mp for the whole of merseyside. they are, the local paper, the liverpool echo took a survey and found that 82% of people there said that borisjohnson should resign. i also spoke to him i'm from liverpool yesterday. her daughter was 19 and she died in may 2020 of cancer. they self isolated, so her daughter didn't see any members of herfamily apart from daughter didn't see any members of her family apart from her mum daughter didn't see any members of herfamily apart from her mum and dad for weeks before she died. she

is furious, she says that boris johnson has shown no moral integrity and that he absolutely should resign, so i think if people have lost loved ones and didn't get to see them before they died, the answer is more black—and—white, but there are still plenty of people here willing to give the prime minister another chance. in the uk — the cost of living is continuing to rise — at an increasingly rapid pace. prices are rising at their fastest rate for 30 years. inflation rose to 7% in the year to march — that's up from just over 6% in february. the biggest drivers were a sharp rise in the cost of petrol and diesel. the cost of living is expected to rise further in the coming months as a rise in the cap on gas and electricity prices takes effect. our economics correspondent andy verity has this report. table 1a, please. in this restaurant kitchen in eccles in greater manchester,

global price pressures are feeding through to your pizza. the flour that makes the dough has gone up, partly because russia and ukraine are among the world's biggest wheat explorers. they're also big exporters of cooking oil. vegetable oil has been a massive one for us. it's gone up £22 in the last year. a lot of that's been recent and to do with what's going on in ukraine but there's a shortage. we are only allowed to buy three barrels at a time. anything seen to be imported like tomatoes, they've gone up seven, £8 a case. mozzarella, about £2 a bag. everything's going up. we have not increased the price of a pizza, yet. we have to, there's no other way round it. everything's sort of against you at the moment. vat going back to 20%. it's stacking up. i think a lot of people will struggle. businesses like this one already facing inflation at its highest for 30 years and this month they've got a quadruple whammy.

higher interest rates, higher wages, higher national insurance and soaring energy bills. with that kind of cost pressure, they've got no choice but to pass it on to their customers. those customers are already feeling the squeeze from other costs. increased petrol, something we've noticed. heating, so we had our first updated bill this month. i we've gone from paying £120 a month, to £360 a month. i going around making sure that lights are turned off when you're not in the room. we've never lived like that. it underlines a key point, the upward pressure on prices is global. in europe this month, they're expecting inflation of 7.5%. in the us, inflation has reached a a0 year high of 8.5%. the official russian inflation figure is 12.5%. in the uk, consumers can expect price to accelerate. the april inflation number is likely to be even higher. it could well be around 9%, when we get the april

inflation report next month. so that points to a further squeeze on living standards and it's not going away anytime soon. with raw materials prices overheating globally, there is little the bank of england can do to cool them by raising interest rates in the uk alone. most economists think this worldwide surge in the cost of living will get worse before it gets better. andy verity, bbc news. let's speak to the economist vicky pryce, a formerjoint head of the uk government economic service. vicki, this is depressing, isn't it? inflation is rising, the cost of living is going up for many people. things are going to get tough. what is the answer? it’s things are going to get tough. what is the answer?— is the answer? it's difficult to think of one _ is the answer? it's difficult to think of one unless _ is the answer? it's difficult to think of one unless we i is the answer? it's difficult to think of one unless we can i is the answer? it's difficult to i think of one unless we can hope is the answer? it's difficult to - think of one unless we can hope that the war in ukraine comes to a quick end, and resolves itself in a good way. energy prices start coming down, there has been some sign of that happening. i don't see the

conflict getting any better, but certainly in terms of oil prices, they have now stabilised around $100 a barrel, which is a far cry from about 139 that they had reached just about 139 that they had reached just a few weeks ago. that is of course partly because the us has intervened by releasing quite a lot of its strategic oil reserves, but it's also the fact that china has closed down some of its major cities and growth there is slowing down they are demanding that much oil, so we have to depend on things like that happening, but otherwise, it's very uncertain, and all those prices are likely to stay very volatile for a while to come. is likely to stay very volatile for a while to come.— likely to stay very volatile for a while to come. , ., ., , ., while to come. is that anything that ou think while to come. is that anything that you think the _ while to come. is that anything that you think the government _ while to come. is that anything that you think the government could i while to come. is that anything that you think the government could or. you think the government could or should be doing to bring down inflation? ~ ., ., , inflation? well, one of the things that's been _ inflation? well, one of the things that's been going _ inflation? well, one of the things that's been going on _ inflation? well, one of the things that's been going on in _ inflation? well, one of the things that's been going on in other- that's been going on in other countries, vat rates have come down, we are putting them up in the areas that were used during the covid crisis. so, yes, that could happen, there have been calls from the opposition to reduce vat, we did at the time of the financial crisis to

stimulate demand. that would be when wake of the other one, of course is to intervene more heavily on the electricity costs and other countries again. there have been many more subsidies being given to consumers for that, caps on prices which are much more drastic than anything doing here right now, for example, in france, limiting tojust 4%, and italy, as we know, they have raised that tax they are putting on energy companies and redistributing that to consumers and businesses, so there could be some intervention of that sort, and we are in fact the one country that is raising taxes when almost everyone else is reducing them, that is quite a surprise when you look across the rest of the worlds and the impact on what we're doing here having on the consumers and the cost of living more generally. you the real costs that people are facing right now with inflation as high as it is and likely to get higher.— likely to get higher. given all of that, why is _

likely to get higher. given all of that, why is the _ likely to get higher. given all of that, why is the uk _ likely to get higher. given all of| that, why is the uk government following discourse when other governments are not? welcome i think the are governments are not? welcome i think they are quite — governments are not? welcome i think they are quite concerned _ governments are not? welcome i think they are quite concerned about - they are quite concerned about finances. we worried rather a lot come up —— we did borrow a lot, with a back into the economy the second highest percentage of gdp than any other country except the us, that meant firing over 300 billion in that first pandemic year and then borrowing again, about 130 billion this last year, and now intending to borrow again quite a lot, even though that is an attempt to get back to some fiscal normality, but i think it's probably the wrong time to be trying to do that when we have yet another crisis, and if you look at the consumer and their spending power right now, it's been reduced and we are seeing already slowing down and forecasts coming from the british chamber of commerce were suggesting that we could see a contraction in gdp and the second quarter. if that is the case, and everybody needs is that has to be some response both on the monetary

side where we see interest rates going up, and also on the fiscal side, where, of course, we are tightening up instead of releasing any money into the economy. i'm afraid, i think at the end of the day, if things go according to what people are worried about, we may well have to have some intervention both fiscal and monetary side would be more difficult because it's difficult to turn the engine around that's already started putting interest rates out, but on the fiscal front, interest rates out, but on the fiscalfront, we probably will get some support in the next few months. it has been good to talk to you. thank you so much.— let's turn to shanghai where 25 million people are in the second week of a strict covid lockdown. most people in the city, which is china's financial capital, aren't allowed to leave their homes. most have to order in food and water. 25,000 new cases were reported on wednesday. the chinese government is still

pursuing a policy of "zero covid". shanghai's police department says... the law includes this — mandatory quarantine in a government facility for anyone who tests positive. the conditions are often terrible. the bbc spoke to this 26—year—old woman who described her experience. translation: the moment i really broke down was when i entered i the cabin hospital. we were first assigned to the shared area. the condition was terrible. my roommate and i found two camp beds. there was only one restroom and one wash basin on each floor. many sleep next to each other.

i was terrified. i broke down and cried. this lockdown also comes with challenges for the millions of shanghai residents who must follow the strict rules. our china correspondent robin brant is one of them. forced quarantine is one of two often brutal measures that china is using to try to beat covid. the other is citywide lockdowns. i'm two weeks into the one here, along with the other 25 million people that live in shanghai. now, for many, that means you can't step out of your gate. for some, it means you can't even go beyond your front door, and also daily worries about food. for some, even about water. this is the result of that on the streets of shanghai. almost completely deserted. remember this is the financial hub of china and we're more than two years into the pandemic. the state—run newspaper the global times reports that motor vehicles are banned from driving on the roads. only officials involved in stopping covid are allowed to drive. then there's this. this is a local community worker using a megaphone to call out people for testing. testing drives like this are being

done on a huge scale in shanghai. officials say nine million people were tested on tuesday. that's like testing all of london in a single day. there's no sign of this changing. here's reuters reporting that president xi jinping says "china must continue with its strict "dynamic covid—clearance policy". let's speak to our china media analyst kery allen. what is the latest? some people watching this in the uk might be thinking why is china pursuing a zero covid policy right now two years into the pandemic? i think a lot of people are asking that to be honest. we look back to last year towards the end of last year. there was a huge vaccination rate in china, so more than 8% of china's population —— 80%. have had their vaccination, and this latest statistics vaccines have been administered in china, that's the equivalent of 1.1 billion people

having had three doses. so, yeah, a lot of people were expecting that by this time things would be getting back to normal. but these lockdowns keep on persisting in shanghai is a huge economic hub. there has been an insistence that this isn't the citywide lockdown, but at the same time, as you mentioned, people are not allowed to go out and drive. cars are banned from the streets. they've been given the strong message that you shouldn't go out unless absolutely necessary, so one of the biggest problems that china is like a ghost town. iloathed of the biggest problems that china is like a ghost town.— of the biggest problems that china is like a ghost town. what do people in the city think— is like a ghost town. what do people in the city think about _ is like a ghost town. what do people in the city think about all _ is like a ghost town. what do people in the city think about all of - in the city think about all of this? i've seen at some point videos of people in their apartment buildings very upset with being made to stay at home. our people tired of being told to stay—at—home now? thea; at home. our people tired of being told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned. — told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned. yes- _ told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned, yes. if— told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned, yes. if we _ told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned, yes. if we go _ told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned, yes. if we go back i told to stay-at-home now? they are concerned, yes. if we go back to i concerned, yes. if we go back to the very beginning of the pandemic, people in wuhan, the city where covid—19 first originated that

people spend two months and very strict lockdown. he can't even leave their homes. that's a lot of learning lessons are not the people had severe mental illness out the back of it and there was a hope that china wouldn't return to a situation like this again, but there is no and insight for the lockdown, some people are frustrated. if that people are frustrated. if that people and platforms, china's version of twitter, and we chat, like whatsapp, and trying to look on the positive side and talk about, for example, when they receive vegetables, how they are discovering new recipes. nice positive messages like this. but people who are very vulnerable, who can't actually get access to those vegetables, they are the people that we might not be hearing from who are really struggling. there are some people who are actually getting their messages out and venting their frustration because they are scared. an interesting point to be made, i guess, it is notjust the shanghai area that we are seeing a resurgence

if you like in coronavirus. not at all. since the 1st of march, roughly two thirds of those— two thirds of those have been in shan . hai. two thirds of those have been in shanghai. that's roughly - two thirds of those have been in i shanghai. that's roughly 100,000 cases in other areas of china. altogether, china has 31 provincial level regions and there have been cases in the majority of these regions at least two thirds of them, and it only takes one symptomatic case for an entire community to lockdown. so this is notjust happening in shanghai, there are other areas where these strict lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been — lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been good _ lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been good to _ lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been good to talk _ lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been good to talk to _ lockdowns to come into place. carry, it has been good to talk to you. i it has been good to talk to you. thank you very much. —— kerry. he can get in touch with us on our website. plenty more on there. you can get in touch with me on twitter — i'm @bbcmaryam coming up injust a few minutes, the context with my colleague. to stay with us for that. you are watching

bbc news. bye—bye. hello. i think it's fair to say that today was a mixed bag. yes, we had plenty of sunny spells, but also one or two very heavy downpours, particularly across parts of the midlands and also in lincolnshire in the last few hours. the headline in the next few days suggests warmer weather. in fact, by the time we get to friday, good friday, temperatures could get up to 22 celsius in east anglia, the south east and london. so, here's the satellite picture. still a fair bit of cloud across the uk, and then this mass of cloud to the west of our neighbourhood is approaching us and will eventually reach us over the next day or so. now, through this evening and overnight, it is largely clear across the bulk of the uk, particularly eastern and central areas, but out towards the west, the south—southwesterly breeze

is pushing in low grey cloud, mist and murk around coasts. it will be a mild night. nine degrees in plymouth, eight in cardiff, maybe no colder than around five in glasgow. perhaps a touch of frost in the sheltered glens, but that's pretty much it. here's the weather map for thursday, and that mass of cloud that i mentioned out towards the west is encroaching. in fact, rain in ireland. that does mean thicker cloud and also outbreaks of rain eventually reaching northern ireland and western parts of scotland, but elsewhere, it should be a relatively bright day after a very slow grey start. i think the best of the sunshine — central, eastern, southern areas, and here temperatures will probably nudge up to around 19 or so, whereas out towards the north west, with more cloud and the outbreaks of rain, closer to around 13—15 degrees. and that weather front kind of almost stalls just to the west of us. it does mean further cloud and the possibility of catching some rain, so always the drier weather will be further east and south, and here, sunny spells with the temperatures getting up to around 20 in london,

but also a little bit warmer there in glasgow and edinburgh, up to around 16 on good friday. now, how about the weekend and into monday itself? well, the weather slowly will turn more unsettled, but not until sunday night and into monday when this low pressure arrives, so i think as far as saturday and sunday are concerned, the easter weekend, overall, the weather is looking mainly dry. it's going to be nice and warm in any sunny spells with some overnight mist and fog and then more unsettled with some rain come monday. bye— bye.

hello, i'm nuala mcgovern. you're watching the context on bbc news. the us says it will send an additional $800 million worth of military aid to ukraine. on the ground, the fight intensifies for control of the beseiged city of mariupol. russia says ukrainian troops are surrendering — ukraine says it's still in control. police in new york arrest the suspect of tuesday's subway shooting — bringing to end the manhunt that had lasted for some 2a hours. here in the uk, a government minister quits — after borisjohnson becomes the first sitting prime minister found to have broken the law. and an apology from northern ireland women's football manager — for claiming women are �*more emotional�* than men — we'll speak to a former england captain.