tonight at ten... we're live in ukraine, as the focus of the fighting reaches the east. could the siege of mariupol be nearing its end? russia's stranglehold on the city tightens. they mayor says 120,000 people are still trapped as russian forces prepare to step up their eastern campaign. the russians are that way. about four or five the russians are that way. about four orfive miles the russians are that way. about four or five miles from the russians are that way. about four orfive miles from here. within artillery range. and as president biden accuses russia of genocide, we report from the town of bucha, where a team of investigators look for potential evidence of war crimes. also on the programme tonight... covid law—breaking in downing street pushes a conservative peer to quit asjustice minister —

but other cabinet colleagues rally round boris johnson. spiralling food and fuel costs push the uk inflation rate to 7% in the year to march — the highest since 1992. more than 300 people are confirmed dead in south africa after devastating floods — linked by the country's president to climate change. and in the champions league, a tense night for liverpool and manchester city as each battle for a place in the semi—finals. and coming up in sport, can liverpool get past benfica at anfield and reach the semifinals of the champions league?

good evening. is this the end game for the strategically important city of mariupol in south—eastern ukraine? under siege for several weeks by russian forces, moscow now claims 1000 ukrainian troops have surrendered after intense fighting in the area. the government here maintains it's still in control. but russian troops who'd encircled the city have been slowly pushing towards the centre, encountering stiff resistance. however, the fightback from ukrainian forces maybe about to end. gaining full control of mariupol would be a major win for moscow, creating a land bridge between crimea, which russia illegally annexed in 2014, and areas held by russian—led separatists in the donbas region. it would enable thousands of troops to be deployed to the east for a new offensive already planned there. but caught in the middle is mariupol. its mayor says around 21,000 civilians have been killed and 120,000 remain trapped

in appalling conditions. 0ur correspondent, tom bateman, reports now from the city of zaporizhia, where some people displaced from mariupol have ended up. a warning — his report contains upsetting images. this is a city reduced to darkness and death. russia's troops now occupy the theatre that was bombed as hundreds sheltered. their six—week siege of mariupol has brought it to the brink of falling. state tv in moscow showed these unverified pictures claiming they are ukrainian soldiers surrendering. but the city's defenders posted their own videos, holed up in the port and a factory, still fighting, but their position seems desperate. we won't give up, says this marine, but we are encircled with no resupply of ammunition or food.

100 miles north, just over the russian line, europe's 21st—century war is fought amid mud and rage in the trenches. mariupol�*s capture could see a push north, here. if mariupol falls, what will happen here? translation: well, we won't let this place turn into mariupol. _ they're holding on. vitali shows me their soviet—era launchers. they also have brand—new western weapons but they want more, with the war about to move to a decisive phase. they're completely dug in here. as you can see. and the russians are that way. about four, five miles from here, within artillery range. and you can see they're ready for a long and grinding fight.

they've been entrenched for 45 days. translation: we are on our own soil. we expect them, to bury as many of them as possible. the more troops they send our way, the more fertile our land gets. russia's siege has killed thousands of civilians in mariupol and unleashed an appalling struggle for survival for the residents that remain. and these are the children of president putin's war. this hospital, north of the front line, is taking patients from mariupol and, like those in this ward, from elsewhere in the south and east. the doctors tell me they're treating children with injuries they usually see in soldiers, straight from the battlefield. for mariupol�*s survivors, whole lives are packed into a few bags. and they carry the fresh

horrors of this war. lena and timothy are homeless. their apartment block obliterated in an air strike. ukraine's leaders call mariupol the heart of their war effort but they fear soon it could stop beating. tom bateman, bbc news, zaporizhzhia, in south—east ukraine. the continuing agony of mariupol. president biden says the evidence appears to suggest that russia is committing genocide in ukraine. he says it's becoming "clearer and clearer," that vladimir putin wants to "wipe out the idea of even being ukrainian." evidence of alleged war crimes have been uncovered in areas from which russian troops have been retreating in the last couple of weeks, particularly to the north of the capital, kyiv. 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.

0ur 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. his report contains upsetting details. 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 by 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 0xana 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. tomorrow will mark the 50th day since russia invaded this country. a period of time that has seen a breathtaking level of cruelty and depravity. it has been truly depressing to end so many introductions to reports from our correspondents with the words "you may find these pictures distressing." and what has moscow got to show for its invasion so far? nothing. that is why the battle for mariupol is so crucial for vladimir putin at this stage in the conflict. he needs a win.

the siege there is a symbol of continued dogged ukrainian resistance, and persistent russian failure. no matter the appalling conditions in the city or the level of destruction or how many people die, it will go on until russia can declare victory. but what will be left for the victor to claim? that's it from me and the team here in kyiv. now back to you, reeta, in the studio in london. many thanks. clive myrie in kyiv. a minister has resigned from borisjohnson�*s government over the breaking of covid regulations in downing street. lord wolfson, who was justice minister, said he was leaving over the "scale, context and nature" of the breaches, and that it was a matter of the prime minister's "own conduct" as well as actual events. his resignation came after fellow ministers rallied around the prime minister and the chancellor after both men were fined yesterday for breaking the lockdown laws. 0ur deputy political editor,

vicki young, has more. he's broken the law, and his own strict covid rules. boris johnson forced to apologise again and again for lockdown partying in downing street. i want to begin by repeating my apologies. mr speaker, i want to apologise. i once again offer a full apology. but is saying sorry enough to save his job? for now, cabinet colleagues think so. it's not defensible, and he has paid that fixed— penalty notice. the question, i suppose, in my mind is, you know, as individuals, none of us are perfect, no—one does... you know, we all err, we're all human. the question in my mind therefore is, did he set out with malice to break the law? answer — no. but not everyone is brushing it off so lightly. tonight, justice minister lord david wolfson resigned over what he called the scale, context and nature of rule—breaking

in downing street, and the official response to what took place. the blackmores say what went on amounts to hypocrisy. injune 2020, the uk was in lockdown — the month they lost their newborn daughter, just four days old. covid restrictions kept the family apart. to know that through that time, i when we were literally only getting a section of time with our baby girl and knowing she was going to die, j and there were people having - parties, and who made the rules? they're the ones who put that in place. - we're not the only people that lost somebody. - conservative mps insist they understand the public anger, but say ousting the prime minister when there's a war in ukraine would be wrong. the liberal democrats said he wasn't a decent man, and the snp condemned a culture of entitlement in downing street. labour piled in, too. the idea that we can't

change leadership now because of the war in ukraine or because of the economic crisis, i think it's actually the other way round, that actually we need fresh leadership and we need leaders who can concentrate on the job in hand, which is tackling russian aggression and supporting ukraine, and also here at home, tackling the cost—of—living crisis. very few conservatives are publicly criticising mrjohnson. one of his fiercest critics, the scottish leader douglas ross, has retracted his call for him to go. but a colleague disagrees. i think that the prime minister should walk now because, one, he's been shown to have broken the laws of the land that he himself set. because he presided over a culture in number 10 where there was persistent lawbreaking. and because he went and told both the parliament and the country that no laws had been broken when they clearly had been. and he knew that they had been. mrjohnson, safe in number 10 for now — but the police investigation is far from over.

a ministerial resignation today. how damaged has the prime minister being by these revelations about him breaking the law over lockdown? i think a day on from that happening downing street might have felt quite reassured, there wasn't that much criticism from their own side at least, the cabinet rallying around and just two mps saying the prime minister should resign, and just two mps saying the prime ministershould resign, but and just two mps saying the prime minister should resign, buti and just two mps saying the prime minister should resign, but i think that resignation reflects private anxiety i have been picking up on from other ministers and mps, this idea that the lawmakers have become the lawbreakers. the big question, what, if anything, are they going to do about it, and i think that depends on this ongoing police investigation. and there certainly is a growing sense that there could be more fines heading boris johnson's away. i have spoken to one number ten aide who witnessed a lot of these events and they said to me, the one he has been fined for already is the least serious. if

thatis already is the least serious. if that is the case, then this could get a whole lot harder for the minister. . ~ ., get a whole lot harder for the minister. w ., ., ~ minister. vicki prime young, thank ou. -- minister. vicki prime young, thank yom -- vicki _ minister. vicki prime young, thank you. -- vicki young, _ minister. vicki prime young, thank you. -- vicki young, thank- minister. vicki prime young, thank you. -- vicki young, thank you. i the pressures of the cost of living were made very evident today, with new figures showing that prices are going up at their fastest rate for 30 years, driven by a sharp rise in the cost of petrol and diesel. the inflation rate, which measures how much prices are increasing, rose to 7% in the year to march, up from 6.2% in february. but that figure doesn't take into account the much higher gas and electricity bills which millions of us are now paying. once that is factored in, inflation is likely to be even higher. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity reports. 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 exporters. 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, whether or not that's 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 that seems to be imported, like tomatoes, they've gone up £7 or £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 minute. vat going back to 20%. it's stacking up. i think a lot of people will struggle. businesses like this one are 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 is something we've noticed. heating, so we had our first updated bill this month. -

we've gone from paying £120 a month to £360 a month. i we're 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 ito—year high of 8.5%. the official russian inflation figure is 12.5%. in the uk, consumers can expect price rises 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. students and graduates in england are also facing high charges on their loans in the immediate future — with interest rates of up to 12%, according to the institute for fiscal studies. it says student loans will be subject to what it calls a "rollercoaster" of rates over the next couple of years, and that rates will dip next march after a cap kicks in. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreys is here. what's going on here? the interest on student loans _ what's going on here? the interest on student loans is _ what's going on here? the interest on student loans is linked - what's going on here? the interest on student loans is linked to - what's going on here? the interest on student loans is linked to the i on student loans is linked to the cost of living through a measure called the retail price index, which has gone up today. if you are at university, the interest is the rpi plus 3% and that's also the maximum a graduate can be charged. let's look at the next a graduate can be charged. let's look at the next couple a graduate can be charged. let's look at the next couple of a graduate can be charged. let's look at the next couple of years.

a graduate can be charged. let's look at the next couple of years. we are starting at 4.5% now, but that goes right up to an eye watering 12%. and it takes six months before the cap comes in and it drops to 7%, staying at that level for a couple of years. and then it drops in 2a down to 0% before going up again. the economists at the institute for fiscal studies say the government can and should try to even out this roller—coaster of rates. that's not because it's going to have a big effect on what you repay, these loans are over 30 years. the fear is that the headline figure could act as a deterrent to some people going to university. the government told us today they believe the system overall is fair because when you graduate what you repay is linked to how much you earn and so is the interest rate. and a new system coming in next yearfor new interest rate. and a new system coming in next year for new students starting in 2023 will take it down to just the rpi for everyone.

branwen jeffreys, to just the rpi for everyone. branwenjeffreys, thank you. more than 300 people are now known to have died in severe flooding in the province of kwazulu—natal in the east of south africa. forfour days, torrential rains have battered the eastern region, causing landslides and damaging infrastructure. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, has said the catastrophic floods show how urgent it is to tackle climate change. from durban, shingai nyoka reports. the aftermath of days of torrential rain, a month's worth of rain fell in a single day in some parts of kwazulu—natal. floods and mudslides destroyed key infrastructure. communities are in disbelief. some were lucky to escape with their lives, but the flood walkers took everything else. i’zfe lives, but the flood walkers took everything else-— lives, but the flood walkers took everything else. i've got nowhere to no now. everything else. i've got nowhere to 90 nova i've — everything else. i've got nowhere to 90 nova i've got _ everything else. i've got nowhere to go now. i've got no _ everything else. i've got nowhere to go now. i've got no house, - everything else. i've got nowhere to go now. i've got no house, i've - everything else. i've got nowhere to go now. i've got no house, i've got. go now. i've got no house, i've got no nothing. these are my family's now, my neighbours. we try to give

them a place to sleep last night. we never sleep last night. the situation is very, very bad. floods are fairly common _ situation is very, very bad. floods are fairly common here _ situation is very, very bad. floods are fairly common here but - situation is very, very bad. floods i are fairly common here but rescuers say these are some of the worst they've ever witnessed. they have already retrieved the bodies of three people from a single family and there is a desperate search for and there is a desperate search for a fourth, a ten—year—old child. more than 300 people have died and it is expected that number will rise. rescue teams are overwhelmed and still trying to locate those who are missing. still trying to locate those who are missinu. , ., , ., still trying to locate those who are missinu. , ., ., ,, still trying to locate those who are missinu. , ., ,, . missing. everything was a mess. we don't have food, _ missing. everything was a mess. we don't have food, clothes, _ missing. everything was a mess. we don't have food, clothes, even - missing. everything was a mess. we don't have food, clothes, even my i missing. everything was a mess. we| don't have food, clothes, even my id was damaged. we don't have food, clothes, even my id was damaged-—

today, south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, toured to the affected areas to comfort the grieving and displaced and to see for himself the areas destroyed, left without water or power. the president blamed climate change for the scale of the devastation. locals have said poor drainage is also to blame. the floods are subsiding and some communities recovering, but with more rain is forecast over the weekend, the province remains on high alert. shingai nyoka, bbc news. a deal has been reached between the government and dozens of developers for repairs to be carried out on medium and high—rise residential buildings in england, which have dangerous cladding. it's thought about half a million homeowners are living in unsafe properties, with flammable cladding and other fire safety defects. it comes nearly five years after the grenfell tower fire in london, in which 72 people died. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz has the latest.

shrouded in wrap, this building in manchester is on its way to being made fire—safe. work started before it was clear who would pay. now, the company which built it, belway, has said it will pick up the bill — one of more than 30 developers to sign a government pledge. for those living here, like the webbs, it's a big relief. though they say they can't quite believe it yet. once i get a letterfrom belway saying, "colin and ann, don't worry, we are going to cover everything," then i will be dancing around this room and jumping on the balcony. but i can't do that because we're not allowed out on the balcony. i think it's been going on for such a long time now that the relief has to be very cautious relief, really. the new agreement only covers buildings which are taller than 11 metres, and it's currently voluntary, although it will become legally enforceable. there are still eligible developers

who have not signed the pledge, and the government says that if they don't they could be banned from new construction. people living in buildings whose developers cannot be traced said they think it will take longer and be more complicated to sort things out. as you come through here, i you can see the scaffolding. you can't miss it. sally—ann dove lives in a building which is also having its unsafe cladding replaced. but the developer hasn't signed the new agreement and her costs are still mounting. it's not something for me to be over the moon- about because i'm still in limbo. i still have... i still technically owe - thousands, nearly £100,000. i get an invoice currently. for £13,500 every quarter, and that should be paid within 30 days. - can you afford it? no, i don't think anyone can afford that kind of money. l the scheme will include funds for work done on buildings whose developers cannot be traced. it will come from an industry—wide

levy charged on new residential buildings in england. where we find this unfair is the proposal that we should pay for everybody else's buildings. we built a minority of these buildings. 0verseas developers, commercial companies, other developers that have since gone bust, built the rest, and mr gove is proposing raising a further £3 billion over ten years notjust from the larger builders but also on every home that's built. the government says today's announcement is just the first phase involving the uk's largest house builders and it will continue to pursue all those responsible. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. the man who murdered the conservative mp sir david amess because he'd voted for airstrikes on syria has been told he'll spend the rest of his life in prison. sir david was stabbed to death during a constituency surgery in essex last october. the judge said 26—year—old ali harbi ali's crime

"struck at the heart of democracy". the scottish liberal democrats have launched their manifesto for next month's council elections, with a pledge to channel extra powers to local authorities. leader alex cole—hamilton said too many policies were set by central government ministers who were "far from the consequences of their decisions". the party wants to give councillors more control over funding, transport, planning, energy and housing. football, and manchester city and liverpool are through to the semifinals of the champions league. liverpool drew 3—3 with benfica at anfield but went through on aggregate, as did city, who saw out a tense and combative goalless draw against atletico in madrid, from where 0lly foster sent this report. for all manchester city's triumphs and trophies, there is one thing they can't sing about yet — being european champions. we are confident, aren't we? we are

confident we will get to the final. if there is any year, i think this could _ if there is any year, i think this could be — if there is any year, i think this could be the one. city have come here with a one goal advantage from the first leg but it could be another very cagey night against atletico madrid. the spanish champions stifled city's creative stones should have done better with an early header. phil foden had had trouble. . , ., , ., ., trouble. has gone straight through him. he trouble. has gone straight through him- he played — trouble. has gone straight through him. he played on _ trouble. has gone straight through him. he played on despite - trouble. has gone straight through him. he played on despite a - him. he played on despite a ciattering — him. he played on despite a clattering challenge - him. he played on despite a clattering challenge from i him. he played on despite a - clattering challenge from felipe to stop a desperate scramble in the box so gundogan hit the post. pep guardiola adopted this position for much of the second half. he knew atletico would push for a goal. how close was that from antoine griezmann?— close was that from antoine l griezmann?_ as close was that from antoine - griezmann?_ as the close was that from antoine _ griezmann?_ as the home griezmann? mighty close. as the home side became increasingly _ griezmann? mighty close. as the home side became increasingly desperate, i side became increasingly desperate, felipe crunched into phil foden again and was sent off. and that helped city �*s course was not a madrid melee and nine minutes of

extra time later, relief. city had scraped into the semifinals. they will return to this city to real madrid. for liverpool, it was a more straightforward passage into the semifinals. konate opened the scoring against benfica last week and there were few players to keep this place and was on target again. visitors to anfield, though, tend to raise their game. ramos raised portuguese hopes. roberto firmino's second—half brace was enough to see them through. 0lly foster, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello, welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow.

with me are aubrey allegretti, political correspondent for the guardian, and kate maltby, columnist for the i. good evening to you both. the metro leads with the resignation ofjustice minister lord wolfson over the partygate affair, and his scathing criticism of the prime minister's conduct. the guardian says borisjohnson is potentially facing three more fines for breaking covid lockdown rules. the financial times says finland is to decide within weeks whether to apply to join nato, and they could be joined by neighbours sweden. it's a reaction to russia's invasion of ukraine. priti patel is set to announce that uk will send asylum seekers to rwanda while their asylum claims are investigated by the home office. that's according to the daily telegraph. the independent�*s website

also carries that story,