this is bbc news, i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. russia says the flagship of its black sea fleet has sunk after an explosion, ukraine claims it hit the moskva with missiles. our exclusive visit to volodymyr zelensky�*s war bunker. ukraine's president tells the bbc continuing russian attacks are narrowing the chance for a peace deal. bucha is in this process, closing these possibilities — bucha, borodyanka, mariupol. so, i don't have — you know, it's not about me, it's more about russia. guilty over the beheading

of six hostages in syria. a british man whojoined the islamic state group's convicted in the us, ending relatives' long wait forjustice. i've not slept since my dad was killed in 2014 so hopefully tonight i will get a good night of sleep. and bye—bye barcelona — a stoppage—time shocker sees frankfurt finish off the favourites in the europa league quarterfinals. russia's defence ministry says the flagship of its black sea fleet, the cruiser moskva, has sunk a day after ukraine said it had been hit by missiles. russia has not confirmed ukraine's claim. the ship went down as it was being towed back to port

in stormy weather. it's been described as a big blow to the russian fleet, as the bbc�*s tim allman reports. the scourge of the black sea now buried at the bottom of it. the moskva — or �*moscow�* in english — was a symbol of russia's military might and crucial to its operations in ukraine. what caused its demise remains disputed. ukraine says it hit the moskva with neptune cruise missiles launched from the coast. russia would only admit there had been a fire on board after ammunition exploded. the 12,500—tonne ship was operating in an undisclosed location in the black sea when the incident occurred. it was being towed back to the port of sevastopol in bad weather when the moskva sunk. so this is a real moment of truth for russia, frankly, you know, early on. eventually, the truth typically does come out, but there is usually some kind

of narrative around it and this seems a bit more forthright than we have seen in many of the weeks preceding. the satellite images show the moskva in port earlier this month. the warship had played a key role in russia's military campaign in syria and was leading the naval assault on ukraine. all this made it an important symbolic and military target. it is perhaps ironic that on the day it sank, the ukrainian postal service issued these stamps, marking a famous moment of the start of the war when border guards defied a russian ship on an island in the black sea. that ship is believed to be the moskva. translation: an important event happened. _ 0ur armed forces destroyed the aggressor�*s flagship. i think this event has to have a place in everyone's memory. the truth of what really happened to the moskva will perhaps never be known, but it will play no further part in this war, or any war.

the impact of its loss on russia's military plans is also unclear, but this is the biggest warship to be sunk by enemy action since the second world war. tim allman, bbc news. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says european countries that continue to buy oilfrom russia are aiding the country's war against them, and they will have blood on their hands. he's urged western leaders to speed up the delivery of military aid to help ukraine. he's been talking to the bbc�*s clive myrie who sat down with president zelensky in his wartime bunker. mr president, clive myrie. a pleasure to meet you. it's good to see you. for the entirety of the war, volodymyr zelensky has called this heavily fortified building home in the centre of kyiv. how difficult has it been for you to be here through all this,

without your family? it's myjob. i have to do it and it's difficult without a family be anywhere. his wife and children are safe at an undisclosed location. his companions here — heavily armed troops, sandbags and mines. there was no light at all? you kept everything...? at the start of the war, they walked around in the darkness here, afraid of russian shelling. it's, like, — like our country, like our country is going through the dark... going through the darkness. ..to do the victory — i hope so. as we enter what is labelled the situation room, the president gets a text. emmanuel. macron. oh, it's emmanuel macron? yeah, he phoned me. yes, we have connections. 0k. yes, that's it. so, he's dropped you a message. oh, i can see it! laughter. i don't know! yes, but he just — "just tried to reach you, my friend.

"when you have some time." when you have some time? so, we are holding up mrmacron? yeah. i can see the plus 33 — that's paris. yes. that is true. a few minutes later, he returns. his preoccupation — a renewed military onslaught about to begin in the east. are you getting the right weapons you need from the west? translation: we need weapons today, so we can fight. _ we cannot wait until some country decides to give or sell us weapons. some have still not decided on this, and we cannot wait two or three weeks or a month. the united states, the united kingdom and some european countries are helping, but we need it sooner — we need it now. is it enough? we don't think so. in english: the priority word is 'sooner', the priority word i is 'quickly�* and the

priority word — 'now�*. he's a president who's been cut off from his people, a citizenry suffering unimaginable horrors at the hands of a ruthless adversary. he's full of hate, he says, for russia's troops and their leaders, gradually limiting the scope for peace talks. how do you sit across the table to try to stop the war? how do you do that? bucha is in this process, closing these possibilities — bucha, borodyanka, mariupol. so, i don't have — you know, it's not about me, it's more about russia. they will not have so many chances in the long period to speak with us. and what of those european countries, despite other sanctions, still sending

billions to russia in oil and gas revenues? translation: we don't - understand how you can make money out of blood. unfortunately, some european countries have done this. before the war began, i spoke to chancellor merkel and said, "if a full—scale invasion of ukraine happens, "they will go further into poland and, after that, "they will be on your borders of germany. "if that happened, would you say to young people, "it's fine. "it's business. "it's just business?" how do you maintain hope in the future, given everything that's happened? translation: it's not hope, it's certainty. i that you will win. in english: yes, of course. mr president, thank you. thank you so much. i'm joined now by dr matthew sussex a senior fellow at the centre for defence research at the australian

defence college. thank you so much forjoining me. president zelensky their calling for more weapons, he said priority words, sooner, quickly, now stop we understand what is entering a new stage, what is entering a new stage, what exactly is calling for an what exactly is calling for an what has changed?- what exactly is calling for an what has changed? what he badly needs is some _ what has changed? what he badly needs is some of _ what has changed? what he badly needs is some of what _ what has changed? what he badly needs is some of what he - what has changed? what he badly needs is some of what he has - needs is some of what he has already received, anti—tank missiles and surface to air missiles, more than that, i think he now needs weapons that will allow ukrainian forces to to some extent go on the counteroffensive, things like tanks, fighter planes and so forth, that would allow potentially him to plot a big push by russian forces from out of the east of ukraine and donbas. �* ,

of the east of ukraine and denim-— donbas. let's turn our attention _ donbas. let's turn our attention if _ donbas. let's turn our attention if we - donbas. let's turn our attention if we may i donbas. let's turn our - attention if we may briefly to this ship, the moskva, basically a big floating anti—aircraft platform. the sinking of that, the significance of that, will it change the direction of the war? ., ., ~ change the direction of the war? ., ., 4' ., �* “ war? look, i don't think it changes— war? look, i don't think it changes the _ war? look, i don't think it changes the direction - war? look, i don't think it changes the direction of i war? look, i don't think it i changes the direction of the war, but it does have some importance, tactical effects for ukraine, allows the ukrainian air force to operate a little bit more safely, especially around crimea, more than that, though, there is something that putin has to decide now, does he escalate or does he retaliate for the loss of this very large ship and finally, of course, it has indications again for russia in terms of the reputation of their armed forces, notjust their armed forces, notjust the quality of the material but the quality of the material but the attack next that allowed the attack next that allowed the moskva to go so close to claw within range of ukrainian missiles. ~ .,

claw within range of ukrainian missiles. ~ . ., claw within range of ukrainian missiles. ~ ., ., ., ., missiles. what we heard on that interview with _ missiles. what we heard on that interview with vladimir - interview with vladimir zelensky, there are preparations under way by push in the east of the country, it does seem as though both sides are bolstering their forces. what should we expect in terms of an uptick in violence, where and when do you think?- of an uptick in violence, where and when do you think? well, i think relatively _ and when do you think? well, i think relatively soon, _ and when do you think? well, i think relatively soon, and - and when do you think? well, i think relatively soon, and the l think relatively soon, and the next few days. boast sides are locked in a race to be able to reorient, restock and redeploy to the east because russians have abandoned the strategy they went for on multiple fronts and they will now do a more traditional great big offensive from the eastern donbas to try to capture as territory as possible and from ukrainian side, if they could reorient to the east as well and do so quickly, potentially they can break up those attacks by russian armed forces, but, regardless, this is going to be another more violent war of

attrition in this conflict. thank you very much for your time. there's lots more on this story on our website, including extensive reporting on that interview with president zelensky talking to my colleague clive myrie. do head over to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. let's get some of the day's other news: more than 340 people are now known to have died in the south african province of kwazulu—natal in the worst flooding in decades. electricity and water have been restored to some areas, but relief teams are stretched to capacity. president cyril ramaphosa has blamed climate change for the disaster. lorry drivers in argentina have agreed to call off a strike that had disrupted grain exports for four days. the drivers had been demanding higherfees to cover an increase in fuel costs. argentine agricultural businesses have now agreed to a 20% hike

in transport rates. a former british national who joined the islamic state group in syria, has been found guilty in the united states of hostage taking and conspiracy related to the murders of four americans in syria. el shafee elsheikh was part of an is militant cell dubbed the beatles by hostages because of their british accents. a warning — you may find some of this report by nomia iqbal distressing. nearly a decade later, el shafee elsheikh will finally pay for his crimes. he has been found guilty of being a member of the gang who kidnapped and beheaded hostages in syria. the victims were american journalists james foley, steven sotloff, and aid workers peter kassig and kayla mueller. he also conspired in the deaths of british aid workers david haines and alan henning. none of their bodies

have ever been found. they were killed in an act of barbarism that shocked the world, and now, theirfamilies have finally got justice. it was a lot more emotional. i expected to be happy, excited but, you know, it's the realisation that, you know, he's guilty, and what he's done to all the families, all the hostages. i've not slept a full night's sleep, probably, since my dad was killed in 2014. so, hopefully, tonight, i'll get a full night's sleep. he was given the best, in terms of mercy and justice, as opposed to what our citizens and the british citizens went through. all of them have been in court every day, reliving the nightmare. kayla mueller�*s mother wept on the stand, as she read out ransom e—mails sent by elsheikh, saying the gang wanted millions for her daughter to be freed. former hostages who were released after the ransom was paid described

elsheikh and his accomplices as "sadists", who electrocuted, water—boarded and starved them. one said he tried to kill himself to escape. the defence tried to make out this was a case of mistaken identity, relying on the fact he always wore a full mask around hostages. when the verdicts came through, elsheikh showed very little reaction. the families quietly wept, held each other�*s hands, and there was an audible sigh of relief. it's taken them nearly ten years to getjustice. for more on the significance of this verdict we spoke to tracy walder, a former cia counter—terrorism operative. i view this as a huge, fundamental shift, really, away from labelling terrorists as enemy combatants and holding them at guantanamo bay and such

to really train them in the american criminaljustice system. this is the first time really that we have seen it and seen this done efficiently, send this done successfully and seen this done rather seamlessly. i worked at the cia and the counterterrorism centre before, during and after 9/11 which was obviously a precarious time and i think what we fail to probably see at the time was the long—term effects of labelling these folks as enemy combatants. i think we didn't necessarily see, you know, decades down the line, what would happen and how difficult it would be to ultimately give them a criminal trial. right now we are trying to work around that with things like plea deals but i'm not sure that any of those being held at guantanamo bay at this point will ultimately receive criminal trial. point will ultimately receive criminaltrial. i point will ultimately receive criminal trial. i was inoperative at the cia but have also been a special agent at the fbi and i've seen that lack

of cooperation first hand, but i do think that given some of those communication information failures of the 9/11 commission, really cited both agencies four, there have been changes made. i think we have always enjoyed a very, very good relationship with the united kingdom. ithink good relationship with the united kingdom. i think what is interesting here, though, is that it has been difficult sometimes, working with mostly western and european countries to get some of these folks who have committed crimes against americans criminally tried care. there have been clashes at the lx mosque, police say they entered the compound to disperse a crowd throwing rocks towards the prayer site nearby. plans to send some asylum

seekers who arrive in the uk to live in rwanda have been described as "absolutely chilling" by charities and politicians. britain's home secretary priti patel, who travelled to rwandan capital kigali to sign the deal, said the "vast majority" of those arriving in the uk illegally would be considered for relocation to rwanda. the government says the system would reduce people—smuggling and discourage people from trying to reach britain in small boats. but the united nations�* refugee agency said people fleeing conflict and persecution deserved compassion and empathy, and should not be traded like commodities. the democratic republic of congo is facing a hidden crisis. according to the un, the central african country has one of the largest displaced populations in the world. the bbc�*sjoice etutu has been given access to one camp in the eastern part of the country, which, despite violent attacks by armed groups, has become a refuge for thousands of homeless people. a warning that some may find parts of her report distressing.

0na on a remote hilltop and the eastern democratic republic of the congo, thousands of makeshift shelters stand huddled together. this precarious settlement is home to nearly 50,000 people, gathered there for safety after violent attacks by armed groups forced them out of their homes. living in this camp is a 14—year—old boy. translation: we were in the site when the war started again. hours playing with my friends and they didn't know where my parents had fled. we had taken the road with my friend but he was killed on the way. continued to run alone. he is one of millions _ continued to run alone. he is one of millions of _ continued to run alone. he is one of millions of children i one of millions of children caught in the middle of this decades long conflict in the eastern part of the drc. hundreds of armed groups operate in the area including those with ties to the islamic state. nearly one year of martial law has done little to

ease the unrest in the region which is field—based political —— field by political instability as well as the battle for the congo's vast mineral wealth. battle for the congo's vast mineralwealth. i met battle for the congo's vast mineral wealth. i met with the new head of unicef after her recent visit to the area. we are dealing _ recent visit to the area. we are dealing with _ recent visit to the area. - are dealing with the consequences of violence constantly and for children, thatis constantly and for children, that is a constant problem. 0ver that is a constant problem. over the comes at a time of escalating violence. in recent weeks dozens of brutal attacks have forced a new wave of people to flee from their homes and killed civilians, congolese soldiers and un peacekeepers. despite the growing risks unicef plans to continue operating in the area. unicef has worked — operating in the area. unicef has worked for _ operating in the area. unicef has worked for years - operating in the area. unicef has worked for years and i operating in the area. unicef. has worked for years and years in very complicated places and we would always do our best to do that and they hope that we can always do it here. he arrived — can always do it here. he arrived at _ can always do it here. he arrived at the _ can always do it here. he arrived at the camp alone after the attack and was taken in by

another displaced family. weeks later, he was reunited with his parents. now, in the midst of all the chaos, he find some time to live out his childhood, playing ball and cards with his friends and dreaming of one day becoming a doctor. though the un peacekeeping sites nearby offers a level of protection, the killers creating this chaos remain, ready to attack at any time. researchers have warned that the cactus family of plants is facing a severe threat from climate change, despite the ability of many species to endure heat and drought. a study of more than 400 cactus species concluded that 60% the authors note that, despite their reputation for being hardy survivors, many cacti depend on very specific environmental conditions, which are likely to change as the world heats up.

time for a look at all the sport now. hello i'm chetan pathak with your sports news. we start with the big upset in the europa league, barcelona are out after being beaten in the quarter finals by eitracht frankfurt on a stunning night at the camp nou. it was one all from the first leg. the german side took the lead from the penalty sport thanks to filip kostic rafael borre then scored a superb goal to make it 2—0 before half time. kostic scored his second to make it three before barcelona tried to mount a fightback as boos rang out around the stadium. they scored twice in stoppage time, but it was too little too late. 0ut they go 4—3 on aggregate. frankfurt will play west ham united in the semi final, after the english premier league side knocked out lyon to reach their first european semi final in 46 years. jarrod bowen scored the third shortly after half time as the league one team were swept aside. west ham winning 4—1

on aggregate. a game away from the final, their spanish midfielder pablo fornals says anything is now possible: if we are all together, i think we have big chances to play against every team, we showed everyone what we are doing in premier league for these two seasons so i think right now, everything is 50—50. the scottish champions rangers overturned a 1—0 first leg deficit to reach the semi finals of the europa league with a 3—1win over sporting braga. the portuguese side were down to ten men when david carmo's header made it 2—2 on aggregate, forcing extra time at ibrox, but rangers were dominant and kemar roofe ultimately got the winner as braga finished with nine men. rangers will now play rb leipzig who knocked out atalanta 3—1 on aggregate. the semi final line up for

the europa conference league has also been decided. leicester city were 2—1winners at psv eindhoven sending them into theirfirst ever european semi final, but they did it the hard way in eindhoven psv looked to be heading through when eran zahavi gave them the lead. but leicesterfought back, james maddison with the equaliser on 77 minutes before ricardo perreira scored the winner two minutes from time. jose mourinho's roma await next. the other semi final will be played between marseille and feyenoord. in tennis, the defending champion stefanos tsitsipas has moved into the quarter finals of the monte carlo masters with a straight sets win over serbia's laslo djere. tsitsipas broke only once in a match where break points were in short supply but he took his chance when it mattered most at the end of the first set and in the second set tie—break to seal victory. tsitsipas, seeded third, will play diego schwartzman in the last eight. second seed alexander

zverev hit eight aces and 26 winners to beat pablo carreno busta in straight sets 6—2, 7—5. he'll take onjannik sinner in the quarters. and finally, like father like son, have a look at this from cristiano ronaldo junior. this is the manchester united star's son playing for their under 12 team in a tournament in spain, and after scoring united's fifth goal, junior wheeled away to enjoy the moment before he, of course, delivered his dad's trademark celebration! one to watch. there's more reaction to thursday's european football on the bbc sport website, but from all of us here — that is all your sport for now. and a bit of news that's come from germany, where the berlin zoo celebrated the birthday of a rather historic gorilla. her name is fatou and yesterday, she turned a stunning 65 years old. the average lifespan for most western lowland gorillas is roughly 35 to 40 years. so, the zoo presented

fatou with a cake made of rice and fruit. hello there. the weather this easter�*s looking pretty decent across much of the country. could see a little bit of rain pushing into the far north and west of the uk as we head through easter sunday into easter monday. but i think for many, it will stay fine, dry and pretty warm. temperatures into the low 20s celsius across the warmest part of the south and east of england. we'll have these weather fronts across more western areas, but this high pressure will continue to exert its force and keep them out at bay. so, for good friday, many places will start dry with some sunshine through central and eastern areas. a bit of coastal

mist and fog around. further west, closer to those weather fronts, we'll have more cloud — northern ireland, south west scotland, along irish sea coasts down into south west england, the odd shower around here. the odd shower could develop elsewhere as temperatures reach the low 20s across the southeast. most places, though, will be dry, and for many, it's going to be mild with light winds. as we head through friday night, most places will be dry. any showers will die away. we'll see some low cloud, mist and fog returning, particularly across more southern and western areas. for many, it's going to be a mild night, but under clearer skies across the east, could be fairly chilly. so, for saturday, another dry day, plenty of sunshine from the word go across the south—east. after that cool start, temperatures will rise. again, there is a very slim chance of a shower developing here and there. most places will be dry with sunny spells. bit more cloud across the very far west. temperatures, again, mid—to—high teens, low 20s in the warmest spots. now, this is where we start to see a little bit of difference, a little change to the weather through easter sunday into monday.

we could start to see our area of high pressure break down. that'll allow low pressure to push in from the west, but pushing weather fronts from west to east. but because these weather fronts will try to bump into this area of high pressure, they will be fizzling as they try to track their way eastwards. i think easter sunday, the very far west of the country looks like it will see some cloud and rain. elsewhere, most of the country will be dry again with plenty of sunshine, and it'll be quite warm with temperatures reaching 20 or 21 degrees. as we move into easter monday, that front clears eastern areas — barely anything on it. slightly fresher day to come for many, with low pressure to the north of the uk. could be quite windy across northern scotland, one or two showers here. but elsewhere, i think it looks largely fine, dry and settled, with temperatures a little bit lower.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. will he or won't he? elon musk expresses doubts over getting his twitter deal across the line. emirates airline defends its decision to operate in russia. an exclusive interview with the airlines' president coming up. and: get ready for the gaming event of the year as 40,000 fans gather in birmingham for the insomnia festival.

elon musk has launched a hostile bid to take