this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm joanna gosling. our top stories... ukraine says at least seven people have been killed in missile strikes in the western city of lviv, which had largely escaped attack until now. i actually saw a couple of the missiles myself streaking across the sky and then hitting buildings on the city's roofline, and then we saw the black plumes of smoke rising up. the chinese city of shanghai reports its first official covid deaths for two years, as a strict lockdown continues. scotland becomes the last place in the uk to remove the legal requirement for people to wear face—masks in indoor public spaces. south africa has sent in thousands of troops to help

rescue efforts in kwazulu—natal, where floods and mudslides have killed more than 400 people. russia has stepped up its air assault on targets in ukraine, including a missile attack on the western city of lviv, normally regarded as a relatively safe haven. the latest reports say seven people have been killed, including a child, in a city which, until now, has largely escaped unscathed since the russian invasion. smoke was seen rising from the outskirts and residents spoke of hearing five explosions. footage later emerged of the impact on residential areas. multiple cities and towns across ukraine targeted by russian airstrikes and shelling. russia says it hit

more than 300 targets. five people have reportedly been killed and 13 injured in shelling of the city of kharkiv. while in mykolaiv, near the port of 0desa, the governor reports continuous rocket attacks. of the shattered city of mariupol, ukraine's foreign minister has said, "the situation is dire militarily and heartbreaking. it doesn't exist anymore. the remainder of the ukrainian army and large group of civilians continue their struggle, but it seems the russian army decided to raze the city to the ground at any cost." and this morning, the government of ukraine's eastern luhansk region, has said that four civilians in a car trying to escape the town of kreminna have been shot dead by russian forces. officials in lviv say three military facilities and a garage were attacked this morning. 0ur correspondent danjohnson is at the garage that was hit and gave us this update. this is the scene of one of those attacks, the car service centre, a place that fits tyres to cars. it was hit early this morning

about half past eight local time. we have heard from local residents that they heard two explosions, they think two missiles hit the garage but the word from local authorities is that this is no sort of military target and we know that four people lost their lives here. i don't know if you can make out the crater where the missile actually hit and you can see the level of damage it caused. there are teams trying to clear up the aftermath of the attack. when we arrived, the fire service was still here, putting out quite an intense blaze in that building and we know at least four people died. i spoke to the mother of one of them, a 26—year—old called yuri, who said he was about to have his birthday, about to get married this summer, and lost his life this morning just having a cup of coffee in the office before he started work mending people's cars and replacing car tyres. what has happened here in lviv this morning,

this and the three other missile strikes on the city, are a stark reminder of the threat people face, even so far west, relatively close to the polish border. this is the moment the conflict came closer to lviv. missile strikes out of the clear skies of a bright morning, hitting targets right in the city. i saw and heard some of the missiles myself, and i counted five explosions, five plumes of smoke. this is where one of the missiles hit. local officials say it's a car garage, a tyre fitting workshop where four people died. valia is 70. she lives just across the road. translation: our windows were shattered. _ everyone was frightened. we didn't know what to do. we started praying. we didn't know whether to stay or whether to flee. we went out, all of us. we didn't know what to expect.

translation: it was a big boom and the house was shaken. - i thought we were falling. there was a first strike and then a big boom in the second one was weaker. almost immediately, one after another. i didn't see fire nearby, it wasjust later that i learned this site was hit. translation: i was sleeping and as soon as i heard - the explosion, i went down to the shelter. _ then i heard more explosions, four or five in a row. _ when everything was over, i could see the smoke. - the emergency response is still under way here. firefighters trying to put out a blaze. they say this was a garage fitting tyres to people's cars. what happened in lviv this morning has really underlined the nature of the threat to the city, even hundreds of miles away from the fighting in the east. we are told that the missiles were fired from aircraft a long way away, and that four targets were hit. local officials say there were three strikes on military warehouses in addition to the garage. in total, seven people have died

in lviv this morning and at least ii have been injured. translation: what we see today in ukraine is genocide, _ which is purposefully committed by the aggressor who kills civilians. seven civilians had plans for life. today, their lives have ended. emergency teams are still at work and they are prepared for more grim discoveries. if anyone needed it, this was an early morning reminder that this country, all of it, is still at war and still under threat. i actually witnessed those missile strikes myself from a rooftop in lviv this morning and you heard a sound a bit like a jet coming overhead and i saw a couple of the missiles and counted five explosions although local authorities are saying that four targets were hit, there were definitely five thick black plumes of smoke rising into the clear blue skies across lviv this morning. it is overcast now and starting

to snow but everyone has had a really harsh reminder of what the threats are. i have spoken to people over the weekend who had come into the country from poland, having been safe in other countries for the last few weeks during this invasion, they had come here this weekend, some as tourists effectively to their own country, taking a few days and a break to be reunited and to see the dads that families have missed over the weeks this war has gone on. people thought this was the safest part of the country, where they could do that. i spoke to others who had moved further east and said they would stay there despite the warnings they should not be going home but now everybody knows that wherever they are in ukraine, the threat of russian air strikes is ever present and could hit anywhere. danjohnson dan johnson reporting. with more than 5 million refugees fleeing ukraine and 7 million being internally displaced from their homes, the war in ukraine has created one of the fastest growing humanitarian crises ever. earlier, i spoke to

karolina lindholm billing, head of the unhcr in ukraine about the un refugee agency's response. the latest estimate we have is that 7.1 million are displaced internally. and around 4.5 million abroad as refugees. but these numbers are really growing by the minute, especially within ukraine and our colleagues who are working out of the dnipro, for example, see thousands of people arriving there every day now from the areas that are really under intensive fighting and the offensive in the east. and tell us more about the work you are doing and where you are actually operating in ukraine. how widespread is your operation? we have now presence from the far east, in donetsk and luhansk come to the west, in lviv. and then also in kyiv, where i am speaking from right now. and one of our priorities during this period is to try and get

relief items to those areas that are now subject to this military offensive. for example, we have been providing items to the state emergency service in six locations in the donetsk region, including places like kramatorsk and sloviansk. so they have these items available to reach people who are now sitting in bomb shelters and trying to shelter from the offensive. we are also present in areas like dnipro and poltava, where displaced people are transiting through or arriving, to try and stop and find shelter and relief items as they figure out where to go next. so what is in those relief packages, and how easy is it to get them to the people that need them? so, it includes items like tarpaulin that people use to kind of seal broken windows and doors from the elements. it is blankets, mattresses, and hygiene items.

and it is challenging to get them to those areas that are really targeted by the offensive but that is why we work closely with the local authorities and actors like state emergency service or partners on the ground who are still as unfair. in the areas where the displaced people are arriving, there it is easier to reach people. there we work with local authorities to see with them what capacity is needed to expand reception place, for example. because all these thousands of people arriving need somewhere to sleep for the first night, the second night, and some who are staying longer, need for weeks if not months. so another key area of our work is really to support those in central and local authorities on expanding this reception and housing capacity for the millions of people who now need a home.

karolina lindholm billing of the unhcr in ukraine. the authorities in the chinese city of shanghai have reported the first covid deaths since 2020. official figures show three people died on sunday. according to beijing, they all had underlying health conditions. lockdowns remain in place across parts of the city, four weeks after they were first introduced. and some residents are understood to have been taken to quarantine facilities, with reports of food shortages in some parts of the city. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonnell has been analyzing the authorities' approach from beijing. after more than 400,000 infections in shanghai in this outbreak, these are the first three people to have been officially listed to have died from covid. now, of course the question of death and what causes it is a very complicated one. 0fficials, health officials in shanghai have said that these three people, a 91—year—old man, a 91—year—old woman and an 89—year—old woman, all had underlying health problems, plus all three of them had not been vaccinated.

and when it comes to vaccinations, new figures released would appear to show that china really has dropped the ball when it comes to booster shots. so when we consider the number of, say, people over the age of 60 in shanghai who have had two shots, well, that is over 60%. it could be higher, but not too bad. those over 60 who have had the booster shot, it is only 38%, it is too low if you want to be really easing off restrictions in those cities. some have asked why the government does not switch focus from this mass testing and centralised mass isolation towards a big push on getting those boosters done but the government is not showing that it is going to change tack. in fact, we had an article on the front page of

the communist party's school newspaper today with an official saying that this idea of living with covid should be rejected, calling for more of these mass isolation centres to be built so it looks like that is the way, at least for the moment, that the chinese government is going to keep going. i think we can expect to see more mass lockdowns and it really is a big challenge for the chinese economy to stay afloat. people in scotland no longer need to wearfacemasks in indoor public places from today. it's the final part of the uk to remove the legal requirement, which has been replaced by public health advice. the scottish government has advised people to continue wearing face coverings while covid case numbers remain high. can take you lived to the white house where the annual egg hunt is about to get under way and that there is the president and first speaking so we can have a listen. it only happens in a classroom. there

are so many fun opportunities to learn around us every day. and that is especially true here at the white house. for generations, presidents and first ladies and kids just like you celebrated the easter egg roll together. racing and making crafts, reading books and of course meeting the easter bunny! education never stops. the determined spirit of education is what we wanted to honour in this easter egg roll. so we turned the south lawn into a school community. today we hope you learn by going to the reading nook, roll some eggs and most of all, have fun. welcome to your house, the people's house. happy easter. now

please welcome my husband, our president, joe biden. please welcome my husband, our president, joe biden.— please welcome my husband, our president, joe biden. cheering and applause myjob is to keep it from raining! for another— myjob is to keep it from raining! for another two minutes! jill and i are excited — for another two minutes! jill and i are excited to have you at the white house _ are excited to have you at the white house we — are excited to have you at the white house. we were not able to host this easter— house. we were not able to host this easter egg _ house. we were not able to host this easter egg roll last year because of the pandemic. this year we are finally— the pandemic. this year we are finally getting together again. it is so _ finally getting together again. it is so special. it means so much to see and _ is so special. it means so much to see and hear— is so special. it means so much to see and hear the children and all the family— see and hear the children and all the family is showing up to be here today _ the family is showing up to be here today the — the family is showing up to be here today. the joy and laughter and come the occasional, at least with my grandson, — the occasional, at least with my grandson, the easter bunny, a little startled _ grandson, the easter bunny, a little startled sometimes! but the joy and laughter— startled sometimes! but the joy and laughter is something that has been a wonderful tradition here at the

white _ a wonderful tradition here at the white house for a long time. i especially want to thank the white house _ especially want to thank the white house historical association, the nationai— house historical association, the national park service, and americans for all— national park service, and americans for at! the _ national park service, and americans for all the hard work to make this day possible, let's give them a round — day possible, let's give them a round of— day possible, let's give them a round of applause. all of you, have fun today _ round of applause. all of you, have fun today and welcome to the white house, _ fun today and welcome to the white house, welcome to your house welcome to the _ house, welcome to your house welcome to the south— house, welcome to your house welcome to the south lawn. thank you and happy, _ to the south lawn. thank you and happy, happy easter. to the south lawn. thank you and happy. happy easter-— they have donated 90,000 eggs from 40,000 to be eaten and 50,000 hard—boiled and rolled across the lawn. and an interesting point of history about this if you don't know it, it was actually started by president rutherford b hayes in 1878

because egg rolling had become popular in the us on the capitol grounds because —— but it was banned because it was making a mess so a previous president banned it and when president hayes came along, he said that children would be allowed to roll their eggs on the white house south lawn if they went so there is now a lottery every year to allow thousands of children to be able to go and roll their eggs. search operations are continuing for 63 people still missing following the devastating floods that swept through south africa's kwazulu—natal province last week. more than 440 people have died, including two emergency workers. officials have described the floods as some of the worst to ever hit the province. 10,000 soldiers have been deployed to help. 0ur correspondent vumani mkhize has this report. at the kwa—santi township south of durban, this community is still trying to come to terms with the flash floods that

devastated this area. this search and rescue team is on a recovery operation. they are looking for a woman swept away by the flash floods at night while she was asleep. behind me, this is where the water was cascading down this hill. and unfortunately, a man and woman were swept away by the raging waters. the man was found alive. unfortunately, the woman is still missing and we have got community members here, searching with their bare hands, looking for her. further downstream, we have got search and rescue operations with dogs also looking for the woman. 0n the night of the floods, some even risked their lives to save others. translation: | found | a man trapped by a tree, so i managed to pull him out of the water. i put him inside the house. i heard more people crying and ran to help another woman. she is still in hospital, but alive. the other man died.

all over the kwazulu—natal province, stories of flash floods and local heroes who did their best to save lives are emerging. the death toll has risen to nearly 450. 63 people are still missing. local authorities are rallying the public to rebuild. this is the moment of great adversity, but this is also a moment where we need to summon our collective courage and turn this devastation into an opportunity to rebuild our province. it is a moment for the human spirit to triumph over adversity. more search and rescue teams from around the country have been dispatched to kwazulu—natal as recovery operations continue. vumani mkhize, bbc news, durban. a decade of war has ruined syria's economy and it's now emerging as a narco—state with illegal drugs as one of its biggest exports.

the stimulant captagon — a class a drug in the uk — is widely used across the arab world. in recent weeks, thejordanian army has seized large hauls of drugs and killed more than 30 smugglers in operations along its border. 0ur middle east correspondent yolande knell has been to this frontline of the regional war on drugs. three shadowy figures cross the border fence. jordanian soldiers open fire. another skirmish in an increasingly deadly fight against drug smugglers. they want to show me what they are up against. it is a great view from here. you can see, everything beyond the fence, that is syria. and this is a new front line in the war on drugs. ruined by a decade of war, neighbouring syria is turning into a narco—state. after losing a jordanian soldier, the military has adopted a shoot to kill policy.

and how much more dangerous is it now along this border? translation: the degree | of danger has grown recently with the increase in drug smuggling. there are highly organised and coordinated operations. they are determined to get the drugs intojordan by force, using weapons. since the start of this year, the army has killed more than 30 smugglers, and seized over 17 million pills of captagon. that is more than in the whole of last year. this illegal amphetamine is now one of syria's main exports. this hospital is treating more and more people from across the region for captagon addiction. none of the patients here wants to talk, but the clinical director tells me he sees serious cases. the consequences of taking this drug is, like, violence and psychosis. it is very addictive as well

and people start with one tablet and then increase by two or three, and then shift into a more serious drug like crystal meth. jordan is up against powerful drugs cartels. the long conflict next door now brings a new misery. yolande knell, bbc news, amman. the governor of mykolaiv in southern ukraine has told the bbc that there have been continuous rocket attacks in the region since sunday morning, cutting electricity supplies to some parts. the intense shelling in the city since the beginning of the invasion has forced many residents to flee and its water supplies have been cut for four days. many elderly people are left to fend for themselves since they can't or won't leave. the bbc�*s catherine byaruhanga went to the neighbourhood of kulbachino to visit those left behind. what's left of homes and lives.

living rooms, kitchens — all destroyed. the people here were lucky to have survived after a shell hit their apartment block in the early hours of the morning in march. 72—year—old tatiana michailova was there asleep. translation: it was so scary being there. | so scary. tatiana is here alone. her husband and daughter died before the war. she says despite the constant shelling, she can't leave. translation: the bomb shelter is far away, - and i have no ability to go there. my health doesn't let me go anywhere. and where would i go? we will be sitting and waiting for peace. peace is the most important thing nowadays. those who can have fled this neighborhood in mykolaiv

in southern ukraine. but for those who've had to stay, their lives have moved underground. this bunker is the last place of refuge for so many of those left behind, and that's usually the elderly. it's damp and dark. they have to use these buckets as toilets. and over here is where they sleep. at the start of the war, there were over 20 families here, but now it's just four women. anastasia, ludmilla, nina and galina keep each other company through the difficulty and loneliness of this war. they go out to try and find food and water, but the air raid sirens go off so often, they spend most of their day in darkness. translation: my heart hurts. i have hypertension and diabetes. i can't stay here for a long time as my legs hurt. i need to walk a lot, but i can't.

i need to have a good diet, but it's impossible now. this is one of galina's last tablets. she has enough for three weeks, but after that, she's not sure what will happen. but the stories of the elderly here in mykolaiv are repeated across ukraine. translation: we were told - if you hear a siren, you should go to the basement to hide. but we don't know whether this will save us or we will die here. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, mykolaiv. we have a constantly updating live page on our website with all the latest developments from ukraine. that has the interview i did earlier with the lady from the unhcr talking about the extent of the refugee crisis.

you can check it out via the bbc app, orjust log on to bbc.com/news you're watching bbc news. hello, there. 0n good friday and into the easter weekend, we saw temperatures reach the low 20s celsius in the warmest places, but we've lost those values now. today is a cooler day, not particularly cold, but certainly cooler than what we've had over the last few days. we've got a bit more cloud around with a few showers, too. it's all because we've got this area of low pressure influencing our weather throughout the day and again into tomorrow. it's bringing stronger winds, especially to the northwest of the country. it's introduced this cooler air, as you can see from the blue hue here on the air mass chart. so, a chillierfeel to things across northern and western areas through the afternoon, particularly where we have the stronger winds — low teens here. but we could still make 16 or 17 degrees in the southeast given some sunshine. but there will be one or two showers dotted around and those may last

into the evening period across england and wales. variable cloud, clear spells here. clear skies for scotland and northern ireland, but some cloud across the far northwest, so it won't be quite as cold here as what it will be where we have the clearer skies. so, a touch of frost in one or two spots across the north and the west. a chilly start to tuesday once again. maybe a touch of frost across parts of scotland and northern ireland. this weather front across the northwest of scotland, bringing outbreaks of showery rain. the winds will ease down through the day. england and wales will start with sunny spells, a bit of cloud and then into the afternoon could see a few showers developing, and there could be the odd heavy one in places. they'll be slow moving because the winds will be much lighter. a cooler day across the board, 13 to 15 degrees will be the afternoon highs. into wednesday, we're in between weather systems, a ridge of high pressure exerting its force across the country. so, a largely quiet day, i think, mainly dry for most of us. variable clouds, some good spells of sunshine around. there will be a noticeable easterly breeze developing across eastern england, so that may make it feel a bit cooler here. but further west, we could see highs

reaching 17 or 18 degrees, given some sunny spells. and a drier day for the north west of scotland. towards the end of the week this area of low pressure out west dives southwards to the south west of the uk. it doesn't look like it's going to affect us through thursday and friday. this area of high pressure to the north of the uk will be dominating the weather scene, bringing us fairly brisk easterly winds. so, i think through thursday, increasingly into friday, it'll start to turn chilly along some north sea coasts. probably the better, drier, brighter, warmer weather will tend to be further south and west.

this is bbc news, the headlines: ukraine says missile strikes have killed at least seven people in the western city of lviv, which had largely escaped attack until now. three military warehouses and a car garage were hit. reports from the besieged city of mariupol say russian forces are stopping people there from entering or leaving. an advisor to the mayor says residents will need a pass to allow them to move between districts. the chinese city of shanghai — which has been under lockdown for three weeks — has reported its first official covid deaths for two years. the authorities say three elderly, unvaccinated people died. south africa says it is deploying 10,000 soldiers to help in kwazulu—natal province where flooding and mudslides over the last week have killed almost 450 fifty people.

more than 60 are still missing.