ukraine's president says he hopes the evacuation of civilians will continue from the besieged city of mariupol. 100 women and children were allowed to leave the steelworks in the southern city yesterday. others arriving in nearby towns from mariupol speak of the devastation they've witnessed. translation: the scariest part is when they are shelling. - when you see a shell exploding and people dying. we'll have the latest on that developing situation. our other main stories on today's programme. a record number of people were referred for cancer checks last year in england, following a dramatic decline during the pandemic. 250 migrants on seven boats are picked up in the channel, after 11 days without any crossings.

and the new technology clubs hope will help tackle concussion in sport. good afternoon from the ukrainian capital kyiv. ukraine's president zelensky says he hopes evacuations from mariupol will continue today if conditions allow. his government says hundreds of civilians are still trapped in a huge industrial complex there, as well as hundreds of wounded soldiers in addition to the many thousands of civilians still living elsewhere in the devastated city. ukrainian fighters are still holding out in the azovstal steel works

against the russian siege. the ukrainian military said russian forces resumed their bombardment shortly after yesterday's evacuation. 0ur correspondent joe inwood reports. after weeks of living in the most appalling conditions, they emerged into the light, freed by negotiations that took place in the dark. there was much secrecy around the talks, brokered by the united nations, but the sight of a small number of civilians walking through the wasteland that used to be one of the wasteland that used to be one of the worlds biggest steel plants shows they achieved what many thought impossible. a ceasefire held, and around 100 people made it to relative safety. 1 held, and around 100 people made it to relative safety.— to relative safety. i can't believe it. two months _ to relative safety. i can't believe it. two months of _ to relative safety. i can't believe it. two months of darkness - to relative safety. i can't believe it. two months of darkness and | to relative safety. i can't believe - it. two months of darkness and when we were in the bus i told my husband, we won't have to go to the toilet with a torch and use a bag as the loo. ,, , . toilet with a torch and use a bag as the loo. ,,, . ,, ., , toilet with a torch and use a bag as the loo. . ,, ., , , toilet with a torch and use a bag as theloo. . ,_, , ,, the loo. specter slav is 'ust six

months old. i the loo. specter slav is 'ust six months old. nearly _ the loo. specter slav isjust six months old. nearly half - the loo. specter slav isjust six months old. nearly half of - the loo. specter slav isjust six months old. nearly half of hisl the loo. specter slav is just six i months old. nearly half of his life has been spent on the ground in a bunker. forthe has been spent on the ground in a bunker. for the ukrainian president, a moment of relief.— a moment of relief. ukrainians, our defenders. — a moment of relief. ukrainians, our defenders, today _ a moment of relief. ukrainians, our defenders, today we _ a moment of relief. ukrainians, our defenders, today we have - a moment of relief. ukrainians, our defenders, today we have finally i defenders, today we have finally managed to start the evacuation of people _ managed to start the evacuation of people from azovstal. after many weeks _ people from azovstal. after many weeks of — people from azovstal. after many weeks of negotiations and many attempts, different people, meetings, peoples, calls, countries, pr0posals, _ meetings, peoples, calls, countries, proposals, finally there was no today— proposals, finally there was no today we — proposals, finally there was no today we did not try to save our people — today we did not try to save our --eole. �* p, today we did not try to save our --eole. �* . , ., people. after leaving the plant, civilians were _ people. after leaving the plant, civilians were loaded _ people. after leaving the plant, civilians were loaded onto - people. after leaving the plant, | civilians were loaded onto buses people. after leaving the plant, - civilians were loaded onto buses and taken to a village in the direction of russia. but, accompanied by un and red cross staff, it seems they have now been allowed to head back towards ukraine. they will be coming here, a reception centre in one town. initially one private car arrived, greeted by the world's media waiting for the azovstal convoy. everybody caught in the siege of mariupol has suffered terribly. siege of mariupol has suffered terribl . h. , siege of mariupol has suffered terribl . , ,

terribly. the scariest part is when the are terribly. the scariest part is when they are shelling. _ terribly. the scariest part is when they are shelling. when - terribly. the scariest part is when they are shelling. when you - terribly. the scariest part is when they are shelling. when you see i terribly. the scariest part is when | they are shelling. when you see a she“ they are shelling. when you see a shell exploding and people dying. it's reported that as soon as the evacuation had finished, russian forces resumed their shelling of azovstal. indeed, there has been no letup in the fighting, both on the ground and in the skies. the kremlin released these shots showing a missile launch, claiming it strikes a command post while the ukrainian military say this shows the destruction of two russian patrol boats by one of their drones. despite the success of the talks over evacuations, few people think diplomacy will be bringing this conflict to an end anytime soon. as far as we know that convoy of civilians is on its way currently to zaporizhzhia having left mariupol but the united nations have been playing their cards close to their chest, not giving running updates and just as they did with the talks,

they have not been telling journalists exactly what is going on with some suggesting that is why, for the first time, this evacuation seems to have been a success. joe, thank you very much. the ukrainian military says it's continuing to prevent russian forces from advancing in parts of the donbas region. the eastern town of lysychansk is encircled on three sides by russian troops. most of the city s residents have left, with the last remaining in desperate conditions, under constant shelling. andrew harding sent this report. the russians are getting closer. their missiles landing to our left and right, as we take the last road into lysychansk. a farming town under siege. we are following a ukrainian army medic.

pointing out the town's latest lacerations. look here. he is taking us closer to the front lines, to a hidden base from where his teams scooped up casualties. yes, every day, it is blood, blood, blood, blood. the russians are making a big push now. yeah. very, very. so the fighting is getting a lot worse now? yeah, very extreme, very extreme and very danger. the army have taken over the local hospital. a soldier is brought in by ambulance with a head wound. his injuries are severe, says the medic. there is not much hope for him. upstairs, a sombre silence on the wards. you can see here the impact of this intense russian bombardment, which we are still hearing now outside, in fact. room after room of young men with concussion.

faces dazed and haunted. "i've got three young children," he says. "i wish the shelling would just stop. we have all watched our brothers die in front of us." so, what do this town's torments tell us about the wider war in eastern ukraine? there are signs that russian troops are being methodical and therefore perhaps more effective in their offensive in this region. they are pushing slowly forwards in this town and a dozen others in the donbas region. but there is still no sign that the kremlin�*s forces are about to deliver some kind of knockout blow. even here, a few civilians cling on. these parents saying they can't afford to flee. and nine—year—old masha is trying to take it all in her stride.

speaking ukrainian you're not scared? speaking ukrainian she says, "because i'm the oldest girl, i'm not scared." good for you. inevitably, those left behind here have moved underground. this couple still wait for good news from their radio. so, they are disagreeing here. she wants to go, but has no means of getting out. her husband wants to stay. "have you seen what's happened here? i don't know if we'll survive this," she says. voicing the fear that now hangs over this whole region.

andrew harding, bbc news, lysychansk. andrew harding with that microcosm of the war in this country into its third month. that's the latest from me and the team here in ukraine. back to you in the studio, lukwesa, with the rest of the news. a record 2.7 million people were referred for cancer checks in the last year, according to nhs england. it comes after a dramatic fall during the pandemic. but senior doctors say while progress is being made in seeing more patients, at least 30,000 people in england are still waiting to start treatment. dominic hughes reports. bring your arms up above your head. the earlier cancer is detected, the better the chances of a good outcome. keep your eyes closed. that is why the drop—off in referrals at the height of the pandemic caused so much concern. doctors knew there were thousands of people who had cancer but were not being identified or treated.

the real challenge we have with cancer is that it is critical that we are able to diagnose it early enough. if we diagnose cancer early, it gives us the best chance of finding curative treatment or the best options for patients, and that is critical for improving cancer survival. the latest data shows how as covid pressures have eased, cancer referrals have bounced back. nearly 2.7 million people have been referred for cancer care in the last year, an increase of 16% on pre—pandemic levels. but while there has been progress, around 30,000 people are still waiting to start treatment, a legacy of the pandemic. it's really good news that patients are coming forward and it's really good news that gps are able now to make the referrals that we wanted to make into specialist services. the challenge, of course, is those specialist services are under significant duress and there is a backlog now. 0ne—stop shops for tests,

mobile clinics and telephone hotlines have been set up to work through the backlog. but a shortage of qualified and trained cancer specialists and radiologists who can interpret scans remains a big stumbling block. charities warn that this is perhaps the most pressing issue, but it could take years to resolve. dominic hughes, bbc news. more than 250 migrants on seven boats were picked up in the channel yesterday according to the ministry of defence, following 11 days without any crossings. there have been more arrivals this morning at dover. our correspondent simonjones is there for us. simon, what's the situation like there today? well, this is the area of dover where people are brought once they are picked up in the channel and it has once again been very busy here today. the lifeboat brought in the first group of people just after 6am and since then there has been a steady stream of arrivals and we've seen a number of women being brought to shore and one woman was clutching

a young child, but the vast majority of people arriving have been young men and we have counted more than 100 people so far today. the crossings have started up once again after 11 days without any crossings. yesterday we saw 254 people arrive on seven boats, an average of more than 35 people per boat, which shows you just how dangerously overcrowded they can be. some are saying it's because of a effect from rwanda as people are worried they could be sent there, but it's largely down to the weather which is incredibly calm in the channel today. consumers will once again be able to buy free—range eggs from today, after restrictions improsed to control the spread of bird flu were lifted. farmers and egg producers have been forced to keep chickens inside since november. ben king reports.

britain's hens are allowed outside of the first time since november as measures to prevent a deadly wave of avian flu have been lifted. it's great that the birds to be able to get out and its last autumn since the birds went out. find get out and its last autumn since the birds went out.— get out and its last autumn since the birds went out. and our current flock of birds _ the birds went out. and our current flock of birds actually _ the birds went out. and our current flock of birds actually arrived - the birds went out. and our current flock of birds actually arrived on - flock of birds actually arrived on the farm in the autumn, just as the lockdown was beginning, so these birds have never actually experienced the outdoor environment. avian flu remains a worry for farmers like graham. and strict bio—security measures are still in place, but for egg buyers, it is good news. here is a box of eggs i bought this morning and it says free range on the label but printed in little letters it says barn eggs, because the hens that lay them were not allowed outside. now that the rules have changed, the hens that lay the eggs will be allowed to join —— enjoy the fresh air again which means genuine free range eggs that meet the standard will be available on british shelves in the coming days. but for egg producers, flu is one worry amongst many. chicken feed

is getting more expensive and energy costs are rising as war hits supplies from russia and ukraine, and those costs could soon be passed onto customers. in and those costs could soon be passed onto customers.— onto customers. in the long term, if roducers onto customers. in the long term, if producers don't _ onto customers. in the long term, if producers don't get _ onto customers. in the long term, if producers don't get price _ onto customers. in the long term, if producers don't get price rises - onto customers. in the long term, if producers don't get price rises nowl producers don't get price rises now which _ producers don't get price rises now which means they can carry on production— which means they can carry on production and survive as a business. _ production and survive as a business, then they will be not carrying — business, then they will be not carrying producing and that will be leading _ carrying producing and that will be leading to — carrying producing and that will be leading to more or greater increases in price _ leading to more or greater increases in price nexi— leading to more or greater increases in price next year because of the scarcity— in price next year because of the scarcity of— in price next year because of the scarcity of eggs on the shelves. for now scarcity of eggs on the shelves. now though, scarcity of eggs on the shelves. er?" now though, free range eggs returned to the shelves and chickens can enjoy the fresh air again. the people who look after them still face a challenging future. new zealand has been welcoming its first quarantine—free visitors after more than two years of strict rules during the pandemic. family members who've been separated for years have finally been reunited. travellers from around 60 countries, including britain, are now able to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated and test negative for covid. research suggests the impact of repetitive concussions in sport,

especially in women, will have dire consequences for some people in later life. the government is expected to take steps to standardise concussion policy for both sexes and for all sports and ages. the new rules to be proposed in the uk will dictate how long players must rest after a concussion. and a new scanning technology is being trialled, as our health editor, hugh pym reports. it's the game we love, but what are the risks? you've got to stay on the sides this time, let's go! thursday night training for actonians women's team. there are concerns about concussion and long—term injury from repetitive heading and collisions. people can see the serious risks that is coming over time. early research shows women can be more vulnerable than men. it only takes two people to go up

for a header for a ball,