this is bbc news, the headlines... children abandoned in institutions after carers fled abroad. the? children abandoned in institutions after carers fled abroad.— after carers fled abroad. they are left i in: after carers fled abroad. they are left lying in _ after carers fled abroad. they are left lying in beds _ after carers fled abroad. they are left lying in beds and _ after carers fled abroad. they are left lying in beds and cribs, - after carers fled abroad. they are left lying in beds and cribs, tied l left lying in beds and cribs, tied down, total neglect. it's a very dangerous. these children with disabilities are the war, and they don't deserve it. the disabilities are the war, and they don't deserve it.— disabilities are the war, and they don't deserve it. the eu announces new measures _ don't deserve it. the eu announces new measures against _ don't deserve it. the eu announces new measures against russia, - new measures against russia, sanctions against those suspected of war crimes and a plan to ban all imports of russian oil.- war crimes and a plan to ban all imports of russian oil. today, we will prepose _ imports of russian oil. today, we will prepose to — imports of russian oil. today, we will propose to ban _ imports of russian oil. today, we will propose to ban all— imports of russian oil. today, we will propose to ban all russian i imports of russian oil. today, we will propose to ban all russian oil from _ will propose to ban all russian oil from europe. this will be a complete import— from europe. this will be a complete import ban_ from europe. this will be a complete import ban on all russian oil, seaborne _ import ban on all russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined _ seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined it —

seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined it. ., , refined it. political parties take art in refined it. political parties take part in the _ refined it. political parties take part in the final _ refined it. political parties take part in the final day _ refined it. political parties take part in the final day of - refined it. political parties take - part in the final day of campaigning i had of the local elections in england is —— ahead of the local elections in england, scotland and wales. all eyes are in manchester to eat tonight to see if they can make it to the champions league final. —— manchester is tonight. hello, and if you'rejoining us, a warm welcome to bbc news. thousands of disabled children in ukraine have been abandoned in institutions that can't look after them — that's according to a human rights organisation. an investigation carried out by the group disability rights international found severely disabled children tied to beds in children's homes that are unable to cope. many have been moved away from the fighting and just left at other — unsuitable — facilities further away from the war. our correspondent danjohnson

reports from an institution in the relative safety of south west ukraine, where disabled children from the east have been left by their carers who then fled to neighbouring countries. just to warn you, you may find his report distressing. here's the sound of the war you haven't heard yet. anna's teeth—grinding anxiety hints at the hidden trauma of ukraine's disabled children. the conflict's most vulnerable and least visible victims. there are nervous, disorientated, and distressed. they're not treated as human beings. they're only kept alive here. and they've been dumped in a place that can barely cope. are you certain you can give these children the care they need? yeah. the director couldn't believe how their carers fled and left the children behind.

translation: they were so selfish that they ran _ translation: they were so selfish that they ran out _ translation: they were so selfish that they ran out of— translation: they were so selfish that they ran out of here _ translation: they were so selfish that they ran out of here as - translation: they were so selfish that they ran out of here as fast - translation: they were so selfish that they ran out of here as fast as l that they ran out of here as fast as i could. i thought they would come in here and tell us who had epilepsy, who was incontinent, and so on. but then come wrenched —— lunch they left. i don't like criticising my colleagues, but this is not the way it's done. victoria's one of 22 children moved here from an orphanage in donetsk, left behind when the less severealy disabled children were taken to germany. she has seizures, and we're told she's put in restraints at night. these are all teenage girls. the nurse tells me she isn't used to dealing with this level of disability and she believes the children are not able to understand their situation. she asks, "what intellect can you see here?" my heart breaks, actually, as a mother of two children. disability rights experts

are documenting the conditions. although they're in a safe place, their state will deteriorate because they are not getting any stimulation, any kind of rehabilitation. and, to me, this is further disabling them. these were confined lives of institutionalised dependents long before the war. there's no future beyond these walls. these homes are relics of an outdated system. the boss insists a resident sings for us. staff shortages mean older residents help care for these children, and those in from the east have much greater needs than this place can handle. the disability rights investigators filmed at three more nearby institutions, struggling with fragile young arrivals. they barely had time to give them individual attention before the war. now, they are left lying in cribs, lying in beds, tied down. total neglect. it's very dangerous. these children with disabilities

are paying the price for the war. this flies in the face of any sort of international good practice in terms of the care these goals should be receiving. but then, on the other hand, this is people trying to do their best in the toughest of circumstances. we were told oksana couldn't speak because of severe learning difficulties — but helene makes a connection. she says, in a full sentence, that her toe hurts. and then, oksana spots our microphone. there's a flicker of the potential that could be unlocked. are you taking myjob? da! there is a call for these children to get more international support or the love and care of a family. but when so many ukrainians are running from war, it looks like thousands will still face lives of loss and waste, unseen and unheard. and dan is with me now. that must�*ve been quite an experience is that place. trying

very hard to do their best, but it looks like they really are not able to cope with the number of children they've suddenly been presented with. �* , they've suddenly been presented with. �*, , ., .,, they've suddenly been presented with. �*, , ., with. it's questionable about whether an _ with. it's questionable about whether an institution - with. it's questionable about whether an institution that i with. it's questionable abouti whether an institution that is with. it's questionable about - whether an institution that is even right for the people with their conditions. they've taken in more children, their staffing was already struggling to keep up with the need. they don't have the right equipment, skills, or experience arguably to even look after the children they've got, never mind those they are taking in. of course they should be applauded for doing the right thing with these children facing real uncertainty and abandonment. the director legitimate question about what level of care he can provide — and therefore, what on earth their future will be. expecting they'll be with him and that institution for the rest of their lives. what will that look like if he is unable to give them the care that they need? what is the organisation you were

talking to their that's done the research? what is there judgment on the best approach they could be adopted? there's lots of things one could talk about — you could talk about evacuating these young people out of their country altogether to other countries, is that what they think should happen? that other countries, is that what they think should happen?— think should happen? that has ha--ened think should happen? that has happened to — think should happen? that has happened to some _ think should happen? that has happened to some disabled . think should happen? that has - happened to some disabled children, and you can say the war improve their chances of the care they would receive. it's all anyone wanted, they wanted to stay. it’s receive. it's all anyone wanted, they wanted to stay.— receive. it's all anyone wanted, they wanted to stay. it's lifted a lid on it and _ they wanted to stay. it's lifted a lid on it and exposed _ they wanted to stay. it's lifted a lid on it and exposed it. - lid on it and exposed it. absolutely, the organisation who carried out this investigation, their intention is to prompt action on two levels. they want an immediate response from the big charities, the ngos helping ukrainian children as refugees but haven't, in their view, ukrainian children as refugees but haven't, in theirview, made ukrainian children as refugees but haven't, in their view, made it through to these children who are hidden and forgotten, and ignored. they want that support to get increased so the staffing and

provisions can be improved. a longer they seat these institutions ought to be abolished, that those children really need the one—on—one care, the specific love and attention of a family was top—down that may be a laudable claim, but where on earth will you find families able to take on the needs of a disabled chain democrat child during eight time of war when families across ukraine are being made refugees and are being separated from families, never mind able to take someone else in care? it's a tricky subject, a long—term systemic problem that the war brought to the situation. when you soke to brought to the situation. when you spoke to the _ brought to the situation. when you spoke to the director— brought to the situation. when you spoke to the director of— brought to the situation. when you spoke to the director of the - spoke to the director of the institution, he said his expectation was that the children could be there with him for the rest of those lives. who knows how long that would be because that depends on individual conditions. what was your impression of the institution? did they have access to reliable power supplies, food, water, all those

things? orwere supplies, food, water, all those things? or were those too under threat? ., , ., , ., threat? that institution is in a safe art threat? that institution is in a safe part of — threat? that institution is in a safe part of the _ threat? that institution is in a safe part of the country - threat? that institution is in a safe part of the country for i threat? that institution is in a i safe part of the country for now, they've not suffered the direct effect of the war yet, but who knows when that may change? so it is a safe place in essence, it's what needed to happen as a immediate response to what's happening and the threat these orphanages in children's home were under in the east. by then it becomes a matter of, how long will these children stay there? what does that mean for their development and future? disability rights international says the children want to live as long as they should, and if they are contained like that, they won't grow. those children are already underdeveloped for their age. you said in the report to be clear, these children are teenagers. gill these children are teenagers. all these children are teenagers. fill the ones in that footage are at least i3—iii, may be 15—17, get you would not put them at more than 5—7 at most. that is the impact of their

restriction of their development so far, having been institutionalised probably from birth. what further issues will they face if they are unable to flourish and live with the proper care and support they need? it is such a sad and heartbreaking situation, and the message that everybody right across the board has neglected these children and overlooked their situation and needs. ., , needs. dan johnson, thanks very much. breaking news now, the us central bank, the federal reserve, has raised interest rates by .5%, the most aggressive such increase in more than 20 years. moves intended to tackle rapidly rising prices fuelled by the war in ukraine and new lockdowns in china. inflation in the us is in a a0 year high, president biden has received some criticism for the stimulus he injected into the economy when he became president last year in an attempt to overcome the economic effects of covid. that rate rise will be looked at closely in this

country because tomorrow at midday, the bank of england's monetary policy committee is due to announce whether or not it will alter uk interest rates. that position will come at mid day, you'll find it here on bbc news. the european union has announced plans for a total ban on oil imports from russia by the end of the year. around three—and—a—half million barrels of russian oil are imported into the eu every day — in return, russia is being paid up to half a billion dollars a day for it. the proposed ban on russian oil is one of a number of tough new measures being put forward by the european commission to intensify the pressure on russia. in ukraine, russian strikes have hit three power stations in the western city of lviv. in the besieged port city of mariupol, the mayor says he has lost contact with the last remaining forces resisting russian troops at the steelworks, as heavy fighting continues there. our eastern europe correspondent

sarah rainsford reports from kyiv. it's been ten weeks of war, and russia is still attacking ukraine from east to west. this was a power station in lviv after a missile strike. moscow is boasting of its success, filming as it fires on its neighbour. it says it is targeting supply routes for weapons from the us and europe — but it's hitting far more than that. so the european commission wants to ramp up the pressure on moscow. it's proposing that eu countries end russian oil imports — though not gas. the commissioner said vladimir putin should pay a high price for his brutal aggression. today, we are addressing our dependency on russian oil and, let's be clear, it will not be easy because some member states are strongly dependent on russian oil. but we simply have to do it.

so today, we will propose to ban all russian oil from europe. this will be... applause but the sanctions need unanimous support. and, while europe argues, these women's relatives are underfire. the last ukrainian fighters in mariupol. they're encircled by russian forces at a joint steelworks. —— a giant steelworks. mariupol�*s mayor believes there's up to 30 children among the civilians still with them. and across the donbas region, the fighting is relentless. the local governor says no city here is now safe. around kyiv, they know exactly how that feels. staff at this hospital,

near ukraine's capital, talk of operating under fire, saving the lives of wounded civilians, but in terrible danger themselves. were these the missiles that hit the hospital? i ask the director what she thinks about western sanctions. she doesn't think some countries don't understand what is happening. she says perhaps they don't believe it, but they should. hungary has already said it will veto the ban on oil imports. with the wreckage of war all around, many ukrainians struggle to understand why the west would even hesitate about sanctioning russia. because the point here time and again is that every dollar spent on russian oil and gas is funding a military that's doing all this. ukraine did defend its capital, but russia's war has shifted focus now. it hasn't stopped. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kyiv. our global trade correspondent dharshini david explained

what impact will a ban on oil imports would have. if this happens, this would be the biggest financial blow dealt against russia since the conflict started. and for the russian government, it's seeing a massive windfall in recent months because of the soaring energy prices. they could make enough without embargoes to fund the majority of its spending plans simply from selling oil abroad. and guess what — half of that money comes from europe, you know, from fuelling cars to heating homes. the eu spends hundreds of millions of pounds every day on buying russian oil — it money, as we were hearing there, that is basically going towards funding the war on its doorstep. so without that cash, russia could struggle. it could struggle to replace that money because its next biggest customer, china, only buys a fifth of its exports. but the flip side is that experts are warning we could see more volatility in oil prices as the eu looks around for alternative supplies. what does volatility mean? it tends to mean higher prices. they could benefit the kremlin

in terms of the money it gets per barrel of oil. the flip side is it could mean higher prices for consumers, be that drivers are businesses, across the world and including here in the uk when they least need it. we'll see how that story on the proposed eu— russia oil ban, in the interest rate rise in the us we covered in the front pages. our guestsjoining me tonight are sienna rodgers, senior writer for the house magazine, and anna mikhailova, who's deputy political editor at the mail on sunday. sport now — and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's gavin. good evening. lots of football this evening. manchester city are in action, for the second leg of their semifinal of the champions league — they're up against real madrid in the spanish capital. not much in the way of chances —

karim benzema had a header over the bar. 16 minutes gone in that match. city have a slender advantage from that epic match at the etihad, where they won a—3. it is currently goalless at the moment. can we expect more of the same as this one progresses? the winner faces liverpool in the final. there's a big game in the women's super league tonight, too — the north london derby with arsenal needing to avoid defeat against tottenham at the emirates stadium to stay in the title race. and they're doing their bit so far — the on—form beth mead put the gunners ahead after just four minutes. an arsenal win would take them one point behind leaders chelsea ahead of the final round of fixtures on sunday. manchester city are also in women's super league action tonight. they are just about to come out for the second half. that matches on bbc two if you want to watch the rest of the game. final a5 minutes, arsenal winning at the moment and that one, and also another game. manchester city are also in women's super league action tonight.

they're taking on birmingham, at the academy stadium birmingham, who are bottom of the table and need to win to take the relegation battle to final day. a draw orwin a draw or win for city, and they are backin a draw or win for city, and they are back in the champions league positions. british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe says he is "not giving up" on taking over chelsea, despite reports today that his bid had been rejected out of hand. ratcliffe, who is the majority shareholder of the chemical group ineos, made a late offer of £a.25 billion for the premier league club on friday. a consortium led by la dodgers owner todd boehly is understood to be the preferred bidderfor chelsea. the bbc�*s sports editor dan roan spoke to ratcliffe today. there's been no communication. so it's a shame, i think, i would've expected at least the courtesy of a call. to expected at least the courtesy of a call. ., ~' ., expected at least the courtesy of a call. ., ,, ., ., ., call. to think that might mean that ou are call. to think that might mean that you are still _ call. to think that might mean that you are still alive _ call. to think that might mean that you are still alive in _ call. to think that might mean that you are still alive in this _ call. to think that might mean that you are still alive in this bid, - you are still alive in this bid, then, there's still hope? if you haven't been told you are 100% out?

i don't know the answer the question. at the end of the day, whoever buys chelsea has to get the approval of the government. and i suppose at this moment, they don't know whether their consortium will get the approval of the government. if i were them, i would close all the doors. watford manager roy hodgson has said he will be leaving the club at the end of the season and won't be taking up another managerialjob in the premier league. the 7a—year—old was at buckingham palace today, being honoured with a cbe for his services to football. watford are on the verge of relegation to the championship, which will be confirmed if they fail to beat hodgson's former club crystal palace at the weekend. lee westwood says he and "many others" have asked to be released from the pga and european tours to play in greg norman's saudi—funded golf invitational series next month. englishman richard bland has also requested to be released for the event in hertfordshire injune. westwood says, "if anyone comes along and gives any of us a chance at a pay rise, then you have to seriously consider it." six—time major winner phil mickelson was one of the first high—profile

players to seek a release from the pga tour last month. dan evans hasjoined andy murray in the third round of the madrid open tennis. but the brit was pushed all the way by home favourite roberto bautista agut. evans took the first set of a match which lasted almost three hours, but the spaniard forced a decider. evans coming through in a final set tie breaker. he'll face andrey rublev next after he beat jack draper. british number one cameron norrie has made it three british men in the last 16, after he battled pastjohn isner in three sets 6—a, 6—7, 6—a. he faces the seventh seed carlos alcaraz next. andy murray makes up the three brits still standing — he faces old rival and world number one novak djokovic next. cannot wait for that encounter, to see those two back on the court again. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on. thanks very much, gavin. it's the final full day

of campaigning ahead of elections across the uk tomorrow. even as we speak, there still people knocking on doors stuffing through leaflets through letterboxes. voters in england, wales, and scotland will choose who they want to run services that affect their everyday lives. people in northern ireland will choose their representatives at stormont. in england, ballots are being held for 1a6 councils, mainly in towns and cities. there are also some mayoral elections. in scotland, every local authority, that's 32 in total, is being contested. all of the seats in 22 local councils across wales are up for election. in northern ireland, voters will elect all of the 90

members of the legislative assembly. that's why they are called ml a's. that's why they are called ml a's. that result is not expected probably to be announced until sometime on friday afternoon. for more information on the latest developments and to find out what's happening in your area, visit bbc.co.uk/news or the bbc news app. i suspect you know the address by heart by now. some energy suppliers have been given a three—week deadline to explain accusations that they have increased customers' direct debit payments by "more than is necessary". ofgem has said there are "troubling signs" of the tactic, and the business secretary kwasi kwarteng says that official reviews have now been launched. i'm joined by david cox, an independent energy analyst. david, what is it thought that some

energy companies may be up to? good evenina. energy companies may be up to? good evening- what — energy companies may be up to? good evening. what is _ energy companies may be up to? cmc evening. what is suggested is that energy companies are increasing the direct debits of everyone, or a lot of people buy at more than is necessary to pay the next year —— what the next year's bill will be. if you think about it, you have a monthly direct debit which is basically meant to be your annual bill divided by 12 — so it's the same every month for the coming year, and they are meant to take last year's consumption, which is on your bill so you can check that, apply the new tariffs which we know the new price cap tariffs or whatever that ofgem capped on the 1st of april, then multiply the two together and it should give you your annual bill the next year — divided

ljy annual bill the next year — divided by 12, and that should be direct debit. i5 by 12, and that should be direct debit. , ., ., , ., ., by 12, and that should be direct debit. , ., ., ., ., debit. is there an obligation on ener: debit. is there an obligation on energy companies _ debit. is there an obligation on energy companies to _ debit. is there an obligation on energy companies to show - debit. is there an obligation on energy companies to show us i debit. is there an obligation on - energy companies to show us their working to set out the bill they send you exactly how they reach that calculation casilla no, there isn't. but it's a simple thing to check. i checked my own personally because i get my electricity from scottishpower. lip get my electricity from scottishpower.- get my electricity from scottishpower. , , . , scottishpower. up my direct debit more than doubled, _ scottishpower. up my direct debit more than doubled, and - scottishpower. up my direct debit more than doubled, and i - scottishpower. up my direct debit more than doubled, and i thoughtj more than doubled, and i thought that was quite a lot. so i looked at my bill, it looked to last year's consumption, multiplied it by the new tariffs — don't forget the standing charge, as well, what you have to multiply by the number of daysin have to multiply by the number of days in the year — add the two together and they were correct, they had increased it to the right amount and there wasn't any indication that they were charging too much. but there's no obligation to show their working, but it is something that one can check. and also challenge. i wonder if this has been happening

before, and this is a personal story — check your parents's built a check and see if your power has gone up. consumption hadn't gone up, the price of really hadn't gone up, yet they were wanting my parents to pay extra money in advance in direct debit. my suspicion was this was almost a way, given how little money companies can make offence strict —— interest rates, but if you get the money up front, you might make a little bit, but if you give the money back again when they get their bill next, you can give them a credit. but you've had it and you've been effectively been able to use that money while you had it. could something like that be happening? it's possible, and don't forget we are going into the summer months now where are consumption is going down dramatically with central heating hopefully being turned off. so what we're doing after the summer months

is basically lending money the energy companies, such that we start october and the winter, having built up a considerable amount of credit with them. that's to tide us through the winter months when our consumption is much higher. if one challenges them and reduces it to what you actually use over the summer, it should mean that, october or winter next year, we also know prices will go up again, possibly by another £500— 1008 year, which would increase debits from october —— 1000 a year. you have an enormous increase in direct debit because you've not build up any credit. the other companies don't really do much with that money, i mean, we know 28 companies or more went bust last year. of course, you know, that bad

debt and the costs of those companies are then passed on to the rest of us, and that's what we are paying for, several million pounds to pick up for unpaid charges. they may be trying to build up a buffer to deal with that situation, particularly the smaller companies could be possibly doing that. but i would be very surprised if the larger energy companies would be stupid enough to try and increase their direct debits more than they should be. just their direct debits more than they should be. , , ., ., , ., should be. just one final question, if i ma - should be. just one final question, if i may - is _ should be. just one final question, ifi may - is it— should be. just one final question, if i may - is it possible _ should be. just one final question, if i may - is it possible that, - should be. just one final question, if i may - is it possible that, if- if i may — is it possible that, if it is happening at all, it is more a reflection of the failure of the market? because all these companies have collapsed, somebody�*s having to foot the bill and the government has made a calculation in the end that it'll have to be the energy users. that's what the legislation and structure is. it is a failure of the market, in my view, and we have to pick up the failure of these

companies. there's not many other markets like that where other customers of supermarkets have to pick up the cost of another supermarket going bust. but in the energy field, that's what we have to do. so it is i think a failure of the market. there's so many things wrong with the energy market, and the pressure it's under at the moment with the prices going through the roof before the ukraine war — now they are going even higher and they'll stay high possibly for several years — nobody knows what to do or how to solve the problem. nobody knows how to make energy affordable again.— nobody knows how to make energy affordable again. david cox, thanks so much for — affordable again. david cox, thanks so much for that _ affordable again. david cox, thanks so much for that insight _ affordable again. david cox, thanks so much for that insight on - affordable again. david cox, thanks so much for that insight on what. affordable again. david cox, thanks i so much for that insight on what may be happening. if you're watching outside source, you may watch a bit of this. this is the evidence being given by the actor amber heard in her case, or rather the case thatjohnny depp has brought against her, his former

partner. let's hear what they're saying in the court right now. laughter it's all in the timing, isn't it? it's all in the timing, isn't it? it's almost as if they know somebody is about to come to them and they 90, is about to come to them and they go, "right, good time for lunch." at least this shows it's live. here's a little bit we've prepared for you on what she had to say earlier, describing the toll the trial has taken her on her personally. i am here because my ex—husband is suing me for an op—ed i wrote. and how do you feel about that? i struggle to have the words, i struggle to find the words to describe how painful this is. this is horrible for me,

to sit here for weeks and relive everything... ..hear people that i knew — some well, some not — my ex—husband, with whom i shared a life... ..speak about our lives in the way that they have. this has been one... this is the most painful and difficult thing i've ever gone through. our media and arts correspondent david sillito has been listening. you were there for the opening case and you've been following it here as well. extended background on this. in the washington post 2018, amber heard, as the ambassador for the

american civil liberties union, is the author of an article in which she discussed self as a victim of domestic abuse and how institution protect abusers. she does not name johnny depp, but he is suing for libel, saying everyone knew whom she was talking about, because there was that very famous divorce. they had been married and just two years previously divorced, and she had made the allegation of domestic violence against him. so far, all we have heard in this case has been johnny depp's side, so for three and a half weeks, amber heard has sat in court and listen to yourself being described by her friends and psychologist and having a borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, johnny depp describe how she was the one punching him, he was the one as the victim. he even acted it out in the witness stand. so today, she has

finally had her chance to give her side of the story. at the beginning, she talked about the toll all this had taken on her. remember, she went through all of this in a previous libel trial against the sun... that was in the _ libel trial against the sun... that was in the british _ libel trial against the sun... that was in the british courts. the - was in the british courts. the british court, _ was in the british courts. the british court, and _ was in the british courts. tue: british court, and the was in the british courts. tte: british court, and the sun was in the british courts. t'te: british court, and the sun won was in the british courts. tte: british court, and the sun won that case, and then she was told to go to her life and then reached the point... just a few moments ago, she described what you said was the first timejohnny described what you said was the first time johnny depp described what you said was the first timejohnny depp hit her postop she said he had been taking a large amount of cocaine, she said he had like a pot of cocaine on the table, and she asked him about a tattoo that used to say "when oda forever", and then she said he subtly changed, became violent, slapped her around the face, she said, and then she laughed, did not know what to make of it, and he

slapped her again, and she said, this was the beginning of what was the violence over a long period —— winona forever. it ended with the divorce and her asking for a restraining order against him. t5 restraining order against him. is there a difference, in terms of how there a difference, in terms of how the courts in the united states, or in that state, treat libel, publication of this kind, as compared to he would've been treated in the english courts? ber compared to he would've been treated in the english courts?— in the english courts? ask any libel la er in in the english courts? ask any libel lawyer in the _ in the english courts? ask any libel lawyer in the world _ in the english courts? ask any libel lawyer in the world and _ in the english courts? ask any libel lawyer in the world and say, - in the english courts? ask any libel lawyer in the world and say, where | lawyer in the world and say, where would you rather bring a libel case, written or america, they would say britain. weight of evidence is always for the person in the article. it is the other way around in america. effectively, johnny depp has to prove that he is not a wife beater. it is a very difficult question to answer. and then there is also the fact that there is a jury is also the fact that there is a jury involved in this, which makes

things rather different, so all the time, they are thinking, what is the jury time, they are thinking, what is the jury thinking about it? and we have had 30 witnesses so far and so many have been employed byjohnny depp, or paid byjohnny depp, or how is by johnny depp in one way or another, and so much of this depends on, do you believe the testimony ofjohnny depp, behind closed doors, or do you believe amber heard? so this is why today... believe amber heard? so this is why toda ., , , believe amber heard? so this is why toda... ., , , ., today... today is very important. just ve today... today is very important. just very briefly. _ today... today is very important. just very briefly, she _ today... today is very important. just very briefly, she is _ today... today is very important. just very briefly, she is counter. just very briefly, she is counter suing him as well? she just very briefly, she is counter suing him as well?— just very briefly, she is counter suing him as well? she has said she wants to bring _ suing him as well? she has said she wants to bring a _ suing him as well? she has said she wants to bring a counterclaim - suing him as well? she has said she wants to bring a counterclaim of- wants to bring a counterclaim of $100 million against his claim for $50 million so it is not over yet. it is not, and i know you will be back as soon as you get the chance to further report on the case. for now, david, thank you very much. for now, david, thank you very much. for now, let's pause on the news and look at the weather news. here is susan. hello. we have some warmer weather on the way for the entire of the uk in the days ahead,

as we tap into a south—westerly airstream from a really quite a long way south in the atlantic. through the remainder of this evening and overnight, we will see things becoming dry across eastern england after the heavy showers of earlier hours. light winds, clearing skies, could be a few patches of mist and fog across england and wales first thing thursday. further north, more in the way of cloud, some weather fronts pushing into scotland and northern ireland. high pressure to the south, low pressure to the north — there's our south—westerly airstream between the two. and if we follow this all the way back to its source, you can see it's a long way south in the atlantic. yes, the air gets cooled somewhat across the relatively cool waters, but inherently it's warm. and add some sunshine — thursday afternoon, we could get up to 21 celsius across england and wales. a largely dry day, aside from the odd shower across england and wales. a bit more cloud for scotland and northern ireland, quite wet for western scotland on and off through the day. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines:

the forgotten victims of the war in ukraine — children abandoned in institutions — after their carers fled abroad they after their carers fled abroad are left lying in beds, down. they are left lying in beds, lying down. it is very dangerous. these children with disabilities are paying the price for the more and they don't deserve it. the eu announces new measures against russia — sanctions on those suspected of war crimes and a plan to ban all imports of russian oil. the us central bank the federal reserve has raised interest rates in the last half hour bike half a percentage point, the biggest red rice for 22 years. —— by half a. political parties take part in a final day of campaigning for local elections in england, scotland and wales and the elections for the northern ireland assembly. the man who murdered sarah everard and the man and woman who killed

six—year—old arthur labinjo—hughes are among five people appealing the punishments handed down for their crimes. seniorjudges are reviewing the sentences, which include two whole—life terms, and their findings could affect how whole—life orders are imposed in future. our legal correspondent dominic casciani has been following the proceedings at the court of appeal in london. this is a really important, effectively super appeal here in london, involved in these very important cases. for 20 years, judges have had the power to impose whole life orders, which effectively means locking somebody up and throwing away the key. in fact, they've been more inclined to use the power than the politicians who had the power before them, but what's been clear in recent years is there's a bit of a gray area over exactly which types of very, very serious murders should possibly qualify for a whole life order — hence this appeal today, to try and wrestle through this and actually come up with some clearer guidelines for courts around the country. now, the first and probably the most headlining case is wayne couzens, who murdered sarah everard.

in this case, he's appealing against his whole life order imposed last autumn. his lawyers told the court today that he should be injail for decades to come but short of a whole life order because he had shown remorse once he was in court. now, the crown's lawyers are disputing that, saying that the sentencing rules were clear. his crime was of such a high, serious nature because it undermined trust in the police that his permanent incarceration was a just punishment. now, at the other end of the spectrum, we have the case of emma tustin from solihull, who murdered her stepson, arthur labinjo—hughes. she was given a minimum term of 29 years. now, the attorney general wants that raised, saying she should have been considered for a whole life order when she was jailed. her lawyers dispute that.

judges are now wrestling with this, and when they come back, whatever they come back with will define murder sentencing for many decades to come. with will define murder sentencing dominic with will define murder sentencing casciani reportii for more than a month from the start of the war in ukraine, the town of bucha, just north of kyiv, was under the control of russia's 6ath motirised infantry brigade. on its return home, the brigade was given an honoury title by president vladimir putin in recognition of its "mass heroism and valour". but after bucha was liberated by ukrainian forces, a mass grave was discovered at the church and bodies left lining the streets where they fell. thousands of war crimes have been documented by investigators — and ten russian soldiers in particular are being hunted by ukraine for torture, rape and "premeditated murder". the 6ath motorised infantry brigade is now back in ukraine, on the front line of the battle for the donbas region. coloneljames stuart spent more than 30 years in the military, starting in the falklands in 1982

as a young officer in the scots guards, fighting with his platoon in close quarters agains the enemy on tumbledown mountain. a name, of course, that went on to become very famous. since then, he has had tours in northern ireland and conflicts ranging from kosovo to iraq and afghanistan. he is now director of pavocat, a company that trains on the law and advises on the behaviour of armed forces in battle. thank you very much for being with us, colonel. can i ask you first of all, can you offer any explanation as to why some russian soldiers may be acting this way?— be acting this way? thank you very much for having _ be acting this way? thank you very much for having me _ be acting this way? thank you very much for having me on. _ be acting this way? thank you very much for having me on. i - be acting this way? thank you very much for having me on. i think - be acting this way? thank you very much for having me on. i think so. | be acting this way? thank you very | much for having me on. i think so. i think it comes down to three areas, really stub the first is the checks and balances. over here, we have a militaryjustice and balances. over here, we have a military justice system. and balances. over here, we have a militaryjustice system. things that we take for granted. over there, as

you just said, they get medals rather than a court—martial. the second thing i think is that the chain of command knows that the international community's response is one—dimensional. the international criminal court, which paralysed. also, they have done it before. they did in chechnya, they did it in syria, and there were no consequent as behaviour like this. and i think all of that culminates in servicemen and women doing what they are told, which is very russian habit. it is by and large the relation ship with authorities, not to question whether they are in uniform or out of uniform. the second big ring is —— reason is that if the training in this. how can the catholic weather shooting at an apartment block is the wrong target —— how can they calculate? the most complicated and nuanced one is culture. of course there are good, moral people in russia and in the

military. there submarine service is a particularly praiseworthy example, but like military society, they... in ukraine, they come mainly from two areas. that means that they are joining on contract for money and something to do. and they bring with them into uniform baggage, and that baggage is a number of things. the first is they are brought up on propaganda, which particularly dehumanizes the enemy, and we know that means. the next thing, they are brought up around threats, doubts, uncertainties themselves. by and large, their poorly educated and their utterly uncertain about what is the truth. —— they are. they also tend to see themselves as victims, not aggressors, and they don't really therefore confront reality and they don't take her sponsor lettie. it's not the russian way. ——

they don't take responsibility. use three things together mean that what happens is private soldiers do not abrogate their ability to say no... do things which we in the west were considered to be wrong. t no... do things which we in the west were considered to be wrong. i saw a ruote. were considered to be wrong. i saw a quote- trotsky. _ were considered to be wrong. i saw a quote. trotsky, saying, _ were considered to be wrong. i saw a quote. trotsky, saying, and - were considered to be wrong. i saw a quote. trotsky, saying, and army - quote. trotsky, saying, and army suffers its... may be a cultural question here, but also presumably there is a practical question about there is a practical question about the kind of... you don't necessarily do something if you fear getting caught. what could be done about that in context of, we have already seen those terrible crimes in bucha which we talked about, and trying to prevent a repetition of those crimes, both for the duration of this war, however long it lasts and it could be a very long time, but also in other environments? because it is notjust the russian military

who presumably this is regarded as... we have only been reporting, the bbc, in recent months of the terrible situation in myanmar, the suggestion that the military is committing crimes that would be regarded as war crimes? t committing crimes that would be regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me 'ust regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take — regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take that _ regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take that in _ regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take that in two _ regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take that in two points. - regarded as war crimes? i agree. let me just take that in two points. the | me just take that in two points. the first is, in ukraine and with the russian problem there, the way the russian problem there, the way the russian military is behaving, i think it is too late to change their structure and it is too late to train them, which leaves only consequences, and we need to support as the international community does russian military who do understand the difference between right and wrong and give them the ability to say no. an innovative and courtney did legal response, there needs to be an utterlyjoined up and organised and comprehensive advocacy campaign to show the russian people what is being done in their name by their military. the technical means

exist to do that, but think we have got to concentrate, really concentrate, on two messages. we have got to say to the people, you need to stand up to the shameful way your blood military is being used and behaving, and we need to combine that with, there will be an account for the behaviour of people. now, on the wider peace, i absolutely agree, the wider peace, i absolutely agree, the international community in my opinion needs to take a long hard look at its own structure of checks and balances stub russia does not recognise the icc that has a —— and has a security council vito... we need to look at training and make sure they have these checks and make sure they have these checks and balances. there are some levers we can use, arms companies who sell weapons could make it a condition of selling weapons, they will teach

them the right way and the wrong way to use that weapon. funding support could come with conditions. if you want to go on a un mission, you must do legal training in the law of armed conflict, and that is exactly what my company was sent to try and do. ., ., ., ., do. you are involved in that right now, and do. you are involved in that right now. and we _ do. you are involved in that right now, and we know _ do. you are involved in that right now, and we know british - do. you are involved in that right| now, and we know british lawyers do. you are involved in that right - now, and we know british lawyers are going into ukraine, but can ijust talk about your experience? you obviously care very much about the reputation of the armed forces and the military, beyond just your pride in this country. reasonably, this kind of thing, and we have got a picture of you as a young soldier, you have had to make some of these choices. how hard our date in moments of conflict, for a soldier oran moments of conflict, for a soldier or an officer on the ground to make these kinds of calls —— how hard are they? these kinds of calls -- how hard are the ? . , , these kinds of calls -- how hard are the ? ., , , , , they? the answer is, very, very difficult. they? the answer is, very, very difficult- it _ they? the answer is, very, very difficult. it is— they? the answer is, very, very difficult. it is very _ they? the answer is, very, very difficult. it is very easy - they? the answer is, very, very difficult. it is very easy to - they? the answer is, very, very difficult. it is very easy to press the trigger, it is very easy to

press a trigger. it is much, much harder to make the decision not to press a trigger, and that is why you need the structure and the training to support you, to do the thing your moral compass tells you to do, and that leads to pride in your regiment, pride in your military. what i see the russian behaviour doing is it makes it very, very difficult for the russian people to be proud of that if they knew what was taking place in their name. coloneljames stuart, thank you very much for talking to us, colonel james, thank you very much for talking to us about that fascinating subject. i am sure we will talk again as we talk more about the war crime questions in ukraine. just to let you know, tomorrow, ben brown will be answering your questions tomorrow lie from kyiv, talking about a whole range of the conflict, including if you want to ask about the question of war crimes and

accountability. do get in touch on twitter. the hashtag is, as always... just staying with that military conflict, it is an important anniversary today. a memorial has been unveiled in honour of the hms sheffield, which was hit by an argentine missile during the falklands war a0 years ago. the memorial was unveiled in honour of those who served on the ship at the national memorial arboretum in staffordshire. it was the first british warship to sink in enemy action since world war ii. 20 crewmen died and the ship was fatally damaged. of course, many others were injured and suffered the consequences of that. it has been a0 years. the world's richest man and new twitter owner elon musk says the social media network will remain free for personal users. but the tycoon said in a tweet that there would be a small charge for commercial and government users. mr musk agreed a £3a.5 billion takeover deal

with the twitter board last month. his takeover is expected to be completed later this year. the new elizabeth line railway which will run across london will open on may 2a. the capital's newest railway will run from reading in berkshire to shenfield in essex and abbey wood in south—east london. it had originally planned to open in december 2018. but it was hit by numerous problems including construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems. some of it will open later in the year. a man who shot, stabbed and smothered his young son to death has been found guilty of murder. lucash czapla killed two—year—old julius at his home in november 2020 after splitting up with the boy's mother.

czapla was given a life sentence and the judge said he would serve at least 23 years before being eligible to apply for parole. the buy—now—pay—later service klarna will start telling credit agencies which of their customers pays on time and who falls behind. from june, banks and credit card firms will be able to see people's klarna habits when making credit checks. the firm believes the move will help improve affordability assessments. the american comedian dave chappelle has been attacked during a performance at the hollywood bowl in los angeles. videos shared on social media showed someone running into chappelle. in other clips, the comic seemed to be unharmed after returning to the stage at the netflix is ajoke festival. chappelle faced criticism and protests last year when a programme he made for the streaming service was accused of being transphobic. jonathan goodwin, a man who was on britain's got talent in 2019, has been left paralysed after a stunt went wrong. mr goodwin's fiancee says

he was taking part in a tv show in america when it happened. the stunt involved him trying to escape from a straightjacket while hanging upside down in between two cars. the family of a nine—month—old baby boy who died after choking at nursery school have launched a petition against plans to change the adult—to—child ratio in early—years childcare. oliver steeper died in september, following the incident atjelly beans nursery in ashford in kent. his parents say proposals to reduce childcare costs by allowing one member of staff to care for more than three infants would put lives at risk. josie hannett reports. look at you, sat in your chair, mr oliver. oliver steeper was nine months old when he choked at a nursery and died five days later. he wasjust perfect and crazy head and... his parents have launched a petition in response to the prime minister's suggestion to his cabinet to relax staff—to—child ratios in early year settings like nurseries,

making it cheaper for parents to tackle the cost of living crisis. after losing oliver in a childcare setting, you know, to then reduce the adult—to—child ratios was just disgusting. you know, how can they put the safety of children over helping the economy? i can't get my head around it, it's just terrible. it's notjust the safety aspect either. i was thinking of the fact that you pay this money for your kids to go to nursery or a childminder and you want them to have a decent time, while they are there and a quality of care when they are there as well with learning different things and stuff like that and i'm just kind of thinking how could that work if the kids that the adults are looking after, there are more of them? the government says they are clear that supporting families with access to childcare and early education is a priority and they are looking

at ways to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare places. thejelly beans nursery, where the incident happened, had its licence immediately suspended by ofsted, following what they said were serious safeguarding concerns. within a few weeks, the nursery voluntarily closed itself down. meanwhile, the police investigation into oliver's death is ongoing. britain's richest man, sirjim ratcliffe, says he won't give up on his bid to buy chelsea. that's despite the fact his bid — worth £a.25 million — was rejected by the bank overseeing the sale of the club. it's the latest twist in the saga around the sale of the blues, after russian owner roman abramovich put the club up for sale. we can speak now to kieran maguire, the presenter of the podcast the price of football. good to speak to you, kieran. we have spoken before. this is a corker of a story. it is turning into a

real nightmare, isn't it, the sale of chelsea? all part of the effort to get russian money out of the uk and punish russia for ukraine. what is difficult here? t and punish russia for ukraine. what is difficult here?— is difficult here? i think there are a coule is difficult here? i think there are a capple of _ is difficult here? i think there are a couple of issues. _ is difficult here? i think there are a couple of issues. first - is difficult here? i think there are a couple of issues. first of- a couple of issues. first of all, remember, —— roman abramovich's making advisers now appear to have a preferred bidder, in the todd boehly group, and out of the blue came the sirjim ratcliffe group a few days ago. he claims he has got a bit of four .25, which on the face of it would blow the other deal out of the water. but it seems to be his deal is probably the same as that boehly group and he is then promising to spend 1.75 billion on players and infrastructure in the course of the

next ten years, so it is been like me buying a house and saying, i am putting an extension on it. you've got to say, ultimately, what is the value of the house today and discount additional spending at a future date? it is very messy indeed, at the clock is ticking down, because the government licence that allows chelsea to trade, that licence expires on the 31st of may. this was a kind of, in a sense, window that allowed them to get the sail over with, transfer all the russian connections, but let's say the ratcliffe bid goes no further and the bid from todd boehly of the la dodgers owner, is the one. even after that could get scuppered. yes, on the chelsea _ that could get scuppered. yes, on the chelsea website, _ that could get scuppered. yes, on the chelsea website, before - that could get scuppered. yes, on the chelsea website, before the i the chelsea website, before the sanctions took place, roman

abramovich said he was putting the club up for sale and the proceeds would go to the foundation. the noises we are now hearing is that roman abramovich, who has lent chelsea football club money from one of his companies based in the channel islands, is now wavering on that rebate of the loan, and this gives the government a problem because, as you rightly said, the government is very keen that roman abramovich and the other oligarchs do not receive anything from the sale, the proceeds of any assets or any finance they have in uk —based companies at some point you may not know the answer to this, but it is a question that occurs to me — what happens if the sale does not go through before that deadline? is there a hope the government would

extend it further? t is there a hope the government would extend it further?— extend it further? i think there is certainly scepe — extend it further? i think there is certainly scope to _ extend it further? i think there is certainly scope to flex _ extend it further? i think there is certainly scope to flex the - extend it further? i think there is l certainly scope to flex the licence, but one of the big challenges is the chelsea wage bill is £20 million a month, and we have already seen the government have to alter the terms of the licence on one occasion to date, when they allowed roman abramovich to put in 30 million pounds cash into chelsea, presumably to pay the wage bill. so they pay the wages for march and april. what is going to happen when we get to make is uncertain, whether they have the necessary funds to do so. could it get an advance from the from your league of next year's teivy money, it is not certain, but it makes things a lot more risky, in terms of chelsea going forward —— next year's teivy money. but the government is intent on ensuring that chelsea

itself, chelsea football club, is not a victim, in terms of roman abramovich. not a victim, in terms of roman abramovich-— not a victim, in terms of roman abramovich. karen, i can't resist askin: abramovich. karen, i can't resist asking you _ abramovich. karen, i can't resist asking you this _ abramovich. karen, i can't resist asking you this because - abramovich. karen, i can't resist asking you this because you - abramovich. karen, i can't resist. asking you this because you podcast on the price of football. the shirt worn by diego merritt donna, the hand of god shirt, one against england in the world cup 1986 —— diego mary —— mary ...itisan it is an amazing spice, but the erson it is an amazing spice, but the person who _ it is an amazing spice, but the person who is _ it is an amazing spice, but the person who is getting _ it is an amazing spice, but the person who is getting it _ it is an amazing spice, but the person who is getting it is - it is an amazing spice, but the person who is getting it is getting a unique piece of football history, so while it might seem crazy, from the likes of regular people with regular salaries, with a collector, they see it in... regular salaries, with a collector, they see it in. . .— they see it in... kieran maguire, they see it in... kieran maguire, the rice they see it in. .. kieran maguire, the price of— they see it in. .. kieran maguire, the price of football— they see it in... kieran maguire, the price of football is _ they see it in... kieran maguire, the price of football is getting i the price of football is getting higher all the time, it seems. thank you so much, good to talk to you. kieran maguire there, podcast or and pundit and expert all things football related. time for the

weather. i will be back later. hello. we have some warmer weather on the way for the entire of the uk in the days ahead, as we tap into a south—westerly airstream from a really quite a long way south in the atlantic. through the remainder of this evening and overnight, we will see things becoming dry across eastern england after the heavy showers of earlier hours. light winds, clearing skies, could be a few patches of mist and fog across england and wales first thing thursday. further north, more in the way of cloud, some weather fronts pushing into scotland and northern ireland. high pressure to the south, low pressure to the north — there's our south—westerly airstream between the two. and if we follow this all the way back to its source, you can see it's a long way south in the atlantic. yes, the air gets cooled somewhat across the relatively cool waters, but inherently it's warm. and add some sunshine — thursday afternoon, we could get up to 21 celsius across england and wales. a largely dry day, aside from the odd shower across england and wales. a bit more cloud for scotland and northern ireland,

quite wet for western scotland on and off through the day. hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. the rupture in american politics. joe biden says the supreme court's attempt to overturn roe v wade is more than about abortion. what happens if you have states changing the law, this maga crowd is really the most extreme political organisation that existed in american history. but the maga crowd in ohio are celebrating. donald trump's pick in the republican primary romps home, thank to the former president's endorsement. what does that mean for the future of the party and the direction of the country? in ukraine, the russians are storming the azovstal steel plant where ukrainian soldiers have been holding out. there are still 200 civilians trapped amid the fighting. the eu announces plans to ban all russian imports of oil

by the end of the year — but at least four states,