this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines. ukrainian officials say russian forces have launched an all—out assault on the azovstal steelworks in mariupol, as president zelensky calls for the un to help civilians still trapped there. we'll also explore how russian targeting of key infrastructure across ukraine is impacting western weapons arriving into the country, with strikes on roads and railways and polls are open across the uk. voters in scotland, wales and much of england, are electing local councillors and mayors in some areas. meanwhile, people in northern ireland are choosing a new assembly. energy giant, shell, has reported its highest

ever quarterly profits — making over £7 billion in the first 3 months of the year. that's almost three times the amount it reported this time last year. interest rates are expected to rise again. analysts believe the bank of england, could increase the base rate to 1% — the highest level in 13 years. the japanese prime minister is visiting the uk, with the crisis in ukraine — and a new defence partnership high on the agenda. fumio kishida is due to speak in the next few minutes, before government meetings later today. and coming up this hour... meeting some of nature's newest arrivals. a new study, following great tits near oxford, suggests spring is starting sooner. and manchester city are out of the champions league after a dramatic semifinal comeback by real madrid — securing victory

with two injury time goals. ukrainian officials say russian forces have launched an all—out assault on the azovstal steelworks in the besieged city of mariupol. around 200 civilians are still believed to be sheltering inside. moscow says humanitarian corridors will shortly open — for three days — to allow people to leave. a ukrainian commander claims russian troops have entered the tunnels under the site to try to crush the last pocket of resistance in mariupol. the hope is that civilians will escape the area

during the coming days. meanwhile, an investigation by the associated press suggests as many as 600 people were killed when russia bombed a mariupol theatre in march. that would make it the worst known loss of life in a single strike since the invasion began. mark lobel reports. ten weeks in, russia testing ukraine's resolve at the azovstal steelworks, intensifying its assault as this unverified footage released by pro—russian separatists shows. with what looks like thermobaric or vacuum bombs as a ukrainian regiment claims russians have entered the southern port city's plant. translation: there are heavy, bloody battles. i i am proud of my soldiers who make superhuman efforts to contain the pressure of the enemy.

i am grateful to the world for the colossal support to the garrison of mariupol. but that garrison�*s families are worried and there are fears, too, for the 200 trapped civilians, including 30 children still hunkering in the plant alongside thousands of others in need of rescue from elsewhere in the shattered city. translation: the second phase of our evacuation operation - in mariupol ended today with 344 people successfully evacuated from the city and the outskirts of zaporizhia. our team will greet them like the 150 who came from azovstal and they will get the necessary support from our state. russia's military says it will open humanitarian corridors out of the besieged azovstal steel complex for three days from thursday. but to pressure moscow to stop the fighting, the eu wants to halt the import

of russian oil by the end of the year. but it must have support from states heavily reliant on russian oil, such as slovakia and hungary, who say they cannot agree to that even with the offer of an extra year to comply. what we have seen on the table is very far from what we can live with and go with. not for the reasons of political taste or any taste—like issue, but it is simply the hard physical facts on the ground — there is no substitute. but western countries are still intent on rearming ukraine, as russia continues its attacks in the east. these strikes in dnipro five minutes after an air raid siren, leaving residents a little time to scramble for cover. in the last few days, russian forces have stepped up attacks on infrastructure in ukraine.

moscow wants to stop western weapons coming into the country, so it's targeting roads and railways in particular. ben brown reports from kyiv. day by day, hour by hour, russia is trying to dismantle the entire infrastructure of ukraine. roads, railways and power stations in particular. ukrainians repair what they can as soon as they can. desperate especially to keep supply routes open for weapons being brought in from the west. we are trying to repair everything where it is possible, as soon as possible, and we are successful in many cases. but anyway, ukraine is a large country. i wouldn't believe that they will succeed in order to cut all the supplies, so any way we will find a solution. often, bridges have been targets. sometimes the ukrainians themselves have had to blow up their own bridges to stop

russian troops advancing. the ukrainian government says around 300 bridges like this one have been destroyed in different parts of the country. in the short term, they want to replace damaged infrastructure like this with pontoon bridges, but all the ones they have are currently being used by the army, so they are appealing to the international community to supply them with more. in many parts of ukraine, there are long queues at the pumps, with petrol stations and fuel storage depots being bombed by the russians. we do have a problem with the oil and petrol. we will deal with it. one step at a time. this is my philosophy right now. if i think about how huge the picture is and how huge the problem is and how so many things are out of our control because it depends on the crazy dictator of putin in a bunker somewhere, then you lose control, you lose your mind. eventually, whenever this war is finally over,

a generous international aid plan will be needed to repair and rebuild this devastated country. but for now ukraine's priority isjust to keep patching up as much infrastructure as possible so it can continue to wage its war of survival. with me now is yulia kibkalo from the media initiative of human rights, who is in the ukrainian city of zaporizhzhia where she has been welcoming civilians who were evacuated from the besieged azovstal steel plant in mariupol. thank you for speaking to us this morning. first, add they have been arriving, what have they been telling you about what they have experience? what has clive been like in those tunnels? just experience? what has clive been like in those tunnels?— in those tunnels? just like their were lots of— in those tunnels? just like their were lots of people _ in those tunnels? just like their were lots of people and - in those tunnels? just like their were lots of people and they i in those tunnels? just like theirl were lots of people and they had horrendous experience. they were

telling us about the conditions. they lived in bunkers under they haven't had enough water and food and even no lights. they went without lighting some bunkers. there were approximately hundreds of people in every bunker. children also. the smallest kids were six months old. the troops help those people to survive. they try to provide them with food under constant shelling because they were shelling every day, 20 a7. they can't even get outside of the bunkers to see the sun and breathe fresh air. some of them have been in the bunker one and a half months without going outside. what the bunker one and a half months without going outside.— the bunker one and a half months without going outside. what kind of trauma has not _ without going outside. what kind of trauma has not left _ without going outside. what kind of trauma has not left on _ without going outside. what kind of trauma has not left on them? - without going outside. what kind of trauma has not left on them? can l without going outside. what kind of i trauma has not left on them? can you repeat? i am thinking of the trauma that this has impacted those that

haven't been able to leave those tunnels. mentally, how would you describe their state? the tunnels. mentally, how would you describe their state?— describe their state? the state is... describe their state? the state is- -- some _ describe their state? the state is... some of— describe their state? the state is... some of them _ describe their state? the state is... some of them are - describe their state? the state - is... some of them are depressed, disorientated. some of them were so depressed they couldn't even talk to us. theyjust tried to escape further. some of them want to escape abroad because they are scared and do not feel safe in any part of ukraine right now.— do not feel safe in any part of ukraine riaht now. , ., ukraine right now. those steelworks are vast. people _ ukraine right now. those steelworks are vast. people would _ ukraine right now. those steelworks are vast. people would have - ukraine right now. those steelworks are vast. people would have been i are vast. people would have been hoping they could have got more people out. can you explain the practicalities? what there a list of

who could get onto the bus? i was that agree?— who could get onto the bus? i was thataaree? , ., , ,., that agree? this was a safe bus and or: anised that agree? this was a safe bus and organised by _ that agree? this was a safe bus and organised by the — that agree? this was a safe bus and organised by the ukrainian - organised by the ukrainian government, the red cross and the un. they helped with their safe bus and stop shelling for a few days. but there are still civilians in the bunkers and approximately 200 people right now under the steel point bunkers. ourtroops right now under the steel point bunkers. our troops came and said you have a chance to leave. grab your stuff and go. it was very rapid and we were speaking to a woman who said they were in a bunker, and they managed to get outside all of them. all 103, they managed to get outside. there are a lot of bunkers

still with approximately a0, but nobody knows the exact quantity. they have no communication between each other because there is constant shelling and they cannot get outside. that is why they don't know how many people managed to survive from other bunkers and managed to leave. there was no choice procedure. everyone who managed to be taken from the bunkers were taken and used that safe passage. let’s be taken from the bunkers were taken and used that safe passage.— and used that safe passage. let's go to the next step _ and used that safe passage. let's go to the next step of _ and used that safe passage. let's go to the next step of the _ and used that safe passage. let's go to the next step of the evacuation. l to the next step of the evacuation. we have had reports of some of those being offered the choice of leaving but only heading to russia. what can you tell us about that?— you tell us about that? those who were given- -- _ you tell us about that? those who were given... they _ you tell us about that? those who were given... they said _ you tell us about that? those who were given... they said when - you tell us about that? those who | were given... they said when they left the steel plant, in the nearest village there was like a camp and

russians were speaking to those people who escaped from azovstal and they offered them to go to russia. they asked, if you want to, you can get there. you can go to russia. and some people said that those people in mariupol who were not in azovstal steel, they were in the eastern part of the city, that party is close to russia. some of them were taken without any agreement to russia. some of them are great because they thought this was the only way out to escape mariupol. also they have no information, they said they had no intimate connection, they didn't know what was going on in ukraine at the moment and they really thought that ukraine was destroyed and they have no way out. so russia was the only way out, to escape and survive.

for those that were able to travel to zaporizhzhia where you are, what their guaranteed safety along that route? were they guaranteed that there would be a ceasefire whilst those buses were transferred to zaporizhzhia and relative safety? they were transferred to zaporizhzhia, yes, this was the point they were taken to. the safe passage was really hard because it took more time to get to zaporizhzhia, one day more than expected because there are a lot of checkpoints during from mariupol to 23, 26 if i am not mistaken —— to zaporizhzhia. and they were in buses waiting to go. in zaporizhzhia, there is a refugee camp at the first point and at this camp local officials, ukrainian government, unicef, un, they provide our

organisation also provide refugees with different help and support with where to leave and so on. but the way he was really difficult and much longer than expected. we way he was really difficult and much longer than expected.— longer than expected. we have had re orts in longer than expected. we have had reports in the _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 _ longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 hours, - longer than expected. we have had reports in the last 24 hours, the . reports in the last 2a hours, the city of lviv which has been used as a transition point and was regarded as a safe city i've also been targeted by russians. how safe are people feeling in zaporizhzhia right now? ., ., , now? some of them are relieved. they are safe and — now? some of them are relieved. they are safe and there _ now? some of them are relieved. they are safe and there is _ now? some of them are relieved. they are safe and there is no _ now? some of them are relieved. they are safe and there is no shelling - are safe and there is no shelling and they feel safe. others say that no, i don't feel safe because zaporizhzhia is also under shelling. some missiles, they come into the city, a view days ago zaporizhzhia was under attack again and it is almost everyday. not as hard as mariupol but nonetheless. there are no set points in ukraine right now

because they are all under shelling, missiles, rockets and zaporizhzhia is one of those cities. so people who came from azovstal steel, they don't want to stay here, they want to go abroad, germany and other countries. ., ., ., , ., , countries. you mentioned that people have been going _ countries. you mentioned that people have been going to _ countries. you mentioned that people have been going to either— countries. you mentioned that people have been going to either russia - have been going to either russia itself or russia controlled territory, whether it was under duress or not. there is a question then of human rights abuses. what do we know about the conditions of these people and what do you think that the international community can realistically do? we that the international community can realistically do?— realistically do? we can give them the suoport _ realistically do? we can give them the support because _ realistically do? we can give them | the support because investigations will be started according to everything that russians did. so they can be provided with food and clothes. they were already provided with food and clothes, a place where they can stay and also provided with

transport to get to other places if they want to. because of those people, they were asked where are they going, and if they need support and helped to transfer, clothes, information help, they are supported and provided with all this help. thank you so much for filling in gaps and providing the details that so many of us are trying to get hold of. thank very much. she works for the media initiative for human rights in zaporizhzhia, where some of those evacuated from mariupol have been evacuated to. we are going to stay in ukraine. our correspondentjoe inwood is in the city of lviv. i was just asking julia about the safety and some of the cities and pointing out that lviv had also

suffered russian bombardments. what is it been like in the last 2a hours? is it been like in the last 24 hours? �* , ., , , , is it been like in the last 24 hours? a , ., ., hours? as it happens, we had an air raid siren go — hours? as it happens, we had an air raid siren go off— hours? as it happens, we had an air raid siren go off while _ hours? as it happens, we had an air raid siren go off while i _ hours? as it happens, we had an air raid siren go off while i was - raid siren go off while i was broadcasting an hour ago halfway through an interview which was disconcerting but it is all clear now. we got back. lviv is a city thatis now. we got back. lviv is a city that is felt more secure over the last few weeks over the course of this war. this is a century city where people come to flee from the fighting rather than feeling like they might be involved in it. but that peace has on occasion shattered by missiles landing. about 36 hours ago we had three strike around the city. a couple behind me and one in that direction. they were around the city, not in the city. because the russians have not been targeting civilian populations but targeting infra structure. they have hit civilians, but they seem to have been targeting power supplies, rail

infrastructure because what they are trying to do is disable the flow of weapons and equipment into the country that comes from nato, from european allies through places like lviv, places like odesa. that is where equipment come from before heading to the use. so what we are saying is tiger got infrastructure. it doesn't mean that it isn't terrifying for people who live here. it is deeply unsettling to live with air raid sirens is a constant soundtrack of your life but in terms of the safety, we felt personally, i felt safe enough to stay here and broadcast while sirens went on. we have heard an announcement saying that russia is going to allow more civilians to leave, a three—day ceasefire, saying that it could begin today. just how optimistic are people that this humanitarian evacuation will really take place? as with all these things, we can't be certain but in this instance not

very optimistic at all. it is worth remembering that this is not a un brokered ceasefire, this is a unilateral declaration of ceasefire. we have seen that before. in the last two weeks since the siege on mariupol steelwork started, the russians said on a number of occasions we. fighting. they didn't stop fighting and people didn't take them up on it. so there are two questions. are they serious about the ceasefire? and would the civilians who had been under bombardment four weeks and months, would they believe them? i think thatis would they believe them? i think that is very, very doubtful. certainly the soldiers who hold up will not surrender. i would put money on that. civilians, it is possible but without the guarantee of the united nations and the red cross, i think it is unlikely but i have seen stranger things happen in this conflict. that have seen stranger things happen in this conflict-—

this conflict. that was joe in the ci of this conflict. that was joe in the city of lviv- _ this conflict. that was joe in the city of lviv. business _ this conflict. that was joe in the city of lviv. business news. - the british oil company, shell, has posted underlying profits of £7.3 billion — betweenjanuary and march — it's the company's highest quarterly figure — and triple the amount it made in the same period last year. shell's rival, bp, also revealed a sharp rise in income, earlier this week. with me now is our international business correspondent theo leggett. these figures are eye watering. they are extremely high profits but these companies are retailing and trading in energy products and energy products have come under pressure largely as a result of what's been happening in ukraine but also because of the covid recovery. so to put that into some context, one year ago a barrel of oil was trading at around $65. today it is trading at $110. that is a huge increase and

that directly through into profits for the oil companies and shall has also been making money out of the fact of producing refined products like diesel and they are in short supply at the moment. bring all this together, and rising prices for oil and gas as well, energy products as and gas as well, energy products as a whole, it means that companies that supply those products are doing well. interest rates are expected to rise again today. the bank of england will release its latest decision at midday. analysts are predicting that the base rate could increase to one per cent — their highest level in 13 years. colombia has extradited the leader of the country's biggest crime gang and drug baron to the united states. colombia's president, ivan duque, confirmed the extradition of dairo antonio usuga, better known as otoniel. he described him as the world's most dangerous drug trafficker and the murderer of many people

including children and police officers. otoniel, who led the gulf clan cartel, is wanted in the us for smuggling up to 200 tonnes of cocaine a year into the country. he will face charges of murder, drug trafficking, conspiracy, and illegal possession of weapons. otoniel�*s capture in october ended a seven—year manhunt. this week, 32—year old michael murray became the youngest boss of a top uk firm, when he took over the running of the frasers retail empire, built up by sports direct tycoon mike ashley. he's in line for a massive payout if he's successful. but as mr ashley's future son—in—law he has faced accusations of nepotism, and suggestions that he lacks the experience for the job. he's been talking to emma simpson. this isn't your usual sports direct. no, this is all the hard work

and the vision for the group and there will be many more of these to come. and it has cost a lot. it has cost 10 million to open this store, which is a huge investment in the high street. what is the strategy? what is the vision? what are you trying to do here? our vision is to serve our consumers with the worlds best premium and luxury brands, and it has looked a bit like a scatter—gun approach over the past few years, acquiring brands like evans, jack wills, game etc. but if you take this store we are in today and you look at how we have pulled that together, whether it is game upstairs with the e—ports arena creating an environment for the grassroots e—sports players to come and play in the store, adding a diversification and a reason to visit our stores, it is very clear we have just not communicated it well enough to the outside world. you are mike ashley's future son—in—law. what do you say to accusations of nepotism?

i'd say the journey that we have come on i have definitely proved myself and my worth to the group, so i think we have achieved so much over the last few years. and what i would say about nepotism is mike would never put me up to a job which he didn't think that i could excel in, because i don't think it would be very popular around the dinner table. is he still pulling the strings? no, mike is not pulling the strings. from the day i became ceo, the final decision lies with me. what cross pressures are you facing across the business right now? well, logistics is going through the roof in terms of the container pricing, energy bills are going through the roof, steel and manufacturing for the shop fit cost are increasing. that is no secret. that is public knowledge. but in terms of the pricing of the product, we are very much at mercy to our brand partners. they decide the price. the price they want to sell the goods for and we will increase

the prices as and when the brands ask us or recommend us to do so. you are in line for a £100 million payout if you get the share price up to... if! if you get the share price up to £15 in three years. do you think you can do that? well, i wouldn't have signed up to it if i didn't believe. i believe we have got a very strong strategy. a bigger than uk market to go after. we have got opportunity in europe as well. and i am determined to get it there. a huge clean—up operation is under way in the spanish city of valencia after record—breaking rainfall. dozens of cars were swallowed up, as floodwater cascaded through neighbourhoods of the city, leaving homes and businesses soaked. wendy urquhart reports. this used to be a road. now it's a river. dozens of cars were swallowed up, as floodwater surged through the city's neighbourhoods, leaving homes and businesses completely saturated. "a lot of water fell last night," says this man.

"just look at the state" of the place. "last night all the neighbours in the building were bailing out water for four hours," says another. firefighters faced an uphill struggle as they try to rescue drivers who were stranded in their cars. horrendous weather forcing authorities to shut down several roads in valencia and the metro system also ground to a halt, as torrential rain battered the city for 2a hours nonstop. weather—wise, it is supposed to be dry and sunny for the next few days, which will give people the chance to clean up the mess that the floods have left behind. but they are unlikely to be able to salvage much because everything is completely waterlogged. look at all that wet weather. and look at carol behind me. a lot of us would have loved that wet weather in spain, but we are also getting

summer here in the next few days. it will turn much warmer and next week as well. we have a fair bit of code which is producing rain across scotland, pushing into the north sea but more following behind. some showers in northern ireland but it will brighten up for you and for england and wales it is dry with sunny intervals, fair weather cloud which could produce the order showers later, thicker cloud across in the midlands, south wales and south west england but temperatures in the south—east could get up to 21 or 22 degrees and we could get 17 in aberdeen, newcastle and belfast. this evening and overnight, patchy mist and fog farming, rain coming in across western scotland and also northern ireland and that will be persistent and as we head through tomorrow we will continue to journey south—eastwards. behind it, it will

brighten up. cloud building ahead as it pushes further south and tomorrow's temperatures getting up tomorrow's temperatures getting up to around 21 degrees.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: ukrainian officials say russian forces have launched an all—out assault on the azovstal steelworks in mariupol. president zelensky calls for the un to help civilians still trapped there. voters in scotland, wales and much of england are electing local councillors, and mayors in some areas. meanwhile, people in northern ireland are choosing a new assembly. energy giant shell has reported its highest ever quarterly profits, making over £7 billion in the first three months of the year. interest rates are expected to the higest level in 13 years. analysts believe the bank of england could increase the base rate to i%.

the japanese prime minister is visiting the uk, with the crisis in ukraine and a new defence partnership high on the agenda. a new study suggests spring is starting sooner than it used to, with great tits near oxford laying their eggs earlier than ever. and manchester city are out of the champions league after a dramatic semifinal comeback by real madrid, securing victory with two injury—time goals. sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's mike. good morning. no prizes for guessing where we are starting, as you havejust no prizes for guessing where we are starting, as you have just been saying! there'll be no all—english champions league final this year,

after manchester city suffered one of the most dramatic collapses in the competiton's history, as real madrid scored twice in injury time to turn their semifinal on its head. olly foster watched the action. what an extraordinary night. manchester city had been just a few minutes away from another champions league final. yes, real madrid have won a record 13 european titles, but this will haunt city for a long time. yes, it's tough for us. we cannot deny it. we were so close to the champions league final. we didn't play much good in the first half. we didn't find our game, but it's normal, you know, in this competition, it's normal. in the second half, it was much better. and unfortunately we could not finish when we were close. after last week's seven—goal spectacular, the first half fell strangely flat, like aymeric laporte, and tensions rose quickly to the surface. city had the best of the first—half chances, but real were doing their best to rein them in.

it was that type of match. inside the last 20 minutes, remember, city only needed a draw, but riyad mahrez lashed in a goal that would surely see them safely through to the final. jack grealish could have put some added gloss on city's night. not to worry, time was almost up. there's always time. in the final minute, the real substitute rodrygo gave them hope. a minute later, bedlam in the bernebau. rodrygo again. extra time and maybe penalties would have to separate them, but instead it was just one penalty. benzema fouled by diaz, and the frenchman was the calmest amongst 60,000 who would go on to party long into the madrid night. city can take absolutely no joy that they played their part to the full in one of the best european cup ties of all time. but this was supposed to be the season that they imposed their greatness on this competition. instead, it is the greatest, real who will take their place in the paris final against liverpool.

we are set for potentially more european drama tonight. there are two british sides who are 90 minutes away from the europa league final — but both will start a goal down. rangers will have home advantage at least, as they take on rb leipzig at ibrox, having lost the first leg 1—0. while west ham lost 2—1 to eintracht frankfurt at the london stadium last week. if they can get a result in germany, it'd be the first european final they've reached since 1976. and it's also the semifinals of the inaugural europa conference league. leicester city are in the italian capital to facejose mourinho's roma. the tie is level at 1—1 after last week's game at the king power stadium. we will also showed notjust the experience, but that we can complete the task, so yeah, you have to embrace that, you want to go into a

great stadium, it should be full, most of the supporters against you, but that is ok, we have won games before in those circumstances, and we will go out there with no fear, looking to win the game, and that is our mindset will be. for the first time in five years, andy murray faces world number one novak djokovic today. bill gates has urged world leaders to do more to prevent future pandemics. the microsoft co—founder is calling for greater sharing of information and a faster response to stop such large—scale disease outbreak happening again. he's been speaking to the bbc�*s mishal husain.

she started by asking him how ready we should be for another pandemic. the risk is there every year, and definitely going up as people travel around the world more. as climate change causes species to seek new habitats and population growth, particularly in asia and africa, means we are invading more natural habitats. it's very unlikely that we will go 20 more years without another outbreak that has a chance of becoming a global pandemic. which is sobering, and a hard thing to think about, at a point psychologically when there is a joy to getting back to the things that we couldn't do for such a long period, but you essentially want us all to think about preparing for the next one, which is kind of a tough ask at a time like this. oh, definitely, and this pandemic is not completely over. we could have a surprise variant. i don't think that is high probability, but yes, people are ready for this one

to end, no doubt. hopefully they keep in mind how awful it has been, so we take the reasonably modest measures that are required to reduce the chance of it happening again. which are spending on practice, on modelling, on proper active preparedness. yes, practice would be key, and having a dedicated team that helps manage that practice and makes sure that every little outbreak gets a quick investigation, including genetic sequencing, so we can understand, is this a respiratory virus that is threatening to become another covid? covid itself, the thing you just hinted at, i think you are saying it is possible that the worst is even yet to come if we get a new, more dangerous variant than what we have seen?

not likely. we have a lot of immunity. the variant escapes some of that immunity, particularly if we get the elderly to keep up to date on boosters, then the amount of severe disease and death is dramatically less, so we can't completely ignore this pandemic. but we do not yet have the tools where you take the vaccine once and you are protected for life and it stops you getting infected, that is the kind of tool that we need to really put this behind us and for future pandemics. do you think any of the preparedness you would like to see is really going on as you look around the world now? the idea of building a global group, that i call germ,

for global economic response and mobilisation, at the who level, there is not yet a consensus, but the debate is beginning and my book, i think, will help kick off the debate. i would love to see in the next year that funded, because the cost is pretty small, yet that is the central group that will make sure that we practice and have dramatically less impact. what did you think about novak djokovic saying that he was not vaccinated because it is essentially about his freedom of choice on the choice of what he puts in his body? i wonder if you think when someone is in the public eye, is there a wider responsibility than just your own body? being vaccinated helps the community you are in. they're not perfect at blocking infection, but they do reduce infection. it's concerning someone's health concerns are so extreme that they feel they cannot participate

in that community protection. if they are an inspiration and trusted person, then they are spreading that, and itjust makes it tougher to get the vaccination levels that we really need. so i admire him in a lot of ways, but i wish his views on vaccines weren't that way. on you personally, you have had a big change in your life in the last year with the end of your marriage. how has that affected you? well, my life is very different. my kids are gone from the house, the last one left for college a year ago. the divorce is a big change. although there is one part of my relationship that i treasure a great deal, which is our work together

at the foundation, and that continues, and i'm very happy with that. the divorce was very hard. it was a tough year. this year is a lot more upbeat. she seemed to have seen something injeffrey epstein on the occasion that she met him that you didn't in your meetings with him. is that right? she said that she met him once and as soon as she walked in the door, she felt he was abhorrent and evil personified. i made a mistake ever meeting with jeffrey epstein. maybe her instincts on that were keener than mine, but any meeting i had with him could be viewed as almost condoning his evil behaviour. so, you know, that was a mistake. bill gates, thank you very much. new analysis suggests that a further 2.2 million people will have to sacrifice essentials this year. the left—of—centre think—tank the new economics foundation says families on middle incomes are now being affected by the cost of living crisis.

let's get more on this with sam tims, he's an economist at the new economics foundation. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. let's start with this idea of essentials, white, because too many people that could mean a variety of things, so people that could mean a variety of thins, su , ., people that could mean a variety of thins, su i. . . things, so when you are looking at our things, so when you are looking at your research. _ things, so when you are looking at your research, what _ things, so when you are looking at your research, what is _ things, so when you are looking at your research, what is an - things, so when you are looking at i your research, what is an essential? sure, so the essential that we are talking about here are defined by the minimum income standard, so what happens is a group of academics at loughborough university as a range of people what they think is kind of essential do a decent level of living, and they put all of these different items into a basket, so this will be for food, clothing,

travel, things like that, and they then kind of compare this to average prices across the uk. 50 then kind of compare this to average prices across the uk.— prices across the uk. so who is feelin: it prices across the uk. so who is feeling it the — prices across the uk. so who is feeling it the hardest? - prices across the uk. so who is feeling it the hardest? well, i prices across the uk. so who is l feeling it the hardest? well, who prices across the uk. so who is - feeling it the hardest? well, who is feelin: it feeling it the hardest? well, who is feeling it the _ feeling it the hardest? well, who is feeling it the hardest, _ feeling it the hardest? well, who is feeling it the hardest, that - feeling it the hardest? well, who is feeling it the hardest, that is - feeling it the hardest? well, who is feeling it the hardest, that is the i feeling it the hardest, that is the interesting point, because at the very bottom of the income spectrum, thatis very bottom of the income spectrum, that is who is feeling if they hardest, the poorest in society are seeing cost increase by about 20% of their income. but the scale of the cost of living crisis is actually growing now, and new evidence finds that even in the middle income, people are still going to be worse off as a result of the increased prices and the fact that incomes are lagging behind. prices and the fact that incomes are lagging behind-— lagging behind. what is a middle income? because _ lagging behind. what is a middle income? because there - lagging behind. what is a middle income? because there will - lagging behind. what is a middle income? because there will be i lagging behind. what is a middle - income? because there will be those income? because there will be those in that so—called brca2 are thinking, i really can't get to the end of the month, what is a middle income? —— in that the so—called bracket who are thinking. it is income? -- in that the so-called

bracket who are thinking.- bracket who are thinking. it is a ranue, bracket who are thinking. it is a range. about — bracket who are thinking. it is a range, about 2.2 _ bracket who are thinking. it is a range, about 2.2 million - bracket who are thinking. it is a l range, about 2.2 million people, bracket who are thinking. it is a - range, about 2.2 million people, as you mentioned, the average household earnings from work are £33,000 a year, so what we are saying is that you have £33,000 a year, on average, there is a decent chance you are now not able to have filed a decent standard of living.— not able to have filed a decent standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling _ standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling it _ standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling it at _ standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling it at all— standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling it at all right - standard of living. sam, are the rich feeling it at all right now? | rich feeling it at all right now? they will be feeling it, just not as much at the bottom end of the spectrum, so the top 5% are actually kind of only seeing a little impact from the cost of living, and it is actually nine times less than the poorest half of society. 0k. actually nine times less than the poorest half of society. 0k. now, we com are poorest half of society. 0k. now, we compare to — poorest half of society. 0k. now, we compare to the _ poorest half of society. 0k. now, we compare to the oecd, _ poorest half of society. 0k. now, we compare to the oecd, could - poorest half of society. 0k. now, we compare to the oecd, could you - compare to the oecd, could you explain to our viewers what the oecd are and how the uk compares to how they are performing and what support there people have as well? sure. they are performing and what support there people have as well?— there people have as well? sure, so there people have as well? sure, so the oecd are _ there people have as well? sure, so the oecd are a _ there people have as well? sure, so the oecd are a range _ there people have as well? sure, so

the oecd are a range of— there people have as well? sure, so the oecd are a range of countries, l the oecd are a range of countries, slightly rich countries, and the oecd is an organisation that is able to track and monitor how we are comparing to those countries, and one of the interesting things here is that the cost of living crisis is notjust is that the cost of living crisis is not just a is that the cost of living crisis is notjust a price crisis, but income crisis as well, and that is in part because we have one of the weakest safety nets across the oecd out of any of those countries. so this is kind of universal credit and our legacy benefits system, and i think it is the third weakest out of any oecd country. 50 it is the third weakest out of any oecd country-— it is the third weakest out of any oecd count . ., . , . , oecd country. so how are they able to have a better— oecd country. so how are they able to have a better safety _ oecd country. so how are they able to have a better safety net - oecd country. so how are they able to have a better safety net and - oecd country. so how are they able to have a better safety net and we i to have a better safety net and we are not? what are these other countries doing that we are not doing, and we should be able to do it? ~ , , ., , ., , doing, and we should be able to do it? ., it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah. _ it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there _ it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there is _ it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there is a _ it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there is a lot - it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there is a lot that - it? we definitely should be able to do it, yeah, there is a lot that can | do it, yeah, there is a lot that can be done to boost our safety net, increase the incomes of those on the lowest incomes in society, and i think that is something that, as a

society, we should be moving towards. in fact, at the new economics foundation, we have a campaign called a living income, and the idea is to increase everyone in society to a decent minimum level of income. the way that we pay through this is taxation and redesigning the tax system a little bit. the overall aim, though, would be to lift as many people out of poverty as possible. many people out of poverty as ossible. .. many people out of poverty as ossible. ,. , . ,, many people out of poverty as ossible. , . ,, , ., possible. 0k, sam tims, thank you very much — possible. 0k, sam tims, thank you very much indeed, _ possible. ok, sam tims, thank you very much indeed, thank— possible. 0k, sam tims, thank you very much indeed, thank you. - the headlines on bbc news: ukrainian officials say russian forces have launched an all—out assault on the azovstal steelworks in mariupol, with forces fighting difficult and bloody battles. polls are open across the uk with local elections across scotland, wales much of england, and voters in northern ireland choosing a new assembly. energy giant shell has

reported its highest ever quarterly profits — making over £7 billion in the first three months of the year. amber heard has taken the stand for the first time in the defamation trial brought by her former husband johnny depp, telling the court he repeatedly struck her whilst he was drunk and taking drugs. mr depp is suing ms heard over a story she wrote in which she described herself as a domestic abuse victim. he denies the allegations. david sillito has been following their case. will you please state your name? yes, it is amber laura heard. amber heard — over the last three and a half weeks, she has sat in court each day and listened as a series of witnesses and her ex—husband have described her as violent, emotionally unstable and a liar. this was finally her chance to give her side of the story. why are you here? 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. this has been... this is the most painful and difficult thing i've ever gone through. this the beginning of her story of a marriage that she says left her injured and traumatised. and sitting just feet away in front of her, the man who she says assaulted and abused her — johnny depp. do you remember the first time that he physically hit you? - yes. please tell the jury about it. she said johnny depp had been taking cocaine and it was a comment about one of his tattoos that led to abusive language and violence. he slapped me across the face.

and i laughed. i laughed because i... i didn't know what else to do. i thought this must be a joke. he said, "do you think it's so funny?" and he slapped me again. it was, she says, just the beginning of years of abuse. he was the love of my life. and he was. he was. but he was also this other thing. he was also this other thing! and the other thing was awful. throughout it all, johnny depp sat head down with his notes and jellybeans. all of it, he says, is untrue, but his ex—wife has much more to say. david sillito, bbc news.

there's growing evidence that spring is beginning earlier, after a woodland study suggests the timing of the season has shifted forward by three weeks, compared to the i9a0s. researchers have come to that conclusion because the great tit birds that live in whytam woods near oxford are laying their eggs earlier than ever. victoria gill reports. more than 500 plant species, 800 types of butterflies and moths, and in one woodland site of about a square mile, there are 1,200 specially built nest boxes. because wytham woods near oxford is a very special site of scientific interest. is this officially the most studied woodland in the world, do you think? i mean, it certainly must be one of them. we've published more than 350 papers just from the wytham tit project alone.

oh, wow, that is impressive. this year marks the 75th anniversary of the wytham great tit project. scientists have systematically monitored every chick hatched in their nest boxes here since i9a7. and we are about to meet the newest generation. wow, how many are there? eight. that's a very standard size for a great tit. eight seems a lot. eight very hungry babies to feed. you can actually see most of their digestive systems. they are all transparent. transparent, mouths open, "feed me, feed me". now these parents have got a lot of work to do. they have got to find about 10,000 caterpillars for these. 10,000 to get them to fledge? that's a lot of work. so i guess mum and dad will be out just gathering caterpillars now and just repeatedly back to the nest. all day long. people are quite divided on whether they think they are cute or ugly.

i think they are cute—ugly. they are amazing. it is precisely because this has been a continuous study for all those decades that researchers have been able to see and to measure the change in the timing of spring here. the 75 years that we have been studying the tits here, we have seen quite a marked shift in the timing of egg laying. so now they are laying about three weeks earlier than they were in the 19a0s. that is a big shift. exactly, the tits here are actually managing to track the other members of their food chain quite well. so the caterpillars they feed on and the oak trees the caterpillars feed on. so both the caterpillars and the oaks have also shifted their timing earlier, so the whole sort of food chain has shifted earlier in the spring. the woods were bequeathed to oxford university by a wealthy localfamily back in 19a2. since then, they have been the site of dozens of different scientific projects. but the longest running is the great tit study, which chris has been involved in

for more than half a century. what has been your involvement with the studies here? i came in �*57. and it is changing, but from year to year, it's a lovely piece of woodland which is maintaining pretty much the same sort of thing. and what are your reflections on the seasonal shift? my thoughts are that is fine. unless it gets to limits where the trees or the caterpillars all the birds can't do that shift because it's too big. and that is still the question... that is still a big question to answer and a very interesting one. the work here goes on. and whenever spring happens, it's a busy season for the birds and the scientists, because as our climate changes, these rare, decades—long studies that track exactly how the natural world responds become more important as time goes on. victoria gill, bbc news, wytham wood.

meta platforms is set to open its first physical store. shoppers can try out and buy vr headsets. it's as the company plans to take its virtual reality space, the metaverse, mainstream. emily brown reports. living in a virtual space where people interact is now possible in a real meta store, the first of its kind opening in california. it is the latest push from meta platforms, the company that owns facebook, to promote mainstream interest in what it calls the metaverse. the company is investing heavily in the metaverse by developing hardware devices that provide access to the virtual world. here, consumers can buy headsets and interactive gadgets. last month, it said it would start testing tools for selling virtual experiences

within its vr platform. the move comes after the tech giant reported its slowest revenue growth in a decade and warned of a potential revenue drop in the current quarter. it also noted it will be ditching podcasts, just a year after launching the service. it is a time of change for the company which can be seen in reality or virtual reality by the two billion people who use meta platforms every day. emily brown, bbc news. just a reminder, voting is under way in elections for local councils in great britain and the northern ireland assembly. for full details of the elections in your area, go to the bbc news website.

now it's time for a look at the weather. carol, you match perfectly! yes, ijust threw carol, you match perfectly! yes, i just threw this together! this morning there has been quite a lot of cloud around, high pressure firmly in charge, but weather fronts toppling around the top have been introducing rain, although not heavy. first thing this morning, quite a bit of cloud, as i mentioned, and you can see the current picture, how the cloud has been breaking in places, more sunshine coming through. the thickest cloud is in northern ireland and scotland, and we have a weather front taking this rain to the north sea. as we follow it down, where it bumps into high pressure, it is not doing much more than producing cloud. but some light and patchy rain in england, the odd shower across the midlands, south wales and south—west england later on. at the same time, he knew where

the front bringing showery outbreaks across the north—west of scotland. —— a new weather front. temperatures between ten and around about 21, possibly 22 somewhere in the south east. pollen levels today are high across much of england and wales, low or moderate elsewhere. through this evening and overnight, patchy mist and fog forming, but a new weather front coming in across scotland and northern ireland will introduce heavier and more persistent rain. as a result of this, not a cold start to the day. england and wales will lose any fog quite quickly, and as the weather front sinks southwards, the cloud ahead of it will tend to build, and some of this rain in north—west england and west wales will be heavy. on the other side of the band of rain, back into bright skies, sunshine and showers, with

temperatures of 11—21 . as we move through friday night into saturday, eventually the weather front makes its way into southern england, taking its rain with it, and high pressure builds across us, but a weak feature across the far north—east of scotland could produce the odd shower, getting into north—east england. for most, dry on saturday, cool along the north sea coastline, but temperatures getting up coastline, but temperatures getting up to 21 degrees. into sunday, a lot of dry weather, fronts moving around this area of high pressure will bring rain at times, and temperatures up to 20 once again.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. ukrainian officials say russian forces have launched an all—out assault on the azovstal steelworks in mariupol. president zelensky calls for the un to help civilians still trapped there. we'll also explore how russian targeting of key infrastructure, striking roads and railways across ukraine, is impacting western weapons arriving into the country. energy giant, shell, has reported its highest ever quarterly profits, making more than £7 billion in the first three months of the year. uk interest rates are expected to reach their highest level in 13 years. analysts believe the bank of england could increase the base rate to 1%.

it follows the us central bank announcing its biggest increase