interest rates rise to their highest level since 2009. rates go up to 1% from 0.75%, as the bank of england tries to curb inflation. profits at energy giant shell almost triple as oil prices surge. also this lunchtime: ukraine says russia's trying to destroy the last group of soldiers in the mariupol steelworks while the kremlin denies it's stormed the complex. covid causes 15 million excess deaths worldwide, according to the who. and did spring come three weeks early? scientists who monitor bird populations think so. and coming up on the bbc news channel, more reaction the late, late drama in madrid, as manchester city are knocked out

of the champions league. interest rates have risen to their highest level since 2009. the bank of england has confirmed the rise from 0.75% to 1%. it's part of an attempt to keep rising inflation in check — by encouraging people to save money by borrowing and spending less. but as families contend with the soaring cost of living, higher mortage payments will make financial challenges even more painful for millions of households. andy verity reports. the global economy reopening after a pandemic and a war in ukraine, don't

ask what that has got to do with the price of cheese. the answer is everything. price of cheese. the answer is everything-— price of cheese. the answer is everything. prices are going up weekl , everything. prices are going up weekly. you — everything. prices are going up weekly, you know? _ everything. prices are going up weekly, you know? will- everything. prices are going up weekly, you know? will -- - everything. prices are going up weekly, you know? will -- nol everything. prices are going up - weekly, you know? will -- no prices weekly, you know? will —— no prices have gone up vastly in the last three or four months, but is going up three or four months, but is going up £5 a case, and then it has gone up up £5 a case, and then it has gone up another £5 a case, which is good forfarmers, they are up another £5 a case, which is good for farmers, they are getting a decent price for their milk. at the knock—on effect is it is costing more to produce. because the electric costs have gone up, feed costs have gone up, fertiliser has gone up. so it isjust a vicious circle at the moment. the inflation is alobal, circle at the moment. the inflation is global. and _ circle at the moment. the inflation is global, and so _ circle at the moment. the inflation is global, and so was _ circle at the moment. the inflation is global, and so was the _ circle at the moment. the inflation is global, and so was the reaction, | is global, and so was the reaction, with the us federal bank, the federal reserve, hiking rates faster than they have in 22 years. inflation is much too high, and we understand the hardship it is causing. and we are moving expeditiously to bring it back down. today, the bank of and raised interest rates for the fourth time interest rates for the fourth time in a row. the first time that has

happened since 2007.— happened since 2007. global inflationary — happened since 2007. global inflationary pressures - happened since 2007. global inflationary pressures have . inflationary pressures have intensified sharply in the build up to and following the invasion. this has led to a material deterioration in the outlook for world growth. this is what the bank of england's official interest rate is now, the highest in 13 years. but not very high, because for the last 13 years they have been at emergency rates. look at the historic average for the bank of england's rate, 7.2%. then if you look at the highest it has been, in 1979, 17%. interest rates, when inflation was last this high 30 years ago, were nearly 10%. but economists don't think today's still super low rates will get anywhere near that. a ~ , super low rates will get anywhere near that. ~ , ., , . near that. markets are expecting the interest rate — near that. markets are expecting the interest rate to _ near that. markets are expecting the interest rate to reach _ near that. markets are expecting the interest rate to reach 2.596 _ near that. markets are expecting the interest rate to reach 2.596 by - near that. markets are expecting the interest rate to reach 2.596 by the . interest rate to reach 2.5% by the end of this year, which we think is probably too high.— end of this year, which we think is probably too high. raising interest rates is meant _ probably too high. raising interest rates is meant to _ probably too high. raising interest rates is meant to cool— probably too high. raising interest rates is meant to cool down - probably too high. raising interest rates is meant to cool down the i rates is meant to cool down the economy by making it more expensive to borrow cash to spend or invest.

but in the streets outside the shop in central nottingham, businesses are already struggling with tight consumer purse strings. indie are already struggling with tight consumer purse strings.- are already struggling with tight consumer purse strings. we are going to cive it consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this — consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this year _ consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this year to _ consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this year to see _ consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this year to see if _ consumer purse strings. we are going to give it this year to see if it - to give it this year to see if it picks up any. if not, then... you are going _ picks up any. if not, then... you are going to _ picks up any. if not, then... you are going to give _ picks up any. if not, then... you are going to give up? _ picks up any. if not, then. .. you are going to give up? i - picks up any. if not, then... you are going to give up? i am - picks up any. if not, then... you| are going to give up? i am going picks up any. if not, then... you i are going to give up? i am going to think twice, — are going to give up? i am going to think twice, i _ are going to give up? i am going to think twice, i can't _ are going to give up? i am going to think twice, i can't keep _ are going to give up? i am going to think twice, i can't keep living - think twice, i can't keep living on my savings. think twice, i can't keep living on my savings-— think twice, i can't keep living on m savinas. n' _, my savings. the risk in the coming months is that _ my savings. the risk in the coming months is that we _ my savings. the risk in the coming months is that we go _ my savings. the risk in the coming months is that we go through - my savings. the risk in the coming months is that we go through the l months is that we go through the worst inflation in decades in the mists of a sharp economic slowdown. if higher interest rates are meant to put consumers off spending, soaring energy bills may have already done thatjob. 0ur economics editor faisal islam is outside the bank of england. it is the bank's forecast that is also making the news?- it is the bank's forecast that is also making the news? yes, the decision to _ also making the news? yes, the decision to raise _ also making the news? yes, the decision to raise interest - also making the news? yes, the decision to raise interest rates l also making the news? yes, the. decision to raise interest rates up to 1% is very important for savers, borrowers and all of that sort of stuff. they bring out a forecast every four months, and it shows the horns of the dilemma for the bank of england, that both inflation, as we

have been hearing, because of energy prices, at even further than they expected, up as high as 10% by the end of the year, and yet the economy, because of those impacts on a disposable income, forecast to shrink, to contract and be small at the end of 2023 than at the beginning. not a formal recession, because it does not occur over six months, it occurs roughly over a nine—month to a year period, but still a measure of how weak the economy is. at the same time, they have a challenge over inflation, a real tightrope for the bank of england to try to walk to rein in the high rates of inflation and stop them from occurring for the next three or four years. them from occurring for the next three orfour years. and them from occurring for the next three or four years. and yet at the same time, have an economy that is so delicate, because people don't have the disposable income. that is their dilemma. it hasn't ever been as acute as this before, and it reflects the very real problems in

households affording those energy bills and food bills going up. the british energy giant shell has announced its highest ever quarterly profits. the company made nearly £7.3 billion in the first three months of this year. that's a three—fold increase on the same period in 2021. our business editor simonjack is here. how has shell made so much money? and what are they going to do with it? this and what are they going to do with it? �* , ., h, and what are they going to do with it? a ., , and what are they going to do with it? a g, , it? as faisal was 'ust saying, the increased cost — it? as faisal was 'ust saying, the increased cost of— it? as faisal wasjust saying, the increased cost of things - it? as faisal wasjust saying, the increased cost of things like - it? as faisal wasjust saying, the increased cost of things like oil. increased cost of things like oil and gas, which filters through to petrol and heating bills, that meant that companies like shell, as bp did earlier this week, have made bumper profits. we saw crude oil prices already high at the end of last year, gas prices already high at the end of last year. as the world economy emerged from a covid related coma, if you like, that was amplified by the russian invasion of ukraine, people worried that supplies from the second biggest oil exporter and biggest gas exporter

would be shut off or boycotted, and that sent the international bidding warfor prices, which means they have made more money than they ever had in their 115 year history. as to what they are going to do with it, they will have a lot of money given to their shareholders, £4.5 billion this quarter, four point billion pounds the next. that includes, by the way, millions are pension savers. they are also pledging to invest between them, bp and shell, over £40 billion in oil infrastructure over the next ten years. people will be looking closely to see if they fulfil those commitments. ukraine's army says russia is trying to destroy the last group of soldiers trapped in the azovstal steelworks plant in mariupol. for the latest, we can join my colleague ben brown in kyiv. yes, it looks like this could be the endgame at the azovstal steelworks in mariupol, where about 2000 ukrainian troops a making a desperate last stand —

they are the final pocket of resistance in mariupol, and alongside them in the bunkers, are about 200 civilians, including 30 children. the ukrainian commander there says "difficult, bloody battles" are being fought at azovstal right now — though russia denies it's storming the plant, and claims there's a three—day ceasefire to evacuate civilians. joe inwood reports. we could be entering the last days of the battle for mariupol. the azovstal steelworks, where ukrainian fighters are making theirfinal stand, has been pounded from above for days. now it seems the assault from the ground is under way. translation: it's already - the second day since the enemy broke into the plant. there are heavy, bloody battles. i am proud of my soldiers, who are making superhuman efforts to contain the pressure of the enemy. the situation is extremely difficult, but no matter what, we continue to carry out the order

to hold the defence. in short, the fight for azovstal will be a fight to the death. but it's notjust ukrainian soldiers stuck in the sprawling tunnels and nuclear bunkers of this huge complex. more than 200 civilians are also thought to be sheltering there. russia has announced a temporary ceasefire for a few hours each day to let them escape. ukrainians say they want the same thing. translation: we hope . to continue rescuing people from azovstal, from mariupol. there are still civilians left there. women, children. to save them, we need to continue the ceasefire. we are ready to take part. it willjust take time to lift people out of those basements, out of those underground shelters. late last night, a group of evacuees did arrive in the town of zaporizhzhia, but they were from the wider city, not the besieged steelworks. if the plant does fall,

that will mean all of mariupol is under russian control. as well as giving president putin something to call a victory, it will free up thousands of russian forces to take part in the assault on the donbas. so far, progress south is reported to be very slow and uneven, while movement north has been paused altogether. that could be because the donbas is where many of ukraine's best trained and most experienced soldiers are based, and they're digging in. but this war isn'tjust taking place on the ground in the east. yesterday russia hit a crucial crossing over the dnieper river. it followed strikes today before here in lviv, where they targeted three electrical substations. they're trying to take out ukraine's rail network, and stop the flow of weapons from the west to the east. but it's not all going one way. ukraine is said to have destroyed this huge russian oil depot in occupied donetsk. this war is as much about logistics as anything else, and both sides are drawing blood.

joe inwood, bbc news, lviv. as russia accelerates its attacks in the donbas in eastern ukraine, other areas are coming underfire including the town of dnipro in the centre—east. it was shaken last night by missile strikes which damaged a railway facility and a major bridge. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in dnipro. bring us up to date with what has been happening. ukrainians are constantly reminded that even though russia's main military focus is now the donbas, eastern ukraine, which lies south—east of where we are now, but nowhere in this country is safe. yeah, in dnipro, the centre of the east, after weeks of relative calm, last night several cruise missiles slammed into the centre of the city,

damaging, as you say, a bridge crossing the dnipro river, and also damaging a railway facility. it shook the building where we were, in the heart of the city at that time. underlining again that, alongside its focus on the east, russia is now targeting, as we heard from joe inwood, critical infra structure. dnipro is a logistics town, main aid agencies are based here, but we are hearing from them that they are preparing a plan b, if russia starts to focus even more on places like dnipro, seeing them as a critical link in both the transport and supply structure needed to keep fuelling that war for ukraine in the south—east. we really have a sense that this war is entering a more dangerous and deadly phase. thank you very much indeed. 0n the front lines of the war,

thousands of people remain trapped in horrifying conditions — in mariupol in the south, and across the eastern donbas region. often the rescue operations to free them are led by volunteers who are taking enormous risks. 0ur correspondent andrew harding has been hearing from some of those volunteers and the people whose lives they've saved. they sit in stunned silence on the school bus thatjust rescued them from hell. still weary with terror. two other buses with them did not make it back. "it was so scary," is all she can manage to say. thousands here are running the russian gauntlet, trying to escape from the kremlin's new offensive in eastern ukraine. but imagine escaping this, and then going back in again and again.

that is what a group of remarkable volunteers are doing here in the donbas, including the man who filmed this. a british maths teacher, guy 0sborn, who came out last month to lend a hand. we have been going quite close to the front and evacuating huddled, bedridden people, a couple of blind people, people with zimmer frames. it is quite a risk you're taking. i am quite scared most of the time. who wouldn't be? this footage was filmed by the driver of another school bus, one of the two that went missing. mikhail pankov is a local history teacher. last friday, he left for a rescue mission and never came back. then, a surprise announcement on russian television. mikhail has been captured alive.

then another surprise. while we are speaking to his wife, yulia, her phone rings. it is her husband — still held captive, but calling with important news. "he spoke about a prisoner exchange," she says. "my husband said the russians might swap him for prisoners held by our government. soon, i hope. so maybe everything will work out." perhaps it will. but for others still trapped in the town of popasna, no help at hand. this is as close as we can get to the town right now. you can hear the boom of artillery in the distance and some shells landing the other side of this field. we have been told all rescue efforts have now been suspended because of the danger, but that still leaves something like 2,000 civilians trapped in this town, and, we are told, many more civilians caught in other frontline towns. all evidence of a slow, grinding conflict with no end in sight. andrew harding, bbc news,

in eastern ukraine. that is the latest from ukraine. back to the studio. the world health organization estimates that a staggering 15 million excess deaths occured globally due to the covid pandemic. the figure shows how many more people died than would have been expected based on previous years' death—rates. 0ur global health correspondent naomi grimley reports. in the global chaos of covid... ..makeshift funeral pyres and hasty burials around the world have become all too familiar. but have some countries under—counted the number of lives lost to the pandemic? translation: 5096 of deaths

are not registered by - the government as covid—19. 0ur ngo brings bodies to be cremated directly from homes or victims. the government only counts related deaths of victims who die in a hospital. the world health organization asked a panel of international experts to calculate the global death toll due to the crisis. in the first team are curious of the pandemic, worldwide, it was thought around 5.5 million people died from covid. but because of patchy testing, poor record—keeping in some parts of the world, and the fact that some people died of non—covid causes during lockdowns, the world health organization now thinks that figure might be more like 15 million. it's a tragedy. this is a staggering number. and it's important for us to honour the lives that are lost, and we have to hold

the policymakers accountable, also. and if we don't count, we will miss the opportunity to be better prepared for the next time. some countries stand out. the estimate for excess deaths in russia is three and a half times its official count. in india, the who believes deaths were ten times what was recorded, though delhi has disputed the calculations. in africa, countries like somalia only had sketchy data, so the experts admit there is a lot of uncertainty about how many may have died. urgently, we need better data collection systems. it's a disgrace that people can be born and die and we have no record of their passing. so we really need to invest in countries' registration systems, so we can get accurate and timely data. this report confirms that places

such as the us, britain, spain and germany all had excess mortality rates above the global average in this crisis. a reminder that the pandemic was tough, even for the wealthiest countries on the planet. naomi grimley, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime. interest rates rise to their highest level since 2009 — as the bank of england tries to curb inflation. coming up: the new boss of sports direct warns of cost pressures facing the business. coming up on the bbc news channel. after last night's champions league drama, we look ahead to three british clubs in european semifinals action this evening. rangers, west ham, and leicester city. a bbc investigation has found scammers have set up hundreds of fake charity websites to profit from the war in ukraine. some of the sites steal details from real charities, including a video and logo

from save the children. it says the criminals behind the scams are stealing from donors and the vulnerable people the charities are trying to help. angus crawford reports. out of war, chaos. ukrainian refugees needing shelter and safety. feeding off the destruction, fake charity websites appearing all over the internet. take this one. it looks professional. the only problem is, it's fake. there is no charity registration number, and as for the address of the head office, it doesn't even exist. but there is a phone number. i just wanted to ask you a quick question about what the money's been spent on. there are many refugees, so forfood, clothes, travel. how long have you been going as a charity? so he's hung up on me, and like many of these sites,

most of the sites, there is no evidence at all that any of the money is actually getting to ukraine. here's another. it's stolen the logo of save the children, and one of their videos. so does this make you angry? yes, absolutely does. we've got the generosity of the british public, which is being taken advantage of, but then there's also the children that we work with around the world, who are not going to get the support they need because money is being taken away from the genuine good cause. that's shameful, isn't it. it's awful, it's awful. but it's not only charities. this site copies one raising money for the ukrainian army. stealing the profiles of fighters, like tania, who gets kit to soldiers on the front line. it's the worst thing you can do to a person. in your country dying, little children, in your country, now all in fire. so who is behind these sites?

and where are they? take savelifedirect.com. it says it's raised $100,000. it's registered to this man, moussa ibrahim, who is in abuja in nigeria. it says it's raising money for ukraine. yes. but it's not, is it? it's not raising any money for ukraine. we are trying to help the ukrainians. really? you say on your website you've already raised $100,000. and yet you're not a charity, and there's no evidence any of your money is going to ukraine. he insists he is sending donations to ukraine, but after we spoke, he took the website down. for ukrainians, the war brings misery. for scammers, it's just another opportunity to make money. angus crawford, bbc news.

the new boss of britain's biggest sports retailer, sports direct, says he's planning to open up ten new flagship stores. michael murray has taken over as chief executive of frasers group that includes house of fraser and flannels. in his first interview in the top job, he warns of cost pressures facing the business and price rises ahead. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. opening tomorrow. a new flagship store. and there's also a new man at the top. it's cost 10 million to open this store, which is a huge investment in the high street. meet michael murray, aged 32. he now has one of the biggest jobs in british retail, and he's betting big the high street. he wants more of these stores, with brands, e—sports and experience. do you see yourself as a moderniser, then? you could call me that. it's really about taking all different aspects of the business and making it fit for purpose and simple for the consumer to shop.

but what about the founder and future father—in—law, mike ashley? is he still pulling the strings? no, mike is not pulling the strings. we have worked in a partnership, a very collaborative approach, over the last two to three years, and then from the day i became ceo, the final decision lies with me. and that includes cost pressures running high. he says there is not much he can do about price rises. in terms of the pricing of the product, we are very much at mercy to our brand partners, they decide 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. how tough do you think it is going to get? it's definitely going to get tough, but i believe we are in the right segment. i think people will spend less, but they will definitely spend on the items which they need, and which is aspirational to them. a new era for this retailer giant? there is certainly a change of image. if he doubles the share price, michael murray is in line for £100 million bonus. emma simpson, bbc news, birmingham.

voters have been heading to the polls today to have their say in a host of elections across the uk in england 146 councils are holding elections, including in major cities like sheffield, birmingham and london. in scotland and wales all council areas are holding elections and in northern ireland people have been voting to elect the 90 mlas that sit in the northern ireland assembly. buckingham palace says the queen will miss the royal garden parties this year. a spokesman says she'll be represented by other members of the royal family. now, there was a dramatic finish to the champions league semifinal last night as real madrid stunned manchester city with a late double, before winning the tie in extra time. real madrid will now face liverpool in the final in paris later this month. our sports correspondent olly foster reports from madrid.

this is going to hurt manchester city, the night a champions league final didn'tjust slip away, but was ripped from their grasp. real madrid with a come back to rival any in the history of this competition. it's tough for us, we cannot deny it. we were so close to the champions league final, yet unfortunately we could not, you could not finish when we are close. city only needed a draw in madrid when riyad mahrez lashed in aat goal with 20 minutes left to play — that would surely see them through. jack grealish was so close to another — 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 bernabeu. the brazilian again. extra time then, and a penalty, karim benzema fouled by dias. the frenchman was the coolest of the 60,000 who would party long into the madrid night. but what of city? pep guardiola must make sure this crushing defeat doesn't derail their premier league defence.

guillem balague's followed his fellow spaniard's carreerfrom the start, and spoke to him last night. when everybody is down here, and they were on the floor, you saw the players, they were, some of them crying as well. he has to be here, and he has to be saying, "now we just have to focus at thejob in hand." city's wait for a first champions league title goes on. real will be chasing a 14th. their last came four years ago, against liverpool. the rematch in paris could be very special, but what happened here last night will take some beating. olly foster, bbc news, madrid. spring is taking root earlier. a woodland study has found the season has moved forward by three weeks compared to the 1940s. great tit birds in wytham woods near oxford have been laying eggs earlier than ever. scientists, who have special permission to access their nests, are blaming climate change. our science correspondent 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. 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 1947. and we are about to meet the newest generation. wow, how many are there? there are eight. that's a very standard size for a great tit. 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? yeah. people are quite divided on whether they think they are cute or ugly. i think they are sort of cute—ugly. 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 1940s. the tits here are actually managing to track the other members of their food chain quite well. 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 local family back in 1942. since then, they have been the site of dozens of different scientific projects. but the longest running is the great tit study, which chris perrins has been involved in for more than half a century. and what are your reflections on the seasonal shift? that is fine. unless it gets to limits where the trees, or the caterpillars, or 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. time for a look at the weather. everything is coming into bloom. yes, this spring—like warmth for the next couple of days for some of us, the showers yesterday, they were sporadic but they brought much—needed rain for some. this is edgbaston, in bloom. as martine mentioned there. it is not the same right the way across the uk. a tale of two halves. this is the highlands of two halves. this is the highlands of scotland. we have a resident weather front. of scotland. we have a resident weatherfront. whether of scotland. we have a resident weather front. whether you see the

sunshine or not is whether you will see the high