tonight at ten — a special report from the front line as russian forces tighten their grip on eastern ukraine. as desperate civilians try to flee the city of lysychansk, we have evidence of the ruthless tactics used by russia. this is a deliberate tactic — bomb, shell, burn, and leave nothing but scorched earth. and in neigbouring severodonetsk, the russians have virtually cut off the city from the rest of ukraine. we'll have compelling new accounts of the progress being made by president putin's forces. also tonight... despite loud protests, the court of appeal gives the go—ahead for the first flight

taking asylum seekers to rwanda. the government is taking on the courts at home and facing accusations from abroad of breaking international law. and a world first in biology, mapping the genome sequence of every species in the british isles. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel... tantalisingly poised — england set up a grandstand finish against new zealand as james anderson breaks yet another record. welcome to bbc news at ten. we start tonight with a special report

revealing the slow but steady progress of russian forces in eastern ukraine. president zelensky has called again for western allies to provide advanced missile defence systems for the ukrainian army. the russians now control almost all of the strategic city of severodonetsk. the last remaining bridge was destroyed by the russians today, making it impossible to bring out more civilians. the ukrainian government says russia is able to keep up its military offensive because it's still earning huge amounts by selling oil and gas despite global economic sanctions. the russians are also bombarding the neighbouring city of lysychansk where civilians are still trying to flee. our international correspondent orla guerin sent this report from lysychansk.

radio bleeps. max speed. we're told to drive at maximum speed on the exposed road to lysychansk. a dark horizon greets us. munitions explode. residents praying for salvation. as russia lays waste. man whistles and shouts. ukrainian troops call for help. to take away one more victim of russian shelling. nearby, the rush to evacuate civilians... ..who have to duck for cover. a panicked departure in an armoured truck. people are taking this chance to get out while they can,

but they know this could be a one—wayjourney. if the russians take this territory, and they're getting closer all the time, these people may never be able to come back to their city and their homes. "the situation is critical," a rescue worker says. "can't you hear the shelling?" so, another city empties out here in eastern ukraine. a few more wait anxiously fortheirturn, hoping to outrun moving frontlines. volodymyr is among them. he's sick and headed to hospital. he tells me that life here was calm until the war broke everything apart. and it has left its terrible mark. this was the palace of culture. now standing as a grim testament

to moscow's superior firepower. ukraine's president says lysychansk is already dead. along with neighbouring severodonetsk. ghost cities now. well, this is an example of the kind of devastation that russia has brought. it's notjust destroying apartment buildings and flats and homes, it's destroying history, and the fabric of cities. and this is a deliberate tactic — bomb, shell, burn and leave nothing but scorched earth. munitions explode. those who remain make brief escapes from their basements to cook outdoors. the city has no power or running water. butjelena still clings to her home,

despite the growing threat. do you think the russians will take the city soon, it seems like they're getting close? "i don't know," she says. "we're hoping it'll be ok." but the city is running out of time. this is now an artillery war. ukraine doesn't have enough big guns or ammunition. at the 11th hour, another plea for help. my message, and the message of the ukrainian people, i think we need victory, we need peace, and we cannot get peace and victory without help from our partners, because without equipment for our artillery, i think we cannot get a victory in this terrible war. as we spoke, the war came closer.

missile whizzes. munitions explode. that was a russian shell whistling over our heads. just a short distance away, neighbouring severodonetsk is burning, and may soon fall. machine gun fires. inside the city, the last pockets of resistance. guns fire. ukrainian troops fight building to building and street to street. but all bridges to the city have now been destroyed. ukraine is facing an enemy that has learned lessons and is imposing crushing losses in battle. troops fight on, but a handful of advanced weapons systems promised by britain and the us may be too

little, too late. here in the donbas region right now... missile whizzes and explodes. ..it looks like a losing battle. orla guerin, bbc news, eastern ukraine. borisjohnson has published highly controversial plansto cancel parts controversial plans to cancel parts of the brexit deal he struck with the eu. the prime minister basically wants to change what's called the northern ireland protocol to make it easierfor some goods to move between britain and northern ireland. the eu says the plan is unacceptable as it breaks international law. so, what are the changes being proposed?

at the moment, some goods are checked between britain and northern ireland to make sure they comply with eu rules. this is to allow them to go into the eu in the republic of ireland without checks, an essential part of the deal to keep the peace given the history of political tension around the border. so, without checks here, the checks take place as goods cross the irish sea. that was the arrangement agreed by the uk and the eu. but this is now causing upset among unionists in northern ireland who see it as a division between northern ireland and the rest of the uk.

so, under borisjohnson�*s new plan, goods that are destined only for northern ireland would be part of a so—called green lane with no checks needed. but goods heading into the eu via northern ireland would have to be checked and go through a so—called red lane. in a moment we'll ask what the eu is likely to do next but first, here's our political editor, chris mason. brexit is about borders, about different rules either side of them, but borders usually separate one country from another. and yet here in belfast, there is a border, checks when goods there is a border, checks, when goods arrive here from the rest of the uk. those checks happen because of a deal the government signed up to. but now it doesn't like what this means for northern ireland. people can't access the goods they need to access, we're not able to implement the same tax benefits in northern ireland

as we are for the people of great britain, so this is a very serious issue that we need to fix. we have sought a negotiated settlement for the last 18 months, but as yet, the eu have been unwilling to change the terms of the protocol. and they've not changed their mind today either. their mind today, either. no workable alternative solution has been found to this delicate, long—negotiated balance. any renegotiations would simply bring further legal uncertainty for the people and businesses in northern ireland. for these reasons, the european union will not renegotiate the protocol. so, what impact does the protocol have on people in northern ireland? beth runs a garden centre in ballynahinch in county down. a lot of the growers don't want to get involved with the paperwork. i think it's made things harder. you're trying to get stock from different sources.

but others, like the meat and dairy industries, who sell goods to the eu, say it's made trading easier. we would see the protocol as something to build on. we would be concerned about anything that damages trade, particularly into... obviously, the risk here is trading into europe. is trade into europe. it's worth remembering how we got here. the prime minister was on a farm in hayle in cornwall this morning and was asked... have you driven any other tractors? i've driven a lot of tractors in my... yeah, i have. indeed, he has — this an election stunt not burdened with subtlety back in 2019. he won the election and did deliver brexit, but with the protocol attached, it's had profound political consequences in northern ireland. sinn fein regard overriding elements of it irresponsible. the democratic unionists won't go back into devolved government unless it changes.

i believe that finally we are now seeing the kind of action that is required to begin the process of removing the barriers to trade within the united kingdom. it does nothing to serve the interests of the people here. it flies in the face of an international agreement which he himself negotiated. it is in clear breach of international law. and, you know, the reality is here that the protocol is working. i asked this tory mp if he thought all of this was about the turbulence within the conservative party and questions over the prime minister's future. oh, i think you can construct a very compelling case to make that argument. i'd like to say i hope it's not true. but you think it might be? as i say, you can construct a very compelling case to make that argument. to be prime minister is to be a diplomat. are you breaking international law, prime minister? - borisjohnson met his portuguese counterpart this afternoon. shaking hands on a solution to his northern ireland brexit conundrum won't happen so easily.

the government says it has been left with no option but to, it says it has got to do whatever it possibly can to try and get devolved government backed up and running in northern ireland. the democratic unionists to sound positive today but it is a big jump to then going back into stormont. turning the plan today into law will take time, and in the meantime, a row with the eu. chris evert, mentioning that we are all looking at the response from the eu, to see what they have to say. our europe editor, katya adler, is in brussels. no secret that the eu is not keen on these changes, but what action is open to them? i these changes, but what action is open to them?— these changes, but what action is open to them? i can tell you where we are not — open to them? i can tell you where we are not hurtling _ open to them? i can tell you where we are not hurtling toward - we are not hurtling toward straightaway, and that is an all—out

trade war between the eu in the uk. there is little appetite amongst eu leaders for that. they've got their hands full already with their own cost of living crisis and the war in ukraine. today, the eu did not want to overreact to the government's proposed legislation. it's not law yet, but it didn't want to under react either, it is seen here as extremely serious that the government seeks to have powers to override large parts of the protocol that it co—wrote and signed off with the eu. so, as a warning, the eu this week is looking to restart legal proceedings against the uk for not implementing checks on certain goods it says it should do under the protocol. at the same time, this evening, we heard from the eu's chief negotiator, in the commission, who said he is about to unveil a whole load of new proposals to iron out those practical problems in northern ireland that have been provoked by the protocol, come back to the negotiating table, he says, to the negotiating table, he says, to the negotiating table, he says, to the eu. when you look at issues like customs lanes and things like

that, the two sides are not really that, the two sides are not really that far apart. it's just the mood music right now is dreadful. maw; music right now is dreadful. many thanks again _ music right now is dreadful. many thanks again for _ music right now is dreadful. many thanks again for the _ music right now is dreadful. many thanks again for the latest - music right now is dreadful. many thanks again for the latest thoughts in brussels. katya adler, our europe editor. there's more updates, explanations, news and analysis on bbc news online, that's bbc.co.uk/news, and by using the bbc news app. judges at the appeal court have ruled that the first flight to rwanda taking migrants who've arrived illegally in britain can take off tomorrow after a last ditch legal bid to block it. thejudges supported the judges supported a previous decision by the high court that it was in the public interest for the government to carry out its policies. it is reported there will be eight asylum seekers are not first flight. here's our home editor, mark easton dozens more asylum—seekers arrived on the kent coast today, 37 men who the government says should potentially face removal to rwanda because they've

travelled from france, a safe country. and this is the boeing 767 chartered by the home office to take the first group of asylum—seekers on a one—way ticket to rwanda tomorrow night. the plane can take around 200 passengers, but a maximum ofjust 8 asylum—seekers will be aboard, and three of those are in court tomorrow arguing to be removed from the passenger list. shame on you! the rwanda policy divides opinion, apparent outside the courts ofjustice today. for some, it's an effective way to deal with migrants who come to the uk illegally. for others, it's an immoral and unlawful way to treat vulnerable people who are asking the uk for sanctuary. to stay removal of asylum seekers... lawyers were making a last—ditch attempt in the court of appeal to stop tomorrow's rwanda flight, but the three judges, led by lord justice singh, decided there was not enough to overturn last week's decision to let the plane take off. this court cannot therefore

interfere with that conclusion. shame on you! campaigners were disappointed by the judgment, but there will be a full legal review of the rwanda policy in the courts to be completed by the end ofjuly. we hope the courts injuly, in that longer hearing - will take a different view, i because it's a fundamentally unlawful policy. claiming asylum is a human right, land rwanda is not a safe countryl to which people can be returned. at the united nations in geneva, the news that asylum—seekers were to be forcibly removed to rwanda was described as catastrophic. we believe this is all wrong. this is all wrong, this deal, for so many different reasons. in the rwandan capital kigali today, the accommodation for those asylum seekers given the one—way ticket to africa was receiving final touches — soap and shampoo sets, clean linen. the uk government says the arrangement is a model of the rest of the world could follow.

the home secretary has always argued that her rwandan removals policy is designed to deter people from taking dangerous and unnecessaryjourneys from safe countries and will undermine the criminal operations of people—smugglers. it is in the public interest, she says. refugees are welcome here! demonstrators gathered outside the home office this evening, to protest against tomorrow's rwanda departure. but ministers believe that even if only a single asylum seeker is aboard, the flight could be a game changer in dealing with what they call illegal immigration. mark easton, bbc news, at the court of appeal. the family of a 12—year—old boy who is in a coma with severe brain damage say they're planning to appeal against a ruling that his treatment should be stopped. doctors at the royal london hospital say tests have shown that archie battersbee has no discernible brain activity, but his parents want his treatment to continue. i do not believe archie has

been given enough time. from the beginning, i have always thought, "what is the rush?" his heart is still beating, he has gripped my hand. and as his mother, and my gut instincts, i know my son is still there. the uk economy shrank in april for the second month in a row, all the main sectors of the economy — services, manufacturing and production were affected. some economists say the uk risks falling into recession but the government says it is focused on boosting growth. our economics editor, faisal islam, joins me now and has been going through the numbers. when people look at these very disappointing growth figures and ask you for may be a list of causes, what do you say to them? this is actual data _ what do you say to them? this is actual data for _ what do you say to them? this is actual data for april, _ what do you say to them? this is actual data for april, you - what do you say to them? this is actual data for april, you will. what do you say to them? this isj actual data for april, you will see that the figure is down 0.3% in that

month, that was the same month when energy bills spiked so much, by record amounts, and we also got tax rises. the government is pointing to what pushed that negative, the reduction in covid nhs spending. evenif reduction in covid nhs spending. even if you take it into account, it is quite flat. we tend to look at data over a run of months, notjust a single month, and you will see the last time it grew was injanuary, and then there has been no growth since then. if you take the national institute's forecast from may and june, that continues. so it's pretty likely the economy is shrinking in this quarter, although not as bad as a recessionjust yet, we this quarter, although not as bad as a recession just yet, we should this quarter, although not as bad as a recessionjust yet, we should be able to avoid that. a recession just yet, we should be able to avoid that.— a recession just yet, we should be able to avoid that. most people will look at that — able to avoid that. most people will look at that and _ able to avoid that. most people will look at that and say, _ able to avoid that. most people will look at that and say, well, - able to avoid that. most people will look at that and say, well, are - look at that and say, well, are comparable countries facing the same kind of pressures? how do we compare?— kind of pressures? how do we comare? , ., compare? they are facing the same ressures, compare? they are facing the same pressures. but _ compare? they are facing the same pressures, but if— compare? they are facing the same pressures, but if you _ compare? they are facing the same pressures, but if you look _ compare? they are facing the same pressures, but if you look into - compare? they are facing the same pressures, but if you look into next| pressures, but if you look into next year, most of the forecasts are saying the uk is going to suffer little or no growth. this is the oecd's little or no growth. this is the oecd�*s forecast, we came bottom of

that league, the us and france, two examples there. still not exactly roaring ahead, but better than zero. looking ahead to the rest of this week, we are just on monday, thinking what other announcements could come this week that might change our perceptions? jabs could come this week that might change our perceptions? jobs data tomorrow, that has _ change our perceptions? jobs data tomorrow, that has been a - change our perceptions? jobs data tomorrow, that has been a rare i tomorrow, that has been a rare bright spot, but inflation is the key thing on people's mines. 9%, a four decade high, heading up to io%. the bank of england will make a further interest rate decision on thursday, looking likely to be a further rise. so you have this really high inflation, you also have the stagnation i was talking about. stagnation and inflation, the term is stagflation, and that makes it quite difficult to then rein in inflation, the same time as avoiding recession, it requires a double act between the bank of england and the government. but that does seem where we are right now. we government. but that does seem where we are right "ow-— we are right now. we will talk again as the week — we are right now. we will talk again as the week goes _ we are right now. we will talk again as the week goes on. _ we are right now. we will talk again as the week goes on. thank - we are right now. we will talk again as the week goes on. thank you - we are right now. we will talk againl as the week goes on. thank you very much. let's look briefly at some other stories making the news today.

the actor kevin spacey will appear before westminster magistrates' court on thursday, after being charged with sexual offences against three men. he is accused of four counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. kevin spacey has previously said he intends to prove his innocence. at the high court, the businessman and prominent brexit supporter arron banks has lost his libel case against the investigative journalist carole cadwalladr. mr banks, a major donor to the leave.eu campaign, sued ms cadwalladr over allegations she'd made about mr banks and russia. ms cadwalladr said the case should be of concern to anyone who values freedom of speech. mr banks said he was likely to appeal against the judgment. a father left paralysed in the manchester arena bombing has conquered the summit of africa's highest mountain in a wheelchair. martin hibbert launched the mission to scale mount kilimanjaro as he wanted to move mountains for disabled people.

he has already raised around half of the £1 million target for the spinal injuries association. by by the way, you will be able to see martin and hear his incredible story on the breakfast sofa tomorrow morning. tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the deadly fire at grenfell tower in west london, in which 72 people died. and the problem of flammable cladding on blocks of flats is still an acute one. around a million people could still be living in blocks of flats with dangerous cladding, despite the government and property developers pledging £9 billion to put things right, as our correspondent judith moritz reports. the grenfell fire cost 72 lives and exposed a cladding scandal which has blighted hundreds of thousands more. theresa may: councils and housing associations must remove _ dangerous cladding quickly... boris johnson: leaseholders should not have to worry about the cost -

of fixing historic safety defects that they didn't cause... michael gove: we've also got to do better in future _ to ensure that everyone, l across this country can live their life in safety and in dignity, in a home that is warm, - decent and safe. 200 miles north of grenfell, these social housing blocks in salford are still being made safe. work to remove dangerous cladding here started within a week of the tragedy, but it's yet to be replaced. since the cladding's off, it's gone up to 200... eithne crowson lives on the eighth floor and says she can't keep warm in winter. that's why we don't have the heating on. without the cladding, there's lower insulation and higher heating bills. all the cold air, when the winds blowing, comes all in here. and your heating goes outside? if you're on your own, which a lot are here, and you're only on one pension, you're thinking, "how am i supposed to do this?" i can't feed the meter and put a dinner on the table.

the housing association which operates the estate says it's helped residents with their increased costs. five years on from grenfell, the government says its figures show that work has at least started on all local authority and housing association high—rise blocks. but you can see from the experience eithne and her neighbours here in salford how long that process can take, and in much of the private sector, where there are many more buildings, work is further behind. i live what i would consider to be a privileged lifestyle, and now i find myself in a situation where i'm so utterly impotent. natalie carter lives in east london. the developer which built her block has agreed to pay for re—cladding works. natalie says the ongoing disruption is causing real anguish. i don't think people quite understand the emotional distress of having to live in a building where, at any given point, you feel you could die. there ought to be compensation. it has completely turned

my life upside down. 45 developers have recently pledged to pay costs within the private sector, but there are other kinds of dangerous cladding than the type used on the grenfell tower, and work to get rid of that is barely under way. judith moritz, bbc news. in what is probably the most ambitious project ever undertaken in the field of biology, a team of scientists is planning to sequence the genomes of all forms of life in the british isles, estimated to be 70,000 species. the project could transform how we understand the natural world, and there may be benefits for humans in search of medicines and materials inspired by nature. our science editor, rebecca morelle, has been finding out more.

a close—up look at our weird and wonderful natural world. from a delicate sea creature called a brittle star, to a hermit crab carrying a sea anemone on its back, and these bizarre animals known as mud owls. all of these creatures were scooped up just off the coast of plymouth. so, you've got two worms here. this one, it's almost made these overlapping scales of sandy shell. they're being collected for an ambitious new project, to sequence the genomes of all life in the british isles. today, scientists are focusing on marine worms, known as polychaetes. it's a big task, with hundreds and hundreds of species. and we've got over 100 now, i think 120 odd species of polycha etes collected. it seems like a lot, but, really, it's just the beginning. the plan is to sequence the dna of every plant, animal and fungi in britain and ireland. that's about 70,000 species. and some are surprising.

there is a type of microalgae has 200 billion letters of dna. that's more than 60 times bigger than the human genome. and the scientists plan to do this all by 2030. the dna extraction is being carried out at the wellcome sanger institute. the human genome was sequenced here two decades ago. that took years. but now a species can be completed in a few days. when the human genome was sequenced, it changed the way we do human biology forever. it really transformed how we see ourselves, and how we work with our health and illness. and we want to make that possible for all of biology. so we want everybody working on any species, or any group of species, anywhere in the world, able to have this ultimate foundation. one genome that is now complete belongs to the badger. in oxfordshire, as dusk falls, a family emerges from their sett. scientists say having their detailed

genetic information is vital. getting the badger genome sequence is really important, because we can see how badgers adapt to diseases, how they adapt to their environment, and how they interact with other species in their ecosystem. back onshore in plymouth, the rock pools are full of surprises. but their genetic code could also help us to find nature inspired medicines or materials. this immense endeavour could change our understanding of the diversity of life. rebecca morelle, bbc news, plymouth. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. 0na on a monday, may be a look ahead to the week that is coming up? so far this summer it has been a rather cool start, but things are about to change. a first quick hit

of summer heat is on its