simon jones on the _ think that will be well spent.ink that will be well spent. simon jones on the kent coast in - think that will be well spent. simon jones on the kent coast in dover, i jones on the kent coast in dover, thank you. the world renowned pianist lang lang has been hitting the high notes during a performance that could give you goosebumps. was playing at europe's highest train station in the swiss alps. a grand piano was taken to the mountaintop 3,400 feet above sea level. he said it was his first performance in the snow but that he really enjoyed the experence. do you think your fingers feel heavier up there? i wonder. we have got some great weather this easter weekend. temperatures have so far got up to 23 celsius in the south—east of england, that was yesterday, not quite as warm today but warm enough. high pressure in charge of the weather but a weather front is approaching. you can see it here in the satellite picture, this area of cloud, that is approaching northern ireland. ahead of it, already skies are hazy in wes

as simon jones reports.sian retreat from the kyiv region has left behind a trail of destruction. ukrainian troops back in control in bucha, for residents, relief after five weeks of living hell. translation: we've been under constant shelling - for more than a month, practically from the first day when everything was gone, the water was gone, light, gas, everything was gone at once. then the internet was gone, then the phone communications were gone. we found ourselves cut off from the entire world. the city of bucha is strewn with dead bodies, the evidence of civilian killings by russian troops. a war crime is growing. translation: you can imagine what kind of lawlessness - russia perpetrated here. we will record this page of our history and it will be used at their tribunal. in the wake of fierce resistance, russia says it's shifting its firepower to the east of the country. borisjohnson has congratulated the ukrainian president on the successful pushback of russian forces around kyiv, but it's come at a h

simon jones, bbc news. now on bbc news, our media editor amol rajan talks to sir ian mckellen.ur years ago i drove to chichester to interview a titan of stage and screen. he was starring as king lear in the local theatre and he told me it would be his last big shakespearean role. i should not have believed a word, because last year, at the age of 82, amidst the pandemic and some five decades after his first public turn in the role, sir ian mckellen played hamlet. it was typical of him — surprising, mischievous, pure thespian charisma. above all, it showed that in his ninth decade, he seems indefatigable. undoubtedly one of the greats this country has produced, he is a pioneer, a game—changer, who rewrote the rules of acting and helped britain confront the truth about itself. known to a global audience for his portrayal of gandalf in the lord of the rings, it has been quite a journey for a boy from burnley born before the war. 0ver six decades, he has been called the heir to laurence olivier, starred in hundreds of productions and illuminated screens small and large. how good do

simon jones, bbc news.een talking to cbs news in the united states, following his visit to bucha and address to the united nations security council. here's a little of what he had to say. what must the world understand? translation: we are defending the ability of a person to live in the modern world. they say we're defending western values and i always say what are western values? someone who lives in the united states or europe do they not like children? do they not want their children to go to university? do they not want their grandfather to live for 100 years? we have the same values. we are defending the right to live. i never thought this right was so costly. these are human values so that russia doesn't choose what we should do and how i'm using my rights. that right was given to me by god and my parents. what did you see in bucha? death. just death. western officials say a russian general with extensive experience in syria has been put in charge of moscow's operations in ukraine. general alexander

simon jones, bbc news. now on bbc news...talking movies. and the oscar goes to... angeles. i'm tom brook and welcome to our talking movies 0scar review special. today, we'll look back at the highlights of the biggest night of the year for hollywood. of course, some great movies were rewarded, but a shocking incident involving one of the world's most famous movie stars ended up defining the proceedings. laughter. oh, wow! will smith losing his composure and slapping chris rock in full glare of a global audience changed everything at the 94th annual academy awards. keep my wife's name out of your...mouth! anne thompson was in the auditorium when it happened. there has never been anything as shocking as that. _ ifelt like i had been punched in the gut. | it was really frightening. all over la and around the world, will smith slapping chris rock after he made a joke about his wife was the subject of animated discussion. movie fans on hollywood boulevard were still talking about it several days after the event. they did not think it would harm the standing of will smith

simon jones, bbc news. expert view on how effective those sanctions will be in our business coverage shortly. let s get some more updates on ukraine now. nato foreign ministers will resume discussions in brussels this morning on how best to arm ukraine against a renewed russian attack, which they expect to be launched in the east of the country. at a nato dinner last night, the uk foreign secretary liz truss called for the alliance to toughen its response — saying the time for engagement with russia was over. the head of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, will visit kyiv later for talks with ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky. they are expected to dicuss the support provided by the eu to the country in the face of the russian invasion, both in the country and for the millions of refugees now in the eu. the visit takes place in the run—up to the pledging conference #standupforukraine organised in warsaw on saturday. the united states says it has trained a small number of ukrainian soldiers in

simon jones, bbc news.cupation by russian solders, ukraininan forces reclaimed the city of chernihiv and uncovered scenes —— of devastation left behind. the city sits to the north of the ukrainian capital, kyiv. its mayor said more than 400 people had died there, and called it " hard to endure'. our correspondent anna foster has met one woman whose daughter and husband were brutally killed as they tried to escape from chernihiv, and a warning her report does include some graphic details. veronika kutz, a 12—year—old girl full of energy and promise. a life cruelly ended by a russian shell. nine days into the war, viktoria kovalenko experienced unimaginable horror. as herfamily fled chernihiv, their car was fired on. viktoria's daughter, veronika, and husband, petro, were killed instantly. translation: my daughter got out i of the car and i went to follow. i as i got out, my daughterfell. and then i looked and her head was gone. she was bleeding from her neck like a fountain. i was holding my baby and i neede

simon jones, bbc news. let's speak to emma vardy in lviv.ed about the explosions hitting the southern port of odesa, i understand a hit and oil refinery. no casualties, but a sign of the russian aggression in the east. those trips had been pushed back from around the capital, they were not able to take kyiv, but in their wake there is this trail of destruction. it is increasingly clear there is mounting evidence of russian war crimes from the areas russian war crimes from the areas russian troops had captured and is now back under the control of the ukrainian authorities. pictures, awful pictures of dead bodies lining the streets, civilians who have been shotin the streets, civilians who have been shot in these areas and that real picture is onlyjust emerging. although the ukrainian government considers it a success they were able to resist the russian aggression in these areas, what also hearing about is the mines, the booby traps and tripwires that have been left behind in areas where the russian troops are moving back from. that is going

simon jones, bbc news. now it's time to take look at the weather, with darren bett. we have some more springlike weather over the week ahead, today is still on the cold side as it has been over the past few days, low pressure sitting to the west of the uk spiralling around, cloud beginning to pushing turning sunshine hazy. lots of high cloud in north somerset from earlier on, fairweather cumulus bubbling up as well, more cloud towards the latter part of the afternoon, temperatures a shade higher than yesterday, still the odd shower in the north—east of scotland, cloud thick enough in the west to give some rain here and there in northern ireland. breeze picking up in western areas, increasing elsewhere, lots of cloud overnight tonight. not much rain, most in northern ireland. the upshot of the cloud in the breeze, a lot milder than last night, temperatures typically 4—5. early in the week the chance of some rain, those temperatures continue to rise as well. there will not be much rain in the forecast on monday. we have some bands of short—lived rain sweeping northward

simon jones, bbc news. our correspondent, anna foster has the latest from lviv.t three or four days we have been talking about this humanitarian corridor that the hopes for it were based on thursday. you can only imagine, can't you? what it must be about to be in mariupol when you get word through that they are trying to plan and arrange this but everyday it does not happen. they've said, this is the international committee for the red cross who are going to beat this convoy out, potentially, they say, is a neutral intermediary, they say that the conditions are just not right. they have not had the security guarantees they need from both sides. yesterday evening pressure must make defence ministry blamed the red cross for it not going ahead and said they had not going ahead and said they had not moved into the right place and time but, you know, the stories that we hear, the conditions in mariupol. there was a woman i met a couple of days ago who fled with her two children and she talked about the road out. she was in the theatre, the one that was bombed, she tal

simon jones.eople known to have died in devastating floods in kwazulu—natal province has risen to 398 with 27 people still reported as missing. furtherflooding is possible as rain falls on saturated ground. the government has allocated $68 million for emergency relief. these are the deadliest storms to strike the coastal city of durban in living memory. 0ur correspondent pumza fihlani is in durban and a little earlier she gave me this update on the situation there. we are currently standing in a community, an informal settlement a few hundred metres ahead of me. we went there earlier escorting a rescue team who went in to try to recover the body of an eight year old girl and a man as well. they have been missing since floods devastated this area. community members were looking on waiting to see what was going to happen. it was an effort that took hours and they have just left now because dark has fallen and the area has exposed live electricity cables, so they thought it wouldn't be safe to contin

simon jones, bbc news.for christians across the world. a huge procession is under way injerusalem, where worshippers began inside the holy church of the sepulchre and made their way to the mount of olives. palm sunday recalls an event in the new testament, when jesus entered into jerusalem and was greeted by the people waving palm branches. now it's time to take look at the weather, with darren bett. hello there. the weather is looking decent enough for many of us this afternoon. it was a little on the chilly side this morning and this afternoon won't be desperately one either but it is looking dry and bright today. tomorrow there is rain in the forecast. not everybody is going to get it. here is the satellite picture with the pressure map. you can see a weather front wrapping around this rather large area of low pressure. this weather front is approaching and that is why the skies will turn hazy and then cloudy across western parts of the uk, even the possibility of a few spots of rain in northern ireland

simon jones, bbc news. let's look towards the area in and around the capital.s for the ukrainians, as we have been hearing. but a terrible human cost as well with growing evidence of ukrainian civilians killed by retreating russian forces. what is the latest your hearing?— retreating russian forces. what is the latest your hearing? well, we're startin: to the latest your hearing? well, we're starting to see. _ the latest your hearing? well, we're starting to see, as _ the latest your hearing? well, we're starting to see, as you _ the latest your hearing? well, we're starting to see, as you saw - the latest your hearing? well, we're starting to see, as you saw there, i starting to see, as you saw there, these new pictures, nude video, the first independent people, the first journalist to actually see what is happening in those areas where russian troops have retreated. you might remember back at the start of the week we had peace talks in istanbul. russia said they would pull away from places like the capital and the northern town and some of the pictures that h

simon jones, bbc news.mel airport, which is near kyiv and has seen fighting since the first day of the conflict, is back in ukrainian hands — but as russian troops leave the area, the devastation left behind is becoming clear. jeremy bowen sent us this report from hostomel, and a warning — it contains distressing images. as the russian rearguard pull back from kyiv, ukrainian troops yet again were waiting. it looks as if they attacked out of the tree line. nimble ukrainian tactics and modern nato weapons are making tanks look obsolete. russian troops tried to do this, they were just defeated and ran away. so that is a sign that we can win the war. the road into bucha was littered with war debris. ukraine has saved its capital but russia is much better positioned in the east and south. winning for either side is a long way off. russia's defeat around kyiv may have started on this suburban street in the last few days of februaryjust after the invasion. a long column of russian armour was destroyed as it pushe

simon jones, bbc news.human catastrophe from the food crisis arising from rossa's invasion of ukraine. —— russia's. david malpass warned that record rises in food prices were pushing hundreds of millions into poverty and lower nutrition. he was speaking to our economics editor faisal islam. ona yearoveryear on a year over year basis we are looking at maybe 37% increase in food prices. that's huge. and is particularly focused, magnified for the poon focused, magnified for the poor, because they spend more of their money, of a little money they may have, it goes to food. so when the food prices go food. so when the food prices 9° up food. so when the food prices go up it means they eat less and have less money for anything else, for schooling. and so that means that it's really an unfair kind of crisis. it is the poorest of the hardest. a stark warning from the president of the world bank. you can see that full interview in about 30 minutes' time. we will bring you that a little later on. here, the government

simon jones, bbc news.of the russian invasion of ukraine, the united nations refugee agency has told the bbc that 25 million people have been directly impacted by the war. deputy high commissioner kelly clements was talking to our correspondent nick thorpe on a visit to the ukraine—hungary border. there was still snow on the ground when i watched the first refugees from ukraine into hungary. now it is spring, but the welcome is still warm. the faces still wary. hungarian trains cross the border every day to bring people to safety. the un refugee agency monitors the situation closely inside and outside ukraine. 5 million refu:ees and outside ukraine. 5 million refugees now _ and outside ukraine. 5 million refugees now have _ and outside ukraine. 5 million refugees now have left i and outside ukraine. 5 million l refugees now have left ukraine, and inside the country of course people are moving continuously as safety, as shelling may reduce in some areas and as they are able to, there are over 7 million inter

simon jones, bbc news.oss live to the capi9tal kyiv and our correspondent there, joe inwood. let's talk about the prospects for that humanitarian corridor to get people out of mariupol. we know there have been numerous attempts at humanitarian corridors in ukraine during this war, some have worked, many haven't, so what are the prospects for the efforts today? i think hope more than expectation is the mantra. it should be starting right about now that people should be gathering, women, children, older people, but whether they are we don't know. it is difficult to get information out of mariupol at the moment. it is getting a little easier to get some snippets of what is happening but we will find out soon. there have been many attempts at these humanitarian corridors, the last one on thursday. it was hoped 6000 people would get out and in the end only four bus—loads state. that same day there was talk of a truce over the easter weekend. it is 0rthodox easter at the moment. that didn't materialise. they hope

simon jones, bbc news. let's speak to emma vardy in lviv.lo, what is the latest from your point of view?— point of view? there is this developing _ point of view? there is this developing picture - point of view? there is this developing picture today i point of view? there is this developing picture today of point of view? there is this - developing picture today of the russian withdrawal of troops from around those northern cities, but it is what they are leaving behind that the focus is turning to now. and thatis the focus is turning to now. and that is this trail of destruction, mounting evidence of russian war crimes, those terrible pictures of bodies lining the streets in some areas and we also heard from the ukrainian president, president zelensky last night, talking about the mines and booby traps being left behind, somebody is left on the street are being wired so there is a dangerous swathes of ground left behind that will need painstaking work to clear. although that push back of russian forces is seen as a success for the ukraini

simon jones, bbc news.resident volodymyr zelensky has rejected russia's claims that the besieged port city of mariupol has been captured. the remaining ukrainian fighters — as well as around 1,000 civilians — are currently trapped in a steelwork plant, where they've been surrounded by russian troops. it comes as a ukrainian official says russian forces have seized more than a0 villages in the donbas region, as the kremlin offensive in the east of ukraine continues. abi smitton reports. a city, destroyed. mariupol steelworks, the final base of the ukrainian resistance. in its labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers, the last of the fighters remain. translation: we are under constant air bombing and fire of multiple - rocket launches and gun artillery. but while we're here, mariupol remains under control of ukraine. mariupol was — and will stay — ukrainian, no matter what they say. around 2,000 people are still thought to be in the steelworks. it's believed at least half of them are civilians. mariupol has been unde

simon jones, bbc news. 0ur correspondentjoe inwood is in the capital kyiv and has the latest on the developinge area where the fighting is now concentrated is in the east of the country, a place called the donbas. i'm sure everyone will have heard of that many times now. this is the heartland of whether fighting that many times now. this is the heartland of whetherfighting is infant a number of years but it is also where the ukrainian forces are very, very fortified. i was there a short while ago and is in the trenches and you can see the ukrainians are very well and, well equipped in will determine soldiers. the russians are going to be launching aerial bombardment from above which will be devastating but are coming up against a determined aerial defence so a lack of movement will be surprising.— will be surprising. finally i hope is the mantra _ will be surprising. finally i hope is the mantra around _ will be surprising. finally i hope is the mantra around the - is the mantra around the humanitarian corridors today. it is at the same expectation of the meetings between the un boss vladimir

simon jones, bbc news.capital kyiv and our correspondent there, joe inwood. these humanitarian corridors have been spoken about for some weeks now? trying to set up these humanitarian corridors has been one of the perennial themes at the siege of city of mariupol. there have been several claims about one in the past few days. a couple of hours ago it was supposed to be starting according to city council. honestly, we don't know when information is quite slick and of mariupol and the damage to the city's communications infrastructure and we will find out probably later in the day information starts to trickle out as to whether the buses set off the number of buses, number of people, type of people on board and if they do work and they do start to get people out it wouldn't be until tomorrow that they could get through the many russian checkpoints that line the road heading west and head north to the town or city of zaporizhzhia which is inside ukrainian controls territory. bass ukrainian controls territory.

simon jones, bbc news.inister has again urged western countries to provide his country with more weapons to fight russian forces. dmytro kuleba also insisted on imposing the toughest sanctions on moscow. he was speaking in brussels, ahead of a meeting of nato foreign ministers, who have been discussing how best to arm ukraine against a renewed russian attack in the east. my agenda is very simple. it has only three items on it. it's weapons, weapons, and weapons. we are confident that the best way to help ukraine now is to provide it with all necessary to contain putin and to defeat the russian army in ukraine, in the territory of ukraine, so that the war does not spill over for them. in the recent months, in the recent weeks, the ukrainian army, and the entire ukrainian nation, has demonstrated that we know how to fight, we know how to win, but without sustainable and sufficient supplies of all weapons requested by ukraine, these wins will be accompanied with enormous sacrifices. the british foreign secreta

simon jones, bbc news.v is the deputy mayor of mariupol — he told the bbc intense fighting continued around the southern city and that 150,000 people remained trapped there with no way out for the moment. the situation with mariupol was still... still become worse and worse. so city is in total and absolute full blockade. russia stopped to... stopped allowing to evacuate any citizens. and do not allow to enter any citizen, even local, even with confirmation that he was born here or their family lives here. so they do not allow... they do not allow to provide any humanitarian help. food, water, medicine. so we estimate that about 150,000 citizens are still in mariupol and they are just surviving and living like mouses underground in shelter, bomb shelters and spaces below the earth just to be survive. ukrainian army continues to defend our city, ukraine still controls centre of the city, industrial parts of our city and some districts. and russia temporarily occupied some outskirts of mariupol. we should und

simon jones, bbc news. to our lisbon correspondent alison roberts who explained this latest development in portugal. yesterday they issued a statement saying that on wednesday an individual had been named as an official suspect. that was an international request from portugal to the german authorities to inform that person of interest that they had been made an official suspect. your previous interviewee said this was always a significant step because it means effectively someone is being or will soon be questioned under caution, that is to say questions may be put that could incriminate them which gives them the right not to answer. it is a status to protect the individual, but it is always significant as it is a necessary prelude to charges at some point, although there is no sign of thatjust some point, although there is no sign of that just yet. find some point, although there is no sign of that just yet.— sign of that 'ust yet. and it is re orted sign of that just yet. and it is reported that _ sign of

simon jones, bbc news. gamble is a child protection expert and a former police officer who helped with the madeleine mccann investigation. he said this latest development is significant. it could mean everything or it could mean nothing. my own gut feeling on it, from the moment the germans began to release information two years ago, was that this was the best fit. you know, you have proximity, you have opportunity, and you have a profile with regards to an offender that absolutely fits in a way that no others have. so i think this is our best chance. given what we know about... not — well, notwithstanding the caution that the german police are saying about, we may not be able to take it forward, there's been a confidence within the bka — the german police team involved in this — there's been an absolute confidence with the german prosecutor. and, having worked with german police in the past, i wouldn't take that lightly, i think that's significant. the fact that the portuguese have now looked at the availa

simon jones, bbc news. our correspondent emma vardy is in the western city of lviv.hanks for being with us on bbc breakfast this morning. emma, we're hearing more evidence of atrocities allegedly committed by russian troops. how have people in ukraine responded? well, there was another passionate video address from the ukrainian president last night. he has accused russian forces of a deliberate massacre. he said that he is hoping to prosecute these alleged war crimes in ukraine. he said he's forming a special team to do that investigators, prosecutors, and judges and says that process will begin immediately. there was also a video address by president zelensky played at the grammys in which she urged the world not to stay silent. now of course it is particularly those images from the town of bucha which are drawing such condemnation internationally. those pictures of civilian bodies strewn across the street, some of them with their hands tied. now, since these images have been emerging, they've been gathered byjournalists who have been taken to these areas as russia

simon jones, bbc news. our reporterjoe inwood is in kyiv.rning joe. we heard from the president that the only way to get people out of mariupol is with the un's help. bring us upto—date, what we know about how easy it is for people to get out of mariupol right now, given the offensive that is currently taking place there? mat the offensive that is currently taking place there?— the offensive that is currently taking place there? not easy at all. there are two _ taking place there? not easy at all. there are two categories _ taking place there? not easy at all. there are two categories of - taking place there? not easy at all. there are two categories of citizensi there are two categories of citizens trapped there, people in the city, in the wider city, with tens of thousands of people there, we think, and people stuck in the steel plant. for them it will be virtually impossible. putin says that he wants it hermetically sealed solid flight could not even get out. we're talking about people in the wider city. those comments about united nation

simon jones, bbc news.double funeral. both soldiers were in their 405, both died fighting with ukrainian forces in the east of the country. nato estimates that ukraine's lo55e5 the east of the country. nato estimates that ukraine's losses are something like a third of russia's. in this bitter war the ukrainian5 have two advantages. a ferocious determination to drive the russians out. and the weaponry that they are getting from nato. but the ukrainian government want more weapons, urgently. this is the governor of lviv, and a close ally of president zelensky. what does ukraine need most? is it medical supplies, is it a clothes, food or weapons? translation:— a clothes, food or weapons? translation: ~ ., .,, translation: what we need the most is modern weapons. _ translation: what we need the most is modern weapons. anti-ship - is modern weapon5. anti—ship systems, anti—aircraft systems, systems, anti—aircraft systems, systems with which we can fight against tanks and aircraft, a5 systems with which we can fi

simon jones, bbc news. president putin has been speaking this morning. and health of our soldiers and officers. there is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities. block off this industrial area so that even a fly cannot escape. once again, invite all those who have not yet laid down their arms to do so. the russian side guarantees their lives and their dignified treatment. of course, taking control of such an important centre in the south as mariupol is a success. congratulations to you. vladimir putin at speaking this morning. some breaking news on the new manager at manchester united. 0ur sports correspondent andy swissjoins us from old trafford. yes, confirmation that erik ten hag, who is currently the manager of eye acts in amsterdam will be the next manchester of —— manager of manchester of —— manager of manchester united. they have now confirmed he will be their next manager, they have released a statement saying in our conversations leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed in h

simon jones, bbc news. focus now, what might happen there over the next 12 to 2a hours is crucial? yeah, absolutely. exactly what that will be _ yeah, absolutely. exactly what that will be is _ yeah, absolutely. exactly what that will be is always difficult to predict _ will be is always difficult to predict. yesterday a major in the ukrainian — predict. yesterday a major in the ukrainian army said they had hours, maybe _ ukrainian army said they had hours, maybe days, — ukrainian army said they had hours, maybe days, still to go. they are running _ maybe days, still to go. they are running out — maybe days, still to go. they are running out of food and ammunition but not _ running out of food and ammunition but not resolve. we don't know exactly — but not resolve. we don't know exactly how many fighters are still stuck _ exactly how many fighters are still stuck there. defending the huge steel— stuck there. defending the huge steel plant. but this is not an ordinary— steel plant. but this is not an ordinar

simon jones, bbc news.ho's in the western city of lviv. good morning to you, amer. many people will have now seen the damage caused by the air strike on the railway station. what more do we know about that incident?- railway station. what more do we know about that incident? there has been worldwide _ know about that incident? there has been worldwide condemnation - know about that incident? there has been worldwide condemnation of. know about that incident? there has l been worldwide condemnation of that missile attack that took place when there were thousands of people at there were thousands of people at the station. they were bound to be civilian casualties. they have been thousands of people there in recent days trying to evacuate from the area. the death toll kept on rising yesterday. it is said to be about 50 people believed to have been killed there. those of the figures coming from local ukrainian officials on the ground. there has been worldwide condemnation overnight. the ukrainian president has

simon jones, bbc news.gs are going to hurt really badly. next few months. things are going to hurt really badly-— hurt really badly. that's absolutely riaht, hurt really badly. that's absolutely right. charlie. _ hurt really badly. that's absolutely right, charlie. obviously— hurt really badly. that's absolutely right, charlie. obviously what - hurt really badly. that's absolutely right, charlie. obviously what we | right, charlie. obviously what we are seeing with this fuel price increase that came into force yesterday, most households will see a £700 increase on their fuel bills this year and there are many, many households that are not going to be able to observe that. there will be very few households that will not have to make saving somewhere in order to afford that. we know there are many households who simply do not have any savings to make. i was talking to a single father of two disabled son is in my constituency, he already cannot afford to take one of his children to hospital appointments he des