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Blasts have been reported in the western city of Lviv, where the mayor says missiles have hit a building near the airport. Smoke can be seen billowing over the city, close to the Polish border. It comes after Ukraine's state emergency services ferried more than 1,000 people out of the capital, Kyiv, overnight. The southern city of Mariupol remains under heavy assault, although reports suggest civilians were seen emerging alive from the ruins of a theatre the Ukrainian authorities say was bombed by Russia.

Invading Russian forces have become bogged down by "incessant counterattacks" and logistical woes, according to the latest UK military assessment of the war in Ukraine. Similarly, US officials say the Russian advance is frozen "around the country on multiple lines of axes". Our correspondent Quentin Sommerville and cameraman Darren Conway have been on the front line with some of those mounting a dogged defence of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city. And they have filed another moving despatch, which some may find distressing.

Protests are planned at ports today, after P&O Ferries sacked 800 staff by video call - and said it would replace them with cheaper agency workers. Its sailings have been cancelled, with the company telling passengers services are "unable to run for the next few days". Maritime minister Robert Courts says the company told him it will suspend services for "a week to 10 days while they locate new crew" on four routes. P&O Ferries said it would "not be a viable business" without the changes and that a £100m year-on-year loss had been covered by parent company DP World. However, DP World claimed more than £15m in grants and furlough assistance in 2020 - and paid out £270m to shareholders. Read the reaction of employees and hear from replacement workers who walked away when they heard about the company's plans.

Almost exactly two years to the day the UK's first lockdown was imposed, all remaining Covid travel restrictions have been removed for passengers entering the UK. Unvaccinated arrivals will no longer have to take tests, while passenger locator forms are being scrapped. Travel companies have welcomed the news, with the boss of tourism company Kuoni calling it "the final game-changer" Derek Jones says: "People can now go on holiday or visit family and friends overseas without all of the stress that comes with testing before they return home." However, UK travellers are still advised to check the rules for the countries they are visiting - as many still have restrictions and testing requirements in place.
 

Papers digest the sacking of 800 staff by P&O Ferries, which plans to replace them with cheap agency workers. The Financial Times says the company sent security teams to clear crew members from its ships and that no notice period had been given.  "Mutiny on P&O ferries", reads the Metro's front page, which says many staff refused to leave their vessels after being told of their dismissal. Some of the security personnel sent in to remove crew from ships were wearing balaclavas and carrying handcuffs, according to the Daily Mail, which uses the same headline. P&O is described as "up ship creek" by the Daily Star, which calls its bosses "scumbags" for delivering the news by video call. "What a bunch of anchors," is the Sun's verdict.

Some pieces of Irish history went up for sale yesterday. A lock of hair belonging to revolutionary leader Michael Collins sold at auction for £18,000 - twice as much as a gun he used to help break Éamon de Valera out of Lincoln Prison. Here's the full story.

There might be one or two sore heads on the Emerald Isle this morning, after mass St Patrick's Day festivities returned from a two-year absence caused by the Covid pandemic. Here's how people enjoyed the day.

Meanwhile, those of us with creaky bones and phantom aches might wish we could turn back the clock. But did you know some people are actively trying to slow the ageing process by experimenting on their bodies? BBC Ideas heard from the "biohackers" about what they hope to achieve.

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