hello and welcome to bbc news. the united nations has described the war in ukraine, as a horror story of violations against civilians, and says there's growing evidence war crimes may have been committed. it comes as images from a us satellite company appear to show a burial ground where new graves have been added at the beginning of april — a site allegedly containing around 200 graves, near the besieged southern port city of mariupol, which russian forces have been trying to fully capture for several weeks. our correspondent, catherine byaru hanga, is in southern ukraine — a warning, her report contains some images viewers may find upsetting. haunting, apocalyptic scenes in mariupol. russia has bombarded this city into near submission. once home to about 500,000 people, thousands are believed to have been killed. emergency workers from russia are filmed here, retrieving the dead. moscow has repeatedly denied that its troops are responsible for the mass killings of civilians in ukraine, but mariupol�*s mayor says some of the worst war crimes have been committed there. translation: they | killed 20,000 people. they did it on purpose. this is what i think. they intentionally prevented people from leaving mariupol. they set this genocide up by closing the city down and using land artillery and air strikes first, and then the warships that arrived later. russian forces have been accused of hiding civilian bodies in mass graves. these satellite images show them appearing over the course of a month. the civilians have been buried in the village of manhush, outside mariupol, the southern city which has been besieged and encircled by russian forces for weeks. the last ukrainian troops in the city are holed up inside the azovstal steelworks, on mariupol�*s coast. 1,000 civilians are still said to be in this sprawling industrial complex. on this missing persons wall, most of the faces and names that you can see are people from mariupol, and now, with the ongoing blockade and with communications cut off, it's almost a miracle for people to get out. these women escaped mariupol together on thursday — just a handful of people who made it through with a humanitarian convoy. a friendship born out of the horrors of this war. translation: people are risking their lives under fire. _ they have to because there is no running water, gas or electricity. there is a mosque in the prymorskyi district with a well nearby. a lot of people got killed there. they got caught up in shelling. they were just looking for water in the city. but they are safe now and able to rebuild their lives in new cities and countries. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. borisjohnson says there's a realistic possibility the war in ukraine could continue until the end of next year. but the british prime minister insisted vladimir putin, wouldn't succeed in trying to grind the ukrainians down. miles of defensive trenches have been dug around the capital, kyiv, as a precaution, should russian troops return, with life now less precarious, after the city was successfully defended a few weeks ago. 0ur correspondent, mark lowen, has been spending time with ukrainian troops, in the capital. gunfire for the defenders of kyiv, the battle isn't over. this time, it's training, but while the enemy has retreated to the east, the danger still looms. vlad was a phd law student until the russians tried — and failed — to seize his city. do you think it is possible that they could come back? let's say we lose our positions on donbas or luhansk region, and then they see that we don't have enough troops and resources to protect kyiv, they would come back for their initial aim to take over our capital and take over our government. in the forests of kyiv — we can't disclose where — the 131st battalion is dug in, a crucial line of defence for the capital. how many kilometres of the trenches? i don't know. ten kilometres, 20 kilometres, i don't know. great britain sent us these weapons. it says anti—tank missiles from britain. yes, yes. and when was the last time that you used this weapon here? secret. translation: the russians were three or four kilometres from us, firing with mortars and artillery. if they return, without our resistance, they could storm through, and they will make an effort to do so again. but i think the residents of kyiv can sleep more soundly knowing that we are here. a whole infrastructure is in place. spots where kyiv families would picnic now have new dwellers. soup? it still feels astonishing to see how a modern european capital has suddenly been taken back to the trench—filled warfare of decades ago, and they're in this for the long haul because they now know that the threat to the very existence of their country will continue. forthose dug in, reminders of the life they left behind two months ago, when russia thought it could barge into kyiv with little resistance, and when ukraine's residents became its protectors. mark lowen, bbc news, kyiv. campaigning has ended in france ahead of what's expected to be a close run—off between president emmanuel macron, and his far—right rival, marine le pen, on sunday. opinion polls suggest emmanuel macron still has the upper hand, but his challenger could perform better than she did when the pair went head to head in 2017. our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. it's a bit late for tips on how to learn to punch on his opponent. after five divisive years in power, what emmanuel macron needs is to persuade voters who'd quite like to punch him to give him their vote instead. florentine and chloe are both teachers here in the suburbs of paris. they voted for mr macron last time. now, they've come to give him a hard time. le pen isjust...huge disaster, but macron is still a disaster, i think, for school and for public services in france. he's killing that, step—by—step. florentine says she'll abstain on sunday rather than vote for macron again. i'm still hesitating. i think if i do it, i might really get sick just after. he's a good talker, he knows how to try to seduce people, but we're not stupid. chloe gets close enough to shout her question on teacher's pay. "do you think teachers are lazy?", she asks. through the scrum, macron grips her hand, and locks in her vote. translation: he gripped my hand and said, "we're going to do - "something about that, i promise." so, i will vote for him, but i want something in return. horn honks there's a real choice on sunday about where france is heading. marine le pen is promising huge tax cuts and to "take back control". emmanuel macron wants a global nation, set on economic reform. divisions here are deepening with every election cycle and voters are now split between two radically different views of the world — with one candidate presenting herself as the spokeswoman of the people, and the other saying he's protecting france from her. dylan says he voted far—left in the first round of this election. on sunday, he's voting far—right. translation: it's not that i like the idea of voting - for marine le pen, but we have to choose between the two, and when you're choosing between cholera and the plague, you choose the lesser of two evils. chanting at herfinal rally, here in arras, marine le pen said voters should choose her to block mr macron. both say the other is dangerous. both spark loyalty in their own fans and loathing in those of their rival. but most voters belong to neither camp, and in this battle over france's future, they're being asked to choose a side. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. voting takes place on sunday in france. and we will have a special program bringing you the result, starting at 17:30 gmt. join us for that, as france decides. the ukrainian deputy prime minister has told the bbc only the un can save the lives of tens of thousands of people stuck in the besieged city of mariupol. i'm joined by our news reporter azadeh moshiri. the un under increasing pressure to act. let's talk about the evacuation process of mariupol at the moment — is it happening? is it going to save more lives?— more lives? the latest is that ukraine says _ more lives? the latest is that ukraine says they _ more lives? the latest is that ukraine says they are - more lives? the latest is that| ukraine says they are working on a humanitarian corridor, from early times saturday, ukraine time, to get more residents out of mariupol weather situation is extremely dangerous. now, the problem is, these humanitarian corridors have been attempted many times and have failed, it is simply so difficult for these aid agencies to get to mariupol, passed these russian checkpoints, pastor sharon, that a lot of the time mariupol residents are fleeing on their own without any help, taking that risk because the situation is simply so desperate. what the deputy prime minister told the deputy prime minister told the bbc is that it is now urgent for the un to take action themselves, for them to get involved with these humanitarian corridors, and was quite biting criticism — iryna vereshchuk says antonio guterres, the secretary—general and the un as a whole has just been watching events as they happen, and has said that as 100,000 people are currently trapped in a mariupol it is extremely important for them to intervene. , ., , extremely important for them to intervene. , . , ,., intervene. they have been some developments — intervene. they have been some developments in _ intervene. they have been some developments in last _ intervene. they have been some developments in last hour- intervene. they have been some developments in last hour or - intervene. they have been some developments in last hour or so | developments in last hour or so regarding the un, we now understand that we will see a visit to moscow by the un secretary—general, the chief, thatis secretary—general, the chief, that is anybody�*s gas, but this is a breakthrough in terms of the un acting up, as they have been under pressure to do so? element that is right, they did announce that antonio guterres is going to go to moscow on tuesday. is going to go to moscow on tuesday-— tuesday. , ., ,., is going to go to moscow on tuesda . tuesday. , ., ,., ., is going to go to moscow on tuesda . tuesday. , ., ,., ., , is going to go to moscow on tuesda . tuesday. the plan so far is that he will— tuesday. the plan so far is that he will have _ tuesday. the plan so far is that he will have a - tuesday. the plan so far is that he will have a working lunch with the foreign minister, the russian foreign minister, the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov, and it is said that he will be received by president clinton, it is unclear if it is an opportunity for them to have substantive conversation, they were also separately be meeting with president zelensky in kyiv. the fact is, the un so far hasn't had these sort of direct dogs at these higher levels, and haven't been a warning that instead they have had aid delivery is hampered, they haven't had the conditions they haven't had the conditions they were promised like being delivered food electricity and water, and residents don't have this in mariupol right now. they are warned they are increasingly concerned about the civilian casualties, something that russia says it isn't responsible for. the situation has become so dire that they have won the residents who are there that they are at risk of starving to death. . ~' , ., they are at risk of starving to death. ., ~ i. ., ., death. thank you for that update. _ death. thank you for that update, much _ death. thank you for that update, much more - death. thank you for that update, much more on i death. thank you for that | update, much more on the website as well. a man has been declared an official suspect in the disappearance of madeleine mccann nearly 15 years ago. she went missing during a family holiday in praia da luz in portugal in may 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday. her parents say they welcome today's development, and that they haven't given up hope madeleine may still be alive. our correspondentjon kay has more from praia da luz. her face and name are known around the world, but what happened to madeleine remains a mystery. it was on 3 may 2007 that she vanished from the mccanns�* holiday apartment in praia da luz — the moment her family's lives changed forever. please give our little girl back. overnight, portuguese prosecutors announced that they'd declared a new "arguido", or formal suspect in the case. it's understood to be this man, christian brueckner. the 45—year—old is currently in prison in germany for rape and drugs offences. he's known to have been living in portugal around the time madeleine disappeared, and german investigators say mobile phone records place him in praia da luz. but he has denied any involvement in the mccann case and has not been charged. you know, you have proximity, you have opportunity and you have a profile, with regards to an offender that absolutely fits in the way that no others have. the last decade and a half have seen many potential breakthroughs come and go. madeleine disappeared from her family's apartment while her parents were dining at a restaurant in the complex, and in the early days of the investigation, the portuguese authorities made kate and gerry mccann official suspects, but that status was later withdrawn. injuly 2013, the uk's metropolitan police reviewed the case, saying they had new witnesses and new evidence and they searched areas close to where madeleine was last seen. it was injune 2020 that german police said they'd identified a prisoner as a suspect. and the timing of christian brueckner now being made an arguido appears significant — next month, it will be 15 years since madeleine was reported missing, and under portuguese law, it's not possible for someone to be given arguido status after 15 years. but the authorities here say the move was not driven by timing, but by what they call "strong indications" of the practice of a crime. john kay reporting. the uk and india have signed a new defence partnership, the agreement was made as borisjohnson continues his visit to india, where he's been meeting his counterpart narendra modi. our political correspondent ben wright sent this report from delhi. the sun shone, the soldiers saluted and the ceremony never flagged. it was the red carpet treatment for boris johnson, who was here for talks with his indian counterpart, narendra modi. after yesterday's torrid day of political turmoil at home, mrjohnson seemed pleased to bask in the welcome. a joyful reception, i wouldn't get that necessarily anywhere in england. this is when the visit got down to business. it's 75 years since india gained independence from britain, and both countries say a free trade deal can be signed this year to mark the moment. next week, we're telling our negotiators, get it done by diwali in october. they had a long discussion about ukraine. india has held a neutral position on russia's invasion, and borisjohnson did not come here to jab or pressure, but mr modi did call for peace. translation: we emphasised on an immediate ceasefire - in ukraine, and on the use of dialogue and diplomacy for resolving issues. while borisjohnson later confirmed the uk intended to deepen its military commitment to the crisis. so, we're looking at sending tanks to poland. that's to allow warsaw to send its tanks to ukraine, and the prime minister also said british diplomats would soon be returning to the capital. i can announce today that we will very shortly, next week, reopen our embassy in ukraine's capital city. it's been a difficult couple of days for the prime minister, who's now facing an inquiry by mps into whether he misled parliament. you said there'll be a free trade agreement with india by diwali, but considering the number of party investigations going on back home, are you absolutely sure you'll still be prime minister then? ok, the second answer is yes, but... all trade agreements are tricky, ben, to get to your point about trade, and there will be tough asks of both sides, but i'm sure we can do it. boris johnson bristles at any mention of parties and the political problems he faces back at westminster. he is clearly irritated that it's taken the focus away from his efforts to deepen britain's ties with this surging economy. but it's where the party saga goes next that could determine boris johnson's future, ben wright, bbc news, delhi. the mexican authorities have been criticised for not doing enough to tackle femicide — the murder of women because of their gender. more than 150 women have been killed in the first two months of this year alone, and around 25,000 women are missing nationally. among the disappeared is debanhi escobar, an 18—year—old law student who has been missing since 9 april. her disappearance, which came two days after the body of another kidnapped woman was found in monterrey, has sparked protests across mexico. the disappearances and femicides are part of a broader crisis of violence in mexico, where annual homicides top 30,000. ana maria salazar is a former us deputy assistant secretary of defense for drug enforcement and security policy, and is based in mexico city. thank you forjoining us. for those who are not aware of this issue in mexico, this is pretty shocking stuff, and it is not particularly new, is it? so why are the mexico authorities so reluctant, as it seems, get —— to get on top of it? reluctant, as it seems, get -- to get on top of it?— to get on top of it? well, because _ to get on top of it? well, because they _ to get on top of it? well, because they have - to get on top of it? well, because they have a - to get on top of it? well, - because they have a different view in terms of how to deal with violence in mexico. there is a big question, how do you dig —— deal with criminal organisations who are among the most dangerous criminal organisations in the world, at the same time you have an enormous amount of violence, that don't necessarily have to do with organised crime. so the problem is, what strategy are they going to use, and they have decided that the best way to deal with violence in mexico is through these development programmes, providing scholarships, providing funds, trying to improve the lot of the poorest of the poor. which is, it needs to be done, it has to be done — but as you provide this money to the poorest of the poor and these scholarships, it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to solve the problem of violence. and the fact is we are going through, in mexico right now, one of the highest index of violence, homicides, index of violence, homicides, in the world. and like i said, you are absolutely right, it is shocking, mexico is about to reach 100,000 disappeared people in the last a0 years. so we have people who are being, who have disappeared, 20,000 in the last three years. we have an enormous amount of violence against women, murders against women have skyrocketed, and we continue to have two deal with these extremely dangerous criminal organisations. mexico is a scary _ criminal organisations. mexico is a scary place _ criminal organisations. mexico is a scary place to _ criminal organisations. mexico is a scary place to live - criminal organisations. mexico is a scary place to live for - is a scary place to live for anyone from the sounds of it. but is it particularly scary for a woman? i but is it particularly scary for a woman?— but is it particularly scary for a woman? i think so. and even though _ for a woman? i think so. and even though the _ for a woman? i think so. and even though the governmentj even though the government diminishes the fact of this increased violence against women, they talk about focusing on violence in general— but i do think when you look at these cases you just mentioned, one case, when they were looking for the woman who was lost when she was going to a party, they found for other bodies of women who had disappeared as they were looking for her. so something is happening in mexico, and there has been protests by women, women are extremely angry and there were protests trying to get the government's attention, but we have not been very successful. it sounds like a very complex issue to solve, notjust with crackdowns, but a change of culture and change of thinking. we have to leave it there, thank you for your insight. it is the oldest and most prestigious exhibition in the western art world — the venice art biennale opens on saturday. this year, it's happening against the backdrop of the war in ukraine. our culture editor, katie razzall met ukrainian and russian artists in venice. serene venice has been shaken by world events. first, its international art show was delayed a year by covid. now, that biennale is taking place in the shadow of war. all of which means, unusually, the art world is focused on ukraine. there is a new damien hirst for a show, defending freedom. and works by maria prymachenko, who is a symbol of the country's national identity. it's about showcasing ukrainian culture. one artist depicts her husband and others who havejoined the army, painted as reports of war crimes against civilians in the kyiv suburb bucha were revealed. and i was even crying because of bucha and this canvas was laying on the floor and i thought, ok, ironically, connect, you know, because of the... ..wetness of the painting is connected to my tears. russia's pavilion is shut. the artists and curator behind this year's show pulled out when the invasion happened. the only thing to see was an anti—war protest by a russian artist. applause he was surrounded by supporters, and then swiftly by police. he is a sole voice of protest but he does speak for many russian artists, and this russian pavilion is closed — and, in a sense, those closed doors symbolise quite how isolated russia is. but some russian art is being shown at the bienniale, including tapestries by zhenya machneva. it's screaming, it's crying. all my feelings is here. zhenya opposes the war. we should stop it. and every day i want that it stops, but it's hard to face, that each day it's getting worse. the ukrainian pavilion is now centre stage in venice. the artist behind this work, called the fountain of exhaustion, says it is important that his country is represented here, because the russians are attacking notjust ukraine but its culture. they want to level and demolish totally ukrainian culture because it doesn't exist because it's part of russia. they are saying openly, that the war is a punishment for them, and those who doesn't want to go and to understand that this is only part of russia, they have to be physically eliminated. so whether it is photographs of mothers who have lost sons in the conflict, or a 17th—century icon, these works on show here now reflect a country, a culture, that is fighting for its very survival. katie razzall, bbc news, venice. that's the latest, thanks for watching. hello there. at this time of year, wind direction can have quite a significant impact on the weather story. west has been best for the last couple of days. in fact, there was nearly 1a hours of sunshine in argyle and butte, an absolutely glorious story here. just down the road in north wales, well, that was the highest temperature recorded in flintshire with 19 celsius. that's because we were sheltered from a fresh easterly wind coming in off a cool north sea. it dragged in a lot of cloud with it. most of the weather action over the last few days has certainly been across europe where we've seen some hideous weather, wet and windy at times across northern spain and portugal, and that's going to continue for the weekend. for us, though, there will be a lot of cloud, and it's been pushing in off the north sea, and the cloud thick enough for some coastal fog which will linger across the far north—east of scotland. but once again, western areas in scotland, northern ireland, north—west england seeing the best of any sunshine. the cloud will break up across england and wales, but we could see a rash of showers into south wales and south—west england as we go through the afternoon. yes, it's going to be another breezy day, so on exposed north sea coasts, it will be noticeably cooler. we're likely to see those temperatures perhaps peaking at around 12 or 13 degrees. but in western areas and maybe into the south—east, where we see that cloud break up and more sunshine coming through, 18 degrees, once again, is quite possible. so, there's that low pressure bringing yet more wet weather and significant snow across the alps in europe. at the same time, we're under this influence of high pressure, but there'll be plenty of isobars squeezed together, so a significant breeze yet again on sunday. that may well help to break up the cloud a little further on sunday, but it will continue to drag in a lot of low cloud and sea fog across the northern isles and far north—east of scotland. 9—11 degrees here, but with more sunshine and fewer showers, 18, once again, not out of the question. then, as we head into next week, the isobars will open up a little, but we contract that wind direction to more of a north—easterly, a cooler source if anything. so, yes, potentially lighter winds, but that's going to drag in a little more in the way of cool air in comparison to of late. so, we keep the theme dry to close out the month of april, but noticeably cooler than we've seen over the last couple of days. take care. this is bbc news — the headlines: the united nations has described the war in ukraine as a horror story of violations against civilians, and says there's growing evidence war crimes may have been committed. it comes as us satellite images allegedly show a mass burial site near the beseiged southern port city of mariupol. the united nations secretary—general is to travel to moscow for talks with president putin. antonio guterres will meet mr putin on tuesday. a ukrainian deputy prime minister has told the bbc only the un can save the lives of tens of thousands of people stuck in the city of mariupol. the french presidential election campaign has concluded and voters now have a day to reflect on the competing