welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: as brexit talks loom, tensions deepen between britain and the european commision, there's a warning the road ahead could be bumpy. i was described as a difficult woman during the campaign. i said the next person to say that would be jean—claude junker. ten years after the disappearance of madeleine mccann, one of the men questioned by police speaks out for the first time. more protests in venezuela as the president's plan to rewrite the constitution faces widespread international criticism. and hang tight, we'll tell you the story of the surfer rescued after 30 hours adrift in the irish sea. the deepening tensions between the british prime minister

and the president of the european commission ahead of the brexit negotiations have been laid bare. theresa may has warned jean—claude juncker that she will prove to be a "bloody difficult woman" during the brexit talks. it follows reports that mrjuncker had accused her of being ‘deluded' about the brexit process. mrs may, currently campaigning in the general election, told our political editor laura kuenssberg she always knew the brexit talks would be challenging. who wouldn't like a day by the cornish coast? who could be coming to town? i believe it's that nice theresa may. is that correct or not correct? strong and stable theresa. i'm not very keen, in fact, i'm very unkeen. i hope she comes sooner rather than later. i've got a bus to catch. the number 10 suits, police by the fishing boats, gave the game away. thank you, nice to see you, morning, morning. a serene scene compared to brutal briefings from brussels. thank you, nice to see you.

during the conservative party leadership campaign, i was described by one of my colleagues as a "bloody difficult woman". and i said at the time, the next person to find that out would be jean—claude juncker. and did he over the weekend? well, these are going to be tough negotiations as we go ahead. i'm asking the british people to give me a mandate. did jean—claude juncker say to you, brexit cannot be a success? i don't... look, i don't recall the account that has been given of the meeting that took place. i think a lot of this is brussels gossip. it was a dinner in london and you were there. but what it does show... it is not brussels gossip. either he said it to you or he did not. the account, i think that the account i have seen, a lot of that is brussels gossip. but what is important is there is a key question there will be 27 other eu countries on one side of the table and who is going to be there, standing up for the uk? it is either going to be me orjeremy corbyn.

you wanted an early deal on eu citizens and brits abroad. they said no. you wanted parallel talks about our divorce deal and trade at the same time. they said no. that does not inspire confidence, does it? i have always said that there are complexities to this issue and lots of details that will need to be agreed. brexit is not the only issue. back her on brexit or not, for some voters, it is just not enough. food banks, you know. there's massive problems with homelessness, house prices. polite, it may be, but her first sharp encounter of the campaign. the campaign is solely focusing on brexit. no, it's not. i know it isn't but that is the impression. well, brexit has huge opportunities for us. it can do, if we get the right deal. it doesn't help that borisjohnson says it is about selling haggis to the americans. her team says she loves talking to voters but what did that one think of her? the austerity cuts have been incredibly damaging. and we need a strong economy. i don't believe that brexit is going to take us into a strong economy.

i've never felt in my adult life so depressed about the state of this country, i really haven't. neitherdo i. those two are quite angry. they had a lot to say to theresa may. i know they did but it is too late to discuss that now. we are already going out so why fight that? brexit is the backdrop to this election. the prime minister wants to use the circumstances to build her authority, but whether here or anywhere else, voters will make it absolutely plain it is not the only thing that will make up their mind. as that voter said to you in that cornish village, this shouldn't all be about brexit. she was desperately worried that it is. we have already started to set out our plan for a stronger britain. this election, i believe, genuinely believe, is the most important election the country has faced my lifetime. we have an historic opportunity. it is an important moment of change for this country. doesn't that sound rather strange from somebody who was home secretary for six years in previous governments? i was very proud to have served in david cameron's cabinet for six years as home secretary,

but i'm a different person. i'm my own person, and we are in a different set of circumstances. and i want to look ahead to the long—term challenges that this country faces. almost exactly a year ago, prime minister, i asked you if you thought you would want to be leader of the country and you laughed it off, saying there wasn't a vacancy. now we all know what has happened since then. many of your mps and ministers believe this could be a transformational election in terms of the tories taking back swathes of the country. you can't laugh at that. you read the polls as well. you must believe it is in your sights. i'm very clear, i have always, throughout my political career, never predicted election results. and i have always said, you know, polls come out that are good and polls come out that are bad but the only one that counts is the one that takes place on the eighth ofjune. if you are elected, will you serve the full term until 2022? laughter. i have no intention of doing anything other than serving the full term until 2022, because this is,

as i say, an important time for our country. this so—called bloody difficult woman wants to stay on as your prime minister. persuading all of you? that might be difficult, too. thank you very much. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, cornwall. and there's much more on the brexit process and the various upcoming elections in the uk on our website. to find out more go to bbc.com/news. ten years ago, a british toddler went missing from her holiday home in portugal. the disappearance of madeline mccann sparked worldwide headlines. now, a decade on, one of the men questioned by scotland yard has been speaking for the first time. paulo ribeiro, who is no longer a suspect, was questioned in connection with a theory that she was taken during a burglary that went wrong. the three—year—old had been left by her parents in their holiday apartment while they dined at a restaurant nearby. the portuguese police have also given their first television interview about the case, as richard bilton, of bbc panorama, reports. for ten years, the holiday village

of praia da luz has given up no answers. on the third may 2007, madeleine mccann went to bed, in apartment 5a, and was never seen again. it is the policia judiciaria's job to find her, i asked for an interview ten years ago, now they've finally said yes. why did you think it was important to talk now? madeleine mccann is a very unique case, unfortunately. we've never had a case like madeleine mccann before and since then, never one. it was portuguese detectives who prompted one of the most shocking moments of the case... reporter: gerry, how do you feel, gerry? ..when madeleine mccann's parents were made suspects. do you think it was right to make kate and gerry mccann arguidos back then? when we came up with the team to review the case at that point, the mccanns‘ were no suspects to us.

so was it a mistake in 2007? i've repeated and i'm saying again now, the mccanns‘ were no suspects to us. it isn'tjust the portuguese who were looking for madeleine mccann. for six years, there's been a british investigation and it has looked to the back streets of luz. most of scotland yard's time and money has been spent on the theory that madeleine mccann disappeared as part of a burglary gone wrong. this is one of their suspects. paulo ribeiro was asked 250 questions by uk detectives, including — did you kill madeleine mccann? what did you think when they asked you about whether you were involved

in madeleine mccann's disappearance? last week scotland yard announced there was no evidence to implicate mr ribeiro or the other suspects questioned. the case against them has been closed. the british have other lines of inquiry and funding until september. the portuguese say they have no deadline. you know more about this case than almost anyone else, do you think in your heart it will be solved? if it depended on my heart, the case would have already been solved, but it doesn't depend on my heart, it depends very much on our minds. there is no other case like madeleine mccann. after ten years, the search goes on,

but the solution seems as far away as ever. richard bilton, bbc news, luz. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. police have been granted more time to question three young women arrested in east london on suspicion of terrorism offences. the arrests were linked to a raid on thursday in another part of the capital, a woman was shot and wounded there, by police. another five people arrested after the raid are still in custody. some leading athletes have expressed outrage that their world records could lose official status under radical new anti—doping proposals. european athletics says blood and urine samples should be available for re—testing for up to ten years to help prove athletes were clean. however, the governing body of world athletics, the iaaf, who's boss supports the move has only kept samples since 2005, so the proposal would mean downgrading records achieved before then. the italian carrier, alitalia, has asked the government to place the airline in administration after workers rejected its latest plan to unlock much—needed funds.

staff voted against a restructuring plan that would have involved cuts to jobs and salaries. the government will now appoint commissioners to assess whether the airline can be rescued. they haven't spoken since almost a month ago when donald trump ordered a multiple missile strike on syria, but he and russian president vladimir putin have picked up the phone again. the conversation a good one according to the white house. "business—like and constructive," said the kremlin. it was a busy day for president putin, who'd been asked a question at a press conference if russia had interfered with the us election. we never interfere in the political life and the political processes of other countries and we don't want anybody interfering in our political life. you've referred to the us example, which is not confirmed by anything or anyone. these are just rumours used in the internal political struggle in the us. there's been international

condemnation of president maduro's plans to rewrite the venezuelan constitution, but his government says the new constituent assembly is the best way to unite a fractured country. there's been another day of street protests, with barricades limiting traffic in cities across the country. greg dawson has the latest. this is the result of president maduro's promise to bring peace to venezuela. in this city, the only sign of traffic is the burning cars used to form road blocks. protesting has taken place here and across the family in direct response to the president's idea for a new citizen led national assembly. in a televised address, president maduro confirmed he would sideline the country's opposition controlled

congress which has been calling for his resignation. but with pots and pans in hand, these people made it clear the only change they want is a new president. translation: we are not scared. i am sick and tired of this disgusting corrupt government. president maduro wants at least half of the new assembly to come from his traditional powerbase, the poor and the working classes. but opponents have vowed to fight the decision. translation: we venezuelans do not have to accept the elections different to those set out in our constitution. the government has two choices. they can approve the constitution among themselves, or are they can have a referendum. if they hold a referendum, we will defeat them. the united states has condemned president maduro's announcement as a bid to cling to power. the move has been denounced by brazil, chilli, and indonesia.

with no sign to the end, the protesting looks set to continue. it has been called a mega— protests that will take place on wednesday. mega—protest. stay with us on bbc news. still to come. trying to get your sums right. the british politician who struggled to remember her own party's policy. nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government to build better government housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration.

this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: there are signs of growing tensions between britain and the european union over brexit, as prime minister theresa may warns the road ahead could be bumpy. ten years after the disappearance of madeleine mccann, one of the men questioned by police speaks out for the first time. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn says he backs diane abbot, the shadow home secretary, despite her difficulty explaining labour's plans for policing.

party policy is to recruit an extra 10,000 officers in england and wales. ms abbot, during a radio interview, offered several versions of the projected cost. she said she had simply ‘mis—spoken', but the conservatives said it raised new questions about labour's competence, as our deputy political editor john pienaar reports. there, over the road, you know him, labour's leader, promising to make the streets safer. 10,000 more police on the beat, catching more criminals and paid for by the better—off, using capital gains tax the tories plan to cut. what we are putting forward is a proposal to increase police numbers. the conservatives have cut them by 20,000 and we are putting 10,000 more police officers out there because it is a question of community policing and community involvement. there are many causes of crime. they have to all be addressed. it is a collective approach. but labour has been

hounded by questions. could they afford it? the party suggested the same money could go on schools or welfare. just examples, according to diane abbott, and the money? how much would 10,000 police officers cost? well, if we can recruit the 10,000 policemen and women over a four—year period, we believe it will be about £300,000. £300,000? sorry... 10,000 police officers? what are you paying them? no, i mean... sorry. how much will they cost? they will cost... they will. .. it will cost... about... about £80 million. i don't understand. what is he or she...? 80 million divided by 10,000 equals 8000. so what are these police officers going to be paid? we will be paying them the average... has this been thought through? of course it has been

thought through. first it was thousands, then it was millions. it's not the sort of thing which encourages people to trust you, is it? it's been clarified. it's absolutely clear what the cost of this will be, 300 million. just how strong is your faith and trust in your shadow home secretary, diane abbott? diane is fine and diane has my full support. she clearly does and it is £300 million, not £80 million. diane abbott brushed off the mix—up, or tried to. i do know my figures, and as you well know, i did seven interviews that morning, and that was the seventh and i mis—spoke, but i do know my figures. that settled that, or did it? trust is a problem for some of the voters in this part of southampton, in one of the tiny handful of seats labour holds in the south—east. i believe that the tories run the country like a business, whereas labour seems to borrow a lot of money and just relies on other people to pay it back later in life.

you don't think much of her? what about jeremy corbyn? corbyn isn't really my politician, although at least i've got a bit of respect for the fact that he is more of a labour man than perhaps they have had in the past. so, but... sincere and honest, anyway, he's got convictions. yes, yes, although i don't have a lot of faith in him as a politician. are you willing to give labour a chance this time? i am willing to give labour a chance, as long as they are willing to help the working class people. do you think maybe they are in the business of doing that? i would like to think so. this election is more about leadership, about the character of rivals, than any i can remember since margaret thatcher first won. but policies that touch the lives of millions matter, too, and law and order is one of those. just now, labour is fighting to regain trust on policies and personalities and the tories need that advantage. police funding has been protected since the last election but before that, it was cut back severely. we have reduced the number

of policemen on the street from 2010, but because the police have been spending that money wisely and because we have worked with them on reform, there's been a reduction in crime of nearly a third since 2010. we believe you can protect funding and also reduce crime. labour is telling voters no, otherfigures suggest some crimes got worse. leaders like children at election time. jeremy corbyn seems to mean it, but he needs britain to like him enough to make him prime minister. that's a much bigger ask. john pienaar, bbc news, southampton. the french presidential election campaign is reaching its final stages with the run—off between emanuel macron and marine le pen just four days away. on monday, both candidates gave fiery speeches at rallies in paris. a day later, parts of marine le pen's speech are trending on social media — but not for the reasons she intended. marine le pen stands accused of plagiarism. her campaign manager,

david rachline, has played down the incident saying "it was a nod and a wink to the speech. i'm sure it was appreciated, including by all of mr fillon's supporters." gavin lee was at an event in paris which marine le pen attended. this is as up close and personal as it gets. marine le pen is addressing the african civil society in paris. iam the african civil society in paris. i am whispering because i am probably talking louder than marine le pen. the situation is, she needs every single vote every single she le pen. the situation is, she needs every single she can get. she just referred to her speech, she said, ultimately, doing this, the world would not have paid attention. she said, the world is talking about it and about her policies. she said, there is a lot more that people would have ignored but they have now picked up on it. ultimately, it has come down to the fact that the man

who has britain part of that speech, it is from a book that was put out several months ago. it is a book by a right—wing author. they talked about how the french language is used all over the world and how france needs to be at the top when it comes to world affairs. also talking about what she will do for ethnic minorities. i've got to say, she has not been entirely popular. some people say, are you racist? she says, no, i'm not. she says she wa nts to says, no, i'm not. she says she wants to talk about what she can offer as president. and in new york city, hillary clinton has taken some responsibility for her losing campaign against donald trump. responsibility for her losing campaign against donald trumpm was not a perfect campaign, there is no such thing. but i was on the way

to winning and till 0ctober, no such thing. but i was on the way to winning and till october, when jim cloney‘s letter and which leaks raise doubt in the minds of people who were planning to vote for me but got scared of ——jim who were planning to vote for me but got scared of —— jim comey‘s. now an astonishing story of survival. british surfer matthew bryce has been rescued after clinging to his board for more than 30 hours in the sea between scotland and ireland. he was eventually found in the irish sea, 13 miles off shore. the coastguard who saved him says matthew is very lucky. matthew has described the coastguard as a hero. chris buckler reports. after more than a day drifting in the water, matthew bryce was found by the coastguard, floating miles from land. he was still by the surfboard he left the argyll coast on sunday morning, but when he was finally rescued, on monday evening, he was halfway between northern ireland and scotland, and farfrom the beach near campbelltown where he'd gone for a day's surfing in blustery conditions. this picture, taken that morning, shows how challenging the waves would have been for surfers.

he'd been surfing and when he attempted to recover to shore, we believe he suffered from some cramp and was unable to make his way against the tide. the current which flows through the north channel into the atlantic from the irish sea is very strong. you know, that would have had an impact on how far he'd been drifted out. the big waves around both scotland and northern ireland can carry big risks, but they attract many surfers, and being prepared and wearing a good wetsuit may well have saved matthew bryce's life. that length of time in our waters, you know, overnight in the darkness, it must have been frightening for him. certainly, i think another night of that, i'm afraid, i just think we wouldn't have such a happy ending. after spending so many hours out at sea, it should come as no surprise that matthew bryce is exhausted. however, he's expected to make a full recovery and from his hospital bed he's

thanked those involved in saving him as well as those who are caring for him them. those thoughts have been echoed by his family, they reported him missing on sunday. they say receiving last night's phone call that confirmed that he'd been found alive and well was like winning the lottery. he was 13 miles from shore when he was plucked from the sea, just as night was approaching and, in the words of the coastguard, "extremely lucky to have been found." chris buckler, bbc news on the north antrim coast. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello there.

well, on tuesday we saw a big contrast in weather conditions across the country. the further west you were, the better the sunshine as you were sheltered from the easterly breeze. in fact, western scotland fared best with wall—to—wall sunshine and a top temperature of 21 degrees. it was cloudier further east, especially in the south—east. so it led to a bit of a disappointing afternoon, but it was still fairly warm. through the night, we will hold onto this contrast. breeze in the south—east. in fact, patchy light rain moving in from the near continent because of a weather system there. further north and west, lengthy clear skies in the west. so a recipe for a chilly start on wednesday morning. a touch of frost in the western glens and a bit of mist and fog too. so we'll start the tour of scotland. plenty of sunshine through the morning. a bit of a chilly start. low cloud through the central belt — this will tend to burn away quickly. lots of sunshine for northern

ireland and the north of england. the north midlands as well seeing some sunshine, as well as northern wales. some sunny spells into cornwall and devon. but elsewhere, a cloudy and disappointing start. some cloud big enough for light rain and drizzle in the south—east and maybe london as well. out on the breeze, it'll actually feel quite nippy. through the day, there will not be much change. cool and cloudy across the south—east with further patchy light rain. the further north and west, the better the sunshine. a little bit cooler than what we saw on tuesday. a top temperature of 17—18 degrees potentially across western scotland. it'll feel very pleasant in the strong early—may sunshine. but it'll be 12 or lower on the east coast, especially when you have the cloud. the reason for the chill on the north coast is the temperatures in the ocean not more than 8—10. with the cloud, temperatures on the coast will feel disappointing for early may. so through the rest of wednesday evening, cloudy for a proportion of england and wales. light and patchy rain. for thursday, a similar picture. plenty of cloud for england and wales. patchy light rain.

feeling a bit chilly. the best of the sunny spells in the north and the west of the uk. the top temperature of around 111—15 degrees. on friday, the breeze picks up even more, so it will feel nippier, particularly close to the coast. the best of the sunshine in northern and western areas. temperatures range from around 10—15 degrees. 0n into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure keeping the weather system that day. so it stays largely fine and dry. chilly on the coast. the best of the sunshine in the north and west. this is bbc news. the headlines: the deepening tensions between the british prime minister and the president of the european commission ahead of the brexit negotiations have been laid bare. theresa may has warned jean—claude juncker that she will

prove to be a "bloody difficult woman" during the ongoing brexit talks. ten years since madeleine mccann disappeared while on holiday in portugal, one of the men questioned by scotland yard has been speaking for the first time. paulo ribeiro, who is no longer a suspect, was questioned in connection with a theory that she was taken during a burglary that went wrong. there's been widespread international criticism of president nicolas maduro's plans to set up a new body which could rewrite venezuela's constitution. lawmakers have rejected the move and protesters have again been out in numbers with barricades limiting traffic in cities across the country. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.