this is bbc world news today. i'm alpa patel. our top stories: fleeing islamic state — reports that dozens have been killed in the iraqi city of mosul. in the last two days, isis have been shooting people escaping from this area in the street. i saw over 50 dead bodies yesterday. cutting carbon — india commits to going above and beyond its commitments under the paris agreement. no comment — did moscow interfere in the american elections? we ask the russians who may know. and one of the most eagerly anticipated football matches, the champions league final, reaches its climax. hello and welcome to world news today. reports from the iraqi city of mosul

say dozens of civilians have been killed while fleeing a neighbourhood held by islamic state fighters. exactly how they died is not yet clear. but there have been reports of the militants targeting civilians attempting to escape the city. iraqi government forces retook eastern mosul back injanuary. they began a new push this week to capture the remaining part held by islamic state in the west. the latest fighting is focused on al zanjili which is near the river tigris. alan johnston reports. they are escaping. they decided to gather their children and take their chancesin gather their children and take their chances in the streets of this war zone, fleeing neighbourhoods controlled by the militants. there was danger all around, from the militants and the attacking

government forces and their us allies in aircraft overhead. translation: i went out to bring water from a nearby place. we were about 200 or 250 people, and a member of islamic state walked amongst us. minutes later, a plane struck the crowd. he managed to escape and we were hurt. in amongst the families came the casualties. in one place, many did not survive, their bodies were left lying where they fell. there is this account of what happened. how the slaughter here unfolded. in the last two days, is has been shooting people escaping from this area in the street. i saw over 50 dead bodies yesterday. we work with the americans to give smoke and iraqi tank, and we followed behind them and rescued one

little girl and one man. while the civilians tried to flee, the battle for mosul rages on. there has been a month after month of intense street fighting. every house is being fought for. but the soldiers are now closing in on the militants' last bastian, mosul‘s historic old city and the few areas around it. for some, those who made it through the front lines, there is relief, a sudden sense that, at least for now, the worst is over. alanjohnston, bbc news. days after president trump pulled the united states out of the paris climate deal, france and india have reaffirmed their commitment to climate change. at a meeting in paris, mr macron said they stood together on the issue. india is the third—largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. mr modi said the paris climate agreement was part of the world's common heritage. translation: we are in favour of this paris agreement and we will

continue to work in that direction. even if this agreement did not exist, we will ensure that future generations receive something good from ours. —— future generations receive something good from us. actually, it's about something that can protect future generations, that can give rise to a new hope. it's not simply just about the protection of the environment, it's about our common responsibility to protect the mother planet. the deputy leader of afghanistan has survived a bomb attack at a funeral in the capital, kabul. that the seven people were cold and over 100 injured in the explosions. the funeral was taking place of the son ofa funeral was taking place of the son of a prominent politician. he was killed yesterday during clashes between demonstrators and police. from kabul, we were sent this

report, which contains images you may find upsetting. bloodshed in a graveyard. mourners were targeted in the cemetery as they were burying... survivors describe the carnage they had witnessed. translation: there we re had witnessed. translation: there were explosions everywhere, and i saw my hands and face were burning. there were parts of human bodies lying all around me. after that, i had to get to hospital. this is the third time in four days that dead and injured afghans have been brought to emergency hospitals across the city. kabul used to be one of the most secure places in the country, now it seems it is one of the most dangerous. relatives gathered, anxious for news of their loved ones. this man was describing how the suicide bombers blew themselves up one after another, when suddenly gunfire rang out. it

turned out to be warning shots from the police, but it's a measure of how tense the city is. kabul is still reeling from a blast on wednesday which killed 90 people. many residents are furious with the authorities for not providing better security. 0ne authorities for not providing better security. one of the leaders of the unity government was at the funeral today, and i asked him why so many attacks seemed to be succeeding.” would say that we will raise this issue very seriously within our own system. you are not resigning? if that would have been the solution, that would have been the solution, that would have been the first thing i would have resorted to. them is real anger here at the rising tide of violence, but it seems no one, not the government and not the international community, knows how to stop it. we can now speak to javid ahmad. he's a fellow with the atlantic council's south asia center. hejoins me live

he joins me live from washington. hejoins me live from washington. a tragic few days in afghanistan. as the government lost control of the country? they have been fighting the insurgency on multiple fronts. it is not just the taliban that are active in afghanistan, but according to the top us commander in the country, there are at least 20 other militant terrorist groups active in afghanistan and pakistan in the last couple of years. at least 20 of them are involved in breast activities in the country, including an affiliate of islamic state. their results of a pakistan —based network which afghan intelligence has said was behind the

recent truck bombing in central kabul on wednesday. needless to say that this year and last have been the years of survival for the afghan government. 0ften the years of survival for the afghan government. often times, their ability to take on each of the insurgent groups that operate in the country and be effective at it is overstretched, but it does not mean they are losing control over their security situation. we saw in our report that kabul... the government controls much of the

territory, but occasional attacks in places like kabul and other urban areas do happen. the reasons behind it is attributed to a failure of intelligence on the afghan part. the afg ha n intelligence on the afghan part. the afghan security forces are also on the front line and they are fighting very bravely, which has also led to an alarming number of casualties. the afghan government has ruled out a new security plan to work on the effectiveness of the afghan security forces, including building the offensive capabilities of the force and improving its leadership, which i think will prove very useful in the months ahead in the fight against the taliban. this year will

bea against the taliban. this year will be a challenging one nonetheless, for both the the goverment and security forces, with setbacks in like kabul. unfortunately, it seems that before the situation gets better, it is likely to get worse. thank you very much for being with bbc world. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the us defence secretary, james mattis, says china's actions in the south china sea show a ‘blatant disregard for international law'. mr mattis said china's construction of the artificial islands amount to the militarisation of international waters and contribute to instability in the region. a worldwide clinical trial has reduced the risk of dying from prostate cancer by nearly forty percent. the trial is believed to be the largest of its kind. and uses a drug to stop more testosterone reaching the prostate gland, stifling the tumour‘s growth.

an outdoor music festival in germany has resumed after a terror threat suspended the show on friday. 0rganisers say they were given the go—ahead after an intensive search of the area found no evidence of a concrete threat. it's less than a week before the uk general election and the ruling conservatives are coming under pressure over their tax plans. the opposition labour party — gaining in the polls — says the wealthy are being protected from tax rises at the expense of the poor, a charge the government strongly denies. iain watson reports. senior conservatives, including the defence secretary and foreign secretary, have been sending out a strong message to their core voters. if you are worried that income tax might rise if we are elected, don't be full to bid is not our intention. the conservative manifesto is nowhere near as explicit. is it being rewritten? 0ur position on tax has not changed.

we have set it out in the manifesto. what people will know when they've vote on thursday, it is the conservative party who always has and is a low tax party. it is our intention to reduce taxes for ordinary working families. what does the conservative manifesto say on tax question at the last election david cameron promise not to increase income tax, national insurance or vat. the 2017 manifesto, only the pledge on vat remains. promising to raise the level at which people pay the standard and higher amount of tax would also amount to a reduction. theresa may could have tough brexit talks ahead. there is no pledge not to increase income tax was that she and her colleagues are talking about tax today because they want to refocus attention in this campaign about what would happen if a labour

chancellor moves into number 11 downing street. how are you doing? all right? i am now i have met you. labour says the policy of making the better off and big businesses pay more is popular and the conservatives lack clarity. there is chaos going on at the top of the government. what labour is offering is no tax rises or insurance rises or vat rises. an increase in corporation tax and some other tax increases at the top end to pay for social care. theresa may could be finding it is more convivial to talk about tax than social care. she and her colleagues are trying to stir the enthusiasm of traditional voters by saying instincts on taxation are the same. stay with us on bbc world news.

still to come: ariana grande has made a surprise visit to fans still in hospital after last month's concert attack. the moment of crowning. by a signal given, the great guns of the tower. ta nks given, the great guns of the tower. tanks and troops are patrolling the streets of central peking after... you can see it's mighty tail fin, the only sign left that an aircraft had been here. uefa imposes an

indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles lp, sergeant pepper ‘s lonely hearts club band. this is bbc world news today. i'm alpa patel. the latest headlines: dozens of civilians are reported to have been killed in the iraqi city of mosul while trying to get out of an area controlled by the islamic state group. india has promised to go above and beyond and cut its pledged under the paris climate accord following the united states' withdrawal from the treaty. is russia interfering with us politics? it's the question hanging over washington ever since donald trump took office. moscow has always denied involvement. those russians whose names have emerged usually

avoid the foreign press. but this week some were at the annual st petersburg economic forum. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford was there, attempting to get their side of the story. can i ask a question for bbc? can i just ask what it is you would like to say to the us congress? you've offered to testify. sarah rainsford on the alleged

russian links to the trump campaign. so, over in america, where has the investigation into all this got to? i asked our correspondent david willis. next thursday, the former director of the fbi, james comey, is due to give evidence to a senate committee. this is the man who was leading the investigation into links between the trump administration and the russians before he was dismissed last month by donald trump. now, any evidence from his testimony that donald trump has sought to impede that enquiry will be seized upon by

opponents of the president. it had been thought that perhaps the white house might seek executive privilege to prevent james comey from testifying. they can do that if a government official is threatening to reveal secrets, but the downside of that, of course, is that the white house then looks as though it has something to hide, so no indication at the moment that it is going to do that. meanwhile, a lot of speculation about the possible role played by the president's son—in—law, jared kushner, in this whole ongoing russian investigation. tell us more about jared whole ongoing russian investigation. tell us more aboutjared kushner. he isa tell us more aboutjared kushner. he is a person of interest. that's right. yes, and he is a man who is very close to the president, of course, the son—in—law of president trump, but also a special adviser to mrtrump. it has

trump, but also a special adviser to mr trump. it has been reported here that he had meetings with the russian ambassador to the us, and to a russian banker with close ties to the russian president, vladimir putin. there are also suggestions that mr kushner explore the possibility of setting up a secure communications channel using a russian diplomatic facility to enable discussions between the trump administration and moscow, the suggestion being as well that these meetings between the russians and mr kushner took place in december of last year, kushner took place in december of last yea r, after kushner took place in december of last year, after donald trump add won the election but before his administration had actually taken office. david willis in washington. the singer ariana grande has made a surprise visit to fans still in hospital after last month's terror attack. on sunday she'll be joined by other music stars,

in a charity concert to raise money for the victims and their families. from manchester, philip norton reports. helping to mend broken hearts and shattered lives. pop star ariana grande visiting young fans who were injured in the suicide bomb attack at her concert less than two weeks ago. she posted a photo of her visit to royal manchester children's hospital on instagram with a simple heart. among those she visited, eight—year—old fan lily harrison. she suffered spinal injuries in the blast at manchester arena. our room was the last room on the ward of the corridor. how she was working her way up it. we were the last ones to be seen. i think i was probably just as nervous as lily. her hands were shaking. she said, i think i might need to go to the toilet. i don't know what to do. i'm really nervous. and then, yeah, shejust came skipping onto our ward. she was brilliant. there's been an outpouring of love for the 22 victims who died in the blast last month.

ariana grande has returned to the uk for a benefit concert in manchester tomorrow night and many of those injured, including lily, are hoping to be there. lily sort of expressed a wish to go. we didn't want to force her. we said, if you want to go, we'll make sure you've got tickets. if we get to the venue, or are on the way to the venue, and you say you don't want to go, we're more than happy to bring you home. it's whatever she wants. proceeds from the concert will go towards that we love manchester emergency fund, set up by manchester city council and the british red cross to support grieving families and victims of the bombing. preparations are now well under way. a huge stage and tight security is in place. an effort that would normally take months of planning being completed within days. this is where the eyes of the world will be focused tomorrow night. millions of people will watch as ariana grande isjoined on stage by the likes of coldplay, take that and katy perry. this concert will be broadcast

tomorrow in 50 countries around the world. —— to more than 50. a night of unity, remembrance and a shared love of music. lets get some sport with hugh. a big match in cardiff? that's right the first man to score in three champions league finals has set his team on the road to history, and he has done it twice for real madrid in cardiff. cristiano ronaldo struck his first for real madrid in the 20th minute, his side helping to be the first team to win the champions league twice in a row. then the juventus champions league twice in a row. then thejuventus equalised with a brilliant overhead kick, a stunning goal that may well have been the headline if it wasn't for what happened subsequently. it brought juventus level at the time but then

to goals in a few minutes change things. there are about 30 minutes of normal time left, and a lot for juventus to do. they are trailing 3-1 juventus to do. they are trailing 3—1 in cardiff. the world number one is safely into the second week at the french open tennis after beating juan martin del potro in the third round at roland garros, getting the better of two fiercely contested opening sets. murray won the first on a tie—break, then the second 7—5, then he clinched his place in the last 16 in impressive style, taking the third set without dropping a game. it isa set without dropping a game. it is a big win for the eve. it was

never going to be easy today. he is a tough guy to play against, especially this early in a major. he came out playing very aggressive, serving really well at the beginning and it was tough, but i managed to turnit and it was tough, but i managed to turn it around and play some really good stuff at the end, so it was a very positive win for me. south africa have beating sri lanka by 96 ru ns africa have beating sri lanka by 96 runs in the opening match in group b. south africa made 299—6, hashim amla scoring a 25th 0di century in his career. the sri lankan batting was all—out for 203. the british and irish lion started their tour of new zealand with a 17—13 victory over the barbarians. it was expected to

be straightforward with a side made up be straightforward with a side made up of fringe players. the barbarians had a 7—3 lead at the break. the lions edged ahead on 53 minutes, then the conversion gave them a little bit of breathing space. they held on in the end for a scrappy victory. britain's richest horse race, the epsom derby, has been won by the 40-1 epsom derby, has been won by the 40—1 outsider wings of eagles, who came from behind, passing several horses in the last 100 metres to win. it was the first win for the irish jockey, win. it was the first win for the irishjockey, and win. it was the first win for the irish jockey, and the sixth for his trainer, aidan o'brien. that is all the sport for now. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @alpapatel.

goodbye for now. good evening. it's a cooler, fresher feel to the end of the weekend compared to the last few days. it will be cooler than last night. there were some showers around today, particularly across northern ireland and scotland, where we have had lightning flashes dancing away in the skies and moving north across the country. the heaviest showers should be clearing away in the next few hours and it should be dry overnight, just a few showers lingering on the western coasts. temperatures in towns and cities will sit around 11 by the end of the night. the countryside, an average of three celsius. showers gather towards the west and push their way towards the west and push their way to the east in the morning. a few heavy showers in that lot. quite a

lot of showers by the afternoon across scotland. there could be some halo and thunder in scotland. not many showers across the southern parts of the country. —— some hail and thunder. showers will run through the midlands towards east anglia late in the afternoon. temperatures around 20 celsius. showers decaying as they moved to the south—east in the evening. rain arrives in northern ireland. in the early pa rt arrives in northern ireland. in the early part of next week, it looks very unsettled, some very wet weather and some very strong winds for the time of year, possibly bringing some disruption. a lot of uncertainty, it has to be said. three areas of low pressure sitting close to the uk, bringing rain and strengthening winds. it may be that we missed the worst of the rain for

northern ireland. it turns showery on monday for scotland. east anglia and the south—east may stay dry until later. in wales in the south—west and the north—west, rain could be heavy. gales are quite likely, pushing across many parts of england and wales on tuesday. blustery showers further west. the reports from iraq a city of mosul... the chief executive of afghanistan has survived a deadly attack at a funeral in the capital kabul. a health ministry official told the bbc seven people were killed and 87 injured. india's prime minister has said his nation will go above and beyond the paris climate accord. he was speaking after talks in paris with the french president who also spoke in support of the pack. real