this is bbc world news. our top stories... in the aftermath of intense fighting in ukraine, the bbc uncovers evidence of civilian killings, that could amount to war crimes. this is more thanjust a collection of terrible deaths, this is a crime scene because under the laws of war, civilians are supposed to be protected. we report from the battle—scarred town of irpin, just 13 miles from kyiv — now a symbol of ukrainian resistance. this was a key battleground, and ukraine's victory here was critical. if the russians had been able to push through here, they would've been on that way to kyiv. cheering. celebrations by union workers in new york as amazon is dealt a major defeat — being forced

to recognise a trade union for the first time. will smith says he s resigning from the body that awards the oscars following his attack on chris rock at this years ceremony. and we meet some of the people and horses from the household cavalry who will take centre stage at the queen s platinum jubilee. hello and welcome to bbc news. a bbc team has gained access to a highway outside kyiv where russian troops have been pushed out. a stretch of the e—ao highway was where shocking images from the early days of the war emerged — showing russian troops firing on civilians trying to escape. jeremy bowen and his team have now reached the scene of the attack, and found evidence that raises the possibility that war crimes may have occurred.

a warning, his report contains some graphic and distressing images. on a stretch of road that runs between two villages with names that translate as "dream" and "sweetheart" is all the savagery and waste of war. ukrainian forces had just recaptured it, their troops moving in after a heavy bombardment from their artillery. this was only a few hours after the russian retreat. in the early hours of this morning, this was recaptured? absolutely correct. so, basically, around 2am today, our reconnaissance team report that they start to see movement. oleksandr, a ukrainian volunteer who's back home from england to fight, showed a position where a russian tank had been dug in. so that's where the russian tank was and that's exactly where he... this is the line of fire, that's how they shoot. on 7th march, oleksandr�*s drone

unit filmed the tank in action. the drone showed civilians trying to get to kyiv to escape the russians. and then they saw the tank. one of the cars was forced to stop. the driver tried to show he was harmless. and the russians shot him dead. they also killed his wife. the dead couple were maksim and his wife, ksenya. they were travelling with their six—year—old son and a friend, who both survived. she said maksim had been shouting that they were with a child when he was killed. almost four weeks later, maksim's badly burned body lies next to the hulk of their car. his wedding ring is still on his finger. ksenya's remains are inside. her mouth is open, as if in a scream. the car and the back seat

are riddled with bullets. the vehicle and their bodies were not burnt when they were killed. the hypothesis is that russian soldiers tried to destroy the evidence of what they'd done. the drone operator who filmed their death says the russians must have known maksim's car was not a threat. so they were trying to say that they were civilians? yes, yes, they know it. you can see it, the whole car is civilians, not an army car, and they shoot it. in the woods near the road, there's evidence the russians left in a hurry. you can see the place where, in the trees, the russians were living. there's a dug—out. there's beer bottles. it's like the marie celeste, half—finished meals. they were here for a month. the camp is full of the soldiers�* rubbish. on a front line, that is usually the sign of an ill—disciplined unit.

they tried, unsuccessfully, to hide another tank in the trees. that was punished by the ukrainians, who destroyed it. a much bigger question is whether there will be a reckoning for what happened on the highway. maksim and ksenya were not the only ones who were killed near the tank dug into the roadside. more bodies here? yes. one, two, three bodies, i think. yes. you're absolutely right. in a couple of hundred yards, with oleksandr from the ukrainian army, we counted 11 other dead bodies. it's ukrainian. three were wearing recognisable ukrainian military uniform. the others wore civilian clothes. some of the dead were piled up and surrounded by tyres. they deliberately burned them. they set on fire to hide their...

to hide what they did. in the desolation are a mass of questions about who they were and how they were killed. it's hard to imagine the fear these people must have gone through in the last few moments of their lives or, indeed, the anguish survivors, families, must be feeling now. but this is more than just a collection of terrible deaths. it's a crime scene. because under the laws of war, civilians are supposed to be protected. we drove to the next village to confirm a ukrainian claim that they'd destroyed more russian tanks. the russian armour was broken and, except forsoldiers, the village was deserted and still. the russians could be redeploying to the eastern battlefields, but just a few hours after they had left this strategic area close to the capital, it was clear they were being forced out.

many civilians are mourning relatives and friends they say were killed by russian troops. as and when they retreat, they might leave behind more evidence that could add up to war crimes. jeremy bowen, bbc news, outside kyiv. well, just a few miles from the e—iio highway where jeremy was reporting, lies the town of irpin. now the ukrainians say it's been liberated, and our international correspondent, orla guerin has been there, with ukrainian troops. again, her report contains some upsetting images. underforeboding skies, we entered the town of irpin. it now stands as a testament to ukrainian resilience and russian defeat. we travelled under armed escort. a tense journey along a carefully chosen route.

we were warned russian forces might still be in the forests on the outskirts. they occupied about a fifth of irpin and have left their mark. but ukrainian troops have driven them out and reclaimed the ruins. the damage here gives a sense of how fierce the fighting has been. this was a key battleground and ukraine's victory here was critical. if the russians had been able to push through here, they would have been on the way to kyiv. the capital is just a short drive down the road. where is the child who cherished this toy? and where are the families who were shelled, day and night? most had to flee, but irpin withstood the assault and has been given the honorary title hero city of ukraine. the troops here are savouring

their victory, but know the enemy may be back. "they need kyiv," says this man, "because putin will lose "if he doesn't take kyiv, so perhaps they will try. "but we are prepared, in case they come back." his dayjob is tv presenting. just up the road, in tree—lined suburbia, a powerful message to the russian leader. his losses are mounting here. his original battle plan has failed. well, you can see here what happened to this russian tank. it's been ripped to shreds. this is an example of the defeat that was inflicted on the russians, and they are gone for now, but in the future they may try to regroup and make another push for the capital. now, irpin can begin

to recover its dead, to reclaim bodies from the rubble. there could be no proper burials under shelling. the mayor says up to 300 civilians were killed here. as supplies are going in, bodies are coming out. some were targeted even as they tried to flee. cat meows. today, another trickle of civilians making the difficultjourney out. troops carrying what they could not leave behind, their much loved pets. all here are scarred — those who stayed and those who fought. how do you feel about the russians who did this? no obscenities? no. i hate them, i hate them

from the depths of my heart. i used to treat them normally. i had friends from russia, i don't believe i have any more. there are no excuses for this. an ambulance waits for a frail survivor of a merciless and failed russian attack. and ukrainian soldiers leave the battlefield with the swagger of victory. orla guerin, bbc news, irpin. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has announced more than 3,000 people have fled the besieged city of mariupol in a convoy of buses and private cars. the convoy travelled from the occupied port of berdiansk to the relative safety of zaporyzhzhia with about two thousand people, who had managed to make their own way out of mariupol. however, red cross efforts

to bring in aid and evacuate residents from mariupol were frustrated for a second day in a row. they said they'll try again on saturday. meanwhile, the military situation in the east of the country remains "extremely difficult" — according to president zelensky. in a video address he said russia was preparing new strikes in the donbas region and the city of kharkiv. kateryna malofieieva is a journalist currently in kharkiv — shejoins me now. thank you for coming onto the programme. describe the situation that you are living through at the moment? you are to the east, not far from russia. i to the east, not far from russia-— to the east, not far from russia. . ., ~ ., russia. i am in kharkiv and it is a city 40 — russia. i am in kharkiv and it is a city 40 or— russia. i am in kharkiv and it is a city 40 or 50 _ russia. i am in kharkiv and it is a city 40 or 50 kilometresl is a city a0 or 50 kilometres away from the russian border.

when we were talking about the war before, we were speculating whether the city would be one of those locations to take first so the situation right now at least tonight, i did not hear shelling although i could not say about the day before yesterday because those days, it's quite loud, i visited the outskirts of the city, one of the districts that looks like a ghost city but people are still living there underground and the shelling was incoming and outgoing, it was absolutely nonstop and it went for about 20 or 30 minutes. it was scary. despite some sort of wins and gains from the ukrainian army, i need to say in the last couple of days ukrainian forces

are on a road connecting cities in the donbas region and are crucialfor in the donbas region and are crucial for the russians, in the donbas region and are crucialfor the russians, for crucial for the russians, for example. crucialfor the russians, for example. but despite these small gains, village by village, the situation here is still tense because it can change at any time. there was one of the military operations conducted, initially taken by the ukrainians, and then a couple of days later it was taken by russia again so small gains are very fragile, everything can change at any time. ., ., , , ., time. the attention seems to move from — time. the attention seems to move from city _ time. the attention seems to move from city to _ time. the attention seems to move from city to city - time. the attention seems to move from city to city and . move from city to city and region to region, i'm sure it is very difficult to keep up with every situation across the country where you are, your day—to—day life, can you go out, are you able to get

supplies? talk me through what it is like living through this time in kharkiv. i it is like living through this time in kharkiv.— it is like living through this time in kharkiv. i have been here for— time in kharkiv. i have been here for two _ time in kharkiv. i have been here for two weeks - time in kharkiv. i have been here for two weeks but - time in kharkiv. i have been here for two weeks but i - time in kharkiv. i have been i here for two weeks but i need to say i see more cars right now in relation to my previous experience when i arrived and i was terrified of the sound of shelling because i was afraid to sleep on the first floor where i am currently right now. i was sleeping in the basement because i am scared but now i see more people come up more cars on the streets and you can actually get supplies, you can buy food in the supermarket because the city has not been affected by the access of supplies. however, as i say, about cities that need and lead to donbas, these are crucial points for the russian army because it can encircle towns

and so the situation there, i was reading yesterday, it is not as different as mariupol because people live there without gas and electricity so in a very difficult situation. really to be aware of all the battles taking place. thank you so much forjoining us and sharing a little bit of what you are seeing. you are watching bbc news — the headlines: in the aftermath of intense fighting in ukraine, the bbc uncovers evidence of civilian killings, that could amount to war crimes. a convoy of buses carrying residents of the besieged southern ukrainian city of mariupol reaches the relative safety of the nearby city of zaporyzhzhia. workers at an amazon warehouse in the us have taken the unprecedented step of voting to set up a trade union. staff at the site in new york predicted that amazon workers elsewhere would follow suit. the online retailer has always fiercely opposed

unionisation of its million—strong workforce. earlier, i spoke tojohn logan, who's director of labor and employment studies at san francisco state university. i asked how surprised he was by the amazon workers' victory. i think everyone was very surprised and particularly at the margin of victory. this is huge. there is no bigger prize for unions in the united states than winning at amazon. it's a victory that i really think two or three years ago would have seemed unimaginable. back then people just thought you cannot win with amazon in an nlrb election, amazon is too wealthy, too sophisticated and too determined to fight the unions no matter what it takes. so the fact that the amazon labour union won and they won by a significant majority, it's probably the biggest organising victory in the united states for close

to probably since the 1930s or �*a0s. i just want to interrupt you for a second, the national labour relations board, which will be helping i suppose amazon unionise and in that respect. but the first thing i saw from amazon is that i think they are going to try and push back against it, this is my question really is is this a done deal? it is a done deal in the sense that it is a victory which has huge symbolic importance and it will create so much energy and enthusiasm that will inspire amazon workers all across the country to think that if they did it at staten island, we can do it too. as you said, amazon has filed an appeal with the national labour relations board. i think it has almost zero

chance of success, i think probably it is primarily about delaying tactics but amazon is not going to give up fighting unions. we know that for sure. the amazon labour union has another election in about a month's time and that will be an incredibly difficult battle. but it really creates hope that the two big things about the amazon's anti—union campaign are fear and futility. can ijust interrupt you, forgive me and i understand the fear and futility, i want to get that across to the viewers but in 30 seconds, is the union, the people working in warehouses only with this particular aspect? this is a huge warehouse, it had over 8,000 workers in this one warehouse. i think slightly over half of that number participated in the vote. this is the other remarkable thing.

in terms of union election victories, this isjust a huge unit and it's very difficult for unions to win in large units. a state of emergency has been declared in sri lanka where a deepening economic crisis has sparked violent protests. a curfew is in place in the capital, colombo and surrounding areas for a second consecutive night. there's growing anger at shortages of fuel, medicine and other basics caused the country running out of foreign currency to pay for imported goods. archana shukla has more on the latest protests from colombo. a day after hundreds tried to storm sri lankan president's house calling for his ouster, the president declared a state of emergency in the country today. explosions. protests on thursday quickly turned violent, with multiple rounds of tear gas fired and stones pelted in retaliation. injuries on both sides, but protests continued. it's very obvious, the people are here distressed. you need the people who actually

can do something. 0k? and just leave the country because it is enough. translation: people i are in the queue for gas, for milk powder and fuel. we have never been this unhappy. - this is right outside president gotabaya rajapa ksa house and a crowd of about 1000 people have gathered here protesting prolonged power cuts in the country, the economic crisis, rising prices and demanding that the government step down. the desperation has been palpable, as sri lankans have been spending their days on the streets, in queues, to buy life's daily essentials at sky high prices. translation: i haven't had cooking gas for the last two weeks. my husband is sick. i have to leave work to wait here. if i lose myjob, it's all over. i'm so tired. a dire shortage of fuel, food and even medicines have caused prolonged power cuts and prices to skyrocket as

the government, with negligible foreign reserves and a massive debt burden, is unable to pay for imports of even the essentials. vegetable prices have increased 2.5 times since december. rice now costs double, and milk powderfour times more expensive than before, forcing many families to even skip meals. now, amidst the state of emergency, as government invokes tough laws giving sweeping powers to military, desperate citizens are uncertain of what the future holds for them. archana shukla, bbc news, colombo, sri lanka. let s get some of the day s other news ajudge in new york has upheld ghislaine maxwell's sex trafficking conviction — despite a false statement by a juror at her original trial. she was convicted in december for helping the disgraced financierjeffrey epstein to sexually abuse teenage girls. the biden administration is to lift sweeping immigration

restrictions which were imposed by donald trump, in the early stages of the pandemic. the public health order has been used by us officials on the border with mexico to turn back 1.7 million undocumented migrants. the draw for the world cup in qatar has placed senegal against the netherlands in the first game of the tournament in november. england has drawn iran and the usa in group b — the other place could be scotland, wales or ukraine. ahead of the queen s platinumjubilee injune, the bbc has been given rare access to the household cavalry and their barracks in central london. asad ahmad met some of the people and horses that will take centre stage. unmistakably british and a source of national pride for over 350 years. the household cavalry is made of the two most senior regiments in the british army. and arguably, their most importantjob? they're the queen's official bodyguard. that's quite a responsibility?

it is a huge responsibility and one we do, yeah, one we do with pride and vigour and one we look forward to. making their way towards the base. blues and royals first and then the life guards. it's why, when it comes to the biggest state occasions — weddings, funerals, trooping the colour and state visits — the household cavalry are there. notjust looking immaculate on horseback but, first and foremost, as highly—trained fighting soldiers. but come the platinum jubilee injune, even the household cavalry are looking to raise their game. every time we do anything, we try and top what we've done before. you're only as good as your last parade and we always try and make each parade better, sharper, smarter. but looking immaculate isn't easy or comfortable. the highly—polished boots hardly bend because there are two kilos of beeswax on each boot to get that military shine.

the helmets and chest plates are polished to perfection, and any movement on the head has to be a careful balancing act. it's not overly comfortable. but the helmet does mould to the shape of your head in time. the cuirasses are big, but they can be beneficial when the weather is cold. not so beneficial when the weather's hot. but at the centre of any parade are the horses. specially selected, they are well looked after, have a special diet, and even get a holiday by the beach once a year. but when it comes to the serious stuff, they know how to perform. they're trained exactly the same as the soldiers are. so they're, from the start of their career to the end of their career, and we retire them in places all over the country. these are the final preparations ahead of the platinum jubilee parade in june. the regiment will perform in front of the queen, on what will be a historic day. asad ahmad reporting there.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm i'm @bbcnuala. hello there. yesterday was another cold day, we had further wintry showers around. we saw some snow even on the sea front of hastings, in east sussex. and at the moment, the radar picture's also picking up plenty of showers, many of them in scotland are actually falling as rain. greater chance of wintry showers across parts of eastern england. then we've got this zone of patchy rain working across northern ireland, just fringing into western—most areas of wales. now that'll also be rain, but over the hills in the far west of wales, you might see a little bit of snow for a time. and the risk is there for some of the moors in the southwest early saturday morning, perhaps over the tops of bodmin, for example. but otherwise, a widespread frost around, it's going to be a cold start to the day and, where we've seen those showers, an icy start to the day, as well. now, for many of us, there'll be lots of sunshine through the morning,

this zone of rain easing away from the southwest, any hill snow also working out of the way. showers then that start off near the east coast will migrate inland — many of them will be of rain by the time we get to the afternoon, but there could be a bit of hail, maybe an odd wintry one left over. temperatures generally a degree or so higher, about 7—10 celsius — but crucially, it won't be as windy, so it won't feel anywhere near as bitter now for sunday. this area of high pressure stays to our west. we get this weather front toppling around the top side of it — that will bring another change to our country. now for sunday, it'll be a cold, frosty, but lovely, sunny start to the day. however, the cloud will tend to build and fill across the skies across much of the uk. then we've got this weather front moving into scotland and northern ireland — that will to be bringing outbreaks of rain through the afternoon, the rain turning quite heavy into the highlands and the western isles. but again, the temperature's just coming up by an odd degree, io—ii celsius pretty widely. now, looking at the night—time forecast through sunday night and into monday, our weather front pushes its way southwards and eastwards. behind that, the air

turns a lot milder — it's coming in off the atlantic, for the most part coming in on a west—northwesterly airflow. however, we are going to start seeing cooler conditions just coming back into northern scotland as we head through monday afternoon. so the temperatures in lerwickjust six celsius, but otherwise a much milder day, i3—ia, rain at times. now, deeper into next week, we get this battle zone between the mild atlantic air, the cold polar air, and that means we'll see rain — but also, the prospect of hill snow hasn't entirely gone away.

this is bbc news. the headlines: in the aftermath of intense fighting in ukraine, the bbc has uncovered evidence of civilian killings that could amount to war cimes. meanwhile, russian forces near kyiv have been forced to pull back from positions they held at the start of the invasion five weeks ago. a convoy of buses carrying residents of the besieged southern ukrainian city of mariupol has reached the relative safety of the nearby city of zaporyzhzhia. the convoy travelled from the occupied port of berd—yansk with about 2000 people, who had managed to make their own way out of mariupol. for the first time, workers at an amazon warehouse in the us have voted to set up a trade union. staff at the site in new york started to campaign for a union two years ago. the online retailer has always fiercely opposed

unionisation of its million— strong workforce.