this is bbc news 7 welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm martine croxall. our top stories. voting is drawing to close in france in the first round of the french presidential election — president macron is facing a strong challenge from marine le pen. i'm tim wilcox — live in paris. i'll have all the latest on the french presidential election with just an hour to go until polling stations close. the bodies of more than 1200 people have been found in the kyiv region since russian forces left — that's according to ukraine's prosecutor—general. russian forces continue to mount attacks in the south and east of ukraine — with two people reported killed in shelling in kharkiv. opposition parties in pakistan are preparing to form a new government, after the removal of imran khan as prime minister,

in a late—night confidence vote our motivation is to conduct electoral reforms and move towards a more democratic pakistan. and in britain, the government launches an inquiry into how the tax arrangements of the chancellor's wife became public knowledge. hello and welcome. voters go to the polls today in the first round of the french presidential election. in what could be the closest contest in many years, president emmanual macron is facing a strong challenge from the far right candidate marine le pen. let's cross now to

tim willcox in paris. thank you very much indeed. yes, just under a couple of hours before the polls close and it really is the tightest of races according to the polls, the last official one which came out at midnight on friday. emmanuel macron is the incumbent president and when he threw his hat into the race, he was 20 points ahead of marine le pen. in the intervening weeks, that lead has been reduced to just two or 3%. if both of those candidates go through, it will be up to the other candidates to decide where their votes will go. is france really ready now to elect a far right leader on what would be marine le pen's third attempt at the presidency? it feels like president macron has only just turned

up to this election. he's been spending much of his time on the war in ukraine. many french say he's been missing in action at home. the far right candidate marine le pen has been gaining ground in this, her third presidential race, honing a softer image this time. retired secretary janine tells us le pen is now ready for the highest office. i think she would be not so bad. not so bad as macron. many people coming here to vote today will have seen the very latest polls suggesting le pen is onlyjust behind macron now. and so more people are asking the question whether france is on the verge of own brexit moment, or trump moment — in other words, a political earthquake, something which has huge repercussions, not just in this country but across europe and beyond. but le pen appeals less in cosmopolitan paris and emmanuel macron remains the frontrunner in the national polls.

xava tells us he is voting for macron because he has proved himself on the world stage, dealt with covid and shown he is a president who rises to the challenge. in this first round, the french have many candidates to choose from, but only two go through, meaning lots of voters will have to think again in a fortnight�*s time. if the polls are right and it's between macron and le pen, then what do you do? just not living in france any more! seriously? yeah. no, really, the worst thing that can happen. did you vote for macron last time? yeah, yeah, but never more. so, can president macron hang on, as his appeal seems to wear thin? nick beake, bbc news, paris.

what is so interesting in that report is that for so many years now, marine le pen and especially her father, now, marine le pen and especially herfather, head of the national front, were simply beyond the pale when it came to people choosing in the second round of the elections. in the first round, people vote with a heart and the second round ahead but the last time in 2017, marine le pen went through to the second round but was crushed by emanuel macron. in 2002, herfather did but was crushed by emanuel macron. in 2002, her father did the same thing againstjacques chirac and he was crushed as well. but what might happen this time? has she detoxified her party enough? the voters here have voted for the other candidates which include an even farther right candidate, eric zimmer, will his support go to marine le pen even though they are not close? he has

detoxified her brand to a certain extent. there was also a far left candidate, jean—luc melenchon, where will his supporters go? they dislike macron but could some of them ironically go to marine le pen? we have a bbc special programme and 1.5 hours coming live from paris and we will speak to a correspondence and the pundits here as well. i hope you can join us for that. we the pundits here as well. i hope you can join us for that.— can join us for that. we look forward to — can join us for that. we look forward to that. _ ukraine's prosecutor general says the bodies of more than 1200 people have been found in the kyiv region since russian forces withdrew from the area. iryna venediktova said that the forces were killing ukrainians every day in areas they controlled, and that ukraine had identified more than 500 suspected war criminals, including top military and government officials in russia. moscow has denied targeting civilians. meanwhile, as the russians regroup ahead of an expected attack on the east of the country —

thousands continue to flee the disputed donbas region —many making their way to lviv from where danjohnson sent this report. elena has made it to safety but she isn't at rest. she left home in the east of ukraine two days ago, but not for the first time. the people of the donbas region have lived with conflict for years now. translation: in 2014 we had the first war and we were - forced to leave our home. it is really scary when you run under fire so i already knew what it was like eight years ago. she took a train with her daughter on friday and they onlyjust missed the rocket attack on kramatorsk station. translation: maybe my town will be destroyed or not, - i don't know, but that's my home and i want to go back. lviv is a long way from the fighting, and normal life largely carries on here. but people are well aware of what's happening in the east, and they know it could well mean

more refugees heading this way. russia's military is building up in the east, with a new command structure and more firepower in the air and on the ground. they are launching strikes from the black sea as well, claiming to target ukrainian armed forces. president zelensky has welcomed more weapons to defend against this sort of attack, but he warned the fight is notjust his country's. translation: russian aggression wasn't aimed only at ukraine - and the destruction of our freedom and our life. the whole european project is a target for russia. elena is sheltering for now in a theatre. there is relief here for families deciding what to do next, and wondering what more fighting will mean for their hopes of going home. danjohnson, bbc news, lviv.

and earlier dan spoke to me from lviv for more on what's happening on the ground in ukraine. as ukrainian officials are able to examine more of those areas that have been left behind by russian forces, they are mounting up the death toll and ukraine's prosecutor general says more than 1200 bodies have been found in the areas around kyiv since the russian forces pulled back. the british ministry of defence said this morning that it had seen more evidence of civilians having been targeted in those areas, of hostages being used as human shields and that there were mines and unexploded bombs left in some of those places to target people who might be returning. there has been extensive damage to many of those villages but the infrastructure and potentially the lives of returning ukrainians are also

at risk until they can clear all of those unexploded bombs. we are also hearing that the russian offensive in the east is now likely to intensify and that's why so many people there have been told to try to evacuate and head further west to reach safety as soon as possible. what has been done to document who these people are how they died, in the event that there are charges brought at a later date? yes, it is really tricky and delicatejob. there are independent examination investigation teams at work but in the main, it is for ukrainian officials to document what they find, alongside journalists, to try to clear up and make areas safe and make sure evidence is preserved so if there is a potential trial or some form of investigation or process further down the line, justice has the best chance of being done. but we know that is not something the russians will participate in, they are still denying the possibility of any

the responsibility of any of these alleged crimes, even though the evidence seems to be mounting up. there was a report of another mass grave having been found in a village close to kyiv this morning and that is a report we have not been able to verify ourselves yet, but all the time there is more evidence, more grim discoveries and more bad news for ukrainian families who have been hoping for the best from loved ones they maybe have not heard from weeks. you mentioned there are more people trying to get out of the eastern part of the country in the event of another regroup and a bigger assault by russia, how are those people being supported inside the country because they are displaced and there are millions of them? absolutely, yes. ukraine and neighbouring countries have already dealt with a huge number of refugees over the weeks since this invasion and the expectation is that now there will be a fresh wave. people have been told to leave luhansk, the region in the east

as soon as possible. extra trains have been laid on. today to take people further western ukraine and the expectation is a mug across into poland and romania and other countries as well. there is international support from the european commission which has only been made available with a refugee effort and people in cities like this, volunteers in the main, are bracing themselves, they are preparing and trying to find even more accommodation to try and house and look after those people. but with the pressure having been on for so long now, the reality is that that is going to be a tricky job to find everybody a safe place and a warm place to stay. and the risk of making the journey has been underlined by what has happened to people trying to flee. there was an attempt yesterday to establish humanitarian corridors for ten cities but we know that was not successful in every case and there are still people trapped in facing a potential renewal of the russian shelling in the east of the country. the mp for odesa oleksiy goncharenko is in the city of kramatorsk. he told me about the latest

situation there. the number of killed people increased 257. including five children _ increased 257. including five children. it is absolutely awful. i have _ children. it is absolutely awful. i have been— children. it is absolutely awful. i have been in the place of the attack, — have been in the place of the attack, i_ have been in the place of the attack, i saw everything with my own eyes, _ attack, i saw everything with my own eyes, roshan is used notjust a rocket — eyes, roshan is used notjust a rocket against civilian bites and cluster— rocket against civilian bites and cluster bomb which is forbidden for use male _ cluster bomb which is forbidden for use male convention, even for use against _ use male convention, even for use against soldiers. —— the russians used~ _ against soldiers. —— the russians used~ but— against soldiers. —— the russians used~ but in_ against soldiers. —— the russians used. but in civilians, it is something so inhuman and hateful and that is_ something so inhuman and hateful and that is why— something so inhuman and hateful and that is why there were still big number— that is why there were still big number of people who died. we are working _ number of people who died. we are working in— number of people who died. we are working in the centre of kramatorsk which _ working in the centre of kramatorsk which is _ working in the centre of kramatorsk which is the — working in the centre of kramatorsk which is the centre of education in ukraine, _ which is the centre of education in ukraine, so— which is the centre of education in ukraine, so that's why we came there with humanitarian aide, trying to

help people and tell people to escape — help people and tell people to escape from this place. he left odesa quite — escape from this place. he left odesa quite early _ escape from this place. he left odesa quite early on _ escape from this place. he left odesa quite early on because i escape from this place. he left i odesa quite early on because you wanted to be of use in other parts of the country, how likely is it you will return, do you feel you are needed back in your home city? certainly, when there were danger of russia _ certainly, when there were danger of russia and _ certainly, when there were danger of russia and also when russian forces were approaching i left. i definitely was there in my home city and my— definitely was there in my home city and my constituency. for the moment, fortunately, _ and my constituency. for the moment, fortunately, and thanks to ukrainian army. _ fortunately, and thanks to ukrainian army. the _ fortunately, and thanks to ukrainian army, the russians cannot make this attack _ army, the russians cannot make this attack they — army, the russians cannot make this attack. they cannot go into the neighbouring region of odesa. also their capabilities and the seed decreased after ukraine successfully attacked _ decreased after ukraine successfully attacked one of russia's most modern warships _

attacked one of russia's most modern warships hy— attacked one of russia's most modern warships by missile and also after receiving — warships by missile and also after receiving things from the united kingdom — receiving things from the united kingdom which we are very thankful for two _ kingdom which we are very thankful for two prime ministerjohnson and the government and whole nation. i want to— the government and whole nation. i want to say— the government and whole nation. i want to say that the united kingdom is a leader— want to say that the united kingdom is a leader and really showed leadership in their support of ukraine _ leadership in their support of ukraine. . , . leadership in their support of ukraine. ., , ., ~ ., ., leadership in their support of ukraine. ., ~'., ., ~ ukraine. that is a ukrainian mp in edessa. —— order stuff. members of pakistan's parliament are due to decide on monday who should succeed imran khan, who was ousted as prime minister in a late—night confidence vote after he was deserted by coalition partners. they blame him for a crumbling economy and failure to deliver on campaign promises. analysts say the new prime minister is almost certain to be the opposition leader, shehbaz sharif. mr khan has said he is the victim of an international conspiracy. the bbc�*s secunder kermani has been following all the developments and gave us the latest now from islamabad. for much of the day, it seemed as if the vote of no confidence against imran khan would not be held, as if imran khan's party would prevent it,

block it for a second time in spite of a supreme court order saying that it should go ahead. in fact, we were getting reports that the supreme court was ready to open its doors at midnight, possibly to issue a contempt of court notice against imran khan's allies if they did not go ahead with that vote of no confidence. of course, it did, and the result was a foregone conclusion, because a number of imran khan's allies had already publicly deserted him. opinion here is really quite heavily polarised. if you are a supporter of imran khan, you are heartbroken. we were outside parliament late last night at around 3.00 in the morning, and a woman from a poor working class background came up to us, everyone else had pretty much left the scene at that point, and she just poured out her heart, saying that she thought imran khan was the best thing that had ever happened to pakistan, and she did not know how the country would continue without him. but if you are a supporter of the opposition, or what until now

was the opposition, you see this as a great victory for democracy, and that imran khan was endangering the constitution of pakistan by refusing to hold this vote of no confidence, refusing to accept the decision of parliament, and even now, as you heard in that report, he has said he will not accept any government that comes out of this process, and he has called for his supporters to come out into the streets after evening prayer later tonight and register their protest peacefully. secunder kermani reporting. bilawal bhutto zardari is the son of former prime minister, benazir bhutto, and former president, asif ali zardari. he's also been the chairperson of the opposition pakistan peoples party since the age of 19. earlier he told my colleague annita mcveigh, what he wants for his country's future. my party, the pakistan peoples party, will indeed support mr shehbaz sharif in his bid to be prime minister on monday. the reason my party led the effort to bring a no—confidence motion

in parliament was notjust to elect mr shehbaz sharif. our motivation is to conduct electoral reforms and move towards a more democratic pakistan after suffering under three years of a government that we contend came to power through a rigged election. can you confirm you will be the next foreign minister if your plans come to fruition? no, i cannot confirm that. my goal in this struggle was to bring progress in pakistan's democracy, to ensure electoral reforms, and undo the damage done to our constitution, to our democratic systems, to human rights, to media freedoms, to economic rights over the last three years. imran khan would absolutely refute the suggestion he did come to power in a rigged election.

given the climate, though, in which he was removed from office through this vote of no confidence and the difficulties facing the economy, which will persist no matter who is in power, can the people expect, as mr sharif said yesterday, that a government formed of two parties who, at times, have been bitter rivals, the ppp and pml, will be able to put balm on the wounds of pakistan, as mr sharif said? i believe that the answer to pakistan's problems is democracy, democracy and more democracy and while following the assassination of benazir bhutto in 2007, pakistan's democracy made immense progress for the preceding ten years, the last three years saw a fundamental undermining of our constitutional structure of not just the freedom,

notjust political freedoms but the freedoms of every single pakistani. and we believe, unless you have political and democratic freedoms, we cannot progress and achieve the economic rights that we do for our people. this was a very important first step to right the wrongs of the past, but we have a long road ahead of us. mexico are holding a recall referendum this sunday on their controversial president, andres manuel lopez obrador. our mexico correspondent, will grant, reports from chiapas state. laura gomez has been making tamales for 25 years. her late mother's recipe for the corn—based staple handed down over the generations is at the centre of the household income. laura used at struggle to stay afloat but now the business receives a loan from the lopez obrador government. in fact, the entire family has received some aid, including her daughter,

a single mother with a disability. little wonder she will vote for amlo on sunday. "he has touched our hearts," laura explains. "at no time has he offered hand—outs in exchange for votes," refuting the idea mr lopez obrador has bought her loyalty. translation: in the past, you would be threatened - | don't vote for this candidate or we will take your benefits away, or if you don't vote for that person, you will lose your benefits. not any more. now the help comes in whoever you support. president lopez obrador can count on rural communities like villaflores to drum up support before the upcoming referendum. some came in search of the same pension benefits already received by millions in mexico. the message being passed out was simple — more amlo. he is expected to win with ease on sunday. to the people attending this event, amlo can do no wrong. he speaks to them more than any other mexican president in the modern era.

to his critics, though, this referendum isn't just a publicity stunt, they fear it is the start of an attempt by mr lopez obrador to subvert the constitution to his own ends. mr lopez obrador calls his critics the urban elites and says they oppose him because he defends the rights of mexico's poor. such a vision is simplistic but he does lack votes in the capital, mexico city, where he was once mayor. this group have called on people to boycott the referendum so it lacks legitimacy. they fear amlo will use it to stay in power. that would really be a very disruptive event here in mexico in which re—election is not allowed since the revolution in 1910. so, i think lopez obrador will not search for re—election, which is prohibited in mexico, but he will use the result of the referendum to enhance his power during the final part

of his administration. amlo's critics are many but more than halfway through his mandates, some 60% of voters still back him. as such, the result of sunday's referendum isn't in any real doubt and if he ever does try to put re—election on the ballot, plenty would support that too. will grant, bbc news, villaflores, chiapas. p&o ferries says it won t resume services between dover and calais until friday — at the earliest — raising the prospect of further days of disruption to road traffic in kent. a lack of ferries has been one cause of long delays on the m20 motorway — meat producers are calling for perishable goods to be prioritised. the lorry drivers waiting to cross, it's been a nightmare. complaining about lack of facilities and information.— about lack of facilities and information. ., ., ., ,., information. now we are about three hours but we — information. now we are about three hours but we are _ information. now we are about three hours but we are hoping _ information. now we are about three hours but we are hoping we - information. now we are about three hours but we are hoping we are - information. now we are about three | hours but we are hoping we are going to get across in

hours, hopefully. and for those - carrying fresh produce, there is the added nightmare they're losing a valuable shelf life the longer they wait. they want to be able to jump the queues with their goods on a priority lane. 50 the queues with their goods on a priority lane-— priority lane. so the fresh meat industry that — priority lane. so the fresh meat industry that we _ priority lane. so the fresh meat industry that we work _ priority lane. so the fresh meat industry that we work with, - priority lane. so the fresh meat industry that we work with, it's| priority lane. so the fresh meat. industry that we work with, it's a very— industry that we work with, it's a very short — industry that we work with, it's a very short shelf life. the product is effectively produced on day one, ioaded _ is effectively produced on day one, loaded on — is effectively produced on day one, loaded on day two and expected in the destination by day four. if you then have — the destination by day four. if you then have a — the destination by day four. if you then have a delay, quite easily now of 20 _ then have a delay, quite easily now of 20 for— then have a delay, quite easily now of 20 for hours, not only have you -ot of 20 for hours, not only have you got the _ of 20 for hours, not only have you got the logistical issues but you also have — got the logistical issues but you also have the quality and sale value of the _ also have the quality and sale value of the product down the lane. it is effectively — of the product down the lane. it is effectively devaluing by every hour it is delayed. sis effectively devaluing by every hour it is delayed-— it is delayed. as you can see, traffic is _ it is delayed. as you can see, traffic is gently _ it is delayed. as you can see, traffic is gently flowing - it is delayed. as you can see, i traffic is gently flowing through through this lorry park, things are looking a lot better today but that has a lot to do with it being a sunday. i'm afraid later in the week things will get worse because the

phase one start again until friday. —— the ferries will not. then there have been problems with the post—brexit custom checks and of course the great easter getaway. the department for transport said transport measures have been regularly reviews to smooth the transport. this has all been a strain her people and visitors. i strain her people and visitors. i have been out from our, normally we are pretty— have been out from our, normally we are pretty busy, we have quite a steady— are pretty busy, we have quite a steady stream of customers coming here trut— steady stream of customers coming here but this morning, not a soul. piano— here but this morning, not a soul. piano services between larne and cairnryan have been allowed to sell again. they're waiting for the same to happen here at dover. from july this year, the uk will start imposing brexit control on meat and dairy coming in from the eu. industry leaders worry this will be another crunch time for the port.

this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall. thank you for watching. hello there. we've got some more springlike weather over the week ahead. today, though, is still on the cold side, as it has been over the past few days. we have got low pressure sitting to the west of the uk, spiralling around it this cloud that is beginning to push in and turn the sunshine rather hazy. a lot of high cloud, as you can see here, in north somerset from earlier on but also some fairweather cumulus bubbling up as well. so, more cloud as we head towards the latter part of the afternoon, temperatures a shade higher than they were yesterday, still the odd shower in the north—east of scotland and the cloud thick enough in the west to give a rain perhaps here and there in northern ireland. the breeze, though, picking up in western areas and tending to increase a bit elsewhere,

and there will be a lot of cloud around overnight tonight, not much rain, though — most of it, i think, will be in northern ireland. the upshot of the cloud and breeze means it is going to be a lot milder than it was last night — temperatures typically four or five celsius. early in the week, we have the chance of seeing some rain but those temperatures will be continuing to rise as well. there won't be much rain in the forecast on monday. we have got a couple of bands of short—lived rain sweeping northwards, mainly up the western side of the uk. through the midlands, much of eastern england, it may well be dry and we will have some sunshine here as well. those temperatures beginning to lift up to around 17 celsius in the south—east of england. we are seeing those temperatures rising because the really cold air is getting pushed away to the north of scotland, something more of a southerly breeze heading our way early in the week, but at the same time as temperatures rising, we have got this zone of cloud and rain all the way from spain, up across france, and heading into the uk, bringing with it a pulse of rain. we will see some rain overnight, continuing to work its way northwards on tuesday, up into scotland, still quite windy in the north—east. this rain could be heavy, possibly even thundery as well. where it brightens up

following on from that, in the light winds and sunshine, that could trigger a few sharp showers as well. still quite chilly in the north—east of scotland but towards the south—east of england those temperatures are getting up to 17 or 18 celsius. that weather front will take the rain away out into the north sea. overnight, things calm down as we head into wednesday. light winds across the whole of the country this time. it could start off a bit misty and murky around some western areas, that will tend to lift. some sunshine coming through now and again could trigger one or two light showers. most places, though, will be dry with a little bit of sunshine. temperatures lifting in the central belt, 19 in the south—east.

this is bbc world news. the headlines: voting in the first round of the french presidential election is drawing to a close. president macron faces a strong challenge from marine le pen. 1200 bodies have been found around the ukrainian capital kyiv since russian forces left. that's according to the country's prosecutor—general. in the south and east there have been more russian attacks. an inquiry into how the tax arrangements of the uk's chancellor's wife became public is now under way, the bbc understands. the frontrunner to become pakistan s next prime minister says the removal of imran khan in a late—night confidence vote is a chance for a new beginning for the country. the bbc understands an inquiry

into how the tax arrangements of the chancellor's wife, akshata murthy, became public