welcome to bbc news, i'm rich preston. our top stories: a ukrainian presidential advisor warns of heavy losses as fighting intensifies in the east of the country. a tennis super star behind bars. boris becker is jailed for 2.5 years for hiding millions of dollars worth of assets after going bankrupt. a suicide attack at a mosque in the afghan capital, kabul, the latest deadly blast during the holy month of ramadan. and, a big fight, in the big apple. katie taylor and amanda serrano square up, ahead of the most important women's boxing match, in history.

moscow says more than one million people have been evacuated from ukraine to russia since the conflict began. foreign minister sergey lavrov claims that includes 120,000 foreigners, and people from donetsk and luhansk areas that russia regards as breakaway republics. russia also confirmed responsiblity for thursday's attack on kyiv, but said they were targeting a missile manufacturing plant. a warning, sarah rainsford report contains images you may find distressing. vera gyrych was carried from the wreckage of her home in a body bag. she'd been found buried beneath rubble after a russian missile strike on central kyiv. vera was 55, a journalist for the american broadcaster radio liberty. it says it's shocked and outraged by the meaningless manner of her death.

we saw forensic workers bring out what looked like fragments of the missile. russia's defence ministry claims it was firing precision weapons. only the military factory opposite the apartment block is scorched, but still standing. this couple feel lucky to be alive today, even able to salvage something from the ruins. misha said they'd just got home when they heard the first blast. "if we'd been in a lift a minute longer," he tells me, "we'd have been burned or killed." russia may well have been aiming at a military facility across the road here, but once again it's civilians who are the casualties of this strike. the mayor here in kyiv now says 100 civilians have been killed in ukraine's capital alone in a war that russia began over two months ago and still shows no

sign it wants to stop. explosions in distance and down in mariupol, the besieged city by the sea, there are still civilians and fighters under fire, surrounded at the giant azov steelworks. the rest of the shattered city is now under russian control. 0lia's husband and natalia's brother are both soldiers there. trapped, with supplies running out. so, the women came to kyiv to urge the government to do more to save them. they're talking about civilians, but not about military, and i'm really worried about it because the military are also people. they don't want to die in that city that is already destroyed. why do they have to do it? i don't understand. they have been holding the whole ukraine and even europe for two months, and they deserve to come back alive. kyiv itself has begun to come alive again now that russian force have retreated from its suburbs.

but even this half normality is fragile when moscow has shown it can strike at any time. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kyiv. john kirby, the us defense department's spokesman has accused russian president vladimir putin of depravity in his invasion of ukraine. apparently becoming emotional, john kirby paused to collect himself during his remarks. it is hard to look at what he is doing in ukraine, what his forces are doing in ukraine, and think that any... um, ethical, moral individual could justify that. it is difficult to look at the... voice waivers sorry, it is difficult to look at some of the images and think that any well—thinking, serious, mature

leader would do that. jonathan schroden is a military operations analyst and director of cna's special operations programme. he told me the us is supplying more offensive military weapons to ukraine. at first it was largely and im missiles to help them defend the capital gear, and areas in the capital gear, and areas in the centre, north of the country. now that the fighters shifted to the east of the country, the ukrainians are in some places trying to go on the offensive to regain lost territory from the russians, and so the us is providing more

military systems like armoured personnel carriers, long—range artillery, long—range munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, for example, so much heavier more offensive weaponry, and this training package is designed to help the ukrainians elements of that assistance they might not otherwise have known how to use. sergey lavrov has is that russia sees itself, not at war with nato but, as you mentioned, this is more offensive equipment, is this likely to change that? both sides have been very careful in their language, and so the russian foreign minister's statement is in line with that, to a large extent. you know, certifying that russia doesn't see itself at war with nato, certainly the us has been pretty clear that its actions are designed to help ukraine defend itself against this aggression,

although, the secretary of defense's recent comments that he would like to see russia weakened as a result of this certainly was an escalatory comment, as well. hopefully, both sides will continue to be measured in their tones, even as these more offensive steps are being taken by the west. two britons who travelled to ukraine to help with aid distribution and the evacuation of refugees are now feared to have been captured by the russians. dylan healey and paul urey had travelled to the city of zaporizhzhia. they said they were going to help a woman and her children get out of the country, but on monday contact with them was lost. danny savage has the latest. dylan healy and paul urey, two british humanitarian workers who it is understood have been detained by russian forces in ukraine. they were stopped at a russian—controlled checkpoint as they tried to assist a mother and her children leave a village near zaporizhzhia. we have had contact with the lady

they were evacuating, south of zaporizhzhia. and we have a statement from her to say, actually, three hours after they were supposed to get there on monday, that the russian soldiers were interrogating her and her family about these two british guys they had picked up, said that they were trying to evacuate, and why are they talking to these british spies and things like that. paul urey is in his mid—40s, diabetic and usually cares for his mum linda. at her home near preston this afternoon, she talked of her fears and had a message to those holding her son. please give him back. he's a family man. his my carer. he helps me. and he has been gone two weeks now and a week they've had him. imiss him. i can't cope with it. i've not ate, i can't sleep. dylan healy�*s

friends at his local football club in cambridgeshire tonight talked of their concerns. he was always committed to the team. never, ever harmed anybody. no—one would expect that someone you know, someone you played football with for years, had been captured by russian forces. families also say the men are not spies or mercenaries, and want to know they are being treated well. danny savage, bbc news, preston. boris becker who at 17 years old stunned the tennis world in 1985 by winning wimbledon is spending his first night in a british jail following a dramatic fall from grace. he's been sentenced for 2.5 years for illegally concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets in a bankruptcy case. our sports correspondent natalie pirks has more. as he walked into court, his tie in the wimbledon colours that had always brought him fame and fortune, boris becker was no doubt contemplating how it came to this. three weeks ago, a jury found him guilty of four of the 2a counts against him,

including transferring cash to avoid paying creditors from his 2017 bankruptcy, and failing to disclose a property in germany. in her sentencing remarks, judge deborah taylor said he'd shown no remorse, no humility and had failed to heed the chances he was given from his past conviction for tax evasion, 20 years ago in germany. the court was packed. becker looked shocked and red—faced as he was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, with half on licence. well, as you can see, this case has generated considerable interest across europe. a picture was painted in court of a man with nothing to show for his glittering sporting career, a man with chaotic finances, with no future earning potential, whose reputation lies in tatters. unknown and unseeded, becker forged an instant bond with the british public in 1985 when he won wimbledon atjust 17, the youngest man to then do so.

during his 1a—year career, he won a total of 49 singles titles, six of them grand slams. it made him a rich man, with a successful stint as a pundit and novak djokovic's coach afterwards. but boom boom was soon bust. expensive lifestyle commitments, including a high—profile divorce and payments for a child conceived from a night with a russian model at a london restaurant, saw him in financial trouble. career earnings of £38 million were gone, and a tax evasion and bankruptcy case followed. i think today, the tennis world is a little bit sad about what's happened. when you see somebody who was such a great talent and had so much to offer, and he is still a very lovable, likeable character, and i think it's very sad thinking likeable character, and i think it's just very sad thinking about where he's at tonight. his partner left tonight to begin life without him. he will now spend more than a year in prison.

a successful career on court ended swiftly inside one. let's get some of the day's other news. a member of the infamous group of islamic state extremists, known as the beatles, because of their british accents, has beenjailed for life in the us. alexanda kotey admitted more than half a dozen charges linked to the abduction, torture, and the murder of hostages in syria. a usjudge has thrown out a motion to overturn the conviction of ghislaine maxwell for sex trafficking, for her role in helping jeffrey epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. maxwell sought a retrial after one of the jurors in the case admitted he had falsely stated he was not a victim of sexual abuse. the bbc understands a consortium led by todd bowley, the owner of the la dodgers baseball team, is likely to be named the preferred bidder for chelsea football club. the club was put up for sale in march, before the owner, roman abramovich, was sanctioned for his alleged links to the russian president vladimir putin.

the head of a mosque in the afghan capital, kabul, says at least 50 worshippers were killed in a powerful explosion that struck just after friday prayers, thought to be by a suicide bomber. but taliban authorities in the country say only 10 people died. it's the latest in a spate of attacks during the muslim holy month of ramadan. earlier, i asked our news reporter azadeh moshiri what more we know about the attack. religious leaders are putting the death toll at a much higher number. what we know is that the mosque was in high attendance because it was the last friday prayers before the end of the holy month of ramadan. the head of the mosque has said that a suicide bomberjoined the congregation and then detonated his explosives. it seems like the suicide bomber was targeting this sufi muslim minority community. there were nany were wounded, some in critical condition and sent to nearby hospitals.

the un has even said that two of their own staff were in attendance along with their own families. they have asked for a full investigation. and in fact the special un rappoteur on human rights has put out a tweet. that is because right now nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack. and, unfortunately, this is not a stand—alone incident, is it? that's right, afghans have gone through so much instability since the return of taliban rule last summer, and this latest attack as part of a speight of attacks during the holy month of ramadan. now, islamic state has claimed responsibility for some of these attacks. they seem to be targeting muslim minority communities, communities like the shia, hazara and sufi communities. they seem to be taking place in places like mosques and schools.

in fact, it was just last thursday that two vans had bombs detonated on board. they were vans carrying shia muslims near the northern city of mazar—e—sharif where at least nine people died. and it was last week that blasts tore through a high school in a predominantly hazara area in western kabul — at least six people died there. so, while the taliban are saying that they've got a handle on the security situation in afghanistan, these attacks, the violence and civilian deaths are continuing. you say the taliban say they have a handle on security there's been a sharp sell—off on the us stock markets, with the dowjones industrial average closing friday's trading more than 900 points down. the nasdaq index of mostly technology companies ended april more than 13 percentage points lower, its the biggest monthly decline since the financial crisis of 2008. analysts say the drop shows that many investors are seeing trouble ahead for the global economy, with growing fears of a recession.

takara small, a business and technology reporter, gave me her analysis. well, you mentioned the dreaded r word, recession. there are a lot of investors who are looking at what's to come down the pipeline. and really, ithink, concerned about what is happening in ukraine, and what is happening in china which is limiting supplies and commodities, and of course we are seeing that there likely is a hike in interest rates around the corner. all of that together could spell trouble for the economy. let's touch on the nasdaq in particular, 13 points down, this is mostly tech companies — what does this tell us about faith in some of these bigger, safer tech companies — netflix, amazon, apple and so on? well, netflix saw a huge drop recently this week, as well as amazon which did not meet expectations, that has been a cash cow that has been a reliable stock for many people. i think a lot of companies, a lot of investors got really used to this boom we saw during the pandemic, where there was a lot of consumer spending

in a very targeted area. but you have to remember these tech companies rely on certain materials and supplies that are often coming from china, or coming from ukraine. and again, russia has been completely cut out of the global commodities as well. so i think a lot of people are seeing that the tech companies themselves are seeing higher costs, and that spells trouble and will be passed on down the line to consumers. let's talk more about that. what impact will this have day—to—day on regular consumers in the us? i'm glad you asked, i think consumers tend to be left out of this conversation. right now consumer spending seems to be somewhat stable, but that will change, especially with interest rates that are likely going to increase, the federal reserve has said quite blatantly that that is around the corner. you have inflation, and you have a troubling job market at the same time, it means people will be pulling back and not spending as much on things that are not essential. again, netflix saw a huge drop — and when it comes down to food or entertainment, people will choose food.

here in the uk, a member of parliament for the governing conservative party has been suspended over allegations he watched pornography in the house of commons chamber. neil parish, the mp for a constituency in devon in the south—west of england, has referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner, and says he'll cooperate fully with any investigation. the 65—year—old said he's embarrassed by the allegations, and suggested he may have opened the video on his phone, by accident. here's our political correspondent ben wright. having told his wife, he faced the cameras waiting on his driveway. not a well—known name before today, the conservative neil parish has been identified as the mp accused of watching pornography in the house of commons chamber. reporter: you have had - the conservative whip removed. where does that leave you? it leaves me still as the member of parliament for tiverton and honiton. i havejust come back from a surgery in honiton. i will maintain my duties

very much as the mp and while i remain chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, i will also keep up my work there. is this embarrassing? of course it's embarrassing, and it's embarrassing for my wife, and the family, and so that is my main concern at the moment. i have a very supportive wife and i thank her for that. at a meeting of tory mps on tuesday, two women said they had seen a male colleague viewing porn on his phone. first, the conservative party said the matter should be investigated by parliament's independent complaints and grievance scheme. the mp involved had still not been named when neil parish himself was asked about the allegations in an interview on wednesday. i think the whip�*s office will do a thorough investigation and we will wait and see that result. and now we have it. after meeting the tories�* chief whip today, mr parish was suspended from the parliamentary party and referred himself for investigation by the commons standards commissioner. labour said it should have happened much sooner.

the conservatives have obviously known for days who this mp was. now, having known, they should have done something about it, they should have acted swifter. we can boost production... neil parish has represented the devon seat of tiverton and honiton since 2010 and is chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, a seniorjob for a backbench mp. but now he is under pressure to explain what he was doing with his phone. neil, was it a mistake? i will await the findings of the inquiry. i'm talking about, did you open something up by error- in the commons? i did, but let the, um, let the inquiry look at that. there has been a chorus of cross—party condemnation about this, and it has renewed claims that westminster has a problem with misogyny and sexism, a parliamentary culture that needs to change. i'm shocked, as most people are shocked, that that would happen. and, you know, we have got inquiries going on, but i'm really pleased that the chief whip

has acted quickly. these things should not be left to fester. but the investigations may not be quick, and for now mr parish shows little sign of retreating. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. the acting leader of the british virgin islands, natalio wheatley, has confirmed the territorial government's opposition to direct rule imposed from london. it comes after federal prosecutors in the us charged the bvi's premier andrew fahie with cocaine trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. he appeared in court hours after an inquiry into alleged corruption in the british virgin islands recommended that the elected government be dissolved. saturday sees one of the most anticipated boxing matches in history between two female fighters — katie taylor and amanda serrano. ade adedoyin reports from new york.

the best facing the best. katie taylor, amanda serrano! neither wanted to blink first. the weigh—in was like an event in itself. both have had their names in lights all week. the pair reach a new height here in new york — a photo op on the empire state building ahead of this landmark moment in boxing. i think saturday night could definitely well be the best night of my career. there's definitely something different about this fight, this is a moment in history. ireland's former olympic champion is the crossover star. serrano, a sevenweight world champion, the co—star looking to steal the show. 13 years as a pro fighter, i've struggled, i've fought my way to this spot right now and i want to go out there and just secure that victory. and the target? the undisputed lightweight title and a place in history. so what can we expect on fight night between katie taylor and amanda serrano? we have a clash of styles, and after about a round, katie taylor can box no longer, she has to brawl.

and that's we get what i call the rocky moment, when everybody stands up, you can hear the tunes in your head, and theyjust hit each otherfor 10 rounds. this blockbuster bout notjust significant, but also lucrative. both will earn over $1 million — that's double the challenger�*s career payday. and youtuberjake paul, who promotes serrano, is putting his money where his mouth is. i bet amanda wins for $1 million. and the bookies agree with him. let's shake up on it, let's go. well, the last time katie taylor fought here at madison square garden, she unified the division. all those belts are up for grabs on saturday, and the odds—makers are backing the local favourite amanda serrano to dethrone the champion. ade adedoyin, bbc news, new york. for nearly a century, the statue of christ the redeemer has dominated the skyline of rio de janeiro in brazil. it's become an iconic symbol of the city.

but now another brazilian town has decided to erect a statue of its own — and they say it's now the biggest in the world. tim allman reports. bossa nova music plays. it is considered by many to be one of the modern wonders of the world. more than 600 tonnes of concrete and stone, christ the redeemer makes quite the impression. but in the global contest of giant statues of important religious figures, rio has a new competitor. this looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? and this christ is not that far away, in the southern town of encantado. almost identical to its rio namesake, save for one crucial detail.

translation: it is a - construction of 43.5 metres high, there is six metres of the pedestal and 37.5 metres of christ. this means that today our statue is the largest statue of christ in the world. christ the redeemer in rio gets around 2 million visitors a year — or at least it did before covid. local officials in encantado hope their version will attract a few tourists of its own. it is due to open to the public sometime next year — spreading the faith, and making a bit of money at the same time. a reminder of our top story: a ukrainian presidential advisor warns of heavy losses as fighting intensifies in the east of the country. he said ukraine had lost control of some towns and villages, but claimed russia's casualties had been, in his words, "colossal". plenty more on our website, bbc.com/news, and on the bbc news app.

you can reach me on twitter, i'm @richpreston. thanks for watching. hello there. there's some rain in the forecast for this bank holiday weekend. not that much for england and wales, but certainly for scotland and northern ireland, it could be quite heavy at times. for gardeners and growers, that will provide some good news as it's been so dry for this month of april. there'll also be quite a bit of sunshine around, particularly on saturday across england and wales under this area of high pressure, which is slowly declining as this low pressure system continues to sweep into scotland and northern ireland. we start off on a mainly dry and quite chilly note for england and wales, plenty of sunshine here. much brighter day for eastern england after the recent cloudy days. but for scotland, northern ireland, it will be turning windy, cloudy and wet. and some of that rain will be quite heavy at times. certainly western scotland could even hear the odd

rumble of thunder there. that will impact the temperatures. it will be cooler here than the last few days. further south, we could see 17 or 18 degrees and a little bit of fairweather cloud just bubbling up here and there. the cloud will increase across northern and western england and wales as we head into the latter part of the day and into the evening. that area of low pressure will continue to drift its way southwards, tending to weaken as it does so. but there will be a lot of cloud around for saturday night, so that means it will be a mild one, with the temperatures no lower than seven to 10 degrees. so for sunday, then, our area of low pressure will continue to weaken, pushing towards the southern half of britain, so that means it will be the south which will see the thickest of the cloud with outbreaks of rain. so some wet weather for wales, south west england through sunday. some of that light and patchy rain and drizzle will drift its way eastwards. further north, it will be brightening up, the clouds. will tend to break up and we'll see some sunny spells, bar the odd shower around, so it will be a bit warm here, 16, maybe 17 degrees. a little bit cooler further south, low to mid teens. that area of low pressure clears away, so for bank holiday monday, it's looking a bit drier across the board.

there will be quite a bit of cloud around here, one or two showers developing across northern and central areas but also some sunny spells. and where that happens, we will see temperatures reaching highs of around 18 degrees. further north, the low to mid teens. very little change as we move through the new week. it looks like pressure will remain high with very little wind, so again the air will be quite stagnant. we'll have variable amounts of cloud, a bit of sunshine, maybe one or two showers around, and possibly tuesday could see most of the showers through central and northern areas. butjust a hint of it turning perhaps a little bit brighter and warmer across the south by the end of the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a ukrainian presidential advisor has warned of heavy losses as fighting with russia intensifies in the east of the country. in the us, the pentagon's spokesman was visibly upset, saying it was hard to look at some of the images of what he called president putin's brutality and cruelty. here in the uk, the six—time tennis grand slam champion boris becker has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after being found guilty of lying about $3 million of assets during bankruptcy proceedings. ajudge in london said he showed no remorse. a british mp for the governing conservative party has been suspended over allegations he watched pornography in the house of commons chamber. neil parish has referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner and says he will cooperate fully with any investigation.