>> the u.n. secretary-general holds face-to-face talks with russia's president who has agreed in principle to let the u.n. and red cross evacuate civilians from mariupol. germany is to send anti-aircraft tanks to ukraine is more than 40 countries will meet to discuss arming kyiv. ♪ >> i am lauren taylor. this is "al jazeera," live from london. we have joined detectives king up bodies for evidence of war

crimes in ukraine. kim jong-un vows to ramp up north korea's nuclear arsenal. the military parade showing off its largest intercontinental ballistic missiles. beijing expands covid testing to 20 million people as it races to avoid a lockdown like the one in shanghai. ♪ lauren: russia has agreed in principle to allow the u.n. and red cross to help evacuate civilians from a steel plant in mariupol. the agreement was reached during talks with moscow between dute rres and putin. the u.s. and allies have agreed to send more heavy weaponry to ukraine. 40 countries agreed to meet monthly to discuss arming kyiv.

after months of threats, russia threatened to turn off gas to poland and bulgaria. reporter: the world's most senior diplomat is on moscow on a mission. he said he has come to the russian capital as a messenger of peace. his audience, the most controversial world leader at the moment, vladimir putin, who received him with high praise for his organization. >> russia is a permanent member of the security council and has supported this organization and we believe it is not just universal, but unique. there is no such organization in the international community and we support the principles on which it is based and intend to do so in the future.

reporter: not mincing words about how the world sees russia's so-called special military operation in ukraine. >> i understand these grievances, but the grievances must be solved according to different instruments the u.n. charter has at its disposal. we believe the violation of the territorial integrity of the country is completely out of order in relation to the charter. reporter: earlier in the day guterres kicked off his meeting with the u.n. -- the u.s. and sergey lavrov. they emerged from what was described as a frank conversation. >> it is clear there are two different positions on what is happening in ukraine. according to the russian federation, what is taking place is a special military operation with the objective they

announced. according to resolutions passed by the general assembly, russia's invasion of ukraine is a violation and against the charter of united nations. reporter: the russian foreign minister his country's decision. >> this is happening as a result of actions from the u.s. and its allies. it was done in the interest of containing russia and to that end, ukraine has been used as a springboard to constrain our country. reporter: one of the initiatives put forward by the secretary-general was ending the humanitarian crisis in mariupol. the city is under russian control. thousands of civilians are unable to leave it, something putin dismissed as this information. guterres discussed having a

working group made of russian, ukrainian and u.n. members to ensure that all residents pushing to leave may do so and to allow aid into the area. after a two hour meeting, putin has agreed in principle to involvement of the agency in addition to the red cross to oversee evacuation of civilians in mariupol. as he travels to ukraine he will be looking for officials to approve this plan as well. nearly 1000 civilians wait to get out of underground tunnels in one of europe's largest steel plants. "al jazeera," moscow. lauren: seven injured in strikes in kharkiv.

ukraine's second largest city has seen the worst fighting since russian forces have retreated from kyiv. russian rockets flew at a low altitude over a nuclear plant in zaporizhzhia, killing one person. zaporizhzhia is the last large city under ukrainian control in the southeast. many ukrainians fear front lines are headed there. trenches are dug in expectation of an assault. ukraine's state run atomic energy company says it could cause nuclear catastrophe. more than 40 countries agreed to meet monthly to discuss arming ukraine. the first was held at the ramstein air base in germany. the u.s. and allies promised to send more weapons. the german government said it

would send anti-aircraft tanks. reporter: after a surprise visit to kyiv, the u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin told 40 defense ministers that they needed to do more for ukraine to win the war. >> we don't have any time to waste. the briefings today laid out clearly why it is crucial for ukraine. we have to move at the speed of war. i know all the leaders lead today more resolved than ever to support ukraine in its fight against russian aggression and atrocities. reporter: he used ramstein air base in germany, the largest u.s. airbase outside the u.s. to bring nato ministers and those from the middle east, africa and asia together. the location was a significant because especially germany had been reluctant to send heavy

weapons to ukraine. not anymore. >> we decided monday to support ukraine with antiaircraft systems, which is what ukraine needs to secure its airspace from the ground. reporter: the antiaircraft systems are not the tanks ukraine asked for, but are seen as a breakthrough after the german government was reluctant to be drawn into war with russia and minister olaf scholz warned of the possibility of nuclear war. while many in europe are looking at germany to support ukraine, the u.s. has stepped in with this meeting on german soil. the u.s. has convinced countries like germany to turn around, but the main question is how nervous this will make people hear that the war will expand beyond ukraine.

lauren: bulgaria's energy ministry said there is no need for restrictions on gas consumption yet, despite russia announcing it is halting supplies to ballcarrier -- to bulgaria and poland. they said they would have to pay in rubles instead of dollars and euros. bulgarian officials say they have alternative plans for energy. >> we have received threats from the russian federation, from gazprom, related to the method of payment. poland sticks to the arrangement and russia will try to punish poland. as i have emphasized, poland prepared to diversify gas supplies and obtain gas from various directions even before the baltic gas pipeline, we could protect our economy

against such a dramatic step by russia. lauren: ukraine investigating more than 500 suspects who received thousands of war crimes. evidence is gathered across the country. our correspondent traveled to towns north of kyiv where detectives are sifting through the rubble. reporter: ever since the russians pulled out a few weeks ago, this detective and her team have been exhuming bodies, at least 10 daily. a task she never thought she would be doing when she joined the police. this time, her team is unearthing the body of a person buried in the backyard of the house. carefully carving around a body, trying to figure out how it was positioned. these are the feet, so the head is over there, she says. a first assessment reveals a man who appears to be in his 60's.

it is only when she flips the body over she finds a clue as to the cause of death. >> he has a wound at the back of the head, most likely from a bullet, because he had blood coming out of the mouth. the skin is talked to the clothing. we will take him away and forensic experts will investigate further. we found his phone, we will charge it and hopefully find out more about him. reporter: what happened when russian soldiers left kyiv is not clear, but the destruction left behind is evident. civilians have been telling how they were targeted as they tried to flee. there are bullet holes all over this windshield. this was hit by large caliber ammunition from the side. you can see the remains of what

appears to be a white flag marking the fat -- marking the fact they were civilians in the vehicle. you can see the exit of what ripped through the car. inside you have bloodstains everywhere. in the middle of all that, a passport. it belongs to a young man born in september of 1990. it is another example of alleged war crimes among thousands of cases investigators have been documenting since ukraine's prosecutor general. she has dispatched teams to gather evidence. here they set up in a classroom full of people telling their stories. >> killing civilians, torturing

civilians. we have started to prosecute sexual crimes, raping. they took property of civilians. we see again they bombed again and again civilian structures, hospitals, schools, more than 1000 educational institutions destroyed. it is a war crime. reporter: in nearby bucha, the morgue is overwhelmed. refrigerated trucks are overflowing with bodies. olga finally found her husband after coming here for several days. he was killed while she was away in poland. >> the neighbors called and told me he was shot on march 20. he was going to get food. two russian soldiers saw him, chased, and shot him twice.

they did not allow the body to be picked up for three days. reporter: russia denies committing any atrocities, suggesting they have been staged, but the u.n. human rights office says there is growing evidence of war crimes committed by russian soldiers and fears many more could emerge as the fighting continues in the east and south of the country. "al jazeera," north of kyiv. lauren: a ukrainian has helped more than 200 people escape mariupol. he drove his van into the port area six times last month get civilians out. he repaired his van between trips after strikes destroyed the windshield, side windows and door. he housed people in his club's bomb shelter until it was safe enough to drive out of mariupol. >> it so happened i was bringing food over and wanted to evacuate

some people, but i could not leave for six days. in those six days, i gathered people. i went to bomb shelters where conditions were worse, where there were pregnant women with children. i drove them to my bomb shelter. this is how 163 people turned into 200. all of them stayed in my shelter and all were able to get out. lauren: still to come, mulled over steps up security after new explosions targeting radio in the transnistria region. anda gazan unearths a 2000-year-old canaanite deity. >> we have seen heavy rain

recently in central australia tuesday in the south australian outback. the wettest single day for 33 years. the wet weather moves further south and eastward, sweeping across victoria. new south wales will see showers. more rain where that came from. this front moving toward south australia and western australia will sweep through. some rain coming through and wednesday in perth. wetter weather in south new wales and the outback toward sydney. it will drive eastward. tasmania seeing action, a few showers there, into victoria and a scattering of showers toward western parts of queensland near the cape peninsula. new zealand, high-pressure dominates, so that keeps it

largely settled and sunny. sunny weather making its way into japan after a wet spell of weather wednesday. brighter skies coming back, heavy showers in central china. ♪ >> african stories from african perspectives. >> i am a marine biologist that does not swim. >> short documentaries from african filmmakers. >> but i'm going to do this. >> from south africa, ethiopia, and nigeria. she saw the sea. and, my robot. on "al jazeera." ♪

lauren: a reminder of top stories. antonio guterres met vladimir putin in moscow. the un's as moscow agrees in principle to allow it and the red cross to help with the evacuation of civilians in a steel plant in mariupol. more than 40 countries agree to meet monthly to discuss arming ukraine. the first was held at the u.s. airbase ramstein in germany. at least three people killed and seven injured in shelling in kharkiv. another person was killed in a rocket attack in zaporizhzhia.

the president says the attacks are an attempt to destabilize the country. >> the aftermath of explosions in the capital of the territory. soviet era radio antenna to broadcast russian radio. a military unit was also targeted. the small sliver of land is on high alert. since the start of the war, moldova has feared it could be

in danger of being called into the conflict with russia because it is home to some 1500 russian troops moscow calls peacekeeping forces. 470,000 people, mostly russian speakers, live on the strip of land. while not internationally recognized, it has its own currency and leader. there is also a military guard. what is causing concern is not just russian troops who have been here since the civil war in the early 1990's, it is the weaponry and ammunition that have been here since the collapse of the soviet union. moldova's president vowed a peaceful negotiation, but condemned what she said were any attempts to ruin the country's neutral status. >> we remain open to continue dialogue to solve the conflict in the region in a peaceful manner. one that gives the people of moldova and the region of transnistria a chance at a peaceful life. reporter: last week a senior

russian commander said the next goal was to access transnistria to seize control of southern ukraine where there are increasing tensions. it remains a huge tactical risk for pressure to drag moldova into the conflict. >> russia would need a successful offensive in southern ukraine. odesa is a big battleground, which would have to fall first. then they could think of going to transnistria. as long as odesa remains outside russian hands, that remains an illusory goal. reporter: many wait to see what would happen here in the territory that could define the next phase of russia's campaign. lauren: the u.s. warned that iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks. it says a return to the 2015 nuclear deal is the best way to reduce any threat. >> the fact is that right now

iran's breakout time is shorter than we would like. were we to reenter the jcpoa and were iran to once again be subject to the stringent monitoring regime, that breakout time would be extended. lauren: mike, what more does the white house have to say about this? mike: the white house press secretary addressed this issue directly during the daily briefing, saying this does worry the biden administration. she said the fact that biden started working toward resuscitating that agreement, the jcpoa, was because iran was accelerating nuclear weapons

development after the u.s. walked away under trump from that deal. jen psaki saying this is one of the reasons the u.s. wants to get back to this deal. she was echoing something said by the secretary of state earlier in the day. antony blinken was giving evidence to a senate committee. he said the matter of time in which iran could develop a nuclear weapon has dropped from a year to weeks. this he said is also a consequence of then-president trump's decision to pull out of the jcpoa. antony blinken using this opportunity to make this public to the senate. no doubt as well with an eye for getting domestic support for the biden administration's intention to resuscitate that joint comprehensive plan of action. it is not necessarily popular among congress and blinken using

this example as a way to encourage and increase support for the biden administration's attempts to get the jcpoa back on track. lauren: thank you. a female suicide bomber has killed four and injured seven in southern pakistan. the blast ripped through a minibus going through the university of karachi. three chinese nationals were killed. a separatist group known as the baloch liberation army claimed responsibility. a former cabinet minister was freed on bail from a sudan prison. this was four months after a takeover by military leaders who shared power over a military coalition. he is a leader of a sideline

group working on a solution to sudan's political crisis before his arrest. north korea vowed to ramp up its nuclear arsenal with maximum speed. kim jong-un made the announcement during a military parade which showcased their newest intercontinental ballistic missile. >> the parade marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of north korea's military and it was meant to show off the power of its modern-day weaponry. on display was some of the newest weapons it has recently been testing such as hypersonic missiles. and a more advanced longer-range submarine launched ballistic missile. after several years of attempted negotiations aimed at denuclearization, kim jong-un seems to have abandoned all efforts at conciliation. >> in the world today where powers are fiercely clashing with other powers, national

dignity, sovereignty and peace can only be guaranteed by strong self-defense. reporter: north korea's star of the show is what it said is its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile to date. it is the same type of weapon it says it launched at the end of march, the first fully fledged test of an icbm since 2017. it seems north korea has nothing to lose by putting on a show of military force right now. u.s. and south korea forces have gone on with joint exercises. south korea chose a conservative administration likely to take a tougher stand with the north. u.s. president joe biden will soon been -- will soon be visiting asia. attempting to bolster supports from south korea and japan, but

there is mounting speculation north korea might be planning a return to underground nuclear weapon testing for the first time in five years. >> the basic mission of our nuclear capabilities to deter war, but our nuclear weapons are not just for the sole mission of deterrence. if there are times to usurp us, we have no choice but to call on those weapons. reporter: pyongyang seems as determined as ever to be accepted by the international community as a nuclear power to be reckoned with. lauren: beijing extended its testing to all 21 million residents as the city struggles to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. people have been panic buying at markets, stocking up on food and essential markets, fearing a citywide lockdown. china's capital has rolled out strict measures under the

country's zero covid policy. we have more from beijing. reporter: they found cases in eight new districts across beijing, bringing the total of 80 coronavirus cases from the capital since friday. that means mandatory testing has been extended to more districts and will cover most of the people living in beijing. that includes more than 20 million people who have to go for mass testing. so far they tested 4 million in this initial round, including myself and our team. we are still waiting on results. we have to do tests once -- we don't have to do tests once or twice, we have to do them three times before the weekend. this is a highly infectious omicron strain. after those test results, those

three rounds are discovered and collated on the weekends, we are expecting a judgment

(sophie fouron) i'm holding on because it's pretty rocky today. the sea's rough. we're getting there. we're almost there. ten islands, ten different identities. every time you take a boat in cape verde, you never know what to expect. there are so many mountains, so many sugarcane fields. it's very beautiful. here, music, i think it's more important than eating. it's part of who they are. they express themselves through music.