the bbc gains special access inside haiti, as the country grapples with violence and political chaos. we'll have the latest. and the special prosecutor in donald trump's election meddling case resigns following a judge's orders. the state district attorney will stay on the job. i'm sumi somaskanda. thank you so much forjoining us. another six years in power is almost all but certain for russia's vladimir putin, as the country is in the midst of voting to choose its president. mr putin faces no serious opposition — with his rivals dead, in prison, or in exile. acts of protest have taken place across russia, including incidents involving dye being poured into ballot boxes and fireworks being set off at the polls. yulia navalnaya — the widow of putin's most vocal, late critic, alexei navalny — has called on kremlin opponents to go en masse to the polls at noon on sunday to protest the election.

she's urged the west not to recognise what will be putin's fifth term as president. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, is in moscow with more. russia's democracy is the best in the world, the kremlin says. and at polling station 38 in moscow, we found a choice of candidates and plenty of voters. democracy in action, right? not quite. realistically, only one man can win this. vladimir putin! the man who's been on russia's political stage for the last quarter of a century. vladimir putin faces no serious challenger. his fiercest rivals are in exile or in prison. not that this woman, whose son is fighting in ukraine, wants any change at the top. "of course i voted for putin," she says. "i trust him." but not everyone who came out today

was actually voting. this, one of a string of attacks on polling stations across russia. they are unprecedented. after chaotic scenes here... ..an arsonist is detained. and green ink poured into a ballot box. the authorities called the attackers scum. some voters were greeted with a show. well, it's one way to bang the drum for russian elections. there is voting, too, in parts of ukraine, which are under russian occupation — what russia calls its new territories. the ukrainian government called the election here illegal. polls close on sunday night. expect a putin landslide. unpredictability is very much a feature of life now in russia, but that does not

apply to elections. the political system here is built around one man — vladimir putin — and the kremlin tightly controls that system, including elections. so mr putin's re—election is not in doubt. and neither is the message the kremlin will be sending after this. that vladimir putin has the full support of his people. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. leaders of germany, france, and poland met in berlin to ease tensions over support for ukraine. the french president, emmanuel macron, called on kyiv�*s allies not be cowards, and said he would not rule out deploying western troops on the ground in ukraine. that suggestion was rejected by the german chancellor, olaf scholz. now, european allies have agreed a mechanism to supply kyiv with long—range artillery. a shortage of weapons including ammunition, has been blamed for russian advances in the war. mr macron detailed why the eu's

support of ukraine is so important. translation: it is our future, our security which _ translation: it is our future, our security which is _ translation: it is our future, our security which is at _ translation: it is our future, our security which is at stake _ translation: it is our future, our security which is at stake in - security which is at stake in ukraine. we are doing this out of solidarity for the people of ukraine, whose territorial integrity is being threatened. we are doing this to defend international law. we are doing it because the security of europeans and of earth is at stake in ukraine. it is with this determination that we want to oppose the war of aggression launched by russia. meanwhile, russia and ukraine continue to exchange fire in the battlefield. officials in the ukrainian city of odesa say at least 20 people were killed in a double missile attack on a residential area — more than 70 people were wounded. earlier, the kremlin said ukraine carried out attacks in the region of belgorod in southern russia, and accused kyiv of attempting to disrupt russia's presidential election. our correspondent sarah rainsford is in kyiv with the latest. this is the deadliest attack in some time on odesa. and it is the details

that are particularly grim, because ukrainian officials are saying two missiles were fired by russia from crimea — the first one landed on the city, and it was when emergency teams rushed to the spot that a second missile was fired from crimea and hit exactly the same place. now we know that a medic was killed, a young firefighter was also amongst those killed and injured. many dozens of people are in hospital. now we are being told that those missiles were fired from crimea — we are saying we don't know exactly what russia was targeting, but we do know there were some interior ministry staff amongst the casualties. president zaleski has called this a vile attack, saying ukraine's military will respond, but i think it is a stark reminder of what that vote in russia means for here in ukraine —— president zelensky. because of course more vladimir putin in the ukraine means moore were here in ukraine, more attacks, and more days like today in

odesa, with dozens dead and injured. —— means more war here in ukraine. the white house says they are "cautiously optimistic" after a new truce proposalfrom hamas. they say that it is within the bounds of a deal they have been working on for the last few months. israel's prime minister has downplayed any chances of a truce in gaza, however, saying that hamas is making unrealistic demands. despite that, an israeli team is heading to qatar for new talks about a possible ceasefire and hostage deal. meanwhile, mr netanyahu's office has approved a plan for an offensive against hamas in gaza's crowded rafah city — where almost 1.5 million palestinians are currently sheltering. israel says they are preparing to evacuate people to other parts of gaza. the plan comes amid emerging signs of discontent within the biden administration about a lack of progress towards a resolution between the two sides. us secretary of state antony blinken said the united states needs to see a clear plan for israel's proposed assault on rafah, including how civilians will be moved out harm's way. and on friday, president biden praised a speech made by us senate leader chuck schumer,

in which he said the israeli prime minister was a threat to peace and called for new elections. any comment on the senator schumer's speech on israel yesterday? senator schumer contacted my staff, my senior staff he was going to make that speech, and i'm not going to elaborate on his speech. he made a good speech, and i think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him, but by many americans. mr netanyahu's government has sharply dismissed the comments made by senator schumer. meanwhile, aid agencies are continuing to sound the alarm over the humanitarian situation in gaza. a ship carrying food supplies for gaza has arrived, and is now waiting off the coast. it's a test run for what is hoped will become a new route to get aid into the territory. the bbc�*s mark lowen is injerusalem with more. now a military incursion into rough up now a military incursion into rough up would of course be very risky,

given the number of civilians sheltering there, and also would further incur the wrath of israel's western allies like the us, president biden said just a week or so ago that an israeli military incursion into rafah would be a red line, and today secretary of state antony blinken said the us has not yet received israel's plan for rafah. so it does seem as if an incursion is imminent, but that is still the state of detention with the israeli government. now with aid, the ship carrying 200 tonnes of aid, the ship carrying 200 tonnes of aid that has come from cyprus has now started to off—load that aid into gaza, on a little smaller ships that are taking it towards gaza. it is unclear exactly how it will be distributed on the ground, and in a sign ofjust how risky that is, there was again another fatal incident on wednesday in which 21 people killed in an aid distribution point in gaza city — hamas has said it was israeli troops are open fire,

and israel said it has investigated and israel said it has investigated and its troops were not to blame, he has blamed armed palestinian men for those deaths. but it shows once again how perilous and disorderly these aid distribution points can be in a place with civil order has broken down and, frankly, in the sixth month of war, there is no credible local authority present. us secretary of state antony blinken says most of the parties for haiti's transitional council have named their representatives, but a couple have yet to do so. the news comes as the carribbean nation continues to face a political and humanitarian crisis. heavily—armed gangs have taken over much of the capital. violence in the region was initially quieter following former prime minister ariel henry's announcement that he would step down on monday. but violence appeared to be flaring up again as of wednesday. the united nations estimates that more than 360,000 people are internally displaced. talks are still under way to try to establish a transitional council — but gang leaders warned they may not accept any new leadership. on friday, secretary blinken told reporters about the progress being made.

what we've seen over the last 2a hours is there are seven seats on this transitional council, and most of the parties were stakeholders that were given a seat have actually named their representative to the council. there are a couple that still haven't, so that's a work in progress. but we've seen that move forward. earlier, i spoke to our central america and carribbean correspondent, will grant, who was recently allowed access into the country. it is no easy feat to get into haiti at the moment, can you first of all just tell us what that journey was like? just tell us what that “ourney was like? , ., just tell us what that “ourney was like? , . ., just tell us what that “ourney was like? , ., ., ., ., like? yes, we had quite a long and difficult few _ like? yes, we had quite a long and difficult few days _ like? yes, we had quite a long and difficult few days at _ like? yes, we had quite a long and difficult few days at the _ like? yes, we had quite a long and difficult few days at the border, i difficult few days at the border, but now we are among the first international journalists to but now we are among the first internationaljournalists to make it into haiti since this latest crisis began. and we've come two hours

drive to the coastal town — it remains clear that this is of course the poorest country in the western hemisphere, but additional humanitarian need created by this current crisis is abundantly clear. statistics alone to give us a sense of the grim picture — 360,000 internally displaced people in haiti, some 3000 women due to give birth in the coming days and weeks can expect no maternity care whatsoever with so many of the hospitals in the capital, port—au—prince, all but shuttered. so it remains very, very difficult — you mentioned that aid promises there, some aid is beginning to trickle in now, but it still seems particularly to those who need it most, in the most desperate need that it's just not enough for a crisis of this scale. that it'sjust not enough for a crisis of this scale.— that it'sjust not enough for a crisis of this scale. well we know the situation _ crisis of this scale. well we know

the situation remains _ crisis of this scale. well we know the situation remains volatile - crisis of this scale. well we know the situation remains volatile in l the situation remains volatile in the situation remains volatile in the capital, tell us what things have been like where you are at the moment. , , ., have been like where you are at the moment. , , . ., ., moment. this is a calm are part of the country. _ moment. this is a calm are part of the country, and _ moment. this is a calm are part of the country, and it _ moment. this is a calm are part of the country, and it is _ moment. this is a calm are part of the country, and it is important. moment. this is a calm are part of the country, and it is important to | the country, and it is important to note that there are differences across haiti. i think during the coverage of this current crisis, it has felt like everything is as bad as the pictures we are seeing out of port—au—prince. that isn't the case — but nevertheless as i mentioned, you do feel the effects of what's happening to the nation as a whole, the political vacuum in power that there is no current government really sitting, the transitional council isn't in place, and mr ariel henry, the prime minister, has stepped down. so there's the power vacuum there, the control of the gains and the pressure it puts on people to come to places like here to find refuge. the picture is desperate across the country largely as a result ofjust how bad things are in the capital —— control of the

gang. are in the capital -- control of the a an a . . are in the capital -- control of the .an. _ . ., ., ., are in the capital -- control of the ~an~.~ . ., ., . ,, gang. with the humanitarian crisis, are haitians— gang. with the humanitarian crisis, are haitians trying _ gang. with the humanitarian crisis, are haitians trying to _ gang. with the humanitarian crisis, are haitians trying to leave - gang. with the humanitarian crisis, are haitians trying to leave the - are haitians trying to leave the country, and what does that look like? , ., country, and what does that look like? , . �* , ., like? they are - it's not necessarily _ like? they are - it's not necessarily in _ like? they are - it's not necessarily in droves i like? they are - it's not necessarily in droves or| like? they are - it's not - necessarily in droves or heading like? they are - it's not _ necessarily in droves or heading for the land border crossing, because even getting there from the capital of port—au—prince is difficult. the roads are controlled by the gangs, and pretty much any direction towards port—au—prince we would've taken. so movement is restricted and complex, but there's also this issue of being internally displaced within the capital city itself, with so much gain control over certain neighbourhoods. there's a long way to go i think, with all the political machinations and all the efforts by the international community particularly in washington, particularly from the caricom nations to try and make some kind of headway in terms of re—stabilizing haiti. you talk to people and hear their stories, and you realise that many are very

concerned about the direction of the country and how long it'll take before any semblance of security returns to the capital. imilli before any semblance of security returns to the capital.— returns to the capital. will grant there, returns to the capital. will grant there. one _ returns to the capital. will grant there. one of — returns to the capital. will grant there, one of the _ returns to the capital. will grant there, one of the first _ there, one of the first international journalists there, one of the first internationaljournalists reporting now inside haiti, good to talk to. florida officials say a boat carryng 25 migrants from haiti was intercepted by state law enforcement. the boat was stopped near the sebastian inlet in brevard county, florida on february 29th. florida fish and wildlife released a statement saying the boat was quote "carrying 25 individuals, including five unaccompanied children." officers also discovered firearms, night vision gear and drugs aboard." when briefing the public, florida governor ron desantis said the migrants were turned over to the us coast guard for deportation. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some top stories in the uk. police in the city of hull say they've now identified the 35 bodies found at a funeral directors, which is at the centre of a major

police investigation. detectives have received more than 1,500 calls from people who used legacy independent funeral directors. few details about the probe have been revealed, but police said they had "concern for care of the deceased". the risk of death from alcohol, drugs, or suicide is higher in more deprived areas in the north of england and in seaside towns, according to a new study. death rates are worst in blackpool — six times higher than the area with the lowest rate — barnet, in london. the report is based on deaths recorded by coroner's courts across england. apple has agreed to pay nearly $500 million to settle a lawsuit led by norfolk county council. the case alleged the tech giant's boss, tim cook, defrauded shareholders by covering up lower demand for iphones in china. norfolk council said a pension fund it administered lost money as a result of mr cook's actions. ina in a statement, the council said it was "very proud of this recovery for investors. you're live with bbc news. after months of hearings,

a georgia judge ruled that the lead prosecutor in donald trump's election interference proceedings can remain on the case. fani willis' status as lead prosecutor was in question after it was revealed she had a personal relationship with nathan wade, a special council she hired for the case. but while ms willis can continue her prosecution of the former president, the judge also ruled that she or mr wade would have to leave the case. hours after that ruling, mr wade resigned. mr trump had tried to disqualify ms willis, arguing her relationship with her special council compromised the trial. thejudge disagreed, but said it did create an "appearance of impropriety." the judge also said ms willis — the fulton county district attorney — commited a tremendous lapse injudgment by engaging in an affair with mr wade. i spoke about all of these develpoments with tamar hallerman, a senior reporter from the atlanta journal—constitution. she covers the fulton county investigation into whether former president trump or his allies criminally interfered in georgia's 2020 elections.

first of all, i want to get your thoughts on thejudge's first of all, i want to get your thoughts on the judge's ruling today. thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda . g thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda ., n �* thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda. , thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda. today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with _ today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this _ today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this ruling. - today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this ruling. on - today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this ruling. on the i the baby with this ruling. on the one hand, he said that there was no actual conflict of interest that warranted removing da fani willis from the case — but he put the ball in her court and said, "either you can stay on this case, or nathan wade, your special prosecutor whose lead this trump case who you are in a romantic relationship with, or he states." so he left the choice up to her to decide, he said there was an appearance of impropriety which is what required a move like that — and within a couple hours, nathan wade tendered his letter of resignation, which da fani willis excepted. so, so far, things will keep moving ahead. there's still a question of whether the defence will appeal, which could delay things in this case — but it seems like this

nightmare over the last two months where all sorts of salacious allegations about the district attorney, all over the headlines nationally watched hearings, that appears to be up behind her. so what imact appears to be up behind her. so what im act do appears to be up behind her. so what impact do you — appears to be up behind her. so what impact do you think _ appears to be up behind her. so what impact do you think this _ appears to be up behind her. so what impact do you think this will- impact do you think this will actually have on this case? itinfoil impact do you think this will actually have on this case? well for starters, nathan _ actually have on this case? well for starters, nathan wade, _ actually have on this case? well for starters, nathan wade, the - actually have on this case? well for starters, nathan wade, the special| starters, nathan wade, the special prosecutor, was really the one leading this case behind—the—scenes. he was seen as kind of the organiser in chief, the quarterback who was keeping track of all the different prongs of this case. so he will now be gone, there will be a question of who will replace him? will the da elevate somebody already within her team of about a dozen who are working on this case, or will she look maybe to the outside to try and find somebody? or maybe she decides tojust keep find somebody? or maybe she decides to just keep everybody who's on it and have them keep going as they were before. so we will have to wait and see on that.— and see on that. what about the timin: of and see on that. what about the timing of when _ and see on that. what about the timing of when a _ and see on that. what about the timing of when a trial— and see on that. what about the timing of when a trial could - and see on that. what about the timing of when a trial could go l timing of when a trial could go forward? does this mean that we could see this trial get pushed even

further into the future?— further into the future? timing has been a major _ further into the future? timing has been a major question _ further into the future? timing has been a major question in _ further into the future? timing has been a major question in this - further into the future? timing hasj been a major question in this case. prosecutors before this big disqualification saga wanted to begin the trial, or at least begin jury begin the trial, or at least begin jury selection in august — but even back then, that was seen as highly unlikely, given donald trump's very full legal calendar as well as the elections here in the fall. we've lost pretty much two months to all this fighting over the disqualification motion, and there a question if the defence is to appeal this ruling. it is possible that things could be paused as that appeal plays out, so we'lljust have to and see. there are also delays in these other three criminal cases involving the former president, so it's possible that because of delays in those cases, that could lead to a delay in this case as well. there are just too many uncertain factors to really determine at this point, but it really is looking less and less likely that we will see a trial

again before the election or the end of the year. it is again before the election or the end of the year-— of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where — of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where do _ of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where do you _ of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where do you think— of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where do you think this - of the year. it is so complex, isn't it? where do you think this all - it? where do you think this all leaves donald trump and his allies in georgia, but also looking at this legal calendar?— legal calendar? sure, will on the one hand. _ legal calendar? sure, will on the one hand, this _ legal calendar? sure, will on the one hand, this is _ legal calendar? sure, will on the one hand, this is not _ legal calendar? sure, will on the one hand, this is not the - legal calendar? sure, will on the | one hand, this is not the outcome that they wanted — they did not want fani willis to be staying in this position — but she certainly is wounded, there's all this damaging personal information that is out there in the public domain, that the da's critics plan to use at every twist and turn in all of this. you've seen the former president use a lot of this information in his campaign rallies — he wasjust in north georgia last weekend and as he was talking about the da and nathan wade, thousands in the crowd were laughing and booing. so it's a rallying cry for him, and we even saw today him sending out fundraising appeals based on today's ruling. so it is something that no matter what will be used by her

republican critics — not only donald trump, but here in georgia in the state house, where they've launched a committee with with subpoena power to continue digging into her personal life.— to continue digging into her ersonallife. ., ., ., ., personal life. tomorrow, always . reat personal life. tomorrow, always treat to personal life. tomorrow, always great to speak— personal life. tomorrow, always great to speak to _ personal life. tomorrow, always great to speak to you, _ personal life. tomorrow, always great to speak to you, thank - personal life. tomorrow, always| great to speak to you, thank you so much. �* , in another development stemming from mr trump's time in office — his former vice president says he will not be endorsing his former boss in the 2024 election. mike pence said it should come as no surprise he is not endorsing the presumptive republican candidate, whom he has publicly distanced himself from over mr trump's role in the january 6th capitol riots. mr pence said during his own presidential campaign that his life was put in danger during the siege. he suspended that campaign in october. tens of thousands of people took part in a rally in hungary's capital, budapest, to mark the founding of a new polticial party. the "stand up, hungarians" movement has been set up to challenge the current prime minister, viktor orban, and his right—wing nationalist fidesz party. the new party is calling for a constructive dialogue with the european union, in contrast to mr orban who earlier on friday,

made a speech attacking brussels. america's top diplomat has warned that fenta nyl america's top diplomat has warned that fentanyl is spreading across the world. antony blinken was speaking at a meeting of the un commission on narcotic drugs in vienna, saying the us was the world's canary in the coal mine for opioid addiction. he said international cooperation was the only way to fight the sharp rise in drug trafficking and stop the epidemic spreading to other countries. a team of international scientists is carrying out a remarkable experiment in the arctic circle to find out if they can stop sea ice from melting as the world gets warmer. the scientists are trying to thicken the arctic�*s sea ice by pouring salt water on it. our science correspondent pallab ghosh has more. it's such a simple idea that it's surprising that no—one's tried it before. the team here are pumping sea water on top of the ice so that it freezes and thickens.

the aim is to stop, maybe even reverse the loss of arctic sea ice caused by climate change. we are pumping around 1,000 litres per minute of sea water. today we'll add an extra layer, so we'll add probably another five to ten centimetres of ice thickness in this area. this was the extent of the arctic sea ice in september 1979. its sharp decline since then is alarming. so, could thickening the ice stop this trend? if not, polar bears and other arctic sea creatures will lose their homes, and the rest of the world will be worse off because the sea ice is the air conditioning system for the entire planet. this is the centre for climate repair. researchers here are assessing whether the ice thickening will work and can be implemented across the arctic in a way that's affordable and practical. if we just allow the the sea ice to go, the arctic ocean becomes one

of our greatest heat absorbers rather than one of our greatest heat reflectors. the idea of repairing the climate is a controversial one. if you can fix the damage, so the argument goes, then it's a green light for countries not to reduce their emissions quickly enough. but the researchers here believe that the situation is so dire that there's no alternative but to do both. if we stop doing efforts and we will leave it as it is, then we will for sure result in a really, really bad scenario. the researchers expect to know by next year whether their ice thickening has the potential to fix the arctic and buy a little more time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. pallab ghosh, bbc news. and before we go — the us national park service has

confirmed that a wreck found off the coast of florida is indeed the remains of a british warship that sank nealry three centuries ago. the hms tyger went down in 17112 after it ran aground with hundreds of sailors on board during the anglo—spanish war. the survivors were stranded on a remote island for months, before making a daring escape using makeship boats. they travelled 700 miles through enemy waters before reaching jamaica. the journey took 55 days. the shipwreck was initially found in 1993 off key west. archaelogists confirmed its identity this week. thank you for watching, i'm sumi somaskanda. stay with us here on bbc news. hello again. friday was a day of sunny spells and passing showers, as those shower clouds started to collapse down late in the day, we had some pretty still conditions there in the highlands. temperatures in scotland, northern ireland and wales generally quite close to average, but across large parts of england,

in contrast, it was very mild, 17 celsius in east anglia — six above average for the time of year. now the showery conditions on friday were caused by this area of low pressure that's working out of the way now. it will be bringing some heavy snow to parts of sweden and norway into saturday. get a quiet ridge of high pressure, a weather window, if you like, ahead of the next system that's working in off the atlantic. what all that means is over the next few hours, increasingly, the skies will tend to clear. and what that means is we'll see temperatures drop like a stone. and heading into the first part of saturday morning, there'll be quite a widespread frost, scotland, northern ireland, parts of northern england as well. a chilly start to the day then, but a lovely sunny morning through most of the uk on saturday. however, rain will quickly spread into northern ireland along with some strengthening winds, and we'll see some splashes of rain getting into wales and southwest england. the rain probably not too heavy here through the course of the morning. across eastern england, eastern areas of scotland after that sunny but chilly start to the day, ok, the weather will tend to turn a bit cloudier,

but it should stay dry until after dark, really. temperatures 10—14 celsius. now for the second half of the weekend, we've got a band of rain that's going to come through saturday night. the dregs of that still around across eastern england as we start the day on sunday. following that, we'll have south—westerly winds bringing mild air across the uk, and we'll be looking at some showery conditions moving back in. so, sunday weather—wise we start off with rain across east anglia, southeast england. that clears away. sunny spells follow widely, but there will be some scattered showers, some of them turning quite heavy through the course of the afternoon. the south—westerly winds drudging up some mild air across all parts of the country. temperatures about 13 celsius in glasgow and belfast, but up to around 15—16 celsius in the warmest parts of england. beyond that, southerly winds are going to kind of dominate into the early part of the new week. however, with low pressure never far away, there will be some showers or longer spells of rain affecting western areas at times. however, it does stay mild, 13 celsius, the top temperature in edinburgh through monday and tuesday, and it stays mild, really, through the week in london with highs of around 16

celsius or so.

this is bbc news. we will have all the days headlines for you after this programme.

family photograph becomes headline news. welcome to newswatch with me, samira ahmed. coming up — was bbc news coverage of that photo excessive and intrusive? and did its reporting help fan the flames of social media conspiracy theories about the princess of wales? it started off as what seemed like a harmless, heart—warming news story for mothering sunday. this was the headline on last sunday's early evening news. the princess of wales thanks the public for their support in her first personal statement since undergoing abdominal surgery. a new family photo shows catherine at windsor two months after her operation. but that photograph, which may have been intended as a way of dampening down social media speculation about the health of the princess of wales, then became subject to intense

speculation itself, notjust online, but across newspapers