the united nations urges its warring factions to allow aid in, warning that five million people face catastrophic food insecurity. vandalism arrests in russia, as voters spoil their ballots on day two of the country's presidential elections. vladimir putin is almost certain to win a further six years — his only serious rivals are dead, in prison, or in exile. vaughan gething has been elected as the next welsh labour leader and first minister of wales — the first black leader of any european country. in his acceptance speech, he said it marked a generational shift. a second day of voting is taking place in russia's presidential election. here are live pictures of a polling station in moscow. looking relatively quiet at the moment. vladimir putin is expected to win a further six years in power,

as his opponents are either dead, in prison or in exile. the authorities have called on security officers to be vigilant, after vandalism at some polling stations on friday. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, has 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 has 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 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, that's one way to bang the drum for russian elections. there's voting, too, in parts of ukraine, which are under russian occupation — what russia calls its "new territories". the ukrainian government called the elections 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. traffic is building on the m25 in surrey, as "unprecedented" closures come into force. motorists have been warned of gridlock on roads around the m25 in surrey this weekend, because of the first planned daytime closure of the motorway since it opened in 1986. travellers affected may include people going to gatwick and heathrow airports and the channel ports, as well as concert—goers, sports fans and holidaymakers. our reporter frances read has more. it is that love—to—hate bit

of the country's motorways. one of the busiest and most congested. the m25 circles london and connects its four main airports, including the uk's largest, at heathrow. and for those that use it daily, it can be a bit of a nightmare. this weekend, the first closure in its history, as a five—mile stretch from junction 10 to 11 is rebuilt. and there will be a diversion route through surrey — although we have been told not to use it at all, if possible. i think the closure of the m25, if drivers don't abide by the warnings, it has potential to be absolute chaos and absolute gridlock. it is not looking good. it's a five—mile stretch of the m25, but if that's closed, the knock—on effects could be immense. there have been many collisions on this stretch of the motorway, often caused by vehicles changing lanes and the sheer volume of traffic. the works are supposed to remedy that.

but the temporary diversions are significant. cobham vets is one business that has been dealing with issues for over a year. a few clients have now left. because getting back and forwards to us is so difficult. they have moved to practices closer to them. there is no way i can get in or out of here. it will be gridlock. the diversion is virtually coming past our front door. people living nearby were advised to go to the shops last week, rather than today. they are worried about contingency plans. what if the work doesn't all get done? and what then happens on a monday morning, when people have to go to school, have to go to work? so, that is a real concern — that there's no plan b. they're also worried about needing to go to hospital or work — how will they get there? because we're literally expecting a gridlock. concerns, too, that lorry drivers

coming in from europe might not have got the message — this is a well—worn route for those coming in from the channel ports. several closures between now and the end of the year are planned. national highways has advised commuters to take the train instead, and to plan journeys well in advance. but the advice for this weekend? avoid, avoid. frances read, bbc news. a court in hong kong has sentenced a group of people in connection with the storming of the city's legislative council building in 2019. that took place at the height of anti—government protests. most of the defendants were found guilty of rioting. the longestjail term handed down is six years and ten months. two other people were jailed for 57 and 7a months, respectively. and two journalists were given relatively small fines — the equivalent of less than 200 us dollars — for illegally entering the legislative council chamber. in the world's biggest democratic exercise, india has just announced that it

will vote in national elections from april 19th, with the polls to be held over several weeks. the hindu—nationalist and incumbant prime minister, narendra modi, is strongly favoured to win a third term. it is the world's largest democracy in which one 190 million people are eligible to cast ballots. here's the chief election commissioner making the announcement(sot next) we'll do it in seven phases, as was done last time. seven phases. phase one will start from the 20th of march notification, five days from now. let's speak to our bbc hindi correspondent, umang poddar who is delhi. voter turnout is increasing. the last election saw the largest

turnout, which was 67%, and that is something we hope to see increasing in this election as well. so by and large, people still have faith in elections. �* , ., , , elections. and the strong support for the incumbent _ elections. and the strong support for the incumbent president - elections. and the strong support for the incumbent president and l elections. and the strong support l for the incumbent president and his party narendra modi, tell us a bit about that. party narendra modi, tell us a bit about that-— party narendra modi, tell us a bit about that. ,., ~ , about that. right, so prime minister modi has been _ about that. right, so prime minister modi has been a _ about that. right, so prime minister modi has been a very _ about that. right, so prime minister modi has been a very charismatic. about that. right, so prime minister| modi has been a very charismatic and popular leader. he has been in power since 2014. if you look at the speeches given by the party members and him in the past few weeks, they already are planning about what they will do in the third term. and the vote share also had the number of seats which they got which increased from 2014 to 2019. and this year, they have set an even higher target, they have set an even higher target, they will increase by 543 seats. min; they will increase by 543 seats. why do ou they will increase by 543 seats. why do you think — they will increase by 543 seats. why do you think it _ they will increase by 543 seats. why do you think it is _ they will increase by 543 seats. why do you think it is so popular and does his party have a chance to win? there are several reasons which have led to him being so popular. when he came to power in 2014, it was on the

backdrop of the issue of development, where he said the incumbent congress party at that time was the party which was mired in controversial issues with regard to corruption. but after that, there is also the idea of how we project the hindu identity is one and with india having the majority of people as hindu, a lot of people look at prime minister modi as somebody who is a politician not shy to wear his hindu identity and will do benefit for hindu voters as well. so that is something which leads to him becoming more popular. find something which leads to him becoming more popular. and there has been some confusion _ becoming more popular. and there has been some confusion because - becoming more popular. and there has been some confusion because one - been some confusion because one election commission resigned in the past few days and two have been appointed, so they now have three commissioners. quite an important changejust before the commissioners. quite an important change just before the announcement, what does it mean?— what does it mean? right, so the resignation _ what does it mean? right, so the resignation of _ what does it mean? right, so the resignation of the _ what does it mean? right, so the resignation of the election - resignation of the election commission came as a huge shock to everyone because his appointment

also had been equally controversial. he had taken voluntary retirement scheme which is early retirement, then he was appointed very quickly within a couple of days. so his resignation in the first place came as a shock to everyone. apart from that, how election commissioners are appointed in india is also a very big issue. people have gone to the supreme court also on that and the supreme court also on that and the supreme court also on that and the supreme court advised an independent committee should be there with the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and chiefjustice of 0pposition and chiefjustice of india. but soon after that, the government brought in a law where the government would have a majority of how election commissioners are appointed. so that is something that has been controversial, that the government appoints election commissioners which is supposed to be an independent body since it organises the elections, keeps a check on whether the code of conduct has been implemented properly or not. so this appointment also which happened over the past few days in that the leader of the opposition sent a note saying he was not given notice in advance and the government has a majority and how these people are appointed.

has a majority and how these people are appointed-— has a majority and how these people are appointed. thank you very much, from delhi- — staying in the us, and a judge overseeing the election interference case against donald trump in georgia has rejected an attempt to disqualify the lawyer leading the prosecution. the judge ruled that district attorney fani willis could remain on the case, but he said that the special prosecutor she appointed and then had a romantic relationship with — nathan wade — would have to go. mr wade handed in his resignation shortly after the ruling. the judge said the relationship gave a significant appearance of impropriety, but that mr trump's lawyers had failed to prove a conflict of interest in the case. here, families who used a funeral director in hull to bury or cremate their loved ones have been asked by police to provide photographs and descriptions of their relatives. humberside police say they believe they've identified all 35 bodies recovered at legacy independent funeral directors, as part of an investigation sparked by what officers described as "concern for care of the deceased". richard shaw was asked to provide information about his wife, rita, who died last year.

i don't know if i got rita's ashes at all. it — it could be anybody�*s, i think. you get over the initial part, which i was, of rita passing away, it's hard, and i still think of her. but on top of it, if they aren't rita's ashes, it's like torture for the rest of your life. the school run can often be frustrating and even dangerous ? for both drivers who are dropping off their children, as well as for families who walk or cycle. 0ne initiative adopted is the school streets scheme. it stops cars from using the road outside a school during drop—off and pick—up times. but the measures can provoke a mixed response, as our reporter fiona irving has been finding out in medway, in kent. for some in medway today, the school run has just become significantly safer. for others, itjust got a lot more stressful.

i will have to park three streets away because this is blocked, this is blocked. i can't come through the road, it is one—way. the kids will be late. it is literally chaos at school time. people turna round in a school zone. children running around. i think it is a fantastic idea. only issue because i live at the end of the road is the congestion - at the end of the road. everybody will be parking _ outside my house and i won't be able to get out of my driveway. this isn't sanctioning for the sake of it. this is, we want our schools need safer streets, which means better air quality and better traffic, better safety. so from my perspective, this is a start on the fact that more schools want to participate, for me, it says this is moving in the right direction. there are exemptions for residents and blue badge holders, but for two hours a day during drop—off and pick—up times,

the number plate recognition cameras will monitor the entrances to the forbidden streets. for medway head teachers in the scheme, this morning saw a much improved school drop—off. i do recognise it will mean that parents will need to give more time to collection and drop—off, and i hope it doesn't bring too much stress. but i also hope that actually, that final walk into school, through the school gate, is much more pleasant rather than having to dodge traffic. absolutely brilliant. look how many cars there are. hardly any compared to what we normally have. normally, they are reversing, running us over all the kids, and there is none of that. and how many more will walk to school? much better for them. a good start of the day. those that get caught will face a £70 fine, but there will be no fines to start with for the grandparents on the school run who hadn't heard about the change. i don't think the way it zig—zags, you can't park, you have to park away from them, which is what i have done. i should get a fine. i would challenge it if i get a fine.

have a good day. today, medwayjoined a growing global movement that aims to make children safer. 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. they are trying to thicken the ice by pouring salt water on it. will it help? 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. 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. now, with spring almost here, millions of tourists will travel to japan to admire cherry blossoms in full bloom. but global warming has brought the date earlier and earlier, with no sign of stopping. sofia bettiza reports. cherry blossoms are a symbol of spring, and the most famous cherry blossom spectacle in the world is undoubtedly injapan. now, normally, peak season is at the end of march, beginning of april. but this year, they have started blooming sooner than ever before.

and as you can see here, people are in the streets of tokyo admiring the flowers and taking lots of pictures. this is a really big event in the country. the cherry blossoms only appear for 11 days and, because of that, an estimated 63 million people travel to and within japan every year. it's big business. it adds about $2.7 billion to the japanese economy every year. unfortunately, the reason why the flowers are blooming so early is worrying, according to experts. japan has seen record—breaking high temperatures in february and in march. the world is getting warmer because of climate change and the climate crisis is having an impact on cherry blossoms not only injapan, but in other parts of the world too.

leading doctors are warning that blood sugar monitors being promoted across social media are unnecessary for people who don't have diabetes and, in the most extreme cases, could put some at risk of eating disorders. the devices are part of a trend for personalised nutrition, spearheaded by companies like zoe. our health and disinformation reporter rachel schraer has been getting the details. blood glucose monitors like these have been used by people with diabetes for years. now, zoe is trying to bring them to people without the condition, and you will find their trademark yellow logo everywhere — on social media, on bus stops, even branded yoghurt drinks in your local supermarket. the health technology company is just one of several selling the promise of personalised diet advice, clearly tailored to your individual body. zoe says this can help you lose weight and get healthier, but dieticians and doctors have told the bbc they are concerned these types of programmes have elements that are not based on strong evidence. they could even be harmfulfor some people. so, how does market leader

zoe�*s programme work? customers are given a gadget called a continuous glucose monitor to track what their blood sugar is doing. they're asked to wear it for two weeks and log everything they're eating. people doing the zoe programme are also asked to eat a special cookie, high in fat and sugar, and then do a blood test to see how much of the fat and sugar ends up in their blood. and they send a stool sample to zoe to test the bacteria in their gut. blood sugar monitoring isn't the only thing zoe focuses on, but it's probably the thing that is gained the most attention. they are recommended for many people with diabetes, but what about for people without the condition? i've spoken to dr partha kar, the nhs�*s national diabetes adviser. there is huge evidence that use those continuous glucose monitors in people do have have diabetes — type one diabetes, type two diabetes. the evidence base beyond that for people without diabetes is extremely sketchy, if not poor. you really run into the risk of creating a degree of eating disorder, so to speak —

which we do see in some people — so i think it is important to bear that in mind, and that is a worry. eating disorders are complex mental health conditions and there is no evidence there is a widespread reaction to the programme. zoe says that coaches are trained to support people through issues like food anxiety and they take their customers' well—being seriously. they say that coaches can refer people onto other services if they it's necessary. they also told us that... ..and is continuing to... ..to improve its product for its members. i've spoken to zoe�*s chief scientist, sarah berry. we're building a good picture. yes, we don't have all of the evidence, but i think it would actually be irresponsible to wait 40 years until we see these hard clinical evidences, especially given the food landscape we now live in, where there is an excess of the types of food that we know

cause these big increases in circulating blood glucose and these big dips. diet specialists have told the bbc that the zoe programme contains plenty of sensible advice, like eating more whole foods and plants, but it's hard to separate out the effective meal plans, online support and coaching from their bolder claims that zoe tests can predict your health and personalise your diets. these are less evidence—based, researchers say, and make it harder to know which bits of the programme should be recommended to the general population. rachel schraer, bbc news. the viral moment a grandmother was hoisted into the air by a security shutter has been captured in a painting on the front of the shop where it happened. cctv footage of anne hughes getting trapped has been watched by millions around the world, and anne was the guest of honour when the artwork was unveiled. our reporter matt murray has more. since being caught on cctv hanging from a shutter, anne hughes has avoided

the cameras until today. she made a brief appearance to see a mural immortalising the moment she was stuck on the shutter. westlife's hit you raise me up was played by the shop for the unveiling of the artwork. it's not as if i've done anything heroic or anything like that. you know, so much fuss being made about me being stupid, really. anne is the cleaner at the best one store in tonteg and was waiting to start her shift when she was caught on the shutter and on cctv. the video of anne has now been seen by tens of millions of people across the world. on the bbc news instagram account alone, it's been viewed 48 million times. it must be nearly half the population of the uk is now seeing you hanging off the shutter. how do you feel? proud. laughter proud. it's not every day i hang off a shutter, so it's a good job the camera caught it. and i could feel my coat going up, and i tried to unhook myself from the shutter,

but i couldn't. and up, i went. and i thought i was facing death then, because i thought i was going to come down, smack my head again, you know, on the pavement. but i was so glad that ahmed came out and rescued me. i really am so grateful for that. the moment has been immortalised by graffiti artist tea two sugars. there's a moment where she's just lifted off the floor and she's trying to struggle with the trolley. but we caught her mid—air holding the trolley and her scarf dangling and everything like that. so, yeah, that was... that was the moment that i had to capture. brilliant. it's beautiful. well done, well done. anne has taken it all in good humour and is relieved to have her own fob now to operate the shutter and avoid any future accidents. matt murray, bbc news. next, something different

now in mexico city. if you love a siesta, this story is for you, as hundreds of people there have been having a �*mass nap' to commemorate world sleep day. touting bright blue yoga mats, sleeping masks and travel pillows, it's safe to say people in mexico are enjoying their siesta. it was also meant to be a protest to push for sleep to be considered an essential part of health and wellness. heavy traffic as a result of the closure of the m25, the first time since it was opened, it is a five mile stretch of motorway to remain shut until 6am on monday, this is one of the busiest roads in the uk. and it is the junction between junctions ten and 11, one of the busy streets in a country which also serves heathrow and gatwick airport. they the closure in place so a bridge can be demolished to make way for motorway improvements. —— the closure is in place. the pictures of the effects of the closure of the

m25. now it's time for a look at the weather, with helen willets. hello. there was plenty of sunshine to start the day, although it was frosty, with some isolated freezing fog as well. but all is to change because we've got rain already getting into western areas. that will linger overnight and into the start of sunday, before we see a little sunshine come back, but some showers as well. this is yesterday's area of low pressure. a brief ridge of high pressure brought the cold weather through the night, allowed temperatures to fall to freezing, but already, the cloud sweeping in off the atlantic. low pressure with it will mean the winds will pick up as well through the day ahead. so lifting the mist and the fog and the frost, and the sunshine should hang about across northern—eastern scotland. plenty of it to start across eastern areas. but even here, it will tend to fade later on, as the thicker cloud sweeps in. probably the wettest weather for northern ireland and across ireland. some spits and spots elsewhere through western and central parts of england, wales too. and despite all the cloud and the freshening wind, temperatures won't be as high as they were yesterday because it's been such a chilly start. so these sort of temperatures around about average for the time of year.

but actually, they'll continue to rise through the evening, as the cloud trundles further north and east. it does look as if we will see some rain for the last day of the six nations in both cardiff and dublin. perhaps some heavier rain here, but probably staying dry in lyon for france's game against england this evening. but this evening, across the united kingdom, we're going to have more cloud around. as i say, temperatures continue to rise in the north and east. heavier rain arrives as well. more pulses of rain push in across southern and western areas, getting into central and eastern parts through the night. so with all the cloud and the rain, it will be a much milder night tonight. so as we start our sunday morning, it could be quite drab underneath this weather front, which still lingers across eastern scotland, much of england and perhaps parts of wales as well, with more to come later for northern ireland and western scotland. but what a dreary start. lots of misty low cloud, because that's mild air, on a relatively chilly sea. so it'll take a time for the brightness and sunshine to emerge, perhaps into the afternoon before that rain finally clears the east coast to reveal some sunshine. but come rain or shine tomorrow, it will be mild. temperatures will be well above average again,

14 to 16, perhaps 17 in some of the sunnier spots. and the milder weather should linger with us into next week. however, as you can see from the chart, it remains unsettled. there's more rain in the forecast.

live from london. vaughan gething is elected as welsh labour leader and first minister of wales — making him the first black leader of any european country. today, we turn a page in the book at our nation's history. today, we turn a page in the book of our nation's history. a history that we write together.

in the world's biggest democratic exercise, india will vote in national elections from the 19th april. nearly a year on from the outbreak of civil war in sudan, the united nations urges its warring factions to allow aid in — warning that five million people face catastrophic food insecurity. i'm anna foster, live injerusalem. as the first ship bringing aid to gaza unloads its supplies, the us and un renew warnings about an israeli offensive in rafah. hello, i'm lauren taylor. we start in wales, where vaughan gething will become europe's first black leader after winning the welsh labour leadership election. the outgoing first minister, mark drakeford, will step down from the post next week. vaughan gething, wales' economy minister and a former solicitor, was born in zambia. in his acceptance speech, he highlighted the historic nature of his win.

today, we turn a page in the book of our nation's history.