part of the country trust on the part of the country citizens and their hope that we will do just as we planned. germany's leader, olaf scholz, warns israel's prime minister about the �*terribly high costs�* of the war in gaza. we cannot stand by and watch palestinians die of starvation. that is not what we stand for. as gangs tighten their grip over haiti's capital — a plane sent to evacuate us citizens has departed, but only about two dozen were on board. and steve harley, the frontman of the rock group, cockney rebel, has died at the age of 73.

hello and welcome to newsday. we start with russia, where president putin has hailed his predicted victory in russia's presidential election, saying it would allow the country to become stronger. he had been the only serious candidate and now has a 5th term in office, after a landslide 87% of the vote. but there was defiance — in the form of large queues at some polling stations in russia — heeding the call of allies of the late opposition leader, alexei navalny who urged people to turn out to spoil their ballots or to vote for any other candidate. mr navalny died suddenly in a penal colony in russia last month. at least 80 protesters were arrested. his widow yulia navalnya cast her vote at russia's embassy in berlin. there were protests held and queues to vote in a number of other countries. in london there was a line a mile long outside the russian embassy. from moscow here's our russia editor steve rosenberg.

for vladimir putin, six more years in the kremlin. russia's president is sounding more confident than ever. translation: whoever might want to intimidate us, - whoever might want to suppress us, our will and our conscience, they have never been able to do it, and never will. then, mr putin's first public comments on the death ofjailed opposition leader alexei navalny. translation: you may be surprised, but a few days before mr navalny - died, some colleagues of mine told me there was an idea to exchange him for certain people in prison in the west. you can believe it or not. i said, "i agree," even before he had finished talking. but what happened, happened. election results on russian tv,

not a hold your breath moment. "the winner, by a mile and a half, vladimir putin." "what an incredible level of support and unity around the figure of putin," he says. "and a powerful signal to the west." but in this race, vladimir putin was, from the start, unbeatable. there were other candidates. but no serious challenger. potential rivals here are swiftly removed from the political stage, forced into exile or put in jail. and elections, tightly controlled by the kremlin. but if they couldn't win, mr putin's opponents could at least protest. and they did, in many parts of russia. opposition figures had called on russians to flood polling stations at midday, to vote against putin, or spoil their ballots, a symbolic

protest against the system. we were here. i've never seen queues like this before at a russian polling station. before his death in prison, alexei navalny had backed the protests. it took courage to come. the authorities had warned that large crowds at noon would be viewed as illegal gatherings. ivan, not his real name, told me why he had come. it was important for me to see the faces of other people who would come here today, and to see that i'm not alone in my political views. and that there are a lot of muscovites and other people who believe that russia can be another country, with another future. for now, there'll be no change in the kremlin. this election was never about would vladimir putin win or wouldn't he? elections here are designed to ensure he wins, and wins big.

from the outset, for the kremlin, this vote was about creating the impression that mr putin has a mandate from his people, not only for war in ukraine, but also for what he's doing at home, transforming russia into an increasingly militaristic society, in confrontation with the west. but across town, muscovites continue to pay tribute to alexei navalny, the man who had wanted to be russia's president. here, a ballot paper. in place of putin's name, navalny�*s. and this message — "he's the candidate we wanted." steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. it means probably more oppression at home and more confrontation with the west.

i'm joined now by amy knight the former soviet & russian affairs specialist for the library of congress, and author of seven books on russian history and politics. another six more years of putin, what's your biggest takeaway from this unsurprising result? well, my biggest take away is exactly what people predicted. we know how russian elections work and is simply, there were no opponents on the ballot and also, russian people referred a steady stream of propaganda in favour of the government and in favour of putin and i think it's not surprising although i would say, i think we in the west should realise that this victory of putin's and the amazing turnout of over 87% of the vote thus

far has gone to mr putin and i think it is the performance patriotism, in a way. i don't think that mr putin should be as confident as he is because he is facing a lot of problems. have we got a sense of what ordinary russian�*s think about putin? we saw some acts of defiance in steve rosenburg's report, but is there much support for an opposition? no and sadly, a lot of it, most of the opposition is abroad and it is difficult for an opposition leader to gain a following within the country from abroad and this is the reason why alexei navalny decided to go back to russia after he was

poisoned even though she knew he was facing a lot of danger and i think the real weakness comes less from the real weakness comes less from the vocal democratic opposition that is mainly abroad and more from the dissatisfaction among the population and rank—and—file russians and the political elite which will arise in russia does not continue to do well on the battlefield in ukraine. putin made a huge point in urging voters to come and participate in the presidential election and made a big point of saying that their patriotism was needed in russia was having an facing difficult times and

he really tied his election to were in ukraine and if things do not go well, i need basically the support well, i need basically the support we have seen in the huge turnout in favour of vladimir putin might not last. what will the result mean for putin? we have seen, and by the way, i do think it is very interesting that mr putin, president putin mentioned alexei navalny for the first time in your speaking to reporters after the initial results came in just now and i think it's interesting that suddenly, he decided to mention alexei navalny. and she could, some of the service he could barely

suppress a smile when talking about how alexei navalny was unexpectedly died in their planning on exchanging him for a prisoner swap with the west and this was all very disingenuous on vladimir putin's part and he and his colleagues in the kremlin orchestrated alexei navalny�*s murder and that gives them a great deal of satisfaction but again, ithink a great deal of satisfaction but again, i think we can expect more repression in the short term and i think the biggest problem now for vladimir putin is that there really is a shortage of soldiers on the battlefield, no matter what the generals say, it seems it will be necessary for president putin to

call for a new mobilisation of soldiers. and i think this is what could really cause a huge amount of dissatisfaction among the population because remember, in september 2022, when he had the mobilisation of 300,000 russian soldiers, there was a lot of unhappiness and a lot of discontent among the public and i think we need to focus more on but the effect will be on the masses, the effect will be on the masses, the russian masses.— the effect will be on the masses, the russian masses. thank you very much and will _ the russian masses. thank you very much and will leave _ the russian masses. thank you very much and will leave it _ the russian masses. thank you very much and will leave it there - the russian masses. thank you very much and will leave it there and - much and will leave it there and pointing out that vladimir putin has denied any involvement in the murder of alexei navalny. author and

now, some of the day's other news and to the middle east. the german chancellor, olaf scholz has said his country cannot stand by and watch palestinians risk starvation in gaza — and called for a longer—lasting ceasefire. gaza's hamas run health ministry says 61 palestinians were killed overnight, including 12 members of the same family whose house in deir el—balah was hit. medical sources say most of the victims were women and children. this girl has been speaking about her cousin who was killed. honestly, what do they want from us? there are no more kids in gaza. if you want to rebuild gaza, we need many years. look at the house is destroyed, we do not love hamas and have no relation with them. nothing is she's dead. only her dresses left, this is the best gift from her. speaking after talks with benjamin netanyahu

injerusalem, mr scholz said he had shared his concerns with the israeli prime minister over what he called the �*terribly high costs' of the war in gaza. we cannot stand by and watch palestinians risk starvation. that's not us. that is not what we stand for together. much more humanitarian aid is needed continuously, reliably. i shared my concerns with the prime minister. that provision of aid from israel into gaza and the conditions for distribution must be urgently and massively improved. and finally, we need a hostage deal with a longer lasting ceasefire. i know how difficult it is to reach an agreement with the hamas terrorists, but we understand the hostage families who say after more than five months, the time has come for a comprehensive hostage deal for saving those who are still held captive. mr netanyahu said israel would not leave palestinian civilians trapped during its planned military operation in the city

of rafah in southern gaza, where more than a million people are taking refuge. i assured chancellor scholz that our goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in rafah goes hand—in—hand with enabling the civilian population to leave rafah. it is not something that we will do while keeping the population locked in place. in fact, we will do the very opposite. we will enable them to leave because our consideration for reducing and minimising civilian casualties has guided us and will continue to guide us in the future. meanwhile, israeli families of the 130 or so hostages are urging the government to do a deal to release them — before it is too late. our senior international correspondent orla guerin spoke to one mother about the agonising wait for her son, who was taken when hamas attacked israel on october 7th. as soon as i turned my phone on,

two consecutive messages came in that had arrived at 8:11 from hirsch. the first of the messages said, "i love you." and the second one immediately after said, "i'm sorry." this is rachel's, 23 and much missed. this is rachel's son, 23 and much missed. here he is in happier times with his parents. the american—israeli is still a hostage in gaza. five months on, his mother still in anguish. every morning when i wake up, i make a concerted effort and say to myself, "now pretend to be human." so that i can get up. and try to save hersch, my son, and the other remaining 133 hostages. what i want to do is lay in a ball on the floor weeping.

but that won't help them. hersh was caught up in this horror when a music festival became a killing field on october 7th. he sought refuge with friends inside a bomb shelter. but hamas was at the entrance, throwing in grenades. allahu akbar! he was last seen surrounded by gunmen, his left arm blown off, as hamas loaded hostages onto a truck. do you believe you will get him back? i really do. hope is mandatory. and i believe it. and i have to believe it. that he will come back to us.

that's what all the families cling to, the belief that their loved ones will be back. they keep protesting, keep pressuring the government to do a deal. a sombre count in hebrew of every day the hostages have been held. rachel wants an end to the agony and not only for israelis. i feel that so many people are suffering, notjust those families of the 134, but there are thousands and thousands of gazan innocent civilians in gaza who are suffering. there is so much suffering to go around. and i would love for our leaders, all of them, to say, "we're going to do what we have to do so thatjust the normal people can stop suffering."

everybody�*s going to have to give in. there's no perfect scenario. and we need the suffering to stop. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. sir ed davey has told liberal democrat activists at the party's spring conference in york that they have the opportunity to make the forthcoming general election a "once in a generation" event. he accused both the tories and labour of "tinkering around the edges" of the challenges facing the country — and called for all parties to come together to tackle issues like social care for the sick and elderly. the m25 between junctions ten and 11 has re—opened after being closed all weekend to demolish a bridge and install a new gantry.

the daytime closure of the motorway — which is one of the country's busiest stretches — was unprecedented. national highways says the work was finished eight hours ahead of schedule. and an artwork that appeared overnight on the side of a building near finsbury park in london has prompted speculation that it might be by the world famous graffiti artist, banksy. a mass of green has been painted behind a cut—back mature tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose next to it. you're live with bbc news. after weeks of deadly violence in haiti, police say several gang members have been killed in an operation to clear roadblocks and seize weapons in the capital port—au—prince. the united nations estimates 350 thousand people have been displaced by the unrest, adding to an already complex political and security situation. our central america correspondent will grant is one of the first

journalists to be able to get into the country and reports now from cap—haitien — where many displaced people have been heading. cap—haitien suffers from almost all of haiti's deepest problems — grinding poverty, chaos, disorder and corruption. but, crucially, not gang violence. so it's becoming the main safe haven for people forced to leave the gang—controlled capital, port—au—prince. another bus—load arrives, having run the gauntlet of a dangerous journey. "it took us hours longer than it should, as we had to reroute around the gang checkpoints and there was gunfire," says this passenger, who was clearly shaken. phanel pierre made the same journey six months ago. it's almost impossible to pull yourself from poverty in haiti. phanel managed it.

but becoming a middle—class businessman made him a target. the gangs destroyed his business, ransacked his house and tried to kidnap him, and in the process plunged him and his family back into poverty. translation: this isjust 296 of the life i used to live. - infact, i'm not living. i'm just existing. the longer the power vacuum in haiti continues, the worse the humanitarian emergency here becomes. in turn, more and more displaced people will flock to the city of cap—haitien in search of refuge from the violent gangs that have such a tight grip on the capital. one of haiti's main gangs has released a slickly produced video, currently circulating online. it shows a well armed militia, a group prepared to take on the haitian state and any international force which might be deployed here. while the security situation is that of a failed state,

so are the politics. we have violence in haiti. uri latortue was the head of the senate and is currently under us sanctions for alleged links to drug trafficking and gangs. that's something he denies, and points the finger of blame at his opponents instead. the government works with the gangs, and this is the problem. the gangs become another institution of the state. and in this situation, police can't do anything. amid the worsening crisis, the us state department has laid on a charter flight for americans to leave for florida. several dozen took up the opportunity to flee. however, that's a luxury most haitians aren't afforded and must seek a safer place inside haiti instead. will grant, bbc news, cap—haitien, haiti.

in newsjust in, japan's coastguard said today that north korea fired whatcould be a ballistic missile. no other details are immediately available bit it's something we are keeing an eye on because south korea is currently hosting the third �*summit for democracy�* — aimed at discussing ways to stop the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide. 2024 has been called the biggest election year in history, with more than 60 countries, representing nearly half the world s population, going to the polls. despite a potentially record number of people casting their vote — these elections are taking place against a backdrop of authoritarian regimes in many nations. for more on the �*summit for democracy�* in south korea i�*m joined now by, peter lee— research fellow, at the asian institute for policy studies. what will be at the top of the agenda at this summit? hello, steve. the summit, the summit started _ hello, steve. the summit, the summit started under_ hello, steve. the summit, the summit started under 2021 _ hello, steve. the summit, the summit started under 2021 of— hello, steve. the summit, the summit started under 2021 of the _ started under 2021 of the international— started under 2021 of the international host - started under 2021 of the international host and . started under 2021 of the| international host and it's started under 2021 of the . international host and it's a started under 2021 of the - international host and it's a case

of showing — international host and it's a case of showing democratic— international host and it's a case of showing democratic solidarityj international host and it's a case i of showing democratic solidarity at the time _ of showing democratic solidarity at the time and — of showing democratic solidarity at the time and authority— of showing democratic solidarity at the time and authority and - of showing democratic solidarity at| the time and authority and regimes working _ the time and authority and regimes working closely— the time and authority and regimes working closely together _ the time and authority and regimes working closely together the - the time and authority and regimes working closely together the south| working closely together the south korean _ working closely together the south korean government _ working closely together the south korean government is _ working closely together the south korean government is showcasing i working closely together the south . korean government is showcasing its own story— korean government is showcasing its own story and — korean government is showcasing its own story and it's— korean government is showcasing its own story and it's on _ korean government is showcasing its own story and it's on development i korean government is showcasing its| own story and it's on development as a country— own story and it's on development as a country that— own story and it's on development as a country that made _ own story and it's on development as a country that made the _ own story and it's on development as a country that made the transition . a country that made the transition to democracy— a country that made the transition to democracy and _ a country that made the transition to democracy and it's _ a country that made the transition to democracy and it's really - a country that made the transition to democracy and it's really a - to democracy and it's really a contrast— to democracy and it's really a contrast of— to democracy and it's really a contrast of what _ to democracy and it's really a contrast of what we - to democracy and it's really a contrast of what we have - to democracy and it's really a l contrast of what we have seen to democracy and it's really a - contrast of what we have seen from only a _ contrast of what we have seen from only a few _ contrast of what we have seen from only a few short _ contrast of what we have seen from only a few short kilometres - contrast of what we have seen from only a few short kilometres north i contrast of what we have seen from j only a few short kilometres north of here and _ only a few short kilometres north of here and continuing _ only a few short kilometres north of here and continuing regime - only a few short kilometres north of here and continuing regime in- only a few short kilometres north of| here and continuing regime in north korea _ here and continuing regime in north korea and _ here and continuing regime in north korea and i— here and continuing regime in north korea and i think— here and continuing regime in north korea and i think the _ here and continuing regime in north korea and i think the government i here and continuing regime in north korea and i think the government is| korea and i think the government is looking _ korea and i think the government is looking to _ korea and i think the government is looking to champion _ korea and i think the government is looking to champion its _ korea and i think the government is i looking to champion its achievements in technology — looking to champion its achievements in technology and _ looking to champion its achievements in technology and digital— looking to champion its achievements in technology and digital democracy. in technology and digital democracy as well _ us secretary of state antony blinken will be there — how important is it for south korea to have good relations with the us? i think we had secretary anthony and for n1any— i think we had secretary anthony and for many key— i think we had secretary anthony and for many key partners _ i think we had secretary anthony and for many key partners and _ i think we had secretary anthony and for many key partners and allies - for many key partners and allies around — for many key partners and allies around the _ for many key partners and allies around the world _ for many key partners and allies around the world joining - for many key partners and allies around the world joining today. for many key partners and allies . around the world joining today and for the _ around the world joining today and for the south — around the world joining today and for the south korean— around the world joining today and for the south korean governmentl around the world joining today and. for the south korean government in particular. _ for the south korean government in particular. this _ for the south korean government in particular, this administration, - for the south korean government in particular, this administration, the i particular, this administration, the alliance _ particular, this administration, the attiance is— particular, this administration, the alliance is really— particular, this administration, the alliance is really central— particular, this administration, the

alliance is really central with - alliance is really central with policies _ alliance is really central with policies and _ alliance is really central with policies and they— alliance is really central with policies and they think - alliance is really central with policies and they think for i policies and they think for democratic— policies and they think for democratic solidarity- policies and they think for democratic solidarity withj policies and they think for - democratic solidarity with partners, it shows _ democratic solidarity with partners, it shows that — democratic solidarity with partners, it shows that aligning _ democratic solidarity with partners, it shows that aligning solidarity- it shows that aligning solidarity with biden _ it shows that aligning solidarity with biden administration - it shows that aligning solidarity with biden administration and i it shows that aligning solidarity. with biden administration and the government— with biden administration and the government is— with biden administration and the government is taking _ with biden administration and the government is taking a _ with biden administration and the government is taking a lot- with biden administration and the government is taking a lot of- government is taking a lot of important _ government is taking a lot of important points— government is taking a lot of important points and - government is taking a lot of important points and past. government is taking a lot of important points and past to| government is taking a lot of- important points and past to shore up important points and past to shore up elaine's — important points and past to shore up elaine's credentials _ important points and past to shore up elaine's credentials and - important points and past to shore up elaine's credentials and by- up elaine's credentials and by hosting — up elaine's credentials and by hosting the _ up elaine's credentials and by hosting the summit— up elaine's credentials and by hosting the summit and - up elaine's credentials and by. hosting the summit and making up elaine's credentials and by- hosting the summit and making more values _ hosting the summit and making more values -based — hosting the summit and making more values —based approach to _ hosting the summit and making more values —based approach to the - values —based approach to the policy and on _ values —based approach to the policy and on the _ values —based approach to the policy and on the same _ values —based approach to the policy and on the same page _ values —based approach to the policy and on the same page of— values —based approach to the policy and on the same page of the - values —based approach to the policy and on the same page of the biden l and on the same page of the biden administration. _ that�*s all for now — stay with bbc news. hello there. we�*re into some much milderfeeling air now with temperatures in the mid teens quite widely on sunday as a wet start to the day for some of us. but we saw some sunny spells emerging such as here in nottinghamshire and there�*s more sunshine on offer as we head through monday — it�*s a similar looking day. for the vast majority of us, it should stay dry, some low cloud, mist and murk to begin with,

but then it will brighten up quite nicely. but overnight there are some weather fronts just gradually clearing eastwards. a lot of the showery rain is starting to fizzle out on the easterly track. and this is how we�*ll start off the day on monday. temperatures between five and eight degrees. it�*s a cooler start than yesterday morning across much of england and wales. but still temperatures in mid to high single figures so mild for the time of year. lots of dry weather around these areas of cloud just pushing further eastwards, the rain fizzling out. a lot of dry weather, some sunshine, clouds thickening from the west as we head through the afternoon. and there will be some rain

across northern ireland for the second half of the day, too. a brisk south—westerly wind blowing, particularly for irish sea coast. and it�*s still mild, it�*s warm but not quite as warm as on sunday, perhaps temperatures between 11 and 16 degrees celsius. and there�*s more rain on monday night. it�*s just dragging its way further eastwards as we head through the night and into tuesday. so tuesday we�*ll see this front sinking southwards and eastwards bringing more cloud across east anglia, the far south east of england. showery outbreaks of rain pushing eastwards across scotland. but for many central areas there�*ll be some bright spells and perhaps a scattering of showers, too. it�*s turning cooler now in the north and the west. but still, that mild air hangs on further south and east, 16 degrees celsius here. and you can see that quite nicely on the air mass chart here with that milder feeling air, still the south—westerly wind, colder feeling, conditions taking hold across the north and the west. now, as we go through wednesday, we�*re going to start to see this wave develop on this front, and that�*s going to bring us perhaps some further outbreaks of rain, but still a lot of uncertainty regarding just where this rain is likely to be. it could clear away from eastern scotland towards the end of the day. and i think many northwestern areas could stay largely dry, too.

look, it�*s still very mild across the south east of england, 17 degrees celsius, perhaps here. as we go through thursday though, we�*re likely to see some more rain, especially in the south of england and wales. and it could turn a bit colder by friday. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. we�*ll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i�*m stephen sackur. wherever there is war

there is human suffering in gaza. israel�*s relentless military offensive triggered by that murderous hamas attack of last october the seventh, has killed more than 31,000 people and left two million in urgent need of food, water and shelter. there are other wars, other humanitarian emergencies also crying out for an international response. from ukraine to sudan, ethiopia and beyond. my guest is jan egeland, secretary general of the norwegian refugee council. are aid agencies overwhelmed in a world seemingly incapable of protecting the vulnerable?