by their employers. and how income from film and television productions is proving vital in keeping britains stately homes afloat. hello, i'm sally bundock. we begin in russian, where vladimir putin vows to strengthen the armed forces and prioritise what he calls russia's special military operation in ukraine. speaking after a presidential election which delivered him more than 80% of the vote, mr putin said the result had demonstrated people's trust in russia's current path. he said when russians were united, no—one could intimidate or suppress them. as our russia editor steve rosenberg reports, mr putin

also mentioned his late critic, alexei navalny, by name. 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, ourwilland 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 i 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 injail. 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. let's speak to daniel treisman. he's a professor of political science at the university of california, los angeles, and founding director of the russia political insight project.

the resounding victory is what we all expected. the question is, what message will president putin want to send to the world today with this result?- today with this result? well, he wants _ today with this result? well, he wants to _ today with this result? well, he wants to show _ today with this result? well, he wants to show unity - today with this result? well, he wants to show unity with | today with this result? well, i he wants to show unity with the russian people, he wants to give those who want to view him as a legitimate president the material to back up that view, and he wants to show that he is in control, that no challenge is a real threat to him at this point, and that he can continue the war in ukraine without having to worry about any opposition to speak about. but it was very notable, as steve rosenberg said in the report, that thousands and thousands of russians came out at 12 noon, as they had been urged to do by alexei navalny before his death, to show to themselves,

to show to each other that those who want a different kind of russia exist, and although it is very dangerous, they aren't afraid to go out and be counted. , . , counted. yes, and it is extremely _ counted. yes, and it is extremely dangerous, | counted. yes, and it is - extremely dangerous, and we counted. yes, and it is _ extremely dangerous, and we saw alexei navalny�*s widow, yulia navalny voting in berlin where she got a standing ovation from people who were there, also queueing at the russian embassy to make their vote. what hope is there for those who are protesting, do you think? well, in the short _ protesting, do you think? well, in the short run, _ protesting, do you think? well, in the short run, there - protesting, do you think? well, in the short run, there is - protesting, do you think? well, in the short run, there is very i in the short run, there is very little hope. in the long run, it depends. things are going to change at some point. they may be more opportunities for the opposition to have more impact. but in the short run, what is so important is that people see that a movement continues to exist, that yulia navalny is

picking up the leadership that alexei is no longer able to continue, and that yulia, along with many other people in the opposition movement, is committed to continuing, to resist in any way possible. what does this mean for geopolitics, then? because vladimir putin's what he calls a special military operation, invasion of ukraine, had a huge impact on global politics, on the global economy, on energy, security, so many issues. another six years in office, what does this mean from the point of view of russia �*s place and it's working with the us and others?— place and it's working with the us and others? well, we have to assume that _ us and others? well, we have to assume that he _ us and others? well, we have to assume that he is _ us and others? well, we have to assume that he is going - us and others? well, we have to assume that he is going to - us and others? well, we have to assume that he is going to be . assume that he is going to be there for a long time. of course, the election result itself was no surprise to anyone but we have to recognise

that at the moment, he doesn't seem to face any serious threats, and he will continue to prosecute this war in ukraine until he is stopped, until the west provides the weapons to ukraine that it needs to decisively fight back, and until the rest of the world really shows that this kind of aggression cannot go unanswered. and as president macron said recently, that putin cannot win.- putin cannot win. daniel treisman. _ putin cannot win. daniel treisman, thank - putin cannot win. daniel treisman, thank you - putin cannot win. daniel treisman, thank you for| putin cannot win. daniel - treisman, thank you for your time and reaction to all of this. the israeli military says it's launched what it called a precise operation in parts of al—shifa hospital in gaza. a military spokesman said the idf had learnt that what he called hamas terrorists had regrouped and were using the hospital as a command centre to co—ordinate attacks against israel. hamas said israel was again

violating international law and would be held responsible for the safety of people inside al—shifa. earlier, israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu said that palestinian civilians will be given the chance to leave rafah before israeli ground forces launch an expected assault on the city in southern gaza. he's been holding talks with the german chancellor olaf scholz. with me is said shehata from bbc arabic. so, tell us more about what is happening at al—shifa, this is in northern gaza, isn't it? yes, how she felt was raided before in november and there was chaos there and some destruction so now the israeli army said hamas senior members of fighters or whatever you call it, according to the

israelis, they are grouped in the medical complex of al—shifa in northern gaza. it is the reason they moved, in order to stop them and asked them to surrender, they ask the patients and people there to stay, there is no problem for them to stay, they ask for the displaced people, and there are hundreds of displaced people in the complex, they ask them if they want to leave, they can go through a safe route of evacuation, so this was the israeli story. on the other side, from other sources inside gaza al—shifa hospital with other channels like aljazeera, and other channel, they say there is gunfire and tanks surrounding the al—shifa complex, there are troops inside there, there are some killed and injured people. so it is panic for them inside al—shifa complex. and the israelis are saying they are

trying hard to save the civilians, save the patients but for them it is panic when they see soldiers, when they see tanks, when they hear gunfire, so it is tough for the people inside the complex, this place and the patients and the medical staff. and if we can remember, at another hospital, the second biggest hospital or medicalfacility in the second biggest hospital or medical facility in gaza, the bbc reports that doctors spoke with the bbc and they were detained, blindfolded and beaten there, so the foreign secretary asked these ready for answers about that. so there is asking for the medical facilities not to be attacked because they are supposed to be protected during wartime. the significance — protected during wartime. the significance of _ protected during wartime. the significance of this, talk us through it. significance of this, talk us through it—

significance of this, talk us throu~h it. , through it. on the first level, if according _ through it. on the first level, if according to _ through it. on the first level, if according to the _ through it. on the first level, if according to the israeli - if according to the israeli army, hamas have regrouped in the north, so it means that whatever israeli troops do inside gaza, they will not eradicate hamas as the goal of mr met netanyahu. mr netanyahu's and sisters to go to rafah is to finish the job and eradicate hamas but what happened, hamas people regrouped, according to the israelis, in northern gaza. so it is not a visible objective. on the other hand, it might affect the troops —— the talks in doha where there are hopes of a deal being reached to ease the tensions and give medical and food assistance. ok. the tensions and give medical and food assistance. ok, thank ou ve and food assistance. ok, thank you very much. _ and food assistance. ok, thank you very much, said _ and food assistance. ok, thank you very much, said shehata i you very much, said shehata with the latest. the united states has condemned the latest launch of a ballistic missile by north korea. military officials in seoul said pyongyang fired a missile towards its eastern waters

on monday morning, days after the end of the south korean—us military drills. it comes as the us secretary of state antony blinken is in seoul as part of a visit to us allies promoting democracy in the region. the visit comes amid continuing tensions with north korea. a chartered flight carrying us citizens out of haiti has arrived in miami, withjust under 50 people on board. it had flown out of the northern town of cap—haitien, as gang violence has closed the airport in the capital port—au—prince. gangs are still controlling large parts of the capital and people are trying to head north to safer areas. our central america correspondent will grant is one of the first journalists 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 charterflight 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. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. tributes have been paid to steve harley, who fronted the band cockney rebel, who's died at the age of 73. his best—known song, make me smile, reached number one in the british charts in 1975. he'd been forced to cancel performances last year after being diagnosed with cancer. the m25 between junctions 10 and ii 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. a fictional starship has landed on a 50p coin, with the royal mint unveiling its latest collectable star wars pieces. collectors and fans will enjoy a feature on the coin depicting a silhouette of the millennium falcon and the rebel alliance starbird symbol. you're live with bbc news. a bbc investigation has revealed extensive abuse of african women working in oman as domestic servants. dozens of malawian women who have been lured there by recruiting agents have told bbc africa eye that they were beaten, raped and treated like prisoners whist working

in the gulf country. a warning that this report by africa eye's contains distressing details from the start. azeezat olaoluwa reports. ifeel like i'm in prison. please, please, please, madam, please. these videos were recorded by domestic workers in oman. they are all from malawi, one of the world's poorest countries. the women came together in a whatsapp group after being duped by dishonest recruitment agents into going to oman. georgina was promised a lucrativejob in dubai, but instead she found herself in the omani capital, muscat. translation: i was not allowed to rest. i was waking up at 3am and going to bed at 1am. the most difficult thing that made me desperate to escape was the boss forcing me to have

sex with him. it was so painful because i had no way to say no. he threatened me and said if i shouted he would shoot me. i got badly injured because it wasn't only him. he would bring friends and they would pay him after. in oman alone, there are an estimated 300,000 domestic workers, most of them from africa or asia. ekaterina runs an ngo which supports migrant workers in the gulf. we identify them as victims of trafficking or forced labour or other forms of exploitation. so we negotiate with their employer for them to be released.

the laws that are in place prohibit a domestic worker to leave the employer. she cannot change jobs and she cannot leave the country, no matter how you are treated. woman screams. man shouts. you crazy! please help me out. the malawian government asked ekaterina to help negotiate the release of over 50 women. the body of 23—year—old ida, who had died in uman, was also brought home. the majority of these women have been released because money has been paid to the employer, from $1,000 to $2,000 per person. how can you buy somebody else's freedom? the malawi government says it has paid over $160,000 for these women to return.

oman's labour ministry has told the bbc that it only received one complaint from a malawian domestic worker in the two years to 2023. it said it is prohibited for employers to impose any form of forced labour on workers or to keep their private documents without their written consent. azeezat olaoluwa, bbc news. you can watch bbc africa eye's full film trapped in oman on the bbc africa youtube page, or if you're in the uk it's on the bbc iplayer. a hearing has been held in australia's capital canberra, as part of a senate inquiry examining the threat from invasive fire ants. experts say they pose more of a danger to australia than rabbits, cane toads, foxes, camels, wild dogs and feral cats combined. the ants are native to south america and are thought to have entered australia

in shipping containers. let's speak to our correspondent in sydney, phil mercer. we highlighted these and some months ago because they were managing to make rafts and move around, what is this latest development?— around, what is this latest develoment? , ., , development? these fire ants, native to south _ development? these fire ants, native to south america, - development? these fire ants, native to south america, were| native to south america, were first detected in the australian city of brisbane in 2001, and this federal inquiry is an guh manning —— is examining the health, economic, and agricultural consequences of the spread of the spread of these fire ants. it is believed they have crossed the border from queensland into northern parts of new south wales. they have also been detected at major ports right around australia, and these fire ants, when they attack, they attack en masse, they swarm over their victims, theirjaws log onto a victim's skin and they insert

venom by a stinker of a spike in their abdomen, so essentially it is not really a bite, it is a stab, and these fire ants can inflict multiple stings on victims, and they pose a threat notjust to people but to pets, livestock, and wildlife as well. so, a lot for this parliamentary inquiry in canberra to digester, as it ascertains the threat from these tiny yet aggressive creatures.— these tiny yet aggressive creatures. , ., ., creatures. so, they are going to ascertain _ creatures. so, they are going to ascertain the _ creatures. so, they are going to ascertain the threat - creatures. so, they are going to ascertain the threat but. to ascertain the threat but also presumably a way of countering it, which doesn't sound easy at all.— countering it, which doesn't sound easy at all. well, there is disagreement _ sound easy at all. well, there is disagreement here - sound easy at all. well, there is disagreement here in - is disagreement here in australia about the effectiveness of containment and eradication efforts. the queensland state government for example says that its efforts to contain and kill off and destroy and colonies are among the best in the world. however, critics believe that australia is mismanaging the threat from

fire ants, saying that the efforts to kill them off like money and also being mismanaged, too, so once again the federal inquiry in canberra is looking to get to the bottom of this, to try to make sure that australia is as best protected as it can, because australia looks overseas in the united states and china for example, it is estimated that ijy example, it is estimated that by an advance between 50 and 80 kilometres each year, and for a tiny little insect, that is some going. tiny little insect, that is some going-— tiny little insect, that is some anoin. ., , , some going. indeed, absolutely, phil, thank _ some going. indeed, absolutely, phil, thank you _ some going. indeed, absolutely, phil, thank you for _ some going. indeed, absolutely, phil, thank you for now, - some going. indeed, absolutely, phil, thank you for now, phil - phil, thank you for now, phil mercer is back to talk about cuba paying australian taxi drivers and multi—million dollar settlement, so we will have more from vil on that later. —— took about uber. an artwork that appeared on the side of a building near finsbury park in north 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. stay with us here on bbc news. we've got the top business stories next, will fail will be talk about uber and give us the rest of the business news, i'll see you in moment. 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, its 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, colderfeeling, 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 north—western 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.

live from london. this is bbc news. china sees a strong start to the year in its factories but the property sector remains a major headache — what does this mean for the global economy? we find out. an expensive ride for uber in australia. the ride—hailing company to pay australian taxi drivers $179 million to settle a long—running dispute stemming from its introduction in the country in 2012.

as muslims around the world observe the month of ramadan, we look at how some businesses are supporting their workers who fast from dawn to dusk. and how income from film and television productions is proving vital in keeping britain's stately homes afloat. i'm sally bundock, with the top business stories. we start in china, where some positive economic data hasjust been released that beat expectations and marks a solid start to 2024 for china's factories. industrial output leapt 7% year—on—year in the january to february period — that's the fastest growth rate seen for two years. consumers are also spending more with retail sales going up

by 5.5% injanuary and february but property investment fell