hello and welcome to bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. a gruelling six—week election campaign is now underway in the uk with the two main political parties making their opening pitches to voters after the british prime minister rishi sunak called a snap vote forjuly 4th. mr sunak attended events in england, wales and scotland on thursday. the conservative leader said only his party offers security and economic stability. meanwhile, the leader of the opposition labour party, sir keir starmer, says voters have the choice between what he called "continuing decline and chaos" under the governing conservatives or rebuilding the country under his party. our political editor chris mason reports.

cheering and applause. placards and cheers and babies getting attention from politicians. keir starmer is quite the fan of visiting lower league football grounds in places he hopes labour can win. he was in gillingham in kent this morning, his deputy with him, too. thank you. whatever service people try and access these days, they find it's like wading through treacle. applause. red cards aren't usually welcome for folk on a football pitch but expect to see plenty of these in the next month or so, spelling out labour's core message. we've had 1a years of going round and round in circles, getting absolutely nowhere. chaos and division feeding chaos and division. if you want change, you have to vote for it and if you vote labour, it's a vote to stop the chaos. it's a vote to turn the page and it's a vote to rebuild

our country together. thank you very much. cheering and applause. thank you! a general election is about winning seats and staying in them. rishi sunakjust about managed that in ilkeston in derbyshire as he made the case the economy is on the up. inflation down from 11% when i got thisjob. down back to normal, just over 2%. energy bills now falling by hundreds of pounds. wages have been rising by faster than prices for almost ten months now. the conservatives and labour have a very different approach to dealing with people crossing the channel in small boats. labour would scrap the tory plan to send some migrants to rwanda, which rishi sunak claims could make a big difference. how do we stop the boats? well, i'm very clear — that requires bold solutions. that's why we need rwanda. got to make it crystal clear to everybody —

if you come to our country illegally, you won't get to stay. but the prime minister told us today he didn't expect anyone to be sent to rwanda before the election. hello! within hours, mr sunak was at a brewery in barry in south wales, having a go with the kit. air hisses. there was then an awkward moment when he said this... are you looking forward to all the football? not so much my bag. well... wales have not qualified for the euros, the football tournament starting next month. england and scotland have. and talking of scotland, rishi sunak completed his three—nation dash today by flying to the highlands. i know, yeah. and having a catch—up with the scottish conservative leader at the port of nigg, north of inverness. applause. meanwhile, in edinburgh today, the new—look scottish national

party had their general election launch. onjuly 4th, independence day, make sure your voice is heard. i expect over the next six weeks, we'll see the tories and labour really going at it. they'll be going hammer and tongs to discredit each other. i'll also be going hammer and tongs, but not against anyone — i'll be going hammer and tongs to put scotland first. ready? right, cheering — let's go! cheering and applause. and in cheltenham in gloucestershire, the liberal democrats were sorting out their choreography, some in party colours from head to toe. leader ed davey has a phrase we'll hear a fair bit of. a fair deal where everyone can have a decent home that's secure and clean and affordable. comfortable retirement when the time comes. —— that's secure and clean. an affordable, comfortable retirement when the time comes. a fair deal where every child has a decent school, where they can have the

opportunity to realise their potential. the next six weeks will involve a fair bit of ticker tape and assorted electioneering paraphernalia. luckily, there are those keen to pick it up. chris mason, bbc news. well, behind the scenes at westminster, mps have been scrambling to pass key laws before parliament dissolves next week. the process is called wash up and among those bills likely to be passed is compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal and another aimed at limiting costs for leasehold property owners in england. but it's thought that one of rishi sunak�*s flagship policies — a plan to phase out smoking — will be shelved, as damian grammaticas explains. all day in there, there have been high—stakes negotiations — which laws to push through, which tojunk? some have been campaigned for for years — delicately drafted, debated for months — but now, with a short—notice election, they're having to be ditched. one of the casualties

is rishi sunak�*s own signature legislation, meant to be part of his legacy — to ensure children now and one day adults, too — never smoke. the commons here has seen it but the lords there hasn't, so it seems his tobacco and vapes bill is doomed. it would've banned the sale of cigarettes to anyone born in 2009 or after, created £100 on—the—spot fines for shops in england and wales flouting the law, and given ministers the power to restrict the packaging and flavours of vapes to make them less attractive to children. at the last election, the conservatives promised in their 2019 manifesto to protect those renting homes, to give them more secure tenancies, recently saying it will be done by this election. but that, too, won't happen. the renters reform bill was meant to end so—called no—fault evictions, though some think it had already been watered down to the point of being ineffective. and what will disappoint legions of football fans is the loss of a

long—fought—for law to update how football is governed. it would have created a new independent regulator for football with powers to assess the suitability of club owners, to force teams to stay solvent, and sanction any that don't stick to the rules. the football bill might be revived after the election as it has cross—party support, and there are still a few hours for horse trading to try to save some legislation, but much is being cast aside. damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. a building has collapsed on the spanish island of majorca, killing at least four people. the emergency services say more than 20 others were injured in the incident, which happened on the seafront in palma de mallorca. 0ur correspondent simon jones has an update. searching through the night for survivors. people were enjoying a drink or something to eat at the beach club on palma de

mallorca where part of the building came down. it showered debris on those below. many of those hurtful tourists. pictures from the immediate aftermath showed ambulances at the scene and the injured been taken away on stretchers. police are shocked onlookers on the beach in several different languages to remain quiet while emergency services listen for any signs of life in the rubble —— police asked. three is the largest of spain's balearic islands which attracted i7 islands which attracted 17 million visitors last year. the spanish prime minister pedro sanchez says his government was ready to offer any support needed. he sent his condolences to the families of those who died. 0ffice to the families of those who died. office in london is in contact with the spanish authorities, although there are currently no reports of any british people involved. because the building to collapse now under investigation. simonjones, bbc investigation. simon jones, bbc news. the speaker of the us house of representatives has announced that israel's prime

minister will address a joint session of congress in washington. mikejohnson said hosting benjamin netanyahu would send a strong show of support for the israeli government. and tonight, i'm happy to announce something else to you that we will soon be hosting prime minister netanyahu at the capitalfor a joint session prime minister netanyahu at the capital for a joint session of congress. capital for a “oint session of congress._ capital for a “oint session of congress._ this | capital for a “oint session of. congress._ this will congress. applause. this will be a timely — congress. applause. this will be a timely and _ congress. applause. this will be a timely and i _ congress. applause. this will be a timely and i think - congress. applause. this will be a timely and i think a - congress. applause. this will be a timely and i think a very l be a timely and i think a very strong show of support to the israeli government in their time of greatest need. let's get some of the day's other news now. us central command says three american troops have suffered what it's calling "non—combat injuries" during the operation to build a temporary pier to increase humanitarian aid to palestinians in gaza. a us defence official says one of the three injured on a ship was evacuated to a hospital in israel in critical condition. china's military has started its second day of war games around taiwan with drills to test their ability to seize

power and control key areas — exercises it says were launched to punish taiwan's president lai ching—te. the two days of drills in the taiwan strait and around groups of taiwan—controlled islands near the chinese coast started just three days after lai took office. taiwan has condemned china's actions. the us government has filed a lawsuit to break up the entertainment giant live nation, which owns ticketmaster, accusing it of being a harmful monopoly that inflates prices. the firm promotes concerts, owns venues and sells tickets. live nation said the lawsuit wouldn't solve the issues fans care about. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

now, the second of our special reports from myanmar.

the country is in the grip of a widespread insurgency as resistance groups attempt to overthrow the military, which seized power three years ago. as much as two thirds of myanmar may now be under the control of the resistance. some people have taken up arms against the military but others — doctors and teachers — are supporting the insurgency with skills of their own. access to the country is difficult but our correspondent quentin sommerville has managed to get inside and spent a month with the young revolutionaries at theirjungle hideouts and on frontlines. like a beacon in the night, a jungle base has become a sanctuary — the final stop on a journey to freedom for young burmese who refuse to serve in the army. they were spirited here from cities by an underground railroad of agents and safe houses to escape a new conscription law that would see them fight

against the insurgency. instead, they've joined its ranks. why don't you want to fight for the military government? translation: the military is terrorising people. - they bomb using planes and they burn villages. i will never fight for their side. i will help and fight alongside the revolutionary forces. and they aren't the only ones fleeing. across karenni state, hundreds of camps for the displaced have sprung up. young and old, they live in fear. it's a hardscrabble existence. heartbreak is a way of life here. some 2.5 million people have been forced to say goodbye to their homes since the military coup.

they've left their farms and rice paddies to avoid the hundreds of army air strikes that target opposition—held territory. a relentless air campaign has civilians running for their lives. explosion. tens of thousands have been killed since the coup, many of them children. the bombs fall daily. the state capital, loikaw, is now a ruin. go, go! come, come! we follow cobra and his best buddy sam on patrol. they were national karate champs who have taken up arms. yes. go! move, move! peaceful protests failed, so they've been in a stand—off here with the army since november.

end of this street, the burmese army there, so we need to — we have to run. this is the heart of loikaw, downtown. look at the state of it, though. there is destruction everywhere. if we just look over here, look at the destruction of the buildings. this is... incendiary drones were dropped here, artillery, air strikes. we know this was the military junta because the rebels don't have that kind of weaponry. and something else — silence. because there are no civilians here — they've fled because the junta doesn't distinguish between rebel fighters, between resistance fighters and civilians. it has labelled them all as terrorists. in fact, 8km from here, just yesterday, a military air

strike killed a family of six, including two children. so, wherever they attack, they turn these places into ghost towns. cobra and sam will defend these frontlines, whatever the cost. groans. this is a struggle of the young against the old, a new generation battling a military elite, and it's myanmar�*s youth that's sacrificing most. this man isjust 23. he took shrapnel to his femoral artery in an attack on a military base. his comrades comfort him as much as they can. not all revolutionaries

carry a gun. dr yori was in his last year of medical school and abandoned his studies to help in this secret hospital, treating fighters and civilians alike. i just don't want to give away our location for security measures. so, this is our operation theatre room. it is underground. they take every precaution here. the reason the operating theatre is underground is because if we are over ground, they can see us and if they see us, they will bomb us, so we have to go underground. in the light blue is his fiancee, dr tracy. she, too, didn't graduate. now, she's performing surgery. we've met some of the wounded here today. they are young men.

yeah, very young. very young, with their whole lives ahead of them, and they have horrible injuries. how do you both cope with that mentally? we can cry the whole day, it's ok. let it cry, let me cry, it's ok. but we have to stand up again because if we are not here, who will treat those patients? children, too, have been forced to seek shelter from the military�*s warplanes under the jungle canopy. despite the war, songs are still heard and ballads still played by these students at the golden flower music school. this teacher's violin drowns out the din of war. some of her students are as young as 14. this is their refuge for now. we have met a lot of young people here today — some of them very young — but soon, they'll have to go and fight.

how does that make you feel? translation: they have to sacrifice their bodies, l their limbs, their lives and they have to leave their girlfriends and boyfriends behind to go to the front line. that shows their dedicated heart and how strong their beliefs are. i will always respect and honour the comrades. and some might never come back. and this is the toll that myanmar�*s fight for freedom takes on her and the young. sobs. for cobra and sam, it's a price they have to pay now. they're fighting the same battles their parents fought against military rule. and tracy and yori hope it's for the last time. that their revolution means

future generations — their children — might live together in a free myanmar. quentin sommerville, bbc news, karenni state, myanmar. hundreds of sub—postmasters who were found guilty as part of the horizon it scandal will have their names cleared today. the law quashing their convictions in england, wales and northern ireland has been approved by parliament, just before mps break up ahead of the general election. the case is seen as one of the greatest miscarriages ofjustice in british legal history. andy verity has this report. iam i am very, very sorry. paula vettel's — i am very, very sorry. paula vettel's first _ i am very, very sorry. paula vettel's first public - vettel's first public interrogation in nine years on the scandal of the post office began with a warning against self—incrimination and an apology. one thing it hasn't been is an easy ride for her. she was asked for example about this moment depicted in the itv

docudrama is debates versus the post office. i5 docudrama is debates versus the post office-— post office. is it possible to access the _ post office. is it possible to access the system - post office. is it possible to| access the system remotely post office. is it possible to i access the system remotely or not? i hope it is that we know it is not possible and that we are able to explain why that is and i need to say no, it is not possible. and i need to say no, it is not possible-— and i need to say no, it is not ossible. , _, , g. possible. enquiry counseljason beare challenged _ possible. enquiry counseljason beare challenged her— possible. enquiry counseljason beare challenged her on - possible. enquiry counseljason beare challenged her on that. l beare challenged her on that. it's not the way of going about things. — it's not the way of going about things. is_ it's not the way of going about things, is it? a it's not the way of going about things. is it?— things, is it? a bigger part in? crosstalk. _ things, is it? a bigger part in? crosstalk. he - things, is it? a bigger part in? crosstalk. he is - things, is it? a bigger part in? crosstalk. he is the| things, is it? a bigger part - in? crosstalk. he is the answer to the question. _ in? crosstalk. he is the answer to the question. tell _ in? crosstalk. he is the answer to the question. tell me - in? crosstalk. he is the answer to the question. tell me i'm - to the question. tell me i'm wronu. to the question. tell me i'm wrong. yesterday, - to the question. tell me i'm wrong. yesterday, the - to the question. tell me i'm i wrong. yesterday, the enquiry heard on the _ wrong. yesterday, the enquiry heard on the seventh - wrong. yesterday, the enquiry heard on the seventh of- heard on the seventh ofjuly 2013, the post office pr director mike davies sent paula vennells and e—mail, advising her how to respond to the interim findings of the forensic accountant�*s second forensic accounta nt�*s second site, forensic accountant�*s second site, warning if the post office looked at past prosecutions of some postmasters, it would make front—page news with a ballistic impact. ms vennells replied, "i will take your sdl." her e—mails of the most urgent objective is to manage the media.

urgent objective is to manage the media-— urgent objective is to manage the media. . . , ., the media. the e-mail that you had sent to _ the media. the e-mail that you had sent to which _ the media. the e-mail that you had sent to which this - the media. the e-mail that you had sent to which this is - the media. the e-mail that you had sent to which this is in - had sent to which this is in response deposits should be looked back 12, 20 months in separation? looked back12, 20 months in separation?— looked back 12, 20 months in separation? yes. should we go back further. _ separation? yes. should we go back further. when we're not going back further, five or ten years? this is you cannot do that because you will be on the front page. that's a grossly improper perspective, isn't it? yes, it is. yes, it is.— yes, it is. yes, it is. ahead of a crunch _ yes, it is. yes, it is. ahead of a crunch board _ yes, it is. yes, it is. ahead of a crunch board meetingl yes, it is. yes, it is. ahead l of a crunch board meeting on the 16th ofjuly 2013, the post office's top lauder susan crichton testified she told paula vennells about an expert witness in the trial as evidence was unsafe. and that sub—postmasters could sue for malicious prosecution. but instead of being invited to brief the board, she told the enquiry she was kept out of the board meeting. she enquiry she was kept out of the board meeting.— enquiry she was kept out of the board meeting. she was made to wait outside _ board meeting. she was made to wait outside on _ board meeting. she was made to wait outside on a _ board meeting. she was made to wait outside on a chair. - board meeting. she was made to wait outside on a chair. yes. - wait outside on a chair. yes. and i wait outside on a chair. yes. and i felt — wait outside on a chair. yes. and i felt bad _ wait outside on a chair. yes. and i felt bad about - wait outside on a chair. yes. and i felt bad about that. i and i felt bad about that. sitting _ and i felt bad about that. sitting there like a naughty schoolgirl? i sitting there like a naughty schoolgirl?— schoolgirl? i have no recollection - schoolgirl? i have no recollection of - schoolgirl? i have no recollection of that l recollection of that

whatsoever.- recollection of that whatsoever. ., ., , , whatsoever. that would be very significant _ whatsoever. that would be very significant information, - significant information, wouldn't it?— wouldn't it? were you incompetent, - wouldn't it? were you incompetent, paula . wouldn't it? were you - incompetent, paula vennells? today — incompetent, paula vennells? today on— incompetent, paula vennells? today on her_ incompetent, paula vennells? today on her last _ incompetent, paula vennells? today on her last day - incompetent, paula vennells? today on her last day of - today on her last day of evidence, she will face questions from lawyers representing sub—postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted or jailed. andy verity, bbc news. at the horizon enquiry. weather forecasters in the us say they expect more and stronger storms than normal during this hurricane season which begins next month. experts at the government's noaa weather service predict above—normal hurricane activity in the atlantic basin with up to 25 named storms, about half of them hurricanes. rick spinrad, from the noaa, said it would be an extraordinary year of hurricanes. 17-25 17—25 named storms with sustained winds of at least 39 mph stock of these, 8—13 are forecast to become hurricanes

with maximum sustained winds of at least 7a mph. and 4— seven are forecast to become major hurricanes, that is category 3-5, with hurricanes, that is category 3—5, with maximum sustained winds of at least hundred and 11 mph. of note, the forecast for named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes is the highest and notably has ever issued for the may outlook. —— highest noaa has ever issued for the may outlook. the australian actor chris hemsworth has been honoured with a star on the hollywood walk of fame. he's become a regular in the marvel franchise of movies and his latest blockbuster furiosa: a mad max saga opens in cinemas this month. he became a household name when he played thor back in 2011. like many australian actors, he started his career in the soap opera home and away before heading to hollywood. stay with us here on bbc news. coming up after this short

break, i will be taking you through the main business stories, including ticketmaster and live nation and the business of space. stay with us. hello there. conditions look a lot better for the next couple of days. we should see more sunshine around, lighterwinds, so it should feel a bit warmer as well. friday, it's an improving picture. we should see sunshine breaking through across many areas and for most areas, it should be dry — just a few showers across northern areas. now, this area of low pressure is continuing to weaken and the rain is fizzling out, so there'll be barely anything on these weather fronts across scotland, northern england as we move through friday morning. should see plenty of sunshine developing across southern areas and some holes appearing in that cloud further north. just the odd shower dotted around but many places will stay dry. temperatures responding as well — lighter winds, more sunshine, 19 celsius, maybe 20 celsius in the south, high teens further north.

as we head through friday night, it looks like skies will clear pretty widely, so it will turn chillier. just the odd shower across scotland. a bit more cloud here, so i think double—figure values in much of scotland and northern ireland. single figures for large parts of england and wales. so, into the bank holiday weekend, it's starting off fine and settled on saturday for most areas and then, we'll start to see sunshine and showers through sunday and bank holiday monday. we've got this weather front encroaching in slowly during the weekend but ahead of it, plenty of sunshine around. it will be a chilly start — a little bit of mist and fog around. this feature moving in from the near continent could bring some cloud and rain for east anglia, eastern england and then, later in the day, this weather front moves its way into south west england but plenty of sunshine across the country — just the chance of an odd shower. a much warmer 20 degrees for many areas, up to 22 in the south—east. now, as we head into sunday, this weather front starts to cross the country, destabilising the atmosphere. it's going be one of sunshine and showers, i think, and through the afternoon, some of these showers could turn out to be heavy

and thundery, some local torrential downpours in places. temperature—wise, because a bit more cloud around and some showers, i think we're looking at highs of 18 or 19 degrees. and then, through bank holiday monday, again, sunshine and showers. probably the heaviest of the showers on monday will be across the northern half of the country, a bit more of a breeze as well coming in from the west, so temperatures 16 or 17 degrees, i think, for many places. and then, for the upcoming week, i think it stays fairly u nsettled. low pressure always close by. showers or longer spells of rain. however, there will still be some decent spells of sunshine at times. take care.

facing the music! ticketmaster owner, live nation, has a monopoly over the concert business — says the usjustice department — and should be broken up. the firm calls the allegations baseless. also coming up — the campaign is under way. uk politicians hit the road — as the countdown begins tojuly 4. but how are financial markets taking the prospect of a general election? plus — valuations to the moon! elon musk�*s rocket firm could be worth $200 billion if a planned share sale goes ahead. we look at the increasingly big

money business of space. live from london, this is business today. i'm lukwesa burak. we start with the music industry because live nation — the owner of ticketmaster — is being sued by the us department ofjustice and 30 us states. they want the concert promoter broken up, claiming it has too much power over live music events in the us. that — they say — has led to excessive prices and harmed the interests of artists and fans. live nation has hit back — calling the allegations baseless — saying the doj will lose in court because it ignores the basic economics of live entertainment. from new york, erin delmore reports.