live from london, this is bbc news. the conservative party says it will bring back mandatory national service if it wins the general election. russia bombs a crowded diy store in ukraine's second city of kharkiv, killing at least six people and wounding 35. temperatures soar across southeast asia as a severe heatwave threatens public health. and the american songwriter behind some of disney's biggest musicals, richard sherman, has died. hello, i'm louisa pilbeam. we start this hour with

latest from the uk's general election campaign trail, as the conservatives announce they will introduce mandatory national service for 18—year—olds if they win the general election. they said it would give the next generation an opportunity to learn real world skills while contributing to the country and local communities. our political correspondent leila nathoo report. and eye—catching policy from the conservatives early on in the conservatives early on in the campaign, grabbing headlines in the papers this morning. they say that if they win the general election, by the end of the next parliament that would bring back a form of mandatory national service for every 18—year—old. that would involve either applying for one of 30,001 year placements in the armed forces or cyber defence or young people would have to volunteer in communities for one weekend a month in organisations such as charities of the police or nhs. the tories say it would cost

£2.5 billion a year but key details are yet to be worked out such as how much those on military placements would be paid and what function there would be for not complying. cuts in the british army has seen its size fall to around 73,000 as ofjanuary this year. rishi sunak says it will provide life changing opportunities and a sense of shared purpose and labour said the tories were out of ideas and described it as desperate. it is certainly one that will be noticed. leila nathoo, bbc news. and a reminder, you can follow all the latest on the general election on our website. we're running a live page with continuous updates — you can find that on the bbc news app or bbc.com/news israel is reported to have agreed a new framework to revive stalled negotiations aimed at securing a hostage deal in gaza. mediated talks ground to a halt this month after israel launched a military operation in rafah. meanwhile, israel has denied a claim

by hamas that the militant group has captured one of its soldiers in gaza. earlier, hamas said it had ambushed some israeli forces in the north of the territory. with me is mohamed taha from bbc arabic. what is the latest on the fighting on the ground in gaza? in the talks side, the israel wall cabinet apparently approved a permanent ceasefire in gaza for the first time. hamas is just saying in gaza for the first time. hamas isjust saying it in gaza for the first time. hamas is just saying it is a manoeuvre for them to respond to the international court request order for them to stop their attack on rafah. hamas is saying they already agreed on paypal before introduced by the

americans and there is no need to negotiate again. — — they agreed on paper. what is the main source of aid for the civilians in gaza at the moment? not much aid is going to gaza because the main crossing point in rafah is closed by the israeli forces. and we have pictures from the other crossing border in the south showing that the aid is not getting through to gaza. we also have interviews in their busy arabic with truck drivers who are turning back with their food and supplies because it has spoiled because they waited for a long time. in the situation in the crossing in the north is also chaotic because there are israeli

activists preventing the aid from coming to gaza. and there are pictures we saw for that temporary report in gaza that some of is being destroyed by the weather, so there is no aid. flu is coming to gaza. find aid. flu is coming to gaza. and there were _ aid. flu is coming to gaza. and there were some _ aid. flu is coming to gaza. and there were some information about hostages?— there were some information abouthostaues? . ., . about hostages? hamas announced in the last few _ about hostages? hamas announced in the last few hours _ about hostages? hamas announced in the last few hours that _ about hostages? hamas announced in the last few hours that they - in the last few hours that they attacked a group of israeli soldiers and killed some and took some hostages. this is for the first time since october seven since hamas announced they took new hostages from the israeli side. at the same time, we saw israeli shelling on a school in northern gaza, killing some children as the health authorities there said. also a shelling on a market in

the middle of gaza and on the eastern rafah, with the total number of dead about 50. find number of dead about 50. and not happening- _ number of dead about 50. and not happening. thank you for joining us. —— word lot happening. ——a lot happening. political parties across south africa have been holding their final rallies before wednesday's elections. it's 30 years since the african national congress won the country's first democratic elections following the release of nelson mandela and the end of apartheid. now polls suggest that for the first time, the party may fail to get an overall majority. 0ur deputy africa editor anne soy was at the anc�*s event in johannesburg on saturday. it's a show of political might — who can pull the largest crowds. 0ptics matter here. as campaigns come to a close in south africa, supporters have been bussed in from different parts of the country.

we're looking forward to vote anc and we are going to win this battle. my parents used to live in a cell, so they got a house to move out. and i'm one of the student leadership, so anc made something for me. these people have already made up their minds. the call today for them to come out to vote. i say the battle is not yet over. mr ramaphosa leads an administration that has overseen the decline of south africa economically. unemployment is rising year on year. but here today, he's promising to create more jobs and stimulate the economy. the main opposition party, the democratic alliance, holds its final rally tomorrow. but the ruling party also faces challenge from its former heavyweights like ex—president jacob zuma.

he now bucks a new party that's expected to eat into the anc vote. and the fiery former youth leader, julius malema. he held his own rally today with his rival party, eff. three decades after winning south africa's struggle against apartheid, the anc still enjoys mass support. but today its leader struggled to fill the stadium, perhaps foreshadowing an election in which some believe it might fall short of the 50% it needs to avoid having to form a coalition. the anc faces its toughest electoral battle yet. anne soy, bbc news, johannesburg. let's speak to asanda ngwasheng, a political analyst who joins us from cape town. the ruling african national congress party are predicted to face their worst election results since the 1994

0ne one other key issues in this selection?— one other key issues in this selection? the south african election is — selection? the south african election is about _ selection? the south african election is about young - selection? the south african l election is about young people concerned about their future because of the high unemployment. it is also about image crisis and the government's inability to keep the light on, —— the energy crisis, which impacts on running small businesses and theissue running small businesses and the issue that most south africans struggle with, the constant presence of violent crime, locally and internationally, that has not been quelled in the way that people would expect by the government. the ruling african national congress party are predicted to face their worst election results since the 1994 elections and they may well have to form a coalition. how have things got so bad for the party?

i think the biggest issue is that people feel like the african national congress has failed to deliver on promises of a better life. if you look at the early years of the anc, the first 10—15 years was quite good with many south africans happy with progress that was made. you know that south africa is coming out of an apartheid system and that basically meant that most black people in south africa were poor while most of the wealthy people were white. the main part, the government unfortunately has been unable to get to a stage where south africans of all races have been able to reach the economic opportunities and employment opportunities and employment opportunities that they desire, with the majority of young black women in particular, being unemployed by more than 50% of their female population.

he mentioned many young people there. —— you mentioned. the anc is a former liberation movement and many older voters will remember nelson mandela and everything the anc achieved in 1994. are they less popular among younger voters, who may not remember what life was like under apartheid, or how the anc helped fight this system? the biggest issue with the anc is it has a mixed bag of results. in the first 15 years or so, results. in the first 15 years orso, it results. in the first 15 years or so, it was very good in that free housing was provided, they overhauled the public health system and they overhauled the education system. and now most recently south africans have been able to go to university, regardless of whether you can afford to or not, through giving grants to young people to get further up —— education at a high university. the biggest issue that south africa has is corruption. we have been able to collect money through taxes but politicians of the anc in particular have been

unable to keep their hands out of the cookie jar and therefore there have been constant shortages in, which didn't have to happen if you look at how much they have been able to collect from individuals and companies. the problem is you have this legacy of apartheid, which continues to plague the anc but would plague any particular political party. young people feel that while they have seen that their parents lives have changed, they have not seen the change that they would need to get to the next level of social mobility. so, you see many young people not sharing the optimism about the anc that their parents do. that is why we are seeing the breakaway party from the african national congress having gained many youth avoid boats to the point where at the last election they

had 10% of the vote and are likely to increase the vote while the democratic alliance which used to be, which currently is the opposition party, is likely to drop in terms of its votes because it refuses to engage with the reality. . .. refuses to engage with the reality- - - -_ refuses to engage with the reali ., ~ ~ ., reality.... thank you. we are running _ reality.... thank you. we are running out _ reality.... thank you. we are running out of _ reality.... thank you. we are running out of time. - reality.... thank you. we are running out of time. that - reality.... thank you. we are| running out of time. that was very interesting. thank you for joining us. let's turn to ukraine. president zelensky has denounced a deadly air strike on a crowded superstore in the country's second largest city, kharkiv, as an act of �*russian madness'. officials said at least two people were killed and more than 30 others injured, when two glide bombs struck the diy store on saturday afternoon. the shop is in a residential area and ukrainian officials reported that russia also hit a school and other buildings in the city. the mayor of kharkiv says there are a large number

of people missing following the strike. earlier this month, russian forces began a renewed offensive in the kharkiv region, in an attempt to break through a weakened ukrainian front line. here's one of the shop workers explaining what happened. translation: i was at work in the furniture _ translation: i was at work in the furniture section _ translation: i was at work in the furniture section and - translation: i was at work in the furniture section and me i the furniture section and me and my colleague fell off our feet and went down and hit the floor. there was a second hit after which we were covered in rubble. we were covered in it, our faces rubble. we were covered in it, ourfaces also, we rubble. we were covered in it, our faces also, we started digging ourway to our faces also, we started digging our way to the top and the extinguishing system started working. we grabbed a few people and emergency services guy who was shopping saved us. he helped us get out through the window. me, my colleague and another boy, a shopper and his girlfriend made it out. to india now. officials say at least 27

people have died in a massive fire at a games arcade. the blaze broke out at a complex in gujarat on saturday afternoon, when the mall was packed with children and young people. there are fears more victims may be trapped under the wreckage and a search mission has been launched. rescue teams have saved several people and they've been taken to local hospitals. police say both the owner and manager of the gaming zone are among several people who've been detained in connection with the fire. millions of people across south east asia are facing a severe heatwave this week, with unusually hot weather threatening public health and closing schools and workplaces. temperatures in some parts have been well over 40 degrees with jacobabad city in pakistan expected to hit 49 degrees later on today. officials have issued public health warnings and unicef has said that the heatwave could be putting the lives of children at risk. let's speak to hilary bambrick, director

of the national centre for epidemiology and population health at the australian national university. how serious is this situation? these temperatures are extraordinary, aren't they? we are looking at the high 40s across large parts of asia in high 30s in other parts. it is a very serious situation in a situation that is being made worse by climate change. these temperatures are unlikely to be occurring in the absence of climate change. we should be viewing them as a taste of things to come as well. we do need to be very well prepared to manage the public health impacts on those sorts of impacts on those sorts of impacts are, you mention children. they are especially at risk from heat partly because very young children do not regulate body temperature very well but they are not good at slowing down in the heat or drinking enough as well.

children are not the only vulnerable people in temperatures that extreme. people who are older, people who have underlying health conditions are particularly at risk. while we are reading numbers of dozens of people who are dying directly from the heat impacts, i would be very surprised if there were hundreds if not thousands more who were becoming very ill and dying because of the impact it is humming on them if they have cardiovascular disease for example or renal disease so it has far—reaching consequences. you mention there some of the impacts on the heart for example. i'm wondering, what does extreme heat due to the body? does extreme heat due to the bod ? ., , ., , does extreme heat due to the bod? ., , .., does extreme heat due to the bod ? ., , . ., ., body? human bodies function at their best around _ body? human bodies function at their best around 37 _ body? human bodies function at their best around 37 degrees. i their best around 37 degrees. we have to work very hard when it is cold and when it is hot to maintain these temperatures. when it's cold you can usually put more layers on which helps to regulate but when it's very

hot it is very difficult to shed the heat so it builds up in your body. the organs become stressed and overworked and your heart is pumping far too hard trying to cool things down. normal calling mechanisms when it is hot, like sweating, they do not work well when it's humid. in those temperatures of 45- 49 humid. in those temperatures of 45— 49 degrees, which it is humid as well, sweating does not help at all. you're not getting the abstract pretty of cooling effect sweating. == cooling effect sweating. -- evaporative _ cooling effect sweating. —— evaporative cooling effect. parts of the areas affected are very much developing nations. does this make a country's ability to adapt to climate change more difficult? 0ne one of the key things is people cannot afford to take a day off work. many people are doing heavy, physical labour and the heat is slowing them down and that impacts on productivity but in terms of personal

health, people cannot afford to take several days off work to cope with the heat. there would not be the same sick leave provisions, for example. not just the people in labouring jobs at risk. health workers for example, emergency workers, they are not immune from the heat and they have to do their jobs as well in terms of protecting the health of others. at these temperatures that would be very difficult to find a group of people who were not at risk of ill—health because of these temperatures because of these temperatures because they are just so extraordinary. because they are 'ust so extraordinary._ because they are 'ust so extraordinary. thank you so much for — extraordinary. thank you so much for taking _ extraordinary. thank you so much for taking through - extraordinary. thank you so i much for taking through those points. thank you forjoining us. the brazilian state of rio grande do sul, month, is facing more rain and an outbreak of waterborne disease. officials have registered eight hundred suspected cases of an illness called leptospirosis. four deaths have been confirmed so far. the disease is transmitted

through water contaminated with infected animals' urine, usually rats. the risk of it spreading has been significantly heightened by the floods, which began at the end of april. the american rapper nicki minaj was forced to cancel a show in the uk on saturday night after being arrested at amsterdam's schiphol airport. she had been travelling to the uk for a concert on saturday evening, which has now been postponed. dutch police said they had arrested a 41—year—old woman for allegedly trying to take soft drugs from the airport to a third country. they later said the person had been fined. ms minaj livestreamed her arrest and posted it on social media. she complained about airport staff selecting her bags for a thorough search. this was the moment when fans in manchester were told that the performance wouldn't be going ahead.

saturday the 25th of may has been postponed. concertgoers were told their tickets would be valid for the rescheduled tour date. for more, i spoke to our correspondent anna holligan. i'm afraid we do not have that. the american songwriter richard sherman has died. he was 95. working with his brother robert, richard sherman was behind the soundtracks for some of disney's biggest musicals, including mary poppins and thejungle book. the pair started out writing pop hits in the 19605 before walt disney decided their talents were suited to films. richard sherman went on to win two oscars and three grammy awards in a career lasting more than six decades. the disney company described him as a legend whose songs were magnificent and timeless. let's speak to

paula sigman lowery, a disney historian and friend of the sherman brothers. thank you so much for being with us. first of all, what a legacy. tell us about the man. richard sherman and his brother, robert, were the sons of al sherman, another songwriter and he challenged them, when they were young to see if they could write a song. he gave them this piece of advice, he said there are three s that are essential in writing a song. you want to make it simple, thinkable and sincere. they took that message and used it when they were writing songs for the walt disney company, writing songs that developed the characters and stories that we love from mary poppins and �*thejungle we love from mary poppins and �*the jungle book�* we love from mary poppins and �*thejungle book�* to winnie the pooh. and the music they gave

us for all of these years has become a huge legacy to the generations that have listen to these songs, from feed the birds in mary poppins to it�*s a small world at the attractions at the parks all around the world. their songs have become the soundtrack of our lives and while we are sad at the passing of richard sherman, a brilliant and empathetic and gracious man, who imparted his inspiration and wisdom to young songwriters who are working today and incidentally, richard kept writing, even up to his 90s, he has a brand—new song coming out soon called mushka, not a disney production, which

has sensitivity and he always sends that to his audiences and so gracious in playing and sharing their songs with the public. this is a huge loss for all of us but at the same time how blessed we are to have those songs continuing to thrill us through the years. absolutely, and what words from you. as you say, such a legacy he leaves behind for all of us. you were friends with him, so what do you remember of him? what i remember is, i worked at the disney company as an archivist, and work with them and helping them share the stories behind the songs. 0ne stories behind the songs. one of the stories behind the songs that to me is the most meaningful is the song for it�*s a small world, which people

have decried as an ear worm, want to hear it it is hard to get out your mind! yet, when they rotate, they rotate at a time after the missile crisis, concerns about the world and they wanted people to understand that we are one of the world. although it is played very brightly and cheerfully in the attractions, they rotate as a prayer for peace, to say there is only one moon and one golden sun and a smile brings shop friendship to everyone, although the mountains are high and the mountains are high and the mountains divide, we are a small world after all. it is truly played softly, and played like a ballad, it plays like a song for peace. d0 like a ballad, it plays like a song for peace.— song for peace. do have a favourite _ song for peace. do have a favourite song? _ song for peace. do have a favourite song? i - song for peace. do have a favourite song? i love - song for peace. do have a| favourite song? i love feed song for peace. do have a - favourite song? i love feed the birds from _ favourite song? i love feed the birds from mary _ favourite song? i love feed the birds from mary poppins - favourite song? i love feed the i birds from mary poppins because thatis birds from mary poppins because that is the heart of the film.

it is about charity and giving. you don�*t have to give very much... you don't have to give very much- - -_ you don't have to give very much... ., ., , ., much... unfortunately, we have run out of— much... unfortunately, we have run out of time. _ much... unfortunately, we have run out of time. what _ much... unfortunately, we have run out of time. what a - much... unfortunately, we have run out of time. what a man - much... unfortunately, we have| run out of time. what a man and thank you for paying tribute! you are very welcome. hello there. there were some warm weather around on saturday. top temperatures of 22 celsius in the south east, but we�*ll start to see some changes for the second half of the bank holiday weekend with sunny spells and thundery downpours moving in, all thanks to low pressure close by. as we head into sunday, these weather fronts will be pushing their way northwards, bringing outbreaks of rain, the odd heavier burst as it pushes northwards. but as we head into the latter parts of the morning, into the afternoon, sunshine will appear pretty widely for england, wales and northern ireland and that�*ll set off some heavy and thundery downpours at times. further north, we�*ll continue to see some showery rain with a bit

of sunshine across northern scotland, but that will impact the temperatures — not quite as warm as saturday, highs of 16 to 19 degrees. as we head through sunday night, though, showers and thunderstorms rattle on for a while into the evening before fading out for england and wales with clear skies here, but further cloud, patchy rain likely across the northern half of the country and temperatures range from around nine to 11 degrees. so into our bank holiday monday, it looks like that weather front continues to push northwards. so that�*s where we�*re going to see some of the heaviest of the showers across the north and east of scotland. we�*ll start off with some sunshine around, but again, showers will develop and pretty much anywhere could catch a heavy maybe thundery shower. but the focus of them will be across northern and east of scotland and maybe northeast england. maybe later in the day, something a bit drier and brighter pushing into western areas. but temperatures a few degrees down, still 15 to 17 degrees, still quite pleasant in any sunshine. as we head into tuesday, low pressure starts to move in off the atlantic. starts fine across scotland, northern england, the sunshine

begins to fade as cloud breeze rain starts to push up from the south and the west. there�*ll be mainly patchy in nature, but conditions will go downhill through the day, though i think the northeast of scotland and the northern isles should largely escape and stay dry until after dark. and temperature wise again, the mid to high teens. low pressure is with us then as we move through the middle part of the upcoming week. but then the signs of it moving away in this area of high pressure wants to topple in from the west, so that should slowly settle things down, i think, towards the end of the week and as we head into next weekend, increasing dry weather with some sunshine so should start to feel a touch warmer, too.

this is bbc news. the headlines: in the uk, the conservative party says it will bring back mandatory national service if it wins the general election. it said 18—year—olds would have a choice of either joining the military full—time or volunteering one weekend every month carrying out a community service. russia bombs a crowded diy store in ukraine�*s second city of kharkiv, killing at least six people and wounding 35. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky said over 200 people could have been inside the supermarket when it was attacked. temperatures soar across south—east asia as a severe heatwave threatens public health. temperatures in some parts have been well over 40 degrees with jacobabad city in pakistan expected to hit 49 degrees later on today.

unicef has said that the heatwave could be putting