parents tell us they walked for hours with their children just to get as a filipino as a woman, it is their where privilege to tell the stories of my own people to a global audience ah trans chooses. it's next presidents voters are deciding between incumbent to money one micro and far right. candidates. marina pen. ah, you're watching all 0 life or my headquarters. and so i'm getting obligated also a heads ukraine's president again calls for a meeting with his russian counterpart. but warren's talks are off. if soldiers and maria pool are killed. shilling now in coming shells lighting very close to

building g. it's very few civilians on the street. russia intensifies bombings as ukraine says, the u. s. is top to from out on defense chief are due in chief, but washington has not confirmed. he fed up with high taxes, farmers and argentina ride their tractors to the presidential palace in the capital to drive home. they are discontent. hello, we begin in france. that's where voting is underway right now in the presidential election run off the far right. candidate marina pen has cast her ballot in the north of the country. she's voted in bono mall, the town where she was 1st elected to the french national assembly, the pan, better of her showing in the 1st round compared to the last election in 2017. she took just over 23 percent of the votes. she's hoping to become for frances 1st

female president, this is her 3rd time running for office. meanwhile, thats the life picture right now where the current president and mine who am i from the incumbent, will be voting here. he's and let's ok, that's a town on the northern coast. he came away from the last round with just under 28 percent of the vote. micro. i'm hoping to become the 1st president to win twice injection. 20 years ago. bernard smith has more for the polling station in northern paris on the choice before voters won the french. you've got to decide between the centrist pro european union and manual micron, the incumbent against the far right candidate, your skeptic, marine pan. both of those candidates, all of buying for the vote, the voters who voted for john loop. now i'm showing the 1st round here me last out to marina pan for 2nd round place just by one percent. difference in the vote. and

i'm alan. sean hasn't endorsed micron, but he's also said that not one vote should go to the far right micro in south is warned of a civil war. it's in the pan wednesday election. policies include funding muslim women from wearing a headscarf in public places. so he played down that aspect of parties policy during the end of the campaign and set focusing on the cost of living crisis, which is hitting many french people hoss. and she's also played on poke macro on this image that he struggled to shake. call of being a dozens of the rich. it puts the fall, right. really the closest day of ever be to winning the presidency in france. turn out will be important. it's been busy in past is 18th, on based on all day today. but we are in the middle of the easter holidays, and many people are away from that traditional voting places. so voter turnout so far is just over 26 percent, which is 2 points lower than in the last presidential elections in 20. 17 victor

mallet is the paris bureau chief for the financial times. and he says the one thing everyone wants to know is if marina pan could when that's exactly the question that we're all we tennis. and indeed, i think, you know, financial markets and everybody is asking, it's very unlikely, but not impossible. i think, i think is the answer to that. you know, the opinion polls have been pretty consistent and they might cause lead has been whitening. in recent days since the race was narrowed down and so it would definitely be quite a be you know, turn around and opinion and i think it's unlikely, it's not impossible. it did happen. that would be, you know, even more surprising than say, the election of donald trump, because the, the shift in the opinion showed where the poles and what actually happened would be, would be much more extreme. so i think most of macros, steven,

i'm pretty confident that he will win this, but obviously they don't want to say things that they want to going out. and i can actually, we're worried about the possibility of a low tech. i don't think at this stage there's enough of the kind of interesting number that to make a difference by the side. as far as far as we can tell. basically, a lot of people are either staying or writing blank, which is passing a ballot with no name on it because they don't like either of the candidates because they can't be bothered to. but that has been a characteristic of a french elections for quite a while. and i think that would concern lot of people concerned that the 10 will be even lower, but it looks kind of moderately ok compared to previous election. the ukraine's president has again pushed for a meeting with armor butrend to stop the war, despite saying he doesn't trust the russian leader letters. lensky warren keep

would withdraw from talks with moscow. if ukrainian soldier is defending the city of maria pull were killed. he also said the u. s. secretaries of state and defense are expected and keep on sunday to discuss ukraine's call for more powerful weapons . but there has been no confirmation from washington. the green, we in principle, appeal to all leaders. we are not a country of tragic selfies. we have a real war. so come to us. we will be happy to meet you, but please bring the help we've asked for unless i do not consider the option that our partners will not give us the weapons, they promise. i do not consider this option at all. they have no alternative. we will not provide them with this opportunity. we have no other chance twin back our land in eastern ukraine. russia is not letting up on its bombing campaign. the defense ministry says it target its several arms deposed in the car key region. charl. stratford has more from the city of lovey on sc an eastern ukraine. this is

a huge strategic importance to both sides. so if you ask and neighboring cremmit tours, 2 of the largest cities is still under full, ukrainian military control. we understand, well, we know that russian forces shilling areas of the city to the north, which is in the direction behind me from positions in a town called is you, which is around 45 kilometers north of slab. the answer to this area was taking control of by russian forces as they pushed se from called a cave where it reports overnight. certainly according to the material sources, ukrainian military or socrates in the region of the guns that at least 8 civilians were killed in shelling in various different areas. a number of other people injured. we're also hearing of shelling this morning around don't ask, goes to next is controlled by the pro russian separatists and has been since 2015,

but it's the areas around that city to the west of it areas like div car and mary anchor, which we are hearing a lot of shelling, having taken place or taking place this morning. they've also been reports, the russian defense ministry saying that they have a number of what they describe as ukrainian military targets in the call cave region over nights. now of course, the russians say this, but as we saw yesterday that rick hit on those residential areas in odessa, resulting in those debts 8 people killed, including a baby. now, yesterday, we were in another area to the east of a sloppy and scan area called lucy chance with her a number of villages and towns that are being contested, heavy fighting in and around that area. the streets, the city of lucy chunks virtually deserted. however, there are still, as is often the case in areas like this, still

a number of people who either come or refusing to flee the area. the soldiers said there had been a lot in shelling. so we drove into the c chance. slack heaps from one of the many coal mines in the don bass region scar. the skyline military vehicles drive down virtually empty streets. a splintered tree shows where a russian shell exploded. businesses bought it up or destroyed. the sign on the bunker door says children inside, but even the children are no longer here. russian force easy to control or are fighting for control of numerous nearby towns and villages. but as is often the case, there are always a few who refuse or conte fleet, the fighting said a gay and his wife would. miller have lived in lucy chance with their parents for more than 20 years. they pluck potatoes in the spring sunshine set of gay shows as

his boarded, broken windows and the damage shell landing near by did to his home. yes, i have no money. i. he'll live here for years. my wife has jo strokes. where can i go without money except into slavery? our relatives have all flat, some to negro, some to leave. for years only. this shows just how much danger people who remain here in the life dennis goes to the vehicle, been the vehicle around on this coming? so we just drove in to lucy chance can as we were coming in through the outskirts shedding. now that incoming shows lighting very close to building to there's very few civilians on the streets. the military side has been shutting this morning,

but there had been a gap in that shutting and things have been caught. it certainly seems as if there is another escalation happening right now. later, we will back into town using the high walls as cover locals. tell us this home and business was hit the night before. russian forces want control. alyssa chance they have failed so far. down a bank street we find 80000000 year old feudal your call, which i'll show you. why should i leave? could ok. i have no way to go and my wife has left. if the war ends and i am still alive, she might come back. because i don't know to blame for this. kid o stands at his gate as we leave. said again, and lou miller continue working in the garden. the shilling is worse, they say. at night. charles not put out his ear. lucy chanced,

eastern ukraine. at least 12 people have died and another 10 are missing. after 4 boats carrying 120 migrants on refugee sank near to the coast guard rescued. at least 98 people off the coast of fox. it's become a departure point for people seeking a better life in europe. and the coast guard in northern japan says 10 people are confirmed dead after a sightseeing boat when missing in bad weather. helicopters and patrol boats are continuing to search off the coast of hawkeye to island for the 16 others who were on board. the crew sent out a distress call on saturday, saying the boat was sinking high winds and waves had been reported and the water temperature hovers around 2 degrees. government safety inspectors are investigating the vessels owners more than $100.00 people have been killed in southern niger young after an explosion at an illegal oil refinery. it happened overnight in river state. the minister for petroleum says some people were burned beyond recognition.

unemployment is high in the south and the illegal tapping of oil pipelines has become a common source of income. fidelis and bar is in the capital, boucher and says the death toll is likely to rise. some persons who were bonds go to use it and have been taken to hospitals and then some family members took away some of those whose body to recognize for for burial. this incident happen friday night into saturday morning because most of the legal refining of products happen overnight and that's area is actually just on the boundary with reverse it, which is named us or capital. you have a place called, or high g, a man in the most states in felt he's nigerian and the area materials for legal refining of petroleum products. this has greatly over the years, been the problem for government officials because these really go to finding call

centers have come on. does via, you know, i packed by government forces will try to route these prefers from the locations, but they keep coming. not just in the most states, but all across the nigeria, and to some extent it has greatly affected major production over the years. still ahead on al jazeera, severe floods in south africa have re ignited concerns that countries in the way to region aren't doing enough to combat climate change. the making a come back with a bang, the festivities on dancers or back, but this year to some theme dominate brazil carnival ah. the journey has begun the before world copy is on its way to catholic group. your travel package today, the atmosphere sink you about becoming normal,

producing some season, raise just a little bit early, i think. and this is the line that brought significant rain through japan. 80 mary's is about 2 weeks worth of rain in congress. shima and the next pulse is coming out of china now that significant rain south the of the yellow river, making a potential for floods the yangtze, but it's just brief. i think it'll be flash floods. the season hasn't really set in yet. it's hot to the north, beijing is 20 days, well above where it should be, and tokyo back up to 26th. that's how we get to the end of monday. hong kong hovering at 30, again, is above where you might expect for this time of the year. that pulse rate goes across south korea, then heads a lot further north into north honshu or ha carter, and it is all right. it's not snow. we got the real wards now tucked in. unsurprisingly, you follow that line back again into southern china. it looks seasonal, just looks a little early. as for india, the seasonal rain's been showing up in caroline and they've gone away again now the

career backs for lanka. likewise, the big showers in the northeast and bangladesh, they have gone, that's a quiet period. but the plain north, windy, hot and dusty, it's a pre monsoon heat. and you see this sort of scene just as an example in allahabad, but it will be repeated officially, and i'm of the journey with with ah,

the me. hello again. the headlines on al jazeera voters in france, so choosing their next president the far right challenge are marina pan. hubcaps for valid, as you can see in the picture. and then from early numbers, show, turn out of just 26.4 percent down. 2 points from 2017 and the incumbent manual micro just voted a few minutes ago. he's hoping to win a 2nd term. he came away from the last rounds with just under 28 percent of the ukraine's presidential, again called for a meeting, was on representing the war full of landscape says the us, secretaries of state and defense are expected in chief on sunday voting underway in sylvania as well, and what's expected to be a tight parliamentary election there right when populist party prime minister has

cast his ballot, he has been criticized for restricting media, freedom and civil liberties during the pandemic. while his challenger is the renewable energy business man, robert gulf from the freedom movement, party, opinion polls suggest there'll be no clear winner. and the coalition government is expected. nicole lena venture is in the capital with more on the election. a civilian society at the moment is very much divided. it radicalized and polarized. so civilians are today choosing between 2 different paths, 2 different versions of their future. one version, this is future of their future is cooperation within european youth institutions. and the other one is more in venice for supporting young within european union. this is the choice between the young angela for menyon democratic party or at all, but go up free the moment to party young xian shots of indian nationalist. he seeking his 4th term as for union prime minister yankee is a veteran politician,

3 decades in full union, fully fixed. he's a very much controversial politician. he's a strong ally of gary and prime minister victor oregon. and just like orbit is criticized for autocratic, done, this is an autocratic government. on the other side, we have it all ready to go over something completely different, different story. he's businessman manager. he had this with indian state power company for 3 months ago. he decided to enter politics, as he explained because he wants to leave a free and open society. he formed a freedom movement party. unlike young shock, he doesn't want to talk about the ology left in the right division. he wants to talk about the economy, about energy, green transformation, green politics, about sustainable development, about health care system, about building new apartments for young slovenia argentinian farmers of blocked

roads and a capital in protest against export taxes on agricultural products. they have to pay levies of up to 33 percent on exports of soybeans and grains. but they're worried that the government could raise them even higher. terrace above reports from one a series. sh, an income on site elicit he of when a fight is tractors from across the country team to identify as capital to protest . again, government, if i let it off at a man this and they, me less traveled from the province of santa fe. he explained why he and others like him are at risk, not look way penalty in on it. we cannot produce like this. all of us end up renting or forums because small scale farmers and up renting their land to international corporations who can afford to bear the enormous stocks. birds or we have a food prices are rising worldwide driven up by the war in ukraine. this has put argentina, producers on alerts, farmers say taxes, export, taxis,

drought and exchange rate controls are hurting their capacity to produce and fear the government could increase taxes even more. father, the people accompanied the farmers to the center of a city to protest against the administration of a lot of the fight amended. they say they tired of the inflation rated, was close to 7 percent last month, end of the difficulty they pay every month. they're saying that the government has no economic land, and they will grow chrissy and the restrictions implemented by the administration hurting and argentina's productive sector. last march, the government increased export taxis and soybean flower annoying, seeking to control local prices and stabilize the price of wheat to what it was before ukraine's conflict. it also says farmers are overreacting and there are no plans to increase export taxes again, at least for now we'll get an oil to water than see on it. we have an increased export taxes on the producers. so they're marching just in case they're marching

against the project. it on know or imagined could happen. so we have no doubt this is a political demonstration that the has to do with of interest than defendant device of the farmers looking better. i think journalists like might be along on he say, the situation in flames already long running tensions between the government and the agricultural sector come because you know, it died or as the farming sick does in a strange situation. because like most countries in the world where they produce more food than they consume is a chance to make profit. and argentina has a superclass of food and it could export more grain. milken meat and boss and, and teen this case, a bit of prices don't always benefit pharma, the constant trouble between producers and the government. and that's why farmers vowed to continue with their demand. leafy government would help them to use more something they say would benefit argentina, the economy, and the whole world will see that when

a devastating floods recently in south africa highlighted concerns about climate change and whether neighboring countries are doing enough to combat the threat. millions of africans have suffered both floods and droughts in the last 6 months alone from the miller has more from johannesburg, unimaginable destruction homes and lives destroyed or lost as floods ravaged parts of quizlet natal province in recent weeks. and in the aftermath, beaches streets aligned with debris and pollution. at least 443 people were killed in the floods described as the worst. in 60 years, when 2 months worth of rain fell in just 48 hours, causing mud and lance lights, we needs to increase our investment employment adaptation measures. to better safeguard communities against the effects of climate change. the government is calling such natural disasters the new normal,

attributing it mostly to climate change, but environment experts say the devastation may not have been as bad if the government had done more. here in the town of alexandra and to hannah's were thousands of people live alongside river banks and like po areas, while the have been local and global, that is to reduce the effects of climate change. many of those promises have not been kept ex, let's say countries like south africa need to build this a houses, road and drainage and transport systems to adapt to climate change. and key people say, experts say africa's west indian ocean region is vulnerable to extreme weather shocks . parts of madagascar have recently been hit by intense tropical cyclones. while south east of the island drought has decimated crops, killed animals, and displaced thousands of people, causing widespread food shortages. drought has to ravaged parts of zambia,

zimbabwe and south africa. in sodom, madagascar, for example, you have 1.5 to 2000000 people who suffered acute hunger because of drought issues. you have over a 1000000 carcasses from lice livestock heard us, etc. and now with the. busy storms that we have seen about 3 very significant storms happening, a quizlet natal in the space of about 7 years and who has suffered the most. it is really the poor and vulnerable who have one of the dangerous places to put up to how the scene we are going to continue to see this trend happening all across the african continent. it's estimated it will cost billions of dollars to fix the damage caused by the latest flooding in south africa and environmental groups say

severe weather has killed half a 1000000 people in southern africa. in the last 6 months alone. for me de la o 20, johannesburg, south africa, people in senegal have been protesting against poor conditions in hospitals, especially for pregnant women. they've been prompted by the death of a woman who was 9 months pregnant as to so canada and her baby died after she was refused. this is very infection out of public hospital. health workers also went on strike earlier this week. there is outcry in shanghai after government workers built fences around homes, shops and restaurants. there the latest lockdown restrictions aimed at stamping out . coven, 1900 infections. 25000000 people in china's largest city have been ordered to stay indoors for weeks. many say they are suffering from shortages of basic necessities . thousands of dancers, drummers and revelers are marking the return of brazil's world famous carnival. for

many, it's a turning points for the country. after the pandemic put a stop to celebrations for 2 years. on atlantic have reports from rio de janeiro. the thousands of boilers and shimmering costumes are back in the sam bedroom where we are diginero host. it's annual carnival parade, dumped at the world's largest st festivity. but this year's grand use spectacle is anything but typical. oh, it's being held in april, 2 months after carnival season. and it's the 1st since the coven 19 pandemic struck brazil 2 years ago. for a boy's arms a dog medicine we come from 2 years of hardship and loss. many of our dances and sing has died in the pandemic which killed 660000 people in brazil, the world's 2nd largest death toll looked downs severely impacted, and ports were china. we will use to buy material for costumes. the main thing this

year is the fight against racial discrimination in a country that has the largest black population outside of africa. 12 sambas schools are participating in this parade. 8 of them are singing about afro brazilian religions against racism, against intolerance, and in favor of brazilian black rhodes and writes sambo, composers started writing their songs in 2020, just as black lives matter. protesters took to the streets in united states. many say it inspired them to make a political statement about brazil. things which dogs and you, brazil, like the united states, has a date with the descendants of african slaves. it's time we correct this historical injustice. brazil is preparing itself for divisive presidential elections. blacks the count for more than half of the country's population, but they still face exclusion discrimination and religious intolerance. samba

schools paid tribute to their ancestry and to dieties of afro brazilian religions who have come under attack by evan jellico gang in recent years. more, gosh, god, discover many of our temples were destroyed. what religious intolerance is a crime and should be stopped, but the government has turned a blind dye because a political reasons about the president, joy boston aro, has the support of evangelicals and bar, right groups who are threatening democracy and diversity. we have to put for our freedom of faith compared to previous years when millions of people flighted the streets of rio to participate in carnival, the city was quite empty. but the parade still brought a much needed financial revenue to the somber schools. there will be to them, you don't be the pandemic pointed a finger at the social gap between rich and poor black and white. but it also showed us that we're mortal because no matter our color,

our blood is the same and that we should be grateful for those who survive towards the guy. what did what he mean? international audience for this years carnival was smaller. but the themes of social and racial discrimination have struck a chord with brazilians as they prepared to elect. when you, president, in october, monica inactive, al jazeera rio de janeiro. ah, hello again. the headlines on al jazeera francis presidential hopefuls of voted in the final round of the elections incumbent menu on my chrome. cast his ballot and looked okay. he came away from the last round. we're just under 28 percent of the vote. on the far right challenger, marita pan has cast her ballad and northern france, voter turnout, so far as just over 26 percent, which has 2 points lower than in the last presidential elections. in 2017 ukraine's

president has again pushed for a meeting with barbara boots into and the war, despite saying he doesn't trust the russian leader followed him as a lensky.