hello and thanks for being with us. the people of france go to the polls in a matter of hours for the first round of one of the most important and unpredictable presidential elections of recent times. combating terrorism is a key issue after the killing of a police officer in the capital on thursday. additional security forces will back up around 50,000 police officers nationwide for sunday's vote. lucy williamson reports from paris. in the lull before france's presidential vote, those out campaigning today weren't supporting politicians. this rally was for the police. black balloons for those killed in the line of duty. pink for the family they leave behind. their message, the police

need protecting too. i am a wife of policeman and i am very, very angry because i love him and i don't want that someone come here and kill him like that. one of the balloons was for xavierjugele, attacked on the champs—elysee on thursday night by a lone gunmen with an automatic weapon targeting policemen in the heart of paris. xavier was on duty near the bataclan during the 2015 paris attacks and went back for a concert when the hall reopened one year on, where he spoke to a bbc reporter. that's why we are here with my friend to celebrate life and to say no to terrorism. the police union say their members need protecting from everyday risks too. exhaustion, overwork and stress. the state of emergency following a string of attacks here has taken its toll.

boosting police numbers has been an issue for the presidential campaigns. but this election has gone beyond questions of security, the economy or immigration. it's opened up a debate about the meaning of french values and how to define being french. this campaign has offered voters vastly different visions for their future and the race between candidates has been tight. so why are so many people expected to abstain? when you ask them why they refuse to vote, they always tell you the same thing. "they are all the same, they lie to us, we have tried everything, nothing changes," which are political arguments. it's not because they don't care, it's because they care a lot. across the country, buildings are being reborn as polling stations for tomorrow's vote. what happens here could shape the political future of europe.

after all the rhetoric and all the surprises, it's time for france to decide. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. there is of course much more on our website about the french presidential election. including profiles of all the main candidates. just go to to bbc.com/news. and from 5:30pm gmt on sunday afternoon there will special coverage across the bbc as france decides. the afghan government has declared a day of national mourning following one of the deadliest single attacks on a military base since the fall of the taliban back in 2001. more than 100 soldiers were killed or wounded when ten militants stormed the base near the city of mazar—e—sharif. justin rowlatt reports. it was during afternoon prayers that two suicide bombers blasted open the entrance to this army base in the north of afghanistan. at least eight other fighters dressed in afghan army uniforms used

heavy machine—guns to attack the dining area of the base and the mosque. the taliban has claimed responsibility and issued this picture of the men it claims were behind it. one was captured, the rest are now dead. afghan troops have been pouring in to secure the area today. the afghan president, ashraf ghani, visited dozens of the injured in a local hospital. the attack took the troops by surprise and the battle that followed lasted for five hours. translation: when i came out of the mosque after prayers, three people with army uniforms and an army vehicle started shooting at us. islamic tradition requires that burials take place as soon as possible and the bodies of many of the victims have already been placed in coffins. the assault on the army base

is a shocking reminder ofjust how tough the ongoing battle in afghanistan is. last month, an afghan army helicopter landed special forces troops on the roof of the military hospital in kabul after it was stormed by gunmen disguised as doctors. around 50 people died in that attack. 2.5 years after the international combat mission in afghanistan ended, and the taliban now controls more than a third of the country. and with casualties amongst the afghan forces running at almost 7,000 a year, there are questions about how long the afghan army can continue to defend the ground it still holds. justin rowlatt, bbc news. don't forget you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm@tomdonkinbbc

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: rolling out the white blanket. the ski resort‘s latest weapon in the battle against rising temperatures. here in the uk, disagreements over tax policy have deepened as leading politicians hit the 2017 general election trail on the first weekend of the campaign. the british prime minister, theresa may, refused to say whether she would raise income tax, vat or national insurance. meanwhile, the labour leader jeremy corbyn promised if he wins onjune eighth the tax burden will fall on those with the broadest shoulders. here's our political correspondent ben wright. get ready for the knock at your door. today, the prime minister took her campaign message to dudley, and one voter may have spoken for many. i couldn't understand why you called an election with three years to go. i think we need... ineed... i want a stronger negotiating hand,

the strongest possible negotiating hand in europe. but this general election is notjust about brexit and all the parties are rapidly writing manifestos full of pledges and promises. the issue of tax will of course be prominent, and theresa may was asked whether she would be keeping the tories‘ 2015 manifesto pledge not to raise any of the three main taxes. at this election, people are going to have have a very clear choice, they will have a choice between a conservative party which always has been, is, and will continue to be a party that believes in lower taxes, in keeping taxes down for ordinary working people, or the choice is a labour party whose natural instinct is always to raise taxes. two years ago, david cameron said there would be no vat, national insurance or income tax rises. theresa may's comments today suggest that guarantee might not be in the new manifesto, and it follows the chancellor philip hammond

yesterday saying he wanted more flexibility in managing the economy. good morning, everybody. today is flying—start saturday in our general election campaign. already on his eighth campaign visit of the election, jeremy corbyn was in warrington. nice to meet you. good to see you too. a lovely house. it's quite nice. wooing voters, insisting the election was not a foregone conclusion and sketching out labour's own approach to taxes. we will produce our manifesto very soon and you will see all the details in that. but i'll tell you this, our tax burdens will not fall on those on low incomes, our tax burdens will fall there, they will fall on those with the broadest shoulders who can bear the greatest burden. the liberal democrats haven't set out their tax plans yet either, but warn more money will be needed. one thing is absolutely clear, whoever‘s in government is going to have to increase taxation because the effect of brexit will be to slow down

the economy, reduce government revenue, so more taxes are going to have to be raised. the tories are going to have to raise taxes, it was very clear from the budget. the question is how it's done. where i would start is not with those taxes but with corporation tax. at the last election, more than 50 snp mps were swept into westminster, and today, the party announced all but two of them, who sit as independents, have been reselected as candidates this time round in an election that will soon have competing policies to flesh out the slogans. ben wright, bbc news. the leader of germany's anti—immigration party alternative fur deutschland, or afd, has suffered a crushing defeat as delegates at a conference refused to support her plans to appeal to the wider public. frauke petry, who will not be the party's candidate in september's election, had asked delegates at its annual conference in cologne to vote to become more mainstream and forge partnerships

with other parties. translation: i understand that delegates wanted to concentrate on policies, but it's a mistake not to discuss the future political strategy of the party. a political strategy and a party programme go hand in hand. outside the conference, thousands of anti—afd protestors clashed with police. two officers were injured as they tried to protect delegates entering the building. jenny hill has been watching the day's events in cologne. it's been a day of protests here in cologne against germany's most controversial political party. you can see that the demonstrators are starting to disperse now, but there were tens of thousands of people on the streets of cologne today, many of them held back from the city centre hotel where that conference is happening by armed police officers, some of them in riot gear. in fact, two officers, we're told, were injured during minor scuffles, although, by and large, the protests have passed off peacefully. far more fractious, it has to be said, was the mood inside the conference hall, and that's because afd is really a party in crisis.

not only is it slipping in the polls, it seems that its very fierce anti—islam, anti—immigrant platform is no longer enough to attract the german electorate. but it's also a party bitterly divided over its future political direction. and there's still a great deal of discussion about how the party is going to move forward. if you look at the polls, afd is still on course to win seats in the general election. but really, its chances of significant political success rest now on whether it can come together, agree, if you like, on, first of all, a candidate to go into that election to stand against angela merkel, but perhaps, more importantly, to agree on the very political identity of the party itself. emergency teams have been despatched to contain an oil spill on one of the canary islands. that's after a ferry crashed into underwater fuel pipes. a two—mile long slick is threatening the coast around las palmas on gran canaria and telde,

which is further south. sarah corker has the latest. the ferry had just left port when it suddenly lost power, adrift and at the mercy of the see it crashed through the harbour wall. 140 passengers were on board the friday night crossing from las palmas to tenerife. after the ordeal, one woman is helped off the ship but suddenly drops to the floor. up to five people suffered minor injuries. in daylight, the scale of the damage became clear. the collision damaged fuel pipes, releasing oil into the sea. the nearly two—mile oil spill is focused around las palmas and stretches down the coast to telde, the two main towns on the spanish resort island of gran canaria. this is what's left of the ship's bow after the collision. while on saturday the government temporarily shut down a water plan to avoid contamination of drinking water. emergency teams are now working

to contain the oil spill. sarah corker, bbc news. a huge security operation in france with tens of thousands of police and soldiers on duty for the presidential election. theresa may says the conservatives are a low—tax party but labour says any tax rises must be borne by those with the broadest shoulders. more on our top story now, the presidential election election in france. the bbc‘s karin giannone is in paris and has been assessing the mood of voters ahead of the vote. today is the day of political silence, the campaign's over and politicians have gone quiet and it is a chance for the french to catch their breath after months of relentless campaigning. it is a normal scene on this street market on the boulevard saint—germain in paris, a very affluent area of the capital. but the background to all this is anything but normal, france is under a state of emergency and then there was the terror attack on thursday night which left

a policeman dead just a couple of miles from here. so how much is all that weighing on voters‘ minds as they prepare to cast their ballots tomorrow? translation: the attack hasn't changed anything for me. we'd already taken it into account. there have already been quite a few events like this. it's just more of the same. translation: i've had the same idea about voting since childhood, same as my parents, we've never changed. i'm absolutely certain. all the kids are voting, everyone is voting. vive la france! translation: even if you're not that enthusiastic about any one candidate, you have to go and vote. it's your duty a citizen. and for the second round especially, even more than the first. so the scene here at least is very much what france is known best for, buying good food, sitting outside cafes, drinking coffee, wine and beer, but the run—up to this election

has been so extraordinary, so dramatic and unpredictable, there's absolutely no way of knowing what the outcome of sunday's first round will be. tens of thousands of people have taken part in marches across the world, as part of a global day of action in support of science. many of those taking part were demonstrating against what they see as mounting political attacks on scientific facts. the event began in new zealand and australia, before people took to the streets across europe. one of the largest gatherings was in washington dc — from where our correspondent, laura bicker sent this report. scientists usually steer clear of politics butjust metres from the white house, thousands gathered to celebrate and defend their work. # stand up tall, stand up strong. this is the first time the annual

march for science has had a presence in the us capital. 0rganisers said their message wasn't aimed solely at donald trump but clearly some thought it was a good time to protest planned cuts to environmental programmes. science must shape policy. science is universal. science brings out the best in us. with an informed optimistic view of the future together, we can, dare i say it, save the world! cheering in a statement, donald trump said that his administration is: he added: in london, the star of doctor who, peter ca paldi, joined thousands of physicists, astronomers and biologists to highlight the role science plays in everyday life. demonstrators took to the streets in over 500 cities around the world including sydney, berlin and geneva.

many are protesting what they see as an alarming trend among politicians to discredit scientific research. this little girl travelled from flint, michigan to try and speak, however scary that might be. i am a flint kid and i believe in science because... scientists discovered that thousands of people discovered in flint had been drinking water with high levels of lead, burning their skin and making them sick. listen to me. when we don't believe in science, and especially when our government doesn't believe in science, kids get hurt. that's what happened in flint. for the sake of flint kids and for all over this world, i march for science. cheering the rallies have generated debate in the us about whether or not

scientists should involve themselves in politics but organisers in washington said now was the time to ensure their voices are heard. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. the american vice—president has confirmed that the us will honour a promise by former president 0bama — to accept more than 1,200 refugees from australian detention camps. after meeting the prime minister in sydney, mike pence also spoke about north korea's nuclear ambitions. he said an american naval armada would be in the sea of japan "before the end of this month". hywel griffith reports from sydney. in australia they call it the mateship, the special relationship which has seen it fight side—by—side with the us for nearly a century. and, with tension rising on the korean peninsula, america wants to reaffirm those old alliances. after false claims and confusion of the whereabouts of its aircraft carrier, the vice president today said the uss carl vinson was now on the way to the sea of japan, building up its capabilities

in the region. the one thing that nations, most especially the regime in north korea, should make no mistake about is that the united states has the resources, the personnel and the presence in this region of the world to see to our interests, and to see to the security of those interests, and our allies. military might was backed up with some diplomatic pressure, a joint call on china to impose economic sanctions. it is self—evident that china has the opportunity, and we say the responsibility, to bring pressure to bear on north korea, to stop this reckless and dangerous trajectory upon which they are embarked. the fate of hundreds of refugees was also on the agenda.

the agreement for america to resettle those at australia's offshore detention centres in nauru and manus island has been questioned by president trump. a "dumb deal", in his words, but one which he will honour. let me make it clear, the united states intends to honour the agreement, subject to the results of the vetting processes that now apply to all refugees considered for admission to the united states of america. the vice president will leave australia knowing he is likely to retain its support. whatever the next few months may bring, the mateship unlikely to waver. hywel griffith, bbc news, sydney. as the alpine ski season draws to a close, one of the big problems facing resorts is the effect of rising temperatures — causing glaciers to melt. some have receded by a quarter over the last a0 years. sara thorn—ton has travelled — to the austrian alps — to a resort built on a glacier where experts are going to great lengths to stop it melting. for tens of millennia,

this tyrolean glacier has carved its way slowly through the alps. a century and a half ago, it covered almost six square miles. now, it's less than a third of that. well, i'm the on the top of the stubai glacier, in the austrian alps, at around 3,000 metres high. it's an area that is very popular for skiing, and actually, there are about 80 separate glaciers in this area. but there's a problem, because in the last few years, scientists have realised there has been an unprecedented glacial melt. so the question's now are how serious is that melt, and what can they do to stop it? doctor andrea fischer is a world—renowned glaciologist who has made it her life's work to halt the decline of this glacier. and she's hit upon an exciting answer, a blanket, preventing ice melt. on a very small, very local scale, we could prevent some very tiny glacial areas by covering it

with geotextiles during summer. but only 1% of glacial area in ski resorts can be protected by this method, and of course, it's very cost—intensive, and it needs much labour. to save 1% of the glacier seems almost futile. but with the local economy relying on skiing and tourism here, officials say it's worth it. it is expensive, but it is more expensive to do it not. so i think the cost of this protection is around 300,000 euros. the result is very good. on average, the melting is about one metre, or 1.5 metres, and with this, it protects more than 50%. there are 5,000 alpine glaciers in the world, and some scientists predict that, at the current rate of melting, in 20 years half of them will be gone, and those that are left will be much smaller.

but it's far from clear if this expensive, local solution can work on a global scale. bbc news. a man who's spent seven years cycling around the world for charity has finally returned to the uk. during the 43,000 mile journey, leigh timms came face to face with a bear in canada, went without water in the australian outback and cycled through temperatures of minus a0 celsius in tibet. he returned to a hero's welcome as simon ward reports. this has been an epicjourney. leigh timmis has cycled through 50 countries in a seven—year ride around the world. today, it ended where it all began. he cycled into derby to be reunited with his mother. to be in tibet alone with no one to help surrounded by a desert, that's when you realise how small you are in comparison to nature, that is the most astounding thing. after coming face to face

with a bear and having his belongings stolen, he was relieved to be back home safely in derby. it was lovely to be able to touch him physically and know he is safe and sound. he was only 20—30 miles down the road last night, but to have him back safe and sound is fantastic. sailing through six metre waves, storms and getting bashed around in the middle of the ocean. you realise how small you are. three people in a small boat. just the things you have. he has raised nearly £10,000 for charity so far. we have no funding from local authorities. it is entirely charity. we have lifted the amount of children we have taken each year from a50 to nearly 700—750. we are expanding operations. he hasn't decided what he will do next, but it will be difficult to top such an amazing adventure. simon ward, bbc news, derby. next on bbc news, the weather with

pharaoh keith lucas. hello there. with clear skies for many of us overnight, sunday dawns on quite a chilly note. there will be a touch of frost for some rural parts. this was the sunset on saturday evening, taken by one of our weather watchers in south ayrshire, showing the beautiful blue skies. cloud will increase across this part of the world as we head through the day on sunday, so turning cloudier across northern and western scotland, with a few showers. also some cloud across southern counties of england, and for northern ireland, too. it is, of course, the london marathon on sunday. after a fairly fresh start to the day, by the afternoon, temperatures in the mid—teens. it should be fairly cloudy, but we are expecting it to remain dry. there is just the outside chance, though, of a passing shower in london. so this is 9am, then. you can see quite a lot of cloud across devon and cornwall, up towards east anglia,

too, but there will be some brightness around. temperatures around eight or nine degrees at 9:00am, with some cloud across northern england and southern scotland, too. northern ireland starts off a bit cloudier, and that cloud also pushing in across the west of scotland, with some scattered showers across northern parts of scotland. now, moving through the day, then, not a bad day for most of us. it is looking predominantly dry, probably the best of the sunshine in a swathe through parts of northern england, the midlands, and across wales. a bit more cloud to the south of that, but most places staying dry. just that small hint of perhaps a passing shower in london for the marathon, of course, temperatures here up to around 16 degrees for the middle of the afternoon. further north, more in the way of cloud, and outbreaks of rain, too, down to the fact that we've got this frontal system approaching from the north. that will bring quite a change in weather type as we head through into the new working week. first thing monday morning, in the countryside it, will be very chilly in the far north, particularly across parts of scotland. could be as low as minus four degrees first thing in the morning. and during the day, that cold air filters in across parts of scotland,

then into northern ireland, too. some wintry showers in the north. further south, across england and wales, cloud, outbreaks of rain. but we are still in the milder air here, around 16 degrees or so, whereas further north, only around 6—9 celsius. then, as those fronts slip away towards the south, heading towards tuesday, colder air pushes down across all of us, so we return to a quite wintry feel during the course of tuesday, i think, with that cold, northerly wind. there will be quite a lot of dry, bright weather, with showers particularly towards the east, and a bit of a wintry flavour to those showers. temperatures at best for most of us around eight or nine degrees. could be up to around 13, though, in the far south—east. so that wintry theme continues into the middle of the week. still cold for wednesday and thursday, with wintry showers and night—time frosts. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm tom donkin. france is under tight security as the country prepares for sunday's presidential elections. 50,000 police and 7,000 soldiers are being deployed to protect voters. it follows the killing of a police officer in central paris on thursday night.

the president of afghanistan has declared sunday as a day a mourning for the victims of the taliban attack on a military base close to the northern city of mazar—i—sharif. dozens of soldiers were killed when the militants fired on them in a canteen and as they left a mosque. emergency teams have been despatched to contain an oil spill on one of the canary islands after a ferry crashed into underwater fuel pipes. a three—kilometre long slick is threatening the coast around las palmas on gran canaria, and telde further to the south. 140 passengers and crew were on board at the time. now on bbc news, it's dateline london. hello and welcome to dateline.

theresa may, who became britain's prime minister less than a year ago after the country voted to leave the european union, has called a general election — three years earlier than she needed to. in brussels, they said her shock announcement was a twist worthy of hitchcock. the french have experienced quite a few plot twists of their own as the presidential election looms into view. with a crowded field of 11 candidates, a second round is likely. if so, we'll know by the end of sunday which two will go through. with me to discuss britain, france and all the rest, are alex deane, a conservative commentator, michael goldfarb writes