this is bbc news — broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: president trump warns of new sanctions on north korea over its nuclear and missile tests. with both candidates preparing to contest the final round for the french presidency — the national front‘s marine le pen announces she's stepping aside as party leader. a special report from syria, from a former is stronghold where the militants are losing ground. and why record—breaking commander peggy whitson is feeling out of this world. a very warm welcome to the programme. president trump has called for new un sanctions on north korea over its nuclear and missile programme. hosting ambassadors from the security council, he described north korea as a real threat to the world. the status quo in north korea

is also unacceptable and the council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on north korean nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. this is a real threat to the world, whether we want to talk about it or not. north korea is a big world problem and it's a problem we have to finally solve. people have put blindfolds on for decades and now its time to solve the problem. i got more details just now from our correspondents steve evans in the south korean capital, and nada tawfik in new york. usually we see white house officials go to the senate to brief them, not 100 senators going across to the white house to have a meeting there with the defence secretary, the secretary of state, amongst others. we've also heard that the us house of representatives also wants to be briefed on north korea.

this comes ahead of us officials fearing that north korea may go ahead with a sixth nuclear test, to mark the anniversary — the 85th anniversary — of the founding of their military. and so us officials, we are seeing through donald trump, are saying that all options, including military options, on the table. donald trump has said that all options are on the table, including military options. they have sent an aircraft carrier to north korean waters. but donald trump has been in a flurry of activity, making calls to the chinese president xi and the japanese prime minister shinzo abe, and also calling for tougher sanctions. steve, in seoul — we are hearing from the administration that all options are on the table, but donald trump has been saying that it is a problem that needs to be finally solved. what is the understanding there about what he means by that? people here don't know. when he says that all options on the table, some parts

of the administration are saying not the military one, immediately. there is a lot of strong language from pyongyang. it always comes from pyongyang. but even more from washington, now. but whether there is any change in policy is absolutely not clear. the situation remains that north korea is closer to having an effective nuclear arsenal, though not one capable of reaching the us, at the moment. but there are, on outside estimates, something like 500 artillery pieces within range of seoul. seoul, the greater metropolitan region, is a city of 25 million people, including a us military base. and, obviously, lots of us citizens. previous presidents have decided that attacking north korea could well provoke a serious war, and that risk cannot be taken. what we do not know, with the trump administration,

is whether he is addressing the problem by saying it is very, very serious — but we knew that — and there is a change of attitude towards military action. the washington post quotes a senator, lindsey graham, from south carolina, saying that attacking north korea "would be terrible, but the war would be over there — it wouldn't be here." if that is the atmosphere in washington, then things really have changed. but we don't know if the president himself and those around him do take that view. nada, from there, where do you think this is heading? well, look. we have seen that the us ambassador to the un, nikki haley, has made comments, today, in interviews, saying that they are not looking for a fight with the north korean

leader, kim jong—un, but that if he provokes them, that the military option is still there. but they think if you look, you can see the president trump is really, at the moment, pushing a policy of tougher sanctions, something that his predecessor, president obama, did. and it's something that the security council has been pretty united on in the past. they have pushed to bring tough sanctions. china has all but banned their coal imports from north korea. so we are hearing now that tougher sanctions could include an oil embargo, banning north korean airlines, intercepting some of their cargo ships, so that is one track. the other track is just making sure that the sanctions are actually implemented. but i think with president trump, and seeing where the policy in north korea goes, it will be interesting to see how far he sticks with pushing sanctions. as steve said, too, it'll be interesting to see what mood he gets from the senators when he has the briefing on wednesday.

nada tawfik, in new york, and steve evans, in seoul, joining us there. officials in arkansas have executed the first of two inmates due to be put to death on monday — the supreme court failed to grant a last—minute reprieve. first to be executed was jackjones, convicted of rape, murder and attempted murder. they're now preparing to carry out the death sentence on marcel williams — convicted of kidnap, rape and murder. they are among eight inmates arkansas originally planned to execute in just 11 days this month — because one of the drugs used as a sedative in the lethal mixture is about to become date—expired. france has now entered a period of intense political campaigning between emmanuel macron and marine le pen — the two remaining candidates for the presidency. it's a race that's already transformed the old patterns of french politics — with potentially significant consequences for the future of france and the eu. our europe editor katya adler has the latest.

emmanuel macron, looking presidential. a bit prematurely, perhaps. there's a lot of glad—handing still to be done, two weeks to go before the final vote. financial markets in brussels may think president macron is a done deal. but she doesn't. marine le pen, macron‘s rivalfor president, his rival for french voters‘ trust. a welcome visitor on market day in this forgotten town. she's the people's president, she says, with welfare policies to match. eu to the back of the queue. madam le pen wants out of the euro. she's anti—big business too. it's exactly these images that marine le pen will be chasing throughout her

presidential campaign. her intended message — she's a woman of the people. while her political rival, emmanuel macron, is a remote parisian elitist. marine le pen did well in the north and south—east, areas with high unemployment and low wages. emmanuel macron dominated in wealthy areas and large cities like paris and bordeaux, where his probusiness, pro—eu liberal platform resonates. emmanuel macron was in paris, keen to display his statesmanlike credentials, remembering victims of mass killings in armenia. and while his rival hugged and kissed her way through the crowds, mr macron had onlookers behind cordons — only the press allowed near. political gloves are off. for both candidates, this is the fight of their professional life. they need to win voters outside their traditional support base to make it to the top.

who can pull it off? "i plan to abstain," this man told us. "i don't like either candidate." i will vote for macron even if i don't want him as a president, but i want him more than marine le pen. and france's political establishment, including its current president, has urged all voters, to do the same. translation: the far right would deeply divide france. it would stigmatise some of our fellow citizens because of their origins or religion. it would undermine our liberty and republic. aware of her party's divisive reputation, marine le pen had a surprise announcement. she said she was stepping aside as president of the national front to run for president of all of france. emmanuel macron still has a race to win.

this is an all—or—nothing campaign for both candidates, and in true french style, this promises to be passionate and dramatic. katya adler, bbc news, paris. the battle against the extremist group, the so—called islamic state it is anzac day services are being held in tokyo and across asia to commemorate the date as forces from the australian and new zealand army corps landed in gallipoli in 1915. thousands of soldiers died on all sides during the eight—month campaign in world war i. it is crossed out to our sydney correspondent. can you feel as in more on the background of what we are seeing now? the dawn service at the gallipoli peninsula in turkey began about a0 minutes ago.

dignitaries from australia, new zealand and turkey joining dignitaries from australia, new zealand and turkeyjoining many young australians and many young new zealanders to travel to that part of the world, really, as a pilgrimage to mark the occasion of anzac day. the anzacs were the australian and new zealand army corps and today is a sombre occasion both here in australia and in new zealand and elsewhere stop many people in both countries believe that the courage and sacrifice displayed by those anzac soldiers on the shores of gallipoli in 1915 helped to forge their national characters and that is why today is that such... an important day. marches and parades are being held all around the countries. many people of many nationalities died. that is correct. 0ver nationalities died. that is correct. over 10,000 nationalities died. that is correct. 0ver10,000 australian and new zealand groups, mass casualties

among allied ranks as well. british and irish soldiers and terrible losses for the turkish army as well. what we have seen in recent years is a coming together, both of the australian and new zealand communities and the turkish communities and the turkish communities as well. as we heard, at gallipoli, nations that once fought such terrible battles are now firm friends. and that, in many ways, is what anzac day is all about. the reconciliation of past battles and appreciation of what that service and sacrifice all those years ago means for modern days australia and modern—day new zealand. means for modern days australia and modern—day new zealandm means for modern days australia and modern-day new zealand. it is over a decade now since the last anzac vetera n decade now since the last anzac veteran died but the idea is that these commemorations will continue in the spirit of reconciliation. these commemorations will continue in the spirit of reconciliationlj was in the spirit of reconciliation.” was a backpacker in australia are quite a few years ago and i was working at a farm in the outback and

i met working at a farm in the outback and imeta working at a farm in the outback and i met a gallipoli veteran. it was a rare privilege for a young backpacker from the united rare privilege for a young backpackerfrom the united kingdom. he had many stories to tell but he is long gone. the reputation of the anza cs is long gone. the reputation of the anzacs is still alive and well to this day. remember that anzac day is not just about remembering this day. remember that anzac day is notjust about remembering a battle over 100 years old, it is remembering service men and women who fought in other campaigns in the second world war, in vietnam, in korea. it is worth noting as well that the australian prime minister malcolm turnbull has been visiting australian troops in iraq and afghanistan. that is the last post being played there now at gallipoli. commemorations there at gallipoli. stay with us, if you can on bbc news. we have much more to come. including an astronaut who breaks the record for the number of days

are in space by an american. the extent of the devastation led to calls to build better government housing. internationally, they have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12 year war. they have ta ken the capital which they have been fighting for for so long. it was seven o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority. when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. very good to have you with us. the

latest headlines: president trump warns of new sanctions on north korea over its nuclear and missile tests. with both candidates preparing to contest the final round for the french presidency, the national front‘s marine le pen announces she's stepping aside as party leader. the battle against the extremist group, the so—called islamic state, is intensifying in syria, as forces move towards the group's stronghold of raqqa. territory which was under is control is being retaken, including dabiq, which featured heavily in propaganda videos. 0ur middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, and camerman fred scott, have been to the town in northern syria. in northern aleppo, the so—called islamic state predicted the end of days.

and here, it has come to pass. this is hallowed ground for is. but it's no longer theirs. the tiny village of dabiq was a beacon, drawing in foreign fighters from across the globe. dabiq was a great symbol for the islamic state group. it's here the prophet muhammad said that muslims would defeat the romans. this is also the spot where britain's jihadi john murdered the american—led worker peter kassig. is were right about one thing, though: this is a place of reckoning. —— american aid worker. but it's the place of their defeat, and they've now been driven more than 100 kilometres from here. these days, they don't make much mention of dabiq.

nearby, there's the city of al—bab. is are gone, but there's another enemy for the free syrian army, it's the syrian regime. there's a weary truce on these front lines. the regime are only 115 metres away. air strikes are no longer a threat, but the islamic state's roadside bombs and booby—tra ps are everywhere. the fsa, they're mostly ethnic turks in this part of syria, fought here to drive out is, but also to stop their blood enemies, the kurds, from taking the city. the rebuilding of al—bab is already under way. in syria, it takes a lot of confidence to replace your windows. but the damage done, here, isn'tjust to buildings. it extends deeper, into syria's ethnic fabric. amid the ruins, this was an is headquarters. we find reminders of the victims, the disappeared, the lost, and the dead.

new and rich wells of hatred are being formed. inside these four walls, the country's hopelessness is revealed. rare access to enemies — and sometimes allies — locked up together. in these cells, the prisoners agreed to speak to us. some say they're from is. others, no more than boys, fought for the kurds, with american backing. and some, for president assad, helped by russia. translation: because of the joblessness in syria, i have no salary to look after my children. so i had tojoin the fighting. foreign interference, here, has only caused more destruction. people are killing each other. some say they came to fight for is, others to destroy it. translation: the different people in groups here despise each other more and more. war only increases hatred, it never lessens it. all the prisoners, is included,

have had regular contact with theirfamilies. these men will likely be exchanged in a prisoner swap. the war with is may be approaching an end, but there will be no rest in syria, and the people who make up this country will likely find themselves pushed even further apart. quentin sommerville, bbc news, northern aleppo. the american astronaut peggy whitson has broken the record for the number of days spent in space by an american. president trump telephoned her to congratulate her on beating the previous record of 53a days. greg dawson reports. white house? this is mission control, houston. like so many long—distance calls, it got off to a slightly awkward start. do you hear me?

after a few pauses to work out the delay on the line... yes, sir, we have you loud and clear. ..the president was on prescription as he congratulated dr peggy whitson. commander peggy whitson, you have broken the record for the most total time spent in space by an american astronaut. 53a days, and counting. earlier this month, dr whitson was made commander of the international space station for the second time in her career. she made her maiden spaceflight 15 years earlier. so what could she teach the self—confessed germaphobe president about the practicalities of space? water is such a precious resource up here that we also are cleaning up owuor in and making it drinkable. and it's really not as bad it as sounds. well that's good, i'm glad to hear that. better you than me.

donald trump was keen to find out when space travel to mars will be possible. upon hearing it would be at least a couple of decades away, he gave an ambitious response. well we want to try and do it during my first term, or at worst, during my second term, so we'll have to speed that up a little bit, 0k? doctor whitson is due to return in september, and should not be too surprised if she gets a surprise to the oval office, to distract the president from the rigours of the dayjob. i have been dealing with politicians all day, these people are so much more impressive, you have no idea. greg dawson, bbc news. after 26 miles, a helping hand

summed up the spirit of the marathon shared by so many. how are you feeling's they spoke through their last tough and hard steps. i went to the ground. it was desperate, really — really desperate. but thankfully, matthew came along. and i helped him up and his legs went again, so i realised that i was going to have to stay with him to make sure that he did get to that finish line. ..to see it through to the conclusion of this 26 mile 385—yard course. what did you actually say to him? i was like shouting in his ear,

saying, "come on, on, you can do this, it's 200 metres, we will finish, i'll stay with you!" maybe i was a bit overzealous with of my support, but, er... no, it was wonderful, it was needed, it was needed to kind of hit home. matthew was clear in knowing, if he leaves me, there's a chance that they willjust whisk me off, they won't get me along the finish. and that'sjust, you know, it'sjust so nice, he's such a gentleman for doing that. the killer question — roles reversed, would you have done the same, david? oh, my goodness. it's... i honestly... that is... you're the first person to ask me that today, and that is such a good question. i haven't given it a moment's thought. i'd love to think i would. a question we could all consider. these are too competitive runners putting in good times, both under three hours. what the public see there is the spirit of the london community. and this happens all over the place. it just community. and this happens all over the place. itjust happened at this

point with cameras trained on us. capturing that moment. a new friendship, forged before more races to come. maybe next time, the good samaritan will finish ahead. it was the wobbly pair of legs and finish first. but taking part is more important than winning, right? and they have already shown that. just briefly, that menus again. president trump has warned of new sanctions on north korea over its nuclear and missile tests. —— main news. and officials in arkansas have executed the first of two inmates due to be put to death. the supreme court failed to give a last—minute reprieve. it is the first double execution in the us in 16 years. jakejones execution in the us in 16 years. jake jones was execution in the us in 16 years. jakejones was the execution in the us in 16 years. jake jones was the first to be executed, convicted of rape, murder, and it attended murder. when the stand they are now carrying out the

execution on the next president. hello. we may be hurtling towards the end of april, but the weather feels like it has plunged us back into winter. a very chilly feel over the next couple of days. a frosty start to tuesday. plenty of wintry showers around, and this cold air has come all the way from the arctic. it has worked its way southwards across the british isles, brought in our direction by pretty strong northerly winds. notice the tightly squeezed isobars across the north and north—east of scotland, particularly. gales here, at times, and in areas exposed to that northerly wind, we start off tuesday with lots of showers. northern half of scotland seeing a mixture of rain, sleet, hail and snow. most of the snow over high ground, but even to low levels there could be snow for a time. some icy stretches, as well, in some of those showers across north—east england. also some showers feeding into northern ireland.

but for south—west scotland, down the spine of england, we start the day with fewer showers, more in the way of dry weather and sunshine. chilly, though — three degrees in birmingham and coventry, and some showers feeding into cornwall and devon. and as we go on through the day, the showers will gradually become more widespread across the country, so just about anywhere you could catch one. the odd rumble of thunder, some rain, some sleet, some hail, some snow, mostly over the hills. 7—13 degrees on the thermometer, but on the strength of the winds, take aberdeen, for example, it will feel freezing even in the middle of the afternoon. another cold night to come, tuesday night into wednesday. the showers, though, becoming mostly confined to eastern areas. again, some of them will be wintry. these are the temperatures to expect if you live in the middle of our big towns and cities. out in the countryside, we are looking at lows of minus six or minus seven, a widespread frost. but some subtle changes into wednesday. this ridge of high pressure begins to build its way in from the west,

and that will cut off the worst, if you like, of that biting northerly wind, so maybe not as chilly on wednesday. still some showers, but most of these across eastern areas. some sunshine, as well, but thicker cloud starting to roll into northern ireland and western scotland. a few spots of rain. it will mostly be rain, because temperatures will be creeping upwards. 10 degrees in stornoway. and that is the story for the end of the week, the cold air slowly but surely being eroded by some milder air pushing in from the atlantic. so we can expect those temperatures to begin to creep upwards through thursday and friday. there will be fewer showers, often a lot of cloud, but those temperatures returning to something closer to what we would expect at this time of year. this is bbc world news. the headlines: president trump has called for new un sanctions on north korea over its nuclear and missile programme. hosting ambassadors from the security council, he said north korea was a real threat to the world. france has entered a period of intense political campaigning between emmanuel macron

and marine le pen, the two remaining candidates for the presidency. marine le pen has announced she is stepping aside as party leader of the national front. as forces in syria move towards the stronghold of the extremist group the so—called islamic state, territory held by is is being retaken, including dabiq, which featured heavily in propaganda videos. anzac day services are being held. peggy whitson has broken the record for the number of days spent in space by an american astronaut, beating the previous record of 53a days. she is also the first woman to command the international space station on two missions. now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk.