this is bbc news, i'm karin giannone reporting live from paris. it's the final day of campaigning in the french presidential election, with both candidates on the campaign trail. i'mjames menendez in london. also in the programme, president trump celebrates after the house of representatives passes the republican‘s health bill. the vote marks his first legislative victory and goes some way to keeping a key campaign promise. this is, make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of obamacare, make no mistake about it. make no mistake. we're with iraqi forces as they open up a new front in their fight to dislodge the islamic state group from mosul. to stay or to leave? yep, the big boss of one of the world's largest banks, goldman sachs, tells the bbc about his preparations for a world after brexit. that's coming up in

an exclusive interview. and as you've been hearing, it's the last day of campaigning before france elects their next president, and i tell you what, it's a biggie for europe. so we're going to look at how each one plans to run the eurozone‘s second—biggest economy. hello, and welcome to bbc news. good morning from paris. in a matter of hours, it will all be over. at midnight tonight, campaigning officially ends. and what a badtempered campaign it has been, culminating in that televised debate between the two candidates, emmanuel macron and marine le pen. one of the

most badtempered in french presidential election history. it has even resulted in the front—runner, emmanuel macron, filing a lawsuit because of rumours on the net that he has an offshore bank account in the caribbean. he disputes that, he says that his fake news. here's gavin lee from albi, in southern france. it has been an intense and sometimes oblique campaign between the two candidates. as much about personal animosity as about the policies that separates them. emmanuel macron, she labelled him the bankers‘ choice representing the rich, and relatively inexperienced. he is taking legal action over online rumours that he has a secret bank account in the caribbean. translation: it is what is called fa ke translation: it is what is called fake news. it can confuse people who are only experiencing the campaign through social media, and who often face false information. when it comes to subjects as serious as this

one you have to react immediately. that is why i am taking legal action today. and marine le pen. he accused her of scaring french voters with the lies and populist tricks, labelling her the high priestess of fear. the bitter pre—election war of words continued on the campaign trail yesterday. translation: words continued on the campaign trailyesterday. translation: the french know all too well that putting emmanuel macron in office will put the lid on the cauldron which is boiling with french discontent. debate and drama aside, the french polls have been predict in an emmanuel macron win for two weeks, with around 60% of the vote. but many regions are still split. in the north, marine le pen, while narrowly avoiding being halted with eggs, was also cheered on as she promised to make france proud again. —— pelted with eggs. while emmanuel macron told a crowd he would represent all ages as france's youngest president. how are you

feeling? you must be exhausted! how are you feeling tonight? can you win? i think so. this is the town of albi. emmanuel macron is just leaving. he is amongst friends here, because they voted for him. he looked exhausted. he says he feels he has a chance to be president. much of the south voted for marine le pen. they could be looking at the future president, but it is still close. today is the last day of campaigning before sunday's election. neither side is giving much away of how they will be canvassing for the all—importa nt last—minute votes. but based on theircampaigns, last—minute votes. but based on their campaigns, both promised a revolution. —— thomas. —— promise. so as the sun comes up here on the

final day of the campaign, we can speak to a french journalist and commentator. what will the candidates be doing to make the most of these final hours? they will be in and out of the cast studios, trying to make their final appeals for votes, effectively. —— broadcast studios. the rallies are over, the speeches and the debates are over. this is the last chance to get their message across to as many people as possible. emmanuel macron will give his last interview to a media organisation, an independent one thatis organisation, an independent one that is rather antiosystem if you like. —— anti—system. it challenges the mainstream media and fits in with a self—styled image of emmanuel macron, the man who wants to shake up macron, the man who wants to shake up system. marine le pen will be giving her last interviews to more traditional media organisations like the radio station rtl. and then on saturday, there will be radio silence, where both candidates will go quiet, effectively, and then they

will reappear again on sunday morning, when they will be casting their votes. marine le pen will cast her vote in the north, and emmanuel macron in a town where he owns a home. they will then both head back to paris, separately i should say, for the final results in the evening. lots of people are still reeling from the intensity of that debate on wednesday night. has it changed anything? debate on wednesday night. has it changed anything ?|j debate on wednesday night. has it changed anything? i think it gave a big boost to emmanuel macron‘s ambition to become the 25th president of the french republic. he was very intense, the debate was very intense, and nasty at times. there was a lot of invective and insults thrown by marine le pen at emmanuel macron, and that is what the french media reported on on thursday, including false claims made by marine le pen, which emmanuel macron‘s lawyers are looking at the moment. it must be said that emmanuel macron came across as rather... he was on top of

his facts. he looked the part. he effectively looked presidential, restrained, and in charge. that reflected in the polling the next day, which puts him in favour at up by 63%. —— up at 63%. day, which puts him in favour at up by 6396. -- up at 6396. 6396 saying they would vote for him, or that he did better in the debate? that he did better in the debate? that he did better in the debate? that he did better in the debate. did the broader polls change much? a couple of percentage points of balance in his favour? he is predicted to win by 60%. but both of them now face the task of convincing the remaining 18- 20% of the the task of convincing the remaining 18— 20% of the electorate that remains undecided. these are the kinds of votes that are likely to swing elections. having said that, one must say that technically all of emmanuel macron‘s voters are floating voters, because they would not have voted for him before the

first round of the election. they would not have even heard of the front national one year ago, before it was created. whereas marine le pen‘s party has been around since 1972. historically they can muster around 30% of the vote. she got 20% of the vote in the first round. it has to be said that she has got a long way to go to get the 50% but she needs to victory. thank you for your time. just a reminder, she needs to victory. thank you for yourtime. justa reminder, on she needs to victory. thank you for your time. just a reminder, on the bbc website there is lots more on the french elections in these final hours of the campaign, as well as what the presidency means for france and beyond. we will keep you up to date with all the development is in the french presidential election and you can also find out more about the economic challenges the country faces, and how the two candidates differ on world affairs. that is all on our website. for now, back to you in london. president trump has finally notched up his first major legislative win — the first stage in repealing barack obama's signature

achievement, the affordable care act. the house of representatives has narrowly passed the republicans' replacement for obamacare. but how quickly the new bill becomes law — indeed, whether it does at all — is a whole other question. it will face a very tight vote in the senate. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. the moment atjust after 2:00 this afternoon in washington, when trumpcare became a thing. the ayes are 217. the nays are 213. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. shame, shame, shame, shame. but outside, a rather different scene, as protesters chant, "shame." this fight isn't over yet. getting the measure through the senate is going to be every bit as tough. because, as today's debate showed, this is a deeply divisive issue. so, i ask you, my colleagues, does trumpcare lower health costs? no. does trumpca re provide better healthcare? no.

does trumpca re protect seniors and families? no. has panto season come to politics? yes. are we going to be men and women of our word? yes. are we going to keep the promises that we made? yes. or are we going to falter? thank you. in the rose garden this afternoon, the president beamed. a time for fist pumps and hugs with the speaker. this is an important legislative victory. this is a great plan. i actually think it will get even better. this is, make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of obamacare, make no mistake about it. make no mistake. they're dancing a happy dance at the white house today. but he extraordinary thing about this vote is that there's been no independent assessment done on who will be affected, in what way, and what the costs will be. by the time this gets to the senate, that will have happened. and that could affect whether obamacare really does become trumpcare.

jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. eight brazilian men have beenjailed for planning islamist attacks at the rio olympics and using the internet to promote the extremist group, the so—called islamic state. they were arrested shortly before the beginning of the games, in august, when the fbi alerted brazilian authorities. the ringleader was jailed for 15 years, the others 5 to 6. russia, turkey and iran have signed an agreement to establish four safe zones in syria. the proposals drawn up by moscow were agreed by delegates at a second day of peace negotiations in kazakhstan. representatives of the syrian armed opposition walked out of the talks, saying they could not accept the plan. counting is continuing following local elections in britain that are being seen as a key indicator as to how next month's general election might go. voters across england, scotland and wales have been choosing local councillors and mayors.

time for business. good morning, aaron. fellow, jim. how are you? i wa nt to aaron. fellow, jim. how are you? i want to talk about the french economy, but apparently i have to eat up this exclusive interview we have. it is exclusive, apparently. he isa have. it is exclusive, apparently. he is a big cheese. but it isjust an interview. the big boss, the chief executive of goldman sachs, there he is, has warned that london will "stalled" because of the risks of brexit. —— will "stall". lloyd blankfein told the bbc that the company was developing contingency plans to move some of its 6,500 employees out of the capital depending on the outcome of the negotiations. mr blankfein was talking exclusively to our economics editor, kamal ahmed, and that interview is coming in world business report. i bet you can't wait. you stay

tuned. that is coming up in about 17 minutes. iam tuned. that is coming up in about 17 minutes. i am going to bring that to you. a couple of minutes, that is all. the french presidential election is entering its last days before the final round of voting at the weekend. cadidates marine le pen and emmanuel macron have promised to bring renewal to french politics. one key issue throughout the campaign has been the economy. here's a reminder of the competing visions the candidates are trying to sell. emmanuel macron wants spending cuts of 60 billion euros — that's $66 billion — over five years, with a 50 billion euro stimulus package over the same period. he also wants to lower taxes and extend the welfare state. he says he could still keep france's deficit below the eu's limit of 3% of gdp and would cut 50,000 statejobs. marine le pen has been very critical of austerity. she has pledged to cut taxes for households and increase welfare benefits for the working class. she intends to pay for these measures with savings by withdrawing from the euro and reducing immigration. she says that once france is out of the euro she would get

its central bank to print more money to bring down the country's debt. the french unemployment rate is stubbornly high at 10%. emmanuel macron wants to invest in training and apprenticeships, especially for the young. mr macron wants to introduce flexibility on overtime and 35—hour working week. marine le pen wants to maintain the 35—hour week and lower the retirement age from 62 to 60, and also make overtime tax—free. the rest of the world are increasing

it, she wants to lower at! —— it. there you go. lots more coming up on world business report in 15 minutes. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come, it's the great french baguette bake—off, as parisian bakers vie to become the official supplier to the new president. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby serve to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes.

memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: it's the final day of campaigning in the french presidential election, with both candidates on the campaign trail. president trump has scored a victory after congress took the first step towards scrapping barack obama's flagship health plan. in the wake of the healthcare vote, donald trump returned to his home city of new york for

the first time as president. he met the australian prime minister malcolm turnbull on board a former aircraft carrier, to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of coral sea, in which american and australian navies fought japan. here's our new york correspondent, nick bryant. new york likes to pride itself on its welcoming tradition. it was not extended last night to its home—town president. many of these protesters regard donald trump as the city's least favourite child. he does not belong in this city and is a traitor. i want to get back to what feels to me like a normal america. i wish he would never come back at all ever, never, ever. new york has seen large anti—trump protesting. this was small by the standards of the big apple. a handful of supporters also turned out to greet him. welcome home.

donald trump has not stepped foot in new york for 107 days, the longest absence from his native city at any stage in his life. travelling through the city in a limousine is nothing new to donald trump, but never before has he done so in a motorcade with the presidential seal on the side of his car. the one—time property tycoon returned as commander—in—chief to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the battle of the coral sea. it was an event that helped forge the us — australian alliance. beforehand, he met the australian prime minister, malcolm turnbull, a leader he apparently clashed with in a phone call earlier in his presidency. we had a good telephone call. you exaggerated it. it was a big exaggeration. we had a great one.

we are not babies. we are young at heart. it was a very, very good call. it was fake news. mending relations with his home city will be nowhere near as easy. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. iraqi forces have opened a new front in their fight to dislodge the islamic state group from the country's second city, mosul. it's a major shift in tactics as the battle has slowed over recent weeks. iraqi troops began their major offensive back in october to recapture mosul, the last major is urban stronghold in iraq. the bbc‘s feras kilani is embedded with iraqi federal police as they advance from the north of the city. seven months into the battle of mosul. the so—called islamic state

are surrounded but they are putting up are surrounded but they are putting up resistance. iraqi forces could not make any progress here in the last few weeks to the south of the old city and that is why they had to start afresh operation from the north. is were waiting for them. it is not long before they spot gunmen taking up positions. they fire this rocket in an attempt to take out a sniper close to the posts. on a nearby roof, an iraqi commander shows me what is are so heavily defending. this is the great mosque of al—nuri witch the extremist claim as their own. it is on the edge of

the city. home to 100,000 people. translation: you sort the mask from faraway but it is close. because there are civilians in the way, we slowed down at the battle. hopefully they are protected as we battle. 2000 i spiked as a still left in the city and they have had almost three yea rs city and they have had almost three years to prepare for this fight will not working in the toughest streets of mosul old city is the toughest battle the iraqi forces have face. rather than just defending their position, is a continuing to attack. for iraqi troops in some areas, just holding ground is a huge task. is of this new front is opened up from the north, fresh equipment and extra manpower has started to arrive. the

iraqi forces have new tack but they will still be fighting street by street. now some sport, and marcus rashford' goal has helped manchester united to a 1—0 win away to celta vigo in the first leg of their europa league semi final. the 19 year old curled a free kick past the outstretched arms of sergio alvarez, handing his side a vital away goal ahead of the second leg at old trafford next thursday against the spaniards. united haven't played in a european final since 2011 and victory in this competition guarantees the winner a champions league place next season. cricket now and england start their busy summer on friday with a one day match against ireland in bristol. the two will also play at lord's on sunday. the england captain says his side are in good shape as they prepare to host the eight team champions trophy next month. the strength and depth we've had for this site has been extremely the strength and depth we've had for this side has been extremely strong over the last 18 months. the squad we selected reflects that, you know. the guys we missed, we could have chosen a team of 18 or 19 guys that could all take

to the field, and that bodes well for us in the competition and hope it continues for the next two years as we build towards the next world cup, so, yes, that a huge positive. the top two seeds pablo carreno—busta and richard gasquet are both through to the last eight of the estoril open in portugal after straight sets wins. also through to the quarter finals is the third seed from luxembourg gilles muller. he overcame portugal's pedro sousa 6—3, 6—2 injust one hour and seven minutes. it may be the final day of campaigning in the french presidential election but it's not the only competition of significance that's been taking place. the annual baguette bake—off in paris aims to find the city's best stick of bread. hundreds of bakeries across the city are taking part for the right to supply the new president with his or her baguettes. greg dawson reports in a country where people live to eat, rather than eat to live, nothing is as staple as the baguette. more than 100 were lined up to provide the country's

new president with their daily bread. translation: french baking is known and recognised by the whole world. the baguette is a symbol of paris, so something that really matters to me. known as the ‘grand prix of baguettes', it involves many people, including head chefs and last year's winner, who baked for president hollande. who does he want to be the next in the palace? translation: it doesn't matter much, as long as they respect the artisan and values of the baker's profession. it's about promoting our skills and making sure our fellow citizens can consume artisan bakes instead of factory ones. thejudging is rigourous. if you want to bake something fit for the presidential palate it needs to meet certain criteria. obviously taste is paramount. but it's also got to smell good. and, yes, size does matter.

nothing short of half a metre will do. after several were rejected, the eventual winner was a baker in paris's 13th district. this is where he will be delivering to over the next 12 months. as for who he will deliver to, we find that out on sunday. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm james menendez. a reminder it is the final day of campaigning ahead of the french presidential election. the run—off on sunday. campaigning stops at midnight tonight. emmanuel macron and marine le pen both vying to become france's next president. stay with us.

good morning. low pressure developing. high—pressure continuing the flow of easterly winds and pushing clearer skies into the northern half of the uk. a cracking morning across scotland. patchy low cloud in the south—east of the most a sunny start. more in the way of sunshine in east anglia and the south—east. another cloudy start. critical in the breeze. the southern portion of england and the channel islands will hold on to the cloud all day long.

more clouds pushing through east anglia later. the onshore wind keeping things cooler in the north sea coast. more cloud in northern england. reducing spots of rain and something heavier edging its way into parts of cornwall, isles of scilly and the channel islands. a bit of uncertainty as to how far north and how much rain we will see from the system. at the moment it looks like parts of cornwall, and the channel islands are seeing the ran through the day. saturday parts of northern england, north wales and northern ireland more cloud, morning rain and drizzle but turning dry in the afternoon. pleasant to the west.

a little bit more sunshine through east anglia and the south—east where it will start to feel warmer. the rain whether it gets to the south coast of not, it does push away into europe. lighter winds crucial to southern areas. a bit more sunshine. cooler across northern and eastern areas. more cloud. and and northern ireland. —— more cloud for scotland and northern ireland. it's the last day of campaigning in the french election before voters choose a new president. the frontrunner, emmanuel macron, has filed a lawsuit over online rumours repeated by marine le pen that he has a secret bank account in the caribbean. president trump has won his first legislative battle, the first stage in repealing barack obama's signature achievement, the affordable care act.

the house of representatives has narrowly passed the republicans' replacement for obamacare. iraqi forces have opened a new front in their fight to dislodge the islamic state group from the country's second city, mosul. it's a major shift in tactics as the battle has slowed over recent weeks. less than a year after the olympic games, there's been