this is bbc world news. i'm kasia madera. our top story... dramatic gains for the conservative party in local elections here in the uk. with just five weeks to go until the snap general election, the party and the prime minister are trying to avoid looking complacent. iam not i am not taking anything for granted. i will be going out for the remaining weeks for the remainder of this general election campaign to earn the support of the british people. campaigning is drawing to close in the french presidential election, with opinion polls suggesting emmanuel macron is pulling further ahead of marine le pen. also in the programme... a challenge to boeing and airbus. china's first commercial passenger jet makes its maiden flight. hello and welcome to world news

today. britain's governing conservative party has made dramatic gains in local elections, a month before a general election takes place. as well as winning hundreds of council seats, their candidates were elected as mayors in the north—east and midlands, traditional strongholds of the opposition labour party. brexit and the unpopularity of the labour leaderjeremy corbyn appear to be the main reasons for their success. the conservatives picked up more than 500 extra seats across the country. they gained many from the left of centre labour party, which lost more than 300. the scottish national party, which is currently in government in scotland, also lost seats to the conservatives. but it was the uk independence party, which campaigned for the country to leave the european union, that fared the worst, losing almost all of its councillors in seats it contested. reacting to her party's huge gains, the conservative party leader and british prime minister stressed her need for a big mandate

ahead of the brexit negotiations. the reality is that today, despite the evident will of the british people, we have bureaucrats in europe who are questioning our resolve to get the right deal. and the lat is that only a general election vote for the conservatives in sa days‘ time will strengthen my hand to get the best deal for britain from brexit. —— and the reality is. labour took heart from some successes but overall suffered terrible losses. this was labour leader jeremy corbyn‘s assessment of his party's performance. we came within 5000 votes of winning the west of england, which everyone said was impossible. we have had very disappointing results in other parts of the country. yes, we have to go out there in the next four weeks and get a message out of the kind of country we could be. where tension is not frightened about what happens to their pension and people do not work on zero hours contracts.

where people get a decent living wage. those are the kind of proposals labour will be putting forward. jeremy corbyn. 0ur political correspondent tom symonds is in westminsterfor us. this is really a tale of two parties. the result between the conservatives and labour, it could not be more different. absolutely. they are both telling, as you heard, their own stories about this day that we have had a voting. the conservatives playing down su ccesses . conservatives playing down successes. we had the prime minister say why she needs a big majority by the conservatives want everybody to think this was not a huge, thumping win today because if it is perceived as that, there is the possibility that conservative voters will not turn out and ukip voters, the crucial one for the conservatives, will not switch to the tories. the conservatives slightly playing down what happened in the vote yesterday. as for labour, they are making the best of it, as you so. they are talking about this being an historic

challenge for them, to try to turn around their current position in the election race. jeremy corbyn is also talks today about the need to get voters out to vote. in particular for him, young voters. because labour has had a "in party membership and that is partly young voters who have not been engaged in politics until he came along. if he can bring them on side, he might stand a chance. it has not been a great day for the other opposition parties. the conservatives did well and everyone else did badly, apart from, i think it is fair to say, in scotland, where nicola sturgeon was certainly claiming a huge win. but thatis certainly claiming a huge win. but that is partly based on the sheer number of votes for the scottish national party in scotland. but look a glasgow. it has been a labour stronghold for a0 years. the conservatives took about seven or eight seats in glasgow and the conservatives, on these election

results, effectively came second, beating labour into third place. it was not a total slam dunk for the scottish nationalists. nicola sturgeon, however, has described it asa sturgeon, however, has described it as a clear win. the snp vote has held up. 0ur share of the seats have held up and of course we will be the largest party in more councils, perhaps a majority of councils. that is not clear yet. there is no way anyone can spin this as anything other than a clear win for the snp. it puts us in pole position to protect local services the length and breadth of the country and give us and breadth of the country and give usa and breadth of the country and give us a great springboard for the election. liberal democrats in the centre of the political debate in britain, it was not great for them. they are down 28 council seats. not a huge loss but i lost nonetheless. they would like to have done better in the western, the west country, for example, where traditionally they look for some support. but the west

country is an area and region that voted quite strongly for brexit and the lib dems are anti—brexit as a party. this is what tim farron, the leader said. increasing our vote share by 7%, our best vote share for seven years, double the increase the tories have experienced in terms of vote share the country. both the labour party utterly imploding and devastated like no other opposition party in recent memory. there is an arm lesson from last night. —— another lesson. with our revival and success around the country, we're still seeing britain heading a conservative landslide. talking of parties imploding, that was really the ukip party. it fought for brexit, britain leaving the years. really, they were wiped out today. iaa seats where contested and they

lost all, apart from one. not all voters had a vote in this because not all councils were voting, so ukip hasjust not all councils were voting, so ukip has just under 300 not all councils were voting, so ukip hasjust under 300 council seats but it is like taking a battering today. as one voters put it earlier today, perhaps the reason is, and this is how he put it, ukip is, and this is how he put it, ukip is no longer the guard dog of brexit. the conservatives have put themselves in that role, offering effectively a hard brexit, and ukip is left in the shadows, hoping perhaps that does not work out for the conservative party and that ukip can come back in and push the brexit process along. so, pretty bad day and selling nigel farage, the former leader of ukip, was accenting that it was bad. there's still several weeks to go and a lot can change. yes, it's very difficult for ukip. we are a victim of our own success at this moment in time, but who's to say where british politics is going to be and where brexit is going to be in two years' time? 0r where politics will be in some 30

oi’ 0r where politics will be in some 30 or $0 0r where politics will be in some 30 or so days, when the general election happens. it is unusual in britain to have a local election followed by a general election. local elections are often used as an attempt to see how a national vote michael. that is not generally work because people vote on local issues and do not tend to take as much notice of who the leader of the parties. that will become a bigger issue in the general election in britain. campaigning really. in a honest with local elections out of the way. the election campaign is now officially on. we will see them out and about over the weekend and next week as this race really starts. absolutely. more campaigning. really looking forward to it. thank you very much. let's turn to another election, this time in france. it's the final day of the french presidential election campaign. the two candidates hoping to be the next leader of france have an hour or so left in their push for votes before sunday's election. latest polls suggest that the centrist emmanuel macron is leading his far—right rival marine le pen.

james reynolds reports. the front runner, emmanuel macron, began this, the final day of his campaign, in this southern french city. he is leading in the polls and he asks voters to make their choice. translation: in the first round, the french people choose a candidate and in the second round, they eliminate one. so, you have to position yourself between the two. these students protesting in paris are unhappy with either candidate. those old enough to vote feel little reason to pick a side. for many in this election, deciding which way to vote is difficult and even agonising. these young protesters will abstain and many others in the cou ntry will vote relu cta ntly for emmanuel macron in order to stop marine le pen. but the front national‘s candidate carries on regardless. on this final campaign day, she insisted that her plans were still on track.

translation: i think victory is within reach and the media pretend not to hear the social anger in our country. macron, president! this morning, visiting a cathedral in this northern city, she found some of this anger. but on this occasion, it was directed against her and her officials. booing. the campaign is now almost done. emmanuel macron and his supporters feel that they have the advantage. france's voters will soon tell them whether or not they were right. regis le sommier is associate editor in chief of paris match. it is a magazine famous for pulling together colourful profiles of politicians and celebrities in france. my colleague, christian fraser, spoke to him a little earlier and asked him if he thought they were expecting any shocks in sunday's election. it seems that it is a done deal as

of now. when you look at the latest polls, you have 59—ai, 238, 62. we do not see any chance or to make a comeback but you never know. remember what happened with the people cheering for hillary we remember very well. and all the commentators saying, you know, much like that trump had zero chance of being the us president. that turned out not to be true. as for brexit, the same. emmanuel macron saying he already has a name in mind, he is not told anyone, who would be used by minister. but he does not know the make—up of the parliament. what sort of politician would he choose to be as prime minister? you must ta ke to be as prime minister? you must take into consideration that during this election, we do not have to candidates. you have four blocks in

france. basically, the extreme left, making 20%, the traditional right, 20%, marine le pen, 21, and emmanuel macron, 2a. 0ut 20%, marine le pen, 21, and emmanuel macron, 2a. out of this, how are you going to... even if you have people who will vote for you in the second round, most of them to avoid marine le pen, it is going to be an uneasy election for him at the beginning. you would want somebody to be your prime minister who would know a lot about french institution, who will not be a divisive person. then again, you would be tempted also to put your footprint on this election. emmanuel macron tries to embody something new, change, like 0bama. he has been endorsed by 0bama, which isa he has been endorsed by 0bama, which is a fast, my opinion, to see a former us president endorsing a fringe candidate. —— which is a

first. christian there speaking with regis le sommierfrom paris match. and don't forget, christian will be presenting a special results programme at 1730 gmt this sunday, so tune in for that. it is not often that politics and music collide but after weeks of violent protests, that is exactly what has happened in venezuela. renowned conductor, gustavo dudamel, is urging the government in his native country to listen to the people after a young orchestral student was killed. more than 30 people have died and hundreds injured since anti—government protesters took to the streets in early april. samantha simmonds reports. this young man's face has gone viral. the 18—year—old was shot during protests outside caracas. he was rushed to hospital on a bike, but later died. he was a gifted musician plucked from the slums to play viola for a world—famous musical programme.

his death prompted the most famous son to speak out. urging president dudamel to listen to the people after weeks of violent protests, he wrote on his facebook page that nothing can justify the bloodshed. the protest was driven by accusations of a dictatorship and anger over chronic food shortages. students have been at the forefront. translation: we are not silent because we are the most affected, but because we are the youth, the union that has been affected the most. that is why we are here today. the government says the opposition wants a coup. the president wants a new constituent assembly, but they are concerned it won't represent all venezuelans. american politicians have now weighed in. an influential group of us senators is seeking to sanction individuals

they believe responsible sanction individuals they believe responsible for undermining democracy or part of corruption. translation: we don't permit at this stage of the game that what we have been fighting for first along should fall through our fingers. if this ruling from washington says we need to participate, we need to give them a beating. he says his government is the victim of an economic war and dismisses his critics as allies of washington, but these protests are growing in strength and number and may not prove so easy to dismiss. lots more still to come. stay with us. a deep dive into the "big empty" — the latest images from the cassini space probe as it flies between the rings of saturn. i.

i, nelson mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to republic of south africa. after six years of destruction and numerous delays, the eurotunnel has been formally opened by the queen. the tunnel was not yet ready... for centuries, christianity and islam struggle for supremacy. now, people's visit symbolises the willing mr cole exist. roger bannister became the first man in a world to run a mile in underfour minutes. memories of victory as the ge celebrations reach a climax. —— ve. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom. you're watching bbc world news

today. our main headlines... there have been dramatic gains for the governing conservative party here in the uk in local elections just one month before a snap general election. the french presidential contenders have reached the last few hours of campaigning — latest polls suggest centrist candidate emmanuel macron is extending his lead over rival marine le pen. will perry has all the sport. we will start with the live premier league action. 0ne taking on west ham. it is still goalless in the second half. —— tottenham taking on west ham. they need the much—needed three points to keep pressure at the top of the league when chelsea. a win would reduce chelsea's lead to one point. lionel messi is free to

represent argentina in world cup qualifiers after his four imagined a national ban was overturned on appeal. the barcelona forward was suspended for swearing at an assistant referee whilst playing for argentina in march. the fees fabio committee said there was not enough evidence to support the punishment for his behaviourjune world cup qualifier against chile and they have upheld the appeal, lodged by the argentine football association on behalf of lionel messi. they say his behaviour was reportable —— reportable. novak djokovic has sacked his entire coaching team, including the man who had been with him for most of his career. he was knocked off the top of the rankings by andy murray last year. explaining his decision, he said, i am a hunter and my biggest goal is to find the winning spark on the court again. djokovic will tour alone until he finds a new head coach. england's cricketers have started a busy summer cricketers have started a busy summer with a big win over ireland. seven wickets was the margin of victory. adil rashid claimed his

first five wicket haul. alex hales joe root scored most of the runs as they reached their target with 30 overs to spare. they meet again on sunday. they are the strong side that have been as before. we do not ta ke that have been as before. we do not take them lightly. —— that have beaten us before. putting in a clinical performance is as good as we can ask for. that win the emphasises how you ruthlessly need to be. with many sports seemingly trying to downsize to make it more marketable and watchable, for example, the success and watchable, for example, the success of ten to 20 cricket, rugby sevens and golf, which is trying sixes, golf was looking to put a new ion sixes, golf was looking to put a new i on things. this is sport's espresso chela,

where everything is made short and intense. why linger over 18 holes when you can speak through six? golf has to fall into line with everything else. we have to make it fun and more short. when they said, we're going to do something and we have done it, there has been a lot of talk but this time there is action. i6 action. 16 nations, teams of two play matches against each other over six holes. group stage, knockout, then a winner. golf is dealing with a big issue of dwindling participation and the perception that it is... a bit old—fashioned. stuffy. the perception that it is... a bit old —fashioned. stuffy. it the perception that it is... a bit old—fashioned. stuffy. it needs a new image. if you're not prepared to change and adapt, not only in sports but any type of business, you run the risk of falling behind. again, thatis the risk of falling behind. again, that is what this week is about, showcasing our game, skills in a different format. there are good

professionals here but not superstars. it is possible, i was told, the likes of rory mcllroy and phil mickelson might one day play in this format if things go the right way. right now, well, smile and all the world smiles along. —— and hope that the world. that is all the sport for now. thank you very much. take care. china's first big passenger plane has completed its maiden flight — a development that could signal a major challenge to boeing and airbus — with beijing keen to enter the global aviation market. after about 90 minutes in the air, the chinese manufactured c9—i9 landed safely back in shanghai. the state backed company behind the plane hopes to have approval to fly in the next few years. i'm joined now by stephen trimble, who's the america's managing editor of aviation news and data website, flightglobal. so, will they be would do it? yes,

they have been investing in this programme for quite a long time. they are certainly dedicated to it. they are certainly dedicated to it. they have all the technology they need to get to certification. but it will be a few years. it will be a few years. in terms of the aeroplane's components, its key components are actually imported. that will cost quite a lot, wouldn't it? right. about 3096 of the that will cost quite a lot, wouldn't it? right. about 30% of the aircraft is chinese, the rest, including the engine, comes from european or american suppliers, the power systems and landing gear and those kinds of things. that erodes the cost benefits of assembling it in china. but it will still be at least a competitive aircraft was something like the airbus in india. we should

not related away from just what an achievement this is, this is the first time that a new passenger aircraft has been launched since... is the 1960s? aircraft has been launched since... is the 19605? it aircraft has been launched since... is the 1960s? it is the first time ina is the 1960s? it is the first time in a commercial —— that a commercial manufacturer has tried to take on something the size of the airbus boeing since the 1960s, when the airbus was a different european company. if you include that, it has been since the early 1960s that someone been since the early 1960s that someone has tried to do this. do they pose a threat to boeing and airbus? in the chinese market, for sure. the chinese airliners than 300 of the car. —— airline has ordered 300 of the car. it remains to be seen 300 of the car. it remains to be seen if it is competitive in europe and north america and other markets

in the world. but certainly in china, it will be competitive. in your assessment, is this more of a decision to do this to make financial gains or is this political, to show the rest of the world, and the chinese, indeed, that they are very good at this kind of thing? there is definitely a political commitment to build this capability into the industry. they have already done this on the aviation military site. they have very advanced military aircraft. to get into the world market for commercial aircraft as a "straight, it has a lot of money, and they don't always want to rely on and european technology for that kind of product. in your assessment, when we going to realistically, genuinely see one actually commercially available? 2020 is the time frame.

that is quite a generous amount of time the chinese have given themselves to get through flight testing. things like this are very complicated, so delays are not uncommon. that could happen again in this case. ok, thank you very much for your expertise. a little bit higher up in the sky... nasa has released a video showing the cassini spacecraft‘s first "deep dive" between saturn and its rings. it happened last week and it was the first time any spacecraft has ever explored the gap. cassini has since completed a second dive and is due to make twenty more over the next four months. she's already sending back streams of data. lots more as always on our website. if you want to get in touch with us here at bbc world news, you can do so on social media. hello, heavy rain and flooding our

themes this evening. that is a far cry from the sort of whether we're seeing at all. firstly, i want to ta ke seeing at all. firstly, i want to take you into a cyclone. a tropical cyclone has phoned. this is australia. —— has formed. this is cyclone donna. in the next few days, donna will strengthen to become a severe cyclone, sustained winds of 130 mph. more torrential rain, perhaps more significantly, dangerously high six metre waves, impacts things far and wide and brings flooding along coastal areas. the position in the forecast of the cyclone is crucial. it looks like it will move southwards between van latu and new caledonia. hopefully staying out at sea. we can see the

itc z. this is where the south—easterly trade wind and north—easterly trade winds converge. it produces big storm clouds and heavy rain on that line. coupled with really warm water in the pacific off the coast of ecuador, that will keep rain going in areas that will keep rain going in areas that have had a lot of rain and some flooding and landslides. we are talking in particular, western parts of colombia and ecuador. even in the north through, heavy showers. they should ease as the itc z moves northwards to a more northerly point. he is north america. look at this explosion of cloud. another burst of heavy rain and severe storms across the central plains, up to the great lakes. now heading off the eastern seaboard. that area of low pressure moving towards colbeck, keeping it wet and windy here. behind that, showers over the rockies, otherwise, a lot are dry and sunny weather, which is good news. because we have already seen some flooding on the river

mississippi. but the peak of the flood will push its way southwards over the next week or even two, threatening more flooding downriver. now, let's head into europe. getting closer to home, wet weather pushes its way across france, into the alps. maybe briefly some snow but heavy rain lightly and more rain to come across central europe. we will find cold earlier digging down and in time for monday, with temperatures really taking a tumble. it is not much of a spring in berlin. could be some sweet in moscow. it could turn cooler in warsaw and stockholm. here at home, warmerfor warsaw and stockholm. here at home, warmer for the west. bit more ), the chance of rain in the channel but are we going to see any more rain for the week ahead? stay tuned. you watching bbc news, our main

headlines. britain's governing conservatives are on course to make significant gains in local elections. with a month until the general election, they've won hundreds of extra seats, many from the opposition labour party. the french presidential candidates are winding up their campaigns, opinion polls suggest the far right contender marine le pen needs at least 20% points to overtake mark emmanuel macron. north korea has accused the us of plotting with south korea to assassinate kim jong—un. the state media when the cia and south korea's italian, intelligent in dr involve a plot. and