hello i'm tom donkin, welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: a big win for emmanual macron — the 39—year—old centrist sweeps to victory in the french presidential election — promising to unite and to protect the people. translation: our task ahead is arduous that every time, i will tell you the truth. your server, your energy, your courage, will always carry me forward. a night of defeat for marine le pen. but with nearly a third of the vote, she insists the national front is now a realforce. translation: that i will be at the head of a battle to gather together all those who chose france to defend its independence, freedom, its security. another presidential election, this time in south korea. we look at the frontrunner moonjae—in.

and they were tired, confused, but finally free. 82 schoolgirls, held for three years by the islamist group boko haram, meet nigeria's president. france has voted for a new president. emmanuel macron is set to be the youngest ever, in french history. in a televised address, the 39—year—old centrist, promised to fight the divisions in his country, re—build the links between the eu and its citizens, and to combat threats posed by terrorism and climate change. with results almost counted, projections show mr macron has won more than 66% of the vote — sweeping aside the challenge of his far—right rival, marine le pen. our coverage begins with this report from our europe editor, katya adler who's in paris.

young, dynamic and very, very confident. emmanuel macron, said to be the youngest leader since napoleon took the crowd by storm. translation: in the face of extremism, i know there are disagreements and i will respect this. and i will be faithful to that commitment taken, i will protect the republic. this is an incredible moment. mighty france, an economic and political world heavyweight, key eu nation will be presided over by a 39—year—old virtual political newcomer who has made a lot of big promises. to bring revolution, to change hungry france and the european union. business—friendly, yet socially just, neither left nor

right wing. sound like a tall order? his delighted supporters have faith. i am really, really, really happy because, he is a good choice to keep our valour in france. we love europe. i am very happy about this result. it means confidence. it means future. france is not an old country dying. france has hope. but easy it won't be — this is a divided country. marine le pen may have lost an eye, but millions voted for her and herfar right programme. translation: i propose to transform our movement into a new political force, for small french people are calling for and which is more necessary than ever before to rebuild our country. i call on all patriots to join us for a decisive, political battle which begins this evening and will continue in the months ahead.

farfrom being defeatist, her supporters were defiant. you are never happy unless you win, of course, but we have got to look at the good side of this result. we are getting — we have gathered around us, people from outside the party for the protectionist views we have for the programme of independence put forward. supporters of the far—left also took to the streets tonight, some in a violent mood. for them, emmanuel macron is no solution. he is part of the problem, they think, of elitist, big business—minded government. but tonight, a new french revolution is promised with a new president from a brand—new party announcing a new dawn for france. for his supporters at least, the three colours of the french flag are not just about liberty, equality and fraternity, but above all, hope. katya adler, bbc news, paris. by any measure, the political

rise of emmanuel macron has been remarkable. he's a former investment banker and served as an adviser, then, later a minister in the socialist government of the outgoing president, francois hollande. he resigned, just last year to form his own political movement. our paris correspondent lucy williamson profiles the man chosen to be the country's new head of state. he's the choice of a country desperate for change, neither left nor right, part of the french establishment yet never before elected. a fresh face who served in the outgoing government. so, who is emmanuel macron? to his supporters he is their emmanuel, their political messiah, a provincial boy from outside the establishment who worked his way to power.

he's a new man to politics. he's trying to find new solutions. he is a new face, he is our hope. but he went to france's most prestigious schools, met its most powerful people and made millions in an investment bank. a former colleague says that macron‘s rise is partly down to charm but that at heart, he is a secretive man. he is able to tell people what they really want to hear. so a very seducive man and he manages to agree with nearly anyone. that is a talent. macron‘s wife, brigitte, told one journalist that her husband never let people close. the couple met when she taught him drama at school. their unusual love affair is a sign, says one of macron‘s old friends, of his determination,

self—belief and drive. i think the only person who really knows him inside deeply is brigitte. you have to imagine, he seduced her, he convinced her to marry him, convinced his family. just imagine, it's not a small thing. france has not opted for the political extremes, the far right rejected in favour of a liberal newcomer with his own promise of change. emmanuel macron has vowed to unite a divided and disillusioned france but his critics say he is the old wine in a shiny new bottle and the price of failure could be high. some say that emmanuel macron has won the presidency by being all things to all people but he won't be able to govern that way. he has five years to solve france's

problems or risk it choosing more radical change next time. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. our correspondent thoma fessy is in paris for us now. for the outsider, emmanuel macron didn't need the help of the traditional parties to get elected but he might need their help in parliament to get anything done. exactly. that will be his first real challenge. he will need to try and secure a parliamentary majority in parliament next month's election. without this majority, he will be extremely hard for him to pass any of the reforms that he has promised in his manifesto for which he has been elected. make no mistake, this

isa been elected. make no mistake, this is a vote of confidence we have seen tonight, the nature of french politics is that both centre—right and centre—left voters have united to defeat and to stop marine le pen from taking power and emmanuel macron needs to take that into account when it comes to the elections next month. what was the mood in the marine le pen camp? she sounded defiant that her brand of politics were part of the mainstream now. exactly. there was a clear disappointment amongst the supporters. they were also celebrating some kind of victory. the fact that she gained a vote of nearly 11 million voters. a history high for the front nationale. after a progressive few decades of the i970s a progressive few decades of the 1970s to this figure to night. this

isa 1970s to this figure to night. this is a political force that the french needs to handle and she wants to relaunch the party for next month's election. she wants to make sure that the national front can impose itself as a big opposition force in this political landscape. and the other thing we saw in this election was a level of political apathy in france. that will worry emmanuel macron as he tries to build broader support for his programme. exactly. nearly one third of voters decided to abstain or spoil their ballots. this is more than number of voters that marine le pen had into night's election. that is a huge number. the first time in decades that the turnout was lower in the second

round and the first. it shows you how to buy debt that nation is —— divided. that will be the biggest challenge for emmanuel macron, to reunite the nation. it will be interesting to see if we see any familiar names from the political landscape in france joining familiar names from the political landscape in francejoining in and capitalising on the popularity of emmanuel macron. yes, we have seen certain figures from the socialist party backing emmanuel macron, even before the run—off, such as the former prime minister manual vance. we have seen centrists backing his campaign. it would be interesting to see who of the politicians willjoin him in the battle for the

parliamentary election next month. he has also promised to line up a certain number of people. a historic night for france. here is how some world leaders reacted to the result via their social media accounts. us president donald trump tweeted his reaction. he posted: the british prime minister theresa may also congratulated president—elect macron — saying: italian prime minister paolo gentiloni tweeted: a similar sentiment from donald tusk, the former polish prime minister who chairs summits of european leaders. and jean—claude juncker, the president of the european

commission, said the result made him: "happy that the ideas that you defended, of a strong and progressive europe that protects all its citizens, will be those that france will cherish under your presidency". let's hear some more of emmanuel macron‘s speech outside the louvre museum in paris. the president—elect said he would unite the country and rebuild the link between europe and its citizens. thank you for the risks some of you have taken. i know about it. your trust is something that creates an obligation for me and it's something that i feel you have entrusted in me andi that i feel you have entrusted in me and i don't want to disappoint you. i want to be worthy of your trust and for the five years to come, i wa nt to

and for the five years to come, i want to carry the dynamism you represent. i would like to see something for people who voted nearly because they wanted to protect and defend the republic. in the face of extremism. i know that there are disagreements and i will respect this. and i will be faithful to that commitment taken. i will protect the republic. you have chosen opacity. that audacity will carry on with it and every day will carry on with it and every day will carry on with it and every day will carry on bringing it forward because thatis carry on bringing it forward because that is what is expecting all the people of france and what is expected by europe and by the world, thatis expected by europe and by the world, that is what is expected from us. they expect that once again, france isa they expect that once again, france is a country of surprise, a country thatis is a country of surprise, a country that is faithful to itself and that is what we will do. it's not going

to be easy. task is going to be arduous but every time, every time i will tell you the truth, that your fervour, your energy, your courage, is always something that will carry me forth. i will protect you from the face of threats and i will fight for you on your behalf against inefficiency, against all eyes, to improve the life of all of us. and i will respect each one of you in what they think, what they believe, what they think, what they believe, what they want to defend. and i would gather together and i will reconcile because they want the unity of our people and our country. and finally,

my friends, i will be at your service. with modesty, humility, strength. i will be at your service on behalf of liberty, equality, fraternity. the international stock markets have been reacting to mr macron's win. injapan, the nikkei index opened i.35% higher on the news that mr macron, who is pro—eu, had beaten marine le pen. she had campaigned to pull france out of the union and the single euro currency. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: no smiles, no celebrations. 82 of the chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by boko haram for three years are finally free. 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: france has a new president—elect. the pro—european centrist emmanuel macron, who isjust 39, was voted in with a projected 65% of the vote. but more than a third of french voters backed marine le pen's hard—right vision for france. she vows to turn her attention to the coming parliamentary elections. elections are really dominating the news at the moment, and it is not only in france. south koreans are also going to the polls. the early election comes after former president park geun—hye became the first south korean leader to be removed from power through impeachment. moonjae—in, of the newly founded democratic party of korea, is the frontrunner, with the latest opinion polls predicting he will win more than 40% of the vote. from seoul, stephen evans reports. this is the man the opinion polls

tip as the overwhelming favourite to be the next president of south korea, moon jae—in, of the left—of—centre democratic party of korea, a big change from the ousted right—wing president. crowd: moon jae-in! moonjae—in! "who's the president," he says, "who'll speak his mind to the united states, to china, to japan, to north korea?" crowd: moon jae-in! moonjae—in! "who's the president who won't defer to the us or to china?" if moonjae—in wins power, that would be a big change in policy — a move to the left — a closeness to pyongyang. that is what happened the last time he was in government. but being closer to pyongyang

might make it more distant from washington. there are five main candidates. whoever gets the most votes on election day wins. the us has installed an anti—missile system in south korea, called thaad, to shoot down north korean attacks. left—of—centre mr moon says there is no welcome in korea for it. potentially, there's a little bit of a train—wreck here, where you've got the trump administration saying "pressure, pressure, pressure" on north korea, and suddenly you have a new south korean president who says, "actually, that's not going to solve the problem. we need to talk to those guys, we need to improve the relationship." in a room in the national assembly, defectors from north korea urge voters not to choose mr moon. they fear that a centre—left government would allow more contact with north korea, making it easier for north korean assassins to come

south to target them. moonjae—in is not president yet, and he may slip up at the last. but, if he wins, a softer policy on north korea is on the way. the hardline did not change kim jong—un. would being nicer be any different? stephen evans, bbc news, south korea. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: us forces have confirmed the leader of the islamic state group in afghanistan has been killed, when us troops and afghan forces stormed his underground hideout in the country's east. abdul hasib was allegedly behind an attack on kabul‘s military hospital in march which left more than 50 people dead. north korea says it has detained a fourth american citizen on suspicion of hostile acts against the state. kim hak—song is understood to have worked for the pyongyang university of science and technology, and was detained on saturday. no details of any alleged offences was given.

82 nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremist group boko haram three years ago have met their country's president, after being freed in a prisoner swap. they were among more than 200 girls taken from their school in the town of chibok. at least 100 are still being held. with more details, here is our africa correspondent alastair leithead. released only a day ago. three years held in the forest by boko haram, here they are, in the nigerian capital, meeting president buhari. campaigners and the families of those held still don't know if their daughters are among those freed, or among the more than 100 still being held. whether she is among

the ones that's freed, or still in captivity, i don't know yet. whether my baby is freed or not, i'm very happy. this photograph was the first proof they were free. a helicopter ride to the capital. and once in abuja, they were under the care of nigerian soldiers, taken for a medical checkup. they looked tired and confused by all the attention. some needed treatment. i am very glad that you are here, and every nigerian today must be forgetting how they were suffering, because this is a veryjoyous moment. this boko haram video shows the girls shortly after they were kidnapped, in april 2014. they were taken from chibok government girls' secondary school. it sparked international outrage and a global campaign to have them freed. last october, the first 21 were released, as negotiations finally bore fruit. the government says talks will now continue to free the rest. these girls have grown up under boko haram. captives are often forced to marry their captors. emotions will be in turmoil,

and returning to their families and communities will not be easy. alistair leithead, bbc news, nairobi. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the mayor of the canadian city of montreal has declared a state of emergency, as heavy rain and melting snow have resulted in the worst flooding in decades. in the province of quebec, more than 2,000 homes have already been flooded, with water levels set to rise further. the military has tripled the number of troops helping to evacuate those affected. the brazilian football team chapecoense have won the santa catarina state championship, their first title since most of the squad died in a plane crash last november. the new coach, vagner mancini, signed 25 new players injanuary to replace those killed when the team's plane ran out of fuel and crashed in colombia. so, as we have been hearing, emmanuel macron will be france's next president. the 39—year—old, who has never before held elected office, comprehensively beat his far—right rival marine le pen. let's leave you with some of the more memorable scenes

from election day in france. thanks for watching. hello there, good morning. there's going to be some more sunshine around for the next few days. we may well have seen the peak of the temperature, though, over the weekend. it was pretty much wall—to—wall sunshine in northern ireland. and here we had the warmest day of the year so far. same temperatures in glasgow and we had the warm air all the way from wales towards the south coast. but these areas that had the warmth by day are getting the chill right now, with the clearer skies, actually. and in rural parts, we may find temperatures not far away from freezing. in the towns and cities, this is what the temperatures look like. and further east across england and scotland, there will be more cloud coming in off the north sea. and essentially we have an east—west split to the weather on monday. another lovely sunny day for northern ireland. best of the sunshine in scotland in the south—west. sunshine for wales and western england. but a cloudier day than yesterday across the midlands and south—east

england. some sunshine, though, developing at times across scotland, some cloud filtering into northern and eastern areas and the north—east of england. sunshine coming and going across the north—west of england. lovely day, again, in northern ireland — not quite as warm as yesterday. pleasant in the sunshine, mind you, across wales and the south—west. a cooler, cloudier sort of look to the weather across the midlands, towards south—east england. a fair bit of cloud across yorkshire, lincolnshire and east anglia. well, that cloud is coming in off the north sea, around this area of high pressure. that dominates weather across the week and stretches back to southern parts of greenland. the position of the high will be crucial, though. there may well be a bit more cloud around come monday. still, not as much, not as much sunshine in western parts of england and wales. temperatures again typically into the mid—teens. we're not seeing 20 or 21 but it will feel warmer eastern scotland and as we lose the wind of the north sea. but if we lose the cloud overnight, dawn on wednesday could be quite

cold almost anywhere in the countryside. it will warm up quickly again across england and wales, southern scotland, northern ireland in some sunshine. we may see afternoon highs of 19 degrees, perhaps, in the midlands southwards. a spot or two of rain on the weak weather front. our high pressure, though, is being squeezed well away into europe, and pressure is going to be falling from wednesday onwards, and that means the weather is going to start to change. for much of the week, it will remain dry. there will be some sunshine around. if we get clear skies, chilly at night. later in the week, the chance of some rain moving in northwards. this is bbc news — the headlines. france has chosen a new president. 39—year—old emmanuel macron will become the youngest in the country's history when he assumes office on sunday. the pro—european centrist won nearly two—thirds of the vote. he said a new page was being turned in french history — promising to fight divisions and combat the threat of terrorism. more than a third of voters chose

marine le pen's hard—right vision for france — she vowed to turn her attention to the coming parliamentary elections, and said her national front party was now the main opposition. 82 nigerian schoolgirls — kidnapped by the extremist group boko haram three years ago — have met the country's president after being freed in a prisoner swap. they were among more than 200 girls taken from the town of chibok. more than 100 are still missing. now on bbc news it's time for the travel show.