welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: emmanual macron is on target to win the first ballot in the french presidential election, but marine le pen gains ground at the polls.

grim discoveries in ukraine: more than 1,200 bodies are found in areas around kyiv that were previously occupied by russian troops. former pakistani prime minister, imran khan urges his supporters to protest as he's ousted from office. and eddie redmayne wins big at the olivier awards at the royal albert hall in london hello and welcome to the programme with most of the votes counted in the first round of the french presidential election, emmanuel macron will face the far—right leader marine le pen in a run—off in two weeks�* time. results currently show only a two percentage point difference between them, with mr macron on just over 27 percent and ms le pen on just over 25 percent. our paris correspondent, lucy williamson has the latest.

it is on, the battle for the future of france. translation: do not make a mistake, this is not over. l the debate were going to have for the next 15 days is decisive for a country in europe. a choice for president emmanuel macron or president le pen. translation: what will happen on the 24th of april is not - just a vote about conditions, it is a matter of society, civilisation. early projections suggest that emmanuel macron is still the favoured with 28% of voters, more than last time around. le pen's share of the vote grew to 23%. it's not as close as some polls have predicted polls have predicted but this is where the battle really begins.

i am impatient and a little bit nervous simply - because you don't knowi what france will choose. we have seen lately that extremism is getting quite more popular in part because on the social networks, misinformation is kind of like the plague of the 21st century. so, our work is to try to fight that. yes, we are scared because the votes are very close on the first round, people on the second round will vote everything but emmanuel macron because people are not satisfied with what he did. satisfied about what he did. president emmanuel macron only started campaigning a few weeks ago, too occupied with the war in ukraine. more proof for some that he is arrogant and out of touch, the president of the rich

despite creating jobs and paying billions to keep french workers afloat through covid—19. le pen has tried to present herself as softer and more responsible. she wants to ban the muslim headscarf in public give priority to french nationals injobs and housing. but she is focused on poverty and rising prices. emmanuel macron says that her programme is racist and would threaten democracy in france. she always says he is the only one who can keep le pen from power, but afterfive years of president emmanuel macron, there are those want to keep him from office. those in the uk voted for brexit and the united states for trump. and are asking themselves what is the solution for france?

the unwritten rule that everyone in france comes together to block the far right seems to be fraying and the two visions france has chosen for president show how divided this nation is. earlier i spoke to anne—elisabeth mou—tay, a paris based frenchjournalist and columnist for the daily telegraph newspaper. i asked her what she made of the result. one name that was not mentioned in your piece and in most covered is the name of the third, the hired left leader whose sport an amazing 21% in the french jeremy whose sport an amazing 21% in the frenchjeremy corbyn. and because the rest of the left—wing parties, they are not in sight, they hoped that he would make it to the second round and he is separated by

under a million votes and so, we are talking about something that might�*ve been possible and where the voters vote for because he's been very careful to say, do not food for le pen but has not said vote for macron. and be know very well that at least one third of his voters of the rust belt working class are also le pen voters who may switch from one to the other. it's very interesting race but i think that macron wins because most have said most democratic parties left and right are saying, look, of love for macron, we have to stop le pen. but it's been the mantra since the first time that being in the present and 2002 and people are tired of it. ~ 2002 and people are tired of it. . ., ., ~ 2002 and people are tired of it. ~ ., 2002 and people are tired of it. we look at the contest cominu it. we look at the contest coming up _ it. we look at the contest coming up between - it. we look at the contest j coming up between these it. we look at the contest - coming up between these two comedies to the platform changes, i would love to hear

your thoughts. i changes, i would love to hear your thoughts.— changes, i would love to hear your thoughts. i don't see the platforms changing. - your thoughts. i don't see the platforms changing. 2096 - your thoughts. i don't see the platforms changing. 2096 and | platforms changing. 20% and some might say, it might be sour grapes, but this is by default. he's reached that and he is confident in what he has been doing for the past five years and he would do more of the same. le pen has reached the same. le pen has reached the highest point she has in french politics and as a platform that is socially protective, almost left—wing. and she has a social life and cultural platform which is more right wing. and quite honestly, if she hadn't been approved to support her in the past, she would've had a fair chance of winning but she made that mistake

winning but she made that mistake. in other headlines — ukraine's president zelensky says vladimir putin has not only his country but the entire �*european project�* in his sights. he was speaking as the eu re—opened its embassy in kyiv after russian forces retreated from the north of ukraine. the major focus of the fighting is now likely to be in the east — with civilians being evacuated from the donbas region. prosecutors say 1200 bodies have now been recovered from areas previously occupied by russia around kyiv. those include the village of andriivka from where our correspondent mark lowen sent this report. less liberation, more scorched earth. the population of andriivka is 1,000, more than a0 were killed as the russians attacked and moved in for a month. the remnants of battle mixed with remains of lives as the shroud of war is peeled back, uncovering the horrors beneath. tatiana�*s only grandson anton was taken by the russians the day after his 23rd birthday and shot.

so badly mutilated, they identified him from his clothes, recovering his body after a month and burying him two days ago. translation: maybe if he had gone to fight somewhere else, | he would have returned in one piece. he was a clever boy, he recited poetry. when my husband told the russians to take him instead, they pointed their machine gun and said go home or we they pointed their machine gun and said go home or we will take you both. this terrorised community will try somehow to return to peace but it cannot shut out its agony. first came the offensive here, then the occupation and now the trauma of those returning

or simply emerging to see the destruction which is immense. we are now learning that these scenes are repeated across the shattered country which even when peace returns, could take a generation to rebuild. this family are trying, repairing broken lives and their home where russian soldiers stayed and this is how they treated it. he is still trying to work out what they stole. translation: i have no words to describe what they did. - i do not know what they were looking for. my family had been living here for 15 years but they came in and looted it all. as the ukrainian army moved in, the russians came down to his tiny shelter to hide, feasting on the family�*s food and resting before their retreat. no place safe from their occupation. on the edge of the cemetery, the fresh grave of tatiana�*s grandson. he was studying to become an electrician.

i had two daughters she told us and then he was our boy. the world bank says it expects ukraine�*s economy to shrink by forty five percent this year as a result of the war with russia. the bank says enormous financial support is needed immediately to keep the government running, and to support the population. it�*s already provided nearly a billion dollars of assistance and is promising another two billion in the months ahead. now, let�*s take a look at some other stories in the headlines. doctors in sri lanka have said the island�*s hospitals are nearly out of life—saving medicines as an economic crisis continues. they said they feared more people would die because of the shortages than from coronavirus during the whole pandemic. doctors say hospitals no longer had access to imported medical equipment and vital drugs.

all eighteen million residents of the southern chinese city of guangzhou are to be tested for covid after the discovery of a handful of cases. officials have asked people not to start panic buying. in shanghai — which reported nearly twenty four thousand new daily infections on saturay — there are reports of unrest because of a lack of food. more than a thousand people have taken to the streets of tunisia�*s capital, tunis, to protest against what they�*re calling a power grab by the president. some shouted down a power grab by the president. president kais saied dissolved parliament last month after earlier scrapping the country s independent judicial council. lastjuly he sacked the government and seized wide—ranging powers. american travellers will no longer have to specify their gender on passport applications. in addition to the option of selecting male or female, applicants will be allowed to mark their gender as x, regardless of what is written on their birth certificate. activists say the move is a milestone in the effort to make such rules more

inclusive. let�*s turn to the uk now — where the chancellor — rishi sunak — has asked the prime minister for an official review of all the declarations of interest he has made since becoming a minister. it comes after scrutiny of he and his wife akshata murty�*s tax arrangements, financial affairs and rights to live and work in the united states. our correspondent andrew plant has more. feeling the political sheet for several days now after the murder of touched that his wife was not required to pay tax yearin was not required to pay tax year in the uk or any money that you�*re earned overseas, that you�*re earned overseas, that changed on friday and she said she would not pay tax here on what she called the since of british fairness but i think it�*s clear that the chancellor has been bruised by the past few days must rule out any suggestions that he has behaved inappropriately. on twitter he

has published a letter which was written to prime minister borisjohnson asking for an boris johnson asking for an independent borisjohnson asking for an independent adviser on getting involved, an investigation with that he has probably declared all of his interests ever since he had become a minister. that is something that opposition parties have already called for. rishi sunak has said he is absolutely certain that they will find everything has been done by the book. and sit on twitter, i�*m confident that such a review of the declarations will find that all relevant information was appropriately declared. the treasury will not say today whether or not there�*s any incident that prompted the chancellor and this comes after ordering a whitehall review over what exactly that information about his wife�*s taxation status was leaked in the first place port is clear is that rishi sunak is absolutely determined to try to repair any damage that has been done to his political reputation. you�*re watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme.

the great and the good from the world of theatre attend the olivier awards at the royal albert hall in london. pol pot, one of the centuries greatest mass murderers is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust and the editorial staff have gone into hiding. on the contest was with the clock and for supporting legacy, the competitors will be chasing a new best time

for years to come. quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under - the surface and disappear. this is newsday on the bbc. in singapore. our headlines. emmanual macron appears to have triumphed in the first ballot of the french presidential election, but he�*ll face stiff competition from marine le pen in the second round. more than twelve hundred bodies have been found in areas around kyiv that were previously occupied by russian troops. rallies have been held in cities across pakistan, to protest against the removal of imran khan from his post as prime minister, following a no confidence vote in parliament over the weekend.

thousands of people gathered in karachi and lahore, waving torches and flags in the dark, and chanting in support of mr khan. a long time rival, shehbaz sharif, is expected to be voted in by parliament to replace him later on monday. secunder kermani reports from islamabad. opposition supporters celebrating in front of parliament last night after imran khan was ousted from office. but as the drama subsided, a lone woman approached us. translation: our hearts are crying for imran khan, there is no other leader like him in the world. there is so much pain in heart, my heart is screaming. we are going to have a government of thieves that have looted our country. imran khanfirst became a national hero as a cricketing star. in the west he was also known as a playboy who married and then later divorced jemima goldsmith.

after a political struggle of more than two decades, he was elected prime minister in 2018, promising to create a new pakistan, free from corruption. so where did it all go wrong? there has been growing anger at the sharp rise in the cost of living here. imran khan�*s popularity has been dented in recent years. he has expanded the social welfare system but many feel he has not fulfilled his biggest promises whilst also overseeing a violent crackdown of critical voices. this move to oust him is not the result of rising public resentment, it is the result of elite political manoeuvring. both deny it but it is widely believed pakistan�*s military helped bring imran khan into power. last year, a rift developed between them. when the perception grew

that this government was not capable to deliver and run the government, the military i believe decided they had to maintain their distance. the way military helped imran khan in day—to—day affairs and even managing his political allies and the coalition government, once that support was missing, his downfall was inevitable. the new prime minister looks set to be shehbaz sharif, his brother nawaz was disqualified from the role years ago and convicted on corruption charges which he says were politically motivated. imran khan alleges this visit to moscow on the day russia invaded ukraine has led america to launch a conspiracy to oust him. most observers do not believe him but his supporters do. and imran khan is determined to try and keep fighting. secunder kermani, bbc news islamabad.

earlier, i spoke to samina yasmeen is director of the centre for muslim states and societies at the university of western australia in perth and she began by telling me what went wrong for imran khan. she promise people a lot before he came to power. —— he promised. the language of the state. which is the original state. which is the original state. and saying the people in pakistan would be able to live comfortably within three years, it became very clear that it is very hard for ordinary people to live comfortably. not only just poor people but the middle—class people suffered because of the rising prices in the same time, there�*s another thing that doesn�*t give enough mention. he had a few people

around him who didn�*t let him know was going on on the so, you can count them on one hand and he missed out on listening to people who are suffering. and then of course, the military, once the military withdrew its support, they are brought into power, and it was hard for him to sustain himself that position.— that position. and we are expecting _ that position. and we are expecting the _ that position. and we are expecting the new- that position. and we are expecting the new prime | expecting the new prime minister to be appointed and put in place, rather, and the next couple of days and the signs point to shebaz. he is the chief minister in the largest province in pakistan. and he has a history of doing things. i�*m not going to argue

that there are no allegations of corruption because a lot of politicians in pakistan have been accused of corruption. what stands out from shebaz is once he puts his mind to something, he gets it done. so, thatis something, he gets it done. so, that is where his opposition is very strong. so, he is still working in collaboration with and the guidance of his older brother in the uk, so, once he does that, things will be different.— does that, things will be different. ~ ., ., ,, , ., different. what happens to him now? is his _ different. what happens to him now? is his political— different. what happens to him now? is his political future - now? is his politicalfuture over? now? is his political future over? �* , , ., now? is his political future over? �*, , ., ., over? it's definitely not over. he has been _ over? it's definitely not over. he has been building - over? it's definitely not over. he has been building up, - over? it's definitely not over. he has been building up, not| over? it's definitely not over. i he has been building up, not to simply more recently but even before that, it was one of him pursuing an independent foreign policy and one of khan not getting into any external powers and the idea that people

in pakistan had the mentality of being slaves. and he really wanted to make pakistan independent. he was presented more strongly in the past few weeks when he created this logic that there was something that stated that khan stayed in power, us would withdraw support or side with pakistan. and he went to russia and that is when this movement against him. queen elizabeth has revealed that covid—19 left her feeling "very tired and exhausted". the monarch — who�*s 95 — was taking part in a virtual hospital visit when she described her experience to a former virus patient, whose father and brother died with the illness. buckingham palace said in february that the queen had coronavirus.

police in the uk have launched an investigation following reports of an alleged assault involving cristiano ronaldo after manchester united�*s defeat at everton on saturday. footage was shared on social media of the united forward appearing to hit a phone out of a young fan�*s hand as he left the pitch. he apologised for his outburst but police say they are looking into the incident and have asked for witnesses to come forward. the olivier awards were held at the royal albert hall in london on sunday. the glitzy ceremony is britain s equivalent of broadway s tony awards — honouring theatre practitioners on and off stage. eddie redmayne was was one of the winners on the night for his role in cabaret at the kit kat club. this is the dream. for me, this is the one, the part that i play when i was a kid at school. it was the thing that got my passion for theatre really fuelled in getting to do it every night with that

extraordinary group of people. it was dumbfounding. you extraordinary group of people. it was dumbfounding.- it was dumbfounding. you can hear the excitement _ it was dumbfounding. you can hear the excitement and - it was dumbfounding. you can hear the excitement and its i hear the excitement and its voice. let me bring you some breaking news: the world number one ranked golfer scottie scheffler overcame a late challenge from northern ireland�*s rory mcilroy to secure victory at the masters. american, scheffler saw his overnight advantage temporarily cut to just one stroke during a thrilling final day at the augusta national course — only to pull clear of the chasing pack and register a fourth win in his last six starts. you have been watching newsday. a reminder of our top story. with most of the votes counted in the first round of the french presidential election, emmanuel macron will face the far—right leader marine le pen in a run—off in two weeks�* time. results currently show only a two percentage point difference between them, with mr macron on just over twenty—seven percent and ms le pen onjust over twenty—five percent. all the candidates

in sunday�*s election — except the far right candidate — have urged their voters not to support ms le pen in the second round. that�*s all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello there. there was a lot of sunshine around first thing on sunday, but it was cold and frosty, and it was quite widespread across the country. these were the kind of temperatures we woke up to first thing on sunday morning, as low as minus six celsius. now, all change, and quite literally as we speak, because this area of low pressure that is throwing cloud right across the country and that is acting like a blanket, so it is preventing those temperatures from falling too far. it will be a frost free start to monday morning, with temperatures more likely about four, five, six degrees above freezing. so, a difference to the feel of the weather, and quite a cloudy, grey story first thing in the morning. the winds are going to strengthen, that is going

to throw up some showery outbreaks of rain through wales, northern ireland, north—west england, as well, through the day. quite blustery winds, as well, either coming from a southerly or south—easterly direction, widely gusting in excess of 30 mph. but sheltered eastern areas will see some sunshine, and with the wind direction now coming from the south, that means it will be a little bit warmer — 17 degrees the expected high. thundery downpours are likely into the south—west through monday night into tuesday, and we can trail that weather front all the way back down into spain. in fact, the air is coming up from the sahara. it is going to be pushing its way steadily north, with the exception perhaps of the northern isles. here, you will stay in the cooler air for the next few days. so that means first thing on tuesday morning we are likely to see temperatures of four degrees in lerwick, but 10—11 not out of the question across central and southern parts of england and wales. yes, there is going to be some rain, some of it quite heavy, some thundery downpours pushing their way steadily north, and because the air is coming from the sahara, could have a sprinkling of saharan dust in that rain, as well. that mightjust turn your washing or your car is a little bit grainy,

a little bit orange at times. in terms of the feel of things, 17—18 down into the south—east. where the cloud and the rain lingers, we are only looking at a maximum of 6—8. but the rain will ease away, the isobars open up through the middle part of the week, and the weather story is set to quieten down. it looks likely that wednesday will be the warmest day of the week, with 19—20 not out of the question. a good deal of dry weather, as well, as we head towards the easter weekend. whatever you are doing, take care and enjoy.

this is bbc news, we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i am stephen sackur. russia �*s invasion of ukraine and he have �*s defiant response will have a long—term impact on geopolitics far beyond europe �*s eastern flank. the west insists putin

must fail, but this century