this is bbc news 7 welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories... voters in france cast their ballot in the final round of the country's presidential election. emmanuel macron looks to extend his premiership. the challenger marine le pen seeks to replace the incumbent — but voter turnout so far has been lower in comparison to the last election. as russia's war on ukraine enters its third month — us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv — the first top us offical to visit since the invasion. japan says 10 people have died off the northern island of hokkaido after a sightseeing boat went missing on saturday.

it's election day in france and polling stations here have been open for several hours now. —— it's election day in france and polling stations there have been open for several hours now. in the second and final round of voting, incumbent president emmanuel macron, is being challenged by the far—right leader, marine le pen. turnout at midday was almost two percentage points lower than at the same stage in the last presidential election in 2017. but it was marginally higher than in the first round two weeks ago. a short while ago, centrist emmanuel macron, left the home he and his wife have been staying at in le touquet and cast his vote. he's hoping to become the country's first sitting president to win

a second term in 20 years. meanwhile, his rival, far—right candidate, marine le pen, is hoping to win herfirst. she was out earlier in henin—beaumont where she voted. today's election will be like a deja vu for the electorate because the pair went head—to—head in the second round of the last election back in 2017. this is marine le pen�*s third attempt at the presidency and if she fails it could potentially be her last. 0ur europe correspondent nick beake has the latest on the presidential run—off. emmanuel macron cast his ballot this morning, hoping to become the first french president to be re—elected in 20 years. but many voters believe he has failed to deliver on big promises during his first term. marine le pen also wants to make history by becoming the first french woman to be president. she has tried to present a softer image, but is accused of holding onto racist policies, including banning muslim women from wearing a headscarf in public. the french aren't exactly thrilled with what is on offer this election. the frustration we found at this

market in paris tells a similar story across the country. just listen to patrik, a retired fireman and joel, an office worker. they will not be voting for anyone. translation: | am noti going to vote for marine because i hate the far right. but macron is not that different. he is president of the rich — arrogant, contemptuous. translation: i do not hate marine, she has got better, she's _ calmer, more mature. her speech is more poised. but i do not agree with her on the more sensitive policies. sarah, who is reluctantly voting for macron, doesn't trust the polls that are suggesting le pen will lose. i am still worried because i used to believe brexit would not happen, i used to believe trump would never be elected and each time i got up

in the morning the day after and realised it had happened, and it could go the same way in france. a le pen presidency would notjust have an impact on communities across this country, it would also change france's position in the world. that's because she wants to replace the european union with something else and to pull out french troops from the nato military command. these are radical ideas, particularly at a time when there is war in europe. both candidates have been trying desperately to sell themselves to the undecided millions, maybe not as their ideal choice, but as the best offer in front of them. and we will have a special programme bringing you the result, starting at 17:30 gmt. join us for that — as france decides. the us secretary of state antony blinken is due to visit kyiv today.

there are renewed calls for peace talks with ukraine's president again asking to meet with vladimir putin. the united nations is also stepping up its efforts at diplomacy with visits to moscow and kyiv this week. it's easter sunday in ukraine with people reflecting on the war which today enters its third month as danjohnson reports from lviv. vladimir putin may have been to church last night to mark the orthodox christian celebration. but he won't convince ukrainians he's a man of peace. their easter is about a resurgent defence of their country. rising again in resistance to russian attacks. at least eight lives were lost yesterday when an apartment block was hit in 0desa. a three—month—old baby died here, the latest sacrifice in eight weeks of war.

the president's easter message was high on symbolism and heavy with condemnation. translation: our souls are full of fierce hatred for the invaders l and all that they have done. our hearts are full of fierce fury. don't let fury destroy us from within. most ukrainians won't be at home this weekend. families are scattered, and so many people are on the move. not many have made it out of mariupol, but the evacuation efforts continue. these are the more fortunate who have reached the relative safety of a temporary shelter. others will spend easter sunday trying to escape russian shelling. the us secretary of state is due to visit kyiv later, bringing goodwill and support. but the prayers across ukraine are for peace and for more of the weapons they say are needed to protect it. danjohnson, bbc news, lviv.

japan says the bodies of ten people have been recovered, after their sightseeing boat sank off the northern island of hokkaido. the search continues for the other passengers — a total of 26 were on board the vessel, which ran into trouble off shiretoko peninsula, famous for its wildlife and dramatic coastline. 0ur asia pacific editor michael bristow reports: this is the boat that went missing while on a sightseeing trip. a camera appears to capture the vessel as it prepares to leave harbour. one by one, the passengers embark. the boat then gently pushes out to sea. all seemed calm. but one local tour operator warned them not to leave. translation: it was clear that the conditions at sea would worsen. so i told them not to go, but they did anyway. the vessel began taking on water

near this scenic spot. he started to tilt, it's then thought to have sank. the temperature of the water in this part of northern japan was barely above freezing, making survival difficult. rescuers scoured the rugged coastline for the 26 on board the kazu 1. they also searched from the air. some bodies were discovered at sea. others were washed up along the shore. the tourists were visiting one of japan's most pristine natural environments, a unesco world heritage site. they would have begun the day excited. investigators will now be asking why their captain didn't heed the warnings about the weather. michael bristow, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news the lebanese authorities say at least six migrants have drowned, including a young girl, after their boat sank off the country s northern coast near the port city of tripoli. 48 people have been rescued. those on board included both lebanese and syrian nationals who officials say left

lebanon illegally. the financial crisis in lebanon has prompted an increasing number of its citizens to try to make the sea crossing to europe. four polish miners have been confirmed dead following an earth tremor at a coal mine in the south of the country. rescue workers are still searching for six others. the rescue operation has been hampered by a large concentration of flammable methane gas released by the tremor. slovenians are voting in a parliamentary election, with the prime minister, janezjansa, and his right—wing sds party hoping to form a government for the fourth time. he's facing strong opposition from robert golob, the leader of the green, centre—left freedom movement. opponents of mrjansa accuse him of populism and xenophobia. here in the uk, the conservative party chairman 0liver dowden has backed the prime minister, borisjohnson, over the partygate allegations saying there is a "strong case" for borisjohnson remaining in office. the opposition labour leader, sir keir starmer, says mrjohnson�*s

authority to lead is "shot through" and called on the government to have an emergency budget to deal with the cost of living crisis. here's our political correspondent peter saull. the prime minister probably feels there is a lot weighing him down right now. last week's state visit to india a welcome distraction from his woes back home. some in his party think it is time for him to go, so step forward the chairman of the conservatives with a message for his restless colleagues. you do need to balance against that first of all the really good things he has done as prime minister, whether that is delivering the vaccine programme, getting brexit done, all the actions in ukraine, but also the challenges right now, whether that is national security or neg security, these are unparalleled challenges and i actually think that instability and uncertainty caused by a change of leadership would not be in the national interest. he would rather be talking about the rising cost of living, or so he says. today the labour leader is calling for an emergency budget to help

hard—pressed families. so why did he spend so long last week talking about parties? i want to talk about - the cost of living crisis, but if you or anybody else thinks i that i think that i am not bothered that the prime minister broke i the law, the laws that he made, that i don't think it matter that his authority to lead i the country is shot through, that it doesn't matter- that his own mps now don't really want to defend him l because they are sick of defending lthe indefensible, then i'm sorry, i i'm not going to shy away from that. sir keir starmer is not alone in wanting the prime minister gone, with other opposition parties more than happy to stick the boot in. you have got someone who has lost that moral authority, lost the trust. he has laughed at the british people. he was partying while people were making sacrifices. there is a point of principle here which is that if you allow the prime minister to mislead parliament without any repercussions, we end up

in a dangerous place. downing street still insists that the prime minister is yet to receive a second fine, but with the police investigation farfrom over and local elections around the corner, this place's current occupant has a fight on his hands to stay here. peter saull, bbc news. more now on our top story: france choosing its next president, with incumbent, emmanuel macron challenged in the second round by the far—right leader, marine le pen. turnout at midday was almost two percentage points lower than at the same stage in the last presidential election. concerns about turnout have been a key feature of this election with emmanuel macron�*s camp particularly worried about voter apathy. david eades can explain this phenomenon further from clichy, near paris. this election being described as a three d election in one or two circles. the three ds being

for disappointment, disillusionment and despair. so none of them are very positive elements to bring to the table for these two candidates as they try to garner support, and certainly marine le pen has been working on the disappointments of a macron presidency. it has been a lot harder for the president himself to bolster the sense of achievement when that is a general mood across the country. so let's find out a little bit about the way this might go. i'm joined by jean—philippe dubrulle, who is the research director for ifop opinion polls. jean—philippe, thanks very much forjoining us. we've had the turnout at this point in the day, which is a bit down on five years ago. at 26.4%, does that tell you much? well, this turnout rate is quite equal to the rate in the first round, so what we expect and what was measured in the latest polls, the turnout rate here for the second round should be very close to the one in the first round, that was around 75% — one quarter of the voters — did not go to the ballots.

three quarters did so. well, there might be some relief in the macron camp in particular if that figure stays quite high, but there is another element to this vote. you can actuallyjust have a blank vote, and i suppose that would be the worry, particularly from the macron side of the equation. that thousands, if not even millions, might turn up and just not put a cross on the paper. yes, that was the case five years ago in the second round of the election. there was nearly 35 ballots cast, and among them there were four million blank or invalid ballots. so here, despite the fact that turnout could be on par with precedent elections, we have to take into account these invalid and blank ballots who are more even than not going to the ballots. these ballots are a sign of a rejection of the dilemma between

emmanuel macron and marine le pen. that perhaps is that three d election, isn't it? despair, disappointment, dissolution. there is also a sense of, i think the french would say, "a quoi bon" — what's the point? they don't like either candidates, they don't want to turn out. is there a lack of interest, in fact, in the selection, do you think, as well? well, before the first round, we measure that. we asked the french if this campaign had any interest to you? and before the first round, only a minority of the french responded yes. but between those rounds, a majority has adopted this opinion. so, the campaign between the two rounds has been far more interesting for the french. some might say it has finally begun.

in fact, yes, here we have a new election. let's go live now to our correspondent anna holligan who is in the northern town of henin—beaumont where marine le pen cast her vote earlier. why is there so much riding on the outcome? it why is there so much riding on the outcome? , . . , , , outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon- _ outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon. this _ outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon. this is _ outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon. this is one - outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon. this is one of- outcome? it is a lazy, sunny afternoon. this is one of the busiest places. many people are hoping for a momentous evening as the results come in. many are optimistic she could do it. even though the odds are against marine le pen. she was voting here earlier. here is an idea of what she was met with. , , . ., ., with. this is the flavour of the assion with. this is the flavour of the passion marine _ with. this is the flavour of the passion marine le _ with. this is the flavour of the passion marine le pen - with. this is the flavour of the passion marine le pen evokes with. this is the flavour of the i passion marine le pen evokes in with. this is the flavour of the - passion marine le pen evokes in her constituency. passion marine le pen evokes in her constituency-— constituency. many people here are stru: calin constituency. many people here are struggling with _ constituency. many people here are struggling with the _ constituency. many people here are struggling with the rising _ constituency. many people here are struggling with the rising cost - constituency. many people here are struggling with the rising cost of. struggling with the rising cost of food and fuel, and they feel other

politicians aren't aware orjust don't care. these two are voting marine le pen. translation:— translation: food shopping, even etrol is translation: food shopping, even petrol is becoming _ translation: food shopping, even petrol is becoming really _ translation: food shopping, even petrol is becoming really expensive, j petrol is becoming really expensive, it all cost a lot.— it all cost a lot. what do you think marine le pen _ it all cost a lot. what do you think marine le pen will— it all cost a lot. what do you think marine le pen will change - it all cost a lot. what do you think marine le pen will change for - it all cost a lot. what do you thinkl marine le pen will change for you? translation:— marine le pen will change for you? translation: ~ ., , ~ translation: with her ideas, i think we will have more _ translation: with her ideas, i think we will have more to _ translation: with her ideas, i think we will have more to spend. - translation: with her ideas, i think we will have more to spend. we - translation: with her ideas, i think we will have more to spend. we need j we will have more to spend. we need a change so it is now or never. irate a change so it is now or never. we work, we — a change so it is now or never. we work, we work, and at the end of the month_ work, we work, and at the end of the month when— work, we work, and at the end of the month when you check your payslip... we should _ month when you check your payslip... we should get more. i'm not sure if marine _ we should get more. i'm not sure if marine le _ we should get more. i'm not sure if marine le pen can do the job but we could _ marine le pen can do the job but we could maybe let her have a chance, if i could maybe let her have a chance, if i can _ could maybe let her have a chance, if i can say— could maybe let her have a chance, if i can say that? why not?- if i can say that? why not? arriving here, if i can say that? why not? arriving

here. peeple _ if i can say that? why not? arriving here, people were _ if i can say that? why not? arriving here, people were chanting - if i can say that? why not? arriving| here, people were chanting marine, we love you. she wasn'tjust kissing babies heads, she was telling them she would protect them. that is what the people in her heartland believe that marine le pen has the potential to protect them and their futures. but even here people are voting for emmanuel macron. some believe he needs more time to deliver. 0thers needs more time to deliver. others think marine le pen is simply too much of a risk. both politicians aware no election campaign is complete without posing for the cameras with a baby. in terms of their differing views on the future of france, what are the main distinction is?— distinction is? the future of france, distinction is? the future of france. but _ distinction is? the future of france, but also _ distinction is? the future of france, but also on - distinction is? the future of france, but also on the - distinction is? the future of i france, but also on the future distinction is? the future of - france, but also on the future of europe because people here are voting for the issues that matter most to them. france is a permanent member of the un security council. a

nuclear weapons holder. so, the decision they make here today will have an impact on the future of europe because these two politicians have competing visions for where france should be within the eu. emmanuel macron, of course, he is at the heart of europe. he wants a stronger, more united eu, whereas marine le pen has talked about empowering france and french voters, having a more fragmented union, and then on the subject of russia, of course, marine le pen has called for no sanctions that would hurt the french people whereas emmanuel macron has, of course, he has been negotiating with vladimir putin to try to secure peace. the other thing to mention about this, of course, is that whoever wins this, emanuel macron is still ahead in the polls, whoever wins it, though, will be presiding over a very fragmented nation. they will have to try to reunite this country between behind each one of these visions. people

here think marine le pen is the only one, notjust because they believe in her policies, but because they say emmanuel macron has had five years, he didn't deliver for them. their only hope, many here feel, is marine le pen.— a british man detained in yemen without trial since 2017 has been released, the foreign secretary has confirmed. luke symons was 25—years—old when he was arrested by houthis as a suspected spy. his loved ones have been campaigning tirelessly for his release. in a statement, foreign secretary liz truss said mr symons had been allegedly mistreated and refused visits from family. he has been flown to muscat and will soon be reunited with family in the uk. let's return now to the ukraine crisis. the us secretary of state antony blinken and defence secretary lloyd austin are due in kyiv today, the first top us officials to visit since the invasion. their trip was announced by president volodymyr zelensky, though has not been

confirmed by washington. 0ur correspondent in kyiv, anna foster, has been telling me how unusual this announcement is. very unusual, because normally for security reasons you don't hear about these big visits until after the people involved have been here, conducted their meetings and left again. that is normally the point at which you see the pictures and hear what they had to say. but this was announced by president zelensky yesterday evening. he held a press conference deep below the streets of kyiv in a metro station, and he told the assembled journalists that his meeting would be happening today. what we haven't had yet is any confirmation, indeed any detail at all about it from the white house. it's after four o'clock in the afternoon here in kyiv, and for all we know they could be here now and it may be later today we see the pictures and hear conversations about what happened

between them and president zelensky and he said the call for more weapons will be on the agenda but in terms of the meeting there is very little detail we know. it is 0rthodox easter. usually a time for celebration and for families to get together. so different for so many families there in ukraine this time round. it is very different in those cities in the east and south, places like mariupol where they have been under constant bombardment easter celebrations will not happen in any meaningful way at all but in kyiv we see sparks of life and this is the beautiful st andrews church, and there are people out here in the sunshine. this is a really unusual sight, the streets of kyiv have been so quiet for so long. many people fled the city at the start of the invasion because russia wanted to try to capture this capital and did not manage it but people have been out here this morning and visiting church and having their easter cakes

blessed but for some people who are still defending this country they cannot go to church the same way that people here in the city can so they have been finding different ways to mark the occasion. the men and women of kyiv�*s territorial defence are celebrating easter in the trenches they now call home. dug into the sandy soil on the outskirts of the city, they cook and sleep here. today they will eat cakes here too, iced with sprinkles and blessed with holy water. they were delivered from local bakeries who want to thank these fighters for saving the city. here in the trenches outside kyiv they have already repelled the russian advance and now they are sending solidarity to their colleagues on the front line in the east and in mariupol in the hope they can do the same thing. translation: i the hope they can do the same thing. translation:—

translation: i would like to tell our fighters _ translation: i would like to tell our fighters to — translation: i would like to tell our fighters to stay _ translation: i would like to tell our fighters to stay strong. - translation: i would like to tell our fighters to stay strong. i - our fighters to stay strong. i understand that these are really hard times now. everybody has families and all of the fighters are worried about their homes, wives, sons, and brothers. translation: sons, and brothers. tuna/mom- sons, and brothers. translation: �* ., translation: i'm feeling good and i am in a fighting _ translation: i'm feeling good and i am in a fighting mood. _ translation: i'm feeling good and i am in a fighting mood. let _ translation: i'm feeling good and i am in a fighting mood. let the - translation: i'm feeling good and i am in a fighting mood. let the ones l am in a fighting mood. let the ones who flee _ am in a fighting mood. let the ones who flee from our country worry. the ones _ who flee from our country worry. the ones who _ who flee from our country worry. the ones who didn't took up arms. everyone. _ ones who didn't took up arms. everyone, even politicians, showed who they— everyone, even politicians, showed who they are. our people showed who they are _ who they are. our people showed who iheyare i'm — who they are. our people showed who they are. i'm in a fighting mood so we will_ they are. i'm in a fighting mood so we will fight the enemy. it really just shows you it reallyjust shows you that 0rthodox easter is being celebrated so differently here in ukraine this year and for these people in kyiv who are having, you know, a peaceful, quite enjoyable day in the sunshine for the first time in weeks

and weeks. itjust marks a small smart, a small moment for them, well, at least in this city normality is getting a tiny bit closer. —— marks a small spark. tyson fury says he may now retire having beaten dillian whyte to retain his wbc heavyweight belt in front of a record crowd of 94 thousand people at wembley last night. ade adedoyin was there for us. a punch perfect finish from tyson fury. the self—styled gypsy king remains the king of the ring. the atmosphere electric, the wing —— ring walk elaborate, it even included a sit on the throne. his opponenfs included a sit on the throne. his opponent's was much more measured. after a cagey start, things got heated in the fourth round. there were several warnings from the referee to keep the action clean. both began to find the target in the fifth, then the finish one round later, one punch, white on his back. brilliant and brutal. white staggered back onto his feet but was

in no shape to continue. another emphatic win for tyson fury. so, what's next? g0 emphatic win for tyson fury. so, what's next?— emphatic win for tyson fury. so, what's next? ,., ., , what's next? go home with my wife and my kids- _ what's next? go home with my wife and my kids. i've _ what's next? go home with my wife and my kids. i've spent _ what's next? go home with my wife and my kids. i've spent a _ what's next? go home with my wife and my kids. i've spent a long - what's next? go home with my wife and my kids. i've spent a long time| and my kids. i've spent a long time on the road. i have fulfilled everything i ever wanted to fulfil. i'm going to retire as the only second heavyweight in history to retire undefeated. two—time ring magazine heavyweight champion of the world. there has never been a ring magazine holder in my era. all roads lead to the gypsy king. i was unbeatable. if lead to the gypsy king. i was unbeatable.— lead to the gypsy king. i was unbeatable. , . , , . unbeatable. if this was his final fiuht, unbeatable. if this was his final fight. what _ unbeatable. if this was his final fight. what a — unbeatable. if this was his final fight, what a way _ unbeatable. if this was his final fight, what a way to _ unbeatable. if this was his final fight, what a way to bow - unbeatable. if this was his final fight, what a way to bow out. l unbeatable. if this was his final - fight, what a way to bow out. there were 94,000 fight fans here at wembley, the biggest event in european boxing history, another momentous night full tyson fury in what has been a colourful career. ade adedoyin, bbc news, wembley. now a time for a look at the weather — here's chris. for many it's been a fine weekend with long spells of sunshine, temperatures well above average, got up temperatures well above average, got up to about 19 degrees in the

bournemouth area of dorset. kite surfers entering those brisk north easterly winds. it's not been like that everywhere this weekend. 0n that everywhere this weekend. on sunday, we've seen low cloud moving to northern areas of scotland. here, temperatures limited to 17 degrees in the afternoon around some coastal areas. there is a lot more of that cloud upstream waiting to sink southwards. the weather is set to turn cloudy and cool over the coming days. during this evening and overnight we are looking at a largely dry night with clear spells coming and going. that cloud across the north of scotland thickening, mr patch is here, and probably some drizzle developing through the night, as well. between four and 7 degrees, similar to recent nights. a change in the weather picture. foremost, we start the day on a sunny note but cloud will bubble up and we are looking at showers breaking out. most of these across central and eastern parts of england. there could be somehow the ones towards the south—east with

hail mixed in. our ones towards the south—east with hail mixed in. 0urwinds ones towards the south—east with hail mixed in. our winds are coming in from hail mixed in. our winds are coming infrom a hail mixed in. our winds are coming in from a north—easterly direction. those winds are travelling across the cool waters of the north sea, hence those lower temperatures we continue to see around our eastern coast. the warmest weather across southern wales and south—west england where we should see temperatures around 16, may be 17 degrees in the warmest areas. 0therwise, feeling a tad cooler. full tuesday, we will see that cloud i showed you on the satellite picture get pulled down through the north sea, then move inland, so choose to promises to be a much cloudier day. through the morning, there might be the odd spit of drizzle. cool again. there might be the odd spit of drizzle. coolagain. nine to 11 in central areas of scotland and england. it is across the south and west where we will see the highest in bridges, 16, 17 possible. wednesday, almost a carbon copy repeat. —— the highest temperatures. any limited sunshine will be most abundant across these western areas of the country. those temperatures are using down a notch or so. later in the week, through thursday and

friday we will keep a fair bit of cloud. the best of the sunshine across western areas. but it will stay largely dry. into next weekend, it looks like we will see some rain and cooler weather moving in.

this is bbc news. the headlines... emmanuel macron and marine le pen cast their votes —

as france heads to the polls in the final round of the country's