this is bbc news 7 welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm tim willcox. our top stories... voters in france cast their ballot in the final round of the country's presidential election. incumbent emmanuel macron is hoping for a second term in office. his challenger marine le pen seeks to replace him — but voter turnout so far has been lower the run off 5 years ago. 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 crunch time in france as emmanuel macron and marine le pen go head to head in the battle to become the nation's next president. polling stations will begin closing in exactly two hours from now in rural areas — those in major cities will stay open for an additional hour. first indications are that turn—out is slightly lower than in the 2017 presidential election. at midday, turnout was just over 26% — a 15 year low. if emmanuel macron wins, he'll be the first french president to be re—elected to the elysee in two decades. for marine le pen, this is her third attempt at winning the presidency — and if she fails it could potentially be her last. our europe correspondent nick beake has the latest on the presidential run—off from paris.

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. let's show you some live pictures now where people are voting in both the alpine town of annecy and in lille in the north. polling stations will close in three hours time — when preliminary results will be released and give the first indication whether emmanuel macron or marine le pen is on course to be the next french president.

and we will have a special programme bringing you the result, starting at 17:30 gmt. join us for that — as france decides. as we go into the final hours of this campaign it still looks like it is emmanuel macron�*s race to lose but there are still a large number of undecided voters. david eades can explain more. there are millions of undecided. there are millions of undecided. there is a majority of french voters who won't be happy with whoever winds this election, such is the nature of the divisions in france at the moment. let's have a look at how the moment. let's have a look at how the last two weeks have panned out. i'm joined byjorginho white ——

georgina. building up to the first round you said it was a dull election campaign, if indeed there was an election campaign, well, emanuel macron is engaged now, so how do you think the french have found things?— how do you think the french have found things? there has been more campaigning. _ found things? there has been more campaigning, which _ found things? there has been more campaigning, which is _ found things? there has been more campaigning, which is a _ found things? there has been more campaigning, which is a good - found things? there has been more| campaigning, which is a good thing. walking around paris you don't feel like there is a momentous vote happening today. you have seen emmanuel macron go around france. he went to those regions that voted heavily for him in 2017 but turned out to vote for the far left candidate in the first round. he's gone out of his way to try and convince them but will it be enough? good question. i'm just going to ask our camera crew to look at the building behind us because we have the ukraine flag flying alongside the ukraine flag flying alongside the eu flag and the tricolore. that was emmanuel macron's explanation

for not engaging earlier, preoccupied with russia and ukraine. how much has that issue played a role in this whole election. dire role in this whole election. are several things. _ role in this whole election. sire several things. the first thing is that the war in ukraine has overshadowed things. that is because there is a war happening in europe, and emanuel macron is one of the only western leaders who has continued to talk to vladimir putin. they had to talk about how to support ukraine. but this doesn't seem to be one of the issues voters are thinking about when they are casting their ballots. they are concerned about gusts of living, energy gusts, and this isn't playing much of a role in how they are thinking and how they intend to vote. —— cost of living. emanuel macron said to marine le pen, your banker is vladimir putin, and that may have brought some voters alongside him but it isn't a key driving force at all.— alongside him but it isn't a key driving force at all. marine le pen -ushed driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard _ driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard on _ driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard on the _ driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard on the cost - driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard on the cost of - driving force at all. marine le pen pushed hard on the cost of living. | pushed hard on the cost of living.

and how it affected people. that remains a priority issue for most voters, i think. remains a priority issue for most voters, ithink. emanuel macron trying to change that debate by saying this is a referendum on the european union. is he right? the? european union. is he right? they are linked- — european union. is he right? they are linked. if— european union. is he right? they are linked. if you _ european union. is he right? they are linked. if you ask— european union. is he right? tie are linked. if you ask marine le european union. is he right? tie1 are linked. if you ask marine le pen or emmanuel macron they will say, we don't want france to leave the eu but emmanuel macron will save more europe is the solution, and marine le pen will say less is the solution. inaudible voters who vote either way will feel that they are past the solution or not. so, both candidates have cast their votes. 0ur correspondent anna holligan is in the northern town of henin—beaumont — marine le pen's home territory: well, it's a lazy sunday afternoon here. this is actually one of the busiest places.

but many people are hoping for a momentous evening as the results come in. and many people are optimistic that she could actually do it, marine le pen, even though the odds are against her. she was voting here earlier. here's an idea of what she was met with. marine, je t'aime! this is a flavour of the passion marine le pen evokes in her constituency. many people here are 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: food shopping, even petrol is becoming really|

expensive, travel to work, and the kids' activities, it all costs a lot. what do you think marine le pen will change for you? translation: with her ideas, - i think we will have more to spend. we need a change so it is now or never. we work, we work, and at the end of the month when you check your payslip... we should get more. i'm not sure if marine le pen can do the job but we could maybe 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. others think marine le pen is simply too much of a risk.

and we will have a special programme bringing you the result, starting at 1730 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. well, for more on this i'm now joined by our correspondent in kyiv, anna foster. any sign of the us delegation? not et. it is any sign of the us delegation? tirrt yet. it is rare we hear about a visit like this before it happens. normally there is lots of security. they have meetings, they are often taken to various locations and it is often after the event we see those pictures and hear what they had to

say and may be a press conference is held. this was announced yesterday and it was highly unusual. they would be the highest profile visitors from the us to come here to ukraine since the war began. president zelensky has been, as we've heard, he's done it publicly, trying to convince president biden to come, as well. that visit might be further down the line. president zelensky will be asking for more weapons, and he's been open about this, he has repeatedly called for more weapons, more heavy duty weapons, more sophisticated up—to—date weapons which he says ukraine desperately need if they are to continue to stop the russian advance in the east.— to continue to stop the russian advance in the east. those weapons are coming — advance in the east. those weapons are coming in _ advance in the east. those weapons are coming in from _ advance in the east. those weapons are coming in from different - advance in the east. those weapons are coming in from different parts i are coming in from different parts of europe at the moment. it is interesting, isn't it, seeing which countries are actually supplying some real hardware on the ground and others, like germany, which aren't,

and are still caught up in an internal debate there. you are right. that is a source - right. that is a source of great debate in germany and around the world, in fact. world leaders are in some ways almost trying to outdo each other in what they are giving. we see different things coming from different countries. we heard from the uk just a few days ago that they will send their old challenger two tanks to poland and then poland will send these t 72s into ukraine. very dated, cold war era equipment, really, but what's crucial is that the sort of thing that's coming and needs to be what ukrainian forces can actually use. some of them are out of the country, they are being trained in different places on how to use this more sophisticated equipment. certainly, older equipment. certainly, older equipment that they know, that they can get their hands on, and use straightaway is vitally important. here in ukraine, all eyes have been on the front line this easter weekend. 0n places like mariupol. 0n

weekend. 0n places like mariupol. on that 500 kilometres down the east of the country down in the donbas where people have been attempting to celebrate what is a huge day in the ukrainian calendar, 0rthodox easter. people here in kyiv have been visiting this beautiful saint michaels church behind me but not everyone can go to church today. some of them who are defending the country have to mark this day a little differently. they sing. 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 as well, 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're sending solidarity to their colleagues on the front lines

in the east and in mariupol in the hope they can do the same thing. translation: i would like to tell our fighters to stay strong. - i understand that these are really hard times now, everyone has families and all the fighters are worried about their homes, wives, sons and brothers. translation: i'm feeling good, and i'm in a fighting mood. - let the ones who flee from our country worry. the ones who didn't take up arms. everyone, even politicians, showed who they are. our people showed who they are. i'm in a fighting mood and we will fight the enemy.

those sentiments being reflected across ukraine today. the people who i've met taking their easter cakes to the church is to be blessed. they are all thinking about their defenders, the fight is on the front line, and the fact they cannot celebrate this special day for ukrainians with their families and, in many cases, even in their homes. thanks very much. 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 a 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.

nigeria's president, muhammadu buhari, has described the deadly explosion at an illegal oil refinery as a national disaster. officials say at least a hundred and nine people died in the blast in imo state late on friday. mr buhari has ordered the security forces to step up operations to close down illegal refineries in the south—east of the country. nigeria is estimated to lose around two hundred thousand barrels of crude oil a day, to theft from pipelines owned by the major oil companies. corruption has undermined efforts to stop the oil theft. a growing row over an article in today's meling sunday featuring

angela rayner. —— mail on sunday. the speaker has been asked to consider revoking the parliamentary pass of the mail on sunday's political editor. in an article he quoted unnamed mps as saying labour's deputy leader tries to put borisjohnson off his stride by crossing and uncrossing her legs when she is sitting opposite him during prime minister's questions. let's get more on this with our political correspondent. 0ffensive for many, many women. to my mind it seemed like a story blown out of proportion to be a splash. people askin: proportion to be a splash. people asking where _ proportion to be a splash. people asking where this _ proportion to be a splash. people asking where this came _ proportion to be a splash. people asking where this came from. - proportion to be a splash. people asking where this came from. it | asking where this came from. it talks about, in this story from the male's political editor, it talks about talk in the tea rooms and things like that. but,

the biggest event in european boxing history. another momentous night for tyson fury in what has been a colourful career. for the first time in two years — rio's famous carnival has been taking place. tim allman reports. music plays you can say this for the people of rio — they certainly know how to put on a show. but this particular show has been absent for two long years, the shadow of covid looming large.

translation: it's a moment of rebirth, of understanding l that we have to hope, even though many have gone. this is what carnival�*s about — showing that we have survived and we will win. translation: this float represents what we lived through in this pandemic. it's also a tribute to those who lost their loved ones, to bring back the joy and celebrate again. a tribute to those lost, a celebration of things to come. life, passion, energy. the most important thing is to have a good time. tim allman, bbc news. now a time for a look at the weather — here's chris. hello, again. for many of us, it's been a fine weekend with long spells of sunshine. temperatures well above average as well — got up to about 19 degrees around the bournemouth area of dorset.

and next door, in poole, some kite surfers were enjoying those brisk north—easterly winds. mind you, it's not been like that everywhere this weekend. through sunday afternoon, we've seen low cloud moving to northern areas of scotland. here, temperatures limited to 17 degrees through the afternoon — here, temperatures limited to 7 degrees through the afternoon — around some coastal areas. and there's a lot more of that cloud upstream waiting to sink southwards. so our weather is set to turn cloudier and cooler over the coming days. during this evening and overnight, we're looking at a largely dry night with clear spells coming and going. that cloud across the north of scotland thickening, there will be some mist patches here, and probably some drizzle developing through the night as well. 0therwise, temperatures between 4—7 degrees, similar to recent nights. tomorrow, there will be some change in the weather picture. for most of us, we start the day on a sunny note, but cloud will bubble up through the morning and, come the afternoon, we're looking at some showers breaking out. most of these across central and eastern parts of england. there could be a few heavy ones towards the south—east with hail mixed in. and our winds are still 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 coasts. the warmest weather will be across southern wales and south—west england where we should see temperatures of 16, maybe 17 degrees in the warmest areas. 0therwise, feeling just a tad cooler. for tuesday, we'll start to see that cloud i showed you on the satellite picture get pulled down through the north sea and then move inland, so tuesday promises to be a much cloudier day. through the morning, there might even be the odd spit of drizzle. cool again. 9—11 in central areas of scotland and england. it's across the south and west where we'll see the highest temperatures — 16, 17 possible. wednesday is almost a carbon copy repeat. again, you can see the extent of the cloud. any limited sunshine will be most abundant across these western areas of the country. again, those temperatures just easing down a notch or so. later in the week, through thursday and indeed friday, we'll keep a fair bit of cloud. the best of the sunshine

across western areas. but it will stay largely dry. however, into next weekend, it looks like we'll see some rain and cooler weather moving in.