this is bbc news, i'm tim willcox. our top stories... in ukraine, 3 further 50 civilians are evacuated from the mariupol steelworks — that's been under attack by russian forces. a huge explosion rips through an upmarket hotel in the colonial district of havana. at least 18 people are dead. the united states says north korea appears to be preparing a nuclear bomb test — its first in five years. a state of emergency is declared in sri lanka, as thousands of protestors demand the resignation of both the president and prime minister. and why some controversial members of the british royal family won't be getting a place on the balcony at the queen's jubilee.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the united nations and the international red cross are continuing their efforts in ukraine to rescue more civilians from the besieged city of mariupol. on friday, 50 more people, including children, were evacuated from a huge steel factory complex. these are the latest pictures of some of those who've got out. the azovstal plant is under siege by russian forces. dozens are still trapped inside. the city, in the country's south, has been under constant shelling by the russian military. the steelworks has become the last holdout of ukrainian forces who are fighting to defend mariupol. our correspondent laura bicker has sent this report from dnipro. the russian attacks

continue despite promises of a cease—fire, according to this unverified footage released by the ukrainian azov unit. kremlin—backed troops are still firing on this vast steel plant, according to uk intelligence, while ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of civilians shelter inside. they've been using the sprawling network of tunnels as a refuge for more than two months, with very little food or water. around 100 women and children have already been rescued from the depths of the plant. there is a complex operation to free more civilians. but now comes a plea to save the troops, who have used the steelworks to try and make one last stand the city. svetlana's only son is there. she doesn't want to be identified to protect him. translation: it's horrible. horrible to know that your son is fighting and has nothing left to fight with, in a city that's completely raised

to the ground and seized by the occupiers. i would give everything in exchange for him to survive. for everyone who is still there under the bombardment to survive. we beg, we beg all the world countries to help us and save our heroes. it's not them who are complaining and begging, it's us. svetlana was asked by her son to flee as the russian bombs levelled this once—thriving port. ukrainian officials claim more than 20,000 people have been killed. the relatives of others still fighting can't bear to see these images. yaroslava's husband and her two sons—in—law are also in that ukrainian azov unit. translation: every l image is a wound in my heart and in my soul. every time. my wish is that they would survive this. of course they will keep fighting. they are holding on, they are doing the impossible.

singing in ukrainian. 0utnumbered and outgunned, this small defending force has become a potent symbol for ukraine. they may never surrender — but their families are praying they'll at least get a chance to leave alive. laura bicker, bbc news, dnipro. the white house has announced a new multi—billion dollar package of military aid for ukraine that will include artillery, munitions, and radars. president biden said the existing funding for ukraine was "nearly exhausted" and urged us congress to pass his proposed assistance package worth 33—billion dollars to — as he put it — �*strengthen ukraine on the battlefield and at the negotiating table'. ambassador daniel fried is a veteran diplomat who is now at the atlantic council. he helped lead the wests response to moscow s annexation of crimea in 2014 as sanctions coordinator in the 0bama administration. he's in washington.

this bill is going to be worth billions and billions but what will do effectively in terms of arms supplies from the to ukraine?— arms supplies from the to ukraine? , ., ., , ukraine? this has enormous symbolic— ukraine? this has enormous symbolic significance - ukraine? this has enormous symbolic significance and . ukraine? this has enormous| symbolic significance and the fact that it passed congress overwhelmingly with republicans and democrats uniting is a very good sign for american leadership of this effort to push back on the aggression of pudding against ukraine. the $33 billion as necessary, will provide streamlining but it is not to be honest, quite the dramatic step forward that the original bill was in 1941, because we are already able under the law to provide the arms to ukraine but still, this is a symbolic gesture and a $33

billion request is real money and it is needed. it billion request is real money and it is needed.— and it is needed. it could be sinned and it is needed. it could be signed into _ and it is needed. it could be signed into law _ and it is needed. it could be signed into law by _ and it is needed. it could be signed into law by joe - and it is needed. it could be signed into law by joe biden and it is needed. it could be i signed into law by joe biden on signed into law byjoe biden on the ninth which is symbolic as well because it coincides with a great patriotic war that putin will be celebrating in moscow in red square. could it bring about a speedier end to this conflict, do you think, bearing in mind how much weaponry will be going into ukraine? . r' weaponry will be going into ukraine? ., ,~' ., weaponry will be going into ukraine? ., ., ., ukraine? the task now for all of us, ukraine? the task now for all of us. the — ukraine? the task now for all of us, the uk, _ ukraine? the task now for all of us, the uk, the _ ukraine? the task now for all of us, the uk, the us, - ukraine? the task now for all. of us, the uk, the us, europe, is to lean forward, to provide the ukrainians, the arms they need to defend themselves and intensify sanctions on russia, do it right now. the 9th of may, as you suggest, is an important day symbolically and may beat notjust symbolically if putin uses the occasion to make some announcements but we need to make clear to him that he is not going to win this war and we need to back the

ukrainians and by the way, it is not fanciful any more to think of the ukrainians actually succeeding in tackling the russian offensive, they have been doing an awfully good job of it and this is a success which is not inevitable but it is possible. which is not inevitable but it is possible-— is possible. you mentioned sanctions. _ is possible. you mentioned sanctions, the _ is possible. you mentioned sanctions, the eu - is possible. you mentioned sanctions, the eu is - is possible. you mentioned - sanctions, the eu is discussing those, oil sanctions first of all, gas sanctions which affect so many and on which european countries are reliant but do they go far enough and when you have exemptions for hungary and slovakia and there is some suggestion russia can weather the impact of the sanctions? every new sanction helps. if you ask me whether we should be doing more, the answer is pretty much always going to be yes but the oil sanctions may not be 100% effective but every dollar and every pound, every

euro that we take out of the war machine of putin is good and do not look at the oil sanctions as zero or 100, think of it as another bite out of the war with for putin. i would like to see the eu announced a final deal and that there is an exception for hungary, an exemption for a limited period of time, i will live with that. policy—making is not for purists. i want to get the best possible results.— purists. i want to get the best possible results. you know the reuion possible results. you know the region well— possible results. you know the region well and _ possible results. you know the region well and you _ possible results. you know the region well and you have - possible results. you know the i region well and you have worked extensively so what do you expect vladimir putin to say on the 9th of may in terms of the special military operation and what is happening there? will he recognise at all, do you think, and his top military brass, that mistakes have been made? i brass, that mistakes have been made? ., , , made? i doubt he will recognise that mistakes _ made? i doubt he will recognise that mistakes had _ made? i doubt he will recognise that mistakes had been - made? i doubt he will recognise that mistakes had been made. i that mistakes had been made. but he has a dilemma. he needs to be able to announce some

kind of and he does not have much to report. there is an hysterical quality to russian propaganda which suggests a nervousness because russians know this is not going well. putin could proclaim an annexation, he could claim more territory based on what he has already conquered and claimed victory based on that, but he may not be able to hold the territory. there was a rumour he was clearing a declaration of war against ukraine, may be, but the trouble with that is i am not sure that calling up people in a mass way and drafting them in big cities is going to be all that popular. he faces a lot of tough choices. and on the 9th of may, president biden is going to have a chance to push back, president emmanuel macron, because it is europe day, will have an opportunity and you may

have an opportunity and you may have an opportunity and you may have a counterpoint, the russian dictator basically waving his fist and his armies are not doing that well, and leaders of the west speaking about russia �*s aggression and the need to support ukraine, it might be an interesting day. ambassador, thank you for joining us. an explosion at a luxury hotel in the cuban capital havana has killed at least 18 people. the blast tore through several floors of the hotel saratoga. the cuban president, miguel diaz canel, said the explosion had resulted from what he called a gas accident, though investigations were underway. more than 60 people were injured. 0ur latin america correspondent will grant is following developments from mexico city. well, it seems that the cuban presidency is basically saying that this was caused by a gas explosion. whether or not that was a gas leak or a tanker carrying liquefied gas that was parked

outside the saratoga hotel is still to be determined. they did, of course, say that they're still looking at the exact cause. but so far, preliminary investigations seem to point in that direction. if that is the case this has been a horrific accident in old havana. yes, the hotel was closed, which means that obviously that could have saved lives. but of course, there would have been people working on that refurbishment. there would have been staff inside that hotel. there would have been people passing through the streets in that area. thankfully, there was a school behind the hotel. we were told that everybody was evacuated safely from the school. but yes, a very, very serious accident in the cuban capital. the saratoga hotel is really very, very well known in havana. i mean, basically, everybody will know it. it was a point where, for example, a lot of celebrities would go when they visited havana during the recent thaw between the 0bama administration and cuba. there's been all manner of different tour groups coming through over the years.

press conferences with us senators i've been to in that hotel. it's a very, very well known focal point in that area for tourism. and as you said in your introduction, the colonial era, old havana district, a lot of crumbling buildings around that. so, of course, an explosion of this nature could have an effect on some of the surrounding buildings, too. the united states says it believes north korea may be preparing a nuclear test within the next few weeks — its first in five years. a state department spokeswoman said north korea had been making its puungayree nuclear test site ready for such a test. 0ur north america correspondent david willisjoins me now. there have been lots of tests since january but as i say, the first nuclear bomb, if this is the case, in five years? that's

riaht the case, in five years? that's right and _ the case, in five years? that's right and this _ the case, in five years? that's right and this is _ the case, in five years? that's right and this is actually - the case, in five years? that's right and this is actually the l right and this is actually the first on the record comment of its kind by us officials, making the point, as you pointed out, that they believe that the north korean nuclear test site to the north of pyongyang is readying and preparing to carry out a test possibly within the next few weeks. now that is consistent, that sort of analysis, with remarks by the north korean leader kimjong—un remarks by the north korean leader kim jong—un who only last month said he was looking to accelerate his country �*s nuclear weapons programme and also consistent with satellite imagery on the ground which shows increased activity around that nuclear test site. now the timing of this is significant for two reasons. next week sees the inauguration of the new south korean president and the week after that, president biden is due to visit the south

korean capital, it is of course a reminder to him and his administration that whilst their attention has been focused on the russian aggression towards ukraine, tensions have been heightened as ever, perhaps, on the korean peninsula. as ever, perhaps, on the korean peninsula-— peninsula. president biden auoin to peninsula. president biden going to japan _ peninsula. president biden going to japan as - peninsula. president biden going to japan as well, - peninsula. president biden going to japan as well, i i going to japan as well, i think. in terms of talks, we had three meetings between donald trump and the leader in peon gang, what is on the agenda of what is hoped for with the biden administration? absolutely right. there were three summits between kim jong—un and donald trump having started out calling him little bucket man, donald trump confessed their relationship developed into something he likened to a love affair but nonetheless it did not lead to any commitment from north korea to pan down its nuclear isolation, its weapons programme and indeed, sanctions

remain on north korea, imposed by the us and other nations. as far as the biden administration is concerned, it is looking to resume diplomatic ties with north korea but there's been little in the way of interest shown by the north koreans so far, and this is worrying because this has been one of the most active years on record for the testing of weapons by the north koreans. more than a dozen weapons testings have taken place this year of various kinds and that is of course troubling not only to american allies in the region but to the united states as well. .,, ~ , well. david, in los angeles, thank you- _ this is bbc news, the latest headlines... a further 50 civilians have been evacuated from the mariupol steelworks in ukraine — that's been under attack by russian forces. a huge explosion rips through an upmarket hotel in the colonial district of havana. at least 18 people are dead.

here in the uk, local elections have been taking place that are a key test of the popularity of boris johnson's government. the prime minister says it's been a tough night for the conservatives — as the party lost hundreds of seats. the opposition labour party made gains in london — but found it harder elsewhere in england. counting is still going on in northern ireland, where the result could bring seismic change if sinn fein win the most seats. in scotland, the snp have once again finished as the biggest party. in wales, labour made signficant gains. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg — her report contains some flashing images. ok, this is going well. trademark optimism, despite the facts. from the safety of a primary school classroom in his constituency, the prime minister

didn't seem downcast. that's very good, that blue there. he lost iconic london councils, giving away comfortable conservative ground. and what are we going to have when we have the party? anger at downing street parties and his fine for breaking the law... there you go. ..did not translate into the catastrophe some conservatives had feared. it's mid—term and it's certainly a mixed set of results. and we've had a tough night in some parts of the country, but on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you're still seeing conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains. not in london, where his labour rival had big reasons to smile this morning, winning over territory held by the tories for decades. we've just done it! westminster! wandsworth! steps forward, but outside london, perhaps not big, bold strides labour needs. this is a massive turning point for the labour party.

from the depths of 2019, we are back on track now for the general election, showing the hard change we've done in the last two years, what a difference it has made. have you heard from - durham police, sir keir? any comment on the police investigation? yet, as he travelled to celebrate success elsewhere, allegations over lockdown chased the labour leader. durham police will now investigate claims keir starmer broke the rules, having beer and curry with colleagues during lockdown. anything to say about - the investigation, sir keir? have you heard - from durham police? questions he had to answer again. no parties no rules let the police get on with it but i'm confident that no rules are broken. grabbing seats in cities hall and birmingham put

up the tories in cambridge and wales, somerset and pockets of affluent london. the message from some green suburbs will cause nerves. they are saying they've had enough of this prime minister. and i think the tectonic plates of british politics are shifting. and now it's up to conservative mps to shove the prime minister into the abyss. remember, your vote stitched together a giant patchwork, not a picture that's the same in every corner of the country. there was a striking labour success in london. that will hurt for the tories. who broadly fell back further in the south then in the north of england. their coalition fraying more at its traditional end but labour's

jubilation in the capital was always matched by enthusiasm elsewhere. the greens picking up pace to with dozens of gains. but while resulted in england perhaps confirmed much of the status quo, the scene is set for a genuine moment of change in northern ireland. look at this. the first time voters seemed set to make sinn fein the biggest party. that would be a moment of history and a moment of challenge and uncertainty for the uk. i'm gratefulfor all the people that came out and engaged in what was a very positive campaign. leaders whose dreams of leaving the union for a united ireland will be in charge. that could shift the tone of political conversation in scotland where the snp who also want to leave the uk saw more success and maintained their dominance. crucially, labour moves up into second place, the scottish tories in a slump.

labour grew in wales too the biggest party profiting at the expense of the tories. spin back a few weeks, many tories in there feared a complete calamity. they had a terrible time in some parts of the country but this hasn't been a wipe—out and labour has moved forward but not far off fast enough to be sure of power. remember, these elections give us clues of what's coming next but it seems the two big parties are somehow locked in an uncomfortable status quo. that is very good. no dramatic breakthrough for his main rival, no total breakdown for the conservatives. borisjohnson has taken knocks today but still stands to carry on. let s get some of the day s other news the italian government has impounded a seven hundred million dollar vessel known locally as putin's yacht — saying investigations showed

that its owner had ties to "prominent elements of the russian government" targeted by eu sanctions. the six—deck scheherazade has two helipads, a swimming pool and a movie theatre. thousands of people have joined a funeral procession in the israeli city of elad, to bury three men killed in an attack during the city's independence day celebrations. a manhunt is still underway for two palestinians suspected of carrying out the attack. us health officials say they are investigating 109 cases of severe hepatitis in children including five reported deaths. it follows reports by the world health organization of at least 228 probable cases across the globe. the president of sri lanka, gotabaya rajapaksa, has declared a new state of emergency, as demands grow for his government to resign. earlier, police fired tear gas at protesters outside parliament in colombo. there've been weeks of demonstrations against the sri lankan government for its handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan

reports from colombo. here, not too far from sri lanka's parliament, you can see crowds who have gathered again for another night of protest. there is a real sense of celebration and camaraderie here — although earlier, things were tense as police fired tear gas and water cannons into the crowds here. i've talked to almost any protester here, and they'll say they will continue to protest until sri lanka's government quits. in particular, they want the president and his brother, the prime minister, to quit office. now so far, the two brothers say they aren't going anywhere, and they are promising they will get sri lanka through this financial crisis, but many people here blame them and their economic policies for this mess. now tonight, the president met with his cabinet — we are hearing reports there are some tensions between the two brothers.

earlier this week, there were reports that the prime minister might step down. as of now, both men remain in office. this summer marks queen elizabeth's platinumjubilee — 70 years on the british throne. a key moment is a royal appearance on the balcony at buckingham palace. but the queen has decided that prince harry and meghan — along with prince andrew — won't be allowed to appear on the balcony during trooping the colour. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. an appearance on the palace balcony is a centrepiece of any major royal celebration, but for the platinum jubilee there are sensitivities around some family members. so, the queen has decided that only working royals willjoin her on the balcony. so, cancelled in balcony terms are the duke of york and the sussexes. harry and meghan say they are coming to thejubilee, but they won't be on the balcony. the big question, of course, is how visible will the queen be throughout the four days of the jubilee celebrations. it all begins on thursday

the 2nd ofjune with trooping the colour, at the culmination of which the royal family makes that balcony appearance. according to the palace, the queen plans to attend trooping — but a final decision will be taken on the day. on friday the 3rd ofjune, there will be a service of thanksgiving at st paul's cathedral. again, all the palace will say is the queen plans to attend. on saturday the 4th ofjune, after the derby, there will be the platinum party at the palace produced by the bbc — on a stage being built right in front of the palace. will the queen be there? it will be decided on the day. and then finally, on sunday the 5th ofjune, the gold state coach will be one of the main features in a jubilee pageant on the mall — though the queen will not be riding in it. so, it is clearly the queen's intention to be at trooping the colour and the service of thanksgiving — and at the other events if she can. nicholas witchell, bbc news.

and full coverage of those events will be on the bbc. hello there. rain has continued to push southward through the night, dampening for the ground, watering for the gardens. that watering for the gardens. will not be repeated this weekend. that will not be repeated this weekend. generally temperatures into the high teens, possibly 20, there will be sunshine but some showers as well. the rain making its way southwards on this weather front, quite making its way southwards on this weatherfront, quite heavy rain for a time before it starts to clear and the azores high and spreads drier weather across most of the uk but still across most of the uk but still a watering for the gardens on the weather front, some a watering for the gardens on the weatherfront, some misty low cloud and grey weather and behind it we see some mist and fog forming and it is turning quite chilly especially in the glens of scotland, some frost

here. a bright and chilly start for some in the morning, the best of the sunshine in the west but some drizzly rain in the south—east and does the cloud brexit will be moist enough for some showers to form, across east anglia and the southeast and other areas as well. west is best for the sunshine, 16—20 potentially here but there will be cool breezes on the north sea coast, more cloud at times. the azores high continues to drift further eastwards, allowing weather systems to come into the north and west, the main changes mist and west, the main changes mist and fog first then, on the cool side, but then some fair weather cloud coming and going, lots of dry weather for england and wales, fewer showers, but be pick up a breeze from the south across northern ireland and scotland bringing in some cloud and some patchy rain later but perhaps not as chilly for the north sea coasts. further head into monday, we keep that north—west south—east split on monday with the best

of the dry weather across parts of the dry weather across parts of england and wales. strong sunshine as we see this weekend perhaps heavier rain coming into scotland and northern ireland. still looking unsettled as we head into next week because we have low pressure dominating towards the north, even further south some of the weather fronts could brush and some rain from time to time, the detail is uncertain but it looks as if it will be wetter further north and windier potentially with the driest weather further south but even here we might see some rain as well. you can keep up—to—date on the website.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a further 50 civilians have been evacuated from the azovstal steelworks, in the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol. the figure was confirmed separately by the ukrainian deputy prime minister, and russia's ministry of defence — which said women, the elderly and 11 children were among those rescued. an explosion at a luxury hotel in the cuban capital, havana has killed at least 18 people and left more than 30 injured. the blast ripped through several floors of the hotel saratoga. the police believe the blast was the result of a gas accident. the conservative party has lost almost 500 seats in local elections across the uk. in england the liberal democrats make big gains. the prime minister,

borisjohnson, admitted that his party experienced a "tough night" in some areas.