welcome to bbc news. our top stories... in ukraine — a 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. 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.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe 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 iso—million 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'. john spencer is a retired major who is an urban warfare specialist with the madison policy forum. he's in colorado springs. interesting that president biden with this package of many

billions is talking about strengthening not only armaments but also at the negotiating table so could this be a game changer? absolutely, --eole be a game changer? absolutely, peeple win _ be a game changer? absolutely, peeple win wars _ be a game changer? absolutely, people win wars not _ be a game changer? absolutely, people win wars notjust - be a game changer? absolutely, people win wars notjust bad - people win wars notjust bad biden but buy out supplying and reconstituting and logistically supplying and that is what the ukrainians have notjust with the us, these packages are game changers but it's really all nations supporting ukraine. it is a game changer for sure. is a game changerfor sure. what sort of weaponry specifically will come from the united states in terms of the tank battles that are taking place in the donbas region? absolutely, up to this point, the javelins will flow, those are the most recent and lethal tank killing machines, and also the stingers to take away the helicopters, the store streaks, the artillery as king of the battle, always has been and always will be so these

american artillery systems are already on the ukrainian battlefields, that is a game changer and you are already seeing the impact in the war. you talk about the artillery, the howitzers, has america produced and is there enough in the pipeline to send the sort of quantity that ukraine needs? i believe so, yes. there is one thing the american powers are industry based, we will not run out of artillery, rounds or artillery guns.— out of artillery, rounds or artillery guns. looking ahead to make the _ artillery guns. looking ahead to make the ninth, _ artillery guns. looking ahead to make the ninth, the - artillery guns. looking ahead to make the ninth, the great| to make the ninth, the great patriotic war victory for russia, the former soviet union. what are you expecting in terms of the show of weaponry at these parades which were reinstated by president putin when he came to power? i don't expect much change from the past, we know they have ceremonial equipment so it's that they have plenty of tanks,

they have ceremonial weapons so i think it will be much like the past, there's rumours of more strategic aeroplanes and things like that that might show up but i think we will see much of the same that we have seenin much of the same that we have seen in the past but they will have a lot less to celebrate. has russia thrown its most sophisticated weaponry into this war so far? i was looking recently at the tank models there. not the most modern versions of the tanks are being used,it versions of the tanks are being used, it seems, at present. the teeth 90 which _ used, it seems, at present. the teeth 90 which is _ used, it seems, at present. iie: teeth 90 which is probably used, it seems, at present. tie: teeth 90 which is probably what you're talking about, the terminator, has been seen destroyed on the ukrainian battlefields, but they have expended the most important weapons which are some of the most elite forces like their airborne forces that were destroyed around kyiv and other units. i think they put into the field what they have. john sencer, the field what they have. john spencer, thank _ the field what they have. john spencer, thank you. - an explosion at a luxury hotel

in the cuban capital havana has killed at least 22 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 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. gareth barlow reports. chanting. protests the new soundtrack of sri lanka's streets. for weeks, people have demonstrated

rajapaksa and the prime minister, his brother, to step down. but despite pressure from opposition parties, despite scores of mps resigning from the government, and despite pressure from the people, the president and the prime minister are refusing to back down. gareth barlow, bbc news.

on monday, filipinos will vote for their next president. the current frontrunner is 64—year—old — bong—bong marcosjunior ? the son of the country s late dictator ferdinand marcos. more than half of the country s 65 million eligible voters are under the age of a0 — with no experience of life under marcos s autocratic rule. and just a warning — howard johnson s report has flashing images. in 1986 it was all yellow when the people powered movement toppled the dictator ferdinand marcos. now more than 30 years on, opponents of his son �*s presidential run are uniting behind a pink revolution with family values at its core. in recent weeks, legions of young supporters have turned up at

rallies in support of mr marcus �*s chief opponent, a female candidate. translation: they have been telling people that i am dumb but have you seen me affected by it? despite being second in the polls, her p0p being second in the polls, her pop concert rallies pull in the biggest crowds. she promises an honest and effective government. 21—year—old supporter entertaining her 2.5 million followers on social media with a mix ofjokes and politics. to her, the woman has shown true empathy for families.— families. we have been searching _ families. we have been searching for _ families. we have been searching for so - families. we have been searching for so long i families. we have been| searching for so long for families. we have been i searching for so long for a politician who is not corrupt. this time it has already handed to us. what we need to do now is open our eyes and see those who are ready to service. social media has been under scrutiny in the philippines for the proliferation of disinformation. thisjournalist spent a year studying its effect on young voters. these

are kids who _ effect on young voters. these are kids who have _ effect on young voters. these are kids who have no - effect on young voters. these | are kids who have no memory, effect on young voters. these - are kids who have no memory, no baggage _ are kids who have no memory, no baggage attached to martial law and basically what pro marcus propagandists do on this platform is create this closely, nicely edited, enticing type of content and for somebody who does not have a sense — for somebody who does not have a sense of— for somebody who does not have a sense of the corruption or the — a sense of the corruption or the history of the marcos family. _ the history of the marcos family, it can look very enticing. family, it can look very enticing-— family, it can look very enticinu. . ~ , . ., enticing. the marker selection team say they _ enticing. the marker selection team say they are _ enticing. the marker selection team say they are pursuing . enticing. the marker selection team say they are pursuing a i team say they are pursuing a positive campaign directed to the people through social media. , , ., ., the people through social media. ,, ., ., , media. this is going to make us most proud- _ media. this is going to make us most proud. jan _ media. this is going to make us most proud. jan henderson - media. this is going to make us most proud. jan henderson is l media. this is going to make us most proud. jan henderson is a| most proud. jan henderson is a fashion designer _ most proud. jan henderson is a fashion designer who _ most proud. jan henderson is a fashion designer who makes i fashion designer who makes gowns forfashion fashion designer who makes gowns for fashion queens. he fashion designer who makes gowns forfashion queens. he is voting for bong—bong marcos junior. voting for bong-bong marcos junior. , ., ., junior. let this generation deal with _ junior. let this generation deal with its _ junior. let this generation deal with its own - junior. let this generation deal with its own type - junior. let this generation deal with its own type of l deal with its own type of leadership, of course, we have learned from what his father has done years and years ago so i guess in his heart, he knows these are good things i want to improve now that i am president and i know the mistakes of my father and i know how to fix

this. in father and i know how to fix this. j~ ~ , ., father and i know how to fix this. j~~ , ., this. in 86 the filipino youth -la ed a this. in 86 the filipino youth played a key _ this. in 86 the filipino youth played a key part _ this. in 86 the filipino youth played a key part in - this. in 86 the filipino youth i played a key part in demanding the marcus family stepped down and return the country to a full democracy. next week, those under a0 born in the internet age, could be the clincher in voting them back into power. howard johnson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: prince harry and meghan say they will attend the platinum jubilee celebrations — but the queen says they won't be appearing on the buckingham palace balcony. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. the tunnel is still not ready for passengers and freight services to begin.

for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister becamel the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes _ memories of victory as the ve celebrations reached their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. 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 22 people are dead. here in the uk, local council elections have resulted in the conservatives losing nearly 500 seats. the scottish nationalists remain the biggest party in scotland, while there've been gains for plaid cymru in wales. but it's northern ireland where the result could bring seismic change, if the main nationalist party, sinn fein, wins more seats than the unionists. our ireland correspondent emma vardy has the latest. and a warning this report contains flashing images. heading towards a new future. sinn fein are hoping this is the moment that marks an end to the domination of unionism in northern ireland for a century. today is a good day. it is about change, it is about progress and it is about partnership in what is, we believe, the election of a generation. sinn fein is known as the harder line nationalist party in the assembly, that ultimately wants to leave the uk and become a united ireland.

kelly, gerry, - sinn fein, 8300... but instead, the party fought its campaign on the challenges facing working—class families. we have got very good results. we are very happy with them. we went to the people and as we have said before, this six—week campaign was on the issues. it's cost of living, it's health, it's all of that. but even if sinn fein win the most seats, they must share power at the top with the dup, who recently walked out of that arrangement. what if the dup won't go into government with you? this is a democratic election, so on the other side of it, we're saying very clearly that it needs everybody, including the dup. so the dup have the answer why they would be against that. even after all the votes are counted here, there is little chance of a properly functioning government. the dup has said it will block full power sharing unless there are changes to the brexit arrangements, that new trade border down the irish sea. i think you will see in the majority of our seats

we will retain, that people want us to be in a government that works and they want to see good government in northern ireland. so until the government and the european commission resolve the protocol, i'm afraid there is going to be an impact on the emergence or the reformation of an executive in the short—term. the elections brought success for the alliance party, neither unionist nor nationalist, showing an increasing number of people don't want to be dominated by the issue of whether northern ireland should remain part of the uk. but for now, a sinn fein victory would be a new milestone in the decades—old struggle over what northern ireland wants to be. let s get some of the day s other news the italian government has impounded a 700—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 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. i have been speaking to the bbc�*s david willis.

i have been speaking to the bbc's david willis.- i have been speaking to the bbc's david willis. this is the first on the — bbc's david willis. this is the first on the record _ bbc's david willis. this is the first on the record comment i bbc's david willis. this is the | first on the record comment by us officials making the point as she pointed out that they believe the north korean nuclear test site in 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 kim chung own who only last month, said he was looking to accelerate his country is 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. all this of course a reminder to him and to

his administration that whilst their attention has been focused on russia �*s aggression towards ukraine, tensions have been heightened as ever perhaps, on the korean peninsula. perhaps, on the korean peninsula-— perhaps, on the korean eninsula. , �* 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 young yang but what is on the agenda or what is hoped for with the biden administration? you're absolutely — biden administration? you're absolutely right. _ biden administration? you're absolutely right. there - biden administration? you're absolutely right. there were | absolutely right. there were three summits between kim jong—un and donald trump, having started out calling him little rocket man, donald trump professed that their relationship developed into something that he likened to a love affair but nonetheless, it did not lead to 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. 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 america �*s allies in the region but the united states as well. 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 made some changes, as nicholas witchell reports. 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 ath 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. a reminder of our top story. 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, iryna vereshchuk, and russia's ministry of defence, which said eleven children were among those rescued. president biden has announced a new 150—million dollar package of us military aid for ukraine. weapons supplied by the us and its european allies are starting to appear on the front line, as the ukrainians try to fight off a russian offensive in the donbas region.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc tim willcox. hello there. we've got some rain moving its way southwards through the rest of the night, but ahead of that, during the day on friday, temperatures nudge to 23 degrees celsius in a couple of spots. that won't be repeated this weekend. i think generally temperatures into the high teens, possibly 20, because there will be some sunshine, but a few showers as well. as i say, that rain's been making its way southwards on this weather front here. some quite heavy rain for a time before it starts to clear away. and the azores high spreads drier weather across most of the uk, but still a watering for the gardens on that weather front. some misty low cloud and rather grey weather. behind it as well, we're seeing some mist and some fog, low—level fog, forming and it's turned quite chilly, particularly in the glens of scotland. perhaps a touch of frost here. so, a bright, chilly start for some in the morning. best of the sunshine, i think, in the west today, but still some drizzly rain

in south—eastern areas, and as that cloud breaks up, it will be moist enough for a few showers to form. not just across east anglia and the south east, but possibly in other areas. as i say, west is best for the sunshine. 16—20 potentially in areas here where we see some sunshine, but there'll be a rather cool breezes on the north sea coast, little bit more cloud here at times as well during the day. now, that azores high pressure continues to drift a little bit further eastwards into sunday, allowing these weather systems to come into the north and west. so, the main change, again, mistand fog first thing, a little bit on the cool side, but then some fairweather cloud coming and going. a lot of dry weather for england and wales, fewer showers, but instead we pick up a bit of a breeze from the south across northern ireland and scotland to bring in some cloud and perhaps some patchy rain later in the day, but perhaps not as chilly for the north sea coasts. then taking it further ahead into monday, we keep that north—west/south—east split, at least on monday, with the best of the drier, brighter weather across parts of england and wales. the strong sunshine as we'll see this weekend when it comes out, but perhaps something heavier rain—wise

coming into scotland and to northern ireland. so, it's still looking unsettled as we head into next week, and why? that's because we've got low pressure dominating towards the north. even further south, some of these weather fronts could brush in 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 a little bit of rain as well. as ever, you can keep to date, 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 22 people and left more than 60 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.