welcome to bbc news. i'm tim willcox — 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 22 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 royalfamily won't be getting a place on the balcony at the queen's jubilee.

hello and welcome. 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'. earlier, i spoke tojohn spencer. he is a retired major and an urban warfare specialist with the madison policy forum. he agreed the supplies coming in from america from this new lend lease bill would be a game changer. people don't win wars

byjust fighting, they win by 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. 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 lethal tank killing machines, and also the stingers to take away the helicopters, the starstreaks, the artillery is 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. looking ahead to may 9th, 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 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 seems, at present. the t90 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. 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 have been injured. 0ur correspondent will grant reports. the saratoga hotel, a landmark in havana, reduced to rubble. its facade ripped clean off, the rooms of the 5—star hotel were exposed and its ornate lobby left a twisted pile of metal, marble and concrete. a gas tanker outside the building was quickly identified as the cause of the blast. for local residents, it was a horrific, surreal moment, they can scarcely believe the saratoga, once a favourite amongst visiting celebrities, has been left in ruins. translation: you could see people shouting, dust rising, it is a disaster, like a horrorfilm, really.

translation: i felt translation: ifelt a translation: i felt a clear translation: ifelt a clear explosion, single boom and ifelt i felt a clear explosion, single boom and i felt crystal is cracking and falling and a white cloud of dust that wouldn't go away but i managed to close the door and get away in the opposite direction from danger, over here. the authorities were quickly on the scene, ferrying the injured to local hospitals and searching the rubble is or survivor, the overstretched emergency services in havana being tested to their limits. the president also appeared to offer support and condolences. for some, the explosion brought back memories of the early 90s when radical anti—castro groups from florida bombed a number of cuban hotels however the president was quick to dismiss rumours that the blast was anything other than an accident. translation: in no case was this a bomb or an attack. it is just a very

unfortunate accident and it seems to be around the gas tank. the truth is the explosion could have been worse. the hotel was closed for refurbishment and was due to reopen next week. furthermore, a nearby school was unscathed, the children safely evacuated. nevertheless, this explosion comes at a difficult time for cuba. its tourism sector has been all but shut down with the covid—i9 pandemic and only this year, was beginning to pick up again. foran island year, was beginning to pick up again. for an island whose economy now largely revolves around tourism, the past two years have been brutal, especially when combined with top us sanctions and the state �*s economic mismanagement. this explosion could set back that recovery even further. however, for now, most mines in cuba are simply focused on the families of those caught up in this tragic blast and those still fighting for their lives in hospital. will grant, bbc news.

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 as the worst economic crisis in decades grips the country. translation: when the government failed to - solve the problems faced by the people, people took to the streets asking the president, prime minister and the government to go home. but instead of going home, the government changed its lineup in parliament in order to safeguard their power. the state of emergency, the second in five weeks, gives the authorities additional powers and comes at the end of a day where police fired tear gas and water cannon

into the crowds. the economic and political crisis has gripped this nation, famed for its emerald hills and green teas for weeks now. food, powerand medicines often run short and what is available, now ever more expensive. translation: what we earn is not enough to eat, - let alone for other expenses. we can only eat one meal. i get paid $2.50 every day i work. if we are to eat a piece of roti, then we have to cope with the rising price of wheat, flour and rice. everything has gone up in price. as families go hungry, they are calling on president gotabaya 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. 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. on monday, filipinos will vote for their next president. the current frontrunner is 64—year—old — bongbong marcosjunior ?

the son of the country s late dictator ferdinand marcos. more than half of the country s are under the age of a0 — with no experience of life and just a warning — 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

further 50 civilians have been evacuated from the mariupol still works. it's been held by russian forces for two months. and a hotel undergoing renovation in havana has exploded, with many dead. local council elections in britain have resulted in the conservatives losing nearly 500 seats. the scottish nationalists remained the biggest party in scotland while there have 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. emirati has the latest and a warning, her

report contains flushing images —— emma vardy. towards a new future. sinn fein are hoping this is the moment it marks an end to the domination of unionism in northern ireland for a century. today is a good day. it's about change, it's about progress and it's about partnership. we believe it is the election of a generation. sinn fein is known as the hard—line nationalist party in the assembly but unfortunately it was to leave the uk and become a united ireland. —— ultimately, it wants to leave. but instead the party fought its campaign on the challenges facing working—class families. we have got very good results and we are very happy and as we have said before, this six—week campaign started on the issues and the cost of living and health and all about it. even if sinn fein when the most seats, they must share power at the top with the dup. they

recently walked out of the arrangement. what if the dup will not go into government with you?— will not go into government with ou? , ., . with you? this is a democratic election- _ with you? this is a democratic election. we've _ with you? this is a democratic election. we've said _ with you? this is a democratic election. we've said clearly i with you? this is a democratic election. we've said clearly it| election. we've said clearly it needs everyone including the dup so they have to answer why they would be against that. even after all of the votes are counted, 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, the new trade water down the irish sea. i think you will see a majority of our seats that they will retain the people want us to be in a government that works and they want to see good government in northern ireland until the government and the european commission is of the protocol, i'm afraid they will be an impact on the emergence of the reformation of the executive in the short term. the elections brought success for the alliance party, either unionist nationalists. showing an increasing number of people don't want to be dominated by theissue don't want to be dominated by the issue of whether northern ireland should remain part of the uk. but for now, sinn fein

victory would be a new milestone. in the decades—old struggle over what northern ireland wants to be. emma vardy reporting. chelsea football club says terms have now been agreed for its purchase by a consortium led by the american businessman tom burley who is a co—owner of the los angeles dodgers. the london club was put up for sale by its former russian owner roman abramovich shortly before he was sanctioned because of his links to vladimir putin. let's get more on this with simonjones. he will not be known to many people so how much did tom burley pay? we people so how much did tom burley pay?— people so how much did tom burley pay? we know this deal is worth about _ burley pay? we know this deal is worth about $5 _ burley pay? we know this deal is worth about $5 billion, - burley pay? we know this deal is worth about $5 billion, £4 i is worth about $5 billion, £4 billion, and that money, ultimately, some of it, is going to buy shares in the club, majority around $3 billion that will be used to buy the shares —— todd boehly. those shares will be put into a frozen bank account because

this is all quite controversial in terms of chelsea because roman abramovich the current owner has been sanctioned so there is all sorts of conditions on the sale so that money is due to go into a frozen bank account and after that, the idea is it will be released so the money can be given to charity, potentially to victims of the war in ukraine. other money is being used, we are told, to invest in the club so some money spent on the club so some money spent on the academy and stamford bridge, the ground, and the whyman�*s team. bridge, the ground, and the whyman's team.— bridge, the ground, and the whyman's team. there will not be a big sell-off— whyman's team. there will not be a big sell-off of— whyman's team. there will not be a big sell-off of all- whyman's team. there will not be a big sell-off of all of- be a big sell—off of all of their star players which some people had feared?— their star players which some people had feared? what we are told from a _ people had feared? what we are told from a statement _ people had feared? what we are told from a statement released. told from a statement released overnight here in the uk from chelsea football club is money is going to be invested in the club because they are currently in a position where, at the moment, they are not allowed to actually buy any new players so in terms of the team, it potentially has an impact on them so there was some pressure to complete this deal by the end of this month and it looks like if all goes according to plan, it may well happen, but it has to be approved by the uk

government and the premier league. government and the premier lea . ue. ,., government and the premier leaaue. .,, ., league. the sale has gone through. — league. the sale has gone through, remarkably - league. the sale has gone i through, remarkably quickly, and what an extraordinary sequence things started going wrong in march. he said with a heavy heart he was going to put the club up for sale. he was under some pressure but then shortly after that he himself was sanctioned by the uk government over his alleged link to vladimir putin and at that point it became complicated for the club because all sorts of conditions were put in what they are allowed to do. they were stopped from selling tickets to the games other that was lifted so some real pressure from the british government to get this situation sorted out. we are told the potential new owner is actually in london at the moment and he is potentially going to be at the game on saturday morning, surrey,

saturday morning, surrey, saturday afternoon. be interesting to see how the fans greeted his arrival there. there is a consortium behind him. a consortium made up of a number of groups including british interest but some real large interest in this club. a lot of people have come forward, a lot of groups wanting to take a stake in this club even the british businessmenjim ratcliffe had come forward at the last minute. he missed the deadline but he said he had been thinking about it carefully but it looks like it has been too late for him assuming this does get confirmed. thank you so much for that breaking news. 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 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. two historic cooling towers at the la robla coal fired power plant in leon in spain have been demolished. the power station was built in 1971 and will be replaced by a hydrogen power plant. it's formed part of the landscape of the mountains of the valle del alba region for decades but it took just seven seconds to be reduced to rubble. and now they are gone! that is

it from us. see you soon. 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 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