this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: russia intensifies its attacks on ukraine's donbas region as its forces advance on the battlefield in the south and east of the country. the outcome of this war depends on ukrainian resilience, on the amount of help its army gets from nato, and president putin's determination to fight on, whatever the cost to russia. polls are open in australia's general election with voters choosing between the incumbent scott morrison and his rival, the labor leader, anthony albanese. the world health organization convenes a meeting to discuss the global rise in monkeypox infections:

more than 100 cases are reported across 11 countries outside africa. risking their lives to escape: how an easing of us sanctions comes amid an exodus of cubans trying to reach america. but the current dire economic circumstances mean this exodus is more acute than it has been for many years. and it's a double fault for wimbledon as it's stripped of its ranking points over its decision to ban russian players from this year's championships because of the war in ukraine. hello and welcome to the programme. in ukraine, russian forces have been advancing on the battlefield in the south and east of the country after suffering weeks of setbacks since their invasion in february. the last few ukrainian defenders of mariupol are finally ending

their resistance. now, the donbas region is the key focus for russia. it says that what it calls "the liberation" of luhansk province is nearing completion, and it's intensifying its attacks on neighbouring donetsk. the bbc�*sjeremy bowen sent this report from ukraine. explosions the russians are shelling severodonetsk, as they try to encircle it. more than 100,000 people lived in the city before the invasion. now, it's one of russia's biggest targets. this is russia using the methods it perfected in syria and chechnya. heavy bombardment to try to break the will of its opponents. ukrainian rescue crews can still operate to reach civilians who need to get out. day by day, family by family,

russia is grinding forward. it is a long way to safety, down roads out of severodonetsk that the russians are shelling. they're trying to cut the city off from support, rescue and reinforcement. children here were born into a war. ukrainians have been fighting russian—backed separatists in donbas since 2014. in moscow, sergei shoigu, the defence minister, held a made—for—tv briefing, designed to back the kremlin�*s message that russia is winning. the minister said their advancing forces would soon take all off luhansk, which is one half of donbas, including severodonetsk. ukrainian combat engineers are trying to slow down the russian advance, laying charges to blow this

bridge on a strategic road. explosion president zelensky started with his good news. translation: the - ukrainian armed forces continue to make progress in liberating the kharkiv region, but the occupiers are trying to further strengthen the pressure in the donbas. it's hell, and that's not an overstatement. bombardment of severodonetsk is brutal and meaningless. ukraine's defences in donbas are creaking — they're still not breaking. away from the front lines, life goes on in ukrainian cities. in the end, the outcome of this war depends on ukrainian resilience, on the amount of help its army gets from nato,

and president putin's determination to fight on whatever the cost to russia. jeremy bowen, bbc news, dnipro. let's go to australia now. millions of people are heading to the polls for the country's first election since 2019. it sees prime minister scott morrison go up against one of the country's longest serving politicians, labor leader anthony albanese. there are tough challenges ahead for whoever�*s successful. the cost—of—living crisis is squeezing households and many say climate change is making some parts of australia unliveable. more than 17 million people are enrolled to vote, which, in australia, is compulsory for over 18s. our correspondent there, shaimaa khalil, is on bondi beach. the surfers have been really up early. you can't see them now, but they've been up for hours, and so were the swimmers. actually, some of them came to line up in their swimsuits. they're, of course, not the only ones up early, voters, as well, have been lining up to cast their ballots. and it's getting really, really busy right now. but before we talk about

the politics, let me get you closer to the action here. this is the famous democracy sausage station, if you will. this is what voters get before or after they've cast their ballots. it's a big, big tradition here. you can get it pretty much whenever you want. but one voter told me that it's much, much sweeter once you have voted and cast your ballot, because you feel that you have done something. as i have said, there are many, many issues in this election. the two most prominent ones have been the economy and climate change. now, the government, scott morrison and his coalition, the liberal and nationals, have been urging voters to stick with them. they've been arguing that they are the better economy managers, if you will, even though australians are really feeling the bite of the rising cost of living and, of course, the rising interest rates that will affect homebuyers and will affect those

with mortgages. the opposition have said it is now time for a change. they've had time, but australians are worse off. the other issue that many have been talking to me about here is climate change. even though it's one of the country's most crucial issues, australia having lived through really big climate disasters, whether it's the catastrophic bushfires or the floods, it's almost been absent from the campaign, because it's politically very divisive. both major parties have steered clear, but the independent candidates are becoming the bigger story of the election, if you will. they've made that an integral part, a central part of their policy, of their campaigning, and they're proving to be a real threat to save seats like this one for the governing coalition. let's get some of the day's other news. finland's leading gas supplier says it's been told deliveries of natural gas from russia will cease from saturday. russia's state—owned gazprom says finland is refusing to comply with moscow's demands

that it pay for energy supplies in russian rubles rather than in euros or dollars. a federaljudge in the us state of louisiana has blocked an attempt to lift covid restrictions on immigrants seeking asylum. the checks, known as title 42, were introduced by the trump administration in early 2020. they've been used to deport more than a million migrants since 2020. many parts of spain could reach the highest temperatures recorded for 20 years on saturday with the southern region of andalusia expected to register 42 degrees celsius. spain's been experiencing abnormally hot weather for may with temperatures up 10 to 15 degrees above average. more cases of monkeypox have been reported around the world with two new cases in australia from travellers who recently returned from europe, and several cases also found

across north america and canada. the uk has a total of 20 cases, while portugal has five and spain has identified seven. earlier i spoke to dr syra madad, an infectious disease epidemiologist in new york city, who told me we need to carry out public health measures to help get this under control. it is certainly very concerning as we are seeing that there are nearly a dozen countries that are reporting cases of monkeypox, where monkeypox is not endemic. we know monkeypox is not a new virus, it has been around for decades. there are thousands of cases every year in the drc, the democratic republic of the congo. what's unusual is they are springing up into multiple non—endemic countries and there is pretty explosive growth of these cases all of a sudden. so we're very early on in this epidemic. i don't think this is going to be a pandemic—type situation like covid—19, but we need to be cognisant, vigilant and do really vigorous public health measures and contact tracing to help get

this under control. you mentioned public health measures, covid barely in the rearview mirror, people will be worried about the potential implications. what are some of these measures that we should be introducing? yes, we talk about monkeypox, it is a rare viral disease, and when we talk about transmission, it is through close contact and bodily fluids, saliva, bedding a person may have been infected, so contaminated objects, so when we talk about prevention, it is important that people understand that it is a rare virus, but obviously we have seen more of it in the community, there is community transmission so be cautious, so the precautions to take are the same things we take with covid — wearing a mask, making sure we are washing our hands, being cognizant if we're sick, especially if we have swollen lymph nodes and rashes, seek a healthcare provider, isolate yourself. a health alert went out by our cdc here in the united states today, as well as here in new york city to let providers know there

are obviously cases that are being investigated and to let the general public know that if you are sick, if you think you have these signs and symptoms, go ahead and seek your healthcare provider to get more advice. you mentioned community transmissibility. are there particular situations or circumstances in which this virus tends to transmit and spread more quickly? yes, so we're still learning, the early stages of this epidemic, as i have mentioned, but close contact certainly is something that is known. what we're seeing in this particular cluster, you know, is that there is a large population of young men, men that have sex with men, where we have seen these cases. but that doesn't necessarily mean it is only in that population. we are seeing other individuals, regardless of sex and gender, that are also getting infected, so it is important we don't marginalise or stigmatise any community and we want to ensure people feel trusted and empowered to seek healthcare services. but it's important to understand that this is happening in the community, cases are rising,

so it is important to be vigilant and educated on what is happening and what to do to protect yourself. and when it comes to that other element of prevention vaccines, we have heard of some people getting the smallpox vaccine. how does that work, why is that effective? so, the smallpox vaccine provides cross—protection against monkeypox, about 85% effective, and so the ring vaccination strategy has been utilised and it's very effective. if there is a silver lining with this monkeypox virus is that once you're symptomatic you are able to become infectious and spread the virus, and so through contract tracing and through this ring vaccination, we are really able to put a lid on this epidemic, but really, it's early detection, case reporting, contact tracing, public health measures, and trust in the community is really, really important. so i think what's important is we have the tools, we have the vaccinations, we have some good antiviral medication, so we are not starting from ground zero, we have the tools. it's really important that people understand that we have the resources, it's just making sure

you are seeking help and being vigilant and being cognizant of what's happening. dr syra madad there. you are watching bbc news. a reminder of our main headlines: russia intensifies its attacks on ukraine's donbas region as its forces advance on the battlefield in the south and east of the country. polls are open in australia's general election with voters choosing between the incumbent scott morrison and his rival, the labor leader anthony albanese. earlier this week, the biden administration announced that it's easing some sanctions on cuba and plans to increase consular services on the island. the move will mean that thousands of cubans should be able to obtain a family reunification visa and more flights between the us and cuba will be reinstated. it comes as the communist—run island is experiencing its biggest exodus since the cold war. in havana, our cuba correspondent will grant met one man who has risked everything to flee.

translation: i've experienced some bad, bad moments - - really bad — with no compass, gps, almost knocked overboard. but, thanks to god, i'm still alive. ronald hernandez�*s story is one of grit, persistence and unwavering determination. on seven different occasions, the cuban fisherman has attempted to reach the united states in boats barely more seaworthy than the one he fishes in, made of polystyrene and wood, and seven times, he has been picked up at sea by the coast guard and returned to cuba. his latest attempt, his pregnant wife with him, was the closest yet. two miles, about three months ago, i was a few kilometres from the shore at 10:00 at night. the sun came out and my motor gave out.

you can almost smell the united states, you are so close. translates into spanish. i've been as close as 300 metres from the shoreline on board the coast guard's boat. cubans have been leaving cuba for decades. the outward migration and the brain drain nothing new for the island's communist leadership. but the current dire economic circumstances mean that this exodus is more acute than it has been for many years. and authorities both here and in the united states are doing little to curtail it, including the most treacherous journeys across the florida straits. siren wails. with 16,500 cubans detained at the us southern border in february alone, many compare this exodus to the mariel boatlift in 1980, when fidel castro said anyone who wanted to leave the island could do. in total, 125,000 cubans fled that year. today, though, most aren't crossing by sea. rather, they are trying to reach nicaragua,

which requires no entry visa for cubans, and then they make the dangerous trek overland to the us—mexico border. the cuban government recently held its first may day parade after the last two were suspended for covid. but despite the chants and placards, the revolution is ailing, unable to provide for its people as once it could, weakened by tougher us sanctions and deep government incompetence. thousands of young people see little option but to leave. the cuban government, unsurprisingly, blames washington for the current exodus. translation: with their policies and propaganda, | their legal tools and their own migration rules, the us government fuels illegal immigration by granting special status to undocumented cuban migrants. it's barefaced political manipulation.

ronald hernandez personifies the lengths that thousands of cubans are prepared to go to in order to reach the us. —— ronald hernandez personifies the lengths that so many thousands of cubans are prepared to go to in order to reach the us — even after seven failed attempts. desperate measures in what are certainly desperate times in cuba. will grant, bbc news, havana. to tennis now, and wimbledon has been stripped of its ranking points from the sport's governing bodies. it comes after its decision to ban russian and belarusian players from competing at this summer's championships because of the war in ukraine. players will now receive no ranking points for taking part in wimbledon. i'm joined now by shane mcinnes, a sportsjournalist who's based in melbourne. good afternoon, good to see you. talk us through this ranking points system. why are they so important?— they so important? players live and die by _ they so important? players live and die by rankings _ they so important? players live and die by rankings points - they so important? players live and die by rankings points to i and die by rankings points to reach the top 100 ranked players in the world, they gain automatic entry into grand slam

events, the rankings help to determine seedings at all tennis events, around the world, so if you're a seeded player you get protection from playing the other top players so this is why rankings points are so crucial, no matter who you are, and that's why it's such a massive decision by the atp and wta to strip wimbledon from awarding these rankings points. from awarding these rankings oints. ~ . points. what was their justification _ points. what was their justification in - points. what was their justification in making | points. what was their - justification in making this decision?— justification in making this decision? ., , ., decision? so, it all comes down to, as decision? so, it all comes down to. as you _ decision? so, it all comes down to, as you mentioned, - decision? so, it all comes down to, as you mentioned, the - to, as you mentioned, the russian invasion of ukraine and their argument is that they don't want any russian—backed ciganda being promoted at wimbledon. but i think we have to consider here, which, is that many of the players from belarus and from russia actually don't even reside in those two countries. you look at someone like victoria azarenka, triggers grand slam champion, she lives in florida. daniil medvedev the current world number two lives in monte

carlo. these players for the most part, certainly the top ranked players, have come out expressing their disappointment at the war, only wishing for world peace. none that i have certainly seen have come out and suddenly backed rusher or vladimir putin. i5 and suddenly backed rusher or vladimir putin.— vladimir putin. is this removal from the system _ vladimir putin. is this removal from the system likely - vladimir putin. is this removal from the system likely to - vladimir putin. is this removal| from the system likely to deter other players from taking part in wimbledon this year? —— russia. in wimbledon this year? -- russia. �* , . ., , ., russia. it's a great question, i don't russia. it's a great question, i don't think— russia. it's a great question, | don't think it _ russia. it's a great question, i don't think it will, - russia. it's a great question, i don't think it will, only - russia. it's a great question, i don't think it will, only the l i don't think it will, only the fact that the prize money and the prestige is still there but let's remember, more than is still the most prestigious tennis tournament, one of the most stages sporting events in the world and the prizemoney of million to the winner is still quite extravagant on the tennis to a microphone one 7p. the other russian and belarusian players, it does change the dynamics and i think it's something like six players from russia and belarus in the top 50 in the bent side of the draw, eight in the women's side so they do make a big percentage of those who will be playing at wimbledon —— 1.7

million british pounds. playing at wimbledon -- 1.7 million british pounds. some --eole million british pounds. some peeple would _ million british pounds. some people would be _ million british pounds. some people would be saying - million british pounds. some people would be saying this. people would be saying this turns wimbledon effectively into an exhibition tournament. oh, absolutely! make no doubt this is incredibly embarrassing for wimbledon. there is still the prestige of the event, there is still the prize money. as far as the atp and the wta are concerned, wimbledon is irrelevant and to think that an event of this magnitude is irrelevant for two of the most powerful sporting bodies in the world is quite remarkable and when you think that given these ranking points are not going to be awarded, ironically, at the end of wimbledon, because novak djokovic will lose his previous rankings points as well, daniil medvedev will be the world number one.— medvedev will be the world number one. ,, ., ., ., ., number one. 0k. shame, good to seak to number one. 0k. shame, good to speak to yom _ number one. 0k. shame, good to speak to you. thank _ number one. 0k. shame, good to speak to you. thank you - number one. 0k. shame, good to speak to you. thank you for - speak to you. thank you for joining us. —— shane mcinnes. spain's former king juan carlos is back home for the first time in nearly two years. he abdicated in 2014 amid a raft of scandals and his successor, king felipe vi, has spent the last couple of years trying to rebuild the royal family's reputation. wendy urquhart reports.

it was hardly the welcome you'd expect for a former king. there was no fanfare, no pomp, no ceremony. in fact, the only family member to greetjuan carlos when he arrived in vigo was his daughter, princess elena. but there's a reason for that. juan carlos fled to the united arab emirates a couple of years ago after spanish and swiss prosecutors launched an investigation into his alleged financial irregularities. since then, juan carlos has paid nearly 700,000 euros in back taxes. the investigation was eventually shelved due to lack of evidence and the former king exonerated, but the public are not too quick to forgive. at the very least, they want an official apology and some say he should be treated just like anyone else and brought to justice. in a bid to distance himself from the scandal and foster

transparency, king felipe v! has stripped his father of his 200,000 euro annual allowance, renounced the inheritance he was due to claim from juan carlos and introduced new rules at the palace, which means all royal gifts are catalogued and the royal accounts will be audited. juan carlos i played a key role in the transition from franco's dictatorship to a democracy in the late 1970s and despite the allegations against him, he still has a strong fan base in the country. the former king is competing in the 3—day regatta in sanxenxo with his yacht and when he arrived at the club, they showed up in droves to welcome him home. "he has returned to his homeland, to the country "that he should never have left," says this man. "he did a lot for spain. "there are some people who don't like him but to me, "he is a phenomenon," says another. on monday, juan carlos will travel to madrid to visit his son and wife,

the former queen sofia, but the government has made it clear staying the night at zarzuela palace is not an option, so he'll be returning to abu dhabi the same day. wendy urquhart, bbc news. the 12—day cannes film festival — one of the biggest events in the movie industry calendar — is coming to the end of its first week. the organisers have been hoping to see a return to normal after covid—19 forced the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and its postponement last year. tom brook reports from the french riviera. well, i'm very happy to report there's actually a very festive atmosphere in cannes this year, very normal — quite different how it was in the past, very little talk of covid—19. one of the biggest events at cannes this week was the arrival in this building behind me, the palais des festivals, of tom cruise, who came here to promote his new hollywood film, top gun: maverick. i saw it. i was very impressed by the film—making — some of the content leaves a bit to be desired — but it made a big impact. he got a standing ovation

and i can't quite believe it, but the festival people here gave him an honorary palme d'or — that's the highest award of the festival — but that was really for his body of work over the past a0 years. but cannes isn'tjust about hollywood stars, it's also about serious international cinema, and one of the finest films i saw was called tcha i kovs ky�*s wife. it's showing in competition. it's made by a russian dissident film—maker and it was about the contortions people in tchaikovsky's life made to deny that he was a gay man. and, of course, there's been some very sobering films to see here in cannes. the war in ukraine continues to be an ongoing feature of the festival. this morning, i saw a documentary called mariupolis 2, shot in a rather tragic way by a lithuanian film—maker who was killed, allegedly, by russian forces in april and his fiancee smuggled out the footage and they assembled this film together. it's a very grim portrait of a community really living amidst devastation.

and it's strange when you come to cannes, you watch a film like that and then you come out here — beautiful mediterranean sunshine, cappuccinos, baguettes, whatever you want — and you're in a different world. but it's certainly a very lively, inspirational atmosphere here and i have to say that as an assignment, as a journalist, i really treasure coming here. tom, don't rub it in! and before we go, let's turn to switzerland, where it looks like it may be snowing in may, but not quite. locals call it a �*may snow�* but these are actually narcissus flowers blooming on the foothills of the alps above the swiss town of montreux, creating the illusion of fallen snow from a distance. the spectacle has been a popular tourist attraction since the 19th century. visitors are even allowed to take a handful of flowers with them. that's it from us. you can reach me on twitter.

i'm @richpreston. please, do get in touch. from all of us here in london, thanks very much for your company. i will see you next time. goodbye. well, the weekend, for many of us, actually, isn't looking too bad at all. some sunshine around and feeling pleasantly warm, but we have scattered showers in the forecast, too. in fact, it will end up fairly cloudy in northern ireland and western scotland eventually later on saturday. now, the clouds have been clearing overnight and into the early hours of saturday morning — in fact, it is largely clear across the uk. perhaps some mist and murk around coasts in the south—west and just a few showers there in the western isles and maybe central scotland but other than that, i think it's mostly sunny right from the word go with temperatures between around nine and 11 degrees. now, here's how it looks through saturday morning, so largely bright or sunny

across england and wales. but quickly in northern ireland and western scotland, particularly the south—west here, it will cloud over with some rain. but let's have a closer look, then. this is 4 o'clock in the afternoon, so the best of the weather across england and wales with temperatures of around 21 degrees. just the chance of a shower but, really, an outside chance. this is where most of the cloud will be — northern ireland, south—western and western scotland. outbreaks of rain as well. although in the north here, we'll probably have some sunny spells. kirkwall, maybe aberdeenshire getting some sunshine, too, and around 17 degrees. now, as we go through the afternoon, i think it will turn progressively wetter in the western isles but further south, it stays dry in england and wales. how about sunday? well, we'll see a weather front brushing north—western parts of the uk. the south and the south—east is just under the influence of a high pressure sitting around holland and germany and, actually, some warmth

being spread in our direction, so the temperatures will rise a little bit — only a bit — on sunday across the south and south—east, whereas in many north—western and western areas, it will remain on the cool side. we still have that atlantic breeze, weather fronts coming in, showers — 15, maybe 16 degrees at best here. whereas in london and the south—east, temperatures could each around 23. how about next week? well, it stays relatively settled in the extreme south—east of the country but for many areas, i think it's a case of sunshine and showers.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: russia is intensifying its attacks on ukraine's donbas region as its forces advance on the battlefield in the south and east of the country after suffering weeks of setbacks since their invasion in february. the last few ukrainian defenders of mariupol are finally ending their resistance. polls are open in australia's general election with the opposition labor party hoping to end nine years of conservative rule. voters will choose between the incumbent scott morrison and his rival, the labor leader, anthony albanese. whoever wins has tough challenges ahead, including the cost of living and climate change. the world health organization has convened a meeting to discuss the global rise in monkeypox infections. more than 100 cases have been

reported across 11 countries outside africa where it's most common.