this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. voters across france are going to the polls in parliamentary elections, as president macron�*s party seeks to maintain control of the national assembly. the british transport secretary accuses union leaders of "punishing millions of innocent people" by pressing ahead with rail strikes later this week. western leaders including borisjohnson, have warned that russia's war against ukraine may go for years — and support for kyiv must be sustained even if the costs are high. and america becomes the first country in the world to approve use of the mrna covid vaccines for babies.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. polling stations have opened across france, in the final round of voting for parliamentary elections. at stake is control of the 577—seat national assembly, where the liberal party founded by president emmanuel macron has held sway for the last five years. but, president macron�*s candidates are facing strong opposition in the form of an alliance of left—wing parties. our paris correspondent hugh schofield told me more a big challenge, surprising challenge, this time, but from the left. this coalition which has been created by the force of will of one man, jean—luc melenchon, the man who came

third in the presidential election, who came from the far left of french politics but by dint of personality and tactical genius has got all of the left or most of the left into his camp and persuaded the very demoralised socialists, communists and greens to fly under his banner, and together, as a group, they are set to do really well in these parliamentary elections and pose a real challenge to president macron. it doesn't look as if this new left—wing coalition will win a majority, is called nupes, but it looks like they will get around 200 seats in parliament which would make it easily the main force of opposition to emmanuel macron. his party looks set probably to win this election, but not with anything like the panache or the elan that he was hoping for. he was hoping that this election would be like other

elections, that follow the presidential elections in which people say, he is now the president, let's give him the parliamentary majority he deserves. it is not going to feel like that this time partly because he has been re—elected which means that there is a general lack of enthusiasm for him which is a huge opportunity for the opposition and above all the newly invigorated left. marine le pen did well in the presidential elections, because of the fact that she was tapping into voters�* concerns on cost of living in a way that voters say that emmanuel macron was not tapping in for them. how much has changed since then in terms of what he is offering? you said about the strategy for the left—wing parties in pulling together. is it more about their strategy than them offering something different again? yes, the primary concern in all of this election is about cost of living.

noticeably for example, unemployment, which used to be the big number one concern five years ago has more or less disappeared. the jobs are out there. it is more about cost of living in the sense that people no longer have the wherewithal to buy the things they want to buy to keep up the standards they want to keep up. plus worries about schools and hospitals becoming much less reliable, and the whole republican ideal beginning to break down. these are problems which the far left and far right tap into in different ways, combined with this hostility in general to president macron, that you find outside of the prosperous cities. what is interesting is the fact that the far right has been kind of replaced by the far left as the main opposition force in the last few months. marine le pen was the

potential challenger, and now it isjean—luc melenchon, whose coalition is likely to do very well here. the transport secretary grant shapps has accused the country's biggest rail union of "punishing" millions of innocent people after it confirmed it will go ahead with a series of crippling strikes. mr shapps said the travelling public faced a week of "misery" because the rail, maritime and transport union had refused to call off their action, which is due to start on tuesday. our political correspondent nick eardley has more. for anyone who relies on trains, the next few days are going to see significant disruption. the biggest rail strikes in three decades are happening, and the government says it will cause misery for people across the country. the transport secretary, grant shapps, said this morning children sitting exams will face the extra distraction of changing their travel plans, and vulnerable people trying to attend long—awaited hospital appointments may have no choice but to cancel. and he is blaming unions representing rail staff.

this representing rail staff. bike is the last thing we net it this bike is the last thing we need. it isjumping the gun. it is unnecessary. talks are ongoing. the ballot took place before the pay talks had even started. it seems that the union is determined to go out on strike, the rmt, come what may. i think it is a very sad situation and i called on them to reconsider. this was central london yesterday. a cost—of—living march organised by unions. the rail union says it's fighting to protect the pay and conditions of its members, and it warned a general strike might be on the cards. we're very angry. it's an absolute last resort, the strike. but, end of the day, everybody needs a pay rise at the moment. we've got inflation at 11% and that includes the men and women who keep people moving on the railways. everyone deserves fair terms and conditions, but it will impact so many people, especially post—covid, and with petrol prices going up. that daily commute is going to be just that bit harder for everybody. |the government put in £16 billion|

of our money to keep the railways running during the pandemic, and now they're moaning - because they aren't getting a big enough pay increase. _ network rail, which owns the country's railways, says it wants to find a solution and is keen to give people a decent pay rise, but it says increases need to be affordable. labour's leader, meanwhile, says not enough is being done to avoid the strikes. he's accused ministers of feeding off divisions. as politicians argue over who is to blame, from tuesday, millions of train users are being urged not to travel, with only a fifth of services expected to run. nick eardley, bbc news. joining me now is our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. the temperature is rising in this dispute as we face the prospect of a day after tomorrow, that large parts

of the country will grind to a halt, so the railway network expecting a quarter of the services it should be running will be running. you are seeing grant shapps coming out and strongly criticising the unions, saying that this was a union that was ahead of its workforce, the workforce didn't want to get this far but have been pushed by the union to take us back to the 1970s. the labour party have been saying this morning that it is the government that is to blame, the government that is to blame, the government should be stepping in to sort this out and saying that the government took back control of the railways during the pandemic, the government sets the sort of framework, the parameters therefore, for the pay deal on offer and that, therefore, the government should be part of it. and they blame grant shapps for not having sat down with a union for some time. this is what lisa mandy said. —— lisa nandy.

the problem isn't threatened strike action on the railways, the problem is a government that is on strike and not doing itsjob. in wales, there are no strikes. why? because they have a labour government. in england we have strikes, and we have a conservative government that, since march, has not lifted a finger to resolve this. they haven't met or engaged in the talks since the 8th of march. that's simply not good enough, and i don't know how grant shapps has the brass neck to tour the tv studios when the buses aren't working, the airports are in chaos, the railways are about to grind to a halt, and tell people it's somebody else's fault. what grant shapps has been saying is that it what grant shapps has been saying is thatitis what grant shapps has been saying is that it is not for him back the train operating companies that are trying to negotiate deals, but it is worth saying they also do include somejob cuts, some changes worth saying they also do include some job cuts, some changes to working practices, but it is going to be difficult and interesting to see how much the governments can hold that line and saying that it should not be getting involved when we see these strikes and potentially more coming later in the summer if it doesn't resolve it.— it doesn't resolve it. there is the wider issue _ it doesn't resolve it. there is the wider issue of _ it doesn't resolve it. there is the wider issue of the _ it doesn't resolve it. there is the wider issue of the fact _ it doesn't resolve it. there is the wider issue of the fact that - wider issue of the fact that inflation is at 9%, potentially

heading to ii%, and the government saying about pay rises to everybody because they see this potentially continuing the cycle of inflation. the government line we have been hearing is that to give major pay increases would fuel inflation and entrench inflation. that is what they say. others say well, now, the problem people are facing is the crushing of their spending power, because you are faced with a situation, the rmt say, they are being offered 2% for the further possible i%, if several thousand job cuts go ahead, so around 3%, and with inflation heading towards ii%, thatis with inflation heading towards ii%, that is what is crashing people's spending power, plus effective tax increases that people face as tax thresholds have been frozen, so the government has this sort of difficult balancing act, where it wants to control public finances but, under pressure from people,

public sector workers saying that they want more pay rises and something they're likely to see coming up to, medical staff and nhs staff will be offered a pay settlement this week. we will see where that comes. that may cause some problems if they don't like that. the biggest teaching union in england saying that, potentially, if it doesn't get a pay rise above 3% by the middle of this week it will write to the education secretary and say that in the autumn it will approach its members and ask them if they want to ballot for a strike. western leaders are warning that the war in ukraine could last for years — and sustained support will be required to defeat the russian invasion. britain's prime minister, borisjohnson — who visited kyiv on friday — has set out a four—point plan to supply weapons and economic assistance. and as fighting continues around the eastern cities of severodonetsk and lysychansk, nato's political chief, jens stoltenberg warned that the west "must prepare for the fact that it could take years.

that we must not let up in supporting ukraine and that it should do so even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices." our correspondentjoe inwood has been examing the long terms prospects for ukraine as it attempts to resist and rebuild. they are getting a consistent message from leaders in the west that people should not expect a quick— that people should not expect a quick resolution to this. that is what _ quick resolution to this. that is what people here have been experiencing and expecting. and it is not _ experiencing and expecting. and it is noiiust— experiencing and expecting. and it is notjust that experiencing and expecting. and it is not just that they will need military— is not just that they will need military support for a long time but look behind me, you can see the level_ look behind me, you can see the level of— look behind me, you can see the level of destruction that this town has undergone. over there, level of destruction that this town has undergone. overthere, the level of destruction that this town has undergone. over there, the town of irpin, _ has undergone. over there, the town of irpin, 60,000 people live there, and they— of irpin, 60,000 people live there, and they reckon in this one small town_ and they reckon in this one small town more — and they reckon in this one small town more than $1 billion of damage has been _ town more than $1 billion of damage has been done but they have rebuilt, they are _ has been done but they have rebuilt, they are starting. that little bridge — they are starting. that little bridge there was only put up a few weeks _ bridge there was only put up a few weeks ago. it was an attempt to bypass— weeks ago. it was an attempt to bypass the damage done here. but

there _ bypass the damage done here. but there is_ bypass the damage done here. but there is a _ bypass the damage done here. but there is a huge amount of devastation that has come as a consequence of this war, and it will take a _ consequence of this war, and it will take a long — consequence of this war, and it will take a long time to sort all of this out even — take a long time to sort all of this out even after the fighting is finished _ out even after the fighting is finished. in out even after the fighting is finished. , ., ~ ., finished. in terms of ukraine caettin finished. in terms of ukraine getting what _ finished. in terms of ukraine getting what it _ finished. in terms of ukraine getting what it needs - finished. in terms of ukraine getting what it needs from i finished. in terms of ukraine - getting what it needs from other countries, it has been a recurrent theme, other countries have stepped up, and a lot of things have gone that way, but they still say that there is more that they need. what is the latest on that front? 50. there is more that they need. what is the latest on that front?- is the latest on that front? so, we heard more _ is the latest on that front? so, we heard more promises— is the latest on that front? so, we heard more promises of— is the latest on that front? so, we heard more promises of weaponsl is the latest on that front? so, we - heard more promises of weapons over the past _ heard more promises of weapons over the past few_ heard more promises of weapons over the past few days, just over the last the past few days, just over the test 24— the past few days, just over the last 24 others the american say they are considering sending more himars, multiple _ are considering sending more himars, multiple rocket launch systems, but really. _ multiple rocket launch systems, but really. it _ multiple rocket launch systems, but really. it is— multiple rocket launch systems, but really, it is a never ending stream of requests — really, it is a never ending stream of requests from ukrainians. they say they— of requests from ukrainians. they say they need a huge amount of equipment, far more than has been promised, — equipment, far more than has been promised, and that is because they are facing _ promised, and that is because they are facing these overwhelming odds, because _ are facing these overwhelming odds, because of— are facing these overwhelming odds, because of the strength the russians have in— because of the strength the russians have in the _ because of the strength the russians have in the east of the country. just one — have in the east of the country. just one thing i would bring people's attention to, we've had

interesting comments from the new head of— interesting comments from the new head of the british army in the last hour or— head of the british army in the last hour or so, — head of the british army in the last hour or so, sir patrick saunders, who— hour or so, sir patrick saunders, who has— hour or so, sir patrick saunders, who has given a really remarkable interview — who has given a really remarkable interview to the press association interview to the press association in london. — interview to the press association in london, where he is talking about the fact— in london, where he is talking about the fact that — in london, where he is talking about the fact that we need to prepare a british— the fact that we need to prepare a british army to fight in europe again. — british army to fight in europe again. a — british army to fight in europe again, a british army who can fight alongside _ again, a british army who can fight alongside its allies to defeat russia _ alongside its allies to defeat russia. really quite bellicose language from the new head of the british— language from the new head of the british army, he has only been in the role _ british army, he has only been in the role of— british army, he has only been in the role of a _ british army, he has only been in the role of a short period, so we mustn't — the role of a short period, so we mustn't read too much into this but it was— mustn't read too much into this but it was really— mustn't read too much into this but it was really quite striking language. flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by seasonal monsoon weather have left at least 59 people dead in bangladesh and india. rescue teams have been active throughout the region to bring people trapped by floodwaters to safety. the sylhet region in eastern bangladesh is among the worst affected, with much of the area without electricity and internet access. planes have been grounded and trains suspended. forecasters are warning the situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming days.

the headlines on bbc news: voters across france are going to the polls in parliamentary elections, as president macron's party seeks to maintain control of the national assembly. western leaders have warned that russia's war against ukraine may go for years and support for kyiv must be sustained even if the costs are high. the united states has become first country in the world to approve use of mrna vaccines for children as young as six months. federal regulators cleared the use of pfizer and moderna covid—19 vaccines and will make smaller doses of the vaccine available to around 20 million children. presidentjoe biden welcomed the news, calling it a "monumental step" in the fight against the virus and that parents would be able employees at an apple store in a town near baltimore in maryland have voted tojoin a union — the first of the company's shops in the united states to do so. the tech giant has so far made no comment on the vote.

gail maclellan reports. 65 of the 110 employees at the apple store in maryland voted in favour of unionising — an historic victory. they will nowjoin the international association of machinists and aerospace workers in an attempt to have their say when it comes to their pay, hours and safety. unions have won several symbolic victories in the united states in recent months. workers at an amazon warehouse in new york voted overwhelmingly to join the union. starbucks employees across the country have filed to hold votes after two outlets created unions. it seems to be galvanised by the pandemic and the apple vote result has been seen as particularly notable. it is really significant because it is the first

and these workers really won a decisive victory. they faced a substantial, quick, typical anti—union campaign, where they were really facing an onslaught of anti—union rhetoric from their employer, that one of the most senior apple executives came to the workplace to talk them out of organising a union and they won the election despite of that. i think apple have a serious decision to make. they can continue to be on the anti—union path they have been on or look at the example of microsoft, which just this week announced it will not oppose unionisation by workers. but this vote was just in one store out of more than 270 across the us. now their vote is over, the biggest challenge is probably still ahead, negotiating terms with the world's largest technology company. gail maclellan, bbc news.

a study commissioned by football's world governing body has found that more than half of all players at the finals of the european championship and the african cup of nations suffered online abuse. fifa used new technology to assess the scale of the problem, as russell trott reports. england's marcus rashford, bukayo saka and jadon sancho were all targeted online, following their penalty misses in the euro 2020 final, leading to widespread calls for a clampdown on racist abuse and social media. now, a study commissioned by football's world governing body fifa says more than half of all players at the finals of the euros and the africa cup of nations suffered some form of social media abuse. fifa used artificial intelligence to track almost half a million posts. it found that homophobic and racist comments were the most common. much of the abuse came from fans

of the players�* home nations. with the world cup in qatar just five months away, fifa said they would work with unions to implement a plan on how to protect players. footballers has worked hard to stamp out racism inside stadiums. outside, it has not been so easy. russell trott, bbc news. colombians go to the polls today in the second — and final — round of presidential elections. they will choose between two very different candidates — leftist gustavo petro, who has promised more equality — or populist businessman rodolfo hernandez who's been labelled a colombian trump. our south america correspondent now reports from colombia's capital bogota. they pray a last attempt at salvation and a prayerfor columbia's men. in a country used to decades of civil conflict, even the priests use the language of war. this is a call to action. they're fighting to put

men back in control. but this isn'tjust about religious conservatism, it's about political indoctrination. these priests are issuing a thinly veiled warning not to vote for the left. this is the man they're scared of. gustavo petro is a former mayor who promises to tackle poverty. a former rebel, too. if he wins these elections, he'll be colombia's first ever leftist president. and this is the man he's up against. rodolfo hernandez is a businessman, an outsider, a man who's been called colombia's trump, and a man whose tik—tok videos and womanising have become more famous than his politics. his supporters, though, aren't fazed. translation: |f| had money, i'd -

do my own thing if it made me happy. he's a good thing because he's a businessman. he's a self—made man. he's a little confusing. the truth is that a vote for adolfo is against pedro. because we don't want socialism, we don't want these politics that are against the freedom, the economy, we are afraid about petro. for communtiies used to being cast aside, petro's politics are a welcome change. petro's running mate, is a black woman, also a first in colombian politics. this weekend, their supporters have been out in force trying to convince voters. translation: one of the problems this country has is inequality - in black and indigenous communities and women. and they represent that difference.

one's mixed race, one's black, and both believe in inclusion. so often we call elections historic. but i think you can really say that with this vote, because whoever wins, it'll be a real departure from any politics this country has seen before. katie watson, bbc news, in bogota. since the russian invasion, millions of ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes — and during the mass evacuations many people were separated from their families and friends. when their town was bombed, four teenagers were split up and their rock band ambitions put on hold — but after months apart they've been reunited. our reporter abdujalil abdurasalov was there. singing for peace in a time of war. this ukrainian rock band is playing together for the first time since the russian invasion. they are from avdiivka, a front line

city in eastern ukraine. i met the band just a few weeks just before moscow launched a full—scale attack on their country. they rehearsed their song called war, and told me about the horrors about the conflict they went through when it started in 2014. they believed no—one would want to repeat it. sadly, they turned out to be wrong. on february 24, russia invaded ukraine. shortly after, their city came under heavy bombardment. singing in ukrainian translation: there was one explosion, then another one, and it was so strong that the whole building was shaking, but after much fatigue i started screaming at my parents, telling them that we have to go.

eventually, all four members of the band were evacuated. this is their first reunion since they left avdiivka. and they immediately went to a local studio to rehearse their song war. its lyrics now, the young musicians say, sound completely different than before. singing in ukrainian their studio in avdiivka was badly damaged during shelling, with a missile hitting the roof. for the band, a part of their life was gone. the war pushed them to change their views on russia. when i met them lastjanuary, they spoke russian to me. now, they consciously chose to speak ukrainian. translation: one thing is when you speak your native language, the language

of your country, and another thing is when you speak the language of the state that occupied your country. before the band separates again and goes back to their new homes, they visit this place in the city centre. it's called the wish sphere. they came to make their wishes. they don't say it aloud, but they all know what it is. abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, dnipro. it's fathers' day here in the uk, and the duke of cambridge has released a fathers' day photograph to mark the occasion. prince william is pictured laughing with his children during a family holiday, with his arms around prince george, who's eight, and seven year—old princess charlotte, while four—year—old prince louis sits on his shoulders. the photograph was taken in jordan last year. although the photographer hasn't been officially revealed, it's thought to be his wife, catherine, who's well known for taking the family snaps. you can show you jean—luc melenchon,

who has been voting in the polls in france, as voters decide who will control the national assembly. —— we can show you. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear. hello, there. for those of you up and off early enough this morning to catch the sunrise, you were in for quite a treat with some orange—looking skies first thing. that's because there was a little bit of saharan dust in the atmosphere, really producing these beautiful tones. however, a northwesterly wind will put paid to that — a rather breezy day in store today, this area of low pressure enhancing some showers in the north—west and these weather fronts just a little bit of a nuisance flirting with the channel coast and producing the risk of some showers as we go through the day as well. but there's also some sunshine, particularly sandwiched in—between the two. that northwesterly wind will continue to drive more cloud further south throughout the day. we run the risk of a few scattered showers to the south

and continuing showers into the far northwest. but generally speaking, despite that brisk breeze, it'll be pleasant enough, but the wind direction will make it feel cooler. on north and west—facing coasts, 14 to 17 degrees, we may well see temperatures peaking into the low 20s in one or two areas in the south—east. the risk of showers continues for the early half of the evening and overnight, particularly into the south—west, accompanied by gusts of winds close to 40 miles an hour at times. clearer skies further north, so temperatures will fall into single figures, so it'll be a fresh start once again to monday morning, a much more comfortable start, a night for getting a good night's sleep. but first thing on monday will be a dry, settled, quiet start, a lot of sunshine is likely to come through. this weather front, however, in the far north—west will gradually introduce more in the way of cloud and some nuisance light rain as the day continues. but it will be a dry start, a sunny start for many, and we keep that sunshine throughout the day. some light, patchy rain to the northwest of the great glen, clouding over to the north of northern ireland, but in the sunshine those

temperatures are likely to respond and we could see values peaking at around 22 or 23 celsius in one or two spots in the southeast in particular. now, as we move out of monday into the middle part of the week, it looks likely that these weather fronts will start to ease away. a ridge of high pressure builds for a time before, as we approach the weekend, we'll start to see lows developing in from the atlantic. basically, that translates to more sunshine through the middle part of the week, more warmth returning across wales, central and southern england, before we see some showers developing for the start of the weekend. that's it, take care.

hello, this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: french voters are going to the polls to decide who will control their national assembly. mr macron beat the far right in april, but this time the challenge is harder. the transport secretary grant shapps accuses the country's biggest rail union of "punishing" millions of innocent people after it confirmed it will go ahead with series of crippling strikes. but union leaders blame politicions for failing to stop the strike. western leaders are warning the war in ukraine could last for years and sustained support will be required to defeat the russian invasion. borisjohnson, who visited kyiv on friday, has set out a four—point plan to supply weapons and economic assistance. flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by seasonal monsoon weather have left at least 59 people dead in bangladesh and india. rescue teams have been active throughout the region to bring people trapped by floodwaters to safety.