i'm ben boulos. our top stories...ts to storm the azovstal steel plant — the final pocket of ukrainian resistance in the city of mariupol. campaigning ends in france's presidential election — with emmanuel macron and his far—right rival marine le pen urging people to turn out and vote on sunday. 26 passengers and crew are missing after a tourist boat reportedly sinks off the northern island of hokkaido injapan.

i'm ben boulos with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world.ent to be re—elected in 20 years. translation: from now on, | i'm not a candidate any more. i'm now the president of everyone. defiant in defeat — marine le pen says she'll use her best results ever as a springboard for the future. translation: tonight's . historic score puts our camp in an excellent position to obtain a large number of deputies nextjune. china tightens its restrictions and boosts vaccinations after 51 covid deaths in shanghai.

i'm ben boulos.ts to storm the azovstal steel plant — the final pocket of ukrainian resistance in the city of mariupol. campaigning ends in france's presidential election — with emmanuel macron and his far—right rival marine le pen urging people to turn out and vote on sunday. i'm david eades live in la courneuve — just outside paris — where we'll be looking ahead to tomorrow's vote. downing street confirms britain's prime minister — borisjohnson — has not yet received any further fines for breaking lockdown rules. supermarkets across the uk are limiting how much cooking oil customers are able to buy — as supplies are hit

hello, i'm ben boulos in london.r on ukraine enters its third month, us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv — the first top us offical to visit since the invasion.

ben boulos will be will you from the top of the hour, but for now let's get the weather now with bentemperatures for some of us first thing this morning in southern england, parts of wales were down below minus seven celsius. but tomorrow morning will be much milder, if damp and breezy, as this weather system works its way in from the west. this front is a warm front. you can see that from the orange semicircles, and as the name suggests, it is introducing warmer or at least milder air. a wedge of mild air for all of us through the next 2a hours. through the rest of today, england and wales tending to turn a bit cloudier with the odd shower. cloud bringing rain across scotland and northern ireland, a strengthening breeze, and that cloudy and rather wet weather sinks its way southwards and eastwards as we go through the night, the breeze will continue to pick up. after a chilly evening across southern parts, temperatures will actually rise through the night, and for monday morning, look at this, a very different feel, 6—11 degrees. but with that, a lot of clouds, some splashes of rain

i'm ben boulos, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk, and around the world.itter for $41; billion, putting free speech at the forefront of his plans, but there are fears over what shape this could take. no matter who owns or runs twitter, the president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms. the un secretary general antonio guterres meets vladimir putin in moscow later, as ukraine asks him to initiate a humanitarian corridor for civilians trapped in a steel plant in the city of mariupol. in russia, there are two huge explosions at an oil depot, not far from the border, with ukraine — the russian foreign minister suggests the conflict could lead to a third world war.

hello, i'm ben boulos in london. ten people have died off the northern island of hokkaido

hello i'm ben boulos in london. also on the programme.

iam ben i am ben boulos. here are our top stories.e the systematic killing of ukrainian civilians by retreating russian forces. explosions in the southern port of 0desa — ukrainian officials say missiles have hit critical infrastructure. the city's mayor condemns the attack. windows blown out, roofs damaged in private houses. that was in the second straight. in the first the russians attacked peaceful houses. three homes were destroyed today.

i'm ben boulos with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. emmanuel macron becomes the first french president to be re—elected in 20 years. translation: from now on, | i'm not a candidate any more. i'm now the president of everyone. defiant in defeat — marine le pen says she'll use her best results ever as a springboard for the future. translation: tonight's . historic score puts our camp in an excellent position to obtain a large number of deputies nextjune. china tightens its restrictions and boosts vaccinations after 51 covid deaths in shanghai. heartbreak in odesa for a man who lost his daughter, his wife and her grandmother when russian bombed the city. the scientific study in mexico to determine what makes the earth move and volcanos erupt. emmanuel macron has said he will work to unite france after he was re—elected as president. he's the first president to be elected to a second term in 20 years. his challenger, marine le pen, conceded — with exit polls suggesting she had gained just under 41.5% of the vote. that's in contrast to emma

hello, i'm ben boulos in london. also on the programme: as russia's war on ukraine enters its third month, us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv — the first top us offical to visit since the invasion. japan says ten people have died off the northern island of hokkaido after a sightseeing boat went missing on saturday. hello, and welcome to bbc news. good afternoon from clichy in the northwestern suburbs of the french capital, paris. this is an area that generally had more support for the that means that marine le pen who scored 7% in the first round and emmanuel macron are battling it out for votes. let's have a look where emmanuel macron left home, went to the polling station and cast his vote as he seeks a second term in office, anotherfive vote as he seeks a second term in office, another five years. successive presidencies have been very hard to come by in recent years so that in itself would be regarded by his team as something of a success. marine le pen it is in similar country in the north,

i'm ben boulos, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk, and around the world. the world's richest man, elon musk, buys twitter for $41; billion, putting free speech at the forefront of his plans, but there are fears over what shape this could take. no matter who owns or runs twitter, the president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms. the un secretary general antonio guterres meets vladimir putin in moscow later, as ukraine asks him to initiate a humanitarian corridor for civilians trapped in a steel plant in the city of mariupol. in russia, there are two huge explosions at an oil depot, not far from the border, with ukraine — the russian foreign minister suggests the conflict could lead to a third world war. the us says it's "deeply troubled" by the conviction in turkey of activist osman kavala, after he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. for the first time, black women artists from britain and the united states win awards at the prestigious venice biennale. h

our correspondent ben boulos has been at manchester airport this morning and has been telling us moread at this airport and others around the country as many families go away for the easter break. in many cases, theirfirst trip abroad since the pandemic. we have already seen big queues here at manchester airport, at check—in and security over the last couple of weeks. and that's something that has been seen in some other airports as well. and the reason for that is because of a lack of staff. now, that has been caused by a combination of high levels of sickness and a lot of unfilled vacancies. now, we are well aware that the travel industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. and over the last two years, a lot of people have had to be laid off, a lot of workers have been laid off or themselves have chosen to go and look for work elsewhere. so, although we are now seeing a pick—up in demand for flights and bookings are up as travel restrictions have all pretty much gone, the industry is struggling to fill the gaps to get the staff needed to meet that demand. let me just ta

i'm ben boulos.killing of ukrainian civilians by retreating russian forces. explosions in the southern port of 0desa — ukrainian officials say missiles have hit critical infrastructure. pakistan's parliament is dissolved after prime minister imran khan survives a move to oust him — fresh elections could now be held within weeks. at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting in california's state capital, sacramento. police say nine others were injured. the uk government rules out energy rationing as it prepares to unveil its plans on how to move away from russian gas and oil.

ben boulos, bbc news, the wirral.uk in liverpool. thank you forjoining us. tell us about how the rise in the cost of living has impacted on your business so far. we living has impacted on your business so far. ~ ., , living has impacted on your business so far. ~ . , , . living has impacted on your business sofar. . , ,. . so far. we have seen price increase across the — so far. we have seen price increase across the business _ so far. we have seen price increase across the business generally - so far. we have seen price increase across the business generally all i across the business generally all through last year, we import products from india, costs have gone up, energy prices rising, the big impact is on staff. it has an impact on our bottom line in terms of profit but our key goal is to look after our staff because their costs are going up considerably. minimum wage goes up today as well so we are pleased to increase the wages of our staff, some of them are on minimum wage but most aren't. 0ur staff, some of the

i'm ben boulos. our top stories: international condemnation of what appears to be the systematic killing of ukrainian civilians by retreating russian forces. explosions in the southern port of odesa — ukrainian officials say missiles have hit critical infrastructure. pakistan's parliament is dissolved after prime minister imran khan survives a move to oust him — fresh elections could now be held within weeks. at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting in california's state capital, sacramento. police say nine others were injured. ukraine's government has said mass graves have been found in towns outside kyiv which have been abandoned by russian forces in the past few days. a spokesperson for president zelensky has told the bbc they've seen evidence that civilians have been executed and that it appears that war crimes have been committed. the towns of bucha, irpin and hostomel were recently re—taken by ukrainian forces, who say they now control all territory around kyiv. elsewhere, russia

i'm ben boulos. our top stories...kraine says russian forces have resumed attempts to storm the azovstal steel plant — the final pocket of ukrainian resistance in the city of mariupol. campaigning ends in france's presidential election — with emmanuel macron and his far—right rival marine le pen urging people to turn out and vote on sunday. 26 passengers and crew are missing after a tourist boat reportedly sinks off the northern island of hokkaido injapan. have and a very warm welcome to the programme. there are reports that russian forces are trying to storm the azovstal steel works in mariupol, where ukraine's remaining forces in the city are holding out. russians are said to have resumed air strikes on the plant in the south east of the country. ukraine has called on the united nations to provide urgent help to evacuate civilians from mariupol. these are the latest positions of russian forces in ukraine, with much of the fighting now in the east and in particular the south—east. parts of south—western port city of o

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. lam ben i am ben bouloshere are our top stories. international condemnation of what appears to be the systematic killing of ukrainian civilians by retreating russian forces. explosions in the southern port of odesa — ukrainian officials say missiles have hit critical infrastructure. the city's mayor condemns the attack. windows blown out, roofs damaged in private houses. that was in the second straight. in the first the russians attacked peaceful houses. three homes were destroyed today. pakistan's parliament is dissolved after prime minister imran khan survives a move to oust him — fresh elections could now be held within weeks. at least six people have been killed and ten are in hospital following a mass shooting in california's state capital, sacramento. the uk government rules out energy rationing as it prepares to unveil its plans on how to move away from russian gas and oil. hello and welcome to the programme. borisjohnson has condemned what he called russia's "despicable attacks" against ukrainian civ

i'm ben boulos with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world.ger exists after weeks of russian attacks. the ukrainian prime minister says his country's soldiers will fight to the end. a fourth day of clashes in parts of sweden, sparked by the plans of a far—right group to burn copies of the koran. doctors warn of an impending medical catastrophe in sri lanka amid a desperate shortage of vital medicines. they tell me they are worried the hospitals are running low or running out of essential medicines. if they don't get them soon, sri lanka will face

hello, i'm ben boulos in london.on the programme: japan says ten people have died off the northern island of hokkaido after a sightseeing boat went missing on saturday. as russia's war on ukraine enters its third month, us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv — the first top us offical to visit since the invasion. the row over lockdown party breaches in downing street continues. a conservative minster says removing boris johnson from office would lead to instability. i understand how people feel really hurt and angry about this and i think the prime minister acknowledged that properly and gave a full and unreserved apology. british boxer tyson fury retains his wbc heavyweight title after beating dillian whyte at wembley stadium. hello and welcome to bbc news. good afternoon from clichy in the northwestern suburbs of the french capital, paris. we have seen a steady stream of voters and figures suggest it is pretty much on a par with which people expected and still a long way to go. this area is home t

i'm ben boulos with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. ukraine says the port city of mariupol no longer exists after weeks of russian attacks. the ukrainian prime minister says his country's soldiers will fight to the end. a fourth day of clashes in parts of sweden, sparked by the plans of a far—right group to burn copies of the koran. doctors warn of an impending medical catastrophe in sri lanka amid a desperate shortage of vital medicines. they tell me they are worried the hospitals are running low or running out of essential medicines. if they don't get them soon, sri lanka will face a medical catastrophe. and the cruise ship liners being challenged by residents of florida's idyllic key west over environmental harm and tourist overcrowding. ukraine's foreign minister says the city of mariupol doesn't exist any more after weeks of relentless bombardment by russian forces. dmytro kuleba said some ukrainian soldiers were continuing to hold out. but he said russia had chosen to raze the port to the ground. sean dilley reports. mariupol has

i'm ben boulos.of ukrainian civilians by retreating russian forces. explosions in the southern port of odesa — ukrainian officials say missiles have hit critical infrastructure. pakistan's parliament is dissolved after prime minister imran khan survives a move to oust him — fresh elections could now be held within weeks. at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting in california's state capital, sacramento. police say nine others were injured.

i'm ben boulos.kraine says russian forces have resumed attempts to storm the azovstal steel plant — the final pocket of ukrainian resistance in the city of mariupol. campaigning ends in france's presidential election — with emmanuel macron and his far—right rival marine le pen urging people to turn out and vote on sunday. i'm david eades live in la courneuve — just outside paris — where we'll be looking ahead to tomorrow's vote. downing street confirms britain's prime minister — borisjohnson — has not yet received any further fines for breaking lockdown rules. supermarkets across the uk are limiting how much cooking oil customers are able to buy — as supplies are hit by the war in ukraine. and — tyson fury will take on dillian whyte later — in what's expected to be one of the biggest all—british heavyweight fights in boxing history. there are reports that russian forces are trying to storm the azovstal steel works in mariupol, where ukraine's remaining forces in the city are holding out. russia is sa

earlier, my colleague ben boulos spoke to yvonne de burgo, a retired receptionist who's worried abouting and the impact it will have on her life. well, it's a very worrying time, in fact, you know, i'm feeling rather depressed about it all because i'm not a magician. i can't conjure this extra money up out of thin air. i do get pension credit, which, when i first got it, gave me a better standard of life. now, with all these rises, it'sjust wiped out and i'm back to where i was before five years ago. and, you know, ijust despair that at this age, 76, i should be enjoying life, not worrying about every penny and how i'm going to heat my home. i'm disabled and i have a condition, fibromyalgia, where i have to keep warm. if i don't, then i'm in so much pain. so what am i to do? and presumably, getting around, if you have a disability, you rely on being able to run a car. and that's getting more expensive, as well. well, yes, i mean, i'm lucky enough that i have a motability car, which is like a lease that you get. and all i have to do is put fuel in — but the price of fuel, and it really

i'm ben boulos.o not eat and they eat, so yes, it is not great. it's over £300 more now. britain's insolvency service has started formal criminal and civil investigations into p&o ferries. it follows the company's decision to fire hundreds of workers without notice last month. efforts continue to try to get people out of the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol, where tens of thousands are still trapped. another record level of covid infections — nearly five million people across the uk are believed to have had the virus last week. in football, england are among the top seeds for the world cup draw that takes place in doha today. wales and scotland are also included in the draw. the biggest rise in energy prices in living memory has come into effect in britain, just as millions of households face increases in other bills and national insurance payments. on average, gas and electricity bills will cost an extra £700 a year, a sum charities say millions of households will struggle to pay. the chancellor,

ben boulos has been at a wind farm on the outskirts of glasgow, and he told us what the government ismports of gas and oil. as we�*ve seen, global supplies have come under real pressure, that�*s pushed prices up and meant higher household bills for millions of people all around the country. so how is the government going to do that? well, it wants to build more onshore wind farms just like this one. to encourage that, it said communities that agree to have them in their areas will be guaranteed lower energy bills. and the point with onshore wind is that it�*s controversial, some people don�*t like the impact that these turbines have on the landscape. so the government is also looking at building more offshore sites. by 2030, it wants offshore wind farms, those at sea, to generate enough electricity for every home in the uk. now, it is a big ambition and critics point out that renewable energy like wind is a bit inconsistent, it is unreliable. last year, for example, low levels of wind meant less electricity was generated than had been forecast. hazel gulliver is from scottishpower. wo

our reporter ben boulos is in belper in derbyshire.and businesses and in fact the high street here was named england's best high street at the start of 2020. normally that would draw people to it and footfall would be up, people came to see what the fuss was about. shortly after they won that award the lockdown came in. since then things have started to pick up but the cost of living crisis is really starting to bite for businesses here, as indeed it is for shops and businesses right around the uk. that latest figure, 1.4% fall in march compared with the much before in uk retail sales. that comes after a fall in february, so it is starting to look a bit like a downward trend. partly with inflation at a 30 year high at 7%, things are more expensive, and with higher energy bills and higherfuel expensive, and with higher energy bills and higher fuel costs expensive, and with higher energy bills and higherfuel costs people have less money in their pockets to spend, treating themselves to perhaps a new top or some new trainers. let's find o

ben boulos, bbc news, the wirral. 0ur political correspondent ione wells is at westminster.e workin: clear impact on people. people working out _ clear impact on people. people working out this _ clear impact on people. people working out this morning, - clear impact on people. people - working out this morning, checking their online statements, they have noticed the steep rise in energy bills, we knew it was coming, but a massive shock for many families today. coupled with other price rises, inflation, the cost of everyday goods like food and key services also going up. some people being hit by rises in council tax, water bills, car taxes as well. all of this coming days before national insurance tax is set to rise. the government has certainly been under pressure to do more to support people at this time. some saying the support already announced is not enough. to recap where we are at the moment with the government, one thing that is more positive is the national minimum wage is going up, something the government hope will soften the blow for some households. they have al

our reporter ben boulos is in belper in derbyshire for us well, how do you weave your way through lockdowns find out how they�*re getting on. we can speak to lisa, who is one of the owners. lisa, haider, how have things been for you? it�*s lisa, haider, how have things been for ou? �* , , , , lisa, haider, how have things been for ou? , lisa, haider, how have things been for ou? fl, , ., for you? it's been very up and down we have had — for you? it's been very up and down we have had customers _ for you? it's been very up and down we have had customers coming i for you? it's been very up and down we have had customers coming and | we have had customers coming and then we had them obviously feel very wary at christmas. and then with the cost of living in the crisis in ukraine, we�*ve seen a real drop. have you thought about going online? we have, but will is we�*re hoping to, but wool is very much a touchy feely kind of product that people want to see the colours, they want to see the texture of it. so online is kind of it�*s there, but it�*s not really something we�*ve thought about as such.

ben boulos has been at a wind farm on the outskirts of glasgow, and he told us what the government isof condos real pressure, pushing prices up condos real pressure, pushing prices up and been in higher —— meaning higher household bills for many. how will the government do that? it will do more onshore wind farms, just like this one, to encourage that, since communities that agree to have them in their areas will be guaranteed lower energy bills and the point with onshore wind is that it is controversial, some people do not like the impact the turbines have on your landscape so the government is looking at building more offshore site and by 2030, it wants offshore wind farms, those at sea, to generate enough electricity for every home in the uk, it is a big ambition and critics point out that renewable energy like wind is a bit inconsistent, unreliable hand last year low levels of wind meant less electricity generated than forecast. let's speak about all this to hazel gulliver from scottishpower. with these plans mean lower bills for people watching at home? ~ . , ., lower bills for p

our business presenter ben boulos has been given special access inside the tunnel.s, the tideway and and wires today such a momentous day for you? fix, and wires today such a momentous day for ou? �* . and wires today such a momentous day for ou? . ., ._ and wires today such a momentous day for ou? ., , , �* for you? a great day because we've finished tunnelling, _ for you? a great day because we've finished tunnelling, breaking - for you? a great day because we've | finished tunnelling, breaking ground and underground works are more risky and underground works are more risky and 25_ and underground works are more risky and 25 kilometres of tunnelling in 40 months and it feels like a good day for— 40 months and it feels like a good day for the — 40 months and it feels like a good day for the project and a good day for london — day for the pro'ect and a good day for london.— day for the pro'ect and a good day for london. when will london feel the benefit _ for london. when will london feel the benefit of _ for london. when will london feel the benefit of what _ for lo

but first, ben boulos at manchester airport. looks like a lovely day.a longtime — cases people are having to queue for a long time. in some cases for hours to get— a long time. in some cases for hours to get through check—in and security _ to get through check—in and security. this is ahead of a really busy— security. this is ahead of a really busy weekend. demand for flights is picking _ busy weekend. demand for flights is picking up— busy weekend. demand for flights is picking up as covid travel restrictions have pretty much been lifted _ restrictions have pretty much been lifted it— restrictions have pretty much been lifted it is— restrictions have pretty much been lifted. it isjust what restrictions have pretty much been lifted. it is just what the travel industry— lifted. it is just what the travel industry wanted. they wanted to see this pick— industry wanted. they wanted to see this pick up— industry wanted. they wanted to see this pick up in demand. but they are grappling _ this pick up in demand. but they are grappling with staff shortages. tha

ben boulos, bbc news, the wirral.aling with all of this? it is do. justina, how are people dealing with all of this?— with all of this? it is a very difficult time _ with all of this? it is a very difficult time for _ with all of this? it is a very difficult time for so - with all of this? it is a very difficult time for so many i with all of this? it is a very - difficult time for so many people. four out — difficult time for so many people. four out of— difficult time for so many people. four out of five orbiting an increase _ four out of five orbiting an increase in prices. it is going to be very— increase in prices. it is going to be very difficult. that is why there needs— be very difficult. that is why there needs to — be very difficult. that is why there needs to be more support. customers can only— needs to be more support. customers can only do _ needs to be more support. customers can only do so much. we are encouraging people to try to save n1oney— encouraging people to try to save money lry— encouraging pe