greg dawson has this report. —— let's paul together. —— pull. people transformed into a scene of multiple deaths. in the chaos, thousands of people immediately scrambled for the exits. i was like, we need to run. so we started running. straight out the doors, all the way to the hotel. or we could hear was screaming, people crying, people running everywhere. it was madness. police say they believe the exclusion happened in the foyer. officers from greater manchester police and emergency services are working at the scene and a supporting those affected. we are co—ordinating the operation here at greater manchester police headquarters. the manchester arena is the city's biggest venue, with a capacity of about 18,001; concerts. many of those attending last i were children. i was near the box office in the foyer when it happened, waiting for me family to come out. i was talking to one of the girls, who was talking to one of the girls, who was talking to one of the girls, who was talking about florida and out. -- 18,000 was talking about florida and o

greg dawson reports.ns needed a reminder of the anger, they simply needed to look out of the window. with their backs to the parliament, police face down petrol—bombs and other missiles. another show of defiance as another package of austerity measures was approved. the prime minister said this meant further pain for a country worn down by years of spending cuts. translation: nobody is denying, nobody doubts, that this agreement has difficulties. however, it is a decisive milestone in that we do not have another bailout we need to complete. we finally have a solution to look forward to. we enter a phase of stability and recovery that the greek economy has not seen in years. the vote means more tax rises and further cuts to pensions over the next three years. a 5 billion euro saving to appease foreign creditors of greece. for the last seven years, the country has been trying to dig its way out of economic crisis. progress has been made, but not enough to escape its reliance on outside help. greece faces it

greg dawson reports.t had the glamour of a hollywood cast, and the clamour of the red carpet photographers. it may have looked like any other premiere at cannes, but it was not. i took nature... and science... and i synthesised. ija, a film about friendship with a genetically—modified superpig, was made by netflix. it is the first year that the streaming service has made an entry at cannes, upsetting purists because it will not get a cinematic release. at a screening before the awards, the logo was jeered. everytime the logo appeared — there is a lot of controversy about its appearance. people were shouting and were really excited. some people are just like, oh, this is netflix. with a strategy of producing its own films and television series, netflix leaks now has 100 million subscribers, globally, and the service believes its presence at the festival is a reflection of the industry catching up with technology. i think it is an enormous an interesting conversation that is beginning. but the truth is, if

greg dawson, bbc news. north korea has largely cut itself off from the outside world.solated the country further. but not entirely. the first—ever passenger ferry between north korea and russia has docked in the russian port of vladivostok. pascale davies reports. this russian port of vladivostok is home to one of the largest north korean communities outside of north korea in the world. and theirjourneyjust got a little easier. for the first time ever, the ferry will run between here and north korea. it boasts a restaurant, bars, and a karaoke room. the ferry will be used by north koreans that work in russia, but also by chinese tourists. translation: we'll set up a tent on the deck in summer in order to put chinese, russian, and north korean souvenirs on display. it will have another purpose — the vessel is set to carry essential goods and other cargo. north korea has long been isolated because of strict economic sanctions imposed by the un. the ferry owners say it will improve relations between the two nations. translation: we don't violate any un sanctions. we trans

greg dawson reports., and the clamour of the red carpet photographers. it may have looked like any other premier at cannes, but it was not.|j looked like any other premier at cannes, but it was not. i took nature and science and a synthesised. ija, a film about friendship and a genetically modified super league, is made by netflix. it is the first year that the stringy service has made an entry at cannes, and deadening purists, because it will not get a cinematic release. —— superpig. at a screening, the logo was jeered. everytime the logo appeared, there isa everytime the logo appeared, there is a lot of controversy about its appearance. people were shouting and be really excited. some people are just like this is netflix. with a strategy of producing its own films and television series, nap leaks now has 100 million subscribers, globally, and the service believes its presence at the festival is a reflection of the industry catching up reflection of the industry catching up with technology. —— netflix.|j

greg dawson, bbc news.u that as we understand it, 19 people have been confirmed killed in this incident, with 59, and probably more, actually, injured, as well, and taken off to various, five hospitals, in fact, around manchester. i want to give you the tweet by ariana grande. she was performing, and has simply tweeted this... eyewitnesses gave some sense as to what it was like inside. they talked about nuts and bolts strewn around the floor, the smell of explosives. one man said he was thrown several metres by the blast, and sought people sprawled on the floor when he got up. one of those eyewitnesses was gary walker. he and his wife were injured by the explosion as they walked to pick up their daughters. and that is one of the reasons that the police are treating it as a terrorist incident. just a short while ago, our correspondent ed thomas give us the latest. we have seen ambulances leading, packed with people. these people are being spread out to hospitals across greater manchester. i will just being s

greg dawson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. strains of building robots. just why were africa's young science students putting their technical skills to the test? this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. the polling stations are all prepared for what will be the first truly free elections in romania's history. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far, but suddenly these police are teargassing the crowd, we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well established here, helen was said to be in good spirits butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc world news. pre

greg dawson reports. carpet photographers. it may have looked like any other premier at cannes, but it was not. i took nature... and science... and i synthesised. ija, a film about friendship with a genetically—modified superpig, was made by netflix. it is the first year that the streaming service has made an entry at cannes, upsetting purists because it will not get a cinematic release. at a screening before the awards, the logo was jeered. everytime the logo appeared — there is a lot of controversy about its appearance. people were shouting and were really excited. some people are just like, oh, this is netflix. with a strategy of producing its own films and television series, netflix leaks now has 100 million subscribers, globally, and the service believes its presence at the festival is a reflection of the industry catching up with technology. i think it is an enormous an interesting conversation that is beginning. but the truth is, if you want to know what i really think, i think, as in many matters,

and now, greg dawson. people transformed into a scene of multiple deaths. the lights had just come up at the end of ariana grande's show and suddenly a loud bang was heard. audio of the moment of the explosion was recorded by someone of the explosion was recorded by someone inside the arena. police say they believe the explosion happened in the foyer of the arena and are treating it as a terrorist attack. reports from two unnamed us officials suggested it was carried out by a suicide bomber. that is yet to be confirmed. i was in the box office of the foyer when it happened. i was waiting for my family to come out. i was talking to one of the girls. then a door opened and someone looked injured. because the door was open, we got blown forwards through the door towards the arena. and explosion behind us did so. —— an. everyone got injured. casualties have been taken to hospitals across the city. medical staff say they have been treating shrapnel —like injuries. it has a capacity of 18,000 people and is right

greg dawson, bbc news.k to the streets for mayday protests. in chile, police used water cannon to try and disperse crowds in santiago — many responded by throwing rocks. the country is due to go to the polls later this year but mayday protests have often turned violent. in cuba, a protester waving an american flag in front of may day marchers was bundled to the ground and carried away in havana's revolution square. it's the first may day celebration since the death of fidel castro in 2016 and the last that his brother, raul, will attend as president. and in south africa presidentjacob zuma had to abandon a may day rally after he was booed by workers demanding his resignation. fighting broke out between mr zuma's supporters and opponents — and all speeches had to be cancelled. devastating weekend storms in southern and mid—western parts of the united states have killed at least 16 people. deaths were reported in texas, arkansas, missouri and mississippi. tornadoes flattened homes, overturned cars and brought

i'm greg dawson. the top stories this hour. his explanation about why he fired the director of the fbi, james comey. he said he'd already decided to sack him before receiving advice from thejustice department. after the controversial jailing of the governor of jakarta — a christian — indonesia'sjustice minister has said he may review the country's blasphemy laws. hospital waiting times in england are the worst level for five years according to a study of the latest nhs data. the health foundation, a charity which conducts specialist research into health policy, said that key targets were being missed and there were longer waits for accident and emergency, cancer treatment and routine operations. our health editor has examined the issue. jim has prostate cancer, he faced long delays between seeing his gp, going for tests and then having surgery. he's one of a growing number of patients in england facing long waits for cancer treatment. it affected every part of my life. it affected my personal life, my work life because you're w

you are watching bbc news, i'm greg dawson. fbi director, james comey, saying fresh leadership is required to restore trust in the organisation. the top democrat on the house judiciary committee says it reeks of a cover—up. the liberal human rights lawyer moonjae—in will be the next president of south korea. he has promised to restore national pride, and favours a more conciliatory approach to north korea. in a bbc interview, jeremy corbyn says brexit is settled. but, when questioned repeatedly, he refused to confirm britain would definitely leave the eu if brussels offered a bad deal for withdrawal. aides later had to issue a clarification, saying the uk would definitely leave the eu under a labour government. mr corbyn has spoken exclusively to the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg. jeremy corbyn, let's start with brexit. it is if you become prime minister it will be the biggest task in front of you. you have said today brexit is settled. does that mean, if you are prime minister, come hell or high water, whatever the d

greg dawson takes a look at who the candidates are. the faces hoping to transform french democracy. and they come from a wide range of backgrounds, including marie, a former bullfighter, and cedric, winner of the fields medal, one of the highest honours in mathematics. more than 400 names were unveiled, with political inexperience the selling point. translation: you can go and look in the history books. never has a 13 —month—old political movement in france been so courageous as to have 50% of people selected to be members of parliament representing the nation without a political job representing the nation without a politicaljob on their cv or a job in political activism. in this search for candidates, emmanuel macron‘s party received more than 90,000 applications. they were whittled down by 1700 interviews. half of them are women. securing a majority in the parliament will be crucial for emmanuel macron‘s ability to push through reforms without seeking an alliance with other parties. after decisive victory against marine le pen, the

greg dawson has the latest. the only sign of traffic banning cars.taking place here and across the country in direct response to a new citizen led national assembly proposed by the president. in a televised address nicolas maduro confirmed it would sideline congress which has been calling for his resignation. with pots and pans in hand, these people made it clear the only changes they wa nt made it clear the only changes they want is a new president. we are not scared, says this woman, we are sick and tired of this disgusting government. mr maduro once at least half of the new assembly to come from his traditional powerbase, the poor and the working classes. the government has two choices, they can approve the constitution among themselves or they can have a referendum. if they hold a referendum, we will defeat them. the us has condemned the announcement is a bid to cling to power. brazil, chile and olivia also denounced the statement. the months long campaign of street protests look set to continue. they are calling for a mega protest across venezue

greg dawson has the latest. to venezuela. in this city, the only sign of traffic is the burning cars used to form road blocks. protests have taken place here and across the country in direct response to the president's idea for a new citizen—led national assembly. in a televised address, president maduro confirmed he would sideline the country's opposition—controlled congress which has been calling for his resignation. but with pots and pans in hand, these people made it clear the only change they want is a new president. translation: we are not scared. i am sick and tired of this disgusting corrupt government. president maduro wants at least half of the new assembly to come from his traditional powerbase, the poor and the working classes. but opponents have vowed to fight the decision. translation: we venezuelans do not have to accept the elections different to those set out in our constitution. the government has two choices. they can approve the constitution among themselves, or they can have a referendum. if

i‘m greg dawson.idence in james comey and the bureau needs new leadership. but opposition politicians claim it‘s an attempt to block the fbi‘s investigation into the possible links between the trump campaign and russia. south korea‘s new president moon jae—in has been congratulated in a phone call by donald trump who‘s also invited him to washington. the leaders agreed on "close cooperation" in dealing with north korea‘s nuclear weapons programme. and news about snapchat‘s share prices are trending on bbc.com. the parent company of the messaging app have tumbled by about 20%, after disappointing results. the number of users grew by only 5% over three months to 158 million. that‘s the latest. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk —

been killed nationwide since the protests to against president maduro flared up 6 weeks ago as greg dawsonrket to squalor. this is the result of another night of looting in the venezuelan state of tachira. the shelves are empty and the floors are full of debris, dirt and rotting food. translation: we have been told an armed group on motorcycles was trying to get in. about 300 people came over the barriers. they took everything — equipment, cash registers, even refrigerators. it is notjust supermarkets. this is what is left of the family—owned bus station. translation: they were not government buses. they were mine and my family's. my father's. they left our business useless. the government says over 2,000 soldiers will be sent to the region to restore order. the looting and violent protests come amid widespread shortages of basic goods — a symptom of the deepening economic crisis in venezuela. over the last six weeks, protesters have been demanding a general election and the chance to remove president maduro from power. over a0 people have been killed in protests across the country. the cr

greg dawson reports., on mindanao island. until recently, it was home to more than 200,000 people. but now, the streets are empty, except for the sound of gunfire. on friday, hundreds more grabbed what they could and left, fearing militants from the local maute group, which has pledged allegiance to the so—called islamic state. it is hard to stay there, as it is so chaotic, says this man. the chaos erupted after a botched raid by security forces on a maute hideout. armed insurgents responded by seizing roads and buildings, and taking christians hostage. it has transmogrified into invasion by foreign terrorists, who heeded the clarion call of the isis, to go to the philippines if they find difficulty in going to syria. mindanao is home to several muslim groups fighting for greater autonomy, but the government thinks foreign fighters linked to is are among those taking on the military. the president has imposed martial law on the island, allowing the military to enforce order, and the detention of people wi

i'm greg dawson. the headlines: our top story: donald trump has fired the fbi's director.igation into alleged links between the trump election campaign and russia. the liberal human rights lawyer, moonjae—in, has claimed victory in south korea's presidential election. addressing supporters in seoul, he promised to govern for all south koreans. and this video is trending on bbc.com: britain's prime minister theresa may and her husband philip have appeared together on the bbc as part of the general election campaign. they talked shoes, household chores, and political ambition. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk.

greg dawson reports.nd celebration as president maduro met his supporters. in another, protest and demonstration. opposition leaders called this a mega—protest, as they marched through the streets. once again rocks and petrol—bombs were thrown at police who once again responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon. these people say they are fighting for freedom and democracy and in the eyes of president maduro they're supporters of a fascist coup attempt. on wednesday he officially launched the process to create a new people's assembly in venezuela, which will have the power to override the opposition—controlled congress. translation: i denounce this opposition. an armed fascist insurgency which has raised its arms against the republic and the republic has the right to defend itself against terrorism and we are going to defend ourselves. for more than a month violent clashes between protesters and police have been almost a daily occurrence in venezuela. more than 30 people have been killed and t

greg dawson reports.f arab and kurdish militia. with the help of air strikes from a us—led coalition they are inching towards rocker, the capital of the islamist milita nts' itself proclaimed caliphate. —— raqqa. this footage shows arab and kurdish fighters battling islamic state militants for control of this is command centre, just 50 kilometres from raqqa. now, as they close in on their main target, president trump has approved supplying weapons to the kurdish forces, including heavy machine—guns, bulldozers and armoured vehicles. the president authorised the department of defence to equip kurdish elements of the syrian democratic forces as necessary to ensure a clear victory over isis in raqqa, syria. the fight for raqqa will be long and difficult, but ultimately yet another defeat for isis and another step towards eliminating the isis threat. but it is a step certain to anger and nato ally. turkey views the kurdish fighters as an extension of the pkk, a group it has been fighting for decades. 0n of th

greg dawson reports in a country where people live to eat, rather than eat to live, nothing is as staplenslation: french baking is known and recognised by the whole world. the baguette is a symbol of paris, so something that really matters to me. known as the ‘grand prix of baguettes', it involves many people, including head chefs and last year's winner, who baked for president hollande. who does he want to be the next in the palace? translation: it doesn't matter much, as long as they respect the artisan and values of the baker's profession. it's about promoting our skills and making sure our fellow citizens can consume artisan bakes instead of factory ones. thejudging is rigourous. if you want to bake something fit for the presidential palate it needs to meet certain criteria. obviously taste is paramount. but it's also got to smell good. and, yes, size does matter. nothing short of half a metre will do. after several were rejected, the eventual winner was a baker in paris's 13th district. this is where he will be delivering to over the next 12 months. as for who he will deliver to, we

i'm greg dawson with bbc world news. our top story.bi. he said he'd been intending to fire mr comey even before receiving advice from the justice department. but the acting fbi director said staff had not lost confidence in mr comey. he told senators the investigation into claims of russian collusion in president trump's election would continue with vigour. the party of french president—elect emmanuel macron has unveiled a list of candidates for next month's parliamentary elections. more than half have never held elected office and half are women. and the arctic climate change summit is trending on bbc.com. foreign ministers of the eight arctic council nations are meeting in alaska to discuss climate change. and the top story here in the uk. senior labour figures have unanimously approved the party's general election manifesto.

greg dawson reports: this is the reality for a country now facing a critical terror threat.ng's cross, one of london's busiest train stations, armed police and sniffer dogs are on patrol. and for the first time, specialist firearms officers are also on board trains travelling across the uk. one of many precautions as police try to establish the manchester bomb, salman abedi, was part of a terror network. on thursday night, that investigation brought officers to wigan in greater manchester. residents were escorted out of the area is a bomb disposal unit was moved in. on this occasion, no leaves were found but investigators say they made significant progress so say they made significant progress so farand say they made significant progress so far and have described finding very important items during a series of raids. as the police continued their business, so too will politicians when national campaigning the next month's general election resumes. labour leader jeremy corbyn will deliver a speech about tackling terrorism, specifically linking it to the uk's past involvement

greg dawson reports. across miles of open water, the italian coastguard looked for signs of life.ging to a life vest, he is eventually pulled to safety. nearby, another man desperately hangs onto a ship's rudder. come on, my friend, says the coastguard. his ordeal might be over, but the trauma is still visible. they are just two rescues of more than 5,000 which have taken place in the mediterranean since friday. these people left libya in rubber dinghies and wooden boats, before being pulled to safety. at a port in sicily, the chaos and danger of the crossing gives way to an orderly processing of names. europe might be doing what it can to dissuade people from crossing, but in milan this weekend, tens of thousands of people marched in a show of support for those arriving. translation: how does integration work? by welcoming people, and above all by creating the conditions to welcome people. more than 115,000 people have reached italy by boat from northern africa this year. that is up 30% from the same period in 2016. authorities say it is mainly down to the lawlessness in libya. i

greg dawson reports.phate within their country, and this is the front line. the city of marawi, on mindanao island. until recently it was home to more than 200,000 people. but now the streets are empty, except for the sound of gunfire. 0n empty, except for the sound of gunfire. on friday, hundreds more grab what they could and left, fearing militants from the local group, which has pledged allegiance to the so—called islamic state. it is hard to stay there, as it is so chaotic, says this man. the chaos erupted after a botched raid by security forces on a maute hideout. armed insurgents responded by seizing roads and buildings and taking christians hostage. seizing roads and buildings and taking christians hostagem seizing roads and buildings and taking christians hostage. it has transmogrified into taking christians hostage. it has tra nsmogrified into invasion taking christians hostage. it has transmogrified into invasion by foreign terrorist, who heeded the clarion call of the isis to go to the philippi

greg dawson reports.since his ship capsized, francesco schettino's fight forfreedom is over and he's spending his first night inside this prison in rome. it follows a definitive ruling here at italy's highest court that his 16 year sentence was sound. his convictions include multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a maritime accident, and abandoning ship before his passengers had been evacuated. translation: this ruling caused an extraordinary, terrifying affair. 72 hearings in the first trial, then the appeal trial, finally the supreme court. we are glad the supreme court have put an end to this because our clients needed the sentence. they needed truth and justice. 32 people were killed when the costa concordia capsized on a cold january evening, in 2012. the ship left its planned moving towards the island of giglio. by the time it saw the rock it was too late — a gaping hole was ripped in the stern. water filled in and the power failed before it eventually tipped onto its side. more than 4,000 people

this is bbc world news, i'm greg dawson. the headlines: donald trump has fired the fbi's director.. mr comey had been leading an investigation into alleged links between the trump election campaign and russia. the liberal human rights lawyer moonjae—in has claimed victory in south korea's presidential election. addressing supporters in seoul, he promised to govern for all south koreans. britain's prime minister, theresa may, and her husband, philip, have appeared together on the bbc as part of the general election campaign. they talked shoes, household chores, and political ambition. and the top story here in the uk: an 11—year—old girl has died in an accident on a ride at drayton manor theme park,

greg dawson reports. it has become a familiar sight.police. hand—held cata pults protesters versus police. hand—held catapults versus teargas canisters. this marked a month of deadly protests in venezuela which began after the courts try to strengthen the president's grip on power. 0ver the president's grip on power. 0ver the last four weeks, nearly 30 people have been killed in clashes. addressing the rival pro—government march, nicolas at euro delivered his new idea to the opponents. —— nicolas maduro. translation: today, i announced that using my presidential powers, i summon my power so presidential powers, i summon my power so that the working classes and the people organised a national assembly. his plan would be to create a new body to cut —— circumvent the country's national assembly. he said he will defeat what he calls the fascist coup threatening his country. the response from his opponents were swift. dennis weller's political crisis is twinned with a political one. this is one of south america's biggest shanty towns. reside

let's get the very latest from greg dawson. oh, my god. what just happened ? it as a terrorist attack. this has been the most horrific incident we have faced in greater manchester and one we all hoped we would never see. families and young people were out to enjoy a concert at the manchester arena and very sadly lost their lives. the manchester arena has a capacity of 18,000 for concerts. last night it was filled with young people and police say a number of children are among the dead. i was near the box office on the foyer where it happened waiting for my family to come out. i was talking to one of the girls who was going on about she was going away with the kids and that. i was talking about florida and that. 0nly that. i was talking about florida and that. only for her talking to me and that. only for her talking to me and having the door open, i think, i would have been injured and because she had the door open we got thrown forward through the door towards the arena, but the explosion was behind us, it forced us forward, but eve ryo ne us, it forced us fo

let's get more on this from our correspondent greg dawson. greg, what more do we know?issing man is 30—year—old michal kisier and he's been on the run since 7pm last night. police haveissued run since 7pm last night. police have issued a couple of photos of him, this is the description of him, 5'6", blonde hair, tattooed on his neck and at the time of his escape last night he was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, like t—shirt and blue trainers. they mentioned he had a head injury, he was being treated in hospital last night when somehow he managed to escape prison guards. police are clearly concerned this man is dangerous. they have said to people do not approach, if you see him while 999, a manhunt across wiltshire is taking place involving officers on the ground with police dogs, also from the sky with a police helicopter deployed. michal kisier was convicted last year for holding a mother and her teenage daughter in their own homes at knife—point, he was sent to gel for five years for that offence. police clearly very worried about the threat he may pose to the public,

greg dawson has the latest. oh my god. what's going on? what just happened ?ed for the exits. iwas like, "we thousands of people scrambled for the exits. i was like, "we need to run." so we started running. we ran down to the hotel and all i could hear was screaming and people crying. everyone was just running everywhere. it was complete madness. police now believe the attack was carried out by one man, who detonated an improvised explosive device that he was carrying. it's believed he died in the blast. this has been the most horrific incident we have faced in greater manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see. families and many young people were out toen joy a concert at the manchester arena and have very sadly lost their lives. the manchester arena has a cas passity of 18,000 for concerts. last night, it was filled with young people. the police say a number of children are among the dead. i was near the box office on the foyer where it happened waiting for my family to come out and i was talking to one of the girls who was going on about she's

greg dawson is here with more details. what happened 7 what happened?michal kisiel was found in his cell at hmp erlesto ke kisiel was found in his cell at hmp erlestoke prison. they decided he needed hospital treatment so he was taken to a hospital in salisbury. police say they believe he overpowered two prison guards and he escaped with a razor blade. they are concerned he is dangerous and they are warning the public to stay away from him. if they see him to call 999. we have a fuse still images, they say he's around five or six with noticeable tattoos on his neck. he was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a blue t—shirt and trainers. the most noticeable thing is he had a head injury. police say he is not local to the area, he doesn't have any money or a phone, so doesn't have any money or a phone, so there is a possibility he will be spotted by members of the public. why was he in prison? he was sentenced last year after he held a mother and teenage daughter at knife—point in their own home and threatened them. he was sentenced to five years at hmp erles