along with seven others. just a reminder. more than a 130 people were killed when gunmen stormed the packed auditorium, minutes before a veteran rock band was due on stage. militant islamist group, islamic state, claimed responsibility for the attack, but president putin has suggested that four gunmen arrested on saturday were trying to flee to ukraine. that claim has been strongly rejected by president vladimir zelinsky. —— vlodomyr zelensky. our russia editor steve rosenberg has more on the kremlin�*s response. well, we heard vladimir putin give his tv address yesterday. the kremlin hasn't made any more comments since then. the president has made no more comment since then. but what's interesting is this, because on the one hand islamic state group has claimed that it carried out the attack. islamic state has released graphic images of the attack. us officials have said they have no reason to doubt the claim by islamic state. on the other hand, you have russian officials determined to promote the narrative that somehow in some way ukraine was linked to this attack while providing no evidence for that. we heard vladimir putin in his tv address mentioning ukraine suggesting some kind of link, that the gunmen arrested were trying to go to ukraine border. i think he said a window had been prepared for them on the ukrainian side to cross the border. that has been completely denied by the ukrainian authorities. but it is notjust vladimir putin. other russian officials and pro—kremlin commentators have been pushing this line that there is some ukrainian link here. i was reading one pro—kremlin news site this morning, quite astonishing thing is being written. one thing ijotted down, this commentator had written, "ukraine must be declared a terrorist state, it is time to destroy the kyiv regime. those guys must die, russia has the resources to do this." and all of that raises the question, what will russia do next? will russia try and use what was a devastating attack on friday in moscow to use it as an excuse to launch another escalation in its war in ukraine? steve rosenberg there. our main news this hour — ukraine and russia have been trading missile strikes overnight. ukraine's military has said it has struck two large russian landing ships, a communications centre and other infrastructure used by russia's black sea fleet in crimea. a russian—installed official reported a major ukrainian attack overnight and said that air defences had shot down more than ten missiles over the crimean port of sevastopol. these are the images from social media showing the moment of the attack on the city. according to reports, at least two targets were hit — russia's black sea fleet special comminucations centre and another military unit in sevastopol. we are verifying this information. this comes following a night of air strikes on the capital kyiv and the western city of lviv. the mayor of the capital vitali klitschko said there were several explosions. these images we received show of an explosion of a missile seen on the kyiv skyline, confirming ukraine's statement that air defence systems repelled much of the attack. in lviv, close to the polish border, there's been damage to critical infrastructure. the polish army have issued a statement — saying that they want answers from russia after a missile violated the airspace for under a minute — before adding that poland's airspace is now safe. israel's defence minister is heading to washington as the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu comes under increasing pressure from the us to halt its planned assault on the rafah district in southern gaza. the hamas—run health ministry has said 19 people waiting for aid near gaza city were killed by israeli forces on saturday. the idf have denied firing on the crowd. meanwhile, the un secretary general, antonio guterres, whilst visiting the rafah crossing on the egyptian side of the border — on saturday — continued his call for a humanitarian ceasefire — and demanded israel give "total, unfettered" access to humanitarian goods throughout the territory. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is following developments from jerusalem. i spoke to her a little earlier. the top israeli negotiators have come back now, we understand, from doha. we've heard from an israeli official that there was a bridging proposal, that's how it was termed, that was made by the us, which is helping to mediate here, along with qatar and egypt. this basically laying out a kind of formula for the number of palestinian prisoners that would be released from israeli jails in return for each israeli hostage that could be released, as a result of this potential deal. it's not a very positive sign that top negotiators have come back, it means they are not close to sealing a deal at the moment, we're not hearing about any breakthrough, and there is a senior palestinian official who is close to the talks, who has said that there are still deep differences between the two sides. the main one, of course, being that hamas wants a complete withdrawal of israeli troops, it wants to pave the way with any deal to an end to the war in gaza. israel remains adamant that it must completely dismantle hamas in gaza and has said that what's being talked about is only a temporary ceasefire. and then we have a number of delegations heading to washington, dc. yoav gallant is going to be speaking to mr austin but also a second israeli team, heading to washington, dc. what's on that agenda? i mean, this all comes after the visit of the us secretary of state, antony blinken, last week. and certainly it's a big ongoing effort by the us here to reach out to those in the israeli government it feels it can talk to. they include the defence minister who will also be, we understand, talking about us military help that's needed for the ongoing war in gaza. but there's pressure being exerted by washington to try to stop israel from going ahead with what it says it plans to do to have a major military offensive in rafah in the very south of the gaza strip. and certainly one of the close advisers of the israeli prime minister will be among those going to meet different officials in washington. washington has said it cannot support such an operation because you have such dire humanitarian consequences that could result real harm to civilians. you now have something like 1.5 million people out of the total, 2.3 million in the gaza strip, all crammed down on the border with egypt, most of them displaced by the fighting. they've been told by israel earlier in this war to head in that direction for their own safety. israel maintains that there are hamas battalions there that it must deal with. yolande knell. here in the uk, the chancellor has promised to protect the value of pensions in the conservative election manifesto. jeremy hunt has been speaking to laura kuennsberg's sunday programme here on the bbc. our political correspondent georgia roberts has been watching. the prime minister this week has been talking about this being a bounce back a year for the uk economy and jeremy hunt the chancellor today also keen to try and capitalise on some bright spots perhaps in the economic change in weather we have coming. this week we heard news of inflation falling to the lowest it has been in a couple of years, also a bank of england report saying interest rate cuts might come a bit sooner than expected. so this is good news, especially for a uk government that has been lagging behind consistently labour in the polls, they are keen to stress some economic good news. however, the question laura kuenssberg on the programme this morning wanted to ask is whether it is too soon for the uk government to be trumpeting news like this as a turning point, given that many people are still feeling the pinch in their pockets. let's listen to the chancellor now answering laura kuenssberg's questions on the economy. since 2010, we've talked about this before, we have grown faster than countries like germany, but in the last three years we had a once—in—a—century pandemic, we had a 1970s—style energy shock, and what they have seen from this conservative government is that we have taken the really difficult decisions. i think the first time i spoke to you, the first interview i gave after i became chancellor i had to put taxes up, very difficult for a conservative chancellor. i had to cut back public spending plans, and those very difficult decisions, what they expect from a conservative government, we can now see they are bearing fruit. now, the triple—lock is a commitment to raise state pensions every year by the level of average earnings. laura kuenssberg asked the chancellor given previously it the chancellor, given previously it has been reported this is under review as a policy, whether or not he was committed to that, and for the first time the chancellor committed to this being in the conservative manifesto if they win the next general election. he said the government was committed still to keeping it in place. let's listen. i can confirm it will be, yes. there is two very important things i would say about that. when we came to office in 2010 pensioners were more likely to be in poverty than other income groups. now, because of the triple—lock we introduced they are less likely to be in poverty and that's a very important social change. unlike adults of working age, pensioners can't work. they have retired. and so we need to respect that. but the second thing i would say is that is an expensive commitment. it is a very expensive commitment. indeed. and you can only make that commitment if you are confident that you are going to deliver the economic growth that is going to pay for it. labour's party chair anneliese dodds was also asked about what labour's plans would be for the triple—lock and she would only say they would set out their plans in detail in due course. clearly a message from the chancellorjeremy hunt to say things were looking up economically today. but the economy is not out of the woods just yet. and as we approach not only a general election but local elections in england on the 2nd of may, we can expect the economy to remain in the spotlight. that was georgia roberts. now it's time for a look at today's sport with gavin. hello from the bbc sport centre. a shock in formula i as max verstappen failed in his attempt to equal his record of io successive wins earlier at the australian grand prix. those plans went up in smoke — quite literally — as a brake fire put an early end to his race. carlos sainz completed a remarkable comeback from appendix surgery two weeks ago, to come first in melbourne. sainz started alongside world champion verstappen who was on pole. but the dutchman handed him the lead, after having to retire his red bull with brake problems. not good news for him. the race finished under safety car conditions after britain's george russell crashed his mercedes at the end. he was unhurt — and sainz claimed victory ahead of team mate charles leclerc, with the mclaren of britain's lando norris completing the podium. next to tennis — the two time australian open champion aryna sabelnka has been knocked out of the miami open. it's been a difficult week for her — following the death of her ex—boyfriend. she lost in three sets to ukraine's anhelina kalinina in the third round. meanwhile in the men's draw, the number one seed carlos alcaraz will play gael monfis next after beating roberto carballes baena in straight sets. having just won the title at indian wells, alcaraz cruised through 6—2, 6—1 — but says the win wasn't as easy as it sounds. it was difficult with the humidity. you know, the court, the balls, everything, it was difficult to adapt my game to these conditions. but really happy with the level that i hit the ball, that i solved everything and hopefully keep going. a remarkable collapse from england handed new zealand a dramatic three—run victory in the third t20, as the hosts kept the series alive in nelson. england were cruising in pursuit of 156 needing only 29 runs from 29 balls with eight wickets left, but then lost 6—25. that left them needing eight from the last over but they scored just four and lost two wickets. england lead the series 2—1 ahead of the fourth match in wellington on wednesday, in the five—match series. credit to them. i think we got put under a lot of pressure and today we maybe didn't come up well against it. but i think that's a big learning curve. this team is always about learning opportunities and it's all right to make mistakes but we have to learn from them. i guess it is one to learn from, big time. the opening weekend of the women's six nations continues. there were wins for france and scotland on the opening day, while england, who are away at italy injust under two hours' time, want to win the title for a sixth year in a row. captain marlie packer is set for her 100th cap for the red roses — and says the team is hungrier than ever for success. the goal for this six nations is to go out there and win it, like, a grand slam win. but we need to make sure that, you know, we perform in each game. and it's notjust about the points on the board. it's how we come off as players, like, we have targets within defence or attack that we want to hit in those games. that's what i think us as red roses will be defined whether this six nations has been successful or not for us. five games to come on sunday in the english women's super league as chelsea aimed to return to the top of the table with a win over west ham. the merseyside derby has kicked off the day, everton hosting liverpool at goodison park. goalless at the moment after 15 minutes. third placed arsenal start the day nine points of mac leaders manchester city, away at aston villa in the late game. you can stay across all of that on the bbc sport website. that's all this bought from us and we will be back with more later on. we will see you then. you certainly will, thank you very much. voters in senegal are choosing a new president — with delayed elections taking place today — after weeks of rising tensions and violent unrest. the outgoing incumbant, macky sall, had attempted to postpone the vote till december, long past the end of his mandate — raising concerns for one of africa's most stable democracies. it took considerable domestic and international pressure — and a ruling by senegal�*s constitutional council — to get today's date agreed. seven million people are eligible to vote for the 17 candidates. our west africa correspondent thomas naadi has more from dakar. it was a real threat. there was a lot of anger on the streets but i am currently in the hometown of the opposition candidate and he is expected to vote here at some point today. there is a lot of enthusiasm among the voters and also a sense of hope and pride because they see him as one of their own. 17 presedential contestants in this election but it will likely be reduced to a two—horse race including the opposition leader, diomaye faye, and former prime minister and minister of finance, amadou ba of the ruling coalition. the stakes are high in this election and both candidates are confident of victory. and as you said, senegal is one of the most stable countries in west africa. it has never experienced a military coup and has witnessed the peaceful transitions of power. though, a lot of people here feel like this particular election could be a turning point for democracy in the country. the two candidates, mr amadou ba chosen by macky sall, then bassirou faye, who is more antiestablishment, just released from jail. why was he injail? well, amadou ba of the... the opposition candidate, diomaye, and then his right—hand man, ousmane sonko, were imprisoned on separate charges. ousmane sonko was supposed to run on the ticket of the opposition but there was a defamation conviction, which automatically disqualifies him from contesting in this particular election. there had to be a replacement and diomaye was chosen to run on the ticket of the opposition. they were just released a little over week before this particular election. that was thomas naadi. crumbling courts, a lack of defence lawyers and not enough legal advisors — just some of the reasons given for 66,000 court cases in england and wales that remain stuck in limbo. for victims of sexual abuse, the long wait forjustice can be particularly difficult — and there are fears that delays may be deterring some people from reporting it. our reporterjosie hannett has been looking at this situation in south—east england. it was 38 years ago, i was ten—years—old and i was terrified. i froze on the spot. matt hayward is talking about his experience of being abused as a child by a family friend. for years, he kept it a secret and carried on as normal. but when he finally decided to tell the story and report it to kent police he did not realise how long it might take before he got justice. the delays that i faced in the court system for me were really, really challenging. there were two cases that were being run together. the process ended up taking so long to get to court, it was seven years after i first reported the first offence. one of the perpetrators actually died. the courts were fantastic and the people working in the courts were fantastic, but it is just the huge pressure they are under. for me, for the last seven years and for my family, life has been on hold. i macro, you are right? yeah mac, i'm good- — matt was inspired by his best friend's daughter poppy who at 11—years—old reported the abuse she faced at the hands of her paternal grandfather. i'd hidden it for so long, but the turmoil and hurt that it has caused me through the years, not saying anything. the bravery of her coming forward and be able to talk about it, and report it, was inspirational. i'm a firefighter at heart. it's perceived as quite a macho thing to do. all big, strong, burly people doing it — it's not the truth, there are loads of different people in the fire service. it goes to show that affects people right throughout society. the latest figures from the ministry ofjustice show the backlog of cases is at a record high, with 66,000 cases in england and wales incomplete last year. maidstone crown court the worst affected in the southeast with 1,600 cases for trial outstanding. hove trial centre had a backlog of more than 1,000 cases, and canterbury more than 700. it's a couple of decades of lack of investment in the court, of investment in the courts estate where we have crumbling buildings, in the personnel, where the courts are unable to recruit legal advisors at the moment. where defence lawyers are leaving in droves, all of these have added to the fact that there simply aren't the resources to deal with the amount of work we have. poppy's grandfather was jailed for 13.5 years for abusing her. living now in east sussex she has become in an ambassador for kent charity family matters and the nspcc, she campaigns for better support for victims of sexual abuse and improving wait times in the court system. you haven't had that closure. yes, ok, you may have done this. but it's still so open—ended, to have to put your life on hold and mine was only two years and i understand now it is way longer, it drives you crazy. like, to put it in the most realistic way. i think being my age now, iwould be, like, i don't have the energy to sit with this and carry on through this, like i can imagine a lot of people have think i've kind of half dealt with for most of my life why should i now dig it up and be left waiting? you put people's lives on hold because they have had the courage to make themselves vulnerable. the ministry ofjustice says it is recruiting judges and maximising the use of remote hearings and nightingale courts. but the temporary nightingale court in maidstone is due to close by the end of march — they say it is no longer needed. meanwhile matt's abuser will be sentenced next month. kensington palace has said the prince and princess of wales are "enormously touched by the kind messages" they've received following catherine's cancer diagnosis. in a statement released on saturday night they expressed their gratitude for the publics understanding for their need for privacy. here's daniela relph. this is the national with erica johnson. catherine, the princess of wales, made a shocking announcement... making headlines globally. kate middleton... the impact of the princess' diagnosis has been felt far and wide. her video message was the most direct and personal we have ever seen the princess. this, of course, came as a huge shock. it was also an attempt to shut down the rumours. i think what the princess of wales is hoping is that this message will be direct enough to appeal to people's better natures and say, "look, the invasion of privacy that has been going on on social media for the last couple of months has just been way too much. people need to stop and think and not engage in that kind of activity going forward." and now a fresh statement from kensington palace — a public thank you. it said: family has rallied around the princess, including those with whom relations are strained. the duke and duchess of sussex sent a public message of support. the bbc understands they've also reached out privately. public sympathy remains strong. we've been thinking of her all along and wish her the best. they're going through something so private and hard and, you know, the public eye on it, it's really tough, to be honest. yeah, she's got young kids, right? and she's a human being, so i thought it was all quite upsetting. protecting her three children has been a priority for the princess of wales. she said she's taken time to explain and reassure george, charlotte and louis. stay with us. there is plenty more coming _ stay with us. there is plenty more coming up — stay with us. there is plenty more coming up on bbc news. hello. many of us have had at least some spring sunshine to enjoy so far today. but the forecast for the week ahead looks decidedly un—like spring. it will often be windy and it'll be cold enough over scottish hills for some significant snow, at least for a time now. this chart shows the rainfall we're expecting to accumulate over the next five days, particularly wet for some western hills and also in eastern scotland. now i say wet across scotland. certainly over the next couple of days that wet weather will be falling in this very cold air. and that is why we have that potential for some snow, as i'll show you in a moment. but in the short term, the rest of the afternoon will bring some spells of sunshine, scattered showers. it's a little bit less chilly than it was yesterday, but cloud and rain gathering out towards the west and that will push its way in across many western parts of the uk as we go through the night. ahead of that, some clear skies, maybe the odd mist patch. it will turn chilly for a time by the end of the night, certainly becoming milder out towards the west. but we will see a frost across the northern half of scotland. so into tomorrow, it's a story of low pressure swirling its way in from the west with this frontal system running its way northwards and eastwards. now, i think some parts of eastern england are likely to stay predominantly dry with some spells of rather hazy sunshine. but rain across western england, wales into the midlands, northern england, northern ireland, southern scotland. and as that rain gets into central parts of scotland where it will start to turn to snow up over high ground. we'll be quite cold through tomorrow afternoon in northern scotland, 5 to seven degrees south wales, southern england, ten to 12 degrees. but through monday night into tuesday, this wet and indeed wintry weather will become quite persistent, with 50 millimetres of rain likely across some parts of eastern scotland. but come inland snow even overfairly modest hills above 300 metres elevation. you could be looking at 20 centimetres of snow, only slowly petering out through the day on tuesday. windy in the north of scotland, very cold as well. some places, particularly where snow falls, will struggle to get much above freezing. further south, some sunny spells, some showers and a little bit milder. it does turn a bit milder for just about all of us as we head through the week towards the easter weekend. but there will still be some rain at times. this is bbc news, the headlines... russians mark a day of mourning for the victims of friday's deadly attack on a concert hall near moscow. russia's vladimir putin claims all four gunmen involved in the attack have been arrested. kraine strikes crimea's port city of sevastopol, targetting russian infrastructure and claims to have hit russian ships in the black sea. a pledge on pensions — the conservatives say they are committed to keeping the so—called triple—lock on pension increases in their election manifesto. and the prince and princess of wales thank the public for their support following catherine's announcement she is being treated for cancer. and, after a 13 year hiatus, hundreds of aproned competitors take to the streets of paris for the infamous la course des cafes now on bbc news, it's click. this week, nick's at south by southwest, where assistive tech is helping one artist with muscular dystrophy crack the music scene. what do you think about this from a fashion perspective? oh, yeah, definitely, it can't cramp my style. chris suits up... they've gone to get me a bigger size. . ..eventually, to see how our old four—legged friend spot is helping with the decommissioning of a nuclear power station.