Hello. Fresh from an election victory, that critics say was rigged, Vladimir Putin has been addressing supporters in moscows red square. He has another six year term in office, having already led russia longer than any ruler since stalin. The kremlin says he won more than 87 of the vote. But there was no real opposition, with his main critics either injail, in exile, or dead. So, with such an iron grip on power, why bother with elections at all . Its about claiming legitimacy, say his opponents, for his war in ukraine. Steve rosenberg has the latest, from moscow. Vladimir putin after the landslide came the love. Vladimir putin portrayed by the kremlin as a national hero. At a concert marking ten years since russia annexed crimea. Long live russia, he cried. Cue the National Anthem and some kremlin choreography to make it look as if putin is russia and russia is putin. Earlier we saw the crowds pouring towards red square. Thousands of russians had been given free tickets for the putin e
country s media savvy president has declared war on gangs. imposing emergency security measures and giving police sweeping powers of arrest. thousands are now behind bars. and the country is transforming before people s irons. eyes. but there is a dark underside hidden from view. human rights groups are dismayed, as our relatives, as thousands have been arbitrarily arrested. peace may have come to el salvador but at what price? teacher aurelia has lived here for decades, soyapango in the district. more than 20 years ago, rival gangs, the ms 13 and the 18th street gang, took control of neighbourhoods across the country. they became in effect naga areas for outsiders and the police thousands were murdered or caught in the crossfire. and in those years of the growth of the gangs, can you explain to us what it was like living here? in the last 12 months, aurelia has witnessed the change on the streets that she never thought possible. for the past year, el salvador has been liv
hello and welcome to bbc news. the vatican says pope francis has spent a good night in hospital after being admitted with a respiratory infection. a spokesman said he had been experiencing breathing difficulties, but they also confirmed he was not suffering from covid. the bbc s davide ghiglione is outside the hospital in rome. a spokesperson informed journalists that he spent a peaceful night at the hospital. so his condition remains stable at the moment. the vatican is trying to reassure journalists, people and catholics all over the world. according to italian news agency ansa, the pope should be discharged within the next couple of days. and he should be able to celebrate next sunday s mass. everybody knows at the vatican that the pope has been particularly weak over the last couple of months. we do know already that he was forced to use a wheelchair. so it could be quite tiring for him even if he is able to attend all the ceremonies and easter celebrations. we can get mo
should get the death penalty. and after being closed by the kremlin in the early days of war, russia s last remaining independent tv channel makes a defiant return to the airwaves. hello and welcome. yes, it is warm, isn t it? especially if you are tuning in across europe. europe is waking up to another day of brutal temperatures and the reality of a fast changing climate. in france, several towns and cities recorded their highest ever temperatures on monday. the uk is expected to follow suit today. and it s notjust the heat. wildfires and now drought are having a devastating impact across the continent. with the latest, here s the bbc s tim allman. in much of europe, the heat is just relentless. here, in western france, columns of smoke make this look more like a war zone than a tourist destination. firefighters do what they can, spraying the trees with water. at this nearby hotel, they put gas canisters in the swimming pool to try and stop them exploding. the flames are now