Welcome to the programme. We will start with russia. President ial Election Results give six more years of Vladimir Putin and there has been plenty of reaction. In the us, they say. They said the vote took place amid systemic internal repression. Canada criticised the process was flawed and undemocratic. In the indian Prime Minister offered warm congratulations. We will look at where russia goes from here. First here is Stephen Rosenberg in russia. 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 event. After all, a president who claims to have won 87 of the vote needs a decent audience. Western leaders have dism
Its ahead of a planned Ground Offensive in the Southern City of rafah, where about 1. 5 Million People are sheltering. It is being reported this morning, not a huge amount of detail what those humanitarian islands would look like. It is right at the very southern end of the gaza strip, where more than half of the population is now sheltering and is a place where israel has said it needs to carry out a military Ground Offensive because it says in order to achieve its aim of fully removing hamas run gaza, the only way to do thatis hamas run gaza, the only way to do that is target hamas s remaining leadership when they are believed to be in and among civilians sheltering in rafa. Of course this remains an operation which has questions attached, certainly the word ireland is interesting because a central part of the gaza strip has been left severely damaged by months of Israeli Ground and air attacks. People who live there have left their homes, been going back to those areas but of course
To receive migrants who will be flown at of the country as a deterrent and this is very different way to eat into the numbers that are still waiting to be processed and we will get to that a little later. Let us focus because the head of the cia, william the head of the cia William Burns told the Senate Intel Committee last night that more losses are likely in ukraine unless congress can pass joe biden s ukraine aid package, which has been opposed by republicans. It is our assessment that with supplemental assistance, ukraine can hold its own on the front lines through 2024 and into 2025 and down another road without supplemental assistance, it seems to me that theres a much grimmer future. Ukraine is likely to lose ground and probably significant ground in 2024. There is a bi partisan majority in the house that would vote for the 60bn Dollars In Military Aid which the Senate Approved six weeks ago. But House Speaker mikejohnson is standing in the way. This afternoon the Senate Minorit