There is some mist and fog and a few showers around this morning. They will give way to a dry and decent with sunny spells. Later, some rain in Northern Ireland. Details coming up. Good morning. Its monday, 18th march. Vladimir putin has claimed victory in russias president ial election. Without any serious opposition, a fifth term was seen as inevitable. At least 80 protestors have been arrested across the country for vandalising Polling Stations. Foreign secretary David Cameron hasjoined other western governments in shunning the result. He said, this is not what free and Fair Elections look like. Our russia editor Steve Rosenberg reports. Foeradimir putin, six more years in the kremlin. Russias president is sounding more confident than ever. Translation whoever might | want to intimidate us, whoever might want to suppress us, our will and our conscience, they have never been able to do it, and never will. Then, mr putins first Public Comments on the death ofjailed Opposition Leader A
Were on the floor and the tear gas is coming. We need help. We wont be able to stay in this. Im here with about 20 people, including my daughter. We need help. My city, freetown, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and a mountain range. The natural landscape is beautiful. But i think freetonians are beautiful, too. People who deserve a lot more than theyre getting. Weve had war. Weve had corruption. And then we had ebola. Now were fighting for democratic freedoms. Ive been mayor of freetown for the past five years, during which time my party has been in opposition. I promised i would work to Transform Freetown. I know i can do more because ive spent five years with my hands tied behind my back, with investigation after investigation. And the government is the one that took me to the acc, Anti Corruption commission, to parliament, did a special audit. My tenure has been marked with probably the highest level of intimidation and harassment that any politician in recent years has experienc
Begins, cheltenham roar, is the festival begins, kicking off four days of racing. Begins, kicking off four days of racing, culminating in the gold cup on friday on friday. Good morning. A fairly on friday. Good morning. A fairly cloudy day for most of us today. Patchy light rain in the north. Heavy rain in the south. The temperature continues to climb in the next few days. Details later in the programme. Good morning. Its tuesday, 12th march. A long awaited report into Veterinary Services will be published this morning, after concerns pet owners are facing expensive bills when paying for treatments. The Competition And Markets Authority launched the review last year, and has previously said that fees were rising faster than other goods and services during the cost of living crisis. Nina has the details. Good morning. Are you paying too much to care for your furry friend . Why have vet costs been rising faster than general inflation . Are you getting a fair deal when it comes to costing
Good morning. It is going to be fairly cloudy and wet today across the central swathes of the uk. To the central swathes of the uk. To the south of that mostly dry and mild. In the north, blustery showers with gales in north west scotland. Details later. Good morning. Its wednesday, 13th march. Rishi sunak is facing calls to hand back millions of pounds donated to the Conservative Party by a businessman accused of making racist comments about the mp, diane abbott. Tech boss frank hester is reported to have said ms abbott made him want to hate all black women, and that she should be shot. The Prime Minister called the comments racist and wrong. Our Political Correspondent Hannah Miller has more. Hello, rishi. How are you . Very nice to see you. When rishi sunak made this visit to a mill near leeds in november, his Helicopter Ride had been provided by one of his partys biggest donors, frank hester, Who Last Year donated £10 million to the Conservative Party, now alleged to have made com
Effective bankruptcy in the next few years unless the Funding System is reformed. A report by the local Government Information Unit has Found Services like parks, Leisure Facilities and libraries are at risk of being cut, while council tax could rise in some areas. Our reporter Vincent Mcaviney has more. Yay well done. Alex is about to turn 18, and on top of the regular worries parents have about their children, mum, sylvia also has to think about alexs autism and the extra support he needs to gain independence. Support thats under fire for her and other families as Birmingham City council struggles with financial difficulties. What you get is families that are on their knees with a trauma presentation, traumatised kids, and they never get decent outcomes. Theyjust end up constantly trying to get the basics, which everybody else s child gets naturally. And its Notjust Birmingham thats struggling. Across the country, councils are warning that front line neighbourhood Services Like parks