# unforgettable... # and the wait is nearly over for the world's largest live music contest — eurovision week kicks off in style in sweden. israel's military has begun ordering palestinian civilians to leave parts of eastern rafah ahead of a planned operation in the southern gaza city. this video, from the israeli defence forces, urges people to move to what they call a "humanitarian zone" in the al—mawasi and khan younis areas. the idf are calling it a "limited operation" affecting about 100,000 people. these are the latest pictures that have come into us from rafah, where you can see a leaflet that the idf has been handing over to residents. some have already started leaving rafah. and here are live pictures coming into us from al—mawasi, where some people have been told to go.

some black smoke has been on the horizon. western and arab leaders have repeatedly warned against a major ground operation in rafah, because of the large numbers of palestinians sheltering there. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, insists the move is necessary. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, has the latest. already we're seeing people fleeing from this area in the east of rafah. they're getting into their cars with their belongings, into donkey carts as well, some of them heading to the west. others may be heeding the israeli order to go to these two tent cities, al—mawasi and khan younis. and the israeli military is stressing that what is planned here is a limited offensive, that it will happen in a gradual way. now, hamas has come out already, though, saying that this is a dangerous escalation that will have consequences. we had understood that a hamas delegation had left cairo, where it had been involved in the negotiations with egyptian mediators on a new ceasefire and hostage release deal that they were heading to doha

to meet hamas leaders. although we had the israeli defense minister coming out in a statement saying he had spoken to the us defence secretary and that this military action in rafah was needed because he said that hamas was refusing to accept the latest framework for a new deal. so we're having warnings already from the un that this could have serious consequences. they're very worried about the fact that the kerem shalom crossing into southern gaza, a key crossing point for aid, has now been closed. this happened after hamas fired rockets apparently from inside rafah towards what they said was an israeli military base. they actually killed three israeli soldiers and wounded about a dozen others close to that crossing point. and israel launched retaliatory action last night

for that, for those soldiers being killed. so things do seem to be, again, at a very tense moment. and this is really an area where the international community has been so worried because you have more than a million displaced palestinians crammed up next to the egyptian border, and they've worried that a wider scale ground offensive by israel, if that was to go ahead, as israel has threatened, saying it's needed for total victory over hamas, then that could lead to high numbers of civilians being killed. ghada al kourd is staying in south gaza in a shelter run by unwra — the un relief agency still operating in gaza. she says she doesn't know where she'll go. i'm so confused, just to be honest. i'm so confused, just to be honest. i have no place to go. this was the last place i know. actually, if i want to come back, there is no

place, it is alljust destroyed. some areas are crowded and i cannot live inside a tent any more, it is so hot and my health, it is no good to be in that situation. there are a lot of air strikes, i have been there and it is very dangerous. james elder, who's a spokesperson for the united nation's children's fund — also known as unicef — told me what he thinks the impact will be of the evacuation. absolutely devastating. you have families in rafah. their coping capacity has been smashed. this is six months of enduring this war, moving many times, probably having lost a home already. they are... children are malnourished. they've already been living in conditions with one showerfor 3,500 people. they're being told to move, quote, "to a humanitarian zone." that's a unilaterally declared humanitarian zone. that's not a humanitarian zone where humanitarians have been able to provide the services they need to. so i've been talking to colleagues

and friends in rafah this morning and they're terrified. i was speaking, lauren, to a young woman. she's like, "i know this has been coming. i just don't know what to pack." they'll go to an area in the middle zone, where there is literally raw sewage in the streets or maybe to al—mawasi, which is a beach. same story applies. nowhere is safe, but as unbearable as this is, it's happening and it's going to be horrific. and is it your understanding that there are only specific areas that people have been allowed to move to? or can they can they choose? no. there are specific areas, without a doubt. partly they will have to choose based on those people who have the means to leave. a lot of people have injured children with them. hospitals, as i've seen, hospitals cannot cope with the number of injuries. there's a lot of children who have had amputations, who are back living in tents. those families will find it hard to move. but geographically, logistically, no, you still can't. a lot of families will not be able to move to the north if they'd hope to. khan younis is impossible, that's another city bordering rafah. that is rubble, not a little bit,

but street after street of rubble. so they'll be pushed into this area called mawasi, lauren, which is a beach area. it's sand. it has next to no sanitation or hygiene. it's getting hot right now in gaza. it's raining today, but it's getting hot. so they'll be in tents side by side, five or six times the population density of new york city. but all on the ground, not a high rise to be seen, with no hospital care. the last remaining hospital of size is in rafah, european hospital, so named because it was donated by the people of europe. it's got 20,000 people hiding there and thousands more in care. they will have to move somewhere without the medical care that they need. tell us, you said that the israeli army had set up these areas without assistance from the humanitarian community. what can you now do in terms of providing help if people are moving? is there anything you can do? yeah, it's, it's a great question. the whole aid operation has been so fragile

because of denials and restrictions and insecurity and bombardments. let's not forget our colleagues from the world central kitchen who were killed. a week later, a unicef vehicle came underfire. now, of course, that crossing in rafah, that is the lifeline of aid. if we are going to get close to meeting the the needs of people, that crossing will now be closed for, i don't know for how long. so, no, we have to be clear. you can't unilaterally declare a safe zone firstly because the other side won't be considering it as that, and secondly, because the united nations needs time to actually try and support a million or two people. i said this in november. unicef and the un has said this from the very start, in november and december, this safe zone narrative is very dangerous because a safe zone legally must also provide water, food, sanitation and protection. these zones don't have that for people. and quite frequently, as the people in rafah will tell you, safe zones also get bombed.

these are the pictures coming in from the area where palestinians have been asked to move to buy the israeli military. this morning, there was a statement that this military action in rafah is required due to hamas�*s refusals for a truce, under which hostages would be released. the idf haven't put anyone up released. the idf haven't put anyone up to speak to us as yet. we will keep you posted on that story as it develops. french president emmanuel macron has welcomed china's president during a rare visit to the elysee palace. it's xi jinping's first state visit to the region in five years. emmanuel macron greeted his chinese counterpart, before they both headed inside for talks. top of the agenda is expected to be the war in ukraine and trade relations with the eu. european commission president, ursula von der leyen, is also attending. the discussions come

amid growing trade tensions. 0ur paris correspondent is hugh schofield. he has more on the wider tensions between china, france and the us. asi as i was saying, the europeans are increasingly aligned with the united states on china. they have accused europeans for being soft on china not waking up to the reality of the new china and that is exact what the europeans are doing. certainly president macron said last week, quite blatantly concerned about the rise of china and europe's naivety and unwillingness to see china for what it was. there is, in a way, the possibility of an american european alignment here and i think what xi jinping is trying to do is break that, and he is doing it with traditional chinese diplomatic manners, coming here, being very fulsome in his praise for france and

its historical importance and its grandiose and there role of charles de gaulle in recognising china in the 60s. this is the way they talk to the french, flattering france with a sense of its own destiny. i talked to —— they took to germany rather differently, purely focusing on business. so the chinese interests clearly to split the europeans from each other and from europe. that is what is going on here. the former deputy first minister of scotland, john swinney, is set to become the scottish national party's new leader — after his only potential challenger

withdrew from the contest. the deadline for nominations is in less than an hours�* time. 0ur reporter ben philip has more. as you can tell, i am sad that my time as first minister is ending. but i am so grateful, i am so blessed for having the opportunity that afforded to so few, to lead my country. a week is a long time in politics. last monday, an emotional humza yousaf resigned, leaving the snp looking for a new leader and scotland a new first minister. focus quickly turned to who would replace him. in the frame, john swinney and kate forbes. i want to unite the snp and unite scotland for independence. shortly afterjohn swinney entered the contest, kate forbes said she wouldn't stand. technically, the deadline for nominations is at midday and as the only current contender and with the clock running down it was widely expected that john swinney would become the next snp party leader and the country's seventh first minister unopposed. that was until last minute twist over the weekend. snp activist graeme mccormick was hoping to launch a challenge for the leadership position.

it is thought he collected signatures at a pro—independence march in glasgow at the weekend. but no sooner had the bid launched, it was over. in a statement late last night, mr mccormick said he had met the nomination�*s threshold to enter the contest, adding that after a lengthy and fruitful conversation withjohn swinney, they had agreed on the challenges which the snp, the scottish government and people face. he described it as a fresh start to deliver scottish independence. he said, i have therefore concluded that i will not proceed with my nomination for party leader, throwing his support behind john swinney. over the weekend, mr swinney insisted he was the right man for the job. i feel physically and mentally ready to become the leader of the snp and the first minister of scotland and i will give absolutely everything i have in me to make sure that my party succeeds and my country succeeds. events could move quickly again this week, with the path now clear,

it is all but certain that john swinney will be in the top job in the coming days. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

president putin has ordered the russian military to hold nuclear weapon drills, involving the navy and troops based near ukraine. meanwhile, front line ukrainian soldiers have told the bbc the army needs to re—think how it conscripts men to fight. they say a failure to train and mobilise enough recruits means some have been fighting without a break since russia's full—scale invasion more than two years ago. 0ur ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse, has the story. under the green canopy of a ukrainian spring, an artillery unit waits for their next order. some of these men have been fighting for months, if not years.

translation: my men know each vehicle, says their commander. i it's like a woman with her own characteristics. as russian forces inch closer, they're hunkering down and waiting for billions of dollars�* worth of long delayed american ammunition to finally be delivered. this time last year, ukraine was preparing for a counter—offensive, but this time it's different — they're preparing for what might be coming. this ammunition will help but ukraine is also grappling with trying to mobilise enough men to replace these ones. kyiv is widening the call—up age but radio operator 0leksandr, who works and lives in this bunker, thinks it's more than just a numbers game. translation: if we all go home, | inexperienced soldiers might be | able to hold the line, but a lot of them will die.

in the nearby city of kramatorsk, ilya, a frontline medic, tells me officials are not honest with recruits, who are thrown into the front line indefinitely with little training. he thinks there should be a limit on the toughest deployments. it would be more truth and effective if military recruitment office would say, "right, you will have super "hard job — infantry — but for, for example, for half a year. "then, you'll go to next level training and you'll got more "specific tasks to do." ministers are trying to restore trust in the way the army recruits, whilst turning up the pressure for men to sign up. inna sovsun is a kyiv mp, whose partner is fighting, and she thinks there are enough men to swap in and out from the front line. there are more people, who are not serving than those who are serving.

and the numbers is not even one to one, it's a much bigger ratio. just how much by the fact, you know, the fact your husband, your partner is serving, how much has that shaped your view? of course, my understanding is shaped by who i am, by the fact that i, you know, spend countless nights worrying about where my partner is, if he is ok and so on and so forth. it's an anxiety shared by millions of ukrainians. tired soldiers are torn between needing to defend their country and wanting to go home. james waterhouse, bbc news, the donetsk region. argentina's new president, javier milei, has denied that ordinary argentines are paying for his radical austerity measures. in an interview with the bbc, mr milei, who campaigned with a chainsaw to symbolise his desire to slash public spending, insisted that it was "false" to suggest the public were bearing the brunt of steep spending cuts

and the devaluation of the currency. ione wells started by asking him what he would say to a pensioner who told the bbc people like her were paying for his changes. that is. the impact on pensions is only 0.4% of gdp. i that is. the impact on pensions is only 0.494. of gdp.— that is. the impact on pensions is only 0.496 of gdp.— only 0.4% of gdp. i want to know specifically. _ only 0.4% of gdp. i want to know specifically, what _ only 0.496 of gdp. i want to know specifically, what would _ only 0.496 of gdp. i want to know specifically, what would you - only 0.496 of gdp. i want to know specifically, what would you say l only 0.496 of gdp. i want to know| specifically, what would you say to people right now, would you say sorry or thank you to people who were having to pay a lot more than they were previously as a result of they were previously as a result of the adjustment that is happening? the mass media will deliberately lie, and people will believe those lies from the media. you cannot make a macroeconomic evaluation based on the situation of some people. you are taking one of the parts rather than a whole. in a particular

situation, it may be influenced by the sort of information that an individual has access to. itruiitll individual has access to. with res - ect, individual has access to. with respect. the _ individual has access to. with respect, the information - individual has access to. with respect, the information that people have access to is the prices in supermarkets. do you know how much a litre of milk costs now? do supermarkets. do you know how much a litre of milk costs now?— litre of milk costs now? do you know how many goods _ litre of milk costs now? do you know how many goods and _ litre of milk costs now? do you know how many goods and assets - litre of milk costs now? do you know how many goods and assets exist - how many goods and assets exist within an economy? you don't do economics based on the price of an individual asset. i economics based on the price of an individual asset.— individual asset. i 'ust want to make h individual asset. i 'ust want to make sure we _ individual asset. i 'ust want to make sure we are_ individual asset. i just want to make sure we are speaking i individual asset. i just want to make sure we are speaking in| individual asset. i just want to - make sure we are speaking in terms that ordinary people understand, because our audience are not economists. how does somebody who has seen the price of milk double since you came to office, what reduce i do them specifically, the people who are struggling and feel like they are paying for the adjustment? even if you believe it is the right one, what would be your message to them right now? how long should they wait for things to feel better? in should they wait for things to feel better? ., , ., ,., ., , better? in the last month, salaries have started _

better? in the last month, salaries have started to _ better? in the last month, salaries have started to beat _ better? in the last month, salaries have started to beat inflation. - better? in the last month, salaries| have started to beat inflation. they went up by 14%. inflation was ii%. we have doubled the food welfare programme. the support programme for pregnant women. we have quintupled the amount of assistance for children to study. the the amount of assistance for children to study. the amount of assistance for children to stud . , ., children to study. the message would be, in civilterms, _ children to study. the message would be, in civilterms, wait— children to study. the message would be, in civil terms, wait a _ children to study. the message would be, in civilterms, wait a bit— be, in civil terms, wait a bit longer. can you give me a timeframe for people to wake you are struggling right now? the first thin is struggling right now? the first thing is that — struggling right now? the first thing is that in _ struggling right now? the first thing is that in economics, - struggling right now? the first - thing is that in economics, miracles don't exist. what would have been the alternative, to continue to print money like the previous administration that generates inflation and ends up affecting the most vulnerable? that was not the way to go. most vulnerable? that was not the wa to no. ., . ,., , way to go. you have promised argentines — way to go. you have promised argentines a _ way to go. you have promised argentines a road _ way to go. you have promised argentines a road map - way to go. you have promised argentines a road map to - way to go. you have promised i argentines a road map to making way to go. you have promised - argentines a road map to making the falklands argentine. what specifically does that look like? we specifically does that look like? - believe that has to be within the framework of peace. and as a result

of a long—term negotiation process. we are not going to read increase our sovereignty, we are not going to read increase oursovereignty, norare we are not going to read increase our sovereignty, nor are we going to seek conflict with the united kingdom. seek conflict with the united kinudom. ~ ., seek conflict with the united kinldom, . ., ., ~' , a, seek conflict with the united kinudom. . ., ., 4' , y., ~ seek conflict with the united kinudom. . ., ., 4' , y., 4' ., kingdom. what makes you think that the uk will agree _ kingdom. what makes you think that the uk will agree to _ kingdom. what makes you think that the uk will agree to that? _ kingdom. what makes you think that the uk will agree to that? they - kingdom. what makes you think that the uk will agree to that? they have| the uk will agree to that? they have been very clear that they don't want to negotiate this.— to negotiate this. they might not want to negotiate _ to negotiate this. they might not want to negotiate today, - to negotiate this. they might not want to negotiate today, at - to negotiate this. they might not| want to negotiate today, at some later point they might want to. many positions have changed over time. what kind of timeframe would you offer for that? what kind of timeframe would you offerforthat? i what kind of timeframe would you offer for that?— offer for that? i think it is a long time to go _ offer for that? i think it is a long time to go and _ offer for that? i think it is a long time to go and that _ offer for that? i think it is a long time to go and that is _ offer for that? i think it is a long time to go and that is may - offer for that? i think it is a long time to go and that is may be i time to go and that is may be approached in the same way as in the case of china and hong kong. so something can be done. 50 case of china and hong kong. so something can be done. so it could be decades? _ something can be done. so it could be decades? yes, _ something can be done. so it could be decades? yes, of— something can be done. so it could be decades? yes, of course. - something can be done. so it could be decades? yes, of course. was l something can be done. so it couldj be decades? yes, of course. was it something can be done. so it could l be decades? yes, of course. was it a provocation — be decades? yes, of course. was it a provocation for _ be decades? yes, of course. was it a provocation for david _ be decades? yes, of course. was it a provocation for david cameron - be decades? yes, of course. was it a provocation for david cameron to - provocation for david cameron to visit the islands in february? h0. visit the islands in february? no. wh not? visit the islands in february? no. why not? it _ visit the islands in february? no. why not? it wasn't, _ visit the islands in february? no. why not? it wasn't, if— visit the islands in february? no. why not? it wasn't, if that - why not? it wasn't, if that territory — why not? it wasn't, if that territory is _ why not? it wasn't, if that territory is now _ why not? it wasn't, if that territory is now in - why not? it wasn't, if that territory is now in the -

why not? it wasn't, if that i territory is now in the hands why not? it wasn't, if that - territory is now in the hands of the uk. he has a right to do that. do ou still uk. he has a right to do that. do you still see you admire margaret thatcher, who was the prime minister during the falklands war? i thatcher, who was the prime minister during the falklands war?— during the falklands war? i have heard lots of _ during the falklands war? i have heard lots of speeches _ during the falklands war? i have heard lots of speeches by - during the falklands war? i have i heard lots of speeches by margaret thatcher. she was brilliant. so what is the problem? you thatcher. she was brilliant. so what is the problem?— thatcher. she was brilliant. so what is the problem? you have positioned ourself as is the problem? you have positioned yourself as a — is the problem? you have positioned yourself as a close _ is the problem? you have positioned yourself as a close ally _ is the problem? you have positioned yourself as a close ally of— is the problem? you have positioned yourself as a close ally of israel. - yourself as a close ally of israel. do you think that israel has not committed a single access in the conflict? {iii committed a single access in the conflict? . ., , ., , committed a single access in the conflict? _, , ., , ., conflict? of course. there has not been a formal _ conflict? of course. there has not been a formal condemnation. - conflict? of course. there has not i been a formal condemnation. when such things happen, when there is a formal condemnation, a serious one, notjust an ideological condemnation not just an ideological condemnation or one notjust an ideological condemnation or one by a noisy group, the conversation will change then. liz truss recently said that you were her favourite conservative leader. you admire her?—

her favourite conservative leader. you admire her? who? i don't have elements to — you admire her? who? i don't have elements to give _ you admire her? who? i don't have elements to give an _ you admire her? who? i don't have elements to give an opinion, - you admire her? who? i don't have elements to give an opinion, but i elements to give an opinion, but what in the uk is defined as a conservative, well, we libertarians have a lot of common ground with that. he have a lot of common ground with that. ., , , ., , ., that. he worry big fans of the rolling stones. _ that. he worry big fans of the rolling stones. what - that. he worry big fans of the rolling stones. what is - that. he worry big fans of the rolling stones. what is yourl rolling stones. what is your favourite song by them, and why? it's very hard to pick a single rolling stones song that i like the most, but certainly i do believe that the one i love is rip this joint, which is the second song on site a of disc one of the album exile 0n site a of disc one of the album exile on main street. this has a strong libertarian component in its history. i had a rolling stones tribute band i sang in, so i admire mickjagger. tribute band i sang in, so i admire mickjagger-_ tribute band i sang in, so i admire mick jagger. many presidents have said they would _ mick jagger. many presidents have said they would be _ mick jagger. many presidents have said they would be the _ mick jagger. many presidents have said they would be the ones - mick jagger. many presidents have said they would be the ones to - said they would be the ones to

turnaround argentina's economic woes. what makes you think that you will be the one to succeed where so many others have failed to do so? after four months in office, many others have failed to do so? afterfour months in office, despite politicians preventing things from happening, we have achieved the impossible. which was to avoid what could have been the worst crisis in argentina's history. before we go, an update on our top story. hamas—affiliated media is reporting air strikes have now been carried out in eastern rafah, near neighbourhoods that this morning received evacuation orders. these are live pictures coming to us from al—mawasi, where some people have been told to go. around 100,000 people in areas closest to the israeli border were urged to move to what the idf calls expanded humanitarian zones. the israeli defence minister, yoav gallant, said military action against hamas in rafah was needed because of the group's refusal to negotiate the release of israeli hostages.

a senior hamas official has described the move as a dangerous escalation that will have consequences. we're also hearing from egyptian state—linked media that gaza truce talks are now, quote, "bogged down". several aid agencies working in gaza have warned of a potential stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. we're set to see a bit of a mix of weather types through the bank holiday monday. we have got some warm sunshine out there for some of us, but in other areas, some pretty heavy downpours and more persistent rain around, particularly across the southeast of england and southeast scotland as well, close to areas of low pressure that are still driving our weather at the moment. this low pressure towards the south will slowly ease away through the day and higher pressure is going to build in as we head through the rest of the week. but back to today then, for the rest of monday, we've got that rain sitting across the southeast of england, fairly patchy in nature, but a few heavy spells.

there could be the odd thunderstorm. it's fairly cloudy here. there'll be more sunshine through parts of devon and cornwall, into wales, through the midlands as well. so sunny spells but also a peppering of showers. if you do catch one, it could be heavy and thundery. some of the warmest spots, hull for instance, up to about 19 degrees, but we're typically looking at the mid to high teens. for northern ireland and northern and western scotland, a fair amount of dry weather on the cards, some sunshine, a bit more cloud working into the north here. but for central and south east scotland, you're going to keep the cloud. the rain will be easing out through the day. and into the evening hours then, most of us lose the showery rain. it'll slowly clear away from the southeast, but mayjust linger for the likes of kent, for instance, to start your tuesday morning. and there'll be some low cloud, some mist and some fog patches, especially for scotland where we've got that wet ground, eastern england for instance as well, a few fog patches towards the southwest. but it should brighten up through the day tomorrow. so some sunny spells for many of us. still some showers bubbling up through the day, but they won't be as heavy or as frequent as the showers we've got out there today. top temperatures probably a degree or so warmer, i9,

20 degrees for some of us. but if you are stuck under the cloud across parts of scotland, for instance, about 13 for aberdeen. now into wednesday, high pressure is building in, so it's squeezing away most of the showers. a lot of dry weather for england and wales, can't rule out the odd showery showery spell, but for most places, a much drier spell of weather. a bit more cloud working in from the north west ahead of this area of rain, but top temperatures quite widely around 19 or 20 degrees. and then high pressure stays with us towards the end of the week. it's just sitting towards the south, so we'll start to see a few weather fronts toppling around the northern end of that high pressure. at times that'll bring a little bit of showery rain to parts of scotland, northern ireland too. but for most of us, things are looking much drier through the week ahead and it'll be warming up. we could see those temperatures in the mid 20s by next weekend. bye— bye.

high—stakes diplomacy. china's president has arrived in france, with trade at the top of his agenda. and the shipping crisis in the red sea is worsening — as maersk warns its capacity will be cut by up to 20% in the coming months. welcome to world business report.

i'm ben thompson. let's start in france, where the chinese president xijinping has kicked off his first trip to europe in five years. he's been meeting with president emmanuel macron at the elysee palace, along with the head of the european commission ursula von der leyen. the visit comes as some countries in europe are taking action over what they perceive to be anti—competitive practices by china. france backed a european commission anti—subsidy inquiryu into chinese electric vehicle imports. china subsequently launched an anti—dumping investigation into brandy which was seen as targeting france. 0n economic issues, i think the message by france is on reciprocity and addressing asymmetries. france has a trade deficit of about 50 billion euros with china. i don't think this time you should expect any french concessions on what you call now the economic security agenda, the investigation

going on on chinese electric vehicles and the problems of lack