BBC News with Sue Montgomery.
The central election commission of Ukraine has confirmed that Petro Poroshenko has won the presidential election outright. Officials said he had secured 54% of the votes. David Stern reports from Kiev.
Mr. Poroshenko won Sunday's election outright, having passed the 50 percent barrier, and thereby avoided a run-off with the second-place finisher. He has promised to bring peace and unity to Ukraine. But Mr. Poroshenko's victory announcement comes on the same day government forces battled pro-Russian separatists for control of the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk. BBC reporters said the fighting was intense, and helicopter gunships were used. Russia has said it will recognize the results of Ukraine's elections, but warned Kiev from using any more force against the pro-Russian insurgents in Ukraine's east.
The military in Nigeria says it knows where the more than 200 school girls abducted six weeks ago are being held, but ruled out using force to free them. Nigeria's highest-ranking military officer, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh told protesters in the capital Abuja that the military would get them back. The BBC has learned that a deal to release some of the schoolgirls was close to being secured when it was called off by the Nigerian government. Will Ross reports.
There was a plan in place for there to be a swap of some 100 Boko Haram detainees, and if they were released, then 50 of the girls were going to be set free by the Boko Haram Islamist militants. So we understand that an intermediary did go and meet some senior people in Boko Haram and even saw the girls in the place where they were being held. This was earlier this month, and it actually was about to happen this swap, and then we are told that the government cancelled the deal, and so the whole thing was called off.
Discussions are getting underway about the future direction and leadership of the European Union, after gains made by populous parties in elections of parliament of the 28-nation bloc. The parties have called for major changes, but there remain a small fractious group in the assembly with a strong pro-EU majority. Britain has stressed the need for reforms, while in France President Hollande said the EU must change.
Europe has become inscrutable, remote and incomprehensible even for governments. This can not continue. Europe has to be clear, simple, to be effective where it is needed and to withdraw from where it is not necessary. I'm a European, it's my duty to reform France and refocus Europe. Tomorrow, at the European Council, I will reaffirm that the priority is growth, jobs and investment.
World News from the BBC.
The GEO Television network in Pakistan has apologized to the country's intelligence agency the ISI for linking it to an attack on one of its journalists. In front-page advert in national newspapers, GEOTV said its coverage had been misleading and inappropriate. Observers say the apology is part of their efforts to placate the military which is pressing for GEO to be banned.
Pope Francis has ended his three-day visit to the Middle East during which he attended some of the most sacred and emotive sites there. Celebrating mass at the room where Christians believe Jesus held the last supper, the Pope called for an end to religious intolerance. Earlier he kissed the hands of Holocaust survivors during a visit to the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem.
The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has said it's abandoning plans to buy the British-Swedish drug company AstraZeneca. The announcement comes a week after Pfzier's 190-billion-dollar takeover offer was turned down by its rival. The decision put a stop to what would have been the largest merger in the industry's history.
Brazil's national football team has started its world cup preparations amidst fresh protests in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian football legend Ronaldo who's been acting as ambassador for the World Cup has blamed the government for the delays in infrastructure projects and backed an opposition candidate of this year's presidential elections. Here's John McManus.
In an interview with the Valor newspaper, Ronaldo said that delays in finishing world cup projects meant that Brazil would see little of the competition's legacy that had originally been forecast. He blamed the government and said the recent social unrest had deterred him from investing in the country. This is the second time Ronaldo has criticised preparations for the World Cup which may surprise some in Brazil as he himself is a member of the World Cup organizing committee.