:00:22. > :00:27.On the first weekend of campaigning for the general election,
:00:28. > :00:33.Theresa May in the West Midlands today refused to be drawn
:00:34. > :00:36.on whether she would raise income tax, VAT or National Insurance.
:00:37. > :00:38.Meanwhile, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, in Manchester,
:00:39. > :00:41.has promised that the tax burden will fall on those with the broadest
:00:42. > :00:51.Here's our political correspondent Ben Wright.
:00:52. > :00:58.Get ready for the knock at your door. Today the Prime Minister took
:00:59. > :01:02.her campaign message to Dudley and one voter may have spoken for many.
:01:03. > :01:07.I couldn't understand why you called an election within three years to
:01:08. > :01:12.go. I think we need a stronger
:01:13. > :01:16.negotiating hand in Europe. But this general election is not
:01:17. > :01:19.just about Brexit and all the parties are rapidly writing
:01:20. > :01:24.manifesto is full of pledges and promises.
:01:25. > :01:29.The issue of tax will be prominent and Theresa May was asked whether
:01:30. > :01:33.she would be keeping the 20 15th pledge not to raise any of the three
:01:34. > :01:38.main taxes. At this election people will have a
:01:39. > :01:44.clear choice, between a Conservative Party which always has been, is and
:01:45. > :01:49.will continue to be a party that believes in lower taxes, keeping
:01:50. > :01:55.taxes down for ordinary people. All the choices of a Labour Party whose
:01:56. > :01:59.natural instinct is to raise taxes. Two years ago David Cameron said
:02:00. > :02:02.there would be no VAT, national insurance or income tax rises, the
:02:03. > :02:07.comments today suggest that guarantee might not be in the new
:02:08. > :02:11.manifesto and it follows Philip Hammond yesterday saying he wanted
:02:12. > :02:17.more flexibility in managing the economy.
:02:18. > :02:20.Good morning everybody. Today is flying start Saturday in
:02:21. > :02:24.our campaign. On his eighth campaign visit of the
:02:25. > :02:29.campaign, Jeremy Corbyn was in Warrington.
:02:30. > :02:34.Nice to see you. A lovely house. Wooing voters,
:02:35. > :02:38.insisting the election was not a foregone conclusion and sketching
:02:39. > :02:42.out the Labour approach to taxes. We will produce a manifesto very
:02:43. > :02:50.soon and you will see all the details. Our tax burdens will not
:02:51. > :02:54.fall on those on low incomes, they will fall on those with the broadest
:02:55. > :02:58.shoulders who can bear the greatest burden.
:02:59. > :03:02.At the last election more than 50 SNP MPs were swept into Westminster
:03:03. > :03:05.and today the party announced all but two of them who set as
:03:06. > :03:10.independents have been reselected as candidates this time in an election
:03:11. > :03:14.that will soon have competing policies to flesh out the slogans.
:03:15. > :03:18.The Afghan government has declared tomorrow a day of national mourning,
:03:19. > :03:23.after the deaths of more than 140 soldiers killed in a Taliban attack.
:03:24. > :03:25.It happened at a military base in the north of the country
:03:26. > :03:27.with the militants apparently disguised as soldiers.
:03:28. > :03:34.Our South Asia correspondent Justin Rowlett reports.
:03:35. > :03:36.It was during afternoon prayers that two suicide bombers blasted open
:03:37. > :03:39.the entrance to this army base in the north of
:03:40. > :03:47.At least eight other fighters, dressed in Afghan army uniforms,
:03:48. > :03:49.used heavy machine guns to attack the dining area of the
:03:50. > :03:55.The Taliban has claimed responsibility and issued this
:03:56. > :03:57.picture of the men they claim were behind it.
:03:58. > :04:07.One was captured, the rest are now dead.
:04:08. > :04:10.Afghan troops have been pouring in to secure the area.
:04:11. > :04:12.The battle lasted for five hours and today dozens of injured
:04:13. > :04:16.soldiers were being treated in a local hospital.
:04:17. > :04:20.TRANSLATION: When I came out of the mosque after prayers,
:04:21. > :04:22.three people with army uniforms and an army vehicle
:04:23. > :04:35.Islamic edition requires Bales take place as soon as possible and the
:04:36. > :04:39.bodies of many victims have already been placed in coffins.
:04:40. > :04:42.The assault on the army base is a shocking reminder of just how
:04:43. > :04:49.tough the ongoing battle in Afghanistan is.
:04:50. > :04:52.Last month, an Afghan army helicopter landed special
:04:53. > :04:54.forces troops on top of the military hospital in Kabul
:04:55. > :04:57.after it was stormed by gunmen disguised as doctors.
:04:58. > :05:05.Two-and-a-half years after the international combat
:05:06. > :05:07.mission in Afghanistan ended, and the Taliban now controls more
:05:08. > :05:16.And with casualties amongst the Afghan forces running at almost
:05:17. > :05:19.7,000 a year, there are questions about how long the Afghan army
:05:20. > :05:22.can continue to defend the ground it still holds.
:05:23. > :05:31.There have been extraordinary scenes at a tennis tournament today
:05:32. > :05:34.in Romania involving Britain's number one Johanna Konta.
:05:35. > :05:37.She was left in tears and her Federation Cup match
:05:38. > :05:42.was temporarily suspended following barracking from the crowd.
:05:43. > :05:44.The Romanian captain Ilie Nastase had to be removed from court
:05:45. > :05:46.after appearing to verbally abuse Konta and the British
:05:47. > :06:00.The pressure was on Johanna Konta from the start with Great Britain
:06:01. > :06:07.already 1-0 down. She won the first set but that wasn't currently
:06:08. > :06:11.battle. Both Johanna Konta and her captain complained about the crowd
:06:12. > :06:14.and Ilie Nastase got involved swearing at both of them and the
:06:15. > :06:20.officials before being escorted away.
:06:21. > :06:24.Play restarted. But not for long. Johanna Konta, world number seven,
:06:25. > :06:29.visibly distressed, complaining again to the umpire before leaving
:06:30. > :06:35.the court. With another Romanian player pleading with the crowd.
:06:36. > :06:40.After a 25 minute suspension, Johanna Konta returned and slotted
:06:41. > :06:43.back into form winning five games in a row to seal victory and bring it
:06:44. > :06:48.level. The tycoon to and Johanna Konta
:06:49. > :06:51.returns unlike Ilie Nastase, escorted from the context, his
:06:52. > :07:02.accreditation removed and banned from the rest of the matches.
:07:03. > :07:08.There have been rallies around the world in support of science,
:07:09. > :07:12.including a crowd of several thousand in London. They were joined
:07:13. > :07:14.by the Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi protesting against what they called
:07:15. > :07:18.a political assault on facts. The French government has mobilised
:07:19. > :07:20.additional security forces including elite units
:07:21. > :07:22.to back up 50,000 police officers for tomorrow's
:07:23. > :07:26.presidential election. Terrorism dominated the final
:07:27. > :07:29.day of campaigning, after the killing of a police
:07:30. > :07:32.officer in the capital on Thursday. In the lull before France's
:07:33. > :07:42.presidential vote, those out campaigning today were not
:07:43. > :07:45.supporting politicians. Black balloons for those killed
:07:46. > :07:49.in the line of duty. Pink for the family
:07:50. > :07:53.they leave behind. Their message, the police
:07:54. > :07:59.need protecting as well. One of the balloons
:08:00. > :08:04.was for Xavier Jugele, targeted by a gunman on the Champs
:08:05. > :08:07.Elysees this week. Xavier Jugele was on duty
:08:08. > :08:09.at the Bataclan during the 2015 -- Paris attacks and went back
:08:10. > :08:19.for a concert when the hall reopened one year on where he spoke
:08:20. > :08:21.to a BBC reporter. That is why we are here
:08:22. > :08:24.with my friend to celebrate life. The police union says
:08:25. > :08:27.their members need protection The state of emergency
:08:28. > :08:34.following a string of attacks Boosting police numbers
:08:35. > :08:41.has been an issue for But this election has gone
:08:42. > :08:44.beyond questions of security, It has opened up a debate
:08:45. > :08:48.about the meaning of French values All the more surprising then
:08:49. > :08:57.that the number of people expected to abstain from voting
:08:58. > :09:05.tomorrow is high. People who decide to abstain
:09:06. > :09:08.are not people who don't When you ask them why
:09:09. > :09:16.they refuse to vote, Across the country, buildings
:09:17. > :09:36.are being reborn as polling The one still moment
:09:37. > :09:42.in a presidential campaign when rhetoric is redundant
:09:43. > :09:45.and the people are honoured There's more throughout the evening
:09:46. > :09:55.on the BBC News Channel. And I'll be back with the late news
:09:56. > :09:59.at the earlier time of nine o'clock.