the pentagon says it will "rush" patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to ukraine as part of its new $6 billion military aid package. humza yousaf won't resign after a week of political turmoil. joe biden says he's up for debating donald trump ahead of november's presidential election. how wildlife in antarctica is being exposed to damaging levels of ultraviolet light. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. the ukrainian military says russia carried out another massive air attack overnight, using various missiles. the mayor of kharkiv — ukraine's second city — said one narrowly missed a hospital with 1,000 people inside.

attacks also took place in the dnipro region in central ukraine and western areas of lviv and ivano—frankivsk. ukrainian officials say equipment has been damaged and at least one energy worker injured. russia has repeatedly targeted ukrainian energy infrastructure over recent months. it's attacks such as these which have prompted more us aid to ukraine. the united states has outlined what will be included in a $6 billion package of military assistance. it's part of a larger $60 billion commitment which was approved by congress a week ago following six months of delays. the package will focus on air defence and includes interceptor missiles, anti—drone systems and artillery ammunition. what's not included are the new patriot air defence batteries, which ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says are critical. the us defence secretary, lloyd austin, has been speaking about the importance of the aid. the outcome in ukraine will determine the trajectory of our times.

if putin prevails in ukraine, the security consequences would be grave and global. europe would face a security threat it hasn't seen in our lifetimes. as president biden has noted, russia will not stop in ukraine. if the kremlin gets its way, if putin's war of imperial aggression succeeds, every tyrant on earth will take note. a little earlier i spoke to ivan verstyuk, a journalist based in kyiv. i started by asking him about the latest attacks by russia as well as reports of drone attacks by ukraine on an oil refinery in southern russia. russia are ramping up to increase attacks on energy infrastructure before new air defence systems

get installed so russia are using this period of time to do the rest of their plans to our energy systems so it is going to be harder for ukrainian business and the population to survive this year. russians want to make ukrainians think more about signing a peace agreement because our energy infrastructure is so badly damaged and with ukrainian drones targeting russian oil refineries, this is also very important because those two oil refineries are directly involved in russian military logistics in russian military logistics and resupplying troops in eastern ukraine with all kinds of fuel so this direct hit on a military target and what else is important is vladimir putin mostly doesn't pay any attention to russian economic crisis or western economic sanctions, to him, this isn't a priority. the only economic indicator

that he pays attention to is inflation in price growth... i'm sorry to cut you off, i know our time will run out shortly. i just wanted to ask about this us military aid package for ukraine. what was the recation in ukraine when the us announced it is not sending patriot air defence batteries to ukraine? 0verall, despite having problems with getting more patriot systems to ukraine, all weapons are going to be re—supplied with this recent us package, anti—tank weapons, anti—aircraft weapons, all kinds of artillery. people generally now feel much more at ease because the general expectation is that russians will launch another big advance in may orjune, this is why they are concentrating their military personnel and firepower mostly in eastern ukraine so that chain of munition

supply, changes the amount of people who now feel substantially safe expecting what is going to be happening next. and also, it is really important to re—supply our troops in eastern ukraine where the intensity of fighting is the highest among all of the territories and the russian army in eastern ukraine, that is the place where it is intending to do more land grabs. i wanted to ask about these ukrainian territories you mention russia has been gaining ground, how much of a difference do you think these new weapons will make for ukraine's efforts to try and hold the front lines. i think this will be a milestone that will change the trajectory of war. russians, they had a huge advantage in firepower in eastern ukraine and now our troops, our army will be able to shoot back as many missiles,

munitions as needed. south africa is celebrating freedom day, marking three decades since the country's first democratic election and the end of the apartheid era. the party which has been in power ever since, we can take you like to pretoria and show these live pictures. let's take a listen. �* , show these live pictures. let's take alisten. �* , ., , _ show these live pictures. let's take a listen. �* , ., , _ ., a listen. i'm very happy for everyone _ a listen. i'm very happy for everyone who _ a listen. i'm very happy for everyone who is _ a listen. i'm very happy for everyone who is here. - a listen. i'm very happy for everyone who is here. we | a listen. i'm very happy for- everyone who is here. we know that we have a lot that we still have to sort out but today let's take this moment and celebrate this feeling because we know if it wasn't for freedom, i wouldn't be allowed to be known like you guys know me, i wouldn't be on tv for so long but because of freedom, today we are able to do what we are passionate about... studio: that is one of the celebrants there in pretoria, south africa. the south african president cyril ramaphosa will be leading the celebrations at the union buildings in pretoria. we will bring you those pictures and that speech by the

president later on in the programme. of course, this is another election of course, this is another election yearfor of course, this is another election year for south africa as it goes to the polls later next month. there've been developments in ceasefire negotiations between israel and hamas — with both sides continuing to review proposals. egyptian mediators have arrived in israel and local media are reporting there's been "notable progress" in finding common ground. in gaza itself, the hamas—run health agency says at least 50 people have been killed in israeli attacks over the past 2a hours. this was the scene in rafah on friday night. 0ur diplomatic correspondentjames landale is following the developments from jerusalem. well, this week, catherine, the american defence department gave a long briefing to media in america about how this new maritime aid corridor would work but there was a big hole in the plans and that is because the united states has made it very clear they are not going to put us boots

on the ground in gaza. they are not going to drive those aid trucks off the landing craft, onto the floating pontoon or causeway when it is established and onto the beach into a secure zone on the beach in gaza. so, someone is going to have to do that. the americans said an unnamed third party would do it. they said it would be a significant partner of the united states, a nation, not some private military company. my understanding is that one option being considered by the british government is that british troops would drive those trucks. i should be very clear, no decision has been made, the issue hasn't yet reached the prime minister's desk. the mod is not commenting, nor is the israeli army. but, the british have been very closely involved in this operation�*s planning from the very beginning, both in american headquarters in florida and also in cyprus. a british ship is going to be used as a dormitory for hundreds of american servicemen and women involved and even the british hydrographic office has been giving

detailed information to planners about the nature of gaza's shoreline. so, it is a possibility, it is an option that british forces will drive those trucks onto the beach in gaza in harm's way but it is just an option, no decision has been taken. and james, looking at the situation in gaza, we are hearing of notable progress in terms of mediation talks between israel and hamas, do we have any detail on how those talks are proceeding? look, i'm always cautious about being hopeful and disappointed and progress and stalled in these kind of negotiations because they are just a long and difficult. what we do know is that talking is continuing. egyptian officials were here in jerusalem yesterday. we know that hamas overnight has said they have received the latest israeli proposal. we know that there is a big conference taking place in saudi arabia this weekend

and there is the possibility of some parties talking to each other on the sidelines of that conference. i think the idea is that there is going to be another attempt to see if a deal is possible for a ceasefire, for some hostages to be released, for some palestinian prisoners to be released before any military operation begins in rafah in the south of gaza against hamas fighters that israel says are holed up there in tunnels. so, it is another attempt to try and make some progress. we will see if it does because thus far, it has been very, very difficult for both sides to try and bridge the divide. the bbc�*s james landale injerusalem for us. james was also talking about plans that could see the british forces possibly deployed to gaza to help deliver humanitarian assistance via a new sea route. the former head of the palestinian desk at israel's ministry for strategic affairs, kobi michael, has told me earlier about the progress of the ceasefire talks. i'm a bit sceptical

about any progress. it looks like the leadership of hamas in the gaza strip still believe that the time works in favour of them, and not only the time but the us and the entire international community by pressuring israel and criticising israel, i assume they have no real incentive for them to make some further concessions with regard to the negotiation. i hope i'm wrong in my assessment. but i believe that the main goal of hamas is to survive and to remain the sovereign power in the gaza strip in the days after the war. this would be the ultimate victory for them. and therefore, they intend to keep hostages as a sort of insurance policy, and even if there will be a sort

of appeal, they will not release all of the hostages. what is your assessment of the role that the possible invasion of rafah has had on these talks? has it cast a shadow over the talks and should the offensive happen, how will it impact any mediation? i think that the offensive by itself is not enough in order to create the impact or the required impact on hamas leadership in gaza. in order to create such an impact and in order to increase the probability for a more successful negotiation, we have to add to the military offensive two additional pressures. the first one is the pressure on qatar, and this is a pressure that only the us can create, because qatar has the most significant leverage over hamas.

the second pressure is to create an alternative, the replacement for hamas on the ground immediately, at least in the northern part of the gaza strip, in a way that will signal to the leadership of hamas and to the people of gaza that still support hamas that hamas is not an option any more. only by creating these three vectors or pressures simultaneously, i think there is a higher probability for a breakthrough in the negotiation. and in the meantime, israel says it continues to prepare for a full—scale offensive or rafah. what options do you think the israeli military have, considering the more than one million people who are sheltering in rafah right now because of the ongoing conflict? israel, the idf, has several options, the plans are already ready and approved by the war cabinet. we have to remember that although there are something

like 1.3 million people in the rafah area, the idf does not intend to protect all the area, and i assume that the area will be divided into smaller areas, like khan younis, and people will be evacuated from these smaller areas whenever the idf were intending to enter these polygons. and i assume that there are some other tactics that will be used, first of all in order to surprise hamas. and secondly to ensure minimal casualty on gaza civilians. to news in the uk now... scotland's first minister humza yousaf is insisting he will not resign following a week of turmoil in scottish politics.

for those who aren't keeping up here's what's been happening. the crisis began when humza yousaf — who leads the scottish national party — ended its governing coalition with the scottish greens. both parties are pro scottish independence. there'd been trouble in the coalition about the decision to scrap climate targets — and gender policy issues theoretically humza yousaf could lead a minority government but he faces a confidence vote and all the main scottish parties have said they will vote against him. there's the possibility a former snp member ash regan who has defected to another nationalist party could save mr yousaf. but that's highly uncertain. the big picture in all of this is that the position of the scottish national party is weakening with uk elections due. and that also has implications for the likelihood of scottish independence. 0ur reporter catriona renton is in glasgow and explains exactly how the first minister has found himself in this position. this time last week, we were talking

about the scottish green party voting on whether or not they should remain in partnership with the snp. some in the party, as you were saying, were unhappy with the power—sharing arrangement after the snp dropped a climate change target. there has also been issues about gender services for young people. in a twist, humza yousaf called in the green ministers on thursday and he told them the relationship was over so that is how he finds himself in this position fighting for his political life. he said he is confident he will win the confidence vote he will win the confidence vote and he will not resign but he does face these two votes of confidence next week, one in himself and one in his government. as you were explaining in your introduction, the arithmetic in the scottish parliament is very tight. there are 63 snp msps, there are 65 opposition msps and there is the presiding officer who retains a neutral position. he has written to all of the party leaders asking them for talks on where they can find common ground. i think it is safe to say we can rule out any deals with the prounion parties, labour, conservatives

and liberal democrats. but somewhat ironically, mr yousaf is now having to reach back out to the greens who he dumped on thursday but they are sore and they say they can't trust him after what happened. mr yousaf said yesterday he didn't mean to upset or anger the scottish greens and that there are a lot of issues that both the snp and greens share. so that is one way he could remain in government if some of the seven scottish green msps were to change their tack and support him but that seems highly unlikely given the upset that has caused. his only other potential lifeline is the alba party msp ash regan. she stood against humza yousaf for the leadership of the snp after the first minister nicola sturgeon stood down. she left the snp and joined the alba party, which is alex salmond...

the former first minister who was also an snp first minister, the party he leads now. she set out a number of conditions that she would support mr yousaf on. if he loses the personal vote, he is not legally bound to resign but you could imagine there is political pressure on him. we have heard from one snp msp this morning that he believes that humza yousaf would have to stand down if he loses that vote. we are watching him at the moment trying to reclaim the narrative, sort of putting his party on an election footing and looking at some of the issues that he would like to take to the doorstep so that is where we are right at the moment. he is running a campaign now to fight for his life. let's get some of the day's other news now. a british man has been seriously injured in a shark attack on the caribbean island of tobago. the attack happened close to the shore in courland bay. the 64—year—old man is in intensive care after his left hand and left thigh were severed by a bull shark.

seven beaches have been closed to allow the coastguard to investigate. a number of countries in east africa are experiencing severe flooding and landslides. at least 150 people were killed in tanzania and 70 were killed in kenya. nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in burundi. the region has seen heavier rainfall than usual in recent weeks, exacerbated by the el nino weather pattern. a federal appeals court in chicago has upheld a 20—year sentence for disgraced singer r. kelly on child pornography and enticement charges. it rejected his appealjust over a year after the former singer was sentenced. his lawyers had argued the charges fell outside the statute of limitations. joe biden says he is ready to take on donald trump in a presidential debate ahead of their likely november rematch. the biden campaign has for months been non—committal on the matter —

however that all changed on friday as the president confirmed his intention. meanwhile, mr trump has said he's ready to face mr biden "anytime, anywhere, any place. " will vernon sent this update from washington. this wasn't the first time president biden has been asked whether he'll take part in televised debates with donald trump. the biden campaign has been tight—lipped about this for some time now. so much so that earlier this month, 12 major us news organisations penned an open letter urging both joe biden and donald trump to agree to participate in the debates, saying they have a rich tradition in american democracy. and mr trump too has been goading joe biden incessantly over whether he'll agree to the debates. so the president has been under pressure over this. now, the last time the two men faced off on tv was during the 2020 election campaign. there were two debates then and they were notable

for their vitriol for the aggressive atmosphere between the two men. there was one notable moment whenjoe biden said to then president trump, "shut up, man." what are you hiding? but most analysts agreed that joe biden generally came off better than donald trump did in those. but now, finally, mr biden has agreed to take part. in response to that, former president trump said he was "ready, anywhere, any time, any place," an old expression, he said, "used by fighters." and mr trump proposed that the first debate could even take place as soon as next week. so, thank you... now, that is almost certainly not going to happen. and the official date for the first televised presidential debate is this september, just under two months before that crucial election day. will vernon reporting there.

king charles is to return to public duties for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer. a buckingham palace spokesperson said doctors had been pleased with his progress so far. he will continue to be treated for an unspecified form of the disease. charlotte gallagher reports. the king and queen together, in the gardens of buckingham palace, a positive sign about the king's health. the photo was taken earlier this month but has just been released. the palace say the king is making encouraging progress and will shortly return to public facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. "as the first anniversary of the coronation approaches, their majesties remain deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and good wishes they have received from around the world, throughout the joys and challenges of the past year". the king's last public event was in windsor on easter sunday and he surprised the crowds by stopping to chat, thanking them for their good wishes.

keep going strong, never give in. thank you. his next visit will be more symbolic, a trip to a cancer treatment centre. and injune, he will meet the emperor and empress of japan who will be in london for a state visit. but the king's recovery process is still ongoing. i guess he will be taking very strong advice from his medical team not to overdo it. there is a psychological component to cancer recovery, and it's great he feels able to go out there and do more, but he will need to be very careful that he doesn't stretch himself too much. this has been a really tough year for the royalfamily, with both the king of the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer, and, like any family, that has come as a huge blow. they've also had to deal with intense media speculation, so the announcement that the king feels well enough to return to some public duties will be welcome news.

the prime minister, your majesty. the king has been working throughout his treatment, including meeting with the prime minister. decisions about some upcoming events will be made by the king and his advisers nearer the time. he is still undergoing treatment. they can't guarantee that he will undertake some of the key engagements over the summer, although they are very hopeful he will be able to, so you've got things like royal ascot, trooping the colour, chelsea flower show, perhaps. i think they are hoping he will be able to go to those sorts of events but it is all still to be confirmed yet. the king and catherine are two of the most senior and popular members of the royal family. their absence has been felt by many. i wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally... there is no news about when the princess of wales will return to public duties. she announced her cancer diagnosis in march and has asked for time, space and privacy for herself

and herfamily. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. taylor swift has matched madonna's record of having 12 number one albums in the uk — the most by a female artist. the tortured poets department had the american singer's best—ever first week sales in the uk and the highest first week sales for any artist since 2017. her next target in the history books is elvis presley, who has 13 number one albums. the beatles have the most with 16. you are watching bbc news with me catherine byaruhanga. stay with us, we will have more headlines after this short break.

hello, it's a weekend of mixed fortunes weather—wise because things are still very unsettled. some rain around at times and it is going to feel chilly for the time of year as well. if you are after a bit of warmer weather, you might well see it into next week but the weather still remaining pretty unsettled. low pressure never very far away. we have it to the south at the moment towards the bay of biscay, that low pressure approaching us from the south. we have an area of cloud and patchy rain through central parts of england and wales for the rest of the day. but rain tending to peter out as it pushes northwards. some sunny spells and a few scattered heavy showers around the south coast but then the next area of rain works into the south later on in the afternoon. for northern england, scotland and northern ireland, much of the day will see some sunshine, largely dry picture but there will be some scattered showers, most frequent across the north—west of scotland. it is going to feel cool, particularly under the cloud. this evening and tonight, that area of rain pushes its way

northwards across the bulk of england, much of wales as well. it could be really quite heavy. under the cloud and rain in the south and east, it is going to be relatively mild but across scotland and northern ireland, cold night, under those clear skies, a touch of frost. not as cold as last night. low pressure still with us tomorrow. it's pushing its way gradually northwards and eastwards so that rain through the morning sits across parts of north—east england into east wales, central southern england. some heavy showers, perhaps thunderstorms for the likes of east anglia. that rain pushing the east of scotland, winding close to the east coast and it is going to feel chilly. eight to 10 degrees. over the rest of scotland, northern ireland, wales england highs of up to 13 degrees. this stage in the week it is moving on from the west so showery rain from northern ireland, western parts of england and wales. dry and a little bit warmer. 16 degrees or so, only 12 for the likes of belfast.

monday night into tuesday, low pressure still looks like it will sit out towards the west of us so some rain arrives at times but a change in wind direction with the wind is rotating around that low pressure, with the winds rotating around that low pressure, they are going to be coming in from a south—easterly direction bringing a slightly warmer air mass. those temperatures will be on the rise, we could see 20 degrees in the south by the middle of the week but it is going to stay unsettled, there will be some sunshine and some rain around at times through next week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the pentagon says it will "rush" patriot air defence missiles and artillery ammunition to ukraine as part of its new $6 billion military aid package. it comes as ukraine says russia has carried out another air attack. scotland's first minister, humza yousaf, insists he won't resign after a week of political turmoil. he's expected to spend the weekend announcing policies to shore up support ahead of two potential no confidence votes next week. king charles returns to official public engagements as doctors say wildlife in antarctica is being exposed to potentially damaging levels of uv thanks to a hole in the ozone layer and bushfire. scientists say animals and plants are at risk from the raise.