borisjohnson is due to visit belfast as pa rt of efforts to restore northern ireland's power—sharing government. the prime minister, who left downing st earlier, has a two—fold challenge — with the democratic unionists refusing to share power unless a brexit deal with the eu is changed. iam i am live at hillsborough castle near belfast where boris johnson i am live at hillsborough castle near belfast where borisjohnson is expected to arrive shortly foot talks with the five biggest parties in the devolved assembly. and the other main stories on the programme this lunchtime: ukraine says its troops have reached the russian border near kharkiv in the north east, after driving russian forces away from the city. mcdonald's announces it will stop doing business in russia permanently — leaving the country after more than 30 years —

because of the war in ukraine. the first in—person gcse and a—level exams begin for many — after the pandemic stopped them from taking place. i've made timetables to keep myself organised. i feel prepared but at the same time i'm just really nervous. and the queen attends the first of the celebrations of her platinum jubilee, her delight evident for all to see. and coming up on the bbc news channel... the former british number one laura robson has confirmed her retirement from tennis at the age of 28 after three hip surgeries. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister is on his way

to belfast to urge the main parties there to resume power—sharing. the unionist dup is currently refusing to share power with sinn fein — because of the post—brexit trading deal known as the northern ireland protocol. it's expected government will introduce legislation to allow ministers to override parts of that protocol. the trade border between great britain and northern ireland lies in the irish sea. some goods, such as food products, are inspected when they arrive from great britain. the protocol agreement is part of the brexit deal signed by borisjohnson�*s government and the eu. it was designed to keep open the land border with the republic of ireland, which is in the european union. the eu wants to stop any goods, which aren't in line with its standards, from reaching the european single market. our ireland correspondent chris page is in belfast. it has been 11 days since the

election in northern ireland which changed many things in politics in this part of the uk. sinn fein became the first irish nationalist party to win most seats. the cross county alliance party moved up to third, but it is the party in second place, the democratic unionists which hold the key to ending this dispute that is holding up the establishment of a power—sharing devolved government. and not for the first time, northern ireland is finding itself on the front line from from the fallout from brexit. the prime minister is on the move. heading across the trade border between great britain and northern ireland. his objective, he says, is to try to get goods moving across the irish sea more quickly. boris johnson is planning legislation which will give him the power to change parts of the northern ireland protocol. but even league leaders are urging him not to and insist the

sticking points can be resolved through negotiation. the willingness ofthe through negotiation. the willingness of the eumpean _ through negotiation. the willingness of the european commission - through negotiation. the willingness of the european commission and - through negotiation. the willingness of the european commission and ofl of the european commission and of ireland to try to accommodate those concerns is very much there. what we cannot do is accept that the british government would act unilaterally, they would pass legislation to effectively breach international law to set aside elements of a treaty. of course, this prime minister was central to designing and putting in place. because that would cause more problems than it would solve. relations between london and brussels are, again, having huge implications for northern ireland and vice versa. the democratic unionist party believes the protocol amounts to an economic barrier with england, scotland and wales which damages northern ireland's place in the uk. underthe damages northern ireland's place in the uk. under the rules of devolution in northern ireland, unionists and irish nationalists have to agree to share power for a devolved government to be formed. that means the dup has a veto and it

insists it will not go into a coalition unless the trade border is removed. i coalition unless the trade border is removed. ., ., ., ., ., removed. i want to move forward, i want the political _ removed. i want to move forward, i want the political institutions - removed. i want to move forward, i want the political institutions to - want the political institutions to be working for everyone in northern ireland. but today the ball is firmly at the foot of the prime minister. let's see what he has to say, but more fundamentally, what he has to do. i, , say, but more fundamentally, what he hasto do. _., say, but more fundamentally, what he hastodo. has to do. boris johnson has indicated — has to do. boris johnson has indicated he _ has to do. boris johnson has indicated he wants _ has to do. boris johnson has indicated he wants to - has to do. boris johnson has indicated he wants to keep l indicated he wants to keep negotiating with the eu. writing in the belfast telegraph he said... that is without question, sensible landing spot in which everyone's interests are protected. but he said the new legislation would give him the new legislation would give him the means to take action if the deal isn't reached. saying i have the eu's position changes, if it doesn't, there will be a necessity to act. commentators think it is unlikely the prime minister will be able to persuade the dup to change its position today.— its position today. there is no immediate — its position today. there is no immediate sign, _ its position today. there is no immediate sign, they - its position today. there is no immediate sign, they have i its position today. there is no immediate sign, they have 24 its position today. there is no - immediate sign, they have 24 weeks immediate sign, they have 2a weeks to try to resolve this. no one is

betting there will be an early resumption of devolved power sharing. resumption of devolved power sharinu. ~ resumption of devolved power sharinu. , sharing. most politicians in stormont _ sharing. most politicians in stormont broadly - sharing. most politicians in stormont broadly support i sharing. most politicians in i stormont broadly support the protocol. sinn fein says a unilateral move by the uk government would deepen political instability. this is a place where politics is always delicately poised, but this week is particularly pivotal. sinn fein�*s michelle o'neill who is in line to be the first irish nationalist to beat the first minister stormont, has been in dublin holding talks with the tea shop, michael martin. but boris johnson will meet sinn fein and the four other biggest parties in the northern ireland assembly. at present, the dup is blocking the formation of a devolved government and from the assembly meeting. so any sign it might relent will be allowing the assembly to meet once again, but nobody is is expecting a

devolved government to be on the horizon that quickly. thank you, chris page. our political correspondent jonathan blake is in westminster. how does the government plan to break this deadlock? the how does the government plan to break this deadlock?— how does the government plan to break this deadlock? the action is in belfast today. _ break this deadlock? the action is in belfast today. tomorrow - break this deadlock? the action is in belfast today. tomorrow the i in belfast today. tomorrow the attention will be here in westminster, where the government will make a key move in its plan to attempt to achieve progress in its negotiations with the european union in getting changes secured to the northern ireland protocol. but as we have heard, it is caused political deadlock in northern ireland. the practical and political difficulties of it becoming so clear. the foreign secretary liz truss will make a statement to mps in the house of commons for plans for legislation which will allow the uk on its own to make changes to the northern ireland protocol. i am told no draft legislation will be published, this is more of a statement of intent. if the government were to end up having

to go down that path, one government source put it to me that it would be in regret and not in anger. and negotiations will, of course, continue with the european union. in the fallout from brexit as we had so much in the run—up to it, it can often sound like crisis points are approaching or big threats are being made, but in reality this is probably a long and complicated process with no easy solutions or quick fixes at hand.— process with no easy solutions or quick fixes at hand. jonathan blake, thank ou. ukraine says its troops who have been counter—attacking near the country's second largest city, kharkiv, have advanced as far as the russian border. ukrainian forces have been retaking territory in north—eastern areas in recent days, as russian forces focus on the donbas region further south. it comes as nato officials said russia's strategy in the east of ukraine may be stalling, amid heavy losses and fierce resistance. meanwhile one of the biggest ever nato military exercises

in the baltics gets under way in estonia today, involving ten countries, including the uk, us, finland and sweden. james waterhouse reports. "we have made it mr, president. we are here." where these ukrainian soldiers say they are is in the kharkiv region on the russian border. the invaders seem to have left the area surrounding ukraine second's largest city, kharkiv. leaving behind now familiar trails. translation: the russians left really quickly. _ they didn't have time to loot much. we saw what we think were the headquarters. many positions were abandoned, flak jackets and helmets lying around. as the russians focus more on the east, so is nato. carrying out its biggest ever exercises in latvia and estonia. ten countries, 15,000 troops. belarus is conducting its own

military training close to the polish border. it's russia's ally and was a big facilitator in its invasion of ukraine. nato thinks ukraine could actually get itself in a position to win this war, but that would rely on two things — either the russians retreating completely, something that is looking very unlikely, or the ukrainians themselves forcing them out. president zelensky has already admitted he doesn't have the military means to free cities as written there like mariupol. translation: we continue very complicated and delicate - negotiation to save our people from mariupol, from azovstal. we deal with this issue on a daily basis, and the main thing is for the agreements to be fulfilled. someone listening closely to that is yevheniy. his 24—year—old son is one of the hundreds of trapped ukrainian fighters there. translation: | understand | that the authorities are doing

as much as they can, but of course more needs to be done because we need the results, not the process. do you think your son is going to survive this? and does your son think he's going to survive this? i am confident. it's all i have right now, it's what helps me to wake up in the morning. the last stand at mariupol steelworks are a reminder that this war is far from over. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv. we can talk to james now. the human suffering very evident there. is there a sense that russia is on the back foot right now? the goal posts keep moving. at one point in february it was clear the aim was to take all of ukraine, they attack from the north, the south and the east. then because of issues

like troop morale, supply, weaponry and the level of ukrainian resistance, that conflict has shifted eastwards. the efforts today to try and take ukraine's largest second largest city seem to have been shelved. now they are attempting to take the donbas. and their forces attempting to take the donbas. and theirforces in attempting to take the donbas. and their forces in the east have been put on hold for now. however, moscow is continuing to call this a special military operation and mariupol is a reminder of the swathes of territory thatis reminder of the swathes of territory that is under russian control. we have seen them trying to consolidate putting in puppet administrations, russian internet providers and the like. those efforts are continuing and as long as it is called an operation such as this, then that will be seen as a need to provide a result for moscow. they will keep seeking that and thus the fighting will also continue.— will also continue. thank you very much, will also continue. thank you very much. james _ will also continue. thank you very much, james waterhouse - will also continue. thank you very i much, james waterhouse reporting. the american fast food restaurant

mcdonald's has announced it will exit the russian market and sell its business in the country to a local buyer. our russia editor steve rosenberg is in moscow. how significant is this? well, mcdonald's had temporarily closed its restaurants across russia backin closed its restaurants across russia back in march. that is when a lot of international companies and global brands had suspended their operations. the fact that mcdonald's has come out and said that as it, we are selling up, we are pulling out, i think that is recognition of the reality really. that things are not going to return to normal here. what the kremlin calls it special military operation, what most of the world calls russia's for, has changed things long time. mcdonald's issued a statement which said that owning a business in russia was no longer tenable or consistent with mcdonald's values. this really is the end of an era. i remember when the end of an era. i remember when the first mcdonald's restaurant

openedin the first mcdonald's restaurant opened in russia way back in 1990, backin opened in russia way back in 1990, back in the ussr. there were such excitement, huge crowds and i had to queue for three hours to get in. i remember that day, american burgers, fries and ties, they were a symbol that they of moscow embracing the west. you know, fast hot food to help end the cold war. fast forward 32 years and things have changed. basically russia and the west have lost their appetite for one another, because russia's offensive in ukraine has sparked international condemnation and sanctions on the kremlin accuses the west of threatening russia.- kremlin accuses the west of threatening russia. steve, thank ou. one threatening russia. steve, thank yom one person _ threatening russia. steve, thank you. one person has _ threatening russia. steve, thank you. one person has died - threatening russia. steve, thank you. one person has died and i threatening russia. steve, thank. you. one person has died and four others have been injured after a shooting in los angeles. the gunman, a man in his 60s, was tackled by members of the congregation and detained

outside the presbyterian church in laguna woods. police said the victims were all of taiwanese descent. the attack came a day after ten people were killed at a supermarket in new york state, in a racially motivated hate crime. a police investigation is under way after a three year—old boy died after a suspected dog attack in rochdale, in greater manchester. our correspondent nick garnett is at the scene. what more do we know of what happened?— happened? this is a terrible traced . happened? this is a terrible tragedy. ambulance - happened? this is a terrible tragedy. ambulance crews l happened? this is a terrible - tragedy. ambulance crews were happened? this is a terrible _ tragedy. ambulance crews were called to a farm down the lane behind me around lunchtime yesterday, at about 1.15 the police were called in. it's in a deeply rural area just up the hills from the m 62 motorway near rochdale. paramedics treated the boy at the scene and then took him by ambulance to the hospital but he died as a result of his injuries. police are treating this as a criminal investigation but no arrests have been made yet. they say the injuries to the little boy look like they were caused by a dog. down

at the farm, from the public pathway that goes through the middle of the farm, you can see a forensic tent and two discarded police shield is made of clear plastic that were used as protection when the police officers arrived. the investigation is being led by det supt officers arrived. the investigation is being led by det suthamie daniels who said this is a tragic, devastating incident and our thoughts are with the family at this time. we are investigating the incident and previous incident with dogs at this address. police are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch with them. ., ~ ,, information to get in touch with them. ., ~' ,, , information to get in touch with them. ., ~ ,, , . information to get in touch with them. ., ~' ,, , . most gcse and a—level exams start today, the first in—person since 2019 — meaning many pupils in england, wales and northern ireland are sitting their first formal exams since the start of the pandemic. but some head teachers are warning of a shortage of invigilators, who are worried about catching covid. our education correspondent elaine dunkley spent a day at a school in wigan to see how pupils and teachers have been preparing. coming up in the next couple of weeks, it's

absolutely essential that we have a good revision programme. at the deanery church of england high school in wigan, it's final study sessions. when i did my mocks and i got the results, i was like, "ah!" chelsea and her classmates have done their mock exams. i had tears coming in my eyes as i was walking in. i just see the paper, all the invigilators just standing at the front with their arms crossed. i'm just like, "oh my days!" the next time they go into the exam room, it will be for real. i want to do a career in medicine, so i obviously want to get them seven, eights and nines to, like, obviously gain offers from university, like maybe universities like manchester, even oxford. i was expecting, considering what we did at revision... catching up in the canteen, it's talk of revision and exam timetables. i've got 21 exams spread out across a month and a half, so sometimes i'll go home and i'll revise for an hour or so, and then i'll go to footballjust to take my mind off it. obviously worry about your grades,

but worry about yourself and worry about your mental health. 0k, yeariis, you can put your pens down, please. the government says this year's students will be graded more generously than the last time exams were sat in 2019, but they won't get as many top grades as last year, when results were decided by teachers' assessments. pupils will get formula sheets to use in exams, and there has been advance information for gcses and a—levels. hi, love, you 0k? for the deputy head, mrs turner, it's about making pupils believe they can aim high, but there is no doubt anxiety levels are also high. most pupils haven't had any national exams since their sats in primary school. we are seeing children that are presenting to us with really, really difficult emotional...social, emotional, mental health issues. we've got more children, probably triple, quadruple the amount of children that previously would have struggled to go to the exam hall, getting ready for an exam. it's all the stuff you put in beforehand. it's all the practice runs, it's all the getting yourselves

ready that they've not had. breathe in. in the library, there's an exam stress workshop. as well as breathing techniques, minnie is on hand to help pupils and staff. if pupils are having a difficult day, then they can come - into the wellbeing room. they can have a chat - with me, they can spend a little time with minnie. she's a very big part of the school. the government says national exams represent a major step back to normality. for these pupils, it's a major step towards their future goals and aspirations. our grades open the doors to what we want to become in this world, and ijust honestly think that the support that the teachers are giving me and giving to the rest of the students as well, obviously, is just really helpful. elaine dunkley, bbc news. the time is 13.19. our top story this lunchtime... borisjohnson is on his way to belfast for talks as part of efforts to restore northern ireland's power—sharing government.

coming up — plans by the energy regulator to review its price cap every three months in a move it says will benefit customers. coming up on the bbc news channel... arsenal have a chance to reclaim fourth spot in the premier league with a win at newcastle tonight, as the race to qualify for the champions league goes to the wire. thousands of people will count how much packaging they throw away as part of a national effort to show the scale of the plastic waste problem. campaigners say the big plastic count will provide crucial evidence to show the government and supermarkets that more has to be done to tackle the issue. here's our environment correspondentjonah fisher. how much plastic do you throw out in

a week? rachel and johnny are about to find out. they are among the tens of thousands who have signed up to take part in a survey to discover exactly what we use. we take part in a survey to discover exactly what we use.— take part in a survey to discover exactly what we use. we have done that one, exactly what we use. we have done that one. we _ exactly what we use. we have done that one, we don't _ exactly what we use. we have done that one, we don't want _ exactly what we use. we have done that one, we don't want to - exactly what we use. we have done that one, we don't want to count i exactly what we use. we have done that one, we don't want to count it| that one, we don't want to count it again. that one, we don't want to count it aaain. .,. that one, we don't want to count it aain. that one, we don't want to count it aaain. ,, , , that one, we don't want to count it auain. , , , ., again. rachel says she is trying to do the right _ again. rachel says she is trying to do the right thing _ again. rachel says she is trying to do the right thing and _ again. rachel says she is trying to do the right thing and says - again. rachel says she is trying to do the right thing and says she . again. rachel says she is trying to do the right thing and says she is| do the right thing and says she is already trying to cut down on the amount of plastic that she buys, but the bags, trays and lids keep piling up. we the bags, trays and lids keep piling u -. ~ , .., �* ., the bags, trays and lids keep piling up. we need help, we can't do this on our own- _ up. we need help, we can't do this on our own. we _ up. we need help, we can't do this on our own. we need _ up. we need help, we can't do this on our own. we need to _ up. we need help, we can't do this - on our own. we need to supermarkets, manufacturers, people sending things in the post, we need those changes to start up top and filter down. this survey should provide us with a more detailed picture as to exactly what types of plastic we are throwing away. there are 19 different categories here ranging from hard plastic, bottles to flexible plastic bags like this one. this is absolutely not about putting pressure on people at home to make changes, it's not about making people feel guilty. we know that

plastic is a default material that is really hard to avoid, and that is the problem we have here and that is what we are looking to redress. that what we are looking to redress. at the momentjust under half of what we are looking to redress. at the moment just under half of our the momentjust under half of our household waste is recycled, a figure that hasn't changed much for ten years. each different type of plastic needs a different processing plant. this one in east london processes milk bottles. you can see all of these bales here, these are all of these bales here, these are all milk bottles that we use at home and have been sorted and brought here. this plant is a big one, it processes about 400 million milk bottles every year. it works 24 hours a day, round the clock. that's about 10% of the milk bottles that we use in the uk. though recycling milk bottles works well, overall rates for recycling plastic are lower than for paper, metal or

glass. this is the end product, these are white plastic pellets, very much like lentils in fact. tim, this is what has come out of the end here, what happens to these now? with this we are going to make new milk bottles, and they can come back here and create a circular loop to recycle them again and again. retailers told the bbc they are committed to ending the use of single—use plastics and they are working with their suppliers to achieve that goal. jonah fisher, bbc news. official data from china showed a sharp fall in economic activity during april as the country imposed tough lockdowns to eliminate covid. unemployment rose to 6.1%, with retailers and manufacturers also hit hard, leading to fears the world's second—largest economy could begin to contract. full or partial lockdowns have been imposed in dozens of cities as china seeks to maintain a zero—covid policy. and in north korea, its leader, kim jong—un, has ordered the army

to distribute medical supplies as the country is gripped by a wave of covid cases. more than a million people have been taken ill with what state media referred to as a fever. testing, however, in the country is limited. a nationwide lockdown is in place to try and slow the spread. more than 100 festivals in the uk have committed to help tackle sexual violence at their events. reading, leeds, and boomtown fair are among those which have agreed to promote the principal of consent and promised to take all allegations of sexual assualt seriously. the energy regulator in great britain has announced plans to review its price cap every three months instead of twice of year. ofgem said doing it more regularly would reflect the most up—to—date energy prices, and benefit customers facing pressure from the rising cost of energy. our business correspondent kevin peachey is here. will this really benefit consumers?

23 million households are governed by this price cap from ofgem, and it is set every six months at the moment. that means that at the moment. that means that at the moment we are typically paying around £2000 per yearfor our moment we are typically paying around £2000 per year for our gas and electricity. industry forecasts suggest that will go up to £2600 in october. what ofgem are proposing is that the price cap after that will be set injanuary, and then for every three months thereafter. it proposes that as a result, it will protect suppliers, and remember we all pick up the tab if as a player goes bust, and also that if the wholesale price falls, then we will see the benefit of that in lower bills quicker than we would have done otherwise. one charity is saying though that it may mean that we will see injanuary a price rise, and clearly that will come at a

terrible time of year for people, right at the heart of winter when we use a lot of energy and when it is a particularly expensive time of year. and briefly, more bad news on the price of diesel today? for and briefly, more bad news on the price of diesel today?— price of diesel today? for drivers it is a record _ price of diesel today? for drivers it is a record 1.80 _ price of diesel today? for drivers it is a record 1.80 a _ price of diesel today? for drivers it is a record 1.80 a litre - price of diesel today? for drivers it is a record 1.80 a litre for - it is a record 1.80 a litre for diesel according to the rac and petrol prices are high too. even if you are not the driver, that feeds through to the prices in shops so we will get the official figures on that, the interglacialfigures later this week, and we will see how much the cost of living is going up —— the cost of living is going up —— the inflation figures. the cost of living is going up -- the inflation figures.— the inflation figures. kevin peachey. _ the inflation figures. kevin peachey, thank you. - colleen rooney has been in the witness box at the high court again this morning, as she defends a libel claim made against her by rebekah vardy. our correspondent colin paterson is there. what happened in court today? coleen roone 's what happened in court today? coleen rooney's cross — what happened in court today? coleen rooney's cross examination _ what happened in court today? coleen rooney's cross examination finished i rooney's cross examination finished just before lunchtime. went into great detail about her online detective work and how she tried to find out who was leaking stories

from her private instagram to the press. we heard all kinds of things about how she had tried to work out who was leaking by putting up fake stories, and the focus moved in particular under one story. it was when their basement flooded, made up by coleen rooney, put on instagram stories. only rebekah vardy�*s account had access to it, and then appeared in this newspaper. that is what prompted coleen vardy to put up the account accusation. she said she never expected it to go as big as it did, and she also said she did not expect to be sitting in the high court. as for the wagatha christie nickname she was given, she said she found it ridiculous and had hated every moment of it. she was also asked as to why she had done a screen grab of her phone of a mocked up screen grab of her phone of a mocked up picture of her unveiling a scooby doo baddie. she said she didn't like

to draw attention to herself and that had been made by someone else. the cross examination finished with rebekah vardy�*s lawyers are saying rebekah vardy�*s lawyers are saying rebekah vardy�*s lawyers are saying rebekah vardy had accepted that it was her agent, caroline watt, who had been the league but coleen rooney would not accept this. coleen said she did not believe or she did believe that rebekah vardy herself knew exactly what was going on. colin, many thanks. the queen has attended the first major celebration marking her platinum jubilee. the 96—year—old monarch was met with a standing ovation as she arrived at the royal windsor horse show, after she missed the state opening of parliament last week because of mobility issues. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. applause it was the first formal celebration of the platinum jubilee, the finale of the royal windsor horse show, complete with its guest of honour and most long—standing spectator — the queen.

it was a romp through centuries of the country's history. there were plenty of horses and an earlier elizabeth. england's tudor queen portrayed by dame helen mirren. the monarch who faced down the spanish armada. i know i have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but i have the heart and stomach of a king! and a king of england too! among the performers, there was a hollywood star... ..and a welsh soprano. there was precision drumming, which clearly delighted the guest of honour. and, of course, any number of spectacular feats of horsemanship. there was a poignant moment when the driving carriage used by the queen's late husband, the duke of edinburgh, was driven into the ring by the queen's granddaughter, lady louise windsor.

but the main purpose was to say thank you, a sentiment expressed in different ways. on behalf of everyone here, we'd like to very humbly thank you for choosing us over the state opening of parliament. laughter and at the end, it was dame helen mirren who spoke not for the nation of elizabeth i but for the nation which for 70 years has had as its queen elizabeth ii. i therefore speak on behalf of a grateful nation and commonwealth when i give you our sincere and most loving thanks. applause the queen left to return to windsor castle. in 17 days, the main platinum jubilee celebrations will begin in central london, when many thousands more will have a chance to show their gratitude. nicholas witchell, bbc news. stargazers across the world

were treated to a super blood moon overnight.