intends to conclude her report on downing street lockdown parties this weekend. it follows the completion of the police investigation into the matter — with 126 fines issued. downing street has said it is up to sue green whether she names civil servants in herfinal report. in our other main news this lunchtime: ukraine says russia is intensifying its offensive in eastern donbas. president zelensky says the region is completely destroyed. translation: the occupiers l are trying to further strengthen pressure in the donbas. it's hell, and that's not an overstatement. childcare providers in england criticise government proposals to increase the amount of children each member of staff can care for. i really don't think we've had a reason as to why this is being suggested. itjust feels like, "oh, we need to cut budgets somewhere

and early years is where that cut�*s going to be." the football association investigates an incident allegedly involving crystal palace manager patrick vieira at everton. and eight towns celebrate their elevation to city status as part of the queen's platinum jubilee. and coming up on the bbc news channel, arsenal keep their woman as star striker vivienne miedema signs a new contract, extending herfive year, goal—filled stay. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. bbc news understands that the senior civil servant sue gray intends to complete her report on lockdown parties at downing street this weekend.

those expected to be named in the report are being given a deadline of 5pm on sunday to respond to herfindings before the inquiry is published. it follows the news that the metropolitan police has closed its inquiry into the matter. a total of 126 fixed penalty notices were issued to 83 men and women, including the prime minister borisjohnson and the chancellor rishi sunak. the fines relate to eight different dates between may 2020, at the height of lockdown, and april 2021. sir keir starmer said the number of fines shows there had been industrial scale lawbreaking. in the very buildings where the strict rules were drawn up that restricted people's life so much the police have found those same rules were broken. borisjohnson�*s attendance at an impromptu birth date gathering saw him found to be

the first sitting prime minister to be convicted. mistakes were made, lessons have been learned from the interim sue gray report until now he's taken a series of actions to overhaul number ten, such as staff changes and we are getting on whilst we await the final sue gray report getting on with thejob. with the job. the metropolitan police are facing questions about why he was not further refined for attending other event they investigated. ever—changing covid restrictions and also the fact it could —— that downing street is borisjohnson�*s home could explain that. he is downing street is boris johnson's home could explain that. he is the one who should _ home could explain that. he is the one who should be _ home could explain that. he is the one who should be held _ home could explain that. he is the. one who should be held responsible and accountable for the fact that the british public were shown no respect and shown contempt for the suffering they were going through at the time when parties were being held in downing street and that is what so many people in this country find unacceptable and why the prime minister has to consider his

position. minister has to consider his osition. �* ., minister has to consider his position-— minister has to consider his osition. �* ., , ., ., position. attention is now on the senior civil _ position. attention is now on the senior civil servant _ position. attention is now on the senior civil servant sue - position. attention is now on the senior civil servant sue gray - senior civil servant sue gray compiling a report into parties held in whitehall, her initial findings criticised failures of leadership and judgment. the full version expected next week and sue gray is expected next week and sue gray is expected to name officials involved. if someone is very senior in government and could potentially influence the lawmaking around this, that may be legitimate public interest that their name is revealed interest that their name is revealed in this report. there are lots of junior staff who work in number ten, everyone thinks everyone is very senior, that's not the case, i did may be for other staff there is no overriding public interest need. there is undoubtedly relief in downing street at the outcome of the police investigation but it is far from the last word on partygate and a full political impact is still to become clear. jonathan blake reporting.

what might the consequences be of sue gray's report. i what might the consequences be of sue gray's report.— sue gray's report. i don't think there is any — sue gray's report. i don't think there is any doubt _ sue gray's report. i don't think there is any doubt the - sue gray's report. i don't think . there is any doubt the expectation is it will provide uncomfortable reading for borisjohnson and others in government went sue gray's report is published in full we expect towards the beginning of next week. the question is given she already has found in her initial report there were failures of leadership and ofjudgment in downing street, whether there is any thing further at this sufficiently damning to put boris johnson's at this sufficiently damning to put borisjohnson�*s position in any kind of danger and borisjohnson�*s position in any kind of dangerand in borisjohnson�*s position in any kind of danger and in the last few minutes the prime minister himself has been speaking in public for the first time since the metropolitan police concluded their investigation.- police concluded their investigation. police concluded their investiuation. �* , ., ., investigation. i'm very grateful to the met for _ investigation. i'm very grateful to the met for their _ investigation. i'm very grateful to the met for their work _ investigation. i'm very grateful to the met for their work and - investigation. i'm very grateful to the met for their work and thankl the met for their work and thank them _ the met for their work and thank them for— the met for their work and thank them for everything they've done. i think— them for everything they've done. i think we _ them for everything they've done. i think we just need to wait for sue gray— think we just need to wait for sue gray to— think we just need to wait for sue gray to report and then as i have said, _ gray to report and then as i have said, fingers crossed that will be very soon— said, fingers crossed that will be very soon and i will cite more next

week _ very soon and i will cite more next week. �* ., , very soon and i will cite more next week. 1, _., very soon and i will cite more next week. ,~' ., week. boris johnson is keen to make a statement — week. boris johnson is keen to make a statement to _ week. boris johnson is keen to make a statement to parliament _ week. boris johnson is keen to make a statement to parliament as - week. boris johnson is keen to make a statement to parliament as soon . week. boris johnson is keen to make| a statement to parliament as soon as possible in an attempt to draw something of a line under this but there is still criticism coming his way although the intensity of it from his own party, certainly, just is not there like it was eight few weeks or months ago at various stages. given sir keir starmer is facing a police investigation himself for his actions during lockdown perhaps we will not see labour quite so aggressive in their criticism of this issue. perhaps inevitably there will be consequences for some officials who may end up being named in sue gray's report. beyond that the prime minister still faces an investigation by mps over whether he misled parliament and also the ultimate site from voters with two by—elections set to be held next

month. thank you. ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky says the donbas region in his country has been completely destroyed by russian forces. he described the situation there as hell, accusing moscow of carrying out senseless bombardments. the donbas is made up of the two eastern regions of luhansk and donetsk, and runs from outside mariupol in the south all the way to the northern border. what happens there is likely to decide the fate of the russian in kyiv the trial of a captured russian soldier charged with war crimes continues, as our kyiv correspondent, james waterhouse, reports. in the first war crimes trial in this conflict, it is the turn of the defence. vadim shishimarin, a 21—year—old russian soldier, has admitted shooting dead a 61—year—old unarmed man. his lawyer argues it should not be a war crime as he was following orders and feared for his life. the prosecution said he could have just scared the civilian off instead of firing four rounds at him. once again shishimarin apologised, telling the court,

"i sincerely repent. at that moment i was very nervous." more war crime trials will follow, but president zelensky doesn't want to stop here. he again has accused occupying forces of genocide, deliberately trying to kill as many ukrainians as possible, not least in the eastern donbas region. it is now russia's priority. moscow has always denied genocide, but sees it as its own. it is where the fighting is most concentrated, in towns like severodonetsk, where those staying to fight are separated from those who can't. the armed forces of ukraine continue the liberation of the kharkiv region. but in donbas, they are trying to increase pressure, that's hell, and that's not an exaggeration. the russians are making small

advances in the east. in the luhansk region, the ukrainians continue to defend. and frustrate. their extraordinary resistance is both down to their resolve and support from the west. the us hasjust signed off on the biggest package yet. £32 billion. military, humanitarian and economic help. the future of american security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight. anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should ukraine lose. for ukraine, the city of mariupol is finally lost. almost 2000 fighters are thought to have surrendered so far — to a fate which could include a war crimes trial of russia's own. james waterhouse, bbc news, in kyiv.

the united states has warned britain its dispute with the european union over northern ireland trade risks undermining western unity over ukraine. a state department official, derek chollet, said president putin of russia would use "any opportunity he can to show that our alliance is fraying." we really want to see this resolved. the last thing we believe that we need collectively is a big fight between the uk and the eu, at a moment where we need to be showing a message of unity. so we hope that this issue is resolved, we hope that both sides refrain from unilateral acts and that they find a way to lower the temperature and resolve this issue. a charity helping victims of domestic violence says it's horrified an mi5 agent used his status to abuse a female partner. the chief executive of refuge says the government's determination to protect the agent's identity was terrifying. the foreign national can't be named, after the government took the bbc

to court to block publication. ministers say the court order was "aimed at protecting national security and avoiding a real and immediate risk to life, safety and privacy." the government's independent adviser on tackling violence against women and girls has suggested her calls for street harassment to be made a crime are being blocked. nimco ali is pushing for actions such as wolf—whistling, catcalling, persistent staring or telling a stranger to smile, to be made a crime, with on—the—spot fines. but ms ali claims her plan has encountered "pushback". asked whether an offence of street harassment is still being considered, a downing street spokesman said "we will continue to look at where there may be gaps and how a specific offence could address those." nurseries in england say plans to allow staff to look after more children will not cut costs for parents. the government says it is considering changing the rules to try to help reduce the expense of childcare, amid the growing cost of living crisis. they say it could also improve the choice and availability

of childcare places — but it's led to fears the move could affect children's well—being and development. 0ur education editor branwen jeffreys reports. thank you so much. ashley has four children, including her new baby. it's two—year—old reggie she worries about most. he has extreme allergic reactions. ashley trusts the nursery to watch him carefully. you just kind of need to have someone else take the lead for a little bit. would you be happy with there being more children per adult? probably not, no. i mean, the severity of reggie, a normal child, you know, it's such a massive responsibility to just do that for reggie, and to have more, loads more children, i don't know, i think it's too much. this nursery in nottingham is facing rising bills — from wages to heating, everything is going up, and now they're looking after toddlers born in lockdown. a lot of nurseries say that coming

out of the pandemic, they don't want to have more children for each member of staff. because they've missed out on so much, and quite a lot of children are needing extra help with their social skills and with their speech and language. oh, thank you. and rachel, the owner, tells me even if the rules changed, they don't want staff looking after more children. for the children at the moment that we've got now, they need more support than ever in getting their development back to where it needs to be. we're seeing a rise in safeguarding needs. if anything, we need more adults to children at this time, not less. she worries it could mean the money for government funded hours being frozen. itjust feels like, oh, we need to cut the budget somewhere, and early years is where that cut is going to be. in england, for two—year—olds, there has to be one member of staff for four children. many other countries, including scotland,

allow bigger numbers. and that is why the government says it will consult on changes. ministers say it could help bring down the cost of childcare. down the road, on the edge of nottingham, parents rush to drop off. for working families with children under three, it can be a big bill. we've got savanna in, and we're just about to put our baby in as well. and it is more than our mortgage. it was a really hard decision to go back to work after my second one. it is a big part of our outgoings, and we have to juggle sending albert to nursery orjo going to work or staying at home. so before they consult on plans for england the government is looking at scotland, france and elsewhere, with firm proposals expected in the coming months. branwenjeffreys bbc news, nottingham. sales of alcohol and tobacco

were the main driver behind a surprise rise in overall uk retail sales last month. despite the rising cost of living hitting household budgets, sales volumes jumped 1.4% in april, following a fall of 1.2% in march. the office for national statistics says off—licences saw a boost, which it suggested meant people were staying in to save money. 11 new cases of monekypox have been confirmed in the uk, the health secretary has said. speak to cases come on top of the nine previously identified, with the previous case having returned from travel to nigeria. monkeypox is a rare viral infection, which is usually mild and recovered from in a few weeks. it does not spread easily between people. the football association is investigating an alleged incident involving crystal palace manager patrick vieira at everton last night. vieira appeared to clash with a fan who was part of a pitch invasion following everton's dramatic 3—2 win at goodison park, which secured their premier league survival. the palace boss refused to talk about the incident afterwards.

andy swiss reports. another night, another pitch invasion. fans swarming onto the pitch at everton after they secured their premier league survival. but it wasn't all celebration. after being taunted by one fan, crystal palace manager patrick viera appeared to kick out at him. viera later said he had nothing to say. the fa are investigating. at goodison park this morning, the fans' invasion of the pitch brought mixed opinions. it is a cause for concern, because obviously there is going to be that minority that takes it too far. i can understand why a lot of people would do it. it's very difficult when you're caught up in the heat of the moment. 0h, he's blazed it wide! but for football, such scenes are becoming worryingly familiar. swindon say their players were verbally and physically abused last night after they were engulfed by supporters following their defeat to port vale. players were being hit, players were being kicked, players were being spat at. players were being verbally abused.

it's just not on. and the dangers are all too stark. yesterday, a nottingham forest supporter was jailed for head—butting sheffield united's billy sharp, who later needed stitches. the spate of pitch invasions follows the violence which marred last summer's euros final, and a general increase in fan arrests. so what can be done to address it? part of that is effective stewarding. part of it may be physical measures, but not fencing. the most effective way will be for supporters and everyone to agree, though, that you don't go on the pitch. but this weekend is the climax of the premier league season. emotions will be running high. how fans show those emotions, though, will be under the spotlight. andy swiss, bbc news. the time is 1:17. our top story this lunchtime... civil servants who are expected to be named in sue gray's report into lockdown parties in and around downing street have been given until 5pm on sunday

to respond to herfindings. the duke and duchess of cambridge in cruise control, at the uk premiere of the long—awaited follow—up to top gun. coming up on the bbc news channel, rory mcilroy goes into day two of the us pga championship top of the leaderboard. he's got a one—shot lead as he looks to end his eight—year major drought. the costs of petrol and diesel have risen again to new record highs, according to the rac. it says the average price paid for a litre of unleaded petrol at uk pumps is up to 168.67 pence. diesel also crept up to 181.15 pence per litre. further increases are expected in the coming days. those price rises, and the fact we won't be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car in the uk in a few years, mean more attention

is turning to electric vehicles. but some drivers remain hesitant about buying one. research for bbc news has found around one in ten rapid electric vehicle chargers across the uk are out of service. and, as tomos morgan reports, concerns that the infrastructure isn't up to scratch is stopping some motorists from making the switch. slowly but surely, we're swapping the pump... ..for the plug—in, as britain's driving scenery becomes ever greener. yet charging your electric car out on the road can be a tricky course to navigate, with the current public infrastructure described by owners as a very mixed picture. there are currently two main issues affecting ev owners. firstly, the number of charges across britain. it really is a postcode lottery. for example, in london at the moment the total number of public power points vastly outnumbers any other region across the uk, with wales and northern ireland and the north—east of england at the back of that queue.

the second issue is around reliability. on a journey around wales, i spoke to several electric vehicle owners, all of whom had experienced range anxiety — a fear of running out of power before their destination is reached, usually due to a lack of or unusable devices. you've got to plan your journey, pretty much. if you plan it and replan it on the way, it's ok, it worked. you just have to search for where the charging points are and hope they're working. you lose hours of your holiday. we don't want to be here today, we travelled out of our way to make sure we've got enough charge in the car to get home in two days' time. in their recent charging strategy, the uk government has set a future target of having 99% of all rapid chargers, those capable of powering up to 80% within an hour, in working order at any one time. but a set of snapshot figures from march, seen exclusively by the bbc,

supplied by zap map, britain's leading ev charging map, shows that currently one in ten of these rapid devices were out of service. newer versions proving most reliable. within the next few years, westminster say they will penalise charge point operators, or cpos, for not keeping up with reliability standards. and as the affordability of these cars improves, reliability of chargers has now become the biggest roadblock for newer buyers, according to some. the one remaining and biggest thing would be the perceived change and difficulties around the charging infrastructure which is why it is so key that not only are they, in reality, reliable, but the perceived nature of them is that they are reliable. parts of this issue are devolved, yet much still relies on uk government support. a spokesperson from the department for transport said public charge point reliability is improving, adding that working on setting out how regulations will be enforced

to ensure a good consumer experience across the uk is ongoing. as the electric horizon moves ever closer, the scale of completing this challenge shouldn't be underestimated or underpowered. tomos morgan, bbc news, from across wales. the home office says more migrants have been told the government wants to send them to rwanda. it's part of plans to deter people from crossing the channel in small boats. legal challenges mean it's unclear when the first flights will leave. in northern france, migrants have expressed fears over the uk's plan to resettle some in rwanda, but most say they are still committed to reaching british shores, as lucy williamson reports. bunkers once used by german soldiers, now patrolled by french police. people smugglers use these bunkers to hide passengers before channel crossings. these sprawling beaches have always been hard to defend. despite new uk equipment, including high—tech binoculars and drones,

france says the lure of life in britain is too strong to be stopped by policing alone. so, has the threat of resettlement in rwanda made any impact over the past five weeks? translation: i think it's too early to measure the impact. _ regardless of the announcement, i think smugglers will watch to see if this measure is actually implemented. that's what might dissuade them, and therefore migrants from continuing to try their luck in the uk. smugglers used to tell their passengers, "just get into the water and you're basically in the uk. "the french authorities will not intervene unless you are in trouble," they said, "and once you are in british waters, "the british coastguard will take you to shore." but the government's new policy means that those crossing this channel now could end up in rwanda, not the uk. aid workers say the number of migrants in calais has fallen,

but it's not clear how much of that is down to tough policing breaking up camps. 0ne estimate put the number of those deterred by the resettlement policy at 10% to 15%. no—one in this camp wanted to speak on camera, but standing next to a generator as he charged his mobile phone, one man, hassan, agreed to speak out of vision. some aid workers say migrants are waiting to see whether the uk follows through on its plans. so we've seen people asking for asylum in other french cities instead of staying in calais and trying to go to the uk because they don't know what will happen with them when they reach the uk. more than 600 people crossed this water last weekend. more have followed since then. it's early days, but for most

migrants here, ready to gamble their lives to reach the uk, resettlement isjust one more risk. lucy williamson, bbc news, calais. eight more towns are to become cities to mark the queen's platinum jubilee. among them is bangor in county down, northern ireland. sun, sea and thejubilee. bangor on the east coast of northern ireland is one of the towns to be granted city status. on a gorgeous, sunny day like today, it's easy to see why bangor is so popular with day—trippers and holiday—makers. but for people living here in bangor, they want city status to bring more investment and shops and businesses for them to enjoy, as well. it would be lovely. i used to come down here when i was younger. it was a beautiful place. plenty of chippies and all around there. i do think bangor needs the money spent on it, though. _

you sort of worry about it being a seaside town. that's how you see it, and you were to lose it's a bit of character for that. hopefully it doesn't. judges praised bangor�*s community spirit, naval heritage and its royal links. in 1961, the queen and the duke of edinburgh came here, with prince philip racing in the regatta. seven other towns have also won jubilee city status — doncaster, colchester and milton keynes in england, wrexham in wales, dunfermline in scotland, douglas on the isle of man and, over 8000 miles away, stanley in the falkland islands. so what makes a good city? and what does becoming one mean to people who live there? colchester is a former roman capital. and according to locals, deserves city status. �* . according to locals, deserves city status. �*, ., .,

status. it's about time. cheltenham not it a status. it's about time. cheltenham got it a few — status. it's about time. cheltenham got it a few years — status. it's about time. cheltenham got it a few years ago. _ status. it's about time. cheltenham got it a few years ago. we've - status. it's about time. cheltenham got it a few years ago. we've got i got it a few years ago. we've got the castle. got it a few years ago. we've got the castle-— the castle. i'm really excited. i think it will— the castle. i'm really excited. i think it will help _ the castle. i'm really excited. i think it will help colchester - the castle. i'm really excited. i. think it will help colchester come the castle. i'm really excited. i- think it will help colchester come i think— think it will help colchester come i think it _ think it will help colchester come i think it is — think it will help colchester come i think it is a — think it will help colchester come i think it is a bit rough around the edges — think it is a bit rough around the edaes. ., ., , ., , think it is a bit rough around the edaes. ., ., , .,, , ., edges. rexova praised the historical im ortance edges. rexova praised the historical importance of— edges. rexova praised the historical importance of this _ edges. rexova praised the historical importance of this football - edges. rexova praised the historical importance of this football club, - importance of this football club, which has been sprinkled with hollywood star dust, thanks to owners actors ryan reynolds and ryan mcaleny. dunfermline is the ancient capital of scotland, and the resting place of robert the bruce. douglas will now be the isle of man's first and only city. to will now be the isle of man's first and only city-— and only city. to be part of the u-rou and only city. to be part of the a-rou of and only city. to be part of the grouo of 38 — and only city. to be part of the group of 38 that _ and only city. to be part of the group of 38 that applied - and only city. to be part of the group of 38 that applied and i and only city. to be part of the i group of 38 that applied and one and only city. to be part of the - group of 38 that applied and one of those eight that was picked, for them to recognise our city is just fabulous, really, it's great. and fabulous, really, it's great. and doncaster. _ fabulous, really, it's great. and doncaster, which _ fabulous, really, it's great. and doncaster, which made three previous attempts to be a city, has finally triumphed. being granted city status doesn't automatically bring new investment

but previous winners to say it gave them more national and international recognition. people here in bangor will be hoping becoming a city signal is a sea change in opportunities. charlotte gallagher, bbc news, bangor. royalty and celebrities turned out last night for the uk premiere of the long—awaited top gun sequel. it's been 36 years since we first saw tom cruise on the silver screen as captain pete "maverick" mitchell. now the hollywood actor has returned to the cockpit to star in the film's follow—up. 0ur entertainment correspondent, steffan powell was there. when you're coming up with a checklist for your dream film premiere, you've probably got hollywood royalty, actual royalty, up—and—coming stars, a big crowd, and something unexpected, like a fighterjet, on your list. safe to say, this one had the lot. good morning, aviators, this is your captain speaking. top gun maverick is an unashamed throwback to the 1980s, to those blockbuster films that made hollywood so popular.

and what tom cruise and his team hope is that by taking inspiration from the past, they can save cinema's future. i'm always thinking about the big screen and that experience. and i know audiences want it. so it's beautiful that i think everyone is feeling it and enjoying this moment. and knowing, you know. as i said, it is emotional. i'm talking to you with no mask and here we are. this sequel, coming 36 years after the original, mixes a heavy dose of nostalgia with some new, yet familiar faces. i was definitely aware of the fact that it is a beloved movie and the fans have a lot of expectations. so it's definitely on my mind. the last few years have been devastating for the cinema industry. attendance figures plummeted due to covid, down roughly 60% on their pre—pandemic levels.