this is bbc news: i'm david eades. our top stories: another mass shooting in the united states. at least 19 children and one teacher have been killed at a primary school in texas. police later named the gunman as salvador ramos, who was shot dead. president biden has addressed the nation, saying he felt �*sick and tired' on hearing that another school had been attacked. tonight, i asked the nation to pray for them, give the parents and siblings the strength in the darkness they feel right now. and one other headline this hour: russia says it is ready for a prolonged conflict in ukraine, as its forces continue to make progress in the east

of the country, we report from the frontline in ukraine's eastern most region, luhansk. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a gunman has shot dead at least 19 students and at least one teacher at a primary school in the us state of texas. the pupils were between the ages of 7 and 10. the mass shooting was in the small town of uvalde, around 135km west of san antonio, at robb elementary school, which is made up of a largely hispanic community. authorities say the suspected attacker was an 18—year—old, named salvador ramos. he was shot dead by law enforcement officers. he is believed to have purchased two military—grade rifles and is suspected

of killing his grandmother before heading to the school. he crashed his car outside the campus and went into the classrooms, wearing body armour. from uvalde, the bbc�*s angelica casas has more. this is likely the large police purpose and is that this montana uvalde has seen. today it is the target of a school mass shooting where the victims are pupils under the age of ten as well as teachers. what we know so far is that the suspect was an 18—year—old, carrying both a handgun and automatic rifle and that likely killed his grandmother before coming to the school. i've spoken to neighbours from the area who say that that this is unexpected. many of them know people who either worked at the school children attending. i spoke with one woman who said that a family friend still does not know where her daughter is. as the death toll continues to rise and more is known about

the victims this brings up the debate again of guns in america. residents are in shock and disbelief as this town has become the latest target of a school mass shooting. us presidentjoe biden has a ready made a statement and asked that all us flags be lowered to half—mast until saturday. which is already taken place. he learned of it once he got back from the asia trip and when he got back he made a statement. in a televised address, presidentjoe biden has said it is time to stand up to the gun lobby. another massacre in uvalde, texas, in elementary school. beautiful, innocent, second, third, fourth graders. how many scores of little children who witnessed what happened, see

their friends die, witnessed what happened, see theirfriends die, as if they are a nobel field, for gods sake! i am sick and tired of it! we have to act! — — battlefield. do not tell me we cannot have an impact on this carnage! i spent my career as a senator and vice president, working to pass commonsense gun laws. we can and will prevent every tragedy but we know they work and have positive impact and if we pass this weapons ban, mass shootings went down and when the law expired, mass shootings tripled. the idea that an 18—year—old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong! these kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world. why? they have mental health

problems. they have domestic disputes in other countries. they have people who are lost. but these kinds of mass shootings never happen with this kind of frequency that they happen in america. why? why are we willing to live with his carnage? why do we keep letting this happen? where in gods name is our backbone? and the courage to deal with the lobbies. it's time to turn his pain into action. for every parent. for every citizen of this country. we have to make it clear to every elected official in this country it is time to act! it is time for those who have delayed who want the commonsense gun laws, we will let you know that we will not forget. we can do so much more. we have to do more.

an angry message there from presidentjoe biden. senator chris murphy, a democrat from connecticut, where the sandy hook shooting took place, made an impassioned appeal for concrete action to prevent further violence. 20 students were shot there. 14 kids dead in an elementary school in texas right now. what are we doing? just days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down african—american patrons we have another sandy hook on our hands. what are we doing? there are more mass shootings

than days in the year. our kids are living in fear. every single time they set foot in a classroom because they think they are going to be next. what are we're doing? why do you spend all this time running for the united states senate, why do you go through all the hassle of getting this job, of putting yourself in a position of authority if your answer is that as the slaughter increases, as our kids run for their lives, we do nothing? he also reference the killing of ten people in buffalo in new york state just over a week ago. ted cruz, republican senator for texas, was asked about gun control and gave this reaction to our partners at cbs. when there is a matter of this kind, you see politicians

trying to politicise it. if the democrats and many in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict constitutional rights of law—abiding citizens. it doesn't work. it is not effective. it doesn't prevent the crime. we know what does prevent crime is going after felons and fugitives and those with serious mental illness, arresting them, prosecuting them when they try to legally purchase firearms. we will in the circumstances of this mass murder are but if you look to the past, we know what is effective and it is targeting the felons and fugitives and the felons and fugitives and the bad guys but as sure as night follows day, you bet there will be democratic politicians looking to advance their own political agenda, rather than to work to stop this kind of horrific violence and keep everyone safe. robyn thomas, executive director of the giffords law center to prevent gun violence, told us about what americans

think of the idea of gun control. i think, what is really important for people to know is that the american people themselves are actually not that divided on this issue. when we do polling, in this country, 80%—90% of americans support all kinds of commonsense gun regulation. this is not something the american people are opposed to. this is something that special interests and lobbying groups, like the nra and the gun industry, who have politicians who do their bidding in washington dc, have a stranglehold. and for a long time, the conversation has not been about solutions, it has not been about what can we do to prevent this? it has been about who holds the reins of power in washington and, unfortunately, we have a very divided congress, very much beholden to special interests, and so they are not willing to actually do what their constituents want. i mean, even gun owners, when they poll them and ask them, "do you agree we should have background checks

for every sale of a gun?" 75% of gun owners in america agree with that and yet it is not something we can actually get our congress to do so, yes, it is an important debate, there is certainly a range of opinions, americans definitely hold, i think, gun rights much more dearly than in many other places, however it is not something that the american people agree with the kind of inaction that our government has held for so long and i think that is what is so frustrating to me, is that we actually agree on a lot in this country when it comes to gun regulation and we still cannot get the leaders in washington and even in many states to take the action needed. i mean, texas holds the unfortunate record for four of the most devastating tragic mass shootings out of the last ten in this country so it is really a state where you have terribly weak laws, you have the proliferation of far too many guns and this is the consequence.

just a quick mention that for more on this story you can take a look at our website. 0ur live page is being updated. for all the latest visit bbc.com/news. we have also added details of the teacher who was killed, eva mireles, the fourth grade teacher at robb elementary school, also adding up to 19, the number of youngsters killed. there is a picture of her there. that is on the website and details there as well. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: good morning and welcome to the brand—new islington line service.

and it's three years late, and a few billion over budget, but the elizabeth line on london's tube network has opened to the public. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletic events to aid famine relief in africa. the first of what the makers of star wars hope will be thousands of queues started forming at 7am. taunting which led to scuffles, scuffles to fighting, fighting to full—scale riot as the liverpool fans broke out of their area and into the juventus enclosure. the belgian police had lost control. the whole world will. mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. he was the father of the indian people from the day— of independence. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than 4,500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people

on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she's left the spice girls. argh! — i don't believe it! she's the one with the bounce, the go, girl power. not geri. why? this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: some news now from ukraine as russia is saying it is ready for a prolonged conflict in the country as forces continue to make progress in the east. jeremy bowen reports from the front line in the easternmost region of luhansk. the ukrainian army could be fighting a losing battle in lu ha nsk. they're committing reserves to the front line. russian firepower is destroying towns and killing ukrainian soldiers. one unit went into the line

with 240 men and came out with 100 of them killed, wounded and captured. bakhmut is a town getting slowly eaten by the war. this week, it's around three miles from the russians — well within range. next week, it might be much closer. civilians with somewhere to go have left. in the ruins in donbas, the victory in kyiv in march, the euphoria, glory and sacrifice feel distant. "where's the cease fire?", says this man. "even if it costs land." translation: what could it change for me? - the main thing is to stay alive. this isjust the beginning. everything still to come. if we survive, we'll see how it goes. at a safe distance from the front line,

civilians were brought to a railway platform for evacuation. most were too weak and too old to leave before the war swallowed them, and now they're wounded. leda was rescued from ruined severodonetsk, almost surrounded by the russians. thousands of ukrainian civilians are still there. the train's been transformed into an ambulance and intensive care unit by msf — doctors without borders. the intensity of the fighting means the train is running at close to full capacity. the medics work continuous back—to—back trips. relative safety in lviv is 20 hours down the track. it's an escape capsule from a war that's so hard to predict that the medical teams only know who's coming in the last hours before they leave. sometimes they're wounded the same morning. this man from bakhmut

was on the train six hours after he was hurt in an airstrike. translation: i saw our soldiers standing nearby j and crawled towards them. then i realised my strength was leaving me and i wouldn't be able to crawl. i got up and started screaming. even when families survived with them, the lives they led are smashed. translation: my husband and i have lived together i for 51 years in peace and harmony, and now it ends so badly. i guess we're running out of time. yasser kamaledin organises the train, evacuating the wounded is vital for the ukrainians, as the war in the east intensifies. the hospitals closer to the front line are overwhelmed, are receiving continuously big numbers of patients beyond their capacity to cope. so it's very important for us and for the ministry of health here in ukraine to make sure that these hospitals are always ready to receive more patients,

especially the war—wounded. this war is much more organised now than it was back in february when it started. notjust medical evacuation, though what they're doing on this train is really remarkable, but also where the decisions are made — the generals, the presidents. you get the feeling that they've settled in for a long, hard attritional struggle. the ukrainians don't talk much about their own casualties, but the graveyards in the east are filling up and their president says up to 100 soldiers a day could be dying in donbas. he says only diplomacy can end the war. his allies, led by the us and uk, want to weaken putin's russia permanently. their critics say they'll fight to the last ukrainian. the currency of war is blood. new graves are ready. as they're filled, more

ukrainians will question the blood price they're paying and ask how much a cease fire will cost. jeremy bowen, bbc news, in eastern ukraine. the british prime minister — borisjohnson — is under renewed pressure following the latest revelations by people who attended gatherings in downing street during lockdown. they describe a culture in which parties were routine, sometimes crowded affairs, and security guards were laughed at when they tried to stop one party from taking place. the testimony, obtained by bbc panorama, comes as borisjohnson braces himself for the publication of an official report into events during lockdown, which is now expected to be presented to downing steet on wednesday. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young has the latest. unemployment is now down to its lowest level since 197a. boris johnson trying to focus on the positive as he opened this week's cabinet meeting. they have all been defending his behaviour during lockdown,

at a time when rule—breaking was rife inside number 10. there were bottles, empties, rubbish — in the bin, but overflowing, or indeed sometimes left on the table. panorama has spoken to three insiders who attended gatherings in downing street. police have issued more than 120 fines to those who partied here. this event took place in november 2020. at least one person was fined, but mrjohnson wasn't. a staffer who was there described the do. their words are spoken by actors. there was about 30 people, if not more, in a room. everyone was stood shoulder to shoulder with some people on each other�*s laps. the prime minister will be disappointed. as you know, he has apologised for what happened. i think he has popped down there to raise a glass and say thank you to a long—term member of staff who was leaving, and my view is that none of this should have happened, of course.

insiders say there were weekly invites to �*wine time friday�* in the press office at apm, and several leaving parties. 0ne went on so late some people stayed the night. i apologise... since december, mrjohnson has been forced to answer questions about what went on. i have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no covid rules were broken. you and your colleagues felt that you had essentially permission from boris johnson to have these events? that is what you are saying? yeah. because... ? he was there. he may havejust been popping through on the way to his flat, because that is what would happen. you know, he wasn�*t there saying they shouldn�*t be happening, he wasn�*t saying, can everyone break up and go home?

can everyone socially distance? can everyone put masks on? no, he wasn�*t telling anybody that, he was grabbing a glass for himself. a lot of these young members of staff from across downing street who have been fined feel that they went to these events — they did not think they were breaking the rules at the time because the prime minister was at them, some of the most senior civil servants in the country were at them, and were indeed organising some of them. and mrjohnson�*s response to the allegations caused disbelief, according to one staffer. why is he denying this? when we have been with him this entire time. we knew that the rules had been broken, we knew these parties happened. the police may have finished their investigation into partying here in downing street but that is not the end of the matter. a senior civil servant is about to give a much fuller picture of what went on. this is about the behaviour of the prime minister and the country�*s top officials. it is about leadership and integrity in public life.

mrjohnson says he takes the allegations very seriously. so far he has been helped by cabinet ministers staying loyal, even though he has been fine. has the prime minister been honest about partying here in downing street? but many conservative mps are waiting until they see sue gray�*s report before passing judgement. vicky young, bbc new, westminster. health authorities have been announcing measures to tackle the spread of monkeypox, as more countries announce their first cases. it was first noticed outside parts of central and west africa, where it is endemic, our medical editor, fergus walsh, reports. ok, so i understand that you�*ve been experiencing a rash. tell me a little bit about that. monkeypox is having a big on impact sexual health services. several clinics, like this one in south london, have staff isolating at home for up to 21 days. now, after an initial

phone appointment, face—to—face consultations are done in full ppe, because of the risk of infection. we have a number of staff self—isolating, because they came into direct contact with our first case patient, and that was way back early last week, before all the information came out, so just a few members of staff it can make a major impact in is delivering services, day to day. monkeypox is not usually regarded as a sexually transmitted disease. doctors say there should be no stigma. the rash and blisters caused by monkeypox usually clear up after a few weeks. monkeypox is not another covid. it doesn�*t spread easily, but requires close contact, usually skin to skin, and although cases are continuing to rise, there is optimism that this current outbreak will be brought under control. close contacts of cases will be offered a smallpox vaccine,

which is effective at preventing or suppressing monkeypox. so far, 1,000 doses have been issued. the entire uk stock is less than 5,000 jabs. fergus walsh, bbc news. its creators call it "the most spectacular railway in the world", others say it�*s the "most technologically advanced rail service" in existence. they�*re talking about the elizabeth line, which will eventually run from from reading in the west — to essex in the east. here�*s our reporter danjohnson. there are delayed trains. then there�*s crossrail. three and a half years behind schedule. £4 billion over budget. but finally, today, passengers got their ticket to ride london�*s elizabeth line. i�*ve turned up really early. i�*ve been waiting nearly ten years for this thing to open. there are shiny new platforms and the latest smoothest trains, bringing commuters into central london from east and west. the transport line in a city like london opening — it probably won't happen

again in my lifetime. the journey time between - canary wharf and whitechapel blew my mind. 0ne station isn�*t finished and trains won�*t run end—to—end for another year. still, it�*s seen as a major engineering achievement — at least for the south east. crossrail, the elizabeth line, is a really important thing for us to be very proud of. but don�*t believe that it�*s gone down beautifully well in leeds and liverpool and manchester, where they want to share the investment cake. public transport use is still down after the pandemic. passenger forecasts have been reduced for the line�*s first few years, but we�*re told it�*s designed to add capacity for the future. this railway isn't built for today or tomorrow. it's built for the next 100, 250 years. and we're very confident that this is a catalyst now for the post—pandemic recoverx _ there were celebrations in london this morning, with claims this line will add millions to the country�*s economy. but passengers on other routes are asking when they�*ll see the same sort of improved service. don johnson, bbc news.

you can reach me on twitter — i�*m @bbcdavideades. hello, again. tuesday was a very unsettled day, we had loads of showers across the whole of the uk, some impressive thunderclouds, this one spotted across the skies of west london, in acton, and there were reports of some hail, lots of thunder and lightning, and around kent, we even had a report of a funnel cloud, that�*s like a tornado coming down, but doesn�*t quite reach the ground. although there were loads of showers, the thunderstorms really were concentrated across eastern areas of england. why? well, that was down to the jetstream. you see, we have this trough moving across eastern areas of england, that�*s what kicked up the showers and made those thunderstorms, whereas a ridge to the northwest meant the showers here actually weren�*t very heavy at all. now, that trough feature has pinged all the way across into northeast europe, and looking at the charts for wednesday, a strong jetstream will be pushing in this set of weather fronts.

now, the fronts themselves, not particularly active by the time they get to eastern areas of england, but it will be a blustery kind of day, certainly a different day, compared with tuesday. a band of rain to start off with across northern ireland, western parts of england and wales, across scotland will push its way eastward, barely any rain left on by the time it reaches east anglia and south—east england, reaches east anglia and south—east england. what follows is much brighter weather with sunshine and a few showers mainly across north—western areas. temperatures about 16—18 degrees celsius, and it won�*t feel too bad in that strong may sunshine. looking at the weather picture through wednesday night, many of those showers will fade away, but then the cloud will start to rebuild in northern ireland, as we head into the first part of thursday morning, with that rain starting to make inroads here. now, this is another weather front off the atlantic, there�*s a tiny bit of uncertainty about where that is going, northern ireland, northern england and wales look the favoured spots for seeing rain. scotland, sunshine and showers

more likely and towards southern england, variable cloud but there will be some sunny spells coming and going here. now, temperatures, quite a range, cooler air getting in across scotland and northern ireland, highs just around 13—15 degrees for some, but warmer to the south—east, with temperatures up to 20. now, towards the end of the week, and the all—important weekend, this area of high pressure is going to be building in from the west. now, the weather is set to settle down, but we eventually are going to start to get some fairly brisk northerly winds, and those winds will feed in some showers to northern scotland at times, but otherwise a fair amount of dry weather with some sunny spells. that�*s the latest.

this is bbc news. i�*m david eades. the headlines: 19 children and one teacher have been killed in a mass shooting at a primary school in texas. it happened at the robb elementary school, in uvalde, which is made up of a largely hispanic community. the pupils were between the ages of 7 and 10. police have released a photo of the gunman. he�*s been named as salvador ramos, who was shot dead by law enforcement officers. he is believed to have purchased two military—grade rifles and is suspected of killing his grandmother, before heading to the school to carry out the shootings. president biden has addressed the nation, saying it was time for the united states to do what needed to be done and stand up to the gun lobby.

he said it was wrong that an 18 year—old