welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. the headlines... as us politicians consider new laws in the wake of the texas shooting, actor matthew mcconaughey makes an appeal at the white house. can both sides rise above? can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand, and admit that we have a life—preservation problem on our hands? the us and south korea hold military exercises amid warnings of a nuclear test by the north. borisjohnson tells his cabinet it's time to focus on the issues they were elected on a day after winning the confidence vote. and the belgian king makes

a historic visit to congo — the scene of atrocities committed by his colonial ancestor. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello, and welcome to the programme. three weeks after the school shooting in texas, there are signs that some — very limited — gun control measures could be adopted by congress. the senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell, says he hopes for a deal addressing mental health and school security. so what are the proposals on gun control that congress is looking at? let's put some of those pointers up for you. the potential measures being discussed include further incentives for states to introduce their own red flag laws.

more investment in school security, and access to mental health support. there is a proposal to change the background checks for people younger than 21. and an idea which looks something like a cooling—off period for 18—year—olds who want to buy a semi—automatic weapon — the kind that were used by 18—year—old shooters in buffallo and uvalde. we've heard many people speak out in the aftermath of the shooting — the latest person is the actor mathew mcconaughey who is also a former resident of uvalde, texas, and a campaigner for gun reform. he spoke emotionally about the need for new regulations. this should be a nonpartisan issue. this should not be a partisan issue. there is not a democratic or republican value in one single act of these shooters. there is not. but people in power have failed to act, so we're asking you — and i'm asking you, will you please ask yourselves — can both sides rise above?

can both sides see beyond the political problem at hand and admit that we have a life—preservation problem on our hands? we'll be attracting that story very closely. —— tracking. north korea could conduct a seventh nuclear test at any time — that's the warning from the us special representative sung kim, who says the north has shown no interest in returning to the negotiating table. on tuesday, the us and south korea conducted joint exercises involving around 20 warplanes over the waters around the korean peninsula. the drills come after pyongyang fired a barrage of short—range ballistic missiles from multiple locations while conducting their own tests on sunday. earlier, a senior us diplomat said there would be a swift and forceful response if north korea conducted

a nuclear test. speaking after a meeting with her south korean counterpart, the deputy secretary of state, wendy sherman, said she expected the entire world to react. any nuclear test would be in complete violation of un security council resolutions. there would be a swift and forceful response to such a test because, as the international atomic energy agency itself has said, there is concern that they may conduct a nuclear test. this would be very destabilising to the world's security, and i believe that not only the rok and the united states and japan, but the entire world will respond in a strong and clear manner. i've been speaking to professor leszek buszynski, from the australian national university, strategic and defence studies centre, for his take on the situation.

if it does go ahead, i think that it certainly bring china and the us together again. if we go back to 2017, when it conducted its sixth nuclear test, that really rattled the chinese because it also has launched a series of tests that threatened the us, and the last thing the chinese wanted was instability on the korean peninsula. so the chinesejoined the us in imposing strict and very severe un sanctions on north korea, and that brought north korea to a halt for a while. i think much of the same would happen again if they were to do this test, because the last thing the chinese want is for north korea to disturb the balance on the korean peninsula.

the americans would threaten a response, and that would be very, i think, disturbing for the chinese. so what the chinese want is simply everything to stay as it is, the status quo, and no further movement on the part of the north koreans. i think it would disturb the chinese considerably. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... the world bank has slashed its economic growth forecast, saying it many countries face a major recession. the effects of the covid pandemic and russia's invasion of ukraine. there's a strong risk of low growth and high inflation, stagflation. the police in brazil have opened a criminal investigation into the disappearance of the british journalist dom philips, who went missing in a remote part of the amazon

while he was with a leading indigenous expert. local people said the men had been threatened during their visit to the javari valley in north western brazil. monkeypox is to be listed as a notifiable disease in england. what that means is, doctors are now required to notify their local council or health protection team if they suspect a patient has the viral infection. to notify their local council or health protection team around 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks, with more than 900 confirmed or suspected cases so far, mainly in europe. the uk prime minister boris johnson has told his cabinet that it's time to "draw a line" under the controversies and internal wrangling that resulted in a confidence vote on his leadership on monday. the prime minister said the government should focus on dealing with the aftershocks of the covid pandemic. he saw off a leadership challenge — but with a much smaller majority than many had

expected, prompting speculation that his position is far from secure. here's the latest from our political editor chris mason. the prime minister took his jack russell, dilyn, out first thing this morning on a day when the biggest word in westminster is "loyalty", or the lack of it. a few hours later, another outwardly loyal bunch gathered, the cabinet. thank you, by the way, to everybody for all your good work yesterday because it was a very important day because we are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about. desk thumping down the road from here, a bus stop, which it turns out, was on to the result last night before the rest of us. the 211 destined for keeping borisjohnson in office and 148 keen on a new driver. so, where is the party going now? the former cabinet minister andrea leadsom had criticised the prime minister.

the party gave its views yesterday and today is another day, we move on. the former health secretary jeremy hunt has needed a helmet for more than a bike ride recently. i don't have any- comments to make. are you still running for the leadership? i'll try not to run you over. thanks. boris johnson's allies were really riled yesterday by what they saw as him manoeuvring towards a leadership bid with his criticism of the prime minister. and talking of other possible contenders to replace borisjohnson at some point, they insist their attention, for now, is on the dayjob. my 100% focus is on my role as foreign secretary. there is a lot to do. we need to carry on supporting ukraine, we need to make sure that russia is driven out of ukraine. the prime minister visited ukraine in april. he said boris, thank you. dya kuyu. and today received an endorsement from the country's leader.

president zelensky described mr johnson as a real friend of ukraine, adding he was very grateful he hadn't lost such an ally. but a former conservative party leaders said trying to carry on when 40% of your mps want to rid of you isn't sustainable.— want to rid of you isn't sustainable. this is like t in: sustainable. this is like trying to _ sustainable. this is like trying to drive - sustainable. this is like trying to drive along . sustainable. this is like| trying to drive along the sustainable. this is like - trying to drive along the m1 with two flat tires. and you know, you can say you're at the steering wheel, but is it really viable? you won't get to the end of the motorway. find the end of the motorway. and 'ust off the end of the motorway. and just off the — the end of the motorway. and just off the f1. _ the end of the motorway. and just off the f1, mr _ the end of the motorway. and just off the f1, mrjohnson faces the verdict of voters — there are two by elections this month in seats the conservatives that hold. one of them is here in wakefield, and west yorkshire. i them is here in wakefield, and west yorkshire.— west yorkshire. i don't trust boris johnson _ west yorkshire. i don't trust boris johnson at _ west yorkshire. i don't trust boris johnson at all. - west yorkshire. i don't trust boris johnson at all. i - west yorkshire. i don't trust boris johnson at all. i thinkl borisjohnson at all. i think what he's been doing recently is just terrible. i what he's been doing recently is just terrible.— isjust terrible. i think he's been incredibly _ isjust terrible. i think he's been incredibly unlucky. . isjust terrible. i think he's l been incredibly unlucky. and now — been incredibly unlucky. and now it — been incredibly unlucky. and now it would appear that his own— now it would appear that his own team are out to get him. the _ own team are out to get him. the opposition parties are delighted. the opposition parties are delighted-—

the opposition parties are deliahted. , , . delighted. this is catastrophic for the prime _ delighted. this is catastrophic for the prime minister, - delighted. this is catastrophic for the prime minister, but i l for the prime minister, but i think whars— for the prime minister, but i think what's more _ for the prime minister, but ll think what's more important, actually, _ think what's more important, actually, is_ think what's more important, actually, is the _ think what's more important, j actually, is the overwhelming public — actually, is the overwhelming public opinion— actually, is the overwhelming public opinion that _ actually, is the overwhelming public opinion that boris - public opinion that boris johnson _ public opinion that boris johnson broke _ public opinion that boris johnson broke the - public opinion that boris johnson broke the rules| public opinion that boris - johnson broke the rules and shouldn'l_ johnson broke the rules and shouldn't be _ johnson broke the rules and shouldn't be prime - johnson broke the rules andl shouldn't be prime minister. getting — shouldn't be prime minister. getting rid _ shouldn't be prime minister. getting rid of— shouldn't be prime minister. getting rid of a _ shouldn't be prime minister. getting rid of a prime - shouldn't be prime minister. i getting rid of a prime minister who doesn't want to go is not easy — and those who want to turn borisjohnson out have had a go and failed. so they will now ballet to their time. losing two by elections later this month — if that were to happen — could bring conservative mps's anxieties back to the boil. but even then, dislodging boris johnson will then, dislodging borisjohnson will not be easy. but we have is an awkward stalemate — the prime minister's internal critics have squashed at least some of his authority. but while the jubilee bunting some of his authority. but while thejubilee bunting is being removed from downing street, the man who lives here is not. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: focusing on ukraine, how three volunteers are helping evacuate the frail and the elderly from their homes. we follow them for a day.

the day the british liberated the falklands. and by tonight, british troops have begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorbymania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who, for them, has raised great hopes for an end to the division of europe. it happened as the queen moved toward horse guards parade for the start of tropping the colour. the queen looks worried, but recovers quickly. as long as they'll pay to go see me, i'll goi out there and take him down the hills. - what does it feel like to be

the first man to go across the channel by your own power? it feels pretty neat. it feels marvellous, really. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm arunoday mukharji in singapore. our headlines... us politicians are considering new laws in the wake of the texas shooting, including extra background checks for gun owners under 21. our correspondent david willis in los angeles has been following the story. the white house is saying that it is cautiously optimistic that some sort of agreement may be reached between those members of democrat and republican bipartisan groups. they have been meeting in the wake of this terrible

massacre in uvalde two weeks ago. it's led by democrat chris murphy, who made an impassioned speech on the floorjust hours after 19 schoolchildren lost their lives in texas. and republicans as well arejoining that group, and it seems that there is some sort of movement that could lead to a tightening and some way of gun—control laws in this country, a subtle one. not all—out root—and—branch changes of the sort that some in this country would like to see. polls continue to show that the majority of people in this country are in favour of tighter gun control laws — although 44% of republican voters seem to accept that these sort of gun massacres are a part of life if one is to retain the freedom to bear arms in the us. david, you mentioned republicans, that some of them are willing to engage, but how likely is a deal?

we have, in the state of texas alone, senatorjohn cornyn, who's been leading this bipartisan discussion group, and senator ted cruz. now, 160 miles separate these two lawmakers geographically. a greater distance ideologically when it comes to this issue of gun control. senator ted cruz believes that the answer to these short of shootings lies in greater mental health checks and greater security at schools — and mr cornyn, however, is nonetheless carrying on in an attempt to get some sort of agreement, and it seems an agreement if it comes will be on so—called federal red flag laws, the sort that we seek to identify. people who should it be allowed to possess guns and remove them.

the bodies of some ukrainian fighters killed defending the key south—eastern port of mariupol have now arrived in kyiv. the soldiers' families say this was part of a swap more than 50 are the bodies of members of the azov regiment, who died defending the azovstal steelworks. in the city of mariupol, there has also been warning of a possible outbreak of cholera — many bodies are still believed buried under the rubble, and sewage reportedly contaminates the water supply. intense fighting is continuing in eastern ukraine, with reports of civilians killed in strikes on kharkiv, and other areas of the donbas. and the distribution of food from ukraine to the rest of the world continues to be a problem. russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov, has arrived in turkey for talks aimed at unblocking the export of grain, and other agricultural products. russia has been accused of weaponising food supplies by blockading ukrainian ports, which the un says is increasing the risk of famine in parts

of the developing world. us tech firm uber has partnered with the united nations world food programme to help it deliver emergency food and water supplies in war—torn cities of ukraine. it's built the organisation a free version of the software it uses to co—ordinate its own delivery services — and it's being trialled in the city of dnipro. the bbc�*s technology editor, zoe kleinman, reports. in some parts of ukraine, it's getting harder and harder to access food and water. but in a war zone, big delivery trucks can also be big targets. so now, the united nations world food programme is trying out a new way of delivering emergency supplies using a fleet of smaller vehicles. it's building its own delivery network using uber�*s software, and even some of its drivers. they can designate vehicles that they onboard to the programme, and they've got the same dispatch technology,

they can track the food, etc. it's essentially their own private—label uber that we've built for them. it's the software behind what you see if you use uber that's been customised for the world food programme. uber usually charges big brands and supermarkets to use its delivery toolkit — this is the first time it's given it away for free, and it's for humanitarian use. it's not like you can wait a month and get food to people. people need to get food immediately. you can't go if you weeks without food. and so, using their technology, using their distribution systems and dispatch systems, it really is a great success story. uber�*s had a turbulent couple of years, thanks to both covid and controversy around its driver policies. its shares are currently worth around half what they were this time last year. but its expansion into deliveries seems to be working out. i ultimately think that delivery can be bigger in scope because it is notjust about food, it's groceries, and also empowering any local merchants to, in some

ways, out—amazon amazon. right, if amazon can deliver next day, your local merchant can deliver next hour or the next two hours. the meta theme is people want delivery of everything at home as quickly as possible — and we can ride that secular way of. by the end ofjune, the world food programme aims to be providing food and money to three million people in ukraine every month. if its uber—style network can expand to other cities, it could play a part in helping supplies get to those in need. zoe kleinman, bbc news. as russia continues to bombard parts of ukraine's eastern donbas region, civilians are being forced to flee from towns and cities that are being shelled. three british volunteers are helping to evacuate the frail and the elderly from areas near the shifting front lines. our international correspondent orla guerin joined them for a day. the hard days are when you can't take everyone out. i have has phone calls

with my mum where she has been in tears. but they are just really proud of what i'm doing out here. i don't feel like there's anything else i could be doing that's more important than this. a briefing before they head off into harm's way. we'll probably be stopping en route to pick up the patient. as they have done every day for months in a van driven overfrom england, these volunteers from different walks of life teamed up here in ukraine. they fund themselves and prefer not to be named. the youngest is 21, a dog trainerfrom kent who has done a course in trauma first aid. when we're out on evacuations, we are very alert to what's going on. there have been a few moments you feel it's a bit close for comfort. as much danger as we are in,

we also feel quite prepared and reliable as a team. it's a world away from her home in sussex and previous career in technology. it's hands—on. her own family knows this trauma. her grandmother had to flee poland during the second world war. the team has helped around 150 ukrainians to flee... . . including anastasia, who's 96. we just want to get things done without any bureaucracy or red tape. we work every day because this is what we care about and do and this is what matters. because we are all europeans and an attack on ukraine by russia is an attack on all of us and we care about it. back in the uk, he was caring for sheep and cattle

on a farm in cornwall. no preparation for aid work in a war zone in eastern ukraine. some people at home will say, "what are you guys doing? "why didn't you leave it to the ukrainians "or the big organisations?" good question. i didn't expect we would be needed or wanted in this sort of role. but we are. the ukrainians that we're working with want to see us doing this and they seem to think we're doing a good job. in an ideal world, we would be redundant, but we're not. they brought anastasia to the train station for a journey away from the east. it has come to this for a survivor of world war ii who lived to see europe's newest war. tomorrow, the team will

evacuate more ukrainians towards relative safety, but away from home. you hope that you're doing the right thing, taking them away. and you think about that for every person you evacuate. will they get to come back? ukrainians are tied to the lands, and i was told if you take a ukrainian away from that, then they will die. that's why whenever i evacuate a woman, i will pick her a flower from outside her building. i can't give them anything else to take with them, but i can give them the flower to take. it's the only thing i can do. one of the volunteers speaking to orla guerin. belgium's king philippe and queen mathilde have arrived in the democratic republic of congo for a six—day visit, at the invitation of the country's president. here's the royal couple arriving in kinshasa. it's king philippe's first visit there since ascending to the throne in 2013.

it's seen as a chance for reconciliation after the atrocities committed under belgian colonial rule. these images are from 1960, when the drc won its independence. belgium had controlled the country since the turn of the 20th century, when king leopold ii seized it as his personal possession. up to ten million africans died during his reign. belgium's princess esemeralda spoke to the bbc�*s focus on africa programme — she says recent events including the george floyd killing have influenced herfamily�*s thinking. it was always, obviously, discussed, but obviously the international events put the whole of europe, i think, to realise that racism and discrimination was coming from colonialism and all those difficult, painfuland, let's say, horrible times,

what the colonial powers — the european colonial powers — did in africa and elsewhere in the world. i think that, already, the first step, which was the regret of the king two years ago, was an important step. i think everybody is probably waiting for something more, like formal apologies, and so we can open this new chapter and have a transparent relationship, looking back at history with, you know, the honesty and openness that it deserves, so we can move to the future. princess esmeralda, talking to the bbc a little earlier. and before we go tonight — a tale of sunken treasure at the bottom of the ocean. colombian naval officials have found two more historical shipwrecks, close to the remains of the sanjose galleon, a spanish ship laden with treasure that was sunk

by the british in 1708. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. umbrellas at the ready — we'll be dodging the downpours during wednesday. there's rain sweeping north and east overnight. a lot of that clears away for wednesday. that lingers in scotland, whereas elsewhere, you may get to see some sunshine. the showers will be heavy, possibly thundery with hail in places. this area of low pressure is pumping that rain north and east through the night and into the morning. it will be a very mild start in the morning. still some rain across eastern parts of england and into southern scotland. it'll be heavy in places. the eastern england rain will soon clear away, but in scotland, very slowly, the rain pushes northwards — not reaching the very far north. elsewhere, you get sunny spells and showers, some heavy, some thundery, a chance of hail. some of the beefiest ones in the afternoon could be across parts of southern scotland, into the far north of england, but with the showers dying away from wales and the southwest into the later stages of the afternoon,

a cooler day, certainly so in scotland. a windier one along the coast of wales and southern england, and for the afternoon in northern ireland, increasing cloud, some outbreaks of rain becoming more widespread. mayjust push across parts of north wales and northwest england overnight and into thursday morning. still some patchy, light rain and drizzle at this stage in scotland, though many places on thursday starting dry, not as mild. an area of low pressure, x tropical storm alex, moves to the northwest thursday, friday and into saturday. doesn't hit the uk, but we're close enough across northwestern areas for it to become very windy for a time, especially friday—saturday. though on thursday, winds will start to pick up in the west and from that weather system, we'll see cloud and outbreaks of rain through southern and western parts of england, wales and into northern ireland. northern and eastern scotland, down the eastern side of england, a few showers, but also warm, sunny spells around. turning very windy, particularly across the western isles on friday, some gusts 40—50 mph, blustery across scotland and northern ireland, where we'll see most

of the showers. breezy for england and wales, chance of a shower, many places staying dry but rather grey and drizzly perhaps first thing on friday towards the southeast. temperatures — high teens and into the low 20s. that area of low pressure keeping things very windy on saturday in scotland and northern ireland and just easing away northwards on sunday, so the winds will begin to ease at this stage. there may still be a few lingering showers around. actually, by sunday, it looks as if many places will turn a bit cooler, whereas throughout the weekend, the warmest and the sunniest weather's going to be across southeast england. that's your forecast.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. taliban rule was re—established in afghanistan almost a year ago. for afghans, it's meant the return of repressive religious authoritarianism and new levels of economic impoverishment. the mullahs seem ready

to absorb indefinite isolation to re—impose their orthodoxy.