chris pincher — accusing number ten of not telling the truth about what they knew. number 10 had previously said mrjohnson thought allegations were either resolved or not made into a formal complaint — but the former civil servant simon mcdonald says that's not true. they need to come clean. i think that the language is ambiguous. the sort of telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time and hoping that people are not too forensic in their subsequent questioning and i think that is not working. trying to move on from the issue in cabinet this morning — but questions are now swirling about the account given to senior ministers who've defended the prime minister in public. we'll bring you all the latest

on a crisis that is deepening by the day for borisjohnson. also this lunchtime: police in the us state of illinois have arrested a 22—year—old man suspected of opening fire at an independence day parade near chicago, killing six people. eight months of rain in four days — 50,000 sydney residents are told to evacuate their homes as flooding worsens. in wales, children as young as 11 in care are still being placed in b&bs and hostels despite government pledges to stop the practice. i was just there, an excess piece. my mum didn't want me and now my grandparents can't look after me and now my foster carers don't want me and the state doesn't know what it wants to do with me. what... what's the point? and england pull off a record—breaking victory in the fifth test against india.

and coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel: it's the first of the quarterfinals at wimbledon, with the british number one cameron norrie looking to make the most of home support at the all england club. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. borisjohnson�*s decision to appoint chris pincher as deputy chief whip is facing further scrutiny after a former top civil servant said the prime minister was briefed "in person" about an investigation into the mps conduct when he was a foreign office minister. downing street's account of what happened has shifted in the past few days — yesterday, it said mrjohnson was aware of some allegations which were either resolved or not

part of a formal complaint — this was before he appointed mr pincher as deputy chief whip. but in a letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner, lord mcdonald, the former permanent secretary at the foreign office said the account given by number 10 was "not true". mr pincher was suspended as a conservative party mp last week over allegations he groped two men at a private members�* 0ur political correspondent ben wright has this report. are we good? not according to the former to - are we good? not according to the former top official _ are we good? not according to the former top official at _ are we good? not according to the former top official at the _ are we good? not according to the former top official at the foreign . former top official at the foreign office. lord macdonald's dynamite 0ffice. lord macdonald's dynamite plane this morning camejust before cabinet met. these days, the cameras are let in but there are no questions from reporters. it did not look like the mostjolly meeting of ministers. there is a key question at the heart of all of this, what did borisjohnson know about chris pincher�*s alleged past behaviour when he was appointed deputy chief whip in february? number 10's line

has shifted over recent days. i briefed the relevant senior official... briefed the relevant senior official. . ._ briefed the relevant senior official... �* , ., ., official... and this morning lord macdonald _ official... and this morning lord macdonald said _ official... and this morning lord macdonald said it _ official... and this morning lord macdonald said it had _ official... and this morning lord macdonald said it had made - macdonald said it had made inaccurate claims. i macdonald said it had made inaccurate claims.— macdonald said it had made inaccurate claims. ~ , inaccurate claims. i think they need to come clean. _ inaccurate claims. i think they need to come clean. i _ inaccurate claims. i think they need to come clean. ithink— inaccurate claims. i think they need to come clean. i think that - inaccurate claims. i think they need to come clean. i think that the - to come clean. i think that the language is ambiguous, it is the sort of telling the truth and crossing your fingers at the same time and hoping people are not too forensic in their subsequent questioning and i think that is not working. in questioning and i think that is not workinu. ., questioning and i think that is not workinu. . ., ., ., , working. in an extraordinary letter to parliament _ working. in an extraordinary letter to parliament standards _ working. in an extraordinary letter| to parliament standards watchdog, lord mcdonald said contrary to claims by number10, lord mcdonald said contrary to claims by number 10, borisjohnson was briefed in person by the initiation and outcome of an investigation into chris pincher�*s behaviour in 2019 when he was a foreign minister. he says there was a formal complaint and mr pincher was not exonerated. the deputy prime minister dominic raab was foreign secretary at the time. you minister dominic raab was foreign secretary at the time.— secretary at the time. you don't believe then _ secretary at the time. you don't believe then the _ secretary at the time. you don't believe then the work _ secretary at the time. you don't believe then the work of - secretary at the time. you don't believe then the work of lord i secretary at the time. you don't i believe then the work of lord bell lord mcdonald who said borisjohnson was briefed in person about the

initiation and outcome of the investigation?— initiation and outcome of the investigation? initiation and outcome of the investiuation? . , , ., investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware _ investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware of _ investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware of that _ investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware of that and _ investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware of that and it's - investigation? that is news to me, i was not aware of that and it's not i was not aware of that and it's not clear_ was not aware of that and it's not clear to _ was not aware of that and it's not clear to me — was not aware of that and it's not clear to me that is a factually accurate _ clear to me that is a factually accurate-— clear to me that is a factually accurate. , . , accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job _ accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job as _ accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job as deputy - accurate. chris pincher resigned from his job as deputy chief - accurate. chris pincher resigned. from his job as deputy chief whip last thursday. he has denied the misconduct allegations against him and is seeking professional medical support. number10's and is seeking professional medical support. number 10's line has changed several times since then. first, it said the prime minister was not aware of allegations involving mr pincher when he was given thejob in february. but yesterday, downing street said boris johnson was aware of some allegations that were either resolved or did not turn into a formal complaint. lord mcdonald' intervention contradicts that claim and some of borisjohnson�*s own backbenchers are exasperated. it does appear ministers of the crown have been lied to by people in downing street before being sent out onto the media. i downing street before being sent out onto the media.—

onto the media. i called the deputy leader, onto the media. i called the deputy leader. angela _ onto the media. i called the deputy leader, angela ranger. _ onto the media. i called the deputy leader, angela ranger. in - onto the media. i called the deputy leader, angela ranger. in the - leader, angela ranger. in the commons _ leader, angela ranger. in the commons this _ leader, angela ranger. in the commons this lunchtime, - leader, angela ranger. in the i commons this lunchtime, labour leader, angela ranger. in the - commons this lunchtime, labour said this was all about borisjohnson's judgment. this was all about boris johnson's 'udrment. ~ ., , ~ this was all about boris johnson's 'udrment. ~ ., ~ .~ judgment. what message, mr speaker, does this send — judgment. what message, mr speaker, does this send about _ judgment. what message, mr speaker, does this send about the _ judgment. what message, mr speaker, does this send about the standards i does this send about the standards of this government and what they set? what message does this send to the british people facing a cost of living crisis while their government is paralysed with scandal? when will those ministers stop defending the indefensible and say enough is enough? indefensible and say enough is enou~h? ., , ., enough? the position is that the prime minister _ enough? the position is that the prime minister acted _ enough? the position is that the prime minister acted with i enough? the position is that the | prime minister acted with probity enough? the position is that the i prime minister acted with probity at all times _ prime minister acted with probity at alltimes. it is prime minister acted with probity at all times. it is not appropriate, whether— all times. it is not appropriate, whether in— all times. it is not appropriate, whether in private life or in public life, whether in private life or in public life to _ whether in private life or in public life to act — whether in private life or in public life, to act on unsubstantiated rumoun — life, to act on unsubstantiated rumour. . . life, to act on unsubstantiated rumour. ., ., , life, to act on unsubstantiated rumour. ., ., �*, rumour. yet again, boris johnson's ministers find _ rumour. yet again, boris johnson's ministers find themselves - rumour. yet again, boris johnson's ministers find themselves trying i rumour. yet again, boris johnson's ministers find themselves trying to defend their boss and explain what the prime minister knew and when. ben wright, bbc news.

we can speak to our correspondent at westminster. what borisjohnson knew and when it has been examined for days now but today�* development does seem like political dynamite? that has been right. — seem like political dynamite? trust has been right, they have been twists and turns to this tale for days now. on friday, number 10 said the prime minister wasn�*t aware of any allegations about chris pincher�*s conduct. then just yesterday they conceded the prime minister was aware of certain allegations but these are either resolved or did not lead to a formal complaint. then last night we revealed there was in fact a formal complaint made about mr pincher when he was a foreign office minister in 2019 that borisjohnson was made aware of. that was confirmed this morning by lord mcdonald. former head of the diplomatic service, who accuse number 10 of not telling the truth, saying the prime minister was briefed at the time about not only that investigation that took place into mr pincher�*s conduct at the foreign office but also the outcome of that investigation as well. he has particularly taken issue with

number 10 �*s use of the word resolved saying just because it was a result doesn�*t mean mr pincher was somehow exonerated, in fact the opposite end he had to apologise for his conduct. these twists and turns which has resulted in another line today from number 10 saying the prime minister actually was briefed at the time about this foreign office that he simply did not recall that earlier this week and over the last few days has not gone down well with conservative mps. last few days has not gone down well with conservative mp5. i think a very damning line that summarises the mood in the party today from the former chief whip mark harper who told the bbc earlier today that he felt ministers of the crown had been lied to. this is sort of feeding the wider upset in the party that they feel like they have been marched up a hill only to be marched back down again with a line that keeps on changing. again with a line that keeps on chanauin. ., ~ again with a line that keeps on chanauin. ., ,, , again with a line that keeps on chanauin. . , . changing. 0k, thank you very much indeed. changing. 0k, thank you very much indeed- lone _ changing. 0k, thank you very much indeed. ione wells _ changing. 0k, thank you very much indeed. ione wells reporting i changing. 0k, thank you very much indeed. ione wells reporting there. j police in the us have arrested a 22 year—old man after six people were killed in a mass shooting

at an independence day parade near chicago. more than 20 others are in hospital after a high—powered rifle was fired multiple times from a rooftop. the suspect has been named as robert e crimo iii. 0ur correspondent nomia iqbal has this report. the streets where celebrations had been taking place quickly turned into a hunting ground, as police searched for a killer. a man who brought terror to an independence day parade. americans in this wealthy chicago suburb had been out in the sunshine for the symbolic day of the 11th ofjuly. a few minutes into the parade, shots rang out, creating shock, confusion and panic. people moved quickly for safety. i thought that it was the navy that was saluting the flag with rifles, but then when i saw people running, um, i picked up my son, and i started running. at first, the police found the gun but not the gunman.

it took until the evening for them to eventually arrest robert crimo iii. the person of interest is now being taken to the highland park police department where we�*re going to begin the next phase of the investigation and speak with this person to make sure or see if, in fact, he is connected to this incident. social media firms have suspended accounts apparently owned by him. all events were cancelled as police spent hours looking for the 22—year—old. and so another address to the nation, on yet another mass shooting. president biden cautiously questioned the direction his country is heading in. there�*s nothing guaranteed about our democracy, nothing guaranteed about our way of life. we have to fight for it, defend it and earn it by voting. once again, americans are dealing with gun violence. not a week has gone by without a mass shooting in america this year.

it happens everywhere — in their schools, supermarkets and even on independence day. nomia iqbal is in highland park where the shooting took place. nomia, what more do we know about the gunman and the victims? well, one of the victims has been named. he was a man in his late 70s and his family say that he needed full—time care and the reason they brought him to the 11th ofjuly celebrations is because they did not want him to miss out on the event. it is such a huge national holiday here in america. as for the suspect himself, robert e crimo iii, police will continue questioning him later. no charges have been filed, no motive established, social media firms have removed his accounts and say they depicted violence. there was also a picture of him draped in a flag of former president donald trump. president biden has vowed to

fight, continue fighting what he called the epidemic of gun violence in reaction to this and is an epidemic. every week this year in america there has been a mass shooting. recently, major legislation was passed to try and tackle it. but we don�*t know yet whether those new laws would have made a difference here.— made a difference here. thank you, nomia iqbal— made a difference here. thank you, nomia iqbal reporting. _ the mayor of sloviansk in eastern ukraine says the city is being hit by salvoes of russian artillery from closer positions — as it becomes the latest front line in the conflict. he confirmed that recent shelling had left at least six people dead and said it was now important to evacuate as many civilians as possible. over the weekend, the city of belgorod, which is a0 kilomtres from ukraine�*s northern border, was hit by what russia says was a ukrainian missile strike. it was the first time the city had been damaged since the start of the war. but, as our russia editor steve rosenberg found out, few people there are linking

the two events. the kremlin promised its special operation in ukraine would make russia safer. but in belgorod, there�*s little sign of safer. explosion this was the city early on sunday. russia accused ukraine of a missile attack. ukrainian officials deny it. but at least four civilians were killed in an explosion. and many buildings were damaged. this is not destruction on the scale of ukraine, where thousands of civilians have been killed since russia invaded, but there is anger here. "we should have fired a missile right back at kyiv", vadim says. "that would have made them think." i asked this lady if this had happened before. "what — in the city centre? "of course not", she says.

"we need to take harsher measures." i�*ve been wondering — why is it that so many people here don�*tjoin the dots? they don�*t make the connection between russia invading ukraine and their lives here becoming less safe? i think it�*s partly because the russian state media does all it can to prevent those dots from being joined in people�*s minds, but also many russians simply don�*t want to believe that their country started this, that russia is the aggressor. singing. but now, a call for peace from the orthodox church. metropolitan ioann of belgorod has issued a statement saying it�*s time to turn swords into ploughshares and that he�*s praying for an end to the bloodshed in ukraine that has now come to russian homes too.

prayers are one thing, the political will to make peace, well, that�*s another. steve rosenberg, bbc news, belgorod. italy has declared a state of emergency in five northern regions amid the worst drought in 70 years. several municipalities have already announced water rationing. the affected areas include lombardy and piedmont. unusually hot weather and low rainfall across winter and spring have compounded the issue in northern italy. around 50,000 people have been told to leave their homes in australia�*s largest city, sydney, as river levels continue to rise following days of torrential rain. parts of the city have received about eight months of rain in four days. roads have been cut off, some houses are underwater, and thousands have been left without power. 0ur correspondent, shaimaa khalil, has this report. in some parts of windsor, roads have turned into small rivers

and the only way to get around is by boat. a once—in—a—century weather event has now happened twice — just this year. melissa and her family have been without power for nearly 2a hours. now they�*ve been told to evacuate. this time, because the water�*s over the road now, yeah, i�*m a little bit worried. but, yeah... and as soon as the power got cut off yesterday as well, that was... yeah, had to go, because we had no power. some residents in this neighbourhood have been rescued by the emergency services and others have evacuated. some are waiting in their homes, praying that they don�*t get stuck and that the water doesn�*t rise even further. the thing you keep hearing time and time again is how exhausting its all been for them. exhausting it�*s all been for them. 0ne local told me that facing one catastrophic flood is hard enough, but having to deal with three or four in less then two years is just devastating. sam lives just across the road but can�*t get to her house. this is the second time it�*s been

flooded in three months. so did you just clean up your property, then? yeah. we kind ofjust had everything back sorted, like, cleaned up, fixed up, and then, yeah... and you can mix this water, its protein powder. it's protein powder. linda has been helping people here for years. she herself has had to evacuate the night before and tells me she�*s never seen floods this bad. the community's still recovering from the last flood than the one before. and the one before. actually, some people are still recovering from the fires. you know, we're just all in shock and everybody is traumatised. the wet weather has been relentless and with many roads cut off, authorities have urged people to heed evacuation warnings. this event is far from over. please don�*t be complacent. wherever you are, please be careful, when you�*re driving on our roads. obviously, there is still substantial risk for flash flooding across our state.

experts say the flooding emergency has been worsened by climate change and a la nina weather phenomenon. it�*ll take months if not years for communities here to rebuild and in the back of everyone�*s mind is the fear of when they will have to go through this again. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, sydney. the time is 1:18pm. our top story this lunchtime: a former top civil servant says borisjohnson was briefed in person about a formal complaint of misconduct by the mp chris pincher, accusing number ten of not telling the truth of what they knew. find the truth of what they knew. and cominu the truth of what they knew. and coming up. _ the truth of what they knew. and coming up. i _ the truth of what they knew. and coming up. i am _ the truth of what they knew. and coming up, i am at _ wimbledon where cam norrie is bidding to become the first man since 2016 to reach the semifinals. coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel: 0n the eve of the women�*s european championship, we�*re going to look ahead to the england lionesses�*

first match at old trafford. children as young as 11 have been housed in airbnbs and other temporary accommodation, as councils face serious challenges in finding suitable placements, a bbc investigation in wales has found. local authorities insist it is a last resort for children in care, and that support workers are in place round the clock for those under the age of 16. but charities say many young people in care in the uk feel they�*re not getting the support they need. paul heaney has this report. so these are all the photos i�*ve got from the majority of my childhood. hope�*s mum wasn�*t able to look after her, but she has really good memories growing up with her grandparents. i think, at that point, i really wanted to be in the police when i was... when i was little.

things changed when she was 13. exploited by older people, nan and granddad agreed foster care was best for her own safety. but that placement later broke down. i�*m just an excess piece. my mum didn�*t want me and now my grandparents can�*t look after me and now my foster carers don�*t want me. the state doesn�*t know what it wants to do with me. what�*s... what�*s the point, you know? hope ran away and slept rough before the council offered her a place in a hostel. she says it was under the same roof as someone who�*d assaulted. roof as someone who�*d assaulted her. i�*d had clothes stolen from me, i�*d had bus passes stolen from me. the girls used to gang up. wrexham council said it always aimed to keep children safe, that its children�*s services had since been transformed and it would use hope�*s comments to improve things further. we asked councils in wales using the freedom of information act what kind of places they were using

to house young people. our investigation has found that even now, children are still being placed in bed and breakfasts and other temporary accommodation here in wales. that�*s despite the welsh government saying it wanted to stop that six years ago. most are 16 or 17 years old, but some are even younger. one example was an 11—year—old placed in an airbnb with support workers because there was nowhere else for them to go. the actor michael sheen presented a petition to the welsh government calling for unregulated accommodation for children to be banned. in a bbc documentary tonight, he hears from hope and others in care who say they were let down by the system designed to protect them. it'sjust heart... it's heartbreaking and... and infuriating that we, as a society, are allowing this to happen to children. 0ne children�*s charity now wants more fundamental changes to the care system.

young people say, "well, why... why are we not loved? - "why doesn't the i care system love us? "what does love look like for us?" and these are the questions - we're asking government to kind of think about, really. the body representing councils in wales told us that, in the face of growing demand and more complicated cases, they�*re doing their best but they need more money. the welsh government says children should not be placed in b&bs. most children in care, it says, do have a positive experience and it is investing more in foster care and specialist accommodation while trying to help families sooner. hope is now trying to move on from a difficult time in care. rock climbing helps her mental health. there�*s no room for anything else to come into your mind when you�*re climbing. she�*s determined to improve the care system for those who come after her. i will fight to make sure that this process doesn�*t happen in the same way it happened to me. paul heaney, bbc news.

you can watch michael sheen: lifting the lid on the care system on bbc iplayer now — or on bbc one wales at 9pm tonight. and details of help and support for some of the issues raised in this film are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. royal mail managers are to strike later this month in a dispute overjobs and pay. the unite union announced that 2,400 managers will work to rule from july 15—19, followed by strike action from july 20—22nd and said that the action would impact the postal and parcel service. researchers in finland have installed the world�*s first fully working "sand battery" — a device which can store heat for months at a time. it works by charging 100 tonnes of sand with heat generated by solar or wind—powered electricity. the heat can then be used to keep homes warm in winter

when energy is more expensive. 0ur environment correspondent, matt mcgrath, has more details. 0oh. i�*m here in the municipal swimming pool in kankaanpaa in western finland. it�*s a beautiful pool, very balmy all year round. but the heat that�*s in here comes from a rather surprising source — from sand. the sand in question sits inside this silo, in a power plant on the edge of this small finnish town. it�*s the first commercial installation of a potentially important technology that works in a surprisingly simple way. we are heating the sand battery with clean electricity, and then storing the heat there, and taking up for use it later on. transfer that time that it�*s more useful. electricity from wind or solar power is converted into heat, which warms

the sand up to around 500 degrees celsius. crucially, the sand can keep this heat without loss, potentially for months. here in kankaanpaa, the heat in the sand battery is then used to help power the district heating system, keeping homes, offices and indeed swimming pools warm all year round. heat is the biggest end use for energy all over the world. it�*s also critically important for survival in a country like finland, where the winter is long, cold and dark. and the recent move by russia to cut off supplies of gas and electricity in response to finland joining nato has caused concern. as the world has shifted to green energy,

there�*s been a huge focus in recent years on developing ways of storing that power for the days when the sun doesn�*t show and the wind doesn�*t blow. much attention has been paid to lithium batteries. but according to those who have invested in the new finnish system, sand has many advantages. what made you think that this might actually work? i mean, it�*s a bit of a left—field idea. it�*s a bit strange, but it�*s cheap. it�*s easy to get. and you can get to really high temperatures, maybe 500 degrees, while with water, you can only get to 100. so you get a lot of heat stored in a small, small space. the finns now plan to massively expand their sand system, making it 1,000 times bigger. the researchers hope the world can quickly benefit. they say the sands of time have run out forfossilfuels, and it�*s now time for sand. matt mcgrath, bbc news, finland. england�*s cricketers have recorded a sensational victory over india in the re—arranged fifth and final test in birmingham. england needed 378 for victory

to level the series — and they did it before lunch. andy swiss has been watching at edgbaston. hoping for history, england�*s batsmen emerged knowing a record run chase was in their sight, 119 more was what they needed and with jonny bairstow and joe root picking up where they left off, it seemed just a matter of time. thousands of supporters had taken advantage of free tickets, from new fans to rather more seasoned ones, and what they saw was a batting masterclass as root once again reminded them why he�*s the world number one. magnificent player... another test century both he and england seemingly in cruise control. and soon it was time for the party tricks, root ramping up the decibel level with a quite outrageous six, how the home fans loved that. and they soon had plenty more to enjoy as bairstow hurtled through for yet another hundred, his second of the game in what�*s been a sensational summer. in a flash, england

had raced to victory. they�*re a team reborn in recent months and the match, which was meant to take place last year, remember, has certainly been worth the wait. yes, another incredible win for england, thanks to this new thrilling style of cricket that they are playing. it means they have now drawn this series against india, a series which was interrupted by covid back last year. away from the action, though, i can tell you that west midlands police are now investigating allegations of racist behaviour by some spectators yesterday. some india fans have reported that they were racially abused and police are encouraging anyone who witnessed that abuse yesterday to come forward. andy, thank you. — yesterday to come forward. andy, thank you. andy _ yesterday to come forward. andy, thank you, andy swiss. _ at wimbledon, british number one cameron norrie will play his first grand slam quarterfinal, taking on david goffin of belgium this afternoon.

if he wins, he�*ll be the first british man to reach the semi—finals since andy murray in 2016. laura scott is there for us. it has been quite a wait for british fans but not much of a surprise that cameron norrie is the last briton standing here and after all he is the ninth seed, the highest ranked british male player. but for one reason or another, it has never really clicked for him at a grand slam until now that there is a real buzz about him, you can hear a rallying call for more support. he says he feels like he�*s getting better as the tournament progresses and after winning in the fourth round, he says it is great for him to get through to the quarters but no reason to be satisfied with that. he plays the belgian david goffin, former world number seven today but his last match lasted for hours and 36 minutes, so he might be a bit tired. i have learned that the duke and duchess of cambridge are intending to watch that match, which is being played on number one court because centre court is reserved for the two players who are favourites

to lift the trophy this weekend, tunisia�*s trailblazer and novak djokovic. another of the quarterfinalists, nick kyrgios, who plays tomorrow, australian police have confirmed he has been summoned to appear in court next month to face a charge of common assault following an alleged incident in december 2021. following an alleged incident in december2021. his following an alleged incident in december 2021. his barrister told the canberra times that the charges in a context of a domestic relationship. mr karius takes the very seriously. relationship. mr karius takes the very seriously-— relationship. mr karius takes the very seriously. relationship. mr karius takes the i very seriously-— -- very seriously. laura, thank you. -- mr nick kyrgios- _ time for a look at the weather, here�*s stav. thanks very much, good afternoon, looks like the weather will warm up across england and wales as we move through this week. always more cloud further north and west. this afternoon is mostly dry with a variable cloud and spells of sunshine because we have high pressure continuing to exert its force across the country. the weather front bringing thicker cloud to northern and western areas

particularly wales, the midlands, south west england