this is bbc news. i'm tim willcox. our top stories: ukraine and russia sign a deal allowing the resumption of ukrainian grain exports from ports on the black sea. the un says the deal must not fail. many people are at risk of famine, so there is a moral obligation on all those involved in this process to make it a success. we report from the farms on the frontline in the donbas region, which have now become a battleground. a deal to end russia's blockade could make a huge difference, but it won't end the war, and so here in the donbas, ukrainian farmers are racing to harvest and to store what they can, whatever the risks.

steve bannon, the former aide to president trump, faces jail after being found guilty of contempt of congress. speaking to reporters he remains defiant. the prosecutor missed one very important phrase — i stand with trump and the constitution and i will never back off that, ever. struggling to cope with wildfires and record breaking temperatures, large swathes of the world issue their highest heatwave alerts. gridlock at the english channel, as the port of dover is overwhelmed with traffic, and warnings of worse to come. and, the more you look, the more you discover! how the powerful new james webb space telescope is expanding our view of the universe.

the price of wheat on global markets has fallen to its lowest levels since russia invaded ukraine in february. both countries signed a deal on friday to resume grain exports from black sea ports, which have been blockaded for months by russia. ukraine's president, volodomyr zelensky, said the shipment of 20 million tons of produce could help prevent what he called a global food catastrophe. ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of cereal crops and oils. before the war, 46% of the world's sunflower oil, 18% of its maize and 12% of its wheat came from ukraine, and the poorest countries are most reliant on it. but since the invasion, russia has been blockading ukraine's major ports along the black sea, such as odesa.

it means that currently some 20 million tons of grain are stuck in silos there. our international correspondent orla guerin reports. ukraine's bountiful harvest — badly needed among global shortages and warnings of famine. but little of this grain can be shipped abroad because of russia's naval blockade. the kremlin stands accused of using food as a weapon of war. now, in istanbul, a rare diplomatic breakthrough — a deal to resume grain exports. applause also agreed — measures to help russia export its food and fertiliser, which are not covered by sanctions. this is orla guerin from the bbc. nice to see you, mr secretary—general. good morning. the un's secretary—general, who nurtured the deal, told me it benefits the world. this is exactly what we needed at the present moment

because developing countries are in a dramatic situation with sky—rocketing prices, and many people are at risk of famine, so there is a moral obligation of all those involved in this process to make it a success. isn't there also a moral question, that at a time when russia is killing women and children — and we see this every day, i've seen it in ukraine, you've been in ukraine on the ground, you've seen the aftermath of russian attacks — but here we are with russia being rewarded, with russia getting a deal that is going to help it get its food and fertiliser onto the world markets. some would see this as a pay—off for russia. sorry to say, that is totally wrong. it's not russia that is rewarded. this was a basic need for the international markets. but russia will benefit. i mean, russia benefits much more with the exports of fuel. it's incomparable, the volume, and we go on seeing russia exporting oil and gas to several european countries and to other countries around the world — that is where the big

business is. but you understand that some in the outside world will see this as the un helping russia to do business at a time when russia is killing women and children every other day in ukraine. no, we are helping ukraine. back in april, the secretary—general saw the horrors there for himself during a sombre visit to suburbs around the capital forever scarred by russian atrocities. when you went to kyiv and ukraine, you were yourself in bucha and borodyanka and you were obviously very moved by what you saw. of course. and i remember you said you could imagine your own granddaughters having to flee. yes. against that backdrop, was it very difficult to sit and negotiate with russia? was that a hard thing to do? of course, it's not easy.

but, i mean, there is a sense of duty that the secretary—general of the united nations must have in relation to the whole world. as strong was my emotion when i visited the places that you just mentioned, today it was also very emotional for me to sign this agreement. it's probably the most important thing i've been doing since i became secretary—general. for this landmark deal to work, there will have to be a de facto ceasefire in ukraine's black sea ports and safe passage for cargo vessels. it's a big gamble, and peace remains a distant prospect. orla guerin, bbc news, istanbul. ukraine's wheat is vital for the global economy, but the russian invasion has made growing and harvesting crops a dangerous occupation. our correspondent andrew harding has been visiting frontline farms near the heavily—bombarded

city of slovyansk. it's harvest time in ukraine's war—torn donbas. from his perch, vladimir bukhantsev can the front lines, just one hillside away to the north. traces of smoke on the horizon, and then this... aircraft engines roar ..two ukrainian fighterjets roar overhead to attack russian positions. you can see a russian rocket blazing upwards, narrowly missing one jet. the planes both launch decoy flares and turn sharply, heading home. "we see this almost every day," says vladimir. "the pilots do their job, we do ours. "my son is fighting "on the front line near here, too." farmers and fighters. almost everyone else has left or is leaving this region. hurried farewells at a bus stop

to the sound of russian rockets landing nearby. and plenty of those rockets and cluster bombs are hitting ukraine's wheat fields, setting fire to thousands of acres. it's another challenge for the farmers and for a world that is increasingly desperate for ukraine's crops. farm owner sergei kurinniy takes me on a tour of his bomb craters. he used to sell almost all his wheat and sunflower seeds for export, but the war has put a stop to that. he shows me more footage of the damage to his farm. this is where the cows were killed by another bomb. in fact, we can just hear a few more in the distance — it's quite a noisy

morning here. but the biggest problem, sergei tells me, is the russian blockade. "the ports are closed," he says. "we can't export anything and so, "the price we get for our wheat has "dropped by two thirds." a deal to end russia's blockade could make a huge difference but it won't end the war and so, here in the donbas, ukrainian farmers are racing to harvest and to store what they can, whatever the risks. andrew harding, bbc news, in eastern ukraine. ajury in the us has found donald trump's former chief strategist, steve bannon, guilty of contempt of congress. it follows his failure to co—operate with a committee investigating the former president's actions during the attack on the capitol in january last year. steve bannon could now face up to two years in prison, but speaking outside the courtroom he remained unrepentant.

rianna croxford reports. steve bannon, facing up to two years in prison. we may have lost a battle here today but we won't lose the war. here is why they wanted to speak with him. all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. it is all converging and now we are on, as they say, the point of attack. right? the point of attack tomorrow. talking one day before the riots kicked off, they believe this showed he had beenin they believe this showed he had been in contact with donald trump ahead of the chaos. considered the brains behind the former president's 2016 election victory, he had served as his campaign chief as course strategist before he was fired by the white house in 2017. inside the court, mr bannon argued his old role made hit protected by executive privilege, and so he wouldn't have to give evidence about his former boss, but this was

dismissed by investigators because he was no longer in government, and they said he had chosen his loyalty to donald trump over compliance with the law. 0utside court, steve bannon�*s lawyer said he would appeal the decision. you will see this _ would appeal the decision. you will see this first _ would appeal the decision. 7m. will see this first case would appeal the decision. you. will see this first case on appeal, and you will see all of these resources, three federal prosecutors, four prosecutors on desdemona, wasted. mr bannon will be sentenced _ on desdemona, wasted. mr bannon will be sentenced in _ on desdemona, wasted. mr bannon will be sentenced in october- will be sentenced in october but his position hasn't changed. i but his position hasn't changed-— but his position hasn't chanced. , . , ., changed. i stand with trump and the constitution _ changed. i stand with trump and the constitution and _ changed. i stand with trump and the constitution and i _ changed. i stand with trump and the constitution and i will - the constitution and i will never back off that, ever. find never back off that, ever. and now he will — never back off that, ever. and now he will have _ never back off that, ever. and now he will have to _ never back off that, ever. and now he will have to see - never back off that, ever. and now he will have to see if his pays off. well earlier i spoke to us conservative talk show host jake smith and put it to him that steve bannon failing to respond to a subpoeana makes this an open and shut case. this prosecution was more of

the same out of this phony january 6th committee. not only are they attacking and targeting president trump, they are also attacking and targeting president trump's primary trade consultant when he was in the white house. they have two republicans on the committee, do they? they are phony republicans, they are not republicans. but the daughter of dick cheney? sheisnt cheney? she isn't even going to win her party's endorsement when there is a primary next month. cheney is a primary next month. cheney is finished. crosstalk. you say she is a phony republicans, do you think dick cheney is a funny republican? crosstalk. please, adam kinzinger is not even running for re—election because he has absolutely no chance of re—election. he is finished. the people the republicans wanted on the 6january committee to make it fair were not permitted by nancy pelosi and the ruling junta. ok, let's get back

to steve bannon. he has been found guilty of contempt. that is up to two years injail. does he think he is above the law? this is what a lot of international viewers are wondering. why didn't he go and give evidence? the committee alleges he spoke to donald trump the day before this, and the two men were still close even though donald trump had sacked him. steve bannon was gone from the white house for three years prior to 6 january 2021, tim. he was not involved in it. he had nothing to do with it, and neither did peter navarro. forgive me, i don't want to keep on interrupting you, but his original excuse was claiming executive privilege, wasn't it, because he was part of the trump administration? but how can he be part of the trump administration when he has been fired by the president? he was not part of the trump

administration on 6january. however, steve bannon — such as president trump and the 6january committee, their attorneys were not allowed to cross—examine. they could not bring their own witnesses in. it was a show trial. that's what a banana republic show trial is. the 6january committee is a show trial. president trump is not allowed to defend himself. he cannot call his own witnesses, nor can he cross—examine any of the secret witnesses of the 6 january committee. and yet he said right at the end he would come and give evidence. so if he believes it was a show trial, why would he have offered to do that? well, it was a deal they were hoping to work out with the 6january committee. as far as the trial is concerned, what bannon was asking was for the 6 january committee themselves to show up. he wanted them subpoenaed and wanted them to testify. there is something in america where we have the right to equal protection

under the law. there was no equal protection provided under the law for this phony trial that steve bannon was put through. now, from a historical perspective, this is the first person to be prosecuted for contempt of congress. by the way, the majority of americans — we have contempt of congress, period. they have lower ratings thanjoe biden has, and that's hard to do. but 1974, one of the members of the nixon administration was prosecuted for contempt of congress. 1974. eric holder, who was an attorney general for barack 0bama, was running guns to mexico and got caught. the republicans who were in charge at that time subpoenaed him before congress. he refused to go. he was held in contempt of congress for two years and then he resigned. he was not prosecuted, nor was lois lerner, who at the time was running the internal revenue service for barack 0bama. they were both held for contempt of congress.

they were not put through what steve bannon was put through today. there is clearly a double standard. we are going to continue to fight. president trump will be president again — that's what they're concerned about — in 202a. he will win re—election in 2024, no question. jake smith, the radio talk host speaking to me earlier. this is bbc news — the headlines ukraine and russia sign a deal allowing the resumption of ukrainian grain exports from ports on the black sea. the un says the agreement could help millions avoid hunger. steve bannon — the former aide to president trump — faces jail after being found guilty of contempt of congress. as the wildfires we've seen across europe over the past few days continue to spread, there are also severe weather warnings for parts of america and china. mark lobel examines these heatwaves on the horizon.

and still the heat blazes its path across europe. with nowhere to hide. from spain to italy. translation: honestly, i feel the heat more - than in previous years and i'm trying to cope as best i can. across france, the heartbreak that comes with discovering your corner of paradise is no more. translation: everything is destroyed. _ the equipment, the walls, there's nothing left. in slovenia, romania, portugal. translation: these are painful days. - firefighters and the people are helpless. fatigue is taking over but the adrenaline in saving what is ours is even greater and keeps us going. and in greece...

the effects of heat waves shown from the sky, pictured across parts of france and spain here, becoming more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. igniting furtherfury at human—induced climate change. translation: | believe . that the climate emergency is lethal, but even more lethal is ignorance and denialism. away from europe, right across america, the heat is on in arizona. i've had multiple people compare arizona to being like hell. it's no better in texas. this heat is crazy. i've seen a lot of people pass out with this heat. with water a sanctuary in new york, as well. we are finding fountains around the city and jumping in the fountains to stay cool.

with multiple heat warnings springing up across state lines, as record highs are focused to continue are forecast to continue throughoutjuly. they're preparing for it in china, too. warnings of forest fires at a time of year big temperatures are expected here, but not like this. record highs predicted, too. demand on air conditioners expected to spell trouble for the national grid. mark lobel, bbc news. a war of words has erupted on both sides of the english channel, after a day of major delays at the port of dover, passengers have reported queuing in their cars for up to seven hours to get to france. 0ur transport correspondent, katy austin, has more details. it's the big summer getaway, but no—one stuck in these queues today was getting away very quickly.

the durnford family took these photos on the way to catch a ferry for their first—ever holiday abroad together. so, this was supposed to be a one—hour carjourney from sevenoaks in kent, and it's just been nearly seven hours now, and we're still not checked in. we completely missed our 9.30 ferry. i was able to get out of the car with my girls and we got to the shops to get some food, because we didn't bring that much food with us because we thought we were going to be having lunch in france. they were allowed onto a later ferry five hours after they'd expected to depart. dover and the surrounding roads are gridlocked and police were out managing traffic. with post—brexit and covid checks now in place, the port of dover said it had done what it could to prepare for a busy summer and worked with local and government partners. the port also said it had worked with french border police to plan for the expected traffic volumes, but it accused them of providing woefully inadequate resource this morning. what we had requested

for the start of the day around 4.00 in the morning, was to have 14 officers in place that could manage, because the traffic starts arriving that early in the morning. what we did have was six, so we had an inadequate number of immigration officers. the port�*s boss insisted his teams had been providing regular updates on what was needed. i promise you there was no more communication, no more planning, no more analysis that we could have done. the french authorities hit back, saying it was not correct that they hadn't put sufficient manpower in place, that the plan had been to man all posts at 8.30am, but an unforeseeable technical incident at the channel tunnel led them to postpone full operational capacity by one hour. then eurotunnel said the incident had nothing to do with officials being delayed. it's now mid—afternoon, and things are flowing a bit more freely than they were. but the delays this morning were so great there is a really long backlog. as the blame game continues, the reality is a miserable

start to many people's holidays. katy austin, bbc news. british airways staff at heathrow airport have called off strike action planned for the summer. they've accepted a new 8% pay offer along with a bonus and irregular shift payments. 700 workers — mostly check—in staff — had been set to strike over a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic. let's get some of the day's other news three men have been charged in brazil with the murder of a local indigenous expert and a british journalist last month. bruno pereira and dom phillips were killed while investigating the link between illegal fishing, logging and drug trafficking in indigenous reserves. the european commission has launched fresh legal action against the uk. it says there is a failure to comply with the post—brexit

customs and tax arrangements for northern ireland. the uk government said the latest claims were "disappointing" and legal action was "in nobody�*s interest". the white house says president biden�*s mild covid—19 symptoms are improving and he's responding well to treatment. mr biden tested positive for the disease on thursday — and he's fully vaccinated against covid. vince mcmahon, the head of the wrestling entertainment giant wwe, has announced his retirement. he had already stepped down as ceo and chair of the company because of an investigation into alleged misconduct. the wwe board is investigating reports that he made a secret payout of three million dollars to a departing employee with whom he's alleged to have had an affair. the billionaire oversaw wwe�*s growth into a global business — and often made cameos in the ring himself. nasa's newjames webb space

telescope has revealed that there were ten times more galaxies like our own milky way in the early universe than previously thought. the world's most powerful telescope — which entered service earlier this month — collects invisible infrared data that has made visible galaxies that existed soon after the big bang took place. emily brown reports. the universe. 13.8 billion years old. captured here by the world's most powerful telescope. after entering service earlier this month, the james webb telescope has found there were ten times more galaxiesjust like our own milky way than previously thought. many of them are actually almost normal—looking in some ways, like a disk galaxy, like our own milky way is a disk galaxy, a rotating system which is elongated into a kind of a symmetrical disk shape. which is surprising because we thought that those kind of galaxies did not exist.

but now we're finding them in great abundance quite early in the universe. and the discovery has been made possible by collecting invisible infrared data. the team studying the results describe it as revolutionary. it's really one of the most amazing telescopes that astronomers have ever built, and it's maybe comparable to something like the first telescope that galileo used to just look at stuff for the first time with a telescope. more images will be captured over the coming months, possibly leading to even greater discoveries. emily brown, bbc news. we can't wait. plenty more on that space telescope and all the other stories, the latest on those grain exports being allowed out of ukraine following that deal with russia on the website. bbc.com/news.

from me and the team here in london. goodbye. hi. we are forecasting rain this weekend, but not an awful lot of it, and most of it will fall in western areas of the uk, particularly the northwest. there'll be some sunshine around, too, and many of us will actually escape the rain altogether, rain that we really need because the gardens are very parched. so, here's the low pressure that will approach us. in fact, it's approaching us right now, the unsettled weather out towards the west. but ahead of this weather front in east anglia, in the southeast, we'll see very warm weather as south—westerly winds develop and tap into some of that heat that's across france right now. but let's have a look at the here and now and the rain approaching northern ireland through early saturday morning. elsewhere, it's generally dry, quite a bright start to the day, a mild one too, 17 celsius in london, 15 celsius in hull and around 14 celsius in the lowlands of scotland.

so, the forecast for saturday shows increasing amounts of cloud out towards the west. you can see that rain moves in, it's a fairly broken area of rain, so it'll wax and wane through the morning, into the afternoon, and in fact, if anything, the skies may clear in northern ireland middle of the day, and it'll be quite sunny and pleasant with temperatures up to 20 degrees. it'll stay dry generally east of the pennines, across east anglia and the south coast. so, a fine day for portsmouth, southampton, brighton, and temperatures will be in the low 20s. but towards evening, notice this lump of rain heads towards northern ireland and southwestern scotland, and that could really be quite heavy for a time saturday night into sunday. here's sunday's weather forecast. so, the low pressure, slow—moving and just to the northwest of us, brisk south—westerly winds pushing in clouds and showers, but most of the showers escaping east anglia and the southeast, where warm south—westerly winds will draw in that heat from france. so, temperatures temporarily reaching 30 celsius there

in norwich, and by that, i mean it'sjust going to be the one day. in fact, by the time we get to monday, and this is monday's weather map, the low pressure moves out into the north sea. 0n the back side of it, the winds are coming in from the north. so fresher conditions sweep across the country and it'll cool off. so, here's the forecast for a few cities, then, northern areas staying a little unsettled into monday and fresher. further south, also cooling off, but staying generally dry. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: ukraine and russia have signed a deal which will allow the resumption of ukrainian grain exports from ports on the black sea. they had been blocked by russia, following the military invasion. russian exports will also be guaranteed safe passage. the un says the agreement could help millions avoid hunger. donald trump's former strategist, steve bannon, has been found guilty of contempt of congress. he was charged after refusing to testify to the inquiry into the january the sixth riots at the us capitol, and could face two years in prison. large swathes of east asia and north america are on their highest heatwave

alert, as record breaking temperatures spark thousands of wildfires.