this is bbc news. i'm monika plaha. our top stories: a probe into lockdown parties at downing street suggests the former british prime minister, borisjohnson, should have known rules were being broken. i believed implicitly that these events were within the rules, nor did anybody tell me before or afterwards anything to the contrary. in ukraine, the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the eastern city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. the white house confirm president biden has had a cancerous skin lesion removed safely from his chest, as part of a routine

health check. a court in belarus sentences the nobel peace prize winner ales bialiatski to 10 years in prison for smuggling money into belarus and financing protests. he says the charges are politically motivated. and memories of 1930's glasgow — we meet the artist holding his first exhibition at the age of 95. i think i got the right atmosphere here. i think ijust got it right. hello and welcome to the programme. the former uk prime minister, borisjohnson, may have repeatedly misled parliament over social gatherings held at downing street during covid restrictions. that's according to mps

investigating his conduct, who said that evidence strongly indicates that breaches of covid rules inside number 10 whilst he was prime minister would have been obvious to him. mrjohnson was among those fined by police for breaking lockdown rules, but he said there was no evidence he had knowingly misled parliament over the issue. our political correspondent helen catt reports. did borisjohnson know more about lockdown parties in downing street than he told mps? for months now, mps on the privileges committee have been building a picture. they have studied photos with lots of booze but little social distancing, taking evidence and even gone on a tour of number 10. the report says the evidence suggests breaches of guidance would have been obvious to mrjohnson at the time he was at the gatherings. i believe that what we were doing was implicitly within the rules,

and that's why i said what i said in the house of commons and that is why, i thank the committee for their labours, and i'm sorry it has all been going on for so long, but there has been no contempt here. # happy birthday to you... mrjohnson was fined for attending a party on his birthday in 2020. not here, but this party held later in the day in the cabinet room. the report includes whatsapp messages which suggested to some of those who advised him concerned when the story came out. his director of communications message to number 10 official saying, "i'm struggling to come up "with the way this one is in the rules in my head." the number 10 official suggested reasonably necessary for work processes. a director of communications replied, not sure that one works, does it? also blows another great gaping hole in the pm's account, doesn't it? but it is what mrjohnson told parliament that is the subject

of investigation. the committee says there is evidence that he may have misled it when he told mps about claims which have since been proven to be true of a party held in number 10 in december 2020. i have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there no party and that is what i have been repeatedly assured. the committee says the commons may also have been misled when mrjohnson failed to tell the house about his own knowledge of the gatherings where the rules or guidance had been broken. it said it appears mrjohnson did not correct the mistakes mrjohnson repeatedly made and did not use the well—established procedures of the house to correct something that is wrong at the earliest opportunity. sir keir starmer who was in northern ireland earlier, was scathing. i think the evidence of wrongdoing by borisjohnson is already pretty damning.

i think it's important to bear in mind that rishi sunak, at the time, was honestly very close to all of this and sat on his hands. and i think first and foremost of the families, not just those that lost loved ones, but also all the other families who were obeying the rules and changing their lives, whilst those in government were not even following their own rules. the labour leader has himself caused a row and enraged some conservative mps after he offered a top job as his chief of staff to the civil servant who investigated partygate sue gray. she resigned from the civil service but will wait for advice from the appointments watchdog before taking up the role. as for boris johnson he will have the chance to put his case to the privileges committee in person later this month before they reach their final conclusions. helen catt reporting there. you'll find lots more detail about that story

on our website. or you can use the bbc news app. now to the war in ukraine, and the head of russia's wagner group has said its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the east ukrainian city that has been the focus of extensive fighting in recent weeks. yevgeny prigozhin said there was now only one route out of the city and he called on ukraine's president to withdraw his troops. ukraine has acknowledged that its troops in bakhmut are under intense pressure. casualties on both sides have been severe. in the latest developments, the governor of the kharkiv region has ordered the immediate partial evacuation of the town of kupiansk because of constant russian shelling. this involves hundreds of children and people with disabilities. evelyn farkas, a former us deputy assistant secretary of defense for russia and ukraine gave us her observations on the recent developments in ukraine. what we're looking

for now is movements, as you said, there hasn't been a lots of movement. and the movement is likely to come once the ukrainians have all the weaponry that has been approved by the us government and allied governments. until that gets there, i don't think that the ukrainians want to take on a full—scale offences. although, you never know, because the ukrainians are pretty good at keeping their plans, even from us. we know that they have conducted surprise operations before. but i think they would want to have the advantage of as much equipment as possible, including, of course, the tanks. including additional rounds of artillery. they will need all of this protection when they do decide, and i think they would have to decide, to take the offensive because this is not tenable as you mentioned at the top of the segment for them to have a negotiated settlement, the ukrainians will need to see more success. they are not going to give up now and, of course, russia isn't either.

washington has given ukraine another $400 million in military aid. it was announced as the german chancellor 0laf sholz met president biden in washington to discuss the war. here's a little of what they had to say. we are making the alliance stronger and more capable. you have heard me say before that when i talked to putin a couple of months before that that i told him that it would be more likely we get not the finilisation of europe which he was pushing for, we are more likely to get the natoisation of europe and he has had that effect in terms of what has happened so a lot has happened since last year. we have got a lot to talk about and i look forward to our conversation. thank you for having me again.

i really appreciate be back in the white house. and let me just say this, this is a very, very important year because of the very dangerous threat to peace comes from russia invading ukraine and it is really important that we act together, that we organise our lockstep and that we make it feasible that we can give the necessary support to ukraine during all this time. 0ur north america editor sarah smith has the latest from the white house. it is a continuation of what the us have been providing already. what ukraine needs more at the moment is more ammunition to use with the heavier equipment that has already been supplied. as you say, they're getting ammo, they're getting more missiles that can be fired from the rocket launcher systems that the us has already provided, and some armoured vehicle that can create bridges which will be useful. but it is not a new commitments of any escalation of what the us is providing. as you were saying earlier, still no commitment at all to provide those

f—i6 fighter jets that president zelensky personally asked president biden for when he was in ukraine last week. it would be a long time, even before the m—i abrams tanks which the us promise can get to ukraine. possibly not until next year, actually, so, ammunition that can get there quickly is very important for ukraine to try and defend itself at the moment. the white house says president biden had a cancerous skin lesion successfully removed from his chest last month. a statement from the president's doctor said a biopsy confirmed that the leezhun was cancerous and affected tissue was safely removed. it says mr biden�*s chest has healed well and he will be monitored forfurther developments. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes joins us from la. thank you forjoining me. the lesion has now been removed, what more do we know about

president biden�*s condition at the moment? president biden's condition at the moment?— president biden's condition at the moment? , �* ., , the moment? president biden has his annual physical— the moment? president biden has his annual physical asthma - the moment? president biden has his annual physical asthma and - his annual physical asthma and we were told the bottom line was that he was fit for duty. —— physical last month. some tissue was sent away the testing and it was determined it was cancerous, a form of cancer that does not easily spread to other parts of the body and we were told the president does not need any further treatment, that he is healing nicely on the spot on his chest where the lesion was removed and the doctors will continue to monitor his health. just how common is this condition in the us? it just how common is this condition in the us? it is very common- _ condition in the us? it is very common- in _ condition in the us? it is very common. in fact, _ condition in the us? it is very common. in fact, this - condition in the us? it is very common. in fact, this is - condition in the us? it is very common. in fact, this is the l common. in fact, this is the most common form of skin cancer. in fact,

most common form of skin cancer. infact, it most common form of skin cancer. in fact, it is one of the most common forms of all cancers. about 3.6 million cases are diagnosed every year in this country so there will be many people who understand what the president has gone through over the last few weeks and we also know that before he became president, joe biden had a number of similar lesions removed from his body. does this now put _ removed from his body. does this now put any _ removed from his body. does this now put any doubt - removed from his body. does this now put any doubt was . removed from his body. does this now put any doubt was a | this now put any doubt was a president biden �*s ambitions to run for another term? where does public opinion on this lie? i does public opinion on this lie? ., ., ~' does public opinion on this lie? ., ., 4' , lie? i do not think this episode _ lie? i do not think this episode with - lie? i do not think this episode with cancer, | lie? i do not think this - episode with cancer, which seems to be all 0k, is going to effect the president's decision. we do not know what that decision is going to be and clearly many democrats want him to stand again. he is the oldest sitting us president and for that reason many questions

have been asked about his health but all signs are that health but all signs are that he plans to stand again. thank ou ve he plans to stand again. thank you very much _ he plans to stand again. thank you very much for _ he plans to stand again. thank you very much forjoining - he plans to stand again. thank you very much forjoining me. | let's get some of the day's other news: a prominent us lawyer has been given two consecutive life sentences for the murder of his wife and son, in south carolina. prosecutors said alex murdaugh killed them to divert attention from his theft of millions of dollars from clients. riot police have clashed with protestors in the greek capital, athens, over the deaths of more than 50 people in a train crash this week. the government has promised improvements to railway safety. the head of the african union has congratulated the winner of nigeria's presidential elections as his defeated rivals mount a legal challenge to the result. bola tinubu was named the winner after receiving 37% of the vote. a un report says gang related violence in haiti has reached levels not seen in decades.

in a new assessment, the organisiation says criminal gangs that control many parts of haiti are getting increasing access to sophisticated and high—calibre firearms and ammunition. nobel peace prize winner ales bialiatski has been sentenced to ten years in prison in belarus. bialiatski is the founder of a human rights group which helped protesters during a wave of unrest in 2020. he was been charged with smuggling money into belarus and financing protests, which he denies. two more activists got nine and seven years in jail. anais marin is the united nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in belarus. this verdict comes as little surprise, the prosecutor asked

for 12 years for ales bialiatski, nonetheless he alongside three other members of the organisation received very long prison sentences. 0ne very long prison sentences. one of them eight years and he was tried in censure, he has been running away from the country. --ab running away from the country. ——ab censure. belarus is made to implement what they say are against fundamental human rights in belarus. this is bbc news, the headlines: a probe into lockdown parties at downing street suggests the former british prime minister borisjohnson should have known rules were being broken. in ukraine, the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the eastern

city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. at least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in indonesia's capital on friday after a massive blaze broke out at a state—run fuel storage depot. people living nearby fled as the fire spread to neighbouring houses. gail maclellan reports. (siren wails) it was chaotic because we were running — it was chaotic because we were running away with a few injured vintage — running away with a few injured vintage -- _ running away with a few injured vintage —— victims that were half— vintage —— victims that were half burned that caused panic among — half burned that caused panic among some people.- half burned that caused panic among some people. chaos and anic as among some people. chaos and panic as people _ among some people. chaos and panic as people fled _ among some people. chaos and panic as people fled the - among some people. chaos and panic as people fled the fire - panic as people fled the fire and explosion which threatened their houses. translation: i their houses. translation: �* their houses. translation: , ., translation: i wasn't sure what ha ened. translation: i wasn't sure what happened. people _ translation: i wasn't sure what happened. people were _ translation: i wasn't sure what happened. people were running l happened. people were running away and said there were leaks at pertamina. i took my baby out of the house and while we were running, there was an explosion. were running, there was an explosion-_ were running, there was an explosion. were running, there was an exlosion. , ., ., ., explosion. the fire began at a

fuel storage _ explosion. the fire began at a fuel storage station _ explosion. the fire began at a fuel storage station operated | fuel storage station operated by indonesia's state energy company pertamina. two of those killed were children according to firefighting officials, and more than 50 people including both the old and the young were injured. residents have been evacuated to nearby mosques. translation: the evacuated to nearby mosques. translation:— evacuated to nearby mosques. translation: the storage area is very close _ translation: the storage area is very close to _ translation: the storage area is very close to my _ translation: the storage area is very close to my home. - translation: the storage area is very close to my home. i - translation: the storage area is very close to my home. i was| is very close to my home. i was very scared if i would get to my house and that is why i came here. �* . , my house and that is why i came here. �* . ':::: here. already almost 100 families _ here. already almost 100 families have _ here. already almost 100 families have sought - here. already almost 100 i families have sought shelter and energy company pertamina said evacuation efforts are ongoing. translation: , , translation: the numbers will keep increasing _ translation: the numbers will keep increasing and _ translation: the numbers will keep increasing and we - translation: the numbers will keep increasing and we are - translation: the numbers will keep increasing and we are also| keep increasing and we are also asking for more evacuees to come here as we still have space and worry that tonight it will start raining.— will start raining. because of the fire is — will start raining. because of the fire is not _ will start raining. because of the fire is not yet _ will start raining. because of the fire is not yet clear, - will start raining. because of the fire is not yet clear, and | the fire is not yet clear, and they were officials from pertamina said the blaze has been extinguished, there are still reports of fires seen around residents' houses.

gail maclellan, bbc news. scientists from the uk and australia have discovered a new disease in wild birds caused by plastic pollution. the disease called plasticosis makes birds vulnerable to infection and causes them to struggle to die just food. global plastic production has doubled in the past 20 years. —— digests. the world's biggest lgbtq festival, sydney worldpride, comes to an end on sunday. an expected 50,000 people will march for equality over sydney harbour bridge. the festival is expected to generate millions of dollars for the australian economy, which is still recovering after the pandemic. phil mercer reports. happy mardi gras! sydney's gay and lesbian mardi gras is a spectacular display of triumph and defiance. it's one of the showpieces of worldpride, a festival

that's attracting up to half a million participants. lgbtq businesses, including cafes, bars, fashion designers and florists, are in the spotlight. and are hoping to cash in. i'm adrian, i'm a florist and i like to say that i am the gayest florist in sydney! it's not about selling things, it's about having experience, having the community spirit, that's the key. before the covid pandemic, tourism was one of australia's main exports. worldpride is helping to reignite a key industry. coming from new zealand, you know, australia's right on our doorstep. perfect opportunity to come and show support for the sydney community, to connect with people from all around the world. sydney is the first city in the southern hemisphere to host worldpride. it has embraced this global celebration of lgbtq rights — the place feels energised by the festival. the state government is hoping it will inject $75 million into the economy.

i think sydney has always been one of the gay capitals of the world. post—covid, this is really the event to reopen sydney to the world. i think people getting back to the work, particularly post—pandemic is really important. particularly the industries of hospitality and the arts suffered the most through the pandemic. indigenous art, culture and commerce are also being showcased at events across the 17—day festival. we have worked with local aboriginal businesses to run this. this is the first worldpride where a first nations focus has actually been put at this level. we have marri madung butbut, we have a blak & deadly gala concert which will happen at the sydney opera house. there has been significant social change in australia — marriage equality laws were passed in 2017. but the pride festival has also highlighted that in dozens of countries,

being gay is illegal. cheering sydney parties, knowing that many other cities don't enjoy its freedoms. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. one of the biggest music festivals in the world has sparked controversy after unveiling its line—up. arctic monkeys and guns n' roses willjoin eltonjohn as the main acts at glastonbury injune. but some people aren't happy that the three main acts are all men. this was the reaction from musicjournalist georgie rogers. the issue is that familiar sigh we get now if there is a headline act, three headliners are all male and white. it's that sort of slight sense of disappointment that that is where we are at.

it says a lot that emily eavis has put a caveat in the announcement with the explanation that it was a pipeline issue and they tried their best and they had a female, i know it looks like there may be two female headliners for next year. i was hoping for beyonce coming back or maybe rihanna, given the fact that rihanna just did the super bowl. so, i'm into it, but the thing with glastonbury is it isn't always about the main headliners, some years i'll go and see one of the headliners, sometimes you see all three. there is so much to take in and explore there. that was musicjournalist georgie rogers are speaking to us earlier. archaeologists have discovered a medieval shipwreck with a fully stocked pantry of exotic spices — including ginger, clove,

and black pepper, and organic remains of fruits and nuts and berries. the 15th—century ship, once belonged to king hans of denmark and norway, was found by divers off the coast of sweden. the baltic sea preserved the organic remains because of its low concentration of salt whereas on land the goods would have withered and disappeared. take a look at these — memories of 1930s glasgow, painted by an artist who is now 95, and who is holding his first ever art exhibition, wanting people to see his work before he dies. thomas mcgoran was inspired to paint after his wife gave him some watercolours when he retired more than 30 years ago. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie has been to see his exhibition. 1930s glasgow, in vivid colour. daily life during the inter—war years and the great depression. thomas, the washing day is your favourite one. why is that? yes, well, i think i've got the right atmosphere here, i think i've just got it right. i've got the lady doing her washing, the wee boy sitting on his potty doing his business.

the response from the public has been absolutely wonderful. every one of them have said how much they have enjoyed it, and it's been a trip down memory lane for the elderly people and an education for the younger ones. thomas's three grown—up children could not be prouder of his exhibition in the forge, an east end shopping centre. this has been the ideal place to show his paintings as well, because obviously if you've got them in a gallery, you're not going to get as many people passing by in and popping in as you do here. and because it's in the east end of glasgow where he comes from, it'sjust all kind of tied in. it's all his memories. but every painting in here, every person that's come in and seen it, they all leave with a smile or they leave crying because itjust evokes so many memories for them. he's been a great dad all through our lives. i he's always been there for us and it's just so lovely to see i this happening for him. like the good old days when you were a projectionist? and he's also an inspiration across the generations.

it is unbelievable the detail he goes through, the talent he's got, and the paintings are just fantastic. an idea came to me. i can always remember my mum talking about the wee glasgow woman. here she is, a cushion in the window, hanging out the window and a neighbour is hanging out the window, they had a wee chat. just a wee blether? a wee blether. thomas plans to keep painting and says he has a few ideas forfuture exhibitions. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, glasgow. what a lovely idea. a bus driver in england has rescued a sheep on a busy road, on herfirst day behind the wheel. when martine patey spotted the animal on the dual carriageway, it was running through the traffic and causing havoc. with the help of two fellow motorists, she managed to get the sheep onto the bus — and then drove it back to its farm.

good on martin, saving the day and also the sheep. you're watching bbc news. thank you forjoining me. hello. some subtle changes in our weather as we head through the weekend. it is going to start to feel just a little bit colder. it will often be cloudy. there will be some scattered showers. most of those showers will be falling as rain. but into the start of the new week, the changes become more dramatic. it will certainly feel much colder, particularly given the strength of the wind, and there'll be some snow and ice to contend with in places. at the moment, though, the really cold air is quite a long way away. to the north of us, we do have this cold front sinking into the picture on saturday that will bring a band of cloud and some showers in northeast scotland and then slumping onto the east coast of england. even further west, i think there'll be quite large amounts of cloud.

best chance of any sunshine across parts of western scotland, northwest england, maybe parts of wales as well. temperatures 6—9 degrees, about where they have been really through the last few days. now, as we go through saturday night, again, we keep large areas of cloud, some showers, particularly in the north of scotland. if you do see clear spells for any length of time, you could just about get a touch of frost. most places where it stays cloudy will stay just above freezing. and into sunday, another mostly cloudy day with limited sunshine, but a few more showers around this time. and some of those showers across high ground in the north of the uk could start to turn wintry, because it will start to feel just a little bit colder. but the changes really kick in as we move out of sunday and into monday. developing across the northern isles is this weather front. now, it'll push its way southwards. initially it will bring some rain, but on the back edge that is likely to turn to sleet and snow. and behind it, we open the door to significantly colder air, it will be cold enough for snow showers in the north of scotland. eventually some snowfall getting down into parts of northern england.

and then by tuesday, that weather front continues to journey southwards, clearing most areas through the day. behind it, some sunny spells, but some showers, and it certainly will be cold enough for those showers to fall as snow. and those are the temperatures on the thermometer, but factor in a brisk wind, particularly in northern and eastern areas. this is what it will feel like. it will feel like “4 celsius at best there in aberdeen. tthere are already met office yellow warnings in force for snow and ice in parts of northern and eastern scotland, north—east england, but there could be some wintry weather in other parts of the uk as well.

this is bbc news. the headlines: all an interim report published by a british parliamentary committee says there is evidence that the former prime minister broke lockdown rules on four occasions and that the breaches of regulations should have been obvious. boris johnson says the report proves he never knowingly misled anyone. the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the east ukrainian city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. the mercenary group says the last open roads leading westwards out of the city are under heavy russian shelling. the white house has confirmed president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed sucessfully, during a routine health screening, last month. mr biden's doctor said the cancerous tissue was removed from the

80—year—old's chest and no further treatment is required.