welcome to bbc news. i'm monika plaha. our top stories: the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut, the eastern ukrainian city that's been the focus of extensive fighting. the white house confirms president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening. at least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured after a huge fire broke out in fuel—storage depot in the indonesian capital. translation: i was not sure what happened, _ translation: i was not sure what happened, people - translation: i was not sure | what happened, people saying there were leaks at pertamina

and while we were running there was an explosion. a probe into lockdown parties at downing street indicates 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. 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. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. russian mercenaries say they have surrounded most of bakhmut in eastern ukraine. the city has been the focus of extensive fighting in recent weeks.

ukraine has acknowledged that its troops in bakhmut are under severe pressure, and may have to pull out. meanwhile, kyiv has ordered some residents in the the north—eastern city of kupiansk to leave, because of constant russian shelling from across the border. our reporter sofia bettiza has the story. russia is getting closer to its first major victory in half a year. in eastern ukraine, it is the wagner group, made up of tens of thousands of mercenary and ex— convicts that have spearheaded defences. they have called on president zelensky to withdraw his troops from the city of bakhmut. translation: we have practically surrounded back mood, only one route out of the city remains. if earlier we were fighting against the professional army, we were fighting against the professionalarmy, now we were fighting against the professional army, now we are increasingly seeing old people

and children. give them a chance to leave the city, the city is surrounded.— chance to leave the city, the city is surrounded. bakhmut is a smalltown _ city is surrounded. bakhmut is a smalltown set _ city is surrounded. bakhmut is a smalltown set in _ city is surrounded. bakhmut is a smalltown set in farmland. l a smalltown set in farmland. before the invasion it had a population of around 73,000 people but moscow sees it as a stepping stone to take over bigger cities further west. president zelensky has admitted the situation in bakhmut was becoming more and more difficult. and in another blow for ukraine, kyiv has ordered the immediate partial evacuation of the town of kupiansk in the north—east. families with children, people with disabilities and those with disabilities and those with mobility problems must leave, because of constant shelling by russian forces. the city was liberated from russian occupation last september but

russia is trying to take it back. but there is some good news for kyiv, the us just announce another military aid package for ukraine, both $400 million. d0 package for ukraine, both $400 million. ., million. do -- together we went lockstep to _ million. do -- together we went lockstep to provide _ million. do -- together we went lockstep to provide security - lockstep to provide security assistance to ukraine and we have done it lockstep, artillery, armoured tanks, we banded together throughout this. �* ., , ., ., this. after one year of relentless _ this. after one year of relentless war, - this. after one year of relentless war, kyiv . this. after one year of i relentless war, kyiv says this. after one year of - relentless war, kyiv says it urgently needs more weapons from the west divide of russian aggression. this is crucial. ukraine fares russia is getting ready to launch a major new offensive. sofia bettiza, bbc news. the united states has given ukraine another $400 million in military aid. it was announced as

the german chancellor 0laf scholz met president biden in washington to discuss the war. 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 lesion was cancerous and that the affected tissue was safely removed. it also says mr biden�*s chest has healed well and he will be monitored for further developments. 0ur north america correspondent, peter bowes, gave us more information about the president's condition. president biden had his annual physical last month. we were told the bottom line from the doctor's report was that he was fit for duty, but what we weren't told was that he had this lesion removed and some tissue was sent away for testing. the result of that is now in and, as you say, it was determined that it was cancerous, a basal cell carcinoma which is a form of cancer that does not easily spread to other parts of the body and we were told that 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 that the doctors will of course continue to monitor his health.

just how common is this condition in the us? it is very common. in fact, this is the most common form of skin cancer. in fact, it is one of the most common forms of all cancers. this particular skin cancer, about 3.6 million cases are diagnosed every year in this country so there will be many people who will 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 any doubt towards president biden�*s ambitions running for another term? where does public opinion on this lie? well, 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 — you ask about public opinion — many democrats want him to stand again. he is the oldest sitting us president and clearly for that reason many questions have been asked about his health but all the signs at the moment are that he plans to stand again. peter bowes. 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 fire arms and ammunition. 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 translation: it was i chaotic because we were running away with a few injured

victims who were half burned, which caused panic among some people. chaos and panic as people fled the fire and explosion which threatened their houses. translation: iwasn't sure what happened. . people were running away and said there were leaks at pertamina. then i took my baby out of the house and while we were running, there was an explosion. the fire began at a fuel storage station operated by indonesia's state energy company pertamina. two of those killed were children according to a firefighting official, and more than 50 people including both the old and the young were injured. residents have been evacuated to nearby mosques. translation: the storage area is very close to my home. - i was very scared the fire would get to my house and that is why i came here. already almost 100 families have sought shelter, and energy company pertamina said evacuation efforts are ongoing. translation: the numbers will 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. the cause of the fire is not yet clear, and though officials from pertamina said the blaze has been extinguished, there are still reports of fires seen around residents' houses. gail maclellan, bbc news. 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 n0 evidence he had "knowingly" misled parliament over the issue. 0ur 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 some of those who advised him were concerned when the story came out. his director of communications message to number 10 official saying: the number 10 official suggested... a director of communications replied... but it is what mrjohnson told parliament that is the subject of investigation. is the subject of the 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 no covid rules were broken. 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: 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 obviously 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. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: glastonbury organisers end the suspense by announcing the arctic monkeys and guns and roses, willjoin eltonjohn as this year's headline acts. first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards. it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb. on a remote pacific atoll, the americans had successfully

tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and so, my heart went - bang, bang, bang! the constitutional rights of these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united states and they should be protected, even in the right to test them out so that they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy — i know you don't want to say too much about it — but does it worry you that it's going to boil up? oh, it worries me, yes, i but i hope everything'll be all right at the end of the day. - this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the head of russia's wagner group says its forces now surround most of bakhmut — the eastern ukrainian city that's been the focus

of extensive fighting. skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening. nobel peace prize winner alice bialiatski has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in belarus. he 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. here's the un's special rapportuer on the human rights situation in belarus. this verdict comes as little surprise, the prosecutor had in fact required 12 years for ales bialiatski, nonetheless he alongside three other members of the organisation received very long prison sentences.

one of them eight years and he was tried absentia, he has been running away from the country. this all reveals and illustrates one more time that the justice system in belarus is made to implement what i see as vengence against civil society, against ngos which have been relentlessly fighting for the respect of fundamental human rights in belarus. will for the respect of fundamental human rights in belarus. scientists from the uk and australia have discovered a new disease in wild birds caused by plastic pollution. the disease called plastic—osis is caused by small pieces of plastic inflaming their digestive tracts. it makes birds vulnerable to infection and causes them to struggle to digest food. global plastic production has doubled in the past 20 years. 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. will 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. one of the biggest music festivals in the world has sparked controversy after unveiling its line up. arctic monkeys and guns and 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. i think the issue is is that familiar side that we get now if there is a headline act, three headliners on a festival that are all—male and white. it that are all—male and white. it that slight sense of disappointment, that that is where we are out, but it says a lot that this has been can be added with an explanation for that, saying it's a pipeline issue and they tried their best and did not have a female, and it looks like there might be two female headliners for next year, but beyonce coming back or maybe rhianna mmx given the fact that rhianna adjusted the super bowl, so yeah, i'm into it, but the thing with glastonbury this is not always about those big headliners,

some years ago and only see one headliner, sometimes i will see all three, though there is so much to take in there. that was georgie rogers, a musicjournalist, speaking to music journalist, speaking to us musicjournalist, 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 and 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 water colours 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. 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. there you go. before we go, heck here is a reminder of our top story. russian mercenaries say they have surrounded most of bakhmut in eastern ukraine. the city has been the focus of extensive fighting in the recent weeks, and ukraine has acknowledged that its troops there are under severe pressure and may have to pull out. ukraine has ordered some

residents in the eastern city to move out because of selling. you are watching bbc news, and you can find me at twitter below. thank you very much for joining 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 north—east 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, north—west 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: 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 affected tissue was removed from the 80—year—old's chest, and no further treatment is required. at least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured after a huge fire broke out in a fuel storage depo in the indonesian capital. emergencey services say

thousands of people had to be evacuated as the blaze engulfed houses