this is bbc world 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. we have practically surrounded bakhmut. if early were fighting against a professional army, increasingly we are seeing old people and children. the white house confirms president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening. a probe into lockdown parties at downing street indicates the former british prime minister should have known rules

were being broken. i believed implicitly that these events were within the rules. nor did anybody tell me before afterwards anything to the contrary. with the oscars a week away, we hear from some of those involved in the film living. for me i didn't feel daunted or oppressed by the original film or by the situation. ijust felt that i was very fortunate. and memories of 1930s glasgow — we meet the artist holding his first exhibition at the age of 95. i think ithinki i think i got that atmosphere here. i think ijust got it right.

here. i thinkl “ust got it riuht. ~ here. i thinkl “ust got it riiht, . ., right. welcome to the programme. - right. welcome to the programme. first, - right. welcome to the - programme. first, russian mercenaries say that 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 north—eastern city of kupiansk to leave because of 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 mercenaries and ex—convicts that have spearheaded the offensive. they have called on president zelensky to withdraw his troops from the city of bakhmut. translation: we have -

practically surrounded bakhmut, only one route out of the city remains. if earlier 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. bakhmut is a fairly small town set in farmland. before the invasion, it had a population of around 73,000 people. but moscow sees it as a stepping stone to seize bigger cities, like kramatorsk and sloviansk, further west. and president zelensky has admitted that the situation in bakhmut is becoming more and more difficult. in another blow for ukraine, kyiv has ordered the immediate partial evacuation of the town of kupiansk in the northeast. families with children, people 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 usjust announce another military aid package for ukraine worth $400 million. together, we work lockstep to supply critical security assistance to ukraine, and from everything from — we have done it in lockstep — ammunition, artillery, armoured tanks, air defence systems, and we've been together throughout this. after one year of relentless war, kyiv says it urgently needs more weapons from the west to fight off russian aggression. this is crucial. ukraine fears that russia has amassed thousands of troops in the east

and is getting ready to launch a major new offensive. sofia bettiza, bbc news. 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 forfurther developments. our north america correspondent, peter bowes, gave us more information about the president's condition. well, 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 we were told 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're 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. and, peter, just how common is this condition in the us? it's 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. and 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 ok, is going to affect 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. that was peter bowes reporting there. 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. 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 depo. people living nearby fled as the fire spread to neighbouring houses. gail maclellan reports. siren wails translation: it was 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: i wasn'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, 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's 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 fire 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 no evidence he had knowingly misled parliament over the issue.

our political correspondent helen catt has this story. 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. they have taken evidence from witnesses and even gone on a tour of number 10. they say in a report that: i believed 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 messaged a number 10 official, saying: the number 10 official suggested: the director of communications replied: but it's what mrjohnson told parliament that 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. interjections 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, 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's 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. and that was helen catt reporting there. american actor tom sizemore has died aged 61. he was best known for appearances in the films saving private ryan and the relic. he was rushed to the hospital after collapsing at his los angeles home two weeks ago, where it was found he was suffering from a brain aneurism. he appeared in a number of action films in the 1990s. but his career became overshadowed by serious problems with drug abuse and he served time injail for possession and for domestic violence.

this is bbc news. the headlines: 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 confirms president biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine health screening. nobel peace prize winner, ales bialiatski, has been sentenced to ten 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 has 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 rapporteur on the human rights situation in belaroos. this verdict comes as little surprise, the prosecutor had in fact required 12 years

in a penal colony for ales bialiatski, nonetheless he alongside three other members of viasna human rights defender organisation received very long prison sentences. one of them eight years and he was tried in 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 special rapporteur, as vengeance against civil society, against ngos which have been relentlessly fighting for the respect of fundamental human rights in belarus. archaeologists have discovered a medieval shipwreck with a fully stocked pantry of exotic spices, including ginger, cloves and black pepper, and organic remains of fruits, nuts and berries.

the 15th century ship was found by divers off the coast of sweden. wendy urquhart reports. it isa it is a danish warship dating back to the late 1400s when she belonged to the king of the speed on. in 1195, it caught fire while docked off of the southern coast and many of the 150 strong crew died when she sang but the king was not on board when she sank. it was discovered a0 years later but those divers did not tell archaeologists about their fine until the year 2000. literary artefacts, silver coins and the massive wooden figure had have since been recovered from the sheep but this is a very different kind of treasure.

divide spices like this is quite remarkable. ——to find. if you look at the exotic spices, it is very unique. saffron, particularly. this is the only archaeological context where we find saffron so it is very unique and very special. it is thou~ht unique and very special. it is thought of— unique and very special. it is thought of the _ unique and very special. it is thought of the spices - unique and very special. it is thought of the spices were probably kept in storage bags that disintegrated over the centuries and the spices fell into pockets of sediment. the baltic sea has low solidity which means such organic materials can be better preserved than anywhere else in the world ocean system. brendan foley, who led the excavation, says this find was a complete surprise. i says this find was a complete surrise. . , surprise. i have never seen anything — surprise. i have never seen anything quite _ surprise. i have never seen anything quite like - surprise. i have never seen anything quite like the - surprise. i have never seen l anything quite like the spices here. i thought, anything quite like the spices

here. ithought, if anything quite like the spices here. i thought, if the baltic is such a great preserving environment that we have something as a same role as a saffron entity sediments, what about the other extraordinary for archaeological preservation underwater. for archaeological preservation underwater-— underwater. now they are planning _ underwater. now they are planning to _ underwater. now they are planning to explore - underwater. now they are planning to explore the i underwater. now they are - planning to explore the caspian and black seas for other shipwrecks that could also be harbouring such treasures. wendy urquhart, bbc news the academy awards, the film industry's biggest night of the year, takes place next weekend. as acting royalty gather in hollywood, among them will be veteran british actor, bill nighy who has been nominated for an oscar for the first time, for his role in living. british author kazuo ishiguro, who wrote the screenplay, has also been nominated. if he wins, ishiguro will be only the third person to ever win both a nobel prize and an oscar. they've been talking to our los angeles correspondent, sophie long.

are you all right? mr williams, a bureaucrat in 1950 london, has resigned himself to an ordinary and repetitive life was up it is only when he is told he will soon die that he realises he has forgotten how to live. it is an adaptation of a film made in kazuo ishiguro's native japan more than 70 years ago. with kazuo ishiguro writing the lead role specifically for bill nighy. the eureka moment was what if bill nighy was in it, at the centre of it and i could suddenly see how the film could work. if bill was not going to be part of that, would not have been persuaded to do it. i was up been persuaded to do it. i was up to my neck writing a novel anyway. amid concept was not a remake of the older film, it was this thing with deal in it.

another thing was if you feel like a british movie from the 19505, that like a british movie from the 1950s, that was the other interesting prospect. you, bill, was _ interesting prospect. you, bill, was it _ interesting prospect. you, bill, was it a _ interesting prospect. you, bill, was it a bill— interesting prospect. you, bill, was it a bill dream i interesting prospect. you, i bill, was it a bill dream come true? it bill, was it a bill dream come true? , ., ., ., true? it is more the former and a little bit _ true? it is more the former and a little bit of — true? it is more the former and a little bit of the _ true? it is more the former and a little bit of the latter- true? it is more the former and a little bit of the latter but, i a little bit of the latter but, no, — a little bit of the latter but, no, did _ a little bit of the latter but, no, did not feel readily because i am quite good at manufacturing pressure. i did not feel— manufacturing pressure. i did not feel daunted or oppressed by the — not feel daunted or oppressed by the original film or by the situation _ by the original film or by the situation. ijust felt that i was — situation. ijust felt that i was very— situation. ijust felt that i was very fortunate, yard lucky to he — was very fortunate, yard lucky to be considered in those terms and not — to be considered in those terms and not least by mr kazuo ishiguro. and not least by mr kazuo ishigur0-_ ishiguro. the result is a quintessentially - ishiguro. the result is a quintessentially british | ishiguro. the result is a i quintessentially british study in restraint, from the written word to delivery. a slickly sentimental drama unfolds as mr williams befriends a young employer who inspires him to leave something lasting and

give life meaning. it leave something lasting and give life meaning.— leave something lasting and give life meaning. if you ever had any children? _ give life meaning. if you ever had any children? you i give life meaning. if you ever had any children? you know. give life meaning. if you ever i had any children? you know that awful feeling _ had any children? you know that awful feeling before _ had any children? you know that awful feeling before breakfast? l awful feeling before breakfast? it awful feeling before breakfast? it has _ awful feeling before breakfast? it has led to oscar nominations for both men in careers that collectively span more than eight decades. you've been very will recognise in your world, the booker prize, the nobel prize for literature, how does an oscar nomination compare? it compares pretty well, actually. the nobel prize is like a european fairy story. you go to some sort of european palace covered in snow and meet kings and queens. this is the real hollywood dream. it feels like you have come in the middle of the american dream here. it feels, very, very good, it is marvellous. it is a great thing _ marvellous. it is a great thing it— marvellous. it is a great thing. it is exciting for myself— thing. it is exciting for myself and for my family and for everybody back home. i had

an invasive _ for everybody back home. i had an invasive medical procedure recently— an invasive medical procedure recently and just before he performed this procedure, the doctor— performed this procedure, the doctor said he had never done this to — doctor said he had never done this to an— doctor said he had never done this to an oscar nominee and then— this to an oscar nominee and then he — this to an oscar nominee and then he did something truly invasive _ then he did something truly invasive which i will not describe to you because it would _ describe to you because it would make everybody truly uneasy, _ would make everybody truly uneasy, but that is the effect it has— uneasy, but that is the effect it has had _ uneasy, but that is the effect it has had in my life. yesterday he was living a shell of an existence. i yesterday he was living a shell of an existence.— of an existence. i say very much do _ of an existence. i say very much do not _ of an existence. i say very much do not wish - of an existence. i say very much do not wish to i of an existence. i say very much do not wish to do i of an existence. i say veryl much do not wish to do so. 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. our 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.

good on thomas and at 95 years old it is a lovely idea. thank you forjoining me. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ monika plaha 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 —a celsius at best there in aberdeen. there 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. 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.