him hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the red carpet is rolled out in moscow for president's xi jinping, as both china and russia accuse the us of �*undermining' global security. it looks like the west is definitely decided to fight with russia till the last ukrainian, not only by words but by actions. the russian leader also warned that moscow will react, if the uk goes ahead with a plan to give ukraine ammunition containing depleted uranium. also in the programme. the former british prime minister borisjohnson admits misleading mps over lockdown parties — but says he didn't do it

intentionally or recklessly. and london's metropolitan police under scrutiny, a damning report find evidence of "institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia". we start with an accusation from both china and russia that the united states is undermining global stability. it came on the final day of president's xi jinping state visit to moscow. there was plenty of pomp and ceremony. the chinese leader was treated to an orchestral rendition of the chinese and russian anthems, before moving in to the grand hall of the order of st catherine for talks. but consider the circumstances: with russia under heavy international sanctions and increasingly reliant on china.

high on the agenda was the war in ukraine and beijing's12—point peace proposal to resolve the conflict, which vladimir putin said could be used as a basis to end the war. but the russian leader said the west had dissmissed the proposals as the basis for talks. we believe that many of the provisions and the peace plan put forward by china are consistent with the russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they're ready for it in the west and etf. and we have not seen such readiness on their part. vladimir putin also warned that his country would react, if the uk goes ahead with a plan to give ukraine ammunition containing depleted uranium. it looks like the west is definitely decided to fight with russia till the last ukrainian, not only by

words but by actions. i would like to note full of this happens, russia left to respond accordingly bearing in mind the collective west is already beginning to use weapons weapons with nuclear components. xi also referred to beijing's ukraine peace plan. but was at pains to stress that beijing was neutral in the conflict. xi also referred to beijing's ukraine peace plan. but was at pains to stress that beijing was neutral in the conflict. i would like to say that china has always _ i would like to say that china has always followed the principles of the un _ always followed the principles of the un charter. a and fair stands actively— the un charter. a and fair stands actively promoting peace talks. china _ actively promoting peace talks. china is— actively promoting peace talks.

china is always standing firmly on the site _ china is always standing firmly on the site of— china is always standing firmly on the site of peace, dialogue and on the site of peace, dialogue and on the right— the site of peace, dialogue and on the right side of history. but what china's twelve point plan for ukraine involve? it calls for "the sovereignty of all countries", but does not specifically say russia must withdraw its troops from ukraine it condemns the use of "unilateral sanctions" against moscow, an implicit criticism of ukraine's western allies. there is a call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and steps to ensure the export of grain. and the plan calls for an end to the "cold war mentality," a term understood to refer to america's global dominance. chinese leader's meeting with vladimir putin comes at the end of a busy couple of days for president xi. earlier, he sat down with russian prime minister mikhail mishustin and announced to state media that he'd extended an invitation to president putin to visit beijing "at a time that works for him" this year. he also said china would prioritise what he called an "all—round strategic partnership" with russia.

so how did all the diplomatic niceties go down with the people of moscow? on one hand, the visit is very good, on the other hand, we must stand her ground as well and not cave in. time will show. they are themselves in an uneasy situation now. so, maybe they want to work closely together with us as well. , , ,., ., us as well. the visit is important to maintain _ us as well. the visit is important to maintain relations _ us as well. the visit is important to maintain relations with - us as well. the visit is important to maintain relations with her. to maintain relations with her closest — to maintain relations with her closest neighbours. europe is sanctioned us and we hope it is not for tong _ sanctioned us and we hope it is not for tong and — sanctioned us and we hope it is not for long and things will restore the european — for long and things will restore the european countries which it is the same _ european countries which it is the same. china is a friendly country and we _ same. china is a friendly country and we hope for more cooperation with them — that warmth is not shared in washington. the us has made its feelings about the visit clear, calling on president xi to urge vladimir putin to withdraw his troops from ukraine. effo rts efforts in this conflict must take into account. so, we encourage president xijinping to into account. so, we encourage president xi jinping to speak with president xi jinping to speak with

president zelensky which he has not done since russia launch the sedation. because trying to quite frankly, which are directly from ukrainians, notjust from the russians. and we encourage president xijinping to tell them russians. and we encourage president xi jinping to tell them directly, that they will certainly be watching closely. so the west is watching, and with growing anxiety. and the fear is that china might start sending military aid, potentially including artillery shells, to russia. western governments have repeatedly warned china against supplying russia with arms. and images like this are heightening that concern. these were joint exercises in the gulf of oman last week, involving the naval forces of china, russia and iran. however, they centred on search and rescue and other non—combat missions. nato's secretary—general has become the latest leader to warn beijing not to supply russia with weapons.

we have not seen any proof that china is delivering lethal weapons to russia. but we have seen some signs that this is been requested from russia and it's an issue that is considered in beijing by the chinese authorities. and therefore, the message has been china should not provide legal aid to russia. chinese official media are hailing the friendship between the country and russia. in an op—ed published in russian media on monday, president xi said: "the two sides uphold the concept of generations—long friendship and win—win cooperation. "the two sides firmly support each other in pursuing development paths that suit their respective national conditions." here's one russian analyst on the significance of the article. i think where the main points and president xijinping's i think where the main points and president xi jinping's article is

that the relationship between china and russia has stood the test of time, the international situation is very complicated for both russia and china. the two sides of maintained exchanges and interactions. but what do people on the streets of beijing make of it all? take a listen. s i think president putin is a strong and capable leader. his policy towards the outside world protects the rights of russian citizens very well. we protects the rights of russian citizens very well.— protects the rights of russian citizens very well. we call him em eror citizens very well. we call him emperor putin, _ citizens very well. we call him emperor putin, we _ citizens very well. we call him emperor putin, we feel - citizens very well. we call him emperor putin, we feel he - citizens very well. we call him emperor putin, we feel he is i citizens very well. we call him i emperor putin, we feel he is very awesome — emperor putin, we feel he is very awesome i— emperor putin, we feel he is very awesome-— emperor putin, we feel he is very awesome. . ., ., ., awesome. i am not that old, when i took political _ awesome. i am not that old, when i took political classes _ awesome. i am not that old, when i took political classes and _ awesome. i am not that old, when i took political classes and paid - took political classes and paid attehti0h_ took political classes and paid attention to _ took political classes and paid attention to international- took political classes and paid l attention to international news, president — attention to international news, president putin— attention to international news, president putin has— attention to international news, president putin has always - attention to international news, | president putin has always been there _ president putin has always been there i— president putin has always been there ioniy— president putin has always been there. i only know— president putin has always been there. i only know by— president putin has always been there. i only know by the - president putin has always been i there. i only know by the previous presidents — there. i only know by the previous presidents from _ there. i only know by the previous presidents from history— there. i only know by the previous presidents from history books. . there. i only know by the previous i presidents from history books. there are positive — presidents from history books. there are positive reports _ presidents from history books. there are positive reports about _ presidents from history books. there are positive reports about him, - presidents from history books. there are positive reports about him, my. are positive reports about him, my attitude _ are positive reports about him, my attitude towards _ are positive reports about him, my attitude towards and _ are positive reports about him, my attitude towards and despite - attitude towards and despite friendty~ _ from one arrival to another, japan's prime minister fumio kishida is in ukraine and has been visiting bucha. these pictures show him

being accompanied through the city by military officials. tokyo has voiced support for ukraine since the beginning of war and joined other g7 countries in extending sanctions against russia. mr kishida had been the only g7 leader not to visit ukraine, until today. asi as i step on the ground of butcher today, i really feel great anger for all of the atrocious acts. i would like to give my heartfelt condolences to all the victims and the wounded on behalf of the japanese nationals. he also met ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky in kyiv to express his support for and solidarity with ukraine. japan and china see each other as regional rivals. since russia launched its war in ukraine, tokyo has provided kyiv with a mixture of humanitarian, financial and non—lethal military aid. professor mary gallagher, director of the center

for chinese studies at the university of michigan. china's expanded its military production capabilities. how likely is it that they will send support to russia because they are expanding the production quite vigorously in their the fourth largest in military might. so could they send arms to russia? thea;r they send arms to russia? they certainly could. _ they send arms to russia? they certainly could. i _ they send arms to russia? they certainly could. ithink- they send arms to russia? they certainly could. i think it - they send arms to russia? tie: certainly could. i think it would they send arms to russia? tier certainly could. i think it would be a very major shift in their policy it would create a huge uproar within the western alliances and it would create a very long drawn out war which china does not want to see. i am a little bit sceptical about china whether or not they will actually provide weapons to russia. in terms of when china describes itself as being neutral and office of this 12 point plan, specifically, does not talk about russia having to

withdraw from ukraine, that is something that ukraine absolutely insists as a precondition for any talks, can china realistically be neutral? ., ., ., , , ., neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral— neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral in _ neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral in the _ neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral in the fact _ neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral in the fact that - neutral? no, no one believes it to be neutral in the fact that the - be neutral in the fact that the last beijing olympics they met right before the invasion and xi jinping gave his support, not knowing about the invasion fully, but since that time, this is been a decision that he has not been able to back away from and many people even within china fear that policy was a mistake and that it has made a very difficult for xijinping and that it has made a very difficult for xi jinping who never admits that is wrong to admit that he made a mistake and aligning himself with russia so closely right before the invasion.— himself with russia so closely right before the invasion. when it comes to this plan — before the invasion. when it comes to this plan that _ before the invasion. when it comes to this plan that china _ before the invasion. when it comes to this plan that china has - before the invasion. when it comes to this plan that china has put - to this plan that china has put forward, this blueprint, as a potentially a blueprint for what it can be think about in terms of its ambitions for taiwan?—

can be think about in terms of its ambitions for taiwan? there's a lot of differences _ ambitions for taiwan? there's a lot of differences between _ ambitions for taiwan? there's a lot of differences between ukraine - ambitions for taiwan? there's a lotj of differences between ukraine and taiwan. they recognise the sovereignty of ukraine back in 1981 after the dissolution of the soviet union which is not at all like the status of taiwan which is relatively, completely unresolved. and so for ukraine to serve as an example of the future of what can happen with taiwan, it really does not function well and also the problems that russia has had trying to get victory in ukraine making be problematic for the chinese to see ukraine as the future for taiwan. and we know that volodymyr zelensky has been calling for a telephone conversation with president xi jinping and arguably understandably it's not happened yet. what is your thinking behind that not happening so far? idistill thinking behind that not happening so far? ~ , , ., , so far? will be interesting to see if it happens _ so far? will be interesting to see if it happens and _ so far? will be interesting to see if it happens and it _ so far? will be interesting to see if it happens and it should - so far? will be interesting to see | if it happens and it should happen this week and it is yet to happen.

xijinping has had no contact with ukrainian president throughout this conflict everything makes china seem like a not very safe partner in the peace process and is he to talk to even one of the sites.— even one of the sites. thank you very much _ even one of the sites. thank you very much for— even one of the sites. thank you very much for your _ even one of the sites. thank you very much for your time. - here in the uk, former prime minister borisjohnson has accepted that he did mislead parliament over lockdown parties in downing street, but he insists that statements he made were in good faith and based on what he knew and believed at the time. he made the admission in evidence given to mps who are investigating his actions. he says he �*did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the house in december 2021 or any other date'. and that he �*relied on assurances that he received from his trusted advisors�* on what happened in downing street. let's recap what this is about. on what happened in downing street. this was borisjohnson on what happened in downing street. around a table with downing street staff — during covid restrictions

in england when social events were banned. the so—called �*partygate' scandal helped bring down mrjohnson, but this investigation is not about that — it's about whether he misled parliament during moments like this: the guidance was followed in the rules were followed at all times. this was december 2021 when reports of parties first emerged — mp's are looking at whether mr johnson mislead the commons, and whether he did it intentionally or recklessly. here's observer columnist sonia sodha. he is referred to these gatherings as parties and correspondence when he is talking about how to deal with them. and secondly, he stands accused of not correcting the record in parliament as soon as he knew that he may have misled the house.

and accounting quite heavily against them tomorrow. let's hear more about that group of mps — called the privileges committee — investigating whether borisjohnson misled parliament. it's one of the many committees of politicians which oversee the government's work and parliament's internal affairs. the seven—member committee, is chaired by labour's harriet harman. by convention, it's always chaired by an opposition mp. it's made up of four conservatives and three opposition mps. in today's document mrjohnson rounds on the committee, saying "i have identified serious concerns. in relation to the fairness of the process that has been adopted". he accuses it of relying on, in his words, "discredited dominic cummings", his former adviser. the committee says "mrjohnson's written submission contains no new documentary evidence" and was submitted late due to "a number

of errors and typos" politics lecturer sam power says mrjohnson's criticism's of the committee may be an attempt to win over mp's who will ultimately decide his fate. i think what he is trying to do is bring the process into disrepute so any vote that may or may not occur and sanctions becomes effectively a vote on whether you believe in the process of the privileges committee or not. mrjohnson faces being suspended or even expelled from parliament, if mps decide he deliberately misled them. here's lord kerslake — a cross bench member of the house of lords. they can suspend him for ten days or more _ they can suspend him for ten days or more and _ they can suspend him for ten days or more and they might do something less than— more and they might do something less than that and they mayjust censure — less than that and they mayjust censure him and that has to be approved — censure him and that has to be approved by parliament but if it was this than— approved by parliament but if it was this than there could be a recall by election— this than there could be a recall by election and he could be risking his seat _ election and he could be risking his seat so— election and he could be risking his seat. so there is a huge risk. so that's what's at stake, but as we said earlier,

the next step is a televised hearing tomorrow, in which mrjohnson is likely to be questioned for several hours. here's chief political correspondent nick eardley on what's expected. we will see borisjohnson asked some detailed questions about what is contained in the submission. he has admitted parliament was misled. that is a key moment in this process and whether he did so intentionally or recklessly. and his submission that it was neither and that he asked as aides on several occasions if they had been followed and if they went to parliament, he was acting in good faith. i'm joined now by political correspondent rob watson, intentionally or recklessly, statement in good faith. at the heart of this, it's not

whether or not these parties happened because we know they did. it's whether or not borisjohnson particularly at the end of 2021, several months after these parties, when he told mps look, i did not know anything about it, of these rules and regulations are being followed, yes, he misled them but he did not know. he thought he was acting in good faith. so, the question is when that turned out not to be true, did he do it intentionally or all recklessly and obviously, you framed it rather nicely, based on exactly the same evidence, borisjohnson insists absolutely no way and he spoke to mps in good faith but he denied any hanky—panky at downing street and lockdown violations but the mp5, the seven mps in the interim report based on exactly the same evidence think that it is really hard to believe that he did not know that regulations and guidances were being violated. mpg

regulations and guidances were being violated. ~ ~ _, , regulations and guidances were being violated. ~ ~ , ., , violated. ma comes to the privileges committee. — violated. ma comes to the privileges committee. the _ violated. ma comes to the privileges committee, the stock _ violated. ma comes to the privileges committee, the stock is _ violated. ma comes to the privileges committee, the stock is through - violated. ma comes to the privileges committee, the stock is through him describing and questioning it. whether it was potential bias or not. is quite an interesting way of him potentially discrediting committee, is that what he is doing here? i committee, is that what he is doing here? ~ , committee, is that what he is doing here? ~ _. committee, is that what he is doing here? ~' , here? i think it is classic boris johnson and — here? i think it is classic boris johnson and that _ here? i think it is classic boris johnson and that is _ here? i think it is classic boris johnson and that is the - here? i think it is classic boris i johnson and that is the greatest form of defence is attacked. having a go at the whole principle on which it is operating and say look, the whole thing is a witchhunt and everyone is made up their minds. based on the testimony that he submitted today, it is going to be a very feisty affair but here's the funny thing. it may be feisty but in some ways, sort of tedious because the mps of looked to this evidence and i think they don't think boris johnson was straight with parliament in december 2021 and seeing the

absolute opposite. a stalemate is likely to ensue. i think in many ways, perhaps a borisjohnson is trying to do is just plant enough doubt in some of the mps on this committee and the wider mps in parliament to help him escape from this one. just parliament to help him escape from this one. , , ., ., , parliament to help him escape from this one, , ., ., , ., ,, this one. just enough doubt. thank ou ve this one. just enough doubt. thank you very much _ this one. just enough doubt. thank you very much for _ this one. just enough doubt. thank you very much for giving _ this one. just enough doubt. thank you very much for giving us - this one. just enough doubt. thank you very much for giving us the - you very much for giving us the bigger picture. thank you. some breaking news now and a strong earthquake has struck northeastern afghanistan with tremors felt across a wide region. the epicentre was in the hindu kush mountain range, in the northern afghan province of badakhshan. with the us geological survey putting the magnitude at 6.5. it was felt as far away as the indian capital delhi, and tashkent in uzbekistan. this is the aftermath of the quake in kabul. it's said to have lasted for at least 30 seconds, sending people running out into the streets.

our south asia editor anbarasan ethirajanjoins me with the very latest. a developing story but bring us up to date. it a developing story but bring us up to date. , , , a developing story but bring us up todate. ,, ,~ ., to date. it is is very close to the centre of— to date. it is is very close to the centre of asian _ to date. it is is very close to the centre of asian countries - to date. it is is very close to the i centre of asian countries emerging reports _ centre of asian countries emerging reports from there as well. within afghanistan, a taliban spokesperson messaged _ afghanistan, a taliban spokesperson messaged me saying there have been casuatties— messaged me saying there have been casualties and it appears to be limited — casualties and it appears to be limited because they are not able to lead the _ limited because they are not able to lead the remote parts of the country and mobile — lead the remote parts of the country and mobile services are restricted in those _ and mobile services are restricted in those areas and what we saw in afghanistan in the situation and earthquakes hit southeastern parts,

killing _ earthquakes hit southeastern parts, killing more than a thousand people and took— killing more than a thousand people and took a _ killing more than a thousand people and took a while for people to get the message. and pakistan and pakistan— the message. and pakistan and pakistan and in many cities, people are rushing — pakistan and in many cities, people are rushing out of their houses and apartment— are rushing out of their houses and apartment buildings and in a panic because _ apartment buildings and in a panic because they had two experiences of the pics— because they had two experiences of the pics before and people remaining in the _ the pics before and people remaining in the streets are more than an hour thinking _ in the streets are more than an hour thinking there will be another tremor— thinking there will be another tremor as such they created a huge amount— tremor as such they created a huge amount of— tremor as such they created a huge amount of people exchanging messages on social— amount of people exchanging messages on social media and the same in the indian _ on social media and the same in the indian capital where people were panicking and getting reports of houses — panicking and getting reports of houses getting cracks in some buildings _ houses getting cracks in some buildings getting tilted but so far, no reports of casualties but in afghanistan and in northwest pakistan, several people have been injured _ pakistan, several people have been injured in _ pakistan, several people have been injured in photographs are emerging showing _ injured in photographs are emerging showing collapsed walls and parts of the houses and some of the remote areas _ the houses and some of the remote areas in _ the houses and some of the remote areas in the — the houses and some of the remote areas in the mountainous areas. tiers; areas in the mountainous areas. very much for the — areas in the mountainous areas. very much for the crust _ areas in the mountainous areas. very much for the crust parts _ areas in the mountainous areas. - much for the crust parts of the region and thank you very much.

a huge amount of the world's electr— icity is generated by hydropo— wer, that's the power of water. now the uk energy giant sse is announcing 100—million pounds, or 122—million dollars of funding for a giant project in the scottish highlands which would be the uk's biggest hydro scheme in a0 years. if it goes ahead, sse says it will help tackle climate change and impr— ove energy security. our scotland editor, james cook, lo— oks at how it would work. does a solution to the climate crisis lie here in the highlands? this is where sse wants to build a giant dam and two reservoirs. on days when power from wind farms is plentiful, water would be pumped uphill and stored for release to generate energy by spinning turbines on still days when it is scarce. we have flown in here to this remote and stunning spot. this is coire glas, where the hydro scheme is going to be located

and the dam will be located down there, and feast your eyes, because when it is all finished, where i am standing now will be about 90 metres underwater. by tunnels and pipes, the water is sent down to the power stations... it's 80 years since the uk government took charge of hydro in scotland. building dozens of giant dams. they brought power, jobs and tourism to the glens. now, say the private power companies, it's time for a new generation of hydro. i think across the highlands of scotland we have shown that hydro can become a critical part of the landscape, and i'm convinced that coire glas would be the same for generations to come. is it definitely going to happen? it's viable from an engineering perspective and an economic perspective. but obviously, a number of things have to fall into place. sse will need clarity around

how the uk government is going to support projects like coire glas. a review of energy policy is under way. ministers say they are committed to supporting hydro. using water to generate power is an age old idea, but in many ways it's never been more relevant. hydro can help the world tackle climate change by moving away from oil and gas, and can help the uk reduce its reliance on importing energy from abroad. we need a lot more energy storage capability, so, you know, probably ten to 50 times greater than the capacity of coire glas to move energy between the seasons, of using that spare wind and solar power from the summer and make use of it in the winter. but with the united nations warning that humanity is on thin ice because of climate change, there may be some hope in the highlands. james cook, bbc news, coire glas.

don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @kasiamadera. hello. there is more rain in the forecast for the next few days. adding to what for many of us has already been quite a soggy march. in fact, parts of eastern england have already seen more than two and a half times the rainfall they'd normally expect in a typical march. compare that with just a third of the normal rainfall at kirkwall in orkney. but all of us are going to see those rainfall gauges getting topped up during tonight with this band of heavy rain pushing eastwards, particularly wet over high ground in south west scotland, northwest england, wales and the south west gales will develop through the night as well across some western and central parts of scotland, those combining with high tides to give the risk of some coastal flooding. but it is going to be mild, five to 11 degrees.

so we start tomorrow morning with this frontal system swirling its way eastward. some outbreaks of rain clinging on across the south east corner. heavy rain in parts of northern scotland and some blustery winds to start the day. as we go through the day, what we'll see another clutch of downpours moving across the northern half of scotland, maybe some snow over the highest hills and mountains here. and then really itjust turns into a sunshine and showers day. but some of the showers will be heavy, possibly thundery and we will keep some rather blustery winds. strongest gusts always around some of these western coasts, gusting up to 50 miles per hour or more temperatures, 11 to 15 degrees, maybe not quite as mild as it was today across the northern half of scotland. now, as you look ahead to thursday, again, sunshine and showers. some of the showers will be on the heavy side later in the day. some more persistent rain is likely to drift across the channel islands starting to move towards southern counties of england. again, it's mild, quite breezy, too, nine to 15 degrees.

for the end of the week, while thursday night brings this frontal system clipping into the southeast corner more persistent rain with that low pressure firmly in charge for friday. bands of showers pushing from the west towards the east. some of these showers are going to be heavy. i think there will be some flashes of lightning and some rumbles of thunder. always some bright or sunny spells between the showers. strongest winds across the southern half of the country. temperatures eight degrees in lerwick, 1a in hull and in norwich. as we head through the weekend, it's going to stay unsettled. there'll be more rain at times but it is set to turn a bit colder from the north by sunday.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the red carpet is rolled out in moscow for president's xi jinping as both china and russia accuse the us of undermining global security. it looks like the west has definitely decided to fight with russia till the last ukrainian, not only by words but by actions. the russian leader also warned that moscow will react, if the uk goes ahead with a plan to give ukraine ammunition containing depleted uranium. also in the programme... could donald trump become the first us president to face criminal charges? as a probe into the alleged payment to a porn star heats up.

sri lanka's president says his country will no longer be bankrupt after a bailout in the billions from the international monetary fund. police are on high alert in new york. it would be the first case against but this is a scene outside manhattan criminal court where barricades have been erected. it's where mr trump could be charged, fingerprinted and arrested a charge of the file for could be indicted from charges stemming from an investigation to the payment of this woman, this is the adult film star, stormy daniels in 2016, which were made before the presidential election. extra security is also in

place in washington where barriers have been erected on capitol hill and thursday heavier than usual police presence. this comes after the former president predicted on his true social platform over the weekend that he would be arrested this week. he also urges supporters to turn out saying... let's have a listen to some of the video which was released by mr trump who is seeking the republican nomination for the white house again in 202a. these four horrible, radical left democrat investigations of your all—time favourite president, me isjust a continuation of the most disgusting witchhunt in the history of our country. it's gone on forever with russia, russia, russia and ukraine, ukraine, ukraine and the mueller hoaks. it's an absolute disgrace what's going on. that is donald trump in a video on his platform. that is donald trump in a video on his platform. let's take a closer

look at the details of the case. manhattan prosecutor, district attorney alvin bragg may charge mr trump over how he declared a payment to adult film star stormy daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair. a grand jury has been deciding whether there's enough evidence to indict mr trump. the case centres on how he reimbursed his former lawyer, michael cohen, after he paid ms daniels $130—thousand ahead of the 2016 presidential election. the record for the payment reimbursing mr cohen says it was for "legal fees". (ani)the former president has denied any such the former president has denied any such relationship with ms daniels. it was the timing and the nature of the payment. the timing is that it came just before the presidential election so it could be deemed as a campaign finance violation and she was effectively being paid to be quiet so as not to affect the election a few days later.

and secondly, it's the source of the money. if trump had paid for that was on pocket they would be no question of a crime but this was paid from his business and not only did the trump organisation pay the money to stormy daniels allegedly, it was then allegedly covered up in records of the trump organisation as legal expenses. that according to prosecutors as a false and deliberately false recording the transaction which can be a felony rather than just a misdemeanour charge. there have been some small gatherings of trump supporters, following his call for action. this was florida near his mar—a—lago home. and this new york. let's hear from some of those gathered. we're very happy to be here to show our support and show that this is a politcised prosecution and persecution without any merit. if you arrest him he will win in a

landslide _ you arrest him he will win in a landslide postop. if you arrest him he will win in a landslide postop. well let's pick up on that. stephanie muavchik is assistant visiting professor of government at claremont mckenna college and author of "trump's democrats". she says the indictment could help the former president politically. the danger would be an indictment whether it's a strategy is that even among people who are not part of the base, it could trigger sympathy for him and in america we tend to hate our own political appointments more than we love our own team. just looking behind you, more present supporters of a trauma. talk is what we can expect today. this present supporters of a trauma. talk is what we can expect today.- is what we can expect today. as you can see, is what we can expect today. as you can see. it's — is what we can expect today. as you can see, it's turned _ is what we can expect today. as you can see, it's turned into _ is what we can expect today. as you can see, it's turned into quite - is what we can expect today. as you can see, it's turned into quite a - can see, it's turned into quite a spectacle down here in lower manhattan photo quite frankly, we might not get any news today. at the moment we do believe the grand jury

is wrapping up their investigation, though they may still call additional witness. that is not crystal clear yet. regardless, we do believe they are closed to then holding a vote to decide whether there is enough evidence to move forward with criminal charges for them it would then be up to the manhattan district attorney to decide if he wants to pull the trigger and charge the former president. of course, many can understand that that would create an unprecedented moment here in the united states both legally and politically. while we understand that the negotiations would be made with the former presidents lawyers to then turn himself and in the event of any charges, i think after that so much is still unknown at the moment the nypd is preparing in case there are any protests with that as you mentioned, a lot of press but not so many protests here in new york. there have been even those who

are against president trump also coming out to express their opinions. coming out to express their opinions-— coming out to express their oinions. , , .., coming out to express their oinions. , , .. ., opinions. the president did call for --eole to opinions. the president did call for people to come — opinions. the president did call for people to come out. _ opinions. the president did call for people to come out. he _ opinions. the president did call for people to come out. he was - opinions. the president did call for| people to come out. he was talking on his platform and he wanted people to come out. as we see there behind you it doesn't seem to have rallied the cause for that's part because were not expecting anything just yet. were not expecting anything 'ust et. . ., were not expecting anything 'ust et. .., , were not expecting anything 'ust et. _, , ., , were not expecting anything 'ust et. , ., , ., yet. there could be a number of reasons for— yet. there could be a number of reasons for that. _ yet. there could be a number of reasons for that. there - yet. there could be a number of reasons for that. there was - yet. there could be a number of reasons for that. there was in i reasons for that. there was in fact in an organised call for a protest by the new york young republicans yesterday and just a few people turned out for that. we've also seen on certain chats that people have warned that it could possibly be a bad idea, a trap for some people to turn out to protest. that's kind of an interesting turn of the lands. a lot of the former president supporters are afraid of going out and protesting. as you say, there hasn't been any official announcement of any charges. what happens if that does come, that

could certainly change things. if that does come nada tawfik will be back straightaway. nada tawfik in manhattan, thank you. we will turn to another big story in the uk. a damning report has found majorfailings in london's metropolitan police force, the biggest police force in the uk, calling it institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. we'll be taking you through the main findings and the reaction. first, here's baroness casey who wrote the report. there is without doubt a discriminatory culture right across the metropolitan police, it's not in pockets, it pervades the whole organisation. let's take a closer look at some of the key findings. the report says "institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia" are deeply embedded in the met police's culture and that "predatory and unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to flourish". it also

points to a culture of denial — alleging that the met does not... this is the response from the head of the metropolitan police, sir mark rowley. it's upsetting, it's frustrating it's angering we've let people down or where _ it's angering we've let people down or where clear of that. the findings are brutal— or where clear of that. the findings are brutal and i think they are accurate _ are brutal and i think they are accurate. like lots of others after reflect _ accurate. like lots of others after reflect on — accurate. like lots of others after reflect on the depth of the issues, why didn't — reflect on the depth of the issues, why didn't i see the toxicity that louise's — why didn't i see the toxicity that louise's coming out in this report. i louise's coming out in this report. i have _ louise's coming out in this report. i have been— louise's coming out in this report. i have been more outspoken about the challenges _ i have been more outspoken about the challenges we face in any commissioner in decades. lump i vermont — commissioner in decades. lump i vermont londoners will see these issues _ vermont londoners will see these issues dealt with. they will see policing — issues dealt with. they will see policing and prove it will make that difference is that people expect _ make that difference is that people expect. let's remind ourselves of how we got here. the report was commissioned following the rape, kidnap and murder of sarah everard in 2021 — by serving met police officer wayne couzens. the met was heavily criticised for its policing of the unofficial vigil held for sarah everard

on clapham common, where a number of people were arrested. the report points to this incident as one of several that has damaged the met�*s reputation in recent years. here's the uk prime minister rishi sunak. it's right that the police have to restore confidence and trust back into policing. there needs to be a change in culture and leadership change, i know that the new metropolitan commissioner will no doubt reflect on the findings of louise's report, but it's already making changes in that's right. because what was happening before is simply shocking and unacceptable. we've also heard from the home secretary — suella braverman. shadow home secretary yvette cooper. i'm concerned that the home secretaries statement is dangerously complacent. astonishingly, there is no new action set out in her response, simply words saying that the met must change. this is a continuation of the hands off home office response that baroness casey criticises in her report. we've also had reaction

from the mother of the black teenager stephen lawrence who was murdered in east london thirty years ago. after her son's death, a similar report was commissioned, which branded the force institutionally racist back then. today, baroness lawrence said... and there was more from the mayor of london sadiq khan. next month will be 30 years since stephen lawrence was brutally murdered, a racist murder. for 25 years since the mcpherson report, my experience as a londoner, a person of colour, my experience as a former human rights lawyer specialising in policing issue, my experience as a member of parliament and the police and crime commissioner, it is a police service that has been complacent, that's been arrogant,

that's been in denial. abimbola johnson is chair of the independent scrutiny and oversight board on the police's inclusion and race action plan. she gave me her reaction to the report. it's reaffirming i think of a lot of the aspects that we have seen, those of us who work in this sphere and certainly a lot of the dater, a lot of the trends reflected in the case of the trends reflected in the case of the trends reflected in the case of the report are in line with what we're seeing through the evidence, which is been gathered in the race action program. just which is been gathered in the race action program-— action program. just to pick up on what stephen _ action program. just to pick up on what stephen lawrence _ action program. just to pick up on what stephen lawrence his - action program. just to pick up on | what stephen lawrence his mother action program. just to pick up on - what stephen lawrence his mother has said, your reflections on the breath of the problem here. she said that it's not a case of a few bad apples come at the metropolitan police is rotten to the core. just how do you unpick that? how does a much improved? it unpick that? how does a much improved?— improved? it needs to be a completely _ improved? it needs to be a completely radical- improved? it needs to be a - completely radical transformation. the aspect of the case emphasise in the report is the fact that when it

comes to looking for solutions the metropolitan police held historically and current terms has not been good at real proper, meaningful community engagement emma at deferring to the expertise and the genuine lived experiences of its own officers and staff and civilians that comes into contact with. what needs to be different now in this aftermath is showing a difference in perspective. it needs to be a centring of the knowledge, centring of the experience of those groups, of the experience of those groups, of bringing people into the fold who not previously been there but who have a proven track record on delivering when it comes to transformation, a proven track record occurred on delivering when it comes to battling racism and the other concerns raised. that's why this label of institutional failure is really important. because it means that you would analyse it, not just getting rid of individual officers who show that overt

behaviour but also analysing the procedures and analysing the aspects that have allowed that to fester in policing and made it difficult to get rid of those people. we need to see that being the direction to steer behind the action and transformation we see as a result of this report. i transformation we see as a result of this reort. . , , . ., transformation we see as a result of this report-— this report. i appreciate the report icks u- this report. i appreciate the report picks up on _ this report. i appreciate the report picks up on various _ this report. i appreciate the report picks up on various aspects - this report. i appreciate the report picks up on various aspects within | picks up on various aspects within the metropolitan police, but when it comes to racism, were coming up on the 30th anniversary of the death of stephen lawrence come at the met police about 30 years to get to shopping order. and we're talking about this. how do you reflect upon that? , , ., that? racism is something that institutions _ that? racism is something that institutions struggle _ that? racism is something that institutions struggle with, - that? racism is something that i institutions struggle with, racism that something we as a country find difficult to speak about honestly. even when you look at the reaction of syrup market rallied to the report, the fact that in the very first utterance that he spoke about

the report, sir mark rallied. he receives to me that indicates a centring of the comfort of the or a centring... a reluctance to challenge a feeling of debate that may ensue as a result of that. fin may ensue as a result of that. on one of the — may ensue as a result of that. on one of the boards of scrutinies seeing oversight of the police want to take you to paris. we've received images from the french capital where you could see protesters out on the street once again, tear gas being used injust street once again, tear gas being used in just the last few minutes. with demonstrators gathering. this is for the sixth night. just to give you back on, these are protest on going against the government plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64. very unpopular, as you could see from the processors out on the street of the french capital. we're keeping an eye on what is happening there. stay with us here an outside

source. the american actress gwyneth paltrow is in court over claims she seriously injured a man in a "hit—and—run" skiing accident. new research shows a sharp north/south divide in the number of people needing emergency hospital treatment for lung conditions. the research shows the north—west of england, central scotland and parts of northern ireland had much higher rates of illness and death than other areas. as jim reed reports. amy was just the centre of our family. she was just full of life, really. and she was only 22. joanne's daughter, amy, had lived with severe asthma all her life. it's just breathing. it's something that everyone takes for granted. and, at times, amy could notjust breathe. then in october, amy collapsed in the middle of the night. an ambulance was called.

they started her heart again. and then they took her to wigan royal infirmary. lots of people came into the room, into the family room, and said that her brain had been starved of oxygen during the asthma attack. i actually feel sick, as if i'm going in to get my results. and then i had to come home and, on the friday night after school, and tell bailey that his mummy had died, which wasjust... ..the worst thing i've ever had to do. new research shows the impact of asthma and other lung conditions does, though, depend on where in the uk you live. in parts of the north—west of england, for example, hospital admissions and deaths are among the highest in the country — in places, double or even triple the rates seen in parts of london and the south—east.

lung disease because you get new targets to cut pollution and smoking it should make a difference. doctors think more still needs to be done to improve and save thousands of lives. jim reed, bbc news. welcome back. russia's vladimir putin says china's peace plan for ukraine could be used as a basis to end the war. the sri lankan president says a loan approved by the international monetary fund means the country is no longer deemed bankrupt by the world. the country is expected to get the first $330 million tranche of the bailout

in the coming days. translation: the world - except to that sri lanka is no longer a bankrupt country. and thus the country has the ability to be in normal transactions. following the receipt of the loan facility from the international monetary fund, with the improvement of the foreign exchange situation, the government is working to gradually remove import restrictions on essential goods, medicines and goods required for tourism. it's a deal that's been nearly a year in the making, following appeals to the imf after the former president fled the country. now sri lanka has secured a $2.9 billion bailout which the president says will serve as an assurance from the international community that they have the capacity to restructure they're debts. the country is expected to get the first three—hundred—and—thirty —— $330 million tranche of the bailout in the coming days. the imf loan will enable colombo to approach other lenders for additional financial assistance to revive the economy. sri lanka's economic crisis last year was the worst

since its independence. it ran out of foreign currency reserves, forcing it to restrict the import of food and fuel, triggering massive protests. and as our india business correspondent, archana shukla reports, the release of funds will be dependent on a number of conditions by the imf. the $3 billion loan from imf is certainly not pushing caught me out of the woods but it will give to the activity resort over the last year for the first bringing sri lanka back on the market. remember last year defaulting on the loan repayment? it was declared bankrupt and could not raise funds for the now what the imf at d more avenues will open up and sri lanka can go ahead and borrow russian friends from about multiple lateral organisations. sharnta dayva—rahjen is a former chief economist for the world bank who's now an advisor liaising between international financial institutions and the sri lankan government. how crucial is this first tranche of money? how crucial is this first tranche of mone ? , ,., ., ., how crucial is this first tranche of

mone ? , ., ., , how crucial is this first tranche of mone ? , ,., . ., , ., money? very important. not 'ust for the body which is i money? very important. not 'ust for the body which is sorely h money? very important. notjust for the body which is sorely needed - the body which is sorely needed given that sri lanka has run out of foreign exchange about a year ago. but also for the sign of confidence it portrays in the sri lankan economy. the government has undertaken a large number of actions to re—stabilize the economy, raising taxes, rationalizing expect increasing interest rates and devaluing the exchange rate to a more reasonable level. all of these have now been certified by the imf as being on the path to macroeconomic stability. that's very important. i would add that this is only the beginning of sri lanka reentering the international capital markets. because the one important point about sri lanka today is that it's also facing an unsustainable debt. the debt is too high for the

country to pay back that's why it defaulted back in may of 2022. the imf programme also permits sri lanka now to enter into negotiations with its creditors, both official creditors like china, japan and india as well as the private creditors, the holders of international sullivan bonds to bring down the level of debt that it has to repay to a point where it can repay the debt. that is going to be the main component in sri lanka reentering capital markets. that is a roblem reentering capital markets. that is a problem but _ reentering capital markets. that is a problem but also _ reentering capital markets. that is a problem but also the _ reentering capital markets. that is a problem but also the political. a problem but also the political turbulence in the country. you —— debt is a problem. what would you advise the government in terms of these political stability of the nation? i these political stability of the nation? ., �* ., , nation? i don't advise the government _ nation? i don't advise the government on _ nation? i don't advise the government on politics i nation? i don't advise the l government on politics but nation? i don't advise the - government on politics but what i have been advising the government and i share with you is to make sure that the economic reform programme that the economic reform programme thatis

that the economic reform programme that is absolutely necessary for the imf programme to be implemented over the next four years but also for the debt restructuring process that we're embarking on, it's very important that the economic reform programme proceeds at pace. one thing that makes me optimistic is that while there is a loto political tension in the country in turmoil and the different political parties don't really agree with each other as to the way forward is politically, they do agree under economic reform program. there is broad consensus around what needs to be done to enable the country to resume growth and make it more equitable. that is encouraging to me that no matter who's in charge, who's in power there may be changes of government that the economic risk form programme proceeds. it’s of government that the economic risk form programme proceeds.— form programme proceeds. it's good to end on a — form programme proceeds. it's good to end on a positive _ form programme proceeds. it's good to end on a positive note. _ form programme proceeds. it's good to end on a positive note. thank- form programme proceeds. it's good to end on a positive note. thank you | to end on a positive note. thank you very much, former world bank economist.

the hollywood actress, gwyneth paltrow, has appeared in a us court. she's facing a lawsuit from a man who claims she crashed into him terry sanderson, who's 76 alleges he was hit from behind by the star and suffered a head injury and broken ribs. the actress claims it was mr sanderson who was at fault. our los angeles correspondent, sophie long, reports. use to appearing on the red carpets of hollywood and the silver screen, today gwyneth paltrow appeared in court as the defendant. she's being sued over a skiing accident on the slopes, accused of a human hit and run. , , , ., , run. this is the case of terry sanderson — run. this is the case of terry sanderson versus _ run. this is the case of terry sanderson versus gwyneth l run. this is the case of terry - sanderson versus gwyneth paltrow, beginning trial here today. would you please where in the jurors. beginning trial here today. would you please where in thejurors. if you please where in thejurors. if you could please raise your right hand. retired optometrist who is 76

claims ms. paltrow was getting out of control and hit him from behind, knocking him out, causing a brain injury before skiing off and leaving him injured in the snow. ms. injury before skiing off and leaving him injured in the snow. him in'ured in the snow. ms. paltrow sa s him injured in the snow. ms. paltrow sa s he hit him injured in the snow. ms. paltrow says he hit her— him injured in the snow. ms. paltrow says he hit her before _ him injured in the snow. ms. paltrow says he hit her before apologising . says he hit her before apologising and telling her he was fine. the court heard that gwyneth paltrow considers herself to be an intermediate skier but mr sanders lawyer said she had multiple instructors and hit him hard, causing his body to smash into the ground, breaking four of his ribs and giving him a concussion. she said then bolted down the mountain without saying a word. the court was told in the year following the incidence of mr saunders has symptoms of persistent brain injury and would encounter problems for the rest of his life. the case continues. as always much more of our stories on our website for monitoring the events in paris, protesters still out on the street of those pension reforms. we will bring more on that

to you. we will bring more on that to you. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @kasiamadera. hello. there is more rain in the forecast for the next few days, adding to what — for many of us — has already been quite a soggy march. in fact, parts of eastern england have already seen more than two and a half times the rainfall they'd normally expect in a typical march. compare that with just a third of the normal rainfall at kirkwall in orkney. but all of us are going to see those rainfall gauges getting topped up during tonight with this band of heavy rain pushing eastwards, particularly wet over high ground in southwest scotland, northwest england, wales and the southwest. gales will develop through the night as well across some western and central parts of scotland, those combining with high tides to give the risk of some coastal flooding. but it is going to be mild, 5—11 celsius. so we start tomorrow morning

with this frontal system swirling its way eastward. some outbreaks of rain clinging on across the south east corner. heavy rain in parts of northern scotland and some blustery winds to start the day. as we go through the day, where we'll see another clutch of downpours moving across the northern half of scotland, maybe some snow over the highest hills and mountains here. and then, really, itjust turns into a sunshine and showers day, but some of the showers will be heavy, possibly thundery, and we will keep some rather blustery winds — strongest gusts always around some of these western coasts, gusting up to 50mph or more. temperatures, 11—15 celsius, maybe not quite as mild as it was today across the northern half of scotland. now, as we look ahead to thursday, again, sunshine and showers. some of the showers will be on the heavy side. later in the day, some more persistent rain is likely to drift across the channel islands starting to move towards southern counties of england. again, it's mild, quite breezy, too, 9—15 celsius. for the end of the week, while thursday night brings this

little frontal system clipping into the southeast corner, more persistent rain with that, low pressure firmly in charge for friday, bands of showers pushing from the west towards the east. some of these showers are going to be heavy. i think there will be some flashes of lightning and some rumbles of thunder. always some bright or sunny spells between the showers. strongest winds across the southern half of the country. temperatures eight celsius in lerwick, 14 celsius in hull and in norwich. as we head through the weekend, it's going to stay unsettled. there'll be more rain at times, but it is set to turn a bit colder from the north by sunday.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. the red carpet is rolled out in moscow for president's xijinping, as both china and russia accuse the us of �*undermining' global security. translation: it looks like the west has definitely decided to fight - with russia until the last ukrainian, not only by words, but by actions. the russian leader also warned that moscow will react, if the uk goes ahead with a plan to give ukraine ammunition containing depleted uranium. also in the programme... the former british prime minister borisjohnson admits misleading mps over lockdown parties — but says he didn't do it

and a large earthquake has hit afghanistan, and has been felt as far away as the indian capital, delhi. we start with an accusation from both china and russia that the united states is undermining global stability. it came on the final day of president's xi jinping state visit to moscow. there was plenty of pomp and ceremony. the chinese leader was treated to an orchestral rendition of the chinese and russian anthems, before moving in to the grand hall of the order of st catherine for talks. but consider the circumstances: with russia under heavy international sanctions and increasingly reliant on china. high on the agenda was the war in ukraine and beijing's12—point peace proposal to resolve

the conflict, which vladimir putin said could be used as a basis to end the war. but the russian leader said the west had dissmissed the proposals as the basis for talks. translation: we believe that - many of the provisions in the peace plan put forward by china are consistent with russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for it in the west and in kyiv. however, so far, we have not seen such readiness on their part. vladimir putin also warned that his country would react, if the uk goes ahead with a plan to give ukraine ammunition containing depleted uranium. translation: it looks like the west has definitely decided to fight - with russia until the last ukrainian, not only by words, but by actions. i would like to note that if all this happens, russia will have to respond accordingly, bearing in mind that the collective waste is already

beginning to use weapons with nuclear components. following those comments the uk's ministry of defence released this statement. the british army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades. it is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities. russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform xi also referred to beijing's ukraine peace plan. but was at pains to stress that beijing was neutral in the conflict. translation: | would _ like to emphasise that on the issue of the ukraine crisis, china has always followed the principles of the un charter. upholding an objective and fair stands actively promoting peace talks. china is only standing firmly on the side of peace, dialogue and on the right side of history. but what china's 12 point plan

for ukraine involve? it calls for "the sovereignty of all countries", but does not specifically say russia must withdraw its troops from ukraine it condemns the use of "unilateral sanctions" against moscow, an implicit criticism of ukraine's western allies. there is a call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and steps to ensure the export of grain. and the plan calls for an end to the "cold war mentality," a term understood to refer to america's global dominance. chinese leader's meeting with vladimir putin comes at the end of a busy couple of days for president xi. earlier he sat down with russian prime minister mikhail mishustin and announced to state media that he'd extended an invitation to president putin to visit beijing "at a time that works for him" this year. he also said china would prioritise what he called an "all—round strategic partnership" with russia. so how did all the diplomatic

niceties go down with the people of moscow? translation: on the one hand, his visit is very good, _ and the other hand, we must stand our ground as well and not cave in. time will show. they are themselves in an uneasy situation now, so maybe they went to work closely together with us as well. the visit is important to maintain relations with our closest neighbours. all europe has sanctioned us. we hope it's not for long and things will restore, and the european countries will treat us the same. china is a friendly country, and we hope for more cooperation with them. the us has made its feelings about the visit clear, calling on president xi to urge vladimir putin to withdraw his troops from ukraine. efforts to end this conflict must take ukraine's position into account. so we encourage the chinese president to play a constructive role by speaking with president zelensky, which he has not done since russia

launched this invasion. because china have quite frankly, we believe, should adhere directly ——because china have quite frankly, we believe, should hear directly to the ukrainians and notjust from the russians. and we encourage president to make president putin directly on the need to respect ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. the world and china's neighbours will certainly be watching closely. so the west is watching, and with growing anxiety. and the fear is that china might start sending military aid, potentially including artillery shells, to russia. western governments have repeatedly warned china against supplying russia with arms. and images like this are heightening that concern. these were joint exercises in the gulf of oman last week, involving the naval forces of china, russia and iran. however, they centred on search and rescue and other non—combat missions. nato's secretary—general has become the latest to warn beijing not to supply russia with weapons. we haven't seen any proof that china is delivering

lethal weapons to russia, but we have seen in some signs that this has been a request from russia and that this is an issue that is considered in beijing by the chinese authorities, and therefore, our message has been that china should not provide legal aid to russia. ——china should not provide lethal aid to russia. chinese official media are hailing the friendship between the country and russia. in an op—ed published in russian media on monday, president xi said: "the two sides uphold the concept of here's one russian analyst on the significance of the article. translation: i think one of the main points in president xi's article - is that the friendship between china and russia has stood

the test of time. although the international situation is very complicated for both russia and china, the two sides have maintained exchanges and interactions. but what do people on the streets of beijing make of it all? take a listen. translation: i think president putin is a strong and capable leader. - his policy towards the outside world protect the rights of russian citizens very well. we call him emperor putin. we feel like he is very awesome. i'm not that old, when a take - political classes and paid attention to international news, president putin has. always been there. i only know about the previousj presidents from history books. there's more reports about him, and most are positive, _ such as a foreigner, - my attitude towards him is quite friendly. from one arrival to another... japan's prime minister fumio kishida is in ukraine and has been visiting bucha. these pictures show him

being accompanied through the city by military officials. tokyo has voiced support for ukraine since the beginning of war and joined other g7 countries in extending sanctions against russia. mr kishida had been the only g7 leader not to visit ukraine, until today. translation: as | step - on the ground of bucha today, i really feel great anger for all the atrocious acts. i would like to give my heartfelt condolences to all the victims and the wounded on behalf of the japanese nationals. he also met ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky in kyiv to express his support for and solidarity with ukraine. japan and china see each other as regional rivals. since russia launched its war in ukraine, tokyo has provided kyiv with a mixture of humanitarian, financial and non—lethal military aid.

professor mary gallagher, director of the centre for chinese studies at the university of michigan. i asked her if the chinese could send weapons to ukraine? they certainly could. i think it would be a very major shift in their policy. it would create a huge uproar within the western alliances, and it would create a very long drawn out war, which china does not want to see. so i am a little bit sceptical that china will actually provide weapons to russia. that's interesting. in terms of when china describes itself as being neutral, and it offers up this 12 point plan, specifically it doesn't talk about russia having to withdraw from ukraine, that is something that ukraine absolutely insists as a precondition for any talks. so can china realistically being neutral? no, i don't think it can be neutral. nobody believes it to be neutral.

the fact that at the last beijing olympics, putin and xi met right before the invasion. xi gave his support, maybe not knowing about the invasion fully, but since that time, this has really been a decision that he hasn't been able to back away from. i think many people, even within china, feel that that policy was a mistake, but it has really made it very difficult for xi, who never admits that he is wrong, that he made a mistake in aligning himself with russia so closely right before the invasion. when it comes to this plan that china is putting forward, the so—called blueprint, is it potentially a blueprint from what it could be thinking about in terms of its ambitions for taiwan? it's interesting. there's a lot of differences between ukraine and taiwan, for example, china recognises the sovereignty of ukraine back in 1991 after the dissolution of the soviet union, which is not at all like the status of taiwan, which is relatively,

completely unresolved. so, for ukraine to serve as an example of the future of what could happen with taiwan, it really doesn't function well. also, of course, the problems that russia has had in a quick victory in ukraine also make it really problematic for the chinese government to see ukraine as the future for taiwan. we know that president zelensky, ukraine's leader, has been calling for a telephone conversation with president xi and arguably, understanding is that it has not happened yet. what is your thinking? what is your thinking behind that not happening so far? it will be interesting to see if it happens. that should happen this week. it has yet to happen. xi has had no contact with the ukrainian president all throughout this conflict. it really makes china seem like a not very faithful partner in the peace process if it has yet to talk to even one of the sides.

here in the uk, former prime minister borisjohnson has accepted that he did mislead parliament over lockdown parties in downing street, but he insists that statements he made were in good faith and based on what he knew and believed at the time. he made the admission in evidence given to mps who are investigating his actions. he says he �*did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the house in december 2021 or any other date'. and that he �*relied on assurances that he received from his trusted advisors�* on what happened in downing street. let's recap what this is about. this was borisjohnson around a table with downing street staff — during covid restrictions in england when social events were banned. the so—called �*partygate' scandal helped bring down mrjohnson, but this investigation is not about that — it's about whether he misled parliament

during moments like this. i'm sure whatever happened, the guidance was followed in the rules were followed at all times. this was december 2021 when reports of parties first emerged — mp's are looking at whether mr johnson mislead the commons, and whether he did it intentionally or recklessly. here's observer columnist sonia sodha. he is referred to these gatherings as parties and correspondence when he is talking about how to deal with them. and secondly, he stands accused of not correcting the record in parliament as soon as he knew that he may have misled the house. and accounting quite heavily against them tomorrow. let's hear more about that group of mps — called the privileges committee — investigating whether borisjohnson misled parliament. it's one of the many committees of politicians which oversee the government's work and parliament's internal affairs. the seven—member committee, is

chaired by labour's harriet harman. by convention, it's always chaired by an opposition mp. it's made up of four conservatives and three opposition mps. in today's document mrjohnson rounds on the committee, saying, he accuses it of relying on, in his words, "discredited dominic cummings", his former adviser. the committee says, "mrjohnson's written submission contains no borisjohnson faces boris johnson faces being borisjohnson faces being expelled from parliament if mps decide he deliberately misled them. here is bench member of the house lords. they can suspend him for ten days or more and they might do something

less than that and they mayjust censure him and that has to be approved by parliament but if it was this than there could be a recall by election and he could be risking his seat. so there is a huge risk. for more on this i spoke with political correspondent rob watson. at the heart of this, it's not whether or not these parties happened because we know they did. it's whether or not borisjohnson particularly at the end of 2021, several months after these parties, when he told mps look, i did not know anything about it, of these rules and regulations are being followed, yes, he misled them but he did not know. he thought he was acting in good faith. so, the question is when that turned out not to be true, did he do it intentionally or all recklessly and obviously, you framed it rather nicely, based on exactly the same evidence, borisjohnson insists absolutely no way and he spoke to mps in good faith but he denied any hanky—panky at downing street and lockdown violations but the mp5, the seven mps in the interim report

based on exactly the same evidence think that it is really hard to believe that he did not know that regulations and guidances were being violated. when it comes to what we expect tomorrow, the privileges committee, talk us through him describing and questioning it. whether it was potential bias or not. is quite an interesting way of him potentially discrediting committee, is that what he is doing here? i think it is classic borisjohnson and that is the greatest form of defence is attacked. having a go at the whole principle on which it is operating and say look, the whole thing is a witchhunt and everyone is made up their minds.

based on the testimony that he submitted today, it is going to be a very feisty affair but here's the funny thing. it may be feisty but in some ways, sort of tedious because the mps have looked to this evidence and i think they don't think borisjohnson was straight with parliament in december 2021 and seeing the absolute opposite. a stalemate is likely to ensue. i think in many ways, perhaps a borisjohnson is trying to do is just plant enough doubt in some of the mps on this committee and the wider mps in parliament to help him escape from this one. of course, much more tomorrow when borisjohnson will be quizzed by that committee. stay with us here on outside source. still to come... could the scottish highlands help with climate change? we will take a

look at ——we take a look at the giant project that plans to harness the power of water. applause. let there be no more war or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. with great regret, the committee has decided that south africa will be excluded from the 1970 competition. chanting. streaking across the sky, the white hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji.

this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... russia's vladimir putin says china's peace plan for ukraine could be used as a basis to end the war. borisjohnson has accepted he misled parliament over covid rule—breaking parties in downing street, but denied he did it on purpose. let's bring you up—to—date with the developing news we broke about an hour or so ago, developing news we broke about an hour orso ago, a developing news we broke about an hour or so ago, a strong earthquake which struck northeastern afghanistan with the tremors felt across a wide was in the hindu kush mountain range. the epicentre was in the hindu kush

mountain range, in the northern afghan province of badakhshan. two people are reported to have died in the east of the country and a child in neighbouring pakistan. the us geological survey has put the magnitude at 6.5. it was felt as far away as the indian capital delhi, and tashkent in uzbekistan. this is the aftermath of the quake in kabul. it's said to have lasted for at least 30 seconds, sending people out into the streets. our south asia editor anbarasan ethirajan. at the northeastern part of afghanistan, very close to kazakhstan and other countries, that is why we _ kazakhstan and other countries, that is why we are hearing reports is from _ is why we are hearing reports is from there _ is why we are hearing reports is from there as well. the taliban spokesperson message me saying there have been casualties and it appears to be limited because they are not able to lead the remote parts of the country ——because they are not able to read the remote parts of the country and mobile services are restricted in those areas and what we saw in afghanistan in the situation and earthquakes hit southeastern parts, killing more than a thousand

people and took a while for people to get the message. in pakistan and in many cities, people are rushing out of their houses and apartment buildings in a panic because they had the experiences of these before and people remaining in the streets are more than an hour thinking there will be another tremor as such that created a huge amount of people exchanging messages on social media and the same in the indian capital where people were panicking and getting reports of houses getting cracks and some buildings getting tilted but so far, no reports of casualties but in afghanistan and in northwest pakistan, several people have been injured and photographs are emerging showing collapsed walls and parts of the houses and some of the remote areas in the mountainous areas. a huge amount of the worlds

electricity is generated by hydropower that's the power of water. now the uk energy giant sse is announcing 100—million pounds, or 122—million dollars of funding for a giant project in the scottish highlands which would be the uk's biggest hydro scheme in 40 years. if it goes ahead, sse says it will help tackle climate change and impr— ove energy security. does a solution to the climate crisis lie here in the highlands? this is where sse wants to build a giant dam and two reservoirs. on days when power from wind farms is plentiful, water would be pumped uphill and stored for release to generate energy by spinning turbines on still days when it is scarce. we have flown in here to this remote and stunning spot. this is coire glas, where the hydro scheme is going to be located and the dam will be built down

there, and feast your eyes, because when it's all finished, where i'm standing now will be about 90 metres underwater. by tunnels and pipes, the water is sent down to the power stations... it's 80 years since the uk government took charge of hydro in scotland. building dozens of giant dams. they brought power, jobs and tourism to the glens. now, say the private power companies, it's time for a new generation of hydro. i think across the highlands of scotland we've shown that hydro can become a critical part of the landscape, and i'm convinced that coire glas would be the same for generations to come. is it definitely going to happen? it's viable from an engineering perspective and an economic perspective. but obviously, a number of things have to fall into place. sse will need clarity around how the uk government is going to support projects like coire glas. a review of energy policy is under way.

ministers say they are committed to supporting hydro. using water to generate power is an age old idea, but in many ways it's never been more relevant. hydro can help the world tackle climate change by moving away from oil and gas, and can help the uk reduce its reliance on importing energy from abroad. we need a lot more energy storage capability, so, you know, probably ten to 50 times greater than the capacity of coire glas to move energy between the seasons, of using that spare wind and solar power from the summer and make use of it in the winter. but with the united nations warning that humanity is on thin ice because of climate change, there may be some hope in the highlands. james cook, bbc news, coire glas. hopein hope in the highlands, nicely done

there. lots more on our website. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @kasiamadera. lovely to hear more from you for the outside source team. hello. there is more rain in the forecast for the next few days, adding to what — for many of us — has already been quite a soggy march. in fact, parts of eastern england have already seen more than two and a half times the rainfall they'd normally expect in a typical march. compare that with just a third of the normal rainfall at kirkwall in orkney. but all of us are going to see those rainfall gauges getting topped up during tonight with this band of heavy rain pushing eastwards, particularly wet over high ground in southwest scotland, northwest england, wales and the southwest. gales will develop through the night as well across some western and central parts of scotland, those combining with high tides to give the risk of some coastal flooding. but it is going to be mild, 5—11 celsius. so we start tomorrow morning with this frontal system swirling its way eastward.

some outbreaks of rain clinging on across the south east corner. heavy rain in parts of northern scotland and some blustery winds to start the day. as we go through the day, where we'll see another clutch of downpours moving across the northern half of scotland, maybe some snow over the highest hills and mountains here. and then, really, itjust turns into a sunshine and showers day, but some of the showers will be heavy, possibly thundery, and we will keep some rather blustery winds — strongest gusts always around some of these western coasts, gusting up to 50mph or more. temperatures, 11—15 celsius, maybe not quite as mild as it was today across the northern half of scotland. now, as we look ahead to thursday, again, sunshine and showers. some of the showers will be on the heavy side. later in the day, some more persistent rain is likely to drift across the channel islands starting to move towards southern counties of england. again, it's mild, quite breezy, too, 9—15 celsius.

for the end of the week, while thursday night brings this little frontal system clipping into the southeast corner, more persistent rain with that, low pressure firmly in charge for friday, bands of showers pushing from the west towards the east. some of these showers are going to be heavy. i think there will be some flashes of lightning and some rumbles of thunder. always some bright or sunny spells between the showers. strongest winds across the southern half of the country. temperatures eight celsius in lerwick, 14 celsius in hull and in norwich. as we head through the weekend, it's going to stay unsettled. there'll be more rain at times, but it is set to turn a bit colder from the north by sunday.

this is bbc news. we'll have all of the headlines and main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. and the oscar goes to... ready? whoo! hello from los angeles. i'm tom brook and welcome to our talking movies