this is bbc news. the headlines... the rush to regulate artificial intelligence. the man behind chat—gpt testifies before the us congress. hundreds of afghan interpreters granted settlement status in the uk are left stranded in hotels in pakistan, some for over a year. as food prices soar in the uk, the prime minister meets industry leaders in downing street. a bbc investigation has uncovered a complex scam, isa is a major donor to conservative

party. this man donated more than £630,000, oralmost $800,000, to party. this man donated more than £630,000, or almost $800,000, to the party between 2014 at 2020. some of his companies were alleged to be involved in a scheme to move money from one of the richest oligarchs out of britain. he is not subject to any criminal action and denies wrongdoing. 0rdered an 0be for businesses and services and in philanthropy, he has been a major donor with access to senior party leaders. 0ne been a major donor with access to senior party leaders. one of mr brandy's companies is the famous design brand, the conrad shop. it's not involved in this case, it has raised questions about some of his overseas interests. those questions began when the national crime agency investigated a family living in these opulent apartments in

london's regents park. the family had an old associate of mr moran date. last year a court ruled the mca can seize more than £5 million from his family. it had been part of billions that disappeared from azerbaijan in a global scandal, only uncovered by investigative journalist. i uncovered by investigative journalist-— uncovered by investigative “ournalist. , ., journalist. i believe he brought a lot of damage — journalist. i believe he brought a lot of damage on _ journalist. i believe he brought a lot of damage on many - journalist. i believe he brought a lot of damage on many levels. . journalist. i believe he brought a| lot of damage on many levels. to journalist. i believe he brought a - lot of damage on many levels. to the european union. a judge ruled that companies owned byjavad marandi played a key role in moving some of the cash to london. the case starts with $1.5 billion leaving azerbaijan for shell companies registered in glasgow. tens of millions were moved again to the seychelles to the avromed company owned byjavad marandi. ajudge said how the cash moved back to the uk looked like money

laundering, and that mr marandi was a person of importance in the nca's case. mr marandi's lawyers argued all the money was lawfully earned and transferred, so he should remain anonymous to protect his reputation. the bbc said it was in the public interest to name him and judges agreed in an important ruling about freedom of the media versus privacy. the case also raises political questions. today, the conservative party's donations face scrutiny in parliament. the news this morning that javid marandi has lost an 18 month legal battle with the bbc to remain anonymous is a victory for transparency and freedom of the press and a battle often weighted in favour of wealthy oligarchs. it also goes to the heart of our democracy. and the minister defended the conservatives record on donations. all political parties, in fact, need to be very careful, need to be thoughtful, and need to be discerning about where donations come from, regardless of what the law may say.

and that is a lesson i think political parties in this country need to reflect on very carefully and learn from. now we hear that he donated £750,000 to the tory party, | got an 0be and access. to government ministers. we should, mr speaker, take these allegations very seriously. - if true, dirty money has well. and truly crept into our politics. the nca won't say if mr marandi is under investigation. the court of appeal says he could have refuted allegations in his battle with the bbc. dominic casciani, bbc news. hundreds of afghan interpreters — who were granted eligibility to settle in the uk — have been stuck in hotels in pakistan, some of them for over a year. the british government originally said they could come to the uk with their families because they helped british forces — but a lack of accommodation here means they've been forced to remain in pakistan. a government spokesperson said supporting the resettlement

of eligible afghans remains a top priority. nawal al—maghafi reports. scenes of desperation. it's august 2021, and the taliban have taken over the country, including the capital, kabul. chaos as afghans flee, leaving everything behind to start a new life. gunfire thousands of people who worked with the british forces during their campaign against terror were now a target. nearly two years on, and they're yet to make it to the promised safety of the uk. these are ahmed and khan, not their real names. 0nce interpreters for the british forces, they're amongst 1,000 apologies for interrupting that piece. let's go straight to reykjavik and iceland where the prime minister of the united kingdom

is addressing that fourth summit of heads and state and government of the council of europe. he was talking about what makes our continent so successful. the values of freedom. democracy. and the rule of freedom. democracy. and the rule of law. the same spirit we have seen again and again, that led block of trouble to broadcast his message of freedom during this oppression of the park spring. that brought down the park spring. that brought down the berlin wall, and that leads ukraine to defend its country with such valour, inspiring us to stand with them all. the counsel of europe has nurtured that spirit for three quarters of a century. and it must do so again now, because today we are facing the greatest threat to democracy and the rule of law and our continent since before the treaty of london was signed. with

russia reaching a war of aggression on european soil, and china growing in assertiveness, the world is becoming more contested, and more volatile. the challenge to our values is growing, and the moment to push back is now. democracy like ours must build resilience so that we can out cooperate and outcompete those who drive instability. that's why we are working so closely with our friends across europe, why we are working so closely with ourfriends across europe, through the g7, nato, thejoint expeditionary force, the european political community, and with a welcome new tone in our relations with the european union. france, the united kingdom may have left the eu, but we have not left europe. we remain a proud european nation, and we must work together to defend the values we all hold so dear. the

council of europe, with its huge reach, has such a vital role to play. and we need to think about how this counsel should react to the realities of today. we showed great purpose in expelling russia last year, acting decisively together within days of the invasion. let's bring that dynamism to the issues before us now. and let's send a message from this hall, loud and clear, we will stand by ukraine for as long as it takes. we will hold russia accountable for the horrendous war crimes that have been committed. and we must also learn the lessons of this war by being prepared to confront threats to our societies before they become too big to deal with. that includes acting on cybersecurity and ai. and it

means tackling illegal migration. the moral case for action is clear. we can'tjust the moral case for action is clear. we can't just sit the moral case for action is clear. we can'tjust sit back and watch as criminal gangs property or on peoples misery. illegal migration exploits the most vulnerable. it risks crowding out those with a genuine case for asylum. and it strains the trust that our citizens have, notjust in our domestic borders, but in the international system. and that's why so many of us are already acting at the national level, and why we need to do more to cooperate across borders and across jurisdictions to end illegal migration and stop the boat. the council already plays a vital role, but i urge leaders to consider how we can go further. because we know what we can achieve together. just look at this counsel is extraordinary legacy. protecting

human rights, abolishing the death penalty in europe, supporting media freedom, and championing democracy across central and eastern europe after the cold war. so, let's take heart from that. and keep rising to the many challenges before us, true to our enduring values, and certain that as churchill went on to tell the transferred crowd, the dangerous before us are great. but great too, is our strength. thank you.- is our strength. thank you. you're listenin: is our strength. thank you. you're listening there _ is our strength. thank you. you're listening there to _ is our strength. thank you. you're listening there to the _ is our strength. thank you. you're listening there to the prime - listening there to the prime minister, rishi sunak, before he headed out to reykjavik for that council of europe meeting. he said he was going to raise long—term security arrangements for ukraine at the council of europe meeting. he also spoke about the lessons that have been learned from the russian

invasion of ukraine from this war as he described it, and dealing with the threats of the kind of war that we have seen so far. he talked about showing great purpose, expelling russia from the council last year, and of course this is the first time the council is meeting since russia was expelled. but it's the first summit of heads of state and government of the council of europe, which is being held in reykjavik and iceland. we also heard from the president of ukraine, who gave a keynote speech, and he talked about the needs of his country, but he also expressed his gratitude for the weapons and the ammunitions that the west has continued to send to ukraine over the past year. so we are just listening there to prime minister rishi sunak, who spoke about the war in ukraine, but also talked about tackling illegal migration. we will have much more on their situation they are at the council of europe meeting, and we

will be speaking to our correspondence in the later on in the programme. now around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. water quality has been making waves for all the wrong reasons of late, with discharges and record fines hitting the headlines. but firestone bay here has already been given a clean bill of health. this is one of the four new sites to join the existing 420 designated bathing water areas across the uk. it means the water quality here will be regularly tested and monitored. so normally on this beach we'd be testing and on average about once a week, so 20 times through the bathing season. it's reassuring for those braving the water today. there's lots of children that come down here. so for parents and for myself, it's so reassuring

that we're actually swimming in something that's relatively clean. i i think it's great for the local. community because it makes sure |it's safe, it's fresh, it's clean, j and it will attract more people to use the area. the test data is published on the environment agency swim foa website to inform people about possible dips in water quality as a result of rainfall, wind and high tides. your watching bbc news. as food prices in the uk rise at their fastest rate in 45 prime minister rishi sunak met with farmers, supermarket bosses and food industry representatives for a food summit in downing street. food costs have soared in the past year, with some items like meat and vegetables more than doubling in price. supermarkets also faced a shortage of supplies. the government says it wants to ensure affordable and sustainable food supplies, and urged retailers to pass on savings to customers. here's our economics correspondent, dharshini david. brunch with the prime minister in the sun.

all smiles, but farmers, manufacturers and retailers were there to discuss the challenges of supplying our food. soaring costs have been the key headache for production and prices. just ask the man in charge of our biggest dairy cooperative. cost pressures on farms have come from all the global factors of conflict and the disruption coming out of covid and so on. actually, farmers have had to pay more than 80% more for their feed, fertiliser and fuel. similar to our household bills, the food we are buying, the energy we are getting for our homes. that has put pressure on them. with the spike in costs impacting many ingredients, shoppers are sharing the pain. a basket of food that cost £50 one year ago will now set you back £60. half of households have had to buy less. with the cost of wheat, oil and dairy now dropping, there are a few price cuts, but why aren't there more? are retailers taking a larger slice? let's consider where your money goes.

take a block of cheese costing £2 50 p. an academic study shows that the farmers cost account for nearly £150 p. the retailers and processors overheads make up most of the rest. as for profit, there is just 3.5 p left to be split between them all. 0ur supply chains are tight. they may struggle to absorb higher costs. profit margins on other items are bigger, but for every £1 you spent in tesco last year, it made about 4p on profit. in sainsbury�*s, it was more like three p. supermarkets have taken a hit, and other costs are still rising. energy prices have doubled or tripled in some cases. the labour cost has been substantial, mainly driven both by the national minimum wage rises, which came in in april, and also because just a shortage of labour, particularly in some of the key

skills like hgv drivers and logistics through supply chain. overall, the costs are still rising. but at a slower rate. that should mean price rises on shop shelves slow. but with contracts fixed in advance, it takes months to happen. and with those costs still high, overall bills will not be following soon. however, we are still paying less for many items — meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese — than much of europe. that is an issue on the farm. they are already struggling to make ends meet. some are quitting the business. the number of food manufacturers folding has doubled. protecting our food supply comes at a price. the painful reality is the return of the cheaper food of a few years ago is not on the menu.

there are several stars attending the concert film festival opening tonight. showcasing the best of international cinema. tonight it opens with a new film starring actor johnny depp, and is the first time he has appeared on screen and a high—profile film since the libel involving his ex—wife. the pivotal thing about this film is will it resurrect johnny depp�*s career? because over the last few years, he's been involved in two highly publicised legal battles with his ex—wife, the actress amber heard, over allegations of abuse. and it really had a damaging effect on his acting career. he was sidelined, even almost cancelled. and this is his first leading role in three years. so he must be hoping that it goes over well here at cannes. and i think hollywood loves a rehabilitation story. i think it's probably going to happen via the fashion

brand announced just a few days ago that they were going to give him a hefty amount of money as a kind of brand endorser. and he has also revealed that he is directing a movie and he's got al pacino to star in it. and it's all about the italian artist model army. so there's a lot of interest in this film tonight. yeah, no doubt. and of course, a lot of interest in the new indiana jones sequel. yes. the indiana jones film has a very energetic 80—year old harrison ford playing alongside phoebe waller—bridge, british actress, in another escapade in which they're looking for some artefact that's going to have a dramatic effect on the world. this movie has what's called the kind of blockbuster spot at cannes. it's really here to get publicity. you have the world's press here, and it's a great launch pad for a movie. top gun maverick did it last year. they had a spectacular debut. and of course, it went on to great

things both at the box office and in terms of securing some 0scar recognition. because of what's been going on in the marketplace, i don't know how many of the great films that i get to see this week and in the coming days will actually make it into cinemas. so there isn't yet a good business model to translate good arthouse films, which can really specialise into moneymaking endeavours through streaming. but people are working at it. tom burke speaking to me from con. let's go back to the council of europe leaders summit, and we are listening they are to the eu commissioner president, who is talking about the threat that russia poses to democracy. as we have been reporting, we of course, it has been a long time since russia was expeued a long time since russia was expelled from this counsel, and this was the first meeting since that exposure last year. let's just have a listen. exposure last year. let's 'ust have a listen. ., , exposure last year. let's 'ust have a listen. .,, , ,

a listen. europe is united. it is standing up — a listen. europe is united. it is standing up for _ a listen. europe is united. it is standing up for ukraine. - a listen. europe is united. it is standing up for ukraine. this l a listen. europe is united. it is| standing up for ukraine. this is a listen. europe is united. it is- standing up for ukraine. this is our commitment. rightly so. ukrainian people are demanding accountability for russia's war crimes. the shelling of civilian homes, the executions in cold blood, the adduction of children from their families, over19,000 adduction of children from their families, over 19,000 children have been stolen, torn away from their families. this is what summit of iceland should focus on. this is why we are here, to discuss these topics. it is important for ukrainians today, because the prospect of accountability can already deter russian soldiers from committing new war crimes. but it is also important for the future,

because onlyjustice can be the foundation of lasting peace in ukraine. ., ., . �* �* , ukraine. your watching bbc news. ladies and gentlemen, _ ukraine. your watching bbc news. ladies and gentlemen, since - ukraine. your watching bbc news. ladies and gentlemen, since the i ladies and gentlemen, since the creation of the council of europe, our continent has embarked on a journey towards democracy. we rebuilt not only our cities, but also the morale of foundations of europe. we have put freedom, equality, and solidarity at the heart of our societies. 0urjourney has continued as more and more european countries moved from dictatorship to democracy, and that journey continues today. it continues insider countries, whenever human rights and the rule

of law are challenged. it continues in ukraine, and in every place where people are taking to the streets and waving the flag of our common values. and today, we recommit to these values. we will do everything possible so that ukraine wins the piece, a just peace. and we will do nothing about ukraine without ukraine. this is why we strongly support ukraine's peace formula. the ukrainian peace formula is the foundation of their past towards peace. and that is why i call on us at this summit to really rally behind this peace formula. in these

testing times, it is so important that we alljoin testing times, it is so important that we all join forces. testing times, it is so important that we alljoin forces. the ukrainians are fighting for democracy and freedom. it is our common fight, and we stand by their side for as long as it takes. slava, ukraine, long live europe. you are listenin: ukraine, long live europe. you are listening there _ ukraine, long live europe. you are listening there to _ ukraine, long live europe. you are listening there to the _ ukraine, long live europe. you are listening there to the eu _ ukraine, long live europe. you are i listening there to the eu commission president, ursula vonda line, speaking there at the fourth summit of the head of state and government of the head of state and government of the head of state and government of the council of europe. 80 years ago today, 19 lancaster bombers took off from raf scrampton in lincolnshire. they were on a secret mission to strike at the heart of germany's world war ii operations. tonight, a special fly—past will mark the anniversary of the famous dambusters raid of 1943. danny savage has the story.

later this evening, weather permitting, this lancaster bomber will once again fly to the sky in lincolnshire. 80 years to the night since 19 of these planes took off on the most famous raf mission of world war two. to be flying at night at 60 feet, in mountainous terrain, to drop an ingenious weapon that had never been used before. it's generally the stuff of legends. i think the modern day air force can be as inspired now by what they did, albeit it was some 80 years ago. the story was made into a film. 1950s special effects recreating the drama of the mission. the man who created the bouncing bomb used these very marbles to test the theory of skimming them off water. he just thought to himself, what would be the engineer's way of stopping the war?

they belonged to barnes wallace's daughter, who was then about ten, but still recalls the night of the mission. he was appalled. 58 people, i think it was, were killed, english people. and then there were all the germans. and he just felt it was more than he could stand. over the past two decades, we've filmed with some of the veterans. les munro was one of the pilots. and let's take a flight and let's have a look at your old training route. i feel a great deal of pride in the fact that i took part in the dam raid itself. and as a consultant, trained on the devon water. johnnyjohnson, here on the far left, was a bomb aimer who made his pilot fly around their target ten times before being satisfied with the approach.

it meant to me to do it... not do it properly, was a waste of time. both have since died. this is the first anniversary without any surviving veteran from those who took off 80 years ago tonight. but the sound of the plane which carried them will once again resonate across the county they took off from this evening. danny savage, bbc news, lincolnshire. that's it for me and the team. now here's the weather. now here's the weather. hello there. the rest of the week still looking dry in many places and a bit warmer as well. today was a pleasant late spring day for many parts of the country where we saw some fair weather cloud like this and some warm spells of sunshine. we've got high pressure sitting close to the uk. that weather front brought down some cloud from the north and a few showers. also seeing this cloud coming in and that will bring some rain eventually tomorrow into northern scotland.

we're seeing some rain today, some showers today in scotland. they've been moving their way southward together with that cloud, taking some showers for a while into northern ireland and northern england. those will linger into the evening, perhaps before decaying later in the night, leaving a legacy of cloud for some eastern parts of england. more cloud coming into the north west of scotland. so maybe not quite as chilly as it was last night. six, seven degrees quite widely, a little bit colder than that, perhaps, in the north east of scotland. it will tend to turn more cloudy through the day in scotland, maybe in northern ireland, the sunshine turning hazy. and then we've got this rain into northern scotland in the afternoon. for england and wales we'll see the cloud bubbling up by the afternoon. there's a low risk of a shower for the southern half of the uk, but many places still going to be fine and dry. warm when the sun is out. 18 degrees potentially in northern ireland. still on the cooler side, i think, for northern most parts of scotland where we've got that rain, that rain will peter out overnight and we continue to see this warmer air coming in from the atlantic, pushing away that colder air that we started the week with.

but we're seeing some cloud coming in to the northwest. this is going to bring this band of rain into western scotland and northern ireland, ahead of that, some sunshine and maybe one or two showers more towards the south and southeast. but again, a lot of places will be dry and we're reaching 18 degrees more widely where we get the sunshine. and high pressure still close by as we head towards the end of the week. it's getting split in two to a certain extent by that weather front, moving down to the northwest. and that will bring more cloud into england and wales on friday. maybe a few sharp showers as well, but not everywhere. the southeast still looks dry and following the cloud, we'll get more sunshine for scotland and northern ireland, giving temperatures a boost in the central belt of scotland. and we could reach 19 degrees, perhaps, in south wales. and even into the weekend it looks quite promising. the showers are more likely in the far north of scotland. for many places it is going to be dry and temperatures could reach 20, 21 celsius in the sunshine.

hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. you're watching the context on bbc news. the answer that we in unity will give 100% in any field when we have a goal to protect our people and our europe. figs a goal to protect our people and our euroe. r ,, . a goal to protect our people and our euroe. a ,, ., ., , ., ., ., , europe. as russia wages war against democracy itself europe _ europe. as russia wages war against democracy itself europe is _ europe. as russia wages war against democracy itself europe is united - europe. as russia wages war against democracy itself europe is united in l democracy itself europe is united in standing _ democracy itself europe is united in standing up for ukraine. this is our commitment. standing up for ukraine. this is our commitment-— commitment. friends, the united kin . dom commitment. friends, the united kingdom may _ commitment. friends, the united kingdom may have _ commitment. friends, the united kingdom may have left _ commitment. friends, the united kingdom may have left you - commitment. friends, the united kingdom may have left you two . commitment. friends, the unitedl kingdom may have left you two au commitment. friends, the united - kingdom may have left you two au but we're not _ kingdom may have left you two au but we're not left — kingdom may have left you two au but we're not left europe. _ kingdom may have left you two au but we're not left europe. we _ kingdom may have left you two au but we're not left europe. we remain- kingdom may have left you two au but we're not left europe. we remain a - we're not left europe. we remain a proud _ we're not left europe. we remain a proud european _ we're not left europe. we remain a proud european nation. _