england announces its 23 player squad for the fifa world champions women's squad. hello. welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. breaking news, the former british prime minister borisjohnson says he's handed over his notebooks and whatsapp messages to the cabinet office. this was material that was requested by the covid inquiry. the covid inquiry is looking into what the government got right and what it got wrong in its handling of the covid outbreak, of course making life and death decisions. dave

requested notes, whatsapp messages, things that were taken down at the time for the borisjohnson has now hinted that over to the cabinet office about which is a government department and urge the cabinet office to pass that on to the inquiry. that material we're told in a statement from boris johnson inquiry. that material we're told in a statement from borisjohnson is in full and unredacted. there has been speculation of the last couple of days about whether material should be handed over in redacted form if it is deemed relevant to the inquiry. others are saying the inquiry. others are saying the inquiry should be able to decide what is relevant and irrelevant. so we're now got the statement from borisjohnson saying, from his point of view, whatsapp messages, notebooks have been handed over in full, unredacted to the cabinet office which is the government department looking after all of this. the covid inquiry do to get

under way in a couple of ways. it will be usually significant of course in determining how the covid—19 pandemic was handled. should also point some clues how to better handle things in the future. a significant inquiry getting under way in a couple of weeks. we to this from west minister in just a moment. first we want to concentrate on a story we have been leading on for the last couple of hours. the war in ukraine, and an exclusive bbc interview with the former us military chief general david patraeus. he's in kyiv now and has met president zelensky. he says the ukraine upcoming counter offensive could be — quote — very impressive. and says russia's operations over the winter largely failed. the us general patraeus commanded forces in iraq and afghanistan.

that is where he rose to international prominence. he spoke to our diplomatic correspondent james landale. as you say the reason why general pretorius is significant is he knows about offensive. his launch them himself, he's defended against them. he brings that military expertise but also he's plugged in. he is meeting all the key players here. if he comes to the conclusion that the ukrainians are ready for the counteroffensive it is worth listening. the reason he makes that judgment is notjust because he says the ukrainian forces are impressive and he thinks the russian forces are and he thinks the russian forces are a less good shape, it's because he thinks right now ukraine has got the right mix of military kit, training and sheer weight of course to be able to combine all of that together to punch through the russian line. what struck me was just how

confident he was. let's listen to a clip of part of the interview so you get a sense of that confidence coming through. i believe we will see the results of true combined—arms effect, so tanks protected by infantry against anti—tank guided missiles, artillery keeping heads down, engineers reducing the obstacles, breaching the fortifications that the russians have established, air defence keeping the russians off the ukrainians, electronic warfare jamming the russians' already inadequate command and control, all orchestrated by very good ukrainian command and control, and using drones over the russians to attack them in depth with the precision munitions that the us and uk and others have provided. and this is going to break, i think, the front lines. where they will do this attack,

i'm not going to speculate, although the ukrainians have said that their objective is to sever the ground lines of communications that enables the russians to go along the south—east coast into crimea. we achieved combined arms effect during the fight to baghdad, and it is terrifying for the enemy, and the difference this time from kharkiv last fall, where the ukrainians did carry out a very successful attack, is that when the lead elements culminate, after 72, 96 hours, as far as you can physically go, there are follow—on forces that will capitalise and exploit the momentum and continue this. and then i think you get the battlefield, you make it dynamic, the russians have to react, they have to move to re—establish a defensive line somewhere in the rear of where they are, and where they were. and noting that on the russian side, this is a force that has been

battered, that many of these units have been in constant combat for well over a year, they are not pulling units offline and reconstituting them, in other words replacing the losses of people and equipment, they are just adding people to the front lines. that is not the way you produce a cohesive, coherent, well disciplined organisation, and i think therefore that is why they are going to crack, crumble and perhaps actually collapse. and then if you can get the russian defences really moving, then i think there are opportunities even more broadly. as you can see, that sounds pretty confident. he said that was realistic, it was an awesome optimistic or pessimistic. we will see for the the obvious question is why are they going out? his answer was straightforward, he said look, what they are just waiting for the sunshine to do its work and dry the ground more so the armour and the tags can move. he also said that

president zelensky was still waiting for one or two, what he called about armoured systems "to be delivered to ukraine so he's got all the military kit he needs. a very, very clear perspective ofjust kit he needs. a very, very clear perspective of just what kit he needs. a very, very clear perspective ofjust what is in shape for this counteroffensive that we've been waiting for so long for. james, really interesting _ been waiting for so long for. james, really interesting interview. - been waiting for so long for. james, really interesting interview. thank l really interesting interview. thank you very much for that. we will stay in ukraine. a slightly different issue. there are warnings about the risk to this nuclear power plant in zappa region. the larger student europe. the head of the nuclear watchdog says the situation is fragile because of continued military activity in the region. earlier we spoke to their director general, rafael grossi. the situation is not improving and now we're in the midst of what has

been announces a counteroffensive or preparation thereof. this is what prompted me to multiply my diplomatic consultations and i was yesterday as i think was a show in new york at the security council where i explain the situation and i laid out five basic principles that should be observed by all to avoid a nuclear accident.— should be observed by all to avoid a nuclear accident. let's look at some of those principles _ nuclear accident. let's look at some of those principles now. _ nuclear accident. let's look at some of those principles now. we - nuclear accident. let's look at some of those principles now. we may - nuclear accident. let's look at some | of those principles now. we may not get to all of them but let's look at some of them now. we can show the first couple on screen now. the first one, no attack or loss from the plant. i don't think we need to elaborate rate on that. that's pretty worrying. the plant should not be used for the storage of heavy weapons as one of your principles talk to me about that. is it your

opinion that russia, which is in control of the plant is storing weapons there? hat control of the plant is storing weapons there?— control of the plant is storing weapons there? control of the plant is storing weaons there? ., ., ., , weapons there? not that we have seen it. there weapons there? not that we have seen it- there has— weapons there? not that we have seen it. there has been _ weapons there? not that we have seen it. there has been a _ weapons there? not that we have seen it. there has been a lot _ weapons there? not that we have seen it. there has been a lot of _ it. there has been a lot of speculation about that. of course with this possibility of major military operations i thought it was very important to establish clearly that a nuclear power plant should never be a place where you put this type of systems, which would sexualise it to be used to protect —— or make a military target of it. schenck should is. the principles of you have seen are very clear, crystal clear. we're not into nice words. we're describing what needs to be avoided. this is why i included it as one of the main

things you are void.— included it as one of the main things you are void. let's take a look at a couple _ things you are void. let's take a look at a couple of _ things you are void. let's take a look at a couple of more - things you are void. let's take a look at a couple of more things| look at a couple of more things you mentioned. the power to the plant should not be put at risk. that's what our report it was just describing as well. another thing, reliable communication with the regulator and others. let's pick up on a couple of those. the idea of power to the plant itself at that why is that so important? it’s power to the plant itself at that why is that so important? it's an interesting _ why is that so important? it's an interesting point _ why is that so important? it's an interesting point because - why is that so important? it's an - interesting point because sometimes people think about nuclear power plants as places where you produce energy and you put it on a grid. why is it so important to receive power? this is crucial because you have a very important cooling function for the nuclear reactors, when the nuclear reaction is produced and they are producing energy they are operating at hundreds of degrees,

they need to be cooled constantly. when you lose this cooling function thenit when you lose this cooling function then it is basically what happened in fukushima.— then it is basically what happened in fukushima. �* ., ., ., in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line has _ in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line hasjust _ in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line hasjust come _ in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line hasjust come into - in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line hasjust come into us, - in fukushima. before i let you go, a news line hasjust come into us, i. news line hasjust come into us, i am reading this for the first time as i'm talking to you. the iaea which is your party says iran's decision to stop implementing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal has seriously affected its verification and monitoring of iran's nuclear program. the iaea estimates total enriched stockpile has grown by 983 kilograms since february. has grown by 983 kilograms since februa . , , ., , february. this is part of this onauoin february. this is part of this ongoing situation _ february. this is part of this ongoing situation we - february. this is part of this ongoing situation we have, l february. this is part of this - ongoing situation we have, which is again very unstable. you know there was an agreement the so—called jc poa that was the united states drew

from it and i poa that was the united states drew from itand i ran poa that was the united states drew from it and i ran literally sees to observe obligations. basically what we have is an empty shell. there have been efforts to revive it. so far these efforts have not proven successful. we have a situation where iran is moving on with its nuclear program. the agency is present there. we're inspecting is much as we can but of course at a reduced level. one important aspect of that agreement was that it was giving the agency higher degrees of visibility in inspection with the dimension of this nuclear program. now we've lost it. this is what it is leading to a situation which is less predictable than it was. and concerns around the world. we're

working with iran, we're trying to make them be as cooperative as they possibly can. it is not easy. here in the uk. rail workers are out on strike again. members of the train drivers' union aslef are strking over pay and conditions. they're also going to walk out on saturday third june. that's the day of the football fa cup final. members of the rmt union will strike on friday. the uk government has accused the unions of co—ordinating the strike action to disrupt major events. live now to paddington train station in central london, where our correspondent helena wilkinson joins us. what is happening out there? we're into rush—hour now. you can see quite a few people behind us for the past because a—train is leaving from here. a really limited to a number of services what is normally one of the busiest train stations in the country. there are only one train

and our leaving from here. you've got the express and also the elizabeth line, they are running fine. a very limited service. this concourse would be absolutely packed on any normal weekday and it isn't today. a similar picture up and down the country with services severely disrupted today. this is a dispute by members of as love, train drivers who are on strike today. it's all over pay, they've rejected a pay offer. this is a long—running dispute that is been going on since last summer. at the moment there isn't really any signs that we can see of any resolution. if you look at the language being used by both sides, we heard earlier on from the general secretary of the union who has said that train drivers are determined to get a resolution and remain in this for the long haul. the government department for

transport has said that unions have forced its members to miss out on pay every time they strike. and also adding that they have facilitated, the government has facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer. no signs of any further talks taking place. as you mention, this isn't the end of the strike today, they will be a further strike on friday by members of the rmd union and on saturday. members of the union going out on strike and there is a big events like the fa cup final at wembley taking place on saturday. drivers are being told that the roads are going to be extremely busy. don't forget, it's the end of what is half term week for many schools this weekend. it will be very busy on the roads. further disruption this week from the language we're hearing from both sides, even though both sides say they want to sit down, find a resolution and negotiate it is not clear that there are any dates in

the diary for any further talks. it is possible there may be further strikes after this week.- you for that. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. abc news bringing you different stories from across the uk. at the push of a button, jayden's life has changed forever. he's always lived with what he calls his little arm, but that will no longer limit him, thanks to his new bionic arm. how are you doing that? so the pressure plates in here, i have to use my muscles inside my arm to do the pressure plates to make it move. the arm is made by bristol based firm open bionics. it says the future is looking even brighter for people like jayden. this technology is moving incredibly quickly. i think in particular, the control systems with new technologies like aland machine learning.

jayden, how is this going to change your life? in lots of ways, by cutting up my food, doing my shoelace, riding my scooter. for more stories from across the uk. head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. let's look at al now artificial intelligence. one of the pioneers of the technology says he feels �*lost�* about his life's work. professor yoshua yoshua benjeeo is the latest top expert to warn about its potential dangers. he says he would have prioritised safety over usefulness if he'd realised the pace at which artificial intelligence would evolve. our technology editor zoe kleinman explains. artificial intelligence has the power to change our lives. now, one of the founding godfathers of ai wants tight rules on the sector to ensure humanity's safety. governments need to track what they're doing.

they need to be able to audit them. and that isjust like the minimum thing we do for any other sector. like, you know, building aeroplanes or cars or pharmaceuticals. he said its use in the military should be banned. this is one of the worst places where we could put a super intelligent ai. i think there's enough examples in science fiction and yeah, even if you like science fiction, the problem is if something goes wrong and we lose control of an ai, and it happens to be an ai that can kill people. governments have started to think about regulating. i'm hoping that we can bring people together and lead the world in safely regulating al to make sure that we can capture the benefits of it whilst protecting people from some of the worrying things that we are now reading about. that's the bigger picture. if all goes well, the hope is that ai will gradually become a tool that willjust make our daily lives easier, helping us with everyday things like budgeting and meal plans. at work, you might suddenly realise you can't remember the last time

you compiled a spreadsheet or made a presentation without it. there are already many examples of ai bringing benefits to society. new antibiotics. a paralysed man to walk again just by thinking about it, thanks to a microchip developed using ai. professor bengio has pause for thought. ifeel like, you know, what used to be simple, what gave a meaning to my life and a direction and was clear, isn't any more. so you could say i feel lost. but in those cases, you know, you have to keep going and you have to engage, discuss, think, encourage others to think with you. society, we need to think together through what are the best options, without leaving all of the other dangers. zoe kleinman, bbc news. a big issue for us all. no doubt

will will be returning to that in the ethics and the regulations around ai. breaking news in the last hour or so concerning the former prime minister borisjohnson saying he sanded over his what messages, his notebooks in the foal and unredacted to the cabinet office. the cabinet offices and government departments. notebook in foal. he over to the covid inquiry for the adjuster reminder this covid inquiry is due to get under way in a couple of weeks' time. it is a huge and significant inquiry. it is looking at how the government handled the covid—19 pandemic, what he did well, what it didn't do so well and lessons to be learned for the future. there was a bit of a debate about what exactly should be handed over to the inquiry, what materials. i once had an argument about cabinet

responsibility, privacy, being able to try to keep conversations that were directly relevant private. on the other, the inquiry saying is up for them to decide what is relevant and what isn't relevant to the covid inquiry. all that now in the past though because we have the statement from the man you are seeing on your screen. this is archive footage, this is not today but this is boris johnson. the prime minister saying the material included what's apps and notebooks that were requested have all been handed over to the cabinet office, the government department in full and in unredacted form. that is the key phrase here, in full in unredacted form. mr johnson urges the cabinet to urgently disclose it to the inquiry. so they can pass it onto the inquiry end people in charge of the inquiry so they can go it and presumably

they will decide what is relevant or not relevant. what messages are private and material to the inquiry and what art. the key point here is that boris johnson and what art. the key point here is that borisjohnson saying that actually, everything has been handed overin actually, everything has been handed over in full in unredacted form from his point of view. a little bit more from the statement saying, while mr johnson understands the governments position and does not seek to contradict it is perfectly happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. a bit of context they are as the cabinet office asked for this material for several months. and as the cabinet office asked for this materialfor several months. and mr johnson would disclose it directly to the inquiry if asked. but he is saying in the statement he is happy for the inquiry to have access to this material in whatever form it requires. that's a significant step because it's only a couple of weeks away where the inquiry starts doing its work in earnest with up at the moment still at the phase of

gathering all the information, clearly it will be looking or information it thinks it needs to come to those conclusions, looking at how the government performed. how the government made decisions and what information was available, if the right decisions were made. this is not only at the time of the pandemic itself it is in the build—up to the pandemic, the execution of government policy during the pandemic. and of course now trying to look at our and establish what was done well at the time and what was done last while at the time and what could be learned for future events. if there is one thing we all know by now is that another pandemic is almost guaranteed at some point and in other global and potentially as well. so the importance here of the covid—19 inquiry is looking at how those decisions were made. what could potentially be learned for

future events and future planning and future decision—making. just a moment i want to go to west minister and we will get a more context on the background of this decision. just to remind you of the news that has brokenjust just to remind you of the news that has broken just in the last hour or so for them it's a statement from borisjohnson, the former prime minister saying that "all his what's up minister saying that "all his what's up messages and notebooks that were requested by the covid inquiry web handed over to the cabinet office in full and un—redacted form. "what does all that mean? hi. tell us what we know about this news. this does all that mean? hi. tell us what we know about this news.— we know about this news. this news is cominu we know about this news. this news is coming in — we know about this news. this news is coming in at _ we know about this news. this news is coming in at the _ we know about this news. this news is coming in at the moment - we know about this news. this newsj is coming in at the moment because borisjohnson has put out a statement claiming that he has now handed over what's up messages and notebooks in what he describes as a full and unredacted form to the cabinet office. why does this matter? we know there has been his ongoing wrangling between the

cabinet office and the covid inquiry about documents which the covid inquiry wants access to. yesterday the covid inquiry revealed that it had been told by the cabinet office that they did not have all the documents and what's up messages and notebooks at the inquiry was asking of them. ., �* ,., , ., notebooks at the inquiry was asking ofthem. ., �* , ., ., of them. lone, i'm sorry for that 'ust as of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in _ of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in your— of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in your flow _ of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in your flow you - of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in your flow you have - of them. lone, i'm sorry for that just as in your flow you have to l just as in your flow you have to stop there because were going to a break. we will back in a moment. this is bbc news. hello there. we've had two types of weather across the uk today. we have two types of weather and a tale of two beaches. here in northern ireland,

barely a cloud in the sky, barely a cloud in the sky in northern ireland, beautiful sunshine, but not like that further east, this is hornsey in east yorkshire, a lot of low cloud and feeling quite chilly. the satellite picture shows exactly where the cloud is at the moment, and i'm going to show you the winds 700 metres up in the atmosphere, blowing this cloud to you, you can see a lot more cloud still upstream in the north sea. the other thing is the cloud is three times thicker than it was yesterday, that is important because it is much more likely to hang around. when you have sunshine heading into the afternoon, you will keep it in day, but the computers might be optimistic in breaking this thick cloud elsewhere across england, even parts of east wales might hang onto it all day, and in the midlands, 13—111, feeling chilly, but warm spots in the west of northern ireland, western scotland, 25 degrees, warm in the sunshine. heading into the night time, the cloud comes back in from the north sea, thickening as temperatures

drop below 10 degrees, starting to get a drizzle falling from the clouds, so again looking at a damp start to the day, probably quite extensive drizzle first thing in the morning. try as we head through the morning and into the afternoon, dry as we head through the morning and into the afternoon, most places will be dry, but keeping probably quite a bit of cloud across eastern coastal counties, a better chance of seeing the sunshine pop out further west, particularly for wales in the west midlands. into friday, generally less cloud around, so more in the way of sunshine, and in thejune sunshine, that is a big impact on how the weather feels, looking at temperatures widely into the high teens or low 20s. what about the weekend weather prospects? high pressure is still there to the north—west of the uk, where it has been now for a large number of days, but feeding a lot of cloud from the north atlantic in the north sea, so something of an east—west split with western parts of the uk having the best of the sunshine, the highest temperatures, low to mid 20s in some spots, whereas further east you could see

more cloud at times, and temperatures are more likely to stay generally into the teens. that is your latest weather, bye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines former prime minister borisjohnson says he has handed over notebooks and whatsapp messages to the cabinet office after a request from the covid inquiry. a former us military chief labels russia's winter offensive as a failure — with ukraine holding the front line against the kremlin's forces rail passengers across britain experience major disruption as train drivers stage the first in a new wave of strikes and england announce its 23 player squad for this years fifa women's world cup