live from london, this is bbc news. the us secretary of state arrives in beijing for talks amid great tensions — the first visit to china by the top us diplomat in almost five years. uganda's military still pursuing militants who attacked a school on friday night, killing at least a0 people, many of them children. new footage emerges of a gathering held at the uk's conservative party's hq during covid lockdown restrictions, reigniting �*partygate�* anger. we begin in beijing, where us secretary of state, antony blinken has arrived in the highest—profile visit to china by a us official since

president biden took office. it's been five years since a secretary of state has met with chinese counterparts. tensions have been growing between the countries. mr blinken�*s visit was originallly scheduled for february but was put on hold after the us found what it said was a chinese spy balloon in its airspace. we'll hearfrom our correspondent in beijing injust a moment. first, our north america correspondent in washington sets out what the us hopes to achieve. us secretary of state antony blinken arrived in china in a moment when tensions between the two countries are very high and expectations for the trip are incredibly low. this is the first major re— engagement between the us and china since that big saga over the alleged chinese spy balloon, which floated across the united states back in february, and that really is hanging in the background of these talks. the biggest goal here is a simple

one, and it'sjust establishing and reopening those diplomatic lines of communication. there have been some concerns that this rivalry could escalate into some sort of conflict, especially after some of the close calls we have seen between the two countries military in the area around taiwan. secretary antony blinken has called it de— risking, really simply the matter of making sure high—level officials on both sides can pick up the phone, talk to each other in the case that anything may happen between those two nations. antony blinken does have a long list of things he hopes to bring up and he discussed it before the trip. he mentioned he wanted to discuss tensions in terms of trade including high technology like semiconductors and bringing up theissue semiconductors and bringing up the issue of taiwan and china's position on the war in ukraine. it will also mention the names of some american citizens at the us says are illegally

detained in china and interestingly the topic of fantinel will come up. secretary clinton wants to address what he says are the role building materials for the powerful drug that has been coming from china and making its way across the border into the united states in the form of fantinel. again, no expectations for a big breakthrough here, the bar has really been lowered and the very least the us says this can lay the foundation and build the groundwork for further summits and further meetings between the us and china in months to come. well as those talks begin in the coming hours, our correspondent in beijing, stephen mcdonnel, will be keeping us updated, a short time ago he gave us an outline of what to expect. the first thing he will be doing, the first serious thing is meeting his chinese counterpart, chinese foreign ministerqin gang. then the us secretary of state

will meet with wang yi who in the chinese system is technically above qin gang, he is a foreign official, if i can put it that way. and then it is possible he will meet president xijinping and if he does sit down with the chinese leader that will definitely send out a message here that beijing is trying to reach out to washington and that washington is trying to reach out to beijing. also it is a sort of signal that you can continue communicating with the other side, attempt to communicate with the other side at a time when there are such high tensions. the goalfrom when there are such high tensions. the goal from the side of beijing is really like the goalfrom side of beijing is really like the goal from washington's side, and that is for them to take place. because the meetings themselves are the goal. just having antony blinken sitting down and

speaking with the senior representatives of the chinese government is a start forward, given people remember his previous trip was cancelled, so if the meetings could result in facilitating future interactions between world superpowers, and also to set up clearer lines of communication, at least try to re—establish them. apart from all the other problems that these two nations face, apart from all the other points of conflict, stopping a war, believe it or not, is one of the reasons they need to maintain these clear lines of communication. those talks begin injust those talks begin in just over two hours and we will be across them across the day. president biden has held his first political rally of the 2024 election campaign, in his birth state of pennsylvania. biden addressed union

members in philadelphia, a key demographic in the battleground state. he's also received the endorsement of america's largest union group, the afl-cio. president biden touted his success on infrastructure and what he called �*biden—nomics�* in a speech his campaign said was designed to lay out his economic message. let me tell you what it's about — it's about building an economy, literally not figuratively, from the bottom up, and middle out and not the top down. when the middle class does well, everybody does well. williejames inman is the white house reporter for our partners, cbs news. he was at the rally and gave us this update. this was the first major campaign rally for president biden since he announced his re—election campaign. you had about 2000 people there, many of them union members, the

afl-cio, a of them union members, the afl—cio, a federation of unions essentially now is this early announcement, his remarks earlier here on the east coast, philadelphia actually, he essentially said this would be a major boost for his campaign, a major boost for his campaign, a gigantic thing that we have this union group come out and support him early on in the nomination process. remember, the president still has to earn the president still has to earn the democratic nomination, it is not clear—cut yet, but the mood in the room was one of excitement, there were chance of let's gojoe, four more years!, a very enthusiastic crowd for president biden, and that's something he'll be looking towards an forward down the road. it will be that coalition of voters, union voters, minority voters, specifically black voters, which were key to his win in south carolina which boosted his campaign early on in the democratic primary process. you will need that coalition to get

him across the finish line, not only in the primary states but also in the general election as well. however he is up against in the republican side of things, i'm talking about former president donald trump perhaps still be running against him again or other candidates like florida governor ron desantis. if you look at the campaign it is really about what the president has done. that is what you want to talk about on the campaign trail and that is what we got from here in terms of how he would deliver his message to voters, one through the white house and then the president likes to simply be president and that is one of the ways white house staffers think he can essentially campaign to the american people for another four years in the white house. he will hit the campaign trail and ask for more money and get some cash for the campaign. here in the united states it is very expensive to run these presidential campaigns and he needs all the money he can get, much like the republicans, to be able to continue to go out

there and do these types of events. 0ne there and do these types of events. one of the things, if you look at public polling, the president needs a boost right now because in some polls, the former president donald trump, who is the leading republican candidate, he leads president biden in some polls but other polls have them neck and neck essentially within a margin of error but too early right now to look at polls and have them being a deciding factor and how the election will go from here. the ugandan military is continuing its hunt for the militants who attacked a school on friday night, killing at least a0 people, many of them children. the rebels , from an islamist group known as the adf, also kidnapped six students before escaping back across the border into the democratic republic of congo. 0ur correspondent, barbara plett usher, sent this report from nairobi — and a warning it does contain distressing details. he survived, but has to live with the horror. the community stunned by this

brutal attack against children. targetted in their dormitories, the militants set fire to the boys�* residence. the girls were hacked or shot to death as they fled, some abducted. translation: then | they started shooting at the windows and the door. we went to hide under our beds on the floor. as they continued to shoot out the windows, one of us was hit by a bullet and started shouting, "help! come and help me!" those who escaped, still in shock. schools are an easy target but this was the worst attack in years. there are angry questions. if they are telling us the borders are secured, security is tight, i want security to tell us where they were when these killers came to kill our people. the military drove the rebels across the border decades ago into the eastern congo, but it didn't defeat them. they are now linked to the islamic state group. translation: security is a collaborative work. |

why do you people keep quiet when you see strangers? right now we have deployed planes in various places to hunt them down. it's an alarming escalation and an unbearable tragedy. barbara plett—usher, bbc news, nairobi. sudan's warring factions have agreed to a new 72—hour ceasefire, which began in the last few minutes. more than 3000 people have been killed and 6000 people have been injured in sudan since the war broke out in april, the sudanese health minister has said. haitham ibrahim said only half of the capital khartoum's 100 and 30 hospitals were still operating and all hospitals in west da rfur state are out of service. at least 17 people, including five children, were killed on saturday after an air strike in the south of khartoum. russian president vladimir putin has been holding talks in saint petersburg with a delegation from seven african nations who've called

for peace talks to end to the war in ukraine. mr putin told the south african president, cyril ramaphosa, and his colleagues that improving ties with african countries was a priority. he praised what he called their balanced position on the war. many african countries have been hit by the cut in exports of grain and fertiliser as a result of the russian invasion. in his opening remarks, mr ramaphosa said he hoped the talks could lead to the end of the ukrainian conflict. this war must be settled and it must be settled through negotiations and through diplomatic means. we are here to communicate a very clear message that we would like this war to be ended. we say so because this war is having a negative impact on the african continent

and indeed on many other countries around the world. mr putin said the food crisis had been caused by the actions of western countries, not by what russia calls its "special military operation" in ukraine. we understand that, in spite of everything, in spite of all the issues connected to the conflict on ukrainian territory and the conflicts between russia and ukraine, developing countries, including countries in africa, that are in need of food, should not suffer. we do not believe that ukrainian grain supplies on the world market solve the problems of hunger. here in the uk, the mp david warburton says he is resigning his seat in an interview with the mail on sunday. mr warburton, who won the somerton and froom constituency for the conservatives in 2019, was suspended from the party last year after being accused of sexual harassment. it could mean the conservatives

are facing a fourth by—election at a time when they're trailing in the polls. let's stay on the topic of the conservatives and footage has emerged showing people dancing at the party headquarters in 2020 despite covid lockdown restrictions. the footage has been obtained by the mirror newspaper. at the time, there were tier—2 restrictions in london, which meant people should not socialize indoors, unless they were in the same household. police did investigate this event, but did not issue any fines. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, has more on what this might mean for the current conservative government. it was embarrassing for a number of reasons. first of all that was not the first one reported and this was one that had been reported and as you say initially investigated by the police but they decided to take further action.

some of the people you see are from various campaigning. he was running at the time to be the london mayor unsuccessfully but people around him are helping without campaign and he is now about to become a member of the house of lords on the upper changer because the former prime minister boris has nominated him for a period, which means he is about to be

elevated into, effectively joining the legislature himself, raising questions. sean bailey is not seen in this video, someone on the resignation honours list, is seen to be socialising at that particular gathering, that means opposition labor party is saying, rishi sunak, the current prime minister should step in and veto that honours list entirely. the conservative party say for members of their staff were disciplined for attending what was an unauthorised gathering, and the liberal democrats obviously also in opposition are saying, the covid—i9 enquiry is getting under way to find out what was happening during that time, the period of restrictions in response to the pandemic. thousands of grieving families who were watching this video will need an apology from the current government. teachers in england will strike on two more days

injuly, in their long running dispute with the government over pay. six days of strike action so far this year and now two more planned. the union says it's a last resort. very reluctantly we have to take these two further dates of strike action in orderjust to remind the secretary of state that we are in dispute, that she has the means to resolve it. if she gets round the table and resolves this dispute, then we won't have to take the action, and that's what we want to do. can anyone think of something... this school in chester closed some classrooms on previous strike days and will do the same next month. the head teacher says he's struggling to pay the bills. it does impact on our children and families, but we have seen a decrease in the amount of funding available for us. we do get more money in our budget, don't get me wrong, but to run a school it costs a lot more money and something needs to happen to get us back in sync with what is

the right thing to do. it's notjust about teachers�* pay — this is about funding for schools. unions want a pay rise that matches inflation and for it to be funded by extra money rather than from schools' existing budgets. the government has said its pay offer, which was rejected by all four unions, was fair, and that schools would receive an extra £2.3 billion over the next two years. it says it is now considering the recommendations of the pay review body. parents want to see an agreement reached soon. it will be a terrible week, i'm moving house! for kate, it means more days off work. i work as a doctor in a local nhs hospital and i've had to take time off work, but teachers do not get paid enough money in my opinion and i'm quite happy to try tojiggle things around just so we can support them. virginia, who runs her own business, is weighing up the cost of staying open. the baby—sitter costs a lot of money and charges me per kid so at the end

of the day when i weigh it in the balance, sometimes it is better for me just to stay at home because baby—sitting costs a lot of money. the strikes held so far this year, and those planned for next month, are by members of the national education union but three other teaching unions are currently holding ballots. unions say any further strikes in the autumn term will be coordinated and the impact on parents and students will be much bigger. teachers in northern ireland and members of the national association of head teachers in wales are also taking action short of a strike. it's clear that this dispute is farfrom over. vanessa clarke, bbc news, leeds. let's get some of the day's other news now. floods have killed at least 11 people in the brazilian state rio grande do sul. a storm caused torrential rains and helicopter searches are underway in flooded neighborhoods to find 20 people who have gone missing, authorities say they've carried out over 2,000 rescues

in the last two days. switzerland is holding a referendum on measures to make the country carbon neutral by 2040. money will be invested to help businesses and homes switch to renewables. around 4,000 people opposing a new high speed train line between italy and france have clashed with french police. protesters say the 57 kilometre project will disrupt the surrounding alpine environment. 0pponents argue it could ease the amount of lorries on the roads. to spain now. we've been reporting on the impact of the ongoing drought in what's been the driest spring there in decades. 0ne place that's seen a huge change is the famous fuente de piedra wetlands. large colonies of flamingos which are dependent on its water supplies, migrate there once a year. but this year is much quieter than usual as the nature reserve has struggled through the dry weather. jack surfleet has the story.

this time last year these wetlands were popular. very popular. thousands of pairs of flamingo visited its reserve in southern spain to hatch checks and what is thought to be one of the largest colonies of these birds. since it became a nature reserve back in the 19805, nature reserve back in the 1980s, over200,000 nature reserve back in the 1980s, over 200,000 flamingo chicks have started their lives, following the appearance, learning how to feed and to fly. this year, the group is much smaller. the lagoon which are so attractive to them is normally filled by nearby streams and rainwater. but the spring was one of the driest in the country's history causing many of them to stay away. forthe causing many of them to stay away. for the locals, fewer birds means fewer tourists. i have seen this lagoon completely full of flamingos,

some days 20,000 flamingos have been counted here, we have seen this all full of water, and full of life. flamingos and different types of aquatic birds. and you get to see this now. it is a shame. is a shame. that said there were still quite a few and if the not short of attention as people gathered for the net —— annual hatching, while the checks were here they were fitted with identity rings and measured, after that left to find their feet and their wings before heading off around the world. until next year, rain permitting, the locals see —— hope to see just a few more of them, here in the loo weapons. —— air in the wetlands. strange as it may seem, new yorkers have had the opportunity to laugh

about wartime life in ukraine this week. a stand—up comic from kiev has been performing at two new york city comedy clubs and believes humour is a good way to talk about the conflict. tom brook reports. the greenwich village comedy club gave a warm welcome to stand—up comedian hanna kochehura, who had come all the way to new york from kyiv. new yorkers liked her humour. i'm afraid the rocket will hit my building, the wall will come down and everyone will see how i live. laughter. and my mum will be, "i told you to clean up." hanna told me she believes that laughter by way of stand—up comedy is vital in times of war. i think it is most appropriate. first of all it is rebellious, it is against everything that russia wants us to be, like depressed, hopeless and tired. and secondly, i think it is normal in the times of darkness to find something light and joke about it and even if it is a darkjoke, if you can laugh about it

it is not so scary and it is just kind of better because a lot of ukrainian humour now is very dark. hello, are there any russians here? laughter. hanna has been doing her stand—up comedy at two different venues in new york city. her humour is connecting with american audiences, it's getting them to relate the war in ukraine in a way that is quite different from daily news journalism. it was definitely cool to see like a first—person experience, someone bring some light—heartedness to it. at first it was a little like, i don't know if i should be laughing about, but i think she opened up about her experience and made you feel comfortable to kind of get in on the joke. i think it humanised it a little bit. - i think it made it. a little more real, but in a light—hearted way, - which was good for the audience to engage with but not get overwhelmed by. i hanna can also be seen in a documentary being shown at the tribeca festival in new york. it follows her and three other stand—up comics in war—time ukraine. the documentary�*s producer says all the stand—up comics have

to varying degrees been inspired by ukraine's president zelensky who has a background as an actor and a comedian. absolutely, they all have reverence for zelensky. i think that they're all inspired in some way by him. not maybe perhaps to necessarily do stand—up but i feel they have a certain connection with him because of that. i love new york. there's zero chance to die of russian rockets, you know. hanna may be making americans laugh but to her this is no funny business. with her humour, she is trying to show new yorkers that ukrainians are resilient and she hopes that by seeing that maybe americans will support ukrainians more. tom brook, bbc news, new york. that is it for this addition, you can go to the bbc website more on the day's news, including the top story, that visit by the us secretary of state to beijing.

hello there. we saw a lot more cloud around on saturday and it signals a change in the type of weather. we did manage some sunshine, mind you, in temperatures — 27 celsius in the south—east of england, where it is much better weather for a fly—past this time. but things are really going to kick off on sunday, especially later on in the afternoon, through the evening. a lot of rain developing, could be some large, damaging hail, torrential rain likely to bring some flooding and a lot of thunder and lightning as well. we start the day with some sunshine but may well be some sharp showers from overnight in south—east of england and east anglia. and as temperatures rise, so the cloud builds up and we'll see more of those downpours developing, particularly across england and wales and into northern ireland. probably not so many showers in scotland. more in the way of sunshine here and temperatures around 22—24 degrees — and, again, it'll be quite muggy.

now, we may well have some thunderstorms across northern ireland but the worst of those will be developing across parts of england and wales. and through the latter part of the afternoon into the evening, really wet weather will push its way northwards, up into northern england, away from southern england and the midlands and wales and, eventually, that wetter weather arrives overnight into scotland. some torrential rain likely to bring some flooding, a lot of thunder and lightning in there as well. that wet weather still across northern scotland on monday. it does tend to ease off. following on from that, there'll be some sunny spells. a scattering of showers, one or two of them on the heavy side, perhaps. many places may well be dry. still quite warm — temperatures again around about in the mid 20s, more likely across the midlands and eastern parts of england. now, instead of high pressure that's brought dry weather for some areas of the country for so long, it's going to be low pressure that's sitting close by over the week ahead which will bring the threat of some more heavy and thundery downpours. there'll be some sunshine around as well on tuesday and it should be quite warm. many eastern areas

likely to be dry. it's out towards the west that we've got most of those thunderstorms developing and, again, there could be some localised flooding. so, temperatures around about 22 or 23 degrees on tuesday. and we're going to keep temperatures over the weekend around the mid 20s or so. there will be some further heavy, perhaps thundery showers over the week ahead. maybe turning a little less humid, a little fresher and perhaps some south—eastern parts of the uk later in the week will be a bit drier.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the american secretary of state, antony blinken, has touched down in beijing for high—stakes talks,