live from london, this is bbc news. a bbc investigation casts doubt on the greek authorities account of the sinking of a boat in which hundreds of migrants are feared to have died. the united states gives a positive assesment of talks between its top diplomat and china's foreign minister — but beijing says relations are at a historic low. and a senior british government minister apologises after a new video shows conservative activists partying during the uk's lockdown in 2020. hello, i'm rich preston, good to have your company.

we start with last week's boat disaster off the greek coast. a bbc investigation has cast serious doubt on the greek coastguard's account of its response leading up to when the ship sank. hundreds of people are feared to have died. at issue is whether the boat was unable to move and in need of help — with our research suggesting the coastguard's claim it was still on course to italy is not correct. the greek authorities have not yet responded to the bbc�*s findings. our europe correspondent nick beake is in kalamata, in greece, where he's been analysing the ship's final movements. last tuesday morning, from the air, authorities spot the migrant boat. this is a surveillance photo. a simulation we've obtained from a ship tracking service shows ships in the area in the run—up to the sinking. coastguard and military vessels don't appear. the yellow pin is where the migrant boat eventually sinks. at around 1500 gmt, a ship, called the lucky sailor, which gave us its logbook, turns north and approaches the migrant boat to give food and water. soon after, says the coastguard, its helicopterfinds the migrant boat on a steady course.

but two—and—a—half hours later at around 6pm, another vessel, the faithful warrior, comes to the same area and supplies food to the boat as well. bbc verify has confirmed this is footage of this happening. from 7.40pm to10.1i0pm, greek officials see the boat keeping a steady course and speed, they say, from a discreet distance. this is what they initially claimed. but this close—up image they themselves published from this time period looks like the migrant boat isn't going anywhere. let's look again at the activity of the last seven hours. it's all around one specific spot, suggesting the migrant boat has hardly moved. remember — all of this time, greece says it isn't in trouble and is on its way to italy, so doesn't need to be rescued. it is at ”pm that the boat sinks with hundreds on board, and there is a frenzy of ships coming to help.

including the celebrity beyond from where this footage was taken and later sent to the bbc. a luxury yacht, the mayan queen, is then instructed to assist and takes the 100 survivors to shore. they safely reach the port of kalamata, but leave behind serious questions about the whole greek response. and you can find more on his reporting on the bbc news website and the bbc news app. amnesty international�*s europe migration researcher, adriana tidona, questions the version of greek coast guards and says amnesty is calling for an independent investigation. amnesty international has expressed that this was a tragedy that was entirely preventable, and i believe the information coming from the bbc, as well as many other sources at this point, is really proving that that was the case. we believe that — we have

many questions indeed. we wonder why a search and rescue operation had not been started earlier, and what are the exact circumstances of this incident, where many conflicting accounts are now emerging. our main ask is that an independent investigation is started as soon as possible to verify these claims. we heard in that report, there was a time window from 1940 to 2240 gmt where the greek coastguards say they were watching this boat, and it was all safe and well — even though these voices are now saying that might not be true. what should the greek coastguard have done in that time window, in your opinion? we understand, and it is public knowledge at this point, the boat was spotted in the morning of tuesday. we believe, and everybody has seen the photos by now, that the boat was clearly not seaworthy. it was extremely overcrowded.

this boat should have been considered in distress. again, that's our question, why it was considered seaworthy as more testimonies are coming out and information that it wasn't, and that the distress signal and request for help had been sent. countries along the mediterranean coast, like greece and italy, repeatedly voice their frustration that this is all being lumped on them to have to deal with these migrant crossings. surely it shouldn't all be on the shoulders of greece? well, we have advocated for a long time for a solidarity—based mechanism, and also a human rights—based approach to search and rescue that places equitable responsibility on countries affected by migration movements, and also a system that effectively involves and encourages participation and the work of ngos.

what we have seen instead is that these states are reducing the search—and—rescue capacity, and they are cracking down on ngos that provide humanitarian activity, so even search and rescue. so we've resolved that these crossings are becoming more dangerous, rather than the other way around. migrants from pakistan are among those dead and still missing after the boat disaster — and the country's prime minister, shehbaz sharif, has called for immediate action against people traffickers. nearly 80 bodies have been found so far, and hundreds of people remain missing — syrians and egyptians are also among those unaccounted for. pakistani officials say they've arrested several people — including an alleged smuggler — from pakistani—administered kashmir. 0ur south asia regional editor anbarasan ethirajan has more. many families are waiting for answers, because a significant amount of pakistani youths were thought to be

the disaster—prone boat where many people are still missing. 0ne father was telling the local media how the human traffickers were luring his son with the promise of a good job in europe, and they were paying more than $7,000 — and then finally, they ended up on this boat. and he's not hearing any information about his son. this is the case with many other families, and one police officer told the local media 21 people from one particular village were on—board the ship, and they were missing — and that's why the pakistani government is now trying to find out more information on what clearly happened. they have already declared a day of mourning, and the pakistani flag will be flying at half—mast, and the government has also formed a committee to look into this tragedy and see how they can prevent people from going in this illegal manner. and several people arrested, a national day of mourning —

what else have officials say they'll do in pakistan to cease this trade in human trafficking? so one of the main challenges for pakistan itself is to create jobs for young people, so that they don't leave this country in this dangerous way. pakistan is already going through an economic crisis, and that will be the first priority for the government, to look into creating more jobs and starting more industries, more startup companies, and that will be a challenge. now for the government itself, it is very difficult to manage the situation because these are transnational gangs involved in these smuggling activities. whom they've arrested in pakistan may be the local agents, but the masterminds may be sitting in countries like libya where they're coordinating all these activities as people go away on land to iran, turkey, greece, orfrom the uae, taking flights from egypt to go to libya. so this is a challenge for pakistan — it needs to cooperate with other

countries to stop this menace of human smuggling and save lives within pakistan. voters in switzerland have backed government proposals designed to cut fossil fuel use and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. the final tally showed that 59% of people approved the measures. they will see more than $3.5 billion invested to help households and businesses switch away from using imported oil and gas — and move to renewable energy. the government had backed the measures, saying that switzerland needs to take action to protect the environment, and protect its energy security. but opponents said it would increase the cost of energy and put a strain on finances. i spoke to greenpeace switzerland expert who spoke about what the vote meant. , ., ., expert who spoke about what the vote meant. ,., ., ~' expert who spoke about what the vote meant. ,., ., ~ , meant. good evening. i think this hoto is meant. good evening. i think this photo is a — meant. good evening. i think this photo is a really _ meant. good evening. i think this

photo is a really important - meant. good evening. i think this photo is a really important step i photo is a really important step towards reaching the paris agreement, and i think it's really —— what's unique about is the swiss people said, "yes, we want to go to net zero, we want to quit oil, gas and coal. with go and we decided on and coal. with go and we decided on a linear reduction path from 2030 onwards, and we also decided on rapid admission cuts light, as you said, $3.2 billion will be invested in getting businesses and households on this net zero path. it’s on this net zero path. it's interesting _ on this net zero path. it's interesting you _ on this net zero path. it's interesting you mention the swiss people voted for this, because critics of these proposals say that this will push up energy costs, if thatis this will push up energy costs, if that is indeed the case, why do you think the people were convinced this was the right thing to do? i think the people were convinced this was the right thing to do?— was the right thing to do? i think this narrative _ was the right thing to do? i think this narrative about _ was the right thing to do? i think this narrative about higher- was the right thing to do? i think| this narrative about higher energy costs when we go to the energy transition, when we switched to solar, wind and energy, it'sjust

wrong. and people understand this because it's an investment that will pay back. so we need to invest now more money than we would. it would be much cheaper than staying with climate wrecking fossil fuels or going for nuclear energy subway i wanted to ask you about nuclear energy there, because— wanted to ask you about nuclear energy there, because finland is concerned _ energy there, because finland is concerned about _ energy there, because finland is concerned about its _ energy there, because finland is concerned about its energy - energy there, because finland is - concerned about its energy security, it buys a lot of fossil fuels from russia, so it's gone down the nuclear path. why did switzerland not consider that? i nuclear path. why did switzerland not consider that?— not consider that? i have to say this vote didn't _ not consider that? i have to say this vote didn't say _ not consider that? i have to say this vote didn't say anything - not consider that? i have to say i this vote didn't say anything about nuclear, it said much about quitting fossil fuels. nuclear, it said much about quitting fossilfuels. and it said that nuclear, it said much about quitting fossil fuels. and it said that we will invest in renewable energies. so i think the nuclear path is just not attractive in switzerland because nobody wants to invest in it, we can't find any companies that want to go down that path. but we see lots of households that want to put solar on their roofs and we see

communities that favour wind energy, and switzerland already has a lot of water, so 60% of our electricity already comes from water energy, so we are in a good position to go to 100% quite quickly. the us has described the talks between secretary of state, antony blinken, and his chinese counterpart, chin gang, as candid and constructive. the meeting, which was held in beijing, came after growing tensions between the two superpowers — but an american statement said they had both expressed a desire to stabilise the relationship and prevent competition from veering into conflict. china said that the relations were at their lowest point since 1979, when diplomatic links were first put in place, and said that concerns over taiwain — which is supported by washington, but which china considers to be a rebel province — were the most prominent risk between the two. but it did also confirm that mr chin would travel to washington for more talks. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell sent this report from beijing. antony blinken touched down with little expectation this

would result in a breakthrough. china—us relations have been so toxic that even having the visit has been a step forward. the first meeting was with the secretary of state's chinese counterpart. the potential to drift into war is a concern shared all round. safeguards are needed to prevent an accidental armed conflict. from trade tensions to climate change, much repair work is needed. the world superpowers are nowhere near rapprochement. analysts have become pragmatic about where us china relations may land. i don't think we can go back to the good old days. 0n the other hand we are entering a new normal, a new status, where both countries recognise that i can't change you, you can't change me, and we can't change each other. let's try to exist peacefully.

if this trip can re—establish lines of communication, can clear a path for visits, then both governments will consider it having been a success. it is a measure of the pessimistic mood around this relationship that, if these meetings can simply slow an increase in tensions, that will be taken as a win. in february, the alleged spy balloon over north america delayed this trip. now that antony blinken is actually here, the mood is polite and official, but not very warm. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. to the uk — where the government has once again become embroiled in a row over alleged parties during lockdowns. the cabinet minister michael gove has apologised on behalf of the government for a newly—released video. it shows staff from the governing conservative party enjoying drinks and dancing at a christmas gathering at their headquarters in december

2020, when social distancing restrictions were in place. london's metropolitan police service has said it is "considering" the footage. mr gove said the event was "indefensible" and apologised "unreservedly" — as iain watson reports. i think it is sickening and it's appalling, and it is maddening. it is a kick in the teeth. they made a mockery. those three people have something in common. theirfamilies were hard hit by the covid pandemic and they all found it difficult to look in the mirror this morning. the newspaper obtained video footage of this event in the basement of conservative party hq in december 2020, when socialising between different households was banned. they appeared to have missed the social distancing posters on the wall. it features the campaign team for sean bailey —

he was running to be london mayor at the time. he is now about to go to the house of lords, courtesy of borisjohnson�*s resignation honours list. mr bailey does not feature in the video himself, but one of his key campaigners does. ben mallett was given an 0be in the honours list, and senior conservatives are braced for a backlash. michael gove said sorry on behalf of his fellow conservatives. on a personal level, i would like to apologise to people for this behaviour. it is unacceptable and indefensible. would the honour to be withdrawn? dashwood the honours withdrawn? i don't think that. the decision was made by borisjohnson is an outgoing prime minister. charlotte hodge from bradford lost her husband to covid in november 2021 and her children lost theirfather.

it is upsetting and it makes me angry. it's ok for them to say sorry. it's just words, it's a word. it isn't going to bring anybody back. the december 2020 event had been reported before, but without video footage. the police previously decided to take no action, but say they are now aware of the previous footage and are considering it. 0pposition parties want action. there also appears to be a mocking of the rules that is going on in the video, where people up and down the country were making sacrifices to follow the rules that were imposed, and you yet again get this one rule it seems for those who are in government, and another for everybody else. rishi sunak wants to move on from partygate, but events like this still cast a long political shadow.

iain watson, bbc news. the former first minister of scotland and former snp leader nicola sturgeon has returned home for the first time since she was arrested and released without charge as part of an investigation into the party's finances. speaking outside her home she maintained her innocence. i can't say very much just now. what i will say is, reiterate the statement i issued last sunday. i am certain that i have done nothing wrong. i intend to be back in parliament in the early part of the week. i will make myself available for questions then, obviously, within the constraints that i am referring to right now. now it's time for a look at today's sport, with hugh ferris. rich, hello. the two players sharing the lead heading into the final round of the us open are both hoping to win their first major. rickie fowler and wyndham clark will tee off in just over two hours' time at the los angeles country club, having started the day with a one—shot lead over the rest of the field. the two americans are on ten under par, with rory mcilroy one behind with the last of his four major wins back in 2014. he's the world number three.

and three off the lead is the world number one scottie scheffler. around half the field has started their final round. you can keep an eye on it via our website. the weather has intervened for the first time in the ashes series, with rain forcing an early end to day three of the opening test at edgbaston. at that point, england had just lost both their openers in their second innings, which started with a seven run lead after australia were bowled out for 386. usman khawaja eventually out for 141. after both ben duckett and zak crawley departed within three balls in conditions much—changed by the weather. england ended the day 28 for 2, 37 ahead, needing to build a signifcant enough lead to try and win the match. if we could have a day to borrow, we feel like we could pull them out. and if they actually feel they have a score that they can chase down, then we feel like we are in the game. if they come out and play

defensively like they have this game, it might be a different story. but if we give them something — let's chase the ball and we feel they can get it, it might be a different circumstance. croatia are attempting to win a majorfootball trophy for the first time as they face spain in the nations league final. the match is in rotterdam. spain also reached the final two years ago when they lost to france. earlier italy beat the netherlands 3—2 to claim third place in the competition. wolverhampton wanderers captain ruben neves is the latest big name player to head to saudi arabia. wolves have agreed a 47 million pound deal with al hilal. neves had a year left on his wolves contract and had been linked with multiple clubs in recent transfer windows, including barcelona. the portugal midfielderjoins the likes of crisitano ronaldo, karim benzema and n'golo kante in the saudi pro league. after winning his first title on grass for seven years last weekend, andy murray has claimed a second in a row at the nottingham 0pen. the british player deliberately

missed the french open to try and improve his ranking in time for wimbledon, where he's won the title twice and beat france's arthur cazaux in straight sets to register a tenth win in a row. murray will return to the world's top 40 on monday and, if he reaches the quarter finals at queens next week, he could be seeded for wimbledon. my family have been unbelievably supportive of me continuing with my career, when they could easily have told me to stop. i really appreciate them still supporting me and trying to get me to keep going, also all of my team over there, i need all of them for all of their help they give me in keeping me motivated and hopefully i will see you again next year. and katie boulter claimed herfirst wta title after beating jodie burrage in nottingham in all british final. the first on the tour since 1977. boulter not only sealed the win quickly in straight sets, 6—3, 6—3,

she will also remain as the british number one, moving up to a new career high of 77 in the world rankings. i dreamt of this moment at this tournament since i was a little girl that was training here when i was four or five years old, coming here as a fan and coming here as a player and dreaming big and somehow found a way to win it today, it means more than everything to me. and that's all the sport for now. uganda's president, yoweri museveni, has condemned the attack on a school, in which students were hacked and burned to death, as "desperate and cowardly". the ugandan army is continuing its hunt for militants who attacked the school on friday night, killing at least 40 people, many of them children. the pope has condemned the attack, describing it as brutal and saying

he was praying for the victims. those responsible for the atrocity are from an islamist extremist group known as the adf. they also kidnapped six students before escaping back across the border into the democratic republic of the congo. now we return to that extraordinary story out of colombia, when four children were found in the jungle 40 days after their plane crashed may. the bbc�*s visualjournalism team has been mapping the massive search effort that found them. to talk us through it, here's mimi swaby from the bbc world service. the plane the children were flying in crashed over colombia's southeastern amazon on the 1st of may. now, the body of the mother, the pilot and an indigenous leader on board were all recovered at the site. however, the children, now 13, nine, five and one were then missing for 40 days before they were found by a search party consisting of 160 soldiers and 70 indigenous people.

now, all the children were found malnourished, exhausted and dehydrated, but they were found alive. the bbc�*s visualjournalism team has been mapping out a possible route the children took. they found multiple items during the 40 days, including a nappy and parts of a bottle thought to belong to the youngest sibling. so these were found in the middle area here, and later on there were more fruit parts found such as passion fruit pits, peel and then footprints later on in the 40 days. but heavy rain really made this operation hard as it washed away a lot of the footprints. day after day, soldiers with sniffer dogs and local indigenous groups scoured the jungle area. now the search is split into one kilometre squares, and it's thought that teams walked more than 2,600 kilometres in total. so again, a huge area. two patrols actually in opposite directions, zigzagged across the area, making sure that nothing was left

unturned and there was no possibility they would miss the children. now, the search commander said that this wasn't just a search for a needle in a haystack, but more for a tiny flea in a vast carpet because they kept moving. so it really is a miracle these children were found in such a difficult terrain to navigate. before we go, let's leave you with these pictures. a giant bronze head emerging from the water isn't what you expect to see on a trip to the british seaside. the striking sculpture is the centre piece of an arts festival this weekend. the 1.8—metre piece of work is on show — right on the sand — in suffolk. stay with us here on bbc news. you can reach me at twitter, thanks, bye—bye.

hello. as forecast, downpours are affecting parts of the country right now with thunder and lightning, hail, gusty winds, too, and we'll continue to see that severe weather affecting areas of the uk through the course of this evening and into tonight as that storminess travels from south due north. so further flash flooding is possible, and those downpours could deliver 30mm of rain within an hour and even more than that spread over a few hours. so nasty weather to come. and, of course, it is welcome rain across some parts of the country because it's been very dry. but the solid ground does mean that in some parts of the uk we do get the flash flooding. now, through the evening, the heaviest of the rain will be moving across northern parts of england, really quite heavy in the northwest, throughout yorkshire, into the very far north of england, and then eventually southern central and eastern parts of scotland

through the early hours of monday morning, whereas further south, the weather will tend to dry out early in the morning it will be muggy — on monday, temperatures will be around 13—15 celsius. so right from the word go, it's a cloudy and rainy picture across many central and northern parts of scotland. but to the south, i think some sunshine. and then tomorrow for many of us, a fine day, just a scattering of showers here and there, the odd crack of thunder, the odd heavier downpour, but a lot of sunshine around and really quite warm. look at these values, around 25 celsius on the north sea coast. low pressure is still with us on monday and tuesday as it travels northwards, and further showers are expected to spread in from the south. so i think on tuesday, again, another round of storms spreading across the country, possible almost anywhere across the uk. the temperatures a little lower than of late, perhaps in the low 20s for most of us, but really pleasant enough in the sunshine, and it is still quite muggy air. how about the rest of the week? well, low pressure will be out in the atlantic. it may be brushing north western

parts of the uk later in the week, but ahead of it, towards the south and the east we will see a ridge of high pressure building, and that ridge of high pressure means warm and sunny weather, particularly for eastern and southern areas of the uk. and if we look at the outlook, certainly the apps are suggesting those temperatures rising towards the end of the week, but the weather itself is looking rather mixed with showers at times. bye— bye.