welcome to bbc news. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: gun control measures are once again approved by the us house of representatives but they're unlikely to become law. it comes after a harrowing day of testimony. he shot... renewed bombardment of ukraine's second—largest city, kharkiv, as severodonetsk in the donbas region also comes under heavy fire. gymnast simone biles and dozens of other athletes sue the fbi for failing to stop convicted sex abuser larry nassar. and on his first trip

to the democratic republic of congo, king philippe of belgium returns a priceless kakungu mask, taken out of the country before independence in 1960. hello. the issue of gun control in the us and what to do about it has challenged us lawmakers for years. today as they heard searing testimony from victims and their families of the recent mass shooting in texas, the house of representatives approved a series of measures aimed at regulating the sale of guns. but the proposals do not have the 60 votes they would need for approval in the senate, and hence are likely to go nowhere — underlining the challenge politicians face. our north america editor sarah smith was watching the testimony. we should warn you, her report contains some graphic content

which some may find distressing. this is the last photograph of lexi rubio, getting a school prize just hours before she was shot dead, the last time her parents saw her. we don't want you to think of lexi as just a number. she was intelligent, compassionate and athletic. she was quiet, shy, unless she had a point to make. when she knew she was right, as she so often was, she stood her ground. kimberly rubio is demanding lawmakers take action on gun control to ban assault weapons like the one used in uvalde, texas. so today we stand for lexi, and as her voice we demand action. we seek a ban on assault rifles and high—capacity magazines. we understand that, for some reason, to some people — to people with money, to people who fund political campaigns — that guns are more important than children.

so at this moment we ask for progress. miah cerrillo was in the classroom when the gunman burst in. in this video recorded for the committee, she told them what happened. as the shooting continued, she smeared herself in the blood of a classmate to pretend she was dead. dr roy guerrero described the horror of seeing the first young casualties arrive at the hospital. but what i did find was something no prayer will ever relieve. two children whose bodies had been pulverised by bullets fired at them, decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart, that the only clue of their identities was their blood splattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them.

clinging for life and finding none. the tragedy in uvalde has provoked a nationwide conversation about gun control. there are cross—party talks going on about new laws, but any legislation they can agree on will fall far short of what is being demanded. there will not be a ban on assault weapons. they can't even agree on raising the legal minimum age to buy one from 18 to 21. president biden is powerless to do anything about gun control without the support of at least some republicans. so despite an epidemic of mass shootings across america, nearly 250 already this year, any significant reform remains highly unlikely. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. ukraine's second city of kharkiv has come under renewed attack with a number of russian missile strikes over the past 2a hours. although russia's main focus remains the donbas region

further south, kharkiv is just 20 miles from the border, and the strikes have raised concerns that it could again become a target for intensive russian artillery fire. wirra davies has this report from the city. after a relatively benign few weeks, kharkiv has again become the focus of russian attacks. a late—night missile strike on this shopping centre in the eastern suburbs caused considerable damage, but no casualties. elsewhere in the city, a man was reportedly killed and several others injured in another bombing. explosions right at the start of this war, as russian troops invaded, there was intense fighting around kharkiv, a key russian objective. ukraine's second largest city, an important industrial complex and just 20 miles from the russian border. but ukrainian troops prevailed... shouting ..forcing the russians back, but not far. and that's the problem. from just across the border,

kharkiv and its 1.4 million residents are still well within range of russian artillery and missiles. translation: we are worried| because people started coming back to the city with their children and families, yet it's all starting again, really bad things. the bombardments are even more intense. much of the focus of recent russian attacks has been down in the donbas region, but recent intelligence reports do suggest that the russians might be regrouping and refocusing, attacking again places like kharkiv further to the north. it's a monumental effort defending the donbas cities of severodonetsk and lysycha nsk,

where civilians struggle to survive under relentless russian fire. if russia was to amplify the northern and eastern fronts, it would undoubtedly stretch limited ukrainian resources. president zelensky has appealed for more military help. longer range rocket launchers have been promised by the uk and others, but time is of the essence. explosion wyre davies, bbc news, kharkiv. the united nations is warning that the war in ukraine is threatening to �*unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution�*. the comment from secretary—general antonio guterres comes as russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov has denied the conflict is causing a global food crisis, despite soaring prices driven by the collapse of ukrainian exports. our global trade correspondent dharshini david has more. ukraine's crops can usually feed 400 million mouths, but russia stands accused of turning that breadbasket into a stealth missile. 90% of grain typically leaves

by ship, but most are stuck in fields or silos as blockades at ports slow exports to a trickle. my friend, how are you? the russian foreign minister was in turkey to discuss how grain corridors, a safe passage for ships, could be created, but was making no commitments nor accepting any responsibility. translation: to solve this problem, _ the only thing needed is for the ukrainians to let vessels out of their ports, either by clearing mines or by marking out safe corridors. nothing more is required. ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of cereal crops and oils. before the war, 12% of global wheat exports came from ukraine, almost half of sunflower oil, and it provided around 18% of maize exports. but with most of these being transported by sea, the amount being exported has slumped. and that means some countries, chiefly in africa and the middle east, will be hit hard.

egypt has been receiving a quarter of its wheat from ukraine, libya almost half, and lebanon more than 60%. and taking a chunk out of the world's supply means prices have soared since the invasion, affecting every corner of the globe. can a deal to get exports moving be struck? the world trade organization is one of those trying to solve this crisis. having 20—25 million tonnes of grain sitting both in ukrainian ports and in granaries' warehouses, it's really sad when we see prices rising so high. at the moment there is no progress. what if there is no agreement? what are your concerns? if we are not able to evacuate the grains in ukraine now and then they have a harvest coming up injuly, with a similar quantity that will go to waste, then you can see that this will work its way through for the next year or two

and that that will be really, really disastrous. the clock is ticking. 49 million people are already on the brink of famine. a more prolonged humanitarian crisis could be looming. dharshini david, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. a woman has been killed and 1a schoolchildren injured after a car drove into a crowd on a street in berlin. the person who died was a schoolteacher who was on a trip with a class of teenagers. the driver, a 29—year—old man, has been detained but police say it is unclear whether the incident was intentional or an accident. dozens of human rights groups are putting pressure on the un human rights chief to resign immediately, arguing that she whitewashed the situation in china during her visit there last month. they say michelle bachelet had squandered a rare chance to push for accountability over what they allege is beijing's systematic human rights violations against muslim uyghurs and others in the xinjiang region. former hollywood film producer

harvey weinstein is facing two criminal charges of indecent assault. the alleged offences took place in london 26 years ago. the metropolitan police charged mr weinstein after reviewing the evidence against him. more than 90 women have filed a lawsuit against the fbi for failing to stop the convicted sex abuser larry nassar, despite knowing of complaints against him. the claimants, who include the us olympic medallist simone biles, are seeking more than $1 billion in collective damages. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri has this report. sir, you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again. thejudge was addressing the former us gymnastics coach larry nassar. more than four years ago, after handing him a life sentence for sexually abusing young women and girls. she called it his death warrant. butjustice came far too late.

according to dozens of women who say they were abused by him. they are planning on suing the fbi for over $1 billion, arguing the agency's failure to act allowed the doctor to assault them. the star claimants include 0lympic gold—medallist simone biles, ali reisman and michaela maroney who testified in front of the us senate last year. they allowed a child molester to go free for more than a year and this inaction directly allowed nassar�*s abuse to continue. what is the point of reporting abuse if our own fbi agents are going to take it upon themselves to bury that report in a drawer? the fbi's own watchdog came to the same conclusion in a scathing report last year. it found the agency allowed the abuse to continue for more than a year after the case was first opened in 2015.

it also pointed to numerous mistakes and cover—ups by agents. they did not properly handle the allegations. they didn't properly handle them off to a differentjurisdiction or take them seriously in terms of doing proper interviews, and that when they were asked about it by investigators, they made false statements and lied about what happened. but despite all this, the suit comes as the justice department once again declined to prosecute the two fbi agents concerned, claiming there is a lack of evidence. that is why michaela maroney described the suit as their only path to justice and healing. azadeh machinery, bbc news. —— moshiri. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: it's the most lucrative golf tournament ever

and probably one of the most controversial. what's the story with the liv tournament about to get under way in england? the day the british liberated the falklands. and by tonight, british troops have begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorbymania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who, for them, has raised great hopes for an end to the division of europe. it happened as the queen moved towards horse guards parade - for the start of- trooping the colour. gunshots the queen looks worried, but recovers quickly. - as long as they'll pay to go see me, i'll get out there and kick �*em down the hills. what does it feel like to be the first man to go across the channel by your own power? it feels pretty neat. -

it feels marvellous, really. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: new gun control measures have been passed by the us house of representatives, but they do not have the votes they would need for approval in the senate. ukraine's second city, kharkiv, comes under bombardment, as severodonetsk and cities in the donbas region take heavy fire. president biden has told the summit of the americas in los angeles, that democracy is under assault around the world but is the essential ingredient to the future of the americas. mexico has led a boycott of the summit by several natoins in protest at washington's failure to invite the left—wing leaders of cuba, venezuela and nicaragua. lets have a listen to what mr biden has been saying at the opening of the summit.

ina in a moment, when democracy is under assault around the world, let us unite again and renew our conviction that democracy is not only the defining feature of american history is but the essential ingredient to america's futures. i spoke to our north america correspondent david willis and asked just how significant it is that these particular countries aren't attending the summit. the white house is seeking to downplay the absence of the mexican president and some other key leaders. they make the point that 23 heads of state will be in attendance, they make the point that the mexican president will be meeting withjoe biden next month one—on—one at the white house and they say that this is a good opportunity, this summit to discuss some serious subject such as the pandemic, immigration and climate

control, but for all their attempts to dismiss the absences here, this is a real blow because this was hailed as an opportunity for the united states to rekindle its ties with countries in the region, countries that have grown closer in many cases to china in the absence of strong leadership from the united states and as the mexican president put it, you can't have a summit of the americas if you don't have all the countries of the americas in attendance.— countries of the americas in attendance. ~ ., , , attendance. we are 'ust seeing president attendance. we are 'ust seeing presidenuoeh attendance. we are 'ust seeing president joe biden _ attendance. we are just seeing president joe biden addressingj presidentjoe biden addressing the conference there, lots of pressing issues of course but what are the main things on the agenda? what are the main things on the aaenda? , �* agenda? president biden is ex - ected agenda? president biden is exnected to _ agenda? president biden is expected to announce - agenda? president biden is| expected to announce plans agenda? president biden is - expected to announce plans for an economic partnership with the region including increased investment on the part of the united states, more preferable trade deals, the strengthening of regional supply lines and so on, but there will be no tariff

decreases, by the sounds of it and it will be confined, these agreements, to countries with whom the united states already has some sort of trade agreement in place but the very fact that as well as mexico, the heads of countries such as quarter—mile and honduras and el salvador will also be absent makes it very difficult for the organisers of this summit to credibly say that they've reached some sort of agreement on for example the thorny issue of immigration which looms large over this gathering. those absent nations are among those that contribute the most migrants to the situation on the southern border of the united states. king philippe of belgium has condemned the discrimination and racism of his country's colonial rule in africa. he made the comments on a week—long trip to the democratic republic of the congo. while there, he returned a tribal mask, one of thousands of artefacts ta ken during belgian rule. the bbc�*s tim allman reports.

at a ceremony in kinshasa, a symbol perhaps of a new beginning. this giant mask being returned to its rightful home, just one of more than 80,000 artefacts taken during colonial rule that will now be given back. with unrest brewing elsewhere... belgium was in charge here from 1885 until 1960. it was at times a particularly brutal occupation. during the earliest period as many as 10 million people are thought to have died. translation: the colonial regime was based on exploitation and domination. it was a regime marked by discrimination and racism. on my first trip to the congo here in front of the congolese people, i wish to reaffirm my deepest regret is that these past wounds.

and yet, despite this dark history, the people of kinshasa seemed to offer the warm welcome to the descendant of their former rulers. "during his speech he said he had not forgotten everything that had happened" said this woman. "he remembers perfectly our past which was so tragic." "saying a few words in our language is something that has touched me a lot," said this man. we did not expect the king to acknowledge some of the wrongdoings we have had to endure. earlier in the day philippe gave a medal to corporal albert, the last surviving congolese soldier who fought with the belgians in world war ii. if this is a new beginning, and attempt to build a new future, it's important not to forget the past. earlier i spoke to ambassador rama yade, the senior director of the atlantic council's

africa center, and i asked her what this visit and its symbolism means? this visit was originally scheduled forjune 2020, for the 16th anniversary of congo's independence and it has been postponed three times because of the pandemic and the war in ukraine but it was necessary, also necessary to organise it before the presidential elections to avoid being accused of interfering with the elections. so this visit, like you said in the report, has a very strong memorial dimension since the king has planned to visit the memorial veterans, where the issue of the restitution of art objects is discussed right now and during his pitch on the esplanade of the parliament today, the king reiterated his regrets about the colonisation and its impact but some are already disappointed because they were

awaiting more apologies and reparations. the world of men's professional golf is being rocked by a breakaway saudi—backed tournament that's about to get underway in the english town of st albans. the eight events will have prize money totalling £200 million, with many players rumoured to be getting hundreds of millions more, simply for turning up. the us golf body, the pga, has threatened to ban any of its members that play in the events. our sports editor dan roan has the story. it's the new rebel tournament driving a wedge through the sport. final practice on the eve of the will�*s most lucrative golf event, phil mickelson river to be pocketing a staggering £160 million to take part and having ended a four—month exile from the game after describing the circuit�*s saudi funders as scary, the star told me how he felt about the controversy. isn't there a danger that you are also being seen as a whole of sports

washing. i seen as a whole of sports washing-— seen as a whole of sports washina. ., �* .., ., ., washing. i don't condone human riahts washing. i don't condone human rights violations. _ washing. i don't condone human rights violations. i _ washing. i don't condone human rights violations. i don't - washing. i don't condone human rights violations. i don't know i rights violations. i don't know how we can be any more clear. i understand your question, but again, i love this game of golf, i have seen the good that it has done and i see the opportunity for liv golf to do a lot of good for the game throughout the world and i am excited to be a part of this opportunity. excited to be a part of this opportunity-— excited to be a part of this o- ortuni . , ., ~ opportunity. the highest ranked -la er opportunity. the highest ranked player here _ opportunity. the highest ranked player here is — opportunity. the highest ranked player here is x _ opportunity. the highest ranked player here is x world _ opportunity. the highest ranked player here is x world number i player here is x world number one dustinjohnson reportedly earning £120 million, he has had to quit the pga tour, giving up as opportunity to feature in future ryder cup but he told me it was worth it. eight a long time, i love the pga tour, i am very thankful for everything that it has done for everything that it has done for me in my life and this is just kind of a new chapter and i felt like this was just what was best for me and my family. featuring a shorter condensed three day format, life is a candid team element, organisers of the eight match ackery three series claimant will attract new audiences. 0thers believe

there is a new motive. it’s new audiences. others believe there is a new motive.- there is a new motive. it's the saudi government _ there is a new motive. it's the saudi government using - there is a new motive. it's the saudi government using its i saudi government using its financial clout to invest in golf and put positive pr about itself out into the world so if any players are going to go and participate in that tournament, should educate themselves about the human rights situation in saudi arabia and be prepared to speak out about it. this saudi arabia and be prepared to speak out about it.— speak out about it. this is the latest global _ speak out about it. this is the latest global sports _ speak out about it. this is the | latest global sports investment ljy latest global sports investment by the saudi sovereign wealth fund stopping newcastle united is another, of course. the club's new chairman is behind the liv series and told me he was looking forward to shaking up was looking forward to shaking up the sport. it was looking forward to shaking up the sport-— up the sport. it is the big thing in golf— up the sport. it is the big thing in golf and - up the sport. it is the big thing in golf and we - up the sport. it is the big thing in golf and we can l up the sport. it is the big - thing in golf and we can enjoy at. that is why i am he has to be thank you very much white can i took you about the suggestions of sports washing, what is your response? we are not sure about this.— not sure about this. despite doubts about _ not sure about this. despite doubts about how— not sure about this. despite doubts about how popular. not sure about this. despite | doubts about how popular all this will prove, with more big—name sidings set to join the breakaway, organisers insisted can be about growth and notjust greed but with the threat of sanctions hanging over those who take part in the prospect of a legal battle

ahead, it might also tear the sport apart. the anglo—portuguese painter paula rego has died at the age of 87. born in portugal, she came to britain as an art school student in the 1950s. many of her subjects were intimately influenced by the people, culture and folklore she'd known as a child in lisbon. her work often depicted women in a central role, challenging gender stereotypes and denouncing abuses of power. in 2010 she was made a dame by queen elizabeth. sir david attenborough has been officially appointed a knight grand cross of the order of st michael and st george. the environmentalist was given the honour by the prince of wales at windsor castle for services to broadcasting and conservation. sir david, 96, was called a "visionary environmentalist" by the duke of cambridge at saturday's platinum jubilee party at the palace. that's about it from me for

now, you can get more news on now, you can get more news on our now, you can get more news on our website from me and all the team, thanks a lot for watching and do stay tuned right here to bbc news. good morning. wednesday was certainly a day of contrasting conditions. if you managed to keep the sunshine, you also had some warmth. it was very pleasant out there. in fact, we saw a high of 23.5 celsius in london through wednesday afternoon. but there were some showers, and if you got caught in one or two of them, you would certainly know about it. they were heavy with hail and thunder at times. in fact, if we take a look back at wednesday, we had some fairly persistent rain throughout the day moving through central and northern scotland and a cluster of showers piling in behind. some of those, as i say, heavy and thundery. those showers tending to fade away as we speak, and we keep some clear skies over the next few hours across central and southern england, a little bit of nuisance cloud further north with an

odd isolated shower. but it will be a relatively mild start to thursday morning, temperatures holding up, 10—12 celsius. the best of the sunshine certainly across central and southern parts of england first thing in the morning. we'll see cloud and light, patchy rain gathering in from the west. that's going to drift its way steadily eastwards, so eventually the sunshine being nibbled away with cloud as it moves its way steadily eastwards. we'll keep some light rain and some misty, murky conditions along west—facing coasts, the highest temperatures where we see the best of the sunshine — 22 degrees, 72 fahrenheit. and it's certainly worth bearing in mind if you are a hay fever sufferer that where we've got that sunshine, grass pollen is now reaching its peak, so very high levels of pollen expected through the course of the afternoon. so, if we move out of thursday into friday, we've got this area of low pressure. it is the ex—tropical storm alex, the remnants of that storm bringing some windy conditions to the far north and west but also some warmth, as it's a south—westerly

wind to go with it. so we keep a cluster of showers and winds perhaps gusting in excess of 40—50 mph in exposed coasts. but across much of england and wales, with some sunshine coming through, a breezy afternoon but warm with it. we could see highs of 23 degrees. that low pressure just drifts to the north of scotland, so we still keep the squeeze in the isobars, the strongest of the winds here, but high pressure is starting to build in from the southwest, calming things down quite nicely. so, yes, some showers to the north and west and still a fresh breeze to contend with, but an improving picture as we go through the weekend.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the us house of representatives has approved a series of measures aimed at regulating the sale of guns, including raising the age for purchasing semi—automatic rifles. but the proposals do not have the 60 votes they would need for approval in the senate, and are unlikely to become law. ukraine's second city of kharkiv has come under renewed attack from a number of russian missile strikes. the city of severodonetsk is also under heavy fire. prime minister volodomyr zelenzky says in many respects the fate of the donbas region is being decided in that region. on his first trip to the democratic republic of the congo, king philippe of belgium has returned a priceless kakungu mask, taken out of the country before independence in 1960. this is the first of almost

80,000 artefacts that will be returned for display in museums in the drc.