israel carries out airstrikes on the southern gazan city of rafah — at least 67 palestinians were killed. israel rescued two hostages. the nottingham stabbings last summer — the police watchdog is investigating the contact that officers had with the triple killer valdo calocane after complaints from the families. why people living with alzheimer's could lose out on two new drug treatments, according to a leading health charity. it was the best day of my life. and we talk to the eight—year—old star of ireland's six nations victory. and on newsnight at 10:30pm. we'll go deeper behind the headlines and speak live to key players on today's big stories. plus a first look at tomorrow's front pages.

hello, good evening. labour has tonight withdrawn its support for its candidate in the rochdale by—election, in light of new information about comments he made about israel. the bbc understands azhar ali has been suspended from the party, pending an investigation. mr ali had apologised after he was recorded suggesting that israel had allowed the october 7th attacks to go ahead so that it could do whatever it wanted in response. here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. this was the man labour had hoped would be its next mp for rochdale, launching his campaign less than a week ago. but tonight labour has withdrawn its support from azhar ali, and it is understood he has been suspended from the party. what been suspended from the party. what keir starmer — been suspended from the party. what keir starmer has _ been suspended from the party. “grief keir starmer has done been suspended from the party. lid"isgt keir starmer has done this evening is shown that when he said he would

root anti—semitism out of the labour party and make sure it had no place in the labour party, tonight the decision he has taken as evidence that he is sticking by that no matter what the circumstances. azhar ali had apologised _ matter what the circumstances. azhar ali had apologised after _ matter what the circumstances. azhar ali had apologised after reportedly saying israel had allowed the october the 7th attacks to happen. initially senior labour figures condemned his comments but stood by him, saying they believed he understood the gravity of what he had said. but tonight the party changed position, saying they had had new information about further comments he had made. the? had new information about further comments he had made. they have diven comments he had made. they have given themselves _ comments he had made. they have given themselves very _ comments he had made. they have given themselves very much - comments he had made. they have given themselves very much the . comments he had made. they have i given themselves very much the worst of all worlds, haven't they? now it looks_ of all worlds, haven't they? now it looks like — of all worlds, haven't they? now it looks like they have done this because — looks like they have done this because they were shamed into doing this rather_ because they were shamed into doing this rather than having done it out of principle. they have seriously damage — of principle. they have seriously damage their own credibility on this issue _ damage their own credibility on this issue and _ damage their own credibility on this issue and the credibility of the jewish— issue and the credibility of the jewish community needs to have in them _ jewish community needs to have in them. in _ jewish community needs to have in them. ., ., , them. in rochdale, though, it is too late for labour— them. in rochdale, though, it is too late for labour to _ them. in rochdale, though, it is too late for labour to change _ them. in rochdale, though, it is too late for labour to change its -

late for labour to change its candidate, so azhar ali will still appear on the ballot paper for the party even though if he wins he will not sit as labour mp.— not sit as labour mp. voters who want to back _ not sit as labour mp. voters who want to back labour _ not sit as labour mp. voters who want to back labour essentially l not sit as labour mp. voters who . want to back labour essentially have the choice between a candidate who blend might notjoin the ranks of labour mps are otherwise staying at home. there is no doubt that this row about that candidate in a constituency where already sir keir starmer�*s stance on gaza was going to be controversial with at least a considerable section of the potential labour electorate, that has made labour's life more difficult. , ., ., , difficult. george galloway is standind difficult. george galloway is standing in _ difficult. george galloway is standing in rochdale - difficult. george galloway is standing in rochdale and i difficult. george galloway is - standing in rochdale and putting labour's stance on gazza front and centre. the contest here has taken a new turn and it is one certainly labour wouldn't have wanted. labour wouldn't have wanted. labour said it made the decision to withdraw support from azhar ali because of new information. it is understood that relates to further comments he made at the same meeting where he made his original remarks, although we don't know the detail of

those. keir starmer has put routing out anti—semitism at the centre of his leadership and the party says the action he has taken shows his clear stance on that despite what it might do to the party's prospects in that rochdale by—election, but there are others who say he should have acted more quickly and the fact it took two days before labour changed its position is in fact a sign of keir starmer�*s indecision. studio: alex, thank you. alex forsyth. and here's a full list of candidates standing in the rochdale by—election. at least 67 palestinians have been killed in israeli airstrikes in the south of gaza. in a ground incursion, israeli forces freed two hostages who'd been captured on 7th october by hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government. the israeli strikes

were in the border city of rafah, where about 1.5 million palestinians are currently sheltering. president biden has told israel's prime minister there must be a credible plan to protect civilians, and the foreign secretary lord cameron has urged him to "stop and think seriously" before taking more action, because there nowhere for people in rafah to go. but benjamin netanyahu says only continued military pressure on hamas will release the more than 100 remaining hostages. lucy williamson reports. explosion last night, israel's army came to rafah. special forces, backed by airstrikes on homes and mosques... left behind, more than 60 people dead... ..and took with them two israeli hostages, snatched from a second—floor apartment. this, the moment counterterrorist police went in and brought them out. the military vehicle moving rapidly towards the israeli border.

inside, theirfirst moments of freedom caught on the units' bodycams. 60—year—old fernando marman and 70—year—old louis har were kidnapped from kibbutz nir yitzhak on october the 7th. covered by special forces on their way out of gaza, covered on arrival with love. military operations have so far freed three hostages. relatives say a deal with hamas is still the best way to get the others out. mentally, they look ok. physically, they look ok. please, be serious and strike a deal. the israeli people needs the deal done. not yesterday, not tomorrow — today. we want it done as soon as possible. we want to go back to our ordinary life. for gazans, ordinary life has disappeared,

buried in the rubble of their homes, in the quivering of their children. translation: we were at home i when the airstrikes were going on. i told my mother that i wanted to use the bathroom. suddenly, all the walls of the bathroom and all the water containers above it collapsed on me. rafah is the next target for israel's army. the war has pushed half of gaza's population south, into this border town. the us has warned an offensive here, without proper planning, would be a disaster. israel is so far sticking to its plan. the united nations and international actors now face a fateful choice. do they want to save hamas or save palestinian civilians? they cannot stop israel from dismantling the last four hamas battalions in the gaza strip and securing the release of the 134 remaining hostages.

the price of israel's war is rising. forfamilies in rafah today, the cost — incalculable. the us is urging israel to consider a potential hostage deal to pause the fighting. israel worries that a deal would mean hamas surviving. but after four months of war it isn't the group's leaders who are dying. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. unicef has described the conditions on the ground in rafah as "catastrophic", and other aid agencies have expressed concern about a potential israeli ground operation there. bbc verify�*s nick eardley has been looking at how the situation has changed in the city since the october 7th attacks. nick. thanks a lot, jane.

we're now four months into the current conflict. and experts have been mapping the damage done to buildings for the bbc. you can see here — these red dots. the damage starts in the north. but over time moves south israeli forces have repeatedly urged people to move south so for their own safety too. many have but fighting has often ended up in these very places. the current flash point is here in rafah, close to the border with egypt. hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in gaza. sometimes they've moved several times. this is a satellite image from october and this is the change injanuary. tents now cover a wide area, leading to rafah being dubbed "a tent city". this verified video gives a sense of conditions here. tents have been built around a cemetery. you can see more in the distance too. the population of rafah has shot up as people fled here. the un says it's now 1.5 million compared to a quarter of a million in 2022. strikes on rafah have escalated in recent days. this image shows some of the destruction.

this area appears to be just beside where the two israeli hostages were rescued last night. the idf says this video shows that rescue and it's just beside the area where we've identified the damage. now, israel's allies have expressed concern about the impact of an offensive in rafah — in particular where displaced people can move to safely. the rafah crossing, for example, is closed to the vast majority of people. and israel has yet to lay out any evacuation plan. they say it will come when an offensive in rafah is confirmed. all eardley, all ea rdley, thank all eardley, thank you. —— all right, nick eardley, thank you. our international editor jeremy bowen is injerusalem — is an israeli ground offensive in rafah inevitable? that is the key question. i think it is inevitable. _ that is the key question. i think it is inevitable. the _ that is the key question. i think it is inevitable. the army _ that is the key question. i think it is inevitable. the army certainly l is inevitable. the army certainly want it and if they want to complete theirjob, as they see it, against

hamas, they want to send troops into gaza. what it is not as imminent. last night what happened was a raid to get those hostages out, i be at a big and very destructive one. israel doesn't have the troops in gaza to mount the kind of offensive they would have to do to go in there, so you have to ask why is mr netanyahu talking about it in the way that he is? i think he is trying to look tough, he is trying to look like a tough, he is trying to look like a tough, decisive warren leader because, don't forget, back on octoberthe because, don't forget, back on october the 7th his long—established reputation —— warrior leader. his reputation —— warrior leader. his reputation as mr security, the guy who could protect israelis, was shattered by the hamas attacks, and he has been trying to rebuild that ever since. he has been trying to rebuild that eversince. i he has been trying to rebuild that ever since. i think right now the fact is those negotiations for a ceasefire deal are continuing and israel have been part of all of that, despite this very tough rhetoric we are hearing. where no

imminent attack, i would say, largely an offensive on rafah, but i think the fact is despite the political manoeuvring and the messaging going out the fact is a lot of israelis while supporting the war do not support their prime minister and what they most want apart from victory in gaza and the hostages back is an election to try and find a new leader.— hostages back is an election to try and find a new leader. jeremy bowen, thank ou and find a new leader. jeremy bowen, thank you very — and find a new leader. jeremy bowen, thank you very much. _ and tomorrow across bbc news we'll bring you the story of gaza's red crescent ambulance workers as they worked in the most difficult conditions in the early stages of the war in gaza — in a special report from bbc arabic. all day here tomorrow. nottinghamshire police will be investigated by the police watchdog following complaints by the families of the three people killed in last summer's attacks in the city. barnaby webber, grace o'malley—kumar and ian coates were stabbed to death in nottingham city centre.

the independent office for police conduct says it will focus on the force's previous contact with their killer valdo calocane, and their handling of the investigation. here's our midlands correspondent navtej johal. ian coates, barnaby webber and grace o'malley—kumar, a school caretaker and two university students. their deaths shocked the country and united a city in grief. since then, theirfamilies' pain has increasingly been accompanied by frustration and anger at what they see as failings by the authorities in relation to the man who killed their loved ones. valdo calocane was initially charged with murder, but this was downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility because of his paranoid schizophrenia. he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order last month. the independent office for police conduct has now announced that it will investigate nottinghamshire police following a voluntary referral made by the force of complaints from the victims' families.

they allege there were flaws in the handling of the investigation and missed opportunities to prevent the killings. but the news from the iopc brings little comfort to those trying to mourn while seeking what they believe is justice. it feels like we're back to square one, back to the events of june 13th, which were horrific for us. and each time we have to go through this, it's... again, it's horrific for us. so whilst we wanted all of this to be over for us to have some time to heal as a family, we just haven't had that time. it's grossly unfair, and it should never happen to anyone again, and that is why we are pursuing it. this is the latest of several reviews and investigations announced since calocane's sentencing. the families still want to see a full public inquiry involving the cps and police, something the prime minister didn't rule out when he met them recently. they say they will leave no stone unturned. navteonhal bbc news. the kenyan government has announced

that the marathon world record holder kelvin kiptum will be buried as a national hero, after his death in a car crash yesterday. the 24—year—old was tipped to be one of the stars of this summer's olympic games after his extraordinary achievements. anne soy reports from nairobi. he was no doubt destined for greatness. at only 2a, kelvin kiptum had run three of the seven fastest marathon times in history. this is him in london last year. he broke away from the leading pack mid—race, and went on to win and set a new course record. later in the year he broke the world record in chicago, shaving 3a seconds off his compatriot eliud kipchoge's time. a world record means a lot to me. to beat a world record, it's so hard. you have to work hard. and that has been a long journey for me.

he was going to attempt to run the rotterdam marathon in under two hours this april, but his promising career was cut short on sunday night. he was driving along this road near his birthplace in kenya's rift valley when he crashed. kelvin lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road and entered into a ditch. the world athletics federation ratified kiptum's record only last week. its president, sebastian coe, described him as an incredible athlete who's leaving an incredible legacy. for a man who ran his first major competition in borrowed shoes because he couldn't afford a pair, he achieved far more than many ever will at his age. anne soy, bbc news, nairobi. a leading dementia charity has warned that people living with alzheimer's could lose out on two new drug treatments because the nhs isn't ready for them.

the medicines, which are expected to be licensed within months, slow progression of the disease and could pave the way for new treatments. alzheimer's disease affects around 600,000 people in the uk. the new drugs are suitable only for people in the early stages of the disease, and with mild symptoms. one estimate says between 50,000 and 280,000 people in england could be eligible, if the drugs are approved for the nhs. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. dawn is 62 and about to get her first dose of a new alzheimer's drug, donanemab, as part of a trial. you've started, have you? we've started, all right? yay! her memory problems were identified early and she has only mild cognitive impairment. i feel so grateful that i noticed and that i investigated further, and that i know.

because knowledge is power, and it could mean that it just slows it all down, and if it slows it down, then i'll be able to function as i'd like to. in trials, donanemab and another drug, lecanemab, slowed cognitive decline by between a quarter and a third in patients with early—stage alzheimer's. that gives you, over that 18 month period, about five months at a higher level of function. for me that's meaningful. but it's small. i think these drugs do represent a turning point in our research in alzheimer's but i also think they are just the beginning. if the drugs are approved, patients would need a specialist brain scan or a spinal lumbar puncture to check they are eligible. at present, just 2% of alzheimer's patients have either of these tests. we are worried that tens - of thousands of people could miss out on having treatments because the nhs isn't-

ready to deliver them. we need to have a really clear plan from the nhs about how they're i going to scale up services. the department of health says early dementia diagnosis is vital and it's working to identify and treat more people as new drugs become available. and this... here? david, who is 79, has been on lecanemab for over three years as part of a study. although his alzheimer's is progressing, his wife cheryl feels the drug has helped. they are not saying this is a complete cure. no. just giving individuals more time before they can't remember, you know... who their children are. it's given me longer with david as my husband and so, you know, that's worth all the money in the world. the drugs can cause swelling and bleeding in the brain,

so patients like dawn need careful monitoring. but despite their side—effects and modest benefits, many scientists believe they represent a defining moment in the fight against alzheimer's. fergus walsh, bbc news. donald trump's comments at the weekend about nato have caused concern in europe. the man who's likely to be the republican candidate for the upcoming us presidential election told a rally that he would encourage russia to do whatever it wants to nato member countries who don't pay their dues. and there could be problems for europe if the us wasn't an ally — particularly if defence spending had to rise. the head of germany's biggest defence firm has told the bbc it'll be ten years before europe is fully ready to defend itself — asjessica parker reports from berlin. spades in the ground for a new ammunition factory

in germany, as european leaders try to look resolute despite fresh fears that another trump presidency could wreck transatlantic defence guarantees. chancellor, what do you make of donald trump's comments over the weekend? i'm sure that it is absolutely clear that we are cooperating, and nato — the nato's alliance is of essence for the peace and security of america and for european countries. and so we will stick to this alliance, and we are sure that this is also the will and the decision of the people of america. do you think that europe must get ready to go it alone if necessary, without us support? i think europe has to be ready no matter what, and the situation we are in, with a more and more aggressive russia and a war going on for now two years in europe, shows us that we have to scale up. at this weapons plant everyone's trying to appear composed,

but there is alarm because the us is crucial to european security. so how long before the continent could defend itself? i think we need ten years, really. we need ten years because the stocks are empty. and if you really have an aggressor who wants to fight against nato, to be really prepared we need ten years. look at these estimates. the countries in green met the nato spending target last year. in red are all those nations that didn't, including france, italy and germany. people there organised the camp. julius used to campaign for disarmament, but says he's changed and so has germany — a nation that has been nervous of rearming after the catastrophic conflicts of the 20th century. i remember the last days of the second world war, fleeing from the east,

hearing the cannons. i remember that — i was eight years then so... that happened because democracy wasn't defended. germany is set to up its defense budget this year, and with nine months until the us election europe will — for now — have to concentrate on the things it can actually control. jessica parker, bbc news, in lower saxony. headteachers in england say they're having to spend tens of thousands of pounds every year to meet the rising costs of contracts that they're locked into with private firms. more than 900 schools were built under the private finance initiative, where private companies constructed the buildings and then maintained them for an annual fee. our education editor branwenjeffreys reports. quick as you can, please. radiators spewing out boiling water, flooding classrooms,

in a school building opened in 2012, costing £33 million. the original radiators that were in the building all had to be removed because they were all exploding. now the head teacher worries the new heating system isn't much better. a few days later, i followed him, filming on my phone, after a classroom ceiling collapsed. that's hot water. all the maintenance here is locked into a contract lasting decades. under a private finance deal, a company owns the building and chooses who does the work. it bothers me immensely, because it's made on the backs of children who can't go to their classroom because it's leaking, who can't come into school because the heating doesn't work. who can't access their favourite subject because there's a building fault. how would you describe that struggle? no, sorry, i'm getting upset. no. oh, glyn. because it takes a toll?

you feel like a failure. my sixth year of headship, and i'm no furtherforward in resolving the issues that affect the children who come here every day. the pfi company for the oldham school said it was maintained for the community and it hadn't paid out to shareholders for years. across england, schools said the threat of legal action stops them speaking out. one school governor in the south told us, "it's like dealing with the mafia". i think if there was more openness, the actual publicity about it would shock many citizens and taxpayers, and that might push some of these companies to think again and make sure that they're not wringing every last penny out of our school system. but pfi investors said these contracts are value for public money in the long—term. these contracts do make provisions

to make sure that schools - are getting value for money when it comes to cleaning and catering i and everything else. and there are mechanisms in the contract to compare | and contrast local market rates for all of those services. - so i'm pretty confident that these contracts do reflect good value i for money for the taxpayer. these rising costs are putting pressure on school budgets. the government told us support for pfi schools would go up by 10% from april. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. more than one in five of the world's most vulnerable migratory species face an increasing risk of extinction because of decades of human exploitation and climate change, according to a landmark un report. billions of animals, including these african penguins, make long journeys across oceans, deserts and plains every year to feed and breed — playing an essential role in maintaining the world's ecosystems. this first global assessment looked at more

than 1,000 species, and the un environment programme told us what the findings meant. they're essentially sending a message to the rest of the world, that our wetlands are not in good stead, that we keep fragmenting land through agriculture and infrastructure, that we construct fences and walls, and that we pollute our lands and ourwaterand ourair. and these are the drivers of the loss of biodiversity. but there are solutions to some of these issues — such as smart fishing nets, and land corridors for migrating animals. and conservation efforts have meant that some animals close to extinction have come back from the brink — like the saiga antelope, whose population is now growing. it's not only the action on the pitch that rugby fans will remember from yesterday's six nations match between ireland and italy — it's also the passionate rendition of ireland's sporting anthem by stevie mulrooney, who is just 8 years old. the schoolboy from kilkenny has been

reflecting on his performance — as laura trant reports. he might be the smallest person on the pitch, but has the passion of the biggest forward. eight—year—old stevie mulrooney from county kilkenny didn't let stagefright get the better of him performing ireland's call. i was a bit nervous, but the nerves helped and i sang great. but i was nervous because the big crowd and the players, they're watching too. there's more people than 53,000. it was the best day of my life. so how did this happen? stevie had the perfect touch in december when he performed the anthem on ireland's rte — before being surprised by two of his favourite rugby players. # shoulder to shou... # ..standing tall

# shoulder to shoulder # we'll answer ireland's call!# whether stevie's future is on stage or in the scrum is yet to be determined. laura trant, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. for some of us a beautiful start of the week with lots of sunshine

this morning labour were standing by their candidate in the rochdale by election. in the last couple of hours the party's announced it's withdrawing its support for him. what's changed ?