a spokesperson confirms that the body of alexey navalny has been handed his mother, a week after his death. the conservatives suspend mp lee anderson from the party. he refused to apologise for saying london's mayor is controlled by islamists. these comments from a senior conservative, are islamophobic, anti—muslim and racist. on the second anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine — president zelensky insists his country will win — but urgently needs more weapons. hello, welcome to the programme. i'm catherine byaruhanga. the body of russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, has been handed over to his mother. spokesperson for the politician kira yarmysh, confirmed the news on social media site x formerly know as twitter.

she further wrote the funeral is still pending. they the funeral is still pending. said they were not sure could they said they were not sure if they could give him the funeral they say he deserves. the country's most vocal kremlin critic was found dead in a siberian prison — 9 days ago. according to russian accounts, the 47—year—old took a short walk, said he felt unwell, then collapsed and never regained consciousness. his mother, lyudmila navalnaya, was yesterday given an ultimatum to hold a secret funeral for her son or he would be buried at the penal colony where he died. she was given three hours to make her decision. let's speak to our correspondent olga ivshina from bbc russia. thank you forjoining us on the programme. how much of a surprise is this decision by the russian authorities to hand over his body? his sudden death came as a shock to

many of his supporters and most of the people who follow russia, everyone was watching for this and waiting, he recorded that speech where he raised the stakes. so this comes as a relief to his family because one of the scenarios described by officials according to navalny�*s mother was that they would not give his body and bury him in the penal colony. so his family will be relieved to be able to get his body. we doubt their bloody funerals will take place, we know that navalny�*s mother, they are still in the arctic circle, so we didn't exactly where the funeral will take place. d0 exactly where the funeral will take lace. , ., exactly where the funeral will take lace. ~' exactly where the funeral will take lace. ~ ,, ., place. do you think russian authorities _ place. do you think russian authorities hope _ place. do you think russian authorities hope that - place. do you think russian authorities hope that by - place. do you think russian - authorities hope that by handing over navalny�*s body that will bring to an end the controversy surrounding his death? definitely,

the don't surrounding his death? definitely, they don't like _ surrounding his death? definitely, they don't like the _ surrounding his death? definitely, they don't like the level _ surrounding his death? definitely, they don't like the level of - they don't like the level of discussion and level of coverage this has caused. obviously, they were irritated by the very fact that despite being in a penal colony, navalny was able to send his messages through to be able to speak out on political topics, so the fact that even after his sudden death, which many suspect could not have been connected to natural causes only, the level of discussion is not something which russian authorities like. so, on the one hand, they hope that this will calm down but on the other hand, we know thatjulia navalny and his supporters and friends and colleagues would keep spreading the message, and we see

that yulia navalny is continuing the struggle. that yulia navalny is continuing the stru: ule. ., , , that yulia navalny is continuing the stru~le. ., , , . , that yulia navalny is continuing the stru~le. ., , , ., , , struggle. how is his family being viewed in russia, _ struggle. how is his family being viewed in russia, obviously, - struggle. how is his family being| viewed in russia, obviously, they have been at the centre of this storm following his death. that have been at the centre of this storm following his death. that is a aood storm following his death. that is a good question. _ storm following his death. that is a good question. i — storm following his death. that is a good question, i don't _ storm following his death. that is a good question, i don't have - storm following his death. that is a good question, i don't have a - good question, i don't have a definite answer, because there are no independent ways to figure out what is the view of the majority for what is the view of the majority for what is the distribution of the views, but before navalny�*s death or killing some suspect, his wife was always behind him, next to him, but never really in the public eye, his mother was never mentioned before, so it is really hard tojudge. what is for sure, thousands and thousands of navalny supporters showed up despite harsh laws and being detained to show some support, and

it is really hard to find out the view of the majority because even to mention such topics, you can end up in big trouble, currently, in russia. . ~ in big trouble, currently, in russia. ., ~ to the war in ukraine next. a defiant president zelensky has insisted they will win the war as the country marks the second anniversary of russia's full—scale invasion. this is the scene live in independence square in kyiv. western leaders have pledged solidarity but the country says that more weapons are what is really needed. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kyiv, and we spoke to her a short time ago. good evening on this grim anniversary, the second anniversary of russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine. it has been a very cold

and grey and grim day. ukrainians have breathed a sigh of relief in kyiv, it passed quietly. there had been air raid sirens sounding last nightjust before midnight, leaving ukrainians to wonder whether there would be a barrage of missiles and drones landing on kyiv, to mark this day. but there wasn't. it was a day of quiet reflection and remembrance. and a number of senior western leaders arrived in the ukrainian capital this morning, arriving by train from poland, including the prime ministers of italy, france, belgium, along with the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen. they said that they have come to kyiv, there embraces with president zelensky, they have become quite close in these last two years of war, meeting here in the ukrainian capital or in meetings abroad. there were strong messages of support, and announcements of new security packages. that is what president zelensky has been calling for,

saying that this aid is desperately needed. overnight, russia continued its attacks in other regions of the country including the port city of odesa, which came under attack for the second day running. in these latest attacks, one person is said to have been killed, and three others were injured. as this war enters its third year, ukrainians still say, to a person, that this is a war that they can and must win, but they are increasingly realising that they also have to fight a political battle, to ensure that their western allies keep providing that military support, the weapons and ammunition, without which they are unable to fight this war, unless it keeps coming, because they keep insisting that this is notjust ukraine's war, it is a war that extends far beyond the borders of ukraine.

to take a look at the mood in ukraine on the second anniversary, we have this report, from our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse. they run every minute, weaving through the city, the trams of kriyvy reh. they provide a rhythm to daily life. in this era of change and fragility, they're not the only thing that keeps going. this gritty urban setting is built around the domineering steel plant, where the chimney smoke never stops. there's also no respite for those supporting the war effort, like tatiana. translation: my village is on the front line. my house was destroyed by a direct hit. but i have found some solace here. it fills me up.

ifeel needed. they make supplies like these. camouflage netting, desperately needed by the military. they are the foundations behind the fighting, which, two years in, is not going ukraine's way. but these volunteers are doing what they can. as international support wanes. translation: if it wasn't for these people, it would be much more difficult. we probably wouldn't be standing here today. they help us with everything, totally everything. i'm very grateful to them. president zelenskiy�*s home city can't escape the tiredness his country feels. some have had enough. but this war with russia is mostly still seen as a fight for survival. every city is scarred. yuri watches on as his block is demolished. he survived when it was hit

by a missile last year. no—one needs this war. what is it for, anyway? so many people are being killed. so would he trade territory for peace? definitely not, because many people have died for these territories and there is no point in giving them up. it's not clear what lies ahead for ukraine, only that its war journey will be long. talk of victory has been replaced with not losing. it's a monotonous strain that kryviy reh wants that kryviy reh wants to escape. it's stressful. it's difficult, like for everyone in ukraine. but we work. we're holding on.

it's interesting, this wall creates a tunnel vision for some people. they either think about what they've endured so far or their fears for what lies ahead. but the question of how long ukraine can fight this war is repeatedly being asked on the world stage and will continue to be so because of russia's increasing dominance and waning western support. volodymyr zelensky said his country would fight as long as it had strength and opportunity. few would doubt the former, but the latter is diminishing. the novelty of this war has gone and ukraine is trying to keep the world engaged. james waterhouse, bbc news, kryvyi rih. life carries on in some ways. even the parliament is still sitting. joining me now is mp lesia vasylenko, who is the people's deputy of ukraine. you have been going to the parliament every day, how would you describe your worries two years on with your partners in the west? ukraine did not collapse in 2022. ukraine is a democracy.

this is proven by the fact that our parliament and government is still operating and our president is where he was and where he is supposed to be, so the whole country is intact, and we are just doing ourjob, and also advocating to the outside world to keep supporting ukraine. what is the hardest part of this war as it grinds on? time, the fact that we do not know when it will end. and that we realise that it can last another decade because in fact while we are talking about two years since the escalation of russian aggression it has been ten years since the beginning of russian aggression. for us in ukraine it feels like being stuck in limbo, not knowing when it will end. does it reassure you when prime ministers from belgium, italy, from canada, came, along with the president of the european commission? it is notjust about reassurance

but having the political presence here on the ground, meaning that these people have an understanding which they then bring back to their countries, to their societies, and it means that this understanding can translate into financial and military aid for the ukrainian people and for ukraine. the more leaders of countries that come to ukraine the more support will continue and we are well aware of that and that is why ukraine is very open and welcoming to any foreign leadership that wants to come to kyiv or beyond and see what is happening for themselves on the ground. your politicians will understand the political pressures. your politicians will understand the political pressures. in the united states republican lawmakers are saying that they want to spend the money at home. it is only natural for every country to put their own interests first and foremost but it is also important to remain aware of the fact that what ukraine is doing, that is fighting for democracy and fighting to keep autocracy at bay,

or to kick it out of this world, it is more than just about ukraine, it is about a collective well—being, collective stability, collective security. very briefly, do you think you can still win this war? definitely, we have no plan b, our only plan is plan victory. lyce doucet in kyiv. here, the mp lee anderson has been suspended from the conservative party. he had refused to apologise for saying that islamists had gained control of the mayor of london, sadiq khan. during a discussion on gb news about pro—palestinian marches in westminster on friday, mr anderson said the mayor had "given away the capital city to his mates". the mp was deputy chairman of the tory party until his resignation last month. pressure had been mounting on rishi sunak to take action over mr anderson's comments. mr khan criticised a "deafening silence" from the prime minister and his cabinet.

these comments from a senior conservative are islamophobic, are anti—muslim and are racist. we have seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there has been an increase in anti—muslim cases by more than 330%. these comments pour fuel on the fire of anti—muslim hatred. and i'm afraid the deafening silence from rishi sunak and from the cabinet, is them condoning this racism. and i'm afraid it confirms to many across the country that there is a hierarchy when it comes to racism. i think it's really important to call out anti—semitism and it's really important to call out misogyny. it is important to call out homophobia. but surely it must also be important to call out anti—muslim hatred. and i tell you this — my concern is there will be people across the country, people who are muslim

or look like muslims, who will be really concerned about entering politics because they know that if these are the sorts of comments said against me by a senior conservative, the deputy editor of conservative home said he was surprised the accusation that sadiq khan his mates with radical islamist is

false, and certainly if mr anderson has evidence to back it up he hasn't presented any. though i am not surprised the decided to pick this particular issue as a hill to die on, especially as you say, when we are particularly close to the general election and there is a serious chance that unless the conservative party readmit him for some reason, he doesn't even get to fight his seat as a tory at the next election. miqdaad versi from the muslim council of britain gave his reaction to lee anderson's suspension. it is welcome that he has been suspended. his comments that islamists have taken over london are acceptable. as language where people use islamist as a racist, and fall into the tropes of islamophobia of islam taking over, they do not have any place in public life. it is reminiscent to the zac goldsmith campaign for mayor of london, which

was supported by the entire conservative party establishment. it is good to see that at least on the surface, a good movement that he has been suspended but at the same time if you peel this back a little bit, what you see something a bit more worrying, because he was not suspended for what he said but suspended for what he said but suspended for what he said but suspended for not apologising, it seems, and the prime minister hasn't really made his own comments on this, and actually, this is the tip of the iceberg. many other cases that we have seen, just this week, demonstrate that the islamophobia is a broader structural problem. lee anderson was speaking on gb news, and when he spoke, the comments from suella braverman, she was talking about how islamists had taken over the country, he was only talking about him having taken over london and nothing has happened about suella braverman, and a number of

examples in the conservative party just this week that have not yet been acted on and nothing has been done, so what we have to think about is, is there a broader problem and is, is there a broader problem and is that going to be dealt with or is itjust lee anderson today? that was mi . daad itjust lee anderson today? that was miqdaad versi _ itjust lee anderson today? that was miqdaad versi from _ itjust lee anderson today? that was miqdaad versi from the _ itjust lee anderson today? that was miqdaad versi from the muslim - miqdaad versi from the muslim council of britain. a short time ago, i spoke to our political correspondent that pressure coming from notjust sadiq khan and the labour party but the inside the tory party as well, including the business minister, it was said that those comments were dangerous. lord barwell, former chief of staff to theresa may when she was prime minister, called the remarks despicable. a growing number of people are publicly denouncing what lee anderson was saying. he was deputy chairman of the conservative party,

a prominent spokesperson for the party until quite recently. the chief whip try to get him to apologise. he refused to do so, so for that he is suspended. we don't know how long that suspension will last. if he does not apologise it could last until the next election and he would not be eligible to stand as a conservative candidate so this is potentially very serious for him. israeli media says an israeli delegation has returned from talks in paris with the "outline of an agreement" on a ceasefire with hamas and the release of the remaining hostages in gaza. an official says "significant progress" has been made in talks with negotiators from the us, egypt and qatar. a senior palestinian official told the bbc that no real progress had been made. let's go live to correspondent jenny hill injerusalem.

what more could you tell us about the framework? do you have any details about this deal? hat the framework? do you have any details about this deal? not really. the reort details about this deal? not really. the report certainly _ details about this deal? not really. the report certainly in _ details about this deal? not really. the report certainly in the - details about this deal? not really. the report certainly in the israeli . the report certainly in the israeli media suggest that this framework will be put to israel's war cabinet and later on this evening they will take a look at it, and they will vote on it, we are told. it is, we understand, a framework upon which details, further negotiations can be built. and there are, certainly there was a sound of positivity and cautious optimism here, but you mentioned are the senior palestinian officialfamiliar mentioned are the senior palestinian official familiar with the talks, who told the bbc that, actually, negotiators are leaking inaccurate information about this in order to pressure hamas. so we will have to see what comes out in the coming

hours, even days, actually and there is talk that the framework might consist of, for example, a certain number of israeli hostages being released, whilst a temporary ceasefire goes on, but let's see until we get more details. it is probably worth reiterating that, over the course of the week, in israel, certainly, there has been a shift in tone to stop rental last weekend, benjamin netanyahu repeatedly insisting that the hamas position during negotiations was delusional. a few days later one of his ministers said the initial signs, that is the possibility progress towards a deal, and during this time, of course, we had hamas's political leadership in cairo meeting egyptian officials, and at the same time washington sent its senior middle east envoy to egypt and to israel, where he met with ministers and benjamin netanyahu, so there has been lots of different

behind—the—scenes and it seems like something might be happening, but there are people here warning that we are still a long way off of a deal, this isjust a we are still a long way off of a deal, this is just a framework, we are still a long way off of a deal, this isjust a framework, and we don't know yet what hamas will make of this outline.— make of this outline. thank you, jenn hill make of this outline. thank you, jenny hill in _ make of this outline. thank you, jenny hill in jerusalem. - when the iconic indian singer lata mangeshkar died in 2022 — after a career spanning seven decades and having recorded more than 30,000 songs — bollywood fans around the world questioned if any singer would able to recreate her level of success. now — shreya ghoshal is being labelled a worthy successor thanks to her versatility and vast catalogue of hits. the bbc asian network's haroon rashid asked her how she processes being called the greatest indian singer alive by some of her fans. i refuse to process it. she sings

it's your love, honestly. but i know where i stand and i know where the truth is, where i need to do so much more. to be honest, i think i'm now finally in this moment, trying to enjoy myself the most. and honestly, ithink it's just a start. yeah, it seems like a big number. 21 years, 22 years in the film industry, but itjust feels like yesterday. lata mangeshkar is a name that the world celebrates. so many of the comments i've seen on social media is that if there is a lata mangeshkar there is also a shreya ghoshal, how does that make you feel? she is like an angel, that voice which floats in my system, my universe. so far, me, like how she has been, i'm sure there's a generation who has not heard lata.

i am probably trying to bridge that gap for them to access her. you see, the whole world has a certain kind of music, but asian music is different. our subcontinent has a very old history of music, from classical to folk to ourfilm music. lata belonged to that level. i think i'm trying to take a little bit of that in my singing and giving it to the next generation also so that they feel the magic that they gave us. she sings stay with us here on bbc news.

hello there. many places saw a fine day today with some sunny spells around. it was on the chilly side, and that will take us into quite a cold night tonight once again, with frost developing across many areas. and we'll also see some areas of mist and fog forming, which could be quite dense, particularly so across parts of northern england, the midlands and eastern england. i think these are favoured spots for some very dense fog at times. a cold night come for most. the winds picking up, though, across south wales, south—west england ahead of this area of low pressure, so less cold here, four or five degrees. subzero values, though, for pretty much the rest of the country. so we have this area of low pressure to contend with for sunday. that's going to affect more southern parts of the uk, whereas further north we'll be in a ridge of high pressure, so here it'll stay fine, dry, with plenty of sunshine around. and we will remain on the colder side of this area of low pressure, as you can see here on the air mass chart, so another chilly day to come. so many places starting bright, with some sunshine, bu cold and frosty.

but cold and frosty. there will be those stubborn fog patches to clear across the midlands, eastern england. it turns wet and windy, though, for south wales, south—west england. that rain spreads across southern and south—east england as we move through the afternoon. bit a question mark on the northern extent of the rain, but it looks like it's south wales, the m4 corridor southwards which will have a bit of a wash—out day. more rain falling on saturated ground could exacerbate already existing flooding issues, and it's going to be another chilly day. as that wet and windy weather pulls out towards france, tt will drag a few wintry showers — northern scotland, north—east england, but dry for most away from the extreme south, which will stay wet and windy. so, as a consequence, because of the wind and rain, temperatures no lower than 5—6 degrees here, but another cold night to come with a frost further north. now, this ridge of high pressure will topple in across the country as we head into monday. that will push that area of low pressure out towards france, but it'll take its time. eventually, the wind and the rain will clear away from sussex and kent, but it will remain blustery, a strong north—easterly wind here. elsewhere, dry, plenty of sunshine, the winds less of a feature further north and west. but when we factor in the strong

wind across the south—east coming in from the north—east, although we'll see 8—9 degrees on the thermometer, it's going to feel more like i—2 degrees. and then as we push deeper into the week, towards the end of february, we start to pick up atlantic weather systems once again, bringing spells of wet and windy

this is bbc news, the headlines... the spokeswoman for the russian opposition figure alexei navalny says his body has been given to his mother more than a week after he died in prison. but they are still unsure whether the russian authorities will allow them to hold the funeral they say he deserves. the mp lee anderson has been suspended from the conservative parliamentary party after refusing to apologise for saying islamists had gained control of the mayor of london, sadiq khan. he made the comments while talking about pro—palestinian protests on gb news on friday. on the second anniversary of the full—scale invasion of ukraine, president zelensky vows that his country will defeat russia. several western leaders in kyiv are pledging their solidarity. but ukraine is losing territory, and there are warnings moscow is taking advantage of the delays in delivering western military help.