over claims of racism, but the deputy prime minister won't say whether the comments were islamophobic. president zelensky reveals 31,000 ukrainian troops have been killed in the two years of war with russia. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu tells us television they are "weeks" away from "total victory" in gaza. thousands of people rally in support of former brazilian president, jair bolsonaro. he's hitting back at claims he plotted a coup to stay in power. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. we start in the uk — where the conservative party is finding itself under increasing pressure after an mp made comments described as �*islamophobic,

anti—muslim and racist�*. lee anderson was suspended from the party after saying london's mayor was controlled by �*islamists�*. the suspension was not for the comments but for refusing to apologise. the party's leadership was drawn further into the argument on sunday — the deputy prime minister refusing to say whether he thought the comments were islamophobic. 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. he's known for speaking his mind, but lee anderson kept his lips firmly sealed following his suspension from the parliamentary conservative party. here are the comments about london's mayor that got him into trouble. i don't actually believe these islamists have got control of our country, but what i do believe is they've got control of khan and they've got control of london.

labour said this was islamophobic, but the deputy prime minister was careful not to make that specific accusation. i don't believe that lee anderson was intending to be islamophobic, but nonetheless, i understand the concern about...particularly when it's in relation to the mayor of london, how those words have caused offence. but would he still be a conservative mp if he had apologised? he was given the chance to apologise, and when he failed to do so, action was taken. they chant: ceasefire now! the conflict in the middle east is having a profound effect on uk politics. labour had to kick out their candidate in the forthcoming rochdale by—election over anti—semitism and they're now keen to move the focus onto the prime minister and the problems in his party. what has unfolded in the conservative party, the absolute poison that has been allowed to seep into their political debate, and a prime minister that is seemingly even unwilling to acknowledge the term islamophobia, let alone stand up to senior politicians in his party dragging our politics into the sewer.

they chant: rishi i sunak shame on you! and this week at westminster the focus will be once again on gaza, with the snp saying they will take up the offer of an emergency debate. party leaders want to avoid some of the divisions that were on display last week, but that is not guaranteed. the difficulties caused by the conflict in the middle east for uk politics are of course as nothing compared to the suffering of the people in the region. but the challenge for the main party leaders here is how to manage tensions in their own ranks stoked by events beyond their control. and in an election year, just one loose or offensive phrase from any of the representatives could be enough to undermine or overshadow their best laid plans. iain watson, bbc news. naveed asghar is the deputy chair of the conservative muslim forum — the only muslim group directly affiliated to the conservative party. he told us what the group thought of lee anderson's comments.

we as a party do not accept these comments and we are against anybody with the party or any mps elected from different parties to come out with comments which can be seen to be misaligned with the british muslim population. some in your party have called mr anderson's comments islamophobic. would you say they are? you can call them that, anti—muslim hatred. however you term them, they were there to cause upset to the muslims. they have caused upset and we've been inundated with messages from our members, stating we have to take action. i am glad the prime minister has taken action and the whip has been removed. in your statement on this controversy, you have written on the forum that it is vital for all leaders to stand firmly against racism and to muslim hatred and islamophobia. what do you make of

the fact in his statement, the prime minister did not mention anti—muslim hatred or islamophobia? this is a conversation we will have this week with the prime minister's office and try to understand where they are coming from and the reasoning behind it. as a muslim organisation, these are words which deeply hurt and... ..it makes it difficult for us to represent muslims when it comes to conversations like this. i will go back to this, it comes down to the prime minister is not a muslim and neither is the deputy prime minister, so maybe they don't understand the effect of the words. but to people of the muslim faith, these are deeply worrying. we have 70 years of muslims in britain, and we are looking to get young british muslims to come into office,

councillors, members of the scottish parliament and welsh parliament and the uk, whatever role. when issues like this arise, it becomes difficult when politics is polarised. let me ask you, the deputy prime minister said the party was quick to act in suspending mr anderson. but is the party in slow in understanding their grievances over islamophobia within the party? the government definitely needs to give space for moderates, like ourselves, and to speak to counter the views of the far right and not late extremists win. it takes a long time to get to where we are. there is still work to be done, but that goes for every political party. we aren't alone in it. the conservatives have won the last three elections, and we've done fantastic work.

we have british muslim mps in position, british muslims in the house of lords, through the work done over the past few decades. i hope this will carry on going forward. efforts are ongoing to try and secure a temporary truce in gaza president zelensky has said 31,000 ukrainian troops have been killed so far during the two years of war with russia. it's the first time in many months that figure has been revealed. he said tens of thousands of civilians in the russian occupied territories had also died. speaking at a news conference to mark saturday's second anniversary of russia's invasion, mr zelensky said he couldn't reveal the number of people injured because that information would help russia, but the loss was very painful. he was hopeful of a peace summit in the spring and was �*sure�* the us

congress would pass its aid package for ukraine. translation: we cannot lose. what it will mean if ukraine loses, it means there will be no us, no us in existence. definitely, this is not the end of our existence that we like. if ukraine loses, if it becomes complicated, the number of victims, it will depend on you, on our partners and the western world. if we are strong with the weapons that we get, this and that, we won't lose the war. we will prevail. 0ur correspondent james waterhouse also attended president zelensky�*s marathon news conference and told me more about it. well, it was a bit of an endurance event today. president zelensky knows how to draw a crowd.

his profile is at the level of him being one of the most famous world leaders. so his government announced this nine—hour press conference where 28 officials and ministers spoke and president zelensky talked about the delay to western aid. now, it is true that ukraine has received a substantial amount to date, but the issue for kyiv has always been the speed at which it has arrived. he talked about forging relationships with european partners to a greater extent to potentially fill a gap left by the us if it was to further withdraw support. although he said he's confident that won't happen, i asked him how he felt about the delays of aid to this point. translation: frustrated. well, losing time means losing money. that's my biggest frustration. longer with the war, the more are the casualties. that second thing.

and casualties, they can be different. they could be civilian casualties, military casualties, children. and the more people are staying in the occupied territories, the more ukrainians are being deported or taken somewhere to russia. the longer the war, the more countries are starting to kind of balance, and the time is not in favour for everyone. so what else can it be disappointed with or frustrated with? i'm grateful for this help to maintain. it's important that this assistance come on time. the war is a technological one, and you're really waiting, for some weapons for some armoured vehicles. but by the time it arrives, we fight with drones. you start then waiting a lot for the long range weapons, and when it arrives,

the people are already, you know, fighting with different means and missiles are the war when maybe, let's say, we cannot lose the time. it's interesting. his defence minister said half of the delivered western aid to date had been delayed. so it's clearly a frustration being held. but what's interesting is i was at that press conference this time last year where there was a different atmosphere and the subject was one of an upcoming counter offensive and ukraine had just liberated swathes of territory in two different areas. the country had the wind in its sails. this time around, the talk is around long term security agreements, recovery, possible peace plans, forging relationships with other allies. it's a different kind of war now, and it's a different kind of foreign policy challenge for president zelensky. and you feel that he and his country and his military are preparing for a long war with an outcome

which is farfrom certain. the former brazilian president jair bolsonaro has addressed a huge rally in sao paulo, as he hits back at allegations that he plotted a coup to stay in power. he told tens of thousands of supporters he had been the victim of tireless political persecution since leaving office just over a year ago. he said it was time to forget the past and let brazil move on. 0ur south america correspondent, ione wells, was at the rally and told me what bolsonaro had to say. this rally was really called in response to an ongoing investigation into mr bolsanaro, into whether or not he incited thousands of his supporters last year to storm the presidential palace, congress and the supreme court, calling for a military takeover and for the election result to be overturned. now in his speech today

at this rally, he called allegations of an alleged coup a conspiracy and also asked for an amnesty for supporters of his who ended up and was arrested and put in prison as a result of looting government buildings last year. we see the large crowds in sao paulo. more broadly, how is mr bolsanaro seen in brazil? he is a polarising figure. clearly from the crowds today he still does have a large fan base. there are still the right wing supporters of his who do believe that he should still be allowed to run for office again, even though he is currently banned for running from office for the next eight years. brazil is still politically polarised between those who support the former president and those who loathe him and disagree with everything he did while in office, but also

what he has attempted to do since the election took place. just a couple of weeks ago on the same avenue in sao paulo, there was a counterprotest against the former president in support of the current left—wing president lula and that was marking the anniversary of riots that took place in brazil last year and these were criticising both for him calling the election fraudulent, and there was no evidence to suggest that, but also certainly it was kind of in support of the current president lula and his left—wing policies as opposed to the crowds we are seeing today. just tell us a bit more about the investigations against the former president and what is expected to happen next? how would they proceed? we don't know yet the result of the investigation but that is certainly why he wanted to come out here today to try and really show the support he still has amongst its followers. the main investigation at this rally that it has been called in response

to his whether he deliberately incited an alleged coup last year, and this was partly because him and a lot of his supporters at the time had made claims of electoral fraud and said the election was rigged, even though there was no evidence to suggest that was the case. there are also allegations he is being investigated for whether or not he instructed military chiefs to enable an alleged coup last year, so those are some of the charges that have been brought against him, so far as part of the investigation he's had his passport confiscated and also been subjected to police raids at some of his properties and we don't know what the result will be. certainly some feel there will be enough evidence to potentially land him injail, which could lead to him being arrested, but the result of the investigation is not yet clear and he has used his platform here today to defend himself

and claim that those allegations are part of a big conspiracy against him. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, says has vowed to go ahead with an offensive in gaza's southernmost most city rafah — whatever happens in hostage negotiations. he insisted that such a military operation would put his country within weeks of "total victory" over hamas. he was speaking to the bbc�*s media partner in the us, cbs news. meanwhile, gaza's health ministry says more than 90 people were killed on saturday night. in the israeli city of tel aviv, police used water cannon for the first time to disperse anti—government protesters demanding the release of the hostages held in gaza by hamas. paul adams reports. tel aviv last night. israel's deep divisions on raw display. these streets are used to protests, but they are bigger now, angrier.

for the first time since october, the police resorting to tougher measures. the loathing for israel's prime minister and his hardline cabinet goes back more than a year, but it's spurred on by the war in gaza and the fear that their government is more interested in defeating hamas than freeing hostages. we cannot keep on doing the military solutions, because they are not working. it is becoming worse. a lot of people are dead on both sides. we are waiting for any development and we want them home. the government here says the talks aimed at getting the hostages back are making progress, something hamas denies. the process is due to continue in qatar this week, but the government is also saying it is about to approve plans for an assault on rafah. the israeli military, which released these pictures, is still fighting in nearby khan younis. an assault on rafah could be weeks away.

israel has yet to signal any real preparations. speaking on american television today, mr netanyahu said it was just a matter of time. if we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen. if we don't have a deal, we will do it anyway. it has to be done because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach. if israel and hamas do strike a deal on hostages, which families and friends so desperately need, the shooting could stop before the start of ramadan in two weeks' time. it would be the first respite since the end of november. a chance for everyone to draw breath and figure out what happens next. paul adams, bbc news, jerusalem. this report from our special correspondent fergal keane begins in rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people have sought shelter. a warning you may find some of his report distressing.

it is mostly a story of exhausted waiting. each long minute, the children seek anything to fight the pain of hunger. and when it is served, the thin soup is eagerly gathered up. hunger, along with so much else. two—month—old mahmoud is one of the vulnerable victims. the doctor examining him told us how he had died. israel says it allows aid into northern gaza and that the un is failing to organise distribution. but the un says law and order has

collapsed with the war. drivers are terrified of being attacked and aid looted. in israel, opinion polls suggest many support the views of this man, whose son is a hostage in gaza, and who opposes any aid being sent without the return of the hostages. that sounds very, very harsh, when you are talking about civilians, babies, children dying. yes, but we have babies and women and the elders, 0k? it's very, very simple. give us our people, and we will give you food and medicines. the un is warning of famine. this is rafah at the southern end of the gaza strip, where11—year—old mohammed spends every day seeking food for his family. when i go back to my

family with this food, he says, they are happy, and we all eat together. there is also sickness at home. mohammed's mother has bone cancer. this is a family stranded, where history and hunger have trapped them. during the last two years since russia began its full—scale invasion, six million mainly women and children have fled ukraine, according to the un. millions more have been forced to live under russian occupation in a number of areas. little is known about their lives but the bbc�*s 0lga malchevska has spoken to two teenagers — from mariupol and kherson — who were rescued from russian occupation. they'vejust been in london, sharing what they witnessed with mps. there are flashing images in 0lga's report.

they look like ordinary teenagers visiting london, but they're survivors of war. translation: 0ur| village was shelled. a friend of my aunt came and took us to mariupol. we thought we'd be safer there because they wouldn't shell the city itself. two, three days later, our village was occupied. then, mariupol city was besieged. it was a hell. we wanted to go back but it wasn't possible. veronica is from kherson in the south of ukraine. 0ur city was occupied for seven months. after it, it became a front line. during the occupation there were loads of shelling in smaller towns or villages. we were sitting in the basement for a month.

when we left the basement, two shells landed near me. it was very scary. the sound of missiles gives me goose bumps. it's like a loud whistle and then a blast. it gets closer and louder and louder. it's extremely frightening. russia denies that it targets civilians. russian soldiers took my phone. i had deleted all my social media as i knew that they wouldn't like my chats. they asked if i knew anything about ukrainian service men and i said that i didn't. but i felt scared and they said, don't worry, if we wanted to kill you, we would have already done so. what was the most dramatic memory? while we moved from the occupied city we saw lots of cars that were burnt. i saw people coming inside their tent and later

coming out of it naked. some people were also beaten. people were tortured in various ways there. i heard screaming, "don't hit me, please." veronica's family heads across the dnipro river on a makeshift ferry as the bridge had been bombed. too emotional to speak in english, veronica tells me how her parents stressed out when they got stuck in the middle of the river for two hours. the makeshift ferry was shelled just half—an—hour after they got to the other side. i had so many problems but i keep smiling, because i want to. it's not like i'm faking a smile while feeling sad in reality. but no, i want to smile, because i'm alive. 0lga malchevska, bbc news the eiffel tower in paris has re—opened after six days of closures

caused by strike action. workers had walked out last monday in a dispute over the way the attraction is managed. the landmark's operator said a deal was reached with unions on saturday. dazzling displays of lanterns have been lighting up the skies to mark the end of lunar new year celebrations and hail the coming of spring. the lantern festival is held two weeks after lunar new year, which this year ushered in the year of the dragon. the new year, and subsequent lantern festival, is typically celebrated in parts of asia, including china, south korea and vietnam, as well as in communities around the world. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. sunday was a fine day for much of the country. some good sunny spells around after that very cold start. it was a chilly afternoon, but at least there was

the sunshine to compensate. southern parts of the uk continued to stay wet and windy as that area of low pressure to the south of the uk continues to push towards france. so it stays at wet and windy here through the night for central, southern and southeastern parts of england. further north, a few showers will drift southwards into central northern scotland, a few along some north sea coast of england. these will be wintry, certainly over any higher ground. but a chilly night to come, northern and western areas, some frost around, once again. less cold in the southeast because of the wind and the rain. now, as we head into monday, we've got a ridge of high pressure toppling overfrom the north, that'll spread southwards. that area of low pressure will continue to pull away to the near continent, taking the wind and rain with it. but we'll be in a colder air mass once again on monday, so another chilly day to come, turns windier later in the day across the north and the west of scotland. so we start off rather windy, grey across the far south east. the rain eventually clearing away from sussex and kent, but it does stay quite cold and windy across large parts

of england and wales. a few showers running into the north and the east. otherwise, it's a fine, sunny day thanks to that ridge of high pressure, lighter winds in the north, brisk in the south. and that really will take the edge off the temperatures. 0n the thermometer, we're looking at around 6—9 celsius, but it'll feel more like 2—3 celsius across the southeast when you factor in the cold northeasterly wind. through monday night, it looks like it turns drier under that ridge of high pressure. many of the showers die off. so, it's going to be a cold one, i think, for england and wales where we have the clear skies, light winds, because the weather front will be pushing into scotland, northern ireland with increasing winds. so not quite as cold here as what we'll have further south. and with light winds, there could be some mist and fog to start tuesday. this weather front will be moving southwards and eastwards on tuesday, but as it bumps into the...moves into the area of high pressure, it will weaken quite rapidly. so some pretty heavy rain for scotland, northern ireland at first, some snow on the hills, then it weakens as it pushes across england and wales, bringing a lot of cloud here. skies will brighten up for scotland, northern ireland into the afternoon, but there will be some blustery

showers, wintry on the hills. temperature wise, we're looking around 7—10 celsius. around the middle part of the week and to end february, it looks like it's going to turn a little bit milder. it stays very unsettled. and then as we head into the first part of march, it looks like the temperatures cool down again.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the conservative party is under increasing pressure after suspending

an mp over claims of racism. lee anderson said "islamists" had "got control" of the mayor of london. but the deputy prime minister won't say whether he considered the comments to be islamophobic. president zelensky reveals 31,000 ukrainian soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the two years of war with russia. the former brazilian president, jair bolsonaro, is addressing tens of thousands of his supporters in the biggest opposition rally since leaving office just over a year ago. he's being investigated over an alleged coup plot. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has told us television that his country's forces are "weeks" away from a total victory in gaza. now on bbc news — newscast.

newscast.