i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story: british mps have been putting forward their plans for brexit, after voting to take control of the process from the government. they are set to stage a ballot i'm babita sharma in london. on wednesday on which options the headlines: they would accept. meanwhile, there are signs theresa may's deal is winning over british mps put forward some critics, depite alternative plans for brexit, as speculation grows about whether theresa may can questions about her future. continue as prime minister. syria's kurds have called for the creation of an international tribunal to try thousands of suspected members of the islamic state group. we report on the islamic state families that want to return to europe, but have been told and this story is they are not welcome. trending on bbc.com. a theme park in indonesia has i'm rico hizon in singapore. covered the bare chests on two mermaid statues, 15 years also on newsday: claims of a whitewash ofjustice after us prosecutors drop after they were put in place. a spokesperson for the ancol all charges against us actor dreamland injakarta says they now jussie smollett for allegedly want to respect "eastern values." staging a racist and homophobic attack. i've been truthful and consistent that's all, stay on every single level since day one. i would not be my mother's son if i was capable of one drop with bbc world news. of what i have been accused of. and the power behind the pyramids. how ancient egypt's queens put and the top story in the uk: a massive decline of british wild

bees and hoverflies could seriously the pharaohs firmly in the shade. it is 9:00am in singapore and 1:00am here in london, where the political deadlock over how britain will leave the european union continues. mps are preparing to hold a series of votes in the house of commons later looking at options for brexit which differ from theresa may's deal, but there are now signs that some leading conservative party brexiteers could back her controversial withdrawal agreement after all. here is our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. parliament has shown its power. we know who is in control, and the answer is no—one. mps are getting ready to talk and vote their way through their ideas for brexit. but then what? brexiteer ministers

especially insist mps taking control won't work. it's a negotiation between ourselves and the european union, and if parliament expresses a view, it may be entirely undeliverable. but the cabinet is split. there is amber rudd — she is backing mrs may's deal, but wants freedom for tories to vote as they choose. some junior ministers are saying privately they'll rebel and resign if they have to. mrs may kept them all guessing. one, who quit the government and voted to give mps a choice between brexit plans, stood by his decision. i think brexit should happen in the right way, which is leaving, but leaving on good terms, with the best possible opportunity of a good future with the eu. so what'll be the choices? there's the pm's deal, twice defeated already. or a brexit deal closer to eu customs and market rules than mrs may's, maybe comparable to norway's. a fresh referendum is another option. and a brexit with no deal. mps insist they'll never support

that, but it still seems possible. all of these proposals will be put forward. the speaker will select them. they will then be put on a ballot paper, and that will be handed to mps, and we'll be asked to indicate yes or no to each one of them, and mps can vote for as many of the ideas as they're prepared to support. still, the battle over mrs may's deal goes on. some rebels have backed away, but not enough. the chances of the prime minister getting her brexit plan approved by parliament at the third time of asking look slim. talk to any tory mp or minister, and her own chances of surviving long after this crisis, whether her plan goes through or not, look even smaller. reporter: are you risking no brexit. .. boris johnson wants her job, but would he support her deal? earlier, he kept us guessing. tonight, though, people queued to hear a hint of a grudging shift towards mrs may's plan, if there is a change of brexit

policy, and did he also mean a change of prime minister? what i want to hear is that, if this withdrawal agreement is to make any sense at all, then there's got to be a massive change in the uk's negotiating approach. another potential candidate is reluctantly backing her plan. well, it's not a good deal, but the alternative is a complete cascade of chaos. that's what i said a week ago, and now you're seeing it. you're seeing proposals being put up, which are all worse than her proposal. and do you think, with your help, theresa may might get this deal over the line? she's got to get the dup onside, and i have some sympathy with them, because i want northern ireland to be protected inside the united kingdom. but i think she's got a decent chance. but the democratic unionists were sounding tough as ever. is there any chance of us changing our minds on it? unless there are significant changes to the agreement itself, no. no—one is predicting the future of brexit, or mrs may's, with any confidence. no—one can, and in brussels, the eu's chief negotiator spoke for many. all eyes on the british parliament.

unusually for any comment on brexit, no—one is disagreeing with that. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. earlier our political correspondent nick eardley explained what is now expected to happen in the house of commons on wednesday. unlike normal, mps won't troop through the lobbies, and we won't take ages, with them voting in person. they will be given a sheet of paper around 7:00am which will have a series of basically brexit options on it. we'll know tomorrow afternoon exactly what those options will be. they'll be chosen by the speaker from about 16 that have been suggested so far, ranging from everything from no—deal to no brexit, including along the way things like the single market, the customs union, a free trade agreement — a lot of ideas. it's basically going to be the greatest hits of the last couple of years, i think.

but then, 7:00am, mps will get that bit of paper, and they'll vote for each of the options that they think would be palatable. around 9:00am, 9:30am, we'll see if anything gets a majority. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: also making news today: there are frantic diplomatic efforts to install a ceasefire between gaza and israel, after the worst escalation of tensions in months. israel has sent tanks to the border, while palestinian militants fired a rocket from gaza into israel on tuesday, breaking a lull following a day of cross—borderfighting. the united nations has called for calm. algeria's army chief of staff has demanded president abdelaziz bouteflika be declared unfit to rule, after weeks of protests against him. the president has already agreed not to stand for a fifth term in upcoming elections, which have been delayed. a us drug—maker accused of contributing to thousands of deaths because of its production

of opioids has settled a lawsuit for $270 million. purdue pharma, the drug—maker owned by the billionaire sackler family, is one of several firms named in the claim, which alleged they used deceptive practices to sell opioids. an indonesian theme park has covered the breasts on two statues to respect "eastern values". ancol dreamland in the capital city, jakarta, placed golden chest wraps on the mermaid figures, which have been at the park for the last 15 years. a park spokeswoman said they were becoming a more family—friendly attraction. to syria now, where last week, kurdish—led forces took the last piece of territory that was occupied by the islamic state group. it brought to a formal end

the self—proclaimed caliphate. but, amid the celebrations, kurdish authorities say they are struggling to cope with the thousands of captured is men and women, and are calling for an international court to be set up to try them. our correspondent aleem maqbool has been given rare access to one of the camps, roj, in northern syria, where many of them are being held. what should be done with the captured men and women of the islamic state group? it is one of the most urgent issues, now the last enclave has been won back from is. hundreds of women who joined the group from around a0 countries are in this camp in northern syria. they include ilham, from the netherlands, who admits to having joined is, but as yet has no idea where she might face trial. we are asking the government to take us back, but i'm still here, awaiting.

if you did go back to holland, what do you think would happen? i go to prison, my children, i hope, to my family. that's what's going to happen. and you could accept that? yeah. because i know i made a mistake. well, you'll understand there are people around the world who will be watching this and they will say, well, leave her there. if she wanted to go there, leave her there. yeah, but it's not a matter of what people are thinking about me. with few countries taking back their is group nationals, dealing with them has been left to the ill—equipped kurdish administration. this isn't a prison. it is, as you can see, a camp in a war zone. the longer it goes on, the more there is a risk that something could go wrong, there could be instability in the region again. unless a plan is put in place soon, this really is a ticking time bomb. people in the kurdish region of syria have already suffered living under is, then losing so many lives fighting is,

and here, countries like britain revoking the nationality of citizens who joined the group has gone down badly. the kurdish head of foreign relations, abdulkarim omar, says it has created a huge problem. "unfortunately, the international community has disappointed us", he says. "we can't hold and try these people alone. if the world doesn't help us, they'll be a problem again, and the islamic state group will once again be a danger for all of us." after the final offensive to wipe the so—called islamic state from the map, we saw trucks that carted away, we were told, hundreds of is families. an ignominious end for the militants, but a reminder that children had been caught up in it all too. the administration here is urging countries to at least do something to help rehabilitate these young, foreign victims, to try to stop

the ideology into which they were born re—emerging through them in the future. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in north—eastern syria. for centuries, one of hinduism's holiest sites, sabarimala temple, in india's southern state of kerala, has banned women between the ages of ten and 50 from entering its grounds. when the country's supreme court ruled the custom was illegal, it sparked violent protests by conservative hindu groups across the region. nevertheless, two women did enter, but one of them has paid a huge personal price. our correspondent sangita myska has been to kanaka durga's home town to hear her story. symbolising the fight for equal rights in india, kanaka durga, who broke with nearly 1,000 years of religious tradition, and who hindu extremists are now

threatening to kill. she lives under 24—hour police protection, and this is why. this is kanaka and a friend entering the sa barimala temple. weeks earlier, india's supreme court had ruled that a ban on women between the ages of 10—50 going inside was illegal. kanaka is a2. outside, conservative religious groups erupted in protest. priests conducted so—called cleansing rituals at the site, because women like kanaka, of menstruating age, are considered impure. when i met her, this local government worker and mother of two was defiant. translation: i am not afraid of all these threats. i have not committed a crime to be punished this way. but for rahul easwar, who helped organise the protests, this fight is personal. generations of his family have been involved in the temple. his grandfather was once high

priest at sabarimala. he denies accusations that, in defending the ban, he and others like him have stirred the hatred now directed at kanaka durga. we condemn the violence. we are partially responsible for it. we have owned it up, and we apologise for that violence. nevertheless, he insists it is devotees like him that have been wronged. so we were pained that our human rights were being taken away. our right to pray were being taken away. in the shadow of a general election, sabarimala is a potent political issue. india's ruling party, the hindu nationalist bjp, led by prime minister narendra modi, claims that enforcing the supreme court's decision is an attack on the nation's biggest religion. india's relationship with religion is as complex as it is deep. but, as this country rapidly modernises, deciding how far personal beliefs should be curtailed by secular laws is turning intoa painfuland protracted process. no, no communication.

when we met, kanaka hadn't seen her children for months. she claimed she was barred from the family home after her mother—in—law accused her of shaming the family and beat her badly. translation: the police were at the house. i could see my children, but i couldn't speak to them. they were crying and really scared. we decided to go and meet kanaka's family, who deny her version of events. when we arrived, we found kanaka's mother—in—law outside the house, sobbing. she says reuniting the family is impossible. i asked her when kanaka could see her children again, and why she felt ashamed of her daughter—in—law, but she told us she didn't want to talk about it. since filming this report, kanaka has been allowed to see her children once a week. she is now fighting for custody. translation: i really miss my kids. starting a revolution is lonely, but eventually, people will realise that all this was necessary to bring

about progress for women in india. but, until this country chooses to unite and define itself by that progress, it is women like kanaka who will pay the heaviest price. sangita myska, bbc news, kerala, india. you are watching newsday on the bbc. live from singapore and london. still to come on the programme: prosecutors drop all charges against the american actor jussie smollett for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack. also on the programme: notjust pharoahs and pyramids. we will take a look at how the queens of egypt were the real power in the ancient kingdom. let there be no more war or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. very good.

applause so proud of both of you. applause with great regret, the committee have decided that south africa should be excluded from the 1970 competition. chants streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. onlooker: wow! welcome back, everyone. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm rico hizon in singapore. thanks forjoining us. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: british mps have put forward a range of alternative brexit plans, as speculation mounts about theresa may's future. syria's kurds have called for the creation of an international tribunal to try thousands of suspected members of the islamic state group. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the japan times has the latest on the fukushima nuclear site. it says the government is lifting the evacuation order on one of the two towns affected by the disaster. for the first time, residents from okuma will be able to return to the area in mid april. and the south china morning post has a story on chinese president xi jinping's final stop of his european diplomatic tour. it says during talks leading eu leaders have been open tojoining beijing's belt and road initiative.

the gulf news reports on tech company uber, which hasjust signed a deal to buy dubai based rival ca reem. according the paper's business section the $3.1 billion acquisition is the biggest tech deal ever in the middle east. and those are the papers. in a dramatic legal u—turn, all the charges against the actor jussie smollett have been dropped. he had been accused of staging a hate crime against himself. to the anger of chicago's mayor and police chief, prosecutors now say they're dropping the charges because they don't see the tv star as a threat to public safety. a warning — laura trevelyan‘s report has flashing images at the start. jussie smollett was a red carpet regular, a tv actor who is now at the centre of the real—life drama

with a surreal script. back injanuary, mr smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in chicago. but when the police investigated, they found that two men who supposedly attacked the actor claimed they'd been paid by him to stage the incident, as a way for him to get publicity and increase his tv salary. the star was indicted for filing a false report to the police but today came the shock news that prosecutors had decided to drop all the chances against jussie smollett, citing his volunteer work and his agreement to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city. the actor claims he's been nothing but honest throughout. i've been truthful and consistent on every level since day one. i would not be my mother's son if i was capable of one thing i was accused of. chicago's police chief, stunned, had this reaction. do i thinkjustice was served? no. what do i thinkjustice is?

i think this city is still owed an apology. while chicago's mayor fumed that his celebrity clearly played a part in the decision to drop charges against him. this is without a doubt a whitewash ofjustice and sends a clear message that if you are in a position of influence and power, you will be treated one way. other people will be treated another way. there is no accountability in the system. as forjussie smollett‘s acting career after all this, the makers of his tv show, 20th century fox, say they were gratified to see the charges against him dismissed. laura trevelyan, bbc news, chicago. details are emerging of a mysterious attack on north korea's embassy in madrid last month, when intruders carrying fake weapons broke in and stole sensitive intelligence from computer hard drives. according to a document published by spain's high court, the group went to america, where they say they have handed their discoveries to the fbi.

the organisation claiming responsibility declared three weeks ago what they are calling a north korean "government in exile". david campa nale reports. north korea's embassy in madrid. according to papers that spain's high court, ten people identifying themselves as campaigners for the liberation of north korea used subterfuge to enter, drawing on a police investigation of the incident a judge said that while holding embassy a judge said that while holding e m bassy staff a judge said that while holding embassy staff hostage for four hours, the group stole a mobile phone, computers, hard drives, and usb stick ‘s. three of the intruders, who spoke korean, took an embassy official into the basement and encouraged him, unsuccessfully, to defect from north korea. all are 110w to defect from north korea. all are now believed to be in america, where their leader handed over material to their leader handed over material to the fbi. washington has denied

reports it was behind the attack. for any details on their investigation, i would have to refer you to spanish authorities. can you say the united states government, at least, had nothing to do with this? united states government had to do with this. thank you. this unverified video footage said by spanish media to have been filmed inside the embassy. it shows the smashing of pictures of north korea's secretive kim family communist leadership. an organisation calling itself free chose aeon claimed responsibility for the incursion. in a statement they said they had responded to an urgent situation in the madrid embassy and that no—one was gagged 01’ embassy and that no—one was gagged or beaten, but they had then shared information of enormous potential value with the fbi. the group emerged in 2017 when it posted an online video of the son of kim jong

on‘s assassinated brother, saying it guaranteed to safety after his father was killed by two women whose media nerve agent. earlier this month, the group posted a statement on its website announcing itself as a provisional government for north korea. david campanale, bbc news. the pyramids and the pharaohs of ancient egypt have long been a source of fascination and wonder. but how about the royal women? a new exhibit in washington is turning the spotlight onto the queens of egypt — and how they ruled. the bbc‘s jane o'brien went along to cast her regal gaze. one of the most lavish tombs ever discovered in ancient egypt. this 3d recreation shows just how beloved queen nefertari must have been. more than 3,000 years and many looters later, it's probably as good as we will get to seeing what she was like. this sarcophagus is so important because it is the only thing that

remains of the funeral set of queen nefertari. made of granite, nefertari's sarcophagus was discovered in 190a along with what may be the queen's knees. these knees are kind of a mystery that we are trying to solve. we can say they belonged to a woman who died around the age of 40, who lived in the new kingdom. this could be queen nefertari, but we can't say it's her. tracing the story of egypt's queens can be tough. although many ruled in their own right, they still lived in a man's world and their history was often manipulated or even erased. the tales told in stunning hieroglyphics can't be trusted because they are also symbols of authoritarian rule. it's a very strange thing in a patriarchal society to allow a woman to step to the highest rung of the ladder and to lead her people so we know very, very little. we know the perfected image.

there were many queens of egypt — this exhibition looks at six, spanning more than 1,400 years of ancient history. it's hard to know exactly how they lived but there is plenty here to show how their life and their memories were perfected. perhaps nobody personifies this more than the fabled beauty nefertiti. do we know she looked like that? we don't know what she looked like, and her mummy hasn't been definitively identified and even if it had been, you couldn't go from one and say this is the skeletal face and line it up with this as the actual reality. this is what she wanted to present to her people, what her husband wanted to present to the outside. this exhibition features the famous cleopatra, whose life was manipulated over the centuries, but thanks to this exhibition, she and the other queens emerge from their tombs as real women and notjust the stuff of legend. jane o'brien, bbc news, washington.

you have been watching newsday. thank you forjoining us. we will see you again soon. hello there. don't expect any major changes in our weather over the next few days. there is more dry weather to come, some spells of sunshine and patchy cloud as well. one subtle difference, it is going to turn a little bit milder for a time at least. high pressure then sitting to the south of the british isles. the winds allowing cloud to feed in over the top of that area of high pressure so we will continue to bring areas of cloud from the north—west towards the south of the uk through the first part of wednesday. best of the clear spells as we start off the day across southern and western parts of england and wales, that's where we have the lowest of the temperatures. a touch of across parts of the west country. south—east wales, the south—west of england. further north, not as chilly because there is more cloud. through the day, we continue to bring these areas of cloud south—eastwards. a mixture of patchy cloud and sunshine for many.

the best of the sunshine across wales in the south—west. equally the cloud across the far north and far north—west of scotland. temperatures generally 11—14 degrees, may be 15 in aberdeen if we get some sunshine and shelter to the east of high ground. as we move through wednesday night and into thursday, not as much cloud potentially by this stage but that could allow some mist and fog to form. again, some pockets of frost, temperatures widely holding up between 3 and 6 degrees. thursday, once again dominated by high pressure sitting just to the south of the british isles. the winds around high pressure moving in a clockwise direction so introducing something of a south or south—westerly flow of air for most of us as we move towards the end of the week which will lift the temperatures a little bit. those day, areas of low cloud and some mist and fog patches as well. we should get to see some spells of sunshine. away perhaps in the far north—west of scotland, where there will be more cloud and breeze. temperatures 15, 16, we could get up to 17 degrees. similar temperatures could be achieved on friday, particularly the eastern parts of england and scotland. further north and west, for northern ireland and scotland, thickening cloud. outbreaks of rain creeping in.

a frontal system approaching, and that is going to change the weather a little bit as we head into the weekend. as we move through friday and saturday, that front will slowly, painstakingly slowly slide south—eastwards, taking cloud and rain with it but are behind, the winds round to northerly. things are looking a little bit cooler for the weekend and into next week, those temperatures are expected to drop further — we may even see some wintry showers.