a very warm welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: the bbc has evidence that women in china's so—called re—education camps have been systematically raped and tortured. translation: they did whatever evil their mind could think of. and they didn't spare any part of my body. the russian opposition leader activist, alexei navalny, is jailed for 2.5 years. he says it's to remove his challenge to president putin. the world's richest man, jeff bezos, is to step down

as chief executive of amazon, the e—commerce giant that he founded in his garage nearly 30 years ago. and captain sir tom moore — the war veteran who raised tens of millions for charity during the first lockdown — has died at the age of 100. hello to you. women in china's so—called re—education camps have been systematically raped and tortured, according to firsthand accounts obtained by the bbc. it's estimated more than a million men and women have been detained in the camps, which china claims are education centres to de—radicalise uighurs and other muslim minorities. 0ur correspondent, matthew hill, has spoken to severalformer detainees and workers. you may find some of their accounts distressing. tursanay is reliving a story she can barely bring herself to tell. she was held one of xinjiang's

so—called re—education camps. these satellite images show the site were she says she was held, sharing a cell with 13 other women with a bucket for a toilet. and she's haunted by one image — masked men coming down a camp corridor, like this one, after midnight. translation: they were three men. not one, but three. they did whatever evil their mind could think of and they didn't spare any part of my body, biting it to the extent that it was disgusting to look at. they were barbaric. they had bitten all over my body.

claims. she's waived her right to anonymity and now feels free to speak about the full extent of the abuse she says she suffered. translation: they had an electric baton. - i didn't know what it was. it was pushed into my private parts and i was tormented with electric shocks. it's estimated over1 million uighurs and other muslims are held in the camps. these never—before—broadcast pictures were filmed secretly in a camp under construction and published by a magazine on religious liberty. we've interviewed a former guard and seen his chinese police documents. he is the first ever to come forward and the risk of him speaking to the bbc is so great we have reconstructed the interview with an actor. those who were taken inside were locked in a cell

which held 8—16 inmates. there were cameras watching them all the time, and there were books about xi jinping. they had to study the book and memorise them in chinese. if they failed, the punishment was severe. many former camp inmates flee to istanbul. some talk of having to choose between punishment or being complicit in these crimes. translation: | worked six| months as a cleaning worker for the women. han chinese men would pay money to have their pick of the pretty, young inmates. this was the first time ghulzira has told anyone the full extent of what she says she was forced to do. myjob is to remove their clothes completely and then handcuff them on their beds so they cannot move. we can't say if the rape is approved by the camp commanders or even

by those more senior. but the accounts of the many women i've spoken to include gang rape in public and are similar in brutality. the uighur rights group that helped tursanay get to america say theirfull stories don't emerge until later. survivors of the camps have told of horrific tortures. very often sexual abuse, however, is told in less detail. it's traumatic to remember and women are often afraid of bringing shame to their own family members. the chinese government said in a statement that the xinjiang camps "offered vocational and educational training to tackle extremism and terrorism". it did not address directly the accusations of rape and torture, but it added, "the chinese government attaches great importance to women's rights. lies and absurd accusations, including mass detention, do not hold water." translation: it is very obvious

their goal is to destroy - everyone, and everyone knows it. these women are done. much of the testimony of the women i've spoken to like tursanay is too disturbing to broadcast. but it's important, they say, the world knows what's happened to them. matthew hill, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the us state department has offically assessed the military takeover in myanmar as a coup and will therefore conduct a review of its foreign assistance to the country. this comes after the country's leader, aung san suu kyi, was detained on monday — and as people in myanmar�*s biggest city, yangon, have banged pots and pans to protest. talks to rebuild italy's coalition government

have collapsed and the president, sergio mattarella, is beginning talks about setting up a new administration of technocrats. he's summoned the former governor of the european central bank, mario draghi, for talks on wednesday. mr draghi is expected to be asked to lead the new government. two fbi agents have been shot dead and three others injured as they tried to search an apartment in florida. the shooting happened as they were trying to seize a computer and other evidence in a child pornography case. the suspect later barricaded himself in his home for several hours before killing himself. they're the first fbi agents killed on duty since 2008. more than 1,000 people have been arrested following the jailing of the russian opposition leader alexei navalny for 3.5 years. he's now expected to spend over 2.5 years in prison, discounting the time he spent under house arrest. mr navalny denounced the case against him saying it was being used to scare millions of people in russia. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. for years, the russian authorities claimed alexei navalny was no threat to them, that he was a nobody. but outside the court,

they were taking no chances. inside, mr navalny locked in a glass cage. he'd been accused of a parole violation in a case he insists is politically—motivated. a hard sign to his wife who was there with him in court —— heart. when the verdict came he put on a brave face, but the kremlin�*s most vocal critic had been put in prison for 2.5 years. up until today the authorities had avoided sending alexei navalny to prison, so he would not become a political martyr. but the calculation has changed. now he is seen as a bigger threat at liberty than behind bars. shouting that's because in russia he has become the face of protest, a catalyst for political change. mr navalny�*s arrest had brought people onto the streets across the country.

now his prison sentence has sparked international condemnation. we reiterate our call for the russian government to immediately unconditionally release mr navalny as well as the hundreds of other russian citizens wrongfully detained in recent weeks for exercising their rights. message not received. this is moscow tonight, police are out in force and determined to stop any sign of protest in support of mr navalny. shouting "alexei, we're with you," he just has time to say. the authorities will be hoping that with alexei navalny in prison, the protests will lose steam. and if they don't, well, those in power here are in no mood for compromise. steve rosenberg,

bbc news, moscow. i'm joined now by yuval weber, an expert in russian politics from texas a&m's bush school in washington, dc, and marine corps university's krulak center. what do you think happens next? he knew from the get go because when he was recovering from the poisoning attempt in germany the case against him went from suspended to an active appeal. to everything that has happened today was clear from the get go and was meant to dissuade him from returning to russia. they basically wanted him to stay in exile, but he chose instead of being like svetlana tic on a scale, the leader of belarus, he wanted to go back to take the fight back to vladimir putin. so what will happen now

is the reporter suggested, there have been protests in russia over the last week or so and 10,000 people also have been arrested in the last week was. so they are hoping this dies down with him injail. but alexander navalny�*s or message is that corruption is what he equates with blood myth hidden, and he resists that. as long as the economy is bad and people are upset about life in general, that basically keeps him alive as an issue. the thing the russian government has tried to do is ignore him for years, they have tried to basically keep him quiet, that they have turned the full power of russian state media against him. all day every day on russian state media channels there is now basically all of there is now basically all of the negative things about him. so he is now going to be bullied for everything in russia that goes wrong. the idea there is to dissuade people from supporting him because it is clear people on

the streets are going to get beaten up or arrested if you support him. in a professional setting, you would face professional consequences. but that also does is put him, instead of trying to get meetings abroad, he is trying to frame himself as there is more nelson mandela type. and having him as the real counterpoint to vladimir putin will basically keep him in front of people basically indefinitely. and that will keep his supporters coming out onto the streets time and again, depending on whatever the political issue of the day is and whenever there are elections or things of that nature. it elections or things of that nature. , nature. it is also possible, looking at what _ nature. it is also possible, i looking at what other happen nature. it is also possible, - looking at what other happen -- looking at what other happen —— what happened to other political figures in russia, what happened to other politicalfigures in russia, he may disappear there? political figures in russia, he may disappear there?- political figures in russia, he may disappear there? when he was arrested, one of the things that he had done was telegraphed, to international media, the day he was going to return to moscow. in fact, they

diverted his plane to a different airport from its original airport in order to not have him being greeted by of his supporters. when he was arrested, there was the video of vladimir putin's allegedly billion—dollar mansion on the black sea. 0ne billion—dollar mansion on the black sea. one of the other things navalny said before he was arrested and his team announced was he has no interest in committing suicide and if anything happens to him physically, it would be the result of other people. he wants to live and he wants to continue the fight for as long as it takes.— as it takes. right. yuval weber. _ as it takes. right. yuval weber. we _ as it takes. right. yuval weber, we may- as it takes. right. yuval weber, we may be - as it takes. right. yuval l weber, we may be talking as it takes. right. yuval - weber, we may be talking to you again, by the sound of it. thank you very much for that. thank you very much for that. thank you. do thank you very much for that. thank vom— thank you. do stay with us if you can- _ tributes for captain sir tom moore, who has died at the age 100. he'll be remembered for raising tens of millions of pounds for the uk's national health service.

this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. three, two, one. a countdown - to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 - of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, l slashing the cost of a launch, l that makes this a breakthrough in the business| of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it "a piece of cake". thousands of people have given the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the bbc has evidence that women in china's so—called re—education camps have been systematically raped and tortured. a russian court has sentenced alexei navaly, the kremlin�*s most high profile opponent, to two and half years injail. democrats have laid out their case for impeaching donald trump for a second time ahead of his trial in the senate next week. their pre—trial brief says the former president, �*summoned a mob to washington, exhorted them into a frenzy and aimed them like a loaded cannon down pennsylvania avenue'. it calls this a "profound violation of the oath he swore" and demands he's disqualified from ever running for office again. mr trump's lawyers have responded — they said the us senate has no authority to try him as a private citizen on an impeachment charge.

adding, we can now speak to frank bowman, who's a professor of constitutional law at the university of missouri and author of the book high crimes and misdemeanors: a history of impeachment for the age of trump. good to talk to you, it is clear from your book title i think where you stand on this. let's just think where you stand on this. let'sjust deal think where you stand on this. let's just deal first of all of this trial is even constitutional. there seems to be a lot of indications that article one, section three seems to give the senate power to do almost anything it wants to do almost anything it wants to do almost anything it wants to do and is. $5 to do almost anything it wants to do and is.— to do and is. as a practical matter. — to do and is. as a practical matter. if— to do and is. as a practical matter, if the _ to do and is. as a practical matter, if the senate - to do and is. as a practicall matter, if the senate wants to do and is. as a practical - matter, if the senate wants to proceed with the trial and convicted mr trump and vote for his future qualification, they can do so. and in a practical matter, it is unlikely in any degree that any court would presume to intervene in the

judgement. frankly what is going on here is that mr trump's lawyers are raising a faintly colourable arguments to give the republican members of the senate, who would much rather not deal with the substance of mr trump's offences, an excuse to vote against conviction without confronting substance. but the truth is, the argument for a lack of constitutionality is very, very thin on its merits. the idea is simply that because the constitution requires that an officeholder be removed upon conviction, that somehow or another it means that if you can't remove him because he has already left, then you have lostjurisdiction. and of course, that is not logical and i don't think it is true. the constitution also provides another remedy which is plainly aimed not at the officeholder�*s current circumstances or even his former ones, but his future danger to the constitution as a

remedy for this qualification. certainly a dangerfor the certainly a danger for the remedy certainly a dangerfor the remedy of this qualification is aimed isjust as remedy of this qualification is aimed is just as great in the case of somebody who has recently left office after committing great offences, as it is in the case of someone where you manage to get the trial done just before he left as the house manages brief says, there is no january exception to the impeachment clause. that means you can't commit all of your vast great offences at the end of your term and then somehow or other escape liability.— escape liability. your suggested _ escape liability. your suggested in - escape liability. your suggested in their, l escape liability. your| suggested in their, is escape liability. your - suggested in their, is that mr trump's is the founding father's worst nightmare. how do you think this is likely to play out in terms of practical politics? if play out in terms of practical olitics? , ., ., _ politics? if you mean by practical _ politics? if you mean by practical politics - politics? if you mean by practical politics in - politics? if you mean by| practical politics in terms politics? if you mean by- practical politics in terms of the result of the trial. the result is, i think, something remarkable were to happen, the impeachment manages and prosecution, if you will, will be unable to secure the two verbs vote that is required,

thatis verbs vote that is required, that is to say 67 senators which would mean 17 republicans. i think it is unlikely you would get 17 senators. how will plays out any longer political picture in the united states yet remains to be seen. certainly trump's insistence as part of his answer so far, continued insistence that somehow or other there is doubt about the outcome of the election, is not something that is going to promote harmony and healing in the american political scene. and even if he was disqualified from running for office again, which as you say looks pretty unlikely, he would remain something of a kingmaker. however he supported in four years time would have quite a lot of voters behind them. perhaps. my own suspicion is that if he were to be constitutionally barred from serving again, i think a good deal of his appeal would decrease. not to say it would

disappear. i mean, let's face it, mrtrump is disappear. i mean, let's face it, mr trump is not exactly a complex or a high and political thinker or strategist. you know, his appeal is much more elemental than that and if he were to be in a situation where he just couldn't return to federal office, i suspect he would be pretty substantially defunct. —— de—fanged. ithink the problem for republicans in the problem for republicans in the near term is that he does maintain substantial loyalty to his base which is their base, and therefore any vote against him in the impeachment context, regardless of the fact that he is plainly committed impeachable offences, is going to be perceived by them to be too risky. to be perceived by them to be too risky-— to be perceived by them to be too ris . ., ., ~ too risky. professor, thank you very much- _ too risky. professor, thank you very much- my _ too risky. professor, thank you very much. my pleasure. - jeff bezos is to stand down from his role as chief executive of the internet giant, amazon, the company he created some 30 years ago. he's not severing his

ties with amazon — it's said he'll work on other projects. the news came after the company reported huge profits for the last three months of 2020. sarah miller, executive director of the american economic liberties project explains the timing of the announcement. i think one thing to note and i'm sure your viewers and regulatory scrutiny at the moment in the us. there are two anti—trust organisations, at least, that are ongoing. there is a powerful union drive happening in alabama right now for the first time, which we hope will be successful. i think as attitudes are changing here in washington and they will be more scrutiny on amazon as a corporation, its practices in the marketplace towards competitors and the way it treats its workers, better for somebody else to be in the hot seat. not thatjeff bezos can't be called to testify or engage with policy makers in other ways but he really doesn't like to serve that role. you might remember last summer

he was called to testify in front of congress and he resisted strongly, trying to send subordinates and tried to wriggle out of it, and was really quite petulant before being forced to do so. part of that is to shift those responsibilities to somebody increasingly, i would say, problematic. captain sir tom moore — the british world war two veteran who raised almost $50 million for health service workers during the first lockdown — has died at the age of 100 after testing positive for covid—19. the queen, who knighted him injuly, has offered her condolences to the family, and the prime minister, borisjohnson, called him a national inspiration. david sillito reports. he's a 99—year—old war vet. he's a one—man fundraising machine. thank you, captain tom! captain sir tom moore. the word �*inspirational�* is rather an understatement. that's the way i think i've always looked at it,

tomorrow will be a good day. what began as a little family challenge, to do 100 laps of his garden, became a fundraising juggernaut. on new year's eve, the face of 2020 was captain tom. he was born in keighley in 1920, and served in burma during the war. after that, he'd run a business and the closest he had ever come to fame... and appearing this christmas on... ..was an appearance on blankety blank. tom, have you got family or anyone you would rather not be watching this? yes, two girls, coming up 16 and coming up 1a. but everything changed when his family set up a fundraising page for captain tom. the hope was to raise £1,000 for nhs charities to support butjust over a week later the total had passed £1 million. and by the time he celebrated his 100th birthday, the total had topped £30 million. # walk on through the wind...#

he also had a number one single. # walk on through the rain...# captain tom had become known the world over. he received 140,000 birthday cards. he was made an honorary colonel. he received a knighthood. and the raf staged a birthday fly—past. i'm absolutely delighted with all the people like you who have come to wish me a many happy birthday. it has been an extraordinary 10 months. the final entry on his wish list was an end of year trip to barbados. and then, earlier this week, it was announced that he had pneumonia and had tested positive for the coronavirus. leading the tributes today, a statement from buckingham palace. the queen said:

in downing street, the union flags were at half—mast. captain sir tom moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word. in the dark days of the second world war, he fought forfreedom and in the face of this country's deepest post—war crisis, he united us all. captain tom described it as a fairy tale, but during some dark months, it was his good cheer that became a little source ofjoy for millions. i never ever anticipated ever in my life anything like this. it really is amazing. i must say to everyone, thank you very much to everyone wherever you are. # you'll never walk alone.# david sillito on captain sir tom, a life lived.

and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbc mike embley. thank you for watching. hello there. tuesday brought us some very heavy snow across parts of scotland, but more especially in northern england. and that caused significant transport disruption — at one stage, the a62 was completely shut, along with the snake pass. and that's the main road link between manchester and sheffield. the boundary between the mild air we have in the south and the cold air in the north is heading into scotland. and it's here where the risk of snow will stay really through the rest of this week. heavy snow across the high ground with significant accumulations. there is still the scope of transport disruption — but the risk of disruption will increase towards the end of the week. why do i say that?

because at lower elevations over the next few days, temperatures will be dropping by a couple of degrees celsius, tipping the balance from rain more to snowfall at lower levels — hence the risk of disruption is more likely to increase later in the week. right now across the central lowlands, we've got rain, a bit of sleet coming through as well. the snow mainly confined to the high ground here, also across the very high ground and across the far north of england, too. delving into this zone, as we go through wednesday, we will continue to see that rain, a bit of sleet at times across the central belt, so probably nothing in the way of snow settling. if you go into the hills, yes, above 100 metres elevation, you're more likely to see snow, settling snow above 200 metres elevation, 10—20 cm over the next 48 hours. elsewhere, we've got some bright skies in the west,

but heavy rain across southern england — very heavy at times in the london area, and it'll turn wet as well throughout much of east anglia. mild in the south, but obviously where we've got the snow falling, particularly in the hills, temperatures struggling to get much above freezing at all in scotland. through wednesday night, we'll continue to see that mucky mixture, really, in scotland. there might be a bit more in the way of snow starting to come down to some slightly lower levels across the north of the country, as those temperatures just start to edge downwards just a little bit — might be enough to tip the balance, perhaps a little bit of snow across the high ground of northern england, as well. for thursday, again, as the air gets colder, we've got a tendency to see a bit more snow getting down to some of those lower levels. in the south, we've got some rain, a few brighter spells for wales and the midlands, still mild in the south, still cold into scotland. and then beyond that, as we look at the forecast

this is bbc news. the headlines: women in china's so—called re—education camps have been systematically raped and tortured, according to firsthand accounts obtained by the bbc. it's estimated more than a million men and women have been detained in the camps, which china claims are education centres to de—radicalise uighurs and other muslim minorities. the leading russian opposition activist, alexei navalny, has beenjailed for more than 2.5 years. he returned to moscow from germany last month after treatment for a near—fatal nerve agent attack in siberia. his supporters have called for more protests. russian authorities detained another 1,200 demonstrators on tuesday. amazon founderjeff bezos is to step down as chief executive of the e—commerce giant he started in his garage nearly 30 years ago. he'll become executive chairman, a move he says will give him time and energy to focus on his space project