he was speaking next to benjamin netanyahu , but how much pull does antony blinken have with israel's leaders? also in the programme. the authorities in pakistan say at least 44 people have been killed in an attack on a mosque in the city of peshawar. and britain's prime minister says he acted "pretty decisively" in sacking nadhim zahawi — as he defends his handling of the affair. the us secretary of state, antony blinken has arrived in the middle east for meetings with israeli and palestinian leaders. right at a time when violence continues to spiral there. here he is — arriving in israel. he's been meeting with the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. the two leaders gave a news conference earlier today — let's start by hearing secretary blinken's message.

and that's crucial to moving toward our enduring goal of palestinians and israelis enjoying equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justice and dignity. president biden remains fully committed to that goal. we continue to believe the best way to achieve it is through preserving and then realising the vision of two states. as i said to the prime minister, anything that moves us away from that vision is in ourjudgment detrimental to israel's long term security and its long term identity as a jewish and democratic state. you heard secretary blinken there referring to a two—state solution to the israeli—palestinian conflict. what that envisions is an independent palestinian state in the west bank alongside israel, withjerusalem as their shared capital. next — let's hear what the israeli prime minister — benjamin netanyahu — had to say. to, perhaps achieve dramatic breakthroughs that i think could be both historic and enormously

significant in our common efforts to bring prosperity, security and peace to this part of the world. and beyond. so, with this in mind, i have to tell you that i also believe expanding the circle of peace, working to close, finally, the file of the arab — israeli conflict, i think would also help us achieve a workable solution with our palestinian neighbours. tensions between israel and the palestinians are running high — so let's remind ourselves of the context here. palestinian health officials say israeli forces shot dead a palestinian man at a military checkpoint in hebron. the israeli forces say that their troops had identified a suspicious vehicle. the violence was sparked on thursday — when ten palestinians were shot dead in the occupied west bank by israeli forces. israel said that it was acting on intelligence about an imminent attack. then on friday — seven israelis were killed when a palestinian gunman opened fire outside

a synagogue in eastjerusalem. let's hearfrom nadia harhash — she's a palestinian author and political commentator. nobody wants to see a cycle of violence at any cost, but i don't think it's ok that... it's not ok that palestinians are getting killed as well, and this whole thing that when an isrealie is getting killed, the whole world takes attention, somehow this is good, that the world should look at this in a way where we need to look in the root cause of what is going on. it's notjust the root cause of the conflict, it's the root reality in the palestinian side. meanwhile, israel's security cabinet has approved measures to make it easier for israelis to carry guns — as well as reinforcing troop numbers in the occupied west bank. let's hear from the deputy mayor ofjerusalem. for a small country,

and so the first thing the government has to do is protect its citizens. everything that we do is defensive, and anything that we do is to defend our citizens. now — let's get the perspective from frank lowenstein. he was the us special envoy for middle east peace in the last years of the obama administration between 2014 and 2017. he has to do everything he can to restore, and that is a difficult situation because he has the most extreme government in israel on one side who we want to sound tough on palestinian terrorism and could escalate the problem. on the other hand, you have an upset population on the palestinian side and the extremist voices are hearing more loudly on that end. the first thing tony has to do is get the sides together and de—escalate and restore calm. the recent violence is not the only political issue facing secretary blinken. there's also a government proposal to reform the judicial system.

the plan would reduce the supreme court's power to revoke laws passed in parliament. with just a simple majority the government would be able to overturn any supreme court rulings. if approved, the government would have greater influence over who gets to be a judge. and there's also regional issues. have a look at this wall streetjournal headline. the article cites unnnamed us officials, suggest israeli forces were behind this drone strike on an iranian defence facility on the weekend. let's cross to ian lesser — he's the vice president of the american thinktank, the german marshall fund. thanks for coming on programme. good to be with yom — thanks for coming on programme. good to be with you. let's _ thanks for coming on programme. good to be with you. let's go _ thanks for coming on programme. good to be with you. let's go back— thanks for coming on programme. good to be with you. let's go back to - thanks for coming on programme. good to be with you. let's go back to the - to be with you. let's go back to the news conference _ to be with you. let's go back to the news conference that _ to be with you. let's go back to the news conference that we _ to be with you. let's go back to the news conference that we heard - to be with you. let's go back to the l news conference that we heard about from the top of this programme. what did you take away from listening to it? i did you take away from listening to it? 4' did you take away from listening to it? ~ �* , did you take away from listening to it? ~ .,, ., it? i think it's obvious that both the prime _ it? i think it's obvious that both the prime minister _ it? i think it's obvious that both the prime minister and - it? i think it's obvious that both | the prime minister and secretary it? i think it's obvious that both - the prime minister and secretary of blink and were being careful. it comes against the background of the

violence discussing here. tensions are running high and i think there is a desire on both sides to underscore the importance, the long—standing importance of us— israel relationships. but not sidesteps in the issues where there are disagreements. there are disagreements like iran and ukraine may be stopped if you read between the lines when it came to the two state solution that was most clear. what would a successful trip look like? i what would a successful trip look like? ~' what would a successful trip look like? ~ , , , like? i think the trip itself is extremely _ like? i think the trip itself is extremely important. - like? i think the trip itself is extremely important. i- like? i think the trip itself is| extremely important. i think like? i think the trip itself is - extremely important. i think there was a stop in egypt and now in jerusalem. i think this is about making clear that the united states is not disengaged or not disengaging from the region, not in diplomatic terms. there is a bit of mythology about that in the region and attempt to overstate that. i think

practically, they have want to get israel closer on board in regards to ukraine and i think there has been some progress on that. what ukraine and i think there has been some progress on that. what about the two state _ some progress on that. what about the two state solution _ some progress on that. what about the two state solution we _ some progress on that. what about the two state solution we outlined l the two state solution we outlined briefly at the top of the show what it was, what do you think the chances are right now? the chances aren't very — chances are right now? the chances aren't very good- — chances are right now? the chances aren't very good. this _ chances are right now? the chances aren't very good. this is _ chances are right now? the chances aren't very good. this is certainly i aren't very good. this is certainly the cornerstone of the american peace policy for decades. it has been a on and off policy for the israeli government but not for this current government. i think the biden administration is keen to show that they support this approach. we favour the abraham accords and the prime minister referred to this, i tendency for a wider set of arab countries to come into relation with israel and as secretary blinking said we don't see that as a substitute for solving the dispute.

as you said there's a new right wing government in place with israel. how do you think the biden administration views it? clearly this is not _ administration views it? clearly this is not the _ administration views it? clearly this is not the government - administration views it? clearly this is not the government they would have chosen but you have to deal with the government to get in this the long—standing, critical relationship for both countries. there is still a lot of business that the united states and israel will do together but the atmosphere won't be as warm. they are not on the page right now in terms of political approach. the page right now in terms of politicalapproach. but the page right now in terms of political approach. but there it is. it is clear that both sides don't want to take that beyond a surface dispute. want to take that beyond a surface disute. , ., ., ., want to take that beyond a surface disute. , ., ., . ,, want to take that beyond a surface disute. , ., ., . ., want to take that beyond a surface disute. , . ., . ., . dispute. great to have you on ian. get to be with _ dispute. great to have you on ian. get to be with you. _ let's turn to pakistan where at least 59 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a mosque in the city of peshawar. local authorities say this is a suspected suicide attack which targeted policemen in the mosque for afternoon prayers. this eyewitness video shows the immediate aftermath of the blast.

people are seen running away from the building hit by the explosion. other images show half of a wall collapsed. the mosque appears covered in bricks and debris as people clamber over the rubble to escape. an eyewitness describes what he saw translation: the mosque is next to the superintendent _ of police officer. we were preparing ourselves for prayer and head into the mosque. we were on the stairs when the blast happened. we rescued some wounded people from the blast site. dead bodies are still trapped there under the debris. this is where the blast took place. the city of peshawar is in the north—west of pakistan, near the country's border with afghanistan. the mosque is in a compound in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence bureaus. here's a localjournalist in peshawar explaining the significance of the area.

the suicide bomber had made it into that highly guarded police line, which you can say is the home of that areas police. and has to cross at least three checkpoints to answer that well secured area. then, it was all of that time that he made it to the mosque, where mostly, the policeman and local people in the same compound go to the same mosque because it is the only mosque in that area. and he was across from the police authorities standing in the first row and blew himself up at the moment the prayer started. a rescue operation is continuining around the mosque. the city officials say more bodies are being pulled from the rubble and efforts are ongoing to save the people still trapped under the debris. here's our pakistan correspondent caroline davies from outside the hospital in peshawar there are still people being brought here to the hospital in peshawar. we have been speaking to people inside, the doctors inside,

who say they have been inundated with the injured. the numbers of that have risen throughout the afternoon and into the evening. we have spoken to patients inside. some have severe burns and broken limbs because of where the rubble felt during the explosion and some talks about being pulled from the rubble to be taking here to the hospital. pakistan's prime minister, shehbaz sharif, has travelled to peshawar and visited injured people in the hospital. he said " terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending pakistan". no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. we can now speak to asfandyar mir, a security analyst at the united states institute of peace thanks for coming on the programme. thanks for coming on the programme. thanks for coming on the programme. thanks for having me. we

thanks for coming on the programme. thanks for having me.— thanks for coming on the programme. thanks for having me. we know no one has claimed — thanks for having me. we know no one has claimed responsibility _ thanks for having me. we know no one has claimed responsibility but - thanks for having me. we know no one has claimed responsibility but what - has claimed responsibility but what is your reaction? this has claimed responsibility but what is your reaction?— is your reaction? this is a devastating _ is your reaction? this is a devastating attack - is your reaction? this is a devastating attack and i is your reaction? this is a devastating attack and it | is your reaction? this is a - devastating attack and it comes on the heels of an escalation in violence we have seen in pakistan. largely by the insurgent group the pdt. there is some confusion as to who is actually behind today's attack stop the pdt is central leadership is now saying they are not involved. on the other hand, there are strong indications that a faction, a majorfaction, of the pdt has put out this attack. faction, a major faction, of the pdt has put out this attack.— faction, a major faction, of the pdt has put out this attack. what do you make of the — has put out this attack. what do you make of the security _ has put out this attack. what do you make of the security breaches - has put out this attack. what do you | make of the security breaches here? as was outlined this is one of the most tightly controlled areas. right. this is supposed to be one of the more secure and well protected

areas in peshawar. it is really the heart of where the security services are located for the entire province. you heard from the pakistan minister of defence that there may have been some insider help to the attackers, which suggests a major security intelligence lapse as well. it is troubling and suggest that some of these insurgent groups are getting insight helps as well. that these insurgent groups are getting insight helps as well.— insight helps as well. that is an detail. insight helps as well. that is an detail- can _ insight helps as well. that is an detail. can we _ insight helps as well. that is an detail. can we pause _ insight helps as well. that is an detail. can we pause and - insight helps as well. that is an detail. can we pause and take l insight helps as well. that is an j detail. can we pause and take a insight helps as well. that is an - detail. can we pause and take a step back but notjust on this attack but this security situation across pakistan as a whole right now. how would ou pakistan as a whole right now. how would you assess _ pakistan as a whole right now. how would you assess it? _ pakistan as a whole right now. firm" would you assess it? it is deteriorating. the trajectory is in troubling one. there was a suicide bomb attack but not after many years this devastating attack. there have

been frequent attacks against pakistani security forces, police, military. the military has been on the receiving end of this violence. there are some challenging times ahead for pakistan. there is a major economic crisis and a lots of political dysfunction as well. and the government in afghanistan of the taliban, which many pakistani leaders hoped would be receptive to their concerns, they also don't seem to be cooperating with the pakistanis by providing safe heating and refuge to the anti—pakistan and surgeons of the pdt. the trend lines are all very troubling. you surgeons of the pdt. the trend lines are all very troubling.— are all very troubling. you say that trend lines — are all very troubling. you say that trend lines are _ are all very troubling. you say that trend lines are troubling, - are all very troubling. you say that trend lines are troubling, which . trend lines are troubling, which means my next and final question are very unfair because i'm running out of time. briefly, how does a country

start to, or try to improve the security situation? i start to, or try to improve the security situation?— start to, or try to improve the security situation? i think pakistan is considering _ security situation? i think pakistan is considering some _ security situation? i think pakistan is considering some kind _ security situation? i think pakistan is considering some kind of- security situation? i think pakistan | is considering some kind of military action. we can see an operation launched inside the country. there's also the possibility of a cross—border literary operation. both options appear to be on the table but i think in the near term, it gets in the economy, getting a grip on the economic spiral would be very important for the pakistan leadership. very important for the pakistan leadership-— very important for the pakistan leadershi. r ., ~ . ~ very important for the pakistan leadershi. a . ~ ., ~ leadership. asfandyar mir thank you for cominu leadership. asfandyar mir thank you for coming on _ leadership. asfandyar mir thank you for coming on the _ leadership. asfandyar mir thank you for coming on the programme. - leadership. asfandyar mir thank you | for coming on the programme. thank ou for for coming on the programme. thank you for having _ for coming on the programme. thank you for having me. _ in the uk, prime minister rishi sunak has been talking about his decision to sack one of his top team. he says he "acted pretty decisively�* in getting rid of nadhim zahawi.this is after an investigation found he'd broken the rules top politicians should follow. the prime minister speaking on a visit to the north east of england earlier on monday and was asked about his handling of all this.

i asked the independent adviser to get to the bottom of it and to provide me with the facts. and then on the basis of the facts, which he did relatively quickly overthe past week, i was able to make a very quick decision that it was no longer appropriate for nadhim zahawi to continue in government, and that's why he's no longer there. so just who is nadim zahawi and what did he do? rishi sunak made him conservative party chairman in october. his highest—profilejob though, was chancellor — orfinance minister — under then prime minister borisjohnson. and its his own finances that have been in the spotlight. it emerged that while he was chancellor, he reached a multi—million pound tax settlement with hmrc — the people who collect taxes. sunak asked a top adviser, sir laurie magnus, to investigate. sir laurie found zahawi had been in contact with hmrc over his taxes since april 2021, and finalised the settlement in september. and he hadn't done enough to declare this publicly. rishi sunak agreed

with the inquiry... said zahawi had committed a "serious breach" of the guidelines... and fired him on sunday. and some conservative supporters feel the prime minister did the right thing here. i think the prime minister would say he was being fair. and as the details of the situation evolves he put in place the proper process by which an investigation is held, and it happened relatively swiftly compared to how often these investigations can go on. so, in that sense, i think the prime minister was dealt a bad hand and played as well as he could have done. but conservative mpjohn penrose, a former anti—corruption tsar, said changes were needed to govern the conduct of ministers. iam i am really pleased to see that rishi sunak has reacted so strongly and i think fairly and quickly in dealing with this. i think we now need to upgrade our system so that we can prevent more of this sort of thing happening in the future. and

you organisations run by humans would be prone to frio street but we need systems that provide improvements in the way that local governments and the bits of public like help us get that more right in the future. as for the opposition labour party — they say there's still a number of unanswered questions. the fact that rishi sunak allowed this to drag on for so long is because he's trying to manage all the factions in his party. once again, we have the conservative party putting party interests ahead of the interest of the country. lets speak now to our political correspondent rob watson in oxford. soa so a second on sunday and the pm comes out and defend that today. is that the end of it? yes comes out and defend that today. is that the end of it?— that the end of it? yes and no. yes in the sense _ that the end of it? yes and no. yes in the sense of— that the end of it? yes and no. yes in the sense of the _ that the end of it? yes and no. yes in the sense of the minute - in the sense of the minute dissection of the rishi sunak wait too long or do it right? i think

that sort of phase of the crisis is over but no in terms of the damage being done. it will reinforce the view that many british voters have, fairly or unfairly of the conservatives, of the party of the very rich, the rule breaking and the well—connected. very rich, the rule breaking and the well-connected.— well-connected. what do you feel like the mood _ well-connected. what do you feel like the mood in _ well-connected. what do you feel like the mood in the _ well-connected. what do you feel like the mood in the conservative| like the mood in the conservative party is right now? so like the mood in the conservative party is right now?— like the mood in the conservative party is right now? so the mood in the conservative _ party is right now? so the mood in the conservative party _ party is right now? so the mood in the conservative party is _ party is right now? so the mood in the conservative party is that - party is right now? so the mood in the conservative party is that it. the conservative party is that it was inevitable that nadim zahawi was going to have to go. i think what we were them is what they are seen in the opinion polls. two of today suggested, one of them suggested that two thirds think it's time for a change in pretty british politics. both posts suggest large leads for the opposition party. they also suggest, ratherwere the opposition party. they also suggest, rather were only for the prime minister, that his personal popularity has plummeted. but i

should also point out that he is not as unpopular as liz truss, boris johnson, and theresa may, his predecessors. but still plenty to worry about for the government conservatives.— worry about for the government conservatives. ~ , ,, ., ,, conservatives. when rishi sunak came to ower he conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said _ conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said that _ conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said that his _ conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said that his would - conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said that his would be - conservatives. when rishi sunak came to power he said that his would be a i to power he said that his would be a government of professionalism and integrity. and that used to be, one assumes, having been taken for granted that government should behave. but if you hold that up as a standard and fall short, or to put members of your team fall short, thatis members of your team fall short, that is a political problem. yes. that is a political problem. yes, there is. there _ that is a political problem. yes, there is. there was _ that is a political problem. yes, there is. there was a _ that is a political problem. yes, there is. there was a third - that is a political problem. yes, there is. there was a third one | there is. there was a third one which was accountability. the message of rishi sunak when he came into downing street was that he was going to draw a line under the more chaotic episodes of the boris johnson and liz truss errors. mr hsu

next argument today was that he can't held accountable for problems that were brewing before he became prime minister, but i think his handling of this has raised questions about whether mr sunak has that ruthlessness, the political instincts and the judgements to draw a line under the errors of his two predecessors. a line under the errors of his two predecessors-— predecessors. lastly, there allegations _ predecessors. lastly, there allegations of _ predecessors. lastly, there allegations of bullying - predecessors. lastly, there i allegations of bullying against dominic rob, another one of rishi sunak stock team. yes dominic rob, another one of rishi sunak stock team.— dominic rob, another one of rishi sunak stock team. yes and i suppose that is a potential _ sunak stock team. yes and i suppose that is a potential problem _ sunak stock team. yes and i suppose that is a potential problem he - that is a potential problem he faces. though he could again say thatis faces. though he could again say that is before his time. i think there would be concerned about what would happen what did they meet with the northern island over the european union and they will look at whether borisjohnson misled the

public over lockdown parties. looking at the horizon, it is worrying. looking at the horizon, it is worrying-— the fire brigades union ihas announced its members have voted for strike action this evening , their first uk—wide action over pay since 2003. firefighters and control room staff will walk out. . .. they say they've suffered a drop in real terms earnings. it's the latest in a series of strikes within the public sector, and comes as teachers union leaders. our employment correspondent, zoe conway has more. a victorian church, destroyed by fire last friday, despite the best efforts of the london fire brigade. in just over three weeks' time, this service, along with fire brigades across the uk, are set to go on strike. while our members are very proud of the job that they do, and they want to serve their communities, they also have families to look after, they have mortgages and rent to pay, and they've got bills to pay. and you need wages to do so. and they've sent a very clear message to us

and to their employers, and to the government, that they are sick and tired of being treated in this way, and they are prepared to stand up for themselves and fight back. firefighters on the picket line in 2003 — the last time they went on strike. the dispute went on for months. the army stepped in to provide cover. pay attention — woo! in scotland, a strike by teachers has entered its third week. teachers in england and wales willjoin this industrial action on wednesday, after talks between the national education union and the education secretary, gillian keegan, failed. we sincerely regret the disruption on wednesday. but we are doing it to try and get the government to invest in our children's education. more than 100,000 teachers are expected to be involved in the walk—outs, which are planned over seven days in february and march. it's really disappointing, it really is. it's so disruptive. it's not a last resort. they have chosen to have the strike,

obviously in conjunction with many others. but it isn't a last resort and we are still in discussions. and i'm always in those discussions in good faith. this week will see industrial action on a scale not seen for more than a decade. on wednesday, 500,000 workers are expected to strike. in so many of these disputes, there is no end in sight. zoe conway, bbc news. a reminder of our top story.... the us secretary of state, antony blinken, has warned israel that it will endanger its own long—term security, if it abandons efforts to resolve the escalating conflict with the palestinians. he was speaking after talks in israel with the prime minister, bejamin netanyahu. mr blinken said that moving away from the two—state solution would undermine any prospect of peace, and urged both sides to restore calm. mr netanyahu insisted he wanted a workable solution with

israel's palestinian neighbours. the two men said they had also agreed on the urgent need to do everything possible to stop iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. the us secretary of state will meet the palestinian leader, mahmoud abbas on tuesday. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones hello there. we started the week off on a fine note. plenty of sunshine up and down the country today. the clouds did increase, though, across the north and the west of the uk ahead of a frontal system which will continue to work its way southwards and eastwards tonight, tending to fizzle out as it does so. so, you can see here this frontal system working into scotland, northern ireland, bringing outbreaks of rain, the isobars squeezing closer together.

so, it will be turning windier during the night here. further south will hold on to clearer skies, lighter winds. that cloud and rain band parks itself across most central parts of the uk by the end of the night. ahead of it it's going to be chilly with some clear spells and behind it windier, so there won't be any problems of frost. temperatures range from 5 to seven degrees. it's going to be a blustery day, though, across the board on tuesday, weather front will be pushing southwards, barely anything on it by the time it reaches southern southeast england. eventually it clears away. skies brighten up here, could see the odd shower in western areas, but the northern half of the country will be windy with gales developing here. plenty of blustery showers, wintry on the hill, some sunny spells, too, but it will be extremely windy, in fact, for northern and western scotland, parts of northern ireland. temperatures in single digits across the north, up to 10 to 12 in the south. now, some concerns as we head through tuesday evening. certainly overnight, the winds really pick up across scotland, northern ireland, particularly so though for the north highlands into orkney

and shetland where we could see gusts in excess of 70 up to 80 miles an hour. so, swathe of severe gales moving across this north northeast corner of scotland even into the early hours of wednesday, could see some disruption here, for example, to the ferry services. the winds slowly easing down through the day, but it's going to be a blustery one on wednesday. sunny spells scattered showers, particularly through northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. and those winds, again, a feature in the north, but not as strong as what we'll have through the latter parts of tuesday early parts of wednesday. temperatures again range from 7 to 11 degrees. and then as we move towards the end of the week, it looks like this area of high pressure to the south will slowly push northwards, tending to keep these weather fronts at bay. so, it could be northern parts of scotland, which could see the windiest of the weather with rain at times. but for most, it's going to stay largely settled thanks to high pressure and generally on the mild side.

hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones, this is outside source. the us secretary of state says israel must resolve the conflict with the palestinians. and underlines washington's support two—state solution. anything that moves us away from that vision is, in ourjudgment, detrimental to israel's long—term security and its long—term identity

as a jewish and democratic state. also in the programme... the kremlin rejects claims by borisjohnson that president putin threatened him with a missile strike before russia's invasion of ukraine. and north korean weaponds and russian mercenaries, we look at the lengths moscow is going — to supply troops on the battlefield. the former prime minister, borisjohnson, has told the bbc that vladimir putin personally threatened him in the run—up to russia's invasion of ukraine.he described how the russian president informed him that it would "only take a minute" to hurt him with a missile. a kremlin spokesman has dismissed mrjohnson's claim, calling it a "lie". more from our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. kyiv, last february — a city living in fear of invasion. borisjohnson arrived to show

support for a clean—shaven president yet to don the green garb of war. shoulder to shoulder with his ally, the former prime minister's message was clear. i hope very much that president putin steps back from the path of conflict. a hope which prompted an astonishing response from vladimir putin. the following day, i've got putin on the blower again. and this is a very long call and a most extraordinary call. he was being very, very familiar. mrjohnson told him invading ukraine would mean more nato forces on his border. he said, "boris, you say that ukraine is not going tojoin nato any time soon." he said it in english — "any time soon". "what is any time soon?" and i said, "well, it's not going to join nato for the foreseeable future."

and then, this. you know, he threatened me at one point and said, you know, "boris, i don't want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute" — or something like that, you know. you know, jolly. but i think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking — the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate. a spokesman for the kremlin denied mrjohnson's account, saying there had been no threats to use missiles. translation: what mr| johnson said is not true. more specifically, it is a lie. a week after the phone call, the defence secretary flew to moscow to meet russian military chiefs, where he said he lied to him about their plans for ukraine. i remember saying to minister shoigu that they will fight. and he said, "my mother's

ukrainian," you know, "they won't." he also said he had no intention of invading. it was the fairly chilling but direct lie of what they were not going to do that, i think, to me, confirmed they were going to do it. and he was right. within days, the invasion began, as russia unleashed a barrage of missiles on targets across ukraine and its tanks and troops stormed across the border. james landale, bbc news. staying with the war in ukraine... north korea have been supplying missiles to russia's wagner group, who send mercenery soldiers to fight on behalf of russia. that's according to nato chiefjens stoltenberg. who is visiting south korea and trying to deepen ties with asian allies. here's what he told the bbc. north korea is providing rockets,

rockets and missiles to the wagner group, the russian wagner group, which is an important part of the russian were in ukraine. which is an important part of the russian agression in ukraine. the wagner group is a russian organisation registered in st petersberg. who provide contracted trained fighters — or mercanaries — for conflict. aside from ukraine, they're fighters have been used in in syria, libya, mali, centralafrican republic, burkina faso, sudan, and mozambique it's believed wagner have 50,000 fighters in ukraine 80% of whom have been recuited from prison — with promises of freedom in exchange for six months service. here is russian footage of wagner fighters on the front line near bakhmut. north korea denies supplying the wagner group with weapons. and called jens stoltenbergs visit to south korea a "prelude to confrontation and war" that "brings the dark clouds of a "new cold war to the asia—pacific region". on the first day of his visit, stoltenberg met with

president yuun sung nyull and thanked south korea for their non—lethal aid to ukraine, but wanted it to do more. iurge i urge the republic of korea to continue and to step up on the specific issue of military support. i would say, that, at the end of the day, if the decision you need to make. if we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons, that's the reality. south korea forbids its government sending weapons to countries engaged in conflict. even though south korean defence companies have sold over 12 billion dollars of military hardware to poland since the start of the invasion. stoltenberg is urging south korea to follow in the example of germany, sweden and norway — who all had similar laws but made exceptions for ukraine. i'm joined now by andrew d'anieri, from the atlantic

council's eurasia center. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme. flit thank you so much for “oining us on the programmeh thank you so much for “oining us on the programme. of course, happy to 'oin ou. the programme. of course, happy to join you- what _ the programme. of course, happy to join you- what do — the programme. of course, happy to join you. what do you _ the programme. of course, happy to join you. what do you make - the programme. of course, happy to join you. what do you make of - the programme. of course, happy to join you. what do you make of this i join you. what do you make of this visit to asia _ join you. what do you make of this visit to asia by _ join you. what do you make of this visit to asia by stoltenberg? - join you. what do you make of this visit to asia by stoltenberg? will. visit to asia by stoltenberg? will it have an impact? it visit to asia by stoltenberg? will it have an impact?— it have an impact? it should certainly — it have an impact? it should certainly have _ it have an impact? it should certainly have an _ it have an impact? it should certainly have an impact. i it have an impact? it should | certainly have an impact. on it have an impact? it should - certainly have an impact. on one hand commit highlights just how strong the western alliance is beyond nato, beyond trans design a schism that the west extends all the way to asia pacific, japan, south korea as well, where a secretary generaljens stoltenberg was today. i think it's important to note in the package there that korea is sending a good bit of military hardware to poland and other western countries that spend being sent to ukraine. but it would be even more helpful, even more efficient and good for korea itself to have these kinds of exemptions, as other countries have done for sending military aid directly to ukraine. this would be good for caribbean

security and good for its economy as well. , , ., ., ~ ., well. this is all about ukraine itself and _ well. this is all about ukraine itself and its _ well. this is all about ukraine itself and its performance - well. this is all about ukraine itself and its performance on | well. this is all about ukraine i itself and its performance on the battlefield and getting closer to its objectives. what overall difference does the role here of these countries in asia make? it’s these countries in asia make? it's significant- _ these countries in asia make? ut�*s significant. most of the aid has come from the west, from europe and certainly from the united states who has provided the lion's share right now. but we also see that the us is looking for new places to buy things like ammunition and artillery. so the more countries that we can bring into an alliance, this kind of coalition in support of ukraine is massive for ukraine. one of the difficulties in sending aid to ukraine are the supply bottlenecks. it takes too long to send the necessary key equipment to ukraine. if you bring more countries, like the republic of korea, into this coalition, that crucial military aid can be sent even faster.

interesting, so an increasing coalition, and especially a global one has benefits over time, notjust immediately now, notjust for global immediately now, not just for global support immediately now, notjust for global support and a photo opportunity, diplomatic isolation, but also for supply chain delivery, real differences on the ground. i want to touch, before we come back to that issue, touch on this issue that north korea is supplying things to the wegner group, this group of russian mercenaries, what do you make of that? —— wagner group. it’s make of that? —— wagner group. ut�*s remarkable and it stands out as, these are russia's friends at the moment. russia likes to play to great power, but right now it is relying on a mercenary group to fight to put in's war in the down bass and that mercenary group is that relying on arms from north korea. which is a global pariah and has been sanctioned for over two decades. —— put in's where in

donbas. formally as a transnational chair group, we can probably expect us even more reliance on north korea by wagner itself. us even more reliance on north korea by wagner itself-— by wagner itself. briefly, i'm afraid, because _ by wagner itself. briefly, i'm afraid, because we _ by wagner itself. briefly, i'm afraid, because we are - by wagner itself. briefly, i'ml afraid, because we are almost by wagner itself. briefly, i'm - afraid, because we are almost out of time, but i want the wider context of that, russia's international support, how do you see it? russia's allies are shrinking _ support, how do you see it? russia's allies are shrinking by _ support, how do you see it? russia's allies are shrinking by the _ support, how do you see it? russia's allies are shrinking by the day. - support, how do you see it? russia's allies are shrinking by the day. it - allies are shrinking by the day. it is pouring diplomatic resources into central asia because it realises that the war is really bad for its relations with its neighbours there, and its key allies right now are north korea, syria and iran, all road states that are anti—western by nature and that russia has lost so many allies, especially, even warm relations with countries like germany, so this war has been really bad for russia economically, diplomatically and militarily. andrew, thank you for that. thank you.

we're going to look at england's health service now. hundreds more ambulances and thousands more hospital beds have been promised by next winter. but there are questions about how the extra resources will be staffed.0ur health correspondent, katherine da costa, has the details. right, hi, how are you? nice to see you. after weeks of unprecedented strain on the nhs, and criticism over record delays in a&e... it's incredibly complicated, actually, managing the flow through... ..the prime minister and health secretary were keen to hear what's working well at north tees hospital... it's a model that we need to make sure we can do more of across the country. so thank you. ..ahead of setting out new plans in front of an audience of health staff. more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better social care, and if we can deliver on it, if we can deliver on it, then i think we will see, in fact, i know we will see the largest and fastest ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the nhs's history. that is the ambition of our plan that we've set out today. by next winter, there should be 5,000 more per hospital beds in england, an increase of around 5%. 800 new ambulances purchased, around half of those

to replace older vehicles. and there will be a new push to get people who are well enough out of hospital more quickly. hello, sir, how are you? the plan builds on work to care for patients in their own homes by monitoring them remotely. it includes greater use of rehab and physiotherapy to avoid overnight stays in hospital. the money to pay for this will come out of funds already promised last autumn. health experts broadly welcomed the proposals to boost capacity, bring down waiting times and improve patient care, but they stress you can't achieve that unless you have got the right number of staff in the right departments. really important that the government publishes a long—term workforce - strategy for the nhs, _ a plan that has now been promised and delayed quite often, - because that's absolutely critical. we have 100,000 vacancies - in at the nhs, more than 150,000 vacancies in social care, i so staffing really becomes i the absolutely critical constraint i

about whether some of the ambitions and improvements in today's plan will be able to be delivered. - the government says it will publish a plan to boost the nhs workforce in england. meanwhile, labour has accused the government of watering down standards by lowering ambulance and a&e targets. there is still a long way to go if we are to avoid long queues and waits like this next winter. katherine da costa, bbc news. the uk officially left the european union three years ago tomorrow — though it did of course remain in the single market until the end of 2020. so what impact has brexit had on trade, investment and jobs in the uk? and what does the future look like? our economics correspondent, dharshini david has more. brexit is three years old. it is still in its infancy but the economy does appear to have taken a hit, there may be not in the way some had feared. stripping out the impact

of the pandemic in energy crisis, it isn't easy, but we have pored over the data for the latest official sources and analysis from academics. let's look at trade and investment and jobs. first, trade, because brexit meant extra paperwork and checks for some goods crossing borders since 2021. and there was an initial dip in the amount exported to the eu, according to the official statistics, that's recovered as teething problems were resolved. the same is broadly true of imports from the eu, although the checks and paperwork may have added to some prices. but a variety of goods has shrunk. red tape may have overwhelmed some smaller businesses. and what about those new trade deals britain is now free to make? 71 have been struck so far. mostjust copy what britain had when it was in the eu. then there's the tariff free deal we agreed with the eu itself.

we have new trade deals with australia, new zealand, but the impact is likely to be very small. together, the government's own analysis suggest that may add about 0.1% to the uk income, and that will take a decade. some british farmers actually fear they will lose out. other deals with india in the gulf states, for example, which remain under discussion, may also have a small impact, although they are growing in importance. however, without deals with the biggest players, the us, which accounts for about a sixth of our trade, and china, we are unlikely to see brexit leading to a major boost in the amount we sell abroad at any time soon. everyone has traded less during the pandemic. other rich nations saw their trade bounce back more quickly than the uk. so for now at least, global trade has become a smaller part of our economy. then there is investment. this line is where it could be if it

had continued growing at the same rate as before the referendum. that is according to academics at king's college london. but, in reality, it stalled. some economists, such as those at the international monetary fund, claim brexit related uncertainty is deterring spending on things like factories, training and equipment. other analysts, like the briefings for britain thinktank, claim the uk has simply resumed a longer term pattern of underinvestment. ultimately, it reduces our chances of being a more efficient and higher earning country. as forjobs, the end of free movement equals 330,000 fewer workers in the uk. just 1% of the workforce. but the absence of eu workers is hitting some sectors harder. it is equal to as many as 8% of transport workers, perhaps 4% of hospitality workers, and 3% of retail workers, causing some real shortages. all of this may be one reason why the uk is the only major rich

economy that is smaller, poorer, than before the pandemic. but it is still very early days, and there is much yet to be settled. notjust the northern ireland protocol, but also permanent arrangements for industries like financial services, fishing and electric vehicles. there are potential gains there. how much we achieve will be up to politicians. stay with us on outside source — still to come... several billion combinations, but only one solution, we take a look at the ever changing world of the rubik cube. in less than two weeks' time, nigerians will no longer be able to use the banknotes that have been in circulation for more than 20 years. it comes at a perilous time for the economy — with people struggling with the rising cost of living. mayenijones reports from lagos. eager to leave, there are long queues everyday outside

visa centres in lagos. it's estimated about 150 people are emigrating every day. the number of nigerians granted working visas to the uk has tripled since 2019. fashion designer aruma used to live in nigeria, but moved to london last year with her family. the increase in the cost of living in nigeria was one of the reasons she decided to leave. our money was buying us way less than it was the year before, so in one year, everything had gone, times three. how do you even cope? if you have a family at home, how do you — what do you cut out of the budget you are already trying to manage? in nigeria, food is the biggest cause of inflation. it's what most people spend their money on, so when the price of basic items goes up, that means they can't afford to spend money on anything else. like many other countries, the nigerian economy is still reeling from the pandemic

and the war in ukraine, but insecurity and policies limiting food imports have worsened things here. i have cut down on my feeding and my family. despite being africa's largest economy, social welfare is almost non—existent in nigeria. organisations like this privately—funded lagos food bank are trying to help as much as they can. i came because i'm a widow. i have five children, and we need it, because of the cost in the markets. at times, the children go hungry. two in three people here now live in poverty, and the number of people going hungry is only likely to rise further. mayenijones, bbc news, lagos. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... the us secretary of state, antony blinken has appealed for calm between israel and the palestinians,

after arriving for a visit. an attack on a mosque in the pakistani city of peshawar has killed at least 59 people and injured more than 150 others. for some the rubik's cube isn'tjust a game, but a competitive sport too. hundreds of people headed to glasgow this weekend for a competition, racing against the clock — and each other — in speed time—trials. take a look. i can usually solve the cube in under 6 seconds. my name is tymon kolasinski, and i'm one of the 3x3 rubik's cube world record holders. we're at a competition here in glasgow. there are 155 registered competitors and they're all trying to compete and get their best results. but the rubik's cube is very important to me because it's like i have

i have my own distraction from whatever's happening. it's reallyjust something that's really calming to me. i first started cubing on, like, two years ago on christmas day and my first solve was a couple of hours later. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. we always had a rubik's cube lying somewhere around the house. so at one point i was like, well, it'll be cool to solve one. so i looked up how to do it on the internet, and when i did, i also came across competitions. and basically, ever since then, i'vejust been cubing, like, all day, every day. you can choose how competitive you are about it. i mean, for me, it's all competitive. as well as the standard 3x3, this competition offers - events such as one—handed, i 3x3 blindfolded, then variations are for 3x3, like the 2x2, i which is a smaller version, and the 6x6 and 7x7 i which are a lot bigger. i can personally do it one—handed but i'm trying to learn blindfolded, but it's really hard, it's really addicting.

and sometimes you can be up really late doing it and not even realise it. ben stokes won the 3x3 blindfolded and 3x3 multiple cubes blindfolded. we asked him if this was a sport? yeah, there is a big debate. i like to call this sports, but that's me just not being very athletic. yeah, i definitely think it is a sport. definitely competitive and there is a lot of training that goes into it. i don't really know how is sport is defined, but that is what i would call it. there are people from all around the world. there are competitors from asia and everywhere around the world. people travel. the person who won the competition is actually from poland, so, we get people travelling around, especially because it was quite a big competition with a lot of events. so, yeah, a lot of people come from around the globe and compete. i'm joined now by eleanor sinnott who organised the event.

thank you very much for coming on the programme. thank you very much for coming on the programme-— thank you very much for coming on i the programme._ telus, the programme. good evening. telus, wh did ou the programme. good evening. telus, why did you want _ the programme. good evening. telus, why did you want to _ the programme. good evening. telus, why did you want to put _ the programme. good evening. telus, why did you want to put this _ the programme. good evening. telus, why did you want to put this event - why did you want to put this event on in glasgow?— on in glasgow? well, there is a competition _ on in glasgow? well, there is a competition every _ on in glasgow? well, there is a competition every week - on in glasgow? well, there is a competition every week and i on in glasgow? well, there is a competition every week and in | on in glasgow? well, there is a i competition every week and in the uk, and almost all of them are in england and i was just really keen to get a competition in scotland, so this is the first one in scotland in a year, and i'm excited to organise it. ., a year, and i'm excited to organise it. . ., ., ., a year, and i'm excited to organise it. there are quite a lot of people there from _ it. there are quite a lot of people there from all— it. there are quite a lot of people there from all over _ it. there are quite a lot of people there from all over the _ it. there are quite a lot of people there from all over the world. - it. there are quite a lot of people i there from all over the world. yes, we had someone _ there from all over the world. yes, we had someone fly _ there from all over the world. yes, we had someone fly in _ there from all over the world. yes, we had someone fly in from - there from all over the world. yes we had someone fly in from france, places in asia, coming from across the world to this competition. it is so impressive _ the world to this competition. it is so impressive when you see it in action, the speeds are incredible. what about you, why did you first start getting into this? i got what about you, why did you first start getting into this?— start getting into this? i got into a because my — start getting into this? i got into a because my brother _ start getting into this? i got into a because my brother had - start getting into this? i got into a because my brother had a - start getting into this? i got into l a because my brother had a cube, start getting into this? i got into - a because my brother had a cube, and i kept borrowing it and stealing it so much that my dad had to buy me my own because i was stealing it, i got

to really enthusiastic about getting my time to go further and further down and i got faster and faster. what are some of your times now? so of. 7 in, now. i es i of your t e so are at wi'i y what are some of your times now? sr my best what are some of your times now? 5r my best time and competition is nine seconds and my average is 11 seconds in competition. seconds and my average is 11 seconds in competition-— in competition. wow. i think i've not to in competition. wow. i think i've got to put _ in competition. wow. i think i've got to put you — in competition. wow. i think i've got to put you to _ in competition. wow. i think i've got to put you to the _ in competition. wow. i think i've got to put you to the test - in competition. wow. i think i've got to put you to the test then, l got to put you to the test then, i've got mine, have you got the rubiks cube with you. ok, is it mixed up? yes, it’s rubiks cube with you. 0k, is it mixed up? yes,— rubiks cube with you. 0k, is it mixed up? yes, i mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i don't want — mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i don't want any _ mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i don't want any cheating. _ mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i don't want any cheating. can - mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i don't want any cheating. can you l mixed up? yes, it's all mixed up. i l don't want any cheating. can you do this whilst talking at the same time? , , , this whilst talking at the same time? .y, ,is this whilst talking at the same time? , , , ,iscar time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. _ time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. i— time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. i will— time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. i will ask - time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. i will ask you - time? yes, yes. absolutely. is carry on this interview. i will ask you a i on this interview. i will ask you a question, and when i finish asking the question, we are both going to go and it will be a race to see who can do it first. ok, so in your mind, what is so satisfying about doing rubiks cube? 50. mind, what is so satisfying about doing rubiks cube?— mind, what is so satisfying about doing rubiks cube? so, for me, the most satisfying _ doing rubiks cube? so, for me, the most satisfying part _ doing rubiks cube? so, for me, the most satisfying part is _ doing rubiks cube? so, for me, the most satisfying part isjust - doing rubiks cube? so, for me, the most satisfying part is just that - most satisfying part is just that occasionally you will get a very superfast time, and those are the

times that really want you to keep going and try to get even faster and faster times. going and try to get even faster and fastertimes. done. going and try to get even faster and faster times. done.— faster times. done. laughter i needed faster times. done. laughter i needed just _ faster times. done. laughter i needed just a _ faster times. done. laughter i needed just a few _ faster times. done. laughter i needed just a few more - faster times. done. laughter - i needed just a few more seconds... i was right behind you. amazing. and it's been a little bit of a resurgence in people picking these up resurgence in people picking these up and doing them and playing with them now. what does all of that about? i them now. what does all of that about? ~ ., them now. what does all of that about? ~ . ,., . about? i think that the pandemic eseciall about? i think that the pandemic especially was — about? i think that the pandemic especially was a _ about? i think that the pandemic especially was a catalyst - about? i think that the pandemic especially was a catalyst for - about? i think that the pandemic i especially was a catalyst for people to start picking up cubing. if you compare the amount of people in the uk who are cubing before the pandemic and afterwards, it has gone up pandemic and afterwards, it has gone up by pandemic and afterwards, it has gone up by three fold. it's massive. people at home on youtube have so much time on their hands, theyjust practice and practice and i we have tonnes of cube artists in the uk. briefly, are there any tips because any secrets here? i briefly, are there any tips because any secrets here?— any secrets here? i say that the bi est any secrets here? i say that the biggest tip _ any secrets here? i say that the biggest tip is — any secrets here? i say that the biggest tip is that _ any secrets here? i say that the biggest tip is that you _ any secrets here? i say that the biggest tip is that you can't - any secrets here? i say that the | biggest tip is that you can't learn it for yourself. you have to go on youtube, find a nice tutorial, and

thatis youtube, find a nice tutorial, and that is where you are going to learn it, you're not going to learn it from just feeling around. i’m it, you're not going to learn it from just feeling around. i'm so leased from just feeling around. i'm so pleased you _ from just feeling around. i'm so pleased you said _ from just feeling around. i'm so pleased you said that, - from just feeling around. i'm so pleased you said that, because | from just feeling around. i'm so - pleased you said that, because when i was young we didn't have that help, so that is my excuse for not being able to do it. eleanor, absolutely brilliant to have you on. thank you so much for talking us through that and for your demonstration. brilliant stuff. irla demonstration. brilliant stuff. iir> worries. goodbye. demonstration. brilliant stuff. no worries. goodbye. that _ demonstration. brilliant stuff. no worries. goodbye. that was - demonstration. brilliant stuff. no i worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there, a worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there. a great _ worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there. a great job — worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there, a great job by _ worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there, a great job by her. _ worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there, a great job by her. that - worries. goodbye. that was eleanor there, a great job by her. that does there, a greatjob by her. that does it for me. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones. this has been bbc news. hello there. we started the week off on a fine note. plenty of sunshine up and down the country today. the clouds did increase, though, across the north and the west of the uk ahead of a frontal system which will continue to work its way southwards and eastwards tonight, tending to fizzle out as it does so. so, you can see here this frontal system working into scotland, northern ireland, bringing outbreaks of rain, the isobars squeezing closer together.

so, it will be turning windier during the night here. further south will hold on to clearer skies, lighter winds. that cloud and rain band parks itself across most central parts of the uk by the end of the night. ahead of it it's going to be chilly with some clear spells and behind it windier, so there won't be any problems of frost. temperatures range from 5 to seven degrees. it's going to be a blustery day, though, across the board on tuesday, weather front will be pushing southwards, barely anything on it by the time it reaches southern southeast england. eventually it clears away. skies brighten up here, could see the odd shower in western areas, but the northern half of the country will be windy with gales developing here. plenty of blustery showers, wintry on the hill, some sunny spells, too, but it will be extremely windy, in fact, for northern and western scotland, parts of northern ireland. temperatures in single digits across the north, up to 10 to 12 in the south. now, some concerns as we head through tuesday evening. certainly overnight, the winds really pick up across scotland, northern ireland,

particularly so though for the north highlands into orkney and shetland where we could see gusts in excess of 70 up to 80 miles an hour. so, swathe of severe gales moving across this north northeast corner of scotland even into the early hours of wednesday, could see some disruption here, for example, to the ferry services. the winds slowly easing down through the day, but it's going to be a blustery one on wednesday. sunny spells scattered showers, particularly through northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. and those winds, again, a feature in the north, but not as strong as what we'll have through the latter parts of tuesday early parts of wednesday. temperatures again range from 7 to 11 degrees. and then as we move towards the end of the week, it looks like this area of high pressure to the south will slowly push northwards, tending to keep these weather fronts at bay. so, it could be northern parts of scotland, which could see the windiest of the weather with rain at times. but for most, it's going to stay largely settled thanks to high pressure and generally on the mild side.

hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones, this is outside source. the us secretary of state says israel must resolve the conflict with the palestinians. and underlines washington's support for a two—state solution. as i said to the prime minister, anything that moves us away from that vision is, in ourjudgment, detrimental to israel's long term security and its long term identity

as a jewish and democratic state. he was speaking next to benjamin netanyahu, but how much sway does antony blinken have with israel's leaders? also in the programme. the authorities in pakistan say at least 59 people have been killed in an attack on a mosque in the city of peshawar. and britain's prime minister says he acted "pretty decisively" in sacking nadhim zahawi, as he defends his handling of the affair. the us secretary of state, antony blinken has arrived in the middle east for meetings with israeli and palestinian leaders. right at a time when violence continues to spiral there. here he is — arriving in israel. he's been meeting with the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. the two leaders gave a news conference earlier today, let's start by hearing

secretary blinken's message. that is crucial to wards are enduring goal. president biden remains fully committed to that goal. we believe the best way to achieve it is through preserving and realising the vision of two states. as i said to the prime minister, anything that moves us away from that vision is, in ourjudgment, detrimental to israel's long—term security, and its long—term identity. you heard secretary blinken there referring to a two—state solution to the israeli—palestinian conflict. that would be an independent palestinian state in the west bank alongside israel, withjerusalem as their shared capital. next, let's hear what the israeli prime minister — benjamin netanyahu — had to say. to perhaps achieve dramatic breakthroughs that i think could be both historic and enormously significant in our common efforts to bring prosperity, security and peace to this part

of the world. and beyond. so, with this in mind, i have to tell you that i also believe expanding the circle of peace, working to close, finally, the file of the arab — israeli conflict, i think would also help us achieve a workable solution with our palestinian neighbours. tensions between israel and the palestinians are running high — so let's remind ourselves of the context here. palestinian health officials say israeli forces shot dead a palestinian man at a military checkpoint in hebron today. the israeli forces say that their troops had identified a suspicious vehicle. on thursday — ten palestinians were shot dead injenin in the occupied west bank by israeli forces. israel said that it was acting on intelligence about an imminent attack. on friday — seven israelis were killed when a palestinian gunman opened fire outside a synagogue in eastjerusalem.

let's hear from a palestinian author and political commentator. nobody wants to see a cycle of violence at any cost, but i don't think it's ok that palestinians are getting killed as well. this whole thing that when an israeli is getting killed, the whole world takes attention, somehow this is good that the world should look at this in a way where we need to look at the root cause of what's going on. it is notjust the root cause of the conflict, it is the root reality in the palestinian side. meanwhile, israel's security cabinet has approved measures to make it easier for israelis to carry guns — as well as reinforcing troop numbers in the occupied west bank. let's hear from the deputy mayor ofjerusalem. for a small country, and so the first thing the government has to do is protect its citizens.

everything that we do is defensive, and anything that we do is to defend our citizens. now let's get the perspective from frank lowenstein. he was the us special envoy for middle east peace in the last years of the obama administration between 2014 and 2017. he has got to do everything possibly you can in the first instance to restore calm, and that is a really difficult situation right now because he has the most extreme government in the history of israel on one side, he's going to want to sound very tough on palestinian terrorism and take steps that could potentially escalate the problem. on the other hand, you have obviously a very angry and upset population on the palestinian side, and more of the extremist voices are being heard on that end. the first thing he has to do is get the sides together, get them to agree to take steps to de—escalate and restore calm. the recent violence is not the only political issue facing secretary blinken. there's also a government proposal to reform the judicial system. the plan would reduce the supreme court's power to revoke laws passed in parliament.

with just a simple majority the government would be able to overturn any supreme court rulings. if approved, the government would have greater influence over who gets to be a judge. and there's also regional issues. have a look at this wall streetjournal headline. the article cites unnnamed us officials, suggest israeli forces were behind this drone strike on an iranian defence facility on the weekend. more now from dr ian lesser, from the german marshall fund, a nonpartisan think tank. well, i think it's obvious that both the prime minister and secretary blinken, you know, were being very careful. it comes against a background of the violence you've been discussing here. tensions are running very, very high. i think there's a desire, frankly, on both sides to sort of underscore the importance, the longstanding importance of the us—israeli relationship, but not really sidestepping some of the key issues where there are clearly disagreements. there are some areas of agreement. iran is one of them. ukraine increasingly may be.

but, you know, if you're sort of reading between the lines, it was very, very clear and maybe most clear when it came to this question of the two—state solution. what would a successful trip look like from blinken's perspective? well, i think the trip itself is extremely important. there was a stop in egypt first and now injerusalem. you know, in part, i think this is about making clear that the united states is not disengaged, is not disengaging from the region, certainly not in diplomatic terms, because there is a bit of a mythology about that in the region and i think a tendency to overstate that. so i think that's part of the administration's interest. and then they have much more practical interest in, for example, getting israel closer on board with policy towards ukraine, which has not been so easy. and i think they've made some progress on that. 0k. what about the two—state solution we outlined briefly at the top of the show what it was. what do you think its chances are right now? well, the chances are not very good. this is clearly something that has been a cornerstone of american

policy and the peace process for decades. it has on and off been a cornerstone of israeli policy as well. it is not for this current government in israel, and i think the biden administration is very keen to assert the fact that we're still very supportive of this approach. we favour the abraham accords. and the prime minister referred to this the tendency for a wider set of arab countries to come into closer relations with israel. but, you know, as secretary blinken said, we don't see that as a substitute for eventual settlement of the palestinian—israeli dispute. just because you mentioned it, there, the new right wing government in place in israel. how do you think the biden administration views it? well, clearly, this is not the government they would have chosen. but you have to deal with the governments you get. and this is a longstanding critical relationship for both countries. there's still a lot of business that the united states and israel will do together, but the atmosphere clearly is not going to be as warm with netanyahu.

they simply are not on the same page in terms of their political approach. but there it is. and it's clear that both sides don't want to take that beyond a kind of surface dispute. let's turn to pakistan where at least 59 people have been killed in a bomb attack on a mosque in the city of peshawar. local authorities say this is a suspected suicide attack which targeted policemen in the mosque for afternoon prayers. this eyewitness video shows the immediate aftermath of the blast. people are seen running away from the building. other images show half of a wall collapsed. the mosque appears covered in bricks and debris as people clamber over the rubble to escape. an eyewitness describes what he saw. translation: we were preparing

ourselvesfor— translation: we were preparing ourselves for prayer, _ translation: we were preparing ourselves for prayer, and - ourselves for prayer, and we were heading to the mosque. we rescued some wounded people from the blast site. dead bodies are still trapped there under the debris. this is where the blast took place. the city of peshawar is in the north—west of pakistan, near the country's border with afghanistan. the mosque is in a compound in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, which includes police headquarters and intelligence bureaus. here's a localjournalist in peshawar explaining the significance of the area. the suicide bomber had made it into that highly guarded police line, which you can say is the home of that area's police. and one has to cross at least three checkpoints to get into that well secured area. then, it was all of that time that he made it to the mosque, where mostly, the policeman and local people in the same

compound go to the same mosque because it is the only mosque in that area. and he was across from the police authorities standing in the first row and blew himself up at the moment the prayer started. a rescue operation is continuining around the mosque. the city officials say more bodies are being pulled from the rubble and efforts are ongoing to save the people still trapped under the debris. here's our pakistan correspondent caroline davies from outside the hospital in peshawar. there are still people being brought here to the hospital in peshawar. we have been speaking to people inside, the doctors inside, who say they have been inundated with the injured. the numbers of dead have risen throughout the afternoon and into the evening. we have spoken to patients inside. some have severe burns and broken limbs because of where the rubble fell during the explosion,

and some talked about being pulled from the rubble to be taking here to the hospital. pakistan's prime minister, shehbaz sharif, has travelled to peshawar and visited injured people in the hospital. no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. earlier i spoke to asfandyar mir — a security analyst at the united states institute of peace — an organisation working to promote conflict resolution. this is a devastating attack and it comes on the heels of an escalation in violence we have seen in pakistan. largely by the insurgent group the pdt. there is some confusion as to who is actually behind today's attack. the tdp's central leadership is now saying they are not involved. on the other hand, there are strong indications that a faction,

a majorfaction, of the tdp has carried out this attack. what do you make of the security breaches here? as was outlined this is one of the most tightly controlled areas. this is supposed to be one of the more secure and well protected areas in peshawar. it is really the heart of where the security services are located for the entire province. you heard from the pakistan minister of defence that there may have been some insider help to the attackers, which suggests a major security intelligence lapse as well. it is very troubling and suggest that some of these insurgent groups are getting inside help as well. that is an interesting detail. can we pause and take a step back but notjust on this attack but this

security situation across pakistan as a whole right now. how would you assess it? it is deteriorating. the trajectory is a troubling one. there was a suicide bomb attack but now after many years this devastating attack. there have been frequent attacks against pakistani security forces, police, military. the police has been on the receiving end of this violence. there are some challenging times ahead for pakistan. there is a major economic crisis and a lots of political dysfunction as well. and the government in afghanistan of the taliban, which many pakistani leaders hoped would be receptive to their concerns, they also don't seem to be cooperating with the pakistanis by providing safe heating and refuge to the anti—pakistan

insurgency of the tdp. the trend lines are all very troubling. you say that trend lines are troubling, which means my next and final question is very unfair because i'm running out of time. briefly, how does a country start to, or try to improve the security situation? i think pakistan is considering some kind of military action. we can see an operation launched inside the country. there's also the possibility of a cross—border literary operation. both options appear to be on the table but i think in the near term, it gets in the economy, getting a grip on the economic spiral would be very important for the pakistan leadership. still to come an outside source, we take a closer look at uk prime

minister's decision to sack the conservative party chairman.

this is outside source, life in the bbc. the us secretary of state, antony blinken has appealed for calm between israel and the palestinians, after arriving for a visit. an attack on a mosque in the pakistani city of peshawar has killed at least 59 people and injured more than 150 others. in the uk, prime minister rishi sunak has been talking about his decision to sack one of his top team. he says he "acted pretty decisively" in getting rid

of nadhim zahawi. this is after an investigation found he'd broken the rules top politicians should follow. the prime minister speaking on a visit to the north east of england earlier on monday and was asked about his handling of all this. i asked the independent adviser to get to the bottom of it and to provide me with the facts. and then on the basis of the facts, which he did relatively quickly over the past week, i was able to make a very quick decision that it was no longer appropriate for nadhim zahawi to continue in government, and that's why he's no longer there. so just who is nadim zahawi and what did he do? rishi sunak made him conservative party chairman in october. his highest—profilejob though, was chancellor — orfinance minister — under then prime minister borisjohnson. and it's his own finances that have been in the spotlight. it emerged that while he was chancellor, he reached a multi—million pound tax settlement with hmrc — the people who collect taxes. sunak asked a top adviser, sir laurie magnus, to investigate. sir laurie found zahawi had been in contact with hmrc over his taxes since april 2021, and finalised the settlement in september.

and he hadn't done enough to declare this publicly. rishi sunak agreed with the inquiry, and said zahawi had committed a "serious breach" breach" of the guidelines, and fired him on sunday. and some conservative supporters feel the prime minister did the right thing here. i think the prime minister would say he was being fair. and as the details of the situation evolves he put in place the proper process by which an investigation is held, and it happened relatively swiftly compared to how often these investigations can go on. so, in that sense, i think the prime minister was dealt a bad hand and played as well as he could have done. but conservative mpjohn penrose, a former anti—corruption tsar, said changes were needed to govern the conduct of ministers. i am really pleased to see that rishi sunak has reacted so strongly, and i think fairly, but quite quickly, in dealing with this. but i think that what we now need to do is upgrade our systems so that we can prevent more of this sort of thing happening in future. i mean, any organisation

run by humans will be prone to human frailties, so we've got to have systems that work better, and there's a bunch of improvements to the way that, not just whitehall but local government and all sort of other bits of public life work, which could probablyjust help us get that right more often in future. as for the opposition labour party — they say there's still a number of unanswered questions. the fact that rishi sunak allowed this to drag on for so long is because he's trying to manage all the factions in his party. once again, we have the conservative party putting party interests ahead of the interest of the country. so what's the mood now in the conservative party? here's our political correspondent rob watson. the mood in the conservative party is that it was inevitable that mr zahawi was going to have to go. i think what's worrying the conservative party, understandably, is what they're seeing in the opinion polls, which there have been two out today. and they suggest, one of them suggests that two

thirds, pretty stunning, think that it's time for a change in british politics. both of these opinion polls suggest very large leads for the main opposition labour party and they also suggest, rather worryingly for the prime minister, rishi sunak, that his own sort of personal popularity as plummeting, although i suppose is plummeting, although i suppose one should point out, louis, that he's still not as unpopular according to these polls, as liz truss, borisjohnson and theresa may, his predecessors, were at their worst, but plenty obviously to be worried about for the governing conservatives. interesting. when rishi sunak came to power, he said right at the outset that his would be a government administration of professionalism and integrity. and that used to be, one assumes, at some point taken for granted for governments. of course, that's how they should behave. but if you hold that up as a standard right at the beginning and then fall short or the members of your team fall short, that's a political problem. yes, it is.

there was a third one in there, which was accountability. but i mean, the sort of the none too subtle message of rishi sunak when he came into downing street in october was that, look, i'm going to draw a line under the sort of more chaotic episodes of the boris johnson and liz truss eras. now mr sunak�*s argument today is, look, i can't really be held accountable for problems that were sort of brewing before i became prime minister. but i mean, i think his handling of this has raised questions inside the conservatives and beyond about whether mr sunak has, as they would see it, the sort of the ruthlessness, the political instincts and the judgments really to draw to draw a line under the errors of his two predecessors. and rob, just lastly, there are allegations of bullying against dominic raab, another one of rishi sunak�*s top team. yes. and i suppose that is the potential next problem that he faces, although again, he would say that was something before his time. i think bigger problems perhaps coming for him. what will happen if he does a deal with the european union over the northern ireland protocol

that the right of his party doesn't like? and what's going to happen when parliament starts investigating whether borisjohnson misled them over lockdown parties? look at the horizon and it does look a bit... ..worrying perhaps. for some the rubik's cube isn'tjust a game, but a competitive sport too. hundreds of people headed to glasgow this weekend for a competition, racing against the clock and each other in speed time—trials. take a look. i can usually solve the cube in under 6 seconds. my name is tymon kolasinski, and i'm one of the 3x3 rubik's cube world record holders. we're at a competition here in glasgow. there are 155 registered competitors and they're all trying to compete

and get their best results. the rubik's cube is very important to me because it's like i have my own distraction from whatever's happening. it's reallyjust something that's really calming to me. i first started cubing on, like, two years ago on christmas day and my first solve was a couple of hours later. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. we always had a rubik's cube lying somewhere around the house. so at one point i was like, well, it'll be cool to solve one. so i looked up how to do it on the internet, and when i did, i also came across competitions. ever since then, i've just been cubing, like, all day, every day. you can choose how competitive you are about it. i mean, for me, it's all competitive. as well as the standard 3x3, this competition offers - events such as one—handed, i 3x3 blindfolded, then variations are for 3x3, like the 2x2, i which is a smaller version, and the 6x6 and 7x7 i

which are a lot bigger. i can personally do it one—handed but i'm trying to learn blindfolded, but it's really hard, it's really addicting. and sometimes you can be up really late doing it and not even realise it. ben stokes, not the cricketer, won the 3x3 blindfolded and 3x3 multiple cubes blindfolded. we asked him if this was a sport. yeah, that is it. there's a big debate, i like to call it a sport, but that's sort of me just not being very athletic, kind of biases me. yeah, i definitely think it's a sport, it's definitely competitive and there's a lot of training that goes into it. i don't really know how a sport is defined, but that is what i'd call it. there are people from all round the world, there are competitors from asia, everywhere from round the world, people who travel. the person who won the competition was actually from poland, so, we get people travelling round, especially because it was quite a big competition, with quite a lot of events.

so, yeah, a lot of people come from all round the globe and compete. an outstanding effort from everyone, and if you're watching in the last hour you saw my pathetic effort. i still haven't solved it, and i will carry on working with that. plenty more online as always, and if you are online, do get me there on social media. this is bbc news. we started the week off on a fine note, plenty of sunshine up and down the country today. the clouds did increase across the north and the west of the uk ahead of a frontal system which will continue to work its way southwards and eastwards tonight, tending to fizzle out as it does so. you can see this frontal

system working into scotland and northern ireland, bringing outbreaks of rain. the eyes of our squeezing closer together, so it will be turning windier during the night here. we'll hold on to clear skies and lighter winds, that rain parties in several cental parts of the united kingdom. ahead of it it will be chilly with clear spells, and behind it windier, so there will not behind it windier, so there will not be any problems with frost. temperatures range from five to 7 degrees. it will be a blustery day across the board, barely anything on the front as it reaches south—east england. eventually it clears away, the sky is bright enough, you could see the odd shower in western areas, but the northern half of the country will be windy with deals developing here, plenty of blustery showers, some sunny spells as well, but it will be extremely windy for a northern and western scotland, and parts of northern ireland. temperatures in single figures across the north, up to 12 in the

south. as evening and overnight the winds really pick up across scotland and northern ireland, particularly so for the north highlands into orkney and shetland, where could see gusts in excess of 70 or 80 mph. severe gales moving across this north—east corner of scotland, even into the early hours of wednesday. you could see some disruption to the ferry services. the window slowly easing through the day, but will be a blustery one on wednesday. sunny spells, skit scattered showers, particular through northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. not as strong as what we will have through the latter part of tuesday, early part of wednesday. temperatures will range from seven to 11 degrees. as a move towards the end of the week, though is that this area of high pressure to the south will slowly push northwards, tending to keep these weather fronts at bay. it could be northern parts of scotland which could see the windiest of the rather with rain at times, but for most it will stay is largely settled thanks to high

pressure, and generally on the mild side.

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