has been named the bbc�*s sports personality of the year after winning gold at the paris olympics. and we visit the arctic town — known as the polar bear capital of the world — seeing a decline in numbers due to climate change. hello and welcome. i'm sally bundock. bbc analysis has revealed that facebook severely restricted the ability of palestinian news outlets to reach an audience during the israel—gaza war. in the first comprehensive research by territory since the war�*s start, data and tech specialists at bbc news arabic and bbc world service calculated how many people interacted with news content across hundreds of thousands of facebook posts from journalists. meta says any suggestion that it deliberately suppressed particular voices is "unequivocally false". joe tidy reports.

in times of content access to reliable news is vital and today many turn to social media as the primary source of information. on facebook and instagram, how people engage with content, so comments, likes, shares, reactions, can increase visibility and shape public opinion but for the last year palestinian journalists has raised concerns their posts are being suppressed. according to our research, something has happened. in the first comprehensive data analysis i territory since the start of the war in gaza we analysed more than 100,000 facebook posts by different palestinian news organisations. this bar represents the average engagement proposed in the lead up engagement proposed in the lead up to the hamas attack on israel. it flood 28 but is steady and then hamas�*s attack

on israel's ongoing war in gaza became one of the biggest talking point in the world but look what happens to the engagement on the same facebook pages. it nosedives. since that date there has been a 77% drop in average engagement. one of the pages analysed in our investigation is the well—established palestine tv. they have 5.8 million followers on facebook and have had some posts about the war restricted by the platform. we did the same analysis on similar news pages from israel and neighbouring arabic speaking countries and found engagement went up. meta confirmed temporary product and policy measures were brought in in response to the conflict.

the company admitted pages posting exclusively about the war were more likely to see engagement impacted but said any implication this was done to deliberately suppress a particular voice is unequivocally false. but according to some from inside the company, palestinians have been deliberately suppressed. this former meta employee asked to stay anonymous but shared internal documents about a change made to instagram's algorithm. change made to instagram's algorithm-— change made to instagram's aluorithm. �* ,, �* ~ algorithm. translation: within algorithm. translation: within a week of the _ algorithm. translation: within a week of the attack _ algorithm. translation: within a week of the attack the - algorithm. translation: within a week of the attack the code - a week of the attack the code was changed, making it more aggressive towards palestinian people writing comments on instagram post.— people writing comments on instagram post. they gave us these leaked _ instagram post. they gave us these leaked documents - instagram post. they gave us - these leaked documents showing in order to: this means the algorithm only has to been 25% sure a comment from a palestinian based in the west bank or gaza was potentially violating guidelines to make it less visible. meta confirmed this was taken but said it was

necessary to respond to a spike in hateful content but clearly some staff were unhappy. this kind of bias — some staff were unhappy. this kind of bias will _ some staff were unhappy. ti 3 kind of bias will affect the whole narrative. customers, regular customers will be looking at the phones thinking they are seeing the truth. when they're actually seeing a very small slice or they being trapped in a bubble because other people are silence. the decades long _ decades long israeli—palestinian conflict continues to be one of the most difficult topics to address for many male —— media organisations. when platforms are as large as meta's even small changes can have big implications. joe tidy reporting there. you can see more about his and his colleagues' findings sound the website and the news app. the us state department has expressed cautious optimism that a deal can be reached

to end the fighting in gaza and secure the release of israeli hostages. all previous attempts have collapsed. with me is said shehata from bbc arabic. good morning. we are being given the impression a deal could be reached eminently. what are you hearing? there are good signs, first the israeli delegation to discuss the final sticking points. officials involved in direct negotiations said talks were in a decisive and final stage. in addition, the israeli minister of defence said we have not been this close to an agreement compared to the agreement reached in november last year, so all of these are good signs. american presidentjoe biden set according to israeli sources he will not stop until all

hostages are returned to their homes. that is good but on the other side, the talks about reaching a deal did not work out especially mid—october, talking about a short—term deal but hamas refused because there is a huge gap between them. hamas once the withdrawal of israeli forces and israel refusing that and mr netanyahu said several times doesn't mean a stop of fighting. the israeli minister of defence said on x what is happening in gaza would be under israeli security, means a situation like the west bank. in addition, hamas, according to israeli sources, reputed thousands of new fighters which means talks about iran weekend, hezbollah out of the equation and how must make is still recruiting and insisting it will go to the north according to the plan and

announced —— announced by president biden last may. all of that has put doubts about reaching a deal. let's get some of the day's other news now. the kremlin has called the assassination of a russian general in moscow an act of terrorism and vowed to take revenge. lieutenant general igor kirillov was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside a building in an attack claimed by ukraine. north korean forces fighting alongside russian troops have suffered "several hundred" casualties, according to a us military official. it's the first significant estimate of north korean losses since pyongyang committed troops to support russia in its ongoing war against ukraine. australia is flying in emergency medical and search and rescue teams to vanuatu following the powerful earthquake that struck the pacific island nation on tuesday. at least 1a people are known to have been killed, and hundreds have been injured.

concerns are mounting that the cyclone that hit the french indian ocean island of mayotte has caused great loss of life. a surgeon said the emergency department at his hospital had seen worryingly few patients, given the scale of the destruction. there are reports that many people had disappeared in shanty towns where thousands of illegal immigrants lived. many homes were flattened by winds and mudslides. i am nowjoined by soe hitcho, a journalist for the local newspaper le quotidien de la reunion in the reunion islands, which like mayotte is also a part of the french department. can you tell us what you have been finding?— been finding? high, silly. it has been — been finding? high, silly. it has been difficult _ been finding? high, silly. it has been difficult to - been finding? high, silly. it has been difficult to be - been finding? high, silly. it

has been difficult to be in l has been difficult to be in contact with people because probably 80% of phone lines are down. it is quite difficult to know how many victims and make have been. we do have an official number which is 22 yesterday that have died that hourin yesterday that have died that hour in one of the hospital morgue is, but we believe those people perhaps died in hospital from illnesses, maybe from the cyclone, but most people are still in the debris. a lot of been buried because culturally you are supposed to bury people quite quickly. it will be hard to know but we do think there are hundreds or thousands of people that have lost their lives in mayotte. it people that have lost their lives in mayotte.— lives in mayotte. it will be very hard _ lives in mayotte. it will be very hard to _ lives in mayotte. it will be very hard to establish - lives in mayotte. it will be very hard to establish the | very hard to establish the actual numbers because of the thousands of illegal immigrants that lived there.— that lived there. exactly. the ma'or that lived there. exactly. the

major problem _ that lived there. exactly. the major problem with - that lived there. exactly. the major problem with the - that lived there. exactly. the | major problem with the slums that have been there for years, a lot of people in the slums were forced out of them last year. it was a political... fringe political decision to try and get people out without being able to place them elsewhere, so what happened is some people got out, but all they did was build their homes again a little higher up on the mountain, and it is those people that have been the first victims of the cyclone. the issue now is they have nothing, no food, no water, no hygiene, but they have no choice but to build again. i but they have no choice but to build again-— but they have no choice but to build again. i was going to ask ou what build again. i was going to ask you what you _ build again. i was going to ask you what you are _ build again. i was going to ask you what you are hearing - build again. i was going to ask| you what you are hearing about aid getting into mayotte in terms of those who have survived. we have been hearing reports that have been going days without water, without

food. what aid is able to get in and what are you hearing? 1ng in and what are you hearing? as of in and what are you hearing? sis of yesterday, in and what are you hearing? e1 of yesterday, both in and what are you hearing? 11 of yesterday, both and planes have left reunion island with tons of food and water. there is also a lot of medical equipment going out to help them. we also have come on the other hand, sick people coming into reunion. we have asked to take into hundred and 80 people, so there is an exchange between the two islands. we are doing what we can to get what we can over there and that is all we can do for now, as the french government is sending government is sending people in to try and save some french government is sending people in to try and save some people, try and find the people, try and find the bodies, and all we can do is bodies, and all we can do is give food and water and medical give food and water and medical supplies. there is quite a risk supplies. there is quite a risk now half dengue fever and other now half dengue fever and other conditions that will arrive conditions that will arrive because of the lack of hygiene because of the lack of hygiene because of the lack of hygiene because of the lack of hygiene

because of the cyclone. also because of the cyclone. also because it is the rainy season, because of the cyclone. also because of the cyclone. also because it is the rainy season, there will be other cyclones there will be other cyclones probably. any other bodies that probably. any bodies that have not been very properly probably. any other bodies that have not been very properly might come back up, so there is might come back up, so there is a very worrying sanitary tuition that will arise. soe a hitcho, thank _ tuition that will arise. soe hitcho, thank _ tuition that will arise. soe hitcho, thank you - tuition that will arise. soe hitcho, thank you so - tuition that will arise. soe hitcho, thank you so much, a journalist with a newspaper in the view reunion islands. ——in journalist with a newspaper in the view reunion islands. ——in the view reunion islands. ——in the view reunion islands. ——in the reunion islands. the reunion islands. around the world and across the uk, around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. this is bbc news.

nigel farage has been in florida meeting with the world's richest man, elon musk, at donald trump's mar—a—lago resort. reform uk says the hour—long meeting, which also included the party's new treasurer, nick candy, happened yesterday.

$270 million of his own money that that was the amount

disclosed that we know about know about disclosed that we know about and then inserting himself into and then inserting himself into the presidential campaign, not the presidential campaign, not just being a passive donor like just being a passive donor like many of the major donors we many of 1535 00:1 have here. he was very active, going to rallies, active in working on how they would do this ground game you were just talking about. just this ground game you were 'ust talking abouti talking about. just to be clear- -- _ talking about. just to be clear... go _ talking about. just to be clear... go on... - talking about. just to be - clear... go on... continue... and now he has such an active role now in the administration, the coming administration, spending a lot of time at mar—a—lago being set up with the department of government efficiency. in the department of government efficien . , ., efficiency. in terms of the uk, the way it _ efficiency. in terms of the uk, the way it currently _ efficiency. in terms of the uk, the way it currently works - efficiency. in terms of the uk, the way it currently works is l the way it currently works is money can be given by political parties from uk registered companies, so that would be the avenue or mechanism elon musk would have to use to donate to

reform uk. �* his own money