>> this is "dw news." britain's prime minister vies for his political life. boris johnson tells parliament he welcomes an investigation as public anger grows. also coming up, the leaders of germany and france joined forces, calling on russia to de-escalate tensions with ukraine. the to say they will continue to pursue dialogue with russia but

there will be a high price to pay if there is an attack on ukraine. joe biden and hot water after a hot might miss out. the u.s. president is overheard insulting a fox news reporter. we'll get the details from our reporter in washington. and a small victory for human rights activists at the -- but where is peng shuai? it's good to have you with us. in the u.k., all eyes are prime minister boris johnson. police are investigating allegations that parties were held at downing street that breached covid-19 lockdown restrictions. johnson now faces perhaps the biggest crisis of his leadership calls for his resignation growing louder by the day. >> boris johnson is under fire

again for attending his own birthday party in downing street in june 2020. london's metropolitan police have now launched an inquiry into a series of possible lockdown breaches at boris johnson's office and residence. >> i welcome the decision to take an investigation because i believe this will help bring the public the clarity needs. >> at the time, covered restrictions did not allow more than two people to meet indoors. a series of leaks suggest that a string of illegal social gatherings took place at downing street. this particular one was a surprise thrown by his wife and attended by several others. >> the report is that 30 people gathered, that his wife was there interior designer was there as well. if it was my birth day, and my wife and interio diner rocked

up at work and there was birthday cake and a celebration, it breaches the rules. >> as the investigation looms, calls for johnson to resign or increasing across the political spectrum. >> i think the public have made their minds up. i think public opinion has already concluded that he broke the rules that he made and he hasn't told the truth about it. that means he hasn't got the authority to lead the country when we are in the middle of huge challenges. above all, he has to go for the good of the country. johnson may still sound bullish, but if enough conservative mps decide their leader has gone too far, the prime minister could be forced to resign. our london correspondent is covering the latest on the story for us. the findings of an internal

inquiry could be released as soon as this evening or tomorrow. it's not yet clear, but will they be made public? >> this is absolutely an evolving situation this evening. to clarify, there are these two investigations now going on. we had a hammer blow announcement that the police will be investigating a number of alleged gatherings, and then of course there's the rort you were talking about which has been running for several weeks. earlier we had understood that due to this police report, the internal rort would be pushed back for a while. it appears now that isn't the ca. there are reports emerging that it could be handed to number 10 on as this evening or perhaps tomorrow mning. if that is the case, the prime minister h promised to address it in the house of commons as soon as those findings are

reased, seing the stage for a potentially explosive day tomorrow. the question, will it all be made public, is something that is still apparently being discussed at the moment, according to the latest statement. but of course there's going to be a huge amount of public pressure a pressure from the opposition for all of the details of that internal report to be released. sumi: this is a scandal that has sparked quite the outcry in the u.k. let's listen to what some people on the streets of london have had to say about it. >> there's been controversy so far that hasn't kicked him out of office. >> it's just one thing after another, really. >> to be honest, it's like you say, if you broke the rules, you've got to go. the apology the other day,

that's like insulting our intelligence. he's got to go, he broke the rules. >> not a lot of support for boris johnson. what are the prime minister's chances for survival at this point? >> as we heard in th report a short time ago,he prime minister said welcome to the announcement of the police investigation. he said it would draw a line under it. you heard there from members of the public. there's an enormous amount of anger with allegation after allegation of essentially the people who make the rules not following the rules themselves. it won't be the public deciding the prime minister's future. he has the option to resign but he h so fa absutely thrown out the question of signing. so the real question now is will his own members of parliament in the conservative party turn on him?

that is very much the debate at the moment. will enough members of his own party dece they don't? have enough confidence ihim? of course the longer this drags on the more damaging it is for the party. many sm to be waiting for the outcome of the inquirythe sioux right inquiry before decidi on the prime ministers future. if it is indeed released tomorrow, we could see perhaps some mps making a decision on the prime minister's future. sumi: taking a look at the bigger picture, how significant is it that the police are investigating a sitting prime minister? charlotte: of course it is extremely significant and hugely damaging for the prime minister. if it appea that not enough information was found to be submitted to the poce to run wh is a criminal investigation, that of course is very uncomfortable f the pri minister and thethers that will be investigated as part of this.

the conseences are likely to be more than fines, those were the consequences to those found to have broken cov restrictions during the lockdown, but of course this is another nail in the cfin of the prime minister and his officials, who a accused of holding gathering after gathering when others were under lockdown rules. sumi: our correspondent charlotte in london, good to talk to you. the leaders of germany and france have met in berlin to coordinate the response to tensions between russia and ukraine. they committed to doing everything possible to resolve the situation through diplomacy. but they also renewed warnings to moscow that it will pay a high price if it attacks ukraine. meanwhile, western nations have put troops on alert and stepped up arms deliveries to ukraine. >> and eagerly awaited arrival at kyiv airport, military

equipment to shore up ukraine as it braces for a possible invasion. it's a third shipment, but it's not enough to resist a bigger and better equipped army, government officials say. please help us to convince the german government to be more proactive. we urgently need defensive weapons. we are alone. we are not in nato. nobody will send us troops, not even the americans. we have to defend ourselves. but germany's new government has not answered the calls. at a meeting with french president emmanuel macron in berlin, the chancellor once again ruled out sending heavy weapons to kyiv. there are reasons for this, which stem from developments over the past years and decades. nevertheless, we have of course done a lot to actively support economic development and the development of democracy in

ukraine with the financial possibilities and international responsibilities that we have. that's why ukraine knows that it can rely on germany to a large extent. an approach that has earned berlin heavy criticism from some bits eastern european partners and from kyiv itself. while representatives prepare to meet on wednesday to seek a democratic solution, some ukrainians are preparing for the worse. on the outskirts of their capital, the civilian volunteers are undergoing military training to defend their country on their own, if need be. sumi: now to some other stories making news around the world. the last avenue talks between a taliban delegation and western diplomats is underway in oslo. tuesday's meetings include nongovernmental organizations and are focusing largely on the minutes hearing aid and greater inclusivity. aid groups represent -- satan

nearly 9 million people are on the brink of starvation. pfizer and biontech are launching a clinical trial to do -- to test a new shot to evaluate its safety and effectiveness. it comes among growi evidence that the current vaccination weighs more heavily against omicron. nearly two dozen sailors on an australian military ship delivering eight have tested positive for covid-19. australia is working with tongan authorities to keep the ship at sea. tonga has so far avoided any covid outbreaks. hundreds of people have marched through burkina faso's capital in a show support. it ousted its president monday after widespread protests against its government.

is the latest in a series of coups in west africa in recent weeks. >> taking it to the streets. jubilation and relief that now after years of islam as terror attacks, something will be done. >> we are very, very happy because the parking army has taken its responsibility. -- the burkina army has taken responsibility. they have assumed responsibility and we are proud of them. the military announced the coot live on television, saying that taken the former president into custody. they also posted but they set is a letter of resignation. his whereabouts are unknown. his government had struggled to respond to years of islamist attacks such as the incident last november in which 49 police officers were killed. the coup has been condemned

widely outside of burkina faso. the u.s. and you and have call for civilian leadership to be restored. the group of neighboring west african countries has also condemned it, but many here want to turn away from their neighbors and their western backers. the group's with the western countries, but the people of burkina faso do not agree with him. we want them to leave us alone and let us live with dignity, with our valiant soldiers who have brought us out of the bad times. we strongly support russia would call on it to engage with our new government to define a new strategic plan for securing the region. enough is enough, too many deaths, too many refugees. while celebrations continue, or kina faso's neighbor say they

will hold an emergency summit in the coming days to decide on their response. sumi: we can speak to our west africa correspondent who has followed the story from nigeria for us. did see people there celebrating in the streets. does that reflect sentiments of the majority of people in burkina faso? reporter: absolutely. what we saw today, we've seen a lot of people coming out and celebrating as it is happened. it's the fifth largest city in burkina faso. essentially were seeing people are happy because they're saying , they've been asking the now deposed president to lead because he's not able to take care of the security situation, but he has refused. but now the military have done

that, so they are happy. it echoes the sentiment of satisfaction and happiness for the people of burkina faso. we've seen from the junta so far, saying they want to reestablish constitutional order in reasonable time? how reasonable is that? reporter: what is more concerning is the fact that they didn't give a timeframe. if you quickly go to what has happened in mali, you have to remember, they want to return to democracy within a reasonable timeframe. the fact that they are holding onto power and pushing it back to 2025, we are not certain that is what will definitely happen and how soon it's going to happen. we can only hope, but historically following how coups have happened and power by

military in the past, this region of west africa in particular, you don't relinquish power as soon as they say. so we cannot say 100% that that is going to be the case for working at basso precisely. sumi: we also don't know much about what's happening to the prime minister and other senior officials. what can you tell us about their whereabouts? reporter: we've not been able to see him say anything else or speak to the nation apart from what we saw yesterday. nothing has been heard about his whereabouts and those -- however, friends president macron has said there have been talks that the now deposed president is in good health. saying that those they have

taken are in safe condition and in good health. that means that not put them in any harm, so to speak. maybe sometime the whereabouts will be now and then he will be able to address the nation, now that he is deposed. sumi: and i want to ask quickly about the international response, does it have any effect on the junta? reporter: over time, most people in the region will say, it's almost like not as fair when it comes to these sort of things in tis of action. however, we do know that typically after condemning it, if they do continue and don't do what they say, they're likely to sanction them. we've seen from the clips that were played earlier, people are saying we are ok ourselves. so it may not really have any

strong effect. sumi: i west african correspondent reporting for us there. thank you very much. to the u.s. now, where president joe biden is feeling the heat from rising inflation, and it seems to have shorten his temper. biden sarcastically lashed out at a news reporter who asked if rising prices were a political problem for him. pres. biden: what a stupid son of a -- sumi: let's go right to our washington bureau chief for more on the story. president biden has been known in the past to be prone to outbursts and gaffes, but this remark has sparked a lot of controversy. tell us more what has been happening. reporter: biden as you just said has had such things in his career, but after that

disastrous press conference last week and now getting caught on a hot might, some raise the question if he is still fit for office, especially given the immense stress he is under, not only domestically, but also internationally with the pending ukraine conflict. america definitely needs a fit commander-in-chief. sumi: what do you think about how this outbursts looks particularly for his presidency right now? reporter: we are watching a presidency that is having an extremely difficult time finding its footing. attempting the balancing act of dealing with the political realities stateside and deal with these trendous challenges across the atlantic. so it seems basically each day president biden has to put out fires in places they did not expect to see. russia, afghanistan, and an

unstable economy is really putting his administration through the ringer. sumi: inflation is such a hot button issue in the u.s. right now. with his approval rating suffering and the democrats struggling to get anything past, how do things look for the midterms coming up in november? reporter: historically, the party in charge always loses its power after the midterms, but this time, the democrats are expected to lose not just the majority in the senate, but even in the house. that essentially leaves the president in a powerless position to govern, and on top of that, you just mentioned the divide between the progressives and the moderates of his own party is also much bigger than he and others expected. so when the midterms come later in november this year, it will be very difficult for the democrats to ask the americans to put them back in charge when

they believe nothing has been passed because of the internal fighting within the democratic party. sumi: our washington bureau chief, thank you so much. to the australian open where a player not even in the tournament is in the spotlight. chinese star punctuate you social media to accuse a communist party official of sexually assaulting her last year. jack -- chinese star punctuate. her because has been picked up by those who have been told they could not wear t-shirts asking where is peng ahuai because they were political in >> nature. the organizers of the australian open now say the t-shirt can be worn in the grandstands. a turnaround after claiming the shirt was too political. activists earlier in the event

had walked the tournament grounds wearing a similar shirt, this woman was told to take it off. >> so what do you suggest she where? reporter: point made. then came the back lash. x champion martina navratilova called australia pathetic, saying the women's athletic association was apparently standing alone. the fringe doubles champion tweeted, what if the tournament did not have chinese sponsors? peng shuai accused a top chinese leader of sexual assault, then disappeared from public view for several weeks amid a global outcry of public concern for her safety. she emerged in still photos with the head of the international olympic committee who said she was fine, just ahead of the beijing winter olympics.

then she showed up at a couple of celebrity events in china. outside of the country, many believe she is not fine. and after the backlash at the australian open, the t-shirts have now been ruled ok by organizers. those wearing the shirts have big plans this week. >> hopefully people in mainland china will see thousands of people wearing those t-shirts at the australian open final, and they will know that she is still not safe they will know that people all across the world are still speaking up forpeng shuai . >> whether she knows it or not, she has plenty of fans who want to see her back on the tennis tour. sumi: why did australian open officials backtrack on the decision on these shirts? >> there was a boatload of pressure, with celebrities, government officials, as well as human rights official saying that what tennis oestreich was

doing could be considered unlawful and just adding to the pressure already on their backs. there is no hidden message in where is peng shuai? it is not a political issue, it's a human rights issue. think that has been issued, and the tennis australian minister has come out, one thing that led to part of the controversy as the banner was unfurled during a match. due to safety concerns, they say that will be allowed, as long as people are conducting themselves peacefully, then t-shirts will not be a problem. according from a source, decisions around what will and will not be allowed will be made on a case-by-case basis. sumi: martina navratilova said this is essentially giving into the chinese.

but there is a lot of tiny sponsorship of this event. so what impact does that have on any decisions made? >> in terms of the banner i mentioned, according to the activist, it was a response during a match. so a lot of chinese flags posted everywhere and they felt because they are concerned about her safety, she hasn't been heard of in months, they unfurled the banner and afterwards when security approached him and started having a conversation with them, the activists leaved that certain officials noticed the banner and the t-shirts as well and then alerted security, and security pretty much said the australian open that it was a political issue. obviously they have reversed the decision, but i think it is them trying to appease everyone. sponsorship means money, and money helps the machine, and everything else like that. it's nice to see that things have kind of calmed down and people can express their concern

for this chinese tennis star. sumi: the winter games in beijing are just around the corner. have -- has china responded to the controversy? >> they have raised over $50,000 with the gofundme page, and the plan is to hand out free t-shirts and bring more attention specifically to the women's final on saturday. i think maybe this could motivate some sort of response, because everyone wants to hear her speak freely to western media. the western tennis association believes they should be spoken to directly to make sure everything is aboveboard and she is clearly safe in that regard. i personally think maybe a big star in the final, if they showed wearing the shirt, it would obviously add fuel to the fire in that regard. in terms of the winter olympics starting february 4, i think the pandemic will cause that to be a bit different. chinese have already worn

foreign athletes anything -- any comments again chinese law could be punishable. that is a big concern, plus journalist will be confined in some sort of bubble and so forth. so i'm not sure if this will cause that boat to rock at all. but hopefully while the australian open is continuing, activists are joining this crusade to bring attention to peng shuai, because that's what the public wants. sumi: thanks for bringing us that story. thanks for watching dw. we'll be back in just a moment with "the day." stay tuned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ >> welcome to live from paris. world news and analysis from france 24. biden says he is prepared to level personal sanctions against putin if russia moves on ukraine. u.s. military hardware has arrived in kiev to shore up the army against any russian threat. we have the analysis to come. around 1000 people take to rally and support the military coup in burkina faso. most are in favor of