Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

The Turkish Military says it has captured the sister of abu bakr al baghdadi, leader of the Extremist Group the so called Islamic State, who died in an american raid in north west syria a week ago. Turkish Officials Say they are interrogating her, along with her husband and daughter in law, detained with her. With more, here is michael pregent, senior fellow from the Hudson Institute and a former intelligence officer. There are not a lot of details, but what is important is where she was captured, in the town of azaz. And this is a smuggling route for isis women since isis took the town in september of 2013. So there was known intelligence, known information, that there were isis families in that area, and it was also under the control of Turkish Forces it is now under the control of Turkish Forces. It shows that this is a place that isis has been very comfortable with since 2013. It will be interesting to find out what the turkish officials can glean from the capture of documents with her. Therell also be interrogations of her and herfamily members. Shes the 65 year old sister of abu bakr al baghdadi. She would know wed be able to ask her how often did you see baghdadi, how long has it been since youve seen him . And hopefully we can get american intelligence agents in to ask questions. I dont think she would know of any imminent attack plans, but she might know smuggling routes, people that baghdadi trusted, networks in iraq that helped herfacilitate her own travel and her familys travel. So this should be able to give Us Intelligence and other allied Intelligence Officers a view into the isis networks and how they moved family members, how they travelled, and who they trusted. But im not sure shes going to be able to tell us whether or not theres an imminent attack that was planned, but we should still ask the questions. Millions of people in the indian capital are still being urged to stay indoors because of toxic smog, and state governments have been accused of failing to take action to tackle delhis air pollution. Judges in the Supreme Court said authorities were interested only in gimmicks, rather than concrete measures. This from our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan. So our pollution meter has a reading of around 300 right now. Now, that is way lower than it was in the last 2a hours or so, but it is still staggeringly high, way above what is considered safe according to the world health organization. Now, as delhi continues to be in a state of Public Health emergency, the government here is trying to mitigate some of the high levels of pollution. It introduced on monday what is known as its odd even scheme. Now, that means that cars with an even licence plate can only drive on even dates, and the same for odd licence plates on odd days. The aim of that is to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads, and therefore the emissions. Now, it isntjust vehicle emissions that contribute to these extraordinary levels of pollution. It is also unchecked pollution from industries and factories, but also crucially right now, farmers in nearby states burning crop stubble, which is contributing to those overall emissions. Just to put this all into context, i was talking to a doctor earlier today who said that every breath you take in delhi amounts to breathing in poison. Democrat members of the us congress have moved their impeachment inquiry into the next phase, releasing to the public transcripts from interviews held behind closed doors. The transcripts show former diplomats believed president trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was in effect running a shadow Foreign Policy on ukraine. The former Us Ambassador to ukraine told the inquiry she had been advised to tweet remarks praising the president , to save herjob. Lets speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes. Peter, is quite a lot going on. Just bring us up to date. Peter, is quite a lot going on. Just bring us uptodate. Well, the envoy that we are talking about, she in fa ct that we are talking about, she in fact returned to the United States in may, earlier than herjob had been planned to end, and she was mentioned by the president in that now famous phone call that he made with the president of ukraine. And in his comments he effectively disparaged her. He said that she was bad news, and he made a rather cryptic comment that she was going to go through some things. Now, its not entirely clear what he meant by this, and she didnt know either, but she was concerned by what he had said, indeed, worried by that. And quite separately, she said she had been tipped off by a ukrainian official that she should watch her back. And the backdrop to this is that Rudy Giuliani is said by her to have been carrying out essentially this shadow Foreign Policy towards ukraine, and had been working, you could say also, to disparage her name. And, it is alleged, to benefit mrtrump name. And, it is alleged, to benefit mr trump domestically, politically, in next years election. Peter, much of this, of course, has come out through lea ks already. Of this, of course, has come out through leaks already. What is not yet public, and we still dont know whether it ever will be, is the president s tax returns. There is a development there. Well, yes. An appeal court has ordered that the president has to hand over his tax returns. And of course, this is a long running saga with the president , ever since the Election Campaign of 2016, when most president ial candidates historically do reveal their taxes. President trump has always refused to do that. There has been a legal battle ever since, and now we have another court saying that he must do that. So it seems that, i am sure the president s lawyers will be looking at ways to continue to fight this, but it looks like we could be on the verge of seeing those tax returns. Peter, thank you very much for that. Lets get some of the days other news the Trump Administration has formally notified the United Nations that it intends to withdraw the us from the paris Climate Change agreement. It is the first formal step in a process that will take a year to effect. The Paris Agreement commits nearly 200 nations to reducing greenhouse emissions. It was signed by barack 0bama four years ago. Chinas president , xijinping, says he has a high degree of trust in hong kongs embattled leader, carrie lam, after the two met in shanghai. There were reports that beijing planned to replace her following months of Anti Government protests. In a statement on chinas state news agency, xinhua, president xi said ending violence and restoring order remained the most important task. Tens of thousands of people in chile have gathered in the capital, santiago, under the slogan, this is not over. The so called super monday protest kicked off a third week of Anti Government protests triggered by the high cost of living and the austerity policies of president pinera. Demonstrators want him to resign and the constitution reformed. In australia they call it the race that stops a nation, but much of the attention on this years melbourne cup will be for all the wrong reasons. The annual horse race, due to start in a few hours, is mired in an animal abuse scandal that has shocked many. Live now to canberra and to dr bidda jones, acting head of rspca australia. Doctorjones, good to talk to you. Thank you for your time. Just tell us thank you for your time. Just tell us exactly what is going on here. So australians are reeling from an expose that came out a couple of weeks ago that showed appalling treatment of ex racehorses at an abattoir in queensland. It was exposed on an Abc Programme here, and just the amount of outrage that has come from the australian public, that horses that are worth so much money to their owners, in an industry where they talk about treating horses like kings, could end up as horsemeat, and that could end up as horsemeat, and that could end up as horsemeat, and that could end up at an abattoir that had such appalling practices, is just. End up at an abattoir that had such appalling practices, isjust. It has really left a sour taste in the mouth of many people who would normally be celebrating today at the melbourne cup. I guess this may not be such a surprise to people who know much about the horseracing world. Do you think it will much impact . It should have an impact. I think many of us who have worked in Animal Welfare have known for a long time that there are potentially thousands of forces exiting racing that might end up in an abattoir. I think what shocked us the most was that the standards at that particular abattoir were so bad, they are being investigated. But it is something the industry really has to acknowledge that they have got responsibility, when we are talking about a multibillion dollar industry here. They have got a responsibility to ensure the welfare of horses once they have left racing, as well as while they are in the racing industry. And the fact that it is centred on the melbourne cup not be significant. I think it is certainly australias biggest race, it is certainly the register two mile handicap in the world, isnt it . Certainly the register two mile handicap in the world, isnt mm is, so there are 26 runners in the race today. Unfortunately the cup itself has been mired in tragedy in the last few years as well. 0ut itself has been mired in tragedy in the last few years as well. Out of the last few years as well. Out of the past six years we have had five horses associated with the carnival itself have had to be killed either on the track or after running. It is really a n on the track or after running. It is really an industry thats got to face up now to the fact that Animal Welfare is clearly something australians care about, and the racing industry has got to do a lot better. Doctorjones, thank you very much. Thank you. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come the Digital Tools reaching key voters. Just how powerful are they . The israeli Prime Minister, yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. A 27 year old jewish man has been arrested, and an extremistjewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the killing. At polling booths throughout the country, they voted on a historic day for australia. As the results came in, it was clear. The monarchy would survive. Of the american hostages, there was no sign. They are being held somewhere inside the compound, and student leaders have threatened that should the americans attempt rescue, they will all die. This mission has surpassed all expectations. Voyageri is now the most distant man made object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals. This is bbc news. The latest headlines turkey says it has captured the sister of abu bakr al baghdadi, the former Islamic State group leader, who died during an american raid last month. Indias Supreme Court has announced a series of measures to combat the toxic smog causing a Public Health emergency in delhi. British mps have elected a new speaker of the house of commons to replace the high profile former holder of the post, john bercow. The new speaker is sir lindsay hoyle, who has served as Deputy Speaker for nearly ten years. Hes regarded as a safe pair of hands and likely to be less controversial than his charismatic predecessor. After being dragged to the speakers chair, as tradition dictates, sir lindsay promised to be neutral and transparent and said the house of commons would change for the better. Parliament is going to be dissolved this week ahead of a general election on 12 december. All Political Parties have stepped up their campaigns on social media in recent days. Political advertising on platforms such as facebook has been the source of great controversy in the past few years, with concerns about personal data falling into the wrong hands. But, as our media editor amol rajan reports, that hasnt stopped campaigners looking to Digital Channels as a powerful tool to reach voters. Election campaigns are ultimately a branch of the marketing industry. In the 21st century, that means theyve shifted online. This weekend saw a significant escalation of political ads in our facebook and other social media feeds. But tactics varied across the parties. Conservatives focused on brexit and targeted marginal constituencies such as colne valley with the message thatjust a few hundred votes could be decisive. Labour looked to policy beyond brexit, with an nhs add that linked to a guardian article. The lib dems tweaked their attack ad againstjeremy corbyn for different audiences. 0ne claimed he was a brexiteer at heart, another questioned his leadership credentials. But how exactly do digital marketers, political and otherwise, target us . The industry is seeing exponential growth. This british firm doesnt work for Political Parties, but helps brands reach their target audience. Every single action that people take online, almost, is tracked as a data point that we can use to inform our targeting. And thats whether theyve taken a certain amount of time dwelling on a page, whether theyve expressed an interest in something, joined a group, almost purchased something but not purchased something, purchased something. Every single one of these is a signal. So how narrowly can you focus your target . You will be blown away by how specific we can be in terms of targeting individual people. We could, for example, within newcastle under lyme, choose a nurse whos recently qualified, within a certain income bracket, whos interested in fitness and wellness, and then under behaviours, has recently returned from travel within the last one or two weeks. Thats how specific we can get. What, then, is the appeal of social media to political campaigns . First, its very quick. Its also a cheap medium. You can pay sometimes as little as £100 to reach thousands of swing voters. The other reason, of course, is that youre allowed to advertise. British Political Parties are not allowed to advertise on tv or on radio, unlike their counterparts in america. This is the age of data. All around us is an infinite swirl of personal information, which you and i add to every time we browse, swipe, like or click. And, farfrom the madding crowd, political marketers, mavericks and miscreants are plundering those innocent digital ticks to capture our attention and persuade us to give them a hearing and a vote. Recent plebiscites show campaigners tend to save most of their digital budgets for the climax ofa campaign. The best, and the worst, is yet to come. Amol rajan, bbc news. Spain goes to the polls this weekend for the second general election of the year. The country is increasingly divided and the issue of Catalan Independence continues to dominate politics. In barcelona on monday, as politicians took part in a televised debate, demonstrators burnt images of spains king, who was visiting regions capital. Gareth barlow has more details as they burned his image, demonstrators chatted, catalonia has no king. The separatist protesters are not afraid to make their views known or heard. Translation are not afraid to make their views known or heard. Translationzlj are not afraid to make their views known or heard. Translation i live ina known or heard. Translation i live in a republic, not on monarchy. I dont agree with a foreign king coming to barcelona, even less now that the catalans are suffering. Inside the venue, king felipe called on catalans, many of whom seek independence for the region, to put aside violence and seek a new reality. Translation a reality in which there can be no place for violence, intolerance, and the disregard for the rights and freedoms of others. Spain has become increasingly divided, especially after catalonian s catalonias thwarted independence attempt in 2017. This weekend, the country will hold its second general election of the year, its fourth in four years. On monday night, comedy candidates are vying to become Prime Minister clashed over how to handle catalonias independence drive. The leader of the far right party labelling the regions desire to break away as a permanent coup detat. Whether called a coup detat 01 detat. Whether called a coup detat oran detat. Whether called a coup detat or an independence campaign, the question over catalonias future continues to fuel passions and divide spain. A Major Investigation in canada has found high levels of lead in Drinking Water. Hundreds of journalists and University Researchers spent a year studying 12,000 samples from cities across the country. They found that a third of those samples exceeded the National Safety guidelines. Bruce lanphear is a leading canadian water safety researcher and professor of childrens Environmental Health and hejoins me now from burnaby. We tend to think, i guess, of canada asa we tend to think, i guess, of canada as a country that cares more than most about its environment, but this isa most about its environment, but this is a big sample. Is there any doubt about the results . No, they are pretty solid. One of the challenges is that the way samples are collected is not consistent. Different cities measure it differently, but when you put it all together it still sells a shocking story. Why is lead in Drinking Water such a problem, and where do you think it is coming from . It is mostly coming from the lead surface lines, the lead solder, some brass fixtures, collectively it comes from all those, but mostly lead surface lines. We have just all those, but mostly lead surface lines. We havejust taken all those, but mostly lead surface lines. We have just taken our eyes off it. We have dismissed it, we havent funded Public Health as we should, havent paid to the infrastructure. Lots of people might be thinking of flint, michigan. How does the problem compare . There are a number of cities that look at least as bad as flint. It is a little ha rd to least as bad as flint. It is a little hard to compare directly because of the way samples are collected, but there are some fairly striking results that should shock most canadians. Do you have any idea from this how long people may have been exposed to such high levels of lead, and what the impact of that may have been . Right, well, we have to keep in mind that levels have been coming down not only in canada but in north america, britain, over the past three or four decades. But these levels of exposure, we expect, have been constant. What happens with chronic exposure when a pregnant woman is exposed, she is more likely to give birth to soon, when Young Children are exposed, they are brain doesnt develop the way it should, they have cognitive disabilities and an increased risk of adhd. For adults, disabilities and an increased risk of adhd. Foradults, it disabilities and an increased risk of adhd. For adults, it increases the risk of hypertension and c0 10 nary the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease. These are chronic exposures. It is like smoking. It doesnt take you out immediately, but over years and decades it increases the risk of these types of problems, and ultimately premature death. So what do you think can be done, both in terms of what people can do within their homes and what the authorities should be doing . Right, well, there isa should be doing . Right, well, there is a short Term Solution and the long Term Solution. In the short term, especially for the highest risk homes, we need to get in there with filters and reduce the exposure soon. Corrosion control, to bring down the levels that are being leached out of the lead surface lines. And in the long term, the ultimate solution is to remove the lead surface lines, but that will ta ke lead surface lines, but that will take some time, years. Professor, very interesting to talk to you. Thank you very much. The last of a leader of the soviet union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has warned that tension between russia and the us is putting the world in colossal danger because of the threat of Nuclear Weapons. He spoke with Steve Rosenberg to mike that years since the fall of the berlin wall. Mark 30 years. At the age of 88, Mikhail Gorbachev rarely goes on camera. Iam i am slowing down, he tells me. I can barely stand up. But the man who helped end the cold war has decided to speak out, fearing his legacy is under threat. And one of his greatest achievements was ending the arms race between the soviet union and america. His diplomatic double act with Ronald Reagan slashed the two superpowers nuclear arsenals. But the arms race has reignited. There is new tension and fierce rivalry between moscow and fierce rivalry between moscow and the west. How dangerous do you think the current confrontation is between russia and the west . Translation as long as weapons of mass destruction exist, Nuclear Weapons, the danger is colossal. All nations should declare, all nations, Nuclear Weapons must be destroyed. To save ourselves and our planet. Mikhail gorbachev says that preventing war became his priority when the soviet public began sharing their fears of conflict. In the past, we used to talk about the cold war. How would you describe the cold war. How would you describe the current stand off between russia and the west . Translation chilly, but still a war look at what is happening. In different places there are skirmishes, there is shooting. Ships and aircraft have been sent here, there and everywhere. This is a situation we dont need. It was gorbachevs reforms at home that inspired millions across Eastern Europe to rise up against communism. He did nothing to stop it. But 30 yea rs he did nothing to stop it. But 30 years ago, how did he react when the berlin wall fell . And east and west germany were set to reunite . Translation there mustnt be bloodshed. We couldnt allow that. For an issue of such magnitude, germany, the whole world. From iron curtains to iron ladies. He famously hit it off with margaret thatcher. But does gorbachev make of brexit . You can figure that one out yourselves you british are clever clogs. I wont give you advice. You decide. So, not only a president but a true diplomat. Lets just bring you up to date with this from the us. The fbi saying it has arrested aces a suspected white supremacist who was allegedly planning to bomb a synagogue in colorado. He is 27 and was eventually going to target the states second oldest synagogue with pipe bombs. The suspect was posed approached by undercover agents posing as white supremacist. He was reportedly going to detonate the devices at the place of work worship. And the Turkish Military says it has captured the older sister of abu bakr al baghdadi, the leader of the so called Islamic State group who died in an American Special forces rate in state group who died in an American Specialforces rate in north east syria one week ago. She was detained ina syria one week ago. She was detained in a town in the turkish controlled area of northern syria. She had been living there with her husband and other members of their family. We are told they are all now being interrogated. Hello there. Its been a pretty unsettled start to november. Weve seen quite a bit of rainfall in places. However, over the next few days what well notice is a change in temperature. Its going to turn much cooler with those winds starting to come down from the north, right from the arctic. And there will also be further rain at times through the week. Now, early on tuesday, we start off with quite a bit of cloud across england and wales, most of the showers across the north east corner. Turning dry with clear spells across western scotland and northern ireland, so will be quite chilly here. But further south and east, where we also have lighter winds, we will see temperatures around 7 or 8 degrees and there could be a few mist and fog patches around to start tuesday. Our area of low pressure will be retreating south eastwards into the near continent, allowing those winds to come down from the north. Well see isobars fairly close together so itll be breezy across northern and western areas. You can see that arctic air, the blue colour, seeping southwards gradually, sitting noticeable across the northern half of the country during the day. So tuesday morning, we start off with drier weather across scotland and northern ireland. Itll stay rather cloudy across central and eastern parts of england, a few showers around. But itll also be quite windy as well across the north and the west. As i mentioned earlier, with those isobars close together, single figure values in the north, just about double figures in the south, 10 12 degrees. Through tuesday night, well start to see those clear skies pushing their way southwards and eastwards with most of the showers dying out. Those temperatures will fall away, certainly a chilly night to come across northern and western areas, temperatures in towns and cities hovering around freezing to 2 degrees. A chilly start to wednesday. There will be some frost around. A little bit of mist and fog too. Looking out west, weve got the next weather system which will be working its way in through wednesday. That will introduce thicker cloud and more outbreaks of rain. But we start off on a chilly note with some frost and sunshine across central and eastern areas. Any mist and fog will clear away through the morning, then well start to see the thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain pushing into western areas. Meanwhile, the sunshine across eastern areas will turn this is bbc news. The headlines turkey says it has captured the sister of the former Islamic State group leader abu bakr al baghdadi, who died during an american raid last month. The arrest is being called an intelligence gold mine. Indias top court has announced a series of measures intended to address the toxic smog which is causing a Public Health emergency in delhi. It ordered Regional State governments to prevent power cuts until further notice, to limit the use of diesel generators. The us impeachment inquiry has moved into the next phase, releasing public transcripts from key interviews held behind closed doors. A federal court has also ruled that president trumps tax returns can be turned over to new york prosecutors