Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

In to look for survivors. The attack was timed to catch the morning rush hour in mogadishu. Many students had been heading to classes. Dozens were killed when the bomb exploded at a busy intersection in the somali capital. Attacks like this are not unusual here, but they are seldom so deadly. This man said the blast caught him as he was getting out of a minibus heading to work, his leg injured. Within minutes, emergency workers were at the scene. Somalia, plagued by violence for decades, is still wrestling with extremism. The countrys president quickly blamed the Islamist Militant Group al shabaab. Mohamed farmajo said their aim was to instil terror and to prevent the country from rebuilding. They will never succeed, he said. Al shabaab, linked to alqaeda, is still a threat in a country plagued by drought, feuding clans, and the aftermath of a terrible civil war. But the group has lost ground in recent years, targeted by American Drones and African Union troops. Todays devastating attack will fuel the fears that somalias Security Forces are too weak and divided to protect civilians in mogadishu and that foreign troops, who are supposed to be on their way out, will be needed here for many years to come. Andrew harding, bbc news. Us democratic president ial hopeful joe biden has tried to clarify comments in which he appeared to rule out testifying at Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Mr biden told reporters in iowa he had always complied with legitimate requests from congress in the past. But he insisted the trial should focus on President Trumps conduct. Anybody subpoenaed relating to this investigation of the president has to be able to have some knowledge to shared on weather or not he committed the offences he is accused of committing. I have no first hand knowledge. There is no basis to do. So my point was, they would be no basis upon which to call me as a witness. Joe biden. Our north america correspondent Chris Buckler explains how the former Vice President has been caught up in all this. In this impeachment trial, donald trump stands accused of abusing his power as president by trying to force ukraine into launching investigations into political rivals, including joe biden, and of also trying to obstruct congress and their investigation by ordering officials in the white house and other parts of the administration to ignore subpoenas, those are legal demands for information or for people to come and give testimony to congress. Now, that has been widely criticised by democrats but in a newspaper interview in the last couple of days, joe biden, who is one of the partys leading contenders to become the president ial candidate to challenge donald trump in 2020, he said that he would defy a subpoena if he was asked to testify during mr trumps forthcoming impeachment trial. Now, that has been widely criticised and has led to some allegations of hypocrisy. As a result, mr biden has now released a statement on twitter in which hes tried to clarify his remarks. He says he has always complied with legal orders and what he calls legitimate requests from congress but he said that there was no legal basis to order him to give testimony in this case. Now, republicans have suggested at times that they might try to turn this whole impeachment trial on its head and ask questions about the bidens. President trump, you might remember, has made unsubstantiated investigations of corruption regarding joe biden and his son hunter during business dealings in ukraine, they have strongly denied that and in a statement from joe biden, he said its important to recognise this impeachment process should focus on Donald Trumps conduct, and not his. You can get more on all the stories on our website. Just go bbc. Com news, or download the bbc news app. The government has apologised for inadvertently publishing online the addresses of a number of prominent people awarded new years honours. When the list was uploaded on a government website, the addresses were mistakenly included. 0ne expert has described the Data Security breach as stunningly bad. Katy austin reports. This new year honours will go to more than a thousand people, musicians like sir eltonjohn, sportspeople including ben stokes, politicians such as iain duncan smith, and former director of public prosecutions, alison saunders. There are also security, counter terror, and justice personnel, and chief constables. A list including their addresses was spotted online last night. Names, addresses, home addresses, in fact, and all of the awards. I mean, shocked and stunned, tried to get in touch. Left messages on the gov. Uk website and tried to get in touch with them via twitter but there was no one around and no response. Its thought list was Available Online for about an hour. A Cabinet Office spokesperson told the bbc according to the Cabinet Office, everybody affected is being contacted and its looking into how this has happened. Its reported the matter to the Information Commissioners Office and the ico is likely to assess whether theres been any breach of Data Protection legislation. They will be looking at the reasons and the factors that contributed to the excess information coming out this time. So theyll be looking at processes, theyll be looking at staff training, theyll be looking at the tools and the resources that staff had to do, have to use. The scale of possible data breach here is relatively small, but the notable people affected and the potential their security has been put at risk make this embarrassing for the government. Katy austin, bbc news. The lawyer representing the family of a british father and his two children who drowned in a Hotel Swimming Pool in spain says a more in depth investigation into their deaths is needed. The hotel has insisted the pool was working normally. Helena wilkinson reports. This is gabriel diya with his nine year old daughter, comfort. They both died, as did her brother, praise emmanuel. Mr diyas wife and the childrens mother, 0lubunmi diya, says all three could swim and suggested there was something wrong with the pool. Police say there was nothing wrong with it, but the family lawyer has questioned that. Translation if the Spanish Police can give us a possible cause for this tragic incident, we might do a parallel investigation with experts to find out what happened. Its very rare for three people to die in the centre of a swimming pool, especially in the case of a tall, hefty man. Earlier, the resort where the family was staying, issued a new statement, disputing mrs diyas claims. It said they were directly at odds with the findings of the Police Report and it makes clear, it said, that their exhaustive investigations have confirmed the pool was working normally and there was no malfunction of any kind. It was on Christmas Eve when the family all went to this pool. Mrs diya says her children went in by the steps, but found themselves dragged into the middle where it was deeper, her husband jumped in to help. Not long after all three were underwater. The police have described it as a tragic accident. But the familys suggestion of carrying out their own investigation shows just how dissatisfied they are. Helena wilkinson, bbc news. The family of a man who was shot dead in wandsworth, in south west london on Christmas Eve, say they are in a state of shock. Flamur beqiri was a 36 year old swedish national. Detectives are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward. No arrests have been made. Five people who were on their way to a Football Game have been killed after their plane crashed in lafayette in louisiana. One person from on board the plane survived and is being treated in hospital. The plane hit a car as it crashed, injuring the driver. Two more people on the ground were also hurt. Campaigners are calling for a radical overhaul of britains railways to try to improve travel. The Pressure Group campaign for better transport argues that there should be major fares reform, a Single National railcard, and more control of Services Given to major cities outside london. 0livia richwald has more. Tannoy the train to nottingham has been cancelled. Leeds station this morning where passengers faced delays and cancellations. Britains trains have been described as expensive, overcrowded and unreliable by the campaign for better transport. Today, the group is calling for a radical overhaul of the way the railways are run. It suggests that franchises should be scrapped and fares reformed, but it doesnt estimate how much that would cost. Before todays report, the government was already considering big changes. Within the next few weeks, the department for transport is expected to publish plans which it says will put passengers first and create a fairer and more effective system and that is something that people here in leeds think is overdue. There was a week about maybe two months ago where i got about 14 trains that week and every single one was delayed by about ten minutes or more. Every time we have ever been on a train it has either been cancelled or delayed or it is so busy. I mean, if its more effective to have it brought back into the council and they actually have control over whats going on, i think that probably could be quite good. You need the service but you cant guarantee it. And that is the biggest frustration for me personally. Another suggestion is handing more control of the railways to cities and regions, something which has been welcomed by the mayor of greater manchester. If we had more control we could integrate the trains with our trams, buses, we could make it a london style integrated transport system, and that is what a city like manchester needs if we are to go up to the next level. It cant be right that it costs much more to travel around manchester than it does to travel round london. Meanwhile, train fares are due to increase by an average of 2. 7 in just three days time. 0livia richwald, bbc news, leeds. Riot police have clashed with protesters inside a Major Shopping Centre near hong kongs border with mainland china. The Retail Outlet near the chinese city of shenzhen is popular with shoppers from the mainland. 0ur asia pacific regional editor Michael Bristow reports. In a few days, it will be a new year, but in hong kong its now an old story violent clashes between police and protesters. Plainclothes officers arrested just over a dozen activists at a Shopping Centre near hong kongs border with china. The protesters have been trying to disrupt trade that takes place with the mainland. Chinese shoppers travel to hong kong, buy Cheaper Products in bulk and then go back across the border to sell. Shops had to close their doors, trapping some customers inside. The police said they had been forced to act, but these pictures will do little to dispel the criticism that on occasions they use too much force. The man in the red shirt gets a full burst of pepper spray. Demonstrations, violence, arrests and injuries, its been the story of the last six months. There have been few concessions from the authorities, either in hong kong or beijing. It is difficult to imagine the pattern of this year not being repeated in the next. Michael bristow, bbc news. This is bbc news, the headlines at least 76 people are reported to have been killed by a car bomb during morning rush hour in somalias capital. The president has blamed al shabaab militants for the attack. The Cabinet Office has apologised after the home addresses of more than 1,000 recipients of new years honours were accidentally published online. Lets return now to our top story, that deadly bomb attack in somalia. Colin clarke is a Senior Research fellow at the soufan center. Hes in pittsburgh pennsylvania. How is al shabaab able to carry out such an attack . This is a group that maintains an extensive reach throughout somalia even though in the more current times, most of the control territories in the lower southern part of the country, about 20 of the country and it has had about 5000 20 of the country and it has had about 5000 10,000 20 of the country and it has had about 5000 10,000 fighters. As we have seen in years past, the group maintains the capability to conduct spectacular tax which often result in high casualty counts in urban areas including the capital, mogadishu. For those who do not follow somalia every day, can you remind us who Mohammed Abdullahi farmaajo are and what they demand . They are ajihadi farmaajo are and what they demand . They are a jihadi john militant group based in somalia but also has reached into can you and is in line with alqaeda, a group that grew in power after 2006. It didnt really become aligned with alqaeda until six years later but is attempting to establish a sharia government throughout the country and is willing to kill civilians to destabilise the current efforts of the somali government. At the moment the somali government. At the moment the us carries out strikes against al shabaab, the African Union has carried out offences against it. One somalia i spoke to says they can do it themselves. Is that likely . Clearly not. Even with the us and special forces and the African Union, it is still not enough. It is operating inside of a country in name only. It is a typical failed state for the better part of three decades and so, even as al shabaab attem pts decades and so, even as al shabaab attempts and governing territory has ebbed and flowed over time, it is capable of destabilising whatever government exists in the country at present. Is that a consensus about how to defeat al shabaab . Present. Is that a consensus about how to defeat alshabaab . We talk about all the time about the kinetic aspects, if you talk to african command and the united states, they will give you a number ofjihadists killed but to use a well worn cliche, it is a bit of racket all. It needs to focus on a True International effort to find institutions in somalia, a judiciary, a government beyond just the Security Forces and that is a ha rd the Security Forces and that is a hard sell because that is a long term effort and it is not going to produce quick results and those results might experience setbacks. This is a multigenerational challenge, no doubt about it. Talking about the long term, we understand the us is looking at all of its deployment in africa. It has 500 600 of its deployment in africa. It has 500 600 forces in somalia carrying out drone attacks. Should it reconsider its deployment of that . The potential drawback is the us repositions with Great Power Competition with russia and china, the trips currently in and around or allocated to the horn of africa, including somalia will remain but it is only a matter of time as we see President Trump as his willingness and desire to withdraw forces from places like syria and elsewhere that somalia is next on the chopping board. Thank you very much. Lets get some of the days other news a day of mourning has been held in kazakhstan for the 12 victims of fridays plane crash. 47 people remain in hospital. Flags are flying at half mast and many events have been cancelled. The plane was carrying more than 90 passengers and crew when it crashed shortly after take off. Doctors in the syrian province of idlib say their hospitals are full and they lack the resources they need to cope with close to a quarter of a Million People whove been displaced by the lastest fighting. Syrian government forces, supported by russian warplanes, have been advancing on rebel held positions in the south of the province. Protesters marching against the french governments planned pension reform, clashed with the police in paris on saturday. Trade unions have spearheaded nationwide strikes since early december. The yellow vests, an Anti Government movement, joined the rally of several thousand people. Algeria has a new Prime Minister after months of policial upheaval. Academic and former diplomat, abdel azinerad on the left here was named by algerias recently elected president , abdel majid taboun. Jerad previously served in an administration in the nineties, before apparently falling out of favour. Parts of east africa are struggling to cope with the effects of more than two months heavy rain that has caused widespread flooding and landslides. Its thought that at least 265 people have died in the region since october and tens of thousands more have been displaced. One of the worst affected areas is around the kenyan town of kisumu. Kathryn armstrong reports. Scenes like this are an all too common sight in kenyas port city of kisumu at the moment. Residents searching through their flooded homes for anything they can salvage. Translation theres no place to sleep, we dont even have tents, no water to drink and i have to take care of my children. Translation all our food went with the water, school shoes and the books for the kids too. My belongings are outside here and i dont know where i will go. For more than two months, heavy rain fall has plagued east africa, due to warmer water on the western side of the indian ocean, part of a climate system known as a dipole. Scientists say its of a magnitude not seen in years, maybe even decades. Many other countries in the region have been affected, including somalia, tanzania and south sudan, where the rain has pushed a country devastated by drought to the brink of famine. With further rain forecast, there are now growing fears that water borne diseases could make the situation much worse. Kathryn armstrong, bbc news. The Australian Government says thousands of volunteer firefighters in New South Wales will be compensated for loss of earnings during the bushfires. More than 100 fires are still burning in southern australia and conditions are expected to worsen over the coming days. Meanwhile sydneys mayor says the new years eve fireworks display will go ahead, despite a petition calling for funds to be redirected towards firefighting efforts. Briony sowden reports. For those living on the edge of the fires, this is now the new normal. More than 100 fires are continuing to burn across New South Wales, the biggest one threatening sydney. With temperatures forecast to reach a0 degrees over the coming days, there appears to be no reprieve inside. Now, a new crisis has a rough bid. City officials are coming under pressure to cancel its annual new years eve fireworks extravaganza which some say an insult. In the past two weeks, an on line petition has gained momentum now has more than a quarter of a million signatures. According to the petition people are already traumatised and dealing with another smoke in the air. For weeks on end, firefighters have been out on the front lines. Many of them are volu nteers front lines. Many of them are volunteers who have given up their own pate to fight the blazes. Despite resisting the idea of paying volunteers, the government has l is now be compensated. For many it is welcome news. They are working 12 18 hour days, they are getting caught in some harrowing situations, the fatigue we know just in some harrowing situations, the fatigue we knowjust from the talk on the street is they are very, very tired. Bushfires have taken a toll on the native koala population with affairs almost a third along the coastline may have died in the fires. Some have had a lucky escape. This is a koala went in search of water stopping a group of cyclists is temperatures hitting a0 degrees in south australia. A devastating effect on communities, more than 800 homes destroyed since september. Syd neys homes destroyed since september. Sydneys says that although she shares the deep sympathy with victims of the fireworks event will still go ahead. Briony sowden, bbc news. Some sports news now and the English Premier League club, west ham, have sacked their manager, manuel pellegrini. The announcement was made shortly after the team lost 2 1 at home to leicester. Its west hams ninth loss in twelve matches and leaves them just one point above the relegation zone. Pellegrini spent 18 months in charge, having been given a three year contract. In a statement, west ham said a change was needed to get the club back on track. Britains andy murray has pulled out of next months Australian Open because of a pelvic injury. The 32 year old champion was aiming to play in his first grand slam singles event since melbourne 12 months ago, when he announced that his career might be over because of injury. A new high security hospital has opened here in the uk, replacing the notorious broadmoor psychiatric facility, which housed some of the countrys most dangerous offenders. Bbc news has been given exclusive access to the new facility, where staff and patients contributed ideas for the design. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports. Newsreel broadmoor has as much security as a prison, but its reluctant to discuss its business because the people there are patients. The old image of broadmoor, a bleak Security Institution housing among its patients some notorious killers since it opened in the 19th century. But as a Mental Health hospital the building latterly was unfit for purpose. I think broadmoor, its fair to say, has been criticised about the environments for quite a long time now. Theyve been modified as best as we could modify them, but patently they didnt have the room that patients require, they didnt have the space for things Like Group Therapy or interviews. This is the original broadmoor building, patients have been accommodated here for more than 150 years. The building will now be sold off in the patients have been moved to the new broadmoor, which is right next door. We were given an exclusive tour of the new hospital shortly before patients moved in. There are large open plan communal areas designed for easier monitoring by staff, workshops, and a multifaith room, and enhanced cctv. 0ne former patient involved with others on the design of the new facilities explained the likely benefits. Because of the way the wards have been created, with better lines of sight, its more spacious, more comfortable, friendlier environment, it should make for happier patients and that is quite possibly going to result in people getting out quicker. Whether patients have been sent to broadmoor from the courts and Prison Service or have been referred by the nhs because they are a danger to themselves or the public, the aim in the new hospital is more effective care. I think the opportunities that our patients have to access treatments and therapies, perhaps at a quicker stage, we would expect to see a shorter length of stay here. 0ur length of stay at the moment is about five and a half years. One of our objectives would be that we bring that down further. Management stressed that security and the safety of staff and the public remains a key priority. They hope Something Better can be offered to patients and, perhaps, there can be a change of image for the hospital after 150 yea rs. Hugh pym, bbc news, broadmoor. Major interstates have reopened in Southern California after a powerful storm blanketed the region in heavy snow. The notorius grapevine section of interstate five, north of los angeles was closed for 36 hours as miles of roadway froze. The rare Winter Wonderland scenes were also visable in San Diego County the town ofjulien was covered in eight inches of snow. Lets have a look at the weather closer to home, with ben rich. Hello there. Saturday sunshine was in short supply. Many of us got stuck with grey, gloomy conditions. Only the favoured few got to see much in the way brightness. Iam hopeful, though, that through the day ahead a few more of us will get to see something just a little bit brighter and it certainly is going to feel mild, especially in the north of the uk with this feed of really warm air. You can see these orange colours extending in our direction from the south or the south west. And at the same time were going to start to tap into some of this drier air across the near continent so that should allow us to break some holes in the cloud and give us a little bit more in the way of sunshine. So this is how we start off sunday, with a lot of cloud, the cloud thick enough in parts of the west to give the odd spot of drizzle, some misty, murky conditions, but through the day, for east anglia, the south east, also north wales, northern england, Northern Ireland, southern and eastern scotland, these areas likely to see some at least some bright or sunny spells developing. Some rain will continue to plague the far north west of scotland. The southern half of the uk seeing highs of 8 10 degrees. The northern half of the uk, 12 13 degrees. And with this south or south westerly winds, blowing across the high ground, where you get some shelter to the north of Higher Ground on the north coast of Northern Ireland and the murray coast of scotland, well, you could get to 1a or 15 degrees, that is pretty exceptional for this time of year. Now, as we go through sunday night, we will keep some areas of cloud but i think that cloud is going to tend to break up a little bit more. So well see more clear spells developing. This band of rain in the north west will try to make some progress south eastwards. Its going to be a slightly cooler night than weve had of late. So as we go into monday then, this front will be sitting around across the north west trying to make some progress south eastwards, bringing some rain for scotland and Northern Ireland through the day. You can see the outbreaks of rain pushing very, very slowly south eastwards, with a mix of sunny spells and a few showers coming in behind. Ahead of that rainband its a largely dry day for much of england and wales, some areas of cloud. But i think a fair amount of sunshine by this stage. And at this point the mildest weather will be in southern parts, with highs of 12 or 13 degrees. Into tuesday, remember the weather front in the north west, it will have worked its way southwards, still lingering across the south west of england, maybe the spot of drizzle, certainly some extra cloud. But for most we see bright skies, but we also feel the effects of something cooler and fresher, just 5 degrees in glasgow. Still perhaps up to 10 in london. And then as we go through tuesday night into the very first part of 2020, well, it is looking predominantly dry. There will be some clear spells, it will be quite chilly, 00 29 17,901 2147483051 51 23,666 but there could be 2147483051 51 23,666 4294966103 13 29,430 some fairly dense fog