Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC 20240704

The head of russias Electoral Commission said there have been 20 incidents so far of people targeting ballot boxes. Protests are likely to continue on sunday when supporters of the late Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny are calling on people throughout russia to protest against president putin. Meanwhile in the estonian town of narva where many residents are russian people crossed the border to vote in russias president ial election. Narva is one of only a handful of places where the border between the eu and russia is still open. Bbc russian� s Oleg Boldyrev sent this report. Here lies the frontier between the western world and russia. Across the river with its formidable fortress lies a town 170 kilometres away from St Petersburg and this is one of a handful of places where the border between the eu and russia is still open. What is even more unusual is in this place and the surrounding region thousands of people are in fact russian citizens. This is the legacy of the soviet union break up. In the 1960s and 70s people were brought from the soviet union to work in local industries and after the collapse of the soviet union they failed to get citizenship. This is a source of bitter arguments between the residents and estonian authorities but the fact is these people have applied and got russian passports and this means they can go and vote in the president ial elections which are taking place right now. The Voting Station is just across the bridge. There were not any big queues on this side of the border and we tried to look for people and most people were turning away. They are clearly not willing to talk about this and afraid that if they admit that they had voted it would somehow mean trouble for them. But one woman named anna was not afraid to talk. I voted for putin, he is closer to my viewpoint, i understand him. I have no doubts about him. I think every president should care for his country and his people. I see this in putin. I have a sister there, my husbands brother is there, our relatives are there and a cut as a part is painful. We spoke to several more people who confirmed that they crossed the bridge and voted supporting mr putin. They were choosing their words very carefully. If they say they support mr putin and the war in ukraine it will certainly mean trouble for them here in estonia. Their votes didnt matter much for mr putin and his victory is a foregone conclusion. It illustrates a very complex situation that the Baltic States are in, nervously watching their giant neighbours to the east, russia. As oleg mentioned its risky in estonia to express support for russias invasion of ukraine. Thats because russias neighbour, estonia, has been one of the most vocal regional supporters of ukraine. Those Support Efforts are led by estonias Prime Minister kaja kallas, who is here in washington tojoin us President Joe Biden for the annual Gridiron Club dinner. Before that, Prime Minister kallas spoke to my colleague Sumi Somaskanda about russias elections, the war in ukraine, and more. Prime minister, thank you so much forjoining us here in the studio today. I want to start with the fact that russians are voting in an election that many consider to be neither free norfair will very likely secure another term for Vladimir Putin and russia. What does that mean for you and europe . I refuse to call it election. Why they are playing this game, calling it an election, this is another question. It is to undermine actually our democracies and election saying that you have elections, we have elections. We know this is not an election butjust an appointment once again for putin. So what does it really change . In the short term probably nothing. After the reappointment there is going to be probably some difficult decisions that we are going to see on the russian side, for example the mobilisation, probably also trying to raise taxes or getting some income to fund the war machine because of their budget is in a very poor state and they cant raise capital outside. And at the same time Vladimir Putin sees himself as emboldened and if you look at the eu and us approach we have seen more than 16,500 sanctions, 300 billion in assets frozen, but the russian economy has proven to be resilient. This is something that russia wants us to believe. This is the narrative that they want us to believe, that the sanctions are hurting you about not hurting us. For example, gas. They have found buyers for only 5 of the gas that they used to sell to the european union. They cant sell the gas outside so they dont have that income or if we take the budget, over 20 of it is in deficit and they cant raise loans outside because of the sanctions. Plus we see that the Interest Rate for the russian central bank, Interest Rate for the russian economy is 15 . This is how they assess their economy doing. Talk about your countrys support for the ukraine, one of the most vocal supporters. Looking at the numbers, estonia recently sent an 88 million package and you have said over the next four years your country will provide Military Assistance amounting to 0. 25 of your gdp, but on the ground the war seems to have ground to a standstill with russia threatening to push through ukraines lines. Are you worried that is now russia that is on the offensive and perhaps turning the tide in ukraine . The question is to ask how much aid we provide to ukraine so that we can defend themselves. We have made the calculation that have all the countries that are in the coalition, the countries supporting ukraine, could also announce this 0. 25 of the Gdp Military Aid for the next four years, we could outweigh russia. If you think about the defence budgets of the ramstein coalitions, their 17 times bigger than russias heavily inflated one. One question that has been disagreement on this the issue of boots on the ground. The french president has raised it is one of the options on the table in the german chancellor said it wont happen then the americans are also saying it wont happen. At what point would you deem it necessary for estonia to send the boots on the ground to ukraine . First of all i think it is something we are always doing, that we are trying to guess what russia is doing next, so maybe this is a good situation, let them guess now what we are doing next, so this ambiguity is actually good, that we discuss these issues, what we are able to do or not. I think we shouldnt rule out any options because if we say very certainly that this is not what we are going to do then russia takes note. 0k, we can push this further. But when you think it would be necessary to send troops . It is under discussion, what kind of help can we give . It is not that we are sending or discussing about ground forces. This is not the issue. The issue is training ukrainian soldiers underground, providing help underground so that they can defend themselves really on the ground. So there are different options but we have to be open to discuss those. One of the biggest players in support for ukraine as the us and you no further funding here has been caught up in Domestic Politics as well. Some republicans we have spoken to are sceptical that there is a clear path to victory in ukraine. What is your message to them . There is a clear path to victory and first of all we have to have victory as a goal, no worries one unless you have a victory as a goal. What does that look like . Our Defence Ministry has done a long paper and what does the victory look like. The Peace Strategy that president zelensky has come up with has all the elements. Accountability, going back to its borders, by russia. All of it that i cant really list here about the point is we have to have a goal to win otherwise it is going to be more difficult for all of us. It is an Election Year in the us, you have said that the answer to Donald Trumps criticism of nato is to spend more and commit more, also to the war in ukraine. But you saw as well after he hosted the hungarian Prime Minister viktor orban he said in an interview that donald trump wouldnt spend another penny on ukraine if elected. What do you think of that . It is concerning, of course. What is of the plans of the us . I think donald trump wants america to be number one in the world. When the us stops supporting ukraine, then the us lets russia win and then america will not be the first but the second in the world because we are against the powers like russia, iran, china, north korea. So you dont think you necessarily would follow through on that . I dont see into his mind. I hope not because i have talked to representatives on both sides of the aisle and they are very strongly in Support Freedom that they understand america is also about and this is also a Fight Forfreedom that is going on in ukraine. So that is the essence of the United States as well. We have heard from Vladimir Putin. If there is this continued strength of the war in ukraine and if the us and all other countries continue to contribute, he has continued to raise the possibility of a nuclear threat. Is that when you take seriously or are worried about . Of course we have to take everything seriously what he says. He has been threatening with nuclear war for quite some time but it has been only words. He is very good in sowing fear within our societies and relate listing what we are afraid of and giving you the fears you have, you are afraid of nuclear war so i am giving out this kind of signal. And the public reacts, and we cant do that. It is a trap. A trap of deterrence because if we are afraid then we start to deter and that is what putin wants. So we also have to think what putin is afraid of and he is actually afraid of going to war with nato. He doesnt want that. We of course dont want that either. It is, to understand the messages that he is giving out so that we would be afraid and refrain from the decisions that we would otherwise make. Very good to have you on bbc news today, thank you. After five months of war in gaza, pressure is growing inside israel for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down. Protestors gathered in tel aviv on saturday to demand the return of israeli hostages. And the resignation of mr netanyahu and his government. For the third saturday in a row, police used water cannon to disperse demonstrators. It comes just days after Chuck Schumer the top democrat in the us senate as well as the highest ranking jewish member in the Us Government said mr netanyahu had � lost his way�. And called for new elections in israel. Mr schumer found sympathisers in saturdays protests. My my message today, according to what Chuck Schumer said this week in the american parliament, about how Benjamin Netanyahu is leading us to catastrophe and we must have an election as soon as possible otherwise we are all going to be in a bad situation. Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages could resume sunday in qatar. Egyptian officials said hamas has presented a new proposal for a three stage plan to end the fighting. Israel� s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the proposal unrealistic, but agreed to send israeli negotiators to qatar. Meanwhile, a humanitarian aid shipment carrying 200 tonnes of food from cyprus has been unloaded onto gazas shore. Its the first time in two decades that the sea route has been used. Its unclear, though, how the food will be distributed. The us charity, world central kitchen, is carrying out the mission in co operation with the united arab emirates. Speaking before a two day trip to the middle east, german chancellor olaf scholz urged israel to allow unlimited humanitarian aid into gaza. We have a difficult situation. It is necessary for aid to reach gaza on the larger scale. That is a topic i also have to talk about. We have concern about the further enhancement of military developments. In particular there is a danger that the large scale offensive in rafah will result in many terrible civilian casualties which must be avoided at all costs. Our correspondent in jerusalem mark lowen has been speaking to aid organisations in gaza about the situation there. Unicef now, the un childrens charity, says that one in three children under the age of two are acutely malnourished and that that figure is double what it was in january so there is an it was injanuary so there is an urgent it was in january so there is an urgent need it was injanuary so there is an urgent need for aid. A slight glimmer of hope with this ship of loading the 200 tonnes of aid and being allowed tonnes of aid and being allowed to off load. It is unclear exactly how the aid will be distributed inside gaza itself, and it is much needed because civil order has broken down and aid distribution as we have seen can result in a fatal, disorderly incident. The cypriots who sent the first ship are saying that a second ship are saying that a second ship is now ready to leave as well carrying 240 tonnes of aid, but really these are fractions of what is needed on the ground, and people are resorting, the International Community is resorting to a maritime corridor and ships bringing aid because trucks coming in over land have been so heavily restricted by israel over the last five and a half months of war. In order to a glimpse of that humanitarian situation on the ground i spoke to doctor Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization who joined us from geneva and i started by asking what her contacts on the ground and gaza are telling her. , , ground and gaza are telling her. , her. People say it is beyond words, misery her. People say it is beyond words, misery they her. People say it is beyond words, misery they have. Her. People say it is beyond i words, misery they have never seen. My colleagues are people who have worked in the toughest places in africa, and many wards and situations, they have never seen the speed and the horror and misery that people are living in. They are living massively crowded together, starving, and places covered in human waste, faeces, unable to cleanly place because we cant even bring chlorine in the. It is very good news to hear that at least there is some Movement Towards a ceasefire because thatis towards a ceasefire because that is the only answer to what we are seeing in gaza right now. ,. ,. , now. Doctor Margaret Harris aintin now. Doctor Margaret Harris painting a now. Doctor Margaret Harris painting a picture now. Doctor Margaret Harris painting a picture of now. Doctor Margaret Harris painting a picture of the painting a picture of the Health Emergency as she put it and the disastrous situation facing people inside gaza, not least in rafah in the south of the gaza strip where half of the gaza strip where half of the entire population, around 1. 4 Million People are sheltering and the israeli Prime Ministers office has green lit an operation for israeli troops to enter rafah which is what the israeli Prime Minister has been warning for several weeks. That would be perilous in terms of the numbers that are sheltering but also in terms of israels International Reputation which has taken a huge hit. The German Foreign minister tweeted today that a large scale Military Offensive in rafah would be unjustified in more thani Million People have nowhere left to go. President biden said a week ago that a Military Incursion would be a red line as far as he is concerned. That would be a huge risk for israel to go into rafah. The Prime Ministers office has said they are ready to do so in order to increase pressure on hamas ahead of the Ceasefire Talks Due to resume on sunday in doha. The israeli delegation is going to talk with qatari and egyptian officials so that is a Glimmer Officials so that is a glimmer of progress, even though the israeli Prime Ministers office has said that hamass demands are unreasonable and unfounded. We will have to see if there is any progress made on those stocks on sunday. Police in haiti are trying to crack down on the gangs which have taken control of most of the capital, port au prince, and forced the Prime Minister to resign. The United Nations has described the Security Situation as tense and volatile , and warns that increasing numbers of children in haiti are going hungry as unrest continues. Facilities have closed due to the ongoing violence, and haitians are now facing soaring prices for food and other essentials. I spoke in the last hour with our correspondent on the ground in haiti, will grant. We have heard reports today that police in haiti have been trying to arrest the leader of the gangs controlling most of the gangs controlling most of the capital. What is the latest you can us about that . It appears there was quite an extensive swat Team Operation in an area of the capital. That is where it is known to be one of the strongholds. Clearly they were trying to either capture him or kill him but they were successful in neither of those attempts. There were a number of casualties on the side of the gangs by all accounts but if anything it is going to beget more violence. We have heard today of more shooting in the capital and a quite fierce response from the gangs to the operation by the police. It sort of paints the picture of what is going on. Cat and mouse game is going on in the neighbourhoods where the police are obviously outnumbered by the gangs at this stage unless they get serious reinforcements in the coming weeks and months. Talk to us about coming weeks and months. Talk to us about the coming weeks and months. Talk to us about the humanitarian situation on the ground. The United Nations is warning of high levels of malnutrition and the potential for starvation. Talk to conditions for people caught up in all of this. Bi; caught up in all of this. By all accounts caught up in all of this. El all accounts it is caught up in all of this. By all accounts it is becoming extremely serious in port au prince. Where we are we are seeing so many people arriving from the capital whichever way they can. We have seen just now, whichever way they can. We have seenjust now, while whichever way they can. We have seen just now, while waiting to come on are to speak to you, a bus coming from port au prince. There are very few running because it is so dangerous and it took extra hours because it had to go out of its way because of the Police Operation and the response by the gangs, adding on ours to the journey. It is a grimly frightening for those who are on the bus and travelling this way. It is less frightening to get here and make that journey than frightening to get here and make thatjourney than it is to remain at home so we are seeing more than 360,000 internally displaced people and of course the aid to deal with the humanitarian emergency is simply not coming in at the paceit simply not coming in at the pace it should. It is a trickle at that. � ,. ,. , at that. As ever, many thanks for our at that. As ever, many thanks for your reporting. Nigers Military Government has revoked its defence accord with the United States with immediate effect. The decade long agreement allowed american troops stationed at a base in the desert to operate drones targeting islamist militant groups across the west african sahel region. But last year, nigers civilian president was ousted by the military, and washington cut off financial aid. A us delegation arrived in niger earlier this week hoping to resume a dialogue but intead inadvertently sparked a diplomatic row. French troops left following last years coup and they have sought closer Security Ties with russia. Here in the us, donald trump made his first Major Campaign stop since becoming the Presumptive Republican nominee for president. Mr trump spoke at a rally to endorse Republican Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in a primary race. Ohio, once seen as a swing state, has shifted to the right over the years after voters voted for trump in 2016 and 2020. Mr moreno, seen here on the left is running against matt dolan who has the backing of the states established conservative base. Hes spent millions of his own money on his campaign. A survey usa poll says that theyre both in a statistical tie, with moreno at 29 percent and dolan 27 percent. The Ohio Republican primary is march 19. As the two lead candidates face off, democrats are running ads in support of mr moreno, with the hope that hell be a weaker challenger to their candidate come november. The highly anticipated Senate Election is an important one, and mr. Trumps support could possibly propel mr. Moreno to victory in the primary. While backing mr moreno donald trump also made his case for another term in the white house. A brilliant, very brilliant wall street analysts said the only thing good right now about our economy as the stock market and the only reason thats good is because people think that trump is going to be elected president and if they ever thought that he wasnt you would end up with a crash of the likes of which we havent seen since 1929. So they can take that the way they want but i happen to agree. My my colleague was at the rally and sent this report. And sent this report. Donald trump boarding and sent this report. Donald trump boarding his and sent this report. Donald trump boarding his private i trump boarding his private airline and getting to reeve black mac leave ohio. This address going hard on immigration and the border, criticising current President Joe Biden for what he says his failed immigration policies. Said during the rally that if he were elected this country would see its biggest deportation of migrants in its history. Ohio is Trump Country and this is a state that is increasingly red, one that he has won in the past two president ial election so he doesnt necessarily need to be campaigning here but he is here to support his preferred candidate in the Republican Senate race, Bernie Moreno, a controversialfigure, senate race, Bernie Moreno, a controversial figure, towards the far right of the spectrum, so more viewers to trump on immigration and he said he would support eliminating all us military aid to ukraine. This is a closely watched race because if the republicans are to retake the senate seat in ohio, they could likely retake control of the senate. It would be good news for the republicans and so donald trump hoping to rally his base here in ohio, to not only return to the white house but to return control of congress back to the republicans. Before we go, i want to bring you some incredible live pictures from iceland. A Volcano In Iceland has erupted for the fourth time since december spewing lava into the air and sending fountains of Molten Rock Soaring from fissures in the ground. Police declared a State Of Emergency for the area which is just south of the capital reykjavik. The nearby fishing town of grindavik, where some residents had returned following earlier eruptions is being evacuated once again. Several homes were burned to the Ground Injanuary as lava approached the outskirts of the town. At last, some beautiful Spring Sunshine for much of the uk on saturday including here in cumbria. It saturday including here in cumbria saturday including here in cumbria. �. , cumbria. It wasnt too long before we cumbria. It wasnt too long before we saw cumbria. It wasnt too long before we saw the cumbria. It wasnt too long before we saw the cloud i cumbria. It wasnt too long before we saw the Cloud Thicken from the west with outbreaks of Rain Moving Northwards and eastwards on this weather front. And that continues to push further eastwards as we head into sunday morning, intense downpours of rain for a time across south wales and into central Southern England and Eastern England so a soggy start to the day. It is a lot milder than it was on saturday morning with a temperature between 5 11, double figures in the south so a very mild start to the day with more sunshine on offer throughout the day on sunday but also showers through the afternoon. A very wet start for parts of Southern England but the heavy rain clears and here it should brighten up by lunchtime with perhaps some more sunshine developing. Sunny spells and coastal and hill fog for a time towards the west and it will cloud over across Northern Ireland through the afternoon with outbreaks of rain in some showers heavy and thundery perhaps for Northern England but very mild again. We could see 17 celsius in east anglia and central and Southern England as we head through the afternoon. We look out towards the west again as we head through sunday night and into monday. Various Weather Fronts approach but these are fizzling out so there will be some rain in the north and west through the night but then just a bit of patchy cloud as we head through much of monday so for most of us on monday it will stay dry, clouding over with outbreaks of rain across Northern Ireland in Western Scotland have by the end of the day but the air is still mild and again the temperature will peak in the mid for many. Keeping the mild air as we head through monday and tuesday with that south westerly wind. On tuesday we are likely to see some heavy rain across the north and the west, so Northern Ireland and Western Scotland, but elsewhere i think it will stay largely dry throughout the day and a lot of the cloud will tend to break up and we will see some brighter spells developing. All eyes towards the south west by the time we get to the end of tuesday because this rain could cause problems on wednesday. The air is still very mild on tuesday, 1216. It is still very mild on tuesday, 12 16. It could turn colour as we head through wednesday and thursday. Stays unsettled with more rain in the forecast at times, goodbye. This is bbc news. We will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. Hello from los angeles. Im tom brook and welcome to our talking movies oscars review special. We look back at highlights from hollywoods biggest night of the year. Christopher nolan, oppenheimer. We hear from some of the major winners, including oppenheimer director christopher nolan. I can do curls. Theyre very heavy. Er, its. Its such a thrill. Watch me. We look at why barbie, the biggest hit of 2023 and a critical favourite, didnt seem to impress academy voters. Im here on the Venice Beach Boardwalk to find out why on the night, it was oppenheimer that skated away with all the oscars. We also travel to auschwitz, the former concentration camp where the oscar winning the zone of interest was shot, to discover the care and craftsmanship that went into making this film. The sound, which is absolutely a masterpiece, brings the horrors. And well be telling you who we think will be going home with the big Oscar Trophies One year