Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240927

On october eighth, in support of hamas, and the two sides have exchanged fire since then. 0ur Senior International Correspondent 0rla Guerin reports from lebanon on the children caught up in israels bombardments. A warning you may find elements of this report distressing. Firefighters rushing to another air strike. This one in nabatieh. They carry out the wounded. Not fighters, but children. Israel says its Targeting Hezbollah sites. But its bombing many residential areas. How old are you . He asks. Three fingers are raised. A young generation, now threatened by a war that has already killed at least 50 children this week, like the members of this family, who died together in a strike in beirut. Ali, jalal, fatima and farra, all gone. And iman and talia nasser, who took their last breaths together, also killed by israels bombardment. But some have made it to safety, having run for their lives. My name is Mehdi Ahmad and my years old is ten years old. And what has been happening in the last two days . You had to leave your house. The war is very big and very scared and i cry. How did you feel, having to leave your home . Were you sad . Yes, i was very sad, he says. We left behind half our belongings. A missile landed near us. We went quickly so we wouldnt be hit. His biggest fear, he tells me, is losing his family. Instead of going to school, many lebanese children, like mehdi, are now living in schools and colleges. This could be home for some time. International calls for a ceasefire came to nothing today. 0rla guerin, bbc news, sebline, lebanon. The uks prime Minister Keir Starmer has stepped up his call for an israel hezbollah ceasefire, despite israeli ministers� rejection of the international proposal for a three week pause. In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Sir Keir called war A Catastrophe Made By Human Hands and said the uk was returning to a place of responsible global leadership. I call on Israel And Hezbollah to stop the violence. Step back from the brink. We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement. And we are working with all partners to that end, because further escalation serves no one. It shames us all that the suffering In Gaza continues to grow. The answer is diplomacy. We can go live now to wael alzayat, senior fellow at the middle East Institute and ceo of emgage foundation. Thank you Forjoining Us on bbc news. We are now 2a hours on from a temporary Ceasefire Proposal endorsed by the us, the uk, and another eight countries but has been rejected by the israeli prime Minister Netanyahu. Is there any hope of a 21 Day Ceasefire at this point . A 21 Day Ceasefire at this oint . ,. ,. , point . Not if the israelis do not agree point . Not if the israelis do not agree to point . Not if the israelis do not agree to it point . Not if the israelis do not agree to it and point . Not if the israelis do not agree to it and there i point . Not if the israelis do | not agree to it and there are not agree to it and there are no indications that netanyahu is going to agree to it. Which is going to agree to it. Which is really unfortunate and quite shocking that the us administration continues to be unable to convince netanyahu, to whom they provide a lot of support, to agree to any of these proposals. Support, to agree to any of these proposals. What do you think is the these proposals. What do you think is the current these proposals. What do you think is the current state these proposals. What do you think is the current state of i think is the current state of us israeli relations at this point . I us israeli relations at this oint . ~ ,. Point . I think it is a Codependency Point . I think it is a L Codependency where point . I think it is a codependency where consecutive us administrations have believed that israel is a key ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region and israelis obviously depend on us support, financial and military, economic and diplomatic but neither the american public nor israel public are being served by the decisions of their leaders. We are seeing Benjamin Netanyahu dragging his country into a wider regional war and, increasingly, making the united states more and more implicit in what he is doing, potentially directly involved should the war continue and expand further. I5 should the war continue and expand further. Should the war continue and expand further. Is it time for the us, expand further. Is it time for the us, for expand further. Is it time for the us, for the expand further. Is it time for the us, for the biden the us, for the biden administration to perhaps attach some conditions to the Military Aid it is providing to israel . A , Military Aid it is providing to israel . , ,. Israel . Many experts, including M Self Israel . Many experts, including myself have israel . Many experts, including myself have argued israel . Many experts, including myself have argued for israel . Many experts, including myself have argued for that. Myself have argued for that. Since the war began it was clear that according to israeli officials, their own words and rhetoric, that they were looking for a war of annihilation and potentially expanding it. They took measures, as we see in the west bank, and elsewhere. 0bviously bank, and elsewhere. Obviously there are other actors involved. Thomas launched the attacks on october seven, hezbollah launched rockets on Northern Israel and we cannot ignore that but they made their intentions clear from the beginning. Many of us cautioned the White House that providing unconditional aid to someone like netanyahu would take us toward a path and a scenario we are witnessing. I think it is absolutely past time that the us Places conditions on further military shipments to israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu will address the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow, a form you are familiar with, many years spent a Senior Adviser to the us. What do you expect netanyahu to say tomorrow . It is what he always does. He will blame everyone but himself. Basically he will payment, you know, the struggle that he is embarking on as a righteous war, and will also categorise the Israeli Military Behaviour is that of a moral army despite mounting potential War Crimes and crimes against humanity. He will also make a case that his enemies are surrounding his state and he deserves or israel deserves the support. And he will probably make a link to a run as a benefactor of hezbollah as well, perhaps indirectly hamas. That is what i would expect from him. And he will call on the world to stand with the jewish state. If the world to stand with the jewish state. The world to stand with the jewish state. If it is the case that this ceasefire jewish state. If it is the case that this Ceasefire Proposall that this Ceasefire Proposal goes nowhere, and it seems that the Gaza Ceasefire negotiations have completely stalled as well, what does this mean for the region, the people living there . It is notjust lebanon of course. The disaster continues In Gaza and many other Places. Continues In Gaza and many other laces. ,. ,. , other Places. The short answer, it is not good other Places. The short answer, it is not good. It other Places. The short answer, it is not good. It will other Places. The short answer, it is not good. It will be other Places. The short answer, it is not good. It will be more i it is not good. It will be more escalating violence on people, on civilians, women and children. More damaged infrastructure. This region goes through cycles of violence and if we were to zoom out, the ugly reality here is that the Arab World continues to be a theatre for proxy warfare. In part what were seeing is a struggle between iran and it is being fought with arab blood on arab land and i think that is the takeaway right now. The palestinians have a legitimate case for statehood but outside actors are appropriating this issue and israelis are all too happy to comply in the End Result is more Death And Destruction in the Arab World. You arejoining us from beirut. What are things like there tonight . I what are things like there toniaht . , � tonight . I am not in beirut although tonight . I am not in beirut although i tonight . I am not in beirut although i would tonight . I am not in beirut although i would love tonight . I am not in beirut although i would love to i tonight . I am not in beirut| although i would love to be there. I although i would love to be there. , although i would love to be there. , there. I am in washington, dc. My apologies there. I am in washington, dc. My apologies there there. I am in washington, dc. My apologies there was there. I am in washington, dc. My apologies there was a my apologies there was a miscommunication there. Great to have you joining with us. Here in washington, president Volodymyr Zelensky has met president Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to outline his plan for a ukrainian victory against russia. Ahead of the visit, President Biden announced around 8 Billion worth of Military Assistance for ukraine. The package includes a new Air Defence System and long range weapons. President biden did not grant Kyiv One of its key requests, however, to use us missiles to hit targets deeper inside russia. The two leaders spoke briefly after the meeting emphasing the importance of their partnership. Let me be clear. Russia will not prevail in the war. Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail and we will continue to stand by you every step of the way. Stand by you every step of the wa. , stand by you every step of the wa. ,. , stand by you every step of the wa. ,. ,. , way. Today we have a new suoport way. Today we have a new support package. Way. Today we have a new support package. 7. 9 way. Today we have a new support package. 7. 9 billion. This support package. 7. 9 billion. This will support package. 7. 9 billion. This will be a great help and i raised this will be a great help and i raised with President Biden a plan raised with President Biden a plan of raised with President Biden a plan of victory. Today we are preparing plan of victory. Today we are preparing to discuss the plan. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said that he will meet President Zelensky on friday in New York. It comes after some confusion as to whether a meeting between the two would take place after Mr Trump reportedly rejected an earlier opportunity to do so. There was ire from some republican lawmakers on thursday after a visit by President Zelensky earlier in the week to an Arms Factory Pennsylvania where he was joined by multiple democratic lawmakers. Speaker of the house Mike Johnson said mr zelensky� s visit was, quote, designed to help democrats and that it amounted to election interference. He then demanded Ukraine Fire its ambassador to the us. Separately, at an event in North Carolina on wednesday, Donald Trump said he didnt understand why ukraine did not cede territory to the russian invaders. Joining me live is Melinda Haring from the atlantic council. Thank you Forjoining Us. More supporl Thank You Forjoining Us. More support for ukraine announced by the support for ukraine announced by the united states today. What by the united states today. What difference will this latest what difference will this latest package make our mark the package the President Biden put forward today will keep ukraine put forward today will keep Ukraine Fighting and it will ensure Ukraine Fighting and it will ensure that ukraine makes it tbrough ensure that ukraine makes it through the winter. The winter ahead will through the winter. The winter ahead will be through the winter. The winter ahead will be very through the winter. The winter ahead will be very hard. Through the winter. The winter ahead will be very hard. The i ahead will be very hard. The Electrical Grid is in bad shape and the ukrainians were counting on this money. It is a good thing, in particular let me point out that there is a new Patriot Battery and a bunch of Patriot Missiles that will be sent to ukraine and that is fantastic. A new form that goes about 70 miles which is also a new capability that the ukrainians like. But this is very good news indeed. flit very good news indeed. Of course very good news indeed. Of course what president zielinski really wants as he repeatedly said is the ability to use the very long range missiles, and use them to strike inside russia, something that President Biden has refused to grant. Is there any situation which you see the us changing their position on that estimate i expect the us to change its position. I expect the us to change its osition. ,. I expect the us to change its osition. ,. , position. The us may not announce position. The us may not announce that position. The us may not announce that change position. The us may not| announce that change and position. The us may not i announce that change and if position. The us may not announce that change and if it were smart it would not announce that change for obvious reasons but this is a hot issue. More and more members of congress are pushing the White House to change its mind. We see a fight. Today we saw the Intelligence Community has given an assessment of the New York times and we see they vociferously oppose these deep strikes into russia. They say it will not change much, that russia has moved back a lot of the Equipment And Russia will escalate and it will make the conflict worse. So there is a real fight on these weapons. But i think, actually, zelensky wants one thing more than the ability for a deep strike, he wants Nato Membership. He went to the white House Today to talk about his Victory Plan and the number one most important thing is the solving the Security Dilemma and that is real Nato Membership. We have not heard yet, there is no announcement on how that was received and i expect zelensky to come back to this in the next 3. 5 months that biden is in office. ~. ,. ,. , in office. We heard a lot that it would be in office. We heard a lot that it would be very in office. We heard a lot that it would be very difficult in office. We heard a lot that it would be very difficult to l it would be very difficult to grant Nato Membership to ukraine as long as the war was still ongoing however. That ukraine as long as the war was still ongoing however. Still ongoing however. That is not changed. Still ongoing however. That is not changed. Correct. Still ongoing however. That is not changed. Correct. It still ongoing however. That is not changed. Correct. It is still ongoing however. That is not changed. Correct. It is a l not changed. Correct. It is a political decision and the germans will follow the White House. So it is up to President Biden. We know he is thinking about his legacy and he does not want to keep ukraine in this no Mans Land. Can it be done . Yes. And there is a difference between extending an invitation and bringing ukraine in. He could extend an invitation before he leaves the White House. Invitation before he leaves the White House. Can ukraine count on the us White House. Can ukraine count on the us as White House. Can ukraine count on the us as a White House. Can ukraine count on the us as a partner White House. Can ukraine count on the us as a partner in White House. Can ukraine count on the us as a partner in the on the us as a partner in the long term . We saw that the baikal earlier this year with the delay from congress about much needed funding to ukraine. We see comments coming from the republican president ial nominee, Donald Trump, about ukraine there, about the war in ukraine. How do you think that kind of international relationship can be guaranteed or otherwise . It relationship can be guaranteed or otherwise . Or otherwise . It is tricky now and president or otherwise . It is tricky now and President Zelensky or otherwise . It is tricky now and President Zelensky is and President Zelensky is Threading A very fine line. He meets with Donald Trump tomorrow, he met with Harris Today and Biden Today and he has got to do a very, very difficult tap dance. We dont know where President Trump is to come down. He said a lot of very different things. He said the people of ukraine are dead in the countries destroyed. Those things are factually inaccurate. But zelensky said he had a conversation with Trump And Trump pledged his support. So i think a lot rides on the personal connection and the meeting that Trump And Zelensky have tomorrow. Harris, we know where she stands. She has said that she supports the ongoing policies of biden and many expect her policies towards putin to be even more hawkish. I5 towards putin to be even more hawkish. Towards putin to be even more hawkish. ,. ,. , , hawkish. Is there a nervousness in the foreign hawkish. Is there a nervousness in the Foreign Affairs in the foreign Affairs Community about the winter months ahead in ukraine, both from the Conflict Perspective but also the potential, the real potential for an energy crisis. , real potential for an energy crisis. ,. , crisis. Absolutely. Thank you for asking crisis. Absolutely. Thank you for asking that crisis. Absolutely. Thank you for asking that question, crisis. Absolutely. Thank you for asking that question, it i for asking that question, it does not get enough attention. The un is put out a report that estimates blackouts in ukraine will be between 11 2 12 hours a day. It is hard to do anything when you have such a long blackout period. You cannot go to school, you cannot use your visa card. Basic things become very difficult and many ukrainians living high rises and what that means that you will not have water and people will not have water and people will have to go up and down so it makes the situation for elderly people untenable and for children untenable. Hundreds of thousands of ukrainian children are still doing school online, especially in the frontline cities. That has a knock on impact on the economy and on the future earnings of ukrainian children. Thank you Forjoining Us once again on bbc news. Around the world and across the uk. This is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. A Labour Plan to toughen up the abolition of non domicile Tax Status is be reconsidered by the treasury. Ministers had hoped the £1 billion raised would go towards Extra Nhs appointments and School Breakfast clubs. But officials now believe the policy may not raise that amount or any money at all. The model Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a Charity Trustee for five years after a watchdog found her charity, fashion for relief was not passing on as much of the money raised as it was supposed to. Instead it was being spent on hotel rooms, cigarettes and security for campbell, among other unauthorised payments. Heavy Rain And Flash flooding has Hit Parts of england as the Met Office warns further downpours are expected into friday. Drivers have been warned to take care travelling on flooded roads, particularly in parts of central of central and Southern England, following days of heavy showers. Travel delays are expected into the weekend. The Met Office is warning some communities may also be cut off by the flooding. Youre live with bbc news. The Sudanese Army has launched a major offensive against their rivals for power, the paramilitary rapid support forces. This was the scene in khartoum, thursday. The country has been embroiled in vicious Civil War for nearly 18 months, when the rival Military Forces who had been ruling jointly fell out over the path back to democracy. The un has said the conflict has created one of the worlds largest humanitarian crisis, with 150,000 people killed and Ten Million displaced. The bbc� s Barbara Plett Usher has been given rare access, by the army to the front line, and sent this report from the city of 0mdurman. Woman cries. Sudan is at breaking point. Just outside the Capital City is a crossing between the warring parties. These women have come out of rsf territory. They carry bags to buy food and also tales of horror. I asked them why they didnt leave. Were too poor, they told me. We have nowhere else to go. Almost a year and a half of Civil War has destroyed parts of this city and other areas of the country. One of the fiercest battles took place here, in 0mdurman market. It was the largest market in sudan, but you can see the level of destruction now. 0ver several months of intense fighting, the army defeated the rsf in these streets, but the capital is still an active war zone, and diplomatic attempts to end the wider conflict so far have failed. We were escorted at all times by the military, who took us to the front line. Both sides are accused of War Crimes, the rsf more so than the army. Charges they deny. I spoke with the commander leading the latest operation. Were at a last line of defence for the sudanese armed forces in a part of southern 0mdurman. You can see the barrier here and beyond it, less than a kilometre away, is the rsf, and in between is a no Mans Land where there are snipers. And wevejust heard sniper fire. Theres also regular artillery fire, another danger here. But its sexual violence thats become a defining characteristic of the conflict. One woman told us Rsf Fighters broke into her house, demanding to rape her two daughters. The youngest was ten years old. Weve chosen not to identify her, for her own safety. Then one of the men raped her. Its late morning time for the women we met to start the walk back home. For as long as this war goes on, they have no choice but to return to its horrors. Barbara plett usher, bbc news, 0mdurman. New York City mayor Eric Adams, became the first mayor in the Citys History to face criminal charges while in office. Prosecutors unsealed five counts of Criminal Offences thursday morning, which include wire fraud, bribery and receiving foreign campaign contributions. They say a turkish diplomat facilitated many of the payments, after the mayor allegedly helped turkey open a consulate in a new York Building that would have failed safety inspections. The democratic mayor is also accused of stealing more than 10 Million of City Funds during his 2021 mayoral campaign. Mr adams who denies all allegations gave a Press Conference shortly after the charges were unsealed. Thejudge has set the Mayors Arraignment for friday. The bbc� s Nada Tawfik is in New York following the story. Mayor Eric Adams has insisted he is innocent and will stay in office and continue to run the city. He has called the charges against him lies and today, appearing at a public event with the waters, he was heckled by some in the crowd. He asked however that City Resident with and is wait and hear his side of the story. Some elected officials have called on him to resign but New York � s governor, who does have the power to remove him, has said she is examining the indictment and wants to be thoughtful in a decision on such a serious matter. If you look at the indictment it lays out an alleged scheme of Corruption And Bribery that spans nearly a decade. It alleges that Eric Adams accept had Campaign Funds and 100,000 of Luxury Travel benefits from turkish nationals, all seeking to gain his influence. Things like flights, Yacht Tours and lavish stays in hotel rooms. In return, prosecutors allege adams helped them by pressuring City Officials to sign up on the opening of a high Rise Consulate Building for the Turkish Government despite safety concerns. Prosecutors say he knew his actions were illegal, tried to conceal it and broke the public trust. Hurricane helene is now a category four storm as it gathers pace across the gulf of mexico, with sustained winds of more than 200 kilometres an hour. The storm is causing major flooding in flordia. Officials have warned of a potentially catastrophic and unsurvivable Storm Surge when it makes landfall in the Big Bend area, south of the Capital Tallahassee in the coming hours. Floridas governor, ron desantis, said conditions were going to be too dangerous to navigate. Airports at Tampa And Tallahassee are already closed and mass evacuation orders are in force. We can see there a live picture of the awaiting of the landfill they are in florida. We will keep an eye on that for you throughout the coming days. Stay with us here on bbc news. Hello there. The month of september can often be quite a turbulent one. The transition from summer into autumn and the final full week of september has been just that. Look at thursdays rain. A lot of Heavy Rain drifting out of Northern England and northern ireland. This darker blue here, a line of torrential thundery showers with some hail in there as well. Already still with days to spare, woburn in bedfordshire has had its wettest september on record, but its also had its wettest month ever on record, and weve got an Amber Weather Warning which will remain in force for the next few hours. And so we are just going to continue to add to those rainfall totals. So a line of Heavy Rain will move its way south out of the midlands, down into Southern England and south east england. Behind it, the Wind Direction Swinging around to a northerly. A few scattered showers with elevation could turn a little wintry as well, as it turns colder from the north, so this Weather Front slowly eases away during the day this friday and then behind it, that colder air starts to tuck in. A real noticeable difference to the feel of our weather story. So yes, it will be a wet start across east anglia, south east england. For a time that Rain Clearing perhaps away from the Kent Coast by lunchtime and then quite an improvement, actually. Some sunshine coming through. A few scattered showers, but a brisk northerly wind making it feel quite cool out there. Eight to 1a degrees below par for this stage of the month. Now, as we move out of friday into the weekend, we start with this ridge of high pressure. A quiet start to the weekend, but theres more wet weather to come as we move into sunday. But with that high pressure, well, that means we could have quite a chilly start first thing on saturday morning. Temperatures and sheltered glens of Scotland And Northeast england down below freezing, so a frost is not out of the question here. We will continue to see the Wind Direction Swinging around to more of a North Westerly that will drive in showers on saturday across exposed west coast, and one or two running down through the Cheshire Gap as well. Top temperatures on sunday at around 15 degrees, the best of the sunshine in sheltered southern and eastern areas. Then, as we move out of saturday into sunday, heres that rain. And it means an unsettled start into next week slowly improving. New us tariffs against china are set to kick in, affecting billions of Dollars Worth of imports. Plus, how do you feel about Al Clones posing as humans . Its dividing the business world. Hello and welcome to business today. Im suranjana tewari. Us tariffs on chinese made electric cars, solar panels, steel and other goods will go into effect in the coming hours. Policies around tariffs have become part of the debate on the economy in the upcoming us election. The bbc� s Michelle Fleury has more from New York. When the measures were first announced back in may, the White House said it was in response to chinas unfair Trade Practices and to protect us jobs. At the time, the chinese said they opposed the hikes and would retaliate. Analysts said the tariffs, which include a 100 duty on electric vehicles made in china, well, that they are largely symbolic, especially since chinese evs are not currently sold in the united states. As well as a rise on ev tariffs, levies on solar cells will increase to 50 , while rates on Steel And Aluminium products will more than triple to 25