repercussions for u.s./china relations. can the two powers recover from this new low? is this the start of a cold war? i ve got the experts on it all. also justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more. america kills a leader of al qaeda, once again. so just what is the state of terrorism today? how big is the threat to the west? but first, here s my take. the world s two most powerful nations find themselves in a hair-raising crisis that could spill into military conflict. and the strangest aspect of all this is how predictable it was. taiwan s status has long been known as the most sensitive issue for both the united states and china, one that has been carefully managed for five decades, and nancy pelosi had signaled her desire to go to taiwan months ago. but on the american side, a series of errors, many of them tactical and driven by domestic politics, have resulted in a dangerous reality. there is no serious working relationship between the 21st
hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. i m ben boulos. we start here in the uk, where our screens have been full of pictures of miles of traffic queues as thousands of holiday makers have been stuck trying to make their way across the channel to france in recent days. the latest reports say the situation is easing, with the gridlock seen at the port of dover and the eurotunnel entrance at folkestone beginning to move more normally. but for many, the experience has been one of high stress and exhaustion not really how you want to start your family getaway. now blame has been thrown around, with the uk blaming french border staff and france pointing to the effects of brexit. butjust how damaging is all this? to help me through all this, with me is the independent s travel correspondent simon calder. do you think this will put people off, long term taking that holiday? people off, long-term taking that holiday? people off, long-term taking that holida
aimed at countering china s growing influence in the region. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it s newsday. hello and welcome. the united nations world food programme has described russia s blockade of ukrainian ports as a declaration of war on global food security that could push tens of millions of people into severe food shortages. it echoes concerns raised by the ukrainian government, and wider accusations that the kremlin is deliberately targeting food supplies. our economics editor, faisal islam, reports. across the world, food and energy crisis are hitting households, increasing social instability and hunger and leading to whole country is going bust. sri lanka at first, but more are feared to be heading in the same direction. with russia s war in ukraine making the supply shocks much worse, the economic stakes are very high here and across part of the problem is that the natural response that should bring down energy orfood prices producing more
elected president a short time ago telling him that the alliance between the united states and south korea has never been stronger or more vital. now, the president s trip comes as he faces a myriad of problems back home from a shortage of baby formula to spiking inflation, and now rising covid cases too. tying his trip to asia to the top priority on his overseas agenda, president biden referenced russia s war against ukraine this morning saying that democracies must stand together against autocratic leaders. but i really do think we re at an inflection point in world history. things are changing so rapidly, i think we re going to see more of. it s going to be a competition between democracies and autocracies and i mean that sincerely. and unfortunately i think i m being proven to be correct not just here but around the world. in a joint statement mr. biden and south korean president yoon, the decision is a reversal from the trump administration which scaled back exerci
not the last aid package for ukraine has been overwhelmingly approved by the u.s. congress. a rare and notable achievement given the deep political divisions between democrat and republican lawmakers. on thursday, the $40 billion aid package for both military and humanitarian assistance passed the senate, but not without opposition. 11 republicans voted against the bill in defiance of republican mitch mcconnell. anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should ukraine lose. president biden is now heading to south korea and is expected to sign the bill into law once he arrives. but wait there s more. just as the senate approved that $40 billion, the biden administration announced another security package worth $100 million and the flood of money to ukraine comes at a critical moment. ukraine s top military commander claims his troops have broken the russian siege s at kharkiv and miykolaiv and says ukrainia for