solutions and capital to help your business objectives. tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, bbc world news america. is bbc world news america. reporting from washington, i am jane o'brien. comesrainian checkpoint under assault, 13 soldiers just days before the country's residential election. >> this is a terrible blow for the your grainy and armed forces and a turbo reminder of what these armed separatists star capable of doing. >> thailand's government dissolves as soldiers patrolled the seats. it is a secret and plain sight. tonight we take you inside and ireland, which in the shadow of new york city, has -- inside an island, which in the shadow of new york city, has been abandoned for decades area -- decades. to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. today, ukrainian soldiers suffered the biggest loss of life so far in the crisis which has gripped the eastern part of the country. dozens moreed and injured in attack by pro-russian forces. this comes just days before the elections. the bbc's mark lowen reports. >> the attack came before dawn with devastating effects. this was the ukrainian army checkpoint, hits with the deadliest assault on the military since the conflict began. at least 13 killed and over 30 injured in a well-planned strike. we found troops who spoke of their horror. >> three of my friends have fallen and i can even collect their bodies. they have been lying in the field for over 30 minutes already. >> behind it, pro-russia separatist groups. they showed off their spoils, which they say they took from their victims at the checkpoint. this unverified footage appears to show helicopters moving in after the incident. it is not confirmed to whom they belong, but the video was shot in daylight and one ukrainian soldier told us it was an operation against the separatist. -- separatists. to the body being taken morgue. this is a terrible blow for the ukrainian armed forces and a reminder of what these separatist's are capable of doing. a general who would only talk with the fear -- with his identity didn't -- hidden, for fear of reprisals. who told me that he believes they are professional killers held by the separatist leaders. they mow down my men in 15 minutes, he says. and they are doing it for money, not country out of ideals. this comes just 30 days before ukraine's election, which kiev wills will be here -- vows be here. the attack could be a warning shot to those hoping to work. but the ukrainian government hit back by making its military resins known, the national guard showing its moves to the prime minister today. to proves are trying their strength to the east. --i consider russia our troops are moving away from the border. even if they are moving away, armed forces are being trained in russia. bbc news.wen, >> turning to another country in crisis, it is now official. there has been a military coup in thailand. talks between the rival political factions proved inconclusive than soldiers step diane. tv broadcasting has been suspended, political gatherings are banned, and there's a nationwide curfew. this follows months of political turmoil. from bangkok, jonathan head sent this report. >> perhaps these guys should have shown a warning, but no one was expecting this. suddenly, soldiers were everywhere, blocking exits, like army club when the rival factions were holding talks. having a cue.s political leaders detained and driven away. the man who invited them here, general prayuth chan-ocha, now runs the country. fashion,onored coup the new military council announced the constitution was being suspended and a curfew imposed. general prayuth has now done what he has vowed many times, and that is a full military takeover. he says he has done this for peace and stability. and yet, there is bound to be some opposition. mostly from supporters of former president yingluck shinawatra. the so-called red shirts. they have won every election for the past 15 years. many of their leaders are under arrest. but they have always said they would resist a coup, with force if necessary. the antigovernment protesters, the so-called yellow shirts, have long been calling for military intervention owing to what they call the corruption and abuse of the ruling family. after seven months in bangkok's streets, they can now go home. >> we did not get everything we wanted, says this man, but i'm glad the military's of 10. -- the military stepped in. the military to sort out a divided country. the prospects do not look promising. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. >> i spoke to a man who formally handle security issues in southeast asia for the u.s. department of defense. thank you for joining us. two days ago this was not a coup. now it is. what actually has changed? >> i think the main thing that changed, in between declaring marshal law and -- martial law and forming a coup, they tried to have some last political accommodation. when they realize that was not possible, they decided to move forward with actually taking power. >> howl temporary is this? do you think the military is -- how temporary is this? do you think the military is genuine question mark >> i think the military is genuine when they say this is only to be a part-time solution. the question is, how do you get to a lasting solution? you have had political chaos in thailand. -- therehe military were plenty of reasons for the military to step diane, and they have resisted doing that. now the question is, how do they drive toward the political solution and restoring democracy, but in a way that will work for thailand instead of constantly grinding to a halt question mark >> that is the question. how do they do this? is there any process that has been laid out? both sides believe in the political battle in thailand have had many opportunities to find off ramps and accommodations. they have taken a really zero-sum approach to the politics. it is not what the people deserved. the leaders of the red shirt and the yellow shirts movements have got to find a way for political illommodation that w allow democracy to work in thailand. i do not know that the military takeover can make that happen, but it is important that we support all efforts for all to democracyback as soon as possible. tiesen the u.s. severs its because this is a military coup, is that a helpful position to take? >> it is the only position today. we have an extensive body of law which governs what we can and cannot take. military leadership is acutely aware of this. 2005.went through this in we managed to keep a dialogue, but we had to restrict what we could do with them. our defense apartments do a lot together and it is a great cost to them and to us as well. i think the administration will look very closely at how they can navigate this, but we certainly cannot support a coup. we may understand that the political dynamics are such that the military had no choice, felt it had no choice to do it, but the united states simply cannot support a coup. >> thank you very much indeed for joining us. >> thank you. it's nice to be with you. >> in other news, a man died in turkey after being shot in the head during clashes between elyse and classrooms in as temple. others inand istanbul. policeere reports that fired into the crowd. protesters were protesting the death of miners last week. theial results showed that had more votes than the number of people registered at polling stations. the election commission a college there have been problems, but dismissed the complaint. the un security council has approved sanctions against the islamist group woke over from, which is carried out a wave of deadly attacks, including the recent abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in nigeria. the militant group will now be added to the list of al organizations, subject to an embargo and an assets free. also russia and china blocked a resolution that would have taken the syrian conflict to the international criminal court for the possible prosecution of war crimes. it is the fourth time the two countries use their veto power to prevent action against the syrian president bashar al-assad. the resolution was first put or words by france. the human ambassador joy to me a short time ago to talk about it. human ambassador jointly a short time ago to talk about it. ambassador, thank you for being here. why did you feel you should push ahead? >> i think you have to consider all of the situation in syria. the political track is gone. a special envoy of the secretary-general just resigned and says there is no prospect of negotiation because the regime does not want to negotiate, because the regime believes it is winning on the ground. there is no political solution in the short term. youhe ground, meanwhile, have atrocities, horrific atrocities committed by both sides. mainly by the regime, but by both sides. so, there is a sort of hope that presenting this text, which is a very balanced text, saying simply the criminals of both sides will be brought to oncece, we believed -- for french diplomacy was naïve. we believed it would be possible to convince the russians to accept this text. obviously, we were wrong. they did not do it. >> was this a mistake, because what has now been achieved is you have expose the disunity of the u.n. once again? we have exposed russia, also. we have shown that russia is defending the regime, whatever the regime is doing. but again, we have to move forward. the next step -- there is a next step. we are going to work with that. >> humanitarian aid is not getting through right now. this is another area where the u.n. does not seem to be able to achieve anything in practical terms on the ground in syria. >> it is not the u.n. which is responsible. it is russia. country that is blocking, with the support of china, everything we are trying to do. the united nations are not united. that is the problem. what we're going to try to do, because you are right, nothing is happening on the humanitarian to offer a text saying that we will allow free crossing points to allow humanitarian aid to reach nearly 2 million syrians, which are really desperate. so, it will also be the responsibility of the russians to agree to are not to agree to the sort of text. just to understand, as long as russia is blocking everything, the security council cannot simply act. >> ambassador, thank you very much indeed for joining me. >> thank you. bye-bye. >> you're watching bbc world news america. still to come on tonight's program -- an endangered tribe in the amazon. keeprazil is working to loggers off their land. at least 30 killed and more than 90 injured after vehicles plowed through a busy market in china's volatile area of changing today. >> within minutes of the attack, pictures began appearing on chinese internet sites, victims lying in the wreckage of market stores. many were elderly during their early morning shopping. it is mostly be at the next han who live in this region. president xi jinping says terrorists were responsible and must be punished. the attacks and to be growing. the violence is the biggest problem facing chinese leaders. president xi joint -- visited last month. the attacks on police and government workers are spreading across china, targeting civilians, too. language anded by religion to turkey and central asia. we visited the old city of cash car and found chinese security everywhere. young men are singled out for id checks. the police are on edge, and violence has erupted in many towns. because of the pervasive security, many people were afraid to talk to us. it could be dangerous for them. in the region. >> if you have religious texts on your phone, they will report u to the police and you will be arrested. >> in another part of china, passengers taken away. chinese security are fearful after this attack, more will be coming. abc news, shanghai. >> a devastating impact on the reinforce and the indigenous people who call it home from locking. but now working to save an endangered tribe by keeping loggers off their land. a larger effort is going into keeping their culture alive. we have this report from the amazon. we are flying over the edge of the amazon. from an environmental agency believe they have spotted an illegal sawmill. raid is part of a huge operation, including the brazilian army, air force, and military police. it is the first and the history of brazil. stopping illegal logging is just one part of it. key objective is to save an entire tribe. >> [speaking foreign-language] >> the awa live in the last forests in the region. many grew up without any contact with the outside world. a few small group still live completely separately. the loggers are rapidly destroying the remaining forest, inting the 350 or so awa such peril they have been described as the most endangered tribe on the planet. [speaking foreign-language] hello, hello. the awa tell me that sometimes you can even hear the loggers' chainsaws from the village. sometimes they kill the indigenous people in the forest and leave their bodies. speaking far mine which -- speaking foreign-language] >> not only do loggers destroy habitat. they bring in settlers to clear the land. operation hasis to be on such a large scale. move 400 families that have illegally occupied the awa's land. so, all of these people will be moved out of the town and they have come here to ask all the preparations are going, whether they need transport. the idea is these guys will be given another plot of land somewhere in brazil where they can farm. some families have been here for 18 years. naturally, they are said to leave. -- sad to leave. speaking foreign-language] on theawa have been scene for decades. the department of indigenous people wanted to know they're finally getting their ancestral land back. they have decided to put awa in progress. they take them by helicopter to one of the villages that has been cleared. back in the village, they are keen to tell the others what they have seen. ♪ this is a rare thing. a good news story from the amazon. the troops are gone, the farmers will be back. the question is, whether brazil is ready to invest the resources to keep them out. >> that was just in reporting from the amazon. now you have probably never heard of north brother island, despite the fact that it lies in plain sight of new york city. once a quarantine station, it has been abandoned for 50 years. but we have gotten rarer permission to visit the island, and now those images are part of a new book. at tonight he gives us a look. uninhabited island of ruins off new york city. one of the most a unexpected places. it has been abandoned for the last if the euros or so, friend 50 years or so, since 1963. then it was home to hundreds of people. in the late 19th century, there were is this constant scare of contagious diseases for the burgeoning population of new york city. diseases were always making headlines. that is when he came into prominence, as a quarantines hospital. you step onto it, and all of a sudden you are in the middle of a city and you are completely alone. it is an experience i have never had anywhere else. you're walking into another world, and yet you still hear the sounds of the city. i heard an ice cream truck. on the one hand, that is part of living, the present, the world of the living that is new york city. it is vibrant and alive. and yet i was in one of these abandoned buildings that hasn't been used in decades. this is full of contrast. buildingst interesting by far is the tuberculosis ward. by the time it was completed by of tuberculosis had passed. there was not a need to quarantine people on an island anymore. it was used mostly for housing, for returning veterans and then juvenile delinquents. i would like to think that my photographs tell more. you get a sense of what happened before, but also how quickly things can disintegrate. i read this wonderful book that discusses what would happen to the world is able just left and nature took over. it mainly realize the work i was doing was not just a look into the past, but it was a look into the future. and these photographs show what would happen to new york city and the world around us if people just suddenly left and how quickly nature would just reclaim what was hers. it leads to the conundrum we face, living in a natural world which we try to alter, but it always reasserts itself in the end. payne there with the haunting story of new york's brother island. that brings today's program to a close. you can find much more and all of today's news on our website. and you can be in touch with me and the rest of the team on twitter. thanks for watching today and see you tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, kovler foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. (george chattering excitedly) this program was made possible by: can fuel a lifetime of learning. abcmouse.com early learning academy, proud sponsor of pbs kids and curious george. abcmouse.com early learning academy, are designed for kids to be as active as their imaginations. all she knows is that, today, purple is her favorite color, and that's good enough for us. stride rite is a proud sponsor of "curious george." at houghton mifflin harcourt, we believe reading opens new worlds and inspires curiosity in learners of all ages. we're proud to sponsor curious george on pbs kids. funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station... ooh. ...and from: [ man ] ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ a big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ [ chorus ] ♪ swing ♪ well, everything ♪ everything ♪ is so glorious george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ is so wonderous ♪ wonderous ♪ there's more to explore ♪ when you open your door ♪ and meet friends like this you just can't miss ♪ ♪ whoa ♪ get curious ♪ curious ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, what is this? ♪ ♪ like curious like curious ♪ ♪ curious george oh! [ man narrating ] george, professor wiseman and the man with the yellow hat... had a late-night mission. there was trouble at professors al einstein and tony pizza's space center, and they hoped they could help. the space rover needs to roam mars, taking pictures and gathering rock samples. see there? [ whirring ] but the controls stick. it works at first, but we have trouble whenever it reaches the-- uh-- sleeping monkey? [ gasps ] how-- i didn't notice him go. how can we communicate with him? there's only one way, and it's through that door. [ gasps ] [ whirring ] george? [ snoring, murmurs ] george? hello. th-the mars yard is supposed to be exactly like mars.