welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start here in the uk, which has recorded 100,000 daily new cases of the coronavirus for the first time since the pandemic began. the sudden rise in infections has been caused by the 0micron variant, which is known to be highly tra nsmissable. but there s also some optimism, as preliminary studies published in the uk and south africa suggest 0micron could present with milder symptoms than other variants. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has this report. another record day for covid cases and for boosterjabs, but as the 0micron wave surges, at last some positive early evidence from three separate studies, all indicating it poses less of a threat than the delta variant. research by imperial college london found around a 40% reduction in the risk of being admitted to hospitalfor a night or more compared to delta. a scottish study suggested there was a 65% lower risk of being hospitalised with 0micron, but it was bas
border of iran turkey. the bbc has uncovered numerous videos during this investigation. most were too disturbing to broadcast. videos taken and sent to horrified family members, demanding ransoms. i am soran qurbani. i2 members, demanding ransoms. i am soran qurbani. 12 years ago, i smuggled my way into europe from iran. now, iwork for the from iran. now, iwork forthe bbc from iran. now, iwork for the bbc and i am investigating what is happening to refugees like me on that route today. we met with refugees in turkey he managed to escape but lost everything in the process. and those trying to tackle it. call to prayer. this is a city in turkey on the border with iran. the gateway to europe for many hundreds of thousands of afghan refugees. for decades, people have been smuggled from afghanistan through iran, and into turkey. these undocumented migrants have been flank civil war, poverty and persecution. when the taliban read took power in august 2021, the numbers increased. an
round up of the news. but first, 0ur world. kathmandu, the city i call home. my friend nirmala and i never felt restricted here, until we started our periods. suddenly there were lots of things we were not meant to do, like cook or worship. my college friend, she s like i m having my period, i m treated like a queen, i don t have to work in kitchen, i don t have to go to temples, that s not treating you like a queen, that s like treating you like you re untouchable. the rules didn t make much sense to us growing up. my mother used to tell me that you shouldn t touch plants or they will die. periods are still deeply taboo here in nepal. and while things in the city are gradually changing, we heard in the remote far west it s very different. so we re leaving our urban life to travel to the mountains, to discover why the taboos are still so powerful. and ask why some people are so scared of menstruating women that they won t even let them inside the house. they have to sleep in
spotlight. and this is a rare old talent, isn t it? our colleague steve rosenberg not only knows all the winners at the eurovision song contest, he can play them as well. i m katty kay in washington, christian fraser is in london. the us national security agency was watching in real time last week as the russians hacked into the servers of the french president elect emmanuel macron. they ve also determined that the russian president vladimir putin ‘personally‘ directed the attack last year on the us election. today in front of the senate armed services committee the director of the nsa, admiral mike rogers, was questioned by senators and this was how he described his agencies warnings to french officials. he had become aware of russian activity, we had talked to french cou nterpa rts activity, we had talked to french counterparts prior to the public announcements of the events that we re announcements of the events that were attributed last weekend, the russians were seei
1am in london and 3am in saudi arabia, where president trump called on muslim countries to take responsibility for tackling extremism. during a speech in riyadh attended by dozens of arab leaders he insisted the fight against extremism wasn t a war between different faiths but a battle between good and evil. the president also used strong language against iran, saudi arabia s biggest rival. our north america editor, jon sopel was there. the president has been on a deep immersion into middle east politics today, and a charm offensive, meeting a host of arab and gulf leaders from across the region. and one central geopolitical subject, the fight against islamist extremism, and how to make good on his pledge to destroy so called islamic state. but after the trenchant and, some would say islamophobic, language of the trump election campaign, the president chose a much more moderate tone today. we are not here to lecture. we are not here to tell other people how to live, wha