tv BBC News BBC News August 16, 2024 10:00am-10:31am BST
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gaza ceasefire talks are due to resume in qatar, after what a us official has described as a �*constructive�* first day of discussions on thursday. israeli representatives are attending, but hamas, which runs gaza, has stayed away accusing israel of changing its terms since previous rounds of talks. a hamas official also reiterated that, "any agreement must achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, a complete israeli withdrawal from gaza and the return of the displaced." on thursday, the hamas—run health ministry reported that the number of palestinians killed in gaza has passed 40,000, although israel disputes the figure. later, the families of israeli hostages still held captive in gaza following hamas�*s october the 7th attacks gathered to demand a deal to secure their release, with several thousand marching in tel aviv. a little earlier, our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, gave me a sense of how the ceasefire talks have gone so far. well, we had a white house spokesman
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saying late yesterday that they had got off to a promising start. the israeli media this morning has been talking about guarded optimism, saying it's a positive sign that the israeli delegation that was sent, the negotiating team, decided to stay overnight, despite what they see as some security risk in doha, and that they are continuing these talks with us, qatari and egyptian mediators today. now, hamas, as we were saying, has not sent a delegation along to these indirect talks. but, of course, hamas leaders are present in doha. and what mediators have been saying is they have ways to get messages back to hamas. so this is not seen as being the obstacle that it may appear to be. and in the meantime, a development on the west bank, israeli political leaders, including benjamin netanyahu and two far—right ministers, have condemned a large group ofjewish settlers who went on the rampage in a village in the occupied west bank,
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setting houses and cars on fire. settlers, some of them wearing masks, were armed with batons, rocks and molotov cocktails as they descended on the village ofjit. at least one palestinian was killed and others seriously injured, and it's a reminder that there's violence quite often in the west bank that is less well reported than events in gaza. that's right. although we've had these strong comments coming from israeli leaders, the president calling it a pogrom, for example, this is by far, you know, farfrom an isolated incident. we have the un agency, which has been monitoring attacks on palestinian civilians by extremist settlers, saying that since the start of the war in gaza, they have found something like 1,250 attacks by settlers on palestinians. and there have been on top of that, you know, something like 17, 18 palestinian communities where people have been forced by settler harassment
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away from their homes. those communities in some places having settlers move in, setting up temporary outposts there. those are sort of seeds of settlements that are not even authorised by the israeli authorities. all settlements seen as being illegal under international law. we had the white house also coming out quickly to condemn what has happened, saying that such violence against palestinian civilians was unacceptable and must stop. and there have been lots of complaints from the international community, from israeli ngos as well. there is a sense of impunity when it comes to a lot of these attacks. you do not see prosecutions by the israeli authorities. let's speak to nomi bar—yaacov, middle east expert and associate fellow of international security programme at chatham house, who is in our westminster studio. thanks for being with us. i wonder what your impression is of the talks that have restarted in doha and the progress
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so far and how likely it is that there will be some kind of concrete outcome this time around?- there will be some kind of concrete outcome this time around? thank you ve much outcome this time around? thank you very much for— outcome this time around? thank you very much for having _ outcome this time around? thank you very much for having me _ outcome this time around? thank you very much for having me on _ outcome this time around? thank you very much for having me on the - outcome this time around? thank you very much for having me on the show| very much for having me on the show this morning. i think that the talks are very serious, i think we are at are very serious, i think we are at a critical stage, a make or break stage, and i think that is known not only to the three mediators, qatar, egypt and the us, but also to israel and hamas. therefore we are at a pivotal moment, a breaking point, and i'm cautiously optimistic. i think talks are going well, and the lines have been drawn, they are very clear, and hopefully there will be an outcome of an agreement on a framework. it is not unlikely that all of the details will be ironed out today, but it is very much my hope and the hope of the mediators and the parties that a framework will be agreed and thereby the implementation will be what will need further discussions beyond today. need further discussions beyond toda . . . , need further discussions beyond
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toda . . . ., need further discussions beyond toda . . ., ., ., today. hamas are not attending it directl , today. hamas are not attending it directly. but _ today. hamas are not attending it directly, but they _ today. hamas are not attending it directly, but they are _ today. hamas are not attending it directly, but they are based - today. hamas are not attending it directly, but they are based in - directly, but they are based in doha, some of their political fellows are based there, so they will get some of the feedback from the talks. do you think it makes any difference that they are not directly attending? i difference that they are not directly attending?- directly attending? i don't, actually- — directly attending? i don't, actually. given _ directly attending? i don't, actually. given that - directly attending? i don't, actually. given that the - directly attending? i don't, - actually. given that the hamas leadership is based in doha, they are essentially a part of the negotiation. in any event, the israelis and the hamas are not sitting in the same room with the negotiators, so they are being updated regularly by the mediators and feedback is coming in. so i think, yes, they announced that they are not sending anyone, but they are actually there. are not sending anyone, but they are actually there-— actually there. what do you expect in terms of — actually there. what do you expect in terms of retaliation _ actually there. what do you expect in terms of retaliation from - actually there. what do you expect in terms of retaliation from iran or| in terms of retaliation from iran or hezbollah for the killings of ismail haniyeh and the his brother commander recently? there was talk that if a ceasefire in gaza were achieved, that might be taken off the table. do you think they might go ahead with something like that anyway? i
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go ahead with something like that an a ? ~ ,., , go ahead with something like that an a ? ~ , ., anyway? i think something hinges on the outcome — anyway? i think something hinges on the outcome of _ anyway? i think something hinges on the outcome of these _ anyway? i think something hinges on the outcome of these negotiations. l the outcome of these negotiations. hezbollah have vowed to retaliate for which israel responsibility, and iran have vowed to retaliate for the assassination of ismail haniyeh, the leader of hamas on their soil in tech ranjust over two leader of hamas on their soil in tech ran just over two weeks ago. that said, there have been tremendous diplomatic efforts both behind—the—scenes and openly to ensure that no retaliation takes place at chances for a ceasefire agreement are being given. and the chanceis agreement are being given. and the chance is now. so i think everything hinges on the outcome of this particular negotiation. if an agreement orframework particular negotiation. if an agreement or framework is reached, particular negotiation. if an agreement orframework is reached, i don't think we will see an uranium ore hezbollah immediate retaliation. if an immediate agreement is not reached, i think we will see a
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coordinated retaliation between iran, iran's many long arms, proxies in the region, and hezbollah. hami in the region, and hezbollah. nomi bar-yaacov. _ in the region, and hezbollah. nomi bar-yaacov, thank _ in the region, and hezbollah. nomi bar-yaacov, thank you _ in the region, and hezbollah. nomi bar-yaacov, thank you very - in the region, and hezbollah. nomi bar—yaacov, thank you very much for joining us. to thailand, where paetongtarn shinawatra has become the country's youngest—ever prime minister. the 37—year—old says she's "very honoured and happy" to take up the post. her selection by thailand's parliament marks the return of the shinawatra dynasty — she is the daughter of the billionaire tycoon and former leader, thaksin. the former prime minister, srettha thavisin, was dismissed earlier this week by the constitutional court. this is what paetongtarn shinawatra had to say. i talk to my family and i talk to a lot of people from my party, and i decided that it's about time to do something for the country and for the party as well. and ijust, i hope that i can do my best to, you know, make the country go forward.
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but that's what i... that's what i try, i try to do. and, um, right now, of course, today i feel very honoured and i feel very happy. let's go live to bangkok and our south east asia correspondent, jonathan head. tell us more about this new face at the top of thai word mat politics. as you see there, she is a very fresh young face, she will come across to many ties is very natural in the way that she responded to getting the job. in the way that she responded to getting thejob. she is not an unfamiliarface because getting thejob. she is not an unfamiliar face because she led the campaign of her party last year, but she is not a political heavyweight, she is not a political heavyweight, she doesn't have a lot of experience. she spent most of her time in recent years working for her family hotel business, she only joined the party two years ago. in that sense, she is both untested, given the very tricky nature of thai politics at the moment, mostly with
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see her as facing a serious challenge in holding the coalition government together and the hopes of voters that she can revive the economy, something her predecessor was unable to do in one year in office. as always, because she comes from the shinawatra clan, there is a lot of mistrust between them and the conservatives who dominate the unelected institutions in thailand, there is or is the risk that she faces a kind of court intervention that we have seen so often in thailand which is dismissed ministers and governments in the past. ministers and governments in the ast. ., ., ., ,, ., ., ., past. you mention of the shinawatra clan, tell past. you mention of the shinawatra clan. tell us — past. you mention of the shinawatra clan, tell us more _ past. you mention of the shinawatra clan, tell us more about _ past. you mention of the shinawatra clan, tell us more about why - past. you mention of the shinawatra clan, tell us more about why they i clan, tell us more about why they are so significant in thailand. thaksin shinawatra really shattered the mould of thai politics when he won a record—breaking election in the early 2000 is, 2001, he made his money very quickly out of telecoms in the 1990s, he became rich very quickly and superseded a lot of other well—established families. then he established this incredible election machine which didn't seem able to lose, and using that power,
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he tried to transform the country in the way that he liked. but he ruffled the feathers of thailand's royalist, people close to the monarchy, who felt he was trying to rival its prestige. for those reasons, they accused him of abusing his power, concentrating power, corruption, just a the military coup against him and subsequent moves against him and subsequent moves against him and subsequent moves against him like against his sister in 2014 and against governments led ljy in 2014 and against governments led by his family or by associates. but it is the most high profile political dynasty in thailand and it has retained its prominence for many years. has retained its prominence for many ears. ., ., ., ., years. you mentioned the two and the role of courts — years. you mentioned the two and the role of courts in _ years. you mentioned the two and the role of courts in thai _ years. you mentioned the two and the role of courts in thai politics, - role of courts in thai politics, tell us about the economy? —— the military coup. tell us about the economy? -- the military coup-— military coup. the corrie has been stuck for a — military coup. the corrie has been stuck for a long _ military coup. the corrie has been stuck for a long time _ military coup. the corrie has been stuck for a long time has - military coup. the corrie has been stuck for a long time has been the hallmark of her party, that they make people better off. if they don't do it this time, they will be punished in three years' time at the
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election. she will always be watching over her shoulder, the courts and other institutions which are very conservative are distrustful of elected politicians and have put in place these strict rules whereby its very easy to find yourself interacting the rules, the rules in some way. the courts have this sweeping power to step in and sit dismissed by ministers, dissolve parties. this is a reality in thai politics, elected governments really serve at the will of these powerful, unelected institutions much more than they do at the will of the electorate. than they do at the will of the electorate-— than they do at the will of the electorate. ., ~' , ., , . electorate. thank you very much indeed. next to the global concern over the spread of the deadly new strain of mpox from africa. china has announced heightened screening for goods and people coming from areas where the new highly contagious strain of the disease has been detected. the world health organization, which declared a global public health emergency on wednesday, says more cases of the dangerous variant are likely to be found in europe in the coming days, after sweden reported the first infection in the continent. simonjones reports. in the democratic republic of congo, the country hardest hit,
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public health campaigns are under way to warn people of the dangers of mpox. 0riginally known as monkeypox, it's transmitted through close contact, such as sex, skin—to—skin contact or breathing close to another person. it causes flu—like symptoms and skin lesions. they often clear up within a couple of weeks, but mpox can be fatal, particularly for people with weakened immune systems. translation: three of my children and i were infected. _ one was treated here and the other two were taken to hospital. after two weeks, they were discharged. a week later, my wife was infected. now a case of the more dangerous strain of mpox has been recorded in sweden. the authorities say the person became infected during a stay in an area of africa where there is currently a major outbreak. it is very probable that we will see more cases in europe
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in the near...close time, so it's important for all countries to be aware that this can happen. there have been 450 deaths in the democratic republic of congo following an outbreak of the new strain. it's also been detected in neighbouring countries, including the central african republic, uganda, kenya, rwanda and burundi. the surge of mpox in the democratic republic of the congo and a growing number of countries in africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. who is warning also about the potential of this mpox virus to spread further across countries in africa, and possibly outside the continent. dr meera chand, from the uk health security agency, said...
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outbreaks can be controlled by preventing infections with vaccines. the uk government says it has stockpiles as part of its preparedness plans. the world health organization says a coordinated international response is now vital. simon jones, bbc news. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.
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to the us, where five people have been charged over the drug—related death of the friends star matthew perry. the 54—year—old actor was found dead in a hot tub at his los angeles home last year. he had taken ketamine. those charged include the actor's former personal assistant, two doctors who are accused of supplying the star with the drug, and a woman known as the "ketamine queen". court documents allege matthew perry's assistant injected him more than 20 times with ketamine in the
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days before he died. emma vardy reports from los angeles. hey, i got you a present! oh, my goodness, where did you hide it? to fans, matthew perry, best known as chandler bing, was the funny character from friends, who'd made no secret of his flaws. he'd struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his career. i'm in control of the first drink, and so i do all these things to protect myself from not having the first drink. sure. at the time of his death, he was said to have been undergoing therapy for depression — taking small doses of ketamine. but when he was found in the jacuzzi at his home, the levels of the drug in his body were much higher. the five people facing charges are alleged to be part of a criminal network supplying the drug, including two doctors, who used the actor say law enforcement as a way to make money. these defendants took advantage of mr perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. they knew what they were doing was wrong. were doing was risking great danger to mr perry,
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but they did it anyways. the desperation that led perry to these individuals was not met with help, as it should have been from the doctors, but instead it was met with exploitation — exploitation by those who should have guided him toward help. matthew, right here first. thank you. matthew perry was charged 2,000 for a dose of ketamine worth around $12. the doctors are accused of acquiring the drug and falsifying medical records — one of them writing in a text, "i wonder how much this moron will pay." and matthew perry's personal assistant has admitted injecting him on the day he died. investigators say while looking into the actor's death, they uncovered a drug supply network, involving a dealer known as the ketamine queen in hollywood, and say that other suspects in connection with the operation are continuing to be investigated. emma vardy, bbc news.
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our north america correspondent peter bowes has more on the reaction this latest development received in the us. the word that i keep on hearing is sad. how very sad this situation is. of course, matthew perry, a beloved actor and notjust beloved because of his role in friends, but beloved because of the way because of his role in friends, but beloved because of the way that he dealt with his problems. he really was actually very open about his addictions. he wrote about it, he wrote about it in his book, and a lot of people had really hoped and indeed thought that that chapter in his life was over. but clearly not, as we've heard from this news conference, that he'd fallen back into addiction, resulting in him getting involved with this group of... well, we've heard of the five individuals, including the two doctors and the sequence of events that essentially led these doctors, an alleged supplier of drugs, to enable matthew perry to continue to use ketamine in high
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and clearly dangerous volumes. and we know from the post—mortem examination that it was an excessively high volume of ketamine in his system that that led to his death. drowning played a role as well. the latest on this is that, of the five individuals, three have pleaded or have acknowledged that they will eventually plead guilty as part of plea deals, leaving two — one of the doctors and the woman known as the ketamine queen — to appear in court in the last few hours. they both appeared here in los angeles. both have pleaded not guilty and will be back in court for the next stage in the legal process at some point next month. prince harry and his wife meghan have begun a four—day tour of colombia. the duke and duchess of sussex were invited by the country's vice—president for what's been dubbed a "diy royal tour". our south america correspondent, ione wells, has more from bogota.
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prince harry and meghan are no longer working royals. but, as their first visit to latin america shows, when on tour, they still get a majestic welcome. they're here in colombia as guests of the country's vice president, francia marquez, the first black woman to hold that role. for both parties, this visit is about sharing ideas to protect children from harm online. they met children at this school before discussing solutions with activists and experts too. prince harry and meghan have spoken openly about attacks they've faced on social media. colombia's vice president said she, too, had faced discrimination since she was a child. for both parties, this is also about publicity with the couple and government only allowing their own personal videographers into some events. prince harry and meghan hope to promote their campaigns to make the internet a safer place and maintain their influence and visibility on the world stage. they still attract meetings with global leaders.
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for the government here, it's publicity too, ahead of elections next year. the sussexes have said they fear doing similar high—profile events back in the uk after suffering threats online and no longer receiving the government—funded security they did as working royals. this second overseas tour in just a few months leaves many wondering if international campaigning is where their focus is turning. ione wells, bbc news in bogota. here in the uk, details of compensation to be paid to victims of the infected blood scandal have been set out by the government. £2.5 million. an estimated 30,000 people were infected with hiv and hepatitis c from contaminated blood products and transfusions between the 1970s and early 1990s. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. they'd called for years for truth and justice, and campaigners who gathered in may to mark the publication of the public inquiry report felt that had been delivered.
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it said the scale of the scandal was horrifying and that doctors, the nhs and government had repeatedly failed patients. today, more details of the final compensation package have been published. payments to those infected will start by the end of this year and to those affected, including families, some time next year. existing support schemes will continue as well as compensation. about 3,000 people so far have been in touch with the official body running the scheme, but it's not clear how many will claim. it's important that the support schemes do continue because that gives financial security to our community and it is an important recognition of past loss. it's separate compensation, because compensation is a recognition of the damage that was inflicted on the whole community through treatment given to them by the nhs. earlier plans from the government have been assessed by the head of a new compensation authority sir robert francis.
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he's backed most of them and suggested changes. these include extra payments to those who were subjected to scientific trials without consent. that was what happened to some pupils at the special school treloar�*s in hampshire, which had a unit to care for haemophiliacs. they'll receive £15,000 extra as well as compensation, but they say that's not nearly enough. i think the £15,000 proposed award is both derogatory and insulting, not only to the children that are still alive, the young adults that died, but also their families. i really do. there aren't really... there aren't really words. i just can't believe it, none of us can. and those infected with hepatitis c, or who lost loved ones because of the virus, are concerned at earlier suggestions their compensation would be a lot less than those infected with hiv. no update on that has yet been announced. ministers said it was an important
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milestone for victims and campaigners, and everything possible would be done to deliver compensation quickly. campaigners, though, will be anxious to see more of the detail. hugh pym, bbc news. a further eruption of mount etna in sicily has caused renewed travel disruption during a public holiday in italy. the volcano began spewing lava, ash and smoke early on thursday, leading to flight cancellations. etna is one of world's most active volcanoes. finally this half hour, a rarely—seen deep sea fish has been found in california and scientists want to know why. the silvery 3.6—metre—long oarfish was found floating dead on the ocean surface off the san diego coast by a group of snorklers and kaya kers. it's only the 20th time an oarfish is known to have washed up in california since 1901. experts are now studying the fish to try find out how it died
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and what it reveals about the health of the ocean. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. whilst some of us had some pretty heavy rain yesterday and overnight, today and into the weekend brings a window of drier and more settled weather on the cards. so for most of us, the weather is looking predominantly dry through the rest of today and into the weekend with some sunshine around, and things will feel pleasantly warm in that sunshine. the windiest weather will be found out towards the northwest of the uk, closer to this area of low pressure, which will throw a few showers in at times across parts of scotland, but further south, once we lose this frontal system that's brought some early cloud and rain to the southeast, that should clear away a lot of dry that should clear away, a lot of dry weather on the cards. so some fairly strong uv levels out there for the rest of today for many of us. we've just got those
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scattered showers blowing in across the western isles, the northern isles and parts of highland. temperatures between about 15 to 25 degrees for most of us. still some fairly high levels of pollen across england and wales. you'll notice that weed pollen this time of year, if you do suffer from an allergy to that. moving through this evening and tonight, still blustery showers continue across parts of scotland for a time. a little bit more cloud and breeze generally for scotland and for northern ireland. further south across england and wales, lighter winds, one or two misty patches forming and actually quite a fresh start to saturday morning. in more rural spots, we could see six or seven degrees to kick off the weekend. so, into saturday, and this weather front is well and truly out of the way, sitting across the near continent. so a ridge of slightly higher pressure in charge. a westerly influence to our weather through the course of the weekend. and that breeze coming in from the west or the southwest across scotland will still bring one or two showers, but they'll be few and far between. further south, you'll stay dry, with the longest spells of sunshine across east anglia and the south—east. elsewhere, areas of cloud drifting around but a fine,
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settled sort of day. 15 to 24 degrees our top temperatures on saturday. similar day again into sunday. that westerly breeze bringing a few showers to parts of scotland, could be one or two around coasts and hills in the west of britain and northern ireland as well, but further east, long spells of sunshine once again. so, 14 to 25. fairly typical temperatures for this time of year. warm in any sunshine. but as high pressure clears away into next week, low pressure will start to influence us more from the atlantic. so things turning a little bit more unsettled. still quite warm and humid, especially in the south on monday. a return to some showers and slightly fresher conditions, but still some sunny spells for the rest of next week. bye.
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this is bbc news, the headlines hundreds of thousands of people injapan are advised to evacuate their homes — as typhoon ampil approaches the country's east coast, bringing winds of over 200 kilometres per hour. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has pledged to prosecute jewish settlers who killed at least one person during an attack on a palestinian village in the occupied west bank. police have arrested an israeli national — ahead of a second day of talks in qatar aimed at securing a ceasefire in gaza. thailand's youngest—ever prime minister has been elected. the 37—year—old is the daughter of the country's former leader and says her government will have an experienced team that aims to improve the lives of thai people. and ed sheeran leads the chorus of cheers ringing in the start of the new premier league season.
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the lifelong ipswich town fan has bought stakes in the club, which is returning to the league after 22 years. hello. i'm lauren taylor. let's return now to the news that details of compensation to be paid to victims of the infected blood scandal have been set out today. richard warwick is one of the treloar school pupils who we heard from in the report we ran earlier. let's hear more from him now. my my parents were advised for me to go down to the specialist boarding school in hampshire because i was losing so much schooling at home, spending time in hospital. it was a long way for me to travel so a long way for me to travel. it's 300 miles, but after a lot of back and forth, my parents decided
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