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continue to target ships trying to sail through the red sea. concern from officials as china's population dips for the second year in a row after decades of working to control it. a new cancer drug therapy is promising less side effects for children fighting leukemia. welcome to the program. we begin with events in the middle east where we are tracking a number of developing stories. the houthis in yemen said they will carry on attacking ships in the red sea despite being redesignated by the u.s. as global terrorists. in gaza medication is starting to come in for hostages as israel continues their bombardment of the strip. and iran has admitted to carrying out a missile and drone attack in pakistan that left several people dead.

first we start with the u.s. re-designating the yemen-based houthi militants as a terrorist organization. national security advisor jake sullivan called for the group to stop its attack on shipping vessels in the red sea. he said in a speech at the world economic forum. the houthis say they will continue until there is a cease-fire in gaza and their support for the rebels is steady. at the same conference in davos, the iranian foreign minister said houthis who attack ships of the red sea were acting in defense of the palestinian people. the bigger picture for the west, attacks on merchant vessels since november have disrupted global shipping and created concerns that inflation could worsen. with me as our state department correspondent tom bateman. tom, think you for your time. what does this designation achieve? >> i think on the ground in terms of what the houthis are

able to do, probably not much, but with the americans are trying to do is add to the pressure. they want to squeeze the houthi s, both in terms of the u.s. leg which on this, which is bringing accountability on attacks on shipping, but they also want to effectively limit their ability to be able to do this. what the u.s. position is, by redesignating the houthis as a terrorist organization, it allows in some ways financing to be limited for anyone who provides material support from outside for the houthis to face some kind of sanctions. but the reality is the houthis were already subject to world sanctions. in the capital they said if you get a houthi administration issued a passport, there is virtually no where you can go in the world already, they are already an isolated organization. i'm not sure this will have a huge effect on the ground, but the point is the administration wants to say in addition to its

military strikes they have carried out from the u.k. last week, in regards to the houthis is a terrorist organization, there is a carrot and stick because it takes 30 days to come into effect. the state department is saying, if you stop the attacks on shipping we will reconsider. >> they have another option. they do not go all the way. the trump administration had designated them a foreign terrorist organization. why do you think the biden administration has not taken that step. >> the trump administration in its final days of january 2021 slapped on the toughest form of terrorism texas nation on the houthis. the iran hawks in washington have wanted to punish the houthi s because of their strikes against the saudis and the u.s. golf allies. the trump administration put on two layers of terrorism designation. resident bidens administration within weeks reversed all that, basically because human rights

and human to turn it group say this will prevent our ability to get in food and medicine in a war-torn country on the verge of famine because we could be prosecuted for providing support to a terrorist organization. that was reversed, but i think the pressure now on the pressure now on the biden administration becomes more inevitable. president biden was asked to the other day are the houthis terrorists, he said yes, but it is a lower level, less severe designation than was the case under president trump. >> thank you for your time. we will talk with a senior yemen advisor for the european institute of peace and has worked with the state department in the past. it is good to talk to you again and thank you again for your time. now, do you think that this is going to deter the houthis from their attacks? this is the next step the government has taken after the

strikes, isn't it? >> it is, and it most definitely will not stop the houthis. in fact, they will gladly wear that with honor if they can have designation as a sign to prove they are in a fight with the americans. they are turning around to their followers, the americans are the reason behind their suffering. even though this is a lower designation, they will definitely tell their followers, well, it is in fact similar and the communitarian crises is a result of that designation. just in the past few hours we have seen people freaking out that gas and oil are disappearing from the streets, in a similar manner to it did in the past when there was a blockade. the houthis will pin that on the markets and the designation. every action the u.s. takes now houthi, thes will turn around --

the houthis will turn around and pin that on the u.s. actions. >> we had this conversation last time, that they have to respond to the attacks in some way and this is another step they have taken. this step is meant to have a financial impact on the houthis. what are the finances of the houthis? they have a wealth of drones, but what about when it comes to their money? >> it won't, unfortunately. the houthis have deeper pockets locally. they also have financing networks that the designation will not impact. the treasury department just a couple weeks ago busted a couple of networks where money is being funneled from yemen through a shell company in the emirates. they will continue to do that. in terms of the designation, the speaker was talking about restricting houthi travel, houthi don't travel much. they stay mostly in a couple of governed leadership areas. it does not really impact them.

the action was more symbolic for the u.s. in terms of the way it would hurt the houthis, unfortunately it won't. >> in terms of the united states' negotiations with saudi arabia, they have been working toward some sort of peace in yemen. do you think this could complicate those efforts? >> it will complicate these efforts. it puts the saudis and the u.n. envoy in an awkward position now that they are designated as a terror group. but i don't pick it will completely derail the negotiations because the saudis are adamant on getting that deal. you will see the deal put on ice for now because of everything going on. they will wait for the dust to settle. but they are definitely going forward with that deal. >> in terms of the human it. need to that you mentioned before -- in terms of the humanitarian need you mentioned before, that is part of the reason the biden administration

did not want to go so far with the designation. could you describe what the humanitarian need is in yemen? >> 82% of the population is in need of some form of aid. many of the population did not have access to clean water, basic services are almost gone, big swaths of the country don't have electricity. but having said that, even though the current designation comes with certain caveats and carveouts to without human hearing aid, aid is not actually coming t yemen. it has only been one part funded. the u.k. actually cut down there aid, other countries have cut down on their aid. they have stopped aid to the houthi-controlled areas, so that was already delinquent for in there was very little trickling into yemen anyway. >> why is it despite this economic crisis, briefly why is it the houthis are still

enjoying this popularity within yemen? >> because they are playing on the eternal grievances, the shared traumas. they are weaponizing those grievances and pinning it on an external enemy. there is also this cautionary tale of what happened the past eight years. the houthis turn until the farmers the war has devastated you. all the other parties have failed you. of course, they use the narrative that the west is conspiring against them. they have not come to your aid. we are your only hope and we are the defenders of the muslim nation, and also we enjoyed a special status as descendants of the profit. they claim divine rule. this goes to the local population. >> thank you so much for your time once again. >> thank you for having me. >> pakistan is recalling its abbasid or to tehran after iran carried out a deadly cross borders terror strike -- drone

strike, the latest in a series of attacks by iran into neighboring countries. to ron's news agency said the islamic guard carried out the attack in a moments region -- mountainous region roughly 50 miles from the iranian border. this footage was shared with the bbc by a freelance journalist in the region that appears to show the aftermath. iran said it was targeting the headquarters of a violent separatist group, which seeks independence for part of around ceased. officials in pakistan said two children were killed in the strike. this week iran also carried out missile strikes on iraq and syria. iran's foreign minister says the strike was not against pakistan but rather against the group, what he called an iranian terrorist group in pakistan. he added iran has repeated to raise the issue with his neighbors.

in islamabad the former in islamabad the former and ministry spokesperson called the attack on provoked and accused tehran of island and pakistan sovereignty. a u.s. spokesperson condemned the attack while china, and i'll i have nations, appealed for calm. caroline davies reports. reporter: skirmishes between pakistan and iran on their border are not unheard of, but there is rarely -- they are rarely as high-profile as this incident. state media said the iranian military hit and targeted the headquarters of a sunni militant group that is known to carry out multiple attacks inside iran, including claiming response ability for attack on a police station in december. the group itself has put out on social media that this particular strike hit the homes of the militants and killed family members of the militants rather than their bases. they have vowed revenge on iran.

iran has not put out an official statement on the incident. pakistan's foreign ministry said two children were killed and they call this an unprovoked violation of pakistan's airspace. pakistan has recalled its abbasid or to iran and told iran's ambassador to pakistan currently out of the country not to return. the backdrop to all of this, the reason this is getting more attention is because of the timing, the fact iran has also in recent days hit iraq and syria. this suggests iran is currently trying to show a display of strength and force against any group it considers to be a threat. >> caroline davies. fist fighting continues south of the gaza strip. the hamas run health ministry said 165 people were killed and 250 people injured in the past 24 hours.

thousands of palestinians are moving to the border with egypt in a bid to find safety away from the fighting. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said israel is fighting on all fronts in a war that would last many more months, until victory is achieved. two qatari military planes carrying medicine for hostages in gaza have arrived in egypt. the shipment will be transported to the territory under an agreement between israel and hamas that will also see increased aid for palestinians in gaza. joining me is james smith who recently returned from gaza as an emergency doctor for palestinians. james, thank you so much for your time. i know we spoke recently when you got back. i wonder what your reaction is to the news that more aid will be sent to gaza? >> thank you. the news that more aid will be entering into gaza is welcome of course.

the amount of aid that has entered into gaza since early october has fallen far, far below the minimum requirements to sustain human life. as we know, prior to october 7, on a "normal day" in gaza, approximately 500 trucks would enter into the gaza strip. there hasn't been a day since october 7 which we have met that minimum requirement of 500 trucks. at the same time, the scale of need is far, far higher than a "normal day" in gaza. we know there is a blockade of the gaza strip for more than a decade prior to october 7. already very, very high levels of need, very high levels of manufactured dependence on she military independence -- committed terrien assistance.

the need for humanitarian access to avert a greater catastrophe is phenomenally high. as i say, the news more aid is coming is of course welcome. >> specifically when it comes to medicines, what sorts of medicines are really needed in gaza right now? >> the world health organization maintains a list of essential medicines, that is everything from medicines to without for quality pala teri care, sedation, threw two a full range of antibiotics. when we were working in the middle area we were frequently running out of several basic medicines on a given day. one of the major shortages of medicines that really affected our ability to deliver quality patient care and the resuscitation room was a lack of basic anesthesia. frequently we would run out of

morphine. we also run out regularly of different forms of sedation, which makes it difficult to do basic procedures for children and adults. really on many of these drugs we were running critically short. >> that is a good reminder children are affected by this crisis. there has also been a big spread of disease. could you describe what sorts of diseases are traveling around gaza right now? what is it about where that makes disease spread like that? >> sure. we have seen the intentional decimation of the health care system. have also seen the suspension of access to clean water. we have seen bakeries targeted. so of course we see an increase in rates of undernutrition, which predisposes people to develop and acquiring, picking up different forms of infectious diseases. we have seen a spread as a

result of poor water and sanitation conditions of diarrheal diseases, a major problem now, and of course those sort of problems can spread very quickly. throw into the equation of course massive overcrowding. more than a million people are now trying to seek some form of shelter and section where he in the south of gaza, so very, very overcrowded. these are the sort of conditions in which illnesses, diarrheal diseases spread incredibly quickly, with catastrophic consequences. >> israel is saying it is acting within the bounds of international humanitarian law and that this is a war zone. i would love to know from you, who have just come back from gaza, what is the state of the hospital system? how many functional hospitals are there in gaza right now? >> we have seen and of course

heard about over the last several months of several instances in which hospitals have been attacked, raided. we have seen instances in which health-care workers have been attacked and killed. all of those are breaches of international planetary law. >> yes, although israel is saying when it has attacked, that has been because they believe hamas has been operating in the hospital, they are not intentionally striking the hospital. the bbc asked to the mat. but i do understand you and your organization have witnessed the destruction in gaza and it has affected the hospital system. i'm afraid we've run out of time, but james, thank you so much for joining the program again. >> thank you. >> china's population fell for the second year in a row. it is due to a steep increase in the total number of deaths, many linked to the covid pandemic,

and another fall in the birthrate. the trend towards an increasingly aging population is of concern to the chinese government, which needs people of working age to drive the economy and pay taxes. megan r1 has more on the efforts to control the population. >> over the last few decades china has had a pendulum population. in the 1970's as it was approaching one billion people, the government became concerned about the impact this could have on their vicious plans for economic growth. it decided to implement new policies. in 1979 it introduce the controversial one child policy. but after a shrinking workforce and an aging population, it relaxed this in 2015 and we saw the u2 child policy. there were also financial incentives for people to start a family. in 2021 this was relaxed further with the three child policy. these don't necessarily seem to have worked.

our latest figures show that china's population has reduced in size for the second year running. at the end of 2023 it was just over 1.4 billion. that is a reduction of 2 million from the previous year. if you look at the birthrate it was 6.39 people per thousand. i want to show this graph which shows just how rapidly that birthrate has declined. why is this happening? young couples and modern cities have said following covid they want to focus on their careers. they are also worried about the cost of living. but equally the government are now worried because they rely on an aging population, aging workforce, putting pressure on the health service but also on the pension systems. could it actually be these earlier interventions have worked just a little too well? >> that was megan owen. let's turn to important world around -- news around the world.

king charles will be treated for an enlarged prostate next week. buckingham palace said the condition is benign and he will undergo what is described as a corrective procedure. his public engagements will be postponed immediately. the princess of wales was admitted to hospital tuesday where she planned abdominal surgery. the procedure was successful in took place at the london clinic, a private hospital in central london. the princess is unlikely to return to public duties until after easter. it is a problem that impacts people all over the world, childhood cancer. in the u.k. children suffering from leukemia are starting to be treated with a drug that is much kinder to their bodies than chemotherapy and can be administered at home. that is were a health reporter michelle roberts explains it means the children need to spend far less time in hospital. ♪ reporter: life is getting back to normal for this 11-year-old.

he has been clear of cancer for almost a year now. he was one of the first children in the u.k. to try out a new type of cancer drug. it can replace big chunks of aggressive chemotherapy. >> the news came that actually there was still some residual cancer, so that particular chemo had not worked as expected. reporter: for arthur, it was the only real option to tackle his blood counts are -- blood cancer. >> you can see the pic line. on the right-hand side, that was separate at that point. reporter: all of the kit can be carried in a small bag. although he had to wear it day and night, it gave him back his freedom. doctors say it is a much kinder alternative. >> hello, arthur, come on in.

reporter: and could be a game changer for kids with this type of leukemia who struggle on chemo. >> chemotherapy are poisons that kill the cancer cells but also kill and damage more cells, which causes side effects. this is a gentler, kinder treatment that does not have the same side effects of chemotherapy, but can cure just as many patients as chemotherapy. reporter: it has been a long tough journey for the whole family, made somewhat easier. >> it made it feel a lot freer. it also freed up some of mom and dad's time and they can finally do work again instead of having to go to hospital with me. >> the new year was when we found out worked and there was no residual cancer. that was amazing. we had double celebrations.

reporter: it is already used in adults, but it is not yet widely available for children. given its promise as a kinder, gentler treatment, arthur's medical team hope it could be in the future. michelle robert, bbc news. >> the fda gave full approval to the drug for use in both adults and children in the united states this past june. there is much more on our website, bbc.com/news. thank you for watching "bbc world news america." ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight. the president meets with congressional leaders to try to strike a funding deal. we ask the former head of nato what's at stake for ukraine. >> it's detrimental for the u.s.