♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life.

it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> welcome to bbc wos america. the u.n. accuses israel of shelling one of its training centers sheltering civilians in southern gaza, killing nine people and injuring dozens. russia accuses ukraine of shooting down a military plane carrying prisoners of war. international investigation into a crash. and golden treasures looted years ago by british soldiers

are headed back to ghana under a landmark deal. hello and welcome to world news america. i'm caitriona perry. moscow has accused ukraine of shooting down a military plane just inside russia, carrying dozens of prisoners of war. a zelenskyy has called for an international investigation seeking clarity on the circumstances of the crash. the bbc verified this video showing the moment of the crash. you can see the aircraft in the distance, falling from the sky. 79 people were on board the plane. no one is reported to have survived. the plane came down in the region along the border with eastern ukraine. russia said it detected the launch of two ukrainian missiles before the crash.

sergey lavrov called an emergency meeting of the united nations security council to be held immediately. this is from a little earlier. >> ukrainian prisoners of war were transported to the belgrade region -- belgorod region for the next exchange between moscow and care of. the ukrainian side, from the kharkiv region, launched a missile attack on this plane, which became fatal. it lasted about 1.5 hours ago. we requested an urgent meeting of the you and security council and hope the french presidency will conscientiously fulfill its responsibilities and schedule this meeting as soon as possible. caitriona: russia editor steve rosenberg reports now from moscow. steve: caught on mobile phone, the moment a russian military

transport plane fell from the sky. good god, she cries, as a consequence of what has happened becomes clear. the wreckage was strewn across the fields. not only did russia accuse ukraine of shooting the plane down -- it claimed it held dozens of ukrainian prisoners of war who were about to be exchanged. >> on board the plane were six crewmembers, 65 ukrainian servicemen, for a prisoner swap, and three russian military personnel escorting them. the crew and all the passengers on the plane were killed. in this terrorist attack, the ukrainian leadership has shown its true colors. steve: over at the russian parliament, mp's were quick to condemn ukraine and those countries who have been supporting kyiv during the war. but this is a war the kremlin

began, with president putin's special military operation. moscow has made its position clear. ukraine is to blame. ukraine shut the plane down. we cannot confirm that here. what is clear is that russian officials are using what happened today to try to discredit kyiv, to portray the ukrainian government as the aggressor in this war. keep in mind it was russia, nearly two years ago, that launched a full-scale invasion of ukraine. these russian soldiers were part of the last prisoner exchange between russia and ukraine. it took place earlier this month. ukraine has confirmed that another swap had been arranged for today, but it accused the russians of deliberate actions to risk the safety of the ukrainian prisoners. the belgorod region where the plane came down has come under increased shelling and drone attack from ukraine. but the ukrainian authorities say that some of the attacks on

their country are being carried out from this part of russia. and in the village near the crash site, a memorial service. amid the mutual accusations, more victims of this war. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. caitriona: for more on this, let's speak in new york to the director of the grand strategy tank -- think tank. russia says ukraine shot this plane down. ukraine has denied those accusations. what do you think has happened here, from what we know at this point? >> thank you for having me. i think it is really important to bear in mind what steve rosenberg said. this war was created by russia and not ukraine. russia has on repeated occasions struck civilian targets inside ukraine. it is a little rich, i think, for moscow to accuse kyiv of

having the liberally shot down -- deliberately shot down an aircraft which contained prisoners to be exchanged. the simple logic suggests they were carrying their own people. caitriona: president zelenskyy is calling for an international investigation to get to the bottom of what did happen. is that something you would like to see happen? >> he has been careful, commenting about this, unless there is breaking news you are aware of. the background of this -- as mr. rosenberg mentioned, there has been a lot of shelling coming across the border. ukraine's retaliatory strikes in the belgorod region -- i don't know if this is correct or not. but it is possible it is accidental where the ukrainians misidentified an aircraft. it would be possible that they

could shoot an aircraft containing their own people. caitriona: if this is a tragic accident, as you say, given the shortages that ukraine is facing in terms of ammunition and personnel, what does it mean for the war effort? is it damaging to them? >> i don't think so. i think what is damaging to them at the moment is the uncertainty of the $60 billion that president biden has asked the congress to provide. we know this is tangled up and has not reached a decision. without that support, ukraine's continuing war effort will beep in a very difficult situation, and it will be hard for them to continue. that is the critical thing for them. this incident, tragic and regrettable as it is, i do not think it will have an effect on the war. caitriona: ukraine says there are a thousand or more ukrainians held prison in russia at the moment, civilians and members of the military.

it also says there are tens of thousands of others missing, which ukraine holds russia responsible for. given that this plane was on its way to a prisoner swap, will there be any impact on future prisoner swap's, do you think? >> that is a good question. i am inclined to say not, because the ukrainians have russian prisoners, and there is an incentive for periodically swapping. i don't think this will complicate that. caitriona: russia is saying that ukraine should have known this plane had prisoners on it, and ukraine is saying russia should have told us it had prisoners on it. i mean obviously, things are very tense between the two nations, how do they move on from this point? 3 -- >> in the middle of a war when there is a lot of fighting going back and forth and lots of objects in the sky, it is very easy to make a mistake. the russians have said ukraine should have known this was a plane carrying prisoners of war.

that is all well and good. in reality, it is very difficult to do this. it is quite clear that the russians will make as much a of this as possible in their line will continue to be that this was a deliberate shootdown. i don't think that's the case. but an investigation from france is something ukraine will probably welcome. caitriona: we leave it there for the moment. from defense priority, thanks for joining us. to gaza now, where the u.n. palestinian refugee agency says tank shells have hit a human facility sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in southern gaza. at least nine people reported killed, 75 injured. the head of the u.n. agency says the shelling shows blatant disregard for the rules of war. the u.s. state department says it is an attack. israel has been cutting of

hospitals and exit routes. hamas says 210 people were killed in the last day, taking the overall number of palestinians killed in this war to at least 25,700. our correspondent has more from jerusalem. mark: you and agency for palestinian refugees says that -- the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees says two tank shells hit the refugee center in gaza. the casualty figures could rise. the building was clearly marked "um," and they shared -- clearly marked, and they shared coordinates with the israeli authorities. he said it was a horrific day in gaza, and called it a blatant disregard of the rules of war. this is a city in southern gaza where the israeli authorities have issued evacuation orders for three parts of the city thought to contain more than half a million people. there is intense fighting around three hospitals. the eight agency -- the aid

agency doctors without borders says 850 medics and patients and thousands of more people sheltering in the grounds of a hospital cannot leave because of the intensity of the fighting. israel believes this is where top hamas commanders are holed up, beneath that city. it is the birthplace of the leader of hamas in gaza, who is israel's most wanted. more than three months into this war, israel is under mounting pressure to show tangible progress for the war. and they have got about 100 hostages back in that deal in november, that there are still 130 that are not back. possibly 30 dead, says israel. they have not yet killed or captured any top hamas leaders. there is growing pressure on them to rectify that, to show that to the israeli people, and the israeli authorities believe that some of the top leaders could be indeed in this area. caitriona: let's go to geneva

now, where we can speak to someone from the international federation on the red cross and red crescent societies. thank you for joining us on bbc news. we have been reporting on the attack of the um training center , intense fighting around three hospitals in that city. i'm your colleagues on the ground, what have you heard about the situation? are they in any way operational at the moment? >> thanks for having me today. from colleagues in palestine, this is a situation that is beyond catastrophic. the working hospital which is one of the three hospitals that you mentioned a few minutes ago -- it is a compound where there is the hospital, but also the center for the ambulances. what we heard is that in the last days, mainly ambulances cannot go in and out. today, palestinian colleagues

described almost a siege where no one can get in and no one can get out. and of course there is great concern for the people in the hospital -- patients, doctors, nurses -- but also for more than 10,000 people who came to this area of palestine, thinking it was a safe place to stay. a reminder for everyone is that the compound, as well as the um= -- u.n., all humanitarian facilities must be respected by the parties to the conflict. caitriona: israel says it is warning people to get out of these areas before it launches an attack. is there anywhere for them to go, though? >> first of all, no, not really. what we saw since the beginning of this conflict is that there is no safe area in the gaza strip. in the space we can argue at the beginning between the north and the south -- we are seeing what

is happening. there is confusion and desperation on the civilians. but then what is really important -- we're talking about patients, doctors, nurses, surgery rooms, lifesaving activities. hospitals must be sanctuaries for everyone, and protected by everyone. no nurse, no patient, should ever be put in the line of fire. this is why the situation is so concerning for us, and of course is unacceptable. caitriona: as we have heard for many months about the facilities within those hospitals, the individuals, the health care professionals trying their best, what is the situation like question mark are there any medicines left at this point? tomaso: it is a continuous

nightmare, i would say. what we see and what we saw two months ago in gaza city after 10 days of siege -- no food, no water, no medicine -- we had to close the hospital and evacuate people from there. at this point, in the hospital, what we are reading is that many things are running out. fuel is already almost running out. there are only some areas of the hospital that are served by electricity, where there are lifesaving activities. and there is food and water for the patients, the people, but even for doctors and nurses who are affected themselves by this conflict. so the situation is really dire. caitriona: we have heard a warning from the u.n. about the children there, who are described as wasting away from malnutrition, such is their limited access to adequate food and water. can you describe to us what the situation is like for children? tomaso: it is -- i have to tell you that as a father, it is, for

myself, painful to listen to what palestinian colleagues are telling me, and then to describe the situation where fathers and mothers are not able to find food for their own children, where they are burning -- or member, it is winter. it is raining. there is no proper shelter. they have to burn what they find, something of their houses, remaining of their houses, just to give a bit of -- to try to spare their kids from the cold. you have to think about children displaced 5, 6, seven times, from the north, to the south, to the center. they don't have blankets. they don't have clothes for the cold weather. it is a very difficult situation . the greater frustration is they are telling us all the time "we know how to save you guys. we know how to end your suffering. but we don't have the means to do that. we don't have access to do that." and of course this is, from a

humanitarian perspective, really unacceptable. caitriona: on that point, we see british foreign minister david cameron heading to the region today to try to push that case with the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. the international community has had limited influence over him to this point. what comes next, as you see it? tomaso: this is a very good question. of course, i do need to stay optimistic and think hopefully that some diplomatic effort can change the situation and alleviate suffering of the people in gaza. our call has been clear since the beginning. safety for civilians. safety for workers. second, access. there are places in gaza like the north of gaza where there are thousands of people, where they are not able to enter. and third, and expanded continuous entrance of humanitarian aid. at this stage, no one in the

humanitarian sector can give a dignified answer to the palestinians. the more the conflict will go ahead, the more these needs will grow, and palestinians will not get what they need. caitriona: thank you for describe in the situation to us. tomaso de la longa from the international red cross/red crescent. more than 130 hostages remain in captivity inside gaza according to israeli officials. talks on another hostage dealer ongoing in qatar, mediated by president biden's middle east advisor. an israeli army spokesperson downplayed reports of a temporary cease-fire. >> commenting on reported cease-fire agreements, israel will not give up on the distraction of hamas until they return all of the hostages, and there will be no security threat from gaza towards israel. there will be no cease-fire. in the past, there were pauses

for humanitarian purposes. that agreement was breached by hamas. caitriona: meanwhile, regional tensions continue. shipping company maersk says two u.s. flag vessels turning into the red sea turned back after seeing explosions within 100 meters. two accompanying u.s. naval ships intercepted projectiles. the cruise were unharmed -- the crews were unharmed in the navy escorted the ships back. the u.s. has carried out multiple strikes against the houthis, most recently on wednesday. let's turn to other important news from around the world. the u.s. supreme court has rejected a bid to halt alabama from proceeding with america's first execution using nitrogen gas. convicted murderer kenneth smith survived a lethal injection and

helped prompt a review of the state death penalty procedures. the judges denied smith's request to delay his execution, which is scheduled for thursday. hundreds of thousands of workers in argentina are observing a nationwide strike in protest of the president's economic reform. a strike is affecting public transport, as our services in capital witness areas and other cities across the country. president took office in december, pledging sweeping reforms to deal with inflation and a struggling economy. union leaders say the spending cuts will penalize the most vulnerable and increased poverty. argentina has one of the worlds highest inflation rates and more than 200 percent a year. the washington state attorney general has announced a nearly $150 million deal with drugmaker johnson & johnson more than four years after the state sued the company over its role in fueling the opioid academic. the latest number from the

state' has health department shows overdose deaths have risen across washington, more than doubling in 2022 from 2019. it has been more than a century since these treasures were looted by british soldiers from ghana. many hold huge cultural and spiritual significance. in a landmark agreement, the victoria and albert and british museum are returning them to the a sean taking. -- the ashante king. we have this exclusive report. >> katya, it isn't colonial terms. the loading of precious items belonging to the people. >> gold from the royal court of the ashanti kingdom, once one of africa's most powerful states. these objects and more were looted by british troops from the ashanti capitol in 1874.

they're going back to ghana for the first time in 150 years, to the palace museum, in a landmark loan deal. the victoria and albert museum. >> they are put on display and displayed both as a work of incredible goldsmithery, but also as a sort of sign of british imperial and colonial power. >> 17 items are returning, including a peace pipe used by kings and heavy cast gold badges worn by courtiers tasked with cleansing the king's soul. the agreement is not with the ghanaian government, but with the current leader, a monarch for a people whose history is steeped in gold and wealth. the deal's chief negotiator is ivor. ivor: there is so much interest

in these items. these were objects created by the royal artisans for ceremonial reasons. this is after 150 years. >> the british museum is also loaning 15 gold items including a sort of state looted by british troops airing the anglo-ashanti war. britain has banned some national institutions from permanently returning objects. >> in giving a piece back, you are also giving back a missing piece of history. >> nana is a special advisor to ghana' is cultural minister p she welcomes the loan deal. the ghanaian government could not have agreed to the terms. >> the metaphor is, someone comes into your home and steal something from your house, keeps it in their house, and then some out of years later, comes and says i'm going to lend you your thing back. it does not make any sense. >> those objects with origins in

war, in looting, in military campaigns -- we have responsibility to the country of origin to think about how we can share those more fairly today. it does not seem to me that our museums will fall down if we build up these partnerships and exchanges. >> have felt ashamed that these items are here? >> i don't feel ashamed they are here. i feel they are part of a history of british-ghanaian interactions, some of which is around war, some of which is around slavery, some of which is an incredible creative ghanaian diaspora in the u.k. today. >> the vn date suggests this is not restitution by the back door. for ghana it is a way forward anyway to bring the treasures back. caitriona: finally, a debate over a british past time, drinking tea, has landed on american scientist in hot water. a professor of chemistry at bryn mawr college recommended adding

a pinch of salt to a cup of tea, clammy and enhances the flavor. that prompted the u.s. embassy in london posting that they want to ensure the people of the u.k. that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to britain's national drink is not official u.s. policy. u.s. embassy will continue making tea in the proper way -- by microwaving it. in the interest of journalistic endeavor, i have tried tea with salt. it is not too bad. i'm caitriona perry. 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

geoff: good evening, i am geoff bennett. amna: and i am on the no laws. after winning the new hampshire primary, donald trump sharpens his attacks on nikki haley as her campaign looks ahead to her home state south carolina. geoff: the united states strikes back against militants attacking american interests in the middle east, but the attacks keep coming. a look at the fine line the biden administration is walking to avoid a regional war. >> we don't want to see conflict escalate.