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tv   Newsday  BBC News  February 19, 2020 1:00am-1:31am GMT

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good morning. it's 9:00am in singapore, 1:00am in london and 10:00am in the morning in yokohama, japan, where around 500 passengers from the coronavirus—hit cruise ship the diamond princess will soon be free to leave. passengers have been quarantined on board for more than two weeks as the ship grappled with the biggest outbreak of the virus outside of mainland china. so far, 542 passengers i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. have been infected. the headlines: only those who are well will be allowed to disembark, and there is still a question hundreds of passengers mark over what will happen quarantined over coronavirus on the diamond princess cruise to the remaining foreign nationals on board. rupert wingfield—hayes ship are preparing to leave. as china struggles to deal with the virus, new incentives are announced for healthcare reports from yokohama. workers on the frontline. i'm nuala mcgovern in london. also in the programme: new york's former mayor michael bloomberg qualifies for his first democratic presidential debate on on board the diamond princess, wednesday. they are getting very close to the end. for those out strolling on the sun deck today, there are less than 2a hours black is beautiful, black is excellent. to go until the quarantine black is pain, black is joy, black is evident. is supposed to end. music and politics. 00:00:52,663 --> 2147483051:37:11,047 the uk brit awards 2147483051:37:11,047 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 gets serious. but the ambulances parked next to the ship tell a different story. all day, they've been removing more passengers infected with the coronavirus. 88 new cases today alone. this afternoon, the news that
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britain's david and wendy abel are among them. in this video posted this morning, they spoke of their growing anxiety. and now, especially, every single time there is a knock on the door, your stomach flips. yeah, you just don't know whether they're going to come and say, ok, let's go, and you're going to be taken off to a medical centre. hours later, that is exactly what happened. for the britons still on board tonight, there is better news. the quarantine will officially end, and the 2,000 or more passengers still on board who have tested negative will be allowed to start leaving the ship. they can walk out of this gate, hail a cab, get on a bus. but what happens then is much less clear. the british government says it is sending a plane to pick up the british passengers. but it hasn't yet said when, or whether they may face further quarantine when they get back to britain. 0ne japanese expert today
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told me he thinks they should be, because the quarantine on board the diamond princess has clearly not worked. almost forgotten in the concern for all the passengers are the crew. they have continued to work throughout this quarantine and somehow maintain a sense of humour. but their future is now very uncertain. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in yokohama. thanks to rupert, and there is an update that has come into us, reuters quoting the centre for disease control and prevention in the united states they say all passengers and crew of the ship are prevented from returning to the us for at least 1a days after disembarking. you might remember around 400 us citizens on board have already been repatriated. they are now are spending their first full day in quarantine at an army air base in texas. they will spend the next 1a days there, before being allowed home if they are well. but there are now fears that seemingly healthy passengers were put at risk during the flight home. gay and phil courter were among those on board and spoke the bbc earlier.
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the m or how — nine or so days we spent in quarantine on board seem like nirvana compared to what's going on now. the biggest issue was the transport in a cargo plane, which was most interesting, and i'm not going to complain about the way they come in and got us. they certainly — the americans did do that. but, at the last minute, they agreed somehow to take 1a people who had recently tested positive. normally those people would have gone to japanese hospitals, and instead they were put on this big open cargo plane with us. they were put in a little separate area, near the port—a—potties, under very thick plastic, right in the
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beginning. and this is what scares me the most, is i was standing in line for the bathroom when a passenger was taken aside and explained to her that she was positive, and she had to go into this special plastic room. tent, maybe. yeah, more like a tent. but i'm only three feet from her when she's getting the explanation, and she has this look of horror on her face and, you know, i could hear a conversation. and then these people, however many, were potentially affecting us — infecting us. and ijust can't imagine who made the decision to put sick people on the plane with a couple of hundred of us who was seemingly healthy at that point. meanwhile, russia has announced plans to ban all chinese citizens from entering the country. the ban starts on 20 february and includes chinese students, anyone travelling for work, and holidaymakers. however, authorities say it won't affect passengers in transit. there have been two cases of coronavirus in russia, both chinese nationals, who have now been released from hospital.
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let's take a look at some of the day's other news: the jury in the trial of harvey weinstein has begun its deliberations after the judge delivered a warning to the hollywood producer's lawyer following a magazine article in which she wrote jurors should do what they know is right. she said the piece was not intended to address the jury directly. mr weinstein has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and rape. nada tawfik has more from new york. mr weinstein‘s lawyers have really hit at not only the credibility of the women, trying to poke holes in their stories, but also the whole public interest in this case, and its connection to the #metoo movement. so when it comes to the women, they have produced e—mails that they say shows that the relationships were consensual, showing
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that the women wanted to stay in touch with harvey weinstein. and from their perspective, they're hoping that that convinces the jury these were loving relationships, or at the very least that these women thought they could use harvey weinstein to get ahead in their careers. also making news today: the international bank hsbc has announced it will cut around 35,000 jobs as profits for 2019 fell by around a third. the bank wants to save $4.5 billion in costs by 2022. the job cuts are much deeper than forecast and represent about 15% of the workforce. japan is to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of iwojima, some of the bloodiest fighting during world war ii. in 1945, us forces invaded the small island, that was considered as a strategic outpost, located some 1,000 km south of tokyo. the battle is thought to have claimed nearly 30,000 lives, more than two thirds of them japanese. the island reverted from us to japanese rule in 1968.
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more homes have been evacuated along the river severn in western england over fears of further flooding in the wake of storm dennis. houses and a pub near the famous ironbridge gorge in shropshire have been submerged by rising waters, and there are fears that flood barriers could be breached. across the uk there are now six severe flood warnings, meaning there could be a danger to life. pop star harry styles was reportedly robbed at knifepoint in north london during a night out on valentine's day. the former 0ne direction singer handed over cash after he was confronted by a mugger. police confirmed it was investigating a knifepoint robbery in the area. let's get more on the new coronavirus outbreak in china. health authorities in hubei province, the epicentre, have reported an increase in the number of deaths on tuesday compared to the previous day. however, the number of new cases was down. well, the outbreak has brought the chinese health system back into to the spotlight, 18 years on from the sars outbreak. authorities say they are
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starting to build another ten makeshift hospitals like this one outside hubei's capital, wuhan, to treat more than 11,000 patients with mild symptoms. they have also announced new incentives for healthcare staff working on the frontline of the outbreak. the bbc‘s celia hatton has more. the children of frontline medical workers in hubei will be offered priority access, priority placements in schools. so young children will be given priority placements in really good kindergartens, all the way up to university placements. children who write their university entrance exams, they're going to be getting extra points added on to their exam total. in china, that's a really big deal. there's a lot of pressure on children to get into good schools, so that might actually tip the balance for some people who are considering whether they should go and work in hubei. so just how effectively
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is china's health system dealing with this outbreak? here is wenhui mao, who is an expert on chinese health reform and policy at duke university, with her assessment. so i think, generally, the chinese government takes quick action and powerful engagement to control the disease break in hubei. however, i think there is some limitation at the health system level to make the implementation of this policy, and it will take a little bit longer to control the disease. well, wenmai mao, you have been studying the chinese healthcare system since sars. do you think they have put enough money — have authorities pumped enough money into the chinese health care system since then in order to be able to handle this outbreak? yeah, that's a great question. so actually, we have a term we call "cycles of panic and neglect". you can imagine, after the outbreak of sars in 2003, chinese government invest a huge amount of money
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to rebuild the system. and it works quite well. however, for several years, the funding for public health sector reduced, and in recent years, it dropped down to 5% or even lower. so in this outbreak, we don't have enough staff for our public sector, public health sector, to track the disease, to cut the infection chain, to control the disease. so that's one problem of the health system currently. well, you know, when you see the images of these new hospitals being built, but at the same time, the ones that are in place being overwhelmed with new patients, the medical facilities and doctors there also appear to be extremely overwhelmed. how well do you think they can manage this crisis? yeah, let's go back to the structure of the health system again. so i have a triangle in my hand. ideally, the good health system have a strong base of primary
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care at the bottom, and people who need basic care can be satisfied at the primary level, and the people who need specialised care are transferred to the top level. unfortunately, in china, we — the system is more like this way. so people bypass the primary level, to the top hospital, which makes the doctors at hospital have too much burden. and in this system, we have to build this new hospital to treat the patients with the coronavirus right now. so that's because the primary sector is relatively weak, and if they can take more responsibility of treating patients with other disease, this would definitely relieve the burden the doctors face right now. that is a fascinating way to describe it, wenwei. how do you think the authorities should proceed in terms of their public health management of this?
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i would say it's in the right direction, but lacks some of the details and supporting policies. let's bring you some live pictures from the scene of the diamond princess in yokohama, where in the next hour or two, we are expecting passengers who have tested negative to disembark the diamond princess after having been in quarantine for two weeks on board. another 88 people off the coast of japan have tested positive for the coronavirus, and those free of the disease hoped that they we re of the disease hoped that they were spending their last night on board before disembarking. now, this is a story that has gripped the attention of the world, and really highlighted the challenges in trying to make sure that people who are quarantined don't end up getting infected by the coronavirus. we will have more for you on this breaking story throughout the day on bbc news. the former mayor of new york
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city michael bloomberg has qualified for the democratic presidential debate in nevada state on wednesday. it is the first time the billionaire will appear on stage alongside his rivals for the democratic nomination. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes explains what could be behind bloomberg's quick surge in polls to second position. could be money. he has a tremendous amount of wealth behind him. he has spent $400 million on television advertising. you can't sit down in the evening and watch tv at the moment without seeing a mike bloomberg ad. 69% of americans say they've seen some of these commercials. that's why his profile is already very high in this democratic race for the nomination to challenge donald trump. but what of course is going to be different is that fact that we will get to hear from him in his own words, and see how he responds and stands up to his opponents, people like joe biden, the former vice president, bernie sanders, of course,
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who is the frontrunner, and pete buttigieg, the mayor who's had a trememfous amount of success in the last few weeks, especially in iowa, where he came top of the poll. so what do you think he needs to do tomorrow night to make a difference for democrats that are in nevada? i think he needs to have a good answer to the question, "is he trying to buy his way to the presidency?" that is the criticism that's been levelled, especially by bernie sanders, interestingly by donald trump as well. but his money is going to be an issue. there's also been a potential problem for him going back to his days as the mayor of new york city. there was a policy called stop—and—frisk, which he disavowed and says he no longer supports, but a disproportionate number of latino and black men were arrested, were stopped and searched during that time. a policy which he, in 2015 talked about. he was caught in a recording
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seemingly still supporting that policy, which of course proved to be hugely controversial. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: go, go, go, go, go! malaysia's battle against terrorism. tough police tactics and an emphasis on deradicalisation programmes in prison. also on the programme: shaken, but not stirred, us musician billie eilish debuts the newjames bond theme, and picks up the award for best international female artist. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered.
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that has a terrible effect on the morale of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next. as the airlift got under way, there was no let—up in the eruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flow down to the sea on the east of the island, away from the town for the time being. it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded their new—generation space station with a spectacular night launch. they called it mir, the russian for peace. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. i'm nuala mcgovern in london. our top stories:
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hundreds of passengers are set to leave the diamond princess cruise ship after a two—week—long quarantine. and new york's former mayor michael bloomberg qualifies for the democratic presidential debate on wednesday — his first appearance with his rivals. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. unsurprisingly, the coronavirus continues to dominate newspapers headlines today. the front page of the japan times focuses on the end of quarantine for people stuck in cruise ship, the diamond princess. it also carries the world health organisation's warning on over—reaction to the outbreak. the gulf news has the economic impact of the outbreak on its front pages. it features apple's announcement that the disruption caused by the virus is hurting its revenue and supplies.
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the international edition of new york times is looking at its impact on chinese visitors to france. showing this picture of tourists wearing masks around the eiffel tower, the paper says the chinese account for 3% of visitors to paris. is it possible to safely reintroduce former extremists back into society? malaysia has been battling islamist terrorism for many years and its de—radicalisation programme carried out in prisons, has proved successful. police claim a 97% success rate. but as anna foster reports, the programme is also highly controversial. don't move, don't move, hey! moving in against islamic state. the group is malaysia's biggest threat, and these anti—terror forces have foiled 25 attacks so far, many planned and organised from syria. but now, police want to bring members of the failed caliphate home, to keep people safe.
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if we abandon them in syria, they will travel to other countries. what if they conduct attacks in other countries? so, for us, it's better to bring them back. at least 116 malaysians lived under the caliphate in syria and iraq, leaving destruction in their wake and terrorising their homeland from thousands of miles away. from here, they were free to wage war, groom new members over social media, and plan attacks. lydia was married to two islamic state fighters. now, she wants to return from syria with her three children. people in malaysia would worry that if they bring somebody like you back to malaysia... that we would do something... ..that they would not be safe, that you would attack them,
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that your boys would grow up and attack them. do you understand that? there is little public sympathy for malaysians who travel to syria. those who return home will face detention under laws which human rights groups have criticised as harsh. but the government says it has decades of experience at rehabilitating prisoners with extreme ideologies. since 2001, only 3% of those convicted of terror crimes have returned to violence after deradicalisation. the debate here in malaysia is the same in countries right around the world. which is the best and safest option, to leave people in syria, or to bring them home and try to combat the violent ideology that sent them there? suleiman recruited new members of islamic state and channelled funds to syria.
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now, he works as a taxi driver, after spending two years in prison on the programme. dr ahmad el—muhammady worked to deradicalise suleiman while he was imprison, and he says continuing to monitor and support former is members after their release is necessary to keep the country safe. in my capacity as the person involved in rehabilitation, i regularly meet with them, try to talk with them — is there any way i can help, in terms of connecting him with a certain individual, agencies, finding a job? things like this. go, go, go, go! malaysia's plan to bring people home is a bold one, and not without its critics. but, as police prepare to tackle the dangers that lie ahead, it proves that inaction is not the only option. anna foster, bbc
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news, kuala lumpur. the biggest names in the music industry were out in force for the 40th brit awards ceremony here in london. billie eilish, lewis capaldi, and stormzy were among the winners, but the night will be remembered for some political performances, notably by the rapper dave — who won best album. david sillito reports. voiceover: welcome to the brit awards 2020. # i'm overyou, and i don't need your lies no more... welcome to the 40th brit awards. the big winner tonight... lewis capaldi! ..lewis capaldi. popular, but his brief speech lead to a swift pressing of the mute button. but others were here to be heard, such as the mercury prize—winning artist dave, in a performance that was impassioned, angry and political.
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# the truth is our prime minister's a real racist. downing street says it won't be commenting. # i say the least racist is still racist. # and if somebody hasn't said it, equality‘s a right. # it doesn't deserve credit. # now, if you don't want to get it. # then you're never gonna get it. # how the news treats kate versus how they treated meghan. meanwhile, five years ago, tyler the creator was prevented from entering britain because of what was said to be unacceptable behaviour, by making statements that could foster hatred. tonight, not only was he here, he had a brit and a statement. someone who i hold dear to my heart, who, who — who made it why i couldn't come to this country five years ago. i know she's at home, pissed off. thank you, theresa may. # hair toss. # check my nails... this 40th anniversary show something of a contrast with how it all began, as a musical tribute to the queen's silverjubilee. and the list of winners in that first show in 1977 included the beatles, procol harum,
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benjamin britten. # there's just no time to die... these days, the artists are rather more contemporary and increasingly, speaking out. i felt very hated recently. 18—year—old billie eilish — 54 million followers on instagram, and her welcome here a relief from the online hate. it genuinely made me want to cry, and i want to cry right now, so thank you. david sillito, bbc news, the brits. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. thanks for watching. hello there. the weather doesn't look like it's going to be settling down anytime soon, u nfortu nately. we have more rainfall in the forecast, which could exacerbate already existing flooding problems. we still have several severe flood warnings in force. we saw record river
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levels monday and tuesday across southern and western areas, although those levels have subsided somewhat. however, with more rain in the forecast, piling in during wednesday and thursday, we're likely to see those river levels rising again, and we could be looking at more flooding issues. and the heavy rain over the next few days will be focused more across north—western parts of england and north wales, northern and western wales. now, today it starts off fine and dry, quite chilly, little bit of ice around, but some sunshine, before the cloud thickens up ahead of this weather system which will arrive, bringing outbreaks of fairly persistent rain for northern ireland, western scotland into north—west england, northern and western wales. further south and east, some dry interludes, although it will be rather cloudy, and temperatures generally nine or 10 degrees in the south, cooler across the north. now, it continues to stay wet through wednesday night, and this weather front continues to bring rain particularly into northern and north—west england, northern and western wales. this is where we'll start to see problems arising again. it will be quite a mild night
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for england and wales. something colder, though, across certainly the northern half of scotland. so the weather fronts then still with us as we head on through thursday. the good news is, as it starts to move through fairly quickly, it will allow for a little bit of sunshine through the day on thursday. but quite a temperature contrast from thursday morning to what we will expect later on as the colder air moves through. now, the good news is this weather front will move through fairly quickly across the country through the day, eventually clearing the south—east, with some sunshine returning behind it. so a dry afternoon, with some sunshine. that should help issues there. but there will be lots of showers across the north. these will be wintry on the hills, as it will be chilly, but even a chillier day for the south as that front moves through. notice the isobars increase as we head on into friday. it's going to turn windy and there will be more weather fronts piling in. we're thinking areas to the north of north wales seeing most of the rainfall. particularly northern ireland and western scotland could be very wet, but again, into north—west england and north wales. to the south, should
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see some sunny spells, but the wind gusts mean it's going to be a very blustery day, 40—50 mph winds. 0n the plus side, temperatures in double figures for most, 11 or 12 degrees in the south—east. so that's how it's looking up until friday, into the weekend. u nfortu nately it stays unsettled, more windy weather with showers, but also longer spells of rain for some.
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you are watching bbc world news. our top story: hundreds of passengers are leaving the diamond princess cruise ship. passengers have been quarantined on board for more than two weeks as the vessel grappled with the biggest outbreak of coronavirus outside of mainland china. so far, 542 passengers have been infected. the former mayor of new york city michael bloomberg has qualified for the democratic presidential
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debate in nevada on wednesday. it is the first time the billionaire will appear on stage alongside his rivals. and this story is trending on bbc.com. there are reports that former 0ne direction singer harry styles was mugged in london. police confirmed that a man in his 20s was robbed at knifepoint, but they didn't name him. it happened on valentine's day. that's all, stay with bbc world news. more on our website, bbc.co.uk/news, and the news app.
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