a very warm welcome to bbc news. my name is mike embley. our top stories: a leading charity warns that cutting british aid to syria could mean that hundreds of thousands of children will not be able to go to school. it will mean fewer kids in school, it will mean less medical services, and it is the wrong thing to do. russia is withdrawing its ambassador to washington because the us has accused it of trying to influence last year's us election. the suspect in the atlanta spa shootings is charged with eight counts of murder. investigators are trying to determine if race was a factor. tanzania's president, john magufuli, dies at the age of 61. the vice president said he'd succumbed to complications related to a heart condition.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the charity save the children has warned that planned reductions in british aid to syria could lead to hundreds of thousands of children losing their access to education. since the start of the conflict a decade ago, thousands of schools have been destroyed, in what the un says is a deliberate ploy by president bashar al—assad and his allies — to terrorise communities — a charge the regime denies. the foreign office says no final decisions have been made — but it is warning there are tough decisions ahead because of the pandemic. our middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, reports. to be a parent in syria is to carry the world on your shoulders. forabu, his burden is constant vigilance. for years he's watched the sun

set and rise from this hilltop, waiting for the next attack. he's a flight spotter, a one—man early warning system, protecting the village below where his wife and five children live. at the end of another long shift, he calls home. he knows firsthand the fear and the fury the warplanes bring. the screams in this

playground are of terror. these are schooldays in syria, an entire generation brutalised and traumatised, as bombs fall by the school gates. how do you break the opposition�*s will? target their children, their teachers, their schools. there have been thousands of attacks on schools since the war began. they are relentless in opposition areas and come mostly from regime and russian bombs. taken as a whole, it is a systematic terror campaign against children. in october 2016, a parachute bomb dropped steadily onto this school in haas. inside pupils as young as five years old. 36 were killed in a series of strikes that day. 21 of them were kids.

five years later, with their parents�* permission, they told us what happened.

the world has turned its back on these children. it's tired of the syrian conflict. the un does what it can, applying a sticking plaster to a haemorrhaging wound. countries are now looking away from syria. britain, for example, is contemplating a 67% cut in its aid to syria. what would that mean for the un? what would that mean for people on the ground in syria? well, we can only give aid to those 7.5 million people we reach every month if we get the money to do so. the un doesn't have a magic... 350,000 fewer kids in school if britain pulls the plug on that money? it will mean feeding fewer people, it will mean fewer kids in school, it will mean less medical services and it is the wrong thing to do, to balance the books on the backs of these starving and suffering people.

10 years of international failure has left syria a landscape in ruin. this was a normal school day just last week. beeping until the aircraft early warning alarm sounds. carefully, the children pack up and evacuate the school. they know the drill only too well. for syria, this is not history, this is now. quentin sommerville, bbc news. russia may be hit with new american sanctions now us intelligence agencies have reported that russia's president vladimir putin probably authorised attempts to influence last year's us election in favour of donald trump. president biden has said mr putin will pay a price. he also told the american network abc he thinks the russian leader is "a killer". we had a long talk, he and i. i know him relatively well. and the conversation started off, i said, "i know you, and you know me."

"if i establish this occurred, then be prepared." you said you know he doesn't have a soul? i did say that to him, yes. and his response was, "we understand one another." russia has withdrawn its ambassador from washington for consultations about future ties with the us. the intelligence report found moscow spread "misleading or unsubsta ntiated" allegations aboutjoe biden during the presidential campaign, with the aim of undermining the broader election process. the report also accuses iran of trying to weaken support for donald trump. and it alleges russian intelligence pushed anti—biden narratives to media outlets and to senior officials and allies of mr trump. thomas rid is professor of strategic studies atjohns hopkins university. he is the author of �*active measures: the secret history of disinformation and political warfare�*. he's testified before the us senate committee and the uk

and german parliaments. what do you make of this situation?— what do you make of this situation? �* , , ., situation? it's serious? the relationship _ situation? it's serious? the relationship between - situation? it's serious? the relationship between the i situation? it's serious? the - relationship between the united states and russia at a new low point. the last time this happened was more than 20 years ago when there was a conflict about a bombing operation in iraq, 0peration about a bombing operation in iraq, operation desert fox in 1998. for president biden, the situation is personal. we know from the intelligence assessment, the russian intelligence community and proxies have smeared and gone after him and his son, hunter biden, in a covert way, this went back to 2014, allegedly.

so we should expect some response from the united states here. �* ., ., here. and what are the implications _ here. and what are the implications of - here. and what are the implications of it - here. and what are the implications of it being | here. and what are the i implications of it being so personal? we know mr biden looked into mr purdon�*s eyes, and decided he had no soul and told him so. now he says he is a killer? ~ �* , a killer? -- mr putin. let's ut a killer? -- mr putin. let's put this — a killer? -- mr putin. let's put this in _ a killer? -- mr putin. let's put this in context. - a killer? -- mr putin. let's put this in context. the - put this in context. the russian federation has been active with this information campaigns for more than four years, in fact, more than six years, in fact, more than six years if you look at it closely. continuing an old soviet tradition. and the last time, the only major example that comes to mind of russia and the soviet union indeed at the time, owning up to a deception or disinformation operation happened in 1987. it is extremely unlikely here that putin would own up to what

happened in 2016, the election interference, and indeed, what happened in 2020 committee continued, this time more covert, more disciplined election interference again. both times they will hasten to add, it was very unlikely they actually move the needle, though they were more counter—productive, really, for russia than successful. in terms of _ russia than successful. in terms of the big picture, amidst you think of this matters? it is likely, surely, both sides would have factored in a response and presumably russia thought they could contain it and it was worth it? you know, the relationship here with russia a thing, what is really required here from the biden administration is more realism, more hard—nosed analysis of what. expected than we are currently seeing. for example, then accusing russia of hacking through the famous solarwinds hack a couple of

weeks ago, hacking so many targets, and accusing russia of this hack really was counter—productive because it is something that. expected. american intelligence is engaged in similar behaviour. i think the response by the us government really realistically should be measured against the baseline behaviour that russia is showing and demonstrating. but of course, here the disinformation component in 2020 is personalfor biden and we should expect some form of attempt to draw a red line from the us administration here. professor, thank you so much for your insights.— the president of tanzania, john magufuli, has died at the age of 61. the vice president said mr magufuli who was being treated in hospital in dar es salaam, had succumbed to complications related to a heart condition. the bbc�*s salim kikeke reports. whenjohn magufuli rose to power in 2015, he seemed to be the leader tanzania needed and wanted, efficient and incorru ptible.

his fast action was to purge thousands of so—called ghost workers, officials that were considered corrupt were fired publicly, sometimes on live television. his style was applauded by many inside and outside the country. the international community even hoped his influence would radiate in the region and help neighbouring countries with governance issues. but the honeymoon period was short—lived and magufuli instantly attracted criticism when live broadcasts of parliamentary debate were banned in 2016. the opposition saw the changes he implemented as a threat to freedom of expression, and his government grew increasingly intolerant of any criticism. translation: the truth | is i have never suppressed democracy. since elected as president, i've actually been promoting it.

democracy must have limits. what we are doing it in accordance with our constitution and tradition. but it was his handling of the covid—19 pandemic that became the most controversial, advising tanzanians to dedicate themselves to prayer to defeat the virus. and without offering any scientific proof himself, he also warned tanzanians to beware of the vaccine. this directly challenged the who's efforts to build vaccine trust in the country. translation: there are some tanzanians who recently - travelled abroad in search of coronavirus vaccines. these people brought the virus into our country when they returned. let us stand firm. this vaccine is not good at all. after the death of zanzibar�*s first vice president,

and as the country faced an important increase in the number of deaths, john magufuli finally seems to accept the importance of face covering and social distancing. in october 2020, he won a second term in office, controversially so. the opposition cried foul as he won with a landslide 84% of the vote. despite the promising start to his presidency, mr magufuli leaves behind a tanzania very different from the one he took over in 2015. some would say a very divided one. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: when firefighters in colombia rushed to the rescue after reports of kids stuck on a roof — they got more than they bargained for.

today we have closed the book on apartheid, and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision, all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself is on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. this was an international trophy and we understand now the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph of the christian democrats i of the west, after- reunification as quickly as possible, and that's. what the voters wanted.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: a leading charity says many thousands of children in syria could lose access to education if britain cuts its foreign aid. tanzania's president, john magufuli, has died at the age of 61. police in atlanta have said the lone gunman responsible for the fatal shooting of eight people, including six women of asian descent, may have had an issue with sexual addiction and had "lashed out" at "targets of opportunity". the attacks took place at three massage parlours in the northern suburbs of the city. the cherokee country sheriff told a news conference that the suspect may have previously been a customer of establishments similar to the ones he attacked. he has now been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of

aggravated assault. we were able to interview him. we were able to interview him with the police department and the fbi. addiction and may have frequented some of these places in the past. as the chief indicated, it's early on, we have things to talk about. officials say it's still too early to say if the attack was racially motivated. there has, though, been a sharp rise in the number of attacks against asian—americans during this pandemic. earlier i spoke to author giboom park about all of this. she wrote the book, not your yellow fantasy, and is one of the many asian americans calling on police to classify the attack as a hate crime. i think it's just extremely heartbreaking that we see the direct results of fetishization, of misogyny and white supremacy all combining into this one case that not only dehumanises these women but also completely takes away from the centralisation

of their stories, and focuses on this white man and what he wants, what his goals are, and his treatment of these women as objects to eliminate to help benefit his sexual temptations and to escape for his religious benefits. there's all sorts of extraordinary statements around this case already, including a suggestion from police that the suspect was just having a bad day and this is how it played out. more generally, there has been a rise, as we've been reporting, in attacks against asian—americans. some people have connected that to president trump's remarks, his persistent labelling of the pandemic as the china virus. right, and i think that has been a trend on why there have been so many increases in asian—american hate crimes. i believe stop api hate has recorded over 3800 already, and that doesn't include ones that have not been reported yet. and so by politicians

and higher authorities tying in the coronavirus into xenophobic sentiments and asian american and asians of the diaspora skin colour, we arrive at this very unfortunate result on increased hate crime, xenophobia and these constant dehumanising efforts across the world. just briefly, if you don't mind, we are at least seeing quite a response in support of the kind of point of view you're putting, from politicians, from celebrities, including from the vice president. you have been looking at this for a long time. do you have a sense that people are finally listening? i believe we have seen an increase in support that has definitely shifted from the trump administration. we do not see any more rhetoric such as the "kung flu", which had so many consequences, so i do believe and i have hope and optimism that we are riding onto a new wave of solidarity and support and hope, but i can't help but to feel pessimistic about whether

or not this will actually solve the issues and the constant amount of hate crimes that are happening, or if it's simplyjust a trend that will die out immediately after a few shares on social media, or after a few conversations between closed circles and so i think we all have to be extremely careful and intentional in trying to mitigate this crisis and to educate ourselves on the current topic. giboom park the creative head of the tokyo olympics has resigned, after making a derogatory comment about a female japanese entertainer. hiroshi sasaki, who was in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies, has admitted making remarks about the entertainer naomi watanabe. last month, the formerjapanese prime minister yoshiro mori stepped down from his role as president of the tokyo 2020 organising committee, after saying women talk too much. minky worden is the director of global initiatives at human rights watch, and joins me live

from new york. i note you have been looking at the game is pretty much sent they were announced. —— i know. there are reports this was accidental but you think it is much more systemic?- accidental but you think it is much more systemic? yes, this is the second _ much more systemic? yes, this is the second senior _ much more systemic? yes, this is the second senior olympic i is the second senior olympic official injapan that has made incredibly demeaning and insulting remarks about women, including, as you said, former prime minister yoshiro mori, saying female colleagues talked too long at meeting and, of course, hiroshi sasaki who has compared one of the top female entertain injapan to a farm animal. these are not mistakes, these are national policy and it is

systemic and discriminating against women and girls. this has been eliminated in the olympic flame.— has been eliminated in the ol micflame. g . ., , ., olympic flame. japan does have a history of _ olympic flame. japan does have a history of excluding _ olympic flame. japan does have a history of excluding women i a history of excluding women from positions they are qualified for. at least now this is being exposed into the olympic spotlight? i this is being exposed into the olympic spotlight?— olympic spotlight? ithink, if it were a corporation, - olympic spotlight? ithink, if it were a corporation, the . it were a corporation, the remarks made by the head of the olympics and the creative director would is that to be creating a toxic workplace environment but because it is the olympics and the olympic motto is that gender equality is paramount, higher, faster, stronger including for women and girls but the reality is that women and girls injapan have to struggle mightily to access basic human rights and face discrimination and constant harassment. a report lastjuly documented harassment

last july documented harassment and lastjuly documented harassment and abuse. we interviewed 800 athletes across 50 spots. many were women. they said essentially there is no—one to call in the olympic system to complaint to about the harassment they experience and thatis harassment they experience and that is not surprising given the position of the leadership. in an age so heavily defined by body image, how damaging would you say this is for women? it is incredibly damaging. sport is incredibly damaging. sport is held up as a way for women to get scholarship, to access economic opportunities. it is held up as a career. and for these comments to be made in these comments to be made in the context of the olympics is beyond the pale but i think it is also something we have to use as a teachable moment and the right incredibly courageous —— there are incredibly

courageous human rights activists in japan courageous human rights activists injapan prepared to take these moments to access the rights they have been denied for so long.- the rights they have been denied for so long. thank you very much- — let's be less serious for a moment. from a young age, we've all been warned of the dangers of kidding around but not these goats in south america apparently — who found themselves up a roof without a ladder. that's when the local fire brigade stepped in. mark lobel tells the tale. goats grazing. nothing unusual, right? except these ones are tucking in on a roof in a small village in northern columbia, known for its cobbled streets and colonial architecture. and now, this. translation: we have never seen such cases here before. _ we've rescued snakes, porcupines, possums, other kinds of wild animals, but we have never rescued goats from a roof before.

goats on a roof may sound more like a direct video action thriller, but the rescue scenes are not pretty. some were carried away after their initial performance. bleating. for others, the sight of rescuers butting in seemed to have got their goat, as they milked the crowd and made their own way down. rescuers reported the frightened animals were all returned to the wild without any injuries, passing tourists capturing this unforgettable scene for us all to see. with the mystery of how they got to be fiddling around on the roof in the first place as yet unsolved. mark lobel, bbc news. all available jokes covered by mark. i think i will leave it

there. thank you very much for watching. hello there. there's going to be very little change with the weather for the end of the week and into the weekend and indeed into next week. high pressure will hold on to bring pretty benign weather. thursday looks generally cloudy, i think, for much of the country, and we'll have some patchy rain across more eastern parts of england. high—pressure sits to the west of the uk, bringing northerly winds to most areas, north or north—easterly winds, that is. a lot of cloud around generally. limited spells of brightness. early showers will clear from the south—east, but more rain will arrive across eastern england, east anglia and the south—east through the afternoon. probably the best of the sunshine will be through the central belt of scotland, where we could see 15 celsius. some sunshine for south wales, south—west england, highs of 14 celsius. but elsewhere, 10—11 celsius, and cooler along north sea

coast of england, where we have that area of rain and onshore breeze. it will stay damp through thursday night. elsewhere, generally dry. a few spots of drizzle here and there but because of the cloud cover, it won't to be too cold anywhere. lows of 4 to around 7 or 8 celsius. so into friday, similar story — high pressure dominating the scene. but we will start to tap into some colder air across the near continent in the south—east, so here, with that cooler air, it will actually be drier air, so we should see the clouds breaking up to allow some sunshine here. but elsewhere, another rather cloudy day. some spots of light rain or drizzle, particularly into northern england through the midlands, up towards the south—west. and it will feel cooler as well across the south—east, despite the sunshine. that onshore north—easterly breeze will peck temperatures back to around 7 or 8 celsius. you will have to head further west to see slightly higher values. again, a bit of brightness through the central belt, 13 degrees, i think 10—11 celsius will be the high for most areas, which is around the seasonal average. as we move out of friday into the weekend, we still have

high pressure with us, but we will see this weather front move into the north of the uk. that could bring some stronger winds across shetland later on on saturday, and outbreaks of rain. we could see some rain pushing into the north and west of scotland later on, but elsewhere, it's generally, again, a dry day with some spots of drizzle. quite a bit of cloud around, limited sunshine, and those temperatures around the seasonal average, 11—12 celsius will be the high. it's a similar story on sunday. in fact, as we head on into next week, we dominate the weather scene with high pressure, generally light winds, quite a lot of cloud around, and temperatures around the seasonal average.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the charity save the children has warned that planned reductions in british aid to syria could lead to hundreds of thousands of children losing their access to education. since the start of the conflict a decade ago, thousands of schools have been destroyed in what the un says is a deliberate ploy by the syrian regime to terrorise communities. russia is recalling its ambassador to washington for consultations, as it tries to prevent what it called the �*irreversible degradation�* of ties with the united states. the move follows a us intelligence report that accused russia of trying to influence last year�*s presidential election. the president of tanzania, john magufuli, has died at the age of 61. the vice—president said mr magufuli was being treated in hospital and had succumbed to complications related to a heart condition. there had been speculation he was suffering from covid—19. now on bbc news, it�*s time for click.