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tv   BBC News  BBC News  May 4, 2021 11:00pm-11:31pm BST

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this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. mexico's president promises a full investigation after at least 23 people were killed when an overpass with a train on it collapsed. growing calls for a national lockdown as india's confirmed number of covid cases passes 20 million. president biden sets a new vaccination target. he wants 70% of america's adult population vaccinated by the 4th ofjuly. and a top advisor to the uk government says it's unlikely there will be any need for another lockdown in britain.
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we begin in mexico city — 2a people dead, a rail bridge collapsed, many more injured — and a perilous rescue effort under way. that is the toll from one train plunging into a city street after the overpass simply gave way under the train�*s weight. the exact cause of the incident is still to be determined — but officials said it appeared that a girder had given way on the bridge at the olivos station in the south of the capital. local residents say that the bridge had cracks in its structure, believed to have been caused by an earthquake four years ago. and the overpass itself — was only built in the last ten years. you may find some of the images in will grant's report distressing. the scene of devastation at mexico city's subway was reminiscent of one of the city's many earthquakes. but this was not a natural disaster, rather it was a man—made one on the newest stretch of subway track in the capital. line 12 was heralded
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as the future of the city's public transport system when it was inaugurated in 2012. now it's carriages and the city government's now its carriages and the city government's reputation hang by a thread. a security camera caught the terrible moment of impact when tonnes of cement and gnarled metal came crashing down onto the cars below. at that time of night, most of those killed will have been workers, returning home after a late shift. their families anxiously gathered at the scene desperately trying to make sense of it all. translation: my daughter-in-law called us, she was with my son - and she told us the structure fell down on top of them. my brother came with his wife and they managed to get her out but he was crushed in there and we don't know anything. they don't give us reports. now they have to get him out, but who knows how long it will take. by morning, all eyes turned to the mayor, claudia sheinbaum.
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she insisted a full structural check had been made as recently as last year. translation: on the entire line, on the entire line. _ and i think we should not speculate, that is why- there will be an investigation - by the attorney general's office, as well as independent experts . so that we can find out the whole truth and know what happened. that is not an answer that will satisfy the victims�* families, or most residents of mexico city. local people had complained for years that the construction of line 12 was not up to code and that cracks had appeared following a recent earthquake. an investigation will determine whether such warnings were ignored and by whom. but those questions will have to wait, at least for now, as this vast city mourns the loss
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of life in one small corner. will grant, bbc news, mexico city. we'll hear from bbc mundo reporter marcos gonzalez, who's in mexico city. the official number of coronavirus cases in india has now topped 20 million. there's been no let up in the rate of infection, with more than 300,000 positive tests recorded for the 13th consecutive day. there are still reports of oxygen shortages in the capital, delhi, and the army has been asked to set up medical facilities to take the strain off hospitals. devina gupta sent this report. desperate hope. that's what family members in this hospital in delhi are holding onto. it's a fight for life—saving oxygen that some are losing fast. translation: | came - here because a man died. his death freed up a place and oxygen for my mother. translation: they put us in a shed when she needs i to go to intensive care. this oxygen bottle came from my house. we bought it ourselves.
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as india crosses over 20 million infected cases, many hospitals like this one, which was overwhelmed over the weekend, are struggling with scarce resources. translation: the situation is really critical. _ there are no beds available. we are under pressure — _ the doctors, nurses, the orderlies. even the patients. we are all under pressure. covid is not sparing sport either. the massively popular indian premier league cricket tournament has been postponed after at least four players tested positive. it's a huge disappointment here for millions, where cricket is almost a religion. however, the goal of saving lives has proved too important for india in her darkest test for decades. the ultimate fight for the country is to get oxygen and medicine supplies for millions, and fast. india is getting aid as countries continue to help, but the challenge is speedy
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distribution and there's not a minute to waste. and that's why tens of thousands are rushing to get a vaccine wherever they can find one. but, there is a shortage of these jabs, too. translation: it was very difficult. i couldn't get an appointment right away. i kept checking online and now there's a really long queue here. it is not very easy right now. i came here early since 9.30, so around six hours. for now, the government of narendra modi continues to deny any shortage of oxygen and vaccines, and that is where india sees its biggest challenge as the covid crisis heads towards chaos. devina gupta, bbc news, delhi. let's get some of the day's other news. foreign ministers from the g7 have been meeting in person for the first time in more than two years. backing us presidentjoe biden�*s calls for a deeper alliance of democracies, hosting country
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the united kingdom invited representatives from india, south korea and australia for parts of the talks. discussions focused on the growing influence of china and russia as well as other diplomatic pressure points, including syria and iran. a court in france has acquitted the leader of the far—right national rally party, marine le pen, in a hate speech case brought after she posted pictures of atrocities by the islamic state militant group. ms le pen shared the images on social media in late 2015, as a response to what she viewed as parallels drawn by a journalist between islamic state and her party — then known as the national front. germany has seen a steep rise in politically—motivated crimes, particularly among far—right groups. that's according to the countries interior minister. horst seehofer said far—right offences rose by nearly 6% in 2020 — totalling over 23,000 cases. security is emerging as a key issue ahead of a this years election. ahead of a this year's election.
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let's go to the us because president biden has been speaking about the coronavirus response there. the president made this announcement. too much in a day, family across the country's are going to celebrate the 4th ofjuly. 0ur country's are going to celebrate the 4th ofjuly. our goal byjuly the 4th ofjuly. our goal byjuly the 4th is to have 70% of adult americans with at least one shot, and 160 million americans fully vaccinated. that means giving close to 100 million shots, some first, others a second, over the next 60 days. with me is our correspondent peter bowes, who's in los angeles. peter, that target is quite a statement from the president. 0n the other hand, he has pretty much hinted he was heading this way, and there are those who were involved in there are those who were involved in the trump administration who basically inherited a vaccine programme that was heading that level after a slow start.—
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level after a slow start. yeah, it does depend — level after a slow start. yeah, it does depend on _ level after a slow start. yeah, it does depend on your— level after a slow start. yeah, it does depend on your political. does depend on your political viewpoint, how you view the progress of the covid—19 vaccine roll—out over the last few months. especially since mr bite entered the white house, but i think by most people because my account it has gone really well —— mr biden —— most people's accounts. he quite easily got to his deadlines. some credits say he wouldn't set the debar low. it does seem to be going well. i think the most interesting thing is the focus on young americans aged between 12 and 16. the likelihood is by the beginning of next week, the pfizer biontech vaccine will be authorised for that age group, only 16 years and both could get the vaccine. something like 70 millions
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americans in that age group, and specifically, the number of new cases in those states who count new cases in those states who count new cases by age group, the number of new cases in the teenage years are over 22%, 3% higher than last year. there has been some concern that more young people are contracting the virus. �* , ., , ., the virus. there's a big debate at the virus. there's a big debate at the moment _ the virus. there's a big debate at the moment about _ the virus. there's a big debate at the moment about the _ the virus. there's a big debate at the moment about the fairness l the virus. there's a big debate at| the moment about the fairness of vaccine distribution around the world. lots of countries that haven't even seen a single dose of coronavirus vaccine yet, countries like india, struggling with vaccination. there are those who say there is an ethical question that joe biden ought to be conscious of, which is since the chances of new variants developing depend on the virus being able to multiply, isn't it more important to vaccinate older, more vulnerable people in other countries before you start vaccinating the youngest and potentially the most healthy, the ones most able to resist the virus?
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politically, it's a very, very fine line for the president. of course last week, he was talking about sending vaccines overseas. particularly to india, which is facing a terrible problem right now. that debate is going on, and indeed, that promise is there. but the here and now for many americans is that the summer months are coming, children are contracting the virus and they're back at school and there will be moving around a lot. 0ne and they're back at school and there will be moving around a lot. one of the things they were saying to date was a lot of the vaccines will be sent out to chemists, to hydrate pharmacies, to doctors across the country. it will be possible for young americans to get their first vaccine in one place, and trouble to get it somewhere else. that is going to be popular amongst parents who have some concerns. then comes in the politics in that pit occasion. that equation has been weighed and
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they need to go really full throttle and getting as many americans across age groups vaccinated as possible. peter bowes, thank you very much. still to come... hundreds of items owned by the actor david prowse by the actor david prowse who played darth vader, are being auctioned far, far away — in bristol in the south—west of england — for charity. i. i, on nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby serve to the faithful of the republic of south africa. fitter hereby serve to the faithful of the republic of south africa.- republic of south africa. after six ears of republic of south africa. after six years of construction _ republic of south africa. after six years of construction and - republic of south africa. after six l years of construction and numerous
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delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries. _ and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggle — centuries, christianity and islam struggle for serenity. the pope all of my— struggle for serenity. the pope all of my visit— struggle for serenity. the pope all of my visit some of the legs is their_ of my visit some of the legs is their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became _ their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the _ their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first - their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man i their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in| bannister became the first man in the world — bannister became the first man in the world to — bannister became the first man in the world to run _ bannister became the first man in the world to run a _ bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile _ bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in - bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under. the world to run a mile in under four— the world to run a mile in under four minutes _ the world to run a mile in under four minutes.— the world to run a mile in under four minutes. ~ ., . ., , ., four minutes. memories of victory at the ve celebrations _ four minutes. memories of victory at the ve celebrations reach _ four minutes. memories of victory at the ve celebrations reach their - the ve celebrations reach their climax. , , .., ., climax. this night is dedicated to eve one climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who — climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes _ climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in - climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in the - climax. this night is dedicated to i everyone who believes in the future of peace and freedom. this is bbc news. the latest headlines... mexico's president promises a full investigation after at least 23 people were killed when an overpass with a train on it collapsed.
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growing calls for a national lockdown as india's confirmed number of covid cases passes 20 million. one of the leading advisors to the uk government — who was behind the first lockdown last year — says it's unlikely there will be a need further lockdowns. professor neil ferguson says life should start getting back to normal in the coming months thanks to the vaccination programme. he said questions do remain over holidays, particularly travelling aboard this year, but he was optimistic about life soon returning with far fewer restrictions. here's our health editor hugh pym. masks and social distancing, strict limits on gatherings and socialising, they've been unprecedented restrictions on everyday lives for much of the pandemic, but there's an increasing sense that things could be much closer to the old normal by the summer. one of the key scientists involved in lockdown policy told me he's much more confident. it will feel a lot more normal in terms of being able to visit friends, family, go out to restaurants.
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we have yet to see what will happen with holidays, overseas holidays, but we will have many fewer restrictions. pubs and restaurants will allow customers back indoors soon. this was manchester today. then there's the planned end of all legal restrictions in england from june 21. professor ferguson believes another lockdown is unlikely and that the data suggests things are track. things are on track. with the one caveat, we need to keep watching those variants carefully to get more data on them, but i'm feeling very optimistic and that optimism has gradually increased as the last three months have unfolded. but the terrible situation we were in injanuary, to now, a remarkably good situation, by comparison. there was more encouraging news from schools. an 0ns survey for england said in december 1.2% of secondary pupils had the virus and the figure for staff was 1.6%,
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but in the last two weeks of march, after schools had opened up earlier in the month, infections were lower, with 0.3% of secondary school pupils with the virus, and the same percentage of staff. we found that infections were higher in schools in november and december, as they were in the general population, and lower in march — exactly the same in schools as it is in the general population. more than 50 million vaccine doses have now been delivered, and at this centre today, people were looking forward to better things ahead. back to freedom, finally. mostly because i really- want to see my family again. hopefully the more people who have it, we can have greater, freedoms, the end of social distancing, we can go and see people. some experts say that more time is needed to assess the data as restrictions are eased. we have to wait at least 3—4 weeks after the middle of may to see what impact that's having, and also see what is happening in europe, america, asia,
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with new variants and covid cases before we can sit there and say, "we've done it, we're through it," because we're not there yet. we're getting there for sure, but we are not there yet. 0deon is to open almost all of its cinemas on may 17, the first possible day allowed out of the road map in england — another sign of confidence in the current direction of travel. hugh pym, bbc news. from the start of the pandemic, experts have shared their concerns about the impact of coronavirus on animals. and while scientists say there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the disease to people, infections have been confirmed in various species worldwide. a tiger at the bronx zoo in new york is believed to be the first known case of an animal becoming infected in the us. last year denmark decided to cull all its mink — up to 17 million animals — because of the spread of the virus. gorillas have tested positive for the coronavirus at zoos in both san diego and prague. and in the last few days,
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eight asiatic lions in india test positive — with symptoms including a dry cough and loss of appetite. scientists are developing vaccines specially for animals, with russia announcing it had registered the first jab last month. kevin tyler is one of them. he's an immunology expert from university of east anglia. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. let me ask you first of all, what's the evidence of the transmissibility of coronavirus once it gets into animals? do they spread it gets into animals? do they spread it relatively easily to other animals? is there evidence they could re—infect humans? unfortunately, cats and dogs in particular can contract the virus from their owners. they're effectively dead and host. from the
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cat or from two humans, effectively dead and host. from the cat orfrom two humans, and in general, they don't get very sick with the virus. they can shut it for a short time, so those are theoretical. we've never seen in many —— any infections come back to the human population. that many -- any infections come back to the human population.— the human population. that could be a case for not _ the human population. that could be a case for not worrying _ the human population. that could be a case for not worrying about - the human population. that could be a case for not worrying about an - a case for not worrying about an inoculating pets. however much of people might love them. there are other issues we talk about some animal species that have been infected, but even someone as the wild as well. but what about livestock? it's a huge significant part... we worry about diseases a lot, we slaughter whole flocks and herds of cattle or sheep when there is infection. what about covid? that's absolutely right. especially when you get high intensity farming
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of livestock. if you get a low level of livestock. if you get a low level of transmission, that is sort of amplified by the fact you've got larger amounts of animals in a small level of confinement. you can get adaption of strains towards the new host. that's certainly a risk. with covid—19, we haven't really seen any examples of livestock, farm animals displaying symptoms from the disease. i guess there is the theoretical case that it might take off, but that hasn't been seen. but we have seen for farms, where we see quite a lot of covid transmission can take place. the main furfarm animal is mink, and they are distributed worldwide, with the highest complications in places like
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china and russia. but you also see them without europe and asia —— throughout europe and asia and the us. most countries have reported that they did see covid—19 in their mink farms there. russia and china haven't reported about this, but the vaccine that's been developed came out of russia. so, this is an alternative to what happened in denmark. where we saw ferrets transmit to humans. they pulled the whole population... might not quite a dramatic response. i'm afraid we have to leave it there. kevin tyler, i think so much for speaking to a. thank you so much. the charity save the children says that thousands of kids have been separated from their parents by the fighting in the tigray region of northern ethiopia.
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many of these children are now living alone, inside makeshift camps for displaced people, leaving them vulnerable to hunger as well as physical and sexual violence. the bbc�*s africa correspondent catharine byaruhanga has more. it's very difficult to get aid and support to tigre, and what save the children are facing, they are turning up in camps. they don't have aduu turning up in camps. they don't have adult caregivers —— in tigray. 0n adult caregivers —— in tigray. on top of this, some children are living in single rooms with dozens of other people including adults. this leaves them at risk of physical and even sexual violence. this is a conflict that began in november of last year. we had the regional governments that took on the federal government, the ethiopian government. a month into the conflict, the government said they had won the war, but the fighting has continued. forces from
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neighbouring eritrea have been involved, and we've received numerous reports of massacres. the un estimates that at 1.7 million people have been displaced because of the fighting. because of the inaccessibility to much of the region, only10% inaccessibility to much of the region, only 10% of these people have received humanitarian aid. the un, us and several european countries are calling for an end to the conflict and for the thousands of people in the region to receive the aid that they need. may the 4th be with you. it's an excuse for a big auction. the bbc�*s ali vowles has more. you can see the costume already. it's amazing. i'm being shown some of the 600 lots that will be sold online in bristol, and what a treasure trove! "for daddy dave, my preferred father.
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much love, carrie fisher." and again... signed photos from the stars, darth vader's helmet used at fan conventions — all are attracting attention. we have broken so many in—house records already. within 2a hours of that catalogue going online, we had over 800 bids. we've had thousands upon thousands of pounds worth of bids left, interest from all over the world. the appeal of star wars is completely worldwide, and the fact that that little piece of star wars history comes from bristol is what i think makes this so, so special. dave prowse's imposing 6'6" height made him the perfect choice for darth vader. it's no secret he was disappointed that his voice was never used on the film. one of the hottest items — his script from the empire strikes back movie. we placed an estimate on this of three to £5,000, but bids have already far, far exceeded that.
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that's a unique piece of cinema history there. key lines were removed from it to keep vader's relationship with luke skywalker a secret, and dave was kept completely in the dark. you two need a lesson on crossing the road. i from being the green cross code man to the strongman in the gym, it was an extraordinary life, all catalogued and recorded by dave's family and his friend and assistant. we've spent the last couple of months going through the house, many of the office and the garage and the shed and lots of boxes and cupboards, just looking for anything that could be auctioned. it was unbelievable the amount of stuff that we realised we had to go through. in his final years, the bristol actor was diagnosed with alzheimer's, so some of the money raised from the online auction will go to the charity alzheimer's research uk. james earljones was the voice. an
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actor very much with us. you're watching world news. hello. it seems like everything is running late this spring, and now the april showers have finally arrived. there's nothing like an angry sky to get the weather watchers out. there'll be more like this during wednesday. sunshine, yes, in between the showers, but catch a shower — heavy, hail and thunder and it's going to feel quite chilly as well with the air coming down from the north. around an area of low pressure which may be some distance away now, but in its way, we have this northerly flow of chilly air, unstable air with the showers developing. cold enough for them to be wintry on hills as well. temperatures well below average, but make a mental note of this — it will look quite different by the time we get to this weekend, as i'll show you in a moment. we start wednesday with the return of frost possible in any cold rural spots, but particularly into parts of scotland and northern england, as you can see. whilst many of us will start dry and sunny, there will be
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scattered wintry showers in northern scotland from the word go, into northern ireland, in parts of wales, some showers, too, and across the midlands, eastern and southern england. this zone here is where we're likely to see most of the showers during wednesday. some heavy with hail and thunder. there could be some gusty winds around the showers, although overall, the winds are lighter than they've been. and temperatures, well, they're not going to rise too far. we're just looking really at highs around 8—12 degrees celsius. so, some showers will continue into wednesday evening, perhaps flaring up across parts of northeast england, for example, again wintry on hills. another batch heading south across scotland overnight and into thursday. could well bring some snow to relatively low levels, so that'll be surprising if you see that falling on thursday morning. again, the chance of frost as the day begins. these showers will move on south into northern ireland and northern england. there is an area of cloud and rain flirting with southern parts of england. still something to play for in how much rain will fall here, so we'll keep you updated. in between the two zones of wet or potential wet weather, there'll be some sunshine.
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another chilly start on friday morning, another day of sunshine and showers. the heaviest ones look to be focused across eastern parts, temperatures a little bit higher. and then, here comes some more rain. that's from another area of low pressure heading our wayjust in time for next weekend. that means the winds picking up and more rain moving in and as that clears, there'll be showers following. but the air is coming in from the south, so although it'll be windy, although it'll be wet at times, at least the temperatures will be heading up.
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this is bbc world news, the headlines mexico's president has promised that an investigation into a metro overpass collapse in the capital will be open and spare no one. at least 2a people were killed when a train plunged onto the road below. pressure is mounting on india's government to impose a national lockdown after the country recorded more than 20 million covid infections. prime minister narendra modi is under criticism over widespread shortages of oxygen and hospital beds. president biden aims to have 70 per cent of all americans vaccinated by independence day on the 4th ofjuly. he says the us is also ready �*immediately�* to vaccinate adolescents when the fda gives the go ahead. and a top advisor to the uk government says it's unlikely there will be any need for another lockdown in britain. professor neil ferguson says life should start getting back to normal thanks to the vaccine.

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