tv Newsday BBC News November 24, 2021 11:00pm-11:30pm GMT
11:00 pm
welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... tragedy in the english channel, as 27 migrants drown trying to reach the uk. it's the worst incident of its kind, since the migrant crisis began. it's an appalling thing that they have suffered, but i also want to say that this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross the channel in this way. we the jury find the defendant guilty — we the “ury find the defendant uuil . , ajury in the us finds all three defendants guilty of murdering ahmaud arbery, a black man outjogging in the state of georgia.
11:01 pm
ajury of 11 whites a jury of 11 whites and one blake ajury of 11 whites and one blake in the deep south —— one black stood up in the courtroom and said black lives do matter. a new coalition government in germany, led by social democrat olaf scholz, pledges to make climate change its top priority. and, after being closed to tourists for two years, new zealand finally announces its plans to welcome back foreigners next year. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday.
11:02 pm
it's 7amin singapore and midnight in paris — where a short while ago, the french interior ministry confirmed that 27 migrants have drowned while trying to cross from france. earlier, president macron said it was feared the death toll could be as high as 31. it is by far the biggest loss of life in a single incident on that route. air and sea rescue operations have been under way for several hours. our correspondent lucy williamson is in calais. as you say, the rescue and recovery operation has been going on here into the night. but there are very few details so far about who the victims are or why their boat sank. and there are questions already being raised in the local media here about whether it was simply bad weather, high waves, orwhether about whether it was simply bad weather, high waves, or whether it might�*ve been hit by something like a container ship. might�*ve been hit by something like a containership. no might�*ve been hit by something like a container ship. no confirm details as of yet — but this town, this country as of today is simply coming to terms with what the government is calling a day of national tragedy. this is a tragedy that began with hope. where are you going now? the uk. the water nothing
11:03 pm
to be afraid of yet. several boats set off from this coast at first light this morning. this one reached british shores without disaster. but a flimsy boat, dozens of desperate people — the warning signs have always been there. and today, one of these boats never arrived. translation: as far as we know, 33 people capsized _ off dunkirk, in calais. as of now, 31 people died, but were not resuscitated and there are two survivors who are currently being treated and whose lives are also unfortunately in danger. a local fisherman spotted the passengers floating motionless in the water. helicopters and boats were scrambled to the scene for a rescue operation, but many had already drowned. this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross the channel in this way, and it also shows how vital it is that we now step
11:04 pm
up our efforts to break the business model of the gangsters who are sending people to sea in this way. this was the fear that hung over all the politics, all the debates. inside this hospital tonight, more than 30 people have been declared dead. two others are fighting for their lives. the crossing season this year has stretched well into the winter weather. it's a lucrative business for the people smugglers, but it's men, women and children who have paid the price. but people here in this calais migrant camp are so determined to reach the uk that no one we met tonight said they would change their plans. this man tried crossing yesterday, but gave up because the waves were too high. france's coastline has never been a simple to secure as the eurotunnel or the calais port. smugglers have made the most of that.
11:05 pm
these are for migrants, and the poor migrants who have been coming from their country and they have spent months and months to come here. and they are so close to their dream. many more migrants arrived in the uk today — good publicity for the people—smuggling rings. but it often takes many attempts, and those who have capsized before have told me what it's like waiting in the water for help to arrive. one thought in their minds as the minutes tick by — what if it doesn't get here in time? well, for suspected people smugglers believed to have been linked to this crossing have been arrested, french officials say. but for all the arrests here, all the deterrence over the months and years, there's no shortage of customers for this industry. and i've spoken to many people this year who have had to be rescued themselves from the waters of the channel — and they keep on trying, and i think that says a great deal. lucy williamson
11:06 pm
reporting there. the leaders of france and britain have discussed the channel deaths by phone, agreeing to set up efforts to prevent migrant crossings. a spokesman for prime minister boris johnson said he and president emmanuel macron were clear the business model of the criminal gangs involved had to be broken. let's move now to the us state of georgia — where a jury has found three white men guilty in the killing of ahmaud arbery. he was a young black man shot dead whilejogging, in february 2020. a leaked video of his shooting became a rallying point in the black lives matter protests. the defendants in this case claimed they were acting in self defence — while the prosecution said the men were dangerous vigilantes who cornered armaud arbery. aleem maqbool has the latest from georgia. there have been times when this moment seemed a very distant prospect.
11:07 pm
we the jury find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. oh, woo! the shout of relief came from the father of ahmaud arbery, who was shot dead in february of last year. two others were also found guilty of murder. they had all seen 25—year—old ahmaud running through their neighbourhood and claimed he'd fitted the description of a crime suspect. they chased him and killed him. during the trial, the man who fired the fatal shots, travis mcmichael, was the only one of the three to take to the witness stand. ishot him. why? he...j he had my gun. he struck me. it was obvious that he was... it was obvious that he was attacking me. that if he would've got the shot gun from me, then it was a life—or—death situation. his justification was that he killed
11:08 pm
in self—defence — but of course, that was only after he, his father, and a neighbour had chased ahmaud arbery in their pick—up trucks for five minutes. ahmaud's family waited more than ten weeks and had to rely on public pressure for the police to even make any arrests. i never thought this day would come. but god is good. yes, he is. and i just want to tell everybody, thank you, thank you, for those who marched, those who prayed, most of all, the ones who prayed. yes, lord. thank you, god. thank you. there may still be questions about the way the police behaved after this killing. questions about the underlying issues surrounding race in this society that contributed to the killing. but for now, at least, all of those who for months have been calling forjustice for ahmaud arbery, there isjust a huge sense of relief. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in brunswick, georgia. speaking outside the court, the civil rights activist
11:09 pm
reverend al sharpton praised the verdict. and let the word go forth all over the world that a jury of ii whites and one black in the deep south stood up in the courtroom and said that black lives do matter. let it be clear that almost ten years after trayvon, god used wanda and marcus's son to prove that if we kept marching and kept fighting, we would make you hear us. we've got a lot more battles to fight, but this was an important battle today. strong gourds there from al sharpton. let's get more from aleem maqbool, who's in georgia. you've been reporting all day on this, in fact. you've been reporting all day on this, infact. great you've been reporting all day on this, in fact. great to have you on newsday — just watching your report
11:10 pm
there and reading the events that have taken place today, his family's lawyers have called it a modern—day lynching, and so much of the decision appears to rest on this key video evidence. from people you've talked to, how significant was that piece of evidence? i talked to, how significant was that piece of evidence?— piece of evidence? i think there is little doubt _ piece of evidence? i think there is little doubt in _ piece of evidence? i think there is little doubt in people's _ piece of evidence? i think there is little doubt in people's mind - piece of evidence? i think there is little doubt in people's mind that| little doubt in people's mind that it was utterly crucial. remember, after ahmaud arbery was shot, we know that the police arrived — we know that the police arrived — we know from their own body cam footage that those police, instead of attending to ahmaud arbery, who was still alive and dying in front of them, they comforted the men who'd fired the shots and done the chasing, offering them water, saying they couldn't imagine what they'd been through. and then for weeks, the police went without making any arrests at all — until this video surfaced. actually the video had been taken by one of the three men who put it online think it would show them in a good light, that they had tried to be heroic in stopping
11:11 pm
this man who had looked, they claim to come out like a burglary suspect — even though we know now that ahmaud arbery had done nothing illegal at all. it was only after that video went viral that there were protests around the country that finally, after 7a days, the police arrested the men who, from the very first moment, had admitted they had killed ahmaud arbery. just they had killed ahmaud arbery. just listening to what his mother had to say in that report of yours, she had pushed for justice and pushed forjustice and accountability pushed for justice and accountability for her son's death throughout this entire episode, hasn't she? and what a devastating experience to go through — what has been her reaction? experience to go through - what has been her reaction?— been her reaction? certainly devastating _ been her reaction? certainly devastating and _ been her reaction? certainly devastating and a _ been her reaction? certainly devastating and a really - been her reaction? certainly - devastating and a really traumatic couple of weeks because of how many times that video was shown, so many times that video was shown, so many times she had to leave the room. i spoke to her actually before the
11:12 pm
trial, and she had never seen that video, never been able to bring herself to do it. so for her to watch on the first day of the trial was devastating. but she had been nervous about how this was going to play out, given that it took so much time for these men to be arrested — and given that she not only had to sit through the video in the trial, but also see the defence somehow portray ahmaud arbery as the one who had been doing wrong, that he chose to run, he chose to fight. and also, very sort of demeaning remarks, as well, as many people say, very distasteful remarks — for example, in the closing, arguments, one of the defence lawyers talking about ahmaud arbery�*s dirty toenails. so she had to sit there all this, all the speculation about how a jury of ii the speculation about how a jury of 11 white people and one african—american in a town incidentally that is majority black,
11:13 pm
how they would interpret these facts. so a lot of nervousness on her part. but she, as we saw today, had a huge sense of relief — not jubilation, the family were careful to say this is not a jubilant moment, of course, but a real moment of reflection, of how their son had changed things here.— if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. in germany, three political parties have struck a deal to form the next government, putting the environment centre stage. the social democrats, greens, and free democrats have unveiled their coalition agreement, which marks the end of the chancellor angela merkel era. the bbc�*s damien mcguinness has the latest from berlin. the end of an era in germany.
11:14 pm
after 16 years of conservative—led governments under angela merkel, germany's new leaders are younger and more radical — and they want to modernise the country. it's an unusual alliance — a left—wing social democrat chancellor, olaf scholz, in government with the greens and the business—friendly liberals. in germany, it's called a "traffic light coalition" — after the colours of each party. mr scholz drew parallels between the incoming coalition and germany's first—ever real traffic lights in berlin in 192a. translation: my aspiration j as chancellor is to make sure that this traffic light coalition can play a similarly ground—breaking role in germany. the climate change measures are ambitious — by 2030, coal will be phased out and 80% of germany's electricity will come
11:15 pm
from renewable sources. tackling social inequality is also a priority. health care workers will get a bonus, and the minimum wage will be increased. but with germany seeing record covid infection and death rates, for many voters, the biggest challenge right now is how the incoming government will fight the pandemic. translation: the first thing should be to sort out the pandemic. - it cannot stay like this. that's the top priority for me. translation: i think the most important thing at the moment| is the covid crisis. there's nothing else, i as far as i'm concerned. and how will we proceed with vaccinations? - what are the new regulations? the leaders of the new coalition appear to have energy, ambition, and confidence — qualities they will need
11:16 pm
given they are taking over in a time of crisis. damien mcguinness, bbc news, berlin. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: cobalt is in demand, driven by the switch to electric vehicles. we report from the democratic republic of the congo on why these cobalt miners may not be the ones to benefit. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world — the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number ten to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot air - balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, _
11:17 pm
but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." l cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 19605 — it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... at least 27 migrants have drowned in the english channel after their dinghy capsized near the french port of calais. ajury in the us has found all three defendants guilty of murdering ahmaud arbery, a black man outjogging in the state of georgia. the switch to electric vehicles is rapidly increasing demand for the raw materials used in car batteries.
11:18 pm
most need cobalt ? and two—thirds of global supply comes from the democratic republic of the congo, one of the poorest countries in the world. the cobalt boom should bring wealth to drc — but as the bbc�*s darragh macintyre reports, local people don t always benefit. cobalt is the metal that powers our electric cars. but in the democratic republic of the congo, up to 30% is done by hand in artisanal mines — like this one in kolwezi. the people who are working here don't have much choice. they want to make money, they've got to come down here. and this picture, you'll find this all across kolwezi in different spots. the metal gets mixed into the supply chain and is impossible to trace. experts say that none of the electric car makers can be sure they haven't used cobalt from artisanal mines. it has very specific physical properties that make it uniquely
11:19 pm
suited for batteries in particular. and it's only recently now, with our drive towards decarbonisation, where all of a sudden now, it is a critical commodity. every car manufacturer will want this metal. the biggest electric car maker is tesla. it has agreed to buy up to 6,000 tonnes of cobalt a year from kolwezi. tesla's deal is with glencore, a mining company that runs some of the big mechanised mines. now glencore wants to evict the artisanal miners from this site. translation: l have - about 15,000 people here - but they will be left with no work. we have children, wives, families. we can't live like this. this is a dispute about who profits from kolwezi's cobalt. it's backbreaking work, but these minors can at least earn a living.
11:20 pm
if glencore takes over, the mine will be safer, but far fewer workers will be needed. you can't tell someone, this is where he's getting their daily bread or food from their family — you tell that person to stop, but then you don't offer on alternative — it's like killing that person. glencore says it owns the site, and that this is an illegal organised operation. it says it will help relocate the miners if a suitable site can be found, and that it doesn't supply any cobalt from artisanal mines. darragh macintyre, bbc news. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the british government has urged all its nationals to leave ethiopia immediately saying the conflict is deteriorating quickly. the uk has warned that the fighting may move closer to the capital addis ababa in the coming days. the united states, france, germany, and turkey have also urged their nationals to leave. the un is evacuating families of international staff.
11:21 pm
the us state department has designated three leaders of the islamic state group's afghanistan branch, known as isis—k, as specially designated global terrorists. this makes it illegal to have any financial or business transactions with the men. the move is part of us efforts to prevent afghanistan becoming once again a base for international terrorism. the french international footballer, karim benzema, has been found guilty of involvement in attempted blackmail over a sex tape. six years ago, benzema was part of a conspiracy which attempted to extort money from a former france team—mate, mathieu valbuena. mr benzema has been given a one—year suspended prison sentence and a fine of more than $80,000. the doors have been shut for two years — but finally, new zealand has unveiled plans to welcome back foreigners from next year. from 30 april, fully—vaccinated visitors will be allowed to enter the country,
11:22 pm
but will still have to self—isolate for seven days upon arrival. more new zealanders will be allowed to travel home from early next year as well, under similar rules. i'm joined now by alexandra birt — she's one of the founders of the group grounded kiwis, a network of new zealanders who, for the past two years, have been lobbying the government to allow people to travel back home. wonderful to have you on the programme. this must be such a moment of relief to people outside of new zealand who are trying to get back home? , of new zealand who are trying to get back home?— back home? yes, it absolutely is. this has been _ back home? yes, it absolutely is. this has been a _ back home? yes, it absolutely is. this has been a long _ back home? yes, it absolutely is. this has been a long time - back home? yes, it absolutely is. this has been a long time coming j back home? yes, it absolutely is. i this has been a long time coming for a lot of people who have been struggling to get back into new zealand. i think what a lot of people abroad haven't realised is that new zealand's citizens as well have really struggled to be able to get home. we were required previously to enter a lottery system, and only if you weren't lucky enough to get a lucky number
11:23 pm
in the lottery essentially were you able to get a slot to go home. so we have people within our network who have people within our network who have been stuck overseas for 6—12 months, parents separated from their kids, and a lot of people in very dire financial situations or who have lost visas. so having a day to which they can return home is obviously fantastic, but doesn't in some ways take away from the heartbreak and struggles peoples have gone through over the last few months. i have gone through over the last few months. ~ ., ., , ., months. i know that your organisation _ months. i know that your organisation has - months. i know that your organisation has worked | months. i know that your - organisation has worked very hard months. i know that your _ organisation has worked very hard to try and convince the government of this policy u—turn. how did you manage to do this? i this policy u-turn. how did you manage to do this?— this policy u-turn. how did you manage to do this? i think that it's been a range _ manage to do this? i think that it's been a range of— manage to do this? i think that it's been a range of things, _ manage to do this? i think that it's been a range of things, really. - manage to do this? i think that it's been a range of things, really. it's| been a range of things, really. it's from organisations like ours who have really been lobbying. the government are also trying to raise public awareness of the situations of individuals who are stranded and just how difficult it is to get back
11:24 pm
home. i think in recent months, there is been increasing pressure from within new zealand, obviously from within new zealand, obviously from the business community who have not been able to leave and come back. so i think there's been a lot of increasing pressure, particularly now that there is covid in the community in new zealand, people are now fully vaccinated — it's been difficult for the government to justify why people who are fully vaccinated haven't been able to come back until february next year. the timin: of back until february next year. the timing of this _ back until february next year. the timing of this though, given the surgeon infections and other parts of the world, does that concern you at all? ~ . ., . of the world, does that concern you at all? ~ , ., , ., at all? when people return from the new system. — at all? when people return from the new system, they'll _ at all? when people return from the new system, they'll still _ at all? when people return from the new system, they'll still be - new system, they'll still be required to isolate at home for seven days. the only thing is that doesn't apply to everyone who is returning, so it's not risk—based in terms of departure. and there are places where people have been stuck for six months, such as western australia, where there is zero covid, and those people are saying, why can't i go back to new zealand
11:25 pm
now and self isolate? but they haven't been able to come of that still been required to hotel quarantine even though the risk of having covert back is so minimal. so what looking for is a more risk—based approach, and i think we are getting there with a new approach that's coming in early next year, but it is still too little, too late. it should be a permitted now to allow kiwis to get home. thank you so much forjoining us on newsday. yesterday, we brought you news of a mission to test technology that could one day divert a dangerous asteroid if it was heading for a collision with the earth. today, we can give you an update on the launch. a falcon—9 rocket carrying nasa's dart spacecraft blasted off from the vandenberg base in california. the mission wants to see how difficult it would be to stop a huge space rock from colliding with earth. the spacecraft will target a 150—metre wide rock 11 million kilometres away. it is the first ever attempt to deflect an asteroid to learn how
11:26 pm
to protect the earth, though this particular asteroid presents no threat. that's all for now — stay with bbc news. hello. some pretty lively weather conditions on the way to us later in the week and, into the start of the weekend, we could see some severe gales quite widely, particularly through friday into saturday. and to go with it, a realfeel of winter in the air — much colder with more of you seeing a little bit of sleet, or even snow. that cold air pushing southwards overnight into the start of thursday — and that really makes for the chill for the first of the commutes of the day, temperatures widely at or just above freezing. so, frost in places, maybe just frost—free in the southeast corner where there overnight cloud and patchy drizzle just about to clear, and in the far north of scotland overnight, heavy showers continuing with sleet and snow, even down to sea level. they'll continue throughout the day, a few showers down around eastern coastal counties of england, 1—2 to the west of wales, cornwall, and across northern ireland. but for most of you,
11:27 pm
thursday is one of those crisp, clear days — good visibility, but a chilly feel and a breeze, temperatures around 5—8 celsius. now as we going to thursday night, temperatures actually lift a little bit. outbreaks of rain spreading their way in from the north and the west, but strengthening winds across the board — that will stop temperatures from falling to freezing here, but there could be a frost to start friday, east anglia and the southeast in particular. but even here, we'll see rain push through on friday — this is an area of low pressure that'll cause us all sorts of problems. the exact track will dictate who sees the strongest of the winds and who will see a bit of snow. to begin friday, it's outbreaks of rain spreading southwards and eastwards. the strongest of the winds to the north and west of the country could touch damaging 70—80 mph for 1—2 later in the day, and blizzard conditions developing across parts of higher ground of scotland. and this is where we'll see the strongest of the winds, really late friday into friday night, pushing down the western side of this area of low pressure. cold air with it, so a mixture of rain, sleet, and snow notjust to the hills, 1—2 to lower levels, but it'll be a difficult mix to get exactly right.
11:28 pm
keep checking the forecast — but it could be a night of disruption into the start of saturday with strong winds. more wintry showers around on saturday, an icy wind and added wind chill, too. so, whilst temperatures on the thermometers saturday afternoon say 4—7 celsius — already lower than we'd normally expected at this stage of november — it will feel closer to freezing and drop below for many of you. things'll turn quieter though through saturday night into sunday — widespread frost to begin the day, but for most, it'll be a dry day with some spells of hazy sunshine. keep up to date with the latest forecast details here on bbc news.
11:30 pm
hello and welcome to bbc news with me, shawn lay, with the latest headlines. at least 27 migrants have drowned in the english channel after their boat capsized, as they tried to cross from france. a search of the area near calais is continuing. the french authorities say those who died, including five women and two children, are victims of �*criminal smugglers'. french police have arrested four people suspected of being linked to the incident. three white men have been found guilty of murdering a blackjogger, ahmaud arbery, in the us state of georgia last year. the trio had claimed they were defending themselves while trying to make a citizens' arrest. olaf scholz is to head a new three—party coalition in germany, focused on speeding up its transition to a green economy. the social democrats, greens and free democrats have been giving the first details of their coalition agreement.
62 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
BBC News Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on