tv BBC News BBC News August 30, 2022 4:00am-4:31am BST
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this is bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: a third of the country underwater, farmland and homes destroyed, pakistan braces itself for more flooding. calls for calm in iraq as clashes continue between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr. ukraine pushes forward, a southern offensive to try to drive russian forces from kherson. and, awaiting judgement: the man on trial in australia for a murder in the 1980s made famous by a true—crime podcast.
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welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a third of pakistan is underwater. that's according to the country's climate change minister, who called the devastation caused by extensive flooding a �*crisis of unimaginable proportions�*. at least 1,000 people have been killed, and 33 million are affected. that's one in every seven pakistanis. provinces like sindh and balochistan in the south are the worst affected, but mountainous regions have also been badly hit. 0ur correspondent pumza filhani sent this report. a moment of quiet in the middle of chaos. inside a crowded hall, families that have been displaced by the floods in northern pakistan have found temporary refuge. for many, it was a narrow escape. translation: our houses have collapsed because -
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of the floods. we had a home and it was enough for us. now all our belongings are buried under 12—13 feet of water. when i left with my children, i saw my house collapse. the rivers are swelling, and all many can do is stand and watch. the raging floods and mudslides have forced people to flee to higher ground. 0n the other side of the country, in sindh, there's been some reprieve from the rains, but swathes of land are still under water and unlivable. many families have settled near major roads, or wherever there is still dry land. families have been displaced across pakistan, but the people that have been worst affected are the poor, people who had very little to begin with. the community that we found here used to live on the banks of the indus river, which has been over flooding for weeks. they came here because this was higher ground, many of them
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travelled for hours and kilometres to try and get here. just behind me is the little means that they have been able to put together. there aren't any tents here, there is no clean drinking water, there isn't even any food, and they don't know, they tell me, why they have been neglected. this farmer has been sleeping in an open field for a week. today, he has finally gathered enough branches and sticks to build shelter for his family. translation: even - when the water recedes, all we will have are these branches. 0ur homes are gone. we have nothing. i was able to grow my own vegetables back home, and everything is gone now. i can't even feed my children. we need help. the floods have not only taken lives, they've ta ken livelihoods, too. iqbal ali has travelled across two provinces,
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searching for suitable land for his herd. he is hoping that if he can keep them alive, then he has a chance to rebuild his life. local aid agencies say they are doing all they can to help, but they admit they are overwhelmed and do not have enough resources. government officials who have dealt with floods many times before have said this time is different. this year's rains were unprecedented and have brought untold tragedy to the people of pakistan. pumza filhani, bbc news, sindh. uzair younus is the director of the pakistan initiative at the atlantic council's south asia center, i've asked him how pakistan can cope with the disaster of this scale. pakistan's citizens have the heart and the character to deal with this crisis and bounce back.
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yes, this is a catastrophe but the more important question i would like to ask is, do western countries have it in them to start finally walking the talk about climate change and helping the global south because let's be honest, the tens of millions of pakistanis stranded today after these floods have nothing to do with the climate crisis but they are bearing the brunt and pakistanis will bounce back, they are a resilient country even though i don't like that term but i would ask western nations to finally step up and help the global south deal with this climate catastrophe. specifically, what do you mean? what does pakistan need? at this point, a lot of things have been destroyed, especially core infrastructure and housing. if all of that have to be rebuilt, pakistan's government which is already struggling under economic pain and high commodity prices will need external financing. with that financing also is the requirement for technical assistance, for future initiatives that look at climate change patterns and how things will affect a country like pakistan which is at
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severe risk of climate change. and so we need financial assistance, technical expertise and assistance notjust in the form of loans because that will further indebt countries like pakistan moving forward, so the global community really has to think hard not just about pakistan but about global south countries that will be impacted the most in this crisis and come up with mechanisms especially financial mechanisms to help them build back in a way that is more resilient and more adaptive for climate change. has pakistan been able to take any steps towards flood and extreme weather preparedness? i think there has been some efforts made and then what gives me heart is a lot of lessons were learned from the 2010 floods which were also catastrophic and these floods are much more damaging, even compared to that. but also the coronavirus pandemic with the national command and operations
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centre, the way it implemented the public health response, i feel that pakistan has learned a lot of lessons, there are tools in the playbook that will allow it to get direct cash out when the waters recede, doing quick assessments using satellite imagery and then do the very hard task of reconstruction because let's be honest, this country has been through a lot, through earthquakes, through floods, and i think the government will bounce back and deal with this crisis but it will need a lot of help to pull this off. just a quick look at the politics in the country because it has been a bit of a rollercoaster in pakistan recently, has that affected the response to this crisis? so far not yet. the prime minister has set up a nationalflood response and co—ordination centre, there is a lot of bickering in the mainstream politics of pakistan on a daily basis for the last few months but i think the opportunity is there for the elite and citizens alike to unite. polarisation is tearing the country apart but
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i think especially the youth of pakistan who are its future, who are the majority of the population need to come together in this moment and if they do then i think political elites who have been bickering and fighting in this cynical game of thrones will have no choice but to unite and help the country deal with this crisis because this should be the number one priority. what goes on with the government in islamabad should not be the number one priority at this point and i think the citizens of pakistan deserve a lot better. the prime minister of iraq, mustafa al—kahdimi, has called for calm after clashes in baghdad's highly protected green zone, in which at least 20 people have been killed. that's after supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed the presidential palace. more than 300 were reported to have been injured by gunfire or by inhaling tear gas. the green zone is home to several government buildings and foreign embassies. al—sadr�*s supporters were reacting to an announcement from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. azadeh moshiri has this report.
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the sound of machine guns and explosions ring out. explosion. shouting. as protesters storm this government building in iraq, leading to clashes that left several people dead and many injured. it's the worst fighting the capital has seen in years as fights broke out between rival shia militias, as well as the police, and it all started after the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr said he is resigning from politics. translation: before, - we were committed to the orders of our leader. now our master took his hand away from us, he withdrew from politics, he is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was resigning in response to other shia leaders' failure to reform what he called a corrupt government.
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for his supporters, this was a call to arms. they include a heavily armed militia, pushing back against rival shia groups aligned with iran. they charged through baghdad's streets, eventually breaking into this government building known as the republican palace. and they even took a swim in this government pool. even outside of baghdad, supporters burned tires and rode through smoke in southern provinces. but before these clashes, iraq was already at a standstill. despite muqtada al—sadr�*s political alliance winning the most seats in last year's election, politicians were unable to form a government, leading to a total deadlock, so his supporters camped outside parliament four weeks. translation: the people are sick of political parties| and this situation. they're sick of not having any services or right living conditions, and no water or electricity.
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everything is deteriorating. according to state news agencies, muqtada al—sadr has announced a hunger strike until all sides put down their weapons. and for the country as a whole, this latest violence is yet another setback after struggling to recover from decades of war and corruption. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the relatives of ten coal miners who were trapped underground when a mine in northern mexico flooded earlier this month have started to wind—down their vigil at the site. it comes after authorities indicated that the weeks—long rescue operation has become a recovery mission rather than search for survivors. the coal mine filled with water after a wall collapsed. a study has found that a major sea level rise from the melting of the greenland ice cap is now inevitable,
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even if the world stops emitting greenhouse gases immediately. the research found that global warming to date will cause more than 100 trillion tons of greenland's ice to melt, causing sea levels to rise by at least 27 centimetres, more than 10.5 inches. that would have severe consequences for billions of people who live in coastal areas. russia is due to begin a series ofjoint military exercises with china on tuesday, as relations between the two countries continue to build. the military drills will run for a week and include a number of other nations including india, belarus and mongolia. it's the second time this year that russia and china have engaged injoint military drills. here in the uk, liz truss, one of the two contenders in the conservative leadership race, has pulled out of a bbc interview. earlier, her team defended her economic plans after a leading think tank, the institute for fiscal studies said they were "simplistic".
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a ukrainian counter—offensive against russian occupation forces is underway in the south of the country. a senior advisor to president zelensky says ukrainian troops have broken through several sectors of russian defence lines near the city of kherson. and ukraine says russia's proxy militias have retreated along with their supporting russian paratroopers. in the last few weeks, ukraine has been pummelling key bridges across the dnipro river and ammunition dumps with high—precision rockets. but russia's defence ministry claimed the offensive was a "spectacular failure", with the ukrainians losing 50 tanks and personnel carriers and more than 500 troops. 0ur ukraine correspondent james waterhouse sent us this update it is clear the ukrainians are making a push. there are more reports tonight of explosions close to the city of kherson. ukrainians claim they have taken out key bridges connecting the city to russian—occupied territory.
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they say they have pushed through the first russian defensive line, which is significant, and moscow itself acknowledged acknowledges that it has had to defend three ukrainian attacks. the difference is, it says, those attacks were not successful but kyiv has used this as a messaging opportunity, you could say. there was a press conference, an exercise by the country's military, in saying a lot but not explaining much. they say they had launched a number of counteroffensives but it was important that people remained silent during this operation. at the same time, a senior government official tweeted a heart emoji, saying kherson is ahead. so you can see, you can sense the significance of what is happening along this sizeable frontline. further east, finally, it's looking like inspectors will be making their way to the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, your�*s largest. rafael grossi, the iaea chief,
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said he hoped to be there within days, not weeks. the kremlin says that as well, saying they hope the inspectors are professional and fair. kyiv, frankly, in the words of dmytro kuleba, the country's foreign minister, wants to see a condemnation, notjust of russia's occupation but reports of their continued violations of the site in terms of safety amid claims that they continue to use it as a military base. and stay with us on bbc news, still to come: high spirits in notting hill as the carnival returns for the first time since the pandemic. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in the indian slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies and then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting, wives are waiting.
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hostages appeared, some carried, some running, i trying to escape the - nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today. described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable, an early morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: pakistan says a third of the country has been left under water by monsoon flooding, with 33 million people affected.
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street fighting is continuing in baghdad, between iraqi security forces and supporters of the shia cleric, muqtada al—sadr. at least 15 people have been killed. now some out of these world news, well, almost. nasa has postponed the launch of the most powerful rocket it's ever developed, artemis 0ne. it was scheduled to take off on monday for an uncrewed test flight to the moon. the space agency had a two—hour window for lift—off but the launch was aborted when one of its engines couldn't cool down to the required temperature. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle is at the kennedy space center, in florida, and sent this report. it was all looking so good, even the weather. nasa's new rocket was ready to make nasa's new rocket was ready to make history and head to the moon, but then the problems began. the hydrogen team reporting that they started seeing a leak trending up.
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first of all, a fuel leak, with liquid hydrogen escaping. that one was fixed. then a possible crack was spotted, holding things up even more, although this turned out to be frost in a crevice. but it was an issue with an engine that spelled the end. launch director charlie blackwell—thompson has called a scrub. nasa's administrator, bill nelson, was on hand to explain. this is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work. and you don't want to light the candle until it's ready to go. they came so close, the countdown stopping at t minus a0 minutes. there were just too many technical problems to contend with. you have to remember, though, that this is a new rocket, and it hasn't really been put through its paces, so it's no surprise the engineers were being extra cautious. the plan is for the rocket to push a capsule,
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called 0rion, into deep space, to go into orbit around the moon before it returns to earth with a splashdown. if the maiden flight is a success, the next time, astronauts will come along for the ride. but they are not surprised by the delays. this is the first time we've taken the count anywhere close to zero. we've done tests to put propellant in the tanks, but we haven't tried to take it all the way to flight yet, so there are many, many opportunities for new things to crop up. this is a test flight. we're doing the test. we won't go till we're ready, but i really hope we're ready. data from the rocket is now being pored over to find out exactly what went wrong. a complicated problem could set everything back by weeks or even months, but there is hope an easier fix might be found, which would mean this friday could see the next attempt at a launch. rebecca morelle, at the kennedy space center in florida. ajudge is delivering the verdict in the murder trial of a former australian school teacher accused of killing his wife
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in the 1980s. chris dawson's lawyers tried to get the case thrown out, arguing his right to a fair trial had been risked by a podcast called the teacher's pet, which had close to 30 million downloads. at thejudge has at the judge has started giving his verdict over three hours ago and is now taking a break. with more here's the bbc�*s phil mercer in sydney. this trial has been going on for now two months and it's the combination of a0 years of questions and speculation about a woman called lynette dawson. she disappeared in 1982. her husband is chris dawson and he is accused of her murder. he has denied allegations and he has been on trial here at the new south wales supreme court. this case was serialised in the extremely popular true—crime podcast called the teacher's pet,
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that was produced by the australian newspaper. as you say, it was listened to by millions of people, notjust here in australia but well beyond the shores in many other countries, and the popularity of this podcast did lead chris dawson's defence team to suggest that the trial could never be fair because witnesses had been influenced by the podcast and it's one reason why the trial is being heard by a judge alone. we will keep you posted on the outcome of that trial. the first shipment of wheat from ukraine to africa since the war began will arrive in the coming hours. ukraine and russia are the world's biggest exporters of grain but shipments stopped following russia's invasion in february. the mv brave commander has now docked in djibouti with an aid shipment bound for ethiopia, where drought and conflict affect over 20 million people. it follows a deal agreed between russia and ukraine.
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mediated by the un and turkey. 0ur africa correspondent catherine byaruhanga reports. bone—dry earth. these women in eastern ethiopia are digging holes to trap rainwater to grow crops and feed animals, but it rarely rains these days. drought is making it harder to survive, even for camels. ao—year—old ishmael is trying to save his last one. translation: i'm pastoralist. in fact, i was one of the successful pastoralists, i had 15 camels, 1a of them died one by one, and i am only the left with this one. this one is also very sick, as you can see, i don't know whether he will die or survive. war in ethiopia is also making people go hungry. this nursery school was hit in an airstrike last week, during a resurgence in fighting in the north of the country.
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the united nations�* world food programme has paid for this ship to carry over 20,000 tons of grain to africa from ukraine, bound for ethiopia. before the war, three quarters of the wfp�*s food assistance came from ukraine and russia. ethiopia is particularly really badly hit. the fuel prices have shot up, the food prices and market prices, which were already very unaffordable for the vast majority of the population, are now pushed far beyond the means of most ethiopian families. the arrival of the brave commander ship here in djibouti, is a significant moment, but it is only carrying 20,000 tons of grain — a drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed. especially now that the worst drought for a0 years and conflict are making it hard for communities in the horn of africa to find food.
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djibouti itself, kenya, south sudan and uganda are some of the other countries affected by drought. in somalia, a famine could soon be declared in parts of the country. the un hopes the mv brave commander will be the first of many ships to bring much—needed grain from ukraine to the region. catherine byaruhanga, bbc new, djibouti. people have returned to the streets of west london for the notting hill carnival. it's the first time it's been held since the pandemic. celestina 0lulode has been meeting those taking part. a street festival rooted in caribbean culture. the warm—up was yesterday, and now for the main event. after two years celebrating carnival online, the parades are back. not being on the road has been kind of frustrating, a little bit boring. the plus for me was that i was involved
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in the virtual carnival. i was one of the presenters, and i think the idea for us to present now was born in 2020, when they said we did such a fabulousjob, why should we not present to the world throughout carnival? and aside from all the music and floats, this is one of the highlights — caribbean food that so many people come for. you've got your favourites like rice and peas, jerk chicken and of course, patties. a global street festival in a residential area. some locals soaked up the party vibes, while others chose to stay away. 0rganisers say they recognise there's a delicate balance to be met. there was a visible police presence in the area. but for a street festival steeped in caribbean culture and history, for these locals, it's good to be back. celestina 0lulode, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter —
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i'm @ rich preston you can keep up—to—date with all the news stories from around the world on the bbc website. bye—bye for now. hello there. well, it was a fine bank holiday monday. in wales we had plenty of sunshine and in porthmadog, in the northwest, we had temperatures up to 25 degrees. looking at the weather picture for the rest of the uk this week, there will be a lot of drier weather. it is quite breezy, though, at times in the south, perhaps a bit warmer over the next couple of days, but there's a big change in our weather patterns on the way as we head into the next weekend. high pressure stays to the north of the uk at the moment, and it's that that's driving in these north—to—northeasterly winds, bringing in quite a bit of cloud across scotland and down these eastern coastal areas of england. the cloud thick enough for an occasional light shower, a few mist patches as well over the next two hours, and temperatures similar
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to what they've been over recent nights. so, this is how we start off tuesday morning. a bright start across much of england, wales, northern ireland with some sunshine. as we go through the morning, cloud will bubble up and develop and spread across the skies, so certainly towards the early part of the afternoon for quite a few of you, it will turn rather cloudy. and that cloud thick enough to squeeze out an odd light shower — east anglia, south—east england, maybe one or two across wales and northern ireland as well, but the emphasis is on a lot of dry weather. quite breezy around our coasts, and it's those onshore winds that will keep the temperatures a little bit fresher and lower across eastern scotland, eastern areas of england. again, the warmest spots are likely to be across wales and southwest england, where we'll see temperatures, again, pushing on towards the mid—20s. now, for wednesday, again, there could be an odd isolated shower around. for the both of you, though, it's another dry day with some sunshine and temperatures just starting to lift up a little bit across parts of the south.
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2a, maybe 25, but still into the high teens across scotland and the far northeast of england. the weather stays quite quiet, really, through thursday and friday. no great changes in the weather forecast. temperatures in the warmest spots climbing into the mid—20s. however, it's as we head into the weekend that we see a big change in our weather as this area of low pressure moves in. now, it is forecast to become quite slow—moving, and so will probably be around about to the west or southwest of the uk for the first week of september or so, throwing up bands of rain. the heaviest rain is likely to be across probably southern and western areas, but they are some of the places that we've got those water and hosepipe restrictions and problems at the moment. so, of course, we do need this rain to fall, and it's on the way for the weekend.
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this is bbc news. the headlines: the government in pakistan says a third of the country is underwater. at least a thousand people have been killed, homes abandoned and 33 million affected in extreme monsoon floods. parts of the north of the country have been cut off as infrastructure crumbled. street fighting is continuing in iraq between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr. at least 20 people have been killed and heavy weapons heard around the parliament in baghdad. on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he was withdrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the front line near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by russia since the early days
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