Skip to main content

tv   BBC News  BBC News  August 26, 2023 2:00am-2:31am BST

2:00 am
private jet of the wagner boss is recovered. spain's world cup winning football team says they won't play again if the head of the national federation stays. and authorities in hawaii publish a list of the missing after the wildfires as unaffected areas say they need visitors. welcome to our show. russian authorities say they have recovered ten bodies and flight recorders from the site where yevgeny prigozhin�*s private plane crash two days ago. they added that hess would be carried out to identify the victims. the plane crashed exactly two months after the wagner boss letter short lived rebellion, but questions remain about exactly what happened to him. the kremlin has denied ordering his death, describing such speculation as a complete
2:01 am
lie. our correspondent has more from moscow. i was on a conference call a little earlier with president putin's spokesman. these happen almost every day with a select group of russian and foreign journalists, where you can more or less ask any question you want to, and i asked whether the kremlin had something to do with that plane crash two days ago that reportedly killed yevgeny prigozhin. and it's notjust western officials who think that. there are many russians who believe it too. mr peskovsaid the claims were an absolute lie. he also said when we talk about the issue, we should be guided only by facts. we have no facts at the moment. these need to be clarified during the official investigation.
2:02 am
he was echoing some of those earlier remarks by president putin, who also called on people to wait for the results of the official investigation. now, will that convince people at home and abroad who believe that there is some sort of link between russian authorities and the death of the wagner boss? i don't think it will, and this is why. time and again, when accusations are levelled against the kremlin, there is only one tactic and that is to deny. if we cast our mind back to the beginning of last year when there was that build—up of russian troops on the border with ukraine, then there were accusations levelled at the russian president that he was preparing to invade ukraine. what was the response then from the kremlin? yet again, another denial. in the wake of yevgeny prigozhin�*s presumed death, questions swell about the future of the organisation that he led. one african country where wagner is active is mali.
2:03 am
the group is thought to have 1000 soldiers there. they have filled the gap left by french forces who ended their military operations in the country about a year ago. a correspondence from bbc arabic is the first journalist to travel to northern mali since then, and he sent this report. the start of a 1000 mile journey across vast deserts to an unseen conflict where wagner fighters clash with jihadists and separatist groups. it is impossible to operate here without a convoy of heavy security. it is the only way to reach camps like this one. this is the only school in the area. these children are being taught to recite verses from the koran. it's the only education they are ever likely to receive. they are orphans who lived in an area controlled by al-qaeda. anti—muslim
2:04 am
extremists attacked and killed their parents. these children's stories may have been hidden from the world, but they are another generation whose lives were destroyed by the so—called islamic state. fatima, along with her daughter and grandchildren, what hundreds of miles from the village they lived in to reach the camp. translation: islamic state forced us to come here. they forced us to come here. they forced us to come here. they forced us to come here. although men were killed. they burned all our food.— burned all our food. there is little in the _ burned all our food. there is little in the way _ burned all our food. there is little in the way of _ burned all our food. there is little in the way of medicine | little in the way of medicine orfood, and some of little in the way of medicine or food, and some of the children are suffering from fever. jihadists may be in retreat in the middle east, but their grip in the african sahara region is growing. and it had a big impact here. last year, aid from the west was pushed aside as support on the streets from russia grew and
2:05 am
the intervention of the french ended as wagner fighters took up ended as wagner fighters took up arms against them. just days ago, yevgeny prigozhin appeared in this video, promising to rescue them from islamic state. some claimed he was hiding in africa, possibly even mali. we terri africa, possibly even mali. - terrify islamic state, al-qaeda and other gangsters. but terrify islamic state, al-qaeda and other gangsters.— and other gangsters. but the west has accused _ and other gangsters. but the west has accused wagner. and other gangsters. but the west has accused wagner of| west has accused wagner of human rights violations in africa. these pictures released by the french military before they left allegedly show fighters burying bodies in a mass grave in eastern mali. this month, un bases like this one started pulling out. leaving more areas in mali under thejihadists' leaving more areas in mali under the jihadists' influence. the big question now is what role can wagner play in africa, and who else is left to stand
2:06 am
up and who else is left to stand up to islamist threat? more than 80 spanish soccer players will boycott games for spain's national team until football federation president is removed from his post. he has refused to resign after intense backlash for kissing a player and grabbing his crotch in celebration after spain's win over england in the women's world cup final. our correspondence sent this report from madrid, and a warning it contains footage some may find offensive. when the spanish team lifted the world cup last sunday, it was a historic moment. but the way in which the national football federation president, luis rubiales, celebrated has made the last few days bittersweet ones for spanish football. the controversial kiss he gave star strikerjenni hermoso has been hogging the headlines.
2:07 am
so too has this image of him celebrating the world cup victory, just feet away from spain's queen letizia. after days of mounting pressure, mr rubiales had been expected to resign. but at an extraordinary general meeting of the football federation, he stunned onlookers by insisting the kiss was consensual and he remained fiercely defiant. translation: is that so serious that i have to leave, while having done the best job for spanish football? do you really believe that i have to resign? well, i am going to tell you something. i will not resign. this was supposed to be a week when spain celebrated women's football and the greatest ever achievement by its national team. but instead, all of that has been overshadowed by one man's behaviour
2:08 am
and the backlash against him. jenni hermoso condemned the kiss. the episode has fed into an intense debate in spanish society about gender equality and sexual consent. translation: this is a critical moment in this country. people are moving towards more gender equality. but this looks like an abuse of power, and that is what we're fighting against. players from other countries have also spoken out. it's really sad that it totally ruined what was supposed to be the most special moment probably in hermoso's career, and spain's career. the government says it is taking action to remove mr rubiales from office and that this should be spanish football's #metoo moment. mr rubiales's celebrations have triggered an institutional crisis in spanish football. the question now is how much this episode may have damaged spain's image as a modern sports superpower. guy hedgecoe, bbc news, madrid.
2:09 am
authorities in away have published the names of almost 400 people who have been missing since wildfires swept the island of maui. they want any survivors on the list to come forward so the number of people unaccounted for can be reduced. teams are still searching the charred remains of the devastated towns. meanwhile, tourism operators in unaffected parts of maui are reporting a downturn in business after the wildfires and the way�*s us senators posted to social media on thursday urging tourists to visit south the part of the island not directly affected by the wildfires, saying people were on the brink of losing or being furloughed from their jobs. a member of away�*s house of representatives and the
2:10 am
chair of its tourism committee, joins us. it is great to have you with us. i want to start with where things are at the moment, hawaiian officials releasing a list of almost 400 people who are still missing stop our recovery efforts going? stop our recovery efforts auoin ? ~ . stop our recovery efforts oiiin ? ~ ., , , stop our recovery efforts oiiin ? . ., , , . going? we are still very much in assessment _ going? we are still very much in assessment and _ going? we are still very much in assessment and recovery i in assessment and recovery mode. we have sent home about half of the cadaver sniffing dogs, and we still have portions of the town that we have to search.— portions of the town that we have to search. and how have locals been — have to search. and how have locals been adjusting - have to search. and how have locals been adjusting as - have to search. and how have locals been adjusting as they| locals been adjusting as they have been unable to go home? i don't know that we will ever adjust to this. it's been incredibly difficult. because there are so many toxic chemicals contained in the ash that has just blanketed the town, we have been really reluctant to let people go back to their homes because we are worried about the health effects, and that's been incredibly difficult, do not even be able to sift through your belongings and try to pull something out of the wreckage is very hard to bear.—
2:11 am
is very hard to bear. yes, it is very hard to bear. yes, it is hard to — is very hard to bear. yes, it is hard to imagine, - is very hard to bear. yes, it is hard to imagine, isn't - is very hard to bear. yes, it is hard to imagine, isn't it? i is very hard to bear. yes, it| is hard to imagine, isn't it? i just want to come to that sweet that we read from a senator urging people to come to south maui resorts, and telling tourists not to cancel their visits. do you agree with his message? i visits. do you agree with his message?— visits. do you agree with his messae? �* ., ., message? i couldn't agree more. this is such _ message? i couldn't agree more. this is such a _ message? i couldn't agree more. this is such a tough _ message? i couldn't agree more. this is such a tough time. - message? i couldn't agree more. this is such a tough time. the - this is such a tough time. the people on maui are grieving right now. there is not anybody in the state who has not been affected, who has not lost a loved one or has lost their home. and we're going to give them the space to grieve, and they should take all the time they should take all the time they need, but while they grieve, we have a responsibility to maintain the economic engine that powers maui. 77% on alljobs on the island of maui are directly or indirectly related to tourism. so there was, as you know, a lot of frustration among locals in the immediate aftermath of these wildfires, while some players were still burning, about tourists coming to maui. i want to play with clip of what one local told the bbc. let's listen.—
2:12 am
what one local told the bbc. let's listen. the same waters that our people _ let's listen. the same waters that our people just - let's listen. the same waters that our people just died - let's listen. the same waters that our people just died in i that our people just died in three days ago are the same what is the very next day these visitors, tourists, were swimming in, and that says a lot about where their heart and mind is in all of this and where our heart and mind is. you don't see our people swimming, snorkelling, surfing. nobody is having fun in tragedy and continuing their lives like nothing has happened. there are two hawaiis right now. there is the macroeconomic highway we are living in and the highway they are visiting. 50 are living in and the highway they are visiting.— are living in and the highway they are visiting. so you see a local saying — they are visiting. so you see a local saying that _ they are visiting. so you see a local saying that there - they are visiting. so you see a local saying that there are - they are visiting. so you see a i local saying that there are two hawaiis. do you worry that asking tourists to come to south maui could alienate locals? , ., locals? yes, i do. the resentment _ locals? yes, i do. the resentment to - locals? yes, i do. the| resentment to tourism locals? yes, i do. the - resentment to tourism has locals? yes, i do. the _ resentment to tourism has been growing for the last decade. it is notjust on maui, you can see it in all islands. i think in some cases we may have brought into many tourists. i think we haven't done a very good job at addressing the hotspots that lacked infrastructure that have drawn many tourists. but at some
2:13 am
point we have to get people back to work, and they need jobs to support their families, to pay their rent, to put food on the table. the situation in maui — our economic situation is, i think, maui — our economic situation is, ithink, even maui — our economic situation is, i think, even more precarious than many people in maui realise. hotels can't run at 30 of 50% occupancy. they are just going to start laying people off and a lot of other businesses are going to start laying people off because the cancellations are approaching 95% for august and september. and if we can't get the tourists back quickly then we lose our flights, we lose our airlift. if we don't have lights, we can't get people back, so we're sort of trying to skirt the edge of this canyon, this chasm, where on one side we are trying to deal with this incredible grief and on the other side we understand that we have to keep visitors coming to maui, because it's our entire economy, and we have to have jobs for people when they are ready to get back to work. ., , .,
2:14 am
work. you said it is a precarious _ work. you said it is a precarious economic| work. you said it is a - precarious economic situation. what is the government doing about that?— what is the government doing about that? everything we can. i think about that? everything we can. i think the _ about that? everything we can. i think the immediate - about that? everything we can. i think the immediate need - about that? everything we can. i think the immediate need is l i think the immediate need is to get money into the hands of the people who have lost everything so that they can pay for their immediate needs, to find them housing. but people have to understand that although the federal government is going to assist us a lot, and fema has boots on the ground, fema is a cost sharing, reimbursement programme. so the state and the county is going to front the money for the vast majority of expenses that we encounter. and if we don't have revenue, we don't have the cash, we can't front the money, so we have to keep our tax collections going. in other words, the best thing i think that we can do for the people of lahaina right now is to keep our economy is strong as possible while being as respectful as possible, while giving them their space. but to keep the economy strong so that we do have sufficient funds to rebuild lahaina. bud we do have sufficient funds to rebuild lahaina.— rebuild lahaina. and last question. _ rebuild lahaina. and last question, how _ rebuild lahaina. and last question, how are - rebuild lahaina. and last question, how are you i question, how are you personally, as a representative
2:15 am
and the chair of the tourism committee, going to go about walking that line between recovery and rebuilding? well, i've 'ust recovery and rebuilding? well, i've just come _ recovery and rebuilding? well, i've just come from _ recovery and rebuilding? well, i've just come from a - recovery and rebuilding? well, i've just come from a meeting| i've just come from a meeting on maui with a lot of the small businesses that are a part of the visitor industry, and they would like to take the lead. they would like the message to come from them, to come from those small business owners, to say, this is how we feel as a maui small business owner. we want to share our culture with the visitors, and please come and visit us, because we depend on you. and visit us, because we depend on ou. , ., , ., on you. interesting to get your perspective — on you. interesting to get your perspective on — on you. interesting to get your perspective on the _ on you. interesting to get your perspective on the story. - on you. interesting to get your perspective on the story. as i perspective on the story. as you mentioned, away an authority saying today that most 400 people are still missing on the island of maui. sean quinlan, great to have you with us on bbc news. thank you forjoining us. canada is experiencing its worst wild fire season on record with tens of thousands of people evacuated from their homes. the federal government has had to deploy the military
2:16 am
to several regions but more than 1000 fires still burn across the country. a correspondent reports from kelowna. that's my house on fire and i think, my love, that's yours. ooh, that's big, eh? joanna and duncan have been friends and neighbours for decades. but i think that's us. the okanagan valley residents had never seen anything like the inferno that tore through their community, destroying almost everything in its path, including their homes. it was blindingly bright and then, it would get into a house and then, you've got this raging fire with this kind of skeletonised dwelling in the forefront of it, and it was just moving from one to the next and then, at one point, there werejust dozens. duncan lost most of what he'd built and owned, including his dad's war medals. but his family's safe and the yorkshire native remains positive. i'm very philosophical
2:17 am
about this stuff. it happens and it's terrible. in my case, i wish that i had thought it through better to get stuff out and put it in — i mean, i've got a pick—up truck, for god's sake! it is still too risky for residents to return here. but from the lake, the devastation is clear. this shows just how indiscriminate these forest fires are. here, you've got three or four waterfront properties that have been completely gutted. and just above them — and apparently right in the middle of the fire as well — all the houses are safe. they�* re completely pristine. in some places, the fire line is right up to the front door. via security cameras, some residents watched helplessly in real time as their houses burned. others witnessed firefighters saving their properties. it's a testament to local rescue services that no lives were lost.
2:18 am
yeah, there were situations where our staff were surrounded on all sides by fire and they would not like me to tell you they were trapped. there is no question it's been dangerous. like, we saw fire behaviour — winds that ripped trees out by their roots and just laid them down like toothpicks. on a visit to a local evacuation centre, i asked the regional premier david eby if he thought climate change might be to blame for the record number of wildfires. without a doubt. the ferocity of the fires, the extent of the burning, the historic nature of the forest fires we're seeing — notjust here in british columbia, just devastating fires that are clearly linked to human—caused climate change. the biggest fires may have been tamed but there is still a significant threat. well, if the speed of the fires has been relentless, so has the response of the emergency services.
2:19 am
chopper after chopper dropping buckets in the lake here to take water up to the hill to douse out fires that are continuing to burn. cheering this crisis has undoubtedly strengthened the bond between the fire crews and a grateful public. but most here expect these events to become much more common in the future. wyre davies, bbc news, kelowna. donald trump continues to protest his innocence after the release of his mug on thursday. hours after the former president was processed at the fulton countyjail in atlanta his campaign website begin selling mugshot branded mugs, wine coolers and t—shirts. barbara plett usher. donald trump is making the most of his mugshot. he's already turned it into a symbol of his campaign and that will almost certainly
2:20 am
galvanise more republican support because it's increased after each indictment. the mugshot may drum home his message which he is a political martyr and he will never surrender. but when it comes to the campaign will play out, there is no doubt his legal cases will force him to burn more cash. but also create nearly impossible logistics. it's hard enough to run a campaign, never mind when you have 91 felony counts in fourjurisidictions. it's complicated because of all the defendants. this means all sorts of legal manoeuvres. for example, location. already a number of defendants have said they are requesting the trial be moved from a state to federal court. trump is expected to do the same. and the size. his lawyer has indicated he plans to request a separate trial so they are not all lumped together and one of the defendant has already got such a deal that you are looking at the possibility of multiple trials in different
2:21 am
locations. all this legal wrangling can probably be wrapped up into trump's campaign messages he goes along but it seems his goal is to try to delay the trials for as long as he can in the hopes he might be able to win the white house before any possible convictions. but the next most immediate step in the georgia case is the arraignment, which is when trump will be able to formally enter his plea of not guilty and that is expected to happen in early september. but it quite usher reporting. to southern syria where anti—government protests have continued for the sixth day in a row. demonstrators erupted in a string of towns into provinces with many protesters calling on president bashar al—asaad to step down. the rest began last week after the government ended fuel subsidies, angering the population reeling from years of war and economic crisis. tests show sa m ples tests show samples of seawater taken after the first release of water from the fukushima nuclear plant site are well
2:22 am
within safety limits but japan still faces backlash from neighbouring countries. the chinese government has been the main opponent of the water police. —— water police. seen by the bbc suggests the uk has increasingly boughtjet fuel in recent months refineries in india which is crude oilfrom russia. written and the other g7 economies band direct russian energy imports six months ago but the numbers calculated by the campaign of global witness campaigned —— highlighted a practice which is legal but raises ethical questions. we're here in the peloponnese region in southern greece. the picturesque laconian gulf is a home to fishermen and an international tourist destination. but all is not as it seems. this idyllic location has now become a key artery for russian oil. we're just leaving greek territorial waters and we're approaching a number of tankers that have left russia.
2:23 am
and we believe they're here to exchange russian crude. and here they are. we find two tankers in the middle of a ship—to—ship transfer. these two boats that you can see behind me here are oil tankers. the boat in the distance is from russia, and it's moving oil to the boat that's nearest to us. here in international waters, this practice is legal, and it's one of the ways by which russian oil continues to be exported throughout the world. and some of the millions of barrels of oil that passes through this area will ultimately find its way to countries that have bans on russian oil, including the uk. bbc newsnight has had exclusive access to numbers calculated by the campaign group global witness. since the g7, eu and australia introduced a ban on importing oil directly, in the first six months of 2023, the numbers show the amount of russian energy that's been processed in indian refineries and made its way to the uk legally since then, with its origins changing to india. in the six months since january, the uk imported 6.2
2:24 am
million barrels of refined energy from three indian refineries, made with an estimated 2.33 million barrels of russian crude. the diesel is used to power uk planes. the figures are equivalent to one in eight of our flights using fuel from these refineries, or one in 20 british flights being powered purely by russian crude. so, how much is this all worth to russia? according to the figures, in the first six months of 2023, the energy bought by the uk generated more than $122 million in revenue for russia, of which at least $50 million went directly to the kremlin in tax revenues. so, russia has essentiallyjust skirted around the sanctions. it is selling as much oil as it was before the war, and that is as a result of this circumvention. big british firms like bp and shell are buying this jet fuel. bp said:
2:25 am
shell told us: while the uk government said: refining energy in a third country changes its legal origin, but this energy we're purchasing is still being produced with russian oil. emir nader, bbc news. stay with bbc news. hello.
2:26 am
we'll take a look at the forecast for the weekend in a moment but i want to look back first of all at some of the dramatic weather we saw during friday because in parts of scotland, vicious thunderstorms spawned some funnel clouds — this one here in fife looking like it touched down on the ground, making it a tornado, and you can see the extent of those intense thunderstorms across eastern, central and southern parts of scotland through friday but there were plenty of showers and storms elsewhere as well. now, there are more showers in the outlook for the weekend but i think they will tend to become a little less intense, a little less potent. there'll be some spells of sunshine, too. low pressure in charge of the scene. around the western flank of the low, some quite brisk winds coming down from the north. you'll feel the effects of that across north—west scotland, parts of northern ireland. some rain in the north of scotland tending to spill southwards as the day wears on. cloud amounts increasing for northern ireland. again, some showers here. for england and wales, sunny spells, scattered showers and, particularly for central and eastern parts of england,
2:27 am
some of those showers will be heavy and possibly thundery. 22 in the south—east corner, cooler than that further north and west. at reading and leeds forfestival—goers, i think some showers will be in the forecast but there'll be some spells of sunshine in between. and as we go through saturday night, it's actually going to be quite a cool and fresh affair. some showers will continue, particularly in western areas. temperatures even in the towns and cities down to 9 or 10 degrees. and then, we will see a band of cloud and rain starting to push in across northern ireland. now, this will make very slow progress eastwards. it's also going to peter out as it goes, so just turning cloudy and damp for northern ireland. elsewhere, sunny spells and showers but the showers should be a little bit less intense by this stage. and temperatures north to south 14—21, maybe 22 degrees in the south—east. so, for the notting hill carnival on sunday, a chance for a shower — i think there should be some lengthy dry gaps in between any showers — and monday looks like being a largely dry day because this area of high
2:28 am
pressure is going to try to build in. so, monday — which is a bank holiday for most of us of course — looks like a mostly dry day. there will be one or two showers, some spells of sunshine too, and temperatures in the high teens
2:29 am
voice-over: this is bbc news.
2:30 am
we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. hello from the malibu barbie cafe in new york city, i'm tom broken, welcome to talking movies. intraday�*s programme we review blockbuster season. high barbie. hi babi. _ review blockbuster season. high barbie. hi babi. we _ review blockbuster season. high barbie. hi babi. we look - review blockbuster season. high barbie. hi babi. we look at - review blockbuster season. high barbie. hi babi. we look at my l barbie. hi babi. we look at my babi so thoroughly _ barbie. hi babi. we look at my babi so thoroughly will - barbie. hi babi. we look at my babi so thoroughly will one - babi so thoroughly will one over audiences.— babi so thoroughly will one over audiences. babi. icon, timeless— over audiences. babi. icon, timeless icon. _ over audiences. babi. icon, timeless icon. i— over audiences. babi. icon, timeless icon. i actually - timeless icon. i actually wanted _ timeless icon. i actually wanted to _ timeless icon. i actually wanted to watch - timeless icon. i actually wanted to watch today | timeless icon. i actually i wanted to watch today but timeless icon. i actually - wanted to watch today but they sold out — wanted to watch today but they sold out. ., ., ., ., sold out. you are the man that
2:31 am
ave sold out. you are the man that gave them _ sold out. you are the man that gave them the _ sold out. you are the man that gave them the power- sold out. you are the man that gave them the power to - sold out. you are the man that| gave them the power to destroy themselves _ gave them the power to destroy themselves. the _

49 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on