♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> here in and this c world news america." a fragile cease-fire at best. sudan is stuck in the grip of crisis as two warring factions remain at odds. authorities in alabama charged two teenagers with last week's birthday party shooting. children born as a result of rape are to be recognized as victims in england.

plus, aiming for a eurovision repeat. we spent time for ukrainian musicians who are hoping for victory in liverpool. ♪ welcome to "bbc world news america" on pbs and around the globe. we start in sudan where it remains unclear is a 24 hour cease-fire is actually holding. a tweet by the head of the paramilitary force battling sudan's army said we have a full commitment to a complete cease-fire and hope the other party will abide by the cease-fire according to the announced time. it is not certain if the army also agreed. it was on tuesday that both sides would abide by a 24 hour humanitarian truce but instead heavy funding continued into

wednesday, especially around army headquarters in the center of the city. as you can see by the smoke drifting across the sky, the conflict very much continues. the red cross has echoed the u.n.'s concerns about the situation. >> at the moment, it is almost impossible to provide any services. there are calls from various organizations, people trapped, asking for evacuation. people have been out of water, food, electricity has been rationed or totally disconnected. >> more than 270 civilians have been killed and at least 2 600 others injured. the trip did not go -- one of the three african leaders tasked with mediation had this to say. >> the situation in sudan is of

great concern to our region and continent. there is real danger that the escalation of hostilities in sudan could implicate international actors and degenerate into a security and humanitarian crisis on a disastrous scale. >> bbc africa has been following the story. thank you so much for joining us. it collapsed within minutes. what is different this time? >> we have been speaking to the people in sudan. the gun fighting has gone down compared to the daytime. it is a partial respectful truce at best. 30 minutes ago, a friend told me there was a loud explosion.

the truce is not being respected to the level that the international community might have expected. >> you are talking about an explosion. the security situation is very much still dangerous. regional leaders are trying to enter the country. put it into perspective for us. what kind of impact could that trip actually have? >> face-to-face conversation with leaders might be able to bring a practical cease-fire. right now, there have been calls from a distance. intergovernmental authority -- due to fly into sudan but that has been blocked because the airport is not secure. there is still ground and air fighting going on. the small arms and the heavy artillery and aircraft. there has been a lot of

willingness from the international community for the truce but that does not seem to be reciprocated. leaders appear intent on defeating the opponent before ever agreeing to sit down. the government calls rsf rebels and the rebels are calling the government coup leaders and militants. >> thousands are trying to flee and some have managed to but there are reports of things like fuel shortages. what does the journey look like for those trying to escape? >> even germany, which wanted to evacuate, has not been able to. the airspace cannot be guaranteed. japan today and kenya need to evacuate citizens and that has become impossible.

india revealed it has asked permission to evacuate citizens. that cannot be guaranteed. the humanitarian situation means the citizens of sudan wanted to leave because the fighting is going on and they are unable to. they are in houses without water, electricity or supplies. >> thank you so much for the update. here in the united states, two teenage boys have been charged with four counts of murder after a deadly shooting at a birthday party in alabama on saturday. this was the aftermath of the shooting. over 30 people were injured after shots were fired at the mahogany masterpiece dance studio. the district attorney spoke about the victims and their families. he struggled to maintain his composure. >> the message i want to send is i know some of these victims, personally. some of these kids are kids of

friends of mine, people i would just go with and played ball with and against back in high school. these are my kids. these are our kids. do not mess with our kids. do not mess with our kids. >> joining me now is our north america correspondent, jessica parker. the district attorney said "don't mess with our kids." this was a children's birthday party. other than that, they have not said much about the case. what have they said about the suspects and how will that affect the legal case? >> it is a major development in what has become a high-profile case. it cost a lot of shock that the shooting happened at a 16th birthday party. the four victims who died, between the ages of 17 and 23. many of the wounded are teenagers, as well.

there was an arrest on tuesday night. they have charged a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy. they are brothers from tuskegee and each have been charged with four counts. they will be charged with adults. as you referred to, there was some criticism and confusion in the immediate aftermath of the shooting that took place saturday night about what many perceived to be a lack of information. that led to some frustration. i was reporting in alabama on the case. i spoke to people who were feeling relatively patient, saying he might let the authorities do their work and make progress on a case that has not just shocked that small town but the country and beyond. >> you're talking about the fact the community is frustrated with the police's silence about the issue.

this is such a tight community -- 3000 people. how have they reacted to something quite shocking? >> it is a really small town, around 3000 people, figures suggest, and we arrived after the shooting took place as a vigil was taking place. you could tell the community is tightknit. people were hugging each other, comforting each other. there were a lot of young people that were visibly upset. they would say everybody knows everybody. one of the victims, a well-known young athlete, he was about to take a football scholarship. we spoke to his mother and sister after what had happened at his sister's birthday party -- it was her birthday party -- her mother spoke of her absolute devastation. his sister spoke about -- she

said her big brother pushed her to the ground to save her life but sadly he lost his own life. >> staying in the u.s., accused of shooting a 16-year-old black teenager has pleaded not guilty. 84-year-old andrew, who is white, allegedly shot him twice outside his house in missouri. the student turned up at the wrong house to pick up his two brothers in what many alleged was a racist crime. the fallout from the foxnews lawsuit has been gaining steam. some media watches say the $787 million settlement the company rich with the minyan voted systems is an appropriate slap on the wrist for the american news company while others said the case should have gone to trial. to shed more light on misleading coverage and the aftermath, here is our north america editor. >> forced to admit to

broadcasting lies, fox news agreed to pay one of the largest defamation settlements in history. >> the truth matters. >> at the very last minute, lawyers agreed to payment to avoid a trial. >> today settlement of 787 million $500,000 represents vindication and accountability. lies have consequences. >> on air, fox news anchors had peddled lies about the 2020 presidential election, saying there was a problem with voting machines made by dominion even though they knew that was not true. >> we did not know how many votes wetolen tuy night. we do not know anything about the software. >> we talked about the dominion software. i know there were voting irregularities. >> donald trump, refusing to admit he lost the election, wanted to blame dominion's voting machines. >> with the turn of a dial, the

change of a chip, you can press a button for trump and the vote goes to biden. what kind of a system is this? >> fox news anchors like tucker carlsen were worried that if they did not promote trump's lives, they would lose viewers to smaller conservative rivals. with rump behind it, an alternative like newsmax could be devastating to us. -- with trump behind it, and alternative like newsmax could be devastating. -- it needs to stop immediately, like tonight. it is hurting the company. the stock price is down. rupert murdoch himself is facing having to give evidence in court. by settling, he avoided the need to explain why his news channel said trump won the election but behind the scenes he was mocking him as increasingly met. fox news did not have to apologize or issue any corrections on the air.

will their coverage change at all? >> 30 percent to 40% of the republican electorate are in favor of donald trump. he will get coverage on fox news. >> for fox news, this story is not over yet. there is another lawsuit from another company that makes voting machines. that firm that it wants to expose more misconduct at fox. another huge payout may be required to avoid further embarrassment. >> so you heard sarah mention the smart medic case. another case. it filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against fox. there are other cases fox news is entangled with. a former producer filed two lawsuits against the company claiming lawyers coerced her to giving misleading testimony in the dominion case. she accused fox news of a hostile work environment.

she was fired after filing the complaints. the fox corporation ceo has filed a lawsuit of his own, accusing a small australian news website of defamation. last year, they published an article that referred to the murdoch family as an unindicted co-conspirator in the january 6 u.s. capitol attack. let's turn to russia, which has been accused of planning a campaign of sabotage against energy infrastructure in the north sea, which is meant to be activated in the case of war against the west. claims were made in the documentary produced in scandinavia and finland. one of the ships have been spotted in british waters. >> we are filming everything on the ship. i can see crewmembers walking around on the deck.

>> this is the moment the journalists find their target. they have been tracking a russian ship. officially, it is an underwater research vessel. in reality, they say, it is spying for the kremlin. the men on deck are masked and armed. for their own safety, the lis stmake a quick retreat. their investigation tracked the ship late last year as it headed across the north e to scotland. it lingered at this huge windfarm. it then headed south to another. it then travels down the east coast of england, passing by more windfarms. reconnaissance of sensitive sites by intelligence agencies is not unusual. growing fears of a murky underwater frontline. >> [speaking non-english language] >> last year near hainaut

reaching island, underwater data cable was severed. this is where one of the world's biggest satellite stations is in a russian -- >> it is a completely -- there might have been an insane amount of fish but passing over such a limited area, 130 times, i am no fishermen, but it does not look like regular activity. >> last september came a dramatic act of sabotage when the nord stream pipeline under the baltic sea intended to carry gas from russia to germany. the russians blame the west. >> so far we have not gotten any confirmation who is behind that. i would say it is important we follow the traffic in the baltic sea and the north sea. >> the kremlin has denied it has a secret program looking for targets to sabotage.

>> the media in these countries have made a mistake in their investigation. . they prefer to once again accuse russia without basis. >> the threat russia could pose to infrastructure at sea in the u.k. in europe is being taken increasingly seriously. >> let's look at some other news. demonstrators are protesting florida's expansion of governor ron desantis' don't say gay bill. all school grades are banned from discussing sexuality and gender in the classroom. unless it is part of something students can elect not to take. the u.s. supreme court has extended a temporary block on restrictions to an abortion pill. the friday deadline allows the justices more time to consider the case. last week, a federal judge in texas suspended the pill,

questioning its safety. the pill still remains widely available pending a resolution to the case. these pills are used in about half of abortions nationwide. children -- conceived as a result of rape will be seen as victims of crime in england and wales. a victim of a scandal felt pregnant to her abuser when she was just 15. she has made a new bbc documentary in which he meets other mothers and children born from abuse. we have more. a warning, you might find some of this content upsetting. >> that was literally just minutes after i had given birth to him. i look so young. >> becoming a mom wasn't of the happiest moments of her life. when her son was only 12, she

had to tell him a painful truth. the man he called dad had raped and abused her and that is how he was born. >> he did not want to be the person he was. he did not want to be in his own skin. i blamed myself. i felt so stupid. >> they scheduled a loan with difficult emotions. now, years later, she is discovering they are not the only ones. >> you are questioning everything about yourself. looking in the mirror, i could almost see the man who raped my mother looking back at me. >> he grew up adopted. his birth mother was raped by a stranger in the park and that is how he was born. finding out was a gutwrenching moment. >> when you hear those words, it is like someone -- it is like a videogame punched into your chest and rip your insides out. i just broke down. i did meet with my birth mother and one of the first things i said as if i look like the man who did this to you, walk away.

>> what did she say? >> she said it is fine. you do not look like him. that change things for me. the man who did that to my birth mother is nothing to me. i do not think of myself as having a birth father. i have my birth mother and that is it -- and that is enough. >> research suggests 3000 women become pregnant from rape in england and wales each year. this is the first time she has ever talked to him about how that feels. >> do you think it is different as far as mom -- a child is conceived through abuse to having children conceived in happy relationship. >> yes. >> how do you think it is different? >> i knew what loving a baby was. when i had proper children -- it

sounds awful to say that. he was not conceived out of love. he was conceived by a monster. i love him. but, yeah. >> i always say i am the survivor, my son is the victim, because he is. the crime happened to me. >> for people like them, the changing of the law is a moment for celebration. it will give them the legal right to information and support. after decades in the shadows, it is a sign that their voices are finally being heard. >> you can find more of those testimonies on our website. let's look ahead to something different. with just a few weeks away from the. song contest. the world's most popular musical extravaganzas. last year a group from ukraine

will the tom price. this year, a ukrainian pop duo is looking to win the title. this report contained some flashing images. ♪ >> there are not many reasons for being in a club during the afternoon. ♪ >> but a sound check is one of them. >> minus one, minus two. >> jeffrey, plus him together ukraine's electronic eurovision entry. this is the song they are hoping to win it with, "heart of steel." ♪ >> this is basically a song about strong people who are

staying positive and a negative situation. >> russia's continued invasion means the u.k. instead of ukraine is hosting this year's competition. >> at least they are doing on behalf of ukraine. we want to make it to the best of the ability. ♪ >> what are some takeaways? it is a powerful electronic sound. the lyrics are defiant. it is that which connects with the ukrainian fans. it is questionable whether they can do it for a certain audience. >> we have to show people that ukraine is just a culture, it is about language and about ukraine. >> in western ukraine in 2016,

jeffrey came here from nigeria to study pharmacy. he stopped him in the street to practice his english. a chain of events would ultimately bring them to eurovision. with some local fame on the way. although, not everyone will be tuning in. >> ukraine in general has so many problems now and everyone has their own issues. i am personally not interested in eurovision. ♪ >> when russia invaded the country, jeffrey decided to stay in ukraine for the music. now, it is their music that is making people believe. for liverpool, james waterhouse, bbc, western ukraine. >> a story of money, power, real estate and great views. in new york city apartment featured in the hit tv show is

on the market for a jaw-dropping $29 million. it stands in as a home of a troubled son of a media empire. it covers 565 square feet with two living rooms. if you want to invite your scheming family around for dinner parties, that is up to you. that is it for us. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

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>> good. i'm geoff bennett. >> and i'm down the device. the second-highest ranking house democrat on her parties plan to fight for abortion access in the wake of controversial court rulings. >>we speak with the family attorney and his mother. >> and on the anniversary of the home of city bombing, judy woodruff reports on the lessons learned