♪ ♪ 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 byontributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> i am in washingtoe air quality index is the worst it has been in years and this is "bbc world news america." this is why the air is so bad. wildfires in canada continue to burn as millions are urged to wear to protect themselves. ukraine's president tours the areas affected by a burst dam. president biden hosts the british prime minister. the pair announces an economic

alliance. welcome to "bbc world news america" on pbs and around the globe. this is what is ppening in canada right now. hundreds of wildfires are raging in what is being called the country's worst ever wildfire season. the smoke from those fires has led to a second day of air-quality concerns in large parts of canada and the u.s. outdoor activities like baseball games have been postponed. the haze has continued to drift southward. the washington, d.c. area reporting some of the worst air pollution areas in the world. a day earlier, new york was hit hard. >> a bleary look at the

manhattan bridge. the day is only just starting in new york city, the haze continues to linger from the day before when the city was engulfed in a thick, orange fog. today, many heated warnings about the hazardous air-quality. commuters wearing masks, seemingly back tthe covid days. smoke from several hundred wildfires burning across canada continue to blanket the northeastern united states with dusty, polluted air. the blazes have already burned more than 3.8 million hectares of land. an area 12 times the 10-year average for this time of year. officials in new york city advised people to stay indoors. this normally very busy park was strangely quiet. how surprised are you about how empty it is? >> it was a little shocking. i thought maybe i should not be out here. [laughter] >> not only the park but the

sidewalks are empty. it is quiet. >> it smells like barbecue. it is giving me a bad headache. >> despite that, some opted to give into their passions. >> i am just choosing to indulge my own naivety. everything will be ok. >> but some were already feeling the effect on their health. this british actress was forced to hault a matinee performance after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the polluted air. for a second day in a row, pr visibility cost flight delays and cancellations at several major u.s. airports. even private businesses that cater to children and tourists close because of the air-quality. it is only the beginning of june meaning wildfire season is only now getting started.

that means these hazy days o summer could become much more frequent for new yorkers. carl: let's go now to our north american correspondent who is right here in washington, d.c. we saw those striking images from new york city. describe the conditions right now where you are here in the nation's capital. >> i am in d.c., it does not look orange like it does in new york but there is still a haze across the city. there are places you walk, the capitol building is not very si blvi it e tiitthe air index qua. we know it is way over 151, that is level red, unhealthy for everyone. earlier, it was 236. back if you a sense of how bad the air is. the d.c. mayor has been no

nonsense with her advice. she said people do not need to be outside for longer than they think they need to and they should try to stay indoors. if they do go outside, wear an n95 mask. this is particularly important for the vulnerable groups, older childre -- older adults, children. carl: you can even smell it. i could smell it this morning in my apartment. how long are these conditions expected to last? >> it is a real burning smell. it is like a campfire smell. in terms of how long it will last, it will get worse before it gets better because the fires in canada have been blazing for about six weeks. there are new fires in quebec and the smokes traveling southward. it is expecting to get worse over the weekend but the forecast is it will get better nexteek especially when we are expecting some rain in new york and here but we do not know if the rain will be strong enough

to suppress the smoke. carl: we heard about all these events being canceled, baseball games being rescheduled, the white house pride month event being rescheduled and we heard president biden sing the fires were another stark reminder of climate chae. how much is this smoke blanketing the east coast of the country reigniting conversation about climate change? >> scientists will say it is not easy to say every wildfire is caused by climate change. of course, we know the earth is warming up all the time and there are conditions that have been created that make it worse such as droughts and high temperatures, which creates this tinderbox effect. canada's wildfire season goes from may to october. the destruction has begun so early on that it is stop these particular wildfires mean canada is on track for these wildfires to be the worst in its history. carl: our correspondent standing

by in washington, d.c., thank you so much. the haze in north america comes as scientists warned the gear is likely to be the hottest on record due in part to a weather event called el niño. that is when warm water rises to the surface of the pacific ocean pushing extra heat into the atmosphere and that affects whether all over the world. our environment correspondent has more. >> for several months scientists have been concerned about the emergence of el niño. they have been glowingly increasingly confident that an el niño event was on the horizon. this happens every two to seven years and releases large amounts of hot water and hot air close to south america which essentially alters global weather patterns and temperatures. the impacts we can expect to see over the several months and a year include drier weather in australia and asia, winter weather in the u.s., perhaps colder weather in the u.k.

the bigger impact is the question of what will el niño due to to the global temperature? when you have an el niño, it tends to push up global temperatures to record numbers and that happened in 2015 and 2016 and 1997 and 1998. this event is going to push heat into the atmosphere and push temperatures to record levels potentially by the end of next year. carl: to france now, where four children are hospitalized after they were stabbed on a playground in annecy. police have arrested the suspect who they say is syrian with refugee status in sweden. the attack is not being linked to terrorism. >> today in annecy, toddlers were the targets. the safety of a summer playground shattered by a knife attack. this video gives a glimpse of the horror. the suspect roaming among the

slides and climbing frames, a knife clearly visible in his hand. we cannot show you what happened next. four children, one of them british were stabbed in quick succession. some attacked in their push chairs. local authorities have told us all four children are now in a stable condition. the suspect, said to be a syrian christian, was chased by witnesses. before police intervened and arrested him. >> all of the sudden, a lady says run, run, there is a guy stabbing everyone along the lake. he stabbed children. run! run! >> they tell the cops, shoot him, kill him, they are stabbing everyone. >> [speaking non-english

language] >> the suspect had refugee status in sweden and entered france legally. a french news agency is reporting he was recently divorced with a young child of his own and had been living in a church. >> we are deeply shaken by this indescribable act. when children are involved, people are touched to the core. today, or whole nation is in shock. >> france's national assembly stopped to hold a moment of silence this morning when the news broke. tonight, that same wordless horror hangs over france as here in annecy, the tributes and the questions grow. carl: ukraine's president has criticized a lack of help from international aid agencies to

deal with the flooding in the region after the destruction of a dam on tuesday. ukraine and russia have accused each other of shelling the area while rescuers try to save people who are still trapped. james waterhouse sent this report. >> a visit with deliberate timing. president zelensky assessing another ukrainian trauma. and unfolding disaster in the middle of a war. he praised medical staff and promised them the area would be rebuilt. but the russians -- a couple of hours later, the same area was shelled. a near miss for volunteers doing already impossible job. it is hard to picture an estimated four cubic miles of water until you are in it. they have not stop for two days, searching for people trapped.

why don't you want to leave? they said they do not want to leave. give us your power banks so they can charge. while the water levels have stabilized, they are still daunting lehigh. -- daunting lee high. -- dauntingly high. it is like a strange theme park ride because of having to weave through. yet, asking people if they want to be evacuated but nobody has taken them up on their offer. why do you think people do not want to leave their home? >> many people are stupid. maybe after one day or two days

but not ok. >> when this finally receives, you wonder what will be left. the war, an invasion by russia that takes everything. carl: here in washington, prime minister rishi sunak met with president joe biden to discuss the support for ukraine and artificial intelligence. they announced a new economic agreement called get lentic declaration including teamwork. here is what mr. sunak had to say. >> the economic relationship between our countries has never been stronger. the trade is worth hundreds of billions of pounds and dollars a year. we are the largest investors in each other's countries and that trade route 20% last year. the relationship is strong but our agreement today focuses on

the particular challenges and opportunities of the moment we are rent. carl: our correspondent joined me earlier from the white house. the big outcome of these talks is what is being called the atlantic declaration. this economic partnership. what more can you tell us? gary: one thing you can say about the atlantic declaration is it is a lot less than what the british government wanted when it came to power in 2019. they were looking for an overarching free-trade agreement covering all sorts of sectors. this is very much a pared back version of that because i frankly the americans are not -- because quite frankly the americans are not interested in that kind of deal. it is focused on economic security and key strategic interests that both countries have in common and it will look at thingthat are critical for future industries like these rare earth metals that are so

important to future manufacturing, chips and other things to do with artificial intelligence. at the moment the chinese have practically a monopoly on the mining of it. carl: it was interesting to hear from both leaders mentioning artificial intelligence and technology being a big theme. what more did they have to say about that? gary: rishi sunak made this a big part of his trip because he has made it -- he has made an interest about it himself. we effort about the downsides and the upsides of ai and some of the architects of ai say hold on, we need to pause. rishi sunak came to america saying i think britain can shake this conversation, lead this conversation and perhaps in the long-term be the place where some kind of international regulator could be -- i think he brought the message to the white

house. it sounds to me that if you listen to joe biden's words that he got a really good reception. pres. biden: i do not think in the history of u.n. endeavor has been the potential for fundamental change as presented by artificial intelligence. it is staggering. it is staggering. carl: we also heard a lot from both leaders talking about this special relationship. how strong is that transatlantic relationship? gary: both sides talk about it a lot when they get together and sit in front of the fireplace and talk about churchill and roosevelt and all kind of stuff but there has been some worry in london and britain for a number of years that joe biden is not particularly a big fan of that relationship. he left some of that slip recently after his trip to ireland. i think the british government and rishi sunak will take this government with some sense that

they built some personality, some chemistry between the two leaders so they can do business in the future. carl: are washington correspondent reportingutside the white house for us. thank you so much. a look now at some other stories making headlines. the christian broadcaster pat robertson who played a key role in increasing the influence of the religious right in the u.s. has died at age 93. he ran for u.s. president in 1988 but was beaten to the republican nomination by george h. w. bush. the u.s. supreme court ruled the state of alabama violated law when it drew its electoral map in 2021. the ruling was agreed by a slim majority in the conservative dominant court. alabama has been order to redraw its congressional map to include a second majority black district. the biggest rupee to come to auction has been sold in new york for a record sum of just

under $35 million. the stone is a whopping 55.2 karats. polished rupees of more than five karats are extremely rare. it was described as a once-in-a-lifetime jewel. now to an undercover bbc investigation which has unmasked the man behind a series of websites selling videos of women being sexually assaulted on public transport across east asia. visitors could order their own tailor-made videos. bbc reports from tokyo. >> this is in japan. >> there is a guy looking for a target. >> the railway police are running a covert operation to catch sexual assaulters. >> i would like to follow him to check his behavior for a bit.

>> sexual violence against women in public is a global phenomenon but in japan the problem is so endemic that it has its own name. >> you are riding back and forth single ticket. >> the suspect is taken to the police station for further questioning. it has been normalized over the years by its prominence in the adult entertainment industry but the reality is much more sinister. >> in the train, it felt like a hand hitting me. >> not her real name, she was only a teenager when she was sexually assaulted on the train for the first time. >> it is starting to feel like it was touching and grabbing me. that is when i finally realized that this was -- i was sexually assaulted almost every day. >> bbc has been investigating a

network of websites selling thousands of videos of women being sexually abused on public transport across east asia. this is a horrific business of sexual assault. the websites are run by a shadowy figure known by -- but who is he? or investigation has let us us to tokyo where we track him down and his close associates. posing as a potential investor, or undercover journalist met with them multiple times until uncle himself agreed to meet us. in this meeting, a 27-year-old from china admits to being the man behind all the websites we have been investigating. >> how many people do you have on your current team.

>> i have a team of 15 people. >> he also admits to making huge profits. cashing in on sexual violence against women. >> are daily turnover is 550 pounds to 1100. >> we locate and address and put out allegations to him. i am a reporter from the bbc. we know that you are the online persona, uncle. do you do this for the money or do you enjoy abusing these women? we put our allocations to him. his only response is silence. he has since left japan. as associates say they are no longer working with him. the country is set to reform its

sexual assault laws. however, campaigners say the changes do not go far enough. carl: changing gears now. it has been 90 years since the first recorded siding of the so-called loch ness monster. a story from the scottish highlands that has become famous around the world. nessie's existence has never been verified but nasa is being asked to help. >> the tranquil water of loch ness, home to a mythical monster said to be hiding in its depths. >> when things are flat at loch ness, we can see for miles around. >> those who go out on boats here are always on the lookout for anything unusual. >> on my right hand side, we are looking for sonar contact. that would be nice. we can see there is a contact on the screen just now. >> there are plenty of hiding places for the fabled beast.

loch ness is vast and contains as much water as the lakes of england and wales combined. steve has dedicated his life to solving the mystery of the loch ness monster and believes he saw it once, too. >> there were waves going that way. maybe 1.5 feet high. something shot through like a torpedo. still waiting for the second glimpse of something. it is not as easy as i thought. >> second glimpse 30 years on? >> i know. >> why? what is the appeal? >> it is the chase. the fun. the possibilities. >> there have been more than 1000 recorded sightings. the legends can be traced to the sixth century. modern records go back 90 years. the history, sightings and scientists who have investigated the phenomenon celebrated at the revamped visitor center opening

to the public. >> what is the appeal to you? >> a schoolboy of the 1960's, a time when anything we wanted could be true. yes, that is what drew me. we sat on the bottom, baited to attract the fish and hopefully something better. we used sonar. >> would you still you are a skeptic or believer? >> i am a skeptic but not cynical. there is a difference. >> the team behind the loch ness center has asked nasa for help in determining once and for all whether nessie really exists. carl: before we go, it is not just us humans who have been affected by the bad air these days. these pandas at the national zoo in washington have been forced indoors for their own well-being as do officials see any animals

deemed to be at risk need to be closely monitored. the zoo itself was closed on thursday and is expected to open as soon as friday. we are hoping the pandas will breed a bit of fresh air soon. i am carl, thank you so much for watching "bbc world news america " on bbc news. rrator: 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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introducing a technological achievement so advanced... it rivals the moon landing. wow! ok. rude. that's one small step for man.

one giant leap for mankind. amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight, more outdoor events are cancelled and millions of americans are warned to stay indoors as eastern states are blanketed by smoke from canadian wildfires. amna: president biden meets with the prime minister of the united kingdom amid challenges on ukraine, artificial intelligence, and a host of other matters. geoff: and the head of unicef on the devastating impact wars are having on children around the world. >> there are about 400 million children who are living in some situation of conflict, so it's a staggering problem for children in so many parts of the world.