♪ ♪ 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". >> hello. i'm ben thompson. you are watching "the context." >> they estimate the vessel will have around 40 hours of breathable air left. >> our crews are working around the clock to ensure we are doing everything possible to locate the titan and the five crewmembers. >> they alsonow they are coming to rescue them -- we are coming to rescue them. there's an an armada of vessels and airplanes searching for them. >> you have to cover the surface but also the depths down to 3800

meters. this is a vast area. and i am terrified that they are not going to find them in time. ♪ ben: welcome to the program. just 40 hours of oxygen remain for those on board a submersible that is heading to the wreck site of the titanic. efforts continued to locate and rescue the five people on board. also on the program, a bbc investigation uncovers sadistic videos of monkeys being tortured, and then sold online. the trail stretches from indonesia to the u.s. we will get reaction from two leading animal-rights groups. president joe biden agrees to plead guilty to illegally owning a gun while a drug user alongside two tax charges as part of an agreement to end a long-running of mastication into hunter biden.

donald trump calls it a mere traffic ticket. the church of england announces details of one of the most ambitious schemes of its kind to compensate survivors of abuse. but we start with that huge search, the race to save five people who are on board a submersible that has gone missing in the north atlantic. close to the wreck of the titanic. earlier the u.s. coast guard said the vessel may have 40 hours of breathable air left for the five people on board. ships -- ships and planes are searching the ocean. the search area is as large as the u.s. state of connecticut. officials say an underwater search vessel has now been launched. the titanic which sank in 1912 lies nearly 4000 meters below the surface. sunday, all contact with that was lost, with the sub, about an hour and 45 minutes into its d ive.

our correspondent has this report on the daunting task now facing rescuers. reporter: these are the last known photos of the titan submersible, taken on sunday morning just before it began its descent. an hour and 45 minutes later, contact was lost. it is a five-man capsule the people crawl into. this was filmed by the bbc last year. it shows people being bolted in from the outside. the sub then plunges into the ocean's depths. those on board are believed to be the british billionaire hamish harding, a british businessman, and his son, a french explorer, and this man, stopped on rush, the chief executive of the expedition company, ocean gate. >> it's basically a playstation

style controller. >> this is a 2022 cbs documentary showing how the vessel was operated via a games console. while construction pipes were used for ballast. >> people are informed that is very dangerous down there. reporter: questions about the safety of the sub are now inevitably being raised. but for now the focus is simply on trying to find the vessel. one coast guard official i have been speaking to described the search as like looking for a needle in a hayack. >> the area is roughly about the size of connecticut. as we continue on with the search, we are expanding our capabilities to be able to search under the water as well. reporter: the sub was towed out to see from newfoundland before arriving at the wreck site on sunday. it then began its dive in coordination with the mothership, the polar prince. once the vessel goes under 1000 meters, it will be in darkness.

no light. farther down is the titanic wreck. 3800 meters under the north atlantic. mike reese is one of the few people who have made the trip before. he describes reaching the bottom of the ocean. >> when you touch bottom, you don't really know where you are. the compass immediately spped working. it was just spinning around. and so, we had to flail around blindly at the bottom of the ocean, knowing the titanic was somewhere there. but it is so pitchdark. reporter: in the sea's murky is to reach us, this is what people pay nearly 200,000 pounds to sea. ocean gate expeditions said it is getting help from government agencies and deep-sea companies. and it is praying for the cr ew's safe return. ben: the captain from the first

coast guard district has been speaking about the latest search efforts and his team's plans for the next 24 hours. >> i will provide a brief recap of our coordinated search efforts for the 21 foot submersible with five people on board along with providing an update on current search efforts and plans for the next 24 hours. on behalf of all the men and women of the united states coast guard and our search partners, we offer our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the five crewmembers, their families, and their loved ones. our crews are working around the clock to ensure we are doing everything possible to locate the titan and the five crewmembers. yesterday we stood up a unified command consisting of expertise from the u.s. coast guard, the u.s. navy, canadian armed forces and coast guard, and the titan's parent company ocean get expedition. this is a complex search effort which requires multiple agencies with subject matter expertise and specialized equipment. while the u.s. coast guard has

assumed the role of search-and-rescue mission coordinator, we do not have all the necessary expertise and equipment required in the search of this nature. the unified command brings that expertise and additional capability together to maximize effort in solving this derric rump >> problem. ben: how will that be solved? let's pick to my colleague in boston for us now. -- speak to my colleague in boston for us now. they are simply needing to locate the vessel before they got to the logistics of how they might be able to recover it in the five people on board. >> happy i i guess the best way to describe this is kind of a two-step process. -- yeah. i guess the best way to describe this is kind of a two-step process. the second part will be

more difficult. that is the very technical and very treacherous and difficult and specialized rescue operation that then might take place. there are very few vessels that are capable of traveling to the depths of the ocean that we are talking about. some 2.5 miles below the surface. that is a very long way. the typical submarine you might think of only gs a few hundred meters deep. we are talking about thousands of meters deep. where we are is boston. we are about 900 miles away from the site of the ship wreck of the titanic. that is where we believe the submersible, the titan, is located. they are bringing together communications between the coast guard, the u.s. navy, as well as canadian officials. your dimension -- you heard the mention that u.s. coast guard simply does not have the knowledge or the equipment to carry out this search-and-rescue mission. and that is why we are seeing such international effort now.

bringing in various countries. we have equipment on the way from france. we have heard from canada and the u.s. as well. commercial agencies and commercial vessels are on the scene as well. that's because this is such a difficult operation and a very -- and very far away from the coastline. such a deep site as well. this is going to be all hands on deck. this really is a full-court press. that's how they are describing it. ben: everything suggests it takes time, the logistics that need to now fall into place for the search-and-rescue to really get underway. yet at the same time we are told there are just 40 hours left of breathable air on this vessel. the clock is ticking. >> the clock is ticking and time is really the most precious resource right now. this was a submersible that is not designed to spend days or weeks underneath the surface of the ocean like a submarine would. we believe it has about 96

hours, four days' worth of oxygen on board. once that runs out, we are not sure what might happen but there is potentially hope it could last a bit longer than that. about four days and more than two days have passed. so time is of the essence, if they want to be able to reach the vessel in time. one interesting note as well. even if the submersible had come up to the surface and is waiting for rescue craft to reach her, they are not able to open the submersible from the inside. hearing reports from people that have been on this craftefore, from a cbs reporter as well, this is something that can only be opened from the outside. there are 17 bolts. that is simply because you want to make this as wateight as possible. especially in those depthss. this vessel needs to be found in order for those five people that are on board to be rescued. ben: for now, carl, thank you, live in boston for us. let's speak to an american

oceanographer and deep-sea explorer who collated an explanation of the titanic in 2010 and co-led the successful international efforts to locat the wrecked side of air france flight 447. thank you, david, for being with us. you must plan for things like this happening -- i guess you hope and pray you will never need to make a rescue of the sort. but what are the preparations for an emergency of this kind? >> very interesting that you say that. because i think in this -- it is a very small community, the deep ocean community. i think that we have all thought that this was going to happen someday. for decades, we've gotten away with nothing happening like this. but we did know it would happen. it's just a little bit burning that there was no preparation -- there are no policies, no one i can call, no "what do we do if?"

there's a protocol that you do of course. you want to be able to use the vessels and vehicles and tools that are in the area, and hopefully they are suitable. in this case, they. newfoundland has got many ships. some of the underwater survey tools that you need. but in terms of the actual technique and how you use all those, it's really not easy to know that until you know a lot about -- where was the submarine last seen? i think we know that. what are the environmental conditions? there are a number of variables. it is difficult to see that this is the order -- you could have some idea but it is not easy. having an armada of vessels is not always the best thing to do. there's a lot that we can do better in the future. this whole thing right now is incredibly sad.

one more thing -- those things we mentioned, the titanic expedition that i co-lead and finding the air france plan were all done with someone sadly on board the expedition, on board the submarine, this is especially bitter for a lot of us. our prayers and hearts go out to all the families of the victims. but in this case, i've got a personal stake in this, too. ph is involved. ben: you describe paul henri as one of your closest colleagues. it is a very small community particularly in that part of the world. many of you know each other. it is a very worrying time for anyone involved in it. describe to me if you will a little bit about the dissent. -- the descent.

because it is difficult for people who are not familiar with this sort of thing, where the titanic lies at the bottom of the ocean. we often say we know more about space than we do about the bottom of our own oceans, such as the depths and the complexity of getting down there. >> exactly. we have only explored maybe 10% of the world's oceans. and that 10%, we find things that we have never expected. the deepest peaks, underwater rivers, underwater waterfalls, kes. it is not a big fishbowl. any expedition that takes you deepnto the ocean, it's almost like going to a totally different planet. at the surface, you have the lovely color blue we are all familiar with. the shallow ocean. then you begin the dive. you pass through the blue into medium blue and then dark

blue and then for about 2.5 hours, it is imperfectly pitch black. -- in perfectly pitch black. we call it the twilight zone, the transition from blue to deep low, but the rest of it is a midnight zone -- the midnight zone. the sun has never been there and it's very cold. by the time you got to the bottom, you realize you are in a totally different space. the comments you heard were you could be a meter or five meters from the titanic and never know that it's right there. because it is that dark. some lights don't penetratethe ocean very far . you can't use radio waves in the ocean so gps is out and radio communications are out. so it's just not what people think. i think a lot of people feel that it's just a dive to a deeper place but it's not. you are leaving the world that we know, the familiar world

behind and entering this very unfamiliar world. even titanic, that's been visited many many times, we find something new almost every expedition to the titanic. ben: it really is fascinating to hear you describe it in those terms. it gives you a sense of what those rescue efforts will be up against. there are some reports of an emergency ping. an alert that may have come from the vessel. i guess at this point we don't know whether that was generated by those on board or done automatically. of anything that reinforces the idea of how remote and quite isolated those people might feel right now. there is no radio connection. you can't radio back to the ship above. talk about the difficulty of communicating with a vessel that such depths. >> there's no radio waves, as i said. you have to use sound. you can do that -- you certainly can have a

conversation more than to say ok or not ok, here we are, that kind of think. sometimes you use code. almost like a telegraph to send beep beep beep, meaning we are ok, we are in trouble. the idea that there is a ping. in the year-long incident trying to find malaysian air, there are so many rumors. there was a ping that was not from the aircraft at all. i'd be careful to look at those. you can't help but no. -- but not pay attention to those because it can be true. but i don't know if there was a ping, where it would've come from, if it had that ability to send out a ping. i don't know. ben: i'm really grateful for you talking to us tonight, i

know this is difficult for those who know paul henri and those on board. i hope there's good news that we can report for everyone involved very soon. ank you for being with us. of course just to say as well, if there are any further updates, we will bring them to you right here on bbc news. there is a live page on the bbc news website right now available on the website and the app, following other developments. details they're on screen if you want to follow them come plenty of background about what we know about those on board the vessel and analysis of what may have happened to it. around the world and across the u.k., you are watching bbc news. let's bring you up-to-date with some other main stories making headlines in the u.k. price rises and supermarkets

have slowed to their lowest level since last year but still remain very high according to the grocery research firm. in the four weeks to mid-june, the price of groceries rose 16.5% compared to the year before. scotland's target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions has been missed after a bounce back after the pandemic. total emissions are 49.9% lower. but the target for this year was 51.1%. it is the eighth time in 12 years a scottish government has missed its legally binding target. a former chancellor gave evidence to the official covid-19 inquiry earlier. he said that his 30 measures allowed the government to pay for its contingency plans. public health experts have told the inquire of the measures introduced weekend the nhs. he disputed saying it improved the country's ability to respond to the pandemic. more on all those stories on bbc . -- on bbc's website.

you are live with bbc news. hunter biden has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses and admit to illegally owning a gun. the chges arose from an investigation started by a u.s. attorney appointed by donald trump. hunter biden is expected to agree to drug treatment and monitoring. the terms of the agreement are likely to keep him out of jail. that has infuriated republicans. here's house speaker kevin mccarthy. >> if you are the president's leading political opponent, the doj tries to literally put you in jail and give your present time, if you are the president's son, you got a sweetheart deal. ben: let's speak to a political reporter. but to have your weathers. we heard some reaction. bring us up-to-date on how this has gone down in the u.s. reporter:reporter: certainly a lot of reaction -- >> certainly a lot of reaction from republicans. their argument is this is a sign

that there is a two-tiered justice system in the u.s. someone like former president trump is getting invited for his classified documents case while hunter biden's attorneys reach this agreement with doj for him to plead guilty to the charges but also end up avoiding jail time. what democrats will say is that this is a trump appointed prosecutor that investigated this case and that he is the one that is coming to the table with hunter biden's attorneys agreeing to this deal in the end. the political parties really couldn't be further apart on this issue. ben: you say potentially avoiding jail time. for the gun charge alone, it is 10 years in jail. a fine of $250,000. you can see why some people would be angry by what may play out next. we said mr. trump -- we showed mr. trump calling it a

mere traffic ticket. >> it is certainly understandable. the charges of course. there's really no comparison between this case and the trump case. obviously that deals in classified document storage and obstruction, he's been charged under the espionage act because he took the documents after leaving office. and didn't return them to the government allegedly when they asked. so really there is no comparison to the two cases because they are different but you are certainly going to continue seeing republicans criticizing the way the justice department handled this and more investigation is on capitol hill of the president's son. ben: we now have a date, an initial trial date for former president trump on those federal charges. august 14th is the date. that could be one of the first presidential debates, if he is

to be the next candidate in the run for the white house. >> right. i think there's a question of whether or not that will eventually be the date. it could be delayed. but that is around the corner. there's so much going on in the campaign trail. it's really just going to be former president trump going out and campaigning. also having to deal with these legal issues. there's this other case in georgia. we may see some kind of charges on that coming in august. there's going to be a lot of activity both on the legal side and the campaign site for the former president. ben: but to have you with us. -- good to have you with us. the church of enlistmen -- england's announced plans for a compensation scheme for victims of abuse, anyone who has faced any kind of abuse, but survivors that have waited years are concerned if you do those

have been released and the fear of being re-traumatized by the application process. what are the implications? let's talk to elizabeth duncan, a lawyer who represents survivors of abuse by the church. what do you make of this announcement? there are few details right now. >> that's the big question. we don't know what to make of it. we just don't have the information. they are talking big promises. they are talking holistic and inclusive. but without details, this could be all talk and no delivery. i am quite concerned. if it can deliver its promises or a1 -- oif it will be empty words. ben: we talk about the danger of re-traumatizing people and having to relive it all over again. >> absolutely. it was not very well

administered. the eligibility criteria may not be clear or accessible or will -- or well-publicized. he will leave them in a situation feeling impotent and powerless and retraumatized by the very organization that reportedly is going to help them. ben: one day till we do know is there will be an independent third party that will administer the conversation, that is an important step to try to avoid some of that r e-traumatization. >> that is important. not accepting people to make contact with the church themselves. i do hope they recognize those in need of the most support are going to be the most vulnerable. i do hope there's some acknowledgment and recognition in that that these people will need some independent advice to go along with that to make sure that they are getting proper access. ben: elizabeth, thank you for being with us,lizabeth duncan,

representing survivors of church abuse. if details at this sge, but the church has promised survivors who come forward who have ner come forward previously, a lot more responses, we will follow that story and get further details. 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. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs.

♪ ♪ 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.