♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news".

>> you are watching t on bbc news. >> we have had a few challenges. this is part of a structured process to bring 500 people on board. it >>he government is focused on saving money. >> the system is completely broken. >> we warned the government that these accommodations, whether they are barges or military barracks, are unsuitable for a population that is highly vulnerable. ♪ >> good evening it, welcome to the show. of the government has started

moving asylum-seekers onto a barge off the south coast of england. it's a controversial attempt to cut costs and deter migrants from coming to the u.k. illegally by boat. the standoff in niger continues. airspace has been closed until further notice, the threat of intervention from other powers. arizona's heat wave as president biden heads thereto promote his clean energy plans. a millionaire working with the chinese government to influence politics in the west. first, let's focus on the barge for asylum-seekers in the u.k.. around 500 men can be housed on the vessel. only 15 are on board. administer say the barge will be better value for taxpayers than hotel rooms, costing 6 million

pounds today. there been concerns about conditions. the government insists it is safe. there has been a local opposition to services in the area. a number of had their transfers canceled because of legal challenges. >> what does this say about the welcome we extend to those seeking asylum? are these the first steps toward a tougher stance long overdue to reduce costs and determine bogus claims. are they being dehumanized and denied the stability of dryland? these men carry the weight of the government's resolve. >> we onboard the first cohort today. we have had a few challenges. this is part of a structured process.

there have been some challenges. we are -- accommodation is offered to all individuals on a no choice basis. >> some are pleased to see them, even if they oppose the accommodation. >> we wanted to show that we cared, we wanted to show that there is support from the local community. we wanted to help them get things they might need. >> i can see that point of view. we have to welcome them. they are here now and we have to welcome them. >> it is impossible to ignore this. >> this is just us saying we need to look after ourselves.

they are getting free meals a day. they are living like kings. >> this is the welcome for the asylum-seekers as they arrive. it is not clear who is on board. this shows the division in this community and the strength of feeling on both sides. it has been beset by delays. when journalists were shown around, we were told it would be operational by the end of july. the fire service raised concerns. it was labeled a deathtrap. ministers highlighted the safety record. bunk beds and shared rooms have helped double capacity. >> we need to remember these are human beings, they are people and they have dreams and aspirations like everyone else.

>> the crossings are dangerous. the hotel bills are norma's. >> the way to tackle something is to prevent it. you need to invest in the immigration system. >> 20 men have refused to move here. the vessel is no longer empty. >> today we learned the number of asylum-seekers in hotels is at record levels, up 3000 since march. we've been looking at how the government is trying to tackle the problem. >> why do we need a barge? it's down to the illegal markets crossing the channel. problem lies elsewhere. it is up 46 thousand on the 2018 figure.

the backlog of people waiting for the home office to make a decision on their claim his risen by 137,000. the backlog was rising before the increase in applications. it is near record levels. every asylum seeker needs somewhere to live. that has proven a nightmare. they had to requisition hotels. there are around 50,000 in hotel rooms. that is up 3000 in three months. ministers agree this is unacceptable. where to put these people instead. many are reluctant to take the slot for the prison sites. even in the prime minister's

constituency, they talked about it. legal challenges mean only wethersfield has seen any asylum-seekers arrive. more in a port with capacity for 500 people, the home office wants to move em out of hotels. there are 50,000 asylum-seekers in hotels. we would need 100 barges to open the rooms. the government is pinning its hopes on stopping the flow, criminalizing those, detain them, possibly moving them to rwanda. they are often stuck in the courts and ministers are concerned the problem will get worse before it gets better. >> the u.k. is not the only country that is dealing with the border in the sea. australia had a similar policy

focused on stopping boats by placing them in offshore detention centers. a former australian foreign minister was one of those who developed the policy. he was a consultant that helped form the u.k. wanda policy. this is what he said on why the u.k. must be tough. >> if you understand what's going on it, you understand how this will work. basically, young men are paying organized crime groups thousands of euros to undertake very dangerous journey acrs the channel. they throw their documents into the sea so they can't be checked when they arrive. they think that is a way to the u.k. if they spend thousands of euros and they know they are going to end up in rwanda, they will stay

in france. that is the experience from australia. >> we want to get some analysis with my guests. welcome to you both. it's great to see you. i went to start with you. where does the u.k. stand on this policy? >> what we know already is they are expecting to put on this prison ship, 15 were relocated. the issue is when an individual, that is not suitable accommodation. they spend taxpayers money on

setting up education in the courts. >> the government says it is saving money with this policy. >> currently, there are over 170,000 asylum applications. out of the legacy applications, 92,000. the government will have to make 2000 decisions a week to reach its target to clearing the legacy. what needs to happen is there needs to be a concentration on making asylum decisions so they get refugee status and go into the community. >> you just called them prison ships. you have an interesting perspective. you've been writing about hostile architecture. what is hostile architecture?

>> it could be described as unfriendly alienating and intimidating architecture, not only seen but also experienced as uninviting and cruel. such architecture could generate difficult feelings. people would not approach such a space. it would be experienced as a threat to them and their ll-being. >> what makes this barge hostile? >> the architecture of the barge could be experienced as hostile by asylum-seekers who are sent to live there. the space is very tight. it's organized around two small areas. it was designed to accommodate 200 people. most rooms were to house only one person. the number of people has

doubled. there will be two or more people sleeping in one room. the space will be tight. it will create an overcrowded and claustrophobic space. there is just enough living space. when we think about the narrow fire exits, it will be much more exposed with fire. many have already warned that this could create fire protection. >> that has been one that has been raised in the coverage. i want to ask you about what the home officer said it, that these small boat arrivals of overwhelm the u.k. and this is part of the strategy to deal with that. what do you make? >> the political rhetoric has

been ramped up with this election. the conservative government is looking at an agenda to win votes. what we are having is the legal migration act which came into force the couple weeks go. it's not about just the small boats. it ensures that the u.k. becomes a hostile environment, that we don't comply with our international treaty obligations. they have their claims determined. we were the beacon in the international community. they have made it clear that the illegal migration act will be international. asylum is not a privilege. it's a fundamental human right.

we need to concentrate on the actual things. we know that 70-80% are genuine refugees. >> i want to ask you about the perspective in the u.k.. you shared some of the perspective internationally. we did hear from a portland resident saying this is not about racism. it's making sure we have enough resources for ourselves. >> the goverent needs to concentrate on the economy and making sure we deal with the shortages caused by brexit and covid. we concentrate on improving the level. the government has announced the fines to employers going up to 6000 pounds.

we know that the delays in the system, they are entitled to work. they are not getting permission to work. the system is broken. i empathize with the individual who says we need to concentrate on addressing the failings within our economy. they are not caused by migrants and not caused by refugees. >> i want to let you respond. >> as far as not allowing them toork, the whole system is really to detach asylum-seekers. it makes it hostile because it is so isolated and isolating.

there is a different political approach. especially the idea of bringing back people who experienced the horrors of the sea and putting them back at sea, away from communities could be a traumatizing experience. >> what would your approach be. >> i think the approach as a whole is different. we can see a different approach to people coming from ukraine. going on sea and processing them elsewhere, they won't feel --

they won't have to come in small boats. there are vacant houses in the u.k. that could house them. especially in these troubling times when they wait for the results of their asylum application. >> it's great to talk to you both. thank you for joining us. around the world, this is bbc news. let's look at other stories making news. new figures from the mortgage lender said house prices have dropped for the fourth month in row. they were down 0.3% between june and july. the cost of a typical home is just over 285,000 pounds. a lot charity has called for deductions for living costs taken from constant -- to be

returned retrospectively. an appeal that helped quash the rate conviction of andrew said all people forced to pay should get the money back. the nhs system for seriously ill people requiring care at home is struggling to provide sufficient support. that is according to people with medical needs. a significant increase in spending on so-called continuing health care, the government is putting billions of pounds into extra funding. you are watching bbc news. let's turn to west africa over the military coup in niger. they have closed airspace and put border forces on high alert. they are ready to defend himself against any for aggression. this came after the generals defied and ultimatum.

in response, the west african regional block set it will hold an emergency summit in nigeria on thursday. the military governments were seing delegations to express solidarity. the threat of outside intervention is ongoing. >> planning this war has been carried out. free deployment of forces to take part has begun. armed forces and our defense and security forces backed by the support of our people are ready to defend the integrity of our territory and the honor of our homeland. >> our correspondent is monitoring the situation. >> >> the military leaders said they are not taking chances.

they have alleged military deployment to invade your country, they did not mention that. flags are diverted. those who are flagged from within niger as a kind of destruction -- disruption, we also have a situation where borders are closed. they have opened borders to some neighboring african countries. the majority of their input comes from nigeria and banana republic. this has sparked increase in prices. nigeria has cut electricity,

which is also affecting the nigerian households tremendously. >> let's talk to a specialist in african security issues. thank you so much for joining us. we have seen molly say they are going to send a joint group. what support will they offer? >> they have already said they intend to come to the mutual defense of niger should the regional organization decide to intervene militarily to reinstall the president. they have essentially said in the statements they released that they see the security threats from the region emanating from the western invasion of libya and spilling over ever since. they see themselves as defending

against outside influence their country from the west and from the other countries. it is dividing the region along military lines in a way we haven't se before. >> you said the threat of intervention has galvanize the region. >> in the early days after the coup attempt, when the nigerian president drew a line in the sand saying he would not allow another military takeover to stand in the country, that galvanized the people to come to the aid of niger. they drew their own line in the sand to say they would not allow outside interference inside a fellow country that was experiencing the kind of security threats that niger has

been facing. it's ironic they would choose to defend the military at this time. that is the case now. >> what do you think they might to next without escalating the situation? >> he is going to have some face-saving to do. they have drawn this line in the sand and created an ultimatum. ey haven't been able to follow through. it expired last night. they have not backed down. it has doubled down on a military solution. they are going to have to look for other ways to continue to put pressure while acknowledging the obvious, it doesn't have the resources to stage a military intervention. even if the parliament had not

denied use of forces for this intervention it, even if it could rally forces, it would be disastrous for the region knowing what they anticipate. >> what about the state of the country? how defiant can they be? >> it depends on how long we are talking. as you rept pointed out, there is an economic effect. we have seen electricity shut off. prices are rising. it's hard to say how popular the coup is right now. there has been some public protest in favor of the leaders. we don't know how much that has been manipulated by the state media or other social media. we will see in the few days to come as the pain of not being

able to trade, not having commercial flights come in and out, you are going to see a squeeze start to happen and people will ask hard questions about what they are able to deliver. >> quick question, is there any scenario where you see the coup leaders restoring him to power? >> that feels awfully unlikely. they have the upper hand in this. it doesn't look like there is going to be any external military intervention. the thing we must avoid is an outbreak of violence. there threat of violence is more real than the threat of intervention. they are going to have to look for ways to walk this back. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program

is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news".