♪ ♪ 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". >> i am caitríona perry a new york and this is bbc world news america. five americans jailed for years are on their way back to the u.s. after a brief stop in qatar as part of a prisoner swap. world leaders have arrived in new york for the 78th session of the united nations general assembly. canada accuses the indian government of involvement in the death of a canadian leader.

hello and welcome to world news america. i am in new york for the u.n. general assembly, where world leaders will speak. they are expected to address a number of issues, including multiple coups, the war in ukraine, and deadly natural disasters. i spoke to the u.n. general assembly president about what we can expect. but first, five american citizens jailed for years are on their way home to the united states. they were freed from iran monday as part of a complex prisoner swap mediated by qatar. the citizens, four men and one woman, were flown out of iran to qatar. their release was dependent on the u.s. transferring 6 billion in iranian funds, money iran earned from selling oil to south korea. those funds must be used for humanitarian goods. the u.s. also released five detained iranian citizens, two of whom have landed in dellacqua

--doha. president biden announced new sanctions, saying the u.s. will continue to impose costs on iran. the president had spoken to the families and the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken said he had spoken to the freed prisoners. >> it was for them, for me, an emotional conversation. it is easy in the work that we do every day sometimes to get lost in the abstractions of foreign-policy and relations with other countries, forgetting the human element of the heart of everything we do. but today, their freedom, the freedom of these americans, for so long unjustly imprisoned and detained in iran, means some pretty basic things. it means that husbands and wives, fathers and children,

grandparents, can hug each other again, can see each other again, can be with each other again. caitríona: one of the freed prisoners, an iranian american businessman, was declined -- detained for 2900 days. he issued a statement thanking president biden, saying, my heartfelt gratitude goes to president biden and his administration, which had to make incredibly difficult decisions. thank you for putting the lives of american citizens above politics. the sister of an iranian american businessman who was detained in 2018 issued a statement on his release, saying, my family is so happy to hear that imad is on his way home. we have been waiting for this day for almost five and a half years and i can't wait to hug my brother and never let him go. i achieve international

correspondent is in doha, where the plaintiff carrying the foreign prisoners landed. >> this moment on the tarmac in doha is a very personal moment for the five american citizens who are free and the relatives who traveled with them on this plane, which left the iranian capital to ron -- tehhran. the most high-profile prisoners said he dreamed of this day for every one of the 2988 days he was in iran, most of that time behind bars. there nightmare is not overcommitted you thank president biden for putting the lives of americans above politics, but they only secured their freedom through this very political deal, which is highly complex and controversial.

when these five americans and their relatives return home to the united states, they will be reunited with their loved ones, but also face the criticism of republicans in the u.s., who say president biden is paving the way for more hostagetaking. the united states says they have done everything possible to ensure it was the best deal possible for the best result. caitríona: in new york, over 150 heads of state and government ministers, including joe biden, have arrived for the opening of the 78th united nations general assembly. the next seven days are an opportunity for you and members to share their agendas, highlight grievances, and follow-up on initiatives. it is the one time each year when countries can debate and vote on international issues of economic development, human a, peas, and conflict. each country has one vote.

we expect a variety of topics, including climate change, especially in light of recent floods in libya, several coups across africa as political turmoil is on the rise, financing economic support for the global south, and international problems caused by russia's invasion of ukraine that could ultimately take center stage. for the first time, volodymyr zelenskyy will make an appearance in person. last year he addressed virtually. the united nations shared an accelerated agenda friday to help countries get back on track with sustainable developing goals. in 2015 the general assembly set goals in 17 areas for sustainable development, including the eradication of poverty and hunger and provision of universal health care and good education. halfway through the process, the record shows the world is on track to meet only 15% of the targets.

point 5 billion people are likely to still be living in poverty in 2030 and still 100 million children not in school. >> these are not just a list of goals, they carry the hopes, dreams, rights, and expectations of people everywhere. yet today only 15% of the targets are on track and many are going in reverse. caitríona: i spoke to the president of the u.n. general assembly about what we can expect in the coming days. thank you for joining us. this is a busy week at the general assembly, but also special summits on global finance units, high-level health meetings. leaders of some of the most powerful countries have chosen not to attend. france, the u.k., india, china, russia. do you consider that a snub? >> i don't at all.

of course we hoped that the house would be full, but we appreciate that leaders may have other pressing matters that require their attention, and i am sure the views and perspectives of those countries not led by heads of state and/or government will be expressed and represented by their heads of delegation. caitríona: if you have only one of the five permanent members sending their leader here, does that raise legitimacy issues about the u.n.? >> no, it doesn't, because the permanent members have a special status in the context of the security council. the business we are discussing this week, while peace and security is high on the agenda, it expands well beyond the

security council. this is the sdg summit today. it is the broad, strategic plan for lifting people out of poverty and hunger, for making the world more just, safer, more productive, for treating with human rights abuses where they are, for treating with the issue of violence against women and girls, for example. caitríona: we will talk about the sustainable developing goals, but you mentioned safety. you have the issue of russia invading the sovereignty of another nation, ukraine, and many would say the u.n. has been somewhat powerless to stop that. >> of course the u.n. is not at all happy or pleased that the hostilities continue in ukraine. we wish that it would end sooner

rather than later and that lives can be saved, and we hope the combatants will observe the international obligations, particularly with respect to the use of certain kinds of weapons. the fact of the matter is that ukraine, what is going on in ukraine, will continue for some time. we do not know when it will end. we hope it is sooner rather than later. however, while that is taking place, the international community, as constituted in the u.n., must focus on other compelling issues that require attention on the part of the international community. things like international debt, climate change, climate finance, the health issues that have come to the surface in the context of

covid-19. which, incidentally, we should remind ourselves is not yet over. so the issues on the table are issues that are live and important issues for countries across the spectrum, and they will bring that energy and dynamism to the discussion, hopefully in a manner that will create the positive outcomes we need. caitríona: another region where there has been a lot of conflict this year is africa. we have seen coups in sudan, niger. would you like to see a permanent seat on the security council for a nation from africa? >> those are matters that are within the realm of the membership. of course i have personal views, but it is not the proper role of the president of the general

assembly to seek to impose his or her views. caitríona: those conflicts and others have resulted in a lot of displaced persons. in sudan alone, an estimated 14 million people. what do you say to the countries taking an increasingly hard line against migrants? >> that is an unfortunate course of action, because these are people desperately in need of help, support, and relief. it is not a choice they have made, to leave their homelands and seek refuge elsewhere. one of the big and practical preoccupations of the united nations is that in humanitarian circumstances, you need to reach

out and assist others who are in desperate need of help. the disruption that has resulted in these conflicts means people are in extremely vulnerable situations. they need support and assistance. i would ask those countries to rethink those policies and to admit and support. we saw it magnificently done with ukraine, for example, when the war first started. many ukrainian citizens crossed the border into neighboring countries where they were welcomed, given food and shelter. i gather in many cases they have been integrated into the school systems so kids can go to school. that's the kind of support and help and disposition that we hope will be replicated in all

theaters of the world. caitríona: many of those issues are sustainable development goals as well. the progress is not what anyone would like. do you think you can make that up in the second half? ? >> absolutely, because the human spirit, when it decides to take action, takes decisive action. we have seen it over and over. more than that, what really is required is the political will to act. it cannot be acceptable in the 21st century that 1.2 billion people live in abject poverty in the midst of so much wealth. wealth is important, it is critical. economies need to create wealth for growth, for jobs, for

sustainability, but we also need to bring people who are in the margins, the forgotten, those without voices, into the system so they have a stake in it and so that their lives can be improved and the lives of their children can be improved. otherwise we will have failed. sustainability, therefore, becomes an extremely critical part of the work the united nations has for development. that's why it is called sustainable development goals. caitríona: how would you describe the challenge in the second half? >> as i said, political will is top of the agenda. the international community needs to show solidarity. caitríona: are there specific areas that are particularly

problematic? >> i think there are. education is one. education is one of the great liberators. it allows people to move up the social ladder. it expands the minds of people, allows them to function at a very sophisticated level based on their own ambitions and the quality of life they would like to live. education is a challenge, because in many parts of the world access and quality education is not available for young people, for children, and in some parts of the world, in addition, girls are denied their rights to an education. this is a fundamental human right. it is therefore not something that should exist and that's why it's an important dimension of the agenda for 2013. caitríona: we leave it there

because i know you are under time and pressure and we appreciate you speaking to us. >> my pleasure, thank you for having me. caitríona: be sure to watch world news america this week as we bring updates on what comes out the general assembly meeting in new york. canada's foreign minister says the country has expelled a top indian diplomat as security agencies are investigating what he calls credible allegations that indian government officials were involved in the murder of a sikh activist. he was shot dead outside of a temple in british columbia in june. justin trudeau said he was determined to hold the perpetrators to account and had raised the issue with indian prime minister narendra modi at the g20 summit. officials in the bsa at least three greek rescue workers have died in a road accident traveling from benghazi to dharna, the area worst hit by

recent floods. seven critically injured. rescue teams continued to pull out the bodies of the many libyans who died. two dams burst in the wake of storm daniel. libyans have warned that durna faces the threat of disease outbreaks, which could bring a second devastating crisis. they say 30,000 people have been left homeless and there is desperate need for clean water, food, and basic supplies to mitigate the risk of cholera, dehydration, mount attrition. anna foster has had special access to a recovery zone in durna. anna: this is one of the streets that has been carefully cleared of bodies. you see how high the water came in areas like this where you see the debris at the top of the building. that shows how high the water was. they found victims on the

fourth, sixth stories in some of these apartment blocks. you can see them using heavy equipment to create new channels to get underneath to see how many -- it was a split second to decide whether to say >> permit across town, i met a woman who is only alive now with her five children because she made the decision to leave when the rain started. >> asking me, where is my neighbor, where is my friends? every time asking me. [inaudible] anna: she is living in that school now, along with many other people whose communities

look like this. there is so much more work to do. along with the turkish team, there are recovery workers coming into during -- into derna to do what they can to help. caitríona: time is running out for congress in the u.s. to avoid a government shutdown. on sunday house speaker kevin mccarthy presented a short-term spending plan that would keep the government funded through the end of october and avoid a partial government shutdown. the measure includes cuts to domestic spending bills and stricter border policies. the deal may not have the support of everyone in his party and it's not clear if it will have enough votes to pass the house. several members on the gop, including marjorie taylor greene, posted to x, formerly known as twitter, saying i am a no. eli crane simply said no. mccarthy spoke to reporters, saying everyone is not going to get what they want.

rep. mccarthy: it's a good thing i love a challenge. we are not at september 30 at, but i have never seen anybody win a -- if you want to secure the border , make america secure, past the bod -- dod props bill. if you are not willing to pass appropriation bills and you don't want an omnibus, i don't know what you want. we have to get together and figure it out. caitríona: a notorious anti-migrant group has registered as a south african political party in time for next year's general election. it means operation force-out in zulu. they have out to take their campaign against undocumented foreign nationals to the country's parliament. we have a report from johannesburg. reporter: these men are on a mission to confront a local

shopkeeper who is in dispute with his landlady over rent. >> where are the papers of this business? put the papers here and we will talk. reporter: they say they are here to engage with him, but within minutes the situation turns ugly. without papers to prove his residency, the shopkeeper from mozambique is forced out of his business. this is operation dudula, an anti-migrant campaign group and newly formed political party. what gives you the right? >> i am a citizen. reporter: they say they want all undocumented migrants to leave south africa. >> we grew up in apartheid, where things were much better than what this is now.

now the way things are happening, the government is failing us. reporter: critics accuse them of xenophobia and vigilantism. >> good morning, how are you? i am at work. the migrants are the poorest of the poor and are vulnerable. they would rather rattle them then rattle the cages of the guys living in glass houses. reporter: hundreds gathered in central johannesburg for a conference. the mood is celebratory. but listen to some of the words. >> [speaking another language] caitríona: this man is singing, we will go to the gas station, buy some petrol, and burn the foreigners. at the conference, members vote overwhelmingly in favor of becoming a political party. the president hopes to lead the party in next year's general

election. you have managed to gain a party -- a following on the message that foreigners must go. is that not running on hate? >> most of the problems we have are caused by the influx of foreign nationals. we were at an operation yesterday. what was supposed to be a conversation turned into a confrontation. in some instances you have to be harsh. we don't promote violence and we don't want people to be harassed but at some stage we need to push harder. reporter: the ruling anc party has been in government for almost 30 years, but against a failing economy, rampant criminality, and widespread corruption, polls show support for the party has been declining. operation dudula is hoping to fill that vacuum. caitríona: remember, you can find out more about all the days

news and more on our website, bbc.com/news. to see what we are working on anytime, check us out on your favorite social media website. i am caitríona perry in new york. 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. ♪ ♪

♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on "the newshour" tonight... five americans detained in iran now returning home. the prisoner swap that gained their freedom and unfreezes billions of dollars in iranian assets. geoff: in an exclusive tv interview, turkey's president discusses the state of nato, russia's war on ukraine and why his country might soon end its bid to become a part of the european union. pres. erdogan: for the last 50 years, we have been waiting at thor