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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". anchor: i am in washd this is bbc "world news america ." more than 70,000 refugees fleeing nagorno-karabakh. the struggle for independence is over. lawmakers in the u.s. start the process of trying to impeach president biden. and we pay tribute to the actor best known for playing

dumbledore in harry potter. ♪ welcome to "world news america." we are tracking developments out of nagorno-karabakh. the separatist leader of the region declared an end to the struggle for independence concluding nearly 30 years of separatist rule. ethnic armenians, over half of the population have left for neighboring armenia and more are expected to leave in the coming days. gore karabakh is between azerbaijan and armenia. the territory was seized by forces in a military operation last week. it is internationally recognized as part of azerbaijan. the dotted black line shows the border town from where refugees are fleeing to our -- to

armenia. the country's foreign ministry says it wants armenian residents to stay and become part of what it calls azerbaijan's ethnic society. >> the exodus of armenians from nagorno-karabakh as a result of azerbaijan's ethnic policy cleansing continues. analysis of the situation shows that in the coming days there will be no armenians left and this is an act of ethnic cleansing. anchor: many have ended up in the armenian border town. our correspondent is there and sent us this update. reporter: there are huge crowds here in the center of the town with a lot of people, tens of thousands have left nagorno-karabakh and are heading here and in border towns like this is a massive aid ever underway. it is not just the government but local businesses and local people offering housing for

people to stay in. we have seen people arriving here with cars parked for love belongings. one this morning had a cage of chickens strapped to the roof and a child's bicycle on top of that. people are bringing everything they can carry but it is not very much. there are groups of families, a lot of children on the grass or in some shade here getting food, getting some help. but the future is uncertain. they don't quite know where to go from here but what they do know is they won't be going back here a former statement has been made by the separatist authorities from nagorno-karabakh. they have said that formally speaking allstate institutions there will be dissolved by the end of the year and the republic will cease to exist. the people i have been speaking to have been saddened by that

but they are also angry saying they have been abandoned by the government and that this was an inevitable tragedy. so many of these people here have fought for the right to be in control of that sliver of territory in the mountains. and now they have had to abandon that dream of independence. anchor: for more on the story we can speak now to mary, the senior advisor of the u.s. institute of peace. good to have up your the leader of nagorno-karabakh has said he is dissolving the breakaway state and all institutions by the end of the year in the struggle for independence is over. what impact will that have? >> the most immediate impact is that the armenians living in nubber -- in nagorno-karabakh will not have the security of having the forces controlled by the separate has government in

nagorno-karabakh. and the azerbaijani government has said they will be moving the azerbaijanis that were displaced 30 years ago by the first war back into nagorno-karabakh. anchor: we have seen tensions in this area lead to war in 2020. are you worried about this flare up escalating into a broader conflict? >> there is that danger. it is something the international community needs to be thinking of. the most immediate need is to take care of human rights and stop ethnic cleansing. secondarily you have to create an environment of peace to resettle -- to settle their overall conflict and to avoid its expansion into armenia itself. anchor: on the point of ethnic cleansing, azerbaijan said it is not happening and it wants

armenians to stay and become a part of its multiethnic society. what do you make of that? >> that is what azerbaijan has said but the problem is at the same time they are moving azerbaijanis back into the region which is understandable. these were internally displaced peoples that had to leave before but there is no guarantee that there won't be conflict between these groups. i don't think azerbaijan has shown that they are serious about protecting the human rights of armenian civilians in the region. anchor: what about the armenians fleeing to armenia? can armenia support these people arriving? >> as your correspondent noted, they seem to be overwhelmed. i know some members of the international community are trying to get support and help to them but you are talking about a massive number of people in a fairly poor country and

armenia so it will be a large task for the armenian government. anchor: coming back to the international community and creating an environment of peace, both armenia and azerbaijan have close ties with russia. can russia mediate a solution? >> i think russia has shown that they cannot. they mediated a solution to the war in 2020 but since they have invaded ukraine. their response to the latest war in nagorno-karabakh has been to say it is an internal issue though they have peacekeepers on the ground. they did not actually do anything. russia has shown itself to not be a game broker for peace in this region. anchor: what role do you think the u.s. could play? >> u.s. has tried to conduct negotiations and has been active in the last few months and trying to facilitate talks

between azerbaijan and armenia and i think they need to continue the effort. i believe usaid has provided some support with the refugee crisis that armenia is facing. but the u.s. should be a broker for peace working with turkey, armenia and azerbaijan. trying to get armenia and azerbaijan to recognize they need to reach a peace agreement and ensure the protection of all civilians in this region. anchor: any solution in the past has not helped so what would a diplomatic solution look like that would be sustainable? >> i think it will involve some painful concessions. i think armenia will have to give azerbaijan access to its x clave. now they have to fly over armenia or travel through iran. i think they will have to give a land corridor into armenia.

and i think the concession to azerbaijan will be turkey and the eu and the united states helping to create a transit corridor in the south caucus. anchor: thank you for joining us today. >> thank you for having me. anchor: in washington republicans launched their impeachment inquiry into the business dealings of president biden and his son hunter. they accused him of profiting from his son's business ventures while serving as vice president. there was testimony from academics. the message is it is premature to impeach a president biden but hunter's be investigated. here is jonathan. >> i do not believe the current evidence would support articles of impeachment.

that is something an inquiry has to establish. but i also do believe that the house has passed the threshold for an impeachment inquiry into the conduct of president biden. anchor: republicans and the justice department have been investigating hunter biden for years but neither have found evidence that president biden abused his role or accept bribes. speaking in the chamber house oversight james comer presented the sprawling allegations. the democratic ranking member had a passionate response. >> the house oversight committee has uncovered how the bidens created over 20 shell companies mostly created when he was the vice president and raked in $20 billion. what were they selling to get all this money? >> let's get it straight. we are 62 hours away from shutting down the government of

the united states of america and republicans are launching an impeachment drive based on a long debunked and discredited live. anchor: in the bbc's north america correspondent gary was following the first day for us. what do you think we learn from this first hearing? reporter: we learned they have some stamina because they went on for six hours and there were 47 members of congress willing to ask questions. this was not designed to be an evidence session because the witnesses were academics. they could not speak to any evidence. and not much evidence was presented. there was a lot of rhetoric and talking about a mountain of evidence that the committee chairman said that we have not seen anything other than substantial -- circumstantial evidence adjusting they have a load of money and where did they get it from an hunter biden was doing various things in china and surely has father was involved.

we have yet to see a smoking gun. and any specific evidence of note. there has been some testimony in the last few months from some irs agents and a previous business associate of hunter biden but none of that has risen to the level and you heard that from some of the republican witnesses there. anchor: do you think republicans achieved what they set out to do in this first hearing? >> i think it got a lot of attention. and that is a big thing for them. part of the political motive behind this is to distract attention from donald trump's legal problems. and also those splits in their own caucus. most republicans may support this but not all. and that is evidenced by the fact they have not had a vote on the house floor to authorize

this inquiry. that is something kevin mccarthy said he would do and then he changed his mind because the numbers were not there. whether or not they get to a point where they can draw up articles of impeachment and can get it through our both big questions but we do know the republican-controlled committee is pressing ahead with subpoenas for bank records for hunter biden and joe biden's brother. they will start sending out bits of paper that will try to dig into the family finances. anchor: gary, thank you for the update. we spoke earlier to house oversight committee member jazmine crockett who was in the chamber for the hearing. congresswoman, good to have you on bbc news today. what did you think of what you saw presented today? >> i am not really sure what was presented. there were no fact witnesses

brought forward. and i would anticipate in an impeachment inquiry where they are lacking evidence that they would try to bring witnesses that could bring evidence. there witnesses admitted they had no evidence to bring. and in fact, there witnesses admitted that at this point and time there was nothing they had seemed that would lead them to believe there was enough to move forward with anything on the president. unfortunately i felt like this was yet another hearing and oversight in which the taxpayer dollars were wasted. anchor: the man leading this committee, james comer, has said they are using this opportunity to look into more evidence. they also said they have released a timeline ahead of today's hearing that showed influence peddling in the biden family and the biden family and its associates have received more than $20 million in payments from foreign entities. do you have concerns on how that

money i'd of been used to influence the president? >> i do not have any concerns and i will tell you why. i have been sitting on this committee since i swore into congress and if they had the evidence it would have already come out. they are not waiting for the evidence to show up. they don't have it. we know that any of the fact witnesses they have talked to have been unable to connect the president, joe biden, to any wrongdoing. and when we are talking about an impeachment, the impeachment is about the officeholder. it is not about his family members. and thank goodness it is not about family members because we know of another president that may have a few issues if it were about his associates or family members. it is about the president. if there was evidence it would've been brought forward by now and we have yet to uncover any evidence. and i want to reiterate, we abide opportunities to speak

with actual fact witnesses and those witnesses, the best they could do what provide innuendo which does not meet the standard. anchor: why not let the inquiry run its course if that is the case and revealed that there has not been any wrongdoing? >> because it is one of those things where for whatever reason they would love to put their spin on and if we do not confront the misinformation as it is being spewed out of their mouths than that is what they will do. they will continue to lie to the american people like we have seen the maga republicans do. there was a lot that my colleagues on the other seida the aisle had to say but we had to educate and/or remind the american people that what my colleagues say is not evidence and the witnesses they brought are also not fact witnesses so they cannot provide any evidence. we have to make sure that we hold their feet to the fire so

they don't start changing the standard for impeachment. anchor: there are just a few days left for congress to avoid shutdown. we know kevin mccarthy is working with the hardliners of his party. are you confident that a shutdown can be of hurt it? -- can be averted? >> no i believe we will be shut down because kevin mccarthy is unable to ensure that the republican party can govern. they have not passed the 12 appropriations bills necessary. we have not come close to even hearing or laying out 12 appropriations bills. the backup would be a continuing resolution which is also not been put forth. how do we avoid a shutdown? the only way with the time left on the clock is if we take up the continuing resolution that has been passed in the senate in a bipartisan way --

anchor: if i could ask you about the continuing resolution. we spoke to a colleague of yours from the other side of the aisle earlier this week and he said, we get here every year and i'm not going to vote for another continuing resolution because his -- it is time to pass a bill and cut spending. what is your response? >> i don't necessarily disagree but the problem is that the democrats are not in control. they have not passed the 12 appropriations bills. the idea that we should shut down because of their ineptness is a problem. it is hurting our economy and workers. this is not on us. the question deposed to them is why have you not laid out your 12 appropriations bills? what can we do if they have not done their job? our only fallback is the continuing resolution.

they have not even put that on the floor. the only way to keep the government open is if we follow the lead of the u.s. senate who has actually passed a continuing resolution. they are sending it over and it will be timely but they will not pick it up. anchor: one more question. you are on the aerospace caucus. the federal aviation administration is facing a lapse in its authority. what is the impact on flying? >> it was air traffic controllers that said that was the last time they shut down. air traffic controllers fall under our jurisdiction and those are federal employees. for the airplanes that we need flying whether they are flying people on vacation or on business or because they are involved in our supply chain, that all has a direct effect on if we will be able to continue business as usual. as far as i'm concerned the

answer is an emphatic no not to mention that right now air traffic controllers are down 30%. we have already heard from them that the shutdown will affect those in training which means we will be further behind on even trying to get to the capacity that we need to make sure that we are safe as we are flying. anchor: congresswoman, thank you for joining us with your insights. on thursday president joe biden delivered a democracy centered address in phoenix and honored the legacy of john mccain who was from that state. despite their political differences the president and mr. mccain were close friends. president biden's speech comes as the u.s. heads towards a partial shutdown, a situation he blames on extreme republicans in the house and he warned of an extremist movement against democracy. >> democracy means the rule of the people and not the rule of monarchs, money or mighty.

regardless of party that means respecting free and fair elections. accepting the outcome, win or lose. it means you cannot love your country only when you win. [applause] democracy means rejecting and repudiating political violence regardless of party. such violence is never, never acceptable in america. it is undemocratic. anchor: let's take a look at some of other -- headlines. dutch people say gunmen killed four people including a young girl. the gunman fired at a medical university where he was a student. police arrested the suspect but the motive is unclear. a new york appeals court has rejected donald trump's bid to delay a civil trial against him.

the decision comes after the new york judge ruled he was liable for business fraud. the decision paves a way for a trial to begin on monday. the senate voted for a new dress code. lawmakers must wear business attire in the chamber. the change comes after not enforcing a dress code to accommodate john fetterman. the actor, sir michael gamboa has died peacefully at the age of 82. the award-winning actor worked across radio and theater and tv in a career spanning five decades. in recent years he played dumbledore in six harry potter films. reporter: the singing detective. ♪ reporter: falstaff. may gray. >> welcome to another year at hogwarts. reporter: and of course,

dumbledore. michael gamboa and was a serious acting talent but he never seemed to take it too serious. >> tom, you are sitting here. reporter: his stage breakthrough was a scene in which he ends up dining on the little chair. >> good evening. carry-on. the table is here. i saw a bloke one night fall out of his seat in the circle. reporter: his first big tv role had a bit of scottish swashbuckling on the borders. he had grown up in london. he hated school. he liked acting. armed with a cv that was pure

invention, he found a job in edinburgh. he had learned his craft on the job most crucially when sir lawrence olivier had taken him on at the national. in 1986 the singing that active ate him a household -- the singing detective made him a household name. that name became associated with a certain corner. he enjoyed the accolades. dumbledore in harry potter may have brought him a new global recognition but he was starring. he described his face as looking as an old wet bag. but he could use it to hold an audience without saying a word. beneath the cloak of mischief

was a seriously good actor. anchor: sir michael gambon passed away at the age of 82. remember you can find more on all of the day's at our website plus see what we are working on at any time. he sure to check us out on your favorite social media site. thank you for watching "world news america" and do stay with 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, speaker mccarthy rejects a senate effort to avoid a government shutdown while house republicans hold their first impeachment hearing into president biden, despite no concrete evidence of wrongdoing. geoff: gop presidential hopefuls take the debate stage to make