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tv   BBC News America  PBS  March 8, 2024 5:30pm-6:01pm PST

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announcer: 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" n washington and this is "world n news america." the new plan to get desperately needed aid into gaza. partners announced a sea corridor to open this weekend. the frantic search is on for students kidnapped in nigeria. 10 years after a plane mysteriously disappeared while in flight, family members of those missing still want answs. ♪
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caitriona: hello and welcome to world news america. i am caitriona perry. the u.s. denies one of its aid air drops into gaza caused casualties on the ground after reports that five people might have been killed friday after being hit by packages dropped by parachute that failed to open. major general patrick ryder said we have confirmed all of her aid bundles landed safely on the ground. the bbc has not been able to independently verify the claims of civilian casualties that come from a gaza doctor and the hamas-run health ministry. this shows aid being dropped from a cargo plane and a number of parachutes failing to deploy. the incident comes as more countries try to get more humanitarian aid into gaza as israel continues to bombard the territory. the u.s., e.u. and uae have
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announced a plan to deliver shipments of critical supplies via a maritime corridor from cyprus to gaza. on thursday u.s. president joe biden announced plans to build a temporary port in gaza to receive the aid which the pentagon said would take several weeks to plan and execute. the u.n. set a quarter of gaza's population is on the brink of famine and children are starving to death. laura davis has more on the challenges of providing aid to people in gaza. >> the opening of this maritime corridor -- the plan is a boat with some aid would leave cyprus bound for gaza. there is no natural -- no way of unloading this aid. there will be no foreign troops on the ground. there is a lot of skepticism among agencies that this is a plan tt will work. it comes on the back of joe
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biden's plan to build a temporary harbor in gaza to allow aid and construction materials into help with the reconstruction of gaza and the supply of aid but that would not be ready for a couple of months. the way to get aid into gaza is by road but the agencies are only getting about 100 trucks' worth of aid every day. that is short of the 500 truckloads needed by the people of gaza. to the north, people are dying from hunger and aid agencies in particular and israel's allies have worn it is a dire humanitarian situation. the reason we are at this point is because there is no cease-fire. there were hopes for a cease-fire announced by the start of ramadan but that has not happened. israel and hamas will try to go again next week. without a cease-fire they cannot get as much aid as they want to into gaza so they have to go
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down this maritime route. perhaps something that will become a bit more permanent in the future. caitriona: violence in the west bank has surged since the start of the conflict in gaza in october. the u.n. said 416 palestinians have been killed in the west bank as israeli forces searcher militants. the u.n. says children account for a quarter of those palestinians killed. our special correspondent reports on the case of a 10-year-old shot dead in a village on monday as he went shopping with his family. just a warning, you might find this report distressing. >> they knew him from the beginning. long before he was made into a symbol of angry times. 10-year-old amr wrapped in the colors of hamas. he was just a schoolboy killed
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going shopping with his dad. because he was killed by israeli troops the factions celebrated him as a martyr. the leninists, hamas. all brought him to his grave enveloped by their flags. >> this is a story about the killing of a child. >> amr was one of three children. a good student. on march 4, he was being driven by his father with his younger brother when they encountered an israeli patrol. they stopped near this shop on the corner. >> [speaking another language] >> the army had been there since
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earlier in the afternoon. this image was captured by a local around 3:00 p.m. the military said they had been stoned by youths. a local told us it was quiet when the minibus arrived sometime between 4:30 and 5:00. >> [speaking another language] >> then, a shot was fired directly through the windshield where amr, his father and brother were sitting. >> [speaking another language] >> all of this was witnessed by amr'younger brother, sitting beside him here. >> [speaking another language]
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>> violence has surged across the west bank since october 7. over 400 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces and jewish settlers. 1/4 aged between 10 and 17, according to the you and -- un. 15 israelis have been killed by palestinians. this has long been a flashpoint. overlooked by jewish settlements, these residents have been filmed attacking villagers destroying their property. villagers say the army sides with the settlers and fails to protect them. creating what his mother says is a living nightmare.
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>> [speaking another language] >> human rights groups in israel and the west bank accused the army of disregard for palestinian lives, including children. the israel defense force rejects this. they told us they faced a surge in terrorist attacks since october 7 and they do not target children. and that live fire was only used after all other options were utilized. this human rights lawyer says soldiers will not be held accountable by israel and should be prosecuted by the international criminal court. >> nobody will hold them accountable. i believe that if there is an
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international accountability system enforced, i am sure they will change their mind. at least i know there will be something different. >> the family of amr do not expect justice. and while the israeli military said it is investigating the circumstances of his death, there is a hunger to fight back. >> [speaking another language] >> they are angry and they are afraid. a generation trapped. bbc news, the west bank. caitriona: joe biden first announced the new sea corridor into gaza, the european union is a partner coordinating the effort. the e.u. and u.s. or allied when it comes to ukraine and pushing back russia.
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both conflicts are causing friction between washington and brussels. the e.u.'s new ambassador to the united states, i spoke with her earlier. thank you for joining us on bbc news. we saw today a joint operation. the european union commission, the u.s., cyprus and aue establishing -- uae establishing aid. >> hopefully the pilot, the first try to get aid already happened over the weekend but it takes some time to make sure it is not just once at a time but it is a sustainable way to provide aid for the people in gaza and palestine. to make sure we ease the situation in the region. caitriona: what specifically is thee.u.'s role? >> to ensure the maritime
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corridor. to coordinate with the u.n. an government of israel to make sure the aid not only reaches the shores but is provided for the people who are in need. cyprus has been a part on the way to the region. hopefully this could really help. five of the e.u. member states are on board. we see it as a possibility to increase the aid and have the possibility to provide it as soon as possible. caitriona: the e.u. has not reached full agreement in terms of calling for a cease-fire or issuing sanctions and how to proceed without hungary's signature. does that lack of -- weaken efforts to try to influence israel? >> the priority is to stop the
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violence. the other one, on top of that is to make sure the hostages are released. to think about what is the day after for the e.u., the two-state solution is key to ensure long-term solutions. there are certain elements where all e.u. members agree. hostages, to not let the violence spread across the region. everyone right now in the region should stick to monetary and law and a system for the people who are in a dire situation and in need of this humanitarian assistance. caitriona: you mentioned the hostage deal. it does not look like one will conme at this point -- come at this point ahead of the deadline at ramadan. we have heard from humanitarian organizations about the absolute
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tragedy they say will happen if the idf goes in next week. what should the e.u. be doing geico >> i think that right now --be doing? >> right now, our representative was in the region. the involvement not only with palestine people but the countries in the region. it should be a effort with the uae and other arab countries. we have to put our efforts together to make sure that we stop violence and have the release of hostages. negotiators could proceed with their work. caitriona: let's talk about ukraine. just passed the second anniversary of the war in ukraine. the e.u. said it plans to continue talks with ukraine to become a member of the e.u.
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when do you think ukraine would become a full member? >> the support we provide as the e.u. for ukraine, $150 billion. the last decision was about $54 billion. the support is provided for economic needs as well for further stabilizing the economy, ensuring humanitarian support and military and defense. all of this is done by the e.u. member states. in december the decision was taken to start negotiations with ukraine. everything depends on both sides. the e.u. as an organization is ready and it declared so and is strong on that. preparations are ongoing. on the others, ukraine should be willing to implement certain reforms. as we see right now, a lot of
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support coming into ukraine is extremely important. ukraine is moving on reforming the judicial system, anticorruption system. imagine that those reforms are difficult to pursue, even in a time of peace. ukraine is moving at lightning speed, even in a time of war. it should be appreciated and taken into account. i cannot give you a deadline. i think it will be as fast as ukraine is ready. caitriona: we have seen in the last number of weeks ukraine happen to retreat from the front russia is making advances. how are you concerned for ukraine and with the e.u. with the progress russia is making? >> your president, president biden, was very bold in the state of the union address that
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the only country that can stop putin is ukraine. this can be done only if we have the proper support, sustainable support for ukraine on both sides of the atlantic and the e.u. and u.s. i think support cannot waiver. we need to act right now and pass the ukraine supplemental bill in congress right now. without that, there is a lack of military defense equipment for ukraine to make sure russia is not advancing and ukraine can protect itself, its own people and their own destiny. they have chosen to live in freedom and democracy and they want to do that. caitriona: if the members of the u.s. congress do not agree on the funding that joe biden has promised to president zelenskyy, 10 the e.u. step in? >> as i mentioned, we already provided 150 billion euros.
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it pays around half of that. there are other countries like japan, southorea and canada that are providing a bit. u.s. is providing a major part of defense support, which is extremely important right now while we see what is happening on the battlefield. even when the e.u. provides military support, almost 70% of the equipment are bought here in the united states. having money and defen production at the right pace is extremely important to ensure that ukraine stands and putin can face a strategic defeat. caitriona: we believe and therefore the moment. thank you very much for joining us on bbc news. thank you. search teams in northwest nigeria are rushing to find
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hundreds of students kidnapped. a teacher who managed to escape said gunmen who had arrived on motorbikes attack people who try to stop the children from being taken. it is the second mass kidnapping in northern nigeria in less than a week. last weekend to hundred people were taken captive in northeastern nigeria. they were living in a camp after fleeing their homes because of attacks by insurgents. several mass kidnappings have been carried out by a group operating in nigeria for 15 years. last year more than 3600 people were reportedly abducted but the number could be higher. the group came to international attention after they kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from their dormitories in 2014. >> the state is still reeling from the shock of the mass of duction of schoolchildren.
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many people say they are worried. the parents are anxious. they want to know the situation of their children. right now, there is no word yet on the whereabouts. one of the students who was shot during the kidnapping incident has died. 14 years old. the governor has promised the authorities would ensure that every child was brought back home safe and alive. he has been meeting with security agencies. bbc news, nigeria. caitriona: 10 years ago today an airliner carrying 200 39 people to beijing vanished midflight. all contact was lost with the flight after takeoff. there was no distress call or any indication of a problem. satellite data showed it looping
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back on itself, crossing malaysia again before disappearing over the indian ocean. our correspondent who has covered this extraordiry story from the beginning reports now. ♪ >> for 10 years, he and his wife have been waiting for news of their son. they have come back to malaysia from their small village in china to mark the 10th anniversary of his disappearance on flight 370. >> [speaking another language] >> the airline said they lost contact. i keep asking, what does that mean? i have been searching for my child for the last 10 years. if you lose contact with someone, you should be able to reconnect with them. >> the search for mh370 was the
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largest and most expensive in aviation history. all communications on the plane had been cut. satellite data suggested it had turned back and flown to the remote southern indiancean where it is presumed to have crashed. if you pieces from the plane where discovered on beaches in east africa. six years ago, the search was suspended. now a retired british aerospace technician things he has pinpointed a much smaller search area by analyzing snals sent out by shortwave radio enthusiasts. >> you can imagine a huge fisherman's net acrs the globe filled with radio signals. every time an aircraft passes through the net it breaks a hole and you know exactly where the aircraft was because you have a hole in the net at a particular point. >> the families badly need a breakthrough.
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they hold events like this every year to remind us that their loss is still unexplained. mr. lee's message is to his son. your momnd i have come to take you home, he wrote. these battered fragments are some of the very few pieces ever recovered from mh370. the lack of answers after all this time is a source of enduring pain for the families of those on board and there is a lot of frustration, too, over the lack of progress in the search for the missing plane. this year's event wasttended by malaysia's transport minister after complaints if government has been dragging their feet. we are negotiang a new search, he promised. there is no reluctance on part of the malaysian government. as far as the government is concerned, the search must go on. ♪
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>> mh370 is an unfinished story with aviation safety lessons yet to be learned. and for all the families, it is an unending tragedy. bbc news, kuala lumpur. caitriona: as international women's day highlights women's rights issues around the world, the un secretary-general warns backlash -- people in countries across the globe have been taking part in events in an effort to bring positive change. irish citizens are voting into referenda that would change the constitution's language on family care. voters are being asked if they want to expand the definition of family to include unmarried couples and single-parent families. there are being asked if they want to remove a reference to a role of a woman in the home. this is the moment outside the
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justice ministry in paris. abortion was decriminalized in france 50 years ago but parliament voted to amend the constitution on friday. the u.n.'s fund for agricultural development said it is investing in women in rural areas providing opportunities to make it easier for women to start their own businesses and challenge gender inequality in agriculture. small groups of afghan women held demonstrations in recent years. activists have been forced off the streets and a crackdown by the taliban. women in afghanistan are barred without traveling -- barred from traveling without a male relative. in japan, six women are suing the government for the right to keep their own surnames after marriage. japan is the only country in the world that requires spouses to use the same surname as their spouse. that is it for the moment. i am caitriona perry. thank you so much for watching
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world news america. you can keep up-to-date with everything on bbc.com/news. thank you for watching. do take care. bye now. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
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