>> this is "bbc world news." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, and mufg. >> they say the oldest trees bear the sweetest fruit. at mufg, we have believed in nurturing banking relationships for centuries, because strong financial partnerships are best cultivated

for the years to come -- giving your company the resources and stability to thrive. mufg -- we build relationships that build the world. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> this is "bbc world news america". dozens more migrants are feared drowned in the mediterranean. s a staggering 10,000 have come ashore in italy. rebels in al qaeda season airport. where art meets the streets of new york city. a modern trouour has people putting on their headphones and chasing the pack.

kathy: welcome to our viewers on public television in america. italian police say they have arrested a group of muslim migrants after they allegedly threw some christian migrants off a boat. as many as 40 are feared to have drowned after the boat cap side. the numbers of people attempting the crossing is staggering. 10,000 have come ashore in italy in the last week alone. james reynolds reports from sicily. james: without a word. this group of migrants stepped off the rescue ship into europe. [speaking french] how long were you at sea? i asked this man from mali. three days, he said. the arrivals include this 10-year-old boy, also from mali.

italian investigators have heard some horrific stories of violence at sea. today, a group of muslim migrants was arrested. they are accused of throwing christian passengers overboard. in an argument about religion. making it to europe alive is something but it is not the end of this odyssey. they've now got to find a way of starting a new life in a strange continent. this week's arrivals also include these children, carefully holding onto the rope as they get off the ship. the youngest may never remember their journey across the mediterranean. for some, life in italy begins with a single slice of pizza. hundreds are rescued migrants sleep on the floor of a. committee center others sit listlessly in the garden.

human rights organizations accuse the eu, including britain, of making the journey more dangerous by not fully replacing italy's search and rescue mission which ended in november. italy calls for help from europe. are you able to cope with so many refugees? >> [speaking italian] i think that italy is not ready to face this emergency with sony migrants coming. it is europe that must deal with this problem. james: italy has sent hundreds of migrants to live in this military base in the shadow of mt. etna. 25 year old abu from sudan dreams of studying in the u.k. >> when i was in sudan -- i had james: you want to be in oxford? to study? >> i am going to study. james: the migrants lined up in

the harbor may have similar dreams of their own. a promised land comes in small steps. james reynolds bbc news, italy. kathy:. the numbers are extraordinary 10,000 immigrants have made it into italy this week alone. in yemen militants linked to and qaeda -- to al qaeda expanded their control in the region. yemeni officials say the extremist class with governing officials. troups had fled the area. the group that is al qaeda in the arabian peninsula has been taking advantage of the instability in yemen. a saudi led air campaign has been battling houti rebels. a top u.s. envoy has stepped down. ashton carter today called for a political solution to the fighting. secretary carter: the objective there is to restore a political process there in which a

legitimate government can be established in yemen and things can settle down there. that is good for the people of yemen, first and foremost. it is good for saudi arabia. those on its southern border. it's good for us, among other reasons because of the presence in yemen. kathy: i am joined by barbara the former u.s. ambassador to yemen. do you think there is a chance of a political solution to what is happening in yemen? ambassador bodi: the only solution to what is happening is going to be political. the airstrikes are not going to resolve the situation and they are making it worse. there are the pieces of a political solution out there. the un is appointing a new envoy. an interesting little twist is that there's now a new vice

president for the legitimate government. that sets up a possibility of being able to retain the legitimate government but have -- step down. saleh, according to one report has said he is looking for asylum. neutral territory where all parties could assemble, there could be a political solution. kathy: the saudi airstrikes are in the third week. it does not seem to have stopped the rebels from advancing very far. investor ambassador bodi: i do not think it has accomplished anything. the idea of putting ground troops either saudi or egyptian, the pakistanis have declined, that is not going to work. so if the game was to try to get the houthis to the table then

we need to start looking for the table. those airstrikes are not going to work. kathy: do you think america was correct in supporting the saudis? ambassador bodi: i do not really think so. i think we should have pushed immediately for a political solution, recognizing that a saudi fversion of shock and awe was not going to college anything. now that it has proved itself to be ineffective, we should be quietly perhaps supporting those who want to get this to a negotiating table. kathy: where does this leave aqap? ambassador bodi: as long as the houthis and the saudis and the central government is spending all its time shooting at it self aqa p can operate with impunity. kathy: taking advantage of the power vacuum?

ambassador bodi: taking total advantage. the central government is not focusing on them. the saudis are not focusing on them. if we are concerned about regional stability, we have to have a political solution so that we can get back to the two main issues which is rebuilding yemen as a sustainable state and focusing on al qaeda. and other bad players in the region. kathy: you will have to have riyad and tehran prepared to sit at the table together. ambassador bodi: at least they need to be able to operate in the quarters of the conversations. so what you need to do is find someone in the region who has good relations with iran good relations with the saudis, isn't participant in the coalition fighting and there is somebody who fits that. an e-harmony personality. that would be oman who is

really well placed to be the convener. kathy: let's hope you're right and see what oman does. russian president vladimir putin today took part in his annual phone in, taking calls from members of the public. he held shihis line that russia's economic problems are not as bad as some are returning them. sarah -- has more. sarah: carried live across the country. russia's annual phone in with the president is a major event. for vladimir putin, it is a chance to show he is a leader who's missing. he managed to hit another record. 3 million people send questions. this year, it was the economy that took center stage. inflation has been soaring since the oil price fell. mr. putin predicted a rapid

recovery. as for sanchez, he painted them as an opportunity for economic reform -- as for sanctions, he painted them as an opportunity for economic reform. it is about using them for our dentist. -- for our advantage. this opposition figure asked about mounting evidence about russia's military aggression and ukraine. mr. putin was categorical. there are no russian troops there, he said. the whole event in the studio was clearly choreographed. but the questions were real. there was far less patriotic puff this year. and a much closer focus on russia's real economic and social problems. and that's what people we spoke to wanted to hear about. we found this man a few hours' drive west of moscow building a

traditional bath house. his pension is not enough to live on. but there is little demand for his constructions. people here have less money to spare now. >> we want to live better, with better pensions. prices are going up. you still have to live. sarah: financial problems have left the train station deserted. rural service was cut in half after moscow/subsidies. outside russia it's vladimir putin's vision that is the main concern. many and the west have begun to see russia as a security threat. are they right to be afraid of russia? >> no, they are not right. i believe the theory comes from countries that want to create riusussia as an eneemmy. sarah: so another marathon

session has wrapped up. the only question left now is whether mr. putin can actually deliver on the promises he made here. kathy: four hours. that is a lot of time to answer questions. other news from around the world. fighting is underway for control of rammadi. u.s. led coalition forces have launched airstrikes. the iraqi government troops also reported to be fighting against i.s. tens of thousands of -- are fleeing as the violence intensifies. south africa's president has condemned violence against foreigners as shocking and unacceptable. five people have been killed since last week in attacks on migrants who have been accused of taking local jobs. mr. zuma said the attack violated respect for life and human rights. just three weeks from now, voters in the u.k. will go to the polls. and tonight five of the

opposition candidates squared off in a debate. the event was notable as much for what happened onstage as for those who decided not to appear on it. a short time ago, i was joined by rob watson. rob, it was a strange debate for people watching because the prime minister was not actually there. rob: absolutely. it was externally. it was the first thing that struck a lot of voters watching in the u.k. and around the world. it was like having a big movie and the star actor had not turned up. of course, what they did was left the stage open for a lot of hitting to and for. it was a free-for-all with david cameron not being there. kathy: right, so he didn't show up because he thought it would not help him. to some extent, didn't hurt him? rob: i thinks its swings and roundabouts. on the one hand, it is a bad thing not to be there. throwing punches at your

policies. you ought to give one back. there were attacks from the left criticizing austerity. on the other hand, david cameron mayfield of voters will -- may f eel that the voters will look at the leaders on stage a coalition of the left, and think, i am not sure i want this lot to be in the government together. kathy: rob, this was not meant to be a debate about the health care services in britain but it did strike me how often the candidates kept returning to that issue. how important is it to british voters, the future of the nhs? rob: the nhs is the closest thing to britain has a national religion that everyone can agree on. a fabulous institution. maybe he could do better sometimes, but by and large -- you are a live rail. it is a huge issue.

again, i think what i would say is that not surprisingly all the leaders on stage had a go at t he government spending cuts at the issue of austerity. yes, the nhs is important in david cameron is not there to defend the record. kathy: our national religion the nhs. you are watching "bbc world news america." could china's economic strength the exaggerated? a former american treasury secretary weighs in on that. the search area for the missing malaysia airlines plane mh370 is set to doubled if the aircraft is not found. jenny has more for us. jenny: it's become one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history, but it is when investigators are determined to solve. the mh370 vanished on the eighth of march last year, after

veering off course. no trace has been found of the boeing 777 aircraft, but it is believed to have crashed in the indian ocean off australia's west coast. it takes six days for teams to get to the sesrch area, -- s earch area, which covers 60,000 square kilometers. despite only being able to operate at walking pace, the teams have covers 60% of the zone so far and are on target to cover the whole area by the end of may. if the wreckage is not been found, the search area will be doubled. >> we think it is important for the families seeking closure for the aviation industry, for those people who travel in aircraft from time to time, that this search is successful in achieving its objective -- the high resolution of the pictures the ministers have been shown today is a high level of confidence.

if there is any piece of the aircraft that is within the range of these vehicles, that they will pick it up and be able to identify it. jenny the extended shieaearch could take up to a year. by then, 95% of the flight path would have been explored. not an easy task as the southern hemisphere heads into winter. experts are, however, confident they will find the missing plane eventually. kathy: china has the world's second-largest economy after america and is growing fast. the big puzzle for u.s. policymakers seems to be what to expect. it is a question that hank p aulson explores in his new book

"dealing with china." the examines how the u.s. should work with the country going forward. i was joined by mr. paulson speak about the book. your book is called "dealing with china." what advantages to china have compared to the united states? secretary paulson: they have got some advantages and they have got some major disadvantages. i would say the biggest advantage they have is they still have the opportunity for rapid growth, even though it is going to be much slower, because they have at least another 100,000 people in poverty -- which is a disadvantaged -- but there is an awful lot of opportunity for continued growth albeit much less than the growth has been in the past. but the united states has far more advantages. i think the problems we have pale in comparison to those that china has.

i think that there's actually more danger, at least as much danger in exaggerating china's strength as it there is an underestimating the potential. kathy: too many americans look at the education capacity, they look at the benefits that a controlled economy can have in terms of taking stimulus, anything, wow. we are never going to be able to compete. secretary paulson: some people say they have developed a better form of capitalism. i say not true. there is a naive view of certain americans that it is an authoritarian government that they can just place an order. well next time you see him just say this or that. whisper in the emperors ear. but frankly, his political problems are very significant. and he is trying to transform this whole country. major reforms, and the most difficult once there isn't a

consensus. it is going to take a good while, and he's going to have to consolidate more power to get it done. so it is one thing to talk about rebottingoting a $10 trillion economy. it is another thing to do it. he is not only try to do that but clean up a dirty environment, change the whole relationship between the central government and missable governments. -- municipal governments. modernize institutions. and to do all that through a party which is rife with corruption. kathy: you were treasury secretary during the financial crash. it was at that point that people started asking questions about western capitalist models. i imagine they were asking those questions in china too.how to the crash look from beijing ? secretary paulson: in terms of america's standing in the world, i remember just like it was

yesterday in june, 2008. when the vice premier in my counterpart arrived for our strategic economic dialogue meetings in washington, d.c. i'd been pressing him to open up their capital markets. he said, we will have difficulty doing that. our teacher does not look so smart anymore. so again i could say everything i wanted to say about how we are moving to -- they could learn from our mistakes. i knew he believed reform was the right thing, but a healthy strong, dynamic economy is a prerequisite to global leadership. kathy: ahnhank paulson, thanks for coming. in. now for a guided city tour. remote x is part of an

international project sponsored by a german project. tom: early in the morning, a cemetery in new york. 50 citizens gather sporting headphones. it is a tightly orchestrated two hour tour in whcihich a prerecorded voice give directions through the headphones. >> my name is heather. i will try to be your friend. >> she announces i am a computer. i do not have a body. that is why it starts in greenwood cemetery in brooklyn. there is a lot of discussion of, what does it mean to have a body? >> eaddead humans leave a body behind. tom: there is much that is not morbid. heather encourages dancing. she gets the group to race. on a train, participants are

prompted to act in unison to pretend to tie their shoelaces at once. other passengers to not know what is going on. there is something slightly subversive. new york trying to get people to reflect on collective behavior. and explore the nature of urban life. >> is a city like a body with elements or is it just a random group of people trying to get out of each other's way? hatom: will t -- this live art experience has its followers. but is it more than a gimmick? it encourages a fatalistic introspection. heather: imagine your own dead body. tom: too many participants what the tour did do is make them think about how a group behaved. heather asking us to indulge in negative thoughts towards other participants. heather: whose telephone number

would you like to have and who would you prefer never to see again? tom: the tour is testing our relationship to technology and asking should be always obey the signals from our digital devices? >> the technology tells us where we need to be, tell us how to get there. it tells us, gives us access to the resources we need throughout our day. is the technology in control or are we? tom: let go of your past. the german art collective that sponsors remote new york is spreading its wings, operating in 20 cities. next month they will appear in moscow. kathy: a guided tour as you have never seen it before. would you follow heather's directions? remember you can find out more of the day's news on her website.

if you would like to meet me and the team, you can find us on twitter. from all of us, thanks so much for watching. do tune in again tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation newman's own foundation giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, and mufg. >> it's a global truth -- we can do more when we work together. at mufg, our banking relationships span cultures and support almost every industry

across the globe. because success takes partnership, and only through discipline and trust can we create something greater than ourselves. mufg -- we build relationships that build the world. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: europe versus google. we talk with the e.u. commissioner who charges the u.s. tech giant with working as a monopoly. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead this thursday: americans struggle to move up and out of poverty. the challenges for welfare to work, as jobs training programs dwindle and steady wages shrink. >> welfare recipients languish in the system and many others are rejected from the system and left to make it on their own, and quite frankly they don't. >> woodruff: then, a blast that rocked the nation. looking back at the oklahoma city