>> this is bbc "world news america." >> 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, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm sunny days,

cooling trade winds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> and now, bbc "world news america." katty: this is bbc "world news america." reporting from washington, i am katty kay. an investigation after a crashed in the colombian drug -- jungle carrying a brazilian football team. paying respects to the late fidel castro. a rally is being held for the former leader. she flipped for 4 olympic golds in rio. now simone biles tells us about life on and off the mat. >> i like, i can do this, and you're like, simone, you probably can't.

katty: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. brazil is in mourning after an airplane carrying one of the best known football teams crashed in colombia. they're on their way to the biggest game in the squad's history when the plane went down. , sixople were killed survived. investigators are trying to find out what led to the disaster. we are in colombia with the report. reporter: the airplane bringing the players, coaching staff, crew membersand 9 was minutes away from landing and it came down outside the city. officials were optimistic, but were optimistic that as many as 30 people survived.

the more they searched, the more bodies they found. they had been traveling to -- mbia to take part in these pictures are from the departure lounge. the goalkeeper and the defender, th initially reported to have survived. three members of the team, to crew, and one reporter survived. they were saved by the fact that the airplane did not burst into flames on impact. the director of this hospital told the the survivors would face trauma. >> one player had to have his leg amputated. he has seen his livestream come to an end. it was incredible he survived at all. these images released by the hapeconenseeam c

last week. the game they were to play in colombia would have been the biggest in the club's history after what had written a fairytale season for this small team of from southern brazil. shock,, fans gathered in struggling to absorb the news that many of their heroes had and killed. of they playedch here we were so happy. we went to sleep with a dream and woke up with a nightmare. we were almost there. it was the best moment of our lives. all the brazilian teams were supporting us. we were the most loved team in brazil today. reporter: they bow their heads in remembrance. as the world of football paid tribute, wembley arch was lit in the colors of the team hit by

such a shocking tragedy. whatever the survivors can tell authorities about the moments leading to the crash will help investigators. the fork is now -- the focus now is on morurning. katty: there has been an extraordinary outpouring of sympathy. the footballing community and from brazil. is that reaching people in medellin? of course. the football community in colombia has been paying tribute. wheren medellin chapecoense was due to play the final, they said the title has b thathanded to the clu has suffered so greatly. there will also be a memorial event at the time the team was due to take to the field for what should have been their

greatest moment. a lot of shock being felt. heard rumorshave about what is going on with the investigation. we have just been speaking to isestigators who say that their priority, it is the bodies of those killed. most of them, all of them, have been recovered. most have been taken off of the mountain side. the crash site is just over the hill. there are a few left on the mountain. we have heard news the brazilian army will send a military airplane to take the bodies back this time tomorrow for an incredibly sad repatriation mission. tragedy, that awful crash. the football community around the world's empathizing, of course -- around the world sympathizing, of course.

in aleppo, syria and forces areas. into rebel held the situation on the ground is getting worse. our correspondent lyse doucet is in damascus with this report. bounds are dropping on east aleppo. it is already a wasteland after years of war. the search for targets has not stopped, nor does the desperate quest. this is the agony of life and death and aleppo for those who remain trapped in what the u.n. calls a slow-motion descent into living hell. >> there is a lot of devastation.

they are hitting us with everything from all sides. our children are all dead. lyse: now, there is a chance to escape. the syrian forces push forward, and rebel fighters retreat. thousands of families are seizing this moment. they are running with whatever worldly goods they can carry. many are headed to the government-side of aleppo. at the center, russian allies are handing out blankets. theywho make it here said would have left rebel territory sooner if they had then able to. the situation is very bad. we did not have anything to eat, not even bread. are reports young men are being detained and questioned by syrian security forces. filmed by the

military shows what rebel fighters left behind as they fled in the face of a stunning advance. over the past few days syrian by allies,ked recaptured half of rebel held territory in the east of the city. they are not stopping. and aleppo -- an aleppo mp shows me where the fighting is going next despite calls for the fighting to stop. >> the human suffering should end. the only way it ends is when terrorists leave our city. that is it. it is our duty to get rid of terrorism. terrorism should not be in aleppo or syria. lyse: they are vowing to take back all of the city. rebel commanders say they are not giving up.

for now, the battle goes on, whatever the human cost. katty: lyse doucet reporting from damascus. in iraq, islamic state militants have been killing civilians in mosul as the battle for the city intensifies. iraqi authorities launched an intensive to retake mosul six-months ago. tens of thousands have fled the refugeeten ending up in camps. our correspondent has the report of one family. her report contains distressing images. orla: those who fled mosul stranded in the sand. .his is hasansham camp every day there are thousands of arrivals. among the countless victims of i.s., some barely clinging to

life. old.-- he is 2.5 years he cries constantly from hunger pains. hassan,his brother, nine years old and severely malnourished. mother says the boys were healthy until 18 months ago when they were ravaged by a high fever and sudden illness. she doesn't know the cause. the family could not afford a good doctor and in the past month they could not get food and water. they were rescued by the iraqi army last week. she says, in her eyes, her treasured sons are already gone. her husband told me he pleaded with i.s. repeatedly to let him get help for his children. his fingers with

a hammer, threatened to pull out his nails, and threatened to kill him. we are concealing his identity because he has relatives in mosul. his grandfather says the boy hiss his fingers to ease hunger. he used to be chubby, he says, before breaking down. alerted the camp authorities, they brought help for the first time since the family arrived five days ago. along with mattresses and food, hope for medical attention. attention.d quick they need to be in a special hospital, they need special treatment. orla: this should be an emergency? >> exactly. just ao ambulance, private car.

there is no indication of mass malnutrition in mosul, but this family says i.s. condemned their sons to waste away. northern iraq. katty: the misery of people trying to escape from the so-called islamic state. the dutch parliament's lower wearingted to ban the inlower face coverings schools, hospitals, and the public transport. the marshall b -- partial ban must be approved by the senate. in cuba, thousands are gathering in havana to mark the death of former leader fidel castro. for more on the activities i spoke with barbara plett pressure. there has been outpouring of emotion in cuba,

and now it is the chance for cuban allies. who is there? barbara: two dozen heads of state have come, most from latin america and africa, the countries that admired fidel castro for his socialist revolutionary background. venezuela,lies from bolivia, other latin american allies. abe and jacobrt mug zuma. fidel castro was a strong and wasr of the amc very popular in africa. cuba's major allies have not sent presidents. they have sent delegations but not leaders. western governments are keeping a lower profile because of fidel castro's contentious human rights records.

it is complicated for the obama administration because president obama wants to protect what he has with cuba, but with mr. trump threatening to rewind that detente, he does not want to excite more criticism. he wants to show there are still differences with this regime. he sent a close presidential advisor as a sign he wants to keep up the relationship. katty: you have seen a lot of people in tears for fidel castro. have you heard any voices of dissent? we have not seen or dissent.lic voices of it is mostly and outpouring of favor. the grief i think is genuine. many people who are more and ambivalent about fidel castro respect him as a

nationalist leader for getting cuba on the world stage. i know from other visits people are fed up with the economic price here they would like a more normal country and economy. then you have the dissidents that protest against political repression. there has been a decision to keep that thing quiet and allow the mourning. period to pass before people speak out. katty: you are watching bbc "world news america." still to come on the program, what will donald trump's policies mean for the middle east? we speak with someone who has been at the heart of negotiations for his take. russia is upgrading underground nuclear shelters to a comment -- to accommodate every tensionssident over with the west over ukraine and syria.

reporter: i'm about to go inside a protective civil defense structure, a bunker. here we are inside. this was built in the soviet union in the 1980's. look at the door, how thick it is. they will be shut in the event of an emergency. this is the main part of the bunker. it is big enough to receive more than 2000 people, residents from the local neighborhood. normally this is used to store things. also as a barrage. the authorities say that in the event of a chemical, biological, or nuclear attack everything is ready. there are little rooms to the side of the bunker. this one is the storage facility. this is the filtration and ventilation room. this is where the air comes in

and is cleaned with the help of equipment. these are the bathroom , andities with taps, sinks toilets. they are covered, but in full working order. you can forget creature comforts. on benches like this or sleep on benches like this. the ideas people will spend a couple of days, then they will need to replenish the water and get fresh food. although this offers some protection it is limited. donald trump has made 2 appointments to his cabinet. the u.s. president-elect has chosen elaine chao for the department of transportation and

tom price as the health secretary. dan quayle was seen going into trunk tower in new york. he was under the first president bush and backed trump's campaign. he will be secretary of state? one of the challenges will be the israeli-palestinian situation. george mitchell looks at the history of past negotiations and maps a way forward. senator mitchell, your book is called a path to peace. does such a path exist? itchell: there is -- it is important for continuity towards a two state solution that will provide security for the people of israel and an independent, sovereign,

non-militarized state for the palestinian people. there will have to be innovations on the fact that 12 previous presidents and 12 previous secretaries of state were not able to achieve that objective. the book argues the only feasible solution likely to succeed is the to-state solution. i hope that will be the objective of the united states' policy. katty: donald trump has said he would like to be the one to succeed where previous president have failed to bring peace between palestinians and israelis. do you think he can do it? sen. mitchell: i hope and pray he can do there has been effort without success, though progress has been made, the progress of onotiations build discussions. it is a matter of time before it israelis and palestinians

recognize their self-interest is best served by an agreement that involves 2 states living side by side in peace. a top he says he is negotiator, that is why he thinks he can do it where others have not managed. do you think there's anything about him and his approach to a problem like this that would allow him to succeed? sen. mitchell: we don't know that until he deals with these kinds of issues, not just israelis and palestinians, but the conflict in which that exists in the wider middle east -- a series of turbulent upheavals going on. we will see how it goes, but i think the hopes and wishes of all americans will be with him to succeed in what he says will be an important issue for him. katty: let's look back. are there opportunities that have been clearly missed by the united states in this quest? sen. mitchell: i don't think the

united states has missed opportunities. i think the palestinians katty: and israelis have missed opportunities. not in the role of negotiator or peace broker? sen. mitchell: one can argue orh decisions made here there, but the united states government is the only entity with the capacity to create conditions were negotiations can occur and ensure the implementation. we have built on prior discussions and negotiations. everyone is human and every human institution is imperfect. there are mistakes made along the way. the two state solution, the people of israel, a successful state having security, and the palestinian people having an independent, sovereign, ized state should

remain the outcome of american policy. katty: thank you for joining us. sen. mitchell: thank you for having me. katty: the 19-year-old who stole the show at the olympics. simone biles struck gold four times with highflying routines that wowed all of us. our 100 women series speaks about her accomplishments and her life beyond the sport. twisting double back, so easy, so powerful. her ability to soar seamlessly through the air won her legions of fans and 4 gold medals in rio. simone: i don't have a secret. i've always trusted myself and my gymnastics. i have been fortunate that i have been blessed with the body i was born with. sometimes my head gets a height of my body.

i think i can do this, no coming you probably can't. rajini: she left off of furniture. she was adopted by her grandparents after biological mother struggled with addiction. simone: i felt everyone was adopted. it never fazed me. it is all i have ever known. my parents taught us to strive to perfection. at the beginning of the year, my mom would make me write goals on a piece of paper and take it to her. that is how i have been driven because i have the next goal in mind. president obama only one american woman has ever won gold on the vault. simone biles. she achieved her goal at the white house, but was honored by president obama, who even did the splits. got to present a surfboard to them that all the olympians signed. we were taking crazy pictures.

simone receives. at 19 she has achieved celebrity status. dealing with her fans can be hard. simone: the crying ones get me. please stop crying, you will make me cry. it makes me happy and sad. it is tears of joy, but it scares me sometimes. rajini: on the mat, she is fearless. she hopes to compete in the 2020 olympics and one day perhaps become a nurse. this teenager from texas has already reached great heights. comes in ane biles, little package with a lot of power and an extraordinary smile she used through the olympics that won her millions of fans. you can find out more of the .ews on our website

if you like to reach me and the team find us on twitter. i am @kattykaybbc. from all of us here, thank you for watching. i will see you back here 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, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the

island with warm sunny days, cooling trade winds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.

announcer: pbs kids dives into our newest show "splash and bubbles" splash: hey. i have an idea for us! let's make our own school of fish! ripple: like, more than a shoal? a real school that dances together? bubbles: that would be so cool! splash: follow my moves. it's easy! okay, so do like this. mm mm mm... then you do a little of this... do-do-do-to-do. ripple: a little of this... splash: maybe "it's easy!" wasn't quite right... [every one making silly noises] dunk: and we're nailing it! gush: maybe i can help. i used to be quite the dancer! bubbles: you're going to help us? gush: of course! i was never in a fancy school like jerome but i still have the moves! here's the frog fish flop! and one! everyone: whoa! gush: and two! everyone: whoa ho! wow! gush: and over we go!! everyone: woah! [laughter] announcer: jump into the deep end