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tv   BBC World News America  PBS  December 14, 2016 2:30pm-3:01pm PST

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>> 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,
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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." >> welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. a first attempt at trying to get people out of aleppo. a new cease-fire to get rebels out, but the situation is not clear. the u.s. federal reserve raises interest rates for the second time in a decade and forecasts more to come. could volcanoes help power the future? toentists are digging deep find an unlikely new source of energy.
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>> welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. the first attempt to get rebels aleppo failed. a new cease-fire has been agreed, but the situation is still confused. the small part of the city's of the city still under rebel control was pounded by airstrikes. lyse doucet has reports from beirut. quiet became another day of war, shattering a cease-fire hours after it started. hope that the of accuracy of aleppo was over. especially for those still trapped in what was left of the east of the city.
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>> all the people were excited and happy to evacuate the city finally. lyse: imagine what it is like for children without parents. orphans sent a message to the world. >> please let us evacuate aleppo. we cannot go outside because of the airstrikes. we are afraid. we would really like you to help us leave aleppo. we would like to live like everyone else. this morning, before first light, the buses, ambulances, did move in ready to bring out the ill and injured, the
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children and the fighters. back byt was turned pro-government militia. the buses waited for hours backy pro-government militia. . more than 100,000 people escaped corner, fleeing under fire. a brutish existence, of victory just to survive. many did not. is raising concerns over alleged massacres of civilians. an accusation dismissed by president assad. >> if we liberate aleppo from , -- they are not worried from the opposite happens, the terrorists killing the civilians. lyse: state tv shows what they
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say is the evidence, a weapons factory captured during the resistance. it is been so hard to reach a deal to let the fighters go. >> after all of the bombing, g, killing ofin 11,000 civilians in the western part of aleppo. no one wants to see them just go. lyse: the fight goes on, but there are reports that a new deal is done. that rebels will leave, and evacuation of civilians will happen, and the brutal battle for aleppo may be over. lyse doucet, bbc news, beirut. .atty: the images are grim could the west have done more? i spoke with the john kirby. john kirby, as you have watched the bloodshed, is there
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anything you wish the united states had done differently? clearly we are not happy about the situation and aleppo or syria at large. no one is more frustrated than secretary kerry. that is why he has been on the phone talking to the turkish and russian foreign minister, the q uatar touring minister, trying to find a way through. easier to go back to monday morning quarterback to find out what could have been done differently. at the very least, what could have been different was rush's support for the assad regime. say thee critics that diplomatic approach the united states has tried to pursue has a fruitful outcome.
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we do not disagree we have not gotten where we want to get to. the responsibility really needs to be placed on the shoulders of russia and the regime who continue these brutal acts under gravity against their own people despite calls were a political solution and peaceful outcome. katty: if you look at the situation in aleppo, you have to think that although there were risks of america taking more involvement in the syrian situation, it could not be much worse for the people of aleppo? john: you cannot look at those images and not agree. would have been better for america to get more involved? john: i do not think that is the case. i would push back on the idea we have not been involved. we have very involved. the united states was a leader in getting a u.n. security council resolution in place to
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of activitiestion and the delivery of humanitarian aid, which never got there because syria and russia did not permit it. we have been consistent, as has most of the international community. what needs to happen is a political outcome. while military solutions mays team attractive, they will not get us to a sustainable and peaceful syria. katty: september 2013, president obama's decision not to attack president assad's forces after he crossed the red line of chemical or says. america left a vacuum and russia stepped in? john: i would dispute the narrative that we left a vacuum. what happened was we struck a the with russia to get
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declared chemical stockpiles out of syria. we did that. , removing the chemical weapons and materials would not have happened had it not been for the credible threat of military force the president laid out. i will not dispute that russia made a change in their calculus. that't know it was about issue, around that issue, but they made a decision later to use military horse to bolster the assad regime. because of that support, assad is on the brink of retaking aleppo. here is the thing, we need to look at where we are now. even with the end of the siege of aleppo, there is no end to the war in syria. by taking aleppo back, they have encouraged more terrorists to come into syria and flung more people into refuge. the idea of the military option, you are looking at to be a 10 to find a military solution in
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syria, it will not end this war. have doneld america more? for more on the international reaction i spoke with a columnist. the americans clearly saying this is not there responsibility. it is that of the assad government and the russians. when it comes to the silence on the fate of aleppo, it has not only been the west. the arab countries have not stepped into help the people of aleppo. have been known to this. that explains in part, not excuse but explain, the shameful silence. there is no more outreach. on the part of arab leaders and intellectuals. people in cairo don't care because they have their own problems. people in baghdad don't care
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because they have their own violence. same in other places. there is a failure on moral and political grounds. throughout. not only in syria, but yemen and other places. the main corporate's are the syrian regime, iran, and their allies. there is more responsibility lacking. when was the last time barack obama mentioned aleppo? aleppo will haunt him forever. what we have seen in aleppo, the monumental carnage is unique that never before -- we have seen it streamlined live, heard killed on youtube, their cries, and there is incredible indifference. katty: use at a level haunt the obama administration, and it should haunt everybody, what
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happens to the rebels trapped in that city? does the fall of aleppo push them further into the arms of extremists? that webody believes were abandoned. there is a sense of abandonment. and thedonment of jews, city of aleppo. aleppo, in our collective memories as arabs, is one of the great cities. damascus, cairo, aleppo. it is like athens, rome, london. it is part of my collective memory as an air of growing up. i see the city being pulverized. in aleppo, you see one layer of civilization above the other. jews, arabs, christians. that city has been up
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-- has been obliterated. doing it for their own strategic interests, not to help the syrians in their fight to end power themselves to fight for democracy, for freedom. the abandonment of syria is irreversible. katty: thank you very much. of syria.nment today, the u.s. federal reserve raised at key interest rate for the second time in 10 years, a sign that economy is stronger here are the fed's signals there could be more rate increases. i spoke with the senior economic correspondent for the new york times. is this the beginning of the end of free money? to be fed is trying careful. they do not want to have to backtrack. they are pretty careful. they signaled in the projections that they may raise rates three times in 2017. that is subject to change, but
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that means we would be getting away wrong the era of zero rates that has been in place for a decade. katty: what are they basing that prediction on next year? >> the u.s. labor market is at 4.6% unemployment, wages are rising, there is a risk of overheating. they worry if they wait too long , we could see how you inflation down the road. into whateverd the trunk economic policy turns out to be. katty: whoever president-elect trump takes to be the next head of the treasury, they would expect interest rates to rise more, something americans would have to get used to. if the interest rates go up, what effects with that have on stimulating growth? >> it would shift the patterns of growth we have had. it would be hard for real estate industries, anything that
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depends on credit, and it depends on what else is going on in the economy. cuts,is funded by tax deregulation, infrastructure spending, it could pivot away from the drivers into other fields like infrastructure. fiscalwe are headed into expansion where we will have deregulation, lower taxes, and more growth. the market seems to love these proposals from donald trump. you're not sure that will result in the growth mr. trump would like to see? >> i think market sentiment has jumped in front of the facts. the stuff that helps corporate profits lower tax rates, deregulation, infrastructure, none of the bad stuff. wars, geopolitical uncertainty, scrimmages, the market assumes that won't happen. what the fed wants to do, and people in markets want to do,
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you see what happens and react when we see what takes place. katty: thank you for coming in. have stolenpackers data from one billion user accounts. they believe the latest breach is different from previous hacks that affected 500 million accounts. the stolen information may include names, email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. you are watching bbc "world news america." concern over civilian casualties the white house to cancel some arms sales in saudi arabia. accused of blocking the internet to stifle dissent on social media. the human rights group amnesty international has evidence that werear websites and apps shut down for weeks during antigovernment protests.
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it has been frustrating following the restrictions on the internet. a shutdown following violent antigovernment protests in the region. international reports say between june and october 16 websites were blocked. small businesses like this one are counting their losses. two months, a complete shutdown of mobile data. .hat is now accessible amnesty international says the shutdown was meant to silence demonstrators during the wave of protests in november of last year. they claim the government is using technology to spy on the activities of its citizens, and the surveillance has gone beyond
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the necessary safeguards. >> it does not have any basis in law. rather than being a form of expression, it prohibits all expression. that is quite concerning. it has been out of touch. at least 11,000 people, journalists and politicians, have been arrested since the state of emergent the. with no sign of being lifted, access to the internet and social media is likely to remain difficult. katty: president obama canceled arms sales to saudi arabia because of the conduct in yemen. there is concern over casualties
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over airstrikes against rebel forces. the saudi bombing of a funeral in october, when they used american weapons killing 104 people and injuring hundreds. reporting from the capital of yemen. reporter: this is the site of the deadliest attack in yemen's 21 month war. a community hall in the capital city. on october 8, thousands were making their way to mourn the loss of a respected tribal leader. his funeral was widely advertised. any civilians came to pay respects, and some rebel government leaders. at the height of the funeral, the building was bombed by a coalition warplanes. a 500 pound american-made bomb crashed through the roof and exploded, causing devastation.
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14-year-old hussein was caught in the explosion. reporter: his leg was trapped in the rubble. desperate to get out, he and his father drew their daggers to cut it off. the decision saved his life. reporter: the first airstrikes stopped here. the people running out of the windows, the first responders were coming in to treat the casualties. six or seven minutes later, the second airstrike dropped over here. 2 airstrikes on the same target is known as a double tap.
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this can be classified as a war crime. white house officials expressed immediate concern, warning that security cooperation with saudi arabia was not a blank check. the u.s. government has been the saudi coalition's strongest backer providing support, including midair refueling. the recently retired ambassador worked with the state department and was dealing with the yemen war for more than one year. engagede not actively in supporting the government of saudi arabia in carrying out these actions. reporter: you are providing them with the airplanes, the bonds, advice, and refuteling the committingaid to be war crimes. does that not make the american government complicit if war crimes are being committed? >> i don't think so.
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reporter: a u.s. congressman believes that his government needs to change its policy and cooperating with saudi arabia. >> you can be guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes. if you are in that operation, refueling a jet does constitute a war crime, opening the united states to risk. we need to stop doing it. reporter: the airplane that carried out the funeral attack was directed by the yemenese without their knowledge. over 10,000 people have been killed. homesns have lost their with no end in sight to the war. bbc news, yemen. in that40 people died attack, not 104. you can see more reporting from yemen here on bbc world news. scientists in iceland are drilling into a volcano to create the hottest borehole on
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record to harness energy from hole to power 50,000 homes. rebecca morelle as this report. rebecca: this is one of the most volcanic clay active places on earth. harness thelan to power of volcanoes by drilling into the heart of one. has been operating continuously for 24 hours a day. using this huge piece of kit, section after section, they are almost 500 meters down. deep have never been this before. we have never been into this hot rock or missions before. we are optimistic that this will carry us a step into the future. rebecca: exactly what is it that they are doing here?
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is going to be the hottest borehole in the world. the drilling started in august, beginning 10 feet underground. it is already past through thick layers of volcanic rock. at 2500 meters, it hit 300 degrees celsius. this is the point where most conventional boreholes have stopped. this one went 5000 meters down, three miles, where it is expected to hit 500 degrees. water mixes with molten rock and he comes steam. it is neither a liquid nor gas. it holds more energy than either. it will be brought to back up to the surface. scientists think it will generate so much electricity it could transform the energy industry. for projects like this, they are not risk-free. this is what happened in 2009
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during an earlier attempt to tap into a volcano. the drill hit magma and was destroyed. >> 700 years ago -- rebecca: geologists say we have a lot to learn about these forces of nature. evaluated.o be there is a risk if you do not understand the volcano. , millionsike in italy of people are living on a volcano. our understanding of volcanoes, we need to see what is under. iceland, towns are already using energy generated from volcanoes. the new approach could create 10 times more electricity. if it works, the energy it harnesses could be used around the world. rebecca morelle, bbc news, iceland. katty: people need energy, lots
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of it. it could come out of a volcano. you can find more on our website. 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
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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.
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captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. >> sreenivasan: and i'm hari sreenivasan. >> woodruff: on the newshour tonight, president-elect trump talks jobs with the nation's biggest tech leaders, as he announces his pick for secretary of energy. >> sreenivasan: also ahead this wednesday, we sit down with white separatist richard spencer to talk about how he's energized white identity politics during this election. >> woodruff: and, technology versus tradition. the battle over building an ambitious telescope on a sacred hawaiian mountain. >> there's certainly an element of native rights issues, which is far bigger than astronomy. so astronomy, i think, right now, is certainly a lightning post for these bigger issues. >> sreenivasan: all that and

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