♪ >> 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, 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." tim: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am tim willcox. no laptops. why britain is joining the united states in banning some electronic gadgets uncertain flights. from bombs to the ballot box, northern ireland's martin mcguinness dies at 66. he leaves a complicated legacy print and back where they belong -- the van gogh museum welcomes back 2 stolen paintings worth tens of millions of dollars.

tim: hello, and welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. for millions of airline passengers, long-haul flights could seem a whole lot longer, following authorities announcing a ban on laptops, ipads, and other devices bigger than a mobile phone brought as hand luggage the order, based on unspecified threats from affect passengers on u.s.-bound flights from the middle east and north africa, and britain has targeted its security measures as well. frank gardner has this. frank: familiar, tedious, time-consuming. getting laptops and other devices through airport security on direct flights from the middle east to the u.k. is effectively -- about to get more complicated. british airways, easyjet, and for other u.k. airlines are

affected, and so or eight middle eastern and north african carriers, following a similar measure introduced by the united states. the list of affected airlines was published by the government, which says the security of the traveling public is its highest priority. what caused this? last year's laptop bomb aboard despite out of somalia raised a lot of concerns. smuggled aboard by the group al-shabab, it blew a hole in the plane, killing the bar. amazingly, the pilot was able to landed safely. the year before, the islamic state put a bomb on a russian passenger plane out of egypt. in whitehall, the bbc understands, there were some concerns about introducing this ban. it is not based on any specific plot. rather, and evolving threat. there is bound to be a commercial and diplomatic price to this.

it is yet one more encumbrance for air passengers. >> i'm afraid to say that the scope for disruption is immense. wrong andl get the and think it applies to all flights are flights from the u.k. as well as from these six countries and of course, people will organize only hand baggage and check things in and it is going to be, i'm afraid, and almighty muddle until we get used to the idea. frank: business travelers who need to work in midflight will be especially inconvenienced, and there is no end to the ban inside. a ban on taking liquids over 100 mils is still in place. frank gardner, bbc news. tim: a little earlier i caught up with the head of the counterterrorism program at the washington institute for near east policy. how effective is this going to be? >> what it will effectively do is get these items into the

hold, and the ideas there is better and easier screening of devices that can go beneath. it is harder to do those above. and they are interested in the size and how much explosive can be fit in an item of what size. tim: when you say to screening is more effective, does that mean it can go through bigger machines, or are the bags going to have to be physically unpacked by more airport workers? >> there is easier and better technology and there will be workers -- i don't know it will have to be more -- to go through. check bags underneath and there is a little tag underneath saying we had to go through your bag. it is an and means for people, only -- an inconvenience for people, only certain countries from where the intel is coming from. aqap think they will be able to better assess those lanes. unclear how long it will last. tim: and the miniaturization of those devices -- this is the

trend, rather than a specific threat. >> absolutely, and frank hit the nail on the head. this is about the evolving threats of explosives could al qaeda in the arabian peninsula has a bomb maker who had been very, very creative, with the types of explosives, what they are made out of, where he puts them from inside a person's physical being in one instance in saudi arabia, and to the extent to which they've been able to miniaturize that explosive to fit into a laptop or an ipad. it into the holes to sustain or withstand a small explosion -- >> you don't want any explosive isget in the plane but it true that there are no passengers in the immediate area and if there's something small, it is possible it will have less of an effect. you want to put things down there not so they will be in the wholesome much but rather that it can go through more security checks.

airports,ing of the they are close allies of the united states. turkey is a member of nato. earlier on turkeys that it was going to appeal against this. do you think there will be movement on that front for is the risk so great that the countries will have to follow suit? >> we don't know the nature of the intelligence. there could be other types of checks for carry-on baggage that will enable these things to go back in carry-on. it clearly is related to flights on certain places, in this case to the united states. it is less likely this is something we will have 11 years on as we do with liquid gels. we will have to see how this pans out. tim: thank you very much indeed. washington,ill in supreme court nominee neil gorsuch today faced more hours of questioning from lawmakers. topics ranged from u.s. policy

on abortion and torture to allowing cameras in the s own pastand gorsuch' rulings. perhaps foremost on lawmakers' mines was the issue of judicial independence and whether judge gorsuch would operate separately from the politics of washington. laura trevelyan joins us from capitol hill. most people realize he is his own man, laura. laura: absolutely, tim, and in doing so he is blunting one of the key lines of attack from the democrats. they want to stress how important judicial independence is under this president and neil gorsuch said, absolutely, i believe in the separation of powers. he said "they gave me a gavel, not a rubberstamp." he said "no man is above the law, not even the president." on the hot button issues that could come before the court, public and senator lindsey graham had this question for gorsuch about what president trump said to him about a key case that established the right to abortion in 1973.

senator graham: did he ever ask you to overrule roe v. wade? judge gorsuch: no, senator. senator graham: what would you have done if he asked? judge gorsuch: senator, i would have walked out the door. not what judges do. i don't do it on that end of pennsylvania avenue and they shouldn't do it at this. tim: laura, this is being grilled as a grilling -- billed as a grilling of neil gorsuch, but the atmosphere seemed more. laura: welcome to the united states senate judiciary committee, where they pride themselves on collegiality. no discussing the fact that democrats are sore about the fact that president obama's nominee merrick garland never got a chance to have this nomination hearing that neil gorsuch is going through. they are divided on how far they can go in opposing him, given that neil gorsuch has shown toself the past two days be erudite, highly qualified, able to cope with the pressure.

it is a big dilemma for democrats. do they throw the kitchen sink at this nomination, try to talk it out, knowing that republicans could vote that down? it is difficult. tim: laura trevelyan there but the other big story on capitol hill as the fight among the republicans over the health care bill. they're trying to get enough support for a vote scheduled for thursday night. it is close, and the real winners and losers could be those who need care in states like pennsylvania. for was such a huge issue trump on the campaign trail. what are they putting forward? reporter: i think president trump is finding out that health care is complicated. cry onmber the rallying the campaign showed to repeal and replace obamacare. he is doing what he promised he would, repealing obamacare. we saw the executive order on date one. it is the replacement that is causing him headaches that he has come up with what some call

trumpcare, some call ryancare. and it looks slightly different -- very different if you are a democrat. expansion ofh the medicaid that obama did thoroughly and helping the most foldable, the elderly and sick. a lot of that will be shrunk and withdrawn. he will stop making insurance compulsory and stop employers having to find insurance premiums for workers. it is more market-driven and less government subsidies. tim: and the funding for tax credits. this is very much a businessman's model. is ther: and this problem -- he has come up with something in the past month everybody hates c the democrats were in -- everybody hates. the democrats were never going to like it anyway. the republicans are spooked by this report by the nonpartisan budget office, the cbo, saying 20 million could be uninsured over the next decade. and for those on the right of

the party, the real conservatives, many from the house freedom caucus, are saying they hate it. they call it obamacare lite because they think it doesn't repeal enough and they think it will be too expensive for the government. tim: very briefly on the numbers, it will be tight. reporter: the numbers on capitol hill -- we talked to a congressman this morning, some from the right of that party, and they think it is not owing to pass. all they need to lose is 22 votes and we think at the moment the numbers against him are between possibly 25, 35, in which case he might decide to cancel the vote altogether. it doesn't look good if you are president and you cannot get your first big legislation through. tim: thanks very much indeed. watching "bbc world news america ." global jihadist forces in syria say this all on the capital that the assault on the capital from damascus, is sending a message to the government before peace talks, that they can still mount a major attack on what is

regarded as syria's most heavily redacted city. the syrian military responded, moving tanks into the area with air strikes and artillery fire. you're watching "bbc world news america." still to come, remembering martin mcguinness. we will be talking to a u.s. negotiator at the northern ireland peace process about what it was like to work with him. prosecutors have spent 14 hours questioning the eun-hyepresident park g over her involvement in the growing corruption scandal that led to her impeachment. she has always denied any wrongdoing, but as she arrived for the interview, she apologized to the country. our correspondent steve evans reports from seoul. stephen: hidden in the motorcade, park geun-hye, no longer president.

the post which protected her from prosecution. as an ordinary citizen, the prosecutor calls are in and she complies. said, to thehe korean people. but it is not clear what she is sorry for. was inks ago when she the presidential palace she was defiant. her innocence, she said, would emerge. others are facing the heat, like the patriarchs who control the biggest businesses in south korea. the head of samsung is on trial. best frienddent's has been charged, accused of getting money from business. park geun-hye is said to have favored donors in return. today, the prosecutor her supporters, angry at what they say is political persecution. the split in opinion over ex-president park symbolizes the

division of the country. there will be an election in two months time, and then there may be a movement of left of the government. even after that, the division will remain. fansgeun-hye still has her . the prosecutor probably isn't one of them. stephen evans, bbc news, seoul. martin mcguinness, the former ira leader turned deputy first minister of northern ireland, has died at the age of 66. he had been suffering from a rare heart condition. from one of the provisional ira's most senior and ruthless commanders, responsible for deaths and acts of terror, he went on to embrace electoral politics and became a principal architect of the peace process that led to the good friday agreement. chris buckler has this report.

chris: to get to the truth of martin mcguinness you have to accept contradictions. he was part of military who embraced violence but a peacemaker who reached out to rivals, a man who could be seen in very different lights. born in londonderry to a large catholic family, martin mcguinness came of age as northern ireland's divide became troubles. in that time of violence he joined the ira, quickly rising through its ranks. >> can you say whether the bombing is likely to stop in the near future in response to public demand? the 1970's saw him become one of the faces of ruthless irish republicanism. >> mcguinness has changed considerably from the young men who used to swagger around the

no go areas of londonderry as commander of the provisional ira there. chris: what started as a fight for civil rights had become a vicious battle. it alongside the many bombings and shootings, martin mcguinness saw opportunity for the ballot box for sinn fein, the political party linked to the ira. the language of threat remained. >> we don't believe winning elections will bring freedom for ireland. at the end of the day it will be the cutting edge of ira which will bring freedom. chris: after years of killings and chaos, in the 1990's ira cease-fires offered the opportunity for talks. >> would you like to shake hands? not only would they shake hands, after the signing of the good friday agreement, they join each other in government. eventually at the head with the

unlikely partnership of two former enemies from ian paisley and martin mcguinness. the firebrand unionist and radical republican became so close that they were nicknamed the chuckle brothers. [laughter] chris: there were republicans who continued to threaten the political progress, but when a police officer was killed, the then-deputy first minister stood side-by-side with the chief constable to condemn those dissident groups. >> they are traitors to the island of ireland. chris: alongside the words, there were actions on all sides. cousin was killed by the ira him yet after the troubles, royal and republican were able to put their differences aside. relationships always seemed strained, after uk's lee stepped down as first minister to be replaced by peter robberson. earlier this year, martin

mcguinness walked out of government. retiring as derry deputy first minister after years in the ira. >> even know it breaks my heart -- --heart chris: the past actions of the ira will color many people's view of martin mcguinness. but as a republican who worked towards reconciliation, he will be remembered as a key figure in changing northern ireland. how far events have moved -- the queen sent a message of condolence to martin mcguinnes'' another prominent

figure in this peace talks was george mitchell. he knew martin mcguinness welded earlier my colleague katty kay instructor to him on the "100 days" program. senator mitchell, when you went to northern ireland in the 1990's and started dealing with martin mcguinness, what made you think you could trust him given his past record? mitchell: he was obviously a political leader chosen by the people of northern ireland. when the peace talks began, all the delegates represented the people of northern ireland so it was not a case of me trusting one or another. it was of -- accepting the will of the people of northern ireland who would represent them in negotiations. martin mcguinness was obviously intelligent, articulate, strong and effective leader of his community and his point of view. in that way he participated in, along with leaders on both sides

, helped to reach the decision the violence and move towards democratic and peaceful ways of resolving disputes. katty: of course he is a controversial figure, and many would say he had blood on his hands. whilst you were in the process of negotiating with him in those years leading up to the good friday agreement, did you ever discuss his past actions with him? mr. mitchell i never discussed past actions with martin or any other participant in the northern ireland peace process. many of them were in a similar circumstance where they had been involved in the conflict. the problem was they were embedded in the past, and i was trying to get them to look to the future. the last thing i wanted to do was to get them focused on talking about the past when i was trying to get them to talk about the future. but his transformation from leader of the ira, someone

who had been convicted in the 1970's for crimes related to the ira and will -- and actions related to the ira, two being seen as one of the key peacemakers, i think that is what people struggle with in martin mcguinness personally. where you convinced throughout that the transition was genuine, had really been made? mr. mitchell: i didn't make judgments of that kind. what i did was tackle each problem on a daily basis, participate with the leaders, try to get them to look forward, trying to get them to understand that whatever the circumstances of ademocratic -- democratic, peaceful future were, they would be better than returning to the conflict that had so dominated society. martin mcguinness accepted that challenge, was instrumental in bringing his community and his side along in the peace process, and that is what i think he will be remembered for. i think that the alternate iconic picture -- ultimate

iconic picture of the northern ireland peace process will be ian paisley is the first minister of northern ireland, martin mcguinness as the deputy first minister, embracing each other, serving the people of northern ireland through a democratic process, and appearing to enjoy each other at the same time. tim: george mitchell speaking to katty kay a little earlier. lovers in next to them are celebrating the return and re-hanging of 2 paintings by vincent van gogh. the images, a seascape and a depiction of a church attended by the artist's father, were stolen in 2002 on the orders of an italian rhyme syndicate. they were found last year during a police raid in naples. anna holligan has more from amsterdam. and aafter 14 years traumatic journey, the paintings were finally back home, now protected by six screens.

they are not taking any chances. 2 early works by one of the netherlands' most renowned artists. >> we had no idea what happened to them in the intervening years. a small piece in the lower left corner has gone missing but it does not really disturb the image too much. and the small church is practically unharmed. opportunistk thieves less than four minutes to break in through the roof and sledgehammer, rip the paintings from the nearest wall with brutal force, and escape before the police arrived, leaving a hole in the country's cultural heritage. inlian police arrested 2 men 2016. they had been investigating allegations of drug trafficking, but apparently one detainee confessed that the network was hiding the van goghs. the italian authorities were proud of their work. works have vast historic

.nd sentimental value this is one of only two seascapes painted by van gogh during his time in the netherlands. the winds were so blustery that day it blew tiny grains of sand into the wet paint. the congregation leaving the reform church was a gift to van gogh's mother after she had broken her leg. he changed it after his father died to include images of women in mourning. the museum is deliberately displaying the paintings as they were found, with slight damage representing the journey they survived. now anticipating the moment, they are back in the admiring public eye. anna holligan, bbc news, inside the van gogh ecm in amsterdam. -- museum in aske amsterdam. tim: that is it for this show. you can find plenty more on the website, and to reach me and most of the bbc team, go to

twitter. from all of us here at "bbc world news america," thank you for watching, and please tune in again. >> 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.

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight... >> any one, any law is going to get a fair and square deal with me. >> woodruff: president trump's supreme court pick is grilled by senate judiciary committee democrats during the second day of his confirmation hearing. then, president trump lobbies republican members of congress to vote for the revised health care replacement bill, warning them their re-election is at risk. and, a denver community focuses on all aspects of early education to give kids a better start. >> healthy food is foundational to overall health and well- being. it's a very important component to helping kids to grow up, pay attentin