♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor ilors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from

viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc world news". ♪ anchor: "outo and welcome to." the u.s. islanning talks with russia over the issue of the ukraine. this was the white house earlier. >> this is an extreme like dangerous situation we are now at a stage where at any point, russia could launch an attack in ukraine. anchor: we already knew that russia had amassed 100,000 troops on the border of ukraine. that u.s. is heading to meet the ukrainian president. the yuan is reporting significant damage to infrastructure and multiple injuries on tonga island following the huge volcanic eruption antinomy on saturday. >> there is a health team that

has been sent out because of the health facilities out there. anchor: at&t and verizon have agreed not to switch on 5g towers near airlines over safety concerns. ♪ anchor: we start with these tensions on the ukrne border. the u.s. secretary of state will be holding talks with his russian counterpart on friday. he is currently on route to ukraine to meet the ukrainian president. we have already heard from the white house press secretary jen psaki. >> our view is that this is an extremely dangerous situation. we are now at a stage where it any point, russia could launch an attack in ukraine. secretary blinken is going to go highlight very clearly that there is a diplomatic class --

diplomatic path forward. it is up to president putin and ukrainians to make the decision. anchor: demonstrate what russia is doing and perhaps why.s. and western allies are worried. you can see the scale of russian military diplomas all around the ukrainian border. we've heard from the ukraian defense minister, who has been speaking to abc. here, he talks about the possible consequences of any invasion. >> what is your message to the diplomats who are trying to avert a dramatic x collation -- dramatic escalation between ukraine and russia? >> i would say let's show that you seriously understand all threats and you cannot make this invasion very expensive for them. you can start with sanctions on this moment, before, not after.

>> if they do not, will you regard that as a betrayal? >> it will be very late because there will be a lot of blood on the land and there will be a lot of refugees through europe because this war is not only the east of ukraine, it is also going in eastern europe. anchor: i'm seriously saying this. anchor:with also heard from russia's foreign minister today. >> i'm not threatening anyone, but i hear threats directed at us. we cannot accept demands related to military operations on our own territory. anchor: while u.s. officls are also concerned about russian moves in belarus, remember that that president is a strong ally of putin. russia says the two countries are planning on practicing joint military drills, but also

remember belarus borders ukraine and there are american fears that russia could potentially use belarus as a route to invade ukraine. here again is the ukrainian defense minister, saying he doesn't believe the emlin has made a decision on whether to invade. >> there may be a major military offensive launched by moscow, involving the 100,000 and more troops and the massive arsenal that vladimir putin has put on the border next year country. do you believe that is coming soon? >> i believe that they didn't make the decision yet. i hope ill continue diplomatic and political negotiations with their neck on the line. i hope they will not come to our border. anchor: you can watch the full

interview with the ufense minis, if you're watching in the u.k., or if you are outside of the u.k. and watching on bbc world news, you can catch it at a number of different times in the next few days. while one reporter is in washington, she is can forward to that summit. reporter: talks between the americans and russians, but also between russia and nato, everyone came away still sticking to their particular side. there didn't seem to be any movement toward some sort of agreement. what the state departmt is saying, and we were briefed by a senior official just a little while ago, is that while esther blinken was on a phone call, they suddenly decided they would meet in geneva on friday to talk face-to-face because this to blinken was going to be doing to europenyway.

the briefer said that this happened so suddenly that we couldn't even he told who had asked r the meeting. that had not come through yet to the officials's information. it was pointed out that talks so far had not been successful. also, the russian foreign minister has basically said he is waiting for written responses to demands that the russians have made, security demands, that in essence talk about stopping in eastern movement of nato, as well as denying ukraine the right to didn't -- to join the group. everyone in nato and the u.s. says that is just not going to happen. now suddenly, there are talks. it looks as if the russians are at least willing to talk to the americans. the state department is saying that mr. blinken is willing to go as far as he can to get a diplomatic solution. this is testing the waters to see if there still is one. anchor: a quicker matter of what russia is demeaning.

they are ruling out ukraine becoming a member of nato and also other former soviet countries becoming members. russia also wants nato to promise no further eastward expansion and it once the rollback of all of nato deployments in central and eastern europe. a long shopping list. one of the nato countries right at the center of all of this is germany. here is their foreign minister. >> they have been very clear that they're not going to gain ground on any of those demands they have mentioned. they're going to do is find some things they can talk about, which they say might address some of us gals security concerns -- some of moscow's security concerns, such as greater transparency with them, better communication, arms control, risk reduction, all the sort of stuff. the secretary-general of nato has sent out an offer to the ssians to hold another round of talks on this basis, which the russians have not accepted. this is what the nato and u.s.

position is. on the other cited it, they say if we cannotesolve this diplomatically, there will be a very massive resnse in terms of financial sanctions, actually increasing nato deployment to the eastern flank, and giving extra defensive equipment to ukraine. it is really a standoff now with this buildup of military forces by russia. it is not clear to the americans or nato if this is russia trying to intimidate to get what they want or if they are serious about an invasion. on the others, is it about trying to keep the unity within nato and to have a very strong response message to russia that there will be a strong and united response to any possible invasion. anchor: as you will have noted, that was not the german minister, that was my colleague in washington. let me update you on the situation in tonga. it has been hit by an unprecedented disaster. this is the first formal update

since that volcanic eruption on saturday and the tsunami that followed. as you may have heard, viually all communication's with the country were severed, but now we note that at least three people have died and the scale of the damage is becoming clearer. this is one of the first pictures we have had since the eruption. was taken by new zeal's defense force. we also have this image taken of one island in tonga in december. you can see it is vibrant and grain. have a look at the same island after the election. great, with ash. >> the operations began on sunday morning. unfortunately, there do remain a number of injuries reported post-tsunami. the health team that has bee sent now out because of the destruction of facilities there, with materials and support from

the u.n. debbie i chose on the ground supporting it. anchor: there are over hundred thousand people living there. it is estimated that 80% of them would have been affected by this. the eruption was so big that it severed a single fiber-optic cable that connects the island to the world. it sent ash 20 kilometers into the air and triggered a tsunami across the pacific. waves even reached alaska, which is almost 10,000 kilometers away. this was the capsule, waves nearly one meter high flooding in. you can see these pictures are from saturday. now that we are several dates on, we are starting to get an idea of the damage that was done. here is new zealand's acting high commissioner on the phone from the capital. >> the cleanup operation, the town has been blanketed in a thick film of volcanic --.

they are making progress. roads have been cleared. buildings are being cleaned up. a lot of rebel, a lot strewn up from the tsunami. they are trying to get back to normal. anchor: we also have these pictures of the tonga capital. this is a port facility before and two days after the corruption. again, it is covered in ash. the damaged outlined items may be even great. it is 70 kilometers from the booking appeared on monday, the u.n. detected the distress signal coming from the island. this is why this image taken by the new zealand defense force shows tsunami waves may have destroyed every home here. tarter island is closer to the volcano still. it is home to around 100 people.

we are told there are large numbers -- a large number of buildings missing. this island is 80 kilometers from the arcana. all of the largest buildings were destroyed. here's more from the international federation for the red cross. >> we have been able to make some small contact, a little bit on and off through satellite phone with our red cross team on the ground today. we are getting a little bit of a better picture emerging on what is happening on the ground. we are thinking goodness that it is not the catastrophic event that we first thought, given the unprecedented volcanic eruption and the pacific wide tsunami that ensued. there is certainly widespread damage, particularly to the western part of the main island in tonga. the key things that we are really worried about at the moment are access to clean drinking water and we still hold

some fears for people on the islandthat we have not yet been able to hear from. anchor: the government has also given its assessment. it says evacuation's from the worst hit islands have been started. like have been temporarily halted and sea transport has been disrupted. we had this message from a government official. >> i know it is hard for everyone to wait as the government here is trying to connect. we ask that everyone be with us and be patient. the government is working really hard to be able to allow connectivity, to connect with their loved ones in tonga. definitely a few days from today, possibly we will be able to have satellite communications to tonga, with limited access to international calls and communication with families and friends back in tonga.

anchor: as you can imagine, many abroad have been waiting to get news from loved ones. one is a b player in england. -- is a rugby player in england. >> we are still waiting. i literally cannot do anything from here. it has been tough in the last couple of days. i know it is going to take a while for them -- --hatever i can get from here or get sent from new zealand. i am sure you will help a lot of people. by not getting any communication from home, i believe it is a lot of damage. anchor: there's more information

about the situation in tonga on the bbc news website. just a few minutes, we will update you on the big political u.k. story. boris johnso is denying categorically that being at a party on downing street broke regulations. ♪ anchor: has emerged that the men from blackburn in the u.k. who was shot dead in texas after taking hostages at a synagogue was known to the secury service mi5. here's our bbc security correspondent. reporter: the question is, could it have been prevented, because he was on a watchlist or at least subject to a short four week investigation at the end of 2020. at the end of that, it was decided that he did not present a serious risk to the public. he was put onto a secondary list, as it were, of former subjects of interest. there are over 40,000 individuals on that list. they did not pick up anything

between the end of 2020 and the end of last year, when he flew. the second question is, how was somebody who had a criminal record, because he did, who had displayed erratic and bad tempered behavior, had been and from courts, had been involved in drugs transactions, how did some body like that get to the united states, through immigration? ♪ anchor: this is "outside source ." the lead story is the u.s. saying that russia can at any moment launch an attack against ukraine. russia is denying this. let's turn to u.k. politics. boris johnson says he was not told that a drink's party held in the number 10 garden during the first lockdown would break

coded rules. here's what he said today. >> i can tell you categorically that nobody told me and nobody said that this was something that was against the rules, it was a breach of the covid rules. it was something that was a work event, because frankly i don't think -- i can't imagine why on earth it would have gone ahead or been allowed to go ahead. anchor: it did go ahead. the printable private secretary invited staff to socially distance brings in the number 10 garden. the prime ministers former chief advisor, who has very much now turned against his former boss, says boris johnson was told about the invite, he knew it was a drink, he lied parliament. there was also this from a columnist, who wrote "i spoke to a former downing street official. they were told it was a party and it should be imdiately canceled.

they knew this." let's go back to what boris johnson said last week. >> i went to that garden on the 20th of may, 2020, to think everyone, thin went back to my office 25 minutes later to get back to working. i believe duplicitous lee -- i believe this was a work event. anchor: if this is true, he broke the nister a code. art of the cold is that ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer the resignation to the prime minister. the deputy prime minister was asked about potential consequences if the prime minister had not told the truth in the house of congress. >> it is lying in the delivery way you described. if not corrected immediately, it would normally under the ministerial code be a resigning

matter. that is the principal. we uphold high standards and principles in public le. it is critically important. anchor: a senior civil servant is carrying out an investigation at the various parties gathered during the pandemic. we do not know when she will deliver her findings. when it comes to whether boris johnson is telling the truth on this particular gathering in the garden, the opposition labour party does not see the need to wait. >> he is not taking response ability because he keeps hiding behind. that is acceptable. you cannot hide behind the civil servant. he knows the rules, he broke them, he lied to the british people, he should go. anchor: let's get more from our westminster correspondent. >> as it has been very clear, and confusingly for many people, there are starting -- startlingly different versions of events from the parties. the prime minister has given

his, dominic cummings has given his, and we have not heard from anyone else in public that was at that event. they're trying to get to the bottom of what that event was and if the prime minister had been told what it was, if it was a drink's reception, a par or something other than a work event, which he claims that he assumed or thought that it was when he turned up for about 25 minutes or so. we will get that report probably sometime next week. there is no definite timescale on that work. all eyes in westminster are on what it has to say. there is a danger, expectations are too high that it may pass judgment or give a conclusive verdict one way or the other on whether the prime minister has lied parliament or misled mp's about this. it is about the facts, not

necessarily passed judgment. ♪ anchor:n the u.s., on the eve of launching a new 5g mobile phone service, two giant telecom companies have climbed down in the face of pressure from airlines. the airlines say the new signal could interfere with their flights. one of the firms, at&t, has put out a statement saying it will temporarily for turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways. verizon made a similar announcement. if we go back to that at&t statement, it carries on with some harsh words for the u.s. government, saying it is frustrated by the federal aviation administrion's inability to safy deploy 5g technology without disrupting aviation services. 90% of the transmitters will still go live on wednesday, we think, but the issue around airports is not settled. president biden has thanked the telecom companies for aeeing to this delay. we heard from the white house earlier. >> we areommitted to reaching

a solution around 5g deployment that maintains the highs level of safety, while minimizing disruptions to travel and economic recovery. we cerinly understand what is at stake for both industries. we believe that with continued cooperation, we can chart a path forward. anchor: in another development, there are reports that airlines will suspend several flights to the u.s. until further notice. this is assocted with the planned appointment of 5g services in the u.s.. these are some of the destinations, big ones. boston, chicago, san francisco, and seattle. one reporter is on about why it hasn't been sorted out on the eve of the launch. >> you would have thought there would have been some kind of binding arbitration sorted out months and months ago. verizon and at&t bought this 5g

month ago. people have known this is an issue for a long time. you really would have thought this would have been sorted out. the airlines are essentially saying that the new 5g will interrupt some of their equipment, particularly when landing. what at&t and verizon have said is that it just doesn't. some of these safety concerns are overblown. as a result, you had this kind of chicken a situation, a standoff where we have less than 12 hours to go until 5g is supposed be rolled out. we have only just heard a decision. a lot of people are looking this, kind of thinking, why is is happening so closely to the deadline? anchor: the u.s. telecoms industry has pointed out that 5g has unched in at least 40 other countries without in -- interfering with aircraft. ultimate nurse on u.s. aircraft work between 4.2 and a four .4 gigahertz. south korea leads the world in 5g tillich medications.

they work on a different set of gigahertz. in the european union, because up to 3.8 gigahertz. in the u.s., it could go up to nearly four gigahertz. that is much closer where aircraft systems operate. there are other differences, too. diane eastabrook at a senior level in the u.s. department of transportation. she is now at washington university. >> in france, for example, antennas are required to point down. the same in canada, so that they will not interfere with the planes'radio ultimate her's. also in france, if these mitigations were put in place in the united states, there would be fewer problems. when the telecoms bid for the spectrum, they paid $94 billion for it. they were told they could do

whatever they wanted with it. that is why they do not want to limit the power and they don't want to limit the direction of the antennas. they were sold a product and they want to get the most out of their investment. anchor: let's go back to james because i want to know whether one plan would just be for phones to be a little slower closer to the airport. >> the key thing about this is the key -- 5g is not very good. there are some studies that say that in canada, 4g is all most as fast as 5g. telecoms are really, really keen to roll this out. they spent nearly $100 billion on doing this. they are pretty peeved that the airline industry is saying that you cannot roll this out. this is a kind oftalemate at the moment. anchor: that was james, ending

this edition of "outside source ." narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank yo ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-da-da-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from

viewers like you. thank you.