Transcripts For BBCNEWS Newsday 20240906

We start this hour in the uk, where from next week, thousands of british offenders whove served 40 of their Prison Terms will be eligible for early release its necessary, says the government, because of severe overcrowding in jails. There are fewer than 500 spaces left in mens prisons in england and wales a crisis made worse by the convictions of hundreds of people involved in riots last month. Our senior Uk Correspondent Sima Kotecha was given full and rare access to Hmp Pentonville In London and this is what she found. Siren blares. Chaos in Hmp Pentonville. Shouting. Were the only broadcast journalists given access. Its a Code Red. To one of britains most dangerous jails since the current crisis. 0k, come on, folks. And some Prison Officers are so frightened of being targeted on the outside that weve had to blur theirfaces. Hmp Pentonville Staff are overstretched. Another alarm here. And on the verge of breaking point. You worry about, you know, opening the door in the morning and making sure that theyre alive. Anything could happen. Theres been deaths in prison. All right, what have we got. Coming this afternoon, then . Each day more Bus Loads arrive, making this jail one of the most crowded in the country. Can you stand in the middle of the black and Yellow Box for me . They undergo body checks. So this scanner will show whether theyre hiding anything inside their body . Yeah. Any drugs, any weapons . Yeah. Just there, theres a Gap That will be the entrance of his anus, basically. Gosh, you would think that would hurt. As of tonight, there are just nine spare beds. Most of the inmates are on remand, so theyre waiting for their trial or sentencing. Others are doing time for crimes such as murder, robbery and rape. And anything can happen. Alarm blares. Theres an alarm going off. Yeah, were going to see. Its a Code Red, so. A Code Red alarm involves blood or burns. An inmate has Self Harmed. A moment of apprehension as they assess the situation. Can you talk me through whats happened . Yeah, so weve got a prisoner Whos Self harmed, yeah. Hes made superficial cuts to his arm. We were told hed carved the Words Mum and dad onto his skin with a sharp object. Staff say overcrowding is leading to an increase in Self Harm and violence. Banging. Because of Inmates Frustration with being locked up for longer. Across the wing, michaels inside for drug offences. There are some people who simply dont care about prisoners. Theyre like, they broke the law they should be locked up. Shouldnt be a hotel. Mm hm. But you are supposed to be rehabilitated inside. Do you think prison is providing a rehabilitation . No. Its a punishment. Its not a rehabilitation. Its hard to rehabilitate yourself in a place where youve got Gang Violence, postcode wars, drug violence, money wars. If youve got beef there, violence there, drugs there, people collapsing here, the staff, they are outstretched, theyre trying to do this, this, this and this. But now you want help as well. Moments later, another alarm. The fifth of the day. Yesterday there were more than 30. So theyve just jumped on the netting. Prison officers are running up the stairs to try and get them down. What the staff are saying is that it can turn really quickly. A quiet moment can become chaotic within a matter of seconds. As one Prison Officer said, its like the flick of a switch. Staff do what they can to calm things down. You told me about it yesterday and ive told you. I said, Washing Up Liquid and a form for the pen. And very quickly theyre back on normal duties. There have been some hairy moments. They kind of. They all kind of blur into one because its not like, 0h, once in a blue Moon Something happens. Its like day in, day out, you kind of are dealing with incidents from Self Harm to violence to kind of. People with severe Mental Health issues. Ive had damp in here for three weeks. And then there are complaints about the cells. It doesnt smell good in here. Whats that . The toilets have been leaking. Look at the toilet. Look, ill show you. Come have a look at this one. Oh, my word. Ive been telling them about that for three weeks. Gang violence is an ongoing threat at pentonville and has had some serious consequences for staff. Shouting. This Prison Officer broke both her wrists while separating two gang members during a fight. Its probably the biggest thing In London. Like, the gang affiliation, gang issues are the biggest reasons why we have so many, probably, people injail, so it ends up us trying to stop them. Were just trying to stop the fight. Thats how i broke both my wrists, just trying to stop it. That wasnt even. Yeah, itjust gets really messy sometimes. And theyre quite small space. Stressful . Stressful, yeah. Stressful. Yeah. Show me your. Mark is waiting to be sentenced and has been here for nine months now. When they come into here, you dont know whos on this wing. Every other wing has got allocated for every gang member. Whats the worst case scenario, in your mind . Fights, killings. All sorts could happen. You dont know. Like, when theyre in such close proximity then it does blow up. 0ur senior Uk Correspondent Sima Kotecha reporting there. Police have released a picture of a teenager suspected of shooting dead four people at a school in the us state of georgia. Colt gray, who is m, was arrested on campus and will be prosecuted as an adult. Police are trying to determine how he obtained the Assault Rifle they say he used in the shooting. Hed been interviewed by police last year for making online threats last year about a school shooting. Two 14 year old pupils and two teachers at the apalachee High School in the city Of Winder were killed. Nine others including another teacher and eight students were taken to hospital. President biden expressed his sympathy for the victims and theirfamilies and called for greater gun control legislation. The nation cannot continue to accept the carnage of gun violence. Im a gun owner. I believe strongly in the amendment, but we need more thought, more than thoughts and prayers. Some of my republican friends in congress just finally have to say enough is enough. We have to do something. Together, lets Ban Assault weapons. President biden� s son, hunter, has made a last Minute Decision to plead guilty to Tax Fraud charges. He was accused of failing to pay nearly one and a half million dollars in Income Tax from 2016 to 2019. Initially, biden said he wanted to enter what is known as an Alford Plea where he would accept the charges while maintaining his innocence but prosecutors objected. 0ur Los Angeles correspondent, Emma Vardy on whether biden� s guilty plea came as a surprise. It did take everybody by surprise earlier today, as everybody was set for a criminal trial. We were expecting to see Jury Selection and then the trial to take place this week and next week. But his lawyers came in with this offer, as you say, this offered guilty plea, which is to accept a guilty verdict but maintain your innocence. The judge seemed to have some doubts about that band time was taken to look at the legalities and then Hunter Biden� S Team in The End decided to go for a straightforward guilty plea. So that really means it spares him a trial. We understand that his main motivation behind the scenes, really, was to spare friends, family, people like that from having to come and testify against him and put people close to him through that ordeal once again. Of course, this isnt his first criminal trial, its second, because he was found guilty earlier this summer of illegally obtaining a handgun. So thats the last we will see of Hunter Biden in court here for now. He will later be sentenced in december, crucially after the election has taken place. Now, previously, of course when his father, president joe biden, was running for another term, this trial took on huge Significance And Everything that his son Hunter Biden did could potentially be used to cast a Shadow Overjoe Biden as well because of his opponents. Now, the stakes are a lot lower. Joe Biden Isnt running for a second term, but of course there is still a lot of interest in his son and his particular dealings. But some of the drama has been taken out of that today by Hunter Biden� s late guilty plea. Yeah, so one conviction in his previous case, and now a guilty plea. Does this bring a close to his legal troubles . It brings a close to some of the biggest ones that hes had, which is that all the money that he spent during the time that he spent as a crack cocaine addict, which he has documented in lots of detail in his memoirs and this really chaotic period of his life where he was spending money on luxury lifestyle, luxury hotels, cars, women, escorts, strip clubs, things like that, and then writing some of these off as business expenses, which was the crux of this case, the previous case, of course, him obtaining an handgun illegally, taking the boxing he wasnt a Drug User when in fact he was. These are the biggest things that he has faced as a consequence of that very chaotic period of his life as a drug addict. And by all accounts, he is now clean, he is now trying to live a better life, and that is something that his father, joe biden, said he is very proud of his son for doing. But, of course, all of this has laid bare the president s Sans Lifestyle and all the things he did during that period of his life. Its been a very difficult Thing Forjoe Biden as well, who has suffered a lot of trauma in his life. So im sure the president will be hoping that this helps draw things to a close. Of course, the stakes arent as high politically as they were Whenjoe Biden was running for another term. The top us diplomat is in haiti to shore up the countrys interim government as it navigates rampant Gang Violence and a humanitarian crisis. Rampant Gang Violence and a humanitarian crisis. Secretary of state Antony Blinken met the new haitian Prime Minister, garry conille, telling him the u s hopes to see an electoral council established next year to organise elections in the country. Haiti continues to battle violent gangs that control most of the capital and have now started moving into nearby regions. In response, Mr Conille expanded a State Of Emergency to cover the entire nation. Mr blinken reaffirmed the united States Commitment to support the haitian people and foster a secure and peaceful haiti. The united states is also committed to using this foundation of Security Support and unlock the potential of the haitian people. Were the largest contributor of humanitarian assistance to haiti, that includes additional for the 5 Million in humanitarian aid that i am announcing today, bringing the total us aid to over 210 Million this year. That means more food, or water, more sanitation, more Health And Support services for 1. 5 Million more haitians. In the long term, the united states is working to return haiti to the path of growth and opportunity. Including through whole of Government Strategy that the united states and haitan stakeholders have developed to prevent conflict and promote stability here in haiti. The family of olympic Marathon Runner Rebecca cheptegei has accused Kenyan Police of failing to respond to warnings that her life was in danger. The athlete was doused with Petrol And Set on fire at her home in western kenya by herformer boyfriend. Her death has triggered Sadness And Anger in eastern africa. Rebecca cheptegei had recently competed in the paris 0lympics, where she represented uganda. Today, shes one of the latest victims of male violence against women. Rebecca died in hospital, after suffering horrific burns. Doctors say the burns covered more than seventy percent of her body. The case raises issues of Womens Safety in the region rebeccas mother has accused local police of not protecting her daughter. Ugandas Athletics Federation said it was deeply saddened by the news. It says rebecca was a victim of Domestic Violence. The ugandan opposition politician, bobi wine, said the circumstances of Rebeccas Death are in his words depressing. For more, heres our senior africa correspondent, anne soy. This case has brought to the for a very important discussion about Domestic Violence and the toll it is taking on communities. This is the third Elite Female athlete to fall victim to Domestic Violence in just three years in kenya. And therefore there is a lot of outrage and anger, a disturbing sense of deja vu, and people are asking what more can be done to end it . Ive spoken to lawyers who have been involved in cases of Domestic Violence, dealing with victims, and they say that the laws exist to protect them and to deliver justice. However, the implementation is where the problem is. We have two previous cases of elite athletes who are killed as a result of Domestic Violence. But to this day, the families are still seeking justice. In one case, the suspect is still at large. It was somebody who is close to her and therefore the discussions are ongoing both in kenya and in uganda and calling on the authorities and the governments and theirjudiciaries to put in more resources to do more to make sure that victims are protected and the loft follows its Course And Justice is delivered quickly. Around the world and across the uk. This is bbc news. A court in france has heard shocking testimony from a woman whose husband is accused of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape her after having her drugged. The abuse is said to have gone on for more than a decade with the husband recording everything. Today the woman, gisele pelicot, told the court of her horror at discovering what had been done to her. 0ur Paris Correspondent Andrew Harding has the story, and his report contains distressing detail. In a courthouse in the city of avignon, one Womans Voice shook france to the core today. This is gisele pelicot, walking tall, choosing to face the cameras as she came to tell her bone chilling story. 0n Trial here are these 51 frenchmen, all accused of Raping Pelicot as she lay unconscious in her own bed, drugged by her own husband. In the courtroom, facing that husband, pictured standing here, pelicot described the moment her happy marriage collapsed, when a french policeman showed her pictures from her husbands laptop, pictures of strangers raping her. Her testimony, spoken here by translator. Translation it was hard to recognise myself. Then the officer showed me a second photo and a third. I asked him to stop. It was unbearable. I was lifeless in my bed, and a man was raping me. My world fell apart. Im speaking now not for myself, but for all the women who are drugged and abused. After giving evidence, pelicot kept her composure in front of the media. Translation i think ive said everything i could. I its not easy. Theres a lot of pressure. Were going to have to fight to The End. This trial� s going to last four months. Pelicot� s husband dominique has already confessed to everything, to repeatedly drugging his wife over the course of more than a decade. But many of the other men also on trial for raping her have told police that either they didnt realise she was unconscious or they assumed her Husbands Consent was enough. But that kind of argument has provoked fury. Today, the Husbands Lawyer said other accused might argue it was sex, not rape, but when the videos themselves are shown in court, there will be no doubt what really happened. Pelicot� s own daughter attended the trial this morning. Shes campaigned for the issue of drugging and raping to be taken far more seriously across france. And outside court, activists called for the courage shown by one woman to lead to wider changes in laws and attitudes. Andrew harding, bbc news, france. Michel barnier . The former European Commissioner who negotiated brexit for the eu . Has been named frances Prime Minister. Mr barnier, a conservative, was appointed by president Emmanuel Macron following two months of political deadlock after Snap Elections ended in a hung parliament. Our Europe Editor Katya Adler has more. Michel barnier a Household Name across the uk. Michel barnier, the eus former chief brexit negotiator, has walked into our studio In London. Michel barnier, welcome to hardtalk. Mr barnier. Im sorry but i dont want to answer questions now. Im sorry, we are late to work. Let me work, please. Not something french politicians can normally boast unless they are the president. But Mr Barnier was the Point Man for the eu during the years and years of Painful Brexit negotiations. Charged with keeping Eu Member states united and the uk in check. It is quite ironic that the man who became nicknamed triple b, barnier, the brexit man in brussels, is pretty much better known in the uk and in eu circles then here in france. Ive come to valenciennes, a town in northern france, to ask what people know of their new Prime Minister. Excusez moi. Michel barnier is the new Prime Minister. No. You dont know him . Merci. Do you know Mr Barnier, Michel Barnier . No. Hes your new Prime Minister. Ah, 0k. No, sorry. Thank you, bye bye. But Mr Barnier is no newbie to politics. Ahead of the last french president ial election, he tried and failed to get nominated as a centre right candidate. So he is known here by people who follow politics closely. But his manner is more officious than personable, as we in the uk may remember. And he is viewed as president macron� s Prime Minister of last resort. A predictable pair of hands hoping to calm even momentarily the political Chaos And Street protests since the snap parliamentary vote in july. Katya adler reporting. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people experience sudden Hearing Loss in one or both ears. But many ignore it, thinking itll resolve itself. Now a new study has found that urgent treatment could save their hearing. As Paddy Evans reports. Yeah, i was grieving. I was shocked. I couldnt really understand how it had happened. Four years ago, caroline woke up one morning to find her world had been turned upside down. Immediately, i noticed that i could not hear out of my left ear. There was a loud screeching, ringing sound in that ear. She had experienced sudden onset Hearing Loss, a condition which affects a few thousand people each year and can lead to a life changing disability. The doctor said to me that the symptoms were quite common, nothing to worry about, that it was probably an Ear Infection or maybe some wax. I wasnt too concerned, but it was the point when they said it was permanent that that really shocked me. I was so shocked. Then you go into the, well, how am i going to live with this . What caroline did not realise was the urgency of her situation and according to experts here, she is not alone in that, with not enough people getting access to potentially life changing treatment. We are just going to have a quick look in your ear if that is ok. Do you have any pain anywhere . No. Meet Nish Mehta from University College london hospital. He has carried out the largest study of adults with sudden Hearing Loss in england and wales. Our study found that if you received steroids in any form within the first seven days of having had your Hearing Loss suddenly, you were five times more likely to recover all of your hearing compared to those patients who did not receive steroids within that timeframe. And then we found that 40 of our population had not actually received the treatment at all, or within the timeframe we wanted. So what causes sudden onset Hearing Loss . There are four potential theories, one of which is that there is an infection that has travelled from the Nose And Throat to the Inner Ear and caused inflammation. More likely is that each patient probably has a different mechanism that has caused their individual type of Hearing Loss. Not all those who receive steroids will recover their Hearing But Nish hopes that Raising Awareness will mean more people are seen before its too late, at least giving the drug is a chance to work. I definitely wish that i had known at the time the urgency of the situation and that there was treatment available. For caroline, it is not possible to turn the clock back but she has looked for the positives in a life of Hearing Loss. My family are really supportive. I think it has probably brought us closer together in a way because before, i was so independent and it really made me realise how much the people in my family are there for me. Paddy evans, bbc news. The pope has wrapped up his visit to indonesia, and on Friday Heads to papua new guinea. Pope francis drew more than 80,000 To A Catholic Mass On Thursday filling indonesias national stadium. Indonesia is the worlds most populous muslim Majority Nation and the pope visited the istiqlal mosque, where he talked of dialogue, mutual respect and harmonious coexistence between religions. And San Marino has won their first competitive Football Match in nearly a quarter of a century. They beat liechtenstein 1 nil in the European Nations league. The microstate has a population of about 30,000 and the team is made up of mainly part time players. Theyre at the bottom of fifas rankings at 210th, while liechtenstein is ranked 199th. Their second ever victory and they play moldova next week in their next match. And we wish them luck. Goodbye for now. Hello. The weather across the uk is certainly pretty varied right now. Looking back at thursday, some places got to see Blue Skies and sunshine. Gorgeous scenes there in the highlands. Compare that with the heavy downpours that affected not only kent, but many southern counties of england, the southern half of wales as well. Its all because the low pressure is swirling to the south of us. Instead of this area of low pressure moving through and clearing away, it willjust continue to churn around, and that means further outbreaks of rain across southern counties of england, pushing up into the south of wales and the south midlands. Further north, though, yes, some areas of low cloud, mist and fog, which may linger for some northern and eastern coasts. But further north and west, we see a good deal of sunshine, whereas these showers and thunderstorms will continue down towards the south right through into the late afternoon. Just to the north of that band of rain, 25 26 degrees. We could also get to 26 in western scotland, and it is going to feel quite humid. Now through friday night, this band of showers and perhaps still the odd thunderstorm drifting a little bit further northwards. But many spots will be dry with some Mist And Murk, again, some areas of fog. Its going to be another pretty warm and humid night. A humid start to saturday with our area of low pressure still churning to the south. That means there is the chance that well see further outbreaks of rain pushing up from the south across the Channel Islands into southern counties of england as we go through the day. Spots further north after early Mist And Murk clears should see, once again, some spells of warm sunshine, although i think it will stay quite grey for some of these eastern coasts. Again in the sunny spots with that humid air, temperatures could get to around 23 24 degrees. By sunday, it looks like our area of low pressure will start to move northwards. That will introduce outbreaks of rain, particularly across england and wales. Could see some of that into Southern Scotland later on. Some hefty thundery downpours following on into the south. Still quite a warm feel for the time being. That is set to change because as we head into next week, we change the wind direction, we bring the winds down from the northwest, and so things are going to feel very different. Temperatures, if anything, looks set to drop back to values below the average for the time of year, and it will still be quite unsettled. Showers or longer spells of rain and often breezy. Low corporate Tax Rates and a topjob for Elon Musk Donald trump lays out his economic vision for the us ahead of the election. And we hear from the Beer Boss who destroyed the first shipment of his product find out why later on the programme. Hello and welcome to business today. Im steve lai. We begin in the us, where Donald Trump has been laying out his economic plans should he become president. Trump repeated calls to cut taxes and regulation, and is earmarking a Government Job for controversial billionaire elon musk. Heres Ritika Gupta with the details the main highlight of Donald Trumps address was a push to cut the corporate Tax Rate to 15 for companies that make their products here in the us. This would be a big reduction from the current rate of 21 . A key Policy Victory from trumps own 2017 Tax Law set to expire in 2025. Now, while a 15 corporate rate would be a big win