♪ ♪ narrator: funding for presentation of this program is 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. woman: and now, "bbc world news".

america. wanted. russian president for alleged war crimes. the international criminal court issues an arrest warrant for vladimir putin for his alleged rolen deporting ukrainian children to russia. president biden celebrates st. patrick's day by speaking with irish and northern ireland political leaders and playing out his own irish roots. visiting the war in iraq 20 years on. we have the personal story of a 20-year-old who lost both arms -- of a 12-year-old who lost both arms and the conflict and found a new life in the u.k.. plus, why a spoonful of peanut butter for babies may prevent an allergic reaction. ♪

welcome to world news america. the u.k., on pbs and around the globe. we start with the news that the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for russia's president the vladimir putin in connection with alleged war crimes in ukraine. along with the head of russia's children's commission, putin is accused of forcibly deporting children to russia. the court said there were reasonable grounds to believe the russian president or individual -- bore individl criminal responsibility for such deportations which darted soon after moscow launched its full-scale invasion of ukraine nearly 30 months ago. here is how the president of the icc made the announcement. >> this is an important moment in the process of justice. the judges have reviewed the information submitted by the prosecutor and determined that

there are credible allegations against these persons for the alleged crimes. the judges issued arrest warrants. the execution depends on international cooperation. david: this is the first time the international criminal court has ordered the arrest of a prominent serving political leader. moscow dismissed the announcement as outrageous, saying it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court. for more on the situation, our correspondent james lindell sent this report from kyiv. james: vladimir putin, president of the russian federation, and now alleged war criminal. accused along with a senior official of illegally removing children from ukraine, accused by this man's court. the indictme from the international criminal court says the russian leader is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful

deportation of children through occupied areas of ukraine to the russian federation since february last year. and there are reasonable grounds to believe mr. putin bears individual responsibility. the courts d in the hague say the alleged crimes are still ongoing, so it was making the arrest warrants public to try to prevent more children being deported. in the chaos of the war., with millions displaced, there have been repeated reports of thousands of ukrainian children being taken to russia or russian held territory, some forcibly, some tricked. a kremlin spokesperson said the allegations by the icc were outrageous and unacceptable. the foreign ministry was utterly dismissive. >> russia is not a party to the statute of the international criminal court and bears no obligations under it. russia does not cooperate with this body and possible recipes

for arrest coming from the international court will be legally null and void for us. james: these are only the first arre warrants. more are expected for the killing of civilians here and elsewhere across the country, where russian forces have been accused of rape, torture, and instrument shelling. ministers said mr. putin would be brought to justice. >> i expect rhetoric, brinkmanship, but at the end of the day we have seen it all before with other violent desperate and dictators -- despots and dictators. in the end a lot of them cannot set out indictment for -- sit out indictment for the international criminal court. james: the wheels of justice turning in an historic moment for ukraine. it may be this is symbolic act.

maybe mr. putin is never arrested or ever faces court, but it is still a significant moment. it is not every day that is serving head of state is accused of war crimes and it is a signal that the international community will seek justice for what has been going on here in ukraine. at the very least, putin is unlikely to be traveling to countries that sign up to the criminal court, for they would have an obligation to arrest him the moment he gets off the plane. david: what does moscow make of all this? a short time ago i was joined by r russia editor steve rosenberg. how significant is this move by the international criminal cou's and what has been the kremlin's reaction? steve: from a practical point of view, don't hold your breath. russian police are not about to slap and cuffs on vladimir putin and dispatch him to the hague. russia does not recognize the

jurisdiction of the international criminal court and russia does not extradite its citizens. however this arrest warrant does send a pretty strong message. the message is there are judges in the hague who consider putin allegedly to have committed war crimes. that makes the russian president even more of a pariah than he is now. putin is still trying to play the role of global statesman. we have the chinese president due here for a state visit. the kremlin is clearly furious. vladimir putin's spokesperson organized an emergency conference call for journalists tonight. that is something he rarely does. he was brief. he was angry. he described this move as outrageous and unacceptable and refused to take any more questions on the subject. it is quite interesting. the political system in this

country is constructed aroun one man, putin, and it has been fascinating to see the members of this system coming out to express their indignation, trying to outdo each other in their expressions of loyalty to vladimir putin. we heard the former russian president, a putin ally, referring to the arrest warrant in a social media post, saying there is no need to explain where this paper should be used, following that with an emoji of a toilet roll. we heard from the speaker of the russian parliament saying as long as there is putin, there is russia, saying any attacks on the russian president are ana ct -- are an act of aggression against our country. that gives you an idea of the fury expressed by the political system in russia. david: you mentioned the visit next week by chinese president xi jinping.

is he coming to broker peace potentially, or perhaps, as the pentagon has suggested, to supply arms to russia? steve: possibly neither. the chinese have come up with a peace initiative. not really a peace plan. which is a littlbit vague and has sparked a lot of skepticism in the u.s. and amongst european leaders about whether china is a serious about brokering peace. i don't think he's is the issue -- peace is the issue here. china said it is not supplying russia with legal aid to win on the battlefield in although the u.s. claims china is considering that. i think the visit is all about china saying we are partners with russia, we are cooperating with russia, we will deepen our cooperation with russia. that is a message to america, to

europe. but i don't think china is ready to cross a redline and actually supply the russians with lethal aid. david: let's turn to turkiye, where president erdogan finally agreed to support finland's bid to join nato. turkiye had blocked finland's application for months, complaining it had supported terrorists. in ankara with his finnish counterpart, erdogan praised finland's concrete steps on tradition security. any nato expansion needs support of all of its members. finland is now a step closer to joining. in the u.s. christian biden has met with ireland -- president biden has met with ireland's leader as part of a series of evts to mark st. patrick's day, a day which totes ireland's

patron saint celebrate it widely across the u.s. fifth avenue turned green in manhattan as crowds turned out to cheer on marchers at new york's annual parade. a day earlier a police band of irish bagpipers rung the opening bell at the new york stock exchange. as the u.s. president posted the irish leader, even though white house fountain turned green. joe ben has made much of his irish roots and he's expected to travel there soon to visit dublin, where his ancestors are from. the white house is yet to confirm if he will visit northern ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the good friday agreement, which occurs next month. our northern ireland political editor is covering the irish delegation's visit here. i spoke to him earlier. the u.s. played a crucial role

inhe good friday agreement. president biden has taken a close interest in post-briggs it trade negotiations -- post-brexit trade negotiations. he is to meet with the democratic unionist party leader at the white house today. what are the chances of an accelerated breakthrough in those trade talks? correspondent: we are not expecting such a breakthrough in washington. the leader of the dup very much takes his lead from his party back home. he would have to speak to his own grassroots and elected representatives if he was about to change course. the dup are opposed to the new trading arrangements because they say at undermine northern ireland's place within the u.k. the difficulty for the party is ty are becoming more isolated because ldon and brussels are content with this new deal. business leaders in northern ireland have given it a thumbs up as well.

they are quite keen to this deal that leaves the dup in a pretty lonely spot. they have en feeling the heat in washington this week, not least from irish-american politicians who can understand why the party cannot just restore the institutions back. as for the discussions jeffrey donaldson had today with the u.s. president, we do not think they will yield in total progress. i think we are some way off seeing the dup taking their seats once more in the government of northern ireland. david: president biden is due to visit northern ireland next month to mark the anniversary of the good friday agreement. how much does his visit depend on some sort o deal as far as trade post-brexit? correspondent: i think the president will travel to ireland regardless of a breakthrough in these talks. that is because the good friday agreement is a big success story here in america.

joe biden like previous irish-american presidents like to bask in t glory of what was agreed back then, reaching a milestone on the 25th anniversary. he wants to be part of what is happening in northern ireland. i can imagine that visit will go ahead because joe biden is keen that he has his small piece of history because he wants to reflect on the progress made. also the talk about the next 25 years for ireland and in the institutions up and running as quickly as possible. david: thank you for joining us. staying in the u.s., the justice department is investigating whether the company behind tiktok spied on u.s. citizens. the biden administration said it nts to see tiktok's chinese owners sell off the popular app. on thursday the u.k. government moved to ban tiktok from government phones and mobile devices.

meanwhile the global banking sector remains on edge, one week on from the collapse of silicon valley bank. for more on both of those issues i spoke earlier to our north america business editor. why is the u.s. justice department investigating tiktok? correspondent: this is an investigation that has been going on for about a year now. it seems to have revved up when there was an admission in decemberby bytedance, the owner of tiktok, that there was some spy in by some -- some spying by some individuals against some technology reporters in the u.s. and some u.s. citizens as well. that admission has really upped the ante in terms of the u.s. government's view on tiktok and how involved the chinese government is in the data collection. david: all of this coming as the white house is demanding

bytedance either sell tiktok or risk a ban. correspondent: exactly, but even then there are still worries that won't solve the problem, th there is still this ability for surveillance. no matter how much the ceo of tiktok will try to assuage those worries, they still persist. he will be testifying on capitol hill on thursday. there is a lot of attention that is being played to this particular hearing, because he will be facing some very pointed questions from u.s. lawmakers. this is one of these apps that is banned on a lot of u.s. government devices at the state level and we are seeing there is more movement to have that done on government phones as well. david: as far as the banking crisis is concerned, we have seen these massive bailouts, $30

billion for first republic bank. one bank to another loaning money. has that calmed market jitters? correspondent: it is important to know how extraordinary a move this is. we are seeing a consortium of 11 differentanks have said, okay, we will kick in some of our own money to try to assure investors and consumers that the american banking system is safe. has that translated to wall street? there has been a lot of nervousness. part of that has to do with the banking sector and worries about what crises could be looming. the other part of that story is what is the u.s. central bank going to do next week? will it raise interest rates, cut interest rates, will it stay the course? a lot of that will have an

impact on the banking crisis. david: does -- thank you for joining us. this coming monday marks the anniversary of the 2003 invasion of iraq by a u.s.-led coalition. the initial phase of the war saw an intense aerial bombardment of baghdad in which one of the many casualties was a 12-year-old. he lost his parents and young brother in the attack, as well as both his arms. our correspondent has this report. i should warn you it contains troubling descriptions and images. >> few iraqis carry deeper scars than him. his father h been desperate to see the end of saddam hussein's dictatorship. >> my father was saying when he sees the americans coming he will just make a party for them, a barbecue. we were just hoping for a better

life. we were thinking getting rid of saddam we will have a future for iraq, but this never happened. i never know any family that they have not lost a loved one. correspondent: his family had fled the capital baghdad for safety, but returned thinking the worst was over, just hours before their home was hit by a rocket. >> i remember the house collapsed on us, fire everywhere. i hear my mother screaming and my father also. it was terrible. i felt the fire burning my body and arms. so this picture was the first picture when i arrived in hospital. i remember my neighbor was telling me that when he pulled me out of rubble -- because my

arm was so badly burned, one of my arms came off. correspondent: the pain must have been unbearable. >> yeah, i was just in so much pain. i didn't want to live at that time. correspondent: it was when his parents didn't visit him that he knew for sure that they were dead. >> that is me in the middle. that is my two brothers. that is maybe four months before the attack. this is my little brother who lost his life. correspondent: he now has a new precious family member. >> hello, half event? correspondent: his five-year-old son is with his mother in baghdad, who ali hopes to bring him here. >> i have a very good relationship with use of -- with yousef. we are always on the phone together.

when i go back to iraq he's always spoiling me. he does not let me do anything. he's taking good care of me. if i'm trying to do something with my feet he will just say no daddy, i will do that for you. he likes my driving. i try to live independent. i do many things like drive with my feet. i can use of phone. i can also hug him with my feet. it is ok with that. i mean, i just want to make a good future for my son. maybe i can create my own charity one day and help people who are in my situation. i have been through very difficult times, especially after the injury. i have to deal with it without

parents and arms. it was difficult in the beginning but i have seen many people with injuries much worse than mine. i always think god -- thank god for what i have. i think of the positive things. david: it's one of the most common food allergies in the world, peanuts. researchers have concluded that instead of avoiding them parents would be better advised to introduce their children to them earlier so that they can build up a resistance. here is our medical editor, fergus walsh. fergus: a spoonful of smooth peanut butter twice a week mixed with breast milk if preferred. this is how doctors say babies can be safely introduced to peanuts. whole and chopped nuts should

never be given as they are a choking hazard. but when should parents start? 1 in 50 children in the u.k. is allergic to peanuts and they can be life-threatening. there has been a threefold increase in recent decades, partly driven by faulty advice to avoid peanuts altogether until the age of three. that was dropped in 2009. the current official nhs advice is introducing peanuts should begin around six months as part of weaning. a study by allergy experts says it should begin earlier, between four to six months. they estim peanut allergy can fall by 77% if this was done. that would mean around and thousand fewer children with a peanut allergy each year in the u.k.. we know if babies eat peanuts, the gut sees that as hars and the body does not develop an

allergic reaction. you contrast that with a baby that first sees peanuts on the skin, the body then tends to develop a peanut allergy. fergus: sienna is 2.5 and allergic to peanuts. her mom followed official advice and she was not fed them early on but now wishes she had been. >> if given an opportunity it would have been different. everyday life would be a normal situation, same as it is for her brother. we would not have to worry about making sure she is safe as well. >> we will go pop, pop, pop. fergus: sienna is now being tested for other possible allergies. the researchers are urging the nhs to change the guidance to recommend peanut products are introduced between four and six months.

and say it would make a huge impact on safeguarding the health of children in years to come. fergus walsh, bbc news. david: before we go tonight, her songs get stuck in the brain, her ticket sales break the internet, and now entire cities have been named after her. i'm talking of course of taylor swift, who kicks off her eras tour in glendale, arizona tonight. we should call it swift city because the mayor of the town has changed the name while the popstar is there. the 52 day extravaganza will mark taylor swift's first time hitting the road since her sold-out reputation tour in 2018. hope you are heading for swift city tonight. narrator: funding for presentation of this program is provided by.. the frman 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. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪♪ announcer: usa today calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs video app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere. simply download the s video app on your mobile or streaming device.

♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "newshour" tonight, the international criminal court issues an arrest warrant for russian presidenvladimir putin for war crimes in ukraine. geoff: the faa investigates a series of near-collisions on airport runways. amna: and, a new stripped-down version of the classic play "a doll's house" brings jessica chastain back to broadway. >> it feels like you're incredibly exposed as an actor because you're not given, you're not able to hide behind anything. ?