♪ ♪ narrator: funding for presention 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". washington.

this is bbc world news america. accountability and climate change. 2,000 women, taking the swiss government to court, saying climate is a threat to their human rights. pope francis has been taking to the hospital suffering from a respiratory infection. we will have the latest from rome. anger in mexico, as new details emerge of a fire that caused the deaths of 38 people at a migrant center. and meet the giant addition to london's natural history museum. one of the largest animals to walk the earth. ♪ welcome to world news america. we saw it in switzerland.

more than 2000 women are taking the government to court, claiming that they are violating their right to life and good health, taking their ce to the european court of human rights after six years of unsuccessful court battles at home. it is the first climate lawsuit to be considered by the court. and depending on the verdict, it could have widespread applications not just in the eu, but around the world. temperatures in switzerland are rising faster than the global average, and heat waves are becoming more frequent there. in europe as a whole, the last three decades have seen a 30% increase in heat related deaths involving people 65 years and older. our correspondent in switzerland joined me earlier to discuss the case. >> no, it's the first of a number, there are another two coming this year, one from france starting to be heard today or later today and one in the next couple of months in

portugal. i think certainly the swiss women today reflect the fact that switzerland is the first because this alpine country is more affected by climate change. the temperatures are rising faster than the global average. and the swiss women are arguing that their health in particular is affected. one of them that i spoke to just before she set off for strassburg was elizabeth stern. >> the national court turned us down. so we lost our case on three different levels, with arguments that are or were embarrassing to me. they said, there is still time to reach that 1.5 degrees limit.

the fact is that the way our swiss climate policy is, it is on a path of three degrees heating. >> the swiss government argues the lawsuit is manifestly ill-founded. but what exactly is there case -- their case? >> there case is the european court of human rights, if it told switzerland to up its game on climate change, would be overreaching itself, saying that working on climate change and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is really sovereign government policy. and i think what this is -- what the swiss government is doing is expressing the nervousness of the member states, part of the european court of human rights, because they are worrying, could this be a precedent? could the court tell

switzerland, you really need to do more, as an advanced, wealthy nation, need to set an example and do better. that could mean that what applies to switzerland could apply really to the rest of europe. >> when are we expecting over it is -- expecting a verdict in this case? >> is going to be a little while. we are talking about the end of the summer between now a then, we have a case from france and we have a case from portugal. the portugal one is particularly intereing. this is youngeople. and they are suing, if you like, the 46 member states of the council of europe, saying none of them are doing enough to protect the future lives of europe's younger generations. that will be heard. that verdict will also be out later this year. we are looking at a very, very interesting time aund law, climate change, and human

rights. >> that was not the only case of its kind that was heard by the european court of human rights today. there was a second case brought against france by a former mar whh claims the french government has also failed to meet its obligations to protect life by taking insufficient steps to prevent climate change. a third case is also pending, so far without a date for a hearing, which has been brought by a group of portuguese applicants who claim that climate and action by dozens o states has contributed to heat waves in portugal. you may remember back in 2019, the supreme court and holland ordered the government there should cut greenhouse gas emissions following complaint by environmental activists. the british government is also being accused of not doing enough to prepare for the sort of weather extremes that global warmg is bringing and his own

advisors are now saying that u.k. is facing what they call a make or break moment. here's our climate editor, justin r. reporter: we got a glimpse of britain's climate future last summer, wildfires spread to home in east london as temperatures hit record highs. trains were canceled, as equipment failed. the tarmac melted, closing the airport, and a national emergency was declared, as he related deaths hit record highs. frontline medical staff saw the effects firsthand. >> that intense heat had a profound impact on the body of patients that needed urgent care. and this resulted in delays in planned operations. reporter: government advisors say the nhs is not the only institution that needs to do much more to prepare for the weather extremes our changing

climates will bring. the recent shortage of fresh vegetables was blamed in part on unseasonable weather in europe and shows how vulnerable our food system can be. many of our homes overheat in summer. the report says, no part of societ in englands adapting fast enough. david: here in the u.s., the bidding has begun on more than 2.5 thousand square miles of federal oil and gas leases in the of mexico. it is a sale that could further frustrate not only climate campaigners, but the green democrats, who backed president biden in 2020. starting in may, more than 500 square miles of onshore oil and gas leases will also be up for grabs in wyoming, new mexico, montana,, and nevada amongst other states. president biden promised as a

candidate that there will be no more drilling on federal lands period, but that pledge was broken when they came under pressure to sell drilling leases from the courts here in the u.s. turning now to italy, and pope francis has been taken to hospital after suffering from a respiratory infection. the vatican said he will be spending a few days receiving treatment at a health center in rome. the illness is not thought to be covid related. the religious leader also expressed his gratitude for the well wishes he has received. pope francis suffered a number of health difficulties. two years ago, he underwent surgery for a: condition. -- colon condition. i'm joined from rome by david c. what do you know about the pope's condition? >> good evening from rome. all eyes are on the hospital

where pope francis will spend the night. as you said, he was supposed to be there -- but doctors decided to keep him there to make sure he's fine and he may spend the next couple of days there. we know his condition is stable at the moment, and the vatican has been trying to reassure journalists, people here in rome, especially at the vatican, and catholics all over the world. but what people are concerned about is the pope's willingness to resign, i case he is unwell. because we know it is said repeatedly over the last years, especially over the last couple of months, and different interviews, if he is not feeling well or healthy enough, he wants to resign because he does not have the strength to lead the catholic church. so people are really watching

closely the hospital and the situation. but at the moment, we know about the pope's health, it is more concern and not having the strength to be able to go on as pope. david: many thanks for joining us there from rome. outreach is growing in mexico, as further details emergabout a fire at a migrant center in ciudad juarez. footage has emerged that appears to show the start of the blaze. might warn you, you might find these pictures distressing. officials seem to walk away as a fire breaks out, leavi men and what appears to be a locked cell. the imprisoned men then try unsuccessfully to open the barred door, as the smoke

quickly spreads. the full clip is 32 seconds long and appears to come from a security camera inside the facility, which is located just south of a bridge that links ciudad juarez witthe city of el paso in texas. let's bring in our mexico correspondent, will gra. the tension now seems to be focused on the actions -- or the inaction of staff at the center, doesn't it? rerter: it does, david. it really is a harrowing 30 seconds of images that you see, when you watch that video, the government has not denied that it is from the detention center. i think they probably would've done by now if there was doubt still being cas on its veracity. it does show that as the flames got worse and worse, at some point at least in that experience, there were guards on the outside who could see what

was happening and it appears that they didn't open those doors. is that because they didn't have the keys? the person who had the keys was elsewhere? those questions are being investigated. the president was very prickly about that. he asked about it and said all the media is interested in was sensationalism and not the well-being or pain of those trapped migrants. david: all this comes as mexican officials are facing a record influx of migrants arriving at the border with the u.s. reporter: yeah. that is the context. that is the background and mood music to all the tragedies we have seen along the border. i can think back to last yea i think it was june, when 53 migrants were tapped on a sweltering trailer truck that was abandoned just on the other side of the break her into the u.s. in san antonio. there, i followed the bodies

back of three of them, to here in mexico, veracruz. just horrendous stories. these things are happening now for families across the region as they are waiting for confirmation. the more the demand continues to cross the border, th more the government in the u.s. says, you must come through legal channels, that is creating that barrier where people can't get in but keep trying and end up, partly because of title 42 and the health care provision that says they can't come into the u.s. on those grounds, they end up remaining in these dangerous border cities, perhaps working, selling sweets or washing car windshields, and that's where the tragedy has taken place. david: many thanks for joining us, will grant. tension between two long-standing allies is playing out on the international stage. the leaders of israel and the

united states have been trading verbal jabs over the israeli prime minister's judicial reform plans. those measures have now been put on hold after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against them. president biden has said that he hopes prime minister benjamin netanyahu will agree to a compromise. >> like many strong supporters of israel, i'm very concerned. i am concerned that they get this straight. [inaudible] hopefully the prime minister wi work out some genuine compromise. but that remains to be seen. david: mr. netanyahu took issue with that, tweeting that israel is a sovereign country, which makes its own decisions, and the will of the people and not based on pressures from abroad including from the best of friends.

if you hours later, we heard from mr. netanyahu again. this time at a virtual summit hosted by the u.s. which is focused on democracy. >> israel and the united states have had their occasional differences. but i want to assure you that the alliance between the world's greatest democracy and a strong, proud, and independent democracy, is real, and the heart of the middle east, is unshakable. nothing can change that. david: such a back and forth historical allies is rare, but as her middle east correspondent tom bateman reports, it is not necessarily new. report: the american pressure has already been massive and it's been building for months. earlier this year, we had the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken who came here and stood next to the israeli prime minister and in public gave him this effective dressing down, saying, look, these are our expectations for what a democratic state is. he gave a list basically of what

america expects the ruling is reallyoalition to do and the kind of values it expects th to stick to. this has been going on publicly and privately. you t a sense there from joe biden that he's made it clear to benjamin netanyahu. our sense is also they were really bombarding mr. netanyahu's government with messages during this 48 hour crisis from sunday to monday with the country brought to a standstill by protesters and people striking. the americans are saying, you are imperiling the international image of israel as the sole democracy in the region. the message has been very clear. we have this extraordinary angry rebuke from mr. netanyahu, tweeting a series of messages late last night in response to mr. biden saying we are an independent country and we will effectively do what we want and we will not listen to outside pressure. he has of course set america is his strongest ally and we have

an enduring bond that goes on and on. but this is a very serious rift. what it tells you that you mentioned the public division over this and israel, what shows you is this issue is not resolved and the americans for one don't regarded as resolved yet. david: our middle east correspondent, tom bateman there . the former chief executive of starbucks, howard schultz, has denied so-called unionbusting in his most pointed public comments yet in the ongoing dispute between labor unions and the coffee giant in the u.s. officials repeatedly accused the firm of reaching federal laws including wrongfully firing workers. as a result, mr. schulz, who stepped down as the starbucks boss this month, was called to appear before congress to answer more about the findings. he was once the darling of politicians on the left. howard schultz is another demon, it seems. tell us more. reporter: the hearing was very

testy. a lot of really pointed questions from senators. howard schultz used to be this democrat, this leading pioneer when it came to good fair wages for their workers, but the scene was very different. have a listen to some of the testy exchange. >> over the past 18 months, starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal unionbusting campaign in the modern history of our country. that unionbusting campaign has been led by howard schultz, the multibillionaire founder and director of starbucks, who was with us this morning -- is with us this morning only under the threat of subpoena. >> today but reese does in our stores earn on average $17 $.50. respectfully, that's more than the minimum wage of every senator that is represented --

has represented a state on this committee. including respectfully german sanders, where the minimum wage in vermont is $13. david: in e context of the wider drive for trade union rep's incision in this country? >> we have seen an overall decline in terms of membership for trade unions and right across the board. most recently, we are seeing corporations, the workers are recognizing the benefits of being able to collectively bargain. so now you are seeing this kind of union fight happening in places like amazon, starbucks of course, tesla. what this is doing is also changeling the -- challenging these fundamentals of capitalism and what it means for workers' rights to have a fair and living wage, a fight that really began about a decade ago. david: starbucksued that it

pays higher wages, offers greater benefits than many of its rivals. where does this leave the battle by some to unionize? >> starbucks really believes they want to be able to negotiate with their employees on their own, without any sort of interference from a union. however, the unions say there is a lot of calculations happening in order to be able to take advantage of some of those benefits, and that managers are taking a stance to put -- to push people away from that and that is where the tussle is. david: many thanks for joining us. let's have look at some of the other stories that have been making headlines around the world. ♪ king charles is making his first trip abroad as the british monarch. he and the queen consort arrived in berlin. they were greeted by germany's president. on thursday, the king will deliver an address to the german parliament aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries following the

people caused by brexit -- the upheaval caused by brexit. the u.s. fda has approved over-the-counter sales of narcan, used in opiate overdoses. the decision is meant to allow wider access to the life-saving drug, as the country continues to battle its opioid crisis. spray says it will be available on u.s. store shelves and from online retailers later this year. one of the biggest animals ever to walk the earth is about to go on display at the natural history museum in london. or the likeness of one, anyway, the titan dinosaur was discovered nearly 10 years ago in argentina, a replica skeleton will go on the show so the public can touch it and walk beneath it's very big bones. our science editor, rebecca morel, has the story. reporter: piece by piece, bone by colossal bone,

a creature from 100 million years ago begins to emerge. this is patago titan reporter: one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth. assembling this dinosaur is like tting together a giant 3d jigsaw puzzle. there armore than 500 bones and fixings, but no instruction manual. this piece measures 37 meters from the tip of its nose all the way down to its tail. and that just about squeezes into this room with a few twists and turns along the way. the titan dinosaurs an exact replica of the original fossilized bones. getting a creature like this into a 140-year-old building has been a challenge. >> we have had to take some of the doors off, in order to get the crates and different parts of the dinosaur in. some of the bones and the cost itself -- cast itself are quite heavy.

it is one of the largest animals to have walked on land. trying to imagine it as a living, breathing crture is -- yeah, it's amazing. reporter: the bones were on earth at a ranch in patagonia in argentina just over a decade ago. a scientist was joined by david attenborough. now the exhibition is complete. the dinosaur is ready for its moments in the spotlight. >> one of the first things you notice is this huge toothy green with these pencil like teeth. that would've been just feeding machines, constantly using the headset stuff more and more leaves and twigs into its body just in order to keep it moving around. reporter: the titan dinosaur still holds some mysteries. nobody knows where the creatures grow so big or why they came to die out.

but their size and existence puts our own existence into perspective. david: before we go, if you watched last night's program, you would've seen a story about the komodo dragon. tenant, we end on cheetahs. india has welcomed the birth of for cheetah cubs more than 70 years after the animals were declared officially extinct there. the cubs were born in the cuno national while park wildlife century five days ago but were only spotted by officials on wednesday. ok, no more animal stories for a while, at least. i'm david willis. thanks for watching worlnews america. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, 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. ♪ ♪ 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 pbs video app on your mobile or streaming device.

amna: good evening and welcome. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight, the former ceo of starbucks faces congressional scrutiny over allegations of antunion practices. amna: in the wake of the school shooting in nashville, parents once again grapple with how to speak with their children about gun violence. geoff: and 20 years on, we examine the long-lasting impact of the u.s. invasion of iraq and the ongoing debate about whether the war was justified. >> it's difficult to see that the united states and the middle east are better off. firstly, we remove the brutal, dangerous dictator, but they replaced him with chaos. ♪