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00:19 [Music]
00:31 Live from London, this is The World Today.
00:36 Hello, I'm Li Jianhua. Welcome to the program, Our Top Stories.
00:40 Another exodus inside Gaza. Israel's military moves back into Jabali in the north, telling all residents to leave.
00:48 Scenes of devastation in southern Brazil. More than half a million people homeless due to flooding, with more heavy rain on the way.
00:57 And as the planet endures another month of record-breaking heat, what needs to be done to fight the climate emergency?
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01:17 Israel has begun a major offensive into the Jabali refugee camp in northern Gaza.
01:24 Columns of tanks were seen rolling across the border early on Sunday, while there were reports of airstrikes on the camp, killing several Palestinians.
01:33 Thousands of people have been fleeing Jabali after Israel ordered them to leave immediately, saying it was returning to stop Hamas' re-establishing control.
01:42 Israel has also stepped up attacks on a number of other areas across Gaza.
01:47 Our correspondent Martin Lowe is in the Israeli city of Sderot, which overlooks Gaza.
01:53 They cleared Jabali shortly after the October 7th rampage into Israel by Hamas.
02:01 They cleared the city of Hamas fighters and moved on. Now they say Hamas is regrouping here.
02:06 Now we're at a lookout post overlooking the city of Jabali. Behind us we've been witnessing a fierce battle over the last few hours.
02:15 There have been repeated strikes from the air, bombs dropped by Israeli jets, a barrage of artillery fire.
02:23 We've seen explosions and smoke spiraling into the air.
02:27 We've also seen from here tanks advancing over the ground towards Jabali.
02:33 From this location we have no information about what the fighting is actually like inside the city.
02:38 But we do know that Hamas is still operating because they have been firing back.
02:43 This location here has come under attack at least five times by Hamas rockets in the last couple of hours.
02:51 On two occasions there were explosions directly above our heads as the Iron Dome missile system intercepted the incoming rockets.
03:01 They were so close. This is actually a piece of debris from one of those incoming rockets that fell down on the ground just behind us.
03:09 We heard an alarm literally five or six seconds before the rockets arrived.
03:14 We just had time to dive for cover behind a wall. But it is clearly intense fighting on both sides.
03:22 The Israeli Defence Forces have announced that they have killed 170 Hamas fighters in the last 24 hours in Jabali.
03:33 We can't confirm that. But clearly a major operation is underway and is continuing here.
03:40 And about it is reported that President Joe Biden is offering Israel sensitive US intelligence on the location of senior Hamas fighters.
03:49 In return for halting the Rafah operation, how much is that a true?
03:54 Well, the Rafah operation is going ahead at quite a pace. Clearly things are stepping up down there in the south of Gaza.
04:06 Now, Israel insists it's a measured advance and it still falls within the boundaries of what the US have asked them to keep to.
04:15 There's a huge amount of concern about the action in Rafah and the high number of civilian casualties.
04:22 But yes, there's some consternation now here in Israel today over a report that has surfaced from the US.
04:29 It actually appeared in the Washington Post citing four US officials.
04:34 They're saying that the US has now made an offer to Israel that if they either slow down or stop altogether their assault on Rafah,
04:42 the US will give them what they're calling sensitive intelligence, which they say identifies the location of Hamas leaders
04:50 and also the underground tunnels underneath the city where it's believed hostages are being held.
04:57 These are key objectives for the Israeli defense forces.
05:02 And the question is being asked if this is genuine and that if this information is available,
05:06 why has it not already been shared with the Israeli defense forces?
05:11 The US has been very critical of the Israeli advance and the high civilian casualty count.
05:17 Israel is saying they're trying to minimize casualties, but Hamas is using civilians as human shields.
05:23 We don't know how recent this information is, how long the Americans have known, just how detailed it is.
05:29 But clearly, if they have information as good as they're suggesting, then we do have to ask the question,
05:36 why has it not been provided and could it not have saved lives up to this point?
05:41 That was our correspondent Martin Lowe reporting from Sderot.
05:44 And our correspondent Akram Al-Satry says most communications in central Gaza have been cut off.
05:50 He spoke to CGCN earlier before the latest Israeli assaults began.
05:55 Around one third of Rafah city was ordered to leave their different areas, around four blocks,
06:01 and some equivalent amount of people were asked also to move from this very same areas around three days ago,
06:09 around 1.2 million, around 200,075 Gazans living in Rafah were asked also to leave.
06:17 They were asked to head to the humanitarian zone in the Khan Younis area and Gaza central area
06:24 and some parts of Rafah beach area.
06:26 The people who were asked to move left their homes and some of them were already IDPs for the seventh or eighth time
06:32 and they were headed to Khan Younis and Gaza central area.
06:35 People were frantically trying to grab whatever they can for the sake of just--
06:39 people don't know where to go, but they are moving to an areas they think are relatively safer than other areas,
06:46 while also believing that there is no safe haven in Gaza Strip.
06:50 So they're moving from their homes to areas that were destroyed.
06:53 They're erecting tents and they're staying there hoping that they would survive.
06:57 Borders are closed for the fifth day now, and even before this closure,
07:02 the border was closed for around 11 days because of the Jewish Passover holiday,
07:07 so the situation was extremely lacking even before those latest military development taking place
07:13 around Kerem Shalom and Rafah terminals.
07:15 Now with them being closed, there is no humanitarian aid whatsoever entering Gaza,
07:21 not only the humanitarian aid that is entering Gaza that has the problematic side.
07:25 Now no medical consumables, no medications, no fuel that is needed to run the different facilities in Gaza.
07:32 So we are standing in Shuhada al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza central area.
07:36 I've spoken to some of the officials and they told me they have around one day and a half also for the full supplies
07:43 to suffice them to run the hospital and care for the patients.
07:49 Nothing has been done. Even the UNRWA made some statements saying that it is up to Sunday, tomorrow,
07:55 that they can do the distribution of the food aid and after that there would be no food aid to distribute.
08:02 So an extremely suffocating crisis that has been befalling on the Palestinians,
08:07 and it's likely to continue and people are likely to continue starving the same way people in the Gaza north were starving.
08:14 They need the international community as they said to step in and to try to alleviate the repercussions of such a thing
08:21 and they don't think those repercussions would be alleviated without opening the two main terminals
08:26 that have been a lifeline for the people who have been subjected to a larger scale devastation and death for the last seven months.
08:33 Egypt has announced it will join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
08:41 The case accuses Israel of acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
08:46 Egypt's foreign ministry says its decision comes as Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians escalate.
08:54 Around 1,800 people have fled their homes in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
08:59 It comes as Russian bombardment continues along the front line after surprise attacks early on Friday.
09:06 The Kremlin says Russian troops have taken control of five villages in northern Kharkiv.
09:11 Kiev is deploying reserve units saying fierce defensive battles are underway.
09:17 Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued drone attacks on Russia's Belgorod border region.
09:23 A presidential election is underway in Lithuania.
09:26 Incumbent leader Gitanis Nosieda is wisely tipped to wing another five years in office.
09:32 He is facing a challenge from the current Prime Minister Ingrida SivongytÄ—.
09:37 Regional security and the conflict in Ukraine have topped voters' concerns.
09:41 According to a recent poll, over half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack in the Baltics is either possible or very likely.
09:49 And both leading candidates have backed the rises in defense spending.
09:53 Flesh flooding has killed at least 37 people on Indonesia's Sumatra Island.
09:59 The downpours caused volcanic ash and gravel to slide down a volcano and into a river, sending water rushing through several villages.
10:09 Many victims were swept away while more than a hundred homes are said to have been submerged.
10:15 The UN Food Agency says more than 300 Afghans have died in widespread flooding, which has destroyed more than a thousand homes.
10:24 The World Food Program says it's distributing aid in parts of northern Afghanistan following weeks of heavy rain.
10:31 Roads and power lines have also been destroyed.
10:34 We've sent all available food and non-food materials to the affected provinces.
10:43 But unfortunately, due to the continuous and heavy rain in the affected areas, our efforts have been affected.
10:50 However, much assistance sent to many of these provinces has been distributed to affected people.
10:56 Southern Brazil is facing more heavy rain, worsening the devastating floods that have already killed at least 136 people.
11:06 Dozens of people are missing in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and more than half a million have fled their homes.
11:12 Brazil's government has blamed the flooding on climate change.
11:16 Our correspondent Paulo Cabral reports.
11:18 After a few days of dry weather, storms have returned to Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
11:24 The rain and wind make it even more challenging to conduct search and rescue operations,
11:29 which are carried out using all possible means by volunteers, rescue workers and security forces,
11:35 as people cling on to anything in fast-moving floodwaters.
11:39 I started to get scared. I tried to stay calm.
11:43 When I started to feel scared, I tried to stay calm.
11:46 I knew that given the depth of the water, if I panicked, things would get only worse.
11:52 So I focused on calming down and breathing, and then I calculated how far I had to go to reach safety.
12:00 These athletes from Brazil's Olympic rowing team paused their training to volunteer and help with rescue efforts in their home state.
12:13 After seeing the situation unfolding in recent days, what all the people of Rio Grande do Sul are facing,
12:20 we saw our family, friends and colleagues in need.
12:24 Ivaldo and I talked a lot and decided to give up the pre-Olympics to focus our energies here, to help our families and friends.
12:33 With the water yet to recede, at least 70,000 people are seeking refuge in shelters across Rio Grande do Sul.
12:40 Many had to leave their homes before the floodwaters arrived, as further inundation remains a risk,
12:46 especially with the rain returning to the region.
12:49 We decided to leave earlier because many people couldn't escape in time.
12:54 We took whatever we could and left.
12:57 The floods aren't just affecting Brazil.
12:59 The climate disaster has also impacted Uruguay, which neighbors the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, to the south.
13:06 According to Uruguayan authorities, torrential rains and floods have impacted 10 districts and displaced around 2,000 people.
13:14 What this flooding in Brazil has in common with our situation is that it shows we must take climate change more seriously.
13:21 All of these things are going to happen more frequently.
13:25 The district of 33 is among the worst hit, with floodwaters damaging homes.
13:30 Some residents have chosen to go to shelters.
13:33 I raised some of my belongings to around 120 or 130 meters high.
13:38 I took the fridge, armchairs and other items to my daughter's cabin up here.
13:43 It's the only way to save anything.
13:45 The rest got soaked.
13:47 All rescue efforts are now focused on managing the current emergency,
13:50 but there is a long way to go to recover and restore areas impacted by the disaster.
13:55 And in the long run, there is much concern about the rising frequency and severity of such disasters.
14:01 Paulo Cabral, CGTN, São Paulo.
14:04 You're watching CGTN Still Ahead.
14:07 The warmest April on record.
14:09 Scientists sound the alarm as the Chinese and U.S. Climate Envoys hold talks.
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15:27 This week on RAZR, can precision fishing preserve biodiversity in our oceans?
15:39 There's a lot of things can happen between the point we've dropped the net in and we take it out.
15:44 And if we want to fish more precisely and catch more of the right fish and less of the wrong fish
15:50 and have less of an impact on the environment, we've got to understand what we're doing.
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16:05 Welcome back, a reminder of our top stories.
16:09 Another exodus inside Gaza.
16:11 Israel's military moves back into Jabalia in the north, telling all residents to leave.
16:17 Scenes of devastation in southern Brazil.
16:20 More than half a million people homeless due to flooding with more heavy rain on the way.
16:25 [Music]
16:31 Earlier this week, scientists confirmed the world experienced its hottest April since records began.
16:42 Both the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization
16:48 said this was the 11th consecutive month of record heat.
16:52 Higher temperatures persisted even though warming El Nino weather pattern is subsiding,
16:57 with heat remaining in ocean air temperatures.
17:00 Scientists also blamed the unprecedented warm weather on human-induced climate change.
17:05 Against this sweltering backdrop, the US and China's special climate envoys held their first in-person talks in Washington.
17:14 Our correspondent Poppy M. Puting reports.
17:17 China and the US are working together to try and solve key issues addressing climate change,
17:25 solidifying their partnership and cooperation during two-day talks held here in Washington DC this week.
17:33 This as global warming targets set by the 2015 Paris Agreement hit alarming levels,
17:40 exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius earlier this year.
17:45 Meeting for the first time in person, the newly minted climate envoys,
17:50 Liu Zhenmin and John Podesta, discussed a range of priorities.
17:56 Chief among those, a commitment to phasing down coal consumption and developing emissions reduction technologies this decade.
18:05 The groundwork for this meeting was laid down last November during talks between their predecessors at the COP28 summit in Dubai,
18:14 as well as in San Francisco during a face-to-face summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden,
18:24 where both leaders pledged greater cooperation between the two countries.
18:29 During the talks in Washington, Liu and Podesta also pledged to develop emissions measurement, reporting and verification systems,
18:39 as well as to address how to limit non-CO2 greenhouse gases.
18:45 Greenpeace East Asia lauded the meeting's outcome in a statement saying, quote,
18:51 "This first face-to-face meeting between the two new envoys shows that they don't take the opportunity lightly.
18:58 Both envoys showed awareness of their heavy task, recalling past commitments and areas to work together going forward."
19:08 Liu and Podesta will meet in Azerbaijan later this year at COP29, the UN's flagship climate meeting.
19:16 Topping that agenda, they'll be discussing solutions to reducing methane gas emissions.
19:22 Poppy Imputing, CGTN, Washington.
19:27 Kaveh Ghilampul is vice president for international strategies at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
19:35 The latest reports are clearly concerning. At the same time, they're nothing new.
19:40 Over recent years, we've seen temperature records being broken on a regular basis and also increasingly severe climate impacts.
19:49 Your piece there just referred to the terrible flooding in Brazil, which will host the COP in 2025.
19:57 The models and the science have predicted all of this.
20:00 And I think on the positive side, while this is concerning, as a matter of physics,
20:04 it's still possible to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and stay within the 1.5 degree limit.
20:10 We have the solutions. We know what to do.
20:12 We know from COP28 that we need to triple renewable energy by 2030 and to transition away from fossil fuels.
20:19 It's really a matter of political will as to whether countries want to do this or not.
20:25 As I said, it's a matter of political will.
20:27 And earlier this week, envoys of the two key climate players, also the largest emitters in the world,
20:33 the United States and China, sat together for a climate action meeting in Washington, as we heard just now.
20:39 So how significant is this cooperation for the global goal?
20:44 Well, past experience shows that major breakthroughs on climate change are only possible when the US and China,
20:50 the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, are aligned in their thinking.
20:55 And the readout from that recent meeting that you referred to is really encouraging for two reasons.
21:01 Firstly, to establish that personal relationship between the new climate envoys.
21:06 In previous years, the relationship between Secretary Kerry and Chez Chenoir was really vital in terms of major breakthroughs,
21:14 such as the agreement of the Paris Agreement in 2015.
21:18 So that personal relationship will be very important going forward, and it's great that they met in person.
21:24 But also the substance of that meeting and what was discussed was really encouraging.
21:29 They discussed things like taking forward the notion of tripling renewable energy and moving away from fossil fuels.
21:35 They emphasized that new climate targets have to be submitted in early 2025 that are consistent with limiting temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
21:45 And importantly, they also emphasized ongoing cooperation on reducing methane emissions,
21:51 which is really a low hanging fruit where the technology and the policies needed to reduce emissions are known.
21:57 But it's a very significant greenhouse gas.
22:00 So in all those areas, it's really encouraging that the two countries are cooperating.
22:05 And we know it is not only about talk the talk, but to walk the walk.
22:09 So what practical steps may we see being taken on climate policy and implementation fronts internationally in the months to come?
22:18 Well, 2024 is an important year for climate policy in three main areas.
22:22 First of all, as I said, new climate targets are required in the first quarter of 2025.
22:28 So the rest of 2024 will be really vital for countries to prepare those new climate targets and the policies to implement them.
22:36 And cooperation between countries such as U.S. and China on things like taking forward the tripling of renewable energy will be really critical to that.
22:45 Secondly, 2024 will require for the first time that all countries are going to have to come forward with reports to show how they're meeting their current targets under the Paris agreement so that these biennial transparency reports are due by the end of the year.
23:03 And again, this was an area of cooperation highlighted in the recent meeting in Washington between the two countries.
23:09 And then finally, the main deliverable for COP 29 in Azerbaijan will be on climate finance.
23:15 It's expected that a new goal on climate finance will be agreed and something like six trillion U.S. dollars will be needed by 2030 for developing countries to implement their existing climate commitments, yet alone the new ones.
23:30 So the politics on that will be very difficult. But it's really important and a good sign that the U.S. and China are speaking.
23:38 (upbeat music)
23:46 - The war in Ukraine has claimed many lives and affected countless others.
23:51 While the human cost is largely documented, the impact on pets and other animals has also been huge.
23:57 Packs of abandoned dogs now roam wild in bombed out areas in the south and near the front line.
24:03 There are some people determined to risk their lives to save animals and ship them to safer places, including Spain, from where our correspondent Ken Brown reports.
24:12 (dog barking)
24:14 - Say hello to Varuna, the happiest dog on two wheels.
24:19 But Varuna nearly didn't make it when she was shot in the Ukraine, a bullet lodging in her spine.
24:26 She was rescued by animal lover, Victoria Shevchuk.
24:30 - And the man, the problem is that we have a lot of homeless dogs.
24:35 So he decided to shoot her and she stayed five days in the street.
24:40 So without food, without water, she was crying and the neighbors started to call in the south of Ukraine.
24:47 We have thousands of dogs because people are traveling, people are leaving their homes.
24:53 And of course, most of the dogs stayed there.
24:56 So it's a big problem.
24:58 - An operation removed part of the bullet, but left Varuna paralyzed.
25:03 She and three other disabled dogs, Vaya, Budi and Patito, were trapped 15 kilometers from a military base in Yavariv village near the Polish border, an obvious target for Russian attacks.
25:15 That's when Victoria and other animal protectors contacted Bichos Raros, or Wonderful Creatures, a Spanish animal shelter run by Maria and Mako, an hour from central Madrid.
25:27 After a 5,000 kilometer journey with some brave volunteers who risked their lives to rescue animals, Varuna is now safe in Spain with Victoria.
25:38 And Vaya, Budi and Patito live happily together at the shelter with Maria and Mako.
25:44 - Wonderful Creatures is an association that takes in disabled or chronically ill dogs and cats.
25:54 We try to rehabilitate them and put them up for adoption so they can live a dignified life.
26:00 - When an animal comes here with us, it's guaranteed to be happy.
26:06 If someone wants to adopt them, then they're free to go and we're delighted.
26:10 But if not, they'll always have a home here.
26:13 For us, seeing our loved ones happy, that's our happiness.
26:16 And that's the reason behind everything that we do.
26:20 - Many of these doggos have come a long way and even survived war.
26:25 Without the generosity of people like Maria and Mako, they wouldn't stand a chance.
26:30 Animals are often the forgotten victims of conflict.
26:34 Varuna, Vaya, Budi and Patito are some of the lucky ones, rescued and cared for by this community of kind souls.
26:43 Ken Brown, CGTN, Madrid.
26:46 - Again, our headlines. Another exodus inside Gaza.
26:50 Israel's military moves back into Tebali in the north, telling all residents to leave.
26:56 And scenes of devastation in southern Brazil.
26:59 More than half a million people homeless due to flooding, with more heavy rain on the way.
27:05 And that is the World Today. Thanks for watching.
27:07 There is more on CGTN Europe's channel on the Telegram app or scan the QR code on the screen
27:13 to get stories and updates sent direct to your phone.
27:16 More news at the top of the hour. Coming up next is Reza.
27:20 For now, from all the team in London, goodbye.
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