♪ ♪ 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". ♪ david: i'm in washington and this is "bbc world news america."

a debate over the retirement age rages in france. protesters take to the streets after the french president pushes through controversial pension reforms without a vote in parliament. comi to the financial rescue, a number of big u.s. banks team up to provide billions in fundinto troubled lender, first national. the u.s. military releases footage that it says shows the moment a russian jet took down an american drone. authentically african. senegal celebrates the rich traditions of the continents textiles with some of africa's leading contemporary designers. ♪

welcome to world news america and the u.k., on pbs and around the globe. we start in france where hundreds of protesters have filled the vast square opposite the parliament building in central paris. they started fires and chanted their opposition to the government's move to push through unpopular pension reforms without a parliamentary vote. president emmanuel macron opted to evoke a controversial article in the french constitution after a frantic series of meetings with close aides and ministers revealed he would lose a potential vote. >> [speaking foreign language] [booing] [applause] david: the french prime minister was booed as she arrived at the national assembly to announce the government would trigger article 49.3 of the french constitution. a short while ago our

correspondent joined us from outside the parliament building. the use of this constitutional article, article 49.3, is unprecedented, but how controversial is it in this particular case, given that months of protests we've seen where you are and in other places? >> you are right. it's exactly the hundredth time this procedure has been used since it started in 1958, so it's not unprecedented and has been used by other governments. back in the 1980's where there was a minority government. that's the point. this government has a minority representation in parliament. it can't command a majority, it needs allies. what has happened here is that they tried to get an alliance together with conservatives and they thought they h it. today was to have been the

climax of the vote in the parliament behind me. in the end, at the last minute, they decided they looked at the numbers and decided it didn't add up. it is a very current part of the political calorie. everyone knows that when you invoke 49.3 is a government in france, you wilrun into trouble. you have a rush on the will of the people, you can't command the majority, even in parliament . so you are using your powers to push it through. david: the opposition is now likely to table a no-confidence vote in the government. whathance this could lead to the downhole of the current french government -- downfall of the current french government? >> i think it's unlikely. the 49 point three procedure allows the government to bypass the vote in the assembly, but

opens the way to a motion of confidence tabled by opposition. the thing about the french opposition is it's very divided the far right, the left, the far left ithe opposition. all of those elements would have to come together to promote a solution. the govern probably will summarize and probably this change will go through. but it's a government that will have been weakened, and a government that knows this protest movement, which has been developing the last couple of months, will probably continue and intensify. david: opinion polls show a majority of french voters oppose these reforms, don't they? >> yes, that is why the people around me, the left and the opposition feel emboldened. they feel they have won a round. they have lost around because the till probably will go through but they feel the moral

argument is being won by them. david: thank you for joining us. news of further repercussions from the recent fincial turbulence on both sides of the atlantic. shares in european banks hit a two month low after the eurozone's central banks hiked interest rates by a half of 1%. that here in the u.s., stocks rallied after it was announced a group of big banks had injected $30 billion into a smler regional bank, first republic, which had been seen as at risk of failure. shares in first republic rose more than 20%. reports that j.p. morgan chase and bank of america, amongst others, were working on a rescue plan for the california bank. our business correspondent joins me now from new york. why are other lenders coming to first republic's aid?

what's in it for them? >> they are trying to shore up confidence in the american banking system. the collapse of those two u.s. banks have really spooked investors and consumers that are left wondering if those banks collapse, which ones could possibly be next. a lot of investors were thinking it could be a regional bank like first republic. in the recent days we saw that the shares for first republic was cut in half and you saw the depositors took out early in's dollars from the bank. and that had everyone very spooked about that contagion idea, that ripple effect. so, a consortium of 11 banks have stepped in and said, here's $30 billion of uninsured loans going to the first republic. david: given the assurances officials have been giving about

the states, the banking situations around the world, it's all very well, but having the measures that have been taken in recent days simply delayed rather than averted a delivery crisis. because the money the banks have been lent still has to be paid back, doesn't it? >> what we are seeing is the u.s. government and other players in u.s. regulators are trying to get in front of the banking crisis. in fact, the treasury secretary, janet yellen, was testifying to congress that she was meant to testify about the budget. but there was lots of comments and questions about what has happened in the banking industry in the last few days. have a listen to what she said. >> i can reassure the members of the committee that our banking system is sound and americans can feel confident that their deposits will be there when they ne them.

this week's actions demonstrate our risk to ensure that our financial system remains strong in the depositors savings remain safe. david: for all of janet yellen's assurances there, isn't the truth of the matter that this whole situation leaves financial regulators and almost impossible task. because in order to control the situation, they have to bring down interest rates and that runs the risk of fueling inflation. >> absolutely. inflation has been the word for many, many days. you will know them interest rates have been climbing all around the world to try to contain inflation, and now we heard from the ecb that said, we are still going to raise interest rates by half a percentage point. seeing what's happening and saying, we will still stay the

course. if the question is what our central banks to do in the midst of this, the calculation will be different for america central bank. the federal reserve will meet next week and they are obviously watching all of this and the impact that rising interest rates has had on all of these banks. david: many thanks for joining us. the biden administration says tiktok, the social media app used by more than a billion people worldwide, should be sold or else face a possible ban in the country. the video sharing app owned by the chinese company by dance, is accused of a national security risk for data gathered from millions of users. the british government has been the latest to ban its users from using tiktok on their work phones. our security correspondent sent us this report.

>> it's the video app that has come from nowhere to everywhere, taking over the world, even mps in the ministry of defense has been using it, but it's now facing new restrictions. so what has been an ounce. today after growing political pressure, the u.k. government has followed the u.s., canada and the european union. government officials will no longer be able to download the app onto work devices. >> we will do so with immediate effect. mr. speaker, this is a precautionary move, we know there is already limited use of tiktok across government, but it is good cyber hi jeans. david: one of the reasons tiktok is so successful is because it's good at their urs. it can collect data. anwhat's different about tiktok is that it was founded in china. >> tiktok is collecting a huge

amount of data. which is relatively similar to all social media platforms. but the problem is whom they may be sharing it with. it's not proven whom they are sharing it with or if they are. but as the collection of data that could be sensitive tha could cause risks to companies should be shared with the incorrect people. >> what does the company say about this? tiktok told the bbc there's no evidence of having done anything wrong. >> we are disappointed, we believe this change of heart is based more on geopolitics than anything else. we asked to be judged not on the fears that people have. so should i delete it from my phone, people might ask. the government is not advising the general public to stop using to talk, just government officials who might have more sensitive information on their phone. there's no sign of a wider band,

but the growing controversy over to talk is a sign of deepening tiktok between the west and china. david: to ukraine in thengoing battle for the city in the east of the country. two ukrainian army brigades defending the southern flank gave the bbc access to their position as fierce fighting continued in and around the city. they say russian casualties far outweigh theirs, but that the enemy is using new techniques to try to seize the city and the surrounding countryside. our correspondent sent us the special report. >> and wars on certain journey, fate is decided in the unlikeliest of places. ukraine has drawn a line in the mud and that line is the city.

the enemy must not pass. this ground must be held. winter has given way to early spring, th hope it might slow russia's advance. >> it complicates the job for both parties. the enemy has difficulty attacking because nothing moves in the moment. >> nothing except tank tracks and army boots. >> the mud is unreal. for a, for vehicles. it makes this battlefield impossible. >> for the soldiers of this brigade, it means going the long way around.

moving as fast as the territory allows. ey are in range of russian guns. we are told to keep low. these are new, but warfare along this front is antiquated. these are dugouts at their grandfathers wou recognize. but by digging in, they' tied up russian forces and helped it longer than many expected. but it isn't just the conditions that are basic. this is a 21st century war being fought with 19th-century weaponry. >> machine gun, 120 years of

history of killing russians. weapons from world war. >> we are headed right to the very forward position. they get attacked here on a daily basis. there are the enemy positions, so le's move very fast. >> almost every day where some shots. who couldn't see the craters here. >> there's hardly any tree cover here, the men are exposed.

in the russians have found them. >> you can go in the car here. they are only 500 meters away. that's automatic fire. this lane will need fire. it's really dangerous there, bullets are flying everywhere. more than seven months into this battle and we've created a waistline. this is the longest battle of the war so far. to the north, to the east, and

here in the south, russia has been making gains but it's costing them. ukrainian's see that for every soldier they lose, russia loses seven. they slowly hold on. no one believes the strategic value. to russia, to ukraine. >> it's not a strategic question, we are ordinary soldiers but this is our land. if we lose here, then do we retreat? however long it takes to move forward for five years, we have to fight for every piece of grnd. >> every time of step of land needs to be defended. even as the toil under wave of attacks send them under.

>> we were in combat every two hours. we were fighting them. and without overestimating our achievements i would say this single company was killing 50 of their maine day. we checked the figures, they are awful numbers. >> outgunned and outnumbered, but for now, unwieldy. they have grown used to the alts being against them. david: meanwhile in the u.s., the pentagon has released video of what it claims is part of tuesday's incident between a u.s. drone and a russian jet. the incident, which happen here in the black sea, was the first direct u.s.-russian incident since the war in ukraine began in february last year. in the footage you could see with its claim to be the russian su 27 jet approaching the drone.

the jet releases fuel as it passes before flying over the top of the drone. the russian jet repeats the maneuver. russia has denied u.s. accusations that it's jets acted recklessly. our defense correspondent has more. >> i think what the u.s. has released, and remember, it is edited clips that it has released, they say this interaction was going on for at least 30 minutes, so we are getting a snapshot of the moment when fuel was dumped, it seems deliberately, on the drone, whether it was to try to make it go down or we don't know, to disrupt its sensors. and th the end result of what we see as a propeller blade being twisted after the second pass being shown, which interrupted the video feed.

remember, a drone is operated from tround by a ground crew, and that there is a live feed of whatever information they are sucking up at it always has a camera. it looks like this is backing up the u.s. version of offense. yesterday we heard from ward austin saying he's confident the story they have given is accurate whereas the russian said it was not their responsibility, it was the drone making a sharp turn. the only extraordinary moves you see in this video is by the russian jets, not the drone. david: united nations nuclear watchdog is working to verify reports that 10 barrels of missing uranium has been recovered in libya. they say it und the barrels close to the country's border with chad. the iaea sounded the alarm after a visit by its inspectors earlier is week to the

undisclosed site. senegal has required a reputation when it comes to fashion. the lectionary fashion house features the country that her first ever in afric why does that matter? you may remember the company being accused of cultural appropriation that is using african designs in their collections. now, more african designers are -- with the ttiles as our correspondent reports. >> originality and elegance with a top priority for the fashion show organized. as well as designers from senegal, he was joined by people from nigeria and cameroon. all were fabrics from africa.

>> many say this is the capital of fashion. but we can also say africa is the center of fashion. for my first collection i use fabric. for the second one i used woven loincloth. >> among his guests was an ambassador for senegal culture. like many, this is the culture of weaving. there fabrics are recognized by their geometric shapes. >> it is organic and woven. i kept it to show my home. that people are family. >> another designer offered a different style. otherwise known as the stylist

to the stars. his traits are single stitches around the world. artists, as we know, they fell in his creations. >> my style is really avant-garde. my style is for people who party a lot, video clips, movies, it is different. my creations are used to print fabrics from my home country. sometimes i go to the north of the country to get it for my creations. >> the creation of buzz and a desire for african culture for the destination for fashion lovers. next weekend he will move on to this with the 16th edition organized by --

david: just before we go, time to bring you pictures of the inagural camel cup race from the desert in the northwest of saudi arabia whether prized pull of over 21 million u.s. dollars is the biggest and most expensive in the region. camel owners and breeders from different parts of the world gathered in the region to compete in the event held over three days in march. crown prince mohammed bin salman push to transform the saudi arabian economy. i'm david, thanks for watching world news america. ♪ narrator: funding for presentation othis 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. on the "newshour tonight." new data show a dramatic rise in maternal mortality. and sudden infant deaths among black americans. amna: the popular social media at tiktok says the biden administration is pressuring it to sell the company as concerns about security grow. geoff: pandemic induced burnout causes major nursing staff shortages in hospitals across the country. >> there was one night at work i questions whether or not nursing was for me. by 11:00 p.m., i had not been in to see three of my five patients. it makes you feel defeated.