♪ ♪ 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: this is "bc world news

america." walking the interest rate tight rope, the u.s. federal reserve wishes interest rate higher for a ninth straight time, despite fears about the health of the nation plus banking sector. the former u.k. prime minister boris johnson denies lying to parliament during televised hearings into the so-called party gate scandal. international backlash as a new law in uganda carries the threat of life in prison for anyone identifying as gay. plus he flew in the war a he died alone. now the search is on for loved ones to attend the funeral of flight sergeant peter brown.

welcome to "world news america," in the u.k., ubs, and around the globe. we start with the state of the global ecomy and the intersection between politics and pocketbooks. the u.s. central bank has raised interest rates again despite the fears that it could add to financial turmoil and a string of recent bank failures. they have increased the rate by .25 percent, leaving the benchmark ovnight rate in the range of 4.75% to 5%. it is the ninth hike in u.s. rates since march of last year as the federal reserve wrestles to rain and high inflation. some of -- some economists had expected the fed to hold rate increases amid fears of contagion following the collapse of three banks in recent. among them the silicon valley bank. speaking after the rate

decision, the federal reserve chair said the central bank is closely monitoring conditions in the banking system. >> inflation remains too high, the labor market is very tight. we understand the hardship high inflation is causing and we remain strongly committed to bringing it back down. pricstability is the responsibility of the federal reserve. without it, the economy does not work for anyone. david: our north american business correspondent joins me now. this was deemed as one of the most consequential decisions of the fed chairman, jerome powell's time in office. can we take from this that he regards fighting inflation is the main concern now? >> there had been some debate as to what exactly the fed would do given the turmoil we are seeing in the banking sector. when he was asked about that, he acknowledged that they had

considered, policymakers had considered pausing rates, but felt inflation was still a sufficient enough headwind for them that they wanted to proceed with this smaller than expected increase. what it does is underscore the challenge facing the american central bank. on the one hand they are trying to fight inflation by raising interest rates but on the other they are trying to restore financial stality and right now that is a key priority. david: what is the chance of contagion? >> that is what everyone wanted to know and there were many pointed requests. what you see, what do you know that we don't? he went to great lengths to reassure people the banking system is sound, resilient. he said u.s. deposits are safe. he was pressed on that

particular point. something that has become a political talking point. will the u.s. treasury come out and guarantee deposits. all of this is aimed at restoring confidence. i don't thinwe're there yet but this is a step in that direction. david: in the other fear of hiking interest rates is plunging the u.s. economy into recession. >> ill street terms they often talk about a soft landing, the sweet spot between bringing down prices while avoiding a recession. jay powell was asked about that and in his words he said it too early to say. david: michelle, many thanks. an ocean away in the united kingdom the economic situation is remarkably similar. new figures show food prices have risen faster than at an other time in the last 45 years and that inflation has risen unexpectedly. partly to ble it seems is this shortage of salad and vegetables

coupled with higher pricesnd cafes, pubs, and restaurant. here's our economics editor. >> the inflation rates went back up again after being forecast to fall below 10%. still only a little bit below the 42 year high. still five times the official target for inflation at just 2%. still, it should fall from here as energy prices stabilize. this is the official forecast for the budget in orange. for now it is proving a little sticky. the path to carving inflation is proving to be a bumpier ride. it is worth comparing with the major g-7 economies. it's quite lower elsewhere. europe is pretty close but the u.k. was the only one still in double digits raising reasonable questions about whether the u.k. has become more inflation prone due to post brexit barriers to

trade. food prices are driving this, so let's bring that down, having a peak through a basket of groceries. spreadable butter is up a pound since thisime last year. one dozen eggs, up 72 pence. tomatoes are averaging three dollars -- three pounds 15 per kilo. even when inflation falls these prices will still go up but by less than we saw last year. food prices on the whole are am a 45 year high for the annual rise. part of that is general post ukraine trend. part is from the specific sort -- specific shortages we saw last month. david: staying in the u.k., the prime minister rishi sunak's deal has been accepted despite some of the back benches.

the stormont break aims to give a future northern ireland assembly a greater say in how the laws of why to northern ireland. 29 mps voted against it. 22 of them from the ruling consertive party. among them, british johnson. the tear from rishi sunak. >> it's a good deal for the families and businesses of northern ireland, restoring the friday agreement and ensures a place in our precious union. david: among those who voted against was boris johnson, who had a busy day as he faced tough questioning from a parliamentary committee about whether he intentionally misled parliament during the coronavirus lockdown. here is what he told mps.

>> i'm here to say to you hand on heart that i did not lie to the house. when those statements were made they were made in good faith and on the basis of what i honestly knew and believed at the time. david: earlier i spoke to our political correspondent in london about party gate and the brexit deal. let's start with the post brexit northern ireland trade deal. this rewrites the accord that was agreed on by boris johnson in 2019. what exactly did they agree upon today? in this might sound obvious, what did boris johnson object to? >> they agreed to the new version of the deal from the current prime minister, the fifth of recent years, essentially just trying to make

trading arrangements for northern ireland smoother. boris johnson and another of that -in a number of other -- others objected saying that it still meant northern ireland was being treated very differently than the rest of the u.k. in terms of the relationship with the european union and in some ways, they are right. northern ireland is stayin closer to the union than the rest of britain because they want to avoid a dreaded border. david: meanwhile, johnson admitted to misleading parliament regarding covid parties. he was grilled today on whether he did so intentionally. where does this go from here? >> it was a defiant performance. he said that look when i set i

thought lockdown restrictions were being followed at downing street, i said so with an honest heart, as he put his hand on the heart. where does it go from here? it will be up to those seven mps that were listening to his testimony and basically whether they believed him, if they thought he was telling the truth today or to parliament a year ago when he said all lockdown regulations followed, there were no parties. i suspect and i cannot predict how the mps will view his testimony but i don't think it will make much of an effect. saying that those photos showed that there were definitely parties in downing street where they lived by different rules than the rest of us who were going to funerals and weddings and a chunk of the population who thought that it was a bit of a witchhunt. boris johnson doing as well as

he could have. where it goes from here really now depends on that small group of mps. david: rob, many thanks for joining us. as one former leader faced tough questions in london another will have to wait one more day to learn his fate. a grand jury in new york has been looking into donald trump's alleged payments to up orange started meet on wednesday meaning any indictment won't come until thursday at the earliest. though as with all things in this matter, timing is fluid and nothing is certain. mr. trump insisted that the case is politically motivated, calling it a witchhunt. for more on all of this i am joined in the studio by brian, former communications director for donald trump's transition team. and for a legal perspective by our correspondent joining us from the yale jackson school in connecticut, a legal analyst and

former fbi agent. brian, much bullishness on the part of donald trump. but would he be nervous about the political, the potential legal jeopardy he faces? >> thank you for having me. i think that after eight years of seeing what trump world looks like, legally it has become less and less concerning to me. we were on a different network talking about the muller investigation leading to his arrest and ultimate impeachment that it led nowhere. i think they get numb to these scandals of the week, scandals of the month and this just brushes up on that. david: you posted on twitter a complex looking diagram that points to various aspects of this unfolding case. basically leading to the unlikelihood of jail time. why is this prosecution being

brought involving stormy daniels? >> the das office is going to have to decide if there is a harm to new york that they will have to vindicate. looks like the most straightforward case they have is one of falsification of business records involving a reimbursement made to michael, and for his payment of hush money to stormy daniels. the theory is the trump organization basically falsify the reimbursement saying it was for legal fees when it really wasn't. that is a misdemeanor. a misdemeanor is a crime punishable by less than one year. the question is, can he tie it to another crime? in other words, if the falsification is done to commit

or conceal another crime, it comes a felony. we can talk about what he might do in that situation but at the end of the day even as a felony it would be a felony punishable by up to four years as a first time nonviolent offender it's unlikely that he would receive jail time. even when you go through these permutations, that is how it ended up there. david: there's no sign that anyone has come out to protest. senior members of the republican party have urged them not to do so. will trump feel frustrated by that? >> i think you will have a lot of people turning out as you get closer to a potential arrest. i don't think he faults the leaders for saying no. he's probably worried about unnecessary violence. david: on having the public

platform that he has, so determined to project strength, what sort of challenge does it pose intentionally to the criminal justice system if indeed an indictment is wrought against donald trump? >> in terms of security there is a challenge. we know his rhetoric has in a norma's influence on his orders but last year even after the fbi executed a search warrant at mar-a-lago and he spoke out on his social media platform, one of his supporters showed up at the cincinnati office of the fbi trying to breach the building with an ar-15. i think that there is a threat of lone wolf violence that could be conducted in an effort to protest, i guess, in a non-peaceful way against it.

security wise that is a threat. and the proceedings itself will raise all kinds of security issues. hopefully the manhattan courthouse will be prepared to handle that. david: think -- picking up on that point, donald trump some would say has not really grasped the severity of these charges. is it i his mind knowing him as you do part of a political game? he's got a big rally planned this weekend for waco, texas. >> yeah, there's no threat of jail time. minimal threat. much as this might seem scary, it's the witchhunt to that has taken place over the last six to eight years and from his standpoint if there was a time to be scared it would be over muller and not the manhattan district attorney who by every measurement is stretching a law to make a case for himself.

>> many thanks indeed for joining us. the u.s. secretary of state has joined global human rights groups in criticizing uganda new lgbtq+ draft law. antony blinken has called on the government there to reconsider the measure. if past it imposes prison terms and in some cases even a death sentence on those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. this was the moment it was approved by parliament tuesday night. though it still needs to be signed into law. our correspondent has more. >> this gay man in his early teas says he is afraid for his life. he spoke to the bbc on condition that his identity wakept hidden and says he has already faced online attack and was outed to his family.

>> they took the information to my mother. my mom was very mad at me and called sayg you are gay, i never want you back in my life. never even come near my other children. you're no longer my child. >> the new bill sees anyone convicted of grooming or trafficking children for purposes of engaging them in homosexual activities face life in prison. but it includes even tougher penalties. it now stipulates the death penalty in cases where someone has sex with a minor, a disabled person, or in cases where the victim gets infected with a lifelong disease as a result of the assaults. this is the fit time in decades in uganda that the death sentence has been included in a new law. ordinary people are reacting to the passing of the law.

>> i'm over the moon, very happy. ugandans do not agree with homosexuality. >> i do not wish our kids to face ladies sleeping with ladies, i'm so excited about it and i think the parliament of uganda, they didn't let us down. >> activists have said that the anti-homosexuality bill will have far-reaching consequences for ugandans in general. >> there's no reason to have a bill to criminalize individuals having consensual relationships. all ugandans should be suspicious of this bill. it can affect anyone. anyone can accuse anyone with touching or promotion of homosexuality. >> government representatives gave the bill overwhelming support.

it will have to be signed by the president before it can officially become law. bbc news, impala. david: let's have a look at the other stories making headlines around the world. ukrainian authorities have released footage of volodymyr zelenskyy visiting the front line near the city of muff mood. he is shown handing out metals to soldiers who have been engaged in some of the most intense fighting in the year long war. the visit comes as russia launched more missile attack killing at least eight people in the capital and in the city. 35 people have been injured at an edinburgh dockyard after a ship there tipped over. video shows the 3000 ton vessel leaning at a 45 degree angle. it was once owned by the late microsoft founder paul allen and had been used for searching for shipwrecks and is currently owned by the u.s. navy.

officials say it had come dislodged from its moorings. the hollywood icon dick van dyke is recovering from iuries after he wrote orderly lost control of his car on the streets of malibu in california. the 97-year-old or suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. police say drugs and alcohol were not suspected to have been involved but there are reports that officials want him to retake his driving test due to his age. next we have a sad story that we hope will have a happier ending. one of the last black veterans of world war ii in the u.k. died recently, alone in his flat in london. flight surgeon peter brown never married and had no children. born in jamaica, joining the royal air force in 1943. it is hoped some surviving relatives might emerge to give hia proper sendoff. helena wilkinson reports.

>> this is peter brown when he was serving a 1945. age 17 is thought the young jamaican had traveled thousands of miles so that he could volunteer to fly and fight in world war ii. after training he flew in the famous strategic bomber that was used as the main wpon against targets in germany. in december the air force veteran died alone in his flat in west london. >> fiercely independent, stubborn as hell, a wonderful guy. always smiling. never miserable. always chatted about his health. complained about one thing or another. his knee might hurt, but i've got to get to the shops to get it going. >> he had nonown relatives.

officials are searching for family members to attend his funeral. after he came to britain he trained as a wireless operator and eric garner and flew in a lancaster bomber like this one where he served in a squadron. one of 450 young black men from the caribbean, africa, and parts of the u.k. to fly with the raf in the second world war. >> specialists in a tightly knit team, everyone depended upon to do their jobs. the best and the brightest, they took only the best in the brightest. without him they would not have been able to go forward. >> it is hoped that anyo related to him or who knew him will get in touch ahead of his funeral next week so that he can be given the very best sendoff that he deserves. helena wilkinson, bbc news. david: the story of flight

sergeant peter brown has already garnered attention and today the british prime minister called him an example of the selfless contribution of all commonwealth personnel. before we go tonight, the story of musical genius, medical suffering, and mysteries solved through the ages. a team of international scientists have sequenced the genome of ludovic von beethoven, using five blocks of his hair they have been able to learn more about his fatal liver disease, including clues about his alcohol consumption, genetic disposition, and viral action. no clues, alas, about his deafness. thank you for 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.

>> good evening and welcome. >> the federal reserve raises interest rate in the wake of multiple bank failures. amna: the political ramifications of former president trump's legal troubles widen. geoff: and doctors work to address the health care gap in rural parts of the country. they may not have a doctor. meaning they don't have a doctor? londner: correct. not only didn't have a doctor, they may not have had one as a kid growing up. >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by.