News and analysis of the biggest business stories from China and across the world. Brought to you from CGTN's European headquarters in London. Watch live each day at 16:00GMT.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:19 [Music]
00:31 Live from London, this is The World Today.
00:36 Hello, I'm Paul Barber. Our top stories this hour.
00:39 A second Gaza hospital comes under Israeli attack as troops push deeper into the south.
00:45 Russia observes a day of mourning after at least 137 people were killed in the country's deadliest attack in two decades.
00:55 Millions head to the polls in Senegal's delayed presidential election.
01:00 Unemployment and inflation are the top concerns.
01:04 And China's annual development forum gets underway in Beijing.
01:08 Premier Li Cheng urges international businesses to deepen their investments in the country.
01:14 [Music]
01:26 So we begin with the conflict in Gaza where Israeli forces are pushing deeper into the south of the besieged enclave.
01:33 Troops are now less than a kilometer from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis,
01:37 a facility that is sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians.
01:41 Locals reported military jets and drones firing from the air, which authorities say have killed 14 people in the last 24 hours.
01:51 And our correspondent Akram Al-Satry is in Rafa.
01:55 Well, the Israeli occupation forces were deployed in the area surrounding Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis City, not Nasser Hospital.
02:04 And they were shooting at the people inside the hospital.
02:06 They were asking the internally displaced people to move out of that building and to move to somewhere.
02:12 Apparently, they want them to move to Al-Mawasi area.
02:15 And apparently, they are at the peak of a military operation targeting Nasser Hospital, targeting Al-Amal Hospital,
02:21 and targeting many different areas and blocks within Khan Younis City.
02:24 Within the course of that fire, they killed 14 people and they killed two more.
02:30 Two more just a couple of hours ago.
02:32 One of them is emergency medical services officer who was on duty inside Al-Amal Hospital.
02:38 And that fire is continuous now.
02:40 The snipers were deployed on top of the roof of the houses around Al-Amal area.
02:46 They're trying to block the people who are coming from the Khan Younis refugee campsite,
02:50 where they have the privilege of being on top of the high places.
02:55 And they are thus targeting the people who are trying to move.
02:58 So that all comes as part of a larger ground operation that was starting two days ago that is still continuous
03:06 and with an objective of besieging the two main hospitals in the Khan Younis City,
03:10 Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital.
03:12 And it looks like they are also targeting some other areas in Khan Younis.
03:16 And Akram, what's the latest on the raid at the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza?
03:25 The heavy fire exchange is here for a few hours now inside Al-Shifa Hospital
03:31 and in the area surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital.
03:33 The same tactic that has been happening in Khan Younis is now applied with Al-Shifa Hospital.
03:39 They are besieging the hospital.
03:41 They are attacking the different departments.
03:43 They are inspecting all the spaces.
03:45 They are even asking the people to move to the very south.
03:49 And they are asking them to move anytime soon because they are telling them
03:53 that they are subjected to an imminent death.
03:55 They even asked three people who are injured to move from Al-Shifa Hospital to reach Nitzarim area,
04:01 which is around four to five kilometers.
04:04 And those three injured people were in a very miserable condition,
04:08 yet they knew they have to continue walking and running to save their lives.
04:12 So the situation is still dire.
04:14 And the Israeli authorities have been stating that they are chasing the tourists
04:19 within the complex of Al-Shifa Hospital.
04:21 They have arrested around 1,000 Palestinians,
04:24 and they are continuing the inspection and the burning of the different departments
04:28 and the breaking of the different machines and walls into the whole medical complex.
04:32 So the situation stays as dire as it is, and even it is getting worse for the patients,
04:38 for the medical staff, and for the people who are escorting the patients within Al-Shifa Hospital
04:43 because they don't have water.
04:45 They don't have supply.
04:46 This is a very special time of the month for the people of Palestine.
04:50 The month of Ramadan is a very special time for them.
04:52 They are fasting. They cannot break their fasting.
04:55 They cannot eat. They cannot find water.
04:57 And they have been even drinking the saline because they don't have any water to help them survive.
05:03 Akram Al-Sasri reporting from Rafah in Gaza.
05:07 Meanwhile, negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza appear to have hit a dead end.
05:12 Our correspondent Alex Kadhieh has more from Tel Aviv.
05:16 Well, the same sticking points that we've been seeing for the last few weeks, Paul.
05:21 They break down into two main points.
05:24 The first is the terms of the six-week ceasefire that's being negotiated,
05:28 and that is the ratio of how many Palestinian prisoners would be released by Israel
05:32 in exchange for the 40 hostages released by Hamas,
05:37 those women, elderly, and injured hostages still being held in Gaza.
05:42 We know that a proposal on that particular issue has been tabled by the United States.
05:46 We don't know the exact ratio, but we know that Israel has accepted that proposal
05:51 and it has been sent to Hamas, and we expect to get an answer within 24 to 36 hours.
05:56 That is what officials involved in those negotiations are saying.
06:00 That is where the situation stands.
06:02 But we heard from the U.S. Secretary of State just a few days ago, Anthony Blinken,
06:05 saying that the chances of a deal or ordeal was getting closer.
06:10 That doesn't mean it's close because, as you said, there seem to be some differences still.
06:15 Hamas officials are saying there are deep differences remaining,
06:18 particularly when it comes to the other aspects of these negotiations,
06:22 and that is the end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
06:27 Hamas is saying they want a comprehensive ceasefire, a long-lasting ceasefire,
06:31 and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza,
06:35 two issues that Israel says are completely unacceptable, so those negotiations go on, Paul.
06:39 Okay, Alex, let's stick with the diplomatic picture here,
06:42 and Israel's defense minister is heading over to Washington, D.C.
06:45 to meet with senior U.S. officials, obviously just on the back of this trip from Anthony Blinken to Israel.
06:51 What's on the agenda for this visit?
06:53 Yeah, you have Golan, the Israeli defense minister, heading to Washington this afternoon.
07:01 We know he will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin,
07:04 with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
07:08 He has a long list of requests, we understand, from Israeli officials,
07:12 weapons requests, requests for the acceleration of any deliveries that are coming,
07:16 and also asking for permission to purchase more F-35 and F-15 fighter jets.
07:22 Now, the last time, just a few days ago, that you have Golan met with Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary,
07:27 Lloyd Austin told him to be more cognizant, more aware of the mood in Washington,
07:32 and we've seen just in the last day or so, senior Democrats calling on Joe Biden to roll back his support,
07:39 "unconditional support," as they describe it, to Israel because of the humanitarian situation on the ground.
07:44 And, Paul, just in the last few moments, we heard from Kamala Harris, the U.S. vice president,
07:48 who said she does not rule out consequences should Israel go into Rafa,
07:53 have that military operation in the southern city of Rafa in Gaza, against the U.S.'s wishes.
07:59 So you can expect rather tense, rather difficult conversations for you, Avgoland,
08:03 the Israeli defense minister speaking to his U.S. counterparts.
08:07 He wants more weapons from the United States.
08:09 He has a list of demands, but there is certainly less of a mood in Washington, we understand,
08:14 to be forthcoming with that support for Israel.
08:17 So, clearly, quite a difficult diplomatic trip for you, Avgoland. Paul.
08:21 That was Alex Kadier reporting from Tel Aviv.
08:24 In other news, Nigerian officials say more than 130 students who were abducted by gunmen earlier this month
08:31 have now been rescued.
08:33 It comes days before a deadline to pay a ransom of almost $700,000.
08:37 The students were taken from their school in Kaduna State in the first mass abduction in Nigeria since 2021.
08:44 Original reports said that 287 students were taken,
08:48 but a government spokesperson said that figure was wrong and that all 137 hostages were freed.
08:55 Voters in Senegal are choosing a new president.
08:58 The delayed election is taking place after weeks of opposition protests
09:02 against attempts by outgoing president Macky Sall to postpone the vote until December.
09:08 Sall is barred from running again after reaching the two-term limit.
09:11 CGTN's Nick Modimba has more now from Dakar.
09:15 15,633 polling stations opened countrywide in Senegal.
09:21 Millions of voters started the democratic process seamlessly,
09:25 and about 7.3 million voters are expected to finish voting just before 6 p.m. local time.
09:32 A team of 1,000 observers drawn from the civil society and international missions are closely monitoring the election.
09:39 500 observers will be stationed at polling offices around the country,
09:44 and another 500 will travel between sites to monitor the vote.
09:49 Election campaigns ended on Friday.
09:52 Differences between the general election and, of course, over the general election, which was first postponed,
09:58 then cancelled before being brought forward, nearly plunged the country into unprecedented constitutional crisis.
10:05 Also unprecedented was the length of the election campaign.
10:09 Two weeks only.
10:11 Vote counting will start immediately after polls close,
10:15 and provisional results are expected to be announced before March 26.
10:20 Nick Modimba, CGTN, Dakar, Senegal.
10:24 Russia is observing a day of mourning after that attack on a Moscow concert hall that left at least 137 people dead.
10:33 It's the deadliest attack in Russia in almost two decades,
10:36 and President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish all those involved.
10:41 Eleven people have been arrested, including four suspected gunmen.
10:45 Islamic State has claimed responsibility, but Putin has not publicly mentioned the militant group in connection with the attackers,
10:52 who he said were trying to escape to Ukraine.
10:56 Let's get more now from our correspondent in Moscow, Dasha Chernysheva.
10:59 So, Dasha, Russia is in mourning, the victims of this attack.
11:04 What's been happening today?
11:06 Well, indeed, the national day of mourning that has been declared across the Russian region is in place.
11:17 The flags have been lowered to half-mast,
11:20 and people have been bringing flowers and toys to the scene of this terrorist attack.
11:26 The Russian president was shown by the Kremlin lighting the candle at the Novogarova church
11:31 in memory of the victims of the Krokocitykho terrorist attack.
11:36 We understand that people have been trying to donate blood,
11:40 even though the Russian health authorities said there was no need for that.
11:44 We've seen lines of people, about 5,000, are told to have already donated their blood for the victims.
11:53 And we have heard about several organizations, both commercial and state ones,
11:59 saying that they will be providing all sorts of help to the victims of this attack, as well as their families.
12:05 Now, we understand that over 180 people have been injured,
12:09 and some of them have already been discharged from hospitals,
12:13 but some remain in the critical situation, in critical condition, and they are being provided with the help.
12:19 The death toll from the attack could further increase,
12:22 given the very fact that the rubble is still being cleared,
12:25 and more bodies could be found under that rubble.
12:29 Interestingly, we've heard from the owner of the Krokocitykho, Azar Agalarov,
12:34 saying that he is willing to restore the building after the clearing is over.
12:39 So, certainly a very sad day for many Russians,
12:43 especially Muscovites, who are nervous about what has happened in the capital.
12:48 And, Dasha, what's the latest now on the investigation?
12:51 There have been several arrests.
12:53 That's right. Four men have been detained in the Bransk region,
13:01 and are said to have directly participated in this attack.
13:04 We understand from the investigative committee
13:07 that they have been brought to the headquarters of the investigative committee in Moscow.
13:11 They have been under the procedures, as the investigative committee described it,
13:16 in terms of the interrogation, in terms of other necessary steps
13:20 that will be helping the investigators find out
13:24 who actually ordered these four men to carry out this act of terrorism.
13:29 We also are waiting for the measure of the arrests to be carried out by a court in Moscow.
13:36 And as we heard, the investigators at the scene of this act of terrorism
13:43 have managed to find under the rubble four sets of weapon ammunition
13:47 that included 500 cartridges, that also included 28 magazines,
13:51 two Kalashnikov assault rifles.
13:53 This is what the attackers were using to carry out their attack.
13:59 And more weapons have been found in the car that the people who carried out this attack
14:05 were using to escape from the Russian capital to the border with Ukraine.
14:09 So, the investigators are waiting to announce more details,
14:14 because there are certainly many questions around the Russian population
14:18 as to who is actually behind this attack.
14:20 But this is understood to be the next stage of the investigation.
14:23 All right, Dasha, thanks so much for that update.
14:25 That's Dasha Chernysheva reporting live from Moscow.
14:29 While Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky,
14:31 has denied any Ukrainian involvement in that attack in Moscow,
14:35 Russia says that the gunmen attempted to flee to Ukraine after the attack.
14:39 But Zelensky called the claims entirely predictable
14:43 and says that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin,
14:46 is trying to shift the blame to someone else.
14:49 Ukraine has stepped up its maritime attacks in the Black Sea,
14:52 striking two Russian warships.
14:54 The military said the operation targeted the two landing vessels
14:58 in a port on the Crimean Peninsula,
15:00 as well as a communications center and other infrastructure.
15:04 Meanwhile, Russia has launched a major round of airstrikes
15:08 targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine.
15:11 One Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace
15:14 before hitting energy facilities near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
15:18 Dozens of missiles were also fired at Kiev, according to local authorities.
15:23 You're watching CGTN Still Ahead.
15:28 China's premier issues a rallying call for global business
15:31 as the annual China Development Forum opens in Beijing.
15:35 [Music]
15:40 Ever wondered what's the difference between a bear and a bull market?
15:46 Where are the cash cows?
15:49 And who are the lame ducks?
15:52 And what exactly are black swans,
15:56 grey rhinos,
15:59 and unicorn companies?
16:04 Make sense of it all with Global Business, only on CGTN.
16:10 I think it should be more global cooperation.
16:14 I would like to hear more the voice of the developing countries.
16:20 Globalization has lifted more than a billion people out of poverty.
16:26 The great transition has to happen.
16:28 It's a necessity.
16:30 For China and the United States,
16:33 our important powers in the world.
16:36 What unites us is much more than what divides us.
16:41 And I believe China is committed to this agenda.
16:45 Join me, Juliette Mann, to set the agenda at these times every weekend on CGTN.
16:51 Events have consequences.
16:58 Words create impact.
17:00 One more offensive in a long line of battles that's been ongoing for more than...
17:04 Just got to be careful here with some gunshot.
17:07 Excuse us, excuse us.
17:09 The world today matters, but your world tomorrow.
17:12 The number of casualties is growing quickly.
17:15 This is one of the hardest hit towns in the region.
17:19 The world today, every day, on CGTN.
17:24 And welcome back. A reminder of our headlines.
17:32 A second Gaza hospital comes under Israeli attack
17:35 as troops push deeper into the south.
17:39 Russia observes the day of mourning after at least 137 people were killed
17:43 in the country's deadliest attack in two decades.
17:48 And millions head to the polls in Senegal's delayed presidential election.
17:52 Unemployment and inflation are the top concerns.
17:57 China's Premier Li Cheng has delivered the keynote speech
18:00 at the China Development Forum, urging international businesses
18:04 to deepen their investments in the country.
18:06 The annual two-day event in Beijing brings together a number of global CEOs
18:10 and Chinese policy makers.
18:13 The International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva
18:16 says that China faces a fork in the road and needs to reinvent itself
18:20 if it wants to usher in a new era of economic growth.
18:24 Our correspondent Dong Shui has more.
18:27 Well, this is the business forum you do not want to miss
18:30 for investment-related news from China.
18:33 Since 2000, the annual China Development Forum has attracted
18:37 international business leaders in search for opportunities in Beijing.
18:42 And this year in particular, they're looking for new drivers
18:46 of development of China, as well as new opportunities for global economy.
18:52 China's Premier Li Cheng told the forum's opening event on Sunday
18:56 that despite the instability, unpredictability faced by the world,
19:01 China would continue to inject impetus and stability
19:04 into global economic recovery.
19:07 Li said the resilience, potential and strong vitality
19:10 of the world's second largest economy remains unchanged.
19:15 Despite external pressure and internal difficulties,
19:23 we successfully accomplished the main targets and tasks
19:26 of economic and social development this year.
19:29 Economic recovery continued to strengthen, and new industries,
19:33 new models and new drivers of growth accelerated.
19:38 At the two sessions political gathering in Beijing this month,
19:42 China's government set the national GDP growth target for 2024
19:46 at around 5%, sparking speculations overseas.
19:51 Premier Li reaffirmed the government's confidence in the market.
19:55 Particularly since last year, we have further improved
20:01 and optimized our services, established a regular communication
20:05 and exchange mechanism with enterprises, earnestly responded to
20:09 and addressed their concerns, and actively built a system
20:12 and mechanism that better combines an effective market with the government.
20:17 Chief executives including Apple's Tim Cook, Cristiano Arman from Qualcomm
20:22 and Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman are among the industry heavyweights
20:26 looking for new collaborations with Beijing.
20:30 It is very important to open up more space for entrepreneurship
20:37 and create new drivers for growth, new industries that can bring
20:46 China's prosperity up.
20:49 As he said, they are trying to transition the economy.
20:52 That's very impressive. I'm very respectful of the fact that they have to make this change.
20:57 What worked for the past 40 years may not be the best way for the next 40.
21:01 And I think we have to support the government as it thinks through
21:05 how to change and transition China.
21:07 China is too big an economy for the world to not be fully engaged with the country.
21:12 Over the next two days, the forum will cover eight major themes,
21:16 including carbon neutrality, artificial intelligence, healthcare
21:20 and digital transformation, all showing the broad prospect of China's development.
21:25 Dong Xue, CGTN, Beijing.
21:28 The energy giant Total Energy says China is managing a delicate balance
21:33 between energy security and green energy transformation
21:37 as the country strives to achieve peak carbon emissions by 2030
21:41 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
21:44 Total Energy's CEO Patrick Puyenne told our reporter Yang Chengxi
21:49 the company has identified many opportunities in renewable energy in China.
21:54 We have expanded our strategy not only to oil and gas,
21:57 which was traditionally where we were investing in China.
22:00 We produce gas in all those.
22:02 We have a retail station network in gasoline in China.
22:08 We expand to low-carbon energies.
22:10 And China is offering a lot of opportunities for us
22:13 because China, in fact, is by far the largest country in terms of investments in renewables.
22:19 And China is very important for us in terms of equipment, supply chain for solar cells.
22:26 We are purchasing a lot of equipment here in China.
22:30 And China, of course, is also for us an important customer for gas, energy.
22:35 Gas is part of the energy transition.
22:38 And I think we are--China is very engaged in renewables in a very large way, large scale.
22:44 And for us, it's offering, again, opportunities.
22:47 I didn't speak about batteries business.
22:49 We begin to invest as well in EV charging together with China Free Gorges, established at Jeevee.
22:56 So this is--these new energies are offering new opportunities for investments.
23:00 You've mentioned renewable energy a lot.
23:02 And China is striving to achieve carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
23:08 It is obviously a very delicate balancing act between energy security and a green transition.
23:14 So what experiences can Total Energy share as you're part of this transition?
23:18 You need to combine in an energy policy three characteristics.
23:22 The first is security of supply.
23:24 It's fundamental.
23:25 Each customer wants to have access to energy.
23:28 Second, you need sustainability.
23:31 That means combining your energy growth with less emissions fundamentally because of climate change.
23:38 But more importantly, you need the affordability.
23:40 You know, each customer wants an affordable energy.
23:43 So that's this three combination.
23:45 If we want to move in this transition, we need to do two things together.
23:51 We need, of course, to build an efficient, new, decarbonized energy system.
23:57 More renewables, more hydrogen, more biofuels in order to be able to produce the energy of tomorrow.
24:05 But at the same time, we need to invest in the energy which today is our life, which is still only gas coal for China.
24:13 Because if we begin to abandon, to give up on the energy of today too quickly,
24:19 then the price will go up because there will be still a growing demand, a lack of energy,
24:24 and the new energy system will not be ready.
24:27 China is a very good example of what is happening here.
24:31 You are heavily investing in these renewables.
24:34 You are at the forefront, again, of all this low-carbon energy.
24:38 But at the same time, you have a growing demand because of a large population.
24:42 So you have to maintain a certain coal-fired capacity.
24:47 But where you are very impressive, I met some companies yesterday,
24:51 where you are moving quickly on technologies like CCUS, carbon capture and storage,
24:57 where on supercritical coal.
24:59 So that's also a way to combine, I would say, the energy that we need today and the energy transition
25:06 because the objective is less emissions.
25:09 More than 30 million people in the United States are under winter weather alerts
25:14 as storms batter the northeast of the country.
25:17 Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power in Maine, New Hampshire and New York State,
25:22 and there's major disruption at airports.
25:25 Philadelphia has recorded its wettest ever day in March,
25:28 with a month's worth of rain falling in just half a day.
25:34 Now, a special exhibition will soon open at a museum in Zhengzhou,
25:38 the capital city of China's Henan province,
25:40 and it will showcase the deep history of Luxembourg.
25:43 It's part of a cultural exchange that started five years ago, but was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
25:50 Our correspondent Toni Waterman got a rare behind-the-scenes look
25:53 as the pieces were getting packed up for shipping.
25:57 So let's have a look at that.
25:59 It's a time-consuming process, packing up ancient artifacts for an exhibition overseas.
26:05 Each piece needs to be meticulously inspected.
26:09 That's okay, too. We just have to be very careful when unwrapping.
26:14 So any defects can be noted before being carefully wrapped and packed for shipping.
26:21 For this exhibition, on its way to the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, China,
26:26 the process has been repeated hundreds of times.
26:30 There are items from prehistory until the 21st century,
26:34 everything symbolizing the culture of Luxembourg.
26:37 And they were chosen really to give an overview of Luxembourgish culture to the Chinese people.
26:46 In total, more than 200 items have been chosen, rare coins and metals, paintings and ceramics,
26:53 all from Luxembourg's National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art.
26:58 It's an empty showcase because the objects that we normally present here are going to Zhengzhou.
27:05 Museum director Michel Polfer says the items were carefully curated
27:09 with the input of experts from the Henan Museum,
27:12 which staged a similar exhibition on the origins of Chinese civilization in Luxembourg in 2018.
27:19 It was a huge success. It was one of the most visited exhibitions ever in the history of this museum.
27:26 The objects were fantastic.
27:28 Well, I think it's a very good way of communicating between people, between nations, between civilizations.
27:37 And facilitating that dialogue just got a little easier.
27:41 The cultural exchange coincides with the launch of a new stop along the Air Silk Road,
27:46 connecting Luxembourg and Henan province.
27:49 It's the first non-stop commercial flight between the two countries.
27:56 The once a week flight, seen as a way to expand the economic and cultural links between China and Luxembourg.
28:03 We trust the culture can bridge people together rather than dividing the world.
28:10 So out of the current tension of geopolitical landscape,
28:15 I think that we need to promote more cultural exchange between the different countries
28:21 so people can learn from each other and better understand each other.
28:26 An understanding that comes from appreciating another civilization's history,
28:33 one artifact at a time.
28:36 Tony Waterman, CGTN, Luxembourg.
28:39 And a final look at the headlines.
28:42 Russia observes a day of mourning after at least 137 people were killed
28:47 in the country's deadliest attack in two decades.
28:51 A second Gaza hospital comes under Israeli attack as troops push deeper into the south.
28:57 And China's annual development forum gets underway in Beijing.
29:01 Premier Li Cheng urges international businesses to deepen their investments in the country.
29:06 And that's the World Today. Thank you for watching.
29:09 Coming up next, it's Reza Bernalvo from All The Team in London. Goodbye.
29:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]