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narrator: funding was also 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. announcer: and now, "bbc world news". >> this is bbc world news america. vaccines and variants. our first clues into just how effective or not jabs can be against the omicron strain of covid. prosecors in michigan charge the parents of the teenager accused of a deadly school shooting with involuntary manslaughter. an unusual step in the tragic case. ongoing drought in the horn of africa has left millions without enough food to eat. animals are struggling to stay

alive. >> the drought is still ongoing. this calf is too weak to stand up. she has to be fed right here. >> remaking a musical classic. steven spielberg brings west side story back the big screen. how it compares to the original. ♪ >> welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. it's been one week since the omicron variant burst upon the world stage. tonight, the first real-world data is giving us clues into how dangerous it can be. scientists in south africa say omicron may evade some of our immunity. they also detected a surge in people getting reinfected with covid. u.k. researchers say there are signs that current vaccines do a

good job of preventing the worst effects of the omicron variant. our medical editohas more. >> amid the gloom of omicron and its potential threat, some encouraging news. it was back in the summer that nearly 3000 u.k. volunteer got one of seven different covid vaccines as a booster shot three months after their second dose. for those boosted with pfizer after two doses of astrazeneca, their antibody levels with 25 times higher than a control group after one month. when pfizer was given after two pfizer shots, antibody levels rose eightfold, but from a much higher initial level. moderna and other combinations also worked well. the study did not look at omicron. it has mutations in the spike protein that may make

antibodies less likely to latch onto it. the bigger the antibody army, the better. t cells, another part of the immune system, were also significantly boosted. these can spot and destroy infected cells. the studies showed boosters worked well against beta and delta variants, so it is likely it would protect from serious disease with omicron. >> all of the vaccines showed a good t cell response. so the aibodies were very high. we are hopeful the vaccines will provide a broad protection against multiple variants, but we cannot say for certain at this point whether they are going to work very well against omicron or not. >> in south africa, the first real world evidence has shown omicron may evade some of our immunity. scientists found a surge in the number of people being reinfected with covid. we still don't know whether omicron causes more serious

illness and what ability it may have to spread in the u.k. with so much of the population double or triple jabbed. >> let's dig deeper on this question of whether the current batch of vaccines can provide the protection we need. we will speak to an emergency physician. here is the who's chief scientist on what we know. >> it is possible the omicron variant is able to cause infections, even in vaccinated people. we are seeing that now. the first fewbe reported with omicron. the fact they are not getting sick, and we have to wait and see, they develop only mild illness, that means the vaccines are still providing protection. >> now for his take, we are joined by dr. jeremy faust, a physician at brigham young women's children hospital, and

writer of insider medicine.com. thank you for being with us. i want to start on the question of how concerned vaccinated people should be about the risk of reinfection. >> thank you for having me. the next seven to 10 days are going to help us answer that question. we really want to ask very carefully what we are after, in terms of measurement. there is a difference between how the vaccines perform, in terms of preventing an infection, and preventing a bad outcome from that infection. you can imagine some other virus that infects everybody but causes no symptoms at all, short-term or long-term. no one would care aut stopping that infection. we would care if there was suffering and more ability, mortality, and death. we want to see how this is playing out. many of us are starting to 6 -- suspect vaccines will not prevent infections like we saw with delta. but we hope the longer-term

effects of the immune response we make does protect us. that is how these vaccines were designed. the fact they stopped infections upfront was a gift. i think that gift is fading. >> do you recommend people do get booster shots, or do you think they are safe enough fully vaccinated? >> my look at boosters is a little unusual, may be from my colleagues. i think boosters are absolutely shown to be effective and necessary for older populations and very high risk individuals with advanced cancer or immune compromise. i think we saw from israel and other places that younger and healthy people, the booster has not been shown to stop severe outcomes. the two doses he or he is is enough, the third dose doesn't help with someone in their 20's and 30's out of the hospital. because they are so good.

with omicron, we don't know yet. it will be interesting to see. we might end up needing a variant specific booster. it is too soon to know whether they can change the aracter of the outbreak. any time i see any outbreak of this virus, the strain or any greek letter we have encountered, i have the same reaction. all outbreaks are bad, and vaccinating as many people upfront is the way to decrease thlong-term and short-term suffering, mobility -- morbidity, and mortality. >> manufacturers are looking at omicron specific variants. thank you for your time. authorities in the u.s. state of michigan charged the parents of the suspect in a high school student with involuntary manslaughter. the student's father bought the semi-automatic handgun used in the attack dayslier. it is a rare legal step in a

country where gun rights are wide protected and mass shootings are far too frequent. >> i'm by no means saying an active shooter situation should always result in a criminal prosecution against parents, but the facts of this case are so egregious, reading this document, looking at it, reading the words "help me" with a gun, blood everywhere. it doesn't impact me as a prosecutor and a lawyer. it impacts me as a mother. >> we are joined by the bbc's barbara clive usher. given this is such a rare step, why are we seeing this now? >> the prosecutor believed the parents had contributed to a situation with a high chance of harm or death. that is where you can impose involuntary manslaughter charges. she said they had taken egregious acts. they bought the gun and made it available to their son.

ignored some warning signs. they were summoned to the school after a drawing was discovered that he made showing a handgun, a bloody body, and these words he had written on it, "blood everywhere," "the thoughts won't stop," "help me." they were summoned to the school and were told their son needed to be in counseling, but resisted, and did not check whether he had the gun. a few hours later, he carried -- he is alleged to have carried out the mass shooting. the prosecutor said to read those words, to know that their son had access to a deadly weapon and not do anything about it was unconscionable. >> the authorities have issued a fugitive warrant for the parents. whatpa is the latest? >> the lawyers said their clients would turn themselves in if charged, and after that happened, apparently could not reach them.

they issued a fugitive warrant and started searching for the couple. now the lawyers have said they are not fleeing from the law, they left the town on the night of the shooting for their own safety, and they would return for the arraignment. >> barbara plett-usher with the latest. thank you so much. in the horn of africa, at least 26 million people are struggling to access food due to poor rainfall and devastated crops. drought conditions in northern kenya, much of somalia, and southern ethiopia are expected to last well into next year. herders have reported losing up to 70% of livestock. the bbc's senior africa correspondent reports from northern kenya, and a warning, her report contains images from the start viewers may find upsetting. >> the devastating impact of drought. this is northern kenya.

a predominantly pastor raised community that exists with wildlife. neither has been spared. water pumps long dried up, the impact can be seen almost everywhere. this is every pastoralists wealth, 100 40 cattle, hundreds of goats, and he fears whatever is remaining here could be lost because the drought is still ongoing, you can see this calf is too weak to stand up, so has to be fed right here. a few times every day, neighbors help lift the remaining livestock to stretch the really weak muscles. >> the loss is devastating. i can't do anything more to save them. it is god's will. i just pray for rain to come. livestock is everything for me.

>> he has to balance between buying food for hisamily and livestock whenever he gets money. mostly from well-wishers. the local chief also comes to help. he shows me where he moved the dead livestock to. >> he was deeply affected, his blood pressure rose. so i took him to my house to calm him down. >> even deep in the wild, conditions are no better. hundreds of animals had died. they now bring the mortar every day. but there is no pasture. the animals are starving. the immunity is getting weaker. more deaths are expected. the drought isn't just in northern kenya.

neighboring somalia has declared a humanitarian emergency. southern ethiopia also hit hard. but these forecasts due to the country. experts warning things get worse in the region. >> the period of recovery between one drought to the next, or one flood to the next is becoming shorter and shorter. how this translates is local communities are having vy ort periods to be able to recover. >> like many pastoralists, abraham is helping some of his livestock survives. he will keep trying everything until conditions change. but every day brings him more losses and heartbreak. and he's barely surviving hif. bbc news, or jeer. >> let's take a look at some other news. pakistan's prime minister condemned what he called a horrific vigilante attack on a sri lankan man who was lynched after being accused of

blasphemy. he said the burning alive after he was beaten by an angry mob was a day of shame for pakistan. authorities in italy say man who wanted a covid vaccination certificate without getting the jab tried using a fake arm. he arrived with a silicone mold coveng his arm hoping it would unnoticed. the nurse reported the trick and called the police. >> antony share has died, aged 72. he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year. he had a lifelong association with the royal shakespeare company and appeared in films such as shakespeare and love, and misses brown. you are watching bbc world news america. still to come. >> looking the -- look in there. >> appreciating the kindness of strangers. the woman in the u.k. who open

her home to an afghan family who fled the taliban. twitter has banned thousands of counts accused of being part of a propaganda chain by china. carrie allen has more. >> one of the things twitter said in its report was over 100 of these accounts were linked to a private company which does have ties to the change in document. that is one way we know this. one of the things they said in their report was a number of these accounts seemed to be repurposed. previously what happened is they were either posting things like porn, or talking about korean celebrities, korean music on the platform, and suddenly, they were posting loads of things about xinjiang. not only being posted, but also being amplified by chinese officials on twitter. we have to consider twitter is a platform that is banned in

china, so this content suddenly appearing showing things happening is strange, anyway. technically you are not allowed to have a twitter account or post on the platform. >> in afghanistan, the taliban have issued a new decree on women's rights. the order says women are not property, but free human beings. it also says women should not be forced or coerced into marriage. but there is no employment rights mention or education. our afghan correspondent has more from kandahar. >> with the rights laid out in this decree not forcing women into marriages giving them certain financial guarantees, these have actually been widely accepted parts of islamic law for hundreds of years. on the ground in afghanistan, many other poor muslim countries have often not been implemented. to give you an example in more rural areas, it i not uncommon

for women at times to be treated as peace offerings by feuding families. married off in order to end disputes. the women's rights activists say ending any kind of patriarchal abusive behavior is a good thing. if implemented, that is something that they welcome. they also highlighted many of these practices had already been outlawed by the previous government. and the most striking thing about this decree is the complete failure within it to mention at all girls' right to education and womens'right to work. they say perhaps it is an attempt to -- simultaneously appeasing the international community, which has been very critical of the taliban's attitu to women's rights, and carry on appeasing the taliban 's more hard-line elements that don't want to see women playing any role in public life, it seems. there have been some comments in

recent weeks by taliban representatives suggesting that perhaps all secondary school age girls will be allowed to go back to the classroom next year. those promises have been rather vague. many people remain very skeptical. >> secunder kermani reporting. let's stay with afghanistan. switching to a more heartwarming tale. an afghan man who worked as an interpreter for british armed forces has a new home in the u.k. thanks to the generosity of a total stranger. they now have a roof over their heads and a new future in-store. lucy manning has the story. >> so pleased to meet you at long last. >> kindness often repeats itself. sometimes it only takes one person to change the lives of others. the vessel family at the end of their long journey. >> i'm so pleased to meet you. i'm so pleased to meet you. >> we are just left behind in

the dark. >> we first spoke to bert him with british forces when he was hiding in afghanistan fearful for his life. a day before the suicide bomb at the airport, he wrist -- risked itnd managed to get his family out. >> how are you and the family doing? >> everyone is ok, we are in safety. >> are bbc reports resonated. 75 years ago, another british army interpreter was given refuge from germany. helping mcfarlane's mother, helena. >> i saw the report of the afghan refugees coming in from kabul on the army plane on the story the family. my mother had been a refugee during the second world war and fled from her home. she only survived through the kindness of people alonghe way. i felt i had to do something and

give back something for the kindness and humanity that helped my mother and her family survive. >> after 100 days in a hotel room together, the night before their move, so far from their life in afghanistan and finally about to start a new one. >> how do you feel about going to aberdeen? >> good. >> what are you excited about? >> excited about toys. >> this is your new house. >> from the taliban, a dangerous evacuation and new country, crammed hotel rooms, to his own bedroom. >> look in there. what do you see? the toys. >> he left everything behind. her work as a gynecologist, her relatives, now she must start again. >> you make it the way you want it. you change everything, you make it the way you want it. >> you are generous, and you are

kind. no words express it. but we have too many inside this world, and you are an example. >> thank you so much. you are part of our family now. you e welcome. >> lucy manning with that report. extraordinary story of paying it forward many years later. a beloved bit of hollywood's past making a much heralded return to movie screens this month. the new film adaption of "west side story," had its premiere in new york earlier this week. critics praised the production and given much of the credit to steven spielberg. ♪ >> west side story was given a big launch a short distance from the where the film is set from new york's upper west side in

the 1950's. inspired by shakespeare's romeo and juliet, it is a love story that takes place amid warring teenage gowns. it was first made into a film in 19 621. it has always interested steven spielberg, who never directed a musical before. >> i think i wanted to direct a musical because i knew i could not seeing or dance. a tremendous way of throwing myself into a genre i physically would not be part of, except to be able to tell a story in that idiom. ♪ ♪ >> the 1961 film adaptation of the musical was a huge hit. it won 10 oscars. it is a revered classic. the newest film is seen as more intense. >> there is bloodshed, brutality, and yet it manages to do a very tricky thing, which is there are these incredibly realistic and powerful scenes, and it becomes operatic, it becomes musical theater. the 1961 film was criticized to

have members of the puerto rican gang portrayed by white actors. >> we wanted for this movie to get it right in the way we wanted every single person who plays a puerto rican to be from the latinx community. that was a mandate from the get-go. >> the launch of "west side story" in new york has been bittersweet for steven spielberg and his cast. the film's lyricist, stephen sondheim. died at the age of 91 prior to the film's monday night premiere. >> i showed the film in february of this year. he loved it and could not wait until monday night. he wanted to see it with a big audience. so when we got the news, i believe on saturday, that he had passed, it was devastating. ♪ >> sondheim's talents live on for all to hear in the new film, which has gotten excellent reviews.

it seems poised to become a big oscar contender. musicals can be a challenge to sell at the box office. new york could do with westside story being a hit. its familiar songs could be a bit of a policy or for the city as it struggles with anxieties of life in the covid-19 era. tom brooke, bbc news, new york. >> we will definitely have to check it out. as we closer to the holidays, you may have noticed santa popping in in a lot of places. shopping centers, parades, and even in this aquarium in budapest. these divers are there to feed the fish, avoid the sharks, and spread christmas cheer to visitors. there's is even a small tree decorated with shelves at the bottom of the tank. they started the tradition a few years ago. the sharks and fish given extra food during the holiday sson, and perhaps santas get milk and

cookies when they are back on dry land. can't imagine how hard it is to decorate that tree in a tank like that. you can find more on all of the day's news on our website, and see what we are working on on twitter. thanks for watching world news america. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also 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. ♪ ♪

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emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why 's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency.

judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight. after the shooting -- the parents of a student who killed four at a michigan high school are charged with involuntary manslaughter. then. omicron -- the director of the national institutes of health weighs in on the uncertain road ahead. plus. supply chain woes -- we travel to the nation's busiest port to see what's causing major shipping delays. >> it's important to recognize that the supply chain is fragile. we, i think, as a country, should really take a hard look of how dependent we are on imports. judy: and it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart consider the future of abortion rights at the supreme court and congressional brinksmanship over government funding.

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