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viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc world news". laura: i am lan new york city, and this is bbc world news america. democrats are trying to take control of congress in the midterm elections. andnichigan, guaranteed abortion rights will be on the ballot. secretary general warned the government to prioritize the climate ahead of its key summit in egypt. the matter of a 12-year-old girl in paris triggered an immigration debate. an interest in gold. painting the women of africa.

welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. we begin tonight with the midterm election campaign here in the united states. democrats are now in the majority of congress. democrats have made abortion rights the centerpiece of their campaign. the u.s. supreme court overturned the national right to an abortion. smith reports. >> tim often uses his airplane to travel to hospital, now he is volunteering to transport women

to places they can have a safe abortion. class the u.s., 13 states have severely restricted abortion, some with no exceptions for rape or incest, and it. . has become a major election issue. >> what does it say about america when it comes to abortion laws in some states? >> we are a country that espouses freedom. we say we have freedom of oice for a lot of things. here, i have to hp women find that freedom that they deserve, that they'd had for 50 years. they should have that freedom everywhere, and that is what i hope we can push. ♪ >> at a catholic church, politics have now made their way into the pews. here in michigan, there is a ecial proposition on the ballot, asking voters if they want to guarantee abortion rights for women, and the priest is organizing the opposition. >> is another dimension of

evil. >> abortion is central to this election campaign. >> it is really not that difficult to see, at least on a moral issue like this one, you know, what you to do and how you should vote. fundamental right is not abortion but life. >> the right to access abortion was overturned by the supreme court in june, and it is being fought out state by individual state. >> why is it a right to kill your own child? >> abortion has to become unthinkable. people have to realize what it actually is, and i think people that are for abortions don't really understand. >> we've lost the whole idea of life is sacred. >> abortion has always been one of the most divisive issues in america, but this is the first time in almost 50 years that voters can have their say. in states like michigan, huge numbers of women have been registering to vote, fastly

outpacing male voters. that is because this year, abortion rights are specifically on the ballot. >> thank you for what you are doing. >> as democrats organize campaigns, they are focusing on reproductive rights. instead of the cost of living, they would much rather advise voters on the strict limits republicans are pushing. >> that does not have exceptns for rape or incest, that says if you are having a miscarriage, you have to wait until you are deathly ill to get a procedure, that is not something we are going to allow here, because it roles us so deeply backward. >> antiabortion activists have been campaigning for decades, it has long been an issue republicans could use to rally their base. but now it could cost them votes. >> our body -- >> our choice! >> the furious backlash is just an energizing -- is energizing

large numbers of voters. sarah smith, bbc news, lansing, michigan. laura: democrats have been trying to make abortion rights essential to the key u.s. senate race in pennsylvania. many of the headlines after the debate were about the sometimes shaky performance by the democrat, john fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke. republican mehmet oz, who is a medical doctor, had this to say about abortion. dr. oz: there should not be involvement from the federal government and how states decide abortion decisions. as a physician, i have been in the room when there are difficult conversations happening. i do not want the federal government involved with that at all. i when women, doctors, local political leaders with the democracy that has always allowed our nation to thrive, to put the best foot forward, so states can decide for themselves. laura: we go to north america

now and join anthony, cnn's reporter. is it going to distract voters from rather uneven debate performance by john fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke? anthony: that is going to be a challenge for democrats. using that wrist, talking about abortion, they think abortion motivates their base, but the reality is, right now, the focus was on john fetterman's performance. clearly he is still affected by that stroke in may. it made him more difficult in responding to criticisms about his shifting views on fracking, and it made it less likely that he would be able to respond to men at oz advantage during debate of statements mehmet oz

made, specifically on the abortion issue. laura: antho, the governor's race in new york was fractious, too. are republicans hoping it will resonate with voters more than abortion? anthony: they are. if you look at the polls in new york, it shows it is a tight race in a state that is traditionally democratic. there is one theory that blue states, where abortion rights are protected, be it constitutional or law, voters there might be more comfortable to vote on the economy and crime and less motivated to turn out to protect their abortion rights as opposed to swing states like pennsylvania, where abortion very clearly is an issue that is motivating people to come out, because if there is a federal law or republicans controlled the state legislature, the governorship, abortion could be banned in those states. i could explain why there is

this polling happening in places like new york, with pennsylvania still being a tossup. laura: anthony, president biden himself and former president barack obama are going to campaign in pennsylvania, where you are. why that stayed in particular? anthony: well, turn is a huge concern for democrats, particularly in the big cities that biden and barack obama are going to visit a week from this saturday. pittsburgh here and philadelphia, there is concern that black voters, that make up a sizable chunk of the electorate in those cities, are not going to turn out as much. barack obama obviously has an ability to connect with black voters. he had a massive turn out when he ran for president in 2008 and 2012, so anything they could do to get their base out because this is a very close election, and little changes on the margin could be the difference between victory and defeat. laura: anthony zurcher in pennsylvania, thank you. climate change is one of the many underlying issues in the

u.s. midterm elections, and the u.n. secretary general is warning the world faces a catastrophe from which it won't recover. that is the message from antonio guterres ahead of next month's summit in egypt, known as c.o.p. 27. >> it has been a year of extreme weather, devastating floods in pakistan, drought in somalia, with millions threatened by famine. with record-breaking heat, it is why the u.n. chief says climate is the most important issue. do you think the governments of the world will recognize that? sec.-gen. guterres: not necessarily all of them at the present moment. it is very unfortunate that many governments, the pressure at the moment, and i recognize those difficulties, you have inflation, the consequences of the war, you have high prices

with energy and food, you have social unrest, leading to death. there is a tendency to put climate change on the back burner, and that is why it is so important to strongly advocate to bring back climate change to the center and this national debate. >> there have been fears some counies, including the u.k., have been rolling back on some of their climate commitment. liz truss advised king charles not to go to the u.n. climate summit in egypt, for example. should t king go to c.o.p. 27? do you want to see him there? and what about the new u.k. prime minister, rishi sunak? sec.-gen. guterres: i would like to see them both. king charle, we need to pay tribute, raising the attention of the world, for the need to be much more effective in relation to climate action. >> are you worried about the uk's commitment climate?

sec.-gen. guterres: i believe the u.k. people today have enough cautious about what the climate change means. >> i did not ask about the people, i asked about the government. sec.-gen. guterres: governments are accountable to the people, and i believe the people will make the government accountable in a way that commitments made will be maintained. >> i'm sensing you are slightly worried about the u.k.'s government on climate. if they need to be held to account by the people, it is suggested that perhaps -- sec.-gen. guterres: i hope those hints do not correspond to reality. it is changing very quickly. let's be optimistic about the future. >> but this year, we have had a taste of the kind of extreme weather climate change can bring, and the message from the u.n. today is clear, unless we raise ambition in egypt, the world will face far greater weather extremes. justin rose let, bbc news, the

u.n. headquarters in new york. laura: let's go to ukraine next, where the government is urging people who have fled the country to stay where they are until spring, as the energy sector struggles. there have been clashes in the southern region of kherson. ukraine's minister has warned the counteroffensive against russian forces in kherson is getting more difficult. we have more from kyiv. >> ukrainian forces are advancing along the river, and the main issue is the city of kherson, one of the largest cities under ukrainian occupation and the capital of one of the four places that president putin claims to have next. an advisor said there are no signs russian troops were

preparing to leave the city. in fact, he said, russian troops were preparing be streets and sending in more troops. the defense minister here said there's a change in russian tactics after the apintment of the russian general surrogate -- sergey here in ukraine. russia was openly fighting against civilians, not just ukrainian military, and he said it was priority number one to strengthen the country's defense systems. finally, the minister also dismissed the allegations being made by russia that ukraine is ready to use a "dirty bomb." he says this was an attempt by moscow to reduce questions support to ukraine and he described as blackmail of the civilized world. laura: russia is conducting

exercises of its nuclear forces. they have been filed on land, sea, and air. they are currently conducting annual nuclear deterrent drills in northwestern europe. western countries are increasingly concerned about the level of nuclear rhetoric coming from president putin, who watched the drills personally. the war in ukraine has a long shadow. who is the backdrop? the french leader recently proposed a cabinet meeting between the two governments. they spoke to daniela mcginnis. daniela: they are tackling

challenges together, but is it creating a rift between these two traditionally very close powers? >> you are right, this is the motivator of the eu. what we are seeing is these crisis right now, the energy in ukraine almost laying down, when you look at ukraine, what this means for germany, looking to the is not a lot of pressure on germany to take more leadership, and that means leading -- leaving france behind, focusing on nato, and we look at italy, germany is trying to focus on really supporting its own households and its industry, and it is spending hundreds of billions of euros doing that. that means president macron says that is unfair to france. that is not a criticism berlin wants to hear, though, because in berlin's eyes, france is the one that usually helps champions

with state aid. laura: daniel, after criticism that germany was way too reliant , are there concerns the government seems to be moving more closely to china? daniel: you know what, laura, that is a huge debate. we have seen controversy over the chinese firm cosco wanted to take over container ships and hamburger ports. chancellor olaf scholz was to push this, the mayor of hamburg, ministries a government members said this is the wrong way to go, because it is giving china too much control. what we are now seeing is germany saying that china can only send part of that container ship. and that is an ongoing debate, because everyone is saying this has already happened with russia, so we cannot let happen again to china. right now, german export and

port to china account for about 10% of the rest of the world. so it is something germany can reduce without so much pain, but it is also something which many key industries are reliant on. lots of key industries which a also suffering because of a lack of energy, and there is a gas crisis, such as the chemical industry, rely on producing part of their stock in china. so that is going to be very different for those companies. laura: daniel mcginnis, live in berlin, thank you so much. daniel: thank you so much. laura: staying in france, the immigrant girl raped and killed in paris. an algerian woman has been charged with the crime, after she refused to leave france last summer. >> the softest of targets, lola, 12 years old, raped and

tortured, her body left in a case outside her family home. this week, she was laid to rest in a small white coffin, a personal tragedy turned political. the woman charged with her murder, and algerian who overstayed her visa from france and ignored der to leave. in lola's old neighborhood, presidents described a mood of -- residents described a mood of fear. >> i am traumatized. i think all of france is traumatized. >> the message outside of lola's home in paris, a little girl in the neighborhood who loved gymnastics, but it has been overtaken by fierce political debate. lola's of vulnerability seized upon by anti-immigrant politicians who says france itself needs protection. the far right leader marine le pen said the government is to blame.

"a suspect should have never been on french territory," she said. france's justice minister said right wing mp's were using a 12-year-old's coffin as a political steppingstone. the family asked that their daughter's name and image not be used for political ends, but she has become the poster child for anti-immigration rallies across france. banners in her name right "the state killed me." >> for them to use, to publicize , the crime is behind us. the victim is a young girl, and many people think, why are we compelled to have such people on for soil? >> that message captured the nation's shock and anger. at the memorial for lola in

her grandparents village, there were questions beneath the tears. >> i think we have to respect the parents who do not want political exploitation, but we also have to act. things really need to change, and very tolerant, i'm very open to the world, but there are things that we cannot tolerate. >> far right politicians have long argued that curbs on immigration would protect france's economy or culture. how much more potent to suggest they might have protected one little girl. lucy williams, bbc news, france. laura: in other news now, a jury in wisconsin h found a man guilty of murdering six people by driving into a crowd last year. he was found on six charges, deliberately crashing into a crowd in the city of waukesha near milwaukee. germany is now planning to

legalize cannabis. up to 30 grams of cannabis for personal consumption will be made legal. the government also will introduce a special consumption tax and a program. germany legalized cnabis for limited medicinal purposes in 2017. we turn now to the story of a british nigerian artist who is using gold to tell the story of african women. the artist is painting portraits of women in the diaspora with gold from africa, to help on the journey. >> meeting for the portrait for her first time. the giant painting is constructed using 24 karat gold. it is one of several portraits on display in london, centered around the stories of african

diaspora women. >> it feels like me meeting myself, and it is important for us to see ourselves in the diaspora, to show not only are we african, but we represent all of that. >> the artist behind the work is a british nigerian painter, poet, and musician. >> what links all of the people that i have painted is the fact that they have african heritage and they are on self-discovery, and i wanted to gift them with the experience of seeing themselves for the first time or seeing themselves how i see them. >> can you tell us a little bit about why you have done this and what inspired you? >> i was diagnosed with pc os, which is polycystic ovary system, and what happened is there is a spike in testosterone with my hormones, and it caused me to have excessive facial hair, it caused me to gain a lot

of weight, and after painting myself, that changed a lot for myself. it made me say t myself, i took away the razor i took away the hair removal cream, i saw what impact it made for me, and i wanted to give that to other people. >> other women include a prominent nigerian writer and another who has scarf occasion, an ancient african law of marking the body. before they are sent to the public, they are part of a series that went viral on tiktok. >> there is an appeal for african people to be seen as human, and i feel like humanity is what i am trying to depict in my paintings. i want people to really spend time studying things as opposed to the myths, whatever stigma

has been carried from africa to the west, you know? >> the paintings are highlighted in gold, which is dried, broken up, and mixed with the paint. the artist hopes this will add value to the painting, both symbolically and literally. each comes with a secret scroll containing the unique personal story of the subject, written in their own words, which can only be opened wednesday painting has been purchased and collected, weaving together african art, experience, and storytelling. laura: we leave you tonight with another story that may inspire you, this time to scale the heights. a group of black american women are making history as one of the biggest parties ever to climb mount kilimanjaro in tanzania, one of the tallest mountains in the world. 14 women made the journey from the u.s. to africa, but only 12 got to the summit. congratulations to all.

laura trelyan, thank you so much for watching bbc world news america. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. 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. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-daa-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

amna: good evening and welcome. i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the "newshour" tonight, vote 2022. we examine the critical role secretaries of state will play in the upcoming midterm elections, especially if candidates refuse to concede defeat. , the tiing point, the future of the amazon rainforest is at stake as brazil heads to the polls for the final round of a contentious election. and mission accessible, college students with disabilities innovate ways to navigate spaces and use products that were not designed for them. >> the world is built for certain type of people. it's built to allow certain people to move without any issue throughout the world and succeed, and it's not built for others. amna: all that and more on

tonight's