25/05/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Philippa Thomas.

Germany unveils its plan to try to integrate

The newcomers will be taught German values and told where they can live

as part of a major programme to avoid ghetto-isation.

A captured Ukrainian pilot who became a symbol of resistance

to Moscow is released after two years in a Russian jail.

Do you ever get that sinking feeling?

An entire street collapses in the heart of tourist Florence.

We'll be talking to a man who saw it happen.

Also coming up, the ship was their saviour.

We reveal the role the Queen Mary played

in rescuing thousands of Jews from the Nazis.

The bottom line is, the Queen Mary saved me and my mum and dad. It

saved our lives. And seeing a city for the first

time: what a new exhibition by migrant photographers reveals

about New York, London and Paris. intended to integrate more

than one million migrants. cabinet agreement on the law,

Merkel described after months of political

disagreement, as a milestone. The deal will require migrants

to integrate into society in return for being allowed

to live and work in Germany. If approved by parliament,

it will also give authorities the power to dictate

where they can and can't live. Last year, over one million migrants

came to Germany and the country

could take one million more in 2016. Under the new law, federal funds

would be used to create It will also require adult migrants

to attend 600 hours with an additional 100 hours

of cultural "orientation" classes that end with an integration

test. Our Berlin correspondent Damien

McGuinness has more. Asylum seekers in Germany learning

how to speak German. And also how to navigate German

society and culture. The courses are free of charge,

but they are now set That is because a new law

aims to make sure In return for benefit payments

and free accommodation, and attend integration classes,

have to learn German TRANSLATION:

may be reduced. I think

it's a milestone that the federal government passes an integration

law. And integration law in accordance

with the principles of obligation as well as support.

And support as well as obligations. The government's plan comes

after more than 1 million refugees And although numbers

have dropped this year, there is widespread concern

in Germany about integrating Particularly given the country's

poor record at integrating The German government wants to avoid

the mistakes made in the past when workers from Turkey were left

excluded from It is Germany's first law

on integration and an important This law makes the way for those

that will stay in Germany We don't want people to live

in parallel societies We don't want parallel

societies and ghettos. But the government's

plan is controversial. Particularly the proposal that

for the first few years, asylum seekers will not be able

to choose where they Critics say this could

break up families. TRANSLATION: The rights are greater

than the help they get. We think there are too many obligations. The

migrants in this class, meanwhile, are keen to learn. They are nice

people. To work, or study, or something. Germany has a shortage of

young workers and an ageing population, so the opportunities are

there, but only for those with the correct skills.

With me is Nina Schick, the Head of Communications

Talking about skills of immigrants the idea is to get them into the

labour market as quickly as possible. Absolutely. Germany is on

a demographic decline and they desperately need young workers. This

is part of a long-running debate at this boom in migrants can be an

economic boom to the country and increased the GDP of the country.

The Keita that is to get them into the labour market quickly. So far,

that has been the big four asylum seekers to do. When their status is

decided they can already going to these low-paid jobs which should

contribute to their commune rather than taking the leap in public

services. So where they go, the errors of Germany that they are

assigned to is important. The assignment of where they live is

more to do with the fact that the German government does not want

ghettos to spring up. It is about cultural assimilation. If you look

at Cologne, it has traditionally been a big area for immigrant

populations. They don't want that type of ghetto again. At New Year, a

lot of women were assaulted and the blame was put on some immigrants.

Exactly. That will also be controversial, because as we have

heard, some pro-refugee lobby groups say that this will break up

families. Nonetheless, the political support across the spectrum is

widespread. It is quite a lot of engineering, in terms of taking

people in, giving them papers and saying you are assigned to this town

or village. Absolutely, the biggest controversy or challenge in this

integration law is not so much passing the laws, but the

implementation, because as you can imagine, it is going to cause a

massive load of bureaucracy and it'll be difficult to enforce. It is

about giving a job and a new life to refugees. What about the other side,

their responsibility, if they don't learn the language and seem to

integrate and seem to cause trouble, what is the comeback? This is the

carrot and stick approach from Angela Merkel. She is saying, we

will make it easier for you to live and work here, but on the other

hand, if you don't do that then there will be sanctions to your

benefit which can be cut and you will not be able to live where you

like. That is the balance that they are trying to strike.

The Ukrainian military helicopter pilot, Nadiya Savchenko,

is home after spending two years in a Russian jail.

She was released as part of a prisoner swap.

The BBC's Tom Burridge has been at the airport in Kiev

where people gathered to welcome her back.

Nadiya Savchenko was in typically defiant mood.

She was very, very emotional when she came out, just then.

You get the sense from the chaos and the number of cameras here of

She has come to symbolise much more than one individual.

Because, in the context of Ukraine's relationship

with Russia over the course of the last two years,

the war in the East, she, who was captured

in the east of Ukraine, has remained defiant.

And for many Ukrainians, she has come to symbolise

defiance against perceived Russian aggression.

She symbolises something that I want to be when I grow up.

And I think that all of our country should be more like Nadiya,

And she's been fighting for her freedom.

Doe sshe symbolise something in that respect as well?

I would say that she was fighting for her dignity, and freedom.

Because she, freedom is something no one can be denied.

You don't fight for your freedom, being in prison.

She only wanted a fair trial, not being treated as some, you know,

Everybody understands that freedom and the struggle are very important

And Nadiya symbolises two of these things.

Now a look at some of the day's other news.

The Afghan Taliban have announced the name of their new leader.

Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada will replace

Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed

in a US drone strike last week on his car in Pakistan.

Correspondents say the new leader's appointment has not caused as much

controversy as Mansour's, which led to splits in Taliban ranks.

The French government says it has begun using its strategic

oil reserves to bolster the country's energy supply.

A strike against labour reforms is now affecting six

of the country's eight refineries, leading to fuel shortages.

Some trade unions are calling on the government to reverse

controversial new labour reforms forced through

The controversial right-wing Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman

has been named as the country's new defence minister.

The appointment is part of a deal to bring his party

into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

government is a "threat to regional stability".

It's being reported from the US that the frontrunner

for the Democrat nomination, Hillary Clinton, is

heavily criticised in an official report into her email accounts.

She's under investigation after admitting

using her personal email account for official business,

when she was Secretary of State under President Obama.

We can talk now to our correspondent in Washington, Barbara Plett Usher.

My introduction does not quite capture the intensity of feeling

that this issue has aroused. No, this e-mail saga has been going on

for some time. It has dealt quite a political blow to Mrs Clinton as she

has been campaigning to become president. This is the latest twist

in a saga that continues to go on. This was an internal audit by the

State Department. It found that she broke garment rules on handling

e-mails. She shoots -- she should've asked for permission to set up a

private e-mail server, which she did not. She should have handed over

e-mails for government record immediately when she left office,

which she did not, only much later. This report said there were

long-term systemic albums with the State Department handling of

e-mails, going back to previous secretaries, which is something that

the Clinton campaign has pointed out. At the same time they say that

the guidelines for dealing with e-mails were more advanced and

up-to-date when she was in office so she was more probable. And there is

political fallout from this. Whether it is there not, voters seem to be

telling opinion pollsters, we're not sure if we trust Hillary Clinton.

The polls have shown that the e-mail saga has had an impact on views of

how trustworthy she is. When the Republican presumptive nominee

Donald Trump has been using the e-mails in his attacks on her, and

can also look at Hillary, so he will be using this as ammunition as part

of that campaign. This report was pending. It was hanging over her. It

is now out. It is done towards the end of the primaries and before the

timing of the general election campaign so maybe the timing will be

beneficial to her. The other report is an FBI one into whether she was

involved in mishandling classified information, which is a more serious

thing in its consequences. It does not look like they will press

charges, but we don't know for sure, yet, so she will be waiting now on

the results of that investigation. Now, this next story could be quite

disturbing for those who cherish their cars,

or medieval Italy. A 200-metre section of the

embankment of the River Arno in central

Florence has collapsed, sending part of the road

and at least 20 parked cars The embankment is at a central point

in this historic city. The collapse is just metres

from the famous Ponte Vecchio covered bridge, which was built

in the 14th century. Fox Emerson lives

right near the site. This happen overnight, didn't it?

Your neighbours heard some loud noises coming from the river. Yes.

There was lots of flooding last night. It started around mid night.

The noises were around 6am. It sounded like an earthquake to many

of the locals coming from the road next to the Ponte Vecchio. So, did

you all rush out to see what was going on? I happen to be awake at

6am and because they had no gas or water I went for a walk along the

river. When I first went, it had not been cordoned off. When I went back

a couple of others later it had been cordoned off. What do you think had

caused it, or is it obvious what had caused it? I thought the river had

somehow gone through the wall into the road. It turns out it is just a

burst pipe under the main pathway. It is pretty close to some fairly

well-known spots in historic Florence. It is scarily close to the

Ponte Vecchio and the two main bridges. People will Bory that

whatever has caused this collapse could ripple further. -- will worry.

There is that fear, yes. What more have you been told about what the

authorities have been doing 's this must have caused disruption for you.

I still don't have running water or gas. Lots of people are in that

situation. That is just inconvenience for one day. We don't

know the extent of the damage. All we know is what we have seen on the

Internet and on the news. Thank you for helping is out, and good luck

getting your utilities restored. Once the standard for luxurious

travel across the Atlantic, this week marks the 80th anniversary

of the Queen Mary's maiden voyage. Currently, a museum

and hotel in California, the ship's role in saving Jews

from the Nazis It's emerged that hundreds of Jews

fleeing Germany and Austria used

the Queen Mary to get out of Europe. Duncan Kennedy has this remarkable

story. ARCHIVE: Southampton.

This really was it. First for speed and the

last word in luxury. The Queen Mary transformed

transatlantic sailing. But her maiden voyage coincided

with the rise of the Nazis. And a scramble among Jews to get

out. We were hit all the time by these

gangsters, I call them. For many like Ludwig Katzenstein,

the Queen Mary would become He fled Germany in 1938

with his two older brothers. In a perilous journey

with their parents, they were arrested by the Gestapo

and had to telegraph the Queen Mary That was in Cherbourg. Incredibly,

he did. I don't have the words

in the dictionary to praise him. That this man was so good and waited

for us those six hours, the crucial point. That is why I'm

able to sit here and make this film. That captain was Robert Irving

from Dumfriesshire. He broke every rule

to save Ludwig's family. Today Captain Irving's relatives say

he was a man of compassion. It was clearly a personal

decision, you know? He would not have

been instructed to do that. And it shows a lot of, in my view,

considerable humanity. New research now shows thousands

of Jews were saved They included Robert Tannenbaum,

seen here during his actual escape, One life abandoned,

but safety ahead. This is me with my sunglasses.

Clearly the weather And to this day, Robert

remains grateful. The bottom line is the Queen Mary

saved me and my mum The Queen Mary left Southampton

for the last time in 1967 and was brought here to Long Beach,

California, to become

a floating hotel and museum. Her role in helping Jews escape

the Nazis lost in history. But now on this, the 80th

anniversary of her maiden voyage, this remarkable story

can finally be told. These are some of the generations

of Jews given life after their families made it

out on the Queen Mary. They survived, whilst millions

more did not escape, And another refugee

from Nazi Germany is at the heart

of this feature. We think we know what the great

global cities look like, so it's always fascinating to get

a different insight. That's what's on offer

with a new exhibition of images called Unseen London,

Paris and New York - pictures taken by three

major photographers They've just gone on show

at the Ben Uri Gallery With me is the exhibition's curator,

Katy Barron. Welcome to the programme. We have

three photographers and three cities. Let's start in London with

Wolfgang Suschitzky who was an Austrian who fled to London. He came

to London in 1934, in order to escape. Not really because he was

Jewish, but more because he was a socialist and wanted to get away

from the rise of Nazism. He was looking through the eyes of an

outsider and London and showing something a bit different.

Absolutely. He said that when he arrived, he could see things that

Londoners couldn't see. He saw through the eyes of strangers,

something that we take for granted, something like buses, he photographs

with wonder. And the gloom and doom, the depression, the smog, these were

coming across because they were so different from Vienna. This was a

shop front, a museum front, on Oxford Street at the heart of

London. This is extraordinary. What are we looking at? We are looking at

effectively a place of entertainment, someone has set up an

exhibition of wax dioramas, there was a children's section with Disney

characters and Bing Crosby, and also a section where you could see Nazi

atrocities. This was during the war itself. It was put up in 1944,

interestingly. It raises questions as to what was actually known in

Britain during the war. It could not have been in a more mainstream

place. Let's move on to Paris and the 50s, Dorothy Bohm who was born

in East Prussia, she toured in England and went to Paris. She,

again, was a refugee from the Nazis. His father bash back her father put

his camera around her neck before she got on the train to England. She

did not then see her parents for 20 years. Another extraordinary story.

She first went to Paris in 1947 and fell in love with the city and was

fortunate enough to go back and live there in the 50s for one year. Her

husband was quite successful so she did not have to work. She was able

to roam the streets of Paris, seeing the city without Agger this, without

any sort of agenda -- without prejudice. And that comes across in

these photos. And Neil Libbert was an English newspaper photojournalist

who goes to New York in the 60s. He was there at a time of the race

riots and of great tension. He photographed in Harlem in the 60s,

1964, during the race riots. The image that we see now was taken in

1968. It was a very interesting image. The gaze of a woman is quite

confrontational and perhaps aggressive, and it is interesting to

know that Neil was definitely a ladies man. He was happy to try to

photograph a beautiful woman on the subway despite her unfriendly glare.

That could be a modern image, couldn't it? Absolutely. Thank you

for coming in. We have been bringing you reports about the scientific

revolution in China and our correspondent has been under a

mountain in China joining Saint is looking for some of the most elusive

particles in the universe. Scientists are on the trail of one

of the most elusive particles ever known. They are called neutrinos and

they are absolutely everywhere. Even as I am speaking to you, trillions

of them are streaming through me. The only problem is that you cannot

see or feel them and they are incredibly difficult to study. But

in there, they think they have cracked it. The walls have been

carved out of granite and we are travelling hundreds of metres under

the rock. That is important if you want to find those particles. You

have to be sheltered from cosmic rays, the space weather, that

bombards the surface of the Earth. The other thing I shall tell you

while we are underground is that neutrinos do not behave like we

expect them to. They do something no other particle can do. They are

constantly changing. They have three very different forms, swapping from

one to the other and back again. It is this that scientists are trying

to understand. It is a golden age of study for neutrinos. Many

experiments are going on and are under construction and we expect

them to be discovered in the near future. This is the heart of the

experiment. Beneath these covers is a giant tank full of water and

inside are the detectors. These are able to spot the very rare occasions

that neutrinos bump into regular particles. So far they have found

millions of them. It means that they are finally getting close to

cracking how they work. This is vital because neutrinos are thought

to have played an essential role in the early universe, and

understanding them could up -- could transform our understanding of the

Cosmos. That's all. Thank you for watching.

With that crowd today it has felt chilly. It will be with