13/09/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, with me, Karin Giannone.

At last some respite for Syria - with no civilian deaths

recorded in the first 24 hours of the country's truce.

International aid trucks are headed for besieged areas,

but have yet to reach those who need it most.

And what hope for beyond the current ceasefire?

But you can't bring back all those who've died and the country

that used to be here, the mix of peoples.

German police arrest three Syrian migrants suspected of being sent

by so-called Islamic State to prepare attacks there.

I find out how the most advanced technology is taking sculpture back

to classical times - by being turned into a statue myself.

And celebrating the scrumdiddlyumptious

magic of Roald Dahl - 100 years after he was born.

There's been a "significant" drop in the level of fighting in Syria

in the first 24 hours of Syria's ceasefire.

That's according to the UN special envoy to Syria,

International aid is now on its way to besieged areas

but has yet to reach those in desperate need.

The aim is for the seven day truce to allow in humanitarian aid

and suspend fighting between Syrian government forces and many

If the ceasefire holds, then the US and Russia will carry

out joint air strikes on militant groups not included in the truce -

Our Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen is in Aleppo in Syria -

and sent this report from the city's old market place:

They say a couple of dozen metres from rebel positions and this is -

was - one of the oldest covered market souks of Aleppo.

Today, because of the ceasefire, they tell me that things

are quieter than they have been because there has been

fierce fighting over the course of the summer.

Certainly I was speaking to one general and he said by about midday

More if things have really flared up.

The question about this ceasefire is, if it lasts,

Will there be some kind of political process built upon it that might

inch this country away from war towards peace?

Or will it simply be, as others have been,

a time for armies to rest, to regroup, to resupply and to get

Of course, the damage here is absolutely tragic.

But, the loss of human life, perhaps 400,000 dead in Syria,

over more than five years, that's much worse.

You can't bring back all those who've died in the country

that used to be here - the mix of people.

The United Nations' envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura gave

an update on the ceasefire a short while ago - and on the critical

importance for both sides to respect the safe passage

of a World Food Programme convoy delivering much needed aid

Every report we have been seeing indicates a significant drop in

violence. Today, calm appears to have prevailed across Aleppo and

rural Aleppo. There are only so allegations of sporadic isolated

incidents. The provincial council needs to accept the fact that this

aid is urgent and on the Russian side, of course, that helping is

unhindered for the convoys that approach, which we understand is

being worked on. With me is Murad Shishani, from

BBC Arabic. 24 hours later it appears to be

holding up. Indeed. We might be witnessing a historic day in the

history of Syria. This is the first day without someone being killed in

the last five years. The numbers were increasing day by day. It might

be a historic day. But this is a very optimistic view. We now know

there is a sort of disagreement on implementing certain areas. But

everybody is putting hope on a stick saying that now nobody was killed

because of fighting so far as we have heard. But the thing is how to

implement, the aid reaching the people, and how to continue without

fighting in these areas, that is the major question everyone will be

asking in the coming hours. While the bullets and bombs have stopped,

the immediate priority is to try and get help to certain people in

certain areas where the condition is unimaginable. Indeed, there are

loads of them, specifically Aleppo these days and there are a sort of

effort to bring in food and assistance immediately to these

people in need. The problem is also disagreement since Turkey announced

they will be sending in humanitarian aid. The Syrian government refused

and said they cannot do that without consulting the UN. We heard that

there are unconfirmed reports that there is a movement of aid going

into Syria. We have just received that and hopefully that will carry

on until the next coming hours. But we need to say that Turkey always

wanted to create a buffer zone, they call it a humanitarian buffer zone.

I have witnessed them myself. Many Syrians are stuck who have fled from

Aleppo in the Borders with Turkey and they are in urgent need. There

was some charity organisations from Turkey going inside. But there was

no organised massive effort to help them. But the people in need, it is

massive and this is the priority for the international community, as they

put it, before they continue attacking Islamic State, or carrying

on the political solution. Very briefly, if this truth does hold,

what is the next step? The next step, carry and Sergei Lavrov said

they would intensify attacks against IS and the Al Nasr affront but they

will open up for the political solution. This is very optimistic.

Let's see how the truce holds up and then the humanitarian aid. Then we

will look to the political parties and the fighting factions and how

they react to what they can see today. As I said, it might be a

historic moment. Thank you very much, Murad Shishani, from BBC

Arabic. Police in northern Germany have

arrested three Syrian migrants suspected of preparing attacks

for the so-called The men, aged between 17 and 26,

were detained after a series of pre-dawn raids in the German

states of Schleswig-Holstein The German Interior Minister says

they were trafficked by the same organisation that supported

the attackers who blew themselves up near the national football stadium

just outside Paris last November. Security services are investigating.

There is a lot to do. The police have recovered a lot of material. We

understand among the things they found which were mobile phones,

preloaded with communication applications. We do not have more

detail but we know they are going to be a big part of the investigation

as security services try and get more information about these three

men. We know and the security services have told us that one man

at least had some kind of weapons training with Islamic State.

Possibly out in Syria. We know they came into Germany towards the end of

last year and came through the so-called Balkans route. As you can

imagine it has caused a great deal of consternation in Germany. No

doubt the security services are congratulating themselves on a job

well done. They have found these people, interrupting them at a stage

before they got ready to put anything in concrete together in

terms of a terror attack. That is why they are described as a sleeper

cell. On the other hand, Germany is nervous at the moment. There is a

public mood of concern about domestic security. I suspect these

arrests, the acknowledgement at a senior level that Islamic State are

using the refugee crisis to infiltrate Europe and infiltrate

Germany, that will cause significant public concern. I think again Angela

Merkel and her government are trying to reassure the public that by in

effect allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees into the

country that they have not endangered German citizens. They

will have to work very hard to reassure them now, I think. Jenny

Hill. Heiko Gerstmann is the Mayor

of Reinfield, where one of today's raids was carried out

at a refugee shelter. TRANSLATION: You always fear the

atmosphere will change. But I think residents can see it is an

individual case and not all refugees and asylum seekers are linked to

Islamic State. Some refugees of integrated so well they almost like

and daughters. I do not think the general atmosphere will be spoiled.

Now a look at some of the days other news...

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister says Hungary should be excluded

from the European Union because of its tough

Jean Asselborn says the country is violating the EU's core values

and is treating refugees almost like wild animals by erecting razor

His Hungarian counterpart says Mr Asselborn isn't

worthy of consideration as a serious politician.

A crew member has been killed and four others have been injured

in an accident on the world's biggest cruise ship -

The sailors were taking part in a safety exercise

while the boat was docked in the French port of Marseille.

The Filipino national died when a lifeboat came away

from its deck mountings and fell more than ten metres down

New research into mammal reproduction suggests that

in principle it might be possible for humans to conceive children

A scientific team at Bath University in Britain said they had produced

healthy baby mice by fusing sperm with reprogrammed cell material

It means that two men could have a child without the need for eggs.

The hosts of The Great British Bake Off have announced they will step

down when the television show moves to Channel Four next year.

Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc have fronted the show since it

In a statement, they duo say they were "very shocked

and saddened" to learn Bake Off will be leaving the BBC.

It's not yet known if judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood

Hillary Clinton has said she didn't reveal she had been diagnosed

with pneumonia because she didn't think it would be a 'big deal'.

The Democratic presidential candidate staggered in public

on Sunday morning as she left a 9/11 ceremony -

and that has caused a huge amount of debate over her health.

Clinton said she had been diagnosed on Friday but only informed

a handful of close advisers and pressed on with the campaign.

Our correspondent Gary O'Donoghue is in Washington.

She did not think it would be a big deal but how wrong she was. Yes, how

wrong she was. Since that memorial service on Sunday morning, where are

we now, on Tuesday afternoon in Washington, it has been wall-to-wall

coverage of her health problems and what it means, why she did not tell

anybody about it, when she goes back on the Trail, how it will affect the

campaign. All those questions are swirling around cable news channels,

the blogs, media, newspapers, wherever you look, it is just the

one issue being talked about. We are getting some suggestions, some early

reports that it may be Friday when she comes back onto the campaign,

not confirmed at this stage. That would amount to the five-day break

she was advised to take by her doctors when she decided to power

through, as she put it, before losing her balance, stumbling,

staggering, however you call it, on Sunday, feeling dizzy, having to be

bundled into the back of the car, helped into the back of the car by

her team, of course. A bit of a stumble in the campaign, without

question. A lotta people will be focusing on the next set of medical

records the campaign team have promised to release. And Donald

Trump himself has promised to release the results of a physical

that he had. He is doing an interview with one of the TV doctors

later this week. That will be a moment when health from both

candidates comes back into focus. The interesting thing here is one of

the things Donald Trump has tried to focus upon in the last couple of

days, he has not really done any Hillary health staff at all. He has

let everyone else do that. He tried to focus on comments she made on

Friday when she talked about half of his supporters being in the basket

of deplorable. That was a pretty elementary political mistake. You

can insult the people you are running against as much as you like

but insulting the voters is really not what you do in normal politics.

In some ways it is a double edged sword for Donald Trump. Yes,

everybody has been talking about Hillary's health, but it also means

people are not really talking about something which was also a big

problem for her, dismissing half of the American electorate,

potentially. Gary, thank you, Gary in Washington.

Don't forget, if you want to catch up on all the latest in the US

you can keep right up to date on our website.

There you'll find all the latest stories including this special

feature on the history of the poor health of US presidents.

From a leader who snuck a surgeon on a yacht in order to remove

a tumour to another who died only months into his fourth term

after hiding a great number of ailments from the public eye.

Now for an amazing exhibition here in London that sees art

Volunteers at the Royal Academy of Arts are being converted into 3D

portraits and put on display in the hallowed galleries.

The Veronica Scanner is the brainchild of Factum Arte

in Madrid, and I had the opportunity to go along...

Not a science lab, but inside London's Royal Academy of Arts.

Here, a team from Madrid who usually tour the world scanning antiquities

from archaeological sites are using the advanced 3-D

technology to immortalise real-life members of the public.

So, into the Veronica Scanner, named from Greek and Latin words

It takes 96 high-resolution pictures of my head from every angle.

It was like being in some sort space capsule, but it was over really

quickly - just four seconds of flashes.

But what place does advanced computer technology have

Over the last 20 years, there has been an explosion

It seemed, could we actually play with the idea of going all the way

through from recording someone to carving them in wood or 3-D

And could we also show what was possible if you do things

Of course, there's no actual artist involved.

This is a completely objective portrayal of the subject,

a bit like the busts we saw in classical times.

The technology is incredibly contemporary, but actually

the physical objects are relatively conservative, certainly in

the classical tradition - and I think that is what is

In other words, I think artists will use this technology

The image from the screen, turned into a bust using a variety

of different materials including wood, with 3-D printing techniques.

Then exhibited in the Royal Academy itself.

Now, the finished article has finally arrived

from the Royal Academy and I can honestly say I have not seen it.

We waited for this moment to unveil it and to get my real reaction

It's so bizarre to see yourself like this.

I can honestly say I'm very honoured to have been

This has all been done through the computer

and through this incredible 3-D wooden carving machine.

That was the big version - and here's a tiny model from the 3D

printer they had there, but the detail is amazing.

If you're in the UK and you want to go along to take a look or get

scanned yourself, the exhibition is moving to Waddesdon Manor

in Buckinghamshire in October - details on the Royal

The World Anti-Doping Agency has condemned Russian hackers

for leaking confidential medical files of US Olympic athletes.

Athletes affected include tennis players Venus and Serena Williams

A group calling itself "Fancy Bears" claimed responsibility for the hack

WADA said in a statement that the cyber attacks

were an attempt to undermine the global anti-doping system.

Well, in Rio it's day six at the Paralympics and more

Let's cross to the BBC's Julia Carnerio in Rio de Janerio.

Hello to you. Hello. I'm talking to you from outside the Paralympic

Park. It is very hot here in Rio. Fans are streaming in and out. In

the velodrome, you can see here, there was a lot of action in the

Paralympics and link fix and the cycling here at the tennis centre

and this was packed over the weekend with record attendance, more than

300,000 people. And a new record is expected for the next week when all

the tickets here are sold out. Let me bring you some of the day's

gripping results. Very good results for Paralympics GB, with Georgina

Hermitage getting her second gold medal in Rio in the 400 metres final

in the T 37 category. She broke a world record and got her second gold

after winning the 100 metres earlier in the Paralympics. She has cerebral

palsy and she had quit athletics as a teenager but was inspired by the

London 2012 games to come back to the sport and what a comeback. She

can still get another gold in Rio for the 400 metres relay. More good

news for Team GB from Harley Arnold. She got the gold in the javelin in

the F 46 category. She also set a new world record in the category.

First breaking the record with a 41.6 metres throw and not content

with that she went and had a larger throw them that, making it 43.0 one.

Here in Rio also, everybody is talking about the amazing result in

the athletic Stadium at the 1500 metres final in the T 13 category.

That is for athlete with visual impairment. Algeria got the gold

here. He came in first and he broke the Paralympic world record. What

was remarkable about that and everybody is talking about it, he

also came in faster than the athlete in the Olympics winning goal for the

1500 metres race. He has surpassed the time of the United States

Matthew Selt a pitch. The three athletes after that were also faster

than him. Quite a remarkable result in the Paralympics in Rio. There are

a lot of other results coming up later today in swimming, athletics,

lots of finals and medals to be handed out and we will keep you

updated with the latest results. Thank you very much. Yes, that 1500

metres was absolutely amazing. Well, let's take a look at the medal

table as it stands on day 6.China has top spot with 53 golds,

41 silvers and 28 bronzes. Great Britain is in second place -

and Ukraine is third. Hosts Brazil are also still doing

well, currently in fifth place. And you can get the latest

from the Paralympics For detailed analysis

and a sport-by-sport guide, For US Olympian Ryan Lochte,

his dancing debut on prime time TV might not be remembered

for reasons he hoped. finished performing on US reality

show 'Dancing with the Stars' when two protesters rushed

onto the stage to interrupt Lochte T-shirts, were

arrested for trespassing. Lochte has been suspended

from competing for 10 months after he admitted lying

about being robbed Now, his books have captured

the imagination and bought joy to millions of children

around the world. The BFG, Willy Wonka and Matilda

are just some of the characters from the imagination of the writer

Roald Dahl, born exactly Nowhere are the celebrations bigger

than in Cardiff where he grew up, "I is not understanding human beings

at all", the BFG said. "Mr Willy Wonka can make

marshmallows that taste of violet." Stories that are loved by millions

of children, including pupils at Roald Dahl's

former school in Cardiff. Reading to celebrate the centenary

of his birth, when his work is more

popular than ever. His story began here,

100 years ago today. The family home in Cardiff has

changed little since Roald Dahl His earliest recollections were

formed here and some played a part in the magical stories

that he later went on to write. "Ah", said the BFG, "I is wondering

how long it is before Roald Dahl wrote many

of his books in a shed An idea he said he got

from the Welsh author Dylan Thomas, "Oh you wicked beastly

beast", cried Trunky. He began writing for children

more than 70 years ago. His stories still rank alongside

modern day best sellers. He popularised, I think,

the children's book as a genre and now those readers are parents

who are passing on that legacy. Dahl worked closely

with the illustrator Quintin Blake. -- Dahl worked closely

with the illustrator Quentin Blake. He used to say you could talk

to children about everything, I think the drawings

are a way of saying - you are not to take

this too seriously. And in some schools,

the celebrations for what would have been Roald Dahl's 100th birthday,

have been as colourful A Spanish couple has been reunited

with a wedding ring almost 40 years after losing it in the Spanish

resort of Benidorm. The husband and wife lost the ring in 1979, five

months after they were married. They assumed it was gone forever. You can

imagine their surprise when it was found by a local diver. The woman

appealed for help to find the owners on social media and a relative of

the couple recognise the wedding date engraved upon the ring. It was

finally returned to them almost 40 years later.

If you want to get in touch with us here at BBC World News,

But for now from me and the rest of the team, goodbye.

It has been an incredible day of weather