03/03/2017 World News Today

weather spreading from west to East, later on on Tuesday. An unsubtle

glut of things. Stage and for the forecast.

'S is in the news. In Iraq and apparent chemical attack on East

Mosul has left 12 people including children injured. As many more

remain trapped in the conflict, a trapped commander of so-called

Islamic State says using human shields is justified. As members of

the Northern Ireland assembly are elected it seems Sinn Fein and the

DUP will remain the largest parties. Police search them home of a man

associated with recent threats to a number of Jewish centres. And are we

there yet? This is the scene streamed live from animal adventure

Park in New York State for April the De Graaf to finally give birth. --

April the De Graaf. Welcome to the programme. 12 Iraqi

civilians have been injured in what appears to have been a chemical

weapons attack in the city of Mosul. Two shells were fired into the

Government held east of the city from the Islamic State controlled

West, releasing a fouls then gas. 111-year-old boy suffered severe

burns and blistering. The International Committee of the Red

Cross has condemned the apparent use of chemical weapons but it hasn't

actually identified what type they were. This comes as thousands of

civilians continue to escape the embattled city. In BBC interview, a

senior IAS commander recently captured by a it Iraqi forces, has

justified the practice of using so-called human shields.

Next to the rubble of most will's bombed out university, a new campus

has been built. A refugee camp on the 30,000 people. It was only

opened 2000 -- two days ago, but aid agencies say it will be full within

a week. For these people freedom of sorts, after almost three years

under the rule of so-called Islamic State. There are thought to be

750,000 civilians trapped inside westernmost soul, under siege

without food or water and in fear of their lives, some have managed to

escape. It is one of the worst crises in the last decade. If you

can see around you, if you talk to people, you cannot deny this.

Fighting is still heavy but Government troops say they are

easing Islamic State's grip on most will. Its last major stronghold in

Iraq. With IAS threatening to kill those who leave the city, and

relentless shelling from the Government side, escape is not easy.

This family was inside western part of the city this morning and as they

escaped there was fighting going on inside their house. Two members of

the security forces that feat freedom were killed and according to

the civilians, many more have been kept by so-called Islamic State as

human shields. This man tries to defend the

practice of using human shields. He has admitted sending suicide bombers

including boys to attack cities. He spoke to the BBC in a rare

interview. TRANSLATION: Anyone who was in

danger hides himself behind others. It is like if you'd are drowning you

may drag someone down with you, even a member of your family. In order to

survive people do anything they can even if it means using humans as

shields. That warped logic is rejected by this man. Having escaped

Mosul with his family of six and surviving the now for in a cold

refugee camp. TRANSLATION: Under IIS, having a Sim

card for a phone or a woman refusing to cover her face, could mean

certain death. My kids have not been to school for three years and we

lived in constant fear of upsetting the Islamists. Islamic State may be

facing imminent defeat in most soul, but the scars run imminently deep

for those who suffered at their hands.

Results are being declared in the Northern Ireland Assembly election

with a big increase in turnout. With over 50 seats declared so far, early

results indicate both Sinn Fein and the DUP are polling strongly. The

election was called after Sinn Fein withdrew from the power-sharing

executive in January. Let's cross live to speak to the BBC's Anita

McVeigh who is in Belfast. What's the story so far? Hello. The

four votes for the fall Belfast constituencies are being counted.

The turnout has been one of the big stories of the day so far. Remember

there was an election here in Northern Ireland just ten months

ago, last May. And yet voter turnout is up by 10% this time round. In

some constituencies that turnout was up by as much as 13%, so the

electorate is really invigorated, certainly not put off by the second

election in less than a year. Let me just give you an indication of where

we are. Nudging towards two thirds of the seats being declared. 53 out

of 90s declared. Topping the poll at the moment is Sinn Fein with 23.

That is the Republican party, Sinn Fein, who would like to see a united

Ireland. Then it is the Democratic Unionist Party, they are on 14. The

Ulster Unionist Party have seven, in one of the dramatic turns to this

day so far their leader Mike Nesbitt said he would be standing down

because of his party's performance in these elections. He had appealed

to people to vote across traditional community lines and transfer their

votes to other parties who he said would bring about change in Northern

Ireland politics. But it doesn't look like were going to get change,

is the bottom line, because it looks like Sinn Fein and the DUP will

still be the largest parties and a number of the smaller ones have

collected around nine seats between them. We are seeing an increasingly

polarised electorate. Remind us why these elections are so important.

These elections are so important because they are about the future of

devolved Government in Northern Ireland. In the past, we have had

direct rule from Westminster and that is one of the possible options

on the table if, when the members of the assembly elected this weekend,

when they return to Stormont, the seat of the devolved Government on

Monday, to begin a process of negotiations, they have three weeks

to try to work out a number of long-running and deep-seated issues

in Northern Ireland politics, and at the end of that elects a First

Minister and Deputy First Minister. I don't think anyone would put money

on that happening in such a short time frame. If they don't manage to

do that by the 27th of March, one of the options open to the Northern

Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire, is to impose rule from

Westminster, though that would require an act of Parliament. He

could also call another election, he could suspend this set the assembly,

or he could try to create some breathing space to give the

politicians more time to work out a deal. Take you back to January when

the assembly collapsed, the final straw as it were was a row over a

renewable heating scheme, a botched renewable heating scheme, but that

was just the final straw made a huge deterioration in the ratio between

the two main parties in Northern Ireland. So it is looking very

tricky as we look ahead to the beginning of the new week, and those

three weeks of negotiations, to see how in three weeks' time of devolved

Government could be up and running again. Thank you very much

forbidding that into context and monitoring those results.

Human remains of infants and children have been uncovered as a

former home for unwed mothers and babies in Ireland. Forensics

scientists say they have identified significant quantities of human

remains, including those of babies. Excavations have been underway at

the site. Digging began after a Government commission was set up in

response to claims about the deaths of nearly 800 infants between 1925

and 1961. Authorities say the remains found appeared to date from

that time. This news is very disturbing and

will touch everyone's heart. There were of course strong suspicions

about burials of this kind for some time. It was one of the reasons for

setting up the commission in the first place. The information I have

received confirms these suspicions and importantly they trace the

remains specifically to the period of the homes operation rather than

to earlier times in our history, such as during the famine.

Let's turn to the United States where of 31-year-old man has been

arrested and charged with making at least eight bomb threats against

Jewish centres. Prosecutors said he was also charged with cyberstalking

his former girlfriend. Police have been searching his house. Federal

officials are also investigating bomb threats made against daily 100

organisations and three dozen states. Our reporter in New York

reports. Prosecutors allege that once he broke up with his girlfriend

is when he started the con campaign of harassment. He made phone calls

of harassment to several places in her name and in his name, showing

that she was trying to frame him. Some of the e-mails were horrific in

nature, he's ahead she wanted to kill as many Jewish people as soon

as possible. He said she wanted to create another new town. Police have

now arrested him and charged him with cyberstalking in relation to

these incidents. Now a lot more is coming out about who this man was. A

former online left-leaning publication says he was a job

journalist with them and was fired because he fabricated stories and

stores is. If you go to his Twitter feed, there were several times where

he referred to his ex-girlfriend trying to frame him. Again, part of

the story he created that investigators have now said he used

as a campaign of harassment against his ex. They are also trying to work

out 100 threats to Jewish community centres. There is an allegation that

he could be behind these as well. We know for example that police in

Missouri are now questioning him in regards to the secretary there, the

historic cemetery where 200 historic Jewish tombstones were vandalised.

We haven't been told he is necessarily a suspect but we know he

is being questioned. They are seeing if there are any other ties or clues

that would lead came to some of the other incidents. Officials have been

very swift in their condemnation of this. The US Attorney General says

whatever the motivation, this is an American. Jewish groups have been

meeting with the FBI in Washington about this, head of the charges that

this meeting was planned, they said the FBI assured them that all of

these threats would be fully investigated and they would look to

make more arrests. But certainly in this polarised political

environment, these threads that have increased recently, that the Jewish

committee is concerned about. Now some of the day's other news.

The former Haitian President has died at the age of 74. He is the

only democratically lead elected leader in Haiti's history to serve

two full terms. His second term will be remembered for the earthquake.

The American man who was shot while trying to intervene in a deadly gun

attack has been invited to visit India. He has been praised as a hero

by Indians. He was shot in the hand and chest when he intervened.

Turkish president has accused Germany of aiding and harbouring

terror. He claims a German journalist was a German agent and a

member of the Kurdish armed groups the PKK. People have condemned the

arrest of the German journalist as an assault of.

Mr Fields of another blow on Friday with his spokesman resigning and

political party withdrawing its support. This is latest fallout over

allegations that he paid man's of his family for jobs they did not do.

Apparently the turnout at Sunday's Bradley will be critical in the

success of his campaign going forward. It is part of the bigger

thick picture. Is not just him, it's many others. Many others have

deserted the sinking ship is how they would see it in the last couple

of days. We have seen this lament building, a haemorrhaging of

support, to the point where we feel the situation is fluid, it could all

change. He is clamouring clinging by his fingernails to his candidacy. He

has a big meeting on Sunday in Paris. He has called his supporters

to come there from all over the country, to meet him opposite the

Eiffel Tower where he will give a big speech and he hopes prove he has

the bedrock of Cepeda support of right-wing voters across the

country. That may be the crunch. If there is a big turnout and broad

support he may survive. But no one knows what will happen. All you can

say is that the pressure is building against him, and the other option in

the party is taking greater shape. Stay with us on BBC world News. Lots

more to come, including... Russia echoes President Trump in describing

the calls for Jeff Sessions to resign as a witchhunt.

First the plates slid gently off the tables. Then the tables crashed

downwards. Then the ferry lurched onto its side. The Americans had

successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarf that of a bomb

dropped on Hiroshima. The constitutional rights of these

marchers are their rights as citizens of the US and they should

be protected even in the right to test them out so they don't get

their heads broken and sent to hospital. This will just construe

controversy, I know you don't want to talk about it, but don't you

worry about it boiling up? I think anything will be all right in the

end. Welcome to BBC world News today. Our

latest headlines... As the battle for Mosul continues thousands of

civilians escape as Iraqi coalition forces try to defeat so-called

Islamic State. And results are coming in as the first members of

the Northern Ireland Assembly are elected. It seems the DUP and Sinn

Fein will remain the largest parties. Let's turn to the United

States. Donald Trump is calling this a witchhunt but the pressure on

America's top law officer continues to build. He says he will step down

from an FBI investigation from an alleged FBI into. It is said he lied

under oath in failing to declare he met Russia's ambassador twice during

the campaign. At the centre of the latest

allegations of contact between the Trump administration

and Russia, the Attorney At his confirmation hearing,

he'd failed to tell the Senate about two meetings

with the Russian ambassador. Senior Democrats accuse him

of lying under oath. President Trump says

he still has his full confidence. Jeff Sessions has resisted pressure

to resign, but he has now removed himself from any investigations

looking into the election campaign, including allegations

of Russian interference. The reason I believed

I should recuse myself is because I was involved

in the campaign. To a degree, I think it would have

been perceived but I wouldn't have been objective in participating

in an investigation that might I did not confirm or deny

any investigation. I just felt like I

should clear the air. But he's denied he did anything

wrong, and describes what's been said about his meeting

with the ambassador as unfair President Trump has come

to his defence, tweeting: The real story is all the illegal

leaks of classified and other information.

It is a total witch-hunt. This is Russia's ambassador

to the US, Sergey Kislyak. It's a post he is held

for almost a decade. There has been a furious response

from Russia to allegations in some US news reports that he is a spy.

The Foreign Ministry describing it as a media provocation

and a stunning charge. And when Russia's Foreign Minister

was asked today about the continuing controversy over his ambassador

meeting Jeff Sessions, his reply echoed words

President Trump had used earlier. TRANSLATION: I can only

quote the phrase that has Saying that all this closely

resembles a witch-hunt. Or times of McCarthyism,

which we thought had long passed Mr Trump's son-in-law and senior

adviser, Jared Kushner, was with Michael Flynn,

who has since been sacked as national security adviser,

when he met Ambassador Kislyak after the election.

Daniel Boettcher, BBC News. Let's get a full update of all the

sports news with Lizzie. England set West Indies a target of 297 to win

the first one-day and international in Antigua. After a shaky start the

captain hit an impressive century. Ben Stokes also showed why is he is

so expensive. In reply the West Indies started badly. They steadied

things but have had a terrible last couple of overs. They are now two to

4-8. Baby 73 from six overs. Andy Murray is through to the final of

the Dubai championship. The Scot beat Lucas Pouille in straight sets.

He will play a Spaniard in the final. Murray has a superb record

over Vasco winning 12 of their previous 13 meetings. British boxers

David Hay and Tony Bell you have weighed in ahead of their fight.

They have had aggressive verbal clashes in the build-up. Earlier

they were warned about their conduct. Tony is stepping up from

cruiserweight to heavyweight the first time. His opponent is almost a

stone heavier than him. He is prepared and ready to perform for a

two-hour flight. He should never be that weight. He isn't really a

heavyweight. Not in a million years. Athletically he looks fantastic.

When you get close to him he is trembling. He doesn't... He's not as

confident and he doesn't believe the things he's saying. Look at him,

he's actually trembling. I was hoping he would look more physically

impressive. I was hoping I would see some residents of some abdominal

muscles, but he looked very smooth. He did not look good in my opinion.

I've knocked out guys who are bigger, stronger, more athletic. I

don't see what he can do other than get smashed pretty quick. It is the

opening day of the indoor athletics Championships in Serbia. Britain

took gold in the 60 metres hurdles, in seven point point something

seconds. I knew it was tight. I thought I'd got it but I wasn't

sure. I was over the moon. I had to work hard to get back after a slow

start. A win is a win. I'm really happy. The second round of the world

golf championship in Mexico is underway. It is one of two events

now played outside the United States. Here is the leaderboard.

England lose leads the way on eight under. One man had to change his

caddie because his long-standing caddie had food poisoning. He's

doing well in the second round. That is all the sport.

The British graffiti artist bank C has opened a hotel in the world of

hotel is metres from the West Bank. It has been described as the hotel

with the worst view in the world. That is obviously a statement from

bank C. We are still waiting for April the De Graaf to give birth.

I'm sure you want is an update! The pregnant giraffe who is true any

minute but isn't giving birth just yet is in New York State. April has

become an Internet sensation. These are live images from animal

adventure Park zoo. The managers there decided to set up this live

stream which we can see now. I think that is Oliver, the dad, in the

background, because they wanted this to be an educational experience.

They feel confident that April will be fine and well as and when she

finally decides to give birth, in front of around 20 million viewers.

Good luck, April! If you are heading over to New York this weekend it is

set to be cold, temperatures just above freezing by day and by night

it will be widespread frost. At least there