08/02/2013 BBC World News

This is BBC World News. Our top stories:

Thousands of people are gathered in Tunisia's capital for the funeral

of the country's murdered opposition leader - more unrest is

expected. A proposal to cut overall EU

spending is on the table in Brussels. After all-night talks,

leaders are still negotiating. French-led forces fighting in Mali

move into Gao searching for Islamist extremists who may be

hiding among the local population. And we'll be outside the Bolshoi

Ballet in Moscow for the latest intrigue in the increasingly bitter

Hello, everybody. Two years after the Arab Spring

swept Tunisia and removed its President, the country is braced

for yet another day of unrest. This is the scene in the capital,

Tunis, right now. Thousands are gathering for the

funeral of Chokri Belaid, the opposition leader, assassinated on

Wednesday. Some have been calling for the leader of the ruling

Islamist party, the Ennahda Party, a criminal. BBC Arabic's Reda El

Mawy is in Tunis. He says this could be a pivotal moment for the

country. This country is not accustomed to such events. Last

time an assassination was recorded, it was under the French occupation.

The Ennahda Party came to power in October 2011. They have announced a

major reshuffle in the government. They want a technocrat government.

Neither party was not consulted in this decision. They announced the

refusal of this proposal. Other political parties in the opposition

have welcomed this move, but many think that this is a manoeuvre from

another party to defuse the tension and contain the anger in Tunisian

streets. On the other part, the major trade union in the country

have called for a general strike and this is very significant in the

history of Tunisia. Last time such a large strike was called for was

in 1978 and the union of workers syndicates in Tunisia has proved in

the past to be very efficient in organising large protest movements

and also to mobilise huge numbers of workers and this strike is also

a benchmark in Tunisian history which is showing the extent of the

crisis in the country. That is the view in Tunis. I then asked whether

the potential for unrest and real anger could still be restrained.

This is a tipping point for Tunisia. This is the first incident of its

kind, the first political assassination. What has been the

extent of the unrest so far? trade union in Tunisia, which is

very powerful, has called for the general strike. The general strike

has already taken effect today. There are reports that judges, some

schools, teachers, civil servants, are taking part in this strike

besides, of course, tens of thousands of demonstrators who are

paying their last respects to the slain, or to Chokri Belaid. Does it

look as if large numbers have been involved? Or is it those who are

clearly deeply concerned, but in a minority? No, it is a common anger

on the streets of Tunisia, not only in the capital, Tunis, but also in

many districts and in many towns. Even in the birthplace of the

Tunisian uprising, it started ten days ago. It is a commonsense of

anger across Tunisia as a matter- of-fact. The latest from Tunis.

Gunmen reportedly targeted a health centre in Kano. Reports are

conflict. Some witnesses say four people were shot dead in Kano and

another eight killed in Hotoro. Let's go live to Lagos and to Will

Ross. Is it clear what's been happening around Kano? It is clear

there were two separate attacks by two groups of gunmen. They used

motorised tricycles to get to these health centres and to escape from

them. They opened fire in the health centres. Some eyewitnesses

are telling us that in the city of Kano four people were killed, two

men and two women. On the outskirts, eight women were killed. The police

are saying nine people were killed, all of them women. So the figures

are conflicting. What is clear is that this is an attack on two

health centres as this effort to eradicate polio once again gets

under way in Nigeria. There are ominous similarities to what has

been happening in Pakistan with several similar incidents and

several people killed in a similar event like this. Buachaill this

group involved? I ought to add a controversial cleric spoke out

against this campaign and he has a fairly large following. He said

that the vaccination being used in this programme, some of the

medicine is contaminated and that is why there are new cases of polio

coming up. Also, across the north of Nigeria, this group have been

active, especially in the city of Kano. To be honest, in recent times,

there is also a lot of other groups popping up, a lot of guns in the

north, so it is difficult to know who is behind the attacks. On the

issue of polio, it is a huge problem in Nigeria. 121 cases

reported last year. A significant increase on the year before. This

will be a huge blow to the very large effort that is now under way

to eradicate polio. Organisations like the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation, they have pumped money in to try and get rid of polio.

Will Ross. A suicide bomber has blown himself

up at a military checkpoint in the Malian town of Gao. No deaths have

been reported except that of the bomber himself. French troops have

been moving through Gao searching for extremists who they think are

hiding amongst the local population. The French are certainly sending in

more reinforcements here. This is - Gao is used as a base for the

operations that are taking place further up north and around the

mountains where the Islamist militants are believed to have fled

during the previous operations. What is happening in Gao is that

the Malian army and the Nigerian army are deployed in the town and

they are sweeping for potential IEDs all around town. The plan that

the French are pursuing right now - they go into towns, they secure

them and they hand over the place to their Malian counterparts and

the African forces. The deployment of these African forces is very

slow at present. It will take time before these major towns can be

fully handed over. The French have started to withdraw from Timbuktu,

but obviously they have quite a large presence there at the moment,

given that the African forces haven't yet arrived. There is a

small presence of the Malian army there, but it is not enough to

secure the area. Our correspondent in Gao. After a

night of fraught negotiations and no sleep almost, European Union

leaders are close to a deal on a budget to pay for the European

Union until 2020. The figure they are discussing is 960 billion euros,

that works out at 275 euros every year for each taxpayer in the EU. A

big chunk of that will go to farmers and fishermen. Let's go to

the BBC's Iain Watson in Brussels. Those are the figures. But there

are reductions in some parts of this budget for the future?

Absolutely right. After a night of negotiations, the leaders went off

to freshen up. They were meant to have come back, but there has been

a further delay. There are winners and losers when you look at the

headings of the expenditure that is being agreed. So many of the newer

countries wanted funds to help improve infrastructure, transport,

broadband, that will take quite a big hit if what was discussed

overnight is finally signed off and some of them are uncomfortable with

it. David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, has called for big

cuts in the Brussels bureaucracy. He is getting a lot less there than

he wished. There is likely to be a snag over what happens if there is

an underspend in the EU budget. Does the money come back to nation

states, as some would like? Or does it stay in a wider EU pot? The deal

isn't done. But it would mean a real-terms cut. It comes at too

high a price for the European Parliament. It is not enough for

the 27 leaders to sign this off, the European Parliament has to

agree it. The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz,

has told us it is totally unacceptable and a con trick. It is

possible this deal will be vetoed. Quickly, there is a number of 3%

going around suggesting that that is going to be a reduction. Is that

right or not? Well, the trouble is you can calculate what you call a

reduction in very many different ways. Broadly speaking, yes. What

the British Government was asking for was a budget based on 2011

figures. Now we are talking about a comparison with the previous seven

years. Yes, by any objective measure, there will pwh a real-

terms cut. -- will be a real-terms cut. Some are saying it is too high

a price to pay. Thank you for trying to unpick what is not fully

clear at this moment. Iain Watson there. There will still

be more negotiations later. Stay with us. Still to come: Very

excited Nigerian football fans preparing for their team playing in

the African Cup of Nations Final on How do you fancy a trip into space?

Last year, Russia's Space Agency ran a competition inviting

applications from all comers. Earlier this week, the successful

candidates gathered at Russia's specialist training centre for

cosmonauts, just outside Moscow. Things are not going according to

plan. Instead of landing in an open field, this Russian spacecraft has

This is not real, of course. For years, this sort of survival

exercise has been part of a routine training for Russian cosmonauts.

What is unusual is that these people here have been selected in

an open competition which was announced a year ago by the Russian

Space Agency. For years, candidates for Russian space flights had been

selected either from the air force or Russian space industry. But this

pool of candidates has been shrinking since the nineties. A

year ago, the Russian Space Agency opened up the competition, anyone

could file an application to possibly become a cosmonaut. In the

end, eight people have been selected, most with technical

backgrounds or medical knowledge. For at least six years, all of them

will train to become cosmonauts. From operating spacecraft, to

survival, to medical skills. Later, scientific experiments on the space

station. Why do those people want to become cosmonauts?

TRANSLATION: This profession to be a cosmonaut is very interesting.

From the beginning to the end, when you first learn, to the aim of

going into space. I used to do many things which were relevant. So far,

I can't say it is too hard. Now, the candidates are looking for

a suitable place here to build a teepee. They will spend 48 hours

here in the snow, in the middle of the woods. They are still in the

early stages of training, they started last October. It will take

at least six years to become cosmonauts. We do not know if they

will fly into space, but clearly, this way of selecting new

candidates is something very new for the Russian Space Agency.

This is BBC World News. The latest headlines.

Gardens have gathered for the funeral of of June roles of

murdered opposition leader. A general strike has been called for.

A proposal to cut overall EU spending is on the table in

Brussels. Leaders are still negotiating.

Now, for mudslinging, mayhem and intrigue, in the latest backstage

drama at Russia's Bolshoi Ballet. Three weeks ago, the company's

artistic director was seriously injured in an acid attack. Now, a

principal dancer has accused the management of conducting a witch

hunt to discredit him. Steve Rosenberg has been following events

in Moscow. At the Bolshoi this week, they've

put on Giselle. It's a story of jealousy, treachery, revenge. But

that's nothing compared to the dramas backstage. Nikolai

Tsiskaridze is a principal dancer, and currently one of the Bolshoi's

biggest stars. He has clashed before with his bosses. Now, he

says, the Bolshoi management wants him out.

TRANSLATION: It's like being back in the days of Joseph Stalin. They

are organising meetings against me, they are trying to force staff to

sign a letter to condemn me. They tried that last week. But the

ballet teachers have tried refused to sign it.

Three weeks ago, the troop's artistic director Sergei Filin was

attacked with sulphuric acid. The head of the Bolshoi has accused

Nikolai Tsiskaridze of creating an atmosphere of mud-slinging and

mayhem which he believes led to the incident. Nikolai Tsiskaridze

denies it, and even questions what happened.

TRANSLATION: God forbid if it was acid. You wouldn't be able to show

yourself for months. I don't know what the substance was, but it is

clear it isn't what it was claimed. If you look at the specially

commissioned TV shows hinting at my involvement, it looks like a

campaign against me. This isn't me. But they won't get away with it.

I am speechless. I really don't care what Nikolai thinks about it,

I just hope Sergei will be healed as quick as possible, and his

eyesight and face, and he will join us, and the Bolshoi will continue

to work. Nikolai Tsiskaridze not only dances at the Bolshoi, he

teaches there too. But he claims that Sergei Filin had tried to take

away his students. TRANSLATION: In December, Sergei

asked to see my pupil, Angelina Vorontsova. He told her, if you

leave Nikolai, I will give you the part in Swan Lake. Now, all

ballerinas dream of dancing Swan Lake. But she refused, and I am

grateful for her loyalty. Did you talk to Sergei about this, did you

try to convince him? Yes, we met in the lift. I told him, I know what

he did. He replied, I didn't do anything of the kind. Come on, I

said, in the Bolshoi, walls have ears, everybody knows everything.

Rumour is saying this girl Angelina Vorontsova came to see Sergei

asking for the big parts in the big ballets. And Sergei said he does

not think she is ready. And if she wants to dance this part, it will

be very wise for her to work with Police in Zambia say more than 50

people have been killed in a head- on collision between a bus and a

lorry. The crash happened at high speed, about 100 kilometres north

of the capital Lusaka. It's said to be one of the worst traffic

accidents in the country's history. Russell Trott reports.

The bus crashed head-on into a small truck, during early morning

rush hour. A car was also involved. Local reports speak of dazed

survivors, many unconscious, pulled from the wreckage and taken to a

hospital. Around 70 people were on board the postal service vehicle

travelling along the two lane highway which connects the capital

to neighbouring Tanzania. The accident is one of the worst in

Zambia in recent years. Official figures show more than 1,000 people

are killed on the country's roads every year. As emergency workers

recovered the victims' bodies, an investigation is now under way.

The referee who controversially sent off Burkina Faso's winger

Jonathan Pitroipa, in the Africa Cup of Nationals semi-final on

Wednesday, has said he made a wrong decision. With just two days to go

to the big match, Focus on Africa's Peter Okwoche has made no secret of

his support for Nigeria. And he's been catching up with some fellow

fans in Johannesburg, as they gear up for the big day.

Football fever it is still very high in Africa, and people are

placing bets on the weekend final. Most of the bets are on Nigeria,

here I am, in Johannesburg which is heavily populated by Nigerian

immigrants. There are Nigerian restaurants, supermarkets. I must

confess, I am a Nigerian who had no faith in this team coming into the

competition. We had a very young squad with untested players. But

they are in the finals. I want to find out how many of them work as

sceptical as I was. Emmanuel, I want to start with you. How did you

feel about the squad when it was named? Actually, I was not happy

when I heard the players coming in. Because, when I saw the match his

progression and I saw their determination. I thought they

should include those other players who have played in England and

Spain. What about you, did you have any faith in this team? Yes, I did

have faith in the Nigerian team. The manager is doing a great job

grooming future stars. We have to start this as a preparation.

think it is right to put locally- based players into a competition by

this. We have to look to the future. Brazil 2014. Who will win on the

final? Of course, Nigeria. I have that confidence they will bring the

cup home. I love your confidence. Let us saying their songs. # Winner,

winner! Now, just when you thought it was

safe to go into the water. A Brazilian coastal resort which has

suffered a series of deadly shark attacks, has resorted to paying

fishermen to keep swimmers and surfers safe. 20 people have been

killed in the past two decades in shark attacks off the coast of

Recife. Now, they're paying fishermen a fee for each shark they

catch. Beth Mcleod has more. These waters might look inviting,

but only the brave dare take a dip, as this has become one of the most

dangerous places in the world to swim. There have been 56 shark

attacks in the last 20 years. Of those, 21 have been fatal. Some

victims have been fortunate, but suffered serious injuries. Local

scientists believe environmental a large port near the city, have

disrupted the hunting habits of the sharks. A group of concerned

residents, called Propesca, have come up with the controversial

scheme. TRANSLATION: We talked to the

fishermen about what they can do to save human lives, using humane

techniques to kill the sharks. We give them the hooks, and we collect

the nets. The group gives the fishermen $130 and a food basket

for each catch. As this news report showed, local fishermen have

responded enthusiastically. But environmentalists have criticised

it, and it has divided opinion among locals.

TRANSLATION: I am totally in favour of it, because when we come here,

we are afraid of going in the water. And I think this will put me at

ease and let me enjoy the beach. am against it, because we are the

ones invading their space, and not the other way around. The local

government has announced plans to install shark nets in October. But,

for many residents who feel the lure of the water, but who worry

about the dangers lurking, that is too long to wait.

Let us go and live to the centre of Tunis. Tens of thousands of

mourners, gathered in the streets at this mosque, for the funeral of

the assassinated opposition leader Chokri Belaid. This shows the level

of anger, after he was shot dead, outside his home, as he was leaving

for work. The Prime Minister there has described what happened to him