18/04/2013 BBC World News

Hello. Welcome to BBC world news. The top

stories: A huge explosion at a fertiliser factory in Texas caused

many casualties. The police say between five and 15 people have

been killed. More than 160 are injured.

Concussion and the pressure impact if that is the correct wording,

literally destroyed homes in and around that plant.

? A court in Pakistan orders the arrest of the former military ruler,

Pervez Musharraf. He says he will appeal.

Accusations of a dodgy deal between left and right as Italian

politicians meet to elect a new President.

And Israel's Prime Minister, tells the BBC of his concerns about the

flow of arm floos Syria. Changing the balance of -- arms into Syria.

Changing the balance of power. We are Al-Qaeda, we have Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into our city. It is

committed to our destruction. So is Good morning.

Police in Texas say at least five people are feared dead and more

than 160 injured in a huge explosion at a fertiliser factory.

Mown of the dead are thought to be firefighters, on the scene in the

town of West, not far from Waco when the explosion happened. The

factory is only a few hundred metres from houses, a school and a

nursing home. Eyewitness reports say that several blocks have been

devastated. The merge encey services are going door-to-door to

find survivors. Peter Bose has this report. A violent explosion,

sending the flames shooting into the night's sky. It was heard up to

45 miles away. People likened the blast to an earthquake or a bomb.

Debris rained down on a nearby residential area. These images were

filmed by a man thought to be a safe distance from the plant.

We were playing basketball. We moved out. We were watching the

fire, then all of a sudden the explosion happened. We hit the deck.

We ran from there as fast as we could. At the retirement home it

was chaotic. There were people in wheelchairs. Others were trapped in

the rooms. They had rock on top of them. You are to remove that. The

ceilings were down, even in the howls -- halls. The there was a

water if you were standing in the water, the wires were hanging down.

The explosion sparked many fires and destroyed buildings over a wide

area, including a nursing home. More than 100 patients, some in

wheelchairs were evacuated from the building. Many were moved to a

large tent where they were given treatment.

A huge rescue effort has been under way for many hours. It has been

hampered by the intensity of the fire. A series of power cuts have

also occurred in the area. There are also concerns that strong winds

and a severe thunder storm could blow toxic fumes into the

residential areas. The American Red Cross is sending

volunteers from across Texas to help. The state's governor, has

promised to mobilise additional resources. The town of West is not

far from Waco, the scene of a violent siege that ended exactly 20

years ago. There have been many casualties. Officials confirmed

that some people have lost their lives. So far, it has been

impossible to put a precise number on the fatalities. Officials say

that the fire is contained but smoldering. It will be hours before

the full extent of the devastation is known.

A short while ago, Sergeant William Swanton of the Waco Police

described the scene of the devastation near the factory.

I will tell you that area down where the fertiliser plant is shut

down that neighbourhood is shut down. I talked to the county chief

deputy there who has his troop there is. He told me that some of

the devastation that his troops are seeing is that there are homes

levelled. There are businesses levelled. Ehe says that it looks

like when the blast occurred, that the concussion and the pressure

impact, if that is the correct wording, literally destroyed homes

in and around that plant. We are again in the process of

searching and rescuing that is going to continue for some time. We

are hoping that we will recover folks that may be have not been

able to get out from under the rubble but that process is ongoing.

At some point, this will turn into a recovery operation, but at this

point we are still in search and rescue. I know that the area is

going to be shut down. They will not give me a time on how long. I

don't ex pect them to be able to give you a time -- I don't expect

them to give you a time any time soon. In these types of

investigation, there is no hurry, short of getting the injured out

and treating the wounded to complete anything. They will take

the necessary time that they need. They will keep that neighbourhood

shut down. I will tell you as media, I know you are itching to go there

but it is not a good idea. Sergeant William Swanton there.

Nick Childs is with us. The police have also said that they are

treating this as a crime scene but there is no evidence of criminal

activity is that confusing? That will raise questions, but as the

police are saying that this is a precaution. The sequence of events

was that there was a fire. There were emergency services on the

scene dealing with that. Clearly some of those reresponders appear

to be amongst the fatalities, the casualties. Then there was the

explosion. So there are question marks over how the fire started. It

has been raised as to whether it was a criminal activity or whether

it was just an industrial accident. One senses from the way that the

emergency services are responding, from the eyewitness accounts is

that the belief is that it was a dreadful accident. That is clearly

the balance if you like, of the sentiment, but until they know

exactly... We don't know for sure. Anyone tuning in to see piece

pictures, given what has happened in the US this week, given the Waco

anniversary tomorrow, it is bound to raise a few eyebrows? Yes,

indeed. The United States was reeling from the Boston Marathon

blast. There are lots of unanswered question there is. Nobody is sure

what was behind that, what the motives were. Then to have this

bewildering catastrophe, suddenly visited on a small community in

Texas, it may have a lot of people in the United States, perhaps

further afield, asking what is happening here. There is no reason

to believe that there is a connection, other than dreadful

coincidence, but clearly... what about the ricin letters in

Washington? Well part of the problem is the scale of the

catastrophe. To some extent it has probably

overwhelmed the emergency services, although they responded quickly.

There were a huge number of ambulances and medical workers on

the scene from the town and also from further afeed, including Waco,

but this is a small community. 2,800 people, as we have been

hearing so. Clearly it is a huge event for them to cope with.

That is why they are being methodical in the way that they are

providing the ngs, and also in what they say, as far as they are

concerned is a search and a rescue operation. The effect of the blast,

that the local Mayor compared to that of a small nuclear explosion,

was that the shock waves were similar to a small earthquake, has,

as we have been hearing, hit much of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Something like 757 homes and businesses have been levelled. This

has been going on through the night. So picking through the chaos to see

if there are survivors and casualties, has been a huge task.

Absolutely. Thank you very much.

Now, the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has told the

BBC that Israel reserves the right to prevent weapons from fall fooing

the wrong hands in Syria. In a rare sit-down interview with the BBC's

Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, he warned that the

flow of arms from Syria could change the balance 6 power in the

Middle East. We have Al-Qaeda there. We have

Hezbollah. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into our city.

It is committed to our destruction so, is Al-Qaeda. There are elements,

believe it or not in addition to them inside Syria. Obviously we are

concerned that the weapons that are ground-breaking, that could change

the balance of power in the Middle East, if they fall into the hands

of these terrorists. We always reserve the right to act to prevent

that from happening. Like when in January when Israel struck a Syrian

government weapons convoy, said to have been heading to Hezbollah in

Lebanon? I am not confirming news reports.

Ehud Barak did. He said when Israel says something that it mean it is.

Well, I am the Prime Minister, I tell you that I prefer to state our

policy. That is our policy. It is clear cha this is a series

challenge -- it is clear that this is a serious challenge. By the way,

not only to us if chemical weapons fall into the hands of Al-Qaeda,

that is a challenge to Britain, to Europe, to every Arab country in

the Mohammad Sidique Khan. What did you say to David Cameron in the

talks? Did you ask him not to lift the embargo when arming the reps?

- rebels? I can assure that we want to prevent further terror and

bloodshed in Syria. It is a complicated picture. We have the

bad fighting the bad. Did you urge the British Prime

Minister to be cautious? The being armed is what concerns us. The arms

that are also in Syria. These are anti-aircraft weapons, chemical

weapons and dangerous weapons that could start changes.

So what happens next? There are reports that Israel has reached out

to some of the groups, that you are even arming some of them? Did you?

If we did. I am not confirming that we did.

It would make sense to anybody touch? It would not make sense to

talk about it, even on the BBC. I am not confirming that we are doing

that we are careful. I said that the arming of rebels presents a

question of which rebels and which arms. That is a complicated

question for every country, including my country, Israel.

Is Israel planning a more aggressive operation in Syria?

are not aggressive, but we are prepared to defend ouvs if the need

arises. I think that people know that what I say is both measured

and serious. What does that mean? That means

that we are measured and serious. Do you have a new plan? With we

have a constant plan to defend our country.

Binyamin Netanyahu there, talking with Lyse Doucet. To Pakistan and

television reports is a I -- say that the police have reached Pervez

Musharraf's house to arrest the former President, after the

Islamabad High Court cancelled his bail and ordered his arrest.

Mohammad Vaziri was there when the arrest was ordered. He joins us now

from the Islamabad bureau. A dramatic scene, some may say

farcical. What happened in court? It was really dramatic, as you said.

Pervez Musharraf came in with tight security.

He has his own personal guard. Nobody could move him. They went

into the court. Basically, when the verdict was announced by the judge,

he, it was unexpected for him, to his lawyer there. At that moment,

as the order was to arrest him by the police, his security guards

whisked him away and went away. A couple of hours ago, right after

this dramatic scenes in the High Court, I talked to one member of

his legal team. I spoke on his reaction to what

happened in the High Court. He told me... The High Court level, I mean

it is never heard in available case that bail is rejected. That is

something that is new in the judicial history of Pakistan. Now

our position is that he, the court has said to arrest him You know,

this is not, Pervez Musharraf is not a Tom, Dick and Harry, that

some police can send warrants to the station house of the police and

he carries out the warrant. He is a man with an international clout. A

former President, a former army chief. For, that you see, the

intelligence agencies will give feedback what could be the

reaction? What could be the fall- back of this order? Then this order

will be implemented by the Cabinet. The Cabinet will take a decision.

This is not an ordinary matter where the police start moving on.

It seems businessa that a former President can escape the High Court.

It raises questions about the security there, but we are hearing

that the police have reached his house to arrest him. Are they

likely to force an entry? Well, apparently the police are there. Of

course, he is protected by his personal guard and the rangers.

There is a report, I cannot confirm it. We are hearing it on local

media but hearing that the station police officers, the commanders are

all across Islamabad have been replaced. We cannot confirm that

but it is seeming that there are things like that going on.

There are reports that there is a meeting of judges today. Of course

another piece of information I have received, is that the lawyers of

Pervez Musharraf have moved to the supreme court on appeal. We have to

wait to see how the confrontation moves on.

We hear what Egypt's people think of the harsh medicine prescribed by

That is all to come. Before that, don't call me your Majesty, use my

first name. That is the unusual message on the man who is about to

become king in the Netherlands. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander has

been giving his last major interview before he succeeds his

mother. Susana Mendonca has more. A man seen to be king, but this

future monarch is promising a more laid-back style than his

predecessor. In an interview ahead of his inauguration, he said that

it begins with what he will be called.

TRANSLATION: Firstly, my name is Willem-Alexander. I have spent 46

years as Willem-Alexander. I find it strange to have to abandon that

because I am king. His mother, Queen Beatrix, is abdicating after

more than 30 years on the throne. There have been calls for the

future monarch to stick to ceremonial duties alone. If the

law-making process is democratic and constitutional, I will accept

everything. I have no problems with that. That is why I am keen. If my

signature is needed, I will sign. With a new king will come a new

queen. His glamourous Argentine- born wife is the most popular royal

in the Netherlands. Her popularity comes in spite of the family's

background. When she married Willem-Alexander, her father was

not on the guest list. That was because of his links to the

military dictatorship that ruled Argentina in the late 1970s and

early 1980s, in which he served as Agriculture Minister. He has not

been invited to this month's in operation, either. Maxim mark his

foot in Dutch and said that becoming queen were not changed her.

-- maxima, who is fluent in Dutch. I will not act differently, and of

course my background is Argentinian. I love to dance, I love music, and

I will keep on doing that. But I will stay the same. When Alexander

says he is now ready to take on the role he has been groomed for. --

A quick piece of news the Mississippi. A man has been

arrested in relation to a letter sent to President Obama containing

The latest headlines: there's been an explosion at a fertiliser plant

in Texas. Police say that between 5 and 15 people have been killed. A

Pakistani court has ordered the arrest of the former military

leader, Pervez Musharraf, over action he took against judges while

Now, Italian politicians have begun the process of trying to choose a

new President, which it is hoped may unlock the process of forming a

new coalition government. No party has been able to form a majority

administration since elections at the end of February. Let's go live

to Rome now. It has been a difficult situation there. What is

expected there in the next few days? Well, we are in the throes of

a major political occasion here in Italy. Both houses of parliament

and dozens of representatives from around the regions have gathered to

choose the next head of state, the person who will feel the

presidential palace for the next seven years and play a major role

in the aspects of Italian national life. This would be an important

process at any time, but it is particularly significant at the

moment because we are in a state of party political paralysis in Italy.

It has been impossible to form a new coalition government in the

aftermath of February's general election. But it is hoped that the

kind of dialogue and consensus- building surrounding the effort to

end at a new president will make it easier for the major parliamentary

blocs to co-operate further and perhaps eventually throw up a new

coalition government. Any names coming up to the fore? Late last

night, in talks between the major parties on the left and right, the

leadership of those two important factions fell in behind one

candidate, a man called Franco Marini. He is a former Speaker of

the Senate, a former union a man. He would be the front-runner at the

moment. The voting is going on as a speech. It is possible that he

might win in a first round. But there are many on the left of the

political spectrum who are very much opposed to this candidacy. His

being put forward has exacerbated tensions within factions. Nothing

is clear. The voting is by secret ballot. We are not sure where it is

going to go. Back to the US, and we are going to take you to a news

conference in Texas by the Paul Lamb of West, the place that was

There has been a thorough check of the neighbourhood. That is

continuing as we speak. For those who are missing a loved one or need

information, we will have a line set up at the West Community Centre.

That is after 9am. We will have another press conference at 4

o'clock. Thank you and I asked for Just a few words there from the

mayor of that small town in West, where we have seen that huge

explosion. We still believe that between 5 and 15 people have lost

their lives. The former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, has been

transferred back to prison from a military hospital within the last

couple of hours, on the orders of the country's top military

prosecutor. But he did has many other problems. Its economy is in

freefall. -- but Egypt. It is asking for a loan of $5 billion

from the IMF. In return, the IMF wants big reforms. But it could go

down badly with ordinary people, as Aleem Maqbool reports. Amazingly,

10 of these in a government bakery in Egypt cost less than 10 American

sense. That is extraordinarily low because the government here spends

nearly 30% of its budget on keeping goods cheap for its citizens on

subsidies. He did not just food, it is fuel as well. Here, petrol

starts at less than 20 cents per litre. But there's pressure here to

change things. It wants a loan from the IMF, and for that, the IMF

wants reform. It wants the subsidies to change. But Egypt has

tried to do that before, a long time ago. In 1977, the then

president decided that he wanted a loan from the World Bank. The World

Bank needed subsidies to go. So that is what he announced. But

there were riots across the country, including here. Dozens were killed.

The President had to reverse his decision because of the same

pressures the government faces right now. It needs reform. It has

pressure from the IMF, but on the other side it has pressure from

Egyptians of things to say the same. -- for things to stay the same. It

has been a difficult week for the US. Officials investigating the

Boston Marathon bombing say they have a potential suspect. Photos

are being circulated to enforcement agencies across the US. Three

people died and many more were injured in two explosions. It is

one of the largest manhunts in American history. More than 1,000

law-enforcement personnel are trying to solve the mystery of the

worst terrorist attack on US soil since nine level. Monday's

explosions were captured by surveillance cameras, news crews

and people at the scene. The FBI is currently reviewing footage which

is thought to show a possible suspect planting the second device.

It is said to be the best source of video evidence so far. Nonetheless,

the Massachusetts Governor told the BBC that investigators still have a

long way to go. There's and ongoing investigation. It is a very

thorough investigation involving several blocks that are being

investigated a quarter inch at a time. The FBI has recovered the

remains of one of the bombs, a stainless steel pressure cooker

which had been packed with nails and ball bearings, along with a

rechargeable battery and circuit board which formed part of the

timing device. The Governor court today's dizzied by the present part

of the healing process. -- visit. But President Obama will visit a

city that is still nervous and on the lookout for answers. Of course,

our top story is in Texas today. Police say that between 5 and 15

people are feared dead in a massive explosion at a fertiliser plant not

too far from Waco. Police say that many of those who died were