20/05/2013 BBC World News

World News, our top stories: Bomb attacks in two of Iraq's biggest

cities, around 30 people died, many more have been injured. Fierce

fighting engulfs the Syrian town of Qusair, with claims that Hezbollah

militants are fighting now on the Government side.

Rwanda's president reveals to the BBC that he believes UN peacekeepers

make the situation worse in neighbouring Democratic Republic of

Congo. And sailing towards the shipyard,

the scrapyard, the former flagship of the British Navy leaving the port

26 people have been killed and many more injured in a series of car

bombings in two major cities. In the port of Basra in the south, there

were two explosions at a restaurant and a bus station, both in Shia

Muslim areas of the city. In the capital, Baghdad, police a eight

bombs went off, again in mainly Shia areas. The attacks are the latest in

a surge of violence linked to sectarian tension between Shia and

Sunni Muslims. On Friday, at least 60 people died in three bombings in

Sunni areas in and around Baghdad. Those bombings, in turn, followed

deadly attacks on Shia targets across the country. I was joined

from the BBC Arabic service, and I asked whether the bombs in Shi'ite

areas of Basra are a new departure. Well, yes, the southern city of

Basra was relatively calm for the past couple of months, unlike many

other Shia, mainly Shia plants in Iraq. As you said, this is a

departure, and a worrying sign indeed, because they are now

targeting restaurants. Today they targeted a restaurant in Basra,

killing and injuring many people. So the kind of targets is really

worrying, which are restaurants, civilian populated areas, and also

places of worship, like mosques. have seen, and these are pictures

from Basra, but in Baghdad there are similar dreadful scenes in several

areas of the city, Shi'ite areas. Well, there have been many more such

attacks over the past months in the capital, Baghdad, so this is nothing

new. I mean, Iraqis have been living near daily violence, not just over

the past couple of months but since 2003, the US led invasion of Iraq,

but the worrying sign, again, Nick, I mean such attacks have turned into

taking the shape of tit for tat, especially over the last two months.

In the past couple of months, since the start of 2013, militants were to

blame for targeting Shia areas, but now they are targeting Sunni areas

and mosques, life on Friday, a Shia... Two devices exploded outside

a Shi'ite mosque, a Sunni mosque in the capital, Baghdad, killing many

Sunnis. There is, therefore, a dreadful suggestion that this is

going to be returned to the spiral of violence we have seen so often in

the past. What is the political analysis of why this is happening,

and whether it is making any difference to what is essentially a

very difficult problem of politics in Iraq at the moment? Well, the

political analysis, I mean, over the past five months, a Sunni minority

have been protesting in sunny areas against the Shia-led government of

Nouri, the. -- Nouri Al-Maliki. The political crisis has reached a

stand-off, despite the fact that the government has provided or has made

some concessions, like freeing prisoners, increasing salaries, but

the underlying issues of bitterness and discrimination which the Sunnis

are complaining seems not to been addressed yet, and another fact, I

mean it is a regional fact, to be honest, is the Syrian uprising, or

the Syrian conflict. I mean, the Sunni minority seem to be emboldened

by the uprising in Syria next door, and they are building up their

protests day in and day out against the Shia government.

Afghanistan, the Taliban are claiming responsibility for suicide

attacks in northern Afghanistan. A prominent local politician is among

the dead, and police said a man wearing a military uniform detonated

a bomb vest as he entered the municipal council headquarters. At

least ten people died, one was the head of the provincial council known

to take a tough stance against the Taliban.

Dozens of fighters are reported to have been killed in a fierce battle

over a rebel stronghold in Syria. State media says government forces

have recaptured most of Qusair, which is close to the Lebanon

border. The rebels deny that, saying they destroyed four Syrian army

tanks. There are reports Hezbollah militants from Lebanon are now

involved, with Hezbollah supporting government troops, and some are said

to have been killed. Here is Richard Forrest.

An airstrike on a rebel stronghold. This footage released on social

media appears to show Syrian government forces fighting to take

back control of the town of Qusair. On the ground, Hezbollah militants

from Lebanon are said to be helping President Assad, a sign that the

conflict may be spilling over the border. Now the aid agency Oxfam has

warned that the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who

poured into camps like this one in Jordan are facing an urgent health

risk as temperatures rise in the region. The refugees keep coming.

The United Nations says the number could reach 3 million by the end of

the year. So far, there has been over 1.5 million Syrians who have

now contacted UNHCR for support protection in the countries

surrounding Syria. We are seeing that number increased by 10,000 plus

per day, and we see no let up inside. President Assad has made

clear there will be no letup in his hold on power. In an interview with

an Argentine newspaper, he said he has no intention of stepping down.

The country is suffering from a crisis right now, he says, and the

captain does not flee his ship during a storm. With more

information due to emerge this week about peace talks planned by the

United States and Russia next month, world powers had hoped to put a stop

to the storm that is raging here. President Assad has poured scorn on

negotiations, making the prospect of a peace deal a remote one.

Well, I asked Jim Muir in Beirut about the significance of Hezbollah

forces from Lebanon now apparently supporting Syrian government troops

inside Syria. Well, certainly we know that Hezbollah fighters have

been active in the Qusair area. There are a number of Shi'ite

villages which are originally populated by letter nice -- Lebanese

Shi'ites. Whether they are actually involved alongside Syrian army

forces, breaking into Qusair, we cannot document, but it would not be

surprising because they are increasingly involved and committed

on the side of the government. Converse league, there are, in fact,

hundreds of sunny Lebanese fighters, militants from Tripoli who are

believed to be fighting alongside the rebels in Qusair. So you could

say that the Lebanese divisions have been transplanted onto Syrian soil,

but there is a sort of basic understanding among the Lebanese

that they will not carry that my back into Lebanon, although it has

spilled over import in areas -- over in border areas and Tripoli itself,

but it has not had a major effect in terms of provoking large-scale

violence in Lebanon. But what about the fact that it appears that Syrian

troops need Lebanese Hezbollah to support them and give them extra

firepower. I do not think it is a question of firepower, the army has

got massive firepower at its disposal. It is more about skill in

Street fire -- streetfighting, which Hezbollah has got a lot of, the kind

of skills they need to winkle out a determined opposition. I do not

suppose that Hezbollah is absolutely instrumental. Obviously, the

opposition are playing up that line, but the extent to which they are

taking part we simply do not know, but they are involved in that area.

Exactly how much they are taking part in this current battle on the

ground into is itself, we cannot really document. But, Jim, when you

look at this happening at the moment, how can we project is

forward, given that the Syrian troops and the Syrian government may

want to seize back other areas which are currently more under Syrian

rebel control? Well, this is certainly just part of the broader

picture, which is that the government is already hitting back

very strongly in many areas. At the moment, the overall impression is

that things have tilted the government's way. That may be

temporary, because the rebels are complaining that Qatar have cut off

arms supplies that were coming through Jordan, possibly Turkey as

well, and Saudis and others likewise may be cutting back, and the

impression is that the Americans are turning off the arms tap, possibly

in advance of this big conference that is supposed to be happening,

probably early in June. But, of course, therefore, if that

conference fails and the Americans decide this is the moment to open

the floodgates, that picture could change, but at the moment the

government has been pushing back the rebels around Damascus itself, where

the situation is eased quite a lot. In Homs, they have been making

progress. In Aleppo, there is very much disputed territory of there,

but there are various areas in the south where the government has been

much more assertive and has been making gains against the rebels.

Muir in Beirut. Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, has

given a scathing assessment of the UN peacekeeping force in the

Democratic Republic of Congo. It has made the situation even worse, that

is what he told the BBC. The Rwandan government has itself been accused

by the UN of supporting rebels in Congo. Mr Kagame told the BBC that

the peacekeepers had done nothing to address the root of the problems.

Well, in some cases, it has become worse, because if you see what we

had last year, a resurgence of the fighting and tales and displacement

of people and so on and so forth. -- fighting and chaos. This came in the

forces had been there for nearly a decade, up to a decade. So it is not

just making it worse, not making it better, but this time, with what we

witnessed last year, the situation is worse. Scathing remarks, but with

the African Union showing support for intervention in Congo, does he

think they can do better? I think they are trying to say, well, let's

structure this differently, maybe we can get different results, but still

there are things that do not really add up. If you look at the problems

relating to the Congo, they are mainly political. They are not

military, or we will not find a solution that is military. We need

to back other efforts. But those other efforts seem to be even more

important, so the intervention, so to speak, they have encouraged it to

happen and supported, and it needs to be co-ordinated properly with

political efforts and political solutions, so that this is backing

the political solution, rather than just being a solution instead.

Paul Pagani of Rwanda speaking with extremist group Boko Haram had been

killed and many others were fleeing for the Borders. There has been no

independent confirmation of the military account. The BBC's Will

Ross is in Abuja. This whole military operation is really taking

place in two different environments. On the one hand, there is the remote

rural areas of north-east Nigeria, and then the towns which are known

to have a significant presence of Boko Haram supporters. Now, the

military is telling us that the camps in the rural areas have been

hit and the militants have been sent into disarray. We cannot verify any

of that information because there has been no evidence to back up what

the military is saying so far. The army is telling us that many of the

militants are fleeing towards the country's borders. Those borders

with Cameroon, Chad Anthony Gerrard notoriously porous, so it is quite

easy for them to flee and get away. -- Chad and Niger. We are also told

that the Islamist militants have scores of vehicles that they are

trying to move, some of them with heavenly weaponry mounted on the

backs of them. So that is a sign that the Boko Haram fighters are

better resourced than many people had thought. Now, in the urban

areas, it is very difficult to get any information, because the turkey

was in place, 24 hours in some places, also all mobile phone

communication has been cut off, so no information is coming up that

way, but there are concerns that the civilians who will be Ben Reade

vulnerable to abuse us by the army as the soldiers tried to root out

Boko Haram fighters were living amongst the civilian population.

Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come: America's Powerball

lottery sets a new record win, $590 million, but the country's newest

multimillionaire is yet to claim his The Chelsea Flower Show has been

described as the most prestigious event of its kind in the world. The

show in Central London is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

It has involved Prince Harry. Jenny Hill has been looking at some of the

spectacular displays, past and present.

Once again the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea are transformed

into a dream garden... 100 years on it is still looking pretty good.

This is the Australian garden, one of the largest gardens in the show's

history it has been a history. From the 1913, the number of exhibitors

have increased. The show is attracting 150,000 visitors from all

over the world. It is no longer the largest flower

show in the UK, let alone the world but it is still the most

but it is still the most prestigious.

Under the canvass are blooms such as... Chelsea' central marquee was

one the largest in the world. Faces, and not to mention facial hair have

all changed. So has this growing business.

The garden has changed a lot in the last few years. It is now the hobby

of the common man, really, rather than just something that the gentry

could play about with in their big country houses.

But in a quiet corner of this cent evenary-inspired garden, it is as if

time simply stopped. There is a lot to say in terms of

roses. They were very popular in the early part of the last century, they

are still now. We have lovely blooms here. We have to put them under

heat... Jack is 19, the youngest designer here. As the climate has

changed, he told us, so will Chelsea. # It will provide a

challenge for the gardens. Drought is another thing to look at and

water-logging. It is more extreme. It is a far cry from the Gent illity

of the early days but this great British institution, remains not

You are with BBC World News with me, Nick Gowing. The latest: Multiple

car bombs in Iraq kill 30 people in two main cities. Scores have been

wounded. Syria sayses that government forces have recap fewered

-- recaptured most of the area of Qusair. There is support from

Lebanese Hezbollah militants. China and India have agreed on a

roadmap to reach a new dynamic balance on trade. The Chinese

premiere met the Indian prime, Manmohan Singh, on his first visit

since taking office in March. The visit comes after a flare-up of a

long-running border dispute between the countries.

Andrew North in Delhi said that the prime said that they do not deny

problems between the two sides, especially over the border issues.

Let's remember, the tensions between the two Asian giants, the world's

most two populous nations go back to 1962, when China launched a

devastating surprise attack across the Himalayan frontier, taking large

chunks of territory. Ever since they have been been unable to agree the

border line between them, despite many rounds of talks. In the current

context, although the trade has increased between the two in the

recent years, it has helped to bring them closer, right now with the

economic downturn in both countries, that is making it harder for any

kind of compromise that would be needed to solve the border problems.

Andrew, when the Chinese premiere says that they have to improve

border-related mechanisms when you have peoples on their territories,

these are not just passing issues? Not at all. That is right.

Of course, China claims a larger slice of Indian slice of Indian

territory in the north-east, while India wants China to return a six of

Ladak in the north-west. In the recent years there has been

something of an arms race between them. One theory that is doing the

rounds here, to explain the recent incursion is that China felt it had

to respond to a recent Indian military build-up along the border

areas especially near Ladak. So this is something that is going on all

the time. Often it does not get much attention it is difficult for anyone

to get up there but for all of these reasons, despite the talks of the

leaders in Delhi, I suspect that many think there could be more

tension, not less. Now, can you imagine who what it would be like to

win $490 million on the lottery? A handy addition to the cash in your

pocket or bank account, but it happened for one ticket holder in

Florida. It's a record-breaking jackpot

night. Millions of tickets sold across the country. Get ready...

with almost $600 million up for grabs, the demand ick ticks was --

tickets was having everyone thinking that they were in with a chance.

These are the winning tickets. have the winning number here, so the

rest of these people should go home! The lucky ticket was picked up in

Florida, but the question is -- everyone is asking is who is the

mystery winner? They are anonymous to the lot which. Ry. We have no

idea if it is one person or a group of people. But what to do with all

of that cash? Powerball Lottery, let's do it! The hopefuls piling

into this shop, which bagged is own million-Dollar winner had its own

ideas. Ewould take care of my kids, and my

church. Noble but how about designer shoes

or a mansion or a holiday, perhaps? Then the luxury yacht I always

wanted and the private yet. An investigation by the BBC's

Panorama programme into the cover-up after the Hillsborough football

stadium disaster, that revealed the evidence that was originally

disregarded was in fact true. Viewers may find some of the images

in this report, distressing. I think that there maybe a flow in

the crowd at the Liverpool, lepings lane end of the crowd.

The footage showed how the police mismanaged the crowd from the start

at Hillsborough and how the rescue failed more comprehensively than has

been admitted. Individuals who spoke out were disbelieved or discredited.

People like Derek Bruder, an off duty police PC. Seen here giving the

kiss of life to kef kef, the 15-year-old son of Anne Williams,

the campaigner who died last month. He told me what he did for my son,

Kevin. If you are finding a pulse with the first two fingers. He

lifted his hand up with his right hand... If that means he was alive,

then he was alive. The photograph was not timed but

Kevin Williams was moved to this part of the pitch well after 3.

15pm. That is the cut-off point that the coroner decided that the dying

could not be saved, but fans believe Kevin lived longer than that.

You are looking at people, thinking, obviously my instinct was that this

lad needs help. Derek Bruder has always said as he

treated Kevin, he saw an ambulance arriving and driving by but the

inquest only heard of two ambulance going by on the pitch. Earlier that

than Derek Bruder' account. As a sult, his evidence was considered

unreliable, but there was a third ambulance that arrived. The

ambulance men on board said that the police knew this before Derek

Bruder's evidence. They had laid out photographs, they

had video evidence. It was them who said to me, I want to show a vehicle

coming on the pitch at 3.3 #578. They showed you that? They told you?

Absolutely. They had all of the information.

Panorama's analysis of the footage reveals this, the exact moment that

Derek Bruder goes to help Kevin it is after 3. 30pm, proving he has

been right all along. Derek Bruder told the programme he has complained

to the Independent Police Complaints Commission about how his evidence

was handled. The police say that they will co-operate but cannot

comment while the inquiries continue. The Yorkshire Ambulance

NHS Trust say it is will co-operate with any new legal inquiries.

Now the final trip of a proud flagship, it will end in a scrapyard

in Turkey. The British Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal is

leaving her home port for the last time. Here is our Defence

Correspondent, Caroline Wyatt. The Royal Navy's flagship was

launched on the River Tyne by the late Queen Mother in 1981.

May God protect her and all who sail in her.

From 1985 when HMS Ark Royal tennered service, she played a key

role in the Balkans conflict along with the herrer jets. Together, a

potent project ex-of military might. She served during the invasion in

Iraq in 2003, before being decommissioned early in 2011.

When you see an old ship of yours being towed out to go to the

scrapyard, naturally you feel rather sad about that but you, your

reflections are on all of the people that served with you. In my case,

the people that served under me. Tremendous people. They are the ones

that leave me with a heart-warming feeling.

After a final voyage that saw the last harrier fly from the ship, HMS

Ark Royal was the highest professional casualty of the

Government's defence review of 2010. Taking her out of service and

selling Britain's harriers was a move criticised at the time. It

leaves the UK unable to launch aircraft from the seas, until the

new carriers and the Joint Strike Fighter come into service in under a