08/10/2013 BBC World News

Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: Violence on the streets

of Brazil's two biggest cities, as peaceful protests are hijacked by

masked demonstrators. Menthol cigarettes and packets of

ten could be banned under tough new European regulations being voted on

today. A failure to bring stability - the

Afghan President gives a damning assessment of NATO's 12-year

military campaign. The entire military exercise was one

that caused Afghanistan a lot of suffering. And a lot of loss of

life. And the armed robbery that didn't go

quite to plan - we'll tell you what happened next.

Hello and welcome. Police have used tear gas at protestors in the city

of Rio de Janeiro, after a demonstration by thousands of

teachers ended in violence. The march began as a peaceful protest

calling for more money for public education. But as night fell, a

group of masked young men hijacked the protest, throwing firebombs at

public buildings and banks. Jefferson Puff from the BBC's Brazil

Service told me more about who these masked men were thought to be. It is

believed they belong to the black box, an anarchist group that has

been connected to similar protests around the world, in Seattle in the

1990s and in Greece as well so it is believed that they share the same

ideology. What is the government doing to sort the situation out?

Legitimate protests are being hijacked. Exactly, it is interesting

to analyse the reaction from the federal government and from the

state in the city of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in particular because

although they consider the protests legitimate, it is clear they have

not found the right tone yet to address. For instance some of the

reaction from a protest of teachers which happened last week, the police

were quite harsh on them so this protest that we saw yesterday, it is

kind of connected to this violent reaction. If the police keep being

violent, it sparks a circle. What about the original grievance of the

teachers, how much do they earn on average? In a federal average all

over the country, teachers do not earn that much, but in particular in

Rio de Janeiro which is hosting some of the most important marchers of

teachers, a teacher will earn around of the most important marchers of

£560 a month for a 40 hour week so that is quite underpaid and those

people in Brazil will need more. Yes than $1000 a month. What about the

wider public reaction now? There has been several months of protests on

the streets fairly regularly. Amongst the Brazilian population,

there is a sense that now we are entering the fifth month of protest,

almost half the year. Some of the most important grievances the

general population shares in terms of health, security, education, have

been addressed by these marchers so there is a sense they are being

represented, but at the same time you can feel that people worry about

security and violence and if it is someone you know taking part in

these marchers, you would definitely worry about their security.

What's the best way to stop young people taking up smoking? The

European parliament will vote on a wide-ranging package of new rules

today, aimed at making the habit less attractive. The proposal

includes a ban on menthol cigarettes, along with other

flavoured tobacco. Packs of ten cigarettes would be taken off the

shelves. Slim cigarettes would also be forbidden - they tend to be

bought by women. And health warnings could cover as much as

three-quarters of a cigarette packet. But one of the most

controversial proposals is to restrict access to e-cigarettes. A

yes vote would see them re-classified as medicines across

the EU. That could mean years of medical testing and the need for

manufacturers to get licenses from drug agencies. Christian Fraser

reports. The Paris Museum of smokers is a tobacco emporium that traces

the changing behaviours of the age-old habit. Troops cigarettes

were once part of the Gaelic identity like baguettes and Bordeaux

wine, but these days it is not all tobacco. A growing number of the

French are changing. E-cigarettes are not without risk, nicotine is a

poison and even in small amounts can be addictive. Whatever future

research comes out into the long-term effects of e-cigarettes,

doctors are agreed they are certainly a lot healthier than one

of these. In France, over a million smokers, 8% of the market, have

taken not e-cigarettes in just three years. Figures in Britain are

similar. In the United States the market is worth some $5 billion, but

today the European Parliament is considering reclassifying

e-cigarettes as a medicine with the usual restrictions that would apply.

And yet, just specialists think that would be a mistake. If the product

is reclassified, it will open it to the illegal sale of the product on

the Internet. You just need to press this button and it produces a

vapour. There are good arguments for restricting the sale of e-cigarettes

to young people, though perhaps not as -- that is not the only problem,

for example the drug companies and the tobacco companies who have a

much bigger interest in defending their market. In the beginning of

this year, there were 500,000 E smokers, six months later over a

million E smokers. E-cigarettes is a blooming market, the question is do

the legislators embrace it or do they regulate it?

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has accused NATO of failing to bring

stability to his war-torn country. Speaking to the BBC on the

anniversary of the US-led operation, Mr Karzai said his country had

gained little from NATO's multi-billion-dollar military

campaign. The entire military exercise was one that caused

campaign. The entire military Afghanistan a lot of suffering and a

lot of loss of life will stop and no gains because the country is not

secure. I'm not happy to say that. What we wanted was absolute

security. The BBC's Harun Najafizada has been gauging reaction to the

interview in Kabul. When you speak to people in Kabul the understanding

is that they don't understand why President Hamid Karzai and the west

cannot sort out their differences. If you speak to people for example

to the opposition of President Hamid Karzai, they believe that because he

has a different plan for the future of Afghanistan, and the United

States and NATO has a different plan, they can not reach an

agreement but ordinary people are plan, they can not reach an

sort of disappointed that after 12 years of investment and suffering, a

lot of issues, they still see in security is a problem and many

believe that the government of the president is to blame for

incapability to sort out these issues.

One of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies has been

giving an update on its malaria vaccine trials - and the news seems

to be positive. Malaria - spread of course by mosquitoes - is one of the

biggest killers in the world, claiming the lives of 660,000 people

every year. Most of those are children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

GlaxoSmithKline says that when children were aged between five and

17 months at the time of their first vaccination - around half were still

protected from the disease up to 18 months later. When children aged

between six and 12 weeks were vaccinated, the number of malaria

cases were reduced by 25%. The trial is continuing, and the effectiveness

of booster shots will now be evaluated. But if everything goes

well, GlaxoSmithKline says it will apply for regulatory approval for

the drug next year. Malaria is still a massive question, this vaccine

would be very welcome but the question is whether people could

afford it. The news that a vaccination for malaria will be

available as positive news. It causes broad physical and economic

will impact. This prevents people from famine and doing almost

anything and it cures a lot of children under the age of five so

the news there is a vaccine in the offing is positive news but the

company itself has been very cautious about the efficacy of this

vaccine being limited so there is still hope but I think it is not yet

a full vaccine. It wouldn't be completely or even a 90%

preventative, 50% preventative in some cases but this is still going

further because we can see the use of malaria nets here, they are

simple measures but still not available to so many people. You

have to remember that the people we are talking about are very poor

people. All they need is the food they can eat so sometimes it is a

luxury to even give them the mosquito nets but some governments

have tried a lot to provide these mosquito nets but some governments

mosquito nets free of charge. Even in these cases you find remote areas

where these mosquito nets are not available. Is the problem money?

Corruption? Is it just ineffectiveness of those operations?

It is a combination of those three things you said. There are cases

where you will see these mosquito nets where they are free, but you

will see them in the market being sold so that is corruption.

Inefficiency because the government cannot provide the basic health

facilities in these areas, and lack of money because even when people

are willing to buy these mosquito nets, they don't have the money to

buy them. Thank you. In other news today, the head of Bolivia --

Bolivia's coca control agency has been arrested over accusations that

he illegally sold massive quantities of coca leaves - the main ingredient

of cocaine. Prosecutors say Luis Cutipa diverted 45 tonnes of coca

leaves seized from farmers and sold them on to drugs barons.

Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is having

surgery in Buenos Aires to treat bleeding on her brain. 60-year-old

Mrs Fernandez was diagnosed with the subdural hematoma while she was

undergoing tests for another condition. The diagnosis means she

may have to suspend campaigning ahead of congressional elections.

Deep sea divers have, for the first time, entered the hull of the ship

that sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa with hundreds of refugees

on board. Rescue teams say they pulled 38 corpses from the wreckage.

That brings the total number of people known to have died in last

week's tragedy to 232. Still to come, a bitter family

showdown over a multibillion-dollar inheritance. Australia's richest

woman faces her own children in court. The poorest country in

Central America. It is turning towards China. As well as trying to

attract investment, many want to learn about China's language.

Traditional dance in the capital of Tajikistan. China's influence over

its poorer neighbour is bringing art and culture to the city's theatres.

It has been enthusiastically received. Tajiks are used to seeing

Chinese products in the shops. Chinese firms have helped to build

roads and power supplies, and they continue to see it as an emerging

market. The young population of Tajikistan is now looking to China

for work. In a poor country like this, many young people are

motivated to learn Mandarin for the prospect of greater job

opportunities. TRANSLATION: Many youngsters live in Tajikistan. I

want to study Chinese and return to Tajikistan. Students travel to China

to learn the language. Until recently, many Tajiks travelled to

Russia to find work. But as China's power economy increases, so does the

demand for people who speak Chinese. Alongside that is an increasing

artistic exchange between the two cultures. TRANSLATION: In the past,

we have lots of cultures. The cultural road goes in both

directions. These Chinese singers are singing in FRC, accompanied by a

Tajik singer. It increases collaborative relations between the

two neighbours. Whether harmony can be found between two companies with

such different positions in the world seems less likely. This is BBC

world news. There has been violence on the streets of Brazil after a

peaceful protest by teachers was hijacked. Menthol cigarettes and

packets of ten could be banned under tough new European regulations being

voted on today. The United States ambassador to Libya has been

summoned to a meeting in Tripoli following the seizure of the

Islamist militant by special forces. Militant is accused of having links

with Al-Qaeda and is wanted connection of the bombing of

embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The Libyan authorities say they are

unaware of the operation to seize him. Health officials in India say

more than 350 people have died of viral encephalitis during the

monsoon season. 15 children have died in the past two days in India's

Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The virus is spread by

mosquitos, which breed in areas of stagnant water. The BBC's Sanjoy

Majumder is in Delhi with more details.

Unfortunately, it is really common in India and takes place every year.

The first case was detected in 1978 and since then 6500 children have

died. A town at the foothill of the Himalayas tends to get flooded very

died. A town at the foothill of the easily and stagnant water is seen as

one of the causes of the outbreak of the disease. As you have pointed

out, it is carried by mosque leaders from pigs to humans. People who are

most at risk our children because they have lower immunity systems.

Many of the victims come from poor backgrounds. You can see that the

main hospital was inundated with victims, overflowing with patients,

completely unable to cope. Heartbreaking to see those pictures

of very young children who are the most vulnerable and yet there is a

vaccine, is there not? Yes, that is right. Last week, in fact, the

Indian government unveiled a new vaccine which was developed in the

country. Two -- the main strain of the disease is being made available

but it is only the beginning. Health officials say they need 10 million

doses to reach each and every person who is affected. That will take a

lot of production. In the meantime, it is a disease that continues to

spread and affects the nervous system. It leads to headaches,

vomiting, fever, and can cause brain damage and perhaps death. Even those

who survive are often left with permanent brain damage or a

neurological disorder. Thank you permanent brain damage or a

very much. Some breaking news, we have heard the Nobel Prize for

physics has gone to Professor Peter Higgs. That is in recognition of the

Higgs particle. This was highly anticipated. The physics prize has

gone to Professor Peter Higgs. That news Justin and we will bring you

more when he can. A developing story now. The effects

of Typhoon Fitow in China. These pictures were filmed in Ningbo City

in Zhejiang province - as you can see, they show widespread flash

flooding, and disruption to road travel. Flights and rail services

have also been affected - and at least four people were killed by the

effects of the weather system. Fitow was the 23rd Typhoon to hit China

this year. At its peak, it had winds blowing in excess of 150 kilometres

per hour - though officials say it has now weakened to Tropical Storm

strength. Extreme weather of another sort is causing problems in chilly.

An unexpected frost has devastated fruit and wine crops in two regions

- Chile's main grower's association says the damage could run to more

than a Billion dollars in lost production. The government has

declared an agricultural state of emergency. Overall, it's thought

Chile's wine production could be down by 20% this year. Family feuds

don't get much more expensive than this. Australia's richest woman is

being taken to court by two of her grown up children. Gina Rinehart's

accused of trying to deprive them of their rightful share of the family's

trust fund - thought to be worth about four billion dollars. She says

she was trying to save them from a massive tax Bill. Jon Donnison in

Sydney told me more. Gina Rinehart has been trying to avoid everything

being discussed in an open court. It has the trappings of a storyline

from Dallas. It is difficult to work out who is Bobby Ewing. She is one

of the world's which is winning and she has over $15 billion. The trust

was set up by her father and she is the trustee. The three children are

the beneficiaries and the dispute, really, seems to have arisen as a

result of knowing when the trust would result. Court proceedings have

been delayed. Today we expected things to be discussed in court but

they are trying to work out whether the children and Gina Rinehart can

agree on the appointment of a new trustee and who that might be. Here

in the UK, plans drawn up by the newspaper industry for a new system

of press regulation have been rejected by a committee of senior

ministers. The BBC's Newsnight programme reported that a sub

committee of key ministers found the proposal to be "flawed". The plan

for a new form of self-regulation was intended to resolve the issues

around press intrusion that were examined in the Leveson Inquiry. The

press feel that the process is far from transparent. They are furious.

They are now considering whether there might be a legal challenge to

this decision by the committee of the Privy Council. The reason they

had to do this was because the rules of the Privy Council say that if

there is more than one proposed charter on the same subject then

neither can be given effect because it draws the Queen into a matter of

public controversy. In other words, in general, the Privy Council deals

with royal charters and they are not controversial. There is also talk in

the press that the Royal household itself might now obstruct the

progress. Let's take a look at some sports news now - and we start with

Basketball, and the NBA pre-season world tour. The Oklahoma City

Thunder are taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in Manchester.

But while the sport is popular in the UK at street level, matches

don't attract big crowds, and as Alex South reports, there's no

guarantee the road show will attract a full House.

The NBA bandwagon has rolled into Manchester with the razzmatazz you

would expect. 12 teams from the league are playing pre-season games

all over the world in a bid to build on America's biggest sporting

export. We are entertainers. Soccer is the biggest thing over here but

we want to go out there and show people that basketball is huge as

well. Playing these games helps to people that basketball is huge as

expand the player's pay packets. This man is a massive star in the

USA. The press hang on every word he says that he is enjoying the

anonymity of being away from home. I am one of these guys who... The

attention is cool, I appreciate it, but I can go without it. It is

called to walk down the street and I guess, just be a regular person. A

lot of people still come and talk to me but they do not know that I play

for the Oklahoma City Thunders. There is no doubt that the show will

be good for this pre-season friendly. The ticket sales have been

slow but the pricing does not help, around $50 for a cheap Street. --

seat. For a better seat you are looking at $800. That is our one and

only sports story for you. Now let's just show you a robbery in New York

state that didn't quite go to plan. These images are from Brentwood in

Suffolk county. The robber here walks into the shop with a gun but

is surely not expecting what comes next... The clerk pulls out a huge

machete from under the counter and not only chases the robber out of

the store but also through the car park. He'll probably think twice

before attempting to rob another shop owner any time soon. In Oslo,

the Nobel physics prize has been announced. Peter Higgs has won it.

Congratulations. Goodbye for today.