06/01/2014 BBC World News

This is BBC World News. Our top stories.

Millions of Americans told to stay indoors and stock up on food, as a

polar vortex heads across much of the country - bringing the coldest

temperatures in almost 20 years. The German Chancellor, Angela

Merkel, has been injured in a skiing accident while on holiday. It's

understood she has a partial fracture of her pelvis. She has to

remain with bed rest for three weeks.

The election in Bangladesh was marred by violence, an opposition

boycott and a very low turn-out. The governing party wins - but how much

credibility is left? And we are in Amsterdam to hear

about the controversial new scheme that lures alcoholic 's back to work

with beer money. Hello. Parts of the United States

are braced for potentially record-breaking world to riches --

low temperatures as a polar vortex brings freezing weather. A

potentially life-threatening wind-chill will make it feel as low

as -50. From Montana in the north-west to Alabama in the

south-east, there are warnings of a danger to life.

Four days, there has been heavy snowfall across many parts of the US

and Canada. The white winter weather wreaking havoc. Over the coming

days, severe freezing gusts of wind will add to the misery. Forecasters

call it a polar vortex, and arctic blast which brings with it subzero

temperatures. Wind-chill warnings have been issued for large swathes

of the country. This weather combination that we are seeing right

now, with all of the snow and the cold, is unlike anything we have

seen in decades in this area. The cold really scares me. Those in the

worst hit areas are being urged to stay indoors. Doctors warn that

frostbite and hypothermia can set in after a matter of minutes in the

severe cold. But in some parts of America, they have been braving the

chill in the name of sport. A big American football fixture between

the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin could

be one of the coldest foot all games ever played. Loyal fans chipped in

to help get the stadium ready. And wrapped up extra warm themselves. We

have brought our ski babes and work overalls -- skied bibs. I think we

are ready to go. I love going to the Packer games. I will bundle up with

every layer I have. The biting cold weather is expected to last for the

next five days. Angela Merkel, the German

Chancellor, has been injured in a fall whilst cross-country skiing in

Switzerland. She has cancelled meetings for the next three weeks.

Her spokesman told reporters that Mrs Merkel had suffered a fall on

Friday and what seemed to be a bruise is a partially fractured

pelvis. She must lie down for at least three weeks but will remain in

contact via mobile phone and other means.

Sunni militants have overrun parts of the Iraqi city of Ramadi. These

pictures show government forces confronting them. Meanwhile the

Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has urged residents of

the embattled city of Fallujah in the same province to force out

insurgents linked to al-Qaeda, who have taken control of the city. Most

of Cambodia's garment factories have reopened after a dispute over pay.

Which brought the country's main export industry to a standstill and

led to rioting. Four workers died on Friday when police opened fire on

workers who were demanding the minimum monthly wage be doubled to

$160. To Bangladesh, where on a --

unofficial election results show the country's ruling Awami League party

has a huge lead in the polls. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist

Party is demanding that the results be declared null and void and has

called for another 48-hour general strike, beginning today. The

election has been marred by violence. At least 20 people have

died since voting began on Sunday, with police firing on protestors.

100 polling stations have been set on fire by opposition activists,

bringing the total of people killed in political violence to 300 since

February. The country is one of the poorest in the world which relies

heavily on its $20 billion garment industry, which employs around four

million people. The industry has been rocked recently by a series of

disasters, including a factory collapse in April which killed more

than 1,100 workers. With me is Manoshi Barua from the Bengali

Service. How much credibility does the political system now have in

Bangladesh, with such a major boycott? Actually, the voter turnout

was very low. The general assumption is that it is close to 20%, although

the election commission has not officially given the official

turnout. What about the credibility? Very few people turned out although

the prime minister held a press conference, she is holding a press

conference right now. She is saying she has got people 's mandate,

because her party has won more than enough seats in the election. What

is your assessment, given most people did not vote? It has very

little credibility, obviously most people did not vote. It has been

unchallenged in 153 seats, people did not have the choice. So it has

very little cred ability. The opposition BNP have called this

election a farcical election and they are saying that the new

government is an illegal government. When you look at what happened in

the election and the fact that the Awami League carries significant

clout in the commercial sector and among those who matter in

Bangladeshi life, where does it leave the cred ability of the Awami

league, claiming a win in a election where so few people voted customer

it will be very difficult for the Awami league to claim credibility.

Because not many people went out to vote. Is their reputation battered

by this? It has been badly battered. Since February, because of the

political violence and the blockades, the economy has been

impacted very badly. The commerce sector is the second largest export

industry for Bangladesh. That has been hit quite badly. And other

sectors as well. Economically, the government is losing a bit of ground

at the moment. Thank you very much for the assessment.

Let's go to Afghanistan, an eight-year old Afghan girl wearing a

suicide vest has been arrested by the police in southern Afghanistan.

She was detained by the Afghan border police in a district in

Helmand province. She was wearing a suicide jacket and was trying to

carry out an attack against a police post. We are joined from Kabul. What

do you make of this fact that an age old girl wearing a suicide vest,

with a clear target of murder? It is quite shocking. We are being told

she is between the age of eight to ten. She was encouraged by her

brother, who is thought to be a loyal to Alabama commander in the

area. Police are now saying she was caught -- loyal Talib Taliban

commander. Its called a Polar Vortex.

The discovery is very concerning. We have had children in the past to

have carried out suicide attacks but they were above the age of 14. This

is shocking, even for the people in Helmand and Kabul. What is the

community reaction to something like this, with a young girl being used,

at a time when there will be those in the militants and among the

insurgents who are trying to give the impression of being the people

that the community can rely upon, once NATO forces have withdrawn from

combat duties? It looks very bad for the Taliban, at least. Tribal elders

have already made their way to the provincial capital. They are very

shocked and quite upset that something like that has happened. In

this case, the girl was encouraged by her brother, a Taliban commander.

Afghan officials are saying that she will get proper protection and the

support that she needs in order to overcome this shock. Thank you for

joining us. Here on BBC World News, still to

come: We get analysis of the deepening conflict in South Sudan

from our correspondent on the road, where he and the BBC team were

caught up in the ambush of government army convoy.

Much has started to change in me and -- the country formerly known as

Burma. The circular line goes about 50, it

around the outskirts of Yangon. It is hot and dusty but this is the way

nearly 100,000 people get to work every day.

At times this train is more like a market than a normal train. This

station is particularly busy, lots of things being brought on and off.

A thriving part of Yangon, connecting the city together.

I have been allowed into the front of the train and the driver has

generously allowed me to fulfil something of a childhood ambition.

Do you mind if I have a go? OK, here we go. R and L is.

You with BBC World News. These are latest headlines.

Temperatures are well below freezing and still falling as a polar vortex

whips across much of the US and Canada, threatening temperatures as

low as -50. Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel,

has been injured in a cross-country skiing accident. It is understood

she has a partial fracture of her pelvis.

To South Sudan. It is estimated several thousand people have been

killed in the violence between government troops and rebel forces,

who were recently their colleagues. The brutal intensity of the rivalry

was experienced by a BBC team. A senior general was killed as a

government convoy came under attack near Bor, in South Sudan's

oilfields. Our correspondent, Alistair Leithead, and cameraman,

Jack Garland, were there. These men grew up fighting for

independence. After taking that price, they are now fighting each

other. It began as a political crisis which sparked tribal

violence. It has become a battle between these troops, still loyal to

the government, and the men up the road they are preparing to face, who

now fight under different banner. These are government reinforcements.

We saw hundreds arrive today. We joined them on the road north to

Bor, the most fiercely contested city in South Sudan. Four days,

there have been clashes here. Barracks and villages lie empty. --

for days. The commanding general was confident that the slow potholed

road to Bor was clear. He strode out, unaware he was walking into

trouble. We are just walking up the road with the general, when suddenly

the firing started. It seems to have been that the convoy was ambushed

from the front and from the back. It was a costly setback, and in the

chaos this young soldier was shot in the back of the neck. There are no

doctors here. A senior general was among those killed in the ambush.

This battle on the banks of the Nile is escalating. Until talks agree a

cease-fire, each side will fight hard to strengthen their hand. These

are some more of the government reinforcements coming in by boat.

They are coming up the Nile. Some are coming in by road. There is a

huge mass of these troops coming forward. They are facing a split of

their own army that is defending the town up ahead. It could be quite a

battle. There are heavy weapons and thousands of troops on both sides.

That any incoming fire creates panic and retreat. This former gorilla

Army lacks discipline. And the President of Sudan, Omar

al-Bashir, has now arrived in South Sudan. He hopes to expedite peace

talks when he meets President Salva Kiir on -- to discuss the nation

which she was once president of. Let's look at what Alistair Lees

said experience yesterday. One incident. What is it has about the

government and the rebel forces who were once colleagues? This is a

pretty messy conflict. These were troops advancing up to apparently

recapture Bor, which has fallen twice to the rebels already. They

were ambushed, it appears, in a surprise attack, so a failure of

intelligence. We were also hearing reports of some troops defecting to

another town. As the military balance swings, we could see more

defections. There is the general walking north, and then you saw the

beginning of the ambush from the front and the back. That suggests

that the rebels have pretty good intelligence of what the government

forces are up to. Essentially there is one road up to Bor, so it would

have been easy to guess the direction they were travelling. This

is good guerilla country. Guerilla 's have been able to take much of

the countryside. It is good conditions for ambushes. When the

President was -- win this nation was first created, President Omar

al-Bashir was nominally in trudge. He has now arrived. He supported

Salva Kiir in the past. People will be watching closely to see what he

does now. He wants stability on his borders. He wants a better deal with

whoever is in charge of South Sudan, because he accuses them of

supporting rebels. And he wants the oil to flow, because that brings

money into Saddam, through the pipelines. Let's look to Ethiopia.

It appears that the rebel and government forces have barely got

through the proximity talks stage, heavily mediated by the Americans

and the Brits and others. No negotiations at the moment. It keeps

getting pushed back. I am not that surprised. There is going to be lots

of squabbling. It is losing time, but I wasn't expecting anything that

quickly. People in South Sudan are saying, come to an agreement, come

to a cessation of hostilities, we need to stop the fighting to enable

us to recover from this terrible conflict. From the leaders'

perspective, they will be watching the balance on the ground and how

that shifts. I expect international pressure to ramp up if we do not get

some sort of face-to-face talks soon. Thank you.

Now the latest medical bulletin on the former Israeli Prime Minister,

Arial Shannon,. -- Arial Sharon. He is still in a critical condition

with immediate danger to his life. Hospital director Dr Zeev Rotstein

said Mr Sharon's cardiovascular system is stable. But there

continues to be a slow deterioration of his other organs. He's been in a

coma since 2006 when he suffered a stroke.

Crowds of African immigrants are expected to protest for a second day

in Tel Aviv. They want the Israeli government to stop detaining them

without trial. They want the right to live and work in the country.

Israel says they've arrived illegally and should return home.

Thousands of them gathered in the centre of Tel Aviv, saying it was

their biggest protest yet to call for legal status and asylum.

Rejecting the government's description of them as illegals,

most of the protesters come from Sudan and Eritrea. They say in new

Israeli law will leave them in prison without trial for up to 12

months, or will force them back to the persecution they fled. They

check our Asylum records, and we wanted to be done a fair way. We

want rights, such as the right to work and the right to health

service. Israel says its crackdown on immigration is working, and many

migrants are returning home. The Israeli prime minister Binyamin

Netanyahu said on Sunday that the protest as well law breakers.

TRANSLATION: These are not refugees. They are people who are breaking the

law and we will deal with them to the fullest extent of the law. The

immigrants say their protests will continue, starting with a fresh

demonstration on Monday outside the United Nations office and in front

of foreign agencies -- foreign embassies.

Now an unusual method of tackling anti-social behaviour. Alcoholics in

Amsterdam are being offered free beer to clean the streets. It is

hoped it will reduce crime, and is being partially funded by the

government. The idea is pretty controversial.

They are playing a constructive role in a community where they were once

despised. They have respect now for us. Chronic alcoholics are offered

an incentive. Five cans of free beer and ten euros a day. It is less than

the minimum wage, but offers an opportunity they couldn't find

elsewhere. This peaceful away since was once shattered by stabbings,

muggings, and families and women were intimidated. Now more than 20

of the regulars have been convinced to abandon their park life. This

might seem a bizarre concept, giving alcohol to alcoholics, but it is a

typically Dutch pragmatic approach to tackling the problem. It is based

on a strategy of harm reduction, and they say it is working. They are the

Rainbow Foundation, a partly state funded group that runs this project.

It is better for them to do something back for society. They

clean the streets. They have more structure and they drink less. It is

a win-win situation. In a city where prostitution is legal and cannabis

decriminalised, some Conservatives feel free beer for alcoholics is

taking the liberal approach to far. It might not appear to everyone's

taste, but it has been Fred's salvation. He became alcohol

dependent after the death of his wife. This is now his life. I try to

give up, but I cannot. I cannot stop. None of these guys intend to

get clean, but changing their habits and channelling their energy does

appear to be having a positive impact on the streets.

India has launched its first rocket using domestic league just domestic

reproduced booster technology, after two previous attempts failed.

Liftoff. Here is the rocket lifting off, moments before it launches its

communications satellite in orbit. This is seen as another step forward

in the country's ambitious but quite young space programme.

Now to the arrival of a new baby panda. Get ready for the newest

celebrity. The first giant panda cub to be born in Taiwan. The public in

Taipei getting its first glimpse of Yuan Zai. We were at the crowds at

the zoo. Thousands of people have been lining

up to see the panda cub, since before the zoo open. Thousands of

people have gone into this panda house behind me, whether cub is

living. The zoo is expecting so many people it has to control the crowds,

so they are limiting the amount of people who can come in to see her

219,200. Many people have taken time off work and school to see her. To

them, this panda cub is the cutest thing they have ever seen. She is

the talk of offices and she has been on TV programmes day in, day out.

Her parents were given to Taiwan in 2008 as a sign of the warming ties

between Taiwan and mainland China. Relations are the best they have

been since the end of the Civil War in 1949. Beijing is hoping that her

cuteness can somehow convince more Taiwanese people to have warm

feelings towards mainland China. For many people, she is just very cute

and there is no politics involved. Let me just give you the video which

has just come in from South Sudan. Here we have the Sudanese president,

Omar al-Bashir, arriving from Khartoum, to meet President Kiir in

South Sudan. Until two years ago, when South Sudan was created as an

independent country, President Bashir was nominally the president

of this area. The main news: German Chancellor

Angela Merkel has been injured in a fall whilst cross country skiing in

Switzerland. She has a partial fracture of her pelvis. She will

have to have bed rest for the next three weeks.

Goodbye.