06/05/2014 BBC World News

Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories: Nigeria considers

international offers of help to locate and rescue 200 schoolgirls

kidnapped by Islamist militants. A government minister insists the

president is taking action. We have invited the whole world, anyone who

has technology, the type of things that can help us. Our biggest

priority now is to get the girls back.

Six people are injured in a knife attack in China - the latest in a

series raising new questions about terrorism.

Coca-Cola is to remove a controversial ingredient linked to

flame retardants from its drinks, following an online petition.

Also coming up - we report from the Sahara on the perils facing

thousands of West African migrants, desperate for a better life in

Europe. "Bring back our girls" is the slogan

of a huge online campaign to find more than two hundred teenagers who

were kidnapped from their remote boarding school in Nigeria. Now it

seems it may be getting results, including offers of help from

Britain and the US. The militant Islamist group Boko Haram has

admitted abducting the girls. Boko Haram means "Western Education is

forbidden" in the Hausa language. The group, founded in 2002, aims to

overthrow Nigeria's government and create an Islamic state. Since 2009,

they have waged a campaign of gun attacks, bombings and abductions.

Many of Boko Haram's attacks have been carried out against schools in

remote areas, killing or kidnapping students. Alpa Patel reports.

A provocative video, designed to cause anger and disgust. The leader

of Boko Haram, admitting for the first time that his fighters

kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls. I will sell the women in the market,

he says. He also says, they should not have been in school in the first

place. Boko Haram means Western education is forbidden. The video

prompted this reaction from the White House. We view what has

happened there is an outrage and the terrible tragedy. The president has

been briefed several times and his national security team continues to

monitor the situation there closely. The State Department has

been in regular touch with the Nigerian government about what we

might do to help support its efforts to find and free these young women.

But for three weeks there has been no word. Three weeks of agony for

the families, who have protested and wept for their loss. Their heartache

has resonated with tens of thousands around the world. Some have taken to

social media in solidarity with the families. Including Hillary Clinton,

who tweeted: the grief and anger seen in Nigeria

has dominated the headlines for days. The country is now just a day

away from hosting the World Economic Forum on Africa, but it is likely

international attention will continue to focus on the missing

schoolgirls of Chibok. A little while ago, the Nigerian finance

minister defended the government's actions. The past three weeks the

government has been following up every lead, using aerial surveys,

all the things at its disposal. I think the problem was we never

communicated it well. Therefore there was this vacuum, where people

got nothing was happening. He explained all of that last night,

and now we are on the move, he has invited the whole world, anyone who

has technology, the type of things that can help us. Our biggest

priority now is to get the girls back.

Ukraine claims more than 30 pro-Russian fighters have been

killed during an assault on the city of Slovyansk in the east of the

country. For government treatment is also died stop meanwhile the airport

in Donetsk has been reopened for domestic flights. Our correspondent

in Donetsk is Sarah Rainsford. I asked her what was going on where

she is. We have been hearing from the interior Minister, some comments

he has posted today, talking about the fighting around Slovyansk. He

said that in that fight, Ukrainian troops lost four people, and he said

that 20 people were injured in the fighting. Some heavy clashes around

Slovyansk. That is a pro-Russian rebel stronghold city. He is

claiming up to 30 people were killed on the other side, that has not been

confirmed by the fighters, although they did talk of losses yesterday as

well. Heavy fighting around there, the interior minister claiming that

these are not just local people, he was saying that they are meeting

Russians, people from the Crimea, and he also said there were Chechens

involved in the fighting. We haven't had able to confirm that ourselves

but it is what the Interior Ministry and the government in Kiev has been

saying all along, that it wasn't a local rebellion but something that

is now involving fighters from outside Ukraine and this region of

eastern Ukraine. In terms of the airport, we understand that internal

flights in Ukraine, coming to Donetsk and leaving Donetsk appear

to be operating again, but international flights, we

understand, are still cancelled for now. Certainly there is a lot of

concern here in the run-up both to victory Day celebrations on the 9th

of May and also made the 11th, which is when a referendum was due to be

held here in this region, referendums on independence for the

local regions. Both of those dates are potential flash point and the

authorities are very concerned to try and stabilise the situation as

far as possible. Meanwhile in Vienna, Foreign

Ministers from the European Union are meeting to discuss the crisis.

Before they started their meeting the British Foreign Secretary,

William Hague, said he hoped the talks would achieve some progress.

If we can find a diplomatic way forward that reduces tensions, then

we should always try and do so. But that would require stronger Russian

commitment. Last time, three weeks ago, they came to Geneva and then

did nothing to implement the agreement that have been made. If

there is a further diplomatic effort at de-escalation, everybody should

be committed to doing what they said they would do. The Russian Foreign

Minister is also at that meeting. This is the scene in Vienna, we are

expecting that news conference to begin in the next few minutes.

Reports from southern China say there has been another attack on

travellers at a mainline station. Local media and an official security

website in the city of Guangzhou are reporting that at least six people

have been injured by attackers wielding knives. Our reporter is in

Beijing with the latest. This was the second attack at a railway

station within a week, and according to one account, two men were sitting

down on the ground for two hours, and at some stage at around 11am

local time, they stood up said something out loud and then they

started slashing passengers. According to authorities, one of

those men fled although reports say he has now been detained. Another

attacker was shot at the scene. He has been detained as well. There are

conflicting reports saying that perhaps they were as many as four

attackers but we haven't got clarity on that. Has anyone come forward to

accept blame for this? China is blaming separatists. China hasn't

revealed anything, it has blamed Uighur separatists, or terrorists,

as Beijing puts it, there was previously an attack in which one

person died and dozens were injured, stabbed by attackers, and seriously

for China, there was a horrendous attack back in March in which almost

30 people were killed and many saw that as a real incident that has led

to sea change in China, that violence from the West is spreading

across the country. That concern will again be ignited today. Reuters

are reporting that police in China do believe that a single person was

responsible that might attack, and he was shot and wounded by police.

-- that might attack. Much more to come. Oscar Pistorius introduced his

girlfriend as is fiance a week before he shot her, according to a

neighbour testifying in his defence. The former Egyptian army chief,

Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who is a presidential candidate in this

month's election has said the Muslim Brotherhood will no longer exist if

he becomes president. Mr Sisi said he chose to run for the Presidency

because of threats from both inside and outside Egypt. From Cairo, Orla

Guerin reports. He may not be president of Egypt

yet, but the former army chief says he is already a target. In his first

television interview, he said there had been two attempts on his life. I

am not afraid he said, I believe in fate. He provided no further details

the plots. The former defence minister ruled out reconciliation

with the now banned Muslim Brotherhood. He said the Egyptian

people have made that decision stop TRANSLATION: It's not me that

finished it. The Egyptians have. They have said no twice. They have

said no on June 30 and they are saying no to them now. He has

already presided over an unprecedented crackdown on the

Islamist organisation. Thousands of its supporters and senior leaders

are now in jail. He denied having political ambitions when he ousted

the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July. He said he was running

for office because of internal and external threats to Egypt. The

career military officer said the army would not have our role in

ruling Egypt if he wins the election. Giving the military's

dominant role here for over half a century, many will have their

doubts. The lengthy broadcast was punctuated by power cuts in parts of

the capital. Keeping the lights on would be one of the first

challenges, if as widely forecast, al-Sisi is elected president later

this month. .

This is BBC world News. Nigeria is considering offers of help from the

US and Britain to locate and rescue more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped

by Islamist militants. Police in China say a single man was

responsible for a knife attack in wine shoe in which six people were

injured. He said to have been shot and injured. -- he is said. Back to

our top story, the ongoing search for 200 girls, have

our top story, the ongoing search north of Nigeria. If I could quickly

start on the north of Nigeria. If I could quickly

the last hour by the finance minister. She is

the last hour by the finance available technology will now be

used, but this international focus is three weeks on from the

abduction. Indeed. It is coming three weeks after the abduction and

the president of Nigeria, just before the comment by the Finance

Minister, also said that they have used helicopters and aircraft,

searching the vast land of the north-east of Nigeria. They were not

able to locate the whereabouts of where these 200 missing schoolgirls

were. I think at the moment, it's good news coming to Nigeria that the

US and UK are saying that they are going to help Nigeria in trying to

locate the whereabouts and secure the release of these girls. The

World Economic Forum is due to be held there tomorrow, I don't know

this is the reason for this sudden focus on Nigeria, where bad news of

another incident today? There is news of another incident, just

before that, I think what has happened is there has been outrage

by Nigerians and parents of the girls, think this is why we are

seeing the results we are seeing now. The recent incident we have

just heard this morning is that a school in a suburb of Abuja, close

to the capital, was attacked by gunmen in, bursting into the school

at 8am and taking away the bus. The principal of the school who looked

very agitated, said there wasn't any child abducted from the school. The

bus was taking, it was empty, the police were there, we have at the

school is now swarmed with security officials and parents have been

called to take their children away from school.

Neighbours of the athlete Oscar Pistorius are giving evidence on the

27th day of his trial in Pretoria. The athlete's defence team is

continuing to call witnesses to challenge the state's claim that he

deliberately killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp - he says he

believed he was shooting an intruder.

Milton Nkosi is following the case for us in Pretoria.

Yes, this morning we heard from two neighbours of Oscar Pistorius. Mr

and Mrs Nhlengethwa. Mr Nhlengethwa was the first to take the stand. He

described waking up in the middle of the night after a gunshot, which was

heard by his wife. He did not hear the gunshot. He said that while he

was up, he heard a man crying. This is how he described it. What I said

to Barry Roux was basically there is a difference between one that is

crying because he is just sad and normal crying, but also there is

this crying when you are in danger and when you physically need help.

The cry that we heard in the morning was a person desperate for help. We

probably thought they were in danger. Was it loud? Very loud, my

lady. You said it was a man's voice. Was it a high Tone or low? A

very high pitched voice. Did you know who it was? When I spoke to my

wife, I said it could be one of my neighbours. I was not sure where it

was coming from. That is how Mr Nhlengethwa described how they woke

up that morning to the sounds of a man crying in a high pitched voice.

Then he called the security and then he went to Oscar Pistorius's house.

This is how he described the scene when he arrived. I saw our school

was kneeling next to the lady. -- Oscar was kneeling. She was just

lying down and there was blood all over. He was just crying at that

point in time. The gentleman that I saw... I mean, there was one

gentleman inside the house. Oscar was also asking him to help him. We

know now that is the doctor who came from that house. Yes. I was just

pleading with him to help him. I could see that obviously the

situation was quite bad. And even for me, I could not even walk closer

inside the house because I could not take watching what I saw at that

point in time. It was quite difficult to see it. When I stood at

a distance from the entrance door, I could see that he was talking to the

gentleman, saying, please help. Help me. It was quite a difficult moment.

And that is how Mr Nhlengethwa described the scene that day. And

then his wife took to the stand. She also said that she never left her

bedroom. Then another witness came. She spent a very brief period, also

a neighbour. She heard a man crying. The court has been adjourned until

Thursday because tomorrow is a bank holiday. South Africa goes to the

polls for a general election. 20 years after the end of apartheid,

said there will not be any sitting tomorrow.

Milton Nkosi in Pretoria, thank you for now.

The world's largest drinks producer, Coca-Cola, has promised to remove a

controversial ingredient from some of its products by the end of this

year. BVO, or brominated vegetable oil, is used as a flavouring

stabiliser in some drinks including varieties of Fanta, Fresca and

Powerade. A teenager in the US started an online petition, after

noticing that it can also be used as a flame retardant. Coca-Cola says

all its ingredients meet regulatory requirements. Our health editor

Michelle Roberts has been finding out more. First of all, how much of

any of these strings, not Coca-Cola we should stress, but drinks like

Fanta, but you have to drink to be worried? -- these drinks. Firstly,

it is not clear that there is any cause of health issues. This is very

much a commercial issue. There was one case of someone drinking four

litres per day over weeks. Two big bottles every day for several

months? Yes, and he ran into trouble. He started having

neurological symptoms. No problems, eyelid droop, weak muscles. -- nerve

problems. Doctors looked at his blood and he seems to have too much

of this element, bromide. OK, so it has been removed? There is a problem

with it in the European Union anyway, isn't there? What is

Coca-Cola doing? In the EU they tell people not to put this product into

the drinks. In the USA, regulators say they can put some in that they

set a limit how much. It is really not clear whether there is a health

risk. People say this is a safe product. But has research being done

into smaller amounts of use? Yes. It has been in the strings for years

and lots of us drink these strings and is very little evidence. Pepsi

have agreed to move it as well. Yes, it is more of a commercial thing

because it is damaging commercially. Why has it taken Coca-Cola so long

to act? You would have to ask them! They insist it is a safe thing to be

in there. They are now listening to their consumers. If anyone is

worried, what symptoms would they have to look out for? If you are

drinking four litres of any fizzy drink, particularly for sugar, I

would be more concerned about the sugar!

Yes, thank you. Thailand's Constitutional Court will

rule on Wednesday whether to dismiss the country's caretaker Prime

Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, for abuse of power. The court's been

hearing a case brought by a group of senators who say her party benefited

from the replacement of the head of national security. The hearing is

part of a wider political battle between the Thai Prime Minister and

her opponents who are said to want to force her from office.

A small plane has to force her from office.

house in Northglenn in the US state of Colorado setting the plane and

house on fire. Despite the severity of the crash, the pilot walked away

unharmed. Authorities say of the crash, the pilot walked away

home at the time. The plane is almost upside down and most of it

can be seen through the second-story roof of the home. Extraordinary.

Every year tens of thousands of West African migrants, hoping for a

better life in Europe, attempt the perilous journey across the Sahara

to the North coast of Africa. Many migrants begin their journeys

northwards in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world on

the edge of the desert. One difficult and dangerous route takes

them through Algeria, on the way to the Mediterranean Sea and Europe

beyond. But some die of thirst along the way. Another route goes through

Libya but there are stories of migrants being kidnapped by militia.

Our West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy travelled to Niger to

Our West Africa correspondent Thomas some of those preparing to undertake

the journey towards Europe. This is where the promise of

the journey towards Europe. This is starts. Agadez.

the journey towards Europe. This is secretive. The gateway to the Sahara

and home to smugglers of all kinds. Behind these closed doors lies a

brutal reality. This is nothing like Behind these closed doors lies a

Vivian inspected. She left Nigeria with big dreams. Instead she is

Vivian inspected. She left Nigeria selling herself to men, desperate to

reach Europe. We see men and that is how we make our money. I am not

happy. There is nowhere to go, no job. You thought this was the only

solution for you to make money? Yes. What would you like to do? I would

like to be a nurse. Money is what they hope to find in Europe but it

is what they need now. They are they hope to find in Europe but it

queueing at the bank to cash in whatever they have left and the

little help their family may have sent. In the migration business,

people are just another commodity. This man is snuggling up to 300

people every month. -- smuggling. We charge $500 for the ride to Libya

but you must count another 300 so we can bribe the police at the

checkpoints. We can give them credit but that means they will end up

paying double on arrival. So this visit. The long road through the

Sahara begins here. This track will soon disappear under the heavy sand

dunes. This is probably the most extreme journey that African

migrants will ever undertake. You either it or you don't but there is

no going back. -- make it. The punishing sun is deadly and Libya

will offer no respite. West African migrants have told us about being

kidnapped by militia men, sold to the police and thrown in jail for up

to six months. They were beaten and starved, deported but left with

nothing. They are now going home. They are crying that they will never

see their parents again. One was in the front line beside me telling me

about his brother. He said he would never see his mother again. I said

don't cry. God is so kind and we will make it. The risks involved in

this grim journey North are no deterrent. Thousands of African

migrants will continue to transit here every year, without jobs,

without prospects. Nothing will stop this perilous exodus.

Just time before we go, to bring you some weather news with a slightly

surreal flavour. Residents of a village on the West

coast of Sri Lanka, woke to find it had been raining fish. They fell

from the sky in their hundreds after strong winds and heavy rain actually

lifted the fish from a nearby river and carried them to the village.

They managed to collect about 50 kilos from the roadside. Chilaw's

main industry is - you've guessed it - fishing.

Our top story today: The search goes on for the missing 200 schoolgirls

in Nigeria. Goodbyes for today. Ted, I... I'm not interested in

coming to see Lady Gaga, sir.