:00:00. > :00:17.Hello. Our top stories... President Putin praises the strengths of
:00:18. > :00:22.Russia 's patriotism at the annual victory parade in Moscow. Ukrainian
:00:23. > :00:25.troops are involved in an operation to reassert control over the eastern
:00:26. > :00:33.city of Mariupol. Clashes with pro-Russian separatists are
:00:34. > :00:36.reported. In Nigeria, desperate parents demand urgent government
:00:37. > :00:46.action as an American team joins the hunt for 200 abducted schoolgirls.
:00:47. > :00:48.And as new political campaign rules are enforced, is the writing on the
:00:49. > :01:09.wall for election graffiti in India? Hello. Thank you for being with us.
:01:10. > :01:11.Ninth May 1945, the day the Soviet Union announced Nazi Germany had
:01:12. > :01:16.surrendered, ending their Great Patriotic War. Today, ninth May,
:01:17. > :01:22.Russians have been holding their annual Victory Day parades. An
:01:23. > :01:25.elaborate procession in Moscow's Red Square, 11,000 servicemen
:01:26. > :01:27.accompanied by an array of tanks, rocket launchers and aircraft all
:01:28. > :01:42.proudly projecting an image of Russia as a Military might.
:01:43. > :01:48.-- military mite. But today's parade comes amid a surge of patriotism
:01:49. > :01:51.kindled by its annexation of Crimea in March. The Russian President,
:01:52. > :01:59.Vladimir Putin, made a speech praising the virtues of nationalism
:02:00. > :02:06.and public spirit. TRANSLATION: It has been 69 years
:02:07. > :02:13.since the great patriotic War ended. The 9th of May was, it is, and will
:02:14. > :02:18.be our main holiday. It is a day of national triumph, a day of sorrow
:02:19. > :02:22.and determined memory. It is a holiday when an all conquering force
:02:23. > :02:27.of patriotism and triumphs. When all of us feel what it is to be loyal to
:02:28. > :02:36.the motherland and how important it is to be able to defend its
:02:37. > :02:39.interests. We have also had reports from eastern Ukraine to suggest
:02:40. > :02:49.Ukrainian troops are involved in an operation to reassert control over
:02:50. > :02:55.the city of Mariupol. Pro-Russian activists have occupied the city
:02:56. > :03:00.council buildings over the past few days. There have been pictures of
:03:01. > :03:07.Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers in Mariupol where there is
:03:08. > :03:13.supposed to be a referendum on self-determination on Sunday. Let's
:03:14. > :03:19.get more on all of this. In terms of Mariupol, do you know any more? What
:03:20. > :03:27.we can get is very sketchy. Our teams are now on the way to
:03:28. > :03:31.Mariupol. BBC news-gathering teams are there. What we know is that
:03:32. > :03:37.appears to be an attempt to take over the local police station. There
:03:38. > :03:46.was some kind of shoot out. Ukrainian Arma produced quite a
:03:47. > :03:50.spectacular display. They moved away all the traffic. Shots were fired.
:03:51. > :03:56.They proudly displayed Ukrainian flags. Some locals were throwing
:03:57. > :04:01.bottles at the armoured personnel carriers. This is as much as we know
:04:02. > :04:06.at the moment. There are also reports of some people being killed
:04:07. > :04:13.but they cannot be verified. Local website says up to four may be
:04:14. > :04:21.killed. In a way, the Victory capital letter day offers that on
:04:22. > :04:28.both sides. This is a commemoration for everyone across the former
:04:29. > :04:39.Soviet Union. There was a parade in honour of the veterans. There was a
:04:40. > :04:44.concert and speeches. This is a shared memory, a shared tragedy and
:04:45. > :04:49.a shed holiday for people across the former Soviet Union. The situation
:04:50. > :04:55.now is so different from what happened last year. There was
:04:56. > :05:00.animosity growing, anger and this anger spilled into these kinds of
:05:01. > :05:04.very violent incidents. We heard a little bit from President Putin
:05:05. > :05:10.talking about patriotism and the honour of the country. If he decides
:05:11. > :05:16.to go to Crimea, what sort of effect might that have? If he decides,
:05:17. > :05:21.there are reports that probably he had second thoughts but only he
:05:22. > :05:25.knows. If he decides, certainly this will be the great irritant to the
:05:26. > :05:31.Ukrainian authorities will be welcomed by people in the Crimea. It
:05:32. > :05:43.certainly will not be a step in the the situation. -- the escalating the
:05:44. > :05:47.situation. A specialist American team will begin work in Nigeria to
:05:48. > :05:56.try to track down the missing schoolgirls. At least 200 of them
:05:57. > :05:59.have been abducted by Boko Haram. Intelligence analysts and military
:06:00. > :06:02.personnel will try to work out what's happened to the girls, since
:06:03. > :06:05.they were kidnapped at gunpoint during their end of year exams.
:06:06. > :06:09.Earlier, the BBC heard from the former British Prime Minister Gordon
:06:10. > :06:12.Brown who's in Abuja for the World Economic Forum. He is working on a
:06:13. > :06:18.safe schools initiative to protect girls going to school in the north
:06:19. > :06:21.of the country. This civil rights struggle that girls themselves are
:06:22. > :06:25.willing to wage for their right to education is not going to be
:06:26. > :06:33.deterred again by Boko Haram. It is a small, extreme terrorist group
:06:34. > :06:36.with a very perverted view of its religious faith. I believe the
:06:37. > :06:41.population of Nigeria will now stand up and be counted against them. It
:06:42. > :06:45.is when people realise they are a small group and the damage they are
:06:46. > :06:50.inflicting can be counteracted and we can put resources into make
:06:51. > :06:56.schools safer that things. To turn. This has been a wake-up call, as
:06:57. > :07:05.well as a terrible tragedy. Action will follow. I am determined that we
:07:06. > :07:09.can coordinate these activities. I asked the BBC's Tomi Oladipo what he
:07:10. > :07:21.made of the President saying that this will mark the end of terrorism
:07:22. > :07:28.in Nigeria. I suppose the president is making the point that if Nigeria
:07:29. > :07:32.works with other world powers to chase after these insurgents and go
:07:33. > :07:36.after the girls, to rescue them, that can make some significant
:07:37. > :07:42.progress in this war against Boko Haram. Obviously, he has admitted
:07:43. > :07:46.that the Government faces significant challenges so far in its
:07:47. > :07:51.war. It needs all the support it can get really to continue. It has some
:07:52. > :07:56.support clearly from people who know how to manage things. Give us a
:07:57. > :08:03.sense as to the territory they are having to step into. It is massive
:08:04. > :08:10.territory. North-eastern Nigeria is three states. These areas are part
:08:11. > :08:14.scrub, forest area as well, where these girls could be. The Nigerian
:08:15. > :08:19.military has been in this area. There has been a state of emergency
:08:20. > :08:24.in this whole region. So far, this has not brought much, even with the
:08:25. > :08:28.deployment of the Nigerian army. There has been a Nigerian special
:08:29. > :08:32.operation there for almost a year. That has not yielded much fruit.
:08:33. > :08:37.That is why the foreign support coming in will be able to help with
:08:38. > :08:45.extra surveillance and gathering any further intelligence they can use to
:08:46. > :08:50.find these girls. That is the point a lot of people beyond Nigeria will
:08:51. > :08:54.be wondering. What have they got in terms of extra resource that the
:08:55. > :08:59.Nigerian military, with all its knowledge, and frankly some
:09:00. > :09:04.considerable resources itself, has not got? That is a very good
:09:05. > :09:09.question in the sense that this year Nigeria is spending probably more
:09:10. > :09:14.than it has ever spent but it has not achieved much. There has to be a
:09:15. > :09:19.breakdown within the military. How is this money being spent? Soldiers
:09:20. > :09:24.on the ground have talked about being underequipped. Could it be an
:09:25. > :09:29.issue with the management? Looking at technology Nigeria, they might
:09:30. > :09:34.not have the technology they need to survey the area properly. That is
:09:35. > :09:37.where world powers like the US would come in. It is very important to be
:09:38. > :09:44.able to survey the area. There is the issue of crossing the borders as
:09:45. > :09:49.well. Cameroon is on one side and Chad as well. Those countries, to be
:09:50. > :09:57.able to guard and help the third on that side. Let's get some other news
:09:58. > :10:02.for you. The President of South Sudan has arrived in Ethiopian for
:10:03. > :10:08.talks which it will hope -- it is hoped will bring an end to the civil
:10:09. > :10:11.war in South Sudan. He's expected to hold a face-to-face meeting with the
:10:12. > :10:14.rebel leader Riek Machar, who's also his former deputy. Thousands of
:10:15. > :10:17.people have died in almost five months of fighting. The United
:10:18. > :10:23.Nations accuses both sides of committing crimes against humanity
:10:24. > :10:26.including rape and murder. The ruling African National Congress is
:10:27. > :10:29.heading for a victory in South Africa's general election. With most
:10:30. > :10:32.votes counted, it's currently running at just under 63% of the
:10:33. > :10:43.vote, well ahead of its closest rival, the Democratic Alliance. The
:10:44. > :10:49.ANC says people are very much reminded of its role in defeating
:10:50. > :10:52.apartheid. A construction worker has been killed in an accident
:10:53. > :10:55.apartheid. A construction worker has the football stadiums which is due
:10:56. > :10:58.to host the next month's world cup in Brazil. The 32-year-old man
:10:59. > :11:02.suffered an electric shock as he was working on the unfinished venue in
:11:03. > :11:07.the city of Cuiaba. A total of eight people have now died during building
:11:08. > :11:11.work for the World Cup. A former Prime Minister working in an old
:11:12. > :11:16.peoples home. That sounds mighty but it is what is happening in one care
:11:17. > :11:20.home enough in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian premier,
:11:21. > :11:27.is beginning a gay of community service after he was found guilty of
:11:28. > :11:33.tax fraud. -- a year of community service. He is 77 himself and was
:11:34. > :11:38.spared prison because the Italian legal system is lenient to those
:11:39. > :11:41.over the age of 70. Our correspondent in Rome has been
:11:42. > :11:45.trying to find out just what the former Prime Minister will be
:11:46. > :11:51.expected to do. We do not really know what he had to do. He has a
:11:52. > :11:57.tutor following him around. He will do, we understand from the head of
:11:58. > :12:02.this care home, menial tasks. The directors said it is not going to be
:12:03. > :12:11.a fun job. I do not know what is meant by that. There is speculation
:12:12. > :12:17.that Silvio Berlusconi is classed as an entertainer. He is the owner of
:12:18. > :12:22.three main commercial television channels in this country. He might
:12:23. > :12:26.entertain the people in this care home. It is run by the Catholic
:12:27. > :12:33.church and it is quite a big facility. There are a large number
:12:34. > :12:39.of patients. They are very keen, in this care home, not to give any
:12:40. > :12:43.gratuitous publicity to Silvio Berlusconi for his own political
:12:44. > :12:49.purposes. Notwithstanding the fact that he has been found guilty of tax
:12:50. > :12:53.fraud and he certainly has this sentence of community service. He is
:12:54. > :13:00.still a player on the political scene. In fact, he is going to
:13:01. > :13:06.campaign quite vigorously in the forthcoming European elections later
:13:07. > :13:10.this month. Do stay with us. Plenty more still to come, including the
:13:11. > :13:15.defence case in the Oscar bid stories murder trial. We will have
:13:16. > :13:22.an update from Pretoria. -- Oscar Pistorius. This Saturday night sees
:13:23. > :13:27.the final of the Eurovision Song contest with up to 180 million
:13:28. > :13:30.viewers expected to watch as it is broadcast live throughout Europe.
:13:31. > :13:41.Over the years, the contest has grown so large that hosting it has
:13:42. > :13:44.become a logistical headache. There was a national competition to
:13:45. > :13:50.see which city would host the Eurovision Song Contest this year,
:13:51. > :13:54.and Copenhagen won partly because it was the only place with a large
:13:55. > :14:05.enough international airport. The airport is expecting 10,000 extra
:14:06. > :14:11.passengers. The Eurovision extravaganza itself lasts over two
:14:12. > :14:14.weeks, with conferences, rehearsals and semifinals. In between, there
:14:15. > :14:21.needs to be something for people to do. So, across Eurovision, the host
:14:22. > :14:25.city of Copenhagen is putting on more than 183 events for people to
:14:26. > :14:31.enjoy, from concerts to art performances. The most important
:14:32. > :14:35.thing for any contest is of course the venue. And this year, the Danes
:14:36. > :14:44.have chosen somewhere very special indeed. The location - a disused
:14:45. > :14:51.shipyard which has been converted into a purpose-built venue for the
:14:52. > :14:54.show. On the night itself, more than 100 million people are expected to
:14:55. > :14:57.tune in worldwide, and they are also going to be producing more than
:14:58. > :15:02.seven hours' worth of live television. So, the venue itself has
:15:03. > :15:06.to be big enough to house the 10,000 or so fans and spectators. To give
:15:07. > :15:10.you an idea, there have been more than 550 people working day and
:15:11. > :15:13.night to make this happen. All that is left is to make sure the stage is
:15:14. > :15:27.spotless for the big night. You are watching BBC World News. Our
:15:28. > :15:31.main headlines... President Putin has praised the strength of
:15:32. > :15:38.Russia's patriotism at the annual military victory parade in red
:15:39. > :15:41.Square in Moscow. Americans Secretary of State on Kerry says a
:15:42. > :15:47.specialist American team is in Nigeria to help trace 200
:15:48. > :15:51.schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram. Police in Thailand have been firing
:15:52. > :15:53.tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of anti-government
:15:54. > :15:57.demonstrators on the streets of the capital, Bangkok. The group was
:15:58. > :16:03.trying to force its way into a government security command centre.
:16:04. > :16:06.The incident came as thousands of protestors marched through Bangkok
:16:07. > :16:09.calling for the removal of the interim government two days after
:16:10. > :16:11.the Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and nine cabinet members
:16:12. > :16:18.were removed from office. The Constitutional Court had found them
:16:19. > :16:22.guilty of abuse of power. Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius are calling
:16:23. > :16:25.witnesses for the defence in his trial for murder. He is accused of
:16:26. > :16:29.intentionally killing his ill friend, Reeva Steenkamp, on
:16:30. > :16:34.Valentine's Day last year. He has always said he shot her by accident.
:16:35. > :16:39.The BBC's Milton Nkosi is watching the case in Pretoria. Today is the
:16:40. > :16:46.29th day of the murder trial. The court has been listening to a
:16:47. > :16:50.ballistics expert brought in by the defence to try and counter the
:16:51. > :17:01.version which was given earlier by the state's ballistic expert. Two
:17:02. > :17:04.days expert has been explaining the position in which the bullet and the
:17:05. > :17:10.ricochet may have hit Reeva Steenkamp, or how it hit her, while
:17:11. > :17:16.she was in that small toilet, when Oscar Pistorius fired those shots on
:17:17. > :17:22.Valentine's Day 2013. He said that Reeva Steenkamp had already fallen
:17:23. > :17:32.by the time she was hit in the head by the second bullet. So, we are now
:17:33. > :17:38.really into intricate fragments of bullets and ballistic details which
:17:39. > :17:41.are coming out. The experts said that Reeva Steenkamp was probably in
:17:42. > :17:51.a huddled position when the bullet hit her. But as far as the expert is
:17:52. > :17:55.concerned today, she had already fallen or was falling. Now, they are
:17:56. > :18:01.talking about the cricket bat sound sounding like a gunshot. Cross
:18:02. > :18:04.examination is just about to begin, but Mr Nel has asked for a brief
:18:05. > :18:08.adjournment to reconstruct something in the court, to make it easier for
:18:09. > :18:14.the cross examination. We are just getting a bit of breaking news with
:18:15. > :18:17.regard to President Putin. It is Victory Day for the former Soviet
:18:18. > :18:22.Union countries, and President Putin, we understand from Reuters,
:18:23. > :18:28.has just landed in Crimea. Of course, Crimea, annexed from Ukraine
:18:29. > :18:33.only in March. So, a significant statement if he is now in Crimea.
:18:34. > :18:37.There was talk that he would go, then suggestions that he wouldn't,
:18:38. > :18:38.but it now appears, according to Reuters, that he has landed in
:18:39. > :18:49.Crimea. Scientists say the search for new
:18:50. > :18:53.medicines is moving deep underwater. They're hoping that closer study of
:18:54. > :18:55.marine life will help them develop the next generation of drugs to
:18:56. > :18:58.treat anything from common infections to cancer. But there's a
:18:59. > :19:02.warning that their research could be hampered by a lack of rain in
:19:03. > :19:09.international waters. Our science correspondent Rebecca Morelle has
:19:10. > :19:16.been to Scotland to find out more. Around the beautiful coastline of
:19:17. > :19:19.Scotland, a hunt is under way. It is here that scientists are pinning
:19:20. > :19:24.their hopes on finding the next generation of life-saving drugs. By
:19:25. > :19:29.studying creatures like this starfish, scientists hope to
:19:30. > :19:34.identify new chemicals and gene sequences which could lead to
:19:35. > :19:37.treatments for anything from infections to cancer. Researchers
:19:38. > :19:41.say we are in desperate need of new drugs, and the potential of the
:19:42. > :19:45.ocean could spark a medical gold rush. Historically, this is not a
:19:46. > :19:49.place that people have looked, they have not exploited it. There is a
:19:50. > :19:54.whole raft of new technologies which are allowing people to screen more
:19:55. > :19:57.methodically, and of course, a political will. We are looking at
:19:58. > :20:04.how we can exploit other parts of the planet, how we can produce new
:20:05. > :20:08.industries, new technologies. There is a lot of energy and resources
:20:09. > :20:12.going into this new area, which is partly because in coastal areas like
:20:13. > :20:17.this, there are clearly defined laws about how scientists can exploit the
:20:18. > :20:21.riches of the sea. But out there, in deeper waters, it is a different
:20:22. > :20:25.story. Home to an extraordinary array of creatures and plants,
:20:26. > :20:31.international waters are governed by the UN's law of the sea. This
:20:32. > :20:35.regulates activities such as mineral attraction, but it does not cover
:20:36. > :20:41.the hunt for new medicines. The worry is that without rain, these
:20:42. > :20:46.fragile habitats could be experts say the lack of clear laws could
:20:47. > :20:49.cause other problems, too. It is important for companies to have
:20:50. > :20:53.legal clarity when they are working in open waters, because they are
:20:54. > :21:00.making a huge investment. If they do not have legal certainty, then they
:21:01. > :21:04.will potentially lose the right to produce that drug, which is not
:21:05. > :21:09.acceptable to them. In my opinion, that would potentially put a lot of
:21:10. > :21:13.companies off investing a double for now, at least, back on the shore,
:21:14. > :21:16.research carries on, harvesting seaweed for its wound healing
:21:17. > :21:21.properties. But it is early days - bringing a new drug to market can
:21:22. > :21:26.take 15 years and cost about $2 billion. This, though, would be a
:21:27. > :21:27.drop in the ocean if this new frontier in medical research lives
:21:28. > :21:34.up to its promise. A long running tradition of election
:21:35. > :21:38.graffiti in India - often colourful and witty - may be on the verge of
:21:39. > :21:42.dying out. New laws are making it harder for artists and campaigners
:21:43. > :21:45.to express themselves. Next week is the final stage of voting in India's
:21:46. > :21:49.five-week-long general election, when west Bengal will go to the
:21:50. > :21:51.polls. Rahul Tandon is in Calcutta, to see how street art there has been
:21:52. > :22:02.affected. Here on the
:22:03. > :22:06.Calcutta, even the walls are used as campaigning tools. Political parties
:22:07. > :22:07.Calcutta, even the walls are used as hire artists to paint their symbols
:22:08. > :22:12.on every inch of space. Well, hire artists to paint their symbols
:22:13. > :22:15.is what normally happens. But this year, the election commission has
:22:16. > :22:19.told the parties they can only paint on walls if they have the permission
:22:20. > :22:24.of the owner. There have already been more than 10,000 complaints
:22:25. > :22:27.about political graffiti. Mange it teaches people how to fall in love
:22:28. > :22:34.with this city. There is not so much of it this year? Yes, it is much
:22:35. > :22:38.less this year. It is something which the election commission and
:22:39. > :22:45.the High Court have said, that unless you have the express
:22:46. > :22:53.permission of the owner of the wall, you cannot use it. It is funny,
:22:54. > :23:02.though, isn't it? Yes! But much of it is very functional now, isn't it?
:23:03. > :23:10.Yes, the witty aspect, the Kenya naked aspect of it, has gone. -- the
:23:11. > :23:14.opinionated aspect. They do it by symbols, rather than names of
:23:15. > :23:19.people, because people cannot read and write? Yes, it is a constant
:23:20. > :23:28.reminder of the symbol which they want to impress in people's minds.
:23:29. > :23:32.So, the wit and humour has gone, but there is the leader of the
:23:33. > :23:36.Communists, they seem like they are about to become a thing of the past,
:23:37. > :23:41.is that going to happen to political graffiti as well in this high-tech
:23:42. > :23:45.world? It seems like it will just be a secondary media, just propping up
:23:46. > :23:51.these mega campaigns all over cyberspace. And the Indian Prime
:23:52. > :23:56.Minister, he is going to be stepping down irrespective of the result of
:23:57. > :23:59.this election - it looks like political graffiti will also
:24:00. > :24:05.disappear from the walls of this city. You had better get here soon
:24:06. > :24:07.if you want to see some of it. Now, to bring you some more on the
:24:08. > :24:12.situation regarding Russia and Victory Day. We have just heard
:24:13. > :24:16.about President Putin having landed in Crimea. Victory Day is a big
:24:17. > :24:21.event not just in Russia, because tens of thousands of ethnic Russians
:24:22. > :24:24.have been taking part in commemorations in the Latvian
:24:25. > :24:30.capital, Riga. Tension is pretty high this year. It is also Europe
:24:31. > :24:35.day today. There could be counter demonstrations in favour of the EU
:24:36. > :24:38.on the streets as well. They are getting ready for the
:24:39. > :24:42.festivities here. This is the victory Monument in Riga, where,
:24:43. > :24:47.every year, tens of thousands of people come to remember the summit
:24:48. > :24:54.union's defeat of Nazi Germany. Most of the people who come here are
:24:55. > :24:58.Russian. -- the Soviet Union. About 25% of Latvia's population are
:24:59. > :25:03.ethnic Russian, about 40% speak Russian as their mother tongue. Many
:25:04. > :25:06.of them, not all, support what Vladimir Putin has done in Crimea
:25:07. > :25:09.and what Russia is doing in eastern Ukraine. At that does not
:25:10. > :25:13.necessarily mean they want the same thing to happen here. The government
:25:14. > :25:18.is nervous about Russia trying to destabilise Latvia. It has spoken
:25:19. > :25:22.about provocative as being in the country, and one pro-Russian group
:25:23. > :25:26.has been banned. I have been speaking to the Prime Minister, in
:25:27. > :25:29.her office behind me. She played down the threat from Moscow but
:25:30. > :25:33.admitted there are people who celebrate the fact that Latvia used
:25:34. > :25:38.to be part of the Soviet Union as a good thing. Some of them, yes, but
:25:39. > :25:51.in general, I believe that Russians who live here, they belong to the
:25:52. > :25:55.Latvian state. They are maybe not Latvians, but they are Russian
:25:56. > :26:02.people in Latvia. If there would be a referendum, I believe that they
:26:03. > :26:07.will vote for independence Latvia. Another monument, this one
:26:08. > :26:13.commemorating Latvian independence. In the modern context, the big
:26:14. > :26:18.events is this - Latvia, like its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania,
:26:19. > :26:22.unlike Ukraine, is a member of the EU, and more importantly, in
:26:23. > :26:25.security terms, a member of NATO. Troops from the United States,
:26:26. > :26:28.Britain and other NATO countries have
:26:29. > :26:31.Britain and other NATO countries states. And in these uncertain
:26:32. > :26:38.times, they see that here as the best guarantee they can get.
:26:39. > :26:42.I just want to bring you up-to-date on our other main story, the
:26:43. > :26:46.situation in Nigeria. American intelligence officials have gone in
:26:47. > :26:52.to help the search for the girls there. We are now hearing that UK
:26:53. > :26:56.experts have also touched down in Abuja, and will be working closely
:26:57. > :26:58.with the Americans. That is the very state latest news here on BBC World
:26:59. > :27:01.News.