09/05/2014 BBC World News

Hello. Our top stories... President Putin praises the strengths of

Russia 's patriotism at the annual victory parade in Moscow. Ukrainian

troops are involved in an operation to reassert control over the eastern

city of Mariupol. Clashes with pro-Russian separatists are

reported. In Nigeria, desperate parents demand urgent government

action as an American team joins the hunt for 200 abducted schoolgirls.

And as new political campaign rules are enforced, is the writing on the

wall for election graffiti in India? Hello. Thank you for being with us.

Ninth May 1945, the day the Soviet Union announced Nazi Germany had

surrendered, ending their Great Patriotic War. Today, ninth May,

Russians have been holding their annual Victory Day parades. An

elaborate procession in Moscow's Red Square, 11,000 servicemen

accompanied by an array of tanks, rocket launchers and aircraft all

proudly projecting an image of Russia as a Military might.

-- military mite. But today's parade comes amid a surge of patriotism

kindled by its annexation of Crimea in March. The Russian President,

Vladimir Putin, made a speech praising the virtues of nationalism

and public spirit. TRANSLATION: It has been 69 years

since the great patriotic War ended. The 9th of May was, it is, and will

be our main holiday. It is a day of national triumph, a day of sorrow

and determined memory. It is a holiday when an all conquering force

of patriotism and triumphs. When all of us feel what it is to be loyal to

the motherland and how important it is to be able to defend its

interests. We have also had reports from eastern Ukraine to suggest

Ukrainian troops are involved in an operation to reassert control over

the city of Mariupol. Pro-Russian activists have occupied the city

council buildings over the past few days. There have been pictures of

Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers in Mariupol where there is

supposed to be a referendum on self-determination on Sunday. Let's

get more on all of this. In terms of Mariupol, do you know any more? What

we can get is very sketchy. Our teams are now on the way to

Mariupol. BBC news-gathering teams are there. What we know is that

appears to be an attempt to take over the local police station. There

was some kind of shoot out. Ukrainian Arma produced quite a

spectacular display. They moved away all the traffic. Shots were fired.

They proudly displayed Ukrainian flags. Some locals were throwing

bottles at the armoured personnel carriers. This is as much as we know

at the moment. There are also reports of some people being killed

but they cannot be verified. Local website says up to four may be

killed. In a way, the Victory capital letter day offers that on

both sides. This is a commemoration for everyone across the former

Soviet Union. There was a parade in honour of the veterans. There was a

concert and speeches. This is a shared memory, a shared tragedy and

a shed holiday for people across the former Soviet Union. The situation

now is so different from what happened last year. There was

animosity growing, anger and this anger spilled into these kinds of

very violent incidents. We heard a little bit from President Putin

talking about patriotism and the honour of the country. If he decides

to go to Crimea, what sort of effect might that have? If he decides,

there are reports that probably he had second thoughts but only he

knows. If he decides, certainly this will be the great irritant to the

Ukrainian authorities will be welcomed by people in the Crimea. It

certainly will not be a step in the the situation. -- the escalating the

situation. A specialist American team will begin work in Nigeria to

try to track down the missing schoolgirls. At least 200 of them

have been abducted by Boko Haram. Intelligence analysts and military

personnel will try to work out what's happened to the girls, since

they were kidnapped at gunpoint during their end of year exams.

Earlier, the BBC heard from the former British Prime Minister Gordon

Brown who's in Abuja for the World Economic Forum. He is working on a

safe schools initiative to protect girls going to school in the north

of the country. This civil rights struggle that girls themselves are

willing to wage for their right to education is not going to be

deterred again by Boko Haram. It is a small, extreme terrorist group

with a very perverted view of its religious faith. I believe the

population of Nigeria will now stand up and be counted against them. It

is when people realise they are a small group and the damage they are

inflicting can be counteracted and we can put resources into make

schools safer that things. To turn. This has been a wake-up call, as

well as a terrible tragedy. Action will follow. I am determined that we

can coordinate these activities. I asked the BBC's Tomi Oladipo what he

made of the President saying that this will mark the end of terrorism

in Nigeria. I suppose the president is making the point that if Nigeria

works with other world powers to chase after these insurgents and go

after the girls, to rescue them, that can make some significant

progress in this war against Boko Haram. Obviously, he has admitted

that the Government faces significant challenges so far in its

war. It needs all the support it can get really to continue. It has some

support clearly from people who know how to manage things. Give us a

sense as to the territory they are having to step into. It is massive

territory. North-eastern Nigeria is three states. These areas are part

scrub, forest area as well, where these girls could be. The Nigerian

military has been in this area. There has been a state of emergency

in this whole region. So far, this has not brought much, even with the

deployment of the Nigerian army. There has been a Nigerian special

operation there for almost a year. That has not yielded much fruit.

That is why the foreign support coming in will be able to help with

extra surveillance and gathering any further intelligence they can use to

find these girls. That is the point a lot of people beyond Nigeria will

be wondering. What have they got in terms of extra resource that the

Nigerian military, with all its knowledge, and frankly some

considerable resources itself, has not got? That is a very good

question in the sense that this year Nigeria is spending probably more

than it has ever spent but it has not achieved much. There has to be a

breakdown within the military. How is this money being spent? Soldiers

on the ground have talked about being underequipped. Could it be an

issue with the management? Looking at technology Nigeria, they might

not have the technology they need to survey the area properly. That is

where world powers like the US would come in. It is very important to be

able to survey the area. There is the issue of crossing the borders as

well. Cameroon is on one side and Chad as well. Those countries, to be

able to guard and help the third on that side. Let's get some other news

for you. The President of South Sudan has arrived in Ethiopian for

talks which it will hope -- it is hoped will bring an end to the civil

war in South Sudan. He's expected to hold a face-to-face meeting with the

rebel leader Riek Machar, who's also his former deputy. Thousands of

people have died in almost five months of fighting. The United

Nations accuses both sides of committing crimes against humanity

including rape and murder. The ruling African National Congress is

heading for a victory in South Africa's general election. With most

votes counted, it's currently running at just under 63% of the

vote, well ahead of its closest rival, the Democratic Alliance. The

ANC says people are very much reminded of its role in defeating

apartheid. A construction worker has been killed in an accident

apartheid. A construction worker has the football stadiums which is due

to host the next month's world cup in Brazil. The 32-year-old man

suffered an electric shock as he was working on the unfinished venue in

the city of Cuiaba. A total of eight people have now died during building

work for the World Cup. A former Prime Minister working in an old

peoples home. That sounds mighty but it is what is happening in one care

home enough in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian premier,

is beginning a gay of community service after he was found guilty of

tax fraud. -- a year of community service. He is 77 himself and was

spared prison because the Italian legal system is lenient to those

over the age of 70. Our correspondent in Rome has been

trying to find out just what the former Prime Minister will be

expected to do. We do not really know what he had to do. He has a

tutor following him around. He will do, we understand from the head of

this care home, menial tasks. The directors said it is not going to be

a fun job. I do not know what is meant by that. There is speculation

that Silvio Berlusconi is classed as an entertainer. He is the owner of

three main commercial television channels in this country. He might

entertain the people in this care home. It is run by the Catholic

church and it is quite a big facility. There are a large number

of patients. They are very keen, in this care home, not to give any

gratuitous publicity to Silvio Berlusconi for his own political

purposes. Notwithstanding the fact that he has been found guilty of tax

fraud and he certainly has this sentence of community service. He is

still a player on the political scene. In fact, he is going to

campaign quite vigorously in the forthcoming European elections later

this month. Do stay with us. Plenty more still to come, including the

defence case in the Oscar bid stories murder trial. We will have

an update from Pretoria. -- Oscar Pistorius. This Saturday night sees

the final of the Eurovision Song contest with up to 180 million

viewers expected to watch as it is broadcast live throughout Europe.

Over the years, the contest has grown so large that hosting it has

become a logistical headache. There was a national competition to

see which city would host the Eurovision Song Contest this year,

and Copenhagen won partly because it was the only place with a large

enough international airport. The airport is expecting 10,000 extra

passengers. The Eurovision extravaganza itself lasts over two

weeks, with conferences, rehearsals and semifinals. In between, there

needs to be something for people to do. So, across Eurovision, the host

city of Copenhagen is putting on more than 183 events for people to

enjoy, from concerts to art performances. The most important

thing for any contest is of course the venue. And this year, the Danes

have chosen somewhere very special indeed. The location - a disused

shipyard which has been converted into a purpose-built venue for the

show. On the night itself, more than 100 million people are expected to

tune in worldwide, and they are also going to be producing more than

seven hours' worth of live television. So, the venue itself has

to be big enough to house the 10,000 or so fans and spectators. To give

you an idea, there have been more than 550 people working day and

night to make this happen. All that is left is to make sure the stage is

spotless for the big night. You are watching BBC World News. Our

main headlines... President Putin has praised the strength of

Russia's patriotism at the annual military victory parade in red

Square in Moscow. Americans Secretary of State on Kerry says a

specialist American team is in Nigeria to help trace 200

schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram. Police in Thailand have been firing

tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of anti-government

demonstrators on the streets of the capital, Bangkok. The group was

trying to force its way into a government security command centre.

The incident came as thousands of protestors marched through Bangkok

calling for the removal of the interim government two days after

the Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and nine cabinet members

were removed from office. The Constitutional Court had found them

guilty of abuse of power. Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius are calling

witnesses for the defence in his trial for murder. He is accused of

intentionally killing his ill friend, Reeva Steenkamp, on

Valentine's Day last year. He has always said he shot her by accident.

The BBC's Milton Nkosi is watching the case in Pretoria. Today is the

29th day of the murder trial. The court has been listening to a

ballistics expert brought in by the defence to try and counter the

version which was given earlier by the state's ballistic expert. Two

days expert has been explaining the position in which the bullet and the

ricochet may have hit Reeva Steenkamp, or how it hit her, while

she was in that small toilet, when Oscar Pistorius fired those shots on

Valentine's Day 2013. He said that Reeva Steenkamp had already fallen

by the time she was hit in the head by the second bullet. So, we are now

really into intricate fragments of bullets and ballistic details which

are coming out. The experts said that Reeva Steenkamp was probably in

a huddled position when the bullet hit her. But as far as the expert is

concerned today, she had already fallen or was falling. Now, they are

talking about the cricket bat sound sounding like a gunshot. Cross

examination is just about to begin, but Mr Nel has asked for a brief

adjournment to reconstruct something in the court, to make it easier for

the cross examination. We are just getting a bit of breaking news with

regard to President Putin. It is Victory Day for the former Soviet

Union countries, and President Putin, we understand from Reuters,

has just landed in Crimea. Of course, Crimea, annexed from Ukraine

only in March. So, a significant statement if he is now in Crimea.

There was talk that he would go, then suggestions that he wouldn't,

but it now appears, according to Reuters, that he has landed in

Crimea. Scientists say the search for new

medicines is moving deep underwater. They're hoping that closer study of

marine life will help them develop the next generation of drugs to

treat anything from common infections to cancer. But there's a

warning that their research could be hampered by a lack of rain in

international waters. Our science correspondent Rebecca Morelle has

been to Scotland to find out more. Around the beautiful coastline of

Scotland, a hunt is under way. It is here that scientists are pinning

their hopes on finding the next generation of life-saving drugs. By

studying creatures like this starfish, scientists hope to

identify new chemicals and gene sequences which could lead to

treatments for anything from infections to cancer. Researchers

say we are in desperate need of new drugs, and the potential of the

ocean could spark a medical gold rush. Historically, this is not a

place that people have looked, they have not exploited it. There is a

whole raft of new technologies which are allowing people to screen more

methodically, and of course, a political will. We are looking at

how we can exploit other parts of the planet, how we can produce new

industries, new technologies. There is a lot of energy and resources

going into this new area, which is partly because in coastal areas like

this, there are clearly defined laws about how scientists can exploit the

riches of the sea. But out there, in deeper waters, it is a different

story. Home to an extraordinary array of creatures and plants,

international waters are governed by the UN's law of the sea. This

regulates activities such as mineral attraction, but it does not cover

the hunt for new medicines. The worry is that without rain, these

fragile habitats could be experts say the lack of clear laws could

cause other problems, too. It is important for companies to have

legal clarity when they are working in open waters, because they are

making a huge investment. If they do not have legal certainty, then they

will potentially lose the right to produce that drug, which is not

acceptable to them. In my opinion, that would potentially put a lot of

companies off investing a double for now, at least, back on the shore,

research carries on, harvesting seaweed for its wound healing

properties. But it is early days - bringing a new drug to market can

take 15 years and cost about $2 billion. This, though, would be a

drop in the ocean if this new frontier in medical research lives

up to its promise. A long running tradition of election

graffiti in India - often colourful and witty - may be on the verge of

dying out. New laws are making it harder for artists and campaigners

to express themselves. Next week is the final stage of voting in India's

five-week-long general election, when west Bengal will go to the

polls. Rahul Tandon is in Calcutta, to see how street art there has been

affected. Here on the

Calcutta, even the walls are used as campaigning tools. Political parties

Calcutta, even the walls are used as hire artists to paint their symbols

on every inch of space. Well, hire artists to paint their symbols

is what normally happens. But this year, the election commission has

told the parties they can only paint on walls if they have the permission

of the owner. There have already been more than 10,000 complaints

about political graffiti. Mange it teaches people how to fall in love

with this city. There is not so much of it this year? Yes, it is much

less this year. It is something which the election commission and

the High Court have said, that unless you have the express

permission of the owner of the wall, you cannot use it. It is funny,

though, isn't it? Yes! But much of it is very functional now, isn't it?

Yes, the witty aspect, the Kenya naked aspect of it, has gone. -- the

opinionated aspect. They do it by symbols, rather than names of

people, because people cannot read and write? Yes, it is a constant

reminder of the symbol which they want to impress in people's minds.

So, the wit and humour has gone, but there is the leader of the

Communists, they seem like they are about to become a thing of the past,

is that going to happen to political graffiti as well in this high-tech

world? It seems like it will just be a secondary media, just propping up

these mega campaigns all over cyberspace. And the Indian Prime

Minister, he is going to be stepping down irrespective of the result of

this election - it looks like political graffiti will also

disappear from the walls of this city. You had better get here soon

if you want to see some of it. Now, to bring you some more on the

situation regarding Russia and Victory Day. We have just heard

about President Putin having landed in Crimea. Victory Day is a big

event not just in Russia, because tens of thousands of ethnic Russians

have been taking part in commemorations in the Latvian

capital, Riga. Tension is pretty high this year. It is also Europe

day today. There could be counter demonstrations in favour of the EU

on the streets as well. They are getting ready for the

festivities here. This is the victory Monument in Riga, where,

every year, tens of thousands of people come to remember the summit

union's defeat of Nazi Germany. Most of the people who come here are

Russian. -- the Soviet Union. About 25% of Latvia's population are

ethnic Russian, about 40% speak Russian as their mother tongue. Many

of them, not all, support what Vladimir Putin has done in Crimea

and what Russia is doing in eastern Ukraine. At that does not

necessarily mean they want the same thing to happen here. The government

is nervous about Russia trying to destabilise Latvia. It has spoken

about provocative as being in the country, and one pro-Russian group

has been banned. I have been speaking to the Prime Minister, in

her office behind me. She played down the threat from Moscow but

admitted there are people who celebrate the fact that Latvia used

to be part of the Soviet Union as a good thing. Some of them, yes, but

in general, I believe that Russians who live here, they belong to the

Latvian state. They are maybe not Latvians, but they are Russian

people in Latvia. If there would be a referendum, I believe that they

will vote for independence Latvia. Another monument, this one

commemorating Latvian independence. In the modern context, the big

events is this - Latvia, like its neighbours Estonia and Lithuania,

unlike Ukraine, is a member of the EU, and more importantly, in

security terms, a member of NATO. Troops from the United States,

Britain and other NATO countries have

Britain and other NATO countries states. And in these uncertain

times, they see that here as the best guarantee they can get.

I just want to bring you up-to-date on our other main story, the

situation in Nigeria. American intelligence officials have gone in

to help the search for the girls there. We are now hearing that UK

experts have also touched down in Abuja, and will be working closely

with the Americans. That is the very state latest news here on BBC World

News.