16/05/2014 BBC World News

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

Supporters of India's opposition BJP celebrate, with early election

results pointing to a landslide victory.

TRANSLATION: Perhaps, after 1984, this is first time any political

party of this country has got a clear majority.

The man set to become India's new Prime Minister - Narendra Modi -

promises "good times ahead", as he's blessed by his elderly mother.

As mass funerals take place for the hundreds of victims of Turkey's

worst-ever industrial accident, the mine owner denies negligence.

TRANSLATION: This mine has the most advanced mining safety procedures. I

was very proud and happy with that up until now.

"India has won. Good times are ahead".

That Tweet from the man who's on course to be India's next

After ten years in power, India's governing Congress Party

has admitted defeat in the country's general elections.

The first results show the BJP has won 26 seats according to the

Rahul Gandhi's Congress Party has so far won just three seats.

But, if you look at the Commission's projections, you can see why people

are talking about a landslide victory.

The BJP is leading in another 255 seats - while

There's a carnival atmosphere at the BJP headquarters with party

supporters dancing in the streets and firecrackers going off.

The scale of the BJP's victory is truly gigantic in a country where no

party has managed to get a simple majority since the Congress party

in 1984. And it all centres around this man - Narendra Modi - who's

set to become India's 15th Prime Minister.

Final results for all 543 constituencies are expected around

12pm GMT - that's around 4.30pm Indian time.

551 million people cast their votes in the mammoth nine-phase general

election with a record turnout of 66%.

Sanjoy Majumder is outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

This is a record turnout, the highest ever in any Indian election,

which will always tell you the voters are angry. I travelled across

the country, starting from the north-east, down to the south, up to

the west and the north. It was interesting to see that in places

where the BJP never had a presence, West Bengal, they have voted in a

few BJP MPs today. That tells you about the fact that the people were

in the mood for a change. This was very much a Narendra Modi victory.

We have seen a campaign like no other this time. A US

presidential-style campaign, centred around one man who went ahead with a

massive campaign across the media. Many people thought it was a big

gamble for the BJP to take. They named him as their Prime Minister

last year, well before the elections were announced. Today, it's paid

off. He is set to become India's next Prime Minister.

Narendra Modi will become India's 15th Prime Minister.

He's risen through the ranks of India's main opposition party,

the Hindu Nationalist BJP, to run a self-confident campaign.

His first call today was to visit his mother in his home state of

Gujarat. He touched her feet in a traditional Hindu gesture when

Hindus seek the blessings of elders. Our correspondent Andrew North

travelled to his home state of Gujarat to assess what kind

of prime minister he might become. The man set to be India's new Prime

Minister on the campaign trail. It's been an even longer journey from

Narendra Modi's humble origins in the state of Gujarat. This is the

street in the small town where he was born. The original house

replaced now. This is still known as Modi area. There is

replaced now. This is still known as here who have the same family or

name. His younger brother remembers their days together. And the future

Prime Minister's temper. TRANSLATION: Narendra Modi loved

flying kites. I had to hold a spool of string but if I refused, he would

get angry and he would hit me. Then, I did what I was told. I think he

still loves me. REPORTER: Were you scared of your

brother? TRANSLATION: I'm still scared of

him, even today. REPORTER: Should India be scared of

him? TRANSLATION: Anyone who is concerned

for the wellbeing of the country has nothing to fear, only those who work

against the country need to be scared.

This is the small railway station where the young Narendra Modi used

to help his father selling cups of tea on the trains stopping here.

During his election campaign, he made a point of saying he had no

ties to his family today and had devoted himself instead to serving

his country, so his brother expects little from him now.

TRANSLATION: I wish he would help the next generation of our family.

I'm sure he won't. He won't even offer tea to someone without a

reason. Especially his family. It is one more way in which Mr Modi

represents a big depar comuR from tradition in India -- departure from

tradition in India. A man from the other side of the tracks will be

leading the world's largest democracy. Some say it is a gamble.

But many say he is India's best hopes. -- hope.

The party has transcended all casts, and creeds. Also interestingly

warning some members of the BJP saying we must not lose our self

discipline and they must not use any words that are provocative or

controversial. A short time ago, my colleague got reaction to the

election from the two main parties. She spoke with Priyanka Chaturvedi,

a Congress party spokeswoman and firstly heard from a BJP Member

of the Upper House of Parliament, This is a positive mandate. What is

important is it has created barriers. Those groupings have

failed. Despite class, or age, or sex, or anything, people have voted

for a positive agenda, for economic development, for betterment of life.

That is 21st Century voting and that brought us Modi. He gave us hope. He

created an atmosphere of trust. We will give you the opportunity to

express your delight in what is likely to be a landslide victory for

the BJP. Humiliated, disappointment for the Congress Party. How are you

feeling? I would beg to differ from the words you are using right now

about humiliation. Tell me how you are feeling. I'm a little

disappointed. We were not looking at the numbers that are showing right

now. Having said that, we went into this election, we knew we were going

to be facing a lot of anti-incumbency. That was one. There

was an environment that was created. Lots of money was spent in creating

an environment. We have done a lot. What's happened today? This is a

crushing defeat for the Congress Party? You have to talk about the

governance... This is a crushing defeat. It is a defeat. You could

choose to call it whatever. It is a defeat. We accept the verdict of the

people. Having said that, we would analyse where we went wrong. What I

would like to say is - after we are done with that, we will come back

stronger. What did go wrong? What went wrong? Are you asking me that?

I am. I said that there was an anti-incumbency element which we are

facing. No government has been given two successive terms. We were given

two successive terms. We knew we were facing anti-incumbency - that

is one. When I mentioned that to you earlier, about the negative

environment that was created, if you see a track record, a lot was done.

Unfortunately, we were not in a position to communicate that to the

people. I want to ask you before we go, what are the celebrations going

to look like for the BJP today? Everybody is in celebratory mood.

Because we achieved independence. We achieved press freedom when it was

clamped in '77. We are now heading for good governance. People have

voted for non-corrupt governance. Our correspondent there. We want to

show you some pictures coming in. We have images coming in from both

camps, from the BJP camp and from Congress. We are expecting a news

conference from leaders of both. We will cross to that as soon as that

gets under way. will cross to that as soon as that

gets under I'm not will cross to that as soon as that

gets under I'm quite sure who is behind those cameras. I don't know

whether that is Narendra Modi, who is being photographed there.

Difficult to see. These are agency pictures coming into us live at the

moment. We have also had international reaction to the

results in India. David Cameron and William Hague welcoming the Indian

results and saying they look forward to working with the new Government

in India. We will be back to India for more as soon as we can.

Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come:

With weeks to go until the World Cup finals, protesters take to the

And obsessive by nature, and a perfectionist with the paintbrush.

Works from the famed American painter James Whistler go on tour.

Emergency crews in California are continuing to battle at least eight

They'd made some progress fighting the blazes that have

New flare ups in the San Marcos region have seen another

In total, the fires have caused over 100,000 people to leave their homes.

An apocalyptic scene. Three days on, swathes of southern California are

still being gorged on by wildfires. Over 10,000 acres have been burnt to

ashes. Everything from the local Legoland to a nuclear power plant

has had to be evacuated. Residents have been urged to flee as fast as

possible. You have the evacuation order - evacuate. Do not wait. Heed

the first responders that are out there, make sure you get out

quickly. With military equipment deployed, the fightback has come to

resemble a war effort. Bone-dry conditions created by three years of

drought and relentless winds from the Pacific mean that they are often

left limping behind. It was really quick. My husband saw me coming up

the hill. My daughters were at school. He saw a very small fire

starting and he saw the smoke and said, "Get the kids in the car." It

is a home that we didn't live in a few years ago. We don't live in now.

So, we will have a new home. Over 120,000 evacuation notices have been

issued. With what has become an annual assault on their homes, many

remain stoic and thankful they have all so far escaped alive.

This is BBC World News. Supporters of India's

This is BBC World News. Supporters of BJP party are

celebrating as early results suggest a landslide victory. Its leader,

Narendra Modi, is set to become India's new Prime Minister.

explosion in Turkey is expected to reach more than 300, with 18 men

All of my revenues I have reinvested into my business to improve the

living standards of my colleagues. And to help to ensure that we

prevent or try to minimise any workplace accidents and improve

workplace safety. No one has confirmed the possibility

of any more survivors. The Energy Minister this morning said 284 were

confirmed dead and only a teamwork and for. He said, God willing, they

will recover more. The indication being that they may be dead. The

owners said in later questioning, they admitted one of the rescue

Chambers had been dismantled because they were going to move it. So there

may have only been one rescued chamber operational. They said the

rescue Chambers were such you could get to the surface if you got to the

rescue chamber, which means there would be no one left in the rescue

chamber. We did learn this incident took place extraordinarily quickly.

We were told, within three to five minutes, the fire spread through

certain areas, and fumes filled up those areas, to the extent that,

even if there were rescue Chambers operational, the men would not have

been able to get to them because they were overcome by fumes.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Brazil to show

their anger at the billions being spent on the football World Cup.

They want the money to be spent on public services instead, like

The tournament begins on the 12th of June.

This is the fate of these the FIFA sticker album in one of the

demonstrations happening today in Brazil. This protest reached City

Hall. People here are gathering and expressing their demands and

dissatisfaction against the World Cup. This march today has been

called the date of the international fight against the World Cup. People

are here from many different groups, teachers, unions, students, bus

drivers. There is a big police presence. The police have been

following the protesters. Things have been peaceful until now. Many

banners saying, no, few fans go home. Asking for more investment for

health, education, schooling, not for the World Cup stadium. Even the

FIFA mascot was here today. The protest version was dressed in a

black suit with the words on the back, everything is wrong. Less than

a month to go to the World Cup, but people are saying they are not happy

with the World Cup in the country, and they want more investment in

areas which should be a priority to the country.

More anti-China protests today. Filipinos and Vietnamese residents

in the Philippine capital, Manila, China's incursions into South China

Sea territories claimed by their countries. They chanted "China get

out". It follows days of protests in killed and more than 100 injured

during the demonstrations in Beijing has confirmed two Chinese

citizens have been killed and more than 100 injured during

the demonstrations in Vietnam. Nigeria's president Goodluck

Jonathan has cancelled a visit to the town where more than 200

schoolgirls were abducted a month ago. He'd been expected to make his

first trip to Chibok, since the kidnap by members of the group Boko

Haram. But a government source now says the trip has been cancelled

because of security concerns. No reason has been given for the

cancellation, but security has to be the reason, even though they haven't

announced it was a planned visit, it was clear that preparations were

being made. Speaking to local officials, they said the president

was coming. The problem was it was so widely trailed in the media that

the officials and security people decided it was not worth it in

security terms. The grip by the military in Borno State is tenuous.

Its army is often outgunned by Boko Haram. President Johnson will make

his way to Paris today to take part in a summit with regional leaders

from west and central Africa to find new responses to the threat from

Boko Haram which, frankly, hasn't been dealt with at all well until

now. What do we know about the promised

international help for the schoolgirls?

The US is providing some surveillance and advisers. The UK is

also providing some advisers. We saw yesterday a spokesman for the State

Department saying there were concerns about the actions of the

Nigerian army, and we couldn't expect to see wider support from the

Nigerian army under those circumstances. So, the support for

Nigeria is limited to finding the schoolgirls. What will happen in

Paris is to find a way to address the broader threat from Boko Haram

which is affecting not just Nigeria but neighbouring countries as well.

United Nations investigators say there has been

an alarming deterioration in the human rights situation in Ukraine.

A UN report says there is growing lawlessness in eastern

and southern Ukraine, with peaceful demonstrations becoming violent,

and attacks on journalists and international observers.

UN monitors have also documented cases of targeted killings, torture,

and abduction, primarily carried out by anti-government forces

Reports from Bangladesh say police have ruled out finding any more

survivors, after a ferry capsized and sank with

28 people are known to have died, and

The double-decker ferry got caught in a storm, on the River Meghna,

not far from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Famed painter James Whistler may have been born in the United States,

but his life and work spanned the globe.

He was raised in Russia and trained in France,

but it was Victorian London where he spent most of his time.

One of the exhibit's curators at the Sackler Gallery, Margaret MacDonald,

Whistler was obsessive in his subjects. He would do and we drew --

we do a portrait again and again. We called the show, an American in

London, whistler was an American. He stayed an American citizen all his

life. He moved to London in 1858. He gravitated back and forth between

middle-class society and the scruffy port area of London in Greenwich.

Then, later in life, he moved to Chelsea. The area was filthy and

quite dangerous. But the river itself is flowing really fast back

and forth. It is saw me -- stormy and dangerous under the bridges.

and forth. It is saw me -- stormy vigorous river. Whistler tried to

catch what was going on in the city, what was the real city at that

time, what did it looked like. In the first paintings and etchings of

the River Thames, we see him being very realistic and careful, very

skilful, but always very realistic. But, then, about 1861, whistler was

selecting and seeing a wider range of prints and Chinese porcelain.

Japanese prints. That appears in his work through the 1860s. The

wonderful painting, this is not blue and gold, it is one of the great

pictures of the century. It is very beautiful. It shows the influence of

Japan. It has absorbed that influence and become a realistic

indication of night in the city, a dream.

This is the first time we were able to have the full range of

whistler's works from different periods, around a particular focus,

the River Thames. For the first time, it really shows how

interesting and important an artist he is.

Our top story, the BJP has won the general election in India with early

results pointed to a landslide victory. Let us cross now to

Calcutta. We are expecting Sonia Gandhi of the Congress party, to

give a news conference in the coming minutes. Where you are, power will

be curtailed because Narendra Modhi has done so well. The area of

coalition politics looks like it is over at least for the moment. The

thing with that is, the level of expectation now on Narendra Modhi to

deliver is huge. You can't use the excuse of saying, my allies

prevented me from carry out policies I wanted to do. He has this mandate,

let's see if he can deliver, to reignite that Indian growth story

and get it back up to the 10% it was before it dropped to 5%. Whilst

people are celebrating at the moment, there is a mood of change in

this country, it won't be long before people ask questions about

whether he delivers what he promises.

What will people want to see immediately? There has been a sense

of desperation, people are fed up with corruption, red tape, people

wanting their basic living standards to improve.

You are right. The people I have been speaking to today say they want

a clean government. The government free of corruption. The difficulty

for Narendra Modhi is India is such a divided country. People in the

middle class who want to see greater job opportunities. The economy

opened up further so their business can be more successful. Lower down,

in areas like this, people still don't have electricity all the time,

they don't have clean drinking water. Are totally different. Any

Indian Prime Minister will have difficulty in closing that growing

gap between the rich and poor in this country, a huge challenge for

Narendra Modhi in this country of 1.4 billion people, different

cultures and religions, a huge task. Thank you. We were just seen

pictures of Narendra Modhi receiving blessings from his mother, eight

additional image that will be designed very much to appeal to his

many supporters. Huge expectations on this controversial figure.

Narendra Modhi will be confirmed as India's new Prime Minister, the

largest democratic elections.