21/05/2014 BBC World News

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

Twin bombings hit the Nigerian city of Jos, and 17 more have been killed

today in the north-east of the country. Egypt's ousted President

Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to three years in jail for stealing public

funds. Too wide to ride, France spends

billions on 2000 new trains that don't fit the platforms.

Also we bring you a copyright row over the led Zeppelin classic

stairway to heaven. The bodies of at least 118 people

have now been recovered from the sites of twin bombings in

the central Nigerian city of Jos. Today there's been another deadly

attack in the north-eastern city of Alagarno in Borno state,

with 17 reported dead. It comes after those two blasts

in Jos which happened just 20 minutes apart, near

the city's Terminus market and the University of Jos Teaching Hospital,

with fears that more bodies may Boko Haram -

who were responsible for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls - are

the main suspects for this attack. This area was packed with people.

Many of the victims were traders selling from the market stalls, and

their customers. The aim was clearly to kill as many people as possible.

Minutes after the first last, the second bomb was detonated as victims

were being taken to the nearby hospital. Body parts were strewn

across the area. There was panic as emergency services try to help the

dozens of injured, many had open wounds, fractures and burns. The

number of people I saw that were in pieces, they were being taken out.

number of people I saw that were in Although it is not known who carried

out the attack, Boko Haram has targeted Jos city before, bombing

churches in what was seen as an effort to

churches in what was seen as an the middle belt of Nigeria has been

the scene of frequent outbreaks of violence. They are often described

as religious clashes. They are in fact rooted in on petition for land,

resources and political power. The twin bombings follow blasts in the

capital, Abuja, as well as a northern city. The Islamist

extremists are still holding more than 200 schoolgirls they abducted

over five weeks ago. At a recent summit, several Western countries

pledged to help the Nigerian government find the girls. It is

operating clearly as an Al-Qaeda organisation. It can better be

described as Al-Qaeda in West and Central Africa. We will work

together to make sure we root out these terrorists -- West and Central

Africa. Large areas appear virtually

off-limits to the Nigerian military. We can go live now to the city

of Jos in central Nigeria How big a place is Alagarno and how

devastating is the attack? The attack is devastating because

according to a resident, all the houses were razed to the ground. The

militants went in last night and it took them over for hours, they burnt

down almost everything that is standing in the town. They told us

that people have fled into the surrounding bushes, and they killed

17 people in the town. They also took foodstuff out of the town and

went away with the foodstuff and burnt some of the foodstuff that

they couldn't carry. We understand there is attack after attack in the

north-eastern corner. That is Boko Haram stronghold territory. Jos is a

different picture, it is in the heart of the country and has been

relatively peaceful for the last couple of years. Indeed, Jos is a

different place, it is not in the geopolitical north-eastern part of

Nigeria, it is in the middle belt of Nigeria. Activities of Boko Haram

have been confined to north-eastern Nigeria, even though they were able

in the past to come out of the north-east and attack other places

like Abuja. And now Jos. Jos has had relative piece for some time but the

twin bombings has shattered that relative peace because this is a

massive bomb the has taken place -- bombing that has taken place.

According to the management agency in Nigeria 118 people were killed

and scores of others were injured. Officials still expect other dead

bodies out of the rubble of the building but when -- buildings that

went down. Yesterday the emergency services worked through the night in

order to dowse the buildings that were on fire, because of the

bombings that took place yesterday. President Goodluck Jonathan is

condemning these latest attacks. Is there any indication that the

military is becoming any more responsive or successful in dealing

with Boko Haram? Unfortunately, the military, according to many

Nigerians here, they are not doing berry well in trying to contain the

violence. If you look at what has happened in north-eastern Nigeria --

not doing very well. There is no happened in north-eastern Nigeria --

news about the search, even though the President is saying this search

is continuing. Other parts have been the President is saying this search

question, where is the next place going to be attacked?

Russia has signed a long-awaited deal to supply China with gas,

No pricing details have been given, but correspondents say it could be

worth hundreds of billions of dollars over 30 years.

The news comes on the second day of a visit to China by President Putin.

The Head of the Thai Army has been holding talks with the key players

in the country's political crisis, following Tuesday's declaration of

martial law. The outcome of the talks has just

been described as 'inconclusive' - and the Army Chief has now called

for another meeting of Thailand's political leaders, on Thursday.

Officials in Pakistan say 32 militants have

been killed after fighter jets bombed suspected militant positions

in the north of the country - close to the border with Afghanistan.

Senior officials in Miran Shah says the targets were

militant hideouts in the tribal region of North Waziristan -

and 'important commanders' in the insurgency have been killed.

India's Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi has invited his

Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his inauguration ceremony.

A spokesman for Mr Modi's BJP party said Mr Sharif was one

of several regional heads of government who've been asked to

It's thought to be the first such invitation to be

offered to a Pakistani Prime Minister - so far, there's been no

Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak,

has just been given a sentence of three years for embezzlement.

His sons have been sentenced to four years.

Prosecutors say they stole millions of dollars of public funds,

earmarked for the maintenance of presidential palaces.

With me now is Mohamed Yehia, editor of BBC Arabic.

What are they saying the money was sent spent on? Hosni Mubarak and his

sons were using public funds to refurbish private residences. In

Cairo and other cities in Egypt. They were doing this at will. The

judge today, when he issued his verdict, he had very harsh words to

Hosni Mubarak and his son, telling him that instead of protecting

public interests, you said yourself free and your sons without impunity,

stealing public money. For someone who was only ousted three years

ago, things have changed very fast in Egypt, it is fair to say. Is

there really that much interest, resonance about an issue like this?

There is interest, you have to keep in mind we have another president

who is being tried, Mohamed Morsi, also accused of embezzlement and

killing protesters and espionage, serious charges. Outside the court

there were a handful of people making protests. It suggests that on

a day-to-day level, people are getting on with life. When the trial

of Mubarak started after being ousted in 2011, there were hundreds

of people, clashes of the people, and bit by bit, the interest in

people in going to the courthouse has waned. The French train operator

has discovered that hundreds of its new trains, ordered at huge expense,

are too wide for the station that forms in the region. It is Anna

Berecz in blunder which has already cost -- it is an embarrassing

blunder which has already cost the operator millions of pounds. If this

was the 1st of April we would know this was a joke. Yes, some very red

faces in France. The finger of blame is being apportioned in all

directions. SNCF had ordered hundreds of these trends for the

regions to try to get people back onto the trains, they are more

comfortable and spacious. The problem was that the rail operator

had given the measurements for the gap between the platforms which

appertain to stations built 30 years ago. Unfortunately in the provinces,

a lot of train stations are a lot older than that. Apparently these

new trains are only about ten centimetres bigger on each side, but

it might only be a matter of centimetres, meters, miles of

platform up and down the country now has to be adjusted to get these

trains in. There are all sorts of questions being asked about the

disruption and also who is going to pay for it. Who carries the can for

this? Is there a political repercussion? The regions are saying

they will not pay a cent. SNCF say it is down to the rail operator.

They have said they did realise a bit too late but under European

rules, they need to modernise stations and have factored this into

the long-term plan. I think the issue is

stations and have factored this into the long-term plan. that TGV, the

main rail network, has been much admired around the world and they

spend a lot of money on it. Getting up and down France and to the big

cities across the country, it is pretty straightforward. They have

not spent much money on the regional pretty straightforward. They have

network and they are paying the cost. I think in a way, RSS

network and they are paying the right, the platforms

network and they are paying the adjusting but perhaps they did not

network and they are paying the bank on adjusting them at the same

time. Thank you for being with us. Still to come,

time. Thank you for being with us. Tara, the hero cat, chasing

There have been further promises of international assistance for Bosnia

and Serbia, as the two countries clear up after devastating floods,

An EU commissioner is in Belgrade to discuss the delivery of aid.

This Bosnian town shows all that is left. Emergency teams arrived to

deliver food. They were called upon to make this rescue. A

three-month-old baby is called up into the helicopter by a soldier,

one of so many extraordinary stories to emerge from the unprecedented

flooding here. Neighbouring Serbia is observing three days of mourning

after the country experienced the worst flooding in more than a

century. The Serbian Prime Minister said an EU aid package would not be

enough to solve the country 's problems.

TRANSLATION: We qualify for financial support. Without any doubt

it will not problems by taking help from someone

else 's pocket. Where the flooding has receded, this is what is left.

Homes and possessions are sodden with contaminated water. In Bosnia,

the disaster has reawakened a problem from the country

the disaster has reawakened a with fears thousands of landmines

the disaster has reawakened a from the civil war in the 90s have

been dislodged. The greatest challenge now is stopping the spread

of disease, challenge now is stopping the spread

of animal carcasses now rotting in the floodwater. With so many people

still stranded and without clean water, and whole towns, villages and

roads still submerged, the full scale of this devastating disaster

is still unclear. Twin bombings hit the Nigerian city

of Jos. There has been another attack in the north-east of the

country. Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to three years in jail for stealing

public funds. With a day to go before the European

elections, the former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has

been talking about those bunga bunga parties, his working relationship

with German Chancellor Angela Mr Berlusconi,

who's carrying out community service after being convicted of tax fraud,

told the BBC's Jeremy Paxman that the Euro could collapse,

without a radical shake-up. We need to radically change the

situation in Europe. For example, the fact that the UK is not in the

Eurozone and we are is a complete disaster. We need radical changes,

otherwise the economic situation will force us and other European

countries to abandon the euro and go back to our national currencies.

The European Central Bank is supposed to fight inflation. It is a

central bank like the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England or the

bank of Japan. What does it need to do? Firstly, it needs to guarantee

the debt of the euro countries and, secondly, to print money when needed

for those countries that cannot pay their debts. Do you have a

particular problem with Angela Merkel?

No, I have never had any problems with Angela Merkel. In 20 years of

politics I have never insulted anyone. This has been made up by

someone who wanted to turn Angela against me. I was not an easy person

to deal with. I was quite tough. I had the courage to oppose some of

the proposals made by Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. It is

unfortunate that, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, your

reputation is all about your private life. It is about corruption and

unpaid taxes and bungle bungle parties. What do you think about

that? -- Tex three. The bunga bunga accusations were the most amazing

things. They manipulated reality. Luckily, I am a strong person and I

was able to take it. I want to go down in history as the country. As

my legacy, a conservative centre-right government protecting

Italy from a potential dictator. That was former

Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, talking about seeing

off political challengers, such as the comedian-turned-politician

Beppe Grillo. Grillo leads

an anti-establishment group known It became a force in Italian

politics at the last general election

when it took 25% of the vote. Meet Italy 's angry big eight.

Activists from the Five Star Brigade. They demand sacrifices from

the poor. The guiding star, Beppe Grillo. He railed at the waist and

bureaucracy. This echoes the view of Italy where there are MPs in

Parliament. Sometimes they resort to shock tactics. The movement sees the

entire political establishment as deeply corrupt and failing. Here, in

Rome, and in Brussels, the citizen activists have focused serious

attention on all that is wrong with this country 's ruling class. There

is frustration and anger because of how the system has been conducted.

That is why there is anger and miss guidance of feelings. We want to try

these feelings in a suggestion, in a positive way. Activists have

succeeded in shaking up Italy 's rotten political system. The

weaknesses of the movement have also been exposed. Critics accuse the

leadership of having an authoritarian streak. They point to

the fact that dissidents within the movement have been booted out. Some

argue citizen activists are good at pointing out problems but there is

good at coming up with solutions. They seem to be concentrated on

destroying the present and attacking whatever is proposed, rather than

merely sitting down and presenting an organic, articulated agenda on

how to move forward. The movement is riding a wave of anti-Europe feeling

here and Brussels need to brace itself for the coming of some

Italian style people power. You may remember Tara the hero cat,

who saved her family's little boy when he was being attacked

by a dog in California. Well, Tara has now become a bit

of a celebrity in her home town She has been appearing on television

and even starring in sporting events. An unexpected honour for an

unlikely hero. Tom at the cat, the newest celebrity in the Californian

town of Bakersfield, making a guest appearance at her local minor league

baseball team to throughout the first pitch. For the family, it has

been a bit of a world. You'll she has own place on the couch, her own

spot-on the bed. We are having a great time. It is amazing. This is

what made her famous. She fought off a dog who was attacking her

four-year-old owner. It has become an internet sensation. So to the

pitch. Tara was allowed to use specially made cat friendly

equipment or, if you like, a port on a string, but still failed to

impress. Instead, it felt to Jeremy, showing how it should be done, not

once but twice. The parents say he is suffering no ill effects from the

dog attack. They are having to get used to being media celebrities, all

thanks to the cat. The rock band, Led Zeppelin,

is in a legal battle over its famous There have been allegations that

the opening of the song is based on another tune by a Los Angeles

band, written in the late-60s. Lawyers for that band's guitarist,

Randy California, say he should be given a writing

credit on the song, which appeared You cannot help but notice there is

our entertainment reporter. You cannot help but notice there is

a case to answer, one would think. These cases to come up quite a lot.

This goes back to the late 1960s. These cases to come up quite a lot.

Randy California is a guitarist for a band called Spirit.

Randy California is a guitarist for an instrumental track they accorded

in 1968. And it was published. The lines get blurred it because Led

Zeppelin opened Spirit on the first tour of North

would have been aware of the track. This argument has been around for

quite a long time. And he must have been aware of this for many years.

Why jump up and down now? It is interesting. Randy died in 1997.

Why jump up and down now? It is This case has been brought

Why jump up and down now? It is because, on the one hand, you could

argue that Stairway To Heaven has become such a popular trap, led

Zeppelin are remastering the entire back catalogue. There will be a lot

of money to be made. It is estimated that Stairway To Heaven has made

$600 million since its release. The royalties from that are significant.

We do not know how much they break down but it is usually 10% of the

sales of the track coming down to royalties. That is split between

various people. Thank you for joining us here on BBC

world News. Death hath ten thousand

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