08/08/2014 BBC World News

I am David Eades with BBC world News.

A global health emergency is declared

And the World Health Organisation calls for an "extraordinary"

Countries affected to date simply do not have the capacity to manage an

outbreak of this size and complexity on their own. Israel pulls out of

peace talks with Hamas. Gaza, as Israelis and Palestinian

militants exchange renewed fire, at Accusers the defence of twisting the

facts. "An extraordinary event" and an

international health emergency - that's what the World Health

Organisation are calling The agency also predicts that

the outbreak is likely to go on for months and things are likely to

get worse before they better. Almost 1000 people have already

died as a result of the disease. The head of the world health

organisation says this is the largest, most severe and most

complex outbreak of Ebola since it was identified nearly four decades

ago. Now the WHO has declared it an international health emergency with

an urgent plea for more international help for those

countries affected. The committee's conclusions and my decisions clear

call for international solidarity. Countries affected to date simply do

not have the capacity to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity

on their own. Liberian troops have been setting up roadblocks to try

and halt the spread of the virus and the effected countries have declared

a state of emergency. This is a region legged by civil unrest, the

health services are weak and they are battling ignorant and suspicion

of the measures needed to combat the disease. Official statistics say 932

people have died so far in this outbreak, the number is expected to

rise. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Lee Beery have been most effective. --

Liberia have been most affected. It is not calling for a general ban on

international travel or trade, for countries beyond the affected region

there is a call for more information for travellers and preparations to

detect and manage Ebola cases if they occur. But also this message:

While Ebola is highly infectious, it is an infectious disease which can

be contained. This is an infectious disease which can be contained, it

is not mysterious, this is something which can be stopped. The WHO has

limited resources, it wants its move to galvanise government and agencies

to prevent the spread of the epidemic, the focus on West Africa

as the major area of concern. Jimmy Whitworth is head

of Population Health at the British He says

the WHO statement is significant. It is a big deal, WHO does not put

out these statements about public health emergencies of international

concern lightly. It is hugely encouraging they have done so, this

really shows the leadership we have been calling for from them to really

control this outbreak. Encouraging at that level, maybe, rather

discouraging for all of us wondering quite what this Ebola virus means

and what our risks are here. That is true. This is an epidemic that has

been going on for more than six months now and has not come under

control, if anything, it is continuing to spread. We really do

need WHO and the national governments to show leadership year

so the international community and get right behind them. Margaret Chan

talked about the resources available to some of these countries, the Evra

Leone and Liberia in particular. -- Sierra Leone. You have experience

working in the field, can they remotely cope with an outbreak like

this? By themselves know, there is no prospect they can do that, these

are some of the poorest countries in the world being affected and the

population is at greatest risk are those that are very the moat from

capital and other major cities. We really do need an infusion of

external aid and support. What would be the most important thing is to

provide? Expertise and equipment. Not so much money, it is people who

will be able to get on the ground and effectively control this

epidemic. I know you have worked extensively on HIV in Africa, Ebola

is a bit of an unknown to many of us, is this something that is going

to get worse before it gets better? We do not have a cure, we just have

a vaccine. We do not. We have not turned the corner, even after all

these months of trying to control this epidemic. I really do hope this

WHO announcement will galvanise the community into action and we will be

able to control it. In other outbreak this has been controlled

relatively easily with pretty straightforward public health

measures. There is no reason why that cannot happen here, this is

logistically complex, but it is certainly feasible to control it

with public health measures. In the last hour,

Israel has said the ceasefire talks in Egypt are over following the

resumption of hostilities in Gaza. Palestinian medics have said

an Israeli air strike has killed Earlier, Israel announced it had

targeted, what it called, terror sites, in the Gaza Strip

in response to Palestinian rockets A short while ago I spoke to our

correspondent injuries, you now -- Yolande Knell. The delegation in

Cairo left early this morning before the expiry of this 72 hour truce

that was in place. Israel said it was prepared to continue with that

truce indefinitely, but Hamas said that in these indirect talks, being

mediated through Egyptians and other parties in Cairo, Hamas said its

demands must be met first, including an easing of the very tight border

restrictions imposed on Gaza by Israel and by Egypt. Israeli

officials have come out saying Israel does not negotiate under fire

and they say since this morning when the cease-fire was breached there

have been about 35 rockets and mortars fired into Israel, two

Israelis have been injured, one soldier and one civilian. They put

the full blame for this on Hamas, for not continuing with the truth.

One of the main demands of Hamas isn't easing of the Israeli and

Egyptian restrictions on movement in and out of Gaza. We hear from a key

crossing point on the border. This is the border crossing between

Israel and Gaza where most of the goods going into the Gaza Strip have

two passed through. This is no man's land, what we have here are the

regular goods and services which go into Gaza, mainly food and blankets

stop other hardware and materials. A lot of building materials used to go

through this point but since Israel accused Hamas of using building

materials to construct tunnels, normal rate is going through. Though

there is no food crisis, not enough food and goods are going in, say the

Palestinians, it is one of the main demands of Hamas, that Israel lifts

its controlled blockade of Gaza. We have some foodstuffs, onions, lots

of onions, some blankets, and some other food. All of this has been

going into Gaza over the last month, during fighting. The cease-fire

formally ending this morning. Since it ended, militants from Gaza have

fired more rockets into Israel and Israel has responded with air

strikes and artillery fire. A lot of concern fighting will resume, if not

immediately, certainly down the line, this five are so far apart

their demands will not be met. Israel wants Gaza demilitarised,

Hamas once the blockade on Gaza lifted. People think another

conflict between Israel and the militants in Gaza is almost

inevitable. Oscar Pistorius's defence lawyer is

giving his closing arguments Barry Roux repeated the claim that

the police had tampered with crucial evidence at the scene of

the crime at Mr Pistorius's home. But referring to

the prosecutions argument against the defence's case Mr Roux

made clear he wasn't suggesting Gerrie Nel made this an admission

yesterday. To say this conspiracy. The police would have moved a fan,

the police would have moved the duvet, how would they have known?

Where is this conspiracy? I said yesterday, I admitted to you, my

lady, that that is not the case, we do not say it was conspiracy, we

simply say they must have inadvertently moved because they

would not have and could not have appreciated at the time the

importance of the fans and the duvets. We are not alleging

conspiracy. Mr Roux went on to talk to the moment Oscar Pistorius shot

through the toilet door without, as the defence claims, realising it was

his girlfriend behind it. Now you are standing at that door, you are

vulnerable. You have the effect of the slow burn over many years. You

are anxious. You trained as an athlete to react to sound.

Sprinters. We all know them, they train. All of those factors into

account. And he stands now with his finger ready to fire if necessary

stop and he stands there and then... I made the noise loud. Barry Roux

for the defence of Oscar Pistorius, the verdict expected between one and

four weeks from now. Still to come: The latest on a Thai police raids on

a gynaecology clinic as nine Sarah get babies believe to share the same

Japanese father are found in a Bangkok apartment. If you have seen

any of the transformer films you will know about robots who can

disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery. That could

be more than just the movie, a real-life transformer has been

created by scientists inspired by origami. The robot could be

especially useful for getting into confined spaces for example. For

instance when searching for survivors in collapsed buildings.

Victoria Gill. It takes just four minutes, it turns from a flat sheet

into a tiny four-legged robot. Its design is made up of layers of

different materials that have folding hinges built into them.

Crucially one of these layers is a substance that tricks when it is

heated and when it contracts the whole sheet folded in on its hinges

and up pops the three-dimensional robot. It's forward crawl is powered

by motors and batteries that are simply built onto it while it is

still flat. Researchers say self-assembly devices could be

useful in getting complex machinery into war zones or in space

exploration where flat sheet could be transported and fold into

existence when they arrive. The Harvard team also wants to share

their origami inspired technology with other engineers and

non-engineers who wants to build their own useful devices will stop

they say it could enable anybody to build a flat machine that folds into

use. Hawaiians are facing

a rare pummelling Hurricane Iselle has made

landfall at the archipelago's southernmost Big

Island, bringing in strong winds, It's now weakened to

a tropical storm, It is the first hurricane to hit

the US state in 22 years. Residents have been heading into

emergency shelters, while homes and businesses have been boarded up, and

some flights have been cancelled. You are watching BBC world News. The

latest headlines: The world health organisation has declared the spread

of Ebola in West Africa to be an international public health

emergency. A ten-year-old child reported to have been killed in an

Israeli on Gaza city as hostilities resume at the end of a three-day

cease-fire was President Obama has authorised air strikes against

Islamist militants who have been overrunning much of northern Iraq.

The advance of the Islamic state forces as threatened some of Iraq's

religious minorities. They have seized Iraq's biggest Christian

town, forcing locals to flee to the regional capital a bill. -- Irbil.

In a prime-time address to the nation, the tone of the president

was brisk. Targeted air strikes to protect

our American personnel, and a humanitarian effort to help save

thousands of Iraqi civilians who are trapped on a mountain without food,

water, facing almost certain death. America, he said,

was coming to help these people. A minority religious group who, for

days, have been stranded at the top Tens of thousands are taking refuge

from Islamic Sunni militants, They have no water,

no food and nowhere to go. President Obama said the US had

to act now to prevent genocide. Militant Sunni fighters, the Islamic

State, formerly known as ISIS, With concerns they could advance to

the northern city of Arbil, where US personnel are based, the president

also authorised the use of air President Obama has been quick to

reassure the American public there will be no

boots on the ground in Iraq. This, after all,

was the President who came into office promising to end America's

involvement in the conflict there. But many here are worried that

as the situation there worsens, the US could be dragged back

into a long and bloody war. I have been speaking to our

correspondent in Irbil, he told me News of the air strikes were

welcomed in the Kurdish capital. It was a kind of relief from what I

know here in Irbil for the community. Many people feared Isis

might reach the capital city. Yes, I think the message last night was

received very well here and many people are very hopeful and I think,

excuse me, I think this would boost the morale of the Kurdish security

forces because I feel as reached almost 40 kilometres from where I am

standing, they captured the city yesterday that is 40 kilometres from

Irbil. A highway between one of the main Kurdish cities and Irbil has

been cut off by Isis. Many Christians who fled Mosul a few

weeks ago settled with their relatives in cities, but had to move

again, many reaching Irbil, staying in the Christian quarter of the

city. Many could not and are trapped there. The most gruelling situation

is for the Yazidi. There are fears many of them died from thirst,

dehydration and starvation. Accounts are dreadful, aren't they? Do you

get any sense that an Iraqi military are closer now to re-engage in,

forging some sort of United front, or will it require a new Prime

Minister, perhaps a new shape of government, for that to happen?

There are so many differences between Baghdad and Irbil, they have

not been cooperating in to years, Baghdad have refers to give the

Kurdish area of share. They have not been able to export oil

independently and sell it in the international market, that is why

the Kurdish are very angry with Mr Malachy. -- al-Maliki. They have

more advanced weapons ban us. Isis gets a lot of weapons. They are very

motivated. The people here are hopeful if they give them weapons

they might start the operations, we taking those places they have lost

in the past week. -- taking those places again. Nine so baby is

believed to share the same Japanese father were found in a Bangkok

apartment. An Australian couple were said to have abandoned one of their

babies because he had down syndrome, though they have denied

those claims. It has led to a push to overhaul Thailand's surrogacy

rules with a tough new law being considered by authorities. ABC

Australia's Bangkok correspondent says these events are forcing Thai

authorities to take swift action. This is a great moral shame for the

Thai military, that is how they would see it. So they are moving

quickly to bring in laws to regulate surrogacy in this country. It will

mean only married couples and relatives can be involved in

surrogacy arrangements, it will basically CNN 's two foreigners

coming here for commercial surrogacy. They could have those

laws in place as early as next week. They might make it a priority given

a great deal of publicity. It will be hugely confusing, it takes nine

months in pregnancy, they have to throw that in, retrospective issues,

lots of people wanting and expecting arrangements to go through. It is

very uncertain times for people who have surrogates who are pregnant in

Thailand. Many of them are Australians and many other

nationalities as well. There are many pregnant women here, many

uncertain times ahead for the biological parents. I don't think

the military has been clear yet as to whether these laws will be

retrospect, whether they will apply to babies in utero. They are talking

about a clause in these laws that would mean the sum of it would have

to keep the baby for six months after its birth. Length the

sobriquet would have to keep. It relates to breast-feeding. They say

it is humanitarian. It would cast doubt over the future of the baby in

utero, the couples