:00:00. > :00:00.Hello, I'm Alice Baxter with BBC World News.
:00:07. > :00:12.Russia says its soldiers captured in Ukraine had crossed
:00:13. > :00:19.It comes hours before the country's two leaders are due to meet.
:00:20. > :00:21.The US says Egypt and the United Arab Emirates were
:00:22. > :00:27.behind air strikes against Islamist militia at one of Libya's airports.
:00:28. > :00:31.Voters in Scotland weigh up the arguments after Monday's fiery TV
:00:32. > :00:37.And new measures are unveiled in Mexico aimed at preventing
:00:38. > :00:58.migrants from travelling to the United States on top of trains.
:00:59. > :01:05.After months of conflict in Eastern Ukraine, Russian President
:01:06. > :01:07.Vladimir Putin is due to meet his Ukrainian counterpart
:01:08. > :01:15.It comes as Russia says ten of its soldiers that were captured
:01:16. > :01:19.near the town of Donetsk, crossed the border by mistake.
:01:20. > :01:23.However Ukraine claims they were sent in on a special mission.
:01:24. > :01:25.Amid this tension, the meeting between
:01:26. > :01:28.the two leaders in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, will be their first
:01:29. > :01:35.As Ukraine tries to push further into the rebel held areas in the
:01:36. > :01:39.east of the country, fierce fighting is continuing in Donetsk and
:01:40. > :01:44.Luhansk, where our correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports from.
:01:45. > :01:46.Well, throughout the morning, we've been hearing intermittent
:01:47. > :01:52.We've been told that this is as far as we can go safely,
:01:53. > :01:55.because apparently there's fighting going on about 10 or 15 kilometres
:01:56. > :02:00.We've been talking to some of the Ukrainian soldiers here on
:02:01. > :02:03.the ground, and from what they've been telling us, you get the
:02:04. > :02:06.impression that they have little optimism about the negotiations
:02:07. > :02:13.That was certainly the view of the local commander here, Igor Lapin.
:02:14. > :02:21.We need Russia to stop sponsoring the bandits.
:02:22. > :02:23.As soon as they see that they've lost
:02:24. > :02:25.their supporter, and that no-one is supplying them with weapons,
:02:26. > :02:32.and they've run out of ammunition, there'll be peace immediately.
:02:33. > :02:35.Well, this is one of the towns that Ukrainian forces have retaken
:02:36. > :02:41.And you can tell that because they've painted the
:02:42. > :02:45.Ukrainian flag on all the lampposts, all the way down the road.
:02:46. > :02:47.Since we've been in this town, we've seen quite a lot
:02:48. > :02:50.of displaced people, and they have very dramatic stories to tell.
:02:51. > :02:54.For example, Yana Litvishenko, from Luhansk.
:02:55. > :02:57.A few days ago, her husband was killed when an artillery shell
:02:58. > :03:02.landed in their backyard, just as he was feeding their dog.
:03:03. > :03:09.We didn't hear the shell being fired.
:03:10. > :03:13.Only when it crashed through our house.
:03:14. > :03:24.I don't know which side I should be on.
:03:25. > :03:27.What strikes me most about little towns like this one,
:03:28. > :03:30.close to the fighting, is that life seems to go on as normal.
:03:31. > :03:34.There are people out on streets, going to work, doing their shopping.
:03:35. > :03:37.But when you speak to people, they are deeply pessimistic about the
:03:38. > :03:47.chances for peace, and they fear that the conflict will continue.
:03:48. > :03:56.With me now is Olexiy Solohubenko, the BBC's Ukrainian Analyst.
:03:57. > :04:04.Let's begin by talking about these Russian servicemen. The Russians
:04:05. > :04:09.claim they were over the border by mistake. They were from a special
:04:10. > :04:14.regiment, won't they? They were paratroopers from central Russia,
:04:15. > :04:19.who normally have special status. They veered into the Ukrainian
:04:20. > :04:24.territory quite far. They were captured 20 kilometres inside
:04:25. > :04:28.Ukraine. It was a mistake, they did not spot it immediately. They say in
:04:29. > :04:32.their interviews, which were broadcast in Ukraine, in those
:04:33. > :04:36.interviews and video statements they said they were not told by the
:04:37. > :04:40.officers that they were going into Ukraine, and once they were inside
:04:41. > :04:45.they guessed where they were. They didn't describe their mission but
:04:46. > :04:47.gave quite a lot of detail about their armoured personnel carriers,
:04:48. > :04:55.where they were told to cover all of the exit near and the nominations
:04:56. > :05:02.that would link them to the Russian army -- cover all of the insignia.
:05:03. > :05:06.There is a constant flow of weapons, of support, and now direct
:05:07. > :05:11.involvement of more than previously off Russian forces. Certainly the
:05:12. > :05:16.Russian government says it's a mistake, saying there was a case
:05:17. > :05:25.without to 500 Ukrainian soldiers crossing into Russian territory,
:05:26. > :05:29.which is true,. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,
:05:30. > :05:33.and of course all of this the backdrop to those talks taking place
:05:34. > :05:38.today. We are still not sure whether Mr Poroshenko and Mr Putin will
:05:39. > :05:45.actually meet face-to-face, but the gulf between these two sides seems
:05:46. > :05:49.almost insurmountable. Indeed. It is actually being exacerbated by the
:05:50. > :05:55.crowds. There are important developments, I think. There is the
:05:56. > :06:05.attack by rebels, Ukrainians saying supported by Russian forces, on the
:06:06. > :06:09.coast, in the place where the Ukrainian government thought it was
:06:10. > :06:15.under control. Now there is an attack there. There are attacks
:06:16. > :06:18.reported elsewhere inside. The latest from the National Security
:06:19. > :06:26.Council of Ukraine is an accusation of Russian gunships, from Russia,
:06:27. > :06:31.firing at border guards. This whole activity on the ground doesn't
:06:32. > :06:36.really bode well for the success of the talks, should they happen. The
:06:37. > :06:39.rhetoric on both sides, particularly yesterday from the Russian Foreign
:06:40. > :06:53.Minister, is very strong. Accusing each other of perpetrating great
:06:54. > :06:56.crimes -- grave crimes, amid that progress which looks problematic.
:06:57. > :06:59.Thank you. There's much more on events
:07:00. > :07:03.in Ukraine on our website. You'll find full background
:07:04. > :07:07.and analysis, plus video and audio content, a look at the key
:07:08. > :07:12.players in the crisis and analysis American officials have confirmed
:07:13. > :07:23.that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates were behind air
:07:24. > :07:26.strikes in Libya over the past week, A senior American official told
:07:27. > :07:33.the BBC that the United States was not consulted and was caught
:07:34. > :07:37.off-guard by the attacks. Washington and four of its European
:07:38. > :07:40.allies have condemned what they describe as outside interference
:07:41. > :07:44.in Libya. Well for some analysis
:07:45. > :07:46.on the situation in Libya I spoke to Professor George
:07:47. > :07:53.Joffe, a Middle East expert at the Centre of International
:07:54. > :08:04.Studies, Cambridge University. Inside Libya there is a struggle
:08:05. > :08:08.going on that began well over a month ago, between nationalist
:08:09. > :08:12.elements and Islamist forces there. This is for control of the country.
:08:13. > :08:18.It goes back to elections that were held on June 25, when a new national
:08:19. > :08:21.assembly was elected, but the problem is that the old national
:08:22. > :08:26.assembly, which was Islamist dominated, and the new national
:08:27. > :08:31.assembly, can't come to terms. One is located in Tripoli, the other far
:08:32. > :08:35.to the east. Basically, because they can't come to terms, neither will
:08:36. > :08:41.accept the authority of the other. So, in effect, what you now have, is
:08:42. > :08:45.a confrontation of the left politics, a confrontation in
:08:46. > :08:48.security terms, particularly in Tripoli, and a different
:08:49. > :08:56.confrontation in security terms in Benghazi. The extremist Islamist 's,
:08:57. > :09:00.one involving more moderate in Tripoli. That creates a situation
:09:01. > :09:04.that is extremely insecure and very uncertain, where there is a real
:09:05. > :09:11.danger of the country breaking apart. Very fragile. And Professor,
:09:12. > :09:15.why do you feel that Egypt have allegedly become militarily active
:09:16. > :09:21.inside Libya over the past few days. They goes to yet another struggle.
:09:22. > :09:25.That is the struggle for influence inside the Middle East between Qatar
:09:26. > :09:31.on one hand, which supports the most Muslim brotherhood, and moderate two
:09:32. > :09:35.and Saudi Arabia and its allies, and also Egypt on the other, who don't
:09:36. > :09:43.support the Muslim brotherhood. What in effect has happened, this has
:09:44. > :09:47.become a new arena for a struggle between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for
:09:48. > :09:52.influence over the whole of the region. I suggesting this is part of
:09:53. > :10:03.a wider proxy war that we are seeing being played out across the region.
:10:04. > :10:09.Saudi Arabia and a pro-Muslim bloc? I wouldn't characterise them as
:10:10. > :10:15.anti-and pro-Muslim. The real issue is that Egypt and Saudi Arabia
:10:16. > :10:18.disliked the Muslim brotherhood and are determined to eradicate it from
:10:19. > :10:23.the political scene inside the region. Qatar, on the other hand,
:10:24. > :10:27.has supported them and therefore in a sense is opposed to the Egyptian
:10:28. > :10:31.and Saudi objectives. That, in a way, defines the nature of the
:10:32. > :10:36.struggle. That is on top of yet another struggle between Saudi
:10:37. > :10:41.Arabia on one hand as the embodiment of Sunni Islam, and Iran on the
:10:42. > :10:45.other. Iran is not party to the struggle inside Libya, but if you
:10:46. > :10:49.look at Syria, which is a parallel struggle in a sense, there it plays
:10:50. > :10:55.a very prominent part. What you are looking at is a proxy war which
:10:56. > :10:59.extends beyond Libya, into which Libya is now being dragged.
:11:00. > :11:01.Postal ballots are being sent out today for Scotland's referendum
:11:02. > :11:03.on independence, following the final televised debate.
:11:04. > :11:05.There were fiery exchanges between Scotland's First Minister,
:11:06. > :11:07.Alex Salmond, who heads the push for independence,
:11:08. > :11:09.and the former British Finance Minister, Alistair Darling, who
:11:10. > :11:14.A snap poll of Scots thought Mr Salmond was the better performer.
:11:15. > :11:22.A grand setting for a fiery and at times ill-tempered debate.
:11:23. > :11:25.Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling knew this would be their final
:11:26. > :11:31.The issue of currency dominated the opening exchanges.
:11:32. > :11:34.If we don't have a currency union, what's plan B?
:11:35. > :11:37.Now, I had no luck three weeks ago when I
:11:38. > :11:49.Well, you don't have to point, Alistair.
:11:50. > :11:57.Those who favour the union are ahead in the polls, so Alex Salmond
:11:58. > :12:03.To do so, he chose the issue of the NHS.
:12:04. > :12:06.Are you the only person who doesn't realise what's going on in England
:12:07. > :12:08.and Wales, and the threat to Scotland, unless
:12:09. > :12:13.we establish financial control to protect our own health service?
:12:14. > :12:16.What you're proposing is a far greater risk, a far greater
:12:17. > :12:21.In amongst the arguments, a chance for both sides to
:12:22. > :12:34.Now, of course we could go it alone, but I don't believe we'd be
:12:35. > :12:41.as successful as Scotland will be as part of the United Kingdom.
:12:42. > :12:43.A snap poll shortly after the debate pointed to
:12:44. > :12:48.Postal votes are now being sent out, and it's over to
:12:49. > :12:58.Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come:
:12:59. > :13:05.Can comedy be just as funny in a second language?
:13:06. > :13:17.We head to the world's largest Arts Festival to find out.
:13:18. > :13:22.Now to an incredible story from Cuba. In Havana, an eight-year-old
:13:23. > :13:26.boy with a fascination for Fidel Castro has taken to dressing up like
:13:27. > :13:31.the ex-leader. The young boy was lucky enough to meet his idol when
:13:32. > :13:36.the retired Cuban leader, on hearing of the boy's fascination with him,
:13:37. > :13:37.invited him to his home. Sarah Rainsford reports from Havana on
:13:38. > :13:57.this unlikely super fan. stars, but this boy idolises Fidel
:13:58. > :14:01.Castro. He has some prize new photographs for his collection.
:14:02. > :14:09.Fidel Castro invited him and the family to his house.
:14:10. > :14:14.TRANSLATION: I felt very moved, because it was my dream. When I saw
:14:15. > :14:18.him, my mother was shaking. She was crying. It was my dream to meet
:14:19. > :14:28.Fidel, we all gave him a hug. Fidel Castro was empowering the
:14:29. > :14:35.country for decades. He was forced to step down from ill-health the day
:14:36. > :14:39.the boy was born. Now, Fidel Castro is rarely seen, so his condition has
:14:40. > :14:44.become a source of speculation, both for those who condemn him and hail
:14:45. > :14:49.him as a hero. He was well enough to dedicate this to his great friend,
:14:50. > :14:59.and his family say Fidel Castro stood at two great them. 88 years
:15:00. > :15:05.old is 88 years old, I would like to be like him at that age.
:15:06. > :15:13.Surprise visits a side, he does seem destined to stay out of the public
:15:14. > :15:14.eye. A whole generation is growing up without him, but it seems without
:15:15. > :15:24.forgetting him. Russian military sources say 10
:15:25. > :15:30.of its soldiers captured in Ukraine It comes as the country's two
:15:31. > :15:35.leaders are set to meet in Minsk. The US says Egypt and the
:15:36. > :15:38.United Arab Emirates were behind air strikes against Islamist
:15:39. > :15:45.militia at Libya's airport. It says it was caught off-guard
:15:46. > :15:47.by the attacks. The World Health Organisation says
:15:48. > :15:51.more than 120 health workers have died from the Ebola outbreak in
:15:52. > :15:55.West Africa. One of the latest casualties is
:15:56. > :15:58.a Liberian doctor who was treated with the experimental drug Zmapp -
:15:59. > :16:00.which has been credited with In a sign of possible progress,
:16:01. > :16:05.a Canadian firm says four monkeys injected with an experimental
:16:06. > :16:28.vaccine have survived what should The Coffin of a Liberian doctor. The
:16:29. > :16:34.World Health Organisation says more than 120 health workers have now
:16:35. > :16:37.died from Ebola this year. It was hoped the doctor would have had a
:16:38. > :16:41.better chance of recovery as one of the handful of people to have been
:16:42. > :16:46.given the experimental drug ZMapp. It's not clear whether the drug was
:16:47. > :16:51.ineffective, or if he died from other convocations. ZMapp has been
:16:52. > :16:55.given to two other Liberians and a Spanish priest and two Americans.
:16:56. > :17:03.The priest died but the Americans recovered. He was seen speaking to
:17:04. > :17:06.the press last week. The drug can cure a bowler but supplies have ran
:17:07. > :17:09.out and it will take time to make more. Meanwhile, the outbreak has
:17:10. > :17:15.killed more than 1400 people. With the death toll growing there is an
:17:16. > :17:19.urgency to develop and test drugs to stop the spread of Ebola. A Canadian
:17:20. > :17:22.firm has announced that a vaccine which includes its technology has
:17:23. > :17:25.been given to fall monkeys. They survived what would have been a
:17:26. > :17:31.lethal dose of the virus. Two monkeys which were not injected with
:17:32. > :17:35.the vaccine died. The clamour for untested drugs could intensify after
:17:36. > :17:38.the Democratic Republic of Congo reported two cases. The first
:17:39. > :17:44.outside West Africa. Although the disease tends to appears to be of a
:17:45. > :17:47.different strain. The World Health Organisation is sending protective
:17:48. > :17:50.equipment to help. The virus can be contained with the right
:17:51. > :17:54.facilities. The family of William Pooley, the British man who caught
:17:55. > :17:57.the disease in Sierra Leone, say he is receiving excellent care in a
:17:58. > :18:02.London hospital. Affected countries in West Africa have health system
:18:03. > :18:05.struggling to cope. The UN described the outbreak as a war that could
:18:06. > :18:10.take at least another six months to win.
:18:11. > :18:15.To Pakistan, where the military offensive against
:18:16. > :18:17.militants in north Waziristan has resulted in hundreds of thousands
:18:18. > :18:21.The majority of them are women and children - taking refuge
:18:22. > :18:25.While the government there has provided accommodation,
:18:26. > :18:27.food and medical facilities, tribal customs mean that some women
:18:28. > :18:31.find it virtually impossible to get the help they need.
:18:32. > :18:38.BBC Urdu's Iram Abbasi reports from Bannu.
:18:39. > :18:45.Chassis leaves her house to collect her weekly food ration. She is
:18:46. > :18:49.afraid. It is forbidden for women in this tribal region to be out in
:18:50. > :18:54.public unaccompanied by family members. It is seen as immoral and
:18:55. > :18:57.often leads to social banishment. But she has no choice. If she does
:18:58. > :19:03.not break the taboo her family will go hungry. TRANSLATION: I lost my
:19:04. > :19:07.father a year ago and my brother is working abroad. Who is going to feed
:19:08. > :19:11.my three sisters and my mother if I don't go out and get the food
:19:12. > :19:14.ration? In my village are a male relatives used to help us but here
:19:15. > :19:19.in this camp everybody is looking after their own families. It is easy
:19:20. > :19:23.to ban women from going out but for those who have no men in their
:19:24. > :19:31.families, should they just die of hunger? More than 800,000 people
:19:32. > :19:40.have moved out of the tribal area of north was arisen -- North was a and
:19:41. > :19:45.since the military campaign began. Some are facing severe health
:19:46. > :19:48.issues. According to international NGOs around 70% of victims are women
:19:49. > :19:52.and children who are vulnerable to health issues. Even those who have
:19:53. > :20:00.men in their families say they still struggle. TRANSLATION: I walked for
:20:01. > :20:06.three days to get to Bannu after the Pakistan Army told us to leave the
:20:07. > :20:10.area. My back problem has got worse. Although there are separate medical
:20:11. > :20:14.facilities for women, my husband does not want me coming here because
:20:15. > :20:19.he is worried about being punished by tribal leaders. He let me come to
:20:20. > :20:27.the health centre only after he saw me crying in pain. The government
:20:28. > :20:31.says its hands are tied. TRANSLATION: The tribal elders have
:20:32. > :20:35.appealed to the authorities not to force them to allow women to leave
:20:36. > :20:40.their houses. They say only men should be allowed to get help. We
:20:41. > :20:44.are helpless and cannot force them to change their customs. The
:20:45. > :20:50.challenge is to change the mindset of the men in the camps. Until then
:20:51. > :20:52.women like her will continue to break the rules in order to survive.
:20:53. > :20:58.Iram Abbasi, BBC News, Bannu. Hurricane Marie is battering
:20:59. > :21:00.the Pacific Coast of Mexico The storm brought torrential rain
:21:01. > :21:04.which has caused landslides Mexican marines are still searching
:21:05. > :21:11.for three fishermen who've been missing since their boat sank
:21:12. > :21:12.on Sunday. Four other crew members
:21:13. > :21:16.managed to swim ashore. Staying with Mexico -
:21:17. > :21:19.the government has unveiled new measures to prevent migrants
:21:20. > :21:21.from Central America travelling on the roofs of freight trains heading
:21:22. > :21:24.north towards the United States. Human rights groups say
:21:25. > :21:26.the move is part of a wider policy of clamping down
:21:27. > :21:46.on migrants rather than offering The decades Central American
:21:47. > :21:52.migrants have travelled north to the US on the roofs of the freight train
:21:53. > :21:57.known as the beast. It is an extremely arduous and hazardous
:21:58. > :22:01.trip. The migrants are exposed to Mexico's heat and torrential rain
:22:02. > :22:06.and are vulnerable to extortion from drug gangs and corrupt officials
:22:07. > :22:08.along the way. The train takes them through drug cartel controlled
:22:09. > :22:16.regions of eastern and northern Mexico. Yet, a number of men, women
:22:17. > :22:19.and children -- the number of men, women and children is as high as
:22:20. > :22:23.ever. The government has unveiled new plans to stop people getting on
:22:24. > :22:27.the train. They plan to use increased surveillance of the tracks
:22:28. > :22:32.and trains, including with satellite technology. TRANSLATION: We will
:22:33. > :22:36.reinforce security on roads, installations, tracks. We will
:22:37. > :22:41.strengthen regional and local coordination with respective
:22:42. > :22:44.authorities. And we will maintain a permanent communication with
:22:45. > :22:48.consulates from Central American countries, based on
:22:49. > :22:51.co-responsibility. The man tasked with tightening the southern
:22:52. > :22:58.border, is a former senator, and said the move is intended to protect
:22:59. > :23:02.the migrants. TRANSLATION: We want to prevent migrants putting their
:23:03. > :23:08.lives at risk using a train that is meant for cargo and not passengers.
:23:09. > :23:12.We will develop strategies to guarantee the security of migrants
:23:13. > :23:19.and combat and eradicate the criminal groups that violate
:23:20. > :23:22.migrants' rights. The migrants rights organisations are sceptical.
:23:23. > :23:26.They argue that the government is under pressure from Washington and
:23:27. > :23:31.that clamping down on the migrants is not the answer. They say that the
:23:32. > :23:34.Mexican government and the Obama administration have opted for
:23:35. > :23:38.punitive measures rather than humanitarian ones, such as offering
:23:39. > :23:42.alternative sources of employment in the migrants' countries of origin.
:23:43. > :23:45.With record numbers of child migrants, many of them unaccompanied
:23:46. > :23:50.making the trip to the US every month, the issue looks set to remain
:23:51. > :23:53.high on the political agenda. Nevertheless, with the levels of
:23:54. > :23:57.poverty and violence in Central America among the highest in the
:23:58. > :23:58.world, any migrants would consider these latest measures a risk worth
:23:59. > :24:01.taking. In less than a month, all eyes will
:24:02. > :24:05.be on Scotland - where the future But - for the past month,
:24:06. > :24:10.Edinburgh has been in the spotlight for very different reasons -
:24:11. > :24:12.the world's largest arts festival. Acts
:24:13. > :24:18.from nearly 50 countries have been performing dance, cabaret, theatre,
:24:19. > :24:20.musicals and stand-up comedy. But is humour the same
:24:21. > :24:23.around the world? When I do improvisation I have
:24:24. > :24:50.to be careful where I go. For me it is a new challenge,
:24:51. > :24:54.it is a big challenge. I have problems with conjugating
:24:55. > :24:57.verbs in the past tense. If that case happens I will say
:24:58. > :25:10.the verb in the infinitive form My style of comedy
:25:11. > :25:21.in Russian is very language based. So I have a lot of plays
:25:22. > :25:24.on words and such things. Unfortunately it is impossible to
:25:25. > :25:31.translate these jokes and I had to write new material in English
:25:32. > :25:46.for English-speaking audiences. This means money in this country,
:25:47. > :25:51.but in Japan this means nothing, so this kind of thing we changed. Some
:25:52. > :25:56.of the material is good in Italian and I try and translate some jokes
:25:57. > :26:00.about Italy. I don't know why, something about the references are
:26:01. > :26:11.very important. Sometimes you just change something and it is good.
:26:12. > :26:12.This is the worst word for an Italian to say. A friend of mine
:26:13. > :26:30.died trying to say it. You know if people are not laughing
:26:31. > :26:36.so I admire the guy is trying to do this in another language because it
:26:37. > :26:40.is hard enough in their first language. I could not agree more!
:26:41. > :26:46.Finally, the festivities were not Justin Edinburgh. Thousands of
:26:47. > :26:49.revellers braved wet conditions in west London for the final day of the
:26:50. > :26:52.Notting Hill Carnival on Monday. They defied the soggy conditions for
:26:53. > :26:57.the annual celebration, which is thought to be Europe's biggest
:26:58. > :27:03.street party. You are watching BBC world news. Thanks for watching.
:27:04. > :27:11.MUSIC: "It Don't Mean A Thing" by Duke Ellington
:27:12. > :27:16.celebrating the music of Count Basie and Duke Ellington.