29/08/2014 BBC World News

world News. New evidence of human rights abuses in eastern Ukraine.

More than 3 million refugees from the war in Syria and almost half the

people of the country have fled their homes according to the UN

refugee end agency. People have exhausted their savings and their

resources and have no other option but to find a way out. A country on

the front line of Ebola, a special report on how Ivory Coast is

struggling to control the output. And Brazilian police make arrests to

smash a gang considered the biggest threat to deforestation in the

Amazon. Hello, pro-Russian separatists in

eastern Ukraine are detaining and torturing civilians according to

Human Rights Watch. The group also accuses them of targeting critics,

journalists, political activists and their family members. The report has

been released just as the West raises its accusations of Russia's

direct involvement in the conflict. Ukraine's conflict has seen

escalations before, but it may now be entering a critical phase.

Pro-Russian rebels have launched a counterattack and pushed that

Government forces. Key towns have fallen, including Novoazovsk along

Ukraine's southern coast. But Kiev and Western officials say this time

there is a key difference. Kremlin forces are spearheading the attack.

Moscow denies its troops are there, but NATO says these satellite images

show Russian positions inside Ukraine. They say at least 1000

Russian service men are fighting and using the latest military equipment.

Over the past two weeks we have noticed the significant escalation

in both the level and sophistication of Russia's military interference in

Ukraine. These latest images provide concrete examples of Russian

activity inside Ukraine, but they are only the tip of the iceberg in

terms of the overall scope of Russian troops and weapons

movements. Western experts say this T 72 BM tank is available only to

the Russian army, supporting claims of Moscow's involvement. Alarm in

the international community is growing. At the United Nations

Security Council a chorus of concern and criticism. Russia said it was

not involved in the conflict. Russia has deliberately and repeatedly

violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plane for the

world to see. EU and US leaders are speaking of even deeper sanctions

against Moscow. But so far those already in place have failed to stop

the conflict and with the Kremlin defiant many are asking not

wearing, but where the fighting will end.

While Western leaders pondered their response to the presence of

Russia's military in eastern Ukraine Human Rights Watch has just

published evidence that human rights abuses in the region controlled by

pro-repetition -- pro-separatist supporters. They arbitrarily

detained hundreds of civilians, journalists, pro-Ukrainian activists

and snoring orthodox religious leaders. The report mentions several

locations for torture, including this building filmed by the BBC last

month. It is said here civilians were beaten, kicked, stabbed, burned

with cigarettes and subjected to mock executions. It also says this

is a half destroyed list of detainees found after insurgents

left Sloviansk last month with names of those who had been taken. It says

it also has evidence of extrajudicial executions. This was a

mass grave where people were found after they had been abducted

mass grave where people were found Protestant church service. I asked

if there was a particular Protestant church service. I asked

being targeted Protestant church service. I asked

It is those people who are deemed to be critics of the self acclaimed

authorities in eastern Ukraine and those critics are activists,

journalists and religious activists in particular who are not Russian

Orthodox and who are being perceived as disapproving of the

self-proclaimed authorities. It is as simple as that. But there are

other people who are not really activists, but who at the same time

voiced a critical opinion on social media, we documented cases like

that. Or people who their neighbours reported as a sympathiser for

Ukraine. That is enough for insurgents to come and get them and

to torture them, actually, and to use them as hostages. When they are

talking about torture one would have to flag up that most of the people

we interviewed, and we interviewed dozens of former captives, they said

that beatings and torture, usually occur on the first night was a first

or second day. That is the roughest period of all. They also said to us

that even though they were tortured during interrogations, the torturous

were not really trying to get any information from them, but rather

aimed at breaking there will and punishing them. Is there any

evidence this is being carried out by Ukrainian soldiers as well?

Well, indeed, we actually received some reports about Ukrainian

forces, volunteer battalions in particular, holding people in

incommunicado detention and treating the detainees with cruelty. There

are other reports that we are going to investigate.

Human Rights Watch in Moscow. The World Health Organisation has warned

as many as 20,000 people could be infected with the Ebola and it says

it needs almost half $1 billion to contain the virus. The outbreak was

first reported in west Africa in March. According to the most recent

figures more than 3000 cases have been reported, including more than

1500 deaths from the virus in four countries. In Liberia alone more

than 600 people have lost their lives to the disease. Our

correspondent has been to the Liberia- Ivory Coast border where

preparation is being made to prevent it spreading any further.

An unnerving silence replaces the normally vibrant border. All

official crossing points into Liberia and Guinea were closed at

the weekends, the latest Government efforts to avoid Ebola. Tracks are

already beginning to pile up on this side of the border. Authorities say

health is more important than trade, but people have no idea when the

Borders will reopen. People are suffering financially, but many are

relieved the borders are closed. This family is on the other side and

they can go back and she says it is difficult, but the fear of Ebola is

worse. TRANSLATION: I am afraid of death because it is not a trick you

can return from. We have been told not to eat bush meat, not to shake

hands and not to have sex. Beyond these mountains lies Liberia were

Ebola is out of control. To the east is Guinea and the poorest rainforest

is all that separates the Ivory Coast from the two worst hit Ebola

nations. This is one of five treatment centres in the region.

Doctors are practising what to do if a suspected case arrives. Every

detail is considered. TRANSLATION: We have done the maximum possible to

be ready and vigilant to control the situation. As soon as any suspected

case arrives, you can never be ready enough, but we are strong enough to

fight the epidemic. The heat inside the suit is the biggest difficulty,

he says. Two or three hours are the most anyone can last. Countries have

been abused of abandoning the Ebola hit nations, closing borders and

suspending flights, but Ivory Coast says it will do anything it can to

fight Ebola. British scientists are trying to

develop a possible vaccine for the Ebola outbreak. Human trials could

begin in the next few weeks. Professor Adrian Hill from Oxford

University is leading the team developing the drug and joins us now

from Oxford. How long have you been working on this virus? Less than a

month, so this has all happened incredibly quickly. That is you

personally, but in terms of the other teams surely you cannot

develop something that quickly? The good news is over the last ten years

teams elsewhere in Italy and North America were doing preclinical

studies, research tests on animals on a new vaccine candidate that

looks quite promising in the tests, but it has never been given to a

human being. Is it similar in its construction to the medicine that

has been given to some people and would appear to have saved lives?

No, it is quite different. That is a treatment and is given to patients

that have the disease. We are working on a vaccine that would be

given to people to stop them getting infected. It is fundamentally

different. It is similar to other vaccines we have done a lot of

clinical trials on in Oxford, particularly malaria. We are

confident this type of vaccine will be saved. The trial with our

planning in the next few weeks has three objectives. To confirm the

vaccine is safe, to look at what immune response it produces to

figure out if it will work, and thirdly to determine the best dose

to give to people in West Africa in this outbreak. How many strains of

Ebola I there? I read about two, but I there more than that and will that

affect the trials? There are two major strains and this is the Zaire

strain, even though big occurred in Guinea. The other one is 99%

identical and that is what the vaccine has been made for, said it

will be the Zaire strain we are testing, but we are confident it

will work well in Guinea. How does it work? Does it create antibodies

to stop the haemorrhagic fever? Give us a parallel. That is a good

question. Firstly, it produces antibodies and the challenge is to

get enough neutralising antibodies, ones that stop the virus getting

into cells to be useful. The second way it works is by stimulating the

immune system getting white blood cells that can target infected cells

to kill the Ebola once it has got inside a cell. It induces both arms

of the immune system very powerfully and that is new technology. Very

briefly, you are confident this will have a good impact. How many doses

can people take and how quickly can be administered? In the preclinical

studies just one dose was required. We hope that is all we need in

humans, but we cannot be sure of that. There is a back-up plan for a

booster dose. Right now at the manufacturing facility there are

about 10,000 doses being made. That would be quite useful in west Africa

if we could have that ready by the end of the year. And that would be

sold at cost? Is this an opportunity to make a lot of money? There will

be no selling at all. This will be provided to the World Health

Organisation for emergency use. Smith Glaxo Klein is participating

in the manufacture, but this is not being sold at retail price. If it

does not work, that will take you back to square one? We do not have

too many vaccine options. We think this is the better option, but if

neither works we will not have a vaccine in time for this outbreak.

Thank you very much. To Syria and the United Nations

Refugee Agency has released a report calling the situation the biggest

humanitarian emergency of our era. The conflict started three and a

half years ago, but the number of refugees now registered in

neighbouring countries has reached 3 million, 1 million more than a year

ago. But inside Syria there are another 6000 500 million displaced

people. That means nearly half of the population are living away from

their homes. Lebanon is one of the countries that have seen the largest

influx of refugees. I asked a spokesman for the UNHCR how the

agency was coping. Agencies and partners we work with our coping

with difficulty to respond to the existing and growing needs for the

Syrian refugees. The donor support has been very generous since the

crisis started. We have had over $4.1 billion in funds, however we

are $2 billion short until the end of the year to provide the basic

assistance for the refugees who are here now and to continue to come

into neighbouring countries. How is the local population reacting to

this? In countries like Lebanon have shown exceptional hospitality and

generosity. Lebanese homes are hosting up to 40 Lebanese, however

this is the fourth year and at this stage of the conflict frustrations

are growing between the two communities. The Syrians are

frustrated. They want to go back home and the Lebanese population is

starting to feel the strain of this crisis on a very small country with

already a weak infrastructure. Turning to what is happening inside

Syria itself, given the numbers of displaced people there, how

concerned are you about their conditions? The situation is like

Sir -- inside Syria is very difficult. It's difficult for the

already 6.5 million people who are displaced inside. We are very

concerned. Our teams on the ground are working in there, but at the

moment I can tell you more about the situation in neighbouring countries,

as I know more about that, but inside Syria we know there is a lot

of concern for these 6.5 million people, who are displaced inside the

cup. -- the country. Do you think the number of people trying to leave

the country will increase over the next few months too? We have heard

from refugees that leaving Syria is becoming increasingly difficult. We

have heard accounts from refugees in Lebanon and Jordan about increases

in checkpoints and people have to pay more bribes to get through the

checkpoints. Conditions are getting more difficult for people to leave

and we are hearing from people who are leaving that in fact leaving at

this stage is really their last resort. Prices are going up inside

Syria and people who have been displaced, multiple times, have

exhausted their savings and have no other option but to find a way out.

News still to come, running off with the crown - with a former Miss Asia

Pacific Ocean was dethroned. Iceland's Met Office has raised the

volcano alert to the highest level, red, after an eruption near the

Bardarbunga. Scientists say the eruption started in a lava field

north of the glacier. The rumblings have raised worries of an eruption

that could disrupt air travel. We spoke to a geofizzivity earlier and

-- geophysicist earlier on and we told me this. There is no ash in the

air and not even in the vicinity, so it's mostly smoke out of the craters

and the only flight restriction is over the area. All airports are

opening and things are quiet and in control. Is the fear that

significant quantities of ash could be released and then we could see a

repeat of what happened several years ago? Not really. This event is

from 30 days of activity under the glashier, so this is -- glazier, so

this is not happening. What do you predict may happen over the next few

weeks? The monitoring equipment is mostly GPS measurements and seismic,

so we can - we have been tracing quite well and how it has been

proceeding and still the activity is on-going, so we cannot rule out that

the eruption will continue or grow. This is BBC world news. Our latest

headline - Human Rights Watch publishes evidence of abuses in

eastern Ukraine. Straight to Brussels, because the head of NATO,

Anders Fogh Rasumssen is speaking about the crisis in Ukraine now. At

the Wales summit next week we will meet the President to make clear

NATO's unwaivering support for Ukraine. We condemn in the strongest

terms Russia's continued disregard of its international obligations. We

urge Russia to seize its illegal military actions, stop its support

to armed separatists and take immediate action. With that I'm

ready to take proper questions. REPORTER: The Prime Minister said

this morning he wanted Ukraine to move toward NATO membership. I

wanted to ask for your reaction to that, whether it came up today in

the meeting and whether it will be discussed at the summit in Wales?

First of all, let me stress that we fully respect Ukraine's decisions as

regards Ukraine's security policy and alliance affiliations. This is a

fundament principle that every each and every nation has a right to

decide itself on security policies and affiliations. I'm not going to

interfere with political decisions in Ukraine, but let me remind you of

NATO's decision taken at the Bucharest summit in 20088, accord --

2008, according to which Ukraine will become a member, provided that

it so wishes and provided that they fulfil the necessary criteria. In

it so wishes and provided that they the meantime, Ukraine has decided to

pursue a so-called non-alliance policy. We fully respect that. We

fully respect if the Ukrainian Parliament decides to change that

policy, because we adhere to the principle that each and every nation

has the right to decide its own without interference from outside

and we hope that other nations adhere to the same principle.

REPORTER: Was it discussed? It was not discussed in today's meeting.

REPORTER: We right now are in a new situation, but I would like to

repeat an old question, how can NATO really help or member country help

the Ukrainians in this situation? At the summit in Wales next week we'll

take decisions as to how we will enhance our co-operation with

Ukraine. Amoth other initiatives -- among other initiatives, we are

establishing four trust funds to finance concrete initiatives within

four areas. Logistics, command and control, cyber defence and help to

military personnel, including wounded personnel. I'm very pleased

that already at today's meeting several allies announced concrete

financial contributions to these trust funds. It was signalled that

more announcements may come forward at the summit in Wales next week.

The whole purpose of the trust funds is to finance activities that can

assist Ukraine in reforming and mod eRpising dB modernising the --

modernising the armed forces, with a view to making them stronger to

defend Ukraine. Thank you very much. That's all we have time for this

afternoon. That was Anders Fogh Rasumssen, the

head of NATO. He was talking especially about that request or

that statement from the Ukrainian Prime Minister, that he would seek

to end the non-alliance status of Ukraine, with a view to becoming a

member of NATO, which would be extremely provocative for Russia

right on its border. Police in morguern Brazil say they're in the

process of dismantling one of the biggest criminal gangs. The group is

accused of burning and seg huge areas of the forest. Police are

calling these men the biggest destroyers of the Amazon rain

forest. And their arrests are a huge step forward in saving one of the

world's natural wonders. The gang is accused of causing hundreds of

millions of dollars of environmental damage and alleged to have made

millions more by invading, logging and burning large areas of public

land and selling these illegally for farming and grazing. They could face

more than 30 years in jail. Brazil's Government has committed themselves

to reducing the destruction of the forest, but last year deforestation

in the Amazon increased by nearly a third. An unwelcome spike after

years of decline. Political and police corruption is still rife in

Brazil's interior, with many loggers and miners able to operate with

impunity. That is it so far from me, Tim

Willcox and the team. Goodbye for now.

Go away if you don't me to speak to you like that!

Most schools exclude disruptive pupils.

I ain't putting up with this any more.

But one school takes them in and promises five GCSEs.