:00:00. > :00:07.Hello. This is BBC World News. Our top stories.
:00:08. > :00:09.Voters in Scotland are deciding whether to
:00:10. > :00:13.remain as part of the United Kingdom or to become an independent nation.
:00:14. > :00:16.Australian police arrest 15 members of an alleged Islamist extremist
:00:17. > :00:21.group in the country's biggest ever anti-terror operation.
:00:22. > :00:24.Sierra Leone asks its residents to stay indoors for three days
:00:25. > :00:29.as part of its strategy to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
:00:30. > :00:31.And could the club which calls itself the home
:00:32. > :00:35.of golf be about to ditch hundreds of years of rules, and finally allow
:00:36. > :00:58.Polls have opened in Scotland, where voters are deciding
:00:59. > :01:02.whether or not they want to remain as part of the United Kingdom,
:01:03. > :01:18.Doors opened four hours ago, and it's expected to be the largest
:01:19. > :01:21.Almost 4.25 million people have registered to vote.
:01:22. > :01:33.The doors to polling stations across Scotland opened at 7am this morning,
:01:34. > :01:44.and the first voters arrived to make their choice. In Edinburgh, votes
:01:45. > :01:49.will be cast -- in all, votes will be cast in 2500 areas. Scotland's
:01:50. > :01:56.First Minister Alex Salmond was voting near his home, while Nicola
:01:57. > :01:59.Sturgeon voted in Glasgow. Alistair Darling, leader of the Better
:02:00. > :02:05.Together campaign, was in Edinburgh, and Gordon Brown cast his
:02:06. > :02:09.vote in North Queensferry in Fife. More than 4 million people are
:02:10. > :02:14.registered to vote, that is 97% of those eligible. For the first time
:02:15. > :02:20.anywhere in the UK, people under the age of 18 will have a say. More than
:02:21. > :02:26.100,016 and 17-year-olds are registered. They will be answering
:02:27. > :02:29.yes or no to one single question, should Scotland be an independent
:02:30. > :02:34.country? We want every vote to count, and the best way for people
:02:35. > :02:39.to ensure that counts is to put one cross in the box next to the answer
:02:40. > :02:42.that they choose. If a voter signs the ballot paper and can be
:02:43. > :02:46.identified, there are faults cannot count. If they put across in one box
:02:47. > :02:52.and detect in the other, it would have to be rejected because they
:02:53. > :02:56.would be voting for both options. It is important that voters focus on
:02:57. > :03:02.one cross in the box next to the answer they choose. Ballot boxes
:03:03. > :03:07.have been distributed by road, air and sea, and will be collected after
:03:08. > :03:13.the polls close at 10pm. Allitt papers will be counted in each of
:03:14. > :03:17.Scotland's 32 local authority areas, adding votes already cast by post.
:03:18. > :03:18.The results are expected to be announced at the Royal Highland
:03:19. > :03:22.Centre tomorrow morning. And we'll have the results
:03:23. > :03:27.of the referendum as they come in. That's in a special programme live
:03:28. > :03:37.from Scotland, starting on Thursday And there's full background
:03:38. > :03:40.and analysis, Just log on and take a look
:03:41. > :03:52.for yourself. Police
:03:53. > :03:54.in Australia have carried out one of their largest ever anti-terrorism
:03:55. > :03:57.raids, after allegedly receiving intelligence that militants
:03:58. > :04:00.connected with Islamic State were planning to kidnap
:04:01. > :04:05.and behead a member of the public. Details of the operation,
:04:06. > :04:07.which involved hundreds of police officers in Sydney
:04:08. > :04:09.and Brisbane, were announced by the Prime Minister Tony Abbott,
:04:10. > :04:26.who said his country was at "serious Australian police are calling this
:04:27. > :04:30.the biggest anti-terrorism operation the country has ever seen. In the
:04:31. > :04:34.early hours of the morning, more than 800 officers raided dozens of
:04:35. > :04:42.homes in Sydney and Brisbane. Police believe that this group had the
:04:43. > :04:48.intention and had started to carry out planning to commit violent acts
:04:49. > :04:53.here in Australia. One-man has appeared in court charged with
:04:54. > :04:59.conspiracy to prepare a terrorist attack. It is believed that involve
:05:00. > :05:04.the plot to behead a member of public, drape them in an Islamic
:05:05. > :05:07.State flag and video the attack. The prosecutor says it was clearly
:05:08. > :05:13.designed to shock, horror fire and terrify the community. It comes less
:05:14. > :05:17.than a week after Australia raised its terrorism threat level from
:05:18. > :05:26.medium to high, meaning intelligence officials believed an attack was not
:05:27. > :05:34.just possible but likely. Are quite brash quite direct expectations were
:05:35. > :05:41.coming from an Australian who is apparently quite high up in ISIL,
:05:42. > :05:46.connecting to killings here in this country.
:05:47. > :05:59.There are around 60 fighting there already, and they are offering
:06:00. > :06:01.support from within -- with support from inside Australia.
:06:02. > :06:04.The concerns about Islamic State are also being felt in the US,
:06:05. > :06:07.where President Obama has welcomed Congress approving his plans to arm
:06:08. > :06:11.But at the same time, Mr Obama said American forces "do not
:06:12. > :06:14.and will not have a combat mission" in the struggle against IS in Iraq.
:06:15. > :06:19.Jane O'Brien reports from Washington.
:06:20. > :06:26.President Obama as commander-in-chief. Addressing
:06:27. > :06:30.troops in Florida, the command post, where the military strategy to
:06:31. > :06:37.defeat Islamic State is being thrashed out. After his top general
:06:38. > :06:41.raised the possibility that US ground troops might be needed in
:06:42. > :06:46.Iraq, the president was keen to get the message back contract. As your
:06:47. > :06:52.commander-in-chief, I will not commit you and the armed Forces to
:06:53. > :06:57.fighting another ground war in Iraq. After a decade of massive ground
:06:58. > :07:02.deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in
:07:03. > :07:09.support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own country's
:07:10. > :07:12.futures. His assurances came as Secretary of State John Kerry
:07:13. > :07:16.outlined the and the station's strategy to Congress, debating a
:07:17. > :07:20.$500 million spending package. That will include arming and training
:07:21. > :07:25.moderate Syrian rebels. The administration wants them to be the
:07:26. > :07:28.bits on the ground, along with Iraqi and Kurdish forces. From the last
:07:29. > :07:35.decade we know that a sustainable strategy is not US ground forces. It
:07:36. > :07:42.is enabling local forces to do what they have to do for themselves and
:07:43. > :07:44.for their country. But they do still public opposition to any involvement
:07:45. > :07:53.in the region, as well as criticism that the US is not doing enough.
:07:54. > :07:58.Meanwhile Islamic State issued another sophisticated propaganda
:07:59. > :08:02.video online, into clearly at the US, -- at the US. As Congress
:08:03. > :08:10.debates how to tackle the group, the militants seem in no doubt of the
:08:11. > :08:13.course of action. -- the course of action.
:08:14. > :08:15.President Obama, of course, does not just have Islamic State
:08:16. > :08:18.Later on Thursday he will host Ukraine's President Petro
:08:19. > :08:20.Poroshenko, as the government in Kiev seeks further support to
:08:21. > :08:23.tackle what it describes as Russian aggression in its territory.
:08:24. > :08:25.Earlier I spoke to our correspondent David Stern
:08:26. > :08:34.in Kiev on what Mr Poroshekno hoped to achieve from the visit.
:08:35. > :08:40.It is difficult to say, but I guess the short answer is he hopes to get
:08:41. > :08:45.as much support as he can. It should be said that Ukraine is getting
:08:46. > :08:50.support from the West, from the United States. They are receiving
:08:51. > :08:54.non-lethal military assistance. They are also receiving financial aid,
:08:55. > :09:01.but they hope to receive even more. The economy is in very dire straits,
:09:02. > :09:09.it is shrinking by as much as 10% this year, and they are facing a
:09:10. > :09:13.bitter winter without gas supplies. They are hoping for more military
:09:14. > :09:19.assistance. Perhaps lethal weapons, as opposed to Jack and other things
:09:20. > :09:25.they are receiving at the moment, or perhaps even more sophisticated
:09:26. > :09:30.non-lethal assistance. They are receiving from the United States,
:09:31. > :09:33.and the government here says they are receiving weapons from NATO
:09:34. > :09:39.countries individually, which they are denying. Western officials and
:09:40. > :09:44.reporters and experts on the ground say that Russian forces are in
:09:45. > :09:49.Ukraine. Let us focus on events on the ground. Very fragile cease-fire
:09:50. > :09:56.seems to be holding, but for how long? Exactly. It is holding, but
:09:57. > :10:04.you can say just barely. Davis fighting going on especially rent
:10:05. > :10:08.Donetsk, as we have been witnessing fighting around the airport. That
:10:09. > :10:14.said, it is a better situation than we have seen previously. We do not
:10:15. > :10:20.have the massive loss of life we saw in August and September, and the
:10:21. > :10:25.Ukrainians hope this will give them enough breathing space to perhaps
:10:26. > :10:27.push against a bigger cease-fire and addressed the deep economic issues
:10:28. > :10:35.that they are facing. The World Bank has warned that
:10:36. > :10:37.the Ebola outbreak could have a catastrophic effect on
:10:38. > :10:39.West African economies. It says the economic impact
:10:40. > :10:42.of the virus could grow eight-fold in what it described
:10:43. > :10:44.as already fragile states. Sierra Leone meanwhile is asking all
:10:45. > :10:47.its residents to stay indoors for three days as part
:10:48. > :10:49.of its strategy to stop It is one of the worst affected
:10:50. > :10:53.countries in West Africa, where more than 2,400 people have
:10:54. > :10:58.died after contracting the virus. Many people in the capital Freetown
:10:59. > :11:00.have now started stockpiling supplies ahead of the lockdown,
:11:01. > :11:16.as our correspondent Umaru Fofana 6 million people from Sierra Leone
:11:17. > :11:20.are ready for a three-day lockdown, seeing them stay at home from the
:11:21. > :11:23.19th to the 21st of September. The other oddities say it is necessary
:11:24. > :11:30.to stem the spread of the Ebola virus. Nearly 30,000 young
:11:31. > :11:34.volunteers have been recruited to move from door-to-door throughout
:11:35. > :11:39.the country, to educate people about the Ebola virus, but also to look
:11:40. > :11:43.out for signs of a fever at illness. Head of the lockdown there's a lot
:11:44. > :11:49.of shopping going on, stocking up on food. Majority of people here earn
:11:50. > :11:54.less than one US dollar per day, and survive from hand to mouth. Some of
:11:55. > :11:57.them have expressed concern that this poses a serious threat to their
:11:58. > :12:08.very survival. But the authorities say that desperate situations
:12:09. > :12:12.require desperate measures. We have lots more still to come. Do not go
:12:13. > :12:17.anywhere. A synagogue without people. And we report from Cairo
:12:18. > :12:31.where the Jewish community is on the verge of disappearing.
:12:32. > :12:34.The controversial Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford has been diagnosed with
:12:35. > :12:37.The 45-year-old will now undergo intensive chemotherapy.
:12:38. > :12:40.Mr Ford made headlines last year when he confessed to taking
:12:41. > :12:53.He has faced a difficult year. Yes, I have taken crack cocaine. He's
:12:54. > :12:59.become instantly recognisable for the wrong reasons. In his fight for
:13:00. > :13:02.political survival has turned personal, after doctors diagnosed
:13:03. > :13:11.him with an aggressive type of cancer. The diagnosis is a malignant
:13:12. > :13:19.sarcoma, a few things I would like to see about that. It comprises
:13:20. > :13:24.about 1% only of all cancers. It has 60 different cell types, and that is
:13:25. > :13:32.what makes it a very rear tumour and very difficult -- rare tumour and a
:13:33. > :13:37.very difficult one. He told the newspaper he was shocked and
:13:38. > :13:40.devastated by the news full stop he will now undergo aggressive
:13:41. > :13:44.chemotherapy. The diagnosis has led to the dramatic end of the election
:13:45. > :13:49.campaign he had doggedly pursued, despite calls for him to step down.
:13:50. > :13:54.His brother has now announced he will run in his place. And months of
:13:55. > :13:59.negative media attention and criticism have been replaced with
:14:00. > :14:04.heartfelt sympathy and messages of goodwill.
:14:05. > :14:06.Japan's computer gaming industry has been unveiling its new offerings
:14:07. > :14:09.in Tokyo, with a stress on games played on mobile phones.
:14:10. > :14:11.There were several headsets which hold the phone's screen in place
:14:12. > :14:16.A spokesman for Microsoft's XBox said it was now looking
:14:17. > :14:23.into developing smartphone games for a global market.
:14:24. > :14:33.Voters in Scotland are deciding whether to
:14:34. > :14:36.remain as part of the United Kingdom or to become an independent nation.
:14:37. > :14:45.Australian police arrest 15 members of an alleged Islamist extremist
:14:46. > :15:00.Group apparently planning to carry out public executions. Expected to
:15:01. > :15:02.pledge billions of dollars in investment including plans for
:15:03. > :15:07.Chinese funded industrial parks. He said he is determined to bridge
:15:08. > :15:20.differences over its disputed border with India. Basically, this is an
:15:21. > :15:26.attempt to reach reaching out and resetting the relationship. They had
:15:27. > :15:29.signed several agreements. China will invest $20 billion in the
:15:30. > :15:34.Indian economy over the next five years. There are a number of areas
:15:35. > :15:41.they will focus on. They will try and build industrial parks and help
:15:42. > :15:48.develop India's rail network to get a system where India can get trained
:15:49. > :15:52.at much higher speeds. China has a massive high-speed railway network.
:15:53. > :15:58.India is quite keen at trying to replicate some of that. A number of
:15:59. > :16:02.other areas, agreements on that. Including space, civil nuclear
:16:03. > :16:08.cooperation. Quite wide-ranging talks. Both sides hoping this would
:16:09. > :16:14.push the way forward for much stronger ties between these Asian
:16:15. > :16:21.rivals. Something they need. Talk us through this disputed border region?
:16:22. > :16:24.This is a very old border dispute, effectively China and India claim
:16:25. > :16:28.parts of each other's territorial. The dispute we are looking at, the
:16:29. > :16:32.flare-up we have had over the past few days centres on an area which
:16:33. > :16:39.China claim as its own in the region of India. The Chinese and Indian
:16:40. > :16:43.president and the Indian by Minister made references to that. The Indian
:16:44. > :16:49.Prime Minister saying there has to be peace along the border if the
:16:50. > :16:52.relations need to progress. The Chinese president agreed with him
:16:53. > :16:56.but also said that since the border between these two areas was
:16:57. > :17:01.disputed, China and India do not see eye to eye. That was the reason you
:17:02. > :17:04.had incidents of this nature but he basically suggested that the two
:17:05. > :17:09.countries are mature enough to handle it. A realistic look at what
:17:10. > :17:16.is a very old dispute. They had once fought a battle over this dispute
:17:17. > :17:18.but that was way back in the 1960s. They do have these frequent
:17:19. > :17:21.exchanges along their border but the suggestion very matches that they
:17:22. > :17:24.are keen to put this behind them and move ahead.
:17:25. > :17:28.On Sunday it will be one year since the siege on the Westgate
:17:29. > :17:32.Sixty seven people were killed when when Al-Shabaab militants
:17:33. > :17:34.attacked the smart complex in Kenya's capital.
:17:35. > :17:44.The BBC's Anne Soy was one of the first journalists on the scene;
:17:45. > :17:49.here, she describes what it was like to be go there and cover the attack.
:17:50. > :17:55.It was from here that we reported about the siege and the shopping
:17:56. > :18:00.maul that is behind me. From the early hours last year. Nothing could
:18:01. > :18:05.have prepared us for the shocking, horrific and sometimes scary
:18:06. > :18:08.experiences. We have seen many people, casualties, we have been
:18:09. > :18:15.asked to rule I down. We don't know what is going on. Ordinarily this is
:18:16. > :18:25.a very busy shopping area. You would find shopping people. On that
:18:26. > :18:29.fateful Saturday everything changed. It was more the ambulances carrying
:18:30. > :18:33.injured people from the area. We also saw trucks carrying bodies and
:18:34. > :18:37.later on when it became clear that this was not a robbery as many
:18:38. > :18:42.people had felt, initially, this was a more serious attack, the military
:18:43. > :18:48.armoured vehicles that took over the street. The most difficult story for
:18:49. > :18:54.Mika Kallio was about children. Dozens of them were on the rooftop
:18:55. > :18:58.attending a cookery competition. At least 15 people died there. From
:18:59. > :19:05.there we saw the war unedited CCTV footage. Footage of people killed
:19:06. > :19:09.that point blank range, some of which is too horrific to show. We
:19:10. > :19:21.also met the survivors. Some of them were too traumatised to talk to us.
:19:22. > :19:25.They pushed my microphone away. There were also uplifting stories.
:19:26. > :19:34.Like that of the mother of two who lay on the floor for hours waiting
:19:35. > :19:39.for help to come. I raise my head up and asked him if he is one of the
:19:40. > :19:51.bad guys. He said he is one of the police. He said he is here to rescue
:19:52. > :20:00.us. The attack generated a sense of solidarity. A year on, many have
:20:01. > :20:06.moved on. This building is currently being repaired. But then there are
:20:07. > :20:11.still many questions unanswered. Why did that operation last four and a
:20:12. > :20:16.half days. How many gunmen were there and what was the endgame?
:20:17. > :20:27.These questions still linger. Security is still a concern.
:20:28. > :20:30.Relatives of one of the British tourists murdered
:20:31. > :20:38.in Thailand have met the country's deputy police chief in Bangkok.
:20:39. > :20:43.The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, who was 23, and 24-year-old David Miller
:20:44. > :20:55.were found with severe head injuries on the island of Koh Tao on Monday.
:20:56. > :20:58.Officials in Indonesia say they have delayed all flights in and out of
:20:59. > :21:01.a regional airport indefinitely while heavy smog reduces visibility.
:21:02. > :21:02.The airport, at Pekanbaru in Riau province,
:21:03. > :21:05.is being affected by what health officials say are unhealthy amounts
:21:06. > :21:17.The referendum isn't the only vote taking place
:21:18. > :21:21.of one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs
:21:22. > :21:23.in the world, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew's,
:21:24. > :21:26.are expected to pass a motion admitting women for the first time.
:21:27. > :21:31.For 260 years, it's only been open to men.
:21:32. > :21:34.I asked Alison Root, the editor of "Women and Golf"
:21:35. > :21:36.magazine, whether this was a decision which was long overdue...
:21:37. > :21:43.Very much longer overdue. Hopefully the vote will go ahead with flying
:21:44. > :21:50.colours this evening. Then we can move on. Unfortunately this issue
:21:51. > :21:54.surrounding equality, that is when women's golf coverage gets the most
:21:55. > :21:58.attention which is a shame because there is a lot of good things that
:21:59. > :22:03.happen with women's golf so we need to move forward. This vote going
:22:04. > :22:08.through will hopefully mean that it is a positive step forward and men
:22:09. > :22:14.and women golfers canned Unite at golf clubs. Do you think there is a
:22:15. > :22:22.reason why golf has gotten away with this for such a long time? The
:22:23. > :22:28.problem is it is historical, we are talking about 260 years. Therefore
:22:29. > :22:30.it is all about tradition. We do have wonderful traditions of the
:22:31. > :22:40.game of golf in this country. But, times move on. It does have two
:22:41. > :22:46.change. It is no different to how Lords Cricket ground voted to allow
:22:47. > :22:50.women in. The loyal yacht club voted to allow women so now it is golf 's
:22:51. > :22:56.time. It has two hoof with the times. Put this into context, how
:22:57. > :23:01.important and significant that it is leading the way here? Very
:23:02. > :23:08.important. The problem is, this is a vote by the members of the Royal and
:23:09. > :23:13.ancient golf club at the Gulf 's governing body is also called the
:23:14. > :23:22.RNA so there is slight confusion. -- golf. By this vote going forward, it
:23:23. > :23:32.would take away the negative perceptions that surround the goal.
:23:33. > :23:37.That is what they had been hearing that they are not welcome and it is
:23:38. > :23:43.a fuddy-duddy sport. Not excessive and it is elitist. -- golf. It is a
:23:44. > :23:47.game that can be enjoyed by everyone. This is what we wanted
:23:48. > :23:51.going forward so that everyone, whatever age or whatever gender you
:23:52. > :23:58.are or ability, everyone can play golf. It should be Premier could --
:23:59. > :24:00.it should be promoted as a family game. They will vote in favour? I
:24:01. > :24:05.think they will. the verge of disappearing. Up until
:24:06. > :24:10.the 1950s, as many as 100-thousand Now, just 12 remain,
:24:11. > :24:31.from Cairo our correspondent She comes here with a heavy heart.
:24:32. > :24:35.The synagogue without people or prayers. As the elected head of the
:24:36. > :24:41.Jewish community, she considers herself the guardian of the Jewish
:24:42. > :24:46.legacy in Egypt. These ancient scriptures are just one example of
:24:47. > :24:55.the cultural and religious heritage she fears will be lost for ever. We
:24:56. > :25:02.are finished. My first duty is to take care of the human beings. The
:25:03. > :25:06.old ladies which have no families or who are alone. This is my first
:25:07. > :25:12.duty. I second duty and most important one is the thing that
:25:13. > :25:20.never die. In the home for the elderly, we met Lucy. One of only 12
:25:21. > :25:24.Jews still living in Egypt. All her family members and relatives are
:25:25. > :25:31.dead. None of them thought about leaving Egypt and neither did she.
:25:32. > :25:32.TRANSLATION: I had friends here and I used applicable with my
:25:33. > :25:45.neighbours. I had a knife -- I had a nice life, why should I
:25:46. > :25:49.leave? At the headquarters of the Jewish community there are relics of
:25:50. > :25:54.the happier times. Around 100,000 Jews in Egypt. Most of them were
:25:55. > :25:58.forced to leave in the 50s and 60s. Egypt was at war with Israel and the
:25:59. > :26:05.government suspected many of them of being spies. This is the Jewish
:26:06. > :26:08.Quarter downtown in Cairo. More than 100 years ago a lot of poor Jews
:26:09. > :26:14.used to live here. Most of them were low-wage workers. There were also
:26:15. > :26:19.Muslims and Christians. Today the place is more crowded but less
:26:20. > :26:22.diverse. Nothing remained of the once Jewish community but a couple
:26:23. > :26:28.of closed synagogues found this narrow street. For the remaining
:26:29. > :26:36.Jews, this is their last resting place. In 1000 year old Jewish
:26:37. > :26:47.cemetery, now surrounded by slums. Her father is buried here. She cries
:26:48. > :26:54.out of grief for herself and for her community's lost future. Day I leave
:26:55. > :27:01.you with live images from Scotland, one of the 2600 polling stations
:27:02. > :27:02.where voters are choosing whether Scotland