08/07/2016 BBC World News

Hello, I'm Mariko Oi in Singapore with BBC World News.

Our top stories: In Iraq, at least 30 people have been killed

and more than 60 injured in a suicide attack on a Shia shrine

More protests in the United States, as President Obama says

all Americans should be deeply troubled by the recent shootings

Thousands have evacuated their homes and offices are shut,

And which of these two politicians could become Britain's next Prime

It is now certain the new leader will be a woman.

In Iraq, at least 30 people have been killed and 60 injured,

in an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen on a Shia shrine

According to officials, the attack started when a suicide

bomber targeted policemen guarding the entrance to the Sayid Mohammed

bin Ali al-Hadi shrine in Balad, 90 kilometres north of the capital,

A second bomber entered the shrine, with nine gunmen targeting security

forces as well as families gathering to celebrate the Eid festival,

marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Officials say a third bomber was killed.

The attack comes as the official death toll from a suicide bombing

in Baghdad on Sunday has risen to 292.

That attack, which took place in a busy shopping street

in the mainly-Shia Karrada district of Baghdad,

was claimed by the so-called Islamic State.

It was the deadliest bombing in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

We will bring you more on this latest attack as we get it.

President Obama says he is deeply troubled by the latest fatal

shooting of a black man by police in the US.

Video footage emerged of the moments after the shooting

when it was live-streamed on social media by his girlfriend.

The victim, Philando Castile, had been pulled over in his car

His girlfriend said he was shot as he was reaching

The President has been speaking after landing in Poland a little

He said that all Americans should be concerned about the shootings.

When incidents like this occur, there is a big chunk of our fellow

citizenry that feels as if, because of the colour of their skin,

This is not just a black issue, it's not just an Hispanic issue.

This an American issue, that we should all care about.

All fair-minded people should be concerned.

Now, let me just say, we have extraordinary appreciation

and respect for the vast majority of police officers.

They put their lives on the line to protect us every single day,

they've got a dangerous job, it is a tough job.

Our North America correspondent Nick Bryant has spent the day

in Minnesota, where the shooting happened, and you may find some

of the images in his report distressing.

He's licensed, he's carrying, he's licensed to carry.

He was trying to get out his ID and his wallet.

The immediate aftermath of yet another police shooting,

this time not just caught on camera, but streamed live on Facebook.

The officer just shot him in his arm.

The female passenger in the car, Diamond Reynolds, has just

seen her boyfriend shot by a policeman.

He is fast losing blood and fast losing consciousness.

You told him to get his ID, Sir, his driver's licence.

Please don't tell me my boyfriend went like that.

Philando Castile had been pulled over because his rear light wasn't

working, and apparently told the officer he had

a legally-purchased, concealed weapon with him

Mr Castile had worked as a cafeteria supervisor at a local

Protesters converged on the governor's mansion,

draping it with police tape taken from the scene of the shooting.

Giving angry voice to now-familiar cries of protest, that have echoed

Then, Diamond Reynolds stepped before the crowd carrying her young

daughter, who had witnessed everything from the back seat

Not one shot, not two shots, not three shots, not four shots,

It is the second shocking incident this week.

This is footage from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, showing a black man,

Alton Sterling, being held down by police and shot several times.

Another police shooting, another black family left to mourn,

We're seeing this with alarming regularity.

Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray.

The names associated with some of the more high-profile police

This year alone, 123 African-Americans have been killed

It's stunning to see in two days what we've been seeing for years,

and that is police killing of citizens.

And the question is, when will there be a systematic

response to what has been a systemic problem

And I think that we've been saying this over and over again,

and I think the last two days brought this to a real tipping point

for how this country deals with policing.

With so much fury in so many communities, the fear is this

could be the start of a long, hot summer,

words which for decades have been uttered with a sense of foreboding.

Taiwan has had a lucky escape after a super-typhoon made landfall

The category-five Typhoon Nepartak is travelling south-east

of Taiwan's Hualien City, with wind speeds of up to 240

kilometres an hour, but that is much slower than expected.

Cindy Sui joins us live from the capital, Taipei.

Let's get the latest from our correspondent Cindy Sui,

It is slightly windy where you are, but I guess the damage hasn't been

as bad as anticipated. Yes, Taiwan definitely feels we have gotten sort

of a reprieve, in a way, from the Typhoon which at one point was

classified as a super-typhoon, with wind speeds of more than 200

kilometres an hour but after it made landfall in Taiwan, around 6am this

morning, in south-eastern Taiwan which is not far from here it was

downgraded because the mountains in Taiwan made it weaker. But still

this typhoon has caused some damage and we are hearing that one person

has died from drowning in coastal areas, and 66 people have been

injured. At the same time, some 180,000 households lost power at

some point, and 14,000, 15,000 of them still remain without

electricity. Now we also have about 15,000 people evacuated from

mountainous areas in the outlying islands. And several thousand

soldiers as well as Cosker officers and police officers mobilised to

deal with this problem. But the typhoon is moving away from Taiwan

at this point, they have got a lot of rain to the southern and eastern

parts of Taiwan, but thankfully the damage seems to be quite limited at

this point. Of course, another story is dominating news headlines at the

moment, and an explosion on a commuter train which has left 25

people injured. You were just attending a press conference by the

authorities. Do we know exactly what happened? Yes, this is quite a rare

incident in Taiwan. Explosions rarely happen here, especially on

Taiwan's extensive railway system but last night about 10pm just as

many commuters were heading home to try and avoid the typhoon, an

explosive device was set off on a commuter train. Now, the police are

investigating what may have set off this device. They were saying

initially that they think it was some kind of firecracker. They found

a metal tube that was broken, with explosives stuffed inside, and they

believe that this is what caused the explosion to happen but they have

told me just recently, this morning, that they haven't ruled out that it

may have been an accident. But they are looking into whether it was

intentional. And in fact, The Premier told reporters last night

that he thinks based on initial evidence that it was done by someone

on purpose. As you say, a very unusual incident. 25 people were

injured. Do we know their conditions? Yes, fortunately of the

24 people injured, most of them suffered in light injuries. At

around two of them, at least two of them suffered serious injuries

including one person has 30% burns to his body, they have been

distributed to different parts of Taipei's hospitals but at this point

authorities are looking into what happened, who may have been behind

it, and if it indeed was intentional, then they really do

want to find this person. And right now they have very little beads,

very little to go buy because there was no CCTV camera on the train. So

they are looking at video footage of the train station itself, as people

flooded out, to see if there was possibly a suspect who also came out

with the injured passengers. -- very little leads.

Voters in Japan will elect members of the upper house of the parliament

on Sunday, and the stakes are particularly high

If his group can increase its majority, he might gain

the power to try and change the country's constitution.

Stephen Evans has this report from Tokyo.

If the government can win more seats in this election,

so it has a two-thirds majority in the upper house

the first constitutional change in seven decades becomes possible.

For 70 years there's been no change at all.

But the ruling LDP has always wanted to revise the constitution.

They regard it as an imposition by the American forces,

and so there is a very strong baggage attached.

The baggage is that Japan's constitution is pacifist.

There is a navy, but by law it can only defend the homeland.

The army can't fight abroad without constitutional change.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is out campaigning.

He doesn't mention wanting to change the constitution,

but his opponents say that is the intention.

Itsuki reads her daughter stories of war.

These images play strongly in a country that was all

TRANSLATION: When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came back to power,

3.5 years ago, his promise was to change the constitution.

My daughter was eight months old then,

and I felt I could only give her a peaceful future

The subtext of this election is whether Japan should

That is becoming a theme on this planet now, as economic power shifts

British politics and stability haven't exactly gone hand-in-hand

lately, but one thing is now certain.

A woman is on track to become the next Prime Minister.

In their ballot to select a new party leader, Conservative MPs

have narrowed it down to Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom.

Party members will decide the winner in September.

Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg has

all the details, and there is flash photography in her report.

The march of Theresa May, striding easily on to the ticket.

Miles ahead of both her rivals today.

Her supporters already crying "Prime Minister."

This vote shows that the Conservative Party can

come together and that under my leadership it will.

We need proven leadership to negotiate the best deal

for leaving the European Union, to unite our party and our country

and to make Britain a country that works, not for the privileged few,

And in the grand rooms of Westminster, the vote was clear.

Therefore Michael Gove with the lowest number of votes has been

eliminated from the ballot. With Michael Gove out,

and the Energy Minister, Andrea Leadsom trailing,

Mrs May's supporters were delighted. Not quite waving on the steps

of Number Ten yet, but she has just won the very clear endorsement

of the majority of Tory MPs. Her backers hope her experience

makes her the clear favourite. She can truly say,

as we go to the country, Are you surprised by how

strong the support was? Well, she got 165 earlier

in the week, a fantastic, To go forward even further

and get to near 200, it is a clear indication

of what parliamentarians think we need in our

next Prime Minister. I can't hear you, are

you ready for Andrea? Traditional Tories, though,

are excited by Andrea The eurosceptic Energy Minister

is far less experienced. Her colleagues need reassurance

about her record, but one wing of the party is enthusiastic enough

to march along the river in in an unusual show

of Conservative support. What do we want?

Leadsom for leader. When do we want it?

Now. She was hardly known

before the referendum. How difficult was it to decide to

run I feel, having played a part

in showing this country the prospects for us outside

of the EU, I just felt I needed to put myself forward

to offer to lead the way through it because I

really believe in it. But just a couple of days

into the race she's already been I spent the best part of ten

years in BZW and Barclays and the best part of ten years

in Investco for Petrol. I've also had a part-time

job in Sainsbury's. I started life as a 14-year-old

silver service waitress. My CV is incredibly varied

and it is all absolutely true. I think this is,

you know, ridiculous. I'm naturally disappointed that I

haven't been able to make it through to the final round of this

leadership contest. This is a moment to raise a's team will treasure. A

more successful start to the race than they could have hoped but now

MPs lose control and the contest goes to the country. Is the

Conservative party not Parliament who makes the call. Laura

Kuenssberg, BBC News, Westminster. -- it's.

And a female politician could hold the key to

Six days after the poll, there's still no result.

But as counting continues, the governing conservative coalition

led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, is edging towards victory

although they might need some help to form a majority.

There are five independent or minor party MP's in parliament.

Firebrand politician Bob Katter has confirmed he will support the Prime

But Greens Party MP Adam Bandt has made it clear Malcolm Turnbull

Of the remaining three, two have signalled they won't

Leaving first time MP Rebecca Sharkie to potentially

decide the fate of Australia's political future.

Earlier my colleague Ali Moore spoke to Chris Uhlmann,

the ABC's political editor, about when we can expect

Sometime next week but don't forget in the Australian system if it's

very close there will be recounts. We would expect the parliament will

be resumed in August and things will be settled before them. We know for

sure they're Coaition win be able to govern with the help of some of

those crossbenchers but if it's in a position where it's under 76 votes

that will make it shaky for the coalition government led by Malcolm

Turnbull. At this stage the ALP actually looks like the winner, the

Labour Party, they are having a caucus meeting today to celebrate

the fact they came second. They came so close is the point. It's a great

irony that Malcolm Turnbull called this election because he was trying

to get some clear air to get his legislative agenda through but it

has backfired fairly spectacularly? One of the things he was trying to

do was clear the upper house where he had a problem with a bunch of

parties and independents refusing to pass his agenda, he did that using a

provision in the Constitution which meant he could dissolve the whole

house. What that meant was that the quota for electing a member dropped.

Now he faces a house that he returns to, an upper house, which will be

even more complicated than the one he left behind. On almost all counts

the Prime Minister's calling of this election hasn't turned out very well

for him at all. This Saturday marks the first

anniversary of a massive crackdown Hundreds of activists

were taken away. awaiting trial and possibly life

sentences. Their families say the detained

lawyers have had no access China correspondent Stephen McDonell

met a group of the lawyers' wives A year after their husbands

were taken away by Chinese police, these two women have still not

been able to visit them. On the ninth of July 2015,

officials here launched a massive offensive against China's

human rights lawyers, turning the lives of their

families upside down. These two lawyers were amongst

the hundreds of lawyers The BBC believes 17 of them

are still being held, At least nine are facing

state subversion charges, which could lead

to life imprisonment. The stress on those close to these

lawyers remains considerable. TRANSLATION: Every

day, I'm really sad. I cry because I'm worried

about his safety. I don't even know whether

he is dead or alive. I'm so worried I can't sleep

and I need to take pills. At first, we were all pretty

lonely and desperate, Then, after a while,

the relatives all started talking to one another, so we weren't

so lonely, and gave We encourage one another

to remain positive. We ask them about how

they are managing to get The authorities want us

to wash our faces with tears. They want us to break down

and hide in corners, feeling that we have no support,

but lots of strangers have called At the time my husband was taken

away, my son was two and a half, so he has no way of

understanding this. How can you tell a two and a half

year old that the police have So I had no choice but to lie

to him, to tell him that dad is away on business, that daddy will be

back when he finishes, and that he loves and

misses you very much. Earlier this week, the wives of six

detained men protested in front of Beijing's Supreme

People's Procuratorate. They wrote messages of support

for their husbands. But, for the moment,

nothing has changed. In China, realistically,

when people are detained for this long and face this type of charge,

they tend to lose in court, meaning that it could be quite

a long time before these lawyers can When the Indian company

Ringing Bells announced a smartphone priced at just under $4,

many wondered if this was too good The company now says the first batch

of handsets is ready to ship. Our business correspondent

Shilpa Kannan had a chance to test So this is Freedom 251,

the phone that is being billed It is priced at 2.51

rupees, or under $4. At first sight it is an Android

phone, but feels very much It has four inches of screen space,

and has a camera in the front And when you look at the apps,

there are a few basic ones, It's got an e-mail, it has

a browser, there is a music player, Everything seems to

be functioning fine. But many question if these kinds

of features can really be delivered The company, Ringing Bells,

which makes these handsets says it is actually going to suffer

a loss of $2 on every But right now the company has

about 5,000 sets which it says it is ready to deliver,

and has placed an order But the real order book is around 70

million phones. Can it really deliver

that kind of numbers? Now, how's this for

an extravagant purchase? A single bunch of grapes has been

sold in Japan for a record price Each piece of fruit is as big as a

golf ball. They were bought by a supermarket and they will be put on

display and handed out for free to selected shoppers.

France has beaten Germany 2-0 in the second semi-final of the Euro

No wonder the French fans reacted like this.

It's the first time since 1958 their team has beaten Germany

We'll have the full story of the game in about 15 minutes

That's it for this edition. Thank you for watching.

Conditions are looking pretty unsettled now for the next

There will be some warmth and humidity in the air