11/10/2013 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Philippa Thomas. A major rescue

more than 300 migrants drowned when 200 passengers are said to have

more than 300 migrants drowned when sank off the island of Lampedusa.

more than 300 migrants drowned when The body charged with dismantling

does that mean for the ambitious is awarded Nobel Peace Prize. What

does that mean for the ambitious new study that suggests elephants

And from a small town in South Africa to the grand stage of La

Good evening. We begin with breaking news and what appears to be another

major accident involving hundreds of people on a migrant boat in the

Mediterranean. Reports are coming and that a boat has capsized between

Europe and North Africa, this time between Sicily and Tunisia. The

Italian coastguard says 12 people have died. This all comes just one

week after the boat capsized of have died. This all comes just one

tiny Italian island of Lampedusa. Matthew Price is an Lampedusa and

reports from the aftermath of that tragedy which claimed the lives

reports from the aftermath of that relatives of those who did have

reports from the aftermath of that flowing hair, clutching photos to

brothers, sisters and children. flowing hair, clutching photos to

week and they are still being told the bodies can not yet be released

for burial. We were given rare access and said Lampedusa's refugees

centre. It has room for 250, many more have crowded in this week.

centre. It has room for 250, many overflow outside and sleep in the

dark. There are people from Eritrea, Somalia and those like summer and

her four children who did not want to be identified, fleeing the war in

Ksenia. They paid £3000 to cross the sea. It was like a death trap, a

recommend it to anyone. We were dying in Ksenia and re-phased death

coming here too. It was only God to help us make it through. Also here,

cost you to come there? From Libya we found at men. How much did it

cost you to come there? From Libya to hear it was exactly $9,000. How

difficult was the journey, were to hear it was exactly $9,000. How

the boats that migrants used for the afraid? I could not repeat the trip.

the boats that migrants used for the in order to board one of these death

traps and risk your life looking for a better future will stop it is

traps and risk your life looking for just silly and is coming across

traps and risk your life looking for these boards, this year alone tens

horrendous voyage. While war and poverty continue to fuel this mass

Europe's politicians can do to poverty continue to fuel this mass

today who came here without their those that do make it. 39 children

today who came here without their fate in Europe to look after them.

latest incident? What appears to have happened is about 60 miles

latest incident? What appears to Lampedusa, and remember, here we are

in the middle of the Mediterranean, almost equip distant between the

coast of Sicily and the foot of Italy and North Africa and coast, 60

miles from here South East, another boat sent out an SOS call the hours

ago and then capsized and sank. people were on board. Because of

last week's disaster, the Italian Navy had a few boats that were

patrolling those waters and it is understood they quickly got some

helicopters up and those helicopters managed to rescue 120 people, but if

it is true that there were 250 or so people on board, that would leave

These are dozens of people that people on board, that would leave

difficulty of these operations? Absolutely. This happened at around

five o'clock local time, which would looking. One need a spokesperson

told of them being 200 people in the water. We do not know, of course,

whether there were still people water. We do not know, of course,

the boat when it sank, as was the case as happened here just one mile

off the coast of Lampedusa when case as happened here just one mile

other boat sank last week. It is perfectly possible that there were

still people in the hull of that both. What has become clear being an

Lampedusa of the last few days and speaking to those who made the boat

strike, the smugglers who conducted these operations packed as many

strike, the smugglers who conducted as we could. What seems to be the

pattern is that women and children are put into the hold of the boat,

underneath the deck, that may well be to give them shelter on the

crossing because it is incredibly Mediterranean sun and also shelter

from any storms. Mostly it appears the pattern as you have men on the

the world's stockpile of chemical leave the men with the best chance

the world's stockpile of chemical Organisation for the Prohibition of

on the challenge of dismantling Ksenia's chemical arsenal, that

on the challenge of dismantling chemical weapons around the world.

on the challenge of dismantling The organisation has conducted more

on the challenge of dismantling countries. It has overseen the

destruction of 56,000 tonnes of Convention that as Angola, not

destruction of 56,000 tonnes of crisis in Ksenia, the OPCW faces its

most daunting challenge to date Omagh the complete destruction of

Ksenia's chemical weapons by the middle of next year, a task which

organisation's reputation. Recent events in Syria where we have seen

chemical weapons put to use have underlined the need to enhance the

weapons. The OPCW has been working weapons for 16 years. Its inspectors

are trained to identify, handle weapons for 16 years. Its inspectors

horrifying weapons ever produced. It's painstaking and the glorious

United States has destroyed around The organisation says it has carried

out almost 5300 inspections to date throughout 86 countries in the

world. It says more than 80% of throughout 86 countries in the

world's declared stockpiles have been verifiably destroyed. This

world's declared stockpiles have inspire us father to a stronger

commitment and greater dedication. I truly hope that this award and the

OPCW's ongoing mission in Ksenia will have broader efforts to achieve

suffering of its people. The work in Ksenia has only just begun, the

suffering of its people. The work in progress so far. The Syrian regime

seems to be cooperation and it has tonnes of chemical agents and the

cursors, mustard gas, sarin and tonnes of chemical agents and the

Destroying all of this in a matter of months would be an achievement

Few people know more about the human impact of chemical weapons than

Kamaran Haider, who now joins me impact of chemical weapons than

from one of our studios in the south of England. He was 11 years of age

when Saddam Hussein bombed the courts of Halabja with chemical

weapons, most of his family were among the 5000 estimated to have

# The cards. He was in a shelter survived that attack. First about

# The cards. He was in a shelter an announcement and decision that

organisation. I was very happy when I heard that the Nobel Peace Prize

organisation. The organisation, I heard that the Nobel Peace Prize

do hard work and such peaceful work. It prevents civilian people

effects of which no one knows unless painful. Most of the victims of

effects of which no one knows unless chemical weapons are civilians. I

know one of the points that you weapons was that there is nowhere to

hide, that is what happened to you and your family, as it not? That is

correct. I will repeat the question for you. Remind us what happened to

you, your family, your parents, for you. Remind us what happened to

knew something was happening. I for you. Remind us what happened to

11 years old and with my family which included my father, mother,

brother and sister. On the 16th which included my father, mother,

March 1988 at 11 o'clock in the morning we started to bombard us

with bombs. We went into a shelter that my father had built. When the

chemical bombardment started we that my father had built. When the

neighbours came to the shelter with us to be safe from the chemical

bombardment. When it started we could get a strong smell. From that

smell we knew it was a chemical but chemical weapons travelled

through the air and cause great but chemical weapons travelled

difficulty for civilians. Thank but chemical weapons travelled

perspective from Sir Professor but chemical weapons travelled

Professor Edwards Spears who wrote inspectors. Do you think the Nobel

Peace Prize was appropriate or still perhaps premature? It is certainly

appropriate in the sense that this perhaps premature? It is certainly

appropriate in the sense that this task. The focus is, of course, and

the Syrian use of chemical weapons and it is premature only in the

sense that they have only begun and it is premature only in the

process at the moment and they have a very tight schedule and there

process at the moment and they have is feasible, given they have such a

tight deadline in the middle of is feasible, given they have such a

year, as you said, and they are is feasible, given they have such a

situation of active warfare? It is feasible, given they have such a

unprecedented what they are being asked to do. You must feel for the

planning the visits. Seven of the declared chemical facilities are in

themselves. Many of the facilities are in urban areas as well which

will not ease the task of destroying them. How do you think the mission

is going insofar as getting lists of weapons stocks and getting access,

how much do you think, in blunt terms, I suppose, do you think the

Syrian regime has playing ball? They seem to have delivered a sufficient

and then Terry of stocks and weapons to be credible. -- inventory. And to

be accepted by the international community at face value. This does

comprehensive declaration. We will not know that for some time. There

are other states that have signed the deal like Libya and Russia who

have still concealed stocks of chemical weapons, despite their

protestations of signing up to the complete destruction. Thank you

protestations of signing up to the conventional weapons. Now, human

rights watch has accused Syrian Islamist rebel groups of carrying

out war crimes in August. It says they killed around 190 civilians and

took 200 hostages when they captured some Alawite villages near the

pictures in this village in northern Syria after the end of a two-week

rebel offensive in August. The organisation accuses Islamist rebels

and taking more than 200 civilians villagers explained to her is what

they found when they returned after government forces gained control.

They told us that a number of family members which they had to leave

al-Nusra, the rebel group allied to Al-Qaeda. Al-Nusra, seen here, is

one of many different movements which make up the Syrian armed

opposition. Its tactics include indiscriminate attacks and bombings.

terrorist organisation. The rebel attacks against Alawite villages

highlighted the increasing problem faced by countries which oppose

President Assad. The rebels, whose cause they share, are now accused of

the same kind of crimes as the president they are trying to bring

The Formula one test driver Maria de Villota has been found dead in her

hotel room in Seville. One of the lost an eye in an accident when

testing for them are shocked him last year. It is thought she died of

Her courage after a life changing crash had drawn admiration through

the sporting world. This was her last autumn, starting to rebuild her

shattered. She was that rarity. last autumn, starting to rebuild her

female driver in the male dominated world of Formula one. She became a

test driver for the Marussia team. She suffered a horrific crash. She

lost her right eye and nearly her life. But her determination was

lost her right eye and nearly her dimmed. She wanted to inspire female

campaigns. News of her death has left Formula one in the shock.

campaigns. News of her death has weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. This

close community here and nearly dark place at the moment. It is

close community here and nearly loss we had here. Her legacy to

close community here and nearly sport as one of its few female

especially. You could not have you should go for it. It is believed

Scientists have discovered they respond to human gestures. We can

speak to Professor Richard Byrne of St Andrews University. He joins

speak to Professor Richard Byrne of from our studio in Dundee. This

speak to Professor Richard Byrne of fascinating because it seems to

suggest elephants have any abilities we were not aware of. It does. They

are very important abilities if we were not aware of. It does. They

are interested in human origins because they are critical in child

development. The ability to follow pointing are regarded as important

steps in a child's development. Where did you pick the elephants? We

were lucky to be able to work with a company in Zimbabwe which rescues

elephants and trains them inhumane They let us test the elephants. They

were able to point. You were asking them to choose and they could point.

They were not pointing. They were following our pointing. My colleague

was indicating which of two buckets she had put food in and the only way

they could get it right was to follow her arm gestures. This is the

intelligence which we have not found in animals more closely related

intelligence which we have not found humans. Yes, when psychologists

first looked to see whether other animals had this ability, they

looked to chimpanzees. Chimpanzees straightaway. Is this coincidence or

is it accurate to talk of humanlike until it is given that we have not

been related for so long? I think it is accurate. It shows that second

humanlike abilities can evolve in distant animals which have a need to

solve similar problems. It cannot distant animals which have a need to

a coincidence that elephants are so highly social. Elephants live in a

complex social worlds. They know highly social. Elephants live in a

lots of other individuals and have highly social. Elephants live in a

scene. She has won a string of La Scala in Milan and New York's

Pretty Yende has come a long way since her days as a soprano in the

choir here at all high school. I can see in the children's eyes, their

joy and the hope that they can do it discovered opera music when she

first heard it on a television advert. She studied opera at the

University of Cape Town. Her first pianist was Isabeau Kotze. When

University of Cape Town. Her first first heard her voice I said to

University of Cape Town. Her first husband, we have got a princess

University of Cape Town. Her first the making. Listen, this girl's

Pretty Yende has come back to share her story with the story of Piet

Retief to tell them that her success was through hard work and dreaming

big. And dreaming big she did. The power of her voice brought her first

two La Scala in Milan and then to the world's attention at her debut

Pretty Yende is now inspiring a generation Mac at home. -- back

Pretty Yende is now inspiring a You can relax because I'm not going

to sing. You can find out more about the BBC's 100 Women season on our

Just to remind you of our breaking news. A major rescue operation is

underway in the Mediterranean as another boat carrying refugees