12/03/2014 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today. Diplomatic manoeuvres on the crisis

in Ukraine are speeding up. As we go on air, President Obama is due to

meet the interim Ukrainian prime minister at the White House. Arseniy

Yatsenyuk was welcomed by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, who

earlier urged Russia to respect the people of Ukraine in its approach to

the Crimean region. We will do what we have to do, if Russia cannot find

a way to make the right choices. Two people die and many more are

injured after an explosion caused by a gas leak causes two buildings to

collapse in New York City. Also coming up. The search for Flight

MH370 goes on and widens, five days after it disappeared. Its last radio

message: OK. Roger that. Boosting British mathematics the

Chinese way. We look at a move to bring teachers from Shanghai into

the UK's classrooms. Hello.

The Ukrainian interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has

arrived in Washington for talks with President Obama, and vice president

Joe Biden. He was welcomed by US Secretary of State, John Kerry. The

meeting comes just a few days before the referendum on the independence

of Crimea, scheduled for Sunday. Earlier, Mr Kerry announced he's

travelling to London, to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov,

on Friday in a last-minute bid to avert a new crisis in Ukraine.

We will do what we have to do, if Russia cannot find the way to make

the right choices. Our job is to try to present them with a series of

options that are appropriate in order to try to respect the people

of Ukraine, international law, and the interests of all concerned. John

Carey saying they will do what they have to do. Our correspondent is

monitoring events. This is a high-profile meeting for the interim

Ukrainian Prime Minister. That is right. A real show of support and

solidarity from the White House and the meeting is going on right now.

Just half an hour, it is due to wrap up in 15 minutes and we have been

told the president will give a short statement outlining what was

discussed. Broadly, the White House said the meeting is about finding a

peaceful resolution to the ongoing military intervention and to

preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Realistically, what can

the White House do? It is interesting because options are

limited. We have spoken about before that military options have been

ruled out. I was at the White House briefing. The press secretary talked

about some of the options the president has. We know that these

bands have been put in place the prominent Russians that the White

House believes might be undermining the Ukraine sovereignty -- visa

bans. He signed an order that would freeze the assets of Russians who

might be believed to be involved in undermining Ukraine sovereignty.

When he was asked who was on the list, the press secretary said they

were working on it. Some people say the longer that is left, the more

time these Russians who might be targeted with have to move assets

somewhere else. The White House said it has options and if Russia does

not escalate, it could broaden the scope of what it does. We will

continue to monitor that. The meeting is expected to finish in 15

minutes. Across the Crimean peninsula there are military bases

that remain under the control of Ukrainian forces, in spite of

relentless provocation from Russian soldiers and the civil defence units

that support them. But what happens if Crimea does vote to become part

of Russia on Sunday? What then for the soldiers who stand in the way of

the new pro-Russian authority? There is a danger the tense stand-offs may

escalate into open conflict. Our world affairs correspondent

Christian Fraser has been investigating.

A sprawling ammunition dump, chiselled into the rock of the

Inkerman Valley. Of all the tense stand-off 's we have witnessed, this

might prove the most dangerous. Marshalling the entrance, volunteers

of the civil defence force who tried to stop us filming. More than once,

the Russians have tried to seize control. Our secret recording shows

the Ukrainian commander is under mounting pressure.

Ten days ago, another Ukrainian commander exercised his frustration,

marching his men to the gates of the Sebastopol and bass. The closest we

have come to conflict. Since then the aircraft on the runway have been

disabled. The foxholes they dig our surely a gesture of defiance rather

than a meaningful deterrent. The Russians call every day, says the

kernel. They have given up trying to turn me. What happens after the

referendum and anticipated secession of Crimea worries every Ukrainian

soldier. After that service men would be

marooned outside the borders of their country. What we do not know

is what the conflicting orders of Kiev are likely to be. The new head

of the national-security counselling Kiev refuses to be drawn. We will

let you know what will happen after the 16th, he says, I can tell you

the spirits of the soldiers remain high.

Maybe, but they stand in the face of overwhelming support here from

Russia and today the Kremlin standard-bearers arrived in the

shape of these men. Welcome home to Russia, he said. The result of the

referendum hardly in doubt. And now the United States. An

explosion which destroyed two five-storey buildings in New York

was caused by a gas leak, according to the city's Mayor. Two women were

killed and a number of people are still unaccounted for, following the

blast in East Harlem. A search operation is now under way. Nick

Bryant is live at the scene. It seems calm now, but it was not

earlier today. It was a chaotic scene when I

arrived shortly after the explosions. 9:31am was the first

call to the emergency services. They were on the scene quickly. They

found a rising plume of smoke, a site that evokes fears for the

people of Manhattan. On this occasion, it was a gas explosion

that caused it. Before the explosion a local utility company had been

contacted by people locally who smelt gas. Indeed a team from Con

Edison were on their way into the buildings when the explosion

happened. The mayor of New York was very much

reiterating that there is no link to terrorism, or, crying.

The FBI -- or to crime. The FBI ruled out any link with terror or

crime early on. The suspicion strongly in the early hours was that

it was a gas explosion, partly because of local people who said

they smelt a stronger odour of gas. It happened after many of those

people living in those buildings had gone to work. It avoided the peak of

the rush-hour, which is significant. The buildings are

opposite a raised railway line. There were a couple of trade is

pretty close with people posting photographs showing the early

minutes of the explosion. Fortunately, they were not passing

by when it went off. More than a dozen people are not accounted for.

The hope is they are at work and cannot be contacted. The worry is

that some might be in the rubble. It has been difficult to search because

it was difficult to put out the intense blaze.

27,000 nautical square miles of sea, 39 aircraft and 42 ships to cover

it. That's the scale of the search for Malaysia flight MH370 as we

approach five days since its disappearance. 239 people were on

board the plane. Their families still have virtually no clues as to

its whereabouts. The search itself, now supported by 12 countries, is

focused on two areas - the South China Sea and the Malacca Straits.

This is the route the plane is known to have taken before contact was

broken according to civil aviation authorities. But at a press

briefing, Malaysia revealed that military radar had tracked an

unidentified object, which could have been the missing aircraft, into

the Strait of Malacca on the opposite side of the country.

Is it really possible for so many planes and ships to find no trace of

a 200 tonne airliner after five days of searching? It is if they are

looking in the wrong place. They assumed it came down in the South

China Sea, close to its last contact. Now the Malaysia and

authorities think it might be hundreds of miles west of its flight

path. At the press briefings, officials struggled to explain why

they seem to know so little. When we look at the recording, it proves

that there is a possibility that this aircraft made a turn back. But

we are not sure if it is the same aircraft. There were on -- there was

an uproar of questions. It was almost an hour into its journey when

edge traffic control bid the pilot farewell. His last words were, all

right, Roger that, suggesting nothing was wrong. But Malaysia and

military radar records show and on identified object flying an hour

later over the Andaman Sea. That is all they have two go on. Two of

those on Ward were Rodney and Mary Burroughs. His parents were about to

visit them in China to celebrate Mary's birthday. There is no news.

It has just disappeared off the face of the year. If we could just find

wreckage or something, it would be a help, probably. What we have learned

almost five days after the flight vanished must be of concern to

millions of passengers passing through airports in the region, that

the authorities know almost nothing about what happened to the aircraft

and, in their search for it, they are just guessing. We have more on

the search on the website. Now some of the day's other news. Palestinian

militants in the Gaza Strip have fired rockets at southern Israel

according to Israeli officials. They say eight rockets hit suburban areas

and others were intercepted by the missile defence system. It is the

heaviest barrage since the November 2012 conflict in Gaza ended. Turkish

police have fired water cannon and tear gas in Istanbul and Ankara

during protests triggered by the funeral of a teenage boy. Berkin

Elvan, 15, spent nine months in a coma after being hit by a tear gas

canister as he went to buy bread in June last year. Tens of thousands of

mourners chanted anti-government slogans as his coffin was carried

through the streets of Istanbul. Former Formula 1 driver Michael

Schumacher is said to be showing small, encouraging signs following

his skiing accident. He's been in a medically induced coma since

sustaining head injuries in the French Alps two months ago. His

family say he still faces a long fight to recovery. But they remain

confident he will pull through. There've been dramatic scenes at the

Oscar Pistorius murder trial. A forensics expert has been

re-enacting how the Olympian broke down the toilet door with a cricket

bat after he'd shot his girlfriend. The athlete denies murdering Reeva

Steenkamp and says he fired through the door thinking she was an

intruder. From Pretoria, Andrew Harding reports.

The crime scene came to court today in the form of a door, the one that

Oscar Pistorius shot through, and the white walls behind it

representing the toilet where Reeva Steenkamp was killed. A forensics

expert reveals the cricket bat Oscar Pistorius used to smash the door

down. At issue today were the marks left by the cricket bat. There were

at least two on the door, one here, one and a half metres above the

floor with Oscar Pistorius apparently standing to one side.

Another hit lower down. The experts said it suggested the athlete was on

his stumps, and therefore lying when he claimed he was wearing his

respected legs. The defence said it was just guesswork and asked the

expert to act it out again. Are you losing your balance? He conceded it

might be hard to balance on stumps and swing the cricket bat. The

defence team said they did their own tests that proved the athlete was

telling the truth about standing on his prostatic legs. The test showed

he had not just hit the door but kicked it, leaving traces of his

sock trapped in the wood. But the police investigating Reeva

Steenkamp's death, it has not been a great day. Their expert admitted the

door had later been removed from the crime scene, trampled on and a chunk

had gone missing. Oscar Pistorius seem relaxed, smiling when a witness

appeared to stumble. It has been a dramatic and you might say

theatrical day. The prosecution is still struggling to prove that Oscar

Pistorius' version of what happened is a lie.

For the first time ever ground-breaking 3D printing has been

used to reconstruct a person's face, which had been crushed in a serious

motorbike accident. Every stage of the operation was planned and

executed using 3D printed parts. Our Wales Correspondent, Howel Griffith

was given exclusive access to see the procedure carried out at

Swansea's Morriston Hospital. Come and have a seat, Stephen. Nice

to see you. His body filled with plates and screws, Stephen has

learned to hide his injuries since his accident 18 months ago. Despite

wearing a crash helmet, he remembers little of the impact which left him

on a life-support machine, and left his skull crushed out of shape. I

shouldn't really be wearing glasses, I wear them to disguise my cheek and

my eye, because with them off, obviously, you can see my cheek is

out there. My eyelid is sunk, my nose is still bent. Surgeons are

going to rebuild Stephen's face, as instead of using traditional

techniques, the parts they need for the operation have been printed.

Using scans of Stephen's skull, the team first changed its shape on a

computer, and then layer by layer, printed the models, plates and

implants for use in surgery. It means every part is designed to fit

precisely, removing any guesswork from the surgery. The team are now

working with custom printed cutting guides designed to perfectly fit

Stephen's face. They will help restore a natural symmetry. Working

on historic injuries makes that a challenge, but the printed parts are

making a difference. Without the guide, it is up to our free hand

decision-making on the operating table, which could be good, could be

not good. With this, if it fits together OK, means it is exactly

perfect. Two weeks later, time to see the results. The difference

between the two sides is now one millimetre... There is still some

swelling, but the scan shows symmetry has been restored. For

Stephen, it feels transporting. I am glad they have developed that

technology, that they are able to do something like that. It is like

changing and has changed my life. Stephen's place in history has

already been marked by this exhibit in the Science Museum. The future of

3-D printing could see words -- working organs printed within the

next decade. For Stephen, the technology has already delivered a

huge step forward in his recovery. A group of Maths teachers from

Shanghai are coming to England to help improve standards. It's part of

an exchange that give teachers here the chance to improve their methods.

Last year, the UK came 26th for Maths in an international league

table. Graham Satchell reports. 14 squares, that gave me 196. In

this primary School, years six are learning about the areas of

triangles and having a visit from England's Education Minister. In

international league tables, the UK has fallen behind in Maths,

particularly to countries in the Far East. From next autumn, 60 Maths

teachers from China will be in English schools, teaching and

sharing their expertise. Children in Shanghai by the age of 15 or three

years ahead of our children. We want to improve our teaching even

further, to learn from the best in the world, who embed really high

quality practice in our school. She so for herself specialist Maths

teachers at work. Critics say that the Chinese hothouse their

children, putting pressure on them to succeed. Teaching unions have

questioned the way international league table data is gathered and

whether Chinese teachers are best for children here. There are things

that might lead to children feeling unhappy, and that is something we

would not want to bring in. But certainly, I think what is called

for is a bit of humanity, -- humility, that we can learn from

other countries. The government says it is determined to improve the

standard of Maths. Going Chinese might be part of the answer.

With me is Jerry Glazier who's on the National Executive of the

National Union Of Teachers in the UK. Also here is Andreas Schleicher.

He's Deputy Director for Education and Skills with the OECD - the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Thank

you for coming in. I want to ask you, to begin with, Andreas

Schleicher, why is China so good when it comes to Maths? They have

become really good at teaching mathematics, they are focused on

deep conceptual understanding, they do not spend too much on simpler

processes and procedures. They share their practice throughout the

system. Every teacher does quite well on it. Jerry Glazier, is that

where we are going wrong, that we don't share our information? I don't

believe that is the case. It is important we have a rigorous

mathematics curriculum, teachers were properly trained. But there is

not any significant evidence that mathematics teaching in this country

is in the doldrums. The 2012 report was very, the entry about Maths

development and Maths in our schools. Andreas Schleicher, the

figures. Necessarily show that, do they? There is a performance gap.

There is a lot the world can learn. We can do this in any other field as

well, medicine or science. Sharing expertise, experience, it is a great

way of investing in the professionalisation of the

workforce, to have these exchanges. Jerry Glazier, would you welcome

them? There is concern about overlaying a template from one

culture to another. There is concern about the education culture in some

of the Asian countries. The demands placed upon children by their

parents and by society are enormous. It is important we have a balance.

We are talking about primary age children being subjected to these

changes. That is very important. Andreas Schleicher, that is

something we hear about, that children in other countries are

hothouse. It is very strict, the discipline, when it comes to

education. That is true. And I think the focus on mathematics teaching,

how teachers of their own professional standards, every

teacher knows how to do this, I think that is a lot that we can

learn in western nations. Without necessarily adopting every part of

the culture, high expectations, pressure from parents. But I think

the focus on Maths teaching, there is a lot we can learn. Maths is

something we are struggling with somewhat in this country. We are

struggling with having an adequate supply of well-qualified Maths

teachers. The government needs to address that to ensure that we do

have Maths teachers, that the profession is genuinely valued and

lauded, not attacked by government. We need to have teachers

across-the-board. When we have a full supply, proper training,

in-service training, we can keep on top of issues in a constructive way.

It is not helpful to simply think you can take an overlay, someone

else's mathematics solutions, and think they will work in this

country. Just getting the expertise from these teachers from Shanghai,

there are going to be ideas of how to teach, what they specifically do.

Surely that is beneficial? They may well be. I am not clear, but the way

in which mass is being taught in this country is wrong, -- that the

way in which mathematics in this country is being taught is wrong. We

need to be cautious about finding simple solutions. It is a good

story, but will it fundamentally make the difference? I think the way

the difference will be made in this country is to have a well valued,

fully formed teaching profession. So we're not having a shortage of

teachers. Andreas Schleicher, that is a good point, isn't it? We may

simply need more teachers. Absolutely, to have inspiration from

other approaches around the world. We will not do this in any other

field, and I believe there is a lot we can learn to build that kind of

profession, attract the best qualified people and the most

challenging crass rooms. -- classrooms. Looking at it doesn't

mean that you have to cut and paste it. It is a matter of looking at

different approaches and learning from them. Jerry Glazier, I was

reading about the process used in Shanghai, that's teachers share

their information. They are all encouraged to look into their

methods. Also this idea that you don't necessarily, you are not good

at bad Maths, you learn it. It is about being taught and doing the

hard work. In this country, there is a tendency of, you are either good

or bad? I don't think that's true, teachers want to enable students to

get the best out of education. For some children, accessing mathematics

can be complicated and difficult for them. You need to have a variety of

techniques to ensure they are engaged. We need Julian gauged

students on a curriculum that is relevant and provides them with

opportunities for the future. We are not in the education business to

produce people who are going to provide simply to the economic

benefit of the country. Jerry Glazier and Andreas Schleicher,

thank you for a much. We have to leave it there, we're out of time.

If you want more information on that story, it is on our website. From me

and the team on World News Today, thanks very much for watching.

Hello there. At a fine day for many areas overnight that fog will become

extensive and dense. Particularly across England and Wales. Tomorrow

will start on a foggy note for many areas, causing problems to

transport. High pressure is the reason for the Fog development

overnight, very light winds, it becomes stagnant. A