:00:10. > :00:12.This is BBC World News Today, with me, Philippa Thomas.
:00:13. > :00:15.Crunch talks are getting under way between European leaders in Brussels
:00:16. > :00:22.As the leaders gather after populist parties gain seats
:00:23. > :00:25.across Europe, they are saying it cannot be business as usual.
:00:26. > :00:27.Brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfering.
:00:28. > :00:29.We need more power for nation states.
:00:30. > :00:31.It should be nation states wherever possible,
:00:32. > :00:36.The missing Nigerian schoolgirls, now the military claims it knows
:00:37. > :00:44.where they are, but it's too dangerous to rescue them.
:00:45. > :00:47.The human cost of the Ukrainian military's operation to retake
:00:48. > :00:49.Donetsk airport becomes clear, dozens of pro-Russia separatists
:00:50. > :00:54.And ahead of the Tour de France's arrival in Yorkshire,
:00:55. > :00:56.lessons on the effects of endurance cycling from the first
:00:57. > :01:18.The leaders of European Union states, including Britain's David
:01:19. > :01:20.Cameron, are dining together in Brussels, their first chance to
:01:21. > :01:24.talk about the EU's priorities, after the weekend's surge in support
:01:25. > :01:31.Mr Cameron said as he arrived that Brussels needs to
:01:32. > :01:35."change" because it has become "too big, too bossy, too interfering".
:01:36. > :01:37.The French President Francois Hollande says new efforts are needed
:01:38. > :01:40.to tackle the problems of unemployment, inequality and fear.
:01:41. > :01:49.Our Europe editor, Gavin Hewitt, reports from Brussels.
:01:50. > :01:56.Late afternoon, the leaders began sweeping into Brussels for an
:01:57. > :02:03.inquest into an election that saw huge increases for Eurosceptic
:02:04. > :02:08.parties. David Cameron pushed an agenda for change. The EU cannot
:02:09. > :02:13.shrug off these results and carry on as before, we need change, we need
:02:14. > :02:18.an approach that recognises Europe shall concentrate on what matters,
:02:19. > :02:24.growth and jobs, and not do so much. Brussels has got too big, it has got
:02:25. > :02:27.too bossy and interfering. The French resident Holland Micro said
:02:28. > :02:31.he was looking to reorientate economic policies -- policy towards
:02:32. > :02:38.growth and protect jobs -- President. In Perth -- in Brussels,
:02:39. > :02:43.Angela Merkel is now more influential than ever, will she back
:02:44. > :02:49.and EU doing less but better? Will she responds to voters turning
:02:50. > :02:52.against austerity? -- respond. Some of the winners have been setting out
:02:53. > :02:59.their approach in the new European Parliament. This is the French far
:03:00. > :03:04.right leader Le Pen. Our objective is to block all
:03:05. > :03:11.harmful developments by the European Union which involves defending the
:03:12. > :03:16.interests of friends and the French. And in a sign of the new tension,
:03:17. > :03:22.the powerful German Finance Minister today denounced her party as
:03:23. > :03:26.fascist. Another Victor, Nigel Farage, was back in Brussels looking
:03:27. > :03:30.for allies but rejecting any alliance with Le Pen. There is
:03:31. > :03:36.absolutely no chance of any accommodation, of any kind, been
:03:37. > :03:41.found between UKIP and the French National front. There is a sense of
:03:42. > :03:53.politicians and leaders scrambling to adjust to a political earthquake.
:03:54. > :03:58.What do they need to get out of this meeting?
:03:59. > :04:04.It is ironic because there are two forces at work in the EU. One is
:04:05. > :04:08.that within the Eurozone, the 18th countries using the single currency,
:04:09. > :04:13.there is a feeling that maybe not this week, but over the next couple
:04:14. > :04:18.of years, there needs to be closer integration if the single currency
:04:19. > :04:23.is to survive -- 18 countries. If you are saying to voters that you
:04:24. > :04:28.hear the message that the union needs to do less, that has to,
:04:29. > :04:35.within the European Union, involving 28 members -- that has to come
:04:36. > :04:40.within. They look at a country like Italy where a new young fresh centre
:04:41. > :04:52.(Minister did very well, Matteo Renzi, he had a mandate. -- French
:04:53. > :04:58.sent -- fresh centre Prime Minister. Some leaders need to take account of
:04:59. > :05:02.what voters were saying. At when prop -- but when people say the
:05:03. > :05:08.usual do less, what does that mean? In the UK, that means rather more
:05:09. > :05:12.than in France where Holland Micro would not go along with some of what
:05:13. > :05:21.he would see as the more radical proposals -- Holland Micro.
:05:22. > :05:25.-- Francois Hollande. We heard Nigel Farage saying he is
:05:26. > :05:31.not going to do any deal with Spain Micro, is there a sense they cannot
:05:32. > :05:38.form an effective block in European politics. -- with Le Pen.
:05:39. > :05:43.The majority of the next Parliament will be broadly European, they have
:05:44. > :05:48.to find compromise. There will be several locks of five Micro who do
:05:49. > :05:56.not agree with the status quo. -- locks. -- blocks of MEPs. There will
:05:57. > :06:01.be a lot of competition to win friends and allies because to form a
:06:02. > :06:05.group, you have to have 25 MEPs from seven countries, that brings more
:06:06. > :06:10.funding, more influence, more speaking time, to get your message
:06:11. > :06:15.out and win more votes in the next election. To do that, it you could
:06:16. > :06:20.see different parties competing for some of the newer MEPs arriving
:06:21. > :06:25.here, a lot of horse trading going on. The parties on the centre ground
:06:26. > :06:34.but wants to forge a new legislative agenda. -- will want to forge.
:06:35. > :06:38.We have had reports on more attacks in northern Nigeria.
:06:39. > :06:41.Senior military leaders in Nigeria claim that they know where
:06:42. > :06:44.the Islamist group Boko Haram is holding more than 200 schoolgirls.
:06:45. > :06:47.But they won't reveal the exact location and they have
:06:48. > :06:54.The schoolgirls were taken six weeks ago from their school in Chibok
:06:55. > :06:59.It is thought they are being held somewhere
:07:00. > :07:02.in the Sambisa forest reserve, an area 16 times the size of London,
:07:03. > :07:22.The BBC's Will Ross reports from the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
:07:23. > :07:26.addicted -- abducted girls since this video was released two weeks
:07:27. > :07:31.ago, very embarrassing for the military which has deployed ground
:07:32. > :07:35.troops and planes. When it crowd turned up in support of the much
:07:36. > :07:39.criticised military, it was announced the girls had been
:07:40. > :07:45.located. The good news is that we know where they are but we cannot
:07:46. > :07:50.tell you. Just leave us alone, we are working, we will get the girls
:07:51. > :07:56.back. He did suggest using force would be too risky. This is what is
:07:57. > :08:01.left of the school from where the girls were seized in Chibok. There
:08:02. > :08:07.were taken in the middle of the night and loaded onto trucks. A
:08:08. > :08:12.Father whose two daughters are missing told us what he made of the
:08:13. > :08:16.news. I used to be completely downhearted but now we have some
:08:17. > :08:20.information about their whereabouts, we are beginning to feel comforted.
:08:21. > :08:23.The government should do everything it can to secure their
:08:24. > :08:27.The government should do everything alive. The news may be seen as a
:08:28. > :08:30.breakthrough, but plenty here reluctance to take official
:08:31. > :08:35.statements at face value. In churches and mosques, Nigerians keep
:08:36. > :08:40.praying for the return of the girls and an end to the relentless
:08:41. > :08:44.violence. Almost 500 people have been killed by Boko Haram since the
:08:45. > :08:49.girls were abducted six weeks ago. Using the military is not the only
:08:50. > :08:53.option for the government. We have learned negotiations have an
:08:54. > :08:57.attempted with Boko Haram and eight deal was almost struck that would
:08:58. > :09:03.have seen 50 girls released in exchange for setting free Boko Haram
:09:04. > :09:07.prisoners -- a deal. The government backed out at the 11th hour.
:09:08. > :09:13.More marches and demonstrations are planned, and on the city streets
:09:14. > :09:14.across Nigeria, the calls to bring back our girls are alive will still
:09:15. > :09:22.ring out. -- alive. Meanwhile, Cameroon has deployed
:09:23. > :09:25.some 1,000 troops and armoured vehicles to its border region with
:09:26. > :09:28.Nigeria to counter a rising threat To discuss all of this,
:09:29. > :09:42.I'm joined by our security First, that claim the government
:09:43. > :09:47.knows where the girls are. I would project a note of
:09:48. > :09:51.scepticism. I know the girls are in north-east Nigeria, an area twice
:09:52. > :09:57.the size of Rwanda. Do they mean they note the exact grid
:09:58. > :10:01.references? It is likely. -- do they know. They had been split into
:10:02. > :10:07.smaller groups and moved around, some of them are in caves. Even US
:10:08. > :10:11.droves sweeping the area do not know for certain. So that statement came
:10:12. > :10:18.in response to a pretty righteous anger either friends and families
:10:19. > :10:23.who doing daily marches to the defence Ministry in Abuja saying,
:10:24. > :10:28.where are our girls? What are you doing to bring them back? Reports
:10:29. > :10:33.say not very much activity is going on, there is not much coordination
:10:34. > :10:40.between the federal government in Abuja and the regional authorities
:10:41. > :10:45.in the north-east. Is that a lack of willpower or is the militarily
:10:46. > :10:51.scared to go after Abuja? -- Boko Haram. They are under resourced. The
:10:52. > :10:56.Nigerian military does not have the capacity to go into that area and to
:10:57. > :11:01.affect a cost free hostage rescue. As the military have said, they are
:11:02. > :11:06.not going to do that because it would end up in a bloodbath. Some
:11:07. > :11:12.reports say they do not have night-vision goggles, they do not
:11:13. > :11:15.know that area. Boko Haram does, they will no escape routes, they
:11:16. > :11:20.have been operating there for some period and they are well motivated.
:11:21. > :11:25.They hold the cards because they have got these abducted girls, they
:11:26. > :11:32.have got them at gunpoint effectively, but they have proved
:11:33. > :11:35.they are not afraid, they have no qualms about slaughtering civilians.
:11:36. > :11:39.In the attacks in the last 24 hours, they have gone just for security
:11:40. > :11:44.personnel but they have slaughtered lots of civilians and some of their
:11:45. > :11:49.die-hard militants are not afraid to die so it is a tough option to going
:11:50. > :11:58.even when British special forces went in two years ago, it did not
:11:59. > :12:05.result in hostages. So our Cameroon trying to protect itself -- so is
:12:06. > :12:08.Cameroon train to protect itself? It is a spin off from the Paris
:12:09. > :12:15.conference where Nigeria and neighbouring countries declared war
:12:16. > :12:18.on Boko Haram which is making it difficult for Goodluck Jonathan
:12:19. > :12:22.because he is being asked privately to negotiate. The only way they will
:12:23. > :12:26.come out unharmed is through negotiation and he said they will
:12:27. > :12:30.not free the militants. A negotiation was nearly done to free
:12:31. > :12:34.some of the girls for some of the militants and that is tough to curse
:12:35. > :12:44.those militants will rejoin Boko Haram. Cameroon, 1,000 soldiers, it
:12:45. > :12:48.is a drop in the ocean in a long border, it is to shore up the border
:12:49. > :12:49.to stop spilling over and establishing camps. Thank you very
:12:50. > :12:53.much. Ukraine's new president,
:12:54. > :12:56.Petro Poroshenko, has vowed to stop The government
:12:57. > :13:00.in Kiev says it has recaptured Donetsk airport in the east from
:13:01. > :13:14.pro-Russian separatists, following This is the aftermath of that
:13:15. > :13:18.intense firefight around the airport yesterday, this truck is burnt out.
:13:19. > :13:23.The windows have bought holes and around the base of the truck, there
:13:24. > :13:30.is plenty we cannot show you because it is too graphic -- bullet holes.
:13:31. > :13:35.We have seen body parts and blood from the fighting that took place
:13:36. > :13:41.yesterday. We have been here this morning and there have been some
:13:42. > :13:45.gunshots from the airport but not the same intensity as yesterday.
:13:46. > :13:51.There was sporadic gunfire from inside the airport compound and we
:13:52. > :13:56.understand the Ukrainian troops are largely in control of the airport
:13:57. > :14:02.base. But it seems there was some kind of clear out operation to try
:14:03. > :14:07.to flush out the last elements of rebel control from the airport. Kiev
:14:08. > :14:13.is determined the airport does not fall to the insurgents, or the
:14:14. > :14:18.terrorists, as they put it. It would really give the separatist groups
:14:19. > :14:23.here a real advantage in trying to access this region. And there is the
:14:24. > :14:29.Crimea factor, back in February when pro-Russian insurgents launch their
:14:30. > :14:33.income of Crimea which led to the annexation by Moscow a month later.
:14:34. > :14:35.When they took the airport, that was the first key based they took
:14:36. > :14:41.control of, so Kiev determined the first key based they took
:14:42. > :14:44.cow -- to clamp down. -- the first key based. Petro Poroshenko is
:14:45. > :14:51.elected and he said yesterday key based. Petro Poroshenko is
:14:52. > :14:54.and the negotiation would be over within a matter of hours
:14:55. > :14:56.and the negotiation would be over months, and you see the impact of
:14:57. > :14:59.that in this area around the Donetsk.
:15:00. > :15:13.Some of the day's of the news. The blast happened as worshippers
:15:14. > :15:18.were gathering for midday prayers in Police said at least 34 people
:15:19. > :15:23.were injured in the blast. The attack comes as Iraq's
:15:24. > :15:25.Shiite-led government struggles Lawyers for a Sudanese woman
:15:26. > :15:36.sentenced to death for apostasy, The woman who is married to
:15:37. > :15:42.a Christian was convicted earlier this month after she refused to
:15:43. > :15:48.renounce Christianity. The woman who is married to
:15:49. > :15:57.a Christian was convicted earlier US President Barack Obama is
:15:58. > :16:00.expected to announce in the next half hour, plans to leave nearly
:16:01. > :16:03.ten thousand American troops in Afghanistan even after most of the
:16:04. > :16:06.soldiers pullout later this year. They will train the Afghan army and,
:16:07. > :16:09.when necessary, British prime minister,
:16:10. > :16:20.David Cameron, says any US announcement would not
:16:21. > :16:32.affect any British decision. They may not have to risk death on a
:16:33. > :16:38.foreign field. These are the additions to the mightiest military
:16:39. > :16:45.ever known. Fresh Marines where the president has ordered men to follow.
:16:46. > :16:56.We can claim all the discipline that we have lost over the years. But for
:16:57. > :16:59.somebody reluctant to use force, the president has docked a few
:17:00. > :17:06.challenges. President Obama was only in the job for a few months when he
:17:07. > :17:12.was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Many question how it has worked out.
:17:13. > :17:20.His desire for a new relationship with Islam has had few results. The
:17:21. > :17:25.US seemed a bystander in the Islamic revolutions. Israel has been able to
:17:26. > :17:31.defy without any retribution. There was a crisis in Ukraine and the
:17:32. > :17:41.presidential pivot has -- to Asia has seen a rise in Chinese
:17:42. > :17:46.aggression. There are questions today about the United States that
:17:47. > :17:51.have not been there at times in the past and I think that creates a
:17:52. > :17:56.vacuum. In that vacuum, other people stepped in. So I am very concerned.
:17:57. > :18:03.There is a lack of a clear-sighted foreign policy in my country.
:18:04. > :18:08.Training on the job can be tough. Pity those poor Marines stuck unable
:18:09. > :18:12.to move up or down. While the President's opponents say that he
:18:13. > :18:15.sometimes seems frozen by indecision, even some friends will
:18:16. > :18:20.admit that he sometimes stumbles and he does not use the immense power of
:18:21. > :18:28.his office to dazzle all sweet talk otherworldly does. There is this
:18:29. > :18:35.widespread perception across the world that President Obama has not
:18:36. > :18:38.been leading with as much energy and vigour has its predecessors. Some of
:18:39. > :18:44.their criticism is unfair but the White House needs to deal with it.
:18:45. > :18:48.It president proud of bringing the truth home seems stung by criticism
:18:49. > :18:56.that he looks weak. He is about to fight back. The White House says
:18:57. > :18:58.that this is time to him to set out how the Americans can leave the rest
:18:59. > :19:02.of the world. India's newly elected prime
:19:03. > :19:04.minister, Narendra Modi, has held bilateral talks with
:19:05. > :19:06.his Pakistani counterpart. Following the 40-minute meeting,
:19:07. > :19:09.Nawaz Sharif said the two sides had an historic opportunity to turn
:19:10. > :19:12.a new page in relations. Mr Modi urged Mr Sharif to crack
:19:13. > :19:25.down on attacks by militants these are a reminder of the main
:19:26. > :20:11.contentious chapters in their history.
:20:12. > :20:13.It's been announced in the last few hours that voting
:20:14. > :20:16.in Egypt's presidential election will be extended for a third day.
:20:17. > :20:18.Turnout has been unexpectedly low across the country
:20:19. > :20:22.The front-runner, former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, is hoping
:20:23. > :20:26.He's standing against only one other candidate,
:20:27. > :20:37.The frontrunner is Abdul Alf -- Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
:20:38. > :20:46.Day two of the election. No rush of voters. At this Cairo polling
:20:47. > :20:49.station, staff were left idle. State employees were suddenly given the
:20:50. > :20:53.day off and Egyptians were threatened with fines for staying
:20:54. > :21:00.away. But many seems to have ignored all that. At this polling station,
:21:01. > :21:05.voters are still coming and going, but it is far from crowded.
:21:06. > :21:10.Officials were not keen for us to show that. Also the authorities have
:21:11. > :21:17.not had the numbers they wanted and turnout is critical. The low 80s,
:21:18. > :21:24.the weaker the mandate. But Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's retreat is not in
:21:25. > :21:31.doubt his supporters remain in doubt -- remain sanguine. I believe in
:21:32. > :21:39.him, 1 million times over. Not 100%, 1,000,000%. This is one person
:21:40. > :21:44.refusing to vote, saying he has blood on his hands. This is the last
:21:45. > :21:49.photo off a husband, taken at a mosque last August as security
:21:50. > :21:53.forces were moving in. They brutally cleared a Muslim Brotherhood
:21:54. > :22:00.sitting, killing at least 600 protesters. But as we filmed at
:22:01. > :22:07.Yasmin, angry neighbours gathered outside, intimidating her children.
:22:08. > :22:10.They prevented us from leaving, claiming we were spies. A small
:22:11. > :22:18.example of the mistrust and bitter divisions in Asia. When the police
:22:19. > :22:27.came, we were detained, along with Yasmin, and held for almost two
:22:28. > :22:31.hours. Supporters of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi say that he will save this
:22:32. > :22:37.troubled nation but not all the nation is convinced and admit
:22:38. > :22:52.concerns about a low turnout, voting has now been extended into a third
:22:53. > :22:57.day. The greatest cycle race in the
:22:58. > :23:05.world. What effect does it have on the human body. Our correspondent
:23:06. > :23:09.has been trying to find out and he began by meeting one of Britain's
:23:10. > :23:14.cycling greats. Yorkshire born and bred, Ryan
:23:15. > :23:21.Robinson is still cycling at the age of 83. He is a true sporting icon,
:23:22. > :23:31.the first Briton to finish the Tour De France. Great, isn't it? This was
:23:32. > :23:37.Brian in 1959, finishing 20 minutes ahead of the rest of the field after
:23:38. > :23:42.a gruelling 150 mile stage. One of the biggest winning margins into
:23:43. > :23:46.history. More than half a century later, the tour is coming to
:23:47. > :23:52.Yorkshire. Brian will be there and hopes that he has more years of
:23:53. > :23:56.cycling to come. I can recommend it. They say that it puts ten years on
:23:57. > :24:03.your life. If it gives me another ten years, I will be very happy!
:24:04. > :24:07.Elite cyclists are among the fittest people on the planet. One small
:24:08. > :24:11.study suggested that they live eight years longer than the general
:24:12. > :24:19.population. But the same may not be true for the growing army of Lycra
:24:20. > :24:25.clad climbers. A climate this does not feel that good for your health.
:24:26. > :24:31.But what does this kind of injuries exercise have on the body. At the
:24:32. > :24:34.University of Kent, scientists measured my physiology by
:24:35. > :24:46.University of Kent, scientists to the limit on the
:24:47. > :24:50.University of Kent, scientists of -- INO Chris
:24:51. > :24:50.University of Kent, scientists results show that my heart health is
:24:51. > :24:56.good. results show that my heart health is
:24:57. > :24:59.cardiovascular disease results show that my heart health is
:25:00. > :25:07.also have a lower risk of mortality. So your advice to the
:25:08. > :25:15.middle aged men is to keep cycling? Keep doing what you're doing. That
:25:16. > :25:19.is my best win. Ryan Robinson is living proof of the benefits of
:25:20. > :25:25.cycling. He says that is only health problems have been when he has
:25:26. > :25:29.fallen off his bike. A reminder of our main news. The
:25:30. > :25:34.leaders of European states are dining together tonight in
:25:35. > :25:38.Brussels, their first chance to talk through the EU's priorities. Where
:25:39. > :25:46.does it go from here after the weekend's surge in support of -- for
:25:47. > :25:51.anti-EU charity -- anti-EU parties. Mr Cameron says that the EU has
:25:52. > :25:56.become too big and too interfering and we need an approach that
:25:57. > :26:02.recognises that Europe should concentrate on what matters. The
:26:03. > :26:07.French president, who was also hit by the National front in France,
:26:08. > :26:12.to tackle instability, unemployment to tackle instability, unemployment
:26:13. > :26:17.and fear. That meeting happening in Brussels tonight. It may be more of
:26:18. > :26:23.a meeting of minds we may not expect any particular pronouncements.
:26:24. > :26:26.Also, within the last hour, we have had news of more attacks in northern
:26:27. > :26:32.Nigeria. Militants are believed to have killed many people in two
:26:33. > :26:38.attacks on Monday night. Senior military people say that they know
:26:39. > :26:44.where the missing girls are, where Boko Haram is holding them. But they
:26:45. > :26:50.don't intend to go to the rescue. Thank you for joining me on
:26:51. > :26:57.programme-macro. -- on world news today.
:26:58. > :27:10.It will continue into the next few days. A bit brighter further west
:27:11. > :27:14.and the weather is coming from the east. This area of low pressure
:27:15. > :27:17.dominating Eastern Europe. These weather funds will bring persistent
:27:18. > :27:18.rain across