:00:00. > :00:14.A day of commemoration as people across Europe mark 100 years since
:00:15. > :00:25.In Belgium, where the first troops were killed, both royals and world
:00:26. > :00:37.leaders remembered those lost, and reflected on their legacy.
:00:38. > :00:44.Former adversaries have worked together for three generations to
:00:45. > :00:52.spread democracy, prosperity and the rule of law.
:00:53. > :00:54.As Europe reflects on its bloody past we'll look
:00:55. > :01:02.at the legacy of the conflict still being felt across the Middle East.
:01:03. > :01:07.There is a new conflict which is still deadly. There is a situation
:01:08. > :01:11.that Europe must face. As a pause in the fighting ends
:01:12. > :01:17.Israel vows it?s to continue its military campaign in Gaza
:01:18. > :01:39.until their security is assured. And rescuers check rabble after a
:01:40. > :01:48.deadly earthquake. -- rescuers check rubble.
:01:49. > :01:52.Today marks 100 years since Britain and its Empire entered the
:01:53. > :01:56.On this day in 1914, German troops invaded Belgium in order to attack
:01:57. > :01:58.France and Britain responded by declaring war on Germany.
:01:59. > :02:03.In Belgium, where the invasion by German troops brought Britain into
:02:04. > :02:07.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by Belgium's king
:02:08. > :02:09.and queen and also the presidents of Germany and France.
:02:10. > :02:12.Thousands of balloons were released over the memorial at the site
:02:13. > :02:15.Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell reports
:02:16. > :02:30.It was a summer much like today, said the minister of Glasgow
:02:31. > :02:38.It was 100 years ago today, the day Britain went to war.
:02:39. > :02:41.From every continent the leaders of countries
:02:42. > :02:44.which had once been part of the British Empire and which are now
:02:45. > :02:59.linked by the Commonwealth came to remember and to pay their respects.
:03:00. > :03:01.Most of the fighting, most of the casualties occurred
:03:02. > :03:09.Belgium was the first point of impact, invaded by German forces
:03:10. > :03:17.To the city of Liege, stoutly defended
:03:18. > :03:20.by Belgian forces in 1914, came many of Europe's present day leaders.
:03:21. > :03:35.He was thankful for the invitation, he said, and there was contrition
:03:36. > :03:38.for Germany's completely unjustifiable invasion of Belgium,
:03:39. > :03:42.as he put it, and for the conduct of German troops.
:03:43. > :03:46.President Hollande of France spoke about present-day wars and what he
:03:47. > :03:51.Prince William said recent events in Ukraine showed that instability
:03:52. > :03:57.But he said something better was possible.
:03:58. > :04:01.The fact that the presidents of Germany
:04:02. > :04:05.and Austria are here today and that other nations, then enemies,
:04:06. > :04:11.are here too, bears testimony to the power of reconciliation.
:04:12. > :04:18.Balloons were released as a symbol of unity and peace.
:04:19. > :04:20.In Glasgow the Prince of Wales laid a wreath
:04:21. > :04:23.in tribute to all those from Britain and the Commonwealth who gave
:04:24. > :04:33.And in Folkestone, from where hundreds of thousands of
:04:34. > :04:35.soldiers embarked for the Western Front, Prince Harry opened a
:04:36. > :04:42.Tonight Britain's attention will centre on Westminster Abbey with
:04:43. > :04:45.a vigil which will be shared across the country as lights are dimmed.
:04:46. > :04:51.A moment of reflection inspired by a remark by the Foreign Secretary
:04:52. > :04:54.of Britain a century ago, that the lamps were going out all
:04:55. > :05:01.It is the solemn commemoration of a catastrophic moment,
:05:02. > :05:03.represented at the Tower of London by nearly 1 million ceramic poppies
:05:04. > :05:25.placed there to signify the bloodshed and the sacrifice of war.
:05:26. > :05:32.16 million people died in that war. Hundreds of thousands were British
:05:33. > :05:34.troops. Historians have been able to identify the first British soldier
:05:35. > :05:49.to die. He was Private John Parr. At this cemetery David McCarthy
:05:50. > :05:51.and his daughter have reached Around them the men of the Middlesex
:05:52. > :05:58.Regiment lost in fighting at Mons. Ahead, the last resting place
:05:59. > :06:03.of David's great uncle. This is a very special day
:06:04. > :06:05.when the whole nation is remembering So that does really add to
:06:06. > :06:14.the emotion of the moment. Many of the 90 families attending
:06:15. > :06:16.tonight's ceremony are here Amongst them the descendants
:06:17. > :06:23.of Corporal Walter Last. He was only a baby
:06:24. > :06:28.when his father was killed. It is very important
:06:29. > :06:30.for us to come and pay This evening Europe will remember
:06:31. > :06:35.in particular Private John Parr, 17 years old,
:06:36. > :06:37.and the first British soldier to be I heard from Berlin to say that
:06:38. > :06:46.my son was shot down at Mons... His great-niece has a copy
:06:47. > :06:51.of the letter in which Tonight it will be shared with
:06:52. > :06:57.a global audience. I have a photograph of the family
:06:58. > :07:00.wedding, of me holding the hand So I like to think that I am
:07:01. > :07:07.now taking her by the hand As dusk falls on a day
:07:08. > :07:11.of remembrance the most powerful message still
:07:12. > :07:15.comes from those who were there. As soon as you get over the top fear
:07:16. > :07:28.has left you and it is terror. I was tired of seeing infantry
:07:29. > :07:32.sinking back in that morass, I was tired of all the carnage,
:07:33. > :07:39.of all the sacrifice just to gain These soldiers stabbed each other,
:07:40. > :07:49.strangled each other, What was it that we who have nothing
:07:50. > :07:59.against them personally fought with Where better to reflect
:08:00. > :08:44.on the futility of conflict and We the Duke and Duchess of the ant
:08:45. > :08:56.David Cameron who will be taking part in a major service of
:08:57. > :09:05.remembrance. -- the Duke and Duchess of York.
:09:06. > :09:15.We will be asking is its shadow still felt today.
:09:16. > :09:17.An eight-year-old girl was killed in an air strike
:09:18. > :09:20.on a refugee camp in Gaza just minutes into a unilateral pause
:09:21. > :09:21.in Israel's military operations, according to Palestinian officials.
:09:22. > :09:24.The Israeli army says it's looking into the incident.
:09:25. > :09:27.The seven-hour truce by the Israeli army came into effect in parts
:09:28. > :09:31.of Gaza this morning, but it didn't apply in the southern town of Rafah.
:09:32. > :09:38.So far over 1,800 Palestinians and 67 Israelis have been killed
:09:39. > :09:40.Orla Guerin sent this report from Gaza City.
:09:41. > :09:51.You may find some of the images distressing.
:09:52. > :10:01.Fresh casualties arrive on the day of an Israeli cease-fire. Survivors
:10:02. > :10:17.told as missiles at their homes. An attack that came about warning. This
:10:18. > :10:26.was the latest innocent victim. They should fight soldiers, not the
:10:27. > :10:30.children. Casualties are still arriving at the hospital. It is
:10:31. > :10:36.chaotic. There is not room for all the people that are arriving. They
:10:37. > :10:52.say that this attack happened after the humanitarian cease-fire was
:10:53. > :10:55.supposed to have begun. He is grandmother said, we will
:10:56. > :11:03.stand firm and have more children to fight Israel.
:11:04. > :11:11.Some took advantage of the Seas fire to salvage what they could from
:11:12. > :11:22.their homes. Then this front line area there was heavy fighting.
:11:23. > :11:33.This was my house. This was where I built my dreams. My memories.
:11:34. > :11:39.This is the ruins of the house where he lived with his wife, children and
:11:40. > :11:43.extended family. He says he will bring his infant son and daughter
:11:44. > :11:52.back year to live in a tent and they will teach them about the Israelis.
:11:53. > :12:09.They have two learn how to live with those people. How can we live
:12:10. > :12:21.together? They destroyed the house. His losses include family farmland
:12:22. > :12:28.and as plastics factory. This man of books is now left with sadness and
:12:29. > :12:32.heat. International pressure has been
:12:33. > :12:34.mounting on Israel over President Hollande of France
:12:35. > :12:37.described yesterday's air strike near a UN-run school as
:12:38. > :12:39.a violation of international law. In Jerusalem,
:12:40. > :13:00.an Israeli died when a mechanical pressure these pictures show the
:13:01. > :13:10.first attack in Jerusalem. Police officers rushed towards him. The
:13:11. > :13:26.police fire at the driver, a Palestinian, and they kill him.
:13:27. > :13:30.Afterwards a crowd gathers. I think we should be able to live in peace.
:13:31. > :13:37.We should stop the radicals from escalating things. This is the most
:13:38. > :13:46.significant attack on Israelis in Jerusalem. We will not be deterred
:13:47. > :13:55.from developing the city of Jerusalem. Terrorists will
:13:56. > :14:00.understand that does not pay. We will go back to our life and move
:14:01. > :14:10.on. Then we get word of another attack.
:14:11. > :14:14.Now there is a sense of fear and uncertainty in Jerusalem. In the
:14:15. > :14:21.space of a few hours there have been two separate attacks at the heart of
:14:22. > :14:32.the city. The attacks put pressure on the Prime Minister of Israel. He
:14:33. > :14:37.insists that Israel's offensive will continue until quiet is restored for
:14:38. > :14:45.a lengthy period. Now a look at some
:14:46. > :14:48.of the days other news. A ferry carrying
:14:49. > :14:50.around 200 passengers has capsized Police say about 100 people have
:14:51. > :14:54.so far been rescued but two bodies The boat sank around 30 kilometres
:14:55. > :14:58.south of the capital, Dhaka. Many
:14:59. > :15:00.of the passengers were coming back A British warship that evacuated 110
:15:01. > :15:05.citizens from Libya has arrived Over the last few days,
:15:06. > :15:12.226 South Koreans, Indians, Filipinos and Bangladeshis have
:15:13. > :15:13.also landed in Valletta. More than 200 people have died
:15:14. > :15:15.in violence between rival militia groups
:15:16. > :15:21.in Libya over the past two weeks. Thousands
:15:22. > :15:23.of people are fleeing a border town in eastern Lebanon on the third day
:15:24. > :15:26.of fighting between Lebanese troops Clashes broke out in Arsal
:15:27. > :15:34.after soldiers detained a suspected member of the Syrian
:15:35. > :15:49.Islamist group, Al Nusra Front. An Australian couple has denied
:15:50. > :15:54.abandoning a child with town syndrome born to a woman in
:15:55. > :15:59.Thailand. The couple said that they had returned to Australia with his
:16:00. > :16:03.healthy twin sister. The case has led to an online campaign which has
:16:04. > :16:13.raised almost $200,000 for the medical treatment of the child.
:16:14. > :16:15.A rescue operation is underway in China
:16:16. > :16:17.after a strong earthquake struck a remote area of Yunnan province,
:16:18. > :16:20.in the south west of the country, killing at least 400 people.
:16:21. > :16:23.President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out efforts" to find
:16:24. > :16:25.survivors as he dispatched thousands of troops to the disaster region.
:16:26. > :16:28.From Shanghai, our correspondent John Sudworth gave us this update
:16:29. > :16:41.This morning, help finally arrived at the epicentre of the earthquake.
:16:42. > :16:44.Bad visibility and weather conditions have for almost 20 hours
:16:45. > :16:51.stopped the military helicopters from landing. Once airborne, the
:16:52. > :16:58.extent of the lethal destruction was clearly visible in this remote
:16:59. > :17:03.mountainous region. Surveillance camera footage showed the moment it
:17:04. > :17:08.struck at 4:30pm in the afternoon on Sunday. When many people would have
:17:09. > :17:16.been at home. Those that could went to the safety of the outdoors. On
:17:17. > :17:20.the first tremor, everything shook, seven or eight times, this man said.
:17:21. > :17:27.Our house collapsed almost as soon as we got out. Thousands of rescue
:17:28. > :17:30.workers, soldiers and medical staff have been drafted in but progress on
:17:31. > :17:36.the ground is being badly hampered by disrupted communications and
:17:37. > :17:41.blocked roads. Offers of help if needed have come from Washington and
:17:42. > :17:44.the United Nations. But it is access which is the problem. At this stage
:17:45. > :17:49.China appears to have all the manpower needed. The authorities are
:17:50. > :17:57.sending large quantities of bedding and medical supplies. Compare to the
:17:58. > :18:03.2008 earthquake in the neighbouring province which claimed almost 70,000
:18:04. > :18:06.lives, this disaster is smaller in scale at relative comparisons are
:18:07. > :18:09.meaningless for the hundreds of families that have lost loved ones
:18:10. > :18:17.and the many thousands made homeless. The Chinese premier as
:18:18. > :18:22.flown in to personally oversee the rescue operation. From the air, the
:18:23. > :18:27.real vulnerability is clear. Older buildings are lying collapsed in
:18:28. > :18:32.between new multistorey buildings left standing. The South West is one
:18:33. > :18:36.of the most earthquake prone regions and also one of the poorest. It is
:18:37. > :18:41.that combination leading to such a large loss of life.
:18:42. > :18:44.Earlier we saw how European leaders are marking 100 years
:18:45. > :18:48.since the start of World War One at ceremonies in Belgium.
:18:49. > :18:50.The commemorations are taking place amid a backdrop of ongoing conflicts
:18:51. > :18:55.While the Great War may have officially
:18:56. > :18:57.ended in 1918, today's events have prompted leaders including
:18:58. > :18:59.French President Francois Hollande to draw parallels between the Great
:19:00. > :19:17.TRANSLATION: We should not look at what has happened in the borders of
:19:18. > :19:20.Europe. Close by their is a new conflict which is still deadly. On
:19:21. > :19:25.the other side of the Mediterranean there is a situation Europe must
:19:26. > :19:29.face. You should not believe that these situations are only for the
:19:30. > :19:32.countries involved. Terrorism, violence, all of this can spread. We
:19:33. > :19:35.must act. To discuss this further I'm joined
:19:36. > :19:39.by Dr Paul Salem, Vice President for Policy and Research at The Middle
:19:40. > :19:41.East Institute in Washington D.C and here with me in the studio again
:19:42. > :19:54.is historian Lynelle Howson from the Thank you both for joining us on
:19:55. > :19:58.this historic and significant day. Let me start by talking to you. You
:19:59. > :20:04.have been across these events today on the BBC already. World War I was
:20:05. > :20:09.described as the war to end all wars. At looking at what we have
:20:10. > :20:20.been looking at today, Gaza, Libya, Lebanon, it was not at all. Why not?
:20:21. > :20:23.I think that is something said about the First World War very
:20:24. > :20:27.retrospectively indeed. You can only make the decisions you make at the
:20:28. > :20:31.time with what you have. The First World War suffers from being in the
:20:32. > :20:36.shadow of the Second World War. It makes us more critical in what they
:20:37. > :20:42.might have done differently, but how were they to know? It's changes how
:20:43. > :20:44.we look at it because of experience, knowledge and understanding of the
:20:45. > :20:50.Second World War and what happened after that, the Cold War and the
:20:51. > :20:55.events of today in places like Gaza. Do you think there is a shadow from
:20:56. > :21:00.World War I cast over the Middle East conflict? I do think there is
:21:01. > :21:04.because one of the things the First World War did was redraw the map in
:21:05. > :21:09.many parts of the world. And certainly the Middle East is one of
:21:10. > :21:14.those parts. Dr Paul Salem, do you think the world War contributed to
:21:15. > :21:20.the chaos, the carnage that we are seeing in the Middle East? Certainly
:21:21. > :21:27.it was one of the major factors. It was not the singular, the only
:21:28. > :21:33.event. There was already a Western effort into a declining Muslim world
:21:34. > :21:37.and a declining Ottoman Empire. World War I was a defining moment in
:21:38. > :21:41.the Middle East breaking that empire which had loosely governed the
:21:42. > :21:46.region for almost half a millennium. And there was a very uncertain 20th
:21:47. > :21:52.century. Part of the troubles in the Middle East is that it was very
:21:53. > :21:57.suddenly falling and borders were drawn by the French and the British
:21:58. > :22:02.in World War I. It included a promise for the Israeli and Jewish
:22:03. > :22:06.homeland and Palestine and Israel. It brought with it an additional
:22:07. > :22:11.bunch of challenges. The Middle East in addition to those international
:22:12. > :22:15.challenges has been for the past century trying to deal with the
:22:16. > :22:18.challenges of moving towards a modern state, modern economy and
:22:19. > :22:23.society. The last of those attempts was three years ago in the Arab up
:22:24. > :22:29.risings. Sadly they have come to nothing in most of those countries.
:22:30. > :22:32.It is a very complex mix of challenges and difficulties. Part of
:22:33. > :22:39.it is related to World War I but I would not take all of the causality
:22:40. > :22:44.into that. You were talking about borders. We have got this Jewish
:22:45. > :22:51.diplomat, Mark Sykes and a French diplomat, and between them they
:22:52. > :22:59.can't up the map of the Middle East. -- British diplomat. It was known as
:23:00. > :23:04.the famous line and it was imposed boundaries and they might not have
:23:05. > :23:08.had those boundaries quite as to linear weighted in the past. They
:23:09. > :23:13.were drawn across sectarian divisions but they did not reflect
:23:14. > :23:19.divisions. And people of different faiths in different countries and
:23:20. > :23:27.sectarian divisions continued. How much of a factor is that particular
:23:28. > :23:32.episode in the fighting that we are seeing in the Middle East today? I
:23:33. > :23:36.am less of an expert in this matter than your other guest! I know you
:23:37. > :23:43.have written about this, Dr Paul Salem. Let me say a couple of
:23:44. > :23:48.things. The drawing of those borders first of all, it had an impact on
:23:49. > :23:55.part of the Middle East which is what we call the Lebanon, Palestine,
:23:56. > :24:00.Syria, Israel, Iraq but not the other parts including Egypt and
:24:01. > :24:06.North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and so on. It impacted part of that
:24:07. > :24:14.region. The region it impacted before World War I was all part of a
:24:15. > :24:21.directly governed group of provinces. They were governed by
:24:22. > :24:26.Turkey 's forces. Turkish Empire. There was not rising encouraged by
:24:27. > :24:31.the British against Turkish rule. The borders that were drawn were
:24:32. > :24:38.somewhat arbitrary. Secondly, they included in each nation state, a new
:24:39. > :24:42.nation state, different communities. But under the Ottoman Empire, all of
:24:43. > :25:00.these areas were multi-sector Aryan. They generally lived together. --
:25:01. > :25:04.multi sectarian. There was a large uproar in the region, especially
:25:05. > :25:08.because of the British. They had promised a unified Arab state based
:25:09. > :25:15.into mass goods, including Iraqi and much of the area with British
:25:16. > :25:18.support under Arab unified rule. The British made concession to the
:25:19. > :25:25.French allies and gave half of it to France and the agreement caused a
:25:26. > :25:30.great anti-Western reaction in the Arab world. I am just going to jump
:25:31. > :25:35.in there. We have talked about the conflict in Syria and Iraq in recent
:25:36. > :25:43.months. And pace militant group issued a video saying that by moving
:25:44. > :25:48.across from Syria into Iraqi words destroying that agreement you talked
:25:49. > :25:52.about. They certainly believed that the shadow of World War I was
:25:53. > :25:58.looming large. Just to finish with you, Lynelle Howson, what has the
:25:59. > :26:01.world learned from World War I? They have learned that unfortunately
:26:02. > :26:08.violence can achieve some goals and also that the hats they are very
:26:09. > :26:14.short-term. And at a very high cost. And -- and also maybe. There were
:26:15. > :26:19.many people that went into the war and attempted to use it for positive
:26:20. > :26:23.regress as well. Not everybody was satisfied at the end of that and I
:26:24. > :26:27.think that would be true of any armed conflict anywhere. Dr Paul
:26:28. > :26:31.Salem and Lynelle Howson, thank you very much for joining us.
:26:32. > :26:34.And if you are watching us in the UK you can tune
:26:35. > :26:37.into special coverage of World War One commemorations on BBC2.
:26:38. > :26:40.For viewers around the globe, stay with us here on here
:26:41. > :26:42.BBC World, we'll cross live the commemorative ceremony in Mons,
:26:43. > :27:05.If you enjoy day fine Monday there will be some spells of warm sunshine
:27:06. > :27:10.at times this week but that is not the whole story. There will be some
:27:11. > :27:11.wet weather on cheese day and into Wednesday and Friday