:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today with me Daniela Ritorto.
:00:08. > :00:09.The atrocities in Syria's war laid bare
:00:10. > :00:15.The United Nations accuses government forces and Islamic State
:00:16. > :00:26.fighters of massacres and causing immeasurable suffering to civilians.
:00:27. > :00:34.Children mostly boys from the age of 14, are recruited and trained to
:00:35. > :00:37.fight in the ranks of IIS, along with others.
:00:38. > :00:39.Yet more setbacks to settling the disputed Afghan presidential
:00:40. > :00:43.We'll look at the consequences of the failure to finalise the result.
:00:44. > :00:45.A new rebel front opens up in Ukraine.
:00:46. > :00:48.Pro-Russian forces roll into a coastal town in the south
:00:49. > :00:54.Most of us would be happy to get to our 80th birthdays but how
:00:55. > :01:06.We meet the couple and find out the secret of their success.
:01:07. > :01:12.We do love each other. The most useful thing is, as long as I agree
:01:13. > :01:23.with her, then I am safe. Graphic details of mass atrocities
:01:24. > :01:28.in Syria have been detailed in a damning UN report,
:01:29. > :01:30.blaming both Islamic State militants The report says public executions
:01:31. > :01:38.are a "common spectacle" in areas under IS control - along
:01:39. > :01:41.with amputations and whippings. The UN is also scathing of Syrian
:01:42. > :01:45.government forces - saying they drop barrel bombs and chlorine gas
:01:46. > :01:49.on civilian neighbourhoods. Attention is now turning to whether
:01:50. > :01:53.the US which is targeting Islamic State with airstrikes in Iraq will
:01:54. > :02:18.extend their campaign to Syria. We do not know his age, but this
:02:19. > :02:26.looks like a boy. Firing and American howitzer captured by
:02:27. > :02:29.Islamic State extremists. The exact circumstances of the video cannot be
:02:30. > :02:30.verified but the United Nations is clear, Islamic State relies on
:02:31. > :02:33.massive recruitment of fighters as young as 15. The group which
:02:34. > :02:37.beheaded the American journalist is accused of using a systematic terror
:02:38. > :02:46.against civilians, especially children. Among the most disturbing
:02:47. > :02:50.findings in this report and accounts of large training camps were
:02:51. > :02:57.children, mostly boys from the age of 14, I recruited and trained to
:02:58. > :03:01.fight in the ranks of ices along with others. The latest UN report
:03:02. > :03:06.documents crimes against you manage to buy both rebels and the Syrian
:03:07. > :03:12.government. But it is the increasing abuses by the Islamic State which
:03:13. > :03:17.are highlighted this time. In areas they control, executions in public
:03:18. > :03:25.are common spectacle. In some cases passers-by are forced to watch. IIS
:03:26. > :03:30.also executed several boys, reportedly members of rival armed
:03:31. > :03:36.groups. The UN accepts that bodies are placed on crucifixes for up to
:03:37. > :03:40.three days to warn residents. Both the Syrian government and the
:03:41. > :03:43.Islamic Revolution are abusing children by using them as soldiers
:03:44. > :03:50.and spies which particularly troubles the UN. The UN worries that
:03:51. > :03:55.US strikes could kill many boys soldiers and kidnap victims, warning
:03:56. > :04:01.the US that any decision to bomb must respect the laws of war. The UN
:04:02. > :04:05.stresses that President Assad's government forces continue their war
:04:06. > :04:11.crimes, among those indiscriminate barrel bombing of civilian areas
:04:12. > :04:17.along with chlorine gas attacks. The UN can see no end in sight, all
:04:18. > :04:19.sides are engaged in fierce fighting well none appears capable of
:04:20. > :04:23.achieving outright military victory. Meanwhile the American journalist
:04:24. > :04:25.who spent two years in captivity after being kidnapped in Syria, says
:04:26. > :04:28.he's been overwhelmed with emotion after learning of how many people
:04:29. > :04:31.helped secure his release. Peter Theo Curtis had been held by the
:04:32. > :04:34.militant group the Al-Nusrah Front. He's now returned to his mother's
:04:35. > :04:48.home in Cambridge in Massachussets I had no idea when I was imprisoned
:04:49. > :04:51.that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. No idea when
:04:52. > :04:56.I was imprisoned that so much effort was being expended on my behalf. And
:04:57. > :05:01.I am overwhelmed that total strangers have been coming up to me
:05:02. > :05:07.in saying, welcome home, we're glad you are safe. Great to see you. I
:05:08. > :05:12.suddenly remember how good the American people are and what
:05:13. > :05:17.kindness they have in their hearts. To all those people I see a huge
:05:18. > :05:19.thank you from the bottom of my heart. That was the free postage
:05:20. > :05:27.Peter Theo Curtis. -- Freed hostage. Another US journalist,
:05:28. > :05:29.31-year-old Steven Sotloff, is still being held by Islamic militants
:05:30. > :05:31.from the group Islamic State. His mother, Shirley, has released
:05:32. > :05:38.a video appealing directly to His mother, Shirley, has released
:05:39. > :05:46.a video appealing directly to He is a loyal, brother, son and grandson.
:05:47. > :05:51.We have not seen Steven for over a year and we miss him very much. We
:05:52. > :05:58.want to see him home safe and sound to hug him. Since his capture, I
:05:59. > :06:01.have learned a lot about Islam. I have learned that Islam teaches no
:06:02. > :06:06.individual should be held responsible for the sins of others.
:06:07. > :06:20.Steven has no controls over the actions of the US governments.
:06:21. > :06:24.Here's an innocent journalist. The Israeli Prime Minister has gone on
:06:25. > :06:29.television to say that Hamas has been hit hard with none of its
:06:30. > :06:34.demands are met. He said Israel would respond if there was further
:06:35. > :06:37.rocket fire. Hamas meanwhile has been holding a victory rally in
:06:38. > :06:44.Gaddy where its leader praised the families of those whose relatives
:06:45. > :06:48.died during the conflict. Trucks from the world food programme had
:06:49. > :06:50.crossed into Gaza, the first time they have done so from Egypt in
:06:51. > :06:53.seven years. Yet another setback
:06:54. > :06:55.in resolving the disputed Afghan After one of the candidates,
:06:56. > :06:58.Dr Abdullah Abdullah boycotted His supporters allege massive fraud,
:06:59. > :07:01.saying that hundreds of thousands of false ballots were
:07:02. > :07:04.cast for his rival Ashraf Ghani. The UN are now continuing
:07:05. > :07:20.the audit alone. Tensions are high as Afghanistan
:07:21. > :07:27.still struggles to find a winner in an election which began back in
:07:28. > :07:31.April. Minor fights between rival party workers are daily events in
:07:32. > :07:36.the warehouses where the recount is taking place. Now one of the
:07:37. > :07:44.candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, has walked out seeing fraud has not been
:07:45. > :07:52.dealt with. Our team have decided to boycott the recount process. Whoever
:07:53. > :07:57.is for awarding this process, that is their problem, we in our team
:07:58. > :08:01.will withdraw ourselves from is their problem, we in our team
:08:02. > :08:09.process. The audit will go ahead without workers from the other camp
:08:10. > :08:14.either. Ashraf Ghani held a meeting with US forces here. He has agreed
:08:15. > :08:19.with the UN request to pull out of the process, they say they want a
:08:20. > :08:22.level playing field. Doctor Abdul APPLAUSE
:08:23. > :08:26.Was powerful ally is the former warlord working out in a gym at
:08:27. > :08:33.home. He is now a successful businessman.
:08:34. > :08:44.He is surrounded by mementos from his past. If the fraud goes on, he
:08:45. > :08:49.is threatening a wave of protests. An orange movements, effectively a
:08:50. > :08:53.revolution. TRANSLATION: If they are not clever enough to listen to the
:08:54. > :09:01.voice of the people, we will start an orange movements, we will occupy
:09:02. > :09:06.public buildings. Meeting supporters from across the country he promised
:09:07. > :09:10.that any action would be peaceful. But in this land where violence
:09:11. > :09:16.often breaks out, this may not be possible. This man said if they are
:09:17. > :09:21.not listened to, they will do what they did against the Russians and
:09:22. > :09:25.the Taliban. They will do the same thing against fraudulent
:09:26. > :09:27.governments. The decision by Abdul APPLAUSE
:09:28. > :09:33.Team to withdraw from the audit process means many Afghans will not
:09:34. > :09:39.accept that it is fear and it makes the prospect of street protests far
:09:40. > :09:45.more likely. The breakdown in law and order will
:09:46. > :09:50.only encourage the Taliban and make international donors cut funds more
:09:51. > :09:54.quickly. Julia to deal with the fraud here could have dire
:09:55. > :09:58.consequences. -- failure to deal with.
:09:59. > :10:00.Marvin Weinbaum is a former Afghanistan analyst with
:10:01. > :10:03.He's now a scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute
:10:04. > :10:16.This is much more than just a power struggle from two men. He says it
:10:17. > :10:23.has dire consequences for Afghanistan, would you agree? But
:10:24. > :10:28.yes, of course. If there is a failure to gain a new government to
:10:29. > :10:33.come out of this process, with a government which has legitimacy,
:10:34. > :10:38.this is going to be a real setback. It is a question as to whether the
:10:39. > :10:43.international community would be willing to meet its obligations
:10:44. > :10:49.towards Afghanistan without which it is hard to see how Afghanistan will
:10:50. > :10:53.be a viable country economically and in its ability to fend off the
:10:54. > :11:05.Taliban. There is something deeper here. That is we have to worry about
:11:06. > :11:10.the possibility of actual Civil War. When this warlord speaks about
:11:11. > :11:16.breaking away, this is the view of many. This is a Preludes to the
:11:17. > :11:22.eventual splitting of the country and it is hard to believe that under
:11:23. > :11:26.those circumstances, once again this country will be able to survive
:11:27. > :11:32.politically and certainly not economically. Can we turn our
:11:33. > :11:37.attention to this thought process. How do we know where their doctor
:11:38. > :11:43.Abdullah Abdullah has a legitimate great? Does he know he has lost and
:11:44. > :11:51.is trying to extract maximum concessions? I think that is
:11:52. > :11:56.probably the case. This could well be a bargaining position, he has
:11:57. > :12:01.done it before, in which he is not pleased with the rules that have
:12:02. > :12:09.been made out by the UN. He sees those rules as leading to
:12:10. > :12:13.disqualification of Ashraf Ghani's votes which will not be a sufficient
:12:14. > :12:19.size to reverse the initial outcome of the election. This is its way to
:12:20. > :12:25.perhaps be able to get a different set of standards which would then
:12:26. > :12:32.leave many more votes questionable as to their validity. Most observers
:12:33. > :12:40.have a sense now that Ashraf Ghani will emerge. The real question will
:12:41. > :12:45.be whether, if that is the case, the two sides can nevertheless agree on
:12:46. > :12:49.a unity government in which Doctor Abdullah Abdullah will have
:12:50. > :12:55.sufficient authority as a chief executive search that his people
:12:56. > :13:04.will not feel they have lost. You're sitting in Washington's, --
:13:05. > :13:09.Washington, can John Kerry play anymore in this day you think? He
:13:10. > :13:14.has done it twice when he has anymore in this day you think? He
:13:15. > :13:19.intervenes, I would not be surprised if he tries again. It seems this
:13:20. > :13:23.time you can just play there's so many times. Now that Ashraf Ghani
:13:24. > :13:29.has stepped out of the process, many times. Now that Ashraf Ghani
:13:30. > :13:30.really is in the hands of the UN. If the UN can make a
:13:31. > :13:37.really is in the hands of the UN. If the credible case for the fact that
:13:38. > :13:38.it has done as good a job as it cute and then disqualifying various
:13:39. > :13:47.candidates, then I believe the and then disqualifying various
:13:48. > :13:53.that. Whether the followers of Abdullah Gul will do so is another
:13:54. > :13:57.question. I believe he understands the consequences of this coming
:13:58. > :14:07.apart and the consequences of this coming
:14:08. > :14:11.analysis here on the BBC. Many thanks.
:14:12. > :14:14.Here in the UK, there's outcry over the way the authorities failed to
:14:15. > :14:17.deal with years of organised sexual abuse by gangs of men in Rotherham
:14:18. > :14:30.a sixteen year period - up until last year.
:14:31. > :14:41.1400 victims of sexual exploitation in one town.
:14:42. > :14:45.Today, the people of Rotherham are trying to understand how such crimes
:14:46. > :14:48.could have been committed here, and why those in authority ignored
:14:49. > :14:54.I can't believe that's been going on for so long, so many years,
:14:55. > :15:06.My friends are on the street at ten o'clock at that.
:15:07. > :15:12.I would be terrified, just because of the amount of people out there.
:15:13. > :15:15.Seeing it. White girls with them.
:15:16. > :15:22.She says she was groomed by men in Rotherham from the age of 12.
:15:23. > :15:25.The sexual exploitation began a year later.
:15:26. > :15:29.She told police she had been raped several times.
:15:30. > :15:32.These perpetrators make you feel like it isn't a crime,
:15:33. > :15:36.it is just life, that's how it is, and that you are worthless.
:15:37. > :15:39.The police, with their response, just backed that up.
:15:40. > :15:43.So you sort of feel like you are overreacting, and maybe that is just
:15:44. > :15:51.Most of the perpetrators were men of Pakistani origin, but some staff
:15:52. > :16:00.at the council feared speaking up, afraid of being called racist.
:16:01. > :16:07.He thinks abusers should be treated like any other criminals,
:16:08. > :16:09.whatever their ethnic or religious background.
:16:10. > :16:16.It is like a bomb has been dropped in Rotherham.
:16:17. > :16:19.There are people who feel it isn't broken yet, and it will break
:16:20. > :16:21.further if we don't deal with it in a proper manner.
:16:22. > :16:25.Crime has been able to happen because of political correctness.
:16:26. > :16:29.The pressure has been mounting on Shaun Wright,
:16:30. > :16:31.now the elected Police and Crime Commissioner,
:16:32. > :16:38.but for five years, he was the cabinet member for
:16:39. > :16:39.the children's services in Rotherham.
:16:40. > :16:44.When you are part of the 63-member council you take collective
:16:45. > :16:53.Some at the council hoped a detailed report would help clear the air.
:16:54. > :17:01.For the victims, all of the many apologies so far will not be enough.
:17:02. > :17:10.Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have pushed their way
:17:11. > :17:12.into the coastal town of Novoazovsk after three days of shelling.
:17:13. > :17:15.The town lies on the road from Russia to the key port city
:17:16. > :17:17.of Mariupol, it's the first significant fighting along the
:17:18. > :17:21.Meanwhile, fighting is also continuing further north around
:17:22. > :17:31.Our correspondent in Kiev David Stern joins me now.
:17:32. > :17:40.And when did the southern coastal part of the come back into play?
:17:41. > :17:44.That is the question, it came back this week, many questions raised
:17:45. > :17:49.about how this happened, because this really was under control of the
:17:50. > :17:57.government forces until now and was fairly quiet for the last month and
:17:58. > :18:01.stop but suddenly, rebel forces, or fighters we should say, came into
:18:02. > :18:07.this period to launch a major counteroffensive, and making
:18:08. > :18:11.headway, and the accusation by the Ukrainians and Western officials
:18:12. > :18:15.from the United States, just a few moments ago, is this is an
:18:16. > :18:22.encouraging from Russia, and indications from Western reporters
:18:23. > :18:29.this is the case, but what will happen with father fighting, with
:18:30. > :18:37.three fronts going, and whether this can be counter acted. And the
:18:38. > :18:43.significance is this could be a way to get a road into the Crimea?
:18:44. > :18:53.Exactly, the southern area is important, the southern coastal
:18:54. > :18:58.area, it also can provide a land bridge we are Crimea is attached to
:18:59. > :19:04.the Ukraine, but could also provide another supply route for the rebels,
:19:05. > :19:09.as well as giving them a larger easier of land. The Ukrainians are
:19:10. > :19:16.adamant this is a race in directive, if not actually Russian
:19:17. > :19:21.forces, although Russia denies this. We have seen ten Russian
:19:22. > :19:27.paratroopers arrested and detained yesterday and overnight. They said
:19:28. > :19:32.they took a wrong turn, but they were 25 kilometres within Ukraine,
:19:33. > :19:38.Ukrainian officials using this as evidence to sure this is a Russian
:19:39. > :19:40.troop invasion of Ukraine. Thank you, as always.
:19:41. > :19:43.A nine year-old girl in the US has accidentally killed her shooting
:19:44. > :19:46.instructor while being shown how to use a high-powered automatic weapon.
:19:47. > :19:49.The child was having a lesson at a firing range in Arizona,
:19:50. > :19:51.when she pulled the trigger on an Uzi submachine gun
:19:52. > :20:06.Just nine years old, with a loaded machine gun in her hands.
:20:07. > :20:10.Turn this leg forward, just like that.
:20:11. > :20:16.The little girl is shown how to fire the lethal weapon.
:20:17. > :20:19.Moments later, unable to control the gun's recoil,
:20:20. > :20:24.she accidentally shoots the instructor.
:20:25. > :20:36.Charles Vacca, a 39-year-old former soldier,
:20:37. > :20:39.was airlifted to hospital, but died shortly afterwards.
:20:40. > :20:42.The shooting range, known as Bullets and Burgers,
:20:43. > :20:44.is marketed as a family day out to include lunch
:20:45. > :20:47.and the choice of more than 20 automatic weapons to fire.
:20:48. > :20:50.It has been defending the policy of allowing children to handle guns.
:20:51. > :20:56.A nine-year-old gets an uzi in her hand, within the criteria.
:20:57. > :21:00.We instruct kids as young as five and they can handle firearms under
:21:01. > :21:05.the supervision of their parents and our professional range masters.
:21:06. > :21:07.The tragedy has reignited the controversy
:21:08. > :21:13.Many Americans cherish their right to bear arms,
:21:14. > :21:16.but the debate over whether that right
:21:17. > :21:29.should be shared by the nation's children, is intensifying.
:21:30. > :21:35.A couple from the English coastal town of
:21:36. > :21:37.Bournemouth are celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary today.
:21:38. > :21:39.Maurice and Helen Kaye, who are both more than 100 years old,
:21:40. > :21:44.Duncan Kennedy has been to meet them to find out the secret
:21:45. > :21:48.A lifetime spent having the time of their lives.
:21:49. > :21:50.Maurice and Helen Kaye believe they have
:21:51. > :21:55.Today celebrating eight decades of marriage.
:21:56. > :21:58.Did you think then this could last 80 years?
:21:59. > :22:09.I didn't think it would last the week.
:22:10. > :22:10.Helen 101. Maurice 102.
:22:11. > :22:16.After about three hours, my mother said to me,
:22:17. > :22:30.They then courted for four years and married on this day in 1934.
:22:31. > :22:33.What is the secret of this long happy marriage?
:22:34. > :22:40.We are very tolerant of each other and we do love each other.
:22:41. > :22:44.The most useful thing is, as long as I agree with her, then I am safe.
:22:45. > :22:57.80 years ago, in 1934, bread was tuppence a loaf.
:22:58. > :23:03.Helen and Maurice never once forgot their
:23:04. > :23:12.And if you have to give in a little bit, so you give in a little bit.
:23:13. > :23:16.You have to give in a little bit, as she says, she gives in a little bit.
:23:17. > :23:19.Four generations of family have come from 80 years of marriage, known
:23:20. > :23:27.Certainly, Maurice and Helen Kaye have the longest of roots, grounded
:23:28. > :23:47.Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, in Bournemouth.
:23:48. > :23:50.What a beautiful story. Congratulations to them.
:23:51. > :23:52.This time yesterday, we told you about British singer
:23:53. > :23:55.Kate Bush returning to the stage after 35 years.
:23:56. > :23:58.She was back on the same stage she performed on in 1979 at
:23:59. > :24:03.We spoke to some of those as they left the concert.
:24:04. > :24:06.# When I was a child Running in the night
:24:07. > :24:16.Absolutely everybody was on their feet.
:24:17. > :24:17.A dream come true. Absolutely amazing.
:24:18. > :24:23.# The hounds of love are hunting... #
:24:24. > :24:28.It's spectacular. It's worth waiting 35 years for.
:24:29. > :24:30.I'm from New Jersey, United States, it was fantastic, spectacular.
:24:31. > :24:39.It was like a rock show, a theatre show, everything, it was wonderful.
:24:40. > :24:46.It was theatrical, it was just out of this world.
:24:47. > :24:49.There was puppetry, video, videos, it was like a piece of theatre it
:24:50. > :25:02.We have waited 35 years to see this, so we are very excited.
:25:03. > :25:04.We were too young last time. Yeah.
:25:05. > :25:31.and she was part of my teenage years, so all of her here and all
:25:32. > :25:40.Visual, hearing, taste, your whole body was on a sensation.
:25:41. > :25:47.It just shows what an inspiration Kate Bush is.
:25:48. > :25:55.To visualise her music and lyrics in that way was outstanding.
:25:56. > :25:58.And I need to see that show five more times to see all the
:25:59. > :26:02.It was outstanding and it will be a memory that is with
:26:03. > :26:12.Some very happy Kate Bush fans there.
:26:13. > :26:17.The United Nations has published graphic details of what
:26:18. > :26:20.its says are atrocities by both sides in the conflict in Syria.
:26:21. > :26:22.The latest UN human rights report says that jihadists of the
:26:23. > :26:24.Islamic State group carry out frequent public executions that
:26:25. > :26:26.the population, including children, is forced to watch.
:26:27. > :26:30.At the same time, the UN says Syrian government forces drop barrel bombs
:26:31. > :26:40.and chlorine gas from helicopters. That is it from the programme. Next
:26:41. > :27:05.is the weather. Some mixed fortunes across the
:27:06. > :27:06.British Isles tomorrow. Some spells of Warren sunshine, but some hefty