:00:00. > :00:07.This is BBC World News Today with me, Alice Baxter.
:00:08. > :00:10.With more allegations of Russian military involvement in Ukraine, the
:00:11. > :00:16.UN Security Council is meeting for an emergency session on Ukraine.
:00:17. > :00:20.Pro-Russian rebels there have taken over the town of Novoazovsk,
:00:21. > :00:35.NATO says a thousand Russian troops are inside Ukraine.
:00:36. > :00:45., but it is difficult to fight with Russia and its army.
:00:46. > :00:47.We'll hear reports that Jihadist militants from Islamic State appear
:00:48. > :00:53.to have executed "dozens" of captured Syrian army soldiers.
:00:54. > :00:56.The outgoing Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn
:00:57. > :00:59.in as president at a ceremony in Turkey's parliament.
:01:00. > :01:02.Research says graduates from the top universities and fee-paying
:01:03. > :01:20.schools dominate the most senior positions in British public life.
:01:21. > :01:26.An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council is
:01:27. > :01:31.getting underway in New York to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
:01:32. > :01:38.It comes as Russia is accused of sending troops over the border.
:01:39. > :01:42.NATO says there are well over a thousand Russian troops operating
:01:43. > :01:46.inside Ukraine, a claim the Kremlin denies.
:01:47. > :01:49.It comes as pro-Russian separatists opened up a new front
:01:50. > :01:56.The rebels have taken the coastal town of Novoazovsk
:01:57. > :01:59.and are threatening the strategic port city of Mariupol.
:02:00. > :02:06.The BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent James Robbins reports.
:02:07. > :02:14.A Ukrainian soldier warns his colleagues, a sniper threatens.
:02:15. > :02:19.But now as victory looks possible they are being forced out from
:02:20. > :02:31.some areas amid claims Russia has sent reinforcements to the rebels.
:02:32. > :02:34.Russia has sent a number of armoured personal vehicles, tanks and troops.
:02:35. > :02:36.Ukrainian forces are capable to tackle and to cope with
:02:37. > :02:39.the Russian-led guerrillas, but this is quite difficult for us
:02:40. > :02:51.Moscow denies its forces are in Ukraine.
:02:52. > :02:54.But that was undermined by this rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko
:02:55. > :02:58.admitted Russian soldiers fight alongside his men, but claiming the
:02:59. > :03:05.Earlier this week, these Russian paratroopers were apparently caught
:03:06. > :03:11.Moscow says they crossed the border by mistake, but now
:03:12. > :03:13.their mothers are appealing to the Kremlin to get them released.
:03:14. > :03:17.Over the past few weeks, Ukraine's Government forces have
:03:18. > :03:25.It is almost two months since rebels were forced to free
:03:26. > :03:32.You can see how the area they once controlled has shrunk.
:03:33. > :03:38.There are still forced to be between 3000 and 4000 separatist
:03:39. > :03:45.fighters, bolstered apparently by a significant number of Russian
:03:46. > :03:47.troops, despite Moscow's formal denials.
:03:48. > :03:49.Further south, another front opened according to several reports
:03:50. > :03:53.a town was taking largely by Russian troops and tanks.
:03:54. > :03:57.Look at this video, which Ukrainians say is a Russian
:03:58. > :04:09.It could be another part of Russian efforts to prevent a defeat, not
:04:10. > :04:15.just of the rebels, but also of the Kremlin's strategy and prestige.
:04:16. > :04:17.NATO has released aerial pictures it says shows Russian armour inside
:04:18. > :04:20.Ukraine, a blatant attempt says one NATO general to change the momentum
:04:21. > :04:25.of the fighting that currently favours the Ukrainian military.
:04:26. > :04:28.As the battle for control of the eastern Ukraine rages on,
:04:29. > :04:30.EU leaders use words like "intolerable" and "aggression"
:04:31. > :04:35.David Cameron is warning of further consequences if President
:04:36. > :04:48.Let's go to the United Nations in New York where
:04:49. > :04:50.an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is underway.
:04:51. > :05:04.This meeting was called for by Lithuania. What has been said?
:05:05. > :05:10.The meeting was just this moment getting under way. The
:05:11. > :05:15.undersecretary general is briefing the Council on the latest in Ukraine
:05:16. > :05:22.and he is likely to carry the message of the UN
:05:23. > :05:26.Secretary-General, basically warning that further de-escalation of the
:05:27. > :05:33.crisis and urging parties to come together for talks in a manner that
:05:34. > :05:38.respects Ukraine's sovereignty. Before the meeting began, the
:05:39. > :05:44.president of the Security Council said this meeting would basically
:05:45. > :05:47.put Russia in the public light, having to answer questions about why
:05:48. > :05:53.they are sending troops into Ukraine, something Russia denies. In
:05:54. > :05:58.the Security Council, there has been concern for months that they could
:05:59. > :06:02.be direct confrontation between Ukraine and Russia and so this
:06:03. > :06:07.meeting will likely get the US and the Europeans hounding Russia for
:06:08. > :06:11.their actions and the Russians denying it, saying they have no
:06:12. > :06:17.troops. Many out there will be asking what
:06:18. > :06:21.good or talking will do. Only a few days, we saw Presidents Poroshenko
:06:22. > :06:28.shaking hands with President Putin in Minsk. Well today's meeting prove
:06:29. > :06:35.any more useful? Really, the US and Europeans feel it
:06:36. > :06:38.is important to have a meeting where Ukraine can lay out the information
:06:39. > :06:44.they have about Russian interference. And where Russia can
:06:45. > :06:51.speak for itself and deny or try to deny its involvement. But the
:06:52. > :06:55.accused aggressor is a permanent member of the Security Council and
:06:56. > :07:02.that is why it has not been able to act, because they hold a veto power.
:07:03. > :07:12.Beside this open forum, there is little concrete action.
:07:13. > :07:14.Steven Pifer is a former US ambassador to Ukraine,
:07:15. > :07:34.I would like to begin with these new aerial shots that NATO has. They say
:07:35. > :07:41.it represents and it escalation of Russia's interference. How much of
:07:42. > :07:48.an escalation you think we are seeing in the country.
:07:49. > :07:53.I think this is a major step. The Ukrainian military have made
:07:54. > :08:00.increasing progress in terms of squeezing the area that the
:08:01. > :08:03.separatists have. It looked like a separatists were on the verge of
:08:04. > :08:12.defeat and now Russia has taken this new step of deploying Russian forces
:08:13. > :08:15.into Ukraine. And yet Russia denies this. We have had some sort of
:08:16. > :08:23.acknowledgement that there may be Russian boots on the ground in some
:08:24. > :08:25.sort of voluntary capacity, but we heard from the separatist leader
:08:26. > :08:33.Alexander Zakharchenko saying there are lots three to 4000 Russians
:08:34. > :08:39.fighting. How do you think the outside world should read this
:08:40. > :08:44.situation? I think we have seen a situation where President Putin has
:08:45. > :08:52.chosen to escalate, as he does not want to see the insurgency in
:08:53. > :08:55.eastern Ukraine defeated. And so he has now escalated, including Russian
:08:56. > :09:03.forces, and I think this will create a difficult situation, because on
:09:04. > :09:06.the other side Mr Poroshenko is in a situation where he does not want
:09:07. > :09:11.another conflict in eastern Ukraine. He knows that Crimea is a
:09:12. > :09:16.long-term issue, but he wants to resolve it. It is hard to see
:09:17. > :09:22.unfortunately how you can get on a diplomatic path that might lead to a
:09:23. > :09:26.political settlement. Indeed, diplomatic efforts are under way in
:09:27. > :09:30.New York. And in the past couple of hours, we have had it confirmed that
:09:31. > :09:41.Ukraine will be reinstating army conscription. To what extent can
:09:42. > :09:48.NATO and the European Union really help? I think there are couple of
:09:49. > :09:54.things it. Mr Poroshenko has described things such as the
:09:55. > :09:58.decentralisation of power and status of the Russian language, he says he
:09:59. > :10:01.does not want to deepen his relationship with nature, these
:10:02. > :10:06.could be the basis of a settlement, but Moscow has not moved to go
:10:07. > :10:10.towards a settlement and now we are in a situation where the West should
:10:11. > :10:17.consider whether there is anything they could do to change President
:10:18. > :10:22.Putin's calculation. A second step might be to be put right the
:10:23. > :10:27.Ukrainian military with some military assistance, such as
:10:28. > :10:32.anti-armour weapons. Maybe surfaced MSI was that will allow the
:10:33. > :10:38.Ukrainian military to drive up the cost. Reports from Russia suggest
:10:39. > :10:44.the Russian Government is trying to hide reports of Russian casualties
:10:45. > :10:49.in Ukraine. If Russia begins to suffer economic pain and begins to
:10:50. > :11:00.see Russian casualties, does that affect their calculations?
:11:01. > :11:03.OK, thank you. Thank you.
:11:04. > :11:06.Reports from Syria say that fighters from the Islamic State group have
:11:07. > :11:08.killed dozens of captured Syrian soldiers after overrunning an
:11:09. > :11:15.A video posted online purportedly shows the aftermath of the killings,
:11:16. > :11:18.with a long line of bodies of young men lying face
:11:19. > :11:26.There is no independent confirmation of this video.
:11:27. > :11:28.With me is Sebastian Usher, Middle East Regional Editor at
:11:29. > :11:45.We have both watched this video. What did you make of it?
:11:46. > :11:51.It's did not seem the kind of thing that is unexpected with the Islamic
:11:52. > :12:04.State. We have seen when they have overrun other brigades in their
:12:05. > :12:08.stronghold, after taking the brigade headquarters, they massacred the
:12:09. > :12:12.soldiers. In fact, they did worse than what you are describing there,
:12:13. > :12:18.they put their heads on spikes in the middle of the city. It does not
:12:19. > :12:22.seem a strange thing for them to have done in the way that they are
:12:23. > :12:26.trying to instil fear in their enemies. In that sense, we can be
:12:27. > :12:32.reasonably sure that when they claim they have done it and other sources
:12:33. > :12:38.say they do, and we see the pictures, it adds up to pretty
:12:39. > :12:44.conclusive evidence. In the last few hours, we have had a
:12:45. > :12:49.second video being posted online. We will not show it as it is very
:12:50. > :12:56.upsetting and is a much more select and better edited video showing the
:12:57. > :13:01.execution of a Kurdish man. This is sending a strong message to the
:13:02. > :13:02.Kurds and the United States. This is the difference levels they operate
:13:03. > :13:09.on. The early video was a the difference levels they operate
:13:10. > :13:14.on. The early video was grainy one to document what happened after an
:13:15. > :13:18.attack. This is that they have just put up is very similar to the James
:13:19. > :13:20.Foley video, different camera angles are used,
:13:21. > :13:25.Foley video, different camera angles are it is a set piece, you first see
:13:26. > :13:31.a dozen or so suppose Kurdish fighters, supposedly the strongest
:13:32. > :13:43.force against the Islamic State in Iraq, speaking, and then one is
:13:44. > :13:48.shown in the backdrop... It is a great dramatic backdrop. It is very
:13:49. > :13:54.staged and do the same as they did with James Foley, they say that more
:13:55. > :14:00.will be executed if the Kurds fight on the site of the United States and
:14:01. > :14:07.then they slit his throat, they do not show the moment, they show the
:14:08. > :14:12.prove afterwards. He is wearing an orange jumpsuit. It is very
:14:13. > :14:18.choreographed. It is called A Message In Blood. We have not shown
:14:19. > :14:25.it as it is very upsetting. Another development, 43 UN peacekeepers...
:14:26. > :14:29.Wouldn't know capture them, but we do not think it is Islamic State. We
:14:30. > :14:35.don't think so as they are not operating that far south. This is
:14:36. > :14:39.different rebel forces. It is nothing to be too positive about as
:14:40. > :14:52.the group to Haslam is probably an Al-Qaeda affiliates -- group that
:14:53. > :14:59.has them. In another similar case, they were released, but this is
:15:00. > :15:04.different. There are many nationalities who make up this force
:15:05. > :15:08.that patrols this area. There is a big concern that perhaps they may be
:15:09. > :15:17.passing over training to other people.
:15:18. > :15:19.Now a look at some of the days other news.
:15:20. > :15:23.The World Health Organisation's warning that the number of cases
:15:24. > :15:26.of Ebola in West Africa could eventually exceed 20,000.
:15:27. > :15:32.So far, more than 1,550 people have died from the virus,
:15:33. > :15:36.and there are more than 3,000 confirmed cases - mostly in Guinea,
:15:37. > :15:55.The children's charity, Barnardos, has warned that the widespread child
:15:56. > :15:57.abuse uncovered in Rotherham is just the "tip of the iceberg".
:15:58. > :16:00.1,400 children were abused over a sixteen year period -
:16:01. > :16:02.but the charity says the problem is rife across Britain's
:16:03. > :16:05.country and that it works with thousands of children every year
:16:06. > :16:08.Wayne Rooney's been named the new England captain
:16:09. > :16:11.The 28-year-old Manchester United striker takes over from Liverpool's
:16:12. > :16:13.Steven Gerrard, who retired after England's World Cup elimination.
:16:14. > :16:15.In a statement on his official website Rooney said
:16:16. > :16:21.that to be appointed captain was beyond his wildest dreams.
:16:22. > :16:27.Here in Britain a prominent Conservative MP, Douglas Carswell,
:16:28. > :16:29.has announced he is defecting to the UK Independence Party.
:16:30. > :16:31.He'll resign as an MP, triggering a by-election.
:16:32. > :16:35.If he wins, he will deliver UKIP their first seat in parliament.
:16:36. > :16:45.Here's our political correspondent, Ben Wright.
:16:46. > :16:54.The For 1's a Westminster news conference delivered a real
:16:55. > :16:59.political bombshell. -- for once. I am needing the Conservative Party
:17:00. > :17:05.and joining UKIP. Douglas Carswell said it had not been an easy
:17:06. > :17:10.decision. Independent minded and Euro-sceptic, he said on the UKIP
:17:11. > :17:15.can shake up the cosy clique of Westminster. The top talk before
:17:16. > :17:24.elections and see what they must to get our support but on so many
:17:25. > :17:29.issues, on modernising our politics, controlling our borders, bank
:17:30. > :17:33.reform, cutting public debts, EU Referendum, they never make it
:17:34. > :17:39.happen. Nigel Farage predicted others would follow him into the
:17:40. > :17:46.UKIP fold. This is not my show today, this is Douglas's shawl. It
:17:47. > :17:50.is no great secret that are a number of members of Parliament sitting on
:17:51. > :17:57.Conservative and Labour benches who hold UKIP views very strongly. This
:17:58. > :18:03.will be the same of the big by-election battle. UKIP had a
:18:04. > :18:07.resounding victory here in the Euro elections and Douglas Carswell has a
:18:08. > :18:13.significant personal following so will they vote for him? Yes, I think
:18:14. > :18:19.it is the best thing he could do because now he will get extra votes.
:18:20. > :18:27.I think it is the wrong moves, I do not think he will get re-elected. I
:18:28. > :18:34.voted for them before. I like his policies. He has moved over to UKIP
:18:35. > :18:39.and that is good news. If he gets a foothold for UKIP here in Essex
:18:40. > :18:44.months before the general election, it will help his new party make
:18:45. > :18:50.further inroads elsewhere in the country. David Cameron knows he has
:18:51. > :18:54.got a fight on his hands. It is deeply regrettable when things
:18:55. > :18:58.happen like this and people behave in this week, but it is also
:18:59. > :19:04.counter-productive. If you want a referendum of the future of Britain
:19:05. > :19:09.in the EU, the only way to get that is to have a Conservative government
:19:10. > :19:14.after the next election and that is what until very recently Douglas
:19:15. > :19:18.Carswell himself was saying. Many MPs are heading back to Westminster
:19:19. > :19:22.after the holidays and in the coming weeks they will be back on the
:19:23. > :19:29.seaside trying to turn the tide against UKIP.
:19:30. > :19:35.The outgoing Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn
:19:36. > :19:39.It follows his victory in Turkey's first ever popular vote for head
:19:40. > :19:42.Mr Erdogan has vowed to give more power to the previously ceremonial
:19:43. > :19:45.post of president but his critics say the move will
:19:46. > :19:59.The star of Turkish politics continues to soar.
:20:00. > :20:09.Recep Tayyip Erdogan arriving to be sworn in. He took the oath of
:20:10. > :20:14.allegiance inside the parliament building. Applauded by many, but
:20:15. > :20:18.booed by the opposition who left the chamber in revolt. The pomp and
:20:19. > :20:22.ceremony was on show for the new head of state who has promised to
:20:23. > :20:28.increase his powers by changing the constitution. He is the first ever
:20:29. > :20:35.popularly elected president in this country's history. It was previously
:20:36. > :20:41.ceremonial post but he has managed to change and he was elected to
:20:42. > :20:48.weeks ago with 52% of the vote. He then went on to be a wreath at the
:20:49. > :20:52.mausoleums of the founding father of the country. His critics say he has
:20:53. > :20:59.strayed from the secular principles of Turkey and is too Islamic.
:21:00. > :21:06.Speaking at the palace, he sounded our conciliar literary note.
:21:07. > :21:11.TRANSLATION: We will work hand-in-hand for economic growth and
:21:12. > :21:18.to improve social welfare. He has had a volatile year. Anti-government
:21:19. > :21:22.protesters raged against his authoritarianism. The opposition say
:21:23. > :21:29.it is typical of his style. But he has also transformed the economy.
:21:30. > :21:36.His challenge now is to unite a divided country. Western Allies were
:21:37. > :21:37.absent to date, perhaps a sign of Turkey's recent isolation but
:21:38. > :21:42.absent to date, perhaps a sign of will have to work with the new
:21:43. > :21:45.leader of a powerful new tool member, a key ally in a region
:21:46. > :21:53.fraught with danger. Britain is still
:21:54. > :21:55."deeply elitist" towards people who went to private school -
:21:56. > :21:57.and Oxbridge graduates dominate the most senior positions in public life
:21:58. > :22:00.- that's according to a new report. The Social Mobility and
:22:01. > :22:02.Child Poverty Commission found that seventy percent of senior judges,
:22:03. > :22:05.half of the house of Lords and a third of
:22:06. > :22:07.the cabinet went to private school. A degree from Oxford and Cambridge
:22:08. > :22:18.is not just about academic excellence and personal success,
:22:19. > :22:20.it also opens doors. Today's report shows today's
:22:21. > :22:30.graduates still have Three quarters of our top judges,
:22:31. > :22:35.59 percent of the Cabinet and almost half of all newspaper
:22:36. > :22:42.columnists have Oxbridge degrees. But this report shows elitism
:22:43. > :22:44.begins even earlier. Only 7% of the population is
:22:45. > :22:48.privately educated but one third of MPs went to fee-paying schools
:22:49. > :22:52.as did 62% of senior military officers and more than half
:22:53. > :22:57.of the highest-ranking diplomats. The report warns this lack
:22:58. > :23:02.of diversity means Britain's key institutions do not
:23:03. > :23:04.represent the public they serve or Its authors say it's time to end
:23:05. > :23:19.what they call the closed shop With me is David Johnston.
:23:20. > :23:20.He's a commissioner with the Social Mobility and
:23:21. > :23:33.Child Poverty Commission. Thank you for coming in. You believe
:23:34. > :23:39.it is a clothes shop at the top? Not entirely, but it certainly is for
:23:40. > :23:45.most people, the chances of getting in if you went to an ordinary state
:23:46. > :23:53.school. It is not impossible, but it is very difficult. Do you believe
:23:54. > :23:59.that by bringing out this report we might see a change in the way some
:24:00. > :24:09.institutions hire graduates? I hope so. Often when we talk about this,
:24:10. > :24:14.we focus on politics, we see the Shadow Cabinet is unrepresentative
:24:15. > :24:16.for instance. Often lawyers, diplomats and people doing those
:24:17. > :24:23.interviews are from the same background. All of our key
:24:24. > :24:28.institutions in public life have theirs. What the commission is
:24:29. > :24:34.calling for is to remove the University name of candidates when
:24:35. > :24:42.you look at them for jobs. When they do that, deselect a very different
:24:43. > :24:49.of people. I do not think it is positive discrimination, it is
:24:50. > :24:54.levelling the playing field. I would say positive discrimination exists
:24:55. > :25:00.at the moment, if you are using an old school tie to get ahead in your
:25:01. > :25:05.job or if you are using personal connections to get a work
:25:06. > :25:08.placement. That could be just outright discrimination. What about
:25:09. > :25:16.families who prioritise getting their children to private schools
:25:17. > :25:20.and decide not to buy expensive holidays and houses but put the
:25:21. > :25:27.money towards good schools for their children, are being penalised? Quite
:25:28. > :25:31.the contrary. They made a wise decision because they can see the
:25:32. > :25:35.advantages that a private school buys in British society but it is
:25:36. > :25:39.important to recognise that the vast majority of people in this country
:25:40. > :25:43.cannot make that sort of choice. They would not have the means to
:25:44. > :25:48.send their children to private schools. Only 1% of people who go to
:25:49. > :25:54.private school get their fees paid for. The vast majority cannot afford
:25:55. > :25:59.this. What do you want to see happen now? The first thing is to improve
:26:00. > :26:07.the standard of education that everyone gets. We want universities
:26:08. > :26:11.to look at the way they select, so they are not simply selecting those
:26:12. > :26:19.with the top grades from schools Best Out producing top grades. Then
:26:20. > :26:21.we want businesses to put aside some of the preconceptions they have
:26:22. > :26:27.about the School university that people have been to. In the
:26:28. > :26:32.interview room that we want them to judge how well someone could do the
:26:33. > :26:37.job rather than other things like recognising their university and how
:26:38. > :26:45.they interact in the universe -- in the interview room. Many thanks for
:26:46. > :26:48.coming in to talk to us. You have been watching world News today.
:26:49. > :27:03.Child Poverty Commission. watching.
:27:04. > :27:04.Good evening. Some lively weather on the way for the British